Ch: 120.2

You know, I'm looking forward to the day I open my eyes, and I'm not met with nothing but darkness. Though I will admit, I am reluctantly getting used to it by this point.

I don’t even think about it as I instinctively flare Sense Mana to get a quick idea of my surroundings. My scan quickly revealed everything was the same as before I passed out, from the empty hallway we were camping in down to the meditative position Tabitha favored.

“You’re up already?” Tabitha’s confused voice bounces off the cold stone walls, simultaneously making it sound like she is speaking from multiple spots.

I try and fail not to twitch at suddenly being addressed. It wasn’t exactly a secret that I was awake, and I know I’m not the stealthiest person out there, but that still didn’t mean I made any noise when I woke up. I only opened my eyes; I didn't even look in her direction until she said something, so how was she so sure I was awake?

“Cicsh het ploetts lages!” I steadily chant, and a ball of light forms in my hands. With some gentle coaxing from Mana Manipulation and at the cost of a little extra mana from Empowered Spell, I push the now much brighter sphere up into the air between Tabitha and myself.

“How did you know I was awake?” I ask once my spell pushes back against the endless darkness of the underground ruins, and I can see Tabitha sitting in the same spot I left her, the question more of a greeting than anything else. Mind you, I wasn't expecting an answer; I doubted Tabitha would give up her secrets that easy, or maybe it was her way of testing me, impossible to tell.

“Trade secret,” she coyly replies to no one’s surprise, blinking rapidly due to the sudden brightness of my spell but never taking her eyes off me. “But you didn’t answer my question; why are you up so early?”

“I don’t think you technically asked me a question,” I playfully retort, earning me an exasperated snort and a roll of her eyes.

“You know what I meant. You were only out for five hours; you should still be asleep.” Tabitha frowns disapprovingly at me, almost like a mother catching her child up late after putting them to bed.

On the outside, I smile good-naturally at Tabitha’s razzing, but on the inside.... well, that’s a different story.

Five hours, was it? Damn, I only meant to sleep for four. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Trying to play it cool and hide how I felt, I shrug in Tabitha’s direction. “I guess I was too worked up to sleep,” I tell her with little fanfare, not exactly lying, but not saying the entire truth either.

Slowly, I push off against the wall I’m leaning against and stand up. As soon as I’m on my feet, I make a show of stretching out my limbs. Five hours wasn't much, but it was enough to get me back to peak working condition. I only wish it was the same for Tabitha.

I don’t rush to Tabitha’s side as that might convey the wrong impression I wanted, but I don't dawdle either.

Once I’m standing over her, it takes everything I have, including Acting, to keep myself from frowning in concern. Tabitha looked absolutely terrible upon closer inspection. Her eyes, which were usually vibrant and full of boundless energy, looked hollow and lifeless.

She was slow to turn her neck as I approached, but now that I was beside her, she looked like a statue. Her armor hid her breathing, and if her eyes weren't following my movements, I might question if she was awake.

Tabitha did her best to hide her tiredness behind a forced smile, but a blind man could see she was on her last leg. Doing my best not to look concerned, I return Tabitha’s fake smile with one of my own. “You don’t need to worry about me,” I assure her. "Five hours is plenty enough to get me back to peak physical condition.”

“Is that so?” Even Tabitha’s questioning voice sounded hollow.

“It is,” I jerk my head toward the wall I slept against. “Time to switch.”

Tabitha’s eyes briefly shifted to where I was sleeping before refocusing back on me. "I'm good here," she tells me quietly, her voice so muted one might mistake it for the wind if there was wind down here.

Of course, she didn't want to move; she was probably too tired to stand by herself. I’m forced to bite my tongue before I say something I shouldn't and accidentally show how concerned I am. “There’s no need for that,” I turn away before Tabitha can say anything and quickly head back to the wall I slept against.

Our bags were also leaning against the wall, and after some quick searching, I found what I needed to set up a makeshift bed. I only really had a canvas to work with, but anything was better than leaving Tabitha to sit in the middle of the hallway.

Speaking of which, Tabitha didn’t say anything as I spread the canvas out, bunching it up on one end to make a makeshift pillow. All she did was continue to give her best impression of a statue, only watching me with her eyes, barely shifting her head as she did so.

