Snippet #2762850

Sa. Ka. Ti. Ri. Here, there lay once, now dead, gone, and forgotten.

Stomp

"Liar!"

Stomp

"Ya swindler!"

Stomp

"Ya got that big knife! No one taught you how ta use it?!"

The weight of three heavily booted feet came crashing down upon his back painfully, and then another one at his head. Any more and there'd be a concussion.

Stomp

Stomp

Stomp

That last one really hurt. Enough to jog some memories of the fall. Into the pit unseen. And when he ventured through the darkness, what did he find? The road to the truth. M'Kama felt the sand fall off his face, as someone, a large man, lifted him by his hair off the ground. Facing him was another man, this one thin, and an older woman. M'Kama supposed even they grew tired of the repeated stomping.

"You heard the lady, partner... why ain't ya fightin' back. You mean to tell me that fancy swords just fer show?" the big man lifting him up spat. "If you ain't about ta use it, we might as well take it for ourselves partner!"

M'Kama responded by first spitting a wad of sand and blood onto the desert beneath and then grumbling, "I decided to take a nap. Better use of my energy..." he stated drowsily, with a slight grin. The three jumped him from behind on his way to Schittle. They had already ransacked his wagon, but he did not stop them then. He'd correctly assumed they'd find nothing of his worth their time. All things truly valuable he had on his person, which he'd supposed they'd only find if they ransacked his corpse. A terrible fate, but one that would not come to pass.

"Yer a goddamn liar!" the other man spoke, his face turning bright red. They were all around M'Kama's age aside from the woman, who appeared a little bit older and all had wore the garb of typical Skylander farmers. Wide brimmed hat, pants with suspenders. Their clothes looked worn, and the three had the look of the impoverished and hungry. Such was the state of this world. M'Kama could not help them in that regard, but they didn't seem to think that was the case... at least not yesterday in the Slowpak Saloon.

"You said you were a phoenix!" the woman began to shout. "We thought maybe... maybe if you joined us..." her voice began to quiver. "Maybe you could help us make a fortune together... robbin' banks. Stealin' cattle. But you had to go and lie!"

"I didn't," M'Kama responded.

"Yes, you did!"

"But, I didn't..."

"Don't you try and correct us!"

M'Kama sighed. "When you met me in the saloon, I mentioned I was a shaman. The fact that you took that to mean, phoenix has nothing to do with me. I then told you not to follow me, because you'd be disappointed and you failed to heed me," he explained dully. "I'd been hoping you'd allow me to speak my piece. To allow you to see reason..."

The smaller man, began to draw out a pistol, shaking in anger. The look on his face appearing to be on the verge of tears. "We've been gettin' by on scraps for three years... all the most powerful gangs on the Rock have a phoenix. They can make rain pour from the sky. They can turn sand into gold..." he frowned beginning to list the tall tales he'd heard throughout the years.

M'Kama wondered if they even considered the fact that he appeared just as poor as they did, but given their general absentmindedness, he supposed not. He supposed he'd have to retaliate, if they were aiming to kill him. But at the very least, before he struck they had a right to know..." As a Shaman, I am capable of many things. None that you may find useful, but a great calamity is supposed to befall Schittle."

The large man, holding down M'Kama spoke after being silent for a long while, "WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP! We just heard the last of yer goddamn lies! We gonna take that fancy sword of yers and sell it to-" All three of the farmers turned criminals began to glance up at the sky as it began to light aflame and tear asunder. A burning hulk of metal searing the atmosphere and plummeting into the sands near the town of Schittle.

"God, what is that..." the big man stared as a massive plume of smoke began to loom into the sky.

"It's true... it's calamity!" the woman spoke. "He was telling the truth! He is a phoenix! He is one!"

"Alright, enough of this..." M'Kama sighed, elbowing the big man as hard as he could in the gut as he was distracted, causing him to let go of his hair. M'Kama then grabbed the large man by his arm and tossed him over his shoulder at the other two, who bowled over before they even had a chance to react.

M'Kama himself turned towards the site of the crash with curiosity. Sitting on the pile of criminals that now lay on the sands before him, he looked into one of their packs and grabbed a telescope. Convenient. Lucky. Either way, he placed them to his eyes and took in the sight of the burning metal hull. A ship... The Outlanders must've lost control of their vessel. Given the ships size, it was likely that it housed many travelers. Many who were now dead. M'Kama grabbed a handful of sand before letting it flow away in the wind. They weren't all buried properly... but he'd hope they have a safe journey to the underworld, nevertheless.

M'Kama sat up, his bone necklace rattling he got onto his feet. He turned around... his wagon was destroyed and if the sudden attack didn't scare off the ants that had pulled it then the crash certainly did. Well, he was headed to Schittle anyway on business. Whether the crash would hither him or make things more interesting had yet to be seen. Stretching his legs, M'Kama glanced one more time at the trio of would be murderers now groaning in pain upon the sands. They'd be fine. Probably.

Here they will rise, long forgotten, but not dead. Sa. Ka. Ti. Ri.