Evelyn and shell by themselves yet again traveling down an open path this time. However, that open path is a mountain range and yet again. Evelyn finds herself tired. Not from dehydration this time however, but from the traveling trunk that's been fashioned into a backpack that she now has to carry if that's not enough, she hasn't had a break since she left the desert town due to the fact according to Shell she struggled to defeat a b-ranked monster and had to rely on his aid when having to a ranked weapons on hand should have been more than enough for a triple s rank like herself.

While walking across the ridge is of the mountain. Evelyn can't help but slump over due to the excess weight. Meanwhile, shell is enjoying some dried meat having a brisk walk and today a rather shaggy looking wolf with a maroon. Her color is accompanying them.

While they continue their March, Evelyn can't help but look down. There are plenty of random spots of green appearing all throughout the mountain and tons of paths both traveled and untraveled.

Evelyn: you know this wouldn't be as much of a pain in the neck if we just continued on the main route.

Shell: if we continued traveling on the main road, it would have taken longer than just crossing the mountains. By crossing the mountains, we'll be able to enter a nearby town that's closer and from there we can go directly to the Capitol without wasting as much supplies.

Evelyn: but this route is more dangerous.

The two continued Evelyn complaining about her circumstances and shell refuting all of her circumstances with semi-reasonable statements as they continued along. Evelyn spots out of the corner of her eyes. Something interesting.

Evelyn: hey look over there.

She points down the edge of the cliff. They're walking along shelling the wolf both follow the tip of her finger to the indicated destination.

Shell: what?

Evelyn: what do you mean? What those bandits and those people surrounded by bandits.

Shell: yeah and?

Evelyn turned around and gave him an angry look.

Evelyn: what do you mean? Yeah and those are thieves. I'm a paladin. I should be stopping them.

Shell: well no one's stopping you go ahead.

Evelyn holds out her hand shell raises one eyebrow not reading what she's getting at.

Evelyn: I need a weapon.

The two looked at her crazy.

Shell: they're just bandits are you crazy.

Evelyn: a normal weapon you idiot.

So hesitantly reaches into his traveling bag, undoing the drawstrings then pulls out a hammer meant for blacksmithing. He looks at it a bit. Unwilling but inevitably hands it over to her.

Shell: don't break it. Lose upon it or anything else in between. It's really important.

Helen looks over the hammer. Not sure why he's so attached to it then. Shrugs and repairs to go down and she kneels over to climb down the cliff. She finds herself falling off seeing as shell kicked her off the edge. The thieves stop their current heist of a caravan noticing allowed scream coming from up ahead. Looking up they see Evelyn falling swinging her arms wildly clearly not capable of landing on her feet. The thieves attempt to move out of the way as Evelyn lands she quickly gets up and runs at the nearest bandit confuse. The bandit is caught off guard and is nailed in the face with a hammer. The other bandits tried to recover the knocked out bandit but as soon as two of them get closer she swings the hammer again whacking. The nearby bandits only three bandits remaining. Looking at The Three bandits she noticed the stuff they're keeping their distance. One of them tries to ready a bow and Eric not allowing that to happen. Picks up a rock off the ground and smacks it at the bandit. Writing his bow using Mona to boost the a shot that bandit was taken out isn't worth it. They decide to cut their loss and run for it, but of course she's not having any of that. Having greater speed than the two bandits. She trips one with her legs and smacks the other in the face with a hammer. All the bandits have been eliminated the Coachman and merchant in charge of the carriage approacher thinking her repeatedly. They of course offer her a ride stating that they will be heading to the town of Tipton but she refuses stating that they'll be going to memorial City actually watches them. Leave she waves while shell lowers a rope down for her to climb back up the mountain wall back up on the cliff shell asks her an upsetting question.

Shell: didn't know you were pro-slavery.

Evelyn: what do you want about now?

Shell: what are you talking about? You just saved those slave traders from those bandits heck you even got them more merchandise. Way to go you.

Evelyn took a moment to think about what you saw. Large carriage with many horses. A single well-dressed merchant despite the size of the carriage. Thinking about it, there might have been signs that they we're in fact slave traders that she just didn't notice In the heat of the moment. Feeling she just was made aware of something awful. She shakes her head in denial and continues walking after picking up her backpack style. Travel trunk Shell follows her from behind laughing at her misery.

