8 December Year 2367

"Good grief, who is this?"

A man's head hung over Telfer. His hair was tied back into a ponytail, exposing his tan skin and narrow jawline. Tusks protruded out of his mouth. It was a young man who looked like he was in his 20s. However, his appearance did not match his crackly and dry voice. A pair of green scaly hands rolled Telfer away from the corpse. A long green tail swished about as the pair of hands created a fire beside Telfer. Feeling the odd sensation of warmth, Telfer woke up from his sleep. He hastily stood up and took his stance. Then the pain shot up his arm. His wrist still hurt after being crushed by the ape. As he tried to hold it up, the wrist would limp over slightly.

"Excuse me but this is my home. So please refrain from carrying out any drastic movements."

The man grumpily said while mashing up some plants with a mortar and pestle. A fork-like tongue slid in and out of his mouth everytime he spoke. His eyes alternated between different colours every time he blinked. Telfer stepped back while observing the man's actions. What was he? A lizard? Or was he a human? The scales and the face portrayed two very different things. The man poured some fluid into the mash and stirred it before handing it to Telfer. He motioned for Telfer to drink it.

Telfer looked at the contents suspiciously. Why was this man helping him? He was a demon, that was for sure, but he wasn't a ghoul either. Telfer sipped the liquid. A warmth feeling immediately spread throughout his body. He could feel the pain in his wrist lessening significantly. Telfer immediately gulped down the rest of the liquid. It was so nourishing! It was as if the life and death match had not happened. In fact, he felt even better than before the fight. He checked his status.

Status Window Name: Telfer Berkley Age: 12 Race: Ghoul Gender: Male Stats Health: 130/130 (60/60) Heath regen.: 13/min (22/min) Energy: 75/75 (100/100) Energy Regen.: 5/min (10/ min) Mana: 40/40 (40/40) Mana Regen.: 2/min (2/ min) Strength: 7.02 (9) Agility: 7.02 (10) Dexterity: 7.02 (9) Stamina: 10.01 (12) Intelligence: 8 (5) Wisdom: 8 (4) Skills

Ghoul:

Mass Transfer

Immortal Guard

Magic Spells:

Poison Hand (Poison Magic)

Cloak (Illusion Magic)

Illusion Creation (Illusion Magic)

Self created skills:

Yama's Strike

"If I'm not wrong, that man is Ruzo, the Royal Doctor. Let me borrow your body for a second."

Telfer entered his sea of consciousness as Agvak stepped out to control his body. He sat down on the couch while Agvak proceeded to speak with the man.

"Greetings, I am Agvak of the Ghoul Legion. If I am not wrong, you should be Ruzo the Royal Doctor. Your fame has spread far and wide throughout the Demon Kingdom. I did not expect you to find you here. Please pardon my intrusion."

The money hoarder was actually speaking so formally. There was no sign of his usual arrogance or leeching. Telfer looked on as Agvak clasped his hands and did a full 90 degree bow after speaking. He held the pose quietly as the man continued mashing more herbs. The man turned around and walked over to Agvak.

"No need for formalities. I am no longer the Royal Doctor. I'm just another demon looking for greater heights. Agvak of the Ghoul Legion was it? So you did find a successor."

Agvak stood up but kept his head bowed in front of Ruzo. The man scratched his head as if he was recalling something. He continued speaking.

"Please be at ease. So what do you want?"

Agvak raised his head. His voice turned unusually cold and frigid.

"I want to create a bath filled with your blood."

Telfer stood up within the sea of consciousness. Was Agvak out of his mind? How could he request someone to spill their own blood? He was going to kill the both of them at this rate. Telfer tried to exit the sea of consciousness but found that he was trapped inside. He had lost total control of his body to this maniac. However, to Telfer's surprise, the man started laughing. It wasn't a manic laugh, but more of pity and sorrow. The man looked at Agvak in the eye and a tear rolled out of his eye.

"You are still going to try and create the perfect Poison Body? Do you not remember the price? 60% of ghouls were left incapacitated by my blood. Even if it was for the sake of war, it's totally unethical. Do you wish to send your own discple to his death?"

