Everyone was searching for Mutreph, the decomposing mutant.
Team A, made up of Sakolomé, Zeltania, Bakuzan, Bakuran, and Tanreo, was continuing its patrol on its side.
— Uh… Zeltania, said Sakolomé, I'd like to know how you know the name of that mutant.
— According to my sources, he lives in the East. Some acquaintances spotted him there while he was already claiming victims, both human and mutant. They tried to neutralize him, but it was impossible. They are the ones who told me that Mutreph was his name.
— Seen that way, he seems very strong, said Bakuzan. Unless the others were simply too weak for him.
— I don't know, but we will certainly find out soon.
*
On the other side, Team B, made up of ErMut, Mutjack, Saramut, Mertana, and Mutana, was patrolling as well.
— Hey, look! Saramut exclaimed. I think I've found a lead!
The others rushed over to take a closer look. It was traces of decomposing flesh, leading straight toward the sewers.
— That's not a good sign, if that thing decides to go through the sewers, said ErMut.
— Really? Why?
— Saramut, explained Mutana, going through the sewers is a way to stay discreet. But City C is an abandoned city: who would try to hide in an abandoned city? Do you see what that means?
Saramut thought for a moment, then understood.
— Yes, I see. He surely knows he's being hunted.
Everyone nodded.
— Exactly, said ErMut. Anyway, let's go see if it's really him.
The humanoid mutants headed straight for the sewers. A smell of decomposing flesh welcomed them there with open arms, so violent that Mutana, Mertana, Saramut, and Mutjack felt nauseous and vomited. Even ErMut, disgusted, felt his head spinning.
— This isn't going to be fun…
Then he vomited as well.
— Wait, doesn't anyone have a mask? This smell is unbearable! exclaimed Saramut.
— And that may not be the worst part, remarked Mutjack. Mutreph isn't even in front of us, and the stench is already this strong. Imagine when he is!
— I have an idea, said ErMut. Take your T-shirts and make masks out of them to protect your noses. Mertana, since you don't have a T-shirt, and since no one wants to see you like that, I'll lend you my jacket.
No sooner said than done.
— It's a little better, said Mutjack, even though this stench stings the eyes. By the way, how is that possible?
— It might be because of the energy that this stench produces, suggested Mertana.
— Silence, friends, said ErMut. Let's keep moving forward first.
In a deathly silence, they went deeper into the sewers. One detail could not escape anyone: the further they went, the more the heat rose.
— In the end, you were right, ErMut admitted. Mutreph's stench creates energy, and that energy manifests as heat. That explains why the smell is so powerful, and why it stings our eyes.
— That may not be all, added Mutana. I also think that the more intense the heat becomes, the closer we are getting to Mutreph.
The others nodded. Mutreph could not be very far away anymore.
— We must be extra careful, said Mutjack.
— I think it's time to alert the others, don't you? asked Saramut.
— No, ErMut declared. We are going to defeat Mutreph all by ourselves.
— What? But that wasn't what had been agreed!
No one understood what was happening to ErMut. His gaze was determined, as if he had long had scores to settle with Mutreph.
— Listen, ErMut, said Mutana, I know that your defeat against Bakuzan, that Satsujin Otoko, deeply affected you, but don't forget that we may not be strong enough to defeat Mutreph alone. We must be very careful.
ErMut did not answer, which gradually worried his friends.
— ErMut, say something, don't stay silent, insisted Mertana.
— You know… Mutreph was our fight, in the beginning. We were all determined to take him down. Satsujin Otoko or not, we have pride and dignity, as human mutants. Bakuzan has no right to make us believe that we need the Satsujin Otoko. And if Mutreph turns out to be too powerful, so be it. I'm not asking you to follow me: you are free to call the Satsujin Otoko and the others, then wait for them here. But I'm going to fight now. I'll be honest: I would rather die killed by Mutreph than be saved or helped by a Satsujin Otoko, right now.
The others were stunned. Had ErMut become someone else? He had forged within himself a pride, a haughtiness, turned against the Satsujin Otoko, which he carried both as a burden on his back and as a form of admiration in their eyes.
