“I handled camp networks like this before. But just like the rats, looks like they had an upgrade to their size.” She flipped through the papers while making her way out, ordering Kayd to follow her. Soon, she called for everyone else to join up with her.

“Quellin, why do you have a chain?” She noticed the chain still gripped tightly in Quellin’s hand.

“Our enemy seems to be slavers Captain Ishmael. I faced such foes before, there is also a heavy load of both horrendous and average quality weapons and armor.” He gave out his full report, to which she laughed again.

“Yes, our enemy is a bunch of slavers. And it looks like they have a big market right now.” She handed one of the papers to Quellin before turning to Ikari, wiping down her mouth with her forearm.

“We weren’t supposed to touch the food you know,”

“Wait how did you know cap?” Ishmael smiled.

“I had that same exact expression when my past team stumbled upon our food hoard of food in this desert. I won’t put it against you but next time, show some restraint. We’ll use these for rations and to give out to settlers when needed.” Ikari hastily nodded.

She walked to the center of the camp, looking around with the papers still in hand.

“It looks like they have another camp. This time it looks like this group’s main base. This camp was just a finger to the hand. There should be more information there. Grab everything here and bring it to Pip.” She released a high-pitched whistle from her mouth, and Pip came charging onward from the sand mound.

—-----

“I didn’t know you can cut apple slices with a sword; this wasn’t your first time huh?” Ikari watched Kayd cut a few apples into slices with his blade, slow and steady to not cause a mistake or injury. They sat behind barrels and containers of food, making a light snack to hopefully cheer the team up a bit.

“Yeah, we were told to use our personal weapons heavily compared to other tools. This was a byproduct of that advise.” He continued cutting the apple while talking.

“Sooooo, you’ll use that sword to chop a tree?” Ikari laughed, eliciting one from Kayd as well. The final apple was cut into a dozen slices and Ikari quickly took some of them.

“Hey, we’re supposed to share this with everyone else!”

“Sorry, they just looked perfectly cut and nice to look at compared to what I’d make.” Kayd sighed and took a slice to eat.

A moment of peace from the savory fruit distracted him from the painful heat and scorching sun.

“I didn’t think you’d like something like apples, Kayd.”

“Why so?”

“Uhhh, well you look….Sophisticated. Look I’ll be blunt. Your outfit makes you look like a rich scholar person.” Kayd was confused for a moment by her explanation.

“Well, the Snowblades are one of the most famous and strongest clans. I guess good clothing was a part of it.” After talking, Ikari stared at him blankly for a moment before tossing another apple at his direction. In reflex, Kayd immediately cut it in half with his sword.

“Huh so those apple slice tricks were possible too.” She laughed and grabbed the apple on the ground, giving the other half to Kayd to eat. She sighed deeply after a few bites.

“Back then, with those gangs or tribes in the forest. Good apples were not a common thing you’d find. So I’d hoard as much of it as possible. One day I thought to give one to a certain tribe I was with. I thought it’d help deepen my friendship with them but…” She took another bite before continuing.

“Once they took all my apples, they’d keep pestering me to get more, only to drain the supply again. Then kick me out once I couldn’t find it anymore or I was “Useless” to them, I guess they were never good friends. So I went from small time raiding caravans to scavenging what fell off from their wagons. Never sharing it to anyone.” She sighed, looking to Kayd with a sudden feeling of embarrassment.

“Sorry for my long tale, in short i just wanted to say that. You didn’t share their selfishness. And I’m happy to have found an actual friend to share apples with. I would’ve eaten these quicker if we weren’t” She laughed. Kayd stayed silent, unsure on how to even respond to her story, perhaps it was better that way and to simply continue eating his apple slice.

------

A few minutes pass, Kayd stood up and took the remaining slices and began offering to the others.

Quellin and Mian’s teammate were standing at the side with swords in hand, they were sweating but Quellin remained straight as a stick.

“Your form is mediocre, but mediocrity is the foundation for excellence. A few more drills may help.” Quellin remarked.

“Alright, didn’t know it was this hard to be a soldier! Mian never gave this type of training to us.” He replied in tiring breaths. The two turned upon noticing Kayd approach them, one of their eyes widened while the other remained unknown, because it was shrouded behind a helmet.

“Ooo apples!” As he reached out to grab one, Quellin grabbed it.

“I can see the lack of discipline. A soldier follows orders and can only make a request to their superior.” He lowered his hand, looking at Quellin.

“Sir, permission to consume refreshments.”

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“Granted” With that, he started eating the apple slices as if he starved for days.

“How’s training him?”

“Although i would have refused, Captain Ishmael and you seemed to agree that this was the best course of action for him. Thus i obeyed.”

Quellin still held the chain from before, leaving most of its body coiled around the floor.

“Still carrying that chain huh? You hate slavers that much?” Quellin turned to him silently.

“Just punishment for a heinous crime. That is what we are told.” He replied with the same cold tone. Kayd neared the small plate of apple slices, but Quellin didn’t take one.

Kayd awkwardly walked away from the two, hearing their training regime start again.

