I will walk 500 miles...

THE NEXT DAY:

The Sun arose, signalling the start of a new day and another day of travel for our party.

They then begin eating their breakfast which is filled with quick glances and hidden smiles between John and Kyuala which Amilia and Lani both catch but say nothing.

After finishing their meal, the group begin to pack up their camp and start to march forward on their journey.

SIX HOURS LATER:

Todays journey has been long yet passed by rather quick, stories passed the time with plenty of jokes in-between which make the walk more bearable.

Kyuala and John's moods have drastically improved, not even phased by the journey as the orc beauty laughs at every joke John tells and vice versa.

Lani and Amilia notice this and give each other knowing looks throughout the passing miles.

Eventually they come to a crossroads, seeing a sign to their left that reads, "Wiralsama - Home of the Redsilk Merchants - FIVE MILES AHEAD".

"Is it safe to assume that a Redsilk merchant sells red silk?" John asks.

"Well, yes, but that's not all they sell, they are one of the biggest merchant towns on the continent, they get their name because red silk was originally found here and the first settlers built the town around it" Lani happily explains, impressing not only John but the other two as well.

"How much do they teach you at fairy school anyway wings?" Amilia asks inquisitively.

"We are taught as much as we are willing to learn! Luckily I love history so I know quite a bit of the history in this region, like for example, do you know that Dragonsblood mead was first made by Aloe Merangé in Dirhamsworth".

"Wow, is that why its so expensive per barrel?" Kyuala responds, an impressed look still on her face.

"Exactly!" Lani says proudly.

"Wait, why does being from Dirhamsworth make it so expensive?" John asks, feeling a little left out since he has no clue what they're talking about.

"Oh, Dirhamsworth is a real rich people town, big mansions, fancy streets, you've got to have at least ten thousand gold to even walk the streets, they also have a steep tax for outland shipping" Kyuala says, helping John be in the know.

"Yeah, the big families also throw these massive masked orgies with the other rich bloods, probably more money in those fuckdens than half the banks in the Dwarven territories" Amilia states, adding her own fact into the mix with a grin on her face.

John is a little taken aback by Amilia's "fact" but has no time to dwell on it as the four hear the rattle of wooden wheels being pulled on the road beside them.

That's when they all look and see that coming from the road leading to Wiralsama is a large cart being dragged by two massive beasts and the cart is approaching them.

Eventually they see a small person currently piloting said wagon and before they get too close, the driver pulls the reins, causing the beasts to stop.

The driver looks at the four and shouts with a very highland-esque accent, "Oi! What the 'ell yous all doing on the flipping road?! You flipping bandits or summit?! Cause I 'ave guards y'know!".

The four hear this voice and Kyuala takes charge of the situation, "No! We're not bandits! We just stopped for a moment to regain our breath! We've been travelling for hours! We will move to let you through!".

The four then do as Kyuala said and move over to the side of the road, letting the driver carefully move up toward them, that's when they get their first clear view of the driver and that's when John is surprised as he sees before him, a dwarven woman.

"You better not be bloody bandits or I swear to Granveir I will shoot you where you stand!" The dwarf almost growls with what seems to be an attempt at intimidation which works on Lani and admittedly John as well.

"I assure you, we're not bandits ma'am, just adventurers on a quest!" Kyuala states with a pure tone.

The dwarf seems to believe Kyuala and says, "Uhh, well, I guess you don't look like bandits, not good ones anyway" The dwarf lets out a laugh that comes from her belly.

That's when Amilia's voice cuts in and says, "So, where are these guards you were talking about?".

The dwarf whips around and sees Amilia at the back of her wagon and says, "'Ey! Down kitty!".

The dwarf looks to the other three, "Get 'er off my wagon!".

John, Kyuala and Lani are a little shocked as they didn't even realise that Amilia had walked away from the group but Kyuala stops Amilia by saying, "Ami! Get back here!".

Amilia just shrugs her shoulders before walking back to the group as the dwarf quickly jumps in the back of her wagon to check her stock is still there.

As she checks, John decides to ask, "Uhh, she does have a point, where are your guards?".

The dwarf is still muttering, counting her intake before realising what John said, so she takes a moment, trying to think of something to say,

"Uhh, they're coming! Yeah! They're just up the road! So don't try anything! Otherwise you'll be real sorry!" The dwarf says, trying to sound convincing at the very least but her attempt is futile.

The four just look at the dwarf, completely unconvinced which seems to pry the truth from her lips as she lets out a sigh before saying, "Ugh, fine, roight, I don't 'ave a guard".

"But, why? That's a **** sentence for merchants" Lani asks as she flies in front of John

"Well, I, uhh, well, see, I don't 'ave enuff money, this is actually, my first run" The dwarf says a little quietly at the end, almost a hint of sadness within her voice.

Kyuala then gets an idea so she says, "Look, we're heading west and we need to get there as fast as possible, so let's make a deal".

The dwarf is intrigued, "What kind of deal?" She asks.

"It's simply, you're heading west and a wagon is faster than walking, soooo, how about, we jump on your wagon and protect you for a while until we get to where we need to and you won't even have to pay us" Kyuala explains.

The dwarf is surprised, "Wait, free? As in like, no gold?".

"Yep! We've been walking for a few days now and going straight in one direction is almost impossible in this continent" Kyuala replies.

The dwarven woman thinks for a few moments, hand rubbing her chin as she does while also peering at her cargo.

Eventually she comes to a decision as she says, "Alright! You've got a deal!".

The dwarf and Kyuala shake hands before Kyuala climbs up onto the wagon settee and takes a seat as the others climb onto the back.

Kyuala then looks at the small woman beside her and asks, "I'm Kyuala, the cat is Amilia, the male is John and his fairy is Lani".

"Well, hello Kyuala, Amilia, John and Lani, my name's Daffodil, like the flower so it's easy to remember" Daffodil says with a chuckle before grabbing the reins and giving them a little pull as they begin to set off.