“Greenthumb,” he said.
“Uh… Wind Runner,” said Malcolm.
“Don’t shake his fucking hand,” said the second, still coalescing champion. “He attacked me!”
“Relax, Melt,” said Greenthumb. “He’s been a champion for a day. You should be more aware of how others react to what you can do.”
Melt glared at Malcolm. He looked exactly as he had before he’d transformed into goo, down to the leather jacket and scruffy beard. He was shorter than Greenthumb, but had a peevish intensity about him.
“Now,” said Greenthumb. “May we come in? It would certainly go a long way toward alleviating the tension of this misunderstanding.”
Malcolm nodded.
“Of course,” he said. “Again, sorry. I’ve just been a little on edge, these past few days.”
“I understand completely,” said Greenthumb. “I spent half a week in the forest after I gained my powers. I was convinced that I had been chosen by nature to take the world back from the evils of human civilization. Needless to say, it took a little while for me to achieve productive communication with the Champion Authority.”
Malcolm stepped back, allowing them into the apartment. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his mouth felt dry. Rose had closed the door to his room, but that almost made it more suspicious, rather than less. Malcolm offered the two men the couch, not really having anywhere else to seat them. They chose to remain standing.
“I don’t have much to drink here,” said Malcolm. “Water? I guess?”
He fidgeted nervously.
“That won’t be necessary,” said Melt. “This isn’t a social visit, kid. We’re here for answers.”
“Wind Runner…” said Greenthumb. “We received a report from some of our non-champion informants in the area that someone matching your description foiled a spryte capture last night. Specifically, someone with your powers.”
Malcolm furrowed his brow.
“A spryte capture?” he asked. “I didn’t encounter any champions going after sprytes last night.”
“This wouldn’t have involved champions,” said Greenthumb. “The Champion Authority is understaffed in most regions of the world. Occasionally, we offer bounties to any interested parties in the area for bringing in the less dangerous sprytes. Ones that can be captured without regular people needing to put their lives at risk.”
A chill ran down Malcolm’s spine. He looked back and forth between Greenthumb and Melt. They were both watching and waiting for his answer, but with vastly different expressions. Melt’s eyes were hard and suspicious, while Greenthumb seemed genuinely sympathetic and a little apologetic.
Those men were working for the Champion Authority? That’s… not possible.
“I fought off a gang last night,” said Malcolm. “It didn’t seem like they were involved with anything relating to the Champion Authority, or hunting sprytes. They were getting ready to rape a woman in an abandoned warehouse when I found them.”
A small smile spread across Greenthumb’s lips. Melt stepped forward, jabbing a finger in Malcolm’s face.
“She was a spryte!” he said, almost spitting the words. “You expect us to believe that you didn’t know? That you didn’t see any of the signs?”
Malcolm blinked a couple of times, doing his best to seem like he’d only just then figured out why the field agents were there to speak to him.
“I didn’t get a look at her,” said Malcolm. “It took me a minute to scare the men off. She wasn’t in the warehouse when the fight was over.”
Melt shook his head slowly.
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you open the door when we first knocked, Wind Runner? Why did you try to keep us from talking to you? We’re here to do our fucking jobs!”
“Melt,” said Greenthumb. “You were the one who went in under his door. I’ve warned you about this before. Most people don’t react cordially to invading red puddles of sentient ooze.”
Malcolm ran a hand through his hair, subtly glancing out the window. The sun was taking its sweet time dropping down over the horizon. He had another ten minutes, at least, before he could count on Rose being able to easily escape.
“Besides,” continued Greenthumb. “We both read through his file on the way here. After what happened to him, and his family… I doubt he has any more sympathy for the monsters than we do.”
Malcolm nodded slowly, for once feeling glad that someone had brought up the explosion and his family’s deaths in conversation. Melt still looked wary, but more open to the possibility of Malcolm being innocent than he had been before.
“Where did you encounter the spryte last?” asked Melt. “The men who brought us the tip were vague about the details.”
“In one of the abandoned warehouses,” said Malcolm. “South of here. There’s four of them in an industrial park. The fight happened in the southwest most one.”
The two field champions nodded.
“Why don’t I head over and check it out?” asked Greenthumb. “Melt, you can stay here with him for the moment. Given his history, I get the sense that he might make a capable field champion, one day.”
Malcolm winced, wishing that both of them would leave to follow up on his tip, or alternatively, that Greenthumb would stay while Melt left. Greenthumb was already heading out the door, however, stopping to whisper something in his partner’s ear as he passed him by.
I can’t let my guard down. Not until after dark.
CHAPTER 18
The door shut, and Malcolm stood facing Melt awkwardly. The other champion was staring at him, unconcerned by how rude it came off.
“You should hold onto that,” said Melt.
Malcolm frowned.
“Hold onto… what?” he asked.
Melt walked by him into the apartment, glancing around at the kitchen, the door leading to the bathroom, and the closed door leading to Malcolm’s bedroom and Rose.
“Your anger,” said Melt. “I saw it in your eyes before, when Ben mentioned your family. Hold onto that as tightly as you fucking can.”
Melt sat down on Malcolm’s couch. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask, opening it and moving to take a sip. He hesitated, and then offered Malcolm the first taste.
Well, might as well try to make friends.
Malcolm accepted the flask and took a small sip. It was gin, and it burned going down. He managed not to cough and passed it back to Melt, who took a long swig and kept it in his hand.
“It’s not always going to be easy,” said Melt. “You’ll see the truth of it, eventually. When you start to encounter more of those things… “
Malcolm nodded slowly.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“Exactly what I said,” snapped Melt. “It’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s hard as fuck. They’re monsters, all of the sprytes and demons… And you always have to keep that in mind.”
Melt took another sip from the flask. Malcolm felt himself getting curious about what the man had to say. He knew that keeping Melt talking was the best way to keep his apartment from getting searched, and if Melt got drunk in the meantime, even better.
“The champions that gave me my orientation here in Vanderbrook spoke about sprytes and demons like they were corrupted,” said Malcolm. “Diseased, even. They made it sound like there wasn’t any real choice for us in the matter.”
“There isn’t,” said Melt. “There’s no choice at all, unless you’re alright with watching a monster murder people.”
He took a slow breath and passed the flask back over to Malcolm, who accepted and took another small sip.
“I had a case once…” said Melt. “A stone spryte. One of the neighbors called it in, explained it to us in vague terms without really saying much. Just said that the girl was staying in a house nearby, and that she was dangerous and needed to be stopped.”