Chapter 6
Irnoc
I forced myself to my feet. I need to get as far as I can before it gets too hot to travel. A man can die in a single day in the desert’s summer heat, not to mention any of the beasts that roam the area. I took stock of my surroundings, and took a bite from one of my apples, its crunchy sweetness easing my parched throat a bit. I held on to my oil skin, might be able to use it after it gets rinsed out. Oily water is better than no water out here.
After orienting myself to walk away from the dawn that was slowly approaching, I climbed back up the sand dune I just slid down and scanned the horizon; well I tried to scan the horizon, moonlight from the crescent moon glinted off the sand close by and in the distance the shadows blended together with the swirling sand making it hard to see more than a couple hundred feet. To my left I could just make out the glow from the burning ship. Taking another bite from my apple, savoring the juices and not wasting a single drop, I thought to myself one good thing came from that explosion, I doubt those men will be in any shape to head to the city any time soon. I can stick fairly close to the river, and as long as I'm careful I can have all the water I need.
The sand was difficult to cross; it kept shifting under my feet and making me slip and stumble as I crossed the dunes. Often I had to resort to using my hands to scramble up one side, and slide down the other. The desert night was quiet, eerily quiet. I could hear the moan of the wind, the crunching and sliding of the sand. That was it, just the sand and the wind. Its creepy, I kept looking around me feeling eyes on me. There was nothing around, I couldn’t see or hear anything nearby but I still felt like something was watching me, following me. I shook myself it’s just my nerves. Nothing is watching me, nothing is following me. You’re just being paranoid after everything that happened today. Just keep walking; the sun will be up soon. I berated myself and forced myself to keep moving.
The sky gradually lightened, the stars diminished and the wind began intensifying with the rising of the sun. I felt the sand bite into the back of my neck, arms and legs; it was gritty and very unpleasant. Before long it made my skin start to feel raw, I’ve known discomfort before, and will feel it again so I didn’t let it bother me too much. I pushed the discomfort to the back of my mind as I continued to trudge on, what was harder to ignore was the drying of my throat. It wasn’t very hot yet, but the air was so dry it leached the moisture with every breath. Between the wind and the struggle traversing the sandy expanse and the dunes that piled up, I was panting and gasping, my throat feeling dry and raw, my tongue felt thick and coated in dust. Have I gone far enough to avoid the sailors? I thought, so thirsty, only have apples, need to stretch those out.
I looked to my left, I couldn’t see the river from here, but I knew it wouldn’t be too far off, but I didn’t want to run into the survivors, especially in the light of day. Thinking on this for a while as I continued to trudge along, my throat decided me. I started angling back towards the river, not directly but off to an angle, so I could continue making forward progress.
For about a candle mark everything seemed to go fairly well, the heat continued to grow as the sun rose higher, the wind still blew though it varied in its strength, and the sand continued on. As I climbed up another nearly identical dune, in a long chain of dudes when the sand suddenly shifted under me as I put my hand forward to pull myself up another step. As I placed my hand down, a depression formed, the depression was almost as big as I was, right before I tumbled forward into this depression the sand exploded outwards. As I tried to jump back, I saw a flash of chitinous brown armor, and something as fast as a whip flash past me, just missing my chest as I tumbled backwards, rolling head over heels getting dizzy, bruised and scrapped up until I came to a stop at the base of the sand dune. I lurched to my feet; stumbled a bit as the world spun around me and reached for the cutlass in my sash, my hands fumbled at my waist where I put the stolen blade just a few hours ago, it was gone.
I searched around frantically for the lost blade. There it was, half way up the sand dune, lying flat on the sand, the sun glinting off of its chipped blade. Between my weapon and me the monstrous creature that tried to ambush me. The horrid thing was huge, the size of a hound. It had a long body made of dark brown segmented plates, furiously twitching mandibles, two great long pincers in front, easily as long as the blade I just lost. And its tail, a long curled tail, segmented like the rest of it arched over its back with a barbed stinger as long as a dagger, drops of venom glistened in the bright sunlight as they dripped from its wicked point. It scuttled closer on its six thin legs armored in segments and very fast. It raced down the hill at me, it seemed quite angry with the failure to nab me in its first strike. Well I say angry, I couldn’t really tell, but its tail twitched aggressively and it kept snapping its pincers in what looked like anticipation.
