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[Dealthagar]

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Sularis held his wings over his head, shielding his face from the unforgiving sun of the Malasian Desert. His skin, tempered by his master's experiments made him resistant to burning, but the sun beaming down on his face had still been uncomfortable. His thoughts drifted to the cottage where he'd rather be, but the master needed him to see this through.

For three days they had been digging. The hired laborers had done most of the work, but the stirring of the dead land, combined with the heat and winds, he still had sand in places he shouldn't.

A week of digging in this god-forsaken wasteland, with nothing to go on. Tattered maps based on landmarks the desert had clamed aeons ago. Star charts with coordinates that didn't match with current methods of measure. Half written passages in the memoirs of madmen who wrote what they saw in fever dreams as reality and truth.

The pack train came into the northern end of camp. Fresh water, rations and more supplies. Sularis kicked the crate open at his feet and called to the fresh workers that followed the llama. "You six! Come here!"

The group meandered over and Sularis scowled. Dullards and layabouts, looking for an easy payday. "Have any of you ever used a mining sifter before?"

The men looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. A teenage girl, dressed in the common wool clothing of Yew raised her hand. "I'm a quick learner, sir. And I've got a good eye for detail."

Sularis sighed and shrugged. "Fine. You're team foreman." The men looked at each other and then the girl in surprise. Sularis had no time for dullards, the fact she was willing to speak, and could form complete sentances was enough for him. He pointed at the large crate looking machine. "Take these men and the sifter to the obelisk marked with the bright green sash." He pointed to the obelisk that was three hundred paces west of the base camp. "Start digging the sand from around the obelisk." He turned his sharp gaze to the rest of the men. "Be careful not to hit or damage it with your shovels! There may be writing on it we are trying to uncover." He turned back to the girl, "All the sand goes into the sifter. You're looking for anything of man or man made. Bones, pottery, metal, fragments...whatever. The sifter measures how much sand is poured through it, and your team is paid by the bucket. You do more work, you get more gold. You'll find bracelets marked with a rune that matches your sifter, to make sure you are paid properly. Simple enough?" The group nodded. "Water will be brought. If you run low, theres a thin rod with a blue flag on it. Wave it high, and more will be brought. We take a break for lunch and work until nightfall. Dinner is served after."

Sularis paused and drank water from his canteen while the information settled into thier simple heads. The girl was the first to speak. "The recruiter said something about lodging?"

The psudo-gargoyle nodded. "After dinner, we pay the day's wages. The food and lodging are included in your wages. If you decide to stay, we have a tent village on the rise, secure for sleeping." His eyes narrowed at the men. "The tent city is considered Umbra. Break the laws of Umbra in the village, and you will be punished accordingly. If you stay on for a full week, there is a one thousand gold bonus." The men and the girl looked at each other in shock. "There is no set timetable, and this excavation could go on for months, so the bonus is paid for every seven days in a row you work. Take a day off, the seven days starts over. Am I clear?" They nodded and he dismissed them.

Twelve teams of laborers were already hired, and Dealthagar had instructed Sularis to use twenty if needed. Three days of digging sand, and they had found less than a handful of artifacts, most Sularis had dated to be less than fifty years old. Weeks of digging? Months? What was the Herald looking for?
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The Three Truths of Singularity
Do something to the best of your abilty or don't do it at all
Feel to the fullest of your ability, cutting yourself off from your emotions leads to spiritual death
Control your being, your existance, your destiny.
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