08-10-2017, 02:57 AM
The Sage sat with Eckward and Viper in the back of one of the wagons while Odem steered their mechanical caravan. They were staring at a map of the Dunes, trying to decipher how their pursuers could have gotten so close to Carrefore without imperial encounters.
“We can’t have lost the route to the Town With No Name, can we?” the Sage asked, “The map seems to say it would take little more than a day’s journey. Yet here we have had our rest so rudely interrupted after a full day’s toil.”
Eckward shook his head dismissively, mumbling to himself in the language the Sage still didn’t really understand. Viper gave a sort of patronizing half-smile as she explained.
“Most of the Endless Dunes are, well, exactly that. Dunes. Too much sand in the motors of these hovercarts can break them down, so we’ve had to take this longer route here.” She traced a more arcing path, towards a darker portion of the map. “More rocks and hard dirt, lets the engines stay on.”
Eckward smacked a finger at the area behind them. A high intensity burst of the strange speech caused both the Sage and Viper to jump before Eckward stormed back to sit beside Odem. The Sage looked at Viper in confusion, and the gnomeling shrugged.
“He says he knows which of those Imperial watchposts they must have snuck past, and he plans to get them all court-martialed once he gets back to Carrefore.”
“He doesn’t seem too concerned about being hunted. The Tusken are travelling single-file, we have no way of knowing how many are after us.” The Sage said, as he and viper moved to the back of the caravan, watching the plodding march of the Banthas behind them. Viper shrugged.
“They’re unlikely to catch us before we make it to the Town at the rate their going. We should be fine as long as we keep moving.” She settled into as comfortable a position as she could amidst the cramped boxes of the wagon. “They were probably hoping to catch us unawares, and now they’re just putting in a good showing before giving up and looking for something easier to catch.”
The Sage watched the dark shape behind them pensively, a gnawing fear refusing to release him to slumber. Putting in a good show? Uncertainly he moved back to the map. He grabbed the little disk that acted as a lantern wincing slightly at its unexpected heat before placing it nearer the map. Their route wound through canyons towards the Town with No Name, but in order to get out of the labyrinth of fissues, they would need to go through a single pass. If they missed it they would have to detour by almost a week to get to the next pass out, and the dunes Eckward had so tried to avoid would lay between them and their destination.
They aren’t trying to catch us, The Sage realized with growing alarm, They’re trying to herd us into a trap. It was an old bandit stratagem, one that he had both used and been taken by in the past. It normally worked best in more isolated locales, but he was convinced now that he saw the routes more clearly. It was too good an ambush spot, but not heavily trafficked enough to be on the Empire’s radar. Now he just had to convince the others.
The Sage started to head towards Viper, then realized that he had forgotten not to trust her. Shaking his head a little, he made his way to the front of the hovercarts, where Eckward and Odem rode together in silence.
“I’ve figured out the raider’s intentions. They mean to ambush us ahead, with reinforcements to cut off any retreat. Do you have any sort of quicker transportation I can use to scout ahead and find their position?”
Eckward’s surprised response was predictably unintelligible and so the Sage looked at Odem, who kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, even as he began to slowly translate his boss’s speech.
“How do… you… know that… they are…” he monotoned, and the Sage’s urgency caused him to cut the man off before the rest of the question was even formed.
“Because they would be utterly stupid otherwise. Look, I’m going to summon a mount for myself, and ride ahead, travel as slowly as the pursuers will let you. They are herding us like sheep to a butchery, and I have no intention of walking in blindly.”
The Sage didn’t even wait for a reply, moving back to seclusion of the wagon. He focused, the rainbow hued orb of Omnilium forming in his hands. It was bigger than ever, and its sheer power stunned the Sage for a brief instant, before he refocused on his task. Just when have I gotten this strong? He wondered as he focused on the beast he needed. Stocky, almost more mule than horse. Sturdy legs and a strong gait. Not skittish or flighty, a beast with a good head on its shoulders.
Eventually there was a nickering from outside the caravan, and the Sage broke his reverie, the rainbow orb dissolving back into nothing. The Sage hopped off of the hovercart, jogging over towards the minorly confused mare that stood a short distance away. Murmuring comforting words to the newly created beast, the Sage climbed atop the saddle. He pranced forward adjusting to the gait of the beast, then nudged her forward into a strong gait, racing ahead of the caravan into the night.
