Chapter 12: Deadly Experiment
The celebration in the camp lasted well into the night. The goblins danced around the fire, devoured the remains of the beast, the black and toxic meat was discarded, but the rest was consumed with enthusiasm, and they grunted guttural songs in their primitive tongue.
Rain participated just enough not to raise suspicion, but her mind was elsewhere.
-(It's time to execute the plan.)-
She had seen the chief's power. She knew she needed that body. But before she could dominate him, she had to eliminate the obstacles.
The other goblins who weren't yet infected.
-(If I try to kill them all at once, it will be obvious. It will raise alarms. The chief will be put on guard.)-
-(I need to do it discreetly. One by one. In a way that seems... natural.)-
Her gaze settled on the small goblin, the first one she had infected days ago, who was sitting near the edge of the camp, nibbling on a piece of roasted meat.
-(He will be the first.)-
Not because he was a threat. In fact, he was probably the weakest member of the tribe.
But precisely because of that, his death wouldn't raise too much suspicion.
-(A weak goblin dying of illness. In a primitive environment like this, it must be common.)-
She withdrew from the central area of the camp, looking for a quiet place where she could concentrate.
She found a dark corner near the cave entrance, hidden from view by some rocks and vegetation.
She sat on the ground and closed her eyes.
-(I have the symptoms. Now I just need to... synthesize them.)-
Applying [Synthesize I]
She mentally visualized the symptoms she had accumulated: [Fever I], [Cough I], [Fatigue I], [Dizziness I], [Diarrhea I].
-(If I can combine them... create something more potent... something lethal...)-
She tried to fuse [Fever I] with [Cough I].
Nothing.
No buzz. No announcement.
-(It didn't work?)-
She tried again, this time visualizing the two symptoms blending together, as though she were mixing chemicals in a mental laboratory.
Still nothing.
-(Maybe... I need to be more specific about what I want to create.)-
She thought about diseases she knew from her previous life. Respiratory infections. Pneumonia.
-(Pneumonia is caused by inflammation in the lungs. High fever, persistent cough, extreme fatigue...)-
She tried fusing the three: [Fever I] + [Cough I] + [Fatigue I].
This time, she felt something. A pull in her consciousness. As though the system was processing the request.
But then:
Synthesis rejected. Insufficient resources.
-(Resources?)-
Rain opened her eyes, processing the message.
-(Do I need... materials? Chemicals?)-
She remembered the [Devour] skill. She had obtained [Antipyretic I] and [Analgesic I] by consuming that medicinal flower.
-(Maybe I need to consume something specific in order to synthesize more complex symptoms.)-
She stood up and began searching around the camp.
She couldn't wander too far without raising suspicion, but there was nearby vegetation she could explore.
She found several plants: some with broad, shiny leaves, others with small flowers of vibrant colors. She pulled some free and chewed them discreetly.
Buzzes.
New chemical type detected. Beginning analysis...
New chemicals acquired: [Mild Toxin I] [Sedative I]
New chemical type detected. Beginning analysis...
New chemicals acquired: [Stimulant I]
-(Good. I have more chemicals now.)-
She returned to her hidden corner and tried the synthesis again.
[Fever I] + [Cough I] + [Fatigue I]
This time, the system responded differently.
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination...
Synthesis failed. Incompatibility detected.
-(Incompatibility? What does that mean?)-
Frustrated, she tried a different combination.
[Fever I] + [Fatigue I]
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination... Synthesis successful.
New synthesized symptom acquired: [Debilitation I]
-(Finally!)-
It wasn't what she had originally been looking for, but it was progress.
-([Debilitation]... it probably reduces the host's strength and endurance. Useful, but not lethal.)-
She tried again, this time more carefully.
[Fever I] + [Cough I] + [Debilitation I] + [Mild Toxin I]
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination... Synthesis successful.
New synthesized symptom acquired: [Pneumonia I]
Rain smiled.
-(Perfect. That's what I needed.)-
Now she had [Pneumonia I]. But she needed something stronger.
She tried combining [Pneumonia I] with [Cough I].
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination... Synthesis successful.
New synthesized symptom acquired: [Severe Cough I]
-(Excellent. Now... the final step.)-
[Pneumonia I] + [Severe Cough I]
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination... Insufficient resources.
