The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Man From the Moors

Read chapter 35 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 35: The Man From the Moors A couple of hours after their departure into the sky, Lucius and his fellows were having a very intriguing conversation with the good Miss Brooks. Apparently, not all groups underwent the same Tutorial. “You folks had to go through some kinda flesh dungeon?” The firefighter said, her face curled in horror. “Urgh, I probably would’ve passed out.” Mili tilted her head and scrunched her eyes. “Huh, that’s weird. Was it different for you, Harper?” “Thankfully, yeah. Well… it was no walk in the park, either.” She took a swig of water from a flask strapped to her uniform. “We had to deal with skeletons.” Marco nearly stumbled over his seat. “Skeletons? Ya mean bones, right? The bones in our body—just walking around?” Harper laughed, amused by his confusion, but there was a dark shadow hidden beneath her brow. She played it off casually and carried on with her tale. “Yeah, those skeletons. Couldn’t tell you how they were walking around without any muscle. We were taken to this creepy graveyard, with tombs and, uh, what do you call it… mausoleums. Big house-looking things. Seemed intimidating at first glance, but they were actually the only places we could get some sort of rest. If you took even one step out, a horde of those things would rise up from the ground and start chasing you.” Harper looked down, mindlessly fiddled with her fingers, and opened her mouth. But no sound came out. She grimaced and scratched at her throat, trying to remove the lump stuck within. She scratched harder, deeper: more desperately until the skin flushed raw with red. And all the while the group watched on, drenched in an uncomfortable silence. “You do not need to speak further if it pains you, Miss Brooks,” Lucius said. The firefighter shook her head and let out a deep exhale. “No, it’s okay. I have to do this.” After a few seconds, she composed herself, looking a bit better than before. “Our mission was a bit different from yours. Rather than try to escape, we had to destroy these effigies placed around the graveyard. It wasn’t hard finding them—that was the easy part. No, it was the constant running. It didn’t matter how many of the skulls you bashed because another one would reanimate right after. Eventually, your body started to just… crumble from the inside. The fatigue mounted, and mounted, until you either found a safe place or collapsed from exhaustion. “That’s how it got them, my teammates. One was dragged away, screaming, before being buried alive. Another one twisted their ankle and got their brain smashed in. The other guy was a bit stronger, but even he couldn’t take it anymore and, um, offed himself. Little ol’ me was the only one to make it out. I still don’t… really know how. It was all a blur toward the end - what I do remember is this burning rage, this desperate will to survive. I clawed my way out of that hell, and now—well, now I’m riding a fancy flying train. Could be a whole lot worse, right?” Mili slowly nodded, bringing her hands up and placing it over her heart. She sympathized with Harper’s pain all too well. “Yeah, could be a lot worse,” the musician said. “But you’re here. That’s the important part: You survived until now because your mind’s still raring to go. We can’t let this damn game get to us, Harper. Let’s make it to the end so we can pummel the crap out of those starry assholes!” “Language, Miss Mili.” “Oops. Sorry, but you get my drift.” Mili scooted over to Harper’s side and hugged her arm. “Never feel guilty about surviving. If you’ve got the energy to groan, then channel it into heart pumpin’ power. Like this: Hrah!” She raised her fist and cried out in an electrifying rally. “H-Hrah?” Harper mumbled. “Louder!” “Hrah!” Mili giggled. “There you go! Doesn’t that feel better?” To the firefighter’s surprise, it did. Her eyes brightened, and the creases on her face eased up - lighter. More relaxed. The gloom that had once dwelled in her shadow had all but disappeared before Mili’s ag