The head surgeon stood tall, an imposing figure cloaked in an aura of malevolence. Every aspect of their appearance seemed crafted to inspire dread and command authority. Their presence exuded an air of sinister sophistication, a perfect blend of intelligence and wickedness.
Dressed in a flowing black surgical gown that cascaded around them like a macabre cape, the head surgeon seemed to blend in with the dingy operating room. The fabric whispered with an eerie rustle as they moved, as if it harbored secrets and whispered tales of horror. The gown bore subtle accents of blood-red embroidery, with entwined patterns that hinted at a deep-seated connection to the arcane.
Their face, concealed behind a surgical mask, remained an enigma. Only their eyes were visible, peering out from the mask's narrow opening. The eyes were a chilling sight to behold, twin orbs of blood-red that seemed to pierce the very soul of anyone unfortunate enough to meet their gaze. They gleamed with an unsettling intelligence, reflecting a terrifying hunger.
Carn's gaze remained fixed on the head surgeon as an aura of pulsating crimson energy engulfed the sinister figure. The surge of power emanating from the surgeon was palpable, electrifying the air around them. Beads of sweat dripped down Carn's face, his heart pounding in his chest. He had kicked this person before and he felt his foot break.
His eyes darted between the door behind the surgeon and the advancing menace before him. Doubt gnawed at his resolve, but he couldn't afford to falter now. A flicker of determination sparked within him, and he muttered to himself, "Running away shouldn't be too challenging, right? I can do this."
Each step the surgeon took reverberated with a haunting crack, the ground trembling beneath their feet. Carn's muscles tensed, his body poised for an evasive maneuver. But in a blur of motion, the surgeon disappeared, leaving Carn's attempt to dodge futile. A stream of crimson light streaked toward him, and before he could react, the surgeon's black-gloved hand closed around his throat, cutting off his breath.
Carn gasped for air, his face contorted with the agony of suffocation. “To think those failures lost to someone as weak as you!” The surgeon's grip tightened mercilessly, their eyes burning with an intense fury. The strength behind their fingers crushed his neck muscles, rendering every attempt to inhale futile. Darkness threatened to engulf his senses, but he fought to maintain consciousness.
In an explosive burst of rage, the surgeon lifted Carn off the ground, his body weightless in their iron grip. With bone-chilling force, he was slammed into the unyielding stone floor amidst the lifeless forms of the defeated surgeons. “They were completely and utterly useless!” The impact shattered his ribs and rattled his skull, the excruciating pain coursing through his body. Yet, the demonic pole's regenerative power stitched his broken bones back together, preventing him from succumbing to the void of unconsciousness.
The surgeon clasped their other hand around Carn’s neck and slammed him to the floor cracking the cold ground below, “DEFECTIVE! USELESS! WEAK!” The surgeon's hands were firmly tightened against Carn’s neck as they pressed Carn against the floor. Darkness encroached on his vision, his lungs gasping for oxygen. Carn's feeble attempts to resist became increasingly desperate as he struggled to find a way to break free. His flailing limbs reached out aimlessly until his hand grazed the cool touch of a glass object. In a surge of determination, he grasped the slender item, wielding it like a lifeline. Summoning the last vestiges of his strength, he swung his arm and plunged the pointed end of the needle into the surgeon's neck.
A sudden infusion of orange liquid flowed from the syringe, shock registering on the surgeon's face. Their grip loosened, affording Carn a precious opportunity to wrest free from their suffocating hold. Gasping for precious breath, he wrenched the surgeon's hands away from his throat, his neck swiftly regenerating with the aid of the demonic pole. With his vision clearing, Carn steadied himself on the metal chair to which he was once bound.
The head surgeon lay crumpled on the cold floor, their once-intimidating aura gradually dissipating into thin air. Their eyes darted frantically, scanning the room, but the rest of their motionless body betrayed their defeat. Carn's gaze bore into the surgeon's eyes, an intense hatred simmering within his core. He knew all too well the helplessness of being trapped in that paralyzed state.
