"So, this is the Desolate Desert. It really lives up to its name."
Standing atop a large fortress, Marcus looked out at the endless sea of sand before him.
After achieving victory in the Muharib festival's duo tournament, he and Mrazivy had been given permission to enter this dangerous area and were receiving aid and information from the Sulb Clan that oversaw the area.
Their ultimate goal here was to have Marcus absorb the power emanating from the Font of Death that resided at the center of the desert so that he could get one step closer to achieving his evolution. Of course they had not disclosed this to anyone and had instead given a more believable reason for wanting to enter such a dangerous place.
"Yes, it may look like much of the rest of the nation at a glance, but those that look closely can easily notice the difference." Aziz said, similarly looking out at the desert with a hostile glare.
Unlike the rest of Aezam the Desolate Desert was completely devoid of life and an oppressive aura of death permeated the land. Marcus was certain that not even microorganisms were able to live in this inhospitable land that had been completely tainted by death.
It would even be far worse without the large wall that had sectioned off the place from the rest of the country and was keeping it from expanding.
The wall extended further than the eye could see and every three kilometers there was a fortress built within the wall. This was absolutely necessary for the defense of Aezam from the hordes of undead monsters that lurked within the Desolate Desert. It also showed a significant reason why the Sulb Clan was more fixated on power more than any other of the major clans within Aezam. Having to deal with such a great threat at all times made it a necessity that they be strong.
"I see that you have not lost your nerve even after seeing it. Though I figured as much. Let us go and meet with the scouts and find out if they have located our target." Aziz said, leading the way back into the fortress.
Soon he had brought Marcus and Mrazivy to a large meeting room where a map of the Desolate Desert was laid out.
Several soldiers of the clan were standing around it and adding markings to it.
"Lord Aziz, we have the report that you wanted." The commander of the fortress said.
Normally he was the one in charge of the fortress, but currently Aziz who was acting as Marcus and Mrazivy's liaison had taken over and was using it as their base of operations.
"I am guessing it is not good news." Mrazivy said, seeing a scowl appear on Aziz's face.
"You are correct. The scouts were unable to even find the general location of the Mummy Lord, Baluea. Usually, it is not so hard to find clues as to his whereabouts, but he seems to have ceased his usual activities."
For almost as long as the Desolate Desert had been in existence the Mummy Lord Baluea had been trying to break through the fortifications protecting the rest of Aezam from the Font of Death. Every couple of years the mummy lord would lead an army of undead to force his way through the wall but had been repulsed every time.
Aziz had told Marcus and Mrazivy of a few times that the powerful undead monster had actually breached the wall, but each time Baluea was driven back by the forces of the Sulb Clan.
However, the mummy lord had been abnormally quiet for the last few years and his location was currently unknown.
"Is it possible that another of the powerful undead within the Desolate Desert could have destroyed him?" Mrazivy asked.
"Perhaps, but unlikely. For the most part the undead do not fight amongst each other. Of course, there is a great deal we still do not know about the undead monsters that inhabit the region. But I do not think a monster that is over level eighty would be easily defeated. More likely Baluea has retreated deeper into the desert beyond where our scouts can travel. It is foreboding though that he has switched up is movements after all this time." Aziz said, his demeanor subtly showing how worried he was about his.
Frankly everyone that monitored the Desolate Desert was happy that no major attacks had happened recently. But now that they were actively looking for the greatest menace within the region yet turning up nothing, a sense of unease had filled the fortress. They had no clue what was happening or what plans the mummy lord might be concocting.
"If he has pushed deeper into the desert than we only need to find him. That should be easy enough for me." Marcus said.
All of the solder at the fortress and even Aziz looked at Marcus like he was crazy when eh said this. Going past the fringes of the Desolate Desert was incredibly dangerous for a living being.
"I know you are strong; you beat me after all, but you do not know how dangerous this desert is. The corruption of undeath gets far worse the closer you get to the center and the undead become immensely more powerful. Past a certain point you will find yourself swarmed by thousands of monsters that are attracted to your life force. But that is not the worst. There are terribly powerful monsters like the mummy lord that are difficult for even me to deal with. It is not something any one person can handle. If it was easy to force our way through, we would have long since cleared out this place." Aziz said, stressing how dangerous the Desolate Desert was.
He instead suggested that they gather a team of high-level individuals to slowly scout out the inner areas of the Desolate Desert while searching for their target as safely as possible.
Seeing as they were guests and knew far less about the area, Marcus and Mrazivy assented to Aziz's judgment. If someone as strong as him wanted to play it safe, there was certainly a good reason for it.
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