noffsinger Chapter 702 Sandstorm Strikes
Chapter 702 Sandstorm Strikes
Deep in the Tanaris Desert, the sands weep.
Three brightly colored dune bugs, like three mechanical beetles, traced straight tracks across the boundless golden sea of sand.
Alvin, driving the lead orange motorcycle, took the lead, his wide sand tires rolling over the soft sand dunes, kicking up long trails of dust.
The roar of the engine sounded particularly jarring in this desolate place. The heat distorted the view, and the scorching sunlight poured down without any obstruction. Even through the goblin-made goggles, one could still feel the burning temperature.
Akalitha followed closely behind, with Green Shadow bringing up the rear. The druid's gaze, peering through amber lenses, was like the most sophisticated sensor, scanning every unnatural texture of the desert and listening to every unusual wail in the wind.
Ever since entering this desert, Green Shadow has had an inexplicable sense of unease. However, the vast desert has nothing but sand, so she couldn't pinpoint what the problem was and could only concentrate on carefully observing her surroundings.
After driving for about an hour, Alvin raised his arm, signaling to stop.
The three motorcycles shut off their noisy engines one after another, and the world was instantly enveloped in silence.
The group got off the motorcycle and rested briefly in the small patch of shadow cast by the motorcycle.
Alvin took off his goggles, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his scarf, and handed the water pouch to Akalitassa.
The little red dragon gulped down several mouthfuls and let out a satisfied sigh.
Just then, the green shadow that had been quietly observing its surroundings suddenly frowned slightly.
She gently took off her goggles, lay down on the sand, and pressed her long ears against the sand to listen. Soon, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Green Shadow?"
Alvin keenly noticed her unusual behavior and asked in a low voice.
Green Shadow did not answer immediately. She closed her eyes, stretched out her hands, and gently pressed her palms onto the scorching sand, as if feeling the pulse of the earth.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again: "No... the forces of nature are stirring restlessly. Very faint, but they are definitely there."
She pointed to a sparse area of sandy land to their left, where drought-resistant thorns grew.
“Look, those sand lizards and beetles are frantically burrowing deeper into the sand, as if they are fleeing something.”
Alvin and Akalitha looked in the direction she pointed.
Sure enough, some tiny creatures that were originally active on the sand surface are disappearing at an abnormal rate.
Immediately afterward, several sharp, urgent cries came from above them—a few vultures that had been circling high above seemed to be startled, and suddenly flapped their wings, flying away without looking back towards the horizon in the opposite direction from where they were heading.
"Even the birds are fleeing..."
Green Shadow's voice lowered even further.
“Something is disrupting the balance of this land, instilling a primal fear in the creatures. We are getting closer and closer to Zul'Farrak, where strange things may indeed be happening that are beyond our imagination.”
An invisible pressure began to permeate the three of them.
Alvin put his goggles back on, climbed onto the motorcycle, and stood firm, scanning the northwest horizon.
There was nothing there except undulating sand dunes and scorching waves of air.
Suddenly, Akalitta pointed into the distance and shouted, "Look! Isn't the color of the sky over there a little off?"
Everyone stared intently at it.
Near the northwest horizon, the once clear blue sky had been covered with an ominous yellowish-brown, as if someone had lightly brushed the edge of the sky with a giant brush dipped in sand.
The yellow color is slowly becoming more intense.
"It's a sandstorm..."
Alvin said in a deep voice, his experience telling him that this was by no means a good thing.
Green Shadow, with her exceptional druid senses, issued another warning, her expression suddenly changing: "Something's wrong! Elwin, that sandstorm is moving too fast! Natural winds don't have that kind of propulsion! This isn't naturally occurring!"
Reminded by her, Elwin and Akalitassa were suddenly startled to realize that the yellow curtain on the horizon was rapidly advancing toward their location at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary desert storm!
It was as if an invisible giant hand was frantically driving billions of tons of sand and gravel from behind, trying to completely engulf this area!
What seemed like a distant threat has now become an imminent disaster!
The yellow forward was like the crest of a tsunami, and the outline of the churning sand wall could already be seen, rapidly magnifying in the field of vision!
The prelude to the gale arrived first, bringing with it a piercing whistle and fine sand that lashed against their goggles and clothes with a dense "pattering" sound.
"There's no time to find cover!"
Erwin acted decisively and shouted sternly.
"Wrap your scarves tighter! Put on your goggles! Park your motorcycles side by side and get to the leeward side! Quickly!"
The three reacted quickly.
Alvin and Akalitasa struggled to push the three heavy dune motorcycles into a depression backed by a tall sand dune, with the front of the motorcycles facing outwards in a semi-circle.
They then quickly crouched down, hiding behind the makeshift barrier made of motorcycles, tightly wrapping their mouths and noses with thick sand-proof scarves, leaving only their eyes, which were covered by goggles, exposed.
Almost the very next second after they finished their dodge—
"boom--------!!!"
The main force of the sandstorm, like billions of frenzied desert beasts, roared down!
The world lost all color and sound in an instant, leaving only an endless, wildly spinning expanse of earthy yellow and darkness.
Countless sharp grains of sand rolled over with destructive force, reducing visibility to less than a meter, and even the outlines of companions beside them became blurred and distorted.
Alvin felt as if countless invisible hands were tearing at his body. The immense wind pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe, and even through his scarf, sand and dust relentlessly tried to get into his mouth, nose, and ears.
My ears were filled with the howling wind and the dense clanging of sand hitting metal.
Three sand motorcycles trembled violently in the gale, creaking under the strain, their paint peeling off instantly as the sand and gravel wore them down.
"pay close attention!"
Alvin roared amidst the deafening noise, reaching out to pull Akalitha and Green Shadow, who were closest to him, sharply towards him. He used his broad back and arms to shield the two girls as much as possible, curling them up in the angle formed by the motorcycle and the sand dune.
He could feel Akalitha's body trembling slightly, while the green shadow seemed to be chanting softly, trying to mobilize natural energy to form a more stable shelter, but in this violent sandstorm driven by evil forces, her spells had little effect.
Sudden--
"Clang! Crack!"
The bright green motorcycle that originally belonged to Akalitasa, because of its relatively protruding mounting position, finally couldn't withstand the continuous wind pressure and the impact of the sand and gravel. It was lifted off the ground by the gale, like a light toy, and rolled away into the dim yellow sand curtain, leaving only a few brief metallic twisting sounds.
The remaining two motorcycles were also in grave danger, swaying wildly in the wind, as if they would follow suit at any moment.
Just as the three were struggling against the immense power of nature, almost being buried or blown away by the sandstorm, Green Shadow, who had maintained a high level of natural awareness, suddenly raised her head from Elwin's arms. Her voice pierced through the roar of the sandstorm and reached Elwin's ears: "Elwin! There's something in the sandstorm! The aura of death is approaching! A lot of it!"