After dinner, Erick went to sleep, but not without first thinking about his plans. He didn't know what would happen in the future, but he knew he would return to his village; he was certain of that.
The next morning, the sun's rays slowly touched Erick's eyelids, and the noise of the advancing caravan had managed to wake him up. Rómulo's men had long since disposed of the bodies, and the once chaotic combat zone was now nothing more than a sand dune in the desert.
"Efficient," Erick murmured, seeing how they had hidden everything in just one night.
"Good morning, lad," Rómulo said from a corner of the caravan, startling Erick, who hadn't noticed his presence.
"Morning," Erick replied simply.
Rómulo approached, smiling with that salesman's air that characterized him.
"You look brand new. Well, your job is simple: if you see enemies, you defeat them... end of story," Rómulo said with a laugh at the end.
"Well, I suppose I can do that," Erick responded.
"Although you should also keep an eye on the biggest cart; the most valuable merchandise is there," Rómulo finished.
Looking to the side, Erick saw the largest vehicle of all, in the center of the caravan. It certainly looked like it was carrying something valuable there.
"No problem," Erick replied.
After that, the journey didn't have much to tell. They wandered through the desert all day, and at night, before dinner, Erick would separate from the group to practice with the sword in its hidden state. He focused on being faster with his feet and anticipating the movements he lacked in the fight. The trip went smoothly until the day the city of Aruk appeared in the distance.
The city that was called the Pearl of the Desert, with its always imposing gates, along with the largest combat group in this area. That's what the city was called no more than ten years ago.
But now it was nothing more than a shadow of its former self. After the lord's death and the fight for succession, the city slowly began to crumble, along with the incessant attack of monsters that finished off the city's last combat forces.
Even so, the city wasn't called the Pearl of the Desert for nothing. If one was rich enough, they could pay for a private protection group that allowed for free trade, something Rómulo did without problems.
"Well, it seems our brief journey will soon come to an end," Rómulo said as he pulled out a small bag with Erick's pay.
"Yes, I think so," Erick replied calmly.
Rómulo tossed him the bag. It was heavy.
"Here you go, lad. I hope to see you again soon." With a final smile, Rómulo spoke as he continued his journey, leaving Erick at the side of the road.
Erick, opening the bag, noticed that the pay consisted of several silver and copper coins. He certainly could gather them to make at least three gold coins, but he was sure Rómulo was doing it for a reason.
Entering the city, the first thing that greeted Erick was the noise of the merchants, which extended throughout the city's main avenue. They sold everything from swords to food.
Something natural for the largest merchant city in the south.
As Erick advanced through the stalls, thinking about where the carriages to his nearby village were, his gaze stopped.
A stall caught his attention. It was a common stall in the middle of the avenue, but for some strange reason, no one was visiting it. In it, a vendor who only showed wrinkled hands and was covered by his old clothes looked back at him.
With a sigh, a dense smoke came out of the vendor's mouth and around him, and stretching out his hand, he showed his products.
"I sell products that are not from these lands, young man. If there is something you like, just ask," the vendor, who had more wrinkles than hair, told him.
"Yes, thank you very much," Erick replied courteously.
Looking closely, he saw that most of the objects were strange concoctions along with leaf-shaped earrings—something odd, considering the nearest forest was two months away from this city.
"I already know what you are looking for, young man, but do you know what you are looking for?" the vendor asked calmly.
"What do you mean?" Erick instantly replied.
Putting his hands under the table, the vendor pulled out a small bag full of leaves, all dry, but leaves nonetheless.
"Before that, first the payment. My services require a simple and straightforward payment of one silver coin," the vendor told him while stretching his wrinkled hand toward Erick.
"That won't happen. What am I supposed to be buying? The first thing you should do is state your service and then ask for the payment."
With a click of his tongue, the vendor looked at Erick, only to sigh and take all the leaves out of his bag, then scatter them all over the vendor's stall.
"The future, young man. The leaves represent the earth that feeds us, and in them, the future is shown," the vendor replied with a smile. "That will be two silver coins."
"Swindler!" Erick shouted.
"Information costs, young man, and as I was saying, seeing the future costs three silver coins," the vendor continued.
"Ha, let's go, Erick, we don't buy from swindlers!" the sword shouted, still knowing that no one could hear it.
"Two silver coins, and make it as accurate as possible," Erick said calmly, taking out the coins.
"Erick, you son of...! How can you buy from a swindler?" the sword shouted even louder.
"Well, young man," with one last sigh, the vendor made all the leaves dance with the wind. Most fell all over the stall, but only a few remained in the center.
"You have many paths, did you know?" the vendor told him calmly. "But it seems that at least some things won't change in your life."
With one last blink, Erick's vision changed. The bustling city disappeared, replaced by a field full of trees, in which a stream could be heard in the distance. The smell of wood was palpable along with the animals walking around him.
But one thing became clear in Erick's mind: his sword, which until now was always one thought away from being summoned from its concealment in the wind, had disappeared. His connection had ceased to exist.