Combat Healer Ch. 22

October 30, 2022

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- CHAPTER 22: Determination -

Many Years Ago

A young elf girl with a gray face, midnight skin, black hair, and slitted crimson eyes, crouched over her ‘mostly dead’ master as she unexpectedly had a really good idea, thanks to her natural intuition.

Or perhaps, inherited intuition.

Grinning, she abruptly rose back to her feet, and skipped over to the much larger gray corpse on the ground, this one being from the one who spawned her. It looked kind of female, but had a somewhat odd shape, and also had wings and claws. The face was unrecognizable, and the eye socket looked to have a long sharp rock lodged within.

That wound was the doing of her master, she was sure of it, though she wasn’t exactly confident why she thought so.

Oh well.

Cheerful now, she felt her fingertips begin to shift, harden, and grow, until she had massive sharp claws in their place, not at all unlike the ones this corpse had, with her rolling over the slain beast to begin digging into its cooling body.

The process excited her.

This was fun!

And, she had a good idea!

Finally grasping what she knew would be there, she pulled the hard object out of the body ‘of the one who spawned her,’ and then began skipping back over to the body ‘of the one who owned her.’ However, as she stood over her dead master, she paused, beginning to wonder where she ought to put it.

The thing she now held in her hand was kind of like a second heart to a monster, and it was the boy’s heart that wasn’t working, but she wasn’t sure that replacing his heart was the right decision.

Ah, whatever.

It’d be fine.

Crouching down, she stuck her claw into the soft flesh of her master’s belly, easily slicing him open, making a nice big cut so she could see what was within.

Her slitted crimson eyes were wide.

Ooo, so weird looking.

Much different than the other corpse she just dug through.

But where to put it?

The core she held was just so big.

Kind of too big to fit anywhere, since there wasn’t much room…

Ah, whatever.

It should be fine.

Shoving it in aimlessly, she pushed his belly back together and waited, sensing when her master’s skills began working.

‘Immortal’s Touch.’

This one could let him just barely hang onto the tiniest thread of life. To grasp a hold of that thread even if he had already begun sinking into the abyss.

‘Regeneration.’

This one let his healing spells activate on himself, even when unconscious.

Yay! It worked!

He didn’t wake up, but he was at least ‘kind of’ alive now!

Grinning, she focused on the bulge in his belly wondering how long it would take for his flesh to accept that which she’d placed in him.

Probably would be awhile.

But that was okay!

She could wait!

And once he was more warm again, she could snuggle with him!

But now she just needed to bring him food to eat, so that he could recover.

She might have to get creative in order to feed him, since slicing him back open and shoving food inside probably wasn’t best, but she’d figure it out.

She knew it might be a little lonely until her master woke up, but cutting things open with her claws was kind of fun, and she had lots to explore!

So that’s what she’d do!

Cut everything up and explore!

Cheerfully rising to her feet, she began skipping again, so proud of herself.

It was fun to be alive!

Fun to have thoughts!

Fun to be intelligent!

All thanks to her master!

And she couldn’t help but giggle.

Because she was just so brilliant!

“Tee-hee!”

* * *

It was thanks to the innate ability of elves to accurately detect the passage of time, their Chronosense skill, that I even knew it was only late afternoon at this point. Not even dinnertime yet, which was sincerely shocking to me, considering it felt like so much happened.

But then again, in the middle of a hard battle, even just five or ten minutes could feel like hours.

The trek through the forest had probably been at least half an hour, and similarly the trek through the initial Dungeon passageway was likewise a little over half an hour, with the overall tension of the darkness and unseen threats making it feel longer.

By the time we were burning the first nest we came across, and then promptly fighting for our lives against a massive horde of Flesh Collectors shortly after, it wasn’t even noon. We then spent a lot of time regrouping and socializing, largely due to the fact that we were kind of trapped where we were for the time being. There was a horde of Arakna’cabra supposedly still on the other side of one ice barrier, and a blazing inferno on the other side of the second one.

And thus far, we hadn’t seen any other passageways to head down.

Which meant we would have either been forced to wait until the nest burned out, which could take half a day on its own with the way it was going, in order to try to go further into the Dungeon, or else backtrack through the horde and see if maybe we missed a tunnel somewhere.

But now we had other plans entirely.

