Blinking their eyes rapidly, and with looks of bafflement on their faces, Marcus and Mrazivy were caught off guard to learn that their mode of transportation would be via some sort of boat that moved over the sand.


    ''I thought that we were going over thend route to avoid being stuck on a ship again.'' Was Marcus'' first thought.


    However, his mind quickly cleared and he realized that while the vehicle that they would be taking was called a sand boat, it was likely to be nothing like a trip on the water.


    In fact, once the initial shock started to wear off, he realized that this was going to be something he could not experience anywhere else.


    He had heard of concepts on Earth about ships moving over sand, and seen it depicted in forms of media, but in this world of magic it seemed that the fantastical idea had be a reality.


    ''Now I am really looking forward to this.'' Marcus thought as he eagerly boarded the carriage.


    Mrazivy quickly followed after him and their caravan set off to what was called the sand docks where the sand boats were waiting for them.


    ''You seem pretty excited Marcus. Do you know what these sand boats are?'' Mrazivy asked with telepathy, having noticed that his confusion had vanished quite quickly.


    ''I have several ideas. It was not something that really existed on my former world, but there were plenty of concepts for them.'' Marcus responded.


    He then told her about the different types of sand boats he had seen in fiction on earth and how they might possibly move.


    Of course, his enthusiastic telepathic conversation with Mrazivy made the carriage ride a bit ufortable for Amira, since it seemed that he to quests were just sitting in silence andpletely ignoring her.


    When they finally arrived at the sand boat dock she muttered words of relief and exited the carriage.


    Seeing that they had arrived, Marcus and Mrazivy followed behind her and after having discussed what the sand boats might look like for the entire trip, eagerly looked around for the unusual vessel that neither of them had seen before.


    "I figured it was going to just have one hull. Never expected it to be a trimaran." Marcus said when he saw the three sand boats waiting for them.


    Each one was uniform in size and had one main hull in the middle and two supporting hulls extending out from each side that were smaller.


    In the front of the boat was tworge folded up sails, each one being connected to the middle hull and then having another connection to one of the side hulls.


    "I figured that they would be made out of some type of wood, but that is definitely mithril." Marcus said having a keen eye for the metal.


    But as he thought about it, that fact that the sand boats were made out of mithril made sense. It was a very light weight metal for how durable it was.


    Still, each of these ships must have been worth a small fortune.


    "I see that were going to be using some very impressive vessels for our journey. Are all sand boats made using mithril for their hulls?" Marcus asked curiously.


    "No, these are the ones that belong specifically to the Eazim n for high-speed travel across the desert. Most merchantpanies and lower ranked ns have sand boats made out of less expensive substances." Amira replied.


    While Marcus and Mrazivy continued to bombard Amira with more questions about the sand boats, the crew of four that manned each ship began helping Amira''s servants load the luggage from the carriages onto the boats.


    During that time the captain in charge of the lead boat came and greeted Amira.


    "Lady Amira, it is good to see you again." He said bowing respectfully.


    Naturally he was a member of the Eazim n as well, though a rank lower than Amira who was a member of the n''s head family.


    "Yes, it is a pleasure to see you again Captain Haidar. I just hope that our journey this time does not have the same hups as myst one." Amira said with a forceful smile.


    Gulping, Captain Haidar felt the pressureing from her. He knew that she was still displeased with what urred during their previous journey together.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I assure you that we have taken every precaution this time. The crew is not filled with greenhorns, I have made sure to bring only my best. Along with your guards, there should be no problem like what happened before."


    Captain Haidar then looked towards Marcus and Mrazivy and introduced himself to them as well in order to change the subject.


    "It is nice to meet you, Captain Haidar. We will be in your care on this journey." Mrazivy said in response to his greeting.


    Not long after the captain finished greeting them, a member of his crew came up to him and informed him that the sand boats were ready to depart.


    "Let us go then." Amira said with a resigned expression. Clearly, she was not fond of traveling via sand boat.


    Once on board the sand boat that would be carrying them, Amira led Marcus and Mrazivy to back of the boat where three small couches had been set up with arge ornate tent that kept the area shaded.


    "I am sorry that this is the best we can do for amodation on during this journey. There is only storage space below the deck and no ce for people. I understand it may be a bit inconvenient for you to have to stay out here in the heat, but I am afraid that there is nothing else we can do." Amira said.


    "Oh, it is no problem. This is more than enough for us. We have dealt with far more ufortable situations." Marcus said, before looking out towards the middle and front of the deck.


    He was actually more interested in how this sand boat functioned and what work the crew was doing than sitting around leisurely.


    Mrazivy was also curious about what was going on, and the two of them feeling the spark of adventure, headed over to observe what the crew was doing.


    "Is there anything I can do for our two esteemed guests?" Haidar asked them.


    "Yes, we were wondering how this vessel functions?" Marcus said, his interest obvious to see.


    Chuckling, Captain Haidar was more than happy to tell them about his sand boat which he had a great deal of pride in.


    "The winds in the desert are a bit to unpredictable to use so we have a magical engine that produces wind for us. It uses a high-quality wind elemental crystal as its core and can create powerful gusts. At its full output we can exceed a hundred kilometers per hour. Though the ride bes quite bumpy at that point."


    The captain continued to exin the features of the boat for several minutes, informing Marcus and Mrazivy about its wind shield that kept out most of the sand, as well as the magical defenses it had for use against beasts, monsters, and hostile sand boats.


    "So what happenedst time you had Amira with you?" Marcus eventually asked one the captain was in a really good mood.


    Naturally this ruined his jovial attitude immediately and he nervously nced over to where Amira and her contingent of guards were.


    She did not seem to be paying attention, though so the captain descried to tell them what happened. It was not like it was a major secret and he figured Amira would tell them eventually but with her own perspective that was less favorable towards him.


    "It was just supposed to be an easy trip to one of the oasis towns around two hundred kilometers into the desert. Only a short four-day trip, but we got unlucky. A colossal desert centipede locked onto us and chased us around for several hours and forced us way off course. During that time, we had to abandon most of Lady Amira''s personal items, such as those couches, she has prepared this time as well. Supplies were also scarce since we did not n to be in the desert for so long, and it was a rough experience for all of us, but especially Lady Amira who is used to having a certain level offort." Haidar exined.


    Hearing his story, Marcus and Mrazivy could understand what had urred and see it both ways.


    For Amira she had been forced into an unexpected distressful situation and had her possession thrown away. But for the crew this was necessary for them to survive as they had note equipped to deal with a beast asrge and powerful as a colossal desert centipede which was apparently twenty meters long and could shoot beams ofpressed heat from its mouth.


    "Captain the sails are hoisted, and the wind engine is fully charged. We are ready to leave." One of the crew shouted not long after Haidar finished telling Marcus and Mrazivy about his previous journey with Amira.


    "Looks like it is time for us to set sail. I would rmend that you both go take your seats next to Amira. Things can be a bit turbulent when we take off." Haidar said.


    "No, we will be fine. We want to see what the take off of a sand boat looks like." Marcus responded.


    "Suit yourselves. Just don''t fall overboard. I can tell you it is not asfortable falling into rough and hot sand as it is water."