“TRANSFIGURATION FUNDAMENTAL!”
There was no mistaking the joy in Nunnal's voice or on her face.
It was a horse-like creature. There was sleek blue fur over most of its body with scales across the underbelly and left-right flank. Pockets of vegetation grew here and there along its form. A single falcon wing grew out of its left side and dragged along the ground. Three legs were thick and hooved. The fourth and fifth were somewhat thinner and terminated in bird-like talons. A horn on its forehead shone like silver. Its eyes shone red.
“A new breed….Fantastic!”
Shakily, it rose to its feet. Sensing the flesh above the pit’s rim, it jumped, only to fall because it only used two legs. Standing up again, it tried to run, only to trip over itself. The sounds it made were atrocious; a neigh and a roar mixed together and cranked up to eleven on four pitches.
“His insides are still settling. Continue observation.”
“Yes, Director.”
The monster attempted to move a third time and managed a slow walk. It walked straight into the wall and reacted violently. Light and mana gathered at its horn and a beam fired at the obstruction, only to be absorbed by it and redirected into the gravity field. Its legs collapsed and it fell hard to the floor. There was a crunch of bone and a neigh of pain, even as the damage mended itself.
Nunnal watched it all gleefully. Abruptly, her joy cooled.
“Someone get Meza over here. I want him to see his handiwork.”
“Yes, Director.”
When the leader of the Elven Preservation Society arrived, he gazed upon the new monster with interest. He watched it struggle and fall, and the abilities it displayed. He paid special attention to the horn and its behavior.
“Back when humans lived in caves, did they not use unicorn horns to purify water?”
“Yes, but only those clans lucky enough to acquire one.”
“Then I say we have done the boy a favor. He is now the living embodiment of that which he wishes to be; a rare healer wanted by all.”
The other elves present sent him disgusted looks, but Nunnal nodded in agreement.
“That is in line with chaotic doctrine. The Elven Tome says ‘Lady Chaos gives blessings in boxes made of curses.’”
“Then we agree. When can testing begin? I wish to prove to our human counterparts that we have truly mutated the heir of one of their four great noble houses.”
Nunnal smacked him. “If you talk like that during the Summit, you’ll cause an incident. You may be the Ordercrafter Killer, but these people are not ordercrafters and we are not at war.”
“Not yet,” Meza said, “but once they see our civilization, they will be.”
“You know, talk like that is why you still don’t have a wife.”
Meza blushed. “I’m married to my job! A number of my followers have expressed interest, but I don’t have time. From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down it, I search for illicit ordercraft. It takes a special sort of woman to follow that sort of lifestyle.”
A lightning bolt shot by his head, just missing his ear, and struck a piece of machinery behind him. It exploded and two aides doused the ensuing fire. Nunnal and Meza returned their attention to the pit, where the monster was firing more bolts from its horn. They bypassed the shield as if it weren’t there.
“Recalibrate the shield now!”
“Working on it!”
Screens of light above the monster flashed, then it stopped the bolts like everything else the monster threw at it. Nunnal joined the elf at the terminal for the shield and looked over the readings for the last five bolts.
“A-Guy, did he do what I think he did?”
“Yes, Director. Instead of electricity formed from mana, he generated the bolts from earthly electron activity.”
“Monster intelligence is a fascinating subject. Add this to the database.”
“Yes, Director.”
“B-Guy, begin analysis of the monster’s insides, but use something that’s least likely to cause damage. That’s still Nolien Heleti in there, after all.”
“Yes, Director.”
“C-Guy, take samples for later chemical examination and treatment. I want hair, scales, feathers, blood, and saliva. If you can get a shaving of the horn, do that too.”
“Yes, Director.”
“D-Guy, prepare fodder so we can see how he reacts to prey. Unicorns typically aren’t carnivorous, but given that this is a new breed, I want to know for sure.”
“Yes, Director.”
“E-Guy, start up the durability test implements.”
“Yes, Director.”
