Clouds of Ash Chapter 10
Water... He needed to find her water. Harrier hoped that Ravess was only dehydrated, and that something wasn't seriously wrong with her... In which case he wouldn't have a clue on what to do to help her. He glanced over his shoulder when he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. As he reached for his blade, he realized that he left it in the cave in case Ravess was attacked.
He eyed the fire scorpion that was meandering behind him warily and bit his lip. He just hope that neither of them were attacked... He shook his head, deciding not to worry about it; he had more pressing matters to worry about. Where could he get a hold of some water? It had just been luck that they had found some before. He didn't want to go all the way back to where they had found the water; he didn't want to leave her alone for that long. It took about half a day in one direction... He couldn't leave her for a whole day. What if she got worse? Or if she needed his help. He chewed on his lip, worry consuming him. She would be okay, right?
He scanned the Wastelands, but saw nothing but lava flowing in rivers like water. "Water... Water..." A thought occurred to him. When it rained, water would have to go somewhere, right? It would have to gather in crevasses or indentation in the rocks somewhere...
Harrier made his way to a rock formation, checking the indentations for water. Nothing. Sighing, he made his way over to the next one. Peering down between two rocks, he could see a deep impression. Reaching his hand down, he smiled as he felt a shallow puddle down in the bottom. "Aha..." Pouring out the whiskey, he reached his hand down, dipping the flask in the puddle. The water was luke warm, but still better than nothing.
He scooped the water into the flask, using his free hand to push as much water into it as possible. When the water was gone, he lifted the flask and swished the water around; i was only a quarter full. Frowning, he sighed. It wasn't very much water. Should he take what he could get, or should he search for more?
Suddenly, he felt his spine tingle for no apparent reason. Turning, his eyes widened as the fire scorpion standing behind him lifted its tail, ready to strike. Screwing on the cap of the flask, he managed to roll out of the way as its tail plunged down. He attached the flask to his belt, wishing that he had some sort of weapon with him and he rolled out of the way of a fireball. Rolling to his feet, he began to run, not caring where he was going, only wanting to get away from his attacker.
"Get back you beast!" he snarled. It did not heed him however as it charged after him. Harrier looked back, trying to see how close it was to him. When he looked forward again, he skidded to a stop, nearly tumbling into a river of lava.
Swallowing nervously, he turned to face the scorpion, bracing himself in case it charged at him. Of course, he knew how little that would actually help. The scorpion raised its tail, ready to strike him down. It let out a low hiss as it advanced toward him.
"Go ahead! Do your worst!" he shouted at it, hoping his voice would scare it away. It advanced for a few more seconds before it let out a high pitched shriek, scrambling away. He blinked, surprised, before he turned around to see a huge lava serpent coiling up behind him. His eyes widened, but his did not have time to react as the beast's tail slammed into him, sending him flying into the ground. The flask detached from his belt, skittering away.
Harrier lay there, dazed for a few moments until his eyes fell onto the flask. It was not too far away, but the area it had landed in was cracked, lava spurting from the surface. "No..." As he spoke, a geyser of lava shot up in the distance, sprinkling its molten liquid over the ground. He knew that the ground the flask on couldn't hold his weight... Standing up, he stared at the flask for a few more moments. What could he do? Nothing.
He turned to go before hesitating. Ravess needed that water to survive. If he left now, there was no way he could bring her out of the Wastelands alive. He needed that flask. He needed it for her. He took a calming breath as he stared at the brittle land. Keeping his mind focused on Ravess instead of the danger, he started forward.
He made each step as light as possible as he kept his eyes focused on the flask. His heart skipped a beat as a crack formed under his weight, but he forced himself to move on. He had given her his word of honor, and he meant to keep it.
Finally, Harrier reached the flask and picked it up... But that's when it happened. He felt the earth shift and crack under him as it began to tremble. His instincts told him to run, and he did so. He heard the sound of an explosion behind him and he glanced back to see a geyser of lava shoot up. Then in front of that, another shot up, and another. The ground cracked under him as he ran, causing geysers to spring up behind him. He had to full out spring to avoid the lava and rubble as it rained down in a fiery storm.
He reached a rock formation and scaled it without hesitation. He threw himself onto the top, only to find himself falling. He heard the splash rather than felt it, as he more felt his body hitting the ground than the few inches of water he had landed in. He let himself lie there, dazed and breathing heavily for a few moments before sitting up. He was sitting in about five inches of water. It was hot, but not hot enough to to burn him. It was more like a hot bath. He sat there, letting the water soothe his sore muscles before he unscrewed the top of the flask and filled it to the brim with water. Cupping his hands together, he brought the water to his mouth before gulping it down. It had a sulfuric tang to it, but he didn't care as he drank his fill of it. Drinking so much of it so quickly, made his stomach turn, but he kept drinking until his thirst was completely satisfied.
Harrier used the water to wash his hands and face before standing up, searching for a way to leave. Seeing no other way, he began climbing up the side of the wall, cursing to himself when he almost fell off. His back was already sore from the first fall, he didn't need another.
It took him a moment to regain his bearings before he was able to make his way back to the cave where he had left Ravess. He was lucky that he hadn't gotten lost.
"Ravess?" He ducked into the cave, finding her still sleeping. Kneeling next to her, he put a hand on her forehead, wincing at the heat. Her fever was pretty bad... She was shivering though, causing him to frown. What was he supposed to do?
Harrier took her in his arms, trying to stop her shivering. As he held her close, her eyes fluttered open.
"You're back..."
He nodded. "Yes... I have some water here..." He took the flask and was about to put it to her lips when her hand grabbed his.
"I can do it myself."
He blinked, startled. "Oh... Yes, of course..."
She took the flask from him and took a long drink of it, but did not pull away from him. Instead, she drew herself closer to him, managing to stop shivering. "Don't look so worried... I'll be fine... I'm just... Tired."
He nodded, relieved. "Go back to sleep then... We'll rest here for another day..." It's not like they had anywhere else to go; he had no idea how they were going to get out of here. He would use this time to think and make a plan... He looked down to see Ravess sleeping in his arms. He smiled down at her, noticing how peaceful she looked. He had a feeling that when she felt better she would go back to being defensive and snippy toward him, but he didn't really mind.
Finding that his eyes were drooping, Harrier decided that he might as well get some sleep as well. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.