"Water, water!"
He was shouting and running towards what he thought was a water source, but David looked around and found no actual source of water in sight. The mirage shimmered under the scorching suns, creating an illusion of liquid in the distance.
He instantly remembered a phenomenon where intense heat can create optical illusions, making distant objects appear as though they are water.
"David tried to stop him from pursuing the futile chase and urgently warned him to return. 'It’s not real, it's an illusion caused by the intense heat,' David explained in a loud voice. 'If you stray too far from the group, you’ll definitely die from dehydration or heatstroke. We need to stick together and stay safe.'"
Much to his dismay, the prisoner turned back unwillingly, but only to ensure his survival.
"‘Hey, is it real? Are you sure it’s not an illusion? We might miss the only chance to get water. The Captain's group won’t give us any,’ the prisoner asked David, who was walking in front of him."
"‘Yeah,’ David confirmed."
"You're not messing around with me, are you?" he asked again to confirm the confirmation.
"No, I'm not," David responded, once again trying to keep it brief to avoid further conversation.
"My name is Arnold. What's your name?" the prisoner asked, still persistent.
"David!" he spoke after a long silence.
"So, what is your plan for survival?" Arnold continued with his relentless questioning.
"Look, I still don't have a plan. But stop talking for now, I'll let you know when I do." David mentioned politely.
Finally, he had a moment to himself. Immersed in thoughts about the situation, a solution gradually crystallized in his mind.
David turned to survey the prisoners behind him, noting the evident weariness etched into their faces. They, too, had been meticulously conserving their strength.
David knew they needed a plan. He asked Arnold to draw the attention of the other prisoners to him. Given Arnold's talkative nature, this task was not particularly difficult for him.
“We need to find a reliable source of water soon,” David said firmly, addressing the prisoners. “We cannot depend on illusions or hope for a miracle.”
One of the prisoners, a woman named Elena, said they should search for signs of vegetation or some sort of animal tracks, if they exist in this abominable desert, which might lead them to a water source.
The group set out, staying close to each other as they scanned the desert for any clues that might lead them to water. To their dismay, they found only desert plants and no water sources.
By now, they had covered half the distance to the ruins and tall stones. They gave up the search for water, at least for the time being, and continued on, following the main group, which was still quite far ahead.
Captain Zack observed the prisoners' movements from afar, but to him, they appeared as good as dead as his group vanished into the desert's ridges.
David felt a sense of unease lingering in the air. The desert, though seemingly quiet, concealed dangers beyond thirst and heat. One of the suns had started to set when a sudden, distant scream shattered the silence.
David bolted upright, his eyes scanning the ridges of the desert. In the distance, he saw flashes of movement and heard the sounds of chaos. Captain Zack's group was under attack.
"Remain low and silent," David whispered to the prisoners. "We must carefully evaluate the situation before taking any action." With that, he swiftly moved toward the main group.
He cautiously approached the edge of the ridge where Zack's group was engaged in battle. What David witnessed surpassed anything he could have imagined.
From the sands emerged two colossal desert scorpions, their armored exoskeletons gleaming under the unforgiving light of the suns. These beings transcended any known natural entity, enormous, with claws as sharp as swords and two tails that emitted a sinister, venomous glow.
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They might have approached a height of 15 feet, a staggering size that only served to enhance their formidable and intimidating presence.
"Use your weapons; they're not just for show! Form a circle and protect yourselves!"
Captain Zack was shouting while fending off the massive, crushing pincers of the scorpion, which could snap through metal and stone. With a single hit, the scorpion shattered the rock slab into pieces.
Their claws were serrated along the edges, making them even more lethal in close combat. Following Zack's command, the group began using their weapons to defend themselves.
"James, conjure some thick veins to capture the scorpions' limbs!" Zack instructed the member with nature powers. James placed his hand on the sand, and from a distance, thick veins emerged, ensnaring the limbs of both scorpions.
“Now!” David shouted. “It’s the perfect moment to act!” He began running toward Captain Zack while the scorpions remained immobilized.
"I can assist you, but you must remove our power restraints!" David shouted at Zack, waiting for his response. His eyes, charged with a fierce intensity, intimidated Zack.
"All right, fine. Come here; the situation demands it. However, if you attempt anything devious, I will deal with you first," Zack warned.
As Zack freed the three prisoners and proceeded to the last one, both scorpions managed to break free. One of them then delivered a devastating slash to the abdomen of the final prisoner.
