The only Forsaken Unas had any connection with was Enya Xingyu. She had saved his life and shown him the way underground, though her directions had been somewhat off.
As the saying went, "A beauty's favor is the hardest to repay." If she really were a beauty, Unas could handle it, but he wasn't a necrophiliac and had no interest in the dead. Now that she had asked for him by name, he might have to offer up his looks.
The two followed the messenger to Pulhart. The tank-like giant was pacing back and forth in the temporary camp at the entrance to the ice bridge, his brow deeply furrowed. He stopped when Unas arrived, forcing a faint smile and extending his arm.
They had seen each other during the earlier negotiations, but the situation had been urgent, and they hadn't spoken. Unas extended his own hand, and they clasped each other's forearms in a gesture similar to a modern handshake.
Pulhart spoke first. "Holy-favored Unas-Lawugade, today's demon-slaying hero. I hear you saved many lives while killing Bessarius. You truly are a champion chosen by the Holy Light!"
Unas had grown a little numb to praise today, but hearing it from Pulhart, whom he admired, still made him very happy. "Thank you, sir. I also greatly admire the magnificent way you swept through the enemy ranks."
"Argent Dawn won't neglect a warrior like you. Once the full battle report has been compiled, you'll receive the credit you deserve." Pulhart stopped exchanging compliments and changed the subject. "Now I have another important task for you. I believe you already know what it is."
Unas nodded. An officer beside Pulhart then asked, "Do you know why that Dark Ranger asked for you to negotiate?"
After Unas explained how he had met Enya Xingyu again, everyone gave him slightly suggestive looks.
"It seems she means no harm," Pulhart said thoughtfully, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "But be careful how you handle her. In short, it comes down to one word—stall for time."
That's not one word, is it? Unas grumbled inwardly, but he didn't correct Pulhart's little mistake.
Unas looked toward the ice bridge. In the distance, a dark figure seemed to be standing in the middle. Erigor handed him a torch and patted him on the shoulder. "Win her over!"
Unas spent another 0.1 seconds rolling his eyes at Erigor. I'm not interested in corpses!
Taking the torch, Unas turned and waved to the Paladins before striding forward. He was halfway there when he remembered he was supposed to "stall for time," so he slowed down.
As he ambled along the icy causeway, cold air spilling around him, Unas was suddenly seized by the urge to compose a "poo-em." "The wind howls and the Yi River runs cold; once the hero departs..."
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey. What a bad omen.
Finally, twenty meters from the dark figure, Unas extinguished his torch—holding one at night actually made it harder to see into the distance—and studied the ranger by starlight.
It was Enya Xingyu, all right. She looked just as she always had, a slender sword at her waist and a longbow in her arm. Her whole body seemed to blend into the night, with only her red eyes glowing in the darkness, like a beast waiting to devour someone—or a cute little rabbit? It all depended on how you looked at her.
Unas was actually nervous as hell. He greeted her, "We meet again, Miss Xingyu."
"Mm." The response was neither cold nor warm.
She was back to being an impossibly cool Dark Ranger. Unas would have preferred her to negotiate with him in her banshee form.
"May I ask why you asked for me by name?" The question was highly ambiguous.
"You're the only person I know in the Argent Dawn Knights." It was that same familiar, raspy voice.
Is that the only reason? For some reason, Unas felt a little disappointed.
"Miss Xingyu, you're also the only Forsaken I know," he blurted out, the sappy words coming from his mouth almost beyond belief. "In that sense, we're each other's one and only."
At this, Enya Xingyu turned her small head away somewhat awkwardly and gave no reply.
Is she shy, or what? Still, she looked rather cute like that, and Unas felt a little attracted to her.
Sure enough, women could be lovely because they were beautiful, but they could also be beautiful because they were lovely.
Neither spoke. The atmosphere was rather intimate, nothing like negotiations between two enemies, and more like a couple on their first date.
Which raised the question: since they too were romancing each other on a bridge, were they more like Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen, or Cowherd and Weaver Girl?
In terms of a romance between a human and a supernatural being, Enya Xingyu was more like Bai Suzhen, since both were supernatural beings. But judging by the roles they played, Unas was more like Cowherd—a rookie cowherd working hard to please a customer.
He took out a bouquet of wildflowers he had picked by the lake earlier, stepped forward, and offered it to the ranger. "Lovely flowers for a beautiful lady."
Perhaps it had been a long time since a man had flattered her like that. Enya Xingyu hesitated, then reached out and accepted the bouquet, but still said nothing.
"The weather's nice today, sunny and breezy." They couldn't just keep sitting in silence, so Unas began making idle conversation.
"It's nighttime," the Dark Ranger finally said. "There's no sun."
"The stars are beautiful too." Unas looked up at the sky. "The night sky is so clear. Why hasn't the moon come out?"
"It's late in the lunar month. White Lady won't appear for another hour, and Blue Child will be even later."
"You know so much, Miss Xingyu," Unas said, shamelessly flattering her.
Enya Xingyu seemed to smile, then finally got down to business. "You must withdraw before Blue Child appears. That was the latest deadline the general gave me before I came to negotiate."
The general she spoke of was probably Sylvanas, the former ranger-general. It seemed the Dark Rangers still couldn't forget their identity as High Elves.
She gave away her bottom line just like that. Does she simply not care, or is my love offensive working?
Unas had no time to figure it out, but his instincts told him the ranger was telling the truth. Over another hour of grace was actually a very favorable condition, much better than Pulhart had expected. It should be enough to report back.
Since the other side had shown such sincerity, Unas felt embarrassed to haggle further. He nodded. "I understand. Thank you."
There seemed to be nothing more for the two of them to say. Unas felt very different from before and was actually a little reluctant to leave, but he had to hurry back and tell Pulhart the result of the negotiations.
"Then that's settled. We'll meet again if we get the chance."
"Wait." The ranger softly called him back and drew an exquisite shortsword from her waist. "You gave me a bouquet of flowers, so I'll give you a gift too."
The shortsword had a gentle curve, and its hilt and sheath were carved with elegant, intricate patterns. It looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
A bouquet of wildflowers in exchange for an Elf sword—what a bargain.
Unas reached out with both hands to take the shortsword and accidentally touched her icy fingers. He thought nothing of it, but the ranger sprang away as if she'd been shocked.
Are Elves really that reserved? Unas wondered as he watched the ranger retreat another two steps.
Enya Xingyu turned away, paused, and looked back. "Then goodbye, black-haired, black-eyed Paladin."
With that, she didn't wait for Unas to answer. Like a nimble fawn, she bounded away into the distance.
Watching the Elf ranger's retreating figure about to disappear, Unas suddenly felt a surge of emotion. He couldn't help shouting after her, "My name is Unas! Miss Xingyu, we'll meet again!"
His voice echoed over the open lake before quickly fading into silence. Only the stars overhead flickered with silver light, as though telling of the wish they had witnessed.