A Startling Discovery

The sun beats down on the massive desert that covers the land as far as the eye can see. The sand shifts around, covering the foot steps of two men. One trudges in airy, thin, shorts held up by a belt also holding a sabre that glistens in the light. Parts of his shirt are made of a mesh allowing air to flow through while still protecting him from the harsh sun. The other one has similar clothing but with light armor on his shoulders and arms, a spear strapped to his back.

"Do you have any more water Roke?" The tired man asks the guy in light armor.

"I should still have some left in my..." Roke stops walking as he starts turning in circles like a dog trying to catch it's own tail.

"Don't tell me you dropped it..." The man says with disappointment. Roke stops spinning.

"...I dropped it somewhere..." He responds nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry Stro,"

Stro simply lets out a sigh before continuing to walk.

"Next time we find a town and get more bottles, again, I'll carry them,"

"A-Alright..." Roke responds with a look of shame.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," Stro says tapping Roke on the shoulder, "We're not gonna die or anything," Stro stops walking again and shades his eyes with a hand, "I think I see a town, come on," He states with a sudden burst of energy. They make it to a town made of small buildings and large tents by nightfall. Though the sands surrounding the town are dark blue like the depths of the ocean, all the lanterns make the sand in town sparkle like gold as they provide a blanket of warmth from the cold.

"Greetings young travelers," A merchant at a stand says as Roke and Stro approach, "Is there anything I can sell you two to aid you on your journey?" The man makes various gestures towards his merchandise hoping to appeal to them.

"Do you have any water?" Stro asks with a parched throat.

"Nope, but the tavern should. It's right over there," The man says pointing to one of the small buildings not too far away.

"Thanks," He replies and the two make their way inside. Many people inside the dimly lit tavern are drinking and chatting with one another. The person behind the bar who was talking to some people finishes their sentence before walking to an open part of the bar.

"Some water please," Stro says as he puts some bronze coins down. The man takes the coins and walks over to a large vase. He pours water into two small clay cups and lays them down for the two men, then walks back to the people he was talking to earlier.

Stro and Roke take the cups and lift them up, treating it like a shot. They both let out a breath of relief.

"We've been travelling in the deserts of Sahir for two weeks, and I still can't get over how refreshing water feels now," Stro says as he puts down his cup.

"Yeah," Roke replies, "As common as it is back at the capital, water's almost a luxury anywhere else. Not to mention the capital's much cooler than the most of the kingdom,"

"No kidding. I'm actually starting to miss the eternal eclipse," Stro pulls out a map from a belt pouch and unrolls it in front of them. The map has three thick lines of ink, separating it into four sections, a red "X" in the southern region. "Where do you think we are now?" Stro says pulling out a feather and a small bottle of ink.

"Um, maybe in this region?" He half says half asks putting a finger near the lower part of the northern section of the map. They hear a small chuckle.

"More like up here," The man at the bar says putting his finger a bit higher up than Roke's. He notices the X, "Are you two looking to leave this war by going to the South?" The man asks.

"Nope, we're going to try and get that land," Stro states.

"For what? Making a part of Sahir?"

"Yup," He replies as he rolls up the map, "King's orders,"

"Of course," The man says with annoyance as he grabs the cups and puts them on a shelf, "King Crick would be planning to expand this kingdom. I swear, he's become a madman wanting nothing more than bloodshed. You two needing anything else?"

"Just two bottles please," The man reaches under the counter and pulls up two empty bottles. Stro gives him some more coins before taking the bottles.

"I wish you luck on your travels," The man says as the two get up to leave, "Just don't go around killing everyone when you get there,"

The two leave the tavern and enter the town once more.

"Has King Crick always been this hated?" Stro asks as they walk through the sandy streets.

"No, but he also use to be, caring," Roke says, "Up until his wife passed away some time ago, he was a kind and just king who never sought fights like he does now,"

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"I've been thinking..."

"About what?"

"About home, my home, and that...maybe I wasn't the only one brought here. There's suppose to be six people who were sent to end this war, right?"

"Yes, and luckily we got you,"

"Is there anyone else?"

"Um, not that I know of...but, there has been word Klyfland and Qanas both have someone,"

"Was there any word of what they look like?"

"Um..." Roke seems hesitant to answer.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

"Roke, what are you hiding from me?" Hesitantly, Roke takes out a scroll from his belt pouch.

"I can't keep this a secret any longer, here," He says holding out the scroll. Stro takes it and looks around before gesturing for Roke to follow him to an empty alleyway before unrolling the scroll.

The scroll reads:

Our scouts have gotten some important information regarding the other kingdoms. Klyfland and Qanas have sent people to the South to capture a fort in a vital place. Our sources say that the people they sent are their Warriors of Hope. We must have them on our side by any means necessary. The Klyfland one is said to be a young girl by the name of Berryla, the Qanas one is an older girl by the name of Rachel.

Stro just stares blankly at the scroll as he re-reads the last sentence over and over.

"Stro...you alright?" Roke asks with concern. He almost jumps when Stro quickly rolls up the scroll and holds it out for Roke to take.

"We need to get to that fort before they do," He says sternly as he stampedes out of the alleyway into the streets.

"S-Stro we've been travelling through the desert for days now we must rest here for the night at least,"

"We have no time,"

"Stro, wait," Roke grabs his arm. Stro turns to push Roke off of him, but stops himself. He glares at Roke for awhile before looking away and pulling his arm out of his grasp. He takes a step away before turning back to Roke with a look of anger and worry.

"Those two people King Crick wants, are my younger sisters,"