As Nunnal continued giving orders and rambling theories, her minions sighed and went about their work. The director was always like this when she got excited. It was best to keep one’s head down and avoid attracting attention.
“Just once, I’d like her to remember our names,” Bealir muttered.
“I’m not even a guy,” Caluly moaned.
Such tests and more were performed to learn about this new monster. As each result came in, Nunnal giggled like a schoolgirl in anticipation. As she became more involved, she stopped referring to the monster as “him” and instead as “it.” Then F-guy smacked her and told her of her slip. She coughed and thanked him and then walked to the pit and apologized to the monster. It responded by exhaling poison gas. The barrier adapted to the new material and forced it back to the monster, but before the monster could breathe it in, its horn neutralized the poison. Nunnal’s face lit up once more and she rattled another list of orders.
Then she jumped in.
“Hello, Second Duke Heleti.”
The monster jabbed her forehead with its horn. It pierced her head and her brain, causing a good deal of pain. Her Seed of Chaos mended the damage. The light of her eyes never dimmed.
“So you don’t respond to your title.” She dodged three jabs. “How about Nolien?” She dodged two more jabs but not the following energy blast. She let that one hit to determine what it felt like. “Concentrated. You know your stuff.”
It breathed more poison and she took a deep whiff of it. She continued dodging and observing it at close range while waiting for the poison to take effect. Then, all of a sudden, she blacked out and her body fell limp. The creature bit her stomach and chewed on its muscle. Then she blew it away with a chant-less wind spell.
“Poison that goes directly to the brain and shuts it down, thereby killing the target without damaging the internal organs or muscles. You are a healthy eater, aren’t you?”
She jumped to her feet.
“It also lends support to the theory that you can’t handle your own poison, but there are monsters like that. Generally, they don’t live long enough to be studied but—”
Another horn blast cut her off, and to her surprise, it was neither mana nor the pure electricity but wind. It blew Nunnal clear off her feet and onto her backside. The monster stomped its front right hoof onto her stomach and the front left talon onto her left wrist, then it spat slime onto her right hand. It quickly hardened and Nunnal found herself unable to remove it.
“Battle tactics? Fantastic! D-Guy, are you getting this?”
“Yes, Director.”
The monster lowered its head to bite her chest, forgoing any kind of attack to her head. This fascinated her all the more; it remembered that attacking her head merited no results. She spirit-flared the creature off her, broke the slime restraint, and jumped out of the pit.
“It’s possible that the battle instinct of a mercenary carried over,” she said to herself. “Indeed, muscle memory is a potent thing and well recognized in monsterology, even among mortals, and the capacity for killing is a primal one….”
“It could be that his mind remains unchanged,” Meza said. “You are the one who gave the order for the mutation, so he might bear a grudge. I suggest waiting three days for the remainder of his sense of self to vanish. Then send his former teammates inside.”
/> Back at the Universal Embassy, Nolien’s friends and family awaited news. As far as they knew, Nolien would be returned to normal shortly. That was the deal and they clung to it. Thus, when an aide announced Meza’s decision, they responded with rage.
“That was not the agreement!” Mebalos bellowed. “How dare you change it!”
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Your Grace,” the aide said with his hands raised. “The decision was made by Meza and he won’t be satisfied until we wait. We've prepared rooms for all of you and you are still welcomed to them.”
“I’d certainly like a rest,” Hailey said. “I hope you have enough for all of us because the transgender warrior requires privacy.”
“Who are you calling transgender, Tent!?”
Hailey covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed from your difficulty in choosing an outfit that you were conflicted.”
Tiza lunged. “I’ll show you conflict!”
Hailey ducked the punch and palm-struck her stomach. Tiza twisted away from it and jabbed at her face. Again, Hailey blocked and countered, which Tiza grabbed. Before she could launch a third attack, Eric pulled her away. Hailey ignored Tiza’s death threats and inspected her manicured hands.
Kurami exhaled wearily. "Hailey, don't insult our guest. Tiza, don't maul my daughter." It was automatic, Eric noted. “Could you please put them in separate rooms?”
