"So where are you two headed once you are done with Tryhpeltzweig?" Futhans asks me, or us, possibly. His eyes keep darting over to Rose-sweerui as she takes it leisurely on the back of Shraymeaus. Not only did she get changed into something scantier than before, she even dolled up the reptilian half-steed. All to at least make it more deserving of such a pristine petal such as her.

I scoff within the confines of my mouth, keeping my want to throw out exaggerated gestures down.

"Naw, I gots to say'a. I'm fine with da pretti thing's lingerings." Shraymeaus chuffs, Rose-sweerui's injuries all but forcing her to hold him like she would normally do so to me. Going to throw out a guess and assume he's glad to have metal armour over his crotch. If I never got used to her lustful antics after so much exposure, I doubt anyone else will.

Rose-sweerui turns my way for a quick air-kiss and then her mouth opens, "We are going to Suhurlodst, a dear friend of my precious love, is there."

"Tah, ain't I lucky'ey?" Shraymeaus chorts with clenched teeth. I roll my hidden eyes. Rose-sweerui returns to eating the portion of food Futhans offered and her ride's additional offerings. I imagine she's feeling like she never left her flower right now, having a pair of boys at her beck and call.

"Makes sense. Had a feeling that might be the case. Now, I ain't no witch meself, but you both seem capable enough for that place. Maybe even enough to make a friend of ours, Baltanthan, jealous. He really wants to go, but the travel expenses are a bit much for Ravineers like us. He's also got his family preferring him to stay and hold down the shop." Futhans explains and I manage to follow along.

"Tell'ya whats, he's goin' to have ta skip town hiding wit' someone if he wants out." Shraymeaus adds on and the pair of hunters agree like it's the obvious solution.

"Speaking of friends," I start to say, focusing on the blonde hunter, "Have an aelenvari, woman with a tail and a human woman with short hair and big muscles been by your town recently?"

"Can't say, been a while since we've been able to linger in town long enough to spot strangers. What with the sadroobell mating season being about and our jobs being a fair bit busier than usual. But, if you plan on meeting them and you've taken the same path up till now. Then, they should have ended up going through Tryhpeltzweig. We're on one of the main paths to Thrurstradtur-Suhurlodst. Even if we're not an official road or registered in the government logs," he explains.

My mask hides my disappointment, but this is what I expected. I died the day we were supposed to leave, the day before at best. Then everything with the gods happened and then all that occurred when I was revived... Gives Vapooliar and the other two plenty of time to get an overwhelming head start.

Guess it gives me more time to think about how I am going to explain my situation. None of them are going to be exactly happy to see an osibindah. Vapooliar, least of all with what happ- I just don't want it to turn out hostile.

"How many days away from this Thrurstradtur city is your town?" I ask, as it'll give me a point of reference to work with. Not just for my reunion, but for our supply situation as well.

"A few weeks on a normal pair of feet, unfortunately. Never mind the actual ascent up the mountain-state. You can reduce the time. But, that means contradictorily heading away from both Thrurstradtur-Suhurlodst and Tryhpeltzweig to reach a government-ran town or place. So you can use their spiral-trains to then head back the way you came and to the city pair."

I nod at his explanation and while I am familiar with trains, what is the 'spiral' bit, exactly?

"Spiral-train?" I ask.

"Motorised vehicle with a bunch of magic stuff in it that rotates around a set path like this," Futhans explains, an arm imitating a rail line while he, well, spirals his other hand around it.

"Is there a requirement to get on one of these spiral-trains? Beyond normal ticket fares and all that." I ask further as I recall the rules that gave upper-floor citizens of Tobaballe better luxury and space away from us grounders and the like.

"They still doin' that'a free ride with being a citizen?" Shraymeaus asks his companion and Futhans shakes his head.

"No, think they did away with that a while ago. Not sure why, could've been a temporary law or maybe some company got involved around here. But, it's now cheap fees for citizens, tariff hikes for anyone not a national. So that includes us Ravineers." Futhans clarifies and Shraymeaus lights up with an idea.

"Well'a, I ain't one to say'a no to a darlin' like this here Rose'lhia. My legs can gallop'a you that distance just fine! Provided you got at least a few Teethed Efforts with you to make up for ta lost time." the reptile offers, but I am certain his offer hinges on Rose-sweerui's continued usage of his back as a chair.

"If I am to ride anything for a long time, it will be my precious love's-"

"Did you pack any of these Teethed Efforts!?" I interrupt loudly before she can finish, not that it matters. These two are old enough and smart enough to know where she was going. Shraymeaus is most noisy about it too!

"I did not pack any Clockwork Proof of Efforts, no. I did, however, pack items that can fill in for such a role. But I am not a negotiator, so if I can get the best value out of them is..." she explains, trailing off as she brings me in for a hug. Both to hide the growing sense of disappointment and to nuzzle out some of that affection she was proud to let out a sentence ago.