With a slow and deliberate motion, Carn knelt beside the fallen surgeon, his voice dripping with venom, “You must be defective too, after all, you lost to someone as weak as me.” A malevolent smirk crept across his lips as he reached for a nearby surgical tray, suffusing it with a vibrant orange aura.
Panic flickered in the surgeon's eyes, realization dawning upon them as Carn raised the tray high above his head. In a swift and merciless descent, the tray collided with the surgeon's neck, eliciting a flinch of pain. Carn repeated the savage motion, each strike more ferocious than the last as if channeling his entire rage into the relentless assault. The metallic reverberation of the tray meeting flesh reverberated through the room, echoing for what felt like an eternity, until a sickening slicing sound sliced through the air, culminating in a final collision between metal and stone.
Blood gushed from the headless body, staining the floor in a macabre crimson pool. The surgeon's once-fiery red eyes dimmed, fading into a lifeless shade of gray. Carn sat back, his chest heaving, the adrenaline-fueled sweat mingling with the crimson blood on his skin. He had emerged victorious from the gruesome confrontation. In the eerie silence of the surgical room, Carn's laughter filled the air, a chilling cackle that echoed his triumph.
After a prolonged silence that hung heavy in the air, Carn cautiously approached the decapitated head of the head surgeon, a mix of curiosity and confusion etched across his blood-streaked face. With a determined grip, he tore off the surgeon's mask, unveiling a perplexing sight. The surgeon's countenance defied easy categorization, possessing an enigmatic blend of masculine and feminine traits, straddling the boundaries between both genders. What truly confounded Carn, however, was the absence of a discernible mouth and nose, replaced by featureless, smooth skin. Only the lifeless eyes remained as a semblance of facial expression. Intrigued, Carn's gaze shifted to the rest of the surgeon's body, confirming that it, too, lacked any distinguishing markers of gender. In an act of defiant frustration, Carn stood upright and kicked the severed head like a soccer ball, unleashing his pent-up rage upon the unfeeling remnants.
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Determined to actually wear some clothes, Carn seized the least blood-soaked garments from the fallen surgeons and clumsily donned them, disregarding their slightly constricting fit. As he enveloped himself in the gray surgical attire, the dim glow emanating from the demonic pole nestled in the corner of the room began to wane, its once-potent energy fading until it crumbled to dust. The room descended into a somber ambiance, its sole illumination provided by a solitary dangling bulb, casting elongated shadows across the blood-stained surfaces.
Carn found his desire to get a closer look at the pole abruptly thwarted. Instead, he turned his attention toward the lifeless man who had triggered the pole's activation. Nothing about the man's appearance stood out; he appeared wholly unremarkable. His parched skin bore the marks of neglect, while his unkempt hair clung to his scalp in a tangled disarray. Filthy attire clung to his body, exuding a pungent odor that wafted through the air. Carn's memories of the homeless who raised him on the streets of San Francisco flooded his mind, drawing an unsettling parallel between this man and those forgotten souls who had shown him kindness.
With the room's exploration concluded, Carn gleaned a handful of useful weapons, a precautionary measure against unforeseen dangers. Patting down the head surgeon's lifeless form, he stumbled upon an ancient, weathered key, its rustic appearance hinting at a forgotten history. Fitting perfectly into the lock of the door, the key turned with a satisfying click, granting Carn passage. Slowly, he pushed the door ajar, cautiously peering into the darkness beyond. His eyes scanned the desolate hallway, revealing an empty void devoid of any signs of life. However, as the door sealed shut behind him, a symphony of mechanical whirring and grinding gears erupted. When he cast a glance back, the doorway had vanished, leaving him engulfed in an abyss of pitch-black emptiness. Silence enveloped him like a suffocating shroud, and as he inhaled, the stale taste of stagnant air permeated his lungs, further heightening his sense of trepidation.
