Chương 43: GHOSTS OF THE PRESENT

Ellie looked out upon the greenery, a sight largely untouched by Zero Day. There was not a hole in the field except for the holes required for the game. Sand pits, lakes, trees. It was in pristine condition, pristine enough for her to practice her golf swing. She settled the ball on her tee, grabbing the special lemon-yellow ball just for her. She pivoted her hips, lined up a shot, and swung with that special technique she learned in high school: Twist the body and follow through.

Her yellow ball arched like a rainbow before landing on the green. She leaned back on her heels, satisfied.

"Alright! Now it's time for a real swing! I'll show you something they can't teach in school!" It was Cannon's turn. He was less refined, dropping his red ball on the green turf and swinging like he was holding a baseball bat and not a golf club. That spot on the ground was the first casualty of the golf course. Cannon ripped a chunk of earth with his swing, and the ball went careening towards the second layer of the atmosphere. It was landing nowhere near the green, if even in this city.

"That's how you get it done!" He was proud.

"My strength is legendary!" Ellie shrugged and placed another tee on the ground.

"I don't think you're understanding how to play this game."

"You kidding? I'm a golf pro. Didn't you see that swing?"

"It's supposed to be a peaceful sport, I think. You're scaring away the birds."

"Oh, sorry!" he still said, entirely too loud. Ellie sighed.

"I don't understand you men's obsession with being so strong. Weren't you already strong enough without the strength loot?"

"You can never be too strong." Cannon posed in his famous Cannon Buster pose, spreading his wings and then flexing his biceps. His tight white T-shirt was ripping underneath his coat. Ellie rolled her eyes. Before her next swing, she noticed T'balt sitting under a nearby tree, intently studying a notebook. He'd been doing that for the whole week they'd known each other; Writing, scribbling, erasing.

He said it's where he drew up all his plans, where he studied the information for the timelines and their great opponent: Monan the adversary. Even when they spoke, his mind always seemed to be on that notebook. It held all his knowledge and all his plans. And something in there told them they needed to be on this golf course, specifically on Thursday. That's why they'd been here all morning.

"What are you writing now?" she said, leaning over him. She snuck her way into getting a glance inside, which unintentionally rested her chest close to T'balt's face. He turned around and immediately turned back, blushing.

"I'm cataloging all the loot I've seen. Ranking them based on their abilities and seeing which combinations work well together. It's also kind of like a character sheet for all of you."

"Character sheet?"

"Yeah. Like a listing out your strengths, weaknesses, which loot I've seen you do the best with." She looked down, seeing a small, detailed drawing of her face. One of the phrases next to it said "attack healer, specialized support," But the words went over her head.

"You're always so obsessive over that notebook. Do you rewrite everything whenever you redeem?"

"This is my first time… But I recently figured that materializing my thoughts helps me plan. And if I study it enough, I'll be prepared for anything. He flipped through the pages, passing over one titled "Crimson Dear King" and another that said, "Speed is OP." Ellie still wondered if she believed everything that T'balt had told them. She remembered him sitting Arthur, Cannon, and herself down in Arthur's office and explaining everything he knew, everything he could foretell, and his strange redeeming power.

"It's not a power of God, but for now it's okay to make people think that it is. That's the only way to keep everyone calm," he said then. It was hard to believe this young man had seen and done so much. But he was able to tell her things about herself that she had hardly told anyone—about her life before the church.

"You quit your job. An EMT. It made you lose your faith in the world. So Arthur took you in," T'balt said later when they were alone.

"How do you know that?"

"You told me."

"The only one I've told is Arthur." He laughed.

"You were always so secretive. Even though everyone sees you playing the pure and dainty church woman, you hold your secrets close." She believed him then. The act of playing the "pure and dainty church woman" was something she only ever thought in her mind. Something she never would've told anyone. She felt that uncomfortable feeling of someone peering into her brain without her permission. But her skepticism dissipated at the sight of his sorrowful smile. The confidence and ease with which he said it.

It was like he was greeting a long-lost friend, but the friend was forever changed. So she agreed to do what he asked, only questioning things as needed. Not all the time. But sometimes. Like now, on this clear morning, when they were on a golf course instead of rallying supplies for the people at the church.

"But you haven't been here before, right?" she asked him.

