Long Form Roleplayers

Previous: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Characters:

You are not logged in. - Volos

You are not logged in. - Copper Wolf

You are not logged in. - Bedlam

You are not logged in. - Madison Jones

You are not logged in. - Tobias Kane

Guest Characters:
Aegis Stane

The Author:
With the wolves free from the affliction of the Crimson Veil, and the known location of the Red Star Cult’s military base, it is time for the assault. The goal of our heroes is nothing short than the destruction of the weapon created to thwart them, and if possible, taking down Lord Borgia along with it.

You are not logged in. - Bedlam

BEDLAM:
“I can tell this is the work of a Technomage.” Bedlam the celestial Demon Lord rumbles to himself, now in his first moments of freedom. The host Volos found for him was a guard in the distant outpost, on vacation in Las Vegas. He had a few too many drinks, whispered real loud to some whores a wild story about a base in Northern Utah he’s the “Head of Kung Fu training and Security.” Wolven Demon Lords can hear these things when focusing on the intent.

I remind my host of this folly somewhat indirectly, as I have possessed his body and he is internally privileged to and watches every action I do. Many thoughts I have he shares as well. I am using his meat to form my own thinking. I can only talk to myself in English without breaking walls and reshaping the host on my own. How limiting.

Man made in my image.
How blasphemous.

It's small fun to make my host cringe from time to time, with craven memories of pick-up-line failures. It took him an hour to stop screaming. I think he only stopped because he found that I was very entertained by the sound. Comforted even.

I look at the sky. No one can see the chains that bind me to this mission. I am given a human playtoy, and told to “...make a distraction.”

”I shall comply…”

Kneeling in the blazing sun, Bedlam sifted through the sand at his feet. His wide back, standing out like a red and black stone in the white featureless desert. Looking through the fence to the base to the bunker hill beyond, he saw the sand stretched far into the white glaring distance. He rose to his full seven foot height. His red and blackened skin was no camouflage to the daylight. He was not supposed to be invisible, so finding him would be the least of his enemies worries.

His spadelike tail swung left and right as he contemplated the sand from the long dead inland ocean that retreated to the Gulf of Mexico 256 million years ago. Salt and chalk remains, a great tomb. “This construction is so common to the excesses of Lord Borgia, to choose plains of the long dead to make his home. It’s a necromancer’s dream. And wasted as a gift to a technomage. Of course, his mage will ignore the gift given to him.”

The compound is surrounded by fencing with razor wire, and manned guard towers every mile. Their orders are to secure the area. The posts of the fence are laced with pure selenium, a mineral conducive to magical warding, another conceit of Lord Borgia.

Much of this preparation is also a conceit. There’s no one out here. By the time Tower Road takes you here, you’ve already decided you needed to leave 50 miles ago. The guard towers just make the view a sliver more interesting. Appalling! Secret bases should never be interesting.

From this vantage, a human could look over the sun blasted flats and see for 40 miles, to the other side of the base’s vast perimeter. Devil’s Playground road came north through harsh Malpais lava beds. It’s a small miracle there’s a road here at all. Tower Road approaches from the East, skirting the northern edge of a huge salt bed. The road approaching the bunker house command center is lined with chain link fences, also topped in razor wire. They are sunk 20 feet into the white Earth.

Of course, the distraction can’t go directly home to the bunker. That would be an “assault.” Lord Master Volos asked for a distraction. Bedlam noticed in the distance, the well and water treatment facility stands on a small rise in the sea of sand, 2 miles inside the perimeter, one of the few marking features on the land. Stupid. Another ”interesting” target. Next to it is their power station, a spiderweb of high power lines. Bedlam looked at the fence, laced with Selenium.

”Odd…” he rumbled. He noticed the circular perimeter around the base. All other properties in this parceled-out land were usually built on angles and squares, a legal by-product of the squabble over who owns it. It was amusing to the great demon that this was a most lifeless plot of land and the humans still bother to squabble over who owns it. But this perimeter shape is not at all similar to the squabbling and turf wars. It was circular.

No one makes circles except magicians.

The nictitating lens on his eye flickered as he shifted to look at the raw magic of the world around him. ”Ahhh there it is…” He saw the massive pentagram craft-worked into the white sand, spanning 20 miles in diameter. The selenium fence was the outer circle. This seemed built as if Lord Borgia had planned on summoning something massive. Or containing it. ”Borgia has big plans. This could be my prison if he hadn’t given me the keys. To think, He wished to hold me?!” A bellowing laughter interrupted the silence of the area. Of course, narcissism came easily to the eternals. Somehow in their minds, everything always pivots around them.

With an inhale, the great muscle of his massive chest flared to full size and his wings spread. When he stood, he rose seven feet tall, his manifested and unfurled wings now a frightening 24 feet wide. He flew over the fence unconcerned about any perimeter alarms this may set off. ”Uuuhum grathal mka’k ta shem! I have come! Behold the horror of BEDLAM!”

The expected alarms sounded and the towers came to life. Men crawling to alert. ”How kind of them to grease the operation with human sacrifices! the fence suddenly shimmers white hot, out-shining the power of the sun momentarily. The men in the towers issue one scream and die in a burst of arcane flames around the entire perimeter!

Now I wield POWER! ”With this sacrifice of warrior blood I command! Earth becomes fire! Air like water! Rise and swim again, long dead monsters of the deep!”

