Act 1, Part III & IV, Maverick and Murdock

Act 1 Part III: Maverick Sirlax

So this is it, huh? Onus Corp HQ? It was one of the largest skyscrapers, even for Isola standards. Spanning 135 stories, Murdock hired the best architects to design his headquarters. The grand entrance was fitted with a golden frame and gold stained glass, an epitome of Isola City, and certainly any businessman’s dreams in the city. At the pinnacle of all the grandeur, a neatly cursive “Onus Corp” stood. It was a radioactive green, as if to stand out in the already neon cityscape.

I approached the front desk, where the receptionist sat among a flurry of screens. She seemed to be swamped in a myriad of errands, even though she seemed adept at her work.

“S’cuse me, ma’am. I’d like to see Mr. Murock, please.”

Without looking up, she gave a curt response, “Purpose, please.”

Not even a question! Just a statement! Lady, show some courtesy at least!

Before I could respond, Koi interjected. “We’d like to see Mr. Murdock ‘bout that mission of his.”

“You guys!” the receptionist motioned to two masked guards nearby. “Take these two to Murdock’s room.”

The two guards simply nodded their heads, and motioned with a simple hand gesture to come forward.

As Koi and I began to follow the guards down the winding hallway to the portal that would take us to Murdock’s floor, there was a certain uneasiness to the desolate hallway. Despite the blinding neon colors of the exterior, the interior featured endless slabs of gray granite. Eventually, though, the dreary slabs led to a human-sized portal. Swirling with magenta hues, it almost beckoned us to come closer.

One of the guards leapt into the portal and disappeared. The other took a step back, and motioned for us to pass.

“This sure does have a sense of anxiety to it, doesn’t it?” I murmured to Koi.

“I did expect it to be a bit more cheerful, perhaps. But considering Murdock’s tastes, it seems completely normal.” Koi muttered back, “I assume.”

Koi took a small stride, and disappeared through the portal.

And so I followed his tail, and took a small step through too.

Act 1 Part IV Lester Murdock

“Mr. Murdock, your next customers await. They are soon to be arriving at your door in approximately five minutes.”

The voice came from behind Mr. Murdock, who simply gave a smirk.

“I’ve had trouble with the concoction recently. After all, the most recent customers seemed to have lost their minds. A bit too much than I would have wanted.”

Mr. Murdock gave a sigh and paced the room. He passed by his expansive collection of alchemy books, which he stopped to admire. Mr. Murdock was proud of his collection, for it housed some of the most

“You know this one, Fizor, Psychology and Alchemy? A great work by the great Carl Jung! I’m glad to have the manuscript, for it cost quite a fortune to amass.” Mr. Murdock wistfully said.

“Absolutely. You sure do think we’ll find the treasured philosopher’s stone, do you?” Fizor walked beside Murdock as he peered over Mr. Murdock, who was clutching his beloved manuscript.

“Did you know, Fizor, that Jung believed that the stone could be realized internally? The alchemists for more than a millenia have been in search of the treasured stone, yet none of them have looked in the most obvious place?”

Although Firzo already knew the answer, he simply stepped back and smiled, “And what would that be, Mr. Murdock?”

“The philosopher’s stone can only be extracted when an impure soul becomes purified. Much how alchemists believed lead could turn into gold, the stone, I believe, works in a different way.” Murdock triumphantly said.

He stopped just a moment for the grand finale, and went on, “In conclusion, the only way to extract the philosopher’s stone is by purifying a human’s soul, and the stone will appear—”

Mr. Murdock suddenly stopped himself, and his smile quickly turned to an inquisitive frown.

“Yet, how do we extract the stone from the soul, that is something that nobody has figured out! The stone exists as a solid, yet the soul only exists as an essence. Despite Compesstia’s superhuman abilities, the humans’ souls have been just uncooperative!”

Firzo calmly interjected, “Which is why we must give Compesstia more time to algorithmize, to find the perfect combination. It must take time!”

“Funds can be thrown away, but if the philosopher’s stone is found, the breadth of knowledge is invaluable! Hence, this is why the experiments must go on!”

Mr. Murdock stopped for a moment, then continued “Firzo, call in the next customer!”

Firzo once again closed his eyes and smiled, “Yes, Mr. Murdock, I’ll do that right away.”