Rilkus looked at Bug in confusion. It...seemed to understand him? At least it was intelligent enough to respond. ”Good. Good. I’m glad we had this talk. I’m going to start teaching you my language on this journey. You will try to speak. We’re going to make this work.”
”Good. Good. I’m glad we មាន នេះ talk. I’m នឹង to ចាប់ផ្តើមបង្រៀន you my ភាសានៅលើ this ការធ្វើដំណើរ. You នឹងព្យាយាម to speak. យើងនឹងទៅ to បង្កើត នេះ work.”
Bug rubbed her antennae with one arm, pulling it down against her face and letting it spring back up again.
Bug is publicly preening, which is the Kreen version of blushing. She thinks she's being praised and is happily embarrassed.
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Darzus watches Rikus attempt to interaction with Bug curiously. He understands the kreen language sufficiently... speaking it back is more of an approximation.
He sidles up to Rikus soon after.
"I'm pretty sure it didn't get your message about combat, but seems to be responding friendly enough. I think it respects you at least."
Badr dutifully answers Sienna’s summons. ”How can I assist?”
"I'm going to be busy filleting and frying these cuts, I just need to make sure that nobody's missed for food. Could you tell the others that these pieces should start coming off the fire in about five minutes? Everyone's going to be hungry, they need to make sure not to miss their place in the chow line," says Sienna to Badr. "And make sure someone brings Bug. It - she? I don't know - needs to eat too, and I get the feeling that she won't unless someone tells her to."
She continues spiking pieces of the dune horror and sizzling them over the campfire.
Badr looks greedily at the food - mesmerized by the smell of spices and frying meat. ”We well may draw blood fighting for this seasoned dust digger. But such delicacies are worth dying for. Certainly for a poor slave like me. Thank you Sienna.”
He reluctantly gathers the others.
Sienna chuckles and says, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get yours. I appreciate the help."
Surprisingly, the meal passes uneventfully. Perhaps it is because of a few whispered words from Akiya. Perhaps, it is quiet thanks for slaying the dust digger. Perhaps (and more likely), it is out of a healthy respect for their prowess. Whatever the cause, the guards give Nishabur's servants a wide berth around the cook fire as all focus on their meat. Food is hard to come by in the deserts, almost as hard as water. It is not wise to waste either when they come fresh.
Soon, Akiya orders everything put away and the caravan lumbers forward once more. Ten times dawn comes, and goes, bringing the scorching heat of the red sun, and driving the caravan to tents by noon, before they continue their trek in the freezing night. As the days progress, the guards continue to give Ninshabur's servants a wide berth.
Several of the guards are eyeing Ninshabur's servants (especially Rilkus and Sienna) with an appraising eye, as though taking their measure (or worth).
They don't look to be ready to do something... yet.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the wary looks of the caravan guards, Sienna seems to go about her business of cooking with aplomb and even-handedness. She goes out of her way to work with the caravan's regular cook, even to take care of dirty and tedious jobs like shucking bugs or removing the gizzards from prey lizards. And she likewise does not confine her efforts to feeding her compatriots of Ninshabur, but serves meals to anyone at mealtime. Even if the tension never breaks, she seems to remain confident that a cool-headed approach will prevail over causing further suspicion.
Bug stayed at Darzus' side, going where he went as long as he was holding Bug's leash, or staying exactly where the leash was left if Darzus ever put it down. She ate when given food (and sometimes produced food of her own from her small pouch). She wiled away the endless hours of travel in the hot sun by fiddling with her puzzle boxes. She only rested after her leash-holder was asleep.
Badr stays in the shadows and watches Akiya and the caravan guards.
Noticing the guards eyeing him, Rilkus took the direct approach. He walked straight over to them, and finding whomever seemed to be the ringleader, said:
"I see you eyeing me. Now, I don't care if you like me or not. Fact of the matter is, that worm back there? The one which *none* of you did anything about? I punched it out. If you try anything, and I mean anything, I am going to rip off your fingers and shove them so far up your arses that you'll be spitting them out. Are we clear?"
Throughout the trave, the guards begin to smile more and more as Sienna approaches, their eyes still calculating. But, with every meal, Sienna knows she's slowly begun to win them over. Then, Rilkus stands.
The guards grab their blades and leap to their feet, staring the mul in the eyes. There's a tense stand-off over the fire.
"Shoot your mouth off again, slave, and we'll send you back to the block!"
Looking at the men, Rilkus smiled nastily. He reached for a flask at his lip, brought it to his hip, and took a swig.
”Big words from little men, who compensate for having nothing in their pants by waving around little swords. And what is this ‘we’? Are you all cowards as well?”
As Rilkus confronted the soldiers and the confrontation grew angry and heated, Bug took a step forward. She did not pull on her harness at all, but there was no slack to the leash.
The soldiers stand, ready to draw...
"ENOUGH! You idiots!" Akiya stepped forward, placing himself between the Mul and the guards. "Do you really think you could take him? As he said, you saw what he did against that thing. You wouldn't stand a chance. More importantly, you'd be forcing me to break my oath. You know, what happens then, don't you?" He scowls at the guards, and, they step backwards, blades tipping down towards the sands. He nods. "That's what I thought. "
He turned and sketched a polite bow. "Apologies. I'm very choosey about my associates, but this time, I think my judgement may have slipped." He eyed the guards again. "Let's get moving. We're wasting time."
