Desert in the Storm

1.

It happened while we were crossing the desert. A cold sensation struck my cheek. When I ran my finger across it, it came away wet.

“Huh?”

Inis and Isabella also raised their heads, seemingly sensing something was off.

Plop, pitter-patter—

Raindrops began to fall. The sky, which had always been blue and clear, darkened. Seeing the storm clouds gathering, information suddenly came to mind.

“Let’s move quickly. We need to find the highest ground possible. Let’s head up that way.”

Inis nodded when she saw where I was pointing.

“Master, why do we need to go to higher ground?”

“Haven’t you looked up information about the Sand Desert?”

I countered Isabella’s question with one of my own, wondering if she might know something.

“No. Since I wasn’t even sure if we could break through the Greenskin territory, I didn’t consider looking into other layers.”

“Storms occur occasionally in the Sand Desert. Each time, the desert gets completely turned upside down.”

“Are you saying the rain falling on us now is that storm?”

“Yes.”

When I used to enjoy this world as a game, I encountered desert storms several times. Considering I always got a game over each time, the current situation was extremely serious.

We hurriedly climbed to a higher hill nearby. As time passed, the world grew increasingly dark, and the wind blew more fiercely.

Whoooosh—

Above all, the rain fell harder.

At first, it was just a few raindrops, but now it was at the level of a downpour. The rain would only get heavier, not weaker.

“Inis!”

I took out a rope from my bag and threw it to her. She caught it. I handed another to Isabella.

“Tie it around your waist!”

Following my command, both of them began tying the rope around their waists. I did the same. I had brought it just in case, but I never thought we’d actually need to use it.

By tying ourselves together with rope, at least no one would get lost. Of course, if we died, we’d all die together.

“I can’t see anything ahead!”

The storm clouds completely covered the sky, preventing any light from entering. A world filled with darkness. All we could hear was the sound of pouring rain and howling wind.

“Fire.”

I took out a wooden stick and lit it. Since the flame was created with magical power, it didn’t easily extinguish in the rain.

“Take this!”

I handed a torch to each of them. I summoned a flame and kept it beside me as I walked.

Whoooosh―

The sound of rain beating against our robes. Even if we spoke, it was barely audible now. Though I surely illuminated our surroundings with the flame, it was barely visible due to the heavy rain.

The sky suddenly flashed. At the same time, my vision brightened.

BOOM―!

A deafening sound that felt like it would tear my eardrums. Lightning had struck in the distance. If we were unlucky enough to be hit by that, we would surely die.

We walked through the desert, relying solely on the rope connecting us. No, perhaps it couldn’t be called a desert anymore.

Large pools of water had formed all around. As gusts of wind blew, strong waves rose. The sight resembled ocean waves. It might as well be called the desert sea now.

“Shit…”

The sand had become soggy. Simply taking a step was burdensome. Yet we had to keep moving because our feet kept sinking.

“Haa, haa…”

Every time I exhaled, white breath emerged. My entire body ached from walking in constant tension.

Rumble―!

Rain and sand washed down the slope.

“Whoa!”

My body jerked violently as my foot sank into the ground. Thanks to firmly gripping the rope, I avoided the catastrophe of tumbling down.

When Isabella looked back, I waved my hand. It was a gesture meant to convey that she shouldn’t worry about me and should continue walking.

Gulp—

Cold sweat ran down my back. At this point, I couldn’t tell if it was my sweat or the pouring rain. My robe had long since lost its function.

Splash, splash—

Waves of mixed water and sand hit the hill.

The water was rising steadily. The downpour continued endlessly, as if truly intending to completely submerge the desert. I sighed deeply and raised my head slightly.

I could faintly see the backs of the two people ahead. What thoughts were going through Inis and Isabella’s minds as they walked? The emotion I faintly sensed was fear.

I looked up at the sky. In this place where the sun was invisible, I desperately prayed for the rain to stop.

Whoooosh―

The rain didn’t stop. No, at this point, rather than expecting when it would stop, we needed to worry about whether we might drown, as the water had risen so high.

