"Is this it?" Mae asked, coming to a sharp halt in front of a sprawling, lively tavern.
"Yeah, this is The Emperor's Favorite," Li confirmed. He leaned over slightly to peer through the smudged glass of the front windows, his brow furrowing. "It is surprisingly packed for this time of day," he remarked.
Without offering a single word in response, Mae pushed the heavy wooden doors open and strode confidently inside, leaving the spearman to quickly scramble in behind her.
Inside, the tavern was filled with a buzzing, energetic hubbub. Even though a few hours had already passed since the incident, the patrons were still fiercely gossiping about the spectacle they had witnessed out in the streets.
"I never thought I would see something like that in my life. The whole thing is still stuck in my mind," one man said, shaking his head over his drink.
"Right? She beat him so thoroughly that his own friend didn't even want to step in and help him!" his companion replied in disbelief.
At an adjacent table, the conversation took a slightly different tone.
"I feel like I'm experiencing a crisis. I just cannot get that blue-haired woman out of my mind," a woman muttered, tracing the rim of her cup.
"Same..." the woman across from her agreed softly. "There was just something about her that felt... different, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Similar hushed, awe-struck conversations echoed all throughout the room—until the patrons closest to the entrance happened to glance over. The moment they registered the newcomers, they froze completely. The shock stemmed partly from seeing an armed checkpoint guard so far away from his post, but the true terror was driven by the unmistakable, pointed tips of Mae's elven ears.
"H-hey, is that...?" one man trailed off, his voice trembling with sudden dread.
"Don't look at her! If you look, who knows what she might do," his friend hissed in a panicked whisper, immediately dropping his gaze to the table.
Like a ripple across a pond, the paralyzing fear quickly spread throughout the entire establishment. The lively, bustling atmosphere rapidly dissolved into a suffocating, tense silence. People desperately averted their eyes, pretending to be hyper-focused on their meals and drinks so they wouldn't look the least bit interested in the terrifying elf walking among them.
Behind the sturdy wooden counter, the bartender had also frozen dead in his tracks upon seeing them enter. He remained completely rigid, a rag clutched tightly in his hand, as Mae bypassed the terrified patrons and marched directly up to the bar.
"Did a girl with blue hair and blue eyes come here?" she asked directly, wasting absolutely no time at all.
The bartender jolted out of his paralyzed state at her sharp demand. "Blue hair and eyes? Yea—I mean, yes! Yes, I saw her. I mean, she came here. She was here, yes," he stammered nervously. His wide eyes darted frantically between the terrifying elf and the uniformed guard, his mind racing as he wondered if he had committed some sort of crime, or if the strange girl they were hunting was a wanted criminal.
"Where is she now?" Mae demanded, her eyes narrowing into dangerous, lethal slits.
"I-I don't know!" the bartender squeaked, shrinking back. "She left with the other two... with Tiyun and Zamin."
Li blinked in genuine surprise. "Tiyun and Zamin? The two hunters who use chi?" he asked, needing to confirm he was thinking of the right men and not just some locals with the exact same names.
"Yes, it was them!" the bartender rushed to explain, desperate to be helpful. "She came in here, talked to them, and, uh, then she challenged them to a fight. They fought outside, and she won! After that, I let them stay in the storage area for a bit because of all the customers, gave them some food, and—"
SLAM.
The heavy wooden counter rattled violently as Mae drove her hand down, instantly cutting off his frantic rambling. The bartender jumped backward in sheer terror.
"I do not need to hear about your damn day!" she snarled, leaning dangerously over the counter. "Tell me where she went, not just who she went with!"
"I-I really don't know!" he cried out in a high, panicked pitch. "They didn't say anything to me! They might be going outside the city, but that is all I know, I swear!"
Sensing the situation was about to turn violent, Li quickly stepped forward, holding his hands up placatingly near Mae's shoulder. "Okay, okay, come on. Please, just calm down," he urged.
Mae ground her teeth together, her jaw visibly tight. "Damn near worthless," she muttered bitterly. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the tavern.
Left behind at the bar, Li offered the trembling man an apologetic grimace. "I am sorry about this. Do not worry, you are fine; you didn't do anything wrong," he assured him quickly. "But before I go... did you happen to see if they had any travel gear with them?"
The bartender, calming down just a fraction, rapidly shook his head. "No, sir, they didn't."
"Thank you," Li said with a firm nod before turning and hurrying outside.
He found Mae pacing just outside the entrance, tapping her foot furiously against the paving stones. She was a volatile mix of raw anxiety and boiling irritation. "Goddess, where the hell would he be now?" she muttered fiercely to herself.
"I think I might know," Li spoke up, stepping out into the bustling street. "I asked the bartender if they had gear with them, and they did not. That means they will very likely need to buy some for a trip outside the city. We might be able to find them if we go to the shop I've heard those two hunters frequent."
Mae whipped her head toward him, the faintest glimmer of genuine hope finally piercing through her anger. "Then what are we waiting for? Come on!" she ordered, roughly shoving Li's shoulder to get him moving.
Not needing to be told twice, Li broke into a brisk jog, leading the desperate elf through the winding streets toward Chae's shop.