Leaving the room of horrors behind, Team 0 and Rei's group proceeded further into the labyrinthine basement. The oppressive atmosphere of the facility seemed to weigh heavier with each step, the air thick with the stench of death and decay. Despite the grim setting, the team remained alert and focused, their senses attuned to any sign of danger.
It wasn't long before they encountered another group of chimeras. These creatures lit up James' senses like a lighthouse. Each one pulsated with pain and animalistic anger, a grotesque testament to the inhumane experiments that had taken place.
The first chimera to emerge from the shadows was a hulking figure. Its bulky frame was a mishmash of human muscle and reptilian scales. Its arms ended in clawed hands, and its eyes glowed with a feral, mindless hunger.
James was the first to react. Extending his telekinesis, he disrupted its charge, causing it to stumble. Lauren, quick to capitalize on the opening, darted forward, her knives a blur of dark smoke as she targeted its vital points. Her blades sliced through the tough scales as if they were butter.
Another chimera, this one with the lower body and facial features of a snake and the torso of a human, slithered towards them with alarming speed. Daniel swiftly erected a barrier to block its path, the energy construct shimmering into existence just in time to deflect its venomous spit.
Maria, her expression one of determination mixed with revulsion, stepped up. Flames erupted from her hands, engulfing the snake-like chimera in a conflagration that left nothing but charred bones and ashes in its wake.
Not to be outdone, Ezekiel engaged a smaller, more agile chimera with a series of debuffs that turned it into a shambling corpse. It appeared like a large bat, with leathery wings and sharp fangs that promised a great deal of pain to whomever found themselves at their mercy. Ezekiel used his speed and agility to dodge its swooping attacks, landing precise strikes that gradually wore the creature down before delivering the final blow, his knife glinting with a golden glow.
The battles were swift and brutal. Each member of Team 0 used their abilities to the fullest, ensuring the chimeras were dispatched quickly and, in their own way, mercifully.
Rei's team stayed behind most of the time, providing cover and lookout duties during the fights and dealing with the occasional monster that had escaped the terrible fate its companions had met.
The Ten Thousand Eyes Guild's Awakeners had been horrified at what they were discovering. While they hadn't refused to participate in the fights, James had felt their jitters and strong desire not to come in contact with the chimeras, so he had deliberately kept them away. The abominations weren't particularly threatening anyway, despite their monstrous appearance, and as long as they weren't swarmed, he didn't foresee any trouble clearing the basement.
However, this meant that there was no time to wonder how much they should reveal, no opportunity to play coy with their skills -not with the absolute need they felt to kill the chimeras as quickly as possible.
The constant horrors they faced had stripped the dive of any enjoyment it might have given, and even the vast amount of EXPs the chimeras provided was not enough to make it worth it. It was enough to grant each member of Team 0 a couple of levels. In another moment, James would have made a quip about the efficiency of fighting the chimeras, but he couldn't muster anything beyond deep sadness and determination to see this through.
I can appreciate gaining power this easily, but even that time in the desert dungeon doesn't come close to this horror. I would very much prefer having to work twice as hard for these levels if it meant not having to mercy-kill so many poor bastards.
They all proceeded forward in their grim duty, mechanically dispatching all creatures that impeded their path in the most efficient, painless way possible.
James's mind raced with thoughts as they caught their breath after a fight. "A few years ago." He began, his voice tinged with a faraway quality as he tried to recall information he had only heard once in passing, which was possible thanks to the significant increase in MIND he had earned. "There was a big raid against a facility in the Pacific Northwest. They were conducting similar experiments, trying to merge humans and monsters. I remember it being a big scandal since the government banned any kind of experiment like that soon after they retook DC. There was a huge trial and everything. It should be easy to find once we're out of here. I wonder if there's any connection between the people behind that operation and this one."
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Rei, who had been listening intently, nodded thoughtfully. "It's possible. These kinds of operations don't just spring up independently. There might be a network behind this, perhaps an organized crime group. They've lost much of their power and influence since the System came into play. This could be their attempt to regain some control by creating monsters outside of the System's rules."
Daniel chimed in, his voice grim. "That makes sense. Traditional criminal organizations have been hit hard by the emergence of Awakeners and monsters. They might see these experiments as a way to level the playing field. Or at least as a quick way to bridge the gap between them and the new powers."
Lauren added. "But the scale of this operation... It's not just a few back-alley dealings. This is well-funded and organized. It's disturbing to think, but if they've done this here, there might be more facilities like this out there."
"I'm struggling to believe anyone would want to participate in this kind of horror show." One of Rei's teammates commented.
James sighed. "I would like to agree, but we humans, throughout our history, have shown ourselves perfectly capable of partaking in this type of operation. Just think of WW2."
