...I should chase after her.
She can't have gone that far. Maybe a few streets away, barely a handful of Sonido's worth of distance. I could catch up in just a few seconds.
I won't, though. I still don't know how much of what she said was true, or if any of it even happened. Familicide, her own people slaughtered, and Lord Bael gave her a job on the spot? It seems absurd, but given how much leeway he's given me, I'd wager he's got a knack for playing the long game.
I can certainly see Daimadosu making that offer, at least. A vulnerable family, desperate for approval, for status - the perfect victims. Or would he? Maybe he wouldn't even make the offer. Maybe he'd take her by force.
Again, there's too much haze around her. Worse still is the fact that I find my intrigue only growing now. I want to know more, to find the truth, to see what pieces of her are real and fake. That said, I'm not in the mood to play her games.
I'm sure the General will know a thing or two about Roygun's history given his prior distaste down in the Sublevels. I won't sit here and play the mouse to her cat, let myself be led along in some charade.
...There's also the chance that everything is real. That she's a scared, lonely victim of her own desperation, hopelessly seeking out some form of sympathetic friendship, and I'm too lost in my own paranoia to help her.
Maybe this is what she was trying to warn me about. No, I shouldn't play dumb, it absolutely is. She read me like a book, saw through every word I spat out like a bloody monkey.
Truthfully I should be mad she put me in that situation. She tried to pry the secrets I kept from my own lips, but I can only find frustration with myself. Like a bloody fool, I fell for the trap, lost my temper in such a fantastical manner I almost think it were a dream, that I was placed under a spell.
She played me like a damn fiddle.
Right, I need to stop thinking about Roygun. I'm only going to run my mind around in circles if I keep at it, and by the end of the day I'll have gotten nothing done. Easier said than done, sure, but it's not like I can go talk to her about it. I highly doubt she'll want to see me any time soon, if ever.
What else was on the agenda? Right. Galedwin. Sirzechs had wanted me to go visit the place, one of the few hospitals the Underworld actually has. What were the words he used? 'You shouldn't forget about the small things.' I think.
Seems like he's once again trying to boost my reputation. As if Cain's Throne wasn't enough, he wants me to be seen as a hero of the people, a healer of the sick, a miniature Jesus- fuck! Forgot about the damn Curse.
Gathering my thoughts away from how I'd love to strange Uriel, I finally get up from the elevator, ignoring the odd looks I get from Devils who'd watched me sit in silence for the last minute or so as I walk through the doors to the High Court.
The second I come face to face with Lilith proper once more though, I quickly realise that I have no idea where I'm going. All I can do is just wander around through the bustling streets and hope I see something resembling a hospital.
...would've been real damn helpful if I still had Roygun with me.
Ah well. I'll find it eventually. In the meanwhile, there's a few things I want to look at, specifically involving the Store. I've gotten a fair bit of CEL over the last few days, and I want to see how the finances are looking.
Current CEL: 893,000
...fucking dreadful. Selling the Talon left me with, what, 870-something? The growth certainly leaves a lot to be desired, though that is to be expected. I've not killed many people nor leveled up much these last few days.
The Precursor's Eye haunts me in the Store like a bad memory, taunting me. I thought I'd have it within a few days, but at the current rate it'll take weeks. I don't want to do it, but I feel I'm left with no choice.
Kyoka Suigetsu: 1,080,000 CEL
Maybe it was silly of me to hold onto it for so long, clinging to the hope that I'd one day break the System's restrictions and attain a Shinigami bloodline. At least it'll make for some damn good CEL.
Making the mental command, I watch as Kyoka Suigetsu dissolves from my Inventory, CEL flowing freely into my account shortly after as my smile-
"Woah!"
A sudden interruption, an accidental collision on the walkway. I'd gotten so lost in my financial revelry that I barely caught sight of the woman walking ahead of me.
