It was like what Maheer had said; of few lis left to Najaj, they encountered vicious beasts one after another! Leaping out of dragon’s pool and only to enter a tiger’s den! But how can one get a tiger cub without entering a tiger’s den? The group basically fought their way out from the vicious creatures.

Salaman lost his fire whip to a Red Scorpion that was trying to pull him. Abbas’s fire scimitar snapped into half when a Crescent Shark jumped on him. Farhan was basically a bait as he was weaponless. Much to Maheer’s surprise, Farhan fared better than his friends; he didn’t as much suffer any injuries!

The spear-wielding man felt Farhan must’ve hid something from him, that the middle-aged man was actually a master in disguise. However, they weren’t facing common beasts but ones that gained measure of intelligence. As stupid as they were, those vicious creatures knew threat of dao weapons.

Ava simply viewed them with indifference, causing no end of inward curses from Salaman and Abbas. Farhan on other hand didn’t complain as he knew eccentrics were truly bizarre. That painful lesson for walking in front of an eccentric was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t want to take any chances now.

Although the Post Human spared some token effort to seldom warn Abbas and his friends, she was actually monitoring the whole situation. Maheer was indeed not all talk as he can also walk the talk. His brilliance with his spear and his mount had carried the mortals out from many deadly situations.

The man was wielding an ordinary if not sturdy weapon yet he managed to kill a few beasts all by himself. So, this was what differed from an expert and average joe. Give a man a fish, he may eat for today. Teach the man to fish, he will eat every day! The rest of Najaj’s militia should be very capable.

Help arrived in timely manner when a group of five men similarly equipped as Maheer had spotted his group. Their leader was a burly man clad in brown-red leather armour on a large Sand Komodo. His voice was as tough as nails. “Maheer! Come here!”

“Yes, Captain!” Maheer whipped the leash on his Sand Komodo to spur his beast onward. He shouted at Abbas. “Merchant, run! If we can get to my Captain, we’ll be safe!”

“Great Sir! Wait for me!” The fat merchant was out of breath. There were two Red Scorpions hot on his heels!

Farhan pushed himself and punched the vicious beast away from Abbas. Its shell was too strong! “Quickly, Brothers!”

“Men! Target those two beasts! We can’t let them eat our kin!” The brown-red leather-armoured man barked his orders. He himself urged his Sand Komodo to enter the fray! “Help that grey-haired man!”

“Alalalalalalalalala!!!!!” His subordinates began their war cry as their fearlessly followed their leader to heat of battle!

Pow, pow, pow!

Multiple invisible slices of air collided with the Red Scorpion, sparing Farhan from its vicious mandibles. He took this chance to roll out and narrowly avoided a green blob of liquid shot from the beast’s stinger. Farhan ran from side to side, hoping to shake off this enraged and oversized land invertebrate!

Kutong!

Salaman on the other hand threw a small metal case he had on his person, directly into waiting maws of second Red Scorpion. It chewed the case like paper but the creature suddenly trembled; what he threw was his spices! The scholarly man grimaced at losing those but being alive was more important!

“Hold tight, Brother!” One of the Sand Komodo riders extended his hands and grabbed Abbas away from danger. His companions rushed forward to also whisk away Salaman and Farhan from the vicious scorpions.

Maheer regrouped with his leader and entered the battle once again. “Captain Jasur! We should get them three to Najaj! Now!”

“Them?! Why did you bring them here?!” His Captain harshly yelled at him as the man dodged a poison shot from the Red Scorpion. “You had one job, Maheer! One job!”

“Captain Jasur! We should get out of here first!” One of the Komodo riders shouted at them. There were even more Red Scorpions coming their way!

Maheer’s leader, Captain Jasur was decisive as his features. He quickly took the mantle of a rearguard. “Get them to Najaj without me! I’ll hold them off!”

“You heard him! Go now!” Another Jasur’s subordinate yelled at others’ indetermination. They were unwilling to leave their leader alone.

At this critical juncture, Jasur swung his wind scimitar at the ground. “Go! Either they kill you or I kill you myself!”

