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Post by KD on Aug 15, 2013 23:20:45 GMT -5
"Backward is not the proper term." Sapphira's brow furrowed a bit, genuinely disturbed that she'd come off as condescending. "Magic such as Sinjun's doesn't flow in everyone, and the kind of elemental power your people wield doesn't flow through our people very well or very often. Sinjun has not been hiding her magic, she has simply had no reason to use it in the usual form."
She bowed back when he left, making sure he and Bruk were well on their way before turning back to the ruins.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 15, 2013 23:30:29 GMT -5
She had made a valid point, which had caused Hoti to stand straighter. She was a woman of such power, and the lady Klai could do a great many things that he also could barely fathom in his experience, and to know that despite this advantage she did not think the Yitoki inferior in any way was reassuring.
Hoti was silent in his own thoughts as Bruk accompanied him, his thunderous steps muffled greatly by the sand. He turned his eyes up to the golem and wondered if it could speak. He wondered how old it was, how experienced. Brute strength could make up for inexperience. He certainly wouldn’t want to get on its bad side.
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Post by KD on Aug 15, 2013 23:33:02 GMT -5
It obviously could not speak aloud, for it had no mouth. Or features for that matter, only the slightest indentations and a faint glow showing where its eyes were. It lumbered beside him without a hint of tiring, the evening making the runes carved into it glow.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 16, 2013 0:25:02 GMT -5
Hoti made all haste, stopping only to rest and catch some kill to cook over the fire. He was used to being alone on the trail, although he did have a strange companion who merely stood still as a statue when Hoti ceased walking for the night. There was still quite a bit of distance to cover, and he did not want to be useless once he reached the tribe. He would go first to Moraji, as was the custom. Although Moraji was not the eldest, he was considered in many ways to be the tribe chieftain, though perhaps not in title. Once the Yitoki became warriors when they came of age and proved their prowess to be named worthy, they became part of a brotherhood that had existed time beyond time.
He remembered Yiska as a young cub, how fierce he howled to the beat of the warrior’s drum, would dance along the shadows of the warriors as they circled the fire, would pretend to be a great warrior at play and cause the other cubs to run crying to their mothers with a bruise to kiss. How much like Moraji he had wanted to be. Hoti chuckled at the memories.
It was rare for a young Yitoki to go wandering, and Yiska was always a curious thing, finding trouble where trouble was not to be found, but would always put up the brave fight. He had certainly wandered the furthest, clear across the desert into the green lands. That is how Sinjun came to be his companion, and it was a great act of trust to bring a human into the Yitoki’s world. Many were wary at first, but Sinjun was Sinjun. Yiska loved her ever so much and that had softened many a heart.
Hoti had been around a very long time, and old enough to be Yiska’s grandfather, or at the least a great uncle. Hadn’t Yiska called Hoti that endearing term before? The silent and stoic Hoti, who lost his heart to that fierce young cub? Yiska had made him smile again, the loneliness had seemed to melt away, and the death of his wife and son didn’t seem so painful after that day.
Bruk held back as was Sapphira’s word, and Hoti continued alone through the canyon, reaching the tribe’s new home. His eyes wandered around the terrain. The terrain was not the same, the tents in shifted positions, but it was still home. Life had gone on while he was away. The cubs ran about the camp giggling, playing hide and seek. He turned to the side as one almost barreled into him. Seeing who it was, the little girl asked for forgiveness meekly, and he simply laid a hand on her head, then patted her backside lightly that she should move on and continue her play.
He found Moraji’s tent, and before he even made his presence known, a hand shot out to grip his wrist and pull him inside. Hoti blinked a little, caught off guard.
“Greetings to you too, young Shaman.” Hoti raised his brow and gave a slight frown of disapproval. But when he saw the fervor in Yiska’s eyes he stopped short.
“I am sorry, Hoti.” Yiska grimaced in apology. “How is Sinjun, is she well?”
Hoti took a seat. He forgave Yiska his lack of usual ceremony. “Sinjun is well. She has been delivered to the lady Sapphira and lady Klai. I am most certain that she is in good hands.”
“How did the journey fare? Were you ambushed? Were you attacked?”