Focusing back on reality and brushing aside the System, I see the woman on her ass, cheeks burning with embarrassment as she collects herself. Naturally, I offer a hand after she just fell like a sack of potatoes by my own doing.
"Thanks, Mister!" She beams, eagerly grasping my hand and lifting herself up. After brushing herself down, she winks at me, then walks away.
I'm almost content to leave things there, a strange interaction brought about by carelessness, but something about her seemed... off. Almost faded. Hazy, even. The only thing I can remember about her is blonde hair, and I saw her less than five seconds ago. Something's not right.
Just as I think to turn around, I notice something embedded in my cuff. A tightly folded envelope. Light fingers must've placed these here in the fraction of a second my hand was out of view.
Grabbing the letter, I turn back and try to catch sight of this enigmatic woman, only to be met with nothing. Not even a trace of her Mana was left behind. She's vanished.
...alright then. Someone clearly wants to talk to me, enough to warrant some bizarre mind-fuckery just to get a letter to me.
The question of just who would be so desperate to talk lasts barely a second as I look at the envelope. Emblazoned across the front is a gleaming, red emblem.
The Crest of House Phenex.
Suddenly any motivation I may have had to read it disappears in an instant, and I decide to shelve it until after my business at Galedwin. The Phenex are my competition, after all. If they want to talk, they can wait.
Now I just need to find the damn building.
------------------------------------
It took a while, and the thankful help of a Devil roaming the streets that happened to recognise me, but I finally found it. Galedwin Memorial Hospital. I'd wager this is the building that'll eventually be renamed in Serafall's honour come a few hundred years time.
At least, hopefully will. This timeline is already fucked up enough that the common man thinks Serafall is a warmongering maniac. Worse than that is the fact that they aren't wrong either.
As I'd mentioned prior, there's not many hospitals in the Underworld. Given that any Clan could heal away injury with a simple Phenex Tear, they served mostly as healing houses for the common folk.
Until the war started, that is. Now, they're full of wounded soldiers with a tough decision in front of them. Tear or no Tear. If you can't afford a Tear, all you'll get it White Magic, which is, simply put, shit compared to what the Phenex can offer.
Of course, since the Satanihilus is formed of mostly Clan Devils and the blood is precious, the Phenex are making bank off of these wounded men. Exploiting the sick and needy for financial gain. A depraved, but seemingly quite effective business strategy.
That's where I come in. My role is no doubt to do the Hospitals job for them, heal all the sick and wounded and move on to the next. The Phenex are already too deep in business with the Satanihilus and the Gremory to pull out, and will have no choice but to lower their prices dramatically to try and keep up with my cheaper labour.
The War's already so blatantly lost for Lucifaad that taking their business there in retaliation would simply be suicide. Even with the Tears on Bidleid's side, my presence evens the odds enough that it would have no impact.
I've become the noose with which the Phenex must hang themselves, and it almost certainly explains their... desperation to have a little chat with me. They want to talk shop, make a deal that we can both benefit from.
Either that, or they want to assassinate me. Might be the first time that's an actual possibility and not a paranoid delusion. Maybe I should bring Grayfia with me to meet them, just to be sure.
Thoughts of my own imminent assassination aside, the Galedwin Memorial Hospital is astonishingly large. Big enough that I'm actually impressed I didn't catch sight of it sooner. A giant building with thousands of windows top to bottom, pointing towards the sky.
If only it were painted white, or had anything to actually denote it as being a fucking Hospital. Would a Red Cross really be so hard to paint on? Hold on, when was the Red Cross even made?
Right. Sidetracked again. Seems like keeping myself focused is growing harder with each day.
The double doors leading into the building make way to a pristine reception, the interior an odd mix of blue and grey. The familiar sterile smell of a hospital brings back... unpleasant memories.
Swallowing down my own reminiscence, I make my way towards the seating area and wait for the reception to be free. Sure, I could cover the building in a Circle of Life and be done in an instant, but making the Phenex wait hours before I even read their letter while I heal each patient individually?
