Zone 12 was a wasteland.
Endless sand stretched in every direction. Dunes rose and fell like frozen waves. The heat was different from the volcanic regions—dry, searing, suffocating. Two suns hung in the sky, one larger and orange, the other smaller and white. Their combined light made the sand shimmer like liquid metal.
Owen and Gorvax had been traveling for six hours. No shade. No water sources visible. Just sand and heat.
Owen's CE dropped passively. 3 points per minute to regulate body temperature and prevent dehydration.
"Ugh, How far to the hunting grounds?" Owen asked.
Gorvax checked a crude map Korvan had sketched for them. "Another two hours northwest. There's an oasis. Natural water source. Predators congregate there."
"And those crucible King patrols?"
"Korvan said they pass through every three days. We just need to avoid—"
Gorvax stopped.
Owen felt it too.
Movement. Below the sand.
