The flight of the Blood Disease had, at first, been a surprisingly smooth one, taking Phyrn’s chosen back over the Marshlands to the south and curving around to Pivuseon in the east. However, as the lush shades of dense flora gave way to the spicy hues of desert, something went wrong. More accurately, more and more little things started to go wrong, and without a machinist aboard, there was nothing they could practically do to prevent these malfunctions from mounting and compounding into one big problem.

This big problem was finally admitted by Livia when the instruments on her helm consoles started flashing red and screaming alarm tones. “I think we’re going down!”

“I’m trying to figure these damn readouts… out,” Pippy babbled, “but I just can’t make sense of ‘em!”

Emilie steadied herself before replying, the ship beginning to shake around them. “I fear that, even should we diagnose the specifics, we will not have the expertise to correct the issues!”

“Uh, Krey?” Livia called from the helm. “When you said you’d flown before…”

“Strictly in a passenger capacity, I’m afraid!” he answered before she finished asking. “Those controls make no more sense to me than they do to you!”

Livia smiled painfully as the sobering reality of their situation sank in. “Ah, ha ha… shit.”

“Everyone!” Emilie called. “To me! I haven’t the time to explain, just stay as close to me as you can!”

“Your heard her!” said as he dragged Livia from the pilot’s seat and Pippy from the co-pilot chair. “I just hope whatever you have in mind works, milady!”

“So do I, Krey— so do I!” The hierophant lowered to her knees, and her companions joined her, sitting as close as possible. She held her rosary out in both hands, closed her eyes, and began mouthing intently as she focused on praying. A circle of green light burned into the deck plating around them, and it began projecting a polygonal sphere of cyan triangles. Once the sphere was stable, the green circle dissipated, and Emilie was able to break concentration without losing the sphere’s cohesion.

Pippy began frantically shaking her hands about. “This is our plan?!”

“If you have a better idea, red mage,” Krey rebuffed, “please state it!”

“Please, Pippy,” Emilie mumbled, “have some faith in me.”

“Hey!” Livia hollered at all of them, “less bickering, more bracing for impact!”

In some ways, Phyrn’s chosen were glad the Blood Disease - charming though it was - was falling apart around them; they just wished it wasn’t while they were off the ground. Be that as it may, they would soon be rid of the damn thing, and it had certainly brought them far enough, considering its… well-used state. Watching the ship be destroyed from within, mostly safe inside Emilie’s shielding bubble, was a spectacular sight, even if they were being bounced around like the insides of a jingle bell. With every turbulent impact with the sphere’s interior, though damage to them was minimal, the sphere itself was showing cracks in its surface. Before they lost all their momentum and were totally clear of the scattering debris, the spell collapsed, and the four of them were sent tumbling across the sand. Thanks to said spell, they would suffer no deaths nor serious injuries.

Pippy’s jocularity had apparently also survived the crash, which she tried to voice between sharp, heaving breaths. “I thought you said that was green magic… but the sphere was… oh whatever.”

“Colour denotes paradigm,” Emilie groaned as she propped herself up on her elbows, “not literal colour of a caster’s or spell’s mana. Shouldn’t you, of all people, already know that? And besides, are you really going to complain?”

Pippy, suddenly infused with resurgent strength, bolted upright. “No, Holiness, I am not! We survived somehow! That’s amazing!”

Emilie smirked, and her elbows becoming less and less shaky. “Thank you~”

Even after only a short moment to recover, the heat was already beginning to weigh down.

Livia took off her jacket and stowed it within her soul space while jogging up to a nearby rising dune, wanting to get a lay of the land. She spent a solid minute gazing out in every direction… and all her vivid green eyes could see was endless seas of sand— featureless, vague orange under clear blue.

Emilie had drawn up her hood, the bright white of her robe offering some protection from the sun.

Pippy began casting a red incantation on herself. “Body… determination… mercy!” a bursting swirl of red aura erupted up around her for a second.

“What was that?” Emilie asked.

“Just a simple improvised red incantation,” Pippy winked. “By calling upon the unaspected arcane attributes in combination, different effects can be created; it also depends on the caster’s own desires and expectations. Want me to keep going?”

“Perhaps later. However… if it was relief from the heat you wanted, I’d prefer you come to me for such succour.”

“I thought I’d give you a break! You just saved us from an airship crash, after all.”

“My power is that of gods, Pippy,” Emilie smiled. “Even if my body tires, my faith does not. Besides… I must admit… the arcane makes me somewhat uneasy.”

“You and Krey both,” Pippy chuckled. “Alright, Emilie, from now on, I’ll come to you for my buff and debuff needs!”

Emilie squinted at her. “Buff… debuff…?”

“Oh, ha,” Pippy waved a hand, “nevermind.”

Krey had joined Livia up on the dune. “What do you see?”