After doing everything I could to create a decent place to rest, I returned to Tabitha's side and offered her my hand.

“I told you I’m fine here,” she growls with a hint of irritation.

“I know you are," I tell her, and I wasn't saying that just to make her feel better, either. Tabitha is ten pounds of badass in a five-pound sack. I had no doubt she could sleep sitting up, no problem. However, “Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." It's hard not to sound condescending or like her parent, but it had to be said that I wasn't going to let Tabitha torture herself just to not appear weak in front of me.

Tabitha doesn't say anything in response; she just frowns up at me, ignoring my still outstretched hand.

This time, I allow myself to sigh audibly. I tried the gentle approach; now it's time to be blunt. "Look. You can take my hand and let me help you up, or I’ll just have to princess carry you over there and tuck you in. Forcefully,” I add, flaring my killing intent to prove just how serious I was. Tabitha respects strength, so I had to be firm.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Tabitha shot back in a voice that could freeze hell over. Her eyes narrowed to a degree it looked like laser beams might shoot out of them any second.

The two of us stare each other down, neither flinching in the face of the other. For a second, I consider the possibility that I might have to manhandle Tabitha like I said I would, but thankfully, it doesn't come to that.

For the first time, Tabitha backs down without a word, and honestly, it makes me feel bittersweet. She visibly deflates, letting out a long- tired groan before reluctantly taking my offered hand.

Neither of us acknowledges her shaking legs or how little force she puts behind gripping my hand because doing so would be tantamount to admitting how tired she was. Technically, Tabitha was following my orders because of the strength I'd shown, not because she was weak. We both knew the real reason I was doing this; it was just my way of showing I cared and Tabitha's way of accepting my help without impacting her honor as my senior.

She may be exhausted, but Tabitha was still Tabitha, and I respected her for it. Once she was up, I only needed to act as a brace and apply a fraction of my strength to keep her steady. In one swift motion, I loop my arm around hers, supporting her and ensuring she can't shake me off if she changes her mind.

“I don’t recall you needing a bed,” Tabitha sassily grumbles as I guide her to said bed.

“Yeah, well, I’m stupid like that,” I joke, hopefully conveying my feelings without saying the words. "My brain works best when I'm thinking of others."

Tabitha snorts, but not angrily; it's more like she found me humorous but was committed to appearing mad, so she stifled her laughter, making a weird noise. If I was reading her correctly, she wasn't mad at me, which was a massive weight off my shoulders.

“Yes, I’m quite aware of your follies,” Tabitha deadpans, but still, I didn’t detect any malice in her voice.

“Admit it, you love me," I probe further teasingly.

“I don’t,” Tabitha replies flatly.

I, on the other hand, was smiling ear to ear. "Do, too."

“You are by far the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

“Does that include Pacore?" I ask as we stop before my makeshift bed, and I start lowering Tabitha.

For a brief second, Tabitha tenses up in my grip, and I brace for a punch to the face or some other attack. But the blow I was expecting never came; instead, with the most expressionless look I'd ever seen, Tabitha turned her head and looked me in the eyes. "Alright, second most annoying,” she boldly proclaims.

Swallowing a lump in my throat, I shout, "I knew it," before I start howling with laughter. Finally, Tabitha drops her frosty expression and smiles, this time genuinely, not to hide how tired she is.

I finish laying Tabitha down, short of breath due to all my laughing, and take a step back, giving her room to get comfortable. "You know, it would be better if you take your armor off,” I suggest once I get a semblance of control, even though I already knew her answer.

“Don’t push it,” Tabitha lays down, still in her armor, but at least she was still smiling.

"Fine, just a suggestion," I hold up my hands placatingly, even though we both know she was in no state to get up, let alone do anything to me.

“You’re going to lead me to an early grave,” Tabitha sighs and closes her eyes, and as soon as she does, she’s out like a light.

“Not if I can help it,” I mumble under my breath once I’m sure she is asleep. Neither of us was going to die, not here, not now. "Enjoy your rest; you've more than earned it."

