Trash: Chapter 176 Crystal Rain (Patreon)

Chapter 176

Crystal Rain

“We good?” I ask, a note of panic in my voice that I hope doesn’t get picked up on by the ROW officers and professors that I am asking.

It’s not that I’m afraid of the spooky room with magical stalactites dripping down magical radiation onto the ground onto where stalagmite protrusions once stood. Nor the fact that after being in this long-abandoned lab, I don’t think I will ever get the scent of black mold out of my lungs as to why I want to leave here so much. No, to put it bluntly, I saw spirits stuck at the entrance of this place, all seeming to want to move away, but all bound here for some odd reason. While I didn’t register the looks on their faces at the time, I do fully understand their want to leave here, which is odd as I’m pretty sure these spirits are bound to this domicile, meaning if they leave they are dead. Well dead again? Dead further? Finally, fully dead? I don’t know.

I don’t know what awaits those ghosts, but it seems that the thought of nonexistence is entirely better than whatever is lurking in here. While we, have been relatively safe in here thanks to Lelia’s guidance, I don’t want to chance it. We’ve had a good run, Lelia proved both her innocence and earned the team five hundred credits, meaning that her and therefore my reason for being here is at its end. That is why I want to leave.

“Yeah, you two can go back,” Lt. Keller replies dismissively, confirming that everything we were bound to provide had been provided.

“Okay, we will be going,” I reply, though I can already see an excited look filling Lt. Keller’s face. It is the look of anticipation of finding something new. Yet, looking at him, I couldn’t help but feel that I was looking at a dead man. Maybe it was the way his cheeks suddenly looked hollow, or how for a second I thought I caught a vacant reflection in his eyes. Regardless of the reason, I knew that this was not the moment he seemed to think it was going to be. Then as if to add to my own unease about the situation.

“Hey guy’s you’re all going to want to see this! I got it to work!” An excited professor calls out from up the staircase. Then almost as if to confirm how wrong everything was, a deep mechanical whirring sound came to life from above.

At his exclamation and subsequent stirring to life of ancient machinery, everyone stopped exploring. The two professors closest to the staircase stopped what they were doing, one was looking at stalagmite formations in a corner, while another was trying to break into a seemingly welded shut metal cabinet, and both proceeded to hesitantly go to the staircase and go up. As the two professors disappeared completely, Lt. Keller seemed to move forward as if being pulled by a phantasmal chain.

Everyone just stared at the now empty staircase.

I wondered if I was the only one who thought this was odd. A quick scan showed that no, I was not alone as almost everyone was staring above. Most were in awe, as rightfully so, this was an apparently abandoned factory that somehow miraculously came to life now of all times. I didn’t know why, nor how, but I did know this was not that I didn’t want to be part of this, and I was not alone as my eyes Lelia’s eyes glowing dull golden, and that’s when I saw it, her look of fear. This girl apparently openly explored ruins with no problem, joined my team no questions asked, and even stood her ground against people who could ruin her academic career, yet now she looked startled. Seeing her look, I again wondered if it was that same fantastical site that revealed this location to her, and somehow got me stuck here as well.

Realizing this was our chance to go, I just turned to Lelia and pointed towards the exit, figuring that these guys had this well at hand. Then the machine had not one but two more hiccups, that shook dust loose from the ceiling above us, before finally going back to its odd dull rhythm. Then, to my surprise, I felt rain. Well, what I thought was rain, until I looked up and realized that we were still inside a building that went at least one or two floors up above me. Seeing the source of the rain, I suddenly felt disgusting as I knew this wasn’t rain, but rather some calcified sludge water that poured down on me. Instinctively I used Trash to remove the liquid and its odd glowing effect from my skin and clothes.

“Yuck,” one of the professors called out as they moved out of the way. It was odd to note that most of the water came from just under crystalline stalactites. The only problem, the entire ceiling seemed to be covered in these protrusions. Looking back at Lelia, I was oddly fascinated by the fact that she found the one dry spot in the room, a spot that seemed both clear of falling liquid, and to avoid pooling areas of liquid both. After a second of watching, I realized that it was not just luck, but something to do with either her sight, or instincts that let her avoid this type of trouble, something I made a note to follow more stringently in the future. Just as I was making this mental note, one of the two professors called out from the staircase.

“Hey, boss, you’ve got to see this!” A second voice calls out, likely from one of the two professors that just went up the staircase to view whatever their friend had found.

“Coming,” Lt. Keller called out as he proceeded to the staircase entrance. Chills. My body involuntarily shivered at the sight of the lieutenant entering the staircase. Part of me told me to leave, to run far away from the area and to never return. I simultaneously hated, and truly respected that part of my mind as I realized that there was something seriously wrong. Then as if my fears came to life, the voice at the top of the staircase continued.

