Desierto, huh?
A fitting name for a place as desolate and inhospitable to life as this one. The sun was bearing down on a sea of sand that expanded as far as the eye could see, dunes rising and falling like waves frozen in time, and only occasionally disturbed by the harsh winds of the desert. The young Dragon Slayer wondered how anyone could feasibly call this land their home, but it was evident that people quite readily did so. The great cities and towns nestled into the sands, as if making it part of their identity, flourished and prospered between the wastelands of death and dunes. The great desert Sultans of Desierto wielded considerable political power, as she had learned, and the people of this nation were proud of their origins. Aspen could understand that, in a sense. She, too, hailed from an inhospitable land known for its harsh climate and unforgiving wastelands, though home was quite a bit different in other regards. For one, Pergrande wasn’t exactly known for its searing heat. The opposite, much rather. Aspen, in her time in Fiore, had also read that the wastes between the settlements were not only dangerous based on the lack of water or shelter from the merciless heat and sunshine, but also raiders and bandits that sometimes robbed, sometimes killed, and sometimes enslaved anyone they came across.
Well, if she happened upon any raiders today they could certainly try to rob her, kill her, enslave her, but the mage had fought hard to obtain her freedom. She would take them apart and scatter them across the sands to be ground to dust. Now that she was thinking about it, raiders really wouldn't be a problem for her anymore, would they? It was strange. There had been a point in her life where hypothetical circumstances like that one would've prompted worry from the young Dragon Slayer, like when she had stumbled into the Phoenix Mountains and, by extension, Silver Wolf all those months ago, but ever since then, she had grown confident in her magical abilities, and had become strong as a mage. Perhaps it had been the constant work she had been putting into missions, maybe it had been the research and studies, or perhaps, she thought, it had been other factors. She had, of course, not been idle, not in the least. Maybe it had finally paid off, huh? She felt like she was ready to accept her identity as a magus more than ever. This was why she had come travelled here today, after all, the small encampment on the edge of a rocky plateau coming into view on the horizon. A small smirk would spread across the Slayer’s expression, which was normally locked in a state of perpetual stoicism, the shadow cast over her face by the turban covering her head obscuring this change of mood, though. Perhaps this day would serve as her as some kind of metaphorical waypoint in her career. She would try to test out her capabilities today, see how far she could go, and see if she could go beyond that limit.
Of course, while that would be fun, she wasn’t here purely for entertainment. A job, after all, was a job. Aspen had accepted this call for aid and travelled to Desierto to assist a group of archaeologists and researches in what was apparently an operation to uncover long forgotten ruins of an ancient civilization, which were located in a massive, flourishing oasis, that, up until now, had been hidden from the world by an insurmountable sandstorm. The research party, though, had been driven off by what had been an excessively hostile fauna as well as natives of this secluded enclave, people exceedingly xenophobic to the outside world and violent in their desire to drive them off. Well, it was understandable. They did essentially invade their land with their studies, but it would be the stronger one who would get to assert their will. And well, the group paying Aspen, and apparently a few other mages as well, would make sure that they were the stronger ones in this instance. And who knew, ancient civilizations and previously undiscovered ruins? Perhaps she could swipe something up for herself or Silver Wolf. It was probably a good opportunity to scout the area out for the guild and report back or something. Maybe other members of the guild could accompany her on later expeditions … or something like that. Perhaps, she thought, she’d just let Theo know and see if he was interested.
Naturally, though, she wasn’t the only one here for this mission today. The monsters, apparently, were pretty strong, which would not be a problem in and of itself, but the nature of these things was, due to their secluded evolution, unknown, which posted a danger in and of itself. Further, they had been numerous enough to drive the research party off previously. Well, no biggie. Fighting monsters would be no issue. She had done it before, and, for the right reward and the right kind of thrill, she would do it again.
Making her way up to the camp, she spotted the figures in the distance, her smirk returning for a second once again. That would be the mages, then. Somewhat excited, though not showing the emotion whatsoever, she focussed her gaze on the group, eager to see who exactly she would be joined by.
Word Count: 905
Word Count Total: 905