posted 05-19-06 11:21 AM EDT (US)
This story is set thousands of years ago, before the Vinci and Alin even made contact. The Alin do not exist as a unified race, but are split into the Sand and Fire categories. The story revolves around a Desert Walker (who I have not named yet) and his experiences with these "strange" Fire creatures. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. Another day of training had passed. As usual, I could not manage to master the Glass Bolts crossbow. I insisted to my teacher that our throwing scimitars were much more powerful, and that there was absolutely no use for the crossbows, but he would not listen. Perhaps he was closed minded. Or perhaps he was just nervous. You see, in Medinat Khobar, we have long thought we were the only intelligent race in the desert. However recently, there have been sightings of giant fire breathing lizards and flying dames of fire. Some choose not to believe these tales, but nevertheless, the Sultan of Sand has decreed that we mobilise. I am a Desert Walker. A good one at that. I have also been trained as a Heartseeker, which was previously a completely female oriented military position, solely because of tradition. Most citizens of Khobar are trained for battle in one way or the other, but for hundreds of years we have been in isolation and therefore, peace. Some believe we have grown weak. Obviously, I myself, did not believe in those far fetched fantasy stories of creatures of fire. That is, until I saw them with my own eyes. It was at the last quarter of the waning moon when six Heartseekers and I were sent to investigate the disappearance of some civilians in a nearby town. We arrived at the town to be greeted by an elderly man riding an average sized scorpion. He was the leader in the town and he briefed us on what had happened. Like at home, they had also been plagued by stories of fiery creatures. I couldn't help but silently chuckle at the idea. Our troop leader, Hawasna, failed to see what was so funny. We all knew that it was probably just some civilians having problems with small sandsnakes, as usual. We took a quick drink from the oasis and resupplied our packs. Then we headed off. We were, of course, travelling at night. It is impossible to breathe, let alone stand in this region of the desert during the hours of sunlight. With night comes a pleasant breeze and surprisingly, clearer vision. Darkness is nothing compared to the glaring sunlight and distracting mirages. The desert is also uncannily quiet, when there are no winds. The night breeze was not enough to cover the wingflaps or grunts of our mantas. Abruptly, Hawasna stopped and raised her right hand to the back of her head. The signal was for us to be wary. There was someone...or something, nearby. I do not remember what happened after that exactly, but when I woke up, I was in a cave along with the other Heartseekers. Hawasna had tears in her eyes. Our mantas were nowhere in sight. I looked to my left and noticed an exit in the distance. Stalactitic pillars were abundant in the cave, but I could make out moonlight coming in from the distance. The rocks beneath us were jagged and managed to slowly pierce our skin. I tried to stand up, but realised I was chained to the ground. However, these were not chains. Weighty bands of glass cuffed my ankles and wrists. I turned to my fellow heartseekers. We were weaponless. our mouths were gagged by our own headgear. But we were alive. That means that there was something our captors wanted from us. Suddenly, I heard a shrill scream. Small explosions were to follow. I tried to count but lost track after about two hundred. The cave began to rattle. Stalactites began to fall to the ground. The pillars began to crash. A large crater began to form nearby. As Alin, we knew what it had to be. Could it be that the legendary Sand Warden had sent us Sand Horror to our aid? We gaped as the uncannily large creature burst out of the crusty floor. Few have ever actually met the great Sand Warden, or have been blessed to see his powers. This creature was a being of the sand, and was here to help us. It slowly lowered its body and revealed a metallic armour covering its entire back. Without warning, it dove back into the earth. The explosions from outside were still going on. The sand beneath us shook again. It was getting heavier. We were being tossed up and down by the rocks now. Up and down. Up and down. Up and - up. We shot up until our heads almost hit the cave ceiling. Underneath us, the Sand Horror stayed absolutely still. We panicked and tried to jump off, until we realised that the dense glass was still holding us to whatever surface we were on. The amount of explosions began to lessen. I heard what I thought was a hundred screeches. The noise drowned the explosions and slowly faded into the distance. The Sand Horror dashed gracefully along to the cave entrance. "So this group of rookies is what the Sultan sends to aid the town?" said the shadow of a giant man with an insectoid bottom half. [This message has been edited by Shala (edited 06-05-2006 @ 07:25 AM).]
Anything Sandy/Fiery 
. Perhaps Damanhur herself will make an appearance in it? o_0
