The Attack of the Bulette:
The earth rumbled. Most of the tribe have not left Trolbridge in years and looked at each other in confusion. Joe, and the other hunters started to point and yell. They were trying to spot the beast before it came out of the sand. Agis, yelled, “run.” Joe jabbed a dagger into the ground. Paulu grabbed the ranes for one of the Inix and started to run. Oni, froze in place. He stared at his brother, hoping to find the right next thing to do. Fear was just washing over him
The Sand exploded right in the middle of the wagons. The maw of a giant Bulette burst from the sand and snapped one of the Inix in half. The creature was lucky or had come across tribal caravans in the past. It knew to cut the group in half, creating the most chaos possible. The Bulette gained from chaos. In the chaos yells started to go in every direction. The two wagons moved. Most of the hunters started to beat the ground. The creature dropped back into the sand. All of the experienced hunters banged on the ground with increased vigor.
The Bulette burst again, this time grabbing a hunter and swallowing him whole. The tribe moved on. Rain lead us as he followed the tracks the stranger pointed out. Tracking in the shifting sands was not easy but he was able to find the trail and the tribes two wagons moved away from the Bulette. It became clear that it was not following them.
With a quick inventory, the tribe had lost a couple of days of food and water. Joe and Selise decided to head back to see if they could recover some. Oni wanted to change as the tribe has changed. He started to break out of the chrysalis. Oni saw his siblings wandering off and yelled, “I’m going.” The stranger noticed them walking off and joined for the short careful walk back to the Bulette disaster. Nes came alone talking about how strong she was and how she could carry as much water as all of the rest together. She was correct of course.
They snuck up to a dune overlooking the area. There he was just gnawing away at one of the rations. The Inix was roasting in the daily sun, steam coming from the half torn body. The wagon was gone. Waterskins were spread out over the whole area. The sibling snuck down into the area to gather water. Joe and Selise had little issue as they started to grab waterskins. Oni was only used to sneaking around the ruins with no one around. He miss stepped and made a slight grinding noise. Everyone stopped moving.
The Bulette started to move his head back and forth as if looking for them in his mind. Oni slowly carefully reached into his backpack. He pulled out a bottle and small stick and wad. It started to come his direction. He waited to give Joe and Selise more time. The Bulette was now right in front of Oni. He could reach out and touch it if he wanted. He took in a big swig of the oil and breathed it out over the wad. A giant fireball blew out into its face. Oni ran the other direction. He did not even look back, he just hoped it was not following him. The fire ball did the trick. The Bulette was freaked out and it dove into the sand. The sand moved in the other direction showing how it could run even in the dust.
They all gathered back up over the sand dune. The walk back to the tribe was slow and quiet. They had gathered enough water for about another day. Lives were saved, but the loss overpowered that win. Oni felt proud for the first time in years. He walked with his head a little taller. He faced off with a giant sand shark and walked away.
The caught up to the tribe just as Rain brought them to a rock outcropping. This should protect them from the Bulette. It was going to make that hard, as it burst from the sand right as the tribe arrived. Everyone grabbed water and supplies and ran for the rock. Oni struggled with a new level of confidence. He did not want to run. Anger flowed through his views. He moved over to the only Inix left. He cut the guide rope, hoping the creature would have a fighting chance. He watched it run off knowing that he must now run as well. He grabbed his backpack and ran up the rock trail.