"Don't worry about it, then. I'm sure I can find some work to get a bit of coin. More than enough time." I reassure her verbally while my clean claw shakes her furthest arm a little.

"Well, if you're willing to work. I can take you to the farmer who put out the request to handle the sadroobell. He can probably offer someone of your strength a fair bit of pay to handle his ryphurgok. Especially if you do not mind a creature that needs solid metal walls to keep housed." Futhans explains, and I let go of Rose-sweerui with a blink. Solid metal?

"Solid metal?" I repeat, both my thoughts and his words being my inspiration. What kind of creature needs solid metal walls? No farm animal back home needs anything like that. A few lines of barbed wire are more than enough to deter all but the hungriest of them. And even then! Gods above, some planks or well-placed rocks will handle most of them.

"Yeah, quite deeply laid as well, with further strut reinforcement on the outside. Ryphurgok can pack a mean amount of power if they get charging. Never mind how hard their beaks are because of their diet." Futhans explains further and I think I am able to recall the animal he's on about. One of them took a shit in front of me and Vapooliar before we went to sleep the night she wanted to flee. A noise of acknowledgement bounces around my mask's interior.

"Bah, you talk'a about 'hem as if they're dangerous. I can outrun one just'a fine." Shraymeaus boasts, one of his back legs kicking into the dirt and making a small splat of grass with it. Guess he thinks that's impressive? Rose-sweerui's eyes seem to almost demand I show off a greater kick. I ignore her want and her tail whips in time with her pout.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"You could outrun one if you went off to the side. If a ryphurgok gets going on a straight line, you're trampled like everyone else is." Futhans points out and Rose-sweerui puts a finger to her lips, her bulbs initially lighting up over the pondered thought. She realises her vocalised thoughts being a glow and not words.

"If I recall correctly, even outside of the laws of the usual wind-people settlements. The laws regarding these animals are still followed? With their grazing space left at a certain size so they cannot build speed. Cramped conditions and regular feeding keep them weighed down and too unable to run anywhere." Rose-sweerui speaks and I'm a bit surprised she knows this. What, with her previous answers from the other day about generally not being involved with towns and cities?

"Yes, exactly." Futhans goes.

"Sounds fun." I remark, setting aside my tangenting thoughts.

"For you, probably'a! Actually, thinking about it. You'd fetch for quite a hefty pay. Savin' the owners a lot on doctor visits and safety equipment." Shraymeaus concurs, and I huff quietly.

"And how about you, Rose-sweerui? Any skills you have that can make some money?" I ask and whatever Shraymeaus quickly ends up chuckling about receives an utterly uncaring blast of magic to have it stopped. Rose-sweerui, undeterred by her suddenly hurt steed, carries on with her reaction. Something that's downright allergic.

"I'm not a root! Menial labour is beneath me," she irks.

"Well, you'll need to swallow your pride and work, then." I point out, our lack of money being more than a slight problem.

"I refuse! I will not lower myself to their level!" she spits out with growing annoyance and the other two seem quite happy to enjoy the scene.

"What about helping me, then?" I suggest, as I am sure I can find safer work that can involve her. When she's done healing, of course.

"No! My duty to you is to you exclusively, not another!" she argues against, anyway.

"Why not try a temple or shrine, then? That was your role before, no?" I go and she still sneers at the idea of it.

"Yes, being an ivy-mother was a religious role. But, I also did not do menial chores. I was in the highest position a woman in a flower can achieve. Even among my fellow Ahnelges ivy-mothers, I stood out and shined brightly." she explains, her chest puffing up as her face takes on increasingly vain attributes.

As it becomes clear this is all I am going to get out of her, I sigh and shake my head, dropping the subject, "Fine, I will just work harder to make sure I have enough for both of us, then."

A smile spreads across her face, an innocent giggle escapes and she displays her feminine body quite seductively, "Excellent! You can start by bringing back food that I can cook and I can tend to you... In other ways."

Thankfully, my mask is hiding my blank stare. But even if she could, I doubt that would stop her swishing tail or put an end to that lusty smirk. Her expression breaks mine down and I smile a bit myself. Look at her, fine putting in labour to help me out, but she'll draw the deepest, clearest line the moment someone else is involved. No matter how slight!

"Nice to see you two getting along." a new, older voice says, taking the attention of all four of us. The calm expression he has turns firm and his walk becomes more of a march. His attention locked on Shraymeaus and Futhans.

Futhans pats around for the jawbone.

"And why are you not hunting that sadroobell?" the old man demands to know, though he doesn't seem so far gone as to deny the chance for explanation. Futhans fails to get the bone, but I am fine with raising my claw the metre or so it needs to be put on display.

"Because these two dealt with it." Futhans answers, his hands erratically pointing at my gore-stained treasure. What I feel is an awkward silence takes over. The old man's serious expression cracks completely with a shatter that's almost hearable.

