Oni’s own narcissism makes him blind 01AUG20
4
AUG/20
We continue out into the night:
Oni wandered around the burned-out camp. He was looking to assess the tribe. He wanted to make sure they were all still hopeful and willing to move west. A cringe of pain rolled through his side. That felt new. He was staring at the ground when he saw Ajamu feet walk up to him. She rarely spoke but she was starting to feel more powerful within the tribe. In a confident voice she normally did not have she asked, “you okay.” She chose simple to the point words when she did speak. In the desert words wasted water. She had learned to use as few as possible.
Oni had to start here. He made sure to force a smile across his face. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. He was sweating and wiped the sweat off his face. Oni spoke with a bouncing joy, “Yep. I am doing great. Sucks we did not find water, but we will.” He looked intently into her eyes and broadened his smile. He was trying to remove any worry she might have.
Looking at Ajamu, Oni could not tell why she had asked if he was okay. Was she just checking on him? He studied her. Did she know he was sick? He had been hiding it. His mother knowing was one thing, but Oni did not want the others to know. His pain was his pain. Ajamu stopped looking back and forced herself to look out around the tribe. Oni started to follow where she was looking. She might be seeing something Oni was missing. Oni now new she was worried about the tribe.
Joe was examining one of the pit traps. He opened it with one hand. He moved to the side. He was moving slow. He stumbled a little. Oni had never seen Joe stumble before. He had perfect balance, but not today. He was moving slow as well. His leg started to move in slow motion as it kicked the blanket off to the side. Sand and dust Burst up into the air. Joe did not even move. He stood watching, waiting for every particle to fall to the ground.
Pakku was moving to the edge of the camp on the east side. He moved just over the top of a dune. He disappeared. He was on guard duty. He placed himself on duty all the time. Once the combat ended, he searched, found nothing and moved to watch the eastern flank. Oni looked at Ajamu. He was sad about Pakku. He wanted to bring Pakku into the swing of things if he could. Ajamu watched him until he disappeared. She never turned her head. She asked Oni with a lot less confidence, “are we okay?”
Oni placed his hand on Ajamu’s shoulder. He spoke calm and clear to her, “We are good. We are on track to be the greatest hero’s in over 2000 years.” He brought his voice up a little. He wanted to sound positive and hopeful. She finally looked back at him and said, “is that worth all this?” Her head went down. She ducked her shoulder as she moved away from Oni. She moved off to the north.
Oni knew he had to move the tribe. This husk of a camp was draining their spirits. The camp was doing more harm to them, then the sand dervishes had done. Oni stood tall, and raised his voice, “okay everyone, we need to head out.” Oni looked over to Joe, then Paulu, and finally Rain. He gave them each a direct look. He smiled with the biggest smile he could muster, “let find this sunken temple.” As Joe, Paulu, and Rain started to head west, Oni went to the east side of camp. He wanted to talk with Pakku as they traveled. He and Pakku would follow the tribe as they traveled.
Oni and Pakku walked together most of the night. Pakku had given Oni his tattoos several years earlier. Oni wanted to know if he could make some new tattoos, “did you bring you tattoo needles?” Pakku looked back and nodded yes. He looked at Oni and said, “Yeah, but I only have two needles left. Do you want something new?” Oni nodded as well. He knew they would need to be careful as the needles broke from time to time. Oni padded him on the shoulder. Oni propping the tribe up this way was becoming second nature, “think of something for my back. We can start working on it soon.”
Mar’iya was walking their direction, “we are making camp up ahead.”
Rest and Finding the Sunken Temple:
Oni woke up. He had slept for hours. He slid his eyes open. He wondered for a long time why no one had screamed. His side screamed. He felt terrible, even worse than normal. He wanted to give up. He wanted to just lay here and die. He felt that bad. He looked over to Joe and his mother. Oni could not give up for them. No matter how painful it was, he would place a foot in front of the foot as long as it took.
Pakku was already gathering supplies when Oni finally stood up. Oni wished he could jump up like Kobra always did, but he was not feeling good or agile enough. He stood as quickly as he could, still masking his pain and suffering. Oni started to break down the shelter he used. Ajamu walked up and said, “no worries Oni, I have this. You go get some food.” Oni looked at her and thanked her. He went over to eat some of the dried meat. As he chewed the tough meat, he knew the tribe needed to find some plants to eat soon. You cannot live on meat alone.
