Arthur leaned back as the horse drawn wagons followed tree lined road, occasionally getting jostled by the uneven road. Despite his relaxed demeanor, his other senses were keenly alert and constantly observing his surroundings. Each bird call or disturbance nestled in the fauna was discreetly assessed. Before encountering the angel, Arthur had already been able to shroud himself with a weak holy aura that both strengthened his body and further heightened his battle-honed senses. Now those senses were magnified several fold, letting him track most creatures directly around him.
Aside from the occasional feral animal or solitary lesser supernatural creature, nothing seemed inclined to approach their wagon. His subordinates incorrectly attributed the lack of interference as divine protection. The absence of any encounters was more likely the result of the three priests openly boasting their divine aura, discouraging any would be assailants with flashy displays akin to a decorative bird. Said protection would likely buckle when shown any resistance, as Victoria appeared unhindered by their constant use of their powers.
The road soon branched out from the jungle path, leading onto the open plains. Fence posts could be seen in the distance, marking signs of humanity between the larger settlements. As they drew near, they could see that several of these structures had recently sustained heavy damage and the fields beyond ransacked. The culprit, going by the large holes, was clearly an animal of substantive size. The village had placed temporary barriers in place to stop any smaller opportunists from entering what remained of their lands, while the farmers were working to assess the damage.
Tracks leading up to the destroyed fence indicated a giant humanoid, or at the very least something with human-like hands and feet. The indents into the soil looked similar to a human's or, more likely, a monkey of notable size. Log posts, once sturdy, now were marked with large hand shaped gouges and scattered around the breach site. In the distance villagers could be seen carting materials from storage to repair the damage, dragging large posts through the ruined fields. Others were already preparing themselves to search the nearby forest for anything else they required to rebuild their fields.
He had gotten used to the confused stares of children, seeing a lighter skin tone that was unheard of in that part of the world. Cries rang out, claiming that they were variations of an evil harbinger or demonic servant. These were quickly silenced by elders who had previously heard of the paler Islamic scholars that lived beyond the northern desert. Their parents quickly pushed for apologies, especially seeing the much-needed supplies being carried in the back of their wagons.
Soon they arrived in the centre of town and were quickly swarmed by villagers, curious as to both to the goods and the oddly dressed clergy. Amne and Leo both quickly worked to push back the gathering crowd, with Leo having learned a few phrases from Kahina to aid in crowd control. Cooler heads soon took charge as the elders of the town dispersed the crowd to allow them to secure their wagon.
“Welcome! Welcome!” Greeted Aganju, who was the youngest of the attending town leaders. “My apologies about the excitement, as you saw our fields had been destroyed overnight and they are eager for anything to repair the damage.” In times like this, when there was either pagan worship or no material wealth to be gained, Arthur was mostly tasked with dealing with a majority of the interactions with the sinful heathens. Victoria, covered in her thick robe, was generally too busy with her own inventory management to engage beyond distant observation.
As they chatted, Arthur moved the conversation closer to the impromptu market so that Kahina could switch between the two parties more comfortably. It appeared that their fields and store house had been violently raided, so any supplies were welcome, and they were happy to pay a premium for the goods. Victoria was seemingly using this opportunity as a teaching moment with Kahina. “While we could increase our profits by exploiting people in their time of need, it can lead to unnecessary hostility. Remember: we are usually outnumbered with no support, so thievery or confiscation is possible if you are too exploitative. In the same vein, we will quickly go broke if we give charity to every sympathetic cause.” Her lecture soon changed into methods she could use to increase profit indirectly, from exchanging services to more lucrative barters to complete the transaction. It appeared that this was one of the primary ways she got her blood, as it allowed her to discreetly approach certain individuals who were open to providing such things.
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“You are not concerned about your safety, are you pale-skin? The broken posts didn't rattle your frame?” asked Aganju, holding up a half-finished mask mockingly portraying a wild animal. “It did raise my attention,” Arthur replied “however the village is intact. So, we are probably safe with-in its limits.” Part of him wanted to challenge whatever beast had ravaged the fields, however the size of the beast was not something he could likely overcome by himself. “You do not fear the Zentegeba?*” came the curious reply of elder.
His visible confusion was clearly shown on their face, prompting a fit of laughter from the man. “You know not of the wild Zantegeba?! The giant baboon who ravages our fields and assaults our women?! But fear not, for you see... Our town is protected by the spirits of our ancestors, so we are safe here. However, such protection does not extend to our fields... so when the sun falls, stay with-in our town.” He had seen brightly colored monkeys around the various watering holes they had passed. He had not seen them as threatening in the conventional sense, but their agile frames and quick hands were always watched by the experienced mercenaries.
Arthur volunteered himself to help repair the damage to the fields, wanting to confirm the size of the beast. The villagers were told enough as to make general gestures as to what he had to do. His aid was very much appreciated as they were quickly able to rebuild the damaged fence posts with his augmented strength. Many stood in awe as he was able to lift large logs around with minimal effort, carefully planting them into the pre-dug holes. Any post which was damaged beyond repair was quickly dug up and tossed aside for firewood. It was only now that he could properly examine the marks left by the over-sized monkey.
Using his own hand as a reference, Arthur estimated that it was slightly larger than a bull elephant. The marks and damage, however, were not those of accidental destruction or aggressive foraging, rather they were far more malicious in nature. The store house had not simply been plundered for food, instead it had been rendered unusable with any uneaten food having been trampled in an act of spite. The rubble that had been the village storehouse was coated with the pulpy remains of numerous tubers that had been curing for months, only a small number could be salvaged for later consumption.
When the night fell, everyone retreated into their respective mud huts. The elders kindly had agreed to allow many to stay within their home, while others had to make do sleeping with the horses. Arthur lay awake, silently listening to the town. His heightened senses alerted him to the various supernatural guardians who watched over the village at night. While some were long deceased elders and tribesmen of village, others were bestial creatures whose form resembled the beasts of the Savannah.
Only Victoria and Kahina had much interest in wandering the town at night, save for the occasional vigilant tribesman. The pair made nocturnal trades with the local spirits, exchanging items with magical properties for similarly mystical goods or information. Seemingly the ones in this village were exceptionally kind, wishing to repay the non-exploitative exchanges they had made earlier. Turning a blind eye to such dealings was accepted practice at this point. Occasionally she would share her incense that allowed those not magically inclined to see the guardian spirits. Since he had received Maarij's blessing, Arthur could hear and see the guardians without the aid of Victoria's powder. Usually he left them be, as they expressed little interest outside of the vague curiosity shared with the locals and his fellow priests dismissed their existence.
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Later that night Arthur was woken by loud screaming from the far-off fields. Its guttural tones resembled those made by the brightly colored baboons, although far more violent and hostile. Rocks and branches could be heard being flung across the fields, landing with a horrendous crash when it hit the newly placed fence posts. In response, the guardian spirits made their own noise, asserting their presence towards the intruder. Arthur remained where he was, quickly determining that it was beyond his physical limits and that protecting his generous host was a better use of his time.
Then the noise stopped. Not so much stopped, as suddenly changed. The violent hollering has been replaced by panicked fear. Even the village spirits drew silent, as the Zantegeba desperately fought against something large hidden in the darkness. Soon it was over, and silence filled the night. When Arthur went to investigate the fields in the morning, only the signs of struggle and large groves carved into the earth**. He was reminded of the large rock pythons that were occasionally seen in the underbrush, although they were far too small for tracks of this size. It was a stark reminder that you will always be prey to something, regardless of your strength.