They sat by a stone fire-pit watching the flames rise and fall with a crackle. They were on a small terrace that overlooked the forest, sitting not much higher than the still swaying trees. The rain tapped softly on the wooden roof, he found the sound comforting in a way, especially with the warm heat emitting from the fire before them. The smell of wet earth was running side by side with the scent of burning wood. It was the closest to nature he''d felt in his life and he took great comfort in it.


    In response to the sudden revelation that Alietah was his long lost sister, Ren was soon released as a prisoner and was subsequently given free rein to walk amidst the great town in the trees. He had almost lost his mind in its wonder. Tycon could see him conversing with an elven woman nearby as they leaned on the railing, overlooking the forest. He hadn''t left any of the inhabitants alone since his release, asking them all kinds of questions to study the elves. Questions Tycon himself hadn''t had a chance to ask since he arrived.


    "Hey, Ali. What happened after that night?" Tycon asked softly, he could barely hear himself above the rain.


    Alietah, however, seemed to hear him quite well. She lowered her head a moment and he could almost feel the memories rushing back to her. Those same memories flashed within his mind, something that had been suppressed for such a long time.


    "Would rather not get too detailed but..." She paused a moment and sighed, "I heard father tell you to run, heard your footsteps trail off and... The man was on top of me, I could hear mother''s screams suddenly stop. I saw her head slump to face me, her cold dead eyes sparked something, I reached for the man''s dagger that was on the floor to the side of me. He dropped it to... Y''know. I grabbed it, planted it hard over and over again into his neck and fled, never looked back, never found you. What happened to you?"


    The memories of that night still cut deep. Even if it were seventy years ago, it still felt like yesterday. Sudden anxiety overcame him as he remembered clear as day.


    "I ran as you did, not looking back. I ran the whole night, barely stopping to catch my breath until the next morning I stumbled upon a camp of human mercenaries who were sat by a fire. They saw the blood on me and took me in, they trained and raised me," Tycon stopped a moment to collect his thoughts and continued, "I remembered their faces, Ali. We were on a job, some common banditry we were sent to stop and, well, there they were... Every single one of them. We were supposed to arrest them, but I-I cut them down, one by one."


    Alietah''s eyes were slightly widened, though her face was as cold as stone. She gave him a solemn nod, "You avenged them," She said.


    Tycon nodded and they sat in silence for a while, gazing into the campfire. The sudden events were a lot to process, his brain seemingly working it''s hardest to take everything in, he was beginning to feel weary as the day began to fade.


    "How is it that you''re here?" Tycon asked.


    "I wanted to leave that damn country as quick as I could," She said, "Took a ship to the mainland with another group of elves that were fleeing the sudden invasion of the humans. We never traveled the roads, walking through all kinds of wilderness until we found this place... A lot of people have left or died since and as the years went by, soon I found myself where I am today."


    "Why not settle in a town?"


    Alietah snorted, "I''d rather stay away from humans."


    "You don''t like humans?"


    "No," She replied simply, "Your friend is lucky that you''re here, would''ve sold him off to slavers."


    "Why do you hate them?" He asked.


    "I wouldn''t expect you to understand, seeing as you were raised by them."


    "They''re not all bad, you know that right?"


    "I''m not prepared to take any chances. They lie and cheat, kill each other over petty things, power and coin being most prominent amongst them."


    She was partially right, but such things were common among all races, humans weren''t much different from elves. He could understand her bias of despisement against the humans but he had met many that were good people with honor, love, and courage. He wasn''t about to mention that to her though, she could keep those sentiments if she wished, he was just glad to see her again all things considered.


    He watched her tie her long blonde hair in a ponytail, her blue eyes reflecting the fire within them. She looked so much different from how he remembered her, she probably felt the same too. They were, after all, children when they last saw each other. He could see the hate that lingered within her, maybe it was some kind of sibling connection, he wasn''t sure. But he could feel it intensely, like an aura that dispersed from her very form. In the very least he was grateful that she tolerated Ren''s presence.


    "I need to head off, got some important things to do," She shrugged and let out a smile, "Y''know, running a town and all. It''s good to see you after all this time, Tycon. I''ve gone ahead and given you two a room for lodging, it''s just outside across from the town hall. If you need me, that''s where you''ll find me."


