A World Of Close Calls

The rest of their journey out of the cave continued in silence; the only exception was the sound of Cael's footsteps and extremely labored breathing echoing throughout the tunnel as he valiantly carried Val up from the depths.

When they finally reached the entrance, the bright light of day caused Val's eyes to water. It appeared to be around midday, and while the weather was overcast, the air had a pleasant chill to it that was refreshing. She squinted and covered her eyes with one hand, trying to give them a chance to readjust to the outside world.

"Phew, finally made it," Cael said, taking a deep breath before setting Val down on a nearby boulder. He near immediately collapsed right next to her, plopping down on the rock with a heavy thud. He removed the pack from his shoulders and set it beside himself.

"Ah, that feels a bit better."

Val glanced over at him, making note of his flushed complexion and the heavy sweat that hung from his brow. "Th-thank you again for carrying me all the way up. I'm sorry I couldn't be more of a help to you."

Cael gave her a lopsided smile and waved his hand dismissively. "I-it's fine, Val. That was nothing for me."

She blinked as she took in all the visual cues that really, really mismatched those words. "I-is that so? I know that an adventurer of your caliber is very capable, but even so…"

Cael jaggedly chuckled in between jerky breaths. "A-again with the adventurer stuff? I keep telling you, I'm not one." He paused, and his eyes darted to the side as he muttered something under his breath.

"…What was that, Cael?" she asked, leaning forward a little to try and catch his words.

"I-I could've sworn I saw some movement in the forest." His stormy eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. "Do you see it?"

She followed his line of sight, her eyes darting around the trees. It took her a minute to see what he meant—just a faint rustling of leaves and a flash of color in the corner of her eye.

"…Irita."

Had the same one as before been waiting all this time? Or had another one in the area just caught up with them at this moment?

Regardless, its presence made a pit form in Val's stomach. They were in no shape to fight, especially with her ankle injury and Cael's exhaustion from the hike. The creature's gaze was predatory, and she could practically see the hunger in its eyes.

"Val…" Cael's voice was low and tense, and Val exhaled in surprise as he slowly picked himself and the pack from off the ground. He was shaking, his legs trembling with effort. "Val, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

"Yes, what is it?" she asked.

"Ride me again."

"…Excuse me?"

"Erm, crap, that came out wrong. Just… get on my back."

"W-wha?! B-but you're tired. And sweaty. A-and it's so…" Her cheeks heated up as her mind wandered dangerously.

"I'm serious, Val. We need to get out of here. Right now."

His stern tone set her straight. No, he was right. This wasn't the time for her to be shy. With a nod, Val carefully climbed on his back again, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso. She could feel his muscles tensing and trembling beneath her weight.

"What exactly is our plan?"

"…Can you try to do the windwalking thing again?" he asked, as he adjusted back into position. "Even if you can't get us as fast as you would be by yourself, anything at this point will help."

"I-I can try!" Val said. "Although, I can't guarantee it will work. I'm not used to doing it like this."

The sudden shuffle of foliage next to the previous irita made her gasp, and she hugged Cael tighter as she noticed a second irita join in the staring.

"Well, it's not like we have a choice. Give it a shot."

She nodded, taking a deep breath and focusing. "Right, let's go."

Familiar magic began flowing around them as she silently chanted, and the wind began to lighten them. Val could feel Cael's knees spring back slightly at the decreased weight before he started to move, and she urged him forward.

As they started to run, she chanced a look back toward the tree line. Unfortunately for them, their sudden movement seemed to have caught the attention of both creatures.

"Cael! They are coming for us!" she said, her voice quivering.

"Crap! Crap crap crap!" Cael's voice was strained as he continued to pick up speed. He was slower than even her running without windwalking, but considering the packs and her added weight, that was to be expected.

Val's heart pounded against his back, and she could hear his own heart rate matching hers. The pair of iritas were in full pursuit now, having broken from the cover of the forest.

The sudden rustling from yet another direction made her blood run cold as a third one suddenly emerged from the undergrowth. Then a fourth, and a fifth…

Her throat suddenly made it hard to even swallow.

This was a group hunt.

"C-Cael, I'm going to try do something. Just keep focusing on moving forward!"

She heard him gulp, but he didn't say anything else, his focus solely on continuing to run.

Her hands clutched tightly onto his shirt, and she pivoted so that a free hand was aiming in the direction of the beasts behind them. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she began chanting.

Even if in the end the primary reason for her own training had proven to be a falsehood, the hard-earned skills and knowledge were still hers to utilize. Slowly, she used the refinement and power meant to bring back her mother to instead weave the same spell that had once taken so much effort.

"Ventovas!" The condensed hurricane of wind surged forth from her hand, and she felt the drain on her mana. Even after so many weeks of practice, it still took a good amount to cast, and the awkward position caused her aim to veer off.

However, it managed to still somewhat strike. The sphere of compressed air smashed into the ground beneath one of them, causing the earth to erupt in a shower of dirt and small stones. Two of the creatures were blown away, the other three managing to dodge the attack. However, the ones that had fallen were quickly back on their feet, their eyes glowing brighter in rage.

Val's hand dropped from the recoil, and she felt herself sagging. She couldn't afford to only land glancing blows.

She needed more accuracy.

"Did it work?! What happened?" Cael shouted back at her as he continued running.

"N-not as well as I had hoped," she replied as she thought of what to do.

They couldn't simply slow down for her to aim better, and they couldn't afford to be caught. There had to be something else that they could try. Anything.

A new idea popped in her head.

"…I-I have a new idea," Val said, feeling her resolve grow. "Cael? Can you shift your hands behind your back?! I need to face them!"

"Wait, how so?! I'm still using my arms to hold you—"

Val didn't bother explaining. She twisted around, shifting her stance until her back pressed against his. Then, she guided his hands to cup the underside of her butt like a makeshift seat. It was a precarious position, with only her arm around his neck for stability, but it would have to work.

"Okay, this is weird. And embarrassing," Cael muttered. "And kind of uncomfortable, actually."

"I'm sorry!" Val shouted, her cheeks burning. She was embarrassed too—very much so—but the monsters were closing in, and they didn't have time to worry about propriety.

"Vas!" She chanted, and the basic slash of sharp wind shot through the air from her free hand.

It missed—of course.

"Vas, Vas, Vas!" She unleashed a barrage of the less mana-intensive spell. Each of them was more accurate, and one of them had even landed a mark on a leg.

Unfortunately, the cut had not been enough to deter them. Just like the karmaw that they'd fought before, it didn't seem like injury was enough to dissuade them. Worse, these irita were much, much more dangerous.

They were running out of options.

"Cael?! Do you have any ideas?" She was desperately racking her mind for anything else she could do, any other way to use her limited mana, but she was drawing a blank.

"U-Umm, let's see! Ah, wait! Could we just toss down the warding crystals?!" he shouted.

Val's lips scrunched up as a particularly impactful step nearly shook her off. "Unfortunately, they don't take effect immediately. It'll usually be a minute or two, and the larger the crystal, the longer it takes."

"Crap! Of course it's not that convenient." Cael's voice trailed off, and his breathing grew heavier. Val could feel he was starting to wear out.

"Wait, hold on. Can you try grab one of the cloudy blue crystals in the pack?"

Val blinked at the odd suggestion. "You mean the water ones? What for?"

"N-not just the water one. A steam one! I-I thought I could use them later for something else when I discovered it, but it might be able to help us now!"

Val didn't know what exactly the plan was, but she trusted Cael's intuition. With a silent nod, she twisted herself to the side, rummaging through the pack still strapped to Cael's front.

Her hand brushed past various stones and tools before her fingertips finally came in contact with the smooth, spherical surface of the steam crystal and pulled it out.

"Alright, now what?"

"Channel as much of your mana as possible into it! Then the moment you do, brace yourself for impact!"

She frowned, confused as to what that would accomplish, but did as he asked as the irita neared hazardously close. They were almost on top of them now, the beasts' hungry eyes focused on the pair.

Mana began to flow from her fingertips into the crystal. As it did, the magic of blue stone began heating and expanding.

"V-Val?!" Cael shouted, his voice strained. "Quickly! Before my legs give out!"

She didn't hesitate. With a grunt of exertion, she let it loose.

Mana exploded in a blast of searing hot water and steam, the cloud of mist enveloping everything in a greyish haze. Their pursuers roared in shock and pain as the scalding water hit their skin, and Val's own face burned from the heat of the vapor, but before she could really register anything else, she felt them lurch to the side in freefall.

Cael's arms awkwardly tried tightening around her as they fell, and she just barely had a moment to register that the impact was coming. She instinctively wrapped her arms and legs around Cael in turn, shielding him as best she could.

The two tumbled into the rocky grasslands, their bodies hitting the ground with a dull thud. Pain blossomed throughout her, but she managed to keep herself on top of him, protecting his head from hitting the earth as they rolled to a stop down the hillside.

Dazed, she felt Cael shift and twist until they were next to the largest rock they could find.

The irita were close. Too close. She could hear their claws digging into the dirt.

"Stay as quiet as you can," he whispered in ragged gasps.

She nodded, clinging to him, her face buried in his shoulder. Her heart pounded so loudly she was afraid the monsters would hear it.

Their snarling breaths surrounded them, just beyond the mist.

She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed silently.

Time stretched. Seconds felt like hours.

She tensed as something shifted nearby. Heavy breathing. The scrape of claws against stone.

Then…silence.

The irita’s footsteps faded away. The only noise left was the gentle rustle of the grass swaying in the breeze and their own hushed, stifled breaths.

Cael exhaled, his grip loosening on her.

"I think," he panted. "I think they're gone."

Val cautiously opened her eyes and looked around. There was no sign of the irita or any other creatures nearby. Instead, a trail of disturbed earth and blood stretched back toward the forest, curving away from where they hid.

They had survived.

The realization washed over her like a wave, and she could feel tears forming in her eyes.

"We did it," she murmured softly.

Cael let out a weak laugh. "Yeah. We did. Now, I think… I'm going to…" His words slurred. Then his head abruptly lolled against the grass.

"Cael?!" She scrambled off of him to inspect his condition.

Thankfully, aside from minor cuts and bruises, he looked fine, though his body was drenched with sweat, and his breathing was as labored as she'd ever seen someone get.

He'd passed out.

"Oh Cael," she whispered, brushing a stray hair from his face.

Her fingers lingered on his skin for just a moment longer before she withdrew her hand.

They were out of immediate danger, but they needed a safe place to recover. The cottage was way too far for them to even think of reaching right now. They needed to find shelter. Somewhere to hide, somewhere to rest and recuperate.

But where? She couldn't really carry him, and even if she could, it would be slow-going and likely dangerous to move while they were both so vulnerable.

As the last of the steam cleared, something caught her eye. Built into the side of a nearby hill was some sort of structure—a door. It was a strange sight in the otherwise open grassland, but it gave Val a glimmer of hope.

She carefully extricated herself from Cael and plopped on her butt, intent on slowly but surely scooching them to safety from this weird half-sitting position.

It wasn't a terrible idea. the shelter wasn't too far that she couldn't make her way there, and she could even temporarily set up the warding crystal to keep monsters at a distance.

She smiled, letting out a grunt as she began her first of many dragging pulls to their salvation.

As much as she wanted to pout right now, she knew she had to look on the bright side of things. They'd managed to escape the cave, gather a decent haul of crystals and supplies, and even survive being attacked by the pack of irita that had chased them.

Once they made it to the shelter, she could confidently say that the worst of it would finally be—

*drip*

"…"

She looked up at the suddenly darkened sky, and her smile instantly soured.

*drip*

"…"

What was the expletive that Cael liked to use again?

"…Crap!"