[PP-All Floors] A "Stab" at the truth (Miaki & Nikki)

[Nikki Styx 0]

Not long after obtaining Nikki's familiar <>, Miaki and Nikki returned to the fourth floor for a short respite on a favorite floor. While enjoying an early morning meal they were reading through some of e news and recent rumors circulating around. The 8th had been opened so much of everyone's attention was focused there. While taking some of the rumors with a grain of salt, a few grabbed their attention, one in particular. The rumor spoke of a character challenging another player with a unique or extra skill that provided dual spear wielding.

Nikki dropped her fork As Miaki read out loud from the paper. "Dual Spear... Are you serious?" She hadn't finished her current bite and nearly choked as she tried to speak. She was certain that Miaki had either misread the article, or had been joking to get a rise out of her, after all the idea of dual spear was... was unheard of. It took the blue haired woman a second or two to recompose herself and realize how ridiculous she looked trying to speak through her half chewed mouth while her fork lay on the table with food around it. She blushed a little and snatched up the utensil while covering her mouth with her free hand to hide her last few chews before swallowing her food.

She placed the fork gently on her plate and used her napkin to wipe her mouth before speaking again. "Im sure that's a mistake... I doubt very much that anyone could use two spears." She was speaking as a pessimist now, but in the back of her mind she could imagine herself wielding two spears to obliterate her opponents and further assist the front lines. Naturally her imagination had glorified the idea, making it look amazing.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki snickered as Nikki tried to cover her mouth while trying not to choke on her food. The paper in front of him covered the lower half of his face but that didn't do him any good as he was vocally heard by Nikki sitting across from him. "Hm hm hm hm careful with that. I'd hate to have to pay you back for saving my sorry butt from getting crushed by that large tree on the sixth floor so soon." Miaki told Nikki with a wink and the crack of a smile. He pushed Nikki's drink closer towards her. "Might I suggest washing that down with your drink?" The strawberry-blonde haired swordsman folded the paper he held in half vertically then bent the paper horizontally a bit. He peered over the paper further then turned it around for Nikki to see. The article read:

A New Spear Skill?: What is more effective than single spear? If you answered, two spears, then this story might interest you. We've got an exclusive account of a new enemy encountered by the player known as 'Mr. Bojangles' who reports that he was approached by a figure wielding two spears and challenged to a duel. Mr. Bojangles cannot confirm whether or not this mystery Dual Spear User as an NPC or a Player, but did not take the challenger up on the offer for a duel. Upon refusing the challenge, the mysterious Dual Spear User simply disappeared. Information Brokers are baffled, as no dual weapon styles have been reported as being found thus far. Are there Unique Skills that exist in Aincrad beyond our understanding? Remember players, you heard it here first.

"As you can see here a player going by the handle of <> apparently spotted a player wielding not one, but TWO spears." Miaki laid the paper down for Nikki to view with her own eyes. Leaning back and crossing his arms Miaki continued with his own observation of the article. "Mistake or not this Mr. Bojangles seems convinced enough. It might be worth it to look into this matter further. After all..." He reached down with his left hand and grasped his warm mug on the table and took a sip from it. With a satisfying expression he looked through his glasses at the blue haired spear user. "Wouldn't it be something if one of Aincrad's greatest spear wielders was able to handle two spears at once?" He raised his eyebrows a little bit inviting interest from his recently reunited friend.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki took the paper up and read it again, pouring over the details. while she did Miaki had made a comment about her being the games greatest spear user. A prideful smile crossed her lips. She had spent a long time developing her technique and leveling herself with this weapon set, She had seen very few other people using it, meaning she could have been the games best, but she wasn't about to admit that herself. She did though now after reading this article herself want to investigate this even more. There was so much potential to gain from it, and nothing really to lose aside from a few afternoons of time.

She put the paper back down and closed her eyes for a moment clearing her head which was now buzzing with ideas and thoughts. After a moment or two Nikki opened them again still smiling. "Alright... You wanna do some snooping around?" Her voice was playful, and she raised an eyebrow in a flirtatious way as she spoke. She already had a few thoughts about where she wanted to look first. The taverns and bars of the local floors were a good start, At least for info on Mr. Bojangles. She had a hunch that they would find little in info here on the fourth floor. In truth Nikki spent most of her time on this floor, and she liked to think she knew everyone who lived here, and recognized any strangers, and so far no one with that avatar had been here.

