Aisha pov
I sprinted through the narrow, blood-splattered alleyway, my boots slamming against the slick cobblestones. My lungs burned like open furnaces, and every ragged breath tasted like iron and smoke. Beside me, Chris was practically dragging his feet, gasping for air as he hauled the heavy, crystallized form of Lukreia.
I glanced franticly over my shoulder, my heart dropping straight into my stomach.
The alley behind us was empty… except for the wet, dragging footsteps and guttural shrieks of the infected closing in.
"Eirene! James! Where are they?!"
"Just leave them! They're gone, Aisha! If we stop, we die!"
SCREECH!
A small horde of six calcified ground-thralls rounded the alley corner behind us, their hollow, milky eyes locking onto our backs.
"In here! Bank right!" I yelled.
We threw ourselves into a tight, dark space between two towering stone houses, praying it led to another street. But as we sprinted ten paces in, my boots skidded to a violent halt against a solid, windowless brick wall.
"It's a dead end!" I shrieked, pressing my back against the stone.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
Chris swore, slamming his shoulder against the wall in desperation.
He frantically looked around until his eyes landed on a heavy, iron-barred sewer grate set directly into the lower foundation of the brick wall.
"It's no use... wait!"
Chris turned to me, his bloodshot eyes wide with frantic hope as he pointed at the heavy iron bars.
"Aisha! Can you blow this open or cut through it using your fire magic?!"
I froze, my hands trembling violently as I looked down at the enchanted Death Chant Tommy gun Eirene had given me before the hospital breach. The polished steel frame felt cold, but the magical array etched along the barrel hummed with heat.
"I... um... okay! Move back!" I stuttered.
I stepped up to the grate, raised the Tommy gun, and squeezed the trigger.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
A flurry of bright, incendiary orange bullets erupted from the muzzle, slamming straight into the rusted iron hinges and locking pins holding the grate in place. The superheated kinetic impacts sheared through the ancient metal instantly, sending the heavy iron frame clattering inward into the dark, murky water below.
"In! Get in, quick!" Chris barked, shoving the crystallized Lukreia through the gap before sliding down into the dark tunnel himself.
I scrambled through the opening right behind them, landing ankle-deep in foul, stinking sewage water. The air down here was thick, cold, and reeked of stagnant waste, but it was shelter.
"Aisha! Close the grate! Weld it shut before they get in here!" Chris screamed from behind me.
I spun around just as the leading edge of the horde… four or five calcified thralls… jammed themselves into the narrow alleyway outside, their razor-sharp bone blades scraping against the brick walls as they lunged for the opening.
"GET BACK!" I screamed in pure, unadulterated terror.
Panicking completely, I held down the trigger of the Tommy gun.
ROAAR-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
A blinding hail of orange fire-bullets swept horizontally across the gap. The incendiary rounds tore through the chest cavities and skulls of the first four monsters, blowing them backward into a bloody, smoldering pile on the alley floor.
Without wasting a single second, I grabbed the heavy iron grate, yanked it back up into its frame, and held it flush against the stone wall. I pressed the muzzle of the Tommy gun directly against the iron bars and edges, firing controlled, heavy bursts of thermal rounds directly onto the seams.
TRRR-TRRR-TRRR!
The extreme, localized heat of the magic bullets instantly melted the iron bars, liquifying the metal until it fused directly into the surrounding stone foundation. I swept the barrel back and forth, reshaping and welding the red-hot iron together until the grate was completely sealed tight.
THUD! BANG-BANG-BANG!
Just as the last glowing weld hardened, the rest of the massive horde slammed violently against the outside of the grate. Dozens of grey, rotting hands and calcified fingers shoved through the narrow slits, clawing blindly at the air, but the molten iron held firm. The monsters snarled and beat their fists against the reinforced bars, completely unable to break through into the tunnel.
I collapsed backward into the foul water, my chest heaving violently as I clutched the warm barrel of the Tommy gun against my knees, listening to the muffled shrieks of the trapped horde echoing outside.
Chris let out a long, shuddering breath, slumping his back against the damp brick wall of the sewer pipe.
"Good job... really good job, Aisha, that was a damn close call. I honestly didn't know a student from the Sisiphon Magic Academy could be this brave under pressure." he wheezed, wiping a streak of grime and sweat from his forehead.
I squeezed the warm handle of the Tommy gun, my hands still shaking violently as I looked at the red-hot, welded iron bars behind us.
