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Apathy
Mirror, mirror on the wall, is that me who I saw?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, is that me who I saw?

Lilerea von Ayeree

On the subject of current study

the First of Thon in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Current work is progressing smoothly. The Whoopler package is almost complete. There was no fatality within this batch although I had to remove and replace an entire uterus and most of the vagina from one of the specimen  as it was beyond recovery or adaptation. I consider this batch to be quite successful.

Unfortunately this cannot be said about the house of Revolem inquiry. Out of the twelve selected males, four expired during the grafting process. It appears that even after administering more than normal dose of suppressant, some of the males are unable to cope with the newly added female body parts, be it of human, ferru or animal origin. Possibly using an elven donor could eliminate this risk entirely though as of yet it is highly unlikely to happen in the near future. The current cost of obtaining such donor greatly outweighs its usefulness.

As for the Pink Clover, I have run out of goats. Twenty slaves should be more than enough to cover their needs. If they will ask for more, they will have to pay more to cover the non-animal body parts. I will certainly not waste a single breathing woman on them.

the Fourth of Thon in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

The baroness Straviga has been found dead in her chambers. It appears I may consider her overdue appointment as cancelled.

the Tenth  of Thon in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

The merchants have brought me four dead ferru females. Out of four, one seems to be useful. The remaining three decayed beyond hope of harvesting anything useful. A shame, I hoped for more ferru fur.

the Eleventh  of Thon in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

The Whoopler request has been concluded. As of right now I am focusing on the second lamia for the house of Revolem. The grafting did not went smoothly, there is no connection between the tail and the upper body.  Possibly a blood clot have prevented the forming of a proper neural path. I have cleaned up the area and hopefully this time the connection will form successfully.

the Last  of Sala in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

I have concluded the deal with house of Revolem. In total I have delivered one harpy, four lamias, one panther, four gazelles and two ferru-human hybrids. The order of one four-breasted six-armed woman was withdrawn. Twenty nine slaves have expired during the procedure and seventy two miscellaneous organs have been used.

Agreed upon price, one million golden rua.

the Second of Makku in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Tonight I had a pleasant dinner with Aeritha von Melleroy. A brilliant child I must say. The questions she asked and the ideas she proposed… An apprentice like her would undoubtedly prove to be quite useful. For a moment I felt tempted. We even entertained the idea. She refused, very, very politely.

She had brought some paintings and described some daring modifications I am willing to try. Also, to my great surprise, she was born with entirely functional gills and a third eyelid. Fascinating.

the Sixteenth  of Makku in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Aeritha passed the grafting with exceptional ease. Currently she is resting within the herbal tank. When her body strength will allow it, we will progress with inscribing the matrix and sealing the modification. As a precaution, I have cased all other activities and I am personally monitoring her status. As a result I have nothing much to do. Watching a body bubble up and down in a tank can entertain you for oh so much…

the Twenty Ninth  of Makku in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

The matrix implantation concluded successfully. All the proposed improvements have taken in without any sign of difficulty. I will keep her a day or two for observation but It seems unlikely that any complication should arise now.

Implanting two floating stones within the mermaid body was a brilliant idea that greatly improves mobility. Aeritha, as a first of her house, can freely move outside the water. The implanted stones can levitate her upright body up to three feet above the ground counting from the end of her tail. Above that height the mana drain may overburden her body however she can maintain any height within several inches above the ground for up to ten hours.

I believe that the use of additional fourteen additional stones would allow her much greater control over her body movements. A subject we will challenge over tonight’s dinner.

the Ninth of Amru in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

The commission from the House of Melleroy was concluded and full payment of twenty million gold rua has been received.

the Tenth  of Amru in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

I have ascertained that all four chosen specimens are fit to undergo the procedure. I will proceed with gills grafting for specimen seventy and seventy one, followed by naturalization of specimen seventy one and seventy two.  As for the subject seventy three, I am considering the implantation of mana stone or stones within her body to increase her mana capacity.  As of right now, she would not last a day under a spell.

The Twelfth of Amru in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Subject seventy one rejected the grafts rather violently and expired. I may as well get rid of the whole tank alongside its contents.

