AN: I got a Deviantart account to help expand the audience of my Fics! Hopefully more people get to read them, though as I write this, only the first few chapters for KOT are up.

Alright, last chapter of the batch. Hope you enjoy it.

JON

KASHERE DRIFTLANDS

Jon walked through the location that was essentially half desert and half canyon. It was completely covered in sand, save for some rocks that suddenly jutted out of the ground.

He had come here as part of his strategy to have multiple scans of the same locations as much as possible. He was honestly surprised to find out that only a few players chose to do so. Some locations he understood, such as the Lava Pond and the Storm Tunnel, but other locations, where there was less danger, it only seemed natural to have spares for trading.

He had of course checked the location's danger rank before coming here. According to the last entry, which was over three moons ago, it was ranked at C, due to the heat of the sun. It was also noted that few Mipedians called the location their home, despite it being their territory. Sure, there would be the occasional patrol of the territory, but in terms of permanent residence, the closest was a Mipedian Muge named Tianne. But even he lived more on the edge of the location than in it.

Jon had also learned his lesson from the first time he was in Mipedian territory. He was wearing a shirt that would cause him to freeze to death in Winterfell, but that still felt like it was too much in the sun. His pants were also lighter than those he wore at home, but they still covered his entire legs.

"Note to self, if I ever end up in Dorne, pick up tips on how to handle the heat." Jon muttered to himself as he climbed up a hill of sand. "Or, just find a Dornish Player and ask. That would probably be better."

He jumped over the hill as he reached the top and began going down. He would guess that he was about a mile and a half from where he originally ported into the Driftlands. But, by scouting the area ahead of time, he could perhaps find anything else of interest and scan it as well.

With the sun bearing down on him, Jon was relieved to find a rock formation that was dripping wet for some reason.

"I doubt they have those in Dorne." Jon muttered as he ran up to it.

Whatever it was, the result was a pool of water large enough for Jon to stick his face in to cool off. After he did so, he cupped his hands and brought the water to his lips, savoring the cool refreshment as he tried to find his bearings.

He could feel a slight breeze as well. He supposed that the gods were helping him out in this unfamiliar land. Although, he did note that the sound the wind was making was a bit odd. Perhaps another quirk of the location. The wind was blowing in his face even though the sound was coming from behind h-

"OH FUCK" Jon realized as he jumped into the pool of water, right before a claw of some kind shot out of the ground and pinched the air where Jon's torso had been mere moments ago.

Jon crawled further into the pool as the rest of his assailant's body emerged from beneath the sand. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his Scanner to examine his attacker. The scan finished, but Jon could not spare more than a cursory glance as the creature revealed itself.

Jon had seen the creature before, but only in images in Luwin's books. At first, he believed it to be a giant scorpion, but as its face was more human like. The thought of a Manticore briefly crossed his mind. He then saw that it had only four legs, and while the body was a bluish green, the tail had patches of red all over it.

It readied an attack, only to pause. Jon figured it was unwilling to destroy this water source just to kill him.

A hiss emanated from the scorpion like creature before him. "A foolish human wishes to take Slurhk's water? Or have those blasted lizards decided to send you to scout instead of their own?"

Jon remembered his first visit to Perim. Sobtjek had mentioned Slurhk, an Overworlder who had been fighting the Mipedians for years. One they all hated.

'But he is an Overworlder…' Jon thought.

"I thought you Overworlders were supposed to leave us alone! Isn't it part of a deal your leaders in Kiru made?" Jon said as he stood up.

Slurhk growled again. "Lies! The desert is Overworld territory. All those who are not of the tribe are enemies. And then you steal our Water! No true Overworlder would ever let one not of the tribe live!"

Slurhk's tail struck forward, but Jon managed to dodge it, instead the stinger embedded itself into the rock.

Jon had known that it would be foolish to wander Perim without a way to defend himself. So he had come prepared.

He pulled out a Dagger he grabbed from the armory of Winterfell before leaving. He had no idea if it would hurt the creature, but that did not stop him from stabbing the flesh of the tail that the carapace did not cover.

"AAAAHHH!" Slurhk yelled as the steel was thrust into him.

Jon went to pull the dagger out, but found that it was now pinched too tightly by the carapace for him to remove easily. Before Jon could do anything else to harm the creature, Slurhk screamed. "Thunder Shout!"

The force of his voice sent Jon flying out of the pond and into the sand. He had been forced to let go of the Dagger, which was still wedged in an opening on Slurhk's tail.

In moments, the Overworlder was on top of him. Pain was clear on his face. "YOU, YOU DARE TO HARM ME! MIPEDIAN FILTH! I KNEW YOU WERE ONE OF THEM!" The creature screeched.

Jon grabbed a rock small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. With as much force as he could manage, he chucked it right at Slurkh's face. He tried to bat it away with his tail, but the pain of the dagger was enough to slow it down and the stone hit right in his mouth, knocking out a fanglike tooth.

As Slurhk reeled back in pain, Jon stood up. His body was hurting, but he did not think anything was broken.

Unfortunately, by the time he tried to reach for his Scanner, Slurhk had recovered and just straight tackled Jon to the ground, the pain in his tail too much for him to focus on an actual attack.

Slurhk put his right Pincer arm on either side of Jon's neck. One small move, and Jon would find himself without his head.

"Any last words trespasser?" Slurhk asked, blood dripping from his mouth and landing right on Jon's face.

"W-wait! There is a reason you should not kill me!" Jon lied as his hand reached for his Scanner again, hoping to port out while he could.

"OH? And what would that be?" Slurhk asked mockingly.

"The reason… is because... NOW ZHADE!" Jon yelled.

In an instant, Slurhk had released him, and turned around to face the actual Mipedian enemy. He let out an attack of some kind, Jon could not tell from his position, only for an Airsault to hit him from the side.

In an instant, three Mipedians appeared out of the Air. Ario, Biondu, and Zhade. The Airsault had come from Ario.

"Come on you Danian! Meet your doom like the bug you are!" Biondu yelled out.

Slurhk let out another screech and charged forward at the orange Mipedian.

While those two held Slurhk's attention, Zhade grabbed Jon off of the ground and used the Torweg Jon did not notice to get them both a good distance away before placing the human on his feet. "How did you know I was here?" He asked Jon.

Jon was utterly shocked by the events of the last several seconds. "I didn't. I was just going to Port out while he was distracted. How long have you been here?" He asked the first creature he had scanned.

"Been hunting him for two days. We heard him scream, when we got here, we saw you had your battlegear in his tail. Nice work." Zhade slapped his back, and it was only luck that Jon was able to maintain his balance.

"Listen, I gotta go back them up. Hopefully we can end him once and for all. Next time you find yourself in the Oasis, I'll get you a Mipedian Cactus. My treat." Zhade said as he flew off to join his tribesmen in eradicating a long time threat.

Jon watched from afar as the three Mipedians fought the Overworlder, who despite the injuries Jon inflicted, was able to stalemate them.

It was when a rogue Powerpulse almost hit Jon that he figured it was time to get out while he could. He reached for his Scanner just as Slurhk unleashed an EarthPulse, knocking everyone to the ground. Jon grabbed his Scanner and hit it without looking, as he was ported out.

SKELETAL SPRINGS

Jon felt himself be lifted off the sand, and on to a pile of some kind, but it was too dark to see.

"Damn. I must have hit a location scan instead of Chaotic." Jon summarized from his current state. He still felt the pain, but now he was not in any danger, so he could recover and catch his bearings.

He still did not believe any of his injuries were severe. At worse, he was simply rattled.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position. His hand grabbed onto something, he could not tell exactly what, so he pulled it closer and was shocked to see it was a bone. A femur, if Luwin's lessons were applicable.

Jon looked at the Scanner's screen. Sure enough, he had been transported to Skeletal Springs. One of the few locations he had that he had not yet visited.

One of the reasons for his procrastination in doing so was seeing the spring of green liquids in a drome match. He was more than willing to bet that such would be either acid or poisonous, so he had pushed back on exploring such a dangerous location. He had not checked, but he assumed this location was rated B or above in terms of danger. And now he was here.

Jon took a moment to stand, so he could view the location himself.

The place was truly a graveyard that had not been buried. He was just below what was essentially a cliff of bones that led to the lake.

He was just about to begin moving, when he felt the ground shake as a separate pile of bones exploding from a light hitting them.

Jon crouched down, using the bones around him as cover. He had left one battle only to enter into another's beginning.

He risked putting his head above the bones to see just how large the battle was.

Strangely, he only saw one one creature. The creature had the horns of a ram and a yellowish fur on his skin. He also wore a red breastplate, blue pladed pants, and black wristguards. On one of his wristguards, a Vlaric Shard was hastily attached, so the creature was likely capable of Earth attacks. A turn of his head let Jon see that a ring of some metal pierced his nose.

It was the Overworld Warrior Arias. One of the strongest in terms of Power. And for some reason, he was either training here, or fighting a hidden enemy. But which was it?

The question was answered mere moments later, when Arias pulled a battlegear up to his face. It resembled a skull of some kind with a pair of Myrish looking glasses Jon had seen from Luwin's lessons. The Looking glass parts moved on their own for a moment, extending and collapsing until they stopped moving.

A Spectral Viewer. The Battlegear most suited to fighting the Mipedians and their invisibility.

Arias raised his free arm and shot forth an energy of some kind at another hill of bones. This time, the Mipedian opponent was forced to reveal himself as he failed to dodge the attack.

As he materialized, Jon got a good look. He was small for a Mipedian, but he did resemble Zhade in his shoulders and neck. After a moment, Jon recognized the creature as Siado, one of the Mipedians' best Stalkers. And one who was regularly tasked with either sentry or scouting missions for the Royal Family.

'Great, I get away from one Mipedian versus Overworld battle only to wind up in another.' Jon thought as he ducked under the bones to avoid a Flash Kick that missed its mark.

"COME ON LIZARD! IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!" Arias yelled as Siado resumed his invisibility.

Arias brought the Spectral Viewer to his face once again, only to stagger backwards almost as if he had been struck in the face, the battlegear ripped out of his hands and tossed in the air, where a well timed Ectospasm blasted the skull to pieces.

With no way to see his invisible foe, Arias backed away, keeping his hands free and ready for any chance to launch an attack.

Unfortunately, Siado was not planning on fighting just yet. Jon saw him reappear behind another bone pile. And now in his hands, was a Mugic. Shaped as a heptagon, it was pale yellow and hollow in the center.

Jon found his hands grabbing onto his Scanner in an almost instinctual manner. He had yet to scan any Mugic in Perim, and as he understood it, they were the least common of all the types to scan unless you had the location of a Muge's home. Hopefully they would be too preoccupied to notice the light of the Scanner.

The Mugic floated above Siado and the hill of bones. Out of Siado emerged some sort of yellow spirit that resembled a person or a creature only in the broadest terms. It was a Mugician.

Jon Scanned it right as the Mugician entered the Heptagon. He read the name of it just as Siado called it out.

"Song of Recovery! Heal Me and empower my Air!" His voice rang out and was instantly followed by a blanket of purple lights descending from the sky and enveloping Siado's body. Its job complete, the Mugic then faded from existence as the purple light did. Now Siado was healed and empowered.

Having realized the bluff too late, Arias charged forward, hoping to not give Siado enough time to recover.

In response, Siado jumped out from his own cover, his invisibility also inactive. Jon was unsure if it was part of a plan, if he was confident he did not need it, or if he wanted to hold Arias' attention while another invisible Mipedian continued on unabated.

""Thunder Shout!"" Both creatures yelled in near unison. The two shouts, one empowered by Air, the other by Earth, struck each other and created a pulse that pushed both creatures farther away, and several of the Skeletal remains of the Location were blasted into the air and rained down.

It was when Jon deflected a Skull from hitting his own that he realized he should get out while he still could. The fact that this made three Thunder Shouts he had witnessed in one trip, and remembering how painful one that had not been empowered, was another factor in the decision.

Tightening the grip on his Scanner, Jon ported out and returned to Chaotic, with neither creature making any sign that they had noticed him witness their battle.

CHAOTIC- PORT COURT

Just like all the times before, Jon returned to the safety of Chaotic.

Wanting to get the information out, He walked to one of the Information Tables and inserted his Scanner into the slot.

He briefly reviewed the Scans that he had obtained.

