Chapter 7: Fear of the Water

The Emporium was abuzz with activity this morning, and Felix didn't know why. The two of them, Edward and he, went to the bounty booth and gave up the head of the ogre.

Felix tried to make Edward keep the money, for the cat shifter did feed him for free, but Edward just counted out the twenty gold coins and placed them in Felix's hand.

Then, he returned to the booth and looked at the posters.

"Do you see something you like?" Asking him if he wanted to murder something was the wrong thing to do, but Edward got the idea after he had spoken. He looked at Felix, who shook his head. "How about this one? A water ghoul. Likes to prey on women and children?"

"Are you bounty hunters?" A voice came from outside the booth. Edward came out and saw a merchant standing right next to Felix. "Please, nobody wants to take my job! My shipments will be lost!"

"Wait up, what is happening?" Edward asked. From the state of the merchant, he could guess this was a big job. But why hadn't the rest taken the man up on his offer? Indeed, he could pay.

"There is a water goddess in the river, who is blocking my ship! A barrier keeps the ship safe, but I don't know how long. Please, you will receive 100 gold coins each if you get rid of that thing," the picture became clear to Edward. The merchant couldn't go to the guards of the next town over because, well, his wares must be illegal. Knowing that, Edward grinned. He could haggle — now.

"You will pay us 200 gold coins each, that is final. Felix, the man next to you, is a healer. Your crew must be hurt, barrier or no barrier."

"That is a robbery!" the merchant said and then leveled Edward with a glare. The other adventurers had asked for more outrageous sums, but he still decided to haggle down. “One hundred and fifty gold coins!"

"Don't you haggle with me, cheese monger! One hundred and seventy, and not a gold coin less," Edward snapped, and the man buried his face in his hands.

"You are ruining me! You have no heart!"

"Edward, come on. He was more than a little generous when he offered the 100 gold coins," Felix said, patting the merchant on the back. "Can't you just accept the job, without skinning him alive?"

"What do you know about a water goddess, Felix?" Edward asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting Felix to give him the chance to explain the danger involved.

"They are giant snakes?" Felix asked. He had watched Edward take down that ogre like it was nothing. Indeed, a water goddess wouldn't be much of a problem.

"They are as big as a basilisk, but without the venom and the stone turning gaze. Frankly, I don't think we will even find a ship, once we go on its trail," Edward said, turning back towards the posters. "Oh, here is a nice one. I bet we can take down some slimes. This special Jell-O can be done with them, which melts on the tongue."

"You horrible robbers! Fine, 300 gold coins each, but that is only because of the kind healer," the merchant turned fully towards Felix then, with a desperate expression on his face. "My men's lives are in danger!"

"Like you care about that," Edward clicked his tongue, getting tired of the show. He would have skinned the man for all he was worth if he had been alone. He bet that he sold opiates, for him to offer this much for the rescue of the shipment. Of the men, Edward mused, he must have precious little care for.

"Edward, a minute?" Felix patted the merchant on the back once more and then marched towards Edward.

"Before you say anything, my dear friend," Edward began, holding up his finger and stalling whatever Felix would have said to him. "I would be the one to do the heavy lifting. You won't be able to even so much as check up on the crew on the ship. Do you realize we will be on a deadline to get the shipment to this seal as fast as possible?"

"I know he doesn't care for the crew," Edward thought that there was still hope for his bunny—but not much, as Felix's next words led him to believe. "But I do care, and I will do everything you ask of me if you simply go and rescue these people."

"Everything?" Edward leaned in, ghosting his lips over Felix's. "What if you regret saying this later?"

"You are a good man, despite everything you do to hide it." Felix's cheeks betrayed him when they turned crimson. Edward smirked at him and then looked at the merchant.

"Four hundred each, or you can cry on somebody else's shoulder. That is final."

"Oh, you horrible man! What are you, a temperamental cat? You will ruin me, ruin! But fine, 400, and I hope the hole in your soul gets filled with the money. Darn con artist!"

"If I were a con artist, I would have demanded the money up front and made a run for it," which would have seen Edward as an unwelcome element in every Emporium.

Something he prided himself on never letting happen.

"I am sorry, sir. "

The merchant looked like he was chewing on a lemon, but he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Edward. Felix recognized a tracking rune and saw that the ink was red.

"Edward, we have to go there quickly. The crew has wounded people in it," at Felix's urging, Edward nodded and then leveled the merchant with a glare.

"I'd better find you after I get your ship through. Do you understand? I will find you either here, and we will shake hands after you pay me, or you will be digging your grave the next time we meet," at Edward's words, the merchant gulped and took out a heavy coin purse.

"Here, kind sir. Take half now," with this, the merchant handed the purse. It had the number 400 written on it, and Edward promptly handed the purse to Felix.

"This is your share. Come on, I don't want death on my conscience," Edward broke off into a run, following the tiny mana sprite that came out of the rune.

Felix got a determined look in his eyes and followed close behind. He had never seen a water goddess but had heard about them. Yet, he had complete faith in Edward. He knew the cat shifter would show himself the superior predator again.

His faith didn't waver, not even when they found the ship and the giant snake attacking it. As Edward impaled the snake on ice spikes, Felix thought only about the crew. He could see them huddling on the deck and wondered why they were not below deck, where it could be safer.

His question remained unanswered, as the crew didn't spare him a glance before they began to get the ship to move past the snake's corpse.

Yet, when Edward made an ice spike and stopped the boat, nobody dared to argue with him that Felix and he should come on board and begin to examine the sailors.