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I was wrong, and as soon as we reached our destination all my theories collapsed one after another. There is no sand village awaiting us, armed to the teeth, eager and ready to come with us to hunt down the dreadful creature. I expected an entire tribe, no, maybe two or more, and countless savage hunters waiting, fully saddled on top of their sandriding beasts, but instead, the view in front of us offers me nothing but unsettling doubt and confusion.

A small settlement? Even less than that! A few sand tents scattered around a small plateau flanked by giant sand dunes on all sides. Their beasts, just a handful, lie half-sunk in the sand, resting. The sight reminds me of the slaver's caravan, but even that one seemed bigger than this lot. The local chief, an old and scrawny savage, rushes forward, way too happy to meet Rai'Ze, showering her with praises and small gifts, bone trinkets, and amulets of all sizes.

Apparently, we reached the camp a bit too late for the hunt, just before the sunset, and everything gets delayed for the next day. I keep silent, knowing too well who's at fault for the delay. Still, no one seems too bothered by it, no one except the Queen, that is, restless still, barely speaking a word. The chief is quick to react, trying his best to please, chasing his wives away and offering us his own tent for the night.

We settle in, the beast rushing inside and throwing her massive body on a pile of furs in front of a small table, waiting to be served. I quickly join her inside, happy for the shade and the possibility to finally sit down on something softer than the damn thick leather saddle.

It doesn't take long for the complimentary sag and roasts to start piling in front of us, brought in by a young savage woman. A lot more than we could eat, or so I thought, before seeing Rai'Ze's appetite, almost feeling sorry for these people as we probably just emptied half of their supplies in one go.

The cold night quickly falls upon the small camp, forcing us to retreat deeper inside the tent, toward the makeshift bed. Soft furs and thick woven blankets carefully arranged, forming quite a comfortable nest, a real treat out here in the middle of the endless desert.

"The Shen'kan...? "I try to ask, dreading the answer.

Rai'Ze nods, smiling, her eyes piercing ahead, glowing.

Yet there's no other reply. She doesn't bother explaining it to me. What is this creature for which she, the Mighty Queen of the Burning Sand Tribes left everything behind and rushed to hunt down?

And why is my presence required?

No answers, as always. I'm starting to get used to it by now. I guess I'll get all my answers tomorrow, one way or another.

It was nice to know what to expect, I sigh, before making my way toward the bed.

I quickly fall asleep, exhausted and sunburned, too tired to do anything else, not that I haven't thought about it even before we finished our meal. Unfortunately, the signs told me nothing good would come off even if I tried, as for some reason, the beast kept her silence and refused to share the bed with me, keeping watch until late in the night.

"U sleep funny," she informs me as soon as I wake up.

"Funny how?" I ask her, looking around me, confused.

What is everybody doing? Are they tearing down the tent?

"We must go, found the Shen'kan den not far, get your stuff," she says, rising and completely ignoring my last question.

I stand, dusting myself off, the damn sand gets in no matter what. Packing up the tent while I was still sleeping doesn't help either, I mumble to myself, checking my backpack, fastening my short axe tightly, and getting myself ready to go. Around us, the entire pack of savages seems in a frenzy, hurrying to tear down each tent, packing them on top of their beasts.

Hunting nomads, of Rai'Ze's own tribe, wandering around deep inside the sand sea looking for prey, roaming from hunting ground to hunting ground, never settling down. They tracked some beasts before reaching the plateau. A small cave was spotted not far away. A welcomed shelter for all desert creatures, or so they thought before sending out one of the hunters to scout ahead.

A day passed until they sent another. The scout came back quickly, bearer of dreadful news.

The hunter pack shivered as the old chief recognized the danger, warning everyone to step aside. There wouldn't be any hunting done, at least not by them, as whatever lies inside that cave isn't theirs to prey upon, and if his intuition were correct, as long as they get near, they would be the ones hunted. He sent the youngest to the nearest tribe with a message. The Queen must come, they found what she seeks, and they'd be waiting for her.

"They leave before we get to Shen'kan, too dangerous," Rai'Ze speaks as we climb the first sand dune ahead, making me chase after her.

