As James descended into the abandoned laboratory’s basement, he felt the atmosphere shift palpably. The air grew cooler and heavier, and a tangible sense of foreboding filled it as he touched down inside a dimly lit corridor. The only light sources were his flashlight, which cast long, eerie shadows against the walls, and the flickering lights on the tunnel’s walls.
Unfortunately, there was no other conveniently placed light switch for him to flick, so James contented himself with a sensory sweep before calling out the all-clear to the others.
As he waited for his companions to lower themselves down the ladder, James focused on the basement layout, trying to assemble a mental map, and was surprised at its size.
It was a sprawling complex of corridors and side rooms, and in each direction he sent his senses to, more of the abandoned facility was revealed. The silence was oppressive, broken only by distant, indistinct sounds that echoed through the hallways.
Maria's voice was a hushed whisper when she finally joined him. "This place is huge."
James nodded silently, trying to locate the source of the scurrying he heard in the distance. When the last Awakener touched down, he finally found it.
He jolted at what he sensed, holding up a hand to signal the others to stop. "Something's coming." He murmured, his voice tense.
The distant sounds grew louder, morphing into discernible shambling footsteps. They braced themselves, weapons at the ready.
The team's horror was palpable as the creatures emerged from the darkness. The beings resembled humans so much that there was no chance they had not been ones before whatever was done to them, but their features were grotesquely distorted, infused with monster-like qualities. Their skin was mottled and rough, their eyes vacant of any intelligence, only filled with pain and unbridled anger.
One had spider-like mandibles and walked forward on all four, eyes slowly orbiting around in their sockets, before focusing on James and releasing a screech that was more monster than human.
The second moved with more effort, huffing at every step, and had a large, tumorous growth on its back, from where sizzling pus was released, leaving deep imprints in the ground as it dribbled down its back.
"These... What the fuck are these?" Lauren whispered, her voice laced with dread.
James didn't answer, his focus entirely on the creatures. They moved with a jerky, unnatural gait, their limbs contorted in ways that spoke of unimaginable suffering.
His mind raced, processing the implications of what they were witnessing. These creatures obviously were the results of the experiments they had read about, humans transformed into monsters in an attempt to graft onto them a power outside of the System. The thought sent a wave of revulsion through him.
Fuck, I knew this would happen. When Daniel read it, I heard it and understood, but seeing what was done to these poor people… No one deserves to be turned into this. And they are in so much pain.
Without hesitation, James unleashed a powerful telekinetic wave. The force of his psychic energy was like an angry bull's charge, slamming the creatures against the wall with such force that the impact echoed through the corridor, leaving cracks behind.
The experiments slumped to the ground but began to stir again, driven by some unnatural will. James advanced before they could gather themselves, his expression grim as he set about his self-imposed task. Channeling his mana into his fist, he delivered a powerful punch to each creature's head. The impact was brutal, their skulls caving under the force, instantly ending their tormented existence.
The air in the basement stung with the tang of blood and pus despite the masks, and James spared a thought of despair at how many more of these monsters they'd have to get through, when a notification flashed in his mind.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have defeated [Experimental Chimera - Abomination] Lv. 91. You have earned 2.123.000 EXP x2
James momentarily struggled to believe the sheer amount he had just earned before a theory as to why these weak, low-level creatures had given him so much popped into his head.
They were trying to grant these unnatural powers from outside the System. Is it possibly rewarding me with several times the EXP I should have gotten because of it? It wouldn't be the weirdest thing.
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Meanwhile, his teammates, having witnessed the brutal efficiency with which he had ended the lives of the transformed humans, were visibly shaken. Maria was the first to speak, her voice trembling. "James, that was... a lot. I mean, I know they were no longer human, but…"
James turned to face his team, his eyes somber. "I know it seemed harsh, but there was nothing left in them of the people they once were. Keeping them alive would have been a greater cruelty. They were in constant pain, driven by an anger that wasn't even theirs. Ending their suffering quickly is the least we could do." Then, thinking back to what he had just read, he added. "Also, I'm pretty sure the System wants us to kill these. It called them [Experimental Chimera - Abomination]. It cannot get much clearer than that. These were just the sad remains of humans being forced to endure pain for the sake of absurd ambitions."
Ezekiel, who usually brought levity to any situation, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor. On the other hand, Lauren nodded slowly, understanding the necessity of what James had done despite the discomfort it brought her.
Daniel, his brow furrowed, voiced the concern they all felt. "Should we go back? Call for reinforcements? This is beyond what we were expecting."
Rei, who had remained silent, finally spoke up. "I understand your concerns, but considering the ease with which James killed these creatures, they don't seem beyond our capabilities. If we proceed with caution, we should be able to handle this. We need to understand what happened here, and the deeper we go, the more answers we might find."
James nodded in agreement. "We need to see this through. Whatever they were doing here, it was something big. We can't leave it unexposed. To be honest, I'm not even sure how many more of these there are since the basement feels huge, but leaving them like this feels wrong."
