The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (24) A Familiar Foe (Part I) ~

Before they left their shelter, Arisa could feel the heavy heat penetrate her skin.

"Great," complained Thelma. "Now instead of worrying about turning into popsicles, we'll have to worry about turning into a barbecue."

Train shook his head at her joke.

"Yeah," agreed Bastian. "I don't know what's worse, to die freezing or dehydrated."

Arisa heard their complaints and felt sorry for them. As Opposed to them, her fire attribute favored this hot environment.

Despite her body having a high resistance to high temperatures, her grandmother always made sure she would hydrate herself. She told her that her body still needed water, even if it had that kind of resistance.

"Calm down guys, it's just for a day," said Nina. "Tomorrow we'll have another type of environment."

Everyone gazed at her in disbelief. Although Arisa had known her for two days, she had a feeling that, besides being friendly, Nina's personality was also that of a girl who would worry too much during critical situations.

"I guess the monsters toughened you up." Train broke the silence.

"Well, I had to break out of my shell sooner or later," she replied, a gentle smile spreading on her face.

Train looked away. After Nina said those words, her teammates stared at her, not believing what they were seeing. Maybe Train was right; she might have gotten tough after the many events she went through in that world.

"Well then," said Bastian, walking a step forward. "Let's see what this environment has in store for us."

The team followed him, with their feet sinking in the golden-brown sandy grounds. Arisa could feel the warmth of the sand with each step they took. She heard someone sigh, and as they walked, she had a feeling that it would be yet another challenging day.

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Walking with their feet sinking in the sand and climbing the golden dunes proved difficult. The unforgiving heat only made her fellow members' situation worse. They stopped in the middle of the way to hydrate themselves.

Finding a shaded area seemed impossible, as all they saw throughout their journey was a sea of golden sand and dunes.

The intense heat wasn't the only thing they had to worry about. During their journey, they met curious looking creatures. Some were inoffensive, like the four-legged creature that had its upper body covered in brownish-gray rocks, while its lower part was covered in dark fur.

The creatures were of the size of a regular dog. When the team crossed paths with those animals, they didn't seem to want to engage in a battle with them. They wandered around minding their own business.

But not all creatures were friendly. As their legs suddenly sank even deeper into the golden sand, a huge serpent-like monster popped up from the sandy sea as if the sand itself was made of water.

The team fought the monster with all their strength. Even though this dark brown creature was smaller than the ice dragon, it gave them an arduous battle.

Dealing with the serpent-like creature took most of their time in the hot desert. As they fought it, the creature would randomly dive back to the sand. It would then surprise them with an attack, using its strong mouth, filled with thin sharp teeth.

When her friends attempted to distract the serpent—getting lucky shots with their weapons—Arisa absorbed the heat around her.

With a lot of heat torturing the land, she collected a great amount before striking her opponent. As the creature suffered major burns on its body, it sank back in the sand not showing itself again.