The Desert Hunter

Chapter 2: Cactus and Rabbit

A pair of reptilian eyes peered over the rock face. They scanned the small settlement at the bottom of the hill, searching for food. The eyes belonged to a teenage girl, covered head to toe in red and brown cloth, save for her eyes, which she could not hide. The village she watched was full of green skinned orcs and tents of various sizes so they could pack and leave for their next destination. Even from afar, the girl could smell the aroma of cactus and rabbit being cooked over an open fire. The Har'Akirran moon rose in the sky as the temperature dropped, and the girl knew she had no choice. She moved quietly down the hill under cover of darkness, keeping low to the ground.

The girl hid behind a wooden crate, and peering through the cracks saw scores of prickly pear. She stuffed her pockets with as much as she could carry. She turned to leave, but her nose caught the scent of delicious meat again. It would be way more filling. She convinced herself. The thief slid behind a tan cloth tent, hearing voices inside speaking Orcish. By the light of the closest fire, she could see two silhouettes exit, and when it was empty, she gently lifted up the bottom of the tent and went inside. The floor was covered in warm owlbear skins, and various trinkets of previous battles won sat on a piece of wood. Nearby was the real prize, a plate of hot meat. The thief grabbed it all and shoved as much as she could fit into her mouth. It had been a long time since she had an actual meal. The girl turned to make her escape, when she turned around to face an orc woman that had been laying down in the back of the tent. The orc stood up, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" The thief, two heads shorter than the orc, gently set the rest of the food down. "I-I was uh... Just seeing if orc tents really were as pretty as they say." The orc narrowed her eyes and moved closer. "And tell me, are we as stupid as you think we are?" She questioned. The girl looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, alright? I was just hungry. Don't have to be a jerk about it." The orc woman moved forward, and the girl scurried back until she fell out of the front door of the tent. Many heads turned, and some put their hands on their sword hilts. The girl stood up and placed her fists near her temples, ready to fight. Her heart was pounding. The orc woman then smiled, and let out a bellow of laughter, as did the others. "Stop laughing! I can take you on." The girl said. "If so brave you are... " The orc woman said, reaching a strong hand out. "Then why hide your face? Let's see you, thief." Before the girl could react, the orc yanked the cloth off her face. A stunned silence settled over the settlement, until it was broken by whispers among the orc ranks. The woman's face had shock all over it. The girl in front of her had blue scales, long teeth, and yellow eyes. The likeness of a dragon. "You are... a dragonborn. I thought they were gone." The woman blinked. "What is your name?" The dragonborn girl, terrified, quietly said "Kiya."

Out on the desert, between Muhar and the ancient monument, Bek strode towards the beast man coming to stop him. "Turn around and go home, hunter. The pharaoh commands it." Nekure snarled. Bek pulled down his dusty purple hood and stared back at him. "You have no business here." The beast man said. Bek drew a silver, double-edged blade from its sheath. "You are my business." Nekure's tongue ran over his monstrous teeth. "Ah, the inquisitor's quest to sate his bloodlust and slay all those he wishes." Bek shook his head. "Only vile creatures such as yourself." Nekure motioned to himself with his claw. "The Children of Ankhtepot are the pinnacle of magic. The greatest mortals in history. You will bow for the pharaoh." Bek took a step forward, as his eyes turned purple with the light of the Mind Fire. "Approach, monster." Nekure roared and lunged forward, slamming his khopesh into the sand as Bek sidestepped. A flash of silver as his blade sliced through the scales on Nekure's chest. The beast man's weapon struck, and Bek parried. Then his claw flew forward and clamped onto Bek's shoulder, who let out a cry of pain. As the Child sliced his weapon towards Bek's neck, Bek slammed his sword hilt into Nekure's eye, causing him to stumble back. Suddenly, the low thrum of the Mind Fire rang out. Bek focused, and purple cords wrapped around the beast man's head, sending him into searing pain. "AH!" He shouted, before advancing again. The two warrior's blades clashed again and again as they battled under the red morning sky. As the beast's mouth opened for a bite, Bek used the Mind Fire to push Nekure onto his back before severing his hand. Nekure's blood flowed and he thrashed in pain, unable to get up as an invisible psionic force held him against the ground. Bek stared at him, watching his quarry writhe. The ends of his lips turned up ever so slightly. Nekure began to say something, but was cut short by the end of Bek's sword piercing his neck. A final bloody gurgle ended the beast man's life, and Bek's eyes returned to normal. He took in a deep sigh as he experienced the adrenaline rush of the kill. A blue fire engulfed Nekure's body and burned away his remains, as with all of Ankhtepot's undead children when they were slain. Bek proceeded towards the monument as the flames burned behind him.

