NOBLEMAN ADVENTURER

The Caravan

The caravan leader was surprised I had managed to survive the desert alone for several days. He gave me water and recounted my harrowing tale of the bandits and the unfortunate plight of my fellow merchants. The caravan leader agreed to take me along with them, as long as I helped out doing odd tasks. The fact that I knew how to cook was also an added bonus. My cooking was delicious and the others in the caravan, who initially were unhappy with my appearance, now seemed less frustrated.

The caravan was headed towards Mondal or Hard Foundation, an influential city in the Sand Kingdom. These merchants were Sand Kingdom citizens, who were returning from trade with another country called Sultan. According to them, Sultan had plenty of grain, spices and meat products.

According to speculation, the caravan leader felt the merchants I traveled with, would most likely end up in the city of Hard Foundation. The city received it's name because it was founded on an area of flat stones, allowing for a sturdy foundation.

Surprisingly, I found myself at home with the merchants.

We slept in tents and walked most of the day. In a straight line, we followed one another. There were many men on the trail. Most of them were porters and poor. They dreamed of working hard on a few trips to earn capital and settle down with a small business in their hometown.

After several days of travel, we finally saw the city of Hard Foundation.

Although we could see the city from afar, but we still had to travel another two days before we reached it. On the last day before our arrival to Mondal, a strong wind blew from the south. Amid the sandstorm, we all got down on our knees and hunched over, tucking in our heads, creating a little space where we could still breathe.

By the time the sandstorm was over, we had to dig ourselves out of the sand.

Like others, I emerged from the sand with a dirty face. We dusted off as much of the sand as we could before we dusted off the carts of goods.

Weary from the sandstorm, we entered the city, hoping for a good place to rest.

More or less, the large city had been affected by the severe sandstorm. No wonder the people here fear the wind. The weathervanes they decorated their rooftops with were not just for decoration.

I shuttled among the crowd. People were busy cleaning up the sand and debris, as though they had done this many times before.

The caravan walked to a side alley, and leaving us waiting outside, the caravan entered alone. Not long after he entered, two men walked out to help take our wares to storage. Then they took the livestock to the stable for feed and water.

As for us, the caravan leader told us to enter the inn. We ate first downstairs at long tables accompanied by long benches. The food was mostly rehydrated fruit pastries and dishes of long grain rice cooked with bits of minced meat. It was apparent meat was an expensive item here.

When our stomachs were full and our thirst slaked, we moved upstairs. The upper story was simply a huge one room layout. Several bunkbeds were neatly lined up on both sides of the long walls. Each man quickly found a bed and slept soundly.