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peacekeeperangel · 8 years ago

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WAFF RP- Bad times Bird Times.

This was a highly entertaining if heartbreaking session with @ichiwashername-o So I thought what fun it would be to share it all with you guys RIGHT?! *Eyetwitch*

If you’re confused by Any character you can find most in @ichiwashername-o‘s fanfics What are Friends For and A Happy Little Accident

And Now look at me attempting sketches of this RP in the future. Bleh. XP

* IchikoWindGryphon: Fel had been Gaster's trusted assistant for a great number of years. From practically the time Fel was old enough to be on his own he served under the great doctor, learning much under his guiding hand. But he had also noticed the doctor's distance over the years. He noticed Gaster becoming more reclusive, more obsessed with his mission. And for it all to come to a hideous head . . .

Fel shook his head. He couldn't help but blame himself for letting such a thing happen under his nose. It was disgusting.

He was old now, his tabby fur growing more and more grey. but he still had enough energy in him for one last ditch effort to help his cause. Gaster thinks he could brute force his way through the barrier using living weapons? Fel had a much more subtle plan in mind.

Angel: "Doctor wait up please!" the bright red Fox monster groaned hitching his backpack as he followed the old cat. He had made the mistake on assuming just because Fel was old, that he was feeble. Just the opposite as they tramped through the caverns far from Hotland and Waterfall, Fel was outpacing his assistant by leaps and bounds. "Darnit Lenny keep your stupid mouth shut next time." He wheezed under his breath as he jogged to keep up.

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel cast an irritated look at his own personal assistant. "Don't tell me you're getting tired now," he said. "We need to head all the way to the Ruins. We have much further to go."

Fel kept up his pace, occasionally stopping to "consult his notes" (a poor excuse to let Lenny catch up and catch his breath) But Fel pressed on, driven by a rather peculiar reading he found working in the lab.

An abnormal magical spike was registered right at the very edges of the cavern. Fel didn't have the slightest clue what it was but it was strong . . . and primal. He hoped it would be . . . something. A key to their torment, perhaps.

Angel: "I'm not tired!" Lenny wheezed, "I'm just..." he paused dead in his tracks, his eyes catching something glinting bright in the dark. "Whoa..." he breathed. "Hey doctor Fel, check it out!" Curiosity drove the fox to drop his napsack and squeeze through a tiny crevase in the tunnel- something he wouldn't have been able to do with the napsack on- until squeezing into a room chock-full of Human and Animal skeletons.

"Hooooleee Crap." Lenny squawked.

IchikoWindGryphon: "What is it? What do you see?" Fel asked. He was much bigger than Lenny, and couldn't fit into the enclosed space the little fox had disappeared into. "Are you alright?"

Angel: Lenny turned back, "Oh yeah I'm alright doc. I found... Well it kind of looks like the Dump back in Waterfall but with... Lots of bones." he carefully nudged the pile, making sure it was stable enough to support his weight.

IchikoWindGryphon: "Hm, be careful. Who knows what fetted rot lurks on those corpses. Don't linger too long in there!"

Angel: "No worries boss, this is super creepy. I thought Humans had funerals for their remains- Boxes with flowers n' such." Lenny half-shouted as he began to climb the skeletons.

"I mean I knew Humans were pricks but at least we have the deccency to leave our loved ones dust with their favourite stuff."

IchikoWindGryphon: "Humans normally have proper burials," Fel acknowledged. "Death is a sacred and taboo thing for them. Only in profound displays of disrespect are their bodies thrown away so haphazardly. They must have been criminals . . . or enemies. In either case, why are you still in there?"

Angel: "Thought I saw something shiny." Lenny admitted continuing to climb "Metal's worth a lot of gold in the Recycling racket-AHA!" at the top of the pile half-buried under the skull of a bear was an urn made of heavy brass. "Sweeeet!" Lenny cheered reaching- then yelping as a sharp fragment of bone pierced his hand.

IchikoWindGryphon: "Lenny, please get out of there," Fel sighed.

Angel: "Ow Ow, On my way doc, just hang on." Lenny pulled the bone out of his hand, ignoring the violet Mana welling up in his palm- He'd grab a monster Candy to fix that once he had collected his prize. He grabbed the urn "On my way Doc!"

Lenny turned to go, making the mistake of tucking the urn under his arm, his bleeding hand touching the metal- and awakening the thing that had died centuries ago.

With an explosive POP! the Urn's lid burst allowing an ashy fog to escape and fill the room- "Whattheh-" Was all Lenny could say before he began to cough as the ash filled his lungs, cutting and drinking more of his magical blood before he knew what was going on

IchikoWindGryphon: "Lenny?!?! LENNY!!! Answer me!" Fel cried as he tried to claw his way into the crevasse. "LENNY!!!"

Angel: Lenny couldn't say a word, but to whatever tender mercy there was, he was dead before he had even time to realize, turning to dust, his dust joining the ash cloud before it swirled up to the top of the bonepile and formed a fox-like monster, but unlike Lenny who was small and red, this monster was as tall as Fel and a dark Ash Grey mixed with deep red. "Aaaaaah....." He sighed in delight. "Lovely." he inspected himself. Or specifically his hands. "Hm. Not exactly my old form, but I could get used to it."

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel heard that voice . . . the voice that definitely wasn't Lenny. Fel flexed his hands, yellow magic encompassing his hands and forming long and vicious claws. He growled.

"Whoever the hell you are . . ." Fel snarled. "Come out here and tell me what you did to Leonard!"

Angel: The thing turned. Whoops, turned out his snack hadn't been alone. Ah well he could use a guide. quietly he returned to ash before zipping through the crevase, briefly inspecting the prepared-to-attack Fel before reforming behind him. "Why Sir, who's this Leonard you're talking about?" He purred before prodding Fel in the back of the head with a finger glowing a sickly mauve colour

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel turned and with a high pitched shriek he slashed at the thing behind him. It definitely was NOT Leonard. He jumped away, magic still glowing fiercely around his claws and fangs pulled back into a snarl.

Dammit, he was too old for fighting. But he wasn't giving up without a fight! Not after . . .

Oh god . . . Leonard was dead, wasn't he?

"What did you do?" Fel asked hoarsely. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIEND?!"

Angel: the thing stepped back easily avoiding Fel's claws. "Sir, I am your friend!" He said before grabbing the old cat by the throat and staring him in the eyes "Leonard Vulpeca is right here...." He growled back his eyes glowing the same sickly mauve "So long as you Obey Me. "

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel grasped and clawed at the hand that held him, his magic-empowered claws digging into the thing's flesh . . . but his "blood" was not normal monster blood or mana. It was black. Like tar. Fel's eyes went wide . . . and he could feel his mind slipping. He felt a fog descend on his mind . . . everything became light and distant.

It was like sleeping . . . just fading away and listening to that one singular voice . . .

"What . . . what are you . . . ?" Fel whispered as he felt his mind go blank.

Angel: Vulpeca smirked setting the cat monster down and brushing his labcoat off, carefully inspecting the black blood as it burned away and healed. "One of a kind." He answered, "Even while I was still human." he flexed his limbs and tested the new abilities he felt burn in the back of his mind. "Fantastic! I knew magic had potential but this- THIS Is incredible!" he formed a magic bullet and flung it at a wall- a little too close to the geased Fel. "Whoops! Better not damage the new help quite just yet!" Vulpeca giggled. "Might need him still. Tell me Cat, what do the Monsters call you and why were you here with your friend Leonard?"

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel, his eyes glazed over, felt himself compelled to answer.

"I am Fel Onyxclaw, and I am the Assistant Royal Scientist," he said in a monotone voice. "I came here because I sensed great magic. It is evident that the magical reading I detected was you."

Angel: Vulpeca cocked an eyebrow. " Assistant Royal Scientist? Well well well I've made a useful friend indeed. Tell me Doctor Onyxclaw, who is the Current Head Royal Scientist?"

IchikoWindGryphon: "The current Head Royal Scientist is Dr. Wing Dings Gaster," fel said plainly.

"Or . . . he was. He is currently under arrest."