“Actually, you might want to bring everyone with you,” the second voice called out.

Pausing for just a second, Lt. Keller stopped and looked around the room. By now, the ten-person party was left with just seven professors, along with Lelia and me. When he locked gazes with me, I had a fear that he might call me to go up with him. Then before my worst fears were made real, Lt. Keller did the nicest thing I had could imagine.

“You two can go back, we’ve got this,” Lt. Keller called out to me, while gesturing for Lelia and I to leave. Then as if expecting something, Lt. Keller turned to the rest of his party and declared, “the rest of you, follow up on me.”

I didn’t think twice, as I turned around and left, gently touching Lelia to get her to move. Despite the situation we were in, and the clear look of fear on her face she seemed reluctant to leave. At first I thought it was fear, but she almost fought me to stay, before ultimately turning and leading the way through the broken double glass doors.

Following her, we made our way quickly out of the odd intersection and finally back to the dirt covered corridor that while dirtier, felt oddly safer. It took my mind a moment to realize why, as my Earth Resonance Skill instantly awoke once we got on the thinnest layer of dirt. While this section was dirtier and by all means filled with more mold and enough corroding factors to melt a skeleton down to slag in seconds, I felt safer out here.

Only once we got to the open hallway did Lelia pause and seem to wrestle with herself before she stopped to stare me in the eyes and declare, “you know they are going to die?”

“What?” I asked out of reflex, not expecting such a definitive response from her, until I saw the seriousness in her gaze and realized she meant this, that’s when I tried to convince her, along with myself. “They are trained ROW officers and experienced faculty, they’ve got this.”

Lelia just shook her head and finally noted, “no they are all dead.”

Seeing that I was not budging at her statement, she pointed to her still glowing eyes. “I can see it, their fates and their fates all but disappeared as they went up those stairs.”

For a second I wanted to protest, as I knew we could leave. There was nothing that would harm us from here, then I heard it.

“AHH!” Cries of pain, followed by more intense whirring and cycling of the machine that had suddenly come alive. Out of curiosity, I walked back to just peer through the broken glass doors.

That’s when I saw what could only be described as a flood of glowing crystalline water. Water that was somehow responsible for creating system crystals falling from the ceiling and pooling onto the ground. Seeing all the pieces at work now, it was undeniable to realize that the running machinery had something to do with the crystalizing water that was forming and falling from the ceiling. In my mind I imagined the machines pumping water into an overfull bathtub that would then pour over the sides and flood the floor below like some bad sitcom scene. Somehow my mind broke at the thought, as I apparently found myself laughing at the odd image and how my mental image of kids jumping into an over full bathtub seemed incongruous to the horrific sounds and screams that were coming from above.

“You okay?” Lelia asks, hearing my unhinged laugh and pulling me back to the horrors that are going on around me. Turning to see her concern, I realize that she is right, this is not the time to laugh or get distracted. Realizing I almost lost it, I take a breath and center myself before responding.

“Yeah,” I respond. Then after the next wave of cries of pain can be heard coming from above, I say probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever thought. “Now let’s go save them.”

Lelia looks like she wants to protest, and again something in my mind tells me that I should go. Leave now and get help, then come back, but I can’t help it, something deep in me hears people crying out in pain, and I need to respond. Turning away, I quickly dash my way through the room, trying to avoid as many falling drops of crystallizing water as possible.

My body and mind are moving on instinct as I am already channeling my Life Reinforced Movements* Skill. I run over and around stalagmites, perform a skitter-jump over the streams of crystallizing water that are pooling and roaming like blind serpents on the floor. Then I make my way to the staircase and only see a long dark staircase illuminated by dark purple mana. Just seeing the dark purple mana, I realize that it is a darker form of spirit magic, the type the DiVoratore are famous for. The type that was being used by the odd witch in the old house on campus. For a moment, I wonder if there is a connection. If that wall flower of a spider-litch was somehow influenced by this very facility. Then I shake my head, realizing that I need to focus, despite it being harder than expected to do just that.

Focusing, I pushing my body to move faster than might be advisable in unknown and clearly improperly maintained terrain, but I know how dangerous getting caught in staircases and tight funnels can be, so I pump my legs to take two steps at a time as I fly up the staircase. Only to emerge at the top, take a look around, then my mind takes in multiple tentacles as a few of the ROW officers have banded together around Lt. Keller and are resisting an attack.

I’m so focused on what is happening ahead of me, that I fail to notice the threat that is sneaking up from behind. Only the faintest rustling sound alerts me to my mistake as I turn and barely have time to see the attack coming, a bright burning ball of dark spirit energy burst forward covering my face. I move my hands up to block, but it’s not enough

My eyes and body feel the burning flash of light and pain, before darkness takes me.