The Night that (6): The desert trembled.

A bit late. Writing so much kind of wore me out. I'll take a break for about 3 or 4 days.

As always, have a great Blood Moon and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

The desert was hot. Dunes upon dunes of sand stretched as far as my eyes could see, while others blocked my view of the end of this sea of golden grains surrounding me. The heat made the air ripple, creating mirages. There was no oasis or village in the miles I had traveled.

It was around midday. The sky was free of clouds, light or dark; only the Sun could be seen on the vast blue canvas above, as if it were trying to melt, burn, and consume everything in this desert…

"To be honest, it’s not bad. Kind of sour and dry, but it has its charm." I commented after swallowing a piece of cactus roasted by the Shadowflame.

…Not that it really mattered.

As much as this heat should’ve already killed an average person through dehydration, heatstroke, or whatever else involved extreme temperatures, lack of water, and a massive desert, it didn’t affect me in the slightest. Heat and cold were two things that could only affect me if they reached absurdly high extremes.

I pulled another piece of cactus from the Voidbag and held it in my right hand. The spines failed to pierce my skin. I walked to the top of the nearest dune while commanding the Shadowflame to slowly roast the plant.

At the top of the dune, I looked towards the horizon, towards the storm. I raised my left hand above my eyes and instinctively squinted, even though the sun didn’t hurt my vision.

"You know, I’m starting to find the idea of bombing everything over there into oblivion more and more appealing." I said out loud, my voice completely serious.

As far as I knew, Terraria had already lost three continents. Or at least, they weren’t listed on current maps. Losing another half a continent or so shouldn’t make that much of a difference…

("The fact that you said the idea is becoming more appealing tells me you’ve been considering it for a while now…") Ozma’s voice rang out, breaking the desert’s silence after my statement. ("Correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I know, you don’t have enough bombs in your inventory to blow up the entire storm.")

"Of course, I don’t have enough bombs for that." I shook my head, as if disappointed by the fact, before grinning. "But I do have some solid options to bridge that gap."

I bit into the roasted cactus and chewed. The taste was like dry, heavily seasoned chicken. The spines just added some extra crunch. I was also pretty sure this thing was poisonous, but it was weak enough not to even tingle my tongue.

After swallowing, I asked, "Ozma, my friend, do you know what happens when a few uranium-235 atoms are split in half?"

Ozma didn’t get the chance to answer before a message appeared in my vision, surfacing like a desert mirage.

[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]Have you finally lost it? Did the Sun completely melt what little sanity you had left? Because, for you to even think about making a FUCKING ATOMIC BOMB, that has to be the case!(Emote of a generic guy pointing at a distant mushroom cloud)

Kazuma wasn’t the only one. The whole (CHAT) had exploded with messages after what I said…

Thinking about it, saying that out loud when my (CHAT) was mostly Japanese might have been in poor taste.

("Judging by the (CHAT)'s reaction, I’m guessing this has something to do with a very dangerous bomb.") Ozma said, wisely.

"That’s a fair summary, yes." I agreed, casting one last look at the storm before resuming my walk across the dunes. "I’d probably need around ten big ones to blow everything inside to hell."

("Do I really need to say that blowing everything inside the storm is a bad idea? There’s an entire kingdom full of people in there.")

"I’d evacuate everyone before blowing it all up, obviously." Did Ozma think I was crazy? "But this is just a stray thought. I don’t actually have the usual means to make such a bomb, nor do I have that much uranium, for that matter."

Another message formed like a mirage.

[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]Want me to take care of that for you? Pretty sure I can get you ‘the stuff.’ Don’t worry, no one will know it was me who sent it to you—total secrecy between supplier and client…(Emote of Iron Man in a trench coat standing in a dark alley.)

"Saying it like that makes it sound like I’m buying drugs." I commented, amused. Not that buying uranium was much better. "But no, thanks. I’ll keep the nuclear option as a last resort. I’m good for now."

As I walked, I let my thoughts drift. I used this ‘pause’ to think and organize everything I had learned so far. Being in a sunny place instead of under the rain was nice, too.

"You know, I kind of ignored this fact, but when’s the next full moon?" I murmured before looking at the camera. "Jinn?" The response came shortly after: in one week and three days.

To be honest, that surprised me. The mission the stream had given me in Winterhord—to return to the kingdom in three months—still had around twenty-five days and a few hours left, way more time than just a week and three days, considering the next full moon after that would be a whole month later.

