Chime.
The bell rang in my ears as I reset to my save point with a wave of my will, and I was astride Goliath once more. I didn’t have very long, but it was more than enough time to pull my panabas out.
I lifted my blade as I called a halt to the caravan, but then I steeled myself for the attack.
“What is it, Bash?” Jorgen asked in a worried tone. “Why are we stopping?”
My eyes swept back and forth across the sand at my horse’s hooves, but it remained motionless and stable.
“We’re under attack,” I said, but I didn’t have time to explain any further because the sand-dogs leapt at me from the ground beneath Goliath’s hooves.
I slashed sideways through one of the beasts’ torsos, and I cleaved it in half with my blade. The creature fell to either side of me, but when I glanced down, it formed into two, smaller, separate dogs made of sand.
“Fuck,” I breathed, but I didn’t have much more time to react before another dog leapt at me with snarling teeth.
“Aunubi!” voices called from my caravan. “Run!”
“Shit,” I cursed as I sliced Aunubi after Aunubi in half, but I was only making more enemies.
I needed the upper hand.
Fast.
Chime.
The ringing in my ears had barely faded when I decided to change to a different method, and I kicked my heels against Goliath’s flanks to urge him into a full gallop. The white stallion charged forward with a shake of his head, and his tail swished eagerly as he dashed across the sand toward the oasis.
The trees of the Chunga Oasis grew larger and more substantial in my vision, and I held my breath as I waited for the upcoming attack. I had a feeling the Aunubi were hunting me specifically, so I was hoping to draw them away from the rest of my companions.
Then I pulled on the reins to bring Goliath to a halt, and his hooves slid in the sand as he skidded to a stop. The stallion reared up to accommodate for the rapid change of pace, and I leaned
forward to shift my weight appropriately. By the time his feet were back on the ground, I heard the snarl of a sand-dog from behind me.
I spun just in time to block the first lunging beast with my panabas, but I didn’t want to keep using the weapon if it was only splitting them in two. It didn’t take a mathematician to know I didn’t need to be outnumbered further, so I summoned a fireball instead and shot it into the creatures snarling at my horse’s hooves. The flames rolled over the sandy dog-like forms, and the particles they were made up of glittered in the light like glass, but still the dog monsters attacked.
“What the fuck,” I growled as I racked my brain for another spell.
In the meantime, I kicked Goliath, and the warhorse galloped across the sand once more. I tossed out even stronger fireballs in the hopes that the powerful magic would cause the monsters to explode, but then the sand-like chunks slid back together to reform another Aunubi.
According to the tribal legends, the Aunubi were dog-like creatures who rose out of the sand dunes to drag misbehaving children down to the desert dwellers’ version of hell to face punishment. The beasts reminded me a lot of the Egyptian god
Anubis, but there had been other overlaps between our two worlds before, so it wasn’t that unusual.
These things were supposed to be unkillable, but those words meant little to the God of Time. I just needed to figure out their weakness, but they were powerful, so I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands.
I summoned my vines with a wave of my willpower and the grunts of the magic words from the Southern Wild Lands, but the sand-dogs merely filtered themselves past the vines like sand pouring through a woven basket’s openings.
Well, that didn’t work.
There would be no restraining these bastards with vines, but I had other methods, so I shot out a blast of ice next. The shards struck the sand-dogs straight on, and their sandy forms froze in place. Then I blasted them with a fireball, and the dog-like creatures exploded into a spray of glassy shards.
They didn’t reform.
“Hell, yeah.” I grinned.
I’d figured out how to kill them at last, so I reset to my save point for a final time.
It was time to kick some Aunubi ass.
Chime.
I was astride Goliath at the head of the caravan, but this time I had everything I needed to defeat the Aunubi, so I didn’t call for a halt. Instead, I shook out my hands and prepared to summon my ice spells, and I waited until the first dog formed from the sand beneath my horse’s hooves.
As soon as an Aunubi launched itself from the ground, I blasted an ice spell straight in its face, and the chill swept through the sand-dog like fog creeping across a windowpane. I shot more ice at the other creatures as they launched themselves at me, but now I had the upper hand.
Once several sand-dogs were frozen in mid-jump around me, I switched to fireballs to explode them into a million fragments of glass. Moments later, the sand-dogs were shattered into thousands of tiny particles, and they did not reform to join the fight.
“Aunubi!” a voice from behind me shouted, and I turned to see the rest of the caravan also under attack, so I spurred Goliath back down the line to chase after the sand-dog monsters.
No one else in my entourage knew any ice magic, but the Kanuakians jumped into action to smash the frozen Aunubi into pieces after I’d frozen them in place. With everyone working together, we managed to defeat the rest of the Aunubi without any casualties, and then I gave my followers a breather before we continued on to the Chunga Oasis.
