By the time he made it back to the main lounge, the guild was assembled and ready to move. Emma stood near the front with Rook, both in full combat gear.
She glanced at Kurt, and for a split second, he saw something like recognition or maybe, awareness in her eyes before her expression went back to being unreadable.
Kurt nodded at her, trying to get a reaction, but she just looked away.
'Right then,' he thought. 'That's how we're playing it.'
"Everyone ready?" Rook called out, and a chorus of affirmatives echoed through the warehouse.
"Then let's move out. Time to see what the Crimson Hollows have waiting for us."
They marched out of the warehouse into the morning light. Kurt fell into step beside Emma, who walked with her hands shoved in her jacket pockets, shoulders slightly hunched like she was bracing against something invisible.
The silence between them was uncomfortable, until Kurt couldn't take it anymore.
"So," he said casually. "About last night—"
"What about it?" Emma cut him off.
"I was just gonna say—"
"It was good sex." She didn't look at him, just kept walking. "It happened. It's over. We're not gonna talk about it like we're in some shitty romance novel. "
Kurt lit a cigarette. "Just good huh?" He grinned and took a drag. "Anyways, just wanted to make sure we're good."
"We're fine." Emma finally glanced at him, and her expression was carefully neutral. "And yeah, it was good. You've still got a lot to remember."
"Fair enough," Kurt said.
They walked in silence for another minute before Emma spoke again, voice quieter now. "You get weird about it, and I'll shoot you."
Kurt smiled slightly. "Noted."
"And if you die in that dungeon," she added, still not looking at him, "don't expect me to be at your funeral. Already did that once. Not doing it again."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Emma's jaw tightened slightly, and Kurt caught the way her hands clenched into fists in her pockets. She was holding something back, but there was no way in hell she'd let it out.
So Kurt did the only thing that made sense. He pulled the cigarette from his lips and held it out to her.
Emma looked at it for a second, then took it without a word. She took a long drag, exhaled smoke, and handed it back.
"Still smoking the cheap stuff." Emma finally turned to look at him.
"I'm guessing I've come to like the cheap stuff."
Emma scoffed. "Sounds like another broke person anthem to me."
***
They reached the transit station and boarded the transport that would take them to the Crimson Hollows. The trip took about an hour as the landscape shifted from urban decay to wilderness.
Kurt spent the time studying his system screen, trying to figure out how to allocate his points strategically.
He had eleven points and two F-rank abilities that each cost five points to upgrade. He could boost them now or save up for later. The smart play was probably to wait, see what happened in the dungeon, see if dying gave him something more useful.
So he decided to wait.
The transport stopped at the dungeon entrance, a massive cave mouth carved into the side of a mountain that served as a portal.
Administrative buildings were built around it for Dungeon Authority personnel who milled about, checking credentials and logging entries.
Rook handled the paperwork while the rest of them geared up. Kurt strapped on his weapons properly, checked his potions, and tried to ignore the nervous feeling building in his gut.
"First time back in a dungeon since you died," Lizzie said, appearing beside him so suddenly he nearly dropped his knife.
She had that wild look in her eyes and a bright smile. "How're you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Scared? All three? I'm all three. Well, mostly excited. Okay, mostly scared. No wait—"
"I'm fine, Lizzie."
"Fine!" She laughed. "That's what people say right before they die. 'I'm fine!' And then BAM!" She clapped her hands hard. "Not fine anymore. Very dead. Super dead."
Kurt looked at her properly. "You alright?"
"Me? Oh yeah, totally fine. Super fine. Fine-fine-fine." Her grin stretched wider, but there was something that said she was holding herself together with duct tape and sheer willpower. "Just, you know, going into another dungeon where you died last time, no big deal, people die all the time, it's fine—"
"Lizzie."
She stopped talking, her smile freezing in place.
"I'm not planning on dying today," Kurt said quietly.
