The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

“Neska, hey, slither down! I mean, settle down!” Juni called out from behind Neska.

Now was not the time to settle down. She pushed faster toward the blocky building of the Redwinn Medical Center, brushing past students who looked on in shock as she slithered at a hurried pace. She wasn’t quite running, but close to it.

“Nope. I’m so done with being denied answers.” She pressed on while Juni protested, trying to keep up. Brent and Syra were lagging behind them.

She pushed open the double doors to the sight of the checkered tile floor and the taste of antiseptic and healing herbs in the air. The secretary sat at her desk, looking surprised.

“My goodness. Back so soon?” the secretary asked.

“I visited Serkin before the excursion to the Arcesti Hills mine. Is he still there? I heard he’s awake,” Neska said, noting the familiar sterile scents of the building. For some reason, those scents and tastes put her at ease, just like the spices and herbs of Risha's home.

The secretary tapped on her relay badge. “Hey, Misha, is Serkin still up? He has visitors.”

The relay chimed, and an angry feminine voice erupted from the device. “Divines, he needs rest! Whoever it is, they need to keep it brief!"

Neska peered at the secretary, who regarded her relay with a scowl, but no immediate response. "Misha always thinks that her patients are made of cracked glass waiting to be shattered by a hammer. Come on in, dear, you and your friends, but no more than four. Also, your serpentine form might take up a bit of space." The secretary waved them in through the door, and the scent of antiseptic and herbs only grew stronger inside.

She’d had a brief stay here after the battle at the hive. She’d taken a much-needed bath and gotten numerous cuts and half-healed injuries properly treated.

The last time she’d seen him, he seemed older, paler, thinner, resting in his hospital bed. She didn’t know how well he’d recover, assuming he survived the toxins circulating through his body.

She heard the arguing as they rounded the corner, the sound of slithering scales and clicking claws in Brent’s case, as they approached the long-term recovery wing. She heard two voices: one of a hoarse-sounding Serkin, and a deep-voiced woman who sounded dwarvish.

Meaning, stout, stubborn, and with a rolling ‘r’ to many of her words. “Serr-kin, you’re gonna put yourself one foot in the grave if you get out outta that damn bed, and then I’ll be obliged to put the other foot in, if you’re going to insist on ignoring your experts!” the woman scolded with only the patience a true professional could muster.

“But I have things to do! A lamia to warn, and papers to grade! These are two vastly different things, but still, very important!”

Neska casually slid into the room, drawing a gasp from Serkin. Despite being out cold for a few weeks, he had no stubble, just lethargic movements as he tried to prop himself up using the bed railings.

Standing next to him was a darker-skinned woman who was almost as wide around as she was tall. If Neska didn’t know better, she’d swear she was a living rock. The silky, braided brown beard on her face bore a surprisingly feminine touch to what would normally be male follicles, along with long braided hair draping her shoulders. Her eyes were like polished garnet, and she pointed one finger at Serkin, her boot tapping impatiently.

“Professor Serkin, you were half-dead not that long ago, and you’re going to charge off? I’m gonna dropkick you back into that bed if you get out of it, you hear me?”

“Truly, your blunt words and caring demeanor haven’t changed–oh my goodness, Nes–I mean–”

“Secret’s out, Professor. A lot has happened since you went under,” Neska interjected calmly, waving one hand for him to wait. “I heard you were awake from Harvine. She came to me first.”

The dwarf woman went wide-eyed at seeing Neska, running fingers through her beard as if to smooth out any frazzled ends. “Goodness gracious, aren’t you a peculiar one. What’s with the witch hat? You looking to put a hex on someone?”

“Usually only my foes. Or rivals,” she added with a shrug. “Misha, right?”

“Aye. I’m one of Selkie’s junior healers, Assistant healer Misha Barrin. Got a few more years and a lot more patients who like risking their own health to rebuke before I get the staff-level healer status.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb at Serkin, who rolled his eyes.

