The group had traveled for nearly a day through the oppressive heat of the Scorching Plains. The name fits, Gilreg thought to himself as he shouldered his pack. Sweat dripped down his face. He was following Tassarion, and the elf appeared to handle the intense heat slightly better. Huffing and puffing behind the goblin warrior was Booger. The orc was drenched in sweat and looked to have fallen into a lake. Like the goblin warrior, the prince had removed his armor and wore a tattered undershirt. His massive scarred arms were bare as he struggled forward under his heavy pack.

"This is like the opposite of the Stone Peaks," Gilreg observed while talking to the elf.

Tassarion nodded and kept walking. After a few steps, the elf stopped, and with some social difficulty, he turned to Gilreg.

"Tell me more about your home?" He asked, and the goblin smiled.

Gilreg talked about his rocky and barren home. The cold and the wind were something he desperately wanted to feel again.

"Tonight, it will be cold. Very cold," the green-haired elf warned.

"Mage! Is there something you can do?" asked Shaymus. She was struggling behind the giant orc.

Nulrok could barely keep from falling as he shuffled behind the pale-eyed goblin. He couldn't even imagine trying to work his craft. But when he thought about it, he could provide some cooling with his ice magic.

"I could cool us, but it would only be temporary. Or I might cause you frostbite. Or I might expend so much of my own energy that I pass out," the spiky-haired mage pondered.

"Pathetic," scowled Shaymus.

Taking up the rear was the ever-vigilant Raine. Of their group, she appeared to be taking the heat the best. Sweat glistened off her light green forehead as she pulled her hair back into a bun. She scanned the rolling dunes and sand hills of the Scorched Plains. What catastrophic event caused the entire Wasteland to be the way it was? She wondered to herself, from the jagged rocks of the Stone Peaks to the misty darkness of the Old Cemetery, the perpetual twilight of the Dark Forest, and now to this intense desert.

"Elenorak resides ahead within those large rocks," Tassarion said and pointed to a barely visible large mountain composed of brownstone. It was very far away.

"Why did we need you? It's simple enough for us to just walk straight," Shaymus grumbled.

The only acknowledgment that Shaymus got from the elf was a quick glare. The elf continued.

"The mountain is called Doom Spire. The Scorched Plains can be tricky to navigate as we go further in. There will be ruins for us to rest in, but be careful. We are not alone in these plains."

"Sounds like a pleasant place," Gilreg joked.

"It's not. The Dragonspawn will not see us as allies. They are extremely territorial," Tassarion responded without mirth.

"You didn't mention anything about Adventurers," observed Gilreg.

"I assumed the threat of them was already known. The Favored that make it here are extremely formidable."

"I see ruins," Raine pointed out. Her sharp eyes spotted the worked stone of what was once a building of some sort. It was off to the east.

The wind kicked up sand revealing more of the building underneath. The wind was but a quick blessing before it became a curse. It blew hot air that did not provide any relief from the scorching heat. In addition, it kicked sand in the group's faces. Booger had to cover his eyes with beefy hands.

"I can't see it," the orc prince observed. The other squinted into the distance.

"Might be a mirage," cautioned Tassarion, as his keen elven eyes could not catch the details Raine had spotted.

"I know what I saw. We should head over there," Raine said confidently.

"To get out of this blasted heat," agreed the large orc, hope rising in his voice.

The others also consented, and Tassarion was left alone with his objections. He scowled at the group.

"It may not be there. And if it is, it will be dangerous. This land is scattered with ruins under the sand. We are not alone in wanting to escape the sun," he warned.

Later

"Move faster! We are almost there!" Screamed Gilreg. The warrior batted aside with his round shield a winged lizard the size of a small dog. The monstrosity had a tail that ended in a wicked barb, along with two clawed hands and leathery wings. The orc warrior chopped down upon it with his axe. Green blood spurted upwards as the creature died.

"I don't feel so good," Nulrok moaned as he limped with the help of Shaymus. His neck was swelling up from where one of the creatures had stung him.

"The wyvern's poison is strong. We must make it to the cover so I can treat you," Tassarion said. The elf fell back to assist Shaymus with carrying the spiky white-haired mage.

