Chương 2: Centipede

Kayzen's instincts took over his body. Regardless of his physical condition, he was an Ashbourne. His red eyes scanned the balcony while his hands moved on their own to the cabinet. He had been through hundreds, if not thousands of combat drills during his time at the Opheim academy.

'It managed to bypass the town's barrier, meaning it's either above the dread class or an unawakened creature.'

"Kriiiieek" The centipede hissed at Kayzen and forced its way into the lab. It was fortunate that the splintering window frame was hindering its more than two-meter-long body from crashing in. Meanwhile, Kayzen uncorked a flask containing volatile liquid. Immediately, the area was filled with a sweet and pungent scent. He was sure that the centipede didn't have the ability to use Ether, which was why it wasn't repelled by the town's barrier.

If it was above dread class then not just this town, but the entire Algasia Empire would be on the brink of destruction. The centipede finally managed to shake off the entire frame and crashed into the lab. The barrel-thick creature was completely unharmed despite the rough landing. It raised its upper body with wriggling legs and pointed its pincers at Kayzen, ready to strike.

'I only have one chance at this.' From the beginning Kayzen knew that running was futile. Showing your back to a frenzied animal was suicidal, especially if you couldn't outrun it to begin with. The centipede lunged over the platform, and at the same time, Kayzen placed one hand over his nose and hurled the flask with the other. There was no need to take aim since the centipede was charging straight at him. The flask shattered on its head, and the effect was immediate.

The shining exoskeleton of the centipede shriveled up like flaking wall paint. Wood alcohol was a highly toxic substance, especially for centipedes who had strong exoskeleton and spiracles for breathing. The liquid instantly stripped away all the moisture from its chitin. And since it had inhaled the toxic fumes, its nervous system was also affected. Yet it was apparent that this was no normal centipede. Cold sweat rolled from Kayzen's forehead as he saw the centipede thrash its way over to him.

It was almost as if the creature felt no pain. Worse, it looked like the effects of the wood alcohol were fading away with each passing second. He looked around to find anything useful, but there was nothing. In the first place it was against protocol to keep hazardous substances out in the open.

"Keb's ashes, I'm not getting defeated by a fucking bug," Kayzen picked up the titration stand on the shelf and lunged at the centipede. Although he wasn't good at using weapons, he knew enough to use his weight as an advantage. He leveraged his weight with the stand and stabbed the eyes of the centipede, yet it didn't stop moving. Its twitching pincers were now just a foot away from Kayzen's neck. He picked up the metal stand and jabbed it down, again and again and again.

His eyes became hazy with sweat and splattering blood. His muscles burned and ached at the strenuous activity, but Kayzen didn't stop. He lifted his sore arms and repeated the same motion. No matter how strong the centipede's defences were, there was a limit to how much it could endure. Finally, its legs curled inward in a last, jerky spasm, splattering gooey blood all over the floor.

"Haa… haa… fuck. I really need to work out." Kayzen slumped down on the floor and barely knocked over the container of distilled water. He didn't know whether the blood was poisonous or not, so it was crucial to get it off his body. The cold water dripped over his head and calmed his raging heartbeat. The lab looked like a mess in his blurry vision. His whole body started aching after the adrenaline rush had worn off. Dozens of questions popped up in his mind. What was that centipede? How did it fly?

Why didn't it feel pain? But before seeking an answer, he needed to clean the mess and collect the samples. Just then, his stout savior appeared with a broom in hand.

"Sir Kayzen! Are you alright?" Bran jumped over the pool of blood and checked his body for wounds.

"No need to be flustered. I'm unharmed. More importantly, let's clean this place up." Kayzen answered and wiped his face with the apron.

"Right away sir," Bran helped him stand up and hurried off to pick up the containers. All of Kayzen's exhaustion seemed to vanish as he laid his eyes on the dead creature. Now that he had the time to think things over, there were a lot of peculiarities. Why did the centipede attack in the first place? If it was hungry then there was plenty of food in the forest, and even the pedestrians below would be an easy snack for it.

A plausible explanation would be that it evolved near the tower and attacked Kayzen since he was out in the open. If that were the case-'I have a bad feeling about this…' Something was wrong. Very wrong. Kayzen realized that if there was a deeper reason behind this mutation then the implications would be severe.

"Please take a break, I'll collect the samples and sterilize the lab." Bran suggested and gave him a glass of water.

