As my group approached the boundary between the Wastelands and the Plains, it was clear where one area started and the next began. The grass at the edges of the Plains began to turn brown, and then it changed and appeared more reddish and grew taller. The ground beneath us grew more rocky and then dropped off suddenly. We had reached a cliff overlooking an expanse of desert sands.
"I don't ever remember seeing a desert," I said.
"From a distance, the desert makes its own mirages to cover itself," Rona explained. "What did it seem like to you?"
"From the castle turrets, it looked like a continuation of the Plains…"
"We have to cross this desert before we will reach the volcanic section of the Wastelands," Ryth said. "Imagine, if a desert can create illusions from afar, what it could do when you're in it."
"Stick close and you won't get lost," Rona told me. He and Ryth began climbing down the rocky cliff into the desert.
'Perhaps I should have just gone with Keia instead… Too late to turn back now.' I followed after Ryth and Rona. I nearly stumbled as I set foot on the sand. From here, the air turned much warmer.
"It's as though this desert is set in a zone all its own," I mumbled.
"That's because it is," Rona said. He started to walk out into the desert, as though attracted to an energy source. Ryth and I followed. As we went further, the wind began to blow…
We had not been walking long before the wind blew all around us in every direction. Some gusts picked up large streams of sand and whipped it across our faces. For Ryth and Rona, the sand stuck in their fur, causing them to slowly blend with the desert. For me, the wind blew hard enough for the sand to scratch up my face. I drew my cloak over my head tightly to minimize the damages, but my vision was severely limited. Through the airborne sand, I could hardly see Ryth and Rona anymore, and I feared saying anything. I did not want to choke on sand.
At one point, I had lost Ryth and Rona… But their movement led me back to them. I stayed as close as possible to them, however, circumstances seemed to disallow that. I slowed down a bit as I heard the wind gathering behind us. I swung around and gawked at the sight of a funnel of sand building up from the sand dunes. I was not very far away, so I tugged on Ryth and Rona's shoulders and pointed back at it. Without a word, they both took off running. I chased after them in hopes of staying nearby, but the sand beneath me gave way and I feel to the ground. In a panic, I struggled to get up, but the sand continued to shift under my weight. I wanted to scream "Wait!" but it refused to come out under all of this sand. I managed to roll over onto my back and I watched as the sandstorm approached at a rapid pace. I waited for a few seconds as my impending doom grew closer… I closed my eyes at the last second as it passed over me…
A spark of shock ran through me as I felt the world come back to me. Was this still Draconia? Had I survived? The world was black and very warm where I lay. I felt compressed, more than likely under a layer of sand, if I were still in the desert. I worked my muscles hard to lift an arm and break through the sand. I raised my arm into the air and reached for something, anything… I felt cold air above. I lifted my other arm out of the sand and, using nothing but my hands, attempted to dust away the sand that covered me. I started with my body and worked my way over my head…
When finally the sand that covered me was gone except for my legs, I sat upright and breathed in fresh air. The air was cool and dry, and odd mixture I had never felt before. The land was dark and the sky was marked with stars. I dragged my legs out of the sand and tried to stand; my legs would not allow it. I sat in place for a little while. Where were Ryth and Rona? Should they be here, or is this just another dream? Had I somehow been tricked into searching for the Fire Key alone?
As the questions repeated themselves in my head, I looked around from where I sat. Still the environment was nothing but sand dunes with an occasional tuft of red grass. The world sat still, covered with a blanket of silence. Again I tried to stand. I pushed off the sand, which was now somewhat compacted. I shakily rose to my feet. Now, I just needed to start walking. I moved one leg forward, lost my balance, and fell back to a sitting position.
'Damn,' I thought. I continued to try until was successful. I walked, alone, along the desert wastes. I looked out on the horizon, searching for any possible sign of Ryth or Rona. No footprints in the sand could be seen. There were no landmarks of any sort. For the first time, I messed with the buttons on my arm guard in hopes of finding Ryth or Rona's current position. I cycled through screens and searched for Rona. A text displayed "Out of range." I repeated for Ryth, and again, "Out of range."
