The desert followed a brutal rhythm that was dictated by the sun. A pre-dawn chill, followed by the most oppressive heat any being could ever imagine. The cool air blew as SJ, Fas, and Kibble lifted off from the oasis, leaving their scarab-strewn hut behind. The vast expanse of the desert again stretched out before them, its unending ripple of dunes painted in pastels in the early morning light. SJ adjusted her goggles, the memory of Kibble's valiant fury making her smile in recollection. She stroked his neck fondly as he flew alongside Fas. Their progress was agonizingly slow; the few hours of respite and flight weren't measured in distance but in time. As soon as the sun's rays began to encompass and ignite the land, they had to find sanctuary.
The pattern repeated itself over the next two days, awakening before dawn and setting out as soon as the first glimmer of light hit the distant horizon. Rations eaten in a silent, sombre state, water consumed, and then they set off again. They flew low and steadily. SJ was sure that Fas could have traversed the area in a significantly shorter timescale, but he didn't once mention their progress. The maps are annotated with their sketchy details, providing them with a path that leads towards the south. The vast openness to significant attempts to take a direct route meant they were slowly winding their way through the desert's bleak terrain. The monotonous landscape is a tapestry of dunes, like waves frozen in time, across the surface of a stormy ocean. There were occasional spikes of rock, which protruded above the desert sands, but these were infrequent.
On the second day, they spotted a caravan, several sleighs being pulled through the desert by some form of beast. They didn't stop or get near, not knowing if they might be hostile. The nomadic group was following a path heading north. SJ wondered about their destination briefly as they passed in the distance.
The oasis they reached was smaller and bleaker. Fewer palms, murkier water in its central pool, offering a hidden danger due to its toxic content. An almost acidic smell permeated the near air, clawing at SJ's nostrils, like an overchlorinated pool. They again refilled their skins from a cluster of barrel cacti, taking the spices from Floretta before settling in for the sun-streaked day ahead. This time their stay was unbroken, as SJ tried to relax in the stifling shade. The cooling cloaks provided them with their only comfort. Time crawled by, the days stretching out between their opportunities to travel. The vastness of the desert and the hostilities it held pressed in, amplifying SJ's impatience.
On the evening of the third day, as the fierce heat started to relent, SJ contacted Cristy. The smooth, cool surface of the stone was pleasant in her hand as it hummed to life.
"Hi Cristy."
"SJ! I was going to call you. I had been worried I hadn't heard anything for a couple of days. Are you alright? Where are you?"
"Deep in the desert south of the town we stayed in," SJ replied. Kibble had perked up at the sound of Cristy's voice and nudged SJ's hand. "We are making progress, but it's slow. Painfully slow. We can only fly for a couple of hours at a time, and as soon as the sun peaks too high, we have to find shade. Nothing could ever prepare you for what this region holds. I am surprised anything survives out here. How are things in Killic?"
"No significant change, SJ. The defences continue to be built, and Zigferd has been in contact with Asterfal. He is hoping that troops may arrive in a few days to help with the construction."
"The valley? The wall?"
"They're still there," Cristy's tone grim. "The draconians, gnolls and their beasts... are still camped at the valley's base, outside the wall. They haven't tried to attack again, but they are up to something. Reports have shown some movement, and the beetles have disappeared. A report came back from a druid's familiar that they had returned to the desert region."
"That's good then. Anything to reduce their numbers."
"Yes, but there are no signs of the others moving. It feels like we are under siege, but without an assault. They are just watching us, waiting. They have patrols out constantly, moving along the valley wall as though looking for inspiration to find a route to the plateau."
"How are the townsfolk?"
"Nervous. There has been some unrest. Nothing too challenging. It's driven by the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of the situation. Some are questioning whether Killic should just be abandoned."
"Why would they even consider it? That is ridiculous."
"I agree, and so do many. It doesn't stop others, though, from speaking their opinions. Then there are those who believe we should have attacked them and pushed them from the valley by now. The air is tense, and it feels as though a spark could ignite further unrest. Supplies are holding steady, and the trade caravans continue to arrive from the north. The council has even decreed that several can return to their normal duties. The fishers and the hunters, et cetera."
