Danial stepped out of Garon's home and took his helmet off. The guard uniform he wore was always hot, with layers of chainmail and a heavy winter cloak, but now it felt almost scorching.
"That's the state Garon's daughter is in?" Danial covered his face with his palm and felt hot sweat pour down his body. He had been the one to search the house after the flaming snake took the white-haired girl away. He knew that Garon's daughter had a broken core, but he never would have imagined it was as bad as it was. "How is she even still alive? She was on fire? She's like a Magical Mutant..."
"Are you okay?" Another guard asked when he saw how queasy Danial looked.
Danial forced a nod and looked back up. The other guards were scattered around Daisy's street, all waiting for what they should do next. No one wanted to make the first move, though. Not with their captain being MIA. "Any sign of Garon?"
"No." The guard shook his head, causing Danial to let out a sigh. "We can't find him or the Squire of that Knight."
"Damn it. I can't believe that snake was able to loop back around and grab them!" Danial bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "If something happens to Garon, who will take care of his daughter?"
"What are you all doing, just standing around out here?" The guards jumped when they heard the voice, and they turned, finding the baron of Daisy standing on the corner of a street. The small old man held his staff and hobbled over, his eyes narrowed.
"Sir!" Danial gave a salute to the older man. "The magical beast returned and took the Squire of the Arcane Knight. We believe it also took Garon!"
The baron let out a hum and grabbed at his beard, tugging on it. "Really now? It took Garon? That's excellent news."
"It is?" The guards all shared strange looks. They hadn't expected that answer.
The baron nodded, and he crouched down, letting out a groan as his weak bones popped. He took his walking cane and turned it over, placing the top of it on the road, and he gave a crooked grin. "I'm quite familiar with Garon's mana. If it had been anyone else, something like this wouldn't work, but Garon has been throughout this town so much that his mana is everywhere. It should be easy to figure out where he went. Row Bone Compass." The baron grunted, and the flesh around his arm began to tear and break, as jagged bones dropped out of his flesh.
The baron breathed heavily as the bones weaved together and became a small circular compass. A small and thin, spear-shaped bone started to rapidly spin before it suddenly twisted in the direction of the forest. The baron picked it up and let out a grunt.
"Alrighty, men. We're going to go save Garon."
"The Arcane Knight had a way of also tracking where the snake went, but he told us to stay out of it," Danial stated, giving a frown. "I don't know if he'd like us showing up out of the blue."
The baron made a face. "Well, too bad. I'm in charge. That Knight isn't here. Garon is our best warrior. We can't let him die. Now onward!"
"Yes, sir!" The guards nodded and began to head in the direction the compass pointed to.
Danial watched them march forward, and his worry grew. He really hoped the Knight finished the fight before they arrived.
***
"Just as I said. Blood magic is useless. Your own body got so weakened, you didn't even have enough mana to shield yourself from my blade."
Garon's poisoned dagger went all the way through her back and out the front of her stomach. Olivia instantly felt sick, but before she could think of throwing up, Garon tore the sword out of her, and she cried out, falling to her knees, clutching at her wound. The venom was trying to freeze her again, but her body was used to it now and fighting it off. It still didn't help with the hole she had through her now, though.
"Why did you make me do that?" Garon asked, letting out a dark sigh. "Now I have to waste my mana fixing you. You stupid, arrogant girl. Why couldn't you have just gone down like the rest? This would have all been so much easier! But no! You had to make things difficult!" Garon grabbed the bridge of his nose and pinched it, letting out a rage-filled sigh. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you had done nothing. This is what you get for acting up, though." Garon kicked out, ramming his foot into Olivia's gut wound, causing her to let out a scream. "It's just not fair. Why does an idiot, useless girl like you get to hang out with an Arcane Knight? Why can't I be special like that? I have fire magic! Why did he pick someone like you over someone like me?"
He kicked, and he kicked, and he kicked, over and over, until Olivia was lying in a pool of red, her face more pale than it had ever been. Her eyes were glazed, and her chest no longer moved. It was hard to tell if she was even still alive.
