"Still, even if you must rely on yourself, that doesn't mean that your amazing dad can't help you all he can," he said, a smile gracing his face. The tension from our earlier conversation seemed to melt away, replaced by a familiar warmth. "How about you get changed into something more comfortable and we go to the lab?"
I couldn't help but smile at his words. Before he could utter another syllable, I dashed out of the room, careful not to damage anything in my haste. The weight of our impending investment in the city hung in the back of my mind, making me even more cautious than usual.
I reached my room in seconds, approaching the closet with barely contained excitement. I undid the laces of my formal dress, letting it pool at my feet before reaching for a white skirt and shirt. The fabric was softer, more practical – exactly how I liked it. I changed quickly, my enhanced dexterity making the process almost instantaneous.
When I returned downstairs, my father was waiting, a fond smile playing on his lips. "Well then, time to go, I guess?"
We walked across the house, our footsteps echoing in the vast, empty spaces. The further we went, the more I felt the excitement building in my chest. The lab was where the real magic happened, where my father's genius truly shone.
We approached the private elevator, a sleek, metallic construct that seemed out of place in our otherwise classical home. My father placed his hand on a panel, which glowed brightly for a second before a robotic voice rang out:
[Access approved. Arthur Varon, head researcher of Varon Industries.]
A metallic sound resounded as the doors slid open. We stepped inside, and again my father placed his hand on another panel. The voice spoke once more:
[What floor do you wish to go to?]
My dad spoke clearly, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation, whenever science was involved he always acted giddy, like a child. "Floor Phi."
And then we fell.
The sudden drop sent a thrill through me, adrenaline coursing through my veins. We plummeted tens of meters in the span of a few seconds, the speed making my stomach lurch in the most delightful way. I never tired of this sensation – it was like the rush of battle, but condensed into a few exhilarating moments.
Just as quickly as it began, our descent ended. The elevator came to a full stop with barely a jolt – a testament to my father's engineering prowess. The doors slid open, revealing the main science lab in all its glory.
The sight never failed to take my breath away. Giant siphoning cables dangled from the ceiling like metallic vines in some twisted jungle. Monsters of Savage and Colossus rank were encaged, their massive forms barely contained by the energy fields surrounding them. I could feel the raw power emanating from them, making the air thick and heavy.
The beasts' energy was being slowly siphoned, serving the dual purpose of keeping them trapped and powering the lab. Given the current curfew hours for using Apophis' daily energy, I assumed their power was being stored for later use.
"Remind me to allow you access to the lab once we get back home, okay, princess?" my father said.
I nodded, I wasn't really as invested in this as my dad or any of his other coworkers, the simple truth was that I wasn't cut out for this, my true place was either at the forefront of battle or business, not here and I already knew that.
Before I could reply, however, a familiar figure came bounding up to us.
Hector, my father's star pupil, was a sight to behold. At 24, he was already making waves in the scientific community, his brilliance second only to my father's.
He wore a black vest and gloves, his face average but alight with enthusiasm. His tanned skin was splattered with the remains of whatever he had been working on, his black, unruly hair matching his intense dark eyes.
"Hello, professor. Hello, Eli," he said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
"Hello, Hector," I replied, unable to keep a small smile from my own lips. His enthusiasm was infectious, even if I didn't understand why he was always so excited.
My father's voice took on a more serious tone as he addressed Hector. "So, how is it going?"
Hector's smile faltered slightly. "Not well, really. We've run into various problems."
"Yeah, I thought that would happen," my father sighed, running a hand through his hair. He turned to me, his eyes searching my face. "Eli, want to come with us?"
I nodded once more, curiosity piqued. "Yes, father."
We walked along the lab, or at least the Phi section of it. From what I knew, there were ten levels to the lab, and we were currently in the ninth. The implications of that weren't lost on me – this was where the real, groundbreaking work happened.
Engineers bustled about, their focus absolute as they worked on various projects. My father only hired those with a true passion for the work, and those who made it to the ninth level were people he trusted implicitly.
Still, I knew that very few of them actually knew what they were making. That knowledge was reserved for the people of the tenth level – a place I had yet to see.
I looked around to see what some of the engineers were working on, I understood a bit but that was simply because my dad had ingrained the basics of it into my head for when it came to making a sale.
As I kept on looking around my father and Hector came to a stop. They both looked upward, their gazes fixed on something massive looming above us. I followed their line of sight, my eyes widening as I took in the sight.
"It's... big," I said, the words feeling woefully inadequate.
The structure before us looked like a siphon from one of our cables, but it was enormous – tens of meters across. It dwarfed everything else in the lab, a behemoth of metal and wiring.
"Yeah, that's one of the problems," Hector said, scratching his head furiously. It was a habit I'd always seen him do, regardless of time or place. The action left streaks of black, viscous liquid in his already messy hair.
"What exactly is it?" I asked, my curiosity overcoming my usual reserve.
Hector's eyes lit up at the question. "We're trying to make an independent siphon."
"Wait, what?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them, my usual composure cracking in the face of such an outlandish claim.
An independent siphon was said to be impossible. The energy from a beast would simply destroy the siphon if there was nowhere to direct the energy. It was a fundamental law of our technology, or so I'd always been taught.
"You heard that right, princess," my father said, a note of pride in his voice. "Still, we aren't able to make it smaller, and even this one won't be able to take more than the energy from a single Colossus before it blows up."
Hector's brow furrowed as he spoke up. "I still think we shouldn't try to store the energy and simply make it be dispersed into the air."
My father's response was patient but firm. "I know, Hector. You've told me that many times already. I still think this is possible."
Hector ruffled his hair again, his fingers leaving more black streaks in their wake. The frustration was evident something I had also felt whenever I got my ass handed to me while practicing.
I walked closer to the massive siphon, placing my hand on the cool metal surface. The enormity of what they were trying to achieve wasn't lost on me.
After all if they could do this, they could just get the beasts without locking them up for an indefinite amount of time, something that would help since a lot of beasts were disappearing from the region, after all even if they were animals they understood that we Devourers prayed on them.
But as my fingers traced the smooth metal, another thought occurred to me. We no longer had an infinite amount of materials. The mines had dried up. How much more of this could we make? Sure, we repurposed most materials, but some always got used up and couldn't be refurbished.
My mind wandered further, beyond the immediate problems of the lab. What lay beyond the Rock Field? What was beyond the south that we all knew? What kind of beasts would be down there, and how would their blood taste?
The familiar hunger rose within me, the now truest constant in my life, always there, always etching for devouring.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the approach of footsteps behind me. A calloused hand landed on my shoulder, startling me back to reality.
"Princess, you okay?" My father's voice was soft, concern evident in his tone.