The streets of oak town, usually glaring with excitement had a rift in normal routine. While all around, people had work to be done, tasks befit for no one but those with the trades and skill to use them at hand but today was very different. Normally, or at least of the new norm, Tecka had been a fan of the dirty works. These back door jobs and such had sent him rolling with no end, for now he just wanted to take a break from it all. Admittedly, the money was very nice and the jobs all easy but getting caught in the intensity of what very well may be a potentially illegal task, and getting out of that situation was....well, all apart of the gig.

His stroll down Oak streets was anything but pleasant, the sun had glared too much and the wind howl too long. Although he could have simply closed his eyes to avoid the negative effects of what would normally seem so beautiful, he hadn't had the train of thought for such things, the train of thought for the now. Tecka had always thought of the future, planning and preparing.

He quickly rushed to the right side of the street hiding within the large hollow doorway of some obscure magic shop. He originally intended to make his way back to the guild but, the weather was so irritable it..."What..the" Tecka stopped in light amusement.

His eyes caught wind of an acquaintance of his, or soon to be, maybe. He wasn't quite sure if it was the same man, as he had never truly spoke with the man, but possibly had seen him at the Phantom Lord Guild Hall a few times before. The man had been standing inside the same store that Tecka he happened to be hiding in the doorway of. "I've come this far, and usually pop-ups aren't my thing but, he looks strong. Perhaps it's time to introduce myself." He said, a slight smirk drawing from the corner of his mouth.

The black haired foreigner entered the store to witness the man, only slightly taller than himself with purple hair and eyes as black as the night, the slowly setting sun could still be seen reflective off of the pupils of his eyes like a cat. If he had a phantom lord tattoo it wasn't visible of course, but he had to have been the man Tecka thought it was. For now he would honestly be taking a shot in dark, awaiting a response from his believed guild mate. The blue haired man had been dressed quite dapper, same as he was back in the guild hall. This time around he'd been talking with an older man, that seemed very suspicious, clad in a white suite with large oval glasses similarly reflecting the sun's setting. He seemed very shaky, it could even be seen through the white gloves covering his hands, but its quite possible he wasn't trying to hide the fact.

As the door had closed behind him, shutting the trio off from the raging wind, Tecka had spoken in a soft tone, "Greetings, comrade.."

WC:

Less than a minute had passed between the time in which Farren turned over the mushrooms to the strange Doctor that he was being propositioned yet again for another task. Given the nervous disposition that the Doctor held, Farren began to wonder if the Doctor's "proposition" would take on the secondary definition.

Yet, before the Doctor could go further into details about the job he had in mind, they both found themselves distracted by the opening of the shop door to their left. While the Doctor turned around completely to greet the new arrival, Farren merely glanced in door's direction. Interruptions were something that Farren absolutely abhorred, even more so when the interruption got in the way of potential profit.

However, as the young man made his way into the shop with the door closing behind him, he quickly said something that caused Farren's eyes to narrow. Initially, Farren wasn't sure if the man was speaking to him or the Doctor, yet, from the Doctor's confused reaction he could only assume that these words were meant for him. Though he held an outwardly jovial personality, there weren't any people in his life that he considered friends or comrades. It was then that Farren immediately understood what was meant by these words.

With a quickly manufactured smile, Farren turned a bit in the direction of the new arrival and bow slightly.

"Bonjour! It's a pleasure to meet a fellow guild member!"

"Ah! He's a member of Phantom Lord as well?"

The Doctor appeared to perk up as he listened in on the conversation. The revelation that this man was a member of Phantom Lord as well seemed to bode well for some reason.

"Hmm...yes...maybe two subjects would be better..."

Farren could only imagine that these next words had been spoken aloud without the Doctor's knowledge.

"You there! I have a request that I need assistance with. Would you also like to participate?"

The Doctor hadn't yet explained what this request was, but it was fairly obvious to Farren that there was more occurring here than initially met the eye. Something strange was going on.

"Sir, you've yet to explain what this "request" actually is."

"I'll get to it! I want to know if he'll help too!"


WC: 390
TWC: 390/1000

Tecka was surprised by how welcoming his guild-mate turned to be. He wasn't expecting him to be unsavory, for lack of better words, but Phantom Lord as a whole did come with a number of interesting individuals. How friendly the blue haired man came across mattered not, at least in this moment. He just wanted to get a feel for how strong the man was, maybe even have a drink with him as it was his latest past time. He had only himself and maybe Bodak to blame for that.

The man in the white suit had seemed to have become excited when he'd heard about Tecka being in phantom lord as well, though he didn't exactly plan on revealing that information it may have taken a turn in his favor. Though unexpected, he found himself being offered an opportunity, for work presumably. Perhaps this would give him the strength he sought, or help to do so. Even if he had just intruded on a prior interaction between the man donning the White suit and his guild member, it seemed like a welcomed intrusion based on the response he received. "Sure, i'd be willing to help. To be honest i've nothing better to do, but first I need to know if fulfilling this request would make me stronger?"

That's where Tecka's mind had taken him. Doing odd jobs was nothing new, doing dirty jobs as well. And each time the same reward, a few extra jewels for the time spent and to pay for discretion. Of course with a request from an individual so shady it was bound to have a reward along the same lines, but the black haired young man had deduced from the man in white's outside appearance, he seemed the intellectual type. If he requested participation in a request it was bound to give him some type of strength, and Tecka would like to know beforehand.

WC:

Before the Doctor could respond to Farren's question, the new arrival had already offered up another question of his own. This question had to do with the potential payment that would be given for the completion of this "task" the Doctor seemed to have in mind. The Doctor immediately jumped on the chance to keep mum when it came to the details of the task they'd be performing in order to answer the latter question; this act causing Farren to frown slightly. Though it wasn't intentional, his fellow guild member had given the Doctor an out.

"Jewels, of course! 25,000 of them, to be exact!"

The manner in which he said this spoke to the preconceived notions he held when it came to those that were members of Phantom Lord. He hoped that these exclamations would be enough to channel the greed he'd suspected these two men would hold as members of such an infamous Dark Guild. Money was always a great motivator, no doubt, however, only a fool would place money above knowing what they'd actually have to do in order to receive it.

"That's quite an impressive sum...however, I'll have to decline. I simply can't work in the dark. If only you were a bit more forthcoming about what this was all about...."

Farren knew exactly what he was doing as he said this. The Doctor seemed desperate in his attempts to wrangle the both of them into whatever plot he held. Right now, they held the power in this negotiation. If the other arrival played along with Farren's ploy, they'd be able to get more information out of the man without risking the loss of a job opportunity. However, if he was an idiot, he'd simply take the job with no further questions asked.

WC: 310
TWC: 700/1000

The black haired young man had replied, sensing his guild-mate's motive. Underneath he had a different demeanor though. "This guy, don't tell me he's really not gonna take the job because he doesn't know whats gonna happen...he must be stronger than he looks." Tecka had started in his mind. "Well, just roll with it." he finished, though to him there were far worse things you could do for money, and a little ambiguity didn't hurt anyone, but he truly hadn't cared either way. He knew the doctor's type, clung quickly to his greedy qualities-far quicker than either of the two PL guild members within the store.

What he desired most was being stripped straight out of his hands, and he'd do anything to get them back. In short, his guild mate had wanted answers and he would get them soon enough, and if not...well there certainly were other ways to make cash. Nothing was ever promised, and nothing truly forbidden. Tecka had never been a practical expert with his words, but in theory when one wanted to convey something, a select few words can be used to express how one truly felt. "Look," The black haired young man started.

"We need to know what you need to do so that we'll know what we need to do, for anyone to benefit from this!" He exclaimed abnormally, quite the stark contrast from his usual character but hopefully this would cause enough duress against the man in the white suit, that he would reveal his so dearly kept information. Waiting for his reply, his gaze swept the shop for any and all oddities. In the event he would actually go through with the job, it was vital that he'd gathered as much information as possible on the client. He already had a description of appearance, but that could be changed so easily nowadays. If the two just so happened to have been set up or killed, he'd need to know where to come as a ghost to haunt the man responsible.

Or at least where to come as whatever he reincarnates into to make life just a little harder for the shopkeeper. He seemed like the type of man to let only concise and calculated this bother him, so very few things would've actually had much effect.

WC:

Farren found himself a bit impressed by the words of his fellow guildmate. He'd expected the boy to argue against the idea of not taking on the request, yet, the boy promptly backed him up. Farren had a tendency to expect the worst out of any situation when it came to relying on others. Luckily, he found that his lack of faith in this individual had been unwarranted. This didn't exactly mean that Farren would continue to expect competency from him, but it did mean he was happy about how things had turned out so far.

With no further words needed from either of the two Phantom Lord members, it seemed the Doctor had finally surmised he wouldn't get anywhere by withholding information. His hands raised in a symbolic gesture of surrender, the old man sighed and began to explain what this "request" would entail.

"Fine! I've been developing a drug known as "White Claudia". The purpose behind the drug is to gift users with overwhelming physical strength, the likes of which have never been seen before...yet, the drug is very potent. It needs tes-"

"So we're to be guinea pigs? Is that the gist of it?"

"I wouldn't phrase it in such a crude manner...but yes, I require test subjects. I assure you, you'll both be more than safe. I've taken every precaution."

The doctor tacked on this last bit of information in a manner that Farren found very suspicious; almost as if he were attempting to convince himself rather than the two potential subjects in front of him. With a raised eyebrow, Farren found himself looking to his guildmate. He found himself curious about his stance on the matter.

