Eclipsing the Dunes

[Tearen Wover]

Nealaphh clicked its beak in agreement as the demi-human set forth back along the main road in the Dunes. It was well traveled, and the two Primes passed by a series of caravans, where nameless, shaggy beasts of burden walked languorously, their backs overladen with cargo both valuable and mundane. The wizard horcrux and his crow partner attracted only fleeting attention as they walked in the opposite direction. After a while, as the sun sank lower in the sky and cast great ribbons of violet and beige across the sky, the grasslands eventually ebbed, until nothing remained but sand and scrub. A lone buzzard wheeled in the sky overhead, hoping to scent out one final mound of festering gore for the day, and rocky hills, striped in sandstone strata, were muted in their glory by the ephemeral haze of dust that lingered in the air.

Warm siroccos kept the chill of the night at bay, at least for now, and at length, the Primes happened upon a small traveler's outpost, where weary traders and wayward souls could parch their thirsts for water and good company. Currently, a small rabble of turban and head-scarfed nomads sat on the lip of a great well, passing around a bottle of dubious content and laughing softly over the fleeting crackle of the cook-fire at their feet. They certainly took note of the strange, pale man with a pressed (if not slightly dusty) suit and black bird on his shoulder, but their reserved nature and cultural mores persuaded them to let the silent pair pass from their attention. It wasn't until Tom had passed the encampment almost completely that Nealaphh silently bade the mage to turn around and engage the natives in conversation.

"Are you quite sure? I can't imagine they know anything of great import." Tom muttered under his breath, turning to look back at the outpost but not immediately making a move to close the distance.

They are traveling from the direction of Nippur, our destination. I want to know what has been going on."

With a great sigh, Tom adjusted his tie and hat and calmly retraced his steps back to the warmly lit roadside camp. This time the nomads eyed Tom with a little more suspicion. His appearance belied an upbringing of finer tastes and higher class living. It also indicated that, perhaps, the man approaching them was not a normal traveler of the Endless Dunes, and any Omniverse Native would know that a strange looking individual in a remote place was usually an indicator of Primehood. Nealaphh softly relayed its desired words to Tom's mind, and the Wizard then spoke them in turn, though not verbatim. The Nealaphh being's wording was often a little too dry for Mr. Riddle's erudite mannerisms.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

A long, silent pause, wherein a series of looks among the nomads were exchanged.

"Greetings, traveler." said the foremost man, speaking with a heavy accent of unplaceable origin. Tom shifted slightly in the sand and clasped his hands behind his back. This was already becoming tedious.

"Do you chaps have any news from New Babylon? I heard rumors of some upset there, of late." Tom continued, his voice plastered with saccharine coating of forced pleasantry. The natives mumbled to each other in a tongue that neither Prime immediately recognized before turning back to stare at Tom. The wizard hadn't noticed it at first, but these men's eyes were shaded almost solid blue, similar to his own black hues. In addition, Tom was occasionally catching glimpses of rather intricate looking, form fitting jumpsuits beneath their otherwise ragged outerwear.

"Nothing of importance, traveler. After what happened in the Nameless Town, we decided it best to avoid areas well traveled by eazad 'yuli."

Tom creased his mouth into a thin grimace. Honestly, speaking to someone in a language that you knew they didn't know was simply a profound expression of arrogance; a fool's attempt at asserting authority. Surely the cretin was expecting the wizard to ask just what an eazad 'yuli was, but Tom was far too clever for that. The man was clearly talking about Primes. Not one to be outdone, Tom continued pressing questions, this time of his own volition.

"What happened there?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. Again, the lowlifes gabbed at each other in their mutant tongue. Must they do this every single time Tom asked them a question. Despite the fact that Nealaphh was breathing through the minuscule nostrils of a crow, the wizard still caught the sound of the enigma sighing.

"The town was nearly leveled. Some raiders showed up with weapons of fire. Then, a golden star appeared over the entire town, and buildings started collapsing left and right."

This piqued Nealaphh's curiosity, but the questions that the God-Mind had could not possible be answered by the likes of these self-isolating Secondaries. Namely, the god-mind was concerned with how this would effect trade all the way to Carrefore. The Town with No Name and the Empire fort city rarely associated with one another, but if Primes were causing so much trouble that no one was willing to pass their trade through the few barely safe places in the Endless Dunes, it would make smuggling the raw materials into Coruscant that much harder.

It appears you were right, Mr. Riddle. Let's move on. These Secondaries have nothing more to offer us.

Feeling a sense of relief welling in his chest, Tom thanked the nomads for their time and briskly turned on his heel, continuing down the desert road. Both Primes could feel those solid blue eyes trained on them for a long time, until they passed over a small hill, into the wilderness of the Dunes...