CaterpillarKing
Conqueror of Cacoons
The Legend of Gamara: Part 2
The hot African sun beat down harshly on Gamara. She sweated profusely as she trudged on through the hot desert to Meroe. She lifted up her canteen and drank the last few sips, letting it fall back into the pouch on her horse as she slouched over. She began to feel drowsy as the day wore on, her eyes intermittently shutting before rapidly reopening as he began to slide off her saddle. Several times she was jerked awake like this, and each time she thanked Allah not letting her fall of the horse. She slapped herself a few times and kept riding, but she kept dozing off. She knew her horse was tired too, but there was nowhere to stop. There was no shade, no water, nothing green for miles, just sand and sky. She looked out into the distance though, and saw something out of the ordinary. A small glint of green against a backdrop of beige and blue. She kept watching as it drew closer to her, and it was none other than an oasis. All of the stories she heard about the luck of a person lost traveler stumbling on an oasis seemed to just be tall tales, but it did happen, and it happened to her. The horse moved to the pond and gratefully gulped down the water, splashing it everywhere. Gamara was dying of heat with all of her clothes on in the hot sun. She looked around for a moment, and stripped down before jumping into the water. She laid there for a minute or two before sitting in the shade, letting the cool water make her feel human again.
After letting herself air dry, she put her clothes back on and remounted her horse. She got him moving forward once more to the city. There was no way she would fall asleep this time as she confidently rode forward. Her horse now moved faster as well with the much-needed rest that both took advantage of. She kept a track of where she was going with her compass, looking down often to ensure she was travelling the correct way. Eventually, she reached a hard, dirt path, which was exactly what she was hoping to reach. Now she knew she had to move NorthEast to Meroe, which would mean following the path.
Gamara followed the path for hours until finally, she knew she wouldn't get there that day. She gave up for the day and decided to make an encampment off the rode over the hill, to protect from travelers that want to rob her. Early in the morning she woke herself and her horse up. She saddled the horse and hopped on, continuing the journey. It wasn't but thirty minutes until she crested a hill and was greeted with the walled city. The gate's opening seemed to be welcoming her in as she pushed her horse faster to the city. Finally she could do what she wanted to do and avenge her father. She rode into the city, with guards eying her carefully, suspicious of the strange girl. Once inside the gate, she hopped off her horse and lead him by his reins.
Gamara knew that, with the money she had, she couldn't afford the materials she needed to sign up for the military. She wanted to go in with her own armor and weapons to make sure that she was well covered up, in identity and physicality. She knew she would have to sell her horse, and while she didn't want to, it was what she had to do if she wanted to go on with her life in the way she wanted. Gamara then began to go about, advertising a horse for sale. She attempted to sway many passerbys, but got no response. Until finally, she found a man willing to buy the horse. The two haggled for half an hour, and finally a decision was reached. He asked her to follow him and bring the horse, and she complied. The two walked through the confusing streets, finally reaching a small stable where several horses were stored. He walked inside his house and soon returned with a sack of gold for Gamara. She looked at it and counted it, and thanked him for his business. The man put the horse away and then went inside. Gamara went to go back to the busy streets, but was confronted by two big men.
"Hey there pretty lady. What's a fine girl like you doing all alone in a city like this?" The one man smiled a wicked smile as he and his friend closed in.
"I'm- I'm just here for business. Nothing more." Gamara said as she walked backwards. She gave a nervous smile before punching the one in the gut and making a break for it. She shot down the narrow street, turning as much as possible. She heard big footsteps behind her though, and closing in. She made one final turn, hoping she would end up back in the square. As she turned, all she saw was wall, a dead end. She turned around to see the two men walking closer.
"Stupid . You punched me, and now we're going to have our way with you." The one grabbed her and the other started to tear her dress. She flailed and kicked and screamed, hoping for someone to come and help her. The two laughed maniacally as they went on with their sinful work.
From behind the men, a booming "stop!" was yelled to the heavens. The two looked and one started to charge the man that had yelled, before being felled by an arrow to the head. His friend dropped Gamara and also charged the man. He swiftly dodged the assailant's blow and plunged a sword into his side, and then into his temple. The man then ran to Gamara, dropping to his knees before her.
"Are you alright miss? Have they hurt you?" Gamara tried to talk but just kept choking up and crying. He eventually just hugged her and told her it would be alright. He rocked her back and forth slightly until she finally stopped crying. She looked up at the man, and his blatantly military attire. She stood up with the man's help and wiped her tears away. She hugged the man and thanked him earnestly. Gamara told him someone was expecting her, and that she couldn't be late. She gave one more goodbye and big thank you hug and then left.
Gamara made her way to an armory, and walked in with just enough gold to get exactly what she wanted. She walked out clad in the clothing that most suited how she would fight, and weapons she felt most comfortable fighting with. She also had to pick fluffy clothing to offset her breasts so as to not give her away. Her farm work had made her strong enough to take any of the physical work the men could do. She put on her new clothing, and felt the surge rushing through her veins. She wanted to fight. She wanted someone to attack her now, she felt invincible.
Gamara found her way to the recruiting station, where an older man that was not fit to fight nor lead was taking applications. He said that the Ulema of Expansion had called for more troops and that they should ramp up their attempts to convince people, and one way was to put small recruiting stations in every city. She walked up to him and requested a position in the Arabian Expansion Force. He eyed the person in front of her, oblivious to her gender, looking at physical fitness.
"Do fifty pushups and then throw those bags of flour over the fence." Gamara immediately dropped to the floor and went away, decimating the fifty pushups. The first thirty were a breeze, bu by thirty-five, she was getting tired. She was prepared to give up by forty, but then, she remembered seeing her dead father. She did ten more pushups with her arms shaking badly. She then hopped up and picked up the large bags of flour. With some bend in he knees and swing in her hips, she flung the two bags of flour far past the distance he had asked. She looked him in the eye, and though he was totally apathetic to everything, he seemed mildly impressed, mildly. He wrote down that she was admitted to the military and the caravan of new recruits would be leaving tomorrow. She left extremely happy, excited that she would be doing well for her country, and for her father.
