The sun was in the noon position as a light wind stirred across the red sands of the desert. They followed a dusty road strewn with rocks and rivulets of sand blowing across the path. Frank shifted his armor as he listened to the tale Heather and Quinny were spinning about the first adventurers to their lairs.
“You made a sort of quest for them,” he said as they walked along.
“It was so much fun,” Heather said as she walked at his side. “Quinny was so clever and used Webster to relay instructions to me so I could play along.”
“Thanks,” Quinny replied as she adjusted her mask and looked to Frank. “You should go back and mess with your lair. Players are going to reach it soon.”
Frank nodded but pointed ahead to Legeis and explained they should reach the edge of the glass by nightfall.
“There is a town on the edge, right?” Heather asked as she looked ahead as if to see the glass from there.
“There is a small town,” Blackbast called back from where she reclined on Legeis’s armor. “It is just to create a sort of harbor for the glass cutters.”
Heather looked up to where she was perched and asked the next question. “And these ships can get across across the glass in a single day?”
“If they set out early enough, yes,” Blackbast replied with a glance back. “Where we go from there is up to you.”
“It’s up to the bracelet,” Heather replied. “I have no idea where we are actually going.”
“Or how far it is,” Frank added.
Blackbast narrowed her hypnotic green eyes at his comment and let out a low purr.
“No matter how far we go, your home is only a doorway away,” she said as she looked directly into his eyes. “In fact, when we stop tonight, I want you to take me over and show me this lair of yours.”
“My lair?” he asked with a sudden crack in his voice.
“Yes, I have heard it is quite impressive,” she said with a swish of her long tail.
“You should go,” Heather agreed. “It will do you some good.”
“Maybe tonight, so long as this place we stop at is safe,” he agreed and looked down at Heather. “I am glad you had fun. I tried to tell you it was fun to play with the hero players.”
“I know, but you have to experience that to understand it,” she said with a blush. “I finally understand how health works too. It was so strange to get hit but not hurt.”
“They can still hurt you if they get lucky and score a critical hit,” Frank reminded but agreed it was strange to be hit by swords and feel the blow but not be seriously hurt.
“What’s really fun is I can pass for a zombie easily,” Heather said. “I don’t have to let hero players know I am one of them.”
“She makes a good zombie,” Quinny agreed.
They spoke about the encounter and the fun the players had for nearly an hour as the wind slowly began to pick up.
“This is odd weather for the desert,” Blackbast said as she looked around.
“What's odd about it?” Heather asked, riding on Frank's shoulder again so she could keep up.
Blackbast stood on the back of Legeis's armor and looked out across the barren sands. Her ears twitched as she looked to the south, where a dark cloud hung on the horizon.
“Can you go any faster?” she asked with a glance down at Legeis.
“I am doing a jogging pace now, I can break into a run if you want, but you will have to hold on,” he replied.
“Then do it, go as fast as you can,” she urged.
Legeis nodded and pushed a lever forward, sending the armor into a full run. It thumped loudly as it raced across the sands, forcing Frank to break into a run to keep up.
“Is something wrong?” Heather asked and looked to the south herself.
“Whatever that is, it is coming this way,” Blackbast replied as she hunched down to keep her balance.
“It looks like a storm,” Heather suggested as she put a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.
Blackbast held on as they thumped along and explained that the cloud wasn't a storm. It was something coming out of the deep desert, and she didn't want to find out what it was.
Heather immediately remembered the dangers of the deep sands and turned to see Umtha frowning from the palanquin.
“Is that the thing that came before?” Heather asked.
“Desert comes,” Umtha replied. “Is hunting.”
“Legeis, can you run even faster?” Heather pressed.
“No,” he called back. “Are we running from a sand demon again?”
“I think so,” Heather said as she looked down at Frank. “We might have to hide in the room again.”
“But where will the palanquin and door end up this time?” he asked. “That thing might carry them both anywhere. We could be lost in the desert for a week.”
“We are not hiding,” Blackbast shouted back. “We are well ahead of it and will reach the town before it comes. Maybe we can get on a ship and sail through the night. I doubt it can keep pace with the ship.”
“Do you think we can outrun it?” Heather asked and looked to the distant clouds. “It came on us very fast last time.”
“We have no choice but to outrun it,” Blackbast urged and held on as the armor beneath her feet thumped along.
“Are we sure that’s another sand demon?” Breanne called from the palanquin.
