Chapter 2: Necrophages Ghoul.
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[1250 - Afternoon - Magpie Forest, Temeria - 0 Days.]
"Man, that is either the sickest and badass costume I have ever seen or the most disgusting mutant abilities known so far."
After looking at the appearance of the abomination, Zefron asked in a polite tone, not wanting to cause any more trouble, as he had just been teleported to an unknown location.
"Hey dude. Care to drop the act and walk like a normal human should?"
Seeing the mutant continue to walk toward him on all fours without even pausing to consider his question, Zefron gazes at the Future Fate vision and realizes that the mutant is not much of a threat. He lets out his seven silver strings, which were warping the two women, dropping them on the ground once more, and prepares for battle.
"Okay then, fine. If you're really not going to talk to me, I'll just make you spill what—"
Before Zefron finishes the sentence, the mutant lunges at him with the speed of a running wolf. Trained in dealing with mutation-type adversaries, Zefron forms a wall of three strings to disrupt the momentum.
BANG. The mutant's head crashes into the steel-like wall surface, even though it was just three strands of one-millimeter-width line. Making a grabbing motion with his finger, Zefron wraps the adversary's limb with four of the free remaining strings, rendering the abomination unable to move.
Freeing the three strings that just a moment ago formed the wall to disrupt the momentum, Zefron wraps the strands around the mutant's neck and loudly exclaims, "Undo your transformation, or I will kill you!"
After a couple of seconds without seeing any reaction in the squirming mutant's eyes, which remain neither dilated nor constricted, Zefron continues to shout loudly while tightening his hold on the mutant's neck.
"Answer me! Don't use the excuse of being drugged! I know your mutation-type abilities always have a high resistance to such things. Now, I order you one last time. Drop the act and undo the transformation!"
But even after tightening his hold as the minutes go by, there is no reaction to his words except for the mutant's continued squirming in an attempt to break free, making Zefron frown in confusion as the mutant shows no reaction to his threat at all.
"Hmm... Strange."
Rummaging through his knife pocket to take out his dagger, Zefron realizes that there is nothing in the knife pocket or any other pocket at all. He then remembers the events before the battle started when he was being chased by both villains and heroes.
"Oh yes, I forgot. Jack stole all my items before the battle started."
Looking around to find some pointy rocks suitable for stabbing flesh, Zefron proceeds to pick them up and kills the mutant that is still struggling to get free. Since his Fate String abilities cannot harm anything at all, Zefron always carries a pointy object in case something like this ever happens. Which now he didn't have any.
STAB, STAB, STAB. After a couple more stabs to the mutant's forehead, heart, and abomination lungs, it goes completely limp. Zefron knows that some people with mutation abilities can survive severe attacks, which is why he keeps stabbing further, causing the ground to be painted black and red.
Standing for a minute, waiting for the transformation to be undone, Zefron continues stabbing and stabbing until the mutant in front of him is unrecognizable. One minute, two minutes, ten minutes pass, and still there is no reaction whatsoever.
"What the fuck is going on..."
Taking a step back to gaze at the mutant, Zefron waits for the transformation to be undone. However...
"What the fuck is going on? Is it a new mutation-type ability that makes the user permanent?"
Releasing one of the strings holding onto the mutant, Zefron quickly reads the abomination's Past Fate, wanting to know the origin of this new permanent type ability that has never happened in the history of mankind.
Taking the string into both of his palms, Zefron inspects the string of Past Fate that has a connection to the mutant closely.
'Origin of the permanent mutation abilities.'
Receiving blank white images in his mind, indicating that there is no answer to the question, Zefron's frown deepens, and he tries to change the wording.
'How did the things in front of me come to be?'
—
In the deep cave filled with many mutilated rotting corpses, the creature resembles an abomination in front of Zefron, but with black skin and sharp, pointy spines on its back, along with large bulges on its belly, making its way to the center of the corpses. Then, seemingly wanting to defecate, the creature in the image tenses its muscles and growls loudly.
PLOP. The excrement and lump of flesh that look like a baby come out of the creature's rear hole, making a strange, high-pitched noise, seemingly crying for attention. The mother then takes the rotting carcasses from all around the baby creature, scoops it up, and dumps it in front of the still crying baby.
—
Bleurgh. Zefron vomits the contents of his stomach after watching the scene from reading the creature's Past Fate, mixing the ground that is painted in blood with the food he just ingested.
"Urghh... Fuck... Even my torture chamber is like heaven compared to that cave I just witnessed."
Regaining his composure, Zefron then proceeds to throw the creature away with his string, seemingly attempting to get rid of the images he just saw by venting out on the creature's body.
