They journeyed all night without a single break because Jason understood right away that this wouldn’t be a good idea considering they were soon to be wanted felons or so he thought.

Jason’s legs burned. His lungs ached. His broken nose had swollen to twice its normal size, and every step sent a dull throb through his face. But he kept moving because Ylva kept moving, and Ylva kept moving because Thalion kept breathing on her back.

They feared they were being followed even though this wasn’t the case. Every shadow looked like an elf guard. Every distant sound made Jason’s heart skip. But whenever he glanced back, the road were empty.

It was better to be safe than sorry.

The magic Thalion had used to hide them had faded about an hour into their journey. The shadows stopped bending, their outlines became sharp again, and Jason felt dangerously exposed under the pale moonlight.

But no one came. No guards. No wargs. No Tauriel.

Jason’s mind turned the thought over and over. There was no doubt Thalion had only been able to escape because Tauriel allowed him.

The way she had emerged from the rubble without a scratch, the way she had flicked her wrist and sent him crashing to the ground like he weighed nothing—she could have killed him whenever she wanted.

However, what was the reason for this?

It was strange. And Jason didn’t catch onto this. His mind was too focused on putting one foot in front of the other, on surviving until sunrise.

"Fucking hell, my legs are killing me," Jason groaned, stumbling slightly on the cobblestone. The path to this new location was strange considering they had to go through a tunnel but they hadn’t run into anyone so far, not a single soul.

"Hey, Ylva, carry me too."

He flashed her a tired grin.

Ylva glared at him, her green eyes sharp enough to cut glass. Thalion’s head lolled against her shoulder, barely conscious.

"I-I am kidding!" Jason laughed, raising his hands in defense. "You are so serious!"

He loved teasing her. The way her ears flattened, the way her tail flicked with irritation—it was the only thing keeping him sane right now. But he understood that Ylva was unexposed to this kind of banter. Sheltered all her life. A brat at that.

"Say, how old are you?" Jason questioned as they turned down another narrow alley.

Ylva’s brow furrowed. "Huh? What does it matter? Focus on the journey ahead," she shot him down.

"Just answer. I need a distraction," Jason said, his voice softer now.

Ylva shrugged, shifting Thalion’s weight on her shoulders. "Twenty. Why?"

"Oh..." Jason responded, the single syllable hanging in the air.

"What do you mean ’oh’?" Ylva demanded, her ears twitching.

"Just oh. The hell is wrong with you?" Jason fired back, smirking despite his exhaustion.

Ylva’s claws flexed against Thalion’s arm. "Ask me that one more time and I will claw your neck open!"

Thalion’s eyes fluttered open at the noise. His head felt like it was splitting in two, and the constant bickering between the human and the werewolf was not helping.

He watched them argue, their voices echoing into the distant , and it affected the silence he was trying so desperately to enjoy.

"Maybe I should have stayed a prisoner," Thalion thought to himself, closing his eyes again.

At least in the tunnel, it was quiet.

-

They arrived at sunrise, covered in sweat.

Jason’s clothes were soaked through, sticking to his skin like a second layer. His hair was matted, his face was streaked with dried blood from his broken nose, and he was fairly certain he had never been this exhausted in either of his lives.

But this town—this district—was a lot different from the one they had encountered before.

The streets were wider, less cluttered with market stalls and residential huts. Instead, the walls were covered in posters. Bright colors, bold letters, illustrations of swords and shields and creatures Jason didn’t recognize. Knights in mismatched armor patrolled the area, some carrying shields, others wielding swords that looked like they had seen real combat.

It was strange. It felt less like a town and more like a recruitment center for soldiers.

Jason stopped in front of one of the walls, squinting at a particularly large poster. There was something about a dungeon exploration written in bold letters at the top. Rewards listed below. Warnings about hostile creatures and recommended party sizes.

Dungeon exploration. That was pretty cool by the sound of it, but also dangerous as hell.

"Um... Where the fuck are we?" Jason asked, turning to Thalion.

The elf was still on Ylva’s back, his silver hair hanging over his pale face. But then Ylva dropped him.

Thalion’s feet hit the ground, and he stumbled for a moment before catching himself. He was shaky, weak, but he was standing on his own two feet. His breathing was steadier than it had been hours ago.

"You bastard!" Ylva barked, her ears flat against her head. "You could walk all this time!?"

Thalion cleared his throat, his eyes darting away from her sharp gaze. He quickly shuffled behind Jason for cover, using the human as a shield.

"I-I couldn’t earlier," Thalion stammered. "But I’ve b-been passively using magic to... to hasten my healing. It’s s-slow, but it works."

Jason raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Instead, he repeated his question. "Where are we?"

Thalion peered around Jason’s shoulder at the posters on the walls. "T-This place is for dungeon hunters. People who explore areas roaming with hostile monsters for a reward."

Jason nodded slowly. He had already established that this place had a currency—everything from the market stalls to the elf guards screamed economy. So it would only make sense that there was a system in place for people willing to risk their lives for coin.

"Say, how do you know so much considering you have been imprisoned for so long?" Jason questioned.

It didn’t add up. Thalion had been locked in that dungeon, starved, tortured, barely alive. Yet he seemed to know too much about this place, about the guilds, about how the world worked outside his cage.

Thalion’s cracked lips pressed into a thin line. "Knowledge is power. This is what I believed before that bitch captured me."

Jason tilted his head. "Um... How is knowledge power when there is literally magic in this world? And you aren’t exactly smart so..."

The silence that followed was loud.

Ylva face-palmed herself, her clawed hand smacking against her forehead. It was clear that Jason couldn’t read the room. Not even a little.

Thalion just stared at him, his tired eyes unblinking. The air around them felt heavier somehow.

Jason laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Did you just insult me?" Thalion questioned, his voice dangerously calm.

Jason knew this elf had the ability to blow up his head. He had seen it happen to that guard back in the tower.

"Of course not," Jason said quickly, wrapping his arm around Thalion’s frail shoulders. "I was just joking. You’re very smart. The smartest elf I know, actually."

Thalion didn’t look convinced.

But then they saw it—an open tavern at the end of the street. Warm light spilled from the windows, and the smell of cooked meat and fresh bread drifted toward them.

Jason’s stomach growled loudly.

"Um... so who has money with them?" Jason questioned.

Thalion suddenly lost the ability to speak. His mouth snapped shut, and he stared at the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Jason just shook his head. "Cheap bastard."

But this was to be expected. The elf had been held captive for who knows how long. Of course he didn’t have a single coin to his name.

Jason turned to Ylva and saw her already taking out some coins from a small pouch at her belt. Her claws gleamed in the morning light as she counted them.

"Ylva to the rescue!" Jason shouted, throwing his arms up.

"Shut up!" Ylva barked back, but her tail flicked with something that might have been amusement.