Heather looked back and explained they had to assume it was. Not only was Blackbast familiar with the sands, but Umtha was giving them the same warning. This time they didn’t have the luxury of an infernal player to draw the monster away, and they couldn’t risk what might happen if they hide. She wondered again what happened to leet as her eyes went back to the distant storm. They were racing now, running as fast as they could for salvation, but were they luring a danger to a town that had no idea what was coming?
As the hours went by, the cloud seemed to grow, but the distance they covered was impressive. As the sun moved to its afternoon position, they could see a shimmer in the distance. Blackbast said what they were seeing was the heat shimmer of the glass, and the dark spot on the edge was the town. They were arriving earlier than expected, and she hoped to book a ship immediately. As they drew nearer, the shimmer expanded into a great ocean of green stretching over the horizon. It was awe-inspiring to see the vast expanse that was the glass and realize the damage that had to be done to create it. Heather also made a note of the fact that it remained when the world so quickly recovered. She wondered why some player changes persisted when others did not. Why had the visitors allowed this huge expanse of player alteration to persist?
“We will be inside the walls in an hour,” Blackbast called. “I will take us directly to the ships and seek one to carry us out.”
“Do we need money to pay for this?” Heather called back, speaking up to be heard over the thumping of Legeis’s boots.
“Some will be required,” Blackbast replied and looked at Heather with a feline smile. “But I will try and barter other services for passage.”
Heather blushed at the bold woman’s comments and looked down at Frank, who still carried her. She couldn't imagine saying something like that to him or anyone. Putting the shocking comment aside, she tried to squint into the distance as the dark spot grew into tall walls. Slowly the town came into focus to reveal a sort of ring of stone, shielding the buildings inside from the blowing sand. There were perhaps a dozen buildings, most of which were made out of the local red stone. Others were more fantasy-like, made of white-washed walls and timbers. She assumed these had to be player homes but could only see the upper levels that reached above the walls. Around their feet, the wind began to blow sand in regular streams, creating a fog-like effect over the roadway. They hurried on, eager for the shelter of the walls and a quick escape across the glass.
Legeis steered for a large wooden gate that was thrown open. There were no guards at the doors as the group rushed inside to find a rather plain-looking town. The streets were made of a yellowish stone, but red sand permeated every crack and piled in corners. The lanes were narrow and shadowed by canopies of brightly colored cloth strung between buildings. The town's people came in every variety, but few were on the streets as Blackbast led them through the buildings.
Eventually, they parted, and Heather looked on in awe to see wooden ramps leading up to twice her height. They then turned into long piers that floated in the air on magical posts glowing with purple symbols. Between these piers are what looked like Viking longships with a single square sail at the center. There were canvas structures folded at the sides that resembled fins like on fish. Below them was a long metal blade that made her think of an ice skate. It ran right down the center of the ship, and to either side was a wooden arm with a shorter blade. The three blades created a stable footing for the ships and kept the flammable wood well away from the searing glass. The ships were often referred to as glass cutters in a clever play on words, and Blackbast explained that they could be very fast.
Blackbast took them past rows of barrels and stacks of canvas sacks to the first ramp. She instructed Legeis to head for the nearest ship, and when they arrived, she hopped down and hurried across the gangplank that connected the ship to the pier. She spoke with an insect-like man for several minutes before she returned and said they needed to try another ship.
The next one in line had a blue sail, and its hull was painted white. Blackbast went aboard to talk to a tall man with dark amber skin and four arms. He had a stubby nose with a bald head except for a tail-like braid of hair down the back. The two spoke for several minutes as Blackbast's tail swished in irritation. Finally, she turned and pointed to the group, and the man rubbed at his chin. He pointed directly at Heather, and Blackbast shook her head before poking him in the chest with a finger. The man waved her off and walked away as she turned and came back to the group.
“He is going to take us out right away,” Blackbast said as she arrived.
“He is?” Frank asked. “He looked irritated at you, and his body language said go away.”
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Blackbast smiled as she let out a purring laugh. “He was just disappointed,” she said. “He and I have met before, and he is familiar with my practices.”
“So, what does that mean?” Legeis asked.
Blackbast looked at Heather and gave her a wink. “He was hoping she was a slave girl, and I would be willing to barter her for passage.”
Heather felt Frank’s arm tighten around her legs as if refusing to let her go. She sat on her perch and looked down in shock as Blackbast explained how she told him no and suggested he not broach the subject in front of Heather’s husband. She also explained that she used the name Hannah and suggested they keep using it until they were safely off the ship.
“You told him we were married?” Heather asked and looked down at Frank.
“I wanted to make sure he was suitably thrown off the trail,” Blackbast replied and motioned them to follow as she headed for the ship. “We don't need him getting too friendly when you have so many secrets to keep.”
