Chapter 76: Mutation

The center of the table crackled and smoked as thin slices of marinated beef and pork were expertly cooked by Sun-young. Her hunger took hold of her, dipping a piece of bulgogi into a small dish of sesame sauce and placing it onto the grill.

Kazi watched, his brows set in concern. “Jack…”

The name seemed to echo between them. Marta sharply exhaled while Sun-young started to dig in. It was like comfort food. She didn’t want to talk unless she had food in her mouth first.

“The witches mentioned he was a child of an earth monster. I think that spoke less to his abilities and more to his personality. In all probability, they didn’t understand what he was. He killed them unlike anything and anyone. An inhumane.”

“Mm.” Sun-young silently ate.

“W-was he really a player?” Marta asked. “Isn’t it possible that it was some hidden boss o-or a glitch? You know, like that thing in the Shadow Hall.”

’The Wendigo? I doubt it.’

“Possible but improbable. I countered a glitch, remember? Same blood lake and everything. I don’t think he came from there.”

The larger issue was if he was a bonafide serial killer. Not that it was impossible, but that it was impossible to track. There was no list of players nor a list of when players entered gates. No hospital or ID or check-out that everyone went through. If two or three or twenty extra players died, no one would know and no one would get blamed for it.

“His fighting style…” Sun-young murmured. “And his skills seemed to be like a player’s. Like yours, Kazi.” She locked eyes with him. “You’re able to manipulate the mana inside you. Jack did the same thing, except on a whole other level.”

’I think that’s what William did too. He overpowered me because he was using an advanced version of Mana Flow. Is it a coincidence that this Jack also had it? Was it Jack that caused William to change?’

Kazi avoided mentioning William’s transformation. He could see it in their eyes: they didn’t want to talk about Jack longer than they had to. They didn’t want to be reminded of him or his darkness in any way, shape, or form. Hiding William’s secret could hurt him in the future. Hurt someone, an ally, but it was a chance he was willing to take.

“Ms. Sun-young…?” Kazi blinked as he watched her stuff herself. “Is it really okay to eat that much? Isn’t your stomach, you know…”

Sun-young’s reply came after a great bit of chewing. “I don’t know how but somehow Marta’s healing magic saved me. I feel better than ever.”

’That’s not true, is it? You’re hunching over. Your stomach hasn’t fully healed and you’re too stubborn to tell Marta that.’

Indeed, at her remark, Marta smiled proudly. “I learned this spell, it’s called Heaven’s Resurgence. Because of it, my Mage Class also evolved into the Wizard Class.”

Sun-young’s white lie instilled confidence in her. Was it for that? Kazi faked a smile. “A Wizard? You really are amazing!”

“It’s also what saved my life,” said Sun-young. She didn’t look at Marta but her eyes softened.

“I got lucky.” Marta’s delight fell. “I…wasn’t able to save the others. No one deserves to die the way they did.”

“You did your best,” Sun-young comforted. “Because of that, I’m still here.”

She smiled weakly. “Thank you. I just wish I could have done more.”

“We all do,” Sun-young replied, bitter. “We all do.”

The heavy air was almost unbearable. Jack killed innocent Templars for no qualm or reason. He just did it, infusing all the brutality in his knife to utterly dismantle and ruin their corpses. Witnessing that sight must have scarred their hearts more than their bodies.

Marta swallowed up her food and her nerves and restarted the conversation. “But Kazi, five days in five minutes? I believe you, but like, that’s crazy. Should we ask around? Maybe tell someone?”

[ Attention players! Gate 8 will open in 25:00 minutes! Please head over to the Heavenly Tower if you wish to participate as soon as possible! ]

[ Attention players! Only a select number of players may attend Gate 8! ]

[ Attention players! Pay 300,000 PP to enter Gate 8! ]

Kazi blinked. “Wait, what? Three hundred thousand points!?”

Neither Marta or Sun-young were bothered by it. Meaning, this had already appeared for them.

Noticing his astonishment, Marta elaborated, “Oh, yes. That’s been popping up every six hours. Weird, right? We haven’t had to pay to enter a Gate.”

