Being a righteous knight on a white horse with a kind gaze directed towards the horizon... I think everyone I know would agree that this is not me. Valour was a trait that diligently avoided me, so I had no intention of going out of my way to find it. Realising that any search for clues about the locations of other settlements could take me at least a couple of days of pointless wandering, I returned to the mountain, even despite my seemingly useful tracking skills. In fact, knowing the history and characters of this world, I could use my knowledge as a newcomer if I really needed to find someone. After putting the bandits on my boat and threatening to throw them overboard at a speed of at least a hundred kilometres per hour, I ordered them to set a course for the town with a flower shop I needed to find.
"The boat is racing as if we're in a sandstorm.
"This is some kind of trick, isn't it?
The criminals clutched the floor and cried out. The whirlwind propelled us forward like on that windy day, causing the boat to bounce and spend long seconds in free flight before the skis landed on the sand again. The grains of sand seemed so fast only because of the wind they themselves created. My inspiration for creating this technique was a sandstorm; sitting in my caves, I couldn't forget the amplifying factor that pushed the abilities of all sand mages, including mine, to the limit.
Sitting for weeks thinking about this question, I came to a seemingly obvious conclusion. Wind. It lifted tons of sand, allowing the entire environment to be subjugated. With a strong wind, it is easier to disperse particles.
***
"Hey, Anubis... is it true that my ancestors studied with mages from other nations? - Standing in the middle of a perfectly flat granite room, whipping up a storm of sand in the middle of this cave, a question popped into my head. But there was only silence in response." "If that's true, maybe the movements of sand mages can be enhanced by the right techniques from other schools? Oh, if only I had a scroll with wind magic to understand if I'm thinking in the right direction. I would give anything to learn about their culture!"
"...
"Yes, when you really need to make a choice or find out something important, you keep quiet.
"I have left you the gift of choice. Not all paths in your life are determined by divine providence."
"Yes, I understand, I understand. There's no point in asking you about the history of the people. I'll find out for myself as soon as I get out of here. But now... how would a wind mage behave to speed up the movement of the sand?
"Choose:
1 - Create a storm and keep it going for a week without interruption (it will be easier to understand the principle of accelerating sand grains)
2 - Push back a hundred enemies with gusts of wind (you will learn the subtleties of tornado technique)
3 - Adapt your movement technique. Wind magic is based on evasion, try to repeat it (once you have developed new movements, you will be able to reproduce the techniques of the vanished magicians)."
"…Your choices are unbearable.
***
A couple of dozen minutes later, our fast-moving boat stopped within the boundaries of a settlement that had not changed at all. It seemed like two years had passed, but time had frozen here, with the same lifeless eyes and a dozen completely unremarkable houses.
The bandits who had accompanied me waved their hands innocently and, pretending that they had finished their work, tried to get away. However, the sand that covered their feet had other ideas. The pain-wracked faces of the men turned to me in hurt.
"Let us go, we did everything you wanted!
"Not yet... I'll be back soon," I said, and the diminishing whirlwind carried the boat across the settlement. I responded to the dozens of stares directed at me with the same look, only colder. Every person here could have been responsible for what had happened to me, but the main suspect was the owner of the flower shop where I had stopped. Jumping off the boat and going inside, I realised that nothing had changed... except for the salesperson.
Behind the counter, surrounded by fresh, vibrant flowers, stood a mature woman with the same tired look as the previous shopkeeper. She was dressed in inexpensive rags, her loose-fitting clothes marking her as a sand magician. Seeing me standing at the entrance with a grim expression, she immediately tensed up.
"What are you here for?" she asked rudely, as was customary here, looking me up and down. I seemed strange to her. Unlike the locals, who wore bandages and white robes, I was dressed in black rags like some kind of tourist. But I had wrapped myself up as securely as only the locals knew how.
"Where's the man who was trading here two years ago?" My direct question confused her.
"Two years? Oh, you mean Kaldaira. He was killed," she said calmly, shrugging her shoulders and looking me straight in the eye. "They say it was some guy he wanted to make his slave. I honestly don't care who did it or why, just don't mess with me. I took over this business fairly, by the rules of the desert.
Raising her finger threateningly, she surrounded herself with a thin stream of sand. Everything was as usual, the desert hadn't changed. But as for the identity of the killer... it was obviously Tassad. He himself understood what had happened and was the first to take revenge. But for some reason, my heart felt heavy. I remembered how the system said that killing the merchant would ruin my relationship with my father. He wasn't the kind of man who would easily kill another.
He must have been deeply affected by my loss. Feeling upset, I looked down and went outside.
"...Thanks for the information. I didn't mean to bother you.
"Huh? No, no, it's nothing.
I opened the door with a creak and returned to the boat. The bandits were scrambling to get out, but they quickly calmed down when they saw me. I sat down on the ski in thought, wondering what to do next. In fact, Anubis wasn't trembling at the thought of my possible death — how good that he doesn't always listen to me — which meant I could go wherever I wanted. I could leave the desert, or even wander around here to finish everything I had to do.
There was one interesting place that could help me learn not only about my ancestors, but also teach me various useful things. However, there was simply no map in the world that would point me in that direction. So first... I would visit Tassada.
"Bastards," I turned to the noisy bandits who were banging their fists on the sturdy shackles, instantly attracting their attention. "Which way is the Misty Oasis?"
