313 The Desert King part one (1/2)
/Inferno: Jun Li: ETA 5 minutes.
Nix's eyes popped open, and he stretched for a long moment. The craft was built for comfort, the seats were well-cushioned, and they leaned back. A strong grip squeezed his hand, and he turned to see Fajii watching him. ”It might be a long night, hope you are rested.”
Fajii nodded. ”I closed my eyes for a bit.”
The craft beached itself a few minutes later. The raid force dragged it onshore and hid it between two rock croppings.
/Inferno: Jun Li: Mount up, we need to cover another 30 km before we know if the key we got off Tobias works.
The Great Desert was mostly a place of rolling white-sand dunes; however, two large mountain ranges could be seen from Inferno's vantage point; they were called the Sword and the Shield Mountains. To the north, the Shield Mountain range separated the Great Desert from Northern Everspire. Bisecting the shield and stabbing south deep into the desert were the Sword Mountains. From the sky, it would have looked like a 'T.' A single-pass north was the only way to Northern Everspire on foot. There was no known pass through the Sword, traveling to the eastern coast of the Great Desert required you to head south and circumvent the mountains.
Nightmare thrived in the heat of the desert. Her heavily scaled reptilian feet ran efficiently through the soft sand. She ran side-by-side with Jun Li's Saber Tiger, the two mounts lead the procession steadily east.
/Inferno: Jun Li: The door we are looking for is the on this side of the Sword range, I've sent the Nav-point to everyone's hud.
/Inferno: Pon: Gonna be a long ride home if the key doesn't work for us.
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[1900 hours: Sword Mountain Range, Great Desert]
/Inferno: Jun Li: Quick break, and we'll try the key.
/Inferno: Pon: Why not try the key now?
/Inferno: Semmi: We don't know what's going to happen. If it works, we could have to fight right away.
After a few minutes, Inferno moved to the entrance. It was sheer mountain bluff that reached several hundred feet into the air. The dark rock facing them was perfectly flat, only the barest image of an arched door could be seen against the gray slate. A single triangular keyhole was visible in the direct center.
Jun Li tossed the key to Sharl. ”You're up. Tanks first.”
/Inferno: Sharl: On me, I'll open the door and move in right away. If it's clear, we should all rush in.
/Inferno: Semmi: Right. It may not stay open.
Sharl inserted the key into the door and it swung inward like it was weightless, she walked in cautiously and then waved for the group to follow.
Nix was the last one in, a few moments after he crossed the threshold, the stone door slammed shut.
New Quest Available. [The Lost City part IV: The Desert King]
/Inferno: Nix: Looks like we're in.
/Inferno: Pon: Gladiator arena?
Inside the door was a large circular arena covered in sand. There were four raised platforms set in a square. At the center of this square was the blurred image of a massive beast. The raised platforms hovered a few meters in the air, and each had a set of stairs leading up to it.
/Inferno: Jun Li: The raised platforms probably spawn something. We are going to have to play it by ear and try to adapt.
/Inferno: Sharl: The beast in the middle looks to be the main Boss; at this point, I can't target him.
/Inferno: Semmi: We have to cover four platforms and the middle boss, It seems like we are short a healer.
/Inferno: Nix: Shadai is a flying healer; if she positions herself between the center and one of the squares, she should be able to handle both.
[Summons: Ea'Shadai, Cal, Tor]
Cal smiled when he saw him. ”We'll get her next time Nix!”
Nix nodded. Since he didn't have his gear for five days, he forgot that the three Air'Voilla had probably died facing Khione also. ”I won't let you guys down again.”