We ate well this evening. Jerem may have a rotten personality, but he possesses a gift to transform bad materials in a more than edible dinner. We ate a kind of desert lizard with rock hard potatoes. He cooked it slowly with a few aromatic herbs and prepared the sauce with the meat juice.

When I identified the ingredients, I almost puked. But the result... Far away from grande cuisine, was way better than expected. Remembering I was eating his dishes for the past few days helped for the first bite, not gonna lie.

Once finished we got to the boys room to carry on our discussion. We had a lot to clarify and now that we have decided to be allies it was time to decide the next course of action.

They sat on the floor, cross-legged, maybe some kind of tradition but I followed their example to blend in the group. Ina took out her dagger and started her routine of cleaning and sharpening. I am almost surprised there is still a blade to sharpen if she does it so often. We exchanged a few jests and finally got down to business.

"You said you wanted to help me get back home. I don't want to be a killjoy, but I don't remember a single thing about my country or my family. It won't be an easy job."

Kain scoffed "What rotten luck, just the kind of mission we needed..."

I was starting to get to know Kain. He was the kind who complained for everything but still does his work in the end. He was not so bad, but he needed some shaping.

"I know I am asking for a lot, but I'm not able to do anything about the situation. Do you have a map by any chance ? It could help me recognize the name of a place and ease our research."

Kain looked at me wide eyed before bursting out laughing.

Shara and Ina looked at each others with a wry smile.

I felt a headache coming.

"Is there a kind soul down there that can point out what's so funny with my request..."

It was Ina's turn to have a brief laugh. She then explained, while kain was still holding his tummy.

"To begin with, you really have a weird way of talking, but it's fun so don't stop. For the map, and one big enough for your purpose... You must understand it's premium goods. Not only is it exceedingly expensive, but you also need a permit to hold one."

It was my turn to laugh, a permit for a map. Seriously, I didn't imagine she was the funny one of the group. I wiped my eye to remove the tear that formed and looked at them again.

They were not laughing this time.

Wait, what ?

"A permit for a map ? Please tell me I am dreaming... Just why ?"

"They say it's restricted knowledge. I'm more of the opinion that nobody would stay in this hellhole if you definitely knew there were alternatives a couple of weeks of travel away." Shara answered.

"But, don't you have contact with the outside world ?"

"There are a lot of small villages around here but this is the sole genuine town around. I do know that a few merchants came a year and half ago from the east but really few people consider the trip from the outside. Life is rough here and there is no real business opportunities. And ... you need to cross the desert..."

Gods, I was fortunate to be seated or I would have fallen on my butt.

"For fuck's sake, I finally gathered allies and they are as clueless as me. At least I have a reason. What's yours ?"

"Hey, dick move, we didn't choose to birth here." Argued Kain.

True, it was under the belt.

I turned toward Shara, hopping she had an Idea.

"Truthfully, we were preparing to traverse the desert, we have been training for a few years and our odds are quite good. We were only waiting for a suitable opportunity. It could be complex for you, not quite impossible but I think we should get back to civilization before planing ahead. It could be our first stop." She expressed, she then carried on.

"We also have the dagger. It's really unremarkable but a true blacksmith could get a lead on the maker."

She passed it to me and I could confirm she was right. The alloy was of good quality, the wood of the handle unremarkable like she said, the only exception was a small marking at the foot. It was familiar to me but I could not remember where I had witnessed it.

I gave it back to Shara, I had no need to carry it all the time.

"Very well, we have our first objective."

Kain then looked at me and rubbed his thumb and forefinger with a smirk.

"Excuse me for my rudeness, but may I inquire about how you intend to reward us my dear lord ?"

It was a good question. I was really hoping to delay the subject till... way later. To add insult to injury, I had absolutely no idea of the value of their currency. What can this type of mission even be worth ?

I reflected on the question for a few minutes when a bang of hair got in front of my eyes. I annoyingly placed it back behind my ear when it struck me. I was a living bank. I looked up and answered with a beaming smile.

"In pure gold obviously !"

Ina smiled and joked "You will end up bald if you only count on them to foot the bill."

"I'm pretty confident it may suit me !"

Shara suddenly got up and declared.

"All right, I think it's enough for tonight, let's rest early, we still have a lot of preparation before departing."

