Kage struggled to get the wind back into her chest.
A swirl of dirt blew overhead, obscuring the sky for a moment as the air started to flow again, but it did little to stop the panic in her mind.
She made an effort to focus. She opened and closed her fingers, feeling the dusty grass on which she lay.
Took in a breath, let it out again.
Her eyes were still focused on the sky, that itself was a relief, and fear made her want to keep her eyes there, on something the same in most worlds.
But her survival instincts were kicking in. If there was anything dangerous in the area, she had to know about it.
One more resolute breath, and she pushed herself up to her feet.
Trepidation was replaced with despair as she saw her location.
Yes, there were no visible enemies or dangerous creatures, but there wasn't much else either.
It wasn't quite a desert, but it was flat with small hills, hot, and dusty. The trees were few and far between, and crooked things with yellow-green brushes of leaves.
The ground was grassy, but blowing dirt gave it a dirty look, and the yellow-green expanse stretched as far as the eye could see. The occasional bug darted around, too fast to see, but she did get a glimpse of a long, centipede-like creature with wings all across it's body.
Kage turned around, taking in all the information she could. No buildings, no castles...a good sign, for now. But if there were no people, did that mean there was no water?
She felt exposed without any trees or buildings, and the knowledge that she was physically there, on the surface of the world.
"I should move." She thought, trying to suppress the apprehension starting to push past her deep breaths and tapping fingers. But her body didn't want to comply. She wanted to stand there, in this one patch of dusty grass that had proved to be safe.
"No, it's not safe. I have to move." She tried to convince herself. "I'm on my own now, I have to survive."
The first step was the hardest, but she took it. In no particular direction, but it didn't matter. From there, she could look around again, and decide which direction she actually wanted to go.
The dust swirled around the ground in little clouds, but this second time looking around her surroundings she saw something different.
A dark cloud blowing higher than the rest. Under closer scrutiny, she realized what it was: smoke.
Her feet started traveling toward the sign of life before she gave herself a chance to think about it. "If I can just get a bit closer, I can figure out what it's coming from." She thought.
"But what if they're hostile? What if they see me first?" She argued in her mind.
"Is this like Earth, where I'm slightly stronger than normal? If so, I could survive longer without water. But for how long? What are my chances?"
She attempted to clear her racing thoughts.
"I'm not going to know, am I. I either go for it or I don't. And I can't stay here forever."
She checked the dagger in her waist. Same as always, simple, thin, and strong.
It wasn't normal for Mythsians to carry a weapon, but they had allowed her to do so as an exception, and apparently let her keep this time as well.
She kept her hand on it as she made her way towards the smoke in the distance.
Maybe this is all a bad dream. Though, my bad dreams are usually a lot different than this.
As she crossed the wilderness, flecks of dust blew around her as the sun beat down overhead, warm, but kept in check by the swirling winds. It certainly felt real, but then again, so did her dreams.
No, that was just a wish.
The smoke was close now, but the ground was curved upward in front of her, so she couldn't see where the sounds came from.
Caution appeared in her mine again, warning her not to take any chances.
A thought sprang to her head. Her powers! How had she not tried them out before?
She held up a finger and focused her energy. It wasn't easy. She dragged every ounce of magical power out of herself, and a bit of shadow the side of a candle flame was all that swirled around her finger.
Almost nothing. Either this world is amagical, or magic takes a different form here.
The first one would be fine, but the other a problem.
What about her healing? Kage flinched. She didn't want to think about that right now.
This dirt hill was the only thing standing between her and the location of the smoke at the moment, it was not the time for experimentation.
One hand on her dagger, she made her way around the right side of the hill, but the ground was uneven so she was going to have to stop hiding behind the dirt at some point.
So far she hadn't made much noise, the dirt padded her footsteps fairly well, but as she tried to climb, she had to use her hands to keep balance, everything was dry and the ground seemed to slip away from beneath her feet.
As she made her way around the hill, a wood and stone shack began to come into view.
"Still quiet-" She thought, but was cut short by a sudden loud and frantic barking.
She recoiled, almost losing her balance, arms flailing while she regained her balance.
“A dog? Big, from the sounds of it. This was a bad idea, I'm sure to find something if I just keep going.” She thought, mind whirling as she prepared to run, but the greenery was more prevalent here. This was the way she had to go if she wanted to escape the wasteland without dying of dehydration, so there was certainly no chance of her going back the way she came.
She kept her head down and eyes focused on the cabin, she walked faster, trying to keep her distance from the house.
As she tried to ignore the vicious barking, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.
The door on the cabin opened, and a huge tan shape shot out.
Oh no.
Kage burst into a sprint, panic erupting, only to tumble into the dirt as the sudden turn away made her lose her balance.
She pushed herself around onto her back, reaching for her knife knowing whatever had come out that door would be right upon her.
Her hand froze on the sheath, as the beast in front of her seemed to be saying, "try it".
It looked like a dog, if a dog was some kind of apex predator in this wilderness.
Teeth showing in a deep, menacing growl, the animal didn't have much fur, it was tan-colored with splotches of brown and mossy green.
She tried to crawl backwards, but the dog barked and stepped forward after her.
That wasn't an option. She didn't move, eyes wide and locked with the beast, still growling and baring its teeth.
"You're lucky, he normally attacks anyone who comes close." A gravely voice spoke.
Kage pulled her eyes away from the dog to the approaching figure. She hadn’t noticed him until now, since all her attention had been on the animal.
A man limped towards her, weight leaning on a cane. His clothes were ragged but layered, and his dirty grey hair hung in uneven strands down past his shoulders, framing a rugged and worn face.
Her eyes hung on his face, where a giant scar crossed over his forehead and both his eyes.
"He musn't've felt you weren't threat'ning when he seen you." He continued, voice slow and thick, like he wasn't used to speaking. "But I cain't see you, so I'm gonna need you to says some words so's I don't get him to tear your head off, understand?"
Kage choked out a sound, eyes flicking between the man and dog.
"I-I'm sorry!" She gulped. "I'm lost! I saw smoke, I came towards it! I'll leave!"
He looked surprised. "How old're you, girl?"
"Basically seventeen." She stammered. It wasn't true, of course, but it was the most accurate human age for her.
"That sounds right fer your voice, but what'n earth's a girl your age doin' in the Dust?" He said as he approached the dog, placing a hand on his neck. "And not much armed either, or I'd be hearin' more'n a growl from Rag here. Lost don't explain much."
This was the hard part. And maybe she would have been able to lie and play it off under different circumstances, but at that moment, the recollection of all the events of the past few days seemed to catch up to her all at once.
Pain and memories hit her head like a truck, and as she doubled over her mouth opened in a silent scream as she clutched her head in pain.
The last of the images that flashed through her mind before she collapsed into the dirt was a smiling face in a dark, torchlit room.
ns3.139.240.192da2
and then Add to home screen.