Chapter 334: A peculiar change
Not one parasitized.
That was the conclusion Hex reached when he finished his night visits, entering and inspecting each remaining member of the Witchkin. Aside from the one with Cyantha and her mother, of course.
When the first couple of visits failed to produce new clues, he felt elated. After all, the less people were turned into host bodies, the less victims he had to worry about. But when even the last person he visited seemed clean, he knew something didn’t add up.
His attacker had a shadow serpent-like creature inside her. That was a fact. He didn’t doubt that for a second. But he was equally convinced about the accuracy of his inspection.
’If both things are equally true then I can think only of three possibilities. One, everything was a coincidence. She just happened to be hosting a Shadow Serpent and lost her mind for some reason. Two, this variant of the Serpent isn’t a group creature and hunts alone. Three, something far more sinister is playing behind the scenes.’
Hex exited the last room, melding in the darkness spread across the corridor. ’At least none of these people are acting as hosts of the Shadow Serpents,’ Hex consoled himself as he moved through the darkness.
A deep silence hung in the corridor. He reached the beginning of the corridor rather quickly. The stairs were in his sight. But so was the room in which Cyantha and her mother stayed. He leaned against the wall, making sure to remain in the shadows on the floor.
’Should I enter, wait, or abort for now?’ Hex contemplated his choices.
Entering risked alerting the guard on duty. Through the massive door, he sensed the presence of a third person inside. His Blessing, the Veil of Death, granted him the ability to hide his presence from everyone. But it didn’t grant him the ability to phase through solid walls or doors. He knew. He had tried.
Waiting might create a chance he could benefit from. He didn’t mind the wait. Patience was ingrained in his core from the early days of scavenging through the mountains. The greatest downside of waiting was the possibility of ending up empty-handed despite waiting long hours.
’Should I just abort?’ It was the choice that made the most sense. During their escort, there would be plenty of opportunities to get close to the mother. At the very least, through the close proximity, he could keep an eye out for clues and perhaps leads that could be explored to uncover the person behind his attack. Even if the Shadow Serpent that attacked him turned out to be a solitary figure, he didn’t believe for a second that there wasn’t a mastermind behind the attack. But who?