The Resting Rock:
Once in the safety of the rock the Yavapai spread out. The tribe had been a family for a long time and knew the jobs that needed to be done. Paulu gathered what water was available. She and a few other tribesmen found a shady spot to store the supplies. Rain found a plant that could give some water and fruit. It seemed to magically give where the earth generally did not. Oni, could only think about the Bulette. He passed to watch the sand as the creature moved from side to side. Joe, Selise, Nes and the stranger moved to the higher sections of the rock, hoping to find something of value. Rain likely found the thing of the greatest value. Even Agis spoke of it, “Rain you have truly blessed us and found water. “
Oni stood standing over the edge. He could no longer see the sand move. He wondered if the beast had moved on or if it was just waiting in another cruel trap. Joe came running down telling the tribe that they had found some long dead bodies. The footsteps that they had followed had led to this very spot, but the bodies had been dead for a very long time. There was a camp for about six people but only two skeletons left. From time to time a spirits of the last to die spoke to the stranger. Oni wanted to know if he was lying or if he had an evil connection with the dead. He probed the stranger to try and figure it out. Joe then claimed the ghost was speaking to him as well. It relieved Oni but he was still trying to figure out the stranger. They had given everything to the stranger and he was giving nothing back but orders. Do this and do that. He was giving commands and the others were starting to follow them. Only Oni stood up to him, “why are you listening to him,” he yelled. “He is the stranger, you have no idea, he might have tricked us here.”
Everyone started to move and ignore the stranger for a moment. Oni had won this battle, but the stranger had more fight in him, and he was amazingly subtle. The stranger found a hidden knock with some, what looked like small tools. Selise took them for herself. Oni discovered the artwork of a madman driven to cannibalism. The survivors last meal. Joe and Rain headed up a little further, to the peak of the rock, the crest of the arch. Rain looked out to the west and said, “you can see for miles from here.” Oni was about to ask if he could see the Bulette when the death birds attacked.
The group, including the stranger were coalescing as a team. One of the birds came down and dropped Rain in one slice of claws. Joe moved to kill it before it could escape. Death birds can be eaten even if it is one of the gamiest of all the fowl meats. Oni, Nes, and the stranger moved up to kill the other bird. It hit Oni with its beak and Oni lost consciousness. With the two birds dead the others flew off. They were safe, for now. They moved to search the rest of the rock.
On the far side of the rock arch was a cave. Joe, crawling on all fours moved in a little. It was blocked by a locked gate and it had a sign over it. Joe slid back out to tell the group. The stranger announced, “I can read,” and went in next. He came back out and proclaimed it read, “Death ahead.” The entire group looked him with knew suspicion. Only the evil read. Written words were the tools, of the oppressor. Oni, seeing a new intimate connection with the stranger went to his aide. He walked up to him, padded him on his back and announced loud enough for everyone to hear him, “only the evil can read.” He wanted to make sure the stranger knew that skill was going to be trouble if anyone knew. Oni tried to look at him as he did it, to let him know that he could read as well. It felt odd to Oni. Making connections with the stranger might dangerous. This could be exactly what he wanted.
Selise broke the group up, “hey, it is getting late in the day. We should help secure supplies and come back to this tomorrow.” With that Joe went to the top of the arch. He would work as a spotter to let Oni, and Nes gather more water from the broken wagon. They need to prepare for a long night on the rock. As most of the team helped gather water, Rain went to investigate one of the magical plants. He dug into the base of the plant. He was hoping the find a fresh reservoir of water. The plant went tragically limp when he was finished, and he never found the water well beneath the plant. That plant could no longer provide water while the Yavapai camped on the rock.
The next morning Oni and several other Yavapai woke stiff from the cold windy night. This did not matter as they had to move to try and leave the rock. Oni, did his normal morning exercises. This was the first time that he did them in front of the entire tribe. He thought it would be hard, but he dropped into a kata and just pushed through them. Once fed the group moved back to the cave entrance. They all felt that was the path to freedom from the rock.
They gathered at the entrance. The stranger broke the silence, “Selise, you grabbed those tools. Do you think you can open that lock?” She did not speak. She just stood there with a giant smile on her face spinning the lock on one hand. Oni shifted from contempt for the stranger leading again to shock that Selise had already opened the lock. Her giant smile finally broke to say, “I came up here and opened it when no one was around.” Shock was thick in the air.
With the lock removed and the gate opened they all moved into the cave. After crawling down, it opened up into an unnaturally large cavern. The space that opened up beneath the rock could not exist in that space. To the north there were piles of bones and debris. It looked like it might be a nest of some beast. That beast is likely the Bulette tormenting the tribe above ground. The path leading to the nest was blocked by a beam of super-heated light. It was beaming down from a quartz vein in the cave ceiling. That quartz must connect all the way up to the surface, casting the light below. It was too hot to move through.