While Wren claimed that she still hadn’t explored everywhere, even after a whopping eighteen years, she did know how to navigate a good portion of the Dungeon. Which meant we had both a new mission, save my comrades, as well as a guide who could lead us to the other nests, since apparently there were several.

She knew because their eggs were one of her favorite meals.

Which also meant she wasn’t super thrilled that we wanted to burn them all, but also admitted that there were other yummy things, and that she could get over it.

How gracious of her.

It seemed that the bond I shared with her was different than the one I shared with Eliza, mainly due to the fact that if I gave Wren a direct command, she had to obey it no matter what. However, I really didn’t want to have to resort to that as much as possible, so I was thankful that I was able to reason with her.

And I would continue to reason with her, hoping that her inherent desire to ‘please me’ would be enough so that I didn’t actually have to give out direct commands.

Not that she would complain if I did, so long as they didn’t bring harm to herself.

Obviously, she’d felt really betrayed when I first tested her obedience with the fire, but if I’d asked her to stand on her hands, she probably wouldn’t have minded at all. And that was something I knew she could do, because when we were trying to figure out how best to get through the ice barrier Sylvia created, I ended up wondering how Wren squeezed through such a small opening in the ice she had slowly created with her claws.

Her explanation?

She was super flexible and could contort her body in some pretty weird ways, which also resulted in her having her normal level of strength, even when her movements were constricted. When Mel asked ‘how flexible,’ Wren proceeded to show us by doing various things, including standing on her hands and then doing the splits, only to keep lowering her legs in the front and back until they were touching her head. Something a normal person definitely couldn’t do, no matter how flexible.

She also stood on her feet and twisted around at her hips until her upper body was almost turned all the way around, only to keep turning her head until that was looking forward again, which was honestly a disturbing sight to witness. And was also the point at which I commented that we’d seen enough.

In the end, we decided that the best way to cut through the ice without wasting a ton of essence was just to let Mel use her scythe.

However, I was sure none of us expected to see what was on the other side.

In the room we’d just been in, there were a few hundred Arakna’cabra bodies.

In the hallway past the ice barrier, there were the corpses of well over a thousand.

And of course, we all knew who was responsible for single-handedly taking on an army of Flesh Collectors more than three times the size of what we faced with our entire group. And I suspected that my words earlier, when I disclosed that Wren was probably more powerful than even an entire army of people, really began to hit home when they saw she was at least as powerful as an entire army of lethal Flesh Collectors.

As we carefully stepped through the carnage, with Wren leading the way and me just behind with a Light Crystal in hand, she explained to me that there were, in fact, a lot of tunnels that were very high up. So high that I could probably never reach them. And she also explained that she’d sealed off and hidden a lot of the lower tunnels so that she could control where other creatures ended up, explaining that there used to be other monsters in the Dungeon before the Arakna’cabra population got out of control, but now most of them were gone.

I found that very curious, since I knew Eliza and I had defeated this Dungeon.

However, just having that thought prompted Wren to correct me.

“You defeated a single floor, master.”

My eyes widened at that as I considered the implications of this passageway being so tall that even an elf couldn’t even see the ceiling, as well as the fact that there were other tunnels and passageways, just ones far too high for a normal person to reach…from this particular area.

“How many floors are there?” I wondered seriously.

She simply shrugged, her tone cute and innocent. “I dunno. But there used to be different monsters in each one, and now there’s mostly just the…umm…Arak…na…cabra?”

“Yes,” I replied simply.

“Arakna’cabra!” she cheered, abruptly kicking a massive midnight body with her foot.

Instantly, it shot away from her and smashed into the wall with a loud crack, prompting her to giggle.

“Boom! Hehe.”

I tried to swallow, still just trying to grasp the sheer power this little demon wielded, though she really wasn’t that little. Her head went up to my chin at least. “Umm, so where is this other tunnel?” I wondered.

“Right here!” she said cheerfully, gesturing next to where the spider monster had just hit against the wall. She then giggled. “Tee-hee! You might want to stand back a little, master.”

Confused, I quickly did so, prompting everyone else to hurry out of the way as well, with me brightening the Light Crystal more when I realized I’d lost her, only to catch a glimpse of only her legs as she wiggled through a super small opening in the wall. But then, literally a couple of seconds later, there was a loud crack, and I realized that entire section of the wall was actually a massive boulder, which promptly began to roll once she’d moved it far enough out.

