Chapter 68. Sinister Movements (2)
Gluttony's Theon.
He was one of the Doctor's subordinates, with a record of attempting to kill Verden in the city of Martes. But he failed spectacularly.
It wasn't simply a matter of missing the chance, he had suffered a deep wound and barely managed to escape.
That was the beginning.
Somehow, someone had inscribed a magic circle onto his clothes, and absurdly enough, the Doctor's hideout had been exposed.
The Doctor ordered Theon to stop the mage and the knight. An impossible order.
He had nearly been killed just fighting a single mage from the Ark, so facing both at once and killing them was unthinkable.
So Theon sent a mage named Asher to confront one of them, while he faced the knight.
The battle was one-sided.
Although Theon specialized in assassination, he was not so weak that he could not handle a mere vice-captain of a small city.
With his skillful dagger techniques, the knight was gradually driven onto the defensive, and at last, the opportunity to take his life appeared.
But things did not go as Theon had planned.
Just as he was about to thrust his dagger into the knight's throat, the wound he had barely healed with a potion tore open under the strain of his movements.
In that slight opening, the knight seized the chance.
Shhhhk!
Theon's dagger pierced the knight's shoulder, while the knight's sword slashed across Theon's torso. It was obvious who had taken the more fatal blow.
"Khrrrk…."
Bleeding heavily, Theon collapsed to the ground.
But he did not die. With superhuman willpower, he endured, calculating how he might survive.
Theon swallowed his agony and turned his back on the fallen knight.
The knight cursed at him from behind, but Theon did not stop.
He dashed through the Doctor's laboratory corridor, out the passage, into the outside. He did not look back, moving and moving again.
At his limits, Theon finally rested his exhausted body by a stream.
He washed the blood with clean water, stitched his own wounds, then drank every remaining potion to barely restore himself.
Lying flat on the ground, Theon stared up at the sky.
"…I'm fucked."
He had abandoned the Doctor and fled.
Even if he returned now, that fact would not change.
'No, wait… could this actually be the better option?'
If he had stayed in the laboratory.
Whether the Doctor survived, or was killed by that mage called Asher, Theon had no future either way.
If the Doctor lived, he would be used as an experimental subject, or sacrificed to one. If the Doctor died, the mage would kill him.
When he thought about it that way, perhaps being free, even briefly, was much better.
If he was very lucky, he might even survive by slipping past Gluttony's eyes.
Theon pondered.
How should he live from now on, how could he evade Gluttony's pursuit? If he were caught and held responsible for failing to protect the Doctor, he would face a terror worse than death.
Theon knew that better than anyone.
"First, I leave the principality."
That was the best choice.
Even within Gluttony, no one knew the Doctor's whereabouts, but they could easily assume he was still in the principality. If Theon delayed, escape would be impossible.
Theon moved.
Out of the principality, seeking a place beyond the eyes of men.
But before he even reached the border, he was discovered.
Those who blocked his path.
Among them, a man with a scar on his neck, a Transplant, asked,
"Theon, where is the Doctor?"
"…"
Theon's mind raced, but no solution presented itself.
His opponent was a Transplant, surgically altered by Gluttony. A monster beyond his ability, so escape was impossible. He could only answer mechanically.
"He is conducting an important experiment and cannot be disturbed."
"The situation has changed. 'Fang' has ordered it, so answer."
"It is no mere experiment. The completion of the 'new humanity' is at hand."
"New humanity…?"
At that word, all their eyes widened.
After a moment of silence, the Transplant spoke.
"Very well. I will request more time from Fang. In the meantime, Theon, you move with us."
"…Understood."
He had bought a little time, but Theon's plan of escape was shattered.
He had no choice but to move with the Transplant, working within the principality as a member of Gluttony. Tracking down the missing Salamander's heart, kidnapping people, and so on.
But now, his time-buying had reached its limit.
Hopen Town.
In the top floor of an inn, the Transplant bared his teeth at Theon.
