Iris groaned, feeling a dull ache in her body. She lay sprawled on the bench of the wagon while Sera was inside getting them rooms at the nearby inn. Mocha stood next to her, nudging her gently and ruffling her hair with her snout. Iris got the impression that Mocha was trying to comfort her.

Iris forced a weak smile and patted Mocha's nose. “Thanks, girl. But I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

Her horse gave a soft whinny. Iris had talked all about the formidable Truck-kun that had sent her to this world and how it hitting her was what caused the event. The two girls were best of friends, Iris knew Mocha didn’t want her to leave.

“Sorry, no. Not that kind of truck. I’m not leaving you.”

Mocha nuzzled her hand, and Iris couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over her.

As Iris lay on the bench of the wagon with her horse messing with her hair, she watched the people walking by in the bustling village. A group of children ran past, their laughter filling the air. They were followed by an elderly couple, their arms linked together as they walked slowly down the street. A young man carrying a basket of fruits over his shoulder hurried past, nearly colliding with a woman carrying a basket of flowers. She scolded him good-naturedly as they continued on their way.

Further down the street, a group of merchants were haggling over prices with a customer, their wares spread out on colorful blankets. A pair of guards in mismatching gambesons and spears marched by, their laughter at whatever conversation they were having filling the air as they passed. There was even a street performer entertaining a small crowd with juggling tricks and acrobatics.

Mocha let out a snort as she realized Iris was people-watching. “What? You don’t find this interesting? All of these people just living their lives, not knowing all of the things they could have better…”

The horse nudged at her head and blew air in her face.

“Ugh, Mocha! Your breath stinks.”

Just then, Sera emerged from the inn.

The high elf smiled at Iris and Mocha as she approached the wagon. “I got us some rooms. Let’s get you inside and settled.”

Iris pushed herself up, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. She swung her legs over the edge of the bench and stood up slowly, leaning on Mocha for support.

Tanith walked around the wagon from where he was checking and rearranging supplies that had been jostled in their escape from the harpies.

“I can help her, Sera,” he offered. “The wagon is ready for you to start setting up as a stall.”

The merchant looked between the two before she nodded at Tanith. "That would be great, thank you." She handed him the key to their room. "The room she and I are sharing is on the second floor, the one at the end of the hallway."

Tanith took the key from her and put a steadying arm around Iris. "Come on, let's get you inside and comfortable," he said to Iris.

Iris nodded, grateful for the help. She leaned on Tanith as they made their way toward the inn. Mocha followed behind them, whinnying softly.

As they reached the entrance of the inn, Sera turned to Mocha. "Mocha, would you mind staying with me for a bit? I have some things I need to take care of."

Mocha nodded, giving Sera's hand a gentle nudge with her nose. Iris turned and gave Mocha a pat on the neck.

“Don’t worry, girl. I’m just sore,” she reassured her friend. “Now’s a great time to try that glowing goop.”

Mocha snorted, seemingly understanding Iris's words. Iris noticed Sera’s smile at the two before the woman headed to where the window in the side of the wagon was opened for her to set up her wares.

As Tanith helped Iris up the stairs to her room, she couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. “Thanks for helping me, Tanith. I think I can get it from here, it’s just sore muscles.”

Tanith smiled warmly at her. “It’s no trouble at all, Iris,” he said before his mood became more somber. “You’re the reason we didn’t fall prey to those creatures.”

She just nodded in response.

As they entered the room, Iris was pleased to see that it was clean and cozy. She made her way over to one of the beds and collapsed onto it. Sighing in relief, she sprawled out, the bed creaking as it settled with the weight of her armor she didn’t care to remove.

Tanith chuckled as he set her bag down in one of the nearby chairs.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

"A little," Iris replied. “I love Mocha to death, but some of our stunts have my muscles sore for days. I don’t know how people ride horses for so long. I swear tomorrow, she’s walking by herself while I relax in the wagon.”

Tanith laughed. “Your horse is something else. It is uncanny… she really can understand us, can’t she?”

Iris closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being able to rest for a bit.

“Yeah. I suspect it has to do with the flash and her leveling with me from all of the shenanigans we get into together,” she explained without opening her eyes. “Mocha is amazing. If it wasn’t for her…” she sighed. “Let’s just say that I don’t want to know what could have happened to me.”

