Chapter 21
Through The Desert

~*~

Oren and I flee south. The Marubo Dunes are out of the question, and the beach to the north is a dead end. We have no choice but to travel through the Asentian Desert.

It welcomes us with hailing sand, blurring everything except the text panels above our heads.

"I'm here!" I see Oren say.

Without the ability to produce a text panel, we run the risk of being separated. I can't simply walk anywhere and expect him to follow. So, the monk will have to lead for now.

After just a few steps, we're attacked by scorpions. We easily take care of them and move on. A few steps more. Another battle. And another battle.

"Maybe we should've tried the ocean to the north," Oren jokes. "At least we would hit land eventually."

We continue walking. Who knows how much time has past and whether we're even making any progress. For all we know, we could be walking in circles. How big is this desert?

My gamer instincts tell me that this could be one of those zones where you walk in one direction for a few steps, and then another direction a few more steps, and so on. But it doesn't seem like there are any landmarks to guide us.

Just as I finish my thought, a text panel pops up in the distance. "You're going the wrong way, you idiots!"

It's Elric. He's still hot on our tracks. And it looks like he's alone.

Oren and I decide to let him come to us.

"If you're trying to get us to go back with you to Fortra..."

"I don't care what you do."

"Then leave us be. We'll be fine on our own."

Oren and I nod to each other.

Elric "Look, I know the Asentian Desert inside out. Follow me, alright? I know the way."

"The way where?"

"To the other side!"

At face value it's a bit suspicious, but he certainly doesn't sound like someone who's laying a trap. If he is, then he's got me. But this looks more like the next part of the story.

"First, tell us what you want," Oren says.

The thief glares at us with incredulity. "If you haven't figured it out, I'm trying to help you! There's a giant scorpion on the other side of the desert. You'll die without me."

I suppose there's no reason for him to lie. And it makes sense that there would be a boss battle on the other side of the desert.

"Very well," Oren says. "We'll let you join us, but know that we have our way of doing things."

"Whatever."

And so the three of us continue our journey through the desert. Instead of heading due south like one would expect, Elric takes us on a series of twists and turns, seemingly going in circles.

We battle poisonous scorpions, sand clumps, and cacti. The monsters in this region aren't very strong, but it's the negative status effects of their special skills that prove to be a nuisance. And with three people in the party, each of us get less experience per battle, which is to be expected.

Oren and I try to teach Elric sign language in an attempt to improve our teamwork and preserve the limited resources we have.

"We're good," he says. "There's a hidden oasis nearby, if I remember correctly. A drink of the pond water will completely restore our health and skill points. But with my Survey skill, we'll be out of here in no time."

When we get there, we see no magical pond. Just a pile of bones and a dead palm tree. And a...

"I guess this one's been depleted," Elric says.

I check the corpse for treasure and found something useful.

We continue our way through the desert, fighting off more monsters. Just as I run out of SP, I reach level 15, restoring the points to full. I put on the Fancy Robe, giving my stats a welcome boost.

As we press on, the sun begins to set. In the blink of an eye, it's night time. The wind stops blowing. It's eerily silent. And as mesmerizing as the moon and stars are, I worry about the monsters we might encounter.

"Let's set up camp," Oren suggests.

"No, we keep going," Elric says, advancing ahead of us.

"We'll be here if you need us."

"Hey, did you forget? I'm the only one here who knows the way through the desert."

The monk sits down to meditate.

Elric looks to me. "You're coming with me."

I shake my head.

I take out a Tent and use it. Three tents pop and land on the sand, fully set up and pegged. Like magic, bricks and wood fall from midair to form a fire pit. The wood bursts into flames, giving us warmth and light, but more importantly, protection from monsters. This is my second time to witness such a sight, and it still hasn't ceased to amaze me.

The thief gives in. "Fine. But tomorrow, we do things my way."

I don't think that'll ever be the case.

Elric lies down in the sand and stares up at the night sky. He tosses and turns, then sits up in frustration. A few seconds pass, and he's on his back again, rolling back and forth.

I go over to him to see if I can get an idea of his current mindset.

"Huh, what? I'm not in the mood for charades."

I prod at him again.

"I said, I'm not in the mood for charades. Leave me alone."

I start to walk way, but see a text panel from my periphery.

"Wait. Come back."

Make up your mind, kid. I go sit down next to him.

He sighs. "Don't know if you heard, but Tillis is going to marry Andy. He's a wizard, dammit! A pathetic wizard! What's he got that I don't, right? That twerp can't even hold his wand properly."

