Chapter 22: Water in the Desert (Part 1)

The scrubland woke to the smell of woodsmoke and sizzling fat. 

Long before the sun crowned over the thorny horizon, Amutenya’s camp was already moving with a quiet, easy rhythm. Breakfast was a feast compared to the starving reality of the surrounding brush. Thick, warthog meat from last night's meal sizzled on flat stones near the coals, while Ndapandula carefully monitored a clay pot boiling fresh guinea fowl eggs. Beside the fire sat a woven basket stacked with heavy, hard pieces of omungome, the dense pearl millet bread that could keep a man full for a day.

Amutenya sat on the edge of one of the heavy carts, peeling a pair of guinea fowl eggs as he watched his people eat. Men and women sat together, passing gourds of water and sharing the meal in the cool morning air. For a little while, he just let them rest and enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

It wasn't until the last bones were tossed into the fire and the group began wiping the grease from their hands that Amutenya finally stood up. 

The casual chatter naturally died down. All eyes turned to him. 

"We did well," Amutenya started, his tone steady and conversational, though the weight of his words grounded the camp instantly. "But we are sitting on five carts of iron, ivory, and enough meat to sustain a kingdom. Every starving hunter and desperate rogue within ten miles knows the 'Ghost Party' just struck gold. There are three mid-sized factions, Scavengers, camped to the south and west. They are already planning to bleed us the moment we pack up."

He paused, letting the reality settle in. No one panicked. They just waited for his command.

"We are not going to wait for them to strike," Amutenya said, a cold edge creeping into his voice. "We are going to hunt them. But we have things and people to protect, and they have numbers. So, we need to adapt, we need to increase our numbers." 

He pointed out toward the dense, scrubby brush to the east. "There are scattered men out there watching their meat rot. We are going to buy them."

Amutenya looked around the fire, dividing his people with the practiced ease of a man who knew exactly what his crew was capable of. 

"Shivute, Kadhila, Nangolo. Finish your water. When you're ready, strip down to your lightest gear. I want you tracking those three factions. Find their numbers and their blind spots. Do not engage, just watch."

The three young men nodded, gulping down the last of their breakfast before quietly gathering their weapons and slipping into the brush. 

Amutenya turned to the women. "Meme Kauna, Nelao, Kapandu, Ndilimeke. We have a mountain of fresh hides from the hunt. I need you to cut and bind the thickest pieces. Make layered breastplates and light bucklers. Cover the chest and the gut, the places where a spear thrust means death. We need to keep our new recruits alive."

Meme Kauna gave a firm nod, immediately turning to the girls to start organizing the skinning knives and cordage. 

"Tate Mukoya, Haufiku," Amutenya gestured to the two veterans. "You hold the perimeter. Nobody gets near the carts, if the new recruits I send your way try to be sneaky, you have full authority to execute."

Finally, he looked at Shaningwa, who was picking his teeth with a splinter of wood. "Tate, you are walking into the camps of the royal caravans."

Shaningwa raised an eyebrow. "Going to pick a fight with the kings already?" 

Amutenya chuckled dryly. "Just diplomacy. Tell them a bloodbath is coming to the brush today, and if they don't want to be caught in the crossfire or eaten by the lions the bodies attract, they should stay by their fires. While you're there, if you see any tiny, insignificant hunting parties clinging to the royals' skirts, tell them they have a home in our village if they walk over here and fight with us."

With the camp mobilized, Amutenya took a slow breath. He needed to know his exact margins before he brought new blood into the fold. 

‘System, whats my current population count.’

[SYSTEM OVERVIEW: POPULATION METRICS]

[CURRENT TOTAL POPULATION: 1,541]

'1,541? That's not right, System, are you mistaken, last time I checked it was 1,548 after those two old people at the village starved. Could your calculation be wrong?'

[SYSTEM RECULCULATING... TOTAL POPULATION UPDATE 1,541. 7 NON-PENALIZED DEATHS RECORDED. HOST, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW THE CAUSES OF DEATH?]

'7 deaths? In my village or at the King's city? Why wasn't I penalized or notified by the system? Is it someone I know or my fam... no, no, no! Do not panic! System! Check! Check for me! I want to know what exactly is going on!'

[AFFIRMATIVE, HOST. SEARCHING DATABASE... SEARCH COMPLETE. 

TARGET 1. SEPTEMBER 8TH 1812, 03:37 AM. AN OLD WOMAN IN THE KING'S CAPITAL DIED FROM OLD AGE IN HER SLEEP. NO REASON TO PENALIZE HOST.

TARGETS 2-7. SEPTEMBER 25TH 1812, 14:21 PM. A COUPLE AND THEIR 4 KIDS WERE EXECUTED BY THE KING’S ROYAL GUARD FOR LOOKING UP AT THE KING WHICH OFFENDED THE 8TH ROYAL CONCUBINE, WHILE THEY WERE OUT STROLLING AMONGST THE COMMON PEOPLE.]

