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One drink remained a single drink that first night as each man took turns telling a single adventure of their lives.

Julian told a story about a negotiating the sell of an artifact of unknown origin that was found in the ruins of an ancient elven city. A human lord had claimed it as part of funding the expedition that found it, and the moon elf priest who claimed it called for him by name. The final payment ended up being a hefty blessing on the lord and his decedents in exchange for the item. Next time Julian met the elf he inquired about the artifact, only to learn that the priest had spent all of his free time studying the artifact but found that it was not magical in nature nor had it any remarkable characteristics except that sometimes it would "talk" to him, the how and why were never discovered.

Alex for his part told the story of assisting the Orcs paying the tolls in Willowbridge. Jullian was both intrigued and impressed with Alex's solution for the tribe. Both were curious what goods the mayor would have bought to provide them with the coin they needed to pay the toll, and Jullian expressed a small lament that they were both heading in the wrong direction and that the best goods would probably be gone before he could make it that far north. However he determined that he would gather goods in Tut 'Tel that he knew would always fetch a good price in Triticus just to insure that he would make a profit even if there was nothing left of value from the hunting spoils of the the Orc tribe.

"Generations of practice living off the land and hunting the beasts that roam the steeps mean that friendly tribes who are open to trade always have raw materials that cannot be acquired through any other means. The real problem is having something that the tribe needs to trade for them." Jullian was scratching his beard in thought, "I wonder if Willowbridge could be negotiated into a secondary trade outpost for the orcs too far north to use Grumen 'Kal."

Alex let the man think, the mind of a trader in his position spent every waking hour weighing profits and investments.

Julian made up his mind, "I'm definitely heading north. I'll need to speak with the Orc counsel in Grumen 'Kal, and then the mayor of Willowbridge and the city leaders of Triticus and get all three of them on board with the idea of establishing a trade post. It won't be easy, but it's time I turned the logistics of my business over to someone else and focused on leaving a legacy."

"Didn't you save a farming family by converting their property into the largest Bison Ranch on either side of the Giages?"

"Yes, but that was personally motivated. At some point every man wants to do something so that the world remembers his name. We cannot all be heroes, so I want to improve relations with the tribes the only way I know, through trade."

(He has a point) Demon thought to Alex.

(I don't need a legacy) Alex replied, (I already made a real mess of that when I was trying to be a hero.)

(How about fatherhood?)

(You want me to make demon babies for you?)

(I thought all children were hellions. Are they not?)

Now it was Alex's turn to get lost in thought, (Don't know. Never been around children long enough to find out.)

(There's some female guards traveling with us! Let's experiment!)

Alex almost reached over his shoulder to flick Demon in the face but noticed Julian watching him so he changed the motion into head pets.

Demon started laughing manically into his head, (I absolutely own you now. Your torment will fill me with great delight.)

Alex sighed and stood up. "I should get some sleep. It was pleasant getting to know you Julian."

Julian rose and shook hands with Alex, "And I'm glad to have this chance as well. Although you did frighten me quite a bit with your predicament I am comforted to see that you haven't gone the way of insanity as most who become possessed do."

Alex shrugged, "It remains a struggle, if I'm honest, but Demon and I have found something of a balance in our shared fate. It's easier to maintain sanity through cooperation than conflict."

"Quite true. Good night Alex."

"Good night Julian."

(Who's bed are we sleeping in tonight?)

(Our own) Alex shot back, (Seriously, you have issues Demon.)

(Duh, I'm a demon. We're not only supposed to HAVE issues but MAKE issues.)

(And you're doing an excellent job of making problems.)

(I haven't gotten laid since that night in Willowbridge. Now be a bad boy and at least give me a good show.)

(It was just a few nights ago you were gagging inside while I was bedding Marium, now you want me bedding the first woman who will willingly spread her legs for me?)

(Doesn't have to be willingly. Marium was sweet romance, I want to watch spicy conquest! Take love slaves! Fling floozies! Leave behind an army of bastards to carry on your glorious legacy.)

Alex darkened, not exactly anger but definitely displeasure, (As a bastard myself I wouldn't wish that life on an child of mine.)

(And yet in your memories I've seen so many times when you might have done exactly that. Besides, you turned out alright.) Demon nuzzled the back on his neck.

(Not helping.)

