Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 7

Selene snapped her arm back quickly.  There was a small splash of water, but the crab didn’t seem to notice.  If it did, it wasn’t moving.  Maybe it was dead.  She couldn’t tell if it was breathing or not.  She looked around in the darkness, trying to find that small point of blue light she had seen earlier.  She needed to get out of here, and fast.  She was breathing heavily, panicking slightly.  This was not the place she wanted to be.

She started moving, making the smallest motions possible.  Her arms held up above the surface of the water, feet tired and sore stepping along underneath.  The cave was silent, the water mostly still, the faint blue light the only beacon she had.  She kept her eyes trained on the light, listening behind her to see if the crab stirred

An eternity seemed to pass.  The light grew slowly closer as she inched her way through the water.  Off in the distance she could hear water dripping from some unseen stalactite, plinking into the perfect stillness of the water, the sound echoing throughout the cave.

*plink*

*plink*

*plink*

Selene took another step forward.  The sandy ground beneath her most recent foothold shifted slightly, pulling her down slightly into the water.  The sudden shock of falling in the total stillness made her let out an involuntary shout in the dark.  She caught herself, not falling into the water.  But the damage was done.  She clamped a wet glove over her mouth, silently screaming inside.

There was a roar, and a churning of water.  Selene glanced over her shoulder as she heard the chattering of claws and mandibles.  The megalocrab was rising from its rest, disturbed by Selene’s shouting.  She could see its form against the blackness, lit ever so faintly by the blue light she was trying to desperately to escape towards.

The jig was up.  The water churned around the base of the crab as it turned to locate the source of the scream.  Abandoning all sense of stealth, Selene started running as fast as the waist-high water would allow.  The crab locked in on her position, letting out a shrill, ear-piercing screech that echoed off the walls of the cave.  Selene didn’t look back.  She focused on moving her exhausted body as fast as it could go.  The crab was having just as much trouble as she was moving through water this high, and this was its natural habitat.

As Selene sprinted towards the light, she could tell that it was coming from behind a wall.  The cave took a twist up ahead, and something blue was emanating from behind it.  Selene didn’t even know if she was heading the right way to find the exit; she was putting all of her hope on this – the only thing she could see.  She could hear the crab behind her, but with all the echoing in the chamber she couldn’t tell if it was gaining or not.

Selene rounded the corner of the cave, desperate to uncover the source of the light.  It was brighter than she anticipated, the blue glow growing hot white at its source to her light-starved eyes.  She groaned, unable to see in the sudden brilliance, shielding her eyes with a glove as she continued to press forward through the water.  She tried to open one eye, peering out from under her guarding arm as she ran, trying to get her bearings.  The light was coming from flowers, large aquamarine orbs of light.  Her eyes started to water, looking around the room.  She tried to look around, see if this chamber had any branching paths, but the light was so overpowering she couldn’t see around.

She could feel the water level lowering as she moved forward.  The ground must be sloping upward.  She could move faster, but she still couldn’t see two feet in front of her in order to get her bearings.  She wandered over to a cluster of the glowing lights, ducking down in the middle of them, remaining perfectly still.

They were plants.  As her vision slowly began to return and sharpen, she could tell that she was sitting in some foliage.  The orbs were some kind of luminescent flower that she’d never seen before.  She bent one slightly, trying to hide her shape in the light.  Her eyes were watering, and her heart was racing.  She was listening closely for the crab.  The splashing lessened, she could hear its mandibles clicking as it searched for her.  She continued to look around the room, searching in earnest for a way out or.

There was a screeching noise at the crab rounded the corner to the glowing room.  Its’ light-sensitive eyes were in revolt.  It shied away, ducking slightly back into the darkness of the cave.  It still wanted to chase her, she could tell, but it was now hesitant.  Selene squinted through the light to see her assailant for the first time.

It had been nighttime when the megalocrab first attacked her in the Thanalan sands.  She had only seen it illuminated for a split-second  in the lightning before the two of them had been flushed into the caverns by the flash flood, and it was pitch black down here in the caves.  Now here, in the glow, she could see it.