("There’s a chance the full moon has nothing to do with what’s about to happen.") Ozma pointed out.

"I highly doubt that. I’m no expert, but almost every time some moon-related bullshit happens, it’s during a full moon." I disagreed with him. My gaze drifted over the sands for a moment. There were no tracks.

"Alalia said the night seemed endless, didn’t she?" I recalled the dryad’s words. The starless sky above the storm also supported that. Ozma didn’t respond, letting me continue. "What if whatever’s going to happen starts on the full moon, and the mission has that time limit because that’s how long the kingdom can hold out before it falls?"

("That… is actually a possible scenario. I don’t know how the stream works, but the mission just says you need to return in less than three months. It doesn’t specify an exact time, just a deadline.")

"…I’m going to assume we only have a week, then." I didn’t bother telling Jinn to warn everyone in the kingdom—I was sure she was already doing that.

I kept walking for a few more minutes, randomly grabbing some cacti I saw along the way and tossing them into the VoidBag while eating a few pieces. The more toasted ones were better.

("Is there a reason we’re walking and not running?") Ozma asked after a while.

"Other than the fact that I’m doing this so everyone using ‘Simultaneous Existence’ is forced to walk through the desert with me?" My words brought a flood of angry messages from (CHAT). I pointed at the ground a few meters ahead before approaching.

The sand there was slightly different from the surroundings. Coarser, grainier—sandstone. Further ahead, the ground became flat, almost like a road, though it was partially buried under the sand.

I stepped closer, brushing some sand off the edge of the road, revealing some worn, ancient-looking mystical symbols. With a glance, I could tell that many no longer worked. The paint on some was faded beyond repair, and others were scratched out or completely destroyed—almost as if they had been intentionally damaged…

Some parts of the road were also heavily damaged, with holes, cracks, and what looked like giant bite marks…

("This is strange…") Ozma’s voice had taken on a serious tone.

"You noticed it too?" I asked rhetorically, humming to myself. I stood up and looked both ways down the road. "This road hasn’t been used in a long time. No maintenance, no wheel tracks, no footprints."

No signs of life anywhere nearby, actually…

("The storm caused a mass migration. I highly doubt the people on its outer edge chose to take the long way to the kingdom instead of fleeing outward.")

"But there's no sign of this migration. It's like no one has passed through here in a long time." I narrowed my eyes at the mystical symbols on the road. Walking along it, I brushed the sand aside for a few meters. It was always the same pattern. "Most of the damaged mystical symbols are dampening ones..."

The most suspicious thing happened when, after a few dozen meters, I noticed my footsteps had begun creating an abnormal tremor in the ground. It was extremely subtle—at least above the surface—but I could feel the vibrations spreading beneath the sand.

"Is that...?" I stopped in my tracks.

With a mental command, my mana spread across the entire road ahead of me. A simple tap of my foot against the ground made that section of the road flip over like a domino piece, exposing a matrix drawn underneath.

"An echo and tremor amplification matrix... powered by the sun’s heat penetrating the road." I analyzed the matrix quickly.

The day's heat should be enough to keep the matrix active throughout the night as well. Scanning the road, I found more identical matrices, placed about fifty meters apart from each other.

The matrix itself wasn’t complex, even though the ink used on it was of good quality—probably meant to last without maintenance. But what caught my attention were the mystical symbols used in them—or rather, the ‘language’ they were written in.

"These are goblin mystical symbols..." I frowned as I realized it. It was the same style of mystical symbols I had seen in Jille.

I had taken a while to notice because, besides me—who had blended the Terraria mystical symbols with the goblins'—I didn't know anyone else who used this ‘language’ of mystical symbols, aside from the goblins themselves.

A quick Analyze: Item confirmed that a goblin had indeed created the matrix...

I burned the matrix and flipped that section of the road back to its original state, just as I had done with the others.

("I don’t think this is limited to just this part of the road.")

"Neither do I..." I easily agreed.

("Any guesses as to why these matrices exist?")

I didn’t even have to think before answering: "To attract ants that are larger than average."

Antlions, to be more specific. I knew that the ones on Earth had a high sensitivity to tremors—the ones in Terraria should be even more sensitive, thanks to mana or whatever other factor.

From what I knew about the game, these ants only existed in deserts, building colossal anthills beneath the sand...

"My steps are light, but what if?..." I murmured.

