Anti-Hero: Journey Of Fear

"Extraction levels are good. We are distilling the mixture now."

"Yield rates?"

"We are getting a nine hundred percent volume increase while losing eighty three percent potency."

"Excellent, and the test subjects?"

"Within tolerance. The current solution lasts about three hours. More or less depending on the stats of the person. First level immunity sets in after ten doses. Second level after an additional thirty. Third after a hundred, forth three hundred, and we still haven't gotten anyone to full immunity yet."

"What about side effects?"

"Exhaustion primarily. Over dosing can lead to seizure and convulsions along with black outs."

"No deaths?"

"Only three, but they took more than five times the recommended dosage for their immunity level."

"What about the first batches? We want to start getting this out there as soon as possible."

"Packaging is the main limiter. Currently we are barreling the stuff, but that makes dispensation tricky since potency wears off through exposure to air."

"Barrels are good enough, just fill them up and slap on the lid."

"If you say so sir."

"What about counter agents and mages?"

"No counter agents located yet. As for mages, a boost to Constitution will lower the effects greatly but not remove long term dependence."

"Interesting. What about retention rates?"

"Amazingly good. Of our clinical trial with one hundred and ninety seven players we had ninety three point four percent retention rate after the first time. After that it jumped up to one hundred percent."

"Why did those seven percent drop out?"

"Most said it felt unnatural and weird. Others were turned off by our alternative application sites. We did discover that the most potent application is oral. We still don't have the tools for injections."

"Trying my dear doctor, trying. Rome was not built in a day."

"So what are you going to be selling it at?"

"Selling? Not at all, I am be going to be giving the first batch away for free. Market it as a cutting edge liquor. Once people get a taste then we charge, through the nose."

"Clever."

"Of course, this will change everything in a direction that benefits us."

"I still don't understand what we are working towards."

"Power, money, and control my dear doctor. You see, beating this world is impossible for a single individual. There are monsters beyond our imagining out there. Which is stronger, a single level one thousand or ten level one hundreds?"

"Depends on skills and stats, but I would say it would be even based on HP, MP, and SP reserves. While the higher level would be far stronger, it would be like a elephant fighting a pack of lions."

"Exactly, now let's say all those level one hundreds train and got up to level one hundred and ten while the level one thousand goes up to one thousand and ten. Highly unlikely with the experience progression but still let us consider this. Who wins?"

"The ten players at the lower level most likely."

"Exactly. Only with an army can there be any hope of winning. While individual ability matters, in a large well trained group it is more about the collective effort."

"So why all of this?"

"To subjugate the masses and to destroy our enemies and to consolidate our financial position. Already the Order is sending more and more men. A battle would be far too costly. Instead we send this into the city and soon their men will rebel to keep the supply coming. By the time they realize what is happening it will be far too late. Also your experiments cost time and money, how else are we to pay for them."

"Why are you explaining all of this? You aren't going to kill me are you?"

"No, no my dear doctor. You are being put on a new project since this is all old news."

"A new project, what is it?"

"I want you to work on combining players with monsters. Don't hold back either."

"You know I don't, but a crossover…hmmmm."

"If you haven't heard our resident troublemaker Rain of Blood has a tri-pronged foot. You should watch his videos."

"I think I will. A tri-pronged foot you say. I wonder how that happened."

"I am curious as well, since the video wasn't clear. Let me know what you come up with. Needless to say don't over power anything you create. We don't need a disaster. We will choose willing elite volunteers for the strongest procedures once the methodology is confirmed."

"And the monsters and test subjects?"

"They should begin arriving tomorrow. We are also expanding the prison portion of this structure to hold a wider variety of monsters in isolation. Your latest project will go a long way to capturing them as well, which is a nice side benefit."

"I can't wait to get started, I will have to draw up a research plan, get a specimen list, and start making space. We need to clear out the cells, well we can reuse subjects, just have to watch for cross interactions. So much to do…"

***