"What, what do you mean goodbye?"
Hainan said with nervousness.
"My help is done Hainan, and its time for me to go on my way."
Hainan widened his eyes like saucers, watching as Adaceus and the girls were readying themselves to walk away.
This was a very big problem, as currently there was no one around capable enough to safeguard them to their home.
The trail along the city was a dangerous path, and with their main protector, that being Zovrech, it was even more dangerous, and with the recent events that happened, there was no way they could continue on safely; so they needed Adaceu's help, desperately so.
"Hold, hold on! Adaceus, please!!" Hainan hurried to stop them.
"What is it? Mister Hainan?"
"Adaceus, please hear what I have to say. You see, sir Zovrech was the one who was given the job protect us on this journey, but know that he is injured, we have no one capable enough for us to rely on, and, while I am grateful that you have helped us, I have to ask, but would you accompany us back home? Your help would be greatly appreciated."
Adaceus looked about him in uncertainty.
"Am I really truly qualified for this?"
"Well, your the only one I can ask, there's nobody else here."
"That is, understandable, mister Hainan, may I ask where is your home?"
"Its a city called Prahu, just along the trail here."
"A city? There is a city?" Adaceus said with eagerness.
Adaceus pondered in his mind, and when a city was mentioned, his interest was peaked.
There is a city along this trail? A proper civilization by the seems of it, not like Kadicum, but an actual proper city, I haven't got to see one just yet. It might actually be the best course of action, now that I think about it, right now I don't have a specific destination to go to nor do I have knowledge of this worlds places, and going to that city is, in all likelihood, for the best.
Here's to hoping these girls will do well in a city.
All of a sudden a clutter of steps sounded behind them.
"Lord Hainan! We looked everywhere but, I'm sorry, we only managed to find and bring back one."
Said the guard, in his hand the reigns to a black horse, with another guard running at its rear.
"That's enough, you two share the ride, prepare that horse and get it ready."
They gave him a steady and firm salute, before leading the horse aside.
"Adaceus," Hainan turned to him, "will you go with us?"
Adaceus shook his head in agreement, and a visible relief washed over his face.
"The girls can just ride with Zovrech inside, assuming his asleep, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise," his gaze turned to the front of the carriage, "I will go with the reins, will you accompany me?"
"If that is what you want, okay, you'll be with me in the reigns.'
Adaceus knelt to the girls.
"I'm going to need you both to get inside the carriage and stay, and whatever you do don't bother the sleeping giant man, okay?"
He then gave them a light pet on their heads, and that resulted in them sounding that strange chirpy sound. He gently picked each of them up in each arm, and put them in the carriages entrance, and their gazes, in a quick turn of the head, met the resting giant that lumbered on one side of the room, their hair standing straight from being startled by him. They looked to Adaceus with a pleading look, but he chided for them to continue with stern encouragement, and they did, settling on the other side to the other cushioned seat with tightened eyes looking at the man.
That takes care of that, I really hope they behave.
Then he walked toward the front of the carriage.
The first to get on was Adaceus, perching himself on the front coach seat and taking the reigns of the horses in a quick pace; following was Hainan, sitting beside him. The soldiers shuffled together on the black mare that had been found, riding uncomfortably together as the saddle they had put on was too small to comfortably ride on.
Then they begun, Adaceus tugging on the horses and commanding them to begin trotting the trail. The sky was turning even darker now, with the time being the better part of late evening, the cold night air blowing past them with a calm flow.
Adaceus looked at Hainan, leaning on the seat with the entirety of his weight on it and slumping, like a tired old man, he sat there. He was a good looking man, sharp and elegant features with slight, barely visible wrinkles on his cheeks and a tuff of hair on his chin, implying his age, and on it were circular glasses. His eyes, with a soft and gentle quality, were with a wise look to them, and his hair was long, blueish black hair that shined a light violet on the moonlight that reached to his neck, and was tied on the ends with a band.
"How are you feeling? Sir Hainan." He said.
"I'm fine, just, really tired, Its been a long night."
"How about the wound? How is it feeling?" Adaceus said, glancing at the barely healed wound. The reserves of energy had the time of healing were low, and he only managed to partially heal the surface area, there was still a slight open wound on his shoulder.
"Its fine, truly, you've tended to it enough, the pain is barely noticeable."
"That's good."
Adaceus then raised the reigns and brought it down, a constant motion he had been doing for a considerable time now. This was the first time he rode on horses, so he struggled to operate it when he got on. Hainan wasn't in a condition to work the horses, so it was up to Adaceus to have the honor. He taught him the basics, how to get them moving, how to steer, how to change directions, and so on, a simple rundown but it was still difficult to do it in practice. The horses were well trained, as said by Hainan, and that's why to his fortune, so that had made it easier to manage, but it was still awkward.
"Your a natural, you know?" Hainan said.
"What do you mean?"
"The horses, I mean. You're handling this pretty good for a first timer."
Adaceus shook his head at him, "I do not think so, I'm barely keeping control as it is." He said, jostling the ropes that connected to the horses mouths.
There were two horse that served as the pulling force for these carriage were sporadic, a direct mirror to Adaceus's experience, and he continued to struggle to keep them in check. He had done this for the longest time now, the night subsiding to become early dusk.
"Its true, you're handling this pretty well, better than I was anyway when I first started. I speak the truth."
"I appreciate the kind words, Mr. Hainan."
Adaceus glanced at the orange sky above them. At this point in time they had covered a large amount of ground now, and from what Hainan could tell they were reaching close, another day of traveling they would reach the city. The sun slowly came up the horizon, it light shedding its grace along the trail through the trees, signaling the coming of a new day.