Cale looks mildly disturbed by the "field dressing" but he looks the other way and doesn't say anything. He is happy to be able to move freely, away from the wreckage and stretch his legs "we have freedom, if we can but hold it he grins
Crow looked over at Cale, the idea of 'freedom' still utterly baffling. It was, perhaps, like explaining to a fish how a bird could fly. It might be possible, but the fish would need the experience - and it might well prove deadly.
Still, his huge fingers went to work forcing the leather into something that would cover his chest. His skull was...pretty hard. So mostly he was worried about a blade to the spine or heart. As they walked he relied on the other to keep an eye out for enemies. It was likely that some would be near any source of water.
Of course, for Crow, enemies were those he was told to fight. Since water was rare and precious, and people would likely oppose them drinking, then it was likely that he would need to fight.
"I saw your fight against Tremo," Khar tells Crow. "From the bullpen under the arena. When he first wounded you, I truly believed he would win. Then moments later you had him on the ground. I hope to never be on the wrong side of your fists." Khar keeps his eyes open scanning their surroundings as they prepare a camp, occasionally glancing at the elf or human.
Crow thought back. It took a moment to remember that fight in particular. "Tremo was good. Would have killed someone else. Knew where to hit a Half-Giant, cracked some ribs. But he thought I was done when he got me. Didn't expect me to still be able to breath. Not able to fight." The look of shock was what Crow remembered as his blow hammered the other Gladiator in the guts, hard enough to repay those broken bones and then some. It had been a lesson. Two lessons - he'd made sure to guard those spots better, and to not assume an opponent was done just because he was wounded.
"Saw you fight, too," he rumbled after a few moments silence. "Team fight. Gave you all nets and spears and sent in some big monster."
"The boneclaw," a smile breaks over his face as he recalls the challenge. "That was a glorious fight." Khar rubs a scar subconsciously, thinking of how the extra large bazraag surprised him and his partner with lightning fast charges.
”Never saw a fight in the arena...” says Laurelin wistfully.
”These rocks might be a spot to give us shelter, if we need to pause a bit,” she adds. ”On the one hand, we don’t have much in the way of supplies, so we need to reach the oasis as soon as we can. On the other hand, we should travel at night to avoid the heat. Still, most of us have to sleep sometime.”
"Should we slow down here for a bit and then move out at night?" suggests Laurelin, though she clearly is trying to solicit opinions from the rest of the group.
Ick-tk-chk-ka twitched in frustration, she knew from her days in captivity with the others that they fell unconscious for one third of the day, but it annoyed her. Not wishing to offend her new companions she suppressed her feelings, "If it is required yes. I will refresh my mind and see if there are any prey in the vicinity."
”I’ll see if I can find a mud patch among the rocks, maybe a little more water to keep us going.”
(Success)
"Not a bad idea, looking for water now that we have the time. I'll join you" (success)
As Laurelin and Cale look for other sources to extend their water supplies, the woman conversationally asks, "So how did you get caught, if I may pry? I'll tell my story first in case you're reluctant - I've been a herdswoman and apiarist for several years living on the outskirts of Tyr. Unfortunately a noble with an estate out there accused me of encroaching on their territory while I was grazing a flock of erdlus. A templar was called in and bribed, and I was arrested and sold into slavery. I changed hands a few times before I was sold to this caravan, who were taking me who knows where. I hoped that my talents with the Way might help me to barter for my freedom or at least a good position working with caravan animals, but no such luck."
He chuckles ruefully "this is a bit embarrassing to say, but I was captured due to an over-inflated sense of my own abilities... I've always loved the old stories that my folks about heroes who may or may not have ever existed, I imagined that with my training in the way, and my natural grace I could be one of them myself. So, when a fat merchant tried to cheat my tribe I decided to tail him. I went and tried to free his slaves to get back at him, and be the hero while I was at it... but I got caught and sentenced to the arena. I swear in that place my swiftness of foot saved me more times than any psionic trick I had picked up
"What is 'ape I wrirst?'" the word felt odd leaving Ick-tk-chk-ka's mandibles. "I was alone and careless. Thought I was dead but the slavers captured rathet than killed."
"Apiarist? A beekeeper. I would look after beehives and collect useful honey and wax from them, while providing them with water and flowers," explains Laurelin.
"Born a slave. Raised a slave." Crow wasn't sure his own story was terribly interesting, compared to the others, but it was accurate.
Khar sits quietly, reflecting on his own recent history. He still did not quite understand why he snapped and hurt his master, and he still did not understand why he felt...well, he didn't actually understand what he felt, let alone why he felt the way he did.
He also didn't understand the weird emotions when he witnessed Cale and Laurelin working together to try and eek some water out of the ground. It was a mixture of how he felt watching a gladiator in action who had mastered a combat style he had not and the suspicion of a rival attempting some sort of trick. He added nothing to his story, confident his explanation earlier during the elven raid was enough.
"We will need someone awake to sound an alert if more raiders or wild animals come on us. I will stay awake a little longer to do my part."
"Thank you, Khar," says Laurelin. "We're lucky to have you and Crow to help in case of something dangerous. I doubt I could fight off a single scrab." She chuckles slightly.
"Still, we have a little food, a little water, and a direction to go. That means we have a little hope."
Laurelin and Cale both manage to find a small patch of mud with desert brush growing out of it. After some digging, they find a puddle of dirty water. It tastes disgusting, but it's fresh enough that they don't yet need to dip into their water reserves.