Two creatures fell dead onto the hot sand with thuds, and Raine's arrows protruded from them. The goblin archer pulled the arrows out of their corpses and shot two more in rapid succession. Behind her was Booger. He had unslung his long polearm. The prince was twirling it above him, batting the creatures as they dove in to attack. Raine was impressed that despite the orc's massive bulk, he moved the weapon with deadly speed and efficiency.

Ahead of the group, they could see the top part of the building that Raine had spotted earlier. It was made with worked stone, and much of it was buried under the sand. There was an opening that might have been a window that they saw that they could enter.

"Looks sturdy!" Raine shouted. She guessed that from her sharp eyes and mechanical skills.

"Just leave me to die," moaned Nulrok.

"Shut up, you baby," Shaymus hissed.

Tassarion sliced, with his scimitar, one of the winged lizard beasts in half. He let go of Nulrok to bend down and remove the creature's tail. He stuffed it in one of his pouches. He returned to assist Shaymus with dragging the mage to the round opening into the building. Raine ran ahead of them to look inside. It was dark, but her sharp eyes saw that it led into a room that was larger than what appeared from the outside because it angled downwards. It was empty and filled with sand. No other openings to the outside existed, and she saw a set of stairs that led down into further darkness. There was also a rotted door. The building provided shade, and a sharp breeze kicked up more sand around her.

"It's safe!" Raine called out as she took aim and shot another winged beast from the sky before it could harass her comrades.

Dozens more of the wyverns flew in circles in the air above them. They would dive down in groups. Gilreg smashed with the edge of his shield and chopped with his axe to deadly effect. The creatures fell to his sides, bloodied and dead. Eventually, the rest of the group caught up with Raine. Shaymus and Tassarion dragged the limping Nulrok into the opening. Raine followed.

“Go,” ordered Gilreg to Booger. The orc prince nodded and ducked his large frame into the opening as Gileg smashed two incoming creatures with his shield. He followed shortly after.

Inside, the only light source came from the opening, which creatures swooped in. Gilreg used his shield to block them. Booger, Shaymus, and Tassarion would slice and kill them as they were knocked to the sides by the warrior. The creatures kept swooping in.

"They are persistent!" Booger observed.

"Stand back," Nulrok said weakly as he rose to his feet. He held his hands before him, completed an incantation, and then roared as he poured his remaining energy into the spell.

A wall of fire flared up and covered the opening. Several of the diving wyverns screeched horribly as they burned. It was grotesque watching the creatures twitch and shrivel as their bodies were aflame. Despite hating them, Gilreg felt a little bad for them. Burning was a horrible way to die. The wall of fire remained for several moments, even after Nulrok collapsed. He poured extra mana into it so that it would remain for moments longer. They could barely make out the silhouettes of the other wyverns. The heat and fire kept them at bay. Eventually, their cries faded as they flew away. The wall disappeared shortly after.

Tassarion immediately went over to Nulrok to inspect his neck. Raine had done her best to clean the wound, and the elf pulled some small vials from his pouch.

"Drink this," he ordered the mage. The elf also pulled out some dried roots.

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"Add a little water to these and rub it on his neck," the elf said to Raine. The braided hair goblin obeyed.

"Will he be alright?" Shaymus asked, concern in her voice.

"He will need to rest," Tassarion said with a nod.

"It was great being with you all," Nulrok slurred and passed out.

Gilreg stood guard by the window opening they entered through. The creatures were gone, but nothing was to stop them from coming in again, especially at night. He scanned the room and discovered the rotting wooden door. He motioned toward Booger. The prince nodded in understanding and nudged Shaymus to follow him. The orc hefted his heavy spear, and Shaymus, with her sword drawn, tried to open the door. It was jammed into the sand. Booger assisted her. With some prying, digging, and effort, the door opened into a dark room. The light from the window illuminated a few meters, but the rest was in darkness.

"Anyone have a torch?" Shaymus asked.

Tassarion checked one more time to see if Nulrok was fine. The white-haired mage was soundly sleeping. Raine nodded at the elf as she tended to the wyvern sting. There was nothing more the elf could do, so he dug into his pack to pull out a torch. He took a moment to light it, and a flame finally stuck. The elf, Shaymus, and Booger entered the room while Gilreg stood vigil by the window.