Thankfully, it didn’t go far before it stopped again, being oddly shaped, but there was truly a spacious tunnel just behind it.

She immediately peeked her head out from behind the rock, looking both adorable and really creepy at the same time.

“It’s been a long time since I explored these tunnels, master. So…might take me a bit to figure out which way is correct.”

I nodded. “That’s fine,” I replied, all of us moving around the boulder to slip in the gap made, with Val kind of struggling to wiggle her butt and thighs through even sideways, before we were all beginning to walk below the much lower ceiling. Almost low enough that I could actually touch it if I were to try jumping.

However, one thing quickly became clear when Wren completely disappeared, with me just figuring I should go straight unless she said otherwise, only for her to unexpectedly call out behind us.

“Nope! Not this way,” she commented, causing us all to stop, only for her to run past us and disappear into the darkness again.

“Uh, did anyone see an opening back there?” I asked seriously. “How did she get behind us?”

Celestine spoke up. “I saw a large crack in the wall, but that was it. I don’t think any of us would have fit.”

Astaer chimed in, readjusting the pack on her shoulders. Her shirt was still burnt on one side, but when dressing she had put it on backwards so that she wasn’t exposed, with the pack hiding her otherwise exposed back. “Perhaps there’s a tunnel up ahead that led around behind us?”

“Maybe,” I offered, only to hear Wren call out in the distance again.

“Nope! Not that way!” she chimed, not reappearing this time.

I sighed. “Can any of you see her?”

“I cannot,” Eliza replied.

“Me either,” Astaer agreed.

Glancing back at Sylvia, she simply nodded in confirmation that she also couldn’t see her.

I frowned. “Who has the Light Crystal with the leather strap? Maybe I can ask her to wear it, so we at least have an idea of what’s ahead.”

“I have it,” Celestine replied, walking closer to hand it to me.

“Thanks,” I said simply.

She immediately gave me a kiss on the cheek, only to stroke my face tenderly. “With pleasure,” she said seductively.

Holy fuck!

I went from ‘fine’ to ‘aroused’ in literally one second.

I tried to clear my throat, just trying to change subjects. “Umm, who is watching our back?”

“I am right now,” Astaer replied, being further back, enough so that I couldn’t see her under the light of the dimly lit crystal. Or at least, I hadn’t been able to see her…

Unexpectedly, without warning, the darkness in the tunnel vanished significantly, only for it to be as if it was twilight instead of the middle of the night.

And I froze the fuck solid…

Until I slowly met Eliza’s gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Mel asked seriously. “Did you hear something?”

“Umm, no,” I replied, clearing my throat, realizing Eliza and I had some things to talk about…

Because she’d just figured out how to use Soulmate in the opposite direction.

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SKILL: Soulmate

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DESCRIPTION

Level: 1/1

Type: Innate Active

Effect: Bind another’s soul to oneself and share ONE LIFE. Attributes, Skills, Spells, Essence, and even Life itself may be shared between the pair. Attributes are shared at half value. Skills are shared at half potency. Spells are shared at double the cost. Essence and Life may be shared fully, which may result in death.

ONE LIFE: Unknown

----------------------------------------

I had Nocturnal Vision right now, only temporarily, at half strength.

“Umm…” I continued, unsure of what to say.

Eliza spoke up. “Perhaps everyone else can go on ahead of us, since it seems like this trip is going to take some time anyway, even if we are in a hurry. My beloved and I need to speak a little privately.”

Needless to say, Mel, Val, Celestine, and even Astaer, who I could see right now despite her being a couple dozen paces away, all seemed concerned. Alternatively, Sylvia simply nodded.

“Let’s move ahead,” the tall blonde encouraged, only to freeze solid when she realized a demonic elf girl was right in front of her.

Fuck!

Where did she come from?!

Wren giggled. “Hehe, I found the way! Sort of,” she added unconvincingly.

“Here,” I quickly said, before she disappeared again. “Can you wear this for us?” I requested, activating this second Light Crystal.

Wren’s slitted red eyes dilated as she stared directly at it, at least until I carefully slipped it over her head, with her grasping it in her fingers as I then proceeded to bunch up the strap in the back so I could tie a knot, not wanting it to get in her way, or snagged on something and broken.

