The ride across the bridge was relatively smooth, but the road beyond proved to be bumpy. Again. I winced every time we rolled over a large stone and the cart shifted as a result.

My feline companion was oblivious to the conditions of the road as she was soon snoring again.

I was really tempted to "bump" into Kalistra and wake her up. Somehow, I managed to control my unwise urge to play a trick on her and instead I decided to spend my "commute" thinking. My first thought was to Lord Bane. Thank you for your help.

In response, I felt a light stroke against my brand.

Dang. I was NOT expecting a response from the god. Certainly not a contemporaneous one. Seeing that I had the demigod's attention, I recalled how Lord Bane had helped us at the Watchmen checkpoint in front of the bridge. Specifically, he reminded me to use the divine spell that he had granted me via his mark, "Veil," and to magnify its effects to cover both myself and Kalistra. This spell was the very reason that we were able to leave Tregome. I made sure to point out the fate awaiting us if we were discovered by the Watchmen at the checkpoint: missing the tournament and dishonoring the dojo in the process; being hauled to a holding cell at Watch headquarters and possibly luring the drows to attack.

Frankly, I was mildly surprised that Lord Bane would help us avoid detection at the checkpoint because our discovery would have led to chaos for both the Watch and the Butterfly School. In other words, did Lord Bane act CONTRARY to his divine interest by assisting me? If so, surely the demon lord will demand a big favor from me for his assistance. Furthermore, my personal Honor would not permit me to decline if Lord Bane's request was a reasonable one. Perhaps, his lovely daughter Jasla will engage in an act of rebellion, forcing his hapless father to seek my aid to mediate the dispute. Or perhaps, Lord Bane will engage in a lover's quarrel with Lady Musa and seek love advice from me. Well, as long as the return favor does not involve the commission of an evil act on my part, I would be amenable to assist him.

But then again, it was entirely possible that I would be an unwitting actor in an evil plot concocted by the chaotic god. After all, Lord Bane had shown a disregard for the well-being of his lackeys if the result was a furtherance of his objectives; his treatment of Bishop Canterbury was a testimonial to that. While I fear that my return of a favor to the demon lord would further an evil plot, nonetheless I would be honor-bound to go through with it. I had no doubt that the demigod will make a request of me that I will not be able to decline. After all, Lord Bane was extremely devious and manipulative. The events that led me to join the Church of Britannia was a good example. While Bishop Canterbury had directly asked me to join, I was certain that the demigod was the brains behind the conspiracy to make this happen.

I had to step back for a moment and admit that my personal predicament was a surprising one. I marveled at how heavily the gods were shaping and influencing the lives of the inhabitants of this world, including me. It was especially disconcerting when I pondered their motives. Were the gods simply carrying out the Gamemaster's orders? Or were they given free will by their overlord to intervene with the mortals so long as the Gamemaster found entertainment in doing so? This last thought was a somber one as it reflected a truly different divine mindset than what theologians would argue for the purpose of man on Earth. Be that as it may, the purpose of my arrival on Britannia was clear. I was to impress the Church of Britannia enough to garner the support necessary to become the Champion of Order and then fight the Champion of Chaos for the right to rule the Kingdom of Merlin. And I had a strong hunch that it will be a fight to the death.

I sighed loudly. Oops! I didn't mean to make that much noise.

*Knock* "Be quiet!" someone hissed in a low voice that I recognized as belonging to Giudot. "We have company on the road," he whispered.

I accepted the admonishment and kept silent. It made sense that we wouldn't be alone on the road. After the marketplace had closed in Tregome, the traveling merchants would leave town and continue traveling to the next village or town. There was no reason for them to stay in Tregome and pay for an overnight stay at an inn when the merchants could camp out along the side of the road. In addition, a sharp merchant may find the price of certain goods cheaper in one town and then resell in another town for a nice profit. Repeat this process for a number of goods, and that's an excellent way to a make a living without the expense of keeping a shop. Of course, there were dangers on the road, including wild beasts and bandits.

Abruptly, the push cart stopped moving.

"Fair evening, travelers!" someone hailed.

I heard the sound of pebbles crunching. The sound seemed to be drawing closer and closer to the cart.

"May I help you, milord?" Giudot spoke up. His voice was terse.

"Don't be so tense." The stranger laughed heartily. "I was just wondering what you fellows are selling," he said. "Perhaps, we can do a little bartering?"

"All we got is a cart full of hay," Sankryn replied. "We were hoping to offload it at the stables in Tregome, but they just restocked with another merchant."

"Hay? What do you think, boys?" the stranger called out.

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

I heard some shuffling sound. I also realized that Kalistra was no longer snoring. I hoped that she was awake because it sounded like our companions were in trouble.

A moment later, Jormyril spoke up. "Are you bandits? Is that why you have a few bows aimed at us?"

I heard the approach of another person. This time his steps were heavy and lumbering.

"I don't think you got hay in the cart," a new voice said. His voice was deep and loud. "Move aside if you don't want an arrow in your chest," he ordered.

I heard footsteps moving away from the cart. Suddenly, I heard the distinct sound of a sword pulled out of a scabbard. Dice started rattling inside my head. I heard something rip through the tarpaulin. When the dice stopped rolling I received a pop-up message which read, "Saving throw MADE. +100 XP." I felt shifting of the hay as a sword blade ripped through the layers . . . and narrowly missed me. The pointed end of the blade slammed into the bottom of the cart.

