MERCHANT ADVENTURER

A New Companion

After the bandit's ridiculing comment, the two groups no longer cared for words, as they roughly engaged in a brawl. The fight was quickly decided because of Garlan's strength. As for Bacchanal, his skills with fighting drunkards in the taverns proved worthy. He had once boasted there wasn't a fight he couldn't win.

The young lass hid behind a tree, near where I was standing.

The moment the fight ended, Bacchanal and Garlan told me to take Raine and the young lass ahead. I knew their hidden meaning from their words.

Since I didn't know if the bandits would howl as they were being dealt with, I ran swiftly ahead. The young lass followed close on my heels. We found a safe, shady place to sit down. The sprinting had made me dizzy with tiredness.

By the time Bacchanal and Garlan caught up to us, I knew those bandits were dead. Garlan pushed the handcart, while Bacchanal leisurely sat on it.

As for the young lass who ran from the bandit's attack, she was trembling all over, as she sat beside Raine. Her face was visibly shaken. Her skin tone was as white as snow. Her hair was colored silver. Her eyes were the same color as her hair.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"I'm Ailee," she answered.

"What happened," Garlan asked her, his eyes narrowed as he closely examined her.

"I was . . . I was . . . kidnapped with a group of other women, they were taking us away from Alesburg, from our home. When the bandits rested, we took the chance to escape. The others all scattered in different directions. I don't know if they are alive or not."

With this, Ailee began to sob uncontrollably. Raine patted her back to comfort her.

"What do you make of this?" I asked Garlan.

Garlan shrugged his shoulders. "How many bandits were there?"

Ailee, sniffled, but held back her sobs enough to answer his question, "About fifteen."

"Damn," Bacchanal interjected, "Seems you and I still have some work to do."

"It's best if we don't go seeking trouble," Garlan answered. "If they come, then let them."

I knew Garlan said this because he didn't' want to leave Ailee, Raine and I unprotected. I might be able to fight against someone like Marcus. However, against seasoned bandits, I wouldn't be their match. Even if I escaped with my life, it would still be half a defeat, due to severe injuries.

We decided to quickly leave the area.

By the time dusk arrived, we settled down for the night. After a quick dinner, Ailee fell asleep in the tent with Raine. Garlan, Bacchanal and I remained awake. We decided to have one person stay awake to keep watch. This was just extra precaution due to the remaining bandits.

Garlan proudly presented me with a short sword he had looted from the hands of a dead bandit. Despite where it came from, I thanked him for giving me a proper weapon. Having encountered bandits, I knew a good weapon would give me a better chance at survival.

Then, Garlan seriously said, "That lass is an albino."

"Is she?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes," he answered. "It's strange to see the albino folk out in this weather. They normally abhor the harsh sunlight. Most of the time, you only see them in the wintertime. And even then, it is rather rare."

"That's true," Bacchanal agreed. "They tend to keep to themselves.. It's awfully suspicious to see her out during this time."

With this in mind, we took turns sleeping. I was on watch for the first part of the night. During this time, I asked Midas what she thought about Ailee.

"She's a strange one. She has no murderous intentions towards anyone in this group, but that lass has blood on her hands."

I fell into a deep sleep when Bacchanal came to relieve me from watch.

Facing the dawn, the bright sunlight hurt my eyes.