The hours slid by unnoticed as Sanguilia made her way through the woods. The dense undergrowth did little to hamper her progress, as she was more than used to dealing with the harsh terrain from her many years of experience as a Guide, let alone her other occupations The miles disappeared underneath her feet as the storm overhead slowly passed her by, eventually exchanging the dark clouds for the black of night whilst countless stars replaced the rain. She shook off the final sparks as she finished using magic to bring her body temperature to more acceptable levels, enjoying the twirls of steam they caused as the last damp evaporated from her clothes. She paused shortly when she heard distant screams echo in the wind; the sound of Wyverns hunting, and knew that the caravan was about to meet a bloody end.

She felt no guilt.

She focused on the way ahead instead, knowing that the fort was nearby. While she didn't know the exact location, there would be signs of habitation, hidden to everyone but those who knew what to watch out for. It didn't take her too long before she spotted the first of those. Kobolds were small, and were often thought of as dumb, or less intelligent as humans. Nothing could be further from the truth. They had a very different intelligence, but were more than a match for humanity's best and brightest. There were small markings on trees, applied with concoctions that gave off a foul smell, but were unnoticeable to most sentient beings. Animals, on the other hand, would avoid it like the plague. It was a great way to throw off the watch dogs the fanatics liked to use, and to keep their traps clear from the local wildlife, letting them set up a more lethal variant without fear of harming innocent creatures.

The traps became visible shortly after she crossed the first signs. Small discolorations in the grass and leaves revealed the locations of deadly pitfalls. Branches that were just that tiny bit out of shape turned out to be hidden crossbows, their bolts undoubtedly poisoned. A seemingly rotten trunk hid a masterful piece of machinery that would be triggered if enough weight gathered around the pressure plate hidden underneath, causing it to launch large nails in every direction. A rather nasty and vicious surprise.

It spoke volumes to her. The Kobolds were preparing for war. This visit was unlikely to have a peaceful beginning. She kept on, sidestepping traps as they came into view, carefully moving between them to avoid triggering both the physical ones and the much more dangerous magical ones. The ward spells were hardly visible, often turned upside down so a falling leaf or a drop of rain wouldn't set them off by accident. Insects knew better than to walk over such things; the pulse of stationary magic wasn't a pleasant sensation to them and so they steered well clear.

It was all good fun, really. She enjoyed herself. Traps that could kill her if she missed but the tiniest detail, wards that she could hardly sense lying underfoot, waiting to go off and take her to the underworld, and no doubt there were Kobold scouts that patrolled the area and would soon notice her. Her outfit, damaged as it was in ways that weren't caused by the wood itself, would obviously mark her as someone with no military connection, but she doubted that this would stop the Kobolds from piercing her with their infamous crossbows.

A sliver of movement drew her attention and she paused. She put her staff to the ground and leaned on it, the very image of a lazy, uncaring person. Which, in a way, she was. Her eyes quickly scanned the canopy and lower branches until she saw the scout. He was slowly raising his crossbow, trying to keep her from noticing. Or rather, trying to keep her from noticing the second one who was a few dozen feet to the right of him, stealthily readying his crossbow as well. They were good. They had recognised her as someone with scouting abilities and acted accordingly. How fun.

"You either put those crossbows down or I will put this staff where the sun doesn't shine and wave you around like a banner, she said. Her voice was calm. She didn't raise it, nor did she sound afraid. It was a statement, cold and clear, with a hint of amusement behind it that was far more visible in her twinkling eyes. The Kobolds paused, not so much because of what she had said, but because she had spoken their tongue.

The Kobolds stared at one another in confusion for a brief moment, before the second scout barked an order at the first. He raised his crossbow, pulled the trigger, and was promptly launched off the branch and into the bushes below. Sparks danced all across his crossbow as it bounced off the branch the Kobold had previously occupied only a moment ago, before tumbling to the ground.

I knew you lot had special weapons, but this is the first time I see a crossbow that shoots Kobolds rather than bolts. She laughed as she said it, her voice dancing through the forest. The first scout, who had held off shooting, looked at the display, too stunned for words. Then he connected the dots between Sanguilia's remark and the sparks and he threw his head back in laughter.

