Set up camp.

As the sun sets, Nyllia puts together a circle of rocks and fills it with loose timber. She does so quickly, and it's very impressive. You didn't even have to lift a finger. She grinds together pieces of wood until the heat sparks a flame, and you roll out beds beside the fire's warmth. The sky is a beautiful deep orange, slowly fading to black. The terrain has become filled with taller hills as you've neared the foot of the mountains. It feels safe, nestled between the rolls of the plains. The fire should keep away predators as well.

"Eat," Nyllia commands. She pulls out another sandwich from her bag and hands it over. "After this, we will subsist on rations."

You take it graciously and wash it down with a gulp from your waterskin. "Thank you. Is this how your adventures usually are? Like with the others?"

"Everybody is different. Each party I travel with has a different mood, though I am mostly the same. Bill and Phil do not speak much. They hold me in very high regard. I care for them, though it can be tiring having them treat me like a princess at every waking hour. Zazra is definitely more of a wild card. She speaks to me with respect as well, though sometimes she is a bit of a scatterbrain. Her sense of humour certainly helps. Adventures can be boring... Though when I see how you interact with the girls you travel with, I cannot help but envy it."

"I assure you, it's a bit of a nightmare sometimes," you mutter.

She chuckles. "They do seem like a handful, but that is what I envy. You are an entertaining man, Kyle. All of you are rather fun to be around."

"Nyllia, I--"

"My first name again," she speaks quietly while turning away. "Life with a harem has made you so brazen."

"You just said...! You're just trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

"I would never do such a thing." She smiles coyly. "Apologies. I am never able to act this way with everybody else. When I said this quest was my rest, I hope you understand what I meant. It is not the wyvern. It is this. Allow me to make up for my teasing by telling you more about what you asked earlier."

"Can I ask you a question too?"

"Please hold any questions until after the lesson." She pulls herself up. The shine from the fire flickers over her polished silver plate. She then reaches around and begins to systematically remove each piece of her armour to place in the grass beside her. "Do not look so interested. I am not naked underneath. That would be incredibly uncomfortable."

"I know that."

With her armour and sword removed, she stands in a tight, dark, burgundy crop top. It hugs around her breasts, and is cut to show her slim, fit stomach. She has matching shorts, and then she wears black socks that reach up to her knees. She sighs and sits back down, now free from the restraints of metal. Her eyes turn back to you, and she brushes her hands back through her long, pink hair. "Now that I have your attention, I will begin the story."

"What does that supposed to mean...?" you reply.

She giggles. "Nothing. But I do feel better now. My armour is light, though it is still not comfortable to sleep in it."

"Makes sense."

"Let me ask you something. Do you know of the Varat Kingdom?"

"I think I've heard about it in passing."

She tucks in her knees, and wraps her arms around them as she gazes into the fire. "Varat is the kingdom north of here. It is much different, and they do not care much for these lands. They say such things as, Tivera is a lecherous land, full of sin. You see, their entire culture is one with the Church of Lasis. It is more than a religion. They revere their own god, and preach such things as purity and order. That is where I was born. From an early age, I was trained with a sword, though..."

It looks like the story is getting more difficult for her. "You don't have to keep going."

"It is fine. The simple truth is that my parents perished by the hands of undead, and I spent a lot of time soul-searching. My adventuring eventually brought me across the border and into Tivera, and I found this place to be much better. I care little for how Varat rules. It is oppressive and frankly despicable." She leans back and takes hold of her bedroll. "I think I am going to try and get some sleep already."

"That sounds like a good idea. Have a good sleep, Nyllia."

She smiles. "You as well, Kyle." She then turns away, and slips into her bed.

With the sun away, the sky is jet black and filled with countless stars. The moon is a crescent--radiant, and the only light casting down over the gorgeous elf nearby. The fire has fizzled out into a trail of smoke. Soon, the grasp of sleep takes you as well.