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Later in the night the two set up camp. Evelyn too tired to move. Finds herself forced to sit up staring at the fire. Afraid that if she lays down she'll never be able to get up again. Next to her is last. The wolf was accompanying them during this stretch of the journey and me on the other side of the campfire his shell who is engorging himself on a strip of dried meat while looking as comfortable as can be.

Shell: hey so like...

Evelyn looks at him with a tired expression.

Evelyn: what?

Shell: never mind.

Trying not to humor him. She opens up her travel trunk and pulls out the vanilla folder. The orphanage director letter key. She opens it up and begins reading some of the pages inside.

Shell: you still have that thing? You should have left it with him.

Evelyn: the director said he want s me to hang on to it saying it's too dangerous to keep it in an stationary place where anyone could come and get it.

Shell: yeah, but having that makes you the king's enemy and since we're heading to the Capitol for dispatch trainings so that we can be assigned work, you're bound to run into him and knowing what you know about me and him is not the best thing for you.

Evelyn shrugged off his warnings and continued reading. At some point she notices that three unidentified figures seem to be slightly outside her line of sight she looks up from the vanilla folder to see that a group of coyotes had decided to pull up to the campfire.

Coyote leader: would you mind sparing some of that meat you're eating?

Evelyn looked at Shell both startled and confused at the talking coyote.

Shell: I told you before being my paladin memes, you're now able to speak to all canines that includes coyotes.

Shell reaches into his travel sack and tosses towards the coyotes a sack labeled dried meats and has a date written on it that goes slightly beyond 3 months. The coyotes rip open the sack revealing stacks of dried meat. They begin snacking on it while shell use his his travel sack as a pillow adjusting the jacket he's been wearing to be used as a blanket then goes to sleep. Evelyn finds herself irritated that he's willing to share his rations with wild animals, but not her. Looking back down at her file she notices that last placed another sack labeled dried meat with a date marked 2 months ago. Unsure of if this was just lasts doing? Or if he was following the orders of shell she opens up the sack eats on some of the meat. Her continues reading into the night until she gets tired.

The next morning the three of them find themselves walking down the cliff. Unsure if they're heading in the right direction in the distance. There appears to be a strange man wearing a cloak into sombrero as they get closer. The person starts to notice them waving at them furiously hoping to get their attention. Evelyn looks at the man and then at Shell shell of course had already noticed and chose to ignore the man. Unsure I had to take that considering her impression of shelf so far is he's antisocial in the worst way possible so he could be ignoring the man because he's a threat or he could just be ignoring the man because he just doesn't like the Man.

Man with a sunbrow: hr hey you guys appear to be out and about. You're on your way to the big city. Would you mind the little extra company?

Evelyn begins to give him a response but before she could.

Shell: sorry Guy, we actually are traveling the mountains looking for something. We're not going to be hitting the city anytime soon. Give us luck is to do it along or wait for someone else to travel with.

Sombrero: oh is that so? Too bad. I was really hoping to have companions on my return trip.

Evelyn, started to look like she wanted to say something but before the man could take note of her expression. Shell kicked her in the back yelling at her to keep moving insisting that she gets further and further away. The odd part is last who was uninvolved with Shell's active acts of bullying was also pushing her to get as far away from the man as possible after there were several kilometers away. Evelyn asks.

Evelyn: okay what was that all about?

Shell :.... I don't know what you're talking about.

Last: sorry Little Miss boss. Man's choice of actions was right. That man wreaked of all kinds of blood, even humans. Whatever his deal was I can guarantee you want no part of. The two then proceeded into the mountains further. After a while the city was firmly. In view from where they were walking they could see a wall with two border guards guarding the mountain pass. Excited. Evelyn stops walking for a bit to open up the travel trunk and pull out their travel papers as well as her paladin's license reaching the entrance. The man reviewed their documents. Shell notices the gods looking at him. Apparently they were fascinated with him being a member of drakewood village traveling with a normian civilian. In response to this, he lifts his arm preparing to flick them off, but before he could Evelyn punches him in the gut causing him to fall over. She then proceeds to lift him over his shoulders, getting free passage to enter and proceeds to find a hotel.