Chapter 080. Vol 3 - Entry:

Anton was glad to hear they were nearing the city of Porswea. At least according to Virgil they were. Nothing in the scenery had changed for some time. For the past few days they had been travelling through a seemingly endless and uniform forest. They had passed a few small hamlets and villages scattered throughout the forest pathway that kept to themselves, at least they weren't part of those crazy cultists to the South East. Virgil said they were largely self sufficient so there was very little need for them to trade. There were no other caravans along the route. It made the journey a little lonesome. No further attacks had come from the Ghlotsm or other monsters during those nights. For that he was thankful, though it was not like the days weren't without unique problems.

Many of the nights had been rather awkward. Not between them and the other Bandit Hunters, but rather the arguments they were overhearing between the Bebbezarians that carried long into the night. It seemed that Eluria and Sancha didn't appreciate what they had done to interfere with their lives. Or, more accurately, what Verona had done to stir the pot. Duran, perhaps broken out of his stupor, had been speaking quite a lot to Cetina. Whatever had been said Cetina it resulted in her receiving her own horse and no longer having to do all the cooking and setting up the camp by herself. It was a lot better for Anton to not have to try and ignore the blatant issue.

While Anton was glad that Kal had acquired a power of her own, one that he wished she hadn't needed to go through such extreme pain, they didn't have an opportunity to test it out yet. Practising with magic from the Old Gods would attract a lot of attention. Attention they couldn't afford to have, especially when quite a few of the Bebbezarians didn't seem to like them. Kal had been rather dejected, but understanding, that they had to wait before they could practice her magic. Knowing that she would soon be fighting alongside them made her extremely happy. She was content to wait a few days.

Anton directed his attention back to the present and those around them. Cetina, still trying to get a wrangle on her unruly horse, rode up to them as they trotted alongside the caravan. “Darn thing.” she pulled hard on the reins in an attempt to make the horse travel alongside them. “This is...This is much harder than I thought it would be. Everyone else makes it look so easy.”

Verona smiled at her. “It's a little difficult the first few times. You just need to not be rough with it. Nobody likes being roughed about.”

Cetina chuckled. “I don't doubt that.” With a final tug the horse settled down and fell into line next to them, the other side of Verona. “There we go.”

Anton looked at the horse beneath Cetina's legs. It was much larger and stronger than theirs. It lacked the studded leather armour that the Bandit Hunters used but it was still an impressive beast. It was the same breed used by of the other Bebbezar guards, so one must have been kicked off his mount. Anton spied a very unhappy guard on the one of the carts.

“I'm glad that you're no longer stuck in one of those bouncing carts.” Anton said. “Can't imagine that was comfortable. For days on end.”

Cetina shrugged. “It wasn't that bad. You get used to it after a while.” she smiled at Anton. “Though I've only been on this girl for a few days and my legs and butt are killing me. How can anyone stand this? How can you three do this?”

“You get used to it.” Verona said. She patted the saddle underneath her. “I've also put a bit of padding under here. That takes the worse of it out.”

“So that's why you haven't been complaining.” Anton mumbled. He looked towards Kal. “What about you?”

Kal nodded, her face obscured by the white and green mask. No one had said anything about her. Cetina had kept her word to keep her mouth shut. “Haven't you?” Kal seemed rather concerned.

“No.” Anton admitted. “I've been trying to make sense of the things we saw at the border and that's been enough to distract me. And I've been using the prayer power once we stop to take the edge off.”

“Those people were pretty strange.” Verona said in agreement. “Goblins and the way they all walked and looked...Though I'm sure that we'll be meeting them again. Damn crazy cults.”

A horse rode up behind them. Anton turned and saw Virgil approaching.

“We're almost at Porswea.” he said, looking either side to the thinning forests around them. More light was coming through and a few freshly cut stumps started to appear. Fresh logging, a sign of habitation. “Shouldn't be too much longer now.”

“Good.” Verona replied, stretching out her back and rubbing her arms. “It's been a while since I've felt clean. A good chance for some private time too.” she smiled and glanced back at Virgil. “You been having an more luck in that regard?”

Virgil smiled. “After all that you'd be surprised.”

“So she came back?” Anton asked. “After what happened?”

Virgil didn't answer and only smiled. Anton took that as a yes.

“That's incredible.” Anton shook his head as he looked back, catching Eluria and Sancha's eye. They were in the middle of the caravan, chatting with a number of the Bebbezarians. Every so often they glanced towards them. This time they locked their gaze with him, like it would undo what had happened. Anton smiled and waved at them. They scowled and returned to their huddle.

Anton leaned down to Verona. “I don't think they like us.” Verona threw up a silver brow, a fake disbelieving look on her face. “Less everyday.”

She chuckled. “They'll keep doing that so long as we keep looking at them and smiling and waving.” Verona looked back but they weren't looking. “Why is there always someone with something wrong in their head?”

“I wish I had an answer.” Anton ruffled Verona's head, to which she laughed again. “That seems to be the same, where ever you go.”

Verona was about to say something when she stopped. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she looked forward. Out of the abrupt ending to the fores lay the largest city Anton had ever seen. A giant light brown stone wall travelled from one side of his vision to the other, at least thirty meters tall and very thick. Many thin trails of smoke rose from the interior of the enormous city, from forges and from homes. The number of people that lived in the city must be immense, even compared to the massive cities of Earth. Stretching before the wall, for dozens of kilometres, lay hundreds of plots of crops and plantations. Even from this distance he could see some varieties of plants that he recognised and many more that he couldn't. Throughout the plots were hundreds of moving little specks, people. Hundreds upon thousands of workers were tending to the plants, plants necessary to feed the swarms of people within. It appeared, even without knowing how many there were inside, there were too many. Outside the city wall, and almost blending into the stone, stood a sprawling shanty town. These looked very ramshackle and thrown together, no order or reason. Anton guessed those were part of the places that Alfred told them to stay away from. They would have to cross the shanty town before reaching a large wooden gate into the city.

“Bloody hell.” Anton said first. “How big is this place?”

Virgil smiled. “Huge. Many miles across and well over a hundred thousand people living inside. Probably a lot more. I don't know how many there actually are, it's a little hard to keep a count on everyone.”

“I bet.” Anton said quietly. “So how do we get in?”

“You see the shanty town?” Virgil asked, to which everyone nodded. “We'll need to pass through that mess first and try and not get mugged. Then we get to the main gate, get checked over by the guards to see if we've got any sort of contraband, and then we're in.” Virgil frowned. “None of you should try to go into the shanty town on your own. You all look like easy pickings, even though I know you're not. I don't want to have to deal with a mage that's burned down half the city.”

Verona looked at Kal then at Anton. “I don't think we'll be going there. There doesn't sound like there'll be anything there for us.”

Anton nodded. He had no intention of being mugged or fighting in Porswea. Between the three of them they had more wealth than anyone had probably seen, or would ever see, in their entire lives. He ran his hand over one of the hidden pouches out of habit to make sure it was there.

Their convoy continued to roll out of the forest and along the dirt road towards the sprawling shanty town outside the main city walls. Anton noticed Kal moved closer to him as they moved from the dirt pathway to a rough stone road. Now the carts were beginning to rumble quite loudly now as the wood rattled about, the passengers were suffering the same fate. Anton turned his attention back to Porswea. If any of them found out who Kal really was they wouldn't hesitate to tear her apart or sell her back to Seocuria. A sickening image flashed past his mind, quickly suppressed. He was not going to let that happen. Ever.

"Kal." Anton began. "Do...Do you want to ride with me or Verona? Just for this next bit?"

Kal glanced towards him, he spied Verona looking equally concerned between her and Porswea, and slowly shook her head.

"I'll be fine." she said quietly, he detected the tiniest waver in her voice. "But I'm not going far from either of you. Just...Just to be safe."

