The breeze had begun to pick up more as the path guided her forth. Rustling up ahead stopped Elise short, stopped by the hop of a bunny on the move. Her smile perked up and with that her feet kept her moving. Her eyes darted right, a blur of movement on the horizon. Around a hundred meters out moved multiple humans, all dressed in armor vests carrying varying melee weapons and long range weapons.

Some with spears, some with axes, some with rifles, others with whole vests of grenades. Each wore cross necklaces, and none of them paid her any mind. Her pace stopped right behind a tree to block their potential view of her, eyes shaking a slither, “{Hunters? Yeah, definitely hunters. People from the Church probably. That’s just great. Looks like they’re heading in the direction of Pointe Peak. Stark Pack? I had best report back on that later I suppose.}”

Her head slowly poked out, eyes zooming out. Not a single one of them was in view though tracks left in the mud led on further away heading towards the North, “Well they’re either going for Pointe Peak for Stark Pack or their heading off to Faro. Dang, I should visit Faro again some time, I love that town. Alright, guess I should get back and report this, then get to work with all my other duties.”

The underground tunnels of the mountains, home of Clan Vulfax. Through these tunnels Elise moved at a sluggish pace with a basket upon her back filled with the unlit torches. Behind was her large cart, full of broken and diminished stubs that once were burning sources of light. Behind those, more wood and other torches, even supplies to make more torches. With a plastic lighter in hand, she moved about lighting each new one up, removing the old ones, and placing the new ones in their new holders upon the cave walls.

Step, swap, light, repeat. That was all as she moved along with others walking passed her. She gave them a glance then continued on down another tunnel, “Hmm, lets see, I think I need to trade these out tomorrow, or did I put them in later than I think I- eh, whatever. I’ll roll with it. What was it next again? Oh… great.”

Upon another cart lay a stack of sheets and straw pulled by Elise as she went on to small openings within the tunnels. Behind the cart was another cart with torn sheets and messy straw piled high. She stopped at each small opening and reached in, pulling from them more torn sheets and straw piled.

She gagged as she carried it over to the back cart, dropping it aboard. Her attention turned to the front cart as she moved again to grab new straw and sheets. Moving to the entrance she set them down with a nod and a sigh, returning to the cart pulling it on as she had done many times before, “I hate swapping out old bedding.”

At the end of the tunnel was a stack of water canisters. She gave another sigh as she stopped right in front of them, bending down scooping several up, “Great, now I have more water duty to worry about.”

The carts moved to the outside now with her pull, upon one multiple water containers and upon the other much of the bedding and old torches. With a sigh she stopped once a fair distance away, turning to the second cart, “Well, this cart is about done like this lighter. So-”

With a single flicker the cart erupted into flames, the lighter having been tossed lit right into it. Her foot pressed down and released the latch connecting the two carts. With that done Elise turned away and pulled the first cart aside, a book now in hand which she opened, “Lets see… so tomorrow I grab a few dozen liters of water again and find another cart if at all possible, then catch fish. What joy.”

Her eyes glanced up to the entrance where they then rested upon Vulper who stood with arms crossed. The book lowered as he gave a nod, turning to walk back in. Elise glanced back down to her book, reading along as the fire roared on, “Man, what a pain. Next I have to, uh, oh right, Vulper wants me to go tend to the Eldership and bring them their herbal tea and then sweep the tunnels out. Ah man, why do we even clean cave tunnels out?”

She sighed looking up as the smoke bloomed and moved up, “Just another day I suppose.”

Down the tunnels a new rolling cart squeaked again, pulled by Elise by a rope tied around her waist. This one carried only brooms. Forward she moved with one in hand. A sigh left her as she swept along the ground as she moved forward, eyes small and glum.

She looked left, hearing the sound of sudden clapping, then the sound of something smacking against the rock.

CRASH

Behind her the cart shattered, broom splinters flying as a man crashed down on top of the cart. He yowled, arched on his back. In the entryway there stood two individuals laughing to themselves, bumping fists as they then disappeared back inside. Elise turned round, “At it again Brett?”

