The ambush

The scorching sun beat down mercilessly as the group trudged across the dusty path. Sweat clung to their skin. Sand clung to everything else.




Eleo, Tony, and Kenji were falling behind—slowly but surely.




Eleo groaned and dropped to his knees. "Man, I'm hot…" he whined, ears drooping like wilting leaves. He grabbed the cup hanging from his belt and tilted it toward his mouth. A single drop hit his tongue. Then—nothing. Bone dry.




"Nooo," he sobbed. "My water…"




"Come on, Eleo. Get up before you fuse with the ground."




"I am the ground now," Eleo mumbled, face down in the sand.




Kenji grunted, took one more step, then collapsed with a heavy thud. "I don't think I can go any further," he muttered, voice low and ragged. "This sun is draining every ounce of honor from my body."




Tony threw his arms up. "Oh for the love of chaos—fine. You two puddles of sadness wanna die here, or…?"




He trailed off, glancing around.




"…Wait. Where's everyone else?"




Eleo peeked up weakly. "They left us to die…" he said dramatically, flopping onto his back like a fallen soldier. "Chiyo Olorun Timmy betrayed me… even Kawai…"




Kenji groaned. "This is why I don't do deserts."




Tony growled and looked down at the sand. A faint trail of footprints stretched forward.




"Okay, okay," he muttered, pointing. "We've got their footprints. We can catch up."




"Or," Kenji mumbled, lying flat now, "we wait until nightfall. It'll be cooler. We move under the stars."




"I hate your logic when it's smarter than mine," Tony muttered.




He squinted into the shimmering heat haze ahead.




Then, he stopped.




"…Wait."




Tony narrowed his eyes, standing up straighter. Something moved—just barely visible in the distance. A shimmer. A shape.




"Guys," he said quietly. "I see something."




Kenji stepped beside him and looked.

"What are you talking abou—"




Then his eyes sharpened. He immediately drew both swords with a twin shing, muscles tensing.




"Eleo. Get up. We've got trouble coming."




Eleo flopped over weakly. "Can't move… I'm too hot. I need… water. Waaaater…"




"Deal with thirst later," Tony growled. "We've got a fight coming first."




From the distance, a mob of riders sped across the dunes—sandboards hissing over the slopes. Each figure wore desert armor and mismatched goggles, wrapped in tattered cloaks and scarves. Some brandished rocket launchers, others long rifles or jagged blades strapped to their backs.




Eleo slowly turned his head.




"…What the heck—WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS TELL ME?!"




"WE DID." Kenji and Tony yelled in unison.




Suddenly—

THUMP!

A sandball the size of a boulder exploded toward Eleo from one of the raiders.




"AAHH!" Eleo yelped, rolling in the sand just in time as it slammed into the ground behind him, showering dust and heat.




"HEY, YOU JERKS!" Eleo yelled, leaping up and cracking his knuckles. His cheerful tone twisted into a battle-ready grin. "You wanna fight?! You GOT one!"




Tony's voice dripped with amusement. "Hah. These guys must have a death wish. Picking a fight with us in a desert? Bold and stupid."




Kenji took a slow step forward, swords gleaming in the sunlight. His voice was calm, sharp.




"They're well-armed. Coordinated. This isn't a random ambush. Stay sharp."




Tony smirked, brushing a grain of sand from his shoulder. "Good. I'm getting bored of walking anyway."




Eleo stretched his arms, eyes gleaming. "Finally! Something fun!"

The sand riders began to fan out, circling fast.








Wind howled. The air tightened.








Kenji's grip tightened on his blade. "Form a line. We fight here."








The raiders skated closer—sandboards carving through dunes like sharks under waves. Dust swirled. Tension thickened.








Tony cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Alright, Eleo, what's the plan—"








He turned.








"…Eleo?"








But Eleo was already sprinting full speed into the battlefield, arms flailing behind him.








"WE DON'T NEED A PLAN!!" he shouted, eyes wild with excitement.








Kenji cursed under his breath. "Wait—ELEO! Stop charging in, you idiot! We need to—ugh, never mind!"








Eleo beamed as he reached the closest raider and shouted,


"INK HAMMER!!"








His arm morphed into a massive, swirling hammer made of glowing black ink. He leapt high, bringing it down with a roar.








THUD!








But instead of smashing the raider, the hammer sank into a shifting block of sand—hard as stone and now cube-shaped, locking Eleo's arm in place like a bear trap.








"…Huh?" Eleo blinked. "Wait—waitwaitwait—HEY!"








He pulled, twisted, kicked at the cube. Nothing.








Kenji's eyes sharpened. "What the hell just happened?"








Tony's grin faded. "…Crap. That's not regular sand. That's Sand Magic."








FWUMP!


A figure teleported onto the cube Eleo was stuck in, landing with theatrical flair. Dust exploded around his boots.








He had short hair—except for two distinct locks that curled into the shape of the letter "J", one on each side of his head like twisted buns sculpted with intention. His face was caked in heavy eyeliner, bright blush, and shimmering gold lipstick, giving him the look of a circus star turned warlord. A bold, stylized "J" was painted across one cheek like a stamp of arrogance.








He spread his arms with a dramatic flourish. "Well, well, well… what do we have here? A bunch of small fries—extra crispy!"








Laughter erupted from the surrounding raiders. Sandboards hissed to a halt, kicking up waves of dust as more and more enemies gathered. They encircled the trio completely.








Kenji's grip tightened on his sword. He scanned the crowd—dozens, maybe more. "We're surrounded."








He whispered without turning his head. "Tony. Now what?"








Tony didn't look worried. He shrugged lazily. "Eh. Let's see what happens first. Then we kick their asses."








Eleo was still struggling with his stuck hammer arm. "Ugh—why won't it come out?! I didn't sign up for sand puzzles!"








The flamboyant man smirked and crouched down, resting his chin on his palm as he stared at the trapped bunny.








"Awwww… look at this." He grinned. "A little bunny caught in my trap. Is this not poetic?"








The raiders burst into another round of laughter.








"Hey, you JERK!" Eleo yelled. "Let me out of this!"








"So you can hit me?" the man said, blinking innocently.








Eleo nodded. "Well, yeah. You and your dumb squad!"








The man stood, placing a hand to his chest in mock offense.


"You hear that, boys? This carrot-chomping cotton ball wants to fight us all!"








The entire gang roared with laughter.








Kenji's jaw clenched. "So… that's Sand Magic?"








Tony leaned in, whispering. "Yeah. It's nasty stuff. If the user's in a sandy area—like this whole damn desert—he can shape, trap, harden, even teleport through it. It's basically his battlefield."








Kenji exhaled. "Wonderful."








Eleo growled, still tugging uselessly. "Okay, seriously. This cube sucks. You suck. The whole desert sucks!"








The man flashed a dazzling smile.








"Oh bunny boy," he said, eyes glittering. "We're just getting started."