She Encounters a Sandstorm

And now Robin suddenly found she had nothing to do. There had always been something to occupy herself -too much, in fact. So now that she found herself with time on her hands, she wasn't sure what to do.

Robin heard a little mew. Skye jumped down onto her lap with eyes that seemed to beg 'pet me'. Robin obliged, scratching the flying cat behind the ears. Skye purred with contentment, but Robin heard it as Skye humming a little tune.

"That's right, where's Elise?" Robin asked, looking around.

Gerard pointed outside. "She's 'communicating with the atmos-feer'." He said. "Whatever that means."

Robin glanced outside again, and once more saw that lone figure atop a sandy dune. As the person's appearance was obscured behind the goggles and face scarf, she couldn't make out their features. But, the figure seemed to be listening for something.

Robin also listened. There was nothing. The wind itself had died down, and only the noise of the caravan moving could be heard. When her eyes turned to the figure again, they had moved out of sight of the carriage.

A tapping on the glass moved Gerard to open the window and let Elise back in.

"So? how was your communications with the atmosphere?" Robin asked.

Elise stared, quietly, which was odd for her usually cheerful expression. Her lips parted and she said.

"The winds are gathering."

"Gathering? But there isn't even a breeze right now!" Gerard objected. "Wouldn't that make an even bigger breeze?"

"The winds are gathering. The winds are gathering!" Elise repeated, looking shaken.

Robin's eyes widened as she thought of a possibility.

"They are gathering around us?" Robin asked to confirm. Elise nodded, biting her lip.

If this had happened on regular land, it would have been considered a hurricane. But out here in the desert, with the high winds...it was a huge sandstorm. And they were now smack dab in the center of its formation, in the eye of the storm.

Robin looked solemn, then said. "Stay here." the Carriage had enchantments to protect it from harm, So staying inside it was the safest bet. But someone had to warn the rest of the caravan.

"Robin? Where are you going?" Jasmine asked, surprised, seeing her stand up from her chair.

"To warn the caravan." Robin's expression was dark.

Robin opened the door and hopped out into the shifting sands, using mana to stabilize her footing. She then ran down the line to the guide who sat upon a camel-like beast at the front.

"Hold!" Robin called. "I have important news!"

The guide tilted his head in amusement. "What sort of news could those who live on solid ground possibly have to give that requires us to stop? As you can see, the land is flat ahead of us. There are no bandit hiding places upon this path."

Robin kept pace with the Camel beast.

"We have a wind user in our group who is contracted to a wind fairy. Ahead of us, behind us, and all around us, the winds have gathered and risen into a storm."

The man driving a carriage behind the guide laughed. "How can you say that we're in a storm? the sun is above us, there's not even a breeze, and everyone is hasn't so much as seen a drop of water falling from the sky, it's so hot that it would evaporate."

While the carriage driver spoke, the guide looked ahead of them and his face grew more and more pale. "Oh, All-father!" He gasped. "It's the great Sandshifting Storm!"

"The what?" the carriage driver asked.

"Stop the caravan and gather them all into a protective circle, and perhaps one out of a hundred of you will live to tell the tale." the guide explained, then he turned to Robin, and hesitated.

"It is as you say, young man." The guide then shakily admitted. "It happened in my grandfather's time. To think it would happen again in my own time must be my great misfortune. Many of us might not even live to tell the tale."

"No-no way!" The carriage driver's face also paled. "You're just trying to scare me, right? Right? You can't possibly be serious?"

The guide shook his mead morosely. "I'm not so foolish as to speak lightly of death."

"So, you led us to our deaths!?"

"Even I cannot determine the will of nature! Even my grandfather, who led thousands of caravans across the desert safely, only just barely survived in the belly of a dead camel! I would like to see you have the determination to do so!" the guide frowned.

It seemed like the two were about to fight, but Robin clapped her hands, drawing their attention.

"Gather everyone together like you said. We'll try and see if there's anything we have that can ensure our lives!" Robin pumped her fist in the air. "I know some things that might help out, so I'm not giving up without a fight!"

As she ran back down the line, determination came back into the hearts of the guide and the carriage driver. "That's right. My grandfather survived this, and so can I! Gather the caravan into a circle!"

---

Robin had been to many places back on earth, especially during her training how to rescue people. She had even learned several rescue procedures she could use in case of life threatening injuries. So she knew how damaging a sandstorm could be, especially getting caught out in the open like this. But she also knew what could be done to survive the sandstorm.

the long caravan was quickly gathered into a protective circle.

"What is this, sir guide? Why are we taking a break so early?" one of the carriage drivers at the back of the line asked.

"A wind user among us detected the winds are gathering ahead of us." The guide explained. "I won't lie: we are about to encounter a huge sandstorm. It is not something you can survive without preparation, so we have stopped ahead of time to prepare."

"A sandstorm?"

"No way!"

"Without any shelter!?"

"Ahem!" The guide brought their attention back to him. "I will leave the explanation of what measures to take up to this young man here." he turned to look at Robin.

Robin stepped up. "Firstly, we gathered the carriages and wagons together like this to form a protective barrier. I know that a lot of you can just sit tightly in your carriages and not worry about it, but the barrier isn't for you. It's for the animals who are pulling your carriages."

As the hero, Robin could have raised a barrier to cover them all...but since she had to hide her identity, she couldn't do anything to make people suspect her. She had already raised a barrier back in Peg Leg City. So it was reasonable to assume that anyone who was interested in the hero already had information about it.

Thus, she could only give instructions to cover the eyes, ears, and mouths of the animals with cloth, to prevent sand from entering the lungs.And have them brought in behind the barrier of carriages. Just after this was done, Robin heard thunder in the distance.

She looked up. A huge cloud of sand was fast approaching.

"Get into your carriages! Close the doors, and don't you dare open them!" She yelled. "The sandstorm is upon us!"

Robin then paused and looked around her. Where was the lone traveller than had joined their caravan? She looked back out at the horizon and stopped. The lone figure was dashing over the sands, back to the caravan, carrying a limp person on their shoulders.

"Hurry! the Sandstorm is almost here!" Robin called out to them. The figure arrived in the camp no problem, and dropped the person on the ground.

"It's a sandstorm bandit. They are waiting for the storm to hit before they attack." the lone traveler said.

It was only at this moment that Robin realized the traveler was a girl. "...So this is a planned sandstorm?" Robin asked.

"The sandstorm is real. The attack is planned though." The lone traveler said. "I will protect the carriages as best I can, but I can't be everywhere in the circle."

The traveler was well covered, despite the heat. With the Goggles and facemask, she truly was the best person to fight outside in a sandstorm. But...Robin didn't like it. She didn't want to leave this woman to fight off bandits alone.

Robin made a split second decision and tied a cloth around her face, and also put on a pair of goggles. She would fight alongside the traveler.

'Skye, connect me to Jasmine.' Robin requested.

'Okay, but you owe me a snake treat!' Skye replied.

'Remind me later.' Robin chuckled.