The Fantabulous Sushi of Master Tso Wat
Well, I finally wrote a piece to go with the one pic I commissioned at Furpocalypse last year. I want to make this a series to bundle together in novel form so makes sure you fave this for the story and not just the cover image. This piece also shows just how much I admire Lovecraft and friends and am willing to include them in my own works. Other aspects are for you to figure where I took them from.
The Fantabulous Sushi of Master Tso Wat
Rain beats down as if the angels were emptying all the chamber pots of heaven upon the Earth as a convoy of three armored semis escorted by a force of roughly ten armored cars hurtles down a stretch of inner city highway that is in desperate need of attention by a maintenance crew. As they pass over a bridge beneath which is a spiderweb of train tracks leading underground explosions can be heard and while two of the three semis carrying quality foodstuffs make it over easily enough, the bridge itself collapses under the last trailer and sends it hurtling to the exposed portion of a series of abandoned tunnels now inhabited by the kymera who live in the area who emerge from the tunnels armed with cast off military hardware as armored men emerge from the three armored cars in more advance guns than the kymera as one approaches the cabin of the downed semi. Each of the armored cars produced three Neo-Centurion soldiers including one Commander and two sergeants and it is the Commander that is approaching the semi.
The driver of the tractor trailer is already dead, his neck was snapped by the fall as the commander unceremoniously tosses his corpse to the ground and reaches for the self-destruct switch to destroy the container rather than let it fall into unworthy hands as are his orders. Unfortunately for him as he makes this attempt he is hit by a sniper at just the right angle that the bullet passes upward through the one lung to obliterate his physical heart with a small explosion as his physical body collapses comically half in; half out of the cabin. The rank and file soldiers form a semi-circle in front of the sergeants who try and fall back to complete the destruction cause in their contract as the fatigue wearing kymera open fire with their assault weapons and manage to take out three neo-centurions before they convert one of them from a living being into a cooling corpse and even then it took all of them concentrating on what they hoped was a leader of the kymera as the massive hybrid of human bull and horse takes several magazines of bullets before he is brought down.
One of the sergeants gets hit in the neck by a sniper round that lodges in his spine before detonating and thus making a rather clean decapitation as the head just pops off from the neck and starts rolling as the original body drops to his knees before collapsing in the bony arms of the Reaper. The other sergeant sets up a suicide vest of explosives and starts looking for the gas tank of the vehicle when an explosive bullet penetrates his chest armor and explodes to obliterate his lungs and heart as he too collapses as his soul has been freed to begin its journey to the lands of the dead and whatever reward or punishment awaits him there. Behind him the last trio of soldiers fall as the kymera claim of semi of sustenance for their continued existence.
Above the carnage in a dune buggy out of post apocalypse film a green furred wolf-bear in an outfit that similarly looks like it comes from same movie as his ride drives over the carnival of carnage as the wheels of the vehicle invert and convert it temporarily into a kind of hovercraft as camera drones hover over head. The deluge of rainfall doesn't seem to bother him one bit as he keeps driving in hot pursuit of the other two trailers. Flanking behind him are four raccoon-ferret hybrids dressed in a weird amalgamation of army grunts and biker gang bangers each one on their own motorcycle that features a full-on machine-gun sidecar.
None of the kymera carry anything resembling a logo but the Neo-Centurion vehicles each proudly bears a golden shield on which is a classic silver helmet in a large red circle with four automatic handguns orbiting the shield in a formation reminiscent of the twisted cross that was the Nazi swastika. The Neo-Centurions are the elite mercenary serving International Investors Incorporated as their private army. I-Corp as the elites are better known control everything in the aftermath through financial domination serving as the taskmasters keeping whole communities afloat with their vaults of hoarded foodstuffs of various quality that they dole out to the masses as they do their best to retain their old positions as the relentless taskmasters working the masses to their own detriment and in some cases even death and destruction for the crumbs purposely dangled before them like a carrot before a starving man pulling an obese businessman in a rickshaw with little to no concern for the poor bastard carrying him around.
The kymera were once part of that society, created things created at the whims of the taskmasters to serve in their petty wars or fight to death in their arenas for their own twisted amusement and entertainment. But that was then; now the kymera have their own pirate networks broadcasting through the world wide web the elite dare not shut down as they found out early on how useful a tool it could be in pacifying the masses. The Roman elite once kept the plebeians complacent with bread and circuses, and for the most part nothing has really changed, just the way the bread and circuses are doled out to the unwashed masses.
