The Dollmaker of Kalastra

Chapter 5: Mother

The laboratory did not have a professional look—quite the opposite. Wooden tables with mouldy straps and messy surgical equipment dominated most of the space. Khendric and Topper were still unnoticed, entering quietly and hiding behind a pile of barrels. Some were empty, others contained a . . . rancid liquid.

"They're dead, mother. Dead!" they heard the dollmaker say. "Be happy now, I am your son."

Khendric peered over the top of the barrels and saw the creature in the distance. It was removing the gag off of someone. It looked like a woman.

She screamed when the gag came off. "Let me go!"

"Calm, mother, please calm."

Khendric motioned for them to move closer. While sneaking, they passed surgical tables with modified bodies on them. This creature had really been busy making its dolls. One dead man missed his lower jaw, though knife blades stuck out of his upper one. Please don't come alive, Khendric prayed. There were several other altered corpses too: a woman without arms, with spikes mounted on unnaturally large shoulders, and a man with shields smelted onto his back and stomach, together with other armour pieces on his head, arms and legs.

"I love you, mother," the dollmaker said, trying to calm the screaming and crying woman. "I will make you a son, just like him. The monsters are gone now. I am your son."

"Please let me go," she said.

"No, no, you run. You don't want to live with me."

"I hate you!"

The dollmaker slapped her so hard she fell unconscious. "No! No, mother, I'm sorry." It began crying.

Khendric and Topper snuck closer, getting ready to strike. "Ready?" Khendric whispered.

Topper nodded—a bucket on the table he was leaning against fell, hitting him on the head.

Khendric got up and levelled his pistol, hoping to save the moment of surprise.

The dollmaker hid behind its 'mother'. "You . . . I hate you. You are here to kill me!"

Khendric couldn't get a clear shot.

"Khendric," Topper said. "Turn around."

The bodies behind them twitched, muscles flexing. The knife-mouth one fell awkwardly off the surgical table. A terrible scream followed—from the altered woman with spikes on her shoulders. She got up on the table, looking maniacal. Turning to the beasthunters, she stormed them. Her legs had to be powerful, because she was fast. Topper got out of the way as she barrelled past, spikes first, into the table he had hid behind.

Khendric wanted to help him, but the knife-mouth man charged—and it turned out he had knives for fingers too. He'd seen it too late to shoot and tried to brandish his sword, but the deformed human was on him. It slashed with its hands, though it did no real damage through Khendric's coat. The creature's head slammed forward, but he rolled out of the way. The knives plunged through the barrel behind Khendric. The beast now stuck, he did the merciful thing and chopped the abomination's head clean off.

Topper was just trying to outrun the crazed woman. Her tactic seemed to be trying to ram Topper with the spikes. Khendric fired at her, hitting her torso, but she kept running. Topper dodged the spikes by a hair, and the two tumbled to the ground. Khendric stormed over, and lifted her off his partner. She screamed and flailed violently. He sent her flying into the nearby wall and both him and Topper stabbed her through the back. She finally stopped moving.

"Thanks," Topper said, breathing hard.

"Don't mention—"

Heavy sounds of metal repeatedly hitting the floor resonated through the room. Behind them, the man with shields on his stomach and back made his way towards them. There wasn't even a face, just a block of metal with two holes for eyes. His hands were replaced with metal balls. He was like a man made of steel, all impenetrable metal.