Chapter 4: Mutations

Solomon has always been an antisocial person, that was a fact Eric learned through his own personal observation. Eric also learned the reason why for his master's cold shoulder behavior towards others. Solomon had a trust issues, which it was self explainable since Solomon was raised in Veilig Town. She went through her life without anyone she could truly trust, that's what Eric believed.

"Master." Eric said.

"Yes?" Solomon responded.

"Do you have any friends?" Eric said as he squeeze's his master's hand.

Solomon squeeze his hand in return. "I have one, but I haven't seen him ever since I turned into a Master Wizard."

Master had a friend? I hope he's okay. Eric thought as he rubbed his thumb over Solomon's hand.

"Why?"

"I don't know..."

A long moment of silence passed while Solomon and Eric walk through the grim streets of Veilig. Then Eric was grabbed the collar and pulled away from Solomon.

"Give us all you got, or the kid gets it!" spat a rugged thug who had three eyes and six arms.

Solomon only stared blankly, until she felt a point object behind her. Solomon turned her gaze to see a another thug with features similar to a shark who held a knife against her back. Solomon lazily turned her gaze in front of her, a another thug who held a fist of green flame close to Solomon's face.

"You're really are that desperate, huh?" Solomon said plainly.

"Don't mess with us! Do you want to die!" yelled the three eyed thug.

Solomon sighed before she tilted her head. "Eric, you want to try a new spell later?"

"Yes please." Eric said with a calm expression.

"Hey! Don't ignore us!" yelled the thug with flaming fist.

The three eyed thug pointed a knife to Eric's neck, he cut Eric slightly. An single drop of blood landed on one of the thug's hands. Eric wiped the drop of his blood as he drew a small pentagram on the thug's hand.

"Oi! what do you think you're doing boy?!" the three eyed thug growled.

Eric smiled. "Why don't I show you."

The pentagram on the thug's hand glowed as a flash of light blinded all the thugs eyes. When they opened their eyes, the three eyed thug screamed as he saw his six hands were fused together.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?" the thug screamed.

"Just a small spell." Eric said as he was returned to Solomon's side.

The other two thugs trembled slightly before composed themselves and attempted to attack Solomon and Eric. However, they failed as Solomon took the shark thug's arm and threw him on both of the other two thugs.

"Let's go Eric, this area stinks of fish." Solomon said as she walked away.

"Yes Master." Eric said as he held his master's hand.

Solomon and Eric continued to walk through Veilig before they were halt by and elderly man who had a mushroom for a head. "Master Solomon, please! I have a request for you. Please accept it! I'm begging you!"

"That only depends on the request." Solomon said coldly.

There she goes again with the heartless demeanor, this is probably why she hasn't made any new friends. Eric frowned but remained silent.

"My son! Around after he got married he has been growing ill, I asked a doctor and they said they don't know. Please Master Solomon! I don't have anyone else to turn to, if something is not done my son will die!" the elderly man said as he sat on his knees and begged.

Solomon remained silent as she gaze at Eric. Eric stared back, not aware of what to say. Solomon sighed as she tapped the elderly man's mushroom head.

"Where's your son? Take me to him." Solomon said with a lazy expression.

The elderly man's face shined. "Thank you Master Solomon! I promised I'll repay you!"

"No need," Solomon bluntly rejected.

"But--" the elderly man was about to say something but quickly shut his mouth when he met Solomon's death stare.

"I'm only accepting your request because I see this as a learning opportunity for my student, nothing more." Solomon said with a threating voice.

The elderly man only nodded as he got up and lead Solomon and Eric to a wooden shack, inside was a man with in his mid twenties laying down on a rugged bed. From a distance, he seemed a normal man. But in closer expectation, half of the man's body was infective with blue glowing mushrooms. From head to toe, his left side was covered of blue mushrooms.

"I'm assumed having a Mushroom Mutation is common within your family?" Solomon said as she pluck one of mushrooms, but it immediately grew back.

"Yes, but this never happened in my family before. So I don't know what is exactly the cause of my son's illness." the elderly man explained.

"That's because it's not a illness," Solomon simply said.

"Then what is it Master?" Eric asked as he was given the plucked mushroom.

