"No offense to you," I tell Adam as we wash our breakfast dishes in the river cutting through the forest we're in at the moment. "But I am so glad I can finally talk to someone else."

The last two weeks really have been extremely boring, with the most exciting thing to happen being us getting attacked by a deer that shot [Flamethrower]s from its burning antlers. Even though Adam had nearly twice the Strength I did, we both had to work together to take that beast down.

That fight was a few days ago, and my side is still a little sore from where the beast managed to ram me. At least we had something to take care of the burns, as light as they were. We kept the antlers and ate some of the meat, but that was all we could loot from it. We wanted to transport the hide, but it would have been bad by now if we tried.

Other than that fight, nothing much has happened on the trip. We just walked across the grassy hills for a week, then journeyed through this semi-hilly forest for another week. The river we're by ends in a marsh south of here, which we encountered about four days ago. Adam said that's how we knew we were on the right track – the villages are off of the river a little north of the forest.

The river was more of a stream when it reached the marsh, only about twenty feet in width and rather shallow, and it surprised me that it was able to make a marsh. I suppose that it's being helped from water in the ground itself from a source other than the river. Where we're at now, however, the river is almost a hundred yards in width and I'm certain it has a decent depth to it.

Not that I can tell from here. The water is extremely clear, and that messes with perception a little.

"You are good company, yes," Adam inspects the dish he was washing before setting it on the towel spread out. "But there is only so much one can talk about with an individual. And having only a single person to talk with for two weeks was… tiring. No offense to you."

"None taken," I stretch before sitting back a little. "Only having you around to talk with was a bit tiring for me."

"Where did you find those berries?" Adam decides to shift topics. "That was an interesting breakfast you prepared for us, with those and then the stuff you scrambled into the eggs you found."

"A bush a few minutes that way," I point north. "It's right off of the river."

"I see," Adam says. "I might eat some while waiting for you to return."

"Alright," I say. "You said the villages shouldn't be more than an hour's walk north of here?"

"If my memory of the map is correct," he says. "Then yes, it shouldn't be more than an hour's walk north of here. The forest is rather calm and peaceful, as you've noticed, so you shouldn't have to worry about monsters attacking you."

"Alright," I pull on my pack. "I'm going to head to the villages and see about selling some of the stuff we gathered while walking. Those antlers may sell for a decent coin, but some of those herbs are good, too."

I don't even need to be here to know that an Item Quality 2 leaf with healing properties can sell for a pretty copper.

"Yeah," Adam looks a little uncomfortable.

"What is it?" I ask.

"What?"

"You look like you want to say something," I say. "But are uncomfortable with it. We haven't fucked, but that doesn't mean you can't be honest with me if something's wrong."

Adam and I are just travel companions, but we're both definitely fine with the idea of having sex with the other. The reason we haven't done that yet is we'd rather make sure we're nice and clean first – and do it with lube. As we're lacking that vital item for making it more comfortable, we haven't done anything as we'd rather wait until we can do anal to even do oral.

"Er…" Adam hesitates, and I raise an eyebrow. "So something I didn't tell you about the twin villages…"

He really seems uncomfortable here.

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if it's true or not," he says. "But I heard that they mostly keep to themselves and don't interact with the rest of the kingdom very much. Not that they're hostile to outsiders, just that it's a typical village setup in the first place, and then they have their own little conflict. Basically, they're only part of the kingdom just because of where they're located."

Which explains why he's sure they'll be fine with him.

"What conflict do they have?"

"I've heard that the two villages are on opposite sides of the river," he tells me. "And that they really don't like each other and try to pull in visitors into their war against the other side. I'm not sure how true this is, but be careful not to get caught up in things."

"I'll keep that in mind," I tell him.

"Alright," he says. "See you when you get back, Jamie. And remember, it's fine to spend a couple of days there if needed."

Adam told me during a previous discussion that the villagers might give permission for him to come into the village and run the Dungeon as long as I do some stuff for them first. That would 'prove' that we don't have ill intentions for them. When he told me that, he assured me that it would be fine to stay a night or two if the stuff they want me to do takes awhile.

Also that he'd come into the villages to check to make sure I'm okay if I'm not back on the third day.

"I remember," I say. "I'll still try to be back before tonight, though."

"Okay," he says. "Good luck, Jamie."

"Thanks," I tell him.

I set off following the river upstream. After about an hour, I leave the forest and find myself on the foothills of a mountain. I suppose they may have actually started much further away and I might actually be on the mountain now, just a more flat portion of it. That would explain why the terrain has been so hilly for the last couple of weeks. I can definitely see a mountain on the horizon, too. It stretches as far as I can see to the east and west.