Shivering from time to time as he remembers what transpired, Zefron composes himself and starts to return to reality.
"What is that? Some kind of natural environment lab to create cheap super soldiers? I thought the government was currently busy inventing a new technology called 'Gun'. What's going on?"
Shivering at the thought, Zefron turns around and walks to the two unconscious women. He checks their breathing pattern with his finger to determine how much longer he has before they wake up, then starts to read the string of Past Fate of the red-head named Triss.
"Maybe they know something. That thing is so close, so maybe it has something to do with them."
Closely inspecting the line that connects to their past in his hand, Zefron activates his abilities. 'I want to know. What is that thing? What is the relationship between them?'
—
In the cozy, small cobblestone lounging room filled with books and medieval furniture, seven female students were seated on a large sofa, relaxing and reading floating books in front of them. The books displayed numerous creatures, ranging from beasts to relic monsters. From time to time, when one of the students touched a page, special effects would create a visualization of how the creature moved and acted.
Sitting alone on a classical couch in front of them was a beautiful, elegant middle-aged woman wearing a green dress laced with black color. She smiled at the enthusiastic children before swiping her hand, causing the books that they read to turn to specific pages with subtle breezes of air.
["So, does anyone know the name of this creature?"] she asked.
The students paused, thinking for a moment to recall the details of the creature because their mentor's question went beyond simply asking for its name.
["Oh! Oh! Lady Margarita told us about this,"] exclaimed a lady in a medieval red corset, a red cap with brown hair, and a chubby figure, eager to answer. However, before she could articulate her response concisely, a bald woman with a burn scar on her left cheek spoke first.
["It is a Ghoul, Lady Leticia Charbonneau. A type of Necrophage. According to Cosimo Malaspina, a master on mutation and genetic modification, the hypothesis suggests that before the Conjunction of the Spheres, Ghouls and other Necrophages were once human-like intelligent races that originated from desolate worlds with their suns already destroyed. Due to the lack of sunlight for healthy crop growth, they resorted to cannibalism as a means to survive. When the Conjunction of the Spheres occurred, bringing forth many new lands, their bodies, not yet adapted to the Chaos, quickly degenerated and became corrupted. It not only affected their bodies but also their minds, turning them into mindless monsters solely focused on survival and reproduction. Their cannibalistic tendencies became an obsession, and humans, with our similar physical features, may share a connection to their past appearances. That might be the reason they have such an appetite for human flesh."]
["Ahh... Triss... I was the first..."]
["Sorry, Anisse."]
Listening to Triss's precise and concise explanation, which went beyond the textbook and reflected her own understanding, Lady Leticia's smile widened.
["Good job. Here is an apple for you, young girl,"] she said, swiping her hand to lift an apple from her exquisite bag. The apple floated toward the young woman with a breeze of air, and the bald girl named Triss accepted it with giggles and a beaming smile.
["As Triss explained, Ghouls or Necrophages are--"]
Before Leticia could finish her sentence, the door to the room suddenly opened with a bit of force, revealing a woman who entered without proper courtesy, as if she owned the place.
Wearing an elegant deep blue dress with white laces, the middle-aged woman with black hair exuded a reserved and aloof air. Upon seeing the seven students still in their sleeping corset and sitting in an improper manner, she frowned.
["Leticia, how many times do I have to tell you? Engaging in class activities like this will reflect poorly on your yearly peer evaluation. Please stop with this nonsense,"] she reproved.
As all the students quickly adjusted themselves and sat properly in anxious panic, Leticia turned around and sighed helplessly. ["We are already old, Tissaia. Etiquette, rules, and evaluations don't bother me anymore. My time for caring about such things has passed, and I just want to teach these young children."]
["Then don't you care about your past achievements?"] Tissaia asked.
["I did, and I always will, but... Anyway, why are you here? Surely not to argue again, right?"]
Taking a letter from her pocket, Tissaia handed the unsealed parchment to her lifelong best friend, providing a brief context about its contents.
["Some convoy from an unknown kingdom named Ebbing to the south came to Gors Velen last month, asking for our assistance in dealing with the self-proclaimed Nilfgaardian Empire. I naturally refused, but they keep pestering us, not taking no for an answer. What should we do? They are now in Loxia making a scene."]
After skimming the content without much attention, Leticia casually placed it on the table and replied, ["Hmm, I don't know. But I will read this carefully later, after the class is over."]
Nodding, Tissaia stormed out of the room without saying anything, still maintaining her aloof and distant demeanor just like that.
—
After returning to reality, Zefron pinched his forehead and mumbled in confusion, "What on earth did they just say?"
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone