Transplantation

Beta took out his that he bought within the last year and placed it right next to the herbs. He took out a clean set of glass tubes, bulbs, and Erlenmeyer flasks as well as a contraption that serves as a Bunsen burner, which was powered by a bunch of runes to replicate the effect of controlled combustion. He couldn't find one in the black market as well as in the shops so, he made the device himself according to what he remembered from the past. He simply made it possible where he can adjust the strength of the fire coming out of the burner by making use of runes. He then set it all up to start with his experiment, placing the Bunsen burner right below the bulb.

First, Beta poured in some water into a bulb and turned on the Bunsen burner. The water was quickly brought to its boiling point, which was the right timing for when Beta inserted a bunch of herbs. He then connected the bulb to an Erlenmeyer flask using a glass tube. A kind of resin was applied to ensure that there was no opening other than the glass tube. The steam went through the glass tube and accumulated at one point, where it slowly coagulated into a fluid form once again slowly flowing into an Erlenmeyer flask.

After some time, all of the water went from the bulb evaporated and only left the medicinal dregs behind. Beta repeated this task multiple times while using a different combination of herbs every batch. Soon, he had several flasks that contained fluid of different colors. He then mixed them all together in a way where he used a few drops of one flask and then another few from the other flask just to get back to the first flask later on again.

It was a tedious method that was needed in order to achieve the best results according to Beta's past experiments. He had done the same process a thousand times before with his mother but, after all, it was a long time ago. So, the previous year was quite helpful for him to review his past knowledge. Therefore, the him right now, even though he's confident with the result, is still doing his best to be careful and precise with the concoction.

Hours of careful mixing later, Beta left the isolated experimentation area and went to Furie's room.

"Here, drink this.", Beta said while handing over a small vial of a pink fluid that had small bubbles in it, as if it was carbonized.

It was closed off with a special kind of cork that enables one to increase the amount of time the tonic can be stored. Furie reached eagerly and received the vial. Upon a closer look, she was even more surprised because it looked surprisingly delicious with its pink, bubbly water. She gripped it a little tighter and looked at Beta with shining eyes, asking for permission to drink it. Beta nodded with no hesitation but Furie didn't notice the smirk building up on his face.

"Thanks!" A small smile adorned her face as she popped off the cork and smelled the fragrance of the potion. It smelled like a mixture of strawberry and kiwi, bringing Furie great joy and anticipation.

She directly put the vial to her mouth and slowly took a big gulp. But then, suddenly, her face changed. A grimace, as if she just ate a lemon, was now shown to Beta.

"Hahaha! Nice expression you got there! Now I understand why my mother was so amused when she watched me drink this for the first time!", Beta said laughing.

In the past, he always used to call this tonic treacherous because its taste was completely different from its delicious smell and look. Drinking this tonic fills one's mouth with a sourness much greater than a lemon, followed by an aftertaste that was so bitter that one already felt the need to puke.

However, its effects were just as great. After Furie's struggle from drinking the tonic, she noticed a surge of energy going through her body. Her body felt more alive than ever and she even wanted to run around due to all the excess energy. If Beta had not told her to lay down on the bed instead, she would have definitely done that.

As for Beta, he was quite satisfied looking at Furie. The tonic worked just like it was supposed to, making him happy and fulfilled. Of course, this one vial wasn't everything he had. Just now he concocted a bunch of them for Furie's future training as well as for emergencies that may come up. "Now that the first step is over and a success, it's time for the next level...", thought Beta while slowly folding his sleeves to show his arms.

"Well, are you ready to get more strength and become even stronger?", Beta asked with a little smile. Curiosity was already itching him to start his experiment and check if he could transplant beast organs into a human body without any negative effects.

"Even if it's something bitter or hard, bring it on!" Furie's eyes lit up when she heard him talk about getting stronger. With the energy she had right now, she wouldn't mind running tens of kilometers or doing any strenuous tasks, even reading books about soulpower until she passes out.

"Alright, then lie down on the table in the first room over there.", Beta said with a radiating smile.

On the other hand, Furie was quite surprised and wary of his intentions. What she saw when she looked at Beta now, was a man who followed his passion. But what did it have to do with her lying down? Why did he give her so much excess energy in the first place? Could it be that he's finally showing his true colors? Furie was conflicted with many thoughts, even arriving with the solution of fighting back for a moment, but then she quickly scratched that idea. Earlier, she had seen what Beta was capable of and knew she didn't have a chance. It would be pointless for her to do something impossible such as escaping from Beta's underground base.

Beta, upon seeing the teary-eyed Furie, seemed to understand what went through her head.

"Don't be silly now. I'm not going to do anything like that. I will strengthen you by giving you an inhumanly strong body. If I succeed, you will be incredibly much stronger than you are now and your potential will rise to another level.", Beta said with shining eyes.

"Eh? I see... But what if you don't succeed?" Furie was visibly afraid as she asked this.

"I told you before, didn't I?", Beta said as if it was completely clear.

At the mention of this, Furie remembered what Beta had said back then. She would either die or be strong. Back then, she didn't mind answering him with her life on the line, but now that it had come to the actual act, she still couldn't help but be afraid. This has always been the nature of humans. Unless they weren't already on the brink of death, they would definitely fight for their lives with everything they had.

The difference in this situation was that Furie knew that she really only had these two options right now - die or gain strength. It was no question that Beta would never let her off after seeing his secret base as well as the people that he kept imprisoned. So, after careful consideration, she decided to just go with it. She laid down on the table and didn't move.

"I'm glad you decided to do it this way.", Beta commented with a smile, gently covering her mouth with a piece of cloth that was soaked in a medicinal liquid which immediately put Furie to sleep.

Beta undressed her swiftly and then a knife appeared in his hand. From her chest until her stomach was cut open with a precision that equaled a machine's. Intestines and organs were now laid out before him as well as blood spilled all over the table.

"For a start, I'll choose a beast which has similarities to humans, a harpy."

Beta took out the body of a harpy that he had killed in the forest before and placed it on the table next to Furie's. The same cuts were made on the harpy's body and Beta checked up on her organs. He then followed according to Surgeon's Rule and cut out the heart and liver of the harpy. Due to Furie's still weak body, transplanting more organs would be dangerous. So, he chose the two which he deemed as the most important to transplant at the moment.

First, Beta started off with the liver. Since it was better to do it before the heart was implanted. He cleaned both organs off their original owner's blood and started his work. The first part was done without any problems and the same goes for the heart. Due to a harpy's similarity to the human body, the veins and arteries were of a similar size, which didn't make it too hard for Beta to connect the new heart to Furie's body. Once it was completely connected to her body, Beta massaged the new heart a bit, manually simulating to kickstart a beat, and then it finally started beating.

The difference between the two hearts was apparent from this moment on. It was clearly more active as its heartbeat was stronger and faster. Beta let his soulpower course through her body as the blood pumped and used Surgeon's Rule on her to assure that the new organs would assimilate properly. The part that usually can't be controlled, was now being controlled forcefully by him. He made sure that Furie's body accept the new organs instead of rejecting the foreign and, therefore, achieved the result he wished for, transplanting a beast's organs into a human.

"She's still alive, I'm glad. I'll stitch her up and wait for her to wake up... I really wonder how she will feel." Beta's eyes glowed as he looked at Furie with anticipation.