The river widens up to about five hundred feet by the time it reaches the villages, which are rather obvious after leaving the forest. No walls surround either one as those are actually expensive to maintain and so aren't typically built unless it's needed to protect against attacks from monsters or other people. Though I guess they might also be built to show off the wealth of the town or city.

Both villages are about a mile north of the forest, with most of the houses spaced out a little bit so that the residents can grow their own food. Based on what Adam's told me, most people who don't live in a town or city grow their own food and trade for what they need. I may not actually be able to sell our goods here, but I might still be able to trade them for supplies.

Both villages have huts that look like they're made out of animal hides fixed to frames made of branches, and I can see smoke coming out of a few of them. There appears to be some sort of cover with a gap between it and the roof of the huts to allow the smoke to escape without allowing rain to enter.

In the center of the river is an island about a hundred feet from east to west and around three hundred feet from north to south. It's situated directly between the two villages, which I'm assuming is why they were built in those spots. Standing on the island is an archway made of stone, which looks dark blue as I draw nearer.

Half a mile from the first building on this side of the river is a man fishing. Even though I was warned about beastkin already and have traveled with Adam for two weeks, I'm a little surprised when I take in his ears and tail.

The man's ears and tail are those of an otter's, his body slender in build. His hair is brown and looks kind of soft and fluffy. I'd estimate him to be in his late thirties to early forties, and he's dressed in just a pair of old, light brown pants. He's slender in build with only light muscle definition, not a trace of hair on his torso, just as Adam told me was normal for beasktin. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he's probably only about 5'4", but it's hard to tell with him sitting down. I guess beastkin might also have heights and builds more resembling their bestial parts?

A woven basket sits beside his seat, which is a folding stool made of a wooden frame with a woven reed seat. A few fish are already in the basket.

Across the river from him is a man with the ears of a bear, his hair brown. That man is fishing as well, but with a bigger basket beside him. That man is bigger and more muscular than the otterkin, though I can't make him out too well due to the distance. I do think the bearkin looks around the same age as the otterkin, though. He, too, is dressed only a pair of pants.

The two of them are currently bickering, which makes me wonder both if either of them noticed me approaching and if they're going to be able to catch anymore fish.

"Ha!" The bearkin yells across the river as he grabs a fish out of his basket. "A tiny otter like you could never hope to reel in a catch like this!"

The fish is on the larger side, roughly a foot in length. All of the ones I can see in the otterkin's basket are around six-to-eight inches in length.

"It'd be too heavy for your puny frame!" The bearkin yells. "You'd never manage to reel it in! In fact, I bet it'd pull you into the water!"

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Considering that [Fishing] is a Skill and [Fisherman] is a Class, I'm sure that's not true at all. That Class no doubt adds Strength every Level, which means that the otterkin could probably build up the Strength needed if necessary. Though I doubt a fish the size of the one the bear's holding is even able to put up enough fight that someone would need several Levels in [Fisherman] just to reel it in. I'm pretty sure I knew people who caught fish that big when we were ten.

Chances are, they're just harassing each other. It doesn't seem aggressively hostile, just… taunting between rivals.

"You brutes only ever think about size!" The otterkin retorts. "Why, you've only caught four fish today! I've caught fifteen already and I've been here for five minutes less than you!"

Unless the fish don't notice the arguing, I doubt either of you are catching anymore fish.

"Oh yeah?" The bearkin responds. "I bet that if we compared my four to your fifteen, I'd have more meat for eating!"

I think this is enough to tell me all about the 'war' between the two villages. Deciding to interrupt the argument, I put my left fist in front of my mouth and clear my throat. Immediately, the otterkin looks at me. Damn can his head turn.

"Oh!" He exclaims. "Hi! Wasn't expecting to see a human around here! Ignore the brute on the other side, he doesn't know what it's like to have fun. If he had a brain, he'd have greeted you instead of continuing to harass me."

"If I had a brain?" The bearkin stands. "You say that to my face, Martin! At least I don't slide around in mud to get into the water!"

"At least I can swim underwater!" Martin stands as he yells back. "You just sink like a rock, Kevin!"

"Ha! Have you forgotten who's a stronger swimmer?" Kevin asks. "I seem you recall you struggling against a current! I bet a leaf could have swum up that current, but you just got swept away!"

"I thought the race was in the other direction!" Martin yells back. "I can out-swim you anytime!"

"Excuse me," I hold up a hand, and both beastkin look at me. "I have some questions, if that's alright."

"Come over here!" Kevin calls over. "Those otters have fish for brains and wouldn't be able to help you if their lives depended on it."