"Theon, when does the Doctor plan to send word? Fang's patience has reached its end. Tell me, right now, where the Doctor is."
Murderous intent filled the room.
Staying silent meant certain death. Swallowing hard, Theon spoke softly.
"The Doctor is…"
Boom!
At the same time, he swiftly pulled a smoke bomb from his breast and hurled it. In the cloud of smoke, Theon smashed the floor and dropped to the level below.
He ambushed two pursuers and killed them, then hurled a small bomb. A chain of explosions shook the entire inn.
Thus, falling to the first floor, Theon hurled himself outside.
"Theon! What the hell are you doing!"
He threw a dagger at the Transplant and ran.
Only by shaking off pursuit here did he have even a sliver of hope for survival.
But his foes were Gluttony. He darted through alleys, twisting and turning, but soon those who followed him cast chains his way.
He slashed with his dagger, cutting them aside, but one chain twisted skillfully and bound his arm.
"Damn it…!"
Theon's arms were restrained.
The Transplant charged in and slammed a fist into his solar plexus. Theon choked out breath and dropped to his knees.
The Transplant said,
"You killed members of Gluttony and then tried to flee… Theon, where is the Doctor?"
"…"
"Fine, stay silent. Soon we'll drag the answer from your skull."
Theon shut his eyes tightly.
Dead either way. Whatever the outcome, a horrific end was certain. All the struggle he had made for survival now seemed meaningless.
But Theon's fate was not yet decided.
A shadow stood between him and the Gluttony members, blocking their way.
The ash-colored mage, Verden, holding his staff, stared coldly at them.
The Transplant asked,
"Who the hell are you?"
"I tried to ignore it, but you persistently hover before my eyes, irritating me."
"…?"
"Now, I need to know your purpose."
Their words did not align.
Verden ignored the Transplant's question, pointing his staff at them.
***
From the staff's tip, shards of stone burst forth, piercing straight through one man's chest, then the skull of the one behind him.
The Transplant, sensing Verden's magic tier, gave the order.
"Scatter, and kill him."
At once, Gluttony's members spread out and rushed at Verden from all directions. Each of them wielded aura, and their movements were swift.
Chains flying in from both sides, blades from the front and rear aimed at Verden's throat and heart. In that peril, Verden thought,
Indeed, they were fine opponents to test his magic upon.
Pillars of ice erupted around him, smashing into their bodies. The sound of bones cracking and breaking echoed.
At the same time, the spreading chill made them hold their breath. If it seeped into their lungs even slightly, their hearts and lungs would be badly damaged.
Verden lightly swung his staff.
Craaaack!
The fractured ice pillars shattered, and their sharp fragments scattered in all directions.
The shards pierced into their bodies, while the cold weakened the function of their muscles and joints. Then, Verden snapped his fingers.
The shards of ice embedded in their flesh exploded all at once.
Frozen from within and without, their bodies turned solid, and then shattered to pieces. At their deaths, the remaining Gluttony members heightened their vigilance and lunged for Verden's life.
But they were no match.
Watching his subordinates die one after another, the Transplant cast off his robe.
An ugly scar running across his neck, his face devoid of even a trace of emotion.
He bared his teeth, swinging beast-like claws at Verden. A subordinate standing in the way was cleaved clean in half.
Claaang!
Claws and staff collided, sparks scattering.
Verden, body strengthened with imbued magic, whirled his staff in dazzling movements.
Four clashes.
Not once did the magic-charged staff graze him, and Verden was forced to retreat three steps.
'His reflexes are sharp. It's like fighting a beast in human form.'
It reminded him of that giant of Gluttony, the one with multiple faces.
In any case, though this was a secluded alley, the noise might draw people soon. Better to end it quickly.
Magic gathered in Verden's right eye, activating his Mystic Eye.
"What the—?!"
The ground softened, swallowing the Transplant's feet.
