Chapter 43 Tough decisions
“Bullshit, I refuse,” Vandal said, cocking his head as he raised his fists, ready to continue fighting.
“You forget your friend over there can easily be killed at any time.” She threw a glance in Hutrar’s direction. She had sent a mind command to Ophelia not to kill him as insurance, and she knew it was going to pay off.
“If you don’t do as I say, he will die, and the rest of your friends under the effects of my blood dust poison will also die.”
“Your choice.” Lamishtu smiled as her calculating eyes watched expectantly.
Vandal paused, glancing at all of them lying on the ground. Then he noticed that even Sabine and Jaden were also affected.
“Damn, I didn’t even notice when they collapsed... but aside from Jaden, Sabine wasn’t hit, so how?” Vandal said to himself. That was when the realization dawned on him, almost at the same time Lamishtu’s smile grew more fiendish.
“You have figured it out?” she said with a satisfied expression.
“Your blood dust poison is not transmitted through physical contact. It is airborne!”
“Ding, ding, ding... you are a smart boy.” Lamishtu clapped, her voice ringing through the tension.
“So now that you know... what will it be?”
Vandal stared at them again. Sabine. Jaden. Chan. All of them sprawled on the ground, barely conscious.
His jaw tightened. His fists trembled for a second... then slowly fell to his sides.
“That’s what I thought,” she said as she walked lazily toward him, palm outstretched.
“Now give it all to me.”
“Fine, Take it.” Vandal removed his ring and threw it to her, followed by his bow, his eyes watching his possessions about to land in her palm.
She caught them gleefully, laughing as she quickly looked inside the ring.
“Brat, you have some pretty good stuff in this ring, and your bow is no ordinary weapon at all. Where did you get these?” she asked in the tone of a winner.
“I would tell you...” Vandal said with a sour expression on his face.
“But unfortunately... there’s no point.”
“Why?” Lamishtu asked.
“Because you will be dead.”Vandal’s fingers snapped into a hand seal.
“Too late.”
Boom!
The ring and bow detonated in her hands. The blast tore through the cave, the shockwave slamming into stone and flesh alike
In the same instant, Vandal moved.
His fist drove forward.
The vacuum blast hit Ophelia squarely, ripping her off Hutrar and hurling her into the wall. She crumpled on impact, motionless.
“Let’s get out of here!” Vandal yelled as he moved quickly toward Sabine, tapping her awake.
“No time to talk. Support Jaden, let’s go.”Vandal darted between them, shaking each awake in quick succession. They all seemed fine. No black lines, no pale expressions, except for Mael, who was previously injured, and Hutrar, who was already nursing an internal injury.
“My guess was right. Her consciousness seems tied to the poison.” Vandal urged them forward toward the entrance. His resonance energy was already low, considering the techniques he had used today.
“If I blow up the entrance after we exit with one more vacuum punch, I will be empty,” Vandal noted, but he didn’t care.
As they arrived at the entrance, he heard a piercing scream. Turning around, he quickly launched his last vacuum blast at the roof, collapsing the passage leading to the exit just as they were about to leave the cave.
“How about Ophelia?” Mael asked.
“She’s not dead,” Vandal said. Then after a beat, “But even if she was... we’re alive.”
“Don’t you realize what you just did?” Mael grabbed his shirt.
“We’re dead the moment we leave this tomb!”
Mael’s grip tightened.
“We achieved nothing. Nothing! The descendants are gone... and you just killed the only person who could fix this!”
“Get your hands off me. I did what I had to do to save all our lives!” Vandal smacked his hand away, his temper flaring.
“You would have died, we all would have died, if I hadn’t thought of a way,” Vandal continued.
“I don’t have time to debate this. Let’s get out of this tomb first, then we can think about how not to get executed.” Vandal ran his hand through his white hair in frustration.
“Fine... this isn’t over,” Mael said as they all continued forward.
“I know.”
\---
Far from the chaos of the collapsing cave…
“Let’s go hunting near that forest...” Sunrao said with a playful grin as he walked hand in hand with his girlfriend, Sheena.
“Today, we have finally become preachers of the Unseeing Faith!” Sunrao declared, pride evident on his face.
“Now my friends will respect me, and we will no longer be looked down on by those silly people near Greenwich Market,” Sheena added as they bounced toward the tree entrance leading to the forest destination Sunrao had in mind.
As soon as he finished speaking, a portal appeared, and they passed through it, emerging from a massive ancient oak with thick moss and hanging vines draping over the bark like curtains.
“Sunrao, this place is so beautiful!” Sheena said, placing her hands behind her back, her prettiest smile on full display.
Sunrao sauntered over to her.
“I know. That’s why I brought you here.” His hand went around her waist.
“Want to know another reason why I brought you here?” Sunrao asked in a husky tone.
“Oh, I don’t know... tell me,” Sheena said sheepishly.
“No one’s here. Just us... deep in the forest,” Sunrao said slowly, emphasizing the word “deep” with a predatory grin.
“Well... but what if someone is here or finds us?” Sheena said with a pout.
“I don’t want to be punished on my second day of being a preacher.”
“No one will know, Sheena... no one will know. So let’s enjoy ourselves.” Sunrao drew her closer, his hot breath stirring her desires as he kissed her, first lightly, then deeply.
“You... you are... ah... such a bad boy,” Sheena said breathlessly as her clothes fell away.
“Hmmm, finally. I thought no one would come out of that damn tree! But I guess the patient dog always gets a bone... or so they say.”
A male voice cut through the moment, causing Sunrao and Sheena, both naked, to leap up in fright. Sheena quickly covered herself.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Sunrao shouted as he scrambled to put on his clothes.