Blessings of Anathema

Chapter XXX: Ray II

I entered the cave with Odessa right behind me. It was dark and eery. The space between us and Jenny is hanging rope being pulled. The farther away we get, the tighter the knot around her throat becomes. We have to hurry.
We ran for about 50 feet without any contact with another person. I noticed the cave splits up ahead. "We should stick together. This cave seems it was designed to split people apart. They want us to break up. Both sides most likely lead to the same point." Odessa said.
"Alright." I called back to him. "Then we go right." He's not wrong. I've been inside places we're the tunnels continued to split. The point isn't to make you choose right or wrong, it's to split the team apart. Each point will lead to the same exact ending. But if that's the case.... then they'll have some heavy resistance at the end.
We reached the split point and I called out "Alright, Go left." Odessa stop. "Didn't you say right, before?" He asked puzzled. I turned to him. "Yep, but now let's go left." I said. Odessa looked at me confused for a second but shook it off and followed me.
We went through 4 breaking point without a single ounce of resistance. Just how deep is this cave?
A flash of light ignited in front of us followed by an explosion behind us. The entire cave rumbled and rocks began to fall from the roof. I ducked behind cover and looked out. I can't see a thing. It's all too dark.
Another light ignited and this time the explosion landed next to me, knocking soil all over me. The cave shook again. Are these guys crazy? They're going to kill all of us.
"Odessa" I whispered to him. "What?" He responded. "Throw a ball of fire to light up the area, I'll follow it and attack whatever is there." I said. Odessa nodded and tossed his hand over his cover and released a fireball. I ran out and followed right behind it. There's something coming into vision... it's black... and big... is that a Canon!? They were firing a canon at us!? There's one person behind it. He had long, dark green hair and wore a thorned crown. He had a dark yellow shirt with a green jacket over it and black pants. He was barefoot.
I leaped in the air and came down at the guy. I'll kill him... I'll kill again... to save Jenny. I won't let another person die because of my hesitation.
I neared him and threw my hand at his skull to blast his head off. He caught my wrist and spun me around. He pulled me back in and kneed me in the gut before tossing me away from him. I rolled across the ground and stood back up.
What the hell was that!? Did he just ragdoll me? Who is this guy?
I took a look around to find Jenny and that's when I noticed... this room isn't a tunnel. This is a giant open ending. Tiny lights came through the top of the cave, allowing me to see all around me. There's nothing. It's just a room full of rock and a few beds with two entry points, as expected.
"I knew you were coming." The guy said. I looked away from scouting the room and back to him. "You see, I'm like you. I possess the Mark of Geology. It allows me to bend the earths crust at my will. With that, I know if anything is putting an ounce of pressure on any piece of earth near me. So I thought I'd have some fun with this old canon I haven't been able to use yet." He said.
"Oh.." he pointed toward the entrance I came in at. "And I know you're there, too. Go ahead, come out." He said.
There was a few seconds of silence but then I heard footsteps and the sound of scratching. Moments later, Odessa appeared through, holding his Scythe in his right arm and dragging the blade against the ground behind him. He stood upon coming into eyesight and just stared at the guy.
"Where's Jenny?" I asked. The guy laughed. "Don't worry about her, she'll make her presence all in due time, don't you wo-"
He was cut off my odessa blitzing at him. However, the guy created a wall from the ground which Odessa ran straight into, cracking it. "My, my. I guess we're starting. I didn't hear any bell though." The guy said.
The ground reached up and grabbed my left arm, pulling me down. I swung my right arm around and blasted it off of me. I b lines straight for him. The earth continued to reach at me but I kept dodging them.
When I got a few feet from him, I blasted at him but he created a barrier around him which covered him.
I let my guard down and the earth came up and hit me in the gut. I bent over and then it wrapped around my torso. Two other parts came out and wrapped around my hands. I couldn't break out.
He came out of his barrier and ran to me, kicking my underneath my chin upon reaching me. He then spun around and kicked me across the cheek. Then he swung his right hand and hit me across the same cheek.
He smiled down at me. "Oh, no fun. If you can't break out then how am I supposed to kill time?" He said.
The wall he created shattered and he turned around to look at it. Odessa stood with his arm up. He blasted the wall.
Odessa ran at him and swung his fist. The guy blocked it with his forearm. Odessa jumped up and kicked at him but he ducked. He then swung and hit Odessa across the cheek but Odessa twisted around and grabbed his arm, then slammed him into the ground.
Odessa laid down on him, pulling at his arm. A piece of earth came up in a line and hit Odessa in the forehead causing Odessa to release just enough pressure for the guy to slip out.
He rolled over but Odessa was right there to kick at him. He caught Odessa's foot but Odessa leaped up and twisted, kicking him with the other. The guy stumbled backwards off balance and Odessa charged fire around his hand and swung at the guy. Earth came out just in time and wrapped around the guys forearm which he used to shield himself. The punch connected and the guy was slammed into the ground, but he didn't take any damage.
Odessa leaped back to me and swung his foot at the covering on my right arm. Right before kicking it, he sent fire to his foot. The kick shattered my containment. I immediately blasted the rest away from me.
The guy stood back up. Me and Odessa both ran toward him. I blasted the ground and caused a shield of smoke which odessa jumped through and swung at the guy.
The guy caught odessas punch so Odessa swung with the other arm. The guy caught that one too, so Odessa leaped up and kicked him with both feet. The guy let go and Odessa rolled on my back and got back on his feet and came back at him.
He swung but the guy came in and elbowed Odessa in the stomach. Odessa responded by elbowing the guy across the side of his skull. The guy swept odessas feet and Odessa fell down.
