Golden sands buffeted Emily as she crashed into the peak of a large dune, tucking herself into a roll to absorb the impact.

The desert welcomed her in all directions, save for the now distant cloud of orange far off on the horizon. Once she'd left the storm behind her, Emily had made a concerted effort to put some space between her and the radioactive torrent. With the use of her abilities, she'd covered a large amount of distance, but that also meant she'd been pushing herself pretty hard the whole while, and she was starting to feel the exhaustion.

Luckily, her desperate sprint had not been for nothing, and with the storms gone, she'd covered twice the distance in half the time.

Emily panted as she looked down at her Cardinex, her blood pumping in her ears. It was pointing towards a particular butte, and at the sight of the rock structure, her heart rate quickened.

With renewed effort, she exploded forward, her jump impacting the dune like a cannonball. Sailing through the air, she controlled her descent to land on the nearest dune, easily shaving minutes off her travel time with each jump.

Several landings later, the butte was right in front of Emily, and to her surprise, the front doors were open.

At first, she feared something had happened, but when she spotted the tents set up near the entrance, she calmed.

As she headed towards it, she noticed the direction of her bracelet change, and at that moment, Alex stepped out of the row of tents, looking around hurriedly.

When he spotted her, a knowing grin spread over his face.

Had she not been delirious from hunger and possible sunstroke, she might have even said he looked handsome standing there amongst the sands.

Emily landed just before him, kicking up dust as she did so. Her legs protested at being forced to move for so long that she stumbled on the final step.

Her knees went out from under her, and she collapsed in the sand.

Alex's eyes widened, and she moved to her side in a flash, catching Emily before she sank completely.

Amused, she looked up at him, a strangely warm sensation moving through her chest.

"Relax, big guy. I'm all good."

Alex didn't flinch at her jab and shrugged.

"Well, from what I've seen, you are far from it, but still, good work, Emily."

The warmth in her chest transformed into a strange pride.

"Of course, I told you I'd get it done, so I did." She smiled, but something about his words caught his attention.

"Wait, 'seen'? What do you mean?" she frowned, getting her legs under her again and stepping back.

Alex let her break away and looked sheepish.

"Hmm, you remember how they told you the Hearthspeaker would be monitoring you? Well, Teo was able to get permission to link to the totem as well, so we've all been watching most of the time."

Emily blinked first in confusion and then understanding when she remembered the totem made from a circlet of vines the Hearthspeaker had given to her.

"Teo said it's more than likely that a good many Shamans would be watching back at the city. And if they perform a certain ritual, many of the Chieftains of higher-ranking warriors would have been able to as well."

Emily frowned now, a dangerous light appearing in her eyes. What kind of big brother shit show where they running? She understood the Hearthspeaker watching to make sure she completed her task, but what of the rest of them? Did they think this was some kind of reality TV?

Alex smiled at her obvious disapproval and snorted.

"Relax, don't worry. As far as Teo is concerned, your performance only strengthened your position. You weren't even meant to go to the heart of the storm. Once you found that first shard, you could have returned."

Emily blinked slowly. Well, that would have been nice to know. She'd done all that extra work for nothing. Though it was hard to regret her choice, seeing the benefits she'd gotten from it.

To be honest, she didn't mind being watched, she just would have liked to know she was being broadcast to the whole city. Though if she thought about it, only those with enough influence would have been able to catch a glimpse.

Still, enough was enough; the mission was over, and she didn't need people watching her every move.

Reaching into her pack, she extracted the small circlet and threw it away into the open sands.

Alex wore an entertained expression, pointing to one of the tents.

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"Let's go. Several more people arrived once you had gathered so many shards. They're here to escort us back."

Before Emily could even take a step in that direction, a familiar feeling in her blood warned her of Cupcake.

She had just enough time to brace herself before the large Rime wolf appeared behind her and bowled her over.

Emily giggled as the beast kicked up sand and rubbed her coat against her.

She ran her hand through the canine's coat and was surprised to find Cupcake had grown again. It wasn't as much as last time, but there was no mistaking it. The beast had evolved again when Emily had gotten her newest inheritance.

Alex confirmed it a second later with a dry humph.

"We noticed her getting lethargic a couple of days ago, and then she just dug into the sand like a burrow mite. First time I've seen her since."

Emily cooed at the beast as she dodged a tongue lick big enough to cover her face. Cupcakes' size aside, Emily noticed one other detail. The air around the Rime wolf had changed. A chill now laced her coat, emanating off her in waves, fighting back the heat.

It felt like standing next to a block of ice radiating cool air, and in the current hot conditions, Emily found it quite refreshing.

It did make her wonder how, though. The blood Emily had ingested was more closely related to red source. If anything, Emily would have thought the beast would get access to lighting or something, but perhaps this was the push Cupcake needed.

