X reclined against the farmhouse’s front wall, finding serenity in these tranquil nights where tiredness overtook him, certain he would wake up in one piece. Beside him rested a strange spherical object which, upon on closer inspection, bore a sense of familiarity.

“It moves!” X yelled.

The mass unfurled, revealing its appendages one by one. Its face extended tendrils first, while soft tissue shifted beneath, culminating in the final stretch of its body, hunched over on the ground.

“Morning,” the female dreg said, once fully extended.

“Oh... sure.” 

As was his routine, X embarked on his morning stroll followed by a customary bath in the Felpein River. He relished its cold waters despite not being able to swim in them. Afterward, he changed into human clothes, a little short as always. Although the reflection he saw in the river’s water looked clownish, he couldn’t say no to clean, smooth clothing. His stroll back to the farmhouse was peaceful, reminding him of his last life—those fleeting, lucid moments he had back there.

Noises emanated from the farmer’s home as Nila and Mau returned and unloaded their bags. Shells, dusts, and scrolls topped the list, with food provisions coming second. 

“How was the bridge crossing?” X swept his eyes over the supplies.

“Who knows,” Mau replied.

“We completely avoided it and gave ourselves the long tour,” Nila explained.

“Though in Silifran we came across wanted posters of two great gnomes,” Mau added.

“They’re looking for you?” X inquired.

“Of course they are!” Mau answered, a wide smile stretching from ear to ear. “Del’vhario is making waves!”

“But don’t worry, those pictures don’t even look like us,” Nila said, organizing the purchased items. “And do you know how many gnomes live in Silifran? Too many to keep an eye on all of them.”

“Though it’s a shame they didn’t see you... There’s no reward for your capture.” Mau grinned as if he had won at life. 

“I prefer it this way,” X retorted.

“Big, fat rewards for our capture. We’re going into the big leagues!” Nila exclaimed, raising her fists in celebration.

“We’ll need to be more careful in the future,” the elf said.

“Leave that boring talk for later. Look!” Nila pointed at the table. Several bottles, a crystal pipe and assorted herbs were on display. Both gnomes flashed their teeth at X. 

“Whats this?” the elf inquired.

“What’s this? He asks,” Mau exaggerated his shock.

“Celebration!” Nila shouted.

Just like a kid in a candy store, X reveled in sampling a bit of everything the gnomes had procured—substances to use and abuse. The elf examined their textures, colors, odors and flavors, embarking on a hands-on exploration of the offerings that this world’s nature and magik could provide in the mind-expanding business. For starters, the alcoholic beverages possessed distinct flavors, though all things considered, they weren’t far off from those back at home—merely appetizers before the heavy stuff.

Meanwhile Mau roasted some of their salted meat, Nila placed a piece of parchment—a miniature scroll—into X’s lips. And triggered it with the right chants.

“Inhale...” she murmured.

The small parchment, cool to the touch, began to glow and then disintegrated in a violet smoke, which X inhaled deeply. He experienced the initial effects of what Nila described as a blend of magik and finely powdered Terlin—a flower that had been processed into dust and infused into those parchments, then triggered with magik. Almost instantly, the sweet vapors rendered his body lighter, followed by a numbing sensation. From that point, an unmistakable feeling of relaxation and joy emerged, where time melted down, the world slowly crumbled, and the self vanished into the background. Vivid colors assaulted his retinas. 

“How’s that?” Nila asked.

“Not bad,” X replied, his gaze focused on his hands, his skin crawling. “Not bad at all.”

Mau brought over the steaks, and the trio began to eat, taking turns burning through the remaining substances. Nila filled a crystal pipe, similar to the one he had seen in the sewers of Silifran, with unremarkable yellow dust. With an incantation, the engravings on the pipe glowed, lighting the substance within for X to take a puff.

“Darn... I needed that,” X said, enjoying every whiff.

They passed the pipe around, and soon the interior of the farmhouse was filled with smoke and laughter. 

“You really are a fucking strange elf,” Mau remarked between puffs of the yellowish dusts mixed with an unidentified viscous liquid within the pipe.

“Why do you say that?” the elf asked.

“Most elves... even the law-unabiding ones, tend to stick to their own kind.” Nila explained. “And the ones who don’t, who dwell among the unwashed masses... and us great gnomes, behave as if no one is at their level.”

“They do?”

