Episode 6: Open the Doors of the Tower of Dreams That Suddenly Rises (6)

8

"What are you thinking about?" Yonah asked.

Was it that obvious?

Well, maybe not, but with them, it didn't matter. They could read him like an open book even if he tried to hide it, most of the time, and he hadn't been trying. Too lost in his thoughts for that.

"I feel like we can't even form an alliance because of me."

"It's not your fault," Yonah said. "You were born with those horns, end of story. If you were bad, we wouldn't have lasted this long together."

"Yeah, listen to her. Some people are born with an extra toe, others with little horns. That's it, but people have to make a mountain out of a molehill."

"Okay, it's not my fault, but that doesn't change the situation," he sighed deeply. "My apologies won't either, of course. I know."

"We'll manage," Yonah said. "And we will."

Yeah. That's why they constantly talked about the same thing when they didn't have an imminent threat to deal with. About how they would make it, that they had come this far for a reason, after all.

Bracing themselves for a suicide mission.

"Victoria, Yonah." They kept walking. Something could be lurking out there, so really, what they needed was to keep their mouths shut, to stay alert. But he felt the urgent need to say it. Maybe he had expressed similar feelings more than once, but that didn't diminish his need in the slightest. On the contrary. "Thank you again. I don't know what I would have done without you... No, I know exactly what would have become of me. Thank you."

A charred corpse.

One more 'seed of evil' crushed before it could spread like a weed.

"Don't get sentimental," Victoria said. "It's like you're preparing to die."

It wasn't exactly that. If he were to give up so easily, then he would turn around, leave before any of them got hurt or worse. But he couldn't protest either because she was getting close enough to hurt him. To shut him up.

"Hey," Yonah said, warning.

Victoria disregarded that warning, as usual. She understood Yonah's concern, but Caim didn't care. Not really. The least he owed them after what they had sacrificed for his sake was to listen to their genuine feelings and concerns.

Even if they hurt.

"And I won't forgive you. Don't you dare die, because then I'll do the same. And I won't let you rest in peace."

"Victoria, come on," Yonah sighed. "You always jump to conclusions."

"Friend, I know you. You think the same."

If Caim hadn't been convinced of it before, he would have been convinced by seeing her expression, that she even felt a bit guilty about agreeing with Victoria despite her protests.

"And Caim too."

Well, he supposed he couldn't deny it. If any of them were to die in the attempt to conquer the tower, maybe they would get their secrets, maybe the truth would set him free.

But his heart would never find peace. He couldn't bear that ending.

"We'll be together until the end, maybe even beyond, if there is such a thing. But let it not come soon. Don't you dare."

Yonah scoffed.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of dying."

Being an adventurer meant defying death day after day. Anyone who chose this profession was ready for that, they knew what awaited them. Naturally, they couldn't be quite right in the head, choosing that when they could be doing literally anything else (naturally, Caim included in that, he was the worst off in the head by far). Although challenging the Tower where millions had died, disappearing without a trace, was another story.

"And I don't intend to waste the extra time you've given me. I'll live no matter what."

Yes.

Perhaps he wasn't quite right in the head, as expected given the life he had lived. But even he was aware of something so simple.

He had a debt of gratitude and the duty to see it through to the end.

"Alright. Alright."

A little later, they found what they were looking for. Or rather, that something found them. Half a dozen knives appeared on the ground as if they had always been there. A second earlier and they would have stabbed him in the head, chest, and legs.

Yonah and Victoria were surprised. Naturally, Caim too. He hadn't heard or seen anything coming. Was it a missed shot? A, let's say, warning shot? Or perhaps...?

He quickly spotted the one who had done this. Up high, hanging like a monkey from the grass that connected the marble pillars. That man seemed the most surprised of all. So it wasn't either of the first two options. Caim had instinctively dodged it.

It would be easy to say it was convenient, but in reality, it was the most natural thing. One didn't survive countless battles without developing a superhuman instinct. The body and mind strived to adapt to keep on living. And this was the result.

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A resounding success. Still, he felt a chill at the thought that he could have been fatally wounded before realizing something was even happening.

"Victoria, wait. This Tower is already terrible enough. Do you really have to try to kill me as soon as you see me just because of these horns?"

The attacker overcame his surprise and laughed in response. He let go of the grass, landing on one knee.

"My style is not to talk too much. But I don't want you to die, so let me explain. I couldn't care less about those little horns of yours. I absolutely don't care if you're a real devil's child or not. The only thing that matters to me is that you're here, in this tower. You have resources that would be useful to me..."

"Is that it? Then there's no need for us to fight. We can share and cooperate. Don't be foolish."

Although, of course...

"Right. As if you would trust someone who tried to kill you once."

You would be surprised, he thought. But she was right at the same time, so he couldn't protest.

"But that was never possible from the beginning. You'll never find anyone willing to hold your hand and play friends in here. Everyone wants to reach the top of the Tower alone. Even those women who are following you will betray you someday. If I don't cut their throats after enjoying them when I kill you."

