"I would like to avoid that fate for you as well, my friend," he spoke sincerely as he gently placed his hand upon Alleo's to indicate his appreciation for her being there. Afterwards, they were both motioned by the the bowman to join him outside, to which they followed.<br/><br/>Once outside, introductions had begun. The one that had been commanding the initial meeting was first to introduce him as Cu'on, who was indeed the head guardsman of the village. "I am sorry for the inconvenience of having you bound and placed under that test," he began to apologize with a sincere tone but never wavering on his stance of doing so, "Our village has always been under constant threat of neighboring clans. Rivals, if you will, who will attempt to come and steal our supplies, and our lives if they feel it necessary."<br/><br/>Garsot was able to understand the reason behind the earlier hostility, having been the guardian of his own people he knew what it was like to have to deal in caution when it came to outsiders.<br/><br/>"But," the tall, sturdy elf continued on, "as of late we have come under threat by something far different."<br/><br/>"What kind of threat?" Garsot asked without trying to pry.<br/><br/>Cu'on brought them inside another building, a small barrack like room decorated with various weapons and armors fit for battle. He pulled out a couple chairs for the two to relax on as he continued, "Some time ago we had a different kind of group come into a different village we had been living at at the time, a group we were unfamiliar with. They claimed to be humans, but their appearances spoke otherwise. I have had many encounters with humans in my days thanks to various reasons, and none looked like these creatures. They were vile and wretched, skin that looked as if to be breaking off from their bodies and smelling of death. Their eyes were dark like ours, but looked as if they contained no life inside. And when they spoke, their tongues and teeth were just as dark. They claimed to be passing through and needed a place to rest. This was before we had the mage with us, so we had to use our best judgement. We allowed them to stay as long as they were kept under heavy supervision, to which they agreed. They left after a few days of rest, never once leaving their rooms to come speak with us or eat. We figured they were tired and had brought their own nourishment. Once they took off, we did not hear from them again." He took a deep breath as if it was hurtful for him to say the next part, "Then one day a band of slavers raided the village, humans armed with weapons and magic unlike we had ever seen. Armor that was impenetrable even against our strongest arrows and swords. There was nothing we could do to fight back, so instead we decided the best thing was to flee. A few of us stayed behind to allow the rest to escape, but we could not hold them off. They overran us as if we were nothing, slaughtered and enslaved those they could reach. Some were able to get away, most could not.<br/><br/>"'I somehow survived the raid, during which I was severely wounded by one of their weapons that hit me in the back. I felt myself go unconscious and bid farewell to my people. I awoke a few days later inside a makeshift hut that was many miles away from where we had been attacked, under the care of one of our healers. The few dozen of us that survived the raid decided it would be wise to try and seek refuge from a rival clan, hoping that the news of this unknown threat would permit a temporary truce. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately as to not be selfish, our clan was not the only one hit by these slavers. It was fortunate as it gave us reason to be trusted and a truce was indeed made. The clan we went to had explained the arrival of the same group of rotten corpses that claimed to be human arriving to their camp days before they were invaded and that they were with the slavers, commanding them." Cu'on broke from his story and gestured his hand towards the door, "To save your ears from a much longer story, this is what is left of what was once many different clans of elven kin. We have come together and have been working tirelessly to be as prepared as possible for any more invasions. Luckily, however, thanks to the arrival of the mage a short while back, there has not been one in some time. Their weapons and magic are great against us, but are no match for her magic, though I do fear the day they find a way to combat it." Cu'on had finished speaking, and was now feeling the itch to grab an arsenal of weapons and go after the slavers.<br/><br/>After listening to the elf painstakingly tell his story, Garsot felt nauseous from the details of the group that had been commanding the slavers. Immediately after the elf finished speaking, he felt the need to ask, "Have you ever heard from those that were captured by the slavers?"<br/><br/>The elf looked down at the floor and shook his head, "I'm afraid not. We sent out a search party, once we had formed this village, to try and find any sign of their camps but there was no trace of their presence anywhere to be found, aside from the foul odors left behind from the rotten corpses, but even that trail stops abruptly, as if they just vanished somewhere within the forest. All we know is that the smell trails north from here."<br/><br/>"You could smell their trail?" The simian asked, although in a somewhat inappropriate manner, but the question could not be stuck nearly in his head. "I mean after such a long time?"<br/><br/>This break in the mood gently lifted the Cu'on's spirits slightly, as he did admit it would seem strange to someone not used to their kind. He explained that him and those like them incredibly acute senses, able to pick up on sights, sounds, even smells, that many other species were unable to detect. "In fact, that is how we knew of your arrival," he claimed.<br/><br/>"You heard me moving through the trees, I take it?"<br/><br/>The elf chuckled a bit before he added, "No no. We knew of your presence well before then. When you crossed the river."<br/><br/>Dumbfounded by this claim, Garsot could not help but question as to how.<br/><br/>"Well you see, when a river flows, the current of air that is created by the moving water will move along with it, bringing any scents that may be presently in or near the river. Your scent was faint, suggesting you crossed without actually having been in the water, so we assumed to were either flying or had found a way to cross without wading in it. But yes, we also did hear your movement through the tree tops, though we did agree you are quite stealthy in your own regards."<br/><br/>Garsot looked over at Alleo to gain her reaction to the whole thing, "I guess I wasn't as sneaky as I thought."<br/><br/>Cu'on interrupted, "Quite the contrary, actually. Had it been another species, you may have stayed hidden, but when you are trying to sneak up on the Daeben clan, you are almost guaranteed to be noticed. The clan I come from have mastered the art of stealth, allowing us to also master detection. So having us know of your position does not really speak well of your gifts for traveling silently. Though, like I said, we even had to put some effort into pinpointing your exact location." He quickly stood from his seat motioned towards the doorway, "But I have talked you ears off enough for now. Please come join us for food and drink, though you are not obligated. You are free to move about the village as you wish, just if you happen to see any trouble from the surrounding forests, please inform us immediately. Otherwise, there are plenty of beds in this building that you may rest upon if you feel the need. Stay as long as you like." He bowed to both of them before leaving the building.<br/><br/>Taking this moment to finally relax, Garsot looked upon his young friend and smiled cheerfully, "So, what do you say to a meal? After that potion I'm sure you are still content but it could probably help you grow a little."