"I wasn't being brave... I was terrified out of my mind. If I didn't weld that grate, we'd be eaten alive right now."
Chris nodded grimly, peering back up into the dark alleyway where the trapped thralls were still mindlessly slamming their grey fists against the iron.
"Well, I suppose there are no more monsters down this specific pipeline. Besides, what kind of creature would hide in a filthy drainage pipe anyway?"
"Don't lower your guard, I think there could still be monsters wandering down here... or maybe even survivors who fled underground just like us." I warned softly, stepping deeper into the shadows of the tunnel.
I raised my left hand and snapped my fingers.
FZZT!
A small, bright orange sphere of fire ignited above my open palm, hovering in the damp air like a magical torch to illuminate the pitch-black tunnel ahead.
"Let's go," I said.
We began picking our way along the narrow stone ledge running alongside the murky sewer stream. As we walked, the suffocating stench of stagnation and waste filled the air, making every breath a chore.
"Mr. Chris, I have a question for you."
Chris chuckled faintly, hauling the heavy, crystallized form of Lukreia over his shoulder.
"Oh, please don't call me 'Mr.'... just Chris is fine."
I tilted my head, looking back at him.
"Why is that? You're an official authority figure, aren't you?"
"Because I was just an ordinary fisherman back before all this chaos, no fancy noble manners here. I just got thrust into leadership. So, what did you want to ask?"
"Do you happen to know the layout of these sewers? A map or a drainage route?"
Chris sighed, shaking his head.
"No. I was only recently elected as the governor, and reviewing the subterranean plumbing blueprints wasn't exactly high on my agenda before the town collapsed. I haven't the faintest idea where this tunnel leads."
I groaned quietly. I really wished we had someone with us who actually knew the layout of this place. It reeked horribly down here, and with every step, the bottom of my academy boots sank into a disgusting, mushy layer of ancient muck.
We waded through the dark tunnel for another fifty yards until a low, echoing sound caught my attention.
Muffled voices.
I froze instantly, signaling Chris to stop. Further down the curved stone passageway, distinct human murmurs were echoing off the wet walls.
"Someone's down here..." I whispered.
Stepping forward carefully, I raised my voice and called out into the darkness:
"Hello?! Is someone there?!"
A sharp, alarmed yell echoed back from the shadows ahead. To give us a clearer view, I focused a bit more mana into my palm, expanding the floating fire orb until it flared twice its size, casting a wide, brilliant amber glow across the subterranean corridor.
Three distinct silhouettes materialized in the bright light at the end of the walkway: two women… one carrying the other… and an older man in a torn guard uniform.
Chris gasped beside me, his eyes widening in total disbelief.
"Wait... Gatekeeper Keith?!"
The guard squinted through the harsh firelight, his jaw dropping as he recognized the face behind the flame.
"Governor Chris?! What in the gods' names are you doing down in the sewers?!"
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Keith," Chris gasped out, carefully setting the heavy, crystallized form of Lukreia against the stone wall.
Keith's eyes drifted past Chris, widening as he took in the glowing blue structure.
"Oh my... who is that behind you?"
"This is my daughter, Lukreia," Chris said softly, his voice thick with emotion.
"She's completely neutralized for now," I added, lowering my hand slightly to dim the floating orb of fire.
Keith exhaled, gesturing toward the two women beside him.
"We have other survivors here. This is Catherine, a mage from the summoning ritual, and Patricia, a paladin from Caria City."
As I lowered the fire further, the amber light caught the side of Patricia's neck. Beneath the edge of her heavy collar armor, a tear in her tight black bodysuit exposed a strange, jagged series of deep vertical slits on her skin. They didn't look like scratches from a blade… they were pulsing unnaturally, almost wet.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
FLEX-SNAP!
Instinct took over. I raised Eirene's Death Chant Tommy gun, snapping the muzzle straight at Patricia's chest.
Patricia froze instantly, her hand darting to the hilt of her rapier as Keith recoiled.
"Woah, woah! Hold on!" Keith yelled.
"Patricia, are you bitten?! What the hell is on your neck?!"
Patricia's eyes flashed with panic. She reached up with a steel gauntlet, frantically pulling her torn collar up to hide the marks.
"It's nothing! Put the weapon down!"
"That's not nothing!" Chris shouted, backing up a step to shield Lukreia.