“Slow down, Yiska.” Hoti raised his hands complacently. “We came to no harm. There was one beetle, nothing more. It was dispatched quickly, there is nothing to fear. Your kin are on the right trail. They will find what they seek in no time.”
Yiska studied his face and then let out a long sigh. “I miss her.” He said finally.
He looked so despondent that Hoti raised a hand and patted him on the back.
“She will return to you in one piece, Yiska. She will do fine.”
“I have prayed for her daily, many times.”
“The spirits hear you, young shaman. You have done all you can.” Hoti tried to be comforting.
“But is it enough?” Yiska added dejectedly.
“Yiska!” Hoti had heard enough. “You will do no one any good in this state. Pull yourself together, young shaman. This village needs protection, not just Sinjun, and she is in capable hands. Your people need your strength, Yiska. You need to put them before all else, lest you forget that your people is under the same amount of danger as your human friend.”
“I have seen the sand shifting in the dunes on the other side of the canyons,” Yiska’s ears perked up. “They must be the beetles you speak of.”
“Well, off to it, boy. Speak with your mentor. You must put a plan together to defend this village at all costs.” Hoti motioned outside the tent. “Hurry now, no time to waste.”
“Yes, you are right, Hoti.” Yiska got up abruptly and hastened for the door. “And, thank you.” He smiled a little and ducked out of the tent.
Hoti rubbed his temples. Youth.
Moraji returned presently and Hoti was waiting for him. The two sat together and Hoti told him about what had happened the last few days. He described in detail how to fight the beetles. He also mentioned the trap they had come across, and lastly their fears of humans flooding the desert in search of riches.
“Yiska must not be made aware,” Moraji agreed. “As you have suggested, we will first focus on defense. We must create a perimeter around the Yitoki village. If movement is spotted, we will send out our warriors to investigate and eradicate any threat. I will create the village defense, while you create offense, since you have experienced a beetle first hand.”
“Right away, my brother.” Hoti nodded and went on his way to do what was necessary.
Yiska did consult with the shaman, but he was told that prayer was one of the most important tasks that Yiska could ever do. “We strengthen the spirits with our gifts and our prayers, only through these things can they give us gifts in return. You are not a warrior, Yiska, you are shaman now. So, we do not fight. We pray.”
This did little to ease Yiska’s restless body and mind, but once he complied and gave himself over, he began to feel at peace. He could forget for a time.
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Post by KD on Aug 16, 2013 14:56:31 GMT -5
There were times Yiska's stone would flare up and the faint sound of music would come from it, which was usually an indication Sinjun was thinking about him...or worrying about him.
Bringing their niece into the ruins turned out to be a good idea because Sinjun wielded power over something that proved to be extremely effective against the traps and golems of the ruins: sound. Yiska and the shaman were visited by a little dragon like creature carrying a small pouch full of enchanted gems and a couple of letters from Sinjun. The one for both of them mentioned the golems were susceptible to sound and air in particular, if they needed to defend the village, air and earth spirits would be good ones to focus on. The second letter, the one just for Yiska, was personal, saying she hoped they were staying safe and that she missed him and begged him to be careful.
Klai's prediction about the arcanists appeared to be true, because parties of humans were seen going out into the desert. Lots at first, but they kept getting attacked in the night, disappearing. For the moment, they were making no move to go near the Yitoki, either wary of approaching them or unaware of them, either way they weren't making trouble. Yet.
In the ruins, Klai was aware they were running out of time. When her spies heard the increased activity in the desert, she activated her two most powerful golems: Titus and Magnus. Magnus was a mithril golem and she positioned him at the entrance of the ruins. Taking him down was a feat few people were capable of and even if they managed it, Titus was waiting near their camp. Titus was a golem of solid adamantite, every inch of him sheathed in metal so hard it could shatter the finest weapon into splinters on impact. Creating one was a feat few mages were capable of and it generally took an entire group to do it. Klai had done it with almost no help, which was almost unheard of. He'd been the thing that had set Klai's reputation as a golem maker in stone. It was that huge, gleaming giant of a golem that got them into the temple finally. For all their astonishing works of art and traps, the metal they used was both old and wasn't the best metal for such things in the first place. They could destroy her poor animated armors and such but when a trap tried to close on Titus, he simply forced it back open.
