They moved through the desert slowly, following the cliffs along the north side of the desert where there was enough shade to walk. Without a cart it would be too dangerous to follow the main road, bandits liked attacking travelers brave enough to travel light.. All that could be seen was desert, There were cacti and some desert trees and brush that made the going harder trying to prevent getting stuck by needles. The cliffs were tall and spanned endless kilometers.
...
They walked for a few hours and the sun began to set in the distance. They found a cave in the cliffs off the side.
"We are going to camp here for now, I know we are all tired for now. Mirnia will be here soon hopefully. She is bringing some food and water for us." Tumuo stopped and walked towards the cave taking a look inside.
Tumuo went back into the cave as they set up camp inside. He followed the cave all the way back. At the back end was a small alter dedicated to Thlu Luimetosaolu Eldar of Magic. He left a small offering on the altar in the form of a spell core, then went back to the camp.
Lera had been a little distant most of the trip and finally looked around when they stopped at the cave. It went a ways back, she took a few steps forward before spotting the bandage on Mercer's arm.
"Mercer..." She was quiet, she moved closer and took off the bandage looking at the gash on his arm. It wasn't bleeding anymore but hadn't fully closed. Holding her hands over the gash she closed her eyes and focused. As she continued to focus a green light flowed through her veins near her hands, being more concentrated over the gash. When she opened her eyes, her irises were a brilliant green. Under the soft light the gash healed quickly. When it was finished the green vanished and her eyes went back to normal. She slouched down and leaned against a wall, falling asleep in a moment.
"I think that used the last it of energy she had left." Tumuo looked over at her.
"I was going to tell her to wait, but I don't think she would have. I think she blamed herself for me getting hurt." Mercer watched her sleep, he felt bad knowing that she had probably put her worth in protecting him as the last of her family.
"It can't be helped, try to sleep, in the morning we will have a meal to eat." Tumuo and Mercer went to lie down. "Wake me up when she arrives Silachlume.
"Of course."
...
When Mercer woke up again Mirnia, Tumuo, and Silachlume where sitting by a fire cooking various foods.
"Ah good, you're up. Lera may be a while longer, she was quite exhausted." Tumuo looked over at her sleeping form bundled beneath a thin blanket. He then handed Mercer some of the food they had made. "Have something to eat, you probably won't eat again till we arrive at the border post of the Manian Theocracy."
As they ate there was little talking. They were still tired and mentally preparing for the road ahead to get to the Manian theocracy.
When Lera awoke they were lounging around doing various things. Mercer and Silachlume were talking, Tumuo was writing in a book that he had brought with. Mirnia was shaping a small stone sculpture with her hands.
"Do you know of any songs for us in the desert?" Mercer was looking at Silachlume, arching an eyebrow.
"This desert is known for being dangerous to travelers. Beasts inhabit it, so I thought best to not sing and alert them. If we are going to Ahmesh I will probably sing a desert song there though."
"Ah well I look forward to it." Mercer glanced at Lera and saw she was awake. "Lera! good you are awake. Come get some food, you need to get your energy up. We have a long way to go." He gave her an encouraging smile to try and keep her happy.
She went over and grabbed food, enough to feed a few people, and began eating. She was quietly focusing on her food.
...
When she finished eating they packed up and began making their way along the cliffs again. They walked for a long time, they passed a number of caves, though they did not see anything unusual. After a couple hours they saw an old city, it seemed to have been quite grand at one point, though now it was all ruins. They could see one building standing at the center and decided to go check it out.
"This is Alathian architecture." Silachlume placed a hand on the buildings as they past.
As they came to the building they could feel the immense power welling up from below. The building had no doors, and in the center sat a fountain that still ran with clear fresh water. There was no one around to be seen. The only plant life in the ruins were around the fountain. Along the base of the fountain were hundreds of ruins scrawled in a beautiful script.
"Is this a Mana well Silachlume? Like the one you resided above?" Mercer glanced over at him then back at the fountain. "I can feel the power beneath our feet."
"Yes, The Spell Core is down there still, though it is not a Magical Intelligence. All it does is keep the water flowing. It was an eternal fountain to keep their parched mouths wet."
After drinking from the fountain they moved on, continuing on to border post.
...
They arrived at the border post shortly before midnight. The guard recognized them as Magic users and let them in. They gave them guest rooms in a nearby inn, and told them not to leave until they had officially checked in the following day. The party rested waiting for morning when they could begin the final trek towards Hapsu, the capital of the Manian Theocracy.