The Twenty first of Amru in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Lord Rigor von Revolem have put out a bounty. I am left speechless.

House of Revolem is offering  ten yearly  incomes of a selected district for a succubae. Currently they are in possession of eleven districts with the income of the smallest one being eight hundred thousand gold rua on average. I knew this kind of product would fetch a much higher price, after all this was what motivated me to start this side project but, that  kind of money would secure my main research for many  years to come. No more commissions.

The Twentieth of Tukka in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

I have inquired the house of Revolem for details concerning their bounty. They are requesting a winged, female succubae that would offer a wide variety of… services.

From the details provided I am certain I can make one. I can sew her from scraps and no one will notice. The trouble is, without the working matrix her body would fall apart almost instantly. This brings me to my previous dilemma. How to make the matrix work for the succubae design?

Specimen seventy three, even with the help of implanted mana stones did not survive the activation of completed matrix.  What remains is to test is if the subject will survive the activation of an incomplete, open ended matrix. If successful, this would enable me to partition the entire matrix assembly into self-contained segments and subsequently, spread out the entire procedure giving the specimen enough time to recover and adjust.

The Twenty second of Tukka in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Specimen seventy is progressing smoothly. Apart from Melleroys, this is the first subject in a long while whose body assimilated gills with such an ease. Mermaid matrix should be quite compatible with this one. I look forward to what will become of this specimen.

The Twenty sixth of Tukka in Tenth year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

I am not sure what to make out of specimen seventy two. His body contradicts all logic. Had I not felt his breath on my own face I would not believe such a thing to be possible. His is a body that had never before used mana and even as I write this, mana does not flow through his veins.

Time and time again I have tested and re-tested him but I cannot accept the result those tests provide. Body of specimen seventy two can survive without any mana flow. Mover it neither gather, nor emits ambient mana.  Such body should not exist.

The Twenty eight of Tukka in Last year of  Gronn, king of  Crovellem

Gronn von Crovellem, firstborn son of Shu and Ekhert von Crovellem, king of Crovellem has died.

The Thirtieth of Tukka in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

I believe I have found a way.

Yesterday I have confirmed something interesting. The body of specimen seventy two indeed does not use or require any mana however, it does not mean the subject lacks mana. On the contrary, yesterday, quite accidently, I have confirmed that specimen seventy two is in possession of a large mana pool. However ridiculous this might seem, all the mana this subjects possess is completely disconnected from the subject’s body.

Normally one’s heart is the organ responsible for all mana flow including conversion, dissipation, storing and movement. It is one of the most important organs for all magic users and for life in general.

In case of seventy two, his heart does none of the above. The only function the heart of seventy two perform is pumping blood. It is completely ambivalent to the presence of mana or to the changes in mana pressure and concentration. I know not whether this is a result of some sort of unnatural mutation or the result of revival procedure this specimen was subject to  but I can conclude that by building a link between the specimen body and his mana pool I may be able to imprint a complete mana matrix onto seventy two. In theory such link can be achieved by  implanting seventy two with a heart capable of mana manipulation.

Furthermore, If I leave the specimen’s current heart intact and simply attach a second one somewhere along the main aorta, this would make subject seventy two, again in theory, immune to mana related, life threating conditions. Such as heart failure due to elevated mana pressure or mana instability. The blood flow provided by the primary heart should keep the subject alive while the secondary heart restarts.

The Fifth of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Callela von Crovellem, the first in line of succession has been assassinated en route to capital. It becomes more and more evident that the reports naming the death of previous king as less than natural were not entirely exaggerated.

The Eighth of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

I may have found the perfect heart for the specimen seventy two. Even though it was removed from its host quite a while ago, it still beats strongly, fueled only by the ambient mana.

The merchant from who I bought it, insisted on it being a dragon’s heart. Bogus. Even though I have never seen a heart such as this, it is simply too small for a dragon heart. Most likely it belonged to some unlucky elven maiden, mauled by one of the may forest beasts. Such bodies are sometimes found in rivers flowing through the elven lands.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The Twelfth of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Aeritha von Melleroy have contacted me in regards of obtaining a body double. There is unrest stirring within her lands as her rights put her third in line of succession.