"What say you, Monsieur?

WC: 295
TWC: 995/1000

His reply sounding as if he'd been stripped from a day dream. "I was gonna do it regardless of the knowledge behind the request. Now that I know what the purpose of this experiment is..." He paused, moving towards the counter of which the man in the white suit had stood behind, before finishing his sentence in a whisper. "You can call me anytime you want to experiment. Ahah."

For some reason his attitude had become excited and engaged with the idea and promise of becoming stronger respectively. Upon hearing his reply, The Dr revealed from his coat a white vial of liquid. Holding it to the light for the two phantom lord members to see as if asking for an appraisal of the item. "I will be testing this on you both." the doctor remarked before returning it to the white pocket of his suit's jacket. "Please, follow me." he continued.

The Dr, then proceeding to the door at the back end of the shop behind the counter exited, leaving it slightly ajar. Tecka, slowly making for the nearest clearing, hopped over the counter top as there was no clear entrance to the area behind the counter, and expected his guild mate to follow suit. Once through the door, the duo would be greeted with boxes of supplies stacked to the ceiling and laid out in an almost maze like manner. The doctor however had been moving so energetically only the end of his coat could be seen around the corner of each stack of boxes they'd encounter. It was almost like he was in a hurry to enact the experiment. It mattered not, however. Both the men from Phantom Lord were going to receive payment for a job well done by the end of this, or so that would be the desired outcome.

Rounding the last corner of materials, there was another door, identical to the last one they had entered to leave the front of the shop and arrive where they currently were. This time though, the doctor had been waiting, the door held wide open. Taking a few steps through the threshold of the old building's secret inner workings, Tecka had noticed a few things of which seemed out of place but considering the level of suspicion of the man they'd soon be doing business with, it would all make sense. The duo would happen upon a room with two chairs in the center, chairs straight out of an insane asylum- straps, and gags included. Overhead of the chairs, bright lights in the form of a giant illuminated oval that encompassed multiple bubble like lights.

In the young man's mind, he remarked "I'm starting to have worries about this." but soon they were dispersed by his reminder that this would lead to the strength he'd been seeking all along. Tecka would finish thinking aloud, "I regret many things. Of them, this is not one." before proceeding with the man's experiment.

WC:

As always, it seemed Farren's pessimistic attitude in regards to the competency of others wasn't as unwarranted as many would have liked him to believe. While Farren had found himself gaining a bit of respect for his new acquaintance, he quickly found himself losing a bit of that respect as a result of the young man's next few words.

While bravery was a trait that Farren could admire; there existed a fine line between bravery and stupidity - and it was readily apparent that this male was skilled in the art of funambulism. However, if he continued to make such rash decisions, it wouldn't be long before he found himself falling to a premature death.

Yet, worrying for this man's fate was neither here nor there. Farren wasn't his parent or guardian, and he held no desire to be such an influence. This man could make his own decisions, just as Farren would continue to live life by his own standards.

"Right, then..."

After this reply to his fellow guildmate, the two Phantom Lord members would begin to follow the Dr. Mabuz to a door located at the back of the shop. Farren had never traveled to this area of the shop; his brief experiences within the shop only having been limited to the front area. Once the group cleared the threshold of the door, they found themselves within a large room that appeared to be used as some sort of storage area. Boxes were filled to the brim with what Farren could only surmise as research materials and papers. Hundreds of boxes filled this area, and created an environment akin to a maze.

Despite the high level of disorganization, the Doctor had no problem navigating swiftly amongst the junk; managing to cut away from the other two that continued to try their best to follow him. After a bit, they finally found themselves in front of yet another door. The Doctor wasted no time at all reaching this next door, and had already crossed the threshold before the two Phantom Lord members had arrived. The door was opened, and the Doctor greeted them with a smile that gave the impression that they were both meant to enter. Farren wasted no time entering. Whatever they were here to do, he simply wanted to get it over and done with.

The room was empty, save for two chairs that seemed as though they had been ripped right out of a horror novel. It was all very cliché, yet, Farren kept his thoughts to himself. Though Farren had decided to refrain from speaking his mind for the moment, it didn't seem that his guildmate had reached the same conclusion. As his guildmate spoke on having second thoughts, his words had begun to elicit an amused smile from Farren. Maybe this one wasn't vapid as he'd initially assumed. Fear was a healthy emotion, after all.

"Don't worry, Monsieur. What's the worse that could happen?"

Farren already knew the answer consisted of many grisly fates that could soon befall them, yet, things had progressed to a point where there was no going back. Besides, Farren found the idea of potential danger to be quite tantalizing. It had been so long since he'd felt such a rise. With no further words, he took a seat in one of the chairs and awaited what would come next.