Catherine, still leaning weakly against Patricia's side, turned her head to look up at her companion's neck. Her pale face twisted in alarm.
"Wait... what is it, Patricia? Are you seriously bitten? Tell me the truth!"
"I'm not infected!" Patricia yelled.
Seeing four weapons and suspicious eyes locked onto her, she slowly released her rapier, unbuttoned the top latch of her high-collared bodysuit, and pulled the tight fabric down past her collarbone.
Exposed in the dim firelight were three fully developed, pulsing breathing slits embedded neatly into the side of her throat.
"I'm not bitten, These are gills. I'm a hybrid… half-human, half-mermaid." Patricia said, her voice dropping into a quiet, vulnerable hush.
A stunned silence fell over the sewer pipe.
I slowly lowered the barrel of my Tommy gun. Her gills were flaring steadily, pulling in the damp air. She had human legs beneath her armor, normal rounded ears, and no fins… a hybrid who had clearly kept her origin hidden to pass as a human Paladin.
"Let's not get hostile, everyone, we're all just trying to survive down here." I said, letting the floating fire orb settle back into a steady glow.
"Patricia's right, We've been circling these damn tunnels for hours. It's a complete labyrinth. We need a way out." Keith muttered, rubbing his tired eyes.
Patricia glanced over at Chris, her eyes lingering on him for a quiet, heavy moment… as if recognizing him from some distant past before she quickly looked away.
"Governor, Do you know these sewers?"
"Perhaps... but no, I don't, I'm the governor, but I never studied the subterranean layouts."
"Well, Let's navigate."
As we picked our way through the stinking dark, the filthy sewage water reached all the way up to my knees. Being a petite fifteen-year-old, every step felt like a disgusting nightmare, with giant sewer rats splashing past us in the gloom. I kept my fire orb floating just ahead, trying my best not to look down at the mush floating around my boots.
Patricia adjusted her grip on Catherine, her eyes fixed on Chris as we waded through the murky current.
"Governor... have we met somewhere before?" Patricia asked, her sharp voice softening with a rare trace of uncertainty.
Chris chuckled faintly, using his free arm to balance himself on the slippery stone wall.
"Well, I don't know, lass. Before all this political madness, I was just a humble fisherman. Then I spent time as an inmate in the Citadel, sold dynamite for deep-sea fishing, and somehow ended up as the governor of this city."
Patricia froze in her tracks, the knee-deep water rippling around her plate armor as her eyes widened.
"Ten years ago… I fled across the sea to escape pirate captors. I washed up exhausted on the docks of Lulu City, barely breathing. A fisherman found me on the shore… he was tanned, muscular, and had a loving young daughter. He brought me to his home, fed me, let me rest, and his little girl became my very first friend before I was sent to Caria for adoption. Do you... do you remember any of that?" Patricia began softly, her voice echoing off the damp brick arches.
Chris skidded to a dead halt, his jaw dropping as he turned around to stare at the paladin in absolute disbelief. The dim orange light of my floating fire illuminated the sudden realization washing across his face.
"Oh... oh my gods, I remember now! You're Patricia?!"
"Yes," Patricia murmured, a faint, rare smile touching her lips.
"You're that poor, washed-up kid from the beach! I remember finding you near the nets, covered in sand and trying to hide those gills! I never forgot that!" Chris exclaimed, shaking his head in sheer awe.
"Yes... that was me, I took the name Patricia Barbon when I was registered in Caria, but... you gave me a second chance at life, Chris." Patricia nodded, her posture softening.
"Look at you! You've grown into a fine, strong young woman! A Royal Paladin of the Bureau! I can hardly believe it!" Chris beamed, his rough, weathered face lighting up despite the suffocating stink of the sewer.
Patricia bowed her head slightly, her armor clinking softly.
"I owe much of the path I walked to the kindness you and your family showed an outcast stranger that night."
Chris turned, gesturing proudly toward the red-crystallized girl resting securely across his shoulder.
"Hey, Lukreia! Look who it is! It's Patricia! Your old friend from the docks!"
Patricia looked at the slumbering, crystal-encased form of Lukreia, her expression softening into a mixture of warmth and fierce determination.
"We'll get her cured, Chris, I promise you. Now let me take the lead… I'm not letting anything happen to my savior's family." Patricia said firmly, raising her rapier to point down the dark, echoing tunnel ahead.
