Ivankov ran for his life, just like many have wished to run from him, while begging for their life on the table, just through their eyes. As that was the only part of their body that sowhat moved and was capable of showing emotions under all those drugs.
But Ivankov never cared, an alive patient was important during the initial days of his research. And besides, considering the goal of the research, a living patient was one of the main priorities, for they had planned to find a way to infuse the soul into the patient’s skin.
And a dead one would not just work due to the lack of soul.
During those days, he would work on a new body again and again, learning from the notes that had been brought to him by his benefactor of an old mage who was famous for creating his homunculus.
But that mage was a fool in his eyes. His attempts at creating artificial life were a total failure in Ivankov’s eye.
Whether it was due to his surgeon background which made him look at the world from a scientific perspective. But he found the creation of the old mages highly ineffective.
Piece of flesh forced to work in certain ways due to the magic that had been infused into them while being barely capable of ever doing complex movents or being capable of having their own thoughts.
These old mages had used the souls of the dead, the living, and their old families to make their creations intelligent. They have burned through legendary materials that Ivankov had only ever read on the notes, but knows that he would never get his hands on them, just so that they can make these homunculi a bit stronger than the rest.
All of which were done in desire for immortality. A futile goal that Ivankov looked down upon throughout his life.
What is immortality?
You know souls exist, you know about reincarnation, you are a mage for god’s sake. Why fear death?
Is it the blood that you can’t abandon? Why? Didn’t you have children of your own? They are your biological legacy.
Or do you not want to be forgotten?
This is easy in this day and age, just kill a bunch of people publically and they will rember your na forever.
Do you want to be rembered for sothing greater? They put work into it, work hard to make the lives of others better, and make your life sothing that others envy for generations. Beco soone that children can idolize, no matter the sacrifice.
But choosing to abandon all of that for an immortal body?
That was no immortality, it would be like living as a cockroach, incapable of growth in a life so big that you would just get bored of it.
All of these were the reasons why Ivankov Letzer never felt bad for his victims, while he mocked his predecessors on the subject of homunculi creation, where all of them had ended up failing.
Either it was their obsession with magic or their disgust at finding a more simple approach. They had all failed in the end.
Ivankov never cared for the little details, his creations will be different and not just living flesh run by magic.
But a mixture of flesh and machine. A mixture of science and magic that brought about the birth of the first of its kind.
"That cyborg better slows them down."
Cyborg was the term that Venkatraman spoke about a lot.
He had spoken about certain stories from a distant nation, where they explored the world far off into a future where man and machine are one.
A science fantasy made up in the mind of writers who had assud what the world would be like in fifty years, or a hundred years.
Most of it was dystopian, making almost salivate at the possibilities.
I have thought about the concepts and the nature of this cyborg that the old dwarf had told about.
And it was this cyborg that had interested him a lot, along with many other like-minded individuals. With Venktaraman’s passing, they got their hand on the theoretical notes and started to rge their knowledge with magic to recreate it.
So had wished to obtain immortality through it, but those smarter understood the potential of this creation.
"They will send these cyborgs as spies into their neighbor’s territory. Into your territory." These were the words I had heard a couple of years ago from that old dwarf, who ca to after surviving a harsh ordeal that made him lose a few pieces of his flesh, including his heart and most of his skin.
But it was through willpower that he had survived, along with strong doses of drugs and an artificial heart that he carried in his hand to pump his blood. A heart made for pigs, which he used for himself as he had no choice left.
And it was due to that dwarf that I made my next destination in this wonderful city.
This place that had promised to be lifelong friends with us, with the Republic of Yethel.
"Ivankov, running will not help you..."
"?? Who?" Ivankov paused his steps and tried to look around before his eyes finally fell onto a small rat, which bled profusely while looking at Ivankov with its deep red eyes.
Eyes that caused Ivankov to back off for a bit, before he took out a gun and shot at the rat, killing it at once. "I am exposed." He said, before moving again.
But I was not over with him yet.
"They will kill you..." Another shot, that destroyed one more body of my precious rat.
It’s not like I can say bit words through my minions anyway. Forcing their little throat to mimic my voice was no different than killing them. All Ivankov did here was lessen their suffering.
"They will kill your family." Another bullet.
"You are exposed..." Then another one.
"They will silence you..." And another one. Before multiple rats suddenly surrounded him. Making his fear beco worse.
He wanted to shoot, but there were no bullets left in his gun anymore. The most he could do was use the little modifications he had made on his body and crush this wave of rats under his feet.
"I can save you Ivankov." He didn’t stop at my words and I understood why. Of the core participants in this operation, many of them were probably under so kind of oath or a contract.
It’s impossible for Ivankov to help in any way possible. And if this contract is harsh, then even any thoughts of such nature would bring him to death or at least so sort of punishnt.
As for why I said those words to him, knowing all of this?
Well... it’s just.. I just enjoyed his panic.
He had claid to never care about death, he has said that those that pursued immortality were fools.
So why was he in such a hurry?
Why did he sacrifice the other researchers in turn to make his escape?
I wondered for a bit, before saying. "How about this..."
"I make you immortal..."
"Just the way you like..."
"Your legacy will see..."
"The light of day..."
"So stop, and wait fo..."
"...’r my n’s arrival."
"..." I finally saw so hesitation on his face.
I know, in his heart, he was well aware that he was finished.
Even if what happened in this facility was hidden from the world, those who ca to work here weren’t. And with this attack on the facility, it won’t be long before all of it is exposed to the rest of the world.
And considering this was right under a Military barracks, the leaders of Bothal would obviously try to suppress the details of the raid and any loose ends, out of embarrassnt.
’I am finished.’ These are the words that were echoing in Ivankov’s mind at the mont.
The rats were weird... and now that he thinks about it, he should have been suspicious of his exposure the first ti he saw that rat on the surveillance screen. But at that mont, his mind was too occupied to make a sound decision.
Which ended up making him run from the scene.
But now? When he was sure that he would surely die?
Things were a lot different.
So for the first ti, Ivankov spoke words that made smile from eye to eye.
*****
"Aunty... why are you beating yourself?" Carp’s insanity had reverted himself to the mind of a six-year-old he was used to seeing on the stage.
The story of a cute but mischievous boy who made the lives of those around him hell. And the girl was suffering from similar pain, as she kept beating herself up instead of even touching Carp’s hair.
No, it would be more appropriate to say that the little "Cyborg" was fighting itself at this point.
Her current state is not that good either, most of her joints were broken and she was barely able to stand up.
As for the curse ability?
She either needed a dium or physical touch for it to work. She was only capable of achieving just three tis, but due to the regressing power of the Curse of Reiteration, all harm she did to him was negated.
Causing the current scene.
"Carp my boy... she is not an aunty, she is the young daughter of an uncle. The good uncle who will be helpful to and I don’t wish to make him angry."
"??"
"Yes... yes, boss."
It was ti to end all of this.
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