Then, once it was tight enough to hang just below her midnight neck, her gray face looking a little spooky from the shadows, she shifted her slitted crimson eyes up to me, her expression almost awed.

“Is this for me, master?” she whispered.

“Yep,” I agreed, figuring no one would oppose letting her keep it. “And here, if you flow a little bit of essence through it, you can turn it on and off.” I touched it briefly to illustrate what I meant, her fingers briefly caressing mine, before I continued. “You could also absorb the essence stored inside, if you needed it for some reason, but then it won’t turn on.”

She nodded like she understood, only to surprise me by turning it off.

I still had another one on, so it wasn’t completely dark, but it made me realize I needed to clarify my intention for giving it to her.

“So long as you’re not in danger, please keep it on for now.”

She immediately turned it back on, her gaze growing more affectionate.

And then she unexpectedly attacked me.

Grabbing my face as fast as lightning, she pressed her gray lips into mine, thankfully not using her very long tongue this time, and then was gone just as fast.

Almost feeling dazed by the unexpected kiss, I focused in the distance to watch as it looked like a pulse of light was zipping down the tunnel at impossible speeds.

Fuck, she was fast.

So much faster than I even initially assumed.

And I wasn’t the only one shocked.

“Oh my God,” Mel exclaimed. “How can anyone run that fast?”

I focused back at her. “I wasn’t kidding when I made that comment about her defeating an entire army,” I said seriously. “Being a Berserker is no joke. It’s every bit deserving of the legends.”

“Do you think she’s using her Berserk skill right now?” Mel asked seriously.

I couldn’t help but just shake my head. “So, that’s the thing. I don’t think she is.”

Celestine spoke up. “So then, she’d be even faster.”

“Probably,” I agreed. “And much stronger. So much stronger.”

“This way!” Wren called out, facing our direction now really far away, waving at us. Only to disappear down another tunnel that must go in a different direction.

We all went ahead and began jogging now, since we kind of were in a hurry, only for us to get halfway there and have her reappear again.

“Nope! Sorry! I bet it’s the next one!”

Surprisingly, Mel groaned at that.

And even more surprisingly, Eliza stuck up for her younger twin. “Hey, I know it’s frustrating, but we’d be lost without her guiding us. Especially since she’s sealed off so many tunnels.”

“Oh,” Mel said in surprise. “Sorry, you’re right.”

The Queen simply nodded, and I decided to go ahead and step to the side, so the others could pass me, intending on finally speaking to Eliza now.

Mel hesitated briefly, before giving me a nod and continuing on, with Sylvia and Val right behind her, followed by Celestine once Eliza stopped by me as well.

Astaer seemed hesitant as she slowed down. “Umm, do you want me to keep watching our backs?” she wondered, only to lower her voice. “I won’t say anything,” she added in a whisper.

Eliza sighed heavily, only to nod. “These walls echo anyway. And I think we are beyond keeping secrets at this point, but I would like to speak to my beloved without interjection.”

“Of course, my Queen,” Astaer agreed simply, now waiting for us to walk so she could continue watching our backs.

Grabbing her hand and interlacing our fingers, I decided to bring up the obvious.

“So…you figured it out.”

“Seems that way,” she agreed. “There may come a time when I have to lend you my strength, and so I wanted to ensure I know how to do it. Perhaps you will help me practice?”

I frowned at that. “Just as long as you don’t do it unnecessarily,” I replied hesitantly, deciding I didn’t want to plainly state that she could literally give me her life, like I’d done for her. Thankfully, everything else shared was at half potency.

“Of course, my love,” she said sincerely. “As much as I do not wish harm to come to you, I understand what you would suffer if I were to perish.”

I grimaced at that. “Sorry,” I whispered, knowing exactly what she was implying.

That she had suffered a great deal from my loss.

She didn’t respond, instead squeezing my hand tightly, only for my eyes to widen when I unexpectedly had a sensation I’d never experienced before.

A silent request.

For ‘Heal.’

I gave it to her without hesitation, suddenly feeling myself losing the capacity to cast it. Which was super bizarre, considering it was a spell I’d known most of my life.

“Wow,” Eliza said in surprise, holding up her hand as she began casting the spell at double the cost, with nothing visible happening. “Never in my life did I think I would ever be capable of healing magic.”

Rather than respond, I tried to do the same.

To make a request.

