Collisa (Outsider Book 1), page 25
If bandits were all like this then kill on sight was what they deserved.
Brennal stayed near the two women, lending his support and clear show of protection without coming too close and triggering his traumatized friends. Zuri walked behind them murmuring supportively. That left Dare to lead the way.
Although they hadn't gone far before the younger girl broke away to make for the stream running beside the camp. “Just a second,” she mumbled, face lowered in shame. “I can't . . . I need to wash . . .”
The other woman shuddered and nodded, hurrying to join her. The two splashed into the water side by side, turning away as they struggled to wash away the physical evidence and doubtless also the memory of the horrors they'd suffered.
Dare turned away as well to give them privacy and knelt beside Zuri. “Zuri,” he said solemnly, motioning to the two women. “Cast clean spell, and no baby spell?”
Beside him Brennal, who had also turned away, sucked in a furious breath at the thought of his friends having to carry children from the abuse they'd endured. “Yes, please Zuri,” he said quietly. “After all they've suffered, they shouldn't have to suffer that as well.”
Dare was pleasantly surprised hear the man call Zuri by name, with no show of contempt; amazing how some shared experiences caused people to set aside petty prejudices.
Zuri nodded solemnly. “Clean humans. No baybee humans.” She started for the stream, already casting.
As she worked Brennal led the way over to stand behind a tent, giving the women some privacy. They waited there in tense silence for a few minutes until the women rejoined them, the younger one holding Zuri's hand as they walked.
Brennal once again accompanied his friends protectively, while Dare led the way. It was a long, somber walk to the village, with frequent stops for rest and water for the exhausted women.
When the first houses came into view the older of the two women broke into sobs and bolted for one, calling out her parents' names. Several people swarmed out the front door to surround her, hugging her close and crying in relief at her safe return and grief for her husband and the others who'd died at the farm.
The younger girl, who seemed to have no family of her own left, hesitantly followed and was pulled into the hugging, crying group.
Word spread quickly through the village, and as the two women were ushered into the house to rest and recover a quiet but exuberant celebration broke out. Casks were broached at the tavern, mugs passed around, and people cheered the defeat of the bandits and the return of their people.
Brennal was the hero of the hour, strutting around with a grin as his friends and neighbors cheered him. Ellui wasted no time latching on to his fame, showing no sign of her contempt for her husband as she clung to his side and soaked in the adulation.
Dare was also showered with hugs, backslaps, and handshakes from grateful villagers. He also found himself the center of attention for most of the village's young, single women. And even some that weren't so young or single.
More than a few found opportunities to surreptitiously whisper invitations in his ear, the more coy ones asking him on a private walk to get some air, while the aggressive ones simply offered him their beds if he wanted to “rest” and maybe have some fun.
He was certainly interested in the offers from some of the prettier girls, although he politely turned them all down; he wasn't sure how he'd explain to Zuri that he was ditching her to go get laid, and he highly doubted any of these girls would want his goblin lover to tag along.
And if they weren't willing to accept Zuri he wasn't really interested anyway.
Not to mention Dare still needed to get her a translation stone and have a talk to her about a whole slew of things, one of which was whether her encouragement for him to screw a slime girl extended to all women.
He should probably find out if she'd be on board with him pursuing his dreams of being with as many women of every race as he could.
Speaking of his lover and the celebration, even Zuri received smiles, praise, and occasional head pats from the happy villagers. A few younger girls even made the goblin a string of flowers to tie into her long inky black hair, helping her braid them in.
Zuri looked as if she didn't know whether to be pleased by the jubilant crowd or nervous at the press of bodies, all much taller than her aside from the children. She stayed close by Dare's side the entire time.
He could admit himself that after so long basically alone in the woods, then his time with Zuri, the crowds were a bit much for him too. Luckily they were eventually pulled away to take care of the business with the bandit camp.
