Gathered around the large vehicle, we all awaited in anticipation to hear our orders from the people in charge of this mission. All eyes were on the large chamber situated beneath the flatbed of the machine, it's rear entrance beginning to open, and down came a large ramp which began to unfold and lower itself to the ground. Descending from the chamber came a platoon of kindorian guardsmen, all stationing themselves at the base of the ramp. Prefaced by the soldiers sudden appearance, two men appeared near the top of the ramp, seemingly watching over the crowd of participants.
"Hail, greetings to all who have come to join us on this mission today. I am Lar Desticius Merula, a magistrate and imaginifer in service to your most generous and most merciful benefactor, belonging to the most glorious clan amongst the gentes of Kindoria, I welcome the magnificent Flavius Atrius Nigidius!" A small rotund man that stood beside who I foolishly assumed to be the patrician began to gesture to the guards. In turn they began to clap in unison which encouraged the crowd of participants to follow suit. The stage seemingly set to welcome in the actual patrician.
"Hail, I have traveled all the way here from the republic and I am deeply humbled to be amongst the people of Rinsaad and many others that have traveled a great distance to join us on our mission. Your participation and contribution to this mission is something I value greatly for we will need all the support and help that you provide to ensure this mission is successful. Many of you likely have your own reasons for having joined this mission, whether it be for knowledge, fame or fortune. However you may have also joined this mission due to rumours that have been spreading amongst the community, something we'd like to address right here and now. You have likely heard it from others, and what you've heard is true, we have indeed discovered a new entrance into the Network! As such, you will be glad to know that this mission has the blessing of both our beloved Chief Imperator and the Great Khan themselves, a partnership guaranteed to create opportunities for prosperity within the region of Rinsaad. Let us rejoice! "
The crowd roared without delay, everybody fueled by the excitement of a new venture into The Network. I do not blame them, it has been a long time since anything new has been found, seeing as progress to delve deeper has stopped around other sites which either led to dead ends or the appearance of rather dangerous entities or other unfortunate circumstances. As such most salvagers play it safe by scavenging what they can find from ruins found above ground, it's the only way to make a living without putting their lives at risk. But to think even the Khan himself has given his blessing for this mission, just what exactly does he get out of this, if anything?
"To aid us in this journey, I have brought this grand vessel that shall surely bring us glory and fortune on this journey, as such her name is Gloria, and this shall be her maiden voyage. She will serve as our sanctuary as we journey across the desert, sheltering us from the heat and the creatures of the night. With that said, seeing as time is of the essence, it's best not to waste daylight. Thus I ask all of the participants placed within our standardized groups to please come aboard. It will be a long voyage and it's best that you receive your rest, as such I will be doing the same. Thank you all again for your participation, I shall now leave you in good tidings. Magistrate Lar shall take over from here." The patrician exclaimed before handing the sound device back to the magistrate and retreating into the large chamber once more.
"Please rest well sir." The magistrate bowed before turning his attention to the crowd. "If you did not hear it the first time, those in the standardized groups, please approach the ramp. The guards will confirm your status, once you have been verified the guards will allow you on board. Make haste, for every second we stand idle by is a second wasted on my lord's time."
The crowd began to stir as the masses migrated towards the ramp, eager to board the grand vehicle. Before any of us could approach the ramp, another wave of participants were stopped by the guards stationed at its base. They were refusing to allow any of us aboard the vehicle and would not explain as to why.
"Let us through!" A man yelled.
"We are no longer allowing participants to board the vessel, please step back."
"What's the big idea, there's plenty of room on that thing!" Another man cried out.
Whilst some of the men were complaining, another participant approached the guards and explained his tardiness to board along with the other standardized groups as he was left stuck in the crowd. Upon hearing his explanation, the guards let him through.
"What the hell, why are you letting him aboard but not us!?" Some men complained.
"Please step back, If you continue to ignore the orders given to us, we will begin to use lethal force." One of the guards cautioned.
"This is bullshit!" The crowd up front began to grow enraged, and if nothing was done soon, the arguments would likely grow into a fight which would only serve to get those men killed. Before things could escalate, the magistrate began to issue an announcement.
"Attention, I have unfortunate news for those in the forward advance, we have reached maximum capacity aboard the vehicle. Having any more people on board will only slow down the machine, as such I'm afraid those in the forward advance will have to walk on foot for the duration of our mission. It is with heavy heart that I relay this message to you, however do not fret for we will be heading for Vasuha Oasis to rest and gather water before arriving at the excavation site. Regardless, please do take care not to stay on the vehicle's travelpath lest you meet an unfortunate end. Thank you for your understanding." Magistrate Lar stated before beckoning for the guards to close off the ramp.
It was beginning to make sense as to why Inca and Pyro mentioned that there would be no time to rest on our trek to the excavation site. We weren't blind, we could see damn well that there was more room aboard the vehicle for the rest of us. To think they would bar us the same privileges all because of our status having been born as a Lowkin. The ramp now closed, the vehicle began to breathe to life as the generators roared, using it's large circular legs it began to crawl its way across the desert landscape.
"Typical, it's not unlike the kindorians to treat us this way. Seems we'll have to make do with walking." Inca stated.
"We have to walk all the way to Vasuha Oasis? Where the hell is that!?" Jaro cried out.
"I've never been there, however I've heard it lies near the border of Goltib. Though I'm not entirely sure how far it is from here." Inca replied.
"I might be able to tell you, I've got a map here." I chimed in.
"You have a map? Thought only nomadic journeymen carried those." Pyro called out.
"That's right, I happened to have borrowed this off of one."
"Huh, guess I never thought to ask one myself." Pyro pondered.
"It might prove to be useful then, do you mind if we could take a look?" Inca asked.
"Sure."
Examining the clay tablet I had taken from Talal, he examined it carefully. "Ah, so it's this kind of map."
"Yeah, thought there would be more to it." Pyro added.
"Why, is there something wrong with its details?"
"No, not exactly. It only covers the region of Rinsaad and its surrounding borders. It doesn't show the neighboring regions like Svarogrod, where I'm from." Pyro explained.
"So it's incomplete?"
"No, just local. However a few of the names listed here are old terms, this map is likely outdated." Inca surmised. I shouldn't be surprised, even when it came to his own tools, Talal cheaped out.
"So it's useless after all." I sighed.
"Not necessarily. Though the names have changed, the landscape is still very much the same. It'll still help you travel across the desert for the most part, no doubt about that. Though if you plan to travel outside of Rinsaad it would be best to find one that shows the entirety of Osnein."
"I'll try to find one when we get back, it would be nice to have one that will help guide me through the other regions."
"Indeed, however the only guide we need to follow right now is Gloria, the journey ahead will be long and the desert heat will be our strongest foe yet. We must keep our thirst at bay, rationing our water until we reach the oasis, or we may not survive the journey." Inca related. I only hope that is the only problem we face.