"They definitely went off without me," I said aloud. I tried to find a map of the area, until I ran across a blank screen with text saying "Map unavailable."
"Next time I'm in the CentraCity, I need to talk to the blacksmith about giving me faulty equipment…" Left to nothing but instinct now, I was forced to tread the unseen path across the desert.
For some time, the world resembled itself, as though trapped in a never-ending circle. Sand, everywhere, and not a lick of water or a wayward landmark. I traveled until day came, bringing with it the oppressive heat characteristic of an arid environment. At least the sand had stopped blowing…
Finally, after what was the longest and most fruitless walk ever, I spotted something unusual on the horizon. There was a tree in the middle of the desert. I imagined it was a false illusion, since Rona had warned against such things. However, I felt as though the tree were summoning me to it.
'It couldn't hurt to check it out… I mean, I'll still be wandering lost in the desert anyways.' I approached the tree with hopes of either civilization or water.
As the tree and I grew closer to one another, more and more trees sprang up on the horizon. I was still unwilling to expend my energy running to it because it could still may as well be a mirage.
What I thought was odd was that, as I came closer, the trees never disappeared! It became clearer now what the trees surrounded: more sand, and a large blue circle. For a second, I thought. Then it occurred to me that a blue circle in the middle of the desert could be only be one thing: water! I picked up my feet and let them take me to the oasis I was seeing. So close to it, I stumbled, accidentally ran into one of the trees, and fell to the ground. That tree was definitely real. I got back up and put one hand against the trunk. The tree was cool to the touch, even under the desert heat, and it was as solid as any. That had to mean that this was no illusion! I dropped my packs and plopped down beside the water's edge. With my hands, I scooped the water rapidly into my mouth. Instantly, the dry that filled my body was relieved and I felt my strength returning. A tingling feeling ran through my fingertips. I splashed some water on my face and basked in the sudden happiness that overcame me. When I was done splashing in the water, I pulled out a bottle and filled it to the rim with water, just in case.
From my waterside seat, I looked around to see what else I could find. Some of the trees bore fruits of all sorts. I looked around for a rock or something (since I was hungry) and upon finding one, steadied my aim and tossed it hard. The rock hit a bundle of fruit at the stem and the bundle fell to the ground. I put aside all else to get to the fruit and started eating. I had not had anything to eat for awhile, and the desert's trials had worn me out.
As I ate, I could faintly hear a soft humming sound. The humming grew a bit louder and began to sound like a woman humming. I began to feel somewhat nervous, but strangely calmed as well. I ate a little slower. Suddenly, I heard a voice.
"Enjoying yourself?" The voice was that of a woman's, sounding free and gentle and almost like a soft breeze in my ear. "You know, I don't get very many visitors…" I continued to eat and tried to ignore the voice. I stopped ignoring when a young woman stepped before me. Her hair was long and brunette and her skin was tanned. She wore a warm smile, appropriate for the desert terrain. "I won't hurt you… I know you're lost."
"Are you a mirage?" I finally asked.
"As real as the desert itself… My name is Uyala, and I am the Watcher of Sands… I am a spirit that helps travelers that come across my oasis."
"If that's the case, I'm in the need of help," I said.
"What is it that you need?" Uyala asked.
"I entered this desert with two others," I started. "Two fox spirits, to be exact. Anyway, a storm hit and we were separated… Well, I was separated from them. I need to find them desperately because we're supposed to be searching together for the Fire Key."
"The Fire Key is around the Kesu Rim in the volcanic area of the Wastelands," Uyala told me.
"Yeah, I know, but I'm not headed there until I find Ryth and Rona."
"Now that I think about it… I think they may have come by here at one point. They were talking to each other about finding some kind of civilization." Uyala pointed towards an expanse of dunes. "They headed that way. If you travel that way far enough, there should be a town… I'll keep the weather nice for you until you find your way."