I'd tell him to move on, but he doesn't seem like the type to take advice. And plus, I can't talk.

"Tillis and I were orphans, you see. We grew up together in the same home under Sister Rebekkah. That woman...she treated us like hell. Slop in the morning. Slop at night. Chores all day. Oh, believe me, there were always chores to do. If we didn't do what we were told, we'd be punished."

A gust of wind blows by and he shivers.

"Anyways, Tillis and I finally escaped one day. Hid inside a delivery wagon and rode all the way to Kamaraka. We made a shelter in the dumps and stole to survive. We were Rebels. Things were hard, but at least we had freedom and each other. Promised we'd stick with each other for life..." Tears begin to well up in his eyes. "Ah, shit." He gets up and walks off.

I start to follow out of concern, but then I see Oren's words.

"Leave him be," he says. "Come, sit with me."

It's been a while since the two of us have been alone. I realize he wants to continue our conversation about the incident on the ship.

"There's something I want to talk about. When we were at sea, that black monstrosity...do you remember the feeling? I mean, as it was pulling us in."

I nod. How could I forget? It felt like my body was being torn apart and my soul ripped out of me.

"You...shouted something, I think. Not like how we're communicating right now with words above our heads, but something different. You...I think you had what the ancients call a Voice. Does that make sense? I don't even know what I'm asking."

I know exactly what he's asking. Since arriving in this world, I have been unable to utter a single word. It's as if my vocal cords are missing, though I have no way of knowing what's wrong. I initially thought it was because my body wasn't used to the physics of this world, but I know now that everyone in Zephyria has this problem, everyone except the Speaker. Birds and animals can produce distinct sounds, but humans, they can do no more than sigh and chuckle, even though they have a mouth and teeth.

"Do you think you can...do that again?"

He stares at me, expecting some sort of performance.

I open my mouth to say something, but no sound comes out.

"Never mind. I must've misheard. Nobody in Zephyria can...speak...like how the ancients could."

I summon all the energy in my body and scream at the top of my lungs. Still no sound.

"Just stop. Your face is turning blue."

With no one else to talk to, I enter my tent and go to sleep.

When I open my eyes again, it's already morning. Oren is waiting patiently, while Elric is ready to blast off. I join the two atop a nearby sand dune. Far, far away through the mist of sand that is already rising into the air, what looks like a mountain range can be seen fading in and out.

"People think that's the Asentian Mountains," Elric say, "but it's just a mirage."

"How can you tell?" Oren asks.

"My Survey specialty allows me to discern these things. Plus, I'm smart."

Oren nods. "I see. Lead the way."

"Come on." Elric starts to walk in the opposite direction and waves for us to follow.

It feels as if we're back-tracking. From the rock outcrops to the height and depth of the dunes to the odd-looking cacti, everything has an air of familiarity to them. I want to say something, but when I see the confidence on the thief's face and the calmness on the monk's, I realize there's nothing to worry about.

"The desert moves, but the sun doesn't lie," Elric tells us.

I look down at my feet and see my shadow stretching to the right. There's no doubt we're heading south.

The day unfolds as expected. We fend off scorpions and other monsters, steadily gaining experience and the occasional item. The sun, though blazing, has no negative effect on us. If it were the real world, we'd die of dehydration by now, but fortunately that kind of thing doesn't exist in Zephyria. Yet, it's the depletion of skill points that would cause us a bit of trouble.

"If I knew how to use Infuse, I could transfer some of my skill points to the two of you," Oren said. "Alas, that's a level 30 skill."

After another series of battles, mine and Elric's SP finally reach 0. Neither of us are anywhere close to leveling up. Using a tent would be prudent, but we don't have another one on hand. It seems to me the next best option is to avoid any more fights and get out of the desert as quickly as possible.

When the next battle starts and three scorpions appear, it's obvious what we had to do.

* BATTLE START *

---

"We should run," Oren says, agreeing with my assessment of the situation.

"No, I never flee from battles," Elric says, as he lunges at one of the monsters and slashes at it with his dagger.

All three scorpions strike at us, dealing 66, 70, and 23 damage to each of us respectively.

Oren targets an unwounded scorpion, eliminating it with one powerful Repel attack. "At this rate, I'll have to drag your unconscious bodies out of the desert."

Elric doesn't say anything but focuses on attacking.

I defend.

The thief attacks again, weakening the injured scorpion further.

