Chapter 57: Kiss of Life

“Watch out!” Diana shoved Grace aside as a chunk of ceiling crashed down where she’d been standing seconds before.

The tunnel shook violently. Dust and small rocks rained down as cracks spread across the walls and ceiling. What had started as a minor tremor had quickly escalated into a full-blown cave-in.

“Move!” Diana grabbed Grace’s wrist, pulling her forward as the passage behind them collapsed with a deafening roar.

They sprinted through the increasingly unstable tunnel, dodging falling debris. Grace’s wings knocked against the narrow walls as she ran, sending sharp pain through her shoulders.

“The tunnel’s collapsing!” Grace shouted unnecessarily.

“No kidding!” Diana shot back. “Jump when I say jump!”

“What? Why would I—”

“JUMP!”

Grace leapt without thinking. A massive section of ceiling crashed down exactly where they would have been. The impact shook the entire passage, sending more cracks racing ahead of them.

“There!” Diana pointed to a wider section of tunnel just ahead. “Might be more stable!”

They reached the small chamber just as the tunnel behind them gave way completely. A cloud of dust and rock fragments billowed over them as the rumbling finally subsided.

Grace doubled over, hands on her knees, coughing as the dust settled.

“That was close,” she wheezed. “Too close.”

Diana inspected their surroundings, sword at the ready.

“The way back is completely blocked. We’re going forward whether we like it or not.”

“Great,” Grace muttered. “Trapped in plant-zombie-infested tunnels. Just how I wanted to spend my day.”

The chamber they’d found themselves in was roughly circular, with three tunnel entrances including the collapsed one they’d just escaped from. Roots and vines covered about half the wall space, pulsing with a faint green glow.

“Which way now?” Grace asked, brushing dust from her wings.

Diana examined the two remaining passages.

“Left looks like it continues downward. That’s probably—”

A wet, squelching sound cut her off. From the right-hand tunnel, something emerged—no, multiple somethings. Plant-zombies, more evolved than the ones they’d fought earlier. These had bulbous growths on their backs and vines that terminated in sharp, thorn-like points.

“More friends,” Diana growled, raising her sword. “And they look hungry.”

Grace quickly counted—six of them, crowding into the chamber from the right passage. The red numbers floating above them made her stomach drop: 32, 30, 35, 33, 34, 36.

[These are stronger than the last batch. Much stronger.]

“Guess we’re going left,” Grace said, backing toward the other tunnel.

“Not without clearing a path first.” Diana stepped forward, putting herself between Grace and the creatures. “Ready for round two, turnip girl?”

“Not really, but do I have a choice?”

The lead creature lunged, its vine-arms extended like spears. Diana parried the strike, her golden sword slicing through the vines—but they immediately grew back, thicker than before.

“They regenerate faster!” Diana called, dodging a follow-up attack.

Two more creatures surged forward. Grace met them head-on, her rapier a blur of golden light as she targeted their corruption cores. She pierced the first one cleanly, and it collapsed into a pile of vegetation.

“One down!” she called triumphantly.

The victory was short-lived. The remaining plant-zombies adapted their strategy, spreading out to surround them. One shot a spray of foul-smelling liquid from a bulbous growth on its shoulder. Grace ducked just in time.

“Don’t let that stuff touch you!” Diana warned, slicing through another creature. “Looks corrosive!”

Grace nodded, focusing on her footwork as Diana had taught her. She slipped between two attackers, stabbing one through its core while evading the other. Another pile of vegetation hit the floor.

Diana was holding her own against three at once, her sword a whirlwind of deadly precision. She dispatched one, then pivoted to face the next.

“Diana, behind you!” Grace shouted.

Diana turned, but not quite fast enough. A vine-limb tipped with a wicked thorn plunged into her midsection. Diana grunted in pain but didn’t falter, severing the limb with her sword and then destroying the creature’s core in one fluid motion.

The last plant-zombie made a desperate lunge at Grace. She sidestepped and thrust her rapier directly into its core, ending the fight.

The chamber fell silent except for their heavy breathing.

“Are you okay?” Grace asked, turning to Diana—and gasped.

Diana stood with one hand pressed to her side, blood seeping between her fingers. The thorn that had stabbed her was still embedded in her flesh, pulsing with a sickly green light.

“I’m fine,” Diana gritted out, clearly not fine. “Just a flesh wound.”

“Let me see,” Grace insisted, moving to her side.

Diana reluctantly removed her hand. The wound was deep, the area around the thorn already turning an unnatural green color.

“That doesn’t look good,” Grace said, examining the injury. “I need to remove the thorn.”

“Be my guest,” Diana winced.

Grace carefully gripped the thorn, ignoring Diana’s sharp intake of breath as she pulled it free. Blood and a greenish fluid immediately welled from the puncture.

