At that moment, three hunters were riding giant lizards across the rocky desert, chasing a herd of wasteland deer.
The burly Barton led the way, seated on the largest giant lizard, with the reins clutched in one hand and a detector raised in the other.
The giant lizard ran steadily. Though the saddle on its back was crude, it was far more comfortable than a Magic-Powered Vehicle.
"Ahead to the left, about two hundred paces," Barton said, looking at his detector.
The scrawny goblin beside him, Liz, also held up a detector. "I've got a signal too. It's a big one."
"Forget the big one," Barton said. "Chase the deer first. We need food for today."
The third goblin was called Took. His giant lizard was the smallest, but it ran the fastest.
He darted ahead and shouted back, "The herd's turning north! There's a patch of scrubby woods over there. They're heading into it!"
"After them!" Barton squeezed his legs, and his giant lizard surged forward.
The three giant lizards raced across the rocky desert, kicking up a trail of dust.
The deer ran desperately ahead of them, but the giant lizards had better stamina, and the gap slowly narrowed.
Just then, the detector in Barton's hand suddenly flashed.
He glanced down. The signal on the screen had spread from a single dot into a patch, and it was growing larger.
"Something's wrong." Barton pulled on the reins.
His giant lizard stopped, panting heavily. Liz and Took stopped too.
"What is it?" Liz asked.
Barton stared at the detector. "There's something underground, coming up. Fast."
Before his words had faded, the signal on the detector abruptly turned into a red dot.
"Scatter!" Barton roared.
The three giant lizards bolted in three different directions.
Barton had barely cleared the spot