Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Only a day had passed since Muena, the dryad, made it into the city of Eclanor, and already her roots were nourishing her with new information. One of which just so happened to be the location of the map maker. His shop was located on the right side of the main street, and at the very end, almost too discreet for someone trying to offer any form of service.

Her suspicion drew her to the place early in the morning. Nobody accompanied her for the rest of the girls, as well as the hero thought that she was doing something else entirely. Stopping outside the mapmaker's shop, she folded her hands by her hips and watched as the man wiped the dust off the outside windows.

"Fine morning for cleaning," she said with a smile.

Taking a brief pause from wiping the windows, Elowen closed his eyes and heaved a hefty sigh.

"I know what you are," he said, slowly turning to face the monster girl.

Staring at the petals hiding her one eye, Elowen gestured for her to go away.

"These people may be sheltered from the outside world, but I've wandered through it enough to know what you truly are."

"And what is that?" Taking a step closer, Muena parted her petals and revealed her dark eye. "A monster? An Oasis child? Hmm, what am I, high elf?"

Silence lingered between the two, as sharp as a knife's edge. Like a string held up to their throats that could cut their heads clean off, both of them refused to move, not even an inch, even though their blood ached for bloodshed.

"You're the monsters who helped the dark elves to save your own hide," Elowen whispered, trying not to prove her just yet.

"That…" Bobbing her head, the monster took a step even closer. "But you and I both know that we're more than that. That we're not like the cowards on that giant throne, who think they're the ones in charge of this place."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," shaking his head, Elowen threw the cleaning cloth on the ground and turned towards the shop's entrance, "Now if that's all you wanted to talk about, I think we've talked enough."

Right as he was about to step back towards the door, however, Muena's hand extended like a growing branch. Grabbing Elowen's shoulder with it, she began walking closer and whispered.

"I'm going to kill the giants."

Those words rang in Elowen's ears like a massive bell right next to his ear. Quickly turning around, he brushed off Muena's hand and stared at her with an angered face.

"And why the hell would you do that? And why? Why come to me and tell me that you're gonna do this?!"

A smirk crept up the dryad's lips. She'd expected him to be agitated, but this was far more than what she'd bargained for.

"Because I want that seat for my people, my clan. Of course, the others can live, but I want to claim this place and everything those cowards own for myself." Lifting her left hand, Muena curiously admired its back, especially the milky nails chalked with poison. "I know you're the one who's truly a threat in this place. A gathering of spies, an information network that runs as deep as in the throne room itself."

Elowen's eyes widened at the mention of the throneroom, and catching just that, the dryad's smirk grew wider and her head turned to him.

"How did you–"

"I can sniff an elf from miles, my blood burns to their odour." Pressing her lips together, the dryad watched as Elowen's expression slightly eased up. "You can probably feel it too, we're enemies by blood–"

"And you think I will shake hands with someone like that?" Elowen shot right back.

Holding her smile in an almost frozen state, Muena closed the petals over her eyes and leaned closer to Elowen with her head.

"Either way, this kingdom will soon fall. It's a miracle that it still stands with those morons in charge. So if you want to be a part of their seat when it's all said and done, I'm more than ready to forge a contract that binds our souls to it."

"Go away," Elowen replied, not entertaining her idea for even a second.

As for Muena's smile, it finally fell and turned into a grimace. Even so, holding her composure, she straightened her back and said one last thing before leaving the place.

"Sleep on it, elf. Maybe you will see sense, if not for yourself then for that daughter you've been hiding from the rest of the kingdom."

And with that, the dryad left, leaving behind a sense of uncertainty within the high elf. What was he supposed to do now? Another monster was in his town. A place of comfort that he'd moulded himself, and the secret of the true ruler of Eclanor was now out.

"Keep an eye on her," he said, and the faintest of hums responded in kind.

Sending a spy after someone who could smell another elf wouldn't have been a good idea in most cases, but for now, Elowen wanted it to serve as a warning for Muena not to try anything stupid against him.

'Should we leave this place, after all?' The thought crossed his mind, but the reality of the desert outside these walls made him recoil at the very thought. 'Stupid idea, this is the safest place for now.'

But for how long would that be true? Once the army had defeated the general–that is, if they even could–Muena was bound to try something against the giants, and even if she didn't, the morons had already gathered enough enemies within the army to have staked their lives on a moronic idea.

"The hero found a letter; the culprit remains unknown, but someone from the army is the traitor," said a whisper next to Elowen's ears.

Clicking his tongue, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Can't trust anyone in this damned place," he complained to himself, now wondering whether betrayal could find him as well.

'I need to do something before that Dryad tries to buy one of my spies.' His confidence, even in his own people, had dwindled in a matter of a few seconds, but who could blame him when around every corner was a familiar face hiding with a knife?