Namji had spent the better part of the day hidden away elsewhere leaving Verik to his own ends, after the meeting had concluded Jaji had returned and after some quick instruction he led him off down another tunnel blindfolded before they emerged, walked around a great deal, waited, walked then waited some more.

By the time the blindfold came off Verik was certain they either walked in a big circle or had crisscrossed the entire city, whatever the overall plan was it led them so close to the gate leading outside they could see the guards at their posts.

Everything was locked up however, no one was allowed in or out save a band of mercenaries wearing black shemagh's under cap helmets. Jaji was incredibly irritated at seeing them along with their other guest: an old gray maned and mostly toothless fellow who stayed huddled to one side.

Why did seeing these particular mercenaries bother him so much?

"Jaji... Who are they? I have seen ones with red plumes and no markings at all, what is so special about them?"

A snort was the only response till they had long passed and the streets calmed again.

"Black Wall mercenaries, Fareed's personal guard and enforcers. Red plumed one's are General Xarin's, Black Wall obey only Fareed."

"That does little to explain your utter contempt of them."

"What is contempt? Ah. Yes. Hate very much. They worst of all mercenary companies, others do as they please but Black Wall... They made blood sport of us, tie up, whip and send running and use as practice for archers. Walk down street and begin killing because it funny..."

He spat out the window as they disappeared.

"Tie up family and have one torture other or both till one die then kill other anyway, burned out brothers eyes with heated copper coins because he run into one and make them fall down."

Jesus fucking Christ what is wrong with this world?

Verik kept listening as the list grew longer and longer of what this particular mercenary company did, they were less than three hundred strong but were unquestioningly the most powerful with what little they had.

While the red plumes were more suited to "royal guard" duty or patrolling streets the Black Wall were the enforcers without question, if Fareed wanted to make a noble soil themselves all he had to do was send them and their mere presence resolved any dispute.

It also helped that they were notorious for taking blood price on any who offended them, other bands would usually just shove someone aside, ignore them and in general go on their way but this band... This group of mercenaries had an image and reputation they fully intended to uphold and it was one of a half century of gore and torture as the reigns passed one generation to the next.

None came from Zebrica originally either and while Jaji was no historian he certainly knew his enemies and where they came from. Then again, having your brothers eye's burned out for bumping into someone does tend to cause a blood feud.

And oh what a wealth of information Jaji was, free too.

"So how many mercenary companies does Fareed employ anyway? How many total?"

"Ehh... Namji teach us to count but not so good at it... I think... Eight? Nine..."

Verik picked up some smaller pieces of rubble and laid them out and had Jaji count them out slowly and name off the bands to keep track. There were eleven of various sizes but Jaji could hardly count and the one number he did know off hand was only because Namji had told him once.

As for the total strength... It was beyond Jaji's ability to count that high not that he knew anyway. He did know the bulk of the military was regulars but it was the mercenaries who finished the battles, Fareed enjoyed bragging to the public whenever he won a battle and it only served to hammer them deeper into despair; especially when the mercenaries carried the day.

The Suqur Aldam or "red plumes" as the locals had dubbed them were "somewhat" locals of Zebrica but Black Wall came from somewhere else entirely but had stayed after completing whatever original contract they had held then bought "wives" and used them to father a new line of mercenaries while slowly growing their numbers over generations to their current state.

Of all the mercenary bands they were also the most heavily armed bar none: there was nothing they did not have access too or could not get quickly though fortunately for the locals they had been somewhat busy as of late due to the rising tensions in the region. Beyond that Jaji had no idea what was going on and neither did their "guest."

What really made the whole situation rather sick however was that Fareed delighted in their actions, nothing was too extreme so long as it kept the peasantry from causing him problems but it still begged the question why they chose to stay here and not take their chances elsewhere.

All things considered ones odds were better elsewhere than here after all.

"Hey Jaji, we are not leaving till tomorrow right?"

"Yes."

"How do you pick a lock?"

Behind him the old stallion coughed out a laugh and Jaji watched over Verik's shoulder for a minute before looking back then after some silent gestures he joined the old stallion and returned with a bundle.

"Why you want to know?"

