In the morning, Ronald came down, and the same servant boy guided him to the dining room for breakfast. In there, Feebles, the Merchant, was eating some bread and tea with a young boy and a young girl. When he saw Ronald, he called for him, inviting him to join them: “Mister Ronald, how did things turn out in the Guild? Did you find a job?”
Ronald smiled while giving bread to Woof. “Yes, I did, in Miss Duza’s Party. They have four members, five with me. I am the Carrier and the Cook. When they have a job, I will go with them. In the meantime, I have money from the sale of the leaves, and I also sold some portions of deer meat. There was a Quest for those, so I got paid.”
Noticing the questioning look that Ronald was making at the young couple, Feebles introduced them: “Where are my manners… Mister Ronald, let me introduce you to Mister Taly and his fiancée, Miss Ari. They are travelling around this area to learn more about the World before getting married in a few months. Those three Adventurers who made that mess in the Guild escorted them here yesterday.”
Ronald opened wide his mouth, but before he could say anything, the boy talked: “It seems we have to thank you for the loss of our escorts. They are in no condition to accompany us any longer. One broken nose and two red eyes, one broken jaw and front teeth, and the last one, a broken head and a hand completely destroyed. I guess it was good what happened; it turned out they were weaker than their Guild said because a simple Farmer armed with a wooden bench easily defeated them. And Mister Feebles told us what happened, with them threatening the receptionist of the Adventurer’s Guild. So, considering that tomorrow we wish to continue our travel to get to Argoheria and you have a Party, we wish to hire you and your partners as our escorts.”
Ronald stopped to think for a while. “You two want to cross Zakrosia? Do you realize that the Monsters in Zakrosia could kill you two and anyone accompanying you?”
Taly nodded. “We could also go by boat; we have no problems with either way. Travelling by land would be more expensive, but I have an enormous sum of money already prepared for this journey of ours.”
“But why make such a dangerous voyage? What do you wish to accomplish by doing that?”
The girl, Ari, spoke with a smile while pulling Taly’s arm to let her explain: “Let’s just say that we have our reasons for wanting to know the World a little better. We can also say that we are from the Nobility, and the state of the World concerns our future. And considering the huge amount that we are willing to offer for a safe journey, I think this kind of answer will suffice. We may be young, but we are not stupid. One-third of the money now and the rest in Argoheria.”
Ronald frowned. “Why not half now and half by the end?”
Ari smiled. “Because that would be a fortune. And more tempting to kill two stupid youngsters. Five gold coins now, and twenty when we arrive there. It will be five gold coins for each member of your Party when we get to our destination, as long as none of you die, of course. And if you guys do a good job, we may want to hire you again on the way back.”
Ronald made a frown and looked at Feebles. “Is that fair? I’m not sure how much an escort job like that would cost.”
“Mister Ronald, the normal is ten gold coins for that length of a journey. But considering the dangers along the way, I guess it’s reasonable.”
Ronald stopped to think for a while. “I must speak about that proposal to my leader, Miss Duza. It depends on her; I am just the Carrier. But she could be more tempted to accept if it were thirty gold coins in the end.”
The boy smiled after looking at Ari. “I think twenty-five gold coins are a lot more than anyone would be willing to pay. Considering that we need to come back and that we will need an escort again, there is the possibility of gaining the same amount on the way back. But if that wolf accompanies us and if you make some wonderful meals, we can put in an extra.”
“Okay… Well, I am going to meet my Party leader in a few moments to have a walk in the City. I can ask her about that. Can I give an answer by the middle of this afternoon? I guess it will be enough time to get things ready for our departure tomorrow after lunch, considering that we have to find a carriage for you, supplies, and extra weaponry. But even then, it will be up to Miss Duza to decide, of course. But I think I can warn you: if too many of our companions die or if it becomes too dangerous to complete our journey, we will come back or find a safe place to go instead.”
Ari nodded with a serious look. “We have our own carriage, so that part is ready. If we get into a dangerous situation and you need extra fighters, we can help. We may look like any other average sixteen-year-old couple, but in a fight, we are extremely dangerous. We started this journey early this year, from the North, and until last month we were all alone. But because I got tired of all the fighting and the killing, we tried to find some escorts that knew this region to avoid more confrontations. Taly is different; this crazy guy loves to fight. For him, we could continue all year, all alone, in a never-ending fight… Why that face? You know I am right!”