Ick-tk-chk-ka suddenly stops moving and she stands there completely still. She stays this way for nearly two hours not reacting to any external stimulus. Once she's done if there is anyone awake she says pointing to a section of her thorax under her lower arms, "I'll stay within earshot." She begins looking for the telltale signs of prey animals nearby.
Once within striking distance of her claws she leaps at the unsuspecting animal.
Ick-tk-chk-ka creeps across the dunes, and soon notices a series of talon tracks cresting over another dune nearby. She sees what looks like a stray erdlu pecking at a clump of weeds next to a ring of sun-bleached rocks.
She easily creeps up on it, completely taking it by surprise.
She was more comfortable hunting with a bow but at least she was able to close the distance. She tried to swipe at the bird.
The erdlu lets out a squawk as the thri-kreen's claw scratches it and takes a stray scale off.
The bird tries to peck and claw at its assailant in a panic!
Ick-tk-chk-ka fends off the erdlu's beak with ease, but gets kicked in the thorax by its long leg.
Ick-tk-chk-ka tried to return the bird's attacks in kind.
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Ick-tk-chk-ka manages to rake her second claw across the erdlu's flank, but is unable to pierce the bird's hide with the rest of her claws and bite.
The erdlu tries to bite the kreen again!
The bird's beak smashes right into the thri-kreen's chest, causing her thorax to crack.
It then squawks and tries to run away, trailing blood as it turns!
Reeling in pain Ick-kt-chk-ka lets the Erdlu flee. She begins to concentrate on the birdbrain.
After building a bridge between their minds Ick-tk-chk-ka overloads the its mind with psychic energy.
The mantis-warrior glares at the erdlu as it tries to flee, concentrating her iron-clad Will into a weapon of pure thought. She finds the erdlu's mind easy to contact--and even easier to utterly crush.
The bird squawks and spasms before falling face-first into the dunes, blood pouring out of its eyes and beak.
Ick-tk-chk-ka's claws begin to glow warmly as she calls upon the power of fire to heal her busted thorax. She returns with the slain Erdlu and begins preparing it for a meal. She does not venture into the wastes again until the others are ready to go.
After getting some muddy water, Laurelin does her best to wipe the grit off her mouth and arrange her cloth for coverage to try to get a tiny bit of sleep before the team has to move on for the night.
Crow took some time and effort to work on his clothes, and was surprisingly resistant to the baking sun. Even at the end of the day the sweat was quite low.
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Ick-tk-chk-ka prepares a filling meal of erdlu meat for the group. The meat is rich and filling--and much, much tastier than the pasty gruel they were once forced to eat.
Once the party has had a chance to rest and prepare themselves for the journey ahead, they press onward, into the black of night. The green light of Ral mixes with the golden moonlight of Guthay to cast the dunes before them in a strange, ethereal glow. Countless stars wink and blink in the night sky. The heat of the day gives way to the chill of the desert night, at once a relief and a hint of greater danger.
They trek long through the night, bearing southwest. Ick-tk-chk-ka takes point, guiding the party across the ever-shifting dunes of the Athasian wastelands. Sand shifts underneath the party's footsteps, sometimes providing enough stability to stand on and other times giving way beneath their feet.
Day 2, Year of Priest's Defiance, 170th King's Age
Ick-tk-chk-ka offers the cooked erdlu to the rest of the party while she eats from her personal stores.
Laurelin is only too happy to sear some erdlu meat and eats like a famished escaped slave, which of course is on point.
"I haven't had roasted erdlu in months," she says. "I almost forgot what it was like to eat something with actual substance."
"Really a lucky find out in these wastes. Hopefully we'll see more animals as we get closer to the oasis. A nearby water source tends to attract all kinds of birds and lizards. Maybe even some bees or wasps, pollinating the flowers," she notes.
"ah yes. This is really good, but What would really make this perfect would be just a small drizzle of honey. he says, remembering some of his favorite foods from his days as a merchant
Khar looks at the rest of the erdlu meat then looks to Crow and shrugs. He takes a seat beside Ick. "Are you alright?" he asks, examining the partially healed cracks in his carapace. He reaches for an unknown hunk of meat and adds, "May I?"
Ick offers the last of the long pig to Khar without hesitation. She answers, "Once the sun is out I will be able to heal it. I should have been more careful. It's dangerous to hunt alone, but I became impatient." She stares off into the distance, "It's good to have a tribe again, even if you are strange creatures. I worry about the future but at least we are surviving well enough for now."
"I have some skill at hunting, but I will need a better weapon," says Laurelin. "I don't know how to use this-" she says while gesturing to the obsidian sword, "- I'm used to using a bola."
Crow stared at the meat for a short while. He didn't usually get such food unless he won. And even then not every time. This did not stop him from tearing off a haunch and eating it, however.
Munching the meat, Crow looked up. Black eyes glinted in the light as he opened his jaws wide, then paused and frowned. Some glistened in the grass. Shiny things were...what was the word? Valuable. Rising to his feet Crow headed to the shiny thing.
Ick cocks her head questioningly as Crow lumbers away. Gathering what supplies she had she follows the half-giant and asks, "What is it?"
Concerned the other warriors have gone to investigate something, Khar adjusts the leather arms pieces and hefts the obsidian bastard sword in one hand and the short sword in the other. He glances behind and around him, Cale, and Laurelin, hoping everything is fine.
"Something shiny. Metal maybe." Crow continued to lumber.