The room was a mess. This room slanted down to the right like the one they entered earlier. The rotting wooden furniture was piled against the wall in a jumbled heap. Shaymus could make out a chair, but that was it. The rest was a rotting mess. There was no sand, aside from the small amount that slipped in when they opened the door. On the floor in the center, just curled slightly to the right, was a heavy rotting rug. The stitchings were still somewhat discernible.

"Raine! You would want to see this," Shaymus called out.

Booger poked through the pile of debris with his polearm. The large orc yelped and jumped back as skeletal remains fell onto the floor with a clatter. Shaymus and Tassarion stood on alert with their blades out. Raine was by the doorway, her two-handed sword gripped in her hands.

"You are such a mighty warrior," teased Shaymus, as it was clear that the skeleton was not going to attack them.

"I just got startled, that's all," Booger said.

"Did he just yelp?" Tassarion asked, and Shaymus nodded. The two began to laugh but were stopped short when the large orc made to walk over to them.

"Uh, so what do we think happened here?" Tassarion asked after clearing his throat. He avoided eye contact with Booger.

"This was a goblin," observed Raine.

She came in to inspect it. The remains fell apart when they were disturbed by Booger. Upon closer inspection, the furniture in the room consisted of a bed, a small table, a dresser, and two chairs. The skeleton had several rings on its fingers and the tattered rotting remains of clothes.

"They died in bed," Raine guessed.

"What's a bed?" Shaymus asked.

"It's what the high races sleep on," Booger answered.

"Like a sleeping mat?"

"Yes, but much thicker," Tassarion answered.

"Elves used beds?" Asked Booger.

"Some. We had a few at our village for the elders."

"Orcs sleep on the hard ground," Booger stated proudly, and Tassarion just shrugged at that.

"Well, they won't be needing these," Shaymus said and removed the rings.

The pale-eyed goblin admired the gold and shiny red and green jewels on the four rings she gathered. She looked up at the group and said, "I'll have Nulrok check to see if they are magical."

"I can detect that," Tassarion offered.

Shaymus held the rings closer to her chest, protectively away from the elf. It was clear that she didn't trust him. Booger left the room to join Gilreg.

"You don't have the eyes of a mage," Raine observed.

Tassarion chuckled and explained, "I can sense mana and magic. I have not made the commitment to weaving it. So you do not see the mark of the tainted in my eyes."

"Is that possible?" Shaymus asked.

Tassarion nodded and extended his hands. Shaymus handed him the rings reluctantly. The elf closed his eyes as he held the rings. Two of them began to glow faintly.

"These have enchantments," he said, holding the two rings that had glowed.

"What do they do?"

Tassarion shrugged and answered, "My abilities can only detect the presence. I would caution against wearing those rings until you find out what type of spells are on it."

"Useless," snapped Shaymus, and she pocketed the rings. She was wearing the two nonmagical ones on her thin fingers.

While they were talking, Raine searched the rest of the room. She discovered in a rotted cabinet, among the tatters of the former occupant's clothes, a plain-looking staff.

"Please check this," she asked the elf.

"It's enchanted as well," Tassarion answered and handed it back.

"Nulrok will love to have that," Shaymus observed.

Booger and Gilreg entered the room. The orc was carrying Nulrok. Gilreg studied the room and turned toward the others.

"We camp here until Nulrok is able to travel. Booger help me with some of this furniture" ordered the goblin warrior.

The two carried out the rotting bits of wood that used to be a dresser and parts of a bed. They used it to barricade the window. Darkness spread through the room, and the only light source was the torch that Tassarion held.

"I'm worried about the staircase," Gilreg said, and Booger nodded in understanding.

"Do we explore?" The orc asked.

"I rather not risk it without Nulrok."

"We can stay in this room and close the door," Raine said from the other room, and Gilreg nodded.

Once he felt that he and Booger had secured the opening as best they could, they went inside the other room with the others. Nulrok was sleeping on the floor, and the swelling on his neck had gone down. The elf knows his stuff, Gilreg thought. Tassarion and Shaymus were sitting on the slightly slanted floor. They were going through their packs for food. They had dried fruits, venison jerky, and mushrooms that they ate while taking sparse sips from their waterskins. Raine was analyzing the carpet. It had faded depictions on it, and she was curious why there was a dead goblin in this ruin.

