Chp.1: The departure

The day of departure had finally arrived. The huge group of beastmen were now on the opposite bank of the river, looking out at the desert in front of them that stretched as far as the eye could see.

It had been another ten days since Darbi's return, and everything had been prepared. The last ships that had yet to arrive had finally arrived, carrying the last refugees who had been welcomed in the best way; after which, using the pontoon bridge, all the beastmen had moved their great camp to the other side of the river. Having done this, they had then demolished all the ships: they had dragged them to the mainland with the help of the dragons and then had disassembled them until they were reduced to wooden planks. They had then been placed in the dimensional bags: everything from the tallest pole to the smallest nail would in the future become the main material with which the beastmen would begin to create their new community. After all, they couldn't expect to find trees in the middle of a desert: and while they might have mostly used stones, wood would still be essential for building roofs or even just for tools like pulleys and carts. Fortunately, thanks to the large number of ships available, there was no shortage of wood; and since the beastmen's dimensional pouches were also numerous, as mages like Isaac could easily create them, carrying it wasn't a problem.

The beastmen and dragons continued to gather the most resources as possible until all ships were completely disassembled. Fish, animals, water, even plants: anything that could be used was taken. Then, when the work was finally done, they all rested for a full day, and as soon as dawn broke they broke camp and got ready to leave.

Haku calmly watched the beastmen who were gathering at the edge of the desert. It was unnerving to him that they moved so slowly, but he knew that insisting on going faster would do no good. Besides, it was better to conserve energy as much as possible: the crossing would not be a joke. So he waited until he saw that the beastmen were really ready to go and were just waiting for their leader's command. At that point he got up and after shaking off the sand he went to look for Zamor.

He found him talking to some of the other beastmen leaders, probably making the final directives. When the lizardman saw him, he immediately walked towards him with a determined look. "We are ready to go. I will give a speech to encourage them, then we will follow you"

In the desert it was impossible for newcomers to orient themselves normally. There was no set route that could be marked on a map: the strong winds continually moved the dunes, erasing paths and reshaping the landscape every day. The only way for newcomers to orient themselves in the desert was to travel by night and follow the stars. However, that was not the case with dragons, since they possessed disproportionate navigation skills. Haku, like all of his siblings, had numerous maps crammed into his mind showing the location of the Thul Oasis in perspective to the former Baudonia City Alliance; through it, he could trace a path and follow it with his eyes closed. Not to mention other factors such as tha wind direction, the position of the sun, the sounds, the smells and many more. By combining all these skills, the dragons could have kept traveling on the right path even in the midst of a sandstorm.

Without Haku's help, Zamor would have had to lead a much longer march, orienting himself exclusively with the stars and taking the wrong direction several times. This would not only have run the risk of depleting water supplies, but also of staying in the desert for too long and with the change of season running into a sudden increase in sandstorms. Instead, thanks to the dragons, the direction they would take would be much safer. Zamor of course would check the sky every night to make sure they were indeed heading towards their destination, but he seriously doubted that Haku or any other dragon could be wrong. After all, he had been planning that trip for a long time: it would have been foolish to think that he wasn't prepared.

Haku nodded. "A speech isn't a bad idea. Given what we're getting into, a few words of encouragement will certainly be welcome" he said, then he looked him straight in the eyes. "Let them understand that they have to respect the rules, that we don't stop for anything or anyone, and that if someone falls behind or gets lost, they'll have to take care of themselves"

Zamor's eyes narrowed slightly. "Couldn't you track them down with your nose?"

"Sure, and we will. But if they don't know, they'll be more careful and save us unnecessary headaches" Haku replied.

Zamor sighed and shook his head. He figured that Haku didn't really plan to leave anyone behind, after all some of his siblings like Darbi wouldn't like that choice, but he was just trying to scare the beastmen to make sure they use as much attention as possible and try hard not to stay backwards. "I am not going to use fear as a weapon"

Haku let out a growl. It was clear that from his point of view the choice of the lizardman was silly. "Then just mention the dangers of the desert. Explain to them how difficult it would be to track them down if they got lost, and then implore them to do their best to avoid it. Use words of comfort, despair, cry if you want... I don't know, do the stupid things you do, just make sure they get the hint"

That was more acceptable. It wasn't a real threat, more like advice. He was no different from a hunter who, before entering the forest with the novices, told them how they should behave to avoid danger. Zamor could agree to use that method. "Okay. Thanks for the advice"

"As long as they stop you from causing me problems, I'll give you all the advice you want" was the dragon's flat reply. Zamor was a little offended by those words, but he avoided replying and actually headed towards the huge group of beastmen.

