Chapter 10

I saw Rye scribble something in his diary in the "Misc" section as we left the cave. When I looked closely, not only did I see the quest named as "Bring Sabriyya a salamander egg", but also stumbled over Rye's foot, which had been placed before me on purpose.

So, because I twisted my ankle after I tripped over Rye's foot, which is the version of the story everyone, except me, tends to accept, I had to wimp my way to Seri, being left several meters behind. Well, the good part was that the scorpions were attracted to the others. For some weird reason... like any other feral animal in this world...

"Welcome to Seri, travelers." A blonde, dark-skinned lady greeted us randomly, before zooming off. At least she did not say something about whatever was happening in that city without being asked, like other people used to.

However, regardless of how sad I was to leave the, apparently, normal-minded citizen, I had to follow the group, since, to my despair, they had started to enter houses and buildings uninvited again. And there wasn't too much to the chests in this city, for all they found was a stick of dynamite and other useless stuff.. I did not bother to search for another chest with up-pointed arrow-thing, but, for some reason, the others did look for one with hatred, I suppose. For another reason I do not know, they were somehow trying to laugh at me for not being able to find level chests when I did not even try to.

They did not find any themselves.

Anyway, leaving the chest contest aside, I have to mention that my face had suffered a few dozens of palms a couple of minutes after Ean had decided to move on with the exploring of the city. And all those palms were mine, surprisingly.

"Where are you going?" I asked them, a bit nervous as they were approaching a corner where three men were discussing. One of them was apparently in trouble as he was jumping every once in a while, avoiding to talk with his interlocutors. Facepalm.

"That doesn't look quite right, we should see what's happening." Iya said, not actually seeming to care that those two rogues were carrying knives in their hands.

"But..." as much as I cared to continue, I realized that my opinion didn't actually matter, for Ean had already went to one of the men and poked his arm. Facepalm.

A dialogue followed, one of the very intelligent and diplomatic kind that was held by Ean and the rogue. As intelligent and diplomatic a dialogue between an elf (especially if it's that particular elf named Ean) and a rogue could be. And from this discussion, we were to find out that the man failed to pay his debts.

Ean turned around and looked at us.

"Rye, can you come over?" He asked. Facepalm. Such thing as Ean and Rye deciding whether to spare a man's life and pay for him or let him die was not going to end too well. For their brilliant minds were to unite their ideas as they started whispering, aware for no one to hear what they were plotting.

"We should save him..." Rye whispered.

"Why? It's a lot of money." Ean asked.

"KARMA!" Rye exclaimed, frowning as Ean widened his mouth.

"Correct!" Facepalm.

I desperately sighed as they started counting their coins.

"Would you stop slapping yourself? You depress me." Gavin said, frowning at me. I would have slapped my forehead again, just to depress Gavin, but it already started hurting, so I gave up on that sport.

The process of Ean and Rye counting coins was tragically sad, for both mother nature, who bothered to give human beings (and other beings that look somewhat human) brains to use of them in activities such as math, and for the poor persecuted man, named Rasmen, who had his sweat dripping from his clothes as he watched the two blades in his attackers' hands.

"I have 75 coins."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes... NO! I'll count again! 1...2...3...4..."

"Forget it, you have 75. I have... 80."

"That can't be right..."

"Why?"

"Because 80 plus 75 is... - 8 plus 7 is... eh, 8 plus 2 is 10 and plus another 5 from the seven... - 150. No...155."

"Yeah, that can't be right..."

"We are missing... 155 minus.. .No, 170 minus 155...-okay, I am going to guess- 15 coins."

At that point, a knot formed in my throat as I felt the cold metal make specific sounds when hitting eachother in the little purse. I turned to my left and fake sneezed right in Nicolas' face.

"Ewww! There's spit and mucus all over my face!" He yelled as I used the diversion to fling the purse near Rye's foot. Every other party member was watching them count, I could not have thrown the purse just like that. And a pansy prince yelling because there is mucus and spit on his face is the best diversion.

"Oh, look, a purse of gold. There are 15 coins inside. What luck!"

"KARMA!"

"On your knees and beg forgiveness right now, you filthy slug!" Nicolas roared in my face as I shook my head no and ignored the prince from that moment on, regardless of his smug orders.

