The group worked together to clean up the area of all evidence of their overnight stay. This mostly consisted of making sure anything that could potentially carry their scent was buried deeply, burned and buried deeply, or carried with them. Thankfully, the Wayspring water turned their bodies into the most efficient food and water processing plants in existence, or leaving a scent would have been inevitable.
Led by Fox, the Dorn Collective continued onward. The temperature soared as the day progressed, and by mid-morning, the air was already oppressive. The heat created a hazy mirage that distorted the distant horizon in every direction. Oskar didn’t want to take to the skies in case they were still being followed, but he occasionally took to climbing the dunes just to get a better breeze, cycling his Resonant Ward endlessly. The Resonating Ward hid him from scans and detection, not sight.
It was getting easier to hold on to without taking as much of his attention, but he wasn’t having much luck extending the range. Curious, he pulled up his stats.
Mind D+ Rank
Body D Peak Rank
Spirit D Rank
---
Sora 87% (C Rank)
Talau 63% (D- Rank)
Rakiyu 47% (F+ Rank)
I can’t imagine what C Rank is gonna feel like. I’m betting that’ll make everything easier.
Fox led them in the general direction of the old Kobold village they’d spoken about, likely abandoned for quite a while. The “village” mostly consisted of a series of caves along the top of a mesa, one much smaller than the one the Great Collective was on top of, in a group of similar mesas.
She wasn’t sure where they were exactly, so she didn’t know how long it would take to reach the area, but she said that she rarely ever walked more than a week to get anywhere.
“If I was forced to give a number, I would say five days, but being this far… northish… of the Gryphus lair,” she used quotation marks to indicate exactly how ish her confidence in their location was, “I would not be surprised if we were three days out at most from being able to see the mesas from atop the dunes. There are many of them in that area, but I will know the correct one. We must only continue north. Maybe a little west,” she added with a smile.
Her plan was to leave some mark of their passing there and then hopefully use Oskar’s Resonating Ward to sneak the group as close as possible to the old, designated meeting place near a long-lost cave system.
So, If all goes well, we’re three to five days out. Add in a few days for them to seek us out and we should make some new friends in the next week. And then, we kill Valla.
Oskar wanted to sit in the anger her name caused him, but the heat was more than enough to sap the feeling away. His Resonating Ward cut the heat drastically, and he used it, but more for practice than personal comfort.
Until I’m strong enough to protect the entire group, I’m not gonna sit in my own mobile air conditioner. Besides, I can’t keep the Ward up forever, and boy- when it fades, the heat feels like it comes back with a vengeance!
A duo of green, leathery birds flew overhead, startling Oskar with their speed and size, but did not circle or slow. Oddly, Touwon stopped walking and watched them pass. Almost as an afterthought, the Kobold threw up a halfhearted, far too delayed wave and started walking again.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I guess he like bords. Hmm. Learn something new every day.
***
They ended up stopping at three separate Waysprings throughout the day due to the excessive heat. It was during the last stop, at a much shallower than normal Wayspring that sat just below the surface, that Oskar climbed the dune with the wind in his face to cool off and saw specks far off in the distance.
What the hell is that? Please tell me it’s not Gliders.
He quickly realized the dots looked nothing like Gliders, and in fact, looked instead like foot-long ribbons floating in the air as he watched them slowly rotate around. They were also much closer than he’d originally thought. He wasn’t sure what exactly triggered it, but the second time they rotated around, Oskar got the distinct feeling that whatever it was he was looking at was looking right back at him.
Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next, though. The things were wire thin, and when they straightened out- still facing him- they momentarily disappeared.
// Get d- // was all he had time to read when the first one reached him, having shot forward while they were all but invisible.
He’d done two things wrong, he quickly realized as he looked down at the snake that had just killed itself on his prosthetic leg at probably a hundred miles an hour.
First, he’d dropped his Resonating Ward, his attention completely taken by the strange sight before him. The Ward likely would have stopped or slowed the snake thing from even reaching him.
The second was not scanning them the moment he’d seen them, which might have prompted the PUB to warn him a little sooner.
He realized a third mistake right around the time the consequences of it hit him in the face and snapped down on his bottom lip. In response, he finally dropped to his butt and slid down the dune.
I probably should have gotten down after the first one hit my leg.
Oskar groaned to himself as he looked down at the snake now sticking out of his face. His PUB immediately chimed in.
// Look, I know you’re busy, but I thought it best to let you know you’re poisoned. I double checked this time, and it’s not a false alarm. It doesn’t seem to be fatal, but you’re gonna need to get back to the others before you lose your vision from the swelling. It might, however, improve your unfortunate looks. //
“Thuck you,” Oskar said aloud as he carefully pulled the snake’s jaw apart and removed it from his face. Unfortunately, his lips were already numb from the poison and felt like his face was stuck in position.
// Wait, what?! //
Thank you, Oskar sent back silently.
// … //
He’d finally gathered enough common sense to duck down behind the dune, but he assumed the other snake things would be over the rise shortly. He slid down the dune as quickly as possible, his grimace uncomfortable with the weird mix of pain and numbness in his swelling face, but he couldn’t tell if his face moved at all.
It didn’t help that his brother’s face split into a wicked grin when he saw Oskar come into view.
“Ho ho ho! What is this, Housewives of the Sahara Desert? You went a little overboard on the botox, Oss.” He busted out laughing at his own joke, and Oskar couldn’t help himself from smiling back at his brother’s ribbing.
Or at least I think I’m smiling. It’s just good to have him back. Face snake bite or not, it’s good to see him with a plan again. This running for no reason just isn’t him. Me either, usually, but it’s gonna take me a little longer to get that fire fully burning again. I’m still in shock to have him back and alive.
“Stho, uh… thereths thnakes… back there.” Oskar turned and pointed behind him. Erik laughed even harder, and Oskar’s PUB jumped in on the action.
// Juss sthop. I’ll handle it. Communicating with Erik’s PUB now. //
Probably best I don’t give them the benefit, and ammo, of replying, Oskar thought with irritation.
// Yeeeaaaah, Erik’s PUB keeps asking if the poison is fatal. I told him yes, just to see what he would say. Do me a favor and fall down and start screaming, it’ll be hilarious. //
Oskar’s face was deadpan, which was still all it was capable of. Even his ears were swollen. He could feel the pressure in his face, but not much else. This swelling burns, too.
// You only got tagged because you were standing atop the dune like a dummy. They didn’t even follow you over the dune. The one who hit the prosthetic, though… that was fool’s luck. I really shouldn’t have to tell you to get down. Didn’t they teach you that in your military training? //
Well, yeah, but that was because of snipers. But you’re right. I got caught up trying to figure out what they were.
// Well, did you get a good look? //
Yep. Too good, Oskar agreed.
Erik was pointing Oskar’s face out to Touwon, which was slightly irritating until the Kobold tilted his head, and Oskar busted out laughing as well. The sound was disturbing even to him, coming from his frozen, swollen mouth.
I’m deeply uncomfortable.