I walked to a part of the road where I knew another matrix was buried and stomped hard. Not only that, but I pulled some crates and large items from the VoidBag and dragged them across the sandstone, back and forth. It didn’t take long to get my confirmation.

Randomly, within almost the entire range of the minimap, dozens of red dots began to appear—seemingly out of nowhere or emerging directly from the sand. In mere seconds, those dozens turned into hundreds, all of them moving quickly in my direction.

I couldn’t see anything on the surface yet, but I could feel them shifting beneath the sand. It was like a minor earthquake happening around me. The sand dunes began to collapse as the vibrations increased, kicking up clouds of dust into the air.

The noise was even worse—a chorus of gnashing, clicking mandibles, hooks clashing against each other, pincers. It sounded almost metallic.

The first mandibles burst from right beneath my feet, tearing through the sandstone like wet paper and trying to snap shut around my ankles.

They had to be at least thirty centimeters long—crooked and curved inward like scythes, with jagged edges on the inside, along with dozens of barbs and spikes that were already dripping with what I was sure was either venom or some sort of digestive enzyme.

A small jump sent me into the air, dodging before those deadly weapons could clamp down on my leg. I was almost certain they wouldn’t even scratch my skin, but I moved instinctively, evading.

The owner of those mandibles surfaced a moment after its own jaws. A flattened head, with tiny, dull red eyes just beneath two short, rapidly vibrating antennae.

Its body was segmented into a head and thorax, all covered in an orange carapace with a few yellow stripes circling its abdomen, where four sharp legs extended—lighter in color and just as menacing.

The ant was easily the size of a large dog—maybe even bigger, with the width and length of two.

But the most nightmarish feature of that creature was, without a doubt, its mouth: something grotesque, with two fleshy, hairy ‘teeth’ covered in thousands of tiny bristles. As they parted, they revealed a dark hole, from which a thin, tube-like appendage emerged.

"Jesus fucking Christ, that is one ugly motherfucker." I said out loud.

My insult didn’t seem to have much of an effect, because the ant simply lunged at me, unfazed. Around me, dozens of nearly identical ants emerged from the sand.

Some of them, like the first, sprinted toward me. Others stayed in place, sinking their mandibles into the sand, sucking in the grains with their tube-like mouths before spitting them into the air, thickening the dust cloud even further. A few spat wet, slimy sand, mixed with some sort of saliva, forming sticky projectiles that were launched in my direction.

Among the ones that surfaced, a few were thinner and more slender. They began to tremble, and the carapace on their backs split open, revealing two pairs of thin, translucent wings.

While I was midair, a tiny antlion, only two or three inches long, flew into my field of vision, carrying a message before vanishing into a miniature sandstorm.

[P.E.N.N.Y]I must inform you, my dear Devas, that these ants are far above average. I recommend using fire to deal with them.(Pinocchio emoji with a flamethrower.)

I pulled Houtengeki from my inventory, a faint smile forming on my lips—more because of Penny’s message than the fact that I was ‘trapped’ in this ambush.

It had been a while since I last used the halberd. It was still useful, even though its durability was damaged—something I needed to find a way to repair without erasing the weapon’s ‘identity’ and ‘history.’ Still, I had much better weapons now, so I had set it aside for a while. But this seemed like the perfect occasion to use it, so I was going to enjoy it.

"I was being sarcastic, Penny," I informed, amusement lacing my voice. My eyes instinctively flicked to her response in the (CHAT): 'Oh! My bad, mistake on my part.'

She really was something else, wasn’t she?

I ignored the incoming projectiles and pulled them straight into my inventory. The ants' ‘saliva’ seemed to contain mana, as the wet sand balls resisted briefly before being absorbed by the VoidBag.

I loosened my grip on Houtengeki, letting the weapon ‘slip’ before grabbing the very end of its handle.

Then, I struck downward, focusing all the weight onto the tip of the halberd. The air around the weapon moved along with it, rushing in to fill the gap my attack created, enveloping Houtengeki in a way that made it appear almost invisible.

‘Sun Breathing (Devas Style) - Sixth Form: Solar Veil’

The ant beneath me exploded without even realizing what had hit it, scattering its hemolymph—if I remembered correctly, that was the name for most insects' ‘blood’—all over the sandstone road.

