Bloodcrest

Episode 5

I slowly woke up due to feeling cold, only to find that Rufus was no longer on my lap. I stood up abruptly and found that the fire was going out, so I threw some more wood onto the embers. Then, I looked around for a thick stick that I could use as a torch. After I found it, I tore another piece of my dress to wrap around it before lighting it on fire. Then, I decided to head towards the river thinking that that was a good place to start my search. As I got closer, I heard splashing. I got excited and quickened my pace. However, I was expecting what I saw when I got there. I had found Rufus, but he was fully nude. There was no clothing on him at all. I quickly turned around before announcing my presence. I heard a small gasp in surprise, then the ruffling of clothes signaling that he was getting dressed. I didn't turn around until I heard him say, "You can turn around now, Lucifera." I hesitantly turned around with my head down so that my hair would cover my face. How was I supposed to face him after seeing him naked?! Also, why the hell is he so gosh damn fine?! Wait, where are these thoughts coming from?! Ugh! Rufus must've sensed my frustration because he suddenly chuckled. The sudden sound made me snap my head up in confusion before asking, "What?" He chuckled a little more before saying, "You looked so frustrated, and, with that combined with the blush, made you look very cute." I blushed even more before pouting, "Look, I was just making sure you were alright. Your injuries seemed pretty severe and I woke up to you no longer lying on my lap." I crossed my arms and turned around with a huff to prove my point. He chuckled some more before tapping my shoulder, which made me turn around again and ask, "How may I help you?" He chuckled before pointing to his injury and said, "Look, it's healed. This water has healing properties thanks to these glowing plants and worms you see here." He gestured around him and looked around in amazement. I didn't have much time to observe this place due to worrying about his injuries. Now that I was able to, I couldn't help, but find it beautiful. The scenery was so lovely I couldn't take my eyes off it. The plants were all aglow with bioluminescence. The colors I saw were bright blue, light pink, light green, and yellow, as well as many others that I couldn't even begin to describe. When I finally turned back to face Rufus, I noticed that he was staring at me with awe, wonder, and an emotion I couldn't completely recognize. I blushed and looked down again. All of a sudden, there was a loud boom outside that shook the cave floor. Rufus immediately grabbed my hand and started running towards the water. I was confused as to why he was running and trying to get into the water. He pulled me along with such urgency that I couldn't help, but feel scared. I didn't know what the hell was going on with the loud booming nor did I understand why Rufus was panicking. Feeling fed up with not being told anything, I yanked my arm back before we could enter the water and said, "What the hell is going on? What is with those loud booms outside the cave and why are you so panicked?!" I didn't realize I was shouting towards the end until I saw Rufus look down at his feet. He sighed and spoke softly, "Look, I know you're very confused right now, but I promise everything will be explained when the time is right. Right now we're in danger, so if you would please just cooperate with me, we will be fine." He finally looked up and we locked eyes. I could see that he was pleading with me to trust him and to follow his lead. Without any further options, I nodded my head and grabbed his hand. He nodded in return and we continued to run towards the water. As soon as we did, there was a huge blast again, but this time it sent debris flying. As the river carried us away, I saw the shadow of something huge, but before I could make it out, another blast resounded, causing more rocks to fall right where we had been standing. Without looking back, I swam after Rufus to put as much distance between us and the danger that pursued us. I noticed that the cave was too small for Rufus to take flight, so I started looking for other ways to escape when a large piece of wood drifted by us. I grabbed hold before climbing on top and I held my hand out to Rufus. He took it gladly and climbed on top of it as well. I breathed a sigh of relief before leaning my back on Rufus. He chuckled softly as we continued to drift along. We drifted for quite a while in the dark, then suddenly daylight greeted us. It hurt a little bit before our eyes adjusted. I looked around to see a beautiful forest filled with trees as far as the eye could see. They were such a bright and wonderful full green. I could hear the sweet song the birds sang and the rustling of the grass. There was a sound that I couldn't quite make out, however. The one thing I did know was that the unfamiliar sound was getting louder. I looked around, but couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from. Then, out of the blue, I heard Rufus shout, "WATERFALL!" We both panicked and started splashing at the water trying to get away from it, but it was all in vain. The next thing I knew was that I was no longer on the log with Rufus holding me tight. No, I was falling down a waterfall! The last thing I felt was me hitting the water and my head hitting a rock before I blacked out.