That was how Kael escaped from Primalis Flex.
He did not go far. The surrounding region was dangerous, and the city’s proximity still offered some protection. The larger waves of untamed magic tended to avoid the outskirts, and for a time, that worked in his favour.
Yet Kael was no longer safe from the city either. He had developed his own, new way of life.
He established a small, makeshift camp at the very edge of the nearest Sealed Zone and lived as an outcast. When danger approached from the city, he retreated into the Zone itself, where his pursuers dared not follow. As a scavenger, survival posed little challenge; he knew how to fend for himself and get what he needed even in this state.
One time, he encountered Ilias, who had been searching for him in quiet concern. Kael told his friend everything, his escape, his exile, and the fate that had marked him. Kael showed him his rubberized left arm. To Kael’s relief, Ilias responded with understanding rather than fear.
From then on, they met occasionally. Kael passed along some of the more valuable finds he had dug up, while Ilias supplied him with tools, food, and other necessities he could no longer acquire easily. In this way, both of them benefited, and Kael’s solitary life became at lease sustainable to some extent.
The rubber’s spread, however, did not stop. At some point, Kael gave up trying to resist it. If he had not been driven to cut off his own arm by now, he was likely beyond saving. And he was not even sure that such a thing would have worked anyway.
Over the following weeks, the transformation advanced with slow, methodical certainty. The rubber crept higher along his left arm, embedding itself into his flesh and turning it into rubber. After a week and a half, nearly his entire arm gleamed black and smooth, polished, flexible yet firm.
The change was not constant, but it was relentless. The transformation was occasionally accompanied by various Rubber Demon dreams. After a while, they began to feel natural.
The transformation did not stop at his arm.
By the end of the second week, the rubber had reached his shoulders and begun to spread across his back and chest. The rubber crept onward, covering his entire left pectoral and the left side of his back. Kael could feel the difference. The rubberized areas were stronger, more responsive and sensitive, moving with an unseen efficiency. He didn’t admit, but his balance also felt subtly altered, his posture slightly adjusting more without conscious effort. And, when he moved his rubberized body parts, they made soft, delicate squeaking sounds.
As the black surface expanded, so did the runes.
A faint lattice of symbols appeared beneath the black surface, half-formed and dim, marking his biceps, shoulder, chest, and the center of his back. They seemed dormant, inactive.
By the third week, Kael noticed something that truly shocking.
His transformed left arm was bigger.
Not in a grotesque way but like… perfected. The muscle beneath the rubber had grown denser, fuller, shaped with an almost deliberate symmetry. When he compared it to his right arm, the difference was undeniable. He flexed it experimentally, watching the glossy black biceps rise and harden into a smooth, perfect curve, the surface giving a faint squeak under tension. He didn’t admit, but he got a bit hard down there.
And then there was the scent.
At first it was faint and barely noticeable unless he paid attention. A subtle, rubbery smell that clung to him even after washing. It bothered him for a while. Then, gradually, his reaction shifted. The smell became familiar. Comforting, even. Eventually, it faded into the background of his awareness, as natural as his own breath.
So passed Kael’s days in exile.
But one day, something unexpected happened.
Kael ran into an Order patrol, and this encounter nearly proved fatal.
The patrol leader was none other than Rhane. The moment Kael saw him in the deserted passage, he knew he was in trouble.
- Kael? – Rhane growled, his eagle-sharp eyes flashing as they locked onto him. – Kael!
Kael was no fool. He turned at once and fled. The Legion patrol, however, was quick to give chase.
- Kael! Stop in the name of the Orders! – Rhane’s voice thundered behind him.
But this time, running did not save him. Even retreating into the Sealed Zone was futile, the Legion of the Onceblinking Star pursued him past the border. Unusually for a scavenger, Kael found himself cornered on his own ground, trapped in a hall with only a single exit.
Rhane appeared in the doorway, his leather armour gleaming, blond hair slightly dishevelled from the chase. His voice, when he spoke, was calm and measured.
- Kael. In the name of the Legion of the Onceblinking Star, I am ordered to bring you before Inquisitor Velyr. Alive.
He emphasized the last word with a pointed look.
Kael stood tense, muscles taut like a cornered animal. Rhane studied him.
- If you don’t resist, – he continued, stepping forward, – this will be easier for everyone.
- No, – Kael hissed. – Don’t come any closer.
Rhane did not stop. Instead, he gestured toward Kael’s left arm.
- Kael, look at yourself. You carry the infection. – His voice was firm but not cruel. – You are a danger to others, and to yourself. You should come with us. We will treat you.
Kael shook his head.
- No. You will kill me.
Rhane stopped and fixed his open, clear gaze on Kael.
- I won’t lie to you, – he said. – Yes, we might kill you. In fact, it’s likely. But only after we’ve tried to help you.
Kael felt that the blond soldier wasn't lying. Rhane spread his arms.
- Our duty is to protect the city from Living Rubber. That is our Core. It’s a noble cause, one worth dying for. Please don’t make this harder. Come with us.
But then Kael noticed movement behind the Legion patrol. The Legion members had not.
Kael shook his head.
- I really can’t, Rhane. I don’t trust the orders anymore.
Rhane’s expression darkened.
- Then prepare for force.
Kael saw the movement again, and this time he saw what it was. A full-grown Rubber Demon was advancing toward the entrance. Despite its powerful frame, its steps were quiet, accompanied only by the faint, natural squeak of rubber.
The patrol shifted into an attack formation. Then the Rubber Demon towered behind them. Its strong, muscular torso and slender, commanding build radiated authority. Its glossy black rubber skin gleamed, green runes glowing across its chest, limbs, and lower abdomen. Curved horns rose proudly from its head, and a thick, muscular rubber tail lashed slowly behind it.
The Demon made a loud, attention seeking sound.
The Legion members turned around then recoiled as one. Panic flared in their eyes as they stumbled back, weapons raised and trembling, blades pointed toward the towering figure.
The Rubber Demon spoke.
- Humans. You sealed this area. Therefore, it belongs to us. Leave.
He had a pleasant, melodious voice, which surprised Kael. He would have expected a hoarse roar from a demon, but this individual seemed intelligent, and even normal. It seemed to surprise Rhane as well.
One of the Legion soldiers reacted differently. Overcome by fear, he screamed and charged the Demon, sword raised.
The Rubber Demon moved incredibly fast. His gleaming black muscles tensed, and he delivered a heavy blow to the attacker’s temple. The soldier collapsed instantly, his sword skidding across the stone floor.
The demon fixed his green-burning eyes on Rhane.
- Leave, – he said again. – And take him with you. – He gestured toward the unconscious man.
Rhane’s face was filled with a variety of emotions. The initial shock was first replaced by disgust, then by mild surprise and doubt after the demon’s action.
- W… what? – he asked, awkward and disbelieving, but the demon spoke no more. He simply stood there, motionless, waiting for the Legion to withdraw.
