Chapter 13- Awakening

Dubs stared at the wooden beams that covered the ceiling. "I don't really have a purpose anymore in this world. I need to get stronger to survive, but I don't particularly care about revenge on those who enslaved me."

Dubs eyes gleamed as an idea popped into his mind. "Aha! I've got it! I'll become a scientist and begin my own research on magic. In doing this, I will become stronger and have a goal to work towards."

Dubs nodded, content with his solution.

"Well, I guess its time to wrap things up for the day. I should eat and get to bed before the sun sets.", he thought.

Dubs opened the door and a waft of scents permeated throughout his surroundings. Various meat and vegetables, and the sweet aroma of a freshly baked cake filled his nose. Dubs walked down the stairs and the scents became more and more potent.

Clark had a pair of baking mitts on and was moving pots and dishes over to the round marble table. "Come have a seat Dubs, help yourself." Clark insisted.

Dubs waltzed over to the table and sat next to Lilith. Ivan sat across from him, next to Reagan who was twirling her hair with her finger.

"You cook, Clark?" Dubs asked.

"Of course! How could I call myself an engineer if I didn't even know how to make food?", Clark responded

Clark laid out the final dish on the table, and a feast was presented before Dubs and the party. Reagan began to grab food here and there and started to eat, and shortly after the rest did the same.

"Now that were all gathered here," Ivan stated, "I should go over our plans for tomorrow."

Dubs continued gulping down heaps of food, and Ivan continued.

"Tomorrow we will cross the swamp, and enter the forest area that surrounds Lardis. It is possible that we will run into monsters again, however if you stay by me and Clark there should be no issue."

Dubs and Lilith agreed and Ivan continued his meal, and they ate in silence for the next few minutes.

A cold shiver went down Dubs' spine, and when he finished eating, he felt the urge to get back to his room and go to sleep.

"I'll be turning in for tonight. I will see everyone tomorrow." Dubs told everyone as he walked back up the stairs.

"Something is wrong. I feel that I need to get to sleep right now. I was always left to go to sleep before 7 pm when I was living under experimentation. Perhaps its just my biorhythm kicking in.", Dubs considered.

"Either way, I'd better just get to bed." Dubs entered his room and shut the door. Silently the door closed and made a click.

Dubs laid in bed and closed his eyes, and fell into deep sleep.

Downstairs, Ivan had kept the rest of the party members at the table, including Reagan.

"Its time to explain the real reason why we've come here.", Ivan explained as he pulled out a stack of parchment documents from under his coat.

He plopped them on the table in front of Reagan.

"Here is the data I was able to obtain on Dubs from when I was stationed inside the empire. We already know about the tests he went through- but there is one point of concern on the data. Take a look at that final note."

Reagan glanced at it, and Clark and Lilith came around the table to look over her shoulder.

The note read: "Unpredictable at night. Soldiers who trained at those times were all lost. Cause remains unknown, and subject doesn't appear to have any memories of night. Further investigation is too risky."

"Hoho! So this is why you came to me, Ivan? Don't worry a bit. I'll get to the bottom of this, but you'll let me run some tests to do so of course, right?" Reagan giddily asked.

"I have no choice. We need to find out the root of these events before he causes trouble for the resistance. I don't want to betray the trust of a comrade, but as of right now he isn't stable, as far as we know. I leave it to you."

Lilith bit her lip, and wanted to say something but didn't. She felt that it was wrong to perform these experiments on Dubs without his permission, but it was just as Ivan said. If there truly was something going on with him at night, they would need to determine the cause and stop it from happening.

Reagan walked up the stairs on her own, and the other three remained downstairs.

"We had bettered stay down here in case something happens. In a worst case scenario, we may have to get going for the night and abandon this place."

Clark nodded sadly, disappointed that he might have to abandon his new comrade, but he understood the situation. "This is all for the sake of the resistance. Threats must be eliminated."

Reagan pried open the door to Dubs room and poked her head in.

"Du-ubs! I've gotten permission to run some tests on you! Come to the lab with me, won't you?" Reagan persuaded.

Dubs opened his eyes, and his hazel irises pulsated. They began to twist and turn about in all directions, until they decided on a path and rolled back into his head. Dubs eyes turned around a full 180 degrees, to reveal another pair of bright blue irises.

