Axion and Murkuk looked like they could use some help in dealing with the agitated mert. Riva caught up with him and interlocked her arm in his. He questioningly looked at her, she gave him a challenging gre in response.

  She teasingly leaned into him to pyfully blow into his ear, sending shivers through his spine. His pulse quied at the feel of her supple breasts pressed against him. He looked away from the tantalising view of her cleavage before it put him in an embarrassing situation.

  Instead, he surveyed the camp, causio smirk in satisfa. The bandits only had sh sleeping rolls with a few barrels scattered around the area. Dink she air. Ign the st of blood in the area.

  That girl is going to make me lose trol if she keeps up that kind of behaviour. I o distract myself.

  I smell some of the barrels tain salted meat. They'll be good to eat ter, but for now I need something more practical. What’s that over there?

  He went to walk across the clearing to a small cask, fetting Riva was still attached to his arm. He turo catch her wheumbled, taking the opportunity to pull her close. He couldn't resist reag around to embrace her wide hips, taking a handful of her voluptuous ass. He mischievously grinned after feeling the firmness of it.

  "Hey, I wasn't expeg that!" Riva involuntarily yelped while leaping ag her hand on her ass over where he had pi.

  "That was the idea," Dink said with a smug grin of his own.

  He walked over to the small cask he had noticed earlier. Resting atop it was a square oil ntern made of brass, he bent down to retrieve it. Opening the shutter, he was overpowered by the st of kerosene. Dink grunted in satisfa at the tents while Riva frowned in fusion.

  “Did you not hear me? My cargo’s on fire! Or are you so blind as to not notice the fmes warming your backs?” the mert hysterically screamed in the background.

  “They heard you, stop shouting. Don’t worry, we’ll deal with your cargo in a moment,” Dink replied, carrying the ntern in his free hand.

  “Finally, a man with some sense… gulp,” the mert said, failing to plete his sentence. He turo face Dink, his eyes went wide after disc anoblin standing in front of him. He dryly gulped back saliva, furtively gng between Dink, Axion, and Murkuk. Finally ing to a stop on Riva. “Please five my intrusion, miss. But how did you end up with pany such as this?”

  “This is my husband. He will elimihe expanding forest. I believe he do it if Master Tavia says that he . Noone has received the mark of friendship i history. I don’t know how he got it, but it means that he ’t be ordinary,” Riva fidently replied.

  “Hahaha! I, Maximilian Augustus, have never heard anything so naive in all my life. The expanding woods, something the bined might of the ey of civilization and the Are Academy have failed to eradicate. How many geions of Woodfellers’ do you think have bated its expansion and e back wanting? Now, you expect me to believe a Goblin will elimi? A Goblin. Laughable. That's without sidering the fact you're s with the beast,” Maximilian ignored his burning cargo to mock her, ughing uproariously.

  Riva’s expression became indignant. She looked as if she was about to retort before Diured for her to stay silent. He disengaged his arm from hers to step forward. The mert's mouth abruptly smmed closed. He distrustfully watched Dink’s approaervously wetting his lips with his tongue. Dink crouched down in front of him, setting the oil ntern on the ground beside him. He pced his bloodied sword across his knees while g his hands together on top.

  Leaning forward, Dink she side of Maximilian’s face, the proximity of his breath dispg a few strands of hair. The mert recoiled away in horror, his eyes fixated on Dink's sharp teeth.

  Dink silently sat ba his heels and unblinkingly watched the mert. His close scrutiny caused him to shift unfortably until sweat beaded his brow. Finally, Dink gripped his sword hilt, simultaneously retrieving the ntern as he stood upright. He judgmentally clucked his tongue before speaking.

  “Perhaps it is ughable. But so is a dealer who tastes his own supply. I might be doing the world a favour by ridding it of you. So do not test me, addict. I have yet to hear of aaking the heads of those three Hags. Even if me killing them fails to undo the expanding woods, I'll still be satisfied after everything they’ve put me through,” Dink softly said, his intense gaze going distant. “They gambled when cursihey thought it would render me harmless while still upholding their bargain.”

  Everyoched him in fusion after hearing his words. Dink suddenly snapped out of his reverie, turning on his heels. He ued hurled the ntern at the burning wagon. It immediately exploded upon impact, causing the fmes te and cover the walls.

  “No, what are you doing!” Maximilian objected. Dink didn’t answer, simply swinging down his sword.

  He sshed open the mert’s bonds, freeing him. Maximilian abruptly sprang to his feet, pulling a vial from a hidden fold in his coat. He popped off the silver stopper while bringing it to his nose, inhaling deeply. Immediately afterwards, he recklessly charged headlong into the fmes.

  Shielding his face from the heat with an arm, he climbed ihe back of the burning wagon at a ptouched by fire. He emerged a short time ter carrying a rge chest. Maximilian athletically leapt down, causing the wagon to bounce from the relieved tension in the suspension.

  Fug addicts. Valuing the supply over their own lives. I've seen it thousands of times before over the turies. Insipid is no exception.

  Maximilian dropped the chest in the clearing away from the burning wagon. He hurriedly patted out small fmes that had ignited in pces on his coat. His face was covered in soot while his hair was singed in pces. Aside from missing eyebrows, he was otherwise untouched.

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