The first thing I noticed was its color: a dark green. The second was the rancid stench characteristic of a dead insect. The third was the reek of rot. That was when I really paid attention to the ‘blood’ and spotted tiny, dark brown ‘threads’ mixed within the green.

The corpse’s flesh also looked abnormal. Beneath the carapace, veins pulsed with that same dark brown hue, releasing a foul stench of rot and blood. But it wasn’t hemolymph—it was real blood.

"You’re not behaving the way you should, are you?" I murmured to myself, landing on the remains of the ant’s corpse.

My answer came in the form of a sharp shriek, echoing from the ‘tubes’ of every ant around me. A high-pitched, off-key sound that sliced through the air like a razor.

The moment the pieces of the dead ant sank into the sand, the number of red dots on the minimap practically quintupled. What had been hundreds became thousands—and within seconds, even more.

All the ants began to tremble, incited by the scent of their fallen ‘brother.’ Then, they charged at me with renewed ferocity, tearing through the sand with the mindless aggression of creatures that had no regard for their own survival.

"…I’m starting to think either I or this planet is cursed." I growled to myself, thrusting my weapon forward.

After I had slain about thirty or forty more ants, and the dots representing them on the minimap gradually shifted from red to orange, I was sure of it.

[…]

POV: ???

We had taken a break from our journey at a ‘secret’ oasis I had found some time ago. Well, it wasn’t exactly secret… but it was hidden enough!

The oasis was inside a cave, illuminated by sunlight through a hole in the ceiling. At night, it was even more beautiful, when the moonlight made everything glow! It wasn’t very big, but just enough to throw a decent party—even though no one ever let me…

"‘No confetti in the cave, Ísis,’ ‘No inviting other people to the cave, Ísis,’ ‘No blah, blah, blah!’" I mimicked sock puppets with my hands while floating in the lagoon, only stopping when I sank and accidentally swallowed some water.

I spat it out and blew my hair out of my face. It was still a bit tangled from the sand. Everything was the desert’s fault! I ran my fingers through my pink strands, trying to detangle them again.

I really loved my hair—its color, its curls, its length, everything!… But sometimes, I considered cutting it shorter and straightening it, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with all the hassle when bathing.

Floating in the water was great, soap bubbles too, and rubber duckies! But washing my hair was such a chore…

After finishing untangling and washing my hair a second time—not that I needed to, but I loved soap bubbles!—I stood up and walked toward some rocks where my clothes were. I didn’t bother covering myself as I strolled around naked.

"You know, I really don’t get how you’re so comfortable walking around like that. Aren’t you afraid one of those two might try to peek at you?" A voice came from above.

I tilted my head all the way back and grinned, waving both hands.

"Mari! Are you sure you're actually part-raccoon and not part-bat?!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth before twisting my body to the side, dodging a rock. "You missed~"

"I’m half Beastiking-Raccoon, not half raccoon, you damn milk cow! Your boobs are bouncing—cover yourself!" Her growl was adorable. I placed a hand on my chest to stop the ‘tremor,’ then puffed out my chest.

"Is that envy I hear in your voice?~" I spun again, dodging another rock. "And no, I’m not afraid of Beldin and Ani peeking at me. I trust them… Besides, they’re not into women."

"I’m not into Terrarian women, you pink menace!" A frustrated yell came from the other side of the rocks, just as I finished speaking. Beldin was always very vocal.

Ani really was gay, so he said nothing.

"And you, Mari? Why are you peeking at me?" I asked as I started getting dressed. "Do you want to tell me something?~"

"Don’t take too long, we’re already late, you nudist." Her response was dry, unsurprised. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her jump away, her cloak and hood billowing with the movement.

I smiled, amused, and continued dressing at my own pace, unconcerned about being seen. Mari could call me a nudist all she wanted, but I was nowhere near one. I simply trusted my companions. If it were anyone other than those three, I wouldn’t act like this—not even close.

I put on my panties, skirt, bra, and blouse—all very pink!… Then, unfortunately, I had to wear my armor, which was very not pink. The desert was dangerous, and if even Ani—who was Ani—prioritized practicality over fashion and cute outfits, who was I to do otherwise?

After lacing up my boots, I made my way to another part of the oasis to find the others. The first one I spotted was, paradoxically, the smallest: Beldin, our group’s favorite dwarf!… Not that we had another one.

His red hair and beard stood out, so my eyes always went to him first.