    Tycon smiled in return, "It was good to see you too Ali, we''ll talk more tomorrow."


    With that, they both rose from their respective seats and gave each other a hug, soon she disappeared from the firelight toward the town hall. Tycon returned his gaze to the fire for a moment and then to Ren who was now looking over the railing on his own. He figured the poor elven woman got bored with his incessant questioning. Tycon shook his head and grinned.


    Classic Ren.


    Tycon leaned in beside him, taking in the purity of the rainfall, listening to every drop collide with wood and earth. It wasn''t often that it rained for this long. Occasionally he heard the distant thunder, sounding like a god expressing their rage, followed by a flash of lightning that was its attack on the world. Tycon silently wished the stars would come out that night, he hadn''t gazed upon them properly in a long time and he wished to collect his thoughts.


    Ren noticed his presence but didn''t say anything. Letting the moment overcome them as the two looked out into the ever-darkening horizon. The sunset was almost visible behind the haze of the black and grey clouds by the mountains. It took for a pretty sight, making the sky look like a picturesque painting.


    "Who''s that woman you were talking to," Ren asked finally.


    "My sister," Tycon replied.


    Ren looked at him with a shocked expression, "Talk about a coincidence."


    "Yeah, one that''s seventy years in the making."


    "Right, I forgot how old you were."


    "What about you? Who was that woman you were speaking to?" Tycon asked after a few moments.


    Ren simply shrugged, "Don''t know, was just asking her about her people and life here."


    "You learn anything?"


    "Only that they live off of the forest and the animals within. They''ve had to start trading with the humans near Halcyon for food since the monsters have halved the amount of them within the forest."


    That said a lot. It was probably why they''ve been hunting the monsters too, for coin to survive. That made sense as to why they ended up there. Tycon wasn''t particularly fond of his sister''s unflinching look at human trafficking, slavery. He would try to persuade her to stop it, even if it didn''t seem likely. She was better than that, then again, a lot had changed in seventy years and her disdain hadn''t faltered for a second since.


    On one hand, he couldn''t blame her for how she felt, but he knew that she needed to let it go, move on and grow. Keeping her head submerged in the past wouldn''t do her any good. Those thoughts were conflicted by what he knew she went through, the understanding he had behind it. In the end he was no different than her, he didn''t hate humans but he made sure he slew the ones who had wronged him. When all was said and done, he never felt much better for it. What happened still happened, in the very least he could prevent it from happening again, no matter how small of a chance that was.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Maybe she''ll change her mind. The other elves seem relatively friendly to Ren at least.


    "Your sister is a thing of beauty," Ren said suddenly with a coy grin.


    Tycon raised his eyebrows, "I don''t think it''s mutual."


    Ren let out a chuckle, "I didn''t think so, could tell from the look in her eyes. It seemed like she wanted to rip my head off," He cocked his head sideways, "Gotta admit though, it''s kinda attractive."


    "Too much information, Ren. Would rather not know what you''re into."


    He laughed again.


    "Anyway, she set us up with a room for lodging by the town hall," Tycon said.


    "Ooh, somewhere to read and write in peace. Can''t wait."


    <hr>


    The room was small and humble, the air was dry, warm even. There were two cots made of animal hide on each wall and a lone dresser in between. On the dresser was a candle, it''s small light illuminating the back wall, leaving the rest to darkness. The rain almost became silent as they entered, the droplets tapping on the roof muffled above them. Tycon sat his sword by the side of his cot and removed his dampened boots then rested his jaded form upon it, looking to the ceiling of straw and wood with a sigh.


    Ren did the same but instead pulled out his bestiary and with a quill and inkwell, began scribbling in it.


    "What are you writing?" Tycon asked with his arms over his eyes.


    "Observations of the monster we fought today." He replied.


    "Decided on a name for it?"


    He put the feather in his mouth as he thought, "I think I''ll go with a headhunter, seems appropriate."


    "What did you call the other four?"


    "You remember the monster we fought in Nelibor?"


    Tycon nodded.


    "Called that one a Skyreaver, the way that thing soared in the sky, magical really. Then there was the one in Deliphai, called that one an Anikar, just thought the name sounded cool."


    Tycon shifted his gaze over to Ren, watching him write, "What about the other two?"


    "A melachor and a Jibbler."


    "Interesting names, I''m guessing you thought those sounded cool too?"


