Nico was annoyed. Riding for nearly a week was not particularly pleasant. Riding without having a bath though, was maddening.

A large ensemble surrounded Nico, consisting of 24 cavalries, 5 mages, 15 swordsmen, and a commander, Commander Erwin. They were to accompany him to the Citadel, where he could access the Status ritual. He had been practicing calligraphy for years now, his list of skills and spells would be written quite clearly.

He wasn't feeling hot even though it was midday and they were also in the middle of a desert, just dry. Seems that the massive cloud that Jacob had conjured could only block the sun's harsh and brutal glare, which was good, but it would have been better if it would make the air less hot and dry.

Nico continued to think about the status and what it meant, more to distract himself from the seemingly endless riding than anything. He would probably get Mage or some other magic-affiliated class. He was quite good at chanting, and he was dexterous as well, all signs of a mage class. He didn't need hope, he had confidence. He could already cast a strong Orb, and he was quite proficient with mana bolt. He had once managed to light up his father's entire throne room with a Powerful and overfed Orb of light, for Three whole seconds...... Before passing out due to mana exhaustion.

Nico looked at himself. Maybe he would some Fighter class, like swordsmen. He has fit and had some muscles, not big but enough to make him look good. His light-brown skin was unblemished, without any kind of scar or marks, due to his abnormal immunity system. Having an Advanced healer tend to any and all injuries in the royal family helps though.

He had emerald green eyes, Messy pitch-black hair that reached said eyes, and Smooth and firm light-brown skin. He was Eighteen years old, the minimum age to access the Identity Script. He had an average height. He made sure that he had as little fat as reasonably possible, he would never forgive himself if he looked like he ate more than a cyclops.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

He didn't like his mount, a sandstrider. His ride was tall, very tall. Its legs were twice the length of Nico, Its neck was long and thick like a tree branch, a robust one. Its head was similar to a Horse but with larger lips, and longer and thicker eyelashes. Its entire body was covered in a thick coat of Shaggy, Brown Fur. The Hair on its legs was coarse, tough, and similar to sandpaper.

He tried to remember the names of the 5 mages accompanying him, Cassandra was the light mage, Isacc was the Earth mage?, Jacob was the Sorceror, and he forgot the other two. Cassandra had long, wavy, golden hair, with white skin reminiscent of his father's pale. Isacc was always covered in a thick layer of Stone, clay, mud, and plenty of sand, which obscured all his features. Jacob was the highest-level mage present, he was middle-aged, with many wrinkles on his face. His voice was hoarse, probably due to intense chanting.

Nico disliked the nighttime. The monsters came out then. Sandspitters would just slither out of their burrows and take to flight, spraying sand everywhere. Sand is the most irritating thing to try and take out of shoes or clothes or bags or just anything. Every time you take it all out there is somehow more?!?! He once threatened Isacc because he thought that the earth mage was playing a prank on him, which turned out to be false.

Dune rats were the most common. They usually formed hordes of 100 on the low end, and 400 on the higher end. Some were the size of cats, some could dig tunnels, and some could grow as large as a fully grown man. They smelled horrid.

There were then the tentacles. They randomly would pop out of the sand like massive worms. They had no eyes, no sense organs, just a large jaw. A dozen usually pop out, sometimes a hundred. They are the phara...pharan...pharangaol or something -He rarely remembered what his tutor said- jaws. They were connected to a huge beast that only showed for huge feasts, Raithmauns.

----------------------------------------

"Halt" Commander Erwin commanded. Everyone obeyed and stopped. It was sundown by now. It was time to make camp and sleep. Isacc started to shape the area into something defendable. He raised the sand into thick earthen walls around us, The sandy ground was solidified to something harder.