"Can you do anything right!?" A dainty fist crashes against a large wooden desk. It belonged to an irate woman dressed in a blazing red colored dress. "I told you in no uncertain terms that the beast must be secured! Do you know how much trouble I went through to get that thing broken out of Tartarus!? Do you know how many favors I spent!?"
"But my Lady!" Pleaded a tubby, big eared hob goblin. Its odd-shaped body was a mixture of muscle and fat under a set of armored mages robes.
Her hands crashed against the desk, pushing her up to lean forward, shortening the distance between them. "But what Gorik!? But what!? What excuse could you possibly have for such a monumental failure!?"
"T-the queen's guard found out about one of the First-stage Ghoul Jars, my lady! They sent… t-they sent J-Jupiter. We had to divert a lot of manpower to clean up the place. It would've been over for us if we hadn't."
"W-what?" She asked disbelievingly, her rage fading like the wind. She fell back into her velvet seat, haunted. "That's impossible. There's no way that pompous mut would personally investigate anything ghoul related; her inflated ego couldn't possibly consider it. The only way she would was if…"
"We believe the queen's on to us, my lady." The hobgoblin uncomfortably finished the thought for her. "Not only did Jupiter raid the first Pot, but w-word is that she even took in a piece of your s-special food. The boy's been registered as a servant of house Dracul."
*Crack* Cracks spread across the desk from where her fingers ruthlessly dug into it.
"My special food…?" She whispered uncomprehendingly. "What special food?"
"Ah, you remember the failed lab rats you wanted fed to the ghouls?"
"Yes…? That was a month ago, I believe." She slowly replied, not liking where the conversation was going. Her right hand moved to hold her left, trying to ease the goosebumps rising on her skin.
"As you request my lady, we've been feeding them to the first stage ghouls, hoping to improve their potential at the earliest stage in their evolutionary cycle. We've been spacing them out to minimize the diminishing returns that come with feeding too many in the same group. The boy that Jupiter rescued was among the final remaining survivors. We were actually planning on removing the repellent ward off his shackles and including him in this group's meals in a few days actually."
The woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was stupidity on a scale beyond anything she'd dreamed possible.
"You're telling me…" She faintly and aggressively whispered, an audible growl in her voice. "…that you left the evidence alive…" As if to emphasize her rage, her crimson eyes glowed with a bloody light.
"M-my lady, we didn't have time to get him out. We were rushing to set up the scene to lead them to a false conclusion. W-we also had to erase a lot of evidence. Lots of damning papers were there. You know, trails to other, more critical facilities and such."
"And the food!? Why the hell was the rat still there in the first place!? I was explicit that I wanted them gone, all of them!!" She roared.
"It's in our reports, my lady!!" He shrieked out, taking a cautionary step back. "We send it to you every day with our plans and schedule!"
His eyes quickly scanned the room and almost immediately found their quarry. "There they are." He pointed at a stack of sealed reports, still enclosed in their original envelopes.
He didn't dare point out the obvious, not that he had to. By the deep breath the woman took and her twitching eyes, he knew she'd caught on. She hadn't read any of them, not that it was a surprise. Nobles had a lot of responsibilities, especially someone as industrious as the countess. Sure, the Gu experiments were important, but she really only had the space to read the final pot reports.
The experiment itself concerned having the ghouls eat a mixture of living victims and each other to produce stronger ghouls. It was similar to how sharks fought in the womb with only the strongest being allowed to live, except ghouls could evolve. Each residence housing a group of ghouls and victims was a pot. The surviving ghouls in the first stage pots would be placed in second stage pots. The same continued until the fifth stage pot, the final stage of the strengthening process.
He long understood that the countess only ever read the reports from the final pot. Those were the only ones that truly mattered and she wasn't one to micromanage. That said, he DID include the details regarding the lab rats into the first stage pot reports; she just didn't read them.
"Urgh…" She groaned, nursing the oncoming headache. With a profound sigh, she looked back up at her subordinate, "Fine, whatever.
