Chapter 13. Scouting.
Without saying another word, Ethan quickly followed Kyoji.
They made their way through the destroyed temple, finally stopping at a hidden corner. Kyoji found a fireplace and cleared it out, then told Ethan to climb inside.
The fireplace was large. It could easily fit three people, maybe even five if they squeezed in tight. These fireplaces were everywhere in the temple because, for some unknown reason, it was always cold inside. Maybe it was all the powerful energy in the air.
Kyoji chose this particular fireplace because it was in a far corner, untouched by the fighting that raged inside the temple.
"Don't move from here," Kyoji ordered.
"Where are you going?" Ethan, confused, asked.
"I'll be back soon. There's something I need to do," Kyoji replied. He spotted a large rock nearby and rolled it in front of the fireplace entrance. He was already getting stronger, his power slowly awakening.
Each level of power for a Chosen has three stages: low, mid, and pinnacle. Kyoji had just received his power, so he was still at the beginning of the first level, the fate level. When his power fully awakened, he would be a low-stage 'fate' level Chosen.
At that point, he would be five times stronger than a regular person. Right now, he felt about three times stronger.
Satisfied that Ethan was safe, Kyoji scanned the temple, searching for someone. Finally, he spotted Frederick.
The battle between the Chosen and the mutants had just begun. Despite having more fighters, the Chosen were losing. A powerful, corrupted mutant was among mutant, unleashing a relentless barrage of fire attacks, making it difficult for the humans.
Fireballs and pillars of flame filled the air. People and creatures fell with alarming speed.
Large sections of the temple walls had crumbled, but the nine statues inside remained untouched. A shimmering blue barrier surrounded them. Anything that got too close - human, beast, or attack - was thrown back.
Kyoji carefully made his way through the debris, approaching Frederick.
Frederick glanced up, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. Then, he smiled.
"Been looking for you. Thought you might have broken your promise and kicked the bucket already."
Kyoji just stared at him, his face expressionless.
"Just kidding, man. No need to go all dark and scary on me," Frederick said with a carefree smile, turning his attention to the chaos in front of him.
Kyoji said nothing. He stepped closer to Frederick, following his gaze to the battle raging before them.
Frederick seemed oddly calm, unfazed by the destruction. Kyoji, glancing at Frederick's wrist, understood why.
On it was a device disguised as a watch. Kyoji knew better. It was a barrier generator, a device that created a protective shield around the wearer when it sensed danger. Most Chosen had them.
With one look, Kyoji could tell that Frederick's was high quality.
"You going to say something, or are you just going to stare?" Frederick asked suddenly, breaking into Kyoji's thoughts.
"Huh?" Kyoji mumbled, caught off guard.
"You came here looking for me. You must have a reason, right?" Frederick asked, finally turning to face Kyoji.
"Well, about that..."
"Have you noticed anything strange about what's happening?"
Frederick raised an eyebrow but remained silent, prompting Kyoji to elaborate.
"Don't you find it odd that the [LRBS-X12] didn't announce the arrival of a corrupted mutant?"
The corrupted mutant had appeared about twenty minutes after the beast horde, yet the [LRBS-X12] had only announced the horde. It was highly unusual for such a powerful creature to go unreported.
Frederick frowned, considering this new information. After a moment, he looked up and nodded slowly.
"That is strange, yes. But I was always taught not to rely too heavily on machines. They're prone to errors." Frederick replied nonchalantly, turning back to face the battle.
Kyoji sighed inwardly. He knew it would be difficult to get Frederick on board with his plan, but he wasn't giving up just yet.
"That's not the only reason I came here," Kyoji stated, drawing Frederick's attention once more.
Frederick turned back, his brow furrowed.
"What else is there?"
"Look over there," Kyoji instructed, pointing towards a far corner of the temple.
Frederick followed his gaze, his eyes widening slightly as they landed on a mutant lurking in the shadows.
It was a grotesque amalgamation of creatures, resembling a massive frog crossed with an octopus and a porcupine. Its head was a mass of writhing tentacles, and its body bristled with thick, sharp spines.
The mutant was far from the main battle, its bizarre behavior hidden from the other fighters. It shuffled around, greedily scooping up the corpses of both beasts and humans, devouring them with unsettling enthusiasm.
"We're taught that mutants are driven by chaos, by pure instinct to kill and destroy. Don't you find it strange that this one seems to be ignoring its basic nature?"
Frederick's frown deepened. What Kyoji said made sense. He'd been taught the same thing and had encountered enough mutants to recognize their typical behavior. This one was different.
"I've been watching it for a while now. It's been doing the same thing the whole time."
"I think... no, I'm certain something is wrong here," Kyoji added firmly.
Frederick's expression grew even more serious. After a moment, he turned back to Kyoji.
"What do you plan to do about it?"
"You obviously have a theory, a suspicion about what's going on. That's why you came to me, right?"
A slow smile spread across Kyoji's face. Frederick was indeed sharp.
"You're right, I do have a suspicion," he admitted.
"Then I want to hear it."
Kyoji chuckled.
"It's just a guess right now, so don't worry about it."
"Let's get closer to be sure," Kyoji added.
"What?!" Frederick shouted, surprised.
Even from far away, the mutant looked huge and tough. Frederick knew that even with Kyoji's help, they couldn't beat it.
"What's wrong? Scared?" Kyoji teased with a smile.
"I thought the 'toughest' Gilles wouldn't be such a chicken," he said.
"You!" Frederick stammered, getting angrier.
"What? Am I wrong?" Kyoji laughed.