NOTE: I have never written a piece before, but I've always wanted to. Please give feedback, editing, and most importantly, story ideas! Because TBH I have no idea where this is going. But the more reads and comments I get, the more likely I'll continue writing!
Chapter 1
A pale sun hung over the white sands of the desert, bathing the dunes in a hot, dry wind. Amber lifted her visor and squinted against the blinding light reflecting off the white hills. "Still no sign of it, and the wind is going to make it even more difficult to track…" she thought to herself as she slid down the slope of a dune, only to reappear on the next crest.
Amber's hair was whipped in the wind as she rose to the next crest of the dune. Around her was a sea of sand, rising and falling as they stretched out towards the blue horizon, it's sandy skin flawed only by the footprints of Amber, and the tracks of the creature she was following. Taking a moment to stretch out, Amber began a light jog, following the trail of the monster marked by disturbances in the sand.
"I hope the others are doing better with their hunt than I am." Amber thought to herself as she rose and dipped rhythmically in between the dunes, her feet kicking up a trail of dust in her wake. After a running for what seemed like hours, Amber finally caught sight of her quarry in the form of a large dark shape, considerably standing out from the white desert sands. She quickly cleared the distance, her legs pounding the sand as she sprinted towards her target.
Crouching between the dunes, Amber peaked over the sand to examine her target. A large black scorpion, about 12 feet long from claws to tail, skittered about in the sand, its claws snapping shut and its mouth hissing angrily. Amber breathed deeply to calm herself. She had handled monsters like this one before, but she couldn't shake the feeling of adrenaline that coursed through her every time she entered a fight.
Focusing, Amber concentrated on summoning her weapons. With a small hum, the amberstone set squarely in her forehead began to emit a white light. Reaching up, she grabbed a set of identical, twin daggers with glowing orange blades, which had materialized from her gem. Each blade was about 11 inches in length (Not counting the hilt) and emanated bright orange light like fire. Taking another deep breath, followed by a smug grin, Amber leaped over the dune, yelling a battle cry as she did.
The scorpion clicked around to face Amber, its claws snapping and its tail twitching back and forth as it analyzed the threat. Amber, her face set in grim determination, charged forward, dagger in each hand. The monster lashed out with its spiked tail, only to smash into the sand as Amber nimbly rolled to the side. Amber continued her charge, rolling underneath its massive claws and frame, slashing quick cuts into it's black underbelly with hissing sounds as the blades melted through the armor.
Coming out of the backside of the bug, Amber rose to her feet. The monster quickly did an about face, hissing venomously at its attacker. "At least I've got it's attention." She smiled as she twirled her daggers between her fingers. The scorpion hissed again as it charged Amber, lashing out with tail and claws as it backed her up against the bottom of a dune. Amber was doing her best to duck and weave between the attacks, striking out against the monster on occasion, but it was clear that she was being backed into a corner, and her blades weren't cutting it.
"I need an opening…" Amber thought as she rolled out of the way of another tail strike. She was getting tired and she knew she couldn't keep this pace up. The scorpion screeched and shot its tail forward, barely missing Amber's shoulder. She was backed against the dune. Amber was running out of options faster than the swipes of her daggers, that seemed to only make small nicks into the advancing claws of the beast.
Suddenly, the beast roared with pain. Neon green shafts suddenly sprouted out of the scorpion's back as it squirmed backward in awkwardly. "Need a hand?" Emerald asked cockily as he slid down the dune behind Amber, firing multiple shimmering arrows into the scorpion from his green bow. Behind him, Morgan slid into the fray as well, balancing herself with a sparkling staff as she gracefully came down the hill. Amber said nothing, instead, used the opportunity to attack the distracted monster. Running up the shrieking monster's back, Amber jabbed her burning blades deep into spot behind the creature's onyx black eyes.
With one final shriek, the scorpion sent a cloud of dust into the air, making a large, audible, poof as it did. A large oval shaped gem fell to the sand as the cloud cleared, leaving Amber crouched on the ground next to it, panting hard. Holding out his hand, Emerald smiled. "Good kill sis." Amber rolled her eyes and smiled, grabbing his hand.
"I had it on the ropes," Amber remarked while brushing the sand off of her, "I was just waiting for the right angle." Emerald shook his head, grinning, "Uh huh. Define on the ropes for me." Morgan walked over to the gem lying in the sand. Picking it up in her hand, she effortlessly made a pale bubble around it and, with a tap on the top of the bubble, sent it away to the safety of the bubbleroom.
"I assume you both got your bugs?" Amber shot back smartly. "Of course I did." Emerald said triumphantly as he let his bow dematerialize, "It only took a shot through the eyes." As he said this, Emerald made the motion of pulling back his bow and releasing it into an imaginary monster. Morgan laughed. "What?" Emerald asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing." Replied Morgan curtly, smiling before continuing, "I just remember the last time you bragged about it only taking one shot through the head was when I was there to stun it."
Amber joined Morgan in laughter as they started to make their way back to the warp pad. "I had that one in control with, or without you sis!" Emerald shouted back as he grumpily followed them through the desert sands towards home.
