Chapter 70 - A Heavy Decision

Sweat beaded against Char Char’s forehead as a wave of nausea passed through her body. She stopped walking for a moment as she fought to at least stay standing. 

Kai and Firuzeh were leading her in the opposite direction of the police safe house, further into the district that was covered in vines and strange plants. Kai supported her firmly by the arm, not rushing her. At times, Char Char spotted the slouching silhouettes of people, walking around with vines growing out of them, but none of them approached. Her companions did not seem too worried or rushed as they gave Char Char time to recover.

When Char Char was able to raise her head again she saw Kai and Firuzeh looking out towards the distance.

“Looks like they took care of the problem.” Kai said, sighing, “Took them long enough.”

“I wonder how they’ll cover up what happened tonight.” Firuzeh said.

“Maybe they won’t even try.” Kai shrugged.

Noticing that Char Char had recovered, Firuzeh continued leading the way. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

“Where are we going?” Char Char asked.

At this point Char Char realized that these two really had a dangerous air about them. Even though they treated her gently and were friendly, it wasn’t normal how nonchalant they were about the entire situation. 

A bad feeling in her gut brewed as she wondered what kind of people she had gotten herself mixed up with.

“Our headquarters.” Firuzeh said. “Our boss is there. He’ll be able to help you.”

“Help me?” Char Char could only manage a few words at a time as she fought against the swimming feeling in her head.

“You took a pretty deep breath of the spores. The Keeper’s Gaze- What you call Devileyes - has taken root in your body.” Firuzeh said, “I’ve disrupted their activity in your body for the time being, but it’s only a temporary fix.”

Char Char had a sick feeling in her stomach, which was clearly reflected in her expression. The energetic Kai smiled brightly at her to try to cheer her up, “Think of the positive side. You’re still alive. If we didn’t come in time, you’d probably be a pile of vines and eyes right now.”

Char Char didn’t respond as they entered an office building. There was a small lobby with a directory that listed the businesses in the building. It was dark inside, but somehow the light from the street penetrated into the building further than normal, enough to make their way up the stairs at the end of the lobby.

On the second floor they entered a door, beside which was a plaque that read “Red Lion Security Company”.

Candlelight greeted them as they entered the door into a small reception area.

They made their way past the reception desk into a small hallway with numerous doors that led into offices, and entered the door at the end of the hall.

This room was brightly lit by a lantern, and was moderately furnished with dark stained cabinets, a sitting table surrounded by two couches and an exotic looking rug. It was a corner office, with the large windows on the two far walls covered by black out screens. 

At a large desk at an equally impressive chair sat a giant of a man. He was bald, with fierce eyebrows and a full beard. His facial features were sharp and his tanned skin was rough and covered with old scars. He wore an official looking jacket and pants with numerous buttons. They were black with gold accents, that gave him the air of a soldier.

Kai and Firuzeh bowed their heads respectfully as they entered with Char Char, who followed their lead and bowed as well. The large man stood up, towering at a height of seven feet with broad shoulders. Char Char found herself unconsciously comparing him to Xiang, Yuzu’s brother, although the latter was not nearly as tall.

“Boss, she’s been infected by the Keeper’s Gaze.” Firuzeh said. “I disrupted its growth, but I’m losing control over it.”

The man stepped over and placed a massive hand on Char Char’s shoulder as he frowned. His voice was deep, with a thick accent. “You are Char Char Zhao, the granddaughter of Sansen Zhao?”

Char Char made eye contact with him, trying not to look intimidated, though she instinctively shrunk back a bit.  “Yes.”

His lips pursed in approval as he nodded thoughtfully. “When Firuzeh told me about you, I recognized your name. It is good that they found you.”

“You know my grandpa?”

“We are acquaintances. You can call me Goro.” The boss said simply. Noticing that Char Char was struggling to stand he said, “You are weak now. Sit.” 

He helped Char Char to the sofa by the table, though it felt more like she was being swept onto it than guided. The man was gentle enough, moving her along as if he was handling a kitten, but she could tell that he was immensely strong.

The symptoms were getting worse as Char Char felt like she was coming down with a flu or fever. The feeling of insects crawling under her skin was getting worse.

“This is not good.” Goro said simply, “The Keeper’s Gaze in her is quite lively.”

“Does this mean...” Char Char felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she suppressed the images of vines erupting from her body. She shook her head as she said, “What about the Biltishroom? You said you might have some.”

“That’s right.” Firuzeh nodded, turning to Goro, “Char Char said she knows a Cleric that can make an antidote using Biltishroom. I asked you about it earlier.”

“Perhaps such a thing can be done.” Goro said. “But no, I do not have any here. It would take me several days to obtain some.”

Char Char clenched her fists, “Th.. then, is there another antidote? You seem to know a lot about the dev- the Keeper’s Gaze.”

