Journey West 10: Riverside Trouble

    The party has been traveling west for a few days, if not for Rhulan’s stash in her sub-space warehouse then this trek would truly have been far more daunting. The river on the map, going west will take them north west before there is a short distance between it and another river going straight west. This first river runs south and empties into the Gulf of Archae, the same gulf the Sea of Archae connects to, but that is not their direction of course. Despite Rhulan’s stash they have decided to follow the water sources, not just so they don’t have to rely on Rhulan’s stash in case of a real emergency, but also because any towns they may find work at along the way will be located along these rivers and streams in this otherwise dry climate.

     As the party travels down the dusty road they come to a another cross-roads, or rather a fork where one continues on up the river, and the other crosses a shallow part that has clearly been artificially dug out so horse drawn carts could cross; however this road goes down hill and appears to turn back the way they came, likely heading towards one of the towns south of Sana. Below the sign that reads [West: Zax Town] there is a wind torn wanted poster, likely hung there that day given the condition and the weather [Job in Zax Town, hunters or others wanted to keep night watch for Blood Sand Swarms]

    “I don’t think they really expect anyone to take this job.” says Gold Wolf

   Hollia looks thoughtful, “Didn’t that…radio thing, back in Sae-Auto say something about these Blood Sand Swarms? I think it said they were an annual job.”

    She looks confused, she’s never heard of a Blood Sand Swarm before, and Lin Lin copies her behavior.

    “What ever it is,” says Cata, “it comes back every year, maybe some gang or some large monster demanding tribute?”

    *Rhulan chuckles*

    “Beetles,” she says much to everyone’s confusion, “Blood Sand Swarm, is a name given to a species of beetle out here.”

    She stands in a lecture posture, “A Blood Sand Swarm is composed of tiny flesh eating beetles, each the size of a grain of sand. When resting they resemble a bloody patch of sand, when in flight they could be mistaken for a small cloud of bloody dust. Once a year they travel from high in the desert mountains where they normally feed on carrion and small prey, to the Gulf of Archae to breed. You see these beetles are rare amongst insects for having a life cycle where the larva actually lives in shallow salt water. However these breeding clouds are massive, swarms like locusts, and will devour any flesh they come across to facilitate their breeding energy needs.”

    “So in other words,” says Gold Wolf, “Blood Sand…insect…swarm?”

    “More or less,” says Rhulan.

    “Then,” says Hollia, “each year the farmers and towns people are in danger all across the region?”

    Rhulan shrugs, “not really, they always follow this river we’re on right now. So all someone would have to do is move out of their path when the season comes. I’d imagine by now most of the people straight south from the mountains,”

   She points directly north, “and going back along the river,” she points down back the way they came and down the other road, “have all left, and taken as much as they could.”

    “Then why a job at all?” asks Cata,

   “Well,” says Rhulan, “I’d imagine for the people who are too stubborn to leave, can’t leave, or for general property protection.”

   She looks thoughtful, “I suppose if we go to this Zax town we’ll see what the specifics are.”

     ******

    The sheriff’s office of Zax town, to Betty and Gold Wolf its like something out of an old western movie. The town is far too small to have a hunter’s office, the party isn’t even sure that’s something common outside of the Sae-Kingdom anyway. In fact this office is really too small for even their whole party to fit inside, its really just a desk with the moderately over weight small town sheriff in a cowboy’s hat sitting behind it, and off to his right a steel bars jail cell…which has the door hanging open and no one inside of course. Although in a town this small anyone going in there would likely be a local getting too drunk at the bar/bordello or a bounty waiting for pick up.

    “Well,” says the Sheriff to Hollia and Rhulan, although Lin Lin is floating around its doubtful he’s talking to her, “the price for taking care of the swarm is free food and board for the night you’re here doing that. You see most the people either left these parts, the hired hands from down south and over yonder in the Sae-Kingdom, most us locals tend to light these big torches on our front doors…”

    They remember seeing the odd large marble stands with their square tops before the houses, something that was a bit out of place given the local decor.

    “the fire,” he continues with out pause, “usually keeps them insects away, we have our homes locked up tight, and the barns and such.”

    He shifts his weight in his chair, “problem is, they’re insects, so you know, no barn is perfectly air tight, so you know they get in right? Well like you might know, you can’t trust scared animals around fire, the buzzing and scratching of the swarm drives the horses and cows and such crazy, even if the smell of smoke were keeping them back. Well we got one big farm to this town, so the job is really you get free food, and a place to keep your things and sleep off the work the next day and night if need be, if you stay the night and keep them away from the barn.”

    “and,” says Gold Wolf peeking in, “you just happen to know its tonight they show up and we just happened to come along?”

    The sheriff looks puzzled and says to Rhulan, “Your buddy there is an odd one right? We put the date we were expecting the swarm to show up on the poster and asked the Sae-kingdom and other towns to advertise, them bugs are pretty predictable like that, you folks did come today knowing that right?”

   They remember the torn condition of the poster, serendipity or not a job is a job.

   Hollia smiles, “even if no money is involved a small job like this out here is perfect for our reputation as adventurers.”

   The sheriff raises an eyebrow, “riiiiight,” while thinking, “easterners, figured from those get ups…or maybe northerners…”

   He shrugs at his own thoughts, “So, we got a deal or what folks?”

   Hollia looks at Rhulan who only smiles, Hollia turns to the sheriff, “Yes, sir, we have a deal.”

