10,000 Years Too Late

Surya stretched his arms over his head, then let them drop with a loose sigh. "So we're playing undertakers now?" he said, glancing around at the others. They had gathered in the safehouse's rear chamber, a cramped space that smelled faintly of old meals and the recent tang of ash dust. Voss Thane stood by a small table, hands resting on notes scribbled across ragged pages.

"We're raiders," Voss replied, "and this city's survival depends on more than slaying spectrals. You want real loot, real power? Ash burning is the next step."

Riley adjusted her stance, unconsciously flexing the muscles of her Zelion arms. "I get that this is about practicality, but I'm not sure I love the idea of—" She caught Surya's grin and let the thought trail off.

Listik leaned against the wall, arms folded. "It's basically sifting through remains underground, right? People call it 'looting the dead.'" He flicked a glance at Surya. "You were the one who joked about it first."

Surya gave a half shrug. "I said it. Doesn't mean I wanted it confirmed."

Angela crossed one leg over the other, half-lidded eyes on Voss. "So how exactly do we do it? Burn corpses in some makeshift pyre? Collect the ash?"

Voss inhaled, tapping the yellowed pages. "It's not as haphazard as you'd think. For a while, folks tried random bonfires in the tunnels, ended up suffocating themselves or stirring up spectrals. Now, those with knowledge set up small, controlled furnace sites—ash-burning stations, if you like. Gather the remains, load them in carefully, harness the by-product. Most see it as salvage. Or survival."

Shen, ever the note-taker, let his gaze flick across the group before landing on Voss. "And it's actually good for the ecosystem? That part's rumor, right?"

Voss dipped his head. "Probably. Burning unburied remains might stop new spectrals from forming. Some say it even helps purify pockets of foul air. But no one's done thorough research. Welcome to Sveethlad: we make do with half-answers."

He motioned them closer, pointing to a rough sketch of tunnel layouts. Surya peered over Shen's shoulder, scanning the lines that branched like an ant's nest into unknown darkness. "So we claim the ash from these furnace sites?"

Voss made a small sound in his throat. "Claim, yes. But also maintain them. You bring in new remains, burn them, keep track of what's produced. The city's starved for certain quality ashes—especially ones that can harm spectrals. That means watchers, or 'ash wardens,' stand guard." His mouth set in a flat line. "It's messy, both physically and morally."

Alexander straightened. "Seems we can't just light a fire and walk away."

Voss touched a finger to the edges of the tunnel map. "Not if you value your skin. We'll go over a typical shift next time. For now, you need to grasp the logic: anything that dies down there—man, beast, or monster—can be burned for usable ash, if you manage it well."

Shen let out a slow breath, recalling the half-lost memories of the raid that claimed them. "And this practice... it doesn't risk stirring more spectrals?"

Voss paused. "That's why we're careful. Some remains might already be cursed or entangled with a spirit. One misstep, you create a spectrally-infested furnace. But with the right protocols..." He tapped the map again. "You stand to gain. The Operating Theatre endorses it because it helps the city. Some of us do it for the riches."

Angela's half-lidded gaze flicked from Surya to Listik. "Riches from the dead. Not sure if that's better or worse than the ashen firearms."

Surya tried to lighten the tension with a grin. "I vote 'worse.' No offense, Voss."

Riley exhaled through her nose, glancing at the scuffed floorboards. "We'll see how this all ties in with spectrals soon enough, I guess."

Voss set down the notes with care. "That's all for now. Think of this as an introduction. There'll be more detail on the next run—when you see an actual ash-burning site. Then you'll know exactly why Surya calls it looting the dead."

He stepped back from the makeshift table, gesturing the crew to disperse. They left with unsettled thoughts swirling. The shape of their future loomed clearly now: facing intangible enemies, inhaling dust from the dead, and tending furnaces beneath the city's rotting heart. One step closer to the dark.