She took a deep breath, doing her best to steady her raging thoughts. "Gorik, you know what this means, don't you?"
"That they know about our business dealings with Lucifer's mooks?" He questioningly answered.
"That's right, meaning we can't play it slow anymore." A glint of ruthlessness flashed through her hardened eyes. "If the queen knows of our connection and Jupiter's confirmed it, execution is certain. There will be no second chances."
"B-but, my lady. Couldn't we stall for time by leveraging your connections with the Duke? I'm sure he can stall the proceedings, maybe grant us more time?"
"No…" she replied without hesitation. "Anything related to Lucifer is a hot potato and the Duke isn't yet in the position to make moves of his own. The chances of him honoring our previous agreements are so unlikely, the option's not worth considering."
Her fingers drummed along an unfractured section of the desk. "You said crimson witch was among the witches invited, right?"
"Oh, uh…. Yes, I believe so. Our informants let us know yesterday. She was spotted near wargmen territory."
The room fell into silence as a menagerie of schemes flashed through her brain at lightning speeds. Gorik could only shuffle awkwardly in place as he tried not to upset her further.
"Gorik." She called out after a while.
He jumped to attention. "Yes, my lady?"
"Bring me my official letterhead and prepare our fastest courier. We must be swift."
"On it!" He exclaimed, turning around to fulfill her instructions at his fastest speeds.
The countess didn't acknowledge his leaving, silently plotting her next steps. One thing was for sure, it was do or die.
--- With Leon ---
Leon's eyes dart around as he takes in the new sights. He didn't have much else to do, being strapped down to a moving hospital bed and all. A group of nurses were transferring him to his new quarters in a better hospital. Still effectively paralyzed and bound, the most he could do was to observe the sheer difference in funding between the two institutions.
If the previous hospital reminded him of a poorly funded earthen hospital from the 1980s, this one was the opposite. It was like a mix between a luxurious European palace and a hospital. The hallways were still mostly white, having a marble-like finish instead of old, yellowing tiling, fresh white paint with bronze floral accents covering the walls instead of cheap wallpaper, dark wooden double doors to each room, and much more.
It was ridiculous. Why was there such a gross disparity between the two facilities? Wasn't the other place a hospital too? Actually, from what the nurses while moving him here, this place serves far less people than the other hospital! Why is it so decked out!?
These questions and more passed through his head as shock after shock rocked his already-shattered world view. He didn't voice them though; he'd learnt his lesson from yesterday's conversation.
Suddenly, he was jolted out of his inner turmoil. They'd stopped in front of a larger set of black double doors. Unlike the rest that were different shades of dark brown, this one was much darker and was clearly made of metal. He didn't know what it was, but the atmosphere felt… ominous.
One of the nurses looked down at him with a bright grin. "We're here! Thanks for being so patient. I do have to say though, you're really well connected. This'll be my first time seeing a soul entanglement with my own eyes."
He looked at her as if she'd grown as second head.
"… a what?" he asked, disturbed.
She was all too happy to indulge him. "A soul entangling ceremony. You know, the procedure you're getting. It's amazing, you'll be able to move again, even if it's a little inconvenient. I have heard it's a great way to train young nobles in magic."
The more she talked, the calmer he got. Ignorant he may be, but he wasn't dense. Looking at her excited facial expression, at the very least, this procedure is well-known enough to be exciting and safe enough to not be infamous for negative reasons.
"W-why's that?"
"Magic is very volatile, especially to the untrained. Many scions of nobility are born with exceptional levels of power they're incapable of properly controlling. That can be devastating when you're trying to invoke, hmm… let's say a fire ball."
"Oh…." He muttered understandingly. "Yeah, I can see how that'd be a problem."
The nurse shook her head mirthfully. "You don't know the half of it. There was this noble scion. His family didn't believe this ceremony was a good idea. Hehe~" She let out a creepy chuckle. "My roommate works here you know and told me the story. Apparently, the moment he advanced into the fourth circle and could finally cast real spells, he did something stupid. He was messing around one day and accidentally cast a spell that bound him to a tree. He was learning to suck the life out of one, but he accidentally merged his body with it, tuned the rune wrong apparently. Hah! Kid was airlifted here by his panicked father who pled with us to separate his heart from the tree."