Verona nodded. "If anyone asks you've suffered a horrendous burn injury and you choose not to show it. If there's enough of us they'll, hopefully, buy it." she turned to Cetina, riding in silence on the other side. "Won't we?"

Cetina nodded furiously.

"Good." Verona turned back to Anton. "Just in case I'm going to need some blood."

Anton offered up his hand and allowed Verona to take a vials worth. Cetina watched in silence with a strange mix of awe and fear. Seeing such a power, that Anton was sure was considered heretical by the Church of the Holy Father, used so liberally and with such ease of control, there was no way that she wouldn't be fascinated. Anton glanced back as he murmured a healing prayer.

"Do you know anything about this city?" Anton asked Cetina. The Bebbezar woman nearly jumped out of her saddle in surprise.

She coughed loudly to recover herself. "Not Porswea, no. We were heading here when we became lost. Though we did stop in a city near the border with...Seocuria that looked pretty much the same. A lot smaller though."

Cetina glanced at Kal, Kal seemingly remained unmoving at the mention of that place.

Again Cetina coughed. "I...If this place is the same, and it looks like it will be, they'll have a lot of things to buy, which I'm sure that you're going to need in your journey. But the gates might be a little trickier to get through."

"Do they have some sort of toll?" Anton asked.

Cetina looked at him, her grey and purple flecked eyes were searching for something. Probably how much of their story was actually true. She certainly doubted most of it, knowing Kal's real identity. However there was little she could do about it, and they were one of the few people that weren't treating her badly.

"Yes." she finally answered. "Although, if you've got a signed writ by the local Governor, or someone higher up, you can get in for free." Cetina puffed out her chest. "Dad has one from the Governor of Obulco, a city on the border with Seocuria. I don't know if that means we'll be able to get into Porswea for free. We'll just have to wait and see. And I don't know if it extends to anyone else either."

"Don't worry about that." a voice came from behind. Anton looked back, Virgil was smiling quite happily at them, though Anton saw most of his attention was diverted to the city of Porswea looming in the distance. "I have a writ from the local Governor. That'll get us through the gates."

He frowned as he looked between Porswea and Cetina." What city did you say you went through again?"

"Obulco."

Virgil pursed his lips. "That's a little different to Porswea."

"For better or worse?" Anton asked.

"Worse, for us." Virgil replied. "Let's just say you don't want to get lost. The same goes for your Bebbezarian friends. That goes for inside the walls, and especially outside.” Virgil looked at Cetina and then to the rest of the caravan. “You people stick out so much with those bright clothes. I don't know why you wear them."

Kal said that as well. Anyway, Alfred said to stay away from the back alleys, and we'll definitely be doing that. I wonder how much the city has changed since then. For better or worse?

"So." Virgil looked around. "We'll all stick together until we make it inside."

“That bad?” Anton asked.

Virgil shrugged. “Depends. With this many people there might be some blood. Desperate people are violent people.”

He moved his horse closer to the rumbling carts and so too did they. However Anton received a few looks of scorn from the Bebbezar merchants. It seemed that Eluria and Sancha had been very busy in the past few days. He simply ignored them as they continued to rumble towards Porswea.

As the minutes passed their little convoy started to gather more people. Now they were being joined by laborers and other small merchant and trading groups heading to Porswea. Virgil said that Porswea was a large city, so it only made sense that people would flock to try their luck at trading. A few of the traders began to talk to the members of their convoy, obviously intrigued by their size and composition. Most attention was placed on the Bebbezarian merchants and their bright clothes. How they kept them so bright with only water was beyond Anton. Did they have soap? It would be nice to feel truly clean, rather than what they currently looked, and smelt, like.

He peered into the traders goods as they passed. A motley selection of goods were on display. Most looked to be either simple food or bundles of wood, everything heading to the hungry city of Porswea. A few held more exotic appearing items, but they were few and far between. Their caravan, by comparison, looked quite wealthy and extravagant. Of the other traders only a few had carts. Those few were led by old and slow horses or equally tired looking Ix but the majority were pulled by hand, the effort and strain clear on their faces, while some where hauling their bundled goods on their back. To save on time and the number of trips their backs were loaded to breaking point. To distribute their overloaded cargo each person leaned forward, giving them a stooped back, like they were old peasants. Most were not that old.

"I'm glad I only have to load the carts." Cetina mumbled, loud enough for Anton to hear. "I don't want to end up like you poor people."

Anton looked back and caught Cetina's eyes. Realizing she had been heard, she flushed slightly and smiled awkwardly. Anton returned the smile and looked forward again.

They were getting close to the shanty town surrounding Porswea. The smell was the first thing to hit Anton. The smell of shit and piss. While Atros was still small enough to handle the waste of the people that lived there it was clear the sprawling shanty town outside the city wall did not. It gathered in clumps by the side of the road and puddles off the road and near the plantations, flies and other insects swarmed over the mass and stagnant pools. Most of the runoff headed towards the crop fields and plantations. While Anton was sure that foul smelling watery mixture had some useful nutrients for the plants he was certain that it was also swarming with diseases.

That's an interesting thought. I haven't been sick since I've been here, though the prayer healings have probably had something to do with that. When I arrived in Atros there were quite a few sick people, and Jonathan had gangrene on his legs, so it's not impossible to get sick. I wonder how sick the city will be if it's like that out here? Maybe the interior will have an actual sewage system?

Anton made a note to tell the council to prepare sewage and clean drinking works as soon as possible. The earlier it was done the easier it would be later on. Just what that would be Anton did not know. He didn't know anything about civil construction and no one had been involved with building a large city. Perhaps Bertram or Sybil might know something from their time in the old Kar Kingdom capital. They would just have to do their best.

"This is disgusting." Verona said as she suppressed yet another gag. "Do they just go wherever they please? Like right there? Or here?"

She pointed towards the shanty town as a middle aged woman threw out a wooden bucket filled with waste. There was no care where it landed, the water and mass splashing about. Thankfully it was near the edge of the shanty town, so there wasn't anyone nearby but, judging by the colour of the wooden buildings, others didn't worry where it went. Thinking about it made Anton a little ill.

"There's only so many places you can do your business in a city as big as Porswea." Virgil said. "Though, coming from the country side, you three should be used to the smell."

He looked back at Anton and then towards Kal. Kal was clearly struggling with the smell. Her Beast-kin senses were being overwhelmed by the strength, judging by her tiny coughs and splutters.

"We don't just take a shit wherever we feel like." Verona replied, pulling on the reins hard to avoid a particularly large deposit left in the road. However it appeared to be left by a passing horse. She frowned deeply as she looked towards the first buildings of the sprawling shanty town surrounding Porswea. "How can they handle this?"

"I suppose you get used to it." Anton replied. “Even if it is utterly horrific.”

Verona coughed and nodded. Anton looked back, Cetina apparently had no trouble with the smell. When her purple flecked grey eyes locked with his she cocked her head lightly. Anton smiled lightly and turned forward, leaving the Bebezarian woman more than a little confused.

The people that swarmed around their growing convoy now appeared to be quite comfortable with the filth surrounding them. They weren't covered in that filth but their bodies were stained with mud from working the land. The traders and labourers, that had come from afar, were not so comfortable. Anton didn't blame them.

As they passed the first building of the shanty town the stench only grew. It staggered Anton how anyone could live like this. What also surprised him was the speed in which he became used to the smell. It was still terrible but he didn't feel like throwing up with every breath.

The buildings looked as bad as the smell surrounding them. Nothing looked particularly strong or well built. To Anton it looked like the slums of Earth had been rebuilt here, instead of corrugated iron they used old and rotten pieces of wood. Every building was cramped and half rotted, patchwork after patchwork holding the buildings together.

