The sand prison behind them began to collapse on itself and in a few seconds it was back in the ground like before. Donny still gripped the rope as he panted shallow gasps of breath that didn't seem to be enough to get over what just happened, though it was only about five to ten seconds.
“That... was close.” Bobby gasped being the first to actually speak. Donny felt the rope gently slide from his clenched hands and remembered that they were saved.
“Thank you, thank you very much...” Sean said looking at the large man who was winding the rope up around his elbow and shoulder.
The man stood upright about, Donny guessed, eight to ten feet, with dark, cracked skin like cooling lava without the red. He had on a large gray cloak that fit like a poncho and woven yellow-green pants with a large hat that covered most of his face with a deep shadow, keeping his eyes hidden.
“Engish?” He asked, his voice thick with a heavy accent.
“English? Yes.” Bobby replied.
“Me know little.” The man said finishing up rolling the rope into a perfect coil.
“Sand monster. He no bother now.” The man said as Donny rose and looked back at the spot they were attacked.
“You're a mud man, aren't you?” Sharon asked and the man answered with a nod.
“I named Sea Moor.” He introduced, “You being?”
“I am Sharon.” Sharon said then introduced each of the guys.
“Are you from the Mud Village?” She asked.
Sea Moor lowered his head, darkening his face even more, “I am.”
“May we go see it?” Sharon inquired and Sea Moor shook his head replying, “No. Village not safe... for outsiders.” Sharon frowned.
“Why?” Donny asked, “Are they unfriendly?”
“No, they is contolled.” He replied, his face getting darker.
“Contolled?” Donny said slowly, “Do you mean controlled?”
Sea Moor nodded.
“By who?” Bobby questioned.
“In Engish, it is Razor.” Sea Moor replied.
The next few moments were spent with questions asked with the same reply, “Don't go.” The sun was setting and Sea Moor lead them to his wagon, a simple thing built mostly of wood with a metal framework that held it together with a wool sheet that covered it tent style. The thing was only a few times bigger than Sea Moor himself, who reached into the flap that was the entrance and pulled out a stick about two feet long and a bundle of some dried plant that reminded Donny of hay.
He walked over, away from the wagon, and dropped the small bundle of weeds, smoothing them into a small pile then snapped off the tip of the stick and hid it inside the weeds.
He moved his hands to them, telling them to back up then spit on the wood. Almost instantly the wood ignited and began to eat and live on the weeds. But this was not ordinary fire that rose into the air, this fire spread out in a three foot diameter that made it look bigger than it actually was and didn't lick at the sky till it was a good distance away, like something was on top of it.
Donny didn't say it, but the fire was pretty cool.
Sean watched the flames magically move under an invisible object and said, “How is it doing that?” Sea Moor just shrugged and reached back into the wagon telling them to sit around the fire. Donny watched Sea Moor pull out what looked to be an arm full of fruit.
Sea Moor tossed a few fruits to each of them and Donny examined the strange fruit.
It was shaped a bit like an apple but was slightly fuzzy, like a peach, with a bluish green color to it. Donny held it up and sniffed it. There was no real odor from it and was about to take a bite when Sea Moor said, “Stop. Watch.” Donny pulled the fruit away from his teeth and watched Sea Moor.
He extended his arm out in front over the fire and held a fruit over the open flame. After a few seconds a purple, gooey liquid began to drip from the fruit dissolving into the flames leaving the fruit to change colors to a swirling mix of orange and red. He pulled it back and took a large bite from it and nearly ate the thing whole.
Donny hesitantly put his fruit over the flames and felt the fuzzy texture spike a bit with the heat then the strange liquid fell from his fruit sizzling in the fire. Once the liquid stopped and the color was all orange or red he pulled it back and took a small bite. The taste popped in his mouth. It tasted like a cross between apples and peaches with a hint of grape thrown in. He ate more of it faster than he realized and discovered that he ate the entire fruit leaving only the taste coating his mouth.
Once everyone finished off the delicious fruits John asked, “What are these?”
Sea Moor polished off his last three fruits and said a word that would not register, like a deep growl with a letter or two thrown in.
“What?” Bobby said and Sea Moor repeated the strange word.
“It my language.” Sea Moor explained, “Engish word I not know.”
“You're language? Does everyone in the village speak that language?” Sean asked as the wind began to pick up a bit. Sea Moor nodded just as the wind swept over them and took his hat off.
His face was pretty plain, no hair, a slightly larger than average nose, and the same cracked skin as his arms and hands. But he did have one different thing about him: he had vibrantly golden eyes. He quickly shut his eyes and covered his face.
“What's wrong?” Bobby inquired, surprised.
Sea Moor didn't reply, just grabbed his hat and put it back on, careful to keep his eyes hidden.
“I alright.” Sea Moor panted.
Donny was about to say something when the wind began to pick up again sending a wave of sand into their faces, the fire was snuffed out and Sea Moor held his hat down. Donny gagged on the sand and covered his watery eyes and felt the sand swirl around them like a tornado.
Once the sand stopped moving so fast Donny chanced opening his eyes and found that they were trapped in a larger sand prison, like before.
“I get us out!” Sea Moor shouted charging the wall with his shoulder out forward. He connected with the wall and when it seemed he would get through the sand began to mold and stretch covering his arms and legs making Sea Moor into a wall ornament.
Sharon screamed his name and a column of sand began to erupt under her feet knocking her over. When she landed a tentacle of sand gripped her ankle and pulled her into the air above everyone. The sand began to morph underfoot and forced everyone else to jump back and the wagon fell over onto its side. A circle of teeth began to grow from the sand directly underneath the upside-down Sharon. The teeth belonged to a colossal worm that rose from the sand keeping its gaping mouth open and hungry.
Sean yelled Sharon's name and charged the creature tackling its base but it had no effect.
Sharon reached up and pulled free her dagger then threw it straight at one of the little eyes that peeked over the teeth. It connected and the worm shrieked in pain and turned away from Sharon who began to fall as the sand began to disintegrate around her ankle. The worm retreated back into the ground where the sand covered its head.
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