Uten guided the others down the slope, trudging slowly through the shale. He pulled out his weapon of choice: a large but rusty battle axe. Looking at it, Appo felt a twinge of inadequacy. He had Garabi's gauntlet, but it was little use in comparison. Otherwise, he had his rod for the camel, he doubted he could whip away any opponent. If it came down to it, Appo reluctantly admitted he’d likely have to hide behind the others.
The outpost was the ruins of a small fortress, little more than a wooden barricade surrounding a few small huts. This barricade was barely a story tall, and its formations crumbling and derelict. The entrance to the gate was impassable, so the four were forced to crouch through a small open hold in the wall.
As the four stepped into the fortress, a croaking noise echoed from beyond the wall. Uten and Tomi immediately crouched and Appo froze in his place. Only Isbibarra continued to walk, gently flicking his hand as if the noise was nothing to be concerned about.
Like the outside walls, the upper floors of the fortress had been destroyed by time and degeneration. Wood and stone and a multitude of thin wooden rods lay scattered over the ground. It seemed a miracle that the outpost stood as long as it had. The group pushed their way across the open courtyard, looking for a vantage point to observe the wall.
Appo stopped near a collapsed window panel propped by a few wooden beams. From there, he looked over the wall of Zabukama, entranced by its sheer existence. The obsidian sheer seemed pristine even after centuries of disuse. From here it was easier it was to make out the ubiquitous Shadeon etchings, though Appo also spotted several carvings of wyverns and griffins and woodwolves.
Tomi shook Appo’s shoulder, breaking him from this trance. He turned, finding Tomi’s wide eyes and frozen expression. Appo turned back to the wall, this time below the gates.
Between the shattered and twisted rubble stood a small humanoid figure, only a meter and a half tall. It slowly trudged towards the ruins on legs disproportionately small compared to its thin yet muscular arms, which almost dragged across the ground. It wore bronze armor over its chest and shoulders, though it shook wildly, too large for its wearer. As the figure approached, Appo realized what appeared at first to be a black undergarment was a thick black fur that covered the entire figure’s arms and legs. Two stripes of wispy white hair began at the top of the figure’s head, flowing down its back and branching off into wing-like appendages over the armor. Appo couldn’t make out the figure’s head, for it wore a metal-plated helmet. Three more figures followed behind.
Appo turned to Tomi again, and she nodded. It was the Krazeek.
There wasn’t enough time to flee. The four took shelter within one of the busted huts, what must have once been a bar or a stable. Appo, Tomi, and Uten took their place behind the doorway, sticking their eyes through cracked holes in the wall. Only Isbibarra leaned back against the hut, well out of sight but far from fearful.
The first helmeted Krazeek entered the fortress, lazily walking towards the middle courtyard. The three others dragged body-shaped sacks behind them. From here, Appo saw the Krazeek had individually wrapped each limb in a sheet and tied them together with some form of wire. The bags thrashed incessantly through the sacs in silence. The Krazeek dragged them to the center of the courtyard, where they tossed them in a pile with a strength unexpected for their smaller size.
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Appo watched the first Krazeek grab two of the wooden rods and rub them together, quickly beginning a small bonfire. As it did this, two of the Krazeek bumped into each other, sending one into a frenzy of clicking and guttural croaks. It swung a large palm against the other’s helmet, knocking it off and revealing a simian-like head. The helmetless Krazeek screamed, flashing its jagged and misshapen teeth in a large grimace. The white stripes of the Krazeek continued over its head and down alongside its jaw, forming whisker-like sideburns. Its thick brown furrowed over milky white eyes as the other Krazeek pushed back against it.
Appo had seen monkeys before along the coast, small and harmless. He had even seen apes in Jyväskian zoos, but they were simple creatures. The Krazeek seemed an abhorrent cross between the two. There was certainly some intelligence underneath the shrieks and clicks.
Isbibarra was right: there would be no way to negotiate with these creatures. They'd have better luck with raiders.
After a few grunts and pushes, the Krazeek settled, turning their attention back to the fire. The helmetless Krazeek hopped over to the pile of bound bodies, screeching as they continued to squirm. In one hand, it held a large cleaver about the size of a human forearm, which it slammed repeatedly into the ground near the bound bodies.
Over the next few minutes, the group watched the Krazeek build a larger bonfire with the wooden sticks. As the bonfire grew, the helmetless Krazeek became still, gripping its cleaver over the bodies. It grimaced, flashing more broken teeth, before swinging the cleaver down through one arm of the bound bodies. Another Krazeek grabbed the arm and threw it into the bonfire to a round of whooping calls from the others.
As Appo continued to watch the now armless body, he realized what he was seeing: the bound bags contained screamers. The Krazeek certainly weren't thoughtless: Appo was certain he was watching some sort of ritualistic process.
Never had Appo felt so far from home. He wanted to sit in a tavern again, listening to untuned strings and the chatter of people. He wanted to watch the waves of the sea crash against a Lavast ship, to feel the breeze of the ocean on the beach. He might as well have been on the moon.
Appo turned away, backing off the wall. He saw Uten and Tomi as they continued to gaze through the wooden wall with unblinking, scared eyes. But as he swiveled, he realized they were alone.
“Psst,” Appo whispered to Uten, pointing to his face and closing his eyes before shrugging. Uten turned, expecting to find Isbibarra. The blind man had vanished. Before panic could completely grip Appo, he looked outside the hut and realized that Isbibarra was at the far corner of the barricade, trudging silently near the hole in the wall.
“What are you doing?!” Appo wanted to scream. He couldn’t believe it.
“He left us,” Tomi whispered through gritted teeth.
As the three watched him, Isbibarra stopped under a piece of rubble. Halfway through the hole already, Isbibarra gestured back to the group. From what Appo could see, he had just moved quietly along the side of the wall. He wasn’t sure whether the others could be as silent.
Still, Isbibarra had left him. Maybe Appo deserved he left him at the tower, but Uten and Tomi certainly didn’t. As tough as they were, they were still children. He’d have choice words for him later.
Appo looked back at the Krazeek: they were still chopping off limbs and throwing them into the bonfire. While he was content to wait them out, it was very possible the Krazeek could come over to their hut for more wood.
“We need to move,” Appo whispered. “Uten, follow Isbibarra. Once you’re across, let Tomi know when it’s clear. Then Tomi, do the same for me.” Both nodded furiously.
Uten moved first, gingerly tiptoeing past the stable around the dilapidated fence of the fortress. Appo kept a close eye on the Krazeek, each of them keeping steadfast in building their bonfire and limb hacking. Despite the heavy weight of his axe, Uten made no sound, letting the crackling of the fire cover his footsteps.
As Uten reached the far side of the barricade, one of the two wood panels snapped. Two pieces of the barricade fell against each other with a loud thud.
All four of the Krazeek swung their heads around toward the corner of the wall, hissing. The helmetless Krazeek flashed his teeth in a twisted smile that stretched across his entire face.