"Promising news, for once." Papak reached onto his desk and pulled out a sheaf of paper. He held it out for Alibaba to grab. Leaning forward to grasp it, Alibaba noticed that it was a hand-drawn map. It was crude in nature but gave a general picture of a piece of the desert north of the city.
"The X is where the encampment is. It's just past the dune valleys, and on the eastern side of an outcropping of rock." Alibaba tapped the marking with interest. Papak leaned back in his chair and took his reading glasses off.
"The Scouts reported that it was a large base. People were going in and out, so it was hard for them to get a headcount. The estimate is upwards to eighty men." Eighty? That was more than what was expected. Definitely more than what was needed for a sub-base. Was this the main hideout?
"What do they have stored there?" Kassim leaned over to take a look at the map himself. Alibaba could feel Lo'lo hovering over his shoulder and Mogiana copying Kassim's movements. They were interested in the raid as well.
Papak shrugged idly. "Mostly weapons, packed up in crates and ready to move at a moment's notice. It looks like they had recently set up camp as well. We have to be careful out there," He warned seriously. "It's dust storm season, and there have been reports of multiple storms the last two months." That could pose a problem. Dust storms were difficult, near impossible, to predict. Most of the time one won't know a storm is coming until the sand clouds were well on their way over the horizon.
"How many men can we spare for the raid?" Alibaba questioned. Tirdad and Papak glanced to each other at this. Their looks weren't reassuring.
"Not enough for eighty men," Papak admitted. "We're spread thin as it is. This is a gang, not an army" The man had a point. Eighty men weren't quite an army, but it was a large number. What's more, Alibaba knew that Papak, and Tirdad for the matter, might start running low on resources. With Mirno's added weight to the Barasi, they might start fighting back. That implied casualties and deaths to their people. They couldn't afford to risk too many men in a fight like this now when real fighting might only be around the corner.
"Don't look so scared Alibaba." Lo'lo rumbled, smacking Alibaba's back. Alibaba yelped as he was nearly sent sprawling onto the floor by the force of the friendly pat. "A single Fanalis is enough for a whole troop of men. We have two." Lo'lo grinned down at Alibaba with a clenched fist held up to his chest, thumb sticking out to point at himself.
Alibaba turned to Morgiana, who stared back with a solemn expression. They both wanted to go on the raid. Alibaba himself had already decided on attending, and honestly, their help would be much appreciated. Still, he hadn't expected them to want to join in so quickly. It was reassuring. Alibaba glanced to Kassim. He was staring at the map with a scowl, eyes narrowed carefully.
"What do you think Kassim?" The other boy shook his head slowly as he looked up from the map.
"Something isn't adding up. Why would they settle that far into the desert when the storms are about?" Alibaba paused at the question. It was a good point. Normally when people hear of the storms, they try to avoid the desert sands. Not go and set up a camp in them.
"They have a Fanalis with them." Morgiana reminded quietly. "If he is there, then he might be able to predict the storms." Alibaba looked to her and Lo'lo in surprise. That was news to him. He never recalled a time, present or future, where that talent showed up.
"Fanalis can predict dust storms?" Papak's voice was dubious in his surprise at the fact. Morgiana pursed her lips thoughtfully, glancing to Lo'lo. The older man took the cue to speak, his own gaze oddly serious as he explained.
"Possibly." He admitted. "I've never been traded within the desert so I can't be sure. Our senses are enhanced though, and we might be able to tell when the winds give a sudden change." He shrugged at the end, his knowledge spent. Tirdad hummed under his breath with a toothy grin.
"Maybe I should liberate some Fanalis of my own then. The quicker one can tell when a storm will hit on the sea, the better." Lo'lo and Morgiana both gave him side-eyed looks that Alibaba couldn't decipher. Tirdad must have, however, given the dark chuckle he gave in response.
As much as the good having two people on their side that might be able to warn against the weather, Alibaba was still worried. Because if this was true then the enemy would be foolish to not place their Fanalis there. Eighty men, and a Fanalis. So much for this not being an army.
