Between The Crystals

The scorching desert sun beat down on Vermilion Village, its rays barely piercing the deep ravine where humanity clung to existence. Inside the narrow canyon, life was a delicate balance of hope and desperation. Today, the village felt quieter than usual, the air thick with unspoken anxieties. I watched as children, their faces thin but eyes bright, chased a scrawny chicken, a rare sight in our resource-starved home.

My worn leather shoes, tucked away to preserve them, felt a phantom thud on the packed dirt as I walked towards the main crystal. It was a familiar route, etched into my muscle memory from countless journeys. Each step was a reminder of the fragility of our peace, the ever-present threat just beyond the canyon walls. I had just returned from a harrowing trip, a close call with a Saursune, and the memory still sent shivers down my spine.

Ahead, Grant, my adoptive father and the village's porting coordinator, was in earnest conversation with a group of hunters. His face, etched with worry lines, reflected the burdens he carried. Merryl, my sister, lay nearby, her hand resting protectively on her subtly rounded stomach. Life, against all odds, was trying to bloom even here.

I knew what I had to do. The village needed food, desperately. And I, Natalie, was a porter. Our fragile future rested on my ability to step into the unknown, to brave the alien-infested world outside, and bring back what we needed to survive.