“You made quick work of those monsters, sir,” Jorgen complimented as we rode the rest of the distance to the oasis.
“All in a day’s work for a god,” I said.
“You make fighting monsters look easy, sir,” the hunter continued.
“But they keep popping up,” I sighed. “I’ve really got to get the tribes in line so I can focus on this stupid sorcerer problem.”
“You can do anything, Great One,” Jorgen assured me. “We’re all behind you the whole way, too.”
The shade of the trees was a welcome respite from the heat of the desert sun, and I pulled my helm off my head. Akina rode her sleek black charger up beside me, and the desert beauty flashed me a rare smile through the transparent material of her white veil.
“Do you really think you can bring peace to Kotar?” she asked.
“Even if you defeat every monster from our childhood stories, it seems the desert dwellers are intent on war.”
“They’ll listen to me,” I promised. “They don’t have much choice.”
“You speak with conviction that is hard to ignore,” Akina admitted with a sheepish smile. “I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish for my people. Like you’ve done with the monsters…
I don’t know what my people would have done without your help. For their sake, I thank you.”
“I speak with the confidence of experience,” I said. “I’ve accomplished a lot during my time in this world, but my to-do list is far from done. I will bring peace to Kotar, I am sure of it.”
“I believe in you, Bash,” Akina said, and her eyelids fluttered over her metallic-hued eyes. “You’ve yet to fail me.”
“And that will never happen,” I vowed with a confident smile.
“What will you do after you bring peace to Kotar?” Akina avoided my gaze.
Goliath tossed his head, and I patted his neck affectionately to help calm him.
“Return to Bastianville for the birth of my next child,” I said after a moment’s silence, but I kept her in my peripheral vision to see how she would react. “You’re welcome to return with me and see my hometown.”
“Oh!” Akina hissed in a breath, but she kept her eyes locked forward as we rode through the trees. “I-I-I’m flattered, Great One, but… I’ve never left my homeland before.”
“I would ensure your safety,” I said. “But you don’t have to make a decision right away. There is plenty of time to think it over.
Just know the offer stands.”
Akina nodded as pink dusted the arches of her cheekbones, and I could see the wheels turning behind her metal-gray eyes as she considered my offer.
I was pretty sure she would accept eventually, but I had more pressing matters to deal with.
Soon, the path opened up into a wider road, and I heard the sound of people up ahead. Then I emerged from the woods into a clearing around a massive waterfall, and I pulled Goliath to a halt so I could take it all in. Tents occupied every available inch of the
clearing, and judging from the various flags and colors shown, several tribes were vying for the space around the river.
I hadn’t been to this place since I first arrived in the desert, before I took care of the Sand Devil asshole terrorizing the tribes. It hadn’t changed much since my last visit, but the waters below the falls looked more muddied than I remembered. Last time I’d been there, I’d found Mahini’s mother alive and well, so it was associated with happy memories for me.
The Chunga Oasis was densely packed, so I gave orders to set up our caravan’s temporary dwellings among the trees. The roots and branches were challenging to work around, but we made do, and I wanted to set a good example for the others.
The messengers who rode with me returned to their tribes, but I sent with them a request for each of their chiefs to meet with me over dinner.
“Let’s put out a big spread for dinner tonight,” I said to the three women occupying my tent. “I want something every tribe will enjoy presented, and then after the meal, I will announce my plans for an alliance.”
“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Eva asked.
“I know they will,” I assured her. “I will make it happen. One way or another.”
“We’ll all pitch in to help,” Caelia said.
“Yes, I’ll pass on the invitation to the chiefs personally,” Zenda suggested. “Caelia, you can get the good food out of our rations, and Eva, you should make sure there is plenty of room for everyone to sit comfortably.”
“On it.” Eva nodded.
“You can count on me,” Caelia promised.
“We’ve got everything under control, Bash,” Zenda said with a proud smile. “You can relax until the meal is ready.”
“I’m going to check in with the scouts to see if there are any more signs of Aunubi or other monsters tracking us to the oasis,” I said. “I’ll meet everyone back here before dinnertime.”
My women nodded in reply, and then we all dispersed to our different tasks.
“Great One, where are you off to?” Akina asked as she trotted to catch up with me a few minutes later. “And may I join you?”
“I’m off to check in with the scouts,” I explained and slowed down my pace. “But yes, you’re more than welcome to come with
me.”
I reached out my hand for hers, and the desert beauty hesitated for a brief moment before she laid her palm against mine.
