The nights seemed brighter when closer to the moonlight, standing high amongst the trees like makers gazing upon what they created. The gentle sway of the trees, they rustled in a rhythm like a song of nature, everlasting with each push of the wind. The muffled sounds of laughter and joy coming from beyond a door, seemingly distant from the loneliness of the forest before him. Sylaina stood on her lonesome, he watched, leaning by the door of the tavern as she gazed toward the moonlight, singing quietly to herself. The lyrics, something he hadn''t heard before, he listened intently to every word.


    Kindness held behind a blanket of woe.


    The stars align within eyes.


    Something to break, something to grow.


    Learning soon that everything dies.


    Even stars, even love.


    When the moon cries, we''ll be above


    Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, the words emerging bittersweet and melancholy. With each line that was spoken, the last syllable always felt like ice. Was it the way she sang those words? Or an internal reaction to what was spoken. Regardless, she hadn''t yet noticed his presence, simply consumed by the environment they found themselves in. Admittedly he was surprised, she never came off as someone softly spoken, though the way she sang seemed to prove otherwise.


    He took several steps toward her, exaggerating the force of each stride in an attempt not to startle her. She cocked her head slightly at the sound and soon he was by her side. He took a small sip of the chalice he held as again, they looked to the forest and the moon above. She didn''t speak, only acknowledging his presence with a subtle nod. Tycon waited a few moments before he spoke, sipping quietly at the wine.


    "Nice song, what''s its origins?" He asked as he let the chalice fall from his lips.


    Sylaina continued looking to the moon, "Something I wrote myself."


    "Didn''t take you for a poet."


    "Nobody was supposed to know, unfortunately now you do." She replied.


    "It''s beautiful, a little sad though."


    Sylaina blushed, looking embarrassed, "Your charm won''t work on me," She paused and looked to her feet, "But thank you."


    Tycon chucked, "My charm? You wish."


    Sylaina gave a subtle smile and returned her gaze to the sky, "So you really mean to rob Keo''s vault? Why?"


    "You don''t know?"


    She shook her head, "All I was told was that the coin within would prove to be a huge benefit for our town. Are you in it for the coin too?"


    Tycon pondered whether he should tell her of the gem that supposedly was held within, ultimately deciding against it. He realized it would be best not to go around spouting about something that held great power. It wasn''t because he didn''t trust her, just that it simply didn''t need to be told.


    "Yeah, monster hunting isn''t quite as profitable as I''d like," He lied.


    She raised an eyebrow and it became clear that the lie made no sense, "They''re everywhere," She said, "Plenty of profit to be had. I won''t pry, but you should consider working on your lying skills."


    Tycon sighed, "That''s usually Ren''s specialty," He shot a glance to the nearby tavern door, "Speaking of which, wanna head back in?"


    "You go ahead," She said, "I just need another moment longer."


    Tycon nodded and spun to head back to the tavern.


    "Oh, and Tycon," She called after him, "Thanks again."


    <hr>


    Despite all Zeke''s years of life, he still scrunched his nose at the smell of burning flesh. On the other hand, the bloodcurdling screams as the fire licked their skin was something he had grown used to. He stood with a hood over his head, face obscured within its shadow - watching.


    An elven man was strung high on a large wooden pillar with a pyre set aflame around him, the flames rising higher and higher. A group of onlookers had emerged at the sound of the elf begging for his life, a waste of words on his part. In what seemed like moments he had quickly become nothing more than a silent charred corpse, watching the onlookers with hollow eyes as they cheered.


    So this was Halcyon, a rotten city of wood and stone that was filled with bigotry and racism. The kind of place he detested immensely, though their time would soon come and he would relish in their suffering.


    For now, he had another job to do. He kept his eyes sharp and his ears even sharper of any word of something mysterious. All he had learned was the return of monsters and it had affected the land not nearly as much as he would have liked, although at least some of the human scum were ripped apart in consequence of the mistake in Winter''s Peak. They had no clue just how much worse it would become in time.


    The smell of charcoal and flesh lingered within the town square and he was ready to move on. He guessed the local taverns were the best places to start. Some idiot was bound to let something slip. He knew full well that it was a strategy that wasn''t quite reliable but it was better than nothing.


