Fear Has a Shape
Kazuma raised an eyebrow... but nodded. "Uhh alright let him do his thing. We'll figure something out." Ruko nodded, then start to hear something.
"Yknow what let's investigate around the areas to see if there's someone here," Kazuma puzzled. "Yeah sure... hmm," Kazuma start to see Ruko shoulder bleeding.
Ruko... why you're shoulder bleeding?" Ruko start notice. "Oh I forgot I was bleeding myself out. Aqua can u heal my arm." "Oh Ruko your being reckless when it comes to a fight. There much better so tell me if I'm a good goddess now bow to me."
Then silence. "... no thanks," Aqua shock. "Ohh what a let down," Ruko realized this the moment he stepped back into the hallway. The air felt denser, as if every sound carried weight. Behind him, the reinforced door closed softly, sealing Lumy inside the small room she had chosen as a refuge.
That mattered. "I'll come back since we have some finish business to deal with," Ruko feel unpleased the situation his in. He didn't walk away blindly. He checked the corridor first.
Bandits were still inside the mansion. That much was certain. It's seems some are here, but desperation would make them dangerous. People pretending to be ghosts rarely stayed harmless once cornered and Ruko had already scared the others once and kill them. That meant they would either flee or try to erase the problem.
Anyone who didn't… wouldn't matter. Footsteps echoed from the east wing. Whispered arguing. "…told you we should've left." "…shut up, he's just one guy." Ruko stepped into view. Silence snapped tight.
Three more bandits froze near the collapsed stairwell, weapons half-raised, eyes wide. The kind that relied on intimidation and lies more than steel. Ruko didn't have a weapon to draw. He didn't threaten them. He spoke only after they had time to understand one thing clearly— He was not afraid.
"Since i found the rest of you fucker's, I think ill finish you shit heads cause I'll feel like im gonna puke," One bandit laughed nervously. "You think you can just—" The floor behind him collapsed.
Precisely, a section of rotten wood gave way under Ruko's foot, intentionally placed. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the hollow mansion, they flinched, Ruko hadn't attacked them.
This is getting worse. "Drop it," Kazuma's voice cut in from the stairwell above. He wasn't alone. Darkness stood beside him, shield raised. Megumin's staff glowed faintly, seems she want to make us and bandits a BBQ. Aqua hovered just behind, eyes sharp for once, holy energy flickering in her palms.
The bandits panicked, two ran, one tripped, Ruko moved. He crossed the distance before the bandits could escape, boot pressing down both bandit's wrist hard enough to make the dagger clatter away.
"What are you bastards running for cause were starting to have fun right," Speaking in psychopath while smiling. Then get serious. "Why did you assholes choose this place in the first place and why is there a little girl in this house and HAVING A PTSD," The bandits started to feel like they'll about to die and sobbed immediately. "We didn't mean! We were just scaring people off! The girl—she wasn't supposed to—!"
Kazuma's eyes narrowed. "…The girl?" Silence followed, Ruko didn't look back. He just respond. "Yeah lumy, the girl who itch up at the corner having ptsd and im here for these bastard why they make a girl here suffer and im getting the answer I want."
Megumin exhaled slowly. "So there is someone else here." Aqua's gaze flicked toward the sealed corridor. "Hmm and she's alive." Ruko looked at them. "Seriously since you guys enter and now you say there's a girl here," He sighed in his thoughts. "Why im i surrounded by idiots," That mattered too and pressure builds.
They bound the bandits quickly, no unnecessary talk, fear had already loosened there tongue; patience would finish the job later. But the mansion quest wasn't done. A low hum vibrated through the walls.
Ruko felt it travel through his heart, but not fighting him. The sensation was restrained, like a heartbeat trying not to be heard. Megumin noticed. "…Your reacting again." This time, there was no sound.
"Hmm... no just feel something," Then Ruko feel something in his pocket, his decayed sword that just break while ago start to vibrate. Kazuma frowned. "Is that your sword and why dies it look like a piece of junk, but that thing's starting to creep me out." Darkness glanced between Ruko and the corridor. "The mansion seems to acknowledge him."
No one laughed. Because everyone felt it. Ruko break the heavy atmosphere. "Seems your braincells in some upgrade," Darkness felt it to the core. "I'm serious and IM NOT THAT DUMD hehehe!"
The sealed room started to hallow, "Guys go ahead of me since i got finished business with these shit heads but you can take one of them," Kazuma party returned to the sealed room and ruko looked at the bandits. "Tell me, does the both you fear death!" They scared to the bone and try to scream but Ruko take up the bandit dagger and decapitated them. "You shits deserve it, now let's return were lumy is."
Ruko catch up with others but when Kazuma about to ask, Ruko walk pass and knocked once before opening it. Inside, Lumy stood now. She wasn't crouched anymore. Her hands still trembled but she was upright, eyes red, jaw clenched in a way that suggested she had made a decision of her own. She looked at Ruko first, not the others and Lumy step forward.
Aqua breaks the silence. "Umm why does she look at Ruko that way and what's up with her eyes, they look kinda familiar—" Kazuma cut her off. "Like your the one to talk Aqua, but im with you on this one but why is she here," Ruko go on one knee. "Hey Lumy im back as i said i would and we managed to deal with them and they won't hurt you anymore,"
"They're gone?" she asked quietly. "For now," Kazuma answered. Lumy nodded, then swallowed hard. "I didn't want this place to become like this." Ruko paused. "What do you mean—" Her gaze dropped to the floor. "When I ran… something inside me reacted. I couldn't stop it. The walls screamed. The spirits—if they were spirits—they listened."
Megumin's eyes sharpened. "Wait so u mean that wasn't spiritual magic." Aqua frowned. "And it wasn't divine either." Ruko felt it clearly now, Lumy's wasn't cursed, she was compressed by something, Forced into dormancy. Like a material pretending to be a soul.
Ruko come up with something. "Lumy did you know someone name Sealer?" She flinched suddenly, clutching her chest. "No but I can feel it again," Lumy whispered. "Like something inside is waking up," Lumy start to feeling pain.
Dust lifted from the floor. Cracks sealed themselves. The air steadied. Hook – A Chain was Revealed. Kazuma exhaled slowly."…So this wasn't a quest." Megumin nodded. "Yeah and she's like a lock." Darkness looked at Ruko. "And she's been here alone,"
Lumy met Ruko's eyes, fear giving way to something else—hope mixed with terror. "If I leave this place," she asked, voice barely holding,
"…will it follow me?"
Ruko answered without hesitation. "What you mean it will follow you?" Because he already knew the truth of what's going on. This mansion didn't choose Lumy, It was built around her and now that Ruko notice something so he look around and noticed a second seal.