Yael was not visible in the store when they entered. A small handbell sat on the counter, and Fas walked over and rang it. It didn't take long for Yael to appear; her face looking out from behind a drape that separated the front from the rear of the store. On her head, she wore a strange contraption that reminded SJ of a magnifying glass.
"Ah. Hello again. I am just finishing the goggles for your companion. I won't be much longer, and then you can try them on for size," she said.
"That's fine, don't rush them," Fas said.
SJ was busy looking through various baskets of products, none of which she recognised or could even fathom what the use of most of them was for. They ranged from what could have been a potato peeler to something resembling a cheese grater.
"Here we go," Yael said as she appeared from the rear room, carrying three pouches, and placed them on the counter.
"Right, let's make sure they fit correctly," she said, lifting back up the first pouch. "These are yours," she said, handing Fas the first pouch.
Fas took the pouch and opened the pull string before removing the silver metallic-looking goggles. The lenses of the goggles were not clear and had a tint to them. He carefully placed them over his head before adjusting them with the attached leather bindings. He moved his head around sharply a few times.
"They feel good," Fas said.
"Only one way to test them for sure," Yael said, showing Fas to an area at the rear of the shop. She removed a strange-looking contraption from a bucket that resembled a water soaker, of all things.
"This will provide the quick check that they are functioning correctly. Place this around your shoulders first, please, to stop sand from getting in your clothes. Fas took the shaped blanket, pulling it over his head so only his face was showing. Yael then tightened the clasp around his neck before taking several paces back.
"Ready?" Yael asked.
Fas just nodded as Yael triggered the contraption, and a blast of sand was blown from it and hit Fas full in the face. It continued for a few seconds before coming to a stop. Fas shook his head, scattering the sand that had got caught in his hair.
"How do they feel?" Yael asked.
Fas blew his nose before he replied. "Nothing got through."
"Excellent. Now it's your turn, please," Yael said, turning to SJ.
SJ had never expected the goggles to be tested and really didn't want her hair covered in sand, but it would be a small price to pay if it kept her eyes protected in the desert. She removed her goggles from their pouch and placed them on. The tinting gave everything a softened hue; it wasn't blue or yellow but appeared to vary depending on what she was looking at. The feeling was a little disconcerting at first, and with her adaptive vision, she felt a little disoriented. She reached out to a chair and rested against it, supporting herself.
"Sorry. Give me a moment, please," SJ said.
She opened and closed her eyes several times, allowing her vision to adjust now that part of it was tinted and then stepped forward to where Fas had been standing. Fas handed her the covering, and Kibble hopped from her shoulder onto Fas's.
Yael refilled the sand blaster and, after tightening the shawl around her neck, aimed.
"Are you ready?" Yael asked.
"Not really," SJ said, "but go ahead."
Yael nodded and then fired.
The sand felt like her face was being rubbed by a bone-dry cloth, not a soft cloth, but one that had been left in the sun to bake dry and hard. She scrunched her eyes closed as the sand had blasted across her goggles, and only once the stream stopped did she open them again. Sand covered her head, and she could feel its gritty texture in her hair. She leaned forward, brushing her fingers through her hair to disperse as much of it as she could, adding to the pile of sand on the floor.
"How are your eyes?" Yael asked.
SJ couldn't feel anything in her goggles; her vision was clear, and the surface of the goggles was as smooth as it had been. "They appear fine."
"Excellent," Yael said, smiling.
"Now then, this will be the tricky test," Yael said as she collected the small pouch from the counter, handing it to SJ.
SJ opened the pouch and tipped out the tiny set of goggles that had been made for Kibble.
"Come here," SJ said.
Kibble hissed at her after seeing what they had been put through, and Fas had to lift him from his shoulder and place him on the counter. He kept moving his head from side to side, preventing SJ from placing the small harness that would hold his goggles in place around his head.
"Kibble. Stay still," SJ huffed.
He growled, and sparks flickered on his jaw.
"You dare," SJ said sternly.
"You should hear his language," Dave chuckled.
'I don't think I want to know what he is saying,' SJ thought.
"Kibble. Do you want to get blinded in the desert?" Fas asked.
Kibble stopped prancing and looked at Fas before squeaking.
SJ took the opportunity of his attention shift and, grabbing him, pulled the harness over his head. He tried to resist, but soon gave in as SJ moved the fasteners and positioned the harness so that the tiny goggles were placed over his eyes. The harness was a wonderful creation, allowing the goggles to be perfectly positioned over his eyes once tightened.
Eventually, they were in place properly, and SJ stepped back, looking at him. His eyes appeared slightly magnified, and the look in them told a story.
"Right then. Now we are ready for test time," Yael said.
Kibble squeaked at the comment and went to launch into the air, but SJ managed to grab him in time and held him in front of her. She was still wearing the shawl to protect her clothing.
"Go ahead, before he does something he will regret," SJ said as more lightning sparks caressed his jaw.