"Id say it gives us an excuse to sample some of the bars between here and floor 7." Another thought was that Mr. Bojangles would not have gone to floor 8 yet as it had been just opened. She took another bite of her food while waiting for Miaki to respond. She wasn't in the biggest hurry as few players ever really took these rumors seriously, so competition would be scarce. That and Nikki was never one to leave food unfinished, or turn down a free meal.

[Miaki 0]

"Alright... You wanna do some snooping around?" Nikki asked him with an enticing look and tone.

Miaki raised his right eyebrow this time and put down his mug. "Sounds like fun." Miaki hadn't spent much time exploring places where people were often crowding around because he was far too often out exploring the depths of the jungle or looking for a new dungeon. There were a couple floors which he practically bypassed certain things just to get to the dungeons. Seven was one of those floors. When he finally joined the front lines he had so far only been to about three places on the seventh floor, them being: the arena, the Adventurer's Inn, and the labyrinth leading up to the eighth floor.

"Id say it gives us an excuse to sample some of the bars between here and floor 7." She mentioned to him. Miaki pondered what Nikki was getting at with this. On one hand she could be dropping subtle for him. But on the other hand Miaki could totally be imagining things, he wasn't sure. Woman were a riddle wrapped in an enigma of mystery as one person put it. And they were something that Miaki back in the "other" world wasn't very experienced in that much. Since finding himself in Aincrad though he has been more outgoing towards them.

"I like your train of thought. That seems like a great excuse to me. Which floor should we try first?" Miaki picked up his fork and finished the last of his meal letting Nikki give some input.

[Nikki Styx 0]

"I know this floor pretty well. And Id like to think I know everyone around town. I havnt seen anybody recently or ever in these parts with that handle." She stopped for a moment now, as if lost in thought. She wondered what kind of player would make such a claim. There were several things to consider. A strong player would have accepted the challenge, so it couldn't have been a frontliner, so the odds of Mr. Bojangles being on a higher floor was decreased. However at the same time no sane player would admit to dealing with a dual wielder so openly, which meant he wasn't the smartest and could easily be higher up. "Floor 5, whats it like up there?" she finally asked.

Nikki stood up for a moment while waiting For Miaki to answer. she had already made up her mind that floor 5 was the best point to start, even without a description of it. Floor 6 was jungle, and floor 7 was pretty inhospitable. Not to say he couldn't be there, but they weren't the best places to start looking. After that she wanted to check out floor 3. It had some great coasts, but it also had plenty of small towns, along its shores, to hide in. She took a second now un equipping her fur lined over gear, revealing her blue dress again. Where they were going was not going to be cold enough to need the fur layers. "Alright lets go" She said with a smile as she produced a teleport crystal from her inventory and whispered floor 5 into it before disappearing in a cloud of pixels.

[Miaki 0]

"Floor 5, whats it like up there?" She asked him.

Miaki liked to pride himself on knowing all about the types of floors currently available in Aincrad. He tried to keep a mental map of the climates and remember what kinds of environments and monsters could be found on each of the currently accessible floors. "Well the fifth floor is a complete and total wasteland. You know that game series about a decade called 'Borderlands'? Think of that place. Or comparing it to something more geographically relevant think about the desert parts of the western United States. The main settlement is called <> there are also places like <>, <>, <>, and <>." As Miaki droned on about the floor he noticed Nikki remove her warm gear, revealing a blue dress now. She protruded a blue teleport crystal which told Miaki she was ready to go. He downed the last of his drink and stood up quickly, pulling out a teleport crystal from his pocket Miaki held it and followed suit. Teleporting out of the room right after Nikki did.

When Miaki and Nikki teleported to the fifth floor they both appeared in a double blast of light blue light. The bright sun hanging overhead was blinding for Miaki compared to the indoors of the fourth floor. He squinted hard as he looked around, trying to adjust to the bright yellow orb in the sky. Scanning the desert town Miaki opened his inventory menu and equipped his fedora to block the sun from beating down on his head. "So where shall we try first?" He asked Nikki. "This floor is pretty massive and has alot of areas. This main town would probably be the hub of information but some of the other places are less populated by players."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki took a quick look around floor 5. It was the only floor that she had not been to yet, and now she could understand why. There was nothing here except for a few desolate looking buildings. Normally gates were within a city, but in this case the gate was outside of the city. Not too far, but still outside. It was odd, but Nikki could see that the danger of getting ambushed here was slim to none, and that's why it was ok.