The men immediately complied to his command and brought the rest of the group to the far distance. Farhan felt uneasy and thus asked his saviour. “Rider! What about your leader?!”

“He’ll survive, Brother! I believe in him!” The rider said with brimming confidence.

No matter how Farhan looked at it, he didn’t believe the rider, not at all. “How? There were more than ten Red Scorpions!”

Boom!

Before the rider could reply, the answer revealed itself in form of spheres of flaming fire. It turned out that Jasur was hiding some powerful stuff in his armour! The man flung some kind of jars to the vicious beasts and they exploded into visceral gores. Exoskeleton chitin was no match for his round objects!

“Heavens! Fire Talismans!” Salaman recognized it and shouted in alarm. How come they can afford those expensive stuff? The scholarly man asked the Komodo rider in front of him. “Why didn’t Brothers bring them out sooner?”

“Brother, those aren’t Fire Talismans but explosives!” The rider explained. Salaman was unconvinced. He tried to elaborate. “What Najaj lack, we make do with bombs!”

“Bombs? How?” Salaman asked in return. The rider didn’t answer him as he was busy commandeering his scaled steed.

Farhan had a contemplative look. After a brief pause, the grey-haired man questioned Maheer. “Sir Maheer! Is there a force from Agrippa Imperium at Najaj?”

“Indeed, Brother! They had come to our aid in these trying times!” Maheer replied without hesitation. There were some traces of admiration in his voice. “Their tools had helped us to fight these foul creatures!”

Farhan’s face darkened for a split second. If it was true, wouldn’t he be trialed for deserting? It would be a worst-case scenario! But he had ridden the tiger and cannot get off! The middle-aged man gave Ava a worried gaze. She got what he hinted at and thus she spoke to his mind that he shouldn’t worry.

The Post Human reevaluated her impression on the so-called Imperium. Perhaps stuffs used by Jasur was one reason out of many for mere mortal empire to survive and not vanquished by immortals? She was well informed on implications of explosives. The natives of this world weren’t stupid after all!

Boom, boom, boom!

A cacophony of muffled explosions rang far in the back of escaping Komodo riders. Each man had alternating expressions from worry to joy. The might of Agrippan tools was fully manifested when they had left. Some wished they could see them in person but the men knew such tools were deadly.

Deadly to the enemies and the user themselves! Jasur obviously wanted his men to stand clear and not caught in the ensuing explosions. The booms stopped as the five riders and their three passengers had finally seen an outline of a town up ahead, if it can be called as a town. The walls were battered.

Most of its buildings were ruined. Najaj’s famous silk souks were nowhere to be seen, replaced by tents of various sizes and shapes. Abbas was speechless at the scene; what’s the point of going here if all the traders had fled? It was like putting eggs in a basket, only to find out the eggs were broken!

The Sand Komodo riders halted and one of them lurched forward. “Brothers, wait here! I’ll go inform our men for access!”

“Make it swift, Brother! I wish to aid Captain Jasur!” Maheer said with urgency. He saw previously that there were simply too many Red Scorpions swarming his leader. He wasn’t confident his leader can handle it. “Send word for a rescue team as well, Brother!”

“That wouldn’t be necessary, Maheer!” A gruff voice sounded from the side. It was Jasur, minus his mount. The burly man angrily reprimanded Maheer after catching his breath. “I expect a full report from you, Brother! We could’ve died back then! Thank the heavens we only lost my mount this time!”

“Yes, Captain.” Maheer answered with hint of displeasure. He changed the topic next. “These three are merchants, Captain. I am only following our creed!”

“Hmph. I will let it slide this time, Maheer.” Jasur found no fault in Maheer’s words. He can only begrudgingly accept it. The burly man said some more words. “Brothers, rest well! Let me bring the merchants instead!”

“But Captain?”

“What of it, Maheer? You must’ve been tired. Go along now, Brother. I will take responsibility.”

Maheer clicked his tongue in silence. There goes his chance to extract more concessions from Abbas. Alas what can he do versus his superior? The man can only tread away with hidden anger. “As you command, Captain!”