With a whoomph, the miniature wyvern was sand-pelted. He started to squeak, then stopped, as a hacking cough replaced it, his little mouth filled with sand. That was the final straw for Kibble, and he turned his head, and a bolt of electricity flew from his jaw, striking SJ in her shoulder.
SJ yelped as she released him, and he clumsily landed on the floor before hopping off and hiding under one of the shop's shelves.
"Well, that wasn't very successful," SJ said, rubbing her shoulder. He hadn't hurt her, but had made sure his feelings were well and truly known.
Fas couldn't help but chuckle, and Dave was in fits of hysteria in her head.
"He said you better sleep with one eye open," Dave chuckled after calming down enough to talk.
SJ rolled her eyes and bent down by the shelf. She could still see the reflective glass of the goggles on Kibble's head as he stared back from the darkness.
"Come on, Kibble. It was only a test. I don't want you to go blind in the desert."
A growl emitted from under the shelf, and SJ could see the sparkle of blue again.
"He'll be fine," Fas smiled.
SJ stood again, huffing. "If he zaps me again, he isn't having any rations for a week."
Even Yael couldn't help but grin at SJ's situation and Kibble's reaction.
It took a while, but eventually, after the shelf dangled a rather tasty-looking piece of jerky for long enough, Kibble couldn't resist, and he appeared to grab it. As he did, SJ grabbed him and lifted him into the air, hugged him lovingly. The miniature wyvern purred as SJ scratched him behind his ear.
"See, it wasn't that bad after all, was it?" SJ said.
Kibble let out an indignant squeak before eventually giving in entirely and settling down on her shoulder.
"Those goggles do look good on him," Dave said.
Kibble turned his head, squeaking.
SJ just shook her head in response as Fas finished collecting a cloak for Kibble from Yael.
It wasn't so much of a cloak but a blanket that he could be covered in throughout the day to keep him cool.
"Right. I think we have everything we need for now," SJ said as they left the store.
"Not just yet. There is one more place we need to visit," Fas said.
"Where?" SJ asked.
"The cartographer's guild."
"They have a guild here?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't they? There are guilds everywhere."
"Yes, but in the desert?"
"I've never known a town not to have a guild of some sort attached to it. Many of the continent's largest guilds will even have branches in various cities. Especially trade or class-related guilds."
"Does that mean there is an assassin's guild here?" SJ asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"I doubt it here."
They continued in silence as SJ followed Fas. The streets twisted around similar buildings, making their direction almost impossible to monitor, until Fas eventually came to a stop outside a large domed building. Its door was open, and Fas didn't hesitate to walk inside. SJ followed, the flickering lantern light casting eerie shadows across the inner wall's surface.
The inside reminded SJ of a library. Shelves covered the space inside, positioned in nice neat rows behind a wide counter.
"How can I help you?" a clerk said, sitting behind the desk.
"I'm after the latest regional maps that you may have," Fas said.
"I see. Any particular area you would like details on?"
"No. Just general coverage would be great. Especially if there are further town locations identified."
"Okay. Wait here for a moment, please," the clerk said as he stood and disappeared into the shelves. The walls by the entrance to the building had huge tapestries hanging from them. Each one was a map of a unique area. The details of the tapestries were exquisite, and SJ stared at them, trying to find their current location, but after thinking about it, she had absolutely no idea where they even were within the territory to start with. Opening her map, she got a touch position from the display, and after some further scrutiny of the tapestries, she located their position.
The territory was vast; it covered a much larger area than SJ had expected, and they hadn't even travelled more than a short distance into what appeared to be a sea of sand and nothing much else.
The clerk returned after several moments, carrying two neatly rolled scrolls of parchment and carefully placing them on the counter, unrolling them, and weighing their corners down.
"Okay, we have two different ones. This is the best for town locations," the clerk said, pointing out the five major towns within the region. Several smaller places highlighted on the map appeared to be villages. "The other details are very spurious, but it should allow you to get within a decent region, considering its accuracy to the borders when using your display in conjunction. This second map shows several of the locations that are known. Some may have disappeared because of sand coverage, but others will always be present, such as the salt plains to the southeast. Unfortunately, because of the tidal nature of the sandstorms and the ever-shifting landscape, there is nothing truly accurate."
SJ and Fas looked over both. The details on the second map showed various locations, including oases and also where settlements may have once stood. The most significantly identified area was indeed the salt plains, which appeared to take up a considerable area of the region to the southeast.
"I will take both of them," Fas said. "How much are they?"
"Tokens or coins?"
"Coin."
"This one is fifty-four silver and the other with the features is two gold, thirteen silver."
"What?" SJ said in amazement at the prices being quoted.
The clerk looked at her with incredulity, perhaps not used to an outsider questioning the prices. "These maps are the most up-to-date versions we have available. The latest amendments were only captured within the last 72 hours."
"Yes, but over two gold for a map," SJ said.
