Night set in after making quite a bit of ground. The bandits were currently nice and warm in their holes with their heads sticking out. Since it looked like it was going to rain, I even put some big leaves over their heads. Whether it would protect them or not is another story.
"Umm…. Miss. Can we talk about this?" The bald headed bandit seemed to not like my little setup.
"Huh!?" I turned, and with a furrowed brow, I unsheathed my sword and began walking over to him. For some reason, his face paled, and he began sweating. "Wait. Never mind. Haha! The temperature is just right. I think I can sleep wonderfully tonight."
"Oh? Then I am glad all my hard work was not in vain. I could have sworn you were about to complain." I gave him a blossoming smile that would warm anyone's heart. But I am sure to him, it was as if he was looking at a devil. I mean, I had the horns for it!
"Haha, why would I complain when you have gone out of your way. Look at the pretty leaf! It is perfect to keep the weather off my face. I thank you kindly." The bandit grinned, showing me a toothy smile. "Then I will be off to find us dinner."
Sadly I still had to feed the bandits. I get more money for them being alive from what I know. Bandits that are kept alive can be used for prison labor. Also known as another form of slavery but only for those who commit crimes. This did not discriminate on race or even gender. If you committed a crime that was not worthy of death, instead of sitting around inside some cell someplace mooching off the taxes of the people, you were sent to do hard labor. Mining and other jobs that would require a lot of people. The kingdom ensured a roof over their head and two meals a day. But they worked from sunup to sundown. While I personally think this is the proper way to handle prisoners, I am sure some human rights activists on Earth would have screamed unfairness!
At any rate, having them buried up to their heads means they will not do anything stupid. I even solidified the ground, so they were basically frozen in time except for their heads. I was about to head off into the woods nearby when I stopped and thought for a moment. "Oh right! If you have to go to the bathroom, do it now because we will not be stopping for you to do your thing on the road."
I also did not wish to see anything I shouldn't since they would all need to be near me while they went. At least this way, I can spray them with water until they don't stink any more afterwards. But now, with this reminder out of the way, I put up a circle of rock dirt around their heads before I walked into the forest to try to find a place to eat. I was not going to share my food with them, of course, I would find them some food, but it will probably be some leaves from a tree. Just enough to keep them alive until we make it to the next village. As for the circle of dirt, it was fortified with a protection spell so no one could break through it. I couldn't have people stealing my paid day, now could I?
I quickly found a good spot for a campfire and gathered a bunch of rocks and sticks. Once it was set up, I tossed a small puff of my dragon breath on it to light it on fire. Dragon breath was indeed handy. I wish I could use it in front of others. But if I did I could be giving away the fact that I was actually a dragon. Then I would be in for all kinds of problems.
But now, with the fire lit, I could begin roasting a monster chickig. A chickig tasted like chicken and bacon merged together. It is to die for if you add a bit of salvaini spice. This kind of spice was not something you would find on Earth, at least, it was not something I had ever tasted before. It was a peppery, spicy taste but had a refreshing aftertaste. It is very hard to describe. But by sprinkling some of this on and rubbing it into the meat, then roasting it over the fire slowly, it was to die for. My mother would get mad at me and my father for eating out in the woods at night.
I sat and watched the flickering of the flame. Besides the bandits I have following me around, this was actually my first time being alone outside at night. In a way, it was kind of exciting while at the same time a little lonely. I had always been with others, so this was really different for me. Even in my past life, I had always had someone around. I sat back and looked up at the cloudy skies above and sighed. "I can't even see the stars…."
It would be fine if I could gaze at the stars just a little bit, but the threat of incoming rain ruins my mood. Makes me feel dreary and lazy. No sooner than when I thought this, I felt a drop of rain fall on my head. I pursed my lips and waved my hand, creating a protective dome over the area so I could eat in peace. "Now that I think about it, those guys may drown…. Detection!"
I sent out my vision over to where the heads were sticking up out of the ground and waved my hand once more, creating a protective dome around them. "That should keep them from dying." With nothing better to do, I began drawing in the dirt while I waited for my chickig to cook. It was a thick thigh leg, so it took a while, almost thirty minutes until it was finally roasted just right. I happily took it off the fire and bit into it. It smelt and tasted so good I even had drool running down my chin.
"Not bad for my first time… But still… It is not as good as father's. I still have a long way to go, I guess." As I ate, my right ear twitched. I heard a cracking sound coming from the forest. I still ignored it as nothing could get through my barrier unless it was someone powerful. So I kept munching on my chickig thigh leg.
Not long after, I watched as a group of monsters I had never seen before came out of the forest. There were at least thirty in total. Each one was about half my height and had bodies shaped like a lion but with thick scales on their back and long narrow heads that had a strange looking mouth. I watched as one in front of me opened its mouth, which split its head into three sections revealing rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. "Oh? A nerdal! I saw pictures of them in that book!"
It didn't dawn on me until their heads split. It was a unique feature to the nerdals. They were creatures that could eat anything, and I mean anything. The nerdals were also large pack hunters. They never had fewer than one hundred in their pack at all times, which meant. That there were many more that had yet to show themselves. They were also very smart, so to fight them, you would need to be overly powerful and smarter than them. I just so happened to fit both categories. "If I am not wrong, aren't their hides worth a lot of money?"
I kept thinking about it trying to remember where I got this information from. I then remembered a conversation I had with one of the merchants. He said the hide of a normal sized nerdal, if in perfect condition, would go for around twenty silver, more if it was bigger. "Hehe…." I rubbed my hands together. I mean, this was a lot of money in front of me. I just had to kill them without damaging their hide. This meant stabbing them through the mouth or casting a spell down their throats. This was why it cost so much for a single perfect hide. The way to kill it was to get up close and personal with it.
For me, this was no problem. At least I hoped…. But first thing is first, I need to finish dinner. I can't fight on an empty stomach, right? It also seems that my chickig might be what attracted them here, which made things better. Since they were so smart, I could use this to anger them and make them stick around until I was done. So I started to eat my chickig with gusto while making all kinds of smacking sounds with my lips. "So good… Mmmm! Oh wow! So tender…. Yes, this is right…."
If anyone were to walk by at this time and heard my words, they would think something naughty was going on. But I swear I am only eating my chickig! Luckily my noises did seem to anger them because the nerdals were charging at my barrier, trying to break in.
It was just when I was about to finish eating when it happened. "How dare you attack a fair maiden!"
Yes, I watched as a young man in knight's armor jumped from only god knows where, landed next to my barrier, and began slashing his sword and firing magic at the nerdals. Yes, he was just slashing away, cutting them up into bits and pieces… Yes, the twenty silver a piece hides were being ruined right in front of my eyes. I could feel the money slipping away. "You damn idiot! Stop! Stop attacking! No, you're ruining it! My twenty silver!"
Why is this idiot here!? Why is he ruining my money!? This is all I could think as I did away with my barrier, and instead of going to kill nerdals, I went at the stupid idiot! "Wait, Miss! Why are you attacking me!?"
"Because you're a damn idiot!"
