Chapter 7: Day 1

There were few things that reminded Jain of his mother.  But those few things were so strong that even the slightest mention of them summoned memories long forgotten.  Memories of a life where the line between conscience and consciousness blurred.  The chiming of bells accompanied by the scent of incense.  The rustic odor of Jakdu(작두) –a pair of single sided blades just long enough to be danced on.  

She almost never looked at Jain in the face.  Not even the day he left.  Jain had tried, multiple times.  He turned around, trying to memorize the moment, engraving it in his brain.  Her neatly braided hair done in a bun, still black as the earliest days of his childhood.  The traditional garbs of a Shaman, somewhere between a Hanbok and Robes.  How she still read by candlelight despite living in the 21st century.

Nothing.  Just the strange advice that he hated.

‘Begrudgement, Wrath, Resentment.  Beware a person with Han(恨).  When a person dies with such things in their hearts… a Won-Gwi(원귀) will greet you at your house.  A Spirit, unappeaseable by worldly means.  Whatever life you decide to lead, do not walk in blood.’

His mom had been like that.

“No such thing as Spirits, Mom.”  Jain mumbled, eyes closed.

“You are awake.”

Jain was jolted out of the half-dozing state by Irina’s voice.  Once he had rubbed all the sleep out of his eyes, he could see Irina.

Even just from a glance, she looked loads better.  The paltry complexion was replaced by the bright pallor of someone who exercised and ate healthy regularly.  The puncture wounds were closed up with fresh bright pink skin covering them.  Irina must’ve foundwater sometime after Jain passed out; she was rubbing a wet rag over her legs, wiping off the blood.

“You’re better.”  Jain stammered, “It worked.”

Irina gave him a soft smile.  “Da.  It worked.”  She repeated after him.

Jain almost dragged himself over to her, going for a hug but stopped himself in time.  There was an extreme satisfaction in seeing her well; not just from a personal vantage point, but from setting out to do something and seeing the results of it. Magic and everything else aside, it made all the pain worth it.

He winced in pain, the thought bringing memories of being burned repeatedly to the forefront of his mind.  Glancing down, Jain was greeted by rolls of bandages wrapped around both his arms.

“Hells, you found a First-Aid kit?”  

“Bandages.  Alcohol.”  Irina said simply.  “An office way back.”  She jerked her head towards the direction that they had come form.

Jain felt something catch in his throat, finding it hard to swallow.  “Uh, Dr. Erste’s office?”

“I do not remember name.”  Irina responded, finishing up the makeshift spongebath.  She rolled down the hem of her torn jeans, much to Jain’s disappointment.  “Broken windows.  Desk.  Skeleton.”  

Jain swallowed, “Yup, that’s it.”  He said hoarsely.

Irina quirked an eyebrow at him.  “Someone you know?”

He thought back the rude professor and his secretary.

God, it seemed so long ago.

Jain opened his mouth to say something then realized he didn’t quite know what to say.  They weren’t his friends by any means.  So what was this feeling in his chest?  Was it some newfound altruistic nature, brought about by his above-the-normal actions in saving Irina?  Even though it wasn’t that long ago, he could recall the moment intensely.  Honestly, Jain didn’t know what came over him.

He’d never acted that rashly before.  Putting someone else’s well being above his own.  Whether it was saving Irina, or this strange feeling in his chest about the two people, this wasn’t like him.

“Ah, I shall not ask.”  Irina said, seeing the expression on Jain’s face.  “I am sorry for your loss.”

“No, I didn’t know them.”  Jain shook his head, “They were strangers.”

Irina gave him an even look and then nodded.  “Either way, you saved me.  How?”

Jain looked down at his bandaged hands, answering without thinking.  “Your sword.  It said something about ‘Regeneration Factor’.  I’m assuming when you’re holding it, it heals you.  Makes you better somehow.”

Irina’s eyes widened for a second then she hissed, kicking the sword away from her.

“Hey!”  Jain protested as the butchering tool slid over him, almost cutting into his bare legs.  “What gives?!”

“It speaks!”  She said, then cursed in russian.  “Cursed! Damned!”

“No, it doesn’t speak.”  Jain scowled, “I used my… ability on it.”

The word sounded strange coming from his lips.  Who the hell in real life said something like ‘I used my ability’?

Well, he had to get used to it.  And fast.

Irina gave him a suspicious look.  She had been in the midst of getting up on her feet, about to make a dash for it.  Jain frowned.

