We ended up paying nearly fifty gold for two sturdy horses and saddles. The rabbit-men tied their packs to their new mounts and climbed up. They were large horses but couldn't match Lacuna's size.
Once everyone was situated on their horses, I led them all out of the front gate. After making it through the gate, we were finally out of the Compass Kingdom. It'll be a cold day in hell before I set foot back here anytime soon. Though that was my usual attitude whenever I came here. I was too much of a homebody, and I smiled at the prospect of getting back to the castle soon.
"All right, let’s get going!"
Chapter 27 - The Obsidian Throne
Once out of the Compass Kingdom, we sped away as fast as our horses would let us. With Lyahgos and the others, we could ride for longer, switching riders when one grew tired. I stayed on the reins for the most part, as Eris was busy with the two spiderlings.
After nearly a full day of riding, they were finally comfortable enough that they stopped being afraid of me. According to Eris, they spoke Rachnaran, the language of the arachne. A language that my translator couldn't understand.
And I was kind of okay with it. I didn’t know how to act around children, especially half-spider children who didn’t speak English.
Their names were Tegen and Cheira, and they were kind of cute, but I left Eris to take care of them, which she took to with abandon.
She spent most of her time with them on the trip back. Making sure they were okay and had someone to talk to besides each other. It was incredibly endearing to see her like that, but it also meant most of her time was spent with them, and we didn’t get to spend much time together.
I busied myself with keeping a fast pace, but even still, there was only so much distance we could travel without breaking the horses wind, and I didn’t want that to happen to Lacuna.
When it got dark the first night, we stopped and set up camp in a large clearing just off the main road. There weren't any trees around, but I wasn't worried since we had so many people in one group. Lyahgos helped get his people’s tents set up while I worked on ours. Eris dug out the fire pit while Tegen and Cheira hunted.
Despite their young age, the children were fierce hunters. They crept over the grasslands like ghosts and managed to bag a large buck single-handedly and carried the several hundred-pound carcass by themselves—much to the entire camp's amazement.
Eris praised them for nearly an hour while I cleaned and cooked the meat. The rabbit-men's diet mostly consisted of vegetables, but they weren't opposed to eating meat, so when the deer was prepared, we all sat around the fire and ate, told stories, and just enjoyed each other's company. Eris laid her head on my lap after the meal, and I stroked her hair while Lyahgos and I talked.
It was a perfect day, one of the best I'd had since coming to this world.
I leaned back and sighed with contentment, reaching to wind my fingers through Eris’s. I wanted nothing more than the moment to stretch on forever. That thought caused me to chuckle. I’ve really become a sap, haven’t I?
Eh, guess I don't mind so much. Though I couldn't deny the change I felt in me, even from the relatively short time we'd spent together. I was a better person for Eris being in my life.
After too many years of holding on to all my bitterness and self-loathing, my past mistakes and failures, Eris was the person capable of breaking through all of it.
I may have been a hybrid now, something more and less than what I was, but it was because of Eris that I’d regained some of my humanity. I couldn't make up for my past, the awful things I'd done. But having someone who sees the monster you've become and still loves you for it?
That kind of person is worth changing for.
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
Eris smiled, basking in my affections. “As I love you, my bonded.”
We stayed like that for some time, letting the fire die, but too soon, Eris took the children and went to get some rest along with the rest of the camp.
I volunteered for first watch, mostly because I had too much on my mind to be able to sleep, and because our tent was now occupied with the spiderlings.
While I kept watch, I pulled up my interface to check my stats and character page.
Combat Results
1 Killed: (Human) 1500 Exp!
Total Exp: 1500 Exp!
Exp: 4100/5100
Character Name: Durandahl
Level: 51
Exp: 4100/5100
Race: Hybrid (Hive)
Class: Hive Knight
Reputation: Wanted Criminal
Bounty: 1300 Gold
Stats (-)
Strength: 100 (Max)
Sub-Stats (-)
Attack Damage: 30
Constitution: 100 (Max)
Sub-Stats (-)
Health: 25
Health Regen: 25
Durability: 15
Endurance: 75 (85)
Sub-Stats (-)
Battle Fatigue: 10
Battle Fatigue Regen: 10
Agility: 50 (60)
Sub-Stats (-)
Attack Speed: 15
Movement Speed: 10
Wisdom: 25 (35)
Sub-Stats (-)
Mana: 20
Luck: 0 (30)
Charisma: 0 (10)
One of the rabbitmen girls came and relived me a few hours later. Charlotte was in her mid-twenties with long, chestnut hair and a cute, round face. Her eyes were the same blue as the others, and her long bunny ears were gray and spotted with a little black. She yawned and sat by the embers while I went and got some sleep. When we set off in the morning with the spiderlings happily chatting to one another, I had a thought. I haven't asked, but I guess
