Jado began his day in a pretty simple way. He stretched, still not used to sleeping on the hard bricks making up the ground of the small shrine, and made sure nothing came and attacked his place again during the night. The traces of the previous night's fight were practically gone, beside the still burning pile of clothes.
"It's still not completely consumed?" Jado asked aloud, surprised. He was about to throw a handful of sand on the fire to extinguish it but decided against it. He'd rather have the flames devour all traces that were left of the Skinners, not leaving anything behind but piles of ashes. He opened his status window, wanting to verify if any changes happened to it.
Name (Jado Mirak) Rank Lowest Class (Servant of the Sand) Title [The One Who Saw Death] Agility Lowest Constitution Lowest Intelligence Lowest Strength Lowest Skill(s) [Resilience], [Eyes of the Pharaoh], (???) Companion(s) (Dune] Task(s) The Seed of a Kingdom, A Grain of Sand in the Gear of Time (6/?)
"Huh, everything is at "Lowest", now," Jado remarked. He didn't feel any different from when he was still deemed "Insignificant", though. And it seemed weird to imagine changes that would happen after only a day of training, said training being carrying heavy weights. The young man didn't see how such a thing could improve his intelligence, for example. It seemed weird, but well, if the blue window said so, it was probably true.
He then took out his Desert Fang, his senses still sharp thanks to the Predator's Gaze Amulet, and checked out the map quickly. Once again, the red dots were either too far or too still for him to worry about them. He then chose the opposite direction from where he found the Desert Scavenger and decided to check it out quickly without getting into any fights. The young man wanted to let his wound rest for at least another day before straining himself once again.
He carefully navigated the dunes, surprised every time his ears or eyes caught a small movement in the sand, still not too used to this "improved perception". There wasn't much in this part of the desert, besides sand, more sand, and rocks. Wait, rocks? Jado turned his head to verify what he had just seen, and there were indeed some red rocks surging from the ground, half-buried under the sand. This wasn't anything crazy, after all, it was only a few stones, but it changed from the usual sand-filled scenery.
Jado checked the map for any threats and went to check it out with a closer look. As he had guessed, it was only a few stones, and nothing else. That still was a small amount of resources he could use, even more if he had to build things. Even if he tried to forget it, "The Seed of a Kingdom" task was still bothering him, and he couldn't help but try to think of some ways to fulfill it.
Being at the head of his Empire was, after all, quite the nice dream for the once-farmer boy. Jado knew it was an impossible fantasy, but he was still longing more and more for it. This was something he never felt before, a desire fueling his every move.
He shook his head, trying to get rid of this foreign feeling, and focused on his surroundings. Firstly, he checked out the stones, rubbing the dirt off one of them, surprised when he saw that it was more pink than red. This was a surprising color, one he only saw in the weird jewels the Western merchant brought from time to time in Araashir. Its surface was granular, giving the rock an almost rugged appearance. Upon close inspection, he saw a few reflective streaks of white, shining under the sun.
"Is that..." Jado searched through his memories, remembering that the stonecutter of the village told him about such stones,"...granite? I think that's the word, right?" Jado rubbed his chin, wondering what to make of this discovery, when he remembered he had the skill to identify things. So, without further ado, he identified it.
Granite Deposit Rank: Building Material (Unranked) A hard, durable rock that is resistant to wear, weathering, and abrasion. Has high resistance to heat and is not easily damaged.
Can be harvested with the proper tools.
"Hmm, it's almost as if it wanted me to find a way to use this resource..." Jado opened his map, wanting to see if there was a way to mark the spot of the deposit, only smiling dejectedly when he saw a small white square named "Granite" had appeared right on his position.
He also noticed that a small blue dot was indicating the position of his snake companion, Dune, who was staying around the shrine. His smile quickly disappeared once he saw a green dot close to the small shrine, closing in on it. He turned back, seeing the white smoke rising in the sky. His face paled before he slapped it, cursing his stupidity by all kinds of names.
"Of course, a smoke would bring visitors! Damn it!" Jado threw his twinblade in his inventory as he sprinted through the desert, sand rising in the air at each of his steps. Once he approached the small shrine, his eyes stuck on the map window, he took his weapon back out, readying himself to face what was probably going to be an enemy.
