“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“Well, this is quite the predicament… isn’t it?” Luhan chuckled, raising an amused brow at the thirty-some spears being pointed at your group of six. “Shut up Musan,” Tao snapped, ”Your obvious comments really piss me off.” Luhan glanced at Tao and made a mocking imitation of what he had said, earning a growl from the tan man. “Guys, you seriously aren’t helping,” you whispered harshly, kicking Luhan in the knee. The lighter-haired man hissed and grabbed his leg, a throbbing sensation shooting through his leg. "How is it that you two always find something to argue about?" Kai hissed, his eyes glaring at both the Musan and Cyreen.

Heeding Sehun's instructions, everyone besides Kris, who caught up with you a few moments later, had fled towards the Hawks Eye. However, the Skidrons were unable to climb up the monstrous wall that encompassed it. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, a pair of men spotted you from above the wall and quickly slid down an almost eight meter tall enclosure. At least, you assumed they were men. You couldn't be too sure because their attire masked their features from your sight.

The pair wore dark gray turbans of cloth upon their heads which wrapped around their mouths, only allowing you to see their eyes. They wore a wine colored tunic over a pair of dark gray pants. The tunic matched the color of the clothe tied around their waists, which was woven tightly to secure a variety of small wooden weapons, in this case, curved, wooden-handled daggers. Over the core of their bodies was a dark, stone-brown colored plate, which rested directly beneath a rather large, protruding gorget. They commanded for everyone to get off their animals and lower all weapons, which you quickly complied. 

Once your group was unarmed, the two nodded at one another and tied all your arms behind your backs with thick straps of leather. Soon after, several other similarly clothed individuals slid down towards you, skillfully gliding against the earthen surface and springing off it onto the sandy earth below. Each held a long gold tipped spear, which they pointed directly at you as they circled around the group. The first two joined them, pulling their blades out as they positioned themselves directly behind the first line of guards on opposite sides. And that was how you had found yourself in this "predicament," as Luhan said.

"Identify yourselves," one of the more decorated guards, most likely the Captain, commanded, his spear threateningly close to Kai's neck. "We are a band of travelers from all over Ordea," he answered, his gaze unwavering as he locked eyes with the guard. "State your tribes and region of origin," the guard contributed, motioning the others to move closer with caution. "Trema, Arth." "Iren, the Valley of Eliade." "Musan, Orcana." "Harum, Orcana, servant of Ordea." "Elinzar, Orcana, servant of Ordea." "Cyreen, Ura."

"Did you say Ordea?" the Captin asked, eyeing Suho and Kris suspiciously. "Indeed. I am a Scribe, and my companion is a Messenger," the Harum explained as he motioned to the taller male beside him. "Why have you brought this form of destruction upon our people?" a female guard snarled, bringing her spear threateningly close to Tao's throat. "Down officer," the Captain commanded, causing the other to huff softly. Tao's left eye twitched slightly, extremely uncomfortable with the fact that she had not moved her weapon away from his neck. "We did not intend for that creature to emerge from the the desert. It simply happened to appear when we did," he replied.

"A likely story," the female officer scoffed, "No thanks to you fools, we have equipped a quarter of our warriors to combat the serpent." A light laugh escaped Luhan's lips suddenly, causing the guard to glare at him with a raised brow. "What?" she questioned. "Are you talking about the snake that's leaving...?" "Leaving?" the Capitan asked, eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head around to the desert plan, "What in the name of the Creator Spirit do you me- What the?" 

Just as Luhan had said, the entire group watched as the enormous snake, which had been coiling itself in preparation to tower over the walls of the Hawks Eye, suddenly turned around and crashed into the earth. The impact caused a mountainous amount of sand to billow into the air. The atmosphere had grown dead silent. Both you and the guards watched intently as the cloud of earth began to clear. And a few minutes later, you were able to see the terrain clearly. Based on the newly formed dunes of sand, you came to the conclusion that the snake had disappeared into the earth, and was now traveling in the direction opposite to that of the Walls.

"You came on the backs of Skidrons with the crescent symbol, meaning the animals belong to the Oasis. How are you associated?" the guard standing beside you questioned, changing the subject as his eyes flickering back and forth between the members of your party. "They attacked us when we stopped to replenish our supplies," Kris replied. The captain of the guards strolled around the group, circling you with an unwavering gaze. He stopped before Kris and studied the younger man's features. "And why was that?" he questioned.

"It was because of me," a voice bellowed from behind. Your eyes flicked up to Sehun hovering over the sand, whose solemn expression created a more intense atmosphere. The position of his body blocked the harsh rays of the sun, casting a large shadow image of himself over you. His features were shrouded in darkness as the Capitan turned his head to face him. The older man cleared his throat, puzzled as he saw how Sehun's suspension appeared effortless. But he soon cleared his thoughts and regained focuses on the situation at hand. "And you are?" the Capitan questioned. Sehun locked eyes with the man and tilted his head to the side slightly. "I'm the soul who just reasoned with one of the Serpents of Old."

"You?" the female guard inquired, her skepticism apparent in her tone, "You are just a child. How would you manage to complete such a feat?" Sehun shot her a stiff look and began to descend towards the sandy earth below. "I got its attention with a sandstorm," he answered plainly, "It seems as though Creatures of Old are better listeners than the humans of today." His feet soon made contact with the sand and he was immediately surrounded by the two guards equipped with daggers. One guard held a blade besides his thr