The Hidden World

Chapter 8: Virulence

The room smelled of ash and charred flesh. Not a very pleasant combination, but Sarah wasn't bothered by it. Of course, the reason for this was that yet another enemy had appeared in the fray. "Yes, I see the issue. No, I don't need any assistance." The man who had entered the room was talking into his walkie-talkie. He was tall and well built, and quite handsome. However, his looks were somewhat hampered by the fact that half of his was completely motionless. Unlike the men they had previously fought, he was dressed in a very casual way. Unfortunately, a quick analysis of his mana made it clear that the newcomer was quite unlike them. "Did I stutter? I do NOT need any help. You know full well how I work," the man responded to some unheard message. He looked quite angry and kept glancing at Jasmine with a very unpleasant expression. Jasmine, meanwhile, looked quite tense, too. "I'm glad we came to an understanding. I will return momentarily," he said to his radio before turning it off. He grinned and turned his gaze toward the women. "Good to see you, Blaze. I have to say, I've been dying to see you again."

Jasmine walked next to Sarah. "This guy's a problem. I need you to make him believe that I'm about two meters to the left from where I actually am," she whispered. Sarah looked to her, surprised. "Sure, but I need time to penetrate his defences. Are you going to be okay?" Jasmine grinned, though it was clear that she wasn't quite as confident as she had been earlier. "Don't worry about that, this guy's got a bit of an ego. Just say when, yeah?" With that, Jasmine tapped Sarah on the shoulder and turned to the man. "Virulence! It's been too long. How's the face." For a brief moment, the man's face twisted into a furious expression, but he quickly calmed down and a wry smile appeared on his lips. "I still can't feel half of it. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to fix third degree burns?" Jasmine laughed. "Well, it's your fault for attacking me. You get what you ask for." Virulence shot her an icy glare. "Well, the silver lining here is that you're about to suffer even more than I have," he said, readying his mana armour. Sarah noticed that it was notably tougher than anything she had ever seen before, even on Jasmine. "Hold on. You haven't even introduced yourself to my friend here. Where are your manners?" Jasmine asked, obviously playing for time. She quickly looked at Sarah, who shook her head. It would take some more time for her to worm into the man's mind. Though she had gotten some practice with the concrete magician, this man's defences were on another level.

Luckily, Jasmine's trick worked. The man turned to Sarah and gave a theatrical bow. "Well, if you insist. I am the world's finest assassin, known as 'Virulence'. There is not a mage on this Earth I cannot kill," he said. "Yeah, if you don't count me," Jasmine interjected. Virulence grunted and a vein became visible on his forehead. "Well, that is yet to be seen. You defeated me once before, yes, but now I will make sure to kill you as well." He grinned and continued: "I will make sure that your demise is going to be excruciating." "Oh, and by the way, he uses his magic to grow germs and then tries to infect you. How weird is that?" Jasmine laughed, looking at Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Message understood, loud and clear. Keep away from him," she thought to herself as she continued to slip past his defences. It wouldn't take that much longer, especially as his concentration was lapsing. Just how much did the guy hate Jasmine? "Call it weird, if you want. I don't particularly care about the opinions of the deceased," he said pulling three small vials from his pocket. In one smooth motion he threw them at Sarah. For a brief moment time seemed to slow down. The vials glistened, the liquid within them no doubt containing something really nasty. Sarah was frozen in place, but the vials were soon swallowed by Jasmine's flames. Sarah's gaze shot to Jasmine. The vials had been a distraction: Virulence had immediately dashed toward Jasmine and got near enough to swipe at her. Sarah's heart skipped a beat as he managed to hit Jasmine's jacket.

Meanwhile, at a small lab set up in a close-by warehouse a gunman was heading for the door. "I'm headed for a smoke, be back in a few. The few other gunmen in the room nodded at him, while the so-called 'mage' ignored him completely. The gunman shrugged his shoulders and left the room. "What is up with those bastards and their high-and-mighty attitudes," he thought to himself as he crossed the empty warehouse floor. Having worked as a hired gun for the Witch for some time now he had come to recognize the fact that there were some things in this world regular people couldn't see. Not that he cared, of course. The pay was good, so he was even prepared to believe in the Easter bunny if they asked him to do so. As exited the building he recoiled slightly. One of the things he could have done without was the smell. And the spiders, he thought as he swiped yet another from his sleeve. He lit a cigarette and looked around. No one was there, though this was no surprise. Most he had seen was a stray cat. As he went to take a breath, he noticed that a thin, white string fell onto him. Before he could react in any way, he was drawn upwards, his neck breaking in the process. Moments later a figure entered the warehouse. This figure, looking exactly like the gunman, looked around and swallowed a small gem.