She was still sore from the battle with the harpies, but she was grateful for the chance to recover.

Maybe I’ll just rest. Shouldn’t waste the Healing Goop.

“I’ll let you rest, Iris.”

“Wake me up in an hour or two. I need to speak with the village’s guards.”

“I will. For now, relax.”

Iris just nodded and soon, she felt herself drift off to sleep.

✦ ✦ ✦

Sera stood outside with Mocha as she was showing a few of the villagers her goods. She caught Tanith emerging from the inn out of the corner of her eye and nodded in his direction.

Tanith saw Sera's nod and made his way over to her, weaving through the villagers who stood in front of her wagon. He smiled warmly at her as he approached.

“How's Iris doing?" Sera asked, setting aside a small vial of healing poultice.

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

“She's resting now, but I think she'll be okay,” Tanith replied. “She's tough.”

Sera nodded, relieved to hear that the woman was doing well. She was still in disbelief at the potency of the terran’s magic. The way she was able to weave lightning and launch it at those strange winged creatures was awe-inspiring.

At least in retrospect. At the time, Sera was absolutely terrified as she saw the things Iris had called harpies.

Still…

“Good to hear. How are our supplies?”

Tanith sighed, pulling a list out of his pocket. “I made a list. We’ll need to get some more items before leaving. It’s only a day of travel, so we shouldn’t need too much.”

“Can you handle that,” Sera asked with a grimace. “We’ll need all the supplies we can get. But–”

A customer stepped forward, interrupting their conversation. Sera turned her attention to the customer, smiling warmly.

Tanith stepped back, allowing Sera to handle the sale.

The customer held up a small pouch and asked questions about its contents. Sera examined the pouch for a moment before grabbing it to explain the product. The two went through a quick back-and-forth to settle on a price.

Sale completed, she stuffed the coins into a pouch on her waist and turned back to Tanith. “As I was saying, we'll need all the supplies we can get.”

Tanith nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it and will be back soon. Iris wanted me to wake her up so that she can see the guards. I suspect it is because of what she recovered.”

Sera groaned. “She needs to get rid of it.”

“If she doesn’t after the talk with the village’s reeve, I’ll insist upon it.”

“Good,” she said with a curt nod, and she meant it. She refused to go into the back of the wagon until it was gone.

✦ ✦ ✦

Iris woke to Sera gently shaking her. She groaned softly, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. “Already?” she muttered, realizing that she had only slept for a short while. She stretched her arms and legs, feeling the soreness from their encounter with the harpies.

With Iris sitting up, Sera handed her a cup of water and a small piece of bread. “Here, drink this and eat something,” Sera said, handing her the provisions. “You need to keep your strength up.”

Iris nodded, taking the cup and bread gratefully. She drank the water in one gulp, feeling the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. The bread was a bit stale, but it still tasted good to her empty stomach, and finished it quickly.

“Thank you, Sera,” she said, setting the cup down on the nightstand. “I appreciate it.”

Sera smiled. “Of course. Are you feeling better?”

Iris nodded again, her head feeling a bit clearer. “A bit. I’ll be good to go by morning. I'm ready to go meet with the guards now.”

Sera stood up, giving Iris a hand to help her up as well. “I'll be here when you get back. Take care of yourself.”

Iris stood up from the bed and made her way to the door. As she opened it, she turned back to Sera. “And keep an eye on Mocha, will you? I don't want her getting into trouble.”

Sera smiled. “Don't worry, she's in good hands.”

Iris left the room and headed downstairs to meet with the guards, but first, she stopped by the wagon to grab the large sack and tossed it over her shoulder while channeling [Arcane Capability].

Iris walked through the village, passing by small cottages with thatched roofs and gardens filled with blooming flowers. The streets had a line of stones on either side of them, and the occasional stray chicken or cat could be seen wandering about.

As she made her way a couple of streets over from the inn to the center of the village, the air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread. The few shops of the village appeared in a tiny row along the street, which ended at where she saw the Reeve's House, a larger house made of stone with a thatched roof. The building stood out amongst the others, and it was clear that it held an important place in the village. A wooden sign hung above the door, bearing what she assumed was the village's crest.

