Monty X Rogue X Eldarwen - Sand City Shenanigans

Setting: Sand City
Time: early morning hours on a sunny Wednesday

How he had ended up here, he had no idea. Not that he disliked the place as such. Quite on the contrary. The sand city had exceeded all his expectations and had simply blown his breath away as soon as his tired eyes had settled on its outline on the far horizon. If he hadn’t been so tired, he would have gotten there the night before already, but now that he was in this situation, he figured it was probably just as well he had spent a few hours sleeping before entering the city.

“Help! Somebody!” Zeke yelled for the umpteenth time but either everyone was ignoring him or he had truly managed to find the most deserted part of the city. Just his luck, right? He fidgeted a little but to no avail. He was stuck for good and not in a very comfortable position either. Valuables were getting squished and he wasn’t sure if he hadn’t scraped open most of his right leg against a protruding ledge on his way down, the same ledge that was now trying to keep him forever childless. Besides, sand was starting to get literally everywhere and it was starting to make him even more uncomfortable.

“Heeeelp!”

A few hours earlier:

Suddenly wide awake and instantly reeling with excitement, Zeke opened his eyes and sat up right away. His eyes immediately found the outline of Sand City, which he had glimpsed the night before. He would totally have gone on but he had been so tired and he knew that these kinds of distances were treacherous.
Nevertheless, this was a new day and Zeke had managed to sleep for a few hours. Thus he didn’t even bothered eating his breakfast in peace but munched on his last piece of, in the meantime, hard piece of bread while he started walking towards his destination.

Sand City wasn’t deserted, at least not completely. There was a huge part of the city occupied by the red goblins and other people, who went about their daily business as if they weren’t living in one of the greatest cities on the island. The part Zeke was most interested in however was the quarter with all the ancient buildings that looked as though they had been built for giants and were wearing the face of time very clearly. Even from a distance, he could see that some had partially crumbled.

But the beauty of the city far exceeded his expectations. Zeke didn’t see a single living being as he approached the enormous buildings – old theatres, mansions, what could only be described as a sort of arena, fantastic architectural creations that blew his mind – and he didn’t bump into anyone as he wandered around aimlessly, just staring while feeling small and excited at the same time. It was truly the most amazing city he had ever seen, even Didienne couldn’t hold a candle to Sand City, and while he hadn’t been to Yarrowitz yet, he was pretty sure that it wouldn’t be as beautiful as Sand City either. There was just something about these old buildings that held years’, centuries’ worth of memories and history.

“Wow,” he breathed, time and again as he picked a path through the ruins, around the buildings, avoiding large stones and holes that were scattered here and there.
“This is…” Zeke didn’t manage to finish his sentence as the sand suddenly gave way under his feet and he dropped like a sack.

The day was a good, clear one, barely a wisp of cloud in the sky, and sun hot as a dragon's fire, beating down onto the sand. Barely a whisper of wind either; that was good, as it meant there wouldn't be any storms today- but bad too, as it only increased the heat. Darion had layered up to the nines before she had left her little home in the morning, trying to avoid the inevitable sunburn of being outside in the heat of the day. She had the usual fare on: a thin shirt, sleeves done away with; baggy trousers that slapped around her legs; short boots with worn soles, a bag slung over one shoulder; a scarf draped over her head and wrapped around her face so only a slit was left for her eyes, all the colour of dust. Trying to keep anything white was foolish, when it just ended up the colour of the desert all around. Her arms were the same tan as everything else, brown even when she spent time indoors.

Darion ventured outside reluctantly, despite the good conditions, knowing it was soon going to grow unbearably hot. Scavenging time, she needed more metal for her forge. She was nothing without something to work with, and it was a constant need. She barely spared the crumbling ruins of the city around her a glance as she made her way to the old quarters. They were nothing special when you saw them day in, day out. Well, perhaps they were, but even great beauty waned after years of the same view. It was always quiet out here, ignored by most of Sand City because it just held nothingness. There was no point in being there, everything a run-down mess, everything broken or lost or just covered in sand.
But every so often there would be a storm, and new treasures would uncover themselves. Scraps of metal and trinkets and artifacts of another civilization, that Darion fantasied would one day make her rich.