His gaze fixated on the bone saw he had brought, intending to infuse it with his fading aura, only to remember that he had utilized the last remnants of his power to vanquish the head surgeon. Carn's heart sank as he realized that he was without a source of light in the gloomy abyss. Frustration tinged with a tinge of anxiety welled up within him as he examined the meager regeneration of his aura, crippled by the stifling atmosphere of the desolate hallway. Left with no alternatives, Carn resorted to pressing his hand against the rough, coarse wall and ventured forward.
The wall's texture, riddled with bumps and imperfections, conveyed a cold, stone-like quality to Carn's touch. At regular intervals, his fingers encountered the solid resistance of wooden pillars, further fueling his realization that he was traversing an abandoned mineshaft. The hallway stretched endlessly before him, a labyrinthine pathway devoid of any discernible end. His only semblance of direction lay in the subtle shifts of elevation, as he keenly attuned himself to the subtle inclines and declines. Whenever the sensation hinted at a descent, Carn promptly retraced his steps, meticulously searching for alternative passages that would lead him upward instead of downward.
Carn tried to call Alicia periodically, yearning to get in touch with her. Yet, the communication pill repeatedly rebuffed his efforts. Doubts and worries gnawed at his resolve, threatening to unravel his composure. “Did he take a wrong turn somewhere, was going upwards even a good idea?” Thoughts like these crept into his mind as he trudged forth. Nevertheless, he pressed on, steadfast and undeterred, a beacon of determination amid the oppressive darkness. Time seemed to stretch indefinitely as Carn persevered, with hours turning into an agonizing eternity, until at last, a faint glimmer of light pierced through the void.
Renewed energy surged within Carn's veins as he caught sight of the light, beckoning him forth. A surge of adrenaline propelled him forward, his weary legs propelling him with a newfound vigor toward the tunnel's end.
Emerging into the open, Carn was greeted by a verdant scene, bathed in the radiant embrace of sunlight. The weight of the tunnel's oppressive confinement lifted, replaced by a gentle breeze that kissed his skin and invigorated his senses. Drawing in a deep breath, he relished the taste of fresh air, infusing his bloodstream with renewed vitality. Basking in the revitalizing warmth of the sun's rays, he took a moment to gather himself, his mind clearing the suffocating darkness that had ensnared him for what felt like an eternity.
Surveying his surroundings, Carn marveled at his newfound sanctuary. He found himself standing on a dirt path, resembling an ordinary hiking trail, winding its way along the mountainside. Lush trees and shrubbery adorned the path's edges. Turning his gaze back towards the entrance of the tunnel he had emerged from, he couldn't help but marvel at its stealthy concealment. Blending seamlessly with the mountain's facade, the entrance remained camouflaged, indistinguishable from any other surface. It was out of the way and it looked just like any other surface of the mountain, no one would find that entrance even if they walked this trail every day.
As Carn stood there, taking in his newfound sanctuary, a flicker of hope surged within him. With trembling fingers, he reached for his communication device and dialed Alicia's number. To his surprise, the call connected immediately, her voice resonating through the device, carrying a mix of concern and relief.
"Hello, Carn, are you alright?" Alicia's words echoed in his ears, their familiarity offering a lifeline amid his disorientation. "Wait, I'm sending a location request."
A disembodied voice reverberated in his mind. "Alicia Williams would like to know your location. Will you accept or decline?"
Without hesitation, Carn spoke, "Accept."
In an instant, a brilliant burst of radiant white light engulfed the surroundings, illuminating the previously shadowed landscape. As the glare dissipated, Alicia materialized before him, her presence filling the air with a sense of comfort and belonging. Before he could fully grasp the sight of her, she darted toward him, embracing him in a fervent, heartfelt hug. The sensation, though familiar, carried an underlying nuance he couldn't quite place. It was different than in God’s Paradise and in that instant, the weight of his torturous ordeal evaporated, replaced by a profound sense of liberation and the comforting embrace of salvation.