We are finally nearing the border of Waldstaat and Hexeia.
After weeks of torturous travel, mainly due to Flora.
"Okay, we're about two miles or so away from the border, stop here."
Flora went up to Lyra to tell her that.
"Why are we stopping?"
I asked as the horses slowed.
"Because I'm getting out here, and am going to cross the border discreetly."
She responded while giving me are you stupid look.
"Why? Is there something we should worry about? You said crossing the border was fine!"
"Cool your horses, it is fine.
They might be two different kingdoms, but they're both apart of the empire.
As long as you have some form of identification - like an adventurer's plate, or merchant licence - they'll let you through."
"Then, why don't you want to go through there?"
"Because they want a form of identification! Unbelievable as it is I have enemies, and I'd rather they not know whether I crossed the border or not."
"The guards share information like that?!"
"Normally no, but everything can be brought, especially information about a girl they care nothing about."
"You know if you're that paranoid about it, I can just suck you up into my gem."
She stared daggers at me.
"Hell no! You remember what Hexeia is famous for, right?"
Flora did blab on and on about it while I listened, mostly.
"Yeah, they really like witches, or something like that."
All the girls stared at me.
"What?!"
"The kingdom's slogan is the burning witch land.
They were the first to start organized witch hunts, train witch hunters, and develop new magic devices to find and kill witches!
Each town gets its own pyre, so they don't have to wait to kill said witches.
How does any of that translate into they love witches?!"
"Okay, so I might not have been paying as much attention as I should've."
Shut up Patty.
"But what does any of that have to do with me absorbing you?"
"Because you'll have to release me at some point."
"And?"
"And using any magic around a whole bunch of paranoid fucks is really god-damn stupid. Unless they have to, most magic users don't use magic in Hexeia."
I got up ready to follow her.
"What are you doing?"
"Ugh... following you."
Flora face-palmed herself.
"Parties break-up all the time, so it wouldn't be that hard to believe that I stayed in Waldstaat while Jurea left.
Whereas they'd find it unbelievable that Jurea left her tame in another kingdom."
"Why does Jurea have to go through?"
"Because you want to protect Lyra."
"I could protect her."
Eric voiced her opinion.
"Yeah, she could protect her."
"Yes, she could, if you don't care about her at all.
Hexeia doesn't acknowledge wildier autonomy.
She'll be lucky if they only imprison and sell her off."
Oh, yeah, that ain't good.
"So, now what?"
"So, I'll see y'all in Hexeia."
She got off the wagon, and left into the forest.
Eric tapped my shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Want me to follow her?"
I nodded, and she jumped off to follow her.
When she disappeared, we started back up again.
_________________
The border isn't that special.
A simple wall, a wooden gate, guards, and a couple of buildings.
They even smoothed out and and stoned the stretch of road leading up to the border.
The real sucky thing is the line!
This isn't even one of the main border crossings, and they're still stopping to check everything.
It took us hours to just get up to the gate.
At least it's faster than the TSA.
"Identification."
The guard held out his hand without so much as a howdy do.
I've worked enough customer service jobs to know kind of person he is, and that would be an asshole.
The kind which hates his job, so he takes it out on any who can't retaliate.
"Here is my merchant licence, and here is her adventurer plates."
Lyra looked worried as she passed the guard the metal plates.
The guard perused them, then passed them back.
"You're a merchant, so manifest."
"About that. In the back of the wagon are about two dozen or so capacity chests filled to the brim with items for sell. It would take hours, if not a day or two, to manually verify everything. Do you think we could skip that part?"
The guard perked an eyebrow.
"You on a timetable, or something? Need to get there fast as possible, or something bad will happen? Something like that?"
"Yes, tha..."
"Yeah, that's your problem, not mine.
This is the problem with women working where they don't belong.
Open up."
Yup, asshole.
Lyra sighed, and then started to get up to open the back.
"WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!!"
A panicky guard came running up.
"What?!"
The running guard halted and took a few deep breathes before answering.
"All of the contraband we stol... ugh... seized is gone!"
"The thieves can't have gotten far, after them!"
The asshole guard yelled.
The other guard pointed at the line.
"What about all of them?"
"Do any of them look like bandits? Or untamed monsters? We don't got time for that bullshit!"
He took off running.
"Just wave them through, while the rest of us fan out to track the son of a whore who stole from us!"
We got waved through.
The outpost was a hive of activity, just like that.
Men running to and fro, trying to find thieves that were no longer there.
"Did you see the thieves?"
One asked a random stranger coming out of a building that looked like a bar.
"No, what happened?!"
Instead of answering, he ran to another guard.
"Do we have a description of the thieves?!"
"No, but they must be huge men, the solid stone wall was punched through!"