The sound of voices could be heard from inside through the open windows, and Iris could see a group of people standing outside, talking amongst themselves. She approached them, her large sack slung over her shoulder.

“Hello! I am looking for the guards?” she greeted the group.

One of the men, a telv, laughed. “We only have two guards in the village, lass. They’re out and about now.”

Iris’s face fell. “Oh, can you point me to–”

“Manny, are you bothering people again?” a loud voice said from inside.

The large door opened and a high elf woman opened the door.

The woman focused on Iris with a stern gaze. “And who might you be?”

“Hello, I am Iris,” she introduced herself, bowing slightly to the high elf woman who stood before her. “I am an adventurer and I was looking to speak with one of the village’s guards, but it seems they are not here right now.”

The woman studied her for a moment, her gaze sharp and calculating. “I am the Reeve of this village. What is it that you need from the guards?”

Iris straightened up and looked the Reeve in the eye. “I have been hired to escort a merchant to Brightburn,” she explained. “During our travels, today, we were attacked by a flock of harpies. I managed to kill a decent amount of them, but I wanted to both warn you of the remainder and request a reward for the amount that I did kill.”

The Reeve looked Iris up and down, taking in her appearance and the large sack slung over her shoulder. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

“Harpies? What are those?”

Iris sighed. She should have expected this. “Well, they’re these bird-people creatures, and they’re not to be trifled with. They can be quite dangerous for travelers. One of them was even capable of using magic.”

The woman glanced between the villagers present before her eyes narrowed. “Are you pulling my leg? What kind of woman do you take me for? To believe such a tale?”

“No, no, I swear it’s true. My companion can attest to it as well, and I have proof.”

The Reeve placed her hands on her hips, still looking skeptical. “And what reward do you expect for this supposed feat?” she asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Iris hesitated. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “Well, I suppose some gold would be nice, for my trouble.”

The Reeve let out a laugh. “Gold? Lass, we’re a small village. You expect me to reward you gold for a story about bird people? I’m afraid we don’t have any gold to spare for such fanciful tales, my dear.”

She dropped the sack she carried onto the ground and let go of her attribute-enhancing spell, sighing as she did.

The woman glanced at the bag in concern. “What’s in the sack?”

Iris hesitated for a moment before reaching for the bag. “Perhaps this will convince you,” she said as she opened the sack and revealed the body of one of the female harpies.

The Reeve’s expression changed from amusement to shock as she peered into the sack. “By the gods,” she murmured. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Several people gasped as they took in the appearance of the naked harpy. The thing’s face was contorted into its final expression of pain, its sharp, feral teeth visible in its slightly ajar mouth.

Iris couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction at the Reeve’s reaction. “As I said, these creatures are not to be trifled with. They’re a danger to travelers and could pose a threat to your village. There were dozens in the forest south of here.”

The Reeve nodded slowly, still looking at the harpy’s body in disbelief. “I see. Well, I wasn’t lying about the gold. But, I suppose we could offer you some supplies or provisions for your journey as a token of our gratitude for warning us and for killing some. I… I will need to send a rider out to the lady…” the woman trailed off as she started murmuring to herself.

Iris nodded. “Thank you. I will just uhh…”

The woman fixed her with a stare. “Yes, leave this here. The lady will need to see it. I… No. Are you leaving soon?”

Iris shook her head. “No, we are staying the night. Honestly? I am sore from the fight and need the rest.”

“I will join you for dinner. I am sure there is much we can discuss,” the woman stated.

“Alright. We are staying at the inn.”

The woman held out a hand. “I am Reeve Evelyn. Give me time to sort this mess, but I will be there tonight.”

Iris shook Evelyn’s hand and nodded. “Thank you, Reeve Evelyn. We'll be expecting you.”

With that, Iris turned to leave. She made her way back to the inn. While she was disappointed that the reward didn’t amount to much, she was sure Sera would appreciate not having to spend as much coin on supplies they needed. That negative feeling was quickly washed away by a feeling of relief that she had at least made some progress in warning the village about the harpies.

After all, it was her duty as an adventurer.