“They damn do! Even going as far as dissing us, the gnome elites—the ones destined for greatness,” Mau replied.

“Well... not me. I run with those that want to run... in an endless... cycle...”

“What do you mean?” Mau inquired.

“Where we’re going... there are no welcoming signs,” the redheaded elf spoke between puffs. “You take what you need... or better yet, what you want.”

“Motherfucker, you know how to pump us!” Nila exclaimed.

“And in that place,” X continued, “it doesn’t matter who you are, just what you took and how you took it.”

“Holy shit...” Mau fell under the hypnotic spell of elf’s words.

“What are we?” X asked.

“Del’vhario,” both gnomes answered.

“I said, what are we?!”

“Del’vhario!”

“What the fuck are we waiting for!?” Mau yelled.

“Let’s take it all!” Nila chimed in.

“And we will... we’ll take everything... everything we didn’t get,” X spoke with a calm tone.

“From who?” Mau inquired.

“From whoever crosses our path,” the elf smiled.“We are all equals like that... here, in Del’vhario.”

“Without a doubt. Wait for us, you cocksucking sub-races!” Nila shouted.

“Our crew’s name shall incite admiration,” X said.

“Horror and terror!” Nila added.

“We’ll be the most renowned bandits on the continent!” Mau had grand plans.

“Not freaking bandits!” X interrupted the male gnome’s lofty visions.

“Huh?” 

“Then...”

“Banditry is the lowest criminal art. It sits at the bottom... anyone can do it. Not as well as us... but no,” the elf grinned.

“Then what?” Nila asked, confused.

“An empire of dust,” the elf teased them with this answer.

“I don’t... get it.” Mau turned to Nila who shook her head and shrugged.

“What did you put in this pipe, Nila?” X inhaled from it.

“Powdered Terlin flower and some Fiori dust...,”

“Dusts,” X spoke as if of great things. “Magik and the natural world... Hell, I wouldn't believe it if I weren’t inhaling it... But this mix... let’s call it Dust. Now, imagine an empire built upon these finely powdered... particles. And building an empire is a complex task, that is, for everyone but us.”

“Yeah!” The gnomes’ shouts reached beyond the clearing.

[Only the best ever get to lay their sights on such... visions.]

It appeared in the wake of another cloud of smoke. 

[You told me once.]

X stared at the apparition.

“I told you.”

“Oh, you did Ekk’s!” Mau enjoyed this conversation.

“How do we get there?” Nila asked.

[Tell them you’ll kill anything that comes too close, betray anything that breathes, and if anyone manages to survive, maybe they’ll win it all. If not... it doesn’t matter, it’s just a game to fill your boring days.]

“We just need one las hit,” X spoke.

[Oh, you won’t tell them that as soon as they’ve outlived their usefulness you’ll stab them, not in the back, but where it hurts them most.]

“Only one?” Nila inquired again.

“Yes, just one. I’m not a bandit, and neither are you. We are outlaws, exiles-- no. Visionaries. Innovators. Emperors!” X gazed directly into their crazed spirits, gathering them beside a pile of smoldering dreams. 

“Uff... I don’t know if this shit is really good or your words are too sweet for our ears...” Nila took another puff from the crystal pipe.

“So, only one more hit?” Mau asked.

“Only one hit, but big enough to set us in the right path. Burn through all your contacts, use all the coins you need to, but find us a target, big, fat and juicy enough to be worth our crew. To be worthy of Del’vhario,” X declared.

Mau and Nila eased back, a delighted semblance colored their faces. Satisfaction settled in.

“We’ll fucking get you what you want,” Nila stated.

“No. What Del’vhario needs,” X corrected her. “Later, we’ll worry about getting what we want.”

[No warning. But these two don’t need it. The deranged always find each other, and in the darkness, strangle one another.]

Their celebration party continued through the afternoon and well into the night. Khratzika entered the farmhouse only to find X and Mau passed out, sleeping on the table. Nila had failed to make it to bed, with half of her body resting on it. The dreg lay rolled up beside X.

Sunrays warmed their bodies, rousing them. A strong headache besieged them, but what brought X back to consciousness were the noises. He raised his head.

“Hey, did you hear that?” X nudged Mau, waking him up.

“Uh? Is it raining?”

“It stopped,” the elf detected no more noise.

After a few seconds, a loud thud echoed—something had landed on the roof—startling them.

