Fighting to stop loss 08AUG20
12
AUG/20
Camping to dry meat:
The Yavapai setup camp just outside the sunken temple. They were drying meat in the sun. Surrounding the camp strips of meat hung in the sun. Oni was glad they ate some of the camel fresh without drying it. He liked the tender chunks as he chewed them. He knew for the next week or more, he would be eating nothing but hard tack, that tired the jaw to eat. He had learned from Pakku, that if you sucked on the dry meat for several minutes before chewing it would soften. He hated having these giant gamy chunks just sitting there soaking up his own liquids to be chewed. Oni chewed them right away, hoping to quicken them into his body and away from his tongue. And every time he ate the camel meat, he would see those tire filled eyes.
Oni watched the old Faststaff. He thought the world of the past must have been a fantastic world where a man that old and slow could be called Fast….Staff. Oni watched; crept up on him. Oni cleared his throat, “Do you have any ink.” Faststaff’s faced cringed up as he spoke in the most condescending manner, “of course.” After a short pause, “Paper too.” The sun’s rays sparkled in Oni’s eyes as he spoke, “Can I use some of that.” Now Oni paused for some time, “maybe we can share spells, and magical thoughts.” Faststaff mostly made pff noise as he said, “sure.”
Oni and Faststaff started to work together working through Oni’s magic book. Oni, started to understand magical theory. Oni shared with Faststaff all about how wizards were viewed and how defiling has destroyed the world. Oni was mostly teaching him how to stay secret under the watchful ten eyes. Faststaff helped but mostly felt disgusted at how these tribal barbarians lived.
The tribe dried the meat and worked the leather from the camel. It was thick and stiff. It was going to be valuable as a resource for armor or other supplies. Rain started to work on it the first morning they camped. Oni was trying to meditate for the dawn, but Rain stood as a black stop within the light. Rain created the missing piece in the dawn. He blocked the dawn from Oni’s rebirthing mind. It was like a piece of the light was now gone. Oni could only focus on that missing piece of light and never felt reborn.
With the meat ready the Yavapai started to look for the pyramid once again. They debated for two days. Was it better to look for the cursed pyramid or head to Raam. Paulu and Joe figured that the pyramid was closer and a safer journey. Oni thought they should try to resupply but the group was eager to more forward. Oni saw his hopes and desires within the tribe. He joined them and helped move them to their goal.
After nearly a night’s travel they found another old camp. This felt even darker than the last one. Oni looked over to Faststaff. He knew that this newcomer could not know anything of value from the desert today and wanted to warn him, “hey Faststaff, dervishes hide in the sand.” Faststaff looked confused. Oni started to crouch to show him how they would hide when Faststaff asked, “what is a dervish?” that was not question Oni expected but gave him as answer anyway, “they are cult like worshipers of the five.”
Joe was still dizzy. Pakku and Paulu moved up to investigate the camp. The tribe waited for their return. As they came back Paulu told them that there was some kind of undead in the camp. There were maybe six of them and they seemed to be in some left-over pattern of guard duty. Oni remembered from his readings, that this kind of undead were rarely a problem from a group like theirs. The tribe had almost no exposure to undead, so Oni pulled Faststaff into the conversation, “Do you know anything about undead, Faststaff?” Faststaff looked up, “they seem like simple zombies. Not a problem.”
The tribe moved in. Paulu drew them out. She was hoping to just draw in one but all of them engaged her. She stood her ground. Oni launched one of his sun ki blasts. Yas charged in and blasted them with her fiery breath. Nothing was harming them. It was looking grim. Rain moved up and called upon the power of the Sea. Most of them ran off. Oni and Soot charged in to hopefully find a controlling object.
Oni found a chest in the middle of the main tent. It was clearly magically locked. He quickly tried to open the chest. First, he cast their most valuable resource upon the lock. Nothing happened. There was a small groove that looked like his finger might fit. He with reckless abandon placed his finger in the groove. A loud audible click blast into the air. Oni knew it must be open. He reached down and flung the chest open.
Once open the undead in the camp turned to dust. They all just melted back into the sand itself
Within the chest, there was a note and a vial of liquid. Oni read the scroll out loud, knowing the danger of converting written words to spoken words, “to the Yavapai, recently your tribe has been brought to my attention. Your goals lie with ours, please watch for the signs I leave to guide you. The ten eyes are closed but won’t be for long ….” He looked up to see Joe. He felt the sun pouring in the chamber and the room. Faststaff, looked up and said, “yep, it is magical.”
