A dull ping echoed in his skull.
Another.
And another.
Johnquis moved.
His eyes cracked open, dry and burning. His vision swam with static for a moment before focusing on rusted metal and broken glass above him. Sunlight leaked through the shattered windows of the overturned bus, warm and glaring. It had to be past noon.
His mouth was dry. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest. His right hand pulsed with sharp, throbbing heat. Blood had dried across his fingers.
He looked down on his right hand with the eater stone embedded. Ahead, the Runner he had just enslaved wore a collar wrapped around its neck. It didn't move. It didn't resist. It only… waited.
[System Ping!]
[Mission: FAILED]
Completion Rate: 37%
Star Rating: ★☆☆☆☆→ ½★
Warning: At 0 Stars, automatic punishment will be executed. Penalty: DEATH.
Johnquis blinked. "…What?"
The words floated in his mind, cold and cruel.
He sat up slowly, the weight of the chain dragging behind him. His body felt like dead weight, skin pale and bruised. The ache in his bones was only outmatched by the heaviness in his chest. Lex. Mars. Randy. Gone.
He turned his head slowly.
The Runner's eyes were still open but empty. The savage hunger was gone, replaced with something colder. Obedience.
It was crouched, not standing. As if waiting for a command.
Johnquis clenched his teeth. "Get… away from me," he said.
The Runner obeyed.
It moved in slow, careful steps toward the middle of the flipped bus and crouched in a corner, knees bent, arms low. Watching. Breathing softly.
[System Ping!]
[You now command: 1x Level 2 High Eater — Runner Class]
[Max Slave Limit Reached (1/1)]
[Blood Cost Settled — Final Tally: 57%]
He let out a breath. "So that's it… After you murdered my squad, now you're chained to me. Problems just never leave me, huh?"
He stood up slowly, still dizzy from the blood loss. "Well… they weren't really my squad. I was just a fill-in. They didn't even see me as one of them, so…"
His vision blurred for a second, the world tilting. "I need to find the nearest Bloodpost. I'm running low… I need more blood."
He turned his head, eyes falling on Lex's body. "But before that…"
Johnquis staggered forward, barely able to keep his balance as he moved toward Lex's body.
Her lifeless body lay on the floor, face pale, her stomach torn wide open. He crouched beside her, swallowing hard. He didn't cry. He just sat there for a long second, head bowed.
"I'm sorry, Lex…"
He reached down, tried to lift her but pain tore through his side. His arms buckled. He winced, nearly falling over.
"Nope. Not happening," he muttered. "Damn Chain Slave cost too much blood…"
He grunted, rolling onto his back next to her, panting. Slowly, he turned his head toward the corner of the bus.
The Runner sat there, motionless, like a demon at rest.
Johnquis called out, "Hey."
It looked up.
He pointed weakly. "Pick her up. Gently. Gently."
The Runner blinked, then moved.
It crawled forward, careful. Its claws retracted slightly. It reached under Lex's body and lifted her like a child holding something fragile.
Johnquis stared. "…Okay. That's… freaky."
The Runner waited, Lex cradled in its arms, head tilted like it was waiting for further instructions.
"Over there." He motioned toward a cleaner patch of sunlight near the front of the bus, away from blood and glass.
The Runner obeyed.
"Now just… lay her down," Johnquis said, almost unsure. "Flat. No bending her arm like that. She's not a chair."
The Runner paused, made a slight adjustment, and gently placed her on the ground.
Johnquis sighed. "Okay. Now go get what's left of Randy and Mars."
The Runner turned to him slowly, tilting its head.
"Yeah, I said it. Don't act confused now." He waved vaguely at the scattered remains.
The Runner blinked. Then it moved.
As it collected the remnants of what used to be his squad, Johnquis sat slumped against the bus wall, holding his right arm.
"…My life really is a mess," he muttered.
The Runner returned, arms full of what could generously be called "remains."
"Wow. You actually stacked 'em."
The Runner gently set down the broken armor plates, a shredded boot, and some unrecognizable things.
He pushed himself up painfully, leaning heavily against the bus wall. "Alright, let's find a decent place to leave them. Somewhere the Eaters won't find them. The nest's still up there, and I can't finish this on my own. I have to follow the guild's rules. And I'm sure it's swarming with Eaters guarding their queen."
The Runner nodded and carefully picked up Lex's body again, cradling her. Johnquis grabbed what little he could, some pieces of broken armor and the scattered remnants of Randy and Mars shoving them together into a rough bundle.'
He staggered to his feet, his legs shaky as hell, and the Runner followed silently, carrying Lex.
Johnquis scanned the overturned bus and its surroundings. A narrow shaft of sunlight streamed through a broken side window near the bus's rear. It looked sheltered but visible enough for a retrieval team.
"Over here," he said, voice hoarse.
The Runner followed, stepping carefully. When they reached the spot, Johnquis dropped the remnants onto a flat patch of concrete.
"Good enough. It's the least I can do for them. The Guild doesn't care if we die, they just let our corpses rot."
The Runner crouched, setting Lex gently beside the pile.
Johnquis wiped a grimy hand over his face and groaned. "You know, I really hoped this day wouldn't end with me playing glorified corpse mover."
The Runner blinked, almost like it wanted to say something, but said nothing.
Johnquis gave it a tired half-smile. "Thanks for the help. Now, let's find that Bloodpost before I pass out."
He looked the Runner up and down. "Uhm… I better give you something to wear to hide some of that scary body. Everyone will freak out if they see you like that."
He grabbed a cape and draped it over the Runner.
"And one more thing," he said, pointing. "Walk like me. Two legs, not four."
And together, they set off toward the Bloodpost.
The world around them was quiet. Ruined buildings half-swallowed by trees, vines crawling over old walls, broken roads cracked open with roots.
Johnquis started speaking, his voice low as they walked.
"You know… I've been alone ever since I became an Eater Blade. My sister rose through the ranks fast—faster than anyone. Everyone called her a prodigy. But she left me behind. Said I was too weak. Well… in this world, the strong rise and the weak get left behind."
He kicked a loose rock off the road.
"Since then, no squad ever wanted me. No one accepted me. I'm this close to losing my stars… and now," he looked at the cloaked Runner beside him, "I've got an Eater stuck with me. Following me. Probably forever."
He glanced sideways at the Runner, still cloaked and quiet beside him.
"I didn't think I'd make it out of that bus. Not alive," he muttered. "Figured I'd die by your claws... but now my death walks beside me. Funny how that works, huh?"
He gave a bitter chuckle.
"I don't know what this chain really is… or what it's gonna cost me. But maybe just maybe. I finally got something that makes me useful."
He stopped walking, staring out at the distant outline of the Bloodpost.
"I'm not ready to die. Not yet. Not until I reunite with my sister. Not until she sees I wasn't weak."
He turned to the Runner.
"You stay here. Far enough from the sensor range. If they detect you, we're both screwed. Just wait for me, alright?"
The Runner gave him wide, almost innocent eyes like a puppy.
"Eh? I'm not leaving you for good. I promise. But no one can see you. Not here. Hide."
The Runner gave a small nod, then turned and disappeared behind the trees.
Johnquis took a breath and moved forward.