Outlaw Zoo Force is broadcasted live on the dark web with only paid subscribers watching as the Carnival of Carnage event gives the humans watching the visceral thrill of the hunt even as their own kind are the ones being slaughtered. "Bootleg" DVDs of whole "seasons" are sold to the masses through a labyrinth of not quite legal distribution channels that continues to feed the hunger of the common people for the chance to see their hated bosses get their comeuppance. The elite find the practice annoying but not to the degree that they are willing to personally risk themselves to take care of the problem.
"Alright, that's one down, two to go," Faolart O'Connor broadcasts to the Stooge brothers, "Good job on rigging the explosives on the bridge. "
"Worked like a charm!" Moses Zechariah Stooge, the nominal eldest and thus leader of the brood beams. "What are your orders?" "Take out four more of the armored cars and I'll see what I can do to get us another truck of food." Faolart orders as he punches a few buttons on the console of the buggy. "And I think I have just the toy to use."
The brothers do not respond verbally but immediately comply as Moses and his next younger kin Lawrence Albert converge on one van as Karl and Shempatrick take off after another. The four catch their prey completely by surprise as they use their machine guns to first obliterate the tires of the vehicles as a rocket moves into place on top of Faolart's vehicle. The Stooge brothers concentrate on their assignment as Faolart lets the buggy's targeting software do the necessary electronic painting to ensure all goes off without a hitch.
Faolart's rocket attack resolves exactly as planned as the cabin of the semi becomes a funeral pyre of twisted heated metal. A crack crew of kymera scavengers quickly arrives to take possession of the foodstuffs as a rabbit-fox among them gives Faolart a thumbs up as he drives past and the Stooge brothers finish off the other two armored cars. Two of the remaining three armored cars converge on him as he gets closer to the last semi and the two groups of vehicles start to cross another bridge over a mighty river.
Hidden blades in the wheel wells of Faolart's vehicle extend themselves as he uses them to shreds the tires of one of the vans attacking him. The other one engages in a slamming contest with him that he manages to when and eventually with some deft maneuvering Faolart forces the other vehicle off the bridge and into the water far below. The one whose tires Faolart shredded immediately becomes uncontrollable by its drive and it swerves to slam against the guard rail that only needs a ramming push form O'Connor to send it flying into the river as well.
The human driver of the last semi contemplates activating the self-destruct sequence himself when a swarm of bullets comes through the side and severely wounds him. About a minute later he gets another face full of pellets as Faolart gets up to the cabin and removes him from the cabin and toss him to the tarmac before he finishes him of with one final shotgun blast. Faolart and the Stooge brothers pose dramatically against the last semi as on the web someone decided to play My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade" but once the song completes a holographic commercial plays out on the windshield of the semi.
"Well done, hero!" Beams a figure who looks like a weird amalgamation of a chef, Ming the Merciless and Buddha complete with Fu Manchu moustache and goatee facial hair combo. "But do you think you have what it takes to raid my factory vault sites and claim a set of my fabulous sushi for yourself? I am eager to see if you can prove your worth."
"Challenge accepted!" Faolart retorts with supreme confidence in his tone of voice as a classic flying saucer suddenly appears in the skies above him and promptly abducts the astro-ranger.
"BOSS!!" The Stooge brothers exclaim as the mammal they look up to as their superior officer is hit with an intense beam of light and then disappears from view.
Blinded by light would be putting it mildly as Faolart shakes his head to try and clear his vision and take in his surroundings properly. He was in a large central chamber with a vaulted ceiling and receded lighting that rendered the chamber very well lit but not so much that it was as blinding as the beam that apparently brought him here. Apparently he is just the latest acquisition of the saucer to boot as he recognizes others from the Outlaw Movement and Network International, an organization shortened to OMNI by the outlaw media network international, also OMNI the obfuscation working in both their favors as it makes clarifying who is involved with either group difficult at best and dangerously convoluted at worst which is an atmosphere that both sides do their very best to circulate in their daily lives for their mutual protection.