Too dangerous?!

My mind freezes for a moment as my deepest fears start to spread.

There won't be an army of brave savages around us, not even a handful of hunters. We're going to hunt this thing... alone.

But why?!

I climb a massive dune and walk along its crest, watching my feet carefully and trying my best to keep steady against the winds. We keep moving ahead at a steady pace, facing the rising sun as the day becomes hotter by the minute. Thankfully, it doesn't take long to reach the end of the dune, where we can finally take a look at our destination.

A disheartening sight comes into view. A small narrow sandstone ravine opens before us, large white bones scattered around its opening, parched and burned by the merciless sun.

I stop and rest for a moment, holding tightly to my backpack straps, trying to catch my breath. We've barely walked for an hour, and I feel completely worn out. Rai'ze, however, seems unaffected by the sun and the heat, and without a moment to waste, she dashes down the dune toward the field of bones.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

There's no way to sprint in the sand, especially with a satchel on your back and an axe tied down on it, but that doesn't stop me from trying, and before I know it, I'm rolling down the hill on my ass, reaching the bone field ahead way faster than I wished for. I quickly pick myself up and give chase ahead, following the beast inside what appears to be a small and narrow stone pass leading to a hidden cavern.

The cold air rushes out to greet us just in time, as my sweat is already pouring down my back in quantities I doubt I can sustain for too long. I run inside the cavern, a bit too eager, happy to escape the heat, and almost trip over myself again.

"Ash'te!... Careful!"

Rai'Ze whispered warnings slow me down, just enough for me to take note of my surroundings.

The place seems far smaller from the outside, yet, the more we venture in, the wider it opens around us. My eyes slowly begin to adjust to the dim light, a pale yellow glow mainly coming from the cracks formed between rocks lining the stone roof of this sunken labyrinth. We go inside a large cavern room, ancient stalactites hanging down menacingly above us, making the entire place look like the stone mouth of a dormant giant waiting patiently for the new prey to walk right inside.

I smile, amused by my own wild imagination, too proud to admit that sweating fear just started dripping down my spine.

And yet...!

Large... dry bones rise out from the sand right ahead of us. We walk past them in silence. A sandrider, devoured clean, its empty skull staring back at me, tusks worn out, a dead giveaway. Who could hunt down and kill such a powerful beast? I vividly remember that my Th'al-nik power barely annoyed them! And that was at full charge...

"Don't touch," Rai'Ze hisses, forcing me to abandon my plans to further inspect the sandrider's remains.

We venture deeper inside, ignoring the dried-out carcasses that start piling around us. Bones upon bones lie scattered at our feet, crushed and buried deep inside the sandy floor. All around us, the carnage scene looks just as terrifying. A few large pieces seem to match the early sandrider, but worryingly, most of the rest seem relatively human, or at least human in size.

I don't dare to take a closer look.

"Shit!"

I jump as my eyes trace a particularly horrifying sight, a complete carcass, a skeleton of sorts, with all its bones separated from one another, its arms and legs cut off, one of the limbs severed into pieces, the other reasonably intact, dangling awkwardly and still attached to what appears to be a headless torso of some kind.

There's meat on those bones! Blood too!

The beast comes closer to investigate. Yes, there's no mistake, this... thing... was killed recently, not even days ago. And it looks... horrible, flesh torn apart, tendons hanging loose... and the smell...

"Here," she calmly points out at the severed head.

Fuck!

Why the hell did you have to show me that?!

It's one of her savages!

The poor guy was killed not days ago. His flesh is partially devoured, his body completely mutilated, cut apart, and dismembered. A long-bladed knife still clutched tight in its already skeletal hand. Suddenly, the cavern seems to close down on me, breathe, breathe!

I slowly reach for my axe, trying my best to keep quiet as I release it from its straps.

Whatever killed this massive guy won't have a problem dealing with me and my puny axe, I reckon, sweating cold, still feeling much safer squeezing its hard steel handle tightly. Well, at least the beast is here, I sigh, leaving the poor savage behind, dashing after my Queen, deeper inside, fearing the unknown but even more afraid to be left alone inside this ossuary.