"To the local, then!" he cheers with a hearty laugh and a dry huff escapes me. The pair we met steadily calm down and they join in on the fun. Reminds me a lot of Tobaballe, really. The mood that took over when the bells and alarms ended people's shifts. What was once a common daily occurrence is now a rarity.

"Wait, Dad, won't we get more pay if we bring back the whole corpse?" Futhans asks, clarifying their relationship. Though, now I'm wondering what about the corpse makes it worth so much. Oh, right, food. Wonder what kind of steaks can be cooked from that?

"But the local...!" the old man complains to his son, his face slipping back to its professional sternness as he meets my eyes, "Can you give us an account of where the rest of the corpse is?"

"I can take you, but not tell you." I answer, my mind not really able to comprehend how to explain the journey. Rose-sweerui's sudden, tight touch brings my attention back around to her. Her head shakes ever so slightly while her eyes sparkle with either the forced start of genuine or fake tears.

"Will your flower pickings here be fine on her own? The quicker we can get this done, the better." Futhans' father asks and Rose-sweerui's grip tightens even more. Any more and she might crush my arm into a bloody bit of flatbread.

"No! I am not staying on my own!" Rose-sweerui snaps and I catch Shraymeaus' face move all over with his neck.

"Am I that forgettables?" he mutters to himself.

"Rose-sweerui, it's alright," I start to tell her in an effort to calm her down, but, it seems like either my death is still bothering her or the attack is... "I'm not just going to leave you out here to go and nab a corpse off the ground."

She shakes her head with a teary whine.

"Well, if she isn't willing to stay put. Not that I can blame her, with those injuries and all. Guess we'll head back to town and present the jawbone as initial proof. Or, well, you present it as it was your kill," Futhans' father explains, and that seems to get something positive out of her.

"No, no. That's fine on the money bit. I never killed it expecting a prize. I did it to save Rose-sweerui. We won't take it all. That way, you still get something out of today." I explain to the hunters and they seem happy with that arrangement.

"Shall we get going back to town, then? We can speak more on the way there," the old man suggests, and I nod along as my mind gets going without me.

"Wait, I have an idea," I tell him and my focus goes back to Rose-sweerui, "What about in the town? Would you be fine being left there? You'd be near guards, strong walls, and you could get something to eat and rest properly some more."

Each word sees me lower myself more and more, so I'm not imposing over her. More so for my own sake, I guess. I don't want to think she's only agreed because I am big. A big scary osibindah monster...

"I don't want to be left behind..." she tells me quietly with a sniffle, her eyes spilling over with wetness.

A long noise leaves me, my thoughts working overtime to try and figure out something. What can I do that can appease her mindset...? She likes grand things? What can I- Oh!

Thank the gods for such quick inspiration.

"But... But! If you wait for me in town and give us time to get the sadroobell body. You can smile so proudly at all the disbelief of all the people. Watching me as I bring that dead monster into town. You'd really be able to rub it in to all those other women that it's your precious love doing it! They'll just stare on in envy and you'd be able to run up to me." I tell her quite quietly and she latches onto the mental image instantly. Somewhat I am lying, as I am just trying to appeal to her standards. She wipes her eyes and lets me see them again, all giddy and bright.

Her tail swings with tiring speed and her blush-carrying smile opens up, "Ok..."

Her grip loosens, and she goes back to holding onto Shraymeaus fully.

"So how far away is the town, anyway? I could get her there and you lot get a head start towards the sadroobell?" I offer as I pick up Rose-sweerui.

"I'll get headin' to Tryhpeltzweig. I can make it back in no time." Shraymeaus insists while he relinquishes his soft package, regardless.

"Not far, maybe another hour or two?" Futhans guesses as he looks up at what must be a local landmark.

"I see. Is there any place in particular I can leave Rose-sweerui and our stuff at?" I ask, securing everything that I can in the bag while my grip is firm and caring with the lady of the hour.

"There's the Welcome Plaza Bed and Breakfast. You will be able to tell what building it is by how confused you get when getting past the walls of the town, as it looks just like the entrance to town." Futhans' father explains, his description of the place perhaps more confusing.

"Guess I will know when I see it. Futhans, if you take your father down the path we came, you'll eventually get back to it." I explain to the blond-haired son.

"Yeah, sure, I can take him. But how will you get back? Shraymeaus already has the head start, and he gallops quite fast, even for a kelbalid. Doubly so, given the luxury he's had today." Futhans asks and I wish he could see my smirk. I roll my shoulders and test the spring in my double-jointed legs.

"Easy, by jumping." I tell the father-son pair and me and my cargo leap into the air. Hopefully, this should cut down on how long it will take to get to this town. And, looking at the currently screaming woman, quite the earful is expected too. She gets not a moment to calm down before the next earth-breaking boom.