He jumped over one last dune, ready to fight, only to notice a small child crouching next to the pile of ash that was previously the Skinners' clothes. The kid wore ragged clothes, his hair was dirty, with an ash-like color, and he looked almost skeletal. Most of his skin was tan if not burned, lacking protection against the violent sun. He was looking at the pile of ashes with a hungry gaze, hesitating to dig his hands into it.
Jado reacted instinctively, raising his voice.
"No!" The kid jumped in fright, and crawled back with a desperate gaze, forcing himself on his thin legs. Jado watched him with a puzzled gaze, wondering what he should do about this poor visitor. The kid ran around the small shrine, hiding behind it. He slowly peeked out of his hiding place, carefully, scowling once again when he saw that Jado hadn't moved from his spot, and was staring straight at him. He jumped back in hiding, his body trembling like a leaf, his eyes widening in terror when a curious little snake hissed at him. Finally, the shock was too much for him, and he lost consciousness.
"Well, uhm, I have no idea of how to deal with that, Dune..." Jado sighed, looking at his companion with helpless eyes. The latter shrugged, as weird as it seemed for a snake, and slithered away, uninterested in the malnourished boy. The young man shrugged in turn, and picked the boy up, carrying him inside the small shrine. He was weighing so little it was as if he was transporting a bag of feathers. Emptiness.
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The kid's eyes shot open, and he looked around in distress, his hands frantically searching for something to defend himself with. He finally found something and grabbed it without thinking, holding it like a knife in front of him. He was in a small area illuminated with a soft light coming from the ceiling, and the man he saw earlier was sitting on top of an old-looking stone circular table. It almost looked like... an Altar for sacrifices!
Without even thinking twice about it, the kid rushed at the man, his moves powered by his survival instincts, thrusting with all his strength the item he found on the ground, aiming to plant it in the man's mouth. The latter seemed surprised by the sudden attack and didn't move, his mouth slightly opened in shock. The kid thrust the item into the man's mouth, waiting for the blood and screams that would follow, but the man only stared at him calmly, his eyes amused. That's only then that the kid saw that his weapon was a meatloaf, a delicious-looking meatloaf that he had just planted straight in the man's mouth...
Jado bites down on the food, enjoying the taste for a second, before swallowing it down. He shook his head slowly, restraining a surge of laughter. The kid was looking at the remaining half of the meatloaf in his hands, confusion having replaced the fear and despair in his eyes. He looked up at the man, then at the meatloaf, and without any further hesitation, wolfed down the food as quickly as his small mouth allowed him to.
He began coughing from how fast he ate, and Jado handed him a leather flask with a kind gesture. The kid grabbed it without thinking, gulping every drop the flask contained, falling back on the ground once he realized he just had the best meal and drink he ever had in months...no, maybe years? Tears welled up in his eyes, his belly now filled, he fell asleep straight away, not even thanking the young man who gave him the food.
Jado watched the scene in amazement, still as confused as before.
"Any idea of where he came from?" He asked, looking at the snake slithering down his shoulder, shrugging once Dune answered negatively. It was a miracle to find another human alive in this desert, and an even bigger one considering he wasn't part of the Skinner community. Just what should he do with him? As soon as this thought popped up in his head, a blue flashing window appeared in front of him.
Congratulations! You've welcomed your first citizen. This is the first step on the King's Road. May your reign be long. Reward: Processing Silo
"What the—" A rumbling interrupted him, and he ran outside in time to see a small tower in a conical shape rise from the ground a dozen meters away from the small shrine, shaking sand off everywhere as it surged out. The structure was made of the same material as the small shrine and was completely closed off. Two smaller versions of the Altar were on each side of the Silo, waiting to be used.
The ground settled as the structure was done being installed, leaving Jado his mouth wide open. He shook his head and approached the new building. He didn't hesitate to use The Eyes of the Pharaoh to identify it.
Processing Silo Rank: Lowest (Can be upgraded) The Forgotten Desert is an arid place, where food is a luxury and water a rarity. This structure allows the user(s) to process corpses into food and water while stockpiling the excess. Rations stored: Empty / 300 Units
Jado rubbed his eyes, having a hard time believing them. He glanced at the Silo, awed at its absolute power in this hell of a desert.