Upon watchful eyes of Jasur, Abbas and his friends had disembarked from the Sand Komodos. Their riders and Maheer entered the town first. Jasur then spoke when his men left earshot away. “Traders, it must’ve been harsh! I’m Jasur Bin Abu, leader of thirty first Najaj Komodo Riders’ team! Who are you, Brothers? Why did you come here?”

“Greetings, Great Sir! I am Salaman, an aid to my employer, Trader Abbas.” Salaman stepped forward and gave the brown-red leather armoured man a nod. The scholarly man faced to the side next. “And this is Farhan, my good friend and bodyguard to Trader Abbas. We hail from Sujk.”

“Sujk? That’s far!” Jasur paused. His eyebrows scrunched as he was mulling over something. “Why did you Brothers come here? Didn’t Maheer warn you that Najaj are now surrounded by dens of monsters?”

Abbas was considering to bribe Jasur but Salaman warned him with his eyes that it wasn’t a wise decision. The rotund merchant therefore, offered an explanation. “Great Sir, we were just running an errand from Sujk. Who would’ve thought I would lose nine men throughout the way? We were this close to Najaj when Maheer came to aid us.”

“I see.” Jasur spoke. What Salaman pointed at to Abbas was shown; the burly man was brutally honest. “Truth to be told, you Brothers are throwing your lives away! No riches can save you in these harsh lands, at this state!”

“If you may, Great Sir?” Farhan interjected. His voice was a little unsteady. “Is it true that…men from Agrippa Imperium are here?”

“Hm?” The burly man raised his eyebrows at Farhan. Seeing it wasn’t a big deal to disclose it, he continued. “They were here, Brother. Why, are you one of them?”

“Oh, no Brother.” Farhan shook his head. He gave a plausible sounding excuse. “I’ve always heard of their grand exploits! Too bad they had left.”

“Indeed.” Jasur agreed. He led the three men inside the reaches of Najaj. “They left in a hurry for some reason. Even so, they gave us some of their tools and it had greatly helped us.”

“I concur, Brother.” Salaman said. The scholarly man gave Jasur a question. “Great Sir Jasur, can I take a look at such devices? I wish to broaden my horizons.”

“Yes, Brothers! Maheer rescued them! They’re humans like us!” Jasur yelled at one of the approaching guards. They were pointing their weapons at him. As they finally verified what Jasur said, he then turned his head at Salaman. “Oh? What does a scholar like you see in such weapons, Brother? Aren’t you an accountant, helping your master Abbas?”

“I heard the greatness of Agrippa Imperium, Great Sir, and I wish to see it!” Salaman said with much vigour. Farhan gave him a side eye. The scholarly man faked a cough in response. “I mean…so that, if we had to venture out in the deserts, we’ll have another means to defend ourselves? Fire Talismans are just distant dreams for us poor traders, Great Sir.”

“True, Fire Talismans were and are hoarded by immortals.” Jasur said. The burly man wrote something on papyrus handed by guards that had met him on the way. “I afraid I cannot give any of those explosives to you, Brother. They are what kept Najaj alive, if not bruised. Damned vicious beasts!”

“Great Sir.” Abbas spoke next with some indignation. He let the approaching Najaj guards search his person. “Can you inform me of what happened in Najaj? We thought there are great riches to be found here! Instead of honey, it’s poison!”

“Brother! Why did you have poisons on you?!” One of the guards searching Farhan seized his bag and quickly pointed his spear at the middle-aged man. He saw Ava’s snake avatar but ignored her as he thought it was just a common desert snake.

Jasur saw this and waved his hands at the nervous guard. “Relax, Brother! I heard from Maheer that they were running an errand from Sujk to here. Those things might be it.” The burly man spoke with a commanding tone. “Return it to him. They are Trader Abbas’s belongings.”

“But Sir!”

“I will take care of it.” Jasur didn’t relent. He knew he was breaking protocol but he didn’t want to give Abbas the wrong impression. “Guards, we’re not thieves. We have our principles!”

“As…as you command, Sir.” The guard complied and gave back the poison vials to Farhan with reluctance.