Her hand was cool and callused to the touch, and I grasped it warmly before I continued on my way. My heart thudded against my rib cage, but I didn’t care. New love was always exciting, but I had learned to be patient and let it develop naturally.
The God of Time didn’t need to chase after affection, after all.
I was worshiped by everyone I encountered.
Akina and I made our rounds to each of the scouts, but we finished by talking to Trava, one of the men from Sorreyal. I introduced the desert dweller to the northern man, and they exchanged polite greetings, but then Akina and I headed back toward our campsites.
“Are you rejoining your kinsmen as they vie for space in the oasis?” I asked.
“I do not agree with my tribe going to war for space here,”
Akina said with a solemn shake of her head. “I will stand by your side, Great One.”
“You would fight your own people if it came down to it?” I arched a questioning eyebrow.
I didn’t think it would ever come to blows, even if I had to spam a million respawns to make sure I got the right dialogue tree that ended with a peaceful alliance, but I wanted to see where her loyalties truly laid.
Akina bit her bottom lip and shot me a sideways unreadable look, but she didn’t respond immediately, so I gave her time to think it over. It was a big question, and I knew it wouldn’t be something she’d let herself change her mind on later.
Once the decision was made, it would be final.
“I would,” Akina said at last, and she nodded curtly to emphasize her words. “I would do anything you commanded me to do, Bash.”
“At least you’re finally calling me by my real name,” I chuckled.
“What if I commanded you to kiss me?”
Akina’s metallic-hued eyes widened to an impossible degree, and her gaze shot to the ground at our feet as a blush darkened her neck and cheeks.
“I’m teasing,” I laughed, and I took her hand once more to squeeze it tightly. “I am a patient god, but I know you want to kiss me.”
Akina pursed her lips into a thin line, but a smile tugged at the corners, and I knew my statement was accurate. I couldn’t help the pleased smirk twisting my own lips, but then we were back in the campsite, so I turned my attention back to the path ahead.
Once the feast was ready, the chiefs and their entourages began to filter into our campsite from their various places in the clearing. It was like a small parade, but soon the area around our bonfire was crowded with people. Eva had laid out every pillow in our caravan for the chiefs and their people to sit on, and my soldiers helped pass out the food we’d prepared for them.
With everyone served, drinks poured, and gentle conversations going on in the background, I ate my meal in silence, but I watched the tension between the various tribes to see where their interests lay.
Chief Rafiti of the Gupuana tribe smiled warmly at the Kimaku, and I knew the two tribes had held close ties for generations before.
The Trahana tribe had also been friendly with the Kimaku in the past,
but now Chief Wombutu eyed Chief Takini with disdain like there was no love lost between them.
Chief Kuaki, Akina’s chief, sat in silence with his nose lifted in the air like he was better than everyone else, and they all shot glares in his general direction throughout the meal.
This wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever was.
I stood up after everyone had pushed aside their plates and began to nurse their chalices, and I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. Then I made a new save point, and I began my first attempt at creating peace in the Kotar Desert.
“Greetings,” I said in the common tongue I’d created, and I registered comprehension on all the chiefs’ faces. They all spoke different languages, but there were enough similarities to create a single dialect that everyone could understand. “I have gathered you all here today to discuss the issues at hand. The Kotar Desert is in dire need of a god, and I am here to fulfill that role. I’m open to listening to anything you have to say, but know that I will make my own decisions in the end.”
I paused to let my words sink in, but I was met with nods of understanding, so I inclined my head in the direction of Chief Kuaki
of the Kanuaki tribe.
“None of us are above the other. We all live in the desert realm, and it has shaped your tribes into the people you are today.” I looked around at each of the chiefs until they were all staring solemnly in my direction. “Your people are looking to you to do the right thing. You are the examples they all follow. You must put aside your petty squabbles to see the bigger picture at hand.”
“And what is this bigger picture you speak of?” Chief Ata of the Casamoni tribe arched an eyebrow. “You came to the Brumuex tribe’s oasis with promises you still haven’t kept. The monsters continue to plague the southern half of the Kotar Desert, and there is no end in sight.”
“My quest to hunt down the sorcerer was interrupted by this insane call for war,” I pointed out in a harsh tone. “You were given instructions to stay close to the Brumuex tribe and protect them from the monsters outside the oasis.”
“The Brumuex have the cocono trees to protect them,” Chief Ata spat. “We have nothing but sand and battle with monsters stronger than any foes we’ve ever faced before.”
“It’s true these monsters are a plague,” I agreed. “But you have to realize there is one mortal man responsible for all of it. We remove him, and we remove all the monsters in one fell swoop. I just need to find him first.”
