Looking at the scene, Leonid pathetically rolled his eyes upward and shook his head. He hadn't expected one of the triumvirs to have such a delicate romantic nature. The arrival of the scout spared him from further awkward silence. The girl approached and immediately reported that one of the downward branches of the cave smelled strongly of goblins.
"Is that on our path?"
"No, according to the plan, we're heading into a different branch."
"Well then, it doesn't matter," the leader dismissed the insignificant detail, which could have waited until the scouts changed.
"Go urinate there," Olga said with deadly seriousness, but the scout didn't understand her and attempted an awkward smile, showing that she had appreciated the joke.
"I'm serious," Olga, seeing that she wasn't being understood, elaborated, "The rats will pick up the scent and cause a panic. The goblins will approach cautiously. Delay them. That's what we need."
Leonid, having listened to the advisor's suggestion, merely nodded.
"Do as she says. And those who haven't relieved themselves yet, hold it. We'll scare the fuzzy ones."
Three non-regular vampires also set out by the river towards the sea. There were only three of them, but what a trio! A triumvir, the chief scout, and the chief merchant! Unlike the squad that went under the mountains, the scouts who traveled by river stayed for several days.
This expedition required a watercraft, which had to be built first. Until this day, the vampires had had no need for anything floating; rather, boats or rafts had added extra security concerns, as they provided a real chance for prisoners to escape.
Several days were spent constructing the boat. So much time was needed because the trio of travelers was reluctant to board a transport they considered unreliable, so it was made in several versions and then reinforced with magic. The resulting boat was considered almost a miracle of engineering by local standards, though no engineer had been involved in its creation.
Some more time was required for the enchantments, specifically for the precise formulation of the "spell" to propel the boat with personal magic. While the river's natural current could be used to travel to the sea, no one wanted to rely on oars for the return trip. Finally, everything was completed and assembled.
The trio comfortably settled in the boat: Sergey in the front, Konstantin in the middle, and Gennady in the back. They set out before sunset, as they needed to silently pass the only human settlement on the river, Rostki, during the first night. As soon as the vampires paddled into the middle of the river, the fast current carried the boat away from the village. The onlookers didn't even have time to wave properly, wishing them a good journey, before the boat disappeared from view.
At first, they paddled in silence and sparingly. Each was absorbed in their own thoughts, but once night fell, the travelers began to converse almost without noticing it. Whether it was the primal human fear of the dark, which had long been their ally, or the monotonous silence and the sound of water, the vampires chatted non-stop until they saw the reflections of the fires on the clouds and quieted down.
The flimsy suspension bridge evoked genuine respect for those miners who crossed to the other side of the river using it. Using such a structure required real courage. The Cursed River was about forty meters wide at this point; on the other side from Rostki stood the Cursed Forest with all its wonders and horrors, and no one would have allowed a full-fledged bridge to be built.
The suspension bridge was constructed to be easily destroyed if necessary. At the place where this was expected to be done in case of danger, there was a guard post, and a fire burned on the forest side. No monster could enter the inhabited area.
"We'll need to sneak into the village on the way back and drink some blood from the miners," Gennady, as always, thought only about business.
In this regard, he found unanimous support from his companions. Both Konstantin and Sergey enthusiastically embraced the idea, confirming that it was an excellent plan.
"And now everyone be quiet, no splashing the oars in the water!"
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon
patreon.com/Chill76