‘I need to find higher ground.’

I grew anxious. If we couldn’t find ground higher than where we were, we would truly be submerged in that sand and water and die.

In that case, we would also become undead wandering this place. Just like the skeleton visible below.

Click, click-clack—

I stared at the blue flame for a moment before looking forward. I tugged on the rope slightly. Footsteps halted in response.

“Huff.”

I stood in place and summoned a new flame. Unlike the one that had been hit by rain, this one burned vigorously.

Whoosh—

I moved it to gradually illuminate our surroundings. The flame that brightened the desert as it advanced. However, its speed was slow, and it wasn’t very bright.

At this rate, just scanning the surroundings would clearly take forever. I needed to find another method. But how?

‘If only I could use a flare…’

I didn’t know the principle behind flares. But I knew what they looked like. That was enough. After all, what I needed was an image.

“Fire Arrow.”

I summoned an arrow of flame. Then, just like when fighting the guardian, I began to compress it gradually.

Whoosh—

Pressure that gradually weighed down on my body. Perhaps because the environment was even worse, the pressure was even more intense. With my lips firmly bitten, I made the arrow even smaller.

Once it had shrunk to its limit, I controlled the light and heat emitted outward. The flame that had brightly lit the surroundings disappeared into darkness.

‘Shit.’

That was what I had intended, but it was a bit disconcerting that the power’s appearance was completely invisible. Given that magical power continued to be consumed, it must still be there.

Droplets running down my face. I brought the arrow in front of me. It was somewhat complete. The problem was how to send it into the sky.

The consumption of magical power and mental energy was already concerning. The further I moved it from my body, the more that pressure would intensify.

“Isabella!”

I called her with the loudest voice I could muster. Fortunately, it seemed my voice reached her, as Isabella approached me.

“Did you call me?”

She pressed close to me. Only this way could we clearly recognize each other’s faces and voices.

“Can you shoot this arrow into the sky?”

“This one?”

“Yes. I’ll set it to explode after 15 seconds. Of course, I’m not entirely sure it will work. This is my first time trying this method.”

It could potentially explode in her hands. If that happened, Isabella would be injured. She might even be torn to pieces beyond recognition. That’s how unstable it was.

“…Can you do it?”

Knowing the danger, I asked cautiously. I could see Isabella’s eyes shining.

“Yes. This is something only I can do, right?”

“That’s right. It’s difficult for me to shoot it into the sky.”

“Then I’ll do it. Isn’t helping a comrade in trouble what a true party member does?”

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

With a heavy heart, I handed over the arrow. Since I had implemented physical force, it was possible to touch it with hands.

“You need to shoot it as high as possible. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Shoot when I give the signal.”

I closed my eyes. Then I set a time limit on the arrow. I set it to explode exactly 15 seconds later and lit the fuse in my mind.

“Shoot!”

Creeeak―

She placed the fire arrow on the bowstring and aimed at the sky. Mindful of the instruction to shoot as high as possible, I could see her pulling her arm back forcefully.

Whoosh—

Flames spewing from the arrow. It was a sign of instability.

Whoosh―!

The moment Isabella released her hand, the fire arrow disappeared into the darkness. Though I had no idea where exactly it was, I continued to visualize.

I imagined an intense light filling the sky vigorously. A fierce flame that would serve as our guide. Magical power drained at a very rapid rate, and my body staggered.

Flash—!

The dark sky suddenly brightened. A beam of light blossoming through the storm clouds. It illuminated everything around.

“Master! Look over there!”

Isabella, supporting my body, pointed in one direction. Turning my gaze there, I saw a giant structure in the shape of a square pyramid.

“It’s the pyramid. The pyramid!”

I burst into laughter at the magnificent sight. To think it was this close. I truly had no idea.

The pyramid seemed to be protected somehow, as it wasn’t affected at all by the sand or rain. If we could get inside, we would likely be safe from this storm.

“Let’s go.”

It seemed like we could finally escape this wretched desert.