Desert Scorpions

"Raise the gates!"

The clanging sound of chains echoes throughout the land of the golden sand. The guard then takes his place in front of the closed gate, outside the walls of Elusive Town. "Have a safe trip!"

The girl driving the caravan turns her head slightly and smiles at the blushing guard. From inside the leathery cover of the carriage, a female voice leaks out. "Why do we have to leave so soon?"

"Kali! It's how we make a living…"

The girl pouts. "I know, daddy, but I barely made any friends and we are leaving again…"

The man's voice comes out with audible pain in the sound. "Have a little patience, Kali… You'll make friends when we sell our goods. This time, I know for sure it'll fetch a lot in the market!"

While the two are arguing, the young girl driving the cart listens in silence and even though she has a covered face, a smile is noticeable from her eyes. She wears thin clothes for her curves to appear, which cover her body in the white robe, protecting her from the sun.

Under a desert hat, she has her hair tugged in, protecting her head from the sizzling rays that bombard her. She tries not to expose herself and if by any chance she does, it's as little as possible, which is not an easy feat in this climate. A few freckles on each cheek and yellowish brown eyes that emit kindness. A cloth of the same color as her robe covers her mouth to protect it from the dust particles floating around them.

The girl looks ahead and concentrates on her driving to stay on track. No matter how hard she focuses, Kali bursts out from inside the cart and startles her. "What do you think, sis?"

Kali wears the same outfit as her sister, minus the hat. They share the same eyes that brim with kindness. Her mischievous smile warms the heart. She has shoulder-length brown hair, coiled into a plait at the top.

"Cheeky brat… Go back inside if you don't want to turn into charcoal…"

Finishing her sentence, the girl driving, uses her hand to grab Kali by the head and shove her inside. "And stay in…!"

"Malia, be kinder to your sister…"

Malia pouts. "When she learns how to behave, dad…"

His thunderous voice makes her flinch. "Malia!"

She clicks her tongue. "Fine…"

Kali brings her head out once more and cheekily takes out her tongue before going back inside.

Malia says nothing and looks forward. She tightens her grip on the bridles and rams them. The camels carrying them fastened their pace, and the carriage slid onto the soft sand with ease.

The town gets smaller every passing second until they cannot see it. It vanishes behind the sand hills. Even though the desert appears like a linear surface, because of its color and how the front resembles the back, the concept of space and distance is an illusion. Unless one knows how to navigate through it, it's easy to get lost.

Their carriage is a simple enough construction to travel long distances. It's made of wood as the base and leather cover it, to keep the travelers safe from the sun. It's not like they don't feel the heat, but not getting hit directly makes it easier to continue their long trips.

The one Malia and her family use is tall enough for them to stand and long to lie down and sleep. The adequate space helps with storing the goods they intend to sell as well. It doesn't have the comfortable feel of a bed, but it's a necessity in the wilderness and its lurking dangers.

Because of the texture and unique surface of the area they live in, the carriages have two long pedals, left and right to keep it afloat, and easy to move around with the help of a couple of camels.

The cart moves quite fast with the help of the camels dragging it, and yet the passengers feel a tremor. Kali and her father peek outside from the back of the carriage and notice a line of elevated sand following them and keeping up with their speed.

Kali runs to the front. Worry and anxiety paint her face. "Sis, there's something following us!"

Malia nods and points to her left. "I know! It's not just one…"

The girl driving snaps her bridles, signaling the camels to go faster. Getting an unexpected hit, the beasts grunt and fasten their pace, gaining some distance from their chasers.

Moments later, when the camels can't keep going, they decide to make an impromptu stop. The old man points in a direction. "Malia, there's a new well that way!"

She nods and drives the cart in the direction her father suggested. Around this time, the sun begins its descent, which paints the sky in an orange hue. Malia and her family rested and drank until they had their fill. The camels rest in a seated position.

It didn't take long for the tremors to startle them. The camels awkwardly stand up and grunt. Before going on a rampage from underneath them, sand shoots out in all directions like a wave.

The camels disappear, leaving behind a hole and splattered blood. Malia's company remains motionless. Their breathing slows, but their beating hearts intensify, and their eyes are wide open, looking in all directions.

A hiss from under their feet leaves them trembling, fearing they are next. They didn't move, and the hissing moved over. From the holes, two creatures jump out. They hold a piece of camel in each caliper and feast in front of Malia and her family.

The old man's voice escapes his mouth. "Desert Scorpions!"

Kali can't take it much longer and starts crying. Her father hugs her tightly, hoping to calm her nerves, whereas Malia keeps looking at the creatures in front of her. 'Are these things pretending they are not seeing us?'

Malia stood up with caution and tried to take a step back. Like a descending tower of judgement, the creature's tail whistled down behind her, raising a cloud of dust. The girl flinched. "These bastards…! They are playing with us!"

One of the gigantic scorpions finished eating and towered over them, clasping its calipers. Each time those things bang together, they imagine themselves getting cut in half.

Malia doesn't accept such fate and takes another step back.

The scorpion swings its monstrous tail and flips over their cart. It later directs its sting at the tip of the tail towards Malia.

Her father jumps in front of his daughter and takes the attack, which sends him flying several meters before he comes crashing down. Kali runs to her father's side.

Malia, in a fit of rage, grabs a knife from the scattered goods and swings it at the scorpion's tail. The impact makes a clang sound and sends vibrations in the girl's body. The blade is now dull and useless.

She doesn't throw it away, though. She's determined to protect her family. Malia stands in front of them with her dull-bladed knife pointed towards the creatures.

She faces forward with the blade in hand. "Kali, how's dad...?"

Crying, the young girl holds her father in her arms. "He's breathing, but barely…!"

After shouting for help a few times, the creatures dove back into the sand. It's already dusk and red entered the tapestry of orange, making it seem darker.

Malia turns around to see her dad when she feels a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?"

She pulls back and swings her blade, driving it into Nox. When she realizes what she did, she drops the knife and stares at the blood on her hand. "I-I'm sorry…"

The Desert Scorpions jump out once again, surrounding them. Roi pulls out his dagger and stands in front of the wounded old man and Kali.

Nox holds his wound and looks at the trembling girl in front of him. "Can you at least patch it… Those things are back!"

Malia snaps out of the shock. "Y-Yes…!"

The young man takes off his shirt and lets the girl wrap his abdomen with a temporary cloth.

The scorpions screech and launch an attack. Roi deflects it and Nox grabs the blushing Malia and jumps back a few steps, closer to his companion. "Any ideas?"

{Loading…}

[Beastiary Updated]

Nox brings out the floating massive book and turns the pages until he finds the one that interests him.

Nox turns to Roi. "I need a little time!"

Roi jumps at the scorpions. The clanging of steel and the hard exterior of the creatures create sparks flying in all directions.

Nox reads. 'Desert Scorpion is an arthropod with an extremely hard exterior that normal weapons have no effect on. Physical attacks don't work, but attacks using magic can deal considerable amount of damage. Their poison...'

"Roi!"

The young man aims with his palm at the creatures that try to hit Roi without success. He evades them and slips through with his amazing speed. When he notices Nox is up to something, he jumps as high as he can.

The Desert Scorpions try to reach him with the tips of their tails, but Roi holds the dagger in front of him, deflecting them, and using their attacks to propel himself higher.

"\Ice Shards/"