"You took your time. Did you use the shampoo I recommended?" Ani asked the moment he saw me, seated next to Beldin. "And stop calling me Ani. My name is Ahinadab, I’ve told you dozens of times."

I nodded, not even considering calling him that. His name was way too complicated—Ani was much easier. The only reason I called Beldin by his name was because he helped me improve my confetti bomb and said one of his ‘payments’ would be me calling him properly. Otherwise, I’d call him Bel.

Ani sighed, as if he could hear my thoughts, and stood up. His white robes swayed over his armor. I had no idea how he managed to wear that all the time. I understood it outside, because of the sun—anyone who wasn’t crazy wore something like that—but in here? That must be an oven!

"Maribel, are the surroundings clear?" Our group leader asked my friend. Beldin stood up as well and began gathering his things, collecting the deck of cards that had been on the rock beside them.

Strangely, Mari didn’t respond instantly, as she always did. Instinctively, I reached for my bracelet, ready to grab my bow. I saw Beldin pulling his massive hammer from his back, while Ani crossed his fingers, touching all ten of his rings at once.

Before any of us could act, Mari’s response came from the cave entrance.

“Something’s happening to the south! I think some idiot triggered an ant tide!” Her shout was almost a frustrated growl. “Damn it, this is going to slow us down!”

I sighed, trying to calm myself.

I didn’t scold Mari for her lack of empathy. Three or four months ago, I would have—back when the antlions first started behaving the way they do now: aggressively, killing anything that made the sand tremble more than a light step or the desert wind. But nowadays?…

I wished I could help, save whoever that foreigner was, since most people who stirred up the ants were either suicidal lunatics, outsiders unfamiliar with the desert, or simply unlucky souls who, unfortunately, had become targets of those things. But it was already too late.

Unfortunately, becoming a target of the ants meant death. Even more so when faced with an ant tide, which only formed when many of them were killed. For some reason, it drove them mad, making them hunt down whoever had slain their ‘brothers.’ It was even worse if the victim had gotten their blood on them—until the unfortunate soul was reduced to literally nothing.

Beldin struck his hammer against the ground before sitting back down. The ants would calm down quickly—no one ever survived them for long—but we’d still have to wait at least three hours to avoid the risk of one being nearby and detecting us.

That happened once. I hated that day. My dear Sugar nearly died from running so much while carrying me… If she had actually died, I would have torn those ants apart myself, even if it killed me in the process…

Shaking my head to dispel those dark thoughts, I walked to the cave entrance. Beldin and Ani just sat down again. I saw the dwarf pulling out his deck of cards before the two resumed their game.

I raised a hand to my eyes as the sun hit my face. I liked the sun and the heat, but did it have to be this hot?! It could stay bright—I loved brightness, and sometimes, it shined so much!

Once my eyes adjusted to the light outside the cave, I lowered my hand and walked over to Mari. I didn’t need to look for her; she was in her usual spot, camouflaged with her sand-colored cloak.

She was leaning against a rock, which had the perfect curve for someone to recline against and sit without actually sitting, her hood up as she gazed into the distance. Her raccoon ears were so fluffy! The markings around her eyes made her look so small, too!

That rock was hers at the moment. She always leaned against it whenever she kept watch over the cave, every time we came here. I was sure that if I looked closely, I’d find the imprint of her back and butt on it.

“That way.” She pointed before I even asked. Her right eye was shut while the left peered through the small spyglass she held.

I pulled my ‘Long-Distance Enhanced Vision Goggles with Mystical Symbols’ from my bracelet and put them on. I loved that name! The creator was a genius—and kind, too—since their price on the market was quite cheap compared to most other Mystic Symbol-enhanced items of this level.

With a subtle tap of my finger and a pulse of my mana, the goggles activated, letting me see the same thing Mari did: a sea of orange and yellow—not of sand, but of ants, swarming ferociously toward something too far away for me to tell what it was or how many people were there.

Given that they hadn’t died within seconds, there had to be many of them—and strong ones… Not that it mattered against endless numbers.

The four of us, each individually ranked as Gold contractors—together capable of facing even Platinum-ranked threats—didn’t have the confidence to take on the ants…

I sighed, taking the goggles off. I didn’t want to watch when the ant sea finally calmed. There was only one outcome, and I didn’t like death one bit…

Stowing my goggles away, I poked Mari’s waist. She swatted my hand and removed the spyglass from her eye, collapsing it before tucking it into her chest pocket. Some things she kept within reach instead of storing them inside her Travel Space—her tongue piercing.