Angel: Vulpeca froze. "The Hand of Death...?!" That wasn't so good.. until he realized "Under arrest? Oho What did that High-and-Mighty corpse do so bad that it resulted in we Monsters arresting him? Vulpeca paced back and forth

IchikoWindGryphon: "He is facing crimes against monsterkind for unethical experiments on other monsters," Fel said. He furrowed his brows. "Accused of abusing, torturing, and neglecting 'test subjects. Also accused of assaulting another monster."

Angel: Vulpeca burst out laughing. "Ha, really now? How about that, I guess old Redstrike broke whatever constitued a brain in Wingy's head." Vulpeca paused. before pointing a finger at Fel. "Well Doctor Onyxclaw, tell me about your companion Leonoard." he snapped his furry fingers as if to say "Hurry up"

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel indulged Vulpeca in what he knew. Lenny was an assistant, but their relationship was strictly professional. Truth be told, Fel didn't know much about him or his personal life. Lenny was studious, a people-pleaser, always eager to lend a helping hand. Over all a good worker. But Fel couldn't tell Vulpeca any more than that.

Angel: Vulpeca nodded. "Very good Doctor. I'm going to tell you what happened. Your Assistant Leonard stumbled across an old Artefact with a lot of magic, he absorbed Said Magic and transformed into the handsome specimen you see before you." Vulpeca waved at himself as he magically formed a suit of clothes that was fancier- yet as simple as the clothes Lenny had worn for his demise. "Deciding to study the phenomenon we will return to civilization. In the presence of other monsters I will be as diligent an assistant as ever there was." he stepped forward and grabbed the old cat by the chin to stare him in the eye. "You will be my servant until I no longer have use of you..." he smiled. "Understood Doctor?"

IchikoWindGryphon: "I understand," Fel said flatly. The haze was complete. If there was any remnant of Fel's free will, it was good and buried under Vulpeca's magic.

Angel: Vulpeca let go of Fel. "Well let's not dilly-dally then." He said cheerfully grinning as he picked up Lenny's backpack and slung it over one shoulder. "Let's be on our way Good Doctor!"

Back in Waterfall Cirri shivered slightly as she wrapped her bright blue scarf around her neck. It just felt like something dark and foreboding had happened... What was it that humans called that? She knew there was a term for it but the exact words were escaping her at the moment in her quiet Waterfall home. "Oh well I'm sure Grillby will know it." she concluded.

Angel: Cirri made her way from her high cliffside home down to Snowdin, it had been a few weeks since the incident at the Trial, and while she had wanted to stay and help Grillby with the Skeleton Bros, job obligations had forced her back home. She had called every night to check on her foster Father, and now she even had a free weekend to drop in and check on everybody. She had even brought presents!

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans and Papyrus . . . were not doing well. Sans took it especially hard that he lost control and almost hurt people. He was constantly beating himself up for hurting his brother, no matter how much Papyrus protested he was alright. Grillby found himself helplessly unqualified to comfort them, despite his best efforts. Neither the boys wanted to talk to them, both choosing to stay secluded in the guest room, only emerging to eat. They barely spoke any more. And it was affecting Grillby's work severely. He found himself closing up the restaurant earlier and earlier. His top-notch food was losing its flavor. He was forgetting orders, recipes, even.

Things were not well.

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby was lost in his thoughts, wandering back home after deciding to close up after the lunch rush. Saturday nights were usually prime time for him but he didn't have the energy for it. He found it frustrating he was reduced to sulking around his home . . . but he was running on fumes.

Gaster, for all his faults, for all the times in the past he had been cold and distant . . . Gaster had always been there for Grillby when things went bad. And did things go very bad very quickly for the retired general. Whenever Grillby had a violent flashback, Gaster had been there to ground him. Whenever PTSD rocked him to the core and paralyzed him, Gaster was there to snap him back to his senses.

And now Gaster was gone, and Grillby felt hopelessly lost.

Angel: Cirri arrived at Snowdin and felt the sour mood. Grillby's distress was effecting the happiness of the rest of the community- Almost everyone out in the street was grumpy or sad in one way or another. "Oh dear." Cirri murmured passing one of the Canine Guard who looked like the saddest puppy in the world. "I hope things aren't this bad at Grillby's...." She hugged her bag of presents and made haste for Grillby's place, knocking on the door. "Answer the door quick Grillby this is giving me Deja Vu in all the worst ways." she shivered remembering the visit to Gaster's lab that changed everything.

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby answered the door, greeting Cirri with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He stood off to the side and silently beckoned her inside. Ever the gentleman, he helped her with her coat and bags, hanging her things on a nearby coat rack.

"It is good to see you," Grillby said in a quiet voice. "How are you?"

Angel: Cirri smiled sadly back at Grillby "Better now that I can see you again." She gave Grillby a hug willing some part of her to ease the hurt in Grillby somehow. "Where's Sans and Papyrus?"

IchikoWindGryphon: "In the guest room. They haven't left the house since . . ." He trailed off, glancing out his window at the sentries stationed just out of sight. "They blame themselves for what happened."

Angel: Cirri sighed. "I was afraid of that." Her having to leave soon after probably didn't help things either. "Well I'm going to go say hi, and then I'm treating everyone to dinner." She said firmly. "I may not be as good a cook as you Grillby but I think having a break in the kitchen might do you some good anyway." she gave the fire elmental's hand a reassuring squeeze before heading to the guest room, hovering slightly as to not betray her presence too soon.

Cirri stood in front of the door, then, ever-so carefully she tapped on the Door. "Sans... Papyrus? It's Cirri. Can I come in?"

IchikoWindGryphon: There was a bit of a silence before a brief grunt could be heard, presumably permission to come inside. The room was dark, the bed stripped of its covers as the skeletons huddled under them in the far corner. The two brothers were holding each other, gripping each other so tightly as if they were afraid they would fly off if they let go. Sans didn't look at her but Papyrus offered Cirri a smile as she entered.

"Hello, Cirri," Papyrus greeted. "You lok well."

Angel: "Hi Papyrus." She smiled warmly back, "I missed you two you know." she kneeled on the floor before them. "Sorry I left so soon, I had to take care of things back home in Waterfall."

IchikoWindGryphon: "It's ok," he reassured. "And maybe it's best if you weren't around us for a bit," he added timidly, staring at the ground. "It would be awful if we hurt you."

Angel: "Nuts to that." Cirri replied sharply. "I'd probably have a better chance of hurting you than the other way around." she admitted.

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans let out a sharp laugh. "If you really think that then you must be pretty dense. Which is hilarious, being an air elemental." Sans' eyes went dark. "You shouldn't be here. The doc was right. We're dangerous. We should be locked up, before we hurt anyone." The poor skeleton began to shake. "I almost killed people, Cirri. If any monsters were dusted because of how stupid I was, I could never forgive myself."

Papyrus hugged his brother.

Angel: Cirri looked Sans straight in his pupil-less eyes. "Sans I don't know what I can tell you than this." she said. "I trust you and I care for you. If your so scared that you might dust someone then..." she paused.

"...Then I'll stop you myself!"

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans nodded knowingly. "It may come to that. So . . . thanks."

"And I will as well, brother," Papyrus said firmly. "You may be bigger than me but I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't ever hurt anyone! I can promise you that!"

Sans allowed himself to grin. "And I promise the same to you, bro. Thank you."

Angel: Cirri smiled, turning a shade lighter. "Now, I know I'm not as good a Chef as Grillby but I brought a Treat from Waterfall I think Sans may enjoy- and I brought you both something to help cheer you up." she stood up. "But my only stipulation is that you spend some time outside of your room for a little bit. Just enough to see your presents, that’s my only request!"

IchikoWindGryphon: "Presents?" both the boys parroted in unison

Angel: Cirri nodded. "Something someone gives to another to show them they care." she explained. "But they're out in the hall with my things and I have to get supper ready first- so You're going to have to wait."

IchikoWindGryphon: "Uh . . . ok . . . we'll come downstairs with you." Papyrus gripped Sans' hand and led him out of the bedroom and downstairs. Grillby was there, and his flames burned just a shade brighter seeing the boys out of the room.