"This...this solves most of the problems of living in a desert!" The young man exclaimed, overjoyed. He looked around quickly, hoping to find one of the remaining corpses of a spider he hadn't dug out, but there weren't any. It seems like he had scavenged most if not all of them on the last day.
"I guess that means I have to hunt something...Damn it." He clenched his teeth, a headache striking him. The simple idea of having to risk his life once again didn't sit well with him, but he had no other choice. He'll probably have to care for this new "citizen", and that meant a need for food and water. This was probably the reason the reward was this overpowered silo. Could that also mean that he was about to welcome more people here?
"The fire isn't lit anymore, anyway. I doubt they'll find the Shrine without the smoke," He concluded aloud. Jado gave one last glance at the new building and went back inside the small shrine to check on his guest. The heavy stone gate sank into the ground, letting him witness the sight of the trembling kid hiding behind the sacrificial Altar. Jado rubbed both sides of his nose, before entering the Shrine. He stood at the other side of the Altar so he wouldn't frighten the kid, and sat with his legs crossed under him.
"So, who are you?" The young man asked, staring into the lost eyes of the kid. The boy pointed a shaking thumb at his chest in a confused manner.
"Yes, you. Who are you?" Jado persisted. The kid opened his mouth and seemed to try and answer, but no sound escaped his throat. He rubbed it with a pained expression, before shaking his head negatively.
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"You can't talk?" The young man confirmed this thought once the kid nodded at him, "Maybe you know how to write your name?"
The kid's head tilted to the left, letting his puzzlement show.
So he doesn't know what writing is... Just where the hell does this kid come from?
Jado suddenly had an illuminating idea, and was about to fetch the Skinner emblem, only to remember he crushed it in his hands. Why would he do that? He then decided to try his luck at testing The Eyes of the Pharaoh on a living being, something he never did before. He didn't try the skill on Dune because he never felt the need to, and it was different to use it on a living human compared to an animal, no matter how smart the latter was. His eyes squinted as a blue window appeared in front of him.
"..." Rank: Insignificant A human that survived alone in the desert, without the help of anything. He is a living miracle, as are all the other weak living beings in this yellow hell. Can be used as a sacrifice.
"So you survived alone in the desert..."Jado muttered, wondering why there were only some dots in place of the boy's name.
The eastern merchant liked to name the kids in the village zēns...
"Alright, you'll be Zen, from now on!" The kid's eyes widened, and he gasped without a sound, shock written on his face. He nodded hurriedly, apparently satisfied with his new name. Suddenly, the blue window reappeared in Jado's eyes, notable changes having occurred on it.
"Zen" Rank: Insignificant (Growth) The first citizen that joined the Servant of the Sand. The one who survived amidst the sand and the darkness finally found a star to shine upon himself. Citizen of the Nameless Shrine [Open the status window]
"Hmm..." Zen's name now appeared on the status window, and his description also changed. "The one who survived amidst the sand and the darkness finally found a star to shine upon himself." How poetic. Jado frowned when he saw the "Growth" indicator, as well as the option to open the status window. Curious, he touched it, opening a more detailed window.
Name Zen Rank Insignificant [Growth] Class Citizen Title [Dying Ember] Agility Insignificant Constitution Lowest Intelligence Common Strength Insignificant Skill(s) [Resilience], [Sand Walker]
"Wow..."Jado blurted out, more than surprised. This kid was better than him on certain points! First, what's this title...Dying Ember? Why did this sound so damned cool? The young man couldn't help but be jealous. He also realized that without thinking, he summoned the blue window without even thinking of whether Zen was going to see it or not. After a glance, it seemed like he was the only one who could see this strange phenomenon. One more peculiarity to add to the list.
[Dying Ember]
[You're just an ember that threatens to go off at the slightest gust of wind. Hope for someone to reignite you, or you shall disappear in silence like a lie.]
Effect(s): You're immensely weak, and cannot grow as long as your fire isn't ignited.
