“What are they?” Hakim queried as he glanced at Mehmed’s face. He turned to face the horizon, where a lone dune stood with a couple of black dots. Hakim rubbed his eyes, and the black dots were still there.

“I think they’re bandits,” Mehmed explained as he took a couple of deep breaths. He tried to remember the few lessons that Basil had imparted to him. They were not helpful in fighting, but it would help him survive.

“Bandits? The nearest water body would be a couple of miles away. Where would they set up camp?” Hakim’s coachman asked. The black dots grew more prominent in size as they slid down the dune. The coachmen grabbed a pair of binoculars and observed the humanoid figures gliding down the dune. Their feet blended with the sand as they skid down the dune in mere seconds.

“Are they even human…” The coachman uttered as the hooded figures crossed hundreds of metres.

“Coachman, full speed!” Hakim demanded as his limbs shook. He dropped a pen he held in one hand onto the ground. Papers were scattered over the carriage floor as he lost strength in his arms.

“What about the cargo?” Hakim’s coachman looked towards the camels carrying much of their trade goods. Hakim hesitated and looked at Mehmed. Mehmed continued to observe the black dots similar to the bandits he encountered during the expedition. Their cloaks were as dark as the darkest night, which reminded him of the black vulture.

“Abandon the cargo! Better to live another day!” Mehmed ordered, and Hakim got his nerves under control.

“Listen to the young master! Abandon them!” Hakim ordered, and the two coachmen quickly whipped their horses into a frenzy. Desert sand flew into the air as the disgruntled horses began throttling ahead.

A dust cloud erupted from the backs of the black dots, hiding them from view. Mehmed could feel a breeze begin to shape, blowing over some of the displaced sand. He drew the curtains; As the winds grew stronger, creating a miniature sandstorm. Mehmed held his seat as the carriage shook left and right due to the winds.

“It’s too … dan….” Mehmed’s coachman whimpered as the carriage stopped. The carriage shook and shook until just as suddenly as the winds came, they subsided simultaneously. By opening the curtains, Mehmed could see hooded figures about 100 metres away from the group. He could see the rattled Hakim, who failed to close his curtains on time, drenched in the sand. He looked towards the coachman, who promptly opened the privacy slot.

“I’m fine. Cough!” He sputtered some sand from his throat as he rubbed some debris from his eyes. Mehmed contemplated his options as the bandits surrounded the group in a similar formation. A circular ring was formed, which encircled them, providing no route of escape. A hooded figure stepped out and approached the group.

“Who are you?” Mehmed adjusted his tone, knowing the capability of these bandits.

“…” The figure did not reply as it approached Mehmed’s carriage. The figure stood with the sun behind their backs, hiding most of their facial features from proper scrutiny. A silent scoff could be heard as they observed the Mehmed’s carriage and peeked their head into it. Seeing nothing of value, another scoff could be heard. Mehmed clenched his fists as he silently assumed what the other party was thinking.

The figure then went over to Hakim’s carriage. They observed the merchant, still trembling in fear, as he rubbed the sand off his belongings. Hakim brushed the sand off his face and mouthed out some words,” How… can… help…?”

“Get out.” A masculine voice came out of the figure, and the merchant in training heeded in words and crawled out of his carriage exceptionally slowly. Fear was impacting the speed of his movements as he failed to grasp the carriage door handle numerous times. “Faster.” The figure stoically demanded as he drew his blade.

“Eek! Yes, sir!” Hakim wailed like a little girl as he threw everything he had on him and left the carriage. Standing on the ground, he watched as the figure snapped his fingers. A couple more bandits grabbed the goods off the camel’s back and placed all of them into the carriage.

Mehmed watched the bandits carry out their work right before his eyes. The staff in charge of managing the camels submitted to the authority of the bandits, especially when they heard that their boss had almost abandoned them just now. The leader turned around to face Mehmed and glanced at his blade. Mehmed sighed as he sheathed his sword and watched the leader nod in approval. An approval he would rather not have.

