I Die to Rise: Resurrection System

The tension in the room was immense and Morra’s quip did nothing to diffuse the situation. Rather it put everyone more on edge as they were one twitch away from detonating.

Morra tilted her head as she turned to Kurt with a faint, almost disappointed huff. "Hmph. Tough crowd, I see." She observed mildly.

Emma’s eyebrow shot up at the casual way she spoke to Kurt, like they were old drinking buddies instead of whatever the hell this was.

Then a hunter at the back of the room made a decision nobody had asked him to make as a blast left his hand in panic before anyone could stop it, aimed straight at Morra’s face.

It crossed half the room and then stopped, hanging frozen in the air six inches from her nose, its colour draining to black as it simply ceased to be a threat.

Morra looked at it. Then past it. "I might be diminished," she said pleasantly, "but I’m not that diminished."

Rook’s voice filled the room. "Stand down! All of you!" His tone was commanding. "That’s an order." Immediately, the hunter who’d fired lowered his hand slowly, face pale.

Kurt sighed, running his hand through his hair. "What do you mean, diminished?" He asked, more concerned about what Morra said.

Zaza stepped forward in that moment, glasses catching the light. "I noticed it back in sub-level five. When I was restrained... her attack felt... diluted."

The system chimed privately in Kurt’s head, reinforcing the words like an echo only he could hear.

[Notice: Reaper Morra’s power level has been reduced to match Host’s current ceiling]

It added one more line, colder this time.

[Notice: Host may release Morra’s full capacity once per day However, the consequence will be draining]

Morra, who could apparently hear the system now, glanced at Kurt with a slow, delighted grin. "Awesome."

Then she turned back to the guild, who were still frozen in various stages of panic, thirty people staring back at her with varying degrees of terror and confusion.

Kurt raised both hands slowly, stepping between Morra and the room full of loaded weapons. "She’s with us. Everyone stand down."

"Yeah." Morra’s grin was wide and playful. "I’m with you guys now."

Emma’s grip tightened around Storm King, lightning crawling along the weapon as her eyes stayed locked on Morra. "Say that again," she said flatly, "and make it make sense."

Cassandra didn’t lower her blade either. The tip remained perfectly aligned with Morra’s throat, unwavering, and Rook’s voice came slower. "Kurt... explain."

Then Morra sighed, like she was already bored of the conversation. "You people are exhausting." She took a single step forward and every weapon in the room snapped tighter.

A black arc traced through the air as her sickle appeared and angled at one of the hunters off to the side. But as soon as she swung, the blade stopped mid-swing.

For a brief moment, something pushed back against her like an invisible resistance that didn’t belong to her.

"Oh." Morra’s eyes flicked down to her own arm, and then, slowly, a smile spread across her face as though she just conducted a test that yielded the results she expected.

Silence settled over the room and Kurt exhaled sharply and stepped forward, slipping between her and the rest of the guild. "She’s not the problem," he declared firmly for the second time. "She’s with us."

This time, his words landed and Emma’s weapon lowered just a fraction.

Rook rubbed his face with one massive hand slowly and sighed. "We don’t have time for this." He dropped his hand and looked at Kurt directly. "We deal with whatever this is after we bring Sam and Jerry back."

"Couldn’t agree more," Kurt said with a nod.

The room began to ease as shoulders lowered and essence faded. Weapons slid back into holsters and sheathes, though nobody fully relaxed as the wariness lingered.

Eli closed his eyes for a moment, smiled faintly, and decided not to ask questions he probably wouldn’t like the answers.

"Riley," Rook said, "you’re with us. Underworld Kings meeting."

Riley’s ears perked. "Me?"

"Extra security. They respect strength in numbers." Rook’s voice was firm. "And I’d rather have you where I can see you than wandering the guild alone."

She considered, then nodded.

With that, they split up as planned. Rook, Emma, Zaza and Riley prepared for their own encounter with the Underworld Kings and Kurt led his group to the elevator.

***

Outside the guild, Lizzie looked down the street and then up at the sky, calculating travel time in her head. "So how are we getting there?"

"I have my car," Eli said, and gestured towards a vehicle parked at the kerb and looking like it belonged to a different era entirely.

It was long, black and immaculately kept, with sweeping mudguards over the rear wheels, a high narrow bonnet, and running boards along the side.

"Yeah, I’m not getting in that," Lizzie said.

"An Armstrong Siddeley," Morra said, stepping closer, eyes moving over the bodywork with genuine appreciation. "Excellent taste."

Eli, who had been visibly unsettled by Morra’s existence since the elevator, reached up and scratched the back of his neck with a small, composed smile. "You’re very kind..."

"I’ve got a faster option," Kurt said, and extended one arm. A circular, stable portal tore open in the air ahead of them, showing the flat grey expanse of the city outskirts on the other side.

"We don’t have time to enjoy the upholstery," he said. "In we go."

They stepped through as the city dropped away and the outskirts came up around them—open ground, sky wide overhead, and thirty meters ahead, the hell gate.

