With the sun arising anew, Golden Katheer glimmered if just a faint reflection of its former majesty upon the Temple of the Dawn’s Grace. High Priestess Kamala and her Mujahadin began the laborious refurbishment of what old sandstone blocks of their Temple. Having brushed away loose dust and rubble before demolishing any remaining vulgarities left behind by the routed Filth Drinkers. What sacred oils they had left was used to polish the brass statue of Sarenrae at the Temple’s hearth. The helio-centric designs of the roof that upon dawn, midday and sunset, the sun’s rays would beam its warmth onto the brass statue giving a brilliant but not so invasive glow. The smiles brokered forth by all the Golarionites that the Desert Rangers had helped

Out of the slough of despair, a new hope arose anew.

“Here, here… freshly baked.” Tutoria sat down to a group of emancipated thralls, mostly orphaned children that were once emblazoned to fight under the tyrannical Satrap of Despoilation Bogrus. Upon her hands a basket of warm flat bread kissed with black splotches upon its flesh from a nearby cauldron.

She broke the bread shared it amongst them and happily ate and drank cold and clean water with the young seeds. Even the quizzical Desnan Bard strummed a few playful tunes with her mandolin to their added delight. Denied warmth and provender, the Sarenites charitably shared what they can. Their compassion extended upon these former foes.

“Play more of that shit ‘gin Blue…” Isaiah loutly petitioned Navideh. The Junior Ranger lazily kicked his feet atop of a pillar to rest, his body bent into an L-Shape. His eyes traced the religious murals above him whilst his mouth chewed glutinously on a double-stacked roll of flat bread.

“I don’t want to even think about anything poo-related for a while Ice.” David leaned by a pillar across him, his eyes closed as he allayed his head of stress he had been for the past few days. He let loose his jacket, only wearing his undershirt now he now enjoys a moment of true if fleeting repose after he and his fellow Ranger were thrusted into Golarion.

“Outlander! What did I told you about removing your shoes before stepping foot on the Temple?” Tomos frowned.

“One, not my God, two… Kamala d’ere says until they get rid off’em last Demon gunk off this temple ain’t ‘Holy’ yet.” He raised his feet higher against the pillar incorrigibly.

“Desna and Sarenrae are both dear companions to one another. Desna represents the night’s tranquility through her dominion of dreams. Sarenrae is the blooming flower that dawn shineth upon the day where we seek to see our dreams, our desires, OUR HOPES. You should be prudent to pay your respects to the Everlights just as much as you do to the Song of Spheres.” Tutoria reprimanded Isaiah.

“Nights back at Colorado aren’t as all stars and happy campers in my time. Wolf howls and screams.”

Navideh stopped her playing and pouted disapprovingly at the Ranger.

“Oh fine… if its you it is… Kinda okay—yee.” Isaiah gnashed his teeth. “You know any good eh… Lullabies or something with that guitar of yours?”

“Mandolin.” Tomos corrected him.

“Ah-Fuckit!” Isaiah flips off his hands. Navideh didn’t pay heed, still happy to oblige another comforting song at this time of repose. “Or Blue.” He turned his ears attention to the Sulli Bard as she began to strum a gentle, melancholic tune.

“High Priestess! High Priestess!” alarmed a rushing Cleric who approached Kamala with his skin turned pale and sweat falling like rain upon his damp robes. “There is c-ch-chanting at the Upper Sanctuary.”

“There must still be more of the Filth Drinkers still here?” Kamala gasped. “Hiding like the craven rats they are these servants of the Abyss they are!”

“Ma’am. Let the Rangers handle this, have your men take me and Isaiah to the Upper Sanctuary and we’ll take care of your little rat problem.” David stood up.

Tutoria restlessly leaped her feet and then followed by rousing a coughing Isaiah from his lazy posture to attention.

“Yes, please do.” She nods. “I wish see to it that we purge the last of this filth together.”

The disquieted Sarenite lead them all upstairs slowly as not to tip off their cornered pray. The Temple’s upper floors indeed towered to a dizzying height as it overlooks the grand hall of Sarenrae’s Statue. The higher they climbed; a faint intoning reverberated upon the hallowed halls. David gestured his index finger to his lips they carefully climbed the last flight of stairs to the source of the noise.

“Chal---Respond---No---Pan…Resp---” wrangles of tongues whispered portentously above the kasbah’s mezzanine.

Their steps as silent as solemn prayers as at the end of the staircase they reached a door. Stacking in front of it, David and Isaiah placed themselves at the vanguard by the precipice.

“Pan. Pan. Pan. November to any combat effective allied elements within this channel.”

“Hold on… that’s not Chanting.” David’s muscles stiffened, as if he had seen or more of heard of a ghost.

Counting to the number three, he and Isaiah kicked the door open as the adventurers stormed into the Upper Sanctuary.

