Chương 254: Chapter 247

Unable to stomach it any longer, Baledagh sank into his pillow, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, waiting for his nausea to pass. Leading the way through the hidden passageway, brother's eyes darted about the torch-lit cavern without pattern or logic, constantly scanning the area for dangers unknown. Ceiling to staircase and wall to wall, seeing the world tossed around by brother's jerky movements made Baledagh sick to his stomach.

According to brother, it had something to do with seeing the motions without perceiving them with his other senses, but he'd never experienced it so vividly before. Ever since reawakening, brother's mental constructs regained their permanence and Baledagh took advantage of the comforts. Though laying in bed and watching the world through brother's eyes was rather relaxing most of the time, it wasn't suitable for high-intensity situations like this.

Stepping out of the room and into the void, Baledagh ignored the Heavenly Waters and focused his will. With a little effort, he faded from existence and merged with brother's senses. It's what brother did when they fought together, and although it required intense concentration to sustain, sharing brother's perceptions of the world around him felt much more natural, free of the jarring disconnect between mind and body.

"Brother," he asked, once his stomach settled.

"What are you looking for?"

"Traps," came the reply, straightforward and succinct, as if the one word explained everything. Every few steps, he'd stop to think, tapping the ground and walls with a wooden plank scavenged from the destroyed bookshelf. Baledagh sighed. Sometimes, this brother of his was too unfathomable.

"How do you know there are traps?"

"... Isn't it par for the course?" Before he could ask what the strange idiom meant, brother continued.

"You know, pressure switches, tripwires, pitfalls, and more, traps to keep people away from the treasure. Or keep people from ambushing Yo Ling in his bedroom. A bandit wouldn't trust anyone with a secret passage like this, so he can't rely on guards." Unable to retort, Baledagh silently aided the cause, searching for irregularities around him. It always amazed him how brother could be both worldly and naive at the same time.

Baledagh would never have thought to look for traps, merely rushing down the stairs in haste. Though brother said he had little to no memory of his past life, he must have been a great man in his previous life, having so much knowledge and experience at his fingertips. Training regimens, tactical maneuvers, mathematics, and now apparently treasure hunting procedures, brother had probably forgotten more than Baledagh could learn in three lifetimes, much less one.

Their journey didn't go straight down, the stairs levelling off after around a hundred steps. Moving through the dark tunnel at a snail's pace, brother tested anything he found out of the ordinary, and soon his efforts paid off. Standing a good distance away, brother pressed the plank against a flat stone in the middle of the pathway.

With an audible click, a row of axes dropped from the ceiling, scything through the empty air right before their faces and putting an end to Gerel and BoShui's steady torrent of complaints. After marking the trap, they continued forward, stumbling across several other deadly traps in the next hour as they moved through the twisting tunnels and plunging stairways deep into the bowels of the earth.

"Stop." The Guard Leader's tone left no room for debate as everyone froze in place and Baledagh strained his mind to comb through brother's senses, searching for something amiss.

"There are people ahead." After a brief pause, Gerel drew his sword and took the lead.

"Dastan guard my left, Rain, get to the back. If we get into a fight, bring the girl and the brat away. Got it?" Taking Mei Lin's hand, brother squeezed her dainty fingers for reassurance, and she replied with a confident grin, her skin flush with excitement. Blushing from the contact, Baledagh retreated from brother's senses out of reflex, not wanting to overstep his bounds. Though they never spoke of it, Baledagh couldn't imagine sharing Qing-Qing with another man, so he acted accordingly.

Besides, sharing in brother's happiness only served to remind Baledagh of his loss. Snuffing their torches, Gerel led the way through the darkness and within minutes, a light emerged from the end of the tunnel. Laying in wait as Gerel scouted ahead, Baledagh's curiosity rose to its peak as the seconds passed, listening to the bustle of footsteps, the jangling of chains, and metal crashing against metal.

Whoever it was, there were plenty of them hard at work, a disturbing revelation considering the island was supposedly abandoned. A stirring in the void caught his attention, and Baledagh's eyebrow rose in question.

"Uh... Brother," he said, retreating to the safety of the room, "The Heavenly Water seems... agitated."

"Holy shit." Brother appeared in the room and stared out at the frothy waters, circling the void in a massive riptide.

