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Recollection Amidst the Sands
Topic Started: Jun 14 2018, 10:56 PM (84 Views)
Windchild

As Edith passed out, crashing into the sand, a fragment of something popped into her mind. Sand...why did she hate sand so much? She hated it, yet at the same time, it reminded her...of him. How could she have forgotten him? He was...




11 years ago

Dr. Katrina Reinhild trekked through the desert, gripping her hat tightly so the howling winds didn't steal it away. She was part of a survey team assigned to the Desert Sea. Their objective was to compile mineral samples within their designated area, as the culmination of a 5-year research project. If their previous surveys in the Desert Sea were any indication, somewhere in the outlined zone may very well be a previously-unknown type of mineral. Beside her walked her daughter Edith, who had begged to go, thinking the desert was just like a very large beach. Unfortunately for Edith, it wasn't. It didn't help that the sand was getting in the joints of her prosthetic forearm, which she'd earned foolishly trying to take on a bear. After both sympathy and chewing-out from her parents and twin sister, she vowed she'd get strong enough to bench-press that bear.

Through the sandstorm, the group spotted a range of hills, over which should be their destination. Ascending it, they were surprised to find someone already there. A tribe of nomadic desert elves, they learned as they greeted them. There was an oasis nearby, and the hills around them shielded them from the brunt of the sandstorms. After being shooed by her mother, who wanted her out of the way so they could set up shop, Edith took off towards the oasis, which was basically a doughnut-shaped beach, and dammit she loved a good doughnut. As she approached, she noticed a lone desert elf, a boy about her age. "Uh, hi!" she approached him and waved with her metallic hand. "My mom's studying rocks here. I'm Edith, what's your name?" That name, which, like much of this excursion, had slipped her memory for so long, was...
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Lief Katano

"Bah. A tribe of humans."

Among the group of desert elves, three in particular were gathered closely - a man, a woman, and a child. The woman, who was speaking, shook her head wearily. "Ever eager to sink their fingers into what isn't theirs..."

"It might not quite be that way," the man countered. "They look like scientists. Upstanding people. They could just be here for research. Besides," he added, motioning towards the group of humans. Another, older figure had already greeted them. "The chief seems to be willing enough to meet with them. We could get something by deciding to interact with them. Just because we've managed to get everything done by ourselves doesn't mean we can continue that forever..."

"Ridiculous. Didn't you join our tribe because greedy humans were exploiting your father?" The woman raised her eyebrow at the man, who looked crestfallen. "...Sorry. That still is a sore spot, huh... Anyways, Sigurd, I'm going to help set up. Don't get into any trouble, okay?"

The young elf nodded. The tribe had arrived here not too long ago, themselves, so needing to set up camp was necessary. His parents left, and he was alone... but not for long, as a human ran up to him. Shorter than the rest of them, but still taller than the young desert elf. And pretty strange, too - one of her forearms was shinier than the rest of her, and looked completely different. It took a moment after staring at it to register that she asked him for his name.

"S-Sigurd. My name is Sigurd," he said. "Nice to meet you, I s'pose..."
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Windchild

"Sigurd, Sigurd...Nope, I ain't gonna remember that. I'mma call you Sig." She noted that he'd been staring at her arm and grinned. "Cool, huh? A big scary dragon bit the old one off, but I roughed it up real good." She was embellishing, sure, but she didn't see the harm in it. After all, this guy lived out in the middle of the desert, so how would he know what a bear was?

"Oh hey, wanna build a sand castle or something? With all this sand around, I bet you guys make killer ones. Like, actual full-sized castles!" Sig wouldn't be able to tell whether she seriously believed that, and honestly she wasn't sure either. She was just bored as hell of all the eggheads back home, and now was her chance to make a friend who wasn't a know-it-all. Plus, it'd be better than spending all her time alone while her mother worked.
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Lief Katano

"A...dragon." Sigurd - or, uh, Sig, according to Edith - stared at her in disbelief. Did she really think he'd believe that? A smile slowly formed, though, as he thought of something.

"Not really. We move a lot, so we don't really build a lotta things... especially that big. But... you survived a dragon attack, huh?" he said, attempting to sound in awe. "Amazing? But I don't think you can do that again..."
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Windchild

Edith put her hands on her hips. "I definitely could! Definitely. But, uh...sand castles! Let's do it!"

Over the next week or so, the two spent much of their time together. Edith told Sig all about the world beyond the desert, though she did exaggerate as usual. The two eventually grew to call each other friends, but one day...

"Hey, Sig!" Edith piped up as they met up in the morning. "Mom says the winds are gonna be really light for a few days, you wanna do some explorin'?"
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Lief Katano

"Sure, but..." Sig began to say, before eyeing Edith's prosthetic arm. Now that she had an opportunity to, especially, it didn't seem like anything would stop her from exploring - whether it was her mother's concerns or his own. Might as well tag along with her to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble, he thought... mainly to drive away the thought that Edith showing up made things actually interesting around camp, and if she left it would be a day of boredom.

"...I just need to get some water for the trip," he finished. "Don't leave without me!" He ran off...