Oni Sat on the ground. He was waiting to see when the group was leaving. He watched as most of the tribe started to walk off. He was almost alone. Pakku walked up. He placed his hand down to help Oni up. Pakku rarely said anything, but today he had a few words, “we need to head out again. Well you walk with me and the camel near the back. I feel safer with you at my side.” Oni stood tall, ignoring the pain in his side, “Of course.” Oni started to walk off following the tribe. He looked at Pakku and said, “We need to hurry to catch up.”
The tribe started to head out just before dusk. They wanted to pick a direction while it was still easier to find. They followed the sun until it disappeared below the horizon. Oni and Pakku were walking up as the tribe were already moving in on a set of statues. Oni saw his mother starting to carefully walk up to the statue. Oni moved up closer.
Into the Web of the Temple:
There it was, “The Sunken Temple”. Oni watched as Mar’iya went up to examine the statue. Pakku and Joe instinctively moved to the edges of the area. Paulu started to head in. She claimed there was writing on the wall. Oni said,” what does it say,” before remembering that she could not read. He started to clamor up to the sink hole, “I will be right there.” Oni was feeling nauseous, but he needed to move with purpose. He wanted to hold his side, but he fought the urge as he headed up to where Paulu was standing.
Oni was almost there. The ground started to move. Oni lost his footing and started to slide into the sinkhole. As he slid by Paulu he took a quick look to see who might be following him. Oni saw that he was the only one clumsy enough to have fallen. He was the trap setter today. He started to try and look down. He wanted to see where he was heading. He saw glimpses of stonework as the light poured down into the pit.
He ended his slide in the sand two paces from a stone worked patio. He stood up as quickly as he could and almost fell back down with pain. He looked like a large door on the edge of the light. He smiled as he yelled up the hole, “I am okay.” He turned back to the group now gathering at the top of the sink hole. “There is some kind of structure down here. Let’s get down here to check it out.”
Oni sat down on the stone steps. He was really tired and would take this moment to rest. He could be tall and brave in a moment, but for now he could sit here and wait. He pulled a little water out of his backpack and took the smallest swallow. He looked around. This place is covered with webs. He looked at the big door moving as little as possible.
Selise would normally be the one to check out stuff like that. She had a keen eye and loved how doors and locks worked. With her gone Oni wondered who could check it out. Oni could see that Joe was the next one to move down the sand. Oni stashed his waterskin quickly. It was not a water break and he did not want to reveal, he had been drinking a little too much. Joe moved up to stand next to Oni and said with his big brother smile, “Is it rest time? The rest will be down in a second.” Oni stood to stand next to his brother.
Most of the tribe made their way down to the stone patio. Soot stayed at the top of the pit. She was holding the lead for the camel. She yelled down, “I am going to stay here with the camel.” She made sure her voice was loud enough to be heard but not so loud as to spook the camel. Oni yelled up, “I can help get the camel down here. It will be safer down here anyway.”
Oni started to make the ground a little tougher as Soot lead the beast down into the cave. Oni did not like thinking of this place as a cave. It was not firm enough for a cave, or a mine. It was a sink hole, and somehow the temple was still intact within the sand. This entrance was the only possible way in or out, but it was not a cave.
The camel looked at Oni with the saddest eyes. Its giant brown eyes looked past Oni. Oni did not handle animals well. He knew it was not feeling safe. He had no idea what to do. Pakku did. Oni looked around looking for Pakku. He was moving up to the door. He had the little tools from Selise’s bag. Pakku held them out in front of him. He was nervous looking in all direction. He stopped. He started to look around in all directions. Giant spiders came from all directions.
Oni had a panic come over him. He was feeling terrible. He was still poisoned from the last time they were attacked by spiders. He stood there a little frozen. Joe’s voice broke through, “Gather up here to fight them. Oni reached out with his fighting sticks and smashed into one of them. He looked up and saw Pakku all by himself and standing very still. Oni turned to look at Mar’iya, “Protect Pakku. If you can.”.
Paulu became paralyzed next. Pakku shock it off. Oni was about to move over to help Pakku when Pakku moved through the spiders. He dodged ducked, dipped, dived and dodged as he went from spider to spider. He ended up behind Oni. Oni thought for a moment, “swipe the leg.” Oni thought that Pakku moved with a grace he had never seen before.