Daniel grunted. "And this looks like an even more secret facility. As long as people don't see the consequences of their actions, they will ignore anything."
The others nodded in acknowledgment, despite their fervent desire that no other place as cursed as this exist anywhere. James spared a thought to Miss Walker, who he knew would have dealt with this matter extremely harshly and would have lent them her full support. He hoped that her experience in New Delhi was better than what they were going through.
Finally, after what felt like hours spent killing chimeras and monsters, their journey through the facility's decrepit corridors led them to an operating room at the end of the complex. There, James felt one presence, much more active and still possessing intellect, which immediately made him stop.
"There is someone there. Not something, someone." He said. A deeper look into the presence showed erratic thoughts and a constant urge to do something, but it was still recognizably human in intellect.
The door creaked ominously as they pushed it open, revealing a scene that seemed straight out of a nightmare. Amidst a laboratory stood a figure that was once a man but now resembled a horrific amalgamation of various creatures and human parts.
The creature, who retained enough of his human features to be recognizable as a scientist, was singing softly to himself, a haunting and discordant tune. He was hunched over a table cluttered with an array of surgical instruments, some stained with dried blood, others gleaming menacingly under the flickering light.
James and the others exchanged glances, grim determination etched on their faces. The room felt oppressive, the air thick with the stench of decay and chemicals. In the back, where the light didn't reach, James felt dozens of chimeras in various states of completion and decided to keep an eye on them, not wanting to be ambushed.
Rei stepped forward cautiously, her voice steady but laced with disgust. "Are you the one responsible for the chimeras?"
The scientist finally gave them his attention, an eerie smile stretching his lips beyond what should have been possible. "Ah, my dear uninvited guests." He began, his eyes gleaming with a manic light. "You stand in the presence of a visionary, a pioneer who has dared to tread where others have feared to step. I am not just a mere scientist. No, I am an artist, a sculptor of flesh and bone, a creator of life beyond the limitations imposed by nature or the System!"
He gestured grandly towards the remnants of his experiments, his movements wild and unhinged. "Behold my masterpieces! Each one is a testament to my ingenuity, my unbridled genius. They said it couldn't be done, that merging human and monster was a fool's errand. But look around you! Who's the fool now?"
His laughter, a disturbing cacophony of madness and triumph, filled the room. Saliva dribbled down his chin, but he seemed oblivious to it, too caught up in his delusions of grandeur. "You see, the organization I was once part of lacked vision, confined by petty ethics and short-sighted goals. But I saw the potential, the glorious future where humans transcend their fragile forms and embrace the power of the monsters that roam our world. And I, I have made it a reality."
He paced back and forth, his gait erratic, as if his body was a poorly controlled puppet. "They told me I was just creating more monsters, but they were wrong!" He yelled, his fist crashing against the meticulously prepared instruments, sending them scattering through the room.
The scientist let out a keen and dropped on all four, rushing to gather them. He did so quickly, moving with a speed well beyond normal human standard, and placed them back on the operating table before remembering they were still there and resuming his speech. "You see, they wanted us to remove the power from a monster and give it to a human, as if that was even remotely possible." The madman cackled, horrifyingly amused.
"This is why I hate working with idiots. They think they can just ask and throw money at us, and we'll make them what they want. They do not appreciate the sweat, tears and blood that go into every scientific discovery." The scientist began to pace erratically, his movements disjointed and unnatural. "As if the System would allow us to simply give humans unearned strength! Idiots! Monsters operate on an entirely different set of rules! This is why we needed to make humans as monster-like as possible for the grafts to work!"
He then shook his head, almost sadly, before looking up triumphantly. "I am ushering in a new era for humanity! An era where we are no longer prey but predators, supreme beings unbound by the constraints of our feeble human condition. And you." He pointed at James and the others. "You are the fortunate ones chosen to be part of this glorious evolution!"
His eyes, wild and unfocused, settled on James. "You, with your powers, imagine what you could become with my enhancements! I can make you invincible, a god among mere mortals. All you need to do is submit to my expertise. Let me mold you into a being of pure power!"
The room fell silent, the team absorbing the full extent of the scientist's madness. His words were not just the ramblings of a lunatic; they were the manifesto of a man who had lost all touch with humanity, consumed by his own egotistical pursuit of what he perceived as perfection. Of someone willing to go beyond any lines if it meant achieving what he viewed as results.
James took a deep breath and released it. His senses, which had focused on the man as he rambled, expanded once again, ready to alert him to the most minimal movement from the rows of chimeras he could sense in the darkness. Mana sparked within his veins, and he prepared himself for a massacre.