Mayor Durrand was called on to adjudicate the splitting of the loot and his own offered quest reward, and the portly man, Brennal, several of the farmer's friends, and Dare and Zuri all headed out to the camp to scour it for everything of value.
Although given the dangerous nature of the wilds, they simply packed up pretty much the entire camp and carted it back to the street in front of the Mayor's house, where they got to work assessing it and negotiating who got what.
The rules of loot sharing were very clear that possession was 10/10s of the law. Ie, anything stolen by monsters or bandits, pirates, and other condemned criminals was fair game for any adventurer who killed them. Even if the previous owner was still alive and could make a claim, they were SOL; the kingdom apparently prioritized stopping the criminal over reimbursing the victim.
In spite of that rule, Dare and Brennal both agreed that anything taken from the farm should be returned to Telliny and Yena.
As for the rest, the surly Brawler unsurprisingly insisted on half. Which was ludicrous since he'd basically just run in and got his ass kicked, killing one or at most two of the bandits and maybe distracting the bandit leader for a couple minutes.
But the rules were very clear, and on top of that the villagers were on Brennal's side. The best Dare was able to negotiate was that by those same rules, since he'd declared Zuri free and she had contributed to the fight, she was entitled to her share.
That didn't go over well with any of the villagers. Ellui, who'd showed up for the negotiations after avoiding Dare during the celebration, accused him of trying to cheat her family.
Dare was adamant, however, even going so far as to point out that he and Zuri had killed almost all the bandits as well as the bandit leader. And finally Mayor Durrand decided in their favor, albeit grudgingly. He split the 14 silver, 50 copper of the quest reward three ways, handing out 4 silver and 83 copper to Dare and Brennal, and 4 silver 82 copper to Zuri. All the while staring at Dare as if silently challenging him to protest.
Dare saw no reason to do so over 1 copper. Especially since he had the map as part of his reward as well. Which, unsurprisingly, Brennal and Ellui were sour about. But since the deal for the map had been agreed on beforehand they couldn't manage to wrangle any extra coin out of it.
“As per the rules, this 4 silver and 82 copper goes to the goblin Zuri,” the Mayor said, smirking at Dare as if expecting him to try to take it for himself. For her part Zuri's eyes got huge as the portly man began dumping copper into her upraised hands, causing many to spill to the ground, then carefully placed 4 silver atop the pile.
Zuri knew what Durrand was saying thanks to the translation necklace, but even so she tried to give the money to Dare. “No, it's yours,” he told her firmly. “Put it in your pouch, and spend it on whatever you like.” He motioned to the Mayor to translate.
She looked at him as if he was insane, shifting nervously as if afraid of a trick. Then she reluctantly stuffed the coins into the belt pouch he'd crafted for her.
As for the bandit camp's loot, including all the tents and equipment and weapons, it was estimated at 53 silver. They again split it three ways, this time with Dare and Zuri getting 17 silver, 66 copper and Brennal getting 17 silver, 67 copper.
If the goblin had been confused and dismayed about getting around 5 silver, she practically soiled herself at getting almost 18. She was much more insistent about trying to give it to Dare, and when he finally convinced her to put the money in her pouch she took it off her belt and pushed it at him, jabbering firmly.
“She says she wants you to hold it for safekeeping,” Durrand said. “And that if you decide to keep it for yourself, she won't mind.”
“Tell her I definitely will return it to her when she wants it, but I'll keep it for safekeeping.” Dare took the pouch and tied it on under his tunic, alongside his own; with his speed he'd probably be able to stop pickpockets, but no sense tempting them.
That concluded the business with the bandits, and Dare got a “Quest Complete. Bandit Brutality: Slay the bandits operating east of Lone Ox. 1000 experience earned” text notification on the edge of his vision.
Ellui and Brennal seemed eager to head back to the party, and once they had their coin the farmwife started tugging at her husband's arm in the direction of the tavern.