She turned now seeing Miaki had ported in next to her and she smiled. It was good not to be alone, especially somewhere new like this. "Im not too sure where to start here." She said smiling and stretching her arms over her head. She thought about it for a moment before speaking again. "You said there was a place called Armadillo, its the main place? We should start there and work our way to the smaller settlements." She assumes that that was the town that they were close to, and began walking towards it.

Nikki was still in shock over how Barren this place was, so far she had been used to seeing trees, and even a little bit of other plants and this place was completely different. Even floor 7 had a few trees growing here or there. As they walked Nikki continued to look at Miaki, thoughts beginning to fill her head. Since she had come back He had been amazing towards her. He had treated her like a princess, and now he was out here chasing a rumor that really only benefited her, rather than looking for loot or leveling up. It was beyond nice, and she was certainly taking notice.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki was walking beside Nikki on their way towards the settlement named <>. The large town had buildings made of hardened sand and rocks in the form of large domes. It sort of reminded Miaki a little bit of the planet Tatoonine from Star Wars now that he was looking at it again. The background music they could hear was a harmonica playing and Miaki was starting to wonder when the tumbleweeds were going to start showing up.

"Oh, I have something for you Nikki." He said stopping just outside the settlement. He opened his GUI menu with his two forefingers and brought up his inventory screen. Scrolling through his items he selected one and materialized it in his hands. Slowly a long spear formed in his hands which he held open, palms up in front of him. "This is something I had made for you. I know you've been in need of a new weapon so I checked around for an available blacksmith and had this made for you." He held the item out for Nikki to take the item description read:

Item name: The Thunder Hawk

Item: Spear

Quality: Rare

Item description: A spear with a blue gem places to the end that's crackling with energy almost. A small hum is given when the owner holds the spear.

Abilities: +2 to combat dice

Shop Heavens blades

"Whatcha think? You like it? Think it will do the trick for you?" He asked as Nikki was staring at the spear he held in his hands.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki stopped in her tracks and looked in awe at the weapon Miaki was offering her. It was beautiful, slender, and long. The blade was curvy and sharp, with a brand new gleam to it. For a moment she couldn't move, her thoughts broken by the this act of generosity. After a moment she looked up at him and leapt foreword and hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly falling on top of him. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just squeezed tighter, holding on as if he were suddenly going to disappear.

After a moment or so she suddenly regained her composure and let go, blushing fiercely from her actions. "Im sorry.... Its amazing... Thank you so much" Her voice cracked a little with embarrassment as she reached out to take the weapon. Immediately she noticed a difference as she held it in her hand. It was lighter than her basic spear, but felt so sturdy. Up until now she had been going easy on her attacks, being afraid of breaking the frail equipment, but now, with this she could push the limits and fight harder than she had been.

Nikki took a few steps back and took a few swings with the spear, following it up with a few Jabs. The weapon cut effortlessly through the air in a way she couldn't even imagine. "Miaki Its... Just wow... I cant possibly thank you enough." She gushed as she relaxed her posture and walked up to him. She gave him another hug, a softer hug and held on a little longer. Before finally letting go. She had not stopped smiling the entire time. "Welp... we better get going..." She finally said.

[Miaki 0]

Nikki jumped forward and hugged Miaki which wasn't exactly what he expected her to do. He didn't have time to wrap his arms around her with the spear still in his hands. So he just stood there and felt Nikki's hug embracing the moment. He certainly wasn't not expecting such an animated response from her. Miaki felt like he might fall over into the sand with Nikki. He had a huge smile on his face knowing that she was appreciative of his gift to her.

When Nikki let go of him she said, "Im sorry.... Its amazing... Thank you so much."

"Sorry? I'm not. If that is what I get from this then it was more than worth it." He said to her.

"Miaki Its... Just wow... I cant possibly thank you enough."

She moved in to hug him again and this time Miaki was ready and he wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug which lasted a little longer.

"Welp... we better get going..." She finally said.

