Spoiler: random 10 The tree traveled for three days. Finally, they arrived at the end of the forest at the place where they could cross the mountains - a mountain path. But as they approached and the evening begun, they found a wagon waiting at the side of the road, voices coming from it.
"Hanna, you are the most silent of us three and the least bandit-like in appearance." Come closer and listen, try to find who are they, " Mark whispered to the hobbit while moving to a nice hiding spot, ready to rush for the halfling's rescue should the situation require it."
Hanna nodded, the quietly she sneaked closer. Soon, she disappeared in darkness and green. The minutes Mark waited were tens. But nothing happened. Finally, after what he thought was hour, he almost jumped as Hana appeared beside him, grinning. "It's just a family of peasants, I think. Four people. Big man and four women - wife daughter and servant from the south." she explained.
And Mark felt... how his dick jumped up at the idea of assaulting this family and violently taking all the women after dealing with the only protector. Three of them should be able to do it easily. He shuddered at the thought of how easily this idea surfaced in his mind and rejected it, at least for now. It is not how he will get these women into slavery. If at all. Common banditry wasn't his dream. "I see. " He said, "Let's go introduce ourselves, Hanna, wanna be in charge?" He smiled knowing the answer "You are a rich hobbit who decided to travel around the Middle Earth and hired us as your bodyguards. After visiting elven lands and receiving a dagger as a gift from an elven noble, you are traveling back home to the Shire. Oh, and be flirty with the guy. Seducing him may be beneficial later."
Hana smiled and nodded. But then stopped and frowned. "What are exactly our intentions there? We attack them? Or are we only there to spend a night in a group?" she asked uncertainly.
"I am not sure yet. I intend to spend a night in civilized conditions, learn about local affairs, and perhaps make friends to travel along. Or I will choose to get... livestock... for the company one way or another. We may even try... Seduce them all into an incestuous orgy and fuck them silly. You two should be ready for everything, from doing nothing to ambushing them, to being nice sluts. But first I want to learn what kind of people we are dealing with."
Hana nodded her head. "I can play but I doubt I could seduce that guy. He is huge!" She looked to the side and pointed. "There!" She hissed. As he turned to the wagon, Mark noticed a large man moving around...
"Yeah, laying you under him is... Well, still be flirty. Let's go closer." He went out of the hiding spot to the road. "Who are you!?" Mark loudly asked from afar, his voice as stern as possible and spear ready in his hands. He assumed that approaching someone in a friendly way would be outright suspicious "Those lands are infested with bandits and I hope you are not one because if you are, know that my client is well-protected"
Spoiler: speech fail The man grabbed one of the sticks and turned to Mark. "Then better, to be sure, you continue on your way. After all, those lands are infested with bandits, and I hope you are not one of them!" The man called, and soon a woman with a stick made her way to stand next to him...
Mark glanced over at the woman and, even in the darkness, concluded that she is a fine tier 1 and would be fun to "process". The idea of going for a violent route surfaced once again but it would be silly after ruining the ambush. Besides restraining this giant would be really hard so lethal force is necessary and it is not what Mark was ready for. "Oh, I see that such a pretty lady can't be a bandit. And she is lucky to have a brave man ready to defend her against armed opponents. Boss, please tell them that we are not bandits, either because I do look and sound like one sometimes" He barely contained a chuckle calling Hana a boss.
The man seemed to growl at Mark's comments, his hand closing on the stick. "Oh should up!" Hana suddenly screamed at Mark. "I am not paying you for talking... if I did, I would have hire you as a jester!" Hana, looking annoyed pushed past him, rudely pushing him of the way. "I apologise for the terrible manners of my retinue. He is a mercenary with bad luck. I hired him when he had almost no money, and he seems to be to eager to run his mouth to prove something." She threw a glare at Mark. Then she turned back to the peasants. "I am Hana a merchant..." She winced. "Hopefully, I will stay one after we had to run away from bandits and leave my cargo behind." She looked at the man. "Can we camp with you tonight? There is a safety in numbers..." She requested. Spoiler: speech success The man seemed to calm down, then slowly nodded his head and relaxed. "Alright." He waved his hand inviting them closer.
"Retreat. We retreated, not ran away." Mark couldn't let Hana roll over him completely even in the act. "And you would be dead or enslaved without your 'jester'. But whatever, I just want to sleep on the ground." After this remark, he abandoned his combat-ready stance and went closer to the peasants.
Hana sighted tiredly. "I wonder if being dead or enslaved would not be preferable to your constant nagging. Make yourself useful and prepare the fire." She waved him as she turned to talk with the peasants - a wife and husband from what Mark understood. As he looked back to the wagon he caught the sight of two more females. One dark sinned and one young...
"15 credits plus a lot of fun. Possibly more if there is a bonus for a mother-daughter combo..." Mark thought as he was starting the fire. He decided to shut up and observe. Observe how Hana handles the role of a traveling merchant, how this family operates, and how Juka handles their little act. After some time, when the fire was ready, he approached the wagon wanting to say hi to two girls there.
The married couple started slowly getting more friendly with Hana, taken in by her way of being and good humour. Juka on the other hand, stayed mostly silent. As he approached the duo, the younger woman turned to him, her eyes full of curiosity. "Are you a travelling knight?" She asked, her eye shining.
"Not exactly a knight but I have noble ancestors in my bloodline, I came from Gondor and have seen many wonders of the world," Mark quickly lied relying on his vast knowledge of the universe "Is your friend a Haradrim?"
The young woman seemed impressed by the boast. Then she turned to the dark sinned woman. "Tara? Parents picked her up from the streets a couple of years ago and took her as helping hands for family." She explained while the dark skinned woman kept her head bowed. "What's a Hara-drim?" She asked Mark, curiously.
"It is people who live in Harad, land far away from there. They are all dark-skinned, some are much darker than your servant. It is also a land of magnificent beasts, Oliphaunts" Mark smiled, enjoying the attention. He was like a nerd highschooler who was asked about his interests by a pretty girl "Tara, how did you get so far North?"
The young woman made a small squealing sound as she looked at Tara with excitement. Tara on her case shrugged her arms. "Don't remember. I always lived on the streets.
"An orphan... I see. Perhaps your parents are wanderers like I am. Are you happy there, Tara? I see that your mistress values you but I know that village folk may be harsh to ones who are different. " A plan started forming in Mark's plan. If he can persuade one or both of those girls to go adventuring, he'll get a free asset
