'Ah, so annoying...' I sighed as the sandstorm rearranged the dunes... again.

I trudged on through the scorching heat, only my determination allowing me to endure these vicious sandstorms in this godforsaken wasteland.

Each step was a battle against the biting winds and annoying sand. The wind, relentless in its assault, whipped against my cloak, stinging my skin.

No matter how hard I tried to maintain a straight path, the dunes seemed to mock me, shifting with every step.

By now, I finally understood the unnerving nature of this trial, which at first seemed so laughingly easy—the Plains' main threat wasn't its many unpleasant inhabitants but the environment itself.

It had been approximately a week since my first encounter with that first group of Plain Raiders. Since then, I have been forced to face many other challengers - bandits and monsters alike.

So far, it has been pretty easy to dispose of anyone who dared cross my path, either drowning them in the ever-shifting dunes or picking them apart with the sand-enhanced wind.

In the beginning, I wasn't that fond of earth manipulation, much rather preferring the flashy destructiveness of fire or the swiftness of air.

Still, I have come to appreciate the sheer efficiency of grinding your foes to dust, especially since this environment's properties greatly enhance earth manipulation—almost like it was made for this exact purpose.

I looked up at the bright azure sky, with not a cloud in sight. The sun, which shined unrelentingly upon the grey sands, transforming them into a scorching inferno, was at its highest point. I sighed dejectedly, as that meant I would still have to endure the heat for many hours.

Initially, I used to manipulate the air around me to create a bubble of cool air to shield me from the heat and the sand. Still, with the combination of constant attacks and unrelenting sandstorms, I quickly found such luxury untenable as it drained away my precious essence at an alarming rate.

Thus, in the end, I was forced to brave the elements with only the barest of protections my magic allowed.

Luckily, so far, I was only ever harassed by the lowest of scavengers, who were either too hungry or desperate to think any better, and I carefully avoided the many ruins scattered across the wasteland, where the true horrors of this place lurked.

Thus, my progress was swift and purposeful—at first, at least. The further I went into the endless dunes, the more I realized that this wouldn't be anywhere as trivial as I had initially thought.

It was easy to lose one's sense of direction here, forcing you to wander aimlessly across the vast Plains until your supplies ran out, and you would end up as another set of yellowed bones scattered across this abominable desert.

'Well, at least I won't run out of supplies anytime soon...' I thought with a hint of amusement.

Even in this arid environment, there was always some tiny bit of moisture in the air, so I could easily condense it into drinking water, however inefficient and costly it was.

And as for sustenance, there was never any shortage of willing prey to serve itself to me on a silver platter, no matter how much they wanted to think I was the one being hunted.

Still, the fact I didn't know where I was going really bothered me.

Despite knowing the Grand Tower's approximate position on the map, I realized that actually getting to it was an entirely different level of difficulty.

With the constantly shifting environment, I quickly found myself hopelessly lost. All I could do was continue heading east, navigating by the sun's position, but that, too, proved inadequate.

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Each time I had to walk around some ruin or avoid a particularly strong sandstorm, I got increasingly more off-course, and it felt like I was going around in circles.

'I wonder how the caravans do it. I guess they must have some special navigation tools or perhaps some tracking magic I don't know about,' I sighed, my frustration growing.

Right now, I was regretting that I never got to ask Lily about it. However, at that time, it never occurred to me as I had plenty of other, more interesting topics to study, and this journey seemed nothing but a distant prospect. 'If only I knew better...'

Well, there was no point in regretting past mistakes; all I could do was figure out what to do next.

It was too late for me to return and try to ask around anyway, as I didn't know how to return even if I wanted to. My only option seemed to be to continue traveling in one direction while hoping to spot some waypoint on the way.

I sighed once again and resumed my soulless walk east.

***

Like that, I continued braving the desert for several more days until finally... 'Hmm, there are so many ruins here, so it's no wonder it is so popular with adventurers... Wait, is that?' I blinked a few times, worried my eyes were failing me.

Right as the sun began its slow descent towards the horizon, casting long shadows over the dunes, I spotted something peculiar on the horizon.

In the middle of a vast plain, next to a withered ruin of some ancient building, stood several simple circular tents—the best I could describe them as yurts.

Drawing closer, the yurts became more distinct. Their fabric was a faded yellow, starkly contrasting the endless sea of grey sand surrounding them. Watching from a distance, I noticed figures moving around the camp, their silhouettes bending in the wind as they went about their business.

At first, I was worried they were yet another group of bandits, but after carefully approaching the campsite, I noticed that despite several heavily armored guards, most of the group were dressed in long, generously decorated, billowing robes, chatting amicably under the shadow of a half-collapsed wall.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile. It looked like luck had finally smiled upon me, and I found myself a caravan.

"Who goes there?" The biggest and meanest-looking guardsman bellowed as I stepped into the open and made my presence known.

"Please don't be alarmed, honored warriors. I am but a lonely traveler who got lost among the endless sands and seeks guidance on his journey," I said, trying to emulate the local dialect.

The guards eyed me suspiciously, their hands resting on the hilts of their weapons before nodding to one of the richly dressed figures in the back. A tall, elderly man with a weathered face and a long grey beard emerged from the group, his eyes sharp and assessing.

"Lost, you say?" The man said, his voice raspy yet holding a hint of kindness. His amber eyes bore holes into me, and I subconsciously straightened as he seemed to be scrutinizing me.

After a long while of uncomfortable silence, he simply nodded, and his lips quirked upward into a thin smile.

"Please forgive our captain's lack of manners. The last few days have been trying. If your intentions are pure, you are, of course, welcome among our humble company. It would be a sad day indeed if we denied hospitality to a guest."

He then signaled for me to follow before disappearing inside one of the larger tents. I exhaled in relief, overjoyed that this exchange had gone so well so far.

I cautiously looked around, making sure not to show anything on my face. The guards were still a bit suspicious, but the others regarded me with either disinterest or mild curiosity. Not seeing anything that would suggest a trap, I put on a confident expression as I quickly followed after the old merchant, who seemed to be their leader.

Carefully approaching the yurt in question, I noticed it wasn't any different than the rest. The only oddity was a sole donkey tied to a pole, resting in the tent's shadow.

Not seeing anything suspicious, I peeked inside. There, on a roughly sewn carpet, sat the old man gesturing me to join him as he seemed to be preparing a tea or something similar.

"So, tell me, what is a young man all the way from Wittenwald doing in these unforgiving Plains?" He asked me with a knowing smile after I sat down.

I blinked, slightly taken aback, before I returned him the smile, deciding there was no point in pretending. "How could you tell?"

He chuckled, "Ah, although I commend you for trying to blend in, I've been doing this job for a long, long time, and your accent was quite clear to me. Still, you didn't answer my question."

Right. I briefly wondered what I should tell him but, in the end, decided to tell the truth. He seemed honest, and seeing his keen eyes that didn't quite fit his advanced age, I figured he would probably see through any half-assed excuse right away.

"You see, I seek the Grand Tower."