    Zeke turned and began walking in the direction of a nearby tavern. His feet fell silent on the mossy stone road, he didn''t bother taking a moment to admire the city for there was nothing to admire, simple generic houses dotted the streets, so close together that it seemed more like slave quarters than anywhere worth living in. The streets stunk of piss, alcohol, and trash, there was even a hint of blood too. It was sickly and his stomach turned at the stench and sight of the place.


    In a city like this, he was glad he had taken his human form, despite how disgusting it made him feel. He wasn''t in the mood for a manhunt for him, he simply had to swallow that pill and do what he had to do. He was even more grateful when he arrived at the tavern to see a large muscular bouncer standing outside, checking the awaiting patron''s ears before they entered. The idea of the filthy man touching him in the slightest made him significantly hesitant to even approach the tavern but again, another bitter pill to swallow.


    With that mess out of the way, he entered the tavern to find it to be just as disgusting as he had anticipated. He took a seat by the window and gazed outside watching the city folk walk by as he listened to the conversations that were going on around him.


    Two men nearby were discussing the king and his disdain for non-humans stemming from a war that happened a long time ago, he guessed that it was the war Alimar had spoken of. Little did their little king know that they felt the same too and it would come back to bite them. This time the elves wouldn''t lose, not by a long shot and he would make sure of that even if Alimar, in the unlikely event - failed.


    Most of the other conversation was simply boring and revolved around personal issues such as marital problems or lack of coin, and the odd murder. Typical of humans to hurt everything that existed around them, even themselves. By not uniting as a racial collective, they would easily fall under the united elves. For a moment he considered if they should even bother controlling the monsters as the humans seemingly weren''t worth the effort and could be taken on without them. But there was no room for error, no matter how little the chance.


    He wandered his ears around the room again until they picked up something that piqued his interest.


    "Have you heard of the elves of the woodland?" A female voice asked.


    Elves?


    "No, if they were around here I doubt they would be for long," A male voice replied.


    "I don''t know, travelers say they''ve seen them up in the trees of the forest nearby."


    The forest eh?


    "Then why hasn''t the guard taken care of them?"


    "Too many monsters methinks. Seems the king doesn''t want to risk an entire garrison, most who venture out that way don''t return. You''ll be lucky to even make it to a town on the outskirts."


    That was it, Zeke had heard enough. He knew exactly where he needed to go and thankfully it was out of this dreadful city. If anyone knew of strange happenings around, it would be them and he knew he''d fit right in. He had an inkling that the location of another gem was getting closer and closer.


    <hr>


    "So how do you collect coin for monster contracts if non-humans aren''t allowed within the city?" Ren asked.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Fayne, Glahir, Sylaina, and Tycon all sat at a table within the tavern simply talking, though Ren did most of it. The room was thick with tobacco smoke, creating an artificial fog within the room. Tycon could barely see the other patrons through it, let alone the rest of the room. Scouting for the heist would begin tomorrow and everyone''s mood, including Tycon, was surprisingly confident. They would be even more so once they had a plan set in place.


    "There''s a small breach in the walls," Glahir said, "They have men stationed outside checking everyone''s ears and whatnot. The contractors don''t seem to ask questions so it''s rather easy," He motioned to Tycon, "Just gotta hide those ears with a hood or helmet."


    "Do you think we could use that breach as an escape route?" Tycon asked.


    Fayne took a sip of wine and raised his eyebrows, "Seems like a sound idea. What do you think, Glahir?"


    He nodded, "If we can manage not to have bags that are too large, we should be able to fit through without a sweat."


    "In the off chance they are too big, we may have to dump some nearby for later collection," Said Sylaina.


    Tycon rubbed his finger on his chin, "Best not to get greedy then."


    He watched Ren silently nod his way as he took a sip from a large mug. After a few moments of silence, Tycon spoke again.


    "No deaths."


    "What!?" The three elves exclaimed.


    "We''re not there to murder anyone, just to take the coin. Worse comes to worst, we may have no choice but until then, no killing."


    "Think of it as a test," Ren added, "To see how stealthy you can be without killing."


    "Are you implying that this is some sort of game," Glahir muttered.


    "No, no. I''m implying that you''re better than a bunch of cutthroats."


    Glahir leaned over the table, jaw clenched and eyes hard, staring directly at Ren, "Tell me, where does a human get off on condescending me in my home."


