| Fan Fiction |
by Aelk
Lilith dragged her feet along the sand, clinging onto Azure’s arm lazily. Ever since the Race started, all other contestants were heading towards the oasis some distance away while their group of three headed towards the directly opposite direction.
”According to my experience, precious stones and ores are usually found in caves. “
“Alright, so it pays to be a treasure hunter,” Lilith answered.
“So, which cave are we going to?”
Azure pointed out the main problem. They came across far too many caves on their way to the Tartan kingdom, and with a limit of two days, are they able to search them all?
“Don’t worry, Azure, I have been to all of the caves in the Desert, but one. The final cave is just a few miles from here, and we should be able to get there by evening. “
Ladhul assured them that they will find the Rose. But the problem turned out to be the desert fiends which turned up. They noticed that the nearer they are to the rumored cave, the more fiends attacked. So far, they have already been welcomed by more Desert Dancers trying to bring Azure and Ladhul back to their dens, gigantic Sandworms laying traps for them to step into, Sand Ogres who are after their blood, and also some other ghouls hunting for their heads. Thankfully, they have yet to meet an Elephunk, the largest and most ferocious carnivore to ever stomp the sands of Mesopia. Azure’s Mu was able to subdue the monsters with ease, and their wounds were recovered instantly with Lilith’s Mu.
From afar, the cavern appeared as only a black blotch among the sea of sand. But in reality, the size of the entire place was huge. Probably the largest cave he has ever seen, Ladhul concluded.
“Okay, here goes.”
Following the Tartan’s lead, the trio entered the cavern cautiously. But unknown to them, some contestants have been following behind them all along.
“I never knew I could come this far… ”
One peasant said in a squeaky voice.
“Yeah, and it’s all thanks to the other guy’s Mu... Man he’s strong…”
The other, apparently an aristocrat, crossed his arms in frustration.
“The other one, that puny guy with healing Mu seemed strong too.”
“Are we able to snatch the Rose from them…?”
“If we face them directly, we are bound to lose. But then they didn’t know that…”
The group arched low and gathered their heads together and whispered about their plans.
*************************************************************************************
The automobile Iris and Red were in jerked a little as it ran over some pebbles on the sand. They are now heading through the desert towards Tartan. From the windows, Red saw various monsters crowding along the way aggressively, but none of them could come another inch closer. Something seemed to be protecting them…
“Our mother was a Tartan princess,” Iris told Red who was sitting beside her, “who was initially arranged to be married to another noble from another tribe in the desert… That was eighteen years ago. “
The truth about Princess Iris’ background was little known to the other people, except for her parents themselves, Scarlet, her nanny and now, Red. Iris wondered why she could not hold back from telling the Kurt. Perhaps it was due to their blood, she thought. Red is Scarlet’s sister after all.
”So, what happened then?” Red continued to observe the creatures.
“She met my father, then a traveling Empire’s mercenary, and they fell for each other… It was forbidden, because Tartan’s royalty must only marry pure-blooded Tartans so that their bloodline would remain pure. And so, they have committed a taboo. ”
Iris twiddled with her pendant and sighed.
”Mother renounced her status and fled with father, leaving behind Uncle Alliduddin and Tartan’s throne. And before long, my sister and I were born. Although I grew up in the Human territories, I never forgot about my Tartan roots."
"What about your sister?"
"Nobody knew of her existence except my mother and the midwife who helped in her delivery, not even me. I got to know about it when the midwife witnessed the tyrant my father has become."
"I see..."
"Uncle Alliduddin did not know about it either, so i am on my journey there to seek his help. Anyway, i had free access to his lands. ”
One of the Sandwurms crawled forward courageously out of hunger. The next moment, a strong gust of air struck down from no where and ground its target into mincemeat.
“I see…”
Red widened her eyes at the sight and spoke no more about the 'free access'.
*************************************************************************************
As they followed their Tartan friend and walked along the dark pathway, going deeper and deeper into the cavern, the amount of light became meager such that they could no longer see clearly their way. But with Ladhul’s internal compass, which was a gift given to all Tartans; they were able to at least know where the entrance they came in from was.
”Is there another name for the Rose?”
Azure asked as he examined the little glittering objects stuck onto the stone walls.
”I think there is… but I couldn’t remember… “
Somehow, Ladhul’s words carried a weary tone in him which no one else noticed. After circling around the cave for hours, night is approaching soon and yet they could not find anything.
Not paying attention to the search, Lilith was trying to piece up all the clues which could lead to Azure’s memories. Azure knew about the ancient tongue and precious stones and he has decent fighting skills, she considered, and an incredible Mu? No matter how hard she thought about it, there seemed to be a missing link somewhere.
”I give up...”
“Huh?”
Azure thought Lilith was going to give up on the search for the Rose.
“More characteristics about the Rose then?”
He asked Ladhul.
“I have not seen it before… until…”
The Tartan hesitated for a moment, and stretched one of his arms to his back to retrieve something secretly.
“Until you two appeared… ”
Ladhul grimaced and it was then his unease surfaced. There was something he wanted to say, but some force within him held him back.
“…? What is it, Ladhul?”
Azure sensed his anxiety and wondered what secret he was hiding from them. He has been acting strange ever since the race commenced.
“Actually, Azure… ” Ladhul started his sentence with difficulty, “You have already found it… the Desert Rose.”
Right after he completed his sentence, Azure caught a glimpse of something reflecting the torches’ light and dodged before the unknown object managed to leave a scar on his face. Nonetheless, there was a light abrasion on his right cheek. Before him, Ladhul stood firm with his dagger in his hand and pointing towards him.