“Nah- urk, I got beat because I failed my recent mission. Gahhh I’m in pain.”

“You’re in pain but you’re not acting like it.”

“Yeah that might be because I fell into a burning patch of some weird looking plant that was then hit by flaming arrows. Did I mention that?”

“Uh, no, pretty sure you didn’t.”

“Ah well, there’s that. Unfortunately it wasn’t just that that I inhaled, I think? I didn’t inhale enough either but it sorta buzzed me. I’m not really thinking right. I feel the pain but I’m not in pain if that makes sense.”

“Alright alright just uh, umm. Hey how about you sleep it off, I swapped out a bunch of the bedding a minute ago.”

“Sweet,” he mumbled standing, slowly stumbling off.

Elise’s gaze followed though only for a moment as she let off a sigh, “I don’t have the medical supplies anymore unfortunately ever since Father told me to stop collecting them, sorry about that. Ugh, this clan is too harsh with its punishments though-”

“Nah nah das, das just fine Lil’lise. Alls good. Jus-justrust me k? Heehee.”

“Heh, right. Try to be careful alright?”

“Yee yeah, whaeva,” he laughed stumbling off.

She sat in a carved seat now, the cart beside her. In her right hand an apple with a few bites taken out of it and in the left a book. Next to her Thomas and Destiny chowed down on bits of meat from recently caught deer, both laughing at each others jokes. She smiled slightly as she flipped the page with one finger.

“Right so then I was all like yo get out of my face before I drop kick you into next Tuesday and they got all up in my face.”

“So what happened next Destiny?” Elise asked.

“Drop kicked Baske through the floorboards at the mansion and through a couple floors into the basement.”

“Ha, I wish I had been there, those two drive me insane,” Thomas laughed.

“Oh gosh, don’t even get me started again. Elise be happy you don’t have to put up with all the idiots in Vulfax like us.”

“I mean, I still have to put up with them. Earlier I ran into Brett and, to say the least, the man was a walking pile of wounds and somehow fell into a patch of marijuana that got started on fire. He was so messed up that he couldn’t feel his pain yet he knew he was in pain.”

“Oh my gosh, did you help him?”

“No. Remember I was told to stop collecting medical supplies a few months ago? I can’t patch anyone up anymore like I used to.”

“That’s a shame because you were good as a medical person. I’d say you’re one of the best in the valley when it comes to herbs and medicines.”

“I’ve done a lot of reading, what can I say.”

“Heh, remember that time you had to sew half of Omanick’s arm back on when someone cleaved through it with an ax?”

“Oh lord, don’t even remind me. I had to use horse tranquilizers on him just to get him to stop twitching so I could sew him back up.”

“Wait, horse tra- is that good for- I mean, what?” she questioned loudly.

“Destiny, I have no idea. All I know is that what I was using didn’t work and I hadn’t read that I shouldn’t have used them. We’re Dragon people, not Vampires or Humans.”

“Sucks that he got blown to pieces a week later. Stupid land mines.”

“Mmm.”

“Well well well, if it isn’t the little loser Elise,” came laughter.

Attentions turned ahead and rested upon several individuals on the approach, Rusty among them with a wide smirk.

“The mistake herself eating fruit like the fruit that she is, haha,” came the laugh of another.

“Shut up Rick. Leave Elise be,” Destiny grumbled.

“All of you shut up, it’s time for your daily tasks to be handed out for tomorrow,” Vulper spat approaching, “All of you except for Elise file in, I have words to give.”

“That’s fine, I have to be on my way to get more water anyway I suppose,” Elise mumbled.

A sigh left her again as Destiny and Thomas left with the group, her head drifting back. The book flipped shut to which point she stood again to approach the cart. With that she carried on, cart following close behind as she moved. Her head turned, a slight glance off to the right where Britt stood, a nod given with a slight smile present.