"Thanks. Notify Jeph as well. I'll go out and get some fresh air," Kayzen tapped Bran's shoulder and climbed down the tower. There was nothing he could do before the lab was cleaned up and sterilized. His mind went back to when he was just a kid who was learning about this world for the first time, for this incident had shaken the foundation of what he knew. After eons of development, there were two main paths by which one could use Ether and attain tremendous power.

Templars and Crusaders were those who gained blessings from the shrines of the seven progenitors. The Templars were in charge of defending the humanity while the Crusaders were the main expedition force in the unknown. The other path was of Warlocks. Rather than following the seven, they relied on slain monsters and other precious materials to gain power. The Magi were a bunch who focused on research and development.

They were not much different from the common folk since they couldn't use Ether without tools either. This was the simple understanding that everyone had. Being from the Ashbourne family and a graduate of the Opheim Academy, Kayzen knew more than the surface level. One of which was that any creature in Erde couldn't have an 'ability' without being able to use Ether.

'The centipede has broken that rule.' This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Kayzen took a deep breath after he exited the tower. He ignored the crowd on the way and dragged his feet to the central square. Jeph wasn't the only one who was present there.

"Hey, heard you had a fight with a bug! All good?" Mike asked while punching the air a few times. It looked like Bran had notified him as well after seeing Kayzen's serious reaction.

"Yeah. But I think things will be getting troublesome."

"Relax man, look, the carriage is here. Let's grab a bite and talk about it." Kayzen nodded and told the whole event to Jeph and Mike. As he had expected, their reactions were anything but serious. From their perspective it was no different from being attacked by a wild dog. Kayzen shook his head and continued, "Believe me when I say that it's not that simple. Animals don't evolve like that for no reason. And not to boast but I was a sage candidate; my gut tells me there should be a deeper reason behind this."

"A sage candidate who did some sorcery on apes," Mike interjected to lighten the mood, but it was ineffective.

"That wasn't sorcery. I used bacteria to spread a disease among their population. It suppressed their dopamine synthesis, and as a result—""They got depressed and died? Look, I'm not undermining you but it's just a single, overgrown, bug. Just report it to the shrine and be done with it. Remember it was you who said that 'no point in worrying since we don't have the power to do anything'."

"Haa…fine then. Let's just eat first." Kayzen deflated back at the remark. Technically, he wasn't included in those who didn't have the power to change anything, but regardless, he had to do some research first.

"You heard him, to the Verdant Flagon!" Mike shouted as if he was a starved man getting to eat after three days.

"Yes sir," Jeph chuckled and moved towards the merchant district. The trio chatted along and by the time the town's clock rang twelve times, they arrived at the entrance of the most popular tavern in Greenford. At a glance the verdant flagon looked as if it had been made from the hands of Gaia herself. It was, in fact, grown straight out of the earth by shaping Ether.

"Impressive as always," Jeph exclaimed as cold air splashed across their faces. Despite the three suns burning in the middle of the sky, the temperature inside was controlled by an Ether powered cooling system. The trio sat on the recently emptied table and looked at the familiar menu on the wall. The thick air brimming with the scent of roasting fat made their mouths water up instantly. Indeed, the reputation of the tavern wasn't just for show.

"What would you like gentlemen?" A waiter in black uniform approached the group. Judging from the stack of parchments in his hands it was apparent that they'd have to wait a while for their order.

"Full meal for three, and add an extra sweet dish," Kayzen ordered and placed a slice of cucumber in his mouth. Jeph and Mike were talking about how the air conditioner worked while he listened to them and others around him. It was one of his favorite pastime activities since the tavern was a place of all sorts of news, the likes you wouldn't hear on the Synapse radio. --Did ya hear? The expedition team returned with nothing. Buncha losers. --heh, don't let them hear you. --So what?

Back'in mah days I went hand to hand with a fiend class and survived with three limbs. Those wimps got nothin' on me"Haha, old man, my buddy here also survived something like that," Mike joined the drunkard sitting on the next table and started chatting as if they had known each other for years. Soon, the freshly baked breads and broth were served on their tables. Kayzen also got an extra serving of chilled yogurt garnished with honey.

"Why don't you become an Eikon or even a Shaper? It's not like you don't have the talent for it," the focus of the conversation shifted as Mike asked Kayzen. Both of those ranks were the beginner realm that differentiated common folk from those who could wield Ether. Eikon was the foundational rank for Templars and Crusaders while Shaper held the same role for Warlocks. Kayzen shrugged in response, "I'm not suited for being an Eikon. Shaper I might consider if the need arises."

