“Bloody hell!” exclaims the talkative dwarf.

The quiet elf nods as the human asks, “What the fuck are these things?”

Aria, please. These are not what you think. There are safe paths out according to numerous reports and what comms I have managed to intercept. Go back home to Vic and stay safe…

No way. I can help so I'm helping.

I hold my fingers to my ear. “No,” I say firmly. “Vic wouldn’t leave these people so neither will I.”

The healer comes up and offers to heal me. I stand and start to decline when I see blood on my leg.

He startles me by saying, “You have glass embedded in your back. I can help.”

As if the acknowledgement allows it, I suddenly feel the pain there. I guess a mix of the adrenalin and the focus I’ve been training to gain sort of numbed me to it. Now that I'm calm and aware of it, I realize that my back hurts quite a bit. I nod to the elven healer and turn my back. Not long after I feel the warm glow of life magica and the pain fades. I feel a few tugs and pushes on my back and then some tingling as my wounds are mended.

The healer is looking down and says in a mumble. “You maybe want to think about changing your shirt." I notice the tips of his pointed ears are red.

I sigh. This elf must have spent a long time here to have joined the humans in their ridiculous shyness. We elves are brought up without the human aversions to nudity. Who gives a fuck about flashing a little skin when you live as long as we do? I mean, who hasn’t seen a naken man or woman by the end of their first half-century and perhaps hundreds by the end of their fifth? And anyway, when you are in constant war and your life is at risk every day of your life, there are just so many more important things to worry about.

Whatever. To pacify their foolishness, I walk behind the column, take a replacement shirt out of my earring and swap out my bloody, torn, and hole-filled shirt with a clean and whole one. Walking back to the group, I hear a rather strong debate about their next steps.

The human is facing the others with his arms making an occasional chopping motion. “These fucking things aren’t normal. Did you see that black fire shield? What the fuck was that? We should go. Or at least meet up with a larger group. It’s suicide to stay here and fight. And there’s no profit to be made – their fucking bodies disappear.”

“Sam,” the elf healer says with a calm tone. “I understand, but people need our help.”

The human, Sam I guess, harrumphs and crosses his arms.

“Both a ya is right,” interrupts the talkative dwarf. “We ca help. An we should. Bu we be takin a loss. What we do abou dat?”

They all look at each other and stay silent for a bit. I clear my throat as I walk back to the group. “Hey, guys. I was think-”

Sam, the human, cuts me off. “We need to talk. Go away for a sec.”

“Sam!” the healer exclames. “Don’t be rude. She helped. A lot. We could have been really injured or even killed if she hadn’t warned us.”

The quiet elf nods and speaks in a voice that rings with bells, like most of my kind. “Don’t be arrogant, Sampson. This young woman saved us. Her weapon was the only one that could pass through the fire.”

Ignoring the rest of the statement, Sam jumps on that last sentence. “Exactly!” he exclaimed while jabbing a finger in my direction. “Only her weapon works. And again, there’s no profit. At least if we could make coin to pay off the waste of mana crystals I’d think about it.”

Once again I clear my throat. “Yes. I can perhaps-”

I'm once again cut off as Sam speaks over me. “No coin, our lives are at risk, these are complete strangers." He has been chopping one hand into the palm of the other with each point. “What are we supposed to do? Use up all our crystals and then have no coin to pay for the next ones? We are Guild members, we get paid. I, at least, can’t afford to throw coin away.”

Once again silence ensues. I’m getting angry at this point. Vic has so much better control over his emotions. How does he not just explode everyone?

“I’ll pay you!” I nearly shout into the silence.

All their heads turn towards me in a quick whipping motion. The healer looks relieved, the other elf, intrigued, both dwarves look pleased, and Sam looks openly skeptical.

He is the first to speak. “How much?”

If you are going to insist on doing this, then they can act as your escorts and guards. Offer them two gold per hour and one silver for each ant killed and civilian rescued…

I’m a little insulted at Jo presuming I need an escort of guards, but I proceed anyway.

I hold up three fingers. “One silver per ant killed and person saved, and two gold per hour for your group’s time and risk until we meet back up with the larger defense group.”

They all blink at me in obvious surprise. Even Sam loses his skeptical look.

After a few more instructions from Jo, I say, “Tell me your group’s official name and I’ll set up a questline with the guild. I already have an account.”

The dwarf that hasn’t said a word suddenly breaks out into a bellowing laugh, holding his beard-covered belly. Then all the other members turn towards the elf who only had spoken once before.

“Who are you?” he asks me.

I answer, “Aria Victory.”