The Ambushed Merchant
"Showing off," Ali remarked as he scooped Jelia onto his shoulders.
Perched atop Ali, Jelia wriggled around, looking down at the ground, and kicked Ali's chest.
"It feels like I've become a titan... Ali, can you carry me like this on our travels from now on?"
"In your dreams!" Ali rolled his eyes and moved forward.
"Hold tight, this is a one-time deal.
After this, we're each on our own path!"
"Stingy! Howard would have said yes."
...
The village was small, lacking even a specific name on the map.
It was simply known because of two giant oak trees in the central square, leading passersby and villagers to refer to it as Oak Village.
The village wasn't large, with a population not exceeding two hundred.
A simple fence of wooden spikes served as its entire defense.
However, given the absence of spellbeast subspecies in the area, this rudimentary protection sufficed to maintain safety.