Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – Madman

For the very first time since Bo had known Ethron – the clan leader, was silent. He stood stunned, with his left eye twitching slightly.

"Bo," Leo whispered, "Maybe it's better if you just drop it-"

"No," Bo cut In, "This is important to me,"

"But you will have to spend your entire life wrapped up in these robes if you don't accept Oasis' protection," Tor added, biting her lip nervously, "And how will we afford to feed you? As an adult, you will probably eat far more food than a child would,"

Bo frowned, "It's not like Qui's blessing is useless, you know – It makes me physically stronger, and if I can find a dragon…."

He trailed off, noticing that Ethron had begun to shake, "Dragon…." He muttered, chewing the word in his mouth as though he had a mouth full of sand.

"There are no dragons. Bo." Ethron said quietly.

"We don't know that! All we ever see is this region of the desert. There could be hundreds of them past the salt flats, and we would never know," Bo raised his voice slightly but regretted it when he saw the stoney look on Ethron's face.

"Do you really think you would be capable of crossing the salt flats without Oasis' blessing?" Ethron asked. "Knowing that they are even more inhospitable than here," He gestured towards the endless, rolling dunes pointedly.

"I could find a way," Bo said stubbornly. He wasn't willing to budge on this – even if he had to make an enemy of Ethron.

Ethron started to shake his head sadly, suddenly looking his age. He was an old man, after all, and his wrinkled face took on a sombre hue. "I swore to them," he looked up at Bo, "I swore to Kal and Jena that I wouldn't let you come to harm."

"I know," Bo nodded, meeting Ethron's gaze.

"But how can I keep that promise if you… you…” He turned to look towards the back of the procession, where an elderly woman trudged forward with two sledges behind her back.

Bo frowned, "Elder, this has nothing to do with her,"

Ethron clenched his jaw, "Doesn't it? She taught you how to read. She put all these ideas in your head. If not for her, would you be saying something as suicidal as this?"

"I-"

Ethron didn't listen to Bo. He suddenly turned and began to march back through the procession towards Fran. As he stalked by the gathered tribesmen, with a face like a thundercloud - they gave him a wide berth. Every Karak had been chewed out by Ethron at least once and knew when to avoid the old man. This was one of those times.

"Fran!" He bellowed, catching the elderly lady's attention.

"Elder! Stop it!" Bo chased after him but couldn't keep up with the older man's enhanced body. He was quickly left behind as the two most senior tribe members came to blows.

Fran glanced at Ethron, who was swiftly approaching, and rolled her eyes, "I see you're as horrible as ever - old man,"

"Shut up, hag," Ethron spat.

Fran's eyes narrowed, and she untied the sledges she was dragging, dropping the ropes to the ground. "What did you call me?"

Ethron laughed harshly, "I called you a hag, you old witch!"

"Good…" Fran licked her lips and straightened her back, "I just wanted to make sure I had a reason to cripple you,"

"You dare!?" Ethron bellowed, glaring at Fran.

"Our tribe could use a new leader. Someone less old and decrepit," Fran snapped.

They both started to march towards each other, practically snarling as they did so. And it wasn't until Bo ran in between them that they paused.

"Move!" Ethron growled.

"Now is not the time, dear," Fran hissed.

"Listen to me for just a second," Bo pleaded, holding his hands out as though to push the pair back. "Please,"

Ethron gritted his teeth, and Fran nodded, "You have thirty seconds," The old man said coldly.

Bo took a deep breath, trying to organise his thoughts. His heart was racing as he desperately searched for the right wording. Finally, he found it and began to speak.

"Elder," He gestured at Ethron, "We struggle with hunting, do we not?"

"There's nothing to hunt," Ethron pointed out. The barren desert had very little in the way of prey.

"That - Is not entirely true," Bo continued, noticing Ethron's expression drop.

"There is the Oas-"

"Do not finish that sentence!" the old man almost screeched.

"Shush, give him his chance to speak!" Fran hissed.

"But it's blasphemy!" Ethron protested, "We cannot hunt our own guardian deity,"

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Bo smiled, "No, you can't. But what about me?"

Ethron frowned, "Hunt an Oasis… alone. Have you lost your mind?"

