She awoke with a start. Trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, a clinking sound was heard as she pulled at the chains attached to her wrist, stopping her from reaching her face. "How long was I out this time." She questioned herself. Looking around slowly, she found herself in a new room they had not taken her to before. Granted they all looked similar, each room had their small differences. A larger brick here or a crack in the stone there. This time chained to a table instead of a wall, but still with little else to do but examine each small detail of the current environment.
"I guess there will be something new today." She said to herself. "Or maybe not." Correcting herself as she caught a whiff of the scent of blood from the floor. ‘I can’t tell if this is actually experiments, or are they entertaining themselves with torture. You would think I would be numb to it all by now.’ Shuddering at the thought, and dreading what was to come.
With no way to track how much time has passed since arriving here with her sister, she fought back the despair that welled up in her heart every time there was a moment to think about it, holding to the thought of her and her sister’s possible escape and the resulting revenge. The “experiments”, as they were so called, could be no different than throwing darts at a board, seeming to have no real direction or goal. Each time it was always done by the same person and the enjoyment he had taken from each session could be seen clearly, the maniacal gleam in his eyes always stayed fresh and haunted her mind.
Minutes ticked by as she waited for the so-called alchemists to come in and begin. She could only hope it ended quickly or at least to pass out from the pain early in the procedure. Finally, there was a scraping noise of the door being opened, as a short portly man walked in carrying a bag. There was no need to imagine what would be in this bag as it was not the first time she saw it. "Hello Cain.” Ash growled out at the man as he closed the door behind himself.
“Why good morning little beast.” He responded with mock affection and walked up to his subject. Completely exposed save for a burlap cloth that covered her chest and waist area. Her once pale smooth skin, now marred and riddled with scars which he traced with a finger as if to admire his own handy work. “It seems your resilience is one to be admired. Quite the canvas you are. Let's see how much more we can paint into it” He spoke softly before pressing down hard on a spot that had only recently healed causing her to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.
Hoping to distract him to delay the inevitable, Ash spoke up, her voice shaking from the pain. “Where’s my sister? She wouldn’t be able to handle this, have you killed her off already?” The thought of her gone was dreaded, but at least she wouldn’t have to deal with this torture.
"Oh yes, agreeable so. She is quite flimsy compared to you. While her flesh is safe from me, I’d say she’s not much better off. He is currently with your sister." He said with a dark grin. Pulling out his tools and laying them across a small side table, he continued on. “But you, we can twist as we please." Bringing a small bottle full of a black solution that radiated a dark aura, and giving it a quick shake in front of her face. “With you here we can test our alchemic enhancers.” A sinister grin sprouted on his face.
“Your sister is quite valued. Her access to ether is a vexing mystery. Grissen seems to be favoring her a bit, because of it.” Cain rambled on while examining the bottle.
‘That's fine, Kynn was always on the weaker side anyway.’ She thought to herself. "What's the menu for today then?" She asked, not really wanting an answer.
“I have quite the treat this time, though my notes were a bit vague. Shall we find out?” He said as a syringe appeared in his other hand and brought it to the bottle and half of it was removed with a pull of the plunger. “I’m sure this one will be just as fun as the last one.” He said slowly before jamming the needle into the middle of Ash’s chest before she could even realize what was happening.
"I think the notes listed for this one said it was for those of the ice attribute, so we should see something of a good result from you." He paused for a moment and moved into Ash's view. "I do hope you don't disappoint me." He said with his dark grin still plastered on his face. "You see, the first one supposedly helps you heal faster. We get to find out how much damage it can help you heal." He paused again to reach into the bag, pulling out another vial, this time a rotten green swirling with a tinge of blue. The aura felt from it no lesser than the other. “Ready for the next one?” He asked rhetorically.
Knowing it would happen no matter her answer, Ash could only force her resolve face it head on. “Let’s get this over with then.” Her voice shaking even more, unable to hold back the fear of what was to come.
“This one, um. Hmmm. I think this one was also ice attributed, but was for muscle growth and strength enhancement.” Cain thought out loud, tapping the vial against his chin. “Oh well. We can find out for sure in a moment.” Another needle jabbed into her chest as he chuckled.
Ash went rigid the moment pain shot forth across her whole body almost instantly. Unable to even gasp in response, only clenching her teeth causing cracks in them from the force. The muscles in her arms and legs writhed and wriggled as though they were eels instead of her own flesh.
Seconds later they rapidly expanded ripping large sections of her skin that covered them. Each scar, like guidelines, began reopening to make room for the new muscle mass. Blood pooling below the table as it gushed out of each fissure. Her eyes stayed open wide as she tried to endure, barely able to take a breath.
"They gave me quite a bit of material to work with too.” Cain continued to ramble while watching Ash’s torment with fascination. “I made many different ones. We can test them one by one to find which has the best effect.” His voice was full of anticipation only adding to the horrors of what was to come. “Any moment now.” Speaking up while pulling out a pad and pen. “Ah! There we go!” He began his mad scribble of notes as Ash’s condition changed rapidly.
The swollen muscles rapidly retracted and shrunk back down and the skin that covered them slowly knitted back together. From here it only got worse as the muscles of each limb began to change at its own pace. First her left arm, second her right leg, then the reverse with the opposite limbs. Ash’s mind blank unable to understand how to respond to her body that seemed to run amok on its own.
For what felt to be an eternity the rampant effects finally ceased allowing ash to catch her breath. Cain leaned forward continuing his notes while thinking out loud. “Hmmmm quite a splendid display.” He said while gripping her jaw and pulling her mouth open. With a gasp of surprise. “Oh, it even healed your teeth. Isn’t that marvelous.”
Ash’s breathing was ragged, her conscious blurred, barely able to follow what was happening. Fighting for each breath as her vision cleared only for her to freeze up again as she watched Cain pull another vial out of his bag. Panic spread across her face as she choked out her refusal to experience that torture again. “Pl-please…. No… more.” She struggled out between each breath.
“Oh dear me. You can’t be broken yet. We've only just started today.” His trademark chuckle following his words. “There's so many to try this time!” To Ash’s horror Cain waived 5 more vials in front of her face.
The second test went no different than the first, but Ash, unable to tolerate the torture any further and to her own relief, lost consciousness by the time it was over. She no longer cared what happened with the next tests that he would surely continue with whether she was awake or not. On the edge of the darkness of her mind she could only pray she didn’t wake in the middle of the next one.
