Desert Encounter (DragonSong)

[Jiaolong]

Ruby managed to calm his breathing until it could scarcely be heard. His illusion seemed to be working fine, too. The sounds of the slave traders seemed to be getting farther away...perhaps things were starting to look up. Ruby almost let out a sigh of relief until he heard a loud bark echo across the canyon walls.

No.

The sound should have been normal to anyone else, but it practically made him choke. After all, it was the dogs that had sniffed him and his father out so many years ago and—no! He swore the same thing would never happen again.

"Maka, we need to go now while they're still far away. Got a plan b?"

[DragonSong]

The mercenary swore softly when she heard the hounds, and by the time Ruby spoke she was already moving. "Yeah. Keep the illusion up as long as you can and start climbing," she ordered sharply.

Without further warning, she grabbed the mage under his arms and hoisted him as high up the rock face as she could manage, hoping he'd managed to get a handhold before she let go and jumped to begin climbing herself, hauling herself hand over hand.

[Jiaolong]

Ruby scrambled to get a grip on the scraggly rock cliff, thankfully managing to get a hold. The illusion seemed to be holding up fine, but the sounds of the dogs—and the slave traders close behind—were getting closer. Ruby hoisted himself up with a grunt.

Why were these damn walls so high?

He was about halfway up the cliff when the dogs rounded the corner. They wouldn't be able to see them, but he had displayed this illusion trick to the slave traders before. It wouldn't be long before they figured out the two had started climbing.

[DragonSong]

Maka easily overtook Ruby as they climbed, and she'd nearly reached the top when she realized the dogs were almost right on top of them.

Just a little longer, come on...

Hauling herself up over the edge of the cliff, she twisted and reached back for Ruby, beckoning as urgently and silently as she could.

[Jiaolong]

Ruby grabbed her hand, not really caring if she had meant to help him up or not. With that anchor, he used his last bit of strength to heave himself on to the top.

"God...did we...did we lose them?" He whispered. He tried not to breathe too loudly, but it was quite a challenge after climbing a cliff with a heavy pack on his back.

[DragonSong]

"Shh." Maka hauled him up beside her and peered down into the small ravine, eyes narrowed. "I don't know. Depends on how good their dogs are..."

[Jiaolong]

The sounds of footsteps and dog barks echoed up the ravine. Ruby didn't even want to look down, sitting obediently beside Maka without making a sound. The wait seemed to last an eternity until one of the slave traders broke the silence with a string of curses.

"Shit, we lost em."

"But the dogs were following their trail until..."

"We've scoured the canyon already and the dogs are tired. They could be anywhere in the time we've been searching. An easier target will come along soon enough. Let's go back."

Some sounds of approval followed, and the footsteps faded into the distance. Ruby relaxed his shoulders which he hadn't realized he'd been tensing and let out a sigh of relief. "I think they really are gone. But it pains me to know 'easier targets' will get caught with these guys roaming around..."

[DragonSong]

Maka's eyes narrowed. Slowly, she stood, watching the retreating slavers make their way back through the ravine.

"Don't worry." Her voice was soft, and cold as a midwinter night on the tundra. "They won't."

Her eyes closed and she extended one hand, reaching with her power. Twice in as many days she'd used this cursed ability, and part of her hated.

Another part, a part that honestly scared her more than a little, reveled in it.

She grit her teeth and furrowed her brow with effort as she intoned, "Rise."

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Then, all at once, the sand of the ravine floor erupted. Slavers shouted and dogs scrambled for safety as dozens, hundreds of bones burst through the desert's crust, bleached white by the sun and sand. Shuddering and creaking, the bones drew together into haphazard skeletons, lurching toward the group, reaching with sharp-tipped fingers and gnashing teeth.

Not all were human, but every last one of them was out for blood.

Maka's breath left her in a sharp exhale and her knees gave out, her whole body shuddering as she sank to the sand. She just barely had the energy to send out another pulse of power, ordering the revenants to leave the dogs in peace.

[Jiaolong]

Ruby only stared at Maka following her rather eerie statement, sitting backwards suddenly when the ground in the canyon below began to rumble. Shouts and screams could be heard not to far away—he recognized the voices as those of the slave traders.

He was about to look over the ledge when Maka collapsed to her knees, looking utterly exhausted. Ruby grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

The cries of the slave traders could be heard no more—the only sound being an ominous crunching noise. Ruby could only guess what Maka had done, remembering some stranger mentioning she was a necromancer.

And to think she was powerful enough to take them all out in one go... "That was...amazing. But, hey, are you alright?" He returned his attention to her, concern filling his eyes.

[DragonSong]

Amazing.

Ha.

Maka struggled to focus on him, blinking up through the glare of the sun off the sand. "I'm...fine."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth when she pitched forward into a dead faint.

[Jiaolong]

Ruby caught her before she hit the ground.

"You call this fine?! Oh, wait, you're really out cold..."

He couldn't get back down with Maka unconscious like this, and he certainly didn't want to run into whatever was down there. He finally decided to walk along the tops of the ravine walls—at least there he had a better view of any attackers.

Ruby held Maka up, dribbling some water from a canteen into her mouth. The canteen felt dangerously light...the slave traders had caused a huge detour. Ruby grunted as he hoisted Maka onto his back and began trekking through the sand.

[DragonSong]

Maka was a complete dead weight, limp against his back as he trundled them along across the sand.

The moment she'd lost consciousness her risen creations had collapsed, dozens of skeletons no longer bound by magic and will once more just piles of bone, bleaching under the desert sun.

She didn't know how much later it was when she finally opened her eyes, but...they were moving.

What?

She coughed and struggled to pull away-- and quickly realized she was on Ruby's back, and that pulling away probably wasn't her best plan. "Where-- what happened?"

[Jiaolong]

"Woah! Don't move too much or I'LL fall too!" Ruby adjusted his grip on Maka, thankful she had finally woken up. He resumed his trek before answering her question.

"What happened? You might be able to explain that better than me. You used your powers and then it was lights out. But, you've taken care of the slave traders, so we're safe now. Thanks."

He paused. "We'll be at the next trading post soon—I've been dying for a hot meal all day."

A moment of silence passed. Ruby realized that despite going though numerous life or death situations with Maka, he really knew nothing about her. They had navigated underground tunnels, escaped death multiple times, shared meals, and even danced...

"So, uh, you got any family?" The question was out of the blue, but it was a start, right?

[DragonSong]

Thanks.

She gritted her teeth and waited until there was a minute break in his stride, then slipped down from his back. She wobbled a moment, then managed to find her balance. "Don't thank me," she muttered as she started trekking along beside him. "Not for that."

She was about to make a snarky comment about wanting a hot meal in the middle of a desert-- but his question caught her off guard. She blinked and cast a wary glance at him sidelong. "No," she replied bluntly after several long moments.

[Jiaolong]

The lighthearted mood was gone in an instant. Ruby mentally cursed himself for asking the question.

"Guess that makes two of us," he muttered with a sad smile.

The canyon wall they'd been walking on suddenly took a downward slope, and some smudges of tents and structures could be seen in the distance. "Oh, we're almost there."

[DragonSong]

"Almost...where, exactly?"

Maka peered out over the small settlement. "What is this place?"

[Jiaolong]

"It's a trading post of sorts. The tents and people here come and go, but this has always been a place for travelers to rest. I have someone I'm meeting here who runs a tavern."

Ruby checked his pack, making sure some of the smaller potion vials were still there. It would have been unfortunate to lose the one thing he had promised his trading partner.

Soon enough, a shock of greenery came into view, a little speckle of blue in the middle of it. Various tents were scattered about, and as the two got closer, voices could be heard. For being in the middle of a desert, it was quite a lively place.

[DragonSong]

"Who?" Maka was already looking around-- still stumbling and fuzzy-headed, but refusing to allow herself to relax. "Do you trust them?"

IT would be just her luck to get set up to run into slavers. Again.

[Jiaolong]

Ruby pondered her question for a second, remembering events long past. He nodded with a smile. "I trust him with my life."

He made an abrupt turn and lifted the flap of a rather run-down looking tent. The inside, however, was very different. Vibrant tapestries covered the walls, the light from the hanging lamps reflecting bits of golden thread. Stands held various potions, some even glowing faintly. At the far end of the tent sat a gruff looking man at a counter, brows furrowed as he read a scroll.

"Thomas."

The man looked up, his old face lighting up in a smile. "Its been awhile...I thought you weren't coming this time."

Ruby laughed. "Well...I was held up by a few things. But your potions are safe and sound," he said, taking them out of his pack and placing them before Thomas. The man's eyes sparkled as he put his scroll away. He glanced up at Ruby for a second.

"Hey, you're not as red as a lobster anymore! What, was the sun not shining this time around?"

Ruby blushed. His pale skin and the desert sun did not get along well, and past trips to Essyrn left him with a terrible sunburn—but not this one! "I just learned a little bit of magic to help with that," he explained matter of factly.

Thomas laughed, finally noticing the person standing near Ruby. "And who might this be?"

[DragonSong]

The mercenary hung back, eyes flickering about warily, taking stock of entrances and exits, the proximity of other tents.

She only glanced to Ruby's friend when she seemed to be addressed, quirking an eyebrow. "Name's Maka. Who the hell are you?"