For ‘Shock.’

I literally couldn’t believe it when I held up my own hand to watch the crackles of electricity.

For I too never imagined I’d be capable of electric magic.

But then that got me thinking. About what this implied, as well as all the skills I had that might be useful to her.

“We could communicate this way,” I realized.

“We could,” she agreed, sounding as if she’d just had the same realization.

“If you requested ‘Heal’ or ‘Greater Healing,’ then I would know either you’re hurt or someone else is, just by default, since otherwise you wouldn’t request it…” My voice trailed off as I started going through my skills, this time just transferring them to her to see what would happen.

Transferring to her my Essence Extraction appeared to increase her own Essence Extraction potency, with my level being so abnormally high, that even at half strength, it still doubled her own skill, artificially making it Level 10 due to me sharing 5 levels of my own Level 10 skill.

Of course, hers was initially capped at Level 5, as was normal for most others.

I then tried giving her Silent Cast, surprised that it didn’t work.

There was no benefit to transferring it, since she already had that skill, and because it was a Level 1 skill that couldn’t get any stronger than that, and I could sense that nothing happened.

However, transferring her my ‘Foresight’ skill did work, with her gaining that as a new skill temporarily at half potency. Or I supposed, half the ‘chance to activate,’ since it already wasn’t a very reliable skill, even if it had undeniably been useful in the past.

She already had Stoic and Pain Tolerance, same as me, and transferring both increased her levels beyond what was normal. Essentially giving her a much higher level of tolerance to pain than was probably normal, even for those with these skills.

Obviously, things still hurt though, like when I stuck my hand in that fire, but those who earned the Pain Tolerance skill could handle such horrible agonies better than most.

Attempting to transfer Known by Darkness did nothing, probably because it was also a Level 1 skill that couldn’t get stronger, and when I tried to transfer Eye of the Goddess, which I’d never even been able to analyze, it literally made me feel nauseous when I even considered it.

The skill Soulmate, as well as Regeneration, also did not transfer over.

Which confirmed that any skill that maxed out at Level 1 couldn’t be used by her.

I technically had a couple of other skills, but now feeling a little sick from the attempt to give her Eye of the Goddess, I decided that was enough for now.

“Well,” I finally managed, trying to shake myself of the nausea. “Looks like some I can share, and some I cannot. Likely either because there’s no effect, such as in the case of Silent Cast, or because it’s a unique skill that can’t be shared, like my Regeneration, which will cause my spells to auto-cast on myself if I allowed it.”

“I’m aware, my love,” Eliza said simply, holding my hand more tightly. “I remember very clearly that you always healed me first, no matter what, even despite that skill.”

I sighed heavily, before continuing. “Perhaps if you requested my Essence Extraction skill, then that could mean you wanted to see me. Whereas if you requested something like Stoic or Pain Tolerance, then it could tell me you’re in trouble.”

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, my love, it is doubtful I would need any saving,” she said sincerely. “If anything, I may just have a headache. So then, perhaps requesting Stoic can mean I want to speak to you in private, without others knowing that we are meeting, whereas Essence Extraction can mean that you should approach the Guard for an audience. Just say you were informed by Ms. Sylvia Vanitas that I wished to speak with you.”

“I like that idea,” I said sincerely. “And then, Pain Tolerance can mean you’re in trouble, or that I at least need to check on you discreetly. Because, whether you need saving or not, I don’t think there is any harm in at least establishing that type of message.”

She pursed her lips at that, but didn’t object.

However, the topic did inadvertently cause me to begin thinking about all the reasons why we’d gained the Pain Tolerance skill in the first place, as well as what she’d gone through afterward. First, she accidentally left me behind, which I knew must have been traumatizing on its own, with her suffering for over a decade, only to undergo the trials to become Queen, all for the sake of hoping that she might one day find me.

It made me feel really somber.

“What’s wrong, love?” she asked quietly.

I took a shaky breath. “How old were you when you became Queen?” I wondered solemnly.

She sighed. “I ascended to the throne when I was twenty-eight years old.”

I nodded, already being aware that she’d been the Ruler of the Delanor kingdom for a little over ninety years, but not having previously known her exact age at that time. And I was also now aware that she’d known Sylvia for about that long as well.

