Sergius held the front end of the cart, a large iron beam that kept the horses from straying, and started tugging at it. Come on, you stupid thing. The horse next to him, a stallion by the name of Hershey, turned his head towards Sergius. Wait till we get home, Hershey. I'll shut your mouth forever.
He stopped tugging. "Stupid tree, stupid dog, stupid life," he muttered and looked at Hershey's partner-in-crime, a smaller white horse name Albino. The horizontal iron bar that wedged far too much inside the tree for him to take it out using brute. The cart was angled downward; though it was not angled by much, it out the entire weight of the carriage on the tree.
As he waited for another cart, hopefully filled by massive friendly trolls, a man crept up from behind Sergius; Sergius only noticing him because Albino neighed; he greeted Sergius. "Greetings," said Sergius. Oh great. I forgot my knife at home. Oh well. I was the one who wanted bandits. Now here they are. I'll be killed here and stupid Allegri will turn me into some monster myth- Wait, did he just greet me?
Sergius studied the man. He looked like a commoner trying to make a living and to live long enough to... Why did we live, again? He studied the man who seemed alone. Where are his bandit friends? Why does he not have a rapier? As Sergius' mind raced, thinking of a million billion question, he realized he was just staring at the man. But before he could speak the man spoke, "What are you doing in this forest?"
For a moment Sergius was too surprised to say anything. What the hell kind of question is that? What am I doing in this forest? Really? You are standing in the biggest road in the country and that is what you come up with? What am I doing in this forest? What do you think I am doing? I'm standing near a cart and there no dead bodies around. I'm a bloody merchant, you bloody dunce!
"Uh, I'm stuck here. I was travelling on the way to Ridgeway in Rud'Bul but then my cart got stuck," Sergius pointed at the cart. Sergius realized that the man may not know where Ridgeway is. In reality, Sergius didn't know either nor did have any plans to travel there. But everyone, even a dunce, knows Midwestern is where merchants go to sell silver. Last thing Sergius wanted to tell is that he had silver in the cart. If one said the word silver in the Forest of Monsters, bandits stopped doing whatever they were doing and run to the capture the man who said the word; at least that's what Allegri says.
"You know Ridgeway. It is where the castle of the King is," Sergius said and began tugging at the iron post again. He was telling the truth. It was a month from here, according to his father. It looked good from the outside; a clean and tidy place, the whole town. But his father had felt as if the town was rotting from inside.
"Hey, I could use some help," Sergius said to the man who stood behind him.