Chapter 65: COPYCAT
Felis hissed and growled as she struggled to relieve herself from the restraints that tied her to the chair. Currently, she was in a room with both Ivan and Tio who he had called over to help teach her. This was a room he added with the intent purpose of educating the homunculi, a room modeled after a lecture hall. Though the tens of seats were quite excessive considering he was only going to have enough resources to make four homunculi. Then again the homunculi were dangerous so it was better to focus on them one by one. This lecture hall occupied a space in his underground lair, marked by the small apple button that was available in the elevator.
It had been a few days since her creation, and in these few days she was continuously knocked unconscious as every moment she saw an opportunity to attack them she went for it. A duty Tio was happy to fulfill, a bit of a surprise to Ivan who didn't expect this hidden sadistic side of hers. The only problem was that as each beating went by it only became increasingly difficult to restrain her, while that unfamiliarity Felis had with her body was still there it had diminished by a large margin. Though she had yet to show her specialized magic it was only a matter of time before she found out how to activate it.
"Aaaa~~ Listen to the sound of my voice. Can you make the aaaa~~ sound? I can promise you master will greatly reward you for doing so. What do you say, aren't you tired of seeing these metal walls?" Tio's lecturing only elicited a twitch from Felis' ears. A drastic turn of events as usually she'll respond with a growl or more thrashing.
While Ivan was overjoyed by this change in attitude there was still the matter of Felis having not learned a single word. However judging by her response to their words, she did possess some understanding of the language. That sparked a different question, has her familiarity with the language always existed, or has these past few days been enough for her to wrap an understanding of some words. In other words, do Homunculi learn faster than humans? Her adaptation to her homunculi body was the possibility that rather than adapting to the body she was learning how to use a body in the first place.
He really wanted to have chats with Felis, to ask just how much she remembered from her 'previous' life. Ivan walked up to her desk before presenting a tray of dishes prepared by Yue, Felis only stared back at him while he plopped it on her desk. It wasn't until he backed up a considerable distance did she begin to dig in, but rather than the usual mouth first approach she picked up the cutlery and clumsily attempted to eat her meal.
Another change that brought Ivan to a conclusion. It was like she was just copying whatever she saw him and the others do. To test this theory he took his own meal out of the 'Treasure Trove' and plopped onto the desk across the aisle. He sat at his chair before lifting his cutlery, making slow but precise movements to his meal. And in the corner of his eyes, just as he expected Felis stared at him while mimicking his movements. In fifteen minutes her clumsy hand gestures turned to movements that precisely matched his.
Only there was something different than usual, it was during these moments of testing that her eyes began glowing a cruel gold. Rather than believing it to be an attack, he asked that Tio stand down, allowing Felis to do as she pleased. And without another word Ivan approached Felis' restraints and unfastened them.
This time Felis didn't make a move on them, instead, she stood up and stared back into Ivan's eyes, the golden glow only turning brighter. He lifted his left hand up as he manifested one of the weakest spells he knew, Fireball. With a short incantation, the ball of fire appeared in his hand and shot out before hitting a steel wall, dispersing without having left a mark.
Immediately after the fact Felis lifted her left hand as well, and though it took her a lot longer to form the magic circle she, to everyone's present surprise, spoke clearly and fluently the incantation exactly like how Ivan had said it. A fireball smaller than what Ivan had made manifested in her left hand before smacking into the steel wall as well.
The golden light in her eyes diminished greatly as her tail twitched. The ears on her head flopped down as she let out a groan. To Ivan, it looked as though she exhausted herself with that one attack, but he knew that wasn't the case. Perhaps it was a sense of uneasiness, one that made her sick to her stomach. What she just performed was something she didn't even know she was capable of, and while it might be a boon to Ivan it was likely to just be scary to her.
"....."
Felis' tail stood up straight and her ears perked up as she felt a palm sit on her head. For a few seconds, she contemplated turning around and attacking the figure, only as time went by did she understand they meant no harm to her. So, she let Ivan's palm sit there. Discomfort turned to pleasure as the palm rubbed her head soothingly.
She turned her head softly, locking eyes with Ivan who had tried his best to ease her uneasiness. Ivan, who suddenly felt embarrassed by her stare, was about to retract his hand when he felt two soft palms hold his hand atop her head.
"....."