Angel: Cirri nodded in satisfaction before heading to the kitchen, one bag of goodies in tow. after a small amount of time and some boiling water Cirri called the guys in for a simple meal of Hotdogs and French Fries. "Sans seems so determined to eat with his hands, so I thought some finger food might be nice." She wiggled her fingers to emphasize the point. "No forks needed." she added as they sat down to the meal

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans poked at his food for a bit before taking tiny bites, Papyrus as well. Even Grillby didn't seem to have much of an appetite but they ate anyway. Sans seemed to like the hot dog and poured himself a heaping portion of ketchup with it. Papyrus wrinkled his non-existant nose at the red sauce and chose to eat his dog and fried plain.

Angel: After supper Cirri nudged the guys into the living room and pulled out her second bag. "First for Grillby-" With this she pulled out a bag of wood chips, a bow wrapped around the top. "I heard this was the new snack for Fire Elementals in Hotland so I picked up some for you to try." she gave the bag to Grillby.

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Oh, thank you, Cirri. This takes me back. You know . . . when I was a little spark, my . . . father for lack of better words would give me wood scraps like these for snacks. Gaster thought it was hilarious." He trailed off, holding the chips in his hand. "Thank you Cirri."

"You had a dad?" Papyrus asked.

"Well, it's different for elementals. Elementals are created via complex primordial magic. It's a magic form that's been lost to the ages. A magician created me, but he gave me to an innkeeper. The magician owed the innkeeper a great favor, so the magician created me to serve the innkeeper as thanks. The innkeeper treated me wonderfully. Treated me like a son, really. And he also was the closest thing Gaster had to a father as well."

Sans and Papyrus looked at each other. "Who . . . who were Gaster's parents?"

"No one knows for sure," Grillby said. "Gaster was a street urchin as a child. He doesn't remember much of his childhood, other than living off the streets."

Angel: Cirri nodded. "I was given to a very Old Air Elemental when I was 'born'." She said. "Unfortunately he was killed when I was taken as a slave during the war." a small pang of sadness went out for her Grandfather. it was centuries ago but it still hurt like his death was yesterday. "Anyway, next is Sans' gift." she pulled out a joke book- Which secretly had layers to it. a Quantum Physics book was carefully wedged into the joke book and another joke book was wedged into the Quatum Physics book- If nothing else Cirri felt like Sans would appreciate the silliness of the gift. "I hope you can read Sans or I'm going to look very foolish right at the moment." she said

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans let out a laugh. "This is great! I love it. Thanks. Here, let me read one. Ahem. 'An atom walks into a bar and says 'Barkeeper! I think I lost an electron!' the barkeeper says 'Are you sure?' The atom says 'I'm positive!' Ha! This is fantastic."

Angel: Cirri laughed. "Good! Glad you like it so much." Once more she dug into the bag "Last but never least, Papyrus." She pulled out a large red scarf made of soft but heavy materials. "I thought it might look nice on you." She said. then pointed to her own lighter scarf of blue "Heh, we can be scarf buddies."

IchikoWindGryphon: Papyrus's eyes lit up as he took the scarf and carefully wrapped it around his neck. He seemed at lost for words. "Thank you, Cirri," he said gently. He couldn't think of any other words so he reached over and hugged the elemental.

Angel: Cirri hugged back, pleased she had raised the morale of her guys.

Meanwhile Vulpecula was up to mischief of the highest order. "Is this all of Dr. Gaster's messed-up research?" He asked the guard in charge of the evidence locker. "Doctor Onyxclaw needs as much of it as he can to explain-" he motioned to himself with a shrug

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel stepped forward. "We will need to review the notes. Orders from King Asgore. The jargon is difficult to interpret, and Gaster's . . . unique language doubly so. We will translate the notes for your case against Dr. Gaster."

The captain of the guards, currently overseeing the evidence storage, glared suspiciously at the two monsters. He knew of Fel but the fox monster was a face he hadn't seen before. Whatever the case, it made the captain uneasy. But he trusted Fel, so he allowed it.

"You are free to look at the notes, under my supervision," the captain said. "I am sorry to say much of the evidence and notes we have of Gaster's were destroyed in the attack a couple weeks ago. This folder is everything we have left."

Angel: "Damn." Vulpeca thought viciously, although he never stopped smiling genially. "Well we'll have to make do eh doc?" he said peering over at Fel.

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel nodded. "They will suffice. Thank you Captain, we will begin looking at them." Fel sat at a nearby table and began scouring the notes. He turned to Vulpeca, a faint grin on his face. "This is the research of the transformation of the two subject. Transforming them into feral beasts."

Angel: Vupleca smile grew a little broader. "Think you could repeat the process with any monster?" he asked ever-so-quietly as he made motions to sort and re-organize the file into a neat easy-to-read order.

IchikoWindGryphon: "It will be difficult. Dr. Gaster was tampering with very volatile and dangerous CORE energies . . ." He paused. "But it is doable."

Angel: "Excellent." Vulpeca had studied the case very thoroughly. "I have just the subject in mind then. Get everything you need to get it done, then meet me back at the laboratory." his stomach grumbled... it was time to hunt again. "Hey Doc I'm going to knock off for the day and head home, do you need me for anything else?" Vulpeca said loudly for the guards benefit.

IchikoWindGryphon: "I am fine as is," Fel said, playing along to the silent commands of Vulpeca. "You may leave, I will finish here."

Angel: "Thanks, see you later Doctor Onyxclaw." he stood up and made his exit... when he paused by the Prisoners wing. "Hmmm..." it was probably a bad idea.. .but Vulpeca had been dead for an absurdly long time, and he was interested in tweaking an old Enemy's ire just for the hell of it.

Turning to ash, he floated above the standing guards, throwing distractions and exploring until he found his way to Gaster's Cell reforming by the Magic-Nullifying gate- currently abandoned thanks to a little fogging on the guards minds, making them think they had been called elsewhere.

Vulpeca entered. "So this is the mighty Champion of Monsterkind, brought low by his own good intentions."

IchikoWindGryphon: Gaster sat up straight in his cell. His eyes were black. Blue light flared at his fingertips.

<<Who . . . no . . .>> he whispered. <<WHAT ARE YOU?>>

Angel: Vulpeca chuckled. "Good question. I don't quite fully know myself." he inspected a hand. "I had your associate Dr. Onyxclaw give me a full physical after I revived. Best he could guess is that my Determination to get back everything you and Redstrike stole from me was enough to cling to my ashes." he stared back, his eyes a solid white to Gaster's black. "A Dash of Monster and a Dash of human. Not quite one or the other." His eyes returned to normal the Bright yellow iris dancing in merriment. "Isn't that just amazing?" He giggled.

IchikoWindGryphon: Faster than Vulpeca could blink, Gaster was at the bars, eyes flaming with blue light, The shackles burned Gaster's bones but his rage blinded him from the pain.

<<Don't think I haven't forgotten your voice, you cretin,>> Gaster snarled. <<I don't care what you are I WILL END YOU.>>

Angel: Vulpeca grinned. "Oh Good you Do Remember me. I'm so glad." he stepped back. "Do you suppose my little Cloud remembers me too? She was so cute and nearly ripe for harvest too." he scowled before shoving Gaster back into a web of off-purple lines

IchikoWindGryphon: Gaster let out a furious roar. <<DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON HER YOU SICK WORM!>> he howled. Gaster then began to laugh maniacally. <<You think you can take her so easily! She's protected far better than you know! You will never get your filthy paws on her! They'll rip you apart!>>

Angel: "Your pet Freaks. Yes they'll be tricky." Vulpeca nodded solemnly "But here's the thing O' Hand of Death." he held out both hands. "I've spent a very long time since your banishment from the surface outwitting Hounds." he stepped back. "It was my Old Age and Hunger that got me last time. Now I am young again and I have a whole bustling population to keep me Sated for as long as I want. As well as a whole host of useful powers and willing if slightly press-ganged servants." He bowed. "Whereas you Dear Hand, are in disgrace, distrusted by all who know you and cannot warn your guard dogs without them striking you down first." he smiled maniacally. "I think I can outwit a couple of bony mutts and a candle don't you?" He laughed wickedly before turning to ash and slipping out the way he came- he had a meal to track.