Heather sighed and caught Frank's gaze as he looked up. “I suppose it's fine,” she said to him. “After all, sooner or later, we will be married. May as well get used to it now.”
Frank looked away for a moment before slowly turning back and meeting her gaze once more.
“What if we gave the doors back?” he suggested. “Maybe we won’t have to get married then.”
Heather smiled and leaned as close to his face as she could and keep her balance. She stared into his eyes and intentionally batted hers. “Why, Frank, are you saying you don't want to marry me?”
“That’s not what I said,” he stammered.
“So you do want to marry me?” she pressed, thoroughly enjoying her little game.
“Yes. I mean no. I mean do you want to marry me?” he groaned and stepped onto the plank.
Heather laughed and sat back on his shoulder with a smile. “We have no choice in it. But, I guess it doesn't matter; you are my guardian after all.”
“That's not a good reason to get married,” he countered as they stepped onto the ship.
Heather smiled wider and wondered what he did consider a good reason. Was he a romantic? Did he want a deep committed love, or perhaps a strong, long-term relationship first? She realized the notion had never come up before because he was a ghoul, and he stated he wasn't looking for a girlfriend. She began to wonder if she was his girlfriend and then looked down at the arm that held her legs tight. Was this riding on his shoulder flirting? Is that why he offered to carry her? Was he flirting with her?
She cleared her throat and suggested that he could put her down now. He carefully set her down by the waist, and she felt something inside to see just how strong he was. He could lift and carry her as if she was a tiny bird. He was so strong that even running for hours with her on his shoulder hadn't tired him. She suddenly wished she could talk to Quinny about what was going on. Why was she suddenly feeling attracted to his strength?
“Umm, Frank,” she said and put a hand to his chest armor. “Maybe we should talk about the whole marriage thing. I never took any time to find out how you feel about it.”
“We can't talk here,” he said and looked around to see the four-armed man calling to a dozen other people on the piers. “Those are probably his crew. We won't have any privacy once they are all aboard.”
“Right, and we have to pretend we are already married,” Heather agreed. “But we need to talk about it. I really do want to know how you feel. As soon as we can be alone, we should talk.”
He nodded and put his arms up, wrapping his powerful hands about her shoulders. She felt trapped in those massive hands that were so big his fingers overlapped across her back.
“If this sand demon catches up to us, I will fight it while you run,” he whispered.
She smiled and shook her head. “Not a chance, hero. I won't leave you or anyone else behind. Besides, if it came to something like that, we could send in my bone champion. I can always summon him again later.”
“We can't take him out of the room or risk people discovering what you are,” Frank replied.
Heather glanced to the side and saw the captain watching from the edge of the ship. She remembered what Blackbast said and decided to give him good cause to leave her alone. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Frank's faceplate, causing him to flinch.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
“We are being watched, and I wanted to reinforce Blackbast's message,” Heather replied. “Now, let's get settled someplace. I will stay at your side until we're off the ship and away to make sure.”
Frank released her, and she hooked his arm to walk with him to the other side of the ship. He settled in at the edge, looking out over the glass that shimmered with intense heat. Heather leaned into his side so that his arm wrapped around her and nearly recoiled from the terrible heat.
“My goodness, it really is hot,” she cried and looked to the nearby pier. She realized they had to use magic to float the wood well above the glass, or it would smolder and burn.
“We can sit near the center,” Frank offered as the crew climbed aboard and began casting off ropes and taking up long poles.
“Here is fine,” Heather replied and put an arm around his back.
“Let's get this ship on the way,” the captain called from the rear of the ship. “Man the poles and push us out.” The crew went to the sides of the ship and took up long poles. They used these to push against the piers, and slowly the ship began to slide along the glass. There was a faint scraping sound as it moved into the open glass.
“I can’t believe how flat it is,” Heather said. “It’s like a giant mirror, polished to perfection.”
“It reflects the light like a mirror,” Breanne said as she walked up with Quinny. “You two look comfortable.”
Heather looked back and shrugged. “I am just enjoying the trip with my husband.”
“Ha,” Quinny laughed and went to the railing at the other side of Frank. “Playing up the act to keep the captain away?”
“Shush,” Breanne scolded in a tense whisper. “Of course they are, now don’t spoil the ruse.”
“I was just making conversation,” Quinny replied with a roll of her eyes.
“Man the rudder and square off the sail, we got a good wind for the trip,” they heard the captain call.
“I hope he doesn’t find out what’s causing that wind,” Breanne said and looked south to see the storm had grown. “I hope we don’t find out either.”
