Some time was spent in searching through not only the woods, but the caravan, for signs of further bandit activity. Two wagons had to be repaired due to the wheels taking damage, and a few goods stored in glass cases were damaged. Otherwise, the raid had been completely unsuccessful. Even the trader who had been shot at the start of the battle had been treated.

Once the caravan was able to get underway again, they did so. After a few minutes on the road Galrin looked down to Scott. "When we get to town, your team is getting a little extra. I'm not a wealthy man, but you deserve it."

"That's appreciated." said Scott with a nod of his head. He shared a friendly smile before he said. "Every little bit helps when you're trying to conquer the world."

Galrin laughed at what he thought was a joke. Scott laughed as well. Even he was not certain if he was serious about it.

Aruna poked her head up out of her traveling pot and looked around for a moment. "We're not there, yet?"

"No, Aruna. Not yet. It'll be after dark before we arrive in Roquor because of the bandits." said Scott. He looked back at his bullet-proof slime friend and saw that she had chosen to create a decent facsimile of a pout.

Each of the girls had done a great job earlier. Rowan had fired off a few arrows that arced up over Aruna's slime wall and kept the bandits on their toes. Deanna, despite having to stay behind the wall and guard the wagon, had occasionally dodged out to get a look at the bandit position then zip back in to give word to her centaur companion.

It had all been part of the plan to keep the bandits distracted, and focused on uselessly attacking the wall of slime, or preferably the amazons.

Scott had not known it until after the fact, but Mina had fought hand-to-hand with a few of the bandits. They had turned out to be among the stragglers walking behind the caravan. Three of the stragglers were bandits in hiding, and it was probable that they had given some sort of signal to let the hidden bandits know when to attack.

Aruna sighed languidly then slipped back down into her pot, her chin rested atop the rim. "Is it dark, yet?"

Her master's laughter made her smile a little, but that did not help her situation. She was ever so interested in her special reward. The slime queen gazed adoringly at her husband. Certainly, it was a darling thing that he wished for her to call him master, but he was more than that to her. He represented the one thing she had not been able to have in her cavern home, a chance to have lots of adorable little babies.

The slime queen tilted her head from side to side then giggled happily. He had praised her a bit earlier after the battle. Of course, that only made sense. She was quite amazing, after all.

While Aruna thought of her amazingness and the babies she would have at some point, Rowan tightened the dressing on her arm. There would be no need for stitches, as the small town of Roquor would have healers to patch everyone up. Until then she wanted to keep the wound as a reminder of the interesting day that her temporary family had endured.

Mina had engaged the man who had thrown the knife that sliced open the arm of her harem sister in hand-to-hand combat. The resulting jumble of battered and broken flesh had not been easy for anyone to gaze upon. The one-time man, had resembled a bony pudding more than a human being.

The two girls chatted amiably as they walked. They were a little closer after the events of the day. One had taken injury, while the other had avenged said injury.

There were two weeks left in the contract, two weeks and three towns stood between them and Darcheilme. Who knew what manner of bandits and monsters might bar the way. Rowan's mighty chest heaved a little as excitement rose within her. The previous battle had been but an appetizer. She did so hope for a main course to arrive soon.

After a while, Mina trotted forward to walk beside Scott for a while. Her tail swished from side to side as they continued on. Every now and then she would glance over at him, and he would glance over at her. Neither spoke, but now and then a smile would appear on their lips.

In that way the day wore on. Deanna reported no bandits ahead throughout their travels. Once or twice a torrent of flames washed across the road in the far distance. Scarlet had destroyed some monster or another that had lain in wait for travelers. Otherwise, the rest of the trip to Roquor was completely uneventful.

The caravan set up camp a quarter mile outside the walls of the village, just past the second lookout station used by the village militia. Scarlet and Deanna were called in as their tasks were done for the day.

"It's dark now, right?" asked Aruna with growing excitement as she rose up out of her pot.

A warm smile was Scott's first response. "Yeah, it's dark, Aruna. We still need to hold off on that a little while, though. We have to set up camp and eat dinner."

The slime queen sighed loudly then proffered a devastating approximation of a pout. "But..."

Scott shook his head. "We have things to do first. Don't worry, you'll receive your reward."

"Ok..." she said, saddened by the continuing wait. "I guess I can wait a little longer."

The other girls looked sad after the two finished speaking. Where was their special reward? Had they not done a good job, too?