“Certainly, Lady Heleti.”
The aide showed them to the sleeping area of the embassy and each went to their own rooms. Once the doors closed, each was left with their own thoughts.
Eric tried to think positively. He had recovered from mana mutation and so had Kallen. The elves were far ahead of human technology and so Nolien’s recovery was guaranteed. Thanks to his sacrifice, many more could expect such a recovery. Even so, the core of his conscience whispered, “Threat. Threat. Threat.”
Kallen mired in angst about her role in the tragedy. It happened because Nolien was critically injured while fighting minions of Order during an attack orchestrated by Lunas. He was yet another person who suffered because of her failure on that fateful day years ago. One thought repeated itself over and over: “I can fix this. Just like everything else, I can fix this. I just have to become The Chaos Avatar.”
The two Darwosses couldn’t care less about Nolien. His weakness nearly cost their family its chance at redemption, but it also gave the elder a chance to strike back at his queen for twisting his arm in the first place. Thus, they didn’t fear for his condition or take joy in it. They were simply focused on ensuring that the rest of the meeting was a success.
Mebalos and Kurami were trying not to fall into a state of mourning. As the premier healers for their country, they saw many cases of mana mutation, both subtle and gross. Ever since Nolien had come out of the womb, mana mutation was one of the fears at the back of their minds. Now it had happened and they had let it happen because of politics. To keep an open mindset, they brainstormed new products for detecting ordercraft and its geis.
Tiza was a wreck. She cried while shadow boxing. She alternated blaming Nolien, herself, or Dosh for this situation and then Nolien again for forbidding her from hurting Dosh. She was so full of anger, that when she heard a knock on the door, she threw a dagger at it. The throw went wide and stuck harmlessly into the wall.
“Go away! Unless you’re Tenderfoot, come in so I can kick your ass!”
The door opened and Hailey stepped in, grim-faced.
“It’s your fault he’s gone. You’re the team’s tank and yet he fought two people alone because you couldn’t protect him. You couldn’t even tell him that you’re in love with him. You’re a failure as a warrior and as a girl. You should go back to the gutter where he found you.”
“Don’t give me that! You’re just a tent! Your fancy clothes cost more than my heavy armor and yet they do nothing but appease your vanity. You know nothing about hard work, fighting, or love. I bet you string along boys so they’ll pamper you. Go back to your ivory tower and wait for your prince.”
Calmly, Hailey removed the top layer of her dress, revealing a knee-length one underneath. She folded the skirt, placed it on a table, and then her heels on top of it. Then she took a fighting stance and gestured with her forward hand.
Tiza bumped her fists in front of her chest.
“If that’s what her ladyship wishes, then I am honored to oblige.”
She lunged forward and feinted with a right punch, then used the momentum to turn into a knee strike. Hailey nimbly dodged left, grabbed her left arm, and pulled. Suddenly, Tiza was on the ground with Hailey's heel against her throat. She fired dual mana beams at the other girl’s head, but Hailey’s barrier negated them both; she responded by pressing down on Tiza’s throat.
Struggling for breath, Tiza wrapped her legs around Hailey and pulled her backwards. Hailey fell into a cartwheel, spun in place, and jumped back, punching Tiza's stomach as she got up. Tiza gasped and stumbled, then glared at Hailey. The noble girl was bouncing on her feet, hands at her sides.
Tiza tried the same feint and, this time, Hailey moved to grab her leg, which Tiza anticipated. She planted her foot on the ground mid-kick and hammerfisted Hailey’s nose. It crunched and she stepped backward, clutching it while Tiza struck her solar plexus with a roundhouse kick while her guard was down. Hailey landed on her back and automatically rolled away from Tiza’s heel stomp.
She tried a leg sweep, but Tiza back-stepped and mana-beamed her. She flinched and bit her cheek to suppress a scream. Aching all over, she rose to her feet, wiped blood from her nose away from her face, and aimed a knife hand for Tiza’s neck. She grabbed it and Hailey clenched, digging her fine nails into Tiza’s skin. The warrior yelped and punched with her other hand. Hailey grabbed it and held it in place.
