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The heavy downpour and harsh wind greeted Qifrey at the incident site, from the moment he stepped out of the window way. A slight frown made its way onto his face when he assessed the situation, and the rain.
The riverbank had the carriage lodged in the onslaught of water gently tipping the carriage causing the trapped people inside to panic.
“Look everyone! The witches have arrived!”
“Oh thank goodness..you have to save my son!”
Both of the adults nodded, immediately moving to get to work. A gentle hand rested on the slightly taller witches shoulder causing him to turn around. “Listen Qifrey. I’ll use the rain cleaver if I must. I know how much yer hate getting wet but—”
The water witch shook his head, politely declining. “Ah, Olly. It’s fine, I’ve got this.”
“Y’sure? I have no problem..”
“Quite.” After all, water was his speciality. Even if the story behind the matter was not from passion.
Olruggio flew down, hopping ontop of the carriage before calling out. “Qifrey!”
With a swift lift of the sword, he managed to part a hole in the river in order to firmly plant the sword in the water. The current opened around him as he held on tightly, grunting at the force. “Olly!”
“On it!”
The fire witch made his way down to the ambushed cart. He moved to get people out efficiently for their sake as well as Qifrey’s. If he could reduce the time that he would be exposed to the water, it would help him.
After all, his hatred of water was pretty serious.
The woman next screamed, as she felt the cart shift, grabbing onto the water logged wood before reaching out for Olruggio’s cape desperately. “Please!”
“I’m coming, I’ll get yer somewhere safe.”
There was a strained sound from Qifrey, having to readjust his grip. “Olly—how many more..!”
“Just two, I’ll be done soon. I promise yer.”
“Kh—well, hurry I—ack,” A generous spray hit his face, and he spluttered, shaking his hair free of that salty grime, “Thanks for that water, I hate you too..”
With another bystander saved, the fire witch went back for the final one, a young boy. Olruggio reached for him, reaching out for the child. Qifrey felt his footing slip, before he strained against the force coming at him leaning forward when the water started overwhelming him. The water roared angrily in his ears tauntingly, as he bit his lip anxiously.
“Olly—I—can’t, much longer..!
“I know, I’m working quickly!” He called back, flying up. “This is the last one!”
Qifrey groaned, pushing his arms forward to regain some control, but his grip somehow slipped, making him unable to grab on any longer. The sword dislodged, and he had no time to react to the water coming his way. He must’ve got his shoes wet somehow, the sigils weren’t working when he clicked his heel. “Shit!”
“That’s..everyone.” A person confirmed over the loud crying of a man hugging his son and mumbling his name.
“That’s great. Qifrey, yer behind me..? Where’s..” Olly turned around swiftly, dark sapphire eyes narrowing in confusion. He didn’t see Qifrey anywhere. Could he still be in the water..? “Where’s that little apprentice hoarder gone..”
Knowing Qifrey, he had the qualities of a cat. Surely he wouldn’t still be down there. Would he..?
A loud gasp confirmed everything he needed to know at that moment.
“Master Olruggio! Look!” Tetia’s hands pointed as she screamed out, seeing the cloak of her master vanish under the murky current.
Fuck.
“Qifrey!”
White hair forced itself above the water as he tried to assess his situation. The most he could do was try to grab for the rain cleaver which had unfortunately started drifting away. He coughed and gasped when a wave crashed into him, as he slightly panicked. Qifrey never bothered to learn how to swim, and he sure as hell couldn’t fly right now. He took a gaping breath, before he was violently dunked under again.
“Qifrey!!”
He could tell that was Olly’s voice.
But it was muffled, barely clear to the ear as he spun by the currents force. Which way was up? Which way is down..? He couldn’t tell—with his messed up depth perception it was throwing him off too much regardless.
Splashing under water was futile, he tried to fight against the pressure but it was no use.
He hated this—he hated water.
Water was something necessary for human survival, yet here it was killing him slowly.
Futile efforts to save himself were starting to fail, his arms were growing tired from clutching onto the sword earlier and he couldn’t hold his breath any longer.
His lungs were burning. He needed some air.
“Glub!” He took too much of a deep inhale, shit. He could feel his lungs getting heavy, water logged as he tried not to breathe in, creating bubbles in his efforts.
It was no use he could feel his vision slipping trying to surface.
—
“Oy! Can yer hear me!”
Olruggio flew over in a panic, looking for that familiar snow dyed hair, his ribbon, anything.
“Qifrey!”
It wasn’t any help that the water was beyond filthy, making it hard to see.
He didn’t even know why he was yelling like the other could hear him!
The fire witches heart raced out his chest, he should’ve been the one to wield the rain cleaver, not him..but damn Qifrey insisted. He knew he was physically better for the task but he also knew his good friend's aversion to water in general. Hence why he..made the link rings.
He really did love that man to the point of creation.
“Master Olly!”
Richeh’s calming monotone voice called for him, as she trailed fabric down the river.
Familiar colours.
White and black clothes.
“Over here, he’s going rather fast..”
“Master Qifrey!” Coco wailed, panting as she ran down the river before her blood ran cold. It didn’t take long for Olruggio to notice it as well. “Oh no..!”
Cliff.
There was a cliff.
Qifrey’s unconscious body was heading towards the end of the river bank, where he would surely plummet and—
No, gods no.
He couldn’t let that happen.