Oni suggested that they move something in front of the lit rock. He gathered a piece of cloth. His siblings started to make fun on him. There was no way to reach the roof of the cave to place the cloth. Oni in total frustration moved the cloth up near the light. He needed to prove to them that he was an equal. He moved up and placed the cloth over his head and moved it into the light to show the shadow it would create. He stumbled and moved completely into the light. The light burned. Oni’s clothes, backpack and everything he owned burst off his body. His very skin seemed to burn off his body, but as it burnt off, new skin laid upon him. Like his teachings he was reborn within the light. Some voice, or force reached out to Oni. It told him, that it had been waiting for him. He was to receive the light. With that, the heat of the light was gone.
As they moved into the nest, all they found were dried bones of past meals for the bulette. Nothing of value was left here. The only thing in the nest was the Bulette. Well it was not there, but it sensed them in his nest and came for them. All of them ran in panic except Nes. Oni ran for the tunnel to the surface. Joe and Selise had gone through already when Oni looked back. The stranger and Rain were running just behind him. He saw Nes.
She was standing there in complete defiance to fear. Rage was welling up within her. She always had a little rage just resting on the surface, but it was now boiling through. She stood firm. She yelled, “RUN! I will hold it off.” Oni knew she would follow them in a second, but she was holding the line to let us escape. Her arms ripped with strength. She was building up to try something. She was holding the tiniest of daggers in her hand. She knew that some of her dragon kin had a gift from Tiamat herself. She took in a huge breath. Her entire body took the breath in. Her chest moved a couple of inches to let the air in. It looked just like a great singer, taking in a great breath to sing, and she was about to sing. Oni yelled back in panic, “no Nes, run.” The Bulette swallowed her whole in one quick movement. And with that, Nes was gone.
What was left of the group of young gathered just outside the cave entrance. The stranger said some kind words about Nes’s bravery. Oni looked at him, then scanned the group. He told them almost as if he was giving them orders, “We must kill the Bulette.” He wanted to lead and not let the stranger do it. They looked at him and he looked at them for what seemed like minutes. All of them could feel Nes’s voice within them, “Oh now you are going to kill it. Now that I am dead.” They worked the rest of the day on a plan. They would need the entire tribe to pitch in. it was not going to be easy. They worked through several ideas.
Over that day they moved a huge builder over to an edge. The plan was simple. Oni would be bate and move the creature over to where the boulder could be dropped on the creature. The only person at-risk would-be Oni. He hoped. It felt off to Oni to hope, but he hoped they could destroy the Bulette. He also hoped Nes and her new spiritual self would help protect him, as he went into danger. He moved on to the sand and shifted over to where the rock would fall. The creature engaged with him. He went completely defensive as the creature slowly moved to the right space. The rock came tumbling down right on target and crushed the beast. The Yavapai were now safe from it. It was the lack of water that was the new most urgent danger.
Heading into the Dust:
With the Bulette dead it was time to move back into the dust.
We were all seen different. Every member of the tribe saw us different. We were no longer the kids. We were now members of the tribe. Nes gave her life for the rest of us, and as if by magic the sand gave us Aya. She came just as we needed her with our Inix. Nes was not the only loss. We were down to one wagon of supplies. Everything the Yavapai could carry were stacked within it. It was mostly empty waterskins. We had three days of water.
Oni looks out over the entire horizon from the relative safety of the rock. He walked down while the tribe was talking about the next step. The stranger was present. Oni was angry at how they just let him in. Nes was dead, but this stranger now drinks her water. The tribe was mostly beaten by the desert already. Oni was not beaten. He walked up with his head held high. He just busted into the conversation, “we will use this rock as a base. We will send out a scout half a day in every direction. The most important direction is that one.” Oni pointed west. “That is where the Inix headed and we now need that as much as water. I am going in that direction first.”
