I almost forgot how to breathe when I saw the two figures struggling to hold onto the twin rocks near the cave opening. I could recognize them by their hair and clothes, but the more I looked, the more confused I got and a feeling similar to pity crept into my heart.
"This can't be right! I hate them! I hate them. I hate them..." I kept yelling that into my mind, but the words seemed to lose their meaning and force in front of the pitiful image.
The assassin and the blonde girl were holding onto that rock, but something was really off about them.
Pyrope jumped on another rock, then another, closing the distance between them and us, and that revealed more and more disturbing details of those two. The assassin's stomach was impaled in a fangy rock and the lower part of his body was missing, the waves showing the shredded guts stuck on the rock's shards. By all means, he should've been dead, yet, he somehow lived and was supporting the blonde girl that climbed on his shoulders. Their skin was a bruising blue color from the cold water that constantly washed over them. But the most dreadful thing about all that was their expression with eyes wide open and pleading and mouths that were stuck into a silent scream. It was as if they were frozen in a moment of eternal torment.
"I suppose they are the ones who tried to kill you, am I right?"
Pyrope's voice scared me, but broke the spell of that morbid fascination of the surreal view and I stared at him perplexed, coming slowly to my senses, and my anger returned too. I cursed my weakness and the fact that I got emotional for a few moments, even worse, for my enemies. That was unforgivable.
"Yes," my voice was just a shaky whisper. Even that one word felt like it rasped my vocal chords. "How can they still be alive?"
"Because of that cursed pearl in his possession." The dragon pointed a clawed finger to the assassin's hand that supported the girl and I could see something dark in his palm. "My curse," explained Pyrope with a harsh grimace. "Each time that pearl saves someone, a layer of healing mana goes away from it, and when you reach the ninth time... it reverses again and again the body to the state before death. They feel only excruciating pain and simply cannot die because the curse keeps their souls into decaying bodies. Also..."
"That's a terrible curse indeed," I muttered, struggling to comprehend what he was saying. "But what if you heal them before their death?"
"Once they're body dies already, there is no turning back, because the soul is part free, part trapped... The healing magic is not as magical as you may think."
"So... this is a form of necromancy? They are undead dead... zombies?"
"Not necromancy, but... a curse of... immortality. Even if..."
The dragon paused as the girl looked at us and moved slowly her blue lips. Her eyes were pleading and her skin had a sheen ice layer covering it. There was no sound coming from her mouth, but I could still read on her lips: Help!
I flinched and took a deep breath, blinking rapidly because my sight was becoming watery.
"You feel sorry for them," said Pyrope and his expression hardened. "You wish to save them?"
"No," I replied calmly, realizing that it was true. "Feeling sorry and taking pity of them is what almost killed me in the first place. I may feel some sort of sadness because I see their sufferance, but that is just me getting emotional. In their case, there's no room for emotions anymore. They don't deserve a single morsel of mercy for what they did to me. I would be truly stupid to help them... or to let them live."
"I... We had our reasons," said the girl with a trembling voice. "Please! I can explain. Just let's..."
"I couldn't care less," I interrupted her abruptly, since I wasn't interested in a made-up explanation. "Where is my pouch?"
"Save us first, and I will give it to you."
I looked at her from head to toe and smirked.
"So you don't have it. We waste our time here. Pyrope, let's go."
"Wait, wait," pleaded the girl, being hit by another cold wave. "Save me and I'll tell you where it is."
"You lost it in the water..."
Her eyes went wider and I knew I guessed again.
"So you have nothing to trade your life for."
Suddenly Pyrope shifted his position and placed me on top of the rock he was just standing on.
"Wait here, Elamiha," he said, then plunged into the water.
As if I had anywhere to go from that place. I gulped, trying to keep my composure, even when I started to freeze almost immediately after I lost the mana barrier of the dragon. The water continued to rise and my heart started to beat faster. I didn't know how to swim, and even if I did, I had no chance to survive in that river. I was starting to see myself in a similar position to that of the assassin. I remained silent, watching those two that were looking at me too.
