Aurelio

The desert sun burns overhead, and you pause to wipe at the beads of sweat determinedly dripping toward your eyes. The heat, baked into your skin, has made you less than lucid, so when you raise your head again and see a figure striding your way, for a fleeting second you think you’re seeing a mirage.

As the figure winds their way closer, this hunch only reinforces itself. A helpful dragon to see in the middle of nowhere would be striding tall, unbothered by the elements, perhaps with a friendly smile or (even better!) a pitcher of lemonade to quench one’s thirst and a map towards the nearest oasis. This, whoever this is, is certainly… not that.

They walk with a wavering, hopping gait. You stand still, watching them head your way - and you catch the shimmer and jangle of beads and fine jewels long before you can see their face, obscured by heavy goggles. Finally, several meters away, they look up, head swaying, and seem to notice your presence. This does not help you come to any good conclusions about their helpfulness.

“Hellooooo!” They warble, weaving your way. An imperial, you belatedly realize, for despite their hunched stance they still tower over you. The smile they send seems friendly enough, if a little strange.

The imperial leans close, inspecting you and whispering in a reedy voice. “Hmm, mm, many long years in the desert since I’ve seen a face like yours…” He taps talons to his chin before turning to rummage in one of his satchels. Up close, he looks more like a sage, if a sage had been dipped in gold and run through several sandstorms.

Finally, he extracts one of his bottles and holds it out to you, beaming. “Here! Take this!” You catch the vial and gasp at its weight - although, truth be told, you’re not sure what it is, only that the swirling stuff inside is difficult to look at directly. He rears back, smiling triumphantly. “Liquid light,” he confides, swinging his head from side to side as if watching for listeners. “It’ll come in handy.”

In the middle of the desert? You want to ask, but instead you find yourself slipping the vial into your bag.

Who knows, after all?

-Passage written by SilverSilver