Another plank pillar shot up, and another. I’d deliberately set them at angles that wouldn’t be stable, and now, the first one crashed to the ground.
While the other vibrations masked my movements, I advanced across the sand-strewn ground. I sent out more Plank Pillars as I went, and any time the rest of the world went still, so did I.
The lizardman stood perfectly still, the stolen food forgotten. He tipped his head from side to side, and I guessed that he was listening to determine where I’d gone. But the falling pillars masked the sound of my footsteps as well as the other vibrations.
I stopped a dozen feet from him. Much closer now, I risked him being able to tell the vibrations apart or just feeling the air move at my approach.
I gathered my Vigor and took a deep breath.
Once more, I sent Plank Pillars out through the ground. This time, I directed them behind the lizardman, penning him in. As they rose, I predicted he would try to vanish beneath the earth, so I sent a superheated Untamed Torch at his feet. He yelped and jumped onto a nearby Plank Pillar and gripped onto it with his claws. I continued to burn the ground until the sand turned into glass.
“Let’s see you try to make an escape now,” I said. “Are we done now?”
The lizardman laughed, a sudden sound that made me stiffen. “Oh, yes, all done.” He prodded at my hand. “I know I have a fine face by any standard, but you can let go now. I promise, no more running, no more hitting, and no more stealing your food.”
The others had gotten back to their feed with a certain amount of wincing and cursing. As I let go of our visitor, the whole team gathered around.
“Greetings, weary travelers.” The lizardman stood, bowed, and held our haversack aloft. “I bring you this offering, a welcome present for your new home.”
“That’s our bag,” Vesma said. “And this isn’t our home.”
“Then I guess it all balances out.” The lizardman tossed the haversack to her. “And we can start over again. I am Tahlis, Guildmaster of the Steadfast Horn Guild.”
“You’re the Guildmaster?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Out here in the wilderness. On your own.”
I recalled how the city guards had spoken of Tahlis with as much disdain as Lord Ganyir. If he was an enemy of Mahrai and the cultists, then perhaps he could be a friend.
“I am indeed. And that, my little desert flowers, should tell you everything you need to know about the state of the Steadfast Horn.” He looked us up and down. “Do you have names?”
“I’m Ethan Murphy lo Pashat,” I said. “These are my friends Vesma, Kegohr, and Kumi.”
I couldn’t help still feeling a little annoyed at the lizardman, but he seemed more of a prankster than a real danger. He was a far cry from the solemn and noble demeanor of Guildmaster Xilarion. He also didn’t seem evil and twisted like Horix had been.
“Delighted to meet you,” Tahlis said. “And what brings four foreign travelers to this delightful destination?” He gestured at the barren desert, the ruined houses, and the heap of burning wood.
“I’m on the Path of the Immortal Swordslinger. That path has brought us here, to tackle a corruption in Gonki province.”
“Well, I never. I haven’t met a burgeoning Swordslinger in many years. I sense great Wild power in two of your companions as well, and I’m assuming that the last lady is as powerful as she is agile.”
“Powerful enough to knock you down in the dirt,” Vesma said, hands on hips. “If you’ve got the guts for a straight fight this time.”
“Young disciple, you should know never to get into a straight fight. Use every advantage the sands give you.”
We stood staring at the Guildmaster. His cloudy eyes never settled on any of us, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that he was paying close attention, waiting and sensing what we would do next.
“Why did you attack us?” I asked.
“I was bored,” he replied with a shrug. “And there have been scouts running out of Hyng’ohr City to hunt me down, far too many of them lately. I wanted to see whether you were more of the same.”
“Well, we’re not Hyng’ohr scouts.”
“Exactly what a Hyng’ohr scout would say!” He laughed. “I’m messing with you; none of them are halfway as capable as you are.”
Kumi frowned. “Why are they hunting for you?”
Tahlis sighed. “That’s such a long story. There’s arrogance and ambition, tragedy and greed, maybe even a joke or two to keep the people in the cheap seats listening.”
“We can cope with long stories,” I said. “Ours takes a while.”
“Then I’m happy to tell, but perhaps we could head back to my residence first?”
“Your residence?” Vesma asked. “The guild house?”
“No, not the guild house,” he answered. “I’ve taken up the Sunstone Temple as my home. It’s a lot safer than trying to sleep out here in the Vigorous Zone. Fewer monsters, unless you worry about the ones under beds.”
I looked around at my companions and raised a questioning eyebrow. Kumi nodded her agreement. Kegohr shrugged, as happy with a night of monster fighting as with a good night’s sleep. Vesma signaled her unenthusiastic assent with the smallest of nods.
“All right,” I said. “Let us gather our things, and we’ll go.”
Soon, we were walking along the familiar valley road. The moon and stars shone down, illuminating our journey toward a natural stone pillar some miles away, topped with the tower of the Sunstone Temple. The ground was still sandy, but dunes starting giving way to formations of old and wind-worn sandstone. They cast angular shadows across the moonlit ground, creating a strange and broken landscape.
“What happened here?” Vesma asked.
“First, I attacked you,” Tahlis said. “Then, you decided to make friends with me, and now, you’re coming to sleep at my place. It’s turning into a wild night!”
“Not that,” she said through gritted teeth. “What happened to Gonki?”
“Oh, that!
