The sewer smell bad. Really bad.
It smell like rot, old water, and things that died down here a long time ago and nobody found. Kelser wrinkle his nose, but he don't stop walking. He can't afford to be picky when people dying up above.
Mina lead the way. She move quiet, like a cat. Her feet don't make no sound on the wet stone. Jian follow behind her, holding a glowing orb of light he made with some spirit paper. The light bounce off the slimy walls, making shadows dance weirdly.
"You sure this the place?" Jian whisper, trying not to breathe too deep. "Smell like something crawl in here and gave up on life."
"Prisoner say sector 3, drain pipe seven," Mina say without looking back. Her voice echo soft in the tunnel. "This is it."
They stop in front of a rusty metal grate. It look old, covered in moss and slime. But if you look close... very close... you can see the scratches around the edge. Fresh scratches. Someone open this recently.
Kelser step forward. He put his hand on the bars. They cold. Rusted.
"Stand back," Kelser say.
He don't pull. He just push a tiny bit of his Qi into the metal. Freeze.
The rust crack. The metal turn brittle white for a second, then snap easy like dry twigs. Kelser push the grate open. It fall into the darkness with a loud CLANG that echo way too loud in the quiet tunnel.
"Subtle," Jian mutter, rolling his eyes. "Real subtle."
"Quiet," Mina hiss. She draw her daggers. "Something wrong."
Kelser feel it too. The air down there... it different. It not just smelly. It heavy. Thick. Like walking through soup. And it cold. Not his kind of clean cold. This a dirty cold. A dead cold.
He jump down first. His boots hit the mud with a squelch. The tunnel here wider than the one above. Water flow slow and black in the middle.
Mina and Jian jump down after him. Jian land sloppy, slip a little, but catch himself. "Whoa. Slippery."
"Stay close," Kelser order. He light up his hand with a small blue flame. It push the darkness back a bit, but the shadows seem to fight it. Like they alive.
They walk deeper. Ten minutes. Twenty. The tunnel twist and turn.
Then they see it.
At the end of the tunnel, there a small cave carved into the wall. Hidden behind a fake rock wall that someone build quick. Inside the cave, tables set up. Bottles everywhere. Big jars filled with black liquid. And papers. Lots of papers with maps and notes.
"The lab," Mina whisper. "They making it here."
Kelser walk faster. He go to the table. Pick up a bottle. The liquid inside swirl slow, like it have snakes in it.
"Soul-Rot," he say. "Enough to kill the whole city ten times over."
Jian look at the jars, face pale. "If this spill... if this get into the main water line..."
"We stop it," Kelser say firm. He raise his hand to freeze the whole cave. Seal everything inside ice forever.
But before he can move, Mina shout. "Wait!"
She point to the corner of the cave.
There, sitting on a chair, tied up with ropes, was a man. Or what left of a man. He look skinny. Starving. His mouth taped shut. Eyes wide with terror.
And next to him... a ticking clock.
Not a normal clock. A spirit device. Red runes flashing on it. Tick. Tick. Tick.
"Trap," Jian say, voice high. "It a trap!"
Kelser rush to the man. He rip the tape off. "Who do this? Where they go?"
The man cough, crying. "Gone! They gone hours ago! They leave me to die! The bomb... it trigger when someone touch the main jar!"
Kelser look at the biggest jar in the center. He almost touch it.
"How much time?" Mina ask, looking at the red runes.
"Ten seconds!" the man scream. "Run!"
"Nine... Eight..." the clock count down fast.
Jian panic. "We gotta go! Now!"
"No," Kelser say. He look at the jar. If it explode, the poison gas fill the tunnel. Go up the vents. Reach the city in minutes. Everyone die.
He can't let that happen.
"Get them out," Kelser tell Mina and Jian. "Take the man. Go. Now!"
"What about you?" Jian yell.
"I hold it," Kelser say calm. Too calm.
"Kelser, no!" Elara voice scream in his head through the bond. She feel his plan. She feel the danger. "Don't you dare!"
"Trust me," Kelser think back. Then he cut the connection so she don't feel the pain coming.
Mina grab Jian and the prisoner. "Move!" she drag them toward the exit.
The clock hit Three... Two...
Kelser step in front of the big jar. He don't run. He open his arms wide.
"Domain: Absolute Zero."
But he don't expand it big. He shrink it. Make it small. Tiny. Just around the jar. Just around himself.