"They won't escape us! I'll put a message out to arrest between two and five heavily muscular men!"
As we finished driving past all of them, we all looked at each other.
"Flora."
We all said her name in unison.
______________
Due to my 'Malignity Locator' ability it was easy enough to find the two of them.
"Hey!"
I called out to them.
They came out of the undergrowth.
As soon as they got onto the wagon I swatted Flora's ass with my tail.
"Ooow! What was that for?!"
"You robbed them, and put us all at risk!"
She rolled her eyes.
"No, I didn't. Everyone in this kingdom is hyper-sexist.
Women of this kingdom have to runaway to other kingdoms just to get jobs for 'men'.
If I get caught with the stolen objects, they'll ask me which man gave them to me when I slept with him.
Then, they'd most likely kidnap and rape me, but not because I stole anything, but because I'm a woman."
Damn, that's kind of fucking depressing.
"Fine."
"Anyway, let's head to the nearest town."
Lyra looked back at her.
"Why?"
"To unload some of the useless junk I just stole, keep up."
Lyra cut her eye at her, but urged the horses forward anyway.
"Couldn't you just sell them at our destination?"
I asked her.
"Yeah, if I didn't want as much coin."
"What?"
"The reason the stuff I stole was stolen in the first place is because it's contraband, stuff the kingdom of Hexeia would not like its populace to have.
And so I can make bank."
"What kind contraband?"
"Books on subjects such as gender equality, witch rights, successful coups, and etc.
Certain weapon blueprints, that could help overthrow the government, like siege weapons.
And, of course, dildos, so that the women don't realize that they don't need men."
"Men are more than just walking dildos!"
"Shut up Patty!"
Lyra looked at me strangely.
"Ahem... excuse me, I had something in my throat."
She turned back around to focus back on driving down the road.
________________
After an awkward couple of hours we arrived at a town called Feuerdorf.
There are buildings and everything else you'd expect to see in a town, but the thing that grabs your attention first thing is a giant pyre.
It is a metal monstrosity that looks like a grated pyramid with a flat top that has an X-frame on top to hold prisoners in place.
Wood, hay, and other kindling filled the hollow bottom part, as to be ready to burn someone on short notice.
"This makes me sick!"
"Why?"
Flora asked.
"Do I really need to tell you why all of this is bad?!"
"No, I was asking sarcastically. I know you don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't know what I'm talking about?!"
"Of course not, you come from a cushy wor... place."
"I'd hardly consider the... place I come from cushy."
We both caught ourselves before we said world in front of Lyra.
"Nonetheless, you've never had to witness the devastation that a witch can cause."
"You're right, but there is no reason to burn someone alive for just being born the way you are!"
"You think so, huh?"
"Yeah, it's called being a decent person."
Flora just nodded her head.
"Okay, let's say that there are two households exactly the same except one's owner is an asshole, and the other is the nicest person you'd ever meet.
Now let's say one day each house gets a knock on the door begging for help.
There are a plethora of possibilities of who's at the door, but for simplicity's sake let's just say there's just two options.
One, it's an angel who'll heal and bless your entire family.
Or two, it's a demon who tricked you, and will slaughter everyone you love... slowly.
Let's deal with the good possibilities first.
The asshole, of course, refuses to open the door, and so fails the test of the angel, and gets cursed.
The good guy instead opens the door, and gets blessed.
Now, for the bad possibilities.
The asshole, once again, refuses to open the door, depriving the demon, and saving his family.
And again the good guy opens the door, allowing the demon to rape and kill his entire family."
"I get it!"
"Do you? You get that inaction is the same as any action.
That by allowing something potentially dangerous to live by you is putting the fates of everyone you love in the hands of something you hope is good intentioned, and won't kill everyone when it gets hungry or mad."
"So, everyone in the world is an asshole looking to get you, right?"
"No, I'm saying the odds that it's an angel instead of a demon is microscopically possible, but not likely.
And the reason there's more assholes in the world is because they don't open the door, and so most of them live uncursed.
While most good guys die, and the very, very few who live gets blessed."
"I get your point, but I still wouldn't do that."
I said pointing at the pyre.
"Yeah, you're one of the good ones, and you died... ugh... almost! You almost died multiple times."
A man at least in his fifties and two twenty somethings carrying pitchforks came to greet us.
Jurea raised her hand in greeting.
"Hello, I'm..."
"Where is the man in your group?"
He cut her off, and Jurea scowled at him.
"There isn't any, unless you want to talk to her tame."
Flora answered flippantly while pointing at me.
"Ugh... All of you must be... foreigners."
He had a scowl on his face.
"Sir, yes sir."
You can tell by their faces that the three men do not care for Flora's disrespectful tone, and you can tell from her face that she does not give a fuck.
"Y'all can sell your goods in town, but don't expect a good price."