"Not that you seem to object, either of you..." Verik looked over his shoulder at the stallion. "We have a whole lot of nothing to do and figured what the heck, always wanted to learn how to pick locks and who knows, if I get captured it might just come in handy."

Fortunately for them the door to the room was still intact and sported an old, worn lock that still functioned well enough. It took until sundown to get it down properly and Jaji was quite pleased with himself but outside the gates remained locked and the guards began to disappear bit by bit till only a small squad remained at the gatehouse.

With dawn came a great rush to escape the city, having been trapped inside all day long the caravans were eager to leave and get under way once more along with all those who had been unable to return home with their daily earnings.

Rather than hustle outside however and join the throng and slip out they waited, it would be far to obvious if they went now and they would only be captured quickly and indeed Namji's reasoning had been proven right when she told him the plan the other day.

Tripling the guard again in the morning made things slow even more as every hood was yanked free and not a wagon left unchecked that morning as they searched for Verik in the crowd but as the hours wore on and on they began to slow and become bored, loosing any interest in finding him.

Some good news also came that morning as a thief joined them for a short time, the caravan had been found easily last night as it had never moved from its spot in the bazaar and was now making its way through.

Watching the street below Verik watched from their hideout as Zuberi's caravan fought its way out of the city before disappearing in the throng, they were near last in line and by now the guards had all but given up on finding him.

Jaji's only comment was that whoever he offended had not been smart enough to send mercenaries, if they had he would likely have never gotten this far alive.

"That was them!"

The old stallion peeked out before rapping on the floorboards and speaking through one of the many holes leaned back and waited.

Verik looked out and saw a figure slip from the building and begin following the caravan out of the city, the thieves guild had remarkable coordination and ability.

"How long then?"

"When he say go, you go."

Jaji quickly pointed a thumb at the other in their room while he continued to watch the masses.

"You know... I understand your master said no killing or assassination but I cant help but comment... If Fareed is so evil and despised you could probably have him killed without much hair off your hides... But for some reason, you dont, is it because you fear one of his mercenary generals taking over? What do you think "boss man?"

Verik leaned around and looked at the old bundled stallion who glared at him a moment before nodding slowly.

"Your damned if you do, damned if you dont."

"Yes. You go very soon, be ready."

It was the most he had spoken since they first met.

"Will you be joining me Jaji or is someone else taking your place... Or am I going alone?"

"No, Jaji go, but first you dress right."

Jaji led him out of the room and after dressing him in robes and wraps that obscured his features they came to a problem: his face. He solved this by handing over a small, cylindrical cup that when pushed against the face and wrapped heavily made it appear that he had a mutated face.

"I herk lik a lepprir."

Jaji snickered as Verik tried to talk through the cup without dislodging it and nodded as he applied ash and some kind of red splotching to his hands.

"Guard no touch you, too scared but dont stop moving, keep going. I carry bags for you."

Nodding they finished and waited for the rapping from above and after hearing it they slipped out onto the street and with a little urging from Jaji, Verik began limping along and leaning on a staff they had "procured."

Limping to the gate others had begun to take notice of the oddly wrapped creature and begun to clear a path, Jaji followed a short distance behind and once they reached the gate the guards began to wave them through before their eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

"Leper!"

Verik gave a crude gesture at them and kept limping out of the city gate as spears leveled at him and poked in an attempt to make him hurry along, none of the guards were smart enough to question how a leper got into the city to start with.

Beyond the gates the path was cleared as he moved on, everyone was terrified of the invisible disease he supposedly bore and as the cup made breathing harder his huffing and puffing only made them back away more.

A hand grabbed him and with a yank moved him off the road and into the shacks were Jaji yanked the wrappings free and removed the cup quickly tossing it aside resulting in a scramble by two beggars to seize it.

"Good, good! Now follow!"

He was led quickly through the shacks and if he thought it was revolting from the road it was worse up close as they squelched along at times in search of someone or something.

Finding what he was looking for they stopped in front of a small shack and waited. A mare passed them and beckoned to them hurriedly, following her farther out they emerged from the shack city on the outskirts and she pointed to a distant hump in the terrain.

"There, they are hidden behind, pay and go."

Verik reached into his pocket and removed the last payment owed and gave it to Jaji slowly, carefully counting out each coin. When the last one fell into the young thief's hand he smiled at Verik.

