"The unnatural umbilical cords that I took away to study... Well, I don't know how to explain it, but one of them just caught on fire a few hours ago, all on its own."
This was the incident Surata had rushed over to talk about. Ken trusted the woman quite a bit, but it wasn't to the extent where he would reveal the secrets of the Bloodline Extraction technique to her. So he merely acted the part of a stunned man, trying to visualize the scene she had just described.
"Are you certain that the medicinal fluid you kept the cords in had no problems? I mean, you know those cords aren't ordinary body parts. The runic style inscriptions on them can definitely generate Mana activities and react violently to other magically influenced devices or materials."
Ken's suggestion wasn't unreasonable, but it made Surata turn at him sharply, eyes narrowing like a predator that has sensed prey, exotic, warm-blooded prey.
"For a low level Ordinary Rank Mage, that's quite an erudite conclusion to jump to. Is that just a guess and not a convincing illusion to fool a gullible young lady like me?"
Ken increased the intensity of his feigned amazement and confusion. "First of all, I never said I'm a nobody. Anyone in your shoes could pick out the flaws in that lie. So I have little reason to hide my knowledge where it matters. And secondly, you're no young lady, not even by vampire standards."
A moment of cold silence followed his reply. Surata's gaze didn't leave his face for that period, nor did her eyes blink once until she finally remarked, "Now I'm absolutely sure that you're lying, little boy. If you were as confused and concerned as you're portraying yourself to be, you wouldn't be in the mood to pick out the crass humor in my words. The opportunity to joke about my vanity is the low-hanging fruit I showed you on purpose. Spectacular failure in avoiding the trap, I must say."
"....Since you're so smart, you should be aware of my unwillingness to divulge a word more than what is required, Grandma."
If the last word of his reply bothered Surata, it didn't show on her face. She seemed assured instead by his lackadaisical tone that he wasn't worried about the abnormal incident.
"Good to know that it's not a development that I should treat as a threat. The fire burning on the cord can't be extinguished by normal means. I'm too afraid to use a spell on it lest it should harm your wife and your children. As long as the fire doesn't start damaging the cord, I suppose there is no need for me to inform you? You were the one who wanted every little discovery I make while studying the umbilical cords and the inscriptions on them."
Ken thought about it for a brief second before asking, "Have you brought the cords here with you? I can sense that you've left some backpacks near the mouth of the tunnel."
Surata nodded. "I thought you'd want to see it and try to figure out what's wrong. Nothing's wrong, it turns out."
"Nothing's wrong now, but that doesn't mean nothing won't go wrong later," Ken said. "If you've made the necessary arrangements before leaving the city, you should stay here for a day or two. My intuition tells me that the incident of a cord spontaneously catching on fire is not going to be an isolated development."
The air between them seemed to freeze, turning Surata's face even frostier than before.
"Your intuition tells you that? Do you have an artificial talent for prediction?"
Ken almost choked on his spit. She had skirted dangerously close to the actual answer despite trying to be sarcastic. The silence between them nearly reached the stage to be labeled as uncomfortable, and Ken hurried to remedy it.
"Be my guest if you want to keep guessing. Either way, stay here for the next few days and keep Simm and the children company. Who knows, you might end up guessing the correct answer..."
Surata didn't reply, but she confirmed her agreement to the proposal by simply heading deeper into the tunnel. Relived, Ken snuck out of the tunnel's mouth and dragged her backpacks in as tracelessly as possible. The anthill guarding the tunnel got replaced by a new one, assisted by Ken's remaining ant totems who guided their compatriots to calmly adjust to their new location.
The reason why Ken had tempted Surata into staying over was safety. Surata was a Mutant Rank Vampire with both influence and abilities. If the hideout faced a sudden invasion that Ken or Simm could not stop in time, she would be their last line of defense. She would be forced by her own greed towards their bloodline's secrets. Ken hoped that such a situation would not come, but hope was no more than an indulgence of thoughts. It could not project itself into reality. They had to be prepared for the worst.
Simm didn't appreciate Surata's return as much as she should have, even though Ken explained his plan to use her as their shield. She gave him a cold shoulder instead and returned to her seat beside the sleeping children, watching Surata examine them one by one. Ken had to admit, the way the vampiress looked at their children wasn't very gentle. Her expression during the process would better suit an artificer evaluating his latest inventions.
"How odd! All four of your children were conceived at the same time, but now one of your sons display an age higher than his siblings, physically at least!" Surata remarked casually, while tracking the changes in Ken and Simm's face.
"Seems like the sudden advancement of his age had something to do with the fire burning on the umbilical cord. It's definitely the one he was connected to inside your womb, girlie."
"Not difficult to guess, is it?" Ken said awkwardly.
"No, but what's difficult to guess is the fact that your 'eldest' son now has a physique far superior to his siblings, or any child of his age for that matter. His stats had to have doubled since his birth. There isn't a midwife in Shamrock City who could guess that except for me, lucky you," Surata said, her face breaking into a smug smirk that screamed 'Got You'.