From the center of the ground in the middle of the pentagram rises a massive column of dust and smoke. Looking like the pyroclastic clouds roiling from a volcano, arcing with lightning and sending shockwaves across the white sand. The bones of a long dead horror, the mosasaur, a massive prehistoric shark, rises from the sand and takes to the air, floating as if it were swimming in the air! Waiting under the sand for 265 million years, it rises again to a horrifying undead life!

More creatures with fangs and tentacles rise from the column of dust and flame… Bedlam sees the pox of laser sighted weapons tracing on his chest like a burning rash. His destruction is impossible, but his host can be inconveniently killed. With a sweep of wing, he soars in a weaving pattern to the water station as a hail of gunfire starts.

The Author:
In the System Control computer room, the nerve center of the Devil’s Playground base, a shrill alarm is going off and the Officer on Duty, the head of security Eliam Travino turns it off and goes back to his game of Galaga. A Furious Aegis Stane bursts in with a look of panic on his face.

You are not logged in. - Aegis Stane

Aegis Stane:
I need a status report now! What’s happening outside?

Eliam Travino:
Standing as I see the Mage come in, he’s far off schedule. Not supposed to be here for another six hours. “Magus Stane! There was a perimeter alarm, but it’s nothing. It said ‘Summoning Grid activated. We don’t have a summoning grid out there, it’s in level 9.”

The Author:
There are times when the patience of an impatient man evaporates completely. Stane shoves the man out of the way. And looks at his controls personally.

Aegis Stane:
“We are under attack!” I pull up the screen to get viewers to get some view of that’s happening. The first explosion outside shakes the entire base. Suddenly the fool Travino sees his error. “Issue scramble orders! We have an attacker outside and he’s summoned… OH WHAT IS THAT???” The next series of explosions rocks the base again and the lights go out! “Activate Vulcan Response! How many men do we have right now?”

You are not logged in. - Vulcan Gun

Eliam Travino:
On headset “Scramble Scramble this is not a drill!” I turn to answer Stane as the lights go out. “There’s 22 men here in the control level, the interior has 30 more, the perimeter has 22 on the watchtowers!”

Aegis Stane:
“Well your men on the towers are gone now! Get me auxiliary power now! Get your men to the entrances and prepare for forced entry.

The Author:
As the crippled defenses of the base come to life, the auxiliary power comes on. Stane watches on his view screen as a skeletal Mosasaur floats and tears into the remains of the power stations. The Vulcan gun, able to fire 1200 rounds a minute open fire at the head intruder.

Aegis Stane:
“Bedlam…” I can’t help but to whisper.

The Author:
With the mighty Bedlam acting as a distraction for the base defense, Volos and his Copper Wolf are able to infiltrate relatively undetected. What soldiers are aware of them meet a quick death while the Wolves blur about using their Wolven Speed to strike the foe’s combatants down.

You are not logged in. - Volos

You are not logged in. - Copper Wolf

Copper Wolf:
I encounter the enemy! Emerging through the hallway, I encounter 12 humans who have been monstrously combined with technology to form infantry. They each react quickly as their biological reflexes are aided with technological precision. My maw resembles a smile as none of their enhancements stops them from what comes next.

My large nearly 7 foot form catches their attention but it matters not. They open fire, their bullets stream at me in what Madison would consider slow motion. I am able to dodge them while my fur trails with copper light. My orders are to keep the attention away from my master! Time for shock and horror! I leap on one of the 4 soldiers and rip his throat out with my teeth, through armor and machinery! I detect the embedded metal cables surgically grafted to his spine, and with great disgust, I spit it out of my mouth.

Volos:
Copper takes the lead, drawing the fire of the base’s front line of guards. Two of them have been swept aside as Copper kills two more and swiftly advances through the rest, heading to the inner headquarters of the base. I dispatch the two left alive to prevent them from attacking us from the rear. One swipe of my ebon claws disembowels one. Some kind of internal cable from his insides loops on my wrist as my forepaw exits his torn abdomen. The cable is useful in separating the other guard’s head from most of his neck. I follow Copper as he advances deeper into the heart of the base.

Copper Wolf:
As my master disposes of two other soldiers, I am quick to strike down the remaining one. His face plate removed with a slash, a left right through his chest plates ripping through torso muscle and wiring, ending his life quickly. I watch his face and see something seems off about these soldiers, it is as though they feel no pain. Somehow they have been reduced to mere shells. Humans! That’s for Madison to determine and think about. My task is simple. I cut and kill this man, this hybrid monstrosity of man and machine, his bowels staining the cement floor.

The immediate threat is over as I look over to my master with admiration. A set of doors blocks our path further into the base with some security device there denying our progress. I am not too familiar with the toys these humans use, that is for Madison to deal with, I merely desire to hunt, fuck, and please my master.

Volos:
I recognize the lock on the security door. Payne used a similar lock at his destroyed base in Estonia. I am curious if there is a connection between the two. I complete the decapitation of the guard whose insignia indicates a higher rank, ripping his head from the remains of his neck. I pry open his eyelids and place it in front of the lock’s sensor. The door slides open and I keep the head tucked under my foreleg, should we encounter other locks.

Copper Wolf:
With the door sliding open, there is an immediate hail of bullets that come from the room, a few scientists taking cover as more of these infantry try to repel us. They will fail. With another blur of copper light, I enter the room, the right claw gashing the neck of one soldier, the left claw cleanly cutting the man’s arm from his shoulder, his rifle clattering to the floor. I sense two more of them, riles aimed at me as I again play my role as decoy, preparing to dodge bullets as needed while the scientist cower under tables.