"What does that even mean...To ignite a fire?" Jado was confused about the effect of the Title and decided to put it away for now. His eyes slipped over the word "common" in the Intelligence case, refusing to admit the kid was smarter than he was, and instead went for the description of Sand Walker. He already knew what Resilience was, so he didn't stop to check it out.
Sand Walker Rank: Lowest [After days, weeks, and months of walking aimlessly in the desert, your feet became one with sand.] Effect: You lose stamina slightly slower in desert conditions, and your walking speed is slightly enhanced.
"So there can be skills like that..." Jado couldn't help but marvel at this system, and at the possibilities it withheld. He dismissed the status window and stared at the kid with both his hands on his waist, wondering what he should do with him. He gave a glance at his map, verifying the positions of the red dots by habitude, and decided on what he should do. Firstly, he took out the worthless weapons the Skinners kindly gave him the previous day, and placed them in front of the kid, who looked at him with less frightened but more confused eyes.
"Pick something you like. It's my way of saying welcome to my place, and you'll probably feel safer with a weapon, right?" As soon as he said those words, Zen nodded frantically, before coming out of his hiding place behind the Altar to come and inspect the weapons. Far from being afraid of them, the kid seemed to know about what and how they were supposed to be used.
Am I doing the right thing, by giving a weapon to a kid?
Jado couldn't help but wonder. Nonetheless, he knew Zen wouldn't benefit from his meager protection all the time, and whatever he could use to improve the kid's survival chances was good to take. So if he had to give a knife to the kid, he'll give the damned knife to the kid. At least he wouldn't be feeling guilty if the latter died because he didn't have any way to defend himself. Zen finally made his choice and picked up the simple longsword that was almost longer than him.
Jado glanced at the pair of knives that laid down on the ground, and back at Zen. The kid noticed his stare and shook his head, hugging the longsword in his arms. The young man sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. At least it seemed that the kid liked his new weapon. For some reason, he became curious about his age.
"Zen, how old are you exactly?" The kid nodded, showing that he understood the question, and used the tip of the longsword to trace lines on the ground. Jado watched him doing so, counting the lines. Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...Seventeen?!?
"What the hell, you're almost an adult!" Jado exclaimed, having a hard time believing Zen. The kid was half his size, and yet only a few years separated them! From his guess, he looked ten, maybe twelve, not ever seventeen!! The young man promised himself to feed Zen well and to take care of this lack of growth of his. He approached the stone gate leading outside of the shrine, making it slide into the ground with a touch. He stepped out in the desert, inviting his young protégé to do the same.
Zen stepped over the stone gate with an apprehensive gaze, before his eyes widened in shock when he saw the small tower that had surged from nowhere a dozen meters away. This...This wasn't there last time!
He pointed at the tower, then at Jado, his unbelieving eyes filled with awe and marvel. Jado saw his gaze, and with the best poker face he ever showed, nodded gravely. The kid gasped, impressed. This strange man in the desert, in addition to giving him food and a weapon for himself, was a magician, a sorcerer of the sands! He made buildings come from nowhere! If that wasn't magic, what was?
Jado stepped in the direction of the west, his feet tracing his steps in the sand, Zen following nimbly while hugging his longsword with both arms. It seemed like the meal made the kid feel much better, but that wasn't a surprise to the young man. In addition, with the Sand Walker skill, it was almost a shock that he wasn't faster than Jado. The young man stopped before going over a Dune, his senses alerting him of something beyond it. He checked his map, but it wasn't a red dot, so it was probably something he could handle. He turned toward his young follower, crouching beside him.
"You picked a longsword, Zen, but do you know how to use it?" The kid looked at the sword, then at Jado, then at the sword, and shook his head while smiling.
No way that guy is smarter than me...
Jado shrugged and turned back toward the sand mound. His small snake companion suddenly surged out from his clothes, startling Zen, before slithering down on the ground and disappearing in the sand. The young man didn't question it, as he had complete trust in his tiny yet dangerous companion.
"Only come and help if you see I can't fight back, alright?" He muttered, wishing to not let the kid participate in the battle. He mainly brought him with him to see how his skill worked while keeping an eye on him, but he would rather not put him in danger if he could. Even though he was seventeen — life be damned — he was still a little kid in his head, obviously. Jado climbed over the dune, discovering today's prey. Or rather, today's danger. Because it wasn't looking much like a prey. More like a predator, actually. The king of its weight class. Jado identified it from afar, eager for information.