Dubs grinned wildly, and began to laugh hysterically with a grizzled voice. "AHAHAH!!!! Dubs!! The lady is calling for you Dubs, can't you hear her!?! AH WAIT! I'm Dubs!!! AHAHAHAH!!!! Hey lady, what do you want with me?? More experiments? Lets go, right now!! Ill show you something good!"

Reagan also began to smile uncontrollably. "Yes, yes... I had a feeling you were like this. Let us go, my subject. It is time to figure out who you are."

Dubs jumped out of his bed and began to wildly run about. "Where is the lab lady? Is this one strong enough to contain me, I wonder?? The shackles they put me in last time weren't a high enough level enchantment to contain my power. Lets try it out!! Lets play a game to see if your equipment can stop me from destroying your lab and everyone else within the radius."

Reagan grinned. "I accept your challenge. You won't mind if I put you under the prototypes then, right? They're a little... unpredictable.. ehehe."

"No problem lady! Lets get going then." Dubs frantically climbed the stairs to the tower and started looking around the lab, touching all the equipment. He picked up a contraption that looked like a brainwave scanner. "What does this do??? And this one?? I've never seen this!! Hey, lady! You're not like the previous doctors. Your equipment is much more complex. I'm starting to like things around here."

He went from piece to piece of equipment, from potion brewing equipment to crystallization refractors. Finally he set himself upon the lab table. Reagan walked over and grabbed a set of hand braces that seemed to be electronic. "These are the latest prototype. They will prevent you from releasing your internal energy by redirecting it within yourself. For a normal person, this would be extremely harmful, as this is the same as launching a magic attack on ones self. However, if its you I think you'll survive."

Dubs hastily grabbed them and locked them onto his hands. "Cannot wait to try this!!!! Turn em on lady!" He demanded. Reagan whipped out a remote and pressed a button, and the braces began to glow.

"Here goes!!" Dubs screamed, as a whirl of wind began to surround him. The wind appeared as a tornado, violently twisting and turning about Dubs body. Initially it aimed outwards, away from Dubs but the braces redirected the flow back inwards towards him. The centripetal force exerted from Dubs body, caused by his resistance to magic, prevented the wind energy from being directed back into Dubs' body, and so the two opposing forces equaled by creating a whirlwind that surrounded Dubs.

Astounded, Reagan urged him to continue. "Keep going, this is amazing! How much more power can you bring out?"

The wind became stronger until the table Dubs lay on began to crumble into Dust. Dubs fell through the table, and eventually through the floor into his room on the floor below. The wind tore through his bed, and he ended up on the first floor in the living room.

"AHAHAH!!! This is so much fun!!!!" Dubs shouted.

The other three, who had been waiting in the kitchen, jumped back in fear. "What on earth is that!?!" Lilith screamed, and Ivan and Clark had already put up a fighting pose. "Whats wrong guys, scared of a little wind!?" Dubs taunted them.

"This guy has lost it! What on earth happened to him? I thought he couldn't use any magic." Ivan shouted in disbelief.

Rushing down the stairs, Reagan came in to view the scene. "He can't control any magic! Hehehe! Hes just letting his energy flow wild, and letting his resistance protect him from harm! What an amazing display!"

"Ahhh! That felt good!" Dubs gasped and the wind energy began to die down. The floor below him had been shredded and the dirt foundations beneath him had been spewed all over the living room.

"Don't worry too much about me, resistance members. I'm just another personality of your new comrade Dubs. I wont hurt y'all if you stay out of my way, and I can even benefit your cause if you continue assisting me. What do you say? Don't y'all want me to help you fight against the nobility? Or are you going to abandon a poor experiment like me because I was too much for the big bad resistance to handle?"

Ivan wiped his sweat and gave out a laugh. "I had a feeling something like this would happen. Alright, second personality of Dubs. I'll help you out, and let your other personality train under me. In return, just promise not to make trouble for us. Is that a deal?"

Dubs gave a smile and exclaimed. "We've got a deal. Its about time I get out of here. Ill see you tomorrow night..."

Dubs eyes rolled back again 180 degrees and his hazel eyes emerged from the back of his head.

Closing them, the three heard Dubs begin to snore, as if he had been fast asleep the entire time.

"Well, It looks like our lives just got a whole lot more interesting." Clark remarked