Chapter 40: Peril in the Shifting Sands

After wrapping up my conversation with Shah Khan, we roamed the streets together, gathering supplies of food and water.

Our unusual pairing—a man chasing a non-existent legend for years and a so-called friend of Prince Kasin—seemed to draw attention wherever we went.

“Shah Khan, you must be incredibly famous around here,” I teased.

“N-no, it’s probably because of you,” he stammered, shrinking behind me.

He had been so bold and animated when explaining his lifelong pursuit of the Star Forge.

Yet now, as we navigated the curious stares of passersby, he was timid and subdued, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

“So, what else do we need?” I asked, steering the conversation.

“Hmm… It’d be great to hire a few more swordsmen,” he replied, hesitating slightly.

“Is the desert that dangerous?”

“Very much so,” Shah Khan confirmed. “Especially after sunset. That’s when the most dangerous monsters come out.”

He rambled on about the desert’s terrifying inhabitants—bear-like ants, wolves with fur as hard as stone, and other unimaginable creatures.

He especially warned against quicksand, describing it as a deadly trap that could swallow anything whole.

Eventually, we had gathered all the necessary items for the journey.

“Well, that’s it for today. See you tomorrow?” I said, turning to Shah Khan.

“Already leaving?” he asked, looking surprised.

“Yes, we should rest up. We’re departing tomorrow, right?”

“D-departing tomorrow…?”

“Did you have a later departure in mind?”

As Shah Khan blinked in surprise, I waved him off with a grin and walked away.

The next morning, fully prepared for the journey, I stepped out of the inn and headed to find my Nightmare.

The moment the beast spotted me, it began expressing its dissatisfaction, clearly unimpressed with a day spent cooped up in the stables.

Its massive front hooves stomped the ground with enough force to cause noticeable tremors.

“Enough, settle down…” I tried to calm it.

Whinny!

Alarmed by the commotion, several guards rushed over.

However, upon spotting the brooch pinned to my chest, they quickly retreated without further incident.

Without the brooch, I might have been forcibly detained.

Sighing, I gently soothed the Nightmare.

Despite its enormous size, its antics resembled that of a petulant five-year-old.

“Ready to head out?” I asked.

I loaded a hefty pile of supplies onto the Nightmare’s back.

True to its strength, it bore the weight with ease and stood ready to move.

The clear, cloudless sky blazed with heat, just like the previous day.

I couldn’t help but worry about how the Nightmare would fare in the intense desert heat, knowing we’d soon be wandering the vast, unforgiving sands.

Snort!

Oblivious to the trials ahead, the Nightmare wagged its tail energetically, seemingly thrilled at the prospect of carrying me.

I led the Nightmare to the Hot Tail Inn located at the east gate.

As I lingered outside with the creature, Shah Khan emerged from the inn, carrying an oversized bag.

“Oh, you really came,” he remarked, his tone half-surprised.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” I replied with a smirk.

Shah Khan offered a bittersweet smile, one that hinted at stories he hadn’t shared.

“Well, let’s get moving. They’re waiting for us outside the gate.”

“They?”

“The mercenaries I hired yesterday,” he explained.

Just as he said, outside the east gate stood two men and one woman, each armed and accompanied by a camel.

Shah Khan approached them and climbed onto the largest camel, settling behind one of the swordsmen.

“Let’s head out. We can introduce ourselves along the way,” Shah Khan declared, taking on the role of party leader.

Nodding in agreement, I followed the line of camels.

The silence of our group was filled only with the soft crunch of platinum-colored sand beneath the animals’ feet.

Eventually, the man sharing a camel with Shah Khan broke the silence.

“I’m Sarza,” he said curtly, tapping the hilt of his sword.

The next to introduce himself was another male swordsman, a fellow adventurer from outside the desert.

“Brian. Bronze-ranked swordsman.”

Finally, the female swordsman spoke.

“Shan.”

She carried an unusual pair of short swords, one hanging from each hip.

It was clear from their positioning that they weren’t backup weapons but rather dual blades meant for combat.

It was my turn now.

All eyes turned to me in quiet anticipation.

Lightly touching the hilt of my sword, I introduced myself.

“Seris. Bronze-ranked swordsman.”

With that, the introductions ended. Silence returned as the group fell into step.

Meanwhile, Shah Khan, seemingly eager to impress, took out the familiar pair of small stones and began striking them together again.

He appeared determined to recreate the starry light he’d shown yesterday, but no matter how many times he tried, nothing happened.

Defeated, Shah Khan eventually handed the stones to me.

“What’s that?” Sarza asked, his curiosity piqued.

“A guiding star,” Shah Khan answered confidently. “It’ll lead us to the forgotten city of the Star Forge.”

Despite his enthusiasm, none of the group seemed to take his words seriously. I sighed and channeled mana into my hands.

As the energy surged from my core into the stones, I struck them together with force.

Clack!

A bright, sharp sound echoed, and a faint starlight emerged, casting a beam toward the distant horizon of the desert.

“T-that was…!” Sarza stammered, his eyes wide as he stared at the small, glowing light.

It wasn’t just Sarza who was startled.