"Well, any chance of us not joining this raid is null." Alibaba decided. Not that they weren't planning on it in the first place. He looked to Lo'lo in askance. "If their Fanalis shows up, will you be able to keep him busy?" They would need Morgiana to help with the numbers of the other bandits, and Lo'lo was the more trained fighter of the two. There was no way anyone else could take on a Fanalis barring Alibaba with his Djinn. He would be needed in helping fight against the sheer numbers of the enemy, however.
Lo'lo didn't respond verbally. Instead, he just grinned with a deathly gleeful look in his eyes. With that decided, it wasn't long before they settled on the minor details. They were going to ride out in the night, hoping to use the darkness as a cover. It would take a little over an hour's ride if they kept at a medium pace. The last thing they needed was to tip the enemy off because they were in too much of a hurry.
Alibaba sent a small prayer into the Rukh before leaving Papak's.
Cool desert air was nice to the skin if chilly. Alibaba sat on his horse with a pensive expression hidden behind his mask. The camp was in the near distance. Their campfire and torches just visible from where Alibaba was waiting. They had sent out two scouts to get a better look at the layout before going in.
Compared to the known forces of the camp Alibaba knew they looked underwhelming. Twenty-five men and women from Tirdad and Papak's people added with Alibaba and his friends. Against eighty men, possibly including a Fanalis. It was near suicide.
"Don't look so worried." Kassim pulled his horse up beside Alibaba. The other boy was masked as well, and one of his flame cannons already out. Alibaba sighed with a shrug. He knew that he wasn't making for an inspiring picture at the moment. He just couldn't stop his running thoughts. So many things could go wrong. Not to mention how many people could get hurt. How anyone expected him to be a leader when he could barely handle this kind of pressure was beyond Alibaba.
"I just wish that the numbers were more even." It would certainly calm his nerves. Kassim scoffed with a shake of his head.
"Wishing is for pathetic idiots. Man up and face the reality Alibaba." Alibaba winced at the scathing tone his friend used. It was harsh advice, but he couldn't refute it. Wishing was all he did when he was hiding as a wagon driver. That got him nowhere. It wasn't until he went back to Balbadd that anything happened.
Alibaba went to comment further, apologize, but he caught sight of the scouts returning. He let out a sharp whistle and turned his horse to descend the dune they were waiting on to return to the others. Kassim followed shortly with the scouts.
Achava and Cephas were two weedy looking individuals. They worked for Papak, though Alibaba wasn't sure what they did exactly. They entered the center of the raiding party, panting and heaving after running so hard. Alibaba hopped off his horse and got a spare canteen of water to give them. Cephas nodded in gratitude as he took a drink and handed it off to his companion.
"Well, there is good news and bad news." He started, face morphing into a slight mournful position. Alibaba mentally cursed in advance, wondering just what had happened now. Achava, now refreshed, pitched in as well.
"There aren't many guards patrolling because it looks like they are getting ready to move the camp." Well, that was the good news. Fewer guards meant increasing odds at surprising them. Though it was strange that they were moving camp. Had there been a leak somewhere about the raid?
"What else?" Kassim leaned on the pommel of his saddle, eyes narrowed dangerously. Achava gulped in fear while Cephas winced.
"Ah, you asked if there were anyone who looked like Miss Morgiana and Sir Lo'lo," He gestured to where the two Fanalis were standing at the edge of those surrounding them. Morgiana stood tall and dainty with her face mask, posture unfailing. Lo'lo was towering over everyone and his own mask was lazily put on. He had been complaining about it the whole ride there. They needed the masks to remain somewhat a mystery to the Barasi. The last thing they needed was to tip off that the youngest prince and his friends were in on the Alliance.
"There wasn't anyone that we could see like them!" Cephas hurried to say at the dawning looks of horror around them. No worries about a Fanalis then. Good. "But, there is one problem. Um, it looks like they gained more people in the camp from the last report." He paused, glancing at Achava before continuing.