Paulu was the next to become paralyzed. Oni was about to yell out to protect her, when she and Mar’iya disappeared. They did not completely disappear, but Oni recognized this now as some mind bending that Mar’iya did to hide from enemies. It seemed so odd to Oni that he could hide from enemies, but we could still see them. It was also odd how the spiders, who could not see either of them did not move into their respective spaces. Oni was mind blown. Rain yelled out, “Am I healing or making water.” Oni and Joe had read this a little different as Oni yelled out to heal, and Joe yelled out water. Rain started to heal folks.
Oni’s initial worry started to fade. Many were hurt, but the spiders were nearly destroyed. Oni was freed up on his end of the fight. He was starting to move around the back side as the tribe killed the rest of them.
Oni looked sad at where they were. Once the last spider was dead, the tribe moved in like vultures to dissemble the spiders for their future use. Pakku moved up to the door, “Rain do you have a light source?” moments later Pakku stood there backlight in front of the door. He opened it revealing a small chamber beyond.
In the small chamber the glitter of gold shone through. Several paces up from Pakku stood two doors that appeared to be gold. No, they were not made of gold they radiated gold. This was how magic could make them glow. Most of the tribe stood in awe in front of them, Oni included. Mar’iya started to examine them. He was being careful to not touch them. He moved his finger along them. He was looking for something, but he was not finding it. Without even looking back he said, “we need to find a way to open this door.”
Oni started to regain his mental abilities. He noticed that the room had two other exits. There was a dark hallway leaving just to the right and left of the door. Oni had read all about places like this and knew danger was waiting for them in all three directions. He knew he could not lead in his current state but wanted to get the tribe moving, “right or left.” As if speaking with some ancient wisdom Joe said, “Left, always left.” Oni had heard this wisdom as well. It was as if the Dawn said it to him each morning.
Paulu moved left. With Mar’iya teachings she could now see in the dark. Most of the group held back. Joe moved up to relay her messages back to the tribe. Paulu moved down the hall, past an empty circular room. There was a door partiality buried. Using a whisper yell that is famous within the dark corners of a dungeon she yelled back to Joe, “there is a half-buried door up here. Joe relayed this to the tribe. Oni perked up and started to walk that direction, “I think I can take care of that.
Oni felt like he strolled up but really, he almost limped as he walked up to his mother in the dark. Paulu looked back to him and said “What can you do? It might be better to have Pakku, or that skinny stranger do this digging.” In a voice of concern. She did not want him to exert himself if it was not needed. Oni almost laughed as he responded, “no, I am going to use the magic I learned from the defiler’s book.” Paulu whole face changed from concern to anger. Oni nodded his head, “no, no, I can do it without all the defiling.”
Using the powers of the arcane Oni moved the dirt from the door in moments. The entire complex moved and shuck. Mar’iya ran down the hall just as Oni opened the door with a smile. Mar’iya yelled with great concern, “no more arcane magic. It is causing this place to sink.” It took Oni several minutes to process what Mar’iya was saying. He was telling Oni that his magic was causing a problem within the temple. Oni processed this further. It was now understood to Oni, there are different types of magic. Oni thought about it further, Rain and Mar’iya both had magic, but they each somehow used different magic. Oni would need to think about it further. He wanted to know how these different magics worked and how they were different. For Oni he wondered why they were different.
Inside the room were two statues. One on its side and partially damaged. You could clearly see the chisel marks in the stone. This was once part of the amazing temple. The other one looked real. It was of a man crouching next to the first statue as if reading it. Mar’iya looked over to Oni. Both knew that the second statue was of some person, likely a male wizard, who was reading the book from the first statue and turned to stone.
Mar’iya had a curiosity that could not be quelled. He looked at the two statues and knew the risk. He just had to read it. He could not let it pass. He could not read it. He, Oni, and now Paulu crouched around the statue. They looked like they would be the next turned to stone. Mar’iya said, “I can not read it.” Oni nodded and said, “I think I could repair it, but you know casting spells is dangerous. There seems to be a cost.” Mar’iya picked up the statue and set a piece on it. He looked at Oni with his most focused look, “Do it.” Oni cast mending and the statue was partially whole again. Mar’iya pointed to another piece next to Paulu, and Oni found another. They placed these final pieces into it and cast mending a second time. The complex shook again but the statue was whole again.