It wasn't deathly quiet like normal though, not today. Darion was digging out the doorway of a newly exposed building, paying little attention to the delicate masonry around the frame, when she heard a shout. At first she thought it was nothing, just the noise of the city far away- but no, it wasn't quite faint enough. She sat back on her heels to listen, then grabbed her bag and staff as it came again.

Her makeshift spear poked over the edge of the gap where the noises came from before Darion's head, squinting at the figure perched below. He was in a bit of a pickle, obviously a clueless southerner. The idiot'd be crisp like bacon by lunchtime.
"What'll you give me for a bit of help?"

In all honesty, the last thing he had expected was to actually hear sounds that could potentially have been made by a human amidst all this sand and ruin. What a bloody great idea it had been to venture into what could only be considered a wasteland, on his own. And then end up in a bloody hole!

Struggling against whatever it was he had managed to wedge himself against, he let out a small “oof” as he felt a painful dig and decided it was better to remain absolutely and perfectly still. Damn, that had hurt. So much for trying to peek over the edge of the hole and see where the noise was coming from.

“Help!”
Quickly followed by “woah!” when a weapon narrowly missed his head when he tried to lift himself higher up again, despite knowing better. When a human head followed, or what Zeke assumed to be a human head, all wrapped up as it was, he wanted to laugh in joy. Somebody had heard him! He would finally be able to get out again! Help at arrived!
But as quickly as the smile had started to spread on his face as quickly did it freeze up again. “What?” He blinked at the head. “What do you mean what am I going to give you for your help?” The voice had a certain pitch to it, muffled by the head-wrap, but he thought it might be female.

“Do I not look pathetic enough yet? Do you want me to beg? Is that it?” Feeling indignant, though that was more related to the fact that not only were his family jewels in peril but something was prodding him in his bladder giving him the sudden urge to pee, he almost started to pout but then figured it wasn’t the best way of convincing someone to help him.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, squinting against the sunlight as he cocked his head this way and that to try to get a better look at the eyes peering down at him. “What do you want for your help? Considering that I am in a bit of a pickle, and that I usually travel very lightly, there isn’t much of value I could offer you…” Zeke trailed off. He was horrible at negotiating.

OMG WHAT I'VE ONLY JUST SEEN THIS????
I AM 6 MONTHS LATE WHAT AM I

~((Lol Monty!! ;-) Pick whatever character and join in!! Preferably six months ago :-p hehe))~

"I'm not looking to make anyone pathetic. Just want to know how I'll benefit from a favour," said Darion, ever the scavenger, ever looking out for herself. It didn't look like the man was going to free himself any time soon, so she had all the bargaining power on her side. Excellent. She pulled her spear back up and stabbed it into the dirt, figuring she didn't really need it with him stuck firmly in place. Didn't want him getting any ideas about dragging her in with it either.
"Doesn't have to be much. Bit of food, share your water, thread or clothing or something like that." The man didn't seem to have much on him, so she'd have to dole down the price of rescue. Unless he had something stashed away under his shirt, although she doubted it. Nobody round these parts had anything of value. And it always was the big favours that she'd end up helping peasants with. One day it'd be a prince... Fat chance.

Darion sighed to herself and ran her eyes round the perimeter of the broken buildings of the Sand City, making sure nothing was watching them. It'd just be her luck to get ambushed by goblins helping some idiot out of a hole. Or eaten by a dragon. Things were fierce around these parts, so far from "civilization". All was quiet though, the sun already high enough to have stopped dying the sky reds and oranges, leaving it blue.
"No, I got a better idea." Suddenly it came to her, a flash of inspiration. "You can give me a hand for the day. If you ain't got anything of value on you, you can find me something of value." Two pairs of eyes were better than one for hunting in the desert wastelands, when scraps of valuable metal and trinkets were as difficult to find as a needle in a haystack. Decided, Darion nodded her head firmly once to herself, before setting about removing the man from his hole.

