Inside the Great Desert Race

     Honora's thoughts faded into... wait, could it be? All around her was golden sand and slithering Scamanders. Dunes and a sparse oasis lay ahead in the distance, and she smelled the scent of roasting sausage links. Suddenly, Honora saw an elegantly dressed Aisha in a white robe approach her. "I'm Nabile. It is a pleasure to have visitors here in the Lost Desert. Are you---perhaps---headed to Sakhmet?" she asked in a deep, serious manner.

     "S-S-Sakhmet?" stuttered Honora. "You aren't, er, racing there, are you?" she wondered.

     Nabile looked askance towards the heavens. "In fact, I happen to be doing just that," sighed Nabile dramatically. "I have three opponents, but don't worry, none of them are parti-cu-lar-ly formidable, especially that Brucey in his utterly ridiculous Hawaiian shirt. Would you like to accompany me on my race? I've made quite some progress already," Nabile offered.

     Feeling a bit stunned, Honora began to scoot alongside Nabile's rapid pace.

     "I have currently acquired sausage links and a map of Sutek's Tomb. That fool Tomos has been stuck there for quite some time, so I have little doubt he can make much progress today." Nabile smiled, showing her pearly white teeth.

     "What about Brucey, and Osiri, your other opponent?" Honora wondered, "have they made much progress?"

     Nabile groaned and made a grimacing expression. "Brucey is merely a few paces behind, and I confess that Osiri, my most challenging competitor, has managed to nab a Tchea fruit as well as a reward from Sutek's Tomb. Neopoints! And she is ahead! Curses! But don't worry, little Flotsam---what is your name?"

     "Oh, Honora," Honora hurriedly responded.

     "I will soon catch up. If you be of assistance, perhaps we can share some of the bountiful reward," Nabile said rather mysteriously.

     Honora couldn't contain their excitement as she and the elegant Nabile journeyed forward toward the oasis, where they took a quick bread for refreshment. It soon became nightfall. "Now, be on your watch for the thieves who lurk around the oasis," Nabile warned her strictly. "I'm putting you in charge of the map of Sutek's Tomb, which is highly valuable and vulnerable to being stolen."

     Honora gulped and agreed quickly she would sleep lightly to ensure the map wasn't stolen. After all, they simply had to overtake Osiri...

     As Honora was prepared to settle into her rest, she heard a disturbance in the background. Quickly Honora glanced towards Nabile, who was fast asleep and snoring--which didn't seem to suit her, but there it was. Honora knew she must be on her strictest guard. Just then, she felt a cold hand touch her fin in the pitch-black darkness. Honora nearly leaped out of her skin. She heard an intense whisper in her ear: "Give me the map of Sutek and I shall spare your life and your companion's. If you want to reach Sakhmet alive, you'll listen to me!" hissed the robber.

     "The map is---is---a fake," Honora bluffed. "Nabile merely stated she had the map to fool her competitors. She does, though, have a valuable piece of sausage links," she stuttered.

     The thief hissed. "Pah! sausage links... well.... I suppose they will have to do.... fetch a good price in the Desert black market...."

     Honora hurriedly rummaged through the canvas supply bag and handed it to the thief, who brushed against her fin again as he fled. What a brush with danger, Honora thought. I saved the day! Or, rather, the night...

     In the morning, Nabile was none too pleased to have missing sausage links, but was also happy that Honora had managed to resourcefully save the map. "Excellent work, young Flotsam... Henriette,was it?" she asked.

     "Er, Honora, but it's no worries, Nabile." Honora smiled.

     As they resumed their journey, they heard a shout in the background. "I'll beat you, Nabile! I'm right behind you!"

     Nabile paused for a moment and cast a scathing look over her shoulder. "Oh, that Brucey!" she cackled. "What a silly sort he is. Beating me, Nabile, the consistent champion of the Desert Race! I----" she paused. "We must move at a quicker pace. Osiri simply must be overtaken!"

     The two began to ascend a large sand dune. "Faster!" cried Nabile, as Brucey continued to shout behind them, "faster," but then something leaped out at them...

     ...thousands and thousands of squirming Scamanders! Moving right, left, and every which way, they completely surrounded Nabile and Honora, hissing and spitting and flicking their long twisty tongues. "Oh dear," screeched Nabile, "not Scamanders! Which way out?" she cried.

     Honora thought quickly about her past games of Desert Race. "I've often gotten out to the right... sometimes it confuses the creatures," Honora shouted back. The two dodged the Scamanders as they headed to the right of the dune, kicking the Scamanders out of their way by the dozens and scrambling as fast as possible.

     Huffing and panting, they arrived at another oasis. Gulping down a large quantity of water, Honora noticed something glimmer in the sand. She poked her fin at the gleaming item tentatively and felt a cool metallic touch. She rubbed some sand away from the object and there was... a huge stack of golden Neopoints! "Nabile!" Honora exclaimed excitedly, "look what's in the sand!"

     Nabile smiled. "You're certainly a sharp one, little Honora! I think you have a real future in Desert Racing---helping us to escape the Scamanders and now, a discovery of Neopoints!"

     Honora beamed, feeling rather proud.

     As they collected the Neopoints, Nabile lurched forward and used her paw to ascertain that there had been a---track! "This is most definitely a paw print from that wily Osiri," cried Nabile. "She has been here as well, though that idiotic girl neglected to find the Neopoints. I wondered what direction she has headed, though, for this is merely a solitary print," Nabile pondered aloud.

     "How far are we from Sakhmet?" Honora asked.

     "We aren't all that far, but we are getting rather close to the dangerous sandy sinkhole," Nabile explained, "which we must be absolutely careful to avoid at all costs."

     After another night's rest, in the morning as they approached closer and closer to Sakhmet, Honora was startled to hear a singing, whistling voice behind her. "Why hello there, Nabile, we meet again," grinned a wily--

     --"Tomos? What are you possibly doing here? You were stuck in Sutek's Tomb!" cried Nabile angrily.

     "The thief let me out because I gave him some ummagine," Tomos laughed. "I'm rather clever, aren't I? And I'll beat you to S----ahhhhh!" shouted Tomos, who had just plunged into the sandy sinkhole feet first!

     Only his head poked above the sinkhole. Honora stifled a giggle, but it was a pretty funny sight.

     "Seems as though you may be stuck again, Tomos, and this time without ummagine!" Nabile chortled triumphantly. "Let's go, Honora, and leave Tomos to lose the race. Steady now, let's go!"

     Nabile and Honora scampered off as quick as possible, rather relieved they had avoided the sinkhole.

The End