Rasmen ran past me just when I was dodging one of Nicolas' shoves. I did not know what happened, but, apparently, he had not payed Ean and Rye for their good deed. And they got pissed. They cursed a while, but eventually stopped, when seeing a house they could enter uninvited.

Inside it was a lad, who told us something about his love, Simini, being stolen by the sultan, because, well, he was the sultan. His name was Firoz. Rye wrote, Ean nodded and we left the house promptly, assuming that we now had to get some kidnapped chick from the sultan back to her dude.

For another couple of hours, my companions (yes, I did call them that, I must have been sun-struck) kept on creeping around the commercial center of Seri and buying stuff. Some woman told us that she did not have any ropes... Okay. And a perky pirate was promoting his sails by singing out to buy them while they are cheap... and never ask where they came from. Not suspicious at all.

Ean spotted a few Shaenlir guards on the shore and suggested going, yelling obscenities at them and throw rocks before running away. That was, by far, the stupidest idea he ever had. No one agreed with him, yet he still went to the guards. I smiled, waiting for the elf to be slaughtered by the soldiers of my home city, who were, obviously, having some difficulties in accustoming with the climate. But he returned soon, to my disappointed relief.

Just then, Ean eyed something interesting and started stomping furiously towards a young man dressed in ragged clothes, demanding an explanation for not thanking or something like that.

"I was afraid that the thugs would change their mind and kill me anyway." He confessed, sobbing, finding himself surrounded by all of us.

"So you decided to run away, even though we had already paid for you!" I said, regretting the 15 coins I gave away. Rasmen eyed me suspiciously, frowning.

"Are you not a bit pale to be standing in the sun?" He asked, tossing aside the previous discussion. Only then did I notice that the skin on my arms was red, and that I was getting severely sun-burnt.

"Hmm, you may be right..." I said, concluding that my skin indeed hurt when touched.

"Anyway... payment?" Ean said, holding out his hand in front of Rasmen, not actually caring that I was quite burnt.

"Here are a bunch of magic beans I bought with that money... you can have them, they have brought me nothing but bad luck." He said, handing Ean the beans and leaving.

"Oh, how considerate! Not only do you not thank us, but give us unholy objects?" I yelled after him, being interrupted by Gavin, who just told me to drop it and pushed me forward, grabbing my burnt arms. Something interesting followed, which concluded to Gavin crawling on the ground in pain, cursing me for leaving him without the ability to have successors. Not that it was a bad thing...

I do not know how the hell that happened. But it hurts when someone grabs you when you are sun burnt.

After that, the group avoided me even more.

Even so, I continued to follow them. And was intrigued by the fact that we were allowed to enter the palace without any guard testing their lance or scimitar on our throat. Because she was evil, The Snow Hag never let anyone enter the palace. Because she was made of bastard ice.

We made our way trough the castle, found Simini and had Iya weep after hearing her sad love story, but stopping when the southerner told us to make the sultan cancel the wedding and reunite her with Firoz. Without even asking if we had time to spend on playing in her cheap soap opera. With that attitude, I cannot see why anyone would want to marry her.

We also talked to the sultan, who was willing to give his fiancée away just for something as exotic as her, or more. Well, look who also agrees with the diva attitude Simini has!

The sultan also said that he would move against the Snow Hag, but that he was informed by Uthar that Thais planned something else. Yes. Because the half-naked soldiers of Seri would beat up the tough-armored soldiers of Shaenlir to a pulp. Fat chance, but good luck trying to do that.

The southern part of Seri was not so crowded, but it was full of odd stores. Also, the tavern we were supposed to be looking for was located there. However, on our way there, Iya insisted on visiting the Mage Store or whatever in order for her to be informed about the Guilds out there. I bet she asked the owner exactly the same thing she asked the Chaos Master in Thais. If that was what he was called.

"It is awfully empty here. I bet yo don't get many clients." Iya said, not impressed by the guild. At all.

That was out of character of her to say such a thing. But it was fun. Just to contrast what was going to follow. Which was not fun. And I felt it the moment we entered the tavern .

Because having a thirty-something lady that sits alone at a table look at you with ONE eye in that manner is something that feels like eating nails. And liking it.

… . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . ..

For some reason, this took me a whole load of time to finish. :(

Enjoy!