"When did you change?" Davi asked. He slid his sword back into the shadows and began to walk back to Olivia, leaving the collapsed Garon behind.
Garon's head was bowed, and his eyes were full of rage. "I should never have changed. It wasn't fair." The man whimpered out. "I didn't even do anything bad!" He looked back up at Davi, and his eyes were wide and crazed now. "It's my wife's fault!"
Olivia felt sick as she watched Garon pant and the scales along him slowly expand. Olis said mages could read a person's mana to get to know them. She really wished she knew how Garon's mana felt. Did the townspeople know how to sense mana, and if they did, how did no one notice Garon's taint? Physically, he could hide it; he just had to wear a shirt like he had been, but if it was indeed linked to his mana, surely someone would have sensed how dark he had become.
"Your wife's fault?" Davi turned back and folded his arms, now standing next to Olivia, who was staying silent, her face pale and sickly. "The one that's dead?"
"Exactly!" Garon eagerly nodded his head. The scales along his stomach began to hiss, smoke coming from them, and more started to grow across his skin. "I tried to heal her, but I was never good enough! She and my daughter refuse to get better! No matter what I did, I couldn't fix her. After she died and I buried her, my daughter went and got the same thing my wife had! I was in the woods looking for herbs or anything that could help her, and that was when I noticed the dungeon."
Davi gave a small nod, putting the pieces together. "You thought you might be able to slay the monster that was inside, didn't you?"
Garon went to say something but let out a gasp and grabbed at his mouth. His teeth were changing and twisting, becoming fanged, and flickers of fire started to drip down his chin. Garon spat out an ember and growled.
"That snake found me. It… It grabbed me and forced me deep into the dungeon. I think it was going to kill me. That was when I noticed the potion it had, and that is how I learned about it. I had no choice but to beg for my life! The snake didn't listen, though. It's smart. Too smart for its own good. It froze me and forced me to stay in its dungeon for hours. That was when the change began."
"Staying in the dungeon for too long caused you to begin to mutate." Davi folded his arms and let out a sigh. "Once you began to change, the snake decided to use you. It made a deal that if you brought it enough girls, it would give you the potion so that you could try to cure yourself with it. That's what happened, right?"
"Yes!" Garon nodded his head rapidly, and more jagged scales started to force their way onto his flesh, and his fingers became webbed, causing the man to gasp. He grabbed at his stomach and groaned, his eye twitching. "I'm the hero. If I didn't take the deal, the snake would have just slaughtered everyone. It went along with this plan because it didn't need the food right away and was just stocking up for the winter. The longer a monster stays out of its dungeon, the weaker it gets. It would have had to stay out for hours, collecting each girl that it wanted, one by one, and would have grown too weak and would have eventually been slain. By working with me, though, it could stay in the dungeon, and I could lessen the damage to the town. It was a small sacrifice, but it was worth it in the end! I'm far too important to die!"
Elves hated humans.
Most likely, they hated humanity because humans were the ones who wiped them out. Haru stole magic from the elves and used it to form the first Arcane Knights, who were tasked with bringing an end to the race of elves.
It was the elves who got the final laugh, though. All of their greatest weapons, spells, and wealth were hidden away in spatial dungeons that could randomly appear in the world at a point in history. It was because elves created dungeons that dungeons were also made to be human-repellent. Magical Mutation was a concept the elves made to punish humans for entering their dungeons.
Some people were able to withstand turning into a mutant better than others, but no matter what, if a person stays within a dungeon for too long, they will begin to transform.
It starts with a nosebleed, followed by vomiting up a wave of blood. That is the only warning a person has. When this happens to a person, they need to leave the dungeon as soon as possible. Should they stay, their body will become corrupted, and they will either outright die or begin to get infected with a virus. The virus spreads differently in each person. Some people can get infected, and it'll take years before they fully transform. Others can have it and become a mindless beast in only a few hours.
A person's resistance stat determines how long it is before they fully change. There are ways to speed up and slow down the change as well. The transformation will happen quicker during moments of great stress, as well as when being low on mana or staying within a dungeon for long periods of time after already becoming infected.
If Garon wouldn't have made the deal with the snake and lived his life as he should have, it would have taken up to four years for him to fully change.
After chasing after Olivia, using several spells back to back, and standing within a dungeon, his time was already reaching its limit.
"Give me the potion." Garon spat out and gasped. "I need it. Now!" Scales were ripping their way out of his body. All the stress and depression were rapidly fueling the taint now, and he was transforming more and more into a monster. "Give it!"
"Davi?" Olivia asked quietly when she saw her companion hadn't moved.
