Cabdan: "But Spymaster Lunalus... What is to become of him, exactly?"

  Lunalus: "... Nox's next weapon of mass destruction. No more, no less."

  The two men stood inside an ominous black-metal laboratory, buried deep underground. The air was dense with the acrid tang of chemicals and the hum of machinery. Above the sprawling maze of pipes and conduits, Lunalus and Cabdan stood on a steel-railed platform. Below them, a labyrinth of wires and glowing gauges wove together, feeding into a massive cylindrical vat of thick, swirling tar. Suspended within it, barely visible through the opaque liquid, floated a young man Cabdan recognized all too well.

  Cabdan: "And you’re certain... Barr will remain human?"

  Lunalus laughed coldly, the sound reverberating through the hollow space.

  Lunalus: "Human? What a quaint concern, Cabdan. Humanity is irrelevant. What matters is predictability. Control."

  Lunalus' dark eyes turned from the vat to Cabdan, fixing him with a gaze so chilling it seemed to pierce his very soul. Cabdan stiffened under its weight, the blood draining from his face.

  Lunalus: "When we’re done here, he will answer to our every command -- without deviation, without error. More reliable than any human could ever be."

  Below, the scientists moved nervously among their instruments, measuring and recalibrating with growing tension. Their faces bore the deep grooves of exhaustion, as if the lab itself drained the life from its inhabitants.

  Cabdan: "... How much longer will it take?"

  Lunalus' sharp features twisted into a frown, his voice dropping several degrees colder.

  Lunalus: "For their sake..."

  His knuckles whitened as he gripped the steel railing, the metal groaning under the pressure.

  Lunalus: "... I hope not long. Results should already be flowing in."

  Moments passed, and unease crept through the room like a gathering storm. Below, a cluster of scientists exchanged urgent whispers, their faces pale with mounting dread. Finally, one of them climbed the stairs, trembling as he approached the platform.

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  Scientist: "Spymaster Lunalus... I-I’m afraid I don’t bring good news."

  Lunalus' hands tightened further on the railing. The metal warped under his grip.

  Lunalus: "Speak."

  The scientist took a shaky breath, his voice faltering under the Spymaster’s glare.

  Scientist: "The subject... his body is completely unresponsive to black magic. We’ve increased input -- doubled, tripled, even quadrupled the exposure. We’ve tried intravenous injections, pumped it through his digestive and excretory systems... Every possible method... But there’s no reaction. None."

  Lunalus took one slow, deliberate step toward the man.

  Lunalus: "No reaction?"

  His voice was deceptively soft, a blade hidden in silk.

  Lunalus: "And where, pray tell, has all that magic gone? Has it simply... vanished?"

  The scientist swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Scientist: "We... we don’t know, sir. We’re still investigating --"

  Lunalus’ patience snapped. He shoved the scientist aside and stormed down the stairs.

  Scientist: "Spymaster! Please, don’t touch anything -- !"

  Lunalus: "SILENCE! I RUN THIS OPERATION, I GIVE THE ORDERS AROUND HERE."

  The room fell deathly quiet, the only sound the faint, grotesque gurgle of the tar inside the vat. Lunalus stood before it, his dark silhouette bending behind the curved glass.

  Lunalus: "Of all the wretches we could have chosen, we find the one with complete resistance to the procedure?! Is this some kind of sick joke?"

  Another scientist, emboldened by desperation, stepped forward.

  Scientist: "With respect, sir, we did warn you we weren’t ready to experiment on live human subjects. Without a proper baseline, it’s --"

  The scientist’s words twisted in his mouth. His jaw contorted unnaturally, his bones snapping and reforming with grotesque precision. His voice no longer his own, he spoke in unison with Lunalus.

  Scientist/Lunalus: "I DECIDE WHEN YOU ARE READY, NOT YOU. REMEMBER YOUR PLACE AND DO AS YOU ARE TOLD."

  Lunalus released his hold, and the scientist crumpled to the floor, unconscious. The room held its collective breath, afraid to move.

  Lunalus: "I was told we’d see results within hours. It’s been a week. A *week*. How much longer until I can see these 'results' you spoke of?!"

  No one answered. The silence was suffocating.

  Lunalus: "ANSWER ME!"

  The walls seemed to tremble under his voice.

  Scientist: "A-another week, Spymaster... We’ll have conclusive data by then."

  Lunalus turned to the man, his expression unreadable.

  Lunalus: "Another week, you shall have... It will be a while until I can take the time to set foot here again. I will be quite busy in the coming days. Some very interesting developments have surfaced lately in Mr. Cabdan's slums. But hear this... If I return, and this experiment remains a failure..."

  He began ascending the stairs, his voice trailing behind him like a death knell.

  Lunalus: "... Some of you may find yourselves the next test subjects."

  The lab’s heavy metal doors slammed shut behind him and Cabdan, the sound reverberating through the chamber. The scientists below immediately scrambled to reorganize, their terror-fueled efficiency belying their exhaustion. One knelt by the unconscious man, while another approached the vat, staring into its viscous depths.

  Scientist: "Just what is going on inside you, young man...?"