“We already know what it is,” Frank said as the sail suddenly flapped taught and the ship began to sail into the glassy oblivion.
“I wonder how fast this ship goes?” Quinny said. “Blackbast said we might be able to outrun it.”
They all looked over the side as the ship picked up speed, the scraping sound taking on a constant wail. It was hard to tell how fast they were going because the glass was a featureless green. There were no landmarks to use to gauge distance or velocity, but they could feel a vibration as it slid along.
“Prepare to rise up!” the captain shouted, and the group looked back in confusion.
“Rise up?” Breanne called. “What does that mean?”
The captain smiled at her and folded two arms while using the other two to grab hold of a large metal lever.
“The main blade causes too much drag,” he explained. “Once we have up enough speed, we switch to the smaller blades and lift the main one off the glass.” He pulled the lever, and the arms at the sides of the ship bent in, causing the whole ship to lift. A third blade descended from the back as the boat leaned that way slightly, and in moments they were skating on three narrow blades. The vibration had changed as well, it felt more rapid, and the scraping noise became high pitched. The ship took on incredible speed, enough to cause Heather's hat to flap and force her to hold on to it.
“Steer us to the north a bit,” the captain called. “I want to stay clear of that storm.”
The group looked back to the distant clouds to see a flash of lightning illuminate the dark clouds. They all secretly hoped to stay clear of the storm and prayed the ship was fast enough.
“Are you enjoying the view?” Blackbast asked as she joined them a the side.
“Are we going to outrun it?” Frank asked as all eyes remained on the storm.
Blackbast looked out and let out a tired sigh. “I don’t know. These creatures are very fast, and they are not bothered by the heat of the glass.”
“Does anything else live out here?” Heather asked as she pondered an idea.
“Near the center, you encounter creatures of elemental fire,” Blackbast replied. “Some creatures are like living flames, burning with an intense heat.”
Heather turned in Frank’s arm and looked at her in confusion. “Wait, were those creatures there before the glass came?”
Blackbast shrugged and admitted she didn't know but asked why Heather cared. Heather replied that if those creatures appeared after the glass came, it showed the world adapted to change. She explained how she had been wondering why the glass hadn't been reset in the first place. If new monsters adapted to the intense heat of the glass spawned then, it revealed something of how the world worked. It showed that players could make lasting changes and affect the very nature of the world.
“You are rather frightening when you latch on to these mysteries,” Blackbast laughed. “No wonder you supposedly caused so much harm.”
“Shh,” Breanne whispered. “There are too many ears to be so careless with words.”
“Indeed,” Blackbast agreed and looked down as Legeis, now out of his armor, arrived with Umtha.
“She says the storm is going to catch us,” he announced.
“How can she be so sure?” Blackbast asked.
“Storm faster,” Umtha insisted.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t catch us here,” Frank said. “We can’t leave the ship, and it will likely smash it to pieces.”
“Then we would be out on the glass,” Quinny said as she looked over the side. “Even we will burn in that heat.”
Heather realized the danger but saw another possibility. She pointed out that the closer the storm got, the stronger the breeze blew. So surely the ship would go faster if the wind picked up and maybe outrun the danger.
“That is an excellent point,” Blackbast agreed. “We may be fast enough already.”
“No,” Umtha insisted and pointed to the dark clouds. “Will come.”
“Great,” Heather growled and looked at Frank. “I meant what I said. If it does catch us, I am not leaving your side.”
“You're the one who's important,” Frank in a soft tone as he turned to look down at her. “I am supposed to protect you.”
“And your not important?” Heather asked with a shake of her head. “None of us is expendable. If that thing catches us, we stand against it together. It might even be easier to beat on the glass.”
“Why do you say that?” Quinny asked.
“No sand,” Heather replied. “What made it so hard to fight was the blowing sand. Out here, it won't have any sand to blow in our faces and obscure its position.”
“But we can’t leave the ship,” Frank reminded.
Heather knew he was right, but what choice would they have? If it caught up to them, they would have to fight it or retreat through the door and risk the demon carrying it away again. They might be lost in the desert, or even worse, on the glass? How would they escape the searing heat of the mirror-like surface? It was then she thought of the heat and looked up at the sun low in the sky.
“What happens when the sun sets?” Heather asked. “Does the heat go away?”
Blackbast nodded and informed them that the heat lingered for a few hours but eventually faded to a manageable level.
Heather nodded and tried to plan an escape in the event the door was left lying on the glass. There was one worry, of course, and that was the door frame was made of wood. Would it burn if left on the glass?
