Shrak! Putong!

Beads of sweat rolled off Abbas’s trembling hands as he withdrew his red glowing scimitar. His quarry had finally exhausted its last breath upon being stabbed by him. The fat man felt his heart could’ve leaped out of his chest any time now. For once, he wanted to do nothing than choke that Salaman!

Farhan’s voice from the side brought him back to reality. “Good work, Brother Abbas.”

“Blergh.” Abbas puked on the sandy ground. He was certainly no fighter. He simply stabbed the poor creature’s head after being told by Ava. Noxious green blood leaking from said head only hastened emptying of his stomach. “Blargh! Kuhk, kuhk!”

“Brother, are you done there?” asked Salaman as he stowed away his red whip. The scholarly man caught sight of Abbas and produced a small leathery pouch. “Take this medicine, Brother Abbas.”

“Urgh. Thanks, brother.” Abbas didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately swallowed it. The taste was bitter but effective. The fat merchant wiped his mouth and gave Salaman a glare. “Brother Salaman. Why’d you jinx us?”

“….” Salaman was speechless at his accusation. He raised his eyebrows in response. “What do you mean, Brother Abbas?”

“Haha, Brother Abbas was saying, you called these beasts here, somehow, Brother!” Farhan chuckled as he got down to business. “Come, Brother Salaman. Help me put away our haul.”

“….” The scholarly man gave the fat merchant a blank stare. A glance from Farhan reminded Salaman of his pending task. “Surely you jest, Brother Abbas. If I can do that, wouldn’t be dealing with crimson shaitan easier? Besides, didn't you said it yourself first?” He rolled up the sleeves of his desert robes and brought out a medium-sized bag. “Okay Brother Farhan. I’ll put them in this bag.”

“Brother Abbas, help him. Brother Salaman, move your hands, not your mouth.” Farhan instructed them. They weren’t really listening. He shook his head before looking at Ava. “Master Nour, how many more of these should we collect?”

“That should be the last one.” Ava said to his mind. She was perched on random rock outcrop, viewing their work. A few seconds later, she glanced around. “There are no more enemies in this area. Good work.”

“Thank you for the praise, Master.” Farhan nodded in approval. The middle-aged man flexed his arm a little bit. It was still sore. “So…is Master trying to make poison out of them?”

“Correct.” Ava confirmed and then slithered her snake avatar to the crouching Salaman and Abbas.

“Poison? Hmm…” Salaman said. He added more words next. “Does Master Nour intend to use them as a weapon or…. a cure?”

“A cure?” Abbas interrupted. He didn’t believe his scholarly friend. “How can poison be cure?”

“I’m not surprised that you don’t know, Brother Abbas.” At this point, Salaman had finished his given task. He stood up. “Red Scorpions’ poisons, when processed correctly, can make medicines, such as painkillers. Although, not everyone can or is willing to make some.”

“Painkillers?” The fat merchant was still unconvinced. How could poison that can dissolve rocks be turned into medicines? He also got up from his crouching position. “What kind of pain will require them?”

“Brother Abbas, Brother Salaman.” Farhan interjected in their conversation. “From what I know, such poisons have another utility. Making items.”

“You mean, to clean and stuff?” Salaman considered the possibilities. He said with self-depreciating tone. “I see, I see! Why did I forget about it?”

“Bring them to me.” Ava spoke directly in their minds, pouring cold water on their ongoing talk. She added, “Yes. Poison, when purified, can be used for many things.” She decided after much contemplation. Giving these mortals another tool wouldn’t be wise. She clarified her intentions. “It can be used as feedstock. To fight, cure and make stuff.”

“So…this poison is actually valuable?” Abbas’s eyes were elated. His nose twitched. He smelt money! “Then, why didn’t I hear about it? We can get a tidy sum!” He gave the Red Scorpions’ corpses a glance. Fighting those took his all!

Ava explained to him. “Because no one really asked. Asked why Red Scorpions’ stingers are collected.” She moved her snake avatar next to Salaman as she continued to speak to Abbas. “Wanderers do not need to know. They need to know if they can get paid.”

“Is it like that, Master Nour?” Abbas replied. He held his chin with his right hand. “That Wanderers collect them just for money?” The fat merchant asked one more question. “But Wanderers are all shapes and sizes. Surely some of them knew what it is used for?”

Ava remembered Hakeem when he mentioned it but that pharmacist didn’t seem to venture out of his place in Kazar. She answered the fat merchant’s query. “People that knew are highly valued. They would stay in one place and let others collect the materials for them. Easier.”

“I see!” Abbas scratched his chin in response. He wasn’t that familiar about the inner workings of Wanderer Association. The fat merchant asked again to validate his thoughts. “Is that how some activities in Association came to be? Wanderers go out to look for such poisons and such. Then they return and gave their haul to crafters and similar?”

