A flash of light and a quake pokes glass jars. His hunched scalpel grazing a vein but fortunately not cutting through it.
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“Dr. Bolg!” Grizeo yells from behind locked door, “OPEN THE DOOR!”
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“Sorry, sorry”
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The doors flies open for Grizeo carrying an adult Ali-op over his bulged-up muscles. Grunting himself in with a red face before dropping the cadaver into a tank. “Gahhh!” He pulls his shoulders, aching muscles and cracking spine back. As the doctor takes out a can with an energizer label, handing it to Grizeo who did not hesitate to take and fizz it open for a drink. Finally taking long deep inhales and exhales, formaldehyde to invading his nose to crumple.
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“Carbonate to energize yourself as always. It’s heavy?” Pinching the thick alligator skin,
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“Almost killed me”
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“Haha, funny. But I need it on the table now.”
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“Let me rest a bit”
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“But I want to get started immediately.”
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“Then pull it up yourself.”
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“Ridiculous. My arms can barely lift myself anymore, and I’m not driving the crane in here again. I need your muscle.”
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“And I’m not your human crane. I need rest”
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Grizeo walks up to the refrigerator, taking out chocolate bars and another ca--. The Dr. tells him not to and the young man huffs the can back in. The benches is his next target, taking a seat and relaxing as he let the sweetness and bitterness of dark chocolate wash off anything sterile.
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“Keep that up and gallstones will be your next best friend.”
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“Sweets don’t make stones”
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“Sure not,” pulling out a mechanical organ from the bloody tauren on the dissecting table. His monocle reflecting blue veins and a sack of something. Could be the liver but it is the only biological organ. “These Taurmechs are interesting.”
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“Spare me”
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But the Dr.’s ears are on the sloshing of and tearing of flesh. “They are tacet discords yet they have a mix of mechanical and biological organs. They only got the name mech because of the steel hooves and horns they have. And possibly from these organs too. How is it alive? Griz do you know?”
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“Ugh, it’s because of the cores”
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“YES! YES! Tacet cores. They keep a tacet discord’s body intact. And they are said to be made from the raindrops of the Lament.” Pulling down the taurmech’s shorts for its mechanical dong… “Gotta study this too—”
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“Come on, doc.” Grizeo rises from his bench and stretches his muscles for the Ali-op “Clear the table.”
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“But the penis…”
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“You and your weird hobbies.” Grunting as he pulls up the child sized—but madly bone crushing heavy monster. “Sure, this can handle?” straining the veins around his neck.
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“This table? OF COURSE IT CAN!”
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And so Grizeo drops the cadaver on the steel dissection table—hearing it creak and seeing the legs bent.
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“Goodness, musts be 100kg at best”
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“It’s really heavy”
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“So it is” a hammer and a screwdriver aiming at the center of the creature’s chest. Stabbing and hammering it in. “Hmm, didn’t what I expected.”
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“What is?”
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“I thought it would explode” exclaiming as he rubs his hands together. "Right now, rip it open!”
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“Rip what?”
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“The wound, rip it bigger.”
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“can’t you just use a rotor?”
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“I kind of lost it”
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“Really?” And Grizeo takes out a rotor from under the table. “What about this?”
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“OH! You found it good” snatching the tool away and switching on for its searing spinning blades. Cutting a straight horizontal down to the abdomen with the brick thick flesh parting themselves. “Bloomed like a flower”
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It is an interesting sight. The flesh of an Ali-op is thrice bigger and “nine”—as the Dr. measures, times thicker than the soft organs. Underneath and smothered against its hard alligator back carapace. The eyeball buttons are four dark irises and it has five layers nictitating membrane and its long tongues are connected down to its gonads. “Huh, so when it mates it also tastes?”
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“What exactly are you using them for? You've been tight-lipped about the whole thing."
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"Pass me the forceps," Dr. Bolg orders and the assistant hands him the instrument, watching as the doctor carefully extracts the jelly like organs. "Was this hunt easy?"
