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Description
“Take everything you've ever seen...
Everything you've ever known...
And throw it all away.  You won't need it here...”

        Burton walked through the dunes.  Things seemed excessively boring.  There's really nothing to do when you're out in the middle of a friggin' desert.  Well, at least it was cloudy.  If it weren't for that fact, Burton probably wouldn't be walking the rest of the way to town.  Even so, he didn't like having to hoof-it.  His clothes weren't designed for traveling, and his socks always managed to get twisted around inside his shoes somehow.  At least the town wasn't very far away.  He could see it from where he was now.  He could feel the breeze slowly blow through his short hair as he walked.  The rain, he could feel it.  It was going to come down in about five minutes.  At least he didn't have to worry about it soaking him.  Originally, Burton had planned on just riding over here on his Orian.  The problem came up when he hit the sand-storm.  Damn near everything inside was filled with sand, and it could hardly move.  He figured that it would be faster to go to town and get his ride later than wait there for someone to find him, at least as long as there were clouds.  He started to count in his head until the rain hit.
        "Five..."  That sandstorm seemed kind of odd.  I mean, it came up from out of nowhere and then was gone.  He thought that someone had been chasing after him, but he wasn't completely sure.
        "Four..."  Seconds until the rain hit.
        "Three..."  I wonder if Kaira is OK.  I haven't heard from her since we separated at the last town.  Nah, she should be alright.
        "Two..."  Flashes of light, and a large crack.  It was going to be a hard…
        "One..."  What's that buzzing noise?  Something large and black shot past Burton's right shoulder.  There was enough force that the slipstream behind it lifted him into the air and threw him foreword about ten feet.  He tried to focus on that thing in front of him as he was thrown around, but all he could make out was some sort of dark, rippling wake where it had been traveling.  He hadn't seen anything move like that in a long while.  Suddenly it hit him:  The rain was coming down, and he was getting soaked.  Damn, it just seems like I've got rotten luck today.  Well, at least it might make it easier to get there.  Burton unhooked the large metal chain that he had looped around his waist, and threw the waited end up in the air.  Lightening came down, and everything went white.  A moment later, he was in the middle of the town, hanging from the fountain that had been erected in the large courtyard in a small sub-community of the city.  The rain had parted around him, and he was dry.  He decided to sit underneath one of the fountainheads and take a breather.
        Well, here he finally was.  Thuklam, first holy town of the ten great cities, and the largest point of commerce between here and nowhere.  How could a place like this become so productive?  It didn't really make sense to have a place all the way out here turn out to be such a good marketing area, but the truth is that this is the center of the world.   Well, at least it is to most.  To the people that live in the boon-docks and out in nothingness (like Burton), he could care less.  The simple fact is that anybody who is a merchant and wants to sell or trade anything is going to pass through here, even if they're only going to make a shipment to a specific customer.  Three months ago, he had been informed that he was the only surviving heir to the fortune of a distant relative.  Complications arose, and by the time he was told this and made the trip to their house, everything had been sold.  The estate was worth quite a bit of money, but upon review, there was one single item he desired more than any other.  The trail had led him here.
        There was another thunderclap, and Burton was snapped back to attention.  He was here for a reason, after all!  He sat and watched everyone moving about for a moment.  He was safe under one of the large, sweeping arms of the fountain, though most everyone else was moving about in a hurry, trying to avoid the rain.  It was actually warm, and not too bad, at least by Burton's standards.  After a short while, everything started to calm down, and the only people in the street were the ones who didn't really care whether or not they got wet.  Burton opened a pocket in his large, baggy pants and pulled out a small pouch of powdered leaves.  He pulled out a handful and whispered into them softly.  They slowly swirled up into the shape of a tiny woman, who knelt in his hands and stared at him intently.
        “Hello, my lord!”  Her tone was happy, and her voice was high and smooth.  “What can I do for you?”
        “Selfe, I need you give me a lay of the land, and pick up on the location of the gem, if you could.”  Replied Burton in a requesting-yet-cheerful tone, much like he was asking a small child.
        “Ok, that won’t be hard.”  She paused and thought for a moment.  “Any other instructions?”  She leapt from his hand and landed on his knee.
        “Get me a lock on the gem first.  Also, I’m going to start walking around, so track me to return, instead of coming back here, alright?”
        “Got it!”  She replied, with sugar-filled enthusiasm, and then flew off.  Burton walked out on one of the fountainheads overlooking the city square.
        “It’s so close, it makes me feel jittery all over…”  He said to himself.  A moment was spent to reflect on his surroundings, and then he jumped into the street, to continue his search.

