The march toward the desert was going to be a short one. The sun had clearly begun to feel hotter now that everyone had it on their minds. This wasn't really true though. It was the illusion in their heads because of where they were going. But just because of that, many of the water mages had gone out of their way to add in a frost spell to the mud covering of those that wore it. This sudden addition was wise since it also helped maintain the body temperatures and morale of everyone moving.
The party was a little different though. They were less focused on the fact that they were covered in mud to resist the brutal heat that they were walking toward. Instead, their eyes were on the surroundings as they marched toward the front.
"There are piles of sand everywhere. Not just here and there but every small spot with rocks or where puddles would be. It's like the sand is attracted where the water would normally flow." Su made this theory and everyone agreed. Alice wondered what might happen and opened her flask of water.
"What are you trying? Isn't that for you to drink?" As much as Gil wanted to grab Alice's hand and stop her, his curiosity made the best of him. He watched carefully as the dribble of water fell on to the pile of sand around where a bush was slowly but surely dying.
The result was that the water hitting the sand soaked in and dried up in just a few breaths. The sun was not directly on the sand and to the touch, the sand was not actually that hot. The entire party had just witnessed something extremely odd.
'White sand
This is white sand from the nearby desert of Sigil. It is spread through storms and strong winds. It is not ideal for growing anything.'
"The all around appraisal is not that detailed. It just said it was white sand. But it definitely has something else going on with it. Remey, I am going to use one of your vials." Walker had an idea. They could watch what happens to the sand and water when it was mixed through the glass. The idea should be enough for them to be able to use the information to find out if there is anything else going on here.
No one seemed to notice that the party was moving a little slower. The royal dragons were prepared to handle what needed to be handled and knew that it was better to allow the party more freedom. As much as they had begun to trust the party and learn from them, what they knew best was that the party was odd.
The party had already proven multiple times to exceed any expectations the royal dragons had of them. Perfect fact was about the hatchlings and rogue dragons. Even the wyvern incident proved that the dragon's view would have been wrong in the grand scheme of things. Instead of killing the wyvern queen, the dragons had helped save her and welcomed a new world race under their guidance. A mighty and high honor from the world itself.
As Remey watched Walker fill the small potion vial with sand, she prepared to try her own experiments. She had a few herbs she could put inside that were able to help someone from getting a dry mouth. It was made to make people stop their lips from drying and other small medicinal effects. If the water stayed in the sand, she wanted to see what the effects of the herbs in the sand would have. It was just curiosity but she was an alchemist, of course she would have a few herbs that were medicinal for those that suffered from dehydration or harsh temperatures. The forge masters needed these herbs constantly.
Alice helped Walker by adding water to the vial. Before Walker could even cap off the vial, they saw the sand start to dry again. Once Walker capped it, the sand was still seemingly drying. It was a very off thing that he was sure that no one had yet to notice. "Ethan, have any of you researched the reactions of sand and water from the desert?"
The simple question stopped five of the Fel empire angels in their tracks. Their faces showed clear despair as they celery understood why Walker was asking. "We were unsure if you would discover it, but yes. We noticed that the water would evaporate instantly. We believe that the sand has drying effects for some reason. A higher concentration of minuscule mana that we can not study due to our lack of proper instruments or skills."
"So it's not the first time you have seen this. That means this had been doing that to the puddles and everything too. But if the sand is somehow ending up where the water flows, then that has to mean more." Gil felt that he had just uncovered a large part of the mystery. But when they started to get to the cusp of the hill they climbed, he was forced to become silent.
The sight in front of them was the blinding white of endless sand. Dunes and dunes of white sand that stretched as far as they could see. There was also the sudden hit of heat that radiated off of the sand from the sun.
The reaction of most were that this was too much. But for Rise and her light elemental dragonkin, it was a welcome sight. The sunlight that was reflected was a great source of mana for them to draw on. Rise was sure that she was going to have a lot of mana to be able to deal with the undead. But that was where she realized an issue.
"This sunlight is powerful. She is plenty enough to stop undead from properly forming. Why would they be weaker to light if they endure this during the day?" The sudden question of hers carried a dominant tone that made everyone wonder what she meant and how she could ask this. But the Fel angels all stopped yet again.
"It is odd, we have no explanation. We just have documentation when it comes to what the undead do and the fact that they are ten times more active in the night. Almost every battle to keep them isolated happens at night because of this." Ethan was sure that this had something to do with the immortal effect that the undead had. They could easily return to their previous form and keep battling.
"So they are weakened but not stopped by such intense light. We saw that they were wrapped in cloth of some form. Mummified worshipers. Maybe that is the key. The process. That they became undead protects them." Mordant had thought of this after only seeing one. That enough was a show of his wisdom and flexible mind.
"Then we will need to weaken them by removing such parts. Even if they are considered their body parts now as undead, we remove them and show them the purifying light I can muster." Rise cooperate with mordant. The two almost seemed to be in their own world and not actually talking to the groups around them. Even Ethan's addition seemed more like they had just read it off a paper and not actually heard him.
"We have two more mysteries to solve brother, but I will use the light here to strengthen me before we get to the ruins." Onyx made a promise for his strength and Walker had no issue seeing that Onyx was curling up on his shoulders to absorb more light and save every single little bit of energy possible.
"That's fine. We can study as we go. There has to be a curse or magic in this palace. Even if the desert should be here, then it shouldn't be expanding. I think that nature has this desert here naturally but there is a reason that it expands." Walker stated his theory and knew it might be a stretch to prove anything. For now, everyone just accepted their own ideas while the Fel empire angels pushed away their desire for answers.
Taking the lead in to the sand dunes from the hill made them wish that they could solve the issues sooner. They had been through this journey before. The challenge was not small and they were heading right toward two sandstorms that would be colliding. To say that they were unsettled was too small of a feeling for the things that they would encounter.
"I would like to say that we will be fine, but just in case, everyone should have a healing potion on their hip." Remey had the same unsettled feeling and made sure her party was ready. It was odd for Remey to act this way which made them take it much more seriously.
….
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