"What do you know of this place?" Gilreg asked, indicating the building they were in.

"Ruins such as these exist throughout the Scorching Plains. The sands move, often revealing places and burying others," the elf answered.

"Should we explore the staircase?" Booger asked, nodding his head toward the door where just beyond the stairs led downwards.

Shaymus' eyes perked up at the possibility of discovering more jewels.

"Why would a goblin be here?" Wondered Raine.

"Goblin?" Gilreg asked, and the others shrugged their shoulders. The warrior went over to Raine and examined the skeleton.

"Look at this," Raine said, and she directed Gilreg and the others to look at the rug.

It was clear that the rug was well made as it survived the eons in this ruin. Where the other furniture and cloth were rotted, this one remained relatively intact with some fading and tears. The depictions on the rug were still somewhat identifiable. Humanoid figures of different shapes and sizes were presented, walking along the outer edges of the carpet. In the center were two beings that were green. They looked to be working with or serving a flying winged demonic creature above them. The figures were both presenting a golden chalice to the creature. The circular purple portals could be seen on the four corners of the rug, where it looked like the other humanoid-shaped beings were exiting or entering, depending on which angle.

"These are goblins?" Shaymus asked as she pointed at the two green beings in the middle.

"Looks like," answered Raine.

"They kind of have your pale eyes," Booger pointed out to Shaymus. The creatures appeared to have pale eyes, which were hard to discern due to the fading. Shaymus jutted out her chin in pride.

"Could this be the Chalice we have?" Gilreg asked.

"Could be, does not look like ours. Besides, many religions use golden cups," Raine explained.

"It looks like the being is putting their blood into the Chalice," Tassarion observed. The others looked more closely and nodded in agreement.

"That is disgusting," said Nulrok.

Booger stepped forward, studying the demonic looking being depicted on the rug.

"The Envoy that met with me had the same horns, wings, and facial markings. But he was this big," the prince said as he made a show of his hands, showing a being that was about a meter in height.

"It was very rare for an Envoy to come to us. Zaploc would travel to Haven once every cycle," Gilreg pointed out.

"It wouldn't be worth it for them to visit with goblins," Tassarion said while nodding.

"Oh, do we need to do another Blooding Rite?" Shaymus hissed in challenge.

"I meant distance-wise…" Tassarion started but quickly saw the anger in the others' eyes.

"Not good," Booger said disapprovingly and shook his large bald head.

Tassarion thought it best to remain quiet, and he looked away.

"Why are the Dragonspawn not guarding this area?" Raine asked, changing the subject. If this ruin had treasure, adventurers would seek it out, and that would be a source of income for the lizard creatures.

"They patrol occasionally. They don't operate like orcs, goblins, and us dark elves. They actually have their own kingdom here in the Plains. They don't rely on treasure from adventurers," the elf answered.

"Do they have a relationship with the Envoys?" Asked Raine.

"Much in the way that Chalal has with them. It's like a treaty between two kingdoms. The Dragon Elenorak is ancient, and she has been here may be longer than the Dungeon Masters."

"Have you met the dragon?" Gilreg asked, and the elf shook his head.

"I came here only a few times to trade. Sometimes it was useful. Other times they would attack us."

"What?! I thought you had a partnership with them?" The warrior asked.

"We do. The Dragonspawn respect strength. If you are able to put up a fight, then they will leave you alone. It's like they were testing us. Be prepared for a battle when we meet them," explained Tassarion.

"Sounds fun!" Booger said with a wide smile on his tusked teeth. It has been a while since he has fought something more significant than a flying wyvern.

It grew quiet as the group searched their packs for food. They ate in silence, even Booger, while Nulrok slept peacefully.

"How much longer for him?" Gilreg asked Tassarion while nodding his head toward the mage.

"The swelling has gone down tremendously. He should be fine by tomorrow," the elf answered.

"We should head toward Doom Spire as soon as Nulrok is able to walk," Raine said, and Gilreg nodded in agreement.

"No exploring?" Booger asked, and the two goblins shook their heads. Shaymus sulked.

"We don't have time. Our village depends upon us to get answers," explained Raine.

"I'll take first watch," Booger said as he slapped his knee and rose up to stand by the door.

"Wake me up when it's my turn," Gilreg said. The warrior found himself a comfortable spot to rest.