I slowly back away from Tabitha and once more move over to where she was sitting while I was asleep. The middle of the hall was far enough away from her that I wouldn’t accidentally interrupt her sleep but close enough that if something happened, I could be by her side in a second. However, the chance of anything happening was almost nonexistent.

Sitting down, I fold my legs underneath me while keeping an eye on our soundings with Sense Mana. I get comfortable, knowing I'll be here for a while. It was hard to estimate how long Tabitha would be out, but I knew it would be longer than five hours, and I could only wait. The problem was that the mind tends to wander when you have nothing to do.

I was happy Tabitha was finally getting some rest, but with nothing to occupy my mind, a small part of my brain couldn’t help but calculate how much time we had left. I spent eleven hours working on my bracelet and five hours sleeping. Take away an extra hour for miscellaneous talking and other things, and we're left with fifty-five hours remaining of our original seventy-two. Then again, Tabitha said we might only have two days down here instead of three, so that number might be even smaller.

Our food and water were almost gone. We had just enough jerky for a snack… for one person. Splitting it was pointless; I could already picture Tabitha insisting I have it.

Bringing a hand to my stomach, I frown at the slight ache growing in my gut. The pain wasn't much, but again, we still had more than two days down here, and I needed strength if I was going to try to make Tabitha a new shield.

Maybe there’s something down here we can eat? Closing my eyes, I reach out with Sense Mana and scan the ruins for what feels like the hundredth time, looking for anything edible. Rats, bugs, plants, it didn't matter so long as we could eat it.

Sadly, after what I estimate to be an hour of scanning, I pick up nothing around us. There weren’t even any insects in the dirt around the ruins. The poisonous mana emitted from the winged serpent above was centered over the top of the ruins; combine that with the overwhelming death mana that used to be down here, and you were left with a massive dead zone where nothing living remained. Now that the death mana had dispersed, underground creatures and insects might return, but not within the next few days.

The only plants I could sense were the roots of the massive trees, but they were stronger than steel. Father told me you could eat the inner parts of roots, but we would likely spend more energy processing them than we would gain eating them.

That said, we already had a pile of roots. Opening my eyes and turning around, I glance at said pile sitting off to the side, along with the neatly stacked pile of gray bricks we removed from the floor to bury the bones inside the chamber.

The pile of roots wasn’t what you would call large, but it was something, if not anything else. I'll have to ask Tabitha for her opinion when she wakes up. Even if we only eat a little before the fight to settle our stomachs, it could be something.

Although, now that I think about it, there was a more important issue we had to worry about. While setting up the canvas for Tabitha to sleep on, I looked at all our supplies and noticed we were dangerously low on water. Even people like Tabitha and I gradually lose water, and while she doesn't have any reason to do anything strenuous that would cause her to sweat and lose it faster, I probably will when I make her shield. Anything we do to prepare for the coming battle will cost precious energy, worse, more water.

If we don't find a way to fill our waterskins, we'll have to leave tomorrow or risk dehydration. In theory, we can fight with empty stomachs, but if we don’t have enough water in our systems, it can lead to confusion, fatigue, and dizziness. Any of which would be a death sentence against a monster as strong as the winged serpent.

Closing my eyes again, I continue scanning the ruins. Instead of looking for anything living this time, I focus on the mana in the air. On our way down here, we passed through multiple hallways with extensive root damage, and quite a few were humid. It may not be a lot, but water is getting in somewhere.

Without the haze of death mana obscuring everything, I could better sense the elemental mana in the air. 99% of what I sensed was earth-attuned mana that had slowly leached its way in from the ground, but there were traces of other mana.

The parts of the stadium near the surface now contained traces of the winged serpent’s mana zone, meaning the longer we waited, the quicker it would sense us once we were ready to leave. As if we didn’t have enough problems to deal with.

No, don’t focus on the negative, I tell myself, turning my attention away from the sickly mana slowly penetrating down into the ruins. Focus on what you can do.

Ignoring the serpent’s mana zone, I focus on the third and last type of mana I can sense. Water mana.

With the massive amount of water mana feeding the Endless Woods, you would think there would be more down here, but it was surprisingly sparse. Most of the water mana was spread out and not in any concentration that would indicate physical water, but there were a few exceptions.