"Now let's see if I caught anything," the voice sneered.

I felt the tarp being ripped off forcefully and hay being tossed aside. I quickly cleared my mind and cast "Veil." Just as the red aura surrounded me and Kalistra, the last layers of hay covering us were ripped off.

Peering down at us was an ugly looking man missing his left eye and a huge scar running vertically up his left cheek to his forehead. He blinked his right eye a few times and then the man pulled his sword out of the cart.

I noted that it was a bastard sword.

The apparent leader of the bandits turned away from us. "Search these men and tie them up," he ordered. "These merchants are very suspicious. You don't need three men to sell a cart full of hay," he reasoned.

"What about the cart, Lrangon?" another bandit asked.

From my vantage point, I saw that the questioner was one of the bowmen.

"There's nothing inside the cart," Lrangon replied. "Remove one of the wheels to make it look like the cart was abandoned because it could not be fixed. Too bad it's not a horse-drawn wagon, or we'll take it along with us."

"These men are wearing armor beneath their clothes. And carrying heavy steel swords," someone reported with alarm.

"These men must be part of The Watch! Real merchants don't wear hidden armor!" the leader yelled out in anger and frustration as he stomped his foot on the ground. "Scouts! Check our surroundings and see if any more Watchmen are nearby!" Lrangon watched two of his men leave. He then turned toward the captives, whose hands were now tied behind their backs. The leader decided to pick the biggest captive as his target. "You're going to tell me everything I want to know." Pow! He sucker punched Jormyril.

However, the proud Borderman steadied his knees and refused to show any weakness to this lowly bandit.

"Oh, you're a tough guy, eh?" The angry bandit leader grabbed the large captive by his collar and threw a punch into the man's gut.

"Is that all you got?" Jormyril taunted.

"Not even close!" Lrangon replied angrily and threw a few more punches into the man's stomach.

However, Jormyril withstood the punches without making a sound.

The bandit leader was astonished by the captive's tolerance for pain. Originally, Lrangon planned to smack the toughest looking Watchman to intimidate the other two into cooperation. But the plan failed spectacularly with his target's superhuman tolerance for pain. Even worse, the captive was making Lrangon look weak in front of his own men. To regain the esteem of his men, Lrangon must deal with the brave Watchman harshly by killing him. The leader pulled the bastard sword from his back and pointed it at the condemned man's face. "Make your peace with your gods," he said.

Jormyril grinned. "You should be the one making peace."

Lrangon's confusion turned to shock and then pain as he felt a blade enter his back and pierce his heart. "How?" he gasped as the dying man looked around and saw that the rest of his men were on the ground. Dead. As the bandit collapsed to the ground, his body turned to catch a glimpse of his killer: a petite looking cat girl with pearl white fur and killer eyes. Her hands were holding a bloodied sword.

I had witnessed the entire massacre from the cart. The bandit leader was preoccupied with beating up Jormyril and the rest of his men were watching this beating as entertainment.

With her ungodly speed, Kalistra snuck up on the rest of the bandits and silently dispatched all of them from behind. She saved the leader for last.

I slowly left the cart. By now, I had somewhat acclimated myself to the notion of killing another human being in order to survive in this world. But the way that Kalistra had done so in taking out six bandits was chilling. She wasn't just a fickle cat girl. She was a cold-hearted, merciless killer. And this encounter with the bandits was a good reminder of her nature.

"Thank you," Giudot said as Kalistra cut his bindings.

"You saved us," Sanryn agreed.

"Not yet," the cat girl replied. "The scouts should be returning soon," she said while cutting Jormyril's bindings. Kalistra turned toward me. Her eyes gleamed in the growing darkness. "We need to leave now," she ordered.

Giudot nodded in agreement to the change of plan. "Our cover is blown. We need to send a runner back to Tregome and inform HQ. Jormyril will take up that duty. Sanryn and I will wait here for reinforcement to arrive. I agree that you two should continue with your journey."

I shook my head. "What if the scouts return? How will you fight them off?" I was not thrilled with the idea of leaving the Watchmen behind to fend off more bandits. This was a replay of Maisen forcing me to return to the surface while she and the previous Watch captain made their last stand in the wererat lair.

Sanryn knelt down next to the push cart and reached for a hidden compartment under the box. He pulled out two shields and passed one to Giudot. The tall man stood up and said, "Those guys will not mess with the Watch. Especially not after seeing the carnage here."

"But you're not the ones who put them down. Kalistra did it," I noted coolly and pointed at my master.

"No, this Watchman is correct. These bandits are cowards. If the scouts believe that the Watchmen here took down the entire gang, they will retreat rather than attack," Kalistra countered. "We should go ahead and travel under the cover of darkness. It's time for you to bid your friends farewell."

"Yes, master," I bowed. I turned toward the Watchmen. "I guess this is where we split up," I said softly.

"Make us proud," Giudot said and patted my right shoulder.

Sanryn nodded and patted my left shoulder.

"If you can beat me, you can beat anybody you face at the tournament," Jormyril said with a grin. "So you better win the damn thing." He gently pushed my back.

"Let's run," Kalistra said and took off. She was wearing her backpack.

I quickly grabbed my pack and bundle of clothes from the cart and ran after her.