    Ren nodded with a grin, not shifting his eyes from the book.


    "What''s your conclusion on the headhunter?"


    "Strong protection on the neck and head, heavy armor too. Thing is small, can''t knock you down if you''re heavy."


    "What about a counter-attack? Would be too slow in heavy armor."


    "Not if you grab it and crush the skull," Ren answered nonchalantly.


    Tycon rolled his eyes, "Very professional, that."


    He rolled to his side and listened to the rain. That with the combination of Ren''s quill scratching the paper made him feel even more drowsy. Each drop, each draw of the pen becoming rhythmic and repeating, he counted each of them in tune over and over again until the sounds lulled him to sleep.


    <hr>


    Alietah sat at her wooden desk almost exactly how she had yesterday when he met her again, one leg over the other and her arms crossed. Tycon sat nearby watching and waiting for her to speak. Ren was god knows where.


    "So you intend to head off again?" She asked sternly.


    "Yeah," Tycon nodded, "But before I go, I wanna ask you something."


    "Shoot."


    "You noticed anything strange over all these years? Seen any gems that are spring-green in color?"


    "Spring-green eh?" She stopped to think for a moment, "No, I haven''t seen one directly but I may have heard a thing or two."


    Tycon''s eyes widened at a possible lead. Nothing could go ignored. It didn''t matter how unlikely it was, he would have to check no matter what. After seventy years, he was somewhat sure that Alietah would have run into one at some point. He had run into three in the span of a year and that was seemingly completely by accident.


    "What did you hear?" Tycon asked eagerly.


    Alietah folded her arms tighter, "What do you want it for?"


    "I asked first."


    She sighed, "Rumor has it that a banker named Keo Skyros has something similar within his vault in Halcyon."


    "Where did you hear that?"


    She shrugged "Word travels. Now tell me what you want it for?"


    Tycon began recounting the events of the past year, Alietah listened intently, carefully nodding with every sentence. It was becoming clear that she didn''t believe a word he was saying, he felt like a fool with every word he spoke. He recounted Selenicar and the assassination of Duchess Ellington and the tomb outside of Meliora in the Zinlyn desert, then finally the fall of Winter''s Peak.


    "You slept with royalty?" She said after he had finished telling the stories.


    Tycon rolled his eyes and sighed, "That''s really all you got out of that?"


    "Say I believe you. How do you intend to get the gem?"She gave him a half-hearted smile.


    "I don''t know. Doubt you''d have any interest in a heist of some sort, at all?"


    Alietah raised an eyebrow, "A heist? Really?"


    "What? You think I''m gonna just go up to him and ask nicely for access to his vault."


    "Surely there''s something less... Drastic we can do about this."


    Tycon sighed, "If you have an alternative, I''ll be glad to hear it."


    Alietah stopped and thought for a moment, Tycon watched her blue eyes glance down toward her lap as she put a finger on her chin, "I suppose not. If what you''ve said about the gems is true, You''ll need all the help you can get."


    "What are you suggesting?"


    "I have some able-bodied people here that could help you out," She said.


    "Let me guess, you want something in return?"


    She pointed a finger to him and winked, "Of course, nothing is for free. I want you to stop hunting monsters in this area."


    "You won''t need to if you intend on taking some Uons from Keo''s vault."


    "True, but regardless, will you accept my request?"


    Tycon shrugged, "Of course, no big deal."


    "Shake on it."


    Tycon and Alietah shook hands, confirming their deal. Afterward, Tycon sat in silence as she went through several mounds of papers.


    "Give me some time while I round up who I have in mind and give them the rundown."


    Tycon rose and bowed to his sister with a smile on his face that she couldn''t see. He was lucky that Alietah was willing to help him and he was grateful too. He didn''t intend on stealing the man''s gold, only the gem. Alietah''s people, on the other hand, he guessed they were more interested in the gold than anything else.


    <hr>


    Three elves stood before Tycon, Alietah, and Ren. They all looked somewhat annoyed and amongst them was Sylaina, the brown-haired freckled woman that only a day before, had a knife to his throat. Her hard stare was locked on him, he couldn''t make out what she was thinking in slightest.


    "Here they are," Alietah said, throwing her arm in front of them as if presenting a treasure.


    "A pleasure to meet you all," Ren said coyly.