"Yeah, well." Her voice went softer. "You weren't planning on it last time either. But you did. And I had to—" She cut herself off, shaking her head violently. "Nope. Not thinking about that. Not thinking about watching you bleed out while I tried to heal you and couldn't because your insides were outsides and—" She laughed again, the sound edged with hysteria. "Anyway! Don't die! Easy, right?"
Before Kurt could respond, she bounced away, already talking to someone else with that same energy.
Kurt watched her go, understanding now that Lizzie had her own shit to deal with. Different from Emma's, but shit nonetheless.
Then a notification flashed in Kurt's vision.
[WARNING: Entering C-Rank Dungeon]
Recommended Party Size: 8-12
Current Party Size: 12
Survival Probability: 47%
"Bloody fantastic," Kurt muttered. "The system's a pessimist."
Rook waved them over. "We're cleared. Time to go."
They formed up and walked through the dungeon entrance. The moment they crossed the threshold, everything changed.
The temperature spiked. Heat rolled out of the tunnels in waves, and the air smelled of sulfur and burning stone.
"Welcome to the Crimson Hollows," Emma said, checking her guns. "No one's holding anyone's hands here. You fuck up, you die. Simple as that."
Kurt grinned and lit another cigarette after going through the last one. "Comforting."
"Wasn't trying to be."
They descended into the darkness, and Kurt felt something between excitement, anticipation, and maybe a little bit of fear. This was it. This was where he'd start getting answers.
One death at a time.
***
They'd been walking for about twenty minutes when Kurt felt it, a strange tug in his mind, like someone pulling on a thread he didn't know was there.
He stopped mid-step, his hand going to his head.
"Kurt?" Emma turned back. "You alright?"
The sensation intensified, and suddenly the dungeon disappeared.
He was small again. Six, maybe seven years old. The flat was tiny and reeked of stale beer and cigarette smoke.
His mum stood between him and his father, who was swaying on his feet, a broken bottle clutched in one massive hand.
"Move," his father slurred, voice thick with alcohol and rage.
"No." His mum's voice was steady despite the fear in her eyes. "You're not touching him."
"I said MOVE!"
The bottle came down, but his mum didn't move.
Kurt heard the sound of glass shattering against bone. Saw his mum fall to the floor, blood streaming down her face. Saw his father stagger back, staring at his own hand like he couldn't believe what he'd done.
Then the memory shattered like the bottle, and Kurt was back in the dungeon, gasping for air.
"Kurt!" Emma grabbed his shoulders. "What the fuck just happened?"
He blinked, trying to orient himself. The guild members were staring at him with varying expressions of concern and confusion. Rook was already moving closer, hand on his weapon.
Then the notification appeared.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT RECOVERED]
+2 Points Awarded
Available Points: 13
Kurt laughed, and the sound was hollow. "I suppose the dots are connecting now."
"You remembered something," Emma said carefully.
"Yeah." Kurt rubbed his face, his hands shaking slightly. "Not sure I wanted to, though."
The memory sat heavy in his chest, the sound of glass breaking, his mum's blood on the floor, the smell of cheap beer and violence.
"Kurt," Rook said quietly. "You good to continue?"
Kurt took a long drag of his cigarette, using the nicotine to steady himself. "Yeah. I'm good."
He wasn't, but that didn't matter. They had a dungeon to clear.
Emma walked slowly beside him as they continued deeper. She didn't say anything, didn't ask what he'd seen, but her shoulder brushed against his briefly in contact that was almost accidental but wasn't.
It was the closest thing to comfort she could offer.
And somehow, that was enough.
They pressed deeper into the Crimson Hollows, and Kurt couldn't shake the weight of that memory. His past was buried somewhere in his head, and the resurrection system was slowly digging it up.
He just hoped he'd survive long enough to understand what it all meant.
***
A/N: I hope you're enjoying this so far. Add to Library and send a power stone or two if you're.
And a review or two would mean something to me! Thank you and peace!