"Yeah?" Martin asks. "You bears only think about your strength. I bet you'd just break his questions!"

"That's not even possible!" Kevin counters. "Questions aren't physical things!"

"Guys!" I exclaim while trying to not laugh at this. "Hello! Human with questions! I don't mind if you both answer. To determine who gets to answer first, both of you make a guess at my age. Whoever is closest gets to respond first."

"Eighteen!" Martin calls out.

"Twenty!" Kevin responds.

That makes me pause for a few moments. I didn't think about if they were both the same amount off. Maybe I could go with whichever age I'm closer to in terms of months?

"Okay," I say. "That was a bad one. I'm nineteen, so you're both one year off."

"What if you went by months?" Martin asks. "I bet I'd be closer!"

"Ha!" Kevin exclaims. "I'd be closer than you, Martin! You just don't want to-"

"Do I need to pull out a talking stick?" I ask. "Jeez! You both look about twice my age, stop already so I can talk! We're going to do a 'guess my Total Class Level'. Whoever is either right or closest to it gets to talk first. No interrupting. Now make your guesses."

"Level 10!" Martin asks.

"Ha! As if he'd be that weak! He's Level 20! At least!"

"Er… I'm actually Level 7," I say. "So Martin was closer."

"How did you know my name?" Martin asks. "Are you a psychic?"

"Kevin shouted your name," I answer. "And you shouted his. Kevin, is there any way you can come over here? Shouting so you can both hear me is kind of hurting my throat."

The only reason Kevin can hear me is probably because he has more sensitive ears than a human does. He is five hundred feet away, after all. I can hear him only because he has powerful lungs and is able to project his voice rather well.

Kevin thinks for a few moments, then dives into the water and swims over here, climbing onto the shore once he arrives.

"Keep at least fifty feet away at all times," Martin holds up his hand. "I don't want your smell on me, bear."

"As if I want your smell on me," Kevin says. "You can jump in the river if you're so concerned. The human has questions for both of us."

"Yes," Martin says. "And I won the guessing game. Don't you forget it!"

"You were only closer," I say. "You only would've won if you'd guessed my age correctly."

Kevin sticks his tongue out at Martin, who glares at him. Two grown-ass men acting this way. Jeez. I get the feeling this is how both villages are, too. They're just massive, somewhat antagonistic rivals to each other.

"I really will get a talking stick," I say. "Don't make me do it."

"Sorry," both men apologize.

"Thank you," I say. "And before we get started with the questions, my name is Jamie, not 'human' or 'the human'. Got it?"

"Hello, Jamie," Martin greets me.

"Pleasure to meet you, Jamie," Kevin says.

"Alright," I say. "Now that that's out of the way, I'm traveling with a demihuman dragon-"

They both make a face saying that they're not too happy about that.

"-and we were wanting to pass through this area," I say. "He wants to get onto the mountains up north and doesn't want to have to deal the wilderness further to the east to go around this kingdom. At the same time, he heard you guys had a Dungeon your two villages share and was hoping to be allowed to run it once or twice before moving on."

They both start to talk, stopping when I hold up my left hand.

"He's also understanding if you guys want to decline," I add. "We just felt it wouldn't hurt to check. If neither village wants to let him pass through, then we'll just go around. Do you know if passing through and possibly using your Dungeon would be allowed? If so, who should I talk with regarding that?"

"Where's he at?" Martin asks.

"In the forest," I jerk a thumb behind me to indicate it. "He felt it best to wait a fair distance away from the villages just in case you guys were hostile towards his kind."

"We don't have an issue with his kind passing through the area," Martin tells me. "As long as they don't come too close to our village."

"Same with ours," Kevin says. "Letting him use the Dungeon, however-"

"It's my turn to speak," Martin says. "You can't answer both questions in a row if I haven't answered the second one yet."

"Martin, grab a fish from your basket! That is the talking fish! I talk, then whichever of you has the fish responds, then hands it to the other when he's done so the other can talk!"

Both men look sheepish and Martin grabs a fish from the basket.

"Now," I say. "You guys mentioned it's okay for Adam to pass through the area as long as he doesn't come too close to your villages. Does that mean we won't be able to run the Dungeon?"

"There's no issues with humans running it," Martin tells me. "But no one will feel comfortable letting a demihuman dragon that close to the villages."

He stops there and I stare at him for about ten seconds.

"Pass the fish, Martin."

