The day had not started well. During the morning, Kael searched through the Channel of the Fallen for valuables, only to find nothing. The entire passage was caked in mud and grime, leaving him filthy from head to toe, reeking as he scrambled out from the water.
Still, luck eventually favoured him. In the Protruding Passage, he managed to uncover two ancient magical jewel remnants. They were in poor condition, but Kael thought they might be enough to buy him lunch.
Unfortunately, his entire lunch consisted of a slice of bread and a little cheese: that was all the remnants were worth. Still hungry, Kael continued his search.
As he descended into the deeper layers of the city, he came upon a warning sign:
THE SEALED ZONE BEGINS IN 200 METERS. NO ENTRY.
Kael knew exactly what it meant. For a scavenger, this was essential knowledge. The Sealed Zone was closed to civilians, marking areas where dangerous magical elements had been contained. He had been warned countless times never to venture inside.
Still, Kael hesitated. The areas bordering the Sealed Zone were considered prime hunting grounds; magic was more likely to surface there, and most scavengers avoided the risk entirely, leaving whatever treasures lay behind.
Kael’s stomach grumbled, and he decided that while he would not enter the zone, he would search the surrounding area for any sign of loot.
He was right. In the secluded underground passages, he uncovered a lot of more or less valuable finds: hardened strawberries, quartz blades, timberleoneum pollen, a lost magic key bag, and even a spell torn from the page of a spellbook. His search was crowned by the discovery of an old gold coin, which was enough at least, to provide three days’ worth of supplies.
He was about to turn back with his newfound loot when something caught his eye in a secluded corner. A strange black stone lay half-buried in the dust. It did not look remarkable at first glance, yet Kael had never seen anything like it before: Its surface was smooth and glossy, and somehow suffused with magic. Kael was not a mage and could not define the feeling, but he suspected it might be valuable.
He lifted the stone carefully and turned it over in his hand. It appeared to be nothing more than a stone. The only unsettling detail was its temperature: a stone should have been cold to the touch, yet this one felt… warm, no more than room temperature.
Kael almost threw the stone away but then decided to take it with him anyway.
By the unwritten code of the scavengers, he classified the unknown object as hazardous material, sealed it in a jar, and hid it away from prying eyes.
For the rest of the day, Kael forgot about the stone and went about his work as if nothing had happened. He did good business with the wizards and merchants of the lower quarters, earning enough money from the day’s haul to last a full week.
He returned home full and satisfied. Kael’s home was a small but clean one-room apartment on Turpentine Street. It was not luxurious, nor even spacious, but Kael took pride in keeping it in perfect order.
The narrow apartment was simply furnished: two chairs, a table, and a bed. Opposite the only window stood a shelf displaying relics from his past finds.
Kael sat at the table and took out the jar containing the stone.
- Now then, – he murmured, – let’s see what exactly you are.
He turned the page of the dictionary, a book he had borrowed from his fellow scavenger, Ilias, just the day before.
But no matter how hard he tried, Kael could not determine what the stone was. After a while, he gave up with a sigh.
- Well, that’s that, – he muttered. – It was a shame to bring you with me, you're just taking up space. You’ll be thrown out in the trash tomorrow.
With that, he put the jar away.
Later that night, as Kael prepared for bed, something caught his eye. In the darkness, the stone was faintly… glowing. At first, he thought he was imagining it, but there was no denying it: the stone emitted a soft green light.
- What? – Kael breathed, incredulous, climbing out of bed. – You’ve got to be kidding me. What in the hell are you?
He turned the lights back on and flipped through the book once more.
This time, he carefully removed the stone from its glass jar to examine it more closely. It was smooth and warm to the touch, with a faintly unusual texture, and its green glow was just barely visible in the candlelight.
Armed with these new observations, Kael resumed his search, and this time, he found a match.
The book described the following:
Living Rubber
Rarity: Very Rare
Value: Moderately Valuable
Living Rubber is a strange, hardened, supernatural substance found beneath Primalis Flex. It is rare and typically discovered in irregular lumps. The material is warm to the touch, black in color, and emits a faint green glow. Its texture resembles hardened rubber.
The use of Living Rubber is currently unknown. It is classified as an experimental material and may be of interest to magicians or researchers.
WARNING: Some specimens may contain liquid rubber at their core. Such samples are extremely dangerous and should be destroyed immediately.
Kael mumbled to himself as he pushed the book aside.
- Interesting. So it’s hardened rubber, not stone. The book said it could be valuable… but what if there’s liquid inside? It wouldn’t hurt to check, would it?”
He carefully lifted the lump, which was still uncomfortably warm. He held it carefully in front of him, as if he were holding a time bomb, then gently shook the “stone”. Contrary to his expectations, there was no sound at all.
- You seem safe, – Kael muttered. – And valuable. – He hesitated, then added, – Might be worth splitting you in half after all.
Having made up his mind, Kael reached for his tools.
Kael had done this a thousand times before: splitting materials into smaller pieces to squeeze a bit more profit from them. He laid out his chisel, hammer, and string saw, and set to work with practiced care.
It did not take long for the hardened rubber to suddenly… crack, exposing its interior.
- Oh, shit…! – Kael exclaimed, but it was too late. A black, liquid substance spilled out and ran over his hands. – Argh! You fooled me! – he shouted, anger mixing into his voice.
He shook his hands violently, trying to fling the liquid away, but to his surprise, he couldn’t. The liquid seemed to stick to Kael’s hand.
- What the hell…? – Kael asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
He rushed to the faucet and scrubbed frantically, but the water did nothing. The strange substance remained on the back of his hand, unmoved. He tried scraping it away with the book’s cover, only to realize the truth: the substance had actually stuck to his skin.
- Ouch… – Kael muttered. – This is very wrong.
Then came another shock. The black substance began to sink inward, slowly absorbing into his flesh until it vanished entirely.
Kael was overcome with anxiety.
- What… what is this? What’s happening? – he asked aloud, staring at the spot where the dark spot disappeared on the back of his hand. He touched it again and again, certain the substance was gone, and equally certain that something irreversible had occurred. What it had taken with it, he could not say.
He searched the book desperately for answers, but found no more useful information. At last, exhausted and shaken, Kael went to bed, his thoughts circling endlessly as he kept brushing the back of his left hand, slipping into a restless, uneasy sleep.