One.
The bomb go off.
But no fire come out. No explosion sound.
Just a flash of white light. Then silence.
Inside the bubble of ice, the explosion happen, but the cold so strong, so absolute, that the fire can't burn. The gas can't spread. The energy just... stop. It get trapped in the ice.
Kelser scream.
It hurt. More than anything before. The heat inside the ice cook him. The poison gas try to eat his skin. The pressure try to crush his bones.
He hold it all inside his body. Inside his domain.
His skin burn. His clothes char. Blood boil under his skin. But he don't let go. He squeeze tighter. Freeze harder.
Hold, he think. Just hold.
Seconds pass. Maybe minutes. Time feel strange in the pain.
Then, the pressure stop. The explosion finish its energy.
Kelser drop to his knees. The ice around him crack and fall apart. Inside, the jar is gone. Blown to dust. The poison... frozen into solid black crystals, harmless now.
But Kelser... he bad shape.
His arms black and burnt. His chest heave fast, shallow breaths. He cough, and blood come out. Black blood. Poison got in.
"Kelser!"
Elara voice. Real voice. Not in his head.
She slide down the tunnel, sliding on the mud, not caring about the dirt. Jian and Mina right behind her.
Elara reach him, drop to her knees. Her hands glow bright blue, frantic. She touch his burnt arms, pouring Yin energy into him.
"Fool!" she cry, tears mixing with the dirt on her face. "You stupid fool! You could have died!"
Kelser try to smile. It hurt. His face feel stiff. "Did I... did I get it all?"
"Yes," Mina say, looking at the black crystals on the floor. "All of it. Contained."
"Good," Kelser whisper. His eyes feel heavy. So heavy. "Tell the people... tell them safe now."
"Don't talk," Elara sob, pressing her hands harder on his chest. "Save your energy. I fix you. I promise I fix you."
But Kelser feel cold. Not his cold. The bad cold. The cold of ending.
He look at Elara one last time. Her face blurry. "Elara..."
"Shh," she whisper, kissing his forehead. "I here. I got you."
Kelser close his eyes. The darkness take him. Not scary darkness. Just sleep. Deep, needed sleep.
Last thing he hear is Elara crying his name, over and over.
And then... nothing.
When Kelser wake up, it dark outside. Night again.
He lay on a bed. Soft bed. Smell of herbs. The healer tent.
He try to move his arm. It hurt. A lot. Bandages wrap all around his chest and arms.
"You awake," a voice say.
Kelser turn his head slow. Jian sit in a chair in the corner, cleaning his daggers. He look tired. But relief on his face.
"How... long?" Kelser rasp. His throat dry like sandpaper.
"Two days," Jian say. "You been out cold for two days. Elara haven't left your side. She sleep in that chair there."
Kelser look. Elara curl up in a small wooden chair, head on the edge of his bed. Her hand hold his bandaged hand tight. Even in sleep, she don't let go.
"She exhaust," Jian whisper. "She use almost all her power to pull the poison out of your blood. If she not... well, you wouldn't wake up."
Kelser feel a lump in his throat. He squeeze her hand gently.
Elara stir. Her eyes open fast. When she see him looking at her, she gasp.
"Kelser!" She jump up, almost falling. "You awake! How you feel? Pain? Thirst? Hungry?"
"I... okay," Kelser say weak. "Thirsty."
Jian pour a cup of water and help him drink. It taste like heaven.
"The city?" Kelser ask after he finish. "The people?"
"Safe," Jian grin. "We destroy the lab. No more poison. The sick people... they getting better slow. Your sacrifice... it save them all."
Kelser lean back on the pillow. He feel weak. Weak like a baby. But inside... inside he feel peace.
"We win this round," he whisper.
"Yeah," Jian nod, his smile fade a little. "But Tian know we found the lab. He know his plan failed. He gonna be mad. Really mad."
"Let him be mad," Kelser say, closing his eyes again. "Let him come."
"He will," Mina voice come from the shadows near the door. She step in. "Scouts report movement in the north. Big movement. Army size."
Kelser open his eyes again. Tired, but sharp.
"Then we ready," he say.
He look at Elara. She still holding his hand.
"Together," she say soft.
"Together," Kelser agree.
The storm coming. But this time, they not hiding in the sewer. They standing in the light. And they ready to fight.