“There’s no way a tent’s gonna beat me in a shoving match!”
She stepped forward onto Hailey’s bare foot, twisted her body to give herself greater strength, and head-butted Hailey. Thus stunned, Tiza punched her square in the eye. She grimaced and released a mana bolt from her knife hand into Tiza’s head, stunning her in turn. Then she punched high and low like a boxer. Tiza recovered her senses after the first five and they slugged each other without concern for dodging, guarding, or any other tactics. In the end, a simultaneous haymaker ended the brawl and both combatants went down.
Then there was silence as each girl caught her breath.
“You’re a tent!”
“I’m a noble. We rule because we can kick ass while looking fabulous.”
She pulled out a compact mirror and appraised the damage. Her other hand glowed with the light of a healing spell and, wherever it passed, her bruising disappeared and swelling faded. When she was done, her face was as dainty and refined as if the fight had never taken place.
“It’s just like a tent to care more about her appearance than anything else.”
“Really?” Hailey arched a perfect eyebrow. “You have bruises from a fight and, given the scene we made, they will assume it was with me. Since I am not injured, they will think I won.”
“Why you!”
Tiza stood up, but Hailey put out a hand.
“I can scream until help comes. I remember you were once treated for monsanity. What do you think will happen then?”
Tiza growled impotently.
“Exactly.” She snapped the mirror closed. “Winning the aftermath of a fight is more important than winning the fight itself.”
“...That’s exactly what Spider Daylra tells me to do.”
“Spider Daylra?”
“Oh, I mean Sathel Aranid. ‘Spider Daylra’ is a mentor nickname I use for her.”
“Sathel Aranid is your mentor!?”
“Technically, Basilard Bladi is my mentor. Sathel is my mother—I mean, adoptive mother. Why do you ask?”
“Her company made a significant part of my wardrobe, including my hunting outfit.”
“You have a hunting outfit?”
“I can’t spear plague wolves in a frilly gown, now can I?”
“You hunt plague wolves?”
“They’re endemic in Eastern Ataidar and it’s the duty of House Heleti to keep them under control. You didn’t know this?”
“No…”
“You know, something hasn’t seemed right since I met you; all nobles are responsible for the monster population in their jurisdiction and are forbidden from hiring mercenaries to do it for them. This has been the case since the founding of Ataidar and part of the reason there are noble houses in the first place. Yet you don’t know this?”
“Excuse me for not going to school. I had more important things to do like cope with amnesia, find food, and avoid predators. You know; typical ‘gutter girl’ things.”
“I…I’m sorry I said that.” She downcast her eyes and squeezed her shoulder. “I miss my brother and you were an easy target.”
Tiza sighed. “Tenderfoot’s a great guy and you know him longer, so I guess you would.”
“That’s another thing: why do you call him ‘Tenderfoot’?”
“Because he was squeamish when collecting bird poop on our first mission.”
Hailey giggled. “Yes, he was like that despite Mom and Dad’s attempts to change it. Whenever they told him to do something ‘menial,’ he grumbled in protest.”
“Like this?” Tiza assumed a deeper voice and said, “‘Servants are paid to do this stuff!’”
Hailey giggled again. “That’s it! That’s it exactly!” Her hand glowed again. “Here, let me touch up those bruises.”
Tiza smirked. “I thought you wanted to claim a fake victory?”
Hailey smirked. “If anyone asks, we’ll say it was a draw.”
They spent the next three days together, inseparable. They talked and sparred and braided each other's hair. In the process of the last one, Hailey told Tiza that she knew someone who developed a fighting style based on hair and Tiza confided in Hailey that she grew hers out to impress Nolien. When Kurami found out about their new friendship, she asked, in exasperation, if all she had to do to avoid the drama of days past was let them fight. They shrugged and chorused, “Yeah.”
Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) Page 52
