It took us more than half of a day to finally leave the swamps. It was pretty nice feeling to once again walk over actual road and sinking into mud no longer. Few of villagers moved around swamps to bring our carriage to the other side while we were investigating lair of the monster.

Tsh. Investigation. Nicely said. All we know is that Hydra was provoked by human that only intention was to take revenge upon the beast… Yes, that has to be only explanation. No treasures were taken and no one would gain anything by destroying those particular villages. Those were placed far from trading routes, so merchants would have no interest in it, they were directly under jurisdiction of king, so no noble would even dare to try, and mages… I could have suspected mages for a moment… like necromancers, if beast would leave some bodies behind. But it didn’t. It ate almost everything on its path.

Whatever. We did our part, bah! Even more than just that! Jeremy will now report what we saw and deducted, and then it will be problem of wiser than us.

When we walked toward carriage I noticed that Rus is walking absurdly slow. I didn’t pay it any attention as we were moving through the swamps, as the pace itself was slow (for purpose of NOT falling into an ambush), yet now…

“Rus, is everything all right? Are you hurt or…” “N…Nay! I am… good! Oh my… I right.. b…behind you!” “No honestly, you sound as if you are about to die…” “Must be because of her backpack.” Jeremy noticed “She is carrying one with our rations, if I am correct, it must be heavy but her reactions are bit…” “Oh, it must be because of stones I put there.” “…May I know the purpose of those stones? Curiosity…” “Very well. Rus, mind telling everyone why are you carrying stones in your bag?” “It’s.. b..because… I am… selfish… and stupid… and I risked everyone’s life… and I am stupid… and I opposed hydra b…by myself… d..despite not…having… strength to do so… and I am selfish… and stupid…” “Aaaand?” “And I am… very… grateful… for opportunity… to repent… those stones are far… lighter than weight… of life… that I… put into… danger…” “She is about to collapse… “ Gisele said with pure happiness in her voice “Ah! I remember the day when old man took me in and started training me! Each time I failed to perform what he asked me to, to I was [rewarded] with round of penalty workout! Bags with stones… memories… yessss… Fret not, Rus! Those exercise are building character! Just clench your teeth and forward! FORWARD!”

Dragoness gave “friendly” pat in girl’s backs. Yes, she ended on the ground pinned by the bag unable to stand up again.

“I AM SO SORRY!”

This will be a looong journey!

In the end Aloizy and Gerwazy needed to help little magician with getting up, just to finally enter the carriage. Nyx rested in corner, Twins begun to polish their armors, Rus was desperately fighting to not die from exhaustion, Jeremy took seat on rider’s spot, Gisele was preparing to lie on my legs, as I promised. Your average journey was about to begin once again. This time to the city located bit to the south-west.

Agrah. City located near the border of another kingdom. Gerwah, was its name. Covered mostly in deserts, well known from its exotic cities, fortified villages build around oasis, access to sea (main source of its income was oversea trade) and slaves. Lots of salves. Yes, Neira allowed slavery too, but not on such scale. Here, slaves had some BASIC rights (no, not that much, yet still no one would take their life away because of some silly reason). There, their life were worth less than glass of water. Cruel? Immoral? I don’t care? Thanks god I have conscience made from rubber. Depending on the kind of person that my interlocutor would be, I can be both offended by mere thought of owning the slave as with same involvement claim that I am right on my way to the slave market.

Would I consider getting slave for myself? No. Why would I need one? For battle? I have companions from guild. To clean my room? Let’s be honest, room I am currently renting in guild isn’t big enough to consider getting maid. Bah, it’s barely bed, desk, chest… armor/weapon rack, small shelf for books… and that’s it. For my more personal desirers? Come on! I have brothel almost vis-à-vis factory and pact with bloody succubus! On the other hand, I would have to pay attention to him/her. Food, bed. Bah! To even be nice to him/her, other way I might been pictured as cruel man, which wouldn’t help me much in my current situation.

