Rose, an explorer

Rose was an explorer who loved to travel the world and see all the different sights that made it so amazing. She'd seen many things, from the breathtaking Lagyian Mountains to the magical forest of Alwood. She met all kinds of people, unafraid of making conversation and sharing stories. So when one stranger told her about some ruins that appeared a year ago in the Fallian Desert, she grew interested.

She met the stranger in Sadian, a kingdom that appeared a few centuries after the fall of Serana. It sits on the edge of the Fallian Desert, close enough to civilization so they could still trade but far enough into the desert so that they could defend easily if they were ever attacked. The man told her of a time when he traveled through the desert, hunting for creatures that would sell for high coin on the market. He spoke of how he stumbled upon an area where the ground opened up into a huge hole, saying that it didn't use to be there the last time he came through.

"I peered into the hole to see if I could spot anything of value," he told her at the bar. "I couldn't see the very bottom but there were different platforms along the edges of it. And there were many monsters of all types. Many of them should've been predator and prey to each other but instead, lived as though they were relatives. I'm telling you, lass, something is calling them there."

"Did you go in?" Rose was curious about this discovery, never hearing of anything like this before.

"No. Before I could think of what to do, a huge creature climbed up from the side and attacked me. I barely made it out with my life. The thing looked like a huge cat but with black skin and six arms. I think the only reason it didn't kill me was because it didn't want to go too far from the opening. When I got back, I asked around to see if anyone else had seen it. No one I know had personally seen it but a few did say that some who spoke of traveling in that area never returned."

Rose knew that she needed to see this. The only problem was that she wasn't much of a fighter. If she tried to go in alone, the creatures would tear her apart. She needed help.

A week later, she came over a hill of sand, breathing heavily from the day of traveling she'd done. She wore her cloak over her head to protect her from the worst of the heat as she looked off into the distance, looking for a sign of the man's story.

Next to her was a loud sigh as her hired companion stepped up next to her.

Arianna, the dark elven mage, was hired for her magical abilities in all areas. She knew much about every existing monster: their weaknesses, strengths, ways to avoid them and much more.

She looked forward to where Rose was looking, shaking her head. "If we haven't found it by now, Rose, it doesn't exist."

Rose glared at her for a moment before looking forward again. "You have no faith. Besides, if we head back now without finding anything, you'll only get the amount I've paid and not the other 75%. Your job is to help me with the monsters and we've only run into five. Why can't you be like the two brutes back there and just follow along?"

She pointed back behind her to the two men. They were the muscle of the group, hired to protect Rose and fight the monsters they encounter physically while Arianna would help with her magic. These two were huge, one holding a battleaxe and the other holding two huge cleaver-like weapons. Arianna noticed that the two were staring at the asses of Rose and herself without shame, making her scowl.

"Those two only know how to swing their weapons and stare at our bodies," Arianna stated as she flipped them off, making them laugh.

Rose chuckled. "Yeah but they can keep the bigger monsters off of us. That's all I need them for. Besides, you're earning more than both of them combined. Don't complain. We both know who does the real work."

Then she stopped as she saw something off in the distance. A dark blur, moving close to the sand. As she watched, it moved along the sand slowly before it disappeared into it. This had to be it.

"We found it."