As the sun started to set, casting its long golden rays over the grasslands, Rose discretely emerged from her mistress's shadows. Usually, she could not leave the confines of Victoria's soul, as there was a lot of uncertainty about how her true form would be viewed by the majority of their peers, so it was a rare chance to move about freely. She was looking forward to when they were able to switch caravans to one less filled with religiously motivated individuals. With the intense heat and growing irritability of the pilgrims, any source of ire could be dangerous for them if they were more open about their true form.
Running through the sparsely covered plains, Rose quickly found her destination on the horizon: a large, cavernous opening that was surrounded by dying trees. It was one of many entrances to a vast underground network of tunnels that spanned across the land. Her goal wasn't to exchange goods or currency, rather pay a small tribute to the local Grootslang that was partially sealed underground*. Victoria had promised to buy her a selection of sweet food or fruit, when she was able to source some, if she could successfully deliver her offering.
According to the records the demons had sold them back in England, it would be proper etiquette to provide the aspiring deity with precious gems to secure safe passage through the region. Something which was growing more and more uncommon with the continued passage of time. Typically, they did not like to interact with any creature that held violent aspirations of grandeur, however it was sometimes better to placate any would-be warlords and avoid painful losses.
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Beneath the shade of a cluster of baobab trees rested a group of bandit raiders, having been forced to relocate from their previous hideout. The Songhai guard patrols had recently grown increasingly intrusive, encroaching far too close their main base for any semblance of comfort. Before they could be ambushed, they made the decision to take what they could and move further north. Armed with their weapons and carrying their stolen riches, they had found a temporary place to stay while trying to find a new home. It was reasonably well sheltered and had multiple points of cover, if there was a nearby water source it would've been slightly more ideal for a more permanent location.
They were currently several hours away from one of the larger settlements that bordered on the vast desert. The town served as a final resting spot for any merchants wishing to cross the desert, giving them a secure sanctuary to resupply and rest before they attempted to make their perilous journey. The city would also coordinate the scouts that would travel ahead of the main group to place water caches several days out from the departure point, creating a buffer before they continued their long journey across the sands.
The plan was to find an unoccupied stretch of land that they could use to plunder the travelling merchants before they could reach the safety of the soldiers garrisoned in the town. Arms, food and clothing would have to be arranged through raids or similarly violent means. Once they could establish themselves in a region, they could work to entrench themselves in a manner that was resilient to the Songhai soldier's intrusions.
With the sun setting, many of the lawless vagrants began to stretch their limbs. Scouts also started to return from their daytime exploration, bearing information on the surrounding lands. Rocky outcrops, dense bushes and any other form of cover being carefully considered for a more permanent base. If their group could fortify it against wild animals and other humans, they could make do with whatever cover it provided. Each one had their own preferences of course, but all of it did not matter if it was overall unsuitable.
Hushed calls came out from across the plains, signaling movement from their perimeter. A young child, likely the daughter of a merchant based on their full body niqab, was wandering towards a large open cave they had scouted earlier. Its angle and depth had proven to be unsuitable for their purposes but was an important landmark from them regardless. A few questioned the girl's purpose, as young girls were unlikely to stray far beyond the limits of any settlement.
From with-in the bandit circle there were four trains of thought: capturing the girl for their own use, act as a wandering-hunters to claim a reward for her rescue, kill the girl in case she noticed them or ignore her as to not alert the nearby patrols. The more inpatient of the group was able to sway the opinion of the cautious, wishing to do something after weeks of travel and inaction. How the girl would be used could be decided later when they could assess the situation.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
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As Rose got closer to the gaping hole, she felt the unnerving gaze of some unseen observer. It did not feel like the gaze of a beast, watching in wait with suppressed blood lust. Instead, it was the lecherous gaze of a human. Soon more men approached, never directly entering her vision, carefully surrounding her as she walked. They silently ran between the cover of bushes, rocks and trees in a manner which most would consider subtle. Victoria, who had been remotely monitoring the situation, had speculated that they would not make a move until she reached the cavernous entrance to limit her escape. Once she made her offering Rose was free to dissipate, as no one would be able to see her face or skin to identify her later.
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Their target had stopped in front of the large cave they had previously noticed, almost as if it was her intended destination. The child was now surrounded, with only a deep and inescapable tunnel to hide in, assuming that she survived the long drop. A whoop, similar to that of the local birds, signaled their time to strike. Simultaneously they emerged from cover, boldly walking towards the girl. One of their groups called out to her: “Stop right there little one, don't you know how lost you are?” The girl did not react, rather she continued to approach the open pit. Further calls did not dissuade her, as she continued to ignore their growing calls to stop.
Suddenly the girl cried out, in broken Yoruba, “I make this offering to you! Oh, mighty one! Please bless our journey across the desert.” She then threw something shiny into the deep pit, it appeared to be made of gold, imbued with a selection of gemstones. Unfortunately for the bandits, none of them were close enough to catch it. This act only seemed to enrage the bandits, forcing them to consider going down the pit to recover such an item. If only she would've listened to them, they might've been able to control themselves, but anything which happened now was her own fault.
One of their number went to strike the girl before she could do anything else stupid, only for their fist to come into contact with the lifeless and empty cloth. Their group all gathered to stare at the heavy white fabric that had fallen harmlessly onto the ground. The lifeless cloth was proof that there had been someone there, even if they were unable to see where they went. A few of them dug through the cloth to see if they could find anything of value, only to find it devoid of anything that was not sand from the nearby desert.
A few decided to at least retrieve the random item that had been thrown down the cave, rationalizing it as exploring a potential escape route for future raids. They quickly found the valuable trinket that had been roughly offered to whatever deity was supposedly hiding in the hole. It was a: foreign, fist-sized badge that resembled a mysterious wild dog with a thick lion-like mane, far thicker than the short-haired mutts which hunted medium-sized game on the open plains.
Now that they were actually inside the caverns, they found them to be unnaturally wide. A herd of elephants could probably move around the underground passageways with minimal difficulty. Several of the bandits moved deeper, searching for any more discarded valuables that may have been left by whatever strange worshippers travelled past the cave. Their search yielded some minor results, as gold dust was regularly found scattered about the seemingly well-used, tunnels.
Vowing to return with torches the scouting team began to climb the steep entrance way, only to feel minor tremors as they reached the half-way point. “You steal what has been offered?” bellowed an ancient voice from deep with-in the tunnels. The accusatory statement reverberated throughout the cave-system, bouncing off the walls with growing intensity. Soon the tunnels started to shake, loosing dirt from the ceiling and surrounding earth. Something large was coming, instantly routing the more cowardly bandits among those gathered.
The tremors only became more intense, dislodging the earth around entrance and sending many of the onlooking bandits into the pit. Frightened screams echoed across the grasslands until their bodies violently crumpled on impact. All the remaining raiders had scattered into the plains, running as if chased by a pride of lions. One by one they were caught with a violent cry of pain, followed by the thunderous footsteps of their pursuer. The last two remaining raiders had made it to their make-shift base, cowering with what remained of their ill-gotten gains. A swift swipe was all it took for the underground deity to completely destroy what little cover they had.
The pair looked back to see the full form of the deity they had wronged, finding an abnormally large elephant staring back at them. It's numerous tusks imposing its monstrous presence. “Let this be a lesson to not covet one's offerings.” Declared the beast, voice echoing throughout the surroundings. “I shall take your meagre possessions as payment for your life. Use whatever is left of it wisely. Few get second chances.” Using its elongated trunk, the being gently lifted their newly acquired cache of goods, placing it carefully on its raised forehead before slithering away on its gargantuan serpentine tail.
