I hope Bastet got through with Trouble, I think fervently. And that all of them were out of the way when the monster hit with enough force to close the entrance. And that the fact that the tunnel is closed isn’t a sign that there’s been a rockfall in the tunnel itself…

Working myself into a panic, I suddenly realise that I have an easy way to get at least a proof of life. Breathing deeply to control my emotions and bring some sense of calm back to my mind, I reach mentally into the metaphysical area where I find my Bonds. Well, Bond. The place where Spike’s Bond used to be is empty. Not painful, not really, but I’m aware of its absence; the reminder aches. Thankfully, Bastet’s Bond is still there. She’s alive.

Digging in a little deeper, I get the sense that she’s worried, stressed, but not in immediate danger. Can I communicate with her via the Bond at this distance? I haven’t tried before, but I don’t see why not – I communicate with her all the time using the Bond; why would a little distance make a big difference?

It does make a difference – the effort of transmitting my thoughts down the Bond is like swimming through sludge instead of water, but I succeed. I think. I focus hard on the image of the entrance to the tunnel. The entrance in the copse of dead trees, that is. It almost feels like I’ve got constipation as my muscles tense to push just as much as my mind. Their tension is worse than useless – pushing with physical muscles isn’t going to help a mental or soul message, and it just reminds me that I’m still heavily injured.

Still, I feel a faint hint of surprise and then acknowledgment from Bastet’s end of things – hopefully she’s got the message correctly. I release my hold on the Bond with a silent sigh of relief. Now I need to get out of here.

The tunnel’s shut, and I doubt I’ll be able to get it open, though I will check anyway. The only other option I can see ahead of me is climbing up the wall to the crevice and getting out that way. To do that, though, I’m going to need to be in peak physical condition, not the bloody and broken mess I am right now.

I’d completely emptied my mana bar earlier, but I’ve already started getting it back. As soon as I have enough mana for a Lay-on-hands, I cast it, the magic springing into action with an ease previously unseen. It’s great, but I can’t help wondering why.

The energy fills my body and I wince as I realise just how many injuries I have going on. The last healing I did only dealt with my brain damage and spine – and those are really scary to think about. The rest of my hurts are still shrieking at me. In fact, I’m wondering how I’m even coping with doing anything other than screaming and crying in agony.

My hip has been fractured, my jaw broken. My collarbone is damaged too, perhaps a small fracture as well. That probably happened at the same time as the other two injuries. That moment is a bit of a blur in my memory, but I’m pretty sure that I hit the wall with my hip first, the tentacle having caught me in my mid-section, and then my shoulder and head slammed into the wall the instant afterwards, my motion otherwise arrested.

My foot is bleeding, a stalagmite sticking straight through it – RIP boots – and I have to be grateful that the stone spike is actually plugging the wound as otherwise I would be running low on blood by this point. One of my knees also hurts, though I think that’s just deep bruising. Probably most of these injuries are from when I fell two or three metres to the ground, ending up squeezed between unforgiving stone pillars and even more unforgiving stone wall. At this point, I’d love to say I’m grateful that I didn’t break a leg or arm, but frankly, I have enough broken things to be dealing with.

Not to mention, of course, all the bone-deep bruising all over my body. In fact, there are very few places on my body that don’t hurt. Honestly, I’m wondering whether something in one of my stats improves capacity to deal with pain: it doesn’t hurt any less, but somehow, I’m managing to cope with it. Either that or shock, anyway.

The cool energy of my healing spell enters my body, bringing a measure of instant relief to my worst injuries. Closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the wall, moving slowly and gently to avoid exacerbating my numerous injuries, I let my focus dive into my body.

It’s closer to myself than I ever thought I’d come, closer than anyone but a surgeon could dare to be. And this is my body, not anyone else’s. I feel a connection to it that no surgeon could have. I go into a sort of trance, viewing my body through my sense of the energy flowing through it.

I was never brilliant at biology at school, but half-remembered facts from then snap into perfect clarity now. The knowledge helps me heal myself, pushing bone shards back into place, reducing the swelling of damaged areas, forcing out foreign bodies, calming nerve receptors, redirecting blood-flow…

It’s not a single Lay-on-hands that I cast, but a steady stream of healing that goes at the pace of my regeneration. When I emerge from my trance, my mana is back at zero, but all my injuries are healed. The light filtering through from the other cavern is also a lot dimmer. Checking my status, I realise that a lot of time must have gone past – I’ve actually gained an Energy percentage towards the next level.