"I thought something was off. Blobby, what are you so excited for?" Baledagh wasn't privy to whatever communications passed between them, and he'd rather things stayed this way. Whenever he looked at the Heavenly Waters permeating through the near endless void, it filled him with an overwhelming sense of danger and vulnerability, as if he were a rabbit in the presence of a dragon. Thankfully, the Heavenly Waters were happy to ignore Baledagh presence, but he could still never bring himself to call it 'Blobby'.

"Whatever's ahead of us, it's got Blobby all hot and bothered. Don't worry, it's not after you, it seems... happy." Shrugging, brother patted Baledagh on the shoulder.

"Let's switch places so I can keep an eye on it, just in case. Lemme Send a message to the Guard Leader and then we're good." A moment later, Baledagh stepped into control and exhaled, before breathing in the hot, musty air. It was a world of difference from sharing brother's senses, feeling more natural and instinctive as opposed to the conscious study required while sharing. Releasing Mei Lin's warm, tender hand, he gave a wry smile of apology to the now-pouting hare-girl.

"I need both hands free," he whispered, drawing Peace from the scabbard. Tranquility was already strapped to his arm, a comfortable, reassuring pressure in this time of tension. His heart racing, Baledagh watched in silence as Dastan's retinue and half of BoShui's guards followed Gerel's people down the tunnel, arranging themselves outside the light streaming through a gate.

After a handful of minutes, Gerel kicked the gate in and charged forward, leaving him, Mei Lin, BoShui, and their guards all standing around with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs. BoShui did a little more, visibly trembling from head to toe as he stared down the hallway, his jaw clenched so tight a vein protruded from his neck. The Spectres circled around him, visible only to Baledagh as they pressed in close to BoShui, whispering deceitful lies and false promises to their Tainted vessel.

Itching to take his head, Baledagh kept an eye on BoShui, ready to act at a moment's notice should the Spectres take over.

"The way ahead is clear," the Guard Leader said, though not even a minute had passed since Gerel's heroic entry. Frowning as BoShui darted off, Baledagh hurried to keep up after telling Lin to stay behind, wondering what they'd find. The clanging and jangling clamour grew louder, joined by the sound of heavy grunting and laboured breathing as he stepped into the light. Blinking to adjust his eyes, he gazed in confusion at the scene before him.

Ignoring their presence, men and women stood scattered about inside the vast cavern, dressed in tattered, dirty rags while carrying out an assortment of tasks. Some used picks and hammers to chip away at the sides of an underground pool, while others collected the scraps and pieces and brought them away. Others stood above boiling cauldrons, stirring the contents as the collected fragments were dropped in.

Even more poor souls formed a line to draw water from the underground pool, also to be emptied into the cauldrons. At the back of the cavern, a handful of people ladled out a cauldron's contents into a rectangular mould, while still others stacked the metallic bars onto a hand-drawn wagon, sitting just outside a door on the other side. Most disturbingly of all, every single worker continued toiling away, with no curiosity shown towards Baledagh's party.

In fact, the workers appeared to be doing everything they could to ignore them.

"None of them respond to anything we do," Gerel said, gesturing at a comatose body laying in a pool of blood by the entrance.

"I stabbed the poor bastard on my way in, only to hear him apologize and go right back to work. Kept at it until he collapsed from blood loss." Switching to a silent Sending, he asked, "Are any of them Defiled?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Knowing this wasn't his place, Baledagh stepped aside for Rain.

"Answer Gerel, they're all Tainted, even worse than BoShui." Grimacing at the news, brother barked, "Drag one of them over." As Dastan and a soldier grabbed the closest worker, their target screeched in fear.

"Please," he howled, going stiff as a board, unable to muster up any resistance.

"I'm still strong, I can still work. Please, not the cauldrons! Nooo!!!" The other workers paid no attention to his cries, redoubling their efforts as if to prove their worth. Knowing the Defiled penchant for devouring flesh, Baledagh couldn't help but gag. Brother did the same, but he hid it well.

"Quiet. I only want to ask you some questions. What's going on here?"

"We do as the Lord commands," the worker babbled, kowtowing against the hard rock floor.

"We adhere to the schedule, the wagon goes out as soon as it's filled. No slacking here, we wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare." After saying this, the worker repeated himself over and over, stressing the schedule and shipments as if seeking redemption. Unable to garner any other knowledge, Rain gestured for the guards to release the man, who promptly scrambled back to his position to resume gathering stones.

"Give me that." Grabbing a shard from a passing worker, the Guard Leader studied it in the torch-light. Tossing it to Gerel in silence, the bald warrior's eyes widened in surprise. Running to the wagon, BoShui grabbed one of the dark, dull bars with both hands, clutching it to his chest like it were made of gold. The workers around him all recoiled away, falling to their knees and prostrating as BoShui cackled aloud, a tint of madness pervading through his strained laughter.