Garon was done pretending. Like a snake shedding its skin, he was showing his true self. He no longer had his fake smile, and his handsome looks faded away as he grew more enraged with each passing second.
Garon breathed heavily when he was finally done and shuddered in disgust when he saw how red his boots had become. "When I first found this dungeon, curiosity got the better of me. I decided to explore the first room before I called the Arcane Knights. I made it to these big doors, and at the time, the snake was slithering through its home, exploring. It found me, and instead of killing me, it took me to the vault, and that was where it offered me the deal. That bastard is greedy, though, and it knew that I'd do anything to get the potion I wanted. That was why it set the price so high." Garon sneered again and dropped to a knee, grabbing Olivia by the hair and lifting her bloody face up. "You're the final one. Honestly, you're lucky I stopped you when I did. Any time I want to get ahold of the snake, I come to these doors and open them. He's just past there. Not even I know what other traps are in here. I just saved your life, so be grateful. I'm a good guy. I'm a hero." Garon dropped Olivia's head, and it smacked into the floor. He stood up and pointed his palm at the door. "Row Flame Hand!" His hand ignited, and the fire twisted out, forming into a massive hand that quickly pushed against the door.
The door burst open, and instantly, Garon took a step back at what he saw. The darkness seemed to bend and twist past the door, the shadows creeping up, and a pair of fiery blue eyes stabbed out. Garon took a step back out of fear and lifted his dagger, his eyes going wide. The shadows kept twisting and bending, and for a moment, Garon swore he was looking at the outline of a bird.
Davi slowly walked past the doors. He didn't say anything and instead stared at Garon, then quietly looked down at where Olivia lay.
Garon felt tears stabbing at his eyes, and he fought back a whimper as he struggled to keep himself calm. The air was cold. Freezing even. The Knight's mana had been intense before, but now it was all unleashed, as if a blizzard had formed out of nowhere.
Finally, Garon managed a snarl. If the Knight was here, then that meant the snake was dead. He'd just have to go with plan B.
"Stay back!" Garon grabbed Olivia by the hair and forced her head up. He placed the dagger to her throat and got ready to slice it open if he needed to. "Take a step, and I'll kill her." He warned.
Davi stayed in place, not saying anything. His usual blank look was gone, replaced with something a lot colder. He gazed at Olivia's wounds before finally looking up and meeting Garon's glare.
"Do you have any idea what you did, you fucking moron!" Garon screamed, pressing the dagger harder to Olivia's throat. "You ruined everything! I had a deal with that damn snake, and you killed it! This dungeon contains the tears of a Phoenix! Phoenix Tears are among the strongest healing potions in the world! I need it! I must have it." Garon growled. "So you're going to give me the potion. Pull it out. Now. If you don't, I'll kill this girl. I'm not sure why a useless blood mage is so important to you, but I've seen the way you look at her! This is your only chance! I-I'm not a bad guy! I'm the one in the right!"
Silence stretched on for several moments, and neither Davi nor Garon moved an inch. Garon felt a nervous shiver go down his spine as he stared into Davi's fiery blue eyes. Somehow, being able to see the Knight's face was much worse now.
"W-What are you waiting for? Do it." Garon demanded. "I'm the hero here! Don't you get that! I'm the good person, and you're the one who fucked it all up! So listen to me!"
"...Row Shadow Vault." Davi held his hand out, and the potion plopped out from his shadow, flying up into his palm. As soon as he had it, Garon stopped screaming.
Garon's look shifted fully, and the man looked suddenly relieved. His arm shook a bit, and he almost lowered the dagger but stopped. "It's the real deal. I can tell just by looking at it. That's the Phoenix Tears. Finally, everything I did will have been worth it. My heroic deeds paid off. Give it to me. Quickly now. I can use it to fix myself, and whatever is left can be used for my daughter."
Davi didn't hand it over, though. Instead, he pulled his sword out of the shadows. "Olivia." Olivia weakly looked up. Her eyes were glazed, and she looked like she was barely clinging to life. "This is going to hurt."