“It’s also a way to get the strongest players together,” Kazi noted. Marta didn’t understand. “Think about it. The average amount of points a player can earn per gate ranges from eight thousand to twenty thousand. Doing the math so far, at best, the average player is sitting at a net worth of a hundred and forty-thousand, less than half of what’s necessary for this. If we subtract costs of weaponry, food, showers, all that stuff, then it dwindles down to a hundred thousand, less if you’re a big spender. Three hundred thousand is a price point that targets players that have done the special and hidden objectives.”

“Ooh, I see.” More than ever, Marta appreciated her insights. “That makes sense. You think it’s going to be hard?”

Kazi shrugged. “Who knows?”

“I can’t pay for it though, so I’ll have to sit this one out—”

“Nope, you’re coming with us.”

Marta didn’t understand. “I, um, appreciate the thought but I don’t have enough points.”

Kazi smiled. “Marta, do you think what I think?” He paused for effect, waiting to see her smile lines. When they appeared, he went on, “I think you’ve proven yourself worthy to hang out with the big players. You fought for Ms. Sun-young. You blasted Jack with your magic despite how outclassed you were. You fought even though you could have ran. What kind of teacher wouldn’t let their student grow stronger right as they’re on the cusp of greatness?” With that, Kazi announced, “I’ll pay.”

Marta put a hand on the table. “But—”

“No buts! You’re coming with us!” Kazi looked to their friendly witness. “Isn’t that right, Ms. Sun-young?”

“Yes.”

The Polish woman’s glasses nearly fell over. She was a mess. A good kind of mess, in Kazi’s opinion, someone who had successfully come out of their shell to try and achieve their full potential. The more Kazi pushed her, the more she lived up to his expectations.

“I…” Marta summoned up her strength. “Thank you. I really do want to thank you and go, but…I can’t. I want to grow stronger of my own accord. I think I should sit this one out.”

The Wizard Class, it was eating her up. She wanted to experiment, or maybe continue experimenting. Five days had gone and went, after all. ’Forget coming out of her own shell, she’s making that shell.’

“Alright, Marta. You got this. There’s twenty minutes left till the Gate opens,” said Kazi. “I have to go somewhere. Be right back.”

It was such a sudden change in topic that both Marta and Sun-young stared at him in befuddlement. He pretended they weren’t there and went anyway.

’Marta might have proven herself, but William…’ Kazi couldn’t risk it. He just couldn’t. Not when his friends had already come close to death’s door at the hands of another monster of darkness. He needed to know what ailed him and how to avoid it happening. He needed information.

***

He didn’t have many friends that were previous players. Not because he didn’t try but because former players tended to go to their pocket dimensions to relax and have fun. Think of them as athletes on vacation. They want nothing to do with ordinary people or those below them. It was a waste of time. Family and down-time was what mattered.

He headed to the home improvement section between the Merchant Sector and the Recreation Sector, and entered Oliver’s Cabinet Making Workshop. There, he spotted an elderly figure. There, he would find the advice he sought.

“Ah, Kazi, back again.” Oliver wore a warm smile and gestured at a couch he had been inspecting. “I just finished placing this new piece. How is it?”

Kazi made a maybe-motion with his hands. “Could be better. Maybe change the colour from red to blue.”

“Darn.” Oliver put his hands on his hips. “I was thinking the same. Blue does work better.”

“Oliver.” Kazi’s voice dipped and Oliver glanced at him worriedly. “I need someone to talk to about dark magic stuff.”

“Dark magic?” The old man put his hands behind him, unnerved. “Has something happened?”

“Don’t have the time to explain. The next gate is opening up in ten minutes. I just need someone to talk to.”

A certain gravity coated his words and Oliver understood this wasn’t something he could help with. His hands rubbed his cheeks. His throat bobbed nervously. “The woman next door, Anna,” his voice cracked, “may be able to help you. But be warned: she does not trust nor does she help without consequence.”

“Temple Anneke. I saw the name. Thank you.”