The guy used the earth to lift odessas head up, which he punched 3 times before Odessa rolled out. The guy backed away.
"You're pretty good. But I'm getting bored." He said. He charged at Odessa and Odessa charged back. They locked hands and were at a stalemate. A piece of earth came up and wrapped around both of their hands. The guy opened a hole to release his. He used his free hand to punch Odessa which caused Odessa to let go of the other hand.
They guy backed away and squeezed his hand together. The ball of earth immediately crushed into pieces, falling back to the earth. Odessa screamed out in pain. His right hand was crushed. Bone sticking out and blood oozing out of it. Rock thorns came out of the earth and impelled Odessas, causing his entire entire right leg to burst with blood. The guy then grabbed odessas arm and slung him across the room. His pulled up a wall just wide enough for only odessas head to smash into. Odessa fell flat to the ground near the entrance, next to his scythe.
I ran at the guy and began to blast. He threw up balls from the ground which absorbed all of the blast. This continued for about 15 blast before I cocked back and charged up a big one. I released the blast and it lit up the room. He threw up a barrier and it withstood the blast.
I ran up and stuck my hand on the barrier. I charged for a few seconds and then sent a concentrated blast straight to the middle, breaking a hole in it.
I stood there breathing heavy. Did I get him? Is it finished? I put my head to the hole to see and a hand came out and grabbed my throat. The barrier crumbled and he lifted me in the air.
I struggled for air and in the middle of my struggle I seen Odessa struggling to stand, aiming his scythe.
I concentrated and sent explosions out of my neck and into his hand. That moved created gashed in my neck but he let go, so it was worth it.
Odessa threw the Scythe. The guy began to turn his head. Oh no. What if he knows it's coming? I can't let him dodge it.
I leaped forward and bearhugged him. The second I grabbed him, I felt a sharp pain in my side.
The guy caughed out and pushed me off of him, he then grabbed my shirt and threw me at Odessa. I smack into him and we both rolled. I sat up on my knees and started breathing heavy I have a gash in my side and blood is rushing out. Me and Odessa are in really bad shape. How much more of this can we take?
I looked at the guy and he had odessas Scythe in his back. Oh I see. The Scythe went through him and into my side.
The guy pulled the Scythe out of himself and blood swam through the air. "You two are a nuisances!! It's time I end this!" He said. Suddenly a thick wall of earth rose up and separated us.
What is he up to? A hole was suddenly opened in the ground that we can see and in it another piece of earth rose up... that piece... ITS JENNY! She's in an entire armor of earth.
"Your little pal here is going to be crushed by thousands of pounds of weights. Go ahead and tell her you failed. Let her know this is it." He said while laughing.
I looked up at Jenny. She was hanging on the ceiling with her mouth covered. She could only communicate through her eyes. And those eyes said.... fear.
"We can't reach her." Odessa said while struggling to stand. "Okay?" I said. "Then lets destroy the cave." 
"Don't be an idiot." Odessa said. "If we destroy the cave she'll be crushed along with us. Our only option is to destroy that wall and kill him."
I looked at the wall and squeezed my hand. He's right. "Alright lets go!" I said and we both blitzed at the wall. We both began firing intensely at his. Constant shake of combustion and fire. The entire cave shook except the wall. The wall didn't move.
"Nice try but you can't break through!" He yelled at us. He's right. Between my worn out body and Odessas destroyed body, we can't generate enough power. Odessa can't even use his right hand to blast because it's shattered. Odessa suddenly stumbled about 10 feet back before dropping to his knees. I ran over to him and knelt down. "Are you Alright?" I asked. "Never mind me, save Jenny." He said.
I looked up at her in a panic. What do I do... I can't break the wall... she too high to grab. Oh wait.. what if. "I'll use the canon." I said to Odessa. He head shot up. "Wait..." he said. "That's it!" He exclaimed before throwing off his cloak. He reached his arm out to me.
"A canon uses fire to create an explosion. Let's turn it around. Use an explosion to start a fire." He said. "What?" I asked. He shook his arm. "This Yurie is the Solar mark. It feeds off of the heat around me. The hotter the mark, the stronger my power. Blast it and heat it up." He said.
I hesitated. "But my power has always been used to hurt people. I don't know if I can withhold it enough to not hurt you severely. And your hand... it's crushed anyways." I said.
"Just do it!" He yelled. "But if you lose your Yurie, you're nothing!" I yelled. "I won't let another person die because I failed to be there for him!!" He yelled back.
A loud crackle was suddenly heard. We looked up... all we seen was Jenny's blood in the air. He crushed skull separating. Her eyes in the air with the blood. Her entire body was crushed into pieces.
Odessas eyes filled with tears, then he shook his head.
"DO ITTTTTTTTT!!!!"
I gritted my teeth and thrusted my arm at odessas, sending an explosion directly on it. His arm ripped over in numerous spots with blood draining out of it. He threw his arm back as hard as he could and then thrusted it forward.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Odessa's blast dispersed from his hand and filled the entire room with a giant blaze. The heat began to make the water in my mouth burn.
The blast hit the wall and decimated it. It travelled directly at the enemy at swallowed him hole. The blast pushed against the cave and the entire thing rumble and shook before the blast broke through, speeding towards the sky.
We stood while the remaining fire left the room, into the atmosphere.
I stood back and looked at Odessa. He was still standing with his arm out, busted to pieces. His hair still flying from the force.
I can't tell which pain hurts worse.... the pain on his body...
Or the one inside his heart.