Hauling her spear out the ground, she set it across the top of the pit he was in- thankfully it wasn't a massive one, otherwise there'd be no chance- before swinging herself down under it, feet searching out the crossbar he was gingerly perched on. Her toes searched for something solid, but it was too far down for her short stature, so she found herself balancing on another small protruding rock.
"Climb your way up. And don't drag me off balance."

His supposed rescuer wanted him to share his meagre provisions with them. Well, for a rescue, he guessed he could do that. The person might be from around here and might be able to point him in the direction of fresh water or some food. Then again, he didn’t really have anything left to eat apart from a piece of bread that was slowly but surely turning into rock. And his water…

Just then, she, Zeke still wasn’t sure, decided on a different course of action. “Help you find something of value?” He was actually intrigued. It was a good thing he held in the laughter that was threatening to bubble up. Funny she should mention something of value when he had been thinking about other valuable things just before. “What exactly do you mean by that? But sure, I’ll give you a hand.”

He had barely finished the sentence, when the spear came swinging again and he instinctively ducked, though it was only spread out across the hole. Watching, Zeke remained silent – and definitely still unmoving. His situation was precarious after all.

When she was precariously perched and told him to climb out, he just looked at her – clearly noticing now that it was a woman – before trying to find some way to wiggle himself higher. How the hell was he supposed to get out this way? Climb up her?! But it really seemed to be only way to go for now. Tentatively grabbing hold of her, he managed to lift himself up and away from that damned ledge that had him wedged in and squeezed uncomfortably. Once away from that and with one foot in a better position to push himself upwards, it was fairly easy to get out of the hole. Without throwing her off balance. As soon as he was out and lying on the floor, he reached out a hand towards her. “In case you need a hand yourself,” he said by way of explanation, with a smile.

The man was somewhat useless at getting himself out of the hole he had literally found himself in, taking his time to claw his way upright and then out into the open air again. Her hands didn't leave her spear for a minute, fingers gripped tightly around its wooden length as he wobbled his way from his perch. It felt like he took forever, although finally, finally he was out.

It didn't take Darion quite as long, readjusting her feet before hauling herself up on the spear with her arms, then clambering up onto the side with much kicking of her legs, and flying of dust. The sand was gritty against her eyes as she rolled up to her feet, crouching to swipe the back of her hand across them both. She tugged her spear free of where it was now jammed between rock and soil, eyeing this new foolish man warily. What was he doing wandering around aimlessly in the desert?

"I've got work to do. Come on." She stood and snatched her bag up from the floor, slinging it over one shoulder. "What do you know about Sand City? Looks like nothing, from the looks of ya." She gestured back towards where she had come from, her digging spot for the day. "That way. Watch the ground."

Zeke retracted his ignored hand again and coughed a couple of times once the girl was out of the hole herself and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sand. Suddenly, he felt like he had sand everywhere, scratching him everywhere and even in the most impossible spots. Gritting his teeth, he tried to just ignore it, finally understanding why a lot of people were always complaining about sand. It was indeed not very comfortable.

Zeke hastily scrambled to his feet, made sure his small satchel was still where it was supposed to be and followed the girl as she walked off in the direction she had pointed out. He still didn’t know what exactly she wanted him to help her with but he was sure he’d find out soon enough.

“Ahm.. well I don’t really know all that much about Sand City, to be honest,” Zeke admitted, when he walked beside her. “I know that there are impressive buildings here, or used to be. Well, there still are, they just aren’t quite what they used to be anymore, but still impressive, truth be told. Also, I know that there is a wealth of history and beautiful architecture to learn more about. From what I’ve heard, Sand City used to be one of the greatest cities on Dragons’ Cove but then something happened to make it fall into ruin, though I don’t know what.”

His eyes never stopped roaming around, which of course made him stumble a couple of times, but he didn’t want to miss any of the sights. “Do you live here? Have you been living here for a long time?”

"Yeah, I can tell you don't know much." What moron just wandered round in the desert without knowing what he was getting into? And worse, wandering around Sand City too. Darion didn't slow down for the ridiculous man.
"Mm. Nice book learning." Darion didn't put too much stock in that sort of thing though, and her words came out with a sarcastic tint to them. After all, books didn't get you out of a hole like the one they had just encountered. "They're still around all right, but findin' the same one time and again can be... tricky. The sands move about. Don't wanna be wandering around out here on your own without knowing what's what." Like he had been doing.

