### Chapter 36 – Sandstorm (Part 2)
The yellow earth raged, blocking the sky and sun, casting the entire expanse into gloom.
A terrifying storm kicked up a massive wall of sand, rising over a kilometer high across this parched land. Waves of yellow sand surged eastward from the western desert, wreaking havoc where they passed, uprooting grass and trees like they were mere weeds. The flying sand and rolling stones became increasingly fierce, gradually spreading even further east, a distant reminder of the heart-stopping power it wielded.
This frenzied dust storm continued until dusk approached, and only when a faint red hue began to grace the sky did the swirling sands begin to settle and inexplicably disappear.
Not long after, the night would descend upon us.
…………
In the endless sea of sand, a lone purple tree sporadically broke the monotony.
The trunk of the purple tree was broken, its top now a bare silhouette, with milky sap dripping down the jagged edge, blending into the yellow sand.
At that moment, there was no wind—like a lizard but with six scrawny legs, a little creature emerged cautiously from the sand, creeping closer to its prey: a big-eyed flying bug resting on a mound.
The bug was blissfully preening its wings, blissfully unaware of the impending doom. One step, two steps… just when the lizard was about to pounce, the sand beneath it trembled. The bug sensed something and, with a mighty ‘buzz,’ took off into the sky, fleeing to safety. The odd lizard looked up, glancing around, its sharp claws digging into the sand as it dashed away, disappearing back into the yellow sea.
Moments later, a little head popped up from the wriggling sand.
“Puff, puff—”
It was a black-haired girl, her head poking out of the sand as she gulped in air, shaking her silky hair like a maraca, sending grains of sand flying. Then, with great difficulty, she reached a hand out, struggling to pull her body from the sandy depths.
So uncomfortable, so uncomfortable, so uncomfortable…
I could have sworn I was about to suffocate down here!
Grinding my teeth, I mustered all my strength to crawl out, my left hand clutching Betty’s collar tightly as I dug and pulled for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I managed to drag myself out of the thick sea of sand. Once out, I turned and grabbed onto the little girl’s hands, straining to pull her free as well. Then, there we were, lying like starfish under the setting sun, gasping for breath.
“Ha, ha, ha—”
Ah…
What a disaster!!!
If it weren’t for that branchy white shield, we’d probably be buried alive down here, no one would know, slowly turning into two little mummies…
I absolutely do NOT want to become a mummy…
I’m so thirsty!
After catching my breath for a bit and feeling the sand beneath me was getting hot, I quickly sat up, pulled my backpack close, and started rummaging around—thankfully the backpack was still intact, though many of its contents had mysteriously vanished. The water bottle, at least, was still there with a full load of water.
I uncorked the bottle and gulped down several hefty swigs, the warm water sliding down my throat like a refreshing river. Finally feeling alive, I let out a long sigh, shook the water bottle to hear the slosh inside, and thought about more drinking… but then hesitated.
“Betty…”
I crawled over to the little girl with the water bottle in hand, observing her tightly closed eyes and her sandy little face for a moment. Confirming she still had a pulse and her chest was rising and falling, I used my finger to pry her mouth open and gave her a few sips of water.
The little girl gulped it down, but still showed no signs of waking up. So, I stashed the water bottle back in the bag, reached out, and tapped her face: “Hey. Wake up, wake up…”
No response.
Great, just great…
I stood up, brushing off the sand clinging to my face. As I stood, the loose sand cascaded down like a waterfall, spilling from my clothes, shoes, and even the lining, feeling like a million irritating grains were glued to me. It was a terribly unpleasant feeling.
But what could I do about it?
Just s*ck it up, I guess.
I rubbed my forehead and gazed towards the setting sun in the east.
Before me stretched an endless expanse of desolation.
The crimson sunset cast an orange hue over the distant dunes, and the sky beyond seemed split by the sun’s rays, the upper half ablaze with fiery red clouds, while the lower half was an infinite expanse of orange soil. The wind seemed to have died down, and the previously dusty sky now appeared as clear as a painting, the light here warm rather than scorching, like a soft blanket on a chilly night.
What a beautiful sight…
I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
But I couldn’t let myself get lost in that feeling for too long, as I suddenly realized we were facing a huge problem.
Where the heck are we, anyway?
Where do I go from here?!
d*mn it…
My head began to throb as I furiously combed my hair with my fingers, feeling the sand stuck in my locks drive me mad. I squatted down again and slapped Betty’s face a little harder this time.
“Wake up, we’re lost!”
“Hey—”
I yelled at her while offering another few sips of water, but when I reached to check her bag, I suddenly noticed it was completely empty around her waist, and my heart plummeted.
Great, the compass is gone too…
What now?
I had been hoping to get back and have a nice dinner and sleep…
I squatted there for a while, feeling a little lost and seeing that Betty wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, I decided this was no time to just sit around. I picked her up and, closing my eyes to choose a direction away from the sunset, began walking slowly that way.
I remembered Meiser Town was to the west…
But I had no idea how far I’d strayed. The sandstorm had swept us off course, and judging by the speed we had been blown, even if I managed to keep the right direction, it would probably take at least a day or two to walk back… Running would be much faster, but what if I got even further away?
We barely had enough water to drink…
Ugh, this is frustrating…
Forget it.
Let’s just find a place to rest for a bit; I’m feeling pretty sleepy…
We can hash out the details once Betty wakes up… She may be small, but she has way more desert survival experience than I do…
I wasn’t overly panicked; even in the most adverse of environments, I was confident about survival. I had Da Bai with me, and if worst came to worst, we could always retreat to the Land of Dragons for a bit. Though the environment there was also pretty harsh, at least there were a lot of fairies around, so food and water would always be available, just a bit hard to swallow.
But Betty…
She was the one I brought out here, I have to make sure she gets back in one piece.
…………
As night began to fall, I walked for a bit carrying the little girl until I arrived in an area filled with gray rocks of varying sizes. The rocks jutted out at odd angles, some about the height of a person, with surfaces wind-eroded to an extreme degree; it made for a decent, albeit rudimentary, resting spot.
The desert night sky was brighter than usual compared to the nights back in the Western Continent. Two crescent moons hung behind the clouds, and the dense stars seemed so close you could just reach out and grab them. But at that moment, despite the beauty of the scene, I felt no inclination to enjoy it.
Because I realized there was another problem rearing its head.
The temperature was starting to drop.
Due to the resurgence of the Frost Order, I hadn’t noticed the temperature change at first, only feeling that it wasn’t as hot anymore, and the cool breeze brushing my face felt nice, until I noticed that the little body resting against my shoulder had begun to shiver. Turning my head, I caught sight of her pale little face and her lips turning a bit blue from the cold…
That’s when I realized just how serious things had become.