No, thank you.

Oh, pardon me! Apparently I lost myself in considerations about how cold is my heart again! But, it’s not like there is anything better to do, in the end we have whole day of travel ahead! So very borin…

“What ya have in that carriage ol’ man!? Ts, whatever it is, ya better be a nice old man and leave it, step out from the carriage and no one will get hurt, got it?!” “My, my! Bandits! What a bad luck! From all the places to meet them here! Oh poor, poor me!” Jericho acted really depressed “Please! Mr. Thug! Spare me! Let me go! My whole life is in this carriage! You can’t take it away!” “Move gramps or you will end in a ditch!”

Gisele woke up, Nyx titled his/hers head in both directions making his neck crack.

“Ok, who will play along? Last time, if I recall correctly, Jeremy told them that he is traveling with his daughter… poor bastards. I am still not sure if they knew what hit them...” “I don’t mind playing on more time… Ha, I am sure that this is not what they expected after hearing that in carriage young lady is traveling… But now we have Rus… Wanna be a bait?” “M…Me?!” “Shus sunshine, all you have to do is to yell [is everything all right grandpa?] from insdie…” “No. I got it…” I said “Do you have some way of informing Jericho that it’s my turn?”

Favorite event of adventurers traveling with Jericho was about to take place. I heard stories in inn section. In his traveling coat, Jericho looked like average old merchant. Which was perfect bait for bandits. There already were stories of [pure maiden] – Gisele being transported in a carriage, [knife merchant] – Loki traveling with him, offering free show of his daggers sharpness, and slave merchant that was about to sell his four strongest men as mercenaries – Mrogul, Aloizy, Gerwazy and Miroslav… Why not make it even more ridiculous?

“May I ask you to cover Rus’s eyes?” “B..but why?!” Rus was the only one that opposed the very idea. Sorry sunshine. You will have to bear with it this time.

It’s been a while since I used this form…

Shifting in processAvatar chosen:[Leshy]Bonuses will be added Strength+ 11Vitality+ 19Endurance+ 8All nature based spells dramatically improvedAccess to the [Acid spitter] venom: granted

Walking on all four heading to source of sound I started making as much noise as possible, snarling and growling in anger. Cuz’ why not?

“W..what was that?! OLD MAN! THE HELL DO YOU HAVE IN THIS CARRIAGE?” “Bad beast! Stay inside! Stay inside I tell you!”

Of course, I didn’t. I left the carriage from inside, jumped on its roof and walking toward Jericho, raising my head over his. I let my spaded tongue out tasting the air and hissing in process.

“Inside, I tell you!” He actually managed to find somewhere a whip and hit me with it once. It wasn’t painful at all, he didn’t put any strength in it at all.

I flopped down my maw with loud sound twice in Jeremy direction, as not yet tamed beast, to finally shift my head toward bandits. Four of them.

“No! Bad beast!” another whip strike “Not food! Hear me! Not food! You already ate bandits hour ago! You will get fat at no one will buy you! To the carriage! Now!” “Gentlemen… should we… run?” one of bandits got brilliant idea. “No! Don’t run!” Jeremy yelled “He was trained to chase escaping slaves! In the moment you would turn your backs to it, you shall be attacked! Wait! He was taught a command! He won’t attack anyone that would stand on their left leg…”

Bandits followed the order. I titled my head with curiosity, “looked” back at Jeremy and snarled another time.

“No… something is missin… oh! Now! One hand on your tummy… just like that! Another on top of your heads… now, make circles with those singing [lalala]!” “W…what?”

I growled with irritation

“ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF!? Of course it sound silly, what kind of slave would think about standing on one leg and singing while being chased by such monstrosity! That’s the case!”

I jumped from the carriage’s roof, low on my legs walking in their direction.

“KEEP LALALAING YOU IDIOTS!” “L..lalala…” “LOUDER! LOUDER IF YOU TREASURE YOUR LIFE” “LALALALA” One of them, standing closest to me, actually started doing that! WHERE ARE MY EYES WHEN I TRULY NEED THEM!?