"Yeah, there is a bar near the center of town. Let's check it out." Miaki led Nikki over to a large domed sandstone building. Inside the bar was rather rustic compared to the rest of the floors. "We're bound to get some information from somebody in here. Let's try the bartender. Or maybe there is a information broker in here." He said to Nikki as they walked in.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki was not about to hide her new weapon in her inventory, so instead she would carry it, allowing everyone who might be there to see it. She followed Miaki now, still smiling as bright as the day itself. Up until this point only one other person had been so nice to her, and he was missing. That was a suddenly saddening thought as she remembered her missing partner, but she knew that he wouldn't have wanted her to be sad, so she pushed those thoughts from her mind. Instead she focused on her task, the rumor that they were hunting. The dual spear wielding that needed further investigation.

Miaki was going to take her to one of the local bars. It was a large building that was dome shaped. She knew that this was a structural choice to grant the building stability in this harsh climate. Of course buildings were immortal objects so it would never really be in danger, still this was a nice aesthetic touch. Nikki followed him inside now taking a quick second to familiarize her self with the layout. It looked rustic, almost old western inside, it was strange to compare it to the other floors. Miaki had mentioned the bartender, and the possibility of an info broker.

Nikki nodded and made her way to the bar. That was a good place to start, info brokers usually carried the same info floor to floor, but Bartenders could be grilled for specifics, given that the system could record important conversations. The bartender smiled though not in the polite manner that the floor 4 bartenders did, instead this one seemed forced. "Yeah, what you want then?" she asked as his menu popped up.

Alchoholic Beverages

Non Alchoholic Beverages

Food

Rumors - 150 col

Leave

Nikki took a second to read through the menu looking back to Miaki. "What you think?"

[Miaki 0]

Miaki saw the options laid out before them and considered his options. They'd just had something to eat and unless they planned on sticking around, alcohol might not be the best idea; especially in the morning heat. Certainly in-game the results wouldn't be exactly the same as in the other world where such a mixture would be possibly end fatally. In-game he doubted such problems were of great concern. Players probably would just get some adverse effects like motion, agility, or strength reductions. Still, things felt real enough for him so he might as well treat them as such.

Looking at Nikki he said. "Let's start with information first and reward ourselves with drinks later or atleast when we make some solid progress." He looked at the bartender and said. "We're here for information." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small pouch of Col which he threw in front of the bartender. The menu in front of Nikki and Miaki flashed the option listed as <> then vanished. "What can you tell us about either a player named Mr. Bojangles or a character using two spears?"

The bartender looked at the coin purse and scooped it up. "Hmmm... Yeah, think I've seen the player you're lookin for. Comes around here every so often." The bartender started to wipe the counter clearly not giving all the information he had for free. Miaki walked closer to the counter and dropped another 150 Col on the counter. "Don't think he lives close by. Probably lives on at one of the other settlements. Atleast that's what I figure since he doesn't come around too often."

"What about a user wielding two spears?"

"You two are wonderin' about that rumor of that special skill in the papers... 'fraid I don't have that much else for you."

Miaki peered over a Nikki who was in the corner of his vision. "Well atleast we know he is on this floor. What do you think Nikki? Think we got everything we could out of him?" He asked her while crossing his arms.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki listened intently to the barkeep. He had mentioned that Mr. Bojangles had been here before. That was progress, It suggested a couple of things as well. One was that Mr. B. had to have some money, as given the desolation of things on this floor, normal commodities were more expensive. It also suggested that he preferred to avoid people for whatever reason, as this floor was desolate with few if any active players. It was hard to believe that any player would choose to live here, and yet this one did. "Why here?" Nikki wondered aloud.

The bartender had also mentioned that he had no info on the dual wielding individual. That was not too much of a surprise to Nikki, but it was also a good indication that that player or monster was not on this floor. Especially if there was not even a follow up story or sighting. She turned to look at Miaki, having just been asked if she thought they had gotten everything from him. Nikki took a moment now to think, trying to piece something together, but alas it was still too soon, and they didn't have enough info. "Yeah, I think that might be it from him... Lets take a second to pull up a map and plot out the other settlements."

Before moving to a nearby table Nikki opened up the bar menu for non alcoholic drinks and promptly ordered 2 Iced waters. She Was shocked when The drink total came to an even 150 col. That was over 75 each, nearly 4 times more than anywhere else. Then again this wasn't the place to easily find such things, and she had to remind herself of this. as she grabbed the newly appearing glasses and headed off to a nearby table. As she walked she gestured to Miaki to follow her.