ErMut resumed walking under the silent gaze of his friends. They exchanged a glance and sighed.
— ErMut, wait for us! Mutjack called out. We will face Mutreph with you.
ErMut turned around and smiled.
— All right, guys. Let's go.
They resumed their route when, suddenly, hundreds of rats surged out from everywhere in the sewers.
— Do you think we scared them? asked Mertana.
— No. It was me.
A deep, frightening voice rose from the darkness.
— Is that Mutreph? Mutjack cried out.
*Boom!*
An explosion of energy swept over them. Saramut stepped in front of his friends.
— Shield!
A mana shield enveloped them all, while the energy wave spread through the sewers, blasting the rats apart up to several kilometers from the point of impact. The explosion was so powerful that it made the ground of City C tremble, and it caught Team A's attention.
— What is that? asked Zeltania.
— An earthquake. Is that common around here? said Bakuran.
— No, it's actually the first time this has happened!
The tremor was so violent that even Niyus felt it.
*
In the sewers, the wave had ceased and Saramut's shield dissipated.
— Thank you so much, Saramut! said Mertana.
— It was the best thing to do.
They looked around them: there was blood everywhere. The rats had had no chance of escaping the attack.
— Where are you, Mutreph? Show yourself!
The water in the sewers began to boil, and a strange, thin body, stitched all over, appeared out of nowhere.
— Do you think that's Mutreph? asked Mertana. In the descriptions, he's rather big.
The creature was tall and thin, about five meters high.
— Yes, I am Mutreph. You shouldn't always believe what you're told, ha ha!
— That's strange, remarked Saramut. That energy heat has disappeared.
— Hey, you, disgusting thing, where is Mutreph? If you're trying to cover for him, you'll pay for it!
The creature tilted its head.
— But I am Mutreph. Why would I lie? And besides, it isn't very nice to call me disgusting: I am a humanoid mutant, just like you.
— You mean you have a human parent and a mutant parent? asked Mertana.
— Oh, yes.
— Then why are you so repulsive, stitched all over? And why don't you have eyes?
— I may not have eyes, but I see you very well. A mystery. As for why I am like this, it's because my human father used to have fun conducting experiments on my mutant mother and on me, when I was a baby.
— What? How so?
Mutreph sat down on the damp floor of the sewers.
— I don't feel like fighting you like this, since we are of the same nature. So I will leave you the choice of fighting me or not, by telling you my story, or rather a small part of my story.
The mutants remained silent, their eyes fixed on him.
— Well then, let's begin.
*
"Long ago, my father, a genius renowned in the countries of the South, met my mother, a beautiful humanoid mutant, as well.
"She found him handsome and respected, but she had never confessed to him that she was a mutant. Yes, my mother was one hundred percent mutant, but she possessed an entirely humanoid body. Did that mean she had a human great-great-grandparent in her family? It doesn't matter; that is not the subject.
"What gave her an appearance similar to that of her kind was water. When my mother touched water or plunged into it, scales grew on her body, and her hands and feet became webbed. She spoke the language of humans very well, and she had been able to hide among them for a very long time, always passing herself off as one of them.
"One day, she won a competition that allowed her to take part in the launch of a new class of students, at the center where my father worked. She saw him again on that occasion and immediately blushed.
"My father was a genius: he gave lectures, and my mother was simply charmed. One day, she went to his laboratory and worked under his instructions. My father noticed that she was remarkably gifted and diligent in everything she did, and decided to take her under his wing and keep a close eye on her. He helped her understand everything she wanted from the system, and much more besides.
"One night, my mother worked very late. She was the very last one to finish. As she was about to leave, she ran into my father in the office, alone together, and it was love at first sight all over again. Even my father had been unable to resist my mother's beauty, and her determination at work.
"He held her back. They talked for almost the whole night, then they kissed, and what was meant to happen happened.
"A few months later, my mother was not feeling well. She went to the hospital, where she was told that she was pregnant. Pregnant with me! Her first and only son!"