Chapter 7 - The True Journey

The grueling sands had not been kind to them, heatstroke had claimed Kor, and left Timothy distraught over his death. Aeris found it quite fitting, though she was saddened by the loss, she couldn't avoid feeling some joy, the man had drugged her to have sex with her, afterall.

He had died in the afternoon, the heat finally took hold of him, and he died of a heart attack, and there was nothing anyone could have done. They sat there helplessly as he struggled against the pain, and died slowly.

With a proper burial, they left him, heads hung low for their future was uncertain, and looking grim. For on the horizon was only more sand. Vast, unforgiving, terrible sand.

Aeris was sick of sand. They'd been there for two days already. They'd fought off basilisks and scorpions, hid amongst ruins and trudged through this... This... This shit! She hated it.

The sand buffeted them constantly, always against them, no matter which way they turned, sand slapped them across the cheek. The sun beat down upon their backs. The wind snapped through them like a whip. She had fallen behind slightly, and then looked to the sun, and saw her friends ahead of her, waving their hands and gesturing violently.

She spun, and found herself face to face with a crystal basilisk. Aeris slipped backwards, and slid down in the sand. On his hind legs, the beast was ferociously tall, towering over her. Slowly it began to drop, intending to smash her. With a quick roll she moved out of its land, but didn't go far, due to the sand.

Her spear was sheathed against her back, yanking it out, she twirled it into a ready position, and lunged for the reptile. The blade made contact as it turned toward her, impaling it through the eye. None to happy with the event, she re-sheathed her armament and jogged up to her comrades, slightly out of breath and feeling her adrenaline pumping.

The endless march continued, Aeris would see ancient dragon bones throughout the desert. Their large, arching ribs providing temporary cover for those who sought shelter amongst the dead. And the dead they avoided, for they knew that where the dead were, more dead would pile.

Fire, that was what this was, thought Aeris. A sea of fire and sulfur, endless, burning, torturing, immolating, tearing and scorching. There was no way out, she was certain.

The sky was masked by a guard of sand, sand that endlessly swirled about them like a tornado. The Basilisks were good for meat, but filled with sand, and diluted scorpion blood made a good drink here in the desert.

Above them, blue skies rested, with lazy white clouds, Aeris day dreamed as she carried on through the trudging. Wind snapped across her, streaming her cloak out behind her.

Like an iron grip, depression squeezed their souls, squishing them dry of any hope that may have remained. They no longer marched for hope, they marched because there was nothing left to do but march. They had a sense of duty, that forced them to keep trying, even though they knew they were doomed. Horizon after horizon always carried the same image, sand, eternally blowing and eroding.

"We're. Screwed." Aeris observed intelligently.

Everyone ignored her, and continued trudging through the dunes, hopeless gazes locked upon the horizon, hoping that they might see some sign of drawing close to the crater. And amidst their anguish, a glimmer appeared, a small, well tread pathway appeared. Everyone stared at each other, and then broke into a mad sprint to see where it went. Nearby, when visibility allowed it, they could see some dark brown rocky outcroppings. A sudden drop caught them by surprise, and in a tangled mess, they tumbled out of the forsaken desert and into the home of monstrosities. Un'Goro Crater.

From her vantage point, atop the mess of sin'dorei limbs, she could see an extensive plain of endless vegetation, some of it moving around, and crystals scattered about. Massive trees rose up into the sky, tops hardly visible at ground level. Small, reptilian birds swung around in the boughs of the trees, screeching and fighting each other. The humidity was heavy, and the plants drooped with recent rain. The ground was slick underneath them, mud that had only formed moments passed. Aeris screamed for joy. The cheer was echoed by everyone underneath her.

They un-massed themselves from the crash. The rest, who had been unable to see previously, gaped in awe at the wonders bountiful around them. A massive beast, with iron hard skin, and triangular protruding spikes across its arching back stomped by on four legs. It ignored the newcomers, and shifted to its next meal, a small, moving plant. It lashed out, and failed to do anything as the beast devoured it whole.

The Troupe gawked at its power, and silently decided that they should avoid the giant lizards. With cautious steps, they began their exploration of the crater. Green weeds and soft ground squished underneath each step, taking them closer toward the massive pillar of flame in the center, the volcano.

They saw an odd, stone construct patrolling a waterway they snuck past, archaic design and arcane runes dotting its rough skin. Unbelievable Tar Lord elementals walked about, crushing critters beneath their feet. At the foot of the flaming mountain, with its inferno born fire beasts guarding the path upwards, they decided  to turn back, and follow the river.

The water rushed pass, a steady, calming pace. Small fish swam inside, darting around as they sought something for their lives. The pterodactyls above them would holler, and dive down, snapping up unsuspecting victims. As they stopped by a tree to take a breather, they knew they wouldn't last in a camp. They would have to march through the night.

