“Are you ready? I’m going to tighten these, just in case,” Rook said.
Steak took a deep breath in, sweat glistened on his forehead. He stared at the cloudy sky above him, trying to figure out how he got into this situation.
Nearly two months after Steak met Rook in the outskirts of Spawnharbor, he was tied down to a chair by leather straps. Rook had recently figured out how to extract the Parashroom’s toxin in the form of a liquid. Steak was the test subject of its effects because of his skill
The first two times he tried the drug nearly killed him. It took him a whole day to recover after purging it out of his system. However, the third one had a different result. It was still deadly, but less than the first two iterations of it. Also, it had a major effect on the user.
It made him see things and altered his perception, acting as a hallucinogen, but it also made him very violent. Steak blacked out shortly after he saw Rook turn into a monstrous bird with large eyes. When he regained consciousness he found Rook up on the shack’s roof, a man-sized hole in the wall, and him pinned down by a net made out of Mana.
“Alright, give it to me,” Steak said.
“Remember, as soon as you see your Health go down even by a single number, use that skill of yours,” Rook reminded him.
Steak opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. Rook took a deep breath and wore a mask that protected him from any fumes. The teen had to stand on a step stool to have a good angle of Steak’s mouth. Inside of the small vial that he held in his hands was a clear liquid, it looked just like water.
“Here we go,” Rook said.
With a pop, he pulled the cork out of the vial and raised it over Steak’s open mouth. No scent came from it. Rook slowly tilted it until a drop landed on his tongue. Tasteless, or it tasted just like water. Steak brought his tongue back inside his mouth, letting it mix with his saliva, then he swallowed.
Rook took a few steps back and hid behind a defensive construct he made just in case Steak went into a rampage. The two of them waited for a few minutes, for most of it Steak simply stared at the ground waiting for something to change in his body.
“Do you feel anything yet?” Rook called out to him.
“No, not yet,” Steak said.
As soon as he turned to face Rook, his vision changed. It was like the trees around them morphed and melted as he moved his eyes around. Weird shapes he couldn’t describe also popped out from random objects.
“Wait, hold on, something’s definitely happening,” he said with a smile.
“Check your Health. Do you feel any pain?” Rook asked.
“Nope, I feel great actually. But I can’t currently check my Health. It’s as if my eyes can’t catch up to it,” Steak said, giggling after every word.
“Well, your body isn’t spazzing out yet. I guess we can observe what happens for a few more minutes,” Rook said
After a bit more time, Steak started to laugh at nothing, trapped in his own imagination. Rook cut his bindings and let him lose, wanting to see what he would do in that state. Steak stood up and immediately fell down on his hands and knees. The large man rolled around on the ground, laughing and smiling as if he was the only person in the world.
“Hm, the effects seem good, but this is Steak. I can’t really tell if it’s going to have a different effect on other people. I think it’s time to find other test subjects,” Rook talked to himself as he scribbled something down in his notepad. “Steak, go purge the drug from your system. We’re going to Spawnharbor,” Rook gave him a light kick in the leg.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Huh, what happened? My head feels fuzzy and I can’t remember much,” Steak groaned, the sudden removal of the drug made his body feel weird.
“Wash up, we’re going to find some potential testers,” Rook said.
Steak groaned in response. He moved and went into the shack to prepare. His movements were as if he was hungover.
Rook glanced at the haphazard grave marker he made in the garden. It was surrounded by Feelgood plants, making it quite hidden. The plant’s vines crept up around it, hiding the name carved into the plank.
“Please watch me, master. I’ll get revenge for the both of us,” he whispered.
***
“Get that shit off my face, kid!” A dirty half-naked man swatted Rook’s hand away. “Are ya tryin’ to poison me, huh? I won’t drink your poison for free!” He took a drag from the cigarette they made after yelling at both of them.
“We’re not sir, we’re just trying to gather some feedback on this new product we’re developing,” Rook said calmly. “Actually, we’re the ones who made that cigarette you’re smoking,” he pointed at the thing in the old man’s mouth.
“You made this shit!?” The old man threw it on the ground. “I’ve been trying to quit smoking back in my old life, and now you go ahead and create this stuff in this world too?” He cried out. Not even five seconds later, the old man picked up the cigarette he just threw and continued smoking it.
“Hey, can’t we just beat him and tie him up? We just need to know if it’s deadly to other people, right?” Steak crossed his arms and said.
“What are you even saying man? This is our customer in front of us. He’s literally the embodiment of someone who would use our product!” Rook exclaimed.
Steak looked at the balding old man up and down. The rags he wore were somehow even worse than what Steak was wearing.
“This is our ideal customer? How many curses does this guy have on him?” Steak asked.
“Whatcha just say about me, ya stinky man!?” The old man shouted at him.
“Yeah, I don’t think he’d even realize we drugged him even if we do give it to him by force,” Steak said.
“You did what to me!?” The old man screamed, dropped to the ground and squirmed. “Help! They’ve infected me with brain slugs!”
The two walked away from the crazy old man.
The old man was the tenth person they’ve asked around the red-light district to test their product. Not one of them wanted to try it despite them reaching out to heavy users of their cigarettes.
Rook wondered if it was because of the presentation of the drug. He swished around the clear liquid in the vial, nothing about it looked enticing. Perhaps if they asked someone who hasn’t drank water all day they’d get someone to drink it.
While Rook was busy contemplating the new drug, Steak bumped into a small woman. She smacked her face into his chest and landed on her behind. Rook was too engrossed in his mind to even notice, and the busy street didn’t help either.
“Whoops, are you alright?” Steak crouched down and helped her up.
“No, no, it’s my fault,” she laughed and dusted herself off.
The small woman wore a hooded cloak with no sleeves. Steak thought that it seemed impractical, but it did look somewhat good on her.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry, I’ve got to deliver something quickly!” The girl exclaimed and ran. She left a small bag where she fell down.
“Wait, you forgot this!” Steak shouted, but she was too far away to hear him.
He picked up the bag. Inside it was a box wrapped in ornate wax paper. Just looking at it made him feel guilty by how valuable it looked.
“Rook, we’ve got to go after her!” He shouted.
“Huh? What?” Rook broke out of his deep thinking.
Steak picked him up and carried him with one arm. Rook tried to squirm out of it, though he quickly gave up when he realized the difference of strength between them. Steak ran after the woman through the busy street.
“She forgot this bag. I need to give it back to her, it looks important,” Steak explained.
“Hah, trying to act like a good guy now?” Rook laughed at him.
“Got to do something good once in a while. Besides, I have a feeling that this would bother me later on if I don’t do something about it,” Steak said.
The woman quickly turned a corner, into a dark alley. Rook saw a glimpse of the woman just before she got out of view. Without a second thought, Steak followed her into the alley.
“Hold on, I think I recognize that woman,” Rook tried to say.
However, it was too late. As soon as they entered the alley, Merle, one of Cassandra’s henchmen, blocked their way out. And, the woman that Steak bumped into earlier was Robin.
“Aw, you look cute like that O’Kelly, like a little baby,” Robin teased.
Rook said nothing in reply, cold sweat on his face.
“You needed to deliver something, huh?” Steak confronted Robin.
She shrugged. “I tell no lies,” she shook her head. “I needed to deliver the two of you to the mistress,” she waved her hands to the side as if presenting something.
From the shadows, Cassandra emerged. Her black dress clung to her body, like a living organism. Short feather-like tendrils served as the collar of her dress.
“Rochester, my boy, it’s been more than a month. Might you explain?” She had a wicked smile on her face. “I may be like family to you, but you’ve still got to pay the operating tax around here, sweetie.”