From Moving Crates to Killing Gods-Chapter 108: Cleanse

Morning arrived without ceremony, the sky lightening as the wasteland shifted from dark to grey and then to the usual ambient tone. Everyone was already moving by the time I stepped out of the bunker.

The mood was heavier than yesterday, not something anyone said out loud, but it showed in the way Finn sat while looking at his hands, in how Coll stood at the corridor’s edge looking toward the serpent territory.

He was the oldest One among us, he told us he had survived exile through what he called luck, which meant he had seen enough people not survive in the wasteland to understand exactly what walking into a serpent nest alone meant. He didn’t argue, just stood there, probably thinking of alternate solutions and finding none.

Phinyx was the only one I had considered bringing, his vibes had helped me many times, but putting him within range of a seven headed serpent and its pack, asking him to risk his life just to help me feel more refreshed, wasn’t something I was willing to do.

The plan was clean in my head, Sense to locate the seven headed one, Switch at range while it was still, same principle I used with the liquid Corruptor, once the alpha was gone the pack would lose coordination.

It sounded like a good plan in my head, but so did the other one... and that plan ended with a masive fight between monsters.

Finn walked over holding the sterling serpent helmet, turning it in his hands with the kind of focus he gave to silver things.

"You had this with you." He said, holding it out. "It’s strange, I can’t move the silver in it." He glanced at it again. "it doesn’t respond to me, like it already knows who it belongs to."

"I got it from killing a serpent." I said, taking it. "But I used it this time as a dark water canteen replacement."

He nodded slowly. "Wait, so you don’t have a canteen?" Finn said.

"No, I destroyed it back when I guided the group of Corruptors." I said, the words felt weird after I heard them out loud. Who would’ve thought I’d to this some day.

Finn then placed his hand against a wall. The silver flowed like water into his hand. He seemed focused for a moment, until he finished creating a canteen with silver.

"Here you go." Finn extended the canteen he’d created to me. "You know how important this things are."

I took it and nodded. "Yes, thanks Finn."

He moved his hand, gesturing that it wasn’t a big deal. "Don’t worry man."

I filled the canteen with the dark water Coco had made and fastened it to my belt. Then I glanced at the helmet in my other hand.

Phinyx was passing by, I decided to stop him to finally ask him something.

"Phinyx." I said. "Do you have anything like cleansing vibes? By any chance?"

He looked at me like I waas speaking a different language, and I couldn’t blame him.

"This item needs cleansing before it can be appraised." I said while moving the helmet in my hand. "You work with vibes, so I thought maybe you could do something like that..."

He looked at the helmet, then back at me, then at the helmet again, like he wasn’t sure if the question even had an answer.

"I have no idea what that is." He said calmly. "But here goes nothing."

He placed a hand flat against it.

"Cleansing vibes." He said, in the same tone he used for everything.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then faint smoke seeped out of the helmet, not from any one point, just bleeding from the material itself, curling upward in a thin thread, shifting from purple to black before fading.

A notification appeared.

[Sterling Serpent Helmet cleansed!]

[You may now appraise the item.]

I held it steady.

"Appraise." I said.

The stats appeared and I read them without reacting.

Defense: 1600

Magic Resistance: 270

Strength: +10%

Constitution: +20%

Rarity: Epic

Level Requirement: ???

Of course, the usual...

They were all watching me.

"How good is it." Finn asked, sounding like he expected something interesting.

"It seems fine." I said, setting it aside. "But I can’t really use it for now..."

I didn’t explain, the level requirement made it irrelevant for now. It was still more useful as a bowl for now.

I turned to Kira.

Wip was playing with a rock nearby, she had started playing there during breakfast and hadn’t moved, and she seemed to understand what was about to happen because she stayed very still.

"Stay with Kira." I said, reaching down to pet her.

She looked at me.

"Wip." She said quietly.

"I know." I said, scratching her head once before lifting her and placing her on Kira’s shoulder.

She transferred without protest, which said more than if she had fought it.

Kira didn’t speak, she just held my gaze the same way she had last night when she decided the conversation was over.

"I’ll probably be fine." I said.

"Probably." Finn said, not helping.

"If I take too long." I said, looking at the group. "Jim would be able to scout from the air and report back in case I take too long."

Jim adjusted his glasses, probably not looking particularly pleased with the assignment.

Coll stepped in as I passed and clapped a hand on my shoulder, brief and firm.

I kept walking.

The corridor stretched behind me, silver and vine, a narrow line cutting through the wasteland. Ahead the ground shifted, darker soil and faint glowing moss.

The seven headed serpent was ahead, underground, settled into the space the Corruptors had left.

I remembered how it had used the terrain to its advantage, how it had drawn attention while the smaller ones moved below, how it had waited for the right moment before striking.

That wasn’t normal behavior.

That was a plan.

A few minutes later, I was in position.

I crouched slightly, steadying my breathing.

"Sense." I said quietly.

The world opened around me.

And then I found it.