Humans, kymera and humanimals are gathered in abundance and whoever put this together made sure to bring as many rival operators together so the amount of cooperation would be sub level three or lower. A pseudo-minotaur dressed like a gangster and hauling heavy arms as the Ballistic Bankster glares at hm with unprecedented rancor as does a blonde woman in skin tight body armor with dangerous looking automatics Faolart knows by reputation is the Ballistic Ballerina. Faolart licks his muzzle as he looks at the Ballerina in a wholly lustful manner until he sees the goblin unit.
They call themselves Death Squad #13 and in the three years they have been put together, they have amassed quite the impressive list of kills. Brutalis the hobgoblin bard is their nominal leader And while many discount bards as being ineffectual in the heat of battle are unaware of how effective a squad fights when they have someone like Brutalis to lead them. Venomona the hobgoblin lady alchemist is just as bad since her blend of science and sorcery has led to the creation of the most diabolic poisons and virulent designer viruses ever thought of.
Slice, Dice, Cutter, Splatter, Massacre and Ramrod are the names the goblin killers give whenever they are actually arrested for their crimes against the other inhabitants of the solar system but they are part of why Brutalis is so well and darkly regarded. Cryo, Pyro, Acid and Dynamite are the code names of the team's four orc soldiers whose names reflect their overall specializations. Slipknot, Guillotine, Iron Maiden and Red Knight are the four bugaboo rangers which annoys Faolart the most since all four of them in their own ways are dark reflections of himself.
Near the goblins are Crash and Smash, a power couple of gay ogres and each one a paladin of madness, darkness and lechery. Faolart remembers all to well the time they ambushed and beat him senseless so they could have their way with him. The spit roasting he endured will forever haunt him and while his tail hole has recovered and gone back to normal, the memory of it still drives him and in a way fortune hath smiled on him finally: if the rules allow it, he will avenge himself.
Faolart has to chuckle wryly to himself as a unit of ten Neo-Centurions is also present, a threat to him they are not but he knows in his heart of hearts they will try to avenge each and every single member of their vile organization that he has helped start their road to Hell as they righteously deserve. He is not the only member of OMNI here and thus he is not singled out for their baleful glares but he is definitely included along with those that openly serve the Army of Entropy proudly displaying the yellow sign on their armor and uniforms. Brutalis presents Crash and Smash with black armbands displaying the yellow sign where a swastika would be on a similar garment worn by Nazis and gets a salute in response as Faolart facepalms in frustration as it means the Army of Entropy just recruited two powerful new members.
Tentacles the must have sprouted from the heart of midnight emerge in the center of the chamber within a cloying mist of deepest shadow. Writhing and grasping at anything that dares get close enough for them to clutch and drag back into the center of nothingness to be return from the void at a time only the gods know if even they do, this display of dark eldritch power forms a column in the center of the chamber that by its very presence demands the complete and utter attention of all who are gathered in the same room. A circle of the blankest of hues, not unlike la luna when she deigns to show the world her full face, manifests in the center of the column before pools of blackness bleed through to form two eyes and a mouth through which a voice that sounds as if it emanates from somewhere beyond the impenetrable veil through which souls pass on their way to the afterlife known plainly to all as death and often facetiously referenced to as the grave.
"Greetings and Salutations, Adventurers," The voice emanating from the circle intones with a hint of dark mirth in its choice of words and phrasing. "It's so nice to host this little event for all of you. My actual name is unimportant but if you must refer to me you are to do so as the Administrator. Please be advised that we are already on the move to Industica the manufactured factory moon in its own eccentric orbit around the planet. A series of experiments has gotten too aggressive to be effectively contained. Your task is simple, eliminate all living things on the planet, a selection of seafood sushi has been prepared for your consumption but only one of you may enjoy the benefits of the foodstuffs. Competition elimination is not encouraged but it is not discouraged either." There is a sudden lurching of the floor as if they were landing a little roughly. "And with that we have arrived." Doors open to let everyone out. "Good luck and good hunting."
With that said the Army of Entropy starts off the murder spree by slaughtering the Neo-Centurions wholesale just because they can. Ballistic Ballerina is the first one out of the chamber followed close behind by the Bankster. Faolart and the other kymera members of OMNI manage to make it outside before the Death Squad as both Smash and Crash engage in their vice for necrophilia while the bugaboos look through the corpses to see what is salvageable for making into jerky to supplement their rations. Mentally, Faolart goes into full predator mode as he takes out his assault shotgun and begins to assess just what kinds of things are around for him to kill.