A tent fit for six was no small affair, especially when one of those six also counted as a horse. They were forced to erect one, however, as the nightly rewards plan that Scott had not mentioned to the girls yet would require a little privacy. So far, only Aruna knew that a reward was coming.

While Mina helped Scott pitch a tent, a common occurrence in more ways than one really, the girls set about creating places to sit and began preparations to make a meal. The actual meal preparation would be Scott's job, but the girls had been tasked with gathering wood for the fire and setting up the cooking area.

"I'll head in to town to get a drink. The caravan will stay here for three days, so feel free to relax." said Galrin as he walked over to the little mercenary family.

"Sure thing. Happy drinking." said Scott amicably.

Galrin showed him a money pouch then tossed it over to Scott. "It's not much, but I added another seven silver. Two for you, and one for each of your people."

"We appreciate it." Scott inclined his head then made a gesture with his hand. "Glad to be of service."

The job itself only accounted for meals plus fifty silver as a basic contract. If any actual altercations occurred there was supposed to be a bonus involved. If they saw a lot of fighting between here and Darcheilme, the bonuses might go higher than the base pay.

Scott's group could have made more money simply from hunting, but they could not have made connections such as Galrin. Word of their actions would spread, and higher paying jobs would become available over time. The best part of the current deal was the fact that he would be able to use his Wings of Light ability to transport his team to the towns that they had visited. Darcheilme was only a week's walk from Ervice if they did not take a caravan. However, after visiting it once the distance would be negated completely in the future.

A few minutes after Galrin left, another visitor appeared. This one was quite the surprise since Scott had not even spoken to her before. She was one of the amazons hired by other members of the caravan.

"Greetings." said the newcomer. She was a raven haired beauty with a powerful, but superbly feminine appearance. "I am Tessa Stormcrow. Might I speak with you for a moment?"

Scott nodded to her then turned to his fellow tent erector. "Finish up here while I see to our visitor."

"Yes, master." said Mina thoughtfully. Her eyes remained on him for a moment, but then she glanced over to Tessa briefly before returning to her work. The tent was up, but they still needed to secure the tent lines.

Scott walked a short distance away with Tessa then said, "I'm Scott. What can I do for you, Ms. Stormcrow?"

"No need for the Ms., Just call me Tessa." she said in a stoic, professional, manner.

"Very well, Tessa. What can I do for you?" Scott tilted his head to the side and quirked his eyebrow.

The Amazon took a breath then said. "I have noticed that each of your people is a demi-human."

He nodded. That was certainly no secret. "I make it a habit of acquiring the services of such people, yes."

"I see." said Tessa. She looked him up and down briefly, rudely if someone would ask Scott what he thought on the matter. "Do you seek to hire more?"

"I'm always on the lookout for talented people. What do you have in mind?" This conversation had come as quite the surprise to Scott. Why would she even make such an offer?

"Our current employer is relieving us of duty. His claim is that we failed to protect him."

Scott blinked then looked at her carefully. "I don't know any of you personally, but I do recall seeing several groups of amazons fighting heavily with the bandits."

"Yes, but our employer took injury in the beginning of the fight." She blew out a breath then shook her head. "He only intended to come as far as this town with the caravan, anyway. He claims to have a legitimate grievance, and has chosen not to pay us the remainder of what we are owed now that we have arrived where he wants to be."

"I see." Scott was not certain why she had brought that to his attention. He had nothing to do with her current employment situation. "I'm sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with my crew?"

Tessa placed a hand to her ample chest then spoke in a clear and authoritative tone. "I lead a small squad of young Amazons in need of combat training. Since you are in the habit of hiring demi-humans, I came to ask if you would hire us as well."

"My current contract only specifies six people. Unless you are asking for some form of long term employment, I can't really take you on." he said after a moment.

She nodded to him then spoke in a quieter tone. "That is indeed what I have come to seek. Please inform me of your customs regarding your subordinates, if you are interested."

"Customs?"

"Yes...Customs." she said in reply. This time a slight hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Can you please be more specific? I have only just begun building my mercenary force, so I am unfamiliar with what you are asking." He certainly had an idea of what she was asking, but that did not mean that he was willing to risk a wild guess.

Tessa took a deep breath then said. "Will you require each of us to attend you in your tent, or only the leader of the team?"

Scott blinked at her. "Neither. While I admit that the ladies with me do share my tent frequently, it's all by choice. Anyone whom I hire on can choose to do so, or keep to themselves."

"Are... Are you serious?" she asked, surprise obvious in her tone. Her eyes widened slightly as well.