The hunter descended down a dark staircase underneath the toppled sandstone monument. Grabbing a lit torch from the wall, he proceeded to a dark room filled with human soldiers bearing the pharaoh's seal. Bek drew his sword, but was interrupted by a blast of fire that blew a nearby door off its hinges. Out of the door emerged a blonde pale-skinned woman, who exchanged looks with Bek, and instantly they knew what to do. Bek tossed the woman a greatsword resting on a nearby wall. Ylva caught it, and used it to cut down the nearest soldier. Blue runes on the greatsword's blade lit as she battled, causing frost to form around it. Bek sliced through two soldiers, and then used the Mind Fire to ravage another's brain. Within seconds, the battle was over. The hunter and the warrior stared, each evaluating the other. Bek sheathed his blade. "You are free to go now." He said, turning towards the stairs. "Thanks?" Ylva said, unsure who had rescued who. "Why'd you help me?" She asked, causing Bek to stop. "I was here to kill Nekure. I didn't know they were holding you." "You some kinda rebel?" Ylva asked. Her strange accent confused Bek. "I'm an inquisitor." Ylva wiped the frost from her blade. "An inquisitor of what?" "You've... never heard of the Ulmist Inquisition?" "No. Should I have?" Bek raised an eyebrow. "You're from outside the Mists that surround Har'Akir," He said. "Yeah. It's a lot colder where I live." Ylva ran her fingers through her dusty hair, trying to undo the large amount of tangles. "Why are you here? Why did that beast capture you?" Bek asked. "I was trying to help someone. She's safe, but now I need to go find her." I can't do it alone. No one could. She thought. Ylva paused, considering her wording, then spoke again. "You're no friend of the pharaoh, I assume." Bek shook his head. "What's your name then?" She asked. "Bek." "Ylva, with a Y. Charmed. Do you help people, Bek?" Bek sat in an old wooden chair, realizing how exhausted he was. "I'm a hunter, not a priest." He said. Ylva frowned, then leaned forward. "You hunt monsters, yes? Undead? What about the pharaoh?" Bek scoffed and shook his head. "He is immortal. Unable to be killed without his Ka, which hasn;t been found for thousands of years." Ylva smirked. "I know where the pharaoh's Ka is." Bek's eyes widened. "What?" He said. "The girl I was protecting, Kiya. She has the Ka. She can make him mortal again." The hunter stood up, a look of disbelief on his face. Ylva spoke again. "That is why the Children are hunting me. Hunting the both of us. Because they know she has it. We have to get back to her before they find her." Bek slowly nodded before narrowing his eyes. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" He questioned. Ylva reached down to the floor of the room, grabbing a piece of parchment from the pocket of one of Nekure's soldiers. She handed Bek the letter, which gave orders to Nekure signed by the pharaoh that confirmed Ylva's story. Bek looked up at her, his eyes flashing with resolve. "Then we must go now." The pair quickly fled, but not before Ylva grabbed and donned her set of heavy armor.

As day turned to dusk, a handsome man clad in a black tunic examined the skeletal remains of the crocodile beast, furrowing his brow. He had skin the color of lavender and black hair past his shoulders. Around his neck was a green pendant with the symbol of an eye. A soldier embossed with the pharaoh's crest approached the man. "All of our men here are dead, sire. The prisoner has escaped. The locals said an inquisitor came this way." The man closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Tell me you have some good news." He said, tidying up his hair. "One of our scouts spotted a blue dragonborn in an orc village near the Lost Crescent. Shall we send one of the Children?" The man shook his head and straightened his cuffs. "No. I want to see the girl and this 'hunter' for myself." The soldier bowed. "Yes, Sir Gabriel."