Wither

Chapter 21-Rejoining

*Liz's POV*

I woke up next to Kai. My back ached from lying on the hard bricks of the Nether fortress, and I groaned and stretched. Kai muttered a protest and turned over away from me. I got to my feet and brushed myself off. My stomach growled slightly, but I dismissed it. With nothing to eat, consenting to its needs was fruitless.

I shook Kai awake and we were on the move with a desperate hope that we would find other travelers with provisions. It was unlikely, but the only hope we had. "Do you think we'll find someone?" He asked.

"We have to," I responded grimly. We walked faster in an effort to cover more ground. We drifted carefully through mobs of pigmen, careful not to disturb the creatures. We skirted around little ghast colonies even more cautiously, for they would attack on sight. We avoided blazes and skeletons all together, and ignored the magma cubes.

"It's a Nether fortress," Kai remarked after a while.

"No, it's a magical princess tower," I deadpanned. Kai snorted.

"Should we stop in and see the queen?" He asked. I nodded. "If she's home," he added hopefully. We strode into the fortress. It was empty, and I sighed. "She isn't," he said wryly.

***

I panted, an involuntary whimper escaping my parched lips. Kai was no better, but he refrained from the moans of displeasure that I uttered every once in a while. We had found three more Nether fortresses-all abandoned-and, having just left one an hour ago, had no shelter. We were weary-I more than Kai, due to my injury from the last battle- having been treated like royalty for so much of our lives.

"Just another mile," he rasped, powering on. His feet dragged on the ground and I heard his hard, shuddering breaths. My head drooped and I felt woozy from dehydration. I swallowed, a dry patch on my tongue that wouldn't get wet. I tried to hold my head high, but it wasn't worth the effort.

We reached a Nether fortress as my knees gave out. I was dizzy and nauseous. "Why the hell are we even here, anyways? Its just like a desert!" Kai muttered to himself irritably. "Stay here, I'm going to check for signs of travelers."

I nodded. Not like I could go anywhere, I thought dryly. "Liz, come here!" I heard a call. I dragged myself to my feet and staggered over to Kai. "Look, it's a pillow oasis!" He grinned. The humor was lost on my semiconscious mind. "Hello?" Kai called, his voice cracking from the lack of hydration.

I heard movement. The awake part of me didn't dare to hope that it as a human. "Was probably blaze," I murmured through my thick tongue. Kai tried to grin without his chapped lips splitting.

In fact, it was a blaze. A half blaze. "Jet?" It called, lowering the thick, long knife he was holding.

"No, his brother, Kai," Kai responded. I swayed on my feet helpfully.

"You guys are a mess!" The blaze hybrid commented politely. Kai rolled his eyes. "Does she need water?" He gestured to me, and Kai nodded. "Follow me." The blaze led us to a little camp with various medical supplies, tools, and water. He handed Kai one and he opened it. I took it and clumsily poured it into my mouth. The liquid goodness was as delicious as any treat from Notch's bakery or gourmet from the royal chef. I desperately tried to drink more, and Blaze Man chuckled. "Careful."

Immediately I felt like I was going to hurl. I scrambled outside and emptied my stomach. I crawled back inside the little tent. "I warned you," his eyes sparkled with mirth.

"You try walking ten miles straight without food or water in the freaking Nether," I snarled, my lip curled.

"I have," he replied simply. "I grew up here. My name's Romani. I'm a witch-blaze hybrid, and we're stuck here too."