I could sense a few rooms along the outside wall of the colosseum that had varying degrees of dense pockets of water mana; at least one of them should have some water. It wouldn't be a lot based on the level of mana I sensed, but if we can fill up our waterskins we'll be good to go.

I wanted to jump to my feet and celebrate, and isn’t that sad. It was only the possibility of water, and I was treating it like a landslide achievement in my head. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up before it's confirmed, but we desperately needed a win, one success, to get the ball rolling.

Taking a few steading breaths, I calm my emotions and look at everything as it is. Food and water were still up in the air, but for the sake of argument, I'll pretend that we can make do with what we have on hand and the water I think I sensed. The question is, what should I focus on next?

I could sit here and meditate until Tabitha woke up, but that wasn't a productive use of my time. There were other things I could do, mainly thinking about how to forge Tabitha a working shield.

Yes, that's what I should be doing.

Opening my eyes, I stand up and glance at Tabitha. She was still fast asleep and would be for at least a few more hours, plenty of time for me to at least devise a method to craft her a shield.

What did I have to work with?

In my head, I go over everything we have on hand. For tools, I had my hammer. It's not the best for detailed work, but it would at least allow me to shape metal.

Alright, what metal did I have?

There was the water magicite in my bag, along with a few rock samples I collected here and there, but not enough to work with. Shaking my head, I turn my attention to the pile of scrap metal sitting next to where we buried the skeletons from the chamber.

The rusty pile was the last remnants of the undead we defeated. I could tell the fragments were once an amazing set of equipment based solely on the fact the metal lasted this long. It's too bad the centuries weren't kind to it. If I could melt it all down, there might be enough to work with after removing all the oxidation, but that required a forge.

It sucked that the colosseum wasn't still in one piece. The section we were in was massive, but based on its dimensions and the mural inside the chamber; it was only a third of the overall structure. A stadium this size had to have had an armory, and I'm betting they had at least one forge there. During my many scans, I didn't sense anything resembling an armory, let alone a forge, meaning it must be in another section, probably buried deep underground if I can't sense it.

All I could do was curse our terrible luck and move on. Maybe I could fashion a shield from the materials I have on hand?

I have a pile of strong roots; maybe I can use them?

Moving over to the pile nearby, I gather some roots in my arms and return to the hallway's center. First, let’s see how the materials stack up.

Usually, examining new materials is fun for me. Finding out how durable the material is, how well it handles mana, its internal structure, normally I could get lost in all the little details…. Not this time.

Each root I pick up, I mentally picture being used to block a strike from the winged serpent, and it wasn't good. After some scanning with my skills and a few simple stress tests, I concluded the roots wouldn't work. It had been less than a day since we removed the roots from the ground, and they'd already lost a good deal of their durability. Without being connected to one of the massive trees and, by extension, its mana, the roots were less flexible and more brittle. They were still as hard as steel, only now it was a much lower quality kind of steel.

If I weaved a shield out of roots, it may block a strike from the winged serpent. Heck, it may last two, but it wouldn't weather a third. Tabitha needed a shield that could last at least a dozen blows, preferably more.

Gritting my teeth, I pick up my test subjects and return them to the pile with the rest of the roots. "Back to step one," I mumble to myself. It looks like I have no choice; I'll have to find a way to process the rusted armor into something useful. And to do that, I'll need to build a temporary forge.

Glancing over my shoulder, I eyeball the stack of grey bricks we removed from the ground. At least when it comes to building a forge, I have materials to work with.

It'll take time, but I can't leave Tabitha's side and have nothing else to do. "Let's get started. I can do this," I try to psych myself up, and I'll admit, saying it out loud helps.

It's time to get building.

**********

3,600 words.

Sorry, I didn't get this out sooner. We have AT&T at my house, and the internet has been horrible the last two days.

I hope the wait was worth it. Even now, I question if I got Tabitha and Aaliyah's interaction correct, but I've learned I can only second-guess myself so much. That's where you guys come in; please tell me what you think of the chapter, and give me your honest opinions.

Should I go back and touch up this chapter, or should I continue? Tell me below, and as always, stay safe.