Daiden opened his eyes to a cool, soft breeze and the face of a beautiful woman, veiled in moonlight, and with a canvas of stars in the background. His chest rose with some agitation and then eased into regularity. He breathed with comfort and relaxed his shoulders, cushioned by the sand underneath him. His lips trembled a little, managing a smile at the face that had greeted him awake. He rose, sat upright, and scanned the vicinity, stopping at a fire centred around what appeared to be a camp. Three people there, one by his side, everyone at ease and in laughs.
“I remember now,” said Daiden, slowly. “We took…I mean, we won. We won! Didn’t we?”
Lina smiled back at Daiden and nodded, while touching his shoulders. “Yes, yes!”
At the sound of words, Skunk noticed and hurried over to his benefactor’s side. “It’s great to have you among us, my friend! What a battle we waged, what a battle we won!”
“How, how long was I out for?” asked Daiden.
“Just a couple of hours,” revealed Skunk. “We decided to camp the night given your condition. But with the Monarch gone, it shouldn’t take us too long to reach Multana City.”
“Yes, I was planning on going there anyway,” said Daiden. He scratched the back of his head and added, “Ah, thank you for taking care of me. You even wasted a day on my behalf.”
Skunk sat down beside Daiden and urged for Carla and Slide to join as well. The Nis gently clasped at Daiden’s hands and bowed to him. “You don’t have to be like that. Now that we have things settled here, I want to be honest, very honest. Our anonymous quest required timing the kills of our two captured Sand Spiders; we would have never imagined that it was intended to awaken the Sand King.”
“When your friend, the blacksmith recounted your situation…we came to realize our mistake,” added Slide, seated a little behind Skunk. “We didn’t vet the request thoroughly enough, and unofficial quests are sometimes layered with malicious intent. We, I couldn’t sit by after knowing this.”
Daiden listened to each member of the four-person group, in silence. He wondered if it made any sense to reveal to them his own intent, of attacking the Monarch without support. After Slide reminded him of their promise to work together without cost, Daiden quietly accepted their apology and explained his side of the story. They listened in silence as well.
“Well, that’s not what I expected to hear…” admitted Skunk, with a heavy heart. “We’re graded as A-rank adventurers. Did you see how close we were to dying right there? You shouldn’t have put yourself at risk, not like this!”
“A trainee? A f****** trainee!” yelled Slide, throwing a fit. “Skunk, his idiocy almost cost us our lives! We must demand compensation here, maybe his quest reward even.”
Daiden bowed in apology once more. “I understand, but…” Just as he continued, he felt the touch of a hand on his shoulder. Daiden turned to notice Lina hold him down, with a smile.
“Slide, calm down,” requested Lina, gently. “I think Skunk is more concerned with Daiden being reckless than us not receiving compensation for this raid. Our increase in reputation ought to be enough this time around.”
“But…” protested Slide, hastily.
“Enough!” commanded Skunk. “Lina is right. Slide, you forget that we joined this battle of our own volition, albeit through a misunderstanding. The unofficial quest, the timing of things, the intent behind all of this, there’s no denying that maybe Daiden could have prepared better if not for us.”
“And let’s not forget that the boy did chip away at the Monarch’s health by a significant amount, the mount as well,” reminded Carla, lending her voice to the conversation. “I can’t fault Daiden for being a trainee.
“All I saw was someone with a great sense for combat, and with enough mind during pressure to manoeuvre my armament into a winning move. While we do deserve some compensation…given present information, I don’t see any reason to break our promise with him.”
Slide rubbed his eyes with frustration. He eyed Daiden furiously, for a moment, and then sighed, slumping his shoulders in resignation. “F***! Fine, fine…besides, I made the promise. I’m sorry you lot have to suffer for it.”
Daiden felt a strange result emerge from the conversation. He cocked his head, with a puzzled expression, and said, “Uh, I’m more than happy to share the spoils of the Sand King with you. I heard Slide’s promise when we met, but I didn’t intend to keep everything to myself.”
Hearing the words, the four individuals trained their eyes on Daiden with greed. The Godvildian trainee managed a weak laugh and added, “Ah, but I want first choice and a right to seventy percent of the spoils. Support aside, in terms of contribution, there’s no arguing that I rank the highest among the five of us.”
Daiden eased into a silence and embraced it despite the awkwardness of the situation. He waited until Skunk pursed his lips and nodded along to the demand, veiled deceptively as a suggestion. In that moment, Daiden turned and mouthed an apology to Lina. She simply shook her head, smiling as she did.
“From nothing to thirty percent…I’d call it a victory for us,” said Skunk, with a heavy sigh. He then put an arm around Daiden and broke into a warmer mood, encouraging the others to follow along as well. While Slide, Carla, and Lina returned to the fire, Skunk leaned towards the person in his embrace and asked, “Are you really a trainee, I mean, really?”
“Yes…” admitted Daiden, again, without much thought.
“From a noble family?” checked Skunk, lowering his voice.
“…” Daiden froze with suspicion. He gently moved the arm from around his shoulder, under the pretence stretching his limbs.
“Well?” pressed Skunk.
“No, no, I’m not from a noble family…” said Daiden, cautiously.
“That might explain the nature of our quest a bit, then,” said Skunk, suddenly, folding his arms with a serious expression. “Did you rub any noble the wrong way?”
Daiden quickly reeled from his suspicion and sat back down next to Skunk. “You think this was an attempt at assassination?”
“A very clever one, if yes,” said Skunk, slowly. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll investigate the holder of the request, as a token to our friendship.”
“Thank you!” said Daiden, genuinely, a little relieved even.
“Not at all…in fact, if you ever decide to quit the military, I recommend joining us,” suggested Skunk. “I can guarantee more of anything you might desire – women, bloodstones, and yes, our skills as a group. Were you impressed with us out there, with you?”
“Yes, very much so,” said Daiden. “But I have friends I can’t disappoint. I must return to them and work through the military for now.”
“I’m not one to press an offer,” said Skunk, with a shrug. “Let’s forge a connection using our Mioveroldian Pages. You may contact me in the future for help, maybe if you change your mind even.”
With a smile, Daiden agreed and formed the connection just as Rollo had taught him. After the exchange, Skunk returned to his feet and dusted the sand from his clothes.
“We’ve spoken for long enough,” said Skunk, pointing towards the fire with his chin. “The night is young, and we must celebrate!”
“Very well!” said Daiden, unburdening entirely.
A few steps closer to the dancing and laughter, Skunk paused and turned to Daiden with a serious expression. He pressed against the latter’s shoulders, with both arms and asked, almost inaudibly, “Do you want us to pitch a separate tent for you?”
Daiden raised his head and counted three tents, placed around the fire.
“Slide and I share a tent,” explained Skunk. “Carla and Lina, well…they like their space.”
Daiden scratched the back of his head, uncertainly. “I mean, it would be a tight fit with the three of us, no?”
Skunk shook his head. “Of course. But you misunderstand me! Lina, she wants you in her tent tonight.”