Can't put a price tag on that.
Plans now made, I lift my ankle to rest on my knee and go back to the System's infinite menus and screens, idly ripping Gacha Tokens and Skill Tokens. Patients passing through seemingly recognise me, small hope blooming in their eyes as they walk by.
I pay them no mind as I continue to gamble away hopelessly.
Gacha Token Used: 1953 Newspaper!
Gacha Token Used: Second hand glasses!
Gacha Token Used: Sandals!
...right. I remember now why I stopped bothering with standard Gacha Tokens. Should've just combined them to an EX.
EX Skill Token Used!
Silencio: User can 'take' the noise from a 2 meter area and render it completely silent, both from the inside and outside. 5MP Cost.
Huh. Surprisingly cheap for such an interesting skill. Granted, it's nothing for visibility, only sound. Worth an EX though?
EX Skill Token Used!
Blood-Starved Beast: User Heals 500HP for every 1ml of Blood they consume. Does not work for User's own blood. Drinking blood grants the User Overhealing if HP is full.
I get the distinct feeling my system is trying to turn me into a fucking vampire. I don't even have the fangs for it. Only way I can get use out of this Skill is if I... I dunno, stab someone and take a quick sip.
Or I could try something with my own blood, use it to cut open a man and ferry his blood into my own system, but I'm not a fan of getting Hep C. If a Devil even can.
Do we have things like STI's down here? Nobody practices safe sex, not when the birth rates are this low, so is everyone just going around with syphilis and-
"Alistair?"
Breaking me free from my own thoughts, a voice I admittedly don't recognises calls out from across the reception, an older man's. Looking up, I see a vaguely familiar face having just walked through the double doors leading into the patient's rooms, dark hair and blue eyes.
"Do I know you?" I ask, studying his features for just a moment before the resemblance hits me like a truck, a certain Devil General coming to mind.
"Right. I forget we haven't spoken yet. Silas Sitri, Lord of the Sitri Clan, at your service. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, young man." He says, bowing for a moment as he smiles at me.
"Now, what brings you to my humble hospital? I don't imagine you're here for a check-up, are you?" He adds, laughing at his own joke, walking over to shake my hand in greeting as he does so.
"Not quite. My business here is more altruistic than you'd expect." I mutter, suddenly very uncomfortable now that I know I'm speaking with Serafall's dad, my smile crooked and askew.
"Is that so?" He says, "Well, if it's important I'd rather it be away from prying eyes. My office isn't far, come on."
I can do nothing as he leads me forward, assaulted with memories of all the... frankly fucked up things that have happened between Sera and I. Does he know? Is that good? Bad? What the hell am I supposed to do in this situation?
All I do is simply stay silent as he leads me into the room, the office nothing short of bare. Only a few pictures of family dotted across the wall, a framed photo on the desk and a veritable stack of papers beside it.
Lord Sitri stays surprisingly quiet the whole time, moving over to sit at his desk and offer me the seat opposite. Ignoring how familiar this act feels yet again, I take the offered seat and do my best to get comfortable.
Just as I try and say something about what I planned to do here, about the work I wanted to put myself to, Silas cuts me off and does something I hadn't expected.
"Before you say anything, Alistair... I want to apologise to you. On behalf of Serafall, and the entirety of the Sitri Clan."
"...what?" I ask, utterly fucking flabbergasted by this turn of events.
With his head hanging and looking surprisingly anguished, I realise quickly that Silas' jovial mood was hiding something.
"She told us almost everything that happened during your stay at our abode. Both the good, and the bad. Whatever apologies she gave, it wasn't enough."
Out of my depth and having no clue how to respond, I simply raise my hands and try to assure him that I've moved on. Mostly.
"There's nothing to apologise for, Lord Sitri. Despite the... brutal nature of our training, I can't deny that without it I'd have been a dead man. I'm almost tempted to thank her for it these days."
