Chapter 190: Two Very Different Paths
One of the main traits of John's skill was simple. He could see out of the fog, while nothing outside could see in.
Staring at the field of vent bugs spread out before him, bodies layered across the stone and shifting in slow waves, he didn't move. His bowels emptied what little remained, his stomach twisting, but he held himself rigid, barely breathing as his fingers pressed into the rock.
Too bad the young bug didn't get the memo. Tearing at his pant leg, the little guy kept eating, mandibles working fast as it clicked and hissed the whole time.
'What did I do to deserve this?'
The water already leeched the heat from his skin, but now it felt worse, like ice pushing through his veins. He eased back, trying to sink into the vent again, but the little vent bug shoved into him, nudging hard as it searched for more "food".
'Shhh, shhhhhh! I'll shit mountains for you, I swear, just let me back in!'
Looking forward again, he saw the adult bugs start to move, legs dragging over stone as they crawled toward him, antenna flicking in his direction.
It didn't take long to understand. Even as a child, the baby bug was still D Rank, its body heavy, its strength far past his own. He couldn't push it away. He could only hope the others were hungry for something else.
Eyes locking on the closest one, its head tilting as it closed the distance, his gut finally went empty, and something worse settled in. His fog wasn't working.
'H-hey, is this guy yours? I've been really nice to him—see? Nice an—holy—!'
Just as the bug leaned in toward the vent, it vanished. Water surged, spinning John in place as something large cut through the space, snatching it away in a blur.
Clicking and hissing filled his ears, followed by a wet crunch that carried through the water. When he finally steadied himself, hands braced against the rock, he looked around, making sure the little bug was fine.
Then, another bug vanished in a burst of silt. Then another...and another.
The water shifted again as the thing slowed, and this time he saw it. A massive eel, body stretching long and thick, well over twenty feet, drifting through the swarm and feeding without pause. No rider. Just the eel.
'That's odd. Why aren't they fighting?'
As it fed, the bugs below didn't react. They stayed pressed to the floor, mouths working as they scraped and fed, ignoring it completely. The eel dipped again, snatching up several at once, its jaws cracking through their shells like brittle bone.
Brows furrowing, John lowered himself back down, back scraping against the stone as he sank into the vent. With nothing left to eat, the baby bug didn't resist when he picked it up, settling into his arms while he stared out and thought.
'Why aren't they attacking? They aren't even running...are you guys stupid?'
Lifting the little guy as another wet crunch carried through the water, the vent bug just clicked and cooed, its body relaxing when John scratched under its chin.
'No, that's not right.'
Scratching behind the bug's neck, he leaned forward and peeked out again, keeping low. He watched, tracked the eel, and sifted through everything he'd seen so far, trying to make sense of it. Then something stuck, a detail that didn't fit.
The eel wasn't giving off any bloodlust.
The longer he watched, the clearer it became. It wasn't hunting. It was eating. A person didn't put off killing intent while eating a cooked meal, and this thing felt the same.
Sitting back down, spine pressing against the curved wall, the thoughts started lining up.
'No bloodlust...no bloodlust—hold up. Is that—?'
A high-pitched hiss cut through the space, making his shoulders tense as more bugs disappeared. One after another, taken and crushed, and for some reason, that started to piss him off.
'You guys only respond to bloodlust, huh? I've seen monsters like that before. Shouldn't—'
He flinched as another crack sounded, then another, each one louder than the last.
Looking down at the little bug in his hands, he hesitated, thumb resting along its head. For the first time, he felt something close to pity for something other than himself. The eel wasn't treating them like prey. It wasn't even a fight. They were just food.
Something in John cracked.
'If your guys need bloodlust, then let's give them some.'
His eyes lit up, a tight grin pulling at his mouth as his jaw set. He pushed himself up, chest and head rising out of the vent.
'This better work.'
He scratched the little bug's head for a second, then brought his hand up as system light crawled over it. A long, thick black flashlight formed in his grip, solid and heavy.
Flipping the switch, he aimed the beam straight at the eel.
'Hey asshole! Leave 'em alone!'
It worked. The light struck the eel's eye, throwing it off for a split second, but the moment John's voice was delivered, the creature snapped toward him, jaws spreading wide.
