1 Enter The Faux Desert

The sun beats down on an arid desert. The dunes spread out like a vast reddish-yellow sea in all directions. In the middle of it all, a boy about fifteen years old lay unconscious. Slowly he opens his eyes." Why is it so friggin hot?" he grumbles. The intense sunlight makes him squint, so he uses his hand to shield his eyes. A realization suddenly hits him, and his eyes open wide; he sits up abruptly. In a panic, he quickly looks to his left and then to his right.

" Where the heck am I?" He shouts in a state of panic. He stops for a second, closes his eyes, and begins taking deep breaths before slapping himself." Ok, I need to stay calm. This is only a dream," He thinks to himself. He opens his eyes slowly. " Nothing's changed. is this place real!?" His heart starts to race even faster. " Ok, ok, just settle down and continue breathing," He says, breathing heavily between each word. He takes deep breaths breathing in from his nostrils and breathing out with his mouth, doing so for several minutes. Finally, he soothes his nerves. the feeling of jitters starts to fade.

Taking a moment to look around, he is taken aback by how beautiful the landscape is. The dunes form like graceful waves accompanied by the scent of clean air. The piercing blue sky emits an overwhelming sense of peace." Where am I anyway," the boy wonders. "It sure is beautiful. He leans back a little and looks up at the sky. Questions begin to cross his mind. " How did I get here? What was I doing before?"

He closes his eyes and tries to remember what happened before he woke up. He begins to squeeze his eyes tightly and tries to force a memory into his mind. Doing this for several minutes, he lets out a sigh of disappointment. "It's no use. I can't remember a thing, not even my name," he thinks in self-defeat. Suddenly he hears a high pitched sound that begins to grow louder. He winces in pain as an overwhelming headache takes hold.

An image starts to form in his mind, and he sees himself walking through a large gate that appears to be in the back of an alleyway. He steps through, and a powerful light consumes him." Be forever changed my friend, rewrite your story," A voice echoes through his mind. With that, the memory fades, and the boy's body tingles all over. It all stops in an instant." That's right, I remember walking through some weird gate, but I can't remember much else." Taking a few more moments to come to terms with his new situation, he decides that there isn't anything he can do.

He stands up and dusts off his clothes. He pats his chest and stomach, checking for injuries. He stops when he notices that he is wearing fingerless leather gauntlets on both hands. He does a quick once over and sees that he is still wearing his black Henley t-shirt and brown chino pants, But his all-black high top sneakers are now accompanied by a matching set of black steel greaves. He wiggles his foot and finds the greaves to be surprisingly flexible. He smirks to himself." this is weird. I don't remember wearing an outfit like this." A sarcastic grin crosses his face" Don't tell me I'm one of those fantasy fanboys," He jokes.

The boy slowly surveys his surroundings `` well, when life gives you lemons," he says to himself. " I need to find a way out of this desert." He begins to walk, not knowing where he is going. The boy wanders the desert aimlessly; the silence is off-putting, so he decides to hum the tune to one of his favorite anime shows. After a few hours, the heat starts to get to him. He feels himself getting thirsty. "This totally sucks. I'm going to pass out if I don't find something to drink soon. "He thinks as he smacks his lips.

He continues on a little further, enduring his thirst. Before long, the dunes begin to fade into hard, dry land. Reddish-brown crags and craters start to take over the landscape like a city made from nature, the Plateaus and Hoodoo's tower over everything. By chance, the boy spots an oasis. His eyes glisten with joy. Unfortunately, that joy is short-lived when he discovers it is on the other side of a canyon connected by an old rickety rope bridge. "Of course, how convenient what I need is just out of reach, and I have to cross a death trap to reach it." the boy thinks to himself.

With no choice but to move forward, the boy finds his way to the start of the bridge. Cautiously he grabs onto the ropes on either side of the bridge. He steps carefully on the first plank, Creak! it screams out from under his weight. "Here goes nothing," the boy says. He carefully begins to make his way across the rickety bridge before hearing a snap behind him. A piece of rope from the bridge flies past his face." Why am I not surprised? He screams as he begins to run, only to trip and fall on the ground. To his surprise, there was a small rocky pillar connecting two bridges across the canyon.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he starts across the second bridge. He makes it across without any more trouble. Finally, he reaches the other end of the canyon. Hastily he makes his way to the oasis, drops to his knees, and scoops the water up with both hands. Taking a drink of water, he immediately spits it back out.