"T-that can h-happen!?" He practically screamed in terror. "I-I thought magic was s-supposed to be e-easy!?"
His mind briefly flashed to the little girl he'd met at the facility.
"It's so easy Leo! It's like moving my hand." She played with a little ball of lightning like it was a beachball, completely defying the laws of physics.
"That's so cool! Can I do that too!?" He excitedly shouted, mesmerized by the phenomenon.
She gave a firm nod while putting her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. "Of course you can! I'll teach you!"
She never got the chance. It was later that day that ended their time together.
He broke out of his trip down memory lane when the other nurse shook his shoulder with visible concern.
"Are you you OK?" She worriedly asked. She looked up at the other. "Rua, I told you to mind your words."
"What~ how's it my fault Steph? I'm just telling him what he's won!" The passionate nurse argued.
"It's your fault because you triggered his episode. He was doing just fine until you told him how he could turn himself into a bloody tree."
"I-it's fine. I e-enjoyed it. Just… I just remembered a friend." He explained through his torn throat and memory-induced pain. He needed this information. He couldn't let their babying him prevent Rua from explaining it to him, especially if part of it will explain what'll happen to him in that room. "S-so you said m-magic was dangerous?"
"It definitely can be!" Rua exclaimed immediately, as if her fellow nurse's comment hadn't been said. "That noble kid will be a tree forever; there just isn't a way to return him to a pure state of being. He had to do what you're about to now actually. If he's studious though, his father mentioned he could become a dryad." She shook her head disappointedly. "Regardless though, he can no longer inherit his father's title. Their house's inevitable battle for succession ended before it began."
"B-because he's a tree?" He asked incredulously.
'If he's skilled enough to turn himself into a tree person, why wouldn't they want him to lead? I mean, I don't know how hard it is, but I doubt it's easy. Changing one's biology would need years of study from a knowledge perspective at least.'
"Because his blood wouldn't be pure. Dryads are their own species with their own DNA. I don't know the details, but rumor is becoming one changes you completely. For that kid, no matter what he does from now on, he's no longer a pure blood. He can't even reproduce with vampires anymore. While female dryads can reproduce with any humanoid race, males can only produce with their kind."
"Why's that?" He asked.
"Because they don't have…" Rua twiddled her thumbs. "… you know, sperm. They use pollen."
He found his eyes slackening as feelings of empathy welled up in his breast. "….oh…" Was all he could say.
'Is that why you never hear about male dryads in books?' He shivered at the prospect of having his 'little brother' taken away.
Before the conversation could go any further, the black metal doors opened to reveal an older gentleman wearing a white tuxedo with a red bow tie. Aside from the pale skin, his most notable features were his sharp, murky red eyes, his well-groomed goatee, and his prominently strong jaw.
He looked down at Leon's bound form, treating the nurses as if they weren't present. "Good day sir. Are you Mr. Brown?" The man curtly asked.
"Y-yeah, I am." The boy replied without thought.
*Thump* His head was smacked.
"Ouch." He turned to Steph, the sterner nurse, outraged. "What the hell lady?"
Steph didn't look at him, instead focusing her gaze on the older gentleman. "Count Lott. I apologize on this idiot's behalf. He's a boy ignorant of our people's customs."
'What…?' Leon nearly jumped in surprise. 'This man's a noble!? And a Count at that!?'
He didn't know the rankings of the nobility, but a count had to be high, right? It's one of the ones he remembered after all. Why was a person so important a doctor?
"He's excused. Jupiter informed me of his circumstances. She already notified me of his lack of decorum."
Leon was a little hurt how little faith his two new friends had in him. Their hands clamping his shoulders spoke volumes of what they expected of him. Were they right? Yes. Did he think himself capable of handling this situation without them? Probably not. Was he still 'hurt'? Absolutely.
