Khered sneered “it would be preferable to have made them no further permanent threat, however I understand the desire not to be drowned in Uth before we accomplish our goal. After all if we exterminated his entire tribe it would take up far too much of our time.”
Khered flew a bit higher to get a better vantage point of the surrounding area.
In the distance Khered’s keen eyes spotted a small encampment of ten tents camoflauged to resemble the nearby miountain’s rocky landscape.
It was only a split second glimpse of a metal wheel that drew his eyes but then he quickly discerned the rest of the camp around it. Someone had not tied down the vehicle the way they should have, to Khereds benefit.
Three Olgogs came riding on horses in nightmare hide armor. The front one rode as though it was all he knew. The other two fallowed behind him a look of concern in their eyes.
“Sorry it took so long. Glog insisted that I bring his apprentices Ka’lal and Uf’ogmak.” Tla’Hob whispered as he approached the other Olgogs.
“Have you spotted the slavers.” as he said the word slavers they others could hear the hate and anger in his voice.
Rogarth looked over at Tla’hob as he approached saying, “I know you…oh yes the bar.
Speaking of the bar where did Grim run off to? Just like a bastard to run off at unusual times.”
“Tla’hob of Or’Lur, you are looking for slavers right?” Asked Rogarth as he slurred his speech as if drunk. The others had been around him all day and he hadn’t drunk a drop of booze. For that matter they hadn’t seen him eat any food or drink any water all day either.
The cambion pointed generally in the direction of the sky and then promptly fell over. His eyes looked glazed and his breath came raggedly.
Yohai took three swift steps to the cambion. He knew the cambion was resistant to Leyas, but he knew it would work enough. Using his sword as a focus, he concentrated as Healing Leyas shot threw from the sword to the cambion (Cure Exhaustion). While waiting to see if it took effect, he looked at the olgogs that just approached the group.
“If you mean my Uthvelor brethren, they are gone.” Yohai spoke to no one in particular, trying to tend to the fallen cambion.
Khered was about to mention the tents and gleam of metal when Rogarth fell over. Khered looked down and debated if he would be upset if the Cambion died, eh, not really but he did give his word that he would travel with him, and just sitting there and letting Rogarth die would be a cheap way out of his deal.
So Khered swooped down and joined the Uth in pumping healing leyas into Rogarth.
Rogarth felt the monster inside him rising. Then he saw a golden glow in the darkest corner of his mind and followed it back out. His eyes opened to see two unlikely allies working together over him. As the exhaustion cleared he blinked and rose unsteadily to his feet. He leaned heavily on the Uthvelor and smiled over at Khered,
"Thank you…thank you both. I nearly lost myself there. Ever since my return from the hell dimensions I haven’t been able to sleep…ever. I’m always awake and not thinking straight.
I apologize. Also to you Tla’hab we have a mission to complete. What did I miss while I was out?"
Khered smiled, “Well, I saw some a small encampment of ten tents camoflauged to resemble the nearby miountain’s rocky landscape. I saw the gleam of a metal wheel, I think that is where we should go. Oh and the Uth here allowed some slavers to go free. That’s about it.”
Yohai was relieved that the cambion was alright. He shuddered at the thought of being in a hell dimension. He had been in a hell dimension once… it belonged to Zephon. It was not an experience he would ever like to repeat. “Hell dimensions are uneasy places, Cambion. They make even the strongest warrior weak. I’ve seen even the Falosini go mad in such places.” He looked at Khered, “The Uth slavers are a problem for another time. There are more significant problems we face.”
Yohai looked back at Rogarth, “We are going to have to resolve your tiredness problem in someway, even if you aren’t sleeping. You may be strong, but all creatures need rest at some point. We’re all going to need to be sharp when we approach the olgog encampment. Are you well enough at the moment to continue, or do we need further rest?”
“Next time kill the slavers, Uthvelor. Slavery is one of Warmongers tools,” snarled Rogarth in a voice way deeper and more gravely than his usual, then he blinked a few times and his voice returned to its normal baritone instead of the deep bass rumble they just heard, “Good eyes Khered, lets go see what gave that gleam. I can sleep when I’m dead.”
He walked across the desert ahead of his comrades hoping he would trigger any ambushes before it threatened them.
Yohai nodded. “Slavery has been made illegal by Zaodonai Uth Celyse Ha’jima. Slowly but surely it is a practice is being ended. As to wiping out my kind, at the present moment inciting a civil war would be counter-productive to my goal of saving the olgog. I’ll take your message to heart, and once my mission is complete I will work harder to end the practice.”
Rogarth seemed only barely listening to him as he got up and walked past them. Yohai did not like the way the cambion pushed himself. A tired body meant it would be harder to control ones emotional state… and Yohai knew all too well what happens when powerful beings lost control of their emotions.
He then turned to the Olgog that joined them, “Well met. I do not know about lateness, but you missed the raiders. For the best. No worries, your journey will not be for naught. In the meantime,” he said, now looking at the Baribur, “Khered, would you lead us to the Olgog encampment you saw? … and be wary, they may not like visitors.”
