"OH!" I laughed out nervously, "I am never doing that again!" I admit as my heart pounded within me. So very close behind me was an amassing force of Union soldiers and I just gave them a reason to look my way. Thankfully, we had the foresight to acquire some tools that helped in escaping. Namely, magic-concealing smoke bombs.
And of course, that runed gun that self-destructed...
"Undwote, please don't come near me." I commented as I slinked deeper into the back alleys and narrow passages of this town. Popping out on the other end and keeping to the crowds for as long as I could before I departed. For a brief moment as well, I was running up a dangerous pathway until I reached a high-up perch I could nest at. From there, I just relaxed and looked down at the town.
A somewhat satisfied smile on my face as a growing mass of polished steel appeared before the establishment. Whatever commands were spoken I could not here, but I did catch a slight glimpse of fired shots. The boys were already on edge from the breakout, and to have the Union suddenly rush in? Well, the establishment was no more.
"Sa haw yaaa da it?" Heiya asked me as she suddenly dropped down in front of me. A rope attached to her belt and a grin on her face.
"I don't know, Union just caught word of the Madame's intentions." I joked as I took hold of her paws and body holster.
"Nat aaa hug, by the waaay." she comments as we slowly ascend from the pick up point.
"Thank the gods for that." I remark as my gaze focuses on her spines.
"I'll drap yau!" she angrily retorts, offended by my comments. But her anger was hollow and it quickly disappeared once we got up and over.
"Once again, I have to admit I am impressed." I say as I dust the moss and chalk-like markings off my clothes. My gaze focused on the small pile of treasures and hard cash that they got out of there.
"More left behind." Ivahstar tsks before he starts bringing all the equipment back in. Whatever was cheaply made, however, was just dumped on the ground. I personally might've kept it, but I knew how he was. Quality was needed with him and it was hard enough convincing him to use this stuff.
Ironically enough, though, he often used disposable rubbish that barely worked the first time. But that no longer mattered, so I rummaged through it all quickly and brought out a map. Tapping my foot as I raked my brain for what knowledge I had regarding them. Then, as I came to a stop, I put my hand up.
"My nearest place is in that general direction." I tell them before I notice that they were lingering by the cliff edge. And when I went over to see, I found them watching the Union soldiers do their jobs flawlessly.
"I wauldn't mind ane af thase." Heiya comments as she likely stares at the fancy guns the Union used.
Her father, on the other hand, "You sure no chase?"
"Positive as can be. Despite them being next door to the town, they don't pay much mind to what happens within. At least, not until they catch wind of war-hampering efforts." I explain to him, repressing the need to chuckle at the end. As if some gang of kidnappers could ever pose a threat to an army like that.
"Still, we go. Quickly." he shoots back with before he harshly tugs his daughter away from the edge. She looked ready to complain as well until she found herself placed in the wagon. At which point she stay quiet and satisfied while I frowned at my old friend.
"You seriously expect me to play the role of a working animal?" I ask him, dreading the answer and the state of my back later down the line.
"For now." he answers with a smirk as he too hooks himself up at the front.
"Damn dirt-eating hwardgon." I swear quietly as I put my loose stuff into a small open space on the wagon. Copying what he did before I then waited for the single to come. And with a rough bark, we started to move the treasure along what resembled a road up here.
"Hrurim." Ivahstar then says all of a sudden after a quiet period of sweat-enducing labour.
His tone, however, is what caught my attention the most, "Yeah?"
"Once this done. Down below?" he seemingly pleads while his daughter suddenly shot towards the front of the wagon.
"Paps...?" she questions while I raise a brow at his words.
"You intend to go after them?" I ask him as I stare into those eyes of his. Malicious anger was present along with a plethora of other things. Most of all, however, I could see the doubt in his eyes. He wanted to go after them, but his daughter kept catching his attention.
"Paps, na!" Heiya tells him before she looks at me and urges me to say the same with hysterical head shakes.
"If that is what my friend wants to do, I shall try my damndest." I tell him, to which he uncharacteristically refuses to acknowledge. It was easy to tell a lot was on his mind right now. Heiya, though, was far easier to read.
She did not like what I had to say.
"NA! I wan't haaave Paps endaaanger himself like thaaat!" she declares before she tries to hamper our journey. But, when I interfered with these actions, she gave up on it quickly. And instead, she jumped off the wagon and ran ahead of us. Getting in our way instead.
"Heiya..." her father uttered quietly. What followed, however, was a switch to their native tongue and I lost track of what was being said. But, I could make accurate guesses as to what was being said. And overall, it left me sighing as uncertainty suddenly filled me.
What had gotten into him anyway...? Did something we talk about before linger in his mind? Now that he was paid, was it finally coming out? Was this always going to happen.
Whatever the reason, it was clearly tearing the duo apart and they got quite aggressive. So, as they argued, I unhooked myself and stood between the two shortfolk. Keeping a palm raised at both of them as I worked to get their attention on me. With a quiet tsk, I then sat down between them.
Urging them to do the same as I swapped my gaze between them, "So I can understand, please?"
"Paps is aaan idiat!" Heiya struggles to keep quiet.
"Home!" her father asserts aggressively as he suddenly shakes the wagon handles.
"Aur hame aaain't dawn there, Paps... It's nat." the poor, scared girl tells him as she trembles like a leaf. If I recalled correctly as well, she was quite young when this whole affair started. It must've been inflated in her mind as to how bad it was.
Yet, at the same time, Ivahstar saw it all play out. He understood how it was from the very first night. He has grasped it all for years while Heiya only had a narrow view. But, both justified their terror.
I, however, could not even begin to understand it, "Perhaps we just need to avoid the topic?"
"No! I need know. You help?" Ivahstar insists once again as he singlehandedly brings the wagon closer so he could get in my face.
And I sigh once more, "Ivahstar, focus on your daughter. She's scared."
"I knaw... It's... Just let it ga!" Heiya struggles to say as her father grows increasingly angry. With another round of their native tongue coming out before I got angry.
"QUIET!" I snap at the pair of them before I cover my mouth and tap my cheek. Then, slowly, I look up at them and stare Ivahstar in the eye.
"I need to..." he pleads while his gaze kept shifting between me and his last child.
"No, you want to. And you need to consider it more carefully." I remind him as he turns quiet.
"Paps, there's nathing we caaan da." Heiya tries to argue as he shakes his head.
"No... There way. There is way." he repeats stubbornly as Heiya seemingly gives up trying to argue the topic.
"There isn't a way if your daughter isn't in with it. Now, unhook yourself, and talk it out with her." I tell him, putting as much emphasis as I could on the 'talk' part of it. He needed to understand it as clear as possible. Heiya was scared and her body quaked in terror. Ivahstar the slave-trader needed to go for a moment, Heiya's Father needed to be here now.
And as I oversaw his removal from the wagon's propulsion. I made sure the two got up into the back safely before I went to the front. Inwardly, I was swearing and complaining about the new workload. Even more so once I started.
Eventually, I stopped caring about the effort and I just kept on going. As darkness came and the wagon behind me grew quieter, I kept on going. Only stopping once I brought the wagon to what looked like a slope. And I knew full well I'd not be able to manage that even if I hadn't just forced this damn thing across a plateau.
So, I unhooked myself and walked around to check up on the pair before I groaned at the sight. The two had fallen asleep while making up for earlier transgressions. And I was simply too nice a guy to disturb them. Yet, if they were going to be sleeping, I wanted to too.
"WAKEY WAKEY!" I screamed in their faces all of a sudden.