Chapter 9: A bag.
It didn’t take long for Yusciel to return inside the crack—her gravity shifted, causing her to slide in, kicking gravel in her wake. Her body felt sluggish, refusing to obey even her own thoughts. She lay down, mindless, with her eyes on the ceiling, the lenses still projecting outlines of the objects in front of her. Yusciel knew very well how dangerous it was to be near the dark passages—no one knew what might come and drag her back to the abyss.
The bag clutched in her arms felt cold and heavy, perhaps even heavier than her own body. She gulped, exhaustion finally catching up to her. The parched feeling in her throat made her conscious of her lips, dry and sweaty beneath the humid mask. Yusciel took a deep breath, hearing the wind whine. ‘Now is not the time, Yusciel—don’t think about it too much.’
She deactivated her goggles, locked the canister to turn it off, and removed them. Suddenly, she paused. ‘Right, I haven’t turned off the other mask.’
With those thoughts, Yusciel pushed herself off the ground, dragging the tall bag with one hand and holding her mask and goggles in the other. She approached Leo’s body, kneeling down and placing her equipment on top of her own bag—she couldn't be bothered to detach the canister, so she took it all together from her shoulder strap.
Yusciel didn’t forget Leo’s mask. She carefully pulled the canister from the woven threads wrapping his pants and placed it above his head. Gently, she removed the black towel covering his eyes and laid it beneath his head. Seeing him sleeping peacefully brought her a small sense of relief.
Feeling thirst clutching at her throat, Yusciel untied the water jug from her bag and took a long, loud gulp. The liquid felt foreign at first, almost uncomfortable, but it soon moistened her dry lips. A cool trickle traced down her chin. She wiped it away with her glove, tightly closed the jug, and returned it to her shoulder strap.
Her attention then shifted to the tall bag beside her. It was similar in design to hers but dyed a deep blue with a repeating black box pattern. Yusciel vaguely recalled seeing a few people carrying such bags, though their names eluded her. Hurriedly, she pulled the bag around to the front. Something caught her eye—a contilepass dangling from one of the straps.
With a nervous gulp, Yusciel reached for the contile and turned it over. Her heart raced as she saw familiar letters engraved on the back, in a language only an Addemish could read:
Maryphyel Sontha
That was the name. That was the owner of this bag. Yusciel took a deep breath, her grip loosening. The heavy metallic round object slipped from her fingers. Her hands trembled slightly as she remembered she wasn’t particularly close to Marphyel, but even that thought still felt disrespectful. She swallowed hard, the action catching in her throat. Bowing her head with a clenched fist placed over her heart, and prayed.
“Marphyel Sontha, I, Yusciel Navaris, thank you for your unwavering support among fellow Addemish. The memory of your existence will continue onward to the future until it reaches Altrehiem. May you rest and reincarnate in our home.”
A long, empty silence followed, broken only by Yusciel’s heartbeat and Leo’s soft breathing. Yusciel raised her head, casting a sidelong glance at the entrance of the abyssal hell, the punisher of countless deaths. Her solemn words escaped in a whisper, “Is this even worth it?”
She took another deep breath, feeling the humid air heavy in her lungs, her heart pounding loudly as it echoed through her empty insides. She continued, her words trailing off into a silent thought, “But I don’t want to return to that place…”
Yusciel exhaled, short and loud, before resuming. She mused, ‘Do I need to place my contilepass outside? Someone might still be there, trying to find an exit—but then again, I don’t remember anyone complaining about finding exits. And there’s no rule that it’s compulsory to place a contilepass on entrances.’
Once secured, Yusciel pulled the cover off the bag, untying its main compartment. One by one, she began taking out the items inside: thin metallic boxes, wooden wand, a pouch full of small pebbles—knowing the boastful Marphyel, these were probably lead bullets for her favorite custom flintlock.
Using the light bulb to see what was left, Yusciel didn’t find any extra flintlocks she could use. She clicked her tongue softly, ‘If only I had remembered to bring my sword… Stupid Yusciel.’
Yusciel proceeded to take out the clothes—they were small but still too large for Leo to wear. However, she noticed Marphyel had extra goggles inside and a small, deep blue robe with numerous pockets. Yusciel placed the atop of her bag to separate them before putting everything else back inside.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
A soft groan reached Yusciel’s ears. She turned to see Leo slowly opening his eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion, blinking rapidly as his gaze darted around. As their eyes met, he suddenly snapped awake, bolting upright without warning.
His abrupt movement triggered a wave of pain—he clutched his head, gasping for breath as his body convulsed.
“Calm down,” Yusciel said, her voice low but clear.
Responding to her words, Leo turned towards her and took a deep breath to steady himself. “What happened?” he asked, his voice hoarse. As he spoke, he suddenly jolted back, his hands frantically patting his mouth.
