Chapter 35: Bandits on the Path

My feet climb down a hill. The mysterious campsite is set several yards away from the main trail. As I approach the party, I begin to feel uncertain. 'How can I expect strangers to provide a sense of hospitality?' The question causes doubt to course through my mind. I sigh and decide to roll the dice.

As I approach the camp, I can hear the men laughing amongst themselves. No, they do not have pointy ears like myself, nor do they possess the same stature of the dwarves. 'Humans?' I assume. I have not met them while in Middangeard, but I do hear that they possess a lack of magic. 'Perhaps I can use my own should matters change for the worse.' The thought seems reassuring except for the fact that I do not know how I blasted the shark. I shake my head. 'Act natural.'

"Greetings fellow travelers!" I call out from within feet of the men.

"Excuse me?" A dark-skinned man rises to his feet. "Who are you?"

"He looks like an elf!" a rotund man remarks.