3 Mutation

It was only after a month did Jae Farley finally realize he was in a different world filled with magic and races other than human.

Under the masks, the researchers were actually various races such as demons, beastkin, dwarves, and dark elves. Although there were a couple of humans, they seemed either disfigured in some way or deranged.

A combination of magic and dwarven technology were used on the children. From experiments to the body and mind to examinations of the soul, the researchers continued to test the children for a year.

Only when the children had survived past a year did the indifferent expressions of the researchers shift as they were genuinely surprised. None of their previous lab rats had lasted through the tests. As a result, they were relieved that they had finally found children with the outrageous requirements their lord requested.

At the beginning of year two, body modifications had initiated.

"Aaahhhh!"

"Ahh! My body! I-It's melting!"

"M-My eyes!"

"Help me!"

While laying in bed, Jae could hear the screams of the other children. However, he was in no condition to save them. The researchers were messing with his anatomy, but he could not see what exactly was done to him. He was blindfolded.

There was nowhere in Jae's body that wasn't touched. His hair, head, organs, limbs, blood, and skin. Everything was manipulated around. It felt like all his blood was drained and something else was pumped back in.

Hot. Hot. Hot!

'Please, just kill me already and end this madness!'

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By the third year, modifications were nearly complete.

But, one day, the experiments were interrupted. There was an explosion at the facility, destroying nearly a third of the building.

A group of armed humans, elves, and beastkin attacked the facility. On their armor were emblems in the shape of a lion head over a sword. Blood sprayed everywhere as the attackers began to kill the researchers. Half of the researchers were slain while the rest escaped. During this chaos, the children were abandoned and buried under the rubble. From the start to the finish, the attackers never noticed them. They left as quickly as they arrived to chase after the runaways.

As several researchers fled before Jae's eyes, he swore to make them pay for their actions.

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"Is anyone still alive?" A hoarse voice sounded.

A day after the researchers and attackers departed, Jae awoke under a pile of debris.

Surprisingly, his body was mostly unharmed. It seemed the experiments and body modifications had strengthened his constitution.

He stood up and brushed the dust off his body whilst beginning to scan for any survivors.

"Jae? Could you help me up? I'm over here. I can't see. Can't move..."

A whimper came from behind Jae.

Jae scrambled toward the voice and moved the rubble away as he dug for the survivor.

Underneath was a petite girl around eight. Yet unlike any normal girl, the lower half of her body was that of a hairy black spider. Her eyes were covered with a cloth.

For a split second, Jae was stunned. Ignoring the changes made to the girl's physique, Jae pulled her out of the ground and carried her away from the remains. Afterward, he continued to search for the other children and relocated any he found to the other girl. All the children he discovered appeared completely different than their past selves. Nonetheless, he instinctively knew that they were the same children as his fellow transmigrators.

"Is this everyone?" Jae counted heads. "One...two...ten. Who's missing?"

The children reintroduced themselves as they soon realized Nora was absent.

"Nora! Where are you!"

Jae and some of the able children wandered around the remains in search for their lost friend to no avail. While searching, they had instead found the corpses of the researchers and chose to loot their offenders. Just when they were about to give up on Nora, a pink blob wobbled towards the group.

"A slime?" one of the disabled girls asked.

"It's Nora~!"

A girl who had tiny antlers and the lower half of a deer crawled toward the slime and embraced it gently. She was unaccustomed to having four legs and thus could not walk properly. Her name was Wendy Silk.

Hearing Wendy's shout, the children who were searching for Nora rushed back to where the others were.

"How do you know it's her?" Jae asked.

With tears flowing out her eyes, she yelled, "Of course I know who my friend is~! No matter how much she changes, she will always be the Nora I know~!"

The slime jiggled in agreement as the other transmigrators had to accept that their friend is a pink glob.

"Now that we found everyone, we have to leave fast before anyone comes back for us," Jade went up to Wendy and supported her, "Those who are capable of walking should help those who can't. Now, go!"

The children dashed towards the forest in the surroundings.

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Not knowing how much time had passed, they proceeded to run through the forest till they fell in exhaustion.

"Do you think we're far enough?" Jae asked.

"We've been running for quite a while, so I would assume that. Anyways, we are in no condition to continue moving," Jade Hargraves replied.

"I…*pant*...will...*pant*...f*****....kill...them!"

"Scarlett, for once I agree with you," said a girl named Melody Sun as she propped down next to a tree. On her back were a pair of thin membrane wings like a butterfly's.

"I second that," Iris chimed while placing Nora down next to Wendy.

"We need to find food and shelter. Since three of us cannot walk, they will remain here with Alexis. Jae, Iris, Scarlett, and I will search for a place to stay temporarily. Layla, Clara, Melody, and Natalie. You four will search for food," Jade ordered.

"I can't leave you alone Ms. Hargraves!" Alexis Crafford shouted.

Alexis was apparently the vice president of the student council and Jade's bodyguard in her previous life. However, she is now a girl made of transparent crystal. Jae figured she would shatter easily from a single fall.

"Alexis, you're the most experienced out of all of us. Although I'm not sure how strong your current form is, I know you will still be able to keep everyone safe. Please, Alexis."

