"Ugh, how much longer is it?" Derik asked.

"How should we know? You have the map," Gonzalez responded.

"It's not like there are landmarks— it's just a desert, desert, desert," Derik said while patting the map with his hand.

Titus called out, "I see something ahead!"

As the group rounded the top of a particularly large dune, they saw their destination in the distance. The quaint village was situated around a small watering hole. The blue of the water and white buildings stood out from the vast orange-yellow hues of the surrounding desert.

"Remember, we are just merchants traveling to Melilla. Everyone stay calm, and we should be able to get back to Palatine without any problems," Montag said.

Thye made their way into the village; it didn't have any defenses like the previous towns, so they walked right in. They got a few looks from the citizenry, but no one bothered them. Derik was unsure if the looks came from the fact that four heavily armed individuals walked into their village or if they were surprised they had any visitors at all. The town had an eerie air about it. It lacked any bustle, traders, or properly maintained buildings.

"Don't know if we'll find anything," Titus said.

Montag looked around and pointed towards an inn. The structure was run-down. The sign that used to hold a name or symbol had faded, and it now hung precariously from a single chain.

"This doesn't seem like the place you would trust to make your food," Gonzalez said. "It looks pretty beat up, and that's coming from someone hanging around with you guys."

Derik shrugged, "In my experience, the more beat-up a place looks, the better the food they serve."

"That looks like our best option. Not much around," Titus said.

They crossed the street over to the inn and tied their mounts to a hitching post located outside. The inn was just as barren as the streets outside. A lone employee waved them over to have a seat at the bar.

Gonzalez sat down and spun in the chair. "So, is it always this slow?" he asked the man behind the counter.

"You missed the time our regulars normally come through, otherwise it's pretty slow," he responded.

Gonzalez ordered a drink as the others sat down at the bar. He took a sip and gagged a little. "With attempted manslaughter under your belt, I'm surprised you have regulars," he remarked.

Montag sat down and spoke to the worker. "Disregard my friend," he glanced over to Gonzalez, who was taking another sip of the drink.

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"We are currently traveling to Melilla, and we were wondering if you had any supplies in stock. Dried meats, grain, water vessels. Anything of that sort?" Montag asked.

He turned and examined the shelves behind him. "I can find something for you," he said. He rummaged through some cabinets and handed Montaag passed some bags over the counter. "Can I ask where you're coming from? We don't get many visitors around here since the war, certainly not any of your statures."

Derik stepped in, "We were coming from Dinar. Sadly, we were accosted by bandits on the way, and we lost most of our supplies."

"Well, you are always free to stay a night," he responded.

"I suppose that's ok," Montag said. "I need to redress Iris' wound anyways."

Montag dropped some coins on the counter, and they went upstairs to the rooms. Derik went into his room and sat down on the bed, beginning to strip off his armor. He couldn't reach a strap near his back, so he elected to skip on changing out of it.

"What a pain in the ass," he thought.

Derik took the time in his room to inspect some of the gems in his bag. Once they got back, he would have to ask someone about them. It started to get dark outside, and Derik rested his head. As he lay trying to get some sleep, he was awoken by rustling outside. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window.

"I don't know why I expected to be able to see anything," he thought. "It is a little odd there are no lights at all."

He tried to get back to sleep, but the rumbling downstairs continued. He sighed and got up to investigate. He walked out into the hallway to find Montag crouched in the hall. Montag motioned Derik over, signaling him to be quiet.

"Alert the others and get yourself ready," he said, "We have some unexpected guests."

The robed individuals that Derik had seen earlier in the tomb were inside the bar. Barely visible from the top of the stairs, their tar-black uniforms stood out in the faint candlelight. There were five of them, and they were having a conversation with the bartender. Derik nodded and went to the other rooms. Titus had already come out into the hall and went over to where Montag was couching. Derik entered Iris' room to wake her. He crept over to her bedside and faintly tapped her shoulder.

Iris woke up to see Derik looming over her. "Eek! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Remember those guys I was talking about seeing at the vault? It looks like they followed us here. You need to get ready for a fight," Derik said.

Iris got out of bed and started putting on the equipment she held at her bedside. As she prepared, Derik was going to leave. He was halted by the sound of muffled footsteps outside and a lot of them at that. He stood by the side of the doorway in wait.

The entrance to the room slowly opened as one of the robed men crept into the room. Derik froze. He hid as the man came further into the room, waiting for his opportunity to strike. Their assailant was distracted by screams coming from outside and looked back, just for Derik to skewer him. He walked over his body into the hallway to see the doors to the other rooms open. Another one of their assassins came rushing out of his room. He saw Derik waiting in the hall and began to advance on him, only to be stabbed from behind by Montag. Titus also came out of his room carrying a body behind him.

"We should leave," Titus said.

Gonazlez walked out from behind him. "This place is bad news. If the brew doesn't kill you, there are assassins that come to finish the job."

Iris came out into the hallway to join them, having suited up. "What a sad loss of life," she commented.

"I agree with the leaving plan," Derik said.

The group descended the stairs. They didn't find anyone on the bottom floor; even the bartender they had seen earlier was smart enough to make himself scarce. They exited out the front entrance and went to retrieve their camel. Unfortunately, they were not there.

"Damn it," Derik said.

"What now?" Titus asked.

"We have to go and find it," Montag said. "We are going to need it to make it to Melilla. With any luck, it hasn't been killed, and they left it nearby."