It was massive; larger than any she had ever seen before.  It was old, scarred by battles with who knows what kind of assailants.  She counted a few distinct kinds of wounds.  Axe wounds, marks that looked like it had been attacked by other crabs.  Small puncture wound that looked as though it had been shot by arrows or stabbed.  This crab had been through seven hells and back.  One of its eyes was dead, white and opaque.  She watched the crab as it hesitantly walked into the glowing room.  Selene was perfectly hidden.

Selene had been in plenty of encounters with megalocrabs in La Noscea’s outskirts to know how they fought.  Their primitive eyes could only see changes in light and dark, and they were sensitive to sound.  Crouching here like this, surrounded on all sides by light-emitting orbs, she was literally invisible to the massive crab.  She took the opportunity to look around her.

Selene scanned the walls, her eyes finally adjusted to the bright lights.  The room she was in was a dead end.  The only path was back the way she came, into the water.  The megalocrab was now in the center of the circular alcove, turning around in the middle to try and find her.  There was nowhere else she could be.

The crab turned around in its search, mandibles clicking.  As it rotated in place, a glint caught Selene’s eye.  Something shiny was stuck on the surface of the crab’s carapace, shining brightly in the light of the orbs.  Selene squinted, trying to peer through the glare to see what it was.

It was an old sword; a straight blade wedged into the hard surface of the crab’s shell.  Its design was strange; perfectly straight with almost no hilt to speak of.  A rotting strip of leather was wrapped around the handle, barely hanging on by a thread.  It was obviously sharp enough to pierce… and stick.  Selene took a deep breath.

The crab clicked its mandibles angrily.  It turned sharply, obviously frustrated that its prey had escaped.  It turned away from Selene, gnashing its claws.  She steeled her nerves, fighting back all of her mental urges to stay put.  True, she was safe where she was, for the moment, but it was a dead end.  There was no way to sneak out now that the crab was in here, and even if it backtracked down the tunnel there’s no way she’d be able to sneak past it.

Selene moved her hands as slowly as she could, moving them up towards one of the glowing plants.  She slowly twisted the orb around on its stem until it snapped of silently.  To her surprise, it stayed lit.  She held it back behind her, primed and ready to throw.

Selene took a deep break.

It was now or never.

Selene snapped like a taught bowstring, sprinting from her hiding place and running towards the crab.  It turns to face her, screeching as it gnashed its claws.  Selene chucked the glowing orb in her hand, throwing it over the crab’s head.  It turned, following the source of the motion with a screech.  Mustering up all the strength her sore legs still had in them, Selene launched herself onto the crab’s back.  It skittered after the orb, so excited that it might have found its target that it was completely ignoring the woman on its back.  Selene clung on for dear life, climbing forward hand over hand towards the embedded sword.

The crab reached the orb, lurching forward and stabbing at its target with a giant claw.  It pulled back, stabbing repeatedly in a frenzy of rage.  Selene stretched out, fingertips finally reaching the sword.  Pulling herself forward, she braced her feet against the shell and ripped the sword out of the crab’s back.  It squealed in pain, turning in place, searching for the source of its pain.  It couldn’t see Selene, sitting atop it and trying to maintain her balance.  She gripped the sword wound, using it as a handhold to stay atop.  The crab was suddenly aware of her, bucking wildly to get her off.  It tried to reach up and grab her in its pincers, but Selene was just out of range.

The crab went into desperation mode.  It scuttled as fast as it could towards the nearest cave wall, trampling glowing plants beneath its feet.  It slammed into the wall, the sudden jerking motion sending a shudder through Selene’s bones.  She maintained her grip, trying not to fall off.  The crab repeatedly smashed its side against the wall trying to dislodge her.  Selene stood up on the balls of her feet and then launched herself into the air, landing awkwardly on the ground in front of the crab.

