The group needed to rest at the end of that night. They wanted to go to their next stop as fast as possible, but they couldn't neglect something so important as rest their bodies. After all, they were going through physical strain every day and almost all the time. When sleeping was the only time when they weren't, so they should enjoy it.
They went to sleep at the usual time. Even though they passed for a lot of trouble at the Spear Forest, they got to follow their schedule strictly.
In three hours, it would be noon and the sun would appear. Two or three hours after the sun appeared, they would wake up, disassemble their tents, and then return to their trip.
After walking just some more kilometers they would arrive at the next refuge. Hopefully, the black market there would be as good as they heard before. If that was the case, then they would earn a lot of money and could buy new horses.
After all, one of their horses died after those days inside Spear Forest. It was caught by a Venom Monkey. Just a scratch was able to kill it. In some hours, the horse's skin was getting in a greenish tone, he was foaming from his mouth and had teary bloodshot eyes.
Those were the symptoms of that poison that the Venom Monkeys had on their teeth and claws.
It was lethal for a horse. For a human, it was like an instant kill. The process didn't last more than ten minutes, and depending on someone's constitution, it was less than five.
Hector was encharged to take care of Dean, but in the end he "forgot", letting the boy laying in front of his tent all night.
If not for Dean training his Control and Nourishment every day, his "Willpower" alone wouldn't have been able to maintain his body alive. He wasn't regenerating at all, but it was preventing him to get worse.
However, when the sun had just appeared, the group got alarmed due to his desperate moans.
Dean woke up at the start of the noon, feeling in pain. His body was all numb, and he was cold from head to toe. That's why he was making so much noise, so he could draw the attention of the group.
Instead of scolding Hector, Rick just shrugged when seeing the boy's state and ordered him to take care of the slave as fast as possible.
"If he dies, I will take it from your entire month's share. He is our most profitable resource, although he is this stubborn shitty boy. Never forget it." He spoke, then returned to his tent and pretended to sleep like he always did.
Hector took care of him this time, and let him sleep in his tent for some hours.
It wasn't comfortable at all to sleep with a slave beside him, but there was nothing he could do to help it. After all, he was the one who "forgot" to take care of him and let him in the cold night of that place to die.
The group woke up again some hours after, gathering their items and disassembling their tents.
They needed to do it this time since Paul alone wouldn't be able to take care of everything by himself.
Dean went in one of the horses with Rick. Kevin and Hector needed to share one as well.
Unfortunately, Clay would be the one staying on the first patrol without riding it. Having a horse missing was truly a hassle.
However, Rick could manage the situation.
From them all, Clay had the most advantage regarding agility and speed, so he could catch up with their pace.
The problem was to decide who would be the next walking after the horses, and he sadly concluded that it would need to be him.
'If we can sell enough "Willpower" for a good price, then I will buy a horse for each. We can't just have three and need to pass for this kind of thing once we lose one of them.'
This way, they went further on that biome with several mountains and lakes around.
Water flows were descending the mountains and going to those lakes, which seemed to be connected. These water flows that connected them weren't seen on the surface most of the time, but underground. Another interesting point was the color of that water, which was a strange dark gray.
Even so, grayish water was considered potable in Saphyr. Thanks to "Willpower", its toxins just worked on animals. However, when these toxins got extracted, they could cause huge mental harm. Some people sold this extract as a strong drug in the black market, since the right dosage of it could cause hallucinations and some pleasant side effects on the user.
Rick's group sold this kind of thing before, but it was difficult to travel with such great amounts of that extract, and it wasn't as profitable as selling "Willpower".
After a couple of hours walking around that place, always avoiding the water, as per usual, they finally arrived at their destination.
It was a medium-size refuge, with stone walls protecting the constructions inside.
It had the rare blue lakes around. Three big lakes surrounded the refuge, making sort of a protection. They were the reason why that refuge received the name Crystal, due to their crystalline water.
The major of that place was considered very rich, and because of the number of gray lakes around, he had huge connections on the black market.
"Okay, everyone. Please, don't mess around once we get there. Be honest with the major as well. He likes sincere people. If he asks you when was the last time you went to the bathroom, be sure to answer honestly. I am not even joking." Rick warned them. He himself found it a hassle, but there was nothing he could do.
'At least the streets and houses around here are beautiful, and the mountains and lakes give it a wonderful sight...' He thought.
'Pretty similar to my old... Ah, never mind.' He shook his head.
The group went in the direction of that refuge at a fast pace. They were still at the start of the night and didn't want to engage in battle right before entering that place.