“I’m fine, Misha–”

“You’re lucky you aren’t an invalid, is what you are!” She took a folder of papers from his bed and thwacked his shoulder with it. “Don’t forget the person who had to clean you, feed you, keep you from having a toxin relapse! That reptiloid venom was nasty stuff, and the assailant's elderwood toxin isn’t a laughing matter either! Also, now that you’re up, please inform me if you have any seizures, sensitivity to certain colors of light, or any bodily urges that seem, well, unusual.”

Serkin stared at her. “Could you specify those ‘urges’ when I am not in the presence of my students, Misha?”

She threw her hands up in the air, letting out a sound of disgust. “Do take your health more seriously, professor. And I suggest you consume nothing with alcohol for at least a few weeks, because your stomach has been subsisting on nutrient sludge for over two weeks."

She turned toward Neska, then glanced at Juni, before breaking out into a chuckle. “You must be Juni, right?”

“How’d you guess that?” she asked.

“I heard you and Miss Lamia here have become a frequent sight around campus. Anyway, how close are you to your next evolution?”

“Very,” Juni growled. “About another two levels. Why?”

“You may want to consult with myself or Selkie on your next evolution. I believe a terramouse caps out at tier…three? Four?”

“Four,” Juni sighed. “At least it’s not three. That’s rough.”

“Oh, you can level; you just get no more major evolutions. Anyway, keep it brief; I’ll be down the hall if you need anything.” Misha walked out of the door, and everyone slowly piled into the room. Brent had to scrunch down past the doorway a little, accidentally clipping his ears on the doorframe, twitching them irritably.

“Have you ever gotten used to that?” Neska asked.

“Nope. But I also enjoy helping other people reach things on tall shelves. You’ve got no idea how far that small favor goes. Anyway, how are you holding up, Professor?”

“I’ve…been worse,” he shrugged.

Neska raised a brow at that. “I can scarcely believe that, with you at death’s door, you could have experienced worse. So, I have questions.”

“As did Captain Nevin. He was summoned first, and beat Harvine here by five minutes. Not too happy when I told him I didn’t know who the assassin was, other than they clearly knew Risha, and was going to burn down everything she ever built to give the Awakened a chance at survival.”

Serkin glanced at her friends, in particular at Syra. “Do you…really want to discuss this in front of them?”

“Professor, I think you need to come clean about some things. You’ve been holding back information that we all should have known a while ago. Regardless of what it might mean or how much it might shred our perception of the world.”

Syra had her fingers resting on a small pendant she’d seen her wearing. Neska hadn’t really thought about it much, other than it absorbed into her hydro form, along with her uniform. But today, she clutched it tightly.

The professor glanced at Neska, then waved for everyone to take a seat. “I suppose I owe you some explanations, Neska.”

“You do. Let’s start with the small stuff.” Neska pulled open her notebook, flipping back to her unanswered questions and small mysteries she’d been trying to figure out for a while. Many of them remained unresolved. “Do you know who the Radiant King is?”

“What?” He scrunched his brow, looking confused. “Who, or what, is the Radiant King?”

“That’s why I’m asking you.”

He shook his head. “I have no idea. Where did you even hear that name?”

“From a dying Tier three wasp queen in a burning Instance. I contributed to a lot of the burning part,” she added confidently. Serkin stared at her like she’d grown a second head, and she was pretty sure she hadn't taken a Hydra evolution of late, nor would she even consider it.

Unless, of course, those extra heads gave her extra smarts. Then it might be worth it.

He finally let out a breath and shook his head. “Nope. Not a clue. Did you say you burned a path through an Instance?”

“Oh, you missed a lot,” Juni summarized, arms folded, her feet dangling from the large gap between the seat and the floor. “Turns out the Voice of the Interface has a name, and an ego, and a deadly, deadly fixation–”

“Juni? Way too much to hit him with at once,” Neska chided her. The mouse let out an indignant squeak, but waved her hand to give her the lead.

She turned to look at the professor, still looking a little weary. "Second question: Do you know who attacked you, the species? I think it was a naga or one of its variants. And they are very much active in trying to tear down Risha’s legacy.”

“Yes, it was,” he said, his face growing weary, and rubbing at the spot where she’d bitten him to administer her antivenom bite. “Neska…Risha’s gone because of me. He taunted me; he used my relay to trace Risha’s general location, even though she never answered. Then he sent some mutual fiends to flush her out, knowing she wouldn’t abide by monsters terrorizing any settlements she might be residing within.”

