All the women stared at Nolan in silence, eyes full of fear, confusion, and hope. One of them stepped forward hesitantly, her voice trembling.
"Sir…we don't have anywhere to go? Please… we don't have anywhere to stay. And we're in the middle of a forest."
Nolan turned and glanced at the worn-out faces around him. These people had been through hell.
"Does anyone here know how to ride a carriage?" he asked.
There was a pause.
Then a girl slowly rose to her feet. She had fur-covered ears, shackles still clinging loosely to her ankles. A demi-human. Her eyes were cautious, but determined.
"I can," she said quietly, raising her hand. "When I was still a slave, that was mostly my work."
Nolan stepped closer to her.
"What's your name?"
"Celia."
"Do you know the village of Sindra?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes. I've passed by it before."
"Please… take us there."
He turned to the rest of the group. "Is there any other place you want to go?"
They shook their heads.
"We'll just go… wherever you're going," one of them murmured.
Without another word, Celia made her way to the front of the carriage. She gripped the reins, her fingers still trembling from days of captivity, but her posture was steady. The horses neighed softly, responding to her gentle commands. The wheels creaked as the carriage began to move forward again.
Just then, Linda stepped up, her voice firm.
"Sir… what about the bandits? Are we going to just leave them? That one, Kane, he used to be an adventurer. Now he's a trafficker… demi-humans, elves, even humans. There's a bounty on his head."
Nolan looked at her for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"You're right," he said.
He leapt from the wagon without another word.
From the shadows of the forest, a familiar shape emerged. Zuru, Nolan's beastly companion, came padding through the trees. Blood stained his teeth as he dragged a body by the collar.
Kane.
The once-feared bandit leader looked nothing like the man who had terrorized others. His face was bruised, his limbs limp. Zuru dropped him at the foot of the carriage.
Linda screamed and backed away.
Nolan stepped between them. "Hey, don't scream. He's mine," he said calmly. "He's family."
Zuru walked up beside him. Nolan knelt and rubbed his head.
"He's harmless," he added.
Linda stepped down cautiously and inched toward the beast. Her hand hovered just above Zuru's head.
"Are you sure he's not going to hurt me?"
Nolan nodded.
She touched the thick fur and let out a quiet breath. Then she started to rub his head gently.
"…Wow. It's really soft."
Nolan didn't waste time. He walked over to the other bandits, tied them all together with rope, and lifted the whole bunch over his shoulder with one arm. He walked them toward the carriage.
"What are we going to do with them?" one of the girls asked from inside.
"Let's toss them in," Nolan said, and he did, throwing them into the back of the carriage where the girls were staying.
The women immediately protested.
Nolan raised a hand to calm them.
"Do whatever you want with them. They're yours now."
There was a long silence. Then one of the women slowly picked up a stick. Another followed. Their hands trembled, but it wasn't fear anymore.
Nolan stepped away from the wagon and climbed up onto the roof of the carriage. Zuru followed alongside as it rolled forward through the trees.
From the roof of the carriage, Nolan heard the sharp cracks of sticks striking flesh—the sound of the women beating the bandits. He smiled to himself.
"They deserve it," he muttered. "That's how it's supposed to be."
He leaned back and looked ahead as the carriage rolled forward.
"Well… let's get to Sindra."
Then a thought came to him—something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.
"First thing I do when we get there… I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild," he thought. "I'll register, get a license, and start earning a living—on my own terms."