After all, Rime wolves were found further up north where blue source was abundant. Perhaps the new bloodline had awoken her own heritage like a sleeping beast. Alex did say beasts also ranked up.

"Is that it, girl? Are you a big mean doggo now?" she asked the wolf softly.

There was recognition through their link, which was shortly overshadowed by the beast's indignation and excitement.

Alex had already stepped towards the tent, and Emily found herself following easily. Cupcake stepped up beside her with a warm rumbling as they arrived in the circle of tents. Two dozen men and women stepped out of the tents as if to gauge her. Some looked hesitant or even scared of her, but there was a subtle look of trepidation in their eyes.

Alex had been right, from the sight before her, these fighters had arrived after their five-man group. The only reason they could remain outside was because of the sudden lack of storms heading their way. Right now, this strip of desert looked no different than any other. Even though just days prior, people feared to tread here because of the sporadic storms. There were more lurking inside the butte than Emily could see, and she quickly realized that this group was at least fifty men strong, which was quite the welcoming party when one thought about it.

Keeping her eyes forward, she said as much. Alex looked back and pursed his lips.

"From what Teo explained, you have on your person quite the dangerous artifact, or at least part of it," he said.

This reminded Emily that she hadn't been given any heads up before entering the storm. If they had been watching her, they would have easily seen the city. That meant they were not surprised by it, which meant they purposefully sent her in without informing her.

Smiling coldly to herself, Emily looked forward to this.

At the same time, Alex pushed a large tent flap aside for Emily and ushered her in. Cupcake could not follow, but she plopped herself down outside the entrance.

It took a second to adjust to the lower lighting in the tent, but when she did, she recognized Mo and Ra standing there quietly.

Beside them was Teo, who smiled proudly at Emily, his face carrying a deep sense of satisfaction.

There was one other individual in the room whom Emily recognized. Sol stood at the back of the room, smiling gently, but remaining at a distance.

Emily squinted at the man. The last time she had seen him was when she had arrived in the city, and since then, not once. She didn't have the greatest first impression of the young man, but he had proved to be a fair leader. That, plus Kael seemed to trust him. If he were here, then the Hearthspeaker must as well.

"Congratulations, Emily," Teo spoke first, unable to hide his excitement. "I have to say. I knew you were strong, but to kill the king of the storms is truly impressive. Everyone back home will now know you are to be respected."

Emily frowned at this. She didn't like that; she preferred to be underestimated, especially if there was going to be a fight in her near future.

"Thanks, but I have a couple of questions for you."

Teo looked nervous and nodded.

"I thought you would. But first, the Hearthspeaker asked me to connect you to him as soon as you returned. Are you ready?"

Emily rolled her eyes, but nodded.

Teo smiled and closed his eyes. A moment later, a heavy force descended in the tent, and when he opened them again, they glowed gold.

"Ah, young Emily. It's good to see you through more than a projection." Teo said calmly.

"No-no, mister. You and Teo have some explaining to do."

Teo hummed but began to talk again.

"Yes, I suppose I do. Firstly, I want to apologise. Even though I expect great things from you. I never foresaw you entering the city. Much less encountering that beast when you did."

Emily frowned at that answer and crossed her arms.

"I was going into a dangerous area already. You must have had a reason for withholding the information. Keep in mind, your answer will determine what happens next," She said calmly. Despite this, a hard edge was carried in her tone. If they didn't give her a satisfactory reason for everything that had happened, she was willing to leave the city here and now.

She would drag Alex away if need be. Their needs be damned.

The Hearthspeaker seemed to see this for the threat it was, and sighed gently.

"You're right, you deserve an answer. Though it's sadly not a simple one. That city is one of our greatest secrets and greatest failures. No one outside the inner circle of Cheitans and Shamans even knows. That goes doubly so for outsiders." The Hearthspeaker seemed to think for a moment, and Teo's golden eyes squinted at Emily.

"I'm sure from what you've seen, you probably put a few things together. There was enough proof there to see the folly of the inhabitants. They messed with the elements and dealt with things that they never should have. You probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Ashvali once lived there many centuries ago."

Emily shrugged. She had assumed as much when that pipe had connected to one of the buttes. Either the Ashvali had taken inspiration from a long-lost civilization, or they were its distant ancestors.

"What you probably wouldn't have guessed is the origin of that stone you now carry with you. I'll spare you the details, it's identical to the one you and Kael brought into the city. The only difference is that one has been tainted by something so foul it almost destroyed us."

Emily clenched her jaw

"Why are you telling me all this? From the sounds of it, this was pride that kept you from warning me. Your ancestor's failure should not have been a threat to me." Emily said.

The Hearthspeaker grimaced and glanced at Alex.

"You're right, but this information is pertinent to you both. For if you truly intend to cross the grey sands as Kael explained, you will need to traverse the 'scar'. The origin of our downfall"

Blood points: 672

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