“Poison,” Grace said grimly. “Or corruption. Or both.”

“Relax,” Diana forced a smile through her obvious pain. “I literally can’t die, remember? Unless you’ve got a Primal Demon hidden in your pocket.”

“You can still be injured!” Grace pressed her hands against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. “And this looks serious.”

“Then heal me, turnip girl. You’re a multi-faction trainee, aren’t you?”

“Right. Healing. I can do that.” Grace positioned her hands over the wound. “Hold still.”

She closed her eyes, focusing on the warm energy at her center. Golden light gathered in her palms as she channeled healing power into Diana’s injury. The bleeding slowed, and the green tinge began to recede, but… far too slowly.

“Is it supposed to take this long?” Diana asked through gritted teeth.

“I’m trying!” Grace concentrated harder, but the healing remained frustratingly slow. “I’m not as good at this as Mara or Petriel.”

As if responding to her frustration, golden text appeared in her vision:

「Skill Alternative Available: Intimate Healing」

「Note: Physical intimacy amplifies healing capabilities. Kiss the subject while channeling healing energy for maximum effect.」

Grace’s face went nuclear.

[Eternia, you cannot be serious right now!]

“What is it?” Diana asked, noticing Grace’s sudden flush. “You look like you’re about to explode.”

“N-nothing! Just… concentrating!” Grace stammered.

[I can’t tell Diana I need to kiss her to heal her better! She’d never let me live it down!]

But the wound was still bleeding, and her regular healing was barely keeping up. The green tinge had stopped spreading, but it wasn’t receding fast enough.

“I, um, might have a faster way to heal you,” Grace said finally, not meeting Diana’s eyes.

“I’m listening.”

“It’s a… technique I observed. From Petriel.” Grace swallowed hard. “It uses… physical contact to amplify healing energy.”

“Physical contact?” Diana raised an eyebrow.

“Specifically… um… kissing.”

A beat of silence followed.

“You want to kiss me.” It wasn’t a question. Diana’s lips curved into a smirk despite her pain. “How forward of you, turnip girl.”

“It’s not like that!” Grace protested. “It’s a legitimate healing technique!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Look, do you want to be healed faster or not?”

“No, no, I understand.” Diana’s smirk widened into a grin. “By all means, proceed. But I warn you, I’m a better kisser than you.”

[Of course she’d make this weird. I should just let her bleed.]

“Fine. Just… hold still.” Grace leaned forward awkwardly, hands still pressed to Diana’s wound. “And close your eyes.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed?”

“Just do it!”

Diana chuckled but obliged, closing her eyes with a theatrical sigh.

Grace took a deep breath, then pressed her lips against Diana’s. It was stiff and awkward, like kissing a statue. She tried to focus on channeling healing energy, but nothing changed.

[It’s not working. Why isn’t it working?]

She started to pull back, frustrated, but Diana’s hand suddenly caught the back of her neck.

“That’s not a kiss,” Diana murmured against her lips. “Here, let me show you.”

Before Grace could protest, Diana pulled her closer, her lips softening as they moved against Grace’s with confident purpose. When Diana’s tongue traced her lower lip, Grace gasped in surprise.

Diana took advantage of the parted lips, deepening the kiss with a boldness that made Grace’s head spin. Heat flooded through Grace’s body, and suddenly, she felt the healing energy surge between them.

Golden light poured from her hands into Diana’s wound. The torn flesh knitted together rapidly, the green tinge vanished completely, and new skin formed where the injury had been.

Still, Diana didn’t release her. The kiss continued long after the healing was complete, Diana’s tongue exploring Grace’s mouth with a thoroughness that left her breathless. When Diana finally pulled back, a thin strand of saliva still connected their lips for a moment before breaking.

“Thanks for the meal, turnip girl,” Diana said with a lazy grin, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Best healing I’ve ever received.”

Grace scrambled backward, her face burning hot enough to melt stone.

“Y-you! That was—you didn’t need to—we could have—”

“Use your words, angel,” Diana teased, examining her healed abdomen. “Not a scar in sight. You’ve got talent.”

[I almost wish I could take my healing back.]

A golden notification appeared:

「Skill Acquired: Intimate Healing (Lvl. 1)」

「Note: Further training available with Petriel to increase efficiency and power.」

Grace pointedly ignored it, pushing herself to her feet.

“We should keep moving,” she said stiffly, refusing to look at Diana. “The Root chamber can’t be far now.”

Diana stood, stretching like a contented cat. “Lead the way. I feel fantastic.”

“I bet you do,” Grace muttered.

The left passage was narrower than the previous tunnel, forcing them to proceed in single file. Diana took the lead, apparently fully recovered…

… And annoyingly chipper.

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