"Like, they have at least twenty to thirty more bodies." Twenty to thirty? Alibaba gaped at the mere thought. Ninety to a hundred bandits? Against twenty-five ruffians with no formal training? This was insane! It was impossible! Alibaba stood up from the crouch he was in and fought the impulse to tear at his hair.
Okay, this isn't so bad. He's gone through worse odds before. Remember the Dark Medium? There were only nine of them to defend against the massive beast before the reinforcements arrived. Of course, that was a massively different scenario, and there were reinforcements to be had in the first place. Solomon, Alibaba was screwed.
"Without the Fanalis, we'll have more room to give to Lo'lo," Alibaba said mechanically. Hopefully no one noticed his sheer panic. "He and Morgiana should be able to help with the numbers, but we can't fully rely upon them." Alibaba refused to put everything onto their shoulders. Everyone was going to do their part in this. They all nodded to his words, though their looks weren't convincing. They were just as scared as Alibaba was. Which – fair. Still, going into battle like this would be terrible. Moral needed to be boosted. Or something.
Another thing to add to the list of 'reasons why Alibaba should never be in charge'.
"They might have more numbers than us, but remember. They're just bandits." Alibaba said, as though bandits weren't a problem. "They are only here for the gold, while we are trying to defend our home and lives against the threat of the Barasi. Just because we are small, doesn't mean we aren't powerful." He said this with a pointed look to Morgiana's small stature. A round of chuckles echoed in the group and Alibaba felt his chest loosen.
"We are trying to avoid a major loss of life, so don't focus on fighting unless necessary. We want to dehabilitate the Barasi. Destroy what supplies you can. The less they have at their disposal the better. The Barasi can hire as many goons as they want, but materials and goods are not as easy to come by." He rolled his shoulders and rested his hand on the hilt of Amon.
"Kassim and I will be in the thick of it with you, providing support and cover when possible. We are all in this together. As long as we remember that, then I think we'll be fine." The men looked to have eased, faces less scared and more ready for the oncoming fight. Seeing this, Alibaba nodded.
"You all know the plan, now let's do this." Alibaba didn't get back on his horse. His style of fighting wouldn't accommodate well to it. Instead, he gave it to one of the other men, who had a saber as a weapon.
The group split into two troops, Kassim leading eleven while Alibaba had twelve. Lo'lo was with Kassim's troop, while Morgiana stayed with Alibaba. It was a risky ploy, especially with the added numbers to the Barasi.
Alibaba and his people were going to go in for a frontal assault, attracting most of the camp's initial attention. Kassim would go around to flank them from the northeast in a surprise attack. With the Barasi having such high numbers, they couldn't have gone for a straight attack. Having a Fanalis with each group also helped even the odds. Now all Alibaba could do was pray that it worked without a hitch.
As they got closer to the camp, Alibaba got a better look at what they dealing with. Cephas was correct in reporting that there weren't many guards. The outer edges of the camp were bare of any patrols. He could see people milling about further in from the gaps between tents. It looked like there was some sort of celebration going on. Alibaba felt a smirk form on his face.
That was a ploy that he honestly didn't think would work. When they first heard news of base's position and began planning the raid, Alibaba visited one of his friends in the middle district. He was an older gentleman who had a moderate business in the wine trade. Alibaba mentioned how he knew of a trader in Quishan who had good quality wine for a fair price. The man, Calev, was eager to impress Alibaba. He ordered a large shipment of the wine whose travel had crossed paths with known Barasi bandit routes. Alibaba felt bad for tricking his friend – and fully planned on repaying Calev somehow – but he couldn't regret it too much. The bandits must have raided the shipment and felt like dipping to the goods.
Just as they entered the camp Alibaba let out a sharp whistle. The reaction was immediate. All around him his group charged with varying war cries. Morgiana stayed at his side, watching impassively as the men charged and set about destroying the goods and tents.
Naturally, this caused the camp's attention to be aroused. As the enemy began to converge, she shared a look with him. Alibaba nodded his head minutely and the two were off. Morgiana launched herself in the air and into the center of a large group of bandits. Yells of pain and terror were shortly followed. Alibaba himself darted forward, pulling out Amon and letting trails of fire spill out without fully transforming the blade.
Tents caught fire as he ran past, spooking people and horses alike. Alibaba made sure the horses were untethered before setting them free. Ahead, he saw more men rousing from their drunken stupor. Alibaba flowed more magoi out and let his partial equip take form. There was no time to take a slow pace at this. They needed to get in and get out quickly if to succeed.
Amon answered his call with ease and his treasured blade formed in Alibaba's hands. Alibaba dashed forward with inhuman speed, fire sparks trailing where his feet had been, and he dived into the thick of it.
Fighting against a large group of people was a terrifying and confusing experience. One wasn't really conscious of what was happening apart from immediate reactions. Dodge here, dive there, twist, stab, slash, jump, and push out a wave of fire when surrounded too much. It wasn't unlike the times when he was with Kassim's Troupe, though that was mostly all for a show when he battled against guards. A magic trick, if you will. This was a real fight, however, and Alibaba couldn't afford to lose.
Alibaba fought his way to the center of camp, where most of the people were. His own people were still on the outskirts, following his orders on destroying the camp as a priority. Morgiana and Alibaba were trying to catch all of the attention that they could. Judging by the number of bodies falling from the sky, Alibaba guessed that she was doing okay.
He had just taken out his own large group of enemies, wondering just when Kassim was going to show, when something flickered in the corner of his eye. He inhaled, hair raising on the back of his neck, but wasn't quick enough to respond. Or to be more accurate, his new opponent was faster.
Pure unadulterated pain erupted in his side as he was flung across the camp, body skidding through the roaring campfire. Alibaba landed face-down in the sand, the taste of copper in his mouth. His ribs were on fire and he had to fight the impulse to cough.
Across the way, body flickering from behind the fire stood a tall and powerful figure. Long red hair trailed down his shoulders, Reim armor shining in the moonlight, and red eyes that regarded Alibaba with cold curiosity.
Fanalis.
Alibaba struggled to stand up, body screaming in pain and his magoi straining after the dehibilitating blow. This complicated things. The Fanalis waited patiently as Alibaba righted himself. At his hip was a sheathed gladius. He must have punched or kicked Alibaba earlier then.
"Most people would have died from that." The man commented, voice a soothing alto. It was a contrast to the utter chaos around them. Alibaba spat out the blood in his mouth got back up. This was going to take his all.
Alibaba breathed deeply and eyed the fire in between them. An idea popped into his head, one that under normal circumstances, he'd never consider. Then again, this wasn't a normal situation. He dashed forward and stepped into the fire, praying that he was right.
The Fanalis had tensed in preparation for a fight but paused in confusion at Alibaba's premature stop. After all, who steps into flames willingly? Luckily Alibaba's theory stood though, and the fire was absorbed into his sword. Feeling recharged, Alibaba's body flickered as he moved. He had planned out running to the side to get an attack at his unprotected flank. The Fanalis must have seen through him, however, because Amon only met steel.
Red eyes met gold for a moment and it felt as though time stood still.
The Fanalis shifted his feet and pushed, overbalancing Alibaba. He then took the moment of weakness to send another kick to Alibaba's side. He has knocked several yards away. Luckily it was the opposite side of the last blow, so he didn't have to worry about any ribs being crushed. Instead, he just felt constant and pulsing pain in his entire torso.
"Your weapon is impressive with that power." Alibaba struggled to stand back up. His younger body was not as resilient as his older self. The Fanalis didn't look bothered. In fact, he even looked a bit bored.
"Still, magic tools are useless against the might of a Fanalis." The man flipped his sword, catching the hilt in a grip more suited for a spear. He frowned at Alibaba with a tilt to his head, red eyes showing no emotion.
