Chapter 9: Traitor (1)

Chapter 9: Traitor (1) It’s been over half an hour since Sonia’s return. Desmond and Sonia were having a late-evening tea with a few biscuits. Shae was sitting close to them, noting down something from dozens of books around her on a torn piece of parchment. Simon was having tea too, but he was far in a corner, lost in his thoughts. Others had soon found out that Simon wasn’t much for a talk, and the way he looked at you with that one eye of his, it almost as if he was saying he knows what mischief you are up to. "I am worried about the kid," Desmond admitted to Sonia, taking a light sip. "I can’t wait anymore." Desmond put the cup down abruptly. And he would have stood up if not for Sonia’s hand on his. It was a light tap, but it could have been more than that. Desmond looked troubled, but ultimately gave up and slumped back in the chair, letting out a sigh. "2 minutes, and no more," he said. "If they won’t show up, we both are going in." Right then, the trapdoor opened and Arlen and Kai climbed up one after another. Desmond and Sonia shared a meaningful glance. Arlen was quick to deliver the good news to everyone the moment they had come back. An obvious ecstasy had lingered on his face when Arlen presented Kai to the others, proclaiming he might never use magic. Desmond walked to Kai. "Cheer up, Red," he said, putting a hand over his shoulder. "There are more magical worlds. This isn’t the end." After an hour, they had a sumptuous dinner. Roast pork, bacon, roast potatoes and onions, bread, bowls of both thick and runny gravies, and soups. They topped it with puddings and three fresh cakes. Even when he was little, Kai had a man’s appetite. No amount of anger and disappointment was enough to prevent him from eating a bellyful meal. When it was just two hours to midnight, Arlen, for the first time, called all the Thunder Faction for a meeting. The round table was surrounded by the six Contestants. "We will take two four-horse carriages to London’s northern outskirts," Arlen said, pointing at the map. "If it weren’t for the incident related to the three dead bodies, then we could have used brooms from right here." Arlen glared at Desmond and Kai as if he had pinned the unfortunate event on their luck. Even with no incident, London was heavily monitored by the wizards of the Wizard’s Council. There were eyes on London’s skies all the time. But the incident had doubled that force. "It will cost us an hour," Sonia observed. "No matter how vacant the pathways will be, carriages are still only carriages." Desmond nodded in agreement. "From there, we will make a beeline towards Peterborough," Arlen said, his wand drawing a line on the map. A clear yellow trail. "Then sidelining Lincoln city, we will not stop until we reach York." The wand had outlined a third of the distance between London and Dufftown by then. "Shae, tell them," Arlen said. There was a big smile on his face. Shae was on Arlen’s right. As Arlen called out to her, her face flushed. It took her a moment to step forward, trying not to look into others’ eyes. "There..." Shae stuttered. But then she took a deep breath. "There is a hidden mountainous region between York and Middlesbrough. If we avoid the region, then it will cost us another hour." There was no such region on the map. Desmond and Sonia showed their doubts outright with their pressed brows. Simon never took his eye off the map, as if it was revealing some deep secrets only to him. "Shae has confirmed it," the Captain of Guard said, placing a rough sketch Shae had drawn over a parchment. "The only issue is, it’s dangerous. Such regions, generally, are home of magical beasts, and the Wizard’s Council might have their officials posted there for surveillance." "Haha!" Desmond laughed. "Then, isn’t it better to just take the detour?" "Desmond is right, Captain," Sonia said sternly. "So what if we lose more time? Our lives are more important." Arlen’s smile crumpled, hearing their disagreement. "Humph! I don’t care about the dangers," he snorted. "We will take the coastline up to the seaside towns near Edinburgh. The fools of Order would think we will take the usual route over Edinburgh’s skies. But I have different plans." Desmond and Sonia gasped as they realized what Arlen was suggesting. Even Simon, the silent one, showed his interest by taking his eyes off the map. "From the shores, we will go over the north sea," Arlen said, his wand deviating from green inland to the blue corners of the map. "We will keep the brooms low. With Simon among us, we will have an advantage if they were to follow us. And I will not waste a single second before reaching the destination." There was tension between Desmond, Sonia, and Arlen. But the Captain had decided, and what he said made sense from a strategic point of view. There wasn’t anything they could do about it. "Don’t worry," Simon hissed. "You know, I am something of a magician myself." No one was fooled by his humble tone, especially not Kai. The man wasn’t dangerous. Otherwise, Kai’s Perception would have picked it up. But there was something off about him, Kai could tell. "So that’s it then," Arlen said, his wand disappearing with a shake of his hand. "I am bringing Mr. Beedle up. Desmond and Sonia, you two go and make arrangements for the carriages. Shae, come with me, it’s time you get your Elementary Magical Aptitude. Simon, there might be some muggle-watchmen patrolling around. Find what you can about the route we will take through carriages." That only left Kai. Arlen looked at him, smiling wickedly. "Boy," the Captain commanded. "Go, warm some wine for us over the hearth. We all will share a drink before leaving." An hour later, The smell of spices hit Kai’s nostrils. Simon had directed him a little before going out. Kai knew nothing about warming wines. He had drunk alcohol before, but never to savor its flavors. Shae must have got her Elementary Ability by now, the thought suddenly passed by Kai’s mind. Kai didn’t care. Shae had done nothing to him. Neither was she good to