"Baledagh, switch. What's happening?" After taking over, Baledagh's heart skipped a beat.

"The Spectres," he said to brother, "They're taking over." Their howls of pleasure and victory filled Baledagh's ears as he shouted, "Grab BoShui! Toss him into the pool, now!" Following brother's orders, he devoured the Spectres before they could complete their task and infect BoShui, though Baledagh would've much preferred taking the mopey bastard's head.

Outnumbered and outmatched, the Society guards stood helpless as Dastan and Gerel smashed them aside, the bald warrior literally tossing BoShui into the pool of water. Diving in after him, Baledagh grabbed the struggling Warrant Officer, the close contact allowing him to better devour the Spectres. The wailing apparitions helpless to resist, Baledagh drew them into the void to be cleansed by the Heavenly Water.

Power surged through his body as he absorbed what remained, their essences cleansed of the Father's Taint. In the blink of an eye, BoShui's struggles subsided as he went limp in Baledagh's grasp. Relaxing at his victory, he swam for the surface and gasped for air, making sure BoShui's head stayed above water. As he headed for shore, brother said, "Stop. Hang out in the water for a while, Blobby left to do... something. I'm not sure what."

Wary of creatures lurking within the depths, Baledagh bobbed in place, paddling his feet to keep them both above water. After a few minutes of ignoring his people, brother gave the word to head back to shore, uneaten and unmolested. As Gerel dragged them out of the water, he growled, "Enjoy your swim? By the Mother, I don't know how you've survived this long. Get to safety, then you rest, idiot." Feeling more than a little maligned, Baledagh scowled and dropped BoShui to the ground.

Sputtering for breath, he came alive and flailed about in a panic before his guards came to his rescue, lifting him to his feet as they settled in to defend him. Though they sported a few bruises and bumps, none were gravely injured, though they were still heavily outmatched.

"You," BoShui gasped, staring at Baledagh in a mixture of confusion and awe.

"What did you do?" Unsure how to respond, Baledagh growled, "Nothing. You fell down the stairs, got it?" As Dastan and the Bekhai encircled the Society guards, Gerel Sent, "We should kill them all. This pool of water must be filled with Heavenly Energy and these stones have been soaking in it for who knows how long. Centuries at least, if not millennia. If we were to mine everything, it'd be enough to craft hundreds of Spiritual Weapons, maybe even thousands. This is an incalculable fortune..."

After Baledagh passed the message on, there was only silence for several heartbeats. And then, "Arghhhhh," brother screamed, causing Baledagh to wince. Luckily, it was only in the void and not out loud, lest they lose face before so many people.

"Hundreds?! THOUSANDS!!!???!!! FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKK! Do the right thing Rain, be the better person Rain, take the high road, build bridges, not fences. God Dammit, why am I so fucking dumb!?" Retreating from brother's self-directed fury, Baledagh returned to his room in the Void before bursting into laughter, unwilling to draw brother's ire. This was a good lesson for him; To be merciful to your enemies is to be cruel to yourself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To kill, or not to kill? That is the question.

Before I finish even asking the question, BoShui yells, "Stand down." Pushing his way to the front, he draws his dagger and cuts into his palm.

"I, Han BoShui, swear an Oath to the Heavens, never to reveal the existence of this cavern, or anything which happens, is discussed, or found within it. This I swear with the Heavens as my witness." A surge of Heavenly Energy swirls about him as his Oath settles in, rocking him back on his feet. Turning to his people, he snarled, "Well? Why are you all not following suit?" The other guards swear their oaths one by one, leaving no room for doubt.

Catching BoShui as he staggers towards me, I take the knife from his hand before easing him to sit on the floor.

"I'll have the rest of my retinue do the same, and even have them swear they've not yet revealed it," he says.

"I didn't set up a line of communication with the others, so no one will know, but please, you have to tell me." Swallowing hard, he pulls me close and whispers, "You weren't lying were you? To my cousin, I mean. You truly can sense... them, and even cleanse them, can't you?" Unwilling to comment, I pat his hand and say, "We'll talk about it some other time." Like never. Shaking his head, he tightens his grasp.

