We had passed word to the city guard that the warehouse in question held smuggled goods. It was a run down building full of cobwebs and empty boxes covered in dust. If we were in luck the guards should be at the warehouse already, searching for the supposed contraband. There was a good chance that our group would be accosted before we reached the docks, so we had made this plan just in case.

Luckily the roadblock was fairly close to the warehouse, so it didn’t take us long to arrive. We were all armed but were wearing our fancy clothes except for our two mercenary friends. It would make the next part easier if they thought we were rich merchants or nobles.

We stopped to let our pursuers get closer before throwing the rear door open and running into the warehouse. For some reason it was decided that I would do all the talking. The city guards were indeed already in the warehouse breaking open boxes. They all reached for their weapons as we suddenly ran inside.

“Oh thank goodness! Guards you have to help us, we are being chased by thieves!” I called out as we continued to run past them toward the entrance of the building. The guards looked at each other in confusion before the first of our armed pursuers burst through the back door. At that point they all drew their weapons and ordered them to halt.

Our pursuers were extremely surprised to see city guards right in front of them and foolishly ignored the guard’s orders. They tried getting past the guards, but the guards weren’t having it. The two sides started fighting with the guards easily overpowering our would-be attackers. We had stopped at the front of the warehouse to see what would happen.

I had originally suggested we bribe some of the guards to see us safely to the docks but was told that there was no way to know which guards could be trusted. Corruption was evidently rampant in the capital so we had to be sure the guards wouldn’t just side with our pursuers. Luck was again with us as these guards fought on the side of the law.

This wasn’t all of the ambushers though, so I had to use my acting skills again. It didn’t look like any of the guards had been seriously injured, which couldn’t be said of the other side. There were a few that were still kicking and being taken into custody. “Thank you. I will be sure to tell your superiors how well you fought today. Also here is a small pittance for your troubles.” I said as I gave who looked to be the leader of the group a bag of coins.

“There is more where that came from if you can spare a couple men to escort us safely to our ship.” I said. The middle-aged guard captain smiled after receiving the coins and immediately called out the names of two of his men. I handed over another bag of coins and we quickly departed. The ambushers would no doubt think twice before attacking members of the city guard.

We let the guards go first who led us back toward the main road. As expected, a line of rough looking individuals were blocking the road. “Get out of the way if you know what’s good for ya!” One of the guards yelled. The ambushers frowned and looked at each other before reluctantly getting out of the way. We walked by grinning and waving at them.

They didn’t look happy but unless they wanted the rest of the guards in the city coming down on them there wasn’t much they could do. We reached the docks safely where I again tipped our escorts. Bribing sure was expensive. The captain of the ship was waiting for us, and we got on board. He informed us our supplies had already been stowed, so we were able to quickly get under way. I was worried that they might have a pirate ship or something that would try stopping us, but Lux didn’t think it very likely.

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We relaxed on deck, watching the capital recede in the distance. It felt good to finally be on our way. After a while we were sailing around the point and I could see the lighthouse near Lake City. It was interesting to see it from this perspective. We returned to our cabins and rested for most of the rest of the trip.

Our mercenary friends got to know us a little better during the trip. There weren’t many rooms so they were forced to share one even though I got the impression they weren’t a couple. Torg was still mostly a mystery as he was the strong, silent type. He seemed nice enough though and I did see him sharing war stories with Lux on occasion.

I was a little afraid at first that the sisters might find him more appealing as I still didn’t think I was much of a hero. To my relief they barely paid any attention to him. They were definitely being overprotective of me when it came to Nix however. I didn’t really mind though and tried not to let my eyes wander.

Nix on the other hand loved to gossip and flirt. She was slowly winning over the girls even though they glared at her whenever she tried flirting with me. I was perfectly fine with just the sisters, but the sexy cat girl didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer. Shadow didn’t seem to mind either of them and Nix seemed to be intrigued by our lazy mascot.

The captain of the ship was well paid, and the crew left us alone. In no time we found ourselves back at the small fishing village. There had been no signs of us being followed by another ship, so it looked like we were in the clear. It was possible the captain or crew would let slip our secret whereabouts but once we were on our way it wouldn’t matter too much.

I couldn’t tell if the villagers were happy to see us or not. They did seem surprised to see the boat as they weren’t expecting it as it was sooner than their usual schedule. They still had an impromptu party to celebrate its arrival which went on well into the night. We stayed that night in the same abandoned hut that we had stayed in before. It was almost nostalgic.

I didn’t sleep much, but it wasn’t because the girls kept me up. Mostly it was due to me being anxious to be on our way although the loud party also contributed. I had no idea how long it would take us to reach the lost capital but we were well supplied. We woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and headed out.

We started following the remains of the north road we had discovered at our last stay at the village. Lin and the Nix took the lead to scout the way forward with Shadow doing her usual roaming. Torg guarded our back. The going was easy at first but soon we had to start clearing the undergrowth. It was still less dense than if we strayed off the old road.

The first beast attack came about an hour into our trek. A jungle ape appeared in front of us which was quickly taken down by Lin and Nix with arrows. It was likely the smell of blood would draw more beasts, so we quickly put some distance between us and the carcass. After that the attacks continued almost regularly. It was the same kinds of beasts we had seen before so nothing we couldn’t handle.

It gave Ann and I a chance to utilize our offensive spells which made for good practice. Sometimes it was hard to hit the beasts but I was getting better. We stopped before it got dark and set up camp. Our supplies included some expensive warding stones that would supposedly keep the monsters away from us. I didn’t know how they worked and was fairly skeptical about their effectiveness. The others must have felt the same as we still took turns keeping watch throughout the night.

There were plenty of howls and growling sounds during the night, but nothing attacked us. Somehow, I managed to get some sleep. We woke up early and after a quick bite to eat we were on our way again. Everyone’s spirits were still up and the weather was good, if humid. I just hoped our luck would hold.