   Gold Wolf slowly shakes his head thinking, “No money? Wasn’t that the whole point of taking jobs along the way? We have plenty of food already.”

    Although Cata is thinking, “on our path we’d likely have to face these things anyway, might as well get a free meal out of it, although it does lose us a day of walking.”

    ******

    The chill of the night air, the old ranch near town, exactly as one might imagine it to be with an old wood barn with horses, cows, goats, and chickens, well cyber-horses, thin almost deer like cattle, goats that are more like buffalo with goat horns and eyes and living in this desert land despite their thick wooly coats, and chickens that are four feet tall; aside from this a ranch anyone would expect to see in the western sandy lands. The party has decided to focus on the area most at risk, the ranch, as the town as the sheriff said is mostly well protected from the swarm, and these insects are more likely to come sniffing after fresh meat that doesn’t have the smell of fire around them.

    “We shouldn’t kill the Blood Sand Swarm,” says Rhulan as they are huddled around coming up with a plan for the approaching swarm, Betty flying high has spotted them far off in the distance.

    “Well,” says Gold Wolf, “that’s a bit sudden,”

    He looks up, “and a little close to the action time.”

   “She’s right,” says Hollia, “more will just come later anyway, and they are just animals looking for food on their migration route.”

    “Insects,” says Gold Wolf

    “Unfortunately,” says Hollia as she manifests her creature wards in the same fashion she manifests her staff, “I don’t have enough to ward off as big of a swarm as Miss Betty said was coming, especially not all around this farm.”

    She looks off towards the fire lights of the town thinking of how it would be even worse if they were expected to protect the whole town.

    “You don’t have to,” says Rhulan with a smile as she pulls from cape a small silver whistle, “I already have a plan,”

    “That involves a little whistle?” says Gold Wolf

   He sees Cata actually smile as though she recognizes this thing and knows what Rhulan is thinking.

   “The Blood Sand Swarm,” says Rhulan, “we just lure them out away from the ranch, and then blast at the swarm with fire, ice, or sand based attacks. Instinctively they will flee high into the air and over us, just as though it were a brush fire.”

    She smiles, “any other type of attacks and they will fight to the death of the whole swarm…or their prey.”

    “and that whistle plays in how?” asks Gold Wolf

    Cata chuckles through her teeth and Hollia’s eyes go wide as she says, “ooohhhh, I get it, it’s a summoning item.”

    Rhulan holds up the whistle, “in a sense, yes, this is a bug caller, I got it from an alien world where they used these to summon these giant caterpillar like creatures they would ride on.”




   She puts her hand on Hollia’s shoulder, “However it will also call everything from the Blood Sand Swarm too mosquitoes, too flies, to all little bugs, arachnids and what have you, so Hollia…”

   “Yes Miss Rhulan?” asks Hollia

   “We will need you to use a minor creature repel spell directly on us so we don’t get all sorts of things crawling on us.”

    “Guys!” calls down Betty, “As much as I’d love to ask a few what the hell and stuff like questions about that plan we like don’t have time, they’re here!”

    Hollia barely has time to recite a minor creature repel spell as they see the swarm come over a nearby hill, some parts dipping down, possibly to attack small animals on the ground in their path. The greater part of the swarm is clearly heading away from the town and towards the ranch as though this were a regular annual feasting for these insects.

    The party jets off a little distance from the barn as Rhulan blows on the whistle; the swarm actually stops and moves about a bit like some amorphous blob in mid-air as though trying to decide between attacking the ranch and heading towards the enticing sound.

    Like a crimson cloud of clicking death make flesh, the Blood Sand Swarm approaches, the great wall of clicking flesh ripping horrors, descends upon their location like a cloud.

    “Fire Sphere!” yells Rhulan as she throws the glowing red orb with its symbol of fire in the center.

    *Kaboom!*

    The spell explodes amidst the cloud of insects, many falling to the earth as burnt corpses. The majority that is the rest circle and reform as a cloud, spiraling higher and higher; as the rest of the party watches ready to fight. The cloud rises, and once so far above it might as well be a real cloud it then leaves, flying away to the south away from the ranch and the town.

    “well,” says Cata as she puts away her swords, “that was anti-climatic.”

    “I did say,” says Rhulan, “their instinct would make them flee once they were hit with fire, ice, or sand.”

    She wipes her hands as though wiping away dust, “I suppose the only thing now is to take turns keeping watch for anymore till tomorrow when we can head back to town for our free breakfast…the free board however was clearly bull just to try and get us to spend more than one night…if we want the free board that is.”

    Gold Wolf smirks and shrugs, “easy work for low pay, go figure.”

    “Kind of a lame side quest really for high level adventurers,” thinks Hollia, “but it is neat to see all these new creatures out here.”

    She looks at Rhulan and blushes while thinking, “but then again if not for Miss Rhulan’s plan and knowledge of the monster we might have been chasing them all over shooting wind or something at them and the whole thing been a huge mess.”

    “How weird,” says Rhulan looking at a holding pen, “Giant Chickens, in my day they were deemed to reproduce so slow that they weren’t a viable food source.”

    Gold Wolf looks at the pen inside the barn through the same window Rhulan is looking through, “Back west in Calif they are an expensive delicacy, guess this means the ranches they come from are even this far east.”

   “Any who,” says Rhulan, “who wants to take the first watch?”