Incandescent sand lay plastered across a rolling landscape headed towards an unknown city. The sun was beating down, heating not just the glowing sand underneath it, but also the air surrounding a certain caravan.
The caravan held many of merchants and adventurers alike.
Afterall, traveling across the Laos Desert in a group was mutually beneficial.
The caravan held a dozen or so buggies, each balancing on six wheels, and powered by an intricate system of convection currents.
By displacing the cold air inside with hot air from the outside, the buggy was able to produce enough of a difference in pressure to create a gust.
Continuously pushing air into the sails layered on either side of the masted wooden contraption caused what was known as a heeling.
This allowed the buggies to travel effortlessly across the vast bumpy terrain of the Laos Desert. Even in sandstorms the system worked. By changing the direction of the sails to match the path of the wind, the contraption was able to travel even faster.
It was an intricate design that has been used ever since its invention many years ago. An invention that made it possible for trade between the two greatest nations on the continent of Legon.
The buggy suddenly jolted. A surge of warmth entered the crowded vessel.
A man awoke in the rear of the buggy.
Positioned all the way at the back of the caravan, and treated with the least care. The buggy that the man rode in was designated for those who lacked the funds, but still needed to cross the desert.
As a result it did not have many of the functions that it normally would. Most notably, it was missing air conditioning.
"Oh look who's awake" A voice jested. "It's about time" Another voice echoed.
The man slowly rose. His vision blurred, both from his eyes adjusting, as well as the haze of heat that surrounded him.
'Not much sleep again...'
The man slowly gathered himself, sitting up in the process. Those around him staring in amusement.
"Alright it's finally my turn!" One of the men shouted
Each buggy held eight people... comfortably. The buggy that the man was in seemed to be no different. So why?
"Why is there twelve people in here?" He shouted.
However he was ignored, " I don't know, just move over so I can sleep now" One of the men demanded.
He reluctantly agreed. Afterall, the people in his buggy were no ordinary travelers. They were adventurers.
As a merchant, the man could not understand such an erratic life choice, but he could not stand to argue with them. They were going to be his traveling companions for the next week or so, and there was no getting out of it. Getting along was the best choice.
Speaking of getting along, out of the 12 passengers in his caravan, there was another merchant among them. A hooded figure that only ever spoke to him once. A soft voice that could only belong to one of the fairer sex.
They wore a floral head piece, consisting of a singular desert rose. Common among those of the merchants guild.
A dark robe that masked her feminine features lay underneath, layered on top of a thin white wrapping that poked out around her arms and neck. Dirtied with dust and sand.
The man stood up and sat on the bench near the woman merchant, making room for one of the other men to lay down.
The buggy was loud. A combination of the adventurers chatting, and the convection engine competing with every word they spoke made it unbearable at times.
Coupled with the heat, the man began to regret this trip of his.
However, it was something he had to do.
A while passed.
The sun was setting.
"Thank the gods!" One man sighed.
The temperature began to drop, and as it did, the caravan grew quiet. The engines slowed to a stop, and so did the wheels carrying them forward.
A man ahead of their buggy yelled out a few inaudible commands, and the passengers of the caravan began to exit. Each buggy was unloaded, and a makeshift campsite was put together. A fire was lit, and many crowded around it.
"What a joke" The man chuckled.
The desert was cold at night, so it made sense why they would, but not so unbearably cold to make the man want to cuddle up with a bunch of sweaty savages.
'Nobody's showered in days after all, there is no way... but at least we made it to the half way point'
The man sat on the ground a few meters away from the fire. The smell of roasting meat, and alcohol settling in his subconscious.
The buggy that he rode in did not receive any food. The amount they paid to join the caravan only covered the transportation part of the trip. As a result, many of the adventurers who were with him in the buggy had left in search of food.
Going out into the desert in search of prey was not something the man could do on his own, so he simply laid on the ground and fell back to sleep.
The noise did not bother him. Only the smell, and even that did not stop his tired body from falling deep into the nothingness of his mind.
The man awoke the next morning, however it was no longer morning. The sun was already half way into the sky and the man was drenched in sweat.
The light glared into his crusted eyes which barely held themselves open. The sand blew across his face as he attempted to open them. An eerie light led his attention astray.
The sun bled over into a scarlet hue. Its rise and fall was halted.
The man attempted to gather himself, pulling his legs underneath him and bending his arms towards his side. Pushing off on the ground to level himself.
However it was no use, the man simply fell back down. Trying again and again as he eventually learned to balance himself upright. Standing in the middle of a blinding sandstorm.
He stood on a patch of grass that he had been using for a pillow. The thin threads of plant matter laying underneath his careful tread. A scarlet hue now staining their appearance.
The man looked back up, noticing the strange sun had not moved in the slightest. Lowering his gaze, he peered across the Laos Desert, searching for the caravan.
Nothing.
"Where the hell did they go!"
'Did they leave? Why did they not wake me?'
"Was I left behind..."
"I mean sure, their wasn't enough room for all of us, but would they really do that?"
Just then another voice appeared. A soft voice.
"Mr. Merchant!"
The man turned in the direction of the voice. A familiar figure stood a few meters in front of him. A cloak wrapped around the frail looking body of his fellow merchant who like him had also been left behind.
She seemed to be huddled around the coals of the bonfire from last night. Meeting his uncertain gaze she warmly smiled. Standing up in the process. A subtle breeze kissing her bronze skin.
A lithe cloth revealed itself underneath her garments, a red stain populating most of the wrapping that was now partially revealed. The wind blew the cloak around revealing more of the wrapping, and with it the subtle curves of her figure.
The man jolted away. An expression that did not belong to the situation plastered across his tired face. Looking back he noticed the woman walking towards him. The way she walked made it hard to believe that there was sand underneath her every step.
The man was stunned.
The lady lifted her arms over her head and pulled the hood to the side, revealing her entire face.