"Yes. All I really expect from my people is that my orders will be followed, they don't cause problems for the rest of us, and what I want killed will be killed without too many questions asked." he said in an overtly cheerful manner.

"That is certainly a rare custom, Scott." Tessa offered him a slight smile. The relief in her eyes was obvious as well. "My young ones are... I have had to argue hard to keep them from other types of customs."

"Honestly, it'll be a relief not to have to deal with such things. Not to be rude, but my heart just isn't ready for a small horde of young and impressionable amazon women to come into my tent." said Scott, an amused smirk on his lips.

Tessa blinked at him then threw her head back and laughed a loudly. It was a warm, almost musical, sound that caught the attention of many nearby caravan travelers.

They spoke for a time concerning payment. As it turned out, Tessa primarily wanted the experience of battle for her people. They settled on a monthly fee of two gold, plus a share of the loot in any team battles. They would work together for as long as both sides found it agreeable. It came time for Scott to officially agree to the contract.

[Contract Agreement]

You have been asked to agree to a contract. Please read carefully.

--

The demi-human Tessa Stormcrow has offered to enter into a bond contract for mercenary work that includes both her, and her five subordinates. The contract stipulates the following:

You must feed Tessa Stormcrow and her five subordinates.

Tessa Stormcrow and her five subordinates are under no legal obligation to share intimate custom with you.

Tessa Stormcrow will require the prompt payment of two gold coins on the first of the month, every month. A single payment will be made to her on behalf of her entire group.

Tessa Stormcrow and her subordinates will follow all commands from you that do not conflict with this contract. They will expect further rewards regarding loot acquired through combat or adventure.

Contract Time Remaining: Indefinite

Contract Cost: 2 Gold Coins per Month

Do you accept this contract? Yes | No

>>

Scott accepted the contract readily. Unlike Deanna, who had been a receptionist, or Rowan who was bought from the auction, Tessa brought five combat capable people to the team. Not to mention the equipment that came along with them. Two gold per month was only steep if they did not bother to hunt. It was more than they would earn on this mission, unless more dangers arose, but they could easily make up the difference.

"Since you're not my personal people, but some people whom I hired, your levels won't be reset." said Scott. "Though, if you change your mind about that in the future let me know."

Tessa grinned at him. "Ah, so you're an actual Demi-human trainer, a summoner."

"I do try." he said with a grin of his own.

"I see." she said with a nod. She then immediately got down to business. "First, we have to fight together for a while. I noticed that you had that battle well in hand with your people."

"We've only worked together for a short time, but we do work well together." he said.

The amazon battle captain placed a hand to her chest once more then inclined her head. "Let us hope that we do the same, Scott."

"I do hope so." he said. He thought about the situation briefly, a finger rising to his lips. "Have you set up camp for the night?"

"No. I told my warriors to hold off on the set-up until I spoke with you." Tessa lifted her chin slightly then nodded. "You want us to move our equipment to your area tonight, correct?"

"Yes. Let's consolidate. You have your girls set a rotating night watch, and I'll do the same with the original members of the group. It will allow the girls to get to know each other while they watch over the entire group."

"It'll also allow us to keep an eye on each other while we sleep..." said Tessa with a smirk.

"Hey, I'm sure that your word is your bond. But I don't know how good that word is, yet." admitted Scott without a hint of shame or malice in his tone.

Tessa stood up straight then inclined her head once more. "Fair enough. I'll gather my people."

Scott watched the glorious amazonian warrior stride off into the camp, her movements were alive with feline grace and premium feminine architecture. "Damn. Maybe I should have considered those customs a bit." Though, to be honest he might need a hip replacement someday soon with the way that things were going.

When Scott turned back to his group he saw the girls standing in a small semi-circle, their arms cross over their chests. Even Aruna had mimicked the mannerism. "So..." he said.

Scarlet laughed a little, suddenly, but the laughter did not reach her eyes. "Hey, six more girls all at once. Seems the army is growing."

"Yep." said Scott as he took a step forward. "Don't worry, they aren't going to be taking up your special time with me."

"Right. Of course not." said Scarlet, another half-laugh escaped her beautiful lips. This one showed a strong hint of pearlescent fang.

Uncertain how to diffuse the volatile situation, Scott instead chose to ignore it. He focused on the remaining tasks for setting the camp up for their short stay in Roquor. The girls would each glance at him sideways now and then, but no one made a fuss. It was long established that their numbers would grow in the future, even if they had wished that the future might take a bit longer to come.