Current right holder, Everen von Crovellem has fallen ill.  The cause of sickness or the sickness itself remain to be identified.

The Fourteenth of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

The purchased heart turned out to be much older than I initially expected. To be alive after such time, truly it is a magnificent heart however… Exactly after being inserted into the chest of seventy two, the heart stopped.

Such a pricey disappointment.

The Fifteenth  of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Given the inborn compatibility of specimen seventy with the mermaid matrix I have decided to use her as the base for the requested body duble of Aeritha von Melleroy. The work shall commence as soon as I clear the altar of what remains of subject seventy two.  Perhaps I may find something worth harvesting.

The Fifteenth  of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Upon closer inspection I can confirm that specimen seventy two is alive and well. Both hearts appear functional although the second heart is beating at a much slower, almost imperceptible rate. Also it seems that I have succeeded in creating a link between the subject and his unused mana pool.

The difference is quite noticeable. Where upon arrival the subject could not use any, even the most primitive artefacts that basically draw their power from the ambient mana present all around us, now his body can activate the most advance ones in my possession that do not require user focus to operate.

There seems to be a correlation between the second heartbeat and the external mana demand put upon the body. This may result in unnatural blood pressure and vein rupture.  I have administered strengthening potions and set the altar runes for enhanced recovery. If the subject stabilizes over the next few days I may attempt the procedure.

The Last  of Noro in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Work on Melleroy body double is nearing completion.  The double should be ready to ship tomorrow.

The First  of Rikkugara in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

It appear somebody had been tempering with wards surrounding my tower. I have redone them and placed additional ones atop those already present. As a precaution I have also doubled the guards patrolling the vicinity of the tower.

I do not like when others meddle in my affairs.

The Twenty third of Rikkugara in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Aeritha von Melleroy has been named as rightful successor following the death of Everen von Crovellem. She is yet to accept the title.

On a much lighter note, after a long and fruitful spring, summer is here.

The Twenty sixth of Rikkugara in Last year of  Gronn, the late king of  Crovellem

Since such an occasion may not repeat itself, I have decided in favor of using the best ingredients I can afford for the succubae design.

Specimen seventy two have proved time and time again its ability as a perfect base for the product. I have successfully implanted a working matrix within his body and currently he is resting within the cooling tank.  After nine days of submersion his body temperature is almost stable. I can still observe some morning and evening temperature peeks though it is nothing of any concern.

As for the outer features I will use an elven skin and body grafts from the deceased  slave I have purchased yesterday for eleven million gold rua. The body was preserved by magic right after the death of the slave thanks to which I can re-use her entire reproductive system.  The only drawback of this body frame were smaller than average breasts. It appears I will have to use tissue and muscle structure from a ferru donor to fulfill the requirements.

One of the most troubling parts are  the succubae wings. Originally I have planned on using a graft from wyvern wings however this has proven to be quite impractical. They are too cumbersome, too stiff and too heavy in general. As a result I will have to build my own wings. This will allow me to specifically chose the properties I need and to add some features that normally do not occur in natural wings.

The First of Oxalis in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

One of the patrols guarding the premise around the tower have been discovered slaughtered near the river, north of the tower. I have yet to see the corpses but from an initial reports I can say they were slain by a long clawed monster of unknown origin. This is a troubling discovery since I have dispose of every monster within a week travel of the tower and put wards throughout the woods to prevent the return of such beasts.

Also I doubt anything from the local variety could kill six, heavily armed, enchanted hunters.

The Second  of Oxalis in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

I have investigated both, the corpses and the site near the river and I can think of nothing conclusive.

It appears I will have to prepare some unorthodox surprise for whoever is targeting this place.

The Tenth  of Canna in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

I still cannot believe my own eyes. After three hundred forty six years, I have done it.