“That’s right, Brother.” Salaman answered for Ava. She simply nodded at his reply and thus, the scholarly man spoke more. “We mortals have one life. So, we specialize and left the difficult parts to experts.”

“Oh, thanks Brother! Now I understand!” Abbas said with approval. He continued, “No wonder those Wanderers sometimes carry strange things. I thought they’re just being odd.”

“Master, are they enough for you?” Farhan asked her as he saw Ava was seemingly appraising the bags offered by the scholarly man.

Ava paused for a moment before replying. “Enough. If it is too much, then people will start to ask all kinds of things.”

“You’re right, Master Nour.” The middle-aged man agreed with her. He then shifted his gaze to the rest of the corpses. “What should we do with them? Their shells are still valuable, Master.”

Ava tapped her snake avatar’s tail on the bulging bags given by Salaman and they turned flat in fraction of a second. “I will take care of them.” She proceeded to wave her snake avatar’s tail and the corpses vanished from sight.

“Uh…okay. That’s….one way to do it.” Farhan rubbed his eyes for several times. This snake eccentric is really mysterious. A sudden thought surfaced in his mind as he opened the flat bags. There were several vials in them. “I guess Master wanted us to sell these in Najaj?”

“Yes. Store them carefully, Farhan.” She gave her confirmation to the bearded man. The Post Human stared at Abbas next as she brewed a new plan in her mind. “Merchant, they should cover your losses. Just silk would not do.”

“Oh Master. I’m grateful that I’m still alive!” Abbas’s brows jumped at her statement. He shook his head left and right. “Just that is enough for this humble one!”

“Merchant. I have plans for you. You will be my helper in Najaj.” Ava said to him. She remarked with a flat tone to his mind. “You did say you wanted to change your store name.”

“Ehh…that’s…uh…so, Master…. you mean I, myself, should sell…them?” The fat merchant somehow, managed to twist his tongue. He dealt with silks, not stuff that can dissolve his hands!

In response of that, Salaman patted Abbas’s shoulders. “Brother, why not just do it? Master Nour didn’t only tell us how to fight those vicious scorpions, he also allowed us to take the profits.”

“Master Nour is wise.” Farhan expressed his support while looking at the purplish vials. He propped his chin in deep thought after storing the conical items in the bags away in his pouch. “Making some friends with crafters and alchemists are always good, Brother Abbas.”

“Correct.” Ava agreed with Farhan. She then gazed to the far distance. “If what you three said are true, then the badlands are heavily guarded. The poisons will be our ticket to enter Najaj. Alchemists there, that are trying to fulfill new orders will vouch for us.”

“Hmm, hmm.” Salaman didn’t find any flaws in her logic. He affirmed her statement. “So, with those poison vials, if there are any Kazar’s Sheikh men around, they would be thankful instead of restraining us.”

“Great idea. Then how about, we look for more of them, Master Nour?” Abbas’s senses were tingling. He can taste it now, the taste of money! However, he gave some word of caution. “But…didn’t we agree that our caravan was ambushed? Wouldn’t they ask us where we got those poison vials?”

“Well, Brother Abbas. We could just say we’re running an errand from Sujk?” Farhan tried to offer an explanation.

Salaman mulled a little bit and then added to the middle-aged man’s statement. “It could still work, Brother Abbas. Usually if it was an urgent consignment from Wanderer Association, the vials are rarely secured properly. Red Scorpions are vengeful beings and will pursue traces of their kin. So, we can say that, due to such, they ambushed us.”

“It still didn’t make sense.” Abbas shook his head. “Why wouldn’t such stuffs be sealed proper? I mean, I don’t want my face to fall off by mistake!”

“It is how it is in the Association. Sometimes, they post such urgent missions with great rewards on purpose.” Ava chimed in, to clear up the merchant’s confusion.

“Then, no one complained about it, Master Nour? Wouldn’t that condemn the Wanderers that took such consignment missions to their graves?” Abbas protested at the realization.

Salaman sighed as he stated his perspective on the subject. “That’s how it works, Brother Abbas. There are always desperate Wanderers willing to do these kinds of things. We do live in a harsh world.”

“Uhh. It’s not a chance of making money but a trap! How terrible!” Abbas shuddered at their explanations. He viewed the matter in a different light, a negative one. He asked again. “If it’s dangerous to us mortals, then why wouldn’t immortals do such tasks? They’re infinitely strong!”

“Immortals? Hah! As if those arrogant bastards cared for such things!” Farhan rebuked the fat merchant’s words. The middle-aged man was clearly unhappy whenever immortals were mentioned. “They force mortals to do such work instead!”

