The night after the raider’s attack on the caravan of refugees the group is escorting, Xander walks through their makeshift encampment looking from side to side. He watches as people start to enter their tents, trying to get some sleep before the final day of travel tomorrow.

Just as Xander is about to give up searching, he finds who he was looking for. Gwendolyn, the beautiful woman who assisted in the battle, is leaning over, filling her canteen with water, long blonde hair almost resting on the sand.

Xander goes up to Gwendolyn to apologize, but he can’t seem to talk, too mesmerized by her shapely figure.

“Oh, you’re one of the people guarding the caravan right?” She notices the young man looking at her softly. Xander’s face turns red as he struggles, trying to get out even a single word. Gwendolyn looks back at a nervous Xander waiting for him to say anything to her.

“Not much of a talker are you?” She comments, grinning a little as she watches him squirm.

Xander is finally able to find his voice, “I… I wanted to apologize. You… you were right about me, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been looting right when the battle ended, and I was not good enough to protect everyone, I should have been better”.

“I’m sorry as well. I may have been a little heated at the moment and overreacted. All of you did your best protecting us and I shouldn’t have belittled that. But I appreciate you coming to me and apologizing, it means a lot,” Gwendolyn smiles at him, causing his heart to melt.

“I just realized I don’t even know your name. Would you mind telling me?” Gwendolyn asks the nervous young man in front of her.

“You… you want to know my name? It's… Xander,” he mutters, barely able to pronounce his own name.

“Well, Xander it’s nice…”

“Oh! There you are,” a young girl walks over to them, interrupting Gwendolyn.

“I was just getting some water. I’ll be back in a moment,” Gwendolyn explains to who must be her tent mate.

The girl notices Xander’s slightly red face, “Oh, a boy. Isn’t he one of the guards? Oh, I see, he came over here just to see you. That’s so sweet”. The girl’s comment causes Xander to blush even more.

“On that note, good night Xander. Thank you for coming to talk to me, I’m really glad you did,” Gwendolyn gives him one last smile before turning away.

“Yeah me too,” he is barely able to get out. He watches as she walks off with the girl, trying as best he can not to stare at her as she does so. He hears them talking about something, but is too in his own head to make out their words.

Xander goes back over to their tents and sees Drakthar sitting outside alone, it is his turn on watch. Xander sits down next to him.

“You were missing earlier, where were you?” Drakthar asks, seeing Xander only arrive now.

“Can you keep a secret?” Xander asks in a hushed but also excited tone. Drakthar nods.

Xander anxiously begins to explain, “I went to see Gwendolyn, the woman who shot the arrow from the caravan. I wanted to apologize to her for how I acted”.

Drakthar immediately realizes what is going on, “I see. I know she is beautiful, but do not let a woman distract you. She will only stand in the way of you becoming a stronger warrior”.

“Yeah, I know Alcaeus is a perfect example of that,” Xander makes a joke out of Drakthar’s warning. Drakthar starts to burst out into the most boisterous laughter Xander has ever heard; it surely woke up the entire camp.

Drakthar stops his chuckling and looks at Xander with a serious expression, “Although, if you fancy a woman, that one is not a bad one to admire”. Xander doesn’t know how to react to that so he smiles awkwardly and heads inside the tent to sleep.

The group begins to move again in the morning. Alcaeus is bored with all of the walking they have been doing day in and day out, especially glad this will be the last day of travel and that they will finally be in a city with a brothel again.

Alcaeus grins to himself as he starts to think about the times he will have. His daydreaming ends when he notices Gwendolyn out of the corner of his eye, walking among the refugees.

He sees the others standing guard upfront so he goes over to her, making sure to get a long look at her figure before making his move, “Hey, we got off on the wrong foot didn’t we?”

Gwendolyn looks down at the bearded man full of confidence and bravado that approached her and rolls her eyes, very much the opposite reaction of when Xander talked to her last night. She’s encountered Alcaeus’s type many times before. Knowing how things work with this kind of guy, she doesn’t respond hoping he will go away.

