Thundar Stormstrider's Arc

Chapter 8 of 10

Thundar climbed past the medic hut with the small tank strapped to his back. The mask hissed with each step. He glanced at the round gauge on his chest and saw the needle slipping faster than it should. The cold up here was eating his air. He pushed on. Soft white shapes drifted across the slope — pale wisps of cloud that hung where no living thing belonged. They were beautiful and wrong. Birds did not fly here. Nothing moved but him. The needle dropped again, and his chest began to burn. He stopped and stared at the dial. Less than a quarter left. The peak still rose far above, sharp and silent. He would not make it on this tank. He turned in a slow circle, searching, and saw it — a small metal shed bolted into the rock, vents on its sides, a heavy door shut against the wind. Thundar staggered to the door and forced it open. Inside stood rows of fresh tanks, lined up like soldiers. He swapped his empty one for a full one with shaking hands. The new gauge clicked to full. He stepped back onto the slope, breathing steady again, and kept climbing.