The next morning was chilly. Cold dew covered most of the grass. The breathing of the horses could be seen clearly in the air. One by one they all approached the fire, which had remained overnight, to feel some heat. Ithelas was preparing a soup with some herbs for breakfast. The taste of it was better than Erion expected and he especially appreciated that it was quite hot. This comforted him.
“How do you feel?” Ithelas asked as he offered him a second pot of soup.
“I feel good. Sleeping helped, I guess,” Erion said as he brought his bowl so Ithelas could serve him again.
“I'm glad. It was lucky that we could treat you almost immediately after that monster bite,” Ithelas reasoned.
“Yes. By the way, I haven't thanked you. What was this concoction you gave me? I think that was what really made me feel better,” Erion inquired.
“It was a neutralizer. It stops the spreading of the venom in the nervous system and helps the body expel it through its pores. I prepare it myself with three herbs,” Ithelas explained.
He was starting to like the young man. He seemed very friendly and helpful. Maybe it was a true vocation. Most of the people who became clerics sought the protection of an order to be able to make a living and secure a job for their entire life. Others chose that path because of vagrancy. In some orders, you could find work as a pastor in a church, where normally there was little to do. But few, perhaps a minority, had true vocation to the service of the community and of course, to their god.
“Before starting this mission we must clarify some things,” Thost remarked, catching everyone's attention.
The man knew how to talk. He was obviously used to it.
“We haven't come here to form a single group by choice. Somehow, it has been literally imposed on us, and I want to know if anyone has a problem with all of us working together,” the knight asked.
Thost paused and looked at everyone present. Samar started speaking.
“It sounds like a dangerous mission and I agree that if we work together we will have more possibilities. But I think we should set some rules first. I trust my life in Thost or Ithelas at any time. But I just met you,” the elf explained.
“I think we'll make a good group together. Think of the spiders. I think we wouldn't have survived without your help. And surely you wouldn't have as well. I'm glad to be working together on this,” Ithelas reasoned.
Now it was Erion and Mithir's turn. The young magician spoke next. As usual Erion reproduced his brother's comments with his voice.
“Everyone in this group has different skills. Our client certainly had this in mind when he chose us. The reward indicates that the mission is very important to him and, therefore, he has inconvenienced himself to create this group,” Mithir described. “I have been thinking about the spiders. I think they served an additional purpose, other than testing us as a group.”
“And what would that be?” Thost said.
“As Ithelas said, we could only survive an encounter like that fighting side by side. That forced us to start working together even before we knew each other's names. A bond of cooperation formed between us, although at this stage it is still very fragile. A single episode of intrigues and lies between us, just one misunderstanding, and this confidence is fully dissipated and the mission, and the group itself, will be in serious danger.”
“The magician is right. We must learn to trust each other if we are to succeed. It is very important to be honest, especially in everything related to this mission. I think we should explain exactly what it is we want, what we want to accomplish,” Ithelas requested.
After looking at each other for a moment, Ithelas decided to break the ice.
“I'm seeking two things. The first, and most important thing, is to help and support my father. The second is that, with my reward, I can make a contribution to my Order. The finances haven’t been well lately, and that severely limits how and when we can help the community,” Ithelas explained, sincerely.
Erion decided to take the floor. So far, he had only talked to serve as a spokesman for Mithir.
“Even though I don't disregard a good adventure, the real goal for me is the money. I would like to be rich someday. This is difficult to achieve just by working as a merchant, so that's why my brother and I accept occasional jobs.”
Erion paused and looked at the rest of the group before continuing.
“I have a second objective, which I've been going around in my head. I didn't like the ambush that Phoroz sent us at all. But, without going into what his motives were, I have to assess that in the two years that we have been doing errands for him, this is the first time that something like this has happened. I think that it was an exception that won't happen again. Assuming this hypothesis, I will comment that Phoroz has been a good customer so far. He always pays on time and the rewards are reasonable and proportional to the extent of the work. I would, in principle, like him to be happy with our work and continue receiving large jobs in the future,” Erion explained, telling them only a part of their true motives.
“The reward is definitely a good one,” Samar said, after a moment of indecision. “But what interests me is the adventure itself. Although it's not part of the job, I would love the opportunity to kill a vampire. Those creatures are a terrible plague. My people fought them for centuries in the Second Age. Now it seems like a nightmare of the past because there hasn’t been any news of their presence in Ellis for a long time; at least since my birth. This may be one of the few occasions where I'll have a rival up to par with my archery.”
