The sun blazed from above in the barren region of Issiq. The sandy landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, uninterrupted except for a small group of Xunari making their way trough the lands. Choose, Guide, Reach, and Judge had been sent by their colony to seek out Carus, a solitary figure rumoured to be a renowned scholar. Choose, who had been elected as the leader of the group, walked at the forefront, her eyes scanning the horizon. Guide had used the stars to navigate during the night, planning a course together with Choose- who had honestly been very confused about it all. Still, he trusted Guide well enough by now to not feel the need to double-check his work. Judge and Reach has mainly been sent along for extra man power, both currently carrying the equipment trough the desert. Jouneying trough Issiq was not something the colony liked doing in the slightest. The dryness of the region was a stark contrast again their rather wet homeland, which left most colonists without any skills to cope with that *or* the heat, and the rocky terrain in this part of the region just made matters worse. Despite the harsh

conditions, the group pressed on, determined to find Carus and learn whatever secrets he might be willing to share. "Are we sure this Carus even exists?" Reach asked, her voice filled with scepticism and annoyance. Judge nodded in agreement. "Carus is said to be a recluse, but his knowledge of this region is unparalleled. If we can find him, it could be invaluable for our colony." Guide optimistically added, "Besides, the journey itself is an adventure. Even if we don't find Carus, we'll have fun exploring Issiq." The rest shot her a glance- "fun" was subjective, they supposed. As they reached the top of the incline, they were greeted by a breath-taking view of the desert below. The rocky landscape was dotted with sparse vegetation, and in the distance, they could see what appeared to be an oasis of sorts. "An oasis!" Reach called out, being the first to reach the top. "Maybe Carus is there?" she shielded her eyes with her hand, trying to see into the distance. Guide nodded, studying the terrain. "I mean, it's possible. We might as well head into that direction." The group started to make their way to the oasis, it's green leaves a

stark contrast to the desert surrounding it. Reaching the oasis, the group was pretty convinced that they had found a small, vibrant piece of heaven. Choose knelt by the water's edge, cupping his hands to take a drink of the clear water. Guide and Judge looked around- the oasis had a few other Xunari around it, but at a quick glance, none of them seemed to be the orange and white belemoid they had been looking for. "Doesn't seem like he's here." Guide groaned with a sigh. "Let's just take a rest here, and keep on looking later." The others nodding in agreement, happy to take a break in the oasis. the four easily fell into some casual conversation. As they rested, a figure emerged from the desert. The new Xunari took a sip out the oasis waters, and then laid down, seemingly taking a break just like the colonists. Choose frowned, swearing that the figure looked familiar. He nudged Retreat, who was sitting next to him, who hummed in thought. There were some difference between this Belemoid and the way Carus had been described to them. This belemoid had different coloured eyes, blue instead of the green they had

gotten described, and had small, darker circles under his eyes, which hadn't been mentioned at all. Still, the besides that- this belemoid was identical to the description they had been given. The rest of the group fell silent for a bit, all trying to connect the dots. "Well," Retreat started, joking, "Even if that *isn't* Carus, they've gotta be related to him." Judge nodded. "I suppose saying hi shouldn't hurt." the group quickly gathered their belongings to go say hi to the Belemoid. "Travelers," the Belemoid greeted them, his voice deep and curious. "Can I help you with anything?" "We were ah- hoping you could help us find someone? We're looking for a Belemoid called Carus- " The belemoid interrupted Judge, laughing. "That's funny. I suppose you could say I know Carus- y'know, since I'm him." "Oh!" Judge exclaimed. "We thought you were someone else ah- this is awkward." Carus chuckled "Well, don't keep me waiting then. What do you need of me?" "Our scholars have been looking for some information that they heard you might be able to help them with-" Choose started to speak, but was quickly interrupted. "I've been telling people I'm done with all that scholarly

stuff." Carus said, sounding firm, a hint of anger in his voice. "Last time I helped someone, they ran off with all of my work!" Retreat was quite taken aback by that, gasping. "That's not fair at all! We would never-" Carus cut her off again "You would never, because you won't get the chance. Tell your scholars that there's no chance of me working with them." An awkward silence fell on the group, nobody really knowing what to say. "Ah- okay then. We won't pressure you if that's what you want- we didn't know, and we're sorry about this." Guide said, awkwardly. Had they known beforehand they wouldn't have come all this way, after all. "Would you perhaps know who else we can ask? Any colleagues in Issiq you're fond of?" Carus seemed to think for a bit "Hmm Not that I can think of, sorry." The group let out a collective sigh "Well- thank you, regardless. Again, we're sorry for bothering you. We really didn't mean to." Carus nodded, a slight smile at his face that ultimately did nothing to veil his annoyance. "You're alright. No worries, I suppose my reputation outruns me, still. Suffering from success, you

could say. Stay for a while and rest up- I imagine you guys have quite the journey back, after all."