He directed his attention to the people as they passed. Everyone was dirty and tired, no matter the age. Upon seeing their convoy they tried to swarm around them. Their arms were thrusted out towards them, all desperately shouting for any coin that could be spared. Virgil pulled out his sword and waved it menacingly at the beggars. They didn't get the message and continued to swarm around them. One got too close and received a swing to his head. He screamed as blood poured down his face and he ran back through the crowd. As Virgil held up his blooded sword the rest of the beggars began to disperse, though not without throwing out a combination of swears and insults that Anton had never heard before.

Virgil grunted as he began to wipe the blood off his blade. “This is the one thing that I hate about Porswea. These fucking beggars.” he glanced back at Anton. “You see, I have nothing against them, but when they get riled up they can attack you. Seen it myself.”

“When people are desperate they'll do crazy things.” Anton said. He chose his words carefully to not arouse any suspicion of the story he told them. “Are there just no jobs?”

“Oh, there are jobs.” Virgil sighed as a Bandit Hunter kicked away a brave beggar. “They're just going to have to work pretty hard. Whatever, not my problem.”

Anton mumbled and they continued onwards.

Their group slowed to a crawl as they neared the gate into the city. A few hundred people, and more than a dozen fully laden carts, were in their way. Judging by the bored looks on their faces this was something very routine.

Armoured soldiers moved from cart to cart, many just taking a cursory glance at the contents before waving them forward and moving to the next. As the soldiers moved closer Anton could get a better look at the Graterian soldiers.

Wow. Never thought I would see something like that.

The Graterian soldiers looked as if they had been ripped straight out of the glory days of the Roman Empire. Each soldier was heavily armoured in a mixture of chain mail and solid plates that covered most of their form, a large red rectangle metal shield in one hand a short sword in the other. Their helms didn't have the large red mohawk, as Anton half expected them to have, rather a metal helm that covered most of their face and all of their neck. There was no way for a stray sword slash to cut open their throats.

Nearly ten minutes passed until the soldiers waved them forward. One soldier, wearing more bright red colours than his compatriots, held up his hand for them to stop. He appeared to be the leader. Verona glanced at Anton while Kal moved even closer, her horse touching his leg, and held his hand. This would be the moment where she could be revealed and her life would end.

"Good morning." Virgil said to the lead soldier as he approached. "How are you this day?"

"Alright." The soldier replied. "The wind isn't blowing from the south so it's not too bad."

"I think that's the best that it's been in some time." Virgil had a strange smile on his face. "Most of the time it blows from the south, not the north."

The soldier nodded. "That it does. That it does." he rested his steel gauntlet on the pommel of his sword as he looked at all of them. "I'm taking in that you're not leading this merchant group. That would be very odd. Never thought a Bebbezarian would let someone else do that."

The soldiers eyes looked towards Anton, Verona and Kal. He frowned when he looked at Kal, even more deeply when he saw Verona's silver hair and completely ignored Anton.

"No." Virgil replied. "That's not my job. Not this time." he looked back to the caravan. "Duran! They want to talk to you."

Anton heard shuffling from the center of their convoy as Duran emerged from one of the carts. The man's flamboyance and charisma had taken a substantial hit over the past few nights, not that anyone new would realise. Anton didn't miss the way his hand twitched as he gripped hard onto the bright yellow of his pants as he hoped off, even his walk appeared more nervous than before. Once he started walking his confidence returned.

As he approached Virgil reached into a saddle bag and removed a large piece of paper. While Anton didn't get a good look he managed to see some very ornate and delicately written words. That must have been the writ that Virgil and Cetina were talking about, identifying him as in the employ of Lord Cassius. The soldier looked it over for a few seconds before handing it back with a nod. Evidently he could read. When Virgil didn't move the soldier frowned and raised a brow.

"I'll wait for them." Virgil said. "We've been through some interesting times and I would like to see that they make it inside."

The soldier nodded. When he looked to Duran his demeanour relaxed.

"Anything to declare now?" the soldier asked. "If you surrender contraband now you won't be punished for it."

"Nothing my good man." Duran said in his normal bombastic tone, though Anton noticed that it was slightly forced. "Everything that we have with us is perfectly legal with all the Kingdoms and Empires."

"We'll see about that." the soldier said quietly. "We just need to have a quick check over your goods and then you can be on your way. After you pay the toll."

Duran snapped his finger, the Graterious soldiers hands twitched towards their swords. "Please wait but a moment."

Before the soldier could reply Duran ran back to the cart, returning a few moments later with a large piece of paper nearly identical to the one Virgil had presented. The soldier took the paper and read it slowly and carefully.

"Unfortunately." the soldier began as he delicately handed back the paper. "We still need to do a search of your carts. Lord Cassius has decreed it necessary in all circumstances. Especially with the increasing bandit activity. They've been trying to smuggle themselves inside carts."

"They still aren't getting the message." Virgil grumbled as he looked to the far right along with the lead soldier. Anton was shocked to see hundreds of people hanging from the top of the wall, ropes strangling their necks as their still bodies rolled about in the wind. The bodies covered the entire range of decomposition. Some seemed like they had only gone up that morning. From the top of the wall a group of Graterious soldiers were lowering down another body.

"That they aren't." The soldier waved the other Graterious soldiers forward. "If we met those little rats in the field..."

The soldier shook his head and turned his attention to Anton. "And what about you three?" his eyes scanned them all, lingering for a few moments on Verona and Kal's chests. "You don't look like you are part of either group."

"We are travellers looking to buy goods in your city." Anton said. He wanted to keep it simple and believable. The soldier didn't seem convinced. Once again his eyes lingered on Verona's hair. It seemed that it was going to be a problem everywhere in Graterious. What about Seocuria?

His eyes looked them over again. "Do you have money on you? We don't let in vagrants. Got enough of them out here."

"They can't go inside?" Verona asked, looking to the shanty town behind them. None of the inhabitants seemed willing to get too close to the soldiers guarding the gate.

The soldier nodded. "Yes. Do you have any money?"

"Yes we do." Anton replied.

The soldier regarded them with a little bit of disbelief before he nodded. He looked at Virgil. "Since he's travelling with you I'll believe that. These other two...I haven't got anything against a Clansmen that looks more at home in a brothel than travelling with a bunch of Bebbezarian merchants." Anton heard Verona grind her teeth at his words, but she held her composure. Just. Her hands were scrunching hard on the reins. Anton knew that she wanted to lunge at the pig of a soldier and rip out his throat. "At least she's not a slathering murder. You should keep that spear somewhere safe and not try to hurt anyone...Or you'll end up there. What about the one with the mask?"

Their attention turned to Kal. This was probably the closest she had been to a large city in over a decade. She was holding herself together very well, but now that all the attention was placed on her it was beginning to crack.

"She is my companion." Anton spoke a little louder than normal to attract the soldiers attention. "She has suffered terrible burns and she wishes to conceal them. And she doesn't need to show them to you."

"That she has." Virgil added with a small nod. “I'll vouch for her. For all three of them in fact.”

Anton glanced back at Cetina. When their eyes met she shrank a little as she shook her head the tiniest amount. She hadn't told Virgil of what she saw in the cart. He was just covering for them.

Does he expect this to be returned as a favour?

The soldier stared at Virgil for a moment before turning to Duran. Duran, upon realising he was the center of attention, nodded slightly. The soldier sighed and rubbed his brow with the metal gauntlet, the skin underneath turned red from the agitation.

"Alright." the soldier looked straight at Anton. "Keep out of trouble and things will be fine."

Anton nodded. He had no intention of causing any disturbance when he was in Porswea or anywhere in Graterious. They needed to head to Seocuria as fast as they could.

One of the other Graterious soldiers walked up to the lead soldier. "We just checked everything. Seems to be okay."

Duran smiled and looked back to the convoy. Anton caught the eye of Eluria and Sancha looking towards him, an obvious strain on their faces to keep contact away from them.

"Finally." he said loudly to the Bebbezarian merchants. "We can finally enter Porswea and begin our new lives."