“One of the first things we have to do is inform ourselves and learn everything we can about vampires,” said Mithir. “To my knowledge, an arrow won't do any harm. There are only two or three ways to kill a vampire. I read something somewhere, but I can't remember the details. Moreover, I think that while it is important that we have a plan prepared, the best and most prudent thing would be to follow Phoroz's advice and try to avoid an encounter with the monster.”
“Well, it seems that there is a slight difference of opinion on what to do with the vampire. Let's do this. Let's follow the young magician's advice and collect as much information as we can about these monsters, while we prepare for the mission. Once we have all the details we can gather, and before leaving for our destination, we can sit again and agree on strategies and objectives. It is important that we agree and act together, if we want to survive,” Thost argued, and after a pause asked, “Do we all agree?”
Everyone agreed to postpone the decision, hoping to gather more information. Mithir spoke again.
“Regarding to what I want, I'd say three things. The first is to help my brother. The second is the reward in itself. Some of the things I like are very expensive: magical reagents, books of sorcery, wands and other artifacts. I would also like to have my own lab someday. All of this can cost a fortune. A reward like this doesn't even give me enough to start. But I'm young and I have time,” explained the magician.
“You said you were seeking three things,” said Thost.
“True. The third, and most important thing, is knowledge. If we survive an adventure like this, we will probably know a lot more things. How many people know in detail the strengths and weaknesses of a vampire? How many people have visited one of their lairs? Some people can earn a living simply by sharing their knowledge and without running any risks. This is perhaps what attracts me the most to this mission. It is completely different from anything we have done so far and, therefore, the best learning opportunity,” reasoned Mithir.
The young wizard had told the truth, but had followed the current marked by his brother and avoided certain details not incumbent to this new group. Now it was Thost's turn.
“What I desire the most is to have a name. Yes, that's right. This is something only reserved for the nobles, and I'm not one of them. But there have been cases of very rich men that eventually gained influence and received the right to have a name on direct orders of the King. That would be my life's ambition
. For this I must amass a fortune, and I don't see how I could accomplish such a thing without a successful life of adventure, finding many treasures,” explained Thost sincerely, but without giving more details of his history.
While they chatted, they finished their breakfast. The horses were a little anxious, probably because of the cold. It wasn't very comfortable to be outdoors with those temperatures.
“In short, I think our motives are slightly different but, in general, not incompatible. We all want the gold, but we want to do different things with it. And of course, we all want to return alive,” resumed the knight.
“Obviously, we have to discuss further details, like who will carry the box once we find it,” said Erion.
“It's true. What do you think if we tend to those details just before leaving? I think it can be a contentious issue at this time,” Thost argued.
“Okay but, as you say, we must resolve all these things before opening the portal,” Erion said.
“There is one last point I would like to make clear at this time,” Thost said, making a very serious pause.
An immediate silence descended on the group.
“Although we discuss and agree to all the decisions as much as possible in our group, there are many times when criteria must rule for the group to stay aligned and keep working together. On those occasions, I make the decisions, and Samar and my son Ithelas agree,” Thost explained.
“I see, and you want this to also apply to us,” said Erion suspiciously.
“No. Not now, at least. But a group can't survive long without leadership. For now I just want you to know how things work in our group. Regarding this mission, if we all agree on all the details before our departure, it should be enough,” reasoned Thost.
Erion nodded. And he stood up in order to start collecting things.
“One moment, we haven't agreed on how and where we'll prepare. Here's what I suggest. Let's head to Ekunon once we have collected our things. It's a big city and we should find everything we need there. And it's just a little further than Deepcliff.”
“Then why not go to the capital?” Mithir asked.
“I have an old mansion in the outskirts of Ekunon. We could spend the night there, but we'll have to travel all day. Tomorrow we could go to the city to equip and then practice together and make plans before our departure. You are welcome in my house,” Thost explained.
Erion and Mithir nodded. The group gathered their gear and loaded the horses. They extinguished the fire and then departed from this strange place. Shortly after going into the forest, they stopped perceiving the stench of the dead spiders, which they had practically gotten used to.