"No. But I've seen this thing we're fighting a few times. Enough to make a viable strategy against it." She thought back to one of their conversations.

"It's strange to think that this thing has killed me before."

"That's not happening again." His tone was serious, and he looked at her as if he would sooner die than let that happen. And it was moments like that which made her trust him the most. She felt safe in his hands. He said he had the power to stop all bad things from happening, and he acted like it.

"Okay. I believe you, but is it really okay that we brought him along?" She gestured at the blonde-headed boy. Cannon was showing the kid how to swing a golf club next to his manmade pit. Acelin was more content to wait for Cannon to hit the ball and snipe it out of the air with his lightning loot. They both laughed as they abused the game of golf. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Knowing that in past lives Acelin had been the very cause of much of their grief, T'balt still recruited him. He couldn't help but feel responsible for how he turned out. Before he became Nrv, he was just a kid named Acelin Tinker. And keeping him straight would save a lot of people and a lot of headaches. Still, T'balt couldn't help but notice that he always looked at Acelin differently in this latest iteration. Like he couldn't help but distrust him. The kid did kill him.

His brain and body didn't forget that fact. One wrong turn, and who knows if Acelin could turn back into that person. But for now, he was blushing, noticing that T'balt and Ellie were looking at him. Ellie waved. Acelin waved back.

"I mean, isn't he too young for missions like these?" she said. T'balt never told them about the connection between Nrv and Acelin. In fact, he left out the name entirely. He didn't want them to treat him any differently. Of course, Ellie was just worried about a child being in a combat scenario, which wasn't an unfounded concern.

"I don't want to leave him alone," T'balt said.

"I'm guessing something bad happens when you do..."

"Not necessarily…" He left it vague.

"Besides, the kid can hold his own. He's young but capable."

"Still makes me worry," she said.

"What?" T'balt was smiling at her.

"Nothing. I'm just glad to see you." They waited for another half hour, resting, waiting for their objective to show. Then Ellie tuned into the surroundings, her sight amplified by hypersensitivity loot. Her eyes glowed a slight red whenever she used it, like some scanner robot. She could see the whole course at the same time. Even when the wind slightly moved her yellow ball 100 yards away.

"T'balt!" she called, pointing out into the distance. Everyone looked out to see a small ferret scurrying across the course.

"That thing?" Cannon said.

"It looks about the size of my foot. That's the great beast with the powerful loot?" They watched it a bit longer as the small dot moved in the distance. Then the biggest wolf any of them had ever seen charged at it out of nowhere, hungry for its next meal. The ferret didn't move despite it staring down the jowls of a musclebound wolf. That's because the Fury appeared behind it, doused in darkness.

The apparition seized the wolf by the throat and tore it apart with the force of its scream and floating, clawed hands.

"Whoa." All of them were caught off guard by what they'd just seen—effectively, a rat turned into a nightmare.

"Cool," Acelin said. He started to spark, readying to jump in and fight the thing. It was Ellie who pulled him back.

"Remember, Acelin, we have a plan."

"Fine. I remember." He puffed his cheeks. T'balt surrounded himself with wind before propelling himself, closing the distance between him and the Fury. He didn't get close enough to be attacked. Just close enough to be noticed. Realizing the loot holder was so small, he didn't want it running away before they could traverse the distance. Though upon his arrival, the Fury blasted its laser beams at him. T'balt had a mix of wind and speed loot, amplifying his movement.

He contorted mid-air to dodge the blackish purple beams, drawing the Fury's focus. But when he landed, the apparition appeared, stabbing at him with one of its disembodied clawed hands.

"No, you don't." Cannon jumped in with his forcefield as the claws sparked the invisible surface. T'balt happened to come across the forcefield as he was loot hunting. He expanded his hunting site to more than just the woods surrounding the church, but the neighborhoods beyond. Once he got a few others trained in using their loot, he could go even further, and the forcefield was a powerful loot that he really wanted to find. And the fruits of that were paying off before.

The Fury kept launching attacks on the forcefield, unable to penetrate its masterful defense. While it was distracted, Ellie fired at it with her Holy Bow. The light torpedoed at the thing, striking its claws. It screamed at the sudden pain it felt. It was just as T'balt thought. It could make its body ghostlike, but when it attacked, it became a physical presence again. That's when they had to capitalize. It wasn't something he'd be able to fight on his own.

