Intense emotions greeted me the next day. Ras and Uri were upset that I would be leaving them behind. "You had your break yesterday. Now it's time to relieve the other guardians. Remember. You 2 are mine. The others are not. When I come back, it will be over. If people come to mess with you. Give them one warning. After that, you can punch adults and flick children in the forehead." I instructed them firmly. Neither liked this, but they were going to obey. To be more fair to them, I also did not take a ready to go Rook or Knight. "You get to spend the day playing with your children and wives. Isn't that nice?" I said to get them on board. They were ambivalent. Mating a human felt really good, but they did not have any strong bonds with their families. I also gathered my children. They were surprised that I would change my mind. "There was something that needed to be done. If I'm going there anyway, I'll take you. I will tell everyone. I don't want people to think I'm going behind their backs or anything." I said. We went around telling Shank, Ace, Deuce, Krit and Knat about it.
Even though Krit and Knat could fly, neither had any reason to go across the river. They would be bringing their children with them. Krit and Knat's daughters could fly. It was great to have wings. The son of Krit from his wife could be carried across. Knat's strength was not a problem. With that being the case, they did not need a boat. The pair went out to find their offspring and get them ready for a fight with the demons. The others were not so lucky. Ace and Deuce had naga forms. They slithered on the ground like snakes. I doubted even one of them could fit in the hermit's canoe. This would prevent them from going over for some time. Now that everyone was aware of what were doing, it was time to set off for the hermit's hut. When we got there, the hermit was talking to an Osna resident of one of the towns. I stood by to watch them for a bit. The hermit was on the older side of life expectancy. This was a young man visitor. After a few minutes of talking, the young man bowed to the shrine and walked off. I approached after he was gone. "Come to kill demons!?" he asked.
Feeling confident, I nodded my head. "Yesterday, I achieved the status of holy weapon by killing over 10 demons. I was curious if the same applied to hybrid children. I would love if it did. The only thing that they can't do is transform into their soul weapons." I said. He looked them over. "The boat only fits 2." he said. I replied "Hybrids are known to inherit benefits from both parents. I want to see if their humanity lets them cross over the river. The hermit shrugged his shoulders. "It's your children. I'll get my boat." he said. We all went to the river bank together. I told Aaren, Anicia and Zayne to dip their toes into the water. It did not seem to hurt. "Okay. Walk with him to the center of the river. Be careful. Some rocks in the river bed can be sharp or slippery." While the hermit led them, I put Qwill's spear on my back. Tev's sword and shield combo were also equipped. I began to row the canoe to the other side of the river. The hermit had the rope in his hands at all times. Aaren, Anicia and Zayne came with me. Once I got out, he pulled the boat back to him. We were now ready.
