Jorish stared at a cloud of white that stood across the ocean of sand. Squinting his eyes, he could barely recognize the individual shapes of what he assumed to be houses.
Jorish turned his head to look at Cail who was fiddling with a small sphere, as he has always been doing, and just following behind Traves. He always seemed to just fade compared to Traves, not surprisingly if you think about that fellow’s antics, yet somehow he still seemed impressive in his own right.
Jorish looked at the village again, his eyes hurting as they squinted against the glaring sun. How did he even find this village? They had been walking for a few hours after Cail told them about what he saw, and those houses are almost impossible to see.
As they got closer, Jorish kept hoping that he would be blessed, and wouldn’t get turned away from the village. He thought his life in Zelton was far from comfortable, but that was before he met the devil he called Traves. He could definitely do with a bed, a warm meal, and just a break from his daily torment.
A young woman suddenly appeared in the distance, walking towards them. Jorish glanced at her white robes that covered her entire body, deeply contrasted by her short dark hair and eyes. This was accompanied by her very light brown skin, much lighter than what he would expect from people in this area. Tied to the middle of her robes were some light blue pouches.
She held a weird weapon in her hands, which resembled a club, Yet it was longer and more uniform. It had a white handle with a black cylinder extending from it which was almost twice as wide as the handle.
Finally reaching them as she took her time approaching, she glanced at Jorish’s heaving, sweating face. She turned to see Jorish’s carefree relaxed smile which seemed to widen as she approached. Her eyes flashed with a brief look of both amusement and pity, probably directed at me thought Jorish, before she spoke.
“Welcome strangers, I see you are exhausted from your travels. Would you like some cool milk and some shade?”
Crap! thought Jorish before hearing Traves’s reply, That devil is going to refuse just to keep me suffering.
“Thanks my girl for your offer, I really appreciate it. In fact, I will be taking you up on your offer.”
A wheeze came out as all fear and all bottled emotions and fatigue that accumulated throughout the last few months escaped Jorish, leaving him dry of all fuel as he collapsed to the floor, a look of freedom and relief painting his face.
Traves shrugged his shoulders as the girl giggled before she asked. “I am Anisa, and you?”
“Traves and this is Cail.” Traves talked before raising his eyebrows in a shrug before continuing, “And that thing dangling there is Jorish”
“Nice to meet you Anise, We appreciate your hospitality” noted Cail.
Moments later, the group walked with Anise in the lead. Jorish, recovered enough from his shock, walked around with wide eyes, hungry to eat all the sights of the unknown.
He was surprised by the clothing of the village. Unlike the cities, people wore clothes and robes which covered their entire bodies. Wouldn’t people sweat to death in that? he wondered. He momentarily thought about Traves and Cail before throwing that thought away. Nothing could be judged with common sense when it comes to those two. Suddenly, a snicker interrupted his train of thoughts
“Ah, a city boy are ya? Something on your mind?” asked Anise.
“Yes, I have been living in the cities indeed. I just wonder, and I mean no offense, how do you guys survive with all this clothing in this weather?”
Anise stopped for a moment and looked at Jorish again before smiling. “Ah yes, you city folk do not seem to believe in clothing much. But no, this attire is very comfortable, much more than yours I bet.”
Jorish was about to disagree before Cail’s voice stopped him. “It is actually somewhat simple, the cities are hot no doubt, and the sun brutal. However, the shade and the cooling you have there means you have to deal with the heat mostly. Making the choice logical. However, in such weather where you deal with the direct sunlight as well, those white clothes will protect you a lot more.”
“Ya city folk are pretty spoiled aren’t ya,” remarked Anise.
Jorish wanted to retort, I had my fair bit of trouble and hardships! he thought, but he couldn’t find a way to do so.
As they approached one of the tents, Anise stopped and called, “Gramms! We got some guests!”
Moments later, a woman walked out of the tent. With her black hair, light brown skin, and aging face, she looked almost identical to her granddaughter, just older. He was immediately filled with peace. She looked to be in her 70s, possibly even older and wore a smile that could penetrate the coldest hearts. She had an aura of genuine kindness that one couldn’t replicate
“What are you doing standing around little Annie, go fetch our guests something to drink!” she said while smiling
“Yes, Gramms Zahi!” said Anise as she took off running.
“Pardon my granddaughter’s behavior, I hope we can offer you some shade and peace in these lands. My name is Zahida, what may I call you kind fellows?”
