do the worm

[Adimus]

"Hmph, fine then, but trust me when I say my order isn't even half as bad as you make it out to be. As for traveling at night, fine by me. Never liked sleep anyway." Franz said as the two made their way through the desert, sand blowing up with each gust of wind. Franz reached for his back and pulled out his folding helmet, and equipped it so that the sand would stay from his eyes. Looking up, he noticed the sun was going to set soon, so he turned to Shinon and said "Angry one, the sun is setting soon, would you like to camp now or wait until the sun si fully down before we take our ever short nap?"

[masorin]

Shinon smiled somewhat as he saw the sun start to go down. “camp here, for a few hours rest once the moon has risen to a good height at about 10 or so we will get going again”

Shinon oddly didn’t mind being called the angry one, but then again how would anyone feel after being stuck in the dessert for two and a half days and being chaised by a gaint hollow for most of that. still it could be worse, he sat down the sand was hot but it wasn’t that bad, he didn’t really know what he could do for now it seemed like he would just have to make do. “didn’t you bring supplies, mine were eaten, but your also crossing the desert here?”

[Adimus]

Franz blinked at the man through his helmet at the question posed to him. He had a point, Franz didn't exactly equip himself for this. But then again, he wasn't supposed to be crossing the desert for too long, let alone he wasn't put out here, he was forced and thrown out here.

"Under normal circumstances I would've packed enough for two, but I was forced out here, so I didn't exactly have ample time to prepare. However with what I was given, the Mana Water here," Franz lifting up the gorge, "One gulp can last 5 days. And I have about a gallon of it left, plenty for you and me to make it out of this desert. Plus, my suit's air conditioned!" He said as he bellowed out a hardy laugh and closed his eyes to rest.

[masorin]

“What kind of water can last five days with one gulp, if you ask me that’s just not natural.” He turned over and rested his eyes his body was sore from all the running he had been doing.

The few hours of night went peacefully which was lucky for the two people because there was no guard and they could have easily had there throats slit in there sleep. Shinon opened his eyes when his watch began to beep. An alarm he had set for around 10. the sky was lit with stars and the moon was still low, this was perfict. “oi frenchy wake up, we need to start walking again, unless you want to be somethings spirit snack out here.”

[Adimus]

As Franz laid dreaming under the moonlit sky, his mind took him back to his youth, to the war torn childhood he had endured, touring himself through his own battles and skirmishes, but one particular event stood out.

He was outside of his old home on the outskirts of Paris, and the scene was reminiscent of a war zone. Bodies lay everywhere, and craters and blood stained and marred the land. Franz ran up to his dying father, and took his sword out and began to fend off what he could, but to no avail. As the child was about to be killed off, the man who had his ax raised in front of was suddenly lifted into the air, and a blade ruptured from his chest. As the man went limp, several more came in, and just as fast as they came in, their faces turned to fear.

"It's her! The Demon Of The Landsknechts! The Jade Eyed Mistress Of The Serailius Line! Run!" But as the enemy ran, it was to no avail. he fearsome warriors weapon slashed through all of them like a hot knife through butter, leaving only tattered corpses and remains where men once stood. As Franz looked on in both respite and horror, the Warrior came to the boy, and laid a hand on his head, and said "My son isn't that much young than you I think. Maybe one day you'll become friends. But to reach that day, I think it's best that we escape while we can, Brave One." She said as she lifted Franz up and carried him out of the area.

And to this day those words still echo in Franz ear, and those eyes, those bright green eyes and dark blue hair bore right through him.

Then the words of the annoying Quincy came ringing back into Franz's head again, and in a moments notice he was up and ready to move on again. "Let us move on." Franz said as he himself began to lead the way, a newfound sense of determination in his own self.

That woman from his past constantly challenged him to do better, even in death, and always kept Franz on his feet. Even now his dreams of her made him strive to be better then her, and especially her son, his ever arrogant and prideful american rival.

[masorin]

Shinon began to walk again climbing over a sand dune he smiled, and began to walk slowly the heat of the sun had faded, and now it was night they could move more easily but they still needed food. “Keep your eyes open for any large snakes or things that live in the desert if we can find something small and non poisonus then we found dinner.”