Brian and Shan also wore expressions of surprise, though they said nothing.

Their reaction was understandable.

After all, seeing a star shoot forward simply by striking two small stones together wasn’t an everyday occurrence.

“Let’s move! We need to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall!” Shah Khan urged, breaking the group from their stunned silence.

Unlike the quiet start to our journey, Sarza, Brian, and Shan soon began bombarding Shah Khan with questions.

Was the starlight truly guiding us to the city of Star Forge? Did such a city even exist?

Shah Khan answered each question with a cheerful face, eagerly recounting the ancient tales he knew.

Two days into the trek, the distance from the city became evident.

We were frequently attacked by desert monsters.

These included sand wolves camouflaged by their surroundings and insect-like creatures the size of forearms, which burst from beneath the sand.

Though the monsters weren’t particularly strong, their relentless appearances kept us on guard.

The farther we ventured from the city and the closer we followed the starlight’s guidance, the more frequent these ambushes became.

The constant monster attacks and the need to rotate night watches led to a growing sense of fatigue and paranoia among the group.

Sleepless nights took their toll, and by the seventh day, exhaustion was etched onto everyone’s faces.

We trudged silently behind the glowing path of the starlight when, without warning, Nightmare came to a halt.

I tilted my head, thinking it might be asking for cold water.

But that wasn’t the case.

The creature crouched as if preparing to charge and spread its mane wide, exuding an unsettling hostility that didn’t suit its equine nature.

“Grrrk!”

A growl, low and menacing, rumbled from Nightmare—far from any sound a horse should make.

It glared toward the distant sand plains with feral intensity.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and scanning the area.

“Grrrk…!”

Nightmare’s warning prompted me to focus on the horizon.

The platinum-colored sand shimmered with heat waves, giving the illusion of boiling.

Wait—no, it wasn’t an illusion.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes, then checked again.

The sand wasn’t shimmering because of the heat.

It was actually bubbling, as if it were water brought to a boil.

Caught off guard by the bizarre phenomenon, my jaw fell open.

“What’s the matter, Seris?” Shah Khan called from ahead, noticing my distraction.

“Shah Khan.”

“Hmm?”

“The sand… it’s boiling.”

“What?”

“It’s bubbling. Like a pot of water,” I said, pointing at the surreal sight.

At first, Shah Khan seemed confused.

But when he followed my gaze and saw the bubbling sand for himself, his face turned pale.

“W-what the…!”

“Shah Khan?!”

“Run! Everyone, run for your lives!”

Shah Khan frantically urged Sarza, who was seated in front of him, to move.

Without hesitation, Sarza kicked his camel into a gallop.

As the leader took off, the rest of the group instinctively followed suit.

“Don’t stop! Keep running and find solid ground!”

As Shah Khan’s warning echoed through the desert, Nightmare suddenly accelerated.

Its powerful legs tore through the shifting sands like a tempest, stretching forward at an incredible speed.

And then it happened.

The bubbling sand beneath us spread rapidly, as if something immense was forcing its way to the surface.

From the molten sands emerged a colossal figure—its body larger than most inns, its rounded head glinting with sleek, dark skin.

A single massive eye, bigger than Nightmare itself, fixed on me.

It was as if a creature from the deep sea had leapt into the desert.

No, it wasn’t “as if.” It was a whale—a gargantuan whale made of sand.

“A Sandflow Whale!”

Shah Khan’s scream barely registered before the whale opened its enormous maw and swallowed Brian, camel and all, in one horrifying gulp.

The beast plunged back into the sand, its immense body slicing through the desert like a ship through water.

Even after devouring its prey, it showed no signs of slowing down.

“Don’t stop! Don’t ever stop!”

In that moment, I understood. Fighting this monster was not an option.

How could anyone hope to defeat something larger than an ogre, a creature that swam through the vast desert as effortlessly as a fish through the sea?

Clutching Nightmare’s reins tightly, I gritted my teeth.

“This is insane!”

Sarza and Shan, pale as ghosts, whipped their camels’ reins furiously.

Their mounts, as if sensing the threat, galloped desperately, foam frothing at their mouths in terror.

“Throw away your cargo! Ditch everything!” Sarza shouted, flinging the supplies tied to his camel into the sand.

Food, blankets, and provisions tumbled into the sand, sinking into the swirling vortex as if consumed by the desert itself.

As we fled, I spotted a small rock formation rising in the distance.

“Over there!” I tugged Nightmare’s reins, steering it toward the outcrop.

Sensing my urgency, Nightmare darted toward it with uncanny precision.

Turning back, I shouted at the group. “This way! Follow me!”

After a desperate sprint, we reached the base of the rocky hill.

Nightmare leapt skillfully, scaling the rocks with ease.

Having lived in the Thunderbird Mountains, climbing terrain like this was second nature for it.

But the others weren’t as fortunate. Forced to abandon their camels, they scrambled up the rocks as quickly as they could.

The moment everyone clung to the rocky ledge, it happened.

Thud!

The massive Sandflow Whale surfaced below, swallowing the abandoned camels in one swift motion.

The sight of the enormous creature, its body slicing through the desert like a nightmare incarnate, left us frozen in place.