    Tycon sighed, "So what exactly can they do?"


    "We''re standing right here!" Sylaina said abruptly, "Let us speak for ourselves."


    Ren took a step forward, "By all means, speak."


    "I am Sylaina, quick and nimble. I can scout the place pretty easily."


    "Then scouting is what you''ll do," Tycon said folding his arms, "What about you?"


    He gestured toward the elf that stood at Sylaina''s side. He was a man, much larger than both Tycon and the rest. His short-buzzed hair, showing off his pointy ears, proud for all to see. His frame reminded him much of Balin, though he didn''t let himself think on it for too long. He arched his brows, that lay above his deep green eyes and smiled, his square jaw moving with it.


    "I''m Glahir, as you can see I''m most likely the brawn in this little operation you''ve conjured up," Not only did his frame remind Tycon of Balin, but his voice too.


    Ren approached the three and began pacing back and forth, studying them. It was clear by their expressions that it bothered them, but they didn''t say anything.


    "And you," Ren stopped in front of the final elf in line clumsily and attempted to look professional, "What do you bring to the table?"


    The last of the three wore a hood, he quickly removed it to reveal a handsome face and shoulder-length auburn hair, he raised his eyebrows and squinted his emerald eyes as he let out a smirk.


    "Me? Oh, I happen to know a thing or two about explosives. Could say it''s the hair color that gives me a love for fire."


    Ren nodded slowly, pretending to be impressed, "Interesting, what''s your name?"


    "Oh right, I forgot. My name is Lafayne, Fayne for short."


    Tycon turned to Alietah, "Seems you chose well."


    Alietah looked hurt, "Ah, you would doubt your own sister?"


    "Of course not."


    She jokingly gave him a punch on the arm, "I''m kidding. I''ll let you all talk for a while before we get to planning," She paused for a moment, "You should stay another night."


    "That''s the plan, for now. Could be here for another week."


    Alietah nodded at the words, "I''m glad. We''ll talk later."


    With that, she spun on her heel and headed out of eyesight. Tycon watched as she went, then returned his gaze to the elves before him. Ren was already in deep conversation with Fayne, whereas Sylaina and Glahir were leaning over a railing looking to the mountains in the far off distance.


    "A heist," He said to himself then shook his head, "What have I gotten into this time."


    The idea of it sounded thrilling, he had to admit. Though, he sure was going to look like a fool if the gem that was supposedly stored in there was just a simple emerald. He knew that, despite it all, nothing could go unchecked. He wasn''t even sure how much time he had and all he could do was amass as many as he could before Zeke or anyone else could. He made his way over to Sylaina, who seemingly knew he was there but chose to ignore him.


    "Quick moves you had back in the forest," Tycon started.


    She acknowledged that with a sigh and after a few moments she spoke, "Wasn''t expecting to find another elf wandering around."


    "Neither was I," Tycon replied.


    "You did a sure good job of keeping us out of work."


    "Wouldn''t be good monster hunters if we didn''t."


    She let out a laugh through her nose and nodded, "You''re right about that... Anyway, you''re Alietah''s brother aren''t you?"


    Tycon tried to hide his surprise at the question by glancing away quickly, "What made you come to that conclusion."


    She gave him a smile, "Word travels, we hear things despite the secrecy."


    "Well, In that case, yes I am."


    Once he had answered her question, he saw her loosen up. Her shoulders suddenly sagged as if they had been stuck in the tense position for an excruciatingly long time and her smile no longer seemed forced. He wasn''t quite sure what was going on.


    Sylaina studied him for a moment with a suggestive smile, unwavering, "Well, what a surprise."


    "What''s that supposed to mean."


    She pursed her lips and put a finger over her mouth, "Shh, perhaps another time I''ll tell you."


    Tycon was dumbstruck by what he had witnessed. The stern and hard exterior suddenly melting into something... Lust? He wasn''t quite sure what to make of it. It wouldn''t be the first time he was confused by a woman''s behavior. Nevertheless, they had a little time before planning the heist and it was best spent with a good glass of wine by a comforting hearth fire. It wasn''t long before he was on his way to the tavern, he wondered what wine was imported from his home, the list of possibilities was almost endless.


    As night loomed over the town in the trees, he''d learn that the wine wasn''t the sweetest thing amongst them. Not even in the slightest.