Fire blazed through the capital, the riots born from the nobles' jealousy as well as their deaths, were devastating the homes of the locals, and it was the locals themselves who took part in the devastation. Those who didn't take part in the riots were the victims of the burns, and those who did had their pockets lined with gold. The jingle of a few coins and their loyalty had shifted from their communities to those orchestrating the riots.

Burning, looting, even murder, and the worst of crimes were taking place, all under the guise of frustration that most of the locals didn't understand in the first place. Who becomes queen and who rules over them, as if they had a choice, but now that the choice was stripped, there was unrest. Why?

"That's what equality gives you, where even idiots are allowed to have an opinion," Zephyr whispered as his group stood by the city wall's checkpoint.

Numerous other carts were in front of them, eager to leave the capital, but clinging to corruption, the guards were extorting the departing. Providing the carts with a parameter of protection and also taking bribes and whatever they could from their carriages, the men and women of sword and shield saw this as much of an opportunity to make gold as the rioters.

"I just wanna get out of here already," Audrey gasped, her lungs heavy with tar.

The rest were no better, and that's exactly why they had their mouths covered and barely tried to speak. Watching the smoke and the burning orange skies of the city was enough; they didn't want their lungs to take souvenirs from it.

Waiting for their wagon to move, the group did notice one other curious thing. Instead of two, there were now three horses, and inside the wagon with them were two furry white pups, not even a few days in age. Where had Aura gotten them, and why were they being brought along? Everyone was curious, but right now was not the time to ask.

As the carts began moving, eventually it came time for the group to offer their own tribute as well. But since most of them hadn't brought any currency, Zephyr handed one of the guards a few potions that he'd brewed. At first, everyone eyed him with a frustrated look, but tired of being stalled, the fiend sank his teeth into their mouth and made them do what he wanted them to do.

Even outside, the towers from where the capital watched their surroundings were devoid of all guards. Some were even set on fire, and plenty of farms along with them. The smoke coming from Glyea's family home during their arrival now felt trivial. A lot has happened after all, and though the path seemed clear, once the group was outside the reach of the capital guards, they noticed a stack of wagons that had gone before them toppled at the side of the road. A pool of blood lay beside the passenger's scattered belongings, some of which even blocked the road.

Stopping at the foot of the problem, Aura curiously looked around before turning her head to address Custer.

"Someone has to clear the road, it seems," she said, barely holding back a smile.

"Wait, it's obviously a trap," peeking out from the front curtain, Charlotte held her arm stretched towards the burnt fields. "Better to take the rocky route than get off the wagon."

"Another smartarse!" The sudden shouting from a man turned everyone's attention back to the scattered luggage. Lifting from within the clothes piled over their bodies to hide themselves, a group of crude-looking men emerged with blades. "Just hand your stuff over, and you can go through."

Waving his blade across the pool of blood, their leader let out a rough laugh.

"Them here people know what happens if you don't do as I ask," stabbing his blade in another pile of clothes, the man lifted from what appeared like a human arm bludgeoned and minced here and there instead of hacked with a blade. "So, what's your answer!"

The air in the wagon went still for a moment. Everyone but the merchant, his slave, and Freya could fight, but given the terrain and the readiness for battle by the bandits, none of the adventurers felt confident in taking on this fight. If even one of the non-combatants fell into their hands, their lives would be over, for they would be forced to submit.

Even so, with a jerk, Rudy tried to get up from his spot only for Freya to grab his hand and force him to sit down again.

"Don't try anything…" She whispered, placing a hurried hand on his chest.

Her own heart was racing, and her son could feel it pounding against him through her palm pushed against his chest. Looking over at Charlotte, Rudy knew that it fell on her to make the decision, and from the way everyone was staring at her as well, it felt as though she would have to shoulder the outcome of her decision any given second.

"Enough," to the surprise of everyone, however, Valentine jumped out of the wagon. Tightening her gloves, she scowled at the bandits and declared with great confidence. "Walk away now, or I will batter you worse than you've done to your victims."

Baring her fangs with a hiss, she left nothing to the imagination.

'What the hell?!' The thought rippled through everyone's head, but the bandits themselves weren't as keen on picking up the woman's true nature. Instead of running away, they charged at her with their blades.

"Idiot…" Squeezing her fingers tight, the vampiress drew her fist back for a second and punched right through their leader's chest. As her arm came out bloodied on the other end, the bandit's eyes widened, and his mouth gushed that he quickly began vomiting. But that was only the start of their nightmare as Valentine opened her fingers and started punching the rest with the body of their leader swinging wildly from her wrist…

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