Volos:
I watch Copper remove the arm of one of the guards in the lab. Two follow his copper blur with their eyes, trying to take aim at him. Neither has seen the black blur of fury that followed him in. I move rapidly behind them and grab the backs of their necks, one with each forepaw, digging my claws deep into their flesh. My sable-furred muscles bulge as I lift both man/machine hybrids off their feet and slam their heads together. Both skulls collapse with the impact, exploding in a shower of brain tissue and crackling circuits.

Copper Wolf:
WIth the infantry taken care of, I take a sniff and detect the fear of two people remaining, the scientist who cower one of which is actively relieving himself. There are other doors from this location, but I feel this human, Madison asking for control again. I remind him to stay cautious as our enemy, Lord Borgia may be nearby still.

As I hand over control the familiar pain starts back up, fur retracting and bones shifting. To me it is natural, a state we accept, pain being a reminder that we are alive. Madison has grown to accept this pain, but he does not like it, he is weak but what lacks in physical prowess he makes up for in clever intellect, and so I had control over to him as my wolven features fade. The Copper Wolf disappears…

Madison Jones:
…And Madison Jones remains.

You are not logged in. - Madison Jones

I’m getting more used to this transformation, but I feel like I’ve talked about that before. Standing here naked, I approach one of these two scientists, reaching down and grabbing the collar of his stereotypical white lab coat. “Where is the weapon?!” I yell, practically growl. The man is speechless, fear clearly filling him. It is fortunate for us there are two, so we can kill one to encourage the other to speak. “Which of you two will tell us what we need to know?” I look over to Volos to see what he is doing.

Volos:
I scoop what’s left of the guards’ grey matter into one paw and my seven-foot, four-hundred pound frame approaches the trembling scientists. They are clearly startled when I speak, as the front of their trousers gets even wetter with their fear-induced urine. I hold the remains of the brains in front of them as I growl, “This will be one of you if you do not give us the information we require.” I squeeze the brains in my paw, the crushed tissue leaking out from the gaps between my claws.

Madison Jones:
Holding this man, it feels almost like when I have a person beaten badly in one of my matches, he’s barely fighting like he is about to pass out… then I realize why. From his mouth foam start to bubble, and I spot a broken tooth… the typical cyanide pill to avoid exactly the type of torture we are about to engage. I cast a quick glance over to Volos with his threats, but I see the process starting with the other scientist. “It seems we are going to have to figure this out ourselves big guy.”

Dropping the garbage, I start to look over the table, a tablet the man was using. I use his thumb to unlock the device, his biometric data intact. Take a few minutes to start reading while I leave Volos to do what he needs.

Volos:
I wipe the detritus of the guards’ brains on the dying scientists’ lab coats. As Madison examines the tablet’s contents, I investigate the doors. At the first door, my keen olfactory sense picks up the odor of wolves. This must be where the prisoners subjected to these experimental treatments are imprisoned. I am momentarily tempted to free them first to increase our ranks but without knowing what has been done to them, that would be unpredictable and too risky.

I approach the other door, to what must be the source of this Crimson Veil and contain whichever servant of Borgia. I do not wish to forestall the demolition of the origin of the Veil, whether human, beast, or machine, but I will in order to determine where I can find Borgia himself. I ready the head of the officer to open the retinal lock.

Madison Jones:
While Volos is looking around, I’m busy delving into the logs of the device. The First thing I noticed is activity log, and sure enough the timeline shown matches about the time that Scott’s team reported the pulse of the weapon we are looking for. Something else catches my eye though, the name Borgia is listed in the log multiple times. I see that about 3 hours earlier he departed, apparently to his base in Europe. “Bad news Volos, we missed Borgia. Looks like he left 3 hours ago.” I also notice that there is something about an Aquifer listed.

I noticed a folder titled, The Purgatory Field Could be what they call the Crimson Veil? I start digging through it as that seems to be the case. In doing so I seem to find a treasure trove of useful information though I’m not sure how useful it is right now. My curious nature shows through again as I start skimming through it while Volos continues to act.

Volos:
When Madison Jones tells me that Borgia has eluded us, the angry rumble of my growl makes the walls of the installation shudder. The sound and shaking immediately sets off a chorus of lupine howls baying from their prison. I realize that I have given away our presence to those behind the door. Rather than give them more time to prepare for us, I hold the guard’s eye to the lock and the door to the holding cells begins to whoosh open. I throw the head into the room ahead of me. Although these accursed hybrid guards may not feel fear, there are likely to be those inside who might find the flying head disconcerting. In a black blur of Wolven speed, I charge in, prepared for either evasive action or a frontal assault depending on what awaits me.

Madison Jones:
Continuing my reading, I start to learn a bit more about the Crimson Veil. It looks like it was developed from something old coming from Ohlone… interesting they keep coming up. The original tests of it were used by… Oh that’s interesting. It was used by a hunter named Russell Taylor aka SHADE. He was in the bar once… That is something to deal with later.

Reading more, the darts he used, now developed into the Veil, suppress the mental activity of the subjects into a dreamlike state… that tracks with what we know. Oh… It sustains itself off the energy of the creature it afflicts, that is why it doesn’t fade after time. In effect, that means it would basically be permanent. Scott needs to know about this, and I might have a lot of fixing to do after today.

