A/N: Hey-diddly-ho, reader-in-oes! Hope you all had a happy new year and a merry xmas and all that. My New Years Resolution is to complete this novel by the end of this year. It WILL be done, I promise myself. It WILL be completed, no matter what. Despite the fact that, at the present time, I'm pretty busy. My house is being repainted, and my computer is giving me grief (again). I've only been popping into the sight sporadically and briefly, so I must confess I haven't been leaving the number of reviews that I should be. I'll rectify this when possible.

Anyway, no more wasting your time with my useless prattle, I'm sure you all want to be getting on with the reading of the chappie, right?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DESERT HEAT

To say that the Lamakan Desert was hot was a serious understatement. It was like walking into a roaring furnace. Isaac had never experienced anything so hot. Even the hottest summer day in Vale had never been so strong. And the humidity was unbearable. They struggled to trudge through the unforgiving landscape soaking in their own sweat.

Isaac walked across the scorched earth silently, trying to push against the heat, but the others were very vocal with their displeasure. Mia, who had grown up in the cold northern reaches of Imil, found such heat utterly beyond anything she had ever experienced. Ivan insisted that the desert had never been anywhere near as bad as this when he had passed through with Master Hammet. But Garet was the worst complainer, moaning loudly and often about the conditions of the desert trek.

All around them, the sunburnt wasteland stretched on endlessly. Isaac had always imagined deserts to be endless plains of sand, with only small amounts of water and vegetation. In the Lamakan, there was absolutely none. Not a single shrub, or even so much as a weed. And there was not a drop of water in sight. Even Mia, their Water Adept, confirmed this. The Lamakan wasn't as flat as Isaac had predicted, either. It was craggy and cliffy, with small valleys and rocky hills constantly blocking their way that they had to pass through. The way of the Silk Road was lost in the baked earth and rough ways, so they had to try and navigate using their compass and sense of direction, not easy when the heat had seemingly addled their brains.

And they couldn't see too far, either. Master Hama was right when she said they wouldn't be able to find the oases by sight. The air was constantly shimmering from the heat around them, making seeing very difficult, and even sometimes deceitful.

The terrain warped about them as images appeared and vanished. Sometimes they would head for an apparent gap in the cliff rock, only to have the mirage vanish as they approached. Sometimes such things would suddenly appear out of an otherwise seemingly empty landscape as they neared it, a pleasant surprise in the loathsome land. Of course, they weren't alone in the dry wasteland.

Garet had already told them he could sense large amounts of Fire Psynergy radiating from the ground, creating the heat, and Isaac could feel the Earth Psynergy in the ground working with it.

That could only have been created by Psynergy Stones. And those stones hadn't just affected the land. They saw dozens of warped monsters stalking the Lamakan Desert. There were huge, fire-breathing salamanders with red scales, half-human looking pig-like creatures walking on their hind legs and brandishing sabres and thick, overgrown green worms with venomous stingers the size of Isaac's forearm. Creatures warped by Venus and Mars Psynergy. They could take the heat, it seemed.

They kept their distance from the Four Adepts, most of them, as they seemed more interested in seeking water, shade or simply attacking one another. They had already passed many bones of fallen creatures, and seen a couple of fights as they passed by, but sometime after lunch they walked right into the middle of one.

In the middle of a large rocky bowl in the ground, they saw several large pig-men facing off against a couple of the large salamanders, with the giant worms scavenging off of the remains of the slain monsters.

As they saw them the monsters ceased their battle, and turned to attack them. Whether it was a territoriality thing, or if the creatures just thought they were easy prey, Isaac didn't know. But he drew his sword from the sheath on his back, and prepared for battle. He had already removed his yellow scarf and all his armour beforehand. He figured with the armour on, the heat would probably kill him faster than any monsters would. Hopefully they would be able to defeat these creatures from a distance.

"Oh, not a fight!" Garet moaned beside him as he gripped his battle-axe. "It's too hot! I can't concentrate properly!"

"Just try and bear with it!" Isaac encouraged him. Then he raised his hand and summoned an earthquake beneath their foe's feet. The ground shook, and the monsters momentarily halted, but seemed unfazed. It was an effort to focus his mind even that much in this horrible heat, but it wasn't beyond him.

Garet seized the opportunity to hurl fire at their foes, raising unbearably high temperatures to even greater heights. But it wasn't enough to kill them. The salamanders emerged unscathed, while they pig warriors were somewhat singed, and taking a few cautious steps back, but not severely hurt. Only the fat green worm scavengers seemed to have suffered any damage.

"I don't think Earth and Fire based Psynergy attacks are going to hurt them much!" Ivan noted with concern. Then he raised his powerful Shaman's Rod and liquid-blue plasma bolts of lightning lanced down miraculously from the clear, blue sky, exploding in a brilliant white flash upon the monsters. When he was finished, and the dust had settled, they found he had killed the worms and a few of the pig fighters, and severely wounded the Salamanders.

It was at this point, the pig warriors, seemingly scared by the Adepts display of power, turned and fled, leaving behind their dead companions to the bane of the desert sun. That left only those two fire breathing red salamanders to deal with. They glared hungrily at the Adepts, huge beasts bigger than a wolf. Isaac was going to try and attack on them, but he realised they'd probably resist anything he did; it would take great power to hurt them.