The impact of that reveal felt muted. She had the feeling he’d been telling the truth when he thought he might be dying right before her eyes. “So that is where the rats came from. They’re the monsters that jump-started my Interface activation, a trio of rats well south of the holding line. There were others.”

This new information meant Marikand might have been waiting for such an opportunity, as if her acting out against monsters had revealed her position. He’d been keenly aware of Risha, but how well known was the witch among the Varadur’s ranks? This was several data points that they were aware of, and terrified of her, even the wasp queen.

“I understand from Kalloway that…you two were close.”

The pain resurfaced in his eyes, bitterness puckering his expression. “A long time ago, yes.”

“I think that’s still true now,” Neska said, gauging his reaction.

“Neska…you wouldn't understand,” he said heavily. “Just let that one rest for now. Please.”

That confirmed Kalloway’s insight. She had a measure of respect growing for that man in the past few weeks. She hated having to ask these last few questions. "Professor, does the name Markus ring a bell for you?”

Judging by the way his nostrils flared, that was a definitive yes. “He rings a bell, doesn’t he?”

“It wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been. He's been dead and buried for ten years.”

“But did it sound like him?” Neska asked. “Deep, throaty voice, a slither to his words like an undercurrent? He spoke intelligently, driven by rage?” He remained uneasily silent for a moment. “So you think it could have been him, despite him being dead. We think he might be your would-be killer; that’s our working theory, based on what we observed with a ritual that Kalloway and I performed. I need you to confirm something for me.”

Serkin scoffed. “Why bother? Markus has been dead for ten years. Let it go, Neska. I don't know where you heard that name, but we can let that poor soul rest." He shifted back into a resting position, using his pillow to prop himself up, no longer willing to engage in dialogue.

“Was he a naga? Was he Risha’s first Awakened? Or more distinctly, the first Awakened ever?”

Serkin leaned up. Pointing at her. She was not amused at the aggressive motion. “You need to listen to me. It can't be him. Not after everything he went through, not after everything he endured.”

Neska’s eyes narrowed. She had her lead now. "So it's true then. Risha's first Awakened was a naga, wasn't he? I hadn’t checked the library yet. We ended up becoming very busy since you were brought to the medical center.”

He threw up his hand, words tinged with acidity. “If you really want to confirm it, go check the archives in the library. They have a record of every Awakened that comes across the campus. But you're chasing a ghost, Neska. He was confirmed dead after his last mission went bad.”

She settled back in a coil, already writing. “Go on. I want to know more about him. How well did you know him?”

“Well enough to know that Markus…was troubled.” Serkin’s words sounded hollow, like all the energy had been sapped from him. “But he was a damn good fighter. Death didn’t slow him down. He specialized in single-target elimination and stealth, a holdover from his previous life. And venoms. His evolution as a naga fit that role perfectly. But…as you can imagine, as the first Awakened, Markus was subjected to thorough scrutiny and tests before more Awakened were created.

“Markus, despite his intelligence, also had a temper. He was prone to mood swings and aggression, and sometimes ran missions as a rogue operator without regard for teammates. I think Risha commented that the merger with the monster hadn’t fully absorbed the core; it instead left a fragment of it that bled into his psyche.”

“Was he ever corrupted?”

“No. He was always strong-willed. We didn’t even see instances of corruption until ten years into the fight,” Serkin emphasized. “Anyway, this discussion is pointless, because he and his entire team went after an instance core deep into the mountains north of the holding line. He, along with about a dozen other students and military members, disappeared, testing a new magitech he helped develop. We knew the core was destroyed when the twisted swampland the area had been converted to started to revert.

“When the cleanup team went in to figure out why they were taking so long, they couldn't find bits big enough to identify. The entire team had been killed. Sacrifice, even in victory.”

She gave him a few seconds of silence. “And you're sure he couldn't have survived?”

“No. They found bits of him. Enough to identify.”

“Bits big enough to identify…or bits left behind so he could regenerate, and be labelled killed in action, book closed?”