An hour later and they could hear the thunder as the storm grew larger. The lightning flashed with a red tinge, causing the dark clouds to resemble boiling blood. The four-armed captain joined them at the rail and stared at the distant storm with folded arms.
“Strange storm for the glass,” he said. “You don’t normally see such things except in the deep sands.”
“It’s coming our way,” Blackbast said and turned to face him. “Maybe we should sail for the edge.”
The captain put two hands on the rail while rubbing at his chin with another. His eyes were narrow as his face set like stone while pondering a thought. “Even if we run for the edge, the storm will just catch us in the sands.”
“No,” Heather interjected. “If we have to face this thing, better to do it on the glass.”
“What thing do you think we are facing?” the captain asked as he turned on her.
Heather cleared her throat and suggested it could be a sand demon, and they were better off facing it away from the sand where it would be stronger. The captain was quite a long moment before turning his gaze back to the distant storm.
“I have never heard of a sand demon entering the glass,” he said with a laugh.
Blackbast stepped to his side and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. She explained that they had seen this type of weather before with the red lightning and high winds. It happened just before a sand demon attacked and scattered their caravan across the desert.
The man turned to ask her if she was sure, and she purred at him to trust her. With a nod, he turned back to his crew, barking orders to change direction slightly, so they were heading more away from the storm. As the ship lurched to one side, Heather wondered if it was all in vain. She turned to Umtha and squatted down to look the woman in the eyes.
“What is it hunting?” Heather asked. “Does it have to do with the egg?”
“No,” Umtha insisted. “It wants something you carry.”
Heather nodded and asked her if she knew what it was, but Umtha said she did not. She asked Legeis to question her as to how it knew she had it. After a brief conversation between the two goblins, he turned back to say it was something made from demonic energy.
“I bet it’s the crown,” Frank suggested.
“Well, what if we put the crown in the room then?” Heather suggested. “It might lose track of it.” With no objections, she climbed into the palanquin and through the doorway. Once inside the magical room, she took off her pack and fished the crown out. “You have caused me so much trouble.”
“Put it on!” a voice echoed in her head.
Heather dropped it in alarm and stepped away as it clattered to the floor. She stared at it a long moment as the space remained silent, then carefully leaned over it.
“I don’t trust you,” she said.
“I promised to help you,” she heard as if a distant cry.
“No,” Heather replied with a shake of her head. “You will take over my body again and runoff.”
“You wear the ring,” the voice called as if from a distance. “Let me help you.”
Heather stepped away from the crown, content to leave it on the floor. She turned to her bone champion, who stood silently in one corner watching. “Guard that,” she said and rushed through the door in time to hear rolling thunder and feel the blast of wind in her face. The storm was growing larger and even seeming to gain speed as it spread out across the glass.
“Did it get a lot closer?” she called as she stumbled out of the palanquin to the ship's deck.
“It's gaining on us,” Breanne said. “As soon as you went through that door, it rumbled as if angry and started to grow.”
Heather went to the railing and looked at a sky of rolling clouds that flashed with red. They could see forks of the terrible lighting crashing to the ground in the distance as the danger drew closer.
“How big are these things?” Heather asked as she searched the darkness for any sign of the monster.
“I have never seen one,” Blackbast said. “But I am told they are close to eight meters tall and have four arms like the captain.”
“Do they have any weaknesses?” Heather asked, eager for some solution.
“They are immune to fire and require magic to harm them,” Blackbast replied. “I am told their skin is as hard as stone, and they heal quickly.”
“They can probably cast some spells as well,” Breanne suggested.
“None of those are weaknesses,” Heather pointed out as the air rumbled with thunder.
The ship shuddered from the vibration in the air as the darkness spread farther. It had become like a living thing, consuming the horizon in a rolling blackness that flashed with red. Heather tried to think of some way to escape the terrible beast when another thought came to mind.
“Blackbast, didn't you tell me demons hate devils?” she asked.
Blackbast nodded as her fur ruffled in the wind. “The two types fight all the time.”
“And we think it went after Leet when it attacked the caravan,” Heather added. “Because he's an infernal.” She looked back to the palanquin and realized there was an option after all. “I think I know how to lure it out and kill it.”
“What? How?” Frank asked as Heather ran for the palanquin.
“I will show you in a second,” she replied and climbed inside. When she used the door, the air filled with a primal roar that shook the ship. The group looked to the distance and saw it silhouetted in the lighting. They saw a tall black form, running across the glass on a course to intercept them. Around it, the air rolled with black clouds, and the wind now whipped at the sail, threatening to tear it free.
“How does she plan to lure it out?” Quinny asked as they watched their doom approaching.
“With bait,” Heather replied and put on the crown.