Ava slithered her snake avatar forward and put an end to the matter. “We should move before the sun reaches high noon. Let’s depart.”

“Yes master.” All three replied to her command albeit with varying expressions. Farhan was solemn. Abbas was still thinking about the matter. Salaman just shrugged it off.

The group mood was considerably soured but Ava paid no heed. Getting to Najaj was her top priority; they encountered vicious beasts in uncomfortable frequency. Something did go wrong and such beasts were scattered everywhere now. Najaj should have some guards which could thin such creatures.

She moved her snake avatar back to Farhan and reprimanded him in a mental connection, urging him to see the bigger picture. The middle-aged man eventually quashed his anger and followed her instructions. Crying over spilt milk wouldn’t do any good as they should focus on how to survive now.

The scholarly man sighed at the awkwardness of the situation. He began to make some light talks with both of them in order to ease tensions. Farhan eventually conceded and conversed albeit rarely. Conversely, the fat merchant was animated as he asked Salaman of his experience and knowledge.

A few talks go a long way as they didn’t feel the passage of time. Moments later, a leather armoured man riding on top of a Sand Komodo appeared and stopped the group. “Halt! State your business!”

Abbas stepped forward and talked to the scrawny man. “Well met, Sir! We’re but merchants, wishing to enter Najaj.”

“Are there only three of you?” The armoured man gave them a cold glance while swaying his spear around as intimidation. His skepticism was plain bare to see. “Najaj’s closed!”

“Sir, please reconsider.” This time Salaman backed Abbas. He handed the spear-wielding man a small golden vial from his desert robes.

The man hesitated a little but took it regardless. He gave it a whiff and then his expression was softened. “Hm, so you’re merchants after all!” He retracted his spear to the side and pointed it to the horizon. “Najaj’s dangerous at the moment. I advise you guys to turn back.”

“Great Sir, can you explain to us? We’re sorry for being ignorant.” Abbas persuaded the man by giving him a palm-sized box.

The Sand Komodo-riding man opened it and saw an exquisite piece of embroidered silk cloth in it. He carefully stowed it away and spoke more politely to the group. “I’m stopping you merchants here for your own good. Didn’t you encounter some vicious beings in your travels? Near Najaj, there are even more! I advise you to come back to whence you came!”

“Great Sir, you’re right.” Abbas had a deferred tone and lowered his head at the man. He chuckled in a self-depreciating manner. “Truth to be told, my entire caravan was almost destroyed! So, after traveling this far, we only want to seek refuge in Najaj.”

“Hmm….” The armoured man paused as he weighted his options. These merchants seemed like they were telling the truth; apart from Abbas’s gaudy pants, his group was destitute, chalked with dirt and dust. He queried more about their situation. “Where are you lot from? Kazar? Talruk?”

“From Sujk, Great Sir. Out of nine men with me, I only have these two brothers left!” The fat merchant let out some crocodile tears. He wished that this skeptical man would buy his story.

The man gave them another look and thought to ask them for more benefits at the moment. He refused that thought as making them indebted to him would be far useful. He presumed Salaman was Abbas's aid. But Farhan? He shifted his attention to the bearded man. “What are you to his caravan?”

“Oh, Great Sir, I’m just one of his bodyguards.” Farhan swallowed his pride as he answered. He was still fatigued from his previous fights against vicious creatures. The middle-aged man gave out a wry smile. “Out of many, I managed to survive by fluke and escorted my employer out!”

The spear-wielding man scrutinized Farhan’s mannerism and was satisfied with his answer. “Is that so? Then it was hard for you, Brother. I admire your bravery!”

“You praise me too much, Great Sir.” Farhan didn’t accept his evaluation. At the moment, he determined that it was better to bend rather than stand straight; circumstances dictated adeptness!

The armoured man wasn’t offended by Farhan’s words and instead appreciated the bearded man’s tactfulness. A moment later, he caught sight of Ava’s snake avatar. “So, you’re a snake charmer, Brother? I see, that’s how you led your master to safety!”

“Just a part of my meagre abilities, Great Sir.” Farhan nodded. Ava played her part by emulating what could’ve been expected out of a tamed beast.

The Sand Komodo rider finally introduced himself to them after seeing they can be trusted. “I’m Maheer, part of Najaj Komodo Desert Riders. How about I escort you merchants to town?”

“I would appreciate it, Great Sir. Please lead the way!” Abbas knew this man will seek more compensation one way or another. He agreed to his offer anyway as having someone from Najaj’s militia to escort them would make certain difficult things easier.

Maheer grunted in reply. He patted his scaled beast and gestured the three men to follow his lead. The man was true to his name as he would be the first to rush out and dealt with any vicious beasts that impeded their path to Najaj town. Abbas and co felt they made a correct decision to appease him.