"No. I've given my oath to never reveal what happens here. You can tell me, you can trust me. I need to know. I felt it, I know you did something, please..." Glancing around to make sure no one is looking, I explain the whole spiel to BoShui through Sending. Oddly enough, Blobby even agrees to make an appearance, condensing in the palm of my hand and even giving a happy little bounce for emphasis. Huh, Did Blobby grow? I swear it was only about the size of tear drop before, and now its almost the size of a grape.

Weird, all it did was circle the waters once before coming back, all satisfied and energetic. Gerel said the pool was chock full of Heavenly Energy, but I thought Heavenly Water is supposed to emit Heavenly Energy, not absorb it. My amorphous tenant has nothing to say, settling in and around the void. Who knows, maybe Blobby was hungry or something. It's a mystery I don't have time for, as I'm knee deep in shit with BoShui at the moment.

"In conclusion," I Send, "I didn't have the Heavenly Water until I fell into the canals of Sanshu. I didn't even know about it before that, I just had a feeling. It's no wonder your cousin didn't believe me." By now, BoShui is looking at me as if I were the Mother herself, though his eyes fill with tears and regret.

"Was she...?" he asks, unable to voice the rest.

"No," I answer in a firm tone.

"She wasn't. She truly believed in her cause and thought she was doing the right thing." Which makes her life, and death, all the more tragic. Tears stream down BoShui's cheeks as he struggles for calm, breathing in a shuddering gasp.

"Thank you," he says, bowing his head before handing me the black brick he took from the wagon.

"There's something wrong with it. Before we even entered the cavern, I sensed there was something here for me. When I touched it, I wasn't myself. All I could feel was an overwhelming yearning for bloodshed and vengeance. I wanted to turn around and cut you down, order my men to fight to the death just to revel in death and destruction, until you..." Studying the item, I feel nothing strange about it.

If I wasn't seeing the entire process happening inside the cavern, I'd have thought these little bars were carved stone. There's nothing metallic about them, no glowing sheen or ring when tapped. Weird. Neither Baledagh nor Blobby have anything to say about it either, so I head to the wagon to see what I can find out. The workers ignore my presence, going about their tasks like I don't exist.

Fear and resignation mingle with the scent of unwashed bodies, these people surviving on a dwindling cache of water and rations sitting in the corner. No matter how much I insist, they refuse to stop working, shaking their heads and mutter 'I don't dare' or its equivalent. They don't even have an overseer, so broken in spirit they might've worked themselves to death if we hadn't arrived. After a few questions, I find out the other tunnel leads to the blacksmiths, where the bars are forged into weapons and armour.

I guess the secret cavern keeps people from finding out Yo Ling's secret, since not all of the Butcher Bay Bandits were Defiled. Heading back into the cavern, I check the closest cauldron, curious how they turn stone into liquid, then stone again, using only a pot sitting over a campfire. Peering into the first cauldron reveals nothing of note, merely a thick, viscous liquid almost ready to be poured out.

Making my way down the line, the liquid lightens in colour with each station I pass, until halfway through, I spot something floating in the pot. Swallowing my revulsion, I grab the ladle and fish up the contents for a better look. Interspersed with rock fragments and Heavenly Energy infused-water are gleaming shards of white, almost like white jade but not. My stomach drops as I guess its origins, but unwilling to speak without proof, I ask, "Where do you get these materials from?"

"There, Great one." Hurrying to show me, the nearest worker hurries toward a shadowy corner of the cavern. Lifting a previously unseen tarp, he reveals a desiccated corpse. Treated with something to keep the bones from rotting, it sits in a puddle of brownish-red filth, as if marinating before its time in the pot.

"Mercy Great One, but the Lord has yet to send us more and we will soon run out. Without more ingredients, we cannot work, and if we don't work..." The worker whimpers and cringes before lifting another tarp.

"We tried adding the fallen workers, but it's not working. The bones, they are not of the same quality. Also, the bodies, they are too wet and there also isn't enough of the solvent to dry them. No one knows how to make it either, it's always the Lord who prepares this for us, please Great One, you must speak to him." Numb to the horror of it all, my brain puts the pieces together and I'm not happy with my findings. The death and corpses don't surprise me much, it's fairly standard Defiled murder-hobo territory.

What's disturbing is the need for Spiritual Hearts and water infused with Heavenly Energy. Tranquility was made from the skull of a Meng-Zhua, some big, elephant looking mother fucker. Is it really all that different from what I'm seeing here? If this is true, then the difference between us and them isn't as great as I once thought, which means... I dunno what it means. I'm not sure how I feel about any of this. Chapter Meme