The Healer

As Kael gripped the rope, the rough fibers biting into his palms, his body protested with each upward pull. 

His leg throbbed from the shard of rock still lodged in it, and the cuts on his arms from the fall burned with every movement. But the thought of being stuck down there, alone in that massive, haunting space, was enough to keep him holding on to the rope.

His breath came in ragged bursts as he neared the top of the hole. He could see Ryker and Elysia's faces now, as well as a couple more workers behind them. 

The rope came to a stop, and Ryker used his massive hands to haul Kael to solid ground. 

"Easy now," Ryker said, steadying him as Kael stumbled slightly, his knees threatening to buckle.

Elysia was eyeing the cavern below, almost unaware that Kael had made it up safely. "What was down there, newborn?"

"Obsidian. Lots of it. The space is double the size of the other cavern. It'll be enough for multiple shipments. I'm sure of it."

Elysia's eyes glinted with excitement. "This is good. But we'll need to figure out an easier way to get up and down."

"Double the obsidian," Ryker muttered, almost to himself. "If we can bring up what's down there…." He didn't finish the thought. 

"Maybe some sort of pulley system?" Kael asked, picking up the rope. We could have workers raising and lowering loads while the rest of us mine."

"You're injured," someone said, pushing through the newly forming crowd. Lucian, Kael remembered. 

Kael nodded. "Most of its minor but…." Suddenly a dizziness took over him, and he began to slouch. 

"Woah," Ryker said, grabbing onto him and lowering him to the stone. "That leg injury looks pretty bad."

"He's lost a lot of blood already," Lucian said, leaning over him. He already had his bandages, as well as a toolkit. 

"Where did you get all that?" Kael mumbled, eyeing the tools.

"A request for the officials. I've been learning how to fix injuries ever since I was born. Don't worry, I've seen much worse than this."

Elysia stood over him with concerned eyes. "Lucian is our medic down here. He's saved countless lives. Get some rest for tonight, Duskborne. Tomorrow, we'll need you again."

Ryker looked shocked. "He's hurt pretty bad. I can put in some extra work for him until he's back on his feet."

Elysia shook her head. "It's an order. That's the last I'll hear of this."

She took off, barking commands at the workers to start on the pulley system.

"I'm sorry, Kael," Ryker said, looking downcast. "I got you into this situation."

"It's not your fault that the tunnel collapsed," Kael said.

"I should've reacted faster. I'm the experienced one. I should've known it was coming."

At that moment, Lucian pulled the shard of rock from Kael's leg. He had to do everything in his power to not scream out. 

"Agh," he grunted as Lucian stuffed a handful of white petals on his wound. "What's that stuff?"

"Galios petals. Known for their numbing and antibacterial properties. The pain will be gone momentarily," Lucian promised. 

He wrapped the petal covered wound with bandages then moved to work on Kael's forehead. Lucian dabbed at his wound with a cool wet cloth. 

Kael took a moment to close his eyes. Would he really be able to rest? After going through so much, it seemed an impossibility. 

The sounds around him—the steady clinking of tools, the low hum of the workers preparing the pulley system—became distant. 

Ryker's voice echoed faintly in his ears. "We'll get this sorted, Kael. You just rest, alright? We've got this. You've done enough for today."

He wanted to protest, but it was too late. His thoughts blurred, fading into nothingness as the exhaustion hit him with full force. Then, the pain began to subside. For the first time since he'd woken up in the laboratory, Kael felt at peace.

Without another moment of hesitation, he gave in to the desperate call of sleep and drifted off. 

For the first time in his life, Kael had a dream. Wind blew through his hair as he climbed up the mountain, fingers scraping at any hold he could get in the rock.

Something was at the top, something he needed. He had to get to it.

The stone cracked beneath his hand, and Kael felt himself move backward. Then, he was falling, the ground hundreds of feet below him. He was going to die….

Kael woke with a start, the sharp ache in his leg reminding him of the events from the day before.

Lucian sat next to him, packing up his tool kit. When he noticed Kael was awake, he gave him a friendly smile. "It's been nearly eight hours. I just wrapped your leg for the third time. The bleeding finally stopped just a bit ago."

Kael groaned, pressing a hand against his temple. 

"How are you feeling?" Lucian asked Kael as he finished cleaning up.

"I'll live," Kael replied, testing his leg by shifting it slightly. The pain was there, but manageable. He could probably walk, as long as he was careful. 

"That's good. I wasn't sure how much blood you'd lost," Lucian said, wiping his hands with a towel. "You're lucky. Not everyone gets back up after a fall like that."

Kael looked around. He'd been moved back to the main cavern, but it was basically empty now. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, right. We managed to get the pulley system going. Mining has already begun in that new cavern. Thanks to you, we might have a shot at getting enough obsidian by the end of the week."

"I guess it's a good thing I fell down there then," Kael mused.

"There's always an upside to everything," Lucian smiled. "You should sleep more. Elysia may have her demands, but I can't have you over exerting yourself."

Kael rose to his feet, a bit unsteadily. "No, it's fine. I'll push through. Besides, I wanna get another look at that cavern."