I was hesitant as I asked my next question. “And…how long did the trials to become Queen last?” I wondered carefully, unsure if she would chastise me for even asking, or if she was willing to share what was forbidden.

Taking a deep breath, she gave my hand a surprisingly gentle and reassuring squeeze, before parting her full pink lips to respond. “There are stages to the trials, together called the Trials of the Throne, with the first one being a measure of intelligence, also called the Trial of Wisdom, specifically in regard to the subjects I discussed earlier, such as the economy. There is then a test of strength, similarly called the Trial of Strength, with most candidates passing both without a problem, including myself. Though some do fail by then.”

I simply nodded, my throat feeling tight.

She grimaced. “But that’s not what you really wish to know, is it, my love?” She gave me a somber look before continuing, her voice barely a whisper. “The hardest trial only lasts about a week.”

My eyes widened in sincere surprise at that, expecting much longer. “Only a week?” I said in disbelief, only for realization to hit me. “Fuck,” I hissed. “What in the hell do they do that causes everyone to quit in under a week?”

“Do you really wish to know, love?” she wondered somberly. “For once you know, you’ll never be able to forget.”

Fuck.

“Yes,” I said firmly, beginning to feel angry now.

“My beloved,” she said gently. “The process is completely voluntary. I could have quit at any time, and in fact they frequently asked us if we were ready to quit. And no one touched me inappropriately, nor did any man see me exposed.”

I took a deep breath, knowing there was nothing I could have done about it back then, and knowing there was nothing I could do about the past. Nothing I could do to change what had already happened.

Now more collected, I emphasized my desire to know.

“Please tell me.”

Her tone was gentle. “The final trial is called the Trial of Resolve, and the first step to this final stage is…being whipped…and cut all over the body.”

I grimaced at that, my grip tightening in hers.

She continued. “Only the most resolved will make it to the end of that first step, and even then, almost all quit the moment that the wounds are treated.”

That surprised me. “What? Why?”

She sighed heavily. “There is a secret salve developed by my people. A unique salve, that both prevents all scarring, much like your healing spells do, which is why there are no signs on my body of what I endured, but also…” She hesitated, grimacing again. “But also feels like having salt scrubbed into the wound.”

“Fuck,” I hissed again.

“It is…excruciating agony,” she admitted. “Especially on the hands and feet, where meticulous cuts are made. But also everywhere else, since the back, stomach, arms, and legs have all been whipped and cut too. And few, except the most determined, endure for the next step of this trial – denial of basic needs, including food and sleep.”

“They deny you sleep?” I asked seriously, unsure of how that would be possible without more physical torture. Or perhaps the salve was torturous enough…

She simply nodded. “There is a special elixir that will prevent one from being capable of falling asleep, even just for a moment. It is the only sustenance we are offered, and even if we refuse, we are forced to drink anyway.”

I tried to understand what all she was saying. “So…they put this salve on your wounds, and then they starve you and make you drink a fluid that prevents you from sleeping.”

“They also string us up,” she added. “For, it is during this stage when any of our people are free to come and witness what the most resolved among them are enduring for the throne. Much like my audience hall, there are several massive rooms beneath my castle, and many do visit.”

“And…after being strung up…most quit within a week,” I said hesitantly.

“My love, most quit by the second day. Even the most resolved of all, quit by the second day. Being unable to sleep at all, even for a moment, for two days straight, is enough to cause all our agonizing wounds to become even more torturous. To the point that the mental torment is enough to make a person go crazy with hallucinations. And by the third day, all sense of reality is lost. It’s impossible to think clearly. Impossible to understand how much time is passing, with every second feeling like an eternity. The body grows weak, the mind grows confused and delusional, the pain intensifies without limit, and the denied need for sleep becomes unbearable. Most forget what they are fighting for. Most can’t even remember the names of those in their family.” She grimaced as she continued. “It is so horrible that those who quit on the second day are bedrest for nearly a week afterward. And those who even make it to the third day require nearly a month to recover. Were it only a lack of sleep, then perhaps they could recover in a few days, but in combination with the wounds, the body becomes very ill.”

“But…couldn’t a healer just fix you?” I managed, suspecting I already knew the answer.

