Rifa trained relentlessly to prepare for what she assumed would be her last fight.

What warrior parties had returned to rest from the organized Lost Boy hunt, Rifa utilized to hone her skill, using sticks as opposed to her Thunderbolt daggers. There were injuries, for sure - but none so great as to hinder any one so afflicted.

Her days until the departure of the Unified Tribe were filled with as much sparring as she could stand, punctuated by hunting and eating when necessary.

She knew from what Otro said of his vision that he had been speaking to himself the whole time. As he listened to his heart, she listened to hers;

And it told her that now, more than ever, she must live and fight as though she was dying.

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You are aware only those closely tied with the Thunderbolt should leave, so no one else is risked. What do you wish to do, Sul?

For weeks, Sul had been training young neanderthal warriors in the ways of The Lost Boys. He had set up a microcosm of the Empire in the middle of the Plains Tribes, one in which he was in command, and began spiraling downward into an aggressive psychosis. However, in this question, he saw an opportunity to tear down the social structure that inspired in him the will to leave. He remained apprehensive and indeed paranoid of those around him, but it waned appreciably upon his having heard Otro's question.

...I will travel with you to the heart of the Empire.

Sul himself was unsure of this particular plan's success rate, mainly due to Otro having not explained the final portion - i.e. what will be done with Nago, and how it will actually happen. From what he knew, Otro's plan would work rather well up until Nago became involved;

Certainly, the Lost Boys would allow the Thunderbolt to literally walk to their leader. No sense wasting energy in taking the meteorite fragments by force when your enemy is doing the leg-work for you.

So long as you're true to yourself, you've made the right choice.

There was about a fortnight left before the proposed journey, and in that time great strides of progress had been made. The boat was nearly finished, in no small part due to the dozens of people constructing it.

Great job, Senko. Looks great. How long will it take before we are in the land of our enemies?

Senko looked the prodigious paleolithic vessel over and after gauging the efficiency of those working on it, said;

At this rate, and if we leave just as the boat is finished - two days.

End of Chapter.

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Now Maharshinaga, called Nago, general of the imperial forces, had not been idle over the years. He knew the plains tribes would return to this valley in one more year, or twelve years after that. One generation or ten, they would follow the nutrients downriver with the herds and the plantlife and the birds and the turtles. They would follow the food. He had ambushes and mantraps laid throughout the valleys and a teaming civilisation of disgruntled hunters and captured wives spread through this confluence of three continents, all of whom deferred to him with religious awe.

He certainly wasn't planning to return to the empire. And a good many middle aged 'lost boys' with captured and not-so-captured middle-aged wives were of the same mind. There were always the career officers and the religious zealots coming through the ranks, though. The older fighters tended to send those ones to the frontier and usually the former more than the latter, so the army was loyal to him as much as to the old land. Nago's wife was fat, toothless and extremely flatulent, and he loved her dearly, not to mention all the other wives. There were always a few dozen children and servants underfoot these days, as well, running around and running the castle respectively.

Oh yes, the castle. It was a cunning collection of cross-beams and sculped river-clay, based loosely on an ancient technique called the Termite Mound which could house entire tribes against large predators, except in this case it was shaped by Nago's unlimited resources and deeply ingrained delusions of grandeur. Inside it was what we might call a cosy, four-bedroom townhouse in the mediterranean style but with added nooks and crannies and unexpected staircases, but from the outside it appeared to be a giant serpent, coiled and poised to strike, thirty feet in the air. When Nago's beloved, plump wife made tea, the window-eyes of the snake glowed red, and smoke hissed from it's open maw.


The new recruits were always suitably impressed, of course, to say nothing of the natives. Many went mad with terror, it really was very amusing. . As a matter of hygeine, there was a moat of perpetual fire, fueled by whale oil, and a crocodile pit under the trapdoor in front of the dais on the ground floor. Nago sits there most days, from eleven to five or so, with his best python-skull hat and snakeskin cape, holding court. At the gate of the castle is a sign which reads, in the ancient tongue of the plateau empire, "The Witchdoctor Is In."

