Price payed when normal

"ICU staff is-"

Price and a couple of orphans were getting pushed through the hospital hallway. A big red sign that said 'Emergency Room' was opened and they were transferred there. Due to the sheer amount of casualties from the orphanage, the emergency-vans had to split up into different hospitals near the city. Even then, they barely fit everyone in.

"It's not looking good!" One of the nurses yelled to the doctors pushing Price's bed. "His numbers are too low!"

Whether it was blood level, sugar level, or heart beat level, they were dangerously low. The chances for normal patients to survive were extremely low. Therefore, the doctor was debating on whether he was willing to take the operation in case something went wrong. Even in times of emergency, doctors were held responsible for every patient. The doctors in Gotham did not want their careers to be affected because of a risky surgery.

The frost covered patients had hopes of survival but the ones with decaying skin...

This scene was seen all across the hospitals the victims went to. Luckily, there were doctors that gritted their teeth and went on with the procedures. Even then, the people that came in withered died while those with hypothermia were more-or-less recovered.

Although Price looked the most affected by the incident, it did not look unnatural. The doctors and first responders thought that he was just too close to the incident and was assaulted by both hypothermia and necrolysis. Therefore, he gained a lot of sympathy from the hospital staff.

It took ten days for the first person to wake up from their ailments. The cold that brought the hypothermia was more difficult than normal. Although modern technology could keep their levels steady, curing them was a herculean task. It wasn't until Magic-based members from the League made their way to the hospital did everything start looking up.

Batman and the others investigated the orphanage but the only concrete thing they found was the epicenter of the 'explosion'. The orphanage was run to the ground so they didn't find whose room it started in.

Due to the lack of information, Price ended up sliding through the Leaguer's radar. His injuries made it easier for him to camouflage too. They also didn't have the luxury of questioning the victims due to the chaos that followed the event.

For the first week, Gotham was a battleground for a few petty mystical battles. Although these battles hadn't done any major damage, the incidents showed these battles were going to increase in the following months.

As to why they chose Gotham was clear. Everyone wanted to know the source of the magic. Their motives weren't the same however. Characters aligned with evil mainly wanted to manipulate if there was a wielder or steal if it was an item. Characters aligned with justice mainly wanted to protect citizens from another incident. Both sides were searching for the source and this has caused some scuffles.

The originator of the whole incident was currently healing from the aftermath. The gunky dead skin already fell off causing a shift in skin color. The contrast was unsettling to say the least. Currently, the patient was laying down on the hospital bed looking dazed. There were tears filling his eyes.

Price fought the urge to cry when he saw his credits.

[Balance: -9020¤]

Shock went to despair as he found out the source of energy that kept his sanity. This debt was equivalent to one and a half years of bounty hunting! He ate that core expecting to gain a lot of credits yet reality crushed his dreams.

'No. It's not the same.' Price thought as his hand grazed his heart.

Maybe with the core, he could speed run the bounties. It's around 10¤ every normal bounty. There were hundreds of bounties just in Gotham alone. Disregarding bat-family interference, it should be possible to get out of debt in two-three months.

What Price didn't account for was the mess he created. These were his estimations based off of normal Gotham. Gotham with a couple hundred magicians was a completely different story. Especially if they were hunting the source of magic that Price was going to depend on.

Price hopped on the laptop Gotham Academy lent him to finish his homework. Instead of automatically working on Inverse Derivatives or the Rhetorical Analysis Essays, he searched for what happened to his orphanage.

Although he was technically there, he was too busy trying not to die. In fact, he almost had a heart attack when he saw costumed heroes helping him with healing. For a second he thought he got exposed but they just left after helping him out. Well, Batman gave him a glare but Price thought that was a treatment everyone got.

Still, he didn't feel safe after being in contact with the heroes so he gave himself a couple days of much needed rest. Although he wasn't medically fit to leave the hospital, he had a couple methods that killed remotely. He didn't think it would be a waste to use them but he wanted to wait it out.

_

[Google Search Bar: Gotham City Orphanage Incident]

[Google Map - Gotham City Orphanages]

[AD] [Have you considered adopting a young child? | Gotham City Orphanage.org]

[Tragedy strikes Martha Wayne's Gotham City Orphanage killing a total of seventeen people | Gotham Insiders]

[Seventeen people killed - Could it be a terrorist attack by the Middle East | Liberty Hangouts]

[Forty people sent to the ER, two killed. Supers, when does this end? | Anti-Marvel Media]

_

Price's eyes went large. He had difficulties breathing.

He killed seventeen innocents. His carelessness killed seventeen people.

'I Killed them.' Price thought after staring at the screen for hours. His eyes were red from the duration of the stare. Even then he could barely believe what had happened. Years and years of carefulness just to be met with this.

What happened?

Price went into another trance. He was trying to figure out what caused the lapse in judgement. Searching and searching, he couldn't find it. He couldn't blame himself for not knowing the effects of consuming the core because he had never seen anything like that. But at the same time, he should have exercised caution when dealing with thing that were attached to the 'source of corruption'.

'Red-head? Could it be her? Or was it excitement?'

Following the events of that day, he remembered getting annoyed at the girl. But could he truly blame her? It made no sense. Why did he think that was okay?

[Mental Health: Stable → Unstable]

[Negative energy caused bodily changes | Eternal Remembrance is awakening]

[Recommendation: Destress exercises]

Price couldn't see the notifications.

﹝But isn't it better this way?﹞

The nefarious thought rung through his head.

If he chose a secluded area, wouldn't the ruckus have identified him? Yes! It would have been worse for him if he was secluded in an area he had no business being in! The orphanage made sense. He would be seen as the victim. If he was in a warehouse or something equally as dodgy, Batman would've locked him up. Dr. Fate would've killed him. Maybe they would've found the connection between the string of murders.

'Did they have to die?'

﹝Their deaths were a necessary evil young one. In war, deception is key. They acted as a cover for your warfare no?﹞A voice that embodied darkness croaked.

The extra beat in his heart slowly thumped. A tattoo of darkness slithered its way up Price's head.

﹝Death is everlasting. It is peaceful. It is the only experience that cannot be documented young one. It is not all bad. ﹞The voice was cold yet it was reassuring.

'So would I sacrifice my schoolmates as well?'

﹝If it comes to it, why not? What is your purpose? Is it not to slaughter? If your peers allow for a smokescreen, treat them as such. Only then can you complete the bounties fruitfully﹞

Price navigated through the articles one by one. Every person he saw forced the black tattoo back. Every memory silenced the steely voice. Every emotion felt calmed his beating heart. Slowly the tattoo dispersed from his skin and the extra thumping disappeared.

The last person shown was the head lunch lady.

He remembered what he said about her and the principle. How he wished to end their lives himself. The joke lost its taste. He really did end up killing them.

He closed the laptop the same time a tear slid down his face.

His conquest of power - his bounty hunting - no, his carelessness cost them their lives. His indecisiveness cost them their lives. If he just made up his mind and pursued bounties the entire time, this wouldn't have happened. But no, he just had to be 'normal'!

'Do you see that Price? This is what happens when you're normal.'