Solomon didn't say anything at first, but then she slowly began to chuckled. The elderly man tremble with fear, while Eric stared with a puzzled expression. Solomon finally composed herself and turned to the elderly man with a deadpan expression.

"Sir, did something similar happened to your son while he was a child?" Solomon asked.

The elderly man's eyes widen as he said. "There was, when was around five years old at the least. Why did you ask Master Solomon?"

Solomon plucked another mushroom and presented it to the elderly man. "Sir, I'm afraid to say your son has a mushroom allergy."

"A... mushroom... allergy?" the elderly man muttered while he tired to process what he heard.

Eric tugged Solomon's cloak as he asked. "How do you know this man has a mushroom allergy, Master?"

Solomon grinned widely. "An excellent question!"

Solomon pointed the man's left arm and moved between the mushrooms to reveal deep scratches. "This is the cause of intense itching, an symptom of an allergy."

Solomon then pointed at the man's face. "Not only his face is swollen, he has bunch of blisters on his cheeks. Two signs of an allergy."

"Not to only mention that the mushrooms are poking out of his body, are the cause of his body rejecting the mushrooms he consumed." Solomon said as she flicked the mushrooms.

"I see... that actually makes quite a lot of sense now." the elderly man said before he sighed in slight relief.

"Can he be cured, Master?" Eric asked.

Solomon stared at Eric before she turned and faked coughed. "It can, but it results of cutting off a specific organ. A organ that lies in the lower region."

"Master Solomon... you don't mean..." the elderly man uttered, but kept quiet in front of the child.

"I'm sorry sir, but to prevent any returning of allergy symptoms again, "that" has to be cut off." Solomon said as she gestured hand into a pair of scissors.

The elderly man lower his head before he nodded. "I understand, if it means to save my son's life. Then it must be done."

"Thank you for being reasonable sir." Solomon said as she prepared a big white cloth underneath the man's lower abdomen.

"I'll go wait outside." the elderly man frowned as he walk outside.

"Eric, I need you to sit against the bedframe." Solomon said as she switched her black gloves with some white gloves.

Eric did as he was told and sat his back from the bedframe. Eric could hear the ruffles of clothing, he turned his head to see but quickly got his head turning forwards.

"Keep your eyes forward, don't look back." Solomon ordered before she placed a white cloth around her face.

"Why?" Eric knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn't help himself and his curiosity.

"I'm preparing a operation that involves the removal of an organ that is inappropriate for children eyes." Solomon said with one breath.

So blunt! If I'm not allowed to see it than why am I here? Eric thought before he saw different items placed in front of him.

"You are going to be my assistant throughout this operation, so give me what item I ask of you. Do you understand, Eric?" Solomon said.

Eric nodded, as he became to realized this was a test of some sort from his master. The operation itself went surprisingly smooth. When that certain part was finally removed, the blue mushrooms on the man's body writher and died out. The man finally woke up, the elderly man was overjoyed to see his son not ill anymore. The difficult part was explaining the situation to the man, and his lacking body part.

"So you cut it off..." the man muttered as he tired to not shed a tear.

"Yes, but you are a lucky," Solomon said, while she received doubtful gazes.

"Lucky?" the man said a irritated voice, but didn't say anything else so to not provoke the Master Wizard.

"Yes! I've checked your genes before, and the results say you have incredible regeneration abilities." Solomon said.

The man stared with a confused expression. "And what does that mean?"

"It means if you cut off your finger, it'll grow back good as new!" Eric explained simply with a grinning face.

The elderly man and his son's eyes grew wide. "Is that true? Does that mean... "that" will grow back?" the man stuttered, trying to not say anything inappropriate in front of an child.

Solomon simply nodded, the elderly man and his son cried. Leaving Eric confused and Solomon a chuckling mess. And as for the removed part, it was given it's own grave next to their mushrooms accentors.

"Master." Eric called.

"Yes?" Solomon responded.

"Why did we went to town today?" Eric asked.

Solomon pointed at a golden carriage that was parked in front of a modern style building. "We're here, because I was summoned by them."

"Who are they, Master?"

"The Wizard Council."