"Damnit..." After hours of walking, the field of wheat had ended. The two girls were in front of "...The free city of Garten."
Impressive stone walls stretched across the horizon to protect the sprawling town. It was so big a city that it made the last town they visited look comparatively as small as a village.
"W-well, let's not waste any time. Here we go again…" Touly said, slowly dragging her feet towards the settlement.
"W-wait!" Min stopped Touly from going out of the wheat fields. She had already gotten a taste of what was coming and didn't like it. "M-m-maybe we can try to go around this one? Let's try cutting across that forest, see? Maybe this time it will go better…"
"You want to cross the Forest of Thorns naked!?"
"Forest of Thorns? For crying out loud! Isn't there any other way around it? What´s on the other side of the city? The one that doesn´t have a forest of pain?"
"Can't you hear it? The rapids crashing against the sand and rocks? The city is on the bank of the Twin Rivers. We'll drown if we try to ford them." Touly pointed at the two rivers that ran together side by side. They flanked the city's west side, each flowing curiously in opposite directions.
"No, no, no! There has to be another way! Maybe someone left a boat on the shore or something." Min ran towards the river bank and began her timid search. Touly decided to sit on the sandy river bank and soak her tired feet in the cool water. "Eep! H-hi girls and…gentlemen! Nice boat you have there. P-please stop staring..."
Min found someone after all, but it was unlikely they would help. No one would ferry them across for free.
Touly pondered. The forest or the city? Both options seemed awful. The knight reclined her back on the wet sand. Ugh, the pilgrimage turned out to be more difficult than she thought. Maybe she should have tried her luck at running in the Sizzling Plateau.
Touly was yanked back to reality when Min's bare feet entered her peripheral vision, along with a couple of leather boots.
"H-hey Touly! I reached an agreement with this fine crew of merchants. They'll sail us to the Red Cathedral!"
"What? That's great…" Touly looked at the crew. They were rugged men and women wearing raggedy armor and horned helmets. Each had sharp axes hanging from their belts. Their boat was behind them. The sails were full of holes, the wood peeled, but it was a longship alright. They were undoubtedly…
"Vikings! We have to run!"
"What?! They can't be Vikings! Vikings don't use horned helmets, that's a myth!"
"We, errr, THEY do use horned helmets," replied a stunning woman with braided golden hair and eyes the color of the ocean. She seemed to be the leader of the band. "But we are not Vikings! We are just merchants, honest."
She teased a sardonic smile to Touly. Her fellow "merchants" barely held in their laughter.
"And I'm supposed to believe you'll take us to the Red Cathedral out of the kindness of your heart?"
Min nervously yanked Touly's arm. "Not exactly… Remember when you told me that you'll do anything to make it back to me?"
Her and her big mouth; Touly couldn't believe what she agreed to do, but an Oath was an Oath. If the Order knew that one of their own had been brought low by their ancestral enemies, they would expel her for sure. Or at least send her on another humiliating penance.
Cold water splashed against the knight's legs, sending shivers down her spine, not that she could move all that much while tied in front of the ship like a figurehead. They were going faster than by foot, yes, but between the water and the wind, Touly couldn't say that she was enjoying the ride.
The knight looked at her sides, locking eyes with an astonished fisherman for a second before bashfully looking away. At least her blush kept her warm. Truth be told, this wouldn't be so bad if they had at least covered her up with a cloth or something, but alas, she was still in the nude.
The worst part about this detour was when the boat stopped next to one of the countless fishing villages dotted across the riverbanks to trade with the locals. All the nosy townspeople ran to the shore to see the impressive longboat… and gawk at its figurehead.
Touly figured she was well on her way to becoming a local legend in the river valley, or at least a cautionary fairy tale. It wasn't entirely underserved after what she did to Min, but she still wished the Sisters had shown a bit of restraint with her karmic punishment.
"Hey, the merchants tell me we are close, so turn that frown upside down!" Min told Touly, hanging from the side of the boat and poking her in the face with her finger. "Aww, your pout is adorable! Thanks for agreeing to do this as payment for our fare. I guess we are even now!"
"We are more than even," Touly grumbled.
"Still, I don't quite understand why the merchants wanted to get paid like this."
"Because they aren't merchants! They are Vikings! Of course they would jump at the chance to humiliate our Order! We have been fighting for centuries."
"Hmmm, but if they are Vikings, why don't they kidnap and tie us up? There is no need to take us where we want."
"You assume they are true to their word. That they'll take us to the Red Cathedral."
"Ok, girls. We are here!"
The boat was grounded to a halt on the shoreline. Touly's restraints were cut free, letting her fall into the sand. Min was similarly also tossed out of the ship.
"This is your stop. It was a pleasure traveling with you." The blonde leader of the "merchants" sarcastically waved them goodbye.
Touly looked up. Towering over the trees in front of the river bank was an impressive Cathedral of red stone and glass. She could already hear the chattering of the ever-present pilgrims, the chant of the ceremony in progress. They had arrived.