The two creatures both opened their mouths and spewed forth huge balls of flame, kicking up the sand about them. Mia raised her Ankh and cast Douse, dissipating the flames with water that was formed out of thin air. The salamanders ceased their attack, and Mia formed sharp icicles out of the water, which flew at the two and pierced their thick, scaly hides all over, making them bleed even worse.

"Don't give them a chance to attack!" Isaac called out, as he lunged at one of the beasts, darted to one side, spun and swung his sword down with all his might, severing the creature's head. Next to him, Garet joined the fray, driving his axe-blade down into the second salamander's skull, killing it.

"Well, that take's care of that!" the Fire Adept sighed as he wiped sweat of his brow and returned his axe to his side. Isaac took his yellow scarf and used it to wipe his sweat soaked face. It seemed an absurd use to put it, but it was better than letting it get in his eyes.

"Ew, my clothes are soaked in sweat! This is gross!" Mia wailed as she looked down at her light blue and white healers dress, thoroughly soaked through with sweat. She'd only had clothes for regular and cold weather conditions; she hadn't packed for warmer days, let alone the heat of the Lamakan Desert. With a look of disgust evident upon her face, Mia raised a delicate hand, and again used Psynergy to cast Douse, creating water out of thin air above her head, allowing the drops to fall down on her like rain, and wash away her sweat and cool herself down.

"Hey, Mia!" Garet called, leaning against a rock that must have been stinging hot. "A little douse over here, please." The Water Adept waved her hand, and Garet suddenly found himself soaked from head to toe. It wasn't the first time she had cooled them off in this manner since entering the wasteland. She had done so a couple of other times as well, but she couldn't do it too often. It drained her of strength, and they had all been sapped by the desert's heat. Still, Isaac was greatly refreshed as cool water washed over him after Mia had doused Ivan. But it couldn't quench their thirst. They needed real water to do that, and their supply was already low, despite their attempts to ration it. They just couldn't help it. It was too hot, and they were too thirsty.

"If we don't find an oasis soon, I'm going to shrivel up and blow away." Mia moaned, before taking a large, deep gulp from the leather jerkin that contained her drinking water.

"I can agree with that!" Isaac sighed. "Hey, Ivan! I think it's time we gave your new Reveal ability a try. Cast it, and see if there are any oases around."

"Don't bother." Mia said, stopping Ivan before he even had time to think. "There's no water nearby. I can sense it."

"Well, if you can sense if there's water nearby, then what do we need Ivan's reveal for?" Garet questioned.

"Because I can't tell you where it is." The Water Adept explained. "I can only feel if there is some nearby, not what direction it is in. Since we've entered the desert, I haven't been able to feel as much as a drop. This desert is drier than a bone. I'll know immediately if we come near some, it will stand out like a beacon." The others sighed despondently. More long walking in the heat before they could really cool off.

"Well, let's get moving then." Isaac suggested. "We'll have to come across one sooner of later."

"It's the later part that worries me." Garet grumbled, but nobody paid him any attention.

They climbed up the side of the rocky bowl, and continued their trek across the sun baked land. It was so hot; Isaac would have taken his leather travel boots off of his feet if they wouldn't have been horribly burned by the ground. He swore he was beginning to get a little dizzy from the heat and might collapse soon when Mia thankfully declared, "There's an oasis nearby!" He could have cheered if he wasn't so worn out.

They didn't need to say anything more; it was too hard to with the weight of the heat upon them. Ivan silently close his eyes, and focused his mind as Psynergy began to surround him. For a second everything around the Adepts in their sight vanished in blackness, except for each other. Then the sight of everything in the surrounding few metres about Ivan reappeared, the sand and rocks, only it was in black and white and shades of grey. There was no colour at all, except for the four Adepts and their clothing. Anything past the sphere's perimeter was invisible to their eyes, lost in blackness. Isaac guessed that this was only an illusion, created by Ivan's Psynergy and sensitive only to Adept eyes. Normal people probably wouldn't see any change at all.

They looked around at the small black and white and shades of grey world about them. The air was no longer shimmering, Isaac realised, surprised at how still the sight seemed to be. Then he saw it, over by the edge of the Reveal field. A small oasis of fresh, clean water.

Ivan let his Reveal disappear as they rushed to it. Colour returned to the world and they saw all again as the mirage hid the water from view. Only as they reached the point where they knew it to be did it become visible again.

They all drank deeply and gratefully from the water until they all felt fully refreshed. Isaac and the others washed off their faces and even jumped in and splashed around, cooling off from the unrelenting heat around them. They would have stayed there if Isaac hadn't decided to get them going again. He didn't like taking the role of leader and telling others what to do, but sometimes it was necessary. They couldn't afford to fall any further behind. In fact, they really had a lot of ground to gain on their foes.

Sparing only enough time to refill their water canteens, they trekked on through the boiling temperatures of the Lamakan Desert, soaking wet from their dip in the water. It only took a few minutes for the sun to dry them out anyway.

