Needless to say I was bewildered. She had bounded out of nowhere and leaped right onto the raft. I had to leap on there with her with my pole and halt the raft by sticking the staff into the water to halt the craft so the others could clamber on, getting their legs and feet wet. It didn't enamor them with the newcomer, and I admit I was hesitant to take her on. If there was one thing that led to deaths on the river, it was chaos and a lack of cooperation. It already wasn't off to a great start, and as the last of them got on and threw their bags onto the craft, I turned and regarded the woman with my arms crossed. 

"Wait a minute, who are-..." I started, but she thanked me. Looking at this noblewoman in trouble, I knew in the end I would let her stay. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left someone in need stranded there, particularly a woman who had just escaped pursuers. Behind me the others began to grumble. 

"Who in ze hell is that!" One of the Dre Costans called over my shoulder. 

"Did you not see her? I say let her stay." Another said with obvious lust. 

"Did she even pay?" the woman asked as the dock drifted away. I had not yet begun guiding the craft, but it was slowly moving with the current. I looked at the golden haired woman and sighed, a smile growing on my face. I really shouldn't have done so, but it just wasn't in me to not accept her. Still, I had to do something. In her hands she clutched a weird object. I took it out of her hands with a quick, nimble slip of the fingers. When she started to protest, I gave a wink and leaned in.

"I'll reimburse you later," I told her, letting her know I wasn't keeping it. "Yeah, she paid. Aristocrats get a discount, anyway. They keep the waterways safe with their trade, after all." 

The merchant snorted his hooked nose at that, likely having tried to buy his way into nobility, or had been outsourced by one on the northern continent, or maybe he was simply jealous? I never asked. I tried not to get involved with any passengers unless they were open to talk, but this new woman I was definitely curious about. If nothing else I would speak with her and tell her about where we were going, since she probably had no idea. No doubt she had questions too. 

I turned from her to address the group, opening my mouth to speak. I was interrupted by a cry from the dock, now twenty paces away and sliding further and further in the distance. Two men were shouting obscenities. One look at the other passengers and I could tell they were equally as confused, so I assumed they were the kidnappers. I pointed at them and looked at the noble woman. "Are those the guys?" 

She nodded, buttoning her lip. I turned back at the men on the dock waving their hands, one of them swinging about an unsheathed sword. I admit I was pissed off at them, and it would do both me and the newcomer some good to let off some steam, or watch me do it. 

"Yeah, you can kiss my ass!" I cried, stepping over to the butt of the craft and cupping my hands by my mouth. "Hope the wailing plague take you, bitches!" 

I admit it wasn't professional, but the sexy aristocrat seemed to like it and a few of the others who weren't wide eyed chuckled at my manner. I then regained my dignity and cleared my throat, before going back to do what I did every time I shipped people or goods downriver. I needed to lay the ground rules. The water was dark, even with the noonday sun hitting it through the canopy of tropical trees that loomed above us, their trunks equally comfortable on land or submerged in the shallows. Bubbles popped up in streams every now and then and fish hopped out of the water in ubiquitous spurts. It all looked so calm, but soon it might get less safe for those who did not take care.

"Ok, sorry for both interruptions. Now... I know none of you are familiar with this land, so here is what I require of you to come on this journey: You do what I say, when I say it. I won't command you to do anything unless it is for your own safety and those around you. I need you to never put your hands and feet in the water unless I say so. Don't ever pick anything unless I say so. Don't make loud noises like I just did, unless you're in desperate need for help, and even then do so cautiously. Don't fight with one another or fraternize in whatever way you wish until we make it to the outpost..." 

I was lucky I turned my head then. One of the conquistadors had drawn his gun and was setting it to his shoulder to carefully aim, one eye closing and the other glaring down the sight. I saw the flint lit and moved quickly, shoving the gun barrel up and licking my fingers before pinching the fuse out. The Dre Costan looked at me like I was daft, and he might be right in other circumstances but in this instance he was about to do something stupid. I looked at where he was aiming and saw what he was about to shoot. 

It looked like a large rock basking beside a tree, the tree roots having slithered into the riverbank. I imagine it looked very much like a statue to most of them. The conquistador had probably been looking at it for some time. Moss covered what looked like a scaled form with a shell. Its ridges sharpened into rough points along the carapace. Whoever had carved it had a lot of time on their hands, being as large as it was. But as theirs eyes focused, they would dreadfully realize it wasn't a statue. It was a beast, armored and primordial in countenance. It lounged beside the river, not ten paces from the raft. 

"And don't shoot anything unless I say it." I told him firmly. 

"Look at the size of that thing! It's worth its weight in gold if we can just-" 

"That's Grik-Tache. He's a local beast the town values." I informed him, letting go of his gun. I honestly felt like he was an idiot at the time. Even if he killed the creature (and that was a big if), we were at capacity. What would he store on the craft? "If you shot him, it wouldn't kill him. He'd just get pissed off and come over here and sink us. He's harmless unless provoked anyway."

"So it's a...town... death-turtle?" The new woman asked, incredulous. 

I laughed. "Kinda. It's a Cleaver-mouth. This one has been here for thirteen years. He doesn't like the taste of people and he keeps the other beasts away. Don't bother him and he'll keep the town safe, but the last person that hit him was by accident, and he took their leg. Just leave him be. We're lucky we saw him, actually. Usually he's not so close to town." 

With that, the commotion died down and everyone withdrew to looking at the water and treeline, either deep in thought or to see if they could spot anything else I imagined. As for me, I took my pole and gently pressed against the riverbed, guiding the raft forward, standing right by the golden haired woman. Slowly I reached into my pocket and handed her the strange item back, our fingers brushing for a brief moment. 

"Would you like to tell me who you are, my lady? I bet this isn't the usual transportation you're used to." I told her with a wink.