At the table Nikki placed both glasses down and opened up her map enlarging it for Miaki to see too. Since she had not been here she would Need Miaki to mark the way points on her map for her. "So Where are these other settlements and how abouts do we get to them?"

[Miaki 0]

Miaki noticed Nikki's indicating him to follow her over to a table and he gave no hesitation. He sat himself down and took one of the glasses of <> and drank from it. The rather bland but refreshing drink cooled Miaki off nicely and surely gave him some slight stat boosts or refreshed his stamina a little. He thanked Nikki as he put the glass back on the table and watched Nikki open her menu and make it visible to him.

"So Where are these other settlements and how about do we get to them?" Nikki asked him looking between him and the map.

Miaki leaned on the table and brought up his right hand to the map pressing against a the window in front of them. "Okay, well we are here in <>. He said pointing at a location on the south-west part of the floor. "Here is where the <> is located. I don't know that much Spanish honestly but I think the translation for it is "The Path of [the] Devil"... Or is it "The Devil's Pass"?" He thought about it for a second not sure which was the correct translation. "No matter. It's a long narrow path through a large canyon that leads between towns. I've heard the area has constant landslides which can slow things for traveling but the entire area is a safe zone. Right here is <>, I haven't been there myself yet but I know that it is a large town surrounded by a massive brick wall with only one way in and out. Over here in the middle of the desert is <> it's kind of like the "Las Vegas of Aincrad" complete with clubs, casinos, shows, and everything else you'd expect from such a place."

After taking a large gulp of his water Miaki looked at Nikki making sure he hadn't lost her anywhere and then highlighted a large portion of the floor which encompassed much of the El Paso del Diablo. This entire area is <> which is the large ever expanding desert area on this floor. I've heard that the area is littered with monsters some of whom can hide under the sand and attack you without warning." Miaki thought he covered everything but knew there was sure to be another place or two that he missed. Fortunately such information wasn't that difficult to come by and usually a quick check of the information brokers page would clear up anything.

Miaki took a third sip from his drink and finished up. "Where ever we go I suggest we get a mode of transportation. Getting around by foot would be exhausting and take far too long. We should instead get some horses or whatever they have available on this floor to rent. I know on floors one through three we can rent horses for quick transportation but they're rather pricey. But worth the investment for sure."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki watched as Miaki pointed out settlements, and explained a bit about them, on her map, as he did each one lit up and remained highlighted. Each one sounded even more uninviting than the last, if that was possible. Despite that though each one was going to need to be visited. She let out a sigh as she looked up from the map to Miaki again. He had mentioned the idea of renting horses or finding a way of faster travel. She would have suggested teleport crystals but since she had never been to the locations they would not work. She had even thought about the Boar Titan, that she had recently acquired. However an in game Error had him locked down while he received recalibration.

The idea of horses sounded good, assuming they could find a stable on this floor. She was aware that most floors had horses, even floor 4 had a single stable with large Clydesdale's that could be rented to traverse the snow. She took a second shrinking her map back to her own personal size. They needed a route or at least a place to look first. The Pleasure Oasis sounded like a great place to start. It would house the largest amount of players, and it offered many amenities that people would be looking for. In fact she was certain that if it was like what she thought it was then she would never find a more wretched hive of both scum and villainy.

"Well Horses are a great Idea, Id certainly love to get to the Oasis sooner than later." As she spoke she pointed to the spot on her map that had been indicated as the Pleasure Oasis. She began to wonder what sort of monsters might lurk in their way. Naturally she assumed that giant scorpions were a common sight as every other game she had played with a desert featured them. She also guessed some sort of Lizard creature might be out there, possibly spiny n mean. She even guessed that some sort of dessert bandit NPC MoBs might appear. All that and the risk of actual PKers meant that this was going to be a dangerous trip, but at least if they couldn't find Mr. B. they could loot all creatures in their way.

"Alright lets go find some horses."

[Miaki 0]

Closing the floor map display Miaki slapped his fingers on the table. "Yes. Lets." He downed the last of his drink and making a satisfying 'ahhh' sound and stood up from their table. He wasn't sure which route they would take and he wasn't sure if Nikki had one in mind either but he was sure that they would figure that out soon enough. Making their way back outside Miaki pointed around with his finger trying to get his bearings of which way the stables were and then were off in search of it.