While I’m reading more and more, I notice Volos about to go into one of the rooms after tossing the head of a soldier down the hall. I trust he knows what he is doing. With a sniff I can smell them, wolven prisoners in there I think. I continue to read.

Volos:
I rush into the room. Two guards, clearly less experienced than the outside guards, have been left in charge of the prisoners. They are frozen in their tracks by the blur in front of them and the howling of the wolves in the three occupied cells. The empty cells are chilling, as they indicate experiments which failed. Madison Jones sees a severed arm holding a gun fly into the lab, followed by an explosion of blood. There are sounds of one more guard being clawed then the sickening thud of his body being splashed against the far wall.

The wolves beg me for their freedom. I attempt to open the cells with the decapitated head once again but these locks evidently require a higher security clearance. My rage is at its peak at the beasts’ treatment by Borgia’s lackeys. I grasp the bars of the first cell, strain my muscles to their limits, and tear the door from its frame. I do the same to the other three cells.

Madison Jones:
It seems Volos has found people to play with, I see an arm go flying out of the door a moment later. I should probably be helping him… but as Madison I’m more vulnerable than Copper. Huh, I just referred to myself in the third person, I’ll have to revisit that later. For now two folders stick out to me, one titled Aegis Stane and the other my name, Madison Jones. I can’t help myself, I peek in my folder first wanting to know what is going on.

I quickly come to learn that I’ve been the subject of attacks for months, some agent named Carmine has been assigned to deal with me. I’m aware of a man named that having come to the bar, I’m starting to wonder if that place is as safe as I thought it was. I decide that this tablet is going into my mystic inventory when I’m done here, I start to investigate Aegis Stane next, it seems he is the head scientist around here. Meanwhile with Volos and his new friends…

Volos:
The wolves gather around me with gestures of obeisance for their liberator. We converse in the lupine tongue. Madison Jones hears a combination of barks, yelps, and snarls before the three wolves run quickly from the prison, baying and growling as they take my command to join Bedlam in the annihilation of every servant of Red Star in the facility. I emerge, fastidiously licking the blood and gore of the guards off my deceptively soft sable fur.

Madison Jones:
Volos must be talking with the prisoners, I hear the barking, yepping, and snarls. I think I sort of understand it, but I’m too absorbed in what I’m reading. Aegis is not just the head scientist here, he is also a skilled warlock. Somehow I doubt that will line up with my D&D knowledge, but a spell caster is a spell caster. Regardless, it seems he is the one who is mainly responsible for the development of this weapon. Unfortunately I don’t know if his research exists beyond this facility, but it becomes very clear this man needs to die if he developed this.

I see the three wolves come out from the room, them glancing my way. I trust they can smell Copper on me, that they know what I am, and they don’t bother to stop. As Volos comes out I speak up. “The man in charge here is Aegis Stane. I don’t know all the details, but he is skilled with magic Volos. I think…” I look over to the unopened door, “I think he is through there with the weapon.” WIth a flash of amber light I make the tablet disappear into my mystic inventory, and start to get ready for what comes next.

Volos:
“Then we must enter the belly of the beast to destroy it from within.” I had noticed the dead scientists’ keycards, indicating they would have access to the room. I retrieve the card from one of the corpses. “The occupants of that room will be expecting us. We must be ready for them to attack upon our entry. Perhaps it is time for Copper to return.”

Madison Jones:
“You’re right of course.” And with that the transformation begins again, my eyes turning the color of amber topaz. Shifting bones and rapid muscle growth, I grit my teeth and growl as I put on my Copper Coat. Moments of agony pass as I suppress the need to cry out, the man of Madiosn Jones fades away…

Copper Wolf:
…And only Copper Wolf remains. I look to my master, eyes glowing, a slight wag of my tail. My lupine head turns towards the door as I rise to my full height. “Master, let’s put an end to this.”

Volos:
I watch Madison Jones turn back into Copper. Before we move to the door, I pull my Beta into my forelegs, thoughts of the night of the pulse fresh in my mind. “I am proud of you, my pup.” I lick the side of your maw. “Now, yes, let’s end this. We enter at full Wolven speed.” In a blur, I race to the door, you only half a step behind. I swipe at the sensor with the keycard, the door opening barely fast enough for us to enter at our speed.

Copper Wolf:
Pulled into your embrace, I’m surprised by my master’s sudden affection. A nuzzle returned, I wonder if he fears he might lose me in a moment. That will not happen. No matter how powerful this man Aegis Stane is, he is just a man and we will feast on him. We will destroy his machine, and we will make the Red Star bleed. With the door open, I rush in using Wolven Speed, ready to strike this man down once and for all.

Aegis Stane:
“I need power for these controls!” Slamming on the control panels in frustration. They flicker and go dead again. The idiots didn’t know about the exterior grid. It’s twenty miles wide for fuck’s sake! I solve my own problem in an instant. The summoning grid! I can have all the power I need if I take it back from that demonic vermin! Who summoned that thing to Earth anyway? As first Sergeant Travino changes the power flow and the room flickers to life, but I move over to another task.

“Good.” I start quickly. Pulling out the cerebral interface I reach my mind out to the grid. OH my… This is the first time I have felt the massive presence of Bedlam. He’s taken control of the summoning grid. “Travino. Focus your firepower from the towers on the red creature outside! Take him out!”

