### Chapter 34: Sandstorm (Part 1)
However, things never develop the way you expect, and those unexpected deviations are often drastically different from your initial assumptions.
Since I stumbled upon those footprints, I’ve been acting nonchalant while secretly staying vigilant, ready for a surprise encounter with the group that might be sent by the Church to capture me. They might have already been fully prepared.
Once an ambush starts, it turns into a heated battle, and given my current state, I’d likely be outmatched. I thought of various escape methods, always prepared to summon Little White and make a hasty retreat—but throughout it all, the only thing I discovered was a lizard corpse and some footprints from days ago.
Whatever those people were up to, they were long gone.
That much was certain.
They had already left the area, and there was little chance I would run into them today—unless those four individuals suddenly decided to show up at Meiser Town tonight.
With that thought, my guard relaxed significantly, and since I had just eaten and was feeling a bit drowsy, the idea of heading back to the town became increasingly appealing. After checking the last set of footprints, I urged little Betty to hurry up and leave.
Of course, the little girl couldn’t manage to climb out by herself; the cavern was too steep and narrow. With her height and strength, getting up even five meters would be like scaling a mountain. However, after munching on those lizards, my stamina had noticeably improved. Although I still had a long way to go, climbing out of this cave was a piece of cake.
“Betty, come here.”
I beckoned to the little girl, and she obediently walked over. I scooped her up in a princess carry, her little face a mix of confusion and terror. The next moment, I bent my knees and, amid her frightened squeals, leaped up into the cavern!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—
The whistling wind mingled with her screams as the massive cavern rushed away behind us. I planted my feet on the soft cave walls, flying upward through the swirling dust. Each step sent sand flying like miniature explosions, but I swiftly ascended in the narrow passage.
“Yayaya!!!”
Betty’s screams only got louder. The little girl was thoroughly terrified, and as the incline grew steeper, using just my feet for support became impossible. I had no choice but to tuck her under my arm and pull out the Dragon Claw, jamming it into the cave wall for extra support as I continued climbing.
“Si-Sister… ah! Oww, my head…”
“Ouch!”
“Ugh…”
Her little head smacked into the sandy wall repeatedly, her shouts dwindling, the space above us becoming more constricted. Dust kept raining down, and I couldn’t help but squint my eyes, press my lips tight, and, cradling Betty, used every limb to climb with all my might. I couldn’t shake the thought: if I had known, I would’ve just carried her earlier…
Soon, a bright light flooded down from above.
…We’re at the exit!
I couldn’t help but smile, gathered all my strength, and used the Moon Step technique. With a thunderous ‘boom,’ my body shot up like a cannonball exploding through the sandy earth. In a blink, I burst out of the cavern, soaring nearly ten meters high before twisting in mid-air and landing perfectly.
…Perfect!
I puffed out my chest and tilted my head back, feeling like a king.
Now I could go back and enjoy dinner and sleep…
“Big Sister… ugh… bleh bleh bleh…”
Once I released her, Betty staggered and stood up, her face pale, threw her hands up as if to say “help!” before kneeling and dry heaving to spit out all the sand from her mouth. Then she plopped down into the sandy ground, holding her forehead and complaining, “Betty almost thought she was going to d*e…”
“Are you okay?”
The little girl looked like a mess, covered in dirt. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I knelt down, pulled her hands away, and examined her bright red forehead for a moment. Seeing no major damage, I gently blew on it, “It’s fine, it’s fine! No pain, no pain… See? I told you, it’s the right choice to follow me! We made it out!”
“Would’ve been better to go out the other side…”
Betty grumbled as she slowly got up, brushing the sand off her behind. Pouting, she asked, “Where are we, anyway?”
Hmm…
I didn’t know either.
I looked around, seeing nothing but yellow earth, not a single plant in sight, but far off in the distance, there were towering sand dunes. Judging by their shape, that must be where we entered the underground cavern.
Meanwhile, the ground beneath us seemed weathered, solid rock, lacking the soft feeling of sand. Perhaps that’s why there wasn’t a single plant nearby; this sandstone was pockmarked, and we had come out of the largest hole in it.
Such a strange terrain…
“Betty, check the compass, see which way is north.”
I casually said to the little girl while shielding my eyes from the sun.
The sky was getting darker…
That’s odd. Isn’t it still a while until evening?
We hadn’t been in the cave that long, had we? Why did it feel like the temperature dropped the moment we came out? The clouds had turned a yellow-brown, and the wind, while oddly comfortable, sent a twinge of anxiety through me. Why was that…
“That way!”
Betty pulled out the compass from her bag, pointing toward the distant dunes. “That’s the direction of the town, Big Sister! We’ve strayed a bit far; if we want to get back before it gets dark, we need to hurry—”
Suddenly, the little girl went silent.
It was as if she spotted something utterly terrifying. Her eyes widened as she gazed at the yellow, wave-like clouds in the sky, her mouth slightly agape, her face turning pale, and panic etched across her features.
“Oh no…”
She murmured, her voice trembling. I turned to her, confused, “What’s wrong?”
“The sandstorm… a sandstorm is coming… Bi-Big Sister…”
The little girl stood frozen for a moment before suddenly bolting ahead, shouting, “Run!”
A sandstorm!?
My heart skipped. I instinctively followed her, “A sandstorm is coming?! What happened? Why so sudden?!”
“I don’t know!”
She called back, not even looking over her shoulder, “The sandstorm is a punishment sent by the Deity to the world, and it often comes out of nowhere! If we encounter it, we can only leave it to fate!”
Fear seemed to empower her as she abandoned her previous hesitation, sprinting faster than I’d ever seen. Her voice cracked slightly with panic, “Betty has never seen a sandstorm and never heard of one so close to the town… This area was perfectly safe in the past… Big Sister, I don’t know what’s happening, but if we don’t leave now, we might be stuck here forever…”
“…What rotten luck.”
Hearing what the little girl said made my mood plummet as well. I quickened my pace and ran up to her, grabbing her collar and pulling her to a stop. “Wait!”
Once halted, I turned, crouched down, and backed up to her. “Get on! I’ll carry you!”
“But…”
“Quickly!”
“Oh, okay…”
The little girl hesitated for a moment before hopping onto my back. I felt her tiny hands grip my shoulders tightly as I shouted, “Hold on tight!” and launched forward.
“Whoa—”
My speed wasn’t quite half of what it used to be, but it was still faster than the average Horned Horse. Poor unsuspecting Betty found her head tossed back as I sprinted, scrambling to wrap her arms around my neck, while the hot wind sliced across my face. I clenched my mouth shut and charged toward the dunes.
But within ten minutes, the wind and sand kicked up significantly.
