An elite monster. Uriel had no doubt that this thing was certainly not a normal monster like the ones he had encountered so far: it possessed intelligence, unique abilities, and seemed willing to die just to kill the climbers. This tower was turning out to be a far more dangerous place than he had ever imagined.
He raised his left hand. The pain tormented him, but until now he had not wanted to look at his wounds; he feared they might be too severe. When he looked at his hand, he noticed torn pieces of skin and blood.
He wished he had a mirror at this moment, but unfortunately that was impossible in a place like this.
"Uriel, are you okay?"
Of course. Uriel had been lost in his thoughts for quite some time. Perhaps Ininise was worried that he had been psychologically affected by the whole situation, which, frankly, Uriel felt was quite possible.
Even so, in his miserable state, he forced himself to smile.
"How do I look? I hope I don't end up with too many scars on my face."
Ininise looked at him, and a pair of tears gathered in her eyes. Before her stood the person who had fought fiercely so she wouldn't be harmed, who had promised her that no matter what enemy they faced, she would not suffer any injury.
And he had kept his promise. Ininise had not suffered any serious harm during the entire escape that followed their flight from the assassins, but as she looked at Uriel, she could not say the same: he had lost his right eye, his leather armor was in ruins with many parts exposed. He bore bite marks, cuts, and lash wounds all over his body.
The bandages she had applied earlier had already begun to bleed again.
She approached Uriel and embraced him, pressing her head against his chest. She was deeply grateful, but she also regretted it. She had always regretted this: that people suffered to protect her.
"I'm so sorry."
Not long ago, she had said she would become strong—strong enough that no one would have to be hurt to defend her; but in just a few moments, her resolve had been shattered once again. What else could she do, except apologize for being a burden?
"I'm sorry, Urie."
Uriel slowly stood up. His injuries prevented any sudden movement. This surprised Ininise a little.
"Wait, don't move, your wounds—"
But at that moment, Uriel was the one who embraced her instead.
"Dummy, why are you apologizing so much? If it weren't for you, I would've died long ago. So what if I end up a little damaged? I'm sure that in a tower this mysterious, there must even be a way to recover my eye and heal my scars."
He tried to comfort Ininise, but deep down, the pain and fear in his heart were very real. The tenacity with which that creature had tried to kill him, how horrifying it was, and the image of it devouring the imps would likely haunt him; but he had to be strong. He had always had to be, because when everything is collapsing around him, he knew he had to remain firm. Even if life forced him to live in the most miserable way possible, as long as he was still alive, he had to keep moving forward.
Ininise said nothing. She remained there for a few moments, sincerely wondering how it was possible that this man, whom she had met less than a day ago, was so willing to give his life for her—a complete stranger.
She was aware that there were people who would undoubtedly give their lives for her: Kaelira, Ralzire, Vykir, and Malach; but she had known them since childhood—they shared a powerful bond.
On the other hand, there were her former followers, who had sacrificed themselves for her and their faith. After all, she was an oracle: every follower of the Eleventh Finger would die for her if she asked.
Was this, perhaps, love? Ininise might have thought so if she couldn't read his thoughts; but although this man felt attracted to her, he did not protect her because of that feeling.
It was curious: every time he stood up, every time he placed himself in front of someone to protect them, Uriel's thoughts first turned to his family, and from that was born a kind of duty, as if protecting the people behind him—no matter who they were—was his responsibility, his mission in life.
Ininise found it wonderful. How could someone like this exist, so devoted to the people he chose to protect? She had come to feel safe with him, as if, as long as he remained standing, no one under his care could be harmed. But that in itself was a problem: it also meant that he would gladly take on the damage of others. Reading someone's mind for so long eventually led to understanding them, creating a very deep bond—even if the other person was unaware of it.
She realized that, in this short time, she had already come to care about this man and did not want to see him suffer. She wished that he could return to the family he loved and remembered so dearly.
Ininise gently pushed him away. She didn't mind that he hugged her—in fact, she liked it, she felt safe. Besides, she had done the same, after all.
However, it was necessary in order to treat him.
"Uriel, sit down. I'm going to heal your wounds."
A small chuckle escaped Uriel.
"At this rate, I'm going to make you run out of bandages."
Ininise would normally have been worried about that, but she was aware of certain information that Uriel likely did not know.
"It's fine, don't worry. In fact, once we leave this area, we should enter a safe zone where there are some inhabitants. They should have supplies; after all, they live in this place."
Ininise smiled. She was happy. The last thing she wanted was for Uriel to go on like this with bandages that would soon need to be changed; an infection was the last thing she wished upon him.
Uriel also looked pleased with that information.
"God, now that's good news… Oh, right, I received something called a 'monster soul.' Do you have any idea what it's for?"
Ininise's eyes widened in surprise. It must have been something very impressive; her surprise turned into a face full of happiness for Uriel.
"Yes! Monster souls are very valuable. They allow you to enhance abilities and create unique weapons and armor. You're very lucky, Uriel. I'm happy for you—it's the first time I've seen someone with one."