-(Again?)-
Rain grunted with frustration.
-(What else do I need?)-
She thought about what she had consumed so far. Plants with toxins, sedatives, stimulants...
-(To create respiratory failure... something that completely collapses the lungs... I need something more potent. Something that directly affects the respiratory system.)-
She left her hiding spot again, this time searching with more purpose.
She found a plant with leaves of an almost black deep green, with visible red veins. It looked poisonous.
She pulled it free carefully and chewed it.
The taste was bitter, almost unbearable. She felt her stomach turn.
But the announcement came:
New chemical type detected. Beginning analysis...
New chemicals acquired: [Asphyxiant I] [Respiratory Paralytic I]
-(That's it.)-
She returned to her spot and tried again.
[Pneumonia I] + [Severe Cough I] + [Respiratory Paralytic I]
Synthesis in progress... Analyzing combination... Synthesis successful.
New synthesized symptom acquired: [Respiratory Failure I]
Rain felt a wave of satisfaction.
-(I did it.)-
She rose slowly, looking toward the camp where the small goblin continued eating, oblivious to his fate.
-(Now... I just need to apply it.)-
She moved casually toward the small goblin, who looked at her with his pupilless eyes and grunted a greeting.
"You. Go back work." he said simply.
Rain nodded.
"Yes. I go back."
She sat near him, pretending to rest.
Applying [Respiratory Failure I] to the infected small goblin.
The effect was not immediate.
The goblin continued eating for a few more minutes, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
Then he coughed.
A dry, harsh cough.
He coughed again, this time harder.
"Guh... what...?"
He murmured, bringing a hand to his chest.
His breathing began to grow irregular. Shallow. As though he couldn't fill his lungs completely.
Rain watched with clinical coldness.
-(The symptom is working. The inflammation is collapsing his airways.)-
The small goblin stood up, swaying. He tried to call out to others, but his voice came out hoarse and weak.
"H... hel..."
He coughed violently, doubling over. Blood spattered from his mouth.
Several nearby goblins noticed and approached with concern.
"What happen?" one of them grunted.
The small goblin fell to his knees, clutching his throat. His eyes were wide open, full of panic. He was trying to breathe, but could only produce choked, desperate sounds.
Rain stood up and slipped away discreetly, blending in with the other goblins watching the scene.
The small goblin convulsed once. Twice.
And then collapsed, motionless.
Rain didn't look away.
He had been the first one she infected. The one who coughed beside the fire without knowing what he was carrying inside. The one who, without meaning to, had spread the virus to the others simply by breathing, simply by existing near other people.
He hadn't done anything wrong. He had only been in the wrong place when Rain needed a point of entry.
-(I'm sorry...)-
She said it internally without quite knowing for whom. It wasn't an apology. It didn't change anything. It was simply an acknowledgment that that goblin had had a name, routines, a place in his tribe, and that now he had none of those things.
One of the warriors approached and turned him over.
"Dead."
There were murmurs among the goblins. Some seemed concerned. Others simply indifferent.
The chief emerged from the cave, drawn by the commotion. He looked at the small goblin's corpse with a neutral expression.
He grunted something, and two warriors lifted the body, dragging it out of the camp to be disposed of.
That was all.
No ceremony. No investigation.
Just... acceptance.
Rain watched them drag the body out of the camp, then looked away.
-(In this world, death is common. Especially for the weak.)-
She repeated it to herself once more than necessary.
Rain returned to her spot near the fire, sitting down as though nothing had happened.
The night continued. The fire crackled. The goblins slept, oblivious to what had just begun.
Rain looked toward the cave where the chief had disappeared.
One goblin dead. Sixteen uninfected. Eleven under her control.
The numbers were clean. The plan was advancing exactly as she had calculated.
So why did she keep seeing the expression of panic on that goblin's face in the moment he tried to call for help and couldn't?
-(Because I'm not completely broken yet...)-
She thought it without drama. Like a clinical observation about herself.
-(Good. Let it stay that way for now.)-
-(But I can't let it stop me.)-
She closed her eyes.
The promise to Eduard was still waiting somewhere in this world. And Rain had promised to find him.
The rest was just the cost.