" Gross, the water is bitter." The boy proclaims as he spits, trying to get rid of the awful taste. Just then, a spear flies past his face grazing his cheek slightly. He quickly turns in the direction from where the spear came, and a rock the size of a lemon is gliding toward him. Without thought, he catches the stone. His mind is still trying to catch up with what is happening when Two humanoid creatures in tattered poncho's, known as Ragabonds, rush him. The first Ragabond bends down as the second one leaps off of its shoulders into a flying kick with both feet.

Even though everything is moving at regular speed, the boy is shocked by how clearly and precisely he can see the Ragabond's movement." I think I got this," he thinks to himself. Gaining his composure, he steps back slightly, allowing the creature to fly past. When the Ragabond is about halfway, the boy brings down his elbow into what appears to be the Ragabond's solar plexus. The Blow Sends the Ragabond hurling to the ground. The creature hits the floor with massive impact, bouncing its body high off the ground to the boy's surprise." Did I really just do that," the boy thinks.

Without skipping a beat, the other humanoid creature lunges forward with a sharp-clawed hand. The boy, frozen with amazement at his newfound strength, notices his attacker a little too late. Just inches away from hitting its target, the Ragabond is struck by a trident with its middle thorn missing, instantly pinning the humanoid to the ground by its neck. The boy seizes the moment and brings his fist down hard into the creature's skull, knocking it out instantly. Ragabonds begin to burst out from beneath the ground, and others spring out from the waters. Soon what appears to be one hundred Ragabonds now surround the boy.

A serious-looking young man with a mustard yellow bandana comes flying through the air like a majestic eagle. His body twists and turns three times before he lands causal picking up his trident." It looks like you can use some help," he says in a monotone voice. A brief gust of wind blows by, and the serious young man's green hooded cape cloak blows in the wind. He points his trident at the crowd of Ragabonds. "My name is Jabel, and I'll be your executioner," he bellows. The Ragabonds begin to chatter their teeth simultaneously as they slowly start to close in.

" Dude! we are clearly outnumbered, so you might not want to taunt them." says the boy.

"Stay focused. Ragabonds are incredibly tenacious and won't stop until they've put us in the ground." Jabel Answers as he grips his trident tightly

" Morbid much?" Replies the boy as he raises his fist, getting into a fighting stance. The Ragabonds charge forth, letting out a tremendous battle cry. The boy and Jabel press back to back, bracing themselves for the incoming onslaught. A clawed hand is swung wildly at the boy, but he swats it downward, causing the Ragabond to stagger forward. Smack! a straight right connects with the creature's jaw sending it hurling into the enemy line pushing it back.

Jabel thrust his trident forward, catching one of the Ragabonds in between its thorns, and in one smooth motion, he twists the pole causing the Ragabond to spin aimlessly in the air. The boys simultaneously switch sides—their moves in sync. The boy lands a barely passable sidekick sending the spinning Ragabond crashing into its comrades. Jabel precisely swipes his trident across the ground, causing it to upheaval.

The dirt provides a veil obstructing Jabel from enemy view. Jabel extends his hand forward, locking a wheel-like mechanism on his trident. He then spins his trident, causing a violent wind to blow the particles forward, Pelting the Ragabonds with rocks and dirt. The Ragabonds recuperate quickly and start to chatter their teeth again. The boys brace themselves for a second wave.

Surprisingly the Ragabonds back off and begin to form a two-layered circle around them. They pull little stone knives from their makeshift belts. The front line crosses their arms in front of their chest, lowering their heads, making sure only to expose the forehead. Simultaneously, the second line holds their stone knives over the shoulders of its front line.

" They have weapons, did you know that?" The boy says in surprise.

"It doesn't matter whether weapons or not. It does not change what we have to do," Jabel assures the boy.

"Tsk! Look at you, the cool guy." The boy jokes.

The Ragabonds start to march forward. The boys tighten their stance and prepare for what is to come next. The Ragabonds continue to close in on the two boys but suddenly stop dead in their tracks as they all look in the same direction. They listen as the sound of a blow horn can be heard in the distance. The horn sounds a second time." We Go," shouts a Ragabond in a raspy voice. The Ragabonds break formation and quickly hurry in the direction of the sound.