The merchants let out a subdued cheer, seemingly conscious of the hundreds of people travelling around them and those waiting behind. Anton caught Cetina looking quite happy herself.

The soldier, ignoring Duran, nodded and moved to the side. "The entrance fee will be waived this time. I don't think that Lord Cassius will miss some silver from the vagrants." He looked straight at Anton. "Don't cause any trouble. And welcome to Porswea."

The last sentence was utterly devoid of sincerity. Verona grumbled but nodded alongside Anton. Anton breathed a sigh of relief as they were waved through the large gate. The Graterious soldiers moved to the side and let them pass as they joined a smaller column of people entering Porswea.

The moment they were inside it was clear they just crossed a boundary into a different world. Gone were the rough and rotting shanty buildings, replaced by large, straight and tall wooden and stone buildings. These were built by professionals, rigid and strong. Anton nearly gasped at the sight of so many buildings, and people. So too did Verona and Kal. The people inside Porswea were far better dressed than those outside. And better washed. These didn't wear the rags of those outside but full sets of clothes, a little bit better than what they currently wore but nothing spectacular. Functional. Some wore brighter and more fine clothes but they were the exception. They must be entering a workers district of Porswea. The rich and elite wouldn't live near people like this. All along the street there were dozens of market stalls and shops that were selling a multitude of goods, hecklers shouting to the passerby's to peruse their wares.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

As it appeared they didn't know where to go, and other people, caravans and traders were trying to get past, the caravan followed Virgil and the Bandit Hunters down a side street. While Anton was initially hesitant to follow, remembering Alfred's words, he kept his eyes and wits about him as they followed. The caravan found a quiet area to the side of the busy roads and streets. Judging by the lack of market stalls and shops and the abundance of smaller trading caravans waiting nearby this was a regular stopping point. Virgil moved his horse close to Anton. Now that he was inside this massive city, with the promise of the pleasures of flesh, he appeared extraordinarily happy.

"That's a horrific smile you have on your face." Anton said quietly as he approached.

Virgil laughed, his hands dropped the reins of his horse and rubbed his neck. "That I am. Some good food, drink and women await us. As soon as we're paid that is."

"From Lord Cassius?"

Virgil nodded. "Indeed. He'll be pissed to know that the bandits are back in the south-east again, but that's not my problem."

"Won't he think the you aren't doing your job well?" Verona asked.

Virgil shook his head. "No. I hope not. Anyway..." He looked intently at Anton. "I'll put a word into Cassius about you...Three. I know that the rest of my men won't be able to keep their mouths shut for too long, and I think that it would be best if he hears it straight from me. And not after a dozen drunken stories have turned you three into Demons that obliterated an army."

Anton smiled and nodded. If Virgil knew the truth, that they had been involved with the destruction of an army of Clansmen and Orcs, he would definitely call them Demons.

"I don't know if that'll help you, doing what ever it is you are doing, but having friends in high places wouldn't hurt."

"That it won't." Anton replied.

“So where will you be going after this?” Virgil asked, cocking his head slightly. “This looks like it's your first time here. Do you know a good Inn?”

Anton shook his head. “No. I was about to ask you for some advice on that.”

“Well. If you want a good place, that's not going to rob you, you'll want to head to The Orange Haven. It's a little bit expensive but they're very good.” Virgil smiled. “They even have some rooms that have a bath in it, so you don't have to use a public one, if you're willing to pay.”

Verona and Kal nodded. Anton wanted to have a decent bath too, and it's not like they were poor.

“Sounds like a good idea.” Anton replied.

Virgil quickly rattled off a list of directions. He did his best to keep the instructions simple, finally finishing off that they could just ask a stall owner and they should give them directions. He mentioned that they might have to buy something for the information, the people of Porswea would want something in return.

Virgil nodded as Anton recounted the instructions correctly and a new rider approached. Cetina, still trying to get her horse under control, approached them gingerly.

"Right. Good luck with what ever you're doing." Virgil whistled loudly, the Bandit Hunters snapping to the source. "Let's go and get paid."

They let out a cheer as they gathered together and left the Bebbezarian merchants. They looked just like Virgil did now. The lure of the pleasures of city life were great for these people, especially when they were risking their lives to fight murderous bandits. No one could deny them some physical pleasure to calm their nerves.

"Good luck." Virgil took the reins up again. "Let's hope there's not a Ghlotsm attack the next we meet."

He gave a small wave, which they returned, as he joined he rest of his men. As he passed Cetina he gave her a tiny nod and said something very quietly to her. Cetina's face recoiled in disgust as Virgil burst out laughing, giving them a final wave before leading his men away and back to the busy thoroughfares.

"What did he say?" Verona asked as Cetina stopped a few meters away.

Cetina, still a little flushed, shook her head. "Something disgusting about him and my sister." She looked back to the caravan. Anton saw Duran, Eluria and Sancha moving from cart to cart. They were performing one last check before they moved into the city proper, to start their new lives, however that was meant to happen. "They've been treating me better these past few days."

Verona shot Anton a look, one that he understood instantly.

"Yes..." Kal said quietly. "That... That may not last much longer."

Cetina frowned at Kal. At least her knowledge of Kal being some sort of Beast-kin wasn't the issue.

"Since we've been here..." Kal trailed off as she looked to Duran. Cetina followed and caught the eye of her adoptive mother, following close behind.

"You... You might find things go really bad as soon as we're gone.” Anton continued. “It's a little hard to be a pain in the arse when three very dangerous people are right next to them. But when we're gone...”

It dawned upon Cetina. She slowly nodded as she looked back to her family. “I...I thought that might happen. I just enjoyed speaking to my father these past few days, more than a few sentences at a time. It's just been so long.” A tear came to her eyes, quickly removed. “But, thank you for warning me. I may need to leave after all, just after I thought things might be getting better.”

“I'm sorry that we can't do anything more.” Verona continued. “But we need to keep moving. There's quite a few things we need to get in Porswea before we move on, and we are on a time limit.”

Anton nodded. “Some better armour, maybe some better cooking equipment...and some small metal bands.”

Both Verona and Kal looked at Anton. When he raised his hand Verona flushed and Kal coughed loudly. They understood his implication.

“But, we have something for you first.”

Anton reached underneath his armour and opened one of the small pouches of gold coins. While they had done a good job of keeping their wealth hidden during their travel through the countryside he wondered how they would fare against determined pick pockets. He found five gold coins and pulled them out, still concealed by his closed fist. He motioned for Cetina to move closer, which she did with some hesitation.

"Hold out your hand." Anton said.

Cetina frowned but did as she was told. He reached over and placed his hand on her leather glove and let the coins drop. When he removed his hand Cetina's grey and purple eyes bulged from their sockets.

"H...How?" she asked, still completely and utterly disbelieving at the wealth that was placed in her hand.

"We have our ways." Anton said quietly. He didn't want everyone to know they had that much wealth on them. "This is our gift to you. You can do whatever you want with it."

Cetina continued to stare at the gold coins. Slowly she brought her other hand up and stroked one of the coins, the yellow metal clinking lightly in her hands.

"Why?" she looked up at them, confusion clearly plastered over her face. "I haven't...done...that sort of stuff for you." Cetina was lightly blushing by the end. It wasn't hard to figure out what she was getting at.

Anton looked to Verona. "I...none of us, would feel right to leave you with nothing after we saw how you were treated. And that was only for a couple of days." Cetina scrunched up her hands and brought them to her lap. "You can use that to escape from your life, if you wish, or however you want. It's your choice for here on."

"If we come back I don't want to see you still be treated like crap." Verona said. Everyone looked to her but she shrugged and looked intently at Cetina.

