Alex glanced at Incognita, her crossbow loaded and poised in her hand, her knuckles white with tension as she nodded. With a silent affirmation, he placed his hand on the door, and it slid down into the floor, opening up to whatever lay beyond.
Alex stepped in first, his senses heightened, followed closely by Incognita, who moved with practiced stealth. The scene before them felt like stepping into a nightmare. The room was bright, harsh lights illuminating rows of eerie specimens preserved in a twisted gallery. Floating in tanks, some of the creatures appeared peacefully asleep, while others were ghastly remnants, their skeletal forms suspended in fluids that shimmered like oil slicks. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic, mingling with a faint, unshakable undertone of decay.
A shudder rippled through Incognita as her gaze locked onto one of the larger tanks—a grotesque fusion of man, lizard, and squid, its skin pale and mottled, webbed hands drifting listlessly, tubes embedded in its body. The creature looked unsettlingly calm, its malformed head tilted slightly as if it might blink open its cold, lifeless eyes at any moment. Yet Alex could sense something from it, a stirring that felt too aware, too alive.
'This place… it was the last memory of the drow.'Alex communicated through their telepathic link, his voice a whisper in her mind. He could feel her unease, the dread curling around her thoughts as she took in the rows of warped life-forms around them.
Steeling himself, Alex approached the vat, locking eyes with the abomination within. His gaze was steady, yet he couldn’t shake the chill that prickled at the back of his neck. This place brought back , bad memories. The creature’s mind pulsed, chaotic and wild, its thoughts erratic, unhinged. Alex pressed his consciousness forward, bridging the distance until he felt the creature’s awareness flicker in response.
'I know you’re awake.' Alex said, his mind connecting with the creature’s, pushing through the madness that twisted and turned like thorny vines around its thoughts.
The creature's voice seeped into his mind like oil: Yes.
The single word vibrated with pain, rage, and a deep, hollow despair. Images flashed through Alex’s mind—flashes of needles, of blinding lights, of screams and containment, endless days suspended in this tank as the creature's body warped, contorted beyond recognition.
'What… are you?' Alex’s question was laced with curiosity .
The creature's fragmented thoughts stirred, resisting the coherence of Alex’s mind. They… changed me, it replied, a note of anguish lacing its words. Experiment… turned… abomination.
Incognita’s voice broke into his mind. 'This isn’t just a lab—it’s a graveyard,' she thought to him, a mixture of horror and anger swirling within her. She moved closer to Alex, her gaze flicking from the creature to the other vats, as if daring one of them to open, to reveal more horrors than they’d already seen.
Alex pressed on. 'What do they hope to gain?'
The creature hesitated, its thoughts swimming in a chaotic whirl. To make… perfect monster, it replied slowly, as if the words were dredged up from a memory it had buried deep. To control… unleash… destroy.
The weight of those words hung in Alex’s mind. It was more than experimentation, more than twisted science. Whoever controlled this place was fashioning something that went beyond mere weapons—they were shaping nightmares.
'What happened here?' Alex asked one last time, his voice cutting through the creature’s jumbled thoughts, seeking clarity.
Failure , death ,pain. The creature rasped. Pain without end.
The words echoed like a death knell, heavy with resignation, and the connection faltered, the creature withdrawing into itself, its mind slipping back into the quiet despair that bound it within the vat.
Alex let the connection fade and he turned to Incognita, who stood beside him, her face a mask of barely-contained horror.
“We must destroy this place.” he whispered to her, the realization settling heavily on them both.
Incognita’s jaw clenched, her gaze hardening. “Together.”
Alex gave a curt nod before pressing his hand against the cool glass of the vat, fingers splayed as a thin tendril of dark flesh slipped from his palm, puncturing the glass and snaking its way into the creature’s warped form.
'What are you doing?' Incognita’s voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a mixture of horror and disbelief as she took a step back, her instincts screaming that something about this was unnatural—even dangerous.
Alex didn’t look away. 'Giving this one a chance at revenge,' he replied simply, his tone calm yet heavy with purpose.
As the tendrils sank deeper, the creature’s body began to twist and writhe in the tank. At first, it seemed to grow more misshapen, its limbs contorting into unnatural angles. But then, with a sickening crack, bones realigned, shifting into place, while muscles reformed, knitting together and smoothing into a powerful, more stable form. Its spine straightened, and its hulking shape became balanced, imposing rather than grotesque.