We continued picking our way through the sloshing, foul water until the golden light of my floating fire orb caught the shadowy outline of a figure standing motionless at a subterranean junction. Dark, calcified bone blades protruded jaggedly from its right arm, and its torso was drenched in thick, fresh blood.
"Infected!" I yelled, raising Eirene's Tommy gun.
I pushed the fire orb closer to illuminate the threat. As the orange glow washed over the figure's face, my heart completely stopped.
Behind cracked spectacles sat brilliant emerald eyes and a frame of matted red hair… a face that was a literal mirror image of my own. She was wearing a blood-soaked travel kirtle.
"Aisha...?" the creature rasped, its voice a weak, hollow thread.
"M-Mom...?" I whimpered.
"Aisha... hello, darling, It's... so good to see you..." she whispered, her milky green eyes straining to focus on me through the dark.
A wave of suffocating memories crashed over my mind. The entire reason we had traveled to Lulu City in the first place flooded back. The Sisiphon Magic Academy had just let out for summer break, and Mom and I had planned this holiday for months. We were coming to meet Dad… his long sentence at the Dodorant Citadel had finally ended, and he was officially a free man. We had arrived in the city just this morning, eager to finally reunite our family after years apart. Then the outbreak shattered everything. As we navigated the chaotic streets toward the meeting point, a thrall ambushed us, sinking its teeth straight into Mom's neck. A scarred man named Hugh had dragged me away from the slaughter just as the infection took hold.
"There's another infected here!" Keith bellowed from behind us.
Before I could process what was happening, Keith unsheathed his longsword and charged forward. My mother hissed, her calcified bone blade swinging blindly, but Keith ducked under the swipe and drove his steel deep into her shoulder.
"Keith, stop! STOP IT!" I screamed, my mind snapping under the horror.
I released my control over the floating fire orb, letting it hover uselessly in mid-air, and spun my Tommy gun straight toward the gatekeeper. I pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A superheated fire-bullet zipped through the dark and pierced straight through Keith's calf.
"AAAGH! What the hell?!" Keith shrieked, stumbling back into the knee-deep sewage water.
"Get off her!" I sobbed, raising the weapon again.
Before I could fire a second shot, Chris lunged from the side, wrapping his thick, fisherman's arms around my chest and pinning my weapon against my ribs.
"Aisha, stop! Pull yourself together!"
"LET ME GO! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" I shrieked, kicking wildly against the murky water as tears blinded my vision.
Patricia stepped in instantly, her iron gauntlet gripping my wrists to disarm the Tommy gun.
"Aisha, calm down! Look at her! She's already turned!"
"MOM! MOOOOM!" I screamed, fighting against their grip with every ounce of strength.
Keith gritted his teeth through the pain in his leg, raised his sword with both hands, and plunged the blade straight through my mother's chest, piercing her heart.
The crimson light in her eyes faded instantly. She collapsed sideways into the foul sewer current, her glasses sliding off her face and sinking into the dark muck beneath our boots.
I collapsed against Chris's chest, my knees giving out entirely as raw, agonizing wails tore from my throat.
"NO! NOOOO! MOM! WHY?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HER?!" I sobbed hysterically, burying my face in my hands as my cries echoed endlessly down the cold, dark drainage pipe.
Keith stood in the cold, knee-deep sewage, clutching his wounded calf as blood seeped into the dark water. He looked down at the motionless body, his face pale with horror and remorse.
"I'm sorry, Aisha, I'm so sorry... I didn't know she was your mother. I truly didn't know." Keith choked out, his voice trembling.
"She knew me! She looked right at me! She called me darling!"
Patricia knelt down in the murky current despite her heavy plate armor, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. Her touch was firm yet remarkably tender.
"We didn't hear her speak, Aisha... but I know how real it felt to you. Even though she is infected, her love for you was real."
"We were supposed to meet Dad today… It was summer vacation. We were finally going to be a family again..."
From Patricia's side, Catherine stirred, her pale, exhausted face softening as she looked down at me with deep, sorrowful eyes.
"Aisha... keep that love inside your heart. Don't let this dark place take away the warmth your mother gave you. You have to live, child. For her, and for your father."
I wiped my nose with my sleeve, my chest heaving with silent, ragged hiccups as the harsh reality settled in.
Patricia stood back up, adjusting Catherine securely against her side and tightening her grip on her rapier. Her blue eyes burned with a quiet, solemn resolve in the dim amber light of my fading fire orb.
"Let's move, we don't stop until we reach the light."