IchikoWindGryphon: Gaster mustered every ounce of his magic--no matter how much it burned, no matter how much the shackles seared his bones, he forced himself to focus, he concentrated on his magic--

And he jumped.

The bars electrified him as he tried to teleport through them, searing him with electric fire. He screamed so loud and so terribly the cell walls trembled. He was thrown back, hitting the opposite wall hard and fell against the ground.

And for the first time in a very long time, Gaster felt an overwhelming sense of fear.

<<Cirri . . . oh god, Cirri . . .>>

And he begged to whatever deity that may be listening that Grillby and his creations could keep her safe.

Angel: Back in Snowdin Cirri was introducing the Skeleton brothers to the wonders of snow, grabbing handfuls and tossing it into the air to form pretty showers, or rolling it up into balls to carve out however they wish- in Sans case it was less rolling up into a ball and more gathering a lump to lie in.

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby watched from a distance of course. He was a fire elemental after all, he didn't exactly like to get wet. Papyrus and Sans were having fun in the snow, Sans burying himself in his little piles and Papyrus having a delight carving sculptures out of the snow. He was a natural.

Angel: "Very nice Papyrus." Cirri nodded to the highly muscular self-portrait of himself.

IchikoWindGryphon: "It's my greatest creation!" Papyrus proclaimed.

"It's snow good," Sans chuckled.

"SANS NO."

"Sans yes."

Grillby however felt on edge. Something was off, and he couldn't put his finger on what. Call it instincts or what have you but Grillby felt his flames flicker aggressively.

Angel: Cirri giggled when her Cellphone went off in her pocket. "Oh nuts..." she pulled it out and saw that it was the Captain of the Guard. "Hello?"

"Miss Cirri, Sorry to bother you, but I'm afraid thanks to the attack, your written testimony was lost in the fire." the reply came through on the phone's speaker loud enough for Sans and Papyrus to hear.

"It'll only take an hour and I've already sent an officer down to your house to save you the trouble."

Cirri groaned slightly. "I'm currently away from my house, but I'll meet your officer there." she then heard the Captain groan. "Are you alright sir?" she asked

"I-I'll be fine. Seem to be coming down with something."

"Alright. Take care of yourself Captain, Goodbye."

Cirri hung up and turned to the skeleton brothers. "Seems I have to run back home for an errand." she said sadly.

IchikoWindGryphon: "Let me come with you," Grillby offered. "It won't be any trouble."

Angel: "I'm just meeting a Guard at my house." Cirri reassured. "It'll take an hour tops, especially if I fly over."

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby didn't look assured. "Are you sure? I don't mean to be so . . . motherly but I'm not getting a good feeling from this. I can come with, it will be no trouble."

The boys were nodding as well. "And we can come too, if you like," Papyrus offered.

"Yeah, if the captain lost your testimony, maybe he lost ours as well?" Sans said. "We should go so we can give them anything they might be missing."

Angel: Cirri sighed. "Well Sans has a Point " she admitted. Maybe it would be better if they came along just to make sure there were no holes.

"Alright we'll all go together. It can't hurt to be thorough." she shugged.

IchikoWindGryphon: The four set off, taking the boat to Waterfall and then to Cirri's home. It wasn't a terribly long walk but Grillby's sense of unease only continued to grow. He gripped Cirri's hand for good measure.

Angel: Cirri squeezed Grillby's hand reassuringly. "This won't take long, I promise." she said "Grillby.... I was thinking. I'm not particularlly fond of the boats- Nothing against Riverperson mind you but... Wood." she admitted. Trees were alright but she never felt quite at-ease in the RIverperson's boat.

"I was thinking maybe of relocating to Snowdin- to help you and Sans and Papyrus."

IchikoWindGryphon: "Really?" Grillby said, surprised. "You're sure about that?"

Angel: Cirri shrugged. "Not really sure. But It's been.. empty in my house all alone." She confessed. she was beginning to get used to having so many people around her. "I'll still need my own space but.. having you guys closer would be nice too."

IchikoWindGryphon: "Well, you think about it some more," Grillby assured. "And I will be happy to assist you moving in!"

Angel: "I will." Cirri said as they arrived at the rope bridge that lead up to Cirri's house. "Careful now, the wood can be slippery at the best of times." Cirri hovered, letting go of Grillby's hand to give both hands for the railings if needed.

IchikoWindGryphon: Beyond the bridge stood an old cat-monster, with greying fur and black striped. His eyes were glazed over as if in a trance, and he stood, still as a statue just on the other side.

"Hello, Cirri," Fel said. His voice was hollow. "Pleasure to meet you. Have we ever been formally introduced?"

Angel: Cirri floated over to the cat monster. "Um How do you do." She said an edge of nervousness in her voice. "No, I don't believe we have met-" She peered at his labcoat. "Are you a Royal Scientist?" she asked

IchikoWindGryphon: "I am the Assistant Royal Scientist. Dr. Fel Onyxclaw. I served with Dr. Gaster for a number of years, and let me say that his atrocious crimes were the worst betrayal I have felt in many years. I believed him to be a good man. A noble monster. How wrong we were."

Angel: Cirri nodded sadly. "Ah. yes it was a shock to us all." She said politely. Something about the cat monster was giving her the willies. "Can I help you with anything Dr. Onyxclaw?"

IchikoWindGryphon: "I am assisting with Gaster's . . . case," he said. "You are here to meet the guard, yes? Good thing I caught you. I am here to give my own testimony as well."

By now Grillby and the skeleton brothers had crossed the bridge, the three of them eyeing the scientist warily. Grillby gave the cat a curt nod. He knew Fel in passing; he had frequented the bar from time to time and was a decent (if abrasive) fellow. Fel simply nodded in return.

Angel: "Well good! Let's wait inside my house then, it's far too wet for this sort of discussion." She motioned to the front door of her tiny cottage on a cliff and cringed inwardly- Four other people and her was going to be awkward. When the Guard got there it was going to be five and very uncomfortable. She approached the door digging in her pocket for her house keys when she noticed something was odd- Her front door was ever-so-slightly ajar.

"I swear I locked up when I left..."

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel Lunged at her from behind, gripping her in a headlock and turning to keep Cirri between Grillby, the boys, and himself. Instantly Grillby ignited like a wildfire, his fire like daggers on his hand and his mouth splitting open to form jagged teeth. The skeletons' eyes glowed with magic but none moved. A stalemate.

"No one move or the cloud girl dies," Fel hissed. He brought his claws right up to Cirri's throat. "And don't think yor little lightning can hurt me, my magic can negate your pitiful sparks."

Angel: Cirri stared at the doctor's claws, in alarm but didn't move a muscle as the door swung open for Vulpecula. "Hmm. You've turned into quite a pretty creature haven't you my dear?" he purred stroking the horrified Cirri's cheek. "Hello General, nice to see the Fire's still going strong eh?"

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby's flames shot higher, practically shaking and whatever water within a three foot of him evaporating instantaneously. The skeleton brothers backed away from him ever so slightly. They were scared for Cirri, but too frightened to act.

"LET. HER. GO." Grilby hissed.

Angel: "Let me think...." Vulpecula made a thinking face "Hmmm.... Nope. I don't think so. I'm just back to reclaim what was always Mine." he grinned. "Unless you'd like to make a trade? I was always fond of Dogs." He pointed to the two skeleton brothers. "They look like such useful hunters too." he grinned

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans and Papyrus looked at each other for only a second before they stepped in front of Grillby. "If . . . if we go with you, will you promise to let her go?" Papyrus said shakily.

"OUT OF THE QUESTION," Grillby roared, throwing a hand in front of them. "You let Cirri go. Or so help me I will burn you alive."

Angel: "I'm not the One holding her," he motioned to Fel. "Granted the Poor Doctor is little more than my pawn. I claimed his Free Will as tribute for my ressurection. Tell me General are you willing to to burn an innocent for her Freedom?"

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby snarled. His wrists flexed, his fingers now claw-like and his entire body ablaze, flames licking from within his clothes.

"Coward," he hissed. "Now I recognize you. Always hiding behind others like the lowly filth you are. You disgust me." He looked over his shoulder at Sans and Papyrus. "I don't know how, and I'm not even going to try to guess, but that THING . . . he's the one who was Cirri's slavemaster. He's the sick fuck that kept her imprisoned for years! And here he is again, hiding. Have you no honor?"