Taly was frowning. “It’s not that I love to fight; it’s just that I don’t mind doing it... So, Mister Ronald, we wait for your answer. If favourable, we would like to meet the rest of the members of your Party.”
Ronald nodded while getting up. “Of course. If you will excuse me, I must leave. I don’t want to make Miss Duza wait for me. Mister Taly, Miss Ari, it was a pleasure. Mister Feebles, we can talk more at night?”
“Of course, Mister Ronald. I will take care of some trading, and at night I can go meet you at the Guild.”
“That would be perfect.”
Ronald left after a slight bow of his head. When he was leaving the Inn, followed by Woof, Ari asked Taly, “What do you think? He looks promising, right?”
“Yeah… As for the members of his Party, I am not so sure. Let’s see about them later on, okay? Mister Feebles, do you know that woman called Duza?”
“Yes, Duza Sonanji, the Guild Master’s older daughter. The best fighter in this entire region. Not even Breidan’s High Knights mess with her. It’s normal for her Party to cross Breidan from one border to the other without getting into any kind of trouble. Normally, the Breidan Knights change their paths when they are warned she is travelling. And her Party members are almost as dangerous as her. If she accepts your proposal, you two will be in excellent hands.”
Taly mumbled in a low voice while thinking, “Interesting… very interesting…”
…
While Ronald was at the Inn talking with Feebles and the young couple, Duza was in her room on the top floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, in her underwear, and nervously looking at a bunch of clothes on top of her bed.
Mira was looking at an outfit of a sleeveless short blouse and cotton combat trousers. “You could go with this set, but I am not sure… Maybe something prettier…”
“It seems too revealing to me. I don’t know why you are insisting on this so much; I am just going to show the City to Ronald.”
“I think he wouldn’t mind if you appeared before him completely naked, but that wouldn’t be good for a walk around the City. Hihihi!”
“Mira, you mean girl! What do you mean by that?”
“Come on, sister, you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you? Or how do you smile when you are speaking with him? I can tell you are interested…”
Duza strongly shook her head. “No, I am not! You are crazy!”
Mira made a weird smile. “Right… I confess, I am the one who is interested in him. Maybe I should be the one to show him the City…”
“No! You can’t! I… I mean… I have already volunteered... and, as you can see... he...”
“Ahahah! Don’t worry, big sister; I was just messing with you. You know I only have eyes for Ma Yangfa. But this outfit is not good. You need to look pretty, not offer yourself… I know! I will be right back! Put those clothes in their place; it’s a mess in here!”
Mira rushed out of the room, leaving behind a questioning Duza. She quickly put all the clothes in the drawers and the closet.
When she was almost finished tidying up, Mira entered the room again, holding a long, light green dress. “I bought this for you, for your birthday next month. But this occasion is too good to let go to waste. Because I know how you are, it comes with two undercover leg sheaths for two daggers and two decorative strings at each side of the dress, so, if needed, you can pull the dress a little up and tie the excess fabric on both sides so that you can move better if you get into a fight. Quickly, try it! Or you are going to be late!”
Duza nodded, and with her sister’s help, she put on the two undercover leg sheaths for two daggers and the dress.
Mira was smiling while Duza was looking in the mirror. She tried to pull it up a little because it was revealing too much of her cleavage, but Mira slapped her hand to stop her. “What are you doing? A beautiful woman like you and the attributes you own, it would be a shame not to show them a little more! Pull your breasts a little up; they are sideways! Here, let me do it!”
Mira grabbed both of Duza’s breasts and pulled them up a little and squashed them from the sides so that they would fit perfectly in the dress. “There, now they look just perfect! I need to get down to see if he has arrived. Release your hair and brush it. You are going for a walk; you don’t need to have it tied up and ready for a fight!”
Duza did as her sister said, and she started to brush when Mira was leaving the room. “Mira… thanks for this dress; it’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah, I know. I hope Ronald thinks the same. Don’t take too long!”