Tale of the Desert, Nathan Manor [best contemporary novels TXT] 📗

In the world of dreams a scene comes and goes like a phantom of the imagination. She will look into your eyes, fill your spirit with might and lift you up.


Part one: Tale of the desert


Chapter 1—Sandman


Date: 126th year of the new age


In the night sky a glowing arc shimmered above two friends, Jonah and Ada. It is the second century of the era, the first generation who spread across this world still coming to terms with what they are and where they are. Both of them wear the average dressing of their settlement, patch work clothing made from bits and pieces of other older clothing, with resources so thin out in the dessert they can hardly afford to look decent. They are Mictomicans a race of humanoids with green skin and a light, tan stripe that runs down the center of their bodies from the top of their head between the pair of tendrils that crown their head down their entire bodies. They are a fairly short kind, the tallest male among them being just short of five foot tall, the females being a fair bit shorter never growing any taller then four and half foot. The village they have lived in their entire lives resides middle of the southern half of the great desert. They called it the Mable settlement, named after their still live and well leader Mable Morv who founded the settlement nearly one hundred and thirty years ago just after the event they called the great awakening. Jonah and Ada being some of the youngest of he group find it quite hard to get along with other members of the group. Their parents perished only a few years after they were born defending against a raider attack. Having grown up together they are the closest of friends. They live together, work together, think together sometimes.

"Jonah, is there anything out there?" "Sand, lots of sand.""That is not what I mean you jackass--" "Does it matter if anything is?" Ada scorns at her longtime friend. "Its just so boring living in this heap, all there is to do is tend the herds and work the grain then lay around all day when the second sun rising makes it too hot to work. I am just going to leave eventually.." Jonah shakes his head "Then go out, no one will stop you." "You would." "Maybe." Ada repeats "Maybe I wouldn't let you go alone." He smirks.

The design of the settlement is quite utilitarian, based around a oasis it has several fields that grow a very hearty variation of grain that can survive in the harsh land, baked by a pair of suns that rise and fall separately. Most of the buildings are made from large pieces of sheet metal that used to cover large towers that dot the desert and lined the road that passes by the town. The main structures of the settlement are five towers, one in the center and four that mark the corners of the walls, a sixth partially collapsed one is the home of Jonah and Ada having found no others to take them in they have grown quite self sufficient.
The arc in the sky is a mark of the seasons and the only reliable timekeeper, it crosses the sky 3 times before the year ends. The way it lights the sands is a false comfort as its very presence stirs the frightening beasts that roam the great desert they live in, being Mictomicans they too can feel the strange stir of the arc. The off green color of their skin and pair of antennae-esk tentacles running out the back of their head tightens and darkens and the green crystal that is embedded in their forehead glows slightly.
On top of the tower the two usually loiter in at night they stare out into the desert, a somewhat unusual cloud formation grows over the vast expanse of maroon tinted sands. Bolts of orange lightning start to rain out to the sands. All seeming to focus on some old ruins that the elders of the settlement forbid anyone from goofing around in, claiming that dark ancient presence lurks within. Watching the electrical storm intensify they are astounded as a vortex of lightning tares down from the sky onto the ruins erupting into a deep rumble that shake the structure they rest on.

"What the hell was that!" Jonah jumps up trying to get a better look at the site where the ruins were, now just a faintly illuminated dust cloud rising from the site. "Jonah don't you get any ideas." "That did not look natural Ada.""EXACTLY! It's probably something crazy dangerous." "More reason to check it out.." He leaps from the tower and breaks into a run on the sand. Ada yelling out to him "If you don't come back by dawn I'm telling the old guys!" Yelling back to her "I won't be gone that long I promise!"

He races across the sand, still warm hours after sunset. Every step carefully taken to prevent him from getting stuck in the sand. Only years of running through the sands give the same innate skill to traverse the pits and sharp stones and bits of scrap barely visible in the sands. Each step increasing in pace from a jog to a sprint to outright leaping covering a great distance quite briskly. Despite the guts he showed Ada his apprehension grows as he reflects on stories of the past, and his own experiences. In particular the first time he went out to assist in defending against the M.S.F. a race of rampaging androids from the distant past.