"Before I kill you though, what did you do with the slaves on the ships you destroyed?" He said this with a pointed look at Alibaba's sword. So he must have recognized the destructive power of Amon to those first ship raids Alibaba accompanied.
"I set them free." Alibaba spat, mentally cursing as his arms crumpled once more when trying to get up. He was being more than useless right now. He needed his body to listen to him and get up. "Slavery is illegal in Balbadd. It shouldn't exist in the first place." When he finally managed to get into an upright position he looked the man in the eyes. The Fanalis was still staring calmly. Like they had all the time in the world to chat.
"You can be free too. If you help us and let us help you. I'll see to it you have safe passage to wherever you wish by the fortnight." The man's ankles were showing, and Alibaba could see the dark bruises of where shackles once rested. They looked fresh as well, indicating that this man was not as much a free agent as they presumed.
"Lies." Alibaba balked at the accusation. "I've seen that small cub of yours. You're no better than the Barasi. Besides, after they reach their goals, they'll set me free. You're too late." Small cub? Morgiana? Alibaba's head was spinning with the implications that the man had given.
"Instead, I think it'll be me to set her free." The man's face twisted and he launched the gladius as if it were a spear. Logically that wouldn't work, but as one of the world's best hunters, the Fanalis made the impossible look easy. Alibaba rolled, lifting Amon to block the sword.
There was no need, however, because a large body landed in between them. Alibaba looked up at Lo'lo's back in awe. The man was grinning maliciously, red eyes dancing in the firelight. The other Fanalis cooly took a step back, face calculating.
"Looks like I will have a challenge after all!" Lo'lo bellowed with a laugh. He turned his head to look at Alibaba over his shoulder. His mask had gotten torn at some point, showing his scarred face in a creepy manner.
"You should get going. There's an annoying guy to the south of the camp that needs your attention." Lo'lo then looked back to the Fanalis across from him. "OI! You better give me a good fight, Or I'm going to be really pissed!" Lo'lo then launched himself at the other man with a cackle of delight. The two delved into an intense battle that was hard to keep track of. Alibaba huffed out a breath, relieved with Lo'lo's arrival.
He had been worried about what to do next. Alibaba didn't want to fight at full power against someone he knew was fighting against their will. Or, at least in this case, was being blackmailed. It was clearly becoming apparent to him that it wouldn't be an option, however. He couldn't afford to mess up so badly again. Alibaba stood up fully and raced to the south of the camp with a mental promise to himself. No more holding back. He couldn't protect his country if he was dead. The risks of revealing his powers were worth it, given that he knew the enemy would find out sooner or later. Al-Tharmen already had an idea, Alibaba was sure. There was no point in keeping himself in 'check' as it were. He won't be as powerful as his older self, that was evident with his current body's limitations. Still, it might give them the edge they need to win this fight against the Barasi.
Alibaba felt his heart warm with the new resolve as if Amon was agreeing with him.
When he came to the side of the camp that Lo'lo had indicated, Alibaba was surprised at what he saw. Kassim was cursing up a storm as he was blasting fireballs at a person who was literally floating in the air. A small tornado of sand was beneath the person, keeping them afloat. They lifted a hand and a sudden gust of sand and winds whipped around the area in a localized dust storm.
Suddenly, the base's location and the sudden rise of storms made sense to Alibaba. They'd set up camp, stay for a set number of days, and then leave under the guise of a storm. Whoever this person was, they had a magic tool. It wasn't a faulty one like what he had to face before either.
Alibaba gathered his magoi and lifted his sword to point at the person. A twister of flames shot out at the person, catching them off guard. The storm sputtered to a stop as they fell to the ground. Alibaba used the moment to dash forward, not wanting to give an inch to the enemy.
"Call for a retreat!" Alibaba shouted while passing Kassim's coughing form. The camp was thoroughly destroyed, by both the efforts of the Alliance and the Barasi's response. It would be enough to hinder the Barasi's desert front. They didn't have the manpower to take on a Fanalis and a magic tool at once with this many possible casualties. It was time to retreat and regroup for now. But in order to do that, Alibaba would need to distract the magic tool user.