Faster than Garon could react, Davi lunged forward, and he sliced his sword down. To Garon's shock and horror, Davi sliced right through Olivia, splitting through her shoulder and side. His blade was blunt and worn, shattering and ripping through Garon's own body, causing the fire mage to cry out as the arm holding the dagger became mangled and torn, causing the weapon to drop.
Garon's eyes were wide, and he gasped, trying to process what had just happened. "You monster! How could you—"
"Out of my way." Davi rammed his elbow into Garon's face hard enough to send him blasting back. Garon was launched away, and in an instant, Davi caught Olivia. He ignored the sea of red that poured from her and brought the potion to her lips and forced her to drink it.
The effect was instant. Olivia gasped, and her entire body shimmered for a moment. Her flesh changed red as if it was burning, and steam poured from her wounds as her broken body mended. All her cuts and stab wounds sealed closed, and her body refilled with blood as she fully healed. Once it was done, the steam stopped, and her skin returned to normal.
Davi kept an arm beneath her, and he pulled the potion away from her lips. Less than half of it was left. "How are you feeling?" He asked, tucking the rest away into his shadow.
"Did you stab through me to hit Garon?"
"Yeah."
"Please never do that again…"
"My bad. You good?"
Olivia winced and felt her wounds fade. All of them rapidly vanished. The potion was even better than the last one Davi gave her. "Yeah." She forced a smile but then looked away. "I had to be saved by you again." She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, but the potion was still going through her, so it healed instantly, the steam rising out of her wound. "Damn it. I just… I didn't want to be saved again."
Davi stood up and dragged her to her feet. "I don't mind saving you."
"I do, though." Olivia sighed. "It makes me feel useless and weak. I hate it."
"Noted. Next time, I'll let you die." Davi responded in his typical flat tone.
"That's not what I mean!" Olivia shook her head. "I'm glad you had that potion when you did save me. I think I would have died if you hadn't used it on me. Speaking of which, what do you plan to do with the rest of it?"
Davi was about to say something but was interrupted by Garon, who screamed loudly. Getting their attention. "Damn you, damn you, damn you!" Garon pushed himself back up, his broken arm struggling to heal with the help of his restoration magic. "It's not fair! It's just not fair!" Garon screamed.
Olivia glanced back at Garon, and she winced. He didn't look too good. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were crazed and bloodshot. He was practically foaming from the mouth, and his right arm was twisted and snapped in two.
It was hard to believe she once viewed this guy as handsome.
Garon kept shaking and hissing. "I tried so hard! I worked so hard! I couldn't do it, though. I couldn't be an Arcane Knight like you! I don't have the power you do! Damn you, damn you, damn you! You don't know what it's like, do you! You have power! You have strength! Not like us!" Garon gestured at himself and even Olivia. "Not all mages are made equal! If I had even a fraction of your power, I'd be able to change this world for the better! You're strong, but what do you use your power for? Nothing! You ruined everything!"
"I ruined everything?" Davi asked, raising his eyebrow.
"You did! It could have all worked out if you wouldn't have shown up! I need that potion!" Garon screamed. "I will have it! One way or another."
Davi pulled his claymore out once more and stepped forward but stopped when Olivia suddenly wrapped her arms around his. "Davi." She said quietly, looking away, slightly ashamed.
"What is it?" Davi questioned.
"I think you should give him the potion."
Davi blinked, taken aback by her words. "Are you sure you fully recovered?" He asked in a blank tone, and he casually grabbed her by the chin and began to forcefully tilt her head back and forth, studying her.
"Yes! Now stop!" Olivia slapped his hand away and huffed.
Davi tilted his head to the side, and his eyes narrowed. "Why? Tell me why you want that bastard to have the potion."
"I don't like it either, but it's not for his sake." Olivia sighed. She glanced back at Garon, who had gone silent once he noticed she was trying to help him. "I saw his daughter. I also was told his wife died of an illness. The same sort of illness his daughter has now. I get what he's doing is wrong, and he made a ton of terrible choices, but he was doing it for his daughter—"
"That's wrong." Davi's words suddenly silenced Olivia. Davi pointed his claymore across the room directly at Garon. "Why don't you reveal the truth?" He said in a blunt tone. "You're not doing this for your daughter. You want the potion for yourself."