The other scorpion ambushed a member of the group, delivering a fatal injection of its noxious, luminescent venom. As his blood vessels began to emit a ghastly glow, death ensued instantaneously. Even if the venom had not been lethal, the grievous injury inflicted by the stinger would have ensured a fatal outcome.
As the battle raged on, Lizzie worked tirelessly, her healing touch providing vital support to those with minor injuries. The group, alongside the prisoners, engaged in a desperate defense, wielding their weapons and powers with precision and resolve.
Now freed after years of restraint, David finally spoke. "The time has come for me to unleash my darkness power," he declared, his face devoid of any expression.
He released a swirling chain of his dark power, ensnaring the shadow of one scorpion. Although the shadow was weakened under the two suns, a shadow different from that on Earth, it made no difference to David. Despite his darkness power having grown weak, his skill remained formidable and praiseworthy.
He was pulling the chain with all his might, as though his life depended on it—though, in some respects, it did.
David began to sever the shadow of the scorpion's limbs from its body, causing the actual body to be torn apart. He persisted until the scorpion was throughly mutilated and ultimately killed.
▪ ▪ ▪ ENCOUNTERED A GIANT
DESERT SCORPION ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ REWARD : + 2 SU + 30 XP ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ KILLED A DESERT SCORPION ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ REWARD : +5 SU +100 XP ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ THE SYSTEM BESTIARY
IS NOW AVAILABLE ▪ ▪ ▪
[ QUEST ▸ INVENTORY ▸ SHOP ▸ BESTIARY ▾ ]
BEAST
▪ Giant Desert Scorpion
“So, I even receive system units for encountering new species and killing them?” David wondered amid the battle but quickly refocused on the task at hand.
He turned around and told Captain Zack to aim for the joints while the scorpions are covered in a thick, chitinous exoskeleton. The exoskeleton, nearly impenetrable, is weak at the joints where the plates meet. Targeting these joints can disable their limbs.
Zack shredded the small pieces of the rock slab and fashioned them into pointed arrows with a thick base at the bottom. He waited for the right moment to strike.
“Now!” David shouted.
Zack let it rain rocks on the giant's limbs, rendering it immobile. As the rocks pummeled the scorpion, its limbs began to detach and fall off, ultimately killing the creature.
After the creatures were vanquished, a profound silence enveloped them all.
"It's not even considered a high-level beast in the rifts, yet two lives have been lost under my command."
"I am a C Rank RiftWalker and had trouble killing a giant scorpion. How did the prisoner manage to kill one single-handedly?" Zack wondered resentfully.
Meanwhile, David’s attention shifted to the scorpion he had slain. To his astonishment, he noticed a faint glow emanating from something near the carcass, visible only to him. It swiftly dawned on him that this phenomenon was intricately linked to the system.
He approached it, only to discover that it was an armor.
"So, this is an item dropped by the scorpion I killed?" David asked calmly.
He reached out to touch the glowing armor.
▪ ▪ ▪ ARMOR AQUIRED : HEART OF THE DESERT ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ Heart of the Desert Armor
- Increases defense by 20%.
- Increases endurance against desert heat by 50%.
- Provides camouflage in sand.
- These perks function exclusively in the desert environment.
▪ ▪ ▪ WOULD YOU LIKE TO WEAR IT ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ YES / NO ▪ ▪ ▪
"It's a no for now," David thought, assessing the situation.
▪ ▪ ▪ ARMOR MOVED TO INVENTORY ▪ ▪ ▪
He returned to the group.
"We don't have much time. We need to start moving before we lose sunlight, I mean, both suns light," David asserted.
"Excuse me, who are you to dictate our actions? I am the leader here," Captain Zack said, his face flushed with anger.
"You don’t act like one," David replied, his tone laced with disagreement.
"Ever since the journey began, you’ve been too proud to offer us any help. All you’ve done is look down on us," he continued.
"If we hadn’t helped you, you all might have died under your so-called leadership, which I deem poor," he said.
Captain Zack was stunned. No words escaped his mouth. He avoided making eye contact with his group, his face etched with shame.
David ascended the sand ridge to scan the surroundings.
One of the suns was already halfway below the horizon, while the other had commenced its descent.
David’s gaze was captivated by the entrancing vista that unfolded before him. Although the land’s hostility could not kill David, its overwhelming and sublime beauty exerted a profound and potentially fatal allure.
Certainly, it was a moment of solace amid the disorienting expanse of this unfamiliar, lost world.