Return of the Tower Conqueror

  Serene

A heavy pounding startled him, one that bore directly into his brain. It felt as though a thousand hammers were slamming directly into him over and over again, his headache flaring. Forced to open his eyes, Cain groaned, his throat feeling parched and burned-- so much so that even swallowing a mouthful of saliva hurt. He blinked his eyes open, but something burned, forcing him to groan. A pair of arms snuck beneath his head suddenly and held it up gently, a pained voice calling him out.

"Dad? Dad?! Are you awake? Do you hear me? Dad?" Cain looked within his Mana reserves and created a swift skill that caused his brain to essentially temporarily 'ignore' the state of his body, pulling him out of the peril as he stood up, meeting Senna's tear-drenched face. "Oh thank god, thank god you're okay!" she cried as she tossed herself onto him, prompting him to swallow a groan of pain and lift his undoubtedly broken arms to hug her back.

"Sheesh kiddo," Cain chuckled lightly as he adjusted his voice. "Who am I, huh? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Oh, shut the hell up," she replied harshly. "It was literally you who taught me how to use Mana to inspect a body. Do you think I'm blind?!"

"Oh..."

"What the hell happened?" she asked, glancing to the other, disfigured body that she didn't recognize. "Who's that?"

"That?" Cain mumbled, glancing toward Mael's body. "Oh, just some old man who asked for a candy and then dropped dead. A sweet man, really. But I guess he was just old."

"..."

"What's up? Why are you kids here?" Cain asked. "Did you already clear the Palace? Sweet fuck, how long was I out?!"

"No, of course not," Senna said, sighing. "I came because this side became too quiet. We just cleared the first boss, is all."

"Shit, really?! Damn, you guys are really slow."

"Oh, screw you!"

"Yea!" Sera joined in. "They weren't as lucky just to get an old man who croaked of old age as a boss!"

"..."

"... pfft."

"Oh? Was that a smile?" Cain smirked at Senna's reaction. "Yea, I think that was a smile! How adorable!"

"Shut it, it wasn't a smile!" Senna protested. "Anyway, enough about that. We need to get you to Yuki."

"Ah, looks like you can't use Mana to inspect a body after all," Cain smiled bitterly.

"... can't we carry him?" Sera probed.

"No," Senna shook her head. "He's using Mana to stall the fact that he's falling apart, essentially. But, seeing how he's so nonchalant, he's not at risk of dying at least."

"Hey, I could be! Show some more concern for it, at least! Geez!" Cain protested.

"She cried her soul out while we waited for you to wake up," Sera said. "I swear I've never known a person can cry so many tears in one go."

"Sera!!!"

"What? Oh, wait, was it supposed to be a secret? Oh, my bad, my bad..."

"You are both awful! So what if I was worried?!" Senna exploded. "Look at yourself! Imagine how you'd feel if you saw me in this kind of a state!"

"... sorry kiddo," Cain said, smiling apologetically. "Sorry for worrying you. But... I think you should go back."

"H-huh?"

"While I trust the others, you're the key to their strength," Cain said. "Sera can stay with me and keep me company. As it stands, it should take me about a week until I'm recovered enough to walk back."

"No--no, wait, what if you're attacked? You can't fight in your state! And, shit, Sera's even weaker than you!"

"Hey! But, yea, she's right." Sera said.

"Don't worry; Mana isn't only used for fighting," Cain chuckled. "Rather, in a perfect world, that's the last thing people would use it for. Alas... anyway, don't worry about us. We'll be safe. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

"Real reassuring coming from a guy who looks like he just walked out of a grave," Sera scoffed.

"Shouldn't that be super reassuring, though?" Cain smirked. "I mean, that means I cheated death and that, y'know, pretty badass, no?"

"Ah, you and your snarky comebacks..."

"See? We're already building steady rapport," Cain chuckled as Senna sighed, torn. She knew others would struggle, not because they were weaker than her, but because they'd lack her utility; her wide-area coverage in a lot of cases enabled Jamal, Daniel and others frames of time within which they were able to go all out without worrying about defense. Without her there, they'd all have to be that more careful, slowing down their overall DPS even more. "Don't worry, firefly. We're gonna be just fine. Now go back and help mom, okay?"

"... ugh, fine," Senna relented in the end. "If anything-- and I mean anything happens, use that Mana thingabob that you do to call me. I don't care where I am, I'll come, okay?"

"... sure," Cain said. "Now give your old man a kiss and go."