The user looked to be a female with dark hair and milky skin. Grey eyes glared at Alibaba as he approached. On her right hand was a peculiar jewelry ornament. It was an obsidian ring on her middle finger that was chained to a matching metal claw on her pointer finger. On the ring was a glowing seal. That must have been the magic tool.
"How dare you!" The woman screamed, outraged. "My hair is ruined now!" The comment almost made Alibaba falter, given the oddness. She swept out her hand and a trail of sand rose from the ground and flew to Alibaba with sharp speed. He swerved out of the way, running forward in hopes to get into her space.
The woman was not one to be easily pinned. The sand she sent his way dropped and the sand beneath her rose up to give her an aerial advantage. Alibaba cursed, debating his magoi depths and whether he could attempt a full equip. There was a banging sound from behind him and a large fireball arced over Alibaba's form and sailed to the woman. She twisted her hand and a gust of wind sent a wall of sand to block the fire.
"If you die, I'll fucking kick your ass!" Kassim's parting shot was muffled from the sudden onslaught of a sandstorm thrown in Alibaba's path. Alibaba jumped out of the way and gathered as much magoi as he could.
Spirit of Austerity and Decorum, Amon, please grant me your power.
It wasn't the correct incantation, more of a plea mixed with deep emotions and memories from when he last had his full equip. He did his best to avoid thinking on the image of Hakuryuu's scythe coming towards him. The pull from his magoi faltered, scaring him. Maybe he had misjudged? Was he not ready for the equip? The hiccup passed briefly, sending a wave of warmth into his body. Fire blazed around his body. The sand beneath him burned, and the melting grains gave an image of him standing on molten lava.
His form had changed, falling morphing into the same image of his Djinn's powers. Flames surrounded him like a holy ring, his hair longer and clothes changed into something more royal than even what his family would wear. Alibaba let out a triumphant grin and steadied his stance and grip on his sword. Ahead, the woman cocked her head to the side in interest.
"Well, looks like you aren't as useless as I thought." The woman lowered to the ground, letting four twisters of sand rise around her as her feet touched the ground. Her face was calm and confident. With good reason as well. This was going to be a tough match for Alibaba.
"Are you with the Barasi?" Alibaba questioned. He needed to keep her busy. Just long enough to let his troops retreat. The woman scoffed with a flick of her hair.
"For now. The ruffians pay well if nothing else. Not to mention their taste in jewelry." Her head tilted with a grin as she lifted her hand with the magic tool. "You must be that pain in their side that's taken over the sea trade. I could get a good raise for your head." Alibaba tensed as her grin widened more and her hand rose into the sky.
"Enough to get me a new wardrobe." And with that, she dropped her hand in a sharp downward motion. The twisters howled as they moved towards him with the intent to surround. Alibaba shot up to the sky, inwardly smiling at the surprised look on the woman's face, and he rushed to each twister with a precise slash of his sword.
A concentrated wave of flames cut through each twister cleanly and causing them to dissipate. The woman scowled and made herself rise into the sky as well. A swipe of her hand brought in another localized dust storm his way. Alibaba dodged, diving to the right and shooting towards the now undefended enemy.
He brought Amon's sword down, but the woman blocked him with her magic tool. This close, he could see the green coloring of her eyes. Her mouth was gritted into an irritated scowl. Alibaba put more power into his sword, arms flexing as he pushed down. The magic tool's power source, which was taking the brunt of the force, began to crack.
"You fucking BASTARD!" The seal glowed once more, and as she screamed a gust of wind erupted between them. Both the woman and Alibaba were blown out of the sky. Alibaba barely managed to keep himself from landing on his injured sides. The woman landed almost a whole dune away. Her clothes were ripped from the wind blast and her hair a wild mane around her shoulders.
