The Crimson Elf

Silax arrived at the front of Jack's store. There was a man and a woman waiting there, the man a human, and the woman an elf. The man noticed Silax and walked up to him.

"Hi, you must be Silax. My name is Kal, Jack asked us to be expecting you."

The sun glinted off the man's full head of black hair, a hint of red peeked through his irises, barely noticeable, it gave him an intriguing air, like a dash of sunset peeking through his irises. He stood at level height to Silax, which was impressive. Silax was 6'2" which was average for an elf, but for a human the man was taller than a considerable number of the population.

He was dressed in a loose-fitting, white linen shirt, unbuttoned a few notches at the collar, a pair of khaki trousers wrapped around his thighs and calves, and on his feet were nothing, the man was bare feet. The only other thing on him was a flask tied to his waist.

Overall, his attire struck a balance between comfort and practicality, his whole aura conveyed a sense of ease and carefreeness, not of someone who was about to embark on a journey. Him being bare feet seemed to suggest that he was a bit off-center.

'He feels empty, I can see him right in front of me, but it's like he's not there. This is taking carefreeness to another level.'

"Hi Kal."

Silax greeted back and shook the man's outstretched hands, Kal turned and pointed at the woman.

"This is Elara, she is the third member of our little party."

Elara was taller than both men, she stood at 6'3" and was poised for an adventure. Her long, cascading brown hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, secured with a leather band etched with swirling runes. Her eyes, the warm brown of autumn leaves, shimmered with determination.

She wore a forest green tunic crafted from supple leather, its flexibility allowing for swift movement. Tight brown breeches, reinforced with padded patches over the knees, hugged her slender legs. A worn leather jerkin, adorned with decorative stitching in shades of green and brown, offered some protection without sacrificing agility.

At her waist hung a sturdy belt, adorned with pouches that held essential supplies for the journey: healing elixirs in slender vials, a tinderbox and flint for starting fires, and a coil of sturdy rope. On her hip, a beautifully crafted elven dirk gleamed in the sunlight, its hilt carved with the image of a leaping hawk. Strapped to her back, securely sheathed in oiled leather, was a longbow.

She was a picture of confident grace, a seasoned adventurer ready to face whatever challenges the journey might throw her way.

"Nice to meet you Elara."

She said nothing in response but nodded her. Silax didn't mind, he could tell that she wasn't the kind that spoke much, and he also wasn't here to make friends, to him the chances of them having anything to do with each other again after this were slim.

'I've seen her around Scola, but we've never interacted with each other. I wouldn't have guessed that she was under the employ of Jack.'

Kal looked at the two of them but directed his question towards Silax.

"Are you ready to head out?"

Silax examined Kal, the fact that he was the one the made the introductions and Elara not having said a word meant he would be taking charge of their party. The way he was dressed didn't look like someone about to travel through the forest, or someone expecting conflicts and challenges.

"Yes, I'm good to go."

Kal noticed Silax questioning look, he smiled and clapped his hands.

"No need to worry about me, this is how I'll be traveling. I have everything I need on me." he said as he patted the flask that hung from his belt.

Silax didn't care what the man wore, as long as he was able to lead him to his destination.

"Good, our destination is a castle that might have belonged to a noble as far back as the Scinditur era. When we checked it out to confirm the location, we found clues that pointed to something being revealed at the Crimson Night. Seeing as that's only a few nights away, we hurried back to get you."

As he spoke, he led them towards the entrance of the village.

"We'll be setting out immediately, we are already short on time. We'll be taking the most direct route towards the castle, which means we won't be going through the regular pathways. This means we won't be using horses or carriages, that shouldn't be a problem for you Silax?"

Silax nodded in response.

"Luckily for us the path we'll be taking isn't too dangerous, well, relative to the strength of our group. We'll be going through Whisperwood and then the Whispering ruins, this forest is the territory of Direwolves and Mud-Daubers. The Mud-Daubers can be very unpredictable, so we may not encounter them, but we have to stay alert at all times. Although I know what to expect on the predetermined path, the forest of Whisperwood can be unpredictable. My main concern is the Whispering Ruins."

Silax was pondering on the route Kal had just informed them on.

'If we're going to be traveling in a straight line through the forest of Whisperwood and going through the territory of Mud-Daubers and the Whispering Ruins, and the travel time is supposed to be two days, then that should lead us to Castle Varneil. I've gone through the castle before, it's one of the first places my research led me too, but there was nothing special about it. I didn't notice anything that pointed to the Crimson Night. Could the Crimson Night really make much of a difference?'

"I have a few questions. Number one how many people will be waiting for us at the castle? Two, the Whispering Ruins should be safe, so what exactly is there to be wary of? Lastly, how long ago did you discover that the castle was the location?"

He counted on the fingers of his left hand as he asked the questions. Kal paused for a moment before answering.

"To answer your first and third question, we got to the castle about a week ago, I left four days ago leaving five people waiting at the castle, two elves and three humans. It took me three days to get to Scola because I took a route different from the one we'll be talking, a route that avoided the Whispering ruins."

They walked past a group of people who stopped to exchange pleasantries with Kal, cutting him off. Most of them had satchels bulging with scrolls and maps. They seemed to be very familiar with Kal, their short conversation was a hearty one.

'Kal seems to be a well-liked person, which is not surprising to me. His whole aura screams warm and delightful, his eyes are also quite enchanting.'

After saying his goodbyes, Kal continued:

"I avoided the Whispering Ruins because I've heard some of the adventurers in the village say that a large colony of mud-daubers had made that place their home. Not certain if that's true or not, but I didn't want to risk getting delayed. That should answer your second question."

Silax nodded to signify that he was satisfied with his answer.

"Alright, let's go."

The three on them left the village and turned towards the east of it, into the forest.