"F-For himself?" Olivia glanced back at Garon, whose face had turned a ghostly pale. The man's body was shaking, and he shook his head. "What do you mean, Davi? Why would he need it? Is he also sick?" Now that she thought about it, Garon had blurted out he was going to give what was left of the potion to his daughter when he first thought Davi was going to give it to him. What could be so important that he'd only give it to his child second?
"You can say that he is sick, in a way." Davi put his claymore down, and his eyes bore directly into Garon's. "I was confused why my scar ached when I first stepped foot into this town. After all, the snake was cloaked at the time, and my scar only reacted to it once I set eyes on it. Now, the snake is dead, yet my scar is still acting as if there is a monster nearby." Davi jumped forward and swung out with his claymore. "That monster is you." He declared.
"S-Stay back!" Garon cried out, but it was too late. Davi's sword struck out, the blade tearing into the front of the guard captain's uniform. Davi tore through the jacket and shirt, ripping it open, revealing Garon's body beneath.
Olivia gasped and covered her mouth as she stared at Garon in shock.
Magical Mutation.
That's what the condition was called. Garon was in the very early stage, but even the early stage was too far gone for most.
A mage's mana was very important. It determined who they were as a person, how strong they were, and what kind of spells and magic types they could use. The body and mana were connected very closely. The stronger the mana a mage had, the stronger their body would be. The stronger their body was, the stronger their mana would be. It was a cycle with both influencing one another.
Because of this, a person would affect their mana, just as their mana would affect their body.
Olis had explained it best. Mana showed how a person truly felt and thought. It was a map into the person's mind and could help determine the life they lived. A person's emotions would also greatly affect how their magic felt and acted. Being angry could cause someone's mana to heat up, and being sad could make it feel like rain.
Since mana was linked so closely to emotions, it was the reason most mages would use it to determine what another mage was thinking.
So…
What happens if a person's mana gets tainted…
A Magical Mutant was someone who became tainted. When a mage remains inside of a dungeon for too long and fails to escape or doesn't have a high enough resistance stat, the cursed mana within the dungeon will latch onto the mage's mana and begin to mutate and twist it, causing that mage to become something no longer human.
That was how you got a Magical Mutant.
The more they feed this taint, the more of them it takes over, and it begins to take over their mana, corrupting it, which in turn causes the body to also change, due to how linked the mana and the body truly are. A person that undergoes this is called a Magical Mutant because their body twists and changes, mutating in strange ways, and their mind gets corrupted and altered.
Most people believed that monsters emerged from dungeons and took the world over slowly but surely, but another common theory as to where magical beasts came from is that people became them. People kept committing sins over and over again, mutating and twisting, until they were no longer humans and were nothing more than magical beasts.
Where Garon's abs should have been were scales. Jagged and spiked, blood-red snake-like scales sprouted across his stomach and ran along his chest. They twitched and unfolded, almost seeming to open up as Garon breathed heavily. The sight of them nearly made Olivia throw up. Davi's look changed as he stared at them. Pity shone in Davi's eyes as he scanned the scales that ran along Garon's form.
"Don't look at me!" Garon screamed, and his arms scrambled to clutch at his gut as if he could hide the scales. The scales were slowly spreading, growing more and more. The stress of everything and Garon's mental state were causing the tainted mana within him to rapidly grow. It didn't help that he was also in a dungeon, which was making it worse.
It suddenly dawned on Olivia in that moment. She had been completely wrong about Garon. She had fallen for his appearance just as everyone else had. She knew he was doing bad things, but seeing how everyone acted toward Garon and the state his daughter was in, she had assumed he was walking down a path to save his child.
He wasn't, though.
He had only invited her into his house so he could try to capture her.
Garon wasn't doing all of this for a noble cause to save his dying daughter. If he were really a desperate father, then he would have swallowed his own pride and begged Davi for the potion, but Garon hadn't. He needed to keep the fact that the potion existed a secret because, from the very beginning, he had just been looking for a cure to his own disease.
Things were almost never as they seemed, and looks could often be deceiving. This was a fact that Olivia was about to come to terms with.