Fun Fact: Due to the inaccessibility of knowledge, technomagick tools are poorly distributed around the world. There are many places where technomagick is practically non-existent.
As such, they stick to their primitive way of life and have barely advanced past horseback warfare. International aid has been extended to these civilisations, but they have refused to change their way of life.
~ ~ ~
A figure crept up onto the ceiling, almost invisible in the dim lighting of the long corridor. The building itself was made of cold, mouldy bricks, topped by two side-by-side slanting roofs. It sat in the middle of a wide basin in the ground, with overgrown roads leading up to both ends. Once, it would’ve been the town’s main source of meat, supplying almost all its food throughout the year.
But it had long since been abandoned, which made it an ideal location to house a group of kidnapped children.
Gaius moved further up the wall, carried by tiny strings of orange energy that kept his body stuck to any surface he desired. It must’ve reminded his targets of a centipede, because that had been his nickname ever since he started breaking into their bases and freeing the captive children.
Not like he minded. Disgusting as that name was, it still felt good to strike fear in those lowlife criminals.
“Aren’t you curious?”
Gaius remained motionless, listening in as the two people chatted right below him, completely oblivious to his presence.
“About what?”
“Y’know… the Centipede. I swear, that guy isn’t human. What if he comes for us next?”
“Sheesh. Since when were you so chicken? The Centipede is nothing but a tale cooked up by those villagers to scare us away from them. That’s the oldest trick in the book.”
“Yeah? If he’s not real, then why have the rest of our bases gone dark?”
“Okay, okay. So, some Meta vigilante thinks he can mess with us. Big deal. This is our strongest hold. And I’m betting that guy ain’t no one-man-army. I’d like to see him take all of us out. Centipede, my ass. I’ll crush that bug beneath my heel.”
“Don’t jinx us, man— Ack!”
An orange tendril wrapped around their necks without warning and yanked both men to the ceiling. They barely had time to scream before their heads were smashed together, knocking both of them out at the same time.
Gaius let go of his victims before dropping to the ground as well. He landed beside their unconscious bodies as a deep growl escaped his throat. A faint orange glowed from under his skin, and his magic flooded his body for the umpteenth time.
He was losing patience; it had already been a few days since he started hunting down these kidnappers. All that was left to do was to release the remaining children from this base, and everyone would be safe and happy.
Gaius stared at the metal doors in front of him. There was only one way forward, and the energy within him already showed him the crowd of people loitering behind the doors. Of course, he could take it slow and pick them off one by one.
But why should he?
After all, his magic had evolved to a much stronger version of itself over these days. He was practically a one-man army now. Gaius didn’t know what triggered the change, nor did he care. All that mattered was that he was finally strong enough to be a hero. Strong enough to take on any enemy.
And besides, he wanted them to fight back.
The metal doors burst open with a deafening clang, along with several energy tendrils snaking into the hall. Gaius landed in front of the stunned crowd, orange Arcani writhing around his body. He released a beastly roar at them.
“O— Oh shit, it’s the Centipede!” someone yelled. “Everyone, power up!”
Gaius snarled, flinging her across the room with a single energy punch. There was an audible crack as the poor woman slammed headfirst into the wall. She dropped to the ground, blood and brain matter leaking from her orifices.
“Where are the children?” the Centipede roared. “Where are they?!”
Energy projectiles flashed, and arrows whizzed in the air. They did nothing to stop Gaius. His own energised magic hardened in response to his thought, and a barrage of icicles peppered the solidified energy shield.
“Where! Are! They?!” Gaius lifted one of them and punched him relentlessly mid-air, feeling more and more bones crack under his fists. “Tell me!”
Gaius mercilessly flung his energy tendrils like they were whips, sending everything in the room flying. His breathing echoed inside his head, loud enough to drown out the chaos all around him. A voice spoke from deep within his soul.
Kill.