“You know, I’m sure we’re all going to be tired after a journey like this. Maybe a refugee such as yourself can’t afford a room at an inn, but I’m a rich man. I’ll let you stay with me once we get to Aconblasam,” Alcaeus shows off how much gold he has to her, not impressing her in the slightest.

“I’d rather sleep out in a sandstorm,” Gwendolyn bluntly rejects him, a scowl now present on her face.

“I understand a woman like you needs more than gold. Maybe I could show you something else that will change your mind,” Alcaeus puts the gold away, and makes a motion towards his crotch.

“Please, stop talking to me. Just go away,” Gwendolyn walks ahead of him, disgusted by this entire exchange.

Alcaeus tries to follow her, but Jorge, who spotted what was going on, comes up to him and puts his hand on his shoulder, “Give it a rest lad”. Alcaeus backs off for now, but he by no means is giving up.

The caravan reaches the city by midday. The Lieutenant from Melusarej is waiting for them there.

“Where are all your people?” He scowls only seeing thirty-five of the original one hundred refugees.

Drakthar comes forward to apologize, “I’m sorry sir, we encountered sandstorms and raiders that thinned our numbers. I take full responsibility for them not making it here safely”.

“It’s okay, the truth is most groups ended up here with less than what you brought,” the Lieutenant not so proudly admits.

“Here two hundred gold to each of you,” he hands them pouches full of gold.

The five of them walk into town richer than they were before they started the trek.

“What are we supposed to do?” Jorge asks now that they are in Aconblasam.

“I’ve been to this city a lot, know a few people here. I want to check in with them, maybe catch up a little, maybe make some trades,” Kayde mentions.

“Can you help me sell some of the gems I picked up and this sword that was on the raider?” Alcaeus pulls out an odd-looking sword. It isn’t sharp and has a gap along the front of the blade.

“Never seen anything like it, well I can take you to the blacksmith here to have it appraised,” Kayde agrees, giving Alcaeus back the sword once he’s looked at it.

“While you do that, I’m going to train,” Drakthar lets the others know, it having been too long since he spent a full day training on his own like he’s used to.

“I’ll be checking out the local taverns. Let me know when we have something to do again,” Jorge tells the others of his plans. The four of them all go their separate ways leaving Xander standing by himself. He looks at the new pouch of gold and decides what he should do with it.

Kayde and Alcaeus enter a small shop where Kayde mentioned they could sell his gems.

“Hey, Kayde, good to see you again,” the man from behind the counter is pleased to see him.

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“Sharick, you been holding up well in these trying times?” Kayde asks his old friend.

Sharick’s joyful expression changes, “Not that great actually. Lenny died. Hit me pretty hard… sorry, you had to hear it from me, I know you two were close”.

“Oh, that would explain why you are here instead of him,” Kayde observes, maybe not as distraught over his friend’s death as he should be.

“Yeah, had to take over the business as his younger brother. Enough of this sad talk, what have you got for me today?” Sharick changes the subject.

“My friend here is trying to sell these gems he found,” Kayde explains, pushing Alcaeus forward.

“Yeah, here, take a look at them. Nice and sparkly if you ask me,” Alcaeus pours them onto the counter in front of Sharick.

“Hmm… these are okay. Nothing amazing. I can give you three thousand gold for them,” Sharick offers.

This is a lot of gold to Alcaeus so he agrees instantly, “That works for me, go ahead and take em”. Sharick gives Alcaeus the gold.

“I don’t mean to butt in so I’ll wait outside so the two of you can talk,” Alcaeus calls out as he leaves excitedly.

“Other than what happened to Lenny, anything interesting going on these days?” Kayde asks Sharick now that business is out of the way.

Sharick pours both of them a drink before responding, “Yeah two interesting rumors actually. For one there have been rumblings that there’s a bunch of treasure up in the mountains just waiting to be found. Every two-bit treasure hunter and their brother started to make their way up there. We both know nothing will come of it though, can’t venture up in the mountains without a map”.

Sharick pauses to take a drink, “The more interesting rumor is about this sand dragon to the Northeast. Apparently, the thing is gigantic and golden. It’s been killing anyone who comes across it”.

