“Iyo was the best of the nomads, the pride of the Behemoths, and eventually the woman most scorned, and her vengeance was swift and powerful and still felt to this day.” Bob the Human

Disclaimer: Iyo’s information, as well as that of the other members of the Three, will be shared as an IC piece.

Chapter 1

Her dark eyes peered out from over the crest of the dune, looking down at Aila, pure anger coursing through her. The normally crystal blue waters, the same waters she had been born from, as had all of her kind, were now black as a starless sky. She couldn’t see Beyebeyega but knew it was there, lurking in the depths. The Lost One’s corruption was spread beyond the lake it had stolen, the dark, loamy sands at the water’s edge having been turned into glassy obsidian. Iyo gripped her spear tighter, her anger spreading through all of the creatures throughout Owasiwa. She let that spark grow within them all, let it be felt by all of the Behemoths that had selected her to be their champion, to know that it was time to end this, once and for all.

Iyo’s eyes went pure black as she began looking through the eyes of the Skulture flying out in the north. She could see the caravan coming from the mountains, following the path they’d discovered from the hard caliche that wound through the dunes. She could see Flik down there, in the front of one of those strange things that she had called ‘wagons’. The sight of her lover caused her heart to race and for a moment, her anger to wane. The mountain peoples were keeping to their schedule, just as Flik had promised.

Iyo blinked and her eyes returned to normal, and she found a fire spirit floating there in front of her. It was both crystalline and fiery, glowed, emanated heat, power, and light. A coy grin crossed the huntress’ face, “Yes, Azith?” She spoke in her native tongue, one she’d forced her friend to learn if he wished to join them. The man was a quick study. The fire spirit echoed the words from the man, “We will be there in two suns’ time.”

“Did you bring them?”

“Bring what?” His voice, teasing.

“Do not toy with me, mage,” she said, irritated.

The fire spirit relayed the sound of the man laughing, “Yes, I brought them.”

“I will see you then. I will start scouting now.”

There was a long pause, “Is that wise?”

“No, but it must be done.” Another pause, “If I am not here when you arrive, my forces will defer to you.”

An even longer pause, “Do not let it come to that, friend.”

Iyo smiled, nodding at the fire spirit which winked out of existence, returning to Azith. She climbed over the top of the cresting dune, sitting, pulling her heels into her groin and closing her eyes. She followed the sounds of her breathing deep within the recesses of her soul. When she opened her eyes, she was in the same position in the desert, but all the colors were different. The sky was a deep purple instead of blue, the sands were no longer gold and orange, but now shades of near black greens. But the waters of Aila were just as they were meant to be, translucent and blue. She sent out the call and waited. Kailiki was the first to arrive, the fastest of them all, fur still prickling with the lightning that formed when he ran. He was followed by Rasaphor, Efelda, and over time, each and every single Behemoth arrived for the commune. All but the Lost One. 

Iyo looked out over her many patrons, realizing that she would be the only person to ever see all of them together like this, or so she hoped. Smiling at them, “My friends, it is time.” Each and every single Behemoth began to glow, in a million different colors, many of which had never been seen by a mortal, and they all began to swarm, diving into Iyo’s waiting body. With each Behemoth entering her, her body glowed brighter and brighter white until the world around her was nothing but this same brightness.

Iyo’s eyes shot open, her own replaced by a mix of the finest eyes that the raptors of Owasiwa had. She cast her new vision down at the tainted lake, and she could see Beyebeyega there, swimming beneath the surface, deep enough to not disturb the surface. She could feel its power from here. It was hurting, confused, and in chaos. Her heart pitied the former Behemoth, having known it well. She knew how it had become the last of its kind, for all of its species had long since died, unable to survive in a world not their own.

She knew in its despair, it had sought power to rebuild its species, to bring them back from the grips of the cycle of rebirth and death. It did this not for its own power, but so that its voice no longer echoed silently in the night. Beyebeyega had found this power, the same power that Azith wielded. But it was too much power for one being, and the already despaired and lost Behemoth shattered. Its body twisted and corrupted, growing in size, its mind disappearing deep within it, ruled only by its chaotic powers. There was no control left in the Lost One. Its powers struck out at random, ruining and defiling all that it touched.

Iyo’s heart mourned the loss of the real Beyebeyega. But now she had a job to do, to see what sort of forces the Lost One had created and mustered in claiming its domain of the only large body of freshwater in Owasiwa. She knew there had to be something hidden in those depths. And she would find out what. And with a blink of her eyes, tapping into the powers of Folta, the woman disappeared into the sands, undetectable to all.

She hoped.