Ignoring her, the big Brawler paused to offer Dare his hand. “You're an asshole, Hunter,” he growled. “But many of the men I'm proud to call friend are.”
Dare wasn't inclined to forgive the man after he'd tried to kick Zuri, but better to leave on friendly terms than as enemies. So he nodded politely and returned the handshake.
The farmer grunted, then grudgingly turned to Zuri. “Got to say you're okay, for a gobbo. What you did for those girls was kind, so thank you for that.” He shifted uncomfortably and looked around, then lowered his voice. “And, um, I'm sorry about this morning.”
That was . . . unexpectedly civil. Maybe there was some small hope for the man yet.
The little goblin just stared at Brennal blankly, half hiding behind Dare. “Brennal thanks Zuri?” she asked him. He nodded, and she smiled shyly at the Brawler. “Zuri yes help.”
Dare grimaced. He really needed to teach her “you're welcome”, along with a ton of other words and phrases. He kind of sucked as a language tutor. But in his defense he'd sort of been slacking off, hoping a translation stone would solve the problem for him.
Which was just lazy and not very smart if he was being honest.
Meanwhile Zuri always listened to him intently, ears practically quivering as she struggled to figure out words and learn so she could speak to him. And in return he just found ways to more creatively express himself with grunts and gestures, instead of putting that same energy into useful work at long term communication.
“Well, looks like the message got through to her,” Brennal said. “Farewell wherever you two go, and good hunting.” He nodded at them with a hint of respect and finally gave in to the insistent tugging of his glaring wife, heading back to the party.
Durrand was kind enough to stick around so Dare could finish selling basically everything he didn't strictly need, to lighten his pack for traveling. The man's gratitude for dealing with the bandit camp meant he was unexpectedly generous with his offers, too, netting Dare another 14 silver and change.
Dare kept the money for anything he'd made through trapping, skinning, and crafting, as was fair. But he gave Zuri her share of the coin for the monster loot, as well as all the coin for the sale of her tent and sleeping pad, since they belonged to her.
“Some reason you're selling the goblin's camping gear?” Durrand asked with forced casualness.
Dare felt his face flush. “None I'd like to say.”
The Mayor grimaced in distaste as if coming to his own, likely accurate, conclusion, but dropped the matter and began counting out coins.
Dare split his and Zuri's shares, then showed her coins to her as he put them in her pouch. “These are also yours for your half of the monster loot and for selling your bedroll and tent,” he told her, Durrand translating.
It seemed she'd given up trying to refuse the money, because she just nodded as he put the coins away.
The Mayor glanced longingly at the party still going strong at the tavern. “Will you stay for the celebration, Hunter?” He paused, then added reluctantly. “You and your sla-companion are welcome to sleep in my guest room tonight.”
It was tempting to relax and enjoy the exultant atmosphere. Dare looked down at Zuri. “What do you think? Stay, eat good food and drink some mugs of ale, and sleep in a bed? Or start on our way to Driftwain and hunt monsters as we go, camp out again tonight.”
Durrand translated, and both of them blinked in surprise when Zuri immediately replied, “Hunt, camp.”
Dare shrugged. “Got to admit, I hate taking breaks from leveling myself.” He offered his hand to the Mayor. “Thank you for everything, Mayor Durrand. I can't say if I'll make it back to Lone Ox, but I'll always remember it fondly as a welcoming place.”
The portly man firmly returned his handshake. “No, Master Dare, thank you. You've done great good for our village, and we won't forget it. Should you return you'll always be welcome.”
“Cool.” Dare crouched and held out his arms to Zuri. “Zoom?”
“Zoom!” she replied, grinning eagerly as she hugged him around the neck and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He straightened, gave a final nod to the Mayor, then trotted down the street in the opposite direction he'd come from. He'd never left the village in this direction before, and was amused to get an exploration achievement only a short ways past the houses, earning his paltry 25 experience.
