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Date Posted: 10:13:23 12/06/01 Thu
Author: Marz and co.
Subject: Moving on to the next stop in the journey

Justin graced Isobel with a lewd smile then slid closer to Marz, claiming the spot recently vacated by Corum. The ex-gang leader nearly gagged from the stench that came from the merc's mouth when he leaned over to whisper to him. "Did ya see that, Marz? The only one she spoke to was ME. That should be enough to tell you she wants me in her bed. That bath mumbo-jumbo was her way a sayin' that she wants me to make love to her in one of the sunken tubs at the palace when we get back there!"

Marz gave the mercenary an incredulous look before he burst out laughing. The man was more of an imbecile then he originally thought. Justin looked a little angry about his laughter but the ex-gang leader didn't give a damn how upset he might be. "You don't get the ten gold until I see you and her locking lips. And, if she isn't kissing you willingly, the bet is off, got it?"

The merc nodded while displaying a toothy smile. "She's willing all right! I'll make my move on her tonight since there ain't no time to bed her now. And, trust me, she's gonna want to be bedded after I set her on fire with a kiss!"

When Justin moved back to his original spot to retrieve his java mug, Marz sucked in a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, he longed for nightfall so that he could see Isobel scratch the merc's eyes out when he got too close to her. Is she needed any help tossing Justin away like she had done so magnificently with Barry, Marz would be happy to offer his assistance.

He rolled his eyes when Tristan said he was bored. I could drag you off behind one of those nearby hills and ravage your body, he thought with a smirk. That would wipe away your boredom for a while! They had a lot of problems to work out in their relationship but thankfully, sex wasn't one of them.

Jeremy pulled a deck of cards from his pack when Tristan asked if he had any more games to play. "We never did get around to strip-poker," he said with a grin.

After he explained how the game worked, Marz shook his head. "If I lose my shirt, I reveal nothing but a mess of ugly bandages and I don't want everyone to see that, so let's save it for another time and play a few hands of regular poker instead." Of course, Marz insisted on a silver piece minimum bet then told Jeremy to deal the cards.

Soon, Justin and anyone else that was interested joined in the game, which made the next hour pass quickly. Although Marz lost a lot of money it didn't bother him because he was positive he'd win it all back the next time they played. Such positive thinking was why he had so many outstanding loans in the gambling halls of Bizmar city.

When Erlic announced it was time to leave, they gathered their gear and boarded their mounts. Since nothing impeded their progress this time, they landed near a mountain range a little more than an hour later. Once they discovered the pass the Queen mentioned, Ravin and Erlic took the lead, both scanning the area from traps as they moved forward. According to the Kazabet the Rocs would wait near the pass for their return so that they would have transportation back to the palace after they recovered the branches.

Walking down a narrow path surrounded on each side by extremely tall mountains was a bit claustrophobic for Marz. Sweat broke out on his forehead while he tried to fight off the anxiety attack that threatened to overtake him. A short time later, he began to relax, unaware that his new sense of calm was caused by Erlic, who manipulated his emotions via the link they shared.

The pass seemed to go on forever, leaving everyone quite tired by the time they reached the end of it a few hours later. They stared at the miles of barren land that now stood before them then reached for their weapons when voices were heard in the distance.

"Stay calm," Ravin instructed when a number of men with painted faces stepped out from behind large boulders. The thief's empathy picked up curiosity coming from them, so he saw no reason to rush in to attack at the moment.

The men were armed with bows, and spears. They wore only loincloths and had feathers weaved into their long hair. A man who appeared older than the others stepped forward and spoke in broken common. "What want you here?" He kept staring at Corum expecting him to speak since he thought him a shaman. Only shamans surrounded themselves with skulls.

"We mean you no harm," Ravin said, drawing the man's attention to him. "We're looking for something called a Sea of Salt and are willing to pay you for any information you might be able to give us about the location of the place."

The men conferred amongst themselves briefly then the older one spoke up again. "I am Kima, chieftain of hill tribe, Uzandamak. You maybe got pretty trinkets to trade?" Kima caught the pearl necklace Erlic tossed to him and smiled. "East for 3-4 hours is Sea of Salt."

"We gotta walk for maybe four more hours?" Justin grumbled. "I don't know about the rest of you, but my legs hurt and I'm pretty damn hungry!"

When the chieftain overheard the merc's words, he pulled a white feather from his hair and handed it to Erlic. "We make peace offering. No fight between my tribe and yours. Kima invite you to rest for night with us then go East in morning."

Without waiting for a response, the tribesmen beckoned the foreigners to follow. They were led to a large flat area of ground where a number of campfires blazed before numerous cave openings set into the mountains that surrounded them on one side. The chieftain sat upon a small boulder near one of the fires then asked his guests to make themselves comfortable.

"Sea of Salt dangerous place," he told them. "Once was Cintah Sea but now only long shallow basin that contains waves of salt. Much of basin is solid to walk on but some parts like quicksand. Fierce winds spin salt to make it burn throat and lungs. Ruins of ancient city of Twilight sit beside Sea of Salt." Kima stopped talking when two young boys of the tribe began passing out coconut shell cups filled with thick red liquid to the guests and the chieftain.

"Before we eat snake, scorpion and tarantula meats that women cook over fire we drink goat's blood to strengthen bond between our tribes." The shaman took a sip of the blood in his cup then smiled. "You can choose caves to sleep in this night but be wary of hungry wolves, hill giants, and wyverns, who make this mountain their home. Sometimes they come to attack tribe and many of our members are lost to them. Maybe your shaman can put magic wards on our camp tonight to keep everyone safe."

Kima smiled at Corum then took another drink from his cup before rising. "I will have Teyo bring bearskins to keep you warm. Drink goat's blood then find cave. Ollo sing song to moongod when food is ready so you know to come eat."

When the chieftain walked away, Justin added some whiskey to the goat's blood in his cup then drank the entire concoction down in one long gulp. After wiping his mouth in a sleeve, he glanced at one of the cave openings then made his way to Isobel. "Me and you naked under a bearskin blanket in a nice little cave. What more could you ask for huh?" He winked at the woman then held his hand out to her, expecting her to jump at his offer.

Ravin made a face at the blood, but took a small sip so that he wouldn't offend any of the tribe members who were watching them from a distance. He set the cup down then went off to check out the caves. Many had animal skins covering the opening, which led him to believe that tribe members already occupied them. He stepped inside one of the caves, surprised to find it somewhat cozy, with a pile of animal skins making up a bed and a bit of light and heat coming in from the fires that raged outside. The thief sat down on the skins and quickly drank some ale to eliminate the taste of blood from his mouth. After a few more sips from his flask, he pulled out a dagger and proceeded to practice writing his name on the dirt floor.

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