[Stomoxys]

Nujan poked me in the morning, saying they wanted to sleep and I sat up. We had traveled through the night and the landscape was now considerably drier than close to Guling, but not yet a desert. When we reached a small village, we parked the wagon by the side of the road and gave the horses a rest while Nuur-Karif and Grogg entered the village to obtain some food and water. Grogg was carrying a barrel of water when we returned and I used the break to practice some archery and unarmed combat with Wolfram. A few hours later, we reached a larger village that is a natural resting place on the road between Guling and Ur. Grogg disappeared into a building as soon as we stopped and I could hear the sounds of violent mating going on inside while I wrapped myself in my cloak and beard. Nuur-Karif, Yana and I went to buy supplies and then went looking for a chapel. Among a small cluster of houses on the outskirts we found a small dirt cellar marked with the signs of Ashtarites and entered. Not long after we entered, two humans that appeared to be locals entered. I withdrew into a dark corner and Yana was not very keen on speaking either, but Nuur-Karif started a meeting. The locals did not know much about what was going on in Ur, but there were rumours that the city was under siege and merchants and travelers were warned to stay away. Mir had been through earlier, but nobody knew where they were now. Nuur-Karif concluded the meeting by asking if Yana wanted to be inducted into the cult of Ashtar, but they declined.

Despite Yana declining the offer, Nuur-Karif did not appear to be upset and they went to the tavern to get a drink before we would travel on. I found a sheltered spot to study the night sky and saw that the hunters were dancing in the south again. Amna had also returned to their normal shape and the sky seemed normal, or at least as normal as it can be these days. I returned to the wagon and was met with the pungent smell of incense wafting out of the small window. Wolfram had been sitting inside the whole time, drinking and burning incense for some reason. I was planning to sit on the roof anyway, so this did not overly bother me, but their behaviour is not exactly reassuring. Looking up at the sky again, I studied Kama and Taxini dancing in the south. There was something special about their dance, but the next I remember is Nuur-Karif waking me. My eyes had been glowing again, but I had been woken too soon and could not remember anything. Looking up again, the hunters were now gone. There was little to do besides going to sleep, but I felt a deep unease. If we are hit by a storm like last time, there will be no shelter in the desert.