After leaving Stonecrow, the group traveled on foot. There was no well-paying work in the region, so they decided to head to a larger city.
Godwyna stayed behind in town, promising to meet them in the Capital in two or three days, since she was enjoying her romance with Tessa the Lamia.
Æthelflæd smoked herbs, medicinal according to her.
The others walked ahead, trying to avoid the thick smoke that traced a path through the dry trees.
The snow persisted for long stretches, then stopped for hours, only to fall again lightly upon the white ground as far as they could see.
Along the road, the path ran beside a frozen lake, and also an icy river beneath a bridge.
A couple of Elementals, with translucent crystalline bodies, waved at the Lolis, but they did not stop the carriage's movement.
These people had floral crystal engines and did not use animals.
The sound of the contraption soon ceased, as the Elemental couple disappeared into the mist with their motorized carriage.
The Valley of the Shadow of Death appeared next, shrouded in fog.
The ruins of a Castle atop a Hill came into view as the group carefully descended the steep slope. There, a Red Dragon landed after parting the clouds by opening its glorious wings, with a three-hundred-meter wingspan.
It began building a Nest of Fire, and the Lolis set off in the opposite direction, a detour accepted without question by the Centaura.
PISS
— Did you want to go see the Dragon? — Æthelflæd asked during the night, as they prepared camp to sleep.
— Why would I want that? — Leofwynn was the only one who deigned to reply.
— Could have been an acquaintance.
— And who knows a Dragon, Æthelflæd?
— I do.
The others lifted their faces and turned toward Æthelflæd.
— Alright, Human, this is a story worth telling. — Leofwynn burned her right hand and cast the flames into the campfire.
The others gathered around the fire. Cwenburg did not get up. She clutched the futon with her blankets and rolled her body until she could face Æthelflæd directly, nearly getting burned by her proximity to the fire.
— This story is nothing special.
— Of course it is, Æthelflæd.
— It's a Dragon story. — Ǣg-berend echoed the Vulcana.
And Æthelflæd began to speak:
— If you insist. — The Human started drinking and didn't stop, gulping down a great deal of what she had in a large glass she held with both hands. — It started when I was younger. I always saw this strange guy, in dirty clothes, with a repulsive look, you know, he seemed like the dangerous type.
— Wait, Æthelflæd. Where did you see this guy? — Fiery veins pulsed across Leofwynn's face at the very start of the Human's tale.
— Everywhere. In my house, or when Mom took me to the fabric fairs. We lived in Angra dos Chifres, in the southern part.
— You and your Human mother lived in the Demon King's Kingdom?
— More people lived there, of various races, but yes, my mother was Human. From what I understand, anyone can live in the Demon King's lands, you just show up.
AT THE DEMON KING'S CASTLE
— My lord, there are nearly a hundred thousand in the cities of your Kingdom. Homeless invaders and thieves, for the most part. Some Legendaries too, since they are hunted in all other Kingdoms, they are gathering in the large cities. — Blith informed the Demon King in the Garden.
— Let them fuck themselves. They're almost aura-less. Has the Colt returned yet?
— Not yet, My Lord.
AND IN THE DRAGON STORY
— Well, this guy used to urinate in circles, you know. One day he was spinning...
— What do you mean "you know"? I don't know, do you know? — Leofwynn questioned Cwenburg, who was laughing quietly and shaking her head, and the Centaur also shook her head in denial.
— Leofwynn, that doesn't matter. There was this one time we were in the city and he started spinning, you know, in the same spot, just turning his body around. And this guy accidentally peed on a pilgrim, I think his name was Fabrício, a fancy guy who wore those little outfits with a pointy hat.
Leofwynn couldn't conceive the image, and Cwenburg helped:
— A Wizard.
— That's it.
— Fuck, Æthelflæd, I think I don't want to hear this story anymore.
— It's almost over. One of them had cancer, and the city Doctor, who was a Golden Dragon, showed up and said. "Don't fight. He's going to die anyway, he's a son of a bitch. If you do something to him, you'll regret it and will have to live with it for the rest of your life. He who seeks revenge must dig two graves." Well, while the Dragon was speaking, the strange guy got stabbed twelve or thirteen times, and I became friends with the Doctor, Yenno was his name. He's the one who taught me the principles of Alchemy.
— Sounds like a nice guy. — Cwenburg noted.
— Did the other guy die? The weird one.
— He died, but not that day. He ended up drowning.
— A natural death.
— Yeah, in his own vomit, at Bernabéu's Tavern, good memories. He sold a type of two-colored candy I've never seen anywhere else, full of sugar.
— The dead guy?
— No, Leofwynn, of course not, Uncle Bernabéu. — They fell silent for a while, and each went their own way for the night's sleep.