Chereads / The Hopeless Hero (Draft) / Chapter 37 - Linked Minds

Chapter 37 - Linked Minds

"Jeez, how much does your armour weigh?" I asked Leonna as I carried her to the direction of the cave.

"Just...be lucky that...you're not the one...wearing it..." Leonna barely said.

"Oh, I'm sorry! You shouldn't force yourself to talk. Don't worry, we're almost there."

Leonna nodded and closed her eyes. I made sure to occasionally feel her wrist to check her pulse just in case...

"We're almost there," I whispered to her. "Just hang on a little longer."

After about ten minutes of walking, I was finally able to reach the entrance to the cave deep within the forest. This cave was about a mile high and at least ten to fifteen miles deep. It was dug into the ground at a diagonal angle. The cave was also man-made about five hundred years ago and was meant to be used for this kind of situation.

When I entered the cave, I could see thousands and thousands of people all in huge groups. There was so much talking going on that I could barely make out what any of them were saying. Many people were moving around trying to, from what I assume, find their family.

"EXCUSE ME," I shouted. "IS THERE A DOCTOR NEARBY?!!"

A few people turned to face me.

"There should be a few of them over there." one of them said pointing over to a wall where. few people were huddled up.

"Thank you!"

I walked over to the small group of people and asked if any of them were a doctor.

"How can I help?" one of them asked.

The man that approached me looked to be in his early twenties. His hair was a foggy grey and he wore a bright green shirt and ragged brown pants. His eyes were a bright green as well, and he had what looked to be a medical box strapped to his side. His ears were pointy as well.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked in a polite and serious manner.

"She was impaled by an attack," I said. "I don't know how much blood she lost, but I don't think that she has much time."

"Here, set her down gently."

I gently placed Leonna down on the ground and stepped back to let the doctor do his work.

Doctors specialized in many different kinds of magic. They can repair broken or shattered bones, skin, give blood, and anything else that involved the medical field. This kind of magic, however, was impossible to learn. It was actually something that the god or goddess that created this world gave to a select few of the people that inhabited the world. Based on what the legend says, out of the hundred of people that were first born here, fifteen of them were given special healing magic. Since then, their healing abilities were passed on to future generations, and thousands of doctors were spawned into this world. These abilities, however, didn't work perfectly from the start though. All doctors had to practice their magic abilities on injured animals. Sometimes they would even beat an animal to near death and let the doctors practice their magic on them. It sounded, and probably was, cruel, but it at least was able to help the doctors perfect their magic.

"Her injuries are very grave, but she'll be ok once I'm finished," the doctor said. "I'm not very good at replenishing lost blood, but I am very confident in my abilities to repair skin, tissue, and bones."

"Thank you very much," I said. "Also, can you please keep an eye on her for a little while. I have to get back to the city."

"Of course. Just be careful ok."

"...Hi...ro...?"

I looked down to see Leonna with her eyes barely open. Her voice sounded weak, but it had a fighting spirit in it as well.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," I said to her kneeling down. "Just try to get some rest ok."

She raised her hand and wrapped it around the back of my neck, motioning me to come closer. I knew what she was trying to do. I wanted to say no, but the sad yet comforting look in her eyes made me rethink that decision. I eventually decided to give in and lean in close to her face. Close enough...so that our lips were touching each others.

"Be careful...Hiro..."

I took those words to heart and told myself to make sure that I didn't do anything rash. While I was giving myself a little pep talk, I suddenly heard a small voice behind me.

"...ro...Hiro...?"

I turned around to see the girl in the red dress again, the same girl from the pond.

"You again?" I said a little startled.

Her small black wings fluttered with excitement as her lime green hair had none existing sunlight reflecting off of it. I didn't know what to say, but Shana took the direct approach and charged right at me and hugged me tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you," she said with excitement as she squeezed me tighter. "I was wondering when I would het to see you again my friend! I'm so happy that you didn't abandon me!"

I don't really have any control on when this kind of thing happens.

"I'm...glad to see you to." I said.

I did kind of mean that. I also couldn't help but smile at her excitement. Something, however, didn't seem right to me.

"Wait, how are you touching me?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Shana looked up at me and tilted her head in confusion.

"We're in two different places. I mean it's weird enough that we can even see each other like this, but how can we touch each other like this?"

"Well...maybe we were teleported into each other's senses or something." Shana said.

"Senses?"

"Yeah, we were put into each other's sense of touch, smell, sight, sound, and..." she stood up on the tips of her toes and...licked my neck! "...taste too!"

"YAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

When her tongue slid up my neck, shivers were sent straight down my spine. The warm sensation of it actually felt nice.

"You know...you could've just licked my hand or something." I said wiping her saliva, which was for some reason still warm, off my neck.

"I could've, but I wouldn't have got to see that funny look on your face." she said.

I probably would've still made the same face.

"I really wish that I could stay and talk to you for a while, but I really need to get going." I said as I started walking towards the direction of the battle.

"Are you abandoning me?"

Shana's tone went from happy and aloof to bone-chilling and demonic. I turned around and saw tears streaming down her face, but her eyes looked completely dead and cold.

"I-I'm not abandoning you or anything," I quickly said waving my hands. "I just need to help my other friends. They're fighting a pretty scary battle and I need to help them out so that they don't get hurt."

"Oh...Ok~! Be careful then!" she said.

The tone of her voice went back to her happy and aloof personality.

"Thanks. See you later " I said waving good-bye as I took off in the direction of the battle. As I ran I couldn't help but turn back to see her with an innocent, yet creepy, smile on her face.

"What the hell was that?" I asked myself.