Chapter 3 - The Whirlwind Tower

As I wander past the now open door I wonder about something I saw in the desert before the ruins, eerie stones in the sand, lined almost like a major graveyard, some with scarves like mine tied to them through a hole near the top of the stone. Were they other travellers like me? had they been attacked or did the desert just take them as it has many who are ill prepaired for the dangers the shifting sands may hold.

No it can't be that who would have made those graves for some random travellers fast enough before the sands claimed them and buryed them itself. Perhaps it was for the ones who inhabited these ruins long ago or just some stones to act as markers in the vast desert. I shake my head clear of these thoughts before I accidently run into a wall, I tend to get a bit absent minded on where I'm walking when so deep in thought. As I look ahead I see once more the vast open desert expanse, I try to use some of the stored up energy from before to help me float up to the top of the dunes saving some time since walking uphill on sand can be very tiring after so long.

Ahead I see some smaller ruins and what look like the cloth creature cages, I rush over and release them with some melodic shouts, though this time something different comes out, it's a cloth creature but its longer like maybe a flying snake? Its head is a folded over cloth and it has twin tails extending from its head. Much like its smaller counterparts it imparts energy to grant me some limited flight and reacts to my voice. As I watch in wonder at these curious creatures movements it floats of ahead, I follow it and it leads me to more of its trapped kind, which I quickly release.

As with the first one the others also head off towards, something in the distance, I follow closely behind, partially overtaken with a lighthearted feeling as I float happily above the sands with them towards whatever they are heading for, feeling somewhat free as I fly, trying to stay close to the cloth snakes as I can to maintain the energy, fortunately the curious runes have extended my time before recharging significantly.

Suddenly ahead there seems to be some kind of whirlwind, whipping up the sand and clouding my vision, I lose track of the creatures as I move forward to investigate what is at the eye of the storm. What I see is a stone tower, mostly intact just the surrounding bridges have collaped from age. I use the remaining energy to float from one of the bridge ends to the other attached to the tower. Climbing some stairs to see what might be at the top, around one of the tower bends I notice a type of window grate allowing me to see inside, what I see are many of the clothe creatures and their snake relatives, all trapped inside and they seem to be watching me, perhaps trying to ask for my help?

Climbing some more stairs and floating up some others I look down and notice another traveller has arrived here, they seem busy with their own climb so I move on and let them be, not long after I reach the top and see another pedistool ike before, I figure it must react like the other one before so I sit down and prepair to meditate a bit, noticing the other traveller has caught up and has seemed to joined me in the meditation also. Did he also have a vision like me? Not long after my mind slips away to the world of white with the white robed person, showing me the stone wall art once more, this time it shows at least from what I could tell, some people and they seem to be working together to create a city, slowly building up a small civilisation.

Before I know it the vision has passed and I am back with the traveller, and behind me the cage grate on the tower top opens releasing al the cloth creaturesm two seem to stay behind, offering a ride maybe? the other traveller jumps on one and is whisked away. Cautious I move closer, watching as the traveller disappears into the distance I decide it must be safe and stand atop the head of the cloth snake and fly with it to whatever destination it is heading, feeling a rush of freedom from the more prolonged flight.

Chapter 3 - End