Caim frowned.

"You've made a grave mistake."

"Oh, how scary. Are you going to kill me?"

"I was going to do it anyway," he confessed. "But now you'll suffer. I'll do it slowly, enjoying every second."

"Right, you're not demonic at all."

The mysterious attacker crossed his arms. He twisted his wrists. Knives appeared between his fingers like claws.

"Let's play, then. And may the best one win. My name is Aidan. Just so you know what name to curse when you die."

"Shut up once and for all, clown," said Yonah.

The distance between their group and Aidan was more than ten meters. Yonah covered that distance in an instant. The daggers, so long they almost looked like short swords, appeared in her hands suddenly as if they had always been there and their absence had been nothing but a trick of the eye. After boasting so much, the first thing the enemy did was to step back. He threw all the knives from his left hand while jumping backward.

Yonah deflected all the knives. She knocked them down in the air with her dagger in a single motion. Projectiles couldn't do anything against her, whether it was a few knives, an arrow, or a cannonball. Her vision couldn't be sharper, so no projectile could reach her as long as she wasn't caught off guard.

In this case, the moment had passed. The enemy had wasted his chance trying to kill him first and failing.

Yonah was much stronger than she appeared at first glance, but that wouldn't help her if the enemy kept his distance. Long-range attacks were no problem due to her visual acuity. She would see them coming no matter what. And thanks to her speed, she could catch anyone trying to flee immediately. Distance wouldn't be a problem for long either.

An unbreakable defense and an overwhelming offense.

The problem with perfection is that it had to be perfect. If even one of those elements failed, everything else would fall apart too. It was easier said than done, but that was the way to defeat a perfect defense. Overcome it in just one point.

Did this stranger have any chance, however remote it might be? Especially with the two of them helping her. No. Caim believed there was no way.

Aidan threw the knives from his other hand. Of course, they met the same fate as the others. Deflected in one stroke with one of the daggers. But they were quickly replaced. So quickly, in fact, that Caim didn't see where the hell he had taken them from. Not just the four he had just thrown. He pulled out another eight in the blink of an eye.

Okay, he was fast, he admitted. Faster than Yonah? That was another story.

But Yonah couldn't prove it, as she received help at just the right moment. An ice wall grew right behind Aiden. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to escape. Yonah stabbed him with a dagger in each shoulder.

Aidan gritted his teeth. That was it. To his credit, he didn't scream.

Not even when Yonah lifted him, pulling on the daggers. Making him spin and crashing through the ice wall. Aiden fell rolling along with the shards of broken ice. His freshly spilled blood shone on the ice. He wasn't dead, not even fatally wounded yet. But without a doubt, he had received a devastating blow.

For most people. However, Aiden was not a common person. Caim wasn't surprised to see him get up quickly. He had reached the Tower like them. If something like that were to affect him so much, he would have died miserably long ago.

"Do the strong take what they want?" Yonah said. "Fine, that's how the world works. But how dare you dream that you were strong? You've been here long enough to talk as if the outside world had nothing to do with you, but you're still lurking on the first floor. Skulking in the shadows like a coward. You can't even compare yourself to me. To any of us."

Yonah grabbed him by the hair. She pulled him, making him present his neck for execution.

"You gave up as soon as you started. You couldn't be weaker. So at least stop bothering us and die already."

She managed to pass the dagger in her other hand through his throat. But there was no cut, no blood. It was Yonah who started bleeding. Choking sounds. The woman fell to her knees with a hand on the continuously bleeding wound. What the hell? What had happened? It had been too fast to see it again or maybe...

"Where did he go?"

"Caim!"

He had sprung into action before hearing the warning, and it was a good thing he did because otherwise, he would never have been able to react in time. Turning on his heels. Kicking the enemy in the chest who was about to pounce on him.

The force of the impact ripped the knives from the enemy's hands. It also tore his feet off the ground. He flew beautifully, describing a large arc. Beyond the hallway.

Disappearing from view.

"Victoria!" Caim shouted, of course. Yonah wasn't in a condition to speak, let alone shout. But she had sprung into action much earlier, of course. Caim looked at the trail of blood leading to his fallen companion.

He gazed into Yonah's eyes, reflecting her fear and pain. The sensation of drowning. Everything had happened too quickly. Victoria had already knelt by her side. She had already started working to save her, so there was no way this would end badly. It was just a 'small' cut on the neck. The amount of blood still flowing was impressive, but it had saved them from worse fates.

Still... How fast. He blinked, one of their own was on the ground half-dead and that guy was gone. So fast.

He didn't want them to die. He couldn't be satisfied even if he got what he wanted if even one of them died. It had to be a perfect victory or it wouldn't be a victory at all. Therefore, Caim clenched his fists. He walked past Victoria and Yonah, who was gasping, still clutching the wound. Still bleeding profusely.

He had to find that guy and tear him apart before he could finish what he had started.

Open the Doors of the Tower of Dreams That Suddenly Rises (6): FIN