The more he struggled, the deeper he was dragged. To escape immediately, he would have to abandon his legs.
But Verden's spell was faster than such judgment.
Thorns burst from the ground, impaling the Transplant's torso from four directions.
Pinned in place, the man was helpless. Verden fired an Earth Spear at his upper body, tearing it away entirely. What remained of his lower half sank beneath the mire.
Verden brushed a hand lightly across his eye.
'As expected, it's useful. No matter the situation, I can put it to use. Hard to detect, too, so there's little risk of being discovered.'
With this, Gluttony was annihilated.
Verden stepped toward Theon, whose face was frozen in shock. Before him, Verden pushed back the robe covering his head.
"Theon, was it? It's been quite a while."
"You, you're… from Martes…!"
"The mage you tried to assassinate."
He knew.
And the fact that Verden lived meant the Doctor was dead. He had suspected as much, but now it was confirmed.
Yet that was not what shocked Theon.
In only half a year, Verden had grown unimaginably stronger.
"How could you…."
"The past and now are different. I thought I had raised enough of a storm to be heard of, but perhaps you were too busy. I assume it had something to do with opposing Gluttony itself."
"..."
"We can continue the conversation later."
Verden stepped closer to Theon.
Seeing this, Theon judged. Now that Gluttony's eyes were gone, this was the perfect chance to escape.
'Strong as he is, a mage is still a mage… One strike is all I need.'
So Theon waited for Verden to approach.
At last, he drew the dagger hidden at his wrist and thrust for Verden's heart. Verden easily turned his body, evading the attack.
He had expected as much.
Theon knew well that although he was a mage, Verden's movements were anything but ordinary. He immediately spun his body.
A small blade jutted from the heel of his shoe, aimed for Verden's throat.
A hit would mean instant death, even a graze a mortal wound.
Theon staked everything on this one strike.
But his thoughts missed the mark. As if he had known, Verden ducked his head lightly, and his staff slammed into Theon's chest.
"Grk?!"
Theon rolled across the ground.
The terrain shifted, a giant hand of stone rose, and it seized Theon's body, dragging him toward Verden.
Gripping the staff with both hands, Verden swung at the completely restrained Theon.
"W-wait—!"
Boooom!
The impact smashed through the ground, flinging Theon away, knocking him unconscious. His body seemed broken in several places, but his life was not in great danger, so it mattered little.
"With this, I can extract a lead."
Verden buried all traces of the battle underground with magic.
Hoisting Theon over his shoulder, he soared into the sky.
***
Ssshhhhh.
Cold water splashed across his face, jolting Theon back to consciousness. To calmly gauge the situation, he feigned unconsciousness, peeking through half-closed eyes.
But he saw nothing. Only darkness.
"So you're awake."
"..."
"No? Then perhaps I should take a limb or two…."
Theon's eyes flew open.
As if only now regaining his senses.
In the darkness, Verden, concealed by suggestion, gazed at him.
'He clings to life. Natural for a human… but still, he is unlike the others of Gluttony.'
Since Martes, every Gluttony he had encountered had been insane.
Faces grafted onto their bodies, claws of beasts implanted, eyes filled with madness. Such men would yield no information, no matter how crudely questioned.
But this assassin, Theon, was different.
He valued his life. Which meant that, if threatened with death, he could be coerced into speaking. Compared to the others, he was a much easier target for extracting information.
Even Verden, who had never learned formal methods of interrogation or torture, could see that.
Verden spoke to Theon.
"I ask the questions, you give the answers. And you had better show no sign of hiding the truth."
"…If I talk, will you spare me?"
"At the very least, the odds of that will improve."
Theon weighed his life.
Confessing all and begging for his life, or keeping silent and acting the part of a loyal Gluttony member. The choice was already made.
"This will take some time to explain."
"Then you had best start quickly."
Something sharp touched Theon's neck.
"Are you ready to talk?"
Theon swallowed hard.
"…Ask whatever you want."