The man briefly glanced at him again and turned to walk back into the room. The nurses followed without a word. While they pushed his bed, Rua placed her hand over Leon's mouth, preventing him from asking any questions.
She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Chill guy. Just bear with us until we're done. Count Lott is a powerful man and is known for his impatience for anything outside of his research. He makes no attempts to hide that the only reason he's here is for the promised research funds, and even then, he's turned people away for less than what you just did, without giving a refund. I'd thank that sponsor of yours for whatever she did to make him this agreeable. Just stay quiet and follow instructions. Got it?" She turned her head to look him in the eye, just to better convey her point.
He nodded, prompting Rua to give a content one of her own and release him.
Without that distraction, he turned his gaze to the surrounding room.
Unlike the pristine white walls he expected, these were dark grey. The floor was a dark slate that was engraved with a massive spell circle with six smaller circles within. The same could be seen on the black metal walls and ceiling, though these spell circles weren't so much as carved, but shallowly engraved.
"Put him in the center." The count commanded, though seeing them push him in, he clarified patronizingly. "Without the bed."
""Our apologies sir."" The two quickly replied with a bow.
Rua backed up from the chair, tightened her eyes to focus, raised her hand towards Leon's lying form, and whispered, "Rise…"
He felt an odd sensation wash over him as he was slowly lifted into the air. No one held him, nor did he see a colorful film surrounding him. He was just levitating. If he wasn't looking directly at Rua who cast the spell, he'd have been tripping.
Rua slowly lifted him to the center of the spell matrix, while her fellow nurse moved the bed back to the entrance.
While they did so, Count Lott walked to a corner of the room and grabbed a life-sized puppet. It was relatively short, being only about five feet tall. It lacked any discernable features. In a way, it was just as much of a person as could be without specific identifiable features, a solid silhouette. Outside of that, the skin looked like human flesh. It did have its gaps; the joints weren't nearly as filled in. The ball joints were clearly visible, betraying the lie of its existence.
Lott's irises glowed to a brighter crimson as he lifted the puppet to the ceiling. Bolts of electricity arced around and pooled together to form a small electric sphere above his hand. He shot it, nailing the puppet to the ceiling, a bit of artificial magnetism to keep the puppet secure.
"Now. Back away." He commanded, prompting Rua to jog away to the edge of the room.
He briefly considered sending them out as he would normally for the help, but they'd been a great help in minimizing what was definitely a troublesome patient.
'So long as they stay quiet, they can stay.' He quietly concluded, not bothering to inform them of the conditions; he didn't need to anyways.
"Listen well boy!" He raised his voice, seizing the boy's full attention. "I'll only explain this once, so listen carefully."
He pointed at the puppet above. "This will be your body for the foreseeable future. What I will be doing is projecting a mirror… a copy of your soul into that doll. I will then entangle the two to bridge them together. No matter the distance, you will always have access to this body, though your awareness can only dwell in one at a time." He paused to let his words sink in.
His eyes hardened. "A warning though." He warned with a gravitas that demanded Leon's respect, not that he was lacking any of it by now. "These souls are entangled, so just as your consciousness is tied between the two, so is life and death. If one dies, so will the other. Do NOT play around with this second body."
Leon shivered as he realized the implications of the man's statement. Rua'd just explained how kids learning magic used these. He can imagine some getting overly brash thinking this body as a spare, disposable. But, while permanent mutilation was unlikely, it sounds like death wasn't.
"Now. No one speaks. This will be a delicate process." Lott ordered. He took a deep breath and stretched his senses to the different spell circles in the room, which all glowed in a bloody light. A hum permeated the room as four of the six circles, the ones on the walls, began to spin in place, or at least the glowing energy did.
A strong gripping sensation seized Leon's chest. His brows furrowed. He really didn't like where this was going.
He couldn't have prepared himself for what came next. 'Is this supposed to feel… ooAAAHAHHH!!!!"
His screams were legendary.