Chapter 13: Kasfield’s Outfitters

“Can I come?” Iris asked softly on their way back to the main living room of the group.

“To… buy clothing?” Finn tilted his head. “You already have clothes though, no? I felt them when holding you earlier.”

“The clothing they’ve bought me and the clothing Archon was talking about just now are two different things,” she explained. “What I’m wearing right now are normal clothes. The clothes Archon wants you to get is armor.”

“Hm, I see. That makes more sense. Alright then, let’s go.”

Soon after, the two of them reached where the other Phantom Slayers were. Since Finn memorized the route by counting his own footsteps, there was no need for Iris to give him any instructions.

She was quite impressed, and honestly, Finn himself was too. It seemed that the Ghost blood in his body not only had incredible regenerative properties, it also boosted his memory skills by quite a lot, seeing as how he wasn’t having any trouble memorizing the footsteps count and directions.

Naturally, there were the physical enhancements as well, which Finn could feel in his body. He also had no doubt his reaction speeds had greatly improved thanks to the blood too.

Finn walked up to where he visualized the couches were. “Octane, was it? Archon asked you to take us to purchase some clothes.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure.” He leaped off his chair and did some arm circles. “Follow me! This will be quick with me here. Everything’s quick with me here.”

“Octane.” Storm glared at him dangerously from a short distance away, a hidden threat implied in his voice.

“O-Okay, okay, fine. I’ll take them to the proper store.”

“… Thank you,” Finn said quietly as Octane casually strolled towards the front entrance of the house.

“Hold on,” Iris interrupted, then took off her outer jacket before handing it to Finn. “Take this and drape it around yourself. No one wants to see your bandaged body.”

“But… it’s too small.”

“Too bad. That’s why we’re going to get you some proper clothes now. It’ll be armor, but it can serve.”

“… Right.” Finn sighed and did as told. He didn’t like it, but he was still reliant on Iris as of right now. Besides, she was doing this for his own good.

Once Finn was finished, he looked like an adult wearing a teenager’s shirt, arms extending too far out of the sleeves, but that was besides the point.

“Hehe,” Iris giggled. “Not bad.”

“…” Finn couldn’t see what he looked like right now, but he had no doubt it was hilarious from an outsider’s perspective. If anything, he probably would’ve gotten fewer stares if he just remained bandaged. Still, he didn’t really care all that much.

Together, the three of them set off.

*****

– September 15th, 2051 [11 AM] –

As the three of them walked through the streets, Finn received many weird gazes — not that he knew. Iris, meanwhile, was enjoying the show, discretely giggling at the blissful ignorance of her partner.

“Octane, about earlier…” Finn began, completely oblivious to the stares he was receiving.

“Hm? Wussup?” Octane glanced back, raising an eyebrow.

“You mentioned you would take us to the ‘proper store’. Is there an ‘improper’ store somewhere…?”

“Oh, that. Yeah, there is. It’s a lot closer and the prices are cheaper, but… I don’t recommend that place for newbies, since the people who go there are kind of sketchy.”

‘And you aren’t…?’ Finn thought in his mind, but he decided to just end the conversation there.

The three of them agreed beforehand to refrain from discussing anything Ghost or Angelica related, since they were in the public world right now where people passing by could hear what they were talking about. If word of the paranormal being real got out, chaos would ensue — hence why the Phantom Slayers (and the entire Ghost Hunter world) operated in the shadows.

Those who came into contact with a Ghost either joined the Ghost Hunter world or were given amnestics. Most, however, chose the former, out of revenge. After an encounter with one of those abominations, there was no going back. Ever.

Collectively, all Ghost Hunters worked together to hide Ghost-related incidents and pass them off as accidental deaths. However, if a massacre were to take place, it would be quite difficult to lie to the public any longer — hence why the Hunters were dispatched to subdue threats before such a thing could happen.

So far, they’ve been successful. But there was no telling when a day would come where a Ghost too powerful for them to handle appears.

*****

About 15 minutes later, Finn, Iris, and Octane arrived at a large shopping mall, with plenty of people going in and about. It definitely did not seem like the place where a shady shop that worked for the Ghost Hunter world would be set up.

“This is where we’re going to buy the clothing…?” Finn asked, confused. “I hear a lot of people.”

“Don’t worry, just follow me,” Octane chuckled.