It was sometime past noon, now. If they could just keep up this pace, they could hopefully rest once they got out of here. Isaac promised they would stop off in Kalay, Ivan's adopted hometown.

They forced their way step by painful step across the sunburnt landscape, over small fields of sand, plains of hard dirt, rocky cliffs and craggy valleys and rivers of sand. Nothing grew in this place. And very little lived. Only monsters they had seen and they were few in number, too. Either they heat killed off most of them, or many were simply hiding away, waiting for night.

Somehow, they had made their way well and truly of the Silk Road, and were travelling cross-country now. Only a careful eye on their compass and a good sense of direction kept them from getting lost. At least this wasn't like Mogall Forest, then. Whatever Silk Road may have once been, it could never be a useful road to get directly from Xian to Kalay again, with the combination of unnatural heat and monsters all but making it impossible.

Guess they'll have to take the long road around, through Kolima, Bilibin and Vault. Isaac figured. At least they didn't have to torture themselves going too thirsty. They found two other oases during the day as they walked through the Lamakan Desert. A couple of hours after the first oasis, they found a second, thanks to Ivan's Reveal. But they never would have found it if Mia hadn't told them they were near one. The lives of the whole party depended on those two.

Of course, they would have been even more than hopelessly lost if not for Ivan helping them to avoid mirages. Several times they had thought they had found an oasis in the desert and, dizzy with heat and driven by thirst, they had gone out of their way towards it only to have Ivan stop them, cast Reveal, and show that they were, after all, chasing after a mirage. A few times they had seen monsters in the distance, summoned all manner of Psynergy at them, only to find they were attacking empty ground when Ivan used Reveal. If not for him, the sun's heat and the desert's mirages would have long ago driven them hopelessly the wrong way and wound up killing them.

Only his unique power taught by Master Hama could show them the way through the Lamakan. How Saturos and Menardi could make it through was simply beyond Isaac. Sure, maybe they had the power to control heat, but how could they avoid having the mirages throw them off? If they ever did make it through, they would be greatly delayed by this desert. Perhaps Isaac and the others could make a gain on them after all.

The third oasis they found late in the afternoon, when the sun was back down near the horizon. The temperature had dropped by now. Still hot and not quite near comfortable, but still less than they had been before.

After a brief stop and a drink at the hidden pool of water, Isaac decided they should make ready to camp there for the night. It was in a good spot, a large break in a tall cliff wall, with the only entry facing out to a large, flat view of nothing. There was also the nearby oasis for a water supply, if they needed any. No monsters could sneak up unseen, provided they kept a good watch, and they were in a good position to defend themselves. A safe spot to sleep for the night.

They didn't bother building a fire. For one thing, there was no wood available in the desert save what they had brought with them, and for another, it was still too warm for them to want any extra heat anyway. Even though the clear, starry night sky told them it was night, it still felt like a warm day. At least, the heat at this time was bearable. Well, just barely, at least.

None of them felt much in the mood for hot food, not after the day's unbelievable heat. So they just ate some of the fruit they had brought with them. The fruit was cool, tasty and refreshing.

"So, Ivan, how long will it take us to get out of this desert, do you think?" Garet asked as they sat in their little camp, the half-moon above them providing the only light.

"Well, Hammet and I never made the journey in less than two days." Ivan replied.

"Another day of that?" Garet spat. "I don't want to have to go through that again!"

"Of course," Ivan continued, "we were travelling by horse and cart, along the road. With the way we've been going, cross-country and on foot, it might be longer. It might take us three of even four days."

"What!" Garet exclaimed. "You mean we're not even halfway through yet? Oh, I don't think I can handle this!"

"Maybe we should just stick to travelling at night." Mia suggested. "It's a lot cooler, now."

"Hey, that is a good idea!" Ivan said.

"But it's more dangerous now." Isaac warned them. "I don't think any of you have noticed, but there are a lot more monsters out in the desert now. Listen." All four of them fell silent as they began listening to the sounds around them. They perceived the sounds of many of the creatures that they had already encountered that day, off in the distance.

He continued when he saw that they'd all heard. "If they are as aggressive as the ones we've already encountered, I don't think that we could safely trek without fighting all the way."

"I guess most of them only come out at night because that's the only time the heat's bearable." Ivan figured.

"Probably." Isaac shrugged. "Either way, it still means we have to travel during the day, through the worst of the heat."

"Hey, Garet." Mia spoke up. "Master Hama said something about Saturos and Menardi being able to control the heat with their Psynergy because they're both Fire Adepts. Do you think maybe you could figure out how to do that trick?"

Garet shook his head sadly. "I honestly don't know where to begin. I can use my power to raise the temperature easily enough, but trying to lessen it… I don't know how!" All of them groaned in dismay. Looks like they were relying on water to keep cool again. "I'll see if I can try and work something out tomorrow, but I can't promise I'll get any result, though." They fell silent again for awhile, as they contemplated walking another day in that heat.

"If there are so many dangerous desert monsters wandering around at night, then we should probably take it in turns keeping watch." Isaac suggested finally, casting a glance out to the still warm sand of the Lamakan.