The man spoke gravelly. Telfer's heart palpitated. Send him to his death? It was not going to happen. But Agvak continued pleading with the man.

"I beg of you. This will be the last time I ask of you. I believe my disciple will be part of the 40%."

The man furrowed his eyebrows and beckoned for Agvak to follow him into a deeper part of the cave. Torches lit up the tunnel giving Telfer a full view of the cave's interior. Bookshelves lined the walls of the cave. Rows and rows of books lined the bookshelves. However, despite the cave's conditions, all of them were in pristine condition. Further in was what looked like a laboratory. Test tubes and glass vials laid throughout the area. A liquid fizzed away inside a round bottom flask. Then there was a garden filled with various herbs and plants. Agvak trailed behind the man silently throughout the journey. All of a sudden, there were no more torches along the particular corridor they were heading down. They were plunged into darkness.

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*Creak*

The man pushed open a door and a tall narrow vat appeared before Telfer. The green liquid within rippled for a moment before going still.

"This is everything I collected from the experiments. It was too poisonous to be released into the open but I can't pump it back into myself so I kept everything here. Are you sure you want to do this? There's no going back."

The man hit a button and light glyphs illuminated the area. Agvak bowed his head in response. The man shook his head and started inserting tubes and needles into Telfer's body. He pulled down a black mask from the ceiling and made sure it was attached firmly to Telfer's nose and mouth. 

"I wish the best of luck to you. If anything happens, reach for that big red button above the vat."

The man walked off into the cave, leaving Agvak and Telfer within the room. Agvak entered the sea of consciousness. Telfer immediately ran over and pulled him up by his collar.

"Are you crazy? You could have gotten both of us killed! Why should we even trust the guy called Ruzo?"

Agvak slapped Telfer's hand away, setting himself free. He arched his eyebrows and shouted at Telfer.

"Do you even know who he is? He was the Royal Doctor! Meaning, he was second to none in the field of healing. He has served many Kings throughout his lifetime. If he isn't the greatest doctor alive, then I don't know who is."

Agvak waved his hand and shooed Telfer out. Telfer recalled the conversation and noted some interesting parts. He looked at Agvak questioningly.

"If he is such a great doctor, why is he no longer serving the King? And what experiments were you talking about? I heard something about Poison Body."

Creases appeared on Agvak's forehead. he plopped onto the couch and took a deep breath.

"Everything goes back to the Demon-Human War. It was currently a drawn out battle of attrition. I tried to turn the tide by giving the Ghoul Legion a boost in strength. That was where the experiments came in. I would have ghouls submerge themselves inside vats like these to train Poison Body. Unfortunately only 40% made it out."

Telfer looked at Agvak expectantly. The most crucial part had not come yet. Was he going to die from this? Agvak harrumphed and pointed his arm at Telfer.

"Stop whining. You will definitely survive. Think about it. If you die, I die. Why would I want that?"

Agvak shooed Telfer out of the sea of consciousness. Then something flashed through Telfer's mind. It was a memory from when he was on Earth. His entire body trembled at the thought of it. He turned around sharply and started brisk walking towards Agvak.

"There's still something you have not told me. What's the connection with Ruzo's blood?"

Agvak slapped his forehead and inhaled. His eyelids drooped downwards.

"It seems you have caught on. There is a reason why Ruzo can hang on to the position of Royal Doctor for so long. If I remember correctly, the peak of his strength was 9th level. fact, there is a second title he holds. Life's Bane. He is a Poisonous Tusked Troll. Every single part of his body is poisonous.Those who ran into him would fall beneath his poison almost immediately."

It's fine. Everything will be fine. Calm down.

Telfer closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He hopped into the vat. The poison acted instantly, drilling into his body. His body activated Immortal Guard but nothing changed. The poison seeped into his pores and started wrecking his body. Muscles corroded and paralysed. His stomach churned and twisted as the pain grew with every second. Every time his muscles were torn apart, his regenerative ability would kick in immediately, causing an endless cycle of torment. His eyes watered while his mouth gasped for air. He struggled to reach out and pull himself out but it was impossible. His muscles were no longer responding to his will. Telfer watched in horror as he sank lower and lower. He could no longer keep himself afloat with his muscles in this state. A garbled shout came and then there was nothing. He couldn't even flounder about even if he wanted to. The only sign of life was the constantly moving eyes. 

