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It was only until the second sun began to rise when the group encountered a carriage. It was similar to the one Raea rode months ago to enter the borderlands, but a lot bigger. There were no horses or animals pulling it along—an orb powered it instead. Elrith stepped onto the road and waved his hand at the approaching carriage, causing it to slow down. The owner, a woman wearing a veil and white dress, stepped off the carriage and sized Elrith up.
“What are you supposed to be?” she asked and raised an eyebrow. Elrith looked down at his dirty brown robe and wooden sandals. His face was equally smeared with dirt, and his beard was beginning to grow out. “Soldier? You don’t look like a city dweller.” Her eyes passed over the rest of the group who kept their heads lowered with hoods obscuring their faces except for Palan. He was shirtless and standing with his back straight, arms crossed over his chest. The woman’s eyes widened when she saw him.
Elrith scratched his head. “Does my profession really matter?” he asked. “I was hoping you could give us a ride to the city. I can pay.”
“You’re a deserter, aren’t you?” the woman asked, her face expressionless. “Fourth one I met on my way to Marossa. You look exactly like the others.”
“Marossa?” Elrith asked and blinked. “We traveled that far west already? That’s great.” He knew Marossa was a sparsely occupied city. It would be perfect for Palan to adapt.
The woman frowned when Elrith avoided her accusation. “What’s a deserter like you doing heading to Marossa? Aren’t you afraid of getting caught by the army?” she asked. “They’re occupying it heavily; I suggest you go east like everyone else.”
“Are you going to give us the ride or not?” Palan asked and narrowed his eyes. Hitch a ride? It would be easier to kill the owner and steal the carriage. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to drive it which is why he didn’t act immediately.
The woman’s frown deepened, but she smiled an instant later. She turned towards Elrith. “You said you can pay?” she asked and clapped her hands. Her face hardened. “Twenty stones each.”
“Isn’t that too much?” Elrith asked as a wrinkle formed on his forehead. “I’m not a tourist.”
The woman shrugged as she stepped back onto her carriage. “Are you paying or not? You won’t find anyone else heading west,” she said.
Palan took a step forward, but Elrith took two steps forward. “Pay. I’ll pay,” he said and shot a glance at Palan. Elrith was seriously worried that Palan would kill the poor woman. One hundred stones was a cheap price to pay to save a life. Elrith opened his bag and rummaged around before sighing. “Cleo,” he said. “Please.”
“Fine,” Cleo said and rolled her eyes before slapping a pouch onto Elrith’s palm. Judging by the weight, Elrith could tell the orange lizardman had no intention of giving the rest of his stones back to him. He handed the pouch to the woman who stepped aside and made space for the party to board.
“What’s a deserter doing with so much money?” the woman asked as she watched the group settle down next to her wares. Her carriage was filled with cloth undergarments and leather armor along with other miscellaneous goods.
“Do I really look that much like a deserter?” Elrith asked.
“Yes,” the woman said as she placed her hand on the orb which was embedded in the carriage’s dashboard. The carriage’s wheels creaked before the vehicle inched ahead. Soon, it was charging down the road, going just as fast as Elrith’s spider. “You know what you can do to look less like a deserter?” she asked. She spoke again without waiting for a reply. “You can buy some of my wares. They’re good quality.”
Elrith furrowed his brow and looked around the carriage. He had to admit that the quality of the clothes was on par with the capital’s standards. “They are,” he said and nodded. He was about to touch the clothes with his hands, but the woman stopped him.
“Your hands are dirty, just point out what you want to see,” she said and frowned.
While Elrith began shopping, Cleo noticed Palan’s disgruntled expression. “What’s wrong?” she whispered as Raea raised the bandages covering her eyes and looked around.
“Is she strong?” Palan asked, staring at the carriage owner.
“You can’t be interested in her, right?” Cleo asked and blinked. “Don’t tell me you became a pervert after playing with Raea.” Raea’s and Palan’s hands hit her at the same time. Her tail swished as she grumbled and clutched her head through her hood. “You’re both bullies,” she muttered with tears in her eyes.
“Why isn’t she afraid?” Palan asked. “Anyone who’s confident enough to transport around goods must be powerful—especially since she doesn’t have any companions.”
“You don’t need strength to be a merchant in Div’Nya,” Raea said and knit her eyebrows together when she saw Elrith pick out a ribbon. “The second sector doesn’t have any dangers.”
“Other people?” Palan asked and raised an eyebrow.
“Angels don’t commit crimes,” Raea said and pursed her lips. “At least, not in the second sector. The dangerous angels are only in the borderlands.”
Palan relaxed. “Then she’s weak,” he said and leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of himself. Danger Noodle yawned and coiled up into a pile.
“She still has to be close to a greater angel or higher to drive a carriage like this,” Raea said as she lowered the bandages back over her eyes. Elrith had finished shopping, and she didn’t want the owner to see her eyes.
The owner looked at the pile of clothes in her hand. “Four hundred stones,” she said. Elrith’s eye twitched.
“I could buy better clothes in the capital for cheaper,” he said. “Three hundred.”
The woman snorted. “As if someone like you could enter the capital. Three fifty,” she said. “Price is determined by demand. If you don’t want the clothes, you don’t have to buy them.” Her hand rifled through the pile and plucked out the ribbon. “I bet your girlfriend would love this. Isn’t three fifty worth her happiness?”
“That’s not fair,” Elrith said and sighed. “Fine. Three fifty.” He turned around to look at Cleo.
“You owe me,” Cleo said as her tail swished. The owner saw it, but didn’t say a word. Cleo tossed a pouch towards the owner. It didn’t hurt the lizardman to part with the money—the thrill came from stealing it after all. Her tongue wet her lips as she noted where the owner stored the stones. It looked like she kept them in a pouch by her inner thigh.
Elrith carried over the pile of clothes and pulled out the ribbon, handing the rest to Cleo. Cleo stared at the clothes covering her body and blinked at Elrith. “What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked.
“Store it?” Elrith asked and raised an eyebrow before approaching Sally. Cleo shrugged and folded the clothes, unwilling to use her powers in front of a stranger. “I thought this would suit you,” Elrith said to Sally. His hands reached underneath her hood and tied her hair into a ponytail with the ribbon. The severed arms attached to Sally’s robes freaked him out, but he did his best to ignore them and smiled at her.
The owner’s face blanched when she saw Sally’s pale skin that was revealed briefly by Elrith’s actions. “Nervous?” Palan asked and spat a tooth onto the floor of the carriage. He felt the increase in the owner’s heartrate and grinned at her.
Although her heart was pounding, there was a slight smile on the owner’s face. “Should I be?” she asked. Palan chuckled but didn’t respond.