“Traves. Glad to have made your acquaintance dear.” he replied with a slight bow before continuing “And my companions here are Cail and Jorish.”
“Kind names. you lot seem to have come from afar. Please have something to drink and rest up. And join us for lunch!” said Zahida just in time as Anise returned with a big jug on one hand and a few stacked cups on the other.
She poured the white drink and gave it to the trio. They each took a sip, taking in the taste of the drink. Unlike Jorish’s expectations, he didn’t get the mild sweetness he would associate with milk, he was instead hit by a salty and deep flavor. He could recognize what that was, even if he wasn’t sure Traves and Cail would. They seemed to have gotten into a momentary trance as they drank.
Seeing their expressions, almost as if waiting for it she explained, “We call this Labeel. It is made out of milk, salted and then it is preserved. Here in the south you don’t just need water to survive, you need to have salt too.” she then smiled “Plus, it tastes real good. Isn’t that right?” she said as she turned toward Jorish.
“Indeed, it is a common drink in the cities as well. But perhaps not as common as here.”
Zahida turned to her guests and explained further, “Unlike the cities, we don’t have many of the technologies they use. We have to either deal with the milk and make Labeel, or it would just go bad! Labeel can stay well for a while, and there are people like Annie who love it.”
As Traves finished his drink he turned to Zahida, “Ah, Many thanks for the refreshments Zahida of the sand dragons tribe.”
Hearing Traves’ words Zahida’s shifted into a momentary shock before her eyebrows rested and she relaxed. “You know of the sand dragons tribe? Looking at you, I know you are not here to try to recruit us,” she said.
“Oh, How do you know so?” replied Traves, smiling.
“Ah son. At my age, you can tell many things you wouldn’t normally. I do wonder though, how did you know of us?”
“Long back, I met a friend, no, a mentor, a father to me. He was of the sand dragons.”
Hearing Traves’ words, Zahida shook very slightly as she asked, “That person, may I know his name?”
“He was known as Malik, Malik Ramlah.”
Jorish looked at Zahida as she shook and wobbled unsteadily on her feet. Her granddaughter stepped behind her to stabilize her as she looked on in confusion. She looked like she had many questions on her mind.
Finally recovering from her weakness, Zahida asked. “You knew my grand-grandfather?”
Hearing the question, Jorish shook slightly. Grand-grandfather? Just how old is Traves?
“I met Malik early on during my journey. He had taught me much and helped me so much back in the day.” he said while turning towards Anise. “You are almost the spitting image of Malik. The moment I saw you I knew you were his descendent.”
“Is… Is he alive?” stuttered Zahida
“I don’t know to be honest. I have not seen him in 50 odd years. But if nothing unexpected happens, that dragon should still have at least a few years in him” smiled Traves as he replied.
As they talked further, a kid jogged to Zahida and whispered something in her ears. As she heard him, her smile widened and she turned to her guests.
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“It seems like food is ready, please come with me.”
After a few minutes, they arrived in a big open tent in the middle of the village. The villagers all greeted the group with smiles while many came by to strike up a chat or even give them some small gifts.
Jorish held the woven bracelet that he was given by one of the kids. His eyes moistened as he looked at it. He was never treated well in his life and he was always hated and despised by almost everyone he knew back in Zeltol. Yet here he felt kindness.
As people kept talking, men walked in holding a few large trays which were put in the middle of the group. Within the tray was a sea of yogurt, inside of which swam dots of green grazing on the waves. In the center stood an island of rice, scattered pieces of fried almonds enriching the lands. In the center of everything lay a cave of meat, inviting travelers and adventures to go and explore to find what treasures may lay within.
To the side were pieces of bread that laid flat on the dish. Each small rise in their flatness telling of their path to become perfect, to attain the bite and the color, the taste and the fragrance that they held.
As they ate, they experienced a calming, yet unreasonably satisfying sensation. A mix of saltiness from the yogurt-based liquid in the dish and the savouriness and richness of the meat and rice calmed them. Unlike the food they had in the cities, nothing was overbearing, there was not a war of flavors assaulting them. Instead, it was a calm symphony of few tastes, a symphony in which you would enjoy the simplicity, the elegance, and perfection.
As Traves was engrossed with this symphony of tastes, Cail seemed to have found an interest in the bread. He dipped it in the various condiments and sauces they had near it and was very satisfied as he ate it slowly, savoring it.
Watching her guests with satisfaction, Zahida smiled. “I hope our food is to your liking. We call this entire meal Kansa. It is a tradition of ours for many generations past, and many to come, for guests to eat this meal. For us to offer our best.”
“Dear, this food is exquisite! Malik wasn’t lying when he said that I am missing out!”
Zahida smile got wider at Traves’ comment
A while later, everyone had finished their meals. As everyone sat and talked for a while, they were served a dark brown liquid which was steaming. Looking at it, Cail exclaimed, “That's coffee isn't it?”
Anise nodded, “It is coffee, however, it might be slightly different from what you are used to”
As Cail drank it, he felt its unique taste. It was slightly bitter yet had a very strong flavor. Cail sipped on the coffee as he relaxed.
Traves accepted the coffee as he kept talking with Zahida.
“So, how’s life going on here? Everything great?”
“Life in the desert can be harsh, but we lived here all our lives.” Zahida responded.“And as you might know, our people can take care of themselves. So we don’t have much trouble from bandits and such.”
“However some news can be worrying. The formation of the cities at the time was a great danger and scare for us. However in time, both the sun-touched as well as the free cities agreed to leave us alone, surprisingly enough.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Even if Malik never told many others, people like the leaders of the Sun-touched and the Free cities would know better than to bother his family. Either by gratitude or by fear” said Traves
“I keep getting surprised hearing about it. Oh, how I wish I could meet him again. It has been almost 60 years since I saw him.” she said melancholically.
“Cheer up! I don’t doubt that I will meet him again. And when I do, I will make him visit you.”
Zahida smiled, “I don’t doubt it, other than that, not much is going on. There is a bandit group that has been very dangerous that moved around the cities. They seem to be a problem, doing what they want with such numbers and forces that do not feel right for being just bandits. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit afraid of what is going on there.”
Traves thought for a moment, “I can’t say I have heard of that. I will make sure to check it out when I can.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, dear. Last I heard they were pretty far off, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Zahida answered before turning to Anise. “Annie, Can you be sweet and take the guests around and entertain them for a while? The weather is finally kind enough to head out now.”
Anise nodded as they left to walk around the village.
“So, you knew an ancestor of mine?” opened Anise with the question that had been on her mind for the longest time.
“Ah yes, Malik might’ve not wanted to let people know about this village. He wanted his family to live in peace after all” sighed Traves.
Hearing that, Jorish chimed in, “Pardon me Traves, but what do you mean?”
“Ah, this won’t be too difficult to explain. It is because they have a bloodline”
“A bloodline?”
“See young friend, it is simple really. Remember my question about the balloon? Sometimes you don’t face the issue of being blocked if you had a really strong balloon in the very first place! No one really knows how bloodlines came into place originally, but what it resulted in was that they could move past the normal limitations of normal people with much less difficulty. Instead of having to remake their bodies, they just have to enhance them.”
“For example, Anise is more or less at the same stage for body cultivation as you are, perhaps a tiny bit higher, but she would definitely wipe the floor with you with ease, even if you were twice as strong!” Exclaimed Traves.
“You can’t be serious?” asked Jorish in denial. He had worked hard on improving his body. His training over the last few months had made him even stronger. His muscles shone through the gaps of whatever clothes he wore. Staring at how thin Anise was compared to him, he felt like Traves was exaggerating.
Hearing the conversation, Anise’s eyes lit up as she turned to Jorish. “Hey, do you want to spar? Please?” she begged, her eyes sparkling.
“Uhh…” stammered Jorish, unsure how to answer before Traves took the decision out of his hands.
“Of Course he wants to, just take it easy on the boy.” Traves winked and smiled as he turned to Jorish. “And you, go all out! Try to score a hit if you can!”
All the arrangements were made without anyone caring to take his opinion into account. He found himself holding his staff in the same downward position he had been practicing, while Anise just stood carelessly while her weapon rested on her shoulders.
They were just about to start before they were interrupted. “Uh, I just wanted you to know, we have a few extra spectators,” noted Cail as he pointed at a group of Kreils approaching in the distance.
“Ah! That might be perfect!” exclaimed Traves. “This will be an even better lesson for young Jorish. Hey kids, how about you compete on how many Kreils you can deal with?”
Compete on how many Kreils? thought Jorish in disbelief. It was only recently that he could handle a Kreil on his own, and even then he was often very close to commiting a mistake which could cost him his life. He wondered if Traves was going to trap the Kreils and let them go one by one or what.