Thump. Thump. The ground shook, waves toppling over men and beast a like with their trembling shocks. The thumping came once more. A tree cracked and fell. In the distance they could see the behemoth making that racket.

A massive, iron-scaled, spiked Devilsaur roared in beastly domination, tearing open the other lizards with snaps of jaws. Critters and creatures both fled the mammoth, but the troupe just hid inside a hollow in the tree. Loudly, but harmlessly, the beast passed them by.

With a sigh of relief, they pressed on, following the winding waterway. Twisting and turning, it took them around the crater, to abandoned dig sites, half-eaten corpses of men and reptiles. Another construct passed them by, soft shakes emanating from its stepping.

Curiously, Aeris watched the creation drift by for a moment, shrugged, then caught back up with her comrades. Night was in its prime by then, the chirping of ancient insects heard by not seen. Leaves and twigs cracked in the distance, as predator stalked prey in a vicious eat or be eaten world. 

Thump. Thump. They froze. There it was again, the stomp of the Devilsaur approaching. The night hampered their vision, but the feeling of the shaking earth was more than enough to tell them its location. Right next to them. They turned, and the beast sniffed at them, puffs of hot air expelled afterward. Jaws creaked open, and a tongue flicked out, slapping Loriel. It roared. They bolted. It chased them, and though they had a slight head start, the beast was massive and catching up quickly. The river they knew would guide them to the rough location of the doorway to the desert, but they didn't know how long it would be till then.

Timothy called out, "Go on, I've lost my partner, now I'll help you get ahead, by losing myself." We didn't look back, there was no time to. He stopped and turned to the beast. Aeris closed her eyes, she disliked him as well, but they didn't deserve such deaths, however much she might want it.

He whipped out a dagger, and hooked it into the mammoth's haunch, a slight catch, and swung himself onto the top of it. He cursed, he yelled and slashed at it, doing no damage. It did have the effect of distracting the beast, it stopped chasing and began to try and get to the man on its back. He lifted his hands high over his head, and brought a short sword deep into its hide, a soft trickle of blood leaking from the wound. Howling and roaring, the Devilsaur slammed its back into a tree, narrowly missing crushing him.

It tried a second time, and the only noise was its heavy breathing. The insects had grown quiet. Soft weeping came from Aeris and Loriel, who felt for the man, who had lost his closest friend, and had sacrificed himself to save them. They would finish this mission for their fallen comrades.'

The river's nose pointed into the North-Western corner of Un'Goro, and there was a large gap in the mountainous range. Two floating crystal spires spun next to it, a faint orange light emitting from their bottoms. Sand, again, swirled near them. Aeris looked resolutely, as they stepped forward, and into the dreaded, godforsaken land of the terrible Old God C'thun, Silithus.

With that one step, they had entered enemy territory, and had almost reached the end of their goal. Walter brought them to a halt a little ways into the dark land.

"From here on, be extremely wary, the insects are master burrowers, hide in the sand, move in swarms and are more deadly than an entire battalion of Horde and Alliance." His note was grim, as if ready to give a death sentence.

Almost on cue, as if in punctuation of his warning, two beetles leapt from the sand, pincers snapping open, razor sharp points covering the insides. They sliced through Nathan and Paul, catching both of their halves in mid-air, and taking them underground.

The Troupe stood in absolute horror, four deaths, how could this get much worse? Aeris fell to her knees, weeping. Her tears feel in long rivulets as she mourned for those who had fallen to get them this far. Roul hefted her. Everyone was shaken, but they should not remain here, lest they die too, and let their friends' deaths be in vain.

Quickly charging, they ran through the desert, scorpions, worms, and bugs all chased and struck out at them, and they cheated death on many occasions, ducking just out of a wicked blow. The sand was calm here, providing clear vision. In the distance the Cenarion Hold rested. A swarm of insects swirled near by.

"Damn!" Loriel cried, loosing arrows at their pursuers with deadly accuracy, nailing foreheads and eyes. The arrows would halt some, and cause obstacles for the others.

Bolts of poison ripped by, shot from stingers and the jaws of the villainous creatures chasing them. Determined to feast upon those who dare tress upon their territory, that seemed to be the vicious monsters' thoughts. The Troupe kept running. Near the fortress, arrows and spears flew out, striking down the beasts where they were.

An abattoir rested behind them, blood and bodies scattered about like confetti. Aeris continued crying in the arms of her partner, feeling the hole of having those who had worked with her die, while she could do nothing to save them.

They rested the night there in the hold, and druids tended to Hawkrider, giving her herbal remedies and magic healing, and kept her calm through the rest of the night, but she would probably have to stay an extra day, the emotional impact had been a lot for her, and she might become unstable if she didn't remain in sleep for a while longer than they might have, working for the General at the base to the south of them.

Dawn would bring about the last leg of their journey, and the start of their mission. A mission they felt a need to finish, for those fallen in combat. These creatures, they would pay. Roul made a vow that night, a vow to do whatever it took to take revenge.