Bad ethics and good intentions

After receiving instructions on how to get to the infirmary Artemis had finally made its way to the room it required.

Dragging along with it a large bag filled to the brim with jars containing a manner of different objects.
A few more things... The creature thought
Just a few, then it will be done.

Artemis busied itself with unpacking each jar with large amounts of care,
it did not want to risk breaking anything and having to acquire it again.
Nothing in its possession was exactly "easy" to find.

Artemis heard the sloshing on a mop and the excited giggles of a young nightling.
Her giddy sounded voice, automatically grabbing Arts attention.

"Good evening Miss."
Artemis greeting, nodding its head toward the girl.
"I hope you do not mind my intrusion, I just need a clean space to conduct an experiment and the graveyard hardly seemed suitable.

It explained, peering down at the girl, her small stature seemed towered over by Artemis even as it leaned over collecting more jars from its bag.

Artemis turned to face Raoul,
"Ah there you are,
Oh thank you. All the rooms in this manor are all so large.
It does make it quite difficult to find was one is looking for."
The creature explained with a slight chuckle, finally noticing the jar of potent black liquid that it had been searching for.

Due to its tall nature reaching the top shelf was more than easy enough though the excessively baggy clothing it chose to wear refused to stay in place as it reached for the jar, sliding down the creatures forearm.

Disgruntled noise escaped its lips as it realized what had happened, but not wishing the drop the jar it quickly hide its arm back under the large cloak, hoping that none of its companions took noticed at the grotesque state of its body.

"Raoul."
Artemis said in hushed tones.
"You know I have kept myself alive all these years due to the elixir I created all those years ago?"
It asked, looking at its not sealed arm.
"The elixir made me immortal but my body is not, I am nothing more than a living corpse beneath these robes.
I need your assistance."
It added, glancing toward the jars that it had collected.
"There are ingredients that I could not get anywhere else but here.
An institute filled with vampires, lycans and elves. You don't get that kind of diversity anywhere else.
Each race has its own regenerative abilities, I need your help to harness these powers into a new elixir that will heal my body."
The creature said with a slight panic.
"I fear my body will not last much longer."
It added, opening the neck of its robes to the doctor secretively, its entire torso had been eaten away, leaving nothing more than

"I know this friend, if there was a miracle to fix this I would of found it already."
Artemis inspected the eye with confusion.

"Artemis Arrion Cross."
It stated.
"That is my full birth name."
The creature looked to Raoul, utterly confused as to what he was talking about.
"Hate you for what?"
Artemis asked, hesitantly.

Artemis stood, shocked at what it saw in front of it.
Being a creature of science it never really did fully appreciate the wonders of spirituality.
Though with what was happening all around it, it could not help but be awe struck.
All done, Raoul had said, what had happened? Had Artemis missed something?

Seeing Raoul clearly weakened it rushed over, placing a hand on his shoulder as a support.
"Are you okay?"

Artemis nodded and turned back to the table.
All that was left was to put the elixir together, it collected each jar, opening them with the utmost care.
Lighting a bunsen burner under a large pot Artemis slowly checked its own note book, measuring each ingredient to the exact specification.
Dropping them in, in the right order.
He worked very methodically, it knew the recipe inside out.
Studied it many time.
After a few minutes it was nearly done.
Artemis sat, looking at the boiling pot, wondering, what if this was its last chance.
It's body could not take much more punishment, bones barely held together by cartilage and muscles completely melted away.

Artemis looked back to Raoul,
"It's nearly done, just needs to reduce."
Its voice was nervous and wary at its companions condition.
"Are you sure you're alright? What did you see?"

Artemis could not help but worry about Raoul, it did not know what had happened to its companion, he was not acting himself and showed worrying signs.

It had to return to its elixir, leaving on the fire too long would ruin it and all their hard work would be for nothing.

After quickly removing the elixir from the heat Artemis poured it into a small vial.
The liquid was a pale pink colour though it swirled of its own accord.

Observing it intently Artemis could see the elixir slowly turning a dark red colour.
It exhaled nervously staring at it.
If its calculations were correct this should work, Artemis hoped it worked, prayed to an old deity who he no longer followed.
"It's done." It murmured turning to its companion nervously, the vial shaking in its hand.
two hundred years of research and it was finally ready.

Artemis watched his friend dip into slumber, he smiled slightly, he deserved a rest. He had helped Artemis more than it could say, and now it was time to become whole and once again have its own body instead of being trapped with in a grotesque corpse.

Artemis stepped outside as to not wake the sleeping man within.
Gazing down it looked as the liquid warped and twisted, constantly changing colour to a dark crimson.
It sighed heavily, the nerves baring down upon it and with that it slipped the vial beneath its mask and gulped it down.
It stood for a minute, nothing happened, removing the gloves that hid its hands, it stared at them in disbelief.
Nothing.
Nothing at all...
Its hands hovered their, in shock, the decomposed flesh draping so horribly over exposed bone.

Artemis wailed in frustration, how could it not have worked, why was it still a walking corpse, had it been lied too?
Did it get something wrong...
At that moment Artemis crippled over in pain, its stomach ached as if it had been run through with a dagger.
It shrieked as it stumbled forward, its vision blurring in pain.

Artemis lay, clutching its hair screaming, its mask had fallen off as it fell to the floor.
And now it lay, stuck in the fetal position writhing in agony.
Slowly inch by inch what was left of Artemis' skin began to move, stretching as it did seek to replace itself.
The muscle tissue grew back first followed by veins which filled with blood as skin grew over the mans figure.
Each second felt like days, as his body regenerated itself, the rush of feeling was overwhelming, he had not felt anything for two hundred years and now his skin burned as if on fire.
His muscles tore themselves back into place as his very organs were rebuilt.

Artemis lay there, tears that reflected the colour of the elixir dripping down his face.
The mask and hood he had worn for so long abandoned as he writhed in pain.
The pain had been immense and he could not keep himself conscious, so their he lay, a whole man, once again.