Start of new chapter
The massive boat had been completed. A day of rest and reflection was recommended by Otro, who had thought last minute of a change of route upon disembarking from the neolithic war-ship.

We would be best inclined to trace our steps back into the fertile valley of the Festival. Next year it will begin again - at the very least, food will be easy to find there.

Otro also had a feeling it might be easier to start the search for Nago on essentially neutral ground; neutral in that so many tribes met there, not to say someone didn't already "own" it.

What the braves of the Unified Tribe had learned from seafaring peoples like Senko would surely benefit them on their journey across the Mediterranean. Fishing is a skill not to be sneezed at, especially when one is to spend any extended periods on the sea.

What Senko had revealed to the tribe just a few days before the voyage was to take place, however, was even more important. There was room for some water among the passengers, but they would have to gather the rest of what liquid they needed over the time spent "sailing" from either rain, or fishing - Senko grimly told of when he had been stranded at sea for weeks after having been thrown off course by a freak squall, drinking the spinal fluid of what fish he caught to keep hydrated.

He said it's not his preferred drink, but that it tastes better than dying of thirst when you're sitting on a huge supply of mockingly undrinkable water.

He knew of larger, deadlier fish than most of his Unified Tribe brethren, as well. He had the misfortune of resembling a seal while in the same waters as hungry great white sharks, thanks to the stout shape of his canoe. It was bumped quite violently from beneath, and he had thought more than once he would end up in the ocean with the sharks. His boat was designed to prevent such a thing with its low center of gravity, however, and when he got back to shore he had several large teeth in his hull to corroborate the story - which he now wears on a necklace he made.

His people also found gigantic, hand-sized teeth embedded in rocks on the coast and sometimes in the water near the shore, and dreaded encountering the owners of such teeth in the water. This lead to Senko's people fearing and revering what they assumed was a terrible god of the sea, the king of all sharks, leaving the largest and healthiest of their take from the ocean's bounty for their unseen deity. Thankfully for Senko's tribe, and indeed all seafaring peoples, the Carcharodon megalodon had already been extinct for over one million years. The lack of encounters with this long-dead super-predator only reinforced the assumed productivity of what offerings were given.

The day of the journey had begun. It would be a day's travel to the coast, and at least a week on the sea if the currents favored the voyage.

Senko awoke and took out a massive, hand-sized tooth and prayed to its owner that the tribe would not encounter it during their travels on the sea.

_________________

The journey to the coast was silent, save for the regular, synchronized breaths and footsteps of those carrying the boat. It was decided that the warriors would leave the plains at daybreak, and not stop until the coast was met, at dusk. Then, once all were in the boat, it was time to rest.

This sea is rather predictable. There is a great and diverse population of life within it. The only times I must caution you of are during storms, or when you see the water-dogs scatter.

A storm at sea is a terrible thing. The water seems torn as to whether it will keep you or throw you away. This boat is strong, so all we must do is protect ourselves from all that comes at us from above the sea and keep our course.

When the sea-dogs scatter, there are terrible fish about. My people call these fish the White Death. They can be five times as long as Pyot is tall, with a huge mouth full of teeth just as sharp as Rifa's daggers. We must remain still or we'll make ourselves resemble their food. Many of them come here, and they're known to go mad with fresh blood in the water.

Senko took out the tooth he prayed to when he awoke, saying;

The carrier of this tooth is much, much larger than the fish I have warned you of - possibly two or three times larger. None of my people have seen this fish, but we've all found its teeth. This lord of the sea is what my people call Deva Dento [lit. God of Teeth]. Of all we catch, I suggest we donate the largest or strongest of it to the owner of teeth like these. I fear if we do not, it will appear and end this journey before it has begun.

And so, the tribe set out to the south. After nightfall, they stopped to fish by dropping a smallish boulder bound by hand-woven hide into the water.

_________________

Late at night, they began to fish with a smallish boulder bound by hand-woven. Luckily, it was strong enough to catch larger fish. The waves were calm and the rhythm puts those who were tired at ease. Because he was never ON the sea, Animagus was interested in the life on and under water. Even though he was a bit seasick. But. He hid this well from the others.

