Chapter 66 The Doctors Diary (1/2)

Eldovian Era 1707, the 4th day of the 1st month:

After two months of waiting, the specimen was finally weak enough to procure a sample from the exposed muscle of its back. After closer inspection, it appears my initial thoughts were correct in assuming that the specimen cannot regenerate his Life Lines. A project I initially thought to bare no fruit suddenly has its doors wide open to a range possibilities. With this opportunity, I have gathered a total of ten tissue samples from muscles, which despite being beneath the Life Lines, seem to heal fine. Perhaps it is just the life lines themselves that cannot be healed? I have also collected several vials of blood from the specimen. Preliminary observations show the blood is of a darker than average colour, though still red. Whether this is a carry-over from the specimen's previously human state or a commonality amongst his kind are yet to be seen.

I have ordered that several rats be collected for experimental reasons. Considering the ultimate goal of these experiments is to find a way to reproduce the same abilities in other beings, I believe it should be prudent for me to explore all angles, as there is no guarantee that copulation will result in an equally powerful and viable offspring.

Also, despite his accelerated healing abilities, the specimen seems to have a growth rate comparable to his human counterparts. He is showing the first signs of his transition to an adult, it should be an interesting period to observe any developments in abilities.

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Eldovian Era 1707, the 12th day of the 1st month:

A total of twelve rats have been collected for my experiments, and the Duke's generous donations have allowed us to acquire glass cages, preferable for observation. Initial observations of the rat's behaviours and intelligence have given me an idea of how to proceed. After much debate, I have decided to proceed by feeding half of the rats one of the tissue samples I acquired, and the other half a portion of the specimen's blood. As for the Specimen himself, he seems quite unagreeable despite being fed after a few weeks time. He has drained another three slaves, including the slave I originally thought to have observed creating an emotional connection with the specimen. Nyssa? Lyra? Well, whatever her name was, it appears the specimen truly views them as prey only. His growing appetite is beginning to cut into our funds. When the child spy reports back, I shall have to ask him to emphasise these points.

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Eldovian Era 1707, the 24th day of the 1st month:

The child spy arrived to obtain another report. He demanded the specimen be released from his chains as it was a previous order set by the Duke. He also gave the specimen new clothes, though nothing overly fanciful. The guards reported that they talked for some time. I would like to take advantage of this relationship between them to gather more information on the specimen, but the child spy seems unwilling to cooperate. One observation that is clear is that the specimen does not treat the child spy as he does the rest of us. He seems to observe him more as an ally, though not necessarily a friend. The specimen's behaviour that I previously observed to be lacking emotion in his connections has been brought into question.

The experiment with the rats proceeded as follows;