Unchosen Champion

A lonely track, made from the footprints of a single individual, was gradually being swept away. Dry, scouring winds erased any evidence of travel, preventing anyone from following, not that there was anyone that would be brave enough to try. At the end of the trail, a solitary figure slowly trekked across rippled sand dunes, unhurried, and confident that they would arrive on time. They followed a perfectly straight line with the destination never in doubt despite the lack of landmarks and the hypnotic repetition of sandy dunes.

From head to toe, the figure was draped in thick cloth coverings, completely hiding their form from the baking sun and dry air. The distinct rattling of metal rings hanging in the loops of a salvaged khakkhara staff accompanied every other step, dispelling any effort of stealth. The staff was repurposed into a reliable walking aid, deceptive weapon, and a unique perch. The jingling sounds were carried by the wind like a warning to any that would challenge the traveler, but even the Primal Constructs were sparse in the regions they frequented.

The alien invaders struggled to contend with some of the more extreme environments on their continent. In particular, the robotic aliens’ joints tended to be weak to corrosion, leaving them as easy prey for those that were capable of hunting them down. It seemed as though the range of the weaker monster variants was more limited than the planet’s terrain was diverse. Ignoring the occupants of Earth, the environments themselves proved resistant to alien conquest.

A sharp call from above drew the wanderer’s attention. They stopped to gaze at the sky, adjusting the face-covering hood to reveal crystal blue eyes with needlepoint pupils framed by naturally long eyelashes and deeply tanned, freckled skin. She adjusted the thick cloth to only cover her short hair, receiving the message from her animal companion before lowering her hood back down. They were drawing close.

Wangmo Thaye lifted the staff up into the sky and her companion swooped from the clouds, landing on the end, ready to roost. The Saker Falcon companion used his beak to pull at the jingling metal rings for a few minutes before settling in as the wanderer returned to her solitary march.

Despite her position as a high-ranking general in what they understood as the largest military force on the planet, the real powerhouse between the two was the falcon. He had already reached level 200, doubling her own. She may have been at the top of the leaderboards at one time, but she couldn’t keep up with the falcon. That was fine with her. They had come a long way together and they had many days ahead of them. She wondered if he missed the Himalayan backdrop of their original home as much as she did.

She spent the next half day reminiscing of the frigid mountains from beneath her cloth coverings. Her solitary journey went uninterrupted.

As she crested the last set of dunes, the sprawling temporary camp that had become home for the last month presented itself. Over a million communal huts dotted the bright desert, each home to up to a dozen individuals. A significant portion of the same army she belonged to had been protecting a peculiar attraction while others delved into its limits.

It was already uncomfortably dry by nature of the environment, but the heat above the gaping fissure in the center of the camp exacerbated the temperature. Even from a distance, the warmth caused the air to shimmer above the hole in the ground, warping the visible features of the various warriors that encircled the gorge protectively, already joined by the various bands that had arrived at the meeting point early. Flames licked the air, as if the canyon was meant to be a massive fire pit, but it was nothing so inviting.

As she descended the final dune, the last excavation crew climbed straight through the flames, mana shields flickering as they joined the others in waiting among the white canvas huts. No one paid her approach any mind, leaving her to return without distraction. The scout-general was well-known among the forces. She was one of only a handful of carefully selected sentries that made sure their enemies couldn’t catch them by surprise, so if she was unbothered, so were the guards.

Individual grains of sand vibrated as the army she preceded drew closer. Small waves cascaded across the dunes, and soon, everyone would be aware that the reunion of all parts of their army was upon them.

When she found her shared hut among the sea of others, a handful of the other leaders of the Grand Horde were already there. “You’re back?” The boisterous turk named Alp asked as she stopped outside. “We should celebrate!” He decided quickly, slapping the communal table and grabbing a canteen before holding it out for her.