Chương 25: Defending

"What are you waiting for? Do you want the brute crashing in here?" Grim held out his hand.

"Come on! I'll help you," he said. Eric jumped off the bed and grabbed the skeleton's hand. Death pulled him into position, and soon both of them were channeling their energy into the scythe.

"I need you to concentrate. Grip tight, and whatever happens, don't let go," Grim ordered. A large sigil appeared below Eric's legs. He rose into the air as the Elegy Vault sank into darkness. Death summoned a ghostly rope and tied his apprentice to the scythe.

"What part of 'don't let go' wasn't clear?"

"I didn't know what to expect. I tried to…" The narrow metal corridor couldn't contain the approaching brute. With his first glance at the Elegy Vault, he lowered his shoulder and charged. Running at the door and roaring, the enemy smashed into the passage, and it crumbled under the weight of the walls. The passage collapsed. Plates of stone, sand, and wood covered the entrance to the safe house.

"That should buy us some time. Stay here while I find a scroll," Grim said to Eric and released his weapon. Eric kept both hands locked around the scythe, even though it was embedded in the floor. A strange feeling of wonder passed over him. Death's disciple was in possession of the signature weapon. Eric imagined how he could wield it, and for a brief moment, he liked the thought. More roars echoed outside the rubble. The brute was digging in fast. He hurled rubble aside, carving a path toward the Elegy Vault.

Inside the safe house, Death was also digging, but into a pile of parchment paper.

"Hey! Catch this!" Grim tossed a scroll to his apprentice. Eric rolled it open, and three letters stared back at him. E. T. S. Distracted, he let go of the scythe. The power transfer was disrupted. Grim teleported near him, unhappy and inches away from his face.

"I said, do NOT let go of the weapon," Death let out an angry grunt. He snatched the paper from his apprentice and went to the entrance of the vault. There, they rolled the scroll open again and plastered it over the gate. On the other side of the door, the protruding skull opened its mouth, and a small green fire lit inside it. As time went on, the fire became bigger and brighter.

"Give me everything you've got. We'll have to disintegrate him with one hit," Grim said. Together, they poured everything they had into the scythe. The chamber went dark, and two wisps began circling. The wisps multiplied until they merged into a single continuous ribbon of light. The brute on the other side finished clearing his way. Nothing was there to stop him from charging into the vault. He grabbed a stone plate and smashed it into his own skull. Bleeding and furious, he charged forward.

Inside the vault, the flow of essence continued uninterrupted. Grim stepped backward and released his weapon. He clasped his hands together and lowered his head. The big black robe covered him from head to toe. Eric heard a faint whisper in his head.

"Stand aside." The reaper disciple released his hold on the weapon and jumped back, tripping and falling to the ground. In front of him, Death spread his arms to the sides. A surge of power flowed into the entrance of the Elegy Vault. Massive emerald blasts erupted from Grim like endless artillery fire. The room became bright as day. Eric shielded himself and protected his vision. Peering through his fingers, Eric saw his mentor as he'd never seen him before. The skeleton released a giant ray of energy.

The beam moved forward and empowered the protruding skull on the other side. Screams from men and women lashed out in the air. Eric glanced at the beam and saw faces trapped within it. It mercilessly dragged souls into its light. The brute outside couldn't comprehend what was happening. As he neared the door, the skull began to vibrate. The fire in its mouth swelled until it engulfed the corridor. A gigantic flaming skull flew forward and smashed into the charging enemy.

It obliterated everything in its path, leaving only a trail of green essence behind. Eric heard painful howls from the enemy, something he never expected to hear from such a hulking monstrosity. Slowly, the screams subsided, and the crunching of bones and the tearing of flesh took their place. The sounds of ripping body parts made Eric shiver. Soon, the agonizing noise died down, just like the brute. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Silence.

The faint crackling and hissing of burning wood filled the ruined corridor. A wide trail led from the entrance to the impact zone. The blast had eaten away the ground, leaving a perfectly spherical section missing. What was that? Eric opened his eyes and looked around. Grim walked over to his scythe and picked it up. He leaned toward the door and peeled the scroll free from the surface.

"Man! I'm getting tired of this," Grim said. Summoning his desk and throne, he slumped into the seat. With a flick of his fingers, the scroll flew back into the pile it had come from. Waiting for an answer, Eric stood up and dusted his clothes. He looked over to his mentor and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hey, what's going on?" The Reaper was staring into the open space, not registering anything. The green fire inside his skull burned steadily, though his mind seemed elsewhere. What's wrong with him? I thought he couldn't get tired." So… many… souls. Wait… what did you say?" Grim muttered. Not knowing how to react, Eric remained silent for a while. Despite the channeling and destruction, Ash was still asleep. The raven finally woke up as Eric approached.