Several feet lower, Sanguilia had a broad grin on her face. Kobolds loved pranks, in any form, in any shape, and shifting the forces that would have launched the bolt back onto the Kobold holding the weapon had been a very direct and practical form of that. It also was a good way of saying 'I could easily kill you, but I didn't.' The scout that had fallen down saw her approaching and desperately scrambled backwards at the sight of her, ignoring the thorns that tore at his vest and skin as he crawled away from her. His eyes went wide as saucers and he screamed with pure fear as she raised her staff and pointed the bottom end towards him. The near-maniacal glitter in her eyes further enhanced his panic.

"Alright human, that's enough. Or poor Lib'l will piss his pants if you keep it up." The Kobold easily climbed down from the branch he was on and disappeared into the bushes, before popping up less than a foot away from her.

"I am Ab'li. I apologize for the rather harsh reception, but there have been quite a few longlegs that have been causing us trouble recently. We're pretty much at war with them, you see, he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She let out a short, barking laugh. He was testing her with a pun humans wouldn't understand. Kobolds were masters of remaining unseen and took exceptional pride in that.

"I saw that, and you, and Lib'l" she replied, mimicking Ab'li's grin. She was rewarded with the sight of his face lighting up in a broad grin, revealing significantly more teeth than most humans were comfortable with.

"So what brings you to our home then? And where did you learn to speak our language? You speak it well, remarkably well for a human."

"I'm simply passing through. I was with a caravan. You may have heard of Rumbas?" She tilted her head, waiting to see if the name meant anything to him. When he nodded in response, she continued. "He died in an accident recently, and his son took over. I was their Guide. He was an idiot, however, unlike his father, and ignored my advice. He took us all through the forest. I abandoned them before the storm ended and the Wyverns flew out. So I'm currently making my way to Tinas, where I'll probably end up having trouble with the same longlegs that trouble you, but I knew your fort was on the way there, so I decided to drop by. I haven't met up with your kind since I left Grads'Krl ages ago."

"You have visited Grads'Krl?" Ab'li asked, his tone incredulous. "The Fortress of our King?"

"I have. I was sent there to learn about you. Your culture, language, magic, everything really. It was a very pleasant time, and I taught many little children that sewer water can reverse direction mid-flight." She smiled. Those were fond memories. The adults abided by their king's orders to respect the envoy, but the children very clearly believed that since she was there to study their culture, she also had to experience their pranks. She had fallen for a fair number of them, but had rapidly adapted and turned the tables on them. In the end they had made peace with one another, and during the last months of her stay, they had become a true scourge of terror that haunted the inhabitants of the fortress, the ingenuity of children mixed with her ability proving to be an endless source of original and unexpected pranks and traps.

"That is a very impressive story you tell there, human. Allow me to reintroduce myself the way it behaves a Kobold welcoming a guest from the Hold. I am Ab'li, Forebow of the Hunters and Warden of the West Gate. I welcome you to Kras'vt and offer you the hospitality of me and my kin." He made a short bow, ignoring the unbelieving and confused looks his companion was giving him.

Sanguilia bowed in turn and made sure her head went lower than the smaller being. "I am Sanguilia, Traveller of the World and Apprentice of He Who Is. I am humbled by your warm words and shall gracefully accept your hospitality. My body and mind are at your service while I share your halls.

She spoke the words with care, recalling them from a past long behind her. Kobolds loved pranks, and they were known for both that and their crossbows, which were the stuff of legends, but they had a much broader history that was well hidden to all but a select few that did not belong to their race. They would consider the words the two of them had just spoken as an oath. No harm would befall her and they would share all they had with her. They would honour her as a guest and in return she would follow their rules and treat her hosts with respect. The last part of the phrase was more important than most people could imagine, and she knew very well that they would quietly watch to see if she abided by it. Body and mind. If those in the fort required help of her, or if she spotted an issue that was within her ability to solve, they would expect her to do so without being asked. It was a complicated and convoluted code. Just the way she liked it.

As Ab'li kicked Lib'l up and shouted at him to start guarding again, Sanguilia couldn't keep a childlike smile from her face. Most people would think the life of a Guide was interesting, but after more than a decade she had grown oh so tired of it. Now she was doing interesting things again, learning new things rather than mastering old ones. As she walked beside her much shorter guide and happily engaged in small talk with him, she let part of her mind wander.

Life, she considered, was good once more.