NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

Thousands of arrows went towards the soldiers and passed me. I first thought that those shafts would hit me, and the individuals that discharged them planned on killing me too. But not an arrow hit my body.

I did not even have to avoid those darts heading from my behind.

"Come, Wolf. We have prepared you a shelter in the woods if you still want to live." A voice whispered behind me, with a figure staring into my eyes.

The creature who conversed with me had a distorted look in the shadows. It had two crimson orbs staring at me as it maintained its position. I hesitated to move and inspect the mysterious individual who schemed to help me win this war.

If I remembered it correctly, no long-eared elves had lived during this raid. There were also no players in the vicinity, so I could ask for a helping hand to fight these soldiers. I came alone besides Elina, Eve, and Ryoshi running away from this army. So this creature must be a different species, who knew the situation and me.

I looked at the battlefield for the last time and witnessed the arrows piercing through the soldiers. Those players tried firing their guns at the forest, even neglecting me, their main. It would be a matter of seconds before these players would regain the upper hand, considering the reload speed of arrows fired to a target.

"Lead the way. I'm all ears."

"As you wish, Wolf." A feminine voice answered.

After our exchange, the figure disappeared from the shadows and motioned me to follow the track. I dashed straight towards the bushes and locked my eyes at the figure, sprinting in an uncharted direction that I did not know. Despite the difference between our levels, I could chase the figure with ease thanks.

The soldier's cries echoed from behind as they tried pursuing our tails. However, thanks to these individuals who constantly fired their arrows, slowing the army down, these soldiers did not reach us.

As the ray of sunlight hit the creature, I could finally discern the creature trying to help me. Much to my surprise, my eyes widened as soon as I met her gaze.

"You're… a dark elf?" I whispered as soon as I witnessed the facial features of the creature.

Dark elves had shorter ears than long-eared elves. Their skin turned dark because of the curse given by Nirvana. After exiling these species from the kingdom, no news came from the dark elves.

The story behind their exile was the elves' mindset. These dark elves refrained from players and other species from entering their kingdom. Whether it was for trade or taking quests, these short-eared elves tried forcing them away.

Short-eared elves even killed players once they entered the kingdom. With that violation, La Finta had no other choice but to banish them from the kingdom. That event was everyone knew. But I learned more about them during my Fenrir years.

La Finta never banished these short-eared elves and instead turned them into spies and guardians of Nirvana. When I took the fountain of life from them, some elves that chased me had short-looking ears.

Now that they appeared in front of me when Nirvana got taken down, I became unsure of trusting these guys. These short-eared elves could've protected the citadel when the elves were under an all-out attack.

And yet, these dark elves kept silent about the situation.

"Judging by your look, you must not trust us, Wolf. Or do you prefer me calling you Fenrir?" As if gazing through my soul, the dark elf girl in front of me exclaimed.

She carved a smirk on her mouth as she continued conversing with me. I prepared my dagger and readied myself to attack. However, that elf shook her head and clicked her tongue dozens of times.

"I would not do that if I were you, Wolf. You should trust the dark elves more, since La Finta told us to escort you and your friends."

I did not want to stop on the ground and continue interviewing the dark elf. However, I needed more information if I wanted to ensure the safety of my friends and myself.

"You must wonder why we would show up when Nirvana got taken down by the players. It was all about La Finta's plan. She knew that this would happen. None of her long-eared elves survived, except for Elina. The same would happen with the Mainland's ruler. All that the players left was the little girl, Eve."

"You've done your research…" I murmured, and continued racing beside the elf.

Even though this dark elf presented her knowledge about the events happening, it was still not enough to gain my trust. I, who had battled countless foes, knew things about traitors and schemes. This elf had something in mind and refused to tell me about things she needed to explain.

This dark elf would not help me for charity. These dark elves wanted something from me, and I yearned to know what.

After a few minutes, the screams coming from the soldiers had finally subsided. We did not stop running away, but we tried slowing down the pace and continued where we had left in our conversation.

"Your friends are up ahead, waiting for you. And I believe you need to avert your eyes from me. I might consider you as a pervert if you continued glaring at me like that," the dark elf stated.

"You're no fun at all. And besides, if you have my friends captive, it's natural for me to doubt you. I won't accept your help if I can't give anything in return. I killed La Finta. Even the long-eared elves hated me for killing their ruler. There's not a way you don't want to stab your knives behind my back."

"You have a good point, Wolf. I will explain everything to you once we reach the hideout. Let us focus on running for now."

It was what I had mentioned. I did not want to work with these dark elves without helping them back. If the two of us planned on working together as a team, our parties should talk this one out.

As we went ahead, the trees beside us quivered, making the leaves fall to the ground. I spared a glimpse at my side and discerned shadowy figures joining our run.

The dark elf girl's comrades went to the ground and ran with us. These short-eared elves were the ones who discharged their arrows, attacked the soldiers, and distracted them. They talked little and followed the girl's orders. These short-eared elves had a number over a hundred as I looked at the group. This quantity was enough to stop the forces of the soldiers wielding their guns in their hands.

After a few minutes of running endlessly in this forest, the dark elf girl raised her hand and gestured for everyone to stop. As we looked ahead, an underground cavern welcomed our eyes. I gulped my dried saliva and looked at the dark elf girl beside me.

"Not an underground base. I kinda hate these places. Can't we just use a treehouse left by La Finta?" I suggested, hoping that these short-eared elves reconsider the location of our hideout.

But the dark elf girl shook her head and answered, "The players would notice us if we used a hideout near the trees. I hope you understand, Wolf. This burrowed cave has the best quality that we could offer."

"I hope you're right."

All of us jumped inside the hole and braced ourselves to land at the bottom. The lid from the surface slid the warren close, telling me that this place was a one-way ticket to the depths of the ground. I steeled my heart and expected the land to slap my face.

But the pain did not come through as a slime at the bottom of the floor cushioned our floor.

"I didn't know you have slimes as pets?" I asked, as my body continued bouncing with the rhythm set by the slime.

The dark elf elegantly jumped from the jelly monster and landed on her two feet as she reached the ground. All the dark elves followed by and landed just like the dark elf girl. I, who experienced this for the first time, had a passionate kiss on the soil.

"Oka… I mean, Wolf? Is that you?" A recognisable voice that came from the other room

"So your friend is here?"

"Wolf…"

Two more feminine voices accompanied the sound as the three figures appeared before me. My eyes widened at the sight of my best friend, Ryoshi, together with the long-eared elf Elina, and the princess of the Mainland, Eve. All of them did not suffer any injuries at all, thanks to these dark elves who sheltered them here.

"Are you guys alright? Those soldiers didn't hurt you? These elves didn't hurt you either, right?" I asked, as I caressed each of their heads.