Days bled into a monotonous blur for Markus, his sole focus being to refurbish and improve his bases capabilities and defences.
In that time he had already created more clones, 6 of them to be exact, his limit for now.
And as his abilities description had said, they were weaker then him in statistics but they all held his skills and perks so that really didn't matter that much.
With them he was able to do what he probably would have done in a month in a week's time.
He created a protective ward around his warehouse, complete with stealth sigils and a 'notice me not' sigil scheme that had taken some time to stitch together. It would also act as a barrier if in the slightest chance his base was found, not allowing anything inside but those he allowed.
All in all it was way better than the one he left behind at his home.
Speaking of home, he had used one of his clones to spy on his home, more so in order to keep his mother safe and also obtain information on the events unfolding back in the centre of Beacon Hills.
And as he thought, his mother for the past weeks had been a mess.
Missing shifts at work, drowning herself in alcohol when police officers couldn't find him and all in all breaking down.
When he found out about this he felt like immediately walking up to her and comforting her and telling her he was fine, but that would destroy everything he was working out for.
But as for where his brother was when their mother was breaking down?—Still chasing over Allison, getting in trouble with Stiles as they got used by Allison as bait to bring out the Alpha Werewolf that had bitten Scott.
He had scoffed as he found out all of this, them running in a goose chase while the person they looked for always disappeared and hid out in open view.
Things seemed to heat up too for the teens though, with Derek popping up more often trying to get help from Scott to help him kill the Alpha.
Then with the arrival of Allison's unhinged aunt who even in this timeline managed to shoot Derek with a nightshade bullet.
So while the overall plot of things seemed changed, some key points seemed inevitable to happen.
Markus didn't know how to think about that one, but he decided to focus on the most important things.
That being his project, turning himself into a Chimera.
And in that time he had managed to atleast get his equipment and tools ready and made inside his base.
Some having been stolen, some bought and the others being created by him.
All in all though, [Aura Stealth] had been his most valuable skill in the last week's, allowing him to walk around as if he were a ghost.
" Sir, the Sanguine serum is stable." Clone 4 muttered behind him, just as Markus was looking through a microscope, mapping and studying the DNA he obtained from Scotts hair that he had obtained so long ago.
He raised himself and stared at the clone holding a reddish pink vial of liquid.
" I see, is the patient fit for serum graft?" Markus asked, he asked going off into a corner where a new pristine room stood.
Inside laid the female hunter he had kidnapped after his escape.
She was alive for the most parts, awake and drugged to kingdom come just so she couldn't do anything to jeopardize them by escaping.
" Yes, while she's drugged and out of it for now, we managed to use her DNA to rewrite the serums properties just for her in order to increase success percentiles." Clone four muttered.
" Good, then purge the drugs and prepare the experimentation room." Markus said, grabbing the serum while doing so.
Moments later as he looked at it, a screen suddenly appeared before him.
[—Item Name - Sanguine Serum.
—Info - A serum created by Markus McCall, using blood from a vampire— created in order to graft Vampire Characteristics into a human body and in doing so making them half vampire in theory.
—Effects - Has a 26% chance at changing a human into a Damphir– Half Human/Half Vampire.
—Effects - Has a 65% chance at changing the human 'Lisa Stanley' into a Damphir– Half Human/Half Vampire.
—Effects - In the case of failure, the injected will undergo rapid cellular mutations– Making them monsters in the process.
—[-]—
Markus smiled seeing the description, after having finally obtained an 'appraisal' type skill after a full day of looking up sigils that would work to create said skill by utilising [Sigil Magic].
But looking at the serum in his hands he grumbled, it wasn't the best he could make but seeing as he had begun his studies in genetics, he was ahead of normal people by galaxies in proportion.
The serum was his first, a serum designed specifically for their hostage in order to increase the assimilation success rate— if successful they would obtain more data for their Chimera program which would allow splicing efforts whereby two or more races traits could work in tandem with each other.
This was of course the first serum created, with others like the werewolf serum being in the works of creation while he underwent a more thorough understanding of werewolf genetics.
" Sir, the room is ready." Clone four muttered behind him.
" Then begin purging the subject." Markus ordered feeling a sense of power in being able to order others to do his bidding, even if they were clones of himself.
As Markus reached the experimentation room, a room he had personally put together using all his crafting skills and even [Transmutation] in creating. The room was state of the art, hygienic and clean while holding multiple tools that would normally be seen in the best genetic institutes.
These were modified for his uses of course.
A fruit that he had bore after intensive use of his [Trace Gloves], perks and skills.
He didn't have to wait long, as minutes later 2 clones came in holding Lisa, as he had come to find out after his appraisal type skill had been made.
They quickly walked up to a corner, where a cylindrical tank laid attached. There they then quickly attached her with an air mask and inserted multiple tubes which would hold the serum and nutrients that the body would need.
Next they watched as another nutrient based liquid quickly filled the tank, suspending their subject in the tank.
" We're ready." Called out clone four.
" Immediately begin serum grafting." Markus ordered, watching as the serum was attached to the tank and injected through the tubes into Lisa.
At first nothing seemed to be happening, then she started twitching.
" Data collection and bio-data analysis is catching signs of cell degradation." Called out a clone.
" Vital signs dropping at a steady rate!" Called out another.
Markus all the while read through the data, consuming it at a ridiculous pace as [Genius Comprehension] and [Aura Source] watching as Sigils flared out to life on the subject before analysing both data and sigil matrixes.
" Keep her alive as long as possible, we need more data!—Begin healing procedures!" Markus called out feeling his heart beating faster and faster.
" You got it!" Clone 3 muttered, running up to the tank and laying their hand on a dark crystalline slate.
Quickly after that, Sigils began flaring up around the tank.
Just as that happened Markus paused, finding a sudden spike in vitals from the subject.
Not only that but even the DNA Intergration started seamlessly increasing, DNA degradation slowing to a halt before disappearing entirely.
And just like that, Markus suddenly had an epiphany.
" Of course! The missing piece!" He grumbled loudly, grinning from ear to ear." The missing piece is Magic!"
Saying that he watched intensively, watching the subjects DNA in real time as it absorbed mana like a sponge.
~|—|~
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