Demon was, in the end, the only female to sleep with Alex that night. Before sunrise everyone mustered themselves to strike camp so that the caravan could begin moving at the earliest rays of light.

The movement itself was done in as direct a line as possible, easily done on the fringes of the desert. Today the caravan would march for the whole day, with extra water being rationed for the mid-day heat. And like the previous night as the sun was setting they made camp, and made conversation around the fires before shifts were made and people laid down to sleep. Alex enjoyed the company but kept the focus on the lives and travels of the other guards, learning more about who they were and what their dreams were.

Alex took a shift that night, and got to know the guard he shared the shift with a little better, he was one of Dad's younger children, brought along to see the world and help keep his older sister out of trouble, she apparently had spent several years turning down serious suitors but had a habit of giving them physical compensation in spite of how much it bothered their father. Alex expressed a lack of interest in her under any similar capacity as a token of consolation giving Demon reason to complain all night about Alex's lack of sex drive, but he ignored her as he often did.

When their shift was over they both said their good nights and went to sleep.

A direct route of travel from Grumen 'Kal to Tutmanu 'Taliku would take the Bison almost a total of 200 hours to walk if they were going to travel non-stop, which was something they would be unable to do even if conditions were perfect. Autumn was giving way into winter and the days were growing shorter, which meant that they were also cooler than the summer, but the deeper into the desert they went the more imperative it would be to break in the afternoon to provide the beasts with shade and rest to prevent them from dying from heatstroke. And while the Bison were hardy enough to survive and travel during the frigged nights the most dangerous predators of the deserts, the sphinx and sand dragon, were most active in the darkest parts of the night.

Thanks to atmospheric refraction the sky still grew light before the sun truly came past the horizon, but if the caravan got in a full 14 hours of travel in their first days of travel they were doing well. Breaking for both midday and midnight would limit them below 8 hours of travel the deeper they got into the desert. The goal for the trip was to make it within 20 days, and for that goal to be achieved they would need to put walking farthest and fastest on the early legs of their trip.

Also the only civilization that you would find in the deserts were the nomads, so you couldn't plan to resupply in villages or towns along the way. For this trip the caravan would be reliant completely on their ability to move with precision, and the competency of their guide. If it all worked out they would save a week on travel time going the direct route over the longer "safer" route.

20 days was the goal, every member of the caravan woke, took down camp, marched, then made camp with the single focus on making it to their destination in less time than that. The less time it took for the transition between camp and walking, and then walking and camping the better their overall time would be. Their concise movements and professionalism were being put to a test of efficiency for sure and Alex was more than happy to participate in their overall success.

By the next morning the routine for breaking down camp had been established, and everyone knew their parts. During the march Alex followed close to Raven as he scurried in advance of the caravan to lead them along the most direct route that didn't waste effort climbing dunes needlessly. Instead they would weave around and between them to keep a fairly flat path that would permit an actually better rate of progress.

Similar to the routine of taking down camp, the setup routine also became a set of procedures done in two parts, the essential tents, followed by the sleeping arraignments. Getting the tents up in a hurry would be critical later when noon camps would be made, so that was going to be drilled into their teamwork heavily before it became necessary for the survival of the bison. A single lost bison would be a catastrophic lost for the company, more than one would be nothing short of total failure.

And so every time camp was getting setup and taken down it was a drill, and all hands involved took part. Even Julian took great care to ensure that the order of the wagons was precise to make the setup and teardown as efficient as could be planned for.

By the time then made it to their next oasis at noon on the fifth day the drill was routine and people didn't need to tell each other what was needed from step-to-step in the overall process. Total setup time was done in a few minutes and teardown was almost as fast. They were slightly ahead of schedule too, meaning that they could replenish their supplies over the evening instead of having to wait until the following morning. This fact alone put the members of the caravan in high spirits and there was a mild celebration.

Tonight Alex was pressed more than normal for tales of his adventures, which he kept generic enough that the company took to trying to extract tales of his sexual exploits, and Alex chose to be only slightly more forthcoming on that topic.

A few members of the guard chose to have some unarmed sparring to take the edge off. Alex was invited to join, but didn't walk to remove his helmet so he declined saying he was too old and likely to be injured by the younger men and women who were sparring. Instead he sat with Dad and placed non-monetary bets on the various combatants.

And then when the night grew late, the party ended and everyone not on guard duty turned in.