    "I meant no offense," Ren replied calmly.


    "Let it go, Glahir," Said Sylaina, her tone sharp.


    Glahir leaned back into his chair without a word and began sipping again at his wine, exchanging dirty glances at Ren. The table was now filled with an uncomfortable and awkward silence. The uncomfortability was slightly alleviated by the mixed sound of the other conversations around them but it still felt heavy.


    "Well," Fayne said rising from his seat, "I need to head off home and get to work on some explosives. Can''t be done itself."


    "Yeah I should head off too," Glahir mumbled, also rising from his seat, "Scouting begins tomorrow. Sylaina, you coming too?"


    "Not yet," She replied, "We''ll meet by the gate below in the morning and we''ll set off, make sure you''re prepared."


    Glahir bowed slightly, "Of course, see you then."


    With one last look upon the remaining three, brows narrowing as his gaze landed on Ren, he disappeared into the interminable smoke along with Fayne.


    "You," Sylaina pointed to Ren, "Need to watch your tongue, especially here."


    "Maybe he should consider not being so indifferent to murdering specifically humans," Ren retorted.


    Sylaina narrowed her eyes, "We immigrated from a land that was taken from us by your kind, so excuse us for holding a deep-seated resentment."


    Tycon could tell that an argument was about to unfold, he didn''t openly take a side but deep down he knew he was leaning on Ren''s side. He knew that all humans weren''t power-hungry or driven by evil intentions, he was raised by them out of kindness.


    In time it had become clear to him that the mercenaries that raised him were there to help with the conquest of the continent, but what he also learned was that they had defected from the job the moment they saw what they were doing. They were honorable men, even for mercenaries and that was rare. It didn''t matter whether they were human or not, everyone was capable of good things. Alietah and the rest of the elves there were right to be angry, but generalizing an entire race based on one thing was, in his opinion, narrowminded.


    "Tycon, what do you think?" He heard Ren ask, pulling him from his thoughts.


    "I think we should drop the subject altogether."


    Sylaina shot him an angry glance, as did Ren. He wasn''t in the mood to argue with them about something that had nothing to do with the job, even if it did anger the two.


    "Get some more drink in you, there''ll soon be some music to lighten the mood," Tycon said casually gesturing through the smoke toward a nearby band setting up their instruments.


    With a sigh, Ren rose from his seat and made his way over to the bar. Sylaina, however, remained seated circling the drink in her hand lazily with a scowl on her face. Tycon had to admit that she looked adorable when she was angry, though, he wasn''t enthusiastic about making her any more mad than she already was.


    "Why would you not stand up for your own kind like that?" Sylaina asked suddenly.


    "Because I judge people as an individual, not as a collective whole."


    "But look at what they did to us," She argued


    "When you''ve traveled the land as much as I have, you learn that sitting idly within a town full of resentment isn''t a good basis for generalized hatred. You learn that everyone is capable of evil, regardless of who they are and you''d all know that if you didn''t waste your time feeding your sons and daughters with an opinion based on a singular event. I''ve seen men kill other men. In the attack all those years ago, I saw fellow elves take an opportunity to rape, kill and pillage just as much as the humans did. I''d expect you of all people to know that."


    I guess Ren got his answer to what I think. Shame he isn''t here to hear it.


    He was expecting her to lash out but instead, she simply sat silent, deep in thought.


    "So you''re saying we aren''t much different?" She asked finally.


    "No, we''re not. Most lines are blurred in all honesty. If what Glahir said about Halcyon is true, then yeah, the king is a fucking coward and by acting the same way, you are no different."


    "Be the better person? That''s what you''re trying to say right?"


    "To put it simply, yeah."


    Sylaina shook her head, "I''m not going to let almost a hundred years of suffering go unpunished."


    "If that''s what you want, so be it. Just remember that there are good people amongst humans. I''ve met some that have died for me and given the chance," He gestured to Ren who was leaning on the bar, " I''d do the same."


    "I''ll do my best to remember that, if only just for you."


    "Don''t do it for me, do it for yourself."


    <hr>


    Beautiful, yet primitive.