I slowed down, almost crawling to him, raised my head, opened my mouth getting closer and closer to him.

His “singing” tone became much higher because of fear. And then I lost my interest in him and started creeping toward another.

Bandits, seeing that their first friend wasn’t eaten in one go started mimicking his behaviors. I stood there, for five or so minute, each time when someone started singing too quietly for my tastes, I turned my gaze to him, that was all motivation they needed to keep us entertained.

“Ok boy, we have our fun. Go get them.” Jeremy decided to finish it.

With one swipe of my tail I knocked all of them unconscious.

“I can’t… believe it…” Gisele, after half of an hour of constant laugh finally manage to finish a whole sentence without cutting it with burst of giggles. “They really just stood there… on one leg… No. No one will ever believe it…”

Bandits were now traveling with us, tied nicely.

“The goddesses must have blesses us, it is impossible to be this lucky on one trip.” Jeremy yelled from the first seat “Not only we have managed to killed hydra, we are traveling to the south to finish our formal businesses, but we have also caught a bunch of bandits. We have just killed three birds with one stone.” “All fine and dandy, yet, may someone explain me why those filthy bastards are traveling with us?” I pointed with my feet at one of the bandits, kicking him in process. “Oh, prize is bigger when they are delivered alive and uninjured. I mean, we could have cut their ears but... yeah, we will use them to have spectacular entrance.” “And why would they want bandits in the city?” “Oh, one would made them a public example of what is happening when you defy the law, or few would make them to repay for their cruelty. They always needs workers. Even better when they work for bread and water for whole day.”

Ha, so that’s why there is so few bandits requests in guild. One – monsters in the forests, Two – extreme punishment. Not that I care.

“Zari…” Jericho called me another time “Yes?” “We have to repeat this one day! I will never grow tired of humiliating bandits! But this!? It wasn’t just humiliation! It was like… poetry! Zari, we are mere craftsmen of this art, but you? You are a virtuoso! Gifted man! As if playing such pranks was your seconds nature!”

They like it this much? Every day we are straying further from god’s light.

“Yeaaah… damned bandits. As if we don’t have enough job with monsters. They are even worse than just monsters. You exactly know what beast is about to do, so we exterminate them. But they? They take the spot of monsters, the problem is, that they may hide among normal citizen. Within a day, they steal, murder and rape, and at the end of the day, like nothing, they come back home.” “Don’t compare humans and monsters, because humans are far worse.” I started “Beasts have no other choice. It’s carnivores and it protects its territory. Rarely kill more than can eat, for the sole pleasure….” “What with hydra that slaughter village of fairies and then destroyed two villages in span of two weeks?” Marika raised her head “Those are rare cases. How often do you hear about hydras? I am not justifying, but it also didn’t have a choice. They lay eggs once in life, for it, it was either you, or them. In whole Neira, in last 500 years, there were only three violent hydras activity, all pretty quickly… calmed down… How many times human killed human in Neira in past 500 years? And they DO have a choice, they may be villagers, if not, they may enter military, if not they may devote their life to local witchdoctor and became herbalists. Yes, those are hard choices. Why would you work for your whole life if you could steal it from somebody else? Forgive me, but if I were to chose, if I must to deal with beast or human, I would pick beasts. For I know what to expect from the beast. If you would let it be, it usually let you be too, if you would show it mercy, it would remember. If you would help it over and over again, you could tame it with time… But human? You help them once, twice, thrice… and they shall learn that it’s your duty to help them, they will slowly stop being grateful and started demanding instead. No thank you. I am fine with monsters.” “Pretty grim opinion about world you have… then, I have to ask you, why are you helping humans, and not monsters?” “They don’t have coffee nor cheesecakes.” I answered without hesitation “… I have no more questions…”

By the next day’s morning, we reached our destination.