“We can’t have lost the route to the Town With No Name, can we?” the Sage asked, “The map seems to say it would take little more than a day’s journey. Yet here we have had our rest so rudely interrupted after a full day’s toil.”
Eckward shook his head dismissively, mumbling to himself in the language the Sage still didn’t really understand. Viper gave a sort of patronizing half-smile as she explained.
“Most of the Endless Dunes are, well, exactly that. Dunes. Too much sand in the motors of these hovercarts can break them down, so we’ve had to take this longer route here.” She traced a more arcing path, towards a darker portion of the map. “More rocks and hard dirt, lets the engines stay on.”
Eckward smacked a finger at the area behind them. A high intensity burst of the strange speech caused both the Sage and Viper to jump before Eckward stormed back to sit beside Odem. The Sage looked at Viper in confusion, and the gnomeling shrugged.
“He says he knows which of those Imperial watchposts they must have snuck past, and he plans to get them all court-martialed once he gets back to Carrefore.”
“He doesn’t seem too concerned about being hunted. The Tusken are travelling single-file, we have no way of knowing how many are after us.” The Sage said, as he and viper moved to the back of the caravan, watching the plodding march of the Banthas behind them. Viper shrugged.
“They’re unlikely to catch us before we make it to the Town at the rate their going. We should be fine as long as we keep moving.” She settled into as comfortable a position as she could amidst the cramped boxes of the wagon. “They were probably hoping to catch us unawares, and now they’re just putting in a good showing before giving up and looking for something easier to catch.”
The Sage watched the dark shape behind them pensively, a gnawing fear refusing to release him to slumber. Putting in a good show? Uncertainly he moved back to the map. He grabbed the little disk that acted as a lantern wincing slightly at its unexpected heat before placing it nearer the map. Their route wound through canyons towards the Town with No Name, but in order to get out of the labyrinth of fissues, they would need to go through a single pass. If they missed it they would have to detour by almost a week to get to the next pass out, and the dunes Eckward had so tried to avoid would lay between them and their destination.
They aren’t trying to catch us, The Sage realized with growing alarm, They’re trying to herd us into a trap. It was an old bandit stratagem, one that he had both used and been taken by in the past. It normally worked best in more isolated locales, but he was convinced now that he saw the routes more clearly. It was too good an ambush spot, but not heavily trafficked enough to be on the Empire’s radar. Now he just had to convince the others.
The Sage started to head towards Viper, then realized that he had forgotten not to trust her. Shaking his head a little, he made his way to the front of the hovercarts, where Eckward and Odem rode together in silence.
“I’ve figured out the raider’s intentions. They mean to ambush us ahead, with reinforcements to cut off any retreat. Do you have any sort of quicker transportation I can use to scout ahead and find their position?”
Eckward’s surprised response was predictably unintelligible and so the Sage looked at Odem, who kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, even as he began to slowly translate his boss’s speech.
“How do… you… know that… they are…” he monotoned, and the Sage’s urgency caused him to cut the man off before the rest of the question was even formed.
“Because they would be utterly stupid otherwise. Look, I’m going to summon a mount for myself, and ride ahead, travel as slowly as the pursuers will let you. They are herding us like sheep to a butchery, and I have no intention of walking in blindly.”
The Sage didn’t even wait for a reply, moving back to seclusion of the wagon. He focused, the rainbow hued orb of Omnilium forming in his hands. It was bigger than ever, and its sheer power stunned the Sage for a brief instant, before he refocused on his task. Just when have I gotten this strong? He wondered as he focused on the beast he needed. Stocky, almost more mule than horse. Sturdy legs and a strong gait. Not skittish or flighty, a beast with a good head on its shoulders.
Eventually there was a nickering from outside the caravan, and the Sage broke his reverie, the rainbow orb dissolving back into nothing. The Sage hopped off of the hovercart, jogging over towards the minorly confused mare that stood a short distance away. Murmuring comforting words to the newly created beast, the Sage climbed atop the saddle. He pranced forward adjusting to the gait of the beast, then nudged her forward into a strong gait, racing ahead of the caravan into the night.
If history is to become legend, it first must be recorded.