"Fine day to be on the road, isn't it? Hahaha!" Gale said while he let out a hearty laugh.
Arthur and Bree agreed with Gale's statement, but unfortunately, Ness and I didn't share the same sentiment. We were grateful Korys gave us a carriage, but the motion sickness was killing us.
I might have to introduce suspensions for carriages in this world.
After a whole day of traveling, we finally reached the northern gate of Sincaro.
It was my first time seeing the city during the day. Children were playing on the side of the streets, and businesses were functioning. It was as if an incident that could've destroyed this city never occurred.
We found an inn and decided to stay there for the night. There was a bar not far from where we stayed, so we went there for dinner and some drinks.
We found a vacant spot on the corner of the bar and ordered food as we sat down. While waiting, we noticed a group of drunk men talking on the opposite side of the bar. Their voices were so loud that you couldn't help but hear their conversation.
"The battle at the south gate was intense!"
"How would you know? You weren't even there."
"I heard a mysterious group of powerful individuals managed to stop those undead from entering the city."
"And where did you hear that from?"
"The soldiers. They said one of them even defeated an undead dragon with a single strike using a peculiar-looking pair of blades."
Ness and the others looked at me with a grin on their faces.
"They're talking about you, Egil," whispered Ness.
"I was there when the battle began and saw it all," another bar patron said.
"There were five of them. I could vividly remember the lady on top of the wall who saved the soldiers who almost fell to their deaths. She was like a goddess."
"I heard that too!"
Ness' face turned red when she recognized who the man was talking about.
Another group of drunks interrupted their conversation.
"What a load of crap. I bet those soldiers went delirious and started to imagine things."
"I said I was there, and it's the truth!"
"Even if it is true, that group just got lucky they were there at the right time. The head of the temple in Brogue destroyed those undead. We might've been the heroes you'd discuss if only we were there with my companions. Hahaha!"
"That's absurd."
"What? You're picking a fight?"
Before things went badly, I stepped in between them.
"Alright, that's enough. How about I buy everyone a glass and pretend this never happened?" I said in a friendly tone.
Unfortunately, it didn't work with the aggressive one, and he pushed me away.
I could see from the corner of my eye that Arthur was not having any of it and started to approach.
"Who are you to tell me what to do? Don't you know who I am?" the aggressive drunk said.
Arthur stepped in and grabbed the man by the collar.
"You better start apologizing before I bash your teeth in," said Arthur calmly but threateningly.
He pushed Arthur's arm and clicked his tongue while he and his group walked out of the bar.
We returned to our seats, ate dinner, and then decided to return to the inn.
We found ourselves surrounded by thugs as soon as we stepped out of the bar. Among them was the unruly guy from earlier.
"You didn't think I'd let you off that easy, did you?"
"Whatever happens, don't move," I told the others.
"Look, if you and your friends walk away, we'll forget that this ever happened."
"You talk like you have the upper hand here, but there's a hundred of us and only five of you!"
"Suit yourself."
"Kill him first!"
They charged at me with swords and knives, and I responded barehandedly. I made sure not to kill them and made quick work of everyone until the unruly guy was the only one left standing.
Seeing how easily I defeated his men, he started quaking in his boots.
"Monster!" he said as he tried to run away.
I caught up with him and grabbed him by the hair. I dragged him to where everyone was and wanted to lecture him, but he already fell unconscious.
The guards arrived soon after and apprehended him and his men. We later discovered that they were an infamous gang in Sincaro. Due to their numbers, no one dared go against them until we dealt with them. There was even a bounty on them that we graciously accepted from the mayor.
"I added a few extra gold coins there to compensate for the trouble and show my gratitude for your group's effort the other night." whispered the mayor as he winked.
We went back to the inn and retired for the night.
People started to flock to our carriage while we prepared to depart the following day. They brought gifts and supplies that we could use for our travel. Perhaps word of us staying in Sincaro spread like wildfire throughout the city, causing this pleasant surprise.
"Thank you for protecting the city," said an old woman as she handed a sack of what seemed to be potatoes.
"Thank you, grandma," I said. I hesitated to receive it because they might need it more than us, but I couldn't turn her down and leave her dejected.
It took the whole morning to receive all of the people's gifts, and once we were done, we finally rode our carriage and made our way to the south gate.
When we drove our carriage, it felt like a parade. People were on the side of the road, cheering and waving their hands. Little children would throw petals on the road, and adults would raise their glasses when we passed.
When we finally reached the southern gate, all the guards perfectly lined up on the side as they raised their swords in the air. The mayor was also present at the gates to bid us farewell.
When we exited the gate and the cheers died down, we finally had a chance to talk between ourselves.
"They gave us too much; we could travel to Auhnaver and still be left with a surplus," Gale said.
Bree looked troubled, and it seemed to have something to do with the events at Sincaro.
"What's wrong, Bree?" Ness asked.
"When we were against the undead, I used up all my mana too early and didn't help that much."
"Bree, you did great," I said, "you even took out a skeletal dragon, and it wasn't an easy feat!"
"Don't worry, Bree; continue your training, and you'll get to where you don't have to worry about it anymore," Arthur said.
Her face lit up, full of determination.
"I will!"
It took over a week before we reached the city of Douro, which the horde had razed not long before. Many believed that all the residents had turned undead, and no search and rescue efforts were made.
"Egil, what do you think? Should we take the short route and go through the city or the safe route on the woods south of the city?" Gale asked.
"I wanted to see the inside anyway, so go with the short route."
We entered the city and witnessed the devastation the horde caused. Unsurprisingly, there were no bodies anywhere except for a few animal carcasses.
Arthur noticed something when we reached the middle of the city. He grabbed my attention and pointed at the thing he saw.
"Smoke," he said.
"There shouldn't be any more burning buildings by now, right?" asked Gale.
"Let's head there and check it out," I said.
We arrived at the source of the smoke, which was a house chimney.
I got off the carriage first and slowly approached the house. I could hear water boiling from a pot inside, so I tried to knock on the door, but there was no response.
Suddenly, someone jumped on me from the roof. He held a blade, and I grabbed my shortsword to block his attack.
As soon as his attack didn't go through, he quickly jumped away, and then I realized:
"A child?"
I was intrigued. I couldn't believe a small child like him could wield a blade this well, and he was quick on his feet.
I called him out and tried to calm him down.
"Kid, we're not undead. Put down your blade."
My words didn't go through him. His eyes glared at me, and he growled like a feral animal.
He then lunged at me, aiming for my throat, but I dodged it and put the boy in a sleeper hold.
After a few seconds, he finally calmed down and released his blade.
The others exited the carriage and approached to check on the little boy.
"Egil, do you think there are more survivors in the city?" Arthur asked.
"Only one way to find out. Ness, take Blanc out."
Ness then used her 'Storage,' and Blanc came out.
I stroked Blanc's fur as I gave an order.
"Run around the city and check for survivors. Come back here when you find one."
"I'm sorry," said the child, and he started bawling his eyes out.