With each step, Daiden noticed a portion of his feet sink into the terrain. He experienced a tougher than normal situation in Multana Desert, with hot, dusty winds and fast-changing paths. At a short distance behind him, Kir followed, functioning more as a navigator than a blacksmith for their journey through the desert. Daiden halted his feet and sighed in that instant, at the sight of Kir drenched in sweat and heaving for breaths.

“Do you want to stop for now?” asked Daiden, with some concern.

“We should cover more ground and rest through the night,” said Kir, adamantly, between breaths. “The hostilities here are more active during the day; stopping might prove to be more hurtful than beneficial in this instance.”

“If you say so,” said Daiden, uncertainly. “It’s been an hour already though. I don’t see much of anything.”

Kir caught up to Daiden and urged for hastier steps. “Multana Desert isn’t a very habitable location. Most of the hostilities here take turns coming out of hibernation, on a monthly cycle.”

“You mean to tell me that there are new hostilities here every month?” said Daiden, a little surprised. “Odd, but interesting to know.”

“It’s both convenient and inconvenient,” said Kir. “Travelers are usually able to prepare more thoroughly given how predictable the cycle is.”

“I’m assuming that’s the convenient part,” guessed Daiden. “Why is it inconvenient?”

“Well…simply put, we’re still traversing desert terrain,” explained Kir, with a shrug. “Some of these creatures are over five thousand years old, with a strong, strong affinity to the Sand Elemental.”

Daiden cracked his knuckles and yawned, a little tired from the heat. In another hour, his feet dragged across the sand, coupling with a pained expression on his face.

“I forgot to ask,” mentioned Daiden, suddenly. “What creatures are we likely to face this month?”

“That’s the thing…” said Kir, with a soft stutter. “…”

“I didn’t hear you,” said Daiden, stopping to check Kir’s expression. “What are we expecting here?”

“I…didn’t…forgot,” mumbled Kir. He lowered his head and shyly addressed the conversation once more, audibly this time. “I forgot to check in with the GCQI and find out…”

Daiden scratched the back of his head and smiled. “Well, it’s not your fault. This is my quest. And honestly, I should have been more prepared. Don’t let this get to you.”

With a quick pause, Daiden then added, “If the information is usually sourced from the GCQI, the Magic Network might have something helpful.”

Daiden quietly swiped open his Mioveroldian Page and tapped at the symbol on the top-right corner. It opened further into several options around the GCQI Magic Network. He scrolled past the quest sections to reach something more information friendly. From one step to the next, Daiden flickered into memories from the Earthen Realm in that moment. “Well, what do you know? This is a Mioveroldian tablet. If only I could Netflix and chill here…”

To Kir’s surprise, Daiden burst into a fit of laughter. His eyes narrowed, watering around the corners, but eased at the sight of something useful. “Ah, ah, there it is! Sand Spiders…

“It says here that they’re fast and function like sand elementals?” read Daiden, slowly. “There’s also a recommendation that warns against killing more than forty through the month. Ah, there’s more…restrictions are lifted on teams and individuals ranked at Grade B or higher.”

“There’s good reason for the warning…especially with Sand Spiders,” said Kir, with a gulp. “The Sand King, the blood of its subjects awakens the Sand King. Might not be such a wise idea for us to do that.”

Daiden listened to Kir and returned to his Mioveroldian Page. He scanned through the details at an easy pace and finished with an itch on his mind.

“I don’t understand something,” confessed Daiden. “The GCQI lifts the restriction for teams and individuals ranked at or higher than Grade B. How is the Sand King still alive?”

“Oh, oh…I’m surprised you don’t know about this,” said Kir, in puzzlement. “Natural Monarchs are born from Aeterna’s Will. According to some historians, Aeterna regulates the Mioveroldian balance by empowering nature to defend against uncontrolled progress. It’s merely a theory, but there’s no denying that a chosen monarch exerts exceptional strength and abilities.”

“So, if we manage to overcome one, another is born?” asked Daiden, breezing past his lack of knowledge on the matter.

“Yes!” said Kir, with a nod. “In worship we strengthen, in worship we walk the path of blood. The strong nourishes from the challenge, and the weak perish from it.”

Daiden pouted his lips a little, in thought and toyed with his Mioveroldian Page. He eventually swiped it away. His feet moved in inches at first, with uncertainty, and then at a regular pace. Kir followed as well.

“You don’t have any combat ability, do you, Kir?” asked Daiden, suddenly.

Kir shook his head furiously. “No, not at all. Not one bit!”

“Well, I suppose it’s best if I just wait for one to show up,” thought Daiden, continuing with a steady pace. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to cope with the situation with Kir around.”

Almost as if urged by twisted poetry, the ground tremored, in a violent rage. At a distance, the sand collapsed, imploding in a swirl towards a pointed centre. From the turbulence, Kir and Daiden noticed a sharp screech and an apparent limb thrust to the surface, a few more after that. The creature wriggled its legs and crawled to the surface in a hurry. It shook the sand from its large body, mostly pink and dry, leading to a black, hard abdomen. With a soft hiss, the Sand Spider screeched again and rushed towards its prey, unhindered by the loose desert sand.

Kir and Daiden felt different emotions in that moment. While the blacksmith froze, in a state of fear, Daiden, armed with his heavy iron sword, slashed into existence a sharp aeter-made projectile to attack the approaching Sand Spider. Somewhat slowed, the creature stopped and wobbled, reeling from its cracked, bleeding head in pain. But once steadied and settled, the Sand Spider narrowed its several hundred eyes atop Daiden, and auditorily retaliated with another shrill screech.

“I’m going to lure it away from here,” said Daiden, immediately. “Hold your position. I’ll stay nearby in case of any surprises.”

With a loud gulp, Kir nodded.

“It’s weaker than the only Amell I know,” thought Daiden, nervously. “I think I’ll be okay.”