Chapter 7: The Encounter on the Road
As Daegal moved along the rugged path beside the river, he heard voices approaching from the distance.
"Well, look what we have here—a straggler, maybe?" said a man with a rough voice, a smirk spread across his face as he drew closer. He was broad-shouldered and stocky, with a thick beard. His companion, leaner and nervously fidgeting, let out a mocking laugh.
"Or perhaps he's a simpleton, Bjorn," the thinner man sneered, eyeing Daegal’s worn clothes. "Doesn't seem to know this road has a toll."
Bjorn crossed his arms and stepped forward, blocking Daegal's path. "That’s right. This road costs you, stranger. Fifty brass coins," he announced, holding out a hand.
The lean man, called Kalf, leaned in to whisper to Bjorn. "But I thought Ragnar said twenty-five coins for the toll."
"Quiet, fool," Bjorn hissed back, his eyes glinting with greed. "Ragnar didn't say we couldn’t add a little extra for ourselves." He turned his gaze back to Daegal, feigning politeness as he kept his hand extended. "So, fifty brass coins, if you want to pass."
Daegal's eyes swept over the men, noting the terrain behind them and the path he might need to take. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, counting out a handful of coins.
Bjorn drew his sword, the blade glinting as he pointed it toward Daegal. "Actually, hand over everything you've got, and maybe we'll let you go free."
Kalf's expression flickered with hesitation, but then he steadied himself, flashing a smug grin as if he had agreed with Bjorn all along.
Daegal handed over a small leather pouch filled with coins. "Here, take it. It’s all I have."
As Bjorn and Kalf greedily rifled through the coins, Daegal glanced up with a calm expression. “Before you go, have either of you heard of someone named Viola?”
Bjorn paused, his brow furrowing. "Viola? Hah! That demoness? She was killed by a demon ages ago—or so they say."
Kalf let out a shudder. "Aye, they say that demon swallowed her whole."
Daegal gave a slight nod, watching the two with a calm, unreadable gaze as they continued to chuckle, oblivious to the quiet power that lay just beneath his collected demeanor.
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