Chapter 26 - Projekt: B.E.T

"There is no way!", he exclaimed as he jumped. "We demolished Projekt: B.E.T almost thirty years ago. And it was not one hundred percent successful", he said. Merlin shook his head sideways. "You remember, don't you? It wasn't one hundred percent successful, but you can still transform some parts. And even I can do so too", said Merlin as he transformed his right hand into part-beast.

His right hand turned into tungsten, and it began to grow feathers. The feathers were razor-sharp, and they were just hanging. He then transformed his other hand, and let go of the walking stick. "This is my beast transformation, The Tungsten Crane. You must know about this beast, don't you?", he asked. Ben nodded his head.

He began his transformation and his legs began to transform. His legs began to form a hard exoskeleton, and there were small spikes that were protruding out from the sides. After his legs transformed, Ben just stood there, looking at Merlin. "This is my beast transformation, The Diamond Tiger Beetle. It is the fastest beast that is out there on this planet", he said.

Arthur, Martha, and Leon were taken aback by these developments. "Does that mean that our kids have transformations too?", asked Martha. She was now worried about this. Ben and Merlin shook their head sideways. "We created a serum, which made sure that the changes within our bodies were not passed down to our descendants. The reason is that the Beast DNA which has embedded within our DNA will increase further down the line. And one day, it will be fully merged, making our descendants a new species of Beastmen", explained Merlin.

"But there was a drawback to this project. It was not the rate of success, but rather the maintenance of the DNA. It will constantly fight over our Human DNA for supremacy. After a period of three to five years, if suppressed, they will be like me and Merlin here. If not, they will turn into something different", he said.

"They will turn into what Beastmen know as, 'Blackguards'. They lose their minds, and they ravage on everything they can find", said Leon. Ben nodded his head. Martha was shocked. "But why to do this to yourself?", she asked. Merlin began to explain.

"Long before we both became kings or emperors, we were both adventurers. This was before Ben had even met you. I think it should be during his first year of Banishment. We were both on a quest. It was said that there were strange sightings near the Shadow village near the outskirts of the Second Empire. We went down to investigate it", he said.

"The village was deserted and there wasn't a single soul in sight. As the name implies, the Shadow Village is located somewhere deep, and it is difficult to find it even during bright afternoons. The shadows that were cast by its surroundings always kept the place dark, and the vibe over there was creepy. Just thinking about it now even gives me the chills", said Ben. Merlin continued.

"We investigated and found that the villagers had been abducted somewhere. We began to trace down, but there were no signs. Thus we concluded that it was nothing and decided to leave. When we turned to leave, we felt something pierce our necks. The next thing we both knew is that we were in a new place, somewhere different", he said.

"As it turned out, everyone in the village was either experiments for them, or they were working so as not to end up as one. We were both test subjects. They injected beast blood into us and made us consume Beast Crystals daily. It was breakfast, lunch and dinner were foods made out of beast crystals", he paused and motioned for Ben to continue.

"They had found out that Beast Crystals are what helped the beasts to evolve into their next form. Each beast has their limit, and every human has its limits too. And to find the limit of humans, countless lives were sacrificed, all in the name of 'improving humanity'. Both I and Merlin were pissed, and they began to fuse us with beasts. It began from Basic level beasts up to Demon Tier Beasts. They even once tried to ingest the blood of a Mystic Class Beast, but the human exploded from just a single drop", he said.

"Until today, we do not know the purpose of their experiments. I and Merlin are the only people who survived the fusion of the beasts. We were experimented for the next eight months, as we planned our revenge against them. WE fused until the Demi-God Tier beast, and Demon Tier was the final. There was one more, but he, unfortunately, didn't survive the Demon Tier test", he said.

"After fusing with the Demon Tier, it began. The control of supremacy. It took almost ten years for us to suppress it. But the revenge that we planned, was taken after two years of our experimentation. B.E.T stands for Beast Extreme Transformation. They wanted to push it to Mystic, but we both managed to burn down the facility and slaughtered the head of the researchers", said Merlin.

