Quick Note
Apologies! Just went to set up tonight's chapter and realize last nights was still in draft. Won't happen again, promise!
Chapter 128: A Day to Remember
Leaving Panic topside, the group sank into the black. Min, now clued in, wore a grin suited for a drunk sailor stumbling into a brothel. She stormed through the damp tunnel, smashing aside debris with fresh purpose.
Ash, meanwhile, looked like he'd swallowed shit and someone demanded he have seconds. Even his ghosts kept tight circle, eyes locked on Grimm as the blue skull floated above Seo-jin's head.
Even his system soured.
[I told you! I fricken told you! But noooo, Mr. Terrific over here knows best. What the fuck do I know!]
'I said sorry. How was I supposed to know he can see ghosts?'
Ash glanced up at Grimm and felt that pull again, the urge he'd had since the moment he laid eyes on the ghost. Something in him wanted Grimm as his own. Needed him.
Even his system admitted Grimm was different. The first ghost it couldn't catalog.
[Just do what I say and we might crawl out of this. Be patient. Wait for an opening.]
'What's the point? You heard him. I'm marked. They'll track me down—'
"Hey boy. Come here."
Ash snapped straight and ran up like instinct dragged him. Standing beside his new boss only deepened the dread. The Butcher of Shatterbay. Hearing the name Seo-jin earlier made everything worse. He didn't realize at first he was dealing with the boss of the Dead Hands.
Seo-jin didn't look at him.
"How old are you?"
"No idea."
Lifting a brow, Seo-jin sidestepped a chunk of rebar.
"Another orphan. Makes things simpler."
Being spoken about like a bargaining chip curdled something in Ash's gut. He swallowed it and waited.
"Tell me what you know about the Dead Hands."
The boy thought, eyes going dreamy for half a second before he spoke.
"The Dead Hands are the most powerful gang in Shatterbay, everyone always says—ow!"
Two sharp knuckles cracked the back of his skull.
"Drop the act."
Ash clawed at the sting, glaring through the pain.
"Fuck, man! Why so hard?"
He sniffed once, dragging his sleeve across his nose, and started again.
"The Dead Hands are bottom feeders. Only ones worth a shit are you and your two hands."
Dropping his voice, Ash leaned in close, eyes glued to Min's broad back.
"All the stories said she was big, but damn, boss… that's a huge bitch."
Seo-jin stifled a laugh, lips twitching.
"Watch it. She hears you say that and not even I can save you."
Up ahead, Min froze. Ash's face drained white. She turned toward them, two yellow eyes catching what little light the tunnel offered as she hurled a slab of rock aside.
"We hit a fork. Which way?"
The tunnel finally split after a long, steady drop. Seo-jin glanced at Grimm while Ash checked if he shit himself.
'Which way, bud?'
Grimm drifted higher, spun once, then flared bright and pointed toward the left passage.
"Left."
Min grinned and rolled her shoulders, fists tightening as she barreled forward again. Her voice floated back, airy and hopeful.
"Please, just a couple pieces. I'd take lids. Hell—casserole size'd be perfect."
Seo-jin watched her punch through concrete like she was swatting dust. He still didn't understand her obsession with this "tubberware." Even the system couldn't explain it to him in a way that made sense.
"Is there really a time capsule down here?"
Ash's voice was quiet, but it carried a kind of wonder that even he couldn't hide.
"We're about to find out. What about you? What would you want to find in one?"
Ash lit up at the question. His ghosts brightened, circling with more energy, until Grimm drifted their way and they dimmed again in a heartbeat.
"Movies, duh! And cartoons! I saw one once—a remake of course, but the hero was badass! There was this kid, and he was on this never-ending journey to catch every—"
Seo-jin raised a hand. Ash clamped his mouth shut on instinct.
Ahead, the demolition noise stopped. Min's aura guttered low.
Catching up, Seo-jin looked past Min's shoulder and saw exactly why she'd stopped. Green auras flickered ahead in a loose cluster.
She spoke without turning.
"You see 'em?"
"Yeah. I count ten. Know what they are?"
Min drew in a long, deep breath through her nose, then grimaced like the air had spoiled.
