The God of Gravity part 2: Olympus

Life in the Desert

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It's cold early in the morning in the desert mud house when Hiroki packed the things they needed to continue their journey. Jasper and Jack also helped in ensuring that they got all they needed for weeks of treading through the desert.

"Okay," said Hiroki while putting his hands on his waist. "that does it. We're ready to go right now." He looked at Jasper. "I'll tell Lady Sayuri."

"We will be waiting outside," said Jasper before turning to walk to the door. "I'm starting to think that I regret proposing this route," he said to Jack.

Hiroki went to the door of Sayuri and knocked. "My lady?" he called. "We're ready to leave." No answer. "My lady?" he asked one more time before intruding inside. "Pardon me for intrud-" he stopped talking when he found out that Sayuri is not here anymore. Her stuff is also gone.

He gasped and went to the window to see if she's still there. He looked far to the horizon through the slender palm trees, but no one's there. There are no traces to be found.

"Oh no," he muttered in concern. "She doesn't want us to-"

Then he looked to the right and saw her holding a bottle of water for a malnourished child for him to drink as he sits on the ground with his back against the wall. He looks one step to leaving the world. The child has no shirt, only a piece of fabric enough to cover his waist down to his legs. His ribs are showing because of starvation, his limbs are like skinny old twigs. And his eyes flowing with tears as he gulped every water running down his throat in happiness.

Climbing through the window, Hiroki calmly went to Sayuri and stayed silent behind her as she is kneeling down to tend to the child. She pulled a piece of bread that is bigger than the child's hand - which is very thin because of starvation. He grabbed it without anything to say for her then munched it using his incomplete set of teeth. He felt the bread being impaled by his teeth, then touched his gums and tasted its soft flavor.

She gave him the remaining bottle of water and three bread then went to walk somewhere else around the village. Hiroki didn't bother to interfere and just followed behind her. They went to where the camels being tied up and she went to the haystacks under a shack. Hiroki knew something is wrong when he smelled something bad other than the smell of feces of the camels. Using both of her hands, she dug up through the hay and Hiroki saw a small rotten hand. She pulled it and came out a dead girl - with her joints locked and flesh rotting. Hiroki covered his nose when the stench became stronger after hundreds of flies crowded the shack. Sayuri is not bothered. She just pulled a sack from the corner of the shack, tore it apart to create a wider sheet, and covered the child. She unsheathed her sword, summoned a wide sword under the child, and went out with the dead child following her.

"My lady!" called Hiroki as he followed. "Please calm-"

He is surprised to see Mustafa - the man who granted them service being pushed by Jack, pointing his g*n at his back, and making him walk towards Sayuri. Jasper smirked as he leaned against a camel. Jack made Mustafa kneel with his g*n pointed at his head.

Hiroki approached Jasper. "What are you doing?" he asks him.

"This man is the leader of this village," he said. "and our lady wants to ask some questions to him about why there are so many starving children here. Oh, and he knows about the sword - which is strange."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You'd freak out like you are doing right now and wouldn't be able to sleep the whole night."

Hiroki ran out of things to say and just observed where this is going as Sayuri pointed the sharp end of her sword near Mustafa's throat.

"Explain," she said threateningly and he looked at the dead girl covered by a sack.

He swallowed and trembled before saying, "I don't know who is that, my lady."

She narrowed her eyes, brought the child in front of him, and uncovered her face. The eyes of the child were still opened and rotted into the color of yellow and grey. The stench rose up for his nose to catch all of it. He frowned in disgust. Then other villagers went to look at what is happening. They look scared as Sayuri glared at them so they kept a distance.

"Do you know who she is now?" she growled at Mustafa.

"Y....y.. y.. yes, my lady. She is Jawhara. We tried to find her in these past few days after she found out her father died fighting as a soldier for the Brothers of the Oasis and her mother passed away long ago."

Then Jasper said, "I'll squeeze information from him for you, my lady if you allow me." She nodded and he asked Mustafa, "What is that?"

"A group that fights for the freedom of the people of Ra Desert!" he answered nervously that his breathing got heavier.

"Oh, rebels. Well then, why aren't you helping the children who are dying in starvation and those who don't have parents?"