Cetina looked down at the coins again. She moved them to a small pouch on her hip. "I... I don't know what I want to do now." she gave the pouch a little press and took the reins of her horse. "Since we met you my mind has been wandering and dreaming about what I want to do with my life. If I'm honest, I thought you said that to keep me quiet about...So I don't know what I'll do now. I think that I'll see how it goes in Porswea before I make any decisions."

"Don't stay because you think it'll get better." Kal said quietly. "Because it won't."

Cetina opened her mouth, held it, then clamped it shut. She had seen Seocuria.

"I...will keep that in mind."

"Whatever you end up doing, I hope that you're happy with it." Anton said as he saw Duran approach. Cetina nodded, a new determination on her face, as she looked to her father. Duran had aged a few years in the scant days they have known each other.

He looked at his actual daughter and smiled. "We're just about ready to depart. How about you Cetina?"

"Ugh...I'm...I'm...basically ready." Cetina stumbled out her words. The awkwardness in her voice was clear in not just her voice, but her body as well. Her hands twitched, she could barely look her father in the eye, and she kept glancing up at them, almost for reassurance. Their relationship would need a lot of healing before it could be even considered normal.

"I...Was just saying goodbye to Anton, Kal and Verona." Cetina gained more courage as she spoke.

Duran smiled at her, one pained with regret, then turned to them, the normal smile returning. "It has been an absolute...Well, I can't really say that..."

"It's been an interesting trip." Anton said. Duran nodded and smiled.

"One the two of you shouldn't be forgetting any time soon." Verona added. There was a seriousness in he voice and on her face. Both Duran and Cetina nodded.

"What will you three be doing now that you're in Porswea?" Duran asked. "You didn't seem like you have much of a plan once you arrived here."

Anton caught Cetina glance at Kal. Kal turned her head, still hidden by the white and green mask, before averting her gaze and placed it back on her father.

"Virgil gave us the name of an Inn that's meant to be pretty good." Anton replied. "One that doesn't go through your stuff while you're asleep."

"Those places that do don't tend to last very long." Duran smiled, raising a finger and shaking it. "It's very, very bad for business. No one's going to trust them once the stories get out. Only those truly desperate would go, and you don't look like them."

Anton shrugged. "I guess that it is bad for business. But it's not our problem what they do. After we spend a few moments relaxing I think we'll be going to be few shops." Anton looked all three of them over. "Get some better armour for us, then a few other things and we'll go from there. I hear that there's a magical academy here that might be of some use."

"This is the first time that I've been to Porswea." Duran smiled bitterly. "So, despite all that you have done for us, I cannot help you any further."

Anton waved him down. "That's fine. We'll find our way from here. Virgil gave us pretty easy instructions to follow. I just know that we need to stay of the back streets."

"That goes the same for every city, I think." Duran smiled warmly.

"What are you going to be trading?" Verona asked. "It doesn't look like you have all that much left with you."

Duran simply smiled back. "We still have a few things that we can sell to get us going. A man from Bebbezar can always find a good deal. No matter what. We'll find somewhere where we can ply our trades. Don't you worry about us. We'll all be wealthy by the time we meet again."

"We're ready!" a merchant guard cried out.

Duran returned the wave and turned back to Anton. "It looks like we are moving again. I wish you all the best with your adventures."

"Thank you." Anton replied. "May you have luck with your business as well."

He lowered his hand as much as he could. Duran looked a little nervous but accepted it regardless. It was a firm handshake, one where he did not try and show off his strength.

Duran moved to the side and let them pass. As they neared Cetina he offered his hand again. Just like with her father, Cetina was a little hesitant to take it. However she returned it. Anton knew that, underneath the leather gloves, lay a very powerful arm and body. Why her step family thought they could abuse her and get away with it, he didn't know. He hoped there wouldn't be any more of that. Verona offered her hand. Cetina appeared to be a little more nervous, especially after their brief scuffle, and finally so too did Kal. Cetina froze at seeing the cloth wrapped hand thrust out towards her. She was one of the few people that knew what Kal was. It was impossible to tell what Kal was thinking behind that mask but Anton knew from her body language, a body that he knew very well, that there was no malice behind her action.

Cetina took another breath and took the hand. She glanced down at her glove, where Kals claws were gripping, and looked up. A deep sadness overcame her face. She let Kal's hand go and gripped hard on the reins of her horse.

"Good luck. All of you." she said. “With whatever you plan to do here, and beyond.”

They returned the wave as they followed Virgil's trail back to the main road. Anton gave them another sideways glance, catching the eye of Eluria and Sancha. Their eyes were filled, bristling with anger and hate. Anton wasn't hurt by their emotions directed at the them. They had ruined whatever stupid little thing they had going on before. Strangely there was an undercurrent of smugness in the faces.

If you think that things are going to go back to the the way things were I think you're in for a big surprise. Cetina's not going to be your punching bag anymore and hopefully Duran isn't going to be hypnotised by some fluttering of eye lashes. If you do try anything it'll only end badly for you. Only time will tell.

Anton smiled inanely and waved to them, Verona joining in as well, while they glanced at each other and looked away. Anton chuckled as they neared the busy streets.

"What was that about?" Kal asked, glancing towards Verona. "Are you stirring them up, like Verona did... That morning?"

Verona chuckled. "Oh, that was fun. I loved their little squirming faces, when their shit was thrown back at them."

"Basically that." Anton replied to Kal. "I know that we've got more important things to worry about but seeing them behave like that really irked me. And yes, seeing them squirm like that was a little fun."

Kal chuckled and he was sure that she was smiling underneath the mask.

"So..." Verona began. "We're off to that place the Virgil said... Is it a good idea to head there?"

Anton hesitated before he answered. "It'll mean that Virgil and his employer, Lord Cassius, knows where we are. But we don't really want to take too many chances with the places around here." Anton looked them over again. "And if they were to judge us just by our appearance they would think us vagabonds that are just there to waste their time. It's going to be a little difficult to prove that we aren't wasting their time."

"Or a crazy masked person and someone, that everyone keeps calling, a Clansmen." Verona huffed dramatically at the end.

Anton reached over and ruffled her silver hair, to which she playfully stuck out her tongue.

"I like your silver hair." Anton said. "I wonder if those silver haired Clansmen are as tall as the rest of them?"

"I hope not." Verona grumbled, straightening her ruffled hair and taking great care to not dislodge her red and silver barrette. "Then I'll have missed out on their one good trait."

Kal was looking down at Verona's chest. She shook her head when Verona caught her looking.

"What?"

"You don't have that much to complain about." Kal kept her head dead straight the entire time.

Verona laughed. "And neither do you. Yours are bigger than most of the people back home. At least bigger than Sam's."

"Is that something to be proud of?" Kal asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

Verona shrugged. "For me it is, and I'm sure it's a bit for you too.” Kal shook her head but still seemed happy. If Anton was honest he enjoyed them too. “Come on, time for us to have a good bath and a nice soft bed for the first in a long while."

"I would love to get this grime off me." Anton said. “And to take a proper bath with you two.”

Verona smiled wickedly, the same ear to ear smirk when she was thinking of something dirty. She didn't have to say anything for both of their faces to heat up.

Anton took one last look back at the Bebbezarian Merchants as they passed out of sight. He hoped that they would meet again one day, on better terms.

---[]---

Anton didn't realise that the main streets of Porswea could be this busy. Hundreds upon thousands of people pushed past them as they followed a column of horses through the streets. Everything had a strange mixture of an a ordered chaos. There were no lines or people to direct the traffic, yet it all formed into a relatively ordered street. Somehow. That didn't stop the odd person bumping into their horses when they tried to cross the horse lines and didn't bother to look. A few curses came from the unobservant men and women as they were shunted about, but otherwise they were allowed to continue on their way.

They rode three abreast, with Kal in the middle. Now that they were in the center of the bustling city people passing by took even less notice of her. A quick glance, seeing a strange woman wearing a white and green mask, was all they afforded her. For that they were all grateful.

