Ustengera, Section 2

Xiao Ya's luck was good, much better than he had imagined. When Alice senses something is wrong behind her and is about to turn her head to check, they happen to arrive at the stopover of the journey, a small island cut by a vein of water.

"We camped here for the night. Leaving tomorrow morning, you should be able to touch the bandits' lair before dawn. He explained to Alice as he moored the boat into a small shallow bay.

It's a small island, but it's a lot of land for two people. There was a large wooded area on the island—about the size of a town market—and the two quickly found an open area in the middle of the woods suitable for camping.

It's just around dusk, time is pressing, and a lot of things have to be done before nightfall. So the two had to work together, one had to set up camp and the other had to prepare dinner.

Of course, after what happened on the ship, Xiao Ya would never allow Alice to touch those cooking utensils again. Fortunately, the process of convincing Alice is not difficult. It didn't even take him more than two minutes.

The process is as follows.

Xiaoya: "Alice, how are your archery skills?"

Alice: "Probably a pumpkin in fifty steps." What's wrong?"

Xiao Ya picked up a homemade compound bow and pointed an arrow into the forest, and a poor bird was immediately broken in the head by an arrow through the eye, and fell to the ground with a 'thud' like a stake.

Xiaoya: "I think it's better to leave the hunting and processing (cooking) work to me." I'm more professional in this area...... Maybe you'd rather eat dry food?"

Alice: "You're right, I'll leave it to you. ”

Plan through guò.

Xiaoya went hunting, collecting firewood, and making a fire for barbecue, while Alice was in charge of setting up camp and cleaning up. Half an hour later, as the sun began to sink into the horizon, a bonfire lit up in the center of the island.

A fat duck with its hair removed and seasoned was slowly roasting on top of the campfire, and Xiao Ya pierced it with a pole made of fragrant wood and tried to melt the smell of fragrant wood into the roast duck. The roast duck is gradually turning golden in color, and large drops of fat are dripping into the campfire, making a soft noise from time to time.

The smell of roast duck fills the air.

Because it was the morning star and moon, and because Alice had arranged insect repellent and animal repellent around the camp, there were no strange little creatures to disturb the dinner of the two at this moment. As for the big guys who are not afraid of animal repellents...... It is believed that the carcasses of a dozen large mirelururks and swamp spiders planted on the outer edge of the camp should serve as a warning.

The only thing to worry about now is the heat of the roast duck. But I guess it will take a little time.

So, in the spare time before the meal when the food is not fully cooked and all the chores are all taken care of. It's also time to come in handy for the pre-dinner chit-chat conventions peculiar to the people of Sirodir. Soon, the two began to chat and talk about the weather and climate. After a while, the conversation gradually shifted to customs and landscapes.

When the relationship is a little more familiar, the object of small talk becomes themselves.

“…… I'm not a fan of watery places at all. I don't like lakes, rivers, streams, or hot springs. And the ocean is the most hated of these places. I especially hate the Sea of Ghosts. Xiao Ya casually flicked the tongue of fire and said softly.

"Why? You're very good at rowing. Alice asked suspiciously, "Aphro gave you this task, and I guess I have a lot of confidence in your water nature." ”

"Work is work, interest is interest. Not the same. ”

"Huh?"

"If you've ever been like me, someone kicked off a boat in the outer bay of the Imperial Capital, and then you happened to be swept into the ocean by a storm, and you drifted in the sea for months and almost half a circle around Tamriel before you were rescued," he glanced up at Alice. "You're going to hate water as much as I do. ”

"Ahem, that's an unfriendly memory. I'm sorry. ”

"It's not a big deal, it's just drinking seawater. Xiao Ya shrugged his shoulders and said, "I was lucky, I only had a few days to start when I came across some broken wood from the ship. I built a small raft with them, and if I was lucky, I was able to catch a few seabirds or small fish to quench my thirst. When you're unlucky, you can just endure it. There were times when I was so hungry that I almost ate the wood, but I managed to hold back. ”

"When the sun is twilight, the days will be sad. There are fewer and fewer seabirds, and the fish are no longer visible. The weather was getting colder and colder, and my clothes were already soaked in the sea. Then I got sick, and it was probably the hardest cold of my life. My body was as hot as red-hot coal, and the waves and cold wind cut my flesh like a knife made of ice. He rolled up his sleeves and showed Alice his arms.