"Jaji, a pleasure doing business with the thieves but a part of me hopes to never see you again while another hopes I will."

"You first business we have in long time, good business. Very fun. This was a very good day."

"A good day? How so, that we pulled it off and live to talk about it?"

"That but also no bodies hung."

"Bodies?"

"Yes! Over gate, Fareed hangs any who displease him from walls, only one old body so no one hung today! Good day."

There was nothing he could say to that.

"Oh, are there other thieves guilds out there? Offshoots of your own?"

It was a second test to see if the information given was to shut him up or if it was indeed genuine.

A glare was the response he got as the mare eyed Jaji but it told him what he needed to know, they did indeed travel beyond the one city.

Accepting the bag he gave a quick nod to the both of them and walked away from the city quickly, a quick glance back and the two were already gone, they had vanished back into the slum. Walking towards the hill with a quickened step his mind began to reel back and forth over what had just happened the past two days and what he had seen.

Sefu watched one part of the shack city while Jelani another, a quick nudging brought his attention to where she pointed at the outskirts.

Something dressed in a raggedy cloak was walking a straight line towards them. Patting Jelani on the shoulder he nodded and gestured for her to stay as he turned and hurried off the hill and back to the caravan.

"Oh damn it all, he's alive isn't he? How..."

Zuberi let out a small groan as Sefu glared at him while nodding.

"He coming soon, we be ready to leave quickly yes?"

"Yes Sefu, but we will not be on the other route this time since you saw that group traveling the same path we took."

"Which way?"

"Mjesani."

Sefu was a little confused and tilted his head to one side slightly.

"Most dangerous road, why?"

"Soldiers are gathering farther south, Bwnai saw them and it looks like the caravans are gathering into a large convoy. If the soldiers accompany them we have a chance of getting through without incident."

"Should they remain at Mjesani?"

"We take the back route or the main road to Iuny, just have to see what happens when we get there but the other route is no longer safe, if we missed any brigands they will be waiting for certain now."

"Not enough rations..."

"No but I got us some extra in the city as part of the deal, so long as we can get a little extra from the farmers around Mjesani it will work out, at least the food is not too overpriced there."

Sefu shrugged and went back to his perch on the hill leaving Zuberi to pull out a coin pouch and begin counting out what he owed.

Hearing that he was alive made Asha overjoyed, she had intentionally stayed close to Zuberi knowing that if Sefu saw anything that is who he would tell first. Waiting impatiently for his return the others were quickly roused by Zuberi as he stalked down the caravan to get the gears moving again.

Verik's head appeared over the hill and after Sefu had a quick conversation with him he was hurried down to the caravan where the others waited in their positions. Tossing his staff into the wagon and grabbing a spear he retook his old position but Sefu moved him in closer this time.

Asha noted a deeply troubled and somewhat haunted look was on his face as they walked, the wagons ground their way forward and out of hiding. Once on the road he had still not spoken one word but stayed silent and kept a wary eye on the convoy they were closing in on.

"Zuberi say we go with large convoy, safer, many soldiers, bandits not attack."

No response but he did nod.

"What happen? You get so many clothes! How?"

"Asha... I am overjoyed at seeing you again, it tickles my heart to see you safe but right now I just want to walk in silence and think. Your company is greatly appreciated and enjoyable but I just need to think."

Glancing at his face she could see something was bothering him terribly, a look she was familiar with and knew that no amount of talking would solve but she also knew that leaving him alone would not help either.

Patting his arm gently she walked beside him as Zuberi guided them down the road and into the forward part of the large convoy as it began to move the moment the soldiers started to march away.

Crossing that field had brought everything crashing back in a tidal wave, all his life he had so desperately wanted to get away that something had decided to grant his wish but... Like all things, it came with a price.

What a price it was: Pray for paradise and be given a front row seat to a living hell.

He had a clean start, sort of: A new world was his to explore if he could survive it but nothing was going to be given to him not that he ever expected it would be. All his life he only wanted to see another world, get away, leave everything behind and just go.

Well his prayers had been answered but it would take a lot of getting used too. Did he want to get used to this kind of world though?

No, no he did not.

