“What are you going to do?” the Kanuakian runner asked in an urgent tone.
My eyes leapt to Akina where she stood behind her tribesman, but her face was stoic and expressionless as she met my gaze, so I would get no help there.
“The other tribes do not understand the disrespect shown to Trahana people,” the messenger from the Trahana tribe said.
“Give us your aid!”
“No, us!”
“My tribe deserves your help the most.”
I was immediately bombarded with all the messengers talking at once in their own languages, and it was hard to pick out one voice from the horde. Runners from five tribes had arrived in search of my help with their own people, and they were arguing with each other over who should receive my attention first.
“The Casamoni people swore to follow you because you promised to protect us!” the runner from the nomadic people argued.
The Gupuana and Kimaku tribes had also sent representatives to argue their cases with the God of Time, and I swiveled my head from one tribe to the other as I tried to sort out all the voices and dialects.
“Stop the carnage, Great One,” the Kimaku runner pleaded.
“Save my people!”
“No, save my people,” the Gupuana representative argued.
“The Kimaku have done nothing to aid your quest. Gupuana tribe has stood at your back in battle already, and we call upon the God of Time to return the favor!”
They all continued to argue and bicker back and forth amongst themselves, and I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I would have had to shout to be heard over the clamoring voices, but I was hoping they would run out of steam before that was necessary.
I still hadn’t figured out what had sparked the intertribal war, but it had something to do with land. I was surprised the people weren’t more worried about the monsters plaguing the realm, but that could still have something to do with the situation.
I needed to get to the bottom of it, but I wasn’t learning anything new while they argued over who had the right to my help.
If the five tribes present in the Noshono’s village were any indication of how many were involved in the war, then I was sure there were even more heading into battle with their fellow desert dwellers who hadn’t called for my help. The numerous peoples of the Kotar Desert were stoic and independent by necessity, and it had been difficult for me to entice them to work together the first time.
Could I pull it off again?
If anyone could bring peace to the Kotar Desert, it was the God of Time, but there was already a lot on my plate as it was. There was the sorcerer to track down and eliminate, the God of the Plague to investigate, and the catacombs outside the desiccated village to explore.
I also couldn’t help but notice what specific tribes were missing from this impromptu gathering of representatives. A lot of the southern tribes I’d only recently met had not sent for my help, but I didn’t expect them to be looking for war. The Giboni, Brumuex, and Upuka tribes were all more peaceful by nature, but they’d been eager to be rid of the monster threat plaguing them, so maybe they weren’t involved in this conflict at all.
I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned my attention back to the runners still freaking out all around me, and I realized the
tension had built. Several messengers held their hands near their sword handles, and the Kanuakians were in the first pose of the flame sword summoning spell pattern.
“The Trahana tribe is marching on the Chunga Oasis to claim it as their own,” the messenger from the northern nomads informed me.
“The Chunga Oasis belongs to the Kimaku tribe now,” the runner from Mahini’s home tribe announced in a decisive tone, but I realized they’d started to use the common tongue I’d created so they could understand each other.
“Gupuana already occupy the Chunga Oasis,” their runner said. “You cannot force us out into the dangers of the desert without the God of Time’s aid.”
“The Casamoni tribe know the Chunga Oasis is a hallowed safe ground,” the nomadic tribe member said. “It is long past Casamoni’s turn to seek shelter there. The monsters keep coming.
There is nowhere else to go.”
The other messengers echoed their sentiments nearly identically, and I sighed as I realized they all wanted the same thing.
Shelter from the monsters.
First things first, though, I wanted to reset to my save point so I could quickly get control of the situation.
Chime.
But I realized my blunder the second I opened my eyes.
I hadn’t made a save point since the evening before the lizjaga attacked. In the adrenaline rush of victory and then the celebrations, it must have slipped my mind, but no matter. I would just fly through the battle even faster than before and have an even better run through.
I was still feeling the effects of the party we’d enjoyed with the Noshono tribe, so I stumbled drunkenly out of bed and began to strap on my armor, but I didn’t wake the women up this time, either. I had Jorgen and Corvis clear the streets, but then the rest would be on me. I would kill the monsters, check on my family, and then stop the desert war from happening on my doorstep.