Fortunately, or rather than disappointingly, instead of being greeted by straggling Demons and their remnant thralls. All that greeted them was scrappy wood table overlooking an open balcony behind it. Atop of the table, rather than an altar adorned in an altar a macabre ritualistic circle with some equally hapless means of sacrifice. There lay atop a green if particular metal box. Adorned with glass, red tinted lights and scientific dials that seems to flick if just fleeting to life and inertia. It sported a black rubber tail

“Contacting any combat effective allied elements: En-See-Ar… Rangers… Brotherhood or Marshalls. Please designate your unit name, status, and rendezvous to my signal’s source. We will be moving away from our position in Three Days.” A female voice echoed through the box repeatedly.

“There’s a person trapped inside that… that chest there!” Kamala gasped.

“I shall free her!” Merizi pulled out her Piercing Wind Jezail, her hand grasping the leather handles of the underbarrel sword of her exotic combination weapon.

“Wait don’t!” David yawped. Holding to stay the Azarketi castaway’s hand. “There’s nobody else but us in here.”

“But, why is that box talking? Is it not beseeching for our aid?” High Priestess Kamala questioned.

“Yes, it is calling for help. But not from inside the box… but through the box.” David explained. “This is box right here is what we call a Radio.”

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“Ray-Dee-Yo?” Tutoria slowly articulated the new word through her tongue as best as she first could.

“It’s a Communication Device. It allows people to hear and talk to other people through long distances.” David explained further.

“Like a ‘Message’ Cantrip?” Kamala breathed into her hand and flung her breath forward as a feint magical light guided her words towards David’s ear. “Such as this?”

“I know of that Cantrip too Priestess. Deck-Masters would often blurt out short phrases or one-worded orders to the crew on the ship I used to sail with.” Merizi commented.

“Yes, but at longer distances. MUCH longer distances.” The Veteran Ranger stretched his arms wide. “The great thing about Radios is that you can talk to whole many people from long distances at the same time if you tune it correct. Like… imagine focusing your ears to uh listen to that one person speaking at a time.” He explained.

“It’s quite boisterous however. Unlike our ‘Message’ Cantrip we can use it to speak to others discreetly… albeit what you said one person at a time.”

“Oh, you can adjust the volume of the voices that come out of it at any time with this little gnob right here.” David twiddled with the volume nob and as demonstrated, the repeated phrase adjusting volume from a feint whisper to a boisterous bellow. “But most of the time Radio’s are meant to be kept loud so you can hear what the other person on the radio say what they want to say. That and often times… Radios might ‘talk’… broken-ish… eh it’s probably hard to explain the rest but what matters to you right now is that I recognize the voice in that Radio.”

“Interesting.” Merizi pinched her chin her eyes enraptured to the machine. In her line of work back at her Deck Hand Days such a device would make such voyages much more culpable amidst the high seas.

“You know of the voice who is speaking to us?” Kamala questioned.

“Challenge is Flash. Respond with correct response to signify you are friendly.” The voice continues to broadcast.

“Yes. Other Desert Rangers from Arizona just like me and Isaiah.” David responded. Turning around he attempts to contact the voice picked up from the radio but to his agitated hassle, a critical item was missing amidst the pile of assorted electronics on the table.

“More like you? Well then speak to them Outlander. I would love to meet more friendly faces… or voices with these old eye---I mean ears.” Kamala smiled

“Where’s the mic? Where’s the mic?!” David palmed over his head anxiously.

“I repeat, I will repeat this broadcast at quarterly intervals every nine-hundred, twelve-hundred, fifteen-hundred and eighteen-hundred hours. Godspeed.” The radio broadcast concluded. Its voice faded away.

“A person named Mike? Like Michael?” Tomos confoundedly bit his lip.

“No, it’s a way… a way we can speak to the voice… a small stick like device or some---” David sweatedly scoured the piles of wires and junk around the room in vain.

“Dave! We gottacha--- cha--- Improvise!” Isaiah leaped. “Dem wires… Radio has to have a Transmitter to get the signal yeah?” the Junior Ranger followed the wires until he reaches the roof.

He reached the balcony and looked upwards. By the very roof of the western side of the Temple was a Radio Transmitter.

“There!” Isaiah pointed his hand. “Somebody gimme a boost!” he jumped atop of the nearby rooftop.

Merizi and Tomos approached the Ranger and pushed him upwards allowing the Junior access to the roof.

“Davie! Compass! Compass!” Isaiah peeked from above the roof’s edge to coax his Senior.

The Veteran tossed his pocket compass to his Junior who carefully aligned its reddened arrows accordingly.

For once, at the Arizona Rangers could thank Golarion and Sarenrae that the sun arises from the east to descend to the west just like back at their world.

“Fif’vy-Six degree’s Nort’o E-Eas’!” Isaiah beamed a grin as he aligned the direction of the Transmission Array with David’s Compass.

“North East. Kamala, where would that be?” David turned around to his Golarionite companions.

