Earlier that day, before Rya was collared by the Black Roses, and the morning of the festival, a wood elf came out of her room at the Lost Monk Inn.
"Haah... I lost her! If I don't find that dark elf soon, who knows what peril the city will be in?" Nieren said to herself as she got ready to search for Rya once more.
'I still can't believe she was able to sense me when I was cloaked! She is very dangerous indeed.' She thought to herself while eating breakfast.
"Hey, Nieren! Are you planning on taking a quest?" asked one of the dwarf adventurers in the common room.
"I am afraid not today. I have something personal to take care of." She answered while chewing her bread.
"Haah... I was hoping to get a six-person party for this bandit quest. Well, good luck with that!" He said as he walked away to another adventurer.
Nieren shook her head and went back to the front desk. 'They wouldn't be much of a help at all. This is something only I can do,' she thought to herself before checking the bulletin board for any quests that interested her, before looking for Rya.
"Hmm. Nothing of note. Well, time to find her." She said to herself as she looked out the window, watching the sunrise.
***
As she searched for the dark elf, she couldn't find her anywhere. Mostly because the streets were packed with everyone in the city. All because of the festival of the Goddess of Balance.
'Gods, I thought the festival was canceled? Stupid Baron! Doesn't he know there's a dark elf running loose in the city! NO! Of course, he doesn't, and no one would believe me anyway! Her being drunk must have been the reason I was spared.' Nieren thought to herself, trying not to bump into all the people on the street.
At some point, she hears the Baron's friend yell out to the crowd of people in the main square of Ironside.
"My people of Ironside! We have gotten good news about the Prince! He and his comrades were able to stop the goblin horde that attacked our city! This proves that my people can never doubt the power of the Lord of Fiafyr as the goddess looks after him!" A large man shouts loudly.
'Man, Jacob is a large man. The Baron finds the strangest company.' Nieren thought to herself as she continued to watch.
He continued on about giving silence to those who have fallen in the Tomb of the Horde, and finally started off the festival with the dancers and a huge drum.
"Alright, boys! Let's give these people something to remember!" Jacob yelled.
'Yeah, you have fun. And don't forget to tell them about how there's a DARK ELF SOMEWHERE! Jeez, it's like this city wants to be destroyed. Oh well, I'm the city's only hope.' Nieren thought to herself as the drums sounded louder and the music began, and the dancers were on the stage.
This went on for some time until, out of nowhere, a Wolfkin in a cloak was dragging along a tanned woman with azure eyes, also in a cloak, as they nearly bumped into Nieren.
"Hey! Is this a joke to you?" Rya demands.
"Of course, it isn't! Just trust me! I've always wanted to win this game and never have. That ends today, Alpha!" Dalia says with excitement as she leads the way.
"Whoa! Hey, watch where yo—" Nieren abruptly halted her thoughts, her eyes widening as she recognized the other woman standing before her. "It's her!"
The sight of Rya, the dark elf, took Nieren completely by surprise. She hadn't anticipated stumbling upon her so suddenly in this bustling marketplace. Questions whirled through her mind like leaves in a storm. 'What is she planning on doing?'
Just as she prepared to follow the enigmatic figure, two men strolled up behind her, their voices breaking through her thoughts.
"Percy, your future wife might be a bit wild at times," Quinus remarked with an amused lilt to his tone, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"A bit!? She's a lot wild, but that's what makes her special," Percy replied, laughter dancing in his voice. There was a warmth in his gaze as he spoke, revealing his affection for Rya.
"Well, we'd better not lose them," Quinus smirked, glancing around. "Or they'll probably cause some serious trouble." His confidence hinted at an understanding of Rya's adventurous nature.
"Haah... Yeah..." Percy conceded, a smile tugging at his lips as he clearly shared Quinus' concern.
Nieren's heart raced as she overheard their banter. 'That guy helped her back there. She called him... Quin? Yes, that's his name,' she mentally confirmed. Unease settled in her stomach at the thought of them being manipulated by Rya's charm or perhaps something darker. 'Just keep your distance, Nieren!' she cautioned herself, determining to remain vigilant while tailing the trio through the throng of people.
As they moved deeper into the vibrant bazaar, Nieren's attention was caught by a colorful booth adorned with playful decorations and the incessant bleating of a Hex Horned Goat. The booth was drawing a small crowd, and Nieren couldn't resist the urge to peek closer.
"Gah! That stupid game!" she hissed under her breath, exasperation spilling from her lips. "I can hit a squirrel through the eye from a mile away with my bow, but I never could get one of those stupid rings on those Hex Horns. That game is rigid!"
Her eyes fixed on Dalia, who was crouched before the goat, a look of determination etched on her face as she repeatedly failed to toss the first two rings onto the creature's jutting horns. Nieren couldn't help but chuckle softly at the amusing sight, even as the unease about Rya's plans clung persistently to her thoughts.
'Pff! Wolfkins are suckers. It's easy to do.' Nieren thought to herself as she snuck up on them, getting within 15 feet of them.
"Hey! Dalia, can I see those rings? I wanna see if they have any mana on them?" Rya asks.
"Sure!" Dalia says while handing the ring to Rya.
'W-What is she going to do!' Nieren started to panic. 'Oh no! She's gonna use the rings!'
But to her surprise, Rya didn't do anything nefarious with the one-inch brass rings.
"Here, Dalia, give it a try now," Rya said as she handed the ring over to Dalia.
And with that, the Wolfkin nailed her target, getting one ring to land on the Hex Horn.
'HOW!?! How can a dumb wolfkin get a ring on the Hex Horned Goat?' Nieren thought to herself.
"That was awesome!" Percy said to Dalia. "Don't worry. It will be easy for you now. Just focus on your target and everything else will fall into place." Percy said with a smile.