All in a day’s work.
I would have to go back to Bastianville again, too, but that just meant I had another chance to snuggle my baby daughter and my two wives I’d left back in town. Then I made all the preparations I
knew would work again this time, and I set about to wait for the lizjaga to arrive at the edge of the village.
The God of Monster Killing had arrived.
As soon as the first jaguar-jawed monster appeared on the edge of town, I summoned my water blade, and I twirled it threateningly at the creatures as they approached. Their scorpion-like tails jabbed at the ground in front of their lizard-like feet, and they scurried forward across the sand like demons crawling out of hell.
They still gave me the creeps, but they were a lot less intimidating now that I knew how to kill them, so I ran forward into battle without hesitation.
I jabbed my water sword straight down the open gullet of the first lizjaga that attacked me, and my blade erupted out the back of its skull with a splash of blood spraying in every direction. The creature was dead by the time I removed my blade again, and I let it drop to the ground as I picked out my next target.
I moved through the lizjaga systematically, and I eliminated them at an even faster pace than I had before. They didn’t stand a chance, but I had several options to choose from when it came time to decide on which corpse was best to take to Bastianville.
Once I was done with the lizjaga, the women emerged from our tent with fists rubbing sleepy eyes, and they all gaped in awe at the pile of monsters I’d dispatched during the night.
“What the hell happened last night?” Eva asked.
“Yes, do tell,” Zenda urged.
“I think the scene speaks for itself.” Caelia laughed. “Bash protected us from monsters. What else would you expect of him?”
They repeated the same words as they had before, and this time a knowing smirk spread across my face as I listened to them again. I was still sick of the monsters plaguing the Kotar Desert, but I knew there were other priorities to take care of as well.
Namely, the war about to break out among the tribal people.
“Yeah, I was a little busy last night,” I explained in a hurried tone. “But the work is far from done. I’m going to take one of these monsters back to Bastianville, and then I’ll have to rush back to stop a war.”
“A war?” Eva frowned.
“What’s going on, Bash?” Caelia matched the duke’s daughter’s expression.
“Between the tribes?” Zenda shook her head. “But they’ve all agreed to follow you and support your quest to kill the sorcerer.”
“They’re going to start fighting amongst themselves before I get back from Bastianville,” I predicted with total confidence because it had already happened once. “I’ll have to hurry to beat them here.”
“Better get on it then, husband,” Eva teased as she cocked a hip to one side and planted a palm on it. “The sooner you get back from Bastianville, the sooner we can deal with the next obstacle.
Together.”
“I’m grateful to have you at my back,” I said, and I quickly crossed the distance between us to place a kiss upon her forehead.
“I don’t know what I would do without the three of you here supporting me. I’d be a lot more bored and lonely, that’s for sure.”
“We do what we can.” Caelia flicked her hair back with a laugh.
“It is an honor to support the God of Time in all his endeavors,”
Zenda added.
“Alright,” I said, and I hefted the body of one of the lizjaga onto my shoulder. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
“See you soon, my love,” Eva said, and all three women waved me off with broad smiles.
Blip.
I stood in the middle of Bastianville in front of Mahini, and her eyes took in the monster straddling my shoulder with awe obvious in her gaze.
“What is that?” my wife asked.
“Lizjaga,” I explained.
“What!” Mahini gasped and took an involuntary step backward.
“They’re real?”
“I guess so.” I shrugged to the best of my abilities considering the weight on my shoulder. “I think a sorcerer is bringing them out of legend somehow. I’ll figure it out soon enough, and I’ll put a stop to the monsters plaguing the desert. I promise.”
“I’m so glad my mother is safe in Bastianville with me,” Mahini said with an awed shake of her head. “What are you doing with the body?”
“Taking him to Abrin,” I said.
We walked and talked together as I made my way to the enchanter’s shop, but I caught Mahini up on everything that had been happening in the desert.