Right in front of my eyes a female succubae is floating within the recovery tank. Curled into a ball, she is hugging her knees with her slender arms. Two magnificent black wings have curved around her side casting shade on her pearl white skin. Her long free floating black hairs cover most of her face but through the gaps I can see a calm and flirtatious smile on her ample lips.

She is beautiful.

The Seventeenth of Canna in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

How dare he! I have put so much work into this, gave her every possible enchant, etched all the charms I had into her body and yet, that pompous bastard refuses her! He’s not in the mood for woman,  he says! I should have burned to the ground the house of Revolem the moment I have heard of them!

He wants a male?! Oh, I will give him a male! That goat fucking, ass licking human excrement!

Oh, he will get what he deserves, let him just sign the papers. All I need is his seal on my payment.

The Thirtieth  of Canna in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

I have put together a rather powerful hex mixed into this one final enchantment I put upon the specimen seventy two. It took more than a week to inscribe and seal in  this one. 

At this point it was impractical and even wasteful to re-graft this one as his original male form just for the pleasure of that human excrement. Instead I have opted for the much less invasive transformation enchant. It is much faster and easier to apply but at the same time, it is much more demanding and unstable.

First off, to fully transform a body, a large initial portion of mana is consumed. Then, after the transition from one form to the other completes, a portion of mana will be consumed constantly until the transformation is cancelled or until the mana runs out. In case of this one? Based on my earlier observations I can approximate that specimen seventy two should be able to hold this enchant for full two weeks. It is my best guess as even now it is impossible to full measure his mana capacity.

To make this spell easier to maintain, I have divided it into two parts. First part, responsible for transformation, is inscribed directly into the body of the specimen. The second part, the trigger, I have etched into a small crystal. Worn close to the body will trigger the transformation and force the user to body to maintain the change.  The first change may take anything from an hour to under a day. This time should shorten with repeated use.

The Ninth of Vu in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

The transformation completed exactly as planned. First cycle took approximately  twenty six hours, while the next and every subsequent one took on average half of the previous time. As of today, it seems the process stabilized and currently the transition from female to male form takes roughly an hour while the reverse process occurs within ten to twenty minutes. All that’s left now is to blank the specimen and procure the artificial memories.  I think I will leave that one out until this human excrement decides on what he wants to fuck.

The product has been accepted and I am awaiting payment.

The Tenth of Vu in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

No word from the customer. Has that bothersome piece of shit forgot about the deal? I will send him a reminder he will not miss.

The Twelfth  of Vu in First year of Aeritha, the queen of Crovellem.

Half of the guards are missing. Nobody knows what happened but it appears we are under attack. I ordered all forces back into the tower.

Let them come.

=========][ Apathy : Chapter  4 – Mirror, mirror on the wall, is that me who I saw? ][=========

I may not have the most sensitive body or rather I don’t feel much at all but being woken up by a bucket full of ice cold water, thrown over your naked body still doesn’t really count as pleasant. I think I may have managed a groan before the contents of a second bucket hit my face.

Coughing and spattering water I have blinked myself back into consciousness. I guess I did not expect to open my eyes ever again.

The last thing I remember was a fur covered beast rearranging my face with its sword. For all I know and care that might have been a bus and I may  have been hallucinating in the middle of a road. Although I am quite sure the ER workers don’t have the habit of waking their patients with cold water. Well I did once frequent an established clinic where they still used cold water and high voltage electricity to treat they patients but I am quite sure it’s no longer legal. At least not in the part of the world where I lived.

“You, woken up?” A voice, most likely belonging to someone holding another bucket ready, asked me. I couldn’t be sure about that. For some reason, all I saw was one great, spinning smudge.

“Yes.” I said, trying to shield my face with my hands which brought me to a certain discovery. My wrists were tied together.

I blinked and blinked again, trying to get my eyes to focus. It didn’t really work but it gave me enough clarity to ascertain some simple facts. First off, my wrists were tied together with something akin to hemp rope. Second, the fuchsia tint originating from my right eye was gone and lastly,  this place stank like an old barn full of animals nobody cared for. Like those places they show you on animal rescue channels.

“You, what be you? Monster?” Said the cat in iron boots and leather armor.