Chapter 39: Thirty seven

The raiders hideout was claimed land, so we weren’t able to collapse the tunnels once the team finished looting everything they could find, which wasn’t a lot. Darius had concluded that the raiders must have a hidden room, which would only be accessible by the earth mage. I was disappointed our encounter with the raiders hadn’t been more rewarding. On the upside, we now knew they were there, and could advise our guild members of their presence if they were going to be traveling in the area. 

As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the temperature in the desert dropped quickly and I contemplated pulling out a cloak from my bag. Lanterns were hung from poles attached to our saddles, and I again reminded myself to find a way to create an alchemic source of light. There was a recipe for something called a light potion among those I’d purchased, but the plants it needed were unknown to me. With the recipes predating the cataclysm, I didn’t even know if a plant called spark moss grew on Salvia, as everyone I’d asked said they’d never come across anything like I’d described. 

Maybe I can make something with Scorcher venom or Scorcher hemolymph? Their tails are bioluminescent, but it doesn’t produce a strong enough glow to see by on its own. I still haven’t worked out how the Scorchers have both blood in the main body, and hemolymph in the tail. It frustrated me that I couldn’t find the answers to the many questions I had. 

Night in the desert was strange, with the moon shining brightly in the sky we almost didn’t need the lanterns to light our path. The large stone pillars that marked the desert trail let off an eerie phosphorescent glow, and each pillar could be clearly seen in the distance. No-one in the group could tell me the source of the glow, and inspecting one of the pillars gave no clues. It appeared as though the stone itself was the source of the light, and not the scripture etched onto its surface to mark the destination the pillar was leading us to.  

The wind had died down, and the sounds of various animal calls had me feeling tense. We rode in a tighter formation than the one we used during the day, and ate our evening meal without stopping for a break. The only time we stopped was to water the mounts, and only one person would dismount each time to set out water buckets. 

As we yet again stopped so the horses could be given water, I scanned the surrounding area. The flat plains of earlier were slowly changing, with outcroppings of rock rising up around us. I preferred the flat plains, as then we had a better visual of what was around us. 

Chewing on a strip of beef jerky, I glanced over to where Darius had moved his horse alongside Markion and Roderick. The three had their heads lowered and were talking softly, glancing at the area behind us. I’d also noticed Killian who rode ahead and to the right of me, looking back as we rode and suspected something was following our group, though no one had outright said anything.

Ears twitching, I tried to focus on the conversation between the three, but only managed to catch a few words. 

“At least four.” 

“Canyon ahead.”

“Ambush.”  

Ambush? Someone is going to ambush us? I gave up trying to pretend I wasn’t eavesdropping and stared at the three with a wide-eyed gaze. 

Noticing where I was looking, Dorian leant over to place a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a couple of Raptors. Killian spotted them stalking us about an hour ago.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Ah, that's right. I haven’t shown you the hand signals yet have I? We can’t always communicate verbally, so we have a series of gestures used to communicate. These are used in conjunction with the whistles you’ve been learning.” 

Holding up his index and middle finger, Dorian crooked them over to form a claw shape and flicked his wrist to mime attacking something with his clawed fingers.

“We have signals to identify the more common creatures we encounter, and this is the one for raptors. Even though they change slightly depending on the location, they behave in much the same way, so we use the one sign for all species of Raptor.”  

“They’re talking about an ambush in a canyon.” I told the healer, glancing back at the group of guild commanders. 

“A common tactic for Raptors, they’re cowards, only attacking when they think they’ve got an advantage.” Killian chimed in, walking over with two buckets full of water for Arion and Dorians gelding. 

Once the horses and Markion’s rhino had drunk their fill, Darius ordered a change in the riding formation. Dorian and I would still be riding in the center, though now the group would be riding bunched so closely together that I felt almost claustrophobic. The guild leader explained this was because Raptors would first attack any stragglers, seeking to pick off someone separated from the group. 

Riding through the canyon at a faster pace, and in a tight formation meant there was a chance the Raptors would forgo an attack in favor of waiting for easier prey. Unless they were desperate, which it didn’t seem they were, as we made it through the five hundred meter long canyon without hinderance. 

When the sky began to lighten into shades of soft pink and orange, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. We’d made it through the night unscathed aside from the raider attack, and the raptors who were still stalking us. According to Darion, they’d likely continue stalking us for days, waiting for their chance to attack or until they found easier prey. 