"What about your daughter?" Davi asked after a moment of silence.
Garon flinched, and the man gritted his teeth. "What about her? She's going to die. It's her own fault for being born sick! I can be saved, though!"
Davi's look darkened for a moment, but then he stopped and bowed his head. It was impossible to tell if this was actually how Garon felt or not. Zombies were a common type of monster. Undead beings that, if they bite someone, will turn that person into a mindless zombie that lives only to eat the living. A Magical Mutant was in a similar position. It didn't matter how good the person might have been before the taint reached them.
Since Magical Mutants become monsters, the more the transformation progresses, the more negative emotions they are forced to feel, and the easier it is for them to hate humanity. Garon could have been a saint in his previous life, and everything he had done and said was only caused by his transformation.
It just wasn't fair.
"I don't think you can be saved." Davi's voice came out soft. "You've gone too far. I think it's too late for you. Even if you drank the whole potion, I don't know if it would have saved you, especially since elves hated humans, so I doubt they'd create something that could cure the mutations they created. With how little is left, I doubt it would do anything or even reverse the effects a little, even if it did work. I'm sorry. Truly."
Garon stood there in utter horror. Olivia looked away, unable to stare at the once-pretty man. Garon kept staring at Davi and watched as the Knight bowed to him. He was being shown pity. Just as he felt pity for a dying animal or a useless blood mage, he was now being looked down upon.
Something inside of Garon snapped.
Davi was on his knees, out of reach, but still in the range of a spell if Garon wanted to attack him. The Knight still had his helmet off, and his entire body was bowed down as he kept his head low.
"Don't pretend like you're actually sorry!" Garon let out a cry of rage, and more of his flesh melted and snapped away. Fire was burning in his veins, lighting his body up. He just wanted to yell and feel as if he was right. "Your life is perfect! You're an Arcane Knight! You got money and riches and fame and anything else you could ask for. You have no idea what it's like for us normal people. We all strive to be like you, and many of us have to give up because we're scared of changing, and those who do follow through like I did still get punished for it! Look at me! Look at what I am now! How is this fair? You can't understand me, though, can you? Because you're an Arcane Knight! I lost my wife, and now I'm going to lose my daughter, and for having the audacity to feel those emotions, I got punished by Haru and am becoming a monster? How do you think you'd feel if something like that happened to you? How would you react if the people closest to you died in front of you, and another person you cared about was dying, and there was nothing you could do about it?" Garon breathed heavily once he was done, his chest rapidly rising and falling.
Davi's look barely changed, and he still didn't meet Garon's eyes. "Maybe if the people I cared about were in the same state as you, I might have a similar viewpoint as you. You're right in that regard. That can't happen, though." Davi remained on the ground, keeping his head bowed and his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles were turning white. "Everyone I love has already died."
"What!" Garon looked suddenly horrified. "But you're an Arcane Knight?"
"So my life is just supposed to be perfect because of that?" Davi's words caused the man to take another step back. "Why do you think I became what I am? Did you think I was doing this for fun or for the money? Maybe you thought I just wanted to be famous? Sorry, but no. I just want revenge. Plain and simple. I won't be happy with myself until I kill the thing that hurt me. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. Don't label me as a hero. I didn't come to save you or your daughter. I'm not a superhero. I can't save the world, and I don't want to. I just save those whom I see with my own eyes. That's all someone like me can do. Life isn't perfect. You were unlucky."
Olivia whipped her head around to look at Davi in shock. He hadn't said anything like that before. Come to think of it, she really knew nothing about him, just that he was looking for a dragon. "Davi?" That was when she realized. He wasn't bowing. He was praying.
A prayer for Garon.
Slowly, Davi stood back up and picked up the dagger that Garon had dropped earlier. "Here." He said, holding it out toward Olivia. "Take it."
"Me?" Olivia took the offered blade and awkwardly held it. She had created a similar weapon made out of blood, but Garon's dagger was almost a short sword and a lot heavier than she was used to. "Why are you giving me this?"
"Row Shadow Vault." Davi held his hand out and summoned another sword. It was a typical longsword and didn't look all that impressive. He casually tossed it over to Garon, who caught it, still stunned by what Davi had said earlier. Once Garon had it, Davi pointed at the man. "Olivia, beat him."
"Come again?" Olivia's eyes went wide, and she looked back up at Davi as if he had grown a second head. "You're joking, right?
"I'm serious." Davi folded his arms. "You want to get stronger? You want to stop being saved by me? You want what it takes to be an Arcane Knight? Well, it all starts here. Garon is strong. He's weaker than the Salamander, though. Remember what I told you on the boat? You can catch a man a fish, and he'll be fed for a day, but teach a man to fish, and he can fend for himself." Davi placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face Garon. "Well, it's time you learned to fish." Then he addressed Garon. "You want the potion? Beat her and you can have it."
