A Fighter's Story

Chapter 5 (1/2): The Oasis

"The sun is said to burn at 5,778 Kelvin or roughly 5504 Celcius. Luckily for us, our distance from the sun plus our atmosphere protects us from this outrageous heat and the radiation that it produces. Yet still, the goal for creatures and machines that wish to operate outside is to beat the heat on hot days such as today. So now comes to the question of how do we enjoy a relaxing day in the sun without burning our butts on the ground. The easy answer is laying in the shade or grass but what if you don't have either? Well, that is why I prefer to lay on quartz which, thanks to the low specific heat, 44.5 J/mol°C, and a low density to boot quartz slabs are perfect to sit down on in these intense conditions even if you don't have any soft grass to relax with. Honestly, I think that more cities and businesses should incorporate quartz into their parks and decorations so that children can play on it without burning themselves during the summer. Wouldn't you agree?"

Above him stood a woman with dark blue pigtails sticking out from a hardhat atop her head. Confusion and enjoyment battled with her face as she slowly responded, "Ya'know I only asked what you was sittin on right?"

"I... I rambled again... didn't I?" embarrassment visible on his face.

"Relax, I think it's cute," she leaned in closer to him. He was still smiling beneath her avoiding eye contact and muttering beneath his breath. He was truly adorable in her eyes with that luminescent smile and ridiculous lisp. "Besides, if that's true then I bet people in the Dunes are dying out there," she opinioned hoping to brighten his mood. She squatted down onto the quartz slab beside him. He sat with both legs crossed like a child while she took a more relaxed approach stretching both legs out in either direction sighing as her rear met with the cool quartz surface.

"Yeah," his mood brightened as the concentration was taken from him again, "It's probably nearly 70 Celsius out there. If they haven't had a heat stroke then the heels of their shoes will probably be a gooey mush in an hour."

"Hey!" a high pitch scraggly voice called back to the duo. "You two look like ya enjoying ya selves but I need ya back in here, just got an order and we gonna need all hands on deck." They looked back to see an old man with a white, jagged beard waving wildly in the air before returning into the cave they just exited.

"Damn," the woman gruffly mumbled as the old man went back inside, "Looks like we don't even get to have a break huh?"

"Well, I for one think that gem mining is not only important for our world's economy but fun as well. I also believe you like it too."

The woman smiled mischievously as an idea came to mind. She leaned in close to him, her breath fogging the metal plating on his jawline, her nose touching the cartoonishly large hardhat covering most of his face. The goggles that housed his fluorescent eyes burned brighter with her proximity. "I can tell ya what I like in those mines." She was on all four crawling towards him, her surprisingly large rear sticking out behind her. He could tell how much stronger and larger she was than him. It was unsettlingly yet strangely arousing. "It's so dark in there no one can see a thing I do. I can do anything I want, to anyone."

She could hear the mechanisms in his head going into overdrive trying to process the situation he was in. He could feel the air blowing from her smooth lips. The soot and grime on her face added to her mystic and those dark blue eyes sucked him in as he lost all control. "Tanzanite," he whispered out.

"What?"

"Your eyes, they look like Tanzanite. One of the rarest ores in our known world. It's estimated to be worth tens of thousands of coins even more valuable than diamonds," he meekly peeped out. The air was silent after he finished his explanation. Her face didn't show any emotion. She just stared into his eyes. Or were they orbs, perhaps bulbs? He couldn't decide and would look into it later. Currently, he just wanted to stare at her and await her response.