Wild Sun Leopard Rank: Lowest An animal that managed to evolve further than the limit of its kind, eating predators stronger than it was. Alive
The Wild Sun Leopard was a magnificent, awe-inspiring beast, his pelt white like the snow, that seemed to reflect the sun around him. Had he not seen actual legendary beasts, he would have thought this leopard would be one of those told in the myths. It was bigger than a hyena, much bigger actually. It was eating one of those right now, its silver claws ripping through the pelts to fish for the fuming bowels. Its teeth were sharp and shining with a similar hue to its claws, as it dug through the corpse of its victim, a wild camel. Well, Jado supposed it was a camel because even his Eyes of the Pharaoh couldn't identify the pitiful remains of the leopard's meal.
He silently took out his Desert Fang from his inventory, Zen gasping from behind him as he looked at the strange man pulling out an even stranger weapon from thin air. The kid stayed back as Jado crouched his way up to the Leopard, holding his twinblade steadily. At a satisfying distance, he jumped down on the beast, planting the tip deep in the immaculate pelt, tinting it with a crimson liquid. The Leopard roared in pain, as it turned violently, throwing Jado away, who managed to pull out his weapon during the action. The young man rolled in the sand, standing back up in a defensive position. The leopard pounced at him without waiting, seemingly uncaring about the wound in its back.
Jado tried to stab the beast in the eye, only for it to jump sideways while biting down on Jado's arm. He splattered blood everywhere as his teeth clacked down on emptiness, the young man having pulled his arm out just in time. He tried to kick the leopard away, only to push himself, the beast unmoving at his hit. The young man paled as he easily understood the actual strength of the creature, and he swung down with his Desert Fang, managing to cut the leopard's left eye. Dune suddenly emerged from the ground without warning, biting the beast in its hind leg, and poisoning it with his powerful venom.
The leopard suddenly went limp, the bitten part of his leg giving up under his weight, and crashed down on the sand. Jado didn't gloat in his victory, and stabbed right through the skull of the leopard, gasping for air after the difficult fight. The bone making up the skull was certainly tough, but the Desert Fang simply pierced it as if it were nothing. The leopard finally stopped moving after a few other seconds, a pool of blood surrounding it, imbibing the sand.
Well, it wasn't that difficult. For once, he didn't get hurt, except for the bruises of getting thrown away, but he was used to those. When he thought back to it, it almost felt too easy for a Lowest rank hunt–
ROAAAAARRR!!!!!
A shockwave threw him off his feet, and he glanced back in fright, seeing another leopard standing on top of a dune, dominating the young man with its immense size. Its pelt was the color of the sand, but it was twice the size of the Wild Sun Leopard, and probably twice as strong. Against all expectations, instead of pouncing directly at Jado, it first checked on the other leopard, nudging it gently with its snout. Of course, the dead leopard didn't respond.
Jado used the occasion to quickly identify this new opponent, only understanding now the mistake he just made.
Wild Alpha Leopard Rank: Common An animal that managed to evolve further than the limit of its kind, eating predators stronger than it was. It's the leader of a region's pack and is the strongest one of its kind. Alive - Furious
"Co...Common!" Jado blurted out, his eyes trembling from how scared he was. He was barely able to hunt a Lowest rank creature with Dune's help, how was he supposed to fight back against a common one? Suddenly, almost as if the Alpha Leopard was done with its grief, it roared to the sky, before plunging its jaws into the corpse of the Sun leopard, taking out and eating its heart. A blinding flash made Jado hide his eyes, as he felt as if the sun itself had descended to punish him. A feeling of foreboding washed over him, and he threw his weapon forward without thinking, knowing exactly where the leopard was in the blinding light. He couldn't see it, but he could feel where he was. He couldn't describe it, but it was a certainty for him. And when he threw the Desert Fang away, he had the same, absolute certainty that it was going to hit and that it was going to hurt.
A pained roar came from the light, as the ground shook and the light blinked in off, streaks of red light appearing amidst it. Jado tried to see as best he could through the chaos until he heard one last thing.
The thunder.