Two days later, Erok and Kahiri arrived at the marketplace on the outskirts of Camborne, capitol city of the massive Kaborian Republic. They slowed their horses down to a walk and followed the dirt path in single-file. While Erok led the way, Kahiri took in the sights of the colorful market for the first time, her eyes widened in amazement the whole time. 

A group of fat men huddled near a breakfast stand, and grumbled impatiently as an aging cook gingerly flipped some buttery pancakes. On the opposite side of the path, a crowd of vivacious young ladies chatted while their mothers inspected fruit to purchase. Occasionally, they would point to a few lazy young men sitting in a patch of grass and crunching on crackers. 

Besides these sights and many more, the sounds and smells of this market were amazing as well. At one moment, Kahiri smelled the savory aroma of tender pork meat cooking on a sizzling grill. The next minute, she and Erok passed by a perfumist's shack, inhaling the olfactory heaven while enjoying the sweet tones of a minstrel playing a harp nearby. She quickly concluded that the market immediately outside the walls of Camborne was quite a lovely place to be. 

She sighed when Erok led them out of the bazaar through a large gate into the center of the beautiful city of Camborne. The roads of Camborne dwarfed the rest in the Kaborian Republic, wide enough, in fact, that eight horses could ride side-by-side along the path. The buildings rose three or four stories on either side, brick shielding them from the heat of the sun. 

Erok guided them left at the intersection. They continued for about a quarter of a mile before arriving in front of the Kaborian Senate building. The massive, ten-story building towered above them while a beautifully-kept garden in the front, full of flower varieties common and exotic, softened the heavy stone. 

Erok and Kahiri tied their horses up in front of the large senate building before approaching the entrance. Erok reached into a supply pack clipped to his belt and reached for his ID, but the guards waved him on with kind smiles. After thanking them, he pushed the door open and the two stepped inside, Kahiri's eyes slowly adjusted to the beautiful, yet dim interior, lit by small wall-mounted torches spaced a yard or so apart. Men and women paced about in the festive robes of Kaborian senators, most of them chatting lightheartedly about political topics that went right over the young farmer girl's head. 

Erok led Kahiri down several hallways and down a stairwell before they stepped through another door. This large room held several couches and chairs scattered about with no apparent organization. In the corner, several wooden crates, some of which appeared ready to crack at any moment from the immense weight of the boxes above them, huddled against a wall. Many aides and assistants also occupied the room. 

After Kahiri had a moment to take in her surroundings, a dark-skinned man wearing a black leather jacket sauntered up to her with no discernable expression on his face. When he approached the young woman, he said, "Hello, what's your name?" He wiped his dirty hands on his dark brown pants. 

Kahiri looked up and held out her hand. "Kahiri Oriann. Archer for the Tereslars." 

The man shook her hand firmly and said, "Major Qwarten Rakon. Leader and slinger of the Tereslars." 

Kahiri smiled warmly at Qwarten. "It's nice to meet you, Major." 

Qwarten barely returned the smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." 

With that, Qwarten retreated into his corner. He lowered himself in an armchair, folded his arms, and closed his eyes. 

Erok leaned down to Kahiri's ear. "Don't mind Qwarten too much. It's nothing personal. He's just not very talkative." 

"That's good to know. I would've never noticed." Kahiri rolled her eyes sarcastically. 

Erok chuckled. "Anyway, stick by my side and I'll introduce you to the rest of the group." 

Erok and Kahiri strolled to the busy corner opposite Qwarten. The first person they encountered was a young teenager with messy brown hair and innocent eyes of the same color. When he looked up and saw the two, he rose quickly from his chair and stared expectantly at Erok, waiting to be introduced to the new girl. 

Erok cleared his throat. "Kahiri, this is our messenger, Chris Corvin. He's also one of the best horse-riders I've met in a very long time." 

Kahiri held out her hand with a friendly smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Chris." 

Chris smiled nervously and shook the young woman's hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you too ... Kahiri." Then his eyes landed and lingered on the nocks of several arrows peeking over her shoulder. "Archer...right?" 

Kahiri nodded. 

"Cool." 

During the awkward silence that followed, another man wearing a long white robe sauntered over, beamed a huge smile, and held out his hand. "Hello there! I'm Dr. Swedo Ulrigo, and I'm very pleased to meet the newest member of our team!" 

"I'm glad to meet you too." 

"What's your favorite fruit?" 

Kahiri frowned for a second, confused. "Um ... I guess I really enjoy oranges, why?" 

Dr. Swedo revealed a large fruit basket he'd been holding behind his back the entire time. Then he grabbed an orange and tossed it to Kahiri while grinning from ear to ear. "There you go! Enjoy!" he exclaimed as he walked off with a bouncy gait. 

