100 Dinner Party (1/2)
Ed headed back into the encampment and traded his manullium coins for raw manullium ore and some steel tools. He loaded the ore onto a crude wooden cart and pulled it towards his shack on the outskirts of the settlement. Fortunately, manullium ore was extremely light, making its transportation easy and convenient.
He restarted his fire and began melting the raw ore. He didn't purify it completely, choosing instead to only partially purify it. Soon, he had created a completely solid door. 'I guess this will have to do for now.' He sighed. All of the manullium ore had already been used up. He took a crude steel shovel and began to dig beneath his shack.
Hours passed. Ed groaned as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Digging an underground base was not an easy task for a one-armed man. Especially since the cave floor was unusually hard. It was unlikely that an ordinary man could even scratch it.
The shack now consisted of a tunnel that led to a small underground room. It was barely big enough for a few people to lay down inside. The manullium door was installed at the front of the tunnel, embedded within the tunnel walls. A small lock was installed on the door. A key was required to lift the proper pins within the lock to unlock it. 'Good.' Ed nodded to himself. 'That should take care of my sleepwalking and protect me while I sleep.' He laid down on the hard floor and slowly drifted off to sleep, once again encountering strange dreams.
...
'Hungry.' A small three-limbed crocodile whined as it scratched against a large rock. It was trapped within a small cave, and the rock was blocking the only exit. 'Let me out!' It growled. Slowly, its hunger turned to rage. It began slamming into the door repeatedly.
'I WANT TO EAT!' Sharp claws formed on its legs. It furiously clawed at the rock. It sounded like a chalkboard being scratched each time a new mark was embedded on the rock's surface. The croc's claws grew bloody, but this only angered it even further. It started slamming its body into the door again, even harder than previously. Its scales cracked, and blood dripped to the floor.
...
”Huff! Huff!” Ed awoke with a startle as he breathed heavily. His eyes widened as they quickly adjusted to the darkness. The manullium door was covered in engravings of claw slashes. He looked down at his trembling hands. They were covered in blood. More importantly, they were sharp and claw-like. 'How far have I progressed to develop claws already?! I've definitely gone over the 50 percent limit for mutant flesh. No tail yet, so I must be under 80 percent.'
He took a step back and examined his body. His missing arm had healed even further, recovering all the way up to the elbow. Bloody wounds and bruises covered his body, but the wounds were superficial at best. 'I need to find a more permanent solution for this as fast as possible.' He ground his teeth in frustration.
Suddenly, a knocking sound rang from the door. Ed hesitated to answer as he glanced at the pool of blood on the floor and his own bloody scales. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on controlling his transformation. The scales and claws slowly receded, returning him back to a normal-looking esper. ”Who is it?” He shouted towards the door.
”I've got a message from Mr. Long.” A voice replied.
Ed opened the door cautiously, prepared for any ambush that may be waiting for him.
A chubby middle-aged Asian man stood outside. He gave a slight bow. ”Mr. Long has invited you to join his dinner party tonight. The guards will come to collect the quotas today. The Fire Dragon Clan likes to unite during the collections so that our members can't be abused.”
”Tonight?” Ed questioned. ”Isn't the collection supposed to happen tomorrow?”
”Hmm?” The man lifted his head while frowning. ”Today's the last day of the month. Of course, the quotas are due tonight. You should really pay attention to these things if you value your life.”
'I slept for that long?!' Ed's heart beat rapidly as panic set in. 'I need to understand how to counteract the purple smoke as soon as possible. It's only a matter of time before I completely lose control!' He nodded towards the man outside. ”I'll be there. There are some things I wish to discuss with Mr. Long anyways.”
”I'll let him know.” The man nodded as he turned to leave.
Ed cleaned up the blood on the floor with a rag and then headed outside. He started the fire once again and cooked some mutant flesh. He didn't wish to eat it, for he knew that it was likely contributing to the problem. But he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it. His stomach was in so much pain that it was a struggle to not hunch over and cry. It was only a few minutes before he finished the last of his stock of mutant flesh. His stomach felt bloated from eating so much meat, but he still hungered for more.
Ed closed his eyes and sat in meditation by the fire. He couldn't train in the Mortal Dragon Technique due to the manullium interference, but it still helped calm his mental state slightly. After finally calming down, he opened his eyes and stared at the cuffs covering his arm and legs. 'What's the point of restricting us with manullium ore cuffs when we're surrounded by manullium down here anyways? Hell, we've even got fire to melt them off.' He raised his hand towards the fire, preparing to melt the cuff. He could use the extra manullium anyways.
”I wouldn't do that if I were you.” A voice interrupted.
Ed glanced behind him and saw a thin Latino man walking towards the fire.
The Latino man had long hair and a thin mustache. Deep wrinkles covered his face, showing his old age. The purple leather armor made him look a bit comical, but it was overshadowed by the purple sombrero on his head. The man nonchalantly sat down and pulled out a sharp stick. He stuck a piece of meat on the end and began roasting it over the fire. ”You don't mind, do you? Wood ain't cheap down here. Us non-gang members gotta save a buck wherever we can.”
Ed looked the man in the eyes. ”Why shouldn't I melt the cuffs off?” He questioned.
The Latino man pulled the meat off the stick and took a bite, slowly chewing it before swallowing. He titled his sombrero up and looked at Ed. ”Well, for one, the Warden will punish you. Plenty of newcomers have the same idea and regret it real fast. For two, the cuffs are lined with sealed mana-powder inside. You start melting those cuffs, that seal's gonna break. Then the cuffs will explode and send shrapnel everywhere.”
”I see.” Ed nodded as he pulled his hand back from the fire. ”I owe you one. I just about blew off my only hand.”
”No thanks needed.” The man shook his head while biting into the meat again. ”Just help out the other freemen when you can. We're usually stronger than the conformers, but we're badly outnumbered and lack unity. A hand here and there helps a lot.” The man stood up to leave.