Kurt’s eyes cracked open slowly, and the first thing that hit him was the sll. Antiseptic mixed with sothing floral, herbs maybe, and underneath it all, a scent that was distinctly Lizzie: Strawberry, fireworks, and electric...
Electric? Could you even sll electricity? Kurt’s enhanced senses were getting weird. He groaned, shifting his weight on what felt like a dical cot, and tried to get his bearings.
The ceiling above him was white and sterile, lined with glass cabinets full of vials and dical supplies, and sowhere to his left he could hear humming.
Not just any humming. Lizzie’s humming. The kind of tune that sounded cheerful and slightly unhinged at the sa ti.
Kurt turned his head and spotted her sitting in one of those wheeled office chairs, legs kicked up over a workbench covered in alchemical equipnt. She was working on sothing that cycled through colors—red, then green, then purple—before finally settling on a calm, steady blue.
She spun around in her chair like a kid on a rry-go-round, caught sight of him awake, and grinned wide. "Oh, look who decided to join the living! I had you pegged for another couple days of beauty sleep, handso."
Before Kurt could respond, Lizzie rolled across the room at alarming speed, bounced off the chair, and leaned over him. Her fingers spread his eyelids wide open, green eyes staring into his with unsettling intensity.
"Pupil dilation looks good. No hemorrhaging. Brain function seems... well, as functional as it ever was." She released him and collapsed back into her chair, rolling back to her desk where she scribbled sothing on a notepad.
Kurt blinked a few tis, vision adjusting. "Are we back in the guild?"
"Yup," Lizzie said without looking up, her pen scratching furiously across paper. "You’ve been out for three days."
"Three days?" Kurt sat up slowly, muscles protesting. "Bloody hell."
Lizzie spun around again, this ti more dramatically, arms spread wide. "Oh yeah! Sam had to telekineticallt float your unconscious carcass ass out of that dungeon! Along with a giant golden egg the size of a fucking house, a massive sword, and a shield that probably weighs more than Rook!"
She hopped up onto her desk, legs swinging. "She found an exit that warped all of you back to the base of the volcano, then it vanished—poof!—gone! And get this, you guys ca out like two minutes after Rook sealed up all the damage from those black swan thingies!"
Two minutes? Unless the thirteen hours spent fighting a Sun Knight was a fignt of his ssed up imagination, ti definitely moved differently in that hellhole.
Kurt processed that, his next thought landing on Sam. She must’ve pushed herself hard, trying to haul him and all that bloody loot out of a collapsing dungeon.
"Sam, huh?" Kurt murmured, a smile tugging at his lips. He reached instinctively for his coat pocket, fingers searching for the familiar pack of cigarettes, before realizing he wasn’t even wearing his coat. Right. dical bay. No coat. And more importantly, no cigarettes.
Just bloody perfect.
"How’s she?" Kurt asked, looking back at Lizzie.
"After all that?" Lizzie shrugged, still swinging her legs. "She needed a lot of rest too. I know I would."
Before Kurt could respond, Lizzie bounced back onto her chair, rolled right up to the side of his bed, grabbing his arm with both hands and squeezing his bicep like she was testing fruit at a market.
"Sooo, spill! You really fought a Sun Knight? Actual Sun Knight? How strong are you now, huh?" Her eyes were wide, manic, sparkling with curiosity. "Think you could take Emma? How many tis did you die? Details, Kurt, I need details!"
"Give the man a minute to breathe, Liz."
Kurt looked up to see Rook stepping into the dical wing, Emma and Zaza following close behind. Emma had her hands in her shorts pockets, smirking like she already knew the punchline, and Rook’s expression was calm, but there was sothing in his eyes that said he had questions too.
Zaza raised her hand behind Rook, cheeks flushed pink, and that psychotic gleam Kurt recognized all too well lit up her pale features. "I would also like to know how many tis he died."
Kurt couldn’t help but grin. Of course she would.
Rook crossed his arms, leaning against the doorfra. "We’ve got a lot of questions. Especially about what the hell we’re gonna do with a thirty-foot golden egg sitting on the third floor. But we’ll get to that."
He paused, his tone softening slightly. "For now, you’ve got yourself a break. As for the Sun Knight’s weapons and the black swans, they’re locked away in the vault until we decide what to do with them."
