The witch had a shocked expression. "We are doomed!"
Raven thought for a bit, still disappointed about not receiving an artifact—the special item tied to a Singularity Realm inhabitant's essence, which was sometimes awarded by the Orbit to the triumphant Orbiter.
"Not necessarily!"
"You want to fight that monster!!!" the witch said with a look that said, "Are you crazy?"
"No, we will lure it into a trap."
"There's no 'we' in this! I want to live!"
Raven said with a smirk, "You will either die in this hot desert with no hope of surviving, or help me lure it with some hope to survive. It's your choice."
After saying that, Raven started going down the small sand dune to get a good look at the situation. He wasn't too optimistic about it, but he had a plan.
He heard the witch say, "Wait! I will help!"
Raven turned his head and looked at her. Sweat and dirt covered her tan skin and black hair. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. "Do you know where the sea is?"
"I heard rumors that the sea is to the east of the desert, but how will that help?" she replied.
While going down, Raven asked, "Where is east?"
"What kind of question is that!" She pointed towards the small sand dune. "It's the way we just came from. Now, tell me how we are going to lure it and to where?"
"That's a brilliant question. I don't know where we're going to lure it, but I sure hope there is quicksand here," he thought.
Raven said, "Did you spot any areas with quicksand near camp?"
"Quicksand? What's that? Are you talking about where people get stuck in the sand?"
Raven nodded.
"There is a huge one beside the sand dune near camp. I get it now, but how do we lure it in!"
"The monster isn't just after us," Raven said, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. "It wants something else."
He came to a stop on the flat sand and looked toward the camp. Now there were only two guards left. The young guard was still alive, rolling and dodging the claws of the Desert Reaper. The beast even had a few scratches on its legs.
Scanning the scene, Raven spotted the severed heads and half-cut bodies of criminals scattered across the sand. His eyes settled on a large, roughed-up bag next to a camel's remains, where two miniature lights glowed faintly.
Gripping his broken short sword, he ran toward the bag. He sliced it open, and inside, he found two glowing shards. As he picked them up, the witch, who had been following closely, finally spoke.
"Is it after those shards?" she asked.
"Yes, tell me what you can do," he replied.
"I can curse people if I know their names," she said, her voice a low murmur. "But I don't know the monster's name, if it even has one."
Raven curled up the corner of his mouth. "Its name is the Desert Reaper," he said, holding her gaze. "Curse it when I scream 'Now.' Okay?"
"Okay," she replied, a strange look on her face.
With a determined expression, Raven took off, sprinting toward the bonfire. He watched as the Desert Reaper gripped the other guard's face with its claws. The young guard slashed desperately at its legs, trying to save his colleague, but it was no use. With a sickening splash, the guard's head exploded like a watermelon, covering the sand with brain matter and blood.
He came to a stop on the far side of the bonfire and held up the shard in his right hand. The Reaper's attention instantly changed. Its faceless head, a permanent grin with razor-sharp teeth inside and a long, forked tongue, turned to stare at the shard in his hand. A shiver ran down Raven's spine.
"Do you want this, you bastard!" he yelled, summoning all his strength to hurl the shard toward the quicksand beside the dune.
The Desert Reaper completely ignored the young guard's slashing and began to run toward the shard.
"Now!" Raven screamed.
The witch began to speak in an unfamiliar language. Immediately, blue flames erupted on the Desert Reaper's limbs, their light burning bright as it sped toward the shard.
The shard landed on the quicksand, instantly sinking out of sight. The Desert Reaper leaped with four legs, its maw open, trying to swallow the shard, and with a heavy thud, it was swallowed by the quicksand, buried in an instant.
Raven fell to his knees, breathless. His body felt as though it had just gone through a meat grinder; even a large amount of adrenaline couldn't wash away all the pain and exhaustion. And yet, he was exhilarated. The satisfaction of completing the quicksand trap was immense. Back home, he had never experienced such a life-and-death situation, yet here, he was determined to survive. This was his last hope of ever going back home.
"I can rest for a little," Raven thought.
Seeing the trial was not over yet, he got up and started taking the dead guard's cloak, short sword, and water flask. As he did, he thought, "May you rest in peace."
After he had put on the cloak and attached the sword and water flask to his belt, the witch approached him.
"You don't care about the dead," she said.
"No," Raven replied, his eyes fixed on the young guard tending to his own wounds.
The witch followed his gaze, a wary look on her face. She said in a murmur, "Let's kill him, or he will put us in shackles again."
Raven glanced at her but didn't reply. Instead, he walked toward the young guard, with the witch following closely behind. When he reached him, the young guard spoke.
"Thank you for saving my life."
"Aren't you sorry for whipping me, you bastard?" he thought.
Raven sat down on the sand. Said with a smirk, "I'm heading towards the sea with her. You're welcome to join us."
"When did I say I would go with you?" the witch retorted.
Raven looked at her calmly. "I'm going to the sea. You two are welcome to join me."
The young guard hesitated for a second, then replied, "I will repay you for saving my life."
The witch gave a slight sigh of resignation. "Okay."
"We have to collect the food, water, and supplies, then set off quickly," Raven said.
"Why?" both the witch and the young guard asked in unison.
"Because that monster isn't dead."
His ominous words hung in the silence. Two pairs of eyes widened, staring right at him.