Chapter 485: Loccy Carries the Dead
The valley road narrowed between two ridges, and pale grass gave way to black soil threaded with thin copper roots.
Loccy stopped at the first root and said, "Something beneath this ground pulls toward the road, though the pull has no living rhythm."
Ferra crouched beside the soil and replied, "The roots carry a body, and that body remains connected to the station we left behind."
She placed a probe against the copper and added, "The connection reaches far enough to drag a dead guardian back if the ground organs complete their cycle."
Ash held his Ringlet close and thought, ’The dead can still be used when the living refuse to ask what their duty meant.’
Aria displayed a warning above Hajin’s wrist after the probe returned:
[Buried route organs detected, corpse anchor active, extraction cycle beginning]
The road split open, and a pale body rose from the copper roots with its arms folded across a cracked breastplate.
Soil had worn the face smooth, while four broken metal bands remained around the wrists.
Loccy stepped forward and said, "Give me the body before the ground pulls it apart, and tell me where the roots are taking it."
Hajin answered, "You can carry it, though the organs beneath the road must be destroyed before they complete the extraction."
Loccy opened her four Wings and lifted the corpse against her chest, keeping one arm beneath its shoulders while the other supported its knees.
Copper roots tightened around the body’s ankles, and Loccy braced her feet against the road.
She said, "The corpse weighs more than stone because the route is counting every old command still attached to it."
Ferra moved to the nearest root and replied, "The weight comes from the organs rather than the body, so cutting them should release the burden."
Juna raised her bow and asked, "Where are the organs, and which one holds the connection to the spine?"
Ferra pointed toward the ridge and answered, "Three lie beneath the road, two beneath the left slope, and one follows the copper line into the spine."
Hajin summoned the Chain and said, "Juna takes the slope, Eirwen takes the road, and I cut the spine line after Ferra identifies it."
Eirwen sent three Shards toward the ridge and replied, "The route remembers a formation, so I will break the positions without burning the soil around them."
Juna released two arrows into the left slope, and buried roots surfaced around the shafts in a knot of black fibers.
She said, "The organs share one command, though the first has already lost pressure."
Eirwen placed a green mark over the road and answered, "The second and third are answering through it, so keep Loccy moving toward the center."
Loccy took one step with the corpse, and the entire road sank beneath her feet.
She held the body closer and said, "The dead guardian is still trying to return to the station, so I will carry it away from the command."
Hajin studied the cracked breastplate and thought, ’Loccy carries a body, though the road is trying to make her carry the history that killed it.’
Ferra drove a probe through the soil beside Loccy’s heel and called, "The spine line is under your left foot, and the main organ lies beneath the exposed stone."
Hajin shifted the Chain toward the stone and said, "Hold the body steady for one breath, then walk when I cut the line."
Loccy tightened her arms around the corpse and replied, "Cut it, and I will carry whatever remains after the road loses its claim."
Hajin struck the copper line, and the Chain severed the route without touching the corpse.
The dead guardian’s metal bands fell loose while roots beneath the road twisted toward Loccy’s legs.
Loccy opened her Wings wider and said, "The line is gone, though the organs are pulling through the ground itself."
Juna cut the exposed knot from the slope and called, "The left pressure stopped, and the road is forcing the remaining organs to answer together."
Eirwen raised a barrier over the central path and replied, "The answer travels beneath the barrier, so Hajin must destroy the organs rather than block the route."
Hajin sent one Ring through the Chain and pulled the exposed stone upward, revealing a cluster of copper roots wrapped around a black seed.
Aria displayed a notice above his wrist:
[Route organ exposed, corpse anchor weakening, valid hostile mechanism identified]
Hajin drove the Chain through the seed while Ferra placed a copper pin into its outer shell.
Ferra said, "The pin keeps the organ from collapsing into the road, though it won’t survive another strike."
Hajin pulled the seed free, and the road shook under Loccy’s feet.
She lowered the corpse’s head against her shoulder and said, "The dead one is lighter, though the remaining pull has become sharper."
Rumi moved a marker from the center to the right side and reported, "The next organs are beneath the safe path, so refugees cannot cross until the ground settles."
Nari pointed toward the ridge and answered, "The slope organ is reconnecting through the first cut, using the corpse’s wrist bands as a bridge."
Loccy shifted the body into one arm and reached toward the nearest band.
She said, "I can break the bridge, though I can’t hold the corpse and the ground at once."
Hajin moved beside her and replied, "Give me the band, and keep both arms around the body while I cut the last connection."
Loccy passed the broken band into his hand, and Hajin crushed it with the Chain before the root could wrap around his wrist.
The second organ surfaced beneath the slope, followed by a third beneath the road’s center.
Juna and Eirwen struck both organs together while Ferra drove pins into the soil to keep their remains from sinking into the route.
Ferra called, "The organs are exposed, and the final command is concentrated beneath Loccy’s path."
Loccy lowered the corpse onto clean grass and returned to the road, saying, "The body is safe for now, though the dead cannot remain beside a route that keeps reaching for it."
Hajin drew the demonic blade and cut through the stone while the Chain held the black seed in place.
The last organ broke apart, and copper roots released the corpse without a sound.
Aria displayed the result above Hajin’s wrist:
[Six route organs destroyed, corpse anchor released, contribution EXP awarded: 2,000,000]
Loccy’s four Wings folded around her shoulders as she lifted the corpse again.
Aria added the ledger after the body left the road:
[Loccy contribution EXP: 2,000,000 / 37,500,000 toward Wing 5]
Loccy looked down at the worn face and said, "The road used this guardian after death, so we carry it until no route can reach it again."
The Watcher placed a cloth over the smooth face and answered, "A name may be missing, though the choice to defend the road remains part of the body."
Ash touched the cracked breastplate and thought, ’A dead guardian deserves a destination that isn’t another command.’
Hajin marked the destroyed organs on Nari’s map and said, "We take the body to the next shelter, leaving the route with no anchor to pull it back."
Loccy adjusted her grip when the guardian’s weight shifted.
Rumi opened the clean route ahead, and the party went around the broken road without leaving the body behind.