I watched awkwardly as we approached a small town, maybe even a city. I could see a wall, and trees at this point. Besides our unexpectedly short break earlier most of the day had passed. How he could be so strong, and fast while carrying me seemed almost inconceivable. We’d traveled probably two or three times as far as Scout had taken me out in our one day of travel. Of course, that was more on me than it was on Scout, I’d always been mostly useless. My body was just weak, maybe because I never did anything beyond cooking? Well, I guess I’d started malnourished too... But for now, the more pressing concern was that I was being led deeper past the walls. Tall white stone things, and into the town beyond. Each building seemed to be built into hollowed-out trees. Though the trees themselves still seemed quite healthy, even as stairs were inlaid into the sides. Two or three different homes or shops were placed at varying levels in each one. The ground was paved with stones, each one fit together perfectly with the others, as though some god had smoothed the stones specifically to fit together to make this one path. Maybe that was too high a praise for what was a stone path? What did I know about stone paths anyway!

I stared around at the people as well, more and more elves in all directions. There seemed to be a surplus of rugged and stunning men, as though they had been breeding selectively for turning me on. Then again maybe that was a workout program more than a breeding program? The women were quite pretty as well. Having slender figures they were about my height, their hair ranged from an almost silver color to blond to a touch of brown. Their eyes were a bit more colorful, with purples, greens, and blues. Come to think of it I didn’t even know what color my eyes were… Maybe gold like Kay’s?

I managed to glance in the direction we were going, it was one big massive tree in the center of the town. The canopy of the big tree at the center reached out almost as far as the walls of the town. Though the leaves were not so dense that they drowned out all the light from overhead. Still, the tree itself had been used like most others around here, carved into or otherwise to house buildings and more.

I saw several people glance my way, and got a variety of looks, some pity, some disgust. A few others I couldn’t quite place. What else was new? I had no doubt I was going into a cell, or prison, or something else. If they wanted me dead they would have just killed me.

We didn’t head for the big central doors that seemed carved into place with a purpose. Instead, we veered off to one side, tracking some ways around the tree, maybe a whole forty-five degrees. Then we approached the heavy door set into the trunk. The trunk itself was so large that the door itself could be straight, but still not appear out of place. My transport walked inside, which was a bit awkward since I had to straighten myself out so I didn’t bang my head on the frame.

Instantly the mood went from vibrant and picaresque to dreary as the room we entered was practically dark as night. The only source of light inside was a hanging glass bottle filled with a familiar liquid, the same stuff we’d used in the caves, from the mushrooms.

The man lugging me in, and spoke to someone I hadn’t seen yet as the door closed behind us, “I have a prisoner for you.”

“Just put her with the other one.” The man sounded quite old and turning to actually look, felt that was an understatement. Ancient was more likely. The old elf looked like he was more of a corpse than a man, just bones and skin left over. Yet somehow he wasn’t all that wrinkled, which was a touch unnerving to me.

“Other one? Wasn’t there quite a few?” The man carrying me asked.

“They’ve been moved south to the temple.” The elderly man stated.

“Oh, alright that makes sense.” The man carrying me nodded and he started past the living corpse.

The mood only grew worse as we walked down a set of stairs, this way, then back, then finally we found ourselves in a barely lit hall with several doors spaced generously. We walked up to the first one and he peeked into the room through a circular hole in the middle of the heavy wood door.

“Hmm…” the elf carrying me considered.

I just played my role as cargo, waiting for him to figure it out. We went down the hall, checking each room one by one. Then looped back, then he unlatched the first door and we stepped inside.

“Ah… there you are.” The elf man stated as if he’d found his dog. I twisted slightly to see. To my horror, just like I’d expected, Kay sat against the wall.

The elf man swung me forward and set me down. He wasted a few moments untying my arms, freeing my hands from behind my back. Then done with all of that, he just left me there on the ground.

The door shut a few moments later and I picked myself off the ground. I felt stiff being treated as I had, my chest hurt from where it had rested on a man’s shoulder most of the day. My shoulders hurt from being stuck behind myself the whole time. As I tried to work out some of the soreness I glanced over at Kay, “Hey…”

Kay wasn’t looking at me. In fact, she wasn’t doing much of anything.

“Kay…” I asked scooting a bit closer.

She seemed to notice my movement and she backed up away from me, pushing her whole body up against the wall as though she couldn’t be far enough away.

“Kay… are you alright?” I asked.

She didn’t respond.

I glanced around, Joan wasn’t there. I sagged upon that realization. When they said, “my sister” was here they didn’t mean both of them. What did I say? What did I do?

“Kay… I’m sorry.” I offered, it wasn’t much, but I had to say something right?

“Joan said you were gone...” Kay said hollowly.

“I’m sorry about Joan…” I said feeling terrible.

“After what they did… how did you not die?” Kay said looking up at me.

I didn’t follow.

“Kay… what… What happened?” I asked deep down likely knowing the truth of it.

She just sagged against the wall.

I grit my teeth. These bastards… I was one thing… But Kay? I might not be Meryl, but seeing this young woman devoid of life sitting there as though she had nothing left... The truth was she probably didn’t have anything left. I grew cold just thinking that. While Kay was out looking for me… No, Meryl, her village had been burned. If the women from there were taken here? Who knows what they did, now they went somewhere else? To a temple? The elf man had once mentioned sacrifices. I thought maybe it might have been common for goblins… I might have been wrong. Maybe the ones sacrificing people were the elves?

The horrifying reality of what would cause some elven woman to run away and need to be tracked down came to me then. Why would the humans assemble a rag-tag group of soldiers and set up a hasty camp to keep watch? Because they had been warned. Could anything even be done at this point? Or was it all just too late.

So much for all of this… I felt stupid, I was so eager to reach full corruption, but here I was, with nothing to show for it. I couldn’t help but feel the anger in my chest rising as I realized the kind of people these elves likely were. That elf who carried me here had said some strange things, what about the first one? I could barely remember now. Then again I’d also helped the dungeon kill that first elf. That sentiment settled inside of me. “Who did this to you? Which one of them?” I asked as though there was some meaningful answer I could get from her.

Kay didn’t even respond. I imagined it was someone other than the three elves I’d seen today. If one had carried her south and done this, then he would have been gone prior to my capture.

I took several breaths looking at Kay. Meryl never had the chance to protect her younger sister. I’d left her and Joan to their own devices, and perhaps it didn’t matter if I’d been there or not. After all, It wasn’t like I was responsible for this course of things, they had been captured by the humans for heading north far before I’d been. Had I not been captured they would maybe have fled the same way they did this time, their fates would have likely been identical... Or thinking about who freed us, maybe they would have... That wasn't helping.

That didn’t make me less angry, this wasn’t blame I was placing on myself. Then what was it? Sympathy? Pity? Did I really want to be her big sister and I’d been avoiding it? I didn’t really know, my head just couldn’t wrap around it.

I wasn’t a monster that didn’t feel for her. I’d wanted to avoid hurting her all this time… But here we were, she was practically a husk of her former self.

I’d try and help Kay out of this, but then again what hope was there of that? I’d have loved to triumphantly proclaim, “I’d kill the bastard that did this!” But knowing my track record that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe I should have never left that cave? I hated this negativity…