"Thank you… Thank you… I really appreciate the help," I muttered.
"And feel free to take as much of that fruit with you as you want." I smiled and packed a few extra pieces of fruit into my pack. I got up from where I sat and started off in the direction Uyala had directed me to go…
For awhile, the sand I treaded on resembled the sand from before: same color, same texture, and loosely packed. I had come to accept that I may forever be lost travelling these shifting sands, at least until the ground beneath my feet changed. The ground became somewhat harder and more densely packed. Before long, I saw a group of tents gathered together not too far away. 'A town!' I thought. A smile came to my face, but I was not in a hurry. I took my time and saved my energy.
The town was quiet and there were no people outside. There was still sand, but it was very compacted here like solid ground. That might actually explain why there were no towns anywhere else in the desert. Actually, this "town" seemed more like a settlement, with fewer than twenty identical tents. I stood in the center of the settlement and waited; it would be rude to just run into someone else's tent. Almost on queue, one of the tent flaps opened and a man stepped out. His skin and hair were dark and he wore quite a bit of clothing for someone who lived in the desert. He turned his head around as though searching for something, but he stopped as he came across my puzzled expression.
"Another visitor!" the man shouted. His accent was very heavy and was a bit hard to understand. As a result of his shouting, several people poured out of the tents: women, men, children, most of which were dressed in a lot of clothing. Some of the men held blunt weapons and clubs, and others spears. They must have been the militia of the settlement.
'Did he say another visitor?' I asked myself. If it weren't for the faces the armed men made at me, I would feel reassured. One of the men approached me and held a spear to my neck.
"It is not common to get visitors out here…" The man's voice was deep and gravelly. "Only those sent by our great desert goddess, Uyala, should be allowed to arrive here. Today, you are our third visitor. Why?"
"I'm the third?" I asked in anticipation. "Were the other two fox spirits?"
The man looked from me to another nearby. The other man shrugged. "Describe 'em."
"Well, they're tall… And furry. Big bushy tails, and—"
"Then they are fox spirits," the man interrupted. "Tell me, are they friends of yours?"
"Actually, yeah… I got separated from them in a sandstorm… Have they been through here?"
"They've been here alright," the man said and chuckled. "But they never left. We thought they were monsters from the mainland."
"No, no… We have no harmful intentions. We only seek to find the Fire Key near the Kesu Rim." Some of the women gasped quietly. The man who held the spear to my neck pulled his weapon away.
"Then it is not my place to stop you… Why kill you now, when you will die anyway by the fire demon Kesu?"
"That's why I brought fox spirits along," I said. "Where are they?" The man snapped his fingers and a couple of the armed men entered a nearby tent. A minute later, Ryth and Rona were both brought out with spears to their backs. "Ryth! Rona!" I smiled.
"Cryos!" Ryth exclaimed. He seemed happy to see me too.
"What took you so long?" Rona asked in an angry tone.
"I got sidetracked," I started. "That sandstorm buried me alive… A beautiful woman named Uyala told me where to find you…"
"Still took your time…"
"So… You three are headed up into the volcanic area?" the gravelly-voiced man asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Take your foxes with you, and if you do make it out alive, be sure to come back and tell us all about it!" The man laughed a deep rumbling laugh and sent us three back off into the sands.
As we walked away, I said, "Aren't they a hospitable group of people?"
"Yeah, sure," Rona replied. "I don't think being locked up for twelve hours counts as 'hospitable.'"
"They could have at least given us food," Ryth whimpered. "I'm hungry…" I opened my sack and handed Ryth one of the fruits I had taken with me earlier. "Oh, thanks!" Ryth ate through the piece of fruit in a couple of minutes.
"I just want to get this Key and get out of here," Rona said. He definitely seemed to be in a bad mood. I turned around to look back once. It seemed that the wind had picked up again, because all that was behind us was another wall of flying sand…