They were making their way into the temple bit by bit, cautious, an entire army of golems circling the entrance they had found. Sinjun sat crosslegged in front of a console of some sort, fiddling with a series of odd shaped crystals set into a metal plate inside it. She was good with languages but this one was so old she could only figure out a few words here and there.
She sat back and thought for a minute, then pulled out her harp and started playing softly. Klai and Sapphira and the couple of mages they'd brought with them all paused to watch curiously. Sinjun focused on one of the larger crystals as it started to vibrate, and then glow as her spell touched it. She turned it slowly until a beam of light was passing through all of the crystals and a flare of light speared out from the top of the console, hitting a large crystal set in the ceiling, which sent the beam bouncing all over the place from one crystal to another, lighting up the whole cavern.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 16, 2013 22:58:17 GMT -5
Yiska would hold the stone gently when it sang to him, and smile for the familiar tune would make his heart ease. Often when he was anxious his hand would close upon the stone in the medicine pouch in his neck. He would take time to meditate and send his good thoughts and feelings out into the desert, where the talisman might pick it up and warm Sinjun’s heart as well. They were linked, in a way, despite distance. But Yiska wanted most of all was her beside him, with that soft smile of hers, the light blush on her cheeks which would often touch them when they were together.
The shaman would tap him on the head with his staff if Yiska’s mind began to wander too often, and Yiska would yelp in surprise, but did not hate him for it.
Yiska hadn’t seen anything quite like the dragon creature before, although it was possible the old shaman had. The shaman accepted the gems with his thanks, and he would disperse them accordingly. They both were grateful for the information provided to them, for they could now create a game plan. The shaman set to work carving talismans to loop around the warrior’s necks to represent these spirits, and the power he channeled into them would allow the spirit power to manifest when they needed it most. He would add the enchanted gems to these talismans and loop them with cord so that they may be placed around the neck.
Yiska went to a private spot to read the personal letter, and crushed it to his chest after he read it. He lowered his head and smiled softly. “Sinjun… I miss you too.”
At the shaman’s request, the warriors chosen were gathered together. The shaman chanted prayer in song as he placed the talismans and gems around their necks, placing a hand against it to press it against their chests as he activated the power that had slept within them. He was given great thanks after he prayed for swiftness and invulnerability against the enemy.
As Moraji and Hoti directed the warriors on where they were to take position, Yiska and the shaman bowed their heads together to form a stratagem of their own. Yiska would take point towards the south and the shaman the north. They would funnel their spiritual energy as was needed if fighting broke out.
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Post by KD on Aug 16, 2013 23:42:16 GMT -5
Matthias Ren would have been the first to tell anyone he was the most powerful among the apprentices. He'd often told his teachers he was ready for more complicated magic but they wouldn't listen to him. He'd shown them, he thought as he carefully drew a glyph around the staff he'd been carrying with him over the past year. He set the staff upright exactly in the middle of the glyph, following the whispers in his head, excitement thrumming through him. His followers, as he liked to think of them, stood on the outskirts of the room, watching silently with the kind of reverence he considered his due.
Klai Anmare had reached the ruins before him. He hadn't counted on that, was very annoyed by it. But even the mighty golem mage had no power to compare to this power he had gained control over. Once he got rid of them and conquered the ruins, everyone would see that.
He focused on the crystal at the top of the staff, whispering an incantation, looking through that crystal to the living crystals that matched it dotting the ruins. Someone had activated some of them, which pleased him. Less work for him.
Every soft word he spoke in chant leeched a bit more of his soul away, every time he focused on those crystals, the creature that rested beneath the temple coiled a bit more of itself into his mind.
But Matthias didn't know it...and even if he had, he would never have admitted it.
He felt an ecstasy that was almost addicting flow through him as the crystals started to vibrate, even more powerful than the resonance he'd used to awaken the first golems. The human outpost they were staying at started to shake. Matthias didn't concern himself with them, all the treasure hunters they'd convinced to help were out there in the desert.
