A guard grabbed the door handle and looked at James. James nodded as he stood behind Lee Seng. Lee Seng was surrounded by at least four other guards as they traversed the city. The door opened and Manny flew out, fist out. Lee Seng blocked the attack with his tail and pushed Manny back in.
"Thank you for allowing me to talk to them." Lee Seng looked at James. "I'll make sure they all understand the conditions."
"You have a few minutes before we go to the next one." James motioned. Lee Seng gave a small bow before moving into the room. The guard closed the door and Lee Seng pulled his tail back behind him. Lee Seng's fox ears wiggled as he looked around.
"This looks exactly like the room I'm in." Lee Seng commented. Manny pushed himself off the ground and looked up at Lee Seng.
"Your Fox form isn't affected?" Manny asked. He sat himself up as Lee Seng looked at him and nodded.
"Nope." Lee Seng moved and sat in front of Manny. "The room is only made to hold Biohumans. They aren't made to hold Fox Spirits."
"W-what did they want with you?" Manny leaned forward, grabbing Lee Seng's thighs. "Are they going to make you do their dirty work? Are they threatening to use us as bait? Do we need to break out?" Lee Seng gently reached for Manny's arms and peeled them off. He shook his head as Manny rocked back and forth.
"They aren't going to do anything unless you guys do something." Lee Seng told Manny. "As long as I do my job in the timeframe, they won't hurt you. They'll bring you food and stuff to rest on."
"W-what do you have to do?"
"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I have a hunch they have a curse afflicting up north." Lee Seng leaned backwards. He rocked his head back and forth as a yawn escaped his mouth. Manny's eyes widened and his mouth dropped a bit.
"A c-curse?" Manny stuttered. "Are you sure?"
"Sounds like a curse. I'm going to talk to Keng next. He'll confirm it. I'm pretty sure he has the Curse books too… I should take those from him." Lee Seng stood up and brushed his butt. "Well, that's basically it. I have to talk to the others and get ready to venture out there." He spun around and started for the door. Manny scrambled to his feet and went after Lee Seng. He grabbed Lee Seng's shoulder and turned him around.
"Are you sure we can even trust them? What if they're lying?" Manny asked.
"That's just something I'll have to risk. It's not like we have a lie detector around." Lee Seng smiled. He began to turn towards the door as it opened, and Manny moved in front of Lee Seng.
"But we do! Liv! She can see if they're telling the truth. Use her." Manny suggested. Manny's chest rose and collapsed quickly. He stuttered as he tred to conjure the last words he was saying when the guard called for Lee Seng.
"Time's up! Let's go." The guard ordered. Lee Seng nodded and looked at Manny.
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out." Lee Seng patted Manny and exited the room. The door closed and James and the guards led Lee Seng over to Keng's holding place. They didn't talk much and kept to themselves. They exited the building and headed over to an underground path. They moved down and the sounds of fighting were heard.
"Are they fighting?" Guard A asked. They looked at James, who was listening. Lee Seng could hear the noises of blasts and grunting. His eyes widened.
'Shit.' Lee Seng thought. 'I forgot to mention Keng has the same powers as I do…'
"Ah!" A guard slammed against the wall and grew unconscious.
"Let's hurry." James ordered. The guards and Lee Seng followed James down the curved path. Bodies were littered all around as a reverberating punch was heard. Another guard flew into a wall as Keng stood around unconscious bodies. The door was opened and Keng looked up.
"You!" Keng's body shook as he spotted James. Lee Seng cursed under his breath as the guards drew their weapons.
"He broke out!" Guard B spoke.
"Attack!" Guard A shouted.
"No!" Lee Seng shouted. A black wisp appeared in between the two parties and Lee Seng appeared in its place. He stuck his arms out to Keng and James and his people. "Stop!" Keng came to a stop, fist swirling with energy.
"Lee Seng?" Keng called his name, confused. Lee Seng turned and lifted his hand. He pushed Keng straight through the broken door. Keng grunted as he bounced and hit the wall in the back. The wall cracked a bit as Lee Seng looked towards James.
"I'll handle this." Lee Seng told him. He lifted his hand and swiped. "Mass Heal." The unconscious guards' bodies lit up in golden light as Lee Seng disappeared.