Mustafa raised his eyebrows. "I didn't see you with them yesterday," he said confusingly.

"Well, let's just say I've been around the village for a while and saw everything through a camel's eyes. Now, answer my question."

He nodded and said, "It's not that we don't want to, but we just can't, because we have our own families to take care of and we are barely going through each day with little food and water."

"How frequent do you get temporary settlers like us?"

"About once a week."

"Where does it all go?"

"Pardon me?"

"The payments."

"Uh...," he hesitated. "For the starving children, of cours-"

Jack poked Mustafa's head with his g*n. "Stop lying," he threatened.

Mustafa looked around and saw the terrified faces of his people. They look like begging for him to just die and don't speak. But the fear of death and concern for his family took over him when he cried, "WE GAVE THEM ALL TO THE REBELS!!!"

"You fool!" raged Sayuri and kicked him at the face.

He ate sand while crying and looking at the faces of the people. They looked angry and disappointed. Jack pulled his trigger as he shot a man among the crowd after that man pulled out a g*n. The other people ran away and the man who got shot at his hand screamed in pain. Jack quickly went to him and kicked his other hand when he tried to grab the g*n.

"Don't even try to move an inch!" threatened Jack while picking up the g*n and gave it to Hiroki - who feels nervous just by touching it. "Handle him, Hiroki!"

He nodded nervously and pointed the g*n at the man.

"What is happening, Mustafa?" asked Jasper in a sarcastically concerned tone. "Why are they angry at you?"

Mustafa still has his face on the sand and he started to weep as he answered, "I have betrayed them!"

"Oh, how did you betray them?"

"We aren't allowed to tell anyone that we support the rebels to outsiders or the Ra Clan will punish us without exception when they find out!"

"Then why would you support these rebels?"

"They threaten to kill us all if we don't give them tribute every week!"

"When is that?"

"Today, so please-"

"Lucky you, we might just be able to help you with that."

"What do you mean-"

"My lady," he said to her. "what's your decision?"

"We wait," she answered while sheathing her sword and angrily walked away.

"See?" said Jasper as Mustafa looked at him from the ground. "You'll be staying with us until we resolve your predicament because the villagers aren't happy with you right now."

Then Hiroki let go of the man who attempted to shoot Mustafa. Jack pulled Mustafa up and made him walk to follow where Sayuri is heading. She stood on top of a tall dune and saw three pickup trucks at the distance from the west, going over and down the sandy dunes towards here.

"Jack," she said as she summoned a wide sword. He nodded and Hiroki gave him his briefcase and it transformed into a sniper rifle. They flew to the incoming trucks in a pincer approach with Jack at the right and Sayuri at the left.

The three just watched at a safe distance. "Now, we just have to wait," said Jasper to Mustafa. "Don't worry it won't be that long."

The men saw silhouettes in the sun rising from the east. Then they shot at the two of them without hesitation as they are panicking. Sayuri blocked and sliced every bullet that's going to hit her while Jack fired back after dodging and destroyed the first truck in a single bullet. It exploded into a fireball. Sayuri sent a giant sword that sliced the second truck in half then it sliced deep into the sand. The third truck maneuvered to avoid crashing on the giant sword, but the slope was steep and caused the truck to tumble sideways. The men on the back of the truck were crushed while the two men inside the truck got thrown up, side and down violently that every hit made them bleed until the truck stopped below the slope upside-down. Jack pulled the two of them out but the other one is already dead. The surviving man can't put up a fight as he is bleeding so hard and his head is hit. Jack captured him along with those who survived. There are six of them who survived and with nasty injuries.

Jack shouted, "Drop your weapons and get your hands behind your heads and walk out in the open, slowly!" He is watching out for suspicious movements.

They made them put their hands behind their heads in a single file while walking towards the village. Jack hovered above and around them until they reached where Jasper, Hiroki, and Mustafa stood. The six men lined up facing them but afraid to look Sayuri in the eyes. Jasper went to assess their appearances while walking in front of them one by one. Then stopped in front of a guy - that is sobbing while looking down.

Jasper says "Now now, don't be afraid. We won't kill you if you don't attempt to kill us. We will just have you answer some of our questions," He smirked. "and you will be free to go."

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