Incognita watched, her heart pounding as the transformation took place. She couldn't tear her eyes away, both mesmerized and deeply unsettled by the sight. The creature’s once twisted face grew clearer, more defined, yet somehow darker, carrying an aura of terrible strength. Its eyes finally opened, revealing depths of pitch-black void, like portals into endless night.
Alex withdrew his tendrils, and the liquid in the vat drained away as the creature stepped down, its clawed feet hitting the floor with a dull, menacing thud. As it flexed its newly-stabilized limbs, the creature seemed to test its own strength, swinging its claws experimentally, a newfound power radiating from every movement. Its gaze locked onto Alex, a wordless understanding passing between them—mutual disdain for this place.
The creature swung its claw at the vat, slicing through the glass as if it were paper. The tank shattered with a resounding crash, shards scattering across the floor. Incognita dashed back, her hand crossbows aimed squarely at the creature’s head. But she hesitated, lowering her weapons as she realized Alex was standing calmly before the creature, completely unfazed.
Alex held its gaze, unwavering. "Go and take your revenge," he commanded, his voice low and filled with a quiet fury that matched the creature’s own.
For a moment, the creature hesitated, its dark, bottomless eyes studying Alex as if seeing him for the first time. Then it lowered its head, a slight nod, a gesture of recognition, almost like gratitude. In the next instant, it charged trough the door they had came from , with terrifying speed, claws raking the air, ready to unleash the vengeance it had been denied for so long.
'That creature had a malformed tadpole in its brain.' Alex thought as he turned to Incognita.
They exchanged a look—hers a mix of awe and horror, his impassive.
Alex and Incognita immediately dropped into a battle stance as the heavy footsteps echoed into the room. Eight armors, two meters tall, clad in silvery steel, each wielding a deadly combination of spears, swords, and shields, clanked into formation, their soulless visors locked on their targets.
"Here we go," Alex murmured, rolling his shoulders as he prepared to close the gap.
Without another word, Alex launched himself forward, his fists a blur as he dove toward the first armored soldier. His hand lashed out in a fierce arc, landing a powerful strike on its chestplate. The impact resonated like a gong, and the armor staggered back, metal screeching as it scrambled to regain its balance. Before it could react, Alex spun low, sweeping his leg beneath it and sending the massive structure clattering to the ground.
Meanwhile, Incognita took a step back, raising, sighting down her hand crossbow . She aimed for a gap in the second armor’s joints and squeezed the trigger. The bolt flew true, lodging itself into the shoulder joint. The armor staggered, its arm jerking involuntarily, leaving a narrow opening.
"Alex, right side!" she called out.
Alex leaped to the right, dodging a spear thrust from a third armor, and using its own momentum against it. With a swift kick, he shattered its weapon, then pivoted and drove his elbow into its helm. The helm spun clean off, clattering to the ground as the suit convulsed, collapsing into a pile of lifeless metal.
Two armors charged at Incognita, shields raised, their swords poised to strike. She fired her hand crossbow into the visor of one, the bolt striking through the eye slit and making the armor stumble backward. But the second kept advancing, sword raised high.
Quickly, she switched to her larger crossbow and took aim. "Not so fast," she muttered, pulling the trigger. The bolt struck the armor’s knee joint, buckling it. She darted to the side as it toppled, rolling out of its reach as she reloaded.
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Just then, three armors flanked Alex, spears bristling toward him in unison. He ducked under the first, pivoted, and grabbed the shaft of the second, snapping it with a twist of his wrist. The armor tried to react, but Alex sidestepped and brought his knee up into its midsection with crushing force, cracking the metal plate.
"Need some breathing room?" Incognita called, loosing another bolt that struck an armor advancing on Alex from behind.
"Always appreciated!" Alex grinned, glancing her way.
One armor, faster than the others, lunged at Incognita, sword thrust forward. She sidestepped and jammed her crossbow bolt into the gap under its arm. It twitched and hesitated, giving her time to pull back, reload, and fire directly into its chestplate, shattering it in a spray of sparks.
With only two armors remaining, Alex and Incognita moved in sync. Alex sprinted toward the first, launching himself into a roundhouse kick that cracked its helm, while Incognita’s bolts shattered through the visor of the last one, striking with pinpoint accuracy. The suits fell, the hollow clang of metal filling the room as they hit the ground in pieces.
As silence settled, Alex smiled at Incognita, who was catching her breath as she looked over the dismantled armors.