The clerk just shrugged. "I only quote what the guild charges. It's perilous getting updates, especially in the remote regions from a town."
"It's fine," Fas said, calling the coin and placing it on the counter.
"Thank you," the clerk replied as he rolled the parchments back up and carefully dropped them into leather tubes.
"In your position as a cartographer, where would you say the most gila beast sightings are?" Fas asked.
"None near here. It is very rare to get one in the northern regions. Most are nomadic and travel constantly, but there are rumours that there are some that live permanently in the salt plains. Not many ever venture deep enough into them to find out, though, as it's not just gila beasts that supposedly live there but also salt slugs."
"What's a salt slug?" SJ asked. Here, understanding back from Earth was that one way to deter slugs was by using salt. So, to discover there were creatures known as salt slugs was rather disturbing.
"Very nasty-tempered beasts. They will attack anything living."
"They are not the slugs from Earth," Dave said. "They are more like, erm...," Dave paused as he tried to think of a similar creature. "Rhino, perhaps."
'Rhino?' SJ thought, confused, why something like a rhino would be called a slug.
"It's the closest creature to Earth which would look similar. Just one that is basically covered in thick plates of crystalline salt. I suppose you could compare them to some of your dinosaurs, rather spikey and ill-tempered versions."
'But why are they called slugs?'
"They call them 'slugs' because they're incredibly slow when undisturbed. There are rumours that some may stay stationary in one location for several days before moving. That is why their bodies are covered in salt crystals."
'If they are that slow, then why are they dangerous?'
"Ah. That is the 'undisturbed' part. If they sense other living beings, they get a little upset."
SJ shuddered at Dave's comments. She couldn't imagine a creature that was covered in spikey salt crystals charging at the speed a rhino did.
"Thanks for your help," Fas said as he added the tubes to his inventory.
"We will also pay for updates if you return this way and discover anything new. They do require verification, though, before payment is released," the clerk said.
"We'll keep that in mind, but we aren't sure if we will be returning this way," Fas added.
SJ followed Fas back out of the store.
"Those prices are ridiculous," SJ complained.
Fas shrugged. "Desert regions don't work with coin, so for them to get a return, it means someone leaving the territory. Also, if I remember rightly, you can't purchase water tokens with them either, so for many, it's pretty worthless to them. I doubt some of the towns deeper inside the territory even accept coin."
The group proceeded through the town. There were still signs of damage from the recent sandstorm, where several shutters or awnings still lay where they had been cast.
"I think we can set off now. We still have a couple of hours until night fully sets in, and from looking at the map, there is an oasis not too far from here that we can head towards. We should be able to make it before true nightfall."
"If you're sure, then let's go. The sooner we can get back to Killic, the better," SJ said. She needed to speak to Cristy and get an update; they had only been away for less than two days, but every hour away from her friends with the threat that still loomed in the valley was a day too long in her opinion. She removed the crystal from her inventory and called.
By the time they had reached the outer gates to the town, SJ had received an update. The gnoll and draconian clans hadn't left; they were still trying to find a way up to the plateau. From what Cristy had told her, they had started using the two beetles and appeared to be trying to create a path from the fallen debris. SJ couldn't fathom how they could go about constructing anything apart from a ramp or similar, which would take a very long time. The town defences were proceeding well, and they had also started to construct a timber wall at the plateau's edge. It wouldn't have the same defence as a stone wall, but it was much easier to create in a short space of time. Apparently, tempers had worn thin already, now that the immediate threat had been prevented, with several arguments and even fights having been stopped.
The naga guard slithered from the gatehouse as they approached.
"Leaving usss already?" it asked.
SJ was surprised that it remembered them. Then again, she doubted that the town got that many strangers visiting.
"Yes. Unfortunately, we have a meeting in one of the other towns," Fas said.
"I sssee. Well, be careful. That ssstorm that passsed headed sssouth. A caravan was hit on itsss way from the oassisss just sssouth of here."
"Thanks, and we will," Fas replied as the guard triggered the gate mechanism.
The giant sandstone gates swung out slowly. Their weight and the power needed to move them must be incredible, SJ thought. She still couldn't see anything magical; she only assumed mechanical control again.
They departed the town, and even in the short time they had been inside, the outer desert looked different. SJ could have sworn the dune they had landed behind initially had been on the left, facing out of town, and now there was a large dune a few hundred feet away on the right.
"This landscape is unnerving," SJ said.
"It doesn't get any better, unfortunately," Fas said as they trudged towards the dune.
Once they were out of sight of the town, Fas transformed into his majestic dragon form. Kibble jumped down off SJ's shoulder before SJ shrank and climbed onto his back.
"Ready?" Fas asked.
"As we will ever be," SJ said, Kibble squeaking in agreement.
Fas flapped his wings, and sand buffeted where they stood as he lifted into the air. SJ was glad that they were both wearing goggles as they took off and followed.