She scrambled back onto her feet as the crab turned to face her, gnashing its claws wildly in the air in frustration that its prey could evade it for so long.  Selene jumped up, slamming the sword into the crab’s last good eye, feeling a satisfying squish as the old blade pierced the juicy organ.  She ripped it out violently, trying to lock herself into a defensive position.  Juices sprayed from the crab’s eye as it flailed about wildly, no completely blind.  It staggered as it tried to walk, unable to locate Selene.  Its behavior erratic, Selene readied her sword and ran forward, lunging and thrusting her blade into the crabs screeching mouth, stabbing the soft flesh.  She twisted the blade and tore it out, blood flying into the air.  She ducked under a wild incoming claw, then struck the crab again with the blade, aiming for the soft roof of its mouth, aiming for the brain.

Selene let go of the hilt, falling down to the ground in exhaustion and scooted out of the way, just in time to avoid a crab claw lunging into the ground where she had been standing.  She back away, the crab physically incapable of following her.  Its legs buckled and one side fell into the dirt.  It tried to scream, but the sword stuck in its throat reduced it to a pathetic gurgle.  Blood spattered out onto the floor as the crab gave a final wheezing lurch towards her before collapsing.

Dead.

Selene’s chest was heaving with exertion and panic.  Sweat beaded on her forehead as her muscles stiffened back up.  The adrenaline flooded from her body as she collapsed back against the ground, closing her eyes.  Her breathing slowly returned to normal and she slowly sat back up, fighting back the aches in her body.  She pushed herself to her feet, crawling to the corpse of the dead megalocrab.  She planted a foot on its old dead eye and reached a gloved hand down to the old blade.  She grasped it by the hilt and slowly pulled it out of the crab’s brain with a sickening pop.  She gave the crab one last look, and limped out of the cavern.

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

End of Chapter I

RUNAWAY: CHAPTER 1: DESERT: PART 6

When Selene opened her eyes, she was positive that she was already dead. There was nothing to see, just infinite blackness. Her body was stiff and sore, but she found herself able to move. There was a buzzing in her ears, and her throat was stiff and scratchy. She tried to lift an arm in the darkness but met with resistance. She strained, felt something break free, and she fell over with the sudden loss of tension.

There was a splash as her hand jerked forward, breaking the surface of the water. Suddenly things started to come clear to Selene. She wasn’t dead, she wasn’t blind. She was underground, up to her chest in water. It was dark because there wasn’t any sunlight down here. She leaned back, her head resting against what felt like a rock wall. She took a deep breath, and thought.

It was a flash flood that had brought her down here. Deserts were strange like that; you could go weeks without a drop of rain, and then suddenly out of nowhere, torrents. Down in the gorge that she had found herself in, it was particularly deadly. She was surprised that she hadn’t broken any bones as she was swept through the winding maze of pillars and down whatever chaotic mountain tunnels had brought her to where she was now. She only hoped that she’d be able to find a way out. But she had no light, and no inkling of where she was.

She tried to move. She was sore, probably covered in bruises. She hadn’t broken anything, but she’d still been slammed around quite a bit in that downpour of water. She braced herself against the rock wall, slowly shifting herself upward and bringing her legs beneath her, pushing up and rising precariously to her feet. Most of her weight still pressed against the wall, she tried to let her legs readjust to bearing her weight. She listened to the soft plinking sounds of water dripping from her clothes, dripping into the water below. She needed to get out of here, and soon. Who knew how long she’d been sitting here soaking in water. No time but the present to get started. She tested the ground in front of her, then took a step. Her legs didn’t buckle, even though they did protest. She paused, taking a deep breath. She looked around, then squinted.

Off in the distance, in some far corner, things seemed a little brighter. Bluish, maybe green. Perhaps it was just her light-starved eyes playing tricks on her, but heading that direction seemed like the best bet. She took another deep breath and took another step out, her hand remaining against the rock wall as a guide. It wasn’t long before she fell flat forward onto her face once the wall wasn’t there anymore.

