Marian charged out from the doorway, his powerful body shoving aside the congested crowd. He apologized to The Emperor, then drew the heavy, metal-edged Book of Holy Words from his waist and swung it.
The Book of Holy Words was even larger and more cumbersome than the bricks most commonly found in the lower levels. No one who saw it could ignore this terrifying weapon.
"Thank you, Marian."
Sha Si clutched a filthy child tightly in her arms. He did not seem to be injured; only her long dress had gathered some dust that did not belong there.
"What happened here? You shouldn't be so hostile toward a doctor."
"Oh, come on! She's holding a mutant! Everyone knows mutants carry viruses. She'll get us all killed!"
"I don't! You can't say that!" the child shouted at the crowd, allowing Marian to see his face.
His face was covered in tumors and hard growths, making Marian briefly forget what a person was supposed to look like.
"Miss Sha Si, you should..."
"What? You think I should abandon him too? Why won't you listen to what he has to say? He's just a child. He only wants to find a doctor to save his mother!"
Marian looked into Sha Si's furious eyes. He knew what he ought to say: mutants were impure humans, and the Throne would not protect impure humans.
But as he looked at Sha Si's angry eyes, at the way she knelt amid the crowd while holding the child tightly, Marian sighed. He did not know why he could never bring himself to be cruel to Sha Si.
"We should've slaughtered every mutant back then! Then you wouldn't have come up here to spread your disease to us!"
A man carrying a shovel tried to strike the mutant child,