At this, Sans growled, his teeth growing sharper.

Angel: "Honour? No Honour is for the weak and the mewling my dear General. What I have is a Hunger... a GREED that has brought me back from annihilation. I find that works very well." he smiled at Sans. "I'd watch that temper if I were you short stuff. You have a lousy memory when you're big and snarly," He turned his gaze to Cirri "Isn't that right Little Cloud? If it weren't for Gaster you would have been Dogfood at this moment wouldn't you?"

Cirri gave Sans a sad scared look, her whole body shaking like a leaf through the whole ordeal.

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans instantly cowed under Vulpeca's accusation, ashamed at himself and furious over his inability to control himself. He shook, paralyzed by fear and indecision.

"What do you want?" Sans whispered.

Angel: "My Dear dog I have exactly what I wanted" he grinned. "and by the end of the day I'll have a little more. A Good way to start my new Life in the Underground I think!" he stretched for a moment "Welp! It's been fun." Vulpecula snickered, throwing an arm around Cirri and Fel "But we three have a date with destiny. Though do try and stop me. I'd love to see the old Corpse proven wrong." With that said Vulpecula turned to ash, lifing Fel and Cirri in it's grasp, leaping over the boys heads and jumping off the cliff Cirri's house stood next to

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby gave chase, but for all his power he couldn't follow him off the cliff. The fall would kill him. Papyrus and Sans both ran to him, to the cliff edge and watching helplessly as Cirri was taken.

"Sans! Brother, you have to turn!" Papyrus begged. "You have to fly after him! You have wings! I don't! You have to save Cirri!"

Sans began shaking, his bones rattling. "I .. . .I can't I can't I can't what if . . . what if I--"

"Sans!" Papyrus said, gripping his shoulders. "Cirri promised that if you did anything she'd stop you! And I promised as well! But Cirri needs you right now! Please, brother!"

Sans took a shuddering breath.

And with resolution burning within him, he began to change.

For Sans, the change was always agony.

His tiny body twisted, bent and snapped in a horrifying fashion as limbs lengthened. As spines formed on his back, as his skull sprouted a crown of horns. He grew taller and bigger, a tail whipping around him and enormous bat-like wings sprouting from his back.

A blue glowing membrane stretched between the digits and Sans let out a terrifying roar as the transformation completed.

Taking only a moment to steady himself, Sans took flight.

Papyrus was about to run off after him, but Grillby grabbed his wrist.

"Gaster. He mentioned Gaster," Grillby said. "I loathe him now more than anything .. . but he can help us. Come. We're breaking him out of prison."

Angel: Vulpeca paused to snag a shredded piece of Cirri's violet overcoat to a rocky outcropping down a dead-end tunnel. "Did you get everything prepared?" He asked Fel sharply.

IchikoWindGryphon: "Making final adjustments now," Fel said as he furiously worked at the controls of the lab. "So much of the equipment was disconnected when the guards came to collect evidence. Everything is booting up now. May be another ten minutes."

Fel went back and forth numerous times, consulting the notes, double-checking numbers, making sure everything was accounted for. This experiment left no margin for error.

Angel: Cirri had been rendered unconscious the moment they had landed from the great height of her home. Her enchanted sleep was thankfully dreamless or she'd be surely having the mother of all nightmares.

Vulpeca floated throughout the lab leaving fragments of Cirri's jacket hither and yon. "We haven't much time Doctor, make due haste." he snarled. He was going to make this happen and make his revenge complete in all ways.

IchikoWindGryphon: "With all due respect if we do not do this properly we'll not only kill her but kill ourselves," Fel said pointedly. "Dr. Gaster nearly died doing what we're attempting to do now."

A few more clicks at the controls, and everything was ready. The same laser that granted the skeletons their shape-shifting powers was now online and operational.

"Ready to proceed," Fel said.

Angel: "Then do so." Vulpeca said. "I wonder if she'll become a dog..." He wondered out loud to no one in particular.

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel started up the laser, and it let out a shrill whine as it reached full power. A hesitance, and he pressed the master switch.

The full power of the COrE bore down on the elemental.

Fel looked up from the controls. "Too late," he said dryly. "We're nearly done."

Angel: Vulpeca smiled wickedly. "Well done doctor." He said in Satisfaction as he lifted the spell over Cirri allowing her to wake up with a shuddering gasp

IchikoWindGryphon: The roaring grew louder. Closer. Steel door thundered as they were slammed to the ground.

Fel ignored it. "The effects should only take seconds."

Angel: "Very good Doctor. I Shall be taking my leave then." he blew a kiss at Cirri "I'll be back for you later my Lovely Cloud. But for now enjoy what the Good Doctor prepared." he set a hand on Fel's shoulder, releasing his mind control before turning to ash and slipping through the ventilation ducts.

"Effects? What-!" Then Cirri felt it. a twisting painful feeling right in the very core of her being.

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel crumpled to the ground, his head spinning and his eyes flashing with stars. But he remembered everything. Everything he did . . . everything he said

Oh god, what has he done?!

He struggled to his feet, the mind control slow to lift the haze over his eyes. Everything seemed so far away. He tried to reach for Cirri.

Angel: "Ah-h-h-h..." Cirri wheezed, shooting sparks as her body shifted, her fingers beginning to melt into a single strip. "Oh God.. Oh God... Someone..." She wanted to scream but it was just enough to breathe as her body began to contort, her clothing beginning to tear as she grew in size

IchikoWindGryphon: Fel reached for her, his hand landing on her shoulder. "Oh, god, oh my god Cirri I'm so sorry," he gasped between sobs. "Im so sorry I'm-"

A thundering crash could be heard just down the corridor, and charging down the hall was none other than Sans in his terrifying beastly form.

He stopped dead when he saw Cirri. His eyes went dark, his wings dropping, defeated to the ground.

<<Cirri!>> he cried as he ran next to her, pressing his snout against her shoulder. <<Hold on, just . . . it's going to be ok. Just breathe. You're going to be ok . . .>>

Angel: Cirri looked up at Sans in his big scary form- and smiled weakly "I knew it. I knew you could-" She squealed as bird talons broke through her boots her legs reversing direction at the same time "Oh god Sans is this- this how bad it hurts for you?" she wheezed flapping as silver-grey feathers began to form on her arms

IchikoWindGryphon: <<Don't talk,>> Sans said quietly. <<Save your energy. Just . . . keep breathing. Don't think about anything else. Keep breathing. I'm right here, jut . . . oh god, Im sorry .. .>>

Angel: Cirri screamed her fanged mouth reshaping into a beak in mid-cry, the remains of her clothes shredding into nothing as her body changed into something avian, the last change resulted in silver-grey feathers forming and growing to full use, but at that point she was too wrung out to react anymore

IchikoWindGryphon: No one moved for several moments. Everyone was still trying to comprehend what happened. Cirri . . . had transformed. Just like Sans. Just like Papyrus. Sans didn't know what to even do, he was too stunned to react. What could he even say?

He pressed his snout against Cirri. Tears were streaking from his sockets.

Fel stood, shaking and swiping away the tears in his eyes. "He-he's going to pay," Fel quivered. "Vulpeca is going to pay for what he did. And I swear I will do whatever I can to undo this."

Angel: Cirri twitched and tried to get up- oh but everything felt so Wrong . << ....Sans...?>> She found her voice even felt wrong, someone might say it was pretty to listen too but she felt like she was talking through a slide whistle. <<... Sans... Am I dreaming... Please let me hold onto you...>> she murmured flopping half-delirious from the pain.

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans quickly got under her, his head getting under her shouler and easing her onto her unsteady feet. <<Take it slow. You're not used to . . . it takes time. And . . . heh, I got more legs out of the deal and you're stuck on your toes. Good thing you're a dancer, huh?>>

Angel: Cirri blinked wearily before staring down at her feet.... her weird weird bird feet. << my.... What's going to happen to me?!>> Cirri attempt to wail sounded more like a bird trill

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans felt his jaws open and close a few times before words came to him.