But the Fury's attention was aimed at Ellie now, and it could move as fast as the best of them, especially when it could disappear out of sight so easily. This was where the sensitivity came in most handy. She looked at the changes in the air, seeing vibrating patterns in the shape of the beast.

"To my left!" she called. And T'balt was there, driving it away with his wind. It sent its snake-like tendrils at him, biting him on the arm and throwing him aside. He landed on his feet but not without damage. It attacked him again with that blind, unthinking anger. But Cannon played the tank and blocked its attacks once more. Standing within that forcefield, T'balt pushed the beast away with a blast of wind.

"Are you okay?" Ellie ran to heal the bite marks on his arm.

"I'm fine." It came back, attacking Cannon's forcefield, which wasn't going to hold up forever. Cracks were forming in the transparent wall. It was a great all-encompassing defense tool, but against the power of the Fury, even it had its limits. T'balt bit his tongue.

"Come on, Acelin." Acelin perused around in a nearby garden. He kicked a few rocks.

"Why do I have to be the one to chase the ferret?" He had hoped it'd be some huge bear or legendary creature that held the Fury loot, but it was just some furry rat.

"Ugh." When the fight started, he tailed the creature as it scurried away from the battle. It fled to somewhere in this area, but it was so small he lost track of it. He checked under rocks, squeezed his head into bushes, and looked into any ferret-sized holes in the ground. He eventually got bored, electing to drag his finger across the water for a minute. Then he heard a rustle from a pile of leaves. The others continued against the Fury using their combo to overwhelm it from all sides.

T'balt was playing the distraction with his speed as Ellie poked at it with shots from the Holy Bow. Cannon stayed by her to block any attacks.

"Behind us!" Ellie called. Cannon turned. The Fury appeared behind them. It pinched its claws, pinpointing the crack on the focefield. Cannon tried to hold, but as the Fury pushed, the claws slowly started to rip through.

"Damn it," T'balt said. He rushed to their aid, hoping he'd make it in time. Cannon, sensing a need to do something fast, released the shield. The Fury came through, but with its attack, it was vulnerable. He grabbed it by the hair, letting the claw rip his shirt. And he whipped it over his shoulder, slamming it to the ground.

"Ellie!" he called. She used his back as a platform and launched herself over the beast, hitting it with several arrows while it was disoriented. But it wasn't enough to end the fight. It screamed and fired beams at her while she was in the air, unable to get out of the way. T'balt swooped in, grabbing her and placing her back on the ground.

"Thanks," she said. Acelin had never seen a ferret up close. It was so spindly and fuzzy. He almost didn't want to kill it. It seemed more like a pet than an enemy. It poked its head out of a hole, and Acelin jumped to catch it. It scurried free from him. He shot his lightning bolts at it, but it was elusive, jumping around and running away from him.

"Get back here." He chased it around like a garden cat, unable to lay a finger on the thing. The ferret jumped out on the golf course, and Acelin bolted to it, diving and finally capturing the thing. It flailed in his hands. He looked at it, and it looked back, its eyes dark and big. Acelin frowned.

"Acelin, look out!" Ellie called as the Fury appeared behind him. In surprise, he dropped the critter as the claws came for him. He tried to jump back, but it would've been far too late. Would've been, but T'balt had snatched the ferret by the throat. He didn't hesitate to stab it with his hunting knife, killing it instantly. The Fury's claws disappeared just as they would've pierced Acelin's chest. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. T'balt had the loot in his hand.

"Ha! A job well done!" exclaimed Cannon.

"That was too close for comfort," T'balt said.

"I had it." Acelin turned his head, annoyed.

"I just got distracted, is all."

"It's okay," Ellie said.

"Probably wouldn't have been good for you to kill a small animal anyway." She eyed T'balt.

"What? It's just a ferret." But the bloodied body of the creature was still dangling in his hand when he made that point. When he realized it, he dropped it.

"T'balt," Acelin said.

"Do you think I can have that loot? I think it's really cool."

"No. It's too dangerous for you," he denied abruptly. Maybe too much so. He wasn't trusting Acelin with a summon as dangerous as this one.

"I'll hold onto it for now." The kid looked dejected, but T'balt just turned away.

"So what now?' Cannon asked.

"What's written next in your plan book?"