Slowly, I brought my hands forward, whilst bowing my head, offering half the gold to Gennady. The man just blinked.
"What are you doing, lass. I told you—"
"This is a bribe," I said, looking back up. "For you to keep my secret and bring me to Taw."
"What are you even saying?" the Dwarf asked, perplexed at my sudden offer.
"You told me yesterday, didn’t you? Most people would accept bribes and stay quiet. Well half of this is for you to stay quiet, and the other is payment for you to escort me to Taw. You’re a Hunter, right? There are Monsters along the way, and I can’t protect myself," I said, pushing the pouch to the man’s chest. "That’s our contract. An official one— we’ll get it signed under the guild."
"Can’t protect—" Gennady sputtered. "Lass, are you even listening to yourself? You’re a Hunter! Of course you—"
"I’m not a Hunter," I said, cutting him off. "Aria is a Hunter, but not me. I’m just a regular little girl. Someone who needs protection. So will you accept my offer? Do you think the terms of the agreement are fair?"
Gennady furrowed his brow, not out of irritation, but more out of bewilderment. "Personally, I think this contract is skewed in my favor quite significantly. But if you’re trying to give me free money, then I guess I’ll take it. Could probably buy a few Superior mana crystals with this."
I smiled. "Thank you," I said, suddenly feeling better about myself.
"Hah, no worries, lass. Or, do I call you ‘little Missus’ now?"
I paused, not sure of what to say. After a moment’s deliberation, I decided to say it anyways.
"My name is Melas, not ‘little Missus’. I’d prefer it if you call me by my appropriate name," I said, emphasizing the last part to distinguish between myself and ‘Aria’. Although we really were just the same person.
"Alright then, Melas," Gennady said, slapping me on the back. I glared at him, rubbing at my back as he pointed a thumb at himself and grinned. "I’ll be bringing you to the Taw Kingdom safe and sound, don’t you worry about it!"
And unlike before, I was less worried now. I was not sure why he was helping me, but I knew for sure that he had a reason to keep his promise now. I was still uncomfortable, but more reassured.
Chapter 18: Tinkering
"Is there no better way to do this?"
"Sorry, lass. But there’s no space otherwise," Gennady said, shaking his head. "You just have to deal with it, unless you want to hire a carriage?"
"No," I sighed. "That’d be expensive, and I don’t like spending money unnecessarily if there’s a cheaper alternative."
The Dwarven man shrugged uncaringly. "Either way works fine for me. Just make sure you hold on tight onto that hat of yours. Don’t want it to fly off in the middle of the ride."
I nodded curtly, and followed after Gennady as he got on his bike. It was a three wheeled bike, with two front wheels for steering and a single back wheel right underneath the engine; the seat was rather long and at an angle— it seemed to be designed to allow the driver to lean back slightly for comfort. There was also a small storage area at the back, above the engine, with straps to secure any baggage from falling off.
...and that’s where I’m sitting.
I could not sit with Gennady because of how the seat was made— inclined downwards from the back; if I tried sitting there, I would have been pushing down on the Dwarf, which would have impeded his ability to safely drive the vehicle. I did not want to die in a freak car accident that could have been easily avoided, so Gennady suggested that I sat on the place where he usually stored his mountain sized bag, and held onto it to keep myself from falling.
Luckily for myself and the bag, there was enough space and rope for the both of us to share. The only reason this worked was because of how large the bike was: with a length of over seven feet and three feet at its widest, I found myself tied around the waist and seated next to a big brown bag. At least I’ve got a seatbelt.
"Are you sure you’re fine with this?" Gennady asked one last time, as he turned to face me from where he was seated. "This wouldn’t have been a problem if I had a sidecar. Maybe we could make an improvised one before we leave. They don’t sell any here."
"I’m fine," I said after a moment of considering his offer. "It’ll just be a few days' travel, right?"
"Less than a week for sure, unless we get caught up in something. And I doubt anything will happen," he said reassuringly.
I simply stared back at the Dwarf.
Blinking, Gennady asked, "...what?"
"It’s nothing," I said, shaking my head. If I don’t acknowledge my bad luck, it doesn’t exist… right? I tried very hard to will good luck into existence through thoughts alone, however something told me it did not work. "Let’s just go."
"Aight. Hold on tight to your things— I’ll try to drive slower and speed up over time so you’ll get used to it."
The bike’s engine revved as the Dwarf pressed his foot down on the pedal; white plumes began puffing out from the back, covering my face, and eliciting a few coughs from me.
"Oh, and don’t mind that. It won’t be an issue once we get going," Gennady said, looking back at me one last time.
I waved one hand frantically in the air, trying to disperse the unending stream of steam. "Just"— I coughed— "go!"
He grunted
