After we arrived back at the farm each respective member of the three families began to gather and pack their things.  No time was being wasted.  A sense of urgency was in the air.

Noah’s Personal Gift To Me

Japeth came to my shack and was carrying something wrapped in cloth.  He walked over to the workbench I noticed on my first day here.  Setting this bundle on the bench he began unwrapping the cloth and he began to speak.

“Dad forged these for you.  He wanted you to have them when the time was right.  Each is forged from the steel used in the ark.  So, you know its durable and will last indefinitely if you take care of them.”

“He measured them by eye based on your puny size.” Japeth smiled and laughed a bit at that.  He patted me on the shoulder and walked out the door.

On the table was a sword.  To best describe its size and design, it would more closely match the Japanese katana, although a little beefier.  The sheath was designed to be worn at the waist.

Two additional very short swords were there.  The blade lengths were about two feet long with a hilt being just under a foot long.  The blade width was reminiscent of a rapier at about an inch.

These two swords were meant to be carried on the back with an overcoat concealing them.  The coat would have open access allowing one to reach and draw the blades if needed.  Sheath design would allow for cross back carry with access from low or high on the back.

Concealment of course is a relative thing especially with one’s choice of how to carry them.  There is no easy way to truly conceal a blade of this size on one’s body.  At a short distance though it would not be as noticeable.  Thus the need for the last sword.

This was a close design compared to a Shikomizue.  The difference from the others was in that it is a cane sword meant for greater concealment. It was an overall 41 inches in length.  A little tall for a cane at my height, but a good fit for walking.

Obviously not all these would need to be worn or used at the same time, they did provide options for different environments.  This was a nice gesture from Noah and his family.  I am just not sure how well I would fare in the world on my own if I had real need of them.

Leaving The Farm

I knew that I was to head with Shem’s group towards Uz.  After that it was really an unknown.  I still was not ageing.  I was near impervious to illness.  I could be wounded but it would heal quickly.  The fate of my life seemed to be one of questions on every side.

Before Noah’s passing things at least were consistent, routine, and I went with the flow.  Now the thought of a new home and pretending to belong as if I am living a normal life just does not sit well with me.

The next morning we began to travel Northwest following the Aras river.  It would be easy travel at first.  Speed was the key.  We needed to place as much distance between us and the farm as possible.

It never ceased to amaze me how different the lands here looked when compared to my time back home.  People in the future would not recognize it.  Lush and green with life for miles upon miles, that is until you began to reach too far north.

Moving too far north or south in latitude the more unstable the climate became.  The gigantic ice caps still existed in the northernmost landscapes, but they were beginning to break apart.  This became apparent on one of our journeys where we witnessed what would be a glacier cutting away at the earth.

The seas were gradually turning into oceans.  The air was becoming warmer.  I often would wonder how far the people that left Babel have gone by this time.  I could not help but imagine that at some point recently people made it into North America.

Our travel to what would be modern day Kars went easy enough.  There were large mountain ranges to the West.  We would stay South of those ranges traveling through the flattest of the terrain for speed.  Eventually we would be forced Southwest by those mountains.

The Path To Gobekli Tepe

Traveling on that same heading the goal was to reach a place called “Potbelly Hill”.  We found this location years ago on one of our exploration adventures.  To reach it one could stay predominantly in valleys or the lower hills and ranges from Kars.  This locations proper name in the future would be Gobekli Tepe.

I had all but forgotten the name Gobekli Tepe.  It was heralded by archeologists and historians as being the zero site for mankind’s first gathering and farming.  It made major headlines at the time of its discovery and excavation.

At this hill what modern historians missed is the story I now know.  When we first discovered the place we found the top of the hill dug out and megaliths were raised within the structure. 

Each had a series of animal carvings or pictograms which went from its base to the top.  Archeologists would one day wonder what these were for and believed they were a cult.  Well, they were but in a different way than imagined.

The animals carved into the megaliths were matched according to star constellations.  There are two versions of how constellations can be interpreted.  One is the Mazzaroth as Shem told me was ordained by God.  The other is a pagan view that I was shocked to learn has survived to modern times known as astrology.

Essentially these people were worshiping fallen angels which they followed as gods.  I never knew that stars were associated with fallen angels by name, position, and their authority.  This was my first real lesson in how paganism was tied to fallen angels.  Now for the rest of the story modern history is missing.

It was descendants of Japeth that founded the place before the events were to unfold at Babel.  When we arrived we knew his sons were in the area but had no idea what they were doing.  Upon the discovery Shem, Japeth, and Ham had a fit.

The short story of it is they demanded the place be buried and to turn back to God.  They insisted it was these kinds of actions which led to the destruction of the old world.  The people at Potbelly Hill followed their instructions and buried the place.  No one would go against Noah or his sons in that time.

Pushing Into Nimrods Territory

As we were preparing to make the last leg of our journey to Uz we knew this would be the most dangerous.  We were presently sitting at about 38 degrees in latitude and roughly 40 degrees longitude.  After traveling through valleys, hills, and mountains, we were about to enter Nimrod’s doorstep.

This journey had taken a good deal of time.  In the process we helped some of Japeth’s people go on their way to new lands.  Saying goodbye to Japeth was not easy for me.  Ham would remain with us and journey further south than Uz.

We hoped that Nimrod would have received the news of Noah’s death and left everything alone.  If he did head to the farm we hoped he would have enough time to decide we were not worth the effort.  There were no guarantees.

The night before we were to head further south into Nimrod’s realm I met with Shem by his campfire. 

“Shem, do you have a plan for the possibility of running into Nimrod?”.

