Belladonna hurried to the city gates as Midas got everything set up for their departure. When she arrived, she could already see multiple carriages sitting near the gates, as dozens of people buzzed around them like worker ants.

Between Bandits, Beasts and other unbearably bad things that didn’t necessarily start with the letter B, safety on the roads was never guaranteed. It was easier for the players, who travelled in smaller groups that were hard to detect and could defend themselves when they did get attacked, but for the NPCs of Dawd it was a truly dangerous undertaking.

If players took the time to really talk to any of the people, instead of just what was needed for quests, then they would discover that 80% of the population of any given city consisted of people who had never travelled before in their lives. A number that was even larger when you went to smaller villages instead of the large cities.

The remaining 20% consisted mostly of people who travelled for things like weddings, nobles who did it for fun or events, and the people that this gaggle of carts was manned by. Merchants and their adventuring Bodyguards.

It was safe to say that if it were not for merchants, the roads would barely exist at all. However even if the roads were practically built by and for them, it was still unsafe for them. Convoys became how they regularly travelled, as more bodies together were generally considered to be safer.

That didn’t stop some travelling solo, but this was simply more common. Although gathering all together like this did mean that there was more loot for bandits to rob. Hence all of the big, burly men - and a few big burly women - that were either using those muscles to haul sacks and crates of goods onto the carts or simply standing to the side looking angry and intimidating.

Belladonna scanned the congregation of burly behemoths and noble merchants decked out in extravagant clothing, until she saw who she was looking for. The scruffy, scrawny looking boy who stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the group.

He looked more like a beggar than a merchant like the rest. Even now that he was leaving, Midas still couldn’t give up the act.

She jogged over to him, ignoring the glares she got from the guards trying to intimidate her, as she smiled warmly at the scruffy merchant.

"Hey Midas, Hope I’m not late."

"No no, you’re perfectly fine. There’s still a few minutes before this convoy moves out." Midas replied with a professional smile.

The convoys, although they were headed by the rich merchants, were an informal thing. One did not need an invitation to join them, just to leave at the same time and be following the same route, which was announced prior.

If anyone wanted, they could tag along. Like the introvert friend silently following along behind the group while they had fun at a party.

This meant that the guards had an unspoken rule of selfish cooperation. It was in their best interest to protect the convoy as a whole, but when attacks did come they would always prioritise their own company.

It was why everyone brought their own guards, and why Midas had been interviewing players for the position. He could have left it and hoped that the collective guards would be enough, but this was a better guarantee of his life continuing and his goods staying safe. Even if the other guards didn’t believe so.

Out of the corner of her eye, Belladonna could see a few of the burly guards chuckling to each other or whispering amongst each other as they sent derisive smirks in her direction. She assumed that she was supposed to feel intimidated or embarrassed by them, that they were looking down on her when they were so much bigger.

But Belladonna felt nothing but pity for these pathetic men, and a little amusement at their blatant attempts to stroke their own ego. No doubt used to having to stroke themselves in their daily life.

Chuckling to herself, she turned to Midas’ cargo and began to load it up. With one hand she lifted a crate as tall as she was, and with the other she dragged a large sack behind her as she sauntered over to Midas’ cart.

’Cart’ was being generous, honestly. Just like Midas himself, the cart was not expensive and looked like it had been dragged out ditch and half heartedly cleaned off.

It was little more than a square floor of rotten, dirty wood set upon four wheels, that were not of a matching set. If it were a modern car, it would have been just a pile of rust with no doors and a hose sticking out of the gas tank where it had been ripped off in a hurried get away.

Put simply, it was shit.

But, as ugly as it looked, it was functional. Being drawn by a creature that looked like the blend of a Zebra and a Dalmatian, which is to say it looked like a horse with black and white spots, it would get them from point A to point B. Provided they didn’t encounter any strong winds or magical termites on the way.

The wood-scrap they called a cart creaked as Belladonna dumped the goods onto the back of it, as it threatened to buckle just from the weight of their cargo. Belladonna immediately turned to Midas, giving him a doubtful glare that he simply shrugged off with a smirk before a thick hand slammed down on his shoulder.

"Hey Pip-squeak." Rumbled the large man fondling Midas’ shoulder. He had deep purple skin, a heavy underbite to make way for the thick tusks jutting out from his lower jaw and no nose to speak of.

He was an Orc, and one of the guards from the more prestigious merchants in their little convoy.

"I don’t know what price you’re paying you, but even if its something a runt like you can afford its too much. Skinny little thing like her ain’t made for fighting. Little ladies like that is made for warming beds." He growled, giving Belladonna a lecherous once over before winking at her, and continuing to harass Midas.

"Which means you are gonna end up as a scrawny little toothpick for the first beast we meet. So why don’t you save yourself the dump that shit-stain of a cart where you found it and we’ll let you ride with us instead. We need someone to shovel the shit." He growled, before breaking out into raucous laughter.

His comrades behind him joined in, finding the D-tier joke to be the funniest thing they had ever heard in their lives.

"Kindly remove your hand from my employer, before I rip it off and shove it down your throat." Belladonna said in a low, threatening tone as she gave the burly orc a clearly fake, professional smile.

He looked over her again, before snorting in amusement and removing his hand from Midas’ shoulder. He left, but not before using that same hand to grab at his own crotch and gesture it in her general direction, before finally turning and leaving.

Belladonna let out a wistful sigh as she watched the orc leave, and let her true feelings slip as she muttered to herself,

"Ah... I’m going to enjoy beating that guy’s face to a pulp." Before turning to Midas and giving him a warm smile.

"Thanks again for letting me come Midas, this really is going to be so much more fun than going alone."

"Haha, Any time. I can’t wait to see what happens." Midas replied with a laugh.