CH16: Irisia

"KAGHHH!"

I had never experienced this before, this immense excitement that flooded my veins, causing my chest to swell and my lips to grin... The job of having someone suffer by my own hands, slowly being consumed by pain and the inability for death. I cut his stomach open, scalped his skin flesh between flesh, and the screams were so satisfying, I was dying of happiness. Fuck...

_Plack_

I slapped my own cheeks to bring me back to sanity. How did I end up like this? Theo... control yourself; you're better than this. My goal is not to prolong this man's suffering but to test how exactly the infection works. It's for educational purposes; I'm not a sadist!

Time was spent wisely. I extracted the overwhelming amount of pus into a wooden bucket while my other hand was busy covering my nose. I couldn't imagine anyone, even the most professional surgeons, withstanding the deadly scent of rotting organs. I couldn't; that's why I had to puke three times before I could get anywhere experimenting on him.

And the discovery was worth it.

I noticed the large amount of pus on his organs, which I thought was strange. What kind of bacterial infection was this, and what happened to this man's immune response? You see, pus is created through the fight-off between a person's immune cells, such as neutrophils, against bacteria. Pus is like a sea of those who perished in that battle, plus tissue fluids. Detritivores, such as maggots, were then attracted to those decaying debris, which causes the grotesque appearance of the rotten. The yellow-green coloration must be because the bacteria were releasing enzymes or chemical byproducts to kill immune cells. However, as I observed that mass of slimy fluids... it moved.

The fluids had intelligence! It wasn't pus but the entire parasite itself! What the hell? They multiplied by injecting this slimy-pus-like substance into the bloodstream, which would then spread until it reached the brain. I hadn't experimented on the host's brain yet, so it was just a guess, but I believed it to be the case. Don't take my word for it, but maybe the parasite-substance was capable of releasing a complex cocktail of neurotransmitters and peptides that targeted specific regions of the brain, stimulating aggression and impulsive behaviors.

They were also moving away from the pond. I still didn't understand why the manticore was unaffected by the infection, but maybe it was because she herself had the immunity to kill it from within. Her body fluids had healing and purifying properties that repelled the infection; she might be the cure...

I think I figured it out! I caught a bright ray of hope, a way to release myself from the sickness. I'm a genius! The years of studying sickness after Aku's death paid off. However, this would take some time, maybe several years to accomplish. I still needed to identify the genetic makeup of this pathogen, then block its ability to release chemicals and develop antibodies, which was quite... impossible for now, especially without equipment and resources.

Maybe I could find my materials if I proceeded to travel up to the floor and discover new technologies. But, "Can I do it?" I needed to slap myself from the thought, "I'll do it."

"Please... kill me. She's inside... my head. Kill... me," the man I tortured begged, but I didn't plan to kill him, just make him suffer. It wasn't just because my mother forbade me, but also because I'm not immoral; I value human life.

It had been a week since I'd been calling that manticore my mother; it just felt appropriate, and she liked it. That's all that mattered. It's not like I made up my mind to trust her. I still had my guard up; it's just making her happy made me feel human inside. It's like I'm being a child again.

I heard something rustle, and I immediately looked back into the tunnel.

"Mom?" That stupid beast! I told her to leave; she's really hardheaded!

I picked up a thick stick and put fire above it using my fire magic. The pathogen substance reacted by moving away from it. To confirm this, I shoved fire into the pus, and I heard a small shriek. Shit, its weakness was fire; this creature might be cryo-attributed. Never mind that, I wanted to confront my mother and tell her off. I didn't want her to see how violent I was.

I walked towards the tunnel with a stick on fire in hand. The fire gave me light in the dark tunnel filled with fog. I moved right, leading to a chamber where usually the manticore stayed when she wanted to be alone. It's a place where there's a small hole where she could peek to look at the sky.

"Mom? Are you here?" I knew it! She was there; her hasty breathing gave her presence away. "I said you need to leave the cave! Don't worry. I didn't kill him; it's just... Mom?"

Her breathing became faster; it became a wild groan. She opened her eyes, and the whites were cracked in blood. She opened her mouth, revealing her sharp, inhuman fangs and the snake-like tongue that was longer than her chin.

Why didn't I notice it sooner? Why didn't I think about it?

She dashed towards me, flapping her wyvern-like wings inconsistently... she tried to bite me.

"Wha!"

I ran, evading before her fangs could split my body in half. She crashed into the wall, but it was like she felt no pain, and she still persisted in chasing me. Just why was this happening?

"Ack!" her scorpion tail hurled me away, impacting me into the wall and engraving my shape through cracks. I spat out blood; my body was burning, especially in my ribcage; I felt it was broken.

"AGGGHH!" she was coming; I needed to stop her! I tried pushing her away, but I forgot the disparity between our strengths. She crashed her gigantic head into me, almost flattening me against the walls. Then she swallowed me and chewed me inside her mouth... repeatedly; her fangs put holes in my stomach; it almost severed me into tiny pieces until she spit me out.

It became harder to breathe, and my sight was filled with darkness. Am I getting betrayed again? Will I get killed by someone I cared for? No, that's not the case this time. In front of me was the manticore; her human-like face was filled with swelling veins threatening to explode. There wasn't a trace of her original self, but a savage infected beast who lived through instincts. And somehow, I was glad that was the case.

"Mo...," shit, I couldn't even speak anymore. My blood was still leaking from my stomach. I wanted to live; I didn't want to die yet! I wanted to have a peaceful life, goddamnit!

"Goblin? Huh?" it seemed like the manticore had regained control of herself, and the memory of her chewing me was left blank in her memories. "I-is this my fault? No... This can't be happening..."

The look on her face... I didn't like it; please, don't cry. I hate it.

In the spur of the moment, the manticore flew away and escaped. But I understood; if you did something terrible and your conscience couldn't contain it, you just wanted to explode and run away. I knew it. That's why I was glad.

I crawled towards the pond, painting the floor with my own blood; I insisted on living. I was starting to feel cold.

...

I healed myself, but the pain it left in my chest didn't disappear. I sat at the entrance of the cave, gazing at the moon; its tantalizing beauty didn't fade. I waited for the manticore to come back, and waited... until several days has passed by. I don't think she knew I was alive, and the guilt prevented her from coming back. I needed to get her back.

What should I do now? As I ask and ponder with myself, the dungeon quest appeared right before my eyes reminding me of my fate.

[Dungeon Trial: 27]

[In the realm of paradoxes, a visage that utters secrets, a lethal venom concealed in the extremity, and a regal core enshrined within. She, an embodiment of both zenith and nadir, embodying both grace and ravenous desire. Assemble a banquet of the harbinger of annihilation, and in that communion, claim her as your own. Thus shall the Manticore meet its demise]

[Kill the Manticore]