Nayara stared at the bandit leader, not reacting to his threat, her muscles primed and ready for action.Seeing that he had yet to make a move, she shot him a taunting smirk. The bandit leader reacted immediately, bellowing in rage and charging forward. He held his sword held above his head, then swung it downward executing a wild blow aimed to cleave Nayara in half. Nayara swiftly sidestepped the blow cursing with vigor as she nearly lost her balance after tripping on one of the unconscious men. She regained her composure as the bandit leader roared in frustration wheeling around to face her again, this time slashing wide cuts side to side with his blade. Nyara ducked under the reach of the sword, quickly placing the tip of her own against the bandit leader''s throat. He glared at her eyes filled with fury.


    "Drop the sword." Nyara ordered him calmly.


    The man clenched his jaw, the scent of his unwashed body wafting over Nayara as she watched the veins in his neck bulge in frustration before he finally dropped the sword, the metal ringing against a stone in the path. Still keeping her sword to his throat Nyara order the man to kneel and quickly bound his hands and feet in expertly tied knots. Once the leader was secure, Nayara focused her attention on Riona. The human woman had been successful at subduing the final two bandits and seemed unfazed by the wound, her hands slick with her own blood as she continued tying the men upNyara walked over, shaking her head in mild exasperation. She waited until Riona had finished tying the last bandit before pulling her to the side.


    "That cut needs to be treated, Riona." Nyara said firmly.


    Riona groaned theatrically, a smirk tugging at her lips.


    "Ya know," she began, her eyes sparkling with humor, "I bet a kiss would heal it right up."


    Nyara''s lips tightened at the flirtatious comment and she replied acidly.


    "Oh, and here I was thinking you wanted me to use my healing magic on your wound." She shrugged, moving to stand as though she was not planning to help Riona after all.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Riona''s uninjured hand gently grabbed Nyara''s wrist halting her. Surprised, Nyara turned to meet Riona’s gaze. The elf saw a flicker of something softer in the mercenary’s eyes—something more genuine than the humans usual carefree banter. Nyara''s surprise grew stronger when Riona continued to hold her gaze and said,


    "I''m sorry, Nyara," Riona said, her voice quieter than usual. "I know you don’t like it when I say stuff like that... It’s just automatic." She hesitated, before adding, "And for what it’s worth, I really do like you. I don’t flirt with just anyone, you know."


    Nyara blinked, taken aback by the vulnerability in Riona’s words. A slight rosy tinge appeared on her face and she opened her mouth as if to reply. Then she let out a heavy sigh and sank back down to her knees. She closed her eyes for a moment as she called upon her well of mana, purple light flashing across the long wound on Riona''s arm before vanishing leaving smooth skin where there had been an gaping cut moments before. Riona grinned at her healed arm then looked up at Nyara.


    "Thanks. I still can''t get used to how fast you can heal people." The mercenary remarked with a chuckle.


    Nyara nodded and walked back over to the 7 prisoners sighing as she noticed the various bruises, lacerations, and even a broken arm one of the most unfortunate bandits was sporting. She pressed her lips together, the expression noticed by Riona who had come to stand beside her.


    "So....what are we gonna do with them? I mean we still have that goblin den to clear out and didn''t you pick up some sort of like herb or flower quest or something?"


    Nyara gave Riona an amused grin.


    "Its mushroom gathering, Stonecaps to be precise. But don''t worry. We just have to get this sorry lot to the nearest village and they''ll probably wind up doing some sort of labour for a while. Better to put them to work then let them feed them while they just sit in a cell all day."


    Riona shrugged.


    "Clearly she does not particularly care what happens to the bandits one way or another. Not that I blame her." Nyara mused.


    "Anyways," Nyara continued, "I''ve been to this area before and if I remember properly there''s a village that produces a lot of wheat just a half days travel or so away. We can drop them off there without straying too far off course, and we might even find some of the Stonecaps while we travel if we''re lucky."


    "Works for me!" Riona replied, her usual bravado firmly back in place after her moment of venerability with Nyara.


    The elf pushed that memory firmly from her mind. She had a job to do. Dwelling on how her work partner may or may not feel about her was unseemly, and furthermore, a waste of time when they had a job to be doing.