...and quickly returned, with two canteens of water. "Got 'em. Ready to go?" he asked, handing one to Edith.
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Windchild

"Thanks, man." The two disembarked, first climbing up one of the surrounding hills. They surveyed the area, looking for anything particularly interesting among the sands. "There!" Edith pointed towards a speck out in the distance. It was hard to tell what it was from here, but it certainly wasn't sand. "C'mon, dude!"

As they descended the hill, it occurred to Edith she'd have to return to Azalt soon, and leave her new friend behind. "Hey, uh...you should totally come to Azalt sometime. There's a lot of nerds there, but we've also got a lot of cool stuff. And, y'know, it's not just sand as far as the eye can see."
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Lief Katano

"Well..." Sig had to ponder for a bit. Ponder harder than he had for most of his seven-year-long life. He'd love to see Edith, sure, but he was certain his mom wouldn't be nearly as enthusiastic. Any time his dad thought about seeing his dad, she shot it down quickly. He had to avoid mentioning he was hanging out with Edith in order for her to okay anything - leaving the desert would definitely be out of the question. So he'd definitely have to strike out on his own...

"Yeah," he said finally. "Definitely. Though it might take a lotta time..."
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Windchild

"It's a promise," she replied confidently, not caring for whether such a journey was practical or not. It was lonely back home, with her sister busy with school and her parents with their jobs. Having a friend like Sig there, even if only for a visit, would be fantastic.

As they approached the speck, it eventually became clear it was a cave opening, only recently revealed by the winds. The hard stone mouth of the cave seemed almost out of place among the soft sand. "It's like straight outta a storybook...there's gotta be treasure in there!"
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Lief Katano

Sig nodded his head in agreement. "Definitely." His own excitement was easily heard through his voice - it had been the first time he actually found anything interesting in the desert. Even if there wasn't anything cool in there - which seemed unlikely - it was just so... cool. "C'mon! Let's go!" he said, practically dragging Edith along.
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Windchild

Edith enthusiastically entered the cave alongside Sig. Inside, they were met with a narrow tunnel that sloped downwards, with a faint green glow emanating from some unknown source in the distance. "Dang, when stuff's glowing, you know it's gotta be good!" Treasure would be great, but she was also hoping to find that unknown mineral her mom's team was looking for. If she was the one who made the discovery, she'd get massive cred back in Azalt. Heck, she'd probably get to name it after her. Edithite? Sophite? Reinhildite? Whatever, she'd figure it out later.
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Lief Katano

"Yeah..." Sig muttered, slowly coming to an awful realization. His dad had told him plenty of tales about people finding treasure... and those weren't really effortless. "But... doesn't that stuff also have fierce guardians or somethin'?" He couldn't imagine that any guardian would cause the girl who claimed she fought a dragon to back down - in front of him, at least - but it slowly felt like he was getting out of his league.
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Windchild

"Think about it. The entrance was buried under sand till now! Do people who bury their treasure ever have guardians for it?"

At the end of the tunnel, they were met with a spectacular sight. A massive cavern opened before them, big enough to fit a small village. Streams cut through the floor, separating it into islands connected via natural bridges, and on each, grass, flowers, and a few small trees grew. The streams themselves contained fish, and the sound of crickets chirping pierced the air, signalling the presence of insects. At the center, a grand tree stood on its own island, its crystalline blooms giving off the green light they'd noticed earlier. This light felt exactly like the sunlight of a pleasantly warm afternoon, and was likely how this underground ecosystem was able to flourish. At its roots lay another cave entrance...

"Holy heck this place is awesome!"
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Lief Katano

"I mean, usually when it's in a cave, ye - whoa." The objection Sigurd was formulating faltered in the face of the giant tree and the cavern it was in. How could something amazing like this be underneath such a dull, dry desert? He took all the sights in, trying to imprint it into his memory so he could tell his parents later... then noticed the cave entrance beneath the tree. "And it goes deeper..." If underneath the desert was so amazing, what was underneath the tree must be even more so! He couldn't resist the temptation - so he dashed off for the cave at the tree's roots.
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Windchild

"Hey, wait up!" Before taking after Sig, Edith took a moment to pluck a bloom from the tree and stored it in her pouch.

This tunnel eventually led to another chamber, this one much smaller than the last, and there was no other apparent entrance or exit within, just the dark silhouette of...something at the far end. Suddenly, whatever it was moved, and an indescribable voice echoed throughout the cavern.

"You who enter this mos--eh, children? Hmm...we have no desire to dispose of lost children...yet so long as you have memories of this place, we cannot let you leave. Worry not, that shall be your only penalty for trespassing." As the voice grew quiet, Edith and Sig quickly lost consciousness...

They were found lying upon a hill just outside the village, and it would be another week until either of them woke. By then, Katrina's team had returned to Azalt emptyhanded, and when she woke, it was in her own bedroom. She had received a scolding from her mother for wandering off, but she didn't remember doing so...or much of her trip to the desert, for that matter, only that she'd found a crystal flower somewhere, and that she'd met a boy there...a boy she longed to meet again.




Edith began to stir, and everything came back to her. That fateful week, their trek to the cave, and most importantly, the identity of that boy. She rose to her feet with renewed vigor. She refused to die, because there was something very important she had to tell Sig.
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