"I'll go first." Ivan offered. "I don't think I could sleep right now, anyway."

X X X

Just along the western borders of the Lamakan Desert, Felix sat down with a sigh as Saturos ordered the party to stop. Thank they gods that they were out of there, Felix thought.

"I hope we don't have to go through anything like that ever again!" Jenna spoke to Kraden as she sat down next to the old Alchemy Sage.

"I concur, young Jenna. I feel I'm getting much too old to be doing journeys such as this." remarked the old man.

"You should both be grateful." Menardi told them. "If it wasn't for Saturos and I being able to control the heat, we would have all died out there. I didn't see a drop of water available anywhere in there."

"If you don't mind, Saturos, I believe there is a river nearby." Alex stated to the group leader. "We've already used up our entire supply and we desperately need some more water, now. Shall I get some?" Saturos wearily waved his hand in a 'go-right-ahead' gesture, and Alex vanished as he teleported away from sight with his Psynergy.

Nice of him to help us out like that. Felix thought to himself.

"I could have used that same trick to save us, once I'd learned how to do it." Jenna replied sourly to Menardi

"Yes, but your not strong enough to do it very well or for very long." Menardi snapped back, as she joined Saturos on the log he was sitting on.

"Don't worry; we'll get to do this all over again in the Suhulla Desert of the way to Venus Lighthouse." Saturos told her as she started a fire going with his Psynergy.

"Shame we can't just take the boat." Felix stated. "It would have been more convenient."

"Yes, it would have been." Saturos replied. "But it's too late to change our original plan now. We'll just have to go with the decision."

Once they'd finished dinner, which didn't take long, Saturos and Menardi quietly excused themselves to talk privately for a few moments.

"Where are they going?" Jenna asked Alex of all people. The blue haired Water Adept merely shrugged.

"Well, as we clearly aren't allowed to go anywhere." Kraden started, "I might retire for the night, if that's all right with you." The scholar then promptly made his way to his bed, and lay down to sleep away from the others.

"I shall rest also." Alex put in. "It's been a hard days walk, after all." And he, too, left; walking behind Felix's back to where his bed had been set up. That left Jenna and Felix alone by the fire. Brother and sister looking over one another. Or at least, is she was prepared to accept him for who he was again, they would be. She was staring intently into the fire, no doubt thinking of another plan to escape. Somehow, he needed to keep her with them, for her own good.

Felix sighed as he realised he would have to tell her sooner or later. About everything. But would she believe him? She still didn't exactly trust him, after all. Not since his betrayal, although he didn't think of it that way. It wasn't exactly betrayal, not exactly. It was a lot to take in, though. But she had a right to know. He would have to tell her eventually, anyway.

"I'm going to bed, too." Jenna said softly, as though to herself, not really acknowledging Felix's presence.

"Jenna, wait." Felix stopped her. The Fire Adept halted, but she didn't look at him.

"What?"

"There's something I have to tell you… about our…"

"I don't want to hear it." she snapped. "I've had enough of your so-called explanations."

"But, Jenna, I-"

"Goodnight." she snapped, as she lay down next to Kraden, untying her dark red hair and allowing it to fall loose about her shoulders.

"Goodnight, Jenna." He sighed as she turned her back on him. He sat there staring into the fire, thoughts stirring about his head. He undid the leather cord that held back his hair and let his shoulder length brown locks loose. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, so he decided to watch over the two of them, even though it was supposed to be Alex's turn. Now that he thought about it, the Mercury Adept had rather subtly shifted the responsibility over to him. Didn't matter, he felt like staying up anyway. He needed time to think. Somehow, he needed to regain his sister's trust; it hurt to have her treat him like this.

"You shouldn't worry about her so much." Alex's voice advised him from behind. Felix turned to see the man sitting up and looking at him with his blue eyes. "Sometimes, it's better for you to cut yourself of from the ones you care about. That way you feelings won't hurt you. After all, we all knew the sacrifices that would have to be made when we undertook this quest to light the Lighthouses."

"Yeah, you're right Alex." Felix replied softly. Sometimes, Alex did have some good advice. He certainly did his best to keep the peace.

"Think about what I said, Felix."

"I will."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Alex." He wanted to be able to take that advice, it did make sense, but Felix doubted he could. Except, the only way they could get the Mars Star would be to trade her for it, like a commodity. He couldn't do that to his sister, could he? Of course, if he took Alex's advice…

Felix was still stewing over his own thoughts when Saturos and Menardi returned.

"I thought Alex was on watch tonight." Saturos stated with a look to the Earth Adept.

"He shifted if over to me, somehow." Felix shrugged.

"Well, why don't you just…" Menardi started.

"No, it's okay." Felix replied. "I feel like watching over them. I won't be getting to sleep anytime soon, anyway."

X X X

Isaac awoke under the clear night sky sweating in spite of himself. None of them had bothered with blankets seeing as it was still warm, so they were just using them as makeshift mattress against the rough ground. He was still wearing only his blue tunic and breeches, but it still felt like too much clothing.

