Chapter 112: Thirst

Beneath the relentless midday sun, it felt as though flames were searing their bodies. They trailed the camel’s footprints, yet after an hour’s pursuit, there was no sign of Aberni or the spring-filled cave he had mentioned.

Surrounded by nearly identical wind-eroded landscapes, it was almost impossible for them, unfamiliar with such an environment, to discern any differences. The houndmen strained to trace Aberni’s scent through the sandy gusts, but it appeared he might have used something to conceal his odor. The air held only a faint trace, not enough for the houndmen to continue their pursuit.

After another half-hour of following the tracks, they found an increased number of camel footprints. Upon close examination by one of the houndmen, it was determined that these were the tracks they had left on their journey in.

“We’re being led in circles by this guy,” Wu Qingsong said, his teeth clenched in frustration.

All the houndmen were visibly suffering from excessive heat. Pursuing further might not lead to catching up with Aberni and could potentially cause more problems. 

Wu Qingsong then decided, “Let’s stop chasing. Head to that shaded area first.”

Despite their reluctance, the houndmen’s bodies were beginning to give in, and they had to accept this outcome.

Taking refuge under the shade of the rocks, they endured the peak of the day’s heat. As their body temperatures lowered, their spirits gradually returned. Yet, there was a shared understanding among them that after several hours of delay, the likelihood of catching up with Aberni had become nearly impossible.

“He’s definitely still around,” Wu Qingsong said.

If his hunch was correct, then Aberni and the earlier sand foxman were in league with each other. Reflecting on it, from the very first sentence Aberni spoke, they had been subtly trying to glean information about them. Although the exact reason these individuals targeted them was unclear, it was apparent that this was not their first time engaging in such activities.

Wu Qingsong even began to suspect that they might not have actually been traveling east but were instead led deeper into the desert. In the absence of water, it would take only a few days for dehydration to entirely diminish their ability to resist or even to claim their lives outright. The treacherous robbers could then leisurely plunder everything from their corpses.

To ensure this, they would undoubtedly stay close by, to prevent their bodies from being engulfed by the sand.

“How much water do we have left?” Wu Qingsong asked. 

He had delegated this responsibility to Ling since they began resting in the shade.

“Just two and a half bags,” Ling responded, her expression fraught with worry.

“Starting now, no one drinks this water unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Wu Qingsong instructed.

The houndmen nodded in silent agreement, their dehydration evident from their dry, cracked tongues and mouths. Wu Qingsong was certain that within a few more hours without water, some of them would inevitably collapse.

“Kill a camel,” Wu Qingsong declared. “We’ll have to drink its blood.”

The conventional wisdom was that consuming animal blood directly, unprocessed, could be fraught with bacteria and parasites. But in their dire situation, such health concerns were far from Wu Qingsong’s mind.

For the houndmen, drinking blood bore no psychological burden. Soon, a camel was brought down, and they all quenched their thirst, including Wu Qingsong and Ling, albeit reluctantly.

Camel blood, surprisingly less viscous than other animals’, was nonetheless a challenge to ingest. They filled every empty water bag with the blood. Following what he had seen on a wilderness survival show, Wu Qingsong carefully searched for the camel’s water bladder and cut it out as intact as possible, wrapping it in fur to prevent the water from evaporating.

However, these camels hadn’t been given water for a considerable time before being sold to them. The water sac was depleted, barely a third full.

“Could we survive the desert by drinking this camel blood?” Beck wondered aloud, his voice tinged with a prayerful hope.

Having interacted most with the robbers, he felt acutely responsible, fearing they had gleaned crucial details about their party from him. His guilt was compounded by the fact that he had consumed nearly half of Ling’s full water bag in one desperate gulp. If not for Wu Qingsong seeming to have a plan, Beck felt an overwhelming urge to end his own life as an apology.

“We can’t kill the remaining camels, if we do, we’ll be even less likely to get out,” Wu Qingsong declared firmly, shaking his head.

The camel’s broad, large footpads were designed for desert traversal, preventing them from sinking into the sand, unlike their own feet which easily became submerged. Even on a gravel plain, the camels undoubtedly moved much faster. It had taken them four days to reach this point by camel. If they were to kill all the camels, returning might take twice as long, and that was if they managed to stay on the right path.

Moreover, just escaping like this?

That was not his style at all.

“Beck! Climb that cliff and look for areas with more vegetation, especially if it’s green,” Wu Qingsong instructed.

“Yes, sir!” 

Beck, eager to redeem himself, quickly discarded all his gear and scrambled up the cliff. However, his extensive survey revealed only sparse, yellowed plants. Green vegetation was nowhere to be seen.

It was clear now that their deceitful guide had brought them to this specific location intentionally, not by chance.

Beck continued his precarious ascent along the heavily eroded rock column, coming close to falling several times.

“That’s enough,” Wu Qingsong called out from below. 

Yet, Beck’s heart was weighed down by guilt, and the thought of returning empty-handed was intolerable. A part of him even contemplated the notion that his own death from a fall would at least reduce the number of people needing water.

Beck eventually reached the top of the rock column without any mishaps. Standing there, he could faintly make out the snow-capped peaks on the horizon, indicating their considerable distance from them. The landscape around them was uniformly a lifeless, monotonous yellow.

Straining his eyes, Beck desperately scanned the distance, earnestly searching for any hint of green among the gaps in the weathered rocks. Noticing Beck’s strained condition from below and considering sending someone up to fetch him, Wu Qingsong was taken aback when Beck suddenly exclaimed with elation.

“There it is! Sir! Over there, a patch of green!”

They quickly made their way toward the direction Beck had pointed to. In their current predicament, every passing minute meant more water loss and diminishing odds of survival.

After about an hour of weaving through the labyrinth of wind-sculpted rocks, they eventually came upon a small expanse of greenery. It was merely a tiny cluster of shrubs, surrounded by dry sand that threatened to scatter with the slightest breeze.

The houndmen fell into despair.

Wu Qingsong loudly said, “We set up camp here.  Stay vigilant for any ambush from those guys.”

“Sir?” 

The houndmen were bewildered. There was no water here, was there?

Then, turning to Ling, Wu Qingsong stated, “Now, it’s all in your hands.”