That thing had been a good idea, but expensive… She had to save up enough money to throw at least ten great parties just to afford it!

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing! Just keeping my mind busy.” I poked her again, distracting myself. She smacked my hand away again. I giggled and leaned against her, bumping her hip with mine before plopping down. “Things have been kind of crazy lately, huh?”

“More like completely insane… What the hell is going on, Ísis?” She sighed, bumping me back and settling in with her hip pressed against mine. I saw her gaze shift in another direction, away from the ant sea. “The storm still hasn’t passed…”

If the desert’s greatest fear was the ‘sea of ants,’ then outside it, it was the ‘sea of gray clouds,’ as everyone called it. That storm wasn’t normal—not even close. It was evil. Anyone with sharp instincts could tell. It felt like something was watching us from inside it. And that something was bad… really bad.

The worst part? These two ‘seas’ had created something horrifying: a wave of refugees.

Many had chosen to come to Shahrabad—it took me a while to learn that name—the desert’s largest city, instead of heading to the kingdom… And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I didn’t know the number of casualties, but from what I’d heard, it was high…

“You think something’s going to happen to us? The storm stopped growing, but what if it starts again?…” Mari’s voice was tense with worry. We all were. Watching that storm from the outside had to be better than seeing it from within.

“Nothing’s going to happen to us!” I bumped her again, knocking her off balance as I stood. “We’ve survived worse—we’ll survive this if anything happens.”

She barely staggered, planting her feet firmly on the ground.

“I’m not immune to whatever the hell that storm is.” Mari huffed, her arm lashing out to smack my butt. I intercepted her strike and stepped back.

“Neither am I, and I doubt Ani or Beldin are.” I twirled away from her attempts. “But we’re good at running. We’ve fled plenty of times—from bandits, monsters, guards, even the ants—I don’t think running from rain would be any different.”

We could always get a boat and head out to sea. I was sure Ani could arrange one and take us to a safe island. Our leader was good like that—he had his connections.

When Mari finally stopped trying to smack me, we sat back down and talked quietly. Her melancholic mood had passed, which was good. I was great at cheering people up. I hated sadness with a passion!

It was about ten minutes later when we realized something: the ant tide was still going.

The number of ants was the same—yes, endless. But they were still surging forward, which meant their target was still alive, that someone was still fighting them.

“What the hell?…” Mari murmured.

“Beldin, Ani, get over here!” I shouted. The two rushed outside quickly. I didn’t explain—just pointed toward the ant sea.

Their reactions were the same as ours.

“Is… someone actually alive in there?” Ani said, his elegant accent and refined voice unwavering. He always kept his composure. “How?”

“What in the ever-loving fuck is happening in that goddamn fucking place?!” Beldin bellowed.

The first time I heard him curse like that, it was funny… and it still was. I chuckled, despite the situation, then shrugged and said:

“No idea.”

“Maybe the kingdom sent someone?” Mari suggested, turning to Ani. “You’re the one who knows the kingdom’s big shots. Anyone come to mind?”

Ani crossed his arms, one hand touching his chin in his usual thinking pose before shaking his head.

“A few people, but they’re all too important. I doubt they would come here.” He glanced at the storm. “Not while that’s still happen—”

Something cut him off. A voice echoed from within the sea of ants. Even at this distance, we all heard it clearly. It sounded angry.

“Incinerate them!”

Then, a colossal tornado of purple fire erupted, expanding in an instant to easily hundreds of meters in height, its width not much smaller.

It made no sound, no wind, and its light was somehow dull. It didn’t even generate heat, though it should have—it was fire… And yet, everything burned. The entire infinite sea of ants, as the voice had commanded, was incinerated.

[...]---[...]

First of all: does anyone remember me mentioning this desert before? If you do, leave a comment.

Well, about the chapter: I really liked the NPC group I created in this chapter. Yes, all four of them are NPCs. I based the group on a generic RPG party: a mage, a warrior, an archer, and a rogue. Their personalities were something I also found fun to develop.

Well, the next chapter will also take place in the desert and will be the last one. It's a secondary focus. After that, we’ll return to the storm and wrap up the arc in a few chapters.

Well, I think that’s it. I won’t drag this out too much.

As always, have a great Blood Moon and happy reading!

PS: Ísis is inspired by a cartoon character.