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“More thrilling than collecting moss, beetles, and tree roots”
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“Must be hard to track right?”
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“Got help from a cat”
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“From a cat!? An echo?”
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“No, just a normal cat”
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“Wild and strange.”
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Scraping out the bones, then the larynx and trachea. Placing them together with the eyeballs and tongue in a liquidated jar. Next to the jar with the moss, beetles and tree roots he had gathered. Finishing off with Grizeo hanging the scales and meat to a butcher’s hook. “Now will you tell me what you need these for?”
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Dr. Bolg pauses, his gaze meeting Grizeo's. "All in due time, just know that it ain’t for any witches”
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"You've been sending me on these damn errands for months,” Raising his brows, “and I still don't know what for!"
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"Now, now, Patience, Griz. It’s just science and alchemical stuff that you do not need to know." Washing his hands and throwing the gloves down to the dump basket
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“Still for Lim?”
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“Of course! Still for twin brother. Go blow off some steam in your room. Your handsome face is melting in that sweat and frustration. And I understand, go on now. Leave me be”
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Which Grizeo takes the advice and heads straight for his room. Entering a room full of exercise equipment and stripping himself from the tight body suit. Leaving only his red underwear that he forces to take in more sweat as he forces out his steam with huffs and forced, intense pushups and pullups. Using equipment focusing on his upper body. With each rep, replacing his thoughts with the dull ache in his muscles.
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After his workout, Grizeo collapses onto his bed, his chest heaving. He reaches for his water jug, taking a long swig before setting it down with more force than necessary. Water sloshes over the edge, but he pays it no mind. Instead, he grabs his phone and begins scrolling through AI-generated images of his lost twin brother, Lim. The resemblance is uncanny, and it only reminds him of a recent past—“I saved you first” The strings said before a flash of light engulfed him and gone…
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A knock at the door interrupts his thoughts. Dr. Bolg enters, carrying a tray laden with treats and a steaming mug of black chocolate. "I thought you might need a pick-me-up," he says, setting the tray on the table.
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Eyeing the doctor warily. "Are you really trying to help Lim?" he asks, his tone clipped.
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Dr. Bolg shifts uncomfortably. "Grizeo, these things take time. I assure you; I'm doing everything to locate him. Even with the errands I send you to."
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Grizeo scoffs. "It's been years, Doc. Years! And still, nothing." He rises from the bed, his fists clenched at his sides with the steam coming off his body like an overused engine.
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“But what you reported last month was essential information. I need more time to analyze them together with other top scientists. You know that won’t be easy, especially when TaKaRa is holding them up in pig pens…” the shrill ring of his phone cuts him off. He holds up a finger, he checks the phone screen, “Speak of the devil” Signaling for Grizeo to wait as he takes the call. And the young man plops back on the bed, wrapping his body in the blankets that smell like catnip.
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When Dr. Bolg ends the call, he turns to Grizeo with a serious expression. "Griz…”
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“Got another errand?”
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“Kind off, but think of this more as a personal request. Please, as someone who is letting you off with free rent and food.”
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“And what is it now?”
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“Well, I know that you want to find your brother as fast as possible. And I know that this might frustrate you much…”
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“Just tell, got nothing to do anyway.”
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“I need you to return to the village. There's been a sighting of a dangerous vagrant, and we've been tasked with eliminating them. The bounty is substantial, and it could greatly aid in our search for Lim. As well as get my ass off them."
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Grizeo throws his hands up in exasperation. "Back at the village huh, fine!"
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Dr. Bolg shakes his head. "You fried your communication chips remember? This call would have sent straight to your head when you’re still at the village..."
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"I can just use the resonance beacon I found." Wearing another pair of tight body suit. Zipping up his steaming taut muscles before blazing his ember eyes combing his hair up spiky like dart tips. “I don’t need to come back for a while, right?”
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“Well…but please do come back. I’ll miss you”
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“No, not unless you have news about Lim”
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