'Perfe—oh shit!'
The eel let out a roar and lunged. Dropping fast, John forced himself back into the vent, bracing hard against the stone...
Nothing hit.
'Did it—?'
The thought barely formed before something slammed into the vent, the impact rattling his teeth.
'Fuck! Hold on!'
Grabbing the baby bug, he pulled it tight to his chest as the rock around him cracked and shifted, water throwing him side to side. Suddenly, the movement stopped just as fast, replaced by a drawn-out, pained roar.
The shaking came back harder, faster, the whole space vibrating as grit and small stones broke loose around him. John squeezed in tight, arm over his head as the world bucked around him.
'If I die, it's your fault! Why'd I do this?!'
The bug didn't answer. It just clicked, head tilting as it looked up at him.
'Awe.'
Cute, but the moment passed quick. He tightened his grip again, bracing, but he realized the movement had stopped.
He stayed still, breath held, waiting for another hit that didn't come. Only when a short, wet screech tore through the space, cutting off mid-sound, did he risk peeking out.
Pushing a few loose stones off his chest, John rose slow, every movement careful as grit slid off his shoulders and drifted in the water.
A grin spread across his face.
'Ha! Serves you right, ya bully!'
Blood hung in the water, thick and spreading, mixed with chunks torn from the eel. The swarm had already moved in, bodies packed tight as they fed, their movements churning the remains into a drifting cloud of meat.
Lifting the baby bug, John held it up, water dripping from his sleeves.
'Did you see that?! That's what you get for messing with John Nagel!'
Pulling himself out of the vent, he drifted forward, legs kicking slow. He didn't even notice how casual he'd gotten around them, but he understood enough now to move without panicking. Not completely calm, but close.
One of the larger bugs paused and turned toward him, its head angling as its antenna brushed the water.
He froze.
When it went back to feeding, he let out a breath and gave a short laugh.
'That's right, I'm your guys' benefactor now. Show some respect!'
No one reacted. Heat crept up his face, but the feeling vanished when the bug in his arms started to squirm.
'Whoa, what's wrong?'
The little one twisted hard, forcing him to loosen his grip until it slipped free. It swam a few feet out, stopped, then turned back, clicking fast, its body jerking in place.
'Want me to follow? Better be a way out. Don't go dragging me to meet your parents.'
When he moved after it, the bug gave a short chirp and swam on, keeping a slow pace. It stopped every few seconds, turning back to click until he caught up.
John snorted, shaking his head as he followed.
'If you had knees, you'd be slapping them right now, wouldn't you?'
The image stuck for a second, then he pushed it aside and kept going. Not like he had anywhere else to be.
As he moved, he started noticing more of the space around him now that the fear had eased. Stone rose in uneven walls, and the water carried a soft glow from patches of growth along the ground.
'This place is actually kinda pretty. Wouldn't live here, but it's not bad.'
Compared to the dead streets of Shatterbay, it felt different. Quiet. Peaceful.
He knew better.
After what felt like an hour of slow swimming, and one close pass where another eel cut through the distance, they reached a massive rock wall that stretched up and out of sight.
At its base, the small bug stopped, turned, and clicked at him a few times before slipping through a narrow gap in the stone.
'Uh, little guy?'
He swam up fast, hands pushing against the current as he leaned in and peered into the narrow gap.
'Don't leave me out here!'
Gripping the edge of the stone, he pulled hard and nearly threw himself backward when it shifted easily. Catching himself, he scrambled forward again, grabbing more pieces and dragging them aside, widening the opening until it looked just big enough to force through.
'You—need—to lose—weight—!'
Forcing his way in, his shoulders scraped along the rock, cloth catching as he shoved through inch by inch until he finally slipped inside. The moment he cleared it, the light vanished. Darkness closed in on all sides, thick and complete.
'Little guy! Where'd you go? Come on, uncle Johnny doesn't like this game!'
Reaching out blindly, he felt along the wall, fingers sliding over rough stone—
'Apologies, my child thought you could see in the dark. Allow me a moment—there.'
