Chapter 177: Questions And Implications
Sitting on Grimm's skull as the ghost swam through the prison was a special moment for Seo-jin. He leaned forward slightly, watching the dark waters split around Grimm's bones. He couldn't help imagining himself flying across the world, Grimm tearing through the sky while the puny humans below scattered in panic.
Beside him, Teal felt a faint tingle crawl across her skin when she caught sight of Seo-jin's smile. She was still recovering, still a little hungover, and every time she relaxed the memories returned. Memories of those hellish nightmares.
A world of constant growth and death. Fields of flesh devouring itself. Miles of ruin and bodies being recycled—
'Feeling better?'
The question caught her off guard. She straightened quickly and cleared her throat.
'Much...thank you.'
A quiet chuckle came from the man beside her.
'You seem uncomfortable.'
She lowered her head at once, forcing an exaggerated smile.
'Just a little hungover. Don't worry about me.'
'I won't.'
Her smile fell.
'Tell me, Teal. Now that your mind is a bit clearer, what was it like being inside me for so long?'
Her face flushed. She began coughing as if she had swallowed something wrong.
'Excuse—oh, those mouth things...'
Her blush faded as quickly as it had come. Her face drew tight as she sat still for a moment, staring out into the dark drifting past them.
'It was nice...at first.'
'At first?'
'Yeah...but then I started dreaming. I saw my fa—I saw Kal-Ulith...and he looked like he hated me. Then I saw you, standing over a ruined city—'
Seo-jin's ears twitched.
'You were covered in blood, roaring at the sky. There was a man with you—'
She seemed lost in the memory. Her fingers pressed against her temples as she tried to piece it back together.
'He was bald, with a scar over his eye...and he was wounded. Badly. He looked at you with such hate, like he blamed you.'
Seo-jin's expression shifted. His smile vanished, eyes hardened.
[Her Future Sight?]
'Maybe.'
Teal felt the change in him immediately. She gave a small, uneasy smile and lowered her head again.
'I'm sorry. Don't listen to me. Just some weird dreams from all the—'
'Keep going. What else did you see?'
She swallowed at the tone in his voice. She knew better than to argue when a man spoke like that. A lifetime of beatings had trained her body to obey before she even thought about it.
'The last thing I remember...I saw you surrounded by death. Everyone with you was lying at your feet.'
A shiver ran through her shoulders, her body rejecting the image even as she spoke it.
'The sky...there was an angel.'
She hesitated.
'It was laughing.'
Fists clenched, Seo-jin felt his heart rate climb. His jaw tightened as he waited for more, but nothing came.
'What else?'
'Nothing else. After that all I saw was Hell. At least I think it was Hell. I'm not sure what layer, but it was an endless landscape of flesh. It was horrible.'
She wrapped her arms around herself, shoulders tightening as the cold water drifted past.
The Maw lingered in those who first witnessed its glory.
[What're you thinkin?]
Seo-jin let the silence stretch for a moment, letting his thoughts settle as Grimm's movement hummed through the bone beneath him. Then he asked Teal a question.
'Do you think it was a vision, or a dream?'
She hesitated, gripping her arms tighter.
'Both. Neither. Not sure. All I know is while I was watching, I had this strong urge to… return to something. I don't know where. It's hard to explain, but it felt like I had to be somewhere important, and if I wasn't there, something really bad was gonna happen.'
System light gathered in Seo-jin's palm. He smiled and handed her a flask.
She tried to wave it off, but he pushed it closer.
'You need to take a drink at regular intervals when you're around me. Every twenty minutes or so should do.'
'Huh? Big fan of drunks or something?'
He shook his head and pressed the flask into her hand.
'I won't hide it from you. Mostly because I don't care about your opinion at this point, but I used you for a little experiment. While you were inside the dark space, you were being affected by my Corruption. That's what caused the nightmares.'
She stared at him for a moment, then popped the flask open. Keeping her thumb over the mouth, she tipped it back and took a pull.
Seo-jin noticed how easily she accepted it.
'You're not upset?'
'Others have done worse—'
She took another drink.
'Much worse.'
She earned a bit of respect in that moment. Her words came out like flat, simple facts, not forced. Seo-jin produced his own flask and took a drink with her.
'Know that if you serve me well, no one will ever hurt you again. I won't be some heroic protector, but I can give you what you need to protect yourself. If you follow me, if you're truly loyal, I can make you strong.'
He watched her grip tighten and loosen around her drink. She chewed her lip for a moment, then a crooked smirk pushed through.
'I think you've got the wrong idea. At this point, I really don't care what you do with me. Beat me, force me to use my abilities, rape me… doesn't really matter. All I ask is that I at least get a bed of my own to sleep in. As long as I have that, you can do whatever you want.'
She raised the flask like a toast and took another pull, the liquid spilling through the water.
Seo-jin watched her for a moment. He didn't feel pity. Just curiosity.
'What could she have been through to make her like this?'
[Looking for pointers?]
'I like the word advice.'
[Hmm.]
He was about to say more when a vibration ran through his soul. It hummed along the broodlink—
'There they are.'
Teal raised an eyebrow.
'There who are?'
Seo-jin stood. Grimm's skull shifted slightly under his feet as he let his aura spike, sending the signal through the broodlink. In the darkness behind him, hundreds of red lights ignited at once.
The brood rejoiced.
Teal's face flickered between awe and fear as she looked back. When she turned again and saw Seo-jin standing beside her, she suddenly felt very small.
