Victor's mind was racing. The creature was less human even than he had expected, but a thousand times more interesting as well. In fact, it seemed the creature wasn't human at all, rather a parasite using a human corpse as a means of transportation. Victor and Cassadra had destroyed its heart, the bloodpump, and severely damaged its brain, and it was still going, still speaking. So its core had to be somewhere else entirely.

Victor's limitless knowledge of anatomy and the arcane told him that this centre was very likely the unnatural growth on the creature's back (and would this not be so, Victor's knowledge would probably lead him to a different, more accurate, conclusion). The fact that this hump was armored seemed to support this conclusion.

Eternal? Victor asked himself, as the creature spoke, Now I'll have to look into you for sure! I can't pass up a chance to investigate one of the goals of alchemy, the goals of my life. I was planning on doing this another way, descending into the dungeons, but if this doesn't work out, I can still do that. Right now, all I need is to buy some time. The thing is bragging. Good, let it brag, it's not the only enhanced freakshow out here. It thinks it can keep track of us both now, but it's wrong. Dead-wrong.

As Victor slowly got up on his knees, which quickly bended in the dust so he could jump up high fast if needed, he looked at the creature's skull, or at what was inside it, and spoke.

"I see how this works here. Don't worry, no more fighting back from me here, you got me. You're stronger than me, I get it. But one last request. A pledge, if you may. Why? I mean, I assume you suck the life out of people, fuel yourself with this suffering perhaps, maybe even the zombies, but why so ineffectively?

Whatever you're doing, wouldn't you want it to work at full potential? I can name two or three things wrong with your system just like that, and I'm not even completely clear on how it works yet! I can see how this sounds as silly, coming from such a petty creature like me, but we're basically the same, only you have much better resources. I could help you, you know. I could streamline your whole organisation. I know you can understand what I'm saying, I can see it in that eye of yours. Whatever you're trying to accomplish, I can make it go twice as fast"

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As far as this theory is wrong, it should be corrected by Victor's extensive knowledge in both of the fields concerned. I'm not Victor, so I'm bound to make a less good guess at it than he is


During his speech Victor's loose arm had crawled up to the creature, and now it silently jumped onto its back, swiftly digging it's sharp fingers into the weak spots in the hump, digging to the very core. Victor had seen the creature in it's entirity now (except for the legs, but I doubt that's important unless his vital parts are there) and had been able to analyze it. All its weak spots had been stored in Victor's brain, and therefore his arm could make use of this too. The creature had met it's endgame. A final screech, maybe, and then Victor would finally get to examine this freak.