Deciding to get a drink from the nearby oasis – they didn't need Ivan's Reveal at night when it was cooler – Isaac got up. As he made his way to the small pool of water, Isaac noticed Ivan sitting up against the rocky cliff wall in the moonlight, staring at the Shaman's Rod that he was toying with in his hands.

"What's on your mind, Ivan?" Isaac asked quietly as he sat down next to him, being careful of course not to wake Garet and Mia who were sleeping soundly behind them.

"What? Oh, hi Isaac." Ivan said in a startled voice. "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." Isaac shrugged. "Besides, it's probably my turn for watch soon, anyway. Although I notice it seems pretty quiet, now." In fact, it was silent. Isaac couldn't hear any sign of the monsters that roamed the desert.

"The monsters seem to come and go." Ivan shrugged. "But they haven't come here, yet. So, I was just sitting here, thinking."

"What about?" Isaac inquired casually.

"A lot of things." Ivan sighed. "After meeting Master Hama recently, what she said and how she didn't feel like a stranger to me – even though she is – it got me thinking about my past. I mean, I don't really know anything about where I came from. All I know is that Master Hammet adopted me when I was a baby at around the same time as he got his precious Shaman's Rod. That was on one of his many merchant trips when he was still just making a name for himself. I think he said he got it on another continent."

"Yes, it's all very strange and mysterious." Isaac replied. "I only wish we could find the answers."
"Me, too. I don't know why Hammet brought this rod, but it does make a powerful weapon for my powers. I've always wondered how I got my powers and why I have them."

"Occasionally, on very rare occasions, Adepts are still born in the outside world, I suppose." Isaac shrugged. "Kraden said that everyone was always an Adept in the Lost Age, but since Alchemy was sealed away, only those near Mount Aleph and the Lighthouses any longer retain the power. I guess you're just on of those rare individuals who just come along and are born naturally with those abilities."

"Perhaps, but still, I can't help but feel that there is something more to it." Ivan replied in a sombre tone. "But it gets me thinking, who are my parents? And why did I have to be adopted? I've never had the courage to ask Master Hammet that."

"Maybe when this is all over we can ask Hammet that." Isaac told his friend reassuringly. "Master Hama, too, I think. She knows more than she's letting on."

"Yes, we'll have to." Ivan sighed. "In the mean time, when we stop off at Kalay, we can ask Master Hammet's wife, Lady Layana, if she knows anything. I mean, being well known in the palace, I'll be able to get a good room for us to stay in for the night for free, so we really can't pass up that offer, especially after this place."

"Yes, you can say that again." Isaac smiled.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard enough from me." Ivan sighed, getting up. "I'm tired now, anyway. So, I'll let you get to watching out for those dangerous desert monsters."

"Yes, I should get a start." Isaac replied. "Goodnight, Ivan."

X X X

As soon as the sun rose, the unnatural heat began to rise again, and they quickly set out to trek across the desert. There was less monster activity than there had been last night, but they did still encounter a few on their way. Rather than fight in the uncomfortable, stifling heat, they chose to try and avoid as many as they could by going around. They needed to conserve their strength.

The search for oases to drink from and refresh themselves was, however, more interesting than the previous days attempt. After the first couple of hours of walking, Mia suddenly said she felt the presence of water. Ivan immediately summoned his Psynergy and cast the power of Reveal. Immediately everything in the distance vanished into blackness to their eyes, and the world nearby fell into shades of grey. Isaac caught sight of the oasis nearby, of to the side. However, the mirage that hid it also hid the monsters that were drinking from it. Several of the familiar looking pig warriors were kneeling down to sip from it, while more were standing nearby.

"Let's see if we can just scare them off." Isaac told the others. "I'm sure none of us feels like a proper fight." Isaac raised a sweat soaked hand and, using his Psynergy, created an earth tremor beneath the feet of the creatures while Ivan kept his Reveal up. The pig warriors jumped up and screeched in fright, looking about clueless. It seemed the mirage also kept them from seeing the four Adepts. Although they had ceased drinking, they weren't leaving.

"Maybe I'll just have to turn up the heat a little." Garet said, before raising his hand and using his Psynergy summoned powerful flames from the very ground itself. The pig warriors shrieked in pain and backed off, so Garet allowed the flames to subside. But they held their ground where they stopped, only metres from the oasis. They now had their swords out, and were in battle stances, glaring around challengingly.

Where had they gotten those weapons, Isaac wondered, and how did they know how to use them? In the current context of the situation, however, it seemed momentarily unimportant.

"I can't do anything while I'm holding this Reveal up!" Ivan pleaded. "Somebody do something!"

"Maybe this will scare them off…" Mia began as she pointed the orb of her Angelic Ankh at the creatures and focused her Psynergy into it. Pointy shards of ice formed out of thin air at the end, and flew at the nearest of the pigs, scattering about its body point first, and drawing out some of its blood. Shrieking in agony, the pig warrior fell to the ground and died.

Making sure they got the message, Isaac created another, stronger tremor that made the hard, dry ground beneath crack, while Garet summoned a wall of fire nearby to help them on their way. Thoroughly scared and absolutely clueless as the where the attacks were coming from, the monsters finally turned and fled, leaving behind their dead companion.