"I don't live far away. One of the desert villages." With like, ten other people. He didn't need to know that. "Been here long enough to know that it ain't a good idea to just go running around some strange desert place without supplies." She snorted, then made a beeline for the nearest outcropping of building, tempted by the lure of treasures that might await them. "Keep a lookout for metal. Anything, don't really care. Rusted's fine, too."
Darion scraped the end of her staff along the thick side of the building, the thick stone blocks tilted at a wild angle where they had sunk into the ground. It was always pot luck finding anything of use, hence trying to use the entire day- especially before the heat started to rise.

“Yes, book learning indeed! It’s quite fun actually, though obviously nothing at all compared to the real deal. I’m more of a ‘learn-by-doing’ kind of person,” Zeke explained enthusiastically, though this faded a little when Darion continued speaking. “Sand shifts? Ah.. well.. that could be a little tricky then,” he admitted, feeling a little sheepish. He had been in sand before, but nothing like this desert and he hadn’t even remotely realised that things could be shifting this much. Sure, wind blew sand this way and that since it was such a lightweight, but to the point where things were not quite the same anymore.. That was… a little disturbing, he had to admit.

Ah yes, he was supposed to help her look for treasure, or what went for treasure in these parts. While looking at all the buildings, because no matter how oddly they presented themselves at times, titled, mostly buried, they were still a sight to behold, he had already completely forgotten what he should be helping her with. Stopping briefly to look back where they had come from, he couldn’t have told that was where they had come from, if he didn’t know that was the direction they had come from. Suddenly it all looked very similar despite variations in the buildings.

But, yes! There it was, the thing he had picked up on but completely ignored while being impressed by the sights. “I think there might be something. It seems shiny from this angle,” Zeke said, cocking his head from side to side while taking a few steps here and there. Indeed, depending on how he looked at the same spot, there was a very little shine. That had not been the case from the other side. He had seen something poking out of the sand which he had not considered part of a building but he hadn’t connected it to treasure of some kind or other until Darion had reminded him.

“Maybe it’s something you can use,” he added as he began walking back the way they had come and towards the piece.

Darion didn't put much by book learning, although it wasn't as if she had any herself to speak of. So perhaps she was a little jealously biased against it. And even enthusiasm didn't quite match up for long years of being in the dunes, although she couldn't knock his for too much. Foolish he may be, but at least he wasn't arrogant about it. She let him come to his own realisations about how lost they could get out here, without paying attention.

She scratched into the sand a little deeper, then, finding nothing, turned to where the man was hollering some find. She joined him where he stood, squinting her eyes to find whatever it was he had spotted; maybe a glimmer in the sand, but she wasn't sure. It had happened to her before that way, and then all it had been was mirage.
"I can use anything," she said, following after him as he headed back where they had come from, paying close attention to where they put their footsteps in case they came across another cavern in the sand. That would be worst luck.

Dropping in the sand next to the spot where the item seems to lie, if the mocking shine was anything to go by. It had of course disappeared when Zeke had gotten closer and he was now no longer sure this really was the spot where he had thought it was.

He moved his hands through the sand a little, hoping to hit something and almost gave up hope when his fingers suddenly touched upon something. Whatever it was, the surface was surprisingly smooth for lying around in the sand for who knows how long. Or maybe it hadn’t been lying here for very long but was a piece of garbage someone on a different trek through the sand cities had dropped here.

Either way, Zeke was enthusiastic and muddled around until he had a better grip before he started pulling. At first, it didn’t want to come out so Zeke put a little more weight behind it, tongue firmly between his teeth with the effort.

And then, suddenly, it gave way and Zeke unceremoniously flopped onto his back in the sand with the thing in his hand. “Got it!” he yelled, though Darion could probably see that well enough without him being a child. Sitting up, he looked at it, turning it this way and that. “I just have no idea what on earth this is supposed to be? A lamp? A kettle?” He looked up at Darion with raised eyebrows. “Does it contain a djinn??”