Chills, the pure chills that ran down his spine as he read the blue text. 6 life's gone, simply for annoying the wrong person. He absolutely cannot risk being an eyesore to such cruel people, at least not yet, he needs to grow powerful, very fast, because he had a feeling that he will eventually clash with the King's court and he needs to be able to hold his own when that inevitably happens.

He blinked the blue text away. 1,541 souls. Those where his lifeline, and he could not afford any more gambles, not when there was a tyrannical king in the capital executing people for looking at him.

"Ndapandula. Shiimi," Amutenya said, picking up his iron-tipped spear. "Let's go."

---

The sun was viciously hot by the time they breached the perimeter of the first camp. 

It was a miserable sight. Thirteen emaciated men sat listlessly under the sparse shade of a dying camel-thorn tree. The air around them was thick with flies and the sour, gag-inducing stench of rotting meat. Their ribs pressed sharply against their dark skin, their eyes hollow with exhaustion.

When Amutenya, Ndapandula, and Shiimi stepped out of the brush, the starving men flinched violently. A few scrambled backward in the dirt; others instinctively reached for their worn, splintering spears, though their hands were shaking. 

They all knew exactly who was standing in front of them. The thick muscles, the hydrated skin, the gleaming iron weapons—it was the Ghost Wolf. The man who had been clearing the hunting grid like a phantom. 

A tall, deeply scarred man slowly pushed himself up, leaning heavily on his spear just to keep his balance. He was the leader, but there was no pride left in his eyes—only terror. He thought Amutenya was here to kill them for their territory.

"We... we have nothing worth taking," the scarred man stammered, his voice dry and raspy. He swallowed hard, lowering his spear point toward the dirt in a clear sign of submission. "This is all the meat we have hunted, we yield everything. Please, Let us walk away."

Amutenya looked at the trembling men, feeling a brief flash of pity. He didn't raise his weapon. He just stood tall, projecting absolute calm. 

"I'm not here for your rotting meat, or hunting grid" Amutenya said, his voice echoing clearly in the quiet clearing. "I'm here for you."

The scarred man blinked, confused. 

"Your families are starving back in your villages," Amutenya continued, stepping closer. "I have five carts of iron, ivory, and enough food to feed your people until the rains come. But i need you to fight for me. Stand with me. Hold the line. And I swear to you, your wives and children will never go hungry. As long as I have meat to eat, your families will never be short on broth.

The scarred man stared at Amutenya. He looked at the gleaming iron spear, then down at his own trembling, calloused hands. It wasn't a choice. It was a miracle, the drought has been a fierce beast hanging over them for 2 years, yes! 2 whole years! They where not lucky enough for their village to be near any water large sources, so they were one of the first villages to fall to the drought, they had nothing, that is why their risked their lives to come on this hunt, who knew not be mention catching any decent sized prey to trade for water from large caravans, they barely even managed to survive through the hunt itself. They had left the village as a strong party of 46 men, 46! And now their numbers are down to 13.

"You will really take us in?" The scarred man asked, his voice shaky from the expectation.

"Yes. I will not just take you in, but your families and anyone from your village who wishes to swear loyalty to me, be it male or female, old or infant, as long as they have the courage to come, I will take them in and ensure they do not starve." Amutenya declared, his eyes piercing straight into the slowly reddening eyes of the tall man with a slightly hunched back, from all the guilt and expectations he has been carrying.

Without another word, the scarred man dropped his spear entirely. It clattered against the dry earth. He fell to his knees, pressing his palms into the dirt in a gesture of absolute, overwhelming gratitude. Behind him, the remaining twelve starving hunters immediately followed suit. There were no shouts of praise or vows of loyalty, just the sound of 13 broken and tired men's knees falling into the dry sand of the early morning. These men with nothing, that just got handed everything by a young man no older than a boy, could offer nothing except their sincerity.

Amutenya nodded, a fierce satisfaction settling in his chest. "Get up. Ndapundula look at the wounded and keep track of their numbers and injuries, you will be responsible for treating their injuries. The rest of you go with Shiimi to gather what little you have and walk back the way I came. You will find my camp. Tell the veterans guarding it that you belong to me now. Eat my food. Have the women teach you how to ash-cure whatever meat you have left so it doesn't rot further. Then, let them fit you for armor, and rest. We march at night."

As the thirteen men scrambled to their feet, tears in their eyes, the familiar blue text flared in Amutenya's peripheral vision.

[POPULATION UPDATE... NEW CITIZENS RECOGNIZED: +13

CURRENT TOTAL POPULATION: 1,554]

Amutenya smiled tightly. He turned to Ndapandula and Shiimi, who had returned to his side "One down. Let's find the rest."