The forest soon gave way to hilly plains, with patches of woods scattered across the terrain, and Dare grinned at the change of scenery, hugging Zuri tighter as he sped up to a faster run, causing his little lover to squeal in delight.
They were going to a new place, with the prospect of new sights and new enemies to fight. New people to meet and new quests to complete.
And their first stop would be the first town he'd seen on Collisa, with a decent amount of coin in their pockets. With any luck they'd find a translation stone there and soon he'd be able to talk to his lover.
Dare laughed freely, not trying to quiet his voice, as he pelted down the road towards Driftwain. “Ready for the start of a new adventure, Zuri?” he asked, hugging her closer.
“Zoom!” Zuri replied, laughing too.
“Zoom!” he shouted back, speeding up to his fastest sprint for a while as they left the village of Lone Ox behind them.
Chapter Thirteen
Driftwain
Early the next morning they packed up camp immediately after a quick breakfast, then Dare picked Zuri up and started jogging towards Driftwain at a pace he could maintain all day.
They'd eventually had to put the hunting on hold, since the farther down the road they went the stronger the monsters became, up to Level 18 before he gave in and decided to set up camp.
Thankfully the spawn points were all far from the road and their monsters not likely to aggro, but it was clear trying to find enemies to hunt in this area would be a waste of time. He only hoped that as they got closer to the town the monsters' levels would drop again.
Although even if they did he wouldn't hunt them right away; it was time to quit dicking around and get to Driftwain.
The only exception to the high level monsters were along the infrequent smaller roads, which he guessed led off to villages like Lone Ox. Some of the villages must've been close enough to the Driftwain road that the lower level monster spawn points around them reached it, because along some of those roads he could see familiar weak monsters in the distance.
The villages were a bit tempting. They probably all had their own quests, which he could knock out quickly and reap the generous XP and rewards. And he could get more variety by wandering around to all the spawn points around them that were his level, seeing what sort of monsters they had.
On the other hand, every village he went to was one more possibility that people would be jerks to Zuri. Which they could handle if necessary, fingers crossed, but he still ran on past those roads.
His priority remained to get a translation stone for his lover. To the point that he had to keep slowing down because he found himself running faster, eager to get to Driftwain as soon as possible. Which would ultimately slow down their progress with necessary rests.
It was a good day to put some miles behind them. The sky was clear, sun shining bright. The packed dirt road was reasonably well maintained, letting him go at a constant pace. The scenery around them was beautiful, giving him constant new things to look at.
And as he'd hoped, the monsters capped at Level 20 and then began to gradually drop back down as the hours passed and they got closer to town.
According to the villagers of Lone Ox it was a day's travel, but at the speed Dare was traveling they'd reach it in closer to five hours, after the distance they'd traveled yesterday.
In fact, as the monster levels dropped to 13-15 he wondered if he should change his mind and suggest they do some hunting after all. They had plenty of time before nightfall, and many of the monsters were ones he'd never seen before.
Then he looked at Zuri, who was holding him contentedly with her face buried in his neck, and his determination to go straight for the translation stone if it was there to be found was renewed.
In fact, he thought he could go a bit faster without running out of energy before reaching the city, so he picked up the pace.
About five minutes later someone entered Dare's perception circle, approaching from a grove of trees to the right of the road. Which seriously alarmed him.
The alert system for his Adventurer's Eye only triggered for monsters, dangerous animals, or other similarly hostile enemies. And since it hadn't picked up this presence at double the distance like it otherwise would've, and gave no warning, that meant this had to be a human or other intelligent creature.
Unfortunately, what the Eye designated as “hostile” wasn't for emotion or intent; for the intelligent races, the designation seemed to be based on a reputation system with the kingdom, region, or local area. Which was why bandits showed as hostile because of their crimes.
It was the greatest weakness in the Eye, the fact that it wouldn't warn him if he was in danger from a thinking being that meant him harm. Such as now.
