Kidd Dustie's Arc

Chapter 3 of 7

Kidd drove northeast across the cracked earth, his buggy bouncing over rocks and dried riverbeds. The scrolls had shown him the path, and now he followed it into unknown territory. This world held secrets in its bones. The sun dropped lower, painting the desert orange and red. Kidd squinted through his goggles, searching for any sign of the next landmark. Then he saw lights ahead, glowing against the darkening sky. He pressed the gas pedal harder. The buggy's engine whined as it climbed a rocky slope. At the top, a strange sight greeted him—a food stand decorated with cacti and desert flowers. A lit-up welcome sign buzzed and flickered above hamburgers and soda cups. Kidd stopped the buggy and climbed out. The stand looked abandoned but the lights still worked. He walked closer and spotted stone steps behind it, leading down into the ground. His ancestor's map had marked this spot with a symbol he hadn't understood before. Now it made sense. The food stand wasn't just a rest stop for travelers. It was a marker, a guide that lit up when darkness fell. Kidd descended the steps and found another entrance to the tomb system, different from the one he'd discovered before. More scrolls lined these walls, and carved symbols matched the water marks on his map. He pulled out three scrolls and unrolled them carefully. One showed the exact distance to the oasis—three more days northeast from this spot. Another showed plants that grew near the sacred waters, proof that life thrived there even in this dead world. Kidd rolled the scrolls back up and climbed to the surface. The lit sign glowed brighter now in the full darkness. This desert rewarded those who kept searching. Every marker, every tomb, every scrap of knowledge brought him closer to restoring what his ancestor had found. The oasis was real, and the path was clear. He walked past the food stand and spotted something massive in the distance. A limestone statue rose from the sand, twice as tall as his buggy. Kidd approached it slowly. The carved sandworm looked elegant, its body curved upward with gem eyes that caught the moonlight. A stone plaque sat at the base. Kidd bent close and read the words: "Healing Sight." His claws touched the carved surface. Someone else had made this journey before. Someone else had found the oasis and returned with restored vision. The statue proved it wasn't just legend. The healing waters existed, and they worked. Kidd climbed back into his buggy and started the engine. Three more days of driving. Three more days until he reached what his ancestor had found. The statue watched him drive away into the night, its gem eyes shining like beacons in the dark. Dawn broke over a cluster of buildings ahead. Kidd slowed his buggy as sandstone and wood structures came into view, decorated with bright cacti and desert flowers. A large building sat at the center with an open entrance. He parked and walked inside. Maps covered the walls, marked with routes and water sources. Supplies lined shelves—rope, canteens, dried food. Other travelers had been here before him, leaving notes about paths they'd taken and dangers they'd faced. Kidd studied a map showing the final stretch to the oasis. Someone had written "two days" next to a circled area northeast. He grabbed extra water containers and filled his pack with supplies. This place existed to help seekers like him. The desert wasn't just empty space—it was built for those who searched. Every tomb, every marker, every gathering spot pushed him forward. Kidd walked back to his buggy and loaded his new supplies. The oasis waited just ahead, and now he had everything he needed to reach it.