Eternal Undying Chronicles

Chapter 48 The Labs

Alicarde's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the harsh white light that illuminated the room. He found himself inside a transparent capsule, the cold glass encasing him in a sterile, high-tech prison.

His body felt odd—light as a feather, yet heavy at the same time. A low, almost inaudible droning sound filled the air, making it hard to focus.

A strange shift in his perception unsettled him, as if he were floating, his body creating its own center of gravity, independent from the earth. The alien sensation gave him a mild feeling of vertigo, coupled with the lingering weakness in his limbs. Though the burning sensation of the Whitewood ash still remained, it was far less intense than before.

Something was wrong inside his head too, a strange presence lurking in his mental scape, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

'What the hell did that psychotic doctor do to me?' Alicarde thought, his mind racing. He decided it would be better to first assess his surroundings before jumping to conclusions.

The lab he was in was different from the one he had seen earlier. The air was filled with the hum of advanced machinery, and around him, grotesque experiments floated in various capsules and tanks.

The sight made his stomach churn. A morbid fusion of genes and body parts from different creatures swirled in greenish fluid, monstrous chimeras crafted from twisted imagination and science.

He quickly shifted his focus away from the experiments and examined the overall lab. Clean metallic panels lined the walls, their surfaces broken by glowing screens and diagnostic equipment displaying strange charts and data.

The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the air, but beneath it, something more organic and unsettling lingered. It felt illegal, dangerous even, he would call the police but who could trust the law in times like these?

Rows of capsules lined the room, each housing a different creature. The sight brought back a memory—Amena.

She had once told him she wasn't human, claiming she was nothing more than a tool. He'd laughed it off, teasing her, but she had painted a grim picture of an alchemist's lab, describing creatures not unlike the ones before him now.

He remembered telling her he didn't care what she was, much to her chagrin.

'Yeah, so these are chimeras. They feel quite powerful,' Alicarde thought, assessing the creatures' strength.

The creatures, suspended in their fluid, were abominations—patchworks of different animal parts stitched together with brutal precision. One had the powerful limbs of a bear, the wings of an eagle, and the eyes of a snake.

'How the hell would that even fly?' Alicarde wondered.

Another had the body of a lion, the tentacles of an octopus, and the tail of a scorpion. Each one exuded a sense of power, but despite their grotesque forms, they weren't as terrifying as Zagarath.

Alicarde clenched his fists, his defeat at Zagarath's hands still fresh in his mind.

He shifted his gaze to the shadows, feeling the presence of something familiar—the bicorn. It was here, watching. He considered using the beast to break free, but it was a dangerous gamble. If he released it while still restrained, he'd likely become its first target.

'Is this really the best plan?' Alicarde thought, his heart racing. 'Am I still going to be afraid? A coward? A weakling?'

His eyes returned to the chaotic workstation. Vials, syringes, and notebooks filled with mad scrawlings littered the table. Monitors displayed real-time data from the capsules, alongside live feeds of the chimeras.

Wires and tubes snaked from the capsules to large machines that hissed and clicked rhythmically, maintaining the life support and monitoring systems.

That's when he noticed his guitar case—it lay open, empty. His sword was nowhere to be found, and a sinking feeling of unease set in.

The doctor's face lit up with an excited grin. "Ahhh, wonderful, you've finally seen the light. Yes, why don't I show you, young cadaver, the true beauty of science?"

That was exactly the reaction Alicarde was hoping for. He didn't want to see anything—he just needed to buy time. He revised his plan as the doctor rambled.

"Err, doctor, you haven't given me the details on my mana yet. Did it improve by a lot? Because I feel like I have way more mana."

The doctor's smile grew even brighter. "Ohhh yes, after I cut you to pieces a few times, your mana kept increasing. Hope you like the hospital gown, your clothes got shredded with your flesh when we put you through the meat grinder."

"Huh...what th..." Alicarde quickly stopped himself and forced a smile.

His body trembled slightly. 'These assholes didn't just cut off a few limbs—they literally shredded me.'

Alicarde forced another grin. "Ohhh, don't worry, doc, we're cool. It's all for the good of humanity." He smiled as he recalled a name the doctor had mentioned before. "Let's do it for Helen."

The doctor's deranged eyes welled up with tears. "Ohhh, cadaver, you are... you are a good man, a dead one, but still good."

"I'm not actually dead, but sure, whatever," Alicarde muttered.

"What...?" The doctor blinked in confusion.

Alicarde quickly forced a smile again. "It's nothing, doc. So, kind of wondering, can I get some food? Regenerating makes me really hungry. I can't help it."

The doctor didn't seem to mind. "Is that so? How interesting. We'll have food delivered."

Alicarde felt a surge of hope. "Ahhh, thanks. But doctor, it's a bit hard to eat in here. Mind removing the restraints while I eat? And, uh, maybe bringing me out of this capsule thingy?"

The doctor's face darkened with suspicion. He slammed the glass with a serious expression. "Did you think you could pull a fast one on me?"

Alicarde had expected that. The doctor wasn't stupid. "But doctor, we are literally in your lab, and you've got those chimeras. I wouldn't even dream of escaping, how could I? We have a dream, for Helen."

Alicarde smiled, changing his tone as he addressed him. "You have to believe me, Victor... you meeting me is fate, all so we can save Helen."

The doctor's manic eyes softened at the mention of Helen. "With your strength, the odds of escape are low. Very well, then. We shall remove the restraints while you eat."

Alicarde grinned slyly. "Thanks, Vic, you're the man. No, the G.O.A.T. We do this for science."

Hearing Alicarde call him "Vic," the doctor's eyes widened with surprise, and a tear rolled down his cheek. He nodded his head slowly, overcome with emotion, and left the lab room.

Alicarde let out a sigh of relief. Good thing the doctor was so deranged, and overconfident in their security measures. But they couldn't keep him restrained forever—this was a lab, after all, not a prison.

They would have to let him out eventually, though they'd likely have measures in place even if he was unrestrained. Either drugs or tech. He would find out soon enough, but not before he unleashed his trump card.

Then it's every man for himself.

Although mostly undecided, Alicarde didn't want to be the weak, pathetic man who needed to be saved by Carrisa. He wanted to be powerful.