The floors are made concrete somehow colored a neutral shade of charcoal with walls roughly the same as the floors and ramps going up and down instead of proper staircases. As a way of getting a better handle on what's going on, Faolart takes a moment to make sure the cybernetic heads up display is active as a virtual map of the immediate surroundings unfolds in his peripheral vision. Dots of various hues pop up on the map in a kind of code that he is well aware of with fellow OMNI members in green, Entropy Army personnel in yellow and a bunch of black dots representing unknown forces.
Green dots are allies, yellow dots are enemies but the majority of dots are black but he was rather expecting that as he approaches a ramp above which are a trio of green dots and at least 10 black dots. Jet black ichor bleeds from the pipes to coalesce on the ground while disgusting is usually nothing to worry about until the HUD registers the growing pool as a black dot which causes Faolart to step back a few feet to assess the situation as the viscous fluid in the puddle seems to move of its own recognizance. Dark flashes of recognition fire the synapses in O'Connor's brain as he recalls the lore of the formless spawn found within the forbidden abandoned temples dedicated to Tsathoggua which disturbs him greatly and makes him just what has he gotten himself into and more importantly, what can he do about the situation.
"What!" Faolart thought to himself in alarm. "What is that thing doing here?" He gasps as the pool of ooze whose hue makes even the darkest portion of a cast shadow look cool and inviting. "Sensory pod, think, Faolart, THINK! OK, this is a formless spawn, a definitive Shadow Syndicate operative. Monster category: Ooze, one of my two specialties, Known minion of Shadow Syndicate Ganglord Tsathoggua. Standard ooze traits plus immune to acid and resistant against electricity, projectile weapons are practically useless against this thing, I am not about to waste ammo trying to use my plasma weapons against it, but the sonic and freeze ray weapons should do well. Scratch that, use sonic weapons only, less chance of resistance. But let's see how it likes a cryogrenade..."
Faolart reaches into his backpack to take out a grenade, prime it and then throw it at the ebony ooze creature. The thing gulps down the grenade like a glutton popping popcorn at the movies and when it explodes in freezing cold energy the monster becomes a statue that shatters when O'Connor shoots it with a sonic pistol, although it does take three shots to get the job done. A few of the dots on the map turn red after he takes care of the one ooze monster which again causes him to facepalms.
Below him is the Death Squad with Crash and Smash and the fact that they have the ogres with them causes Faolart to fade further into the platform to let them pass beneath him rather than do anything rash. He almost trips over the body a human female in skin tight that has been ripped to shreds by gunfire that has dealt enough damage to her as to cause her to sustain such serious wounds she is dying and if left unattended will sure bring her over the brink into the realm of the reaper to start the soul's journey to whatever fate once she has beyond the timeless. "Mother Nature," he prays, "Grant you servant the power to grant succor to the poor unfortunate soul."
The healing power of nature flows Faolart and stabilizes the wounded human who can only groan and move feebly as she returns to waking world she thought she would have abandon after the Ballistic Bankster caught her unawares and filled her full of lead. Cassandra is in a dangerous place now as she is both groggy and horny. The fact that she is a disposable clone that someone decided to waste resources to save her from death is not lost in her mind and the way she was taught to reward such kindness only fuels her desire for sheer carnality.
She opens her eyes and sees the green furred wolf-bear with a healthy green aura about him causes her to smile and spread herself as she non-verbally begs him to fill him with his seed. Cassandra knows she is indebted to the Alchemed corporation for more than she can repay at the moment but one of the price points that she can use to reduce that debt quickly is by selling her fertilized eggs especially when she manages to get herself impregnated by something as exotic as a kymera. Her armor is shredded to the point of being useless anyway with her breasts and vagina completely exposed, so she thinks she might as well enjoy it for once.
Faolart doesn't need much more of an invitation than what she is giving him as he lowers his muzzle to lick and suckle upon her breasts and action that elicits a satisfied and fully lustful moan from the human that has made the decision to offer herself to the hunter as his sexual prey. He pins her to the concrete floor of the platform and rubs his sheath against the lips of her labia, an action that drives her libido even further as his cock begins to venture forth from its place of rest and concealment. She silently begs him for his invasion inside of her, a plea he is only too happy and engage in as he slides himself into her womb and fucks her with all the authority he can muster as his member continues to lengthen and a harden within her. Special cybernetic monitors activate in Cassandra's body as her own body's enhancements to her reproductive system kicks in.