Neither would he toss it away either! While this was not perfection it was the best he could hope for: not only had he been dropped onto an alien world with many similarities but the locals were fascinating when not scrambling for their lives.

Silver lining on a burned out hulk.

Hopes, dreams, aspirations were gone with the wind now but not entirely lost as Asha, Sefu and Jelani were living proof of this, especially Asha. She was a hand in the darkness, kindness in a world gone mad.

She never asked for anything in return either.

How could a world so horrific exist? Well the other world existed so if that were possible so was this, each had problems but at least here they were somewhat more manageable.

Were they?

A pit had formed in his stomach as they walked.

First it had been bandits, their only interest was anything of value, predictable and easily dealt with, it did not bother him one bit. The battle, their deaths and the injuries were nothing to be ashamed of, it was perfectly justified and was a good thing.

Alzamard though...

Many accounts had he read and pictures seen of similar places and peoples driven into the ground either by their own arrogance and greed or outside forces, this city was all the above and neither.

By the gods the stench...

Technology was no friend of his but that city could at least use a sewer system. And the bodies, walking scarecrows laboring away for a mouthful of corn mush and the promise of water to wash it down.

Dead and dying were stacked like cord-wood on wagons pulled by slaves who were a split second away from joining them and yet no one batted an eye, this was just another Tuesday.

Just another Tuesday... What was the rest of the week like?

His eye twitched as they continued on, Asha kept patting him now and then.

An angel in hell she is.

It all made sense though, twisted, but it made sense. No one was willing to step forward and take or give the first blow in solving anything but never before had it hit so close to home. Here there was less than nothing to stop anyone from just snuffing out whomever they pleased.

One day ago Asha was nearly grabbed in the bazaar to be sold as a slave, how many others had that happened too? What would have happened if it had been him who they wanted to sell?

Not much, same end only he would have probably knifed the slaver had he owned one...

Protecting oneself here was a true accomplishment, back on the other world he could just gun them down and head for the hills if push came to shove but here his armaments were spears, bows, sticks and stones.

Here his knowledge of fighting amounted to spit on a burning red hot griddle. It was like starting all over again but at least he knew enough to have made it this far but it was not enough.

Seething anger welled up and burned in his veins as the hours passed, not purely at the injustice of it all but also because of how close he had come to being killed and over what?

A couple tarnished coins? The skin on his back? Just because?

Just because. That was the rule here: just because. It infuriated him but also made him want to retch when he realized that over the past couple of days every near death and close call was only because someone else thought it would amuse them or make them wealthier.

What a trait to share between both worlds, one they would be better without.

Clenching his fists tightly he felt the old spear groan a little under the strain as his teeth ground together.

The past few days were like walking through a horror film only it was real, very real, too real. He had prayed to escape and been sent here no doubt to stay not that he would go back to the other either as strange as that might sound to some.

No, he was here now, here he would stay and that meant carving out a small portion of this world for himself. Somewhere out there was the Wete tribe, over burdened, poor and trying to survive much like himself and now they remained his only hope.

Something patted his hand making it uncoil before rubbing.

Anger seethed through his veins now, he would make this work somehow, this would not be the end, not like this. He wanted a farm and by the gods or whatever powers existed he would pull it off somehow. Somehow... How?

The bodies and stench flooded back to him for a moment making him twitch and the hairs stand up on his arms. It was something that he would never be rid of, this he knew. But against Fareed... He was powerless and in a nation where even the destitute refused to take the chance at rebellion it made the future look grim.

Neither would he bend a knee, never in his life had he shied away from a fight, he had blown off plenty of punks who tried but once the swinging started he never backed down and he was not about to start. Not to one like Fareed. No, he would not bend a knee to anyone, ever, all his life he had held by that and he was not about to start bending now.

His eyes scanned around quickly remembering how dangerous the world was and a twitch went down his body but something started patting again very quickly.

At least a few in this world were not against him, some tried to help: Sefu had forced Zuberi to wait on him and even make him cough up what he was truly owed not that is was a whole lot more than what he had already received.

Anger boiled up again threatening his attempt to hold a stern face.

A fight, it would be a long, hard fight to get what he wanted and then it would be an endless struggle to keep it, something he was all too familiar with. Last time he had lost, this time, this time it would be different. This time he would not play nice and follow the book and be civilized.