“I know you Kayde, you’re probably thinking of heading straight for both of em, but don’t. If I were you I wouldn’t go near either of those though,” Sharick adds, trying to warn his friend.

Kayde lifts his drink up to his mouth, downing the rest of it, “You’re right Sharick, you do know me, I’m going to check out both of them”.

“That’s what I was afraid of. Can’t say I didn’t warn you though this time,” Sharick sighs, having known this was going to happen.

“Yeah yeah. You just hold down the shop, and don’t worry about me,” Kayde puts down his cup.

“Good luck, you fool,” Sharick tells Kayde as he leaves.

“Finally,” Alcaeus comments when he sees Kayde exit.

“I thought you two were going to talk forever,” he was getting impatient.

Alcaeus shakes the pouch of gold; “At least I got this much off him for those gems”.

“Those gems were worth like four times what he gave you,” Kayde bursts Alcaeus’s bubble.

“What!” Alcaeus stops walking. He turns toward Kayde with a look of both confusion and anger, “I thought you were going to help me sell them? Why didn’t you tell me before I took the deal?”

“Nah, I like Sharick more than you. Why would I help out you over my friend?” Kayde points out a matter of factly.

“I’m going to head to the blacksmith by myself then, I assume you know him too and will help him instead of me,” Alcaeus starts to walk ahead of him.

“Hold on, I don’t know the blacksmith he’s new in this city,” Kayde mentions, following after Alcaeus.

They find the blacksmith’s shop without much trouble. They walk inside and are greeted by a rather snooty voice, “Ah, welcome to my shop, what can I do for you?” The man behind the counter has a thick mustache and is wearing a hat to cover up his balding head.

Alcaeus pulls out the weird sword he found, slamming it on the table in front of the blacksmith, “Hey man, I want to get this appraised at a good rate”.

The blacksmith looks sickened by Alcaeus’s behavior, “Do not try to haggle with me like that. I don’t know what other blacksmiths you may have dealt with in the past, but I am clearly of a better class. Let me introduce myself, I am Jean, and I am the greatest blacksmith in the entire desert”.

Kayde smiles, knowing exactly how this interaction is going to develop.

“Look, I don’t care who you are, came in here for a service and I expect you to do your job,” Alcaeus is getting tired of Jean the Blacksmith’s attitude.

“Yes, clearly of a lower class. If you have not heard of me then get out of my sight,” Jean the Blacksmith dismisses Alcaeus as if he was a fly pestering him.

Kayde finally decides to step in, “I am sorry that my man here has been so rude to you, he doesn’t know his place”.

Jean the Blacksmith looks pleasantly surprised, “Oh… why didn’t you speak up sooner? You are clearly of a higher class unlike your manservant here”.

“Manservant?” Alcaeus fixates on that word.

“Yes, that is right, he is my servant, now could you humbly appraise his sword,” Kayde requests respectfully.

Jean the Blacksmith picks up the sword and finally gives it a look.

“Interesting, I’ve never seen anything like this before. If you leave it with me for two weeks, I can have it appraised for you at twenty percent of what you sell the sword for,” he offers after inspecting the sword.

“I know it will trouble you, but we don’t know what the sword is going to be worth, so if we could get the rate down to five percent,” Kayde comes back with a counteroffer as politely as possible.

“I respect your reasoning, but I can only go down to ten percent or it will not be worthwhile for me,” Jean the Blacksmith gives his final offer. Kayde extends his hand and the two shake on it agreeing at ten percent.

Kayde and Alcaeus exit the shop, once they are outside Alcaeus flips it off.

“That’s rude,” Kayde comments trying to provoke Alcaeus.

“Rude? Are you kidding me that guy called me a manservant? And you went along with it!” Alcaeus starts to go off.

“Yeah, but I had to if we wanted him to look at the sword for us,” Kayde points out, still amused by Alcaeus’s reaction.

“Either way, fuck that guy. How am I your manservant? I have way more gold,” Alcaeus continues to fume. Kayde doesn’t say anything back, letting Alcaeus believe he has more gold than him when that is, in fact, not the case.

