As the Duhduh and I traversed the crimson sands, I took a moment to absorb the desolate beauty before me. Ancient ruins, half-devoured by the dunes, broke the horizon. Was it a temple? I wondered, my eyes tracing the sliver of a visible entrance and the strange, native script carved into the stone. My gaze then drifted to the other side, toward a more mountainous sea of sand that stretched into eternity. This was a vista you would never find in any desert from my world.
So marveled and distracted was I by the sight that I failed to sense any sign of the danger that was about to surge from below. But the Duhduh did. He let out a sharp, eagle-like cry, frantically shaking his head and ruffling his wings. I only had a moment to observe his panic before the very ground beneath us heaved, shaking with the force of a magnitude-five earthquake. The Duhduh burst into a sprint, and I held tightly to the great bird.
From the churning sand erupted a giant sandworm, its hide the color of dried blood. It was clearly in a foul mood, for it did not hesitate to pursue us with terrifying speed. My eyes darted desperately across the barren landscape, searching for anything—a rock, a crevice—that could slow the colossal creature down. There was nothing. A cold wave of panic began to claw its way up my throat.
In a futile act of desperation, I urged the Duhduh to go faster, though he was already at his limit. A glance back confirmed the worst: the worm was gaining. "We have four minutes to escape, or we're done for," I muttered impatiently. We ran until those four minutes bled away, exhausting every option. As the beast's cavernous maw, lined with enormous, pointed teeth, yawned open to consume us, a sudden, clear sound pierced the air.
The monster halted instantly. With a frustrated lurch, it retreated, plunging back into the sands as if it had never been.
Utterly confused, I looked at the Duhduh and then scanned our surroundings. An eerie calm had settled over the desert. "Let's go, then, Duhduh," I said, and we continued our journey. Following a final, instinctive need for confirmation, I looked back one last time. There, standing where the worm had vanished, was an unexpected figure clad in a black robe, a flute held in its hand, its hooded head directed squarely at me.
My confusion crystallized into a whirlwind of questions, but the moment passed. Turning my focus forward, the path became clear. I had to reach Dal Un'Zir.