The magic tool she had broken apart, falling to the ground in pieces and leaving her hand bare. She stared at the pieces in utter shock. Alibaba risked a glance back to the camp at this moment. The camp was still smoldering. There didn't seem to be much fighting anymore and he could see small dots in the distance. Then the retreat was successful. Good.
"You're pathetic." Alibaba's world became pitch black before he could find the source of the new voice. He was encased in pure sand that was threatening to suffocate him. Alibaba focused on his magoi and let his flames grow hotter and he blew the sand away a moment later. Rising to the sky, Alibaba searched the battlefield for the newcomer.
A broad man dressed in common clothes stood on the ground calmly. He had a spear in his hands, a glowing seal on the blade. A split second made Alibaba think of Hakuryuu, but he shook it off. Across the dunes the woman was trapped as well, only her head visible around the sand trap. She was obviously squirming and struggling to get out.
"It was a lucky shot, Reyes! Nothing more!" She shouted with fervor. "Let me out and we can kill him together!" Reyes sighed, and with a simple tightening of his grip on the spear, the sand surrounding the woman shrunk. With a horrifying squelch, the woman became lifeless and the sand-colored a dark red.
Alibaba could only stare as Reyes dropped her lifeless body without a second look. Alibaba had trouble tearing his eyes away to look at this new player. Seeing the obviously disturbed face, Reyes shrugged.
"I was going to let her live, if in deserved humiliation. But she revealed my name. That couldn't go unpunished." Unpunished? Alibaba's felt his flames flicker at the incredulous thought.
"Your name is worth her life?" That is ridiculous. This man was a monster. Reyes pursed his lips with another shrug.
"Perhaps not. But she had made other transgressions. Such as losing her weapon and letting the base be attacked." Reyes pointed the tip of his spear at Alibaba. "Though this wasn't a complete loss. Just as you have learned the name of the Barasi, so have I learned the real name behind the Alliance. I didn't believe Mirno before, apologies My Prince." And with a short bow, a spiral of sand shot to Alibaba. He managed to deflect the brunt of it with Amon's sword. Instead of shooting through his heart, the sand slid off the side and cut Alibaba's cheek instead.
Heart thudding, Alibaba quickly skid backward. This was bad. Alibaba's reserves were dangerously low and this man obviously just at the start of his own. Not only that, this was the perfect environment for him. Reyes smiled as if he knew the thoughts running through Alibaba's head.
"That's right. May the Palace fear my power." He stood tall, looking the prim and proper man despite his meager clothes. "It's time that the nobles recognized the true power of Balbadd. The slums will rise, and by the end of this there will be a new King." Alibaba was forced to quickly dodge another five sand spikes. Reyes didn't have to move as he fought. More spikes were conjured up, and Alibaba's reaction speed was dwindling. He had numerous cuts on him now. Luckily nowhere vital. But given the sadistic grin on the man's face, that was on purpose. Reyes was toying with him.
Alibaba felt his energy fading. Any moment now he'd lose his equip. At the height, he was he'd break something on contact. It wasn't the same height as the last time his lost his full equip mid-battle, but it was still a respectful distance.
This was a very terrible situation. Solomon, Alibaba thought frantically, a miracle would be very nice right now. Because this was heading nowhere good.
And, as if answering his prayers, a distinct chirping sound was heard. Alibaba, now breathing heavily and trying to see through the blood that trickled down his forehead, looked to the north. There were three dots rushing towards the battlefield from the camp. Shooting through the sky from those dots was a bright white/blue light. Lightning was crackling in the air and Alibaba could almost taste the movement of the Rukh around them.
This could only be one person.
Reyes frowned, facing the newcomer with reservation. With good judgment because not a moment later a lightning bolt of pure power was sent to the man. Reye flourished his spear and a thick wall of sand blocked the attack. To the surprise of Reyes, the lightning blasted through the sand without trouble, turning what sand it did hit into hot glass, and a blink later there wasn't anything there. No Reyes, nor his magic tool.