The camp they entered was quite large but was obviously both a forward camp and one that was moved regularly in a style similiar to Olgog raiders. It had five chariots and ten Mak Hoblok. Four smaller tents that could possibly hold as many as four Olgogs surrounded a larger tent that could easily hold eight or more.
As they approached furitive Olgog eyes watched them from between tent flaps.
A single thin Olgog of unknown descent dressed head to toe in metal armor and camoflaging wrappings stepped out from the main tent. Though her beautiful eyes could be seen. She said in a Tlalocalan accented olgog dialect, "Welcome to the place of Mag Reshed’Ol Dolmag the Spear of the Ancients. Our wise and powerful Mag’Ol has sent me out to wish you well and find what you have come to our camp for. Our far listeners heard you talk to the slavers. You are not with them but they did not enslave you either.
What business do you have in the land of the Reshedgog and the Hidden Kingdom of Rehsed?"
You are not with them which makes you an unknown quantity."
Tla’Hob spoke “We seek the slavers to…talk… of how they hurt all gog.” his voice full of rage. Shaking his head to clear it "I’m sorry my anger clouds my mind. I’m Tla’Hob, Auf’gog of Or’Lur. "
“There are no slavers here,” she replied, “Mag’Ol Dolmag refuses to allow slavers to practice their trade in these lands.It makes many Uth tribes hunt us. And we cut them down and steal their reshed so we make new things.”
She seemed wary but her hands did not stray to any weapons.
A voice could be heard from inside which said, “What type of a King would have an honored Aufgog wait as his tent flap like a begging yagog. Escort him in daughter i would greet them.”
They were lead into the tent which was covered in furs. On those furs were Olgog females of all shapes and fur colors. They laid languidly around a huge Olgog. He was neither fat nor tall, just big in all ways. Even his ears and eyes were big like the most ancient Olgogs of Refuge.
He was dressed head to toe in rough armor. It did not have the gleam of an Earther knights plate, because that would give away their location.
Instead it was purposely worn by sand to absorb the light of the flickering torchlights or the sun.
On one arm was a metal gauntlet. A seeming grotesque brutal oversized nonretractable Nnghai wrist blades adorned the gauntlet.
He leaned on a spear that had a mirror sheen sheen that did not reflect any living being in the room. In its mirror sheen Rogarth looked like a blue monster, Khered a masked tsogafaced mercurial being, but Yohai strangest of all. He looked like himself but behind him stood a shadowy mercurial being whose swordlike claws pierced Yohai’s eyes.
Tla Hob looked like himself a refined older Olgog.
The Rehsedian Chieftain raised his spear to salute them, “Welcome to the tent of Mag’Ol Dolmag. I BID THEE GREETING.”
His hands danced through an intricate pattern of Falosini greetings.
Khered pales for a second, staring at the Chieftain’s spear with apprehension, “Greetings honored Chieftain, we thank you for your kindness…if I am not being rude, I must say…that spear you have, the design is quite…fascinating, is that a Sylvan design? Quite…fascinating…”
Mag’Ol Dolmag looked at the spear for a moment as if it only barely registered that he was holding it. As the spear tip waivered his reflection was reflected in it. The reflection showed a mercurial arm extended from the reflection holding the chieftain tightly around the throat. The imagery reminded them of the way an owner might hold back his dog.
There was a tenseness to the arm shown in the reflection as if Dolmag was struggling against the grip.
Dolmag said, “Fascinating indeed. It predates the formation of the Gor’ab and predates the influence of both the Falosini and the Earthers on the Olgog peoples. It is the sign of kingship of the Rehsed and worshipped by all Reshedgog as the source of all knowledge. The spear pierces darkness and allows knowledge to flow free. It is called many things throughout Olgog history but is now known as the Sa’Rehsed. The sun of the Rehsedians. Many Shattered Sun Mag’ols have tried to steal it over the centuries and each time Rehsedian Mag’ol has defended it and protected the honor of our tribe.”
Yohai remained emotionless when she saw his reflection, as it was a reflection he had seen before. The eyes, however, that was new. He would ponder that particular change another time. What really caught his attention was the reflections of his peers. Strange company, indeed… If he were a person of humor, he would have laughed at the obvious nature of Khered’s remark, but chose to remain silent.
When he finally saw Dolmag’s reflection, he knew what was going on. That which he was forewarned against suddenly made a little more sense… and he appreciated the history lesson.
Yohai was not used to seeing Falosini greetings. He acknowedged the Mag’Ol and respectfully stated, “Greetings, I am Yohai of the Akalus Legionnaire. I am pleased to meet you.”
At the name Akalus, a little of the jolly left Mag’Ol Dolmag , "Greetings Akalus Haku. I am surprised to see an Uthvelor of your profession here. This is usually too far south for Azraels Legions to claim as part of their territory.
Are you here to announce conquest or are you hunting fugitives?
If it is conquest know that the Tribed of Rehsed and all Reshedgog will fight to prevent any external force from controlling us."