"Even the Doctor, who called himself as The Mad Scientist, was killed by us. We destroyed the process of the experiment with our own hands, thus we do not understand how the project has been revitalized", said Ben. "It is only possible if Mad Scientist survived. But how? We sliced his head clean off his shoulders?", said Ben.

"No time to contemplate. I have news that the new BET's are faster and stronger than us. They might come for either your head or mine. I called you here to warn you, and to show you another thing", he said as he pulled up a screen on the table. A Dragonfly Beast was seen on the screen. "A full BET?", asked Ben.

"Yes. It seems like the project's side effects were removed. There is no suppression in the DNA. Instead, the DNA's have fused perfectly, allowing him to wield the complete capabilities of the beast. And that beast is a Demon Tier. The Preying Dragon", said Merlin. "What? How did he get his hands on that crystal? They are super rare to be even found, and even harder to fight against", said Ben.

Ben was taken aback by the flow of events today. He never imagined that the haunting past, which he was sure he had burned down, would come back to haunt him again. "I can't allow them to continue. Although some Beastmen think that Humans are beneath them, most of them are very friendly. And I even have one as an example with me", he thought. He began to think when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It will be alright my friend. I have reason to believe that they might attack here first. Make the Empire fall, then taking you down would be easier as there would be no backup from us. I want you to stay vigilant. There will be extra surveillance over your territory, and any suspicious movement will be immediately reported. And don't worry, the Beastmen under you will be free", he winked as he said.

"Just how much do you know, you snooping asshole?", laughed Ben. Merlin patted his shoulder, and let them be. Arthur trodded towards Ben and sat opposite to him. "Mr. Heart", he began when Ben held his hand up. "You can call me Uncle Ben. Both I and your Father have known each other for many years. It's weird to hear you call me honorifics", he said.

Arthur nodded. He began to pull up some screens and showed him the weird activity that was going around the Empire. "Has anything like this happened recently near your Kingdom?', he asked with concern. "If what father and Uncle said is true, then I would need to improve the surveillance. But I don't know how", he thought.

Ben nodded his head sideways. "I'll be sure to have a lookout but tell me. What is on your mind, kid? You seem troubled", he said. Arthur was taken aback when he heard Ben. "Can you read minds?', he asked with sparkly eyes.

"I don't know about that, but as a parent of three, even I can see that something has been troubling you", said Martha. Ben laughed. "Of course, I can read minds. But I do not use it. I feel like a thief when I use it. It's one of the powers of the Beast that I and your father had merged with", he said.

"I didn't know Father had a past like that. I always see the happy and smiling person, and I think to myself that he is hiding his burdens. Thus, I always strive to make Father happy in any way possible. After learning this, I wonder if I will ever lift off even a portion of my father's burdens", he muttered in a low voice.

"Arthur, everybody is different in their ways. We, as humans, are born different. Just like how our DNA and fingerprints don't match even with our siblings, we have our unique talents. Some might be good at fighting, some at strategy, some at inventions, and this list may just go on. But the point I'm trying to make is, you are you. Being you doesn't mean that you can't lift off the burdens of your father. Although that old man is stubborn, whenever he talks about you, I can hear the pride in his voice. You might not be able to do it today, but you might be able to do it tomorrow", finished Ben.

Arthur stood there in shock. "My Father is proud of me? Does this mean that I am finally making contributions to this Empire? That I can finally let Father have some peace in his life?', he thought as a smile came to his face. Tears of happiness began to form in his eyes, and slowly roll down his cheeks.

"Thank you, Mister, no. Uncle Ben. I shall strive harder, and I shall bring honor to our Seventh Empire", he said as he placed his fist on his heart. "There is a saying in our family. 'Never Lose Heart'. I hope you keep that in mind", he said as he got up and left the meeting room. After leaving the room, they walked towards the place they were staying at while at the Empire.

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I will be giving out Bonus Chapters when we hit the targets!

100 Power Stones - 1 Bonus Chapter

150 Power Stones - 2 Bonus Chapters

200 Power Stones - 3 Bonus Chapters