The next few moments were pure chaos. The guards were rushing the freed prisoners while drawing their swords. The prisoners fought hand to hand. Mostly using their fists and bodies, but some had knives.

Robert hit the sand and covered his head. When Robert looked up, he realized the prisoners were losing, badly. Prisoners were falling left and right. Even though most of the guards weren't even using their swords.

A guard would simply flick their hand towards an attacker and like in the movies. The attacker would just start gushing blood along a massive chest wound. Each guard picked a group of targets and began laying waste to them.

Soon several large dust devils were chasing prisoners down and cutting them to ribbons. Robert watched in horror and awe. He couldn't unchain himself, so he laid near the wagon hoping he wouldn't be noticed.

A Podor prisoner falls at Robert's side, dead. Robert has seen fake movie fighting before, hell he had even played in some bad ones. But this! He had never realized just how truly horrifying a real fight was.

The guards though fewer in number, were better equipped. they quickly finished off the mob of prisoners. After the last of the fighting was over and everything calmed down. The guards finally noticed Robert, as he got to his feet.

“Hey, what about him?” A guard asked as he cleaned his sword on a dead man's shirt. "He didn't join in. Shouldn't we put him out of his misery before we leave?"

What seriously. but that's so cruel. Robert thought. The guard who spoke approached Robert with his now clean sword. I knew I should have played dead.

“No, leave him.“ The commander ordered, as he climbed onto his camel and waved to the others to follow. The commander had jumped from his camel during the fight. "We have no time, more Podor troops are attacking the front as we speak.”

“Wait! Aren't you going to unchain me at least?” Robert shouted after them.

The commander and the guards ignored him as they ran to join the rest of the battle. Soon they were soon out of sight and Robert was alone.

"What the hell?" Robert muttered as he looked over the dead. "They're just going to leave me here with these guys?" he glanced down at the chains.

"Ok that's it, I'm not going to stay here and be killed. I'm breaking out of this.”

He scanned the chain and focused on the base that was attached to the wagon.

“Oh, come on. ” groaned Robert, as he tried pulling the chain out of the wagon. "Work darn it!." It was like pulling something from hard cement. As he let go, he looked down at the bodies. "How the heck did they break their chains so easily?"

He had to look away because the sudden smell of death was revolting. So he instead looked down at the chains. All of them were open, not broken.

Did they break them? Robert thought as he looked closer. Or somehow unlock them? They could have stolen one of the screwdriver key things. but finding the stolen one in this mess would be impossible. Maybe I can find a new one.

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Only three guards had died during the fight and only one was close enough to reach. Robert walked out to the body. He remembered him as the guy who kicked him in the back.

“Poor guy. What a way to go. I guess he.” Robert started. But as he bent over the body. "Oh, no. Eww gross, he ugh. No, ignore it. Just get the key.”

Robert quickly found the screwdriver thing in the guy's right pocket and unlocked himself. His wrists were sore, but he didn't care.

Besides the screwdriver thing, Robert found a handful of coins, and around the guy's neck was a glass tube with a gold chain, which contained a small bit of red sand.

This looks important. Robert thought as he put on the tube necklace.

"I should take the cape and sword too. I don't want the clothes." Robert muttered "Ahem, do you mind if I take them?"

The body didn't respond. Robert rolled his eyes.

Oh great, now you're talking to the dead. But hey for all I know they might just talk back here. Robert thought, as he shook his head but then stopped. Wait no, that's just dumb. Dead is dead anywhere.

The cape was easy to remove. It was being held on by some very strong magnet buttons. Robert wrapped the cape around his neck and heard it click.

The sounds of battle were getting closer. Robert then reached for the sword. He had stepped over the body and picked it up.

“Wow, this is way heavier than my prop sword back home,” Robert muttered, as he looked back. “Hum, time to leave." as he stood up and glanced around. "but what way? I don't want to get lost out here.”

Both sides of the desert looked the same. Vast, dark, and empty. The sounds of men shouting were getting closer. It forced Robert to make a quick decision. He chose straight ahead, back down the path the caravan came.

After running a few yards, Robert glanced back. The lights of the caravan looked very small against the blackness of the night. Suddenly a line of orange fire flew from the darkness and towards the caravan. The flame crashed into an invisible barrier, a few feet from the caravan, doing nothing.

What the heck was that barrier? It didn't stop me from leaving? maybe it just stops fire? Flame thrower magic, maybe? it looks like magic Napalm. Robert thought as several figures appeared. Oh hell.

They were approaching the last wagon. Robert dropped on all fours. The figures started checking the dead. Robert held his breath and watched, for several minutes. The figures soon walked back up to the front of the caravan. Robert waited a minute longer and then run.

After a mile, he finally stopped. Breathing heavily and very tired. He glanced back and saw that the caravan was a small dot of light in the darkness. He turned and didn't look back again.

After a few minutes of walking Robert like entering a freezer, suddenly felt colder. He wrapped himself up in his new cape and kept walking.

After a while in the darkness, Robert's eyes began to adjust to the light. The desert turned a faint blue, due to the two large moons. The silence gave Robert time to think.

Those guards how did they do that? Robert thought as he dragged his new sword behind him. It was magic. it had to be. They just raised their hands and cut people apart with what.... air? Maybe wind? They were using wind to cut people apart? but how did they do that?

Robert made the hand gesture casually, nothing.

I knew it. It wouldn't be that simple. Robert thought slowing down. Maybe it's like fantasy and I just think it. Like a mental trigger.

Robert paused. While copying the actions of the guards in his mind he reached out his hand. He made the hand gesture and pushed. To his surprise and shock, a massive wave of sand moved, like an air blast of a jet engine.

“Oh, Crap... It's working!” Robert shouted.

How did I do that? Robert thought. He made the gesture again. nothing happened. What? It's not working now? A third try also produced nothing.

What happened? How did it work before? what changed? Robert thought as he wrapped the caped around him again. Well, I guess learning magic is harder than I thought. I can try again later in the daylight. Thinking of the day. I'm freezing my fingers off. Oh hell, why did it get so cold all of the sudden?

As the minutes passed the desert wind grew even colder. But thanks to the new cape, the wind hardly affected Robert. it would have been fine if only the wind was warmer.

Ok, decision time. Should I stay on the path or try my luck out there? Robert thought as he looked out over the dunes. Right before his eyes a dune in the distance disappeared. Leaving open sky in its place.

“What was that!? Did that just..” Robert mumbled, blinking. “Oh great. I'm seeing things now. Ya, that must be it. I must be very tired?”

In the end, Robert shook the idea of leaving the path out of his mind and kept walking.