Senko. What for kind of creatures than the White Death are there as well?

[OOC] Sorry that it took so long to post here. [/OOC]

_________________
Ash: [talking to mirror] I'm fine... I'm fine...
[Mirror Ash jumps out of the mirror and grabs Ash]
Mirror Ash: I don't think so. We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw. Does that sound "fine"?

There are the sea-dogs,[OOC]seals[/OOC] that I've mentioned. They bark and play much like Fang's pups do, but their limbs aren't meant for travelling on land.

There are many turtles that swim this sea. The turtles are quite large, and are a great source of meat.

Water Children [OOC]dolphins and porpoises[/OOC] live here. There are the larger ones with elongated faces and the shorter ones with rounded bodies. They play much more energetically than the sea-dogs, performing flips after launching from the water, and can be heard laughing when their faces are above the surface. The large ones are the only thing in the water that can kill the White Death, and while in groups they'll kill as many as they can find. My people tell tales of the water children rescuing seafarers like myself who've gotten lost at sea, but only if they see fit. They're known to kill us, too, if they feel threatened - but more often than not, they're up for some sort of game. They're edible, but they're very smart. If we try to catch them, they're not likely to help us should we need it.

There are many fish here, some that I'm more accustomed to seeing in the ocean east of the Lost Boys' empire, such as the Whip-Tail. They have spots and are only dangerous when startled, as they have a poisoned barb at the base of their tails. If you're in the water when you're stung, you're likely to drown. They're mainly found by the coast, hiding in the sand.

One creature that's of no concern to us is the Swimming Egg. Other creatures like it can give a painful sting, but this one doesn't normally hurt at all. You'll know when you see one, they look just like the inside of giant eggs with tentacles dangling below them. They're a strange animal, but they're easy to catch and there are a lot of them - so if we can't find heartier fare in this sea there's plenty of those things.

The moon hung low in the sky. It was almost full, making the warriors and the sea around them easy to observe.

Just after Senko had finished telling of the more notable creatures inhabiting this body of water, some bottle-nose dolphins began leaping from the sea and jumping near the boat, clicking and chattering the entire time.

Ah. They've got this patch of sea - we should move on to a different spot. They'll take the fish right from our hooks if we don't.

The anchor was drawn back on board and the warriors took the boat to a less crowded spot.

_________________

Now, Senko smiled indulgently at the seasickness and ignorance of the others. For ten years he had been the ignorant one, learning about life on the steppes like a slow child.

It was good to be back in his element. When the sun rose and the sandy ocean floor was visible through the clear water, he demonstrated his prowess. Of course, he had been captaining their catamaran masterfully, and the braves were already impressed by these strange and useful skills, but his affinity with the sea went much deeper.

He sat and stared at the ocean skin for several minutes, calming himself and breathing oxygen deep into his tissues. Then, without a ripple, he sank down with empty lungs to the sandy floor. The others could see him from the deck of the ship and it was as though he strolled through a grassy meadow, he was so at home there. His eyes had long ago adapted to clear vision under the saltwater and he strolled along without air for many minutes at a time, using his spear to secure a feast for all the crew every day, weather permitting.

When he wasn't walking on the ocean floor in slow motion, he swam dolphin-style, like an otter, and moved at a frightening speed under the waves, sometimes even overtaking prey and spearing them on the fly, or on the swim, as it were. His nickname, the Shark, had been earned honestly indeed.

The uncanny affinity with the sea of Senko baffled everyone on deck once more. Who have thought that a mere mortal can house that much strength? (Is this correct or too much) The water was very clear, so everyone could see him walk over the ocean floor and swim as one of those creatures of the sea.

The fishes of this part of the ocean were big and healthy. Now that the bottlenose dolphins, (or any other sea creatures) did not disturb them it did not took long for the hand-woven hide into the water was full.

[OOC] Sorry that it took so long for me to post. I had a lot of things going on in my life. [/OOC]

_________________
Ash: [talking to mirror] I'm fine... I'm fine...
[Mirror Ash jumps out of the mirror and grabs Ash]
Mirror Ash: I don't think so. We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw. Does that sound "fine"?