Ixel knew she was lost when she passed the second scavenger's corpse. They never lasted long near any settlements, at least not unlooted like this one was. She quickly displayed why by stumbling over to the body and stripping it of anything useful.
As she drank desperately of the last few drops of warm water from his waterskin, Ixel forced herself to try and determine what had killed the man. It was like her mother had always said, don’t follow in the canary's footsteps.
Heat stroke seemed to be the culprit, with the gnoll’s fur matted down by sweat. It was a sobering reminder to Ixel that while she might feel okay now the noon sun would cook her, scales and all, if she didn’t find shelter soon.
She stared up at the sky, the cracks and gaping holes directly overhead letting the blinding light pour in, and trudged onwards.
Look on the bright side, she thought, most people never go this deep into the Wastes. Just imagine what I could find out here!
She conjured up images of runes and relics, and the things she could afford after selling them. Fresh loaves of bread, proper boots that matched and didn’t have holes, her own room at the orphanage, and maybe even that beautiful linen dress she passed every day on her way to the gate.
One final thought came into Ixel’s mind, and it made her feel guilty for not thinking about it sooner. It might even be enough to get Mom’s ring back from Euthys.
Then a deafening roar snapped Ixel out of her daydream. She dropped to the sand, trying to give herself the lowest profile possible, and swept her gaze across the landscape to find the source.
It was easy to see what made the noise. That was the good news. The bad news was, it was a pack of dune runners staring directly toward Ixel. As she watched with bated breath, a masked man crested the dune and caught her eye. She didn’t know who he was, but she knew what he represented.
What is a Blessed doing out here? Ixel thought frantically, trying to recall all she knew of the fanatical magic-seekers. A possibility suddenly hit her, dread filling her mind while she reached inside her shirt to grasp her father’s amulet. Did they… No, no one knows about it except me and… Euthys! You snake!
Before Ixel could vent her frustrations at the greedy pawnbroker, the man pointed at her, his other three hands holding the reins on what Ixel now recognized were hunting hounds, and let loose a high-pitched whistle. The dune runners darted toward her when the man released them, their slathering maws informing Ixel of her fate if they caught her.
With a startled yelp, Ixel scrambled to her feet and ran like her life depended on it. Which it did.
For what felt like forever she ran until her legs threatened to collapse and her throat felt like it was being torn apart in her chest, and kept running. Despite her efforts the pack was hot on her heels, each beast smaller than her but just as quick.
The only reason she was keeping ahead of the pack of hounds was that she was chucking obstacles in their way, now and then beaning one in the head with a well-placed sling stone and causing a tangle of bodies that gave her a few seconds of distance.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
But Ixel was out now. Out of energy, out of ammunition, out of time. Her pace was slowing and she couldn’t bring herself to care.
Maybe this is for the best, she thought, I can finally see Mom and Dad again.
Then as she stumbled along, eyes glazed over with exhaustion, Ixel’s stride was stopped by half her foot being over nothing. She had reached a precipice.
Returning her focus to reality revealed a massive crater in front of her. On the edge, as she was, Ixel could see the steep thousand-foot drop to the floor below. As her gaze panned over the landscape, Ixel was stunned.
She’d heard tales about this place, mostly from Wasteplagued individuals warning others away from their inevitable fate. The Silver Spires they called it, and Ixel could see why. Within the massive crater were jagged hunks of metal, some reaching out of the pit while others were merely the height of a two-story building. But in the center was a truly gargantuan piece, a mountain of twisted metal with strange symbols carved into its face.
As she stared in awe, Ixel was dimly aware of her pursuers. A peak over her shoulder revealed the snarling pack had caught up and was only a few seconds away. Turning back to the crater Ixel took a few deep breaths to calm herself, took up her father’s amulet from around her neck, and jumped.
It was liberating, the air whipping past her, and Ixel closed her eyes. Halfway down, the necklace clutched in her hands started to shine, a shimmering set of leathery wings coalescing outstretched on her back.
Her fall turned into a glide as the wings spread out. A small smile grew on Ixel’s face as she imagined the dune runners starting from the edge of the canyon, then it became even wider when she heard their yelps from above.
She landed in a roll like her father had taught her, and slowly stood up. Looking back to the edge she saw a few of the dune runners staring down at her and could just make out their disappointed yelps a thousand feet up.
Soon enough the man caught up, staring down into the pit and locking eyes with Ixel. Despite her escape from his grasp, Ixel could swear he had a smile across his face, and she quickly realized why. There was no doubt she had a relic now that she survived the fall.
I just have to get back to Newgate, Ixel thought, the Guardian would love an excuse to hunt down some heretics.
She was safe from her pursuers, but the sun was still beating down through the holes in the sky. If she wanted to survive until nightfall Ixel still needed shelter from the heat. Once she had secured her immediate survival, Ixel could start worrying about getting out of the crater and slipping past the Blessed that would be hunting her.
A quick search of her surroundings revealed a small entrance in the center mountain, probably a cave or den. But as she got closer, Ixel started to doubt her initial conclusion.
The entrance was strangely symmetrical, with a frame of metal and a shaft running straight forward. It resembled the mine she used to work at before she had grown too tall to fit inside the cramped tunnels.
If this is a mine, that means people are here, Ixel thought, people who know how to get out of the crater.
With reaffirmed confidence, Ixel journeyed deeper into the tunnel, ignorant of the small spheres watching her every move.
~
INTRUDER DETECTED… SCANNING…
INTRUDER IDENTIFIED: NATIVE SPECIES FOURTEEN (BIPEDAL, REPTILIAN)
ERROR - INDIVIDUAL OUTSIDE STANDARD OBSERVED DEVIATION… GENERATING NEW SUBCATEGORY
SUBCATEGORY DESIGNATION: CHILD
SECURE PERIMETER… DEPLOYING LASER TURRETS
ERROR - CONFLICT WITH PRIMARY DIRECTIVE (ADOLESCENTS MUST BE PROTECTED)
RESOLVING CONFLICT… RESOLVING CONFLICT… RESOLUTION FOUND
UNLOCKING CRYO POD SIX, BAY THREE ZERO NINE