Chapter 117

Cast of Iron (III)

Cain and Senna moved swiftly over the infernal river, the former sprouting winded wings while the latter rode a sword to the other side. They landed at the bottom of an uphill climb, surrounded by tall and jagged boulders and an increasing number of stone-made statues of men, women, and creatures in all manner of positions.

The statues were interspersed in-between the stumps of the dead trees and the streams of lava that all gathered into one of the countless pools. They occasionally encountered a creature on their way up, though defeated it swiftly, with minimal experimentation as they still had to make the arranged time for the meeting.

By the time they reached the top of the climb, nearly half a day passed and the two decided to rest. The view was hardly the reason, as most of it was blanked within the thick layers of smoke, but at the very least they were a couple of hundred feet above it, making it much easier to breathe. While Senna fixed herself a quick meal, Cain popped open a can of beer and made a makeshift lounge chair from Earth, lying down nonchalantly.

“Wow,” Senna exclaimed dubiously. “If I could somehow take a picture of this and post it online, I could generate so much hate for you.”

“Good thing you can’t, then.” Cain crackled. “Besides, what’s so wrong about it? You’re too uptight, kiddo. You gotta learn to relax.”

“Nah, nah, it’s just that you are too relaxed.”

"Stressing over stuff," Cain said, taking a sip. "Worrying, getting angry... it takes a toll on ya'. Before you know it, you're a forty-year-old, bitter, lonely woman who wears cats for hats. Or a forty-year-old, bitter, lonely man who blames women for everything bad that happened to him. You take life in strides, you know?"

“... is this the ‘wisdom’ you picked up in the future?” Senna asked.

“Yup.” he nodded. “And now I’m sharing it with you. Aren’t I the best daddy ever?”

“Call yourself a ‘daddy’ one more time and I swear to God I will shove a spear so far down your throat so that you never utter another word again!”

“See, that’s what I mean?” Cain said, grinning. “Why are you getting so upset?”

“Because you’re being creepy!!”

“So? What, do you think you get rid of the creeps by yelling at them?”

“Uh... yes?”

“No, you up the ante,” Cain said. “Be even creepier. Creep out the creeper.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Aah, I see that my lessons aren’t sticking at all...”

“... what was your last run like?” Senna asked abruptly. “I mean... was it similar to this one?”

“... I dunno,” Cain shrugged. “I didn’t get my Class until like four years in. All I know... it was at least as chaotic.”

“You’d think a butterfly effect would change it...”

“You overestimate the impact,” Cain chuckled. “I’m sure some things happened that weren’t supposed to happen -- well, a lot of things happened that weren’t supposed to happen. But, in the grand scheme of things, no amount of butterfly effects can correct the base nature of man. We’re always gonna be wilding beasts and opportunistic pricks. Well, I at least got to change a few lives. It accounts for something.”

“Was I really that bad?” she asked again, sighing.

“... nobody’s tossing blame, butterfly,” Cain said, smiling lightly. “I gather... you had no other choice than to become who you ended up becoming. Unlike me; I had a choice... and I chose wrong. You carved out a future for you the best that you could... and I gambled mine till there was nothing left but regrets.”

“So... Emma and Lana...?” Senna asked cautiously.

“Died.”

“Oh...”

“About twenty years into the future,” Cain said suddenly. “I was cruising on the 30th floor, looking for some low-level lads to be my meat shields in the dungeon, when I picked up on a rumor -- there was a group of superstar-level Conquerors who were kidnapping newbies in a preparation for a ritual."

“Huh?”

“Supposedly,” Cain continued after taking a sip, ignoring Senna’s flabbergasted expression. “They ran into some Warlock on the higher floors who promised them immediate Fourth Awakening if they gathered for him a thousand sacrifices.”

“... holy shit, that’s horrible.”

“That’s probably what you must have thought back then, as well,” he added with a chuckle. “’cause, the very next week when I left the Tower to restock on supplies... you were all over the TV, branded a heretic since you single-handedly killed six superstars. The world grieved and condemned you, thinking it was just you being the nutter that you are... but, even if I have no proof, I suspect those six weren’t random.”

“...”

