STELM: Okay guys I know it's been a while but I'm back on this story. For those who still read this story, read and review!
I know a lot of my writing hasn't been on point but I'll be trying to increase my writing skills in the near future. If you're interested in a more modern crime story check out my story GTA South Harroline or my upcoming callabo with Zane Longsharks and Native Gunz GTA Sunbelt City.
Humility, Hummus, and the Heat, Part 1
"It's hot." Canila complained, her 52nd time since the band of mages left the comfort of Skyrim.
"Shut up" I said for the 52nd time since we got out here. I didn't think the High Elf was going to get it anytime soon, but I was going to keep making sure that she knew that I could care less.
"Why couldn't we just teleport to wherever?" Canila asked anybody who cared to listen.
"We could miss Jarod if we teleported. This way we can be sure." Serah chimed in. It was a blessing Ennis developed a last-minute potion that allowed the vampire to at least function while they had set up camp when the sun came out. Even though her skin literally burned at points her valid complaints were a fraction of Canila's excessive useless whining.
I adjusted the cowl that had covered most of my body from the lethal Alik'r deadly sun rays in the day; it now served as a product of clothing to keep me warm and moving. The rest of my team wore a similar cowl, all provided by the college. The blue and white made them stand out in comparison to the brown cloaks the Bedouins, who we practically begged to tag along, with were wearing.
The pastoral nomadic group was close knit and very reclusive. The little water and food they had went to the women and children. The men had it the worse, they were either cast out if proven unworthy or killed by bandits or wolves. The ones that did stay with the pack were either directly related to the "Grandfather" or proved themselves too dangerous or honorable be excluded from the pack.
The only reason we were able to stay in the pack was because we were able to work in shifts at night and in the daytime, when the bedouins slept, to guard their encampment. Usually we'd just shoot some wolves down or stomp down a scorpion but sometimes it'd get pretty exciting. A few bandits would try to band together to rob the nomads of what little they had and one of us got the chance to either blast or bow them down. Sometimes we'd just go in and cut them down by sword just for the fun of it. The bedouins didn't mind, plus it counted towards our earning our keep.
While Ennis wasn't readily able to cut anything down that wasn't already dead he quickly learned how to prove himself useful. While the nomads and us college kids walked in the darkness of the desert the bedouins liked to sing songs. Ennis quickly went into his limited back sack library and constructed an instrument easily assembled out of desert materials and introduced to us as the Rebab. He strummed along with the Bedouine's songs and it harmonized perfectly with the voices of the traveling bedouins, even "Grandfather", the head of the extended family of nomads, had enjoyed the inclusion of the stringed instrument. Soon even Durabo started to get into the singing and the spiritual meaning of it. When I wasn't looking out for bandits I added my underarm drum to the band. Making the amateur sand band sound like what I felt was an élite Alik'r music group. If only we made a song featuring Tepanio... that'd boost our fame, I was sure of it.
But for now it just was a distraction from what we were actually doing. We were on the lookout for our friend. If anything the music would attract the people holding him hostage and we'd be able to attack them from there. That was the plan at least until we found a note worthy settlement.
"Doctor. When do you think we'll find this Karacas city you talk so greatly of." Kobin asked Dr. Kennel as they trekked the distant wasteland. The cold of night fading, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Bedouins would be forced to set up camp and rest for the day.
"Should come up in two days top. We're traveling north right now and the city is a few more miles eastward than north. Soon we'll have to part ways with the Bedouins." Our adult mage supervisor explained as he walked with great pride and reason. The doctor's response made me think. How would we set up camp durign the daytime without the Bedouine people.
"Good." Kobin said as he wearily waded though the sand. I felt his pain. While the Bedouins were used to scurrying up sand dunes and adjusting to drastic temperature changes the college kids of southern Skyrim weren't.
"Wolf, left side." Shade called out. I soon spotted the wolf myself. Before I could summon the magick to attack the band of three wolves the dark elf that I had grown to love had already buried three arrows in the desert wolves' starvation prevention centered heads.
"Nice shot Shade!" One of the Bedouin boys said as some of the Bedouins cheered for their latest kill. A few of the men grabbed the wolves and carried them whole on their desert riding animals.