Hakim’s coachman got off the coach soon after as another bandit took it over. The travellers watched as the goods were taken right in front of their eyes. With a carriage full, the bandits began fleeing with the full carriage in tow, leaving camels grunting in happiness with the missing burden off their backs. Furious glares of betrayal were sent to the merchant’s back, causing Hakim to lose his nerves to an ever-greater degree. Some nasty looks were Mehmed’s way, but none would dare to be too direct with an individual associated with a noble family.

Mehmed watched these individuals left behind and wondered what to do with them. He looked at his carriage, it should be enough to fit them, but some may have to sit at the front. The trip’s length will be increased due to the additional strain on the horses, and his lack of punctuality with be an insult to the Alwaleed Duchy, especially since he was the one who brought up the proposal to meet in the first place. He tapped his wooden seat as he pondered his thoughts.

“Sir, if I may interject, I suggest picking them up and bringing them to the Duchy. After all, they are part of the Kingdom’s Merchant Union, which carries out substantial trade in these lands.” The coachman interjected, and Mehmed marvelled at the coachman’s ability to say things that only nobles would care about. The boy also thought about the miserable lives peasants led from the book he read earlier and made up his mind.

“Very well. Come along, Hakim; we can take you all to the Duchy capital.” Mehmed put on a diplomatic smile as he waved at Hakim.

“Thank you very much, milord!” Hakim bowed. And the carriage door opened as the convoy members huddled into the carriage. Hakim’s coachman sat by Mehmed’s coachman’s side, and the two continued by their merry way.

However, the banaler of matters entered his mind. The supplies they brought along weren’t sufficient to feed the entire convoy. Mehmed pouted as he looked at the camels standing there, awaiting orders. “We won’t have enough supplies for all of us. Kill those camels and harvest its meat.” Mehmed remembered a story about a specific general and camels before adding on, “Harvest whatever liquid is there in their stomachs.” He grinned as he temporarily imagined himself as Khaled ordering the stomachs of the camels to be harvested.

“Very well.” Uttering acknowledgements, some members of the group went away to do the deed.

“Thank you, Mehmed, for all you have done for me.” Hakim thanked as he disembarked from the carriage with the rest of the convoy. “And, regarding the camels, we will just carry out as was discussed.”

“It’s all the bandits’ fault!” Mehmed giggled as the two boys bid each other goodbye. Hakim entered the Merchant Union branch in Khaled to report the theft with the rest of his men. He held an eyewitness account signed by Mehmed in his hands, favourably explaining the events. The signature of an individual from nobility should be worth something, even if their influence is minuscule.

The coachman began building up a pace for the horse as they headed for their destination. Not even bothering to take a stop at a nearby inn or hotel to clean himself up, Mehmed knew he looked like a mess. His indignity is nothing compared to attracting the ire of his future lieges.

The capital city Khaled of the Alwaleed Duchy, named after the great general Khaled, was one of the largest cities in these sandy lands. All trade flows in and out starting from the city, resulting in a grandeur apparent to all visitors. Buildings are multiple stories tall, and the streets are sometimes full of people, a rare occurrence in these sparsely populated lands. Merchants come from all over the desert, hawking their exotic wares in the general districts of the city. The nobility and wealthy merchants who live separately from the common folk live in areas where merchants are banned from hawking their wares, giving the inhabitants peace from the hustle and bustle. Most nobility owned a building in this district, but the impoverished Alkhadra Lordship prevented Mehmed from enjoying such luxuries.

In the centre, a castle similar in colour to the ground’s sand stood tall with a wall surrounding the perimeter. Mehmed’s carriage stood outside it and got their papers checked for a couple of minutes, no doubt to inform the masters of the land of their presence before they were let in. Impressive due to the wealth required to create such fixtures in their environment, a small fountain amid a lush garden greeted his eyes. The carriage stopped in front of the fountain, and Mehmed got off the carriage. Nodding to his coachman, the carriage was directed to a designated parking spot. Mehmed took a deep breath as he looked upward at the stony steps.

Two boys stood there. One was an extremely athletic-looking figure who grinned while standing in full heavy armour. The other held a book in his hands and perused through it. He glanced toward Mehmed and pushed up his glasses before looking downwards and nodding his head.