Rain looked at him with increased frustration. To Oni’s surprise the rest of the tribe including Agis and Paulu just nodded their agreement. They were defeated. It was now up to the youngest in the tribe to deliver them from this sand. Rain in his annoyed voiced, “we don’t need to scout, we just need to head east. As I already said water is east of here.”
Oni smiled. “Great, we still need the Inix. I will go off that direction to find it. Those that stay here prepare the one good wagon for travel. Gather as much as you can.” With that Oni moved down the stone ramp and headed west. Oni did not look back but tried to use his mind’s eye to determine who joined him. He could tell that Joe, and Selise came. He has known the sound of their foot falls for years. Two others were following him as well. Rain is likely one of them but who else. Oni could hear the gentle sound that the silken clothes made. He thought to himself, “The Stranger”. He was not pleased to know the stranger was joining him, but he thought it better than him staying behind.
They were a group again. Only one person missing, Nes. He had wished she was here. She would have been able to handle the new stranger if the need arose. Oni was still leading them into the west following the Inix tracks. They were easy to follow. He continued to miss Nes when he thought he heard her. He could hear the heaviness of her footfalls hitting the sand like each step was an attack. He knew it was her. As they all came over another dune, there was the Inix and a reddish version of Nes.
Everything became clear in Oni’s mind. He had heard her. Oni could not control himself. He immediately trusted this new red Dragonborn. She had our Inix on a small lead rope. After a short conversation we decided to travel together. She would give us the one thing we needed, the Inix and we would give her what she needed, water. One more mouth to quench. Oni felt good, to add a new stranger to the tribe. They added one and now he added one. He held his head a little higher as they headed back to the rock.
Sadness set across the Yavapai. When traveling into the dust you lower your head to conserve water and protect your eyes. The heads in the tribe were now lower than ever. They were walking out with almost nothing. They had already lost days of food and water and eight members. This was a hit to the tribe that none would ever recover from. Only Rain and Oni held their heads a little high.
Rain could sense water to the east. It helped drive him. Agis trusted him and so did the tribe. If Rain failed, they all failed. He drove them. Oni, had a unique glow to him. He drew upon his teaching, knowing that each day was a gift. With the sunrise you are reborn, to survive more. With survival you have the option to be born again. He believed that they were being reborn and becoming a new tribe. They would find security again.
Paulu announced that they were done packing the water and the tribe headed east. They moved through the sand for two days without issue or water. The tribe was down to one day. They were becoming concerned about Rain’s ability. Could he sense water, or was he walking them to their doom. They decided to concern the water and take half rations. One day now changed to two days. Oni watched for folk’s hording water. They would live or die together. He wa really pleased to see that the stranger did not horde at all.
Since the need for water was becoming so crucial, Agis had the tribe continue into the night. A couple of hours after dark, wind started to place a chill on the whole area. The days were so hot, they often dried meat on the sun alone, but the nights were equally cold. They even tried to setup one water fin on the wagon. It had not gathered any water, but it worth setting up. The Stranger pointed to the north, “look a glow.” To the north the desert had a glow. Agis looked at the tribe and then at Rain. Agis went over to Rain, “how sure are you of water to the east.” Rain looked a little dejected in the darkness as he spoke, “I am sure.” Agis looked at him, nodded and started to talk to the tribe, “Our hope is with Rain, and to the east. We are heading east.”
Rain was right, water was to the east. Joe and the scouts found a body dead in the sand. It was an unarmed male, with large cuts across his back. It was not clear if it was from some beast or weapons. He had not been dead long. His flesh still felt like it had been plump with water. Rain was right, water was close. Joe and the stranger noticed tracks they could now follow.
The only members of the tribe still hardy enough to investigate were the youth. They formed together with the two strangers and headed east. They moved up to find a water source. There were more dead scattered around, and a band of Tri-kreen camping at the oasis. The group worked out a plan. Aya, our new red friend would lay as point person in an ambush. Oni would act as bate again. He would wonder into the oasis and draw them out into the trap. Joe, Selise, Rain and the stranger would attack at range. We could hopefully take these bugs out before they could even attack us.
Oni started to walk into the oasis, as if he was dying from exposure….