 “The people of this country are weak. They can’t even resist infection from a simple plant. You are in the prime of your youth, and yet your spirit is so malnourished.” Goro sighed in exasperation not answering her question. He walked over to his desk, unlocking one of the drawers. “We do not even have a medicine for the Gaze where I am from, we simply let our bodies fight it off. Like a cold.”

“Then is it hopeless?” Firuzeh asked. She noticed that Char Char was starting to sway in her seat and sat down beside the girl to support her. “Her forehead is so hot. She’s burning up from fever.”

“The only way is to bolster her spirit.” Goro said, “Give her strength to fight it.”

Goro pulled a metallic vial out from the drawer and then lumbered over to Char Char. He made no effort to conceal it, and Firuzeh and Kai exchanged concerned glances with each other as they saw what their boss had pulled out.

“Isn’t that...” Firuzeh trailed off.

“A Catalyst.” Kai finished the thought. He had been standing in the corner of the room silently, but after seeing the vial come out he stepped forward.

Firuzeh’s brows knit in concern as she opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

“It is not a perfect solution.” Goro said, “Taking the catalyst has its own risks and places an immense strain on the body by itself. It won’t do anything to drive out the Gaze on its own, either. However, if she survives then her body will be able to gather the strength to fight it off.”

“If...” Kai muttered, “If she’s strong enough.”

“Boss...” Firuzeh’s voice shook slightly as she said, “Are... are you sure about this?”

“No.” Goro said, “But it sounds interesting, doesn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” Char Char felt increasingly anxious after noticing Firuzeh and Kai’s worried expressions. “What’s a catalyst?”

Goro knelt down in front of Char Char and held out the vial to her. It was made of metal, yet also translucent as she saw that it was filled with an oily amber liquid. A glittering sediment swirled in a fine silt that glimmered with a rainbow of muted colours. Even though the vial was being held still, the sediment inside continuously flowed and swirled in a chaotic manner.

“It is a door to a new world. A world that has been closed to the people of this country for hundreds and hundreds of years. A world that you believe exists only in fairy tales and myths.” Goro said, an enigmatic smile on his face. 

“Do you mean the.. spirit world?” Char Char asked, recalling her conversation with Edwin. 

“Oh? So you’ve heard of such topics before?” The corner of Goro’s lips curled up as he even chuckled softly, “But no, the spirit world is only one tiny aspect of what I am offering to show you.”

Char Char felt a chill run through her body. Whether it was the strange glint in Goro’s eyes, or the Devileyes sapping her strength, she didn’t know. For the first time in the past few days, the seventeen year old girl felt the sense of wonder in her falter. 

Her near death encounter with the wolves and the giant monster in the fog had been terrifying, but fantastical. Meeting Hakuya and Reid and seeing their amazing abilities had filled her with awe and excitement. She had spent the last night and day wondering how she could learn more about this world and get involved in it.

But now, after experiencing the terror that had swept through the streets that night, after seeing so many horrible and unsettling things, Char Char realized that the world she had gotten a glimpse of was not the incredible adventure filled fantasy that she had imagined.

Sitting in the midst of these mysterious people, Char Char felt like she had woken up from a childlike daydream.

If Goro had offered her this vial full of strange looking liquid a day ago, promising her this magical world of myth and fairy tale, Char Char would have accepted it without a doubt, screw the consequences.

But now the offer only filled her with trepidation.

“Why?” Char Char asked after a while.

“Because you are interesting to me.” Goro said, “When Firuzeh told me she had run into you, I knew that I must meet you. And now, here you are in danger for your life. And here I am, with the opportunity to save you.”

“Are you saying we were fated to meet?” Char Char asked.

“No, no. Nothing as contrived as that.” Goro shook his head. “This is simply about taking advantage of the opportunity provided by chance.”

“I won’t force you.” Goro said, holding the vial up to his eyes and looking at it, “If you are not interested, then I can let Firuzeh and Kai escort you to somewhere safe. If you’re still alive in two days, I can even sell you some Biltishroom.”

“But I will only open this door to you tonight, at this moment. If you refuse here, then this opportunity will be lost.” Goro closed his hand around the vial and pushed himself to his feet. “That is the nature of this world.”

Char Char frowned as she looked down at her lap. She felt the eyes of the others in the room on her as she didn’t know what to do. 

She had never been the type of person to deliberate on things. She had always gone with her gut instinct. It worked for her most of the time, and even when things didn’t work out, she simply lived with the consequences.

But this time, she couldn’t decide. This sort of ‘offer’ was bound to have a price associated with it, and she was not naive enough to think that it was something that could be solved by money.

But even without worrying about the cost, did she really want to be a part of this world? Slaying monsters and being a hero was fun to dream about, but the events of this evening had been an ice cold splash of reality on her fantasies. Did she really want to dive deeper?

“I-“ Char Char began.

“You don’t need to answer right away.” Goro said, pocketing the vial as he stepped towards the door, “Talk to Firuzeh and Kai. Come up with the questions you have and ask them or myself. I will be in the room next door.”

“In an hour, you will make your decision.”

Rocket

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