***
Home, sweet home. Despite my memories, the journey through the desert was not so stifling and long, and a few hours of travel brought me to my native settlement. At the entrance, I was greeted by the same shabby sign, which would fall down sooner or later, and nearby, children were playing with scorpions. And in the centre, the town's landmark, a piece of ice, was still there. Except that it had shrunk considerably over time.
The residents were still rude and glared at me. I looked like a tourist exploring every corner of an unfamiliar place. Except that I was doing it out of a warm feeling of nostalgia, because now the settlement looked several times smaller than it did in my childhood. The circles I used to run around the fence could now be covered in a minute at most. The tall houses were nothing compared to the giant columns of os-vultures.
"I wonder if Tassad opened a woodworking shop. Where is it? Or maybe I should stop by my mother's bar first. She probably blamed my father for what happened to me." The deadly battles on the last floor of the desert weren't as scary as the upcoming meeting. Approaching the bar, ignoring the dozens of appraising glances from the locals, I went inside. As usual, the stuffy room was filled with bounty hunters, bandits, and tourists from other places.
It might have seemed strange that people from the green continent flocked here, but no one had the same reason for being here; each case could be considered separately.
But then... the woman who was supposed to clean the room and deliver drinks was not there. Another woman was working in her place.
"Of course... what an idiot I am, why should she continue working for pennies when she could support her whole family by working with wood?" I ordered a fruit cocktail in a glass made of ice and received a delicious drink. Then he leaned on the bar and looked at the bartender, "Hey, do you know where I can find a wood merchant around here?"
"Wood? There's no such place here," replied the bartender rudely, wiping the ice bowls. After looking at me like I was some kind of freak, he simply walked away and started chatting with another customer, occasionally glancing at my frozen face.
"Hey, lad, can you get us something too? At that moment of procrastination and intense reflection, I was surrounded by a crowd. It was a typical sight in this place, a dozen people surrounding one person to cheat him out of his money. But as soon as I turned to face them, slightly lowering my mask to protect myself from the sand, several guys from the crowd suddenly opened their eyes wide.
"Dagot?
"No way.
Their friends turned to the ones who had spoken. Quickly realising that I was someone they knew, the thugs sighed in disappointment and dispersed throughout the hall, but the two who recognised me froze in place and carefully lowered their masks... Bael and Hamri.
"Are you really you?
"How did you survive?
Rubbing their eyes and realising that I wasn't some kind of mirage, they instantly broke into smiles and rushed to embrace me. New swords, apparently more expensive ones, bounced on their belts. Their faces no longer showed the fatigue of the merchant's hard life.
I can't say that my face looked any easier. On the contrary, since arriving here, my mood had been sinking lower and lower.
"Why are you two walking with some kind of crowd? Where did you get the money for such expensive equipment?
"Um...
At that moment, they blushed slightly.
"You see," they exchanged glances and shrugged, "your father fired us.
"...
"After what happened... Tassad packed his things and left with his wife for the green continent. He said that with his sand magic, he could now earn a living outside the desert.
"He doesn't need any helpers for this kind of business. In the end, we stayed here, and he started a business somewhere else.
They smiled sadly but understandingly. There was not a hint of blame in their words, only disappointment that things had turned out this way.
"Of course, at first we all searched for you for a long time! We found out that some devil hired bandits to capture you alive, but... we couldn't find you anywhere.
"Man, I just can't believe where you've been all this time!
So, my father decided to start a quieter life. I didn't know why he hadn't done it sooner, but it wasn't hard to understand what had finally pushed him over the edge. I should have been happy that the people who raised me had a chance at a better future. Turning around, I walked outside in silence.
"Hey, Dagoth, let's have a chat over a drink!
"I'm dying to know where you've been.
When I got outside and reached the boat, I looked gloomily at the guys.
"Choose:
1 - Agree (Your relationship will become friendly. You can join the gang)
2 - Invite them on your journey (You've decided that you need followers, but only among guys who have proven themselves over time)
3 - Be rude (your relationship will end)"
I clenched my fists... I can't imagine how Anubis looked at me, but for me there was only one option. It was not up for discussion.
"I don't know how your lives turned out, but I can't believe you became gang members. You disgust me," the guys' faces froze. Looking at their expensive equipment and smirking faces, I raised my hand, releasing my silent companions who had been accompanying my boat on its journey all this time, and threw them at the guys' feet. "I don't want to dirty my hands with such scum.
Jumping into the boat, I prepared to simply get out of there. It doesn't take much brains or skill to wander around the desert in search of something no one has ever seen. Having memorised the location of the villages, I prepared to fly as far away as possible.
"How do you think we were supposed to live?!" Hamri's very annoyed shout rang out behind me.
"Brother, it's not worth it.
"Get lost, Bael, I'm talking to Dagoth! Answer me, how are two simple people supposed to survive when they've worked their whole lives for your father, supported him in everything, and after he turned us in, we were left with empty pockets!
"...And how much blood is on your hands? - raising his chin, he looked down at them. Both clenched their fists in anger.
"Who cares? Those who can adapt survive, we're in the desert!!! And we earn a thousand times more than we did working for your father, do you think we regret anything? Come down and look at my expensive weapon.
"Hamri, he's a mage...
"Who knows where he disappeared to! Instead of blaming us for something, you'd better realise that it all started with you. You came back as if nothing had happened after two years! Wasn't it your destiny before? Hey, stop, where are you going!
My boat is moving. A growing whirlwind began to carry us away from this cursed place.
"And you don't want to repay us in any way?! You idiot...
***
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