Bug let out a single disappointed click then crouched again. The leash went slack.
Sienna takes a place behind Rilkus as the commotion disperses and after a moment's hesitation she puts a hand on his back. "Cotton or club,"* she says. "Now they understand that it's better to be friends with us, but they can't take advantage of us."
Badr sighs, "Yes, we're going to have to kill them. We'll need to stay alert."
RIlkus nodded to his companions, and then sat down next to bug.
”Click, click, clickity click click.”
”Click, click, clickity click click.”
Bug handed Rilkus a puzzle made of wood and rope.
A quick word from Akiya, and the caravan lumbers forward. Along the guards sullenly glare at Rilkus, and avoid Ninshabur's servants altogether. Gone are the approving looks they sent towards Sienna. And they no longer share the cook fire at night. Akiya remains quiet in his wagon, away from the strife outside.
More days pass, and Makla draws nearer. The nearer they get, the darker the guards grow. They've taken to whispering to each other and gradually spreading out at night, as though they're slowly starting to circle around Ninshabur's servants.
The guards are definitely planning something. It might be better to strike first.
Rilkus took the silence of the guards as a sign of weakness. Obviously they were scared.
That...and he had a puzzle box to work on. He wasn’t sure...but he thought that it had something to do with time travel. It was the only explanation on how hard it was proving to be.
Badr will urgently gather the others. "The guards are planning something. We must strike first. It must be tonight or sooner."
He draws his blade. "There's no time like the present."
”I don’t see it. And we gave our words. Do you have proof?”
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Darzus' eyes narrow as Badr reveals how bad the situation is. He concentrates and manifests a thin, invisible layer of telekinetic force protection around himself.
He looks up. "I'm ready. Let's do this. If we can catch them all grouped together in one area, I can entangle them with debris so that we can get the jump on them. Perhaps while they're huddled around a fire to cook and eat, or else we can come up with something to lure as many of them as possible to one place."
Bug wasn't paying much attention to the subtleties of soft-skin social dynamics.
Rilkus glanced down at the puzzle, and suddenly it made sense! It came open with a click. It was so simple...he just had to stop trying to force it. He looked up, realization having dawned on him.
”Rushing into things will just make this work. Let’s set up a counter ambush. Let them make the first move, but we finish it. That way we keep our word, and still put them in the dirt.”
Badr sheathes his blade. "So be it, but I will be staying in the shadows tonight."
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Darzus approaches Akiya with the simple request that might set up a favorable situation that the group desires.
"Akiya, would you mind if we arranged the caravan wagons at a corner angle? After the recent instigation by your guards my group would like a nice isolated place to setup camp and keep our backs to the caravan. It's a simple arrangement, I think, whenever we're stopped."
Akiya's eyes narrows at Darzus' request. His merchant's mind trying to piece together the angles and meaning behind the elf's words. He grunts and gives a terse nod, seemingly trusting the psion's words. At least he trusts them as much as anyone would trust an elf's word.
"Very well. If it helps you sleep at night, you can arrange the caravan however you like. " He shakes his turbaned head and stalks away muttering under his breath about about cowardly elves not being worth something rather unpleasant about kanks..
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Darzus returns to his companions.
"I got his permission to arrange the caravan as we see fit. He was giving off a bit of a discontented feeling, likely due to me being an elf. I think he bought that it was a legitimate ask related to our safety."
He looks around at the group.
"Who's good with animals and wants to get this done now?"
Badr nods at Darzus. "Let's do this now. I can help with the beasts."
Turning to Bug, Rilkus tried to explain what was going on, and to tell Bug that he wanted assistance in the coming fight.
"Click click click."
"Click click turnip."
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Bug turned her head to the side.
She didn't know what was going on, but her antennae could literally feel the tension in the air. She knew a defensive formation when she saw one. Her new masters expected a fight. Hopefully this time they wanted assistance.
The sun begins to set, and Akiya orders the caravan to make camp. Before the guards have a chance to unhitch the crodlus, Ninshabur's servants arrange the hitched birds and and the cart in a great L, withthe guards one side, and the others on the other. Akiya stands in the center, atop his cart, looking annoyed confused and slightly annoyed.
The guards peer suspiciously at Ninshabur's servants, hands close to their weapons.
Badr holds and allows the guards to make the first move.
Badr: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Bug: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Darzus: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Rilkus: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Sienna: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Guards: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Akiya stands oblivious as his guards charge around the crodlue, blades drawn, blood and murder in their eyes.
Bug stood up to her full towering height and watched, dwarfing even the tall elf next to her. The leash went taut. Her arms hung loosely at her sides. Aside from standing up she did not seem concerned by the murderous onslaught headed their way.
This was it! Rilkus yelled out in Bug's language that now it was time to attack!
"Klick klick klick!"
"Klick klick eat!"
...before leaping to the attack.
Badr moves to a flanking position with Rilkus and strikes with his dagger.