Cladius drank from his water sack. His hot armor absorbing the sun's light. Strangely enough; this seemed to give him strength. Almorah and Agular were lagging behind the well trained soldier.

"Must we rest?" He said turning back to his partners.

"I'm fine." Almorah yelled forward out of breathe.

"Rest Almorah," Agular said.

"Stop! I don't need you to tell me what to do!" The woman yelled back.

Cladius didn't understand why he chose these two to find the Sun God with? Everything in his body, the very fiber of his being told them he shouldn't have, but something came over him in the moment.

"I don't care who you are, we are all soldiers now. Soldiers are one in purpose, trust each other, and most importantly do not fight! I am your commanding officer, and if you can't act like a soldier then get out of here, because you're just slowing me down. Helm depends on us, set aside your pride, and toughen up." Cladius said in a harsh tone.

The two glanced at him as he turned his back walking forward at a quicker past. Helm was all Cladius had. No mother, no father, no brothers, and no sisters. The two didn't understand.

The sand dunes suddenly started to slip as giant earth snakes came from the ground. Cladius drew his sword, his weary body ready to fight. Agular leaped back in shock protecting his sister as he got in combat position. Almorah drew her sword as Cladius held his shield in defense. The three got in a tri-circle as the three snakes hissed at them. The first attacked at Cladius, the trained soldier prepared. The shield slammed against the sand snake's face knocking its right fang loose, as Sosire slid down the hard scales like butter. The snake started to bleed, as it attacked again. Cladius took a chance slashing his sword at the right time, cutting the body in half lengthwise.

Almorah and Agular defended themselves as Cladius glanced back at them. They were making no progress their attacks sluggish and slow. Cladius could see Almorah forget her edge alignment, her blade no more than a club. Cladius rushed over slamming his blade through the skull of another snake, the size of a small building. The knight held his stance as the force of the beast made the head ride to the sword's guard. The jaw slacked as the snake's body recoiled and wiggled. The last sand snake bit into Almorah's torso lifting the woman into the air. The armor she wore protected her from the normally fatal bite.

Both men rushed to aid the woman as the snake tossed her off to the side. Agular rushed for Almorah, as Cladius gutted the long body. The blood rushed out like a water fall, landing all over the bronze and golden armor of Cladius. Swiftly Agular held Almorah up. Cladius ran forward, looking over the two, as he flicked his blade, afraid the blood would rust the steel.

"Almorah, are you alright?" Agular asked, as the woman held her side.

"It looks as if she has broken her arm." Cladius replied, as the woman groaned at her twisted appendage.

Agular looked back quickly, as he then turned his attention to the woman.
"I don't think it's broken." Almorah replied, trying to move her arm.

She winced at the pain as Cladius came closer kneeling next to the woman. He gently touched the woman's arm, straightening. Almorah gave way, screaming in pain.

"What do you think you're doing?" Agular said, holding Cladius back with his arm.

"We have to straighten her arm, or it will heal improperly. I know what I'm doing."

Cladius continued, ripping some of the cloth from his armor, and using his sword sheath as a splint. As he glanced up, he spotted sand moving in the distance, it was similar to more sand snakes, but Cladius knew better.

"What is that in the distance, more of those monsters?" Agular asked.

"No, those are men." Cladius replied standing on his two feet.

It took only a minute for the sand clouds to reach them, revealing men on sand ships. Cladius took a deep breath, they were most likely a hunting party, but he wasn't going to risk it. They were from Dechoneus, from the looks of it.

"Ah, they killed the snakes!" One said, with buck teeth and a small frame.

"Shut up! We can still harvest the scales; they're the most valuable part any way." A fat chubby man replied.

Most of the others murmured something along the same lines. Cladius looked at them all, Sosire held firmly in his hands. He wasn't sure if they were friend or foe.

"Well, hello there!" The fat one said.

"Hello and you are?" Cladius replied.

"Well buckaroo, Jimmy! That's a knight of helm, what he be doing in the Desert of Want?" The skinny one yelled.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I haven't even got his name yet, and you be want'n me to ask him somth'in personal!" The fat one yelled back.

"Jimmy, I take it." Cladius replied, "I am in search of a man, however right now, my friend needs aid, how much further until we reach the Dechoneus plains?"

"Well, you'r'a weeks away I say!" Jimmy said with his deep voice, as his hunter's scavenged the corpses of the sand snakes, "I suggest you come back with us to Multiah, it's a humble place only a few hours away, we got ourselves a doctor there'n it's got your basic needs."