Virgil gave them only a rudimentary set of directions, the standard take a left and then the third right, to find the Inn. What he did say was the exterior was bright orange and would be easily spotted and that anyone they asked would know where it is. Not that it was helping them right now. Their heads bobbed and darted about as they searched for the Inn. Kal's hand reached hard onto Anton's as he was searching. Her whole body was frozen solid, thankfully her horse didn't stop and continued its leisurely stroll alongside them.

"What's wrong?" Anton asked quietly. While it was impossible to read her face he could feel that something had spooked her. He followed her eye line, as best he could, until he saw what made her freeze.

A small gap emerged in the flow of people moving past. Anton counted twenty people chained together in a long line, but not all of these were people as he recognised them. Ten were the size of a human but were covered in a thick brown. Their faces were also covered in fur and elongated around to the nose. The nose was quite large, rounded, and made from a rough black material. Out from underneath their badly kept hair hung two floppy ears. These reached the bottom of their jaw line and were covered in the same brown fur as the rest of their body.

The other ten were different again. A light green scaly skin covered their bodies, no fur anywhere on their body. Their months were more akin to a beak than a human's mouth, and their backs had a carapace like hide, rather more like a shell. Or a man sized turtle.

Anton didn't need Kal to explain who or what they were. They were Beast-kin. Beast-kin slaves.

"Are those Beast-kin?" Verona asked aloud, if only for confirmation. When she saw Kal's frozen form she had her answer. "I thought Duran said that Seocuria was the only place that had them... No, he complained about Graterious using them as slaves."

As they neared Kal returned to life. She released her grip on Anton and took back the reins. The Beast-kin trudged past, two burly men at the front and back, armed with large iron batons, kept them moving in the right direction. Little concern was given to them by the Graterious humans moving past. Their main concern appeared to be accidently be on the receiving end of one of the iron baton strikes.

As they passed in silence, other than the clunking of their chains, all the Beast-kin kept their heads down and never looked up. Kal began whimpering a line over and over. Anton moved a little closer, to hear her words and to keep her from doing something silly.

"I'm so sorry." Kal was clearly holding back a fountain of tears. Anton took her hand but it seemed to do little good. In fact, it made it even worse. No one noticed and the Beast-kin passed by, not knowing that a free half breed rode right past them. A few seconds passed before Kal said anything.

"Sorry." Kal reflexively tried to wipe away the tears but the mask prevented her. She groaned as she ran her cloth wrapped fingers down it. "They're still in chains, beaten and raped. Every. Day. Only seeing the sun when it is time to work, from dawn to dusk. Never being able to enjoy the light. And...I have you two with me."

Kal shook her head and said nothing more. Anton gently released his hold, which Kal appeared to appreciate, and they continued riding in silence.

Less than a minute passed and they found the Inn. Virgil hand not been lying about the colour of the building. It was orange, almost blindingly so. But as they approached, cutting through the other lines of horse traffic like they were a car on a road, it become obvious that the building was a little old. While light stains and odd discolourations covered the exterior it had been repainted relatively recently. Out the front of the Inn stood dozens of horses tide to a long horizontal post, partaking in an open water trough, protected from the passing traffic by a sturdy wooden fence. The whole establishment appeared to be a more classy version of the Inn at Soulthor.

Two armoured men stood guard at the entrance of the Inn. Their armour was not the Roman style of the normal Graterious soldiers. These were plain metal armour plates interwoven with chain mail. Several of the plates on their chest were the same orange as the building. They weren't pretty, but they would be tough in a fight.

Both men glanced at one another as they approached, a disbelieving look on their faces. Anton knew their current attire, and even their choice in horses, didn't speak of extravagant wealth. Nonetheless the guards said nothing and allowed them through, keeping them in their peripheries at all times. There was no young boy to collect the horses so they bound their reins to the pole themselves. Their horses partook in the open water trough and thoroughly ignored them as they recovered their packs and moved inside. Two more guards stood at the entrance and frowned as they approached, holding the door shut. Both guards looked them over and frowned.

"You don't look like you can afford this place." one said.

"I'm sure we can." Anton replied.

The guards looked at each other before the first shrugged. "Well, if you don't we'll be seeing you really soon."

They parted and allowed passage into the Inn. Anton gave them a small nod, they were just doing their job and anyone would say they didn't have the money, and Verona and Kal followed closely behind. Anton almost gasped at the interior of the Inn, Verona had no such control this time. The only words to describe it was luxurious. An amazingly detailed and colourful carpet covered the floor, seats and tables on top that appeared to have been stolen from Duchess Belinda's mansion. Large plants adorned the corners of the room while large sheets of a dull orange cloth hanged from the ceiling and gave the Inn a more cosy feel. Small braziers burned in the center of the small gathering of chairs and couches, the orange flickering light nearly blending completely into the surrounding. Sitting on some of the seats were the obviously well off clientele. They dressed conservatively in simple clothes, though bright and varied colours, and they did not look cheap. Huddled away in little groups they stopped talking when they saw them approach. Immediately their faces changed to confusion or amusement. Either they were about to be thrown out, something that would undoubtedly be entertaining for them, or someone eccentric was entering.

At the center of the room stood a reception desk, if it could be called that. A young woman, wearing a simple and flowing orange dress, moved forward to greet them. Anton immediately saw through the business smile on her face.

"Welcome to the Orange Haven." she began, an undertone of annoyance of having to deal with three obviously poor people in her voice. "Do you have a reservation?"

"No." Anton replied in a jovial tone. "We were hoping to spend a few days in your establishment." The woman opened her mouth to speak but Anton cut her off. "And before you say anything, Yes we do have money."

The woman's mouth closed and the smile returned. At least she was entertaining them this far.

"Very well. What sort of room would you be requesting?"

"Not too fussed about the size of the bed." Verona began, the woman's attention firmly planted on Verona's silver hair. "But is there one with a bath? We were told there was one here. I really want to have one."

The woman smiled at Verona, took a quick glance at Kal, then rested her eyes back on Anton. "Of course. We have such rooms available. They are more than simple rooms with a wooden crate for a bath. The Orange Haven has some of the most luxurious rooms available in Porswea. I take it that you'll be wanting one room for the three of you?”

Verona let out a strange noise, the wide smile was back. "Yes. We'll take that one." she looked at the both of them. "Yeah? A place where we can relax and properly wash ourselves?"

Anton and Kal nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea." Anton turned to the woman. "And how much would that cost? Per night?"

Now the woman looked a little serious. Many mathematical equations were flying through her head, trying to figure out how much money she could squeeze out of them. Very quickly she came to a decision.

"An establishment like this does come with a price. Especially...For you it'll be thirty silver coins for each night you wish to stay."

Anton took a quick glance to the seated people. There was nothing on their faces to hint that was an expensive price or they were being ripped off.

These places do need to make money, so I can't complain too much. Besides we'll only be staying for a few days and this place seems relatively secure. Don't want someone to try and go through our stuff in a cheaper Inn... That'll be something to experiment with later. So we can start to judge what's a good place. But for now, hang the expense!...I really want a bath. This'll be the first time I've taken a bath with Kal, and Verona at the same time. This should be fun.

"Excellent." Anton replied, to the woman's mild surprise. "Could we have two nights then?"

"I...Yes. So long as you have the money."

Anton reached underneath his armour and pulled out a single gold coin. While they had a few silver coins on their personage it wasn't enough. He hoped that she had enough change, or Graterious had some sort of denomination so they wouldn't have to carry a bag of several hundred silver coins. That was a problem that Anton had been thinking about, bubbling away in the back of his mind. How did someone with five hundred silver coins actually carry them around without a massive sack? In Maxill, at least, they had only a small amount of change from the gold coins. They would soon find out.

The woman took the coin with some hesitation. She inspected it closely, checking over every part of the golden circle, before slowly nodding.