“The Zho Mountains.” Tomos answered. “Do you remember those Oread… those ‘Rock People’ on our way to Katheer before?”

“Yeah, I remember’em.” David nodded.

“Well, they live there. Those Oread Villages don’t take so kindly to strangers unfortunately and I fear they may be just one stone’s throw away from causing an avalanche with those folks. I-I-It would be a good idea if we get your friends outta there before they start something dumb.”

“If I may ask, what is your friend trying to do?” Kamala raised her hand.

“Isaiah was able to pinpoint or… just approximately where the Radio Signal being broadcasted is being made. You see the way Radio’s can receive message’s its like a hand that we call a ‘transmitter’. It faces where it will ‘catch’ the signal so it could be heard through the Radio box here with us. Imagine, catching a ball.” David explained.

“That’s a pretty neat’to t-t’ing to hear.” Merizi nods.

“Then you should make haste to the Zho Mountains and bring unto the fold your fellow Rangers back here in Katheer. We will need all of the help we can get in rebuilding Katheer.” Kamala approvingly bowed.

Everyone nods in agreement. The Rangers and the High Priestess then turned around back stairs quietly. All in concordance to their next plans.

“Oy! Boss!” Raul Tejada called out the Rangers. He was with Leon who hurriedly approached them as soon as they descended from the flight of stairs.

“You are back from the Water Filter now?” David asked the Ghoulish Gunslinger and the over

“Si, and we got some good news and some bad news.” Leon inhaled heavily as he grabbed hold a cup of purified water and taken a sip from it.

“Let me hear of the good news first.” High Priestess Kamala motioned.

“Aye, so the Water Filter. It can work again with enough of that special coal you like to call ‘Sarenrae’s Sudor’ or whatever to give away all the clean water Katheer will ever need and more.” Raul explained.

“And what is the bad news?” David pushed.

“If we had enough of that Activado Coal to begin with.” Leon huffed. “Did the math, we’re gonna need about a whole wagon’s worth of Coal to clean up all that shitty water those damn Demonyo’s pissed on before we kicked their asses.”

“That… should not be a problem.” Kamala reassured the two. “I know where to find some more of Sarenrae’s Sudor. And coincidentally it’s roughly at the same place as where we might find help from other Rangers too. The Zho Mountains north east of us.”

“How will we get the Coal precisely ma’am?” David questioned further.

“You will look for an Oread Commune called Kosarand. There you must find an old friend of mine Balun. He owns the mine there that on days past we obtain our Sarenrae’s Sudor from.” Kamala answered. The High Priestess loosened her finger and removed one of her precious stoned gold rings and gave it to David. “Show this Ring to him and he will that he can trust you. I shall take care of everything else that he asks as long as he promises to send a wagon of the Sudor can make it down the mountains.”

“Yes, High Priestess. We shall depart immediately.” David bowed.

“We’ll stay here for now and help out with what we can with you folks in the meantime.” Raul added. “You are obviously going to need me to help repair everything and Leon here got some skills with them beakers and plants he grows on his trailer for some meds too.”

“May the ground you all walk shine brightly wherever you step! All of you fellows of faith.” Kamala praised everyone.

[-]

“Heyyo!” Merizi waved to David and Tomos as they prepared their travelling supplies on their Wagon.

“Oh it’s the Skull-dugger again.” Tomos qualmly rolled his eyes.

“Thought you already ran off now that you earned your keep with us saving your washed off ass out of that flood?” David placed a crate of dried rations onto the Wagon before he turned to the Azarketi.

“I ‘ate to admit it… but we actually do make a good crew you know?” Merizi twiddled her posture humbly. “The roads say are pretty dangerous for a lonely lass like’th me. So… how about we keep walking onwards to the ol’e roads further a bit longer with you?” she proposed.

David swallowed his throat upon hearing such a dicey proposal from the skittish crackshot. Not that he doesn’t trust her, but more of how could he tactfully say that it is best that they all part ways. As his voice pondered, a blue butterfly hovered around him.

“A-A-Achhoo!” David sneezed again. Then a silken hand pressed on his shoulder. It was the Bard Navideh whose child-like eyes looked onto his old-weary ones with pleaful content.

The manic girl, with all of her mysterious dreams and miens preaches the opposite of what the Veteran Ranger’s many years of travelling the waste taught him against off.

David sighed. “One rule, you help out or you get out. You understand me?”

Merizi nodded.

“We should follow along the river as much as we can if we have to bring her in. Azarketi’s can’t stand being denied of water for too long.” Tomos reminded before leaning over to the Ranger’s Ears. “Keep an eye on her…”

Navideh clapped her hands, ecstatic contrasted to everyone’s indifference as she held out her hand and pulled the Azarketi Castaway up to the Wagon.

And for the first time, amidst the former-pirate’s life she had learned a new truth to this cold-dark Golarion, that theirs is still room for Compassion amidst the bleakness of the ashes.

[-]

End of Volume #2 “Dreams of Water”