Seth and the Prometheus Guild

Novice

The cold wind caressed Seth's cheek as he clung to the wall next to the big window of The Director's office.

The window was closed, cutting off the smells, but the two voices he could clearly hear made identifying the humans inside easy.

"You told me that you suspected Blake's flesh was rotting, which is why you cut it off so quickly. Yet, the pig showed no such signs?"

"Its skin was discolored and starting to dissolve in places. It coincides with the acidic aspect I already discovered in my first venom-analysis," Elaine said, her voice sounding cool.

"But there was no rot?" The Director wanted to clarify.

"No."

"And you're sure Blake's flesh was rotting?"

"In all honesty, sir, no, I'm not sure. It was a chaotic situation and I had to react quickly. I saw that his blood was running dark and his wound was giving off an awful smell. The skin started to discolor and I decided to get rid of the affected flesh before risking further infection and blood-poisoning. In the end, I didn't decide quickly enough because his whole legs was affected. I'm sure if Gregory hadn't fashioned a tourniquet just seconds after the bite more than just the leg would have been compromised."

"So you're not sure, but it certainly looked like it was rotting?"

"If it truly was decaying, sir, then at an accelerated rate. But rot is caused by bacteria, not chemical components. And as I already told you multiple times, sir, is that necrosis is not an unusual side-effect of venomous bites. I could have simply confused a strong necrosis with rotting flesh."

"So you're saying it wasn't real decay of still living flesh. Do you have Blake's legs?"

There was a long pause before Elaine finally answered. "Did you really expect me to keep a colleague's amputated limb on ice, just in case you wanted me to poke at it?"

"It would certainly have come in handy now."

More silence.

"I'm sorry to say, sir, that I disposed of it."

"More's the pity. Well, anything interesting about the pig?"

"It just confirmed what we already knew about his venom. It's definitely a strong neurotoxic venom with all the accompanying symptoms, neuropathy, coagulopathy, myelosis, internal hemorrhaging and renal failure. The animal was paralyzed, before going into shock because it couldn't get enough oxygen to sustain its system and finally dying. The only remarkable aspect was the high concentration of the venom which caused a very swift death."

"And you'll be able to develop an antitoxin now?"

"No, sir, the pig died and died quickly. I need an animal to be injected with small and diluted doses of the venom so it can develop antibodies over time."

"I'll have the boy give a few samples, then you can administer them yourself."

"Sir, I still think this is a bad idea. There is obviously more to this situation, especially considering the calls the Guild has been getting ..."

"How do you know about that?"

"Rose Mary is my friend and she is concerned, especially because she was the one to call the shots ..."

"She should learn to keep her concerns to herself. This is her workplace, not an afternoon tea party."

"Sir ..."

"Enough. I'm not in a favorable mood at the moment. Wait for me in your room."

Elaine didn't say anything more but Seth heard a door open and close. It seemed she was gone - which meant The Director was alone and unprotected.

Seth considered his options for a moment. He could kill him now, but even if he didn't use his teeth but his knife, suspicion would fall on him regardless. Seth might have to leave and fend for himself, the exact thing he wanted to avoid.

He still clung to the wall outside the room for a good while, tempted.

At least The Director's suspicions seemed deterred for now, thanks to - of all people - Elaine. Seth would have to be more careful in the future, he wouldn't put it past the human to put him in another stressful situation just to see what effect his bite would have when he didn't consciously control it.

Just when Seth was about to scale back to his room, he heard someone knock on the heavy door leading to The Director's office.

Seemed The Director's day wasn't over yet. Ignoring his stiff fingers, he clung closer to the wall.

"Who is it?" The Director asked.

"Sir, this is Agent Benson," an unfamiliar, deep voice answered. The human's speech pattern reminded Seth of Gregory though.

"Enter."

Seth heard the door creak open and close again, followed by exactly four heavy steps - indicating the human had to weigh a lot.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Indeed and I do appreciate that you made the trip from Hamperstead just for our talk. But I find these matters are best discussed in person."

"Of course, sir."

"As you know, students will be assigned to your units next week as Novices."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, there is a special student I would like to keep an eye on." An opening cupboard was followed by the rustle of paper. "This is the paranormal currently staying at school."

"You mean the mixed-blood, sir?"

"No. A full-blood."

There was a pause.

"Sir, if I might ask, why is he in school and not in a cell?"

"You might not. Just know that I have a vested interest in his well-being and performance. I expect you to report back to me regularly."

"Sir ..."

"I trust you, Henrik. Your success rate speaks for itself, and that of your partner as well. The paranormals you encounter usually don't return to the human settlements, which tells me you've found a good way of encouraging them to stay away. This, in turn, convinces me that you will be able to handle this student. He is young, naive and untrained. In the folder you'll see what we found out about his species, though we have no specifics yet. If you treat him well, he will heed your commands, like a well-trained dog."

"Sir, I might be overstepping but this is still highly unusual. What about if he doesn't follow orders? He will be more difficult to handle than a mixed-blood ..."

"You have permission to shoot him with the tranquilizers. Treat him like you would a suspect that has been given leave."

"Sir, this would prove difficult in situations where there's a real suspect we have to focus on."

"Like I said, Henrik, I trust you. I'm sure you'll be able to handle this task - and I'm sure you don't want to disappoint me."

Another pause. "No, sir."

"Then, I think our talk is finished. Take the folder with you and inform your partner about my decision."

"Yes. Sir."

There was another rustle of paper, before the heavy steps receded and the door opened and closed once more - this time maybe with a bit more force.

Seth's muscles had started twitching under the continued strain he'd put them under. He waited a few more minutes, but though The Director stayed in the office, no one else knocked at the door.

Deciding he'd spied enough for one evening, Seth scaled back to ground level and walked towards the entrance of the building, intending to take the human way to his room.

So, The Director had let him pass the Evaluation even though he had almost killed Mr. Donovan. Interesting. He was sure the teacher wouldn't like that outcome.

Seth just hoped that being a Novice would mean less school, not more.