It was a stretch. She knew it. But Jurik had mentioned it once about the [Regenerative Molt] ability, one she didn't have access to yet. If he were to leave pieces of himself as proof of his death, after the mission was over...it was probable.

It was more telling that Serkin didn't refute the idea. “It's not impossible,” he said slowly.

“Was there anything different about his Awakening? He was there from the very beginning, Professor. Was he an experiment that they used to fine-tune the awakening process?”

“Yes.”

“Did he and Risha have a close relationship?”

He shifted his pose, arms folded. "What do you mean close? Like intimate? Like mother to child, or intimate on a different level? Risha, I think…was too close to him. As Professors, we try to tamp down any kind of relationship other than the professional kind with our students and peers. Though we’re far from perfect,” he added. "But like everything else...it got strained over the final two years."

And yet, she saw his left hand shudder slightly as he spoke.

She let that last opportunity to press in slide for now. She could finish up that one later, since she meant to keep this brief. “Last big question, professor. Who was I to Risha? I’ve pieced it together that I meant something more to her than just as a student, I suspect. She trusted you with a lot of secrets. You might be the only person alive who knows. I can't battle this Radiant King without knowing the history, because there has to be a reason he wants me dead, when before, he preferred to take me alive.”

He gave Neska a resigned look and tilted his head toward the door. “You know, this one might be better spoken in private.”

Juni leaned in, her teeth on edge. “No, don't you dare try to skirt around this. Anything that you say here, she'll inevitably tell us.” Neska tended to agree; Brent and Syra were people she would consider friends by this point, even though they’d known each other only a few weeks.

The professor bit his lip gently, shaking his head. “You really sure you want to know, Neska? I don't know the full details myself, because the witch could be so damn secretive, even keeping things from me.”

“So you don't have any theories?” Or the truth is too painful to admit. Serkin was already grieving for a dearly departed friend. “So which is it, if you would be so kind as to confirm it?”

“If there were anywhere on campus where you would find clues on this one, Neska, it would be in Risha's lab. But she locked it up pretty damn tight before she left, and no one's been able to get in. Or the other item."

She hadn’t forgotten the device still sitting collared on her neck, invisible to all. It was only three levels away from unlocking. One more of these excursions against impossible odds, and she’d finally be able to crack it open.

But why did that seem less certain? “No one has ever mentioned a lab. Why has nobody ever said anything to me?” she asked.

“You think everybody didn't try to get in by now, to find out what Risha was up to? Even Resalio, with her access across the entire campus, couldn’t get inside. That should tell you how difficult the task is.”

“Well,” Neska said, tipping her hat gently, "then perhaps it's time to test it out myself.”

"Neska, wait.” Her hand hesitated at the doorknob, and she turned her head, noting the forlorn expression on the Professor’s face.

She moved her hand away from the handle. “Something to add?”

“No. Well, sort of. I asked her about you before she departed after our last excursion.”

“The Tier five core, right? Where did you get it?”

“From an elite marilith, one of the deadliest command coordinators we’d ever seen from the Varadur.” Serkin laughed bitterly. “It only cost us nearly the entire team. But you’re here, so…I take solace in the fact that it was put to good use. Despite Risha lying to every one of us that the core of the monster was too damaged to be of any use.”

Another snake-based evolution? Was Risha targeting this specific one for a reason? Neska kept that thought reserved for later. “What did you ask?”

“I asked her, before she left, why she was keen on training you. Her answer has always bothered me. ‘There is nothing I wouldn’t do to give her the edge to survive.’”

The nurse from before tapped on the door, looking stern. “I did say to keep it brief.”

“We’ll be on our way,” Neska assured her, before clasping the professor's hand. “We’ll talk later. Get better, okay? I know those aren’t easy questions to face, but…given everything that happened? There will be more to follow. They’re important that I answer them.”

He nodded wearily. “I know. Watch your back, Neska, and all of you. If this really is Markus…he knows every in and out of the campus, possibly more secret pathways than even we do, and he’ll have the home advantage.”

She already had a plan starting to come together. “Then we’ll force him out of his home onto an arena of our choosing.”