"I... My apologies if I appeared rude before." The woman bowed lower enough to show a modest amount of cleavage. "Quite often we have to deal with some quite undesirable people who try and waste our time or try and steal something from us or our clientele. I must says that you look more like the former, rather than thieves."

"We're going to be working on that." Anton smiled back. "I think we'll get settled in and then we'll get directions to a good supplier of better clothes and armour."

The woman nodded. "I will get your change immediately. Do you require any assistance in carrying your belongings?"

All three shook their heads. The woman smiled and returned to her desk. She waved to one of the nearby low hanging orange sheets of cloth and a soldier emerged. Anton didn't see him until he moved out of the shadows. He joined the woman at the desk and produced a key from around his neck, so too did the woman. A few metal clicks later and they had opened some sort of metal safe, what that would be on this world Anton was a little curious to find out, but not enough to get into trouble.

The woman returned with a series of silver rings and silver plates. She gave them to Anton, they were quite heavy in his hand, and smiled warmly. Anton held his face flat and devoid of emotion as he looked down at the silver in his hand. There were nine silver rings, large enough to go over his wrists, and three silver plates, larger than the coins and just a little bit thinner.

Alright. Since I paid the equivalent of a thousand silver coins, I'm guessing the rings are worth one hundred silver coins and the plates are worth ten. I'm guessing that it makes sense. On Earth we have notes that have different denomination of dollars. It wouldn't make sense to carry a hundred single dollar notes when you could just get away with one. I'll have to pretend that I know what I'm doing.

Anton nodded as he found a pocket large enough for the silver to enter. “Thanks. Are meals included in this?”

The woman shook her head. “I'm afraid not. All meals will have to be paid upon delivery.”

Well, that makes things a little bit easier for us. Nobody should be entering the room and that means that we can relax. Kal can also eat food without having to hide herself. This isn't such a bad thing.

“Thank you.” Anton smiled again. “May we please be shown to our rooms now?”

“Of course. I-”

“Oh. Sorry to interrupt.” Anton smiled awkwardly as the woman raised a brow. “But we have three horses outside that we need taken care of. Is that possible?”

“It is. I'll get the guards to take them inside the stable and have them taken care of. That won't incur an additional fee.”

Anton smiled and nodded furiously. “Thank you very much. So, where are our rooms?”

The woman nodded at some guards hiding in the corner of the room. They came forward and moved towards the back of the room and past the reception desk. It appeared that's where they were meant to go. Anton gave the woman another nod, picked up their packs, and followed them closely. He caught the woman check them over as they walked away before she returned to her previous position.

The guard led them to their room through a series of winding and narrow corridors before finally stopping at a seemingly innocuous door. It looked the exact same as the others, except this had the number twelve on it. The guard opened the door and allowed them in. Anton gave the guards a curt nod before they headed inside. Once inside Anton was, again, acutely aware how rough they had been living. The room was huge and very well furnished; a large soft bed, many cupboards for their clothes and some very plush chairs surrounding a table with a large selection of food. It appeared they wouldn't be paying for this first selection of food. To the side, and hidden behind some thick orange curtains, he could see a large bath submerged into the floor. A white stone surrounded the bath, so water splashes wouldn't reach the rest of room, while a soft carpet and fine wood floor made up the rest of the room. It was a lot bigger than he thought, more of a small pool than a bath tub, not that he was complaining. It appeared to have the faintest wisps of steam rising from the smooth surface. He didn't know if it was heated, or if it used a magical artefact of some kind, but he was going to find out soon enough.

"I see that there's food laid out here." Anton looked to the soldier. "If we need more, who do we ask? I didn't get it from the owner lady."

"You can ask one of the cooks, or a servant." He replied. "They'll get the message through. It will cost you extra, depending what you want."

"Right. Well, thanks." Anton said as he gently placed the packs down and turned to the man.

He nodded and closed the door. Anton didn't hear it click so he and Kal moved a large couch to block the door. Verona didn't wait and, after roughly placing her bags down and resting her spear against the wall, dove for the bed. She crashed face first into the large luxurious bed, the structure barely making a sound under her weight as she flopped about like a fish out of water.

"By all the Gods this is good." Verona moaned as she wriggled deeper into the folds of the bed. "So...comfy." Without looking back she raised her hand towards Anton and Kal, who had just finished securing the door. "We need one of these back home. How much do you think it would cost?"

"It's not a matter of cost." Anton said as he approached the bed, Kal following closely behind, after placing the bow next to Verona's spear, with her mask still on. There was a chance that they could be spied on, but Virgil assured them that was not the case here, for whatever that meant coming from him. "It's how difficult It'll be to move back to Atros."

Anton lay on the bed next to Verona. She was right about how comfy it was. His body fell into the soft material. It was surprising how quickly he became used to the relative harshness of this world, and how quickly he longed for the comfort of his old. He let out a weak groan as he lay on his back on the bed. It was more than wide enough for him to lie down across its length without his head falling off. Tiny squeaks and cracks emanated from his bones as he felt his body relax into the soft surface.

"I'm not that old yet. Am I?"

"Who are you talking to?" Kal asked, titling her masked face.

Anton shook his head and reached for Kal's hand. Before she could react he pulled her down and onto the bed next to him. She squeaked in surprise as her elbow connected with the bed and she rolled onto Anton's side.

"I really want to take that off." Anton said, reaching for the white and green mask.

Kal offered no resistance as he gently pried the mask free, with a little assistance from one of Kal's free hands. With the mask free he was now able to see the face of someone he loved that had been hidden for several days. He would never tire of seeing her brilliant green horizontal cat slit eyes. The rest of the cloth wrappings hid her face were still bound tight so she removed them. Verona let out another moan as she raised herself up and began to unfasten her armour. She patted on Anton's armoured chest for him to do the same thing. It only took a few moments for all of them to be free of their armour. Verona took their pieces and placed them neatly next to her spear and Kal's bow. Anton sat on the edge and rubbed his arms while Kal tried her best to straighten out her hair.

"I'm kind of glad to be out of those." Verona slapped her hands together repeatedly as she returned to the bed. "Wearing them all the time is a little bit irritating."

"What about for-"

"Support?" Verona cut Anton off as she knelt on the bed beside him. She used both hands to pick up her breasts and let them drop. "That's good, don't get me wrong. You don't have to carry around all this weight on your front." Verona lent around Anton to Kal. She had a brush out and was trying her best to straighten her hair. Verona's eyes darted down to Kal's chest. "Though Kal basically knows what I'm talking about...Especially after you healed them bigger."

Anton chuckled and gave Verona a kiss, one which she nearly pushed him over in a frenzied desire.

"But at least now we can wash ourselves." Verona's eyes drifted to the large bath. “You know, before...”

"We really haven't had a wash since that time at the lake." Anton smiled.

"It...It's noticeable." Kal smiled as she sniffed at his clothes, recoiling in a playful disgust. She looked around and then at Anton. "Is...Is it really safe for me to be like this? I don't want to be found out when I'm so close."

Anton looked around. The walls were flat and uniform, no places for peep holes, and so was the ceiling. There was only a single large window at the top of the far wall though it was quite opaque. It would be impossible to tell that Kal was a half-breed beast-kin. So long as they didn't attract too much attention it should be alright. His magic could more than compensate if something went wrong. Anton nodded and gave her a light kiss. "Of course it is. I want to see you in your full splendour."

Kal flushed and her tail tried to escape its confines. "I hate it when you do that to me." she punched him lightly in the arm. "You do that entirely on purpose. Just to see me fluster like that."

"I do." Anton admitted, eliciting a wry smile from Kal. "And I mean every word."

Kal chuckled and patted his leg. "So. Somehow I've made it into one of the largest human cities in the Shattered Kingdoms without being found out...Never though that would happen. What's the next step?"