His eyes wilt even further at my words.
"You shouldn't have had to in the first place. You- you're damn near a child, fighting a war you had no stake in. You should be learning at the Academy, nurturing your mind in the safety of the city, but instead my daughter turned you into her own pet project."
Alright well when you put it like that I feel like I've been used a bit. More than I already do, at least.
"I assure you, Lord Sitri. I don't need the apology. Despite how unhealthy it may seem, I owe everything I have to her. My life, my status, my... partner. The positives far outweigh the negatives."
He runs a hand along his head, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"There should be no negatives in the first place. You were a guest of my house, an innocent young man. You shouldn't have been anywhere near the battlefield." He mutters.
"I'd already killed two men before I even met her. To say I was innocent is generous. Besides, thanks to her I found my own dream, my purpose."
He turns his head slightly, a brow raised in confusion.
"Your dream?" He echoes.
"Yes." I say, smiling for a moment before I continue speaking.
"The end of the Beelzebub bloodline. That is my dream. Every night I lose sleep thinking about the fact that he still draws breath. I find myself frothing at the mouth at the mere idea of ending his miserable life, of putting him down like the vermin he is. The simple thought of wrapping my hands around his neck and ever so slowly wringing the life from him, watching as those thousand lenses in his eyes painfully close one by one, the light fading from his being as he sees the lowly Demi-fiend take everything he holds dear... It brings me greater satisfaction than a thousand whores ever could. His blood, his position, I could care less for it. All I have wanted, and all I ever will want, is Bidleid's head mounted upon my blade for all to see."
By the time I finish speaking, I find my hands wrapped around an invisible neck and my teeth gritted. Seems I lost myself in the moment slightly. Clearing my throat, I pull my arms back.
"You say I have no stake in this war, that I should've never been dragged into it. I disagree, Lord Sitri. This war is the single best thing that ever happened to me."
Silas suddenly can't meet my eyes. He looks ashamed to see what Serafall made of me, his words tinged with remorse as he looks at me like a tragic story.
"Then you are lost. Just like her." He mutters, almost imperceptible. Almost.
"You think your daughter as being lost?" I ask, suddenly far more interested, my question catching the Lord Sitri off guard.
He shuffles for a moment, thinking to try and make up some excuse. Logic wins out against reluctance, and lo, he speaks.
"Don't be mistaken, Demi-fiend. I love my daughter, more than anything else in this world. I just..." He struggles to find the proper words, stumbling over himself for a moment.
Eventually, he sighs, hanging his head once more.
"I swore off violence after the Great War. It wasn't until I realised that I'd lost count of the number of lives I'd taken that I made that decision. I felt hollow. Like a shell of a man. Pieces of myself had been torn away in the face of senseless violence, hatred burning away the things that made me whole."
He spends a moment to look at his own hands, scars lining the tips of his fingers to his knuckles. Phenex Tears don't leave scars. He let his wounds heal naturally.
"I felt distant. The people around me, the world I lived in... it all felt so far away. It took years for me to come to terms with what I'd done, and then suddenly Serafall was born. I never expected I'd be a father. I didn't deserve the honour."
He laughs morosely, a brief lull in his monologue.
"She was the best thing that happened to me. In her, I found redemption. A chance to atone for all the things I'd done. I raised her to be kind, to be caring. Taught her everything I knew about magic, not for the sake of her own desire, but for the sake of protecting others."
His eyes meet mine for the first time in several long minutes.
"Then the Massacre happened. I still remember it clearly. When the news first broke out, I was almost crying with relief that she had been one of the few survivors... but I was wrong. We were all wrong."
He rests his hand on the table, the limb shaking slightly.
"My daughter died that day. Something else took her place. Something wicked."
I see now why Serafall lost herself to hatred if this is what her support circle looked like. This pathetic excuse of a man, abandoning his daughter when she needed him most.
"I had to watch her grow worse, day by day. A brief smile when talking about the War. An eagerness to find the next battlefield. A hunger to pulverise her enemies. She used my magic, my lessons, on her campaign of bloodshed. By the end of the first year, I could barely stand to look at her."
His eyes glance to the framed photo at his side, a picture of a much younger Serafall, barely ten years old. She smiles toothily as she shows a recently caught fish to the camera, an older woman at her side holding her shoulders.
The sight leaves me frustrated in a way I can't possibly describe. She wasn't always like this. She was once just an innocent young girl with dreams of grandeur and hope for the future. The sheer fucking audacity Silas has, to ostracise her for wanting vengeance and retribution, is sickening.
"It's been almost 7 years since then. I still speak with her from time to time, but I can never meet her eyes. I'm scared to see what she's become. This war took my daughter, made something worse of her. Something hollow. Something I know all too well."
The words tumble free from my lips, a kneejerk response to his speech.
"You're pathetic. A sorry excuse of a father."
He doesn't deny my words, taking them like a shot to the heart as he winces. Seeing his lack of response, I stand from my seat and make my way towards the exit, not before letting him know my intentions.
"I'll be going room to room healing all your patients. Don't bother with payment. I don't want your money."
Just when I think he's said enough, as my hand reaches the door handle, Silas speaks up one last time.
"Alistair."
Sighing, I turn and meet his gaze, only to find myself startled by the steel in them, my hand paused mid-motion.
"Don't end up like me. Don't you dare go hollow. Do you hear me?" He damn near shouts, his hand no longer shaking.
"...Yes, Lord Sitri. I hear you." I say, taking heed of the only useful thing he's said today.
I leave the office no less than a second later. I can't bear to be in the same room as him.
------------------------------------
Going from room to room is surprisingly relaxing. I don't stay for long, only exchanging a few words before casting a Prayer and moving onto the next, but the joy on the patient's faces is enough for me.
Sometimes there's a family of people in the room alongside them. Sometimes they're alone. They thank me all the same. I have to physically pull my hand back each time a Devil offers me Sol as recompense, struggling against every desire I have.
It does wonders for taking my mind off of Silas, at least. Just thinking back on our little chat has my fist clenching reflexively, a scowl forming on my face.
Taking a deep breath and regaining my composure, I move to the next room ahead of me. I'm only just on the third floor, with many more to go, but I've no plans for stopping soon.
Just as I open the door though, I find myself shocked by a sudden alert from the System.
Companion Quest: Coincidence? Has been initiated!
Rewards: 750EXP, 1500 CEL, ???'s Respect
...a Companion Quest? Here?
Looking inside the room, I see nothing of note. A sleeping man, not much younger than me by the looks of it, laying on the hospital bed. No family nearby, only a single card at his side.
Thinking nothing of it, I walk into the room, the sudden sound of the door closing rousing the young man from his slumber.
He lifts himself from the bed, short black hair falling around his pale face as he blinks for a moment, before smiling in recognition. His body looks... thin. Frail. His green eyes shine with a determination his body can't hope to keep up with.
"No way, they never mentioned I'd be meeting the Demi-fiend today!" He shouts, excitement teeming through his every word.
Before I can respond, I take notice of something. A peculiar scent, which instantly clocks in my mind. It's one I should be intimately familiar with after all.
The smell of a Half-Devil.
Suddenly far more invested in this conversation, I take a seat at his bedside.
"You know me?" I ask. His smile only grows.
"You kidding? You're the reason I joined the Satanihilus! You're an inspiration to us half-breeds!" He says, giddy.
"I've only been famous for all of three days. Seems like you were just looking for a reason to fight the war to begin with." I respond, stifling a laugh.
He puffs his chest up in pride, unashamed of how meager it looks beneath the gown.
"Of course I was! This is a chance for us lowborn to prove ourselves, to show them all that we're more than what they say we are!"