    The architecture of the town in the trees was reminiscent of the world Zeke came from. Then again, he wasn''t surprised since they were essentially his people. Unfortunately, he could tell that the town had a bit of a human touch that left a bad taste in his mouth. Perhaps he was wrong, maybe it was because of the primitive materials it was built with. Nevertheless, he was disgusted to see what his kind in this world had been reduced to. He pulled his hood over his head and made his way to the spiraling wooden staircase that wrapped around a tree.


    The town was silent in the dark, it almost blended in with the surrounding forest. Anyone that even wanted a chance of finding the place wouldn''t have it easy during the night. All was silent but what he guessed was the tavern, the music muffled behind the glowing slits of the door. For this, he was glad, he''d rather not be noticed by anyone during his time there and he wasted no time finding the town hall where he guessed the leader of the settlement would reside.


    To his satisfaction, the leader was exactly where he guessed they''d be. It was an elven woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked somewhat familiar but he couldn''t recall if he''d seen her before. She wore a simple linen white blouse with brown pants and seemed consumed in the paperwork that was set before. Zeke made a fake cough to get the woman''s attention.


    The woman almost jumped out of her seat at the sudden sound and her gaze quickly rested on him, her face contorted in an expression of confusion.


    "Who the hell are you and what do you want?" She asked.


    "My name is Feylin," He lied, "And I come to you with an offer."


    "An offer? Speak!"


    "Tell me," He started, "Do you hate humans?"


    The woman gave him a slight nod and waited for him to continue.


    "Well, I just so happen to be amassing an army and am willing to give you a great deal of control over it, as well as a nice large home."


    She didn''t move a muscle, it was clear the woman was skeptical, "What''s the catch?"


    "You tell me of any rumor involving a green gem."


    Her eyes widened at the mention of a gem and the reaction told him all he needed to know, she definitely knew something.


    "I don''t know anything about a gem," She said slowly.


    "Don''t bother lying, I can read people and what I''m reading right now is a lie."


    She didn''t say anything else immediately and appeared to be weighing her options.


    "You''re Zeke aren''t you." She said finally.


    Zeke was taken aback for a moment, how did she know who he was? Last time he checked he used an alias. He concluded that this woman knew far more than met the eye.


    "What makes you say that?" Zeke asked maintaining his composure.


    "Who else would be looking for a green gem? Tycon has told me much about you."


    "Tycon?"


    "He''s my brother," She said.


    This was indeed a surprise, what a coincidence that he would meet the sister of the man who kept getting in his way. It almost felt like destiny. It was also a good chance to take advantage of having a loved one of Tycon''s on Zeke''s side as well as gaining a larger force in the process.


    "Well, well, this is a surprise indeed," Zeke paused for a moment, letting the amusement of the coincidence run its course, "I''m amassing an army to retake Sciolyn from human control and seeing that you''re an elf, I''m more than interested in giving you a position of great power."


    She folded her arms and gave him an unwavering stare, "My self-gain isn''t what I care about. Only that of my people."


    "Then why let them live here as exiled rats instead of giving them the elegance and purpose they once held."


    She snorted, "I don''t know where you come from exactly Zeke but the elves here are anything but elegant, even back in our homeland."


    "That''s because you haven''t seen your true origins, the elves you all here are descended from. Join me and you''ll find new purpose and when all is said and done you will no longer kneel under the boots of humans."


    Again she pondered for a moment, he knew he was getting somewhere. She was genuinely considering his proposal.


    Good.


    "So you''ll bring my people with you and show them a better life, this you promise?" She asked.


    "Indeed," He responded simply.


    "One more thing," She said.


    "What is it?"


    She gave him a cold hard stare, "You don''t kill Tycon, at all, under any circumstances."


    That wasn''t something he could fully promise as Tycon had been the main force standing in his way. He considered perhaps that with his sister on his side that he could convince Tycon to join him too.


    "I promise." He said in a half-truth, "So wheres the gem supposedly located?"


    She let out a smile, "You don''t need to worry about that, Tycon is taking care of it. All you need to do is simply wait, though, I suggest you do that elsewhere. I imagine he wouldn''t be happy to see you here."


    Zeke''s eyes widened, "He''s here?"


    She chuckled, "Yeah, not too far from here actually."


    "Then I''ll do as you wish, I''ll be watching closely for his return with the gem then. I''ll be seeing you soon... Uh."


    "Alietah."