Hopefully he gets better for the next fight, we need all able hands on deck. And I wonder what he’ll do with that chain…

—---

Kayd sat next to Lia who comfortably sat on the floor, wrapped around her cloak like a blanket. Her eyes widened upon seeing the apples on the plate and looked at Kayd, begging for one. He nodded and Lia grabbed more apple slices, taking much more than the others.

“How are you feeling?” Lia looked at Kayd, confused.

“I’m fine, why?”

“Well, I noticed you were getting sloppy for a while. Stumbling sometimes and straying away from the team.”

“Ohhh, I was just trying to get things that might help us. Cacti has water we can drink and I wanted to study if it had other properties.” Lia explained to Kayd, now inspecting one of the slices carefully.

“That’s good but, like what Quellin said, we need to stick together. Do your discoveries and studies once things are calmer. If you do this thing again, i don’t think we can be there to save you.” She nodded, taking in his orders with a worried expression.

“I will, and I’m sorry. Putting my teammates in harm’s way was never my intention.” While they sat, another question sprung up in Kayd’s head.

“You sometimes need orders, while other times you just go forward without an order. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to it as well. Why is that?” Lia looked embarrassed turning her head a bit away.

“Oh ummm, well…I…. I was just scatterbrained during that time. You know, healers like me have a whole lot in our mind and sometimes need an order to go forward, or sometimes just do it ourselves.” She was quick in explanation; Kayd was not convinced.

I could pry further, but judging by how she’s acting right now i might accidentally cause some breakdown with her again. Can’t have a healer who can’t heal right now.

Kayd let her take a few more slices before walking off.

—----

Ishmael stood alone; the papers stuck to the railing by a knife. He noticed the weapons and armor they took stuck to the shell of Pip, like a protective layer.

“Captain,” Kayd stood next to her. She quickly took a slice of apple and bit into it with a smile.

“Any details we need to know about this new destination?” Kayd asked.

“Says here it’s meant to hold the main group of this slaver unit. But it’s a temporary base so we need to move fast.”

“Anything else on these bandits?” Ishmael paused for a longer time, checking the papers again.

“Well, it looks like this group was sent as an expansion team to search for more settlers to take. Looks like this is their entire business.” Looking out, Kayd saw more burning caravans around them, coupled with the sight of large black spots far out.

“Settlements. Ones too close to these bandit camps. They need to bring out more soldiers to take care of these settlements because this is getting bad.”

“Can we help more of them once this camp was dealt with? Or at least start finding the leader of this entire thing?”

“We are by finding the leader along with main camps of these bandits and destroying them, we can ensure these settlements won’t be harmed again. As of now we are following a small map they made.” She pointed at a paper stacked at the top of the others.

It was hastily drawn and a simple outline of the settlement they helped, the camp they raided, and another camp a good distance away.

“When it’s done, we’ll see what happens next. But make no mistake Kayd. Our top priority is to protect the settlers and bring the heads of whoever leads these bandits. I want them gone just as much as you do.” Kayd felt comforted by her response. Putting his current worries to rest.

“By the way, how long were you doing this whole mercenary thing? You seem to know a whole lot about not only the forest but also this desert.” She laughed.

“A good while, we traversed these places many times to handle these same threats.”

“How long-”

“Hold that thought.” She interrupted him, with a whistle she stopped Pip and jumped down. Kayd followed behind.

A larger wagon filled with ransacked crates lay around. There were no signs of horses, except the bodies of many Stone’s edge soldiers. All picked clean, even the badges they wore were removed.

Blood stained the sand around the wagon and bodies, he could see the many slash and stab marks across their bodies, messy and sloppy. Ishmael bent down to grab something sticking out the sand.

Metal cuffs…Attached to a longer chain….

“It all looks fresh, the blood and these chains. No rust and in pristine condition.” She looked at the path ahead of them, hoofprints and wagon wheel tracks were partially marked into the sand. Ishmael quickly got back up to Pip upon seeing it.

“They’re fresh, we can kill two birds with one stone here. Perhaps they took someone and we can find them. Come.” Kayd hastily got back onto the crab and they sped off.

Kayd held his sword; they were near the next target, more of these bandits to kill and the chance to help people in need. Perhaps to feel that new rush of praise from others.

Help settlements, kill the bandits and brigand king, and pacify this region.

He recalled the goals of the card, eager to gain more of these titles.

I need more, I need more. Only then will I be able to at least stand toe to toe with my classmates…I need to be higher than them…

Pip treaded further, soon reaching near the camp before Ishmael ordered to stop.

They got down, Ikari finished her apple while preparing an arrow. Quellin and Mian’s teammate stretched their arms, Quellin sighed while the other was sweating profusely from their training and the blazing heat. Lia stood behind all of them with her staff ready to heal anyone that gets hurt.

Once everyone was ready, Ishmael led them onward. The wagon wheel marks were more visible on the sand than before along with small spots of red.

“We will scout the area before making a move. Remember, nobody will go far or try to attack them head on.” Ishmael reminded.