Prologue: Joanna (Part 13)
The Mwarubaini Clinic policy was to give patients the best care that they could but maintain the privacy of their clients.
However, safety policy also required highly suspicious cases to be reported to the City Police Department. This was an insurance policy, as in the long history of the Mwarubaini clinic, there were clients who got corrupted or who were affiliated to less than savoury organisations. High-value clients could circumvent these restrictions, but the clinic wasn't going to risk itself for the sake of a stranger.
A specialist was sent by the GCPD to see her.
"Ms Wafula, we need to talk," the officer sat across from her, eyeing her cautiously.
"What about, officer?
"There's something inside of you, something emitting dark energy. Something that has used the hazardous, unstable, and poisonous substances you ingested to transform you and itself."
"I can easily explain that," she replied nonchalantly,
"I had a temporary magical contract with a mid-tier spirit, as part of a secret technique I received by confidential means to enable me to break my human physical limits." "I had few other less expensive means at my disposal, and took the chance with my own body, hoping for the best. I only called the clinic when I panicked, assuming they'd be better able to prevent or cure any serious mishap."
"Can you disclose this secret technique?" Don asked, "You should be able to prove your claim."
"Officer, I am not at liberty to disclose the source and signed a contract to prevent me from sharing it. This is standard procedure for such transactions. Additionally, I haven't harmed anybody, and I am capable of covering my medical expenses. As far as the law stands right now, I haven't committed a crime and are free to do as I please."
Don took a second look at the bedridden witch and called out his hellhound from the shadows of the room. Bobby's flaming orange eyes shone on the witch like a pair of torches, and Don noticed a shiver run through her body.
His spirit eyes revealed a thin strand of dark miasma in the mage's unusual manna pool. She had a small crystal core in her manna pool, a feature common to monsters, but also incorporated by some magicians and knights as a means to aid their evolution. The means was widely known, but extremely risky, and required a powerful mage and a daring candidate to risk incorporating a crystal core. The risk of destroying one's own foundation and manna gate or even death, if the process was botched; weak candidates or forming faulty or corrupted crystals risked permanent soul damage or even full-blown monsterization.
He figured she'd successfully used a hack means to achieve the same result. She'd miraculously lived through the experience, and if she'd managed to create a proper core, she'd be able to reap the benefits. He could tell that her body had also been changed, but he couldn't make out any specifics. It was obvious that her muscles and internal chi cycle had undergone significant changes from a human.
He'd been a frequent visitor for the past one week of her three weeks' stay, watching her body change as she lay comatose.
He could also sense intense psychic and astral activity in her mind and soul. However, a strong mental ward had kept the doctors out, and had been one of the alarming factors. It was unexpected for her to fully regain consciousness, and he'd rushed over as soon as he received the news.
Sadly, he didn't have any cards to pull out to force her hand.
"I'll let you be, Ms Wafula. hope you recover fully," giving his farewell before leaving the ward.
Joanna turned to face the full-length mirror near the foot of the bed.
In the mirror, Joanna's image rose and sat up out of the bed, and Joanna could see its face curve upwards into a sadistic smile, a red glimmer in its eyes.
Joanna cursed loudly as her mirror image winked at her.