Watching on my viewscreen as the Vulcan guns engage, a stream of white fire visible in daylight arcs from the guns firing 1200 rounds a minute! The streams of magnesium hot fire catch Bedlam in a crossfire. And they hit!

“YES!” A black streak mars the sky as Bedlam crashes to earth in flames. I can see his wings shredded to pieces and his landing will not be pleasant. I move quickly. No time for celebration yet. I use the distraction and push my mind into the summoning grid and make it MINE!

The glory of the moment makes my cock snap hard and a joy of power that flows through me is without description! The monsters… they are MINE now? YES They are mine! I send them to converge on the fallen body of Bedlam!

Volos:
As we enter the room in a blur, I see the viewscreen showing Bedlam falling from the sky in flames. FURY fires in my blood! My howl shakes the room as I look at the controls. I will eat the heart of the man behind them, responsible for Bedlam’s apparent demise. More guards are around him and they must be dealt with first. I see the undead creatures on the viewscreen heading toward the crater where Bedlam crashed. I begin slashing and tearing at the guards, sending gore and short-circuiting cables flying across the lab, furious that I cannot do more for my Beta in battle for his life on the hostile desert floor.

Copper Wolf:
Following in with a blur of amber light behind my master, I immediately detect the scent of soldiers and the gunpowder igniting as they fire their weapons at me. While in a state of Wolven Speed, despite the impressive speed of these bullets they fail in comparison to my Wolven Speed, my copper laced fur drawing their attention away from my master. Grabbing one of the soldiers, impaling him with my claws, I pull his body in front of me to absorb the incoming ammunition. He grunts as he absorbs the bullets, not from pain as he cannot feel that, merely from the force of the bullets hitting him driving the air from his chest.

Looking at the three soldiers laying down fire at me while I hear Volos ripping others apart, I rush forward and gash my claws into their chests one by one, their mesh armor little more than cloth when competing against such sharp claws paired with the velocity. As they fall I turn my attention to the man plugged into the machine Aegis Stane… and yet I can smell more soldiers on their way.

Aegis Stane:
“There’s wolves in my lab! Will one of you homicidal freaks eliminate them!?” I am reminded again that I have to think of everything myself here! Travino shouts that the Lycans down in brig 818 have escaped and two are attacking enhanced officers eliminating them with quick efficiency. It’s Volos himself!

I have control of the summoning grid. I am the land, I am the base. I can do this! My inner focus turns to the werewolves marauding the base. The room explodes with activity as the werewolves enter. Not just a mere werewolf but The Demon Lord Volos and his spawn. Travino pays for his poor judgment today shredded by Volos in moments. Reinforcements on their way but we have no time...

At the speed of thought, my mind reaches the controls of the Purgatory Field. We do not know what this does to people on repeated exposure. It's highly experimental, but crisis is the teacher of the world. The room floods with raw red light making my blood feel itchy and hitting everyone inside. The two wolves are reduced to their human form, quickly and agonizingly.... not the gentle effect filtered through land and water but direct and instant!

Volos:
I am almost in reach of the scum at the controls, his personal guards shredded, their enhancement and human organ scattered across the floor and walls. I am close…..

My imminent vengeance is cut short as the room is filled with blinding red light and I am stopped in my tracks, my body wracked with agonizing pain. The Wolven Speed is gone and I feel my body forced into its transformation.

xSaW92yPoV9qEwy5I You are not logged in. - Tobias Kane

Copper Wolf:
Turning to sniff out the direction of the incoming soldiers, there is a sudden flash of red light, the Bloody Aurora I remember from just over a day ago. Instantly my wolven senses are wracked with pain, mind going numb. My body begins to change back to Madison, the usual unpleasantness there as the fur retracts and bones shift. The Copper Wolf submerges…

You are not logged in. - Madison Jones

Tobias Kane:
I am stunned as I am no longer looking through the Wolf’s eyes but my own. The transformation was painful and I gasp. Realizing how much danger we are in, I flex and it appears I still have the Wolven powers Volos gave me in Estonia but I do not hear him in my mind. I try to shake off the cobwebs and take up the battle.

Madison Jones:
The transformation is far more sudden than usual, I feel Copper fall asleep. …Perhaps that is too gentle of a description, he basically falls into a coma while my body reverts near instantly, the pain overwhelming me. Letting out a cry, my eyes shifting back to the color of Grey Blue, they come to focus on Aegis Stane in his machine. I read he was skilled in magic and technology, what one might call a technomancer. I have enough time to call out something from my mystic inventory, my gun to try and kill him… or my mystic red gem to defend us and work to dispel the veil. My defensive nature kicks in as the gem appears in my hand, me gripping while hunched over in pain.

You are not logged in. - Mystic Red Gem

Aegis Stane:
The wolves fall and reveal their true human selves. That little piece of information gets noted and filed into our deeper archives for investigation later. The man, Madison Jones. The man, Tobias Kane. Oh what a delight. It all comes clearer to me. But for now, I have the rare opportunity to KILL both with grave finality!

The scene of violence plays out on the screen as the monsters that Bedlam summoned converge on him and start to feed on his carcass! I can taste his flesh through the monsters. But distractions are not appreciated right now. Madison Jones is activating his mystic powers and he has a GEM.... I activate my personal defenses. The Kinetic Javelin! A simple magical weapon, activating a 6" column of air accelerated into a projectile of violent speed. Something I saved in my reserves in case Lord Borgia wished to engage in violence with my person.