Oni walked out into the camp. He looked up to the sun, hoping for insight. Oni spoke loudly and clear. He spoke like a leader, “Joe should drink this.” A murmur fell over the tribe. Oni broke it up again, “If someone left us something we need. The thing we need is for Joe to be healed.” Paulu looked at Oni trying to figure out which of her boys needed it more. She looked over to Mar’iya. He was indifferent. He was starting to look through some of the camp. Paulu peered at him forcing him to speak up, “What about you Oni?” Mar’iya asked her question. Oni snapped back, “I am fine.” He took a second to stare at his mother. Joe drank the potion.
Oni still luring at his mother noticed a change. At first, he thought it was just a change in the shadows. He stared at her and her face changed. The wrinkles in her forehead deepened, a few hair strands turned gray. Oni immediately understood and yelled, “We must leave this camp. It is aging us at a very fast rate.” Joe now healed jumped and ran in a way he has not done in weeks.
Faststaff cast some spell to try and figure out something he called “Time Dilation” within the camp. Oni loved the strange words that he used. He had no idea what that meant and did not want to ask now. Joe walked up to Oni and placed his arm around his shoulder, “you have become a true leader.” Oni soaked in his brothers love. The warmth moved through him and broke the nights cold air.
The sun was going to rise soon. The Yavapai traveled several hours away from the ruined camp, to make their camp. Oni worked with Faststaff. It was mostly a teacher student operation. Paulu worked with Mar’iya in almost the same way. Soot and the others worked on weapons, and armor. The tribe now trained and prepared by instinct.
The next night they moved back out in the sand, looking for the pyramid. After several hours, it appeared on the horizon. They moved up to investigate it.
Entering the Temple Entrance:
Breaking through the sand was a giant white pyramid. A smaller one was just to the side of it. A great wall surrounded the entire area. The white stone that covered their exterior looked as if time had not touched them in any way. The land dried and died around them, but they stayed true to their glory.
An entrance to the area was built on the one side of the smaller pyramid structure. This looked like a temple for the entire complex. The tribe moved to a ridge to look at the entrance. In front of the entrance were some ruined structures. An opening was surrounded by two white stone pillars and two pillars of guards. They both were standing true in the desert. The guards were peering out into the sand with an eagle’s eye. They looked in all directions. They saw the area with a veteran’s precision.
The tribe started to discuss how they would approach the temple. Mar’iya wanted to quietly kill the guards and move in. Oni looked at him. He understood that was the way things were normally done, but he was reborn. The tribe had been reborn. They should try and find entry without killing or hurting anyone. Oni still crouching over the sand dune spoke, “we will just approach. We could just ask to enter.”
The tribe carefully approached the front of the temple. Two long stairs circled up around a ruined courtyard. At the top of the stairs stood the entrance, and the guards. In the courtyard were the remnants of some ancient fountain and water cannels. Oni looked at a circular stone ring built into the ground. Rain moved into the center. Rain had a direct connection with water and this ring smelled like water for him. Oni looked into. The ring once again. He looked through Rain, as if he was missing, trying to see the water within the pool, as it once was.
The tribe split to go up the stairs from both sides. The two guards ignored the group until they stepped on the stairs. A loud booming voice broke the quiet. “Stop!” The tribe stopped on the stairs and the voice dropped a little in volume, “what god to you worship.” Oni was completely caught off guard and presumed it was a trap of a statement, “what god? There is only one God.” Mar’iya must have presumed the same thing, “there is only the five aspects of God.” Yas saw something different and spoke boldly about Ra, “I worship Ra and I am here to worship.”
The guard looked at Yas and said, “welcome follow worshipper.” Pointing a stern finger, “the rest must go.” Oni, Mar’iya, and joe started to tell the guard how Ra had sent them. Mar’iya spoke first, “Ra came to us in the desert. He sent us here.” As Yas continued up the stairs, she tried to convince him as well, “yes, they are with me.” It took some convincing, but he finally let the entire tribe into the temple.
The entry room was small and had three people already in it. Laseda and his two acolytes were searching the room. The acolytes were not doing much more than just following Laseda around. Laseda was searching for something. He carried a book around as he searched. Oni noticed the book. He made a quick check and Mar’iya was looking at the book too. It was a great tome covered in leather with white metal brackets. Oni was worried all of sudden. Mar’iya belt buckle was the most metal he had seen in years, and this guy just carried a book with more metal on it.
On the one end of this chamber as a larger than life statue of Ra. Well everyone in the tribe presumed it was Ra, but there was no one else that made sense within this temple, the temple of Ra. Laseda was examining the statue, when Mar’iya spoke, “what are you looking for?” Laseda looked back and with a distracted and slightly annoyed voice says, “a friend disappeared here, and I am looking for him.” Mar’iya took that moment to try and read the book. The title was “The tome of Amun Ra”. Mar’iya and Oni started to look for a secret passage beyond the statue. None of them could see anything. Rain walked in. his noise was up in the air like he was smelling water once again. Rain points to a latch. He walked in and saw the secrets the room hid. As Mar’iya moved the latch and opened the chamber beyond he said to Laseda, “we can help you find your friend.”