“Not a damn thing,” Livia admitted. “I’ve spent all my life, both Aubade and Berodyl included, in verdant idylls; I’ve never seen so much sand in my life, nevermind knowing where to start navigating it. Well… I say verdant… Aubade’s grass was red.”

“Green or red,” Krey shrugged, “I wouldn’t quibble over the hues of lush foliage; your point is nonetheless clear. However, luckily for you, we’re on my home turf now. I spent the first nine, ten years or so of my life growing up under the abrasive care and diligent tutelage of these burning sands, and much time more when I returned as a knight grown to serve with my first caravan.”

“Tell me, Krey…” Livia said with a wispy voice. “How many different… different kinds of places have you experienced.”

“In my service as a Knight Berodyl,” Krey answered with the slightly drawn out tone of a pondering response, “I’ve travelled all over the pastures of Calsa, Pivuseon’s here deserts, the vagabond-worn fields of Natra, the snowy peaks of Yurozu whence the dwarves hail, the warm savannas of Arata, served a tour of military service in Dustfare against the dustfarer goblins, served as a guardian in the Veil of Ever Autumn in Jiel for a while… hell, I’ve even dipped my toes into the forbidden tundras of Ocar— though I was censured harshly by the Paladin himself for that last one.”

“Wow,” Livia chortled, “I don’t know what Ocar is, but I bet there’s more of a story there.”

“For later, perhaps,” Krey smiled. “And now, thanks to my most recent service - to you, Her Holiness, and Pippy - I have become intimately familiar with Montar Jungle, and I’ve slept in the company of the much friendlier marshlander goblins.”

Livia sighed. “Compared to you, I feel like a child.”

“How old are you, Livia? Uh, if I may ask.”

“Twenty three.”

“Then I am… I am eight years your senior. It’s only natural I would have more experience than you. And don’t be so hard on yourself; maybe you’ve not seen as broad a variety of places, but you’ve certainly got an impressive record all your own.”

Phyrn’s words echoed in Livia’s mind once again.

Use what they have given you… use what they have given you…

“Use what they have given me…” Livia mumbled under her breath.

“Hmm?” Krey leaned in a bit. “I didn’t quite catch that, sorry.”

“Nothing, don’t worry,” Livia shook her head. “Just… well, we’ll be relying on you, local boy.” She bumped a fist against his shoulder. “Do you see anything out there?”

“I do,” Krey grinned. He pointed in a direction, and urged Livia to look with him— to really look. “To the east is Dalamas, the capital of Pivuseon, and the crowning oasis of the desert— this side of the split sands, at least.”

Livia forwent her curiosity as to the split sands for now, focusing on the distance. “I… hey, I think I do see it! It’s… not clear… shimmering in the distance…”

“But you see it,” Krey nodded. “And that’s what matters.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me, Livia… how have you taken to cities, now that you’ve seen one or two?”

“They’re incredible,” Livia smiled.

“Good! In that case, Dalamas is going to be a treat. It’s… oh, Livia, it’s just something else. I won’t be surprised if you and Pippy get swept away in a tide of romance, but please, try to limit the degree to which you run off; my sword arm only reaches so far.”

“Krey!” Livia shoved him playfully with both hands, giggling. “Trust you to be hyperbolic.”

“I speak true! Despite all my travels, it remains my favourite place in all of Berodyl.”

“Is it where you’re from?”

“No; I’m from Ochreville, back to the south west.” He pointed in its general direction. “You probably won’t be able to see it from here; it’s likely obscured by the Paknar Highwaste from this direction.”

“That’s where you lost your epic confrontation with the kobolds, right?”

“Yes, Livia,” Krey cringed, “thank you for reminding me.”

After Krey took a moment to remove most of his armour and stow it in his soul space, Phyrn’s chosen agreed that Dalamas was to be their next destination. Livia summoned Danu, Pippy and Emilie having their turn first sat upon her back. After hours of trudging along and the sun beginning to set, it started becoming clear just how big and far away Dalamas was. After rummaging around in Danu’s saddlebags, they found water flasks amid other bits and pieces they’d collected for later throughout their journey, and now, they all agreed, was definitely the time to make use of this particular hoarded resource.

When twilight set in, Livia and Krey finally rested their legs and took their turn riding Danu, Pippy and Emilie reassuring them they could lead the rest of the way; after all, by this point, Dalamas was well and truly before them. However, it would still be well into nightfall when they finally reached the perimeter, and they wouldn’t enter the city itself until the next day. Knowing they’d reached the doorstep was enough for now, and they called it a day when they reached the giant circle of archways that surrounded the city’s outer limits. They made their presence known to the patrols, who allowed them to make use of a traveller under one of the archways. None of them had spoken a word since beginning this terrible march, and when it was finally over, they all simply fell into the beds provided by the traveller, totally exhausted.

Tomorrow, though, their effort would be rewarded, for they would awaken in the jewel of the Pivuseon desert, a mortal-forged paradise amid the unforgiving dunes.