RETURN TO ELIS
This space rift wasn't a straight way, it was connected to endless number of other corridors. The corridors would lead to different worlds, so proper navigation through the space was our only way out of this world.
"The Ziggurat has affinity with this magic corridor. I have a feeling it uses part of this space rift in creating her Stargates although it wouldn't lose us in its turbulence", Rinna told us about my Ziggurat as we navigated forward.
Soon, we reached a large portal of some sort covered in blinding luminescence.
"Is that the way out of this place?" Sara asked Rinna.
"Yes, this is where the Ziggurat led me to", she replied to me.
So, our Hell Tank drove into the magic portal and exited this magic corridor.
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"This sand is blinding my eyes, where are my sunglasses?" Ratatouille asked.
Ratatouille hid himself inside my Dark Angel soul realm when we were lost in the magical space rift, and he quickly came out when we returned to the physical world.
"We've been to a desert like this before", I told them.
When we exited the magic portal, we reached a desert plain that was covered in familiar golden sand. We have been to a world like this before on numerous occasions.
"Is this place, Elis?" Ratatouille asked us to our surprise.
Rinna checked our location with her shamanic devices before she replied to me.
"Yes, this place should be somewhere in Elis although this location is far from the Gate to Elis and the Monastery. We reached the far side of Elis that few have reached before", she replied to me.
"Damnit, first we got lost in space, now we are lost in Elis", I complained to them.
"Let me help you cast a Stargate from my Ziggurat?" Rinna said to me.
"Gladly", I replied to her.
Rinna tried to access my Ziggurat. However, she failed to create a Stargate with my Ziggurat.
"Something has gone wrong with your Ziggurat after going through the Corridors to the worlds. The Ziggurat is in disrepair", Rinna told me to my shock and disappointment.
"Damn, the trip busted my Ziggurat", I said to them.
"How far are we from the Monastery of Elis?" Sara asked Rinna.
The Monastery of Elis had a magic portal gate back to our world. Getting there was our only way back to Nyx-Nymera without riding on the Stargate of my Ziggurat. That was probably our only way to get back home.
"I'm afraid we are too far from the Monastery of Elis", Rinna replied to us.
Suddenly, strong winds blew across the plains bringing with them the golden sand from the desert.
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In this barren desert expanse, the fierce wind bore colossal swathes of sand carrying them into the sky, capable of engulfing entire cities or oases with ease.
The sky, obscured by a thick veil of haze and swirling grains, bore witness to the land's surrender to the sandstorm's wrath.
Yet, as we struggled against the elements, we came to understand that this tempestuous force was not merely a product of nature's fury, but rather the manifestation of arcane magic, wielded by enigmatic beings beyond our comprehension.
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"What is with this sudden sandstorm?" Ratatouille asked us about a sandstorm that appeared in the golden sand desert abruptly out of nowhere.
"Is the weather so violent over here?" I asked.
"The sandstorm is not caused by nature. The sandstorm is conjured by several creatures in the desert", Sara explained to us as she checked the desert with her scanners.
She found signs of life under the moving sands.
"What kind of creatures can summon such a vast sandstorm over the desert?" Rinna asked.
"They are serpents or giant worms of some kind", Sara replied to us.
"Hell, the sandstorm is coming towards us", Ratatouille warned us.
Soon, our Hell Tank was surrounded by a violent sandstorm in the desert of Elis. While engulfed in the ferocious wind that whirled around us, we finally got a glimpse of the creature who created this storm.
We were faced with enormous worm-like creatures that encircled our vehicle.
"What is the damage to the ship?" I asked Sara about the damage to our Hell Tank from the friction with the ferocious sandstorm.
Sara checked the system controller of the ship and was puzzled. Apparently, there was something wrong with her readings.
"Shields at 100%"
"There is a problem. I cannot get a reading on the damage to our ship", Sara told us.
"Are the sensors in the ship broken?" I asked her.
"The sensors are fine but I'm not getting a damage report from the ship's controller", Sara told us in surprise.
The giant worms summoned a much stronger wind against our ship. Our visibility was now almost non-existent in this sandstorm.
However, we still failed to receive a damage report on our ship.
"What could be the bloody problem?" Sara asked curiously.
"I don't understand why you must be worried, if there is no report of damage, that means the ship is not damaged at all by the sandstorm. This is fake, an illusion", Ratatouille told us.
"It is not possible that my bloody sensors register no damage at all. Even stronger winds would cause a reading but under this damn sandstorm, the reading is normal. It is like the sandstorm never hit us", Sara explained to us.
"Maybe the sandstorm never hit us", I said to them suddenly.
"Orion, what do you mean?" Rinna asked me.
"It is possible this is an illusion. We may see a sandstorm with our eyes but the sensors on the ship saw nothing at all", I replied to them.
"How will we know if it is an illusion out there unless we go out there", Ratatouille told us.
"I have an idea", I told them.
"What are you suggesting?" Rinna asked me.
"We go out of the ship to meet the sandstorm", I replied to them.
"Duh?" Sara replied.
We opened the hatch to our Hell Tank to exit the ship and check the sandstorm.