<<You . . . you turned. Like me. You're a . . . bird, I think. I'm sorry.>>

Angel: Cirri began to wheeze. It was too much.. to fast the room was beginning to shrink.. <<I got to get outside. Too small. Got to go it's too small....>>

IchikoWindGryphon: Sans didn't hesitate. Shucking her onto his back, he raced out of the lab and brought her outside as quickly as he could. Once in Hotlands, he set her on the ground, still keeping close and his snout on her shoulder.

<<It's ok, just breathe,>> he said. <<You're going to be ok . . .>>

Angel: Cirri just cried, a heartbreaking noise between a flute and a whistle as storm clouds began to from overhead- the second rainstorm underground in decades.

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby and Papyrus were racing to the Capital, taking the quickest route through Hotlands. They both paused as they heard a haunting, crying melody echo through the magma pits. And they saw a stormcloud blooming in the distance. Grillby's soul lurched. Ignoring his own safety, he raced towards the storm.

He saw Sans in his beast form huddled over a large and magnificent bird. Grillby stopped, staring between Sans and the large bird.

Angel: Cirri stopped crying the moment she spotted Grillby. << Oh no...>> She curled her head under a wing. << Please don't look!>> she moaned

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby gaped.

"C...Cirri?!?!"

Angel: << When I woke up... I started changing. Vulpeca made me....Made...>> she tweeted shrinking back into Sans

IchikoWindGryphon: Grillby didn't need to hear anything further. He ran up to her, throwing his arms around Cirri's neck and hugging her tight. He began sobbing into her shoulder.

"Cirri . . . oh, god, Cirri . . ." he gasped. "Are . . . oh god of course you're not alright. But it will be. Cirri, I don't care what that bastard did to you. I'm right here and I am never leaving you."

Angel: Cirri lifted a wing in a hopeless attempt to reciprocate the gesture.

Meanwhile a delivery was being made to Gaster's Jailcell. An Envelope with no return adress. the moment he opened it a few polaroids of Cirri's new body slid out along with a note in rough hand "SURPRISE! IT'S A BIRD!"

Meanwhile Vulpeca was wandering the Underground laughing uproariously. Life was good.

IchikoWindGryphon: Gaster's entire body shook. His bones sung a death rattle as he stared at the pictures before him.

Cirri . . . dear Angel above what did he do to Cirri??!!

The pictures burned, blue flames licking the edges and consuming them. And Gaster fell to his knees, a cry of fury and grief sounding throughout the prisons.

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jumpintothewaves · 3 years ago

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Weirdo Wednesday

Happy weirdo Wednesday! This week we have...

The Chambered Nautilus: Nautilus pompilius

A relic from oceans long ago, the chambered nautilus was swimming in the ocean before dinosaurs walked the Earth. This ancient weirdo has remained relatively unchanged for 400 million years. It’s eyesight it poor, but it has a great sense of smell. It has an incredibly strong grip thanks to the over 90 tentacle-like appendages called cirri. While this weirdo’s shell is large, but the nautilus itself is only 10 inches long. Many have heard of this weirdo before because of Fibbinaci’s spiral and golden ratio. But mathematicians disagree that the nautilus’s shell is an example of that, saying that there is too much variability amongst shell shapes (though its not impossible to find one that fits the perfect spiral).

Where are the chambers?

Believe it or not this weirdo is a cephalopod, meaning they are related to squid, octopus, and cuttlefish. They differ from other cephalopods in 2 major ways; it cannot change color, and its squishy body is protected by a shell. Other cephalopods evolved to no longer need one, not the nautilus! The above photo shows inside the shell where all the chambers are. They’re born with 4 chambers, but as they grow more sections are walled off. They use their shell for protection, but also for buoyancy! To move vertically in the water column, they move air and liquid around the chambers through a tube called the siphuncle (more air means positive buoyancy and they move up!). The nautilus’s shell is a tribute to how long it has endured on this planet, and unfortunately it could now be its downfall.

A double edged sword

The chambered nautilus survived 5 mass extinctions, but their population is struggling with this potential 6th one. They suffer from climate change related issues like everyone else, but the biggest problem is people harvesting them for their shells. I haven’t found records of anyone who relies on them for sustenance, implying their only harvesting purpose for us is decorative. Shell harvesting is unregulated and the nautilus hasn’t been classified as threatened or endangered. How can you help? Be careful where you buy your nautilus shells! Not getting them at all is the best option, but asking about where they come from can’t hurt either. Another option for the cephalopod enthusiast is to collect fossils from their extinct cousin, the ammonite. Since they’re already extinct and easy to find, it’s a less invasive alternative.

Check out this video to learn more about the Chambered Nautilus!

youtube

#weirdo wednesday #ocean #beach #undersea #deepsea #nautilus #cephalopod #ammonite #squid #octopus #science #marine biology #conservation

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starlling-writes · 5 years ago

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Bewitching Monsters - Cursed Book

Series Rating: 18+ Chapter Contains: minor swearing, tentacle sex Pairing: f/tentacle BeMo Masterlist ☆ Writing Masterlist

**Alt Pronouns are used in this chapter. Please refer to the following guide.

Lybras asked me to help vir to sort a large shipment of books. A mansion out west was declared abandoned, so the local court went about repossessing everything on the land. Despite only have being sent a fraction of the collection so far, ve had a small archive’s worth of new books.

“Glad I brought caffeine and snacks,” I chortled when I saw all the stacks.

“Handle only what you feel to,” ve dismissed. “I already expect to spend weeks on this.”

“So you get to keep all these books?”

Ve glanced up from vis notes to glare a warning at me. “Depends on what we find. But yes; most will be staying here.” Typical dragon hoarding a trove. Ve gestured to a stack and said, “Start there. Be careful though. Some of the books are spelled.”

“Spelled?” There were a number of reasons to spell a book. If it were to keep unwanted readers at bay, though, the trouble would be the level of security they had. I was reluctant to find that answer. “How so?”

“They didn’t elaborate,” ve grumbled. Figures. Why would the court make our job easier?

For hours it was just mundane filing. It was easy yet numbing to fall into a rhythm. Which was why I jumped and yelped when Lybras suddenly yelled. I looked over and saw vis hand encompassed in flames. White, magical flames.

I cursed and ran to vis side. I cast the counter spell but instead of putting it out, it made the fire jump to me. Cursing, I fell on my ass as I panicked. This wasn’t basic magical fire. Trick fire then? Maybe. I didn’t have too much time to think about it as it was quickly spreading up my sleeves—I really liked this sweater too. I squeezed my eyes shut focused. It wasn’t a standard spell so my usual counter spells wouldn’t work. It leapt to me when I tried dispelling it, so it had to have some type of reflection element in it. Dammit! Who the hell cast such a complicated fire spell on a book?

Suddenly the fire was gone. Well, technically it was no longer eating away at my sweater and now attacking a poor potted plant Lybras was holding a safe distance away.

“The hell?”

“The fire jumps to the last living thing to touch the book. Your foot hit it when you came to my aid.”

“It burns the last—how the fuck did they even manage to send it here?” I grumbled as I picked at my burnt sleeves. I guess I should be glad my skin wasn’t burned.

“I’ll add it to the dues.”

I crossed my arms and looked around, scrutinizing the remaining books. “I’m going to hunt down more of the spelled tomes. The fewer outfits that end up ruined, the better.”

Ve grumbled, not caring either way. I took off one of my rings and a chord bracelet so I could craft a makeshift pendulum. A quick enchantment later and I could easily sort out the mundane from the magical.

I claimed three of the reading tables and labeled them Magical Untested, Magical Benign, and Magical Dangerous respectively. With a simple cantrip, I floated the fiery book onto the danger table. One hour and thousands of books later, I had found all the spelled books. There were more than I expected, but I was ready for the task.

I drew up some talismans to test for any other bio-reactive books. One turned the paper to stone, another into a leaf, and a third set he paper on fire via lightning. Two books ate the talismans—though one was actually a young mimic. Lybras contacted the Humility Society while I persuaded the little devil into making a bed out of scrap paper and napping.

As for the harmless books, there were a lot that were simply password protected—from what I could gauge. A blank book would fill with lies if you gave it a drop of your blood. One would play out vivid daydreams when you opened it. It was tempting to test it thoroughly. However, getting hot and bothered would be so inappropriate right now.