Reaching one of the pillars, Darius turned to the left, leading our group away from the line of pillars we were following and towards a rocky outcropping only just visible in the distance. 

“Killian, Baz, ride ahead.” The guild leader ordered, sending the Elven archer and Dwarven fighter to scout the potential camping area for danger. 

A low whistle rang out, and with that signal for all clear, we rode to join the pair. 

“There’s a shaded overhang where we can leave the horses.” Killian called out, gesturing to place where the built up rocks created a small sheltered area. 

Dismounting Arion, I led him over to the shade and removed his tack while he drank from the water bucket the archer had placed down. Once he’d drunk his fill, I measured out three scoops of mixed grains into his feed bag and slipped the strap over his head to hold it in place. With Arion happily chowing down on his breakfast, I left him in the shade, where Killian was hammering a set of tall stakes into the ground. Each stake once hammered in came up to my waist, and had a metal ring on the top, which a thick rope would be strung through. It wouldn’t do much to deter the horses if they truly wanted to get out, but the horses and Basher were all fence trained, so wouldn’t break out without reason. 

“Kads, toss your tent there and I’ll pitch it for you. Go help Con with breakfast.” Markion called out as I approached where he was staking his own tent into the rock hardened ground. 

Doing as my brother directed, I pulled the tent bag out and left it beside my saddle bags before heading over to where Conrad and Bastian were pitching their own tent. 

“Markion said to come help with breakfast.” I said by way of greeting. 

“I was planning on fruit for breakfast, as it won’t stay fresh for long.” The water mage said with a smile, and I nodded, looking around at everyone working diligently to set up camp. 

“Lass, do yer see the cacti over there? The Kemet desert tribes harvest those lil yellow flowers and make a paste out of it, which they smother over wounds to treat infections. I got treated with it by a Kemet herbalist when I was last in the desert.” Bastian interjected, seeing my lost expression. 

Looking in the direction the dwarf indicated, I saw there were three about fifty meters away from where we were setting up camp. A bright golden light shone from somewhere around the base of the cactus, flashing several times, and smaller fainter lights danced around the flowers that were on the green trunk of the cactus. Scattered around the cactus were some scraggly looking bushes, which also shone faintly. 

“Thank you, I’ll go take a look.” I told the dwarf, and started heading in the direction of the cacti. 

“Just be careful lass, keep an eye out for snakes and the like.” Bastian cautioned, before turning back to finish helping Conrad with the tent. 

As I reached the cactus, a sickly almost pungent scent filled my nose, and I quickly pulled the face mask I’d left around my neck back up. Small yellow flowers grew in clusters on the tops of the cactus trunk, and each trunk had multiple off shoots. Eyeing the spikes protruding from the cactus, I pondered how I was going to pick the dozens of yellow flowers that were well out of my reach. 

“Don’t suppose you want to fly up and pluck the flowers off for me?” I asked the crow, who was perched on my shoulder with his head buried under a wing. 

In response, the crow peaked his head around to gaze at the cactus, before letting out a condescending sounding caw, and flying away back to where the tents were being set up. 

“Some help you are.” I grumbled. 

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Snapping closed the canopy of my wagasa, I used it to knock loose some of the flowers with the sharp bladed tip. After placing the few flowers I managed to retrieve into a clay container. I pulled out my shears, and moved to the thorny bush growing in a cluster at the base of the largest cactus. The bush didn’t have any leaves or flowers, and was a mass of entangled branches. Cutting into a branch, the interior appeared fibrous with a sticky white sap. Turning away from the bush, I checked the shears with my alchemic insight and saw a bright glow in the spots where the sap was stuck to the metal. 

After pulling a leather sack from my bag, I set to work, cutting the thorny branches into manageable chunks. As I worked, I scanned the area with my insight ability, searching for the place where the brightest light had shone from. 

I could have sworn something around here flashed several times, and it was brighter than the other lights. I thought in confusion as only the faint glow of the cactus and thorny bush lit up my vision. Maybe it was an animal that got startled and ran away when I approached?

Ah, I should let Scorch and Sting out. I can see webs in the branches of this bush, and the spines of the cactus. So there must be some spiders living here they can find and eat.    

As Sting and Scorch scampered into the thorny bush, I packed away the bag containing the trimmed branches and got to my feet. I decided to leave the two Scorchers to bask in the sun and find themselves a meal before coming back to collect them later. 

