Chapter 122: Follow the Bodies!
Kurt laid dead on the grassy plains of the Savannah that couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge him by sending some monsters.
As the timer hit zero, his body jerked, a sharp inhale rushing into his lungs as his back arched slightly. His fingers dug into the dirt beneath him, and the System’s annoying chatter followed like clockwork.
[RESURRECTION COMPLETE]
[Deaths: 26]
[New Ability Unlocked: Vampire - F Rank]
[Host gains foundational vampiric physiology. Enhanced strength, speed, and durability. Retractable fangs enable blood consumption for minor regeneration. Heightened night vision with mild sunlight sensitivity]
[Points Awarded: +18 Epic Death]
[Available Points: 103]
He acknowledged the rise in his point reward with a small smile, but stayed there for a second, breathing. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath, voice rough. "Still hate that part."
"You never get used to it," a familiar voice said, and Kurt rolled onto his back.
Morra sat on a huge rock a few steps away, completely still, watching him with mild interest as the wind tugged lightly at her hair.
He stared at her for a moment. Then pushed himself up onto one elbow. "Where are they?"
Morra smirked slightly. "Not here."
Kurt groaned as he sat up fully, scanning the horizon, but there were no Lizzie, Cassandra or Eli present. Just open land and a sky with two suns. "I can see that, love. That’s why I bloody well asked."
Morra tilted her head. "The Hell gate split us up once we crossed its threshold." She folded her hand. "My guess is we weren’t split up because of our link."
He rolled his shoulder, checked the coat, and pulled out a cigarette. "That makes sense." He nodded while trying to stand. "A tidbit of information Eli conveniently left out."
Morra smiled, shrugging. "You assume he was going to tell you all he knows."
Kurt didn’t respond to that. He just exhaled once. "Guess we’re on our own for now," he muttered, lighting the cigarette with a snap of his fingers. "Come on." He gestured to her.
"And I guess this is my life now." Morra rose gracefully beside him. "Lead the way."
With that, they moved through the savannah that stretched endlessly, golden grass swaying with the wind.
Kurt’s eyes swept the horizon, picking out broken trees, scattered bones, and Morra walked beside him in silence.
After several dozen meters of walking and not running into any monsters, which felt odd, they saw the first body.
A shredded raptor thirty meters into the grass, frozen solid through the wing joint, the ice not evaporating despite the heat of the two suns.
Morra crouched beside it, fingers brushing lightly against the air above the wound without touching. "Your girlfriend?"
Kurt let out a soft breath that might have been a laugh. "She’s enjoying herself."
Further on, they found another. Then three in close proximity, a cluster of low-slung nocturnal things that had made the error of finding her before dark arrived.
Each one was encased from the neck down in a column of ice that had been driven through them with enough force to pin them to the earth.
The trail continued for another two hundred meters and Kurt followed it with his hands in his pockets as bodies became more frequent. "She’s been busy."
Winged creatures lay scattered in the distance, one half-crushed into the ground like it had been swatted out of the air. Something else had been frozen mid-motion, ice still clinging to its limbs.
Kurt pushed through the last stand of grass and found Cassandra with her blade out and a faint expression on her face that in anyone else would have qualified as satisfaction.
She was at the centre of a clearing carved out of the savannah with one hand resting lightly at her side, the other holding her blade low as a large tiger monster finished collapsing behind her.
She didn’t even look at it as it hit the ground. Instead, she exhaled slowly, almost content. "That’s sixteen," she murmured to herself.
Then she turned and her eyes landed on Kurt first before shifting to Morra. "You’re late," she said flatly.
"Hell gate split us up," Kurt said as he stepped into the clearing. "And so you started without us."
She sheathed her blade and glanced at the trail of frozen wreckage behind her. "I assumed as much when I arrived alone. I’ve been moving in a grid pattern. Lizzie and Eli should be somewhere north or west."
Morra stood still for a moment, staring into the distance, then grinned. "Your girlfriend’s right. The pale one and the blonde one are two miles north."
"Of course I’m right." Cassandra said, ignoring Morra’s obvious attempt to rile her up.
Kurt sighed and asked her, "you sense anything else?"
"Many things," she answered.
Kurt lifted an eyebrow. "Useful things."
She considered for a second, then sighed. "Two humans. Approximately one kilometre south-south-east. Moving toward the shift in the terrain ahead." She paused. "There’s something with them."
Kurt’s eyes moved to the horizon. The grass there was thinning, the soil darkening, the air carrying something heavier. It was most likely the boss territory. "How many monsters between us and them?"
"Several," Morra said. "Though fewer than there were an hour ago. Something ahead of us has been clearing the way."
Kurt’s jaw tightened. "Two humans. Could be Sam and Jerry."
Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Or it could be anyone."
"Lizzie and Eli can handle themselves," Kurt said, making the call. "If there’s a chance Sam’s down there moving toward boss territory alone..." He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
Morra shrugged. "Your call. Just saying, the healer might be more useful to us now."
"South first," Kurt said firmly then cracked his neck and picked up the pace. "Let’s get a move on then. Day light’s wasting."
The terrain changed underfoot as they moved. The grass thinned slightly, trees appeared more frequently, and the temperature grew warmer.
As they pushed through, the atmosphere shifted and eventually, familiar voices drifted through the air, catching Kurt’s attention and making him slow his pace.
Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze locking onto something ahead, and beside her, Morra lifted her head slightly.
The source of the voices lay just beyond the tree line, where movements caught their attention and hinted at the undeniable presence of others.
Three figures emerged into view, their shapes indistinct at first, then sharpening into focus. And one of them, a figure with an unmistakable silhouette, seemed to be calling out – "Kurt?"
He saw her at almost the same moment, and his steps faltered, the rhythm breaking as he stopped just enough to betray his surprise.
"Sam," he breathed, relief washing across his face as he closed the distance between them. The tension in his body eased and his features softened. "You’re alive."
Sam dropped her staff and raised a hand to her mouth, already about to break into tears. Behind her, Jerry stood with his hands raised nervously, eyes moving between Kurt, Cassandra and Morra.
And then he saw it. Something else stood there, tall and still, watching them with an unnerving intensity.
Kurt’s expression shifted, his relief sharpening into alertness as he took in the posture, distance, and intent of the thing in a bone mask.
Blue flames burst to life in his palms, the sudden blaze a stark warning. "Oh no you don’t," he growled, his eyes locked onto the thing and ready to protect what was his.
Sam’s voice cut through—"Kurt, wait! He helped us!"—but the words barely registered. The adrenaline was already surging.
Behind him, Cassandra’s hand moved to her blade, and Morra simply watched, clearly amused by the developing situation.
The masked figure didn’t move. Didn’t react. Just stood there, watching Kurt with those unreadable eyes behind the bone mask.