After riding for quite a few days, the group was nearing the end of their journey. They were just a stone's throw away from New Nortia with all of the weapons safely in tow. It had been a rather uneventful trip, with the only thing to disturb the boredom being Gregory's endless ranting about his prowess over non-humans.
They had been riding a couple of hours into the morning, the sun now at it's highest point.
"Is it getting warmer?" Darian asked. He didn't seem too uncomfortable at the time, but secretly hated hot weather. It made his hair flat, and ruined the half hour he spent styling it.
"I'm welcoming it," Sylvia said happily. She was sick of the snow and rain and sludge that they had endured over the last few months, and was eager to see some sunlight for a change.
"It is warmer, however wait until we return to T'Hala," Aliyah piped up from the back of the convoy. T'Hala, as Aliyah had informed everyone, was the name the elves had given to their homeland forest.
"Great...." Darian muttered, imagining the humidity frying his soft, fragile locks.
Sylvia stopped, pulling Porche to a stand still and raising her hand to signal everyone to do the same. Darian shot her a quizzical look, eyebrow cocked.
"Do you hear that?" She whispered. Darian listened intently, eyes narrowing in concentration. His eyes then widened as he heard it.
Soft singing could be heard in the distance, not too far from where the group were. Whomever was singing had a magnificent voice, twinkling and light like a wind chime in the breeze. They also heard the faint plucking of some form of instrument.
"What's going on?" Gregory yelled out. He had become more and more impatient as the journey went on, and became irritated easily. Sylvia would say he's become a right pain in the ass, but then again he already was one.
"Shhhh!" Darian and Sylvia both whipped around rapidly, a single finger held up to their mouths. They then exchanged a knowing look, with Darian rolling his eyes. They both stared straight ahead, at the cross roads in front of them.
The singing grew in volume, becoming clearer and most distinct. Aliyah made their way to the front, joining Sylvia and Darian.
"I do not think we need to worry, it seems to be from a friendly entity," they said. Sylvia saw Aliyah's reasoning. What violent criminal sang on their way to their victims? But she knew she would have to be cautious. She had been jumped far too many times on roads like these.
Just then, Sylvia saw a small band of people emerge in the middle of the crosswalk. They seemed tired, fatigued, but were joining in with the tune. Some sang softly, others whistled. At the front of the pack, was a creature Sylvia had thought to be extinct.
"A satyr!" Darian exclaimed, drawing attention to the group. The Satyr was a woman, with fuzzy brown hair swept back into a bun. She wore a yellow floral print dress, that swayed in the breeze as she walked. Where her waist ended, instead of human legs two brown furry goat legs peeked out under the hemline of her dress.
The satyr turned towards them, and waved with a smile on her face. In her other hand, she held what appeared to be a small banjo.
"Guess we should say hi?" Sylvia offered. Aliyah and Darian nodded in agreement, and the group made their way towards the intersection.
"Why hello there!" The Satyr said cheerfully. Up close, Sylvia could see how flawless the Satyrs skin was, with round, flushed cheeks and tanned skin.
"My name is Olive, who are you?" The group took turns introducing themselves, with Gregory going last. He looked slightly startled to see a creature with no pants on, especially a female at that.
"You've got quite the company here," Dirella said, coming to the front. She was beckoning to the weary folk behind Olive. There were around twenty humans, all barely having acknowledged the group approaching them.
"Oh..." Olive glanced back, looking at the people behind her.
"They are refugees from O'Ganis, a town to the north. They were attacked by the vampire hoard..." She trails off, a solemn look on her face. Sylvia pales.
"Vampires? So far south?" Darian asks, face as shocked as Sylvia felt. Olive nodded.
"It makes no sense, I know. But they seemed wild, frenzied. They've been attacking villages all around, making their way south," she added. The villagers looked dismayed, their faces telling the tale of how they had lost everything. They had lost their possessions, homes, even loved ones.
"I sing to try and keep their spirits up, but they have walked for many miles now, and have lost so much. And without protection, they cannot sleep at night," Olive continued.
Sylvia was barely paying attention. Her mind was focused on the fact that the vampires were now openly attacking human settlements. They had ventured beyond the cold protection of the snow, and were doing so as the weather heated up.
Could this be the work of one of the blue eyed vampires? No, they were too smart, too calculating to attack during the summer months. After Ava had been killed, had one of them even stepped up to lead? Clearly not, as this was the act of someone reckless, someone insane.
Someone like Anthony.
"We can help you," Aliyah chirped, snapping Sylvia back to the present.
"What?" She blanched. Aliyah turned, nodding eagerly.
"We are headed to New Nortia too, we can escort you and the cargo," they reaffirmed. Olive seemed pleased at this, clapping her hands together in glee. Sylvia just looked at Darian, who shrugged in return.
That afternoon, the convoy had to set up camp a lot earlier than Sylvia would have liked too. With the added protection, the villagers felt safe enough to sleep for the night, and were eager to catch up on some rest.
"Aliyah, what the hell?" Darian whispered harshly. Aliyah looked shocked in return, their doe eyes wide with confusion.
"Whatever do you mean?" They asked, clueless. Sylvia sighed, her head in her hands.
"Offering to protect those guys, making them our responsibility. You should have consulted with us first, at least!" Darian exclaimed, waving his hands in the air passionately. Sylvia looked up.
"Leave them be, Darian. They didn't know any better," she said, making some form of attempt to stand up for her partner.
"From my understanding, hunters help humans, right?" Aliyah retorted. They seemed slightly pissed off, an expression Sylvia rarely saw on their flawless face. Their green eyes flashed with anger, brows furrowing together.
"Yeah, but not for free," Darian snapped right back. He was not in the mood for Aliyah to finally grow a spine. On top of looking after the weapons for Gregory, they now had to take care of a small group of helpless people. What more could be asked of them?
"We have done plenty of things for free," Aliyah said, standing. Their fists were balled up by their sides, and all seven feet of angry elf was a formidable sight.
"Oh yeah, like what?" Darian rose to meet Aliyah, however only stood around their chest height. However he still glowered upwards at them, his broad shoulders flexing under his lightweight armour.
"Saved the town from vampires, then proceeded to hunt the vampire hoard," Aliyah listed them off on their fingers. Darian, despite having no adequate response, decided to continue arguing anyway.
"I'm going for a walk," Sylvia muttered to Dirella, who was sitting on the grass nearby soaking in the last few days of sunshine. She nodded in acknowledgement, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. Trying in vain to block out the sound of bickering.
What do you guys think of Olive? I hope you love her!
As always make sure to like and comment. Remember I do R4R and L4L, so let me know if you'd be interested!