||𝘒𝘫æ𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘫𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘦||Dainsleif X Reader

VII: Never-Ending Journey[EDITED]

Sarah walked trough the gates of Caravan Ribat. The last human camp before the scorching might of the Land of Lower Seketh.
The sunset left space to the moon, and the burning hot climate shifted to a freezing cold.
Though Sarah was not very phased by it, being used to the cold that long perpetuated in Khaenri'ah, she found herself slightly shivering.
She soon arrived in Aaru Village and met Candace, whom Alhaitham anticipated to her.

<<Arriving in Aaru Village you'll surely meet Candace. She's the guardian there, you'll just have to say i sent you and she'll trust you. Say hi to her and Dehya for me.>>

She remembered his words.
As she neared the little valley the village was situated in, she saw a dark-skinned young woman, dressed in blue, with black hair and a moon hairpin decorating it.

<<Who must you be, visitor?>> she asked, approaching her, shield in hand.
<<My name's Sarah, i'm just passing trough and i need a place to stay for tonight. Alhaitham sent me here and says hi.>> Sarah replied.
<<You're a friend of Alhaitham's? Oh, alright. Well if you happened to go back to Sumeru City, greet him for me too, please.>> Candace nodded, signaling Sarah to follow her.
Sarah smiled slightly, moving her feet and following her gingerly.

Candace led her to the Chief's house, letting her stay in one of the rooms.
The next morning, she gave Sarah some food and water, and suggested her a way to hunt some consacrated beasts and convert their meat into an edible meal.
Sarah accepted all her aid, taking off at dawn towards her next destination: Tanit Camps.
They were long since abandoned, after a certain girl had rebelled to the Mother, who had betrayed her for a Jinni's power.
She could've set base there and await the next day to move towards the Passage of Ghouls.

In the late afternoon, she reached her goal, nearing the already empty Camps.
Climbing down the slippery ruined walls, she arrived deep into the natural flap, her feet splashed into the water puddle at the bottom.

As she explored and got acquainted with her surroundings, she left her stuff in one of the tents, situated on a lifted wooden floor, just a couple meters from the water.

The night came fast, and soon she fell asleep.

In the dream...

She walked along the sandy path, down a gigantic tunnel infested by hilichurls, though they did not attack her, probably recognising her in some weird way.
As she reached what seemed like the bottom of the tunnel, a sudden light struck her, as some voices came from the deep hole.
She recognised little Paimon.
<<What about the Traveler... where'd he go?!>>
<<Paimon...?>>
She started running towards the voice, finding herself falling into a domain: Apep's Resort.
The Dendro Dragon's lair.
<<I could've imagined him fighting against anything, but this encounter with Apep... gonna be funny.>>
As she ran into the fight, attacking the Dragon's Warden.

End of the dream

Sarah jolted awake, looking at her surroundings.

*Apep's Resort... i need to get there, and quick.*
She quickly got her Claymore amd Vision, leaving her stuff hidden in the tent she slept in, climbing up the ruins' walls, starting to run trough the whole desert, cutting trough the west, aiming towarfs north.
In an hour she was there.
The moon was behind Celestia, putting it in such a cool lighting Sarah stopped in her tracks just to look at it.
Then gazing back towards her next move.

She walked along the sandy path, down a gigantic tunnel infested by hilichurls, though they did not attack her, probably recognising her in some weird way.
As she reached what seemed like the bottom of the tunnel, a sudden light struck her, as some voices came from the deep hole.
She recognised little Paimon.
<<What about the Traveler... where'd he go?!>>
<<Paimon...?>>
She started running towards the voice, finding herself falling into a domain: Apep's Resort.
The Dendro Dragon's lair.
<<I could've imagined him fighting against anything, but this encounter with Apep... gonna be funny.>>

In the center of the room stood a little white and green figure: the Dendro Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali.