“So, where are we?” I asked as we walked through the forest. The trees were incredibly dense here, and the trail that we took was a thin foot-worn path and was filled to the brim with branches. I kept stumbling on small rocks or large roots. Raegil, however, skillfully moved between the tree limbs. His body twisted and turned exactly when he needed it to allow him to dodge the limbs by the barest of margins. However, I was bumbling through like an idiot and caught a few twigs in the face as punishment.

“We are actually in Voltung. The Dark Elf capital city of the kingdom of Narir.” He replied as he pulled a large branch back, allowing me to pass through, relatively unharmed.

“Wait! I was literally just in Orsalon! There's no way I got here so fast.” My mind was reeling with the information that was just given to me.

“Did you forget you came in with Steve, or was that too much for your little human mind to remember?” He shot back with boredom in his voice.

“No need to be so mean about it. I was overwhelmed with everything, so it slipped my mind.” I retorted as I slipped through another gap between the branches as gracefully as I could, which wasn't saying a lot. He just grunted in acknowledgment as we finally made it out of the forest. We stood on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a large city that was bustling with life. Large ships were on the horizon, slowly growing smaller while others were coming into a port. The cry of seafaring birds echoed in harmony with the loud hum of life. The sun was slowly rising on the horizon painting the sky bright orange. The light scintillated off of the top of the water in a dazzling display of light. Clouds filled the sky and slowly traveled behind the departing ships.

“Doesn’t Voltung seem kind of rough for your language?” I asked as I stared at the beautiful sunset. I know it was odd, but the name just seemed a little off to me.

“A little, though the name was leftover from a long lost era.” He motioned for me to follow him down a small dirt trail that snaked around the side of the cliff before it dipped back into the forest. “So little human, how well educated are you?” His voice tore through the silence that permeated the air as we walked down the trail.

“Not very. I grew up on the streets. So everything I know is either hearsay, or I learned myself.” It made me a little sad that I grew up that way, but it was also a badge of honor for me. I was independent and didn't need to rely on anyone else for anything.

“Oh. I see. Well, it seems that we will have to get you caught up then on a few things. Nothing we can’t fix.” His response was offhanded. It was as he didn’t care that I was uneducated.

“Does it bother you that I am a street rat?” I asked out of curiosity since most people detested street born.

“Nope. You will find that the ones you can rely on most are homeless or less fortunate. They always know more than they let on to. So, in turn, I respect them.” He replied as he looked around for a moment, though I wasn’t sure for what. But if I were to guess, it's to make sure that we weren't being followed.

I only hummed out an agreement as I clenched my sword. I wish I had my bag, but that thought reminded me of something, “Hey, Raegil, when can I get my bag back?”

“Oh. Your personal things will be delivered to my house. They should have already arrived by the time we get there. Oh, which reminds me. Hand me your sword. I need to stow it away so we can avoid unnecessary questions.” He turned around and extended his fingers towards me. They were thin and encased in black gloves and had a slight curve to them. I think the right word for them would be delicate.

I started hesitantly at his hand. I really didn’t want to be parted with this sword. Especially in an area that I was unfamiliar with. I was still very much on edge with all of this, and any sort of security was nice. “Come now, little human. Normally it would be taboo to hand over your weapon. But it's necessary for this part of the plan. I will also protect you, so don’t worry about getting hurt. It's my honor as your teacher, after all.”

With a dejected sigh, I handed over my blade to him. In a split second, it touched his hand. My sword vanished into thin air. This Dark Elf had a storage ring? Just who was he. They cost a fortune since they were so hard to come by. “How did you get a storage ring?” My curiosity finally got the better of me.

For the first time since I met him, he let out a small chuckle. It rolled perfectly from him and didn’t contain a wasted noise. “You will see, in due time. Anyways, let's get you ready for your first mission as a Neophyte. Once we get into the city, we will be met by a few guards. You don’t know how to speak Navarian, correct?”

I nodded my head. I only knew Orsalonian. I’ve heard the Dark Elves' language a few times, but not enough to speak it fluently. Raeghil nodded his head and took the lead. “I figured as much. Now, this is your first test. The guards are going to ask who you are. Do not open your mouth. Let me speak to you. The cover is that I have taken you as my wife. Just play the part as best you can. It will get us back to my house, and once there, we can drop the act."

“Your wife? I’ve never really had romantic feelings for anyone, so I’m not quite sure what to do.” I was at a loss. I was unsure of how to act in that scenario.

“Just follow my lead, and everything will go smoothly.” He reassured me as he pulled me onto a well-worn road that sat just after the treeline. The surrounding area was alive with noise from the various insects. The occasional shifting of a branch signaled a bird taking flight, and the rustling of leaves as smaller animals quickly scurried across the ground.

“How far away are we?” I quickly increased my pace to match his long graceful strides.

“About thirty minutes or so to the city gate. It gives us ample time to practice.” He pulled off his mask, revealing a set of light red eyes, complemented with a set of dark bags. His flesh was a few shades lighter than any dark elf I have ever seen up to this point. It was more like dark grey than anything else. His face was soft with a short nose. His hair was silver with small tints of grey and was tied up in a ponytail. He was cute, but not overly handsome.

“Yes, of course. I much rather know what I am getting myself into." I was uncomfortable with the overall idea, but I had to learn. After all, it was the first step I had to take to complete this quest.

We practiced until we were around two hundred meters away from the gate of the city. Raeghil laced an arm around my waist, which still made me uncomfortable, but I dealt with it. We slowly sauntered over towards the gate just behind a line of a few dozen Dark Elves. We fell in line behind them. The line was moving at a snail’s pace, but it gave me time to steel my nerves. Once we were just a few meters away, one of the guards called out to step forward. I sadly didn’t recognize the language, which made it easier to hold my tongue.

The guard wore armor that was polished to a bright shine and was as black as night. His helm had two eye slits and three slits diagonally down where the mouth was. In his hand, he held a wicked-looking spear that had a scythe-like blade attached to the top. The gloves that held his fingers were thinner than the rest of the armor and were sharpened towards the tip. They were quite the menacing pair.

Raeghil stepped up and started conversing with the guard. The language that they spoke was soft, and each word rolled into another perfectly. I stood there awkwardly and saw Raeghil flash something towards the first guard. The guard immediately bowed and made a quick gesture in the direction of the city gate. I was curious about what it was, though I had to wait. I didn’t want to blow my cover.

He placed his hand on my lower back and pushed me gently towards the entrance of the city. We walked through the large gate and past a few guards that wore violet magus robes. They were leaning against the stone wall, eyeing us carefully as we walked past. I could feel a familiar probing feeling that vanished just as quickly as it came. I wonder what skill they were using.

Once we were further in, a slew of smells blasted my nose. First, it was the harsh brine of the ocean. Then the smell of food, which made me salivate and made my stomach rumble. I didn’t realize how hungry I was, and I didn't even know how much time had passed since I had last eaten or even answered the call of nature. If my companion had heard the sound of my stomach rumble, he ignored it. He guided me in the direction of a set of guards that wore violet capes over their dark armor. One elf in the pack lacked armor, though he wore a light red magus robe with golden weave stitched on to it.

Raeghil quickly waved over to the Dark Elves, and a look of anger crossed his face as he and his pack of guards rushed over to us. I felt apprehension build up in my chest as they rushed over. I slightly stepped behind my fake husband and stared ahead. Just who was this Dark Elf? I felt like I was getting in over my head.