My mind bears on Madison Jones watching his eyes snap open with shick and I fire! You will finally DIE you little shit! the projectile discharges from my hand and shatters the display screen behind Madison Jones. I fire again! It hits Tobias Kane in the chest, rocking him back five feet and sending him crashing into a console before crumpling!

BEDLAM:
The Vulcan fire shredded my wings and I crash in uncontrolled descent hitting the white sand hard! My host will have many broken bones I feel if I do not get a moment to heal. The menagerie of horrors that I summoned seem to obey someone else. I have lost command.

This can mean only one thing. The Technomage has seized control of the summoning circle. I have moments as they converge on me to finish their grim work. I am sorry Lord Volos. I do not know the entire ramifications of this. But you must be protected. I kneel on the ground and close my eyes and think of HOME. “Gate of Tartarus, fifth of the circles of Infernal Fortresses, open and show us your dire Glory!”

Everyone knows opening a gate inside a gate is… fraught with problems…. A black cloud forms and the view of my homeland shows through the darkness. Dante, Virgil, and the Artists of the Renaissance have gazed upon its glory many times, and I see within my grasp, my home. … the summoning grid shakes with the overloading energy that will either double or cancel the powers of both summonings. I stare one last time at my home…

Tobias Kane:
Before I can act, I am hit square in the chest with Stane's weapon. Launched backwards, my back crashing against the auxiliary console. My body crumples to the floor and the world goes to black.

Madison Jones:
I’m still reeling from the pain of the forced transformation. Aegis Stane makes some sort of weapon appear, a spear. I’m guessing he too has a Mystic Inventory as well. He is looking right at me, a fear wells up as I think I might be a dead man, the projectile however arcs past me, just over my shoulder hitting Tobias instead. My head turns, “Tobias!” With little time to act, my hand clenches around the mystic red gem, my mind focusing to create a wall to protect us. A red field rises up between us and Aegis Stane capable of absorbing projects of energy and metal. Having bought a brief reprieve, come over to check on Tobias now to see how badly hurt he is as he leans against the console. …This is looking bad.

Aegis Stane:
I see the host for Volos go down! Tobias Kane erupts in blood and savage damage is probable. Good! Volos may be finally dead! Focusing on Madison Jones, I FIRE the Kinetic Javelin again, targeting solved and working well enough for an untested weapon. I take a hard moment and envision a salvo. At the speed of thought Six Javelins of air rocket toward Madison Jones!

Madison Jones:
The incoming projectiles strike my protective wall, each one causing it to shutter with a flash of light… each one causing me to jostle some as though I am taking a light impact. This gem only has so much mana in it, and frankly there is much I don’t know about it. What I do know is that with each impact, it is consuming some to protect myself and Tobias. He looks hurt, he might not be able to get up for a bit…

The six incoming shots are all successfully absorbed by the barrier, but there are breaches starting to show cracks. Eyes turn back to Aegis as my mystic gun appears in my hand, me aiming it right at his head. A fire a bullet trailing amber light, hoping to kill this man if possible.

You are not logged in. You are not logged in. - Mystic Gun

Aegis Stane:
I can sense activity in the outside grid but don’t dare take a moment to look, even a flicker of distraction. The emanation of Amber Light comes so fast it hits my personal shield and it blinks out! Another like that I will be dead… I have the indignity of dropping back and rolling behind the console. You seem ready for the Javelin and so I must change tactics.

Madison Jones:
Seeing the bullet get deflected by his personal shield, I curse myself for not double tapping the trigger. The shield around him falls though with him diving for cover behind a console. It gives me a brief moment to assess what to do next as I only have so much power available to me. It then dawns on me that Aegis has already given me what I need, the Crimson Veil.

This time he afflicted me with it, the effect was raw and pure. Before when it was channeled the aquifer, it was gentle enough that David and I didn’t wake from its intrusion. I’ve learned how to break this effect down into mana as I did that at the apartment to awaken the wolves. This time in my mental space, Copper isn’t sleeping in some cave, he is right next to me, and so I close my eyes and feel for my mental companion. His fur is soft, the cloaking red energy thick over him, I absorb it now and transfer it to the mystic red gem, the power aiding the barrier.

Aegis Stane:
I close my eyes one moment and slap my hand on the floor. “Change state!” A writhing roil of green tendrils flow through the concrete floor to Madison Jones, under his shields and hitting hit feet… the floor liquifies under him like quicksand and swallows him to the knees! Tendrils of living concrete wrap up his thick legs seeking to wrap his waist.

Madison Jones:
The concrete floor begins to shift into liquid. As I begin to sink in, I feel tendrils starting to grip and squeeze me as my eyes open wide. I let out a cry as I feel them starting to compress my limbs, a real threat of them ripping me apart if I don’t do something soon. The adrenaline from the battle is causing my heart to beat fast, I’m not supposed to be the one in this situation, this was meant for Copper not Madison! As they grip me harder, I start taking some deep breathes as I struggle, my human muscles unable to shake their grip. I let out a another cry, on that reflects my frustration.

It is then that I think of my red barrier now fortified with the power Aegis so graciously gave me. The wall shifts now, from a solid defense into a red wind, blowing towards me to envelop my body protectively. Inspired by Aegis’s own personal field I broke down moments ago, the wall changes to a protective veil of my own to protect me from his sinister effects. The tendrils which previously were squeezing me are now repelled by it, but no action is with cost… their continued assault starts to burn through the recent energy I absorbed from the crimson veil.