“Were you about to actually run?  From your own sword?”

She hissed at him.  “Cursed.”

“What the hell…”  Jain muttered, flabbergasted.  “We literally just killed Insect Yokai the size of small children.  We found out that the world is ending, turned into some sick videogame with a tutorial made of psycho toddlers.  And you’re scared of your own sword being cursed?”

As Jain spoke, Irina visibly relaxed.  She walked over to the sword, glaring at it.  Jain could’ve sworn the demon’s eyes on the hilt looked sad somehow.  Like a puppy being disciplined by its master.

“Monsters attack body.”  Irina placed a hand over her heart, then pointed at her brain.  “But Demon?  Demon attack soul.”

“Ok, that’s enough.”  Jain said, sighing.  “Either way, without the sword you’ve been worm food.  You shouldn’t be throwing it around like that anyways.  Weren’t you ever taught not to run with scissors?”

“No, I was taught to stab with-”  Irina suddenly clammed up.

Jain raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press.  He had some ideas of his own on what kind of person Irina was.  But right now, that wasn’t a road he wanted to go down on.

“Look, if we’re getting out of here, we need the sword.  So please pick it up.  My ability is next to useless.”

The girl grumbled something in russian but bent down and picked up the sword.  She grumbled some more then asked Jain, “What is your skill?”

Instinct told Jain that it was an extremely rude question to ask.  That same instinct told Jain not to answer, but being the dumbass that he was in front of a pretty girl, he ignored it.  “Identify.”

“Identify?”

“Identify.”  He answered.

“What is Identify?”

“...My skill.”

“I know.”  She said with mild frustration, “What is this, Identify?”

“...I can tell what things are.”

She frowned.  “Like a dictionary?”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds like shit.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

The hallway rang with the clear notes of Irina’s laughter.  She actually doubled over, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I knew you’d say that.  I freaking knew it.”  Jain kept saying, “You knew what it was right away, didn’t you?”

“Da.”  She wiped another tear from her eye.

“It saved your life.”  Jain subconsciously crossed his arms then stopped, wincing at the pain.

Irina’s laughter died down.  Eventually.  She walked over, holding a water bottle.  “I know.  I will not forget.  Here, drink.”

Jain glared at her then at the water bottle, but his heart wasn’t in it.  Besides, he was practically dying of thirst.  She tilted the water bottle and he drank, feeling the lukewarm liquid flow down through his esophagus and settling in the bottom of his stomach.  He ended up finishing the bottle in one sitting.

“Man, what I wouldn’t give for some seltzer.”  He said after he was done.

They just sat there for another minute, wallowing in the wake of Jain’s words.  It was a reminder of things past, things that might be but things that deep down in their hearts were long gone.  Jain ran over the list of things in his brain.  Water would be another resource to fight over.  These monsters ate, which means they drank.  

Which meant that all major sources of water were not a commodity, commodity for which they’d have to fight over.  The same went for food.  There was no guarantee that these newfound monsters wouldn’t go after livestock or wild game.  Humans had enjoyed being apart from the food chain for too long, being controllers of it rather than slaves to it.

Now, the whole game had changed.  There were new masters of the food chain and humanity would have to learn to adapt.

Jain thought back to the monsters that he knew about.

Leviathan from Biblical Mythos.  Giants and Ogres from Greece.  Slithering Dragons that controlled the very weather itself from Eastern Mythology.  Things that walked in dreams and nightmares instead of the street.

Those were just the ones that were well known.  And there was a chance that he could be wrong –monsters didn’t necessarily have to spring out of ancient texts.  Maybe the Tsutsugamushi were just a chance byproduct.  Maybe modern literature like Lovecratian Horror walked the world outside.  And maybe… just maybe, he was wrong.

New horrors could be skulking the earth even now.

Jain shuddered.

Irina must’ve been thinking along the same lines because she cursed.  “Shit.”

“Agreed.”  Jain said, and then spoke before another bout of crushing silence could follow.  “So, what’s next?”

“I will keep my word.  I will guide you to the exit.  Cooperate till you are out.”

Jain caught something funny with how she said it.  “What do you mean, guide me to the exit?  You’re not getting out of here?”

Irina grimaced, shaking her head.  “No.”  She said simply.

Jain waited for the explanation but none came.  He grumbled something about stoic russians and asked, “Why the hell not?”

“Because Lev and Natalia are here.  We came together.”  She was referring to her brother and sister.

“Oh.”