'Did something happen?'
'Kinda. I just let them know we'll be arriving at the boss soon.'
'Oh—the boss. Shouldn't I be going back in then?'
Seo-jin cracked his neck.
'Not yet. Something tells me it might do you some good to stay out and watch.'
'Trust me, I'm good. Appreciate the concern, but I'd much rather—'
'Quiet. It's too late now.'
Bloodlight began boiling from Seo-jin's body as his gaze lifted. Seeing it, Teal followed his line of sight.
A second later she added her own fluids to the Cathedral waters. She had never seen a member of the Giant species before.
At that moment, she hated this new piece of knowledge.
The giant stood in the middle of the Vent Cathedral like a mountain had broken loose and learned to move. She could barely fit the massive humanoid in her view. Pale stone skin stretched over slabs of muscle thicker than ship hulls, each breath sent slow currents rolling through the water.
Steam from the vents drifted around his shoulders and tangled in the long white beard hanging down his chest. Beneath a heavy brow, giant yellow eyes watched the approaching brood without fear. Along the sides of his neck, gills the size of shield plates flexed open and shut.
One hand hung loose at his side. The other held a battle axe nearly as tall as a siege tower. The blade was wide and brutal, its edge chipped from years of use. He carried it like it weighed nothing, the haft resting against the stone floor as his fingers tightened around it.
Even standing still, the giant filled the cavern with immense pressure. The water around him felt heavy, the slow currents pushing against skin and armor alike.
A voice like rolling thunder echoed inside everyone's mind.
'You must be this Broodfather I've heard tell about. I have to say, the stories don't quite match. I imagined you were bigger than me from the way these two little ones spoke.'
Seo-jin sent a thought through the link to Grimm. The ghost, eyes fixed on the giant ahead, slowly drifted up so Seo-jin could face the boss directly.
Something Teal found extremely distressing. She was just glad she had already emptied her bladder.
Now level with the giant's gaze, Seo-jin dipped his head.
'Greetings, High-lord Gundant. And forgive me if those two have been a nuisance.'
The giant's brows lifted, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim water.
'You know of me? The title of High-lord hasn't touched these ears in ages. How surprising.'
Teeth the size of horse carts showed as Gundant smiled.
Flicking his gaze to a new notification, Seo-jin held back his own grin.
His first Netword quest.
[Network // Notification]
[Dungeon Quest Available // Prison Break]
[Clear Conditions // Escape the Vent Cathedral by defeating High-lord Gundant withing the alloted time limit (20min)]
[Rewards // Exp Potion x2 / Gundant's Axe / 1500DP]
[Accept]
[Yes/No]
His eyes drifted to the giant's weapon. The axe was enormous. He could only hope it shrank after the reward was issued as he pressed yes.
'Before we continue our conversation, may I have those two back?'
He pointed down.
Both Snare and Synapse suddenly found something extremely interesting to stare at. The two lost boys were perched on the giant's shoulder, very still. They had been unusually quiet, though Seo-jin could feel the shame bleeding through the broodlink.
'Of course. They've actually been decent conversation. It's been a long time since I've had anyone to talk to.'
The two broodlings pushed off and swam back toward the brood. Seo-jin followed them with a look that promised consequences later.
[What's going on? Is he that bored? Figured you two would already be fighting.]
'It's not hard to imagine his situation. Besides, did you notice? It's taking everything he has not to attack. He must really be lonely.'
Looking back up at the giant, Seo-jin could only meet one of the massive eyes. He dipped his head slightly.
'I can see you're barely holding back your bloodlust. Out of respect for that effort, would you like to continue talking a moment longer… or should we get the inevitables over with?'
Instantly, Seo-jin and Teal barely managed to stay attached as the water around them surged. The ocean rolled outward from Gundant's laughter in heavy shockwaves, the current slamming against Grimm's skull.
'So you noticed? I must be getting soft. It's true, nothing would please me more than to commence our battle, but I know I would sorely regret it if I passed on this rare meeting.'
Shifting his weight, Gundant lifted the axe onto his shoulder. The massive blade dragged through the water, carving a trench of white froth as it moved.
'Before we fight, I'll ask a single question, and you may ask one as well. That should satisfy.'
Seo-jin felt a brief flicker of irritation at the delay, but it passed quickly. He would regret it as well if he didn't take the chance to ask something of this creature.
'Ask away.'
Gundant smiled again, then his face hardened.
'What are you? You're not human, that's obvious. But I've never heard of a demon like you, let alone one that can use a shard.'
The question was starting to wear thin. Seo-jin felt a flicker of irritation and let out a slow breath.
'I started as an imp. Now I'm evolving. That's the best answer I have.'
He expected a scoff or a challenge. Instead, Gundant's eyes widened, round as moons, before narrowing as if trying to look straight through him.
The bloodlust the giant had been holding back began to slip.
'Ask your question.'
Gundant's voice had turned cold. Seo-jin noticed it immediately. He had planned to ask about the next two floors, but the giant's reaction changed that.
'Why did you almost attack me when I said I was an imp?'
Stone cracked like splitting boulders as Gundant rolled his shoulders. The giant gripped the axe with both hands.
His bloodlust detonated.
The sea froze.
'Some things should remain sealed. Too bad. I was really enjoying talking to someone.'
Gundant stepped forward.
Once—
And the axe blade filled Seo-jin's vision.