Aegis Stane:
The trap I sunk Madison Jones into is not working! What is he doing? It's that fucking gem! I should've destroyed it first! I had planned on Jones falling by now. The urgency in the outer ground has grown and I must shift my attention! The tendrils of concrete have gripped him but he's neutralized it somehow. My body starts to burn with violent itching and then fire. What is this? My mind's eye turns to the forming gate in the summoning grid…?? No! This is horrible NO! The summoning gate, 20 miles wide, powered by great craft and technology, and the Gate to... Hell? He wouldn't!

Fighting down the urge to stare in horror, I start to disengage the summoning grid to stop the crossrip. If I fail this will go off like a nuke! Looking through the gate, the dire curiosity of what is there hooks into my mind. No.... NO! The horrors of the infernal abyss flood into my mind! So horrid and yet so beautiful, my eyes start to bleed as I’m unable to look away.

Tobias Kane:
My eyes flutter open and begin to remember what happened. Then the pain kicks in. HOLY FUCK! That hurts! I look down and my chest is healing, though not as quickly as Volos would have. I see Madison and Stane locked in a deadly wizard battle. They are so engrossed in their life-or-death exchange, they don't see me slowly crawling on my belly.

I move behind one of the consoles, having had enough time to heal. I silently take the rifle from one of the fallen guards, severed arm and all. I stand and see Stane staring transfixed into space. I have a feeling I am glad that I cannot look at what could horrify him so completely.

I aim at the back of his and fire. And fire again. I watch the back of his head implode at the double blast, the front of his skull exploding in a spray of bone shard, brain tissue, and blood. I lower the gun, having killed someone for the first time. Well, at least while I was controlling this body.

Madison Jones:
I feel like I have this shit under control around me now, a personal field is much easier to maintain than a huge wall. The tendrils are chipping away at it, but then they suddenly seize up. I’m not sure what is happening with them, but now is the time to act! Feeding some of the absorbed energy into my gun, I look for Aegis so I can go on the offense. Suddenly the sound of gunshots catches my attention as my eyes shift to see Tobias standing behind Aegis Stane with a rifle. It is a bloody mess what is left of his head, and I find myself having to avert my eyes as his body falls.

The Author:
The destroyed doors are filled with the last of the reinforcements. They watch their boss die, his head removed by an assault rifle blast. Bearing guns they take a position at the door and open fire! Six are visible at the doorway. One can be seen in the hallway assembling a tripod for another Vulcan gun….

You are not logged in. - Vulcan Gun

Tobias Kane:
The remaining guards take position and immediately open fire. My Wolven Speed kicks in as I pivot out of the line of fire, hoping Madison’s mystic shield will hold long enough for me to make a difference. With the dead guard’s gun still in my hands, I circle the flank of the force, firing back as I grab another gun, emptying both at the reinforcements.

Madison Jones:
With Aegis dead, his distortion of reality around me seems to be fading. The liquid concrete starts to firm up, the tendrils lose their grip. I rise out of this pit as the substance grows more firm, my attention shifting to the new wave of soldiers. Tobias starts to fire on them, their attention focused on me with my flashy red lighting effect. Bullets start to chip away at my field and I need to move. Diving for cover I end up next to Aegis Stane’s body. I want to see what he might have on him, what trinkets or objects are stored inside his mystic spaces… but our survival is more important than loot.

I rise up from behind the console and project this field of energy around me at the soldiers, not as a concussive force, but a burning red flame, a few of them dropping to the ground afterwards. There is something I can sense, Copper now active is howling his alert, something is building from the device that Aegis was in moments ago. Every action movie finale I’ve seen plays out in my mind. “Tobias, this place is gonna BLOW! Quick, let me remove the veil from you!”

Tobias Kane:
I hear the urgency in Madison’s voice and lay down fire as I move closer to him. “We could really use the Wolf right now!” I watch as the guards outside plant the Vulcan gun, almost ready to fire.

Madison Jones:
A simple nod is all I give as I reach out my hand and take yours firmly. I close my eyes and fall into your mind, seeing you in control with Volos covered in the red veil. This is easy to do now, I reach out feeling his stable fur and then absorb this red affliction. Tobias can see the Mystic Red Gem flair up brightly as it drinks the energy. My eyes open as I come back to the real world, eyes the color of amber topaz as I start to change back into Copper. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tobias Kane:
I relinquish control back to the Wolf. Having awoken from the effects of the Veil before, his attention fixes on the situation, his thoughts and mine now joining. We transform faster than we had ever done before.

Volos:
I rise from Tobias’ form to my full seven-foot height and I howl. In a blur of Wolven Speed, I charge at the guards’ position. I must get to the big weapon before its fire hits me or Copper. The guards try to cope with the sight of their would-be victims becoming the stuff of what nightmares these hybrids may have had as humans. There is a loud baying behind them as they realize they have been outflanked. They hesitate a moment as I plow them down and the wolves I freed leap on the backs of the guards preparing the gun, slashing at them with fangs and claws.

Madison Jones:
As I’m shifting into Copper, I see these soldiers start to give into fear. It makes sense… If Aegis was patched into the entire network, patched into every soldier, he was the one who was suppressing their emotions, their pain… with him gone, they regained that freedom, if only briefly before death. Pulling my gem and gun back inside my mystic space, I finish handing over control to Copper.