Finding the stables was no problem at all. They actually found it on the opposite side of town from where they came in. They interacted with the NPC running the establishment. If that is what you would call an over-sized booth headed by a rather cranky man with a speech impediment. And requested the use of his horses. He leaned on the counter and grunted to the two of them pointing with his thumb to the back and said nothing more. But Miaki thought he heard the NPC mutter something about the heat and people bothering him or something.

"Well he was nice." Miaki said with some sarcasm. "But atleast he pointed the way for us. Have you ever ridden horses before Nikki?" Miaki asked her. He himself had used the service once or twice since his recently discovering it. It certainly saved alot of time the few times he used it. Back in the other world Miaki had ridden horses a few times in his life and love the experience every time.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki Looked up at the Horse now in front of her. She had never ridden one in real life or In SAO. Her assumption was that the system would assist and do most of the work. However standing here in front of this animal was almost terrifying. She gulped and raised her hand patting the animals side gently."Ive never even seen a horse this close." She said as she gently stroked the animal. She sighed a little looking around to check to make sure no one was watching, before she raised her foot into the first stirrup.

It was at this moment that she realized that her short blue dress rode up all the way revealing her underwear. "Ahhh, Don't look." She instructed Miaki as she tried again climbing up onto the horses saddle. One up she adjusted her clothing a bit and let out a slightly irritated sigh when she discovered she would still be showing off a considerable amount of leg. At the very least, even if this trip was a dead end, she would get some sun on her legs.

Nikki held onto the horse incredibly tight, and fell foreword to grab it around the neck frequently. It was the only way she could stay up, despite the system assist she was receiving. Though perhaps this was a good thing, especially if she wanted to ride a boar in the near future. "Alright.. You lead the way good sir" She said as she gripped the animal tightly trying not to fall off.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki watched Nikki carefully before mounting his own horse after hearing her say she had never even seen one so up close before. He took a couple steps towards her to give her a hand if she started to stumble or begin to fall off. Riding was a tricky skill and costly skill to pick up but he had faith in her abilities. She grabbed hold of the saddle and began to pull herself up Miaki, standing able hind her and a little to the right was beginning to see a lot of leg and a little extra before she noticed this and told him not to look.

"Uhhhh o-oh." He turned his body 80 degrees to the right so that he wouldn't see anymore but couldn't resist the chance to try as he attempted to catch sight of her in the corner of his vision. When she successfully mounted her horse, Miaki stepped over to his own, grabbed the saddle, and pulled himself up in one swift motion. "That was easier than it should have been..." He told himself. "We'll start it slow at first and once you get the hang of it we will speed up. Which way should we take? The longer but safer way? Or the some what potentially dangerous route?" He asked as the began to ride out into he desert wasteland.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki gave the horse a squeeze with her legs and it began to move. She let out a squeak and hugged it again. She began to blush from embarrassment at her inability to grasp this skill. She was now hanging on for dear life as she thought when in reality the only thing she had to worry about was falling off. "Lets take the short one... A little danger is ok by me." In truth she didn't want to admit that she didn't like riding the horses.

After a few moments she was finally able to sit up straight and hold her balance. Luckily the system did all the work, and balance was the only thing she had to worry about. Every now and again she would pull the reigns and make the horse turn slightly. More than once she had nearly steered into a fence trying to get it figured out. Now though, with a little confidence, they would be making great time towards the Oasis.

While riding along Nikki had the chance to go through and prepare her equipment for anything they might encounter. While she hadn't faced any dessert creatures before she was now liking the idea of finally getting to do it. Maybe if they were lucky they might even find some of the bleached bone skeletons.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki rode close beside Nikki. Looking up at the bright sunny orb in the cloudless sky above as it beat down on the two travelers traversing on the desert floor. He reached up and gripped the rim of his fedora and lowered it to cover his eyes from the hot sun. "Damn it's hot out here. I'm starting to wonder if I'm better with this trench coat on keeping the rays off me or wearing it and sweating to death. Surely wearing this is keeping some overheat negative stat off me." He looked down at the horse saddle he was sitting in. "Well atleast we have the horses- WHOA!!!"

Suddenly his horse began to buck and the sand right in front of where Miaki and horse were began to shift and quake as something buried underneath the sand began to sprout up. "We've got trouble!" Miaki leaned in as his horse got on it's hind quarters and neighed loudly. He had never had this happen before but instinct kicked in and Miaki gripped the horn on his saddle with his left hand and held onto the reigns with his right hand holding both for dear life.