By now, Garon no longer looked like a human. His entire chest was a mix of red and orange, and his jaw was starting to grow out of his face, while his nose started to shrink. His eyes were yellow, and his hair had started to rapidly fall out. Despite looking more monster than man, he managed to speak.
"Are you being truthful?" Garon hissed out, and his tongue slithered out of his mouth.
"I am. Kill her, and you can have the potion." Davi said casually.
Olivia looked back at him, and then she glanced over to Garon, who was giving his sword a few trial swings, already used to the weight. She couldn't help but stare back down at his stomach at where the scales were. Garon's broken arm had mended, red tendrils jutting out and snapping the bone back into place, and from the side of his head, a horn was starting to stab out.
"What if I can't beat him?" She whispered.
"Then your adventure is over," Davi said in his typical cold tone. "Garon is right. There's a clear difference between mages. He's wrong that it's something you're born with, though. People who use that mentality are the same people who give up easily. He's too scared to fight and grow, and that's why he could never become an Arcane Knight. You're weak, but you don't have to stay that way or end up the same way Garon did. Grow. Become stronger. It's up to you, Olivia. Walk the path that you want to walk, and when something gets in your way, remove it with your own hands. The determination to win is required if you want to reach your goal."
"Are you asking me to kill him?" The room went silent, and she felt her throat go dry. The thought was there, of course. Garon had stabbed her and nearly killed her. She had no sympathy for him, but he was still human. At least for now…
And she wasn't stupid. She knew that Knights kill. When they go to war or battle with dark mages, Knights sometimes have to take the life of a person, but it was something she hadn't really thought about until this direct moment. It made her wonder if every monster she had seen or read about used to be a human at one point…
"Yes." Davi's quiet response felt like a punch in the gut. "If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. I can promise you that."
Garon had broken several laws already. He had committed crimes, both against the kingdom and against nature. He likely wouldn't just be thrown in prison and would be given a death sentence already. Especially since he was a Magical Mutant and was radiating dark magic.
That didn't make it easier, though.
Olivia bit her lip hard enough to draw blood but nodded. "Okay." She whispered. "I'll try." Her body suddenly felt numb. Was this actually happening? Was Davi actually ordering her to kill someone? Could she really do this?
"I'm not going to save you this time. Win." Davi placed his hand on her shoulder once more and squeezed. "Just remember the fight with the Salamander. You can do this, Olivia."
That was what she was scared of.
Olivia took a step forward with shaking legs. Garon let out a laugh and lifted his sword. Already, he had gotten used to the weight, his fire running along the blade. "Seriously? You're throwing her at me? Fine. Once I take her down, I'll make you feel the despair I do! Row Flame Cutter!" Garon swung his sword down and launched out a wave of fire.
Olivia lifted the dagger Davi gave her and used it to block the strike. Her entire arm shook, and her limb was nearly torn out of its socket as the fire shoved against her weapon, but it held strong. Her skin burned, and she struggled not to let go of the dagger, gritting her teeth. She flung her other arm out, holding her wand. Thanks to the healing she got, all of her blood was back, and she was feeling better than ever. "Row Blood Bolt!" She stabbed her wand toward Garon and launched a thin red beam of blood.
Garon casually blocked it with his sword and let out another mad laugh. He had entirely gone off the deep end now, and whereas she was still grappling with the thought of taking a life, Garon wasn't. "You're dead!" He launched himself at her, wanting to turn the battle into one of melee. He twisted and launched his sword, smashing it into her weapon. Somehow, he hit even harder than his spell, and even with how sturdy the dagger was, Olivia felt her hand start to bruise as she was shoved back, and her wrist nearly snapped.
She managed to take a step back and awkwardly swung the knife. She just needed one cut, and the venom on it would do the rest. However, Garon was aware of that and hadn't let his guard down. His hand shot out, the one that was broken earlier, and to her horror, it jutted and stretched out. Muscles and bones shattered as the limb expanded and twisted like the tail of a snake and wrapped fully around her wrist, stopping her strike. His smirk grew, and his other arm remained at his side, holding his sword, not even bothering to slice at her, since he was that confident he could win.
"The man was an idiot for thinking you could beat me." Garon practically giggled. "You've cast a spell, so I bet you're suffering from blood loss, right? Useless blood mage, if I wanted, I could burn you alive again and again, but where's the fun in that! I want to do this up close! You guys are the villains who got in my way, after all! It all could have been smooth! I could have healed myself and spent the rest of my life with my daughter until she passed away, but now, because of you guys, my daughter has a freak for a father!"
