Carrying the bodies of three moks delays us a little bit. We reach the village only at the sunset. We give Larry the boar-mok’s body as Rey has promised. She didn’t talk much about the missing chunk at the neck. I think she knows the reason. Then, we gave her the green monkey-mok and the wood lizard-mok. In turn, we got 14 silver coins. She called tow workers and moved the bodies into the warehouse.

Just before we go back to the inn we stayed a while ago, I remembered about the dog and the child. I think I would ask her because she has more information than I imagined. May be she would know.

“By the way, Ms. Larry, have you ever heard about a dog that carry a child running in the white star wood?” I asked.

Larry immediately looked at me and said, “Why do you ask about it?”

Rey said, “Because we saw such a dog when we were hunting.”

“We better talk about it somewhere. Why don’t you follow me? You guys haven’t seen the headman, have you? I’ll introduce you three to Mr. headman.” Looking left and right, she replied.

I think the matter with the dog-mok carrying a child is not so simple. Rey, Brick and I looked at each other and followed Larry into the headman’s house. The house of the headman is off limits to the travelers. Travelers can’t go there without permission. Besides, the headman of the village doesn’t come out usually. So, we haven’t met him yet.

Larry gets up and walked to the headman’s house. But she doesn’t go in. She passed by the house and continued walking. After about 5 minutes of walk, we reached a hill. On the hill, there is a small hut and a campfire. A man is sitting beside the campfire.

“Hey, Black, I have got something you would be interested.” Larry shouted.

The man turned his back to us and said lifelessly, “Is there still anything interesting for me in the world? May be for other people. I’m not interested in anything anymore.”

“What if it is about a dog carrying a child on it?” Larry said while walking to him.

He immediately stands up and looks at Larry without saying a thing. Larry and the three of us reached the small hut and went to the campfire.

“Cank, Rey and Brick, travelers, it has been over a week that they has been staying in our village”, she told to the man, “and they have something to tell you about a dog and a child”

Larry turns back to us and shows facial sign to tell the man about what she has initiated.

“Oh, I’m Cank, He is Brick and he is Rey. We are travelers.” I extended my hand.

He also extends his and shakes my hand saying, “I’m Black. The headman of HighJump village. You can call me headman. About the dog and the child”

“It was 4 days ago. Near a pond of the white star wood in the green monkey-mok’s territory, I saw a dog like-mok and a child on it. I can’t tell exactly since it was late at night when I saw it.” I said, “Rey, why don’t you tell what you have seen as well.”

Rey tell the man, “I also saw such a dog and a child. And it was near the border between the white star wood and the starry desert 3 days ago. I also am not too sure about it being a dog-mok and a child but the shape I saw is just like what Cank has said.”

“Larry, give them a bat-mok soul as a reward. I’m going to make a trip to white star wood.” He turned and told Larry.

“And thank you all for carrying that wonderful news to me. And don’t ever talk about this news to anyone else other than me and Larry” He told us. Then, he ran to his house.

“Hey Larry, do you mind explaining us a little?” Brick asked.

Shaking her head a little, Larry said, “I’m sorry about that. It concerns the past of him. You are not that close to him. I’m afraid I can’t tell you much. But I can tell you that you guys have given him hope again”

“What about the bat-mok soul he talked about.” I asked.

“I’ll give now. But who is the one to receive it?” she answered with a question.

“You decide it. You are the leader in our party” Rey said. “I have no objection. I believe you will do it fairly” added Brick.

Bat-mok soul, hah? I think I would be able to decide better if I know the ability it gives. So, I asked Larry, “What is the property of the bat-mok soul?”

She said “Ultrasound. You will be able to emit ultrasonic waves that normal moks wouldn’t be able to hear. At least, you can use it to scout. And it is good when you cannot trust your eyes. Darkness, illusion and obstacles, these things wouldn’t be able to stop your scouting. The only weakness is that the range of your sound will be about 5 meters. But it is the best scouting mok-soul around here.”

Looks like it is a really good mok-soul. And it really suits our sneaky party. We will be able to scout more safely and get more details. But who should get the soul? Me? Brick? Rey?

It is a really difficult question to answer. It would be easy to decide if they are just temporary members. But Rey would be my companion for a long time and I don’t have a plan to terminate the co-operation with Brick just yet. Regarding the ability, all of us are almost the same.

In the party, I usually am the strategist. Rey and Brick are followers. I think I should give them a proper roll now. Rey is still young but he is an inquisitive type. He usually intervened my conversions with others and he was the one who asked Larry about the alarm insect. And he was the one who saw the dog and a child. Brick doesn’t talk much if not necessary. He doesn’t even talked about what he saw in his shift other than his task. But he is a real warrior. He doesn’t step back when we face danger. I think, to collect the information and scout, Rey is a better one.

“Hey Brick, what is your opinion if I decide Rey should get the bat-mok soul.” I asked.

“I’m okay with it. It’s not the only mok-soul I can have after all.” He replied, “But when opportunities to get another mok-soul comes, Rey has to step back. To grab that opportunity has to be one of us.”

“Rey, are you okay with what Brick said?” I asked him.

“I don’t have any problem and I want that bat-soul really bad.” He excitedly reply.

“Now, it is decided. Larry, please give the bat-mok soul to Rey.” I turned to Larry and told her.

“You are such a good leader” Larry teased me and turned to Rey. “Rey, look into my eyes, straight”

Rey looked into her eyes straight and soon, a dark grey color light particles emerge from Larry’s eyes and went straight into Rey’s eyes. The process takes a little more than 1 minutes. After that Larry gently close her eyes and rest for a while. Rey also close his eyes and rest.

Then, Larry said to Rey, “Use the bat-mok soul well. It was hunted by Black himself and he almost lost his life back then”, and “See you later, I think I will have to follow Black on his trip. Without me, he would find more troubles.” She giggled a little and left.

Rey used mok-soul fusion immediately and his body shines in dark grey color. Then, nothing changes his appearance. He opened his mouth and we heard nothing. “Hey Brick, why is your third leg smaller than Cank’s.” he said.