While Leina may or may not be enjoying a massage, Fio's trek through the desert gets harder by the minute...?
Enjoy!
Right in the middle of the desert.
The burning sun forced moisture from every living thing, going so far as extinguishing the wind. As expected, Fio had also started to dry out.
[The last drop...]
Despite his hopes, there was not a drop of water left in the canteen he took to his mouth.
He no longer had the strength to even sing.
[I wonder how long it's been since I started wandering the desert.]
There was no reaction from the Sword of Unicorn—his other half and his last ray of hope—, and after wandering aimlessly, he didn’t even begin to know where he was anymore.
“I might not make it...”
*Clatter*...
With a dry sound, some sand fell from the top of the rock.
“Sand?”
With a perplexed face, he stared at the shadow of the rock he had flattened himself against.
A shadow was moving there, a shadow he didn’t remember seeing before. Scissors to the left and right, an elongated tail. It was the shadow of a scorpion, a creature indigenous of the desert.
While every other creature dried up, they had adapted to the harsh desert environment.
[What, a scorpion...?]
Fio gave a relaxed sigh, and allowed himself to leisurely look at the shadow again.
Still, for a scorpion’s shadow, it was tremendously big. It was twice the size of the rock he was hiding in, the size of a small carriage.
Every time it moved, sand crumbled, falling by Fio’s side.
[I’m... in trouble.]
He tried to recall as much information about scorpions as his brain would allow. If he remembered correctly, they were carnivorous. They had a poisonous needle at the end of the tail and ate their prey after immobilizing them\.
[Which means, they eat animals alive? Not a fan of the idea. I have to escape no matter what!]
As he decided so, he tried to stand up... but his foot got caught in the sand he tumbled!
“Buhah!”
The taste of sand filled his mouth.
“Ugh, *pfft, pfft, pfft*!”
Momentarily forgetting about the huge scorpion, he spat out sand and brushed off his clothes.
“Sheesh, that was no joke...”
His complaints are interrupted by the feeling of the massive scorpion's sharp tail on the nape of his neck...
*Clickety clack*...
He could clearly hear the clicking of its claws and mouth behind him...
“Nwaaaaaah!”
He dashed away from the rock with all his strength! In his panic, though, he forgot about the burning hell outside the shade!
“Hot! Hoooot!”
The sand, heated by the intense sun, burned his feet through his shoes!
“Kuh!”
Compared to Fio's panicked hopping, the scorpion chased slowly and gracefully, flowing over the sand.
The intensely severe desert. The mercilessly blazing sun. The dry air with no trace of moisture. The blinding sunlight.
Fio couldn't help but lose his sense of direction.
Everything in the world seemed to be conspiring to sap Fio’s strength. He had left the rock barely a moment ago, but he had already fallen into an inescapable hell.
“Help! Somebody, help me!”
He knew no one would come - yet he cried out anyways. His voice was hoarse. He could hardly even open his mouth without his very saliva being stolen by the heat. The only sounds in the desert were Fio's panic and the scorpion's clicking slowly getting closer...
“Help!”
He shouted again, using the last of his strength.
And after shouting... he felt tears rolling out.
“Sorry, Leina... it doesn’t seem I can save you.”
His senses grew hazy - heat stroke was setting in.
“Wait! I’ll save you!”
Suddenly, a girl’s voice rang out!
[Am I hearing things? If I’m having hallucinations, I’m way more screwed up than I thought.
At least I’ll see the blue sky when I collapse.]
His feet finally gave out, landing on his back, his consciousness fading.
Yet, out of the corner of his eye he caught something. Something that looked like a staff, flying from far away, hitting the huge scorpion on the head.
“Heeeey, you over there~, are you okaaay?!”
His ears picked a lively girl's voice.
“Heeeeeey!”
He couldn’t muster the willpower to answer back, and looking up at the blue sky, he finally fainted.
***
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