“Mehmed Alkhadra! You look like a mess. I was about to berate for wasting our precious time, but I shall hold back my words.” The athletic individual exclaimed as Mehmed sent a weak smile.

“Thank you for your kind words, Tarik

Alwaleed.” Mehmed bowed at a 45-degree angle, widening Tarik’s smile.

“I agree, Tarik. While I would like to hear your words, perhaps you need a break. Shall I escort you to suitable accommodations?” The boy wearing glasses recommended.

“I can prepare some refreshments! What would you like, Mehmed? Tea or coffee? Any side dishes to go along?” Tarik jumped in, and the two brothers stared at one another.

“How kind of you, Salih Alwaleed. I shall take you up for your offer, and I prefer tea.” Mehmed told the two boys and began climbing up the steps. The two boys ended their staring contest and amiably grinned at their visitor.

“Alwaleed’s tea is truly the best.” Mehmed thanked them as he took a sip. He took the time to clean himself up with new clothes that his coachman fetched. He placed the teacup down on the table and looked at the three teenagers who sat right across from him.

“Halimah Alwaleed.” The girl briefly introduced herself as she sat on another seat across from Mehmed. She was draped in an elegant looking red sari which juxtaposed the plain colours the boys were wearing. The three Alwaleed heirs studied one another before sending a beaming smile towards Mehmed’s way.

“Mehmed, I’ve seen the letter you sent our way.” Salih paused before glancing at the gazes of his siblings. Seeing that everyone was on the same page, he continued,” I heard you require the Duchy’s help resolving a bandit problem. Could you please elaborate?”

Mehmed reached for a map amongst his belongings and unfurled it on the tabletop. His finger circled the no-go zone before tapping on it. “Our explorers label this place with Do Not Enter. It lacks a proper name. I have been calling it a no-go zone. Thus I decided to name it Nogo Zone. I will have to discuss it with our mapmakers, but it should be fine.” Mehmed looked upwards at the faces of his fellow nobles. Salih nodded his head as he noticed his gaze.

“During an expedition I joined, I was attacked by bandits. They are hooded and seem to have superhuman strength.” Mehmed paused as he raised his head to wait for comments.

“I have received a report from your coachman and the kingdom’s Merchant Union; apparently, you’ve been attacked along the route towards Khaled. My apologies; we have been receiving reports all over the Duchy regarding the very same bandits.” Tarik weakly apologized as he lowered his head, seemingly in shame.

“From my reports, their attack patterns start with a simple sandstorm to blind their enemies. I believe it is artificial due to the consistency of their appearance. They will use the sandstorm to close the distance between their target, and before the target could react, they will surround the target. In the reports where targets engage in combat, they are usually defeated with non-lethal means.” Halimah elaborated before grinning at the two boys who raised eyebrows.

“Nonetheless, the Duchy has been sending teams out throughout the lands looking for a base of operations for these bandits. So far, we have had no luck doing so. More time is needed if we want to do a full survey.” Salih explained, adding,” Nonetheless. We will take your report into account.”

“I will personally lead our forces to clear your bandits personally!” Tarik declared.

“I will ensure such expedition will be well-supplied!” Salih contested.

Halimah looked at the two before sighing. “I still have matters to attend to. So, I shall take my leave for now.” The girl did a slight bow before walking off.

The two remaining brothers grinned as they watched their sister walk off. “So, Mehmed, can I ask for your support in my claim to the Alwaleed Duchy?” Salih bluntly asked, causing Mehmed to bite his lip.

“Damn it, Salih! I wanted to ask that first! Anyway, Mehmed, would you support me instead of that fool? I will strengthen Alkhadra Lordship’s armies to prevent another bandit attack on your territory!”

“If you support me, I will pour more investments into your territory. How about a couple of schools or more funds for your expeditions?” Salih counteroffered, and the two bickered among themselves. Mehmed gave some non-committal answers before leaving the boys to their showmanship.

Before Mehmed could leave the building, Halimah blocked his path and demanded,” According to reports I have gathered from the territory, no reports of the bandits surfaced in any of them? Mind explaining yourself?”

Mehmed’s eyebrows scrunched up as he remembered giving a report. But he sighed and opened his mouth to explain.