“Do you think Akina wants to join our little family?” the desert goddess asked with a skeptical look. “She seems open to you, but hesitant for some reason.”
“Dating a god must be intimidating or something,” I laughed.
“Whatever she chooses, I’ve enjoyed getting to know her. I’m glad to have your blessing.”
“I will always support you, Bash,” Mahini said.
Then we parted ways as I went inside. Abrin was once more surprised to see me, but I hurried through the dialogue tree that ended with him agreeing to research the lizjaga for me.
Then I rushed across the town to my castle so I could get some time in with my baby daughter and Elissa. The house was quiet when I entered, but I knew exactly where to find the mother and daughter. A few minutes later, I sat at Elissa’s feet and rubbed first one foot and then the other, but the entire time, I kept thinking about the runners approaching the Noshono village.
I had to get back to the desert.
After I visited with my family, I said goodbye with some reluctance, but then I prepared myself for the return blip to the desert. My two wives watched me walk out the door with only a little
sadness on their faces, but I blew them kisses before I left, and then I performed the movements to activate the Amulets of Zyne.
Blip.
I arrived back in the desert and glanced around in search of the runners, but it looked like I’d beaten them to town, so I quickly made a new save point. Then I set about to wait for the first messengers to show up.
In the meantime, I found myself watching Akina’s movements as she trained, and the desert beauty captivated me while I awaited the messengers’ arrival.
“Am I doing it wrong?” the desert beauty asked as she paused her movements and met my eyes.
“You’re doing nothing wrong,” I hurried to assure her. “I’m just hypnotized by you.”
Akina blushed and looked away, but her metallic-hued eyes flicked in my direction every few seconds once she’d resumed her training movements.
Soon, the messengers began to arrive once more.
The first to show up was the runner from the Trahana tribe, and I knew from experience that Chief Wombutu wasn’t a man easily
swayed by flattery, so I approached the messenger with a respectful nod.
“Hello,” I greeted in the Trahana dialect. “I am Sir Sebastian, the God of Time.”
“Then you are the man I came to speak with,” the runner said with a curt nod. “I am Wakuku. I hear you know my wife, Serini.”
“So, you’re the man who convinced her to switch tribes.” I laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder. “Congratulations. It doesn’t sound like that was an easy feat.”
“She is a tough one,” the runner agreed. “I am lucky I get to call her my wife.”
“Her cousin Mahini is one of my wives,” I said. “I feel much the same way.”
“We are both lucky men, then,” Wakuku said. “But that is not the reason for my visit. The Trahana tribe needs your help, Sir Sebastian.”
“I know,” I said in my most god-like voice. “There is a war brewing between the tribes. Tell me, what has caused this?”
“Several tribes from the south have traveled far beyond their usual territories,” Wakuku explained as his expression darkened.
“They’re encroaching on the Trahana tribe’s land.”
“The Trahana have been nomads since the warlord decimated their village,” I pointed out. “What territory do you claim as your own now?”
“Chief Wombutu says the Chunga Oasis is our new home,”
Wakuku said. “It is our right. We were the first tribe to unite behind your banner. It’s the least we deserve.”
“The Chunga Oasis was supposed to be neutral so everyone could seek shelter there when they needed to,” I reminded the runner. “It would surely lead to war if any one tribe tried to lay claim on that oasis.”
“Indeed they have.” Wakuku nodded. “Many tribes march north with the Chunga Oasis as their destination. We need your help to fight them off and claim the oasis for ourselves.”
“I’m not going to do that,” I said in a calm voice. “I can’t put one tribe above the others. I must remain impartial and objective. More messengers are on their way with the same request, and they have just as much of a right to my help as the Trahana tribe.”
The messenger opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, I spotted another runner approaching on horseback behind
him. I jerked my chin toward the newcomer, and I arched one eyebrow pointedly.
“You were merely the first to arrive,” I finished.
The next runner was wearing the black robes, white turban, and white veil that signaled them as a member of the Kanuakian tribe. The fire mages were known for their quickness at drawing weapons, but I also knew I could talk some sense to them once I got them one on one.