"Yes, you were crazy, and you were a cold-hearted bitch for the most part... but, deep inside of you, there was still a part of humanity left. The same one that prompts you to laugh at my stupid jokes. The same one that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy when you're having dinner with Emma, Lana, and me. The same one that makes you feel pain when you see your friends hurting. You never completely lost it, I don't think, despite what likely was a horrible life."

“Thanks...” Senna mumbled absentmindedly. “I... I still can’t completely wrap my head around it. How can you be so dumb if you’ve already lived through this? And so carefree after you’ve probably seen the craziest shit?”

“... you lot,” Cain shrugged. “You are the reason.”

“Huh?”

“For the second bit, I mean,” he quickly added. “Truth be told, I’m not a very smart man, and no number of lifetimes can really correct that. But that’s why I have you guys around me, to limit my stupidity to the best of your abilities. And to remind me that, no matter what horrors I’ve seen and done... I still have a home. Right next to you.”

“Tsk... I hate when you behave like a grown-up,” Senna clicked her tongue, looking away. “It’s... creepy.”

“Geez, can’t win with you, huh?”

“Promise... promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“... if... if I, just on the off-chance, seem to be going, you know... khm, crazy again... you... you...”

“Yes, I will personally put a bullet into your head.”

“I JUST MEANT TO PULL ME BACK!! WHAT THE HELL?!!”

“Pfft, ha ha ha ha...”

“Ah, you’re just screwing around. As always. Ha,” Senna shook her head, yet couldn’t stop herself from laughing either. There was just something about him, she realized, that breaks down the defenses. The outrageous indifference to how others may react to what he says, the nonchalance with which he takes in the world, and the stupidity that continues to leave his lips... it all felt so... otherworldly. “Ha ha ha...”

“Anyway, you know where we’re headed?”

“Uh, no? Why?” she asked as she finished up her meal.

“The guy that we need to find is a bit... uh... how do I put this lightly--he’s a fucking lunatic.”

“Ah, yes, put so very lightly.” she commented, figuring it was better to play along as she was getting tired of constantly taking him seriously.

“No, I’m serious -- first off, he’s gonna wanna have sex with all of us.”

“WHAT?!”

“Second, he will betray us,” Cain continued. “Third, he’ll try to skimp on rewards and much, much, much more. So, when we’re in there, in the thick, I need you to back me up.”

“What do you mean?” Senna asked, somewhat afraid of their goal.

“I mean, when I say ‘one more word outta ya’ and I’ll slice your balls off and feed ‘em to the dogs’, you take out your sword and stare at him menacingly. Can you do that?”

“... you... you are fucked up.”

“Which is a huge plus with him. All else aside, he scares like a little pu---khm, coward. Yeah.”

“Smooth.” she scoffed.

“Thanks. So, anyway, you in?”

“Sure... I guess? I mean, why are we even going to him if he’s like that?”

“He was one of the best smiths in the Tower,” Cain said. “And though it doesn’t matter to you as much, everyone else does need cool and up-to-date gear. If we get in his good graces -- well, not good, per se, if we just terrify him enough, he’ll be a big boon to our future.”

“You certainly have a way with people...”

“I do, don’t I?” Cain mumbled meaningfully, stroking his chin. “Like a sagacious old man, one full of wisdom and remarkable spirit.”

“...” Senna rolled her eyes silently, washing down her meal with a bottle of water before standing up and stretching. There was a lot she had to process, yet it hardly felt difficult; over the past few months, it had gotten much easier to understand difficult things -- courtesy of both the Tower itself as well as the people she chose to surround herself with. For the first time in her life... she was afraid of losing something -- not just the people, but also her place.

It was her home, she knew, today more so than ever. He’d put complete trust into her, she realized, and told her his greatest secret -- all so nonchalantly a part of her wanted to believe he was just messing around. It’s who he is, she shrugged as she watched him lazily stand up and yawn. The unassuming prick.

“Alright, let’s get to them actual lakes,” Cain said. “And pray to God that prick is still ‘seeking his fortune’.”

“... let’s.” she replied candidly and followed behind, the faintest of smiles emerging on her face.