BREATHE! FOCUS ON BREATHING!

Telfer greedily sucked in the air from the black mask and tried to ignore the pain. His lungs were being torn apart everytime he breathed. Telfer winced in pain but nothing came out. he could only continue breathing to try and ignore the pain. That was how the first day passed.

9 December Year 2367

It had been 24 hours. Telfer had gotten used to the pain. His muscles were still being attacked by the poison but the level of pain had generally stabilised. Telfer kept breathing non-stop. It was the only thing he found solace in. 

What happened to the leopard? Is it even alive?

Telfer thoughts wandered towards the leopard while being submerged in the vat. It was his way of escaping the pain. He would recount all the experiences he had on Earth to ignore the pain. He gritted his teeth as his body adjusted itself to the harsh conditions. 

10 December Year 2367

Telfer continued to recount his memories. Meanwhile, his body had slightly adapted to the poison. He could move his body albeit very slowly. He was now currently seated at the bottom of the tank. A black sludge squeezed out of his pores and gathered underneath him, forming a makeshit seat for him. The pain was getting more and more bearable. He could feel his body recovering rapidly everytime the poison attacked him. Then an idea appeared in his mind. Since this was all poison, there was bound to be poison magic within the poison right? After all, this was basically blood. Telfer closed his eyes slowly and tried to feel it out. Then he saw them. Green specks moved about in the poison randomly. The poison was densely packed with these green specks, such that a cloud of green specks would be formed. Telfer lifted up his cheeks mechanically to form a smile and started absorbing the specks. 

11 December Year 2367

Why do I feel so bloated? 

The rate of absorption of the green specks was slowing down signficantly. He could now move his limbs more easily but now he was reaching his limit for mana absorption. The pain had also lessened greatly. Comparing the pain from the first day and the pain he was going through now, it was as if instead of getting fractures repeatedly, he now suffered countless scratches. The black ooze no longer came out of his body. He was unsure of it but his skin also seemed smoother. 

"Most of the impurities have been removed from your body, so there's very little black ooze at this stage. As for the smooth skin, it's a by product of training Poison Body. The more shocking thing is the pace you are going at. I don't think anyone has actually improved at such an astounding rate."

Agvak spoke to Telfer while resting on the couch. Telfer gritted his teeth. Just a little more and he would be able to hit the 2nd level. Having greater strength was always a good thing. Telfer rested within the tank as the poison gnawed away at him. His will which had been slowly been withered away by the pain came back to him. He had to see it through to the end.

12 December Year 2367

Telfer swam to the surface of the bath. He had regained full control of his body. The pain was now an itch. Every so often, Telfer would writhe as the itch came in waves. He could feel a renewed strength within his body. During the past 24 hours, he had constantly practiced Poison Hand while absorbing the green specks within the poison. 

"To be able to move around freely, you have now reached the 2nd level of Poison Body. Don't worry about the itch. It would be more surprising that you would come out unchanged after being immersed in the blood of a 9th level being. You should be able to lift yourself out of the vat."

Telfer climbed out of the vat. The poison slid off his body and returned to the vat. Suddenly, the wall beside him opened up to reveal a viewing gallery on the other side. Ruzo was there as well. He directed Telfer towards a door beside the viewing gallery.

He stepped through the door and found himself surrounded by instruments. 

"Lie down on the bed."

Ruzo proceeded to inspect Telfer's condition and vitals. It was a flurry of movement as Ruzo hooked up several different machines into Telfer's body. A hologram appeared in front of Ruzo, displaying Telfer's heartbeat and oxygen level. Some of his blood was also drawn out and whisked away into another strange machine. Telfer laid on the bed silently. He was stunned by the level of care and concern that was displayed by this stranger. After around 30 minutes, Ruzo wiped the sweat of his forehead and clapped his hands.

"Drink this nutrient fluid and you are all set. I shall teach you how to manipulate Poison Magic now."

End of Chapter