His optimism is almost inspiring, and so to is his confidence.
"So that's why you joined the War? To show the world they were wrong about us?"
He suddenly looks embarassed, unable to meet my eyes as he blushes. Mumbling something under his breath, I barely catch it.
"Well, that and my Ma said it'd help me get famous and find a wife for myself. Figured it's the best chance I got."
I fail to stifle my laughter this time, laughing at the irony that the war has been surprisingly helpful for finding myself a wife. Soon to be wife. Will one day be wife.
"Well, I can say with certainty that it helps with the ladies. These days, I'm having to fight them off with a stick." I say, smiling.
His eyes light up at the mere idea, looking at me as though I were a god.
"Really?!" He beams.
"No. The only women in my life are either trauma victims or psychopaths. Usually both. Not that I'm complaining."
His excitement dims down in an instant, his body almost deflating at the idea. Seeing him now, I can't help but wonder if this was the 'small thing' Sirzechs wanted me to find. Did he plan this, or was it a coincidence?
"Say, Demi-fiend sir, what's your name?"
...what?
"You know my title, you know about me, but you don't even know my name?" I ask, astonished and impressed.
Embarassed, he splutters for a moment.
"W-well, nobody outside the cities ever really uses your name! They just call you the Demi-fiend. Either that, or the Half-breed. Or the Demi-fraud. Depends on who you ask, really."
I can't help but snort slightly at Demi-fraud. At least the Loyalists still have a good naming convention, not that they'll ever top Whorefrost.
"Well, since you asked so kindly, my name is Alistair. Yours?" I ask, offering a hand.
He takes it with a toothy grin.
"Cassius. Cassius Alban. Don't bother remembering it, cause soon it'll be all over the Underworld!" He shouts.
"I'll keep that in mind, Cassius. You've given me a lot to look forward to." I respond, standing from the seat and moving to the foot of the bed.
"Heh, you should be scared Demi-fiend! I'll take your title as the strongest half-Devil before you realise it!"
This time, my smile is slightly morose. My power isn't organic. It's borne of the System. I've given him the false hope that he could one day be like me, and yet... I can't bring myself to say that. To admit that his journey is a hopeless one.
I don't want to take away his determination.
"I'll be waiting for the day. Prove to me you're more than just talk."
He places a hand to his bicep, lifting his arm to flex the muscle as he grins like a child.
"Yeah, keep underestimating me! I'll sweep you up in no time, buddy!"
His enthusiasm is almost infectious. Not wanting to spend the rest of the day here though, I lift my hand and let the Abyss Flower dangle freely, the Prayer healing him of his ailment.
Instantly I notice his skin grow slightly more coloured, his pallor disappearing in the blink of an eye. Sadly, his withered frame stays the same. It seems that's normal for him.
"Better get to training, Cassius. You're burning daylight." I mutter, grinning.
His vigor renewed, the young half-devil mashes down on his nurse call button, eager to leave the stuffy hospital, not thanking me to 'stay in the spirit of competition.'
Maybe it's cruel of me, to give him this false hope. I just couldn't bear to tear him down. He reminded me of someone.
Companion Quest: Coincidence? Has been completed. Prerequisite for Companion Quest: Green With Envy has been unlocked.
------------------------------------
By the time I'm finally finished, hours have already long since passed. I half expect to see the sun setting when I leave the building, only to be met with the stark reminder that there is no sun.
It's always strange to think about. Even now, as I find myself in this dark alleyway outside Galedwin Memorial, I stare at the sky. The sun, the moon, they just aren't here.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
A voice suddenly speaks out from behind me, the sound giving me enough of a fright that I jump, drawing Thorn and aiming at the speaker on sheer instinct.
Instead of a would be assailant, I'm only met with the raised brow of one Ajuka Astaroth, a lab coat draped over him as he stands with arms folded.
"Am I supposed to be impressed with your latest toy, Alistair?"
