I, the slave boy, awaken with the most potent seed!!

Chapter 233: Mad scientist...truly

As Hector continued his manic tinkering, Zafron found himself dozing off in the corner. The constant clanking and muttering had become a bizarre lullaby in the chaos of the lab. He was jolted awake by a sudden explosion of smoke from one of Hector's contraptions.

"Food!" Hector exclaimed triumphantly, lifting a small lid and peering inside with a manic grin.

Zafron blinked, bewildered. "Food? All that fuss for... food?"

[My lord, I believe we've stumbled into the lair of a mad scientist who moonlights as a rather inefficient chef,] Calista chimed in.

Before Zafron could respond, Hector shoved a plate his way, grabbed one for himself, then reached into a nearby cabinet. He pulled out a small cube and unceremoniously dropped it on the floor. To Zafron's amazement, the cube deconstructed itself, reforming into a full-sized table.

Zafron's jaw dropped. "How did you... Why do you always make things small before they get big?"

Hector shrugged, already digging into his meal. "Efficiency, boy. Why waste space when you don't have to?"

[Ah yes, because nothing says 'efficiency' quite like a lab full of explosive cookware and furniture that plays hide-and-seek,] Calista quipped.

Zafron snorted, earning a quizzical look from Hector. He quickly covered it with a cough and took a bite of the mysterious "food." To his surprise, it wasn't half bad.

"So," Hector began, his mismatched eyes - one human, one robotic - fixed on Zafron. "I see you've been busy since your last visit."

Zafron raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how would you know that?"

Hector waved a hand dismissively. "I have my ways. That upcoming fight with Draco, for instance. Quite the spectacle, I imagine. And with Sakura as your fight partner, no less. Didn't see that coming, did you?"

Zafron nearly choked on his food. "How did you-"

"And let's not forget that little... tension between you and Matilda," Hector continued, ignoring Zafron's sputtering. "Fascinating development, that."

[Oh my, it seems our eccentric friend has been quite the Peeping Tom,] Calista commented dryly.

"Okay, hold up," Zafron interjected, holding up a hand. "This is getting creepy. Have you been spying on me?"

Hector looked offended. "Spying? My dear boy, I prefer the term 'comprehensive observation for the sake of scientific progress.'"

"That's just spying with extra words!"

"Nonsense," Hector scoffed. "Oh, and I was right about the breathing crystal, wasn't I? Much better than those commercial garbage they're peddling in the city"

Zafron pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hector, normal people don't-"

"Normal?" Hector interrupted, his robotic eye whirring. "Who wants to be normal? Normal is boring. Normal doesn't create antigravity boots or self-assembling furniture."

[He's got us there, my lord. Though I'm not sure 'abnormal' quite covers... whatever this is,] Calista mused.

"Look," Zafron tried again, "I appreciate the help with the crystal and all, but don't you think secretly watching someone's life is a bit... I don't know, stalker-ish?"

Hector waved a fork dismissively. "Stalking implies nefarious intent. I'm merely gathering data. For science!"

"For science," Zafron repeated flatly. "Right. And I suppose that makes it totally okay to invade someone's privacy?"

"Privacy?" Hector looked genuinely confused. "In the Undercity? My boy, the very walls have eyes here. I'm just making use of readily available information."

Zafron threw up his hands. "That doesn't make it better! In fact, it might make it worse!"

"Nonsense," Hector replied, taking another bite. "Information is power. And in this case, it might just be the key to our freedom."

That caught Zafron's attention. "Freedom? What do you mean?"

Hector's expression turned serious, a rarity that made Zafron sit up straighter. "Think about it, boy. All these little pieces - your fights, your alliances, even your petty squabbles. They're all part of a bigger picture."

"And what picture is that?" Zafron asked, leaning forward.

Hector's eyes gleamed with a fervor that was equal parts exciting and terrifying. "Our return to the topside, of course! Can you imagine it? Breathing real air, feeling actual sunlight on your face? We could even pay the Emperor a visit, show him what we've accomplished down here."

Zafron blinked, taken aback by Hector's sudden intensity. "That's... quite a dream, Hector. But we're still stuck down here. My slime suit works well enough, sure, but we have no idea where the twins hid the flying cart. We don't know how to get Raxus's staff or activate the Magnum Opus to break the barrier.

It's all just... wishful thinking."

[My, my. It seems our mad scientist friend has grand delusions to match his grand inventions,] Calista commented.

Hector's smile didn't falter. If anything, it grew wider. "Ah, but that's where you come in, my boy. I have faith in you. You'll figure it all out, I'm sure of it."

Zafron shook his head, exasperated. "Hector, you can't just-"

"Oh, and one more thing," Hector interrupted, his tone suddenly casual. "You might want to watch your neck."

"Watch my-" Zafron began, but he was cut off as the floor beneath his chair suddenly gave way. For the second time that day, he found himself plummeting through a trapdoor, Hector's maniacal laughter echoing above him.

As he slid through the winding tunnel, Zafron couldn't help but shout, "Is this really necessary? A simple 'goodbye' would suffice!"

[Oh come now, my lord. Where's your sense of adventure?] Calista teased.

"Adventure? This is madness!" Zafron yelled back, his voice echoing off the tunnel walls.

[Madness? This is the Undercity!] Calista quipped, clearly enjoying herself.

Before Zafron could retort, he was unceremoniously deposited back onto the streets of the Undercity, landing in an undignified heap. As he picked himself up, brushing off the dirt and trying to regain some semblance of dignity, he couldn't help but wonder what Hector's cryptic words meant.

"Figure it all out, he says," Zafron muttered, straightening his clothes. "As if it's that simple."

[Well, my lord, look on the bright side,] Calista chimed in. [At least dinner and a show were included in this little adventure.]

Zafron snorted, shaking his head as he started walking. "Some show. I think I prefer my entertainment with less falling and more... I don't know, not falling?"

[Picky, picky,] Calista teased. [Though I must admit, our eccentric friend does have a flair for the dramatic. Perhaps he missed his calling as a theme park designer.]

As Zafron made his way back through the familiar streets of the Undercity, his mind raced with everything Hector had said. The idea of returning to the topside, of breaking free from this underground prison, was tantalizing. But the obstacles seemed insurmountable.

"What do you think, Calista?" he asked aloud, not caring if anyone overheard him talking to himself. "Is Hector onto something, or is he just... well, crazy?"

[Oh, he's definitely crazy, my lord. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's wrong. After all, some of the greatest discoveries in history were made by those society deemed mad.]

Zafron nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right. But where do we even start? It all seems so... impossible."

[One step at a time, my lord. We have the slime suit, we have allies - even if some of them are of the stalker variety - and we have a goal. The rest... well, we'll figure it out as we go.]

As he reached the door to his quarters, Zafron paused, a small smile playing on his lips. "You know, Calista, for an insufferably sarcastic magical construct, you can be surprisingly wise sometimes."

[Why, thank you, my lord. I do try. Though I must say, for a walking blob of sentient slime, you're not half bad yourself.]

Zafron shook his head, opening the door to their little house only to find himself face to face with a breathtaking sight...

"I notice you were mad at me earlier. I'm sorry and I'd like to make it up to you," Matilda stood with a towel to her chest and her legs glistening wet. Her soft thighs were rubbing against one another, evidently thick for their own good.

'Well Calista, dinner was made by Hector, but she's taken care of dessert, I suppose,"