him, nor was she bad. Kai’s morals were twisted beyond sense, but he wouldn’t kill someone whose death wouldn’t be rewarding for him. Power and Revenge, Kai thought. They are the only reason for me to kill. The atmosphere made his mind wander. It was extremely quiet, just short of choking silence. The tiniest bubble popped over the calm layer of the wine into the pot, ruining the silence. Kai took off the pot and laid 7 mugs for each of his teammates, including Mr. Beedle. When he was done pouring the filtered warm wine in mugs, Kai stood up and turned his back to the main door. If anyone were to barge in, which was unlikely, they wouldn’t know outright what he was doing. Kai took a deep breath, remembering the feeling he had experienced in the Shop of Wonders and the basement after being virtually kicked out by the wizard. The hotness. The twists and churns. The rage and defiance. Those feelings overtook Kai, and he touched his chest with his left hand. Come forth, Kai willed, almost in a trance. Blue-tailed Boa Constrictor. His skin became hot suddenly, his blood boiling within him. There was a touch of redness on his face, and swirls of hot red air rose all around him. From afar, Kai’s figure seemed to wave, like the space above fire. His eyes turned into narrow slits. A hiss resounded in Kai’s mind, and an extremely lifelike tattoo of a snake appeared on his right arm. It coiled around there, its mouth reaching Kai’s elbow, and its deep-blue tail ending on the nail of his middle finger. Almost violet, Kai noticed. The color of poison. Then he concentrated on his Glitch - Blood Devour. It had gone to hibernation, but the Blood Essence it had devoured could be used whenever he wanted. The Abilities and the Skills were always there with him, for him to be used, for him to kill. ... [ Activating Skill Light Neurotoxin Time Limit: 30 Seconds ... Skill: Light Neurotoxin Grade: E- Specification: A toxin found in a rare species of Boa Constrictors. It needs to be injected into the prey’s body for it to be at its deadliest potency. The moment it leaves the serpent’s fangs, it becomes colorless, highly weakening and delaying its effects. Requirement: MP 10 Points and HP 5 Points (per drop) Attributes: Not Applicable Effect: One drop of Light Neurotoxin is enough to kill an Average Adult Contestant in 30 minutes, given the absence of any anti-venom and outside interference. The effects vary in potency as the Contestants’ Stats deviate from average. At its weakest, it can induce dizziness, confusion, hallucination, and rarely, damaged motor function. ] ... Kai loved it. The Light Neurotoxin was nothing compared to the Body-Mind Melting Poison he could use in his previous life. A tenth of a drop of that poison was enough to kill hundreds of ordinary people instantly. What Kai admired about Light Neurotoxin, given its lowest grade, was the weakened and delayed effect. It was a weak point at a glance. Not for those who know how to use it, Kai told himself. Suddenly, his colored nail extended, turning into a pointy needle. The snake tattoo felt wriggling on his arm, slithering on his fiery skin. An abrupt pain shot through Kai’s hand as if someone was sucking out his blood. His eyes blurred for a moment and his MP and HP both decreased simultaneously. A violet drop of death shimmered against the fire in the hearth, like a polished gem. Kai held his nail over one mug and dropped it. But even before the drop could make a splash into the wine, it turned colorless. Drip! Kai used the Skill again. One more drop in a different mug, and he was done. The tattoo vanished, and then the hotness ran off. His eyes returned to their original shapes, leaving him drunk on the power he had just felt. So this is an Instantaneous Triggered Skill, Kai remembered what Desmond had told him about the Skills. "There is no official division, but Skills can be of two types," Desmond had told Kai. "Driven Skills need a continuous supply of MP, SP, or HP. As long as you can supply them, the Skill will remain in effect, unless it has more constraints. Triggered Skills are again subdivided into two types. "Charged Triggered, where you need to charge the Skills with MP or SP or even HP sometimes before unleashing them. The more you charge them, the more powerful they will be. The other is Instantaneous Triggered. These Skills devour a certain number of Points the moment you unleash them, making them the quickest and the deadliest too." Then there were Abilities. "They are like a craft," Desmond had added. "You practice them, learn them, and try to become proficient in them, hence the word Proficiency. To upgrade them, you need insights and constant improvement. They are difficult to get, very difficult, and even monstrous to upgrade. They have three levels; Elementary, Advance, and Master." Click! The trapdoor opened on Kai’s left, bringing him out of his reverie. Arlen, a beaming Shae, and Mr. Beedle walked out one after the other. The main door played a rhythmic knock, making Arlen swish his wand at it. Desmond and Sonia walked in, and two carriages could be seen behind them. Before the door could close as they walked in, Simon too appeared from the other side. In a few minutes, as Simon transferred the details he had found out, Kai brought the tray of mugs to them. Mr. Beedle’s pointy hat had disappeared, and his face was hidden under the shadow of a hood. But Kai could tell it was him from the constant murmurs surrounding him, and the tightly clutched book. "If it isn’t to my taste, boy," Arlen said, looking at Kai. "You will bathe in this very wine tonight." Oh, it is to your taste, Kai laughed inwardly. Kai handed over a mug one by one to them. Arlen reluctantly nodded, tasting the wine, and Desmond and Sonia laughed. Shae took a small sip, and Mr. Beedle was drinking it like water. Only Simon waited longer than others. And then he too drank a mouthful, taking in the last sniff. Kai was the first to drink the wine, but the taste at the tip of his tongue was of something else. It was the taste of... Victory!