She came up for air quickly after she splashed into the water. She stood up again, reaching out in search of the wall, but there was nothing there. She flailed about a bit, trying to get her bearings before common sense took over and she stood stark still. She peered out carefully, pinpointing the faint bluish area she had been headed towards. Her position confirmed, she reached out again to where the wall had been. There was nothing there.

Realization dawned. There had never been a wall. Selene reached for her belt, only to find that her sword was missing; no doubt carried away in the downpour. She was unarmed, and worse yet she was beginning to think she wasn’t alone. She listened carefully, but heard nothing. She held her hand out to where the wall had been, then lowered it to the surface. There she found something, hard and tough.

“Not like a wall,” she thought to herself. “Like a carapace.”

Alone in the dark with a megalocrab, unarmed and without her eyes, Selene began to panic.

Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 5

*paf* *paf* *plik*

Selene’s eyes opened slowly, trying to focus on the tip of her nose. Everything was blurry, red was in her eyes. She tried to sit up, but could barely move.

*paf paf paf*

Realization dawned on her foggy eyes. Rain. It was raining in Thanalan. Droplets pinged off her nose, her forehead. She slowly, with whimpering gasps, tilted her head back and feebly lowered her jaw. Errant drops found their way in, some pooling and rolling down her face where her tongue attempted to hungrily lap them from her lips. A smile splayed across her lips in the darkness, a laugh emitting that sounded more like choking than enjoyment. With every ounce of energy in her body she pulled her canteen from her belt, fumbling with the cap and opening it to catch what little rainwater could find itself into the spout. It wasn’t a lot, but Selene had just been given a bit more time. She relaxed against the rock wall, trying to focus her mind.

She laid there, slowly regaining consciousness, focus, getting soaked with rainwater. She could feel the ground beneath her turning to mud and sucking at her shawl. She tried to start conditioning her legs for moving, stretching out a body exhausted from dehydration. She needed food more than anything, but that was as good as it was going to get at the moment. Rain continued it’s steady descent as the night wore on.

*paf paf paf*

Selene tried to stand, bracing herself against the piller. The rain was refreshing not only physically, but spiritually as well. The thought of scorching to death in the middle of the desert began, for the first time, so seem a little bit further away than it had before. Using her sword as a walking stick, Selene managed to stagger to her feet, her legs protesting. She cupped her hands to catch rainwater, pouring a bit more down her throat.

*paf paf /click/*

Selene’s ears perked up. Her head turned slowly, looking around. She thought she’d heard something coming in through the rainfall. Something hard and sharp, definitely not the sound of water hitting earth. She couldn’t make anything out through the darkness and veil of water; no shapes, no movement. Selene stayed perfectly still, holding her weight.

*paf paf paf*

She shook her head. Trying to focus. Was she going delirious?

“Damn…”

*click click click*

The sound again. Her head snapped around as quickly as it could, searching for something. Still nothing.

*click*

Selene looked up just in time for something to land on her from the top of an outcropping.

Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 4

Selene walked behind a caravan wagon and closed her eyes, lightly banging her head against the side in frustration.

“Oh hey, come on Selene, don’t be like that,” said Becolana, sauntering around to her side and leaning against it with a grin. “I was just trying to say that it’s been a while since I last saw you and I missed you,”

Selene shot the Lalafell a vicious sideways glance. “I would have liked to keep the combo going,” she spat, “lucky for you I owe Redrick quite a few favors.”

Becolana stuffed his hands into his pockets, whistling a little tune. “You seem to be deadset on pretending you aren’t just thrilled with my presence,” he shrugged, “Ah well. Have fun with your stupid woman games.” Giving the wheels a light kick, he meandered off back to the other side of the wagon.

Selene was desperate to keep her cool. It shouldn’t be a long trip; three days at the most. She could put up with him for that long, couldn’t she? The more she thought about it, the more the signs pointed to fisticuffs in the near future.

A squat merchant started chattering on the other side of the cart. Selene sighed, regained her composure as best she could and then walked over to where the rest of the caravan crew was waiting. The merchant leader was in the midst of an overview of their trip.