Kahiri's lips parted and her brow furrowed. She watched Swedo walk away before she set the orange down on a nearby end table. 

Next, Erok led Kahiri to a red-headed woman who was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. Gauntlets encased her hands and five knives dangled from her belt. Either a valued ally or a dreaded enemy. When Erok approached the woman, she straightened her posture, gave him a small, somewhat forced smile, and waited for him to speak first. 

"Hello Meg, this is Kahiri, our new archer. And Kahiri, this is Meg, a bounty hunter the Senate has assigned to us." 

"Who are you out to catch?" Kahiri asked inquisitively as she shook Meg's hand. 

Meg pulled out a stiletto from her belt and cleaned a fingernail. "The Yugdabs' leader, whoever he is." She waved the knife in the air and gazed at the ceiling. "Apparently the Senate wants to question him." Meg twirled the knife through her fingers before sliding it into its sheath on her belt. 

Kahiri nodded. She frowned when Erok's eyes darted around the room, resting on anything but Meg. Kahiri shot Meg a quick smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Meg." 

"Yep." Meg replied before bending down to tie her bootlaces. 

Beside a huge window stood an old man with scratches and scars all over his face. He also had a blind eye and leaned all his weight on his staff. Overall he appeared to be quite weak and fragile. However, when his eyes landed on Kahiri, he gave her a big, warm smile. 

"Wow, what a surprise! You're Kahiri Oriann!" he exclaimed with joy in his voice. 

Kahiri frowned. "You know me?" 

"Of course I do! You were the winner of last year's Rebtenese archery tournament. So are you here to join us?" 

"Yes, I am. But who are you, sir?" 

"Bernard, Bernard Deon. There's nothin' much to know about me, except that I was almost killed in one of those Yugdab killings last month. They thought they'd killed me dead, but sure enough I survived. Must be the Rebtenese blood in my veins." 

Kahiri smiled pleasantly. "So you're the guide Erok told me about?" 

"That I am. I'll take you right to the doorstep of those wretched murderers, even with only one eye to see with. I've tolerated a great deal of evil in my life, but I refuse to tolerate the Yugdabs for one moment longer." 

Kahiri nodded again. "Me either." 

With an approving smile, Erok walked away. Kahiri mingled with her new teammates while he went to help Qwarten load up the supply wagons for their journey. 

******************** 

A few minutes later, Qwarten hoisted a heavy bag of grain onto a supply wagon. He wiped his sweaty forehead and glared up at the beaming sun. Then he strode back inside to grab another load. As he reached for a crate of medical supplies, a sharp rap on the door made him jump. With a grunt, he ambled to the door and flung it open. 

Qwarten scowled at the well-dressed man in the doorway. "What is it?" 

"Senator Karner Enfijo would like to know when he can begin using his storage room again." The man peeked around Qwarten's shoulder into the room. 

"You do realize we've only had eight days to recruit men, right?" Qwarten struggled against the urge to punch the man in the face. 

"According to Senator Enfijo's calculations, even five days would be more than enough time to recruit a couple dozen." 

Qwarten shot Erok a glare. Then he turned back to the man in the doorway. "Enfijo can go to hell, for all I care." 

"Can I quote you on that?" 

"Be my guest." Qwarten balled his fist. 

"Anyway, Major, Senator Enfijo strongly demands that you complete your preparations and move things out within the hour." The man unsheathed a sword and held its sharpened blade threateningly in Qwarten's face. "Or else." 

Qwarten's eyes widened for a second and his mouth dropped open. Then a moment later, he narrowed his eyes and tightened his lips. "Fine." He slammed the door shut. Then he scowled at Erok again. "If you were anyone else, Fyervor, I tell you..." 

Erok chuckled. "I don't want to hear the rest, Major." 

********************

About an hour later, Erok and Qwarten threw the last crate of provisions into a supply wagon. Chris had already fed and watered the horses. Erok, Swedo, Bernard, and Meg harnessed their horses in pairs to the two wagons, while Kahiri, Qwarten, and Chris prepared to ride their horses unrestrained in front. After Qwarten handed the key to the storage room back to Senator Enfijo's messenger, the Tereslars started down the long, dirt path that would take them all the way to the eastern coast of the Kaborian Republic. 

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A/N: ...And there goes our second chapter! Every time I read the description of the marketplace in the beginning of the chapter, I'm surprised that I'm the one who wrote it because I feel it's so immersive. Is it just me? :)

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and if you are, please remember to vote and comment.

Now that we've met our cast of heroes, I'd like to ask again: Who's your favorite character now?

And it's really early for this, I know, but do you have any ships?

And to borrow a question from Dr. Swedo: What's your favorite fruit?

Have an awesome day (or night)! I hope to see you in the comments and my next update. :D