A burst of energy shot into his feet, propelling him forward at a Meta clinging to the walls for dear life. Strangled screams grated his ears as Gaius pressed the woman’s face against the rocky surface and dragged it roughly, leaving a long blood trail down the wall.
Rip them apart.
Blood and gore sprayed in a wide arc as the orange tendrils tore his victim in half. Gaius released another primal roar, feeling the turbulent Arcani within him thrash even harder. It was as if there was something in his body trying to escape. With a final yell, spikes of orange energy exploded from his body.
DESTROY!
Gaius lunged towards the cowering man on the floor as though about to finish him off, but he relaxed his body instead. His glowing eyes scanned his target. The man’s hip was shattered, which would explain why he was just lying there instead of fleeing or fighting back. Gaius stepped forward threateningly.
“WHERE?!”
The man whimpered as the demonic roar echoed around the empty room. He lifted a finger shakily—
Gaius let out a frustrated hiss. Rubble groaned as the orange tendrils ripped a huge chunk of concrete from the ceiling, dangling it over the man threateningly.
“They’re just behind the door!” the kidnapper screamed frantically, jabbing at a set of wooden doors. “I swear, they’re behind that door! Please don’t kill me! I have a family…”
“So do they.”
Gaius dropped the rubble without hesitation and turned his attention to the doors. The magic in his body calmed down. There were signs of life in the room ahead, although none of them seemed hostile.
It wasn’t much information to go on with, but he had to settle. He had to assume the kidnapped children were indeed in the next door. For some reason, True Vision no longer showed him the future, but instead only warned him of potential dangers. Gaius didn’t mind. It was probably because he didn’t need that much detail anymore, now that he was stronger like this.
He pushed the doors open.
Fortunately, his guess was right. Locked cages surrounded the circular room, while the children inside them stared back at Gaius apprehensively. Dozens of tendrils snaked out of his body, wrapping around the locks and snapping the cages open.
“Exit’s that way,” he rasped, pointing out of the door. “Go home to your families and stay safe.”
Gaius watched the children scurry out of the room, breathing deeply to calm his magic down. He examined the orange light peeking out of his slightly cracked skin as his mind flitted to Kleopatra again. Naggy as that girl was, he couldn’t deny there was some truth to what she said.
He was changing. But—
Destroy. It is our destiny.
Gaius flicked his head around as though he didn’t already know where the voice had come from. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t concerned, but this new power had finally given him everything he needed to be a hero. He couldn’t give it up. He didn’t want to give it up.
Yellow moonlight greeted Gaius as he stepped into the courtyard of the base. He looked into the distance. Now that he had saved all the children, where should he head next—
The ground shifted as a glass cage rose from the dusty road without warning, trapping Gaius. He immediately threw a punch at the ‘glass’, but it glanced off easily.
“Centipede, so glad to finally meet you.”
Outside the cage stood a brunette man, who remained unflinching as Gaius roared at him like a wild animal. He was dressed in untidy-looking robes, and his eyes glowed an emerald green.
“They called you a monster.” Brutus Spiros put a palm on the cage. “But now that I take a closer look, you’re really just a kid, aren’t you? Tsk, tsk. Not as venomous as they say. How disappointing. Here’s what I’m going to do—”
The cage rattled again as Gaius slammed a cluster of orange tendrils at the glass.
“I’m going to take you apart piece by piece and see what makes you tick.” Spiros broke into a maniacal grin. “I mean, a Meta who can use magic— Yeah, don’t think I haven’t figured out your deal— That just smells like power waiting for me to take. And you know what that smells like to me, kid?”
He took a step back, the green glow in his eyes intensifying sharply. “That smells like money.”
Gaius contorted his body in discomfort as the telekinetic force dug into his flesh, trying to pull his body apart. Magic flared from the cracks in his skin as it struggled to hold his body together.
