"Should we go after her?"
Von sighed, looking deflated. "Nah . . . There wasn't anything important in my bag anyway. Let's just get to a town and sell the loot we got."
He stuffed the rest of the bags into his arms, muttering under his breath, "Why are all women like that . . . ?"
Cappy flew beside Von, chuckling to himself. "You know, you really have a knack for getting yourself into trouble with women. Remember that time in the tavern? You thought you'd impress that woman with a line, and she smashed a tankard over your head! Turns out she was the 'Tavern Terror.' She was more interested in fighting than flirting. And you just had to be her next victim!"
"Can we not start that?"
He hovered, chirping. "Oh, and the warrior princess! Man, you called her beautiful, and she drew her sword faster than you could blink. She almost sliced your head off! I'll never forget the look on your face when you almost wet your pants."
"I did not!"
Cappy was laughing so hard he almost fell out of the sky. "And the merchant's daughter! You told her you liked her necklace, and suddenly her dad's planning a wedding. I still don't know how you escaped that one! Seriously, how are you still alive?"
Von let out a nervous laugh. "Ahahaha. What can I say? Women can't resist me."
Cappy smacked it beck, wings fluttering. "Resist? More like they're lining up to take you out — permanently."
Von rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath as Cappy gleefully relived his many near-death encounters with women.
Horizon followed after him, keeping pace as they moved toward their next destination.
Meanwhile, Lydia ran, her heart pounding as she clutched Von's stolen bag.
A dragon slayer! Horizon was a dragon slayer! And Von had to be one too, right. The elf looked strong enough to be one.
She grinned wickedly as she darted behind a large tree, far enough from their sight and safely hidden from the dragons circling the skies above.
Her thoughts were cut short. "What the—!" Lydia slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling her gasp as she watched Horizon and Von suddenly leap over the cliff's edge.
Heart racing, she hurried to the edge, peering over just in time to see them casually strolling through the clearing below, like they owned the place.
"Alright, this will be our new lair!" Von declared, arms crossed, as if staking a claim on sacred ground.
Horizon nodded, grabbing a stick and driving it into the earth. "This is our territory now."
Lydia stared, eyes wide. "Are they insane?" she whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing. "They're stealing territory from the Harpies?!"
Von pumped his fists, full of energy. "Yosh! So, where do we start? How do we do this?"
Horizon shot him a confused look. "I was hoping you knew what to do."
"Huh? Me?" Von pointed to himself, baffled.
Horizon nodded, completely serious. "You're an elf, right? Aren't elves supposed to be good at crafting?"
"Von might be an elf, but his crafting skills are nonexistent," Cappy quipped, fluttering around. "The last time he tried to make something, he glued his own fingers together."
Von sighed heavily. "I'm starting to think having you around was a mistake."
Cappy snickered, unbothered.
"So, what's the plan?" Horizon asked, turning to Von. "Chop some trees?"
Von nodded confidently. "Yeah, that's step one. Then we'll tie them together and build a house."
"Got it. Let's get started then," Horizon said, already eyeing the nearby trees.
Lydia watched from her hiding spot, eyes wide in disbelief. "Are they idiots?" she whispered, utterly dazed. "They're really gonna build a house in the middle of Harpie territory?!"