The teams collectively steeled themselves, their resolve hardening. They continued to move deeper into the basement, the eerie atmosphere amplified by the knowledge of the horrors that had transpired within these walls.
The facility was a labyrinth of corridors, each leading to rooms that bore the marks of something's rampage. Where the upstairs was abandoned in a hurry, but still evidently had signs of the scientists' care for the equipment and relative organization, here there was little of that to be found.
Deep cuts were gouged into the walls, as several laboratories had been turned into holding cells for what they suspected to be more chimeras or possibly the monsters needed to make them.
In one room, they discovered the remains of what appeared to be a vivarium, with shattered glass tanks and what might have once been reptilian or amphibian creatures. The air was thick with the stench of decay, a testament to the chaos that must have ensued after the facility was abandoned. Only what was increasingly looking like a mad scientist remained.
James, leading the team with his psychic senses alert, paused at the entrance to a larger room. Inside, he could feel the presence of something alive, something that was not one of the chimeras but still exuded an off-the-charts level of aggression and hunger.
"Something's in there." He warned, gesturing towards the door. "Probably a regular monster, but it's big, and it's not happy."
The team readied themselves, weapons drawn and spells at the ready. James pushed the door open slowly, his flashlight piercing the darkness to reveal the creature lurking within.
It was a monstrous version of a gecko, emaciated yet incredibly aggressive, the size of a large crocodile. Its skin was a sickly pale color, with patches of what looked like rotten flesh. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its mouth was lined with rows of sharp, jagged teeth.
As soon as the light hit it, the creature let out a hissing scream and lunged towards the team. Its movements were lightning-fast, belying its starved appearance.
One of Rei's teammates, a man with short-cropped hair and a battle-hardened look, reacted just in time. With James's warning still ringing in his ears, he dodged the initial lunge, kicking the creature away with a powerful thrust.
The gecko monster crashed against the wall but quickly recovered, its tail whipping dangerously as it refocused. Undeterred, the man began crafting ice shards in the air and hurling them towards the creature.
The shards pierced the gecko's skin, embedding themselves deep, but the monster continued its assault, seemingly unfazed by the wounds. It didn't even flinch and, to James' senses, felt no pain despite the blood flowing freely from where the shards had hit.
Daniel stepped forward then, a barrier shimmering into existence. With a few swift gestures, he trapped the gecko within a glowing prison, its movements restricted by the magical walls.
The man from Rei's team took the opportunity to craft a larger, more potent ice shard, almost the size of a spear. After receiving Daniel's go-ahead, he launched it at the trapped gecko. The barrier split open to allow the attack through and the shard impaled the creature through its head, finally bringing its frenzied movements to a halt.
As the creature slumped to the ground, lifeless, the team Awakeners collectively, the tension in the air dissipating slightly.
"This was likely meant to be part of a chimera,” James said in a low voice. "They were experimenting with combining traits from different creatures. And since this place doesn't seem to be cared for, it probably starved here for a long time."
The others nodded, their expressions grim.
Rei looked around the room, her eyes hard. "We need to document everything. Whatever they were doing here can't be allowed to happen again. We have to make sure of that."
The team agreed, and as they moved through the facility, they took photographs and gathered as much evidence as possible. The deeper they delved, the more atrocities they uncovered.
Indeed, they soon stumbled upon a room that chilled them to the bone. The door creaked ominously as they pushed it open, revealing a scene of horror that would haunt them for a long time.
Scattered across the floor were the remains of both humans and monsters, intertwined in a macabre dance of death. The bodies were in various stages of decomposition, some reduced to skeletal forms, while others were fresher, their flesh still clinging to their twisted frames.
The human remains were particularly disturbing. It was clear that they had been subjects of horrific experiments, their bodies displaying unnatural mutations. Some had limbs that were elongated or misshapen, others had patches of scales or fur grafted onto their skin, and a few had facial features that were grotesquely distorted, bearing a vague resemblance to the monsters they were meant to emulate.
The monsters were equally pitiable. They were malformed, their bodies bearing signs of surgical procedures gone horribly wrong. Some had human limbs crudely attached to their bodies, while others had parts of their anatomy removed or altered unnaturally.
The stench of decay was overpowering, coming through their masks with little impediment, and several team members gagged at the scene. Maria, her face pale and eyes wide with horror, raised her hands, the flames flickering to life around her fingers.
"I'm going to burn it. Burn it all.” She muttered, her voice trembling with disgust and anger.
James quickly stepped forward, placing a hand on her arm to lower it. "We can't, Maria. I know it's... it's horrific, but the investigators will need to see this. They need all the evidence they can get to understand what happened here."
Maria's flames died down, though her hands still shook with barely contained rage. "How could anyone do this?" She whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Daniel, his face set in a hard line, grunted. "We need to make sure the people responsible for this are brought to justice. This can't go unpunished."