This is the third chapter.

“So that’s when you fell from the sky, right?” asks Tusken, struggling to keep up with his newfound guest’s back-story.

“Yes. The next thing I know, I’m being jolted awake on a fishing boat in the middle of the ocean,” continues Tavern.

The two scruffy individuals are silent for a moment as they drink coffee in Tusken’s kitchen. Tavern sits with a blanket draped around himself while Tusken refills his pipe.

“You know what?” Tusken chimes, “I’ll take you through the desert into the city. You should be able to find a job or something there. Start a new life!”

“No! I must return to the sky! I have a family! And my kids! They are so little. I must return to them, and defeat the evil that has overtaken the community,” shouts Tavern.

“Fine. But I still should bring you to the city. Maybe you can find some sort of transport or someone who can help you,” replies Tusken.

In the afternoon, the two ride to the city within the sand, Oasis, on sandchoppers (basically a very wide, bulky, and all-range desert Harley with spikes adorning each side). They speed through the dunes at breakneck speeds, blissfully unaware that they are being tailed. The bandit doesn’t make a single sound as it leaps from its buggy onto Tusken’s sandchopper. His bike spins out of control as he combats his sudden assailant with a crowbar. The bandit counters the clubbing with slashes from his very own machete. The two continue fighting each other as the bike skids at hundreds of miles per hour across the desert wasteland. They become so focused on hacking away at each other that they do not notice the rocks they are approaching at a rapid pace. The bike slams into a boulder, catapulting the two directly into the face of the rock. Tavern notices this, and zooms over to the scene. He takes Tusken’s crowbar and thrusts it through the bandit’s eye-socket, impaling it into the rock. As Tusken opens his eyes, lying against the rock, he notices the second bandit buggy to accelerate toward them. He stands, walks over to the kabob of a bandit next to him, and steals his machete. Tavern retrieves the crowbar, and the two armed men turn slowly toward the increasing buggy noise. They look at each other nervously and understand each other’s facial expressions. The buggy roars toward them and advances closer. Just before it hits them, the two spin around and leap backwards into the windshield of the buggy, shattering glass everywhere. Tavern lands in the passenger seat and Tusken is launched into the driver’s seat, decapitating the bandit driver with a machete in midair. The two heroes drive the buggy back to their sandchoppers and finish the journey to Oasis.

Outside the gates, Tusken spies a bandit jeep and fashions a make-shift Molotov cocktail. He steals a bottle of rum from a vagabond and grabs a piece of cloth out of a dumpster. Using his own matches, he ignites the cloth and shoves it in the neck of the bottle. Without any hesitation, he casually tosses it onto the hood of the buggy, torching the vehicle. As Tusken proceeds coolly into the city, Tavern is already ahead inquiring about possible modes of transport. The inside of the city is filled with dense jungles and beautiful waterfalls. It is truly an “oasis” within the desert, complete with fresh water and vibrant plant life. An annoyed civilian passes by Tavern and suggests the bar, explaining how all sorts of people can be found in such a place. As Tusken catches up, hands in pockets with his pipe resting between his teeth, Tavern begins to briskly walk toward the bar.

The two enter the establishment, look around the main room, and realize they are covered in dirt and blood. They notice because they seem to fit in with the rest of the crowd, an achievement they are not usually able to obtain. The place is filled to the brim with unique characters, each visually diverse from each other with assumed legendary back-stories. After a few drinks, Tusken and Tavern begin to socialize and look for transportation. Finally after an hour they meet a stranger and the men are told of a man who has a very easy and very low-key method of illegal transportation. They are pointed in the direction of the corner of the room, a booth filled with a man, his many enthusiastic dates, and his own swagger.

“I hear he is called ‘Toast,’” reveals the stranger. “And I hear he raises flying horses.”