Humming softly under my breath, I headed back to camp where I could see all six tents were pitched and set out in two rows facing each other. Markion and Roderick stood near one of the tents, doing something to the corner of the roof. By the time I reached the tents, their actions became more clear as a large piece of canvas was raised into the air, creating a roof which covered the space between the tents. 

My tent was once again pitched between Darius and my brothers, and my saddle bags had been left by the door. Heading inside the tent with my furnishing crate, I set it in the center of the room and removed the lid, before moving back to the entrance. 

When the crate had finished unfolding, I shoved the crate lid inside the largest saddle bag, and shifted them inside the tent. Moving to the living quarters side of the tent, I filled a bowl with water and stripped off my sweat soaked clothing. Cleaning myself with a limited amount of water and a cloth, wasn’t anywhere close to the shower I so desperately wanted, but with the need to conserve our water it was the best I could do. Once I was done washing, I pulled on a cotton singlet and shorts, along with my old starter kimono, which had been repurposed as a dressing robe. Carrying my bowl of dirty water to the work room side of my tent, I was about to take it outside so someone could purify it when a thought struck me. 

Could I purify it myself using magic? Conrad, Darius and Dorian can use a spell they call purify water. Conrad said it was a tier one spell, so it can’t be that hard to learn, can it?

Placing the bowl on the nearby work bench, I held my hand over the bowl in the same way I’d seen all three of the others do. 

“Purify.” I commanded, staring into the bowl expectantly. 

Nothing. With a groan, I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. Of course nothing happened, you fool. You need to do something more than speak the words. 

It is probably the same as when I made the vial. I need to push my power into it, while imagining the dirt being removed and the water becoming clean. 

“Purify,” 

This time, the water in the bowl swirled, and the amulet around my neck pulsed with power. As I watched the once murky water became clear, and a clump of dirt rose up from the bowl landing beside it on the bench in a small pile. 

“I did it, I purified water.” I exclaimed, clapping my hands together in excitement. 

What else can be purified this way? Can I use this method to purify vodka into ethanol? What about other liquids? Can I purify a tincture or a potion to separate the ingredients?

Rushing over to my bags, I pulled out a jug of vodka, along with a vial containing a basic pain relieving tincture, and was about to return to my bench when Markion shoved his head into the tent. 

“Kads, come out and get some food.” 

“I’ll eat something later,” I told him not wanting to wait even a second more to test out my theory. 

“Are you seriously not going to have breakfast with me on my birthday?” Markion complained, and I stiffened, turning back towards him.

“What? No, it’s not your birthday that's not until-.” 

“Today.” My brother interjected, lips curling up into a grin. “You forgot.” 

“I didn’t,” I protested, shaking my head. “I even got you a present, well, two presents actually.” 

“Really? What’d you get me?” 

“Come inside and I’ll show you.” I told him, rushing over to place the jug and vial on my work bench. 

Digging through the pouch containing my item tokens, I found the one I was looking for and pulled it out. The image on the token was of a large wagon, almost twice the size of the one I’d brought for myself. 

“I got you a wagon,” I told my brother, showing him the token with the wagons picture. 

“I thought it would suit you because of how large it is, the roof can be raised higher and the sides of the wagon drop down. These metal poles strapped to the side fold out to support the lowered sides, and there are canvas walls to enclose it.” I explained, pointing to the different parts of the picture. 

“Wow, Kads, I didn't expect something like this.” Markion admired, leaning down slightly to look closer at the picture. 

“We can’t redeem it here, because Darius said we can’t use wagons in the sand sea of the central desert and there won’t be anywhere safe to leave them.” 

“Thats right, but I can wait. This is great, I’ll be able to bring extra equipment on hunting trips and have a nicer place to sleep with a wagon of my own. We normally bring a canvas topped wagon, but I usually end up sleeping in my chariot with a canvas draped over the top, or in my tent.” 

“I also got you this,” I said, handing my brother a paper wrapped rectangle. 

Unwrapping the paper, Markion let out a groan when he saw the book contained within. 

“Every year.” He grumbled. 

“I bought a book on advanced smithing techniques from Gaia and copied it out into a leather journal. I suffered a lot of hand cramps working on this,” I scolded, reaching for the book. 

“But if you don’t want it, I’m sure there are other smiths in the guild who-.” 

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Markion growled, tucking the book under his arm. 

Laughing, I followed my brother out of the tent, to where the others were sitting on a woven rug that had been laid out in the shaded area between the tents. 

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