Atlantis: It's a Buzzing Thing, Innit?

A. BUZZING. THING. 

Last time, our heroes were in various places in the northeastern part of Gondawana. Eithne, the Jinn, disembarks the ship upon which she was traveling, and buys some provisions in the village of Mosi. She heads south into the mountains, and after a few days of travel, comes across an encampment of men in robes and scarves. They aim arrows at her, and one speaks to her in a language she doesn't understand. She understands enough to recognize the words "Joktan" and "threat", and so she speaks in Atlantean, very slowly, and tells them she means no harm.

One of them does speak Atlantean, and asks her business in Joktan and where she's headed. She tells them she's following a dream she had, and the men grow serious and awed. The interpreter asks what exactly she dreamed that she's following, and she tells them of the red owl she saw. They seem to understand this, and allow her to pass into the mountains.

She continues on and, a few days later, arrives in the deserts of Joktan. She spots a couple of men walking toward her, obviously weary, and offers them water. She notes that both men are branded as slaves, and they speak the language of Khem, which she understands well enough to communicate. They tell her of a great sorcerer called Thanos and his Ukula consort who freed them from bondage and killed their slave-drivers. Eithne offers to heal their brands and they are, and she tries but her magic just won't cooperate. The two men, Djehuti and Iah, do agree to come with her, but then they point out a dark cloud coming in from the southwest. Eithne realizes that cloud is moving far too quickly to be normal weather...it looks more like a flock or a swarm.

But meanwhile, in the seaside town of Kashta, Akala spots Imani in front of a bar called the Copper Bowl. They two catch up and introduce their companions (Thanos and Masamba, respectively), and the four of them head into the bar to get a drink and perhaps hire a boat. 

Once in the bar, however, Akala notes that the patrons seem a little perturbed by their presence, Imani in particular. Imani orders a round of drinks and notes this animosity as well, but also clocks people staring at Thanos with unpleasant visage. They wonder if they shouldn't finish their drinks and leave, but then the door opens and in walks a Netherman. 

The Netherman goes to the bar for a drink, and the bartender, addressing him as Otieno, asks him why he's still here - he was going to ship out earlier. Otieno says that he had a little windfall; a bunch of escaped slaves came into Kashta so he and his men rounded some up and put them in his hold, and now he can sell them back to Khem. The heroes grind their teeth a bit, and Thanos wonders if they couldn't find out where Otieno's ship is and ambush him there. And then some of his sailors come in, talking about how they had to "discipline" a slave with his own knife, and Imani has had enough. 

She stands up and challenges Otieno, and demands his slave and its cargo if she wins. Otieno agrees, but says that if he wins, he wants Thanos (also slave-branded). Imani turns to Thanos and asks if he trusts her; he says he does, and Imani agrees to the terms. They go outside, and Akala fires up the crowd with talk of freedom and the evils of slavery, while Thanos casts a spell on Imani and makes her stronger.

The battle is joined! Imani raises her spear, and shouts "when you meet your gods tonight, tell them you died because you were a slaver!" She nicks him with the spear, but Otieno is quick for a Netherman, and strikes with his flail. "I have no gods waiting for me!" he bellows.

Imani tries to sweep his legs and knock him down, but Otieno dodges neatly and brings his flail down on her wrist. She drops the spear, but any triumph Otieno might have felt is short-lived - Imani rushes him and gores him with her horns, tossing him to the side. Otieno struggles to his feet and rushes in to attack with his katar, but Imani strikes with her mong and knocks of his skullcap (and part of his scalp). 

Otieno, who didn't get where he is by being an idiot, yields. He orders one of his sailors to go and tell the others to clear out. Imani tells him to be better, and he assures her that the next time they meet, he will be (though perhaps not in the way she meant).

The heroes board the ship, called the Agony, and free the slaves in the hold. Akala instructs them on how to crew a ship, and they set to work getting it ready. As they're getting ready to cast off, Akala and Thanos hear a weird buzzing in the distance, but can't place it. Imani notes that it's coming from above, and spots what looks like a dark cloud on the horizon. Akala flies up to take a closer look, and realizes with horror that what they're seeing is multiple swarms of scarabs. Akala has heard of these creatures - supposedly the government of Khem created these things, called "cipher scarabs", in case of a slave rebellion, but they haven't been used in her lifetime and she isn't sure what they're supposed to do. She flies back down and tells the others, and Imani advises them to set sail - she isn't sure how to fight a swarm of bugs. 

The crew sets to, and gets the Agony out on the water. They start heading across the Red Sea toward Joktan, and realize that a swarm of scarabs is following them. On the opposite shore, in Joktan, Eithne sees a sail incoming, and a swarm of bugs closing in...