Martin very reluctantly hands the fish to Kevin as other otterkin approach us, likely curious about what's going on. I'm sure a bearkin on this side of the river was rather noticeable and it looks like some of the bearkin on the other side are swimming over to investigate the situation as well. Curiously, all of the males are bare-chested – they're all wearing either just pants, just shorts, or those and boots.

"We bearkin don't mind if humans run it," Kevin says. "But just like the fish-brains, no one will feel comfortable with a demihuman dragon getting that close to the villages."

At this point, the otterkin and bearkin approaching us are close enough to hear the discussion for certain, no one in the water anymore.

"Alright," I say. "Thank you. Now, we've been traveling for two weeks without much rest and are rather exhausted. We also haven't interacted with people other than each other in two weeks and kind of want to socialize a bit. While I know you guys won't want to talk with a demihuman dragon, would it be permitted for us to keep our camp in the forest for a few days? Just to rest a bit?"

"A demihu-" an older otterkin begins to talk, having just reached us.

"The only people allowed to talk are me and whoever has the talking fish," I interrupt. "I'm not wanting to deal with people talking over each other. So if you want to respond, please raise your hand and wait for the talking fish."

There's a very uncomfortable silence here, all of the beastkin looking rather awkward.

"Kevin, give the old otterkin the talking fish."

"A demihuman dragon staying near us for a few days," the elder otterkin says once he has the talking fish. "Will be too uncomfortable for us. We may not have anything to do with the conflict to the west, but we still know the tales of what they do."

"Right," I say. "And we can move our camp a little further away if needed. Now, Adam has some hunting ability, a little bit of extra Strength thanks to his Classes, and some level of ability with fire magics. He'd be willing to help out a little bit if it let us stay closer to the villages for a few days so we can rest from our journey, if it won't get him permission to stay in a proper house. We're both willing to provide some assistance as well if it would get him permission to enter the Dungeon for a run or two before we continue on our journey."

Several of them start to open their mouths.

"Look," I interrupt before anyone can speak. "First, talking fish is what gives anyone other than me permission to speak. That makes it easier to avoid people talking over each other. Respect the talking fish. Second, this is only an offer, not a demand. If you say no to this, then that's that. I'm simply putting it out there so you know we're willing to provide some help in exchange. It'd also give you a chance to decide for yourselves whether or not this one demihuman dragon is okay. But again, if you say no, then that's that."

An older bearkin who same over opens his mouth, but stops when I stare at him. He raises his hand and I tell the otterkin to hand him the talking fish. Despite clearly being around sixty, the elder bearkin is just as muscled as the younger ones.

"If you're willing to prove that you can be trusted to vouch for someone," he tells me. "Then we'll consider giving your demihuman dragon friend's offer for help some thought. To prove you can be trusted, you have to outlast their best breath-holder in the water without using magic to assist you. If you can manage that on your first try, then we'll believe you're superior to the fish-brains."

All of the other bearkin here add their agreements to that, and I find this a really weird way of proving someone can be trusted. Something tells me that the otterkin who can hold their breath the longest can do so for a time that would be considered ridiculous to most humans.

"Alright," I look at the otterkin. "And you guys?"

The elder otterkin who had the fish before raises his hand and is given the talking fish.

"We'll consider it as well," he says. "If you can catch a fish bigger than any they've caught on your first try and within ten minutes. That's at least thirty-two inches."

Ah. I see what's going on here. I'm guessing that they're both attempting to use me as a proxy in their little conflict with each other. These two villages are ridiculous, but at least it's something simple. They'll probably compare my best time or the fish size to the other side's average in an effort to show the other side is 'bad'.

"Hm…" I think about this. "Alright. I would like some time to prepare for the competition. Also, I don't have any proper shorts to swim in, just normal pants."

"The competition will take place on the island," the elder otterkin with the talking fish "We can take you there on a boat. Meet us at the village docks in time. Both competitions will take place at that time, so be prepared. I'm sure the berry-brains can provide you a pair of swimming shorts."

While I'm certain I can handle the part where I have to stay underwater longer than the otterkin who can hold their breath the longest, I don't think I can catch a fish like that in that time. At least one out of two isn't bad, and we can deal with only one village being a little more hospitable to us.

"Alright," I say. "Do I have permission to pass through the village? I want to find a spot alongside the river that feels suitable for practicing."

While I could return to the forest to prepare for the challenge of holding my breath underwater, my gut is telling me to travel up the river a bit more.

"We can allow that," the otterkin says.

"Alright," I say. "Is everyone in agreement about the terms and conditions, location, and time for this proving test? No need for the talking fish for that."

There's agreement all around, so I dismiss everyone.

"Jeez," I mutter once they've walked or swam off. "That was like handling my siblings and their friends."