He wished he could find a water reserve or oaises but that just seemed to be out of question meaning they had to find small things, things that knew how to survive, night time in the dessert is when the food moved around, and that meant it was dinner time. he formed his bow looking around. “because we have water, but that doesn’t mean that we still cant die of hunger, an empty stomach will only slow us down.”

[Adimus]

Franz listened as the Quincy whined about not having food and told him to look for small things to eat, preferably the nonpoisonous variety. "You know, for someone who mocks the French, you whine more than our own stereotypes." Franz said as he hefted his sword and threw ahead of him a good thirty feet, stabbing it into something beneath the ground. "The human body can live up to five months without having to eat even a thing, so I believe we'll be fine."

As he walked up, the flames from the sword had cooked what appeared to be a rather decent sized desert hare, and tossing it into the air, Franz then sliced it in half and tossed Shinon the juicer, meatier lower half. "There, now you won't starve to death. Let us continue while we have time left under the moon. And like I said, don't worry about water, and yes it is natural, probably more natural than our very selves. It's made with Mana, the Life-Blood of our planet. Or so they say." Franz said trying to reassure Shinon that his Quincy ass was going to make it out of this desert alive and in one piece.

[masorin]

Shinon looked at the man. “what are you on? the human body could only survive for Five days in a desert with out food or water, sure if we didn’t have move, could conserve our energy and meditate maybe a month would be possible but out here in the harshest conditions in the world. five days before your gut shrivels and dies. Even then it will take us at least five days to get out of here on a full stomach. Tell me how slow do you move during starvation? After five days of no food and little water out here, magic voodoo water or not. you die… slowly and painfully. And by the way… this is so not how you cook a rabbit. If we ate this we would die of sickness… you really don’t have any survival skills do you.”

Shinon took out of one of his soul cutters using it to skin the rabbit and de gut it. the tool also had the added benefit of cooking while cutting. After the rabbit was prepared he held it over the weapon the vibrations of 3000 a second heating the air around it like a make shift fire as he walked. “I’ll prepare yours after my own is finished cooking.”

[Adimus]

"I've heard and seen humans that have lived for months without eating. If you had a brain in your head you'd stop believing half of what you heard and read from medical journals and traveled the world to see for yourself." Franz said, now very pissed at the attitude of Shinon's. "And for someone whose supposed to be saving his race, you sure as hell complain quite a lot. You can eat the half I gave you, trust me when I say my fire cooked it thoroughly enough for it to be safe. Now then, if you don't mind, we have to-" Franz was saying but was interrupted by the sound of something rushing towards them, something shifting over sands. "I pray that isn't another worm." Franz said gripping his sword's handle.

The air got very hostile in a short span of time, and soon enough the cause of the sound showed itself; Bandits. They came riding in on top of a large schooner like craft, designed to be carried across sandy terrain by the wind via it's sails. "Oi boys, lookee here! We got ourselves a couple of lost ones!" Said one of the bandits that was on the foremost schooner. The bandits seemed dressed in a middle eastern attire, equipped with scimitars and bows, all wearing a like leather armor and turbans that wrapped both their head and face. However, one stood out, and it was the one calling out to the others. He bore a red turban, and held two larger than average scimitars across his back, with several daggers attached to his thighs and belt.

"I am Ahmad Ibn Alahad! And my friends, we can let you live, so long as you let us relieve you of your possessions!" Their leader spoke out to Franz and Shinon. "If you resist, of course you know, you both shall die." Ahmad said with a bow.

Franz at this point was incredibly pissed off beyond all reason. An annoying, dickhead Quincy with the guts and balls of a guppie, and now idiotic bandits threatening him. "Today is not a good day to be you. Forgive me my friend for the atrocities I am to commit." Franz said he drew his sword and slashed it downward with such force it made one of the circling schooner craft explode with a ferocious fireball. "Now then, the rest of you get off your craft, so I may tear your spine out myself." Franz said in a very chilling and calm manner.

Ahmad looked at Franz, and laughed. "Bah, like I'll do that! Isshin, Rashaad, get down there and kill those bastards!" Ahmad commanded and one of the sand schooners stopped and let off two men, very big, mean looking, powerful men, who Franz simply looked at, and laughed. "This'll be interesting." He said to himself as he moved in to attack them.

Meanwhile, the other men on board the sand schooner also got off, about 15 of them, and went to attack Shinon.