The man's bronzed arms were covered with pale white marks, some heavy, some light, and in some places the size of a baby's palm.

"Look, that's the memorial left at that time. The firelight reflected Xiao Ya's face, and he smiled self-deprecatingly, and the resolute edges and corners of his face seemed to soften. "I thought I wouldn't be able to make it out. ”

"But you held on. ”

"yes, hold on. A three-foot-long shark was attracted by the smell of blood on my hands and wanted to eat my flesh. But I didn't want to be eaten by the fish, so I killed it, drank its blood, ate its liver, and then I hollowed out the shark's entrails and hid it in the cold...... I don't even know how I survived. ”

"But the real test has just begun. Soon, the frozen night stars and moon arrived. And I just floated into the sea of the undead. ”

"I was hit by a big storm – I've never seen a storm of this size in more than a dozen years at sea. The people of the White Land said it was 'the roar of the North Sea Monster,' and I think that is a true statement. I saw a whale the size of a three-masted battleship being scorched by the thunder the size of a bucket. I saw thousands of feet of crests crashing down and shattering lost ships. The whole sky was covered with dark clouds, and they were so low that I felt like I could even touch them if I stretched out my hand. ”

Then I saw a shadow. A shadow as high as a mountain, as big as Fort Dvalin......" Xiao Ya looked up at the sky and muttered to herself. As if stepping into a swamp, he was caught in the memories of the past, unable to extricate himself.

"Dvalinburg?

"Well, a place you haven't heard of, nothing to care about. Xiao Ya coughed lightly and continued: "My raft broke down in a big wave. Then I fainted. By the time I woke up, I had floated to the beach near Morningstar City, and had been buried as a corpse. But I didn't bury it deeply, and I finally managed to crawl out, and then it took a lot of trouble to reach Mosar. ”

"Oh!" Alice exclaimed softly. "It's a legendary experience. ”

"It's just a story. Xiao Ya shook her head slightly and looked at Alice. "What about you? How did you get to Skyrim?"

"Me? That's a complicated story. Alice looked at the fire and whispered her story.

A cloud of oil pops on the golden skin of the roast duck with a soft sound. So, time gradually passed in the conversation and chewing sound of the two.

………………………………

It was late at night.

It was silent, except for the crackling of the campfire, and the occasional whisper of unknown birds.

Alice sat quietly by the fire, aimlessly stirring the fire with a dry branch.

She is responsible for keeping the first half of the night, and Xiaoya is responsible for keeping the second half of the night. Originally, she wanted to keep the second half of the night, but Xiao Ya refused on the grounds that she was a man and her body was better.

Cut, what a strong guy.

Alice shook her head slightly, ignoring the man who was sleeping on the bunk across the campfire.

There seems to be some secrets in this guy's body. His identity, his name, and his origins are still a mystery. However, Alice is not very curious, and does not want to explore the secrets that others keep well. Moreover, she didn't have that idleness.

Just listen to the story. And in return, she also reciprocated a 'story' that was as authentic as it was.

The dragon's affairs are imminent, where does she have so much spare time to take care of other people's affairs.

"Tomorrow, it's time to deal with those river pirates. Still, I guess there must have been more than a bunch of river pirates - at least not ordinary river pirates. The girl twisted her fingers and controlled the flames in the campfire to avoid the deadwood stick in her hand.

Afro paid too much, a little unusually. The heads of a mere bunch of river pirates are never worth that much money. Then there will definitely be targets among them that are worthy of this bounty.

So, what could it be? vampires, werewolves, crows, ghost mothers, or wild wizards? There could be a wizarding order in there. If that's the case, then the order is too bad. As a wizard, he actually controlled robbers to rob merchant ships or something......

But it doesn't matter. Strong or weak, it doesn't matter to Alice. She took on the task in addition to earning the bottle of potion. More often than not, it is to hone one's skills so that one can master one's power before the decisive battle with the dragon.

"Well, then, let me weigh these guys. I'll see if they're worthy of Aphro's honorarium. ”

The night was not long.

By the dawn of the next day, the two had quietly approached the river pirates' lair in a small boat.