For someone as lazy and sleep deprived as the inventor was, he moved with a speed he didn’t even know he could with the sylph shoes. The wind generated from his action blew some of the trees backwards, slightly parting the river with his urgency. “‘ang in there, Qifrey! I’m coming!”
The downpour and gale wasn’t helping his case, as the water splashed violently up at his feet.
Shit..
He’s not going to make it!
“Mast—!!” Aggot shouted, before breaking off into a gasp.
Coco couldn’t watch, she turned away into Tetia's arms, unable to bear the sight. Richeh covered her mouth while Agott stood with her eyes blown wide open. Qifrey’s body plummeted over, followed by the cries of his young apprentices as Oluriggo followed.
No.
There’s no way..it couldn’t be possible.
Aggot felt her breath leave her body, stepping forward and then back in disbelief.
The only adult to ever treat her with decency—can’t be gone..
“Wait..! Look over there!” An outsider gaped, witnessing a flash of green flying upwards into the sky, two men entangled with each other heavily drenched.
Olruggio clutched Qifrey’s body, thinking about how alarmingly light his friend was in the moment. His hair was stuck to his face, robes, glasses and cap askew with his lashes resting against his cheek. “I’ve got yeh, Qifrey.”
I’ve always got you, is what he wanted to finish with, but time was of the essence.
“‘ang on Qifrey, ‘ang on.” He flew down with urgency, landing a bit wobbly as he laid his unconscious…partner on the floor.
He wasn’t moving.
“Agott! I need my drying spell, now!” He yelled with a voice raw of worry, watching the eldest of the four scramble with his equipment. She tossed him the rings with shaky hands stepping back, as Olly got right to work.
Spurts of water were carefully drawn from Qifrey’s clothes and mouth, as Olduggio carefully guided it away from his body. He then repeated the action, seeing that there was a lot of water. “Stay with us, Qif.”
It took about 4 rounds of the same action for there to be no more moisture to pull from his mouth, and he waited for the water witch to gain consciousness.
And waited.
And waited..
“Master..?”
“Why isn’t he waking up!”
Olly made a face of dread. Why wasn’t he waking up? That should’ve worked. It should’ve worked. It has to!
“Master Olly, do something!!”
“Master Qifrey! Please don’t die!”
Olly felt his heart drop in his chest as he took a deep breather when he could feel in his chest that he was starting to hyperventilate. He needed to usher the girls away. He couldn’t do this with their panicked wailing, no offense to them. They were children after all..
But he was close to losing his shit as well.
He took another deep breather.
“Agott. I need space.” It was gruff, it was firm. Yet, thankfully she understood the severity of his words.
Being the eldest of them all she had to usher them away so that they could wait with the victims helped earlier, who were also clearly worried about the witch who came to their aid.
Olruggio looked down at that familiar face, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek. “Yer not giving up on us that easily. What happened to not letting water control yeh? Ay?
He leaned forward, pressing his lips against the cold skin of Qifrey’s, breathing in some air before starting firm compressions on his chest. He kept a steady rhythm, winding himself in the process with how vigorously he was going. Yet he was determined. “Open yer ey up.”
Olruggio let his lips meet with Qifrey’s again.
“C’mon.”
Breathe.
“Qifrey.”
Breathe..
“Wake up, damn it!”
Just as he was about to administer mouth to mouth again, there was a light cough from under him. He saw how turquoise eyes cracked open slightly before closing again.
“Qif..Qifrey?” Oluriggo started, a waver to his voice that didn’t belong. He wasn’t sure if he was winded or feeling like he was two breaths away from crying.
A hoarse groan followed the calling of his name before a small mumble. “Too..bright..”
Oh.
Oh thank the stars.
“Gods..you’re alright..” He mumbled weakly, leaning forward to embrace him tightly, taking handfuls of his cape. Qifrey’s breath hitched as a rush of comfort filled his chest, an unfamiliar feeling..
“Olly..? What—happened.?”
“You—” Oluriggo leaned back, holding his shoulder. “You must’ve lost your grip, yer were carried down the river.”
The water witch looked at him, hair fluffy plastered against his face. He was alive, breathing. Looking at him with such distraught intensity. The fire witch swallowed momentarily. “I thought you—”
Lost you.
And he wouldn’t know what he would’ve done if he didn’t make it in that moment. If he lost his…friend.
“Master!!”
“Uff!”
There was a blur of unruly pink hair, followed by blondish green, and then blue. Qifrey didn’t even have a chance to regain his breath before he was ambushed and slammed into—knocking whatever little breath he had saved. “Master, you're okay!!”
“Don’t scare us again!” Tetia babbled behind her thick tears.
Qifrey blinked, his glasses lopsided from being tackled before he smiled gently and pushed them up the bridge of his nose at his apprentices wailing and rubbing their snotty faces on his garments. “Sorry, all of you..”
Olly turned his head, seeing that Agott stood there, facing away stubbornly. But the flush on her cheeks and certain obvious sniffling made it clear she was beyond relieved as well. Oluriggo watched knowingly, but quietly.
Wordlessly, he raised his hands and waved the young girl over into the huddle of capes and tears. And Agott being Agott made a sound of resistance whilst dragging her feet over willingly. She fell in the huddle knocking her head into Qifrey’s shoulder a bit harder than intended but said nothing.
“…Agott?—”
She hiccuped and buried her head further. “Don’t—do that..I’m glad you’re alright..”
Though their master was disoriented, he made a soft expression.
“Ah..I apologize.”