"Ask what you will."

"How much is tax to cross bridge?"

Alex poured the contents of his coin purse on the table, and started by explaining the value, "This is a copper grain, it has the lowest value for money. This is an iron horse, it is worth 25 copper grains. This is a silver prince, it is worth four iron horses. And this is a gold castle, it is worth 20 silver princes." He laid out stacks to show the value comparison and then continued, pointing at her plate of food, "That much food is 15 copper grains in this inn. For you, one orc, to cross the bridge is two iron horses, or 50 copper grains. More than three plates of food."

The huntress looked mortified, "It much more skill to make meat than walk across bridge."

Alex nodded, "True, but for Demon to cross bridge is another 10 copper grains. Because she's a small animal." He slid another pile of coins next to the one representing her toll for the bridge to show his, "This is how much I have to pay to cross the bridge, I have to pay four plates of food."

Alex put those two piles aside and made a few more counting out so that the huntress could follow the difference in values. "A horse or ox, large animals, is a tax of 20 iron horse coins, or five silver princes. Each wagon is taxed by what is in it. Empty is cheapest only the same cost as a large animal. A wagon full of food is maybe 10 silver princes. Things for building are a little more taxed. A wagon full of weapons is not allowed to pass, and things that have no purpose except to show how you have more money than you need, called luxury items, are taxed the most and get taxed based on the value of the thing not the amount."

"Too much. Why make it so hard?" The orc huntress was looked like a picture of mental anguish.

"Because men who don't work with their hands get bored and complicated things give them something to do."

"Wasteful."

"Normally, yes." Alex smiled, "But even the tribes have music. Someone who was bored made the first flute and drum."

The huntress only grunted, her attention to the coins. She began making piles of the coins for each member of the tribe while she processed how much value it would take for the tribe to cross, but she ran out of coins and frowned. "So much tax. Tribes don't have these coins."

"I know," Alex sympathized with her dilemma, "That was why the commander suggested the other bridge, if your tribe crosses there with people and animals it has no tax. And we know that orcs are strong and you can carry most of what you own on your shoulders across that bridge."

"But we lose wagons and cannot carry all we own."

"There is another way to get your wagons across too."

She looked at him in confusion.

"First, sell what your tribe does not need to the town mayor. He will buy them because the monsters that you hunt out there," Alex motioned toward the steeps, "have great value to some merchants, but not all of them. He will keep everything and sell it later when he can, he will also give you a good price.

"Next, you take your wagons across the bridge mostly empty, and have them pulled by your strongest orcs. If it is only the food and a few orcs with the wagons they will not pay as much in taxes.

"And finally take the rest of the tribe with the animals cross the small bridge and meet up on the other side."

The huntress thought about it, chewing it over while she ate. "This is good advice. I will speak with shaman."

Alex nodded as he scooped up his coins back into his pouch, "Very good, I will sleeping here tonight." He pointed to the rooms above them, "If you need me for anything you can ask someone there at the counter. My name is Alex, but they also know me as the man with the black cat."

The huntress finished eating and slipped the remains of the plate back to Alex, "Food is good here. Thank you." Then she got up and left.

Alex finished eating the meal and waved the waitress over, paid for the meal and a room before heading up.

In the room he dropped his pack at the foot of the bed and closed the curtains on the window. With the number of traders who came thought town this room was equipped with a small desk and a chair. He picked up the desk and braced the door with it.

With a sigh he began to unfasten his armor, placing it on the chair close to his bed. He was glad there were no mirrors in the room, he didn't care to look at himself often. Stripping down to just his tunic he took a moment to look at his hands. What were once the pale hands of a nobleman's son who never had to work a day in his life were now black and crimson and didn't look human anymore. His nails were beginning to grow like talons and he had to remove them frequently so that he could hide his curse in human gauntlets.

Demon climbed up onto the bed and shape-shifted into a small woman, less than shoulder height to Alex, but with the ears, tail and lower legs of a feline, black hair and fur, and a deep chocolate completion on her naked body. "You cannot suppress my soul within your body while my mind is trapped in this cat. You already were told that I cannot consume your soul with my consciousness trapped in another vessel, but my demonic essence is corrupting your very flesh without me in your body with you, and it."

"I know, Demon, that's why we're hurrying back to...that place. I'm sure that the avatar of a god will know another way to counter the corruption besides letting you back inside me."

"You could also give me more of my strength, let me keep it with me. That would slow the spread."

"I would rather die. You might be a curse, but you are my curse and that means I own you until I can remove you on my own terms."

"Mmmmmm," Demon's eyes became slits and she licked her lips, "How about you own me again then, I love it when you take control." She rolled seductively onto her stomach and waved her tail in the air. "I'm feeling so much heat right now."