"S-sir, what should we do?" Guard C asked James.
"Check and make sure our men are alive. Tend to their wounds." James ordered. "You two come with me. We'll need to check what's happening inside."
"Yes, sir!" The guards shouted. Three guards split off from the group and began to check on their unconscious members while James and the two guards headed towards the broken door.
"Dude! I should've come to you first!" Lee Seng whispered quietly. He stood in front of Keng, guarding the way out. Keng winced as he pushed himself up. "What am I gonna do? I forgot to explain that you're like me… Ah!"
"Why're you defending them?" Keng asked. "Breaking out was my only option! This room couldn't—"
"Our Fox powers." Lee Seng finished. "I know. I was too busy being informed of what I was going to do and forgot about you for a second." Keng looked at him like he was hurt. Lee Seng had forgotten about him.
"He broke out of this?" Guard A asked.
"How?" Guard B asked. Guard B sighed as Guard B and Guard A picked the door up and tried to prop it back into place.
"Ugh, he splintered it… We're gonna have to repair this now." Guard A sighed. Lee Seng and Keng looked towards the door. Lee Seng turned and looked at Keng, sighing.
"Is any of the builders available?" James asked the two guards.
"I don't think so. Most of them are helping with the build in C." Guard B answered.
"They won't do anything to me or anyone. I just have to help them figure out their situation. From what they've told me, the land to the north is being afflicted with something. The land looks like any other land. People have either died or came back crazy going up north. I'm thinking it's a curse and wanted to run this by you." Lee Seng informed Keng.
"A curse?" Keng lifted his hand up and pulled out a book. He flipped through the pages, muttering to himself. "An affliction that hides itself as a normal thing… People come back crazy or are dead… That's very broad yet specific…" Keng shook his head and pulled another book out. He zoomed through it, muttering as James entered the room.
"You don't, by any chance, have a way of fixing this do you?" James asked Lee Seng. Lee Seng turned and looked at James. James pointed at the door. A large chunk of the wall and door were splintered off.
"You don't have any wood-affinity users to repair it?" Lee Seng asked.
"Oh, I can fix it." Keng threw the book to the side and jumped up. He pushed past Lee Seng, who followed, and watched Keng scribble a set of runes. He swiped it and pointed at the wall and door and watched it piece itself back together.
"Holy… Are you… like him?" James asked Keng, pointing at Lee Seng. Keng looked at James and then at Lee Seng.
'Do I say anything?' Keng asked.
"He is." Lee Seng answered truthfully. "Which is why I asked if he could come along. He has more knowledge and could rule out what affliction your forests are having and deal with it accordingly."
"Hm…" James narrowed his eyes as he brushed his chin. "It's too bad the Druidess wasn't here to witness it, herself… Sadly, I must keep to my word." Keng frowned. "Are you done here?"
"Not yet. Still checking with my brother." Lee Seng roped Keng under his arm and pulled him away. "A couple more minutes." Lee Seng led Keng back to the books and motioned for Keng to continue. Lee Seng sat Keng back down and sat in front of him.
"Look through this one." Keng plucked another book from the void and handed it to Lee Seng. Lee Seng casually flipped through as Keng quickly scanned through the books. "No. No. No." The book shut and his hand plucked another book out. Keng continued to do this while Lee Seng slowly scanned his.
'Vixen's Curse?' Lee Seng's finger slid down to the next line. 'A spirit of a Fox grew into a monster that feasts on the energy of the land. It craves human souls and will do anything to get their hands on it… Could this be it?' Lee Seng looked up at Keng and turned the book towards him.
"I think I found it." Lee Seng gave Keng the book and waited for Keng to skim it.
"The Vixen's Curse?" Keng whispered. He looked up at Lee Seng. "It matches the symptoms… You should see if any of these things are happening." Keng slid his finger down towards the bottom and tapped it.
"Time's up! Let's go!" Guard A ordered.
"Just… Take the book. This is your best bet amongst the thousands of curses in the entire collection." Keng motioned. Lee Seng nodded and stood up and stuck his finger in the book.
"Alright. Don't cause too much trouble." Lee Seng turned. "If I'm not back in three days—"
"Hurry up!" Guard A shouted.
'Then be careful.' Lee Seng finished his sentence telepathically.
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