A very much younger version of Sinbad in full Baal equip floated to Alibaba's side. His sword was still out, and his eyes narrowed to where Reyes once stood.
"He escaped." Sinbad murmured softly. "Must have used the sand as a transport somehow." Well, that spelled nothing good. Alibaba sighed, finally letting his grip lighten on his sword.
"Probably went to the actual main base." He muttered with a frown. And wasn't that the clincher? This wasn't even the main base they thought it was. Obviously, otherwise, Reyes would have been here from the start. Not that this base wasn't important. But it still felt like salt into the wound.
"The stragglers from this camp seem to be retreating into different directions." Sinbad looked back to the scrambling forces of those the Barasi hired. Alibaba wasn't that worried. They had figured most of the Barasi's men were hired on thugs. Those were probably bandits jumping ship as it were.
"There's no point in following them. The Barasi wouldn't let them in on an important secret such as the real base." Alibaba was sure of this now, after what Reyes did to that woman. "Their Fanalis ally might be worth it, but that's near suicide." To follow a Fanalis without getting caught? Hah. Good luck.
"Maybe," Sinbad smirked and looked to Alibaba with impish humor. "If you're not a Fanalis. Masur should be able to do it if the trail's fresh enough." That was a good point. Alibaba nodded, noticing as the dots from earlier got closer. He could see the faint sight of Jafar on one horse, Morg and Kassim on another, and a riderless horse being led by Jafar's. That one must have been Sinbad's.
"You're taking this in more stride than most I know would." Alibaba blinked in surprise as Sinbad's face was suddenly in his. The man was looking over Alibaba curiously and hummed with a nod.
"When I received news that Rashid's youngest got a Djinn, I wasn't expecting you to have already made it this far in training." Alibaba leaned back at the attention and tried to look elsewhere.
"I had reason to learn." That was the best answer he could think of at the moment. Sinbad hummed once more but didn't press thankfully enough. The two lowered to the ground and released theirs equips. Alibaba nearly fell to the ground as all his injuries came back in full focus. He was thankfully saved from Morgiana jumping off the horse and catching him before he faceplanted.
"Oi! Just because I said not to die doesn't mean you get to pass out either!" Kassim called out. Alibaba sighed leaning into Morgiana. He was going to feel these wounds in the morning, he just knew it.
"Sin, I specifically told you to not go ahead of us." Jafar scolded from his horse, eyes glinting with irritation. It was weird to see Sinbad and Jafar so much younger. They were dressed in less noble clothes, traveling leathers in place of silk and cloth. At least their dynamic was the same.
"Haha, it was fine Jafar!" Sinbad chuckled with a cocky grin. Jafar's brows twitched and he looked ready to tackle Sinbad.
"You wanted to fight a person who controls sand IN A DESERT!" Alibaba turned from the bantering duo and looked to Kassim. Morgiana helped him get to the horse. She was small enough that they could barely squeeze the three of them on the horse, if in discomfort.
"What's the final report?" Alibaba murmured quietly. Kassim rolled his shoulders as Alibaba and Morgiana finished getting settled on the horse. His knuckles were white around the reigns. The hesitation brought a spark of fear to Alibaba. Something happened.
"We were lucky," Kassim muttered. "No confirmed deaths yet, but the casualties are more than what's good. It might put us back on this front. That sand user showed up just as we were retreating. He didn't waste much time on us, but it was enough." Damn it. Alibaba bit his bottom lip. Even if they destroyed the camp and found out the identity of one of the Barasi's big players, this was not a win.
Glancing to Sinbad, Alibaba's worries deepened. His control of the situation is starting to fall out of his grasp. His father will want Sinbad to take over from here on out. A smart move, considering what Rashid knows. And, if he wants to be critical to himself, it just might still be the smart move. This was a blow to their resources that they couldn't afford. Especially with Mirno joining up with the Barasi. It still bit at him though. Alibaba wanted to be the one to fix this. To protect Balbadd.
It looks like Sinbad's going to finish the job like last time.