Amir couldn't believe his eyes. The name of the wealthy merchant who posted the notice on the bulletin board was none other than Razaq of the House Seti. The same House Seti was the only lead he had in his search for his missing sister, Leyla.
"The House Seti! They must have a connection to Leyla's disappearance. They are the ones that took my sister," Amir said as he clenched his fist.
He knew he had to take this job. Not only would he get paid, but he might also get some information about his sister's whereabouts. Amir quickly made his way to the location listed on the notice.
As he arrived at the location, he saw Razaq, a tall and imposing figure, surrounded by several guards. Amir knew he had to be careful not to arouse suspicion.
"Razaq, a leader of this merchant group. Hmph, I need to be careful with this scum."
The way it looked, all of the members of the House Seti seemed to be bad guys in Amir's eyes.
He approached Razaq and introduced himself as an adventurer looking for work. But before he could get near, he was stopped by Razaq's bodyguards.
"What are you here for, kid?" one of them asked. "Are you here to enlist? Aren't you too young for that?"
Of course, Amir is a 'bit' young for them, he was after all just 17 years old. Plus, he looked rather thin and weak.
The guard asked him a few questions and seemed satisfied with his answers. Of course, it's not Amir's answer that prompted the guard to hire it, was the weapon on Amir's back.
"This kid, he looked weak but the weapon on his back could be helpful," the guard thought to himself.
"Boss, should we hire this guy? He whispered to Razaq."
However, Razaq only waved his hand. "Go on, he might be of help."
The guard then explained that he needed a group of adventurers to escort his goods to a nearby city. The journey would be dangerous as they would have to cross through a treacherous swamp infested with deadly creatures.
Amir was up for the challenge. He agreed to take the job and asked for the details. Razaq explained that they would leave at dawn the next day and that each adventurer would be paid 5000 Nub upon their safe arrival in the other city.
Amir accepted the offer and joined the group of adventurers. They were a diverse group of people, each with their own reasons for taking the job. Some were looking for money, while others were seeking adventure.
But no matter their motive, they will be part of this group to tread the swamp and escort Razaq.
"Hey, you're Amir, right?"
On their journey, Amir was approached by one of the adventurers.
"Come, joins us. One of the guys there caught a three-eyed boar. You should eat. There are no regular beasts in the swamp so we would not have meat for a while."
Hearing that, Amir followed the adventurer. It's not bad to eat with them. This way, it would be easier to blend in.
Thinking back to what the man said, the only beasts that live in the swamp are the poisonous beasts. Their meat is not edible.
For a few days and nights, they have set out their journey.
They would travel in the broad daylight and rest at night. Sometimes, when the moon is bright, they would continue to travel.
All in all, their journey is not much. However, as days passed by, Amir couldn't help but feel uneasy. He had a feeling that something was not right. The guards surrounding Razaq seemed too alert, and he noticed that they were armed with weapons that were not commonly used by merchants. Furthermore, they are too expensive to be bought by normal adventurers.
"Just what the hell is Razaq's goods?" Amir asked inwardly.
He wanted to know what is inside the cargo. However, he knew that he would be violating the contract if he did so.
"Well, I will know what it is if something is wrong," Amir said as he put the thought in the back of his mind. However, he kept his guard up and stayed alert throughout the journey.
They traveled for several days, crossing through the swamp without incident. However, as they were nearing the other city, they were ambushed by a group of bandits.
"Charge!"
The bandits were heavily armed and outnumbered the adventurers. Furthermore, they are acting in a strange orderly manner.
"Merchant, hand over your goods!"
They demanded that they hand over Razaq's goods.
"I have money, you may take them all. But leave my goods," Razaq appealed.
The content of his cargo was just too important for him to give away. However, seeing that Razaq did not want to give his goods, the bandits just got persistent.
"Hehe, interesting. I wonder what are the goods that you're carrying," the leader of the bandit said before also charging toward Razaq.