“Greetings,” I said in the Kanuakian language as I crossed the distance to the newcomer. “I am Sir Sebastian, the God of Time, and I know why you are here.”
“Then you know the Kanuaki tribe needs your help,” the man said with a grave look in his metallic-hued eyes. “I am Pravish.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Pravish,” I said and respectfully nodded my head at him. “But I cannot give you the guarantee of support you came here in search of. Like I told the other messenger from the Trahana tribe, I must remain objective.”
“What do you mean?” Pravish asked, and the veil fluttered over his lips as he exhaled in exasperation. “You have allied with the Kanuaki tribe before. Why won’t you fight beside us once more?”
“Because the people you’re fighting are also my allies,” I pointed out in a stern voice. “You seek dominion over a neutral territory, and I cannot support that.”
“The Chunga Oasis is the only safe place left in the Kotar Desert,” Pravish said with a shake of his head. “The Kanuaki tribe has fought the hardest, we deserve to lay claim to the land.”
“The Night Hunters have long been nomadic,” I reminded the runner. “Why try to lay claim to one spot anyway?”
“The monsters have been coming at us day and night,” the messenger reported in a solemn tone. “Nowhere is safe from their attacks.”
“Surely the Night Hunters aren’t afraid of some Naga,” I scoffed. “You eat danger for breakfast, after all.”
“It is not the Naga that scare us,” Pravish argued. “The monsters with eight arms and leather wings carry tribe members off each night no matter how many guards we have on each shift. They outnumber us each time the sun goes down. The Mirago attack every time the sun rises each dawn. The Kanuaki tribe cannot afford to lose any more members.”
“Stay with me and my entourage, then,” I suggested. “Travel with me, and I will make sure you know the secrets to killing all the monsters we face.”
“We have allied with you before, and what do we have to show for it?” The runner shook his head. “We need your help, Great One.
Will you ignore the call?”
Was I like Gondor now?
Ignoring an ally’s call for help?
No, I knew how to fix this situation, and it didn’t mean giving into the various tribes’ demands. I would solve the problem in my own way like I always did, but I had a feeling the desert dwellers would get on board with my plan eventually.
They had to.
“I am not ignoring anything,” I insisted in a firm voice. “I am the God of Time, and I am the one who defeated the Sand Devil. Do not forget what is already owed to me for that favor. The Kanuaki tribe fought side by side with many other residents of the Kotar Desert in order to bring the warlord down, and we can do it again with the sorcerer’s monsters.”
“Sorcerer?” The runner from the Kanuaki tribe sounded confused.
“There is someone responsible for the legends coming to life,”
I explained in a patient voice. “I first learned of his existence when I was hunting down the warlord claiming to be the Devil of the Sands, but now I think the sorcerer may be working alone.”
The messenger from the Gupuana tribe arrived before I could explain any further, and we both turned to greet the newcomer, but Wakuku, the Trahana tribe runner, had gone off somewhere.
“Greetings,” I said in the newcomer’s dialect, but then I switched to the common tongue so everyone could understand what I was saying. “I am Sir Sebastian, the God of Time, and I know why you have come today. You seek my aid in battle against the other tribes of the desert, but I must decline. I seek to help all of Kotar, and I cannot put one tribe’s interests above another. But, tell me, what is your name?”
“I am called Gaunu,” the runner explained. “And you are correct, Great One. I come to request your help. The Gupuana tribe has laid claim to the Chunga Oasis, and we want you to help us protect our claim.”
“You will bow before Trahana,” Wakuku said as he crossed the distance to us. “The Trahana tribe should have first right to the Chunga Oasis.”
The three men quickly devolved into arguing, but as they bickered back and forth with each other, the other two runners arrived with messages from the Kimaku and Casamoni tribes. I ignored the arguing runners as I greeted the newcomers, but I quickly learned all I needed to know.
Their names.
Then I reset to my save point with a wave of my willpower.
Chime.
I waited until Wakuku approached, and then I waved at him with a friendly smile plastered on my face as he dismounted and walked in my direction.
“Greetings, Wakuku,” I said in the Trahana dialect. “I know why you have come.”