“-and then we’ll be landing in Ul’Dah. It’s a two day trek from Ferry Docks to the capitol over the route we’re taking. We’re making a pit stop at an outpost that’s going to require going the long way around and there’s some pretty harsh desert between here and there. Supplies are limited, and we’re going to be heavily rationed, so be careful not to outdo yourself. I trust you all know basic desert survival skills or Redrick wouldn’t have contacted you about this one.”

Selene half listened. All of these escort jobs ended up being pretty much the same; follow target, kill baddies, collect reward, wash rinse repeat. They didn’t take a lot of ingenuity and you didn’t even have to learn the route; that was someone else’s job. At this rate of pay she’d be foolish to turn the job away even if it meant she had to spend half a week with someone as irritation as Becolana, who was currently tapping her on her thigh to get her attention.

“What do you want?” she spat flatly, refusing to make eye contact.

“I wedged a bottle of Emerac into my pack before we left. The seasonal brew. One of your faaaavoriiites. What say tonight we start our own campfire and uh… ‘reminisce’ about the good old days.”

“Day, Beco, day. Singular. We had one good old day, and that was the day I met you. The very next day I hated you.”

“Ach, ye’re just jealous of my ladies and my blade!” he said, doing some fancy footwork and kicking up a bit of dust. “Both of them could be yours if you’d like, and I’m not talking about my lance. Well, I amtalking about my lance, but not my LANCE-lance, you know.”

“YES Beco, I get it. Shut up.”

“Why do you have to be like this all the time?! I come in, buy us some really nice beer, and you’re just a bitch to me. All day.”

“Well, you’re an ass. All day.”

Beco smiled, putting his arms behind his head and stretching. “Aye, that I am, and I’m damn proud of it. I don’t make no apologies for who I am.”

Selene sighed heavily, shaking her head and walking up to the front of the caravan to talk to the guide. She’d be damned if she was going to sit there and just listen to Beco prattle on for the rest of the trip. The fewer outlets she gave him to ramble, the better.

“Fine, just walk away!” shouted Beco, rolling his eyes. “You’ll be back for that bottle!”

Selene cringed ever so slightly as she walked away, but she refused to give in. Dealing with Beco required finding a strong balance between snarky dismissal and completely ignoring him. She’d done the first, now it was time to do the second. Giving him even an inch would result in an instantaneous explosion of bravado and machismo, and Selene didn’t have nearly enough alcohol in her system to deal with that at the moment, especially if he tried to grab her butt. Unfortunately that wasn’t out of the question. She found the driver and started trying to get a feeling for the route they’d be taking.

It was too bad though. It was going to be a shame to let such a good bottle of Emerac go to waste.

Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 3

“Hey, Selene!”

“….What?”

“D’ya think it would be possible tae enlist your services on the 4th Sun?”

“Forget it, Redrick. I’m not interested in doing anything with you right now.”

“Come oooon, it’s not even dangerous this time.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m already booked for then.”

“Liar.”

“Seriously.”

“I got yae a beer.”

“…. Okay fine. What’s involved? Be advised, I’m not committing to your crap until you tell me all the details.”

Redrick pulled up a chair with a screech and plopped down, gingerly pushing a brimming flagon towards Selene. He reached a hand up and scratched his tousled mat of hair, then pulled a map out of his pocket and unfurled it on the table.

“Whoah, whoah, whoah. Thanalan? I really don’t want to go that far out of Limsan territory, especially for you.”

“Easy, easy, let me explain,” said Redrick. “It’s an all expenses paid journey. A few o’ tae noble gents from Ul’dah are here an’ they picked up quite a bit of… ah, merchandise, an they needs a few capable persons tae assist them in getting it back to their fair city.”

Selene raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the map. “Merchandise? The way you say it, Redrick, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s not contraband of some sort.”
“Ach, tis nothing of that sort, lass. This is all legi-tay-mit stuff we’re talkin’ here. None of that black market shite like a few moons back.”