Verona let out a noise. Her shirt had already been removed, revealing the thin piece of cloth that acted as a bra. She looked oddly back at them, a confused look on her face. "I thought, I thought that, since we're here, the first thing we should do is have a bath. Get the filth and grime off us and then think of the next step. The warm water should help clear our heads."

Anton looked at the bath. It sure was enticing, only only served to make him more acutely aware of the grime covering his skin. "That sounds like a really good idea. It'll be nice to slide into the water with both of you. "

Verona quickly stripped herself of clothes and lowered a tentative toe into the water. She didn't recoil and slowly slid in up to her neck, all the while moaning in joy.

"And I thought the bed was good." Verona said, stretching both of her arms above her head, the droplets pattering back into the bath. "You two have to get in here right now."

Anton removed his clothes and slowly walked into the bath, following a series of steps that formed the interior of the stone bath and deeper into the water. Anton expected the water to be quite hot, it was pleasantly warm. He felt his body relax the water washed away the grime and his stress while he took a seat next to Verona. She appeared so relaxed in the water, and for good reason. The water was taking the weight off her breasts as they floated infront of her. She caught him looking as a wild smile grew on her face.

"We need one of these too." Verona patted his thigh through the water. "I know, for a fact, that every large woman in Atros will be lining up to use one of those. Can either of you use your magic to make that happen?"

Anton scratched his head and ran his wet fingers through his greasy hair. It would take more than this warm, and very pleasant, water to fix that. He glanced around but couldn't find anything that resembled soap. That might be available for purchase later.

"I suppose you could." Anton replied. "It would use up a lot of mana to make this. It took me heaps just to make that spoon. It'll take far more than any of us have, though if we word it so it would take multiple prayers. That's an idea. We also need to find out how much mana Kal has and what the extent of her powers are. How they compare to mine. Really haven't had a chance to test it out yet."

"Right." Verona nodded. She slunk further down into the water until it covered her head. She emerged a moment later, her wet silver hair clinging to her face. "So we need to do it in chunks then. Just like this plan to get to Seocuria."

"I think it would be easier just to dig a bath first and then find out whatever they are using to heat all this water." Anton looked deeper into the pool, Verona tried her best to help him search. "I can't see anything that could do it. Or even where they let the water in. Or out."

"The grate?" Verona pointed to the slab of metal in the middle of the bath.

"Don't think so. That would be where the...water..."

Anton stopped. There was something missing to his side, a third person was missing from the bath. He turned around to see Kal standing behind them. She was naked, her majestic tail curled around her body, but she had yet to join them. The claws on her feet tapped nervously on the hard floor while her hands gripped at her fur covered elbows.

"Are you going to join us?" Anton asked. For a moment he wanted to ask what was wrong but he knew it wasn't the right thing to say.

"I...I don't know." Kal replied. "I just..."

Anton rose out of the water and held her hands, still clutching at her elbows. She looked up at him with a strange sense of worry in her eyes.

"Seeing those Beast-kin..." Kal shook her head. "I know it's silly to think like this, but is it right for me to enjoy this while they are still suffering?"

"I...I don't know." Anton replied. "I don't think it's that silly to think like that, with everything you've been through." Kal lowered her head. Now she looked a little ashamed of what she had said. "But if they knew what we are going to do for them they wouldn't even care that you're going to take a bath. Besides, as your future husband, I want you to take a bath with me. And that's the end of that."

"I don't know. I still don't feel right with them..." Kal frowned and looked deep into his eyes. Her own squinted slightly as they darted from eye to eye. "What did you just say?"

A series of splashes came from behind. Verona emerged from the bath and, while letting the water roll off her impressive naked form, moved next to Kal.

"What did you say?" Verona asked. "That end bit? You just said something."

Now it was Anton's turn to be embarrassed. While the words had slipped out of his mind in a desperate way to stop Kal being depressed over seeing the enslaved Beast-kin, the thought had been swirling around in his head for some time. During Sam's and Jeff's wedding he had mentioned to Verona about getting some better wedding rings, a thought that excited them both. On the journey, in their quiet moments, the thoughts had swirled around in his head and had only grown. He made up his mind about this a while ago so there was no reason to hide it now, especially when any attempt to cover it up would only hurt them.

"I suppose those words came out a little early, and far too nonchalantly, so I'll do it right." Anton took one of their hands, both girls glancing at each other in confusion, both with an increasing temperature and heart rate. He dropped to one knee and looked up at them, Verona and Kal were now very nervous. They didn't know what the action signified.

I don't think that you're meant to be naked for this bit of the proposal but...Here goes nothing, I suppose.

"Okay... Verona, Kal. Will you do the honour and marry me?"

Neither said anything for a few seconds before a smile broke over Verona's face.

"Fuck yes!" she was so excited that she looked like she was about to burst. "Of course I will marry you. If you want me...” Verona flushed. “I didn't think you'd ask so soon. Or...at all."

"I was planning to have the wedding rings first. Then I was going to try and ask you in a better way, but I kind of threw it out a bit early. So I could get Kal into the bath."

Their eyes trained on Kal. Her eyes were turning misty as great tears built in the corners. Verona flashed him a smile as Kal burst into tears.

"I never thought I'd be asked. Ever. I..." Kal whipped away the tears as Anton stood up. She didn't let go of his hand and pulled herself in for a kiss. This wasn't like her normal ones, this was like Verona's; wild, passionate and filled with desire. When she parted her face was completely red, Anton felt that his was as well.

"Of course I'll marry you. I'll be your wife...One of them." Kal glanced at Verona and back to Anton. "Is it normal for someone to have to wives? Instead of a wife?"

"I don't think so." Verona replied, resting a hand on both of them. "But, none of us are exactly normal. Are we?"

Before Anton could answer Verona pushed them with all her might, quite a bit given her small size, and Anton and Kal both fell into the bath. Kal tucked herself into Anton, for protection, as they splashed into the warm water. A great plume of water rose up as Anton tried to get his bearings, his feet could reach the bottom of the bath. He didn't know if Kal knew how to swim but thankfully the water wasn't that deep.

Anton burst up through the water, Kal still in his arms. The water made the fur on her ears look rather odd, parts of the fur stuck themselves together like she was a cat that had been thrown into a bath. In a sense she was. She ran her hands, that fur also slightly matting together, through her hair and onto her mocha toned skin. After giving another glance at Anton, a hand squeezing lightly on his arm, she scowled at Verona before breaking into a smile.

"You're going to pay for that." Kal teased, moving closer to Anton.

Verona laughed and waded back into the water. Now that Kal was submerged up to her neck it meant her tail was too. It flowed through the warm water like a lazy snake, the three fans had condensed and followed the end of the green snake. Kal saw him looking and moved it slowly through the water and wrapped it around them, the three fan tips nestled between their joined arms, as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can... Can you just move a little closer?" Verona asked as she waded through the water. “Future husband and...future sister wife? A little help over here?” Her head was bobbing over the water as she stood on the final step of the bath. She would have to tread water to reach them.

Anton reached out and Verona, realising that they weren't going to move, pouted and swam to them, taking his hand and Kal's as she reached them. Verona laughed as she felt two sets of hands, one human and another Beast-kin, wrap around her waist and hold her up. She began to twitch in their arms.

"Can..." Verona looked between them as tears flowed from her eyes in great rivers. It was a little worrying, a thought mirrored on Kal's face. "Can we stay like this? I...I want to be with you two like this, for just a bit longer. Just...like this. Please..."

Anton nodded and brought them in as close as he could, their faces just a few centimetres from his own. Verona was crying, something he never thought he'd see her do and Kal seemed on the verge. Anton was choking up as well, he was glad that he didn't have to say anything. There would be many things they would need to talk about but that would have to wait. Now was not the time for words. They remained in their embrace, in complete silence and barely moving, for quite some time. It felt good just to hold them in his arms.