As if unpleasant by his unresponsiveness she nuzzled her head against his palm. Ivan received the message as he continued his activity, making delicate strokes to not frighten her. He didn't know exactly how long this interaction would go on but for now, he was just happy that they reached some kind of understanding.
The capability for speech was there, all he had to do was help her along the way. A duty he gleefully accepted. This homunculus had feelings, she got hungry despite not needing food to remain active, angry when awoken from her not needed sleep, afraid when faced with something new, and in the end, she still craved interaction like anybody else.
"U-Um… Master? I'm still here you know… May I get back to my teachings? Have faith that I will mold this child into the perfect student!" It was this dragon that had been forgotten that ended up breaking the atmosphere.
The two stared at Tio for a moment before Felis suddenly leaped forward, passing by Ivan and making a dash straight for Tio.
Ivan let out a sigh as it seemed this child of his wasn't too fond of other people. He took a seat behind a desk before watching the ensuing fight that had played out more times than he bothered to count. Some construction droids would probably be in order after all this, at least ones that can patch up the damages this big cat has made to his facilities.
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Currently, both Felis and Ivan were standing in one of his training facilities. And despite it being underground the vibrant green grass and deep blue sky followed by the pleasant fresh breeze would lead others to assume this was on some prairie. The sun in the sky indicated that they were out in the open, but in the end, it was just a copy of the sun Oscar had in his lair.
The two stood not too far from an artificial lake Ivan had molded, all of this formed a habitat that Felis found comfort in. And while he understood her desire for the outside world he wanted to make sure she was completely prepared for when that time came. Here it was possible to adjust the time of day, cloud activity, the weather, and environmental sounds.
It was all a bit over the top but to Ivan, it was worth it in the end if Felis enjoyed it. Ivan made some stretches as Felis copied them perfectly, her eyes glowing all the way. Right now their activity was to gauge just how far the extent of her copying abilities went. She was able to mimic a basic spell but what about other things. Combat techniques being the focus of today. Her learning speed astounded him. He attributed it to her being a homunculus.
Ivan had yet to ask if she would rather explore the world than work with him. Though it was overprotective of him he didn't want to let her out until he was sure she would be safe against most threats in the real world. It'd be a lie if he said he didn't feel trepidation when thinking she might reject him.
He let out a deep breath as he thought of such an outcome, if that time were to come then as the one who brought her into this world he had a duty to respect her decision, supporting her dreams from the sidelines if she needed. It was a talk he had many times with her, like what were her dreams and aspirations.
A bit of a foolish question to someone who hadn't even seen the outside world.
"Father, what's wrong? Don't tell me Yue-sensei got mad at you again for spending all your time in the atelier. Hihihihi~ Poor father, just what are we going to do with you? Don't worry, I'll talk things out with her. Maaa~ I'm sure she'll understand."
A sweet voice emanated from his side, his only complaint being that it always sounded on the border of teasing. Her amused grin was all too visible to him. Weeks of teaching her using childrens' books were all it took to advance her language level.
"I'd be better off if you just let me handle it. Knowing you, you'd somehow turn the situation worse than it already is. And besides, you're going to be a bit preoccupied with this homework I'm about to give you."
Ivan ignored the discontent tongue click and turned to face her fully. The form-fitting white tube top met her waist as it left her shoulders bare to see. A necklace he made for her sat nestled between her nonexistent chest, its silver chains a nice contrast to her slightly tanned skin. The black whisker-like tattoos sat under her eyes, a feature that she was most proud of. Her white tube arm warmers stopped right above her elbows. Satin black gloves adorned her hands.
The short black skirt she wore only revealed a bit of skin before continuing down to her white thigh highs. And to finish it all off, a white mantle that matched his, only that suited her better because of her white hair. Of course, each article of clothing was sewed and manufactured by Yue before being given to Ivan who added some magic properties.
Heat resistance, cold resistance, regeneration, self-cleaning, he went ahead and gave her every convenient enchantment he could think of. It was a bit difficult to get her used to the idea of clothing in the first place, but after some time and with these new clothes she found it much more comfortable wearing them than being without them.
Being a homunculus meant she produced no waste a human would, whether it be sweat or other factors none of them applied to her. That combined with the self-cleaning property of her clothes meant she could wear her clothes for practically forever.
"All right, Felis. For your assignment, we're going to learn what fighting method you're most comfortable with. Though we'll be sure you at least know the basics of every method we could give you just in case you need them. Whether it be magic, hand to hand, weapon arts, or gadget orientated you'll be taught the basics of them all before coming to a decision. Your ability makes any of them a viable factor but in the end, just pick whatever you enjoy the most."
