softee hi, that story sounds like a really good premise!
how about this: I'll save those images for you for now, but I would like to at least see a link before starting on the cover, so once you publish your story (don't need 10 chapters), come back to notify me? since I've made a cover for you before & you seem trustworthy enough haha :joy:
C9 & C16 don't seem to fit in terms of art style so I think if I were to make it, I would look for another female/male sprite to use if that's alright! (I'll also show you when I'm using it just to make sure it suits your story vibe!) as for the BGs, none of them really look like a desert so I'll go look for one too since BGs aren't really that hard to find-- it's the characters that are.