The three continued in silence. With each descent, Jere tapped the side of the wall, keeping count of how many floors they had gone down. Eventually, they had traveled so far down that even the torchlight above them vanished into nothingness. Even as they reached their twenty-third story, they still were far from seeing the bottom.

“This is it,” Appo announced. Looking down the hall, Appo could see the slightest sliver of light. As they pressed through the darkness, their torch lights revealed an intricately carved teak door. They passed through.

Appo quickly recognized the throne room where he had materialized a few days prior. It was still lit by torchlight, but some things had changed. For one, a thin puddle of water completely covered the floor. But that paled compared to the grotesque shrine that took up the center of the room. The gangly fleshy arms flailed outwards, carving through the room’s air. The three of them hesitated at the sight.

“Ati’s dirt,” Adok whispered.

Jere stepped forward, pointing his spear toward the shrine. “You two, stay back,” he commanded. He pressed on, his footsteps rippling the water as he did. From here, Appo could see that the shrine leered over a podium in the center of the room. With the neck-shaped mantle, Appo recognized it as the one from his vision. They were so close. He would just need to place his necklace on top of it.

But only once they rid themselves of Juddken.

As Jere reached the center of the room, Appo and Adok followed slowly behind. They scanned the room, searching for another figure lurking in the shadows. For just a moment, Appo wondered if Juddken had already died.

The hope didn't last long. Juddken leaped from behind a column, thrusting a dagger into Adok’s belly.

Adok screamed in pain. Appo fell away, scrambling at seeing Juddken suddenly so close to him. Juddken pulled the dagger out, and blood splattered on the water-stained floor. He tried to stab Adok again, but the dagger deflected off armor.

“Hey!” Juddken turned to the sound of the voice, releasing Adok into the water. Juddken stared with wide, dilated eyes, almost obscured in the shadows of his skeletal face. From here, Appo could see Juddken with clarity: he was completely shirtless, demonstrating an extremely gaunt and bony frame. Despite his lankiness, he moved with a surprising speed. Most notably, Appo could see the wound that Isbibarra had left him: a bloated and misshapen lump of pale flesh that pulsated around his neck as Juddken breathed.

Jere charged back at Juddken without hesitation. Juddken leaped away, motioning behind a column and grabbing a spear of his own. Jere positioned himself between Juddken and the others, and the two circled each other.

Appo turned to Adok, who squirmed in the water. Blood squirted out underneath his belly. Appo quickly crawled over to him, surveying the damage. It was a deep cut, and Adok grimaced as Appo placed his hands over his belly.

“No,” Appo said. “Not this one.”

Juddken stood with a blank stare, looking past Jere and towards his fallen victim. He gently angled his spear back and forth, mumbling as he stood in place. Appo almost wondered whether he could even fight before he suddenly lunged forward, bringing the spear to the edge of Jere’s ear. Jere ducked, pushing back against the spear with his own before the two paced around each other again.

“Ooh!” Adok suddenly screamed. Appo pressed down into Adok’s belly, pulling a cloth from his side. He wished he had something on him. If only he thought about collecting the wine from yesterday instead of drinking it. Appo cursed himself for not even considering the idea. He lifted Adok’s armor plating: the blade had indeed pierced him, leaving a mark of about two centimeters above his pelvis.

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“Could have been worse,” Appo thought as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding. As he did, the occasional sounds of blades crashing against each other echoed in the chamber. Jere and Juddken were properly dueling, taking time to attack and lunge and defend.

Appo flipped around to Adok’s other side, watching the two fight. They were closer to the shrine now. Judging by the cuts on Juddken’s arms and body, Jere landed several shots already. Appo watched as Juddken swung his spear overhead, only for Jere to dive underneath it and slice the outside of Juddken’s thigh.

“What’s going on?” Adok asked, wincing through his pain.

“Jere’s winning,” Appo said. Jere had added another slice on Juddken’s abdomen. Juddken held his blade closer to his chest, retracting his arm to cover the wound. Jere continued to dance around him, striking methodically. It was as if he were going to beat Juddken not with a single stroke, but by a thousand cuts.

It would only be a matter of time.

Juddken swung his spear downward in the water. Jere dodged it with ease, but Juddken quickly brought the spear back up, flicking water into his face. Jere backed away, putting distance between himself, but it left him far away from Appo and Adok. Juddken dropped his spear, pulled out his knife, and rushed toward the two.

“Oh God.”

Juddken tackled Appo, rolling him over the side. He stuck his dagger right beneath Appo’s throat. Appo froze, his arms outstretched underneath, the cool water soaking his tunic as he did so. Appo closed his eyes, expecting the blade to slit his throat and finish him.

But he was still alive. Appo slowly opened his eyes, meeting Juddken’s gaze. The blank stare had gone, leaving one of desperation. His eyes darted back and forth like a wounded animal’s. He heaved, his bloated throat scar inflating and deflating as he tried to catch his breath. Fresh scratches covered most of his body; Jere had done more than enough damage already.

“Guh, guh,” Juddken murmured, his growth collapsing in on his neck as he spoke. It pained him.

“Appo.” It was Jere, standing a few meters away near Adok, holding out his spear. He said it not out of concern, but as a statement.

“Use the gauntlet, ignoramus,” Appo imagined Jere saying in his head.

Appo was the only one of them who could perform the consecration. Juddken would die, whether by Jere’s hand or starvation or whatever. But if he killed Appo right here and now, everything would have been for naught. Tomi. Uten. Gizzal. Heikk. Eevi. Maybe even Adok. All Appo had to do was extend the blade and put it into Juddken’s chest.

Appo hesitated. He knew what Jere had told them. But right here, on top of him, Appo recoiled at who Juddken really was.

He thought back to the game he used to play, where he’d watch people in the streets. He thought of the ones who darted around without a care, mumbling to themselves incessantly. They claimed to hear voices, and could do horrible things under their whims.

That was exactly how Juddken looked.

“He’s sick…” Appo struggled to say underneath Juddken’s blade.

“Do it, Appo,” Jere said.

“But…”

“I am a Healer, above all things,” Appo recited in his head. “And above all things, a Healer does no harm.”

He looked at those pleading eyes. Eyes of someone who was just trying to survive.

“How would I cure this?”

Appo slammed his left arm into the ground, extending the blade into Juddken, right beneath his ribcage and towards his heart. Juddken gasped, his eyes going wide. He rolled over, dropping his knife as he fell to the side. He steadied himself briefly before collapsing, becoming still.

Appo stayed locked in Juddken’s embrace. He tried to pull his gauntlet blade out, pulling back with all his might as if he could take back what he had just done. But the blade remained lodged in. He tugged harder, but the blade refused to release its clutched grip from Juddken’s heart. In a fit of anger, Appo tore the gauntlet off his forearm, leaving the gauntlet and its extended blade in Juddken’s chest.

Jere approached, still clutching his spear. “Is he…”

Appo did not respond. He got to his feet, walking away from both.

Appo took gingerly steps through the throne room, ignoring the monstrosity of a shrine in favor of the simple podium. Without a word, he removed Lowya’s necklace and placed it on the podium. The consecration would be a long process, and they would need to begin with haste.

But before he did, Appo removed his pendant. He looked it over, feeling Lowya’s lines swerve through his fingertips. He had carried it ever since he left Jyväsk, ever since he had become a Healer. Ever since he saw that poor girl die in the streets. Every person he had ever treated gazed upon it in some form or another, no matter what they had come to him with.

Appo removed the pendant from his neck and placed it on the podium.