Chapter 156: Into the Desert

Ryu and the others reached the danger zone and what stumbled upon their view was endless desert still. The sun blazed down relentlessly, and the landscape offered no respite. The scent of dust and dry earth makes breathing wearisome.

"Where do we go from here?" Though Seraphina asked the question, there wasn't any landmark nor rocks to mark the path. It was just endless sand. He was surprised that the others could still find their way.

"We navigate using colored twigs in here." Marcus flipped the map in his hands that were put together through weeks of effort of searching for the exit. "Our group uses red-colored twigs as a path, and we made it a rule to return in camp whenever the Left Oasis was just a dot in our eyes."

No wonder there was nothing on the map, Ryu thought. "Let's forget about the map and search where the others left off."

Everyone agreed, and the red twigs stuck in the sand led them to a more barren land.

"There are still no beasts?" Seraphina asked.

"I think that the beasts in this area were already hunted," replied Marcus.

"You mean there is just a certain amount of beast in every kilometer?" 

Marcus nodded at Seraphina's question. "Yes. I think this Islet doesn't allow us to dawdle in the Oasis by giving us an unlimited amount of resources. It's like it's pushing us to explore Tiamat's Lair."

Ryu looked over his shoulder. The Oasis was no longer visible, and its place was sand and haze of clouds of dust. "We have to find shelter soon."

"So soon?" Marcus looked over the sky. He estimated they still had three hours before the darkness consumed the place.

Ryu shook his head. "I smelled something in the air. And the dust was gathering too much for my liking."

Halfjack swept the surroundings, and his eyes lingered on a particular spot. "I think. .. a sandstorm is coming. . ."

Seraphina and Marcus looked at each other, and Marcus asked, "You sure?"

Marcus didn't feel anything strange, but if the two halfbreeds said so, then who was he to question them? Though he was a Rank-A merc, he didn't have heightened senses like the beastfolk.

"Let's pick up the pace and find shelter as soon as we can." Ryu wasn't comfortable with how they were on exposed grounds as well as the others. If Tiamat decided to show up, they didn't have a place to hide.

Ryu was staking at his back to guide him the way, but it still remained damp against his clothes. He was afraid it wouldn't work like in the first Islet or that he still needed to venture deeper in Tiamat's lair before it gave a response. Either way, he couldn't put too much trust in it.

"I spot another carcass ahead." Seraphina went to the bones of a beast or what was left of it. It was too broken and small to hide anything.

Seraphina sighed. "What happened to the behemoths here?" 

"They were hunted and brought in the Oasis, or the bones were used as a hut." Marcus inspected the bones. It was a reptile-type beast, common in the desert.

"Let's move forwards with caution. We might find something up ahead," said Marcus.

As the group walked forward with careful steps, boots crunching the heat of the sand, they eventually came across some dead trees and patches of grass.

"This is.. . is still unexplored," Halfjack said and took a whiff of the air. "Also. .. Beasts."

The sound of nails scratching against the rock and dirt gradually became louder, followed by a loud thumping of the ground and a collective amount of dust.

"W-what the–!"

None could form words as they each steady their balance when the sand rippled beneath their feet. When the dust settled, the group found a colossal beast. It was like an ox but a hundred times bigger. Its red mane tangled in knots and hid its eyes. Only its enormous nose and two massive horns on its head were visible in the naked eyes.

(Pic)

"W-what is that thing?" Marcus's jaw dropped when the creature strutted in front of them.

Halfjack shook his head. Even he didn't encounter such an enormous creature in their times of scavenging.

It walked slowly, dragging its four paws against the sand.  Then it's stopped, and their hearts leaped in their throat.

".. ."

".. ."

No one spoke a word. No one even released a breath as the giant beast turned its head in their direction. Its nostrils enlarge, and the only thing that the others thought at this moment was. .. could they defeat it while not alerting Tiamat?

The colossal beast just popped out of nowhere like the whirlwind of dust carried it. 

Ryu's claws itched slowly from his fingers. Seraphina held her staff closed. Marcus tightened his hold on the hilt of his broad sword, and Halfjack flexed his paws.

The group watched what would happen next with unabated attention. To their surprise, the huge beast just released a large plume of sand from its snout and resumed walking ahead, uninterested.

"W-what just happened?" Seraphina asked, confused.

Halfjack scratched his head. "I think it only eats grass."

Marcus's eyes remained on the tender meat of the beast. "Should we attack it?" with its size, they could store its meat for days.

Ryu shook his head. "None of us know what it does. Unless someone is knowledgeable at what it does and familiar with its attacks, I think its best that we leave it alone."

Marcus sighed and loosened his grip on his sword. "You're right. Who knows if it would wail and alert Tiamat. We're not desperate for food anyway."

"Look at that." Seraphina pointed to a spot at least hundreds of meters from them.

Ryu's eyes turned to slit and zeroed on a single point. "That's. .. I think it's a skeleton."

They made their way in that direction in a hurry and found a massive skeleton like the size of that beast earlier. Its horns and bones were still intact. It was so enormous that they could make a shelter out of it. 

Though they brought camping material with them, with the sandstorm, it wouldn't be much of a shelter with just rocks and barks as a foundation. They needed something sturdy and could withstand the might of a storm. 

The creature's big bones came right on time!

----

A/N

Join discord server to discuss about the story, characters, possible side stories, hardcover prints, stretched goals, Covers, Character arts and more!

https://discord.com/invite/uvyHgS5bsZ