Any sonova bitch that tried to get in his way would be dealt with one way or another and consequences be damned.

Another part of him though tried to stop that line of thinking, to help, not harm.

Altruism though held no place in a world like this let alone the other, both earned you an early grave or resulted in you being used for the political gain of another. Maybe he could help though, he was no engineer, scientist, hell he was not much of anything really other than a well read and studied laborer and one time farmer.

Others had done more with less though.

Consequences be damned...

Asha.

His eyes flicked around quickly looking for her and found Asha walking beside him quietly while patting and rubbing his hand.

Normally he would yank it away and flinch, having others touch him had always been a strong taboo of his but this did not bother him.

No, he had to be careful which was not something he was good at but neither did he want her to get caught up in whatever he was going to do. Whatever his plans entailed meant making certain nothing would ever happen to her, nothing and that meant nothing.

Asha was too precious, a gem in a world of shit.

One worth protecting at any cost.

He hardly knew her but somewhere down inside he knew that this pretty little zebra lady was probably the most kind hearted soul he had ever met. Everything she had done was out of pure kindness and genuine compassion which was something he had never seen before.

She was not even the same species but it did not bother him for some reason, she was precious all the same.

His teeth stopped grinding as he relaxed a little, maybe she was already spoken for? No, she had no family, he remembered that. Maybe not entirely true? Why did he care? Did he really see her that way?

Blinking slowly and focusing on the world around him he looked around carefully for the first time and realized they had traveled a considerable distance without even realizing it as his mind had reeled back and forth wildly.

Dust had been kicked high in the air from the sheer number of hooves and wagons moving along, oxen were plentiful in the larger caravans he saw but others were pulled much like their own though the telltale sign of shackles around the neck and hands spoke of why they pulled.

Looking back at Asha for a moment he closed his eyes briefly. All his life he had never met anyone worth bothering with but this one was even if it ended badly. It was true he hardly knew her but he knew enough: this one was worth trying for.

As the convoy rolled on he heard a small cough come from her and reaching into his bag he pulled out a dust cloth he had purchased figuring he might need it but instead passed it to her. Asha was surprised but accepted it anyway tying it around her face as they continued to walk, his own face covering keeping the dust at bay.

Focusing on the road ahead and the distant soldiers as they marched in a ragged formation showing little discipline Verik's mind receded again.

In less than a week he had been given a new world, had it ripped away then sent on a journey. A journey that had taught him some chilling truths about this world but they would not disway him. Somehow he was going to rebuild his destroyed dreams and hopes piece by piece then make a little place for himself and maybe another.

While this world had its issues, they were more easily dealt with than the other world because here they had to actually hoof it after him and that he could deal with. This world was now home and for all its faults he was not going to just give up that easily and while it stung and smarted something fierce, making him want to double over at what he had seen he was not about to let it stop him.

Getting a second chance is unheard of yet somehow his number had come up: this was home now and he would carve his home out of the land even if he had to kill to do it.

He would choke the shit of this world if he had too.

The many attempts to calm him had paid off finally, Verik was no longer grinding his teeth, the jaw not set, his eyes no longer had a glazed over look but most of all his twitching had stopped.

Asha had been very nervous at first but as time went along and he calmed down bit by bit from her little attempts to sooth him she grew somewhat used to it and the fear had died down.

Sefu and Jelani had checked now and then but never said anything not that Verik noticed them anyway. Both had silently encouraged her to continue, Jelani most of all when he started to twitch and look around as if searching for something to kill.

Several times what little of his face she could see changed colored and the look in his eyes became one she did not like but patting him and getting his fists to unclench had worked every time.

What made her jump was when he nearly stopped dead and removed a worn shemagh for her to cover her face with. For whatever reason he kept giving her things or offering them without really saying why.

No matter how plagued his thoughts may be by what he had seen and experienced she was not going to run, he was too nice to just leave on the side of the road like Zuberi had suggested.

Verik would come back with them to Wete and though it was going to be a long walk home it would hopefully be safer since a large force of soldiers marched with them. He was haunted and brooding over what had happened but thankfully still calm to some degree.

Asha could only hope that he did not snap before they got home.