Parched and weary, the four Adepts went to the oasis and quenched their thirst, washing the sweat from their faces. It was a life saver, literally. Not wasting anytime, however, they quickly finished and continued on their way through the tortuous heat, every step a struggle as they felt more and more like finding somewhere to rest instead from the sun's gaze. If Isaac could have stayed at that oasis, he would have. But Saturos and Menardi were way ahead of them, and they had to keep moving if they were ever going to catch up to them.

Along the way, Isaac and the others made a startling discovery. At just after midday, when the temperatures were at their highest, they were desperately in need of a rest, a cool down and a drink. They finished off the last of the water that they were carrying with them – it was amazing how fast they went through their supply – then began looking for a spot to rest. They needed somewhere where there was shade, or else they'd burn up. Or better yet, an oasis. But everywhere around them, they saw the shimmering image of a seemingly endless plain of uneven rocky ground and sand. But they already knew all too well that in the Lamakan, what you see wasn't necessarily what you got. The mirages may have only been making it seem that that was all there was.

As Isaac stopped to look around, he stepped in a patch of soft sand and his leather boot sank right in.

"Ivan, cast Reveal and let's see if there's any shade nearby." Isaac called out as he struggled to pull his foot out. It wasn't the first patch of sand that he'd stepped in and had difficulty getting out of. But it appeared that it was the toughest. Both his feet, he suddenly realised, were now trapped and being dragged down further still, along the slight slope to the bottom of the sandpit ahead of him. This desert was full of dangerous traps.

Behind him, Isaac felt Ivan using his Psynergy, and then the power of Reveal swept over them. Only the few metres around them were now visible, through shades of grey. The air was now perfectly still and his vision was crystal clear, apart from the colour, but Isaac was shocked to at the truth that had now suddenly been revealed before him.

At the bottom of the pit where the sand was slowly dragging him was a massive crab-like monster with two giant pincers waiting for Isaac to come close enough for it to eat him. Somehow, it's large, plate-covered abdomen, which was embedded in the sand, prevented it from being sucked down likewise and its six spindly, pointy legs gave it added traction and allowed it to manoeuvre around freely. Hungry looking yellow eyes gazed at Isaac and its small mouth of sharp teeth chomped eagerly as Isaac came near it.

Isaac took only a second to take this in before he realised he had fallen into a trap. Panicking, he quickly struggled to get free, only causing himself to sink faster. Sinking sand! How could he have not realised? Slowly, the more he went in, the faster he slid to the awaiting beast.

Before he realised what was happening, roaring tongues of flame licked over the beast's body, causing it to howl in agony. Garet had come to help him! Already the Fire Adept was racing to the edge to grab hold of him. Ivan stood uselessly nearby, unable to do anything while he was holding the Reveal up.

Hoping to buy himself some more time before he slid right up to those giant pincers, Isaac summoned an earthquake about him. The ground shook terribly, but the beast seemed unfazed, while Isaac sank even faster! He was now up to his waist and unable to get out. He was only barely out of the reach of those sharp pincers!

Suddenly, a strong, bare hand gripped his wrist, and Isaac gripped back, holding on for dear life. Garet struggled to pull Isaac back, his other arm holding onto a nearby rock jutting out of the ground for support. It was the only thing that kept him the last few inches away from the monster's awaiting claws.

"Hold on, Isaac, I'm gonna fry this freak to ashes!" Garet called out, narrowing his eyes as the blue glow of Psynergy formed about his body.

"Hold it, Garet!" Isaac shouted. "I'm too close! You'll hit me as well!" With the intense heat about them, the extra warmth from Garet's flames at that proximity would probably kill him; if it was a strong enough attack to damage this creature. Garet held back with a growl and continued pulling as hard as he could, the veins sticking out clearly from his forearms as the blue glow faded. If there had been any hard stone around apart from what Garet was holding onto, he would have used his Earth Psynergy to form a stone spire to hurl into this beast. But all that was available was sand, which was useless.

Garet was at the edge of his endurance, his fingers beginning to slip, and those pincers were snapping menacingly close to Isaac's half sunken body.

Suddenly a hail of sharp icicles, point down, rained on the sand beasts, digging into its thick hide making it shriek. It backed off, using its crab like legs to push the body away, leaving Isaac temporarily safe. Mia stood next to Garet and blasted a stream of Psynergy formed water at it. As it splashed all over it's body, she waved her hand, and the water froze to ice, holding it in place momentarily. Now Isaac just needed to free himself.

Then a thought occurred to him. He was an Earth Adept. He was in his element. Focusing his mind, Isaac summoned all the Psynergy within his body and channelled it at the sinking sand, and willed it to stop moving. Now, if he could just climb out. He couldn't make the sand turn to solid, but he had another idea.

While he held onto the tenuous link that prevented him from sinking further, he called upon an old ability he knew called Growth. It was an ability that he had learned when he first begun his Adept training, the first trick. It was fairly simple, really. He could make small flowers or plants of a simple variety grow from the soil, or already existing plants grow better, all to the shape or form that he willed.

