My tousled hair dances when a strong wind slaps my face. This is going to make the jump more difficult. I look below. The height induces a weird sensation in my stomach. I gulp. Hesitation is about to conquer me but I manage to calm my nerves. Xandria and Serrah are waiting for my cue.

"I hate heights!" I yell before jumping out of the tower.

The damp air embraces me despite the scorching sun. Aiming my open palms downward, I spray frost to the air, creating sheets of ice, layer by layer which curve and lead to the side of the cylindrical prison. My boots land on the slippery surface and I glide with the flow. Xandria's quickly jumps next and skates behind me, followed by Serrah, who's cradling a yelping Vladimiria in her arms.

I extend one arm to the other side to keep Serrah's ice path solid. The heat of the sun is melting the ice fast, making it hard to maintain balance.

Scite! I almost slipped and fell. Good thing Xandria catches me and I regain my equilibrium just in time.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I won't save your sorry ass next time though." She must be grinning but I have no time to glance at her.

I trace our ice path around the side of the tower. Sliding swiftly in a circular direction, we keep going until we reach the bottom. I touch down sandy ground when a strong bump pushes me forward, causing me to stumble and crash on my body. Another bump hits me and lastly, one small thud pokes my head succeeded by a tiny yelp. Ouch, that's probably Vladimiria.

Reaching above my head and putting Vladimira aside, I rise up while brushing the dust from my leather pants. Xandria's curled on the barren sand beside Serrah who's currently sitting with arms anchored to the ground.

"Hey, red curls. You alright?"

"Yeah." Massaging her waist, she groans and rolls to the side. "Wait. Maybe not. I think I broke my hips. That was a hell of a ride."

"Sorry. Just stay still. Serrah, please look after her. I'll have a look around."

Serrah nods and immediately attends to Xandria.

I scout for a while but the surroundings are vague, almost perfectly concealed by a mild sandstorm whipping. Son of a bauchi, how could a civilization exist in a desert like this? Harsh circumstances will- my thoughts are interrupted by signs of movement. Quickly, I duck. Shading my eyes from the sun and dust, I can hardly make out the figures up ahead. One... two... about seven silhouettes are approaching our direction. I immediately dash the other way and help Xandria get to her feet.

"You see them too?" Serrah asks while locking Xandria's arms around her neck.

"Barely."

"Orcs," Xandria whispers. "Careful. They're brutal. Better not get caught."

"I know. But where do we hide?"

Looking around, I realize there's no other way but take cover behind the tower. The sandstorm is getting strong and it's the only visible structure right now.

"Over there!" Serrah exclaims, pointing to a direction with nothing but tempest of swirling sand. But trusting her judgement, I quickly grab Xandria's other arm and laces it around my neck. Together, we slowly stagger forward despite of the raging storm. The vicious noise of lashing wind makes it impossible to sense the gang of strangers but I could feel them. They're certainly near and are following us.

Oh mighty Goddess of luck, Fortuna, if you're there, let's be friends. We could really use some miracle right now.

Angry shouts and grisly howls haunt us from behind. I dare not look back, lest it'll disrupt my focus. The storm's whipping worse than before. We're totally on the wrong side of the wheel of fortune. Within a while of walking straight into nowhere, we reach a stack of wooden boxes. Whatever these things contain, I don't know. But they're seriously huge. Wider than arm span length and as tall as an average human.

"Hide behind these boxes," Serrah instructs me while she lets go of Xandria's arm. "Quickly!

"What about you?"

"I could still sense their presence. They've tracked us. You need to take care of her while I deal with them."

I'm on the verge of talking back when Serrah speaks ahead of me, as if she knows what I'm thinking. "Worry not, I got this under control. Besides, if things get rough, I won't hesitate to revert to blade form. Promise"

Strands of her hair sway to the wild winds, covering the ashen irises of her eyes. Her face glints with ultimate resolve. Holy gods. Why do you become even more beautiful during times like this?

"Take care," is all I could say. She answers with a warm smile as Sin and Lumina materializes in her hands.

She turns her back on me. I continue to aid myself and Xandria towards the boxes. Taking off her quiver, I let her rest with her back on one of the boxes. She doesn't look well, but not as bad either. She tries to move but she immediately twitches as the pain shoots up.

"This is lame," she chuckles. Vladimiria scampers up and licks her face.

"You bet."

"Troll's arse, I'm such a shame, having your sweetheart cover my ass. Now I owe her. I hate owing to people."

I put a finger on my lips and shush her. "Get some rest. I'll check out on Serrah. Vlad, keep an eye on her." The dog answers with an obedient bark.

Crouching softly, I crawl to the edge of the boxes and peek. Sin is arched on Serrah's right shoulder while Lumina's on the side, tip glared to the ground. Worry is slowly creeping all over me. I long to protect her but I couldn't risk leaving Xandria alone. Why does it have to her who protects me? Digging nails on my palms, I stand up and walk to where she is.

Serrah turns around and her eyes bulge with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

My hands suddenly turns cold as two ice blades appear. "I'm not letting you hog all the bloodlust for yourself. Don't argue. You can't talk me out of this."

She closes her eyes and sighs. Then she smiles. "Thanks."

We brace ourselves as the shadows become evident. Surprisingly, the winds and the raging sands start to calm down. It's like they're being controlled by an unknown force. The seven hooded figures become clearer now, approaching us in a steady pace. Their bodies are cloaked by tattered gray clothes. All of them are holding a jagged sword at hand, except the guy in the middle who has a huge two-handed sword strapped to his back. They take a few more steps and stop several feet from us.

"Humans. Ah, it's been a while since I saw someone of your kind, Dragor," the one on the farthest right says in a grunted tone.

"But why do I smell an elf as well?" Another blurts out.

"Interesting. I feel like eating mortal meat today." A female voice adds before bursting into a fit of laughter.

I point my frost blade to the one in the middle. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The person takes off his hood to reveal a human face. A young man with an intimidating look, he has messy blonde hair and black piercings on his right ear. His whole face is pale but his mouth is even paler-almost gray. Suddenly, his lips curve into a suspicious smile. "I'll tell you if you kill me."

And before I knew it, he plunges towards me at lightning speed with the greatsword. The worst part? The blade got sharp fangs. The bad news?

I'm not sure if ice can parry with metal.

| ~ |

Hello guys. I hope you liked this update. I'm not sure if I can update for a while. I have upcoming exams (finals) and I'm very busy with life. I hope you can understand. I love you all. You're all awesome people.

Take care y'all :*

- J the human panda!