Eldritch Guidance

“Mutants existed in an astonishing array of shapes, sizes, and colors, each one unique. However, they all shared two defining characteristics: they are fundamentally human, and they are universally unable to have children. These traits hold true across the vast majority of cases, with one notable exception—a distinct group known as generational mutants.

“Generational mutants, often referred to colloquially as ‘gen-mutants,’ defied the typical rules of other mutations. While still undeniably human, gen-mutants possessed the unique ability to reproduce. They could have children with other gen-mutants or even with non-mutant humans, a capability that set them apart from their counterparts. Moreover, their mutations are heritable, allowing them to pass their altered traits to their offspring.

“Most gen-mutants display only minor biological deviations compared to other types of mutants. Unlike their counterparts, whose mutations can result in drastic physiological or anatomical changes, gen-mutants typically exhibited not as drastic alterations in their genetic makeup. Scientists and scholars widely theorized that this limited degree of genetic modification was the key factor enabling gen-mutants to retain the ability to reproduce.

“Fascinatingly, these mutations can behave unpredictably in hereditary patterns. In some families, mutated traits remained dormant for several generations, only to reappear unexpectedly in later descendants. This phenomenon accounted for the seemingly inexplicable instances where two non-mutant parents would give birth to children of whom manifested as gen-mutants. These occurrences further blurred the lines of genetic inheritance and fueled ongoing debates among scholars and scientists.

“Generational mutants are predominantly found within the borders of Gix, their origins deeply tied to the nation’s history. These unique groups were a direct legacy of the bygone era of Obsidia, predating its transformation into a Magocracy. Their creation could be traced back to the reign of King Fredrick, whose rule marked a period of obsessive experimentation in pursuit of life extension and immortality.

“During King Fredrick’s time, Obsidia scholars and mages engaged in relentless—and often unethical—research aimed at uncovering the secrets of eternal life. These experiments, however, fell far short of their intended goals. Instead of achieving immortality, they produced populations of individuals bearing heritable, distinctive mutations.”

—“The Generational Mutant ” By Robert Joseph

Mike blinked, momentarily stunned by Joe's unexpected question. His brows knitted together as he cast a puzzled glance at his partner, surprise and disbelief flickering across his face. The question caught him completely off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless. He struggled to understand why Joe would even ask something so seemingly unrelated to their investigation. To Mike, the connection simply didn’t add up, and he couldn’t hide the confusion in his expression.

Larrs: “W-What? No, I’ve never—”

Joe interjected before Larrs could finish.

Joe: “Larrs, I need you to be honest. This is important. You and others' lives may still be at risk, and your answer may save lives. So, tell me. Did you ever bully someone in high school?”

Larrs stared down at his lap, his fingers clutching the blanket with a white-knuckled grip. His expression darkened, a storm of emotions playing across his face—guilt, hesitation, and something deeper, harder to define. It was clear that the question weighed heavily on him, stirring memories he wasn’t eager to revisit.

For a long moment, the room was silent except for the faint hum of hospital equipment. Larrs seemed to wrestle with himself, his lips pressed into a thin line as his gaze remained fixed on the fabric he was gripping so tightly. Finally, with a deep, shuddering breath, he looked up, his eyes shadowed with regret.

Larrs: “I…” He hesitated, his voice faltering before he continued, the words almost sticking in his throat. “Danny… Danny Ooel. I… we all bullied him back in high school.”

Joe: “The way you said that, you don’t sound particularly proud.”

Larrs: “I’m… What happened to Danny was wrong. And, I’ve been praying for forgiveness for a while since I’ve had time to reflect on it,” he said as he briefly paused to organize his thoughts. “I promise you, I didn’t mean to bully him. If I didn’t go along with Ricky, he would have bullied me too. I know it was wrong, but I was just a teenager. I didn’t—”

Joe raised his hand to gesture to Larrs to stop talking.

Joe: “I’m not making any moral judgments about you. Just tell me who Danny is.”

Larrs: “… Danny was someone I and my friends went to school with. We would all pick on him, with Ricky leading the charge. I don’t know why, but Ricky really didn’t like Danny. Ricky… we… Would bully him to the point of beyond cruelty. Shoving him in lockers or his head into the bathroom toilet. Ricky took it a step further and would shove dead animals into his locker and report to the school that Danny was trying to perform a cult ritual with them. A lot of us back then thought that was really messed up, especially to do that to Danny.”

Mike: “That does sound bad, but why was it especially bad to Danny?”

Larrs: “Because Danny’s father was a cultist that tried to kill him and his mother!” he yelled out, slightly shaking as he did so.

Upon hearing Larrs's confession, the nurse in the room let out a sharp gasp, her hand flying to her mouth as she struggled to process the sheer cruelty of what he was describing. The air grew heavier with each passing second, the weight of his admission settling in.

Joe and Mike, however, remained stoic, their expressions unreadable. They had heard worse in their line of work, but that didn’t make the story any less significant. Their silence wasn’t born of indifference but of focus, each word Larrs uttered feeding into the puzzle they were trying to piece together.

Larrs: “Everyone knew this fact about Danny, that he and his mother survived getting killed by his cultist father, and Ricky would use this to torment him. Constantly calling him a cult baby or a walking lamb to be sacrificed,” Larrs swallowed back saliva as he continued, “It got so bad. In our final year of high school, Danny tried to take his own life by jumping off a building, but survived. After that, we all realized how serious this had become, and we all got together and made Ricky stop. But, I know. It should have stopped a lot sooner than that. It should have never gotten to that point. I should have—”

Joe raised his hand again to gesture to Larrs to stop talking.

Joe: “Calm down. Again, I’m not making any moral judgments about you. Can you tell me what happened to Danny after you graduated?”

Larrs: “No. We all went our own way. I assume Danny wouldn’t want anything to do with me or the rest of us. And, I wouldn’t blame him.”

Joe: “Do you know how many people picked on him? Was it just your group?”

Larrs: “No… There were a lot of people that picked on him. Almost… Everyone in school did. It was just that Ricky was the cruelest.”

Joe: “And just to confirm. You don’t know anything about Danny after you graduated?”

Larrs: “That’s correct.”

Joe: “OK,” he said, followed by a long sigh. “That's all the question I have for you. We might come to talk to you again later if we have any new questions.”

Larrs: “That’s fine, I’ll be here, I'm probably not going away anytime soon,” he said as he looked at his injured leg.

Joe gave a curt nod to Larrs, signaling the end of their questioning, and headed for the door. Mike followed closely behind, the soft click of the door shutting behind them, leaving the nurse alone to tend to Larrs. The two officers walked in silence down the sterile hospital corridor, their footsteps echoing faintly against the polished floors.

Once they were a safe distance from Larrs's room, Mike finally broke the silence, his tone low but laced with curiosity.

Mike: "Alright, Joe. What’s your angle here? I get the connection you're trying to make, but I’m not sure why. What are you seeing that I’m not?"

Joe halted abruptly, his boots scuffing against the polished floor as he turned sharply to face Mike. His piercing gaze locked onto his partner, the intensity in his eyes cutting through the sterile quiet of the hallway.

Joe: “One of the conditions for this slime ritual involves a willing sacrifice with someone full of deep resentment,” he said, emphasizing the word resentment. “If I was looking for someone full of deep resentment, what about someone who was bullied so badly that they tried to take their own life? And, said person survived taking their own life and went on to live, but continued to hold onto those grudges long after they graduated from high school towards the people that hurt him.”

Mike: “You think Danny was the sacrifice for that ritual?”

Joe: “I think it’s possible. Jixi might have known Danny's situation. And, offered a way for him to get revenge on the people who hurt him.”

Mike: "Do you hear yourself right now?" Mike asked, incredulous. "You’re suggesting that Jixi approached this guy and said, ‘Hey, sacrifice yourself for me, and I’ll take care of the people you hate.’ That sounds completely absurd. Who would agree to something like that?"

Joe: “Don’t underestimate how cruel a teenager can be. And, it matches. The people missing unrelated to Jixi are related to Danny, in that they all bullied him.”

Mike: “But, still. We’re assuming he held onto his high school grudge for that long.”

Joe: "Again, don’t underestimate how cruel teenagers can be," Joe said, his voice heavy with conviction. "Think about it from Danny’s perspective. You survive your own father trying to kill you and your mother—an event that leaves you deeply traumatized. Then, you get to high school, and instead of finding a safe place, you’re relentlessly re-traumatized by classmates mocking you for surviving something so horrific. Being ridiculed for your survival, for something completely beyond your control, would cut deep. Those kinds of scars? They don’t just fade away."

Mike: “Ok, so what? Jixi gets Danny to be his sacrifice in this ritual to get revenge, sending purser slimes to take out the people who hurt Danny. But, that doesn't explain the other people that the purser slimes went after. I don't think people like Larry or Guss had anything to do with Danny.”

Joe: “You're right, Danny probably didn’t have anything to do with the missing people related to Sorin or Jixi. But, that doesn't matter. In that ritual, there was nothing said about whom, or how many names of targets you could add to it.”

Mike paused, his mind turning over Joe's words, trying to grasp the full weight of what he was insinuating. The realization dawned slowly at first, like a distant thundercloud on the horizon, but when it finally hit, it struck him with the force of lightning.

Mike: “Wait… that would mean…”

Joe: “I know,” Joe said, his voice steady as he pieced his theory together. “I think Jixi orchestrated the ritual to serve a dual purpose—eliminating both the people he targeted for his own reasons and those Danny wanted revenge on. It’s like a twisted deal: Jixi gets rid of the people he wants, and in return, Danny’s tormentors pay the price for what they did to him. A mutual arrangement of destruction, all wrapped up in a horrifying ritual.”

Mike: “That means we gotta find Danny.”

Joe: “There is no finding Danny. He’s already dead, and his remains are empowering the ritual right now, if my theory is correct. And, nothing we can do to follow up on that. Murdock is still mad at me, so I can’t wander off and follow up on this information, like searching his home, or talking to others who knew him. We’ll have to pass this along to someone else in the Sleuth-Hawks to follow up on.”

Mike: “I'm surprised you're actually complying with Murdock's orders about this so easily for once in your life.”

Joe: “You weren't for the last talks I had with him yesterday. Mitra was there too. And, that woman plus Murdock is a terrifying combo. I think I understand why the people from the university side are so scared of her now.”

Mike: “Hmm, really? I think I like her already.”

Joe: “You can say that because you haven’t met her yet. But, trust me, once you meet her, your tune might change. Anyway, let's go talk to Crowley. The nurse said he was somewhere here in the hospital. You’ve already met him. So, I'll let you lead that conversation.”

(Author's Note: Just putting this here for when a bot scrapes and repost without my permission. So, putting this in the main body of the story. Hey there! You're reading a story be me, Saberfang. This was likely taken from royal road or scribble hub. If you like my work please read it on those websites or on patreon at /user?u=83747391)