With that, the Rakshasa left them. Eurysa led the way and the group hid near the road that led into the small city. Ritter, as the one with the most human appearance, at least from a distance, peered down the road in both directions. The goal was to wait until the road was clear. At that point the group would rush across and make their way to the riverbank. However, it seemed like there was a constant stream of traffic flowing into and out of the town.
Finally things settled down and the five monstrous warriors made their way across the road. They came to the riverbank and watched as the mighty river flowed westwards towards the sea. The river was large, though not as large as the Ago River that it eventually flowed into. It was the Ago River that reached the ocean, carrying the water of at least a half dozen tributaries. The capital River carried water from three tributaries itself, the Florisica River, the Videnthal River, and the Kelmbach River.
Those rivers all met at the Agonish city of Wevner, often known as the City of Bridges. That city was far to the east however, and of no use to the travelers and their current predicament. A nice bridge would have been quite helpful where they were. The river was wide enough that it was difficult to see where the opposite bank was. Small waves showed the strong current. Aldebaran looked at the water and grunted while Kava was already busy dipping her one remaining hand into the cool water to refresh herself.
“Worried about getting sea sick?” the vodyanoi croaked at the minotaur.
Aldebaran snorted, “More worried how they are going to fit your ego on a boat.”
“I'll just swim. I can breathe underwater after all. This little boat thing is for all of you. Once again, proving my superiority. Breathing only air is for wimps.”
“You should try not breathing at all.”
“Then I could not add my insightful commentary. Whatever would you do then?”
“Probably be happy.”
“Not while I'm around. You are more amusing when you are grumpy anyway.”
Enzi's Irregulars #0071
Devis did his best to disappear from sight. When he was sure no one could see him, he shifted his form into an Agonish man. Enzi's clothing was simple enough it could pass as normal about anywhere. The man had wanted to wear something easy to move around in for combat and travel purposes. It just happened to serve well as anonymous clothing. The disguised Rakshasa then strode directly into town. It was time to mingle and learn how best to cross the river.
The town was bustling with activity. Farmers were trading their goods as people were preparing to ship any extra goods downriver to the capital and beyond. Barges moving up and down the river were a constant sight. Trade thrived on the rivers. Devis knew that finding boats was easy. Finding a boat that was willing to take passengers would not be too difficult. Finding one that was willing to take monsters, however, that was the problem.
Disguising himself as just another one of Agon's citizens helped a lot. Devis was able to chat with a dozen different people and learn about the trade barges expected in and out of town. He also learned about the captains of each. The word captain seemed like a lofty term for a barge owner that poled a barge upriver than let it drift back down towards the ocean. However, the personality of the men often overshadowed their miniscule power. The term captain might have aided that by boosting their ego.
With information in hand, Devis visited a shop to make a few purchases. It was nice to be in the heart of civilization again. He could solve quite a few problems by throwing a little bit of coin around. He kept a small collection of the coin of each country in a few different pouches. He also kept a few small gems to us in bartering for anything that might require a little more buying power. It was more than enough for nearly anything he needed.
Purchases in hand, the disguised Devis headed for the river. He headed out of town, stopping along the way to change his disguise. Falling back into the character of Enzi Cala was easier than Devis expected it to be. He limped along the riverbank until he found the five inhuman mercenaries. They had found a nice spot near the shore where they could rest out of sight of both the road and anyone going down the river. The Rakshasa handed each of Enzi's Irregulars a present.
“I purchased some cloaks for each of you. It may be the wrong season for them, but it will help hide us until we reach saner shores. I believe I know of a barge that will aid us. This particular captain is expected to reach town today and has been known to transport almost anything for the right price. We are lucky that it seems this will not require much diplomacy at all.”
Aldebaran pulled out a rather large cloak, “I am surprised you found anything near my size.”
“I asked for the largest cloak they had,” Devis replied, “I was surprised it was as large as it was, though it might still need to be larger to be fully effective.”
“True. We lost the custom sized cloaks when we had to leave the wagon behind
Enzi's Irregulars Act IV - The Deluge Page 7