"Can you check on him? He's just staring into the ground and not answering," Eric said.

"Whispering will do you no good, young lad," Grim said and summoned the familiar beanbag for his apprentice. Eric walked back to the desk and settled himself into the chair. It looked like his mentor had recovered a bit and was back in shape. At least for now.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. The power transfer from earlier made me dizzy for a while. I had to be sure we're gonna get rid of that oversized nuisance. He followed me back somehow, "Grim said.

"I'll be honest. I don't know what to say. Everything happened so fast that I'm still processing it." Eric felt worried and a bit frightened, yet he had to guide the conversation. His questions were mounting, but the answers till now were only confusing him further.

"Grim, there's a lot we need to talk about."

"Hey, nice ring. Where did you get it?" Death interrupted.

"I found an altar. Interacting with it revealed a special challenge. There was a knight named Vex. He said you might know him," Eric said.

"Of course I do. You're not the first apprentice here. I've always had more problems than I could handle. Everyone treats me as if I'm responsible for everything, while those bastards from up high and down under always get away with it!" The reaper stood up and went to the bookshelves near Eric's bed. He slid one of the wooden shelves aside. A small glass bowl was sitting on a pedestal, hidden by the books. Inside, a violet substance flowed like molten lava. Grim tapped the glass bowl.

"This thing. Millions perished in the late Middle Ages. Hell sent over a devil to Earth in search of a cure for one of the demon lords. As always, he brought the plague there, and it almost caused a civilization collapse with the people it killed."

"You're talking about the Black Death? The disease, right?" Eric asked.

"Ha! You wanna know why it's called like that? I had so much work then that people were seeing my silhouette everywhere. My robe showed up on Earth so often they just assumed I was running the entire operation." Eric raised his hand, but Grim quickly responded.

"Which I was not. Mostly. With the sheer volume of work on your planet, I had to find someone to help me here. Vex was going to die in a hail of arrows anyway, so I picked him."

"Is he your first apprentice?" Eric asked.

"Honestly… no, he isn't. While the system gave him a class and everything, I could never guide him. He perished on his own, searching for a way to become stronger. His only job was to handle the paperwork, but you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat." Grim slid the bookshelf back into place and returned to his throne. I have to ask him about the chain. It's heavy and I don't want it. Eric removed his belt and placed it before Grim. The Reaper inspected the chain.

"I'm fine with the ring, but this thing here is not okay. You got yourself into trouble," he said.

"Take it. Destroy it, hide it somewhere. I don't care. Just get it away."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. Did you read the description? It's bound to your soul. No going back," Grim took the belt from the desk and hurled it at Eric. The chain wrapped around his waist and pulled tight.

"Fortunately for you, that cursed piece of metal will help you reach the third floor. That ray of light in the concert hall is where you should go. It's one of the entrances," Grim said. Eric looked at his waist in disgust before asking one more question and frowning.

"What about that Tormentor stuff? Do I look like a bloodthirsty lunatic?" he asked.

"Keep collecting cursed items and you might turn into one." The Reaper softened his tone and continued, "Trust me, I know what it means to be cursed. Purgatory is full of items and places that could make your life unbearable. You're doing great, and this slight setback won't matter in the grand scheme of things." Grim watched his apprentice in silence. The timid graduate he'd recruited was already arguing with the System itself. The chain was nothing compared to the horrors that could emerge at any moment.

Through all of this, Grim reminded himself that he too was a human who dared to be fed up with the System. Even more, he revolted against it. A trail of smoke from the pile of scrolls caught his attention.

"Whoops. Looks like the scroll isn't properly closed." Another flick of his fingers and the offending spell flew back to the desk. He adjusted the rollers of the parchment paper and closed them together.

"What does E. T. S. even mean? Eternal Soul Torture?" Eric asked.

"Not bad for a first guess. It means Extra Toasted Sandwich. I named it myself," Grim held up the scroll proudly. Yeah… I can tell. Eric was still thinking about the chain. The fact that this item had been with him forever really bothered him.

"I'm not wasting my time on this nonsense. Either accept this stupid belt and we move on, or you can continue to be grumpy about it while Purgatory is falling apart. Your choice," Grim said. He tried to be as serious as possible, and it looked like Eric was shocked a little by that.

"Fine. Let's get this over with. How do I reach the third floor?" The Reaper expanded his desk. A small pile of sand spawned on it. He hovered his skeletal hands over the grains and shaped mountains and plains. Throughout the creation of the map, Grim regained his usual speed and his mood improved once again.

"Alright, partner. Let's get rollin'. You know what time it is."