Shortly after, the trio found themselves in front of a large store with dimly lit green lights and… no customers inside. It was strange since there were plenty of people in the mall, but no one even bothered taking a look at this enormous store. Above the open entrance was a wooden sign with the words ‘Kasfield’s Outfitters’ over it.

“This is the place,” Octane said, before strolling in nonchalantly.

At the counter of the store further inside sat a single man — the store owner and the only employee. He had deep green hair, a bright green left eye, and wore a crooked grin, chewing on a cigarette. The right side of his face was completely ruined, a deep scar running from his forehead through his right eye.

“Wussup, Kas!” Octane greeted and hopped up to the counter as if the two of them were close friends.

However, Kasfield — or rather, Kas — merely glanced at the ADHD teen coldly.

“… Who are you?”

His voice was coarse and heavily accented, giving it a hostile feeling even if he didn’t mean to come off like that.

“W-What? Come on, dude! It’s me, Octane! Your good buddy!”

Kas snorted and closed his eyes, taking out the cigarette from his mouth and slowly blowing out.

“Sorry, I don’t know any ‘Octane’.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” Octane rolled his eyes, then checked outside to make sure no one was listening in. After turning back to Kas, he took a deep breath and spoke.

“Lightning and thunder.”

“Cleave and sunder,” Kas replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

“The wings of rebellion.”

“Release your hellion.”

“Twilight’s wake.”

“Annihilate.”

“I’m very handsome.”

Kas opened his left eye in skepticism, then sighed.

“Slay all the Phantoms.”

“Aha! You still went along with it!” Octane cheered, a triumphant smirk on his face.

“I’m just going to pretend that never happened…” Kas shook his head and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, a bookshelf placed against the right wall slid away, revealing a stone path lit by torches behind.

“Hurry up.”

“Yessir!” Octane licked his lips and dashed straight down the corridor, completely forgetting about the two of us.

“Um… turn right,” Iris instructed Finn, who did as told. “Okay, now go.”

As Finn and Iris followed Octane out of sight, Kas stroked his aged chin. “Hm… a blind boy and a crippled girl, is it? What an interesting duo.”

He snapped his fingers again as the bookshelf slid back in place, and any sign of there ever being three people here was gone.

*****

“Man, you guys are so slow!” Octane cried as he waited before a round turn.

“No, I think you are just too fast,” Finn said, brutally honest.

“H-Huh? This is already slow for me though. See how nice I’m being? Waiting here for you and all. Anyway.” He glanced down the spiral staircase. “I keep telling them to implement an elevator, but they won’t since that could get tracked due to the use of electricity, so we have to go down these stairs. Obviously, pushing the wheelchair down won’t work, so here’s how we’re going to do it.”

Clearing his throat, he shamelessly continued:

“I’ll carry Miss Ivis and go down first, then you can bring the wheelchair, Finn.”

“… And who will guide me?” Finn asked in a quiet, completely serious voice.

“Uh… okay, then you go down first with the wheelchair, and Miss Ivis and I will come after you’re there.”

“How does that help in any way?” Iris sighed in frustration. “Finn will carry me, that’s easiest. You are holding the wheelchair.”

“Huh? You sure? He can’t see, you know. He might end up bumping into walls and stuff, this staircase is narro-“

“Yes, that’s why I’ll be here to guide him,” Iris facepalmed and shook her head in disappointment.

“Uh, but…”

“Just go already,” Finn interjected, getting impatient.

“Alright, alright…” Octane sighed and took hold of the wheelchair’s handle as Iris climbed onto Finn’s back and held him firmly.

[Fufu, it seems that girl has taken quite a liking to you.] Zelestria snickered suggestively inside Finn’s head. He didn’t bother responding, as he didn’t feel the need to.

“I was really hoping I would get to carry her…” Octane murmured as he took a couple of steps back, rolling the wheelchair with him. “Whatever… heheh, speed is my only love in life! Here… we… GO!”

And at that moment, Iris’s jaw dropped wide open.

Octane sprinted towards the staircase, wheelchair and all, before suddenly jumping into the seat as he tumbled downwards.

“WOOHO- OW! AH! OOF! Ow, I’m sor- AH!”

CRASH!

Finn didn’t need to see to figure out what had happened.

“Uh… is he… dead?”

“Dead? Probably not, but…”

“But?”

Iris sighed and drooped her head down in exhaustion.

“… I’m going to need a new wheelchair.”