“A Nytclad attacked us,” Yusciel explained, nodding towards the entrance of the passage. “I managed to escape through there.” She continued arranging their bag as she spoke.
“Nytclad?” Leo repeated, the unfamiliar term deepening his confusion.
Yusciel didn’t reply immediately, prompting Leo to call out, his voice croaking but laced with concern, “Miss?”
“I don’t know much,” Yusciel finally responded, her tone weary. “It’s my first time encountering them too.” She thought to herself, ‘I don’t feel like talking. I’m exhausted.’
Closing the bag’s cover tightly, she added, “I’ve only heard about them from friends. They’re some kind of phenomenon—or perhaps monsters—that like twisting things inside out.”
“Then how did we manage to escape?” Leo questioned, his eyes scanning his body as if checking for injuries.
Yusciel’s eyes rolled; talking required more mental energy than venturing into the dark passage. She reached for her bag, retrieving the deep blue robe and goggles, then thrust them at Leo. “Wear these.”
“Huh?” Leo looked puzzled, his eyes shifting between the large, draping cloth and Yusciel.
“Wear them,” Yusciel insisted, pressing the items against his chest until his hands reflexively grasped them. Leo nodded, obediently following her instructions. She then took her water jug, placing it near Leo. “Replenish yourself,” she added.
While he dressed, Yusciel inspected her grappling gear. The moment she opened the front panel, her glass display showed seven out of ten gen crystals were depleted. She pulled out her portable storage container and began replacing them, carefully swapping out the dim and broken crystals for newer ones.
Once done, Yusciel stowed the container and turned her attention to her mask. She detached the metal canister from the mask’s tube and hung the mask on her shoulder strap, ensuring its tubes were securely fastened to avoid any distractions. Finally, she stored the canisters back on the strap before taking a sidelong glance at Leo.
Yusciel saw Leo drinking from the water jug with audible gulps. Seeing this, she turned her attention back to the bags. As she worked mindlessly, Leo’s concerned voice reached her ears. “Umm, miss. What happened while I was out?”
“Nothing,” she replied tersely.
“Really?” He sounded doubtful. “But there’s a bag there… Did you find… someone?”
“That…” Yusciel paused, turning to finally meet his gaze. She saw Leo had finished drinking and was closing the cap. She extended her arm. “The water jug. Also, the canisters and mask—try to store them in your robe.”
Yusciel’s eyes scanned him; he had donned the robe, its dark blue hood covering his head and goggles resting on his neck. The garment’s size nearly swallowed him, reaching down to his feet. Before standing up, Yusciel secured the water jug and dragged both bags close to her.
Yusciel hefted Marphyel’s bag—it was heavy, likely due to the lead shots stored inside. Her own bag, while it appeared bulky, felt lighter in comparison. She turned to Leo, pushing her bag towards him. “See if you can carry this.”
“I definitely can,” Leo boasted, eagerness gleaming in his eyes.
He grasped the bag by its shoulder strap, confidence evident in his posture. Suddenly, Yusciel released her grip, causing Leo to stumble forward and drop the bag with a thud. She quickly caught him before he could lunge forward.
“You definitely can’t,” Yusciel remarked nonchalantly as she retrieved the bag and slung it over shoulder.
Leo let out a wry laugh before eyeing the other bag. “What about this one?” he suggested.
“Marphyel’s bag is heavier than mine,” she warned.
“Marphyel?” Leo tilted his head, stepping back from the bag.
“The owner of this bag,” she answered curtly.
“Is she…” Leo’s words followed, but quickly trailed into silence.
Yusciel pulled Marphyel’s bag close and began tightening the straps and dangling cords, ensuring it wouldn’t hinder her movement. Leo’s voice piped up from below, doubt evident in his tone, “Really? You carried it so easily.”
“I carried my bag so easily,” she retorted, still focused on the dangling cords. “And you?—you can’t.”
“Well, yeahh,” he drawled, his voice defeated. “Oh, by the way, what should we do with this light bulb?”
Yusciel quickly glanced, her hands finally tucking away the last cord. “You should be able to hang that on your robe somewhere,” she suggested.
As Leo examined his dark blue robe, he discovered a chain hanging from a chest piece and quickly used it to attach the light bulb. Before he could finish, Yusciel started walking towards the ornate wooden door ahead of them, Marphyel’s bag in hand.
Leo’s panicked footsteps shuffled behind her, but Yusciel paid no attention. She carefully observed the door, noting its intricately carved designs. Leaning in, she placed her ear against the uneven surface, listening for any sounds from the other side. Hearing only silence, she gulped and turned to Leo.
“Stay there for a moment—but not too close to the dark passage’s entrance,” she instructed in a whisper. “There might be something beyond this door. If there is, make sure to immediately put on your mask and lock the canisters. Understood?”