Return of the Woodcutter

While challengers fought, Elizabeth wept. She cared little about everything happening in the Tower. Power? Riches? Her second life? Survival?

All those were meaningless to her if she couldn't share them with the one she loved. 

Lucius. 

He had been a simple employee in a bank. Wake up, go to work, go back home, have dinner with his wife. Lucius had quite a simple but happy life. Elizabeth and he hadn't been rich or poor. They had had enough money to make a living and enjoy some of life's joy. 

What more could one ask for? 

They had liked to go bowling once a week. It was a ritual of sorts. Every Friday night they would eat out somewhere cheap, then go bowling. 

Why? Maybe because that's how they had spent their first date. After twenty years of marriage, Elizabeth could recall it perfectly.

How he had picked her up on a Friday night during a cold winter in a rental car. Back then Lucius had been a clumsy man and took her to a bowling center, thinking it was romantic. 

It wouldn't have worked were it any other woman than Elizabeth. Instead of condemning him for such a foolish idea, she gave him a chance. 

Having never tried bowling before, she had thought it was only a dumb game where people hit skittles with a metallic ball or whatever the ball was crafted from. 

Still, she had spent a wonderful evening with Lucius. Throwing a ball, competing against each other, talk about their lives. She had somehow found that relaxing, appealing. 

Lucius's straightforwardness, clumsiness, had been attractive to her. Elizabeth didn't exactly like the usual romance game of dating for a certain set amount of time before finally officially going out. 

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If she liked someone enough, then that was it. It could be said she lucked out with Lucius or maybe it had been her woman's intuition. Before the end of her date, she had "sealed the deal."

After that, they spent most of their Friday night together, then finally their entire life together. 

Elizabeth has never regretted her decision. He had always been here for him, and she for him.

There had been occasional hardships, of course, but that was life.

Years later, on a particular Friday night, they got into a car accident while leaving for their usual bowling session. Elizabeth survived it, but Lucius hadn't.

She had gotten depressed afterward, seeing his ghost countless times roaming in their house that looked so empty without him. Lucius had been sterile, so even after more than twenty years together, they had no children. 

Tormented, lovesick, exhausted. Unable to go on living, she took her own life by jumping in front of a truck willingly. It had been quick and painless when her skull shattered. 

An unknown amount of time later, some gods revived her in a weird boundless space with thousands of other humans. Like a few others revived humans, Elizabeth had wondered why despite her lack of desire for life, godly beings resurrected her until she found someone in that crowd. 

Her deceased husband. 

Luck or fate. 

At first, she had thought it was a dream, only a dream. However, when their gaze met, and he walked toward her, when she felt his warm touch on her skin once more, when he took her in his arms, she had felt so relieved. 

Deciding to make a place for themselves in that new world called Iris, they had gone through the white trial since it looked like the easiest. 

At the time, they just wanted to stay together and live a normal, cozy life like before.

There, they had fought not orcs, hobs, or goblins but worse, humans. The white trial had limited resources.

Humans fought each other over territories forming groups, gathering around leaders. That only made them realize that the new world they were heading to might not be a place for the weak. 

That's where Lucius had found his talent in leadership, creating his own group of people. Elizabeth had noticed a change in his personality. In that short time, Lucius had become a ruthless opportunist. 

"I'll do anything to create a place of our own," Lucius had told her once, "even if that means killing a thousand people. We have no choice, Elizabeth. This is how this new world works." 

They rapidly came to know that the life they had on Earth and would have on Iris was bound to be different.

Unfortunately, Lucius had lost against Kai Tsubame, that cunning fox, and was forced to serve under him or die. Not much of a choice there. 

The Tower had been a great opportunity to part with the Chosen Sect Kai had established. Gaining freedom, Lucius and Elizabeth had gathered loyal comrades to climb the Tower. 

From twenty people, their numbers dwindled to seven the further up the Tower they went, acquiring more power but losing more comrades in the process. 

Such was the Tower. 

And now it looked like it was Lucius's time to die. 

Elizabeth couldn't bear the sight of losing him a second time. They had been lucky to be revived in the same place and find each other again, despite not dying the same day. 

Next to him, her knees on the scorching sand, she caressed his cheek. He was still breathing. 

With a spear in the gut, even four recovery beads could not stop the bleeding. Elizabeth would have to take it out if she wanted the beads' to heal him properly. 

But pulling it out might aggravate Lucius's injury. He could die from blood loss before recovery beads worked out their magic. 

Lucius would need a battle surgeon if he were to survive. The only battle surgeon of their team, Bartholomeo, had died from a spear in the gut thrown by that giant female orc Aito was fighting outside. 

She didn't exactly resent him for what he had done.

Elizabeth knew her husband had been in the wrong to refuse a temporary alliance, not that she could make him see reason. They would have had no choice but to fight the orcs at some point, anyway. 

Over the years, Lucius had become a prideful man. But there were a few things he was proud of, held dear. His wife and now his newly acquired powers. 

Elizabeth knew Lucius had refused to cooperate with Aito because he had witnessed the man's strength. Fearing he'd steal his group like that bastard Kai Tsubame had. 

'Aito… doesn't he have a battle surgeon on his team?' Elizabeth thought, wiping off her tears. None of Aito's teammates has died yet. A team that reached the sixth floor would have a battle surgeon with them.

At least she hoped so. 

She turned around, looking at the remaining challengers fighting the orcs in a battle to the death. Martha, the only archer alive, was fighting two orcs.

All Elizabeth's other comrades had succumbed under the elite orcs' blows. 

Lucius team had been composed of two mages, two archers, one battle surgeon, and two warriors. Seven in total. And now, only three of them remained, soon two if Elizabeth did not find a battle surgeon.

That's when she saw a man restraining an orc with thin wires and a yellow string. Realizing what that meant, hope arose from the bottom of her heart. But he appeared to be badly wounded himself.

She inhaled and exhaled to calm her sorrow, encouraging herself mentally, 'Be strong, Elizabeth. All hope isn't lost yet. You can still save Lucius.' 

Given a new reason to fight, she stood up and went to the rescue of someone she supposed was a battle surgeon.

***

Dozens of meters away from the wooden defenses erected by Lucius's team, two powerful figures wielding axes exchanged mighty blows. 

Grains of sand splashed when the Khan's giant ax hit the ground. Aito, who had dodged sideway countered with a vicious liver blow, charging his gauntlet with Durability and Impact. 

His fist hit true, leaving a small fist size dent in the Khan's armor. The female orc grunted and riposted with a head butt. A heavy thud resounded. Aito stepped back, slightly stunned by the blow. 

'That thing hits like a truck!' He thought. It was the first time since his level up he fought an opponent rivaling him in strength. 

The Khan grinned contentedly as if it was having fun. It tightened her hold on her weapon that vibrated strongly, a formless energy coating it. 

Aito charged, bringing down his lengthened morpho ax. The Khan's blade responded to his blow. Her blade radiating with yellow and formless energies met his. 

BAM!

Every fiber of Aito's being vibrated upon impact, he could feel the brunt of the attack through his bones.

The Khan was strong.

He frowned when he saw that her blade had managed to shatter a small part of his ax. Fissures marked his weapon's edge. 

'Was that skill?' He wondered, kicking the Khan in the guts. 

Forced by his strength, the female orc took two steps back, then smiled, her teeth and two tusks covered in dark blood.