The two remaining scorpions strike again, this time double-teaming Elric for a total of 146 points of damage.

"Dammit, why are they going after me," Elric complains, swinging his dagger again.

Oren unleashes another Repel to kill one of the scorpions.

I go in and whack the remaining one, finishing it off.

---

* BATTLE END *

Elric casts a glance over to a rocky outcrop and heads in that direction. "There should be an oasis over there."

We follow him over to the site, where some vegetation is growing. Though there's no magical pond, Elric still has on a look of excitement. He uproots the plants and starts to dig with his dagger.

"Dammit, I don't know how to Dig!"

Oren turns to me, and I immediately know what to do.

I take out my a shovel and start digging.

The thief stands back and watches.

The sand turns colder and more moist the deeper I dig. Soon, I'm half way in the hole.

"That's should enough."

I step aside.

The three of us wait.

And like magic, water starts to rise to fill the space. The liquid shimmers in the sun, the speck-sized minerals in it almost dancing.

"Told you," Elric says, proud of himself.

"Looks like there's only enough for two," Oren says. "You guys go ahead and drink."

Elric leans in to take a sip.

Suddenly, the ground rumbles. Once. Twice. Then again, each thump more violent than the last.

Our bodies freeze as our eyes dart around. Below us, a giant shadow expand to surround us. The sky darkens, as the silhouette of a scorpion descends on us. We leap to the side, just as the beast crashes into the sand in front of us.

The world spins out of control.

* BATTLE START *

---

We found ourselves face to face with an Oasis Scorpion, a monster in a lustrous black shell with a crimson tip at its tail. It hisses, then sweeps its tail in a wide arc, easily knocking the three of us to the ground.

"I was afraid we might encounter one of these," Elric says, rising to his feet to prepare for an attack. Having not drunken the water from the oasis in time, his skill points are still depleted. He lunges forward with his dagger and slashes at the enemy, barely scratching it for 45 damage. "We're in big trouble."

"I'll use Guidance," Oren says, already taking a seat on the ground to meditate.

With no skill points left, the only option I have is to defend and wait for the monk's skill to take affect. Won't we end back up in Fortra?

When it was his turn, Elric uses Milk on himself, restoring his HP and SP by 5 points. "Use another one on me. I'll finish off the thing with Gentle Stab next turn."

Gentle Stab is already flimsy on the little scorpions. I doubt it would have any effect on the boss.

The scorpion targets Oren next with its giant pincers.

On top of the 150 damage he took earlier, his health has already depleted by about a third. The worst part, though, was that the attack interrupted the casting of Guidance.

"Curses! It's too fast. I won't be able to cast Guidance." Oren turns to me. "Are we doomed, or do you have a plan?"

Elric chimes in. "Use Milk on me. I'll instant kill it."

The monk and I exchange some quick gestures. He nods, then uses Milk on the thief.

Now with 10 SP, Elric unleashes Gentle Stab on the Oasis Scorpion. The attack does 104 damage, but the special effect failed. "Dammit! I don't know what to do now."

It's my turn to make a move. The next few actions we take could determine our fate. From what I've seen so far, the scorpion has at least two attacks: a sweeping attack with its tail that targets all of us, and a single-hit, but more powerful blow with its pincers. I suspect the boss still has a surprise in store for us.

After thinking for an eternity, I decide to just defend.

The scorpion pounds its pincers into Elric.

He's now down to 256 health points.

"Gah! We have to do something," the thief says. "I can try Shoo! on it, but I don't have enough skill points. Or we run?"

"No, I doubt the thing would let us get away so easily," Oren say. "Use a potion. Heal yourself."

"But, what's the poin--"

"Just do it! You won't survive another hit."

Elric does as he's told, recovering some of his health.

The monk relaxes himself and sits down to meditate.

"Is that your brilliant plan? Meditating!?" The thief shakes his head, unable to comprehend what we are planning.

When it's my turn, I use another potion on Elric to bring his health up to a safe level.

The boss hits us with a sweep attack, knocking me and the thief backwards.

Oren manages to maintain his stance, regaining twenty percent of his skill points.

It's Elric's turn. He looks at Oren and then at me. "We have to run." He dashes in the opposite direction, but as he does so, a silk web shoots from the scorpion's mouth and pulls him back into the battle. "Dammit, we're screwed."

With only a little more than 500 health points, I won't survive a full on attack from the monster. And it'd be a waste to use a potion on myself if the scorpion were to target me next turn. So, I get into a defensive stance.