While he was busy thinking, Traves stepped aside, vanishing from view with Cail as Jorish and Anise stood facing a swarm of 6 Kreils.
Jorish focused his breathing. You can do this! He prepared for the impact. The Kreil rushed into him, as they always do, and was hit as Jorish struck his staff upwards, stunning it.
Unlike last time, Jorish didn’t bother going for a strike with his entire weight. He instead hit it a few times with enough strength to injure it severely without losing his balance as he aimed at its head.
A moment later the Kreil was still. Having felt extreme satisfaction from dispatching the Kreil with ease for once, Jorish was about to shout something at Traves before remembering he was dealing with a group, not one. Turning his head to check on Anise, his pupils widened.
Behind her were 3 Kriel corpses with their heads crushed, some which had parts of their shells dented. In front of them, Anise smiled widely as she moved.
She jumped forward between the last 2 Kreils, her weapon swung at one, while her fist swung at the other.
Careful! He wanted to shout. Did she underestimate them after beating the other Kreils? Her weapon looked solid, able to damage the Kreils significantly for sure, but that didn’t mean they were weak. Hitting a Kreil’s shell with your bare hands would be a recipe for disaster.
He never had the chance to shout his warning as her club-like weapon smashed into the Kreil’s head with extreme precision. Her hand hit the other Kreil’s shell hard enough to dent it, and sent it flying.
Done with one of the two Kreils, she sprinted to where the other Kreil landed, barely alive. She stopped for a moment as she looked at it and stated. “Let me grant you mercy.” A bang was heard as she smashed the last Kreil’s head, relieving it from its suffering.
Done with the distraction, she turned around and looked at Jorish, a half-smirk threatened to show on her face. “Pardon me, boy, as our spar was interrupted. Are you ready for us to continue?”
“No, No! How about we just go home, sit down, have a nice cup of coffee and just be friends?” Jorish said shakily as he threw up word after word in panic.
Suddenly, Anise’s efforts to remain solemn failed and she burst into laughter .“My God! If ya could just see ya face! Hahaha!” she fell into the ground as she kept laughing.
“See, I told you didn’t I?” came Traves’ voice from behind him.
Finally calming down, Jorish stood with nothing to say, feeling depressed.
“Relax. Not only is she above you in body training, but she also has the sand dragon bloodline. It might make them coreless, but their strength and bodies are nothing to scoff at!” said Traves.
As they walked around teasing Jorish, terrorizing the poor monsters who happened to head the wrong location, and just chatting, they decided to move back to the village. They were a bit further out than they planned to go and needed perhaps an hour or more to reach their camp.
Twenty minutes after they started walking, Anise and Traves were chatting.
“And so, Malik just whipped me with his palm for not finishing the coffee he offered me. Do you have any idea how bitter he makes his coffee? It was preposterous I say!” Exclaimed Traves in complaint.
Anise's shoulders shook as she laughed quietly. She really wanted to meet that ancestor of hers. He reminded her so much of her father before he died, a few years ago.
“And there was that other time …” Traves went on, before suddenly stopping.
Jorish was walking behind as Traves stopped. He felt a shiver that shook him on a level so deep he couldn’t explain. He felt every part of his body screaming in confusion.
Finally, Traves moved his head and looked towards Cail, whispering quietly,“Artifactor.”
Cail nodded as he put away the sphere he was fiddling with. His eyes shone a deep azure. Jorish felt as if every single part of himself, even the parts he didn’t know about were exposed. He felt a pressure that warned him as he felt the entire world around him turn the azure color of Cail’s eyes.
Moments later, Jorish could no longer breathe, his lungs refusing to function.
The azure was then replaced with blood-red crimson. The foreboding that his body felt moments earlier seemed like comfort compared to how he felt at that moment.
Every single cell was frozen in terror. He wasn’t simply afraid, he didn’t understand what was going on. He didn’t know what there was to be afraid of, or what was happening. Yet the pressure his body felt terrified him to his very soul. He felt his heart, lungs, even his brain stop.
Right in front of him, he saw Aniselooking even more shocked and terrified than he was, yet a few moments later he saw her fear replaced with something else. He couldn’t understand what to think of her expression.
Using all his willpower, he turned his head to gaze upon the traveler, hoping to regain confidence and calm.
Eyes blood red, a bloody shine emitting, red colors of different shades shone around him, thin blades of blood shearing air and earth around him. His face contorted beyond recognition as he held his sword. He turned to Cail as the latter nodded.