Joe charged in, screaming, “Stop casting spells”, just as Mar’iya started to read the text.
“Thus facing the great doors, and passing the right hand
Before them speak “sakhraljinni” then approach the first
And speak “alhamoudla” so shall the way be open unto you.
Speak yet “Bismilla” and “duban” and ye shall be within thy
Hand’s reach of the greatest of all”
Mar’iya looked up with a mischievous smile on his face. Oni thought it was the first time he had looked at Mar’iya in a way where he looked like a normal human. He usually looked so serious, like he was a statue, but with this smile Oni knew he was alive. Mar’iya said, “now let’s open that door” as he charged down the hall like a mad doctor. Everyone followed him back to the main door. Mar’iya spoke the first magical word, “Sakhraljinni”, and the door opened.
Beyond the door was a hallway or chamber it was hard to tell. After about four paces the room produced a wall of frozen unpassable hell. Oni looked at it and walked away. This was not his problem to solve. He knew that Mar’iya would never walk away from it until he had solved it or died trying. Oni wished him well. Rain looked up at it and cried out, “it’s snow,” in a manor that implied we all understood. He became frustrated with everyone lack of understanding, and huffed out, “frozen water.”
Mar’iya with great confidence spoke the next word, “alhamoudla.” He stood their dejected as nothing happened. Oni could almost hear his thoughts. “that was supposed to work.” Oni wondered if Mar’iya was talking in his head. Yas walked up with her gravel like voice, “I could blast it.” Mar’iya still staring at the ice wall nodded. Yas drew in a great breath and blasted the ice wall with her native fire. Mar’iya again said “alhamoudla.” A gap opened in the ice.
A couple more paces into the chamber blue lightening sparked across the. Mar’iya reached into his pocket to remove the metal belt buckle. It was heaviest object Oni had ever seen, and now Mar’iya had it in his hand. He gently set it on the ground and slid it over to the pulsing wall of lightening and said, “Bismalla”. It arched in a new way and seemed to arch right into the buckle. It made an opening within the lightening
Oni had moved out into the patio area. Sand had moved down onto the patio. He looked up and the opening was now tiny. Oni knew they would struggle to exit this place now. He looked at the camel. The camel looked back at him. It still had those sad eyes. Oni understood, the creature knew it was dead, yet still breathing. Oni looked up at the opening again. He walked over to their last mount and pet it neck. Oni looked into the eyes and with a light comforting voice, “I am sorry, I was trying to protect you, but I brought your doom.” Oni walked away to find a place to sit and possibly thrown up.
Mar’iya moved up a little. Now the chamber was blocked by a wall of fire. Mar’iya yelled back out on to the patio, “Rain, can you make water?” Rain ran up and said, “yes, but should I waste it.” Mar’iya had been so focused so far and could not handle the questions well, “yes, we must get through this.” Rain created water within the wall of fire. Mar’iya said the final word, “duban”. Again, this worked, and a gap was formed revealing the rest of the chamber.
Joe was feeling a little bored. He was looking for something to do. He cut up a bunch of spiders, but its time to do something else. He started to explore the other chambers within the temple. He went right since left had already been completed. He moved in to the dark to examine the circular room. Searching and digging around, the room was empty. He wanted to find something, anyting. He marched to the hallway on the left and gave it that same level of search. He slowly walked back out onto the stone patio.
The area beyond the fire was a small chamber. There was a skeleton that had a scroll grasped in it left hand. It had to be a magical scroll with magical protections. Anything else that the man had turned to dust when touched, but Mar’iya could recover the scroll. Oni was listening to the conversation but not present. He wondered if it was another map and stood up. Next to Yas and Mar’iya in the chamber was a box protected by some magical field. It looks like some treasure could be placed upon it, to open it. It had a message written is dwarven on it”
“The star gem of the night can only be opened with its twin.”
The group tried every idea in their collective arsenal to recover the box. Nothing worked. Oni wondered if Mar’iya would even leave without the box. He thought that Mar’iya might be the next skeleton in the chamber. Yas and Rain walked out of the back area leaving Mar’iya by himself. As Yas walked out, all of the walls came back. Mar’iya was trapped. Oni moved fast. He had no idea if Mar’iya was now dead or just trapped. He closed his eyes, breathed in and out. He imagined the dawn and knew Mar’iya was not dead yet.