Ivan left the decision to her, if she chose magic it would be up to Yue to teach her, with maybe Tio on the side. As for hand-to-hand combat, he decided to leave it up to Ari since she volunteered to help out, though he could give some pointers as well. Weapon arts were something none of them had much familiarity with so that would mostly be a self-learning process. Gadgets were straightforward, probably give her some bombs or something and let her go crazy.
"Yes, Father!" Her usual playful attitude disappeared before being replaced by a stern response. She was one to differentiate time to play and time to be serious. And right now, it was time to be serious. This was an important choice if she was going to be helpful to her Father.
Ivan smiled softly seeing her serious contemplation, feeling a bit guilty in his heart. Never once had she asked him to take her to the surface but he knew the desire existed. The longing she showed when someone left the room, her constant attempts at getting people to stay here just for a little longer.
Hell, the whole reason he's been spending a ton of time down here was to make sure she didn't get lonely, much to the frustration of the others who couldn't stand being down here for long. The habitat he built for her worked in settling down some of her anxiety but the time for her to leave this hole was quickly approaching, a situation he understood. This is why this would be her final, once this was over he would set out the option in front of her.
"Hmm~ Let's start with Yue. I know she already started teaching you some magic but let's give it a go for a few more days. I'll have her teach you some support magic as well, see how much you enjoy it. Then after that let's go with Ari, she and I will be helping you out with hand to hand. And though your claws are already one of the most lethal weapons around, it wouldn't hurt to get used to something with more range."
She nodded firmly according to his words. Felis pulled out a controller from the inside pocket of her mantle before pressing on one of the buttons. The habitat started pouring down water on them, what she had activated was the downpour option. Felis smiled mischievously before arching her back and digging her feet into the ground.
"Last one to get to the entrance has to do a lap in the rain on their knees~!" Her tail flicked before she bolted toward the doors, kicking up a lot of mud and grass in the process. Having expected this from previous challenges she initiated, Ivan dashed after her only a second later. Vials in his mouth as he passed by her, he almost choked on the blue liquid from laughter after seeing her stupefied expression.
And though she was sure to have some complaints after the race he had already prepared an excuse. Something along the lines of 'you never said potions were against the rules.' He sighed inwardly as he felt rather disgusted by his own weakness. Sure he had many attacks and methods that would work against foes but in the end, all it would take is a single stab to the head or heart and he'd die.
A prospect normal in his world but here in Tortus, it'd be a shame to not evolve beyond that. But as of now, there were no ways in his mind to bring about that effect, until Yue volunteered to be the subject of his research. Her race as a vampire meant she had an innate affinity with magic greater than demons, even if she wasn't an atavistic she could've lived for hundreds of years. Her singularity was that she possessed immortality, both longevity, and regeneration so long as she had mana.
These aspects also belong to Felis, as long as she had mana in her mana crystal then she was ageless and regenerative. The only weakness is that all it would take is for the crystal to be destroyed for her to meet an end.
In the end, Ivan brought up both of these factors, besides he had a member of a legendary race and a being that shouldn't exist by nature's standards. If he couldn't solve his problem with both of these two gifts then it could only be his fault. He'd be the failure of all alchemists to that end.
His thought process was interrupted as a figure of black and white tackled him to the ground. Sending them both flying for meters before they came to a stop.
"...Ugh… Would it have killed you to slow down a bit when you got near the exit? O-Oh my back…" Ivan groaned as he picked himself up from the floor, shoving the lithe figure that had been sitting on him out of the way. That one tackle was all it took for the wind to get knocked out of him.
Compared to any pep talks with Yue, almost dying by getting tackled motivated him to begin his venture into this new field.
Felis laughed wryly as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Hehehe~ Thanks for catching me! Phew, for a second I thought I was going to become a red splatter on the wall… U-Um, I'm sorry…" Felis' laughter turned to nervous whimpers as Ivan turned to stare at her.
"Hmm~ I'm glad I could become your savior, I know, how about I ask Yue to up the intensity of the training? We wouldn't want you to get hurt just because of some mistake. You both could regenerate so I'm sure she wouldn't have any qualms going all out against you…" With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Ivan approached Felis.
"....." Felis got up from her position and ran in the opposite direction, her tail between her legs as Ivan followed behind like a vengeful ghost.
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