Thankfully, most of the books ended up being nonthreatening.

But then there were the mysterious last two books.

They had a magical presence, but I couldn’t get any other reads from them. The talismans didn’t react; reveal cantrips were ineffective. I dared to touch the covers and spines, but still no reaction. The only thing left to do was open them.

I cautiously opened the first book. The pages were near black with how much was scrawled on them. After a minute of staring at a number of pages, I was certain I didn’t know this language. If it even was a language. I’d have to invest in a charm to translate writings soon.

“Hey Lybras,” I said as I walked over and showed vir the pages. “Can you read this?”

Ve scrutinized it for a moment. “No. Just mark as undetermined.” Ve flipped the page.

That was when things got weird.

The book… bit us. The writing began to glow as the pages fluttered and the book tossed itself out of my hands. We stared stupefied at it, waiting for what would happen next—because all of that had to have done something.

“Maybe something good will happen?” I hedged, trying to stay positive. Ve was unamused. The book stilled, and I was about to make another remark when black tendrils bubbled out of it.

We weren’t given a chance to run before it ensnared us. We both swore and struggled but to no avail. No place was safe from their touch. A glance at Lybras and I saw them covering vir from tail to horns. I almost envied vis larger size and greater body area for these lewd cirri to trail across. When I tried to shift positions, they constricted tighter around me. Little prickles bit into my skin. Did these things have teeth? If they did, they weren’t strong enough to break my skin since they only left oily ooze in their wake and no blood.

They weren’t constricting us to death, just groping and restraining. It wasn’t unpleasant, actually. I even started to think it was similar to being tied up by Mosaiko.

With that thought, my feelings towards the moment shifted.

This was still not ideal. I didn’t know what these tendrils intended to do and I wasn’t thrilled that Lybras was here to witness me… not hating them. We had a nice, professional relationship and this wasn’t my first pick on how to shift it to a personal level.

A tendril snaked around to the back of my neck and attached itself like a leech. Then I heard a voice—an amalgamation of voices—echo in my head.

Desire for desire. Will you accept?

“Did… did you hear that too?”

“Yes,” Lybras answered.

As least I wasn’t hallucinating. But what did it mean?

Desire of knowledge for desire of carnality, it responded. It was discomforting that it seemed to be able to read my mind. Will you accept?

“I don’t know if we should really trust this book.” I was skeptical that agreeing with it would be worth it. “For all we know, it’s gonna eat us.”

“I don’t think it’s anything that severe.”

“Elaborate book voice!” I demanded. “Will accepting your offer kill us?”

There are no desires for death. To fulfill the desires—nothing more nothing less. Knowledge for carnality, will you accept?

“We won’t get a straight answer,” ve sighed. “We’ll have to accept or refuse.”

I hated vague spells. My curiosity was running wild but I was still skeptical of all this. I fidgeted. The tendrils bit into me more, and that just made a little devil urge me to agree. I wouldn’t die; and knowledge and carnality didn’t sound so bad.

I conceded. “Well I’m up it if you are.”

Lybras took more time to make up vis mind. “I agree.”

Nothing happened.

“You have to say it,” ve said.

“Of course—the vague spell needs a specific answer.” I rolled my eyes then threw a glare at the book before saying, “I agree.”

In a flash like lightning, my vision danced and mind felt floaty. I felt like I had taken a few shots of vodka. My mind twisted and reformed. My memories and thoughts flipped pass like pages blowing in the wind. Even the skeletons.

My focus jolted back to the archive. Lybras was shuddering and short of breath and… erect. I knew I shouldn’t stare but damn. Ve was impressive. And I was intrigued to see vis unique anatomy—around the base of vis shaft was a clear set of labia.

One of the tendrils wrapped itself around the head of vis member and swallowed it within. The dark, oozing tendril split into two; one stayed wrapped around Lybras’s dick, while the other quivered and reshaped into an exact replica of it.

What? I had second to think before it slithered its way to me. Oh damn. I knew where this was going—where it was going. At this point I had no more reservations. The moment I saw that slick tendril aiming for me I wanted it inside me. I didn’t fight as the tendrils already wrapping me spread my legs; didn’t struggle as a couple tore my panties away.

Instead, my eyes fluttered shut and head fell back as it started prodding into me. Slipping fully in, it felt like it was adjusting to fit me without really stretching me. Shame. Still, it felt wonderful as it thrusted in and out. No wonder there were so many dragon hybrids.

I wiggled my hips, trying to adjust so it would hit a better spot, but instead riled the tendrils up into biting me again. If they were trying to persuade me to stop moving, they were failing. Now I squirmed solely so they’d dig in more.

My mind was a cloudy mess. I sank further and further into the pleasure. So this is what it meant by carnality. I didn’t even care to wonder what the knowledge part had been. The fact we were supposed to be cataloging books was long gone. I even forgot Lybras was there—maybe watching, maybe lost in vis own pleasures.

The tendrils vanished and I dropped to my hands and knees. After taking a few second to calm myself, it registered that, right before everything stopped, Lybras had said ve rescinded vis consent.

We both stole a glance at each other then looked away. Silence rang between us for a good moment.

“You should make a couple memory wipe potions,” Lybras spoke up. “It’d be best we both forgot tonight.”

“Agreed.”

— — —

BeMo Masterlist ☆ Writing Masterlist

Story: Previous — Next

#monster love #exophilia #writeblr #exophilia fiction #tentacle monster #cursed book #cursed item #writing #bewitching monsters

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redditnosleep · 7 years ago

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B is for Barnacle

by mrmichaelsquid

Gray clouds swirled overhead when I opened the shop door, spilling fast over the sky like lint on a treadmill. The storm was supposed to miss us but debris twisting in dust devils whispered otherwise, leaving the ocean air cold and salty. I usually enjoyed forces of nature, but the chill sought out the clothing gaps to bare skin through my shirt holes and sock ends, so I stomped out the pre-roll I’d been puffing out with the heel of my Timbs to retreat indoors. I popped a few tic tacs when my phone vibrated and I saw the severe storm warning alert accompanied by the annoying tone. Seemed the seaside storm wasn’t going to miss us, it was on target to hit all of us in York, Maine dead center, and soon.

I stand out like a sore thumb in the oceanside town of York with my Flatbush gear; Champion hoodie over a vintage Polo tee and all, but I’m not here to blend in. I’m attending the University of New England, focusing on marine biology (thanks to a generous partial scholarship), and I can afford rent here, not to mention the under 40 minute commute to school. My evening job as a sandwich jockey pays the rent and gives me time to study during the lulls we experience in the off season.

I checked my text messages, hoping to hear back about getting coffee with a classmate. No response, it seemed Diane was not interested aside from being my lab partner, no news to me. No word from Ron about getting a beer after work either, so I returned back inside from the smoke break to man the sandwich station. This consisted of reading about cyanobacterial blooms while waiting for any York locals in town off season who direly needed a turkey and cheese during a freak storm. It was nearing 10 PM, and I expected we’d close early due to the last-minute alert and the announcement on the radio about the severity of the weather conditions. I was about to head to the register to ask the owner Janice, who must have been watching something truly vulgar on her laptop, about leaving early when a jingle of the door signaled a customer. A man entered in a dramatic stagger, his left foot dragging in a labored trudging as though he’d limped through hell straight into our modest, seaside convenience store.

Janice greeted him, but his head just hung low, nearly out of view under a sunbleached Sou’wester hat and faded blue raincoat. Stripped by the elements of color, his PVC storm gear was flecked with crusted clumps of gray; they were barnacles. A soggy white beard spilled out from under the tipped cap, wet tendrils emerging from skin nearly as white and wrinkled by what seemed like decades of wear. A bang jolted me alert as a massive gale smacked the door fully open, slapping the wooden frame of the newsstand. A barrage of rain drummed hard and wet from the sky and a shocking gust of wind forced our eyes to squint from debris just as the man collapsed, first onto his knees and then onto his stomach on the floor. Janice rushed to his side calling “Sir? Sir, are you alright?”, but he was not responsive. I held my phone up and Janice nodded. I tried 911 and then the hospital directly, but the storm must have killed a cell tower, there was no service.