He zipped from Oliver to Temple Anneke in a flash. From the outside, it could be described as run-down. An image straight from the backwaters of London, black and with large windows that were blurred by purple smoke. Next to Oliver’s, it was out-of-place. An ignored piece of shop that echoed despair. The shiny and black Georgian door had the western witch knocker on it.

He assumed, judging by the crooked sign, that this was open to everyone. Opening it up, he caught a disgruntled whiff of metal and acid. The smoke that the window suggested was gone, replaced by an alchemic theme. Floating candles, bookshelves with a strange glow, and machines that seemed to be nowhere in sight. The shop wasn’t cramped yet there was closeness to it.

At the end of the shop, there were shadows. Nothing.

But then he took another look and there was a woman. Tattooed and with dark blue eyes that judged him. Suddenly, Kazi felt like a street rat that had gotten caught for stealing. An event that had only happened once in his life after he swore for it to never happen again. By most rights, the woman at the counter was strange-looking. The tattoos were one thing and her baroque-style attire was another. She was the type of woman that poked at Kazi’s curiosity. If circumstances weren’t what they were, he would have tried to be friends with her.

Kazi approached her, cool and calm. “Anna, yeah?”

“Customer? Or favour?”

To the point. He appreciated that.

“Favour,” Kazi confirmed.

“A favour for a favour then,” said Anna. “Whenever, wherever you are, I will ask a favour and you will complete it. Does that suffice?”

It wasn’t like Oliver owed him or vice-versa. Creating friendly relations would lead to friendly advice. Anna was different. Skeptical and overly logical, she didn’t desire friendship. Kazi accepted the conditions after briefly weighing the pros and cons.

“Do you know what the Wendigo is?” he asked, skipping to the point as well.

“Vaguely. It is a creature of the Great Lakes Natives. Why?”

’So she’s decently well read. Good.’

Kazi elaborated, “Let’s say someone got bitten from it. Some stories suggest that being bitten by a Wendigo turns you into a cannibalistic monster.”

Her black tattooed hand cupping her cheek, she urged him to continue.

“But what else would it do?” Kazi asked. “Is it possible for the bite to make someone exponentially stronger? What if they aren’t always in that state of mind? When would it theoretically happen? Is there a trigger?”

“That’s a lot of questions.” Anna licked her lips, thinking. “To be frank, it depends on the person. It is unlikely the Wendigo transfers its will into a host, or else it would kill itself in order to do that. It may be a piece of its power, corrupting and without sentience.”

“But what if it’s stronger?”

“Stronger in the person it bit? The individual could have been stronger so—”

“They weren’t. Before, they were much weaker than the Wendigo and now, solely due to the change, they have attained power surpassing it.”

Her eyes flicked from the ceiling to Kazi. “A mutation maybe? The human body can adapt to many things. The Wendigo is a purely magical entity. It’s possible the victim became something between that existence—between physical and magical. Like…” She paused. “Like a demigod or a fairy. I hope this discussion isn’t about you. Otherwise, I’d very much like to take you apart.”

’A mutation…but how? And why does his personality change? Is he drunk on power? No, he forgets everything. Is it possible that it’s a split personality? That William already had one? No, that can’t be it. That’s too big a leap. Otherwise, William would have shown it…right?’

A split-personality, so far-fetched yet all roads of thought led to that single conclusion. It was ridiculous. All of a sudden, he felt like he didn’t know the Canadian teenager.

Kazi replied to her disturbing statement, “Unfortunately, no, not me. It’s about something I read in a journal in the House of Wisdom. Anyway, thank you for your input. I appreciate it very much.”

Books were one thing but people involved in a particular field were another. He was glad she was here, someone he could go back and forth with.

“The Blood Pact?” Anna reminded him.

“Right, right.”

A favour for a favour. That was the deal. Anna summoned the parchment with a wave of her hand, magical letters forming as it elongated. Kazi did a quick read. ’The two parties, terms and conditions, termination clause, and finally, the blood seal.’

A circle of red for his thumb to press into. He looked over at Anna once last time before pressing into it. The paper cut his thumb upon contact and his blood seeped into the parchment.

“The Blood Pact has been made. Good day.”

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