“Ah! Someone stop that, my head’s about to explode,” Nila exclaimed, partially conscious. “Khratzika, go see what it is,” she ordered.

The chit’tan stood up and left the farmhouse while more noises on the roof reverberated inside.

“Someone’s tossing things onto the house!” Mau exclaimed.

“Humans?” Nila asked.

“Shit!” Mau glanced at his companions.

Worry gripped them as the three rose to their feet. Suddenly, a human head plummeted through the kitchen window, landing inside the farmhouse.

“Is this a--!” 

“What the fuck is happening out there?” Nila cut off X.

Khratzika returned. “Dryad.”

“Damn it!”

“What’s this about now?” X’s mind cycled through several scenarios trying to fathom why the dryad had come, but none made sense. Regardless, they knew better than to keep her waiting. The trio headed outside. 

A mutilated human torso lay beside her, its chopped limbs and guts strewn at her feet, while her vines held fresh chunks of flesh. 

“Good morning, dryad!” Nila greeted.

“Respects,” Mau seconded, echoing the female gnome’s salutations.

“Why are you throwing mutilated corpses onto others’ home so early in the morning?” X demanded to know.

“These ones... defiled my forest!” the dryad replied.

“Bad humans,” the elf chimed in.

“These miserable shits were searching for you!” the dryad retorted.

“What? Why would they be after us?” X asked.

“Oh, this is where you pretend ignorance? You lanky piece of shit!” The dryad’s eyes sparkled with fury as she spoke. “Because they were looking for a pair of stinking rats, otherwise known as gnomes, that blew up their bridge. And I know you were there too!”

The elf crossed his arms, nonchalantly stating, “It was an accident.”

The dryad’s vines quivered, her gaze piercing his soul. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Bringing all these... mindless creatures into my forest.”

“I’ve already told you we didn’t.”

“Then why do you keep attacking the caravans? More guards will pour in.”

“Well, if you’d allow us to use this forest then we’d have things to eat, you know!”

The dryad’s vines slithered towards the trio, escalating the situation.

“Then go to another forest and leave mine alone!”

“Really?” Anger manifested on X’s face. “This is your answer? You hypocritical plant. We are incredibly careful with your forest. We’re not the ones to blame!”

Nature’s guardian whipped her vines over the soil, poised to strike. Nila and Mau took a step back, observing her floral tentacles, prepared for action.

“Look over here!” X walked to the back of the farmhouse and paused near the fields. “We’ve planted new flowers. In time, a whole field of them will sprout here. The forest, your forest, will recover.”

“It shouldn’t have been burnt in the first place.”

“Yes, and that’s a shame, but you cannot stop every single darn thing wanting to hurt it.”

“I can, and I will.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not that you have a bunch of screws too loose, those aren’t even there, and if they were, they wouldn’t hold anything anyway.”

“I see your mouth moving, but as always, nothing but shit comes out of it.”

“Give intelligent creatures a chance, especially to those like us who bend over backwards to avoid hurting your forest.”

The dryad laughed, then stopped. Her fiery light-blue eyes were already stabbing them, and her serious gait approached them. Killer vines followed in tow.

“It’s one of your rules, you told me!” Sensing danger, the elf chose his words better. “We’ve done nothing-- Wait!” A smile appeared on the elf’s face, a smug tone on his voice. “Wait. You’re scared of them. A squad or two, you don’t give two darns about that, but an army... now that could shove your crap back in its place.”

“I fear no one!”

“You sure? Then why don’t you go to Silifran or Saint Jaulea and demand them explanations or even better, reparations, for all the harm made in the construction of their cities? How convenient are your rules.”

The dryad stood impassive before the redheaded elf, words trapped inside. 

“Oh. Cat got your tongue?” In this moment the elf looked down on the dryad. “And blowing that bridge, we took revenge in your name, in nature’s name, for what they did, maybe not to your forest. But others. Or that doesn’t matter?”

“Who asked you to do that?”

“Look, we have the same problem. We could help each other. If you’d let us--”

“Get out of my forest.”

“What kind of uneducated host throws out their guests just like that?”

Her vines rose, their shiny, bloodied blades pointed towards the trio. 

“Now!” A slow guttural command shook them to their bones.

