~Turnova Plains, Planet Carass, Sigma Universe~
Chilo moved as quietly as he could through the grass. Grunts and crowds surrounded him. The sound of wood on flesh filling the air between competing for dominance. He could still see Raiopa and the other warrior at all times. The younger man laughed as he removed Raiopa's feet from under him. Chilo fought the urge to intercede or aid Raiopa in any way.
He caught sight of another pair fighting. The smaller figure was Tala. She had made her way towards the center of the skirmish. As he moved closer, a woman from the other tribe was doing the same. She drew back her club. Tala seemed entirely unaware of the danger behind her. Chilo lunged for the woman, his club catching the opposing woman across the face. Teeth hit the ground and blood splashed across Tala's back. Tala held her club against her opponents while looking over her shoulder. The distraction was enough for the man to press in closer and grab Tala's braids. Chilo spun around her, catching the man across his lower back. Tala shoved him away and Chilo slammed his club into the man's abdomen. The third and final blow landed on the back of the man's head.
"I had him," snarled Tala.
"Maybe if you hadn't gotten distracted," quipped Chilo back.
She growled at him. Tala charged past, hitting him with her shoulder. Chilo picked up a second club from the ground and moved to help Nyma. His tribemate was locked in battle with two others. He was slowly losing ground. Chilo charged into the side of the male Nyma was fighting with, leaving only the female for him to contend with. Chilo swung both clubs in rapid succession at his opponent. When the other man staggered, he took the opportunity to smack the nearby woman on the back of her calf. This gave Nyma the chance to take her out of the fight and resume fighting the man Chilo was occupying.
"Thanks brother."
Chilo nodded and moved away. He looked for Raiopa, whom he was supposed to ensure could finish his own duel. The Chieftain continued fighting ferociously. Both combatants looked to be wearing down, but still maintained their flow. He felt awkward and useless watching them go back and forth but could not peel his eyes away. The fight looked as if they had arranged and practiced every move beforehand. Neither appeared to be gaining the upper hand.
"Yaaaaaah!"
A man approached Raiopa from behind. Chilo was startled by the impending interference. It was not allowed by skirmish rules. The man must not have seen Raiopa's staff. Chilo roared and charged the man. A thudding collision sent them both rolling on the ground. He saw stars as the man's fist connected with his jaw. He rolled backwards after a glancing blow to his stomach. As he crouched to lunge for the man, a staff whistled overhead knocking the threat out cold. Raiopa immediately blocked an incoming strike from the other champion without so much as a pause.
Chilo took a moment to look around the mock battlefield. Numbers for both sides had severely dwindled. Here and there, other fighters sought out more opponents. He looked around for anyone else close by. A horn sounded to the east. No one paid it any mind as it was not from their respective tribe. A second and third blast followed. The final horn seemed to catch the attention of some. Raiopa and his opponent in particular looked concerned. Looking between each other and the sound of the intruding horns, they stood straight and attentive.
"To arms," yelled Raiopa.
The other champion joined his call, "grab your weapons. Interlopers are afoot!"
As warriors helped one another up, a cloud of dust fast approached. People scrambled back and forth, the elderly leader of the opposing tribe made his way to Raiopa.
He spoke loudly, "Raiopa, Rakker riders approach."
"Gods! But of course. Had you no knowledge that they trailed your tribe?"
"Nay, none. They must have shadowed our watchers," the old man replied at a loss.
Warriors began to encircle the Chieftains and form a line facing the approaching riders. Those who could not fight were helped back to the Makaran camp regardless of which tribe they hailed from. The line of standing warriors extended to protect the camp itself as well. The Makaran tribe had moved to this remote northern part of the plains to get as far as possible from the slaver raids.
Raiopa raised his staff and removed the bottom section. A black star steel spearhead revealed its sharp edges. He twirled the now spear and presented it towards the Rakker horde. Nyma tossed Chilo a spear and took up position to his right. Many of the tribe's' folk who hadn't joined in the skirmish had grabbed shields as well. A majority of those protecting the camp had them at least. The Rakken riders were not likely to trample the warriors too much. They preferred their slaves to be able to work once sold and damaged goods were worth far less.