Oren's body flashes again as his skill points regenerate another twenty percent. His eyes open, and he rises to his feet. "Thief, Defend. On my next turn I'll use Protect. It'll then be up to you to slay the beast."

Elric nods. "Alright, but I'm not sure about the strategy." He digs his feet into the ground to brace for a possible attack.

The scorpion grabs me with its pincer and gives me a good shake, before slamming me into the ground.

I watched my health bar drain to almost nothing. It's a bit nerve-racking, but everything is going as planned.

On the monk's turn, he clasps his hands into fists and lifts his head towards the sky. From between the clouds, a beam of light descends and connects with his body. "I'm ready," he says.

"Let's get the party started," Elric says, wasting no time in jamming his dagger into the scorpion.

I use a potion to restore a bit of my health as a precaution towards the boss's sweep attack.

Elric attacks again, adding more dents to the beast.

The scorpion hisses, then swings its tail in a wide arc. As that happens, Oren leaps forward and slows it down with his hands. He loses 135 health points, while Elric and I both take only 50, thanks to Oren's protection.

"You're crazy," Elric says. "But this might just work." He lunges at the beast again, doing another measly 48 damage. However, the boss' health bar is beginning to show red. It's down by at least five percent.

On my turn, I use Milk on myself. If I can down a couple more bottles, I'll be able to use my magic to increase our speed. A little extra boost would ensure our victory.

Oren continues his defensive stance, this time blocking a powerful attack targeted at me. He moves in to parry the scorpion's pincer with his arms.

His health down by more than half.

Our strategy unfolds masterfully over the next several turns. I manage to bring my SP to a point where I'm able to cast Jolt on both me and Elric. Though Oren can't do anything else aside from protecting us from the scorpion's attacks, the skill is effective until the end of battle and gives us superior defense. I only have to focus on keeping our health high with potions. Elric continues chipping away at the boss's health, eager to slay the monster and reap the rewards.

"I've never beaten an Oasis Scorpion before!" he says.

But he spoke too soon.

With about ten percent of health remaining, the scorpion unleashes its special attack. A red mist flows from the tip of its tail and envelops our field of view. Blinded by the attack, Elric is unable to land any hits, and Oren can't protect either of us.

"What now?" Elric asks. "All I see is red."

"I'll use Counter," Oren says. "If the Oasis Scorpion attacks me, my fists will find their target. But I fear that won't be enough to finish it off."

"Dammit! We're out of potions. The mute and I won't survive another attack, even if we defend."

"Find a way to lower it's health. It's the only hope of us getting out of this alive."

I see Oren's skill bar lower, then hear the sound of Elric's dagger swinging at air.

"I missed!"

It's now on me to save us. I rack my brain around every possible option. Defending is pointless. Attacking is futile. And so is trying to run away. With no SP, magic isn't an option either. The answer is in the items.
I check the inventory and select the only item that could possibly help: a Shock Attack from the battles on the ship.

Lightning flashes in front of me, and to my surprise, striking our target.

"Good," Oren says. "Now, we wait."

The ground rumbles with the movements of the monster. Seconds later, I feel the ground next to me tremble. Elric's HP drops to zero.

There's nothing else to do. I defend and brace for an attack, not that I would survive.

This time, the scorpion goes after Oren. The moment the monk's health drops by 566, I see the boss's health also depleted by 211. His counter attack must've landed as he said it would, and it's just enough to kill the beast.

The Oasis Scorpion lets out a deafening screech, before the wind carries its voice away.

---

* BATTLE END *

The desert fades back into view as my vision returns to normal.

"Death really doesn't want anything to do with me," Oren says.

He's right. It's a miracle we survived that battle.

The wind stops blowing, and the skies clear. In front us, the oasis glistens, begging for us to drink it.

We drag Elric's motionless body and dip his head in the water.

The thief instinctive starts drinking the liquid. "You beat the Oasis Scorpion?" he says, already recovered.

"Barely."

I take several mouthfuls myself.

Hope has been renewed.

"Dammit! I needed the EXP gains. Was there any loot? I want a share of the loot!"

Too bad. The Clarity Ring is mine!

With our energy completely restored, we continue our trek across the sands. Not long after, the giant claws of Mount Asentus rise above the horizon. The rest of the Northern Highlands come into view.

"We're almost at Kamaraka," Elric says.

In the distance, a caravan of several wagons move across the horizon towards what looks to be hundreds of pillars of stones.

~*~