During those days, nearly all beastmen had come to appreciate Zamor for his leadership skills and the way he carried himself, always making sure that everyone had what they needed to live, and therefore just seeing him gave them more confidence. So when they saw him appear on the top of a dune in front of them, ready to speak, they welcomed him with applause and cheers. Zamor let them do it, then raised his hand for silence, and everyone quickly fell silent. "Listen to me, my friends" he began loudly. "Today is a glorious day, because the last part of our journey begins, the simplest and at the same time the hardest. All of us have already faced numerous challenges, and we have crushed all our enemies, and now before us there is one last stretch of our path beyond which is our future new home. Straight ahead, beyond this sea of ​​dunes, is a place that can accommodate all of us and allow us to start over!"

The beastmen roared in victory. Even though they knew the challenge they would soon face wasn't going to be easy, they felt like they'd already won. They were confident they would make it one way or another. "This time, we needn't fear encountering enemy armies. But that doesn't mean our journey won't be tiring" Zamor continued. "This crossing will be the most difficult journey any of us has ever made in our life. We will not find water or food until we are on the other side, and therefore it is advisable that each of you use your rations wisely. We will have to walk for days under the blazing sun, and the wind and sand will continually sweep over our faces. But you need not be afraid; we have been preparing for this for a long time, and we are ready to face the heat and dehydration, and any danger that the desert will confront us! The desert is an unforgiving place, but we will show him that we are not afraid of him! We will overcome his challenges and win!"

The phrase: "Yes! Let's shpw the desert who's boss!" was yelled at by the beastmen at least a hundred times using these exact words and about a thousand times using very similar ones. Although they were intimidated by the dangers that Zamor was listing, such as heat and thirst, his safe and confident words convinced them that they were really ready to face that challenge. None of them had any doubts that they could really do it; indeed, it was practically a certainty in their eyes.

Zamor was pleased to see that. It was important that everyone really believed they could make it through the wilderness: since the next few days and weeks weren't going to be easy, any pre-existing doubts could easily stir up dissent. "But just as we have defeated all our enemies thus far only by standing together, in the same way we can only overcome this challenge by helping each other. Don't forget this, none of us alone could do it, but together we can do everything. Therefore, I ask you to do the do your best not to fall behind, and always remain together with the others; and if by chance any of you feel ill, even if only a dizziness, don't hesitate to warn someone. If any of you should fall behind, we will we would immediately work to find it, but when we succeed it could be too late; therefore, for yourselves and for your families, I ask you to hold on and not slow down, and never lose sight of your companions, and in the unfortunate in case you get lost, however, to stay in a place where it is easy to find you. Your survival depends first and foremost on yourselves, always remember that. A single mistake may not be important to us as a group, but it could be fatal to those of you who will make it. The desert is like a beast that chases a herd of animals, and that doesn't hesitate to jump on the first one that strays too far from the pack. And when the beast that is the desert manages to take you, nothing can save you. So always stick together, always travel alongside someone, never forget the rules and don't be heroes. Only when we have finally reached the Thul Oasis can we finally let our guard down; before then, we must have our eyes open and maximum attention"

Just as he'd planned, he hadn't threatened anyone: he'd only hinted that if anyone were left behind, it probably wouldn't end well for them. In practice he had maintained his image of an upright leader who cared for all his subordinates and had unloaded all the blame for a possible death on the harsh conditions of the desert; after all, not even the best leader could block the heat and drought. By doing so the beastmen, while still trusting him, would be cautious just as Haku wished.

It was time for the final encouragement. "As you see, the risks ahead of us are many, but do not doubt it, we will overcome them all! We are the ones who have defeated armies five times our number, who have escaped from unjust captivity, who haven't stopped nothing or no one! The desert won't be the first to conquer us! We will defeat it, just as we have defeated all our enemies so far! The desert may be hot, horrific and hostile to all life, but we are more tenacious than it! Follow me now, and help me defeat this last enemy and finally reach our new home!"

The beastmen gave a whoop of approval, throwing their fists in the air, and they looked almost ready for a battle rather than a crossing. Zamor smiled at that sight, knowing he had stirred them up enough, and then gave the signal for departure. While the beastmen started moving Haku approached him. "Nice speech" he whispered to him, and he then walked towards the sea of ​​dunes. Zamor and all the beastmen promptly followed, leaving their old land behind and beginning their journey across the Yuthia Desert.