The smell starts to reek stronger and stronger as dried-out bones get replaced by rotting flesh, informing us that we're getting closer to the end of our search. An impressive collection of body parts litter our way along a wide corridor. A foul wet stench hits me in the face as I set foot inside the last chamber of the stone sanctuary.

The Shen'kan!

A monstrous lizard, twenty, no, maybe thirty steps long, with shoulders taller than a sandrider beast, lying seemingly dormant on top of a pile of flesh and bones, hissing its foul breath away, possibly resting after another of its recent feasts. The smell is unbearable. A puke-inducing mix of rotten flesh, putrid decay, and foul blood added on top of the lizard's own thick slobber and drool.

What the hell is this?! I wonder silently, watching each of my steps, dreading each sound as we get closer to its macabre resting place. The giant land dragon looks truly terrifying, a massive prehistoric creature with large sharp spikes running all over its spine and down its enormous tail. Giant claws dig deep inside its rotten flesh nest. I can't see its head or mouth, not that I wish to, yet judging by its massive size, it must be at least as big as an adult human, if not bigger.

Rai'Ze steps forward with confidence, her deadly axe already glowing in her massive hand. She stops close to the giant critter, measuring it from head to tail, probably searching for the best place to strike.

"Marcus, come," she whispers back to me.

Come where?!

No! No, no, no!

I'm not getting close to that thing!

Or so I think until Rai'Ze looks back at me, eyes glowing and all. There won't be a negotiation, not that I hoped for one.

I get closer, sweat dripping down my face, holding my axe as tightly as I can.

Wow, this... this is a giant monster!

"U go, It's yours," the beast whispers, smiling.

Mine?!

What the fuck do you mean mine? Mine to do what? To feed it with my body?! And what do you mean "not big"? Just look at the size of it! This isn't some fucking puny alpha wahnz! I don't stand a chance! This thing can eat an entire savage hunter, sandrider beast, and all! There's no fucking way I'll...

Auch!

What the...?!

A sharp pain jolts deep inside my right hand as the metal axe handle starts burning, sizzling with energy, its blade all ablaze, rivers of pure Ae'l spreading through its grooves as Rai'Ze's hand keeps charging it through my body, ignoring my muted protests.

Damn, this shit hurts like hell!

"U strike first, then run," she quickly informs me of the plan.

Run, that's the one thing I completely agree with! And so I nod, taking another step toward the giant lizard Shen'kan, ready to hit it as hard as I can and then flee the scene with all my cowardly might.

"Prepare, don't rush, gather some Ae'l inside," I hear her words echoing inside my brain.

I nod again, my heart pumping maddeningly inside my chest, adrenaline fogging my mind. What does she mean? Gather Ae'l inside? Inside what? Inside the axe?

There's no time to ask, a few steps more... the massive lizard's body looms over me...

Gather Ae'l... gather... Ae'l...

The Th'al-nik!

My memory flashes vividly into life, suddenly aware of my other hand! The bracelet!

I take a look, my Th'al-nik is spinning red, waiting for me to unleash its power!

When did she charge this one?!

Push! That's it...

I'll push the axe ahead!

I touch the top symbol. I want the axe to fly as fast as possible, to do as much damage as it can and cut through the giant lizard's thick skin, and maybe even pass through to the other side!

I keep touching the symbol, flooding it with burning core energy.

This should be enough, I reckon...

Maybe a bit more, for good measure!

A burning red Ank'th symbol brightens my face, its deadly force ready to be unleashed.

Well, that's done, Ank'th charged, what next?

I sigh, looking back, searching for Rai'Ze's guidance.

Where is she?

There, I finally find her, too far behind, near the exit, two eyes glowing amber into the darkness... waiting... for me...

I'm all alone! And the fucking lizard just moved behind, its body uncoiling, head rising, its foul breath blowing wet over my back!

A rush of cold sweat floods me as I slowly turn to face the abomination.

My heart stands to rip through my chest as I stare at the giant creature looming right above me, its eyes slowly opening, multiple eyelids sliding aside, forked tongue flicking, sensing the air around its foul nest.

I'm so fucking dead...

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