Ina and Shara left, and I was alone with Kain in the room.

"Go to bed kiddo. You will need all the rest you can get for what awaits you tomorrow."

I tried my best to probe him but I guess he was having a blast keeping me clueless. There was nothing more I could do so I got to bed. I still made a promise to myself to get back at him.

Shara pulled me out of bed at an unholy hour, that could not even be described as morning. The sun was not up and we were alone in the courtyard. I suppressed a yawn while waiting for her to explain herself.

"We saw you are educated. We also noticed you lack a good deal of common knowledge. We will be crossing the desert in a few days and it will be our duty to keep you alive. I will cram a maximum of information into you so you don't kill yourself in the first day of travel. Any question ? "

"Was it absolutely necessary to get me out of bed at this hour for this ?"

She smiled before responding.

"The class will be held this afternoon, this morning, we'll assess you physical limits. Walking in the desert is way harder than walking on solid ground. We need to estimate your ability first to plan the time of our travel. There are no oases in the east, so we need to prepare accurately our supplies."

Arf, I definitely don't want to exercise right now but I can understand why it is important for them. I also want to test my body and see it's limits.

"All right, I'm on, what do we start with ?"

Over the course of the next hours, she made me run with her in a myriad of alley in the town. She perfectly knew her way around because she additionally used this opportunity to show me around the nice place of the town. My personal guide brought me back to the inn after one hour of running, seemingly satisfied with my stamina.

It was a light warm up, we then proceeded with a lot of exercises I was not accustomed to : push up, squat, jumping jacks, plank... It seemed to be focused on body strength. I found it curious but did as asked. Once more she seemed impressed with me because she then wanted to move to hand to hand combat.

I was not as confident in this field. My recent experience with Mad made me realize I was not as strong as I was thinking. I could be rusty, true, but what happened then was a stain on my record.

It was useless to be nervous and overthink this. I mimicked her position and signaled I was ready. She punched a few time without making it past my guard. She started moving around me, forcing me to follow her. I started retaliating when she hit me in the shoulder.

The brawl became more fast paced, I was not satisfied with my dodges but it was enough to keep going. She got serious when I faked a hit and got her straight in the lap belt.

She started kicking at me with all her strength. I soon understood that one of those kicks could probably kill a man easily. I accumulated bruises all over my body, but I was thrilled to not be the only one. I dodged a roundhouse kick with a timely crouch, spun and connected a scissor kick on her supporting leg. She fell in the dust, and I accompanied her, out of breath.

It was the toughest time I encountered since I awoke less than five days ago. I needed a few minutes to retrieve my breathing. Hearing the heavy panting of Shara beside me helped me realize I was not the only one. We looked at each others and started to laugh like only drained people are able to.

She stood up, shook the dust out of her training garb and presented me an open hand. I took it and was back on my feet.

"Not bad for a little lord, really not bad !"

I nudged at her

"Had I been a tad bit stronger I would not need you anymore, I would hate to see you unemployed."

"Humph, well returned smartass ! We won't move to weapon training, I think it won't be necessary. It may also be risky, seeing us getting so absorbed in the training. We don't want injuries just before our departure. It seems you have good instincts for your age and the only thing that is dragging you down is your body. You attempted a few moves that would have got me good if your arms were not this short."

"hey, it’s not the size that counts."

She smiled and we got back into the inn for the rest of the day.

After lunch Ina taught me all the go to of the mercenary trainee. We were planning for the worst but what could happen if I was separated from the rest of the group. How should I identify which way to go, where to find water, what is edible or toxic for humans, finding my way using the stars in the night.

In short, all that could help me reach my destination alive.

She additionally used this time to teach me how to remove poison or slow the spreading in the organism. Absolutely never, under no circumstances, ever, suck the poison with your mouth. I understood it the first five times Ina. But thank you nonetheless.

I also accompanied Kain to the market to shop for the essentials. They used coal to conceal my hair and make them less conspicuous, a neat idea. He got me a few outfits for the trip and a backpack to keep my belongings.

Two days later, we were ready to depart.

We regrouped early in the morning to take advantage of the low temperature.

I looked one last time in the direction of this town. It was a farewell.

I had a long road in front of me. And plenty of questions to solve.