Even for one as informed as him, Caqui offered no resistance of any sort as his eyes were blinded. This was standard procedure: very, very few people knew the location of The Facility, let alone that it was a major headquarters of the Organization that was whispered as the Black Medicos. Not that they called themselves that, or anything else.
Caqui wasn't quite sure where he was no, to be honest. He knew he had boarded a boat at one point, but that could mean anything in Mazera. He could be in the Southern sea, or the middle of the continent. Wherever he was, he did not care to know. Nor did his employers. They simply requested to speak with him, and so he had followed their instructions.
After enough time, walking down into the Earth, his blindfold was removed. He was in an impressively clean facility: they were not called the Black Medicos for no reason. These halls harbored knowledge that could save half of Mazera from sickness and disease.
And the other half could perish from what was concocted in these laboratories. A howl of... something echoed the halls, and his escort shifted on his feet.
"A beast experiment," one of his regular escorts whispered to him. "To see what the real limits of Alteration are." They knew his position in this Organization better than he himself: they guided him away from some things, but were ever able to share what he was deemed worthy to know.
Caqui nodded. "And how have the Ordine Medicos progressed on that front?" he asked civilly. It was open knowledge in these halls that much of the base knowledge here came straight from the Medicos archives and laboratories.
"Not enough, yet," said the other, "though that might change after an Archos spiders is killed. We're looking not only at advanced regeneration, but at something new to either of us: mana-inserts. Put a mana crystal right into the body itself."
Caqui wasn't familiar with the concept, but shivered none the less. "It sounds painful," he said.
The other shrugged. "Not necessarily, though incompatibility isn't something to twaddle with. Not pretty," he surmized. "Only one proper match per person, and that's for the rare person with any compatibility."
"How do you determine someone's type?" asked Caqui.
"By trial and error," came a third voice, and Caqui immediately turned and formed a position of respect. So did his two watchers. "While you can test for any compatibility with unrefined mana crystals, unfortunately, one must go through every mana type and await a reaction to determine which type," said the Chairman, though whether it was a man, or even human, was impossible to tell under his thick cloak. It probably wasn't a centaur, at least. Probably. "Welcome, Caqui," he/she/it greeted.
"I come at your call," Caqui replied.
"Rise," the Chairman said. "We have much to discuss, and you have much to see."
The walked, walked along an executive path to look over the many underground labs in the Facility. Watching, Caqui saw men and women of multiple races working over bodies, vials, and all manners of research. One group was dissecting a corpse that took Caqui too long to realize was merely an unresponsive Drown, but that at least seemed beneficial and scholarl.. The team dissecting a live pit beast, summoned and promptly subdued by mithril-armed guards, less so.
"We have made many advances lately, thanks to your wise work," the Chairman said. "Many advances indeed. Far more than what we could glean from the Medicos alone. Thank you, Caqui."
"It was a pleasure," Caquie said, and it was, even if he couldn't said why. "Whatever best serves you."
"The cause, not myself," the Chairman corrected gently. "But I believe you deserve to observe what your efforts may amount to."
"March poisons and medicines from the Cualli, knowledge of effects beyond compare."
"The secrets of the plague zombie, of tying living diseases to undead hosts, from the Sheaim."
"Knowledge of dragons, of the Mazatyll Wyrm itself."
"The practice of binding enchantments to both living and non-living targets, traded by the Amurites."
"A king's ransom of gold, mithril weapons for an army, from the Hippus."
"Captured demons for study from the former Austrin."
"The secrets of creating Drown, traded from the Lanun."
"Elementary knowledge of mixing mana with potions, derived from the Medicos knowledge of the Balseraph druggists guild. A shame they would not deal with us directly, but we make do with what we have."
"And, of course, our own knowledge of the Plague and more from the Medicos."
"Caqui, do you know what these mean?"
"That you have gathered much knowledge from across the lands," he said. "As for what you intend to do with it, I do not know."
"One day you will remember," the Chairman promised, and that was the heart of Caqui's employment: to recover memories sealed away. "But for now: much of it is only in potential. But the first of our projects is much closer to completion. Observe: Project Magdalene."
Caqui stood and looked down the glass, and recognized what he say.
Their lay Rivanna the Wraith Lord, stripped and bolted to the table. Though still beautiful by elven and human standards, the open surgical wounds marred her once-flawless figure. Even the inflamed regions, where surgeons were currently operating on and removing yellow shards of crystal.
"I must thank you again for obtaining such a marvelous test subject," the Chairman said. "She has been quite responsive for our purposes."
"Which are?" Caqui asked, looking away from the elf being cut open and operated on below him.
"To graft magic and flesh," said the Chairman. "Project Mageline is the first step: we seek to not only master insertion of mana crystals, but to make it more effective as well. To make it part of her being. She should not merely be able to channel mana magic: it should be her nature. And more so with the other enchantments."
"And what when you succeed with that?" asked Caqui.
"Then we know it can be done," the Chairman said, "and that opens the possibilities even more so. If we can bind mana and spells to a person, why not to a beast? And why not choose what spells we wish as well? The followers of the Overlords Drown and make their thralls fearless and unfearing. The Hippus make berserkers beyond par. The Veil binds illnesses to their corpses."
"But these are unthinking, unmotivated. What if we could bind disease to a living host, to spread it intelligent fashion? What about when we can field warriors who can cast basic magics with a thought, and no need for years of study? Why, our opportunities would be endless."
"And what then?" asked Caqui.
"Then," the Chairman said, "we move to our final goals."