Issue #9

The desert wind blew across the nylon outer shell of your sleeping bag with a soft whistle. You lay awake, too tired to move and your mind too chaotic to fall asleep. In less than a week your life had already changed so much. And the most worrisome part was how accepting of every change you had been. Your active thoughts were constantly focused with how strange it all was, but your subconscious was just rolling with it.

Your head rolled to the side and looked over to Red. To your surprise she was looking right back at you.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked.

You nodded, “Too much on my mind. What about you?”

“Kinda hard to. I don’t trust many people. Especially not people with mind control powers,” she replied.

“What uhhh. What exactly did Josie tell you?” you asked.

She rolled her body over and propped up on her elbow to face you more completely, “She said that you had verbal manipulation powers, but that they only worked when nude.”

You propped up on your arm and mirrored her pose, “If you don’t mind me asking then, why are you worried about them? I’m not planning on stripping.”

“Are you gonna tell me that you didn't use your powers to get her naked? That you didn't come up with that ridiculous lie and convince her it was the truth?” she asked. Her eyes locked on yours and practically begged for you to lie or try and use your powers.

You didn’t know what to say. You had not considered that the Gullibility would only remain with the person you used it on and people could tell that you had been using it. You just looked at Red and hoped she was not about to expose you.

“I thought so,” she stated, her stoic expression cracking as the corners of her lips turned up, “She is pretty fit. Was it worth it?”

“I mean, I know I should probably say that it wasn’t and that I totally learned my lesson. But I’m terrified of lying to you,” you admitted with a nervous laugh.

She laughed back, “Good. I like it that way.” A few moments passed and you both just peered at each other in the moonlight. "Half of me thinks about you trying to use your powers on me and it makes me sick to think about losing that free will. The other half pictures myself in your position with her. And I can't help but think I'd have done the same."

“With Josie?” you asked.

“Yeah. Like I said. She’s fit,” she shot back defensively.

“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t uhh. I didn’t mean to say- I mean, I think that’s,” you backtracked embarrassingly, tripping over your own proverbial feet. Several awkward moments passed before you tried to recover, “Do you get the chance to date much when you’re not training?”

Her smiled returned, sly in its effect, “Ohhh yeah. The bruises, surveillance teams, and demigod father do wonders for my love life.”

“I mean, the full on Rambo look was a little off putting,” you teased, eliciting another laugh from her.

“Oh you’re right. I totally forgot to consider how attractive I would look while I was fighting for my life,” she sarcastically teased back, “Anyways, you should try and get at least a few hours of sleep. We don’t have any leads so tomorrow could be a long day.”

You nodded in agreement and smiled at her for a few more moments before rolling over. You looked up at the stars. Another hour passed by without sleep, though the loud snores from the other sleeping bag signaled you were left alone in your restless night.

The only thing that you discovered in the morning was that Red was very much so a morning person. You were not quite sure if she was always this chipper in the AM, but it was quite a change from the stoic killer you had met the night prior. That was even more surprising considering she had fallen asleep at just before sunrise and barely had any real rest. But nonetheless, here you were. Hiking with a bouncy and energetic warrior with unkempt morning hair and dried blood on her face.

The surveillance team had discovered some weird energy readings a few miles past where you all had made camp, so she insisted that you all go by foot to check it out.

"So how exactly is this surveillance team talking to you? Do you have a headset in? Have they heard everything I've said?" You asked, realizing that your conversation last night was not something you would want to be public knowledge.

She laughed, "No. No. Nothing like that. I've got a neural link. Something one of the tech geniuses Dad works with designed. Basically I don't need a phone. I can text and get messages directly to my mind."

Well that sounded...useful. "Do they have any extras?"

"I'll have to ask," she replied, though her tone of voice made it sound doubtful. Perks of being related to a super hero you guessed. "I'm gonna be honest though. I've got no idea what we're looking for here. There's nothing around for miles except, trees up there?" she stated confusedly.

That was weird. It had been really just sand and rock for a while, but if there was a little bit of green up ahead that had to mean there was water. Which was just as well because you all were nearly out of what you had brought and the walk back to the car was long.

"I mean, it's as good a shot as any. Maybe there's some secret desert wizard gardener that'll bestow us with spells," you said, letting the inner dialogue of your brain come to the surface for a rare moment. You got a bizarre look from Red as payment for your thoughts.

The walk to the greenery felt much longer than it was, the intensifying heat of the land and the thirst now catching up with you as the sun rose higher in the sky. The soft sound of the running water was music to your ears as you approached. The river itself was not massive, but it was big enough to support some life. Palm trees sprouted from embankments that were lined with a spiky grass, and arched over the fast flowing water.

"Is it uhh, safe to drink river water?" you asked. Verbalizing the question made you realize how dumb it sounded.

"Depends on how you feel about waterborne pathogens," she fired back quickly.

"I think it would make a good band name. Other than that, not a ton of strong feelings."

"Well that tells me all I need to know about your taste in music and your survival skills. But the water is moving fast enough that if it was life or ****, you wouldn't be in the wrong for risking it. But you literally never know unless you purify it," she explained, before she pulled her shirt up over her head and revealed the bright yellow bikini top she had on underneath, "That being said, I'm still gonna use it to wash this blood off. It seems like the energy readings were erroneous, so afterwards lets regroup and head to town to ask around," she planned aloud.

You knew that it was a bad idea. You knew that you could survive with your thirst until you got back away from this, but the thought of making the entire hike back without water was agony to you. And on the off chance that there was some weird flesh eating bacteria in the water, you would just respawn back at The Watering Hole right? "I'm gonna hit the head real quick then," you informed her, as you walked upstream from where she was washing off.

After passing behind a sand dune and out of view, you kneeled down on the river bank. Again, the water looked really clear. There was no way that bacteria could survive moving that fast... Mental note: take a survival class.

You dipped your hands into the water and your fingers instantly went numb. It was freezing cold. Colder than ****. On such a scorching hot day, who were you to look a gift horse in the mouth. You cupped the water and brought it up to your lips, slurping at it thirstily.

As the water passed down into your throat, the cooling sensation radiated. Softly at first, then growing exponentially until every fiber of your body was graced with the painful touch of frostbite. Your bones felt as if they were frozen and brittle and your muscles were tight and cramped.

Something was far from right. The power source, the water, the readings. It was the river. It had to be. You looked up and the sand of the dune on the other side of the riverbank shifted into a notification:

(Condition) Stygian Curse: The river of the damned. Vaitarna. Gjoll. Sanzu. Hubur. Styx. It goes by a lot of names. No matter what you call it, its waters should not be ingested. Survive and this condition will morph into Stygian Physiology. Perish before you recover and you shall be stuck with this Curse when you respawn.

Though you had felt like you lost most of the fine motor skills in your body, your brain understood clearly the danger you had just put yourself in. You were poisoned. And miles from the nearest signs of life other than Red.

*click*

You took it back. Miles from the nearest life other than Red or the raven haired vixen with gun leveled at your head.

"Put your hands above in the air and stand up slowly," she instructed.

One fucking crisis after another.