Wayspring Wanderer - A Desert Druid LitRPG

Turning from the Hyena, Oskar looked to Fox, who was staring up at the sky.

"Bastet's mangy flank. We are in a spot."

She started walking, ignoring the Hyenaman grinning behind them, and pulled Oskar along behind her.

"Something has happened, and everyone I could trust to find out what is in hiding, at best."

"Anything like this happen before?"

"Not in recent memory. Any trading as a Kobold has its own risks, and Gramm has been known to shut them down for a day or so as a power play of sorts, but this is different. Never have I seen so few Kobolds about. That is a truth. The most I can hope for is that they are in hiding from an unusually dark mood."

***

A few minutes later, they were standing, mostly hidden from view, behind a tent as Fox slipped between the slits. Oskar slunk down as much as he could without it looking obvious, and pulled his scarf up over his head. It was dusty enough at this point that the checkered patters wasn't noticeable unless you were closer, especially to the beady eyes of the Crocs, which seemed to see everything that moved, just not very well.

At least during the daytime. I have no desire to fight Crocs at night. Or anyone, really. Some nights here are dark dark.

There were a few brighter stars in the sky that helped, but nothing approaching the Earth's moon.

His thoughts were interrupted by the whispered argument inside the tent, but after a minute, Fox walked out of the slit, and Oskar caught a glimpse of dark red fur and green eyes glaring at Fox's back. Like before, Fox grabbed Oskar's sleeve and pulled him along. This time, though, she made her way casually through the tents closer to the edge of the cliffs where Oskar could see through some of the sheer curtains covering the small caves that dotted the rock surrounding the marketplace. Most seemed empty, but he saw more than one pair of eyes looking outward, but each set of eyes seemed to look away when he glanced their way.

Fox pushed him in front of her and Touwon, and suddenly, he almost lost all track of her and Touwon. They didn't so much disappear, more that they seemed "less interesting" than anything else around him. He had trouble focusing on the Kobolds for more than a passing thought. Before he could begin to argue, though, he was forced to duck or knock his head on a low opening as he was all but shoved into one of the caves. Fox didn't let up until he was cramped into the back of the cave with Touwon, where he noticed there were small corridors that led from opening to opening.

I hope I don't have to go through those, I'm as like as not to get stuck.

His PUB sent a flicker of blue that was as close as it was probably going to picking on Oskar with so many unknown classes and skills nearby, but he couldn't help but defend himself.

I'm not fat. I've walked more since I got here than I think I did in the whole year before.

Fox was suddenly in front of him, giving him the intergalactic sign language for "shhh!" with one of her claw tipped fingers. His smirk died on his face and he nodded. Just outside, a trio of Crocs walked by, obviously confused, but stared at the cave openings nearby before one of them shrugged and they turned around and left.

So, sounds like curiosity more than we were specifically being hunted.

After a long moment, Touwon handed out food and Oskar ate. He felt outward for Penny, but didn't feel anything other than she was alive.

Stay safe, girl.

Oskar's Goggles helped with the night-vision some, but he gave it permission to stop after it was clear there was nothing to see. They laid out cots and listened to the sound of the whistling wind, blowing through and cooling the cramped cave system in the cliff walls.

This place is clearly not Croc-made. Not only is everything too small... its too well engineered. Well, unless they have a real knack for building stuff and a terrible case of body dismorphia, because unless I miss my guess, it's all Hyena and Kobold size.

Fox drew close and whispered, "We have only tonight in this place. Francis will try to find out if we are in specific danger, but regardless, we must find our own way after tonight."

It wasn't much, but it was better than being snatched up as soon as they walked through the gate. The caverns were almost too small for him, but Hyena's could easily travel the caverns, but when he asked Fox if there was any danger, she gave him a toothy smile. "Hyena-people tend to... disappear in the caverns. The caverns are the safest place we can be this night."

So, Oskar cleaned his liner and had to resist calling on Sora, which had become a comfort to him in this harsh world. He lay back on his cot, resting his head on his bag.

We just don't know enough about them to risk it. Hopefully, Francis can come through for us.

Oskar liked the name Francis. Growing up, he and Erik had moved constantly, but there had been a sweet, older lady that had lived next door to their short-lived place in Texas that made pimento cheese sandwiches for them every time they stopped by.

Erik never did care much for pimento, but I liked them, and so we'd visited regularly that summer... and Erik would eat one too just to not be rude. She was always sweet.

He didn't let himself dwell on how they'd barely stayed anywhere long enough to make friends, but the fact he'd even remembered Francis was a small miracle. It was probably because she'd also saved the boys from getting in trouble by their father after they'd gotten into a scrap with some other boys in the neighborhood.

She'd mended their clothes and assured their father they had been at her house the last two hours helping her with some things she very probably could have done on her own. She'd listed off a long list of things she claimed they did, and so the boys took the hint and spent every spare hour the following weekend actually doing them. Their father was far from gullible, but was a huge supporter of manual labor for punishment, and let Mrs. Francis handle that particular spot of trouble without further punishment.

Oskar fell asleep thinking about pimento cheese sandwiches and cleaning baseboards for hours to the steady sound of wind whistling through the caverns.

***

He woke as a red blur shot through the cavern. He heard a low whispered "They know!" as Francis disappeared in the maze of corridors. By the time Fox pulled head back from looking out, Touwon was stuffing their cots in his bag. Fox sighed, but didn't look like she was preparing for battle, so Oskar, awaiting explanation, put on and situated his prosthetic as best he could in the cramped area.

"She visited last night and shared what she gathered. She knew not why Kobolds are currently banned from the marketplace, but none were slain outright. They are hiding, moving between here and the Clinker tents for supplies. Some have even left the Collective altogether. This is worrisome, since Gramm has always been more indifferent than hostile towards our people, but he has not lifted a claw as of yet."

"So why was she in such a hurry to clear out of here?"

"Because she cannot be implicated in concealing us. There is a standing rule that any newcomers are not allowed to leave without meeting with 'Chief' Gramm directly, and now, as she said, they somehow know we are here. Not here, specifically, but in the Collective."

"I'm guessing you get treated a little differently if it's clear you're hiding?"

She smiled, "You have guessed correctly."

"What about the old plan, about giving him his good old dad's Gear set? The only reason we were gonna do it was for protection and to see the human for ourselves."

"I agree. We can claim we are here to trade. We have plenty of food, some water, and even Gear sets. We can claim to need tools for Touwon or healing herbs, tents or survival gear. Any number of things. I agree that now, keeping that Gear set from Gramm is prudent."

Touwon looked like a child on his birthday. His eyes were wide, and his purple hands twitched towards his bag before he settled them in his lap, but the wistful smile on his fuzzy face remained.

He's probably imagining tinkering with that Gear until he's on his deathbed.

"So, I guess it's time to get out of here and make our way to Gramm, huh?"

They made their way outside. It was early enough that, from this angle, he could barely see fingers of light from the rising red sun shining through the V. He saw a small Croc child standing in the center breeze at the edge of the marketplace, stretching in the rising sun. He couldn't see from this angle, but he imagined her eyes were closed as she raised her arms as high as they could go and yawned.

Some of the general animosity he felt towards the Crocs as a whole lessened. The people of this world were survivors, that didn't make them bad. Standing in a breeze, without worry or stress as to where your next meal or drink would come from was a small status symbol, all things considered. Oskar supposed that in a world where survival was so hard, a small comfort like a consistent breeze and a full belly was the closest thing to rich this world could offer to most.

There has to be more to this world than suffering, though. I'm gonna find Erik, and then our whole little family we got going here will all figure it out together.