Olivia gritted her teeth and tried to yank her arm back, but Garon refused to let go. "Row Blood Knife!" She stabbed out using her other arm, which grasped her wand. Her blood flowed over the tip, twisting into a pointed dagger, which she stabbed up at Garon. The man was faster than her, cocking his head to the side, her knife going past his shoulder. Before she could pull her arm back, he raised his shoulder and lowered his head, pinning her other arm in place and stopping her from moving.
"I win," Garon responded in a cold tone, and his free arm lifted up. Both her limbs were pinned, and she couldn't break free since he was stronger as well. The blade pressed into her side, and with just a small amount of force, he began to cut her. The side of her coat and shirt gave way first, the blade sliding against her flesh, and the fire started to eat away at her flesh, causing her to scream out. Davi remained on the sidelines and looked a little worried. "That man I mentioned earlier, the one with blood magic. He was just as useless and annoying as you. So weak and pathetic. He died. Used up all his blood in the exam. Couldn't even land a single hit on anyone, just like you. Why don't you join him?" Garon sneered, which looked even uglier than it normally did since his face slouched off of him, and his skull became fiery and snake-like.
Olivia winced and nearly howled as the sword pressed further into her side. Garon was about to rip her in two but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes. It was a familiar look. He was sure he had seen it before. Then it clicked. The eyes she had were the same the snake had. Not in a literal sense, but in a way, Garon knew he had just been spotted by a predator.
Olivia took a shuddering gasp of breath, and she gritted her teeth. "For Haru's sake, will you just shut the fuck up! Row Blood Scythe!"
In an instant, Olivia's dagger expanded, a massive, jagged red blade forming out of its tip, placing it directly behind Garon's head, almost like a guillotine. His eyes widened, and his face paled as he met her eyes. With a yell, she pulled back as hard as she could. Garon could only duck out of the way thanks to years of training. He brought his entire body down, though part of his head was sliced off as the scythe pulled back, ripping into his scalp.
Garon screamed but struck out with his knee, ramming it into her gut and nearly shattering her ribs. She wheezed and gasped and almost fell over. Red dripped down the top of Garon's head, but the wound wasn't deep, and it instead had just left him bald and hurting, his skull and brain remaining undamaged.
"You bitch!" Garon jumped back up and went to bring his sword down, but then his body jerked, and he froze. He stood there, his eyes wide, but he couldn't speak or move. His muscles and nerves had stopped despite the fact that the venom-coated knife hadn't cut him.
Olivia hit the ground, and her scythe vanished. "I'm immune to poison, but it doesn't just leave my body. My blood separates and moves it away, containing it until it can eventually be filtered out. The moment I hit you, that tainted blood entered you. It was pretty dangerous stuff. For most, even a small cut would be enough to take them down, and I got a bunch in me since you stabbed me twice." Olivia giggled slightly and forced herself to stand back up on shaking legs. "You just lost to someone with blood magic."
And then she smashed her fist straight into the stunned man's face as hard as she could. Red smashed across Garon's face as she shattered his nose and broke her knuckle, but it was enough.
Garon collapsed to the ground.
His body twitched and shook, and he gurgled. He was strong, and the higher a mage's resistance stat was, the easier it was for their body to fight off outside effects like poison. Because of that, he was already starting to regain the ability to move, but it would still take him a while before he'd fully recover.
He was alive, though.
Olivia turned back and looked at Davi, and she smiled. "I was able to beat him without killing him—"
"Idiot!" Davi yelled and jumped toward her, raising his voice for the first time since she met him. "He's not done!"
Olivia managed to turn around just in time to see that Garon had forced himself up on his knees. His body was weak and still slow, so he had lost the fight, but not the battle. His life was over. He knew it, and everyone else knew it, too. Even if he did get out of this alive, he'd be put to death by his own village or, worse, sent to the mage's prison that the Knights owned. His dream of being a legendary hero was over. Ruined. All by the hands of these two new strangers.
Garon could feel it. He was changing and twisting. Scales were rapidly spreading, and his body began to burn up. His mind was breaking and cracking.
He was about to change.
Everything moved in slow motion as Garon stared up at the shocked Olivia and approaching Davi. He just wanted to make them suffer. Suffer as he did. The world was cruel to him. He was a good person. So, as one last 'good act,' Garon muttered his final spell as the scales along his belly opened up once more for one final time.
His body glowed and ignited with a bright orange flash, and then, in an instant, Garon exploded, centering a massive fireball on himself, which expanded throughout the dungeon.