“You must be the Great One of Legend I have come this great distance in search of,” Wakuku said as he dropped into a bow from the waist. “The Trahana tribe needs your help, Great One.”
“I am.” I nodded in a god-like way. “But I cannot help the Trahana tribe.”
“I do not understand.” The runner frowned. “We have done so much for you.”
“And I would be more than happy to help out the Trahana tribe in return,” I said. “But not at the expense of any other tribes in the Kotar Desert. Everyone has a right to the Chunga Oasis. It’s neutral, and the war is not going to happen.”
I repeated the same greeting by name to each of the representatives from the five tribes seeking my help, and they all took it in a similar fashion. Everyone wanted me to prioritize their tribe over the others, but that wasn’t something I was willing to do.
I was the God of Time, and I ruled over every person.
Once all five messengers had arrived, I gathered them around and made an announcement.
“Tonight, we feast as friends,” I declared in the common dialect I’d created. “Tomorrow, I will march on the Chunga Oasis, and I will end this war once and for all.”
“The Kanuakians stand behind you, Great One,” Pravish promised with a stiff-backed bow.
“As do the Gupuana,” Gaunu added.
The other three immediately agreed to follow me to the Chunga Oasis, but I had a feeling they would try to convince me to pick their tribe over the others for the rest of the night and while we were on the way there. I continuously refused, but I kept the atmosphere light as I hosted a feast for the five messengers.
Eva, Zenda, and Caelia all came to the meal to sit by my side, and they exchanged polite greetings with the representatives from the five different tribes. We ate a big, lavish meal that pulled out most of our supplies, but I knew we could go hunting along the way back to the northern oasis.
It was a big detour from my goal of finding the sorcerer, but if I didn’t get the tribes to calm down, then there wouldn’t be a Kotar Desert left to save. I needed to find the sorcerer’s lair, but I also had to keep the peace between all the tribes. It would be a lot easier to find my mysterious enemy if I had more eyes and ears on the task, too, so I decided to make the most of the trip to the Chunga Oasis.
We left the next morning after I said goodbye to the chief of the Noshono tribe, but I made sure to thank him for his generous hospitality.
“Your tribe holds a special place in my heart,” I said with a stiff-backed bow popular among the desert people. “I will not forget my time spent here.”
“The Noshono tribe send their blessings with the God of Time on the next leg of his journey.” Chief Nahko inclined his head. “May your horse’s feet move swiftly.”
These people had been nothing but kind to me and my companions, and I was loath to leave the comfort of their village, but the God of Time was a busy man.
Chief Nahko of the Noshono tribe still insisted I bring a representative of his people along with me, so I took the young woman named Abbyan with me when we left.
Then we set out for the Chunga Oasis with my entourage and companions, and I had to tug on the bond between the little dragon and I to get Nameless to change course away from the scent of the Vex in the air. It was with obvious reluctance that the lizard-like creature flew to the north, but we quickly set a steady pace, so he managed to fly well ahead of us once more.
We had more people this time, so the pace was slower than I would have liked, but there was no way I was going to leave anyone
behind. There was no telling how many monsters roamed across the sands, and I wasn’t about to let anyone in my charge get dragged away to the sorcerer’s lair.
Wherever it was.
I would return to the sorcerer problem and the quest to find his lair after I stopped the tribal warfare from going down, but I mirrored my little dragon’s feelings as he glanced once more at the southern horizon. Nameless may be craving a yummy snack, but I was craving an end to the chaos that had plagued me ever since I’d returned to the desert realm.
“Great One!” One of the scouts trotted their horse alongside mine.
I struggled to remember the kid’s name at first, but then it popped into my brain like a popcorn kernel exploding: Trava. He was one of the Sorreyalian soldiers who’d followed me from Bastianville, but I didn’t know much about him other than that.
“What’s up, Trava?” I asked.
“A few of us were talking about music,” the scout explained in a hesitant tone. “It is well known that there is no skill beyond your grasp. Are you a musician as well?”
“Sure,” I chuckled. “Why do you ask?”