It was about two years prior, he just turned 17 years old when the news arrived that M.S.F. wasted a nearby settlement. This was the first time in several years that an attack has occurred. In the distant past they were much more common. So common that they nearly wiped out the peoples of the desert but somehow fell behind and ultimately subsided. On that day the arc was overhead, something that acts as its own omen. "Nestre' Village sent out news of the attack as soon as they were hit, nothing else has been heard from them." One settlement councilmen explained to the others. "It is fair to assume that they were wiped out entirely, we are the next ones south of the arc." A older council member who had himself been involved in the original war with the mechanical monsters stood " Then we will prepare, who do we have available to commit to the service? " Merra, Worsha"¦" He lists about a dozen others. "There is also the mercenary in town right now, he has already offered assistance in the matter." "I see, is that everyone?" "Yes, everyone trained to fight." Jonah sitting in on the meeting rose up. "I can help!" "No." "I am plenty old enough and I have watched the others fight. "No." "But--!!" "Sit down child, you still have quite a few years to go before you are anywhere near ready to face the monsters coming." Jonah backing down exit's the shack the meeting is taking place in, stomping around kicking up dust, the mercenary waiting outside takes notice. "So I guess that means you have to stay here eh?" The Merc is a Neutra, a foot taller then Mictomica with light grey skin over their entire bodies, a single long tentacle running down the center of their forehead down the back., the iris of their eyes so light its barely distinguishable from the whites. There is a spooky presence to them. Not being very fond of outsiders like many Mictomica Jonah responds in a guarded tone "Yeah.." "That's a shame, though"¦You look stout enough." Easing slightly "Yeah?" "Oh yeah, you young Mic's have a lot going for you. How about you come along with me for the fight?" Ada hiding listening in jumps from her spot in the shadows. "Ada?!" "You can't Jonah, that is crazy dangerous!" "So?!" "So I'll tell on you." "Wow really mature." "Running out to fight killer robots with a stranger is mature?" "Better then sitting here doing nothing." The Neutra grumbles "Miss Ada, I assure you he will be fine." Ada sighs knowing she has no real say in the matter and runs off upset. Jonah watche is her leave with the Neut returning his attention to him "She will get over it." "Doesn't feel right" "it's a feeling you will need to get use to survive." Taking hold of his staff holding it out to Jonah "My name is Serrif, know how to fight at all kid?" "Its Jonah and yes." "Fight against the MSF?" Jonah pauses for a moment, taking hold of the staff. "Tell me Jonah, what is the most effective way to take down one?" Jonah looks puzzled. "So you never dealt with one before. That's fine, just fine, we all have to learn." Serrif draws out a diagram of the common MSF raider with the tip of his staff and points to the single lens in the center of the diagrams head. "That's its only weak spot. It is also the most dangerous area to attack, the beam it can shoot will burn you in two. Hence why its better to attack the spot right in the center of the back of its head. While not as vulnerable as the front is weaker just the same. Hitting it anywhere else won't shut it down." Jonah nods "Also, should you need to flee, always run perpendicular to where its facing."

Jonah is only a hundred yards away from the ruins now, he sees a dirt bike and a bag sitting outside with the entryway of the complex blown away. "It doesn't look like raider gear.." He thinks to himself seeing a shadow come from glow of the ruin. To his surprise it's a human form that emerges, clad in strange black and orange armor and striking red hair. "What is a human doing way out here"¦" The human dusts off and sets down a empty looking bag. "A waste of effort." the human grumbles." "H-hay are you all right?" Jonah nervously speaks up. "Wh-?.." The Human looks over at Jonah. "What are you doing here? What did you see?" The human questions. "I just saw this big flash and-" Before he realized what was going on he was lifted up and tossed into the ruin the human emerged from. "Today is not your day and I cannot risk you making any noise." Jonah sees a bright flash and faint

"Wake up Jonah! The rest of the group is leaving." Serrif lightly jars Jonah from the nights sleep. "I'll be ready in a moment." "You will be ready now." Serrif yanks him up and hands him a cloak. "This will get you out of here unnoticed." Jonah nods slipping it over himself. Serrif motions Jonah to follow. "Just stay behind me." The two join the main group of
the settlements defenders, at the head of the group is Axel Refer the most experienced fighter
among them. Axel is something of a celebrity with the various settlements, tribes and the drifters. At roughly 120 years old he is a true first generation Mictomica, having awakened along with the hundreds of others at the site known as the Desert gate. Over his life he has tested himself to be at the very peak of physical conditioning, able to and has defeated entire squads of M.S.F. and other monstrosities single handed.