"Not bad," he said, nodding approvingly.
She gave a small, satisfied smile. "I could say the same for you, right?"
A door opened on the other side of the room, revealing even more suits of armor, their metallic forms glinting ominously in the dim light.
"Quickly, give me one of your explosives," Alex said urgently.
She tossed him one, and Alex caught it deftly, his fingers tracing the familiar contours of what looked similar to a grenade. He could feel a faint, almost imperceptible magic emanating from it.
"Hold the clutch and pull the pin," she instructed, already sensing what he was planning to do.
Alex pulled the pin and hurled the grenade right into the midst of the approaching armors. They jumped behind a counter for cover.
A powerful explosion followed shortly after, the sound deafening and the shockwave rattling the room. Shards of metal and fragments of armor flew in all directions.
"What did you do to my bomb?" she asked, astonishment and confusion evident in her voice. "The explosion shouldn't have been that powerful."
Alex shrugged, a feigned look of innocence on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Unbeknownst to Incognita, Alex had thrown a bibberbang torchstalk capsule, and her grenade was still tucked away safely in his vest.
As the debris settled, Alex leaped over the counter with a sense of urgency. "We need to move and find the master before this place gets swarmed with more armors."
Incognita nodded, and they rushed through the door the armors had come from. They started to check every room, but found nothing useful—just desiccated, mutated creatures and more armors that tried to kill them.
As they raced down the hall, they stopped before a massive gate. Alex attentively inspected it, feeling the powerful enchantments radiating from the door. Whatever was on the other side, it was important.
"Cover me," Alex said, placing his hand on the door.
Incognita took a battle stance, ready to protect Alex while he worked. The orb thrummed in his chest, eager to consume the enchantments engraved in the door. Magic rushed through his hand and into the orb. When the enchantments were absorbed, the gate opened inward with a light push.
They stepped into the mist-filled chamber, Alex and Incognita were immediately struck by an unnatural cold, a chill that seemed to crawl up their spines and seep into their bones. In the center of the room stood the spire—its towering crystalline structure glowing faintly, casting ghostly reflections that danced across the mist like flickering memories. The spire’s surface shimmered as if alive, an unsettling pull drawing them closer.
“Be careful,” Alex warned, feeling an inexplicable unease.
Incognita, standing beside him, took a shaky breath as she reached out a tentative hand toward the spire. “There’s… so much pain in this room,” she whispered, her voice almost lost in the mist.
The spire pulsed and an overwhelming wave of emotions surged through them both. Memories, agonizing and vivid, forced their way into their minds—fragments of lives, fragments of terror.
Alex staggered as thousands upon thousands of scenes from the lab’s past filled his mind. He saw white-robed people working without pause, shadows under their eyes, driven by ambition, fear, and orders they dared not disobey. Test subjects writhed on metal tables, their screams echoing off cold, sterile walls, bodies twisted by experiments meant to “push the boundaries” of what was possible.
The memory of his past actions burned through him. His heart numbed, his mind drowned in a sea of detached cruelty that he’d willingly accepted , all for the sake of progress, power, and the relentless demands of Gentek. His heart raw from guilt, he could feel each decision weighing heavily, every life that he had used as nothing more than a tool.
A woman’s voice echoed from the vision. “Please… don’t do this. I have a family, I…” And Alex cut her off, giving her a cold, practiced explanation as he adjusted the serum. He could feel the shame twisting inside him as he remembered her eyes—the desperation, the betrayal—etched forever into his mind.
“No… this wasn’t me…” he muttered.
Incognita, beside him, struggled to breathe, overwhelmed by the torrent of memories flooding her mind. Her chest heaved with each ragged breath, and her eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and pain.
The hopelessness and terror of the test subjects washed over her, the primal fear clawing at her mind. She felt the panic of captivity, the agony of feeling life slip away bit by bit as they took all that made them human. Just like she had endured. Her will, usually a fortress, felt battered and frayed as her identity blurred under the weight of so many lost voices.
“A-Alex…” she gasped, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I can’t…”
Alex could see her distress through his own fog of guilt and grief. He reached out, gripping her shoulder firmly, grounding himself to her presence.
“Incognita,” he said, his voice low but steady, fighting to push through the drowning memories. “Focus on me. Remember who you are. Don’t let their pain consume you.”
Incognita griped his arm ,tight, her nails pressing painfully into his skin, Alex barely registered the discomfort. Her wide, tear-bright eyes searched his, and for a heartbeat, he could feel her struggle, her mind almost fracturing under the weight of those memories. But he held her gaze, his own expression steady, the words he spoke as much for her as they were for himself.
“We’re here,” he said softly, though his voice carried the weight of conviction. “We’re not them. They’re gone, Incognita. We’re still standing.”
She blinked, and he watched as the haze in her eyes cleared, a quiet realization anchoring her back to reality. Her breathing steadied, and her grip on his arm loosened, though she didn’t let go. Instead, she kept her hand resting there, as if the touch itself was the last fragile thread grounding her in the present.
Then, with a low, metallic rumble, the chamber began to shift, the mist parting to reveal a hidden door just behind the spire. It opened on its own, revealing what looked like an , industrial elevator, lit and waiting. As they took tentative steps toward it, the mist clung to them, as if reluctant to release its hold, tendrils of memory attempting to drag them back into the past. Yet step by step, they shook off the lingering grip, leaving the tortured memories to dissipate behind them.
Once inside the elevator, the metal door slid shut with a soft clang, isolating them from the chamber. The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. They stood side by side, shoulders brushing as if for reassurance, neither speaking, each of them wrestling with the scars that the spire had reopened.
Alex exhaled slowly, the ache in his chest settling into a hollow emptiness. The memories it had dredged up were raw and inescapable, like old wounds torn open. The faces he saw—the pleading eyes, the accusations, the betrayal—it all gnawed at him, forcing him to face the man he once was, a man he had fought to bury. He had been a weapon, a cog in Gentek’s ruthless machinery, hurting others with a numbness that, at the time, he’d mistaken for strength. But looking at Incognita now, he felt exposed, vulnerable.
“You did well in there,” he said finally, his voice rough, almost a whisper.
Incognita looked up at him, a faint, weary smile flickering across her lips, though the exhaustion from their ordeal was plain in her gaze. “So did you,” she replied, her voice soft yet steady.
They shared a moment of silence, both knowing the weight of their words.
The elevator hummed into motion, carrying them downwards, the hum of its machinery filling the silence. They stood close, as if any distance might bring back the haunting memories they’d barely escaped.
As the elevator doors slid open, Alex and Incognita stepped out into an immense chamber, its arched ceiling rising high above them, almost cathedral-like in scale. The air was thick with a latent hum of magic that made every hair on their skin rise.
The walls were crafted from a dark blue stone, deeply veined with silvery enchantments that pulsed faintly, tracing arcane symbols and ancient spells across every surface. The aura in the room was heavy, oppressive, making it clear that whatever lay beyond these doors was either of great importance or of unspeakable danger.
Three colossal gates loomed ahead, each with its own distinct design, and each intimidating in its own way.
The central gate stood taller than the others by at least a dozen meters, exuding an air of finality. Alex’s gaze moved to Incognita, who, for a rare moment, seemed uncertain.
“What gate should we choose?” he asked quietly, a slight edge of tension in his voice.
“I… I don’t know,” she admitted, a slight tremor betraying her unease.
A flicker of amusement softened Alex’s expression. “Just pick one at random.”
Incognita, eyes narrowing slightly in concentration, raised a finger and began to chant softly under her breath, a rhyme that felt almost out of place in the ominous silence:
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,Catch a tiger by the toe.If he hollers, let him go,Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”She finished, pointing toward the gate on the left with a small, resolute nod. “The one to the left,” she announced, her voice firming as she made the call.
A soft chuckle escaped Alex, and she turned to him, her brow furrowed. She shot him a glare, but he caught the faint flush creeping up her cheeks, her stoic mask cracking ever so slightly.
“Is there a problem with the way I chose?” she asked, defensive and clearly self-conscious.
He shook his head, his smile only widening. “No,” he replied with a warm, teasing lilt. “I just think it’s… very cute.”
She pulled the brim of her hat low over her face, but he didn’t miss the way her pointy ears turned pink.The glimpse was fleeting, and yet it brought a faint warmth to the cold air between them.
Without another word, Alex turned toward the left gate, stepping ahead to press his hand against the cold, enchanted stone. The faint pulse of magic under his fingers sent a shiver up his spine, but he steeled himself, focusing on the task ahead. Behind him, Incognita quickly composed herself, the heat fading from her cheeks as she pulled herself back into her steady, resolute mindset. She joined him at the gate, her posture straightening as her serious expression returned.