What loomed ahead was a swirling, malevolent tear in reality with black and red energy crackling like lightning trapped in a storm cloud.

Cassandra walked to the front, stopped, and closed her hand around the necklace at her throat. "Now what?" she said.

"Channel your essence into the gem," Eli said, stepping beside her. "Steadily. It will activate the life energy and fool the gate."

Cassandra did, closing her eyes as her breathing slowed, and the gem pulsed once with cold blue light at her collarbone. Then she walked forward, stepped through the hell gate and was gone.

Lizzie watched the space where she’d been. "It worked," she said, sounding both disappointed and excited. "It actually worked."

"Yeah," Kurt said, already moving.

Eli turned as Kurt stepped forward and his eyes narrowed. "You’re a curious fellow, aren’t you." It came out as an observation rather than a question. "I’ve been wondering how exactly you intend to pass through."

"By dying of course," Kurt answered.

Eli blinked once. "Pardon?"

Lizzie chimed in helpfully before Eli could process it. "Don’t overthink it. He’s got an ability that lets him cheat death."

"Cheat isn’t quite the right word," Morra said.

"Eehhh..." Lizzie tilted her head. "I’m pretty sure you’re Kurt’s bitch now, so I’d say ’cheated’ is the right word."

Kurt quickly raised a hand. "Don’t antagonise the nice, still-pissed off Reaper, Lizzie."

But Morra shrugged, unfazed. "It’s cool."

"See? She’s cool, Kurt," Lizzie added brightly.

Eli looked between all three of them. He raised a finger as his mouth opened, closed, then opened again. And what came out was very quiet and very controlled: "My word."

"Cassandra’s waiting," Kurt said, turning to the group. "So. Who wants to do the honours of punching my ticket this time?"

Lizzie tilted her head. "Can’t you just... I don’t know, blow your brains out?"

"I don’t get bollocks for that." Kurt sighed. "It’s a whole thing."

"In that case... the new one then!" Lizzie giggled, pointing at Eli.

Kurt looked at him. "What do you say?"

Eli was still for a moment. The calculation behind his eyes was evident as he rubbed his chin before speaking. "So," he said carefully, "you are killed, your body passes through the gate, and then you simply... return."

"More or less," Kurt said. "The less is the bit where it hurts. But we’re not precious about that."

He studies Kurt, then smiles differently and said, "You’re definitely not normal."

In that instance, something shifted under the surface of Eli’s composure, and the smile that formed was different from the polished one he’d been wearing all morning.

The veins beneath his eyes darkened, rising to the surface in thin branching lines, and his fangs descended with the gradually, no longer bothering to suppress the fact of what he was.

Then he took one step forward. "So I don’t have to hold back," he said.

Kurt looked at the fangs and at the darkened veins. Then he mentally ordered the system not to interfere by suddenly activating an ability in his stead.

[Notice: Host is attempting to disable the Adaptive Response System]

[Notice: Confirmation required. Are you certain you wish to proceed? Y/N]

"Yes," he said aloud. "Confirmed."

[Notice: ARS disabled. Manual control active. The System will not intervene]

"Huh?" Eli raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind that." Kurt exhaled once through his nose. "Get on with it already. And try to make it quick."

"I must say, this has turned out to be a weirdly, exciting day." He smiled faintly, and without warning, he moved like a crimson blur towards Kurt.

One moment he stood in front of Kurt, and the next, his hand was already through him. A wet, violent impact punched through Kurt’s chest as Eli’s fingers closed around his heart from the inside.

Kurt’s body jerked once involuntary. His mouth opened, but whatever he was going to say died there with the air in his lungs.

"Fascinating," Eli murmured as he leaned in slightly, eyes dark, expression calm. Then he pulled, and blood surged.

It rushed upward along Eli’s arm in thin, twisting streams, disappearing beneath his skin as the veins under his eyes darkened further, branching like ink beneath the surface.

Kurt’s body slackened almost immediately and Eli held him there a moment longer, finishing the process with unsettling precision, before letting the body drop to the ground with a dull, final sound.

Lizzie leaned slightly to the side, watching as she stroked her chin. "Huh," she said. "I really thought you were gonna go for the whole fang in the neck thing."

"Pfft!" She blew hot air against her hair. "What a let down. I mean anyone can rip a heart."

Eli exhaled once, slow and satisfied as the veins receded. He dropped the heart, paying no attention to Lizzie, and pulled out his handkerchief from his vest as he proceeded to wipe his arm clean.

Without a word, he bent, grabbed Kurt by the collar, and dragged him the remaining distance before tossing him forward and sending his corpse into the Hell Gate.

Morra stepped forward immediately after, rolling her shoulders once as if preparing for something entertaining. "That’s my cue," she said lightly and followed, walking through the gate.

Lizzie didn’t hesitate, grabbing the life gem from Eli and channeling her essence through it. "Race you," she said, already moving.

Eli glanced at her once, then stepped forward at the exact same moment as they disappeared into the gate simultaneously.