The blast exploded through the crystals connecting Matthias's staff to the ones in the temple destroyed the room around them and the outpost alongside it, killing everyone except Matthias and his followers. The ripple of power that spread from that spot could be felt all across the desert, even as far as the Yitoki's camp.
Sinjun stumbled, hitting the floor as the entire temple shook suddenly. Klai cried out and she heard someone scream as the screech of metal and grinding of rock filled the air. She lifted her head and looked around groggily. The light had revealed a long hallway stretching before them, statues of beetles and scorpions set into the walls, gleaming dull gold in the light.
The statues were coming to life.
The scorpion statues, easily twice as big as the beetle ones, clicked their claws and crawled off the pedestals they'd been set on. Sapphira yanked Sinjun to her feet and drew her behind Titus, who stepped forward to meet the oncoming golems even as another rumble shook the temple and sand exploded everywhere.
There weren't many of the beasts outside of the temple but several had been sleeping beneath the sand. Awoken by Matthias now, they exploded outward, several of them near the canyon, landing in a spray of sand and heading for the first living thing they saw.
Bruk came charging out of nowhere and brought a huge stone fist down on the backs of one of them. The creature was affixed with razor sharp pinchers and a wicked blade at the end of its tail, but it had no effect on the golem's stone body and its own body collapsed with relative ease. Frightening they might be, but hardly invincible. They had the same weaknesses as the beetles and the scorpions were notably slower and many of them were damaged, their legs or pinchers not working.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 18, 2013 23:44:05 GMT -5
Yiska was flanked by three warriors at the southern edge of the canyon, the remaining warriors facing almost back to back in case anything came their way down the dusty path to breach the canyon, putting themselves before the path that wound back up to the north side of the canyon where the Yitoki tribe now lived.
Yiska was aware of Bruk and had informed his brothers-at-arms that the huge golem was on their side. The brothers had been wary at first but came to terms that it was a welcome protector.
The backlash of Matthias’ magic was definitely felt by Yiska, and he drew in a sharp breath. The magic felt very different to that which dwelled inside him, foreign and alarmingly poignant. Once it touched him he understood the feel of it though he could not explain it.
Small bursts of the same magic flared up around them, and Yiska felt in his gut that it was the enemy. With Bruk having been the first to make a move against them, Yiska gave out a word of warning and the warriors made ready to defend all that they held dear.
Yiska closed his eyes and swayed a bit on his feet as he called upon the spirits to come forth and protect them. They came into existence as a semi-corporeal form, something that looked like tendrils of smoke or shadow, some taking the form of spirit animals, others as ancient Yitoki warriors, the ancestors, themselves.
Yiska’s body sunk to its knees as he to left his body to become a spirit form, a magic spell that the shaman had taught him and that which he had practiced every day since the Yitoki relocated under the guidance of his master.
The spirits surged forward, using elemental magic to slow, disable, or confuse the creatures, allowing the warriors an advantage. The creatures could not hurt the spirits, for they were not of body but magic, and could not be harmed by physical blows.
If the creatures got past the first line of defense, more warriors were waiting in the canyon, which had also become alive with the spirits that dwelled within the sacred place. None were allowed to cross the canyon floor, and were destroyed by any means necessary.
On the north side of the village, a like battle was being fought, and the more experienced old shaman had no trouble keeping up with the warriors himself, able to funnel some of his spirit akin to Yiska’s actions, and take the beetles down with his gnarled old staff at the same time.
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Post by KD on Aug 18, 2013 23:51:55 GMT -5
The creatures had no idea what to make of the spirits. They were simple creatures and battling an enemy they could not truly see or touch was too much for their minds to handle. The scorpions spun one way then another, snapping at the spirits ineffectively, unwise since it left them wide open to the warriors and Bruk.