Jain remembered reading somewhere that the golden hour for survival in natural disasters was 72 hours.  A 90% survival rate within that time frame.  Well, he was pretty sure that monsters would put a dent in that statistic.  Judging by his anecdotal evidence (which added up to a whopping three, four if he counted himself), survival rates drastically increased after the first five minutes.

A 90% survival rate in the first five minutes.  Which meant her siblings…

“They’re alive.”  Irina said, as if reading his thoughts.

Jain took in a sharp breath.  “I know you want to think that.  But-”

“Stop.”  The russian girl held up a hand.  “I know what you say.  But they are alive.”

Jain frowned.  “...You can’t know that.”  He said after some difficulty.

“I know it.  You must trust me on that.”

Something about the way that Irina said those words triggered some old alarms in Jane’s head.  Like when he was consulting one of his clients.  One of those clients who came in the door ready to pick a fight and accuse him of being a phony.  Usually those people could be categorized into one of two people.  When they were asked questions, they’d either lie or purposefully withhold information.  Years of experience told him that Irina was the latter.  

Something was keeping Irina careful.

And this something was how Irina knew that her siblings were alive.  Which would be humanly impossible unless…

‘Unless it’s connected to one of her Abilities.  Earth to Jain, you’re not in Kansas anymore.’  Jain reprimanded himself.

On the flip side, he was glad.  It truly seemed like Irina didn’t want him along for his own good.  If anything, her eyes looked a little lonely –almost like she wanted Jain to come along but couldn’t work up the guts to ask him.  He understood why.  He had no combat ability to speak of, he was generally useless.  

Whatever the reason for why Irina kept her ability regarding her siblings hidden, it wasn’t related to Jain’s wellbeing.

“Oh.”  He said simply.

“Da.”  Irina agreed, “Oh.”

Jain fidgeted, and before the quietness could drag on, said,  “I’ll go with you.”

Irina raised an eyebrow.  “Truly?”

“Yeah.”

Then in a surprising act of gentleness, Irina placed a hand on his arm.  She looked at him, worry evident in the lines between her eyebrows.  “You are hurt.  When I went to get the water, I saw things.  There are… Baba Yaga.  I do not know the proper words.”  

“It will be dangerous.”  She finished softly.

Jain answered her with a tone only slighter more fragile than steel, surprising himself.  Something he’d never heard before.  At least not from himself.  “I know.”  

Even Irina’s eyes snapped to his with surprise.

Jain cleared his throat.  Somehow feeling a little embarrassed, he continued.  “You already saved my life.  Twice now.  Besides…”  He shrugged, gesturing towards the window.

The sun was gone.

It was nighttime now.

“I do not want to be out there alone.” 

She smiled back knowingly.  “Da.  Same.”

The moment she said the words, something flashed in the back of his brain.  Without thinking, Jain flicked his hand at the virtual computer screen popped up into his vision.

—

Quest: Rescue the Kristoff Heirs

Difficulty: B+

Description: Help Irina Kristoff find and rescue her Siblings.

Success: Rescue Irina Kristoff’s Siblings from within the Museum

Failure: Fail to rescue Irina’s Siblings or Irina’s Death

Reward: ???

Penalty: Enemy of the Kristoff Bratva

(Y/N)?

—

His throat feeling dry, Jain pressed ‘Y’.  He absently realized that Irina had made hand gestures mimicking his own.

“Mission?”  Irina asked innocently.

Again, that same nagging sensation from before told Jain not to answer.  That it was best to keep information like this close to the chest.  But Jain was still the same stupid man in front of the same pretty girl and answered, “Yeah, I did.”

“Me too.”  She answered.  “But I already had it.  Only the words changed slightly.  Perhaps…”  She trailed off.

“Perhaps what?”

“Nyet.”  She shook her head.  “Questions best saved for Lev.”  She stood up, dusting off her jeans.  “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,”  Jain got to his feet as well, noting the pain in his arms as he did so.  He also noticed the fact that he was still in his boxers, never having found a replacement pair of pants.  He sighed, “Maybe I could look for some pants first?”

Irina didn’t even give him a second look.  “No time.”

Jain sighed once more, watching the russian girl delve into the museum hallways once more.  He quickly followed suit.

The former conman had shared a lot with Irina.  Perhaps more than he meant to.  But old habits died hard and he did conveniently forget to mention one thing.

That Irina’s aura was flickering with hopeful blue-green once more and the treasure chest on top of her head was richer than ever.