Chapter 8: Follow the Leader
                       ----------------------------

    The morning sun dawned on the Veldt like it had been doing for the
past year or so now, shining down through the rampant dust and gas clouds
that stained the sky a permanent sunset orange. Until the previous night,
however, there had stood a crudely fashioned hamlet of thatch and
branches. Now all that stood there was a wall surrounding a charred ruin.
     The fires of the night had spread to the rest of the town, but not
beyond the protective walls - a hasty bucket brigade to the nearby
watering hole, assembled from a motley collection of monsters, was able to
subdue the roaring flames. Still, many of the monsters were, as they had
been before the town was built, homeless.
     "And it only lasted twenty days!" Katrina was sobbing. She and her
husband, Duane, had constructed the town as a new home for the abandoned
Moblizan children. The monsters had come only days afterward, prompting
the creation of the Temple of Espers, where Duane and Katrina educated the
monsters to be contributing members of society. Fortunately, they had
learned well.
     "Thadkarrh dai plakara!" swore Khalrach, the town guard. "Ixnadra pa
odokraffan antholubrakkix!"
     "What's he saying?" inquired Lyrix.
     Duane translated. "He's suggeesting a plan to the other mosnters.
Says he saw Shamel escape - to the north. Wait, there's more. He wants all
of us - all the monsters, us two, you two, and the children - to follow
him. Maybe we can put an end to this once and for all."
     Gogo chimed in. "And it's to the north. That's where I was headed
anyway!"
     Lyrix grinned. "I believe it's decided. To the north. I shall lead.
Come!"
     Khalrach growled, and muttered something in the strange language,
which prompted a response, in unison, from the other monsters.
      "What's he saying?"
      "That it isn't fair for you to lead. He says that since it was his
idea, he should lead. The other monsters were agreeing with him." To
emphasize his point, the nine-foot tall four-armed sword-wielding giant
glowered at Lyrix and grinned.
      "Hmph. All right. I guess he knows the territory better than I do,
too..."

********

     The group reached the northern channel by noon two days later. Shamel
was nowhere in sight.
     Katrina brought up a good point: "He can't have gotten much farther
than the Dinosaur Forest. Either that, or we missed him."
     Duane responded, "No, these monsters are experts at following trails.
He headed this way, and crossed the channel."
     "How? It must be at least ten feet deep -"
     "He probably swam. Not too far across, by my estimation."
     Lyrix complained, "I can't swim!" This prompted a large number of
stares - more stares, in fact, than there were individuals looking at
Lyrix. "I mean, I can swim, but not with my armor on - it would sink me to
the bottom!"
     "Don't you still have that fabric swatch I gave you? The
air-filtering one?" Gogo gave Lyrix a questioning look.
     "I think I left it back in Veldtamba."
     "Well, that was my only one! I left mine too, and now I, too, feel
pretty stupid for doing so. With all these layers of cloth, I can't swim,
either - they would soak up water like a giant sponge, and weight me down
so much that it would be impossible for me to swim."
     Katrina approached the duo. "The monsters are complaining, too. The
ones that fly could go across, but Khalrach has ordered them to stay
behind him, and I'm not going to be the one to suggest superior tactics to
a monster. Wait, here he comes."
     "Gabralch pel doriakkan plarmahal?"
     "He's asking if we have any good ideas."
     Lyrix spoke up. "Get a single flyer across, and see where Shamel's
tracks lead."
     Katrina translated. "He says he'll do that." Soon, a single Wyvern
was winging its way across, seemingly effortlessly. It sniffed the ground,
looked around curiously, and proceeded to follow Shamel's tracks - they
curved almost immediately to the west.
     "Huh. Interesting. Say, Duane, how far across is that channel?"
     "Hm? Katrina, did you say something?"
     "I asked you how far across you thought the channel was."
     "Oh. I'd say about thirty, forty feet. Why?"
     Katrina smiled. "Let's build a bridge."
     "Katrina, you've lost your mind. With what?"
     Katrina's response was a sweep of her hand in the general direction
of the small squadron of monsters. She called Khalrach over, and explained
the plan. He seemed slightly bothered, but soon called the more serpentine
monsters over, and ordered a bridge built. In a matter of minutes, there
was a line of bodies extending from one end of the channel to the other.
     "Who's first?"

**********

     It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the hole. Shamel's
tracks led directly into it. The diameter of the hole was such that only a
few of the smaller humanoid monsters could fit through (Khalrach was just
small enough; most of the monsters were larger than he was), as well as
the four humans. The party that ended up in the hole was arranged with
Khalrach and Lyrix in front, Gogo, Duane and Katrina in the middle, and
two additional monsters bringing up the rear: Lekka, a mottled brown
Beakor, and Shamalsh, a Mesosaur. For hours, the party wound their way
through tunnels and passages and past a small waterfall, which they camped
at during the night. Around the campfire, the group members exchanged
conversation about the next day's plans. Katrina was first.
     "Khalrach says that he and the other monsters have picked up on - get
this - three additional scents. They aren't as strong, which means Shamel
is following them. We do not know who they can be. Perhaps they are other
members of your order?"
     "Not possible. They would have doubled back, looking for me. They're
probably just harmless strangers."
     Their conversation was interrupted by the approach of a small pack of
Revenants and Zombies - and they looked hungry.