"Why not Eikon? If you don't like Keb then go follow someone from the other six. Pretty sure Umbra would accept you with open arms."

"It's not that simple," Kayzen shook his head but didn't explain any further. Some things were better to be learned on one's own. From the surface it looked easy to become an Eikon since they just had to pray at the shrine and follow whichever progenitor they liked, but Kayzen knew that path wasn't so simple. Eikon, Xin, Nexus, Embodiment, and Avatar. Below these five realms of Templars and Crusaders were the common folk, while above them were the seven progenitors.

To walk on this path one didn't just need the talent for handling Ether. Each of the seven represented a certain mentality. If the templar or crusader's will didn't align with that, then it would be impossible for them to move forward. For example, The progenitor of fire Keb'akaran represented 'Protection'.

'I would save others if I could, but I don't wish for that to be my life's goal.' Kayzen didn't embark on the path of a warlock for a fundamentally similar reason. It was extremely difficult to reach the apex and become demiurge; to the point that since the dawn of time their numbers had never gone beyond thirty. The challenge was greater for Kayzen who was pioneering a whole new field. He didn't want to embark on the path where he knew he wouldn't reach the top.

Thus, he had decided to become a magi and become a sage by developing the genetics. They didn't chat much afterwards since their mouths were busy chewing down the food. All around them the tavern was still full of talks on the failed expedition and the Ether collider experiment.

"Anything else, sirs?"

"Thanks, this'll be it," Kayzen replied to the waitress and picked up the free of charge mint rolls. Mike had some work on the other side of the town, so Kayzen and Jeph went alone to the carriage. The change in temperature was unpleasant, but it couldn't be helped. The economy of Greenford wasn't at a level where someone could afford a carriage with a built in air cooler. Kayzen leaned back as a wave of nostalgia rushed over him. The talks on Eikon had reminded him of his childhood friend.

This wasn't the first time today either.

'Knowing her, she would've just punched the bug to death while shouting 'Glory to Argia!'

"Where to next?" Jeph asked, bringing Kayzen back to the present.

"Let's go to the merchant district." What followed was a shopping spree as Kayzen bought various survival tools and stocked high energy food. Indeed, he wasn't going to underestimate his instincts. It was never too early to prepare. Even if he was wrong, he had more than enough wealth to afford a hundred of such trips. Kayzen was in luck as well since on their way they came across the stall set up by the expedition team. The 'expedition' was in fact just a fancy way of saying they went to the jungle and hills.

Not even one in this town had the qualifications to become the logistics staff for the real expedition; much less join the main force outside human governed territories. In the end Kayzen managed to buy most of the goods at a cheap price. Tent, portable Ether devices to heat water and other basic appliances… There were a lot of things.

'No wonder they failed. This much baggage is more suited for a picnic.' It was a good thing for him nonetheless. He might need them if his lab was wrecked again and he had to set up a temporary workshop. After stuffing the carriage until there was barely any room left, the duo left for the tower. Kayzen was planning to spend the rest of the day doing research, but today was bound to be an unsettling day. Kayzen, who was looking down the sparkling river saw a pair of reddish black eyes stare back at him.

Despite the scorching heat his hairs stood on end; for he recognized the emotion behind their gaze.

"STOP. Stop the carriage now and get off!" Kayzen jumped out from the door and stood in the middle of the street, ready to evade. The eyes in the water were those of a predator looking at its prey.

"By Nir's tides, that's a fiend class." he muttered in horror.

"Sir Kayzen?" He looked back and just as he was about to speak, the eyes vanished as if they had never existed. Everyone was looking at their way in curiosity and more so annoyance since they had blocked the bridge in the middle of the day. Kayzen was in no mood to care about that. They wouldn't believe him either way since he was just another magi in their eyes.

"Huu…straight to the shrine."

"Right away," Jeph didn't ask anything else and hurried the carriage. The pedestrians also moved on their way and soon things went back to normal. But Kayzen knew that this peace wouldn't last. The monsters were inside the town. They were hiding, waiting for something. Kayzen decided to get more protection for himself as well as warn the others. Not as a magi, but rather, as the youngest heir of Ashbourne. For even the Emperor of Algasia wouldn't ignore those who guarded this realm.