Sinjun was blinded, sand in her eyes and in her mouth, waterfalls of it seeming to pour out everywhere. She heard the crash of metal on metal as Titus, not bothered by the sand, battled the swarm coming at them. A scorpion flew in a flipping arc above their heads and crashed into a pillar not far away. Sinjun struggled to pull herself to her feet. She heard her aunt Klai's warning a moment too late and white hot agony stabbed through her leg. She looked back to see one of the scorpions withdrawing its tail spike from her leg. It wasn't poisoned, thank the gods, but it hurt horribly. She pulled back as it reared its tail back and threw out her hand at it, sending a pulsing wave of air that vibrated with sound toward it, knocking it backwards and scrambling it. The thing lurched around, waving its pinchers, utterly disoriented.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 19, 2013 0:09:42 GMT -5
Yiska’s spirit entered his body when the creatures were at last destroyed. Having been on his knees, he sunk down, disoriented and exhausted from the effort. His brothers had some wounds, but nothing that rest and medicine would not cure. They came to him, asking if Yiska was well, and patting him on the back with words of thanks. Yiska grinned at them and nodded, too tired for words.
The shaman’s voice sounded within him, asking if they had been victorious and that none had been harmed. Yiska responded with the voice inside them saying that all was well. He was helped to his feet by his brothers, and was assisted back to camp, for his own feet were all but useless since he had expended himself as he was new to the spell. The warriors all gathered together and word spread that they were safe. It was then the women and children, and elderly, crept from their tents, faces pale and unsure.
Moraji stood among his brethren, joined by Yiska who was given water and a seat by the fire to warm him, and the old shaman who had a glint in his eye, having felt young again for a time. A small patrol would encircle the camp that evening, their shifts changed every two hours, just to make sure that nothing else decided to show up. But the camp would rest well tonight.
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Post by KD on Aug 19, 2013 18:04:10 GMT -5
Sapphira, pale faced helped Sinjun to the entryway of the temple. The corridor leading up to the surface was crowded with golems, milling about worriedly because their mistress was in danger. Klai firmly told them to take up position at the entrance again and they went. Titus stood unharmed, surrounded by piles upon piles of golden bejeweled machine parts. One of the iron golems moved forward and started dragging them off to the side so they wouldn't block the bridge. Everyone was shaken but generally unharmed, on full alert as they watched for more beasts to come.
Sinjun sat as Sapphira healed her leg, looking around anxiously. "Do you think that wave went up to the surface too? The Yitoki might be in danger!"
"You can send a message to them in a while," Sapphira soothed, letting her magic knit the wound closed. Sinjun would have to go easy on it for the next few days. The tone of her niece's voice confirmed something she'd only suspected up until this point. Because she had no doubt Sinjun was worried about the Yitoki, all of them, but the main part of her anxiety was for one of them in particular.
She loves him. She thought with a pang, wondering how that had come about. To Sapphira, it was strange indeed, but then again, Sinjun had always had a much wider heart than anyone Sapphira had ever known. Maybe to her, the physical differences between the two didn't matter.
They rested, Klai sending her pseudodragon familiar back out again to the shaman and Yiska to see if the tribe was all right.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 20, 2013 0:44:27 GMT -5
Yiska slept like the dead that night. He did not move nor wake for anything, his mother had to walk in and check if he was breathing. She lay a hand gently against his cheek as he slept, smiling warmly, full of pride for what her son did that day.
The shaman sat at the edge of the village, deep in meditation. The foreign magic that had surrounded the Yitoki village was gone, all creatures had been eradicated. But the question was, would they be missed?
He could do nothing for it now, just rely on the spirits to give him warning if their human masters should approach. He heard a light scrabbling and opened his eyes to greet the dragonling as it went up the mountain path to bring him news.
He took the message addressed to him with thanks, opened the scroll and read its contents. It appeared that all was well with their human friends, save Sinjun’s injuries. Undoubtedly the news was meant to be kept from Yiska or else it would have been addressed to the both of them. He set the scroll on the ground, raised his hand, and it burst in flame, lest Yiska see it.
The shaman would give Yiska the personal scroll in the morning. He addressed the dragonling “All is well here, my little friend. None have perished. Your master’s advice helped turn the tide against the creatures. We will not have to worry about any further attack, at least from anything close by. You may return knowing that the Yitoki have been victorious.”
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Post by KD on Aug 20, 2013 1:50:22 GMT -5
Klai was sorry to inform the shaman that the creatures that came from that point on would probably be bigger and or more powerful. The good news was she didn't think they would have planted many outside the temple so the scorpions and beetles were probably the worst the yitoki would have to face. Still, she warned him to be careful. Indeed, Sinjun left out anything about the wound on her leg in her letter to Yiska. She just wanted to be certain he was okay, not just from the beasts but he was being careful not to overexert himself. She knew the shaman and Yiska's family wouldn't let him do that, but that was logic and logic had very little to do with any of this.
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Post by Jenny on Aug 20, 2013 2:33:42 GMT -5
But they would have to cross some distance, for the Yitoki and the golem had cleared a radius for nearly a mile. The shaman even had a mind to create a barrier. It would take a constant amount of his energy to keep it up, but nothing he could not handle. The point of it would be awareness if one of these large beetles or scorpions got too close.
In the time they had made for themselves, after motioning to the dragonling that it should move along back to Klai, he made his way into the camp to deliver the scroll to Yiska. He left it with Tahki since Yiska was still recuperating and then walked down the canyon path to find wood of the appropriate size, and cut them down into thin wooden slats, one end to a point, so that they may be driven deep into the sand. He painted upon them symbols so that the magic may manifest within them for a time, until it would be necessary for him to renew it. It was something like a silent alarm system.
After he woke up, Yiska was given the scroll and he moved to a private spot to read it. He scrawled a reply on parchment that Sinjun had left for him, writing with words that he had been taught to spell. He wrote that he was being careful, and more and more he believed that perhaps being a shaman wasn’t all that bad at all. He even began to enjoy his communion with the spirits, It was such a feeling of freedom, of boundless joy and wisdom.
Perhaps someday he could project himself without tiring too much, but it would take practice. He also wrote that he missed her every day and that he wished she would come home soon. He gave the scroll to the patient dragonling who had waited until Yiska handed him his reply. Then the dragonling darted away in that funny lope that he had.
The shaman called Yiska to the southern edge of the village, with dozens of wooden slats that lay in piles. He passed a bowl of paint to Yiska and instructed him on how to draw the symbols necessary for the spell, and Yiska with a careful hand, slow as he may be, duplicated the symbols. The shaman nodded approval.
After the paint had dried and the stakes were ready, they loaded them into a wagon and hitched it to one of the pack animals. They made their way a good mile or so around the Yitoki camp, and then around the south side of the canyon. It was long work, and with torchlight, they finished the job. The shaman would sprinkle a special powder on the wood, and brush his fingers along the symbols, which then glowed for a few moments.
It was very late into the morning when they had finished, and the shaman needed a great deal of rest to recuperate. Yiska had come off light, for he had simply assisted, his level of magic was not potent enough to match the old shaman.
A tingling sensation tickled Yiska along his spine, and he realized that he could feel the barrier coming to life as the last of the posts had been set. The shaman winked at Yiska. “Not too bad is it, my apprentice?”
“It is amazing,” Yiska replied wide-eyed.
“A feat in time you may be able to match, Yiska.” The shaman chucked.
“I couldn’t hope for better,” Yiska replied, but in a humble nature. The shaman constantly surprised him. Old as he looked, he was clever as a fox.
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Post by KD on Aug 20, 2013 2:46:08 GMT -5
It put Sinjun at ease to know that he was better and the obvious joy in his words when he spoke about communing with the spirits made her happy. She carefully folded the letter and put it with her things. She missed him too, but was glad he and the village were taken care of both by him and the old shaman.
They pushed deeper into the temple, Titus and the smaller, simpler golems moving with them in a circle of protection. It was a good thing the mages that had made this tower had used so much stone and metal, otherwise Titus would have been too heavy to go with them in several places. As it was, the place was made up of huge wide open spaces, the ceilings vaulted, every inch of stone carved with complicated runes or pictograms. Sinjun studied some of those pictograms, frowning, most of the depicting strange creatures with an obvious penchant for destruction. Seeing scene after scene of lovingly rendered slaughter disturbed her deeply.
It was a couple of days later that the humans would be spotted. Not many of them, all on horseback, passing the village and camping deeper in the desert, meeting up with some of the humans that were already there. Klai, Sinjun, and the Yitoki, of course, had no real way of knowing they were the last humans for miles around, the human outpost being destroyed in the blast.
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