Chapter III.XVIII (3.18) - Blood Transfusion

  When Kizu woke up, he first thought he was back in Shinzou Academy’s medical wing. But then the differences became apparent. Most obviously, was the fact his bed was alone in the room. And that this medical room had no windows.

  “How do you feel?” Taroe said beside him. “Any unusual cravings or urges?”

  “No. Where’s Anata?” Kizu immediately asked. He tried to sit up, but his body felt so lethargic. He barely had the strength to lift an arm.

  “That’s your first question?” Taroe scratched at his beard. “I’m not certain. But I didn’t count her in any of the bodies found. She’s probably fine. Unlike Emperor Honzo.”

  Kizu reached out for his bond with Mort. Mort sent back a feeling of relief that Kizu was safe mixed with irritation at being woken up. He had been napping on Anata’s shoulder.

  A quick glance around the room revealed that Anata was with Mae at an inn in town. The Kitsune girl argued with an unknown boy roughly their age about rules to a game set up on the table in front of them. He kept looking at Anata for support as he countered Mae’s arguments, but Kizu’s niece remained mute. Instead, she quietly lifted up each of the different game pieces to examine them.

  Kon was curled up by the hearth, watching the boy. While Kizu didn’t spot Kumiho anywhere nearby, Anata was clearly safe for the time being.

  Only then did he process Taroe’s statement about the Emperor.

  “What do you mean? I got him to safety, didn’t I?”

  “You got him to the river. Where his head submerged and drowned. The puncture of a metal cord through his left lung did not help.”

  Kizu’s eyes widened.

  “He was already dead, so nobody will be calling you an assassin.” Then he paused. “Well, most people won’t.”

  “The smog?”

  “Killed him. He was a feral undead. As was almost everyone else it came in contact with. Only you and your pals got by fine. The smog faded not long after your stunt and us Elites were able to step in and handle the ghouls. Thankfully, they’re significantly weaker than a true zombie. They can die from more mundane means. Like drowning. Their danger is in their swarming numbers and infectious nature. But we stemmed the outbreak before they infected more of the population.”

  “Good. Aoi and Basil are safe.” Kizu let his head flop back onto his pillow and he stared up at the ceiling. “What about Shiroi and Sophia?”

  “Shiroi is contained in the dungeons. We’re uncertain how to move forward with the ghoul. I’m advocating for its death, but some members of parliament are disagreeing.

  “Your friend Sophia is better off. She’s struggling with urges, but her soul remains mostly her own. Some of the best rejuvenation mages in Hon are examining her, looking for a cure. They’re hoping that her resilience might be able to be replicated and a cure created for those already affected.”

  “But you don’t think there is one?”

  “Tainted are a small step away from humanity. Their anatomy is extremely similar in some regards. They have a…unique sort of durability. For example, they can regrow severed body parts. It would be impossible to replicate their nature. And more so as the Hon Empire heavily frowns on necromantic experimentation. Our most experienced experts on soul magic only graze the topic while studying other fields. We employ no true necromancers.”

  A chair at the back of the room creaked as an old woman stood. She slowly hobbled her way over, supporting herself with a cane. Kizu eyed it with narrowed eyes and loathing. It reminded him of those months relying on his own cane and leg brace.

  Taroe paused the conversation as she approached. He respectfully bowed deeply to the old woman.

  Now closer up, Kizu got a better look at her. Sunspots dotted her face and her white hair hung down in patches. She looked two steps from the grave. It took him a minute before he recognized her as Aoi’s grandmother.

  “What comes next?” she asked in a rasping breath. “What will you do?”

  Kizu looked over at Taroe, but the Elite still had his head bowed to the woman.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “I’m not certain. I just want to study and prepare for Shinzou Academy’s next semester. I don’t have any plans beyond that.”

  “Nothing? Hm. My granddaughter’s hero has no further ambitions?” She stared into his eyes. “I want you to come with me tomorrow.”

  That made Taroe raise his head. While the Elite’s face remained stony, Kizu noticed his eyebrows furrow slightly.

  “Where?” Kizu asked.

  “Yamagako Academy. I need to fetch something from there. You and my granddaughter will join me in the errand.”

  “Princess Kuroi,” Taroe said. “With respect, are you certain this is wise? The Royal Family keeps secrets for a reason.”