Description
“Take everything you've ever seen...
Everything you've ever known...
And throw it all away.  You won't need it here...”

        Burton walked through the dunes.  Things seemed excessively boring.  There's really nothing to do when you're out in the middle of a friggin' desert.  Well, at least it was cloudy.  If it weren't for that fact, Burton probably wouldn't be walking the rest of the way to town.  Even so, he didn't like having to hoof-it.  His clothes weren't designed for traveling, and his socks always managed to get twisted around inside his shoes somehow.  At least the town wasn't very far away.  He could see it from where he was now.  He could feel the breeze slowly blow through his short hair as he walked.  The rain, he could feel it.  It was going to come down in about five minutes.  At least he didn't have to worry about it soaking him.  Originally, Burton had planned on just riding over here on his Orian.  The problem came up when he hit the sand-storm.  Damn near everything inside was filled with sand, and it could hardly move.  He figured that it would be faster to go to town and get his ride later than wait there for someone to find him, at least as long as there were clouds.  He started to count in his head until the rain hit.
        "Five..."  That sandstorm seemed kind of odd.  I mean, it came up from out of nowhere and then was gone.  He thought that someone had been chasing after him, but he wasn't completely sure.
        "Four..."  Seconds until the rain hit.
        "Three..."  I wonder if Kaira is OK.  I haven't heard from her since we separated at the last town.  Nah, she should be alright.
        "Two..."  Flashes of light, and a large crack.  It was going to be a hard…
        "One..."  What's that buzzing noise?  Something large and black shot past Burton's right shoulder.  There was enough force that the slipstream behind it lifted him into the air and threw him foreword about ten feet.  He tried to focus on that thing in front of him as he was thrown around, but all he could make out was some sort of dark, rippling wake where it had been traveling.  He hadn't seen anything move like that in a long while.  Suddenly it hit him:  The rain was coming down, and he was getting soaked.  Damn, it just seems like I've got rotten luck today.  Well, at least it might make it easier to get there.  Burton unhooked the large metal chain that he had looped around his waist, and threw the waited end up in the air.  Lightening came down, and everything went white.  A moment later, he was in the middle of the town, hanging from the fountain that had been erected in the large courtyard in a small sub-community of the city.  The rain had parted around him, and he was dry.  He decided to sit underneath one of the fountainheads and take a breather.
        Well, here he finally was.  Thuklam, first holy town of the ten great cities, and the largest point of commerce between here and nowhere.  How could a place like this become so productive?  It didn't really make sense to have a place all the way out here turn out to be such a good marketing area, but the truth is that this is the center of the world.   Well, at least it is to most.  To the people that live in the boon-docks and out in nothingness (like Burton), he could care less.  The simple fact is that anybody who is a merchant and wants to sell or trade anything is going to pass through here, even if they're only going to make a shipment to a specific customer.  Three months ago, he had been informed that he was the only surviving heir to the fortune of a distant relative.  Complications arose, and by the time he was told this and made the trip to their house, everything had been sold.  The estate was worth quite a bit of money, but upon review, there was one single item he desired more than any other.  The trail had led him here.
        There was another thunderclap, and Burton was snapped back to attention.  He was here for a reason, after all!  He sat and watched everyone moving about for a moment.  He was safe under one of the large, sweeping arms of the fountain, though most everyone else was moving about in a hurry, trying to avoid the rain.  It was actually warm, and not too bad, at least by Burton's standards.  After a short while, everything started to calm down, and the only people in the street were the ones who didn't really care whether or not they got wet.  Burton opened a pocket in his large, baggy pants and pulled out a small pouch of powdered leaves.  He pulled out a handful and whispered into them softly.  They slowly swirled up into the shape of a tiny woman, who knelt in his hands and stared at him intently.
        “Hello, my lord!”  Her tone was happy, and her voice was high and smooth.  “What can I do for you?”
        “Selfe, I need you give me a lay of the land, and pick up on the location of the gem, if you could.”  Replied Burton in a requesting-yet-cheerful tone, much like he was asking a small child.
        “Ok, that won’t be hard.”  She paused and thought for a moment.  “Any other instructions?”  She leapt from his hand and landed on his knee.
        “Get me a lock on the gem first.  Also, I’m going to start walking around, so track me to return, instead of coming back here, alright?”
        “Got it!”  She replied, with sugar-filled enthusiasm, and then flew off.  Burton walked out on one of the fountainheads overlooking the city square.
        “It’s so close, it makes me feel jittery all over…”  He said to himself.  A moment was spent to reflect on his surroundings, and then he jumped into the street, to continue his search.