Oni moved to the sand just out of the temple. He yelled, “Move out of the way, I think I can get to him.” Oni spoke the magical words out beyond the temple hoping it would not anger it anymore. A fire orb flew out of Oni’s hands and smashed into the ice wall has he spoke the word, “alhamoudla.” The opening opened back up. He ran up to the opening. Using his prized Eskima Stick, he slid the buckle back into place and said, “bismalla.” Again, an opening opened. Without thought Oni pulled the waterskin out and sprayed it on the fire as he said, “duban.” Oni could now see Mar’iya. Mar’iya looked up and said, “took you long enough.” Oni knew this was his way of saying thanks.
Oni looked at him and said, “let’s go.” Mar’iya wanted that box. He had to figure it out. He called in Paulu to try some things, but nothing worked. With more desperation in his voice, Oni said, “We must go.” Oni looked at him. Mar’iya could see that Oni needed him and if he stayed, he might die in this spot. Mar’iya finally walked out of the back of the chamber. He felt loose. Even though he did not remember his past he knew, he did not lose often, and he did not like it. He knew the last time he must have lost was when he was cast into the desert to die.
Mar’iya unrolled the scroll. Oni looked excited and asked, “is it another map?” Mar’iya handed to Oni almost dropping it on the ground. He walked away and was no longer concerned with it, “it is for you,” was all he said. Oni looked at it. Magic was so strange to Oni. He could not read it, but he knew it was for Rain. He called to Rain, “This is for you, I think it is scroll with greater restoration on it.”
New friends:
Rain stood there staring at the scroll. A blue glaze formed over his eyes. Sea was working through him. He had never been able to read, and still could not. He examined the scroll for some time, until Sea had shared with him all the details. He could feel thirst leave his lips as the Sea’s power flowed through him. He finally understood and started to speak, “I can use this to heal someone with serious injuries. I could heal you or Joe.”
Oni looked to Joe and finally Paulu. He had thought they were keeping it within the family but clearly Rain knew, and now everyone knew. Oni still trying to play the strong leader said, “No we should us it on the wizard in back chamber.” Oni was as focused on the pyramid as Mar’iya was on solving puzzles. He was willing to risk Joe and himself to achieve his goal. Oni had been specifically bold with his statement and no one argued in any way.
Mar’iya moved back down the hall. He was hoping this might acquire the box for him after all. As he moved and gathered the others he spoke fast, “We need to drag him out into the sand.” He started to point to people and locations on the man statue to start to move it out into the sand. He continued, “we need to bury him, just to make it safe.” The tribe all worked to bury the statue with just his head revealed to the air.
Rain cast the spell. The man’s skin started to change. He stayed stone for a long time but started to move. Gray marble moved. It was clearly trying to speak. Oni now wished they could have removed all the guys stuff. It was stoned with him and could not, so no reason to worry about it now. His skin became perfectly pliable. The last thing to change was the color of his skin. It finally changed from the gray color to it original flesh color. He looked around, and said in a panicked voice, “who are you people?”
Food, water, and the long nights rest:
The wizard had come to have been down here with his now former master, looking for the star gems. He knew a different world than the one that the tribe grew up in. He did not know anything about this desert that surrounded them now. Oni hoped that he would be strong enough to survive the dry heat, but that was his problem and not Oni’s.
The tribe watched this new member watch them with shocked disgust. He could hardly speak as the tribe killed the saddened camel and disassemble it for their own needs. He wondered how these barbaric people could be safe. He watched as Joe and Paulu harvested the giant spiders. You could see the fear in his eyes as he understood he would be eating those bugs later that day. The tribe started to play with his disgust. At one moment several passed around some spider inners and just ate them. He lost his 1000-year-old lunch.
Oni walked over to the wizard. He had mostly let him alone. Joe had warmed up to him and Oni did not want to get in the way. The wizard looked up at Oni. Oni looked down to speak, “magic is considered evil in most places. You should avoid casting spells where people will see it. Not us, but out in the world, once they see you cast a spell, they will hunt you down.” Oni smiled. He wanted to make sure the wizard understood. Oni layed down to sleep.
They moved out into the desert and setup camp. Oni woke up after many hours of rest. Two days in a row, they had rest.