WC: 572
TWC: 1567/1000

Tecka repeated, trying his best to not think about those things. His guildmate, readily taking a seat in one of the chairs- a loud metallic bend sounding from the bottom as he'd sit onto the chair's wide metal frame. All that was left was for Tecka to follow suit. He'd seat himself next to his guildmate, the thought of dying together sounding slightly more comfortable than dying alone, and the thought of not dying at all, he'd secretly say prayers in his mind and hope his luck would be so fortunate. As he placed himself upon the chair a loud metallic bend follow suit from under the chair's bottom as his weight instantly pressed against the chair.

The doctor, as devious as he was, came closer strapping the pair into both of their chairs respectively. Heavy thick leather bands bent in slow motion to form the cuff surrounding the length of Tecka's wrists and assumably the same for his guildmate. After those were tightened with loud flicks of the metal pins against the leather of the straps. Following the same motion but in opposite effect for both of the men's legs-the bands had been even thicker and heavier so, the metal pins making a more dulled down noise as they flicked against the more stern and less malleable leather. Tecka had been sort of excited and sort of nervous. He was more Terrified, and Horrified and somehwere in the uncertainty and ambiguity of the doctor he felt terriffic and struck with horror. The man in the white suit and thick glasses, reaching around to his medical cabinet on standby, a large rectangular metal made container on wheels as well, that opened with both of its front doors to reveal traya upon trays of medical supplies, and a row of cabineats beneath it. He'd withdraw from the clutter two small syringes, still covered in the plastic to ensure it was not yet used and made obvious to the customer. Popping the air from within the syringe packages, the doctor proceeded to insert the needles into the vial, pulling the plunger back halway, and injected the fluid into the arm's of both the men strapped to the table.

At first everything had been peaches and cream, a small pinch before smooth sailing ahead to newfound strength. Unfortunately, sailing was more akin to sinking as the transition was anything but smooth. He wasn't sure if it was in his mind or if the white liquid had some sort of crazy side effects but, he could account for the room around him beginning to spin-he wasnt even drunk. What was beginning to seem more apparent, the lamenated flooring previously in small brown tiles now turning to metal plated flooring in the shape of red tiles.

The red on the tiles flowing an slowly moving to a drainage point which had appeared on the floor. It seemed as if enough of the liquid had been draining beneath them but it would never stop. It wasn't enough. As the spinning of the room became consecutive more and mode of what he would see would be distorted, and slight change to what was really there but presumably just an hallucination. Suddenly, the doctor entered the room-a sense of security had begun to fall over the young man. He was sure that nothing would go wrong now that the doctor was here to monitor the exoeriment closely.

Its even possible to say he was a little too close, as he slowly shifted back and forth in an spatially unaware stumble towards both of the young men strapped to the chairs. His older man form, human cloaked in all white began to change, the top of his head slowly splitting in a crack down the center of his face. Still wearing the same smile he'd been carrying since the experiment had started but long before the duo had sat down, even as his face was being unevenly shifted during its split into two sperate beings? It was hard to be sure. The split of the doctors head revealing actual teeth all canines. The grey and pink matter of his brain formerly revealed began to morph into a horrific frame of claws and tentacles flapping about rapidly. The crack would then continue down the rest of the mans body stopping at his waist. The torso unvealing even larger set of the afforementioned canine teeth, the tentacles errupting from his chest akin to a touch, each with its own mind and length to reach and touch for presumably parasitic assimilation as his other half left un-attended dragging on the floor by its arm, now disfigured and covered in anomolies of the flesh, but still moving as if his body trying to partition out and each segment live a life of its own yet attached through one host.

He'd slowly drag his visarel form along the ground, approaching the young men slowly, his half faces smiling and even trying to mimic some sort of speech in a disfigured tone, like two voices trying to speak as one but neither with the same voice as tbe doctor. Whatever the man now was, if it was still man made its way closer and closer to the young man. He'd scream, struggle, panic, yell, and even at one point faint from the pure shock of it all as the monster formerly known as the doctor came face to face with the young man.

Almost like an instant had passed, the duo found themselves sluggish, and passed out along the floor of the doctor's shop. The doctor rudely awakening the pair with a brush of his shoes upon the legs and upper body of the young man and his guildmates, puddles of drool had formed underneath the two, ths outer edges of which had begun to dry. "Here is both of your payment." The doctor said handing them both bags of jewels. Tecka had so many questions but decided it was best to just not ask and accept the gratious token of payment. Grabbing the bag of jewels he would near the exit of the door, before asking what his guildmates name was. He'd forgotten to do even the simplest of things, asking his newfound friend what the man's name was. He would tell tecka his name is Farren, tecka would then proceed to exit the shop with a slight smile, Farren following as well, then going his own way.

-Exit-

WC: