ATLOP: Trial by Fire

I Become a Known Fugitive

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I opened my eyes to water.

It was clean, strikingly so. My awareness slowly spread and I realized that I was in a bubble of clean.

The water around it was filthy, filled with trash and pollution.

I blinked slowly.

Where-

A figure moved in front of me.

They looked like Tethys-ran, but their tail was different, darker. And they felt... more soothing.

They smiled and pulled away, a medicine pouch in hand.

My body still burned, but it was fading. The pain aching and throbbing but not something that made me feel shattered.

The figure vanished.

I stared around in confusion, slowly sitting up.

Where?

My hand hit something in the mud beside me and I turned to find my knife in the mud beside me.

It must've fallen from my hand when I fell.

I scooped it up and slipped it back into its sheath.

The knife hadn't been any help. Those enemies were too large, too deadly. The Khimaira was far more dangerous than the Minotaur (which was saying something cause the Minotaur was hugely dangerous). Ekhidna was even worse.

The only way she'd been killed was in her sleep.

I hadn't stood a chance.

My leg was still throbbing, drawing my attention.

I looked down, afraid of what I might see.

There was a treated seaweed wrap around my leg. I could just see the edges of an ointment spread above where the seaweed went.

My leg was throbbing, but it wasn't as bad as before.

I relaxed. It seemed like the figure from before was here to heal me. Did Tethys-ran send them?

I shifted and winced as my leg flashed with pain. I should probably stay in the water until it felt better... a lot better.

They must've been sent by Tethys-ran. It would explain why my bubble of purity felt like her, curling currents and cleanliness.

She heard me.

She saved me.

Or well, she sent someone to save me.

She made the bubble of purity and sent a healer and...

She listened to me.

"Havu," I whispered to the water. "Havua."

There was no answer but I knew she must've heard.

She heard my prayer after all.

I stared out at the water and my gaze was drawn to the curled vine peaking through the mud.

I bent and gently tugged out the curl of vine, a single trumpet flower still on it.

I must've pulled it down with me when I fell.