As I reach the tree where I left the elf I drop my bundle of stolen goods, leaving it to the side as I survey the area. The marked piece of boat I'd left Elvira under has been tossed aside, and the elf is nowhere to be seen. There aren't any tracks in the dirt nearby, no broken branches, no signs of anything big having been in the area. There isn't any blood on the ground, nor any signs of a struggle. If something took the elf it was extremely stealthy, and she must have still been unconscious. But what could have done it?

Animals? A wolf could probably have killed her, and there's probably other big animals in the woods here. I doubt any animal big enough to kill an elf could move without leaving any traces, though. An animal would've killed her here, or at least injured her while moving her. There would be blood somewhere. Not an animal, then.

Humans? They would certainly have taken her, and they're nearby. The guards were wearing armor, heavy enough that they wouldn't have been able to move through the woods without a trace. Other humans from the city? No, the boat is coated in dark magic, from what I've been told they wouldn't have overlooked that. They'd have destroyed it, or been too afraid to approach, or have taken it with them to be destroyed. It wouldn't have been left here. Some other group? Maybe the one that has an altar to Thrane? But they wouldn't have left the boat alone either. Having dark magic around would raise suspicions, they'd have tried to hide or destroy it. Even if there's some other faction around, I can't imagine a scenario in which they'd just leave unknown dark magic lying around.

Could Elvira have left on her own? She's an elf, born and raised in a forest, I wouldn't be surprised if she could move through one without leaving any trace. Why would she leave, though? If she was threatened by an animal she could just climb the tree and wait for me to return. She probably wouldn't be running from humans, for the same reasons I know one didn't take her. She can't survive on her own, and with my blessings I'm her best chance at survival. I'll assume she didn't leave on her own.

There could be something else that I don't know about, that's always a possibility. Something capable of moving stealthily, carrying an elf through the forest, and leave no trace as it moves. I would have expected Elvira to warn me about something like that, but she didn't say anything about the monster in the channel either. It could be... That isn't useful, guessing at things I know nothing about won't get me anywhere.

No easy answers, then. I could just leave without her... But she's an easy source of information. I'm not likely to find another one here, even if I release another slave they might be like the two humans. I might as well take a better look around and try to figure out what happened. Nothing stands out as particularly important. There's a strange growth on the tree, like a section got cut out and grew back wrong. I don't know  what could have caused it, not useful. The boat has been moved quite a ways, and there aren't any marks from it being dragged. It must have been thrown. I don't know exactly how strong Elvira is, but considering that she was injured I doubt she did that. That confirms that something else was here, but doesn't tell me what it was... Taking a closer look at the dirt here it seems like the elf might have moved around a bit, though there probably wasn't a fight. She was likely conscious then... Did she agree to go with whatever else was here, or was it strong enough that she couldn't fight back?

Wait... If she went willingly... Other elves? It would be a good explanation. I know the elf village is far away, but I don't know how far exactly. Maybe the other elves came here looking for Elvira. As far as I know elves have nothing against dark magic, so they wouldn't care about the marked boat. Much like Elvira, it would make sense for elves to know how to move stealthily in a forest. With others of her kind, Elvira wouldn't need me to protect her, so there'd be no reason for her to wait for me. It all fits, it's the most likely explanation.

I'm not sure what to think of that. There's no reason for me to care, I can find information elsewhere. Elvira is a means to an end, I was probably going to eat her after learning everything I could. But, the idea that she left makes me feel... Lonely? That's something new. I've spent countless years, centuries even, alone in the Void. Why is this happening now? Is it a side effect of gaining intelligence? It's unnerving, I don't like it. Being alone is good, you never know when someone you're with will get hungry enough to turn on you. If this loneliness continues, I might end up trusting someone and being eaten. I'll have to work on it.

For now, though, Elvira is still useful. It isn't because I feel lonely, but I should try to get her back. I doubt she'll come willingly if she was rescued by her village, but maybe I can convince her? She did say she'd introduce me to a light mage, after all, so it wouldn't be strange for me to go to her village. I'll need to know which direction to go in, though...

As I search around the tree for the third time, I notice a small hole hidden between its roots. It's nothing interesting, but there may be an animal hiding in it. A snack wouldn't be too bad.

As I reach a tendril down the hole, I make out a soft voice from further in.

"-not going to hurt you. It looks scary, but it'll listen to me."

Elvira?