Shade of Colour

Follow on from Claw etc

Shade of Colour

"How much longer are we going to have to wait? We need results Edgar, anything we can use. We're running out of time."

Edgar had been isolated here, in the lifeless stagnant depths of the castle, for longer than he'd bothered to keep track of. He didn't need to, the computer did it for him. Two years, eight months, and five days. Commands allowed him to request new supplies from the dumbwaiter, canned soups and soaps. Fresh souls and elixirs for his alchemy. He lamented on the souls that had gone to waste in search of this perfect weapon.

"Edgar!" Lt Drummond spat in his face again, a pleasure of one of his rare visits.

Edgar scurried back, his emaciated figure bending under the Lieutenants authority and strength.

"Oh uh sorry. Well if you see here.." he paced to a large vial atop the first of many wooden shelves, glowing deeply blue and orange. "...as was the case a few months ago, I've imbued one of the souls with Dragon energy taken from the samples successfully. This was altered this morning, and ideally should..." 

Just then, the sample flashed a blinding orange, and rattled, tremored across the shelf. Edgar had to hop to catch it. Lt Drummond watched on, unimpressed.

"Damn. We're still at this point. You see, no matter what, the Dragon energy combined with my magic inevitably consumes the host soul."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, anyone transforming into a dragon would remain that way. By their nature, this would lead to their quickly becoming unstable weapons. We wouldn't be able to control them."

Edgar shuffled further down the shelf, to another nearly identical blue vial.

"I may as well show you this...it's the closest change I've gotten so far..." he quickly lifted the second vial and poured it into the first. Within a few minutes, the colour began to shift. 

"Edgar, I don't have time to watch colours all day. All I want to know is if we have something we can use yet. Drax are advancing, and they're working on their own creatures, successfully I might add. The sooner we have dragons to fight back the better."

Whilst he'd complained, the first vial had gently shifted back to blue.

"There." The Lieutenant continued. "That's good, right?"

Edgar shook his head slowly. 

"Unfortunately, the soul reverts for maybe a few days, a week at most. The change is still permanent. I'd need some assistance, and obviously some more time to..."

"Edgar, stop. Come in boys."

In an instant, the Lieutenant was flanked by two rather more formidable soldiers. Edgar felt the pure perspiration of panic.

"We've given you time. The Trok army..thanks you for your efforts, but we need to be able to fight back, now. We'll take our chances. As of today, your research is being confiscated, and we're finding volunteers."

"But.." Edgar started "..any dragon made at this stage would quickly become wildly out of control! You don't know what you're doing!"

"We'll have to take that chance.."

With that, the soldiers advanced into the room and started gathering the research equipment. Edgar continued to protest, but to no avail. His last sight, before burying his head in his hands, was of the vial he'd modified. He couldn't quite place its shade of colour...