Listening to Cristy talking so openly and with such maturity filled SJ with overwhelming pride, considering that she was still so young. The fear of the unknown countered it, as did the image of the camping army and the fear in the town. SJ couldn't compare the bleak surroundings of the desert to those of Killic.
"So, they just sit there and wait, and all you can do is keep preparing just in case," SJ said through gritted teeth.
"It doesn't make sense what they are doing, really. Lorna was trying to understand why they would just remain and do nothing unless they were waiting for something. We just don't know, as I say, they are patrolling, but we know the plateau can't be reached without several days' travel being incurred, and that would bring them to the north and the crags, which I doubt even their beetles could breach."
"Keep everyone safe, and I will update you if we find what we are seeking," SJ said.
"Please do. And SJ? Be careful out there."
"The same applies to you," SJ said as she stopped the call.
Fas, who had listened silently nearby, met her gaze. "No change is better than bad news," he offered quietly. "It gives us time."
"Time feels no different to sand slipping through our fingers," SJ muttered as she watched Kibble chase a skittering, tiny beetle, far less threatening than the scarabs.
As they took off into the pre-dawn grey, the desert's rhythm wasn't just dictated by the sun; it was shattered by it. They had been travelling for a while when the wind shifted, the air feeling heavy and tasting of grit. Fas suddenly banked hard, his massive wings beating against a building pressure. "Storm!" His voice, usually a deep rumble, was sharp and urgent.
SJ squinted ahead. At first, she could see nothing, and then a hazy, ochre-brown line appeared on the horizon, rapidly thickening as it grew. It wasn't just a wall of sand but something living as it swallowed the entire vista with its threatening presence. The air felt heavy, not from oppressive heat, but from the distant danger. The wind, which had been a steady companion, now picked up. A gust made Kibble falter. SJ gripped onto his collar ring tightly. As the wind grew stronger, so did the discomfort; the fine particles of sand felt like tiny needles where they struck exposed skin.
The wind was getting stronger as it whipped the distant dunes into a tumultuous frenzy. "We can't outrun it!" Fas shouted. "And we can't go above it. The sun is rising now!" Fas didn't need to detail how dangerous it would be for them to attempt to fly above the storm; flying into the climbing heat would be suicide. They needed to find cover; the oasis they had planned to reach was no longer an option.
Fas banked west and dove towards the desert's surface. Kibble followed.
As the storm approached, the roaring wind shrieked across the desert floor towards them, threatening to engulf them as it drew near. Dave's voice, silent for most of the journey, suddenly filled her mind.
"To the right, at one o'clock, a pillar," Dave said excitedly.
It wasn't much, but it would have to do. A lone pillar of sandstone protruded from the desert's bleak surface. "There! Right slightly!"
Fas didn't question as he adjusted his path as they sped towards the monolith. As they neared, the pillar of stone was accompanied by a broken roof and a shattered wall that had crumbled over time. At some point, this had been a settlement, but no more. Kibble let out a frightened squeak as a gust caught him again, sending him almost careening into Fas, almost unseating SJ. As the wall of death approached, the wind increased further, covering the desert floor at a terrifying speed. The bank now stood several hundred feet high. Visibility dropped as they neared, and Fas hit the ground hard and fast, immediately transforming into his elven form. Kibble dropped, and SJ jumped down, growing.
The roof of a long-forgotten building stood like a beacon. It's broken tiles offering a dark recess to enter. "Inside! We have to get below ground!" Fas yelled over the wind. Fas was first, as he didn't pause, dropping straight down into the hole. SJ shrank again and followed with Kibble close behind. It felt like flying against glue as she beat her wings, approaching the hole, before hurrying inside to be enveloped in absolute darkness.
The darkening surface had absorbed much of the sunlight, and it took her several moments for her eyes to adjust enough to make out shapes. The inside was filled with sand drifts and debris. The air was thick with dust, and the storm blew oppressively outside.
"We need to find a better shelter. Maybe there is a cellar, tomb, anything," Fas said.
Kibble squeaked as he scurried across the drifting interior floor, and SJ grew once more before starting to search. Kibble squeaked and began to scratch frantically near a corner where sand had piled high.
