*Bubble*
The stew is starting to come together. Now, all we gotta do is wait. The longer this simmers, the better the taste.
"Phewww..."
To pass the time, Grace is doing some pull-ups with the nearby tree while I manage the stew. I thought she was an amateur but her breathing technique is good.
"Did you do some martial arts?" I ask.
"Phewww... Grandpa made me take some for self defense. Phewww.." she replies without losing focus.
"That damn Michael," I chuckle. "He's always the type to cover his bases."
After finishing her final rep, she drops down from the branch and wipes her sweat.
"Do you know martial arts Uncle Richard?" she asks.
[Inventory]
I pull out a flask with green liquid in it and hand it to her.
"A little," I reply. "Here, it's a recovery potion."
She accepts it and after a bit of hesitation, takes a sip.
"Hmm... Tastes like lemonade," she says curiously.
"I'm glad you like it."
*Whoosh*
The cold energy bursts from the cave again and it's starting to get stronger. The mouth of the cave and the surrounding area are covered in glistening frost. If this continues, I'll have to move the fire.
"That person in the cave... Is it the friend who taught you that thing you did with me and Uncle Adresin?" she asks.
"Haha... well..."
[Back in time]
[Time Left Until Next Wave (23:34)]
Ugh... my head hurts. Where am I...? Oh yeah... in the tent. Was I... asleep? Impossible..
"Rise and shine trash!" the woman who brought me in this camp rudely shakes my tent. "You're so weak and pathetic that after eating yesterday, you just passed out. Do that again, and I'll kill you."
Ah... makes sense. I was [Unconscious]. It's a status debuff so it makes sense that I feel like hell after waking up instead of refreshed.
Status debuffs huh... I've been racking my brain about how I can get some sleep but I never thought of using debuff spells. There's a debuff called [Sleep] but because my magic resistance is so high, it would only lasts for a few seconds so I guess it's good that I didn't bother. But that stew... This is actually the first time I lost consciousness for hours.
I sluggishly get up and meet my host. Unlike her regal attire from yesterday, she's wearing nothing but a wrap on her chest and some leather pants. I thought she was a thin person since she has somewhat of a delicate face but underneath that hanfu were muscles so toned they look like they were sculpted by a master artisan.
"Stop gawking at me and wake up already," she continues.
.....
"Not even a reply huh? Fine, you don't have to say anything. Hell, you don't even have to think about anything. Just follow what I tell you."
Whatever... The wave's gonna come tomorrow anyway... I'll just have to kill her then.
*Clink*
As I start to walk, I feel a slight tug on my ankle.
Huh?
[Sealing Chains]
Summary: Chains made to prevent wizards from escaping. While cuffed, the prisoner can't use spells of any kind.
"Wait, wait, wait, what's this?" I ask her in a panic.
"Oh? Is that panic and fear I see?" she smiles mischievously. "You finally decided to show some emotions?"
My eyes immediately gravitate towards the knife near the fire.
"Nu uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warns. "I cuffed you just when the day began so even if you kill yourself, those chains will still be on you when you wake up."
Fuck... It's over...
She knew that I go back in time exactly at the start of the 24 hour mark of the day. Just how much did Caras tell her?
Feeling defeated, I collapse on the ground.
"You knew that you can't kill me so you seal my powers huh..." I say dryly.
This is it.
I've been protecting that portal for god knows how long. I was scared that if I fail this "game", it'll be game over for me. But does that really matter anymore? I've died many times than I can count. Maybe... this is the release that I've been looking for.
As my mind race while thinking about these things, she approaches me and lifts my chin with her finger.
"Why do you look so damn happy?" she scowls.
I... am?
That's right... I'm... smiling.
Why am I smiling? Does dying really make me that happy? When did ending it all become my goal?
She roughly lets go of my chin and audibly clicks her tongue.
"Fucking piece of shit," she mutters angrily. "Follow me!"
She then starts heading off to the forest.
I don't know what it is that drove me to follow her but before I knew it, my feet are slowly trailing behind her footprints.
Moments pass and I find myself near a river. Winter's almost here so it's probably really cold.
"Strip," she commands.
....
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Without protest, I do what she says. I don't know what she wants but who cares anymore... My powers are sealed so it's over.
"Now go sit in the river," she says when I'm wearing nothing but my boxers.
As expected, the river's cold. My muscles instantly tighten the moment my foot hits the water.
"Oh, come on, we don't have all day! Just sit!" she says with a tone of frustration and forces me to sit in the icy, running water.
*Splash*
She sits behind me and runs her cold hands on my back.
"Fucking hell... your veins are closed up," she mutters. "The only thing worth mentioning is this massive energy core you have."
I don't know what the hell she's talking about but I'll just shut up. I guess from today onwards, I'm her toy.
"Alright, just calm down and accept my energy," she says.
"What do you- ACK!"
[Warning: External Energy Detected]
Without warning, I feel a surge of... something invade from where she's touching me. My body's on fire. I'm cold but I feel like I'm burning up.
"Breathe," she says. "I'm forcibly opening your veins so it'll hurt like a bitch but it won't be enough to kill you."
"AAARGH!" she's saying something but I can't hear her. The pain is excruciating!
"Feel how the energy moves in your body!" she yells. "Remember it or else we'll be here for a long time!"
I hear her this time. Fuck! I want to die! Should I just bite my tongue here? No, she won't let me die that easily so I'll just end up maiming myself if I do that. Did she say breathe? Through this pain?!
"Zeeeeehh... Haaaaaaahh," it's like breathing while being choked at the same time.
"Good, good," she says. "Feel how my energy flows through your veins. Feel how your muscles absorb them. Feel how your organs adapt to the sudden surge of vitality."
"Zeeeehh..... Haaaaaaah," fucking hell.
*Splat*
The water around me is beginning to turn black and red and I could feel blood and other liquids violently ooze out of my pores What's happening to me?!
...
I don't know how long it lasted but it felt like an eternity. At some point, the pain subsided and I could feel the flow properly. Eventually, she detaches her hand from my back and sighs.
"Phew! There we go," she says as she stretches her limbs. "First step done. Man, I thought it would take a while."
*Gasp*
Like someone who's been holding his breath for hours, I greedily gulp the crisp night air.
[Time Left Until Next Wave (7:21)]
"Alright, it's time for phase 2," she says cheerfully.
"What phase 2?" I chuckle. "The wave's gonna come at sunrise. I hope you had fun with giving me a lot of pain because when the city gets destroyed, I don't know if I'll be here anymore."
"Oh, I know," she replies confidently. "Time is certainly not on our side here."
I scoff and say, "So continue your torture. You only have less than eight hours left."
"Time is certainly not on our side under normal circumstances," she smiles evily.
"What do you-?"
*Crack*
Huh?
My face planted on the water... My body's gone limp... I know this feeling. I'm dying.
"See you later, trash," she says as my consciousness begin to fade away.
[You Have Died]
[You Will Be Revived At The Last Checkpoint]
Fuck...