“It’s good that you understand. Now leave to your posts!” Jasur began to be annoyed at these guards. They’re a part of the militia like him but why were they treating him and his guests with disrespect? The burly man dissed them. “There are many more works to be done, three more men aren’t important! Shush!”

The five guards gave Jasur a salute but nevertheless eyed Abbas’s group with suspicion. Jasur can only sigh at the sight of this because it was true that they were on the edge for the past week. Najaj was barely standing thanks to the tools of Agrippa Imperium. But they were consumables and will run out!

The guards weren’t amicable to the idea of having three more men that can potentially endanger them all. They didn’t know whether Abbas and his two friends can fight and thus assumed the three men will become liabilities, quite fast. The guards however, forgot about Ava which was watching them.

Jasur adopted an apologetic tone to break the ice. “I’m sorry for that, Brothers. We had just survived another beast wave a moment ago. The town was attacked no less than five times for the past week!” The burly man led the three men to a peculiar, purple-looking tent on the west side of Najaj. “Trader Abbas, you must’ve taken a consignment from Wanderer Association, right?”

“Yes, Great Sir. They told me to deliver those vials to here.” Abbas confirmed without the slightest doubt in his face. It was time to gamble with the discussed lie in advance. “They said I could get compensated if I did reach Najaj. But….”

“It’s as you’ve seen, Trader.” Jasur said after saying some whispers to a young boy manning a small desk inside the tent. Next, the burly man explained more as the boy ran off to the back partition. “We don’t know what caused the beasts’ stampedes. Perhaps Agrippan men knew?” Jasur shrugged his shoulders. “Those brothers had long left us a few days ago. Men from Kazar are here although they’re tight lipped.”

“Jasur! Is…is it true-” A croaky voice sounded from the back of the tent. “They were from Sujk?!” Greeting the four men was a decrepit man styled in loose robes. His eyes however, were sharp. “Bring it out! Bring the poison vials out!”

“Master.” There was a young boy next to the robed old man. He coughed to remind his excited patron.

“Kuhk!” The robed old man faked a cough as he talked out of the line. He introduced himself to Abbas and ignored the burly guard. “I’m Salazar! Alchemist from Kazar! Did Brother bring those poisons here?!”

“Esteemed Sir, yes!” Abbas was out of words against the boisterous old man. Salazar was uncomfortably close, holding both of the fat merchant’s hands. The fat merchant ordered Farhan with his eyes that he should give those vials to this eccentric alchemist.

“Master Salazar?” Jasur spoke to the side. Salazar’s apprentice, the young boy simply gestured he had nothing to do with it. The guard snorted a little. “Master Salazar? Don’t be rude, to my guests, Brother. They’ve just escaped from disaster; Trader Abbas here lost nine of his good men!”

“Oh! That’s bad! Heavens should pity you, good Brother!” Salazar was missing a tooth and his breath stunk. He left Abbas and started appraising some of the vials handed by Farhan. “Brother, who made these?”

“Is there a problem, Master Salazar?” Salaman stepped forward, relieving Abbas from the robed old man’s intense stare. “I’m Salaman, aid to Trader Abbas. Here is my good friend and bodyguard, Farhan.”

“Problem? No! They’re just too good!” Salazar said with vigour. His hunched back was no more. “I know all the alchemists in Sujk but none can make stuff like these!” The old man then returned the vial to its holding bag. “The purity is high!”

“I afraid I don’t understand, Master Alchemist?”

“Well since I’m in a good mood, this Master will tell you, Brother Salaman.”

“Master Salazar, I’ll back to my duties.” Jasur conveniently came with an excuse to leave. Once Salazar started his lectures, it will be hours to end. The burly guard said some parting words before exiting the tent. “Brothers, if you get into trouble, just say my name! Najaj is tense so please, excuse us.”

Abbas reacted a moment too late as Jasur had gone from his spot. Farhan simply stood to the side with disinterested expression. Salaman on the other hand got into fervent discussions with this new eccentric. Unfortunately for Abbas, Jasur was right; Salazar seemingly not intending to let them go!