The voice hit him out of nowhere, and his whole body locked. Before he could react, a dim blue glow spread through the space, enough to show shapes, outlines—
Enough to show everything.
'Greetings, human. It has been ages since I've seen one of your kind.'
A massive vent bug sat in front of him, its body filling the space, easily the size of a two-story house. Around it, thousands more stood still, packed together, all facing him.
Watching.
Seeing the small bug beside him click and twitch in excitement, John felt his stomach drop.
He should've stayed in the bush.
----
Standing at the entrance to the second floor, Seo-jin froze, eyes wide as he took in the space stretching out before him, the glow from the cavern reflecting faintly across his skin.
[It's beautiful.]
He didn't agree. He could see why someone might, the colors, the light, the scale, but the feeling it gave him was different. It made his hands itch, made him want to tear it apart.
The second floor reminded him of the dwarves' underground base, but larger, more open. The cavern curved like the inside of a hive, with tier after tier climbing along the walls until he had to tilt his head back to follow them. Each level was packed with plants, thick clusters of growths that glowed in dull greens and blues, all wrong, all unfamiliar.
"This must be where the slaves are forced to work. Think it's food?"
[Not sure. I don't recognize any of these species.]
He crouched and reached toward one, fingers brushing the damp surface as he moved to pluck it, when a spear drove into the ground beside him with a heavy crack.
Without looking, Seo-jin shifted aside as another spear passed where he'd been, then vanished as more followed, each one striking empty space.
The Makara didn't get a chance to react. He was already on them. Claws tore through flesh and bone with no resistance, the fight ending as fast as it began.
Too fast.
Flicking the residue from his hand, he looked down at what was left.
"They're too weak. It'll make this easy, but hopefully the floor boss puts up a better fight."
From what the elf had told him, this level was overseen by the guard captain, a Makara who carried a magic trident. The thought of it pushed him forward, his pace picking up without him meaning to as he moved deeper into the cavern.
Hearing shouts echo from different tiers, voices carrying through the cavern, he knew they were already moving to intercept him. The path was obvious. The only way up was the long, winding ramp that circled the walls.
Too bad he wasn't taking it.
Maw stretching wide, Bahamut expelled what looked like nothing, a distortion in the air that rippled in front of Seo-jin.
"No time to play, bud. Carry me up."
"Where we goin?!"
Leaping up, Seo-jin landed onto Grimm's skull, feet settling against bone as he steadied himself.
"To the boss."
"Just us?! Best day ever!"
Grimm's blue flames flared brighter as he surged forward. The sudden burst of speed rocked Seo-jin back for a second, but he adjusted fast, lowering his stance.
He grinned.
From below, it would look absurd. A human standing on nothing, cutting straight up the center of the cavern.
Spears launched after them, slicing through the air, but none came close. Grimm moved too fast, the distance stretching before anything could reach them.
Wind tore past his ears as they climbed, and then Seo-jin felt it. An aura ahead, pulling at him, visible through his sight. It was yellow.
He exhaled.
[You should be happy. Getting stronger is the goal, right?]
'I know. Just wanted to test this new form. Guess I'll wait for the final boss.'
They broke through onto the upper level. Seo-jin pushed off Grimm's skull as Butcher's Wrath began to force its way out.
"Make sure no one comes up behind me. But don't try too hard, I don't want you getting hurt. Understand?"
Seeing he wasn't joking, Grimm nodded, his flames dimming slightly as they flickered along his skull.
"I understand. Promise. I won't let you down, and they won't lay a finger on me. If they try, I'll just—bam, boom!"
He snapped his tail, the hooked intestines whipping through the air with a wet crack. Smiling at the attitude, Seo-jin waved him off.
As Grimm moved to his post, Seo-jin turned to his own task.
Facing forward, he focused on the aura through [Soul Sight], the pressure of it sitting heavy against his senses. He didn't need to search. The boss was already moving toward him.
But something shifted before it came into view.
The aura flickered once. Then again. The air around him felt tight, his skin prickling as if something pressed in from all sides.
The yellow began to change, bleeding from its edges until it deepened, darkening into red.
Seo-jin's grip tightened, a slow smile pulling at his face.
Whatever just happened, he was about to get what he wanted.
A real fight.