Casting his Psynergy, a thick weed formed in the ground next to him, and grew out, a large green vine that he could hold onto. Isaac used it to pull himself out of the sand, whereupon Garet helped him back onto the safe, stable ground. Isaac sighed in relief at the close call rescue. Before, he could only, at best, form small flowers or weeds that didn't last long at all. Now he was capable of forming large vines that could support his body weight. And all four of them had gained as much extra strength since setting out. Perhaps the four of them together could potentially pose a reasonable threat to beings as powerful as Saturos and Menardi, even without something like mercury Lighthouse to aid them.

Behind Isaac, the vine he had formed crumbled apart into what it had been formed from, while the sand monster broke free of the ice and turned to growl at them in defeat. Unable to control himself, Isaac turned and unleashed his full strength at the beast. Using his most powerful attack, Gaia, the ground beneath and around the monster exploded in white light as it gave up its energy; the powerful force ripping up both the environment and the beast. When his sight cleared, nothing remained of the spot where it had been, just a mess of strewn sand, blood and body parts.

I destroyed it in one blast, he realised. Perhaps he had underestimated his own strength. Breathing heavily, Isaac sunk to his knees, his body feeling drained. He'd used up so much energy, and the desert heat had already sapped a good deal of his body's strength.

"Let me have a look at you." Mia said as she sat next to him. Ivan let his Reveal dissipate as he joined them.

"Well, you aren't injured in any way." she murmured, looking him over. "Just exhausted. You really need a rest. We all do."

"Hey, guys, I think we've got company!" Ivan observed as he looked back. Up on a rocky ridge some distance away, stood more than a dozen of those ugly, pink pig warriors brandishing their scavenged swords and looking down on the Adepts hungrily. They must have come while Ivan had Reveal up, they wouldn't have been able to see the monsters approach at that distance. Isaac could only guess what they were thinking though. Weakened prey.

"Let's get out of here." Isaac suggested. "None of us are in any shape to fight." With that, they turned and ran across the baked plains with the pig warriors in hot pursuit. It was hot and they were too weary to sprint very far or very fast, while their foes were fresh and used to the heat. Then Ivan got an idea.

"We can't outrun them or fight them." he realised, "so let's lose them!" Turning, Ivan quickly used his Psynergy to summon the wind, something that rarely occurred naturally in the Lamakan Desert. The vortex quickly picked up strength, whipping up sand behind them. The creatures, now effectively blind with the level of sand in the air, stopped to cover their eyes, while they waited for the sandstorm to subside.

"Quickly! It won't be long before they get out and see us!" Ivan called out. Using the last of their strength and endurance, they rushed for a nearby small valley in the cliff rock and raced through. Once they were far enough through to be sure those monsters couldn't find them, they finally sat down to rest. At least in here it was shady, a blessing in the desert. Isaac was somewhat confused other monsters didn't rest here, but he really didn't care. It was a place to rest. Lying down, Isaac let his aching muscles ease. But it was still unbearably hot, his mouth was parched and he needed to cool down even more.

Mia kindly vested her dwindling strength to form a few drops of water above each of them, which slid graciously down their faces.

After a while, Isaac looked up in the sky. It was getting late noon. Only a couple more hours of daylight left. It was still as hot as midday, though. They would need to rest soon. But without more water, they couldn't last long.

"Let's move on." Isaac stated. "There's got to be an oasis nearby. We'll keep going till we find one, then rest there the night." With a groan, they all got up and set off down the winding rocky valley, grateful for the shade protecting them.

They didn't have far to go. Only after a while of walking, they found a small pool of desert water resting in the lowest point of the valley in the shade so it was nice and cool. Isaac had never been so glad to have found water in his life. They all drank deeply, crushing their dry thirst and even washing in the water to cool off and clean the large amount of sweat off their skin. Then they settled down to make camp for the night.

X X X

As soon as the sun rose, Isaac was awakened, and he roused the others. Quickly, they set off, before the heat became unbearable again. They had already trekked for two days and Isaac hoped to make good time so that this would be the last. None of them wanted to spend a second longer in here than they had too.

It didn't take long for them to leave the small valley that they had made camp in, and its lovely shade in an otherwise dry, desolate wasteland. On they went across the sunburnt ground of dry sand and hard dirt, with nothing but rocks and cliffs dotting the uneven landscape. The only other life forms apart from the four Adepts were the monsters that had been warped from Psynergy Stones. They encountered less of them today than yesterday. Isaac guessed, well, more hoped, it was because they had passed through the heart of the desert and were now nearing the edge. If so, this tiresome journey might even end today.

Apart from another one of those fire-breathing red-skinned salamanders, which seemed to ignore them as it feasted on a carcass, the only troublesome creatures they encountered were the pig-warriors, which they were usually able to easily scare off with a small display of Psynergy. Apart from the agonising heat, which bore down on them constantly as they trudged beneath an unforgiving sun, the journey was fairly easy. At least until lunchtime.

After stopping briefly at another oasis, they entered a particular rocky, cliffy area; they followed a slightly lower valley like area simply because it was in shadow, along to the taller cliffs that blocked the way ahead. They must have reached near the western mountain the bordered the Lamakan. That was good. Isaac was beginning to think that they might really need an oasis soon when they reached a dead end.