"But-"

"Alexis. Do as I say."

After hesitating for a moment, Alexis complied. The group then split into three as they began the tasks assigned to them.

"Scarlett, we're leaving," Jae crouched near Scarlett as she laid with her limbs sprawled out.

He noticed that parts of her figure were covered in scales whose color matched her name. Her irises were golden outlined in red as her pupils were slit like a lizard's. Stemming from her tailbone was a shiny tail that playfully swung the dirt between her legs.

"I don't wanna Jae! Lemme stay here! I'm tired!"

"Yes, yes. You can come back to rest later," Jae ignored her complaints and dragged her by the tail. He wondered if it would pop off just like a lizard's tail if he pulled hard enough. If so, it would either solve the food problem or Scarlett would run away while leaving her tail behind.

"Ow. OW! I'll walk so stop pulling!"

"Yes, yes," Jae dropped her tail as he was used to dealing with Scarlett since middle school.

"How could you be so cruel after we finally have another conversation in three years!" Using her tail as a support, she flipped up and landed next to Jae.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Scarlett."

"It better be!"

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Four figures ambled under the canopy of lush trees. Dried bark and fallen logs painted the ground below. Melodious voices of insects chirped all around. Gentle rays of sunlight seeped through the overflowing green.

"By the way Jae. You're probably the only one who's still human. At least on the outside that is," Iris smiled as she strolled next to Jae.

"Yeah! I was wondering that as well! Oh, a nut." Scarlett bent down to pick up more food as her arms were filled with nuts and berries.

While thinking that Scarlett should have gone to find food with the others, Jae replied, "They messed with my body as much as everyone else. Except, I don't see any visible changes...what are you doing, Iris?"

Iris brushed Jae's bangs to the side to uncover a pair of silver irises. "Oh, I found one thing that's different about you, no wait, two things."

"What?"

"You have silver eyes instead of the original dark brown and a glass marble embedded in your tongue."

In response, Jae touched the marble in question and realized that it was stuck. No matter hard he tried tugging it, it wouldn't budge.

"Meh. I can live with it," Jae shrugged, "It's not like I'm a slime like Nora nor am I covered in vines like you. Doesn't that hurt?"

Although Iris still had her signature platinum blonde hair and amber eyes, flowers were entwined with her hair. Vines and leaves were constricting various places of her body as if dressing her in clothes made of green. She looked like Mother Nature's daughter.

Iris giggled with some of her flower buds opening, "Nope. The flowers smell nice though."

"Hey, guys! I see a river over there!" Jade, who was walking ahead of the group, called.

Before the group was a small stream. Trees loomed over in the surroundings as clear water glistened over a road of pebbles and fish. A small, wooden cottage was situated a few meters away.

But, what broke the tranquility of the scenery was a beast covered in mushrooms and moss. With the shape of a gorilla and tusks of an elephant, it turned around to face the children.

"Gaooo!" The creature thumped its chest heavily and stomped towards the children. The forest reverberated together with its footsteps.

"Run! Go, go, GO!" Jade yelled. She hurriedly dragged Scarlett, who was in the middle of picking berries, as Jae and Iris followed.

"My berries! My food!" Iris tearfully whined as she dropped her hard work.

"Gaooo!" Breaking the trees in its way, the beast chased the children. It soon caught up to the children as they were cornered. Howling, the beast lashed out.

"Imma beat you up! For the nuts!" Scarlett roared. Using her tail to propel her small frame, she pounced in the air and swung her claws at the creature's eyes.

"Gaoooo!" Blood spurt out of the creature. While blinded in one eye, it wildly waved its arms and swiped at Scarlett. Her body hit a tree trunk as she slid down limply.

Jae shifted his eyes and found a thick branch. Seizing the log, he struck the beast. However, the log broke as the beast deflected it using its thick arms. Swinging its arms, it grazed Jae's leg. Using the moment the beast was distracted, Jade took a sharp stick and impaled the creature's leg from behind. The creature cried as it swiveled around and grabbed Jade. It threw her far away.

"Jae! Over here!" Iris shouted as Jae ran towards her voice. In turn, the creature pursued him in a frenzy. As he passed a pair of trees, Iris pulled Jae to the side. She then pulled on vines fastened to the tree opposite to her position. The beast stumbled over the vines and rolled down a steep incline filled with dead branches. Its body smashed onto a large boulder.

"Is *pant* it dead?" Jae glanced at the beast. It wasn't moving.

"It probably is. We'd better check on Jade and Scarlett," Iris replied as she raced toward the area where the two landed. Jae turned around and followed whilst limping.

"Jae, behind you! Look out!"

Twisting his body, he plummeted towards the ground as a deadly claw missed him.

"Gao!" Incapable of moving his body in time, the beast lifted its arm. In despair, Jae shut his eyes, expecting the end.

Except, the blow never came.

"I appreciate it if you did not kill them, my little pet."

A pleasant voice echoed in the forest.

Jae opened his eyes to find a beautiful man with verdant hair facing him in place of the creature. What shocked Jae wasn't the fact the beast was gone nor the man's looks, but the fact he could understand what the man was saying.

"Hello, little girl. My name is Altwidus EbonyWood. I am the owner of this forest."