Chapter 71

When the Blades Fall (VIII)

“Run it again!” Cain hollered out in a commanding tone, charging Creation and Wind in both his hands, slapping them out and wrapping Jamal and Senna before yanking them back and out of the way of the sprouting vines.

The two cried out in pain as they found themselves tossed back into the tunnel, rolling for good few dozen feet before stopping, their bodies bloodied. Senna was missing her right eye, and there was a hole in her abdomen the size of a beer can, while Jamal was missing a good chunk of his right thigh.

Diya hurriedly ran over to the two and began healing them, not sparing her Mana in the slightest. Emma frowned at the sight and turned toward Cain who stood leaning on the edge of the tunnel, arms crossed over his chest.

“Watch.” he spoke to Jamal and Senna as the two stood up, trying their best to hide the terror in their eyes.

Cain charged Earth into his feet and slammed them gently onto the floor, repairing thirty or so holes that were made by the vines. Right after, he stepped out and began the dance -- each time, just before the vine burst from the earth beneath, he would dash slightly, just enough to dodge without wasting too much movement. He bobbed and weaved toward the center, never making any abrupt or panicky moves.

When he arrived at the center, he spun around and walked back toward the tunnel, avoiding both the already-existing holes and the newly-sprouting one, easily jumping back into the tunnel whereupon the vines withdrew back into the ground.

“Feel the vibrations,” he said. “Don’t wait for the sound cues -- by then, it will be too late. Get the sense of when the vibrations peak, and then dodge. Don’t move too much -- the vines are thin and they attack in isolation. Just a couple of feet of distance is enough to be safe. Don’t panic -- I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

“... this might be worse than death.” Senna mumbled into her jaw, but with just enough volume for Cain to hear.

“It is,” he looked at her strangely coldly, a cold shiver passing down her spine when she met his gaze. “But if you’re so willing to take that better deal, just say so.”

“...”

"Run it again." he said, repairing the floor of the cross-section once again. Jamal took a deep breath and stepped forward, Senna following right after, not daring to look at Cain.

The two jumped out and began trying to reach the center. They endured roughly fifty feet of distance before a vine lodged itself into Senna’s foot, catching her being half a second too slow. She yelped out and, in panic, tossed herself forward, whereupon a new vine sprouted from underground, aiming for her neck.

Panic overtook her completely, her mind freezing -- just before the vine burst through her, she felt a powerful force drag her back abruptly, and she, once again, found herself rolling through the tunnel. She felt disoriented for a moment, a warm sensation following shortly after that cleansed all the physical pain. Just then, a thud startled her as she looked at her side, noticing that Jamal had joined her -- his entire left arm missing.

Diya hurried over and ‘repaired’ it -- rather than ‘repair’, however, it was more apt to say that she regrew his entire arm from the seeming nothing. No matter how many times Senna saw this slightly older girl heal their group, restoring them from an inch away from death, she couldn’t help but gasp in awe and reckon at the seeming uselessness of her class.

“Run it again!” the familiar voice startled her onto her feet as she almost instinctively at this point walked forward and out onto the next ‘room’.

She listened to his advice and focused entirely on vibrations beneath her feet. Right. Left. Back. Even before it hit her, she realized she was late; it didn't pierce her foot but did manage to scratch her heel. It hurt -- perhaps even more than when the entire vine went through.

Just putting even the slightest pressure on her left foot left her gasping for air as her body screamed at her to stop walking -- and she did. She felt the earth vibrate and even saw the tip of the vine reaching toward her chest -- just when that familiar energy wrapped around her once again and pulled her back into the tunnel, letting her roll backward. It hurt -- so, so much.

But... it didn’t hurt nearly as much as watching those flames. She could endure. No, she had to endure. She never wanted to feel that weak, helpless, and pathetic in her life.

Gritting her teeth, she didn't wait for his signal, her sight narrowing and blurring out everything except the massive cross-section. Standing up, she launched herself forward and began another trek. Ten feet... thirty... fifty... a hundred--she was late. A snapping sound signaled yet another barrage of pain that assailed her mind and caused her to cry out.

The vine had crushed the tibia bone of her right leg, snapping it forward at an awkward angle and making for a ghastly sight. Her face paled when her eyes veered down and saw the lower part of the leg bent forward at almost a ninety-degree angle. Horror froze her and she lost her balance, beginning to fall down.

Once again, that same energy wrapped around her and pull her back, but didn’t toss her into the tunnel -- laying her down gently, instead. Still reeling in shock, she was just about to pass out from it when similarly familiar golden light warmed her up and healed everything, erasing the pain.

When the world came back into focus, she saw his towering figure standing over her, looking down, a helpless look in his eyes. A bitter sensation crawled up to her throat as she clogged it, not letting the tears stream into her eyes. She had to fight it -- she couldn’t be seen as weak... never again.

“Alright everyone, let’s sit down and rest for a while,” Cain said, sighing as he walked back to the front and sat on the ledge, Emma joining him right after.

“You aren’t doing yourself any favors if you wanna keep that girl around once we leave this place.” she said.

“You ever notice how creepy it sounds when we say ‘keep that girl around’?” Cain commented.

“... why’d you have to go and point it out?! Dammit!”

"Ha ha ha," Cain laughed mellowly for a moment. "I see a bit of my past self in her, you know? Always putting up a front, ensuring people there isn't anything wrong with me, believing they'd fuck me in the back at the first opportunity if I let them... all those things eventually spiraled into me becoming an alcoholic recluse."

“...”

"Before the Tower," he added. "You were literally my only friend. Just think about that for a second."

“Yup, that’s really depressing.” Emma said.

“I don’t want the same to happen to her,” he added. “Whether she stays with us or not, at this point, really, doesn’t even matter. I just wanna try and show her that there are people who care.”

“... and that’s why you’re having her experience pain over and over again? To... show her that you care?” Emma looked him dubiously.

“Yup,” he nodded, chuckling lightly. “Sometimes, it’s fine to shield the ones we love. But... sometimes, we have to push them.”

“Tsk, why do I feel like you’re trying to tell me something with that one?”

“I was just lost, Em’,” he said, glancing at her. “Nothing about that was on you. With her... it’s different. She’s not lost. She’s just angry... and sad. And those things will keep festering until she dulls them and turns completely numb. And that’s how you get a teen who doesn’t flinch at killing six people at once.”

“...” Emma smiled gently as she grabbed his hand, interlocking her fingers with his, feeling the warmth.

“Let’s run it again.” Senna’s voice interrupted the two as they looked back.

“Did you calm down?” Cain asked.

“Yes.” she replied.

“Good,” Cain jumped onto his feet and stretched. “Will you stop making the same numbskull mistakes like the last time?”

“...” Senna’s cheeks flushed slightly red as she glared at him, prompting Cain to grin.

“Alright -- listen again. Wait for vibrations,” he said. “But don’t try to immediately maximize the dodge. Don’t try to copy me, ‘cause you’ll keep getting stabbed and continue to grow the library of horror stories you can tell your kids and their kids. Get a sense of how you move, and how you dodge, and what’s the perfect timing for you. You'll slowly get more tolerant of pain, so don't cower. I'm right here, Diya's ready -- and you're also helping her practice instead of lazying around like me."

“And Emma.” Senna added with a scoff.

“Not anymore,” Cain smiled. “Emma...”

“... no.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I already have enough holes that you can use-- nevermind, I’m going!”

“Did... did she say what I think---”

“You heard nothing,” Cain warned Jamal. “Oops, look at that. All of us had a selective case of amnesia for a few moments. How unfortunate.”

“...”

“...”

“Run it again!”