The nomads had given the brown furred pack beast names. The biggest one was named K'kasta, the one with a scar on his eye was named Mak'tellas'jihad, the one without a tail was called Gen'sta'lamabad, and the abnormally short one was called Tella'ashi'locast'ali'testanamib. They each answered to their name so if one forgot which one was which then they'd just call out their name.
"Mak'tellas'jihad! Here!" One of the men said and the scarred pack beast started walking in its slow nature towards the men who had wrapped the wolves up to save them for their morning feast. It was the only full meal they had the whole day. The distance was made at night and sleep was done in the daytime so it left the Bedouins with very little nutrition.
The restricted diet had taken it's internal toll on us Skyrim travelers as well. Not drastic changes but changes nonetheless. Kobin and Durabo had lost some of their remarkable muscle, Shade lost some of her curves, Kennel and Ennis got a little less chubby, Canila stayed the skinny bitch she was, and my weight varied depending on how long I bathed in the sun but it was mostly pretty slim. The night times left my digestive system at a standstill and the piercing sunlight sped it up.
Serah was a different case. Her blood thirst made us traveling with nomads difficult. The nomads soon realized, after days of tense silence and separation, her inner goodness and she was awarded their limited trust. The most trust they could give to a stranger. To fulfil her blood thirst the nomads had agreed to give her a woman to feed off of every other day under the watch of two of the nomad men. She agreed to only take what she needed and the partnership went along well.
"It may be time to slow down. The sun devil is rising. Stop the family when we get to the recess between those two dunes." Grandfather said and I noticed the family of Bedouins added some pep to their step, I knew and they knew that if they got caught in the desert dead lands when the fabled "sun devil" arrived they may not be able to set camp soon enough. The "sun devil" had claimed the lives of many of their people in the past.
The sun devil wasn't just a name the Bedouins actually believed that the sun was a demon. The older nomads told their young stories of youth who tried to venture too fat from their family and got devoured by the sun devil's deadly maw. I heard just a few stories and I could imagine the mental damage it could have on an ignorant child of seven years of age.
To cope with the problem of emotional stress us college kids had made a secret arrangement to handle their skooma stash safely. We'd drop the commonly used Skyrim substance after a while but we needed a small daily dose to do that without killing ourselves. Ennis had even picked up eating some psychedelic mushroom that he had discovered in Skyrim. The shrooms had managed to make the alchemy geek a bit more mellow and well… cool.
1 hour later…
"Hey Canila how about you hop off your ass, and help me set up this tent so Serah doesn't burn to flames later on huh?" I politely asked Canila who was the only one in the camp who wasn't helping. Aside from the little children and Ennis, who had just taken a shroom and was currently entertaining himself and the kids by throwing sand at them.
"You're a fucking asshole." Canila said as she helped spread out the hand sewn tarp and the tying of it via rope to the wooden legs.
"Thanks I try." I said as I kept doing what I was doing. Helping finish up this last tent. The women were already preparing the wolf meat for the morning feast.
After the we finished constructing the tent we walked a little ways away from the camp to admire "our" work. The camp looked fully functional now, big enough to hold the 34 people who were all a part of the family, including us college kids.
"We did good." Canila said admiring her own limited amount of work.
"I'm sure it's not the only thing your good at. Maybe you could show behind a cactus or something." I said humorously nudging at the high elf with my elbow. Canila didn't get my humor and walked away with a sound of disgust.
Typical women without a sense of good humor. Shit Canila wouldn't know a good joke if it sent a fireball to her face. I just stood by watching her skinny frame walk away. That part about her I didn't mind.
I stood at the top of the Dune for a few more minutes and as I flicked my tongue out and in the aroma of the wolves being cooked filled my brain with hearty thoughts of good times with Kobin's family. Twas time for me to go back down. At least I thought that before I hear something behind me and found a band of 40 or more torch carrying bandits. I heard their war cries almost as soon as I saw them. I shrieked loudly. Waving my hands as I ran down the sand hill to warn the sand travelers.
"BANDITS!"
STELM: Just a short chapter to get me back on the game. Expect more in the near future. Like always read and review and I'll send some more chapters YOUR way!