I backed away carefully, looking around for any weapon in these acres of sandy dunes; I didn’t really expect to find anything to help. All I had on me were the clothes on my back, the canvas sling and a bit of rope. In the few moments I took to find something to help me the giant scorpion reached the base of the dune and slowed to a cautious crawl. It scuttled slowly around me; stepping sideways and always keeping its pincers and tail pointing at me. Occasionally snapping its pincers as it darted forward a few steps before stepping back. It must be gauging my reactions before it decides to kill me, shit what am I going to do, Corana’s flaming ass what am I going to do I thought, the edge of panic stealing any ideas for escape I might have been able to come up with. I took off the sling and felt inside, one apple left from the tumble, the rope must have fallen out too. As the scorpion darted forward again, I snapped the bit of canvas at it, making a sharp crack in the air, it stepped back again. The sting twitched forward again and I threw the apple at its big beady eyes, before the apple hit the things right pincer snapped out and snipped the apple cleanly in half, the halves fell to the ground before it.
When it leaned forward to sample the bloody thing, I turned around and with a fresh burst of fear fueled strength I fled as fast as I could, running along the valleys the sand dunes made. I could hear its many legs churning up the sand as it gave chase, I looked over my shoulder as I ran and saw it was gaining on me; I pushed even harder to run faster in the thrice damned sand. I heard a strange clicking and hissing noise right on my heels, as I turned my head to look back once more, my left foot caught my right heel and I fell forward, twisting as I fell I landed on my back with a brief skid. The terrible creature seemed to loom over me, in the heat of the day; my blood ran cold, my gut twisted in terror as I tried to scramble back. I kicked out with my feet as I pushed with my hands, one pincer snapped close to my foot, but I managed to kick it away with more panic than skill.
Everything seemed to slow down. The scorpions head lowered and its pincers curved in front of its horrible mandible filled face. Its back end rose in the air as its stinger arched forward and with excruciating slowness it plunged down and sank deep into my thigh.
I felt more than heard my scream of pain and fear rip through my throat as its wickedly barbed stinger sank into my flesh, and a burn spread quickly from the point of impact. I felt the meat of my thigh tear as its stinger pulled out of my leg and its back end lowered as its tail fell into its ready position again.
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I felt a burn in my stomach flash through my body, I could feel it suffusing every fiber of flesh, I felt it course through my veins. The pain in my leg intensified as this new heat passed through my wound. My head swam, I didn’t know if it was from this new force rushing through me once again or the poison in my veins.
I let out a scream as time snapped back to normal, an explosion of what felt like steam occurred at the same time to my left. Sand and moist air billowed all around. The scorpion scuttled back a few feet and clacked its claws in the air before it. The ever present wind cleared the obscuring mist rapidly, the dry air sucking up the available moisture clearing the air even faster.
In the small crater left by the billowing mist and sand lay a very large Turtle? How in the Abyss did a bloody turtle just appear here? The turtles shell was easily three feet long, matching the body of the giant scorpion. The shell had three sets of ridges running its length, with several points rising along each ridge. A massive head covered in small spikes protruded from the front of its shell on a long flexible neck the head ended with a hard bony beak with a vicious hook on its scissor like jaws. Its stubby scale covered legs ended in long wicked looking claws.
The turtle locked eyes with me for just a moment, and then turned its head towards the scorpion. It opened its beak wide; it looked like that monstrous beak could bite my hand off cleanly with just one snap. It let out a long hissing croak at the scorpion and dashed forward. It was much faster than I thought a turtle of that size, or any turtle for that matter, could move. The scorpion’s tail lashed out, but it just glanced off the formidable armor on the turtles back.
The turtles head snapped forward on its long neck and gripped the base of the scorpions left claw, and with a surge of effort, it sheared through the segmented armor at its joint and the claw fell, twitching slightly, to the ground.
The scorpion let out a clatter as its body shook from the shock and pain, its shell rubbing against itself making the noise. The other claw lashed out trying to cut its enemies head, but the turtle was too fast for it. Its head darted back into its shell, only its hardened beak showing as the claw missed its strike. The scorpion shifted to the side, looking like it was trying to circle its enemy for a better vantage to strike, a clear foamy liquid dribbling from its mandibles, drops of which landed on the sand with a bubbling hiss.
The turtle snapped its beak out again, in a very aggressive and threatening manner. It looked like it was daring the scorpion to take another swipe.
As the scorpion continued to circle around it got close to where I lay, I tried to scramble away, but a tingling numbness was spreading through my leg and torso. I couldn’t move my leg at all, and it felt like it was spreading down my other leg and up my spine. I’m paralyzed! I’m going to die, I’m going to die!
“You’re not going to die, Quiet down and let me deal with this oversized arachnid”
I looked around, half in relief and half in panic. Did the slavers catch up? There was no one around, just the scorpion, the turtle and myself. I shook my head in confusion.
“You Called me, I’m no slaver. Now stay still and stay quiet, Tides and Currents boy.” It sounded a bit exasperated, it had low rumbling tones, and hiss like notes on its S sounds, I then realized, I wasn’t hearing that voice with my ears. I was hearing it in my head. I looked at the turtle, was that thing talking to me, in my head?
The scorpion edged close enough to me, it darted forward with its stinger ready to strike me in the chest, I yelled and tried to push away with my hands, to no avail.
“Damn it” the voice echoed in my head again. Then the turtle opened its beak wide and a gurgling sound emerged just moments before a high pressure stream of water blasted from its maw, it strike the body of the scorpion and flung it tumbling at least a hundred feet. It landed on its back on the side of a dune, and was pinned there for a moment by the water pressure. As soon as the water subsided, the Scorpion dug rapidly into the wet sand and disappeared from sight.
“Well that was easy, was that all you called me for child” the turtle actually spoke aloud this time, its voice sounded just like the voice in my head.
“Uh umm” I answered, quite eloquently I thought.
With a great sigh the turtle shambled over and looked me over “You don’t seem to be too badly off, a stab in the thigh” with a sniff at the bleeding wound “smells like paralysis venom. Hmm should probably deal with that before it starts affecting your heart and lungs. Humans, such fragile creatures” after its little speech, it opened its beak wide and I nearly panicked.
“Don’t eat me” I tried to bellow, but it came out in more of a squeaky rasp.
“I don’t eat humans boy, now if you have some nice fish on the other hand. That would be a fitting tribute to one such as I. now lay silent and let me deal with this wound”
My teeth clicked as my jaw snapped shut, I knew my eyes were probably as round as those apples I lost in the tumble, but I stayed quiet lest this turtle change its mind as to its preferred diet.
He opened his beak once again and a soft silver blue fog rolled out and covered my thigh, it was cool and soothing to the touch, and seemed to settle into my leg through the bloody mess of a hole in my flesh. The soothing sensation seemed to follow the same path the pain and numbness followed. Easing the pain, restoring sensation with prickles at first then soothing even those away. I felt the soothing sensation flow through out my body, easing aches and pains I didn’t even notice I had. The sunburn I was developing faded away, even the burn marks on the back of my neck, under my iron slave collar, faded to nothingness. I felt relaxed and at peace for the first time since before my home was destroyed and my life turned into a long struggle just to survive.
“Well that should just about cover you, all injuries, pain and damage you’re body has sustained is gone. Will there be anything else, I’ve a book I wanted to finish before you suddenly dragged my shell to this hot and dry place, tides and currents boy, this air is going to chap my shell, and leave it flaky.” The Turtle Said.
I shook myself out of the pleasant fog my mind was floating in and replied “I, um, thank you. You saved me, and fixed me up good.”
“Yes yes, I saved you, I healed you. Now if that will be all, from the looks of you, I doubt I have much time left here anyways, and you don’t want to wait before sending me back. You’ll just end up passing out and be carrion food for whatever comes along after I leave. It will ruin all the work I did. Now if that is all I’ll just be on my way then. Next time if you call me, please have it in suitable environs, I don’t like the Desert, and bring the tribute of fish as well, yes don’t forget the fish.”
I blinked, trying to take it all in. “Can I at least get your name?”
“My name? Ah yes quite right, we didn’t introduce our selves. I am Shahz, a Scholar of the Chelydridae caverns. And you child?”
“I’m Irnoc, known by Roach, roof walker of the Scorpion gang in the warrens.” My head swam a little after I replied.
“Scorpions, eh. How apropos, almost killed by the totem of your gang. Well try not to die or pass out” and with that Shahz vanished in another burst of mist that was quickly swept away by the hot desert wind.
With his disappearance, a small draining sensation I only just noticed stopped as well. My head cleared and my vision sharpened. It had gotten a bit fuzzy towards the end. I took a deep breath, my throat no longer feeling scorched, carefully stood, afraid that my leg might not hold me. However the leg was strong and hole, the only sign that I was stabbed by the scorpion was the hole in my already ragged pants. Taking another deep breath I went to collect my things, being careful as I climbed back up the sand dune to collect my blade, and the few apples I could find, I didn’t want to be ambushed by another one of those giant scorpions.
Once all my gear was settled in its proper place, I set off to the river once again. This time keeping my eyes and ears sharp and watching the sand for another ambush.