Episode 5. Welcome to the Ghost Story Hotel (7)
Corpses that were already stone-cold dead, or people who'd been run through by my sword and died. By now, I was pretty used to sights like that, grotesque as they were.
But this—this corpse-like thing grinning ear to ear and babbling, "Found it? This? Want this? Want it?"
"…."
—this was a first. My heart nearly stopped on the spot.
I glanced at my watch on the sly. In the time I'd been focused, more than ten minutes had passed. Which meant the freakish woman grinning beside me had probably spawned because she hadn't left the room after the ten-minute mark.
"Heehee, heh. Give you this? This?"
"…If you're gonna give it, shut up and hand it over already."
If it had just been simple ingredients, I would've shrugged it off and left, no big deal. But the potion? That was harder to abandon. It had the sun grass from the snowy mountains, fruit and petals from that man-eating flower, and all sorts of pricey stuff mixed in—a real treasure.
Aberly had said it wouldn't suppress the gray right away, but it'd work great as a high-end nutritional tonic.
So.
I eyed her warily, then swung my sword at the arm holding the potion vial, dangling it right under my nose like she was taunting me. If I could just lop off that hand and bolt for the door…
Of course, things didn't go according to plan.
I drew and slashed in an instant, aiming to sever her wrist clean off—but even though my blade passed right through it, her bony arm stayed intact. It was like the sword had sliced through empty air, no resistance at all.
"…."
Another mana issue? Maybe if it was an aura blade, it would've connected. But with my mana-less self, it was just a plain old sword.
"Give it? You want it? Precious, right?"
She didn't even flinch at my swing, just kept babbling and took a step closer, unbothered.
Her head twisted around with a creak-creak, her arm flopping and bending unnaturally as she advanced.
"Trade then? Swap for this?"
"I'll trade you ingredients—go eat some food or something."
She phrased it like a question, even if conversation wasn't really clicking, so I shot back while backing away.
She didn't just tilt her head—she wrenched it around with a crack until it faced sideways, then spoke.
"That? Don't need that. I don't need that. Something else? Swap for something else."
"Then what the hell do you want to swap for?"
"This for you. Swap? Swap, heehee. Swap."
"…."
Of course.
Her finger pointed straight at me, and every door in the room slammed shut with a bang. The furniture started shuddering with ominous grinds.
It would've been great if the noise woke Asha, but she was still sleep-mumbling against my neck, oblivious.
I took a big step back and yanked a mana bomb from my pouch, hurling it at the creepy woman. Pricey one-use explosive enchantment or not—survival first.
She stared blankly at the stone as it flew, then—BOOM—the magic engulfed her.
"Did that do it?"
I accidentally muttered the one spell I could cast, hopeful despite myself.
The dust cleared, and a bony arm shot toward me. Not even scratched—she charged, limbs twisting as she lunged to grab me.
Mana bombs didn't faze her either? Not mana-related, then.
Who knew. If it was that easy, the hotel rules wouldn't have mentioned it—there had to be another way.
Anyway.
"Heehee, swap? Swap. Give you this."
"No swap, you bitch."
Getting caught by that hand would be game over. Gut instinct screamed it, so I dodged like mad, sprinting around the room to evade her.
"Heehee, heh. Heehee. Swap. Swap? Swap. Swap. Swap? Swap."
Furniture rattled at her gestures, flying to block my path. I slashed and smashed through with my sword, feet pounding desperately.
Doors were sealed tight, so despite the waste, I pulled another explosive stone and blew it—
"Ah, these damn things are just expensive trash!!"
Only a grand boom, no dent in the door.
"Heh, heh, where? Where. Swap? Swap. Swap for this."
The distance closed. No escape left.
Finally, her hand snagged my clothes.
"Got you? Got you. Now swap. Heh, swap."
Bony as a skeleton, but her grip was freakishly strong and fast—no time to shed my coat before she seized my arm too.
My sword couldn't touch her, but she could grab me? Infuriating.
I glared at her. Her grinning face was as grotesque as her creaking, rotating head.
"Heh."
"…."
"Swap then? Give you this?"
She tossed the vial at me—then yanked my arm harder.
And—
"Now you're mine too…?"
Slap! Her words cut off mid-sentence.
"Ah… p-pain? It h-hurts…!"
Slap! The hand flying over my shoulder—unlike my sword—struck true, smacking her cheek solidly.
"Ain is mine."
Slap! Smack! Slap! One hand gripped her hair, the other landing precise slaps.
"Don't smile at Ain."
"S-sleeping…."
Slap!
"Don't talk to Ain."
"N-no, I w-won't…!"
Slap! Gray ash coated her hand; the freak's cheek swelled, skin peeling where ash stuck, rotting away.
"Don't covet him. He's mine."
"He's not y-yours… I, I'll g-go…!"
Slap! Smack! Her hand flailed to pry Asha's arm off mine—but before it touched, ash bound it, crumbling slowly.
"He's mine."
"Guh… o-okay…!"
Slap!
Her swollen cheek caved under another swing.
"No one else gets him."
"…."
Slap! Now she just twitched with each hit, her pupils dull and lifeless.
"He's mine."
"…."
Slap! Blow by blow, her bony frame buckled.
"Ain is mine."
Slap!
"Mine, mine."
Slap!
"Don't covet him."
Slap!
By now, the freak had turned even freakier and dropped dead. No reaction to Asha's swings anymore, not even twitches.
Could something already dead die again? Apparently yes, right in front of me.
"Don't eye my Ain."
Slap!
But Asha's hands didn't stop.
"Ain is mine."
"Asha, it's over. You can stop now…."
Slap!
"I'll never let him go."
"Asha…?"
Slap!
She ignored me, deaf to my calls, just kept slapping the thing she'd grabbed.
"Mine."
Slap!
It went on for ages.
"Mine. Mine. I won't give him up. Mine, so don't covet. Mine. Mine. Mine. Not Ain. Mine. Mine. Ain is mine. Don't covet. Mine. Mine. Won't give to anyone. Mine. Mine. He's mine."
"…."
Finally, the freak's form dissolved away. The room's doors creaked open—and Asha stopped.
Her hands, now aimless, wrapped gently around my neck again.
"Ain…."
"Mine…."
The mumbling trailed off for good as her face thunked onto my shoulder. Only soft breaths now.
"…."
So this was her sleep-talking.
At this point, the hotel wasn't the ghost story—the girl on my back was.
I thought that as I grabbed the last potion vial and headed back to our room.
Time passed, and Asha opened her eyes.
Wide-eyed, she beamed at me right away.
"Huh? Ain, my mana went down a bit. Maybe the potion helped."
"…Yeah. Doubt it."
"Huh? But it decreased while I was asleep."
I couldn't quite meet her eyes, of course.
"Maybe, but nah."
"?"
It wasn't the potion. Just… well… yeah.
"Anyway, no."
"Mm… okay. If you say so, Ain."
Yeah. Nothing to it.
I thought that and stroked her head.