Copper Wolf:
The transformation finishes as I feel Madison’s thoughts fade into the background. My master ahead of me, I engage my own Wolven Speed, the amber light again trailing from my copper tips. Following him along with these new wolves to our pack, we finally move to abandon this location and aid Bedlam on the battlefield.

The Author:
All the men see is a blur on their heads-up display in their helmet. Even with their enhanced reflexes they barely feel the Demon Lord blur past them. Their helmets and screens are instantly covered with gore. The sudden explosion of Vulcan fire they were expecting didn't come. They turn to see the gory parts of their partner and the massive Wolven form standing in their midst shreds the last strains of courage and they immediately run to escape.

The escape never comes, right on the heels of Lord Volos is the nightmare of the Copper Wolf. Screams shake the corridor as the men are treated to the grisly end they had been fearing.

Volos:
Copper and I lead our new pack members back out of the complex. While the three do not possess the Wolven speed my pup and I do, they are fast and try to keep up with us. It is time to see what has become of Bedlam. The building walls tremble around us, a sign of the base’s destruction at hand. What few guards survived the attack are fleeing, now that they once again know fear. We exit the building.

The Author:
As the pack flee the base, they reach the northern hills. The interior of the entire summoning circle shimmers with a white bright light. Thirty minutes later, the whole circle flashes to a blinding light! The shockwave knocks even the sure footed werewolves and Demon Lord off their feet.

Volos:
As the shockwaves subside, the new pack looks to me for guidance. I growl, “Follow me,” to Copper and them. “We must see what has become of Bedlam.” The wolves are hesitant to go back into the expanse of destruction but they recognize me now as their alpha, following me perhaps, to the actual Gates of Hell. We speed back to the location of the blast.

Copper Wolf:
Master’s assessment is true, we cannot leave Bedlam for several reasons. Using my keen senses, it is difficult to discern where he might be, but I have another sense to aid this thanks to my human host. Search for Bedlam now, training amber light, following his own trail of mana as potent as any other scent. Soon we descend upon him…

BEDLAM:
The air around you is suddenly humid and close, smelling of red hot iron. Not ten yards from you a dark mound of clouds rises from the ground and parts like a curtain. Gouts of brimstone and smoke flow from the opening and a red skinned figure steps forth. His wings are shredded, his left horn sheared off, and half of his face mauled to the bone. His chest showing a gaping wound, and his cock and balls, on display, hanging by a tatter of connecting tissue.

He walks to Lord Volos and kneels on one knee. "I have fulfilled my mission." As he kneels you can see deep angry wounds pulsing in the flesh of his back.

”It may be unwise to remove the medallion from your human. He may not survive these wounds.”

Volos:
“Rise, Bedlam, you were true to your Oath and performed admirably.” I assist the massive demon to his feet. “There is a way for you to be restored even more quickly than your own regenerative powers” I pull your massive body mine, enfolding you in my arms. I bare my throat to you as I position my fangs against yours. “Let us Feed, my beta……”

BEDLAM:
Without delay I rise, at the permission to feed after the infernal ordeal I just endured, going to hell in physical living form and returning - this makes hunger with barely a thread of control. My fangs bare and bite your neck savagely! Clawed hands, and huge oozing wounds through muscle wrap you tight and the ambrosia of your blood runs down my throat quickly! I MUST HAVE MORE

Madison Jones:
Watching this display through Copper’s eyes, I make note of a few things. There is a bond between these two, and though to some degree Bedlam is subservient to Volos, there is still a respect amongst the two. Is this Volos saving his tool? Is this legitimate compassion for the pain of his lieutenant? Is it just another show in a dance between the two, I cannot be certain. I simply observe while Copper waits.

Volos:
Bedlam sinks his fangs deep into my throat and begins to Feed ravenously. I sink my fangs into his and we begin the exchange of blood that forms our bond. We crush our bodies into one another and I can feel his body beginning to regenerate.

BEDLAM:
Feasting from my master's throat... It's been years since I left, the battles there and back... even the conflagration in the south doesn't distract me from this intense feast. Your fangs in my neck make my cock rise, and yes, now it works again. The pain and exaltation of bleeding for MASTER! ”AUGHHhhhhhhh yessss!!” I moan in pleasure as steaming cum drips from my cock. Oh the joys of a body again….

Volos:
My ejaculation accompanies Bedlam’s as he begins to devour me. I say in a low snarl, “That is enough for now, beta. Until next time…..” I pull the chain of the Medallion over Bedlam’s head and the body I embrace begins to shrink as the artifact is removed from the demon form. Bedlam is once again in his prison. I hold a naked human in my arms and drop the roving guard who was unfortunate enough to be chosen to house the demon. Looking at Medallion, my thirst to continue Feeding on the blood of the Demon Wolf I have created tempting me to let him remain with me. I consider that Bedlam, after having battled one another nearly to one’s or both’s destruction, has become the closest to a peer I know.

I grip the Medallion and turn. “Let us return home.”

Tobias Kane:
I experience the joining of Volos and Bedlam from inside and my spirit is rocked by the intensity of their sharing, of their bond. I feel the Wolf’s thoughts as he hesitates at returning the demon to its prison.

And I am concerned.

Published: 2022-09-09, viewed 67 times.