"Great, we come all this way, and then we have to turn back and go around!" Garet groaned as they stopped. "I hate this stupid desert!"

"I only wish we could find Silk Road again." Ivan sighed. "Then we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Isaac made no reply as he looked at the cliff ahead of them, its image shimmering to his sight, just like everything else. He could feel the earth within it, just like everything else around him, when he really thought about it. But the cliff felt partially empty, as though it were missing something. Maybe if those mirages were…

"Isaac, hurry up!" Mia called out. "You'll burn up if we don't find an oasis soon!"

"Wait a second, Ivan, use Reveal on this cliff for a second." he replied.

"Okay, but I don't know what you expect to find." Ivan shrugged as he summoned his Psynergy and formed a Reveal about them. They couldn't see anything beyond its range of effect, as though a black veil had been draped over it, but immediately about them things were crystal clear and shades of grey. Ahead of them, the cliff was perfectly formed in a dark grey, but a large cave mouth was clearly visible ahead of them, leading deeper into the gut rock. In the entrance sat a giant monster apparently resting.

It was massive, with a green scaled body, large scorpion like tail with a poison stinger and a snarling head with rows of sharp teeth and yellow eyes. It made no move, but glared at them challengingly at having disturbed its rests. It was the biggest, most deadly looking beast they had encountered so far. Isaac felt terrified at the thought of having to face that thing, exhausted and heat stricken as they were.

Involuntarily, they backed up a little.

"Forget this, no way! I can't concentrate my Psynergy now!" Garet exclaimed.

"We can't over exert ourselves!" Mia cautioned. "Otherwise we'll faint! And in this desert, that would mean death!"

If only we had found an oasis recently… Isaac thought to himself.

"All right, everyone, let's turn back and find a way over the mountains!" Isaac called out.

"But this is the way over!" Ivan told him. "Well, through, anyway. I remember now, the Silk Road travelled through a tunnel on the western border of the Lamakan. This is it; we somehow found our way back onto the road!"

Isaac looked around at the surrounding terrain. He realised then that the ground running in between the valley walls was surprisingly flat and worn down, especially compared with the rest of the desert. He hadn't noticed because the heat distracted him too much.

Ahead of the party, the creature sat in its cave, the tunnel through the mountains, and glared at them warily. Somehow, they were going to have to get past if they were to pursue Saturos.

"Isaac, I don't really feel much like fighting this thing…" Garet moaned. The beast was positioned making it clear it didn't to just let them pass.

"Don't worry, Garet. We don't have to kill it." Isaac reassured his friend. "We just have to lure it out and get past."

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Mia asked

"Ivan, you have to power to put things to sleep, can you do it?" Isaac asked.

"It doesn't normally work too well if something's wide awake." The Jupiter Adept replied. "But seeing as it's relaxed and resting, it shouldn't be too bad." With that, he raised his hands and summoned his Psynergy upon the monster. To the Adept's eyes, white little motes of energy danced about the monster's head. It continued glaring at them as though waiting for them to attack. Slowly, its eyelids drooped down over yellow pupils. Its head lowered slowly to the ground, and soon it was asleep soundly.

"Good work, Ivan!" Garet grinned. "Now, let's get out of here!"

The four of them quickly crept past the slumbering monster and hurried through the tunnel along Silk Road. Soon, they would be able to leave this desert, and head for Kalay for a proper rest. Isaac's heart felt lightened and his pace quickened with eagerness at the thought. Once free of here, the road should be easier.

Leaving the Lamakan Desert behind them, the four Adepts continued on, determined to succeed in their quest to save the world from the power of Alchemy.

A/N: And that's the desert done. (dusts hands) I'll tell you what, with the hot summer we aussies have right now, I was in the right mood and temperature to be writing this chapter. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. One of my better ones, I thought.

Now, before I go, just a word regarding the future of this fic. While I can guarantee that it WILL be done, on my honour, there are a few things I should mention first. After Kalay, as I'm sure you know, there's the option to rescue Hammet from Lunpa. I won't be putting this in, I have decided. My reasoning is as follows. In order to rescue him, you can only do so after you have the Cloak Orb from Babi. But I thought, why go all the way from Tolbi to Lunpa to rescue Hammet, when the people you are following are still going on ahead? That would, realistically, put them too far behind to possibly catch up just in time at Venus. So, it won't happen. Tough luck, Hammet, you'll just have to live in your crappy, lousy, rat-infested cell a while longer.

Also, as many of you know, Crossbone Isle resides in the Karagol Sea. The Karagol will feature in the chapter after next. Many of you are probably wondering "will he include it"? The answer is, I don't know yet. We shall see, when I begin writing it.

Speaking of the next chapter, you'll be pleased to know (I'm sure) that it is already halfway written, and won't take very long to complete. It's only a short chap (well, relatively speaking, in comparison to my usual length), so you shouldn't need to wait too long. Then its straight to sailing the high seas, or sea, rather, of the Karagol! But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

Anyway, that's it from me, so until next time, take care, live long and prosper! Adios amigos.