"Aruesses."
The name hit fast. Beast-realm vermin. Oversized rats with the temperament of feral dogs.
Behind them, Ash spat, voice low and sharp.
"Fuckin' hate those things. Kid I knew got his nose chewed off while he slept."
Min stepped forward, ready to charge, but Seo-jin's hand clamped her shoulder.
"Let me handle this. Last thing we need is you dropping the tunnel."
Min rolled her eyes hard, crossed her arms, and huffed. Seo-jin backed down the tunnel a few paces, talking over his shoulder as he went.
"Get him a drink."
"Right."
Min crouched, shielding her hands with her body as faint system light cracked through her fingers. She pulled out a tiny cask of ale and passed it to the kid, who brightened like someone handed him treasure.
He raised it, then froze at a noise from deeper in the dark. Wet impacts. Heavy. Repeated. Like someone vomiting chunks onto stone.
"Is he okay?"
Ash squinted into the shadows, then took a long pull of ale. He instantly choked, face turning tomato-red as he fought to hold it down.
Min snatched the cask from him, almost laughing.
"Easy, kid. Start small."
Ash hammered a fist into his chest, eyes watering as heat clawed up his throat like it wanted out.
"What… is… that?!"
He wheezed and braced against the wall, trying to drag air back into his lungs. But when he glanced toward where Seo-jin had gone, the coughing died in his throat.
Someone else stepped out of the dark.
A demon with cloth wrapped over its eyes, fangs bared in a slow, spreading grin. It hummed low, almost pleased.
"Interesting…"
Min studied Hex, gauging him against the Aruesses. Their power felt close. Close enough to make her wonder what, exactly, Seo-jin was thinking.
Hex drifted past them toward the shadows. They both noticed the same thing, he hadn't made a single noise since appearing.
"This shouldn't take long."
"Motherfu—!"
They both jumped as Seo-jin's voice came from behind. He wore a smile, eyes glowing crimson. Min sucked her teeth and looked back down the tunnel, waiting for the noise to start.
"Why'd you send that one?"
"For fun."
Ash opened his mouth to ask what Hex even was—
The fight starting cut him off.
Screeches tore through the tunnel, high, violent, and jagged. Some ended mid-note, stopped clean. Heavy impacts followed, peppered with hard, snapping sounds. The whole exchange lasted thirty seconds at most, but it was enough to make Ash fold in on himself, shoulders curled, every sound crawling down his spine like cold claws.
Listening, and watching the muffled carnage ahead, Seo-jin felt a tight pulse of pride. He'd told Hex to stay silent and keep the blood low. The broodling obeyed cleanly.
Satisfied, he glanced at Ash. The kid's reaction made him tilt his head.
"At your level, I'm surprised you're still squeamish."
Ash went red, sniffed hard, and looked away.
"I'm not squeamish! I've killed plenty, alright! I just… don't feel good today."
Sweat rolled down the boy's neck. He stood stiff, trying not to shake. Seo-jin began piecing it together.
"The eyeball blinds. Puffball puts things to sleep. What's the cat do?"
The question flipped a switch. Ash spun back toward him, all nerves gone.
"Triss?! She's got a ghost-type attack! It's sick! Wanna see?!"
Seo-jin shook his head, smiling faintly.
"What do you mean, ghost-type?"
"It means it's super effective against ghosts. My team's stacked perfect. Onion blinds 'em first, Gruff puts 'em out, then bam—Triss with the K.O.!"
Ash punched at the air as he talked. His explanation confirmed most of what Seo-jin suspected. He hid his disappointment as he started walking toward where Hex had vanished.
"Ash, you level by fighting other ghosts, don't you?"
The kid nearly tripped but caught himself with a weak laugh.
"Sure, that's one way. But I mostly grind in dungeons. I'm telling you, I'm not—"
"Oh shut the fuck up already!"
Seo-jin and Ash froze. Min spun around and leveled a glare at the boy sharp enough to pin him to the wall.
"Look, kid—if you wanna grow into a real man, cut the fuckery. We can both smell the bullshit leaking outta your diapers, and I'm sick of hearing you lie through your ass. Stand up straight! And you—!"
