Zardin stood waiting at a small, abandoned village, hoping someone would come soon. He was standing in the shade of a house made of clay. In fact, the entire village was made out of one giant block of clay. It was as if some divine being had sent a giant blob of clay down to earth, just so people could live in it. There was an oasis near by, and he had lived off the oasis for days. Waiting and waiting for someone to come, Zardin thought back to the time when he had been all to willing to come here...
"And where is my reward for saving your skin just now?" Zardin said, obviously annoyed. "Please sir, I have nothing to of value offer you." the old man whimpered, cowering in a corner. "Nothing? I saved your pitiful life for nothing? Is nothing the only thing you can give me? Because if it is, the only thing that you will get in return is death." Zardin scowled, and waited for a reply. "Sir, I may have something to give you. It's an old map, said to lead to an ancient city under the Kimal Desert. There is an old rumor that there is a great treasure there called 'Gamma'. If you don't kill me, you can have it." Zardin looked at him, intrigued by the old mans words. "I think that sounds interesting enough to spare your life. Give me the map, and I'll let you go free." The old man stood up, pulled a key out of his pocket, and unlocked a drawer with it. He then pulled out a a glass tube. The tube was made of opaque glass, and it looked as though a small light were emitting from it. The ends were sealed with wax, and it looked as though it had been opened multiple times. The old man took out a candle and lit the wax, and as it dripped off, the light got brighter. Eventually, Zardin had to close his eyes, and he yelled, "Just get the scroll already!" and suddenly, the light stopped. As he opened his eyes, he saw the old man was holding out a small map, his hands quivering. As Zardin took the map, the old man said, "I have one piece of advice for you, sir. Take more than yourself to the city, for it is supposed to be filled with evils, evils that few even dare to dream about." "I will take that advice to heart, old man." Zardin replied, "And I will take your heart too." before the old man could blink, Zardin whipped out one of his katanas and stabbed the old man in the heart. He had departed for the desert a week later, but only after posting an advertisement in a small pub renowned for it's brutal fighters that said:
"A quest to an ancient city. A lost treasure. An adventure of a lifetime. The search for 'Gamma'. Are you strong enough to do it?"
That was 2 weeks ago. He was beginning to doubt that anyone would come. One more day, then I'll leave he thought, but that was what he had thought for every day past the first week. He must have wanted this treasure more then he expected. Would anyone come to help, or would he have to go in himself?