"Here!" SJ stumbled towards him across the drift, and Fas joined. They hurriedly swept away sand with their hands. Beneath a thick layer, they found it. A heavy stone slab, partially cracked. Fas pried his fingers under its edge and, with significant strain, heaved it upwards. It groaned and shifted, then slid aside, revealing a steep stairway that descended into utter blackness. A scent of ancient times wafted from the depths, cool, stagnant air.
"Down! Now!" Fas urged, scrambling down the steps, just as any remaining light vanished as the storm reached their cover. The tiles on the roof shook, and the walls groaned heavily. The roar was deafening, and SJ had never felt so terrified before. The power of nature's wrath descended upon them. The world was defeated, and dust rained down the stairs, but they were below the worst of it, huddled in a small square chamber - a tomb, perhaps.
SJ called a torch from her inventory and eventually managed to light it, the flickering light battling against the absolute pitch of the chamber. The light revealed walls covered in intricate carvings, and the air hung heavy with the silence of millennia, broken only by the fury of the outside storm. The very ground beneath their feet was vibrating.
SJ gazed at the carvings. They depicted scenes utterly alien to the desert landscape. Lush greenery, towering trees, cascading vines and what appeared to be fields of grain. The scenes were interspersed with tall, slender figures having elongated limbs and almond-shaped eyes, who wore flowing robes.
"What are they?" SJ asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
"No idea," Fas replied, staring at the scenes. The colours of the carvings were vibrant and awe-inspiring. Small details, including garments with intricate patterns, were carefully carved and coloured.
"I have never seen a being looking like that before," Dave said, his voice etched with surprise.
"Look. Gila Beasts!" Fas gasped, pointing. Among the figures integrated into the scenes of the civilisation that once stood were the unmistakable forms of lizards. These weren't the lizards the draconian rode; their proportions were larger, stronger and taller. They were depicted hauling massive stone blocks, or their powerful jaws gripping vines, or simply resting. There was no violent intention, and one scene showed a tall figure standing calmly beside a resting gila beast, its hand resting on its massive, scaled head. Another scene even showed the beasts pulling intricately carved ploughs through fertile soil.
"They worked together?" SJ whispered, awe battling disbelief. "They tamed them? Used them? Here in the desert?"
"The desert wasn't always a desert," Fas said as he drew his finger along a river depicted in a carving. "These carvings show a lost world, before time itself... And these beings, I have never seen anything like. There is nothing in dragonkin records, nor human history."
Kibble, meanwhile, hadn't stopped investigating. While they had both marvelled at the intricate carvings, he'd been busy burrowing in a corner where sand had drifted. He let out a triumphant squeak as he gripped something in his jaws and dragged something heavy. It was a flat, rectangular slab of dark stone—a tablet or similar. It was about the same size as Kibble. SJ moved to him and picked the tablet up as sparks danced excitedly across Kibbles' jaw.
She brushed the surface carefully, revealing elegant, flowing glyphs. It reminded SJ of calligraphy—elegant, graceful swirls, yet unlike any script she had ever seen. Fas came and stood by her side, looking at it.
"What is it?" SJ asked.
Dave replied. "I have scanned the tablet and the language on it. There are no records in the system archives that can provide information about it. The symbols appear to be similar to those found in various languages from Amathera, but no direct match is found; therefore, I am unable to provide a direct translation. It is definitely a first."
'How can the system not know about this?' SJ thought.
"Amathera existed before the System took over. It doesn't create planets; it uses them. It could be from a previous civilisation millennia prior to the Systems integration."
The thought of an alien civilisation living on Amathera was mind-blowing. The world was fantastical enough with the races and beasts that lived there, never mind adding another unknown outside of the System's understanding.
"This tablet, these carvings... the Gila Beasts weren't just monsters. They were partners with them. Tools perhaps, or even guardians." She gestured at the carved walls.
"Partners who survived the desertification. Partners who appear to have grown larger and wilder over time. What happened to their masters?" Fas looked around the tomb again. "Did they fall? Flee? Or were they consumed by the desert?"
The sandstorm raged for hours as they huddled in the tomb, studying every detail of the carvings. They told a story of development and growth, working in unison alongside these creatures of immense power. Could that connection be rekindled? Could Kibble succeed? If anything came from their entrapped state, it was the vaguest flicker of hope.