As the horde approached, their numbers became more apparent. Thousands of horses spread across the horizon. Traders had spread word that the Rakkan numbers had swelled form new tribes joining in with them from the Far East. They also advised that the smaller groups had merged, creating a threat never before encountered on the Turnova Plains.
Chilo looked down the line in both directions. Their numbers were far less than they should have been. The Rakkers would likely be thrilled to catch not one, but two reasonably sized tribes. Had the tribes not been itching to skirmish so ferociously, the damage they would have incurred would have still made them hesitant to do battle. Now, many of their tribemates were wounded or unconscious. More warriors returned to the line, but not nearly as many as could have been fielded. The horde being mere minutes away.
Chilo felt both anxiety and excitement. Not only had he earned a few Marks in the skirmish, but now he would get to do real battle within the same day. His only regret is not having time to recover his stamina between. The smell of dust and blood filled the air. As urine joined the scents, Chilo looked down to see Nyma had urinated down his leg. Nyma looked down and locked eyes with Chilo.
"We've got this brother," he shouted in encouragement.
Nyma nodded, some of his courage restored. It was not uncommon for young warriors to mess themselves in the moments before their first real battle. Nyma had some skill but would never truly be among the elite. They grinned at one another and steeled themselves. As the horde approached within a dozen yards of the battle line, a wave of rocks and smaller spears flew from the rear of the tribes. A second wave hit just as the horde made contact with the tribal warriors.
Chilo was able to sidestep the broad chest of the first horse to approach him. His spear sunk into the stomach of it's rider. Nyma was not so lucky. The muscular beast slammed into him, launching him several feet backwards. That slaver swung his club at Chilo but missed. Chilo stepped back away and ducked behind another horse. He saw Raiopa stab one slaver while yanking the strap securing another to his steed. To him, that was brilliant. He hadn't even considered destabilizing the slavers in that way. Raiopa jabbed rapidly into various parts of a multitude of horses and riders. His flurry caused chaos among most of the enemy within range.
He began picking out slavers who were unaware of his presence due to focusing on the Chieftain. He struck twice more before another approached him from behind. From above, a net caught Chilo and dragged him to the ground, a club striking his head dead center. His vision turned black. The last thing he could see were the Chieftain's feet gracefully moving away from him.
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Head throbbing, Chilo slowly opened his eyes. His ears were ringing excruciatingly loud. He blinked a few times and saw many of his tribemates seemed to have been captured by the slavers. The net over himself was barely draped over his feet, likely the work of Raiopa. Where was Raiopa? He got to one knee. Many of the tents that made up the camp were crushed or in tatters. The slavers had moved through it and beyond. The supply wagon of the other tribe was in a similar state. Scattered members of both tribes staggered to and fro trying to help anyone they could find.
Of the nearly six-hundred members of his tribe, he saw barely forty or fifty on their feet. The dust cloud that was the slaver horde continued moving away in the distance to the east. Nyma lay nearby, his left forearm bent at an odd angle midway up. He heard his friend groan as he knelt next to him. Chilo cradled Nyma in his arms.
"Where is everyone," Nyma asked when he finished coughing.
Chilo looked around. He couldn't make out any particular tribesmen, "I don't know. I fear they may have taken Raiopa. I was knocked out fighting beside him."
Nyma coughed roughly, "Tala? Miko?"
Chilo simply shook his head. Nyma tried to get up, so Chilo helped him the rest of the way. Together they made their way to the camp. A Healer touched Chilo's arm as they passed, a sad look on her face. Another dug through the remains of the tent he shared with his mother. She muttered some sympathies as they made their way to the center. Miko sat in front of Raiopa's tent. He lifted his head from where it hung against his chest and looked to the approaching pair.
"They took him," was all he said.
Chilo looked around and sighed heavily, "we have to follow them. We have to go retrieve my mother, Raiopa, and the rest. We have to at least try."
Miko nodded. He stood with the aid of his spear and placed his other hand on Chilo's spare shoulder.
"Lead the way brother."