In the firelight I could see a tiredness in his eyes.  It wasn’t fear, rather it was like a fatigued child asking “are we there yet” desiring the journey to be done.  So much had taken place so quickly I could tell he was burnt out.

“There really is no way to plan for that Clay.  I am almost certain it will happen.  The rest is in God’s hands.  No matter what we could say, or give, or yield to his demands, there is nothing that can appease him.”

The sad reality to this statement was its truth.  Power and greed are ugly things.  It is like a drug that is never enough.  Offer a man something and they only demand more.  It can at times be better to refuse everything and get the real showdown over with.  Just like dealing with any bully, sometimes you have to either get beaten or at least land the first punch.

“When we encounter him I want you by my side.  You’ve become a brother, your voice if needed may be of help.”  Shem stated.

Prehistoric conflict negotiations was never on my resume. While I didn’t know exactly what I could do, I knew Shem didn’t want to face this alone.

The next morning we began to push south by southeast attempting to skirt around as many lands as possible to minimize being noticed.  Namely here it would be the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod which were recently formed.  It would be among these people that the later Philistines would come.

Presently the people from this land were called Chaldeans and one would be from the Chaldees.  Uz itself was more associated with Edom.  This was the primary distinction between the peoples at the time.  Names changed quickly as nations began to form.

Nimrod’s Men Spot Our Caravan

Our caravan procession was nearly a mile long.  The first incident took place at camp on the first night of this push south.  It was a rider we spotted in the saddle of two hills.  He saw us, broke camp, mounted his horse and then rode away.  That is never a good sign.

The time of the caravanserai was still yet a future thing to come.  Without this kind of protection the system we used at night was more of the old west round wagon corral.  Due to the number of people we had it would take many different camps that were set close together.

Shem staggered these camps so that we could mutually support one another if anything were to happen.  Watch would be kept, and men prepared to respond to any event.

I slept at the back of the caravan with part of the rear guard.  Our job was to not only protect the rear of the caravan but also to act as a quick reaction force to anything which hit further up the line.  If the fight turned ugly it would give a chance for the lower section of the caravan to escape.

Pulling people into these staggered camps shortened the length of the caravan significantly.  What was a mile long procession turned into about a five hundred yard long camp.  Shem would sleep near the front and our captains could coordinate its center as a line of defense. 

Essentially, we created the Alamo with carts and wagons, a scary concept.  It would be on our third night the main event began to unfold.  We were almost out of Nimrods territory when we were hit and the Alamo was tested.

Attacked At Night

Near dawn I was woken by our watch.  I could hear horses riding hard and fast.  The moment I came to my feet was when the arrows ripped through our group.  A cry went out, people were hit, and the hostile horses were almost here.

Our fortification would prevent a horseman from riding directly through us, but no overhead protection from arrows.  I drew my bow and let an arrow fly at the first shadow I saw riding our way.  I believed in the principle of giving as one has received.

The camp went completely dark as wet blankets were thrown over the small fires.  The horsemen were right outside our fortification, and then I heard more horses coming from the direction of the next camp.

I gave the order to continue the arrow fire while listening to our incoming riders approaching.  When our response team arrived we stopped firing arrows and waited.  Walking out into a fight where it was men on horses would be suicide.  Additionally, I was not about to open our fortification unless absolutely needed.

The attackers began retreating immediately.  They were not truly looking for a fight.  It was a test.  A quick hit and run to see how we would respond.  Dawn broke and we began to assess the damage.

No one was mortally wounded.  Some injuries from the incoming arrows were serious and could become a real concern.  We had also wounded them.  Blood was found on the ground outside of our little cart fort.  It was over for now.

A man named Elias was my second in command.  Two of his sons, Nathan and Jared, were captains in our group.  These men were former refugees from Babel.  Jared who would become a close friend of mine was among one of the wounded.

As the caravan continued its journey south, I rode forward to meet with Shem.  We rode side by side having a little conversation.  The skirmish had left me a little worried.

“Are you alright?” Shem asked. 

I was physically okay, but my nerves were a bit wrecked.  I knew that was a probe, the real attack that could come is what really had me on edge.

“Shem, we need to scout and find where those riders came from or where they presently are.  Nimrod is east of us and if that attack this morning came from his colors we need to know.”

I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was trying to calm me. 

“Settle down.  Listen carefully.  If it was Nimrod there is nothing we can do to stop him.  We are not strong enough.  If you separate yourself from the herd going to look for trouble then you will be picked off too easily.”

“Speed of movement is our advantage, Clay.  Stay in formation and keep a close watch.  We cannot help where we are or the direction we must go.  We are committed to the path, so trust God.” Shem stated.

I saw his point, but I did not like it.  I rode back to our group in the rear.  I knew the next hit would come fast; they would not let us get settled in.  They would want to scatter us trying to break us at our center.

As the day passed the more anxious I became.  They waited for us to get tired.  Men tending to families, guarding the lines, the constant movement and troubles of a journey.  They waited for the fatigue of the day to set in, then they came.

Nimrod Appears

As the sun was beginning to lower in the sky Shem rode back to meet me.  He motioned for me to follow him.  I mounted a horse and we rode a few hundred feet away. 

It was then I saw him.  Sitting on a horse just as he topped a low hill.  He was by himself at this moment, but I knew he was not alone.  If you ever saw Nimrod you could recognize him by the size of the man at a distance.

The horse he rode was not just any horse.  Its size was also unlike anything I knew from my world.  Its hair longer than one would normally expect, tall, and the beast was pure muscle.  Nimrod began to ride toward us.

Shem did not make an alarm, but everyone was watching.  Everyone began holding their breath as to what would come next.  We halted our slow trot and waited for the beast of a man to come.