Joe moved through the door on the right. He moved up some stairs into the dark. He hid on the edge of darkness waiting for the next moment to become clear. He could hear the gentle snoring of more guards and held his ground. Joe was going to be the first line of warning from the room of sleeping guards.
Oni and Ajamu knowing they could not help in the first chamber moved through the door on the left. They went up the stairs and found another chamber there. It was a larger room with a green stoned statue, and a hallway leading off one direction.
Laseda moved into the chamber beyond the statue. His two acolytes moved to be on either side of the opening. Rain and Mar’iya moved up and asked to first acolyte, “do you mind if we go in?” He nodded and they entered the room. Laseda was studying the walls. He was looking for another passage. Rain moved in and ran his hand along the wall. He could feel the ancient water that once filled the chamber. He could even see the water levels as they dropped over some long period of time. Sea flowed through him and an idea came to his head. He created water within the chamber. It lingered for the briefest of moments. It was unclear if Laseda even saw the casting.
With great excitement, Rain ran from the room and charged outside. He ran down the stairs and into the stone circle in the courtyard. He bent down and felt the ground. It was moist to the touch. Rain knew they were connected. This was the first moisture the ground had felt in maybe a 1000 years. It took it in. Rain, even more excited created more water in the circle. Rain saw that the circle took that water as well. He now knew that this was the source of the water for the ancient temple area.
What he did not see was that the guards both saw him create the water. One of them ran into the temple. Moved through the left door and down the hall. This was not seen a big deal for most of the tribe. Oni and Ajamu thought it was not a good sign but had no idea the meaning of what was about to occur.
The entire tribe regrouped with Oni and Ajamu. They started to head deeper into the temple.
The forced fight:
Oni, Yas, Paulu and Mar’iya turned the corner. The stairs led down to a small chamber. It was now filled with Laseda, some High Priest, dervishes and acolytes. They were standing firm in the chamber. Oni and his group stopped at the top of the stairs. Tense silence hit both groups. They were both waiting. The High Priest spoke first, “give us the water maker, and the rest can live.” Oni shouted back, “we have the high ground, don’t be a fool.” Oni was not trying to intimidate them or him but wanted to give himself and Mar’iya time to think.
Oni and Mar’iya both started to interact with the High Priest. They took distinctly different approaches, but the goal was the same. Both were looking for ways to keep Rain and move on without conflict. Oni opened with, “we do not need to shed blood here. We will help you find you lost friend Laseda.” Mar’iya used his mind powers to bring the High Priest to his knees with a statement of, “We are more powerful than you know.” The High Preist stood back up and yelled back, “The water maker is worth more than our friend.” All of the footing for the dervishes shifted for combat.
The two groups yelled back and forth. One side wanting one thing, the other side looking for some deal to make amends. It was clear the two groups were at an impasse. Nothing was going to stop the fight now. I would like to tell you it went well for the tribe. I would like to tell you that.
Oni became enraged. He moved into attack. He over extended as he moved up into the group more than he should have. He was screamed out, “this did not need to end this way.” He kicked one of the acolytes and he dropped, Oni looked at the High Priest with rage, “once you die the rest can surrender.” The other dervishes were good warriors. Oni had made a mistake in his rage. Not only did he move into the middle to be surrounded, he blocked Yas from bringing in her fiery breath. Oni knew his mistake right away. His only hope was his companions could thin the herd.
Oni watched Ajamu and Yas fall. He was next. This was turning into a great disaster. He was struck in the side and dropped in pain. The last thing he saw was Rain boldly walk into the fray.
Oni came to consciousness. Rain stood over him. He saw Ajamu and Yas both standing at the top of the stairs. The battle was over, and he knew they had lost. Rain had volunteered to go with them. Oni looked up at him and meekly said, “thank you.” Oni turned away from Rain. He walked towards the tribe. They were looking for him to lead. Oni failed in this task as well and with spittle spewing from his mouth said, “we move on without him.” Oni slowly started to walk away.
Behind Paulu started to lead in a way Oni had failed. Oni could hear her over his own disgrace. She was saying, “we will rescue him.” Oni made a small noise in his own teeth. He listened as she continued, “we will rest and go at them again.” Her calming voice started to sink in. He was starting to think again. He heard Paulu say, “we can rest in the abandoned room.” Oni knew this was not possible. He moved into the room, now hopefully leading the tribe again. He had failed, but he was hoping he could fix the failure. He remembered Yas’s sword had broken and he needed a little time to fix it. That room should be good enough for that repair.
The tribe moved into the abandoned room to regroup. A plan started to grow within Oni’s mind.