"I will take you on your offer, and I thank you, you are saving us from a long and dread filled crossing." Cladius replied.

"What of the gutted one?" The skinny man yelled at Jimmy.

"Leave it, the scales are poisonous now, it's useless."

"May I help in any way?" Cladius offered, "The least I can do for your hospitality."

"Well thank you kind sir! But I believe we got it, again thank you." Jimmy smiled, pulling up his sand stained paints, "If you like, you can board the ship, and make sure the pretty lady is safe and sound."

"Alright then, I give you my many gratitudes." Cladius replied, looking back at Agular and Almorah.

The three walked on the dock onto the sand ship, unsure of its workings. Cladius wondered if it was magic, but decided it didn't matter, or further his quest to find the Sun God. It was only a momentary wait, as the men swiftly loaded their hunting vessels with the valuables and readied for their home.

It was sun down when they reached the small village, Cladius counted twelve to fifteen houses. There were only twenty buildings in all in Multiah, from the knight's count. From Cladius studies, the people of Dechoneus worshiped the God of Dreams, Visions, and Magic, Calpigher. Though the knight couldn't tell you what their worships entailed, he knew their traditions would be, to say the least, strange in their eyes.

Agular huddles around his baby sister, as he starred at the men darting their eyes at the beautiful damsel. Cladius held his sword in hand, as the blade was slid between his belt loops. He knew it wasn't a permanent solution, and that it would likely end up in him losing his belt, but he hoped it would hold out, until Almorah could receive proper treatment.

"Where would the doctor be, if I may be so bold?" Cladius asked, looking at Jimmy.

"Oh, yes well over here." The man said in a fast past walk, as Cladius followed.

The three young warriors followed closely behind the hunter as they entered the small hut. A tall shirtless man wearing a hound coat over his back smiled as he saw the Helmish Knight.

"Ah, the legends be true!" the man shouted in joy.

"Excuse me Galip, but these people are in need of, well looken after." Jimmy said in an all knowing tone.

"Yes, yes, yes, oh, yes, come in." The doctor said, "I am Galip, the shaman."

"Do you have the means to help my comrade and student?" Cladius asked, waving his arm in a presenting formation towards Almorah.

"Ah, and much more, much, much more, I know where the Sun God you seek be!" Galip said, brewing some sort of potion on a desk nearby.

Cladius didn't like their circumstances and didn't trust the man who smelt like fish. His old wrinkly face wasn't what made him scary; it was his unkempt gray hair, and the pelts in the interior of the hut. Cladius glanced around, tables were flipped and books and pages scattered, the man was working in a pig sty, and from what Cladius understood about medical treatment, things needed to be sterilized. He held his tongue as the Galip gave Almorah an elixir.

"Drink this, and you'll be feeling better sweet heart!" The man said with a little giggle.

Cladius nodded his head, reassuring the hesitating woman to drink the elixir.

"Ah, and you sir knight, I have something to tell you."

"I am only interested in the Sun God and my pupil, anything else I will ask politely for you to retain to one's self."

"That's okay; I only really want to talk to the pretty lady any way." The old crown said with a toothless smile.

"Talk to me, if you must speak." Cladius said, walking in front of the man's creepy glare at Almorah.

"Very well", he paused, rubbing the stubbles on his face, "When you get to Dechoneus, you'll find the scale of a dragon."

The knight stared at the man, only he knew of the items he was collecting. The scale of a dragon, feather of a griffin, skull of a hell hound and blood of a god, where what he was after, the priest had told him this, though he had long sense forgotten his name.

"I suppose I should thank you." Cladius replied, walking away from the man.

"I suppose so! Bye." The man shouted as the three left the hut.

"Clad, are we to spend the night here, or travel onward?" Almorah asked.

"Well you must be feeling better, you're speaking up." Cladius replied, "And respect please, my name is not Clad."

"Touchy?" Almorah questioned.

"Normally I would say yes to spend the night, but it seems they have no inn and these people are too poor for such as I, to ask them to impart their goods. So we move on, are goal is Dechenous, and riding in those sand vessels shaved a day off our trip."

"Well, let's get going then." Agular spoke up.

Cladius took the front of the party, guiding them forward as always. He himself walked into uncertainty, but he didn't fear, for he knew Claydrin was on his side.