"I thought you were sent to trick us," said the girl.
"Aha," I replied disinterested, hoping that the dragon would return soon.
"I know you don't believe me, but..."
"I don't believe you because you're a liar and you would say any bullshit to save your ass. In the castle, I saved all the prisoners, even if I were a spy, that doesn't change the fact that I risked my life to save you, and you thought that it would be best suited for everyone to just kill me... and steal from me, even though I willingly gave you weapons to defend yourselves from the ones who oppressed you. At the inn I was again betrayed by the landlady and when we met again you used me to lure that creature... It was your choice to kill your savior. And I'm done playing hero... I wasn't one to begin with, but still acted as one. I realise now that was a grave mistake on my part. One that I intend to never repeat, as it just brings too much pain. Now you just reap what you sow."
The water rose to the assassin's chest, and I started to panic. Soon after, though, Pyrope got out of the water, holding in his teeth my merchant's pouch and giving it to me. His skin was emanating a cold aura that I couldn't bear anymore.
"We should depart fast," he said and his eyes looked worried in the direction of the rocky shores. "There are more of the creatures like the one that was hunting you in the caves. They search for something. I've seen them fishing some objects from the river and taking them to a strange group. I believe one of these persons was a priestess."
"Namsamal! We can't deal with her. That woman is very dangerous."
"Yes, I sensed a tremendous power... We should get away. A few of those creatures were coming in this direction."
I looked at the killers.
"What do you intend to do to them?" asked Pyrope. "Let them suffer here?"
"That's tempting, but I have a bad feeling. I'm afraid of that priestess and these two saw us. I think it's better to keep our existence a secret for now."
"Should I burn them, then?"
"Would you do that for me?" I whispered to him, feeling guilty all of a sudden. "I don't want to force you to..."
Instead of an answer, the dragon sat ablaze the rock of those two, turning it into incandescent lava that cracked under the rapid cold waves, leaving nothing but ash and melting shadows in the water behind those two killers. The girl didn't even have time to scream. I felt no remorse, only a sense of ease and admiration combined with fear as I witnessed Pyrope's power.
"This powerful dragon is on my side..."
"What do you take me for?" huffed Pyrope. "I don't have trouble killing the ones who hurt you and my conscience surely won't keep me awake with regrets. I owe nothing to anyone, except you, because I chose you. I would've doubted your survival instinct if you would've asked me to save them, as for a moment I really thought you felt sorry for them. Although, in their case, there was no salvation possible, so this can't be called revenge, just an act of mercy."
"I'm not dumb. I've learned my lesson. The help should be offered with scarcity. Besides, I was about to deliver the punishment myself."
"How?"
"By throwing a dagger..."
"Into the water, I assume," he grinned.
"Pff, you're probably right."
"Of course I am right. I can read you easily. You are one of those humans that are afraid to use their power for fear of hurting others. From my experience, people like you are deemed as fools. To have power and not be able to use it when needed... it's a waste of a good life."
"Do you regret sharing your powers with me?"
Pyrope avoided my gaze and took me into his hands, jumping on the rocks until we were outside the cave. But instead of taking flight, the dragon let himself down above the dome of stones above the cave's exit, becoming one with the snow. I didn't need to ask the reason for his behavior as I saw a white figure coming up stream near the river's edge.
"What the heck is that thing?" I thought, but didn't dare to utter a word. The creature resembled a white animal of about 2,70 meters, that wore a human skin. Despite the skin being stretched and very deformed, it still kept some features of the innkeeper. "That is the thing that chased after me through the tunnels? No wonder the innkeeper didn't want to deal with it again."
The predator stopped near the cave and stared for what felt like hours, then shook its heavy head and disappeared into the foggy forest.
Without hesitation, Pyrope took me and flew higher and higher until we reached the dense clouds of fog, but he didn't stop or slow down, just kept at an insane pace until we reached the fortress.