While Alcaeus and Kayde are off selling and appraising, Xander heads towards the refugees’ makeshift camp set up at the edge of the city.

He goes up to Gwendolyn’s tent and asks nervously, “Um… hello, it’s Xander is Gwendolyn there?”

He hears a girl’s voice from inside, “Oooo, he is here to see you again”. He sees Gwendolyn exit the tent, her hair is slightly mussed up, clearly not expecting any visitors today.

“Yes, Xander, it’s good to see you. What brings you here?” She asks him, trying to fix her hair as subtlety as she can without him noticing.

Xander looks down, too afraid to look directly at her while he explains, “You helped during that fight back there as much as I did, but I got paid for it. So I thought I would give you part of the gold I earned”. He holds out the full pouch of two hundred gold.

“No, I couldn’t accept that. You did much more than I did, I only helped out in one fight,” Gwendolyn tries to refuse it, trying to stare into Xander’s eyes, which do not meet her gaze.

“Please just take it. I would feel terrible otherwise,” he insists, continuing to look down.

“Then I will accept it,” she takes the pouch from him, a slight frown on her face as she does so.

Xander anxiously begins to try and ask Gwendolyn, “I was wondering if…”

“I’m sorry, there are a lot of things I have to think about right now,” she tells him, but not in a blunt way.

“Oh… okay. I guess I will see you later then,” Xander notes, trying to hide his disappointment. As Xander walks away Gwendolyn watches him longingly and sighs before returning to her tent.

Xander heads to the tavern and finds the others inside.

“Great, now that everyone is here I can explain. I was talking with an old friend and there are two rumors he told me about. The first one is about some treasure in the mountains, apparently, a lot of people have been traveling up there to try and find it themselves. The other is about a golden sand dragon in the Northeast,” Kayde begins to explain.

“A golden sand dragon? I wish to battle against it,” Drakthar decides immediately, the excitement in his voice obvious to the others.

“No, how can you want to die to some dragon over going after the treasure,” Alcaeus disagrees adamantly.

“I figured it would turn out like this, so I decided that we are going to do both. We will go fight the sand dragon first, after that we will head into the mountains. The places that the dragon has been spotted are on the way to the mountains, so it makes sense that we would fight it first,” Kayde explains, having already planned for this.

“Ya said the sand dragon was golden didn’t ya lad?” Jorge asks, not sure if he misheard Kayde due to his drink.

“Yeah, at least that’s what Sharick told me,” Kayde responds, remembering his friend’s words.

“Then that’s no ordinary sand dragon. There are legends of that beast, a dragon with hide made of gold. I would be honored to have a chance to slay it myself,” Jorge gives his preference of where to go. Drakthar stares intently at Jorge and nods completely agreeing with his sentiments.

“Okay, it looks like everyone is happy with the plan. I guess you haven’t said anything about it though Xander,” Kayde looks over to see Xander still lost in thought about his last conversation with Gwendolyn.

“Xander?” Kayde repeats after he doesn’t get his attention initially.

“Oh, sorry. What were we talking about?” Xander snaps out of it.

“The plan, are you good with it?” Kayde asks again. “Sure,” Xander agrees hesitantly, having no idea what the plan is.

Alcaeus and Jorge continue to drink, getting more and more inebriated throughout the night. Eventually, it becomes too much and Kayde helps them back to their rooms at the inn they are staying at for the night, leaving only Xander and Drakthar in the tavern.

“Does Gwendolyn seem like the type of woman who would like a poem?” Xander asks earnestly, trying to brainstorm a way to tell her how he feels. Drakthar turns to look directly at him, not believing what just came out of his friend’s mouth.

Xander expects to be made fun of, but instead, Drakthar responds seriously, “Women are soft”. He puts his hand on Xander’s shoulder and nods.

“What does that mean? Is that a yes?” Xander asks unsure of what Drakthar is getting at. Drakthar doesn’t respond, instead, he finishes his drink, gets up and leaves the tavern.

“Was that a yes?” Xander stands and asks louder. He can hear Drakthar start to laugh as he walks away.