Stage 3 infection

The fire crackled, throwing long shadows across the camp. Kade sat on a flat stone, rubbing warmth into his hands while Mira, Velra, and the others gathered around a leather-bound map spread across a rolled-out cloth.

"...and you're certain it had a headless angel statue?" Velra asked, her voice sharper now, all humor gone.

"Yes." Kade nodded. "One wing was broken, and it was in the middle of a cracked circle—looked like part of a ritual site or something. There were steps leading deeper down and a open path leading to wildness, but I didn't take them. I was too busy not dying."

Velra leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Then lead us. Take us back to those ruins."

Kade blinked. "Lead you? Uh… yeah, about that."

The fire popped. Silence fell as all eyes turned to him.

"I didn't exactly walk out of there," Kade said slowly. "I used an escape scroll. One-time use. Poof. Gone. Instant teleport."

Renn stared. "You teleported?"

"Yup, didn't you saw me how I appeared out of thin air?" Kade said. "No idea what direction. No idea how far. It just dumped me out near a broken cart, and I ran until I saw tents."

"You're kidding," Garron muttered. "You have no idea where the ruins are?"

"I told you I wasn't a tracker," Kade said defensively. "Or a cartographer. Or a map… person. I was just trying not to die, alright?"

Velra exhaled sharply and leaned back. "You remember anything? A landmark, terrain?"

Kade racked his brain. "Ruins. Grass. Cold. A headless statue. Some stairs. That's it."

Garron groaned. "We're going off the ramblings of a lost idiot with no shoes and a death wish."

"I have shoes now," Kade muttered. "Sort of."

Velra leaned forward, eyes sharp. "You never truly explained how you got there."

Kade blinked. "Explain how i got to the ruins??"

"Yes," she said. "Now that we know they exist, we need to see them."

Kade hesitated. Then instead of answering, he tilted his head. "Why do you want to go there?"

That caught them off guard.

Mira raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I mean," Kade continued, gesturing vaguely, "you've got a camp out here in the middle of nowhere, you've been treating everything like it's cursed or worse, and now you suddenly care about some broken ruins I barely crawled out of?"

Velra's eyes narrowed. "Answer the question."

"You answer mine first," Kade shot back. "What's in those ruins you want so badly?"

Garron let out a low whistle. "You've got guts, pajama boy."

Velra didn't blink. "There's an artifact we're hunting. Something old. Dangerous. Maybe connected to the undead. Now, your turn—how did you get there in the first place?"

Kade looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't really know. I woke up there. I didn't walk in. And I sure as hell didn't ask to be dropped into a crypt filled with mutant rabbits and dead things that laugh."

Renn's voice was calm. "So you were sent there."

"Or dumped there," Kade said. "Either way, I'm not the one with a map. I didn't see anything except ruins, stairs, and corpses. Then I used a scroll to get the hell out."

"You used a teleportation scroll?" Mira asked, voice tight. "Those aren't cheap."

"I didn't buy it," Kade muttered.

Velra folded her arms again. "Then someone gave it to you. Someone who expected you to survive."

Kade didn't respond right away. His gaze lingered on the fire. "Yeah… maybe. Or maybe i got it from someone who's already dead".

Velra's eyes narrowed. "You keep talking like you're just some lost idiot… but that doesn't line up with how you survived. Who was this dead person? A friend? Or something else?"

Mira's voice turned sharp. "Or maybe you looted it off a corpse like every other scavenger."

Kade gave a small shrug, tension pulling at his shoulders. "Wouldn't you?"

A heavy silence followed.

Garron scoffed. "You've got guts, pajama boy. I'll give you that. But luck runs out fast in these woods."

Kade met Velra's gaze. "I didn't ask for any of this. I'm not hiding secrets. I just don't have the answers you want."

Velra didn't look convinced. But she didn't press further—not yet.

The fire crackled softly. No one spoke.

Kade could feel the weight of their stares, but none of them said a word. Even Garron, ever ready with a quip, stayed quiet. Mira's brow was furrowed. Velra watched him like a drawn bow.

Kade exhaled slowly and looked down at his lap. His fingers twitched—then, almost instinctively, he reached for the air beside him and gave a familiar flick of the wrist.

A faint click echoed in his mind.

[SYSTEM MENU]

Name: Kade Marlowe

Status: Alive (Confused, Semi-Infected stage 5, Unarmed)

Inventory:

— 1x Wireless Mouse

— 1x Rusted Necklace

Skills: None

Abilities: None

Options:

— Save Game

— Saved Files:[5]

Kade's eye twitched.

Then he leaned closer to where the floating screen shimmered in front of him and blurted out:

"Semi-Infected, Stage 3—what the fuck?!"

The words were out before he could stop himself.

Everyone turned.

Velra was already halfway to her feet. Mira's hand hovered near the dagger at her side. Even Garron tensed, eyes narrowing.

"Stage what?" Renn asked carefully.

Kade froze. "Uh—nothing. I said nothing. Ignore me. Talking to myself. As you do. Haha."

"Stage three what, Kade?" Velra's voice was low, serious now.

Kade looked between them, backpedaling fast. "It's not contagious! Probably! Look, I didn't even know there were stages!"

Mira stepped forward. "How do you know you're infected?"

"I didn't!" Kade snapped. "Not until now! I just—looked at my… status. It's like a private thing. You wouldn't get it."

Velra's eyes narrowed. "Try us."

Kade held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I don't know what did it. I've been stabbed, bitten, chewed on, bled out, and maybe hallucinated a few corpses laughing at me. Pick your favorite cause. All I know is I'm not dead yet—and I feel fine."

Garron muttered, "That's exactly what someone who's not right in head would say."

Kade pointed a finger at him. "Hey, at least I'm not rotting or sprouting extra arms!"

No one laughed.

Mira took a breath. "If you're infected, we need to know if it can spread."

"It can't," Kade said quickly. "I think. I hope. Look, it's not like I'm turning into a zombie or anything—wait, you've seen infections like this before, haven't you?"

Silence.

Mira stepped closer, eyes narrowing at Kade's chest.

"Those spots... that's necrosis."

Kade blinked. "...What?"

Without waiting, he tore open the front of his pajama shirt.

Black, branching veins spidered across his chest—like ink bleeding under the skin.

Necrosis. Stage three.

His heart skipped a beat.

Shit.

In MythOnline, stage three was the last safe checkpoint. You could still brute-force a cure with a small lake of healing potions. But stage four? That meant you needed a priest. A strong one. Maybe a ritual. After that…

His stomach twisted.

Stage five meant mutation. Claws. Voices. Losing your mind. Then your body.

He stared at the black veins.

Game over. For real this time.

He looked up slowly.

"...Okay. So I might be a little infected."