Sunspear stood on top of a small plateau in the middle of the desert, where the path to the city was through a series of cascading rocks that needed to be climbed all the way to the top.
Many warriors came down from the city every few days in order to kill more beasts to take back to the city. As a result, the dangers around the bottom of the city were far less than what it would be without the warriors.
As Alex and the rest arrived close to the city, they were greeted by these people.
Each one of the warriors wore flimsy clothes from head to toe, meant to keep them cool in the desert. All parts of their body were hidden, except for their faces. They hadn’t fully hidden everything like Alex had.
The old man Tala seemed quite popular among the group of warriors, who asked him about his journey. Tala told each one that he had brought back different grains and herbs.
To these people, especially since they were cultivators, grains and herbs weren’t something they needed in their life. However, with nothing much to get from the desert, they liked to indulge in needless luxuries once in a while.
Alex could see the city now, perched on top of the large mound of rock in the middle of the desert. Large rocks placed systematically helped them climb through the place, making their way toward the top.
As Alex made his way there, he turned around to look at the path he had come through. He had walked for so long that as far as his eyes could see, it was all a desert.
The city of Life’s Edge was nowhere to be seen at all.
“We’re so deep into the desert, and yet this is only the first settlement in the desert, is it not?” Alex asked. “It must be all the beasts in between that keep all of you separated.”
“There are a lot of dangerous beasts beyond this place for people who aren’t strong enough. That is why no one dares come to this side at all,” the old man said. “I am going to have to explain soon to the chief why I let you come with me. You will have to show your skills soon or else you might be in trouble along with me.”
Alex shrugged. “As long as I have the tools and the ingredients, I can do whatever needs to be done.”
The old man nodded in appreciation and continued.
As they arrived at the top of the rock plateau, Alex finally got to see the city in better detail.
The houses were similar to the ones back in Life’s Edge, made of stone and mortar, but appeared to be of a far higher grade than any he had seen. Each house was large with many rooms and floors. There were no tiled roofs like the ones that existed everywhere else, and instead had flat roofs.
As he walked in, Alex sensed the temperature of the place, which was far lower than anywhere else he had been in. Cool breeze passed through the place, even though just moments prior, it had been hot due to the desert heat.
It was a weird experience to have.
The city was so large that Alex couldn’t see the end of it. With over 20 thousand people living here, it was not possible for everyone to know everyone either.
Tala talked to a few people along the way, but the people here were more courteous than anything and didn’t stop for more than just a simple greeting.
“What exactly are you for these people?” Alex asked, curious now.
“A trader,” Tala said. “I am one of the only few people here that goes to the east to bring spices, mostly salt. There are others exactly like me too, but I am the oldest, so they like to talk to me.”
“So you’re a sort of celebrity,” Alex said.
The old man smiled. “You can say that.”
Alex looked around as they walked, watching the people around him. The warriors seemed to wear the same sort of clothes that Orla and Bajan did, covering most of their entire body even in the city.
The city was so much cooler than outside that most people did not need to wear so much fabric, but the warriors did.
“That is our chief’s place,” Tala said. “I will have to tell him about our return as well as your arrival. He will want to know about you right away.”
Alex nodded.
Tala went on first, leaving behind his daughter to look after Alex in the street.
Alex scanned the area, trying to search for anything he could. The one thing he wanted to see was animals in this place, such as bulls and oxen that would help carry things, but there weren’t any.
There was very little wood in the first place, but upon thinking a little, it became clear why that was. These people did not need any carts or wagons. They had storage bags, so they could move things around easily.
After waiting for a while, Tala walked out and gestured for Alex to join him.
Alex nodded and moved up, walking into the massive building that belonged to the chief of the tribe that had occupied this land before it became a city.
He walked in to find a few old men, each one with dark skin, showing bare upper chests. Most of them seemed to be older, wearing the bottom half of a warrior’s attire.
One sat on the couch, only middle-aged where others were old. That was clearly the chief.
Alex stepped forward to greet and introduce himself, but just as he did, he noticed something on the man that froze him in his steps.
He stared at the man for a long few seconds, trying to understand if this was real or not. And no matter how he looked at it, it was definitely real.
The chief of this place had horns coming out of his forehead, just like that of a Demon.