Spiros, on the other hand, was panting as his hands trembled with effort. Gaius gritted his teeth in response, willing his magic to keep his body intact. This criminal had an exceedingly useful power, but he was still just a Tier Four. Gaius couldn’t lose this war of attrition.
“Hey!”
The telekinetic grip on Gaius’s body loosened temporarily as both Gaius and Spiros turned to the source of the voice. A blinking arrow struck the side of the cage immediately after.
With a loud buzz, red sparks ran through the cage, deactivating whatever held it together.
Gaius took the chance to blast it open with another release of energy spikes. His eyes widened in surprise at the two ladies in the corner. How did Kleopatra and Cybele find him in such a remote place like this?
“Ugh, who the hell did that?” Spiros growled in irritation.
Gaius slammed an energy ball at the man and sent him flying, before catching his body with his tendrils and slamming him onto the ground. He pounced towards Spiros like a carnivorous insect and held him up with one hand. Gaius’s head swelled with energy, and he took his time to savour the fear in his victim’s eyes. He opened his mouth to chew his head off—
A small circular device stuck itself onto Spiros’s chest without warning. His body spasmed as the red sparks attacked the Arcani in his body, and he crumpled to the ground instantly. Gaius dropped the man in frustration, and Cybele rushed forward to hook an Arcani nullifier around Spiros’s neck.
“What the hell?” Kleopatra exclaimed, jogging up to him. “Were you about to eat that man?”
Shut the hell up, you stupid woman.
“What are you doing here?” Gaius turned his attention to Cybele instead. “What do you want?”
Cybele turned to him with a grim look on her face.
“Gaius, I wish to apologise,” she said. “I’m sorry for treating you like a mere disposable asset. For disrespecting your wishes and using your past against you. I know I haven’t been a good leader, and you have suffered the brunt of my frustration through no fault of your own.”
Gaius folded his arms as his magic retreated into his soul. “What brought that on all of a sudden? Did you come all this way just to apologise? I didn’t ask for that.”
“Recent events… have given me pause,” Cybele replied softly. “But right now, someone else needs your help. I do not wish for my mistakes to get in the way of doing the right thing.”
Kleopatra stepped forward. “Felix has been taken hostage during a mission, and we could really use your help to get him back.”
“Are you sure? Because I really don’t think anyone can take him hostage against his will. Are you sure he just didn’t let himself get taken?”
“Whatever the case is, I wish to support whatever he is planning as much as possible,” Cybele said earnestly. “You were one of our best at stealth and recon missions, Gaius. We need your help to find out what is happening.”
Gaius clenched his jaw. “How did you even find me? Can’t you tell I just want to be left alone?”
“There’s another thing…” Kleopatra began, but her lips quivered.
“What is it?”
“Your magic,” Cybele said, and Gaius’s expression hardened immediately. “It’s corrupted. Even though you cut your arm off that night, some corruption still made it through to the rest of your body. You’re turning into an Abomination, Gaius.”
Gaius stepped back in shock. “I… I’m transforming into those… things?”
“Not only that, it’s affecting your temperament, your emotions, anything that has to do with your soul. We believe the corruption will be resolved once we cure this plague, and maybe— Just maybe— you can keep your boosted power without all its drawbacks,” Kleopatra said grimly. “But we can’t afford to take risks. If you turn, that’s the end for you. The best thing for us to do is to check you in with our best clerics to figure out a way to destroy that corruption in your body.”
The world seemed to cave in on Gaius. “Destroy… me?”
“What? No, not you—”
“Where is Felix?” The rasp had returned to Gaius’s voice. “I’ll save him and then get him to fix this problem. I can’t lose this…”
Gaius could see Kleopatra and Cybele looking at each other uncomfortably, but he couldn’t care less about their feelings now. He had to keep this power, no matter what. It was the only way he could be a hero. It was the only thing giving him purpose in this messed-up world.
“What are you waiting for?” He turned to Cybele. “Give me the mission report.”213Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4m0Wp80Oaj