"Ok, that was weird." The boy says as he lowers his hands. He stares as the Ragabonds continue to disappear amongst the rocks and crags.

"You escaped with your life, and that's all that matters." Jabel slides his trident horizontally into a holster on the back of his waist. "Here, Drink this," He says as he throws a canteen at the boy's feet then begins to walk away" Try and be careful The Ragabonds have been more aggressive lately." Jabel continues to go his own way. The boy quickly snatches up the canteen.

" Wait...Raga, what, Hey, hold on a minute" The boy reaches out and places his hands on Jabel's shoulder. Jabel Shrugs off the boy's hand and continues to walk away. "Dude, why are you being like this. Who helps a guy out and then just bails on him" The boy snapped

Jabel stops and looks behind his shoulder. "It's dangerous here. Two people traveling together will only attract more attention.

"This may sound weird, but I only recently came to this place, and I don't remember much before that," the boy says as he rubs his neck." I could really use the help man."

Jabel closes his eyes for a moment to think, " when I arrived here, I too had no memories, he begins, " so I can sympathize with you."

" so will you help me."

There is a long pause of silence as Jabel thinks. "Fine, follow me. I have a camp nearby" The boy takes a drink of water from the canteen and begins to follow Jabel. They walk a short distance before coming to a large crag with a giant hole in it. It formed a perfect place for a temporary home. In the middle sat a campfire with a cooking pot over it. Two flat stones sat on opposite sides around it, providing seating. Off to the side sat two large jars full of water, in the far corner padding for a bed.

The boy takes a seat near the campfire and finishes chugging down his water. " that hit the spot he said in relief. Jabel takes a seat as well, crossing his arms in front of him. He looks the boy up and down, sizing him up. The boy stares back.

" We haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. My name is Jabel, Jabel Amarian."

" Wow, you are extremely formal. 'My name is Jabel Amarian' Seriously, who talks like that" the boy jokes.

" You don't remember your name?" Jabel replies, completely ignoring the boy's joke." I see your case seems to be a lot worse than mine was"

" Now wait just a minute. I don't have a case of anything. I mean, yeah I may not remember at the moment but calling it a case is-'' the familiar high pitch sound causes the boy to stop and hold his head as he experiences a brief headache. " From this point on, you will be known as Rajak Malheur," the same voice echoes through his mind.

" Are you alright, my friend?" Jabel says, reaching out and grabbing the boy's shoulder, a look of concern on his face.

"Ra...Rajak Malheur" Rajak moans.

"Excuse me," says Jabel

" My name is Rajak Malheur" The headache clears, and Rajak raises his head.

Jabel Raises an eyebrow. " what kind of name is Rajak Malheur?"

" What the heck kind of name is Jabel Amarian?"

They stare at each other for a moment before both boys begin to burst out laughing. They continue to make small talk for a while, enjoying each other's company. Rajak feels complete now that he has remembered his name, And Jabel feels a sense of relief having someone his age to talk to. Then a question is posed.

"How do we get out of this desert?" ask Rajak

Jabel crosses his arms as a frown comes across his face. He begins to speak in his monotone voice. "You have to go to a place called Deadman's Gateway" he points to the east, "It's about ten miles in that direction." He stares into space, deep in thought; Rajak doesn't say anything. He watches him in silence. Jabel continues to speak. " I have been there several times before, but I could not find a way through. A giant metal wall blocks the way to freedom."

" Take me there," Rajak says. "I don't know where I am, but I don't want to live the rest of my days here in this desert. I Want to go home wherever that may be."

"It's not possible" Jabel's voice elevates for the first time since he and Rajak have met." I've been stuck here for two years now." Jabel punches the stone he is sitting on." I want to go home too" He puts his face in his hands, his body tremors as he tries to hold back his tears.

"Take me there," Rajak says, putting his hands on Jabel's shoulders. " I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I promise I will bust through that wall. Jabel looks up, and his eyes meet with Rajaks. Jabel notices a strong determination in them. He wasn't sure why but he believed in the words that Rajak spoke. He believed that Rajak would fulfill his promise.

" We leave in the evening, " Jabel replies.