Ironically, he had been so preoccupied with Slurhk that he did not get an additional scan of the Kashere Driftlands. So in that sense, the Scan Quest was a failure. But he would consider what he did get more than enough to make up for it.

His scan of Slurhk would likely be his only one, as he had no intention of meeting the Overworlder again. But his stats showed that he may be a good addition to Jon's deck.

Slurhk- Common

Energy: 50

Courage: 55

Power: 40

Wisdom: 30

Speed: 50

Mugicians: 0

Confirming that he would want to keep the Scan, Jon examined the Mugic he had also scanned as well.

Song of Recovery- Uncommon

Heal 10 damage to Target Creature. That Creature gains Air 5 until the end of this Turn.

Once both scans were examined and confirmed, he searched for the Kashere Driftland location information through the table. Skimming it, he noted that no mention was made of Slurhk at all.

Jon had already learned to familiarize himself with the technology or magic of Chaotic. He added in his own experience in the Driftlands.

'To any who come here, beware. An Overworld Creature resembling a Scorpion has made the location his own. He had no interest in fulfilling the Overworld's stance of non-hostility, instead accusing me of being a Mipedian Spy. If not for Mipedian warriors arriving to hunt him, I would likely have died.'

Jon watched as the danger level for the location was raised up to B. Same as Mount Pillar. He doubted it would cause Players to stay away, but if at least one life could be saved, it would be worth it.

The moment Jon pulled his Scanner out of the table, a message appeared on it. Jon had to admit, it was much more convenient than sending one of the Drones to find a player. He read the message as he walked to a food table.

'WHITEWOLF. A NEW PLAYER HAS JOINED CHAOTIC AND IS ON THE WAY TO THE AMZEN DROME. YOU HAVE BEEN RANDOMLY SELECTED TO BE THEIR FIRST OPPONENT. PREPARE FOR A ONE ON ONE BATTLE WITHIN THE NEXT HALF HOUR. WE WISH YOU LUCK.'

Jon smirked as he read it. He remembered his first day here. Hopefully he could give the new player an easier time. Help them ease into it and get the hang of it. He did not like the idea of beating newcomers to get his wins. Taking a minute just to get some water and bread to fill his stomach, Jon made his way to the Amzen Drome.

This Drome was largely white, with a blue pattern that Jon thought reminded him of a spine and the connecting ribs on a drawing. Blue half circles decorated the area between the two entrances.

Jon could see the crowd of Players who had no doubt swarmed the newcomer just as they had him. He actually thought he recognized some of them as the ones from his own swarm. Do they just wait around for new Players?

Jon entered the entrance opposite of the crowd. The Amzen's unique appearance externally giving way to the identical green area of all the Dromes.

He saw the new player. Or more specifically, the new player's back, as he was almost looking like he would make a break for it.

"Calm down." Jon interrupted the silence. "I know this is weird, but you are safe."

The Player turned around, and Jon felt the color drain from his face as his mind went blank.

"JON!" The Heir of Winterfell, Robb Stark exclaimed. "WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The first thought Jon had when his mind returned was as follows.

'RANDOMLY SELECTED? YEAH RIGHT!"

AN: And thus, this section of the story ends. As I said in the last chapter, the next update will be a surprise (Almost done writing that actually, just needs a satisfying end point and a title), but then followed up with KOT. I am actually in the middle of rereading it to get back into the mindset. It is actually amazing how much I can see how I have improved.

As for this chapter, Slurhk is a creature that is antithetical to the rest of the Overworld Tribe. Which was kind of the point in Shifting Sands. He showed Tom that no one Tribe is fully good or evil. I actually have plans for him and several other creatures. And I wanted to show the difference between Jon and the Chaotic Humans- He can at least fight back better. Most of the time a human WILL LOSE to a creature, but that does not mean it is completely hopeless.

The Arias and Siado battle was mainly to extend the chapter and try to describe Mugic in Perim. It's their magic system, and I hoped to do it justice.

Finally, the cliffhanger. I have not done much with Robb in other stories, but here he would be another viewpoint character to focus on. It has been getting difficult just trying to have Jon carry an entire chapter without changing POVS. If you have read my other stories, you will know I favor smaller sections of multiple characters in different areas.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter and check out the other stories.

Have a good day.

Jaehaerys Joestar