"Heart of a Scorcher" Chapter 10 - Ash and Blood excerpt
The pair landed painfully in the sand below as the platform behind them exploded in an inferno. Pieces of scorched wood rained down upon them and Aloy curled herself more tightly around him.
"I know," she told him as she sat up, pulling him with her. Aloy gave the boy a quick shake by his shoulders. "I know you're scared. But you cannot stop now, do you hear me? Not until this thing is dead. That is an order," she snapped when he only stared at her without comprehension. "You will not stop moving until this machine is dead. Do you understand?"
Finally, she noted some flicker of understanding. Looking behind her, she could see the Scorcher casting around for where they'd gone in the chaos. Quickly, she turned back to Valruun. "Do you understand?" she demanded. "Say it!"
The boy's nostrils flared with panic, but he nodded. Another shake of his shoulders had the words spilling out of him. "Don't stop moving. I understand."
Satisfied, she yanked him to his feet and shoved him away from her. "Go!"
Time to take down the big bad wolf.
"HEY!" she called out, waving an arm to capture the Scorcher's attention. "I'm right here! Come and get me!"
Ye olde rules: If you’re tagged, make a new post and share 1-2 (a few) sentences from your most recent unposted WIP(s) with zero context -- Let your followers guess!
(I feel as if it is sort of cheating since I only really have one fic going, but I'll post a few short scenes as a teaser!)
WIP 1:
The Marshal pulled his hand from Val's shoulder to pull their distraction from a pouch at his waist to prove it.
"Ready?"
No. But was one ever truly ready to dive into the flames of a Scorcher? Not trusting himself to speak, Valruun nodded curtly.
WIP 2:
Val could feel the heat of its breath. Though his burnt arm ached with the memory of charred flesh, the rest of him was oddly grateful for the sudden warmth amongst the icy wind. Not yet, he knew. Not until it was moving on, away from him. He dared not move lest he draw the machine's gaze down to light up his hidden form.
"Breathe." Gaia's soft voice broke through the darkening of the boy's vision. He did as she bade, and his head felt clearer for it.
WIP 3:
"Should I try?" Valruun asked, looking back at the others for permission.
"No," Aloy answered as Kotallo said, "Yes."
Uh oh. Mom and Dad are fighting.
The thought had the boy's cheeks flaming. Val made a mental note never to let something like that slip out.
tagging: @goodvibrationsmp3 @little-box-of-wonders, and @hannahmationstudios
hello hello! Kotaloy Elysium is an 18+ Aloy/Kotallo discord server (with a lot of various Horizon chatter and other ships are welcome). We just want to celebrate the games and the ship!
We currently run monthly prompts. big & mini events (which can now be seen @kotaloyelysiumevents) and if you're interested, feel free to join in! Lurking is definitely welcome too!