Dropping Thorn to my side and heaving a breath, my heart rate returning to normal ever so slowly, I make sure to announce my frustration.
"What the fuck was that, Ajuka? You take up stalking as a hobby these days?"
He brushes my own annoyance aside with a gesture of his hand.
"I'm sure the great Demi-fiend can handle a bit of a fright. This meeting of ours is nothing but a coincidence, anyways." He says, suddenly focusing on Thorn after a second viewing.
"Come to think of it, that is quite the interesting toy you've gotten your hands on." He mutters, eyes fixed on it.
Much to his chagrin, I dismiss the weapon, ignoring the way he deflates slightly.
"A coincidence? You'll have to forgive me for not believing you when you say that."
We're in dark alleyway, disconnected from the main streets and utterly devoid of life. I'd only come to relax for a moment and enjoy the silence but it seems I can't even have that anymore.
"Believe what you want, Alistair. I was merely hoping to get my recent shipment of subjects, and happened to stumble into you. An accident, but a happy one nonetheless."
His words give me pause, any thoughts I'd had halted entirely.
"Subjects?" I ask, taking intimate notice of the drops of blood that line his otherwise pristine white coat.
"Yes. Subjects. Not live, of course. Only the dead. Any Loyalists that are captured are nursed to health and put to work. Those that die in the process are given to me."
Again, his words give me pause, a sudden sense of familiarity taking over.
"Put to work? In what, labour camps?" I say, laughing slightly at the absurdity.
"Yes. Right alongside the low class criminals and dregs of the Underworld. It's a waste killing them, after all. They've got millenia's worth of life in them yet, life that can be put to much better use."
...cultural differences, Alistair. Cultural differences. Can't look at the Underworld with a human lens, no matter how fucked up it may be.
Come to think of it, Zekram mentioned something like this, a lifetime ago in the High Court. I'd been so focused on Cain's Throne at the time that I forgot he even said anything about them.
Deciding to not dwell on the matter of just how little the Underworld has in terms of Devil Rights, I instead choose the shift to another topic entirely.
"What could you possibly need dead subjects for anyways?" I ask, leaning against the wall now.
"Experiments." He starts, as though it were the simplest answer in the world.
"Unlocking the secrets of life and death is harder than one might think. A cadaver is beyond useful for this project of mine."
Growing interested, I try to ignore the way Ajuka's Kankara Formula seems to flicker in the air, as if he were trying to summon Thorn back by force.
"And just what is this project of yours, Ajuka? Fancy yourself a regular Dr. Frankenstein?" I joke, grinning somewhat at the mental image.
"If this Dr. Frankenstein you speak of dabbled in raising the dead, then yes, I do fancy myself one."
...the fuck?
"How do you even go about something like that? Where the hell did you get the idea?" I shout, both astonished and perturbed.
"It's only a natural thought to have when faced with a population crisis like ours. As for the method..." He trails off, eyes scanning me up and down for a moment.
"Why not." He mumbles, a hand over his chin. "I'm sure a man of your talents could prove quite useful for this experiment."
He straightens up suddenly, smiling.
"The methodology would be far too difficult to properly explain without a visual reference. You and I have some unattended business anyways, so I hope you won't be against an impromptu visit to the lab."
"I mean, I had plans to speak with the Phenex today, and-"
I barely get a chance to start wording my escape route before his hand clamps down hard on my shoulder. Not as a threatening gesture, no, but in sheer excitement.
"I'm glad to hear it, Alistair."
Secret Companion Quest: Lab Assistant has been initiated!
I can only sigh as my fate is sealed, the awkward walk out of the city feeling a thousand times longer as we breach the teleportation barrier several minutes later. The whole time, Ajuka looks positively giddy, muttering to himself constantly.
At least I might learn something from this. Who knows, maybe I'm about to witness the first trial runs of the Evil Pieces. Now that would certainly be interesting.