The group reconvened in the makeshift kitchen a short while later, each drawn by the silence that had settled after Voss's briefing. Wooden chairs scraped on uneven floorboards. A single lamp cast flickering shadows as Surya, Riley, Shen, Angela, Alexander, and Listik eased themselves into a loose circle around the battered table. Voss Thane stood at the head of it, arms crossed, waiting for them to speak first.

Surya rolled a pebble under his heel. "So that's it. We burn corpses underground. Perfectly normal." He offered a weary smile that no one echoed.

"Yes," Voss said, "if you want the full picture: we gather remains, handle them carefully, keep track of which sites are still active, and harvest ash that can ward off spectrals."

Riley leaned an elbow on the table, her expression pensive. "And we're supposed to guard these ash furnaces? Or just feed them?"

"Both," Voss replied, settling onto a stool. "Someone must stoke the fires. Someone must watch for undead threats. The city's short on watchers, so if you prove yourselves... it might open doors."

A hush trailed the words. Angela tugged a strand of her hair, half-lidded eyes drifting to Shen. "Did we sign on to babysit burning corpses?"

Shen spread his palms against the table, the old wood faintly warm from the lamp. "If it helps the city, maybe it's not just about the 'looting' Surya keeps calling it." He paused, thinking of how the average resident suffered from the ignorance of their own decaying world. "Could be healthy for the ecosystem, in a grim way."

Listik tapped his foot once. "We all have our lines. This might push them. But if we need that ash... we need it."

Alexander breathed in. "So we gather it, keep ourselves alive, and keep the city from drowning in spectrals. It's an ugly job, but it might pay off."

"Exactly," Voss said quietly. "I'm not here to claim it's a clean occupation. It's practical. And if you want advanced gear, or deeper Undawild routes, the city owes more favors to those who keep the ashes flowing."

Surya laid his arms across the table, eyes flicking from one companion to the next. "A part of me says it's messed up, but we're in Sveethlad. Everything here is messed up. So count me in, I guess." He tried to smile, though it felt hollow.

Riley rubbed a spot on her shoulder, recalling the bruises of earlier training. "We do what we must. If it means we can stand against spectrals and whatever else lurks down there, I'll deal with the moral weight."

Voss exhaled, letting the tension subside. "I'm sharing this so you're prepared. In a day or two, I'll take you to an actual furnace site. You'll see how it all works. Surya—feel free to keep your jokes coming. It helps some folks handle the stench."

"Lucky me," Surya said, though the corners of his mouth barely twitched.

Angela tilted her head at Shen. "You're quiet. That means you're thinking too much again."

Shen shrugged. "Just scribbling mental notes. If we're going to meddle with half-buried bones, I'd rather we know exactly which ones might be tied to new spectrals."

"Fair concern," Voss answered. "We'll do a short run soon. You'll get a sense of which remains are safe to burn and which have that... twisted residue."

Listik pressed his lips together, glancing at the lamp's flame dancing in the stale air. "We're diving deep, aren't we?"

No one contradicted him. The city's survival hinged on half-chances: rummaging corpses, breathing in the dust of the dead, forging ashen arms to ward off intangible nightmares. Surya's light jest about "playing undertakers" rang truer than any of them would like.

Voss cleared his throat, rising from the stool. "That's enough for now. Rest. Tomorrow, we focus on sharper drills with the ashen firearms, in case we run into a real threat sooner than expected."

They lingered just a moment in that cramped room, each reflecting on the unknown. Then Voss stepped out, leaving them to the quiet. Surya stood, stretched, and joked about needing fresh air—though the air outside was hardly fresh. Riley followed him out. Angela drifted to a corner, half-lidded gaze turning inward. Alexander and Listik shared a subdued look, as though each recognized how fragile their new reality was.

Shen took a breath, letting the hush deepen. When at last he too stepped away, the lamplight seemed to fade behind him, and an uneasy calm settled in the deserted space. This was their life now, a half-dozen travelers from somewhere else, bracing themselves for the city's darkest burdens—burning bones in the belly of Sveethlad. They would bear it together, or not at all.