Kurt swung his legs off the bed, bare feet hitting the cold floor, and stood slowly. His body ached in ways that had nothing to do with injuries and everything to do with accumulated exhaustion. He walked over to Rook and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Cheers, mate."
Emma stepped forward, eyes narrowing as she studied him like a predator sizing up prey. "What’s this I hear about you thinking you can take now?"
Kurt t her gaze, that familiar spark of challenge passing between them. "I wouldn’t presu such. But maybe I can. Maybe I can’t. Only one way to find out, yeah?"
Emma’s lips curved into sothing dangerous. "You know, there’s sothing different about you." She circled him slowly, appraising. "You’re definitely not a D-rank hunter anymore, that’s for fucking sure."
Kurt chuckled, that charm bleeding back into his voice. "What can I say, love? I’ve had a growth spurt. Very character-building, that."
A brief silence settled over the room, and Kurt’s expression shifted, becoming sothing almost sincere. "I’m sorry I got our vacation cut short."
Lizzie’s eyes went comically wide. "Look at you! Apologizing and aning it!"
Emma snorted, shaking her head with a grin. "Yeah, that’s definitely new. What the hell happened to you down there?"
Both of them started laughing, and Kurt couldn’t help but join in.
"Yeah, yeah. You lovely ladies have a laugh at my bloody expense." He grabbed his shirt from the chair beside the bed and started pulling it on. "I think I’m gonna go check on Sam."
"Nooooope!" Lizzie bounced in front of him, blocking his path with arms spread wide. "Her body’s still getting used to all that Crowley mumbo-jumbo. Eventually she’s gonna adjust, but right now? She needs rest. Doctor’s orders!" She jabbed a finger at his chest. "And I’m the doctor, so you’re gonna listen, mister!"
Kurt raised an eyebrow, already reaching for his trench coat, and gave her his best devil-may-care grin. "Doctor’s orders, eh?"
He gave her a two finger salute and sidestepped her anyway, snagging his shirt off the hook, shrugging it on, and already halfway to the door when Emma called out.
"Hey, asshole." She pulled out sothing from her shorts pocket and flicked it through the air, a fresh pack of cigarettes. It was cheap brand, but she knew he liked the cheap kind.
He caught it one-handed, and pressed it to his lips like a kiss. "Emma, you absolute goddess. I owe you large." He was already walking quickly toward the door, pulling on his trench coat as he went.
"Yeah, you fucking do!" Emma called after him, but he was already gone, boots echoing down the hallway as he chased after Rook.
***
"Oi!" Kurt called out, and Rook slowed his pace, turning around as Kurt caught up.
They reached the elevator together, and Kurt hit the button, leaning against the wall as they waited. "Where’s Cassandra?" Kurt asked. "Thought she’d be front row for the welco-back parade."
Rook gave him a dry look. "Conceited much?"
Kurt shrugged. "A man can dream, can’t he?"
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. Rook hit the button for the first floor, and the doors slid shut.
"She’s stil struggling with... trust. Being around the guild’s hard for her right now." Rook said quietly, watching the floor numbers tick down. "Went back to her place."
Kurt nodded, understanding more than he said. Trust didn’t co easy, he knew that. But after everything they’ve been through? No way her walls were still up.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and they stepped out into the first-floor lobby. Rook headed toward the main entrance, and Kurt followed, hands stuffed in his coat pockets.
"Tell her she’s got a room here," Rook said over his shoulder. "Whenever she’s ready. No pressure."
Kurt bumped the side of Rook’s arm with his fist as they reached the door. "You’re a better man than , mate."
Rook’s smile was thin, almost sad. He sighed, voice barely above a whisper. "Believe , I’m not."
Then he headed back inside, leaving Kurt standing alone in the doorway.
Kurt pulled out the pack of cigarettes Emma had given him, tapped one out, and was about to light it when two notification screens materialized in his vision.
[Quest Complete: Prevent the Explosion of Bangrock Island]
[Reward: 15 Points]
[Sub-Quest 1 Complete: Clear the B-Rank Dungeon]
[Reward: 20 Points]
[Available Points: 100]
Kurt stared at the glowing screens for a long mont, then dismissed them with a wave of his hand. One hundred points. With more and more abilities piling up, it didn’t seem like enough.
"Alright then. Ti to pay an ice queen a visit." He lit up, took a long drag, and exhaled smoke into the cool evening air.
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