Selene nodded to herself, taking a chug of the ale and then turning her full attention to Redrick without a word. He seemed confused, then figured out what was she wanted.

“Alright, so ye’ll be taking a ship out of our port here, and arriving in Thanalan at Ferry Docks. Then it’s straight into Ul’dah wit ye.”

Selene sat in silence for a moment, looking intently at the map. “What is their transport, how many are there, who are the other guards have you either employed or sought out?”

Redrick leaned back in his chair, sorting through the information. “Well… they’s takin’ carriages, I believe three, through tae desert. Half ae one’s fer supplies, tae rest are for tae merchandise itself.” He took a deep gulp of beer, wiping foam away from his scraggly beard with his other hand. “I’ve sought out a few other gents tae join ye… I’m aimin’ to get four persons on this, yourself included.”

“That… sounds about right…” said Selene. “Who have you tried to get a hold of?”

“Beco’s already agreed to join tae party…” Redrick began, powering on through the sarcastic groan that Selene let out. “I’m still lookin’ fer tae other two. I’m really counting on you to join us, Miss Artemis.”

Becolana Olilen was a pesky little Lalafell mercenary. He tended to hang around down at the docks with the pirates and cutthroats that slunk around the seedier dives. Selene had had more than her fair share of run-ins with him over the many moons she had been in Limsa, and none of them had gone particularly well. He was constantly hitting on her and in general was just a cocky little jerk. Selene hated him. The only problem was that he was very good at what he did. Scary good. It was hard to tear down his cockiness when Selene felt that he’d earned it.

“I know ye don’t like him, lass, but he’s got a good blade on ‘im. I could really use y’er help out there. It’s not a tough mission, but it needs doin’. Thanalan’s not far the faint o’ heart.”

“What’s the pay?”

“Three thousand a day, plus a little extra if everything goes smooth.”

Selene stared long and hard at the map, mulling over the details. She leaned back in her chair and rested her boots on the table. Redrick’s eyes were locked on hers, the tension between them palpable.

“Buy me another ale, and I’m in.”

Redrick let out a raucous laugh that echoed across the bar. “Thal’s balls, lass ye really ‘ad me goin’!” And with that he sauntered off to the counter to grab another round. Selene folded her arms across her chest and stared at the ceiling. Another sun, another routine job.

Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 2

The cave was a welcome respite from the harshness of nature. Selene had pressed on as the sun climbed, and miraculously the endless dunes had started to give way to rocky outcroppings, large spires of stone jutting out of the landscape, twisted and warped by the relentless barrage of tiny grains in the wind. The spires became more and more frequent until they seemed for form a maze, a labyrinth of columns. Selene wary to not walk in circles or double back on herself.

She had been hiding in the shade of a pillar for a momentary breather, wiping sweat from her brow and trying to conserve her dwindling energy when she saw it: a small hovel, a hole in the wall. Collapsing to the floor, Selene pushed herself up against a wall and tried to get some rest. She could feel the baking of the sun off the sand just outside the mouth of cave. She pulled her cowl lower and faced away from the entrance, trying to fend off the heat. As the sun crept higher Selene fell deeper and deeper into a fitful slumber.

---

Her torch had not lasted through the previous night, giving out a few bells before the sun began to rise. It’s blessing warmth would have been welcome now, and in the frigid desert night Selene regretted leaving her acton at the caravan. Her feet dragged as she gazed up at the stars, trying to figure out where she was and how much further she would have to go for water or food. She ate the bread sparingly, only when her body protested going on.

Her legs were on fire, stiff and sore from exertion. Grime, sweat, and dirt caked onto her face, hair a tattered mess and filled with drifting sand. Her boots were filled with pebbles and rocks, but she lacked the strength to get them out. Selene staggered forward, one foot after another, losing focus and coherence with every step.

A jutting rock brought her to the ground as the day was beginning to break. The lip of her boot caught it, and she fell straight forward, too tired and exhausted to brace herself with her arms. As the floor came up to meet her face, Selene blacked out.

