Chapter One

I sighed through my nose. This job was going to be a pain. The carriage bumbled along the stone road every so often we would see some life here in there but there wasn’t much in the middle of the desert.

It’s so hot, I’m going to die. Water, someone give some water.

I scavenged around in my backpack for something to hydrate myself with but it was an Explorer’s pack not well-suited for long trips. I hadn’t been able to pack much, and the last of my supplies had been finished 10 hours prior.

So hot, and thirsty, I bet they purposely make these rides long so that the passengers can die of thirst and then loot their bodies.

If the hunger and thirst didn’t kill me the sun just might. I saw a canteen that was handed to me. I looked at the person who extended such curtesy. It was a veteran dude who seemed to be laughing if you noticed the twitch of his brow. He was obviously laughing at me for making a rookie mistake. He had a scar over his eye but he didn’t seem bad, so I took some.

I gulped down however much I could without drinking too much and handed it back.

“Thanks, I thought I was going to die from thirst.”

The carriage bumped and as I regained my balance he said in a hearty laugh not to mention it.

“Are you headed for the dungeon as well?” I asked. Since, there wasn’t another dungeon for kilometers I guessed he would be.

He shook his head, “I’m just headed over to the town built near it, and I’m doing a bodyguard escort mission.”

"You must be quite the mercenary, I heard those were pretty easy or hard depending on the person."

He nodded, in agreement, "Not for me," he grinned, "I'm far too old to come across any problem I can't solve."

Requests were like quests (not that there is any difference, besides the fact quests are assigned by nobles or royalty. Mostly nobles, since things never escalate to that level) that were written in fairy tales where heroes and such took them from kings and princesses.

Life wasn’t as glamorous but it had its moments, and the pay was good if you survived. Mercenaries were hired guns who did anything for a price and they were the ones who usually accepted them. The kingdom’s soldier were usually busy ‘maintaining order’ and too lazy, drunk or and so on and so forth. Since, most jobs with good pay were demanding ones not many lived long, but those who did would live the good life, until he died or got hoodwinked by thieves.

Strangely, we were on top of a stone bridge that hung above the desert. No one really knows how who built it or when it was constructed but it was useful road through the desert. One of the roads, I hoped, wasn't too invested by thieves because of there weren't many places to hide.

At the end of the road was the dungeon entrance where like many aspiring mercenaries went in to loot, plunder, and do what they did best. There was a town nearby that was built with the progression of people gathering there. It was good business to set up shop there. But I felt it was better to take your loot and get out and sell it elsewhere. Since, you would only be able to sell it for less.

I guess the escort job must’ve been a traveling merchant, or some scholar who had come to study the ruins inside the dungeon. The dungeons were huge and there’s been no record of anyone ever successfully clearing one. There were rumors that all the dungeon connected and were just some massive labyrinth, but no one’s ever ventured that far down, for all the traps are crazy enough to make grown men cry. From what I’ve hear, some spent years down there, researching gathering experimenting and the paths had just lead back to the entrance.

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It isn’t for the weak-willed.

I leaned back and took a nap because the end was nowhere in sight and I had time to kill with nothing to do. I fell asleep in the carriage.

I felt the carriage jolt or maybe someone called my name, whatever it was I woke up and realized we had hit a bit of a snag. Part of the bridge was broken; an entire chunk of the road was missing like someone had misfired a magic spell or it was trolls. If something concrete was broken and you had no idea what might have been, 80% of the time it was trolls the other twenty some idiot firing magic spells in the wrong direction.

If we wanted to get to the other side we would have to get off and carry everything there one at a time.

I checked my surroundings there didn’t seem to be any sign of any ambush, I was no expert but it seemed relatively safe.

Just then three cloaked figures climbed from the side of the bridge and waved hello. Me and my big mouth…

The soldiers waved back like buddies back from their adventures. If it was just those three we might’ve been able to take them but with five? There was no chance. We surrendered. I had to hope there would be an opening after they died us down. The soldiers tied our hands and gagged some of us.

The soldiers prodded us in the back with their spears.

Ow, watch the spears, my back’s sensitive.

I protested inwardly as they rounded the driver and the other passengers. We were tied up with white string, which I had thought was strange until I realized it was spider silk. These were hard to get there was no way the cargo on the carriage was worth it.

I had, cough, checked. There was just food supplies and merchandise. Random tidbits of accessory, almost nothing that looked of value. Maybe they were after one of the passengers?

The veteran didn’t resist. He knelt down beside me calmly observing them. He seemed way too experienced to be a mercenary, since experienced mercenaries took harder jobs and this general vibe to them and you could almost always pick them out in a crowd. He seemed to calm and had a more orderly look, was he only pretending to be a mercenary?

They were probably going to kill us after they were done with us. I’ve heard some thieves recruited those they ambushed but I was too much of a novice for the thought to cross their minds. There were only 7 passengers and that and four were useless in combat, the hooded figure who was probably a wanderer and then the veteran. Excluding me that was a fighting force of exactly one, maybe two. I didn’t see how we would get out of here alive.

The thieves finished looking over everything, and walked over. The other two walked behind the carriage to do whatever. I had half a plan but it was crazy and I didn’t have any inclination that it would work. The three walking toward us pulled out their blades, 3 feet of double edged steel. You could see how worn out they were with all the scratch marks. How many people were killed by them? Was I going to join them? I had to bet everything on my next move, I don’t and make a run for it.

I could see the dude’s face now. He had a scruffy look and wild eyes that had a murderous look to them. He lifted the sword high in the air. The others held similar poses in front of the passengers. I had to bet on him letting his guard down the next moment.

The word swung downward. I was already in motion, using my bound hands I would summersault between his legs and kick his back and hope for the best. That was my plan or at least what I had intended.

My perspective shifted and I was suddenly kicked half-way through and slammed back a meter.

Damn.