"Eww, no! Stay safe!" Cain felt a pang of regret as it seemed she actually would have done it if he had said nothing. However, having spoken and embarrassed her, she quickly pushed the thought aside and, red-cheeked, sprinted off, leaving the two behind. Sera looked at him strangely and shook her head.

"Yea," he sighed. "I can be a dumbass."

"Na, na, I'm pretty sure that's your default state," Sera said. "And the moments of brilliance are the shocks and surprises."

"Okay, first off-- ouch. And, secondly, you're wrong. My default state is that of a jackass, not a dumbass."

"... that old man," Sera said, glancing at the corpse. "Was Mael."

"Oh? That's his name?" Cain played it off. "Shame, true shame. He seemed like a sweet old lad."

"He was a murderous, ego-driven maniac," Sera said. "That nearly raped me once."

"..."

"Few will miss him, save for my brother," she continued. "I do have a question, though."

"Yes, I give you my blessing to go after Senna; but she's still a child, as are you, so for now just hand-holding, okay?"

"..."

"... what?"

"I can't pin my finger on whether you're just really lovin', or an absolute creep."

"Fair enough."

"My question is... how?" she asked with a stern look. "He's twice-Awakened. I don't care how talented you are, you should not be capable of killing him."

"Ah, you didn't Awaken," Cain chuckled. "But parts remained, eh?"

"..."

"Does this really look like a victory to you?" Cain's question surprised Sera, taking her aback for a moment.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, sure, he's dead," Cain replied, taking out a beer can and taking a few sips, hiding his pain. "But, I can barely breathe, I 'cause a kid I love more than myself to, as you said, cry her soul out, and I've only drawn more ire onto myself for the future."

"..."

"This whole thing's fucked, if I'm being honest," Cain sighed. "You ask me how I killed a twice-Awakened, but why the shit am I even fighting one to begin with? On a second floor? Whoever came up with this... is a fuckin' sadist."

"... that's not that hard to answer, actually," Sera said. "From what I understand, your generation of Conquerors was predicted to be a joke, so most have chosen to treat it as an opportunity to grab something new for themselves. Looks like they were really wrong, though." Were they? Cain pondered inwardly.

"His corpse will haunt me for a long time," he said, sighing. "I had suspected the Prince--or, well, shit-King I suppose, might not be the last hurdle. But this... this is a joke. There's literally nobody on this floor except for me who could have killed him."

"..."

"Shit, I garner that even if literally everyone on this floor banded together and fought him, he'd still win."

"Oh, wow. I knew you weren't humble, but shit."

"... you think I'm bragging?" Cain chuckled.

"Aren't you?"

"No," Cain shook his head. "I'm lamenting the fact I ever got into this fuckin' place. And, even worse, I'm regretting I pulled all of them in. All of this is a fuckin' sadistic joke. Shit, there ain't even managers around to speak to. Fuck, fighting a Level 136 twice-Awakened 'Void Guardian' on a second floor... fuck this place to hell and back. You hear that, cocksuckers? Fuck y'all!!"

"... who are you shouting at?" Sera asked, concerned.

"Ah, just the interested parties," Cain shrugged. "Fuck, why did I quit smoking? If there ever was a moment in history that begged for a smoke, it'd be this one--"

"Wait--did you say Level 136?!!" Sera exclaimed in horror.

"Huh? Yeah."

"No way!! When I last saw him, he was Level 78!"

"Oh, that, yeah, he was hiding his strength--duh."

"That's almost twice as strong as I thought!! And you killed him!! Just who the fuck are you dude?!"

"..." Cain smiled faintly, looking up. He was bitter, angry, defeated, and enraged. This was not a challenge for a 'Thief' -- but someone craving a good ass-beating. "I'm more certain than ever now; I gots to beat some serious ass eventually."

"... huh?" Sera mumbled, still reeling in shock. Perhaps others might not quite grasp the nature of what Cain had done, but she did-- and it terrified her more than anything else she'd experienced in her life.

"Don't look at me like I'm some kind of a monster," Cain chuckled. "I'm just your everyday, big-bellied dad who makes his kids uncomfortable by making lame jokes and telling them how much he loves them."

"..."

"A'right, I can share some embarrassing Senna stories with you."

"Ah, so you're just a normal dad, eh?" Sera grinned as she quickly scurried over. "Of course, of course."

"... I feel an intrinsic bond between us," Cain grinned. "And I already feel kinda bad for her."

"So do I. Anyway, enough of that-- stories old man. Give me the stories."

"Okay, okay. So, this is a story of how we met-- and how my invaluable and persistent charms won her over. Some few months after we met. So, we begin on the plains and..."

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