She jabbed a finger at Seo-jin, hesitating only for a fraction before she shot him a look.
"I'm watching you."
She spun and stormed off, boots cracking grit under her heels, leaving both of them stunned in the dark.
[Think she's starting to figure you out.]
'I doubt it. She couldn't possibly know what I'm gonna do.'
[Maybe not the details, but she gave that warning for a reason. She knows you're up to something.]
'Warning…? Then why did it sound like she was joking?'
He shoved the thought away as they stepped into the aftermath of Hex's work, the sight demanding his attention.
Hex crouched low among the corpses. The moment Seo-jin came close enough to see him, the broodling rose in one fluid motion.
"Would you like me to finish them, Boss?"
Seo-jin took in the scene. Even expecting results, Hex's performance in the dark impressed him. His senses were shifting...sharpening. Even the timing of him standing felt deliberate, like he'd sensed Seo-jin's presence precisely.
"Wait until we leave the area. When you're done, catch up."
"Yes, Broo— I mean, Boss! Yes, Boss!"
Hex bowed so hard he trembled from the mistake. Seo-jin walked past without comment, followed by Grimm and Min.
But Ash didn't move.
The kid stood rigid, face pale as chalk, gaze locked on one of the Aruesses. The beast lay on its stomach, but its head was twisted full backward, jaws hanging open.
Each rat was the size of a large dog, their tails ending in spiked bone...necks bent in unsettling angles.
Ten bodies lay scattered, mangled in silence. When Ash looked from them to Hex, and then to Seo-jin, something finally clicked. There was no escape. Not from these things. Not from him.
Even his system had gone quiet.
"Ash!"
Min's shout snapped him out of it, just in time for him to lock eyes with Hex's cloth-wrapped face. The broodling tilted his head, smiling wide enough to show every fang.
Yelping, Ash bolted after Seo-jin, ghosts pressed tight against his back like they were trying to hide with him.
Hearing the fear hammering through the kid's ribs, Seo-jin felt nothing for him. Maybe if things were different he would've pretended, but the truth cut cleaner. Ash was a disappointment, and Seo-jin intended to fix that no matter what Min thought about it. Or the kid.
Standing just behind Seo-jin, between the slaughter behind them and Min's verbal beating, Ash stayed silent, pulled tight into himself. Min, meanwhile, buzzed with restless energy, annoyed that this stretch of tunnel didn't need her fists. Seo-jin judged the distance in his head; Grimm glowed brighter with every step, trembling with excitement. Seo-jin's pulse began to betray him. They were close.
They rounded a turn and stopped dead. The path opened into a wide chamber, or what appeared to be one, because just a few feet in, a mountain of collapsed ceiling sealed it shut.
Min cracked her neck, rolled her shoulders, and grinned before tearing into the debris, pulverizing concrete like a jackhammer.
"This might take a bit!"
She laughed as she worked, lost in the rhythm of destruction.
"Take a seat."
Ash didn't even look up. He did as commanded and slid down the wall, dropping onto his ass, exhausted.
Seo-jin drew breath to question the kid again, but Grimm cut him off, spiraling around him hard, rattling through their link.
'What? Calm down. I know you're excited but—follow you? Where?'
Grimm spun once more, then drifted to the chamber's far wall...and phased straight through it.
Seo-jin blinked, confused for only a heartbeat.
"Min! Over here!"
She froze mid-swing, brow creasing before she followed his line of sight.
"Yes, boss!"
If he'd found something, she wasn't wasting a second. She launched across the room and punched through the wall in one strike. Then another. Concrete shredded under her until she tore open an entirely new passage.
"Fuck you! Let's go! Gregor, eat my dick! Fuck yeah! Fuck yeah!"
Her shouting echoed as she danced in place, and Seo-jin couldn't help the grin pulling his face wide.
Because standing in front of them, half-buried but unmistakable, was a steel door thick as a vault, a massive lock fused to its face. And engraved across the surface—
FOR THE FUTURE
Seo-jin let the words settle, heat rising in his chest.
"What a good fucking day."