The saltwater tempest beat unmercifully upon us as Janice and I carried the older man, whom we presumed to be a fisherman, into my Explorer after confirming a pulse. The hospital was just over ten minutes away, but the toppling branches and thunderous white bullets of rain made driving with zero visibility at night an undoubtedly terrible idea. Even the streetlights of Long Beach Ave were off due to toppled power lines from the intense wind. The cold rain drenched us through to the bone, my entire body was numb and stinging by the time we hauled that far-too-heavy stranger back inside of the store. We barricaded the door as best we could from the freak weather and flipped the man on his back and I yelled in shock at the sight of his face.

He had a brutal, vertical scar straight down the center of his face and there were small thoracica barnacles on the edges of his hairline (the common type often found on rocks and boats). There were dozens of them, a few on the sides of his crooked nose and the corners of his sunken eyes. I stared in absolute shock; barnacles are arthropods like crabs, they attach their backs onto a host with their legs facing outward before building a cement wall (which looks like a shell) of armor, a process that takes days or even weeks to form. The process is extremely painful in the very rare instance they land in a human host. I was amazed that this man had let this happen, perhaps he’d been in a seaside coma? Every answer opened a string of additional, unanswerable questions. I was horrified and extremely confused but knew he needed serious help so I focused on that. I ran to fetch the electric heater and some tarps from the stockroom to help warm the poor man. When I returned from the stockroom, Janice was performing CPR, and that’s when I discovered the horrific reason the barnacles had been able to grow undisturbed.

Janice breathed into his mouth with a puzzled look on her face as we both heard that loud cracking sound. I slowly approached, seeing the dark red line form on the man’s face, dividing the eyes and nostrils as the crack extended. The man’s face split open, and what looked like a fan comprised of giant centipedes spewed out from the gory slit in his face and wrapped around Janice’s head, pulling it in. My jaw dropped in horror, but instincts drove my sprinting feet to the knives I kept at the sandwich counter. I charged back to the snaking tendrils, realizing they were actually cirri, the legs of barnacles but at an impossibly mammoth scale. A larva had somehow entered this sailor’s nasal passage or mouth and grown far larger than what I knew to be possible, a new species perhaps. I had no interest in discovering it at the moment, and my butcher’s knife sawed at those powerful, shelled snakes that were pulling her face into the cavity of the sailor’s rotted head.

The mammoth, snaking cirri wrapped around my wrist, squeezing my flesh and difficult to cut into, but I eventually sawed through them to free Janice, who was bleeding from her head and clearly in shock. The long, curling legs retreated into the dead sailor’s face, which snapped closed as his skull was pulled shut by the mammoth parasite inside. I dragged Janice away from that host of a man and tried to wrap my head around the nightmare. I knew of deep-sea gigantism, or abyssal gigantism, which occurs at great depths, but this was beyond what I’d thought possible. This seemed to be a symbiotic relationship that kept the barnacle and the sailor alive long after he should have died. I stared at his still body briefly before running back to it, dragging it by the feet outside of the store.

I felt the knobbed barnacles on his ankles reaching forth cirri onto my hands as I pulled him, pinching me and wrapping around my fingers. I got him about 20 feet from the store when I had to let go. The freezing rain beat me mercilessly, and I ran indoors as quickly as possible, nearly losing my bearings and my snapback cap due to the severity of the storm and encompassing darkness of the night. Janice was shaking, and I wrapped the tarp around her and tried to comfort her, but her gaze was distant. I wiped blood from her lacerated forehead and applied pressure to the gashes on her neck and the back of her head, thinking of how deep sea creatures get stranded in shallow waters due to rising temperatures and water pollution. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) polluting the Mariana and other oceanic trenches have been theorized to lead to the surfacing of some rarely seen species, in addition to tectonic disturbances and glacial melting, but this was something entirely unknown. I tried to process what I’d seen while cleaning the red gouges of Janice’s wounds when I heard the horrific scream of a woman outside.

I ran to the door, cracking it slightly to see the neighbor, Ms Berthold, emerge from her house, swatting at her drenched and moving sweater. The corpse of the sailor was gone, the beating rain having washed any trace of from which direction away from the sidewalk and street. I shouted to the woman, but she collapsed, and I realized I might join her fate if I intervened. She was covered in small moving things. I was retreating back to the door of the shop when I saw the head, dragging itself from those long, jointed legs spilling from the split face of the sailor’s corpse. A horrifically long tentacle extended from the split in the man’s skull, snaking upward like a mammoth worm. I remembered reading Darwin in class last semester, and I finally vomited on the rain-slicked asphalt. Barnacles have the largest “member” of the animal kingdom, a solid “Hell no” filled the air before I realized I’d even said it. Another round of screaming behind me alerted me again to the woman, who was sprinting towards me from two houses down with a horrific wail, crawling with hundreds of living things.

I was about to be pinned, and I watched the woman in horror, her pink-streaked skin covered with holes as she ran towards me, holes from which climbed sacculina larva the size of lima beans. My eyes widened in the nightmarish realization of what was going to happen to her. Sacculina are a parasitic barnacle that castrates crabs and uses them as a host for their own eggs in their genital region. To put it bluntly, they destroy their host’s genitals and become a giant egg sac there, a giant saltwater nope. I screamed at this point, running sideways to avoid the nightmares in front of and behind me that were approaching, darting off inland and praying Janice would know to lock the doors. To try and reach her now was not only impossible, it would lead to a fate far worse than death.

I ran blind in the consuming darkness further inshore, as nearly horizontal darts of icy rain beat into my gore-tex jacket and into my face. My mind was spinning, there was no way to get to my car without being overtaken so I ran away from the lighthouse, deep inland to try and get to my only friend who lived near the store, my bud Ron. Thunder flashed the sky white, illuminating horrible things each time I looked back as I ran from them. I saw what appeared to be giant isopods the size of Labradors crawling from the ocean and hundreds of tiny larva covering the streets and the sides of house. There were multiple corpses being dragged by their faces from the segmented legs spilling from within, some of the bodies long rotted and bloated from saltwater, others missing extremities or their lower half entirely. I ran nearly blind from the storm, but somehow made it to Ron’s, pounding on the door with a fist and praying for a miracle. I looked back to see what appeared to be the friendly Mr. Beckhart charging towards me, his face skinless, pulpy and split spilling chunks of flesh and outwardly clawing cirri. In the last second, the door marked by a tarnished, brass “26” opened and I slid inside, slamming and locking it behind my drenched, shivering body.

Ron seemed confused but I shook him to convey the urgency of the situation and asking him for duct tape to cover the mail slot and all possible gaps in the doors and windows. He seemed vacant and detached as if he’d just woken from a nap, but I explained everything to him as I raced to secure his small house on Pine street. His face was clammy and pale, an odd milky white as he slowly spoke, “I moved here because I love the saltwater, the sea, the fish”, in a monotone voice that didn’t sit right, his eyes turning to the floor. I then saw the fishing cooler in the living room, lid ajar with a wet trail spilling outward and leading over to a red puddle in the middle of the floor. His sad, tearful eyes drooped in harsh juxtaposition to the smile spreading across his face, dripping thick strands of saliva from parting, quivering lips. I saw the little bumps of grey clustered on his temples and in his thinning hair that framed his tormented eyes, and I ran. I sprinted to Ron’s bathroom with him nearly on my heels. I quickly locked the pounding door, shoving towels into the gap and duct taping them as quickly as my shaking hands would permit.

Horrific sounds now click, scratch and clatter in addition to an occasional scream from outside the barricaded window along with the hammering rain and cracking thunder of the storm. Ron stopped banging on the door, now merely scraping with thin, crustacean limbs on the wood between us, his mind likely gone. I can’t get the image of his twisted, smiling face out of my mind, and I feel that madness is perhaps setting in as I chuckle to myself in his small bathroom. People often seem to fear invasions from the stars, rarely concerned about our own planet which is over 70% ocean. All I know is if I get out of here alive, I’m changing fields to focus on becoming a chef far inland in the Midwest, at a restaurant that doesn’t serve any form of seafood.

#creepy #horror story #author: mrmichaelsquid #barnacles #crustacea #alphabet stew series

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