---

Selene awoke with a start. There was darkness all around her, the shroud turning the landscape into a menacing beast. She lifted her head to see where she was, but her vision was blurry. Slowly, she tried to lift herself up onto her elbows. Her feet didn’t want to respond. There was something cold and sticky on her face… blood. Her own blood.

“Damn…”

She had fallen too hard and too fast, but there was no way to assess the full damage she had suffered. Her senses were fading fast. The bread was long since gone. Her throat was dry and her breathing labored. With a tremendous will on strength Selene rolled onto her back and slowly scooted up against a rock wall. She tried to wipe the blood from her eye, but it was no use. It was dry and caked into the crevices of her face, and her weakened state made it impossible to remove it with any precision.

Wind whistled through the pillar maze. Selene’s eyelids closed again, opening slightly as she tried to force herself awake. As darkness enveloped her, she drifted off to sleep once again.

Runaway: Chapter 1: Desert: Part 1

She was asleep when the snapping of burning tinder woke her from a fitful nightmare.

Selene stared up into the sky, a gloved hand shading her eyes from the blazing sun. She blinked several times before pushing herself up onto her elbows, taking in the scene.

Twenty, maybe thirty dead bodies surrounded a blazing caravan. A few of them Ixali, but most all of them Hyur. Selene slowly pushed herself to her feet, brushing sand from her acton. She walked around the wreckage, her hands occupied with putting up her hair. Tallying the fallen in her head, she encircled the caravan twice. A bit of mental math confirmed it. Everyone was dead. Dejected, she slumped on an empty crate that had been tossed casually to the desert winds.

Selene was silent for a long while. The sun baked down on her from its midday perch, beads of sweat dripping from her nose. The flames that engulfed the sacked carriage began to die down, which added a bit of respite to the relentless heat. Selene stood from the crate and began checking the bodies of the dead. Scrounging together pits and pieces of clothing, she removed her sweltering acton and discarded it near a splintered wheel. Donning her makeshift desert gear, she continued her scavenging, searching for rations, a flask of water, anything.

The eyes of the dead leered at her. Taken by surprise, the caravan had stood little chance against so many. Many had died eyes wide open in shock and fear, blood trickling from their loops and soaking the sand red. Arrow shafts littered the ground, snapping underfoot like twigs in a forest. Selene stopped at the body of an elderly man, a merchant she believed, and examined him briefly. An arrow in the gut and a severed limb nearby. Selene had seen worse, but rarely had there been such terror and emotion so profoundly displayed on a corpse. His grotesque form still didn’t stop her from rummaging through his pack.

“Damn…”

A few bits of bread were all that remained of the entire caravan. The Ixali raiders had taken everything of any value. Three carriages worth the marauders had swallowed up, leaving behind only corpses and a young woman. What worried her is that there was no sign of Beco. She figured he’d probably gotten separated during the confusion and ended up dead under a dune, or under an upturned carriage. Gazing up at the afternoon sun, Selene quickly erected a makeshift shelter from planks of wood scattered about the battleground and waiting for night to fall.

She was too weak to teleport back to Limsa. She wasn’t particularly attuned to the realm of the aether to begin with, but thirsty, tired, and hungry, there was no way she’d be able to connect. Unsure of how far in their journey she’d made it, Selene didn’t know whether to turn back or carry on. Civilization had to be close, but Thanalan is a dangerous place to be lost and alone in. She needed a plan. She tried to rest until night fell.

Kindling a small torch from the dying embers of the blaze, Selene began her trek. She hadn’t recalled seeing any major landmarks or good places to rest along the way; it seemed that her chances were equal with the unknown. She said a prayer for the dead, and began making tracks in the sand toward whatever horizons she might find.

“Damn…”

Hours of walking showed little results. Selene had encountered naught but dunes the entire eve. There were a few rocky outcroppings, but nothing that showed any hints of life or sustenance. A wolf howled in the distance. Wind blew sand in her face. The sun began to rise. And Selene was still alone.