That night, several soldiers brought out small, hand-made instruments they’d pieced together during our journey, and I was proud of their ingenuity. It reminded me of the Bluegrass instruments from Earth. There was a washboard played by rubbing a stick up and down the rungs, a pair of spoons tied together by their handles, and a stringed thing made out of a small box and horse hair.
I made a new save point before I spammed respawns, but I knew I would master their instruments quickly enough. I first tried the spoons, but it was harder than it looked, and it took me several attempts before I could keep a rhythm with them.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
I mastered every instrument before I reset for a final time, but then I wowed all the soldiers with my musical talent, and they were all clamoring for me to teach them what I knew. Music echoed through the night sky, and I imagined it could be heard for miles across the desert sands.
We left early each morning, but we’d traveled a great distance since I’d changed my destination yet again. It would be at least a week of hard riding before we reached the Chunga Oasis, and I only hoped I arrived in time to stop the tribes from killing each other.
Each day, I got to know the members of my entourage a little bit better, and I included the messengers and representatives of the tribes in my daily routine. Akina and I spent a lot more time together as we traveled, and I could feel the ice beneath her surface beginning to thaw. I also wanted to learn a lot more about the Kimaku runner, but I already knew his name, so I made a new save point before I approached that day’s subject.
“How is Banini?” I asked as I rode Goliath alongside the Kimaku representative. “Have you ever been this far south before?”
“Not since I was a child,” Banini explained, and he proceeded to tell me the story about how his brother had been bitten by a snake when his family was visiting relatives.
I reset to my save point with a wave of my willpower after I’d learned all I could about the Kimaku tribe member, and I was ready to put it into action, but I couldn’t help feeling a special affection for Banini since he belonged to the same tribe as my wife, Mahini.
Chime.
“How is Banini?” I asked as I rode Goliath alongside the Kimaku representative.
“I am well,” Banini replied with a respectful dip of his head.
“Eager to be heading home again.”
“I know you’ve only been this far south when you were a child,”
I said in my most god-like voice. “But fear not, I will kill any snakes I see before they can attack.”
“You know about my brother?” Banini gaped at me in shock.
“You truly are the Great One of Legend.”
“I know all things,” I explained with a knowing smirk. “Just like I know the tribes will all listen to me once I am present in the oasis. No one would dare defy me. You need not fear, there will be no war in Kotar.”
“Thank you, Great One,” Banini gushed, and he reached up to squeeze my hand warmly. “Thank you for saving my people.”
One down, four more representatives to woo.
I made a new save point each time I talked to one of the messengers from the different tribes, and I used my abilities to spam respawns until I’d learned everything I wanted to. Then I took
everything I’d learned and put it to use, and by the time we felt the coastal winds again, the runners were all eating out of the palm of my hand.
It would still be a while before we arrived at the Chunga Oasis, which was much closer to the northern boundary of the Kotar Desert than it was to the southern edge of the realm, but the coastal winds showed how much progress we’d already made.
It was still several more days before the trees of the oasis first came into view, but then I spotted the rows upon rows of white tents set up around the forest. There were various flags flown above the temporary dwellings that represented the tribes residing within them, and I swallowed hard as I realized everyone had already arrived. It didn’t look like they were in the middle of a fight, either, so maybe I had arrived in time to stop the war before it even got started.
If anyone could do it, it was the God of Time.
I made a new save point as I called for a halt to my caravan of followers, but before I even moved to dismount Goliath, what appeared to be a dog-shaped ball of sand launched at me from the ground, and I was knocked on my ass.
The sand-dogs leapt at me in a horde, and everything quickly turned beige as they blocked my line of sight. I could feel their claws raking at my armor, but I couldn’t move since they were standing on top of me.
I had arrived just in time to be attacked by more monstrous creatures, but this time, I knew what they were. I’d learned about the sand-dogs already, and the Aunubi were capable of splitting their forms into multiple identical individuals as well as merging back into one sand blob.
As far as the legends went, they were another unkillable beast, but I knew better. Nothing was unkillable where I was concerned.
This was just yet another challenge for the God of Time to excel at.