“You really want us to believe there is one man responsible for the countless monsters plaguing our lands?” Chief Wombutu tossed back his head and laughed. “No, they are a curse to all who dwell in the south. We must flee to the north if we have any hopes of survival.”
“Are you saying you want to go to Sorreyal?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, either.”
“You’ve already accepted two of our kinswomen into your lands, so why not the rest of their tribe?” Chief Takini of the Kimaku tribe said.
The man made a good point, but I didn’t think the people of Bastianville would take kindly to the rough-around-the-edges desert dwellers overpowering our town. It was one thing for Aranini to move in with her daughter, but it was something entirely different for there to be several tribes of people traveling to the north.
“I swear to you,” I said in a loud, clear voice. “The sorcerer is responsible for the monsters, and I’m going to take care of that problem very soon. I just need to let my dragon find him.”
“He could be anywhere,” Chief Rafiti of the Gupuana tribe said.
“Like finding one grain of sand in the desert.”
“My dragon loves the taste of the Vex,” I explained. “We were tracking them back to their source when I was pulled backward to the Chunga Oasis. I would have already located the sorcerer and ended this problem if it wasn’t for your impatience.”
While my words may have sounded harsh, I was getting tired of having to play peacekeeper among the tribes as they vied for the same spot of land.
They began to talk amongst themselves, and soon the exchange grew heated as arguments flared into life, but I tried to let it run its course for a while until I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Silence!” I shouted, and everyone’s mouths snapped shut with echoing clicks. All eyes turned to me, and I felt like a teacher commanding a classroom’s attention after an unruly spell. “The Kotar Desert has never been a safe place to live, but right now, there is nowhere you can run or hide to escape the threat of the monsters.
This is a worse threat than the Sand Devil warlord you faced before.
These beasts plague the sands for now, but once they find no foes, they will venture into the oases. There will be nowhere you can run to. You’ll have to stand and fight.”
“You are the only one who is powerful enough to kill most of them,” Chief Kuaki of the Kanuaki tribe pointed out. “How are we supposed to kill the Mirago without the aid of your powers?”
“I truly believe the monsters are hunting for something in particular,” I said. “The Vex were carrying people away with them while the others are just killing as they roam the desert, but it’s like they have a purpose about them. Like they’ve been commanded to perform a task. We just have to find out what that task is.”
“What if we leave the desert just long enough for you to handle the monsters and this supposed sorcerer?” Chief Ata asked.
“I still think leaving Kotar is a bad idea,” I said. “The sorcerer will keep searching further and further north, and I don’t think he will stay behind the border between our realms. It will only spread his poison farther and farther into the world.”
“So, what do we do?” Chief Takini of the Kimaku tribe asked with his eyebrows furrowed into a hard line. “You’re saying we can’t
hide, we can’t fight, and we can’t run. Should we sit on our hands and let our people suffer?”
“I think this fight over the oasis is only drawing even more attention from the sorcerer,” I said. “I think everyone should go back to their designated areas.”
“What will you do as we allow our people to die or get kidnapped?” Chief Rafiti of the Gupuana tribe asked.
“I will hunt down the sorcerer, and I will end his life,” I promised with a voice full of conviction.
The chiefs all sat in silence as they pondered my words, but I let them hang in the air for a while without trying to taint it with more prose. These men would either believe me, or I would reset to my save point and try something else.
“The Kanuaki tribe stands behind you, Great One,” Chief Kuaki finally declared as he laid his sword down at my feet and sank into a full crouching bow. “No matter the fight ahead, no matter the command, we will follow you toward the future.”
I found myself blinking back tears at the sincerity in his tone, and I tapped him on the shoulder to signal for him to rise.
“Thank you for your loyalty,” I said. “I will not steer you wrong, you have my word.”
After Chief Kuaki returned to his seat, the other chiefs each rose and mimicked his movements. They laid blade after blade at my feet, and the dirt was soon rubbed flat by their foreheads. It was touching, and I realized I’d only needed one run through to get their loyalties sworn in the way of the desert dwellers.
“Well, I’ve gotta tell you,” I said as I cleared my throat. “The desert has inched her way into my heart. All of your peoples hold a special place inside me, and I will never forget this land. Now, let’s go save it.”
Cheers echoed through the air all around the bonfire, but it was time to put their loyalties to the test. I would propose my peace treaty that divided the desert evenly among them, and then we would see just how willing they were to follow my commands.
After some more celebration and merrymaking, I stood up and cleared my throat once more.
“I have a proposition for every desert dweller,” I announced. “I have a way to bring permanent peace in the Kotar Desert.”
“Hear, hear!”
“To peace!”
The God of Time was about to finally accomplish something no one ever had before.
I would bring lasting peace to the entire Kotar Desert.