"Shh! I'm trying to concentrate!" Dalia whispered.
Dalia went on to hit the next two horns.
Nieren was too stunned to notice Quin flirting with Rya as she was getting angry that a wolfkin was winning a game that she had never won.
"I need to win this game! I've been coming here every year since I was a kid, and I haven't gotten one ring on a Hex Horned Goat yet," Nieren said to herself before approaching the game booth. The Lady working the booth was panicking about what to do as Dalia was lining up her last shot and got her fourth ring to land.
"YES!!!" Dalia yelled triumphantly.
"W-We have a-a winner!?" The lady working the booth said in disbelief while reluctantly handing over the cash prize.
"Yes, we do!" Dalia said happily as she took the money.
"I'm impressed. I've never seen anyone ever win this game." Percy said as he looked at the money in Dalia's hand.
"Haha! That's because your wolf is all skill. You need to put your brain into it, too." Dalia said as she scratched Percy on the head.
"Ah... Yeah, I guess you're right..." Percy said nervously.
'That mutt won the four-ring prize? I wanted to win that!' Nieren thought to herself. 'I bet that evil dark elf will try to get the five-ring prize now!'
But instead of trying the game again, Dalia and Percy looked over to Rya and Quin.
Nieren heard the lady working the stall mumble under her breath while she grabbed the rings off the goat.
"H-How did that mutt win? It should be impossible to win! The magic on the rings must have worn off?" The woman said under her breath.
'I KNEW IT! Oh! I'm going to play this game and demand to use those four untampered rings! I'm going to get a damn ring on that damn goat if it's the last thing I do, dammit!' Nieren thought to herself as she looked at the bewildered ring toss worker. As she pulled out 3 silver from her purse and slammed them down on the wooden reception desk.
"I demand to play this game!" Nieren said angrily.
"You want to play!? Ah, Yes! Thank you for the small donation to the Goddess. Here are your six chances at glory. May the goddess look down upon you," The woman said, surprised while giving Nieren six new brass rings.
"Oooh, no ma'am, I want those other rings in your left hand. I don't want to waste my money here." Nieren said as she pointed at the rings that the lady was still holding.
"What? Y-You wish to use these rings? But those ones are just as good as~" She was interrupted when she saw Nieren pull out her bow from her cloak, as she had a smile on her face.
"It would be best if you let me use the other ones, ma'am," Nieren said as she aimed the arrow at the goat.
"O-Okay! Here you go! M-May luck be on your side!" the game worker said as Nieren put away her weapon and grabbed the six rings while examining them.
'Hmm. These two have fresh stone scratches on them when they hit the ground. So, these four should be the ones that the dark elf fixed.' Nieren thought to herself as she placed the two tampered rings down on the wooden table, and she took the first ring and focused on placing it onto the goat, which was 15 feet away from her.
Nieren let out a calm breath and closed her eyes as she tossed the first ring. It sailed through the air with ease as it landed perfectly on one of the Hex Horns, making a beautiful ringing sound like a meditation bell gong, and getting slightly stuck. It was music to Nieren's elf ears as she wanted to cry out in joy.
She opened her eyes and gave the goat a look to see if it would move. But it didn't budge. She tossed the next three rings in succession as they all landed on the Hex Horn at the same time on different horns.
'Everything is right in the world.' Nieren thought to herself as if she had found inner peace for the first time.
But sadly, Nieren's inner peace didn't last long as the lady working the booth asked, "A-Are you going to try the last two attempts, Ma'am?"
Nieren looked up at the woman with an annoyed look while pushing the last two rings off the table and letting them fall onto the stone floor.
"Ugh! W-We have another winner, but sadly, the four-ring prize is gone, so I can give you the three-ring prize instead," the woman said nervously as she waited to see what Nieren would do.
"Oh, I think I deserve the Six Ring prize, don't you think, ma'am?" Nieren said in an annoyed tone.
The game worker looked at Nieren and her attitude. "W-Wait! How about the five-ring prize! Here you go! Thank you for trying your luck!" The lady said as she handed Nieren the five-ring prize.
"Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me." Nieren said, turning around and hugging her prize, a happy smile on her face as she rubbed her cheek against the bag of gold.
'A great injustice has been righted! My inner childhood has been saved by Rya!' Nieren said as she held the five rings with a grin.
"Huh? Wait a minute! Where did she go?" Nieren exclaimed, her voice rising in confusion as she scanned the bustling surroundings, desperately searching for the elusive dark elf. Panic settled in her chest; she couldn't find Rya or any of her friends anywhere amidst the crowd. 'Ah! She must have known I was watching her and managed to distract me with this game! She's trickier than I thought,' Nieren mused, her mind racing as she knelt down to examine the ground for any signs of Rya's tracks.
While behind her, the ring toss booth was being flooded by people wanting to play the game with those four untampered rings.
"W-WE ARE CLOSED DUE TO TACTICAL DIFFICULTIES!" the Lady in charge of the booth shouted frantically, her voice rising above the din. She was struggling to close down the game, her hands waving dramatically as she attempted to manage the crowd's enthusiasm.
Nieren turned her attention back to the ground and noticed fresh shoe marks imprinted in the soft dirt. Three distinct sets of tracks caught her eye. Two pairs were heading in the direction of the grand palace, where the sunlight glinted off the marble walls. Another two sets veered towards the bustling restaurant district, the enticing aromas of cooked meats and baked goods wafting through the air. The final set of prints led ominously towards the red-light district, where flickering lights and hushed whispers blended into an ambiance of intrigue and danger. Each choice before her felt heavy with potential, and time was slipping away.
'Is she going to a brothel? Weird? But it has to be her traces, I hope. And I won't let you distract me again, you cunning dark elf. I'll catch up to you.' Nieren said as she quickly moved away from the booths.