 “Okay, alright...” The elf sensed a distinct aura from the dryad this time—a being with repressed urges, on the brink of violence. “We will gather our belongings, tidy up the farmhouse, deal with those pesky human remains, and leave this clearing just as we found it. Pristine and alone. By this time tomorrow, we’ll no longer be of your concern... you won’t see us ever again.”

“Tomorrow,” the dryad glanced at the trio.

“Tomorrow.” X steered his sights towards the gnomes

“Indeed, we gnomes promise!” Mau exclaimed.

“We merely request for time to pack our things, esteemed dryad, and to restore this part of your forest. We do feel sorry if our actions have caused you distress. But no more.” Nila bowed her head.

“We’ll leave tomorrow, and your forest will be all yours, as it always has been since... whenever you arrived,” X concluded.

“After cleaning this,” the dryad gestured to the remains she had brought, then her finger directed their attention between two trees, “clean those over there as well, and leave.”

“Of course, dryad. And thank you for your understanding,” Mau spoke. 

The dryad turned around and vanished into her forest.

“What now Ekk's?” Nila asked.

He hushed them and signaled to return to the farmhouse.

“We clean, pack and leave,” X said.

“What?” Mau twisted his face.

“Me eat,” Khratzika asked if she could start her work on the humans remains. 

“Sure, go ahead, we need to leave it pristine.” The redheaded elf grinned. 

They stepped inside and sat around the table.
 
“Don’t speak loudly,” X leaned and whispered, “the plants have ears, I’m certain. If the plants can hear us, so can she, so speak quietly, like this.” 

“What now?” Mau murmured.

“We’ve got one day to do our hit.” X pressed on with their plan that simply moved ahead of schedule.

Del’vhario discussed among themselves.

“Are we doing it right next to her forest?” Nila inquired.

“Risk ahead, risk behind...,” Mau wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea.

“She’s at her limit. I don’t think that’s wise,” Nila argued.

“It all depends on what information you can get,” X told her.

“One last hit here, in her forest... where anything can go wrong... uff,” Nila sighed.

“If something does go wrong... we can rely on her madness,” Mau interjected.

“After she minces any sorry fucks foolish enough to enter this forest, she’ll come for us,” Nila gazed at her fellow gnome companion. “I don’t know... she can get really trigger happy. Fast.”

“Then, what are our options?” Mau turned to X.

“Not many. Secure a freaking nice target from your contacts and buy what we need. And I mean it—bring exactly what we require, no more, no less. Don’t waste time. Then, we’ll come up with a solid plan,” X replied.

“We could do it after leaving her forest,” Nila said.

“We could...,” the elf smiled, “but then again, I’m not the patient type. Not if I can help it.”

“I concur,” Mau seconded.

Nila fixed her gaze on them. “Oh, what the fuck. This is how the gnome race rolls.”

“But didn’t you tell her we’d clean all of this?” Mau inquired.

“I’ll handle it. And now there’s someone who can help. Go, now. It’s still morning. Don’t take long and the most important thing of all, don’t speak of this at all. Her forest has ears,” X answered. 

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

“Use the list from last night, and don’t forget the most crucial aspect: a big, fat target.” X grinned, an almost palpable desire illuminated his semblance.

Nila and Mau took several bags of money before grabbing the list and setting off on their mission. X cleaned the farmhouse as various iterations of plans crossed his mind. Taking Khratzika with him, he searched for the other human remains and quickly found them. However, the dreg only had room in her stomachs for half of them. They buried the other half, making sure not to disturb any plants, grass, or anything that could enrage the dryad.

Back at the farmhouse, he and Khratzika arranged everything as they had initially found it. They placed everything else into chests and positioned them in a corner. Near the door he left the items they would need, along with any leftover food he found, and the remaining silver and gold coins which he packed into a single bag. 

He found Khratzika to be really useful; she handled most of the heavy lifting. X didn’t mind her visage that much anymore, and after finishing with the farmhouse, he and the dreg sat outside as dust faded.

“Wanna bet if they’ll return? No? If they don’t, then it’s you and me,” X said to the dreg,

“You. Me!” 

X was never quite sure if what he interpreted as smiles were really smiles, but he took them as such.
 
“You did well today.”

“Me. Good!”

He petted her head, between two small antennae, and she responded with indecipherable sounds. 

Night fell as X waited half-asleep on a bed, with Khratzika resting nearby. A sudden shout jolted the elf awake.

“You won’t believe it Ekk’s!”