Not having tested how much Energy I absorb in a day in this area, I can’t say for sure how long it’s been since I’ve been sitting here, but the fact that I’ve only gained about two points since I woke up – three now – indicates my healing is quite a slow process.

While I’m checking my status, I realise I have three messages waiting for me.

Huh. Could have done with that before I almost killed myself. Thought I suppose that’s the point – pun not intended. I almost kill myself, and earn a point by surviving. The addition takes seven percent of my meagre Energy store, but it’s worth it for the extra ten health units I gain.

The second message is much in the same vein:

Once more accepting the point, I wipe out the rest of my Energy store, but once more, more Wisdom means more mana, which may be the difference between death and survival next time. Heck, this time, it was the difference between brain damage or no brain damage…. The final message is a lot more exciting.

That’s interesting to know – I can advance a Skill without actually maxing out its previous ranking: Lay-on-hands had been at Novice Seven before I entered the tunnel, and I doubt it gained two whole levels while I was crawling through the narrow gaps. I’m more and more convinced that we have to do something with the Skill to make it break through the ranks, and that action is what determines the Skill’s evolution.

The first time I levelled up Lay-on-hands, I accidentally channeled healing to heal my eye, using my knowledge of the eye’s anatomy to aid in its reconstruction. Result: I was then able to intentionally channel healing to different parts of my body, as well as just casting the general spell. This time, I accidentally entered a trance where I was able to do extended surgery on myself. Result: I can now do that intentionally, though at the risk of being attacked by something while I’m lost in my inner world.

I take a look at my Skills briefly.

Interestingly, both Dominate and Tame have increased, despite the fact that I haven’t used them. Is it something to do with my Bond with Bastet? I don’t see any other explanation. Fade is almost maxing out the Beginner tier, and Stealth is already there. I guess that, if I’m right about the way I ranked up Lay-on-hands, I’ll have to find some other application or use of the Skills in order to push them up a rank.

I’m procrastinating, I suddenly realise. Using the excuse of checking my messages and stats to avoid thinking about the fact that I need to get up and explore my options for escaping this place. It’s only now that the excuses have faded away that I realise what I was doing. The monster was straight out of a nightmare, yes, but I have to get out of here, and that involves moving. Well, either that, or I can just sit here and give up.

I’m not ready to give up, I decide the moment the thought occurs. I’m a very different person from who I was when I arrived: I’ve discovered a zest for life which allows me to push through pain and injury to do what I need to do. I won’t be deterred by the fear of a monster which is too strong for me. Sure, I’m not going to attack it – that would be stupid – but I’m not going to just cower here in a corner, dying by inches.

I listen carefully, but everything is still. Nothing but the sound of slow plinking of water droplets breaks the silence. Gently pushing myself to my feet, I hiss at the feeling of stiffness everywhere. It almost feels like I’ve been calcified as much as the spikes of rock around me.

Stepping one foot at a time, Fade and Stealth both fully engaged, I go over to the place the tunnel mouth used to be. After a few moments, I step away, shaking my head. I don’t know how the monster did it – whether it knocked down a stalactite or bashed a stalagmite, or dug its tentacle into the rock itself – but there’s a big chunk of rock very firmly embedded in the hole.

I might be able to pull it away – emphasis on ‘might’ – given my increased Strength, but even if I do that, there’s no guarantee that it’s the only obstacle in the way. Plus, I’d really be done for if I attracted the monster’s attention by yanking at a heavy boulder, and then found that there was another one behind it.

No, I decide I’d better give the rock-climbing a go before risking that. If the rock-climbing seems impossible, I’ll come back to this idea and try to find ways of making it easier and less loud, but that’s likely to take a while.

Turning around, I face the opposite wall, faint fingers of light emerging from the archway that’s not visible from my current position. Taking a deep breath, I summon up my courage and then trudge steadily through the mess of broken and shattered spurs of rock. Years or decades for them to grow drop by drop, only to be destroyed in minutes by a massive underwater creature.

Let’s hope I’m not walking into the belly of the beast here.

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