There is a simple reason for Ethron's reaction to such a suggestion. An Oasis is both a creature and a god. In the same way, Qui is the god of dragons, yet there are also dragons. For a Karak - whose tribe relies on the blessing of the god Oasis to survive – killing an Oasis would be seen as an act akin to high treason or regicide. It simply wasn't done.

"No, I haven't. I think I could do it," Bo continued, straining to remain calm.

"They are ten metres tall, at least! An oasis could crush you with a single hoof. What could you possibly do against one?" Fran chimed in - her expression doubtful.

"For now, this is all I ask," Bo locked eyes with Ethron, "Give me a chance to prove myself… to prove that I am capable of surpassing your expectations. Give me a chance to show you that we don't have to live like…." He gestured at the weary tribesmen who had gathered to watch the confrontation, "This…."

The Karak began to mutter, and Ethron paused on the verge of an outburst. Bo could almost see the cogs turning in his ancient head as the old man processed everything. Finally, he seemed to have come to a decision and spoke, "And you will accept any challenge I give?" He asked, his expression grim.

"As long as you give me time to prepare," Bo nodded, meeting the old man's steely gaze.

"Very well." Ethron sighed, "I propose a fitting test. Bring me a dragon's tooth."

Bo froze, and the Karak burst into an uproar.

"A dragon's tooth!?" Tor exclaimed.

"Has the old man finally gone senile?" Leo whispered.

"Ethron, are you trying to get him killed?" Fran asked, her voice low and threatening.

As they discussed this, Bo was going over everything in his mind. He had been expecting a difficult challenge - but collecting a dragon's tooth was life or death for even the most seasoned hunters. And they usually fought in groups.

The difficulty came from the fact that a dragon's tooth didn't belong to a dragon. It was found on the tail of a massive, scaled scorpion bigger than most men. On the end of the scorpion's tail was a hook that closely resembled a dragon's tooth – hence the name.

'But could I actually kill one?' Bo wondered. He had imagined fighting monsters countless times, but this was the real deal. The Sarpa were no joke, and many a competent fighter had fallen beneath their vicious stinger.

"Well?" Ethron asked, pulling Bo from his thoughts. "Can you do it?"

Bo frowned, biting his lip nervously.

"You don't have to, Bo," Fran added, "There's nothing wrong with having Oasis as your guardian god,"

Looking out at the gathered tribesmen, Bo felt that, at best, they were curious – and, at worst, annoyed at the very idea of other guardian gods. Not a single one even considered his request a real possibility. They were so stuck in their ways that nothing would ever change unless someone forced the issue.

Someone like Bo.

"I'll do it," He said, hardening his resolve.

It was Ethron's turn to freeze, "You're serious?" He asked, wide-eyed.

"I am."

"Bo-" Fran tried to interject, but Bo cut her off.

"Fran, I have to do this. Trust me,"

She stared into Bo's eyes, searching for something, anything. If she had seen even the tiniest hint of doubt, then Fran would not have allowed him to try. But all she saw when she looked into Bo's eyes was boiling determination.

"Very well," she said reluctantly. "But remember, your life is worth more than anything else. I don't care if you fail – just as long as you stay alive."

Bo nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. Finally, he turned to Ethron, "How long do I have?"

Ethron frowned, still looking rather bewildered – as though he couldn't believe what was happening, was actually happening. Eventually, he found the words and said, "The communion will be held in a week. If by then, you have not presented me a dragon's tooth... Then I will declare your challenge as failed,"

Swallowing hard, Bo nodded again.

Finally, the tribe – who had gathered to watch the show and were too stunned to speak, burst into an almighty uproar. Everyone wanted to talk to either Bo, Fran or Ethron – and even Tor and Leo capitalised on the short-lived fame by recounting Bo's earlier encounter with Ethron to anyone who would listen.

"And…" Ethron spoke up - silencing the crowd once more, "Since you plan to kill an Oasis on your own. This challenge must be completed alone, as well,"

A tremor ran the Karak as they processed this. For a young man without a blessing – killing a Sarpa was effectively suicide. For Bo to attempt such a thing alone, he would have to be…

Bo smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way,"

Mad. That was the only way to describe him.

Utterly, and inarguably – Mad.

 

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