She shook her head. “It’s forbidden, as that is part of the torment. And part of the allure to quit. If someone does quit, then they will be healed after three times the number of days have passed that they endured. Which would be six days for those who made it past two. Which means that, the longer they go, the longer they will have to wait to be fully liberated from their agony.” She paused, her tone dropping. “However, for the one who wins the throne, they will not be afforded such luxuries. To win the throne is to endure this suffering for many weeks afterward, as the wounds heal naturally, perhaps for months in some cases. And that alone, is temptation enough for even the most resolved of all to give up. When every second has become an eternity of torment, the prospect of months of painful recovery becomes unbearable, even as the current pain and torment is unbearable. So, by day three, all have quit.”

“How long?” I barely managed, my voice strained.

Her expression pained. “My love…they do not tell us when the others have quit. It is part of the process, with each person having no idea if the other candidates are still persevering, or not.”

My eyes widened in alarm. “Eliza, how long?” I asked seriously.

“My rival quit on the third day.”

“How long?!” I demanded.

“Nine days,” she whispered.

I felt like I was going to be sick, immediately letting go of her hand and stumbling over to the cavern wall to hold onto something. I couldn’t see straight, and was sure I was about to pass out.

Because she’d endured a living hell for nine days.

Her rival quit on day three.

Eliza was suddenly embracing me from behind then, as I leaned against the wall, her arms wrapped tightly around my torso, her breasts pressed firmly against my back, her lips gently kissing the back of my neck.

Everyone had heard me yell that last part, and so everyone stopped, with me being sure at least the elves were aware that Eliza was technically committing a crime by even sharing this information with me.

After a few long minutes of silence, she finally continued quietly.

“They asked me over and over again, ‘Do you surrender?’ And over and over again…” Her tone became more hard. “I told them no.”

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

She continued, her voice even quieter. “But then, they began asking me a different question, ‘Do you want the pain to stop?’ in an attempt to try to get me to quit by that point, since I’d won and didn’t know it. Having no idea that I’d already gone longer than anyone else in history, by a significant amount.” Her tone was again hard. “And I told them no.” She tightened her embrace more, pressing her cheek against my back. “By that point, my love, my mind was so confused and lost, that I’m ashamed to admit that I’d forgotten about you completely. Couldn’t remember your face. Couldn’t remember your name. I even forgot I was fighting for the crown.” Her tone became even more somber. “But…I also couldn’t forget the agony and loss in my heart. And when I did finally surrender, I felt like I failed. Felt like I gave up on you. I started to hallucinate the day I accidentally left you behind in the Dungeon, and I began panicking. My body started to go into shock, and they had to sedate me.” Her voice became barely a whisper. “I was unconscious for five days afterward with a high fever. And delirious and sick for weeks after that, though I had no illness. None…except a broken heart. For…even once I was recovered…I was still lost. And still suffering…”

I didn’t even realize I was crying until an unexpected sob escaped from deep within.

Eliza began rubbing my chest gently, as if to reassure me, before hugging me even tighter, the side of her face pressed against my back now.

But there was no reassurance to be had.

Because I could see it. I could imagine it.

The way her gorgeous purple eyes looked…as she endured an unthinkable hell, the pain so significant within the depths of her soul, that she persisted, even when others had long since failed. In her desire to have me back. In her desire to end her real suffering, she persisted, and would likely still do as much again, to keep me safe.

But it was MY TURN to keep HER safe.

Never again.

So long as I had breath in my lungs, never again would I let her endure such suffering, and I would do everything in my power to protect her for the rest of my life. Whether that be through the skill Soulmate, and by giving her my own strength.

Or possibly…

Whether that be through Wren, who could be there when I wasn’t able to.

One way or another, I would protect her.

I swore it, on my life.

I died for her once, and I’d do it once again.

Except that dying wasn’t good enough anymore. Not when it would just cause her more suffering.

Rather, being willing to suffer for her, to defend her, was what was now required.

For, I’d stuck my hand in a literal fucking fire, just to apologize to Wren for hurting her. To prove that I hadn’t meant to be mean to her, and was willing to suffer what she’d been forced to suffer.

But if it was for Eliza?

To protect her?

There wasn’t a fire hot enough to cause me to shy away.

And there wasn’t a threat strong enough…

To make me surrender.

FEEDBACK: Did you cry? (Or feel emotional?)

I sure did, and I'm not ashamed to say it, lol.

Also, what do you think of Wren at this point?

Any other thoughts about this chapter?

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Chapter 23 >>

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