  “I doubt they will be secret after tomorrow.” The old woman smiled sadly. “No. Keeping him a secret would be absolutely impossible. It’s time. Early, but time.”

  “What’s at Yamagako Academy?” Kizu asked, lost.

  “You’ll find out tomorrow.” She laid a withered hand on his shoulder. “For now, just rest. I’ll make sure you have plenty of books to study.”

  But he wouldn’t be able to cast magic, Kizu realized. Not until he managed to get back in contact with Anata. With his blood so low, even the most basic spells would risk sending him back into unconsciousness. But…then again, he felt fine. Energized.

  “We gave you a blood transfusion,” Taroe said, as if reading his mind. “You will have enough strength for an outing tomorrow.”

  “A blood transfusion.” Kizu’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean….”

  “Any spells you cast over the next week will be watered down. It will be a little while before you can cast at your full capability. As your heart pumps the new blood, it will slowly be altered to match your affinities. But we decided it was worth your disadvantage if it meant getting answers from you sooner. Speaking of which, how about you start with your side of the story?”

  Kizu fought back his immediate irritation. They didn’t know that Anata could refill his blood supplies instantly. From their point of view, this was the best course of action. It was either wait several days for his blood to return to stable enough amounts to cast spells, or instantly get him back on his feet and make it so he cast lackluster magic for a week diluted blood.

  Instead of complaining, Kizu recited the events leading up to the attack. He started at the balcony, watching the parade’s start alongside the Emperor, then ended with the float rolling down hill into the river below.

  “That matches up with what your friends said,” Taroe said. “And also with the wounds I healed scattered across your body. I was curious how you managed to get teeth caught in your leg.”

  “Who attacked us?” Kizu asked. “That explosion wasn’t natural. You must have some leads?”

  Taroe leaned back in his chair. “What do you think?”

  Kizu considered. There was one extremely obvious answer.

  “A necromancer. Someone with a grudge against the Royal Family.”

  “That is our leading theory. Personally, I believe the Emperor was only lucky collateral for our perpetrator.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My son has not been found,” Princess Kuroi said.

  Kizu processed that statement. Her son…at first he thought she meant Aoi’s father, but then it hit him. Warlord Zenchi was missing. Now that Kizu thought back, the prince had disappeared during the attack. He definitely recalled seeing him with the Shiroi and the Emperor as they stepped out of the burning float, but not after that moment. He’d just considered himself fortunate and hadn’t thought anything else of the missing warlord.

  “He happens to have a particular pension for putting necromancers in their place.”

  “Their place being in the ground,” Taroe clarified.

  “How many necromancers has he killed?” Kizu asked.

  Taroe considered the question. “Perhaps one or two a year. He’s no hunter. But instead he tracks down the most problematic and powerful. Which doesn’t narrow down our suspects, I am afraid. Necromancers tend to be a tight bunch. Killing one of that caliber could set off a hundred more.”

  “I…think I might have met one a few days ago,” Kizu admitted. “Up in the abandoned hot springs town near the city.”

  Kizu decided to avoid saying anything about the inn. He didn’t want to jeopardize the undead staying there. Instead, he told a true story with a lot of missing information. He and Aoi went up into the town hoping to find undead. They encountered and fought some dangerous zombies. He saw green lights flashing up in the cemetery. And then he somehow convinced Aoi to turn back and not confront the necromancer. Only to have the necromancers discover them, start screaming Aoi’s family name, and try murdering them. By the end of the story, Kizu was proud of how nicely he managed to avoid the messier topics.

  “Interesting,” Taroe said. He scratched at his beard and a flea hopped onto Kizu’ bed. “I’ll send a team to investigate the cemetery. I doubt the necromancer stuck around, but we might be able to find something. That was a decent lead. And one Princess Aoi never mentioned.”

  Kuroi remained silent, probably lost in thought as she considered her granddaughter.

  “There is another missing piece to the assassin,” Taroe continued. “There’s evidence to support that the necromancer wasn’t alone. It may not be necessary, but I want you to be ready for another field trip later this week.”

  Kizu looked from one adult to the other. The old woman was already dragging him up into the mountains tomorrow to visit an academy. All he wanted was to stay behind and focus on training.

  “Where to?”

  “Keimusho Prison. An inmate there will only speak to you.”

  Ten Blood Curse Academia chapters (5 weeks) ahead of Royal Road.