"Why not?!"
"Because y'all have got no men, so y'all have to pay a woman tax."
"A woman tax?! You can't be..."
One of the younger men smiled.
"Yeah, we have to get compensated for having to listen to y'all nag."
Before any of us did something some might call assault with a deadly weapon, Lyra answered them.
"Understood. We'll be going now."
She started the wagon, and rolled past them.
I meanwhile whispered into Flora's ear.
"Hey, you said you stole dildos, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Sell them cheap. These assholes deserve what they get."
She pulled a book out of her capacity gem.
"Actually I was just going to give all of them this to share."
The title of the book read HOW TO KILL YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER WITHOUT LEAVING EVIDENCE.
"Well, that's a little on the nose. And don't you think that's a little too far?"
"Woman. Tax."
"Yeah, I know they're dick holes, but this is mur..."
"Woman. Tax."
"What about the women? They'll get punished!"
"Flip the book over."
I did as I was told and looked at the back.
ALSO, IF YOU'RE A WOMAN IN HEXEIA, NO ONE WILL BELIEVE THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO DO IT.
Wow, just wow.
______________
"Sixteen silver, take it, or leave it!"
"Deal. Can I also get one of those books you gave Hilda?
"As I have told the last ten women, you'll have to share. Here's a complimentary dildo for only two silvers."
"You do understand what complimentary means, don't you?"
I asked Flora after the woman had left, and Flora had pocketed the coin.
"Yes, of course I do, but they don't. Most just assume it's a rich person word meaning cheaper."
Flora and I are selling her goods in a side alley, while the rest are exploring the town.
Word spread fast among the women here, and we've sold a lot.
"Excuse me."
A mother dragging along her daughter stopped to trade with us.
Flora held out an orb, as she did with all other customers she's had.
"Touch this."
"Sure."
The lady touched it, and like before, nothing happened.
"Okay, you're all set. What can I get for you?"
"Mommy, mommy, can I get one of those dolls Meredith got?!"
The little girl asked her mother while tugging on her dress.
"Sure, sweetie. Can I get one of those life-like dolls, a set of that magical pot-ware, and... um..."
Flora knowingly smiled.
"A female entertainment device?"
"Yes, that... please."
Flora took out the anatomically correct doll, enchanted pots that heat themselves, and... the dildo.
"That'll be eighty silvers."
"I thought the... um... device was comp... oh, what was the word?"
"Complimentary?"
"Yes! Complimentary."
"It is. Which is why it is only six, six I say, silvers."
The lady gasped.
"It must be really expensive!"
"Oh, it is. I'm taking hit selling it this low, but I appreciate y'all... predicament."
The lady quickly paid.
"Thank you! You're a gift from the gods."
"I know, I try."
Gift my ass.
She stole everything, she's getting nothing but profit.
"Mommy, what is that? It looks weird."
The little girl asked as they walked away.
"It's a... uh... grown-up toy."
"Oooh, can I play with it?!"
"No! I mean... only when you're older. Also, this is a secret toy, so you can't tell daddy I got it, okay?"
"Sure thing! I keep secrets from y'all all the time!"
"You... do?"
...
...
...
"No."
"What is that thing?"
I ask Flora when they were out of earshot.
"What thing?"
"That orb, you use it on every customer you've had."
She held it up.
"Oh, this? It's something I got from a guard at the border."
She says got like she didn't steal it.
"It's a witch finding device, it glows when it comes in contact with a witch."
She put it back on the table we had set-up.
"So, you were checking to see if any of them were witches?"
"Yup."
"Were you going to not sell to them if they were witches?!"
I know she's a dick, but I'd draw the line at discrimination!
"No, money is money, no matter where it comes from."
Well, it's good she's not going to discriminate against them at least.
"Instead, I was going to price gouge them because they can't go to the authorities."
That's worse!
"Thank you, for showing me that you can go morally even lower than discrimination."
"You're welcome."
Before I could respond, a young guy with pink hair - he did not have an easy childhood, I'm sure - walked up to us.
"Flora, I need your help."
"No refunds... wait, I never told anyone my name!"
She stood up.
"That doesn't matter. The thing that does is that I need your help."
Flora reached for the orb.
"I'm not going to touch your ball!"
"{Eye of the moon reveal what's hidden}."
Flora cast her clairvoyance spell, and... nothing happened.
"You... you... you stopped my spell!"
Flora looked aghast.
"Clairvoyant spells don't always work."
He said, looking at the ground.
A mistake on his part, never look away from Flora.
"I felt the mana being pulled apart!"
"How... Ow!"
Flora threw the orb - she had picked up when he was looking away - into his face.
When it landed on the ground it was glowing an eerie grey hue.
"You're a witch!"