Unknown to the kymera, the human he is having his sexual way with is not an original human being but a clone of someone higher up in the corporation and is licensed out for forays such as this for experimentation and exploration. Plus the fact that her form is that of a young adult Caucasian female with dirty blonde hair and purple eyes satisfies some of the higher ups who just want sub servient eye candy around for them to play with on demand. Many clones resent this programming but there is little they can do, and there are those like Cassandra that enjoy all the weird and kinky situations that can be thrust upon them and if you can control the journey at least you can try and enjoy the ride.
When the knot forms Cassandra elicits an especial moan of pleasure as she waits to be filled with his seed as a fertile egg sell has already been situated for the maximum probability of fertilization. A containment pod is already moving its way to their position as the retired mercenary that provided the original genetic material for replication is notified that one of her clones is close to being impregnated. She clings to him desperately as he howls in pleasure as he fills her womb to capacity with his seed and the cybernetics in her body begin the countdown till she can safely disengage even as Cassandra herself is in the throes of utter ecstasy as she feels him fill her up and then go back to sampling her tits which only makes her appreciate how he makes love to her even more.
The containment pod arrives as soon as Faolart can release himself from inside of Cassandra as she reluctantly disengages, enjoying every second she feels of his cock sliding out of her cunny as she drips his cum as she climbs into the containment for her protection and the protection of her unborn offspring as she has no doubts she is now pregnant with his child, the internal monitors just haven't made that determination as her own HUD displays a rotating hourglass as to whether or not that rutting was successful or not in doing what she knows is one of the functions of her body at her position. Inside the pod, Cassandra can feel her vagina being scrubbed of excess semen for the lab coats to examine and play around with as kymera DNA is a relatively new development in the galaxy and Faolart himself shows every sign of elven genetic tinkering. The elven empire is well known for their adherence to druidic principals and ethics in regards to how they conduct themselves although it is rumored that one faction within takes this to an extreme that causes the other elves to keep a close and wary eye on their kin lest they turn in a set of mad monster makers.
The Empires of the Republic which governs these territories loosely recognizes four main factions of the elven empire that is nominally part of the Republic to the point where they may send delegates to the cosmic senate and participate in the Peacekeeper program of militarized law enforcement. Philosopher and Cosmo are the factions more often than not encountered with cosmopolitan elves being by far the most common of them while the philosopher factions are more interested in magic and science than the day to day drudgery that cosmopolitan and sylvan elves more often concern themselves although it is the sylvan faction that more often than not runs the farms that form the breadbasket of the empire while the drow are among the most reclusive of the factions, concerning themselves with volcanology, mining and other things the discussion of which is considered taboo among the other factions. It only recently came about but there is a fifth faction developing dedicated to genetic manipulation and other bio sciences and call themselves morphen elves who are a mixture of the other factions genetically although this weird configuration only makes the other factions even more nervous as there is a long standing tradition of purity among citizens of the empire that only began to really change when elves began interacting with humans to the extent that hybrid children of humans and elves were starting to be born, and while the ultra conservatives consider these children to be an abomination this new type of elf with pieces of the bloodlines of all other elves is cause for alarm but not to the extreme that some conservatives still take in a mostly genocidal vein.
In fact it is the morphen who are most responsible for the kymera as they worked with the rogue annunaki Moreau von Frankenstein as he began his work many years ago although the morphen do not limit themselves to just human and animal DNA as Frankenstein did and kymera like Faolart are the direct result of this more liberal experimentation of genetic manipulation. The morphen make it a point to collect and catalog the DNA of every species of all those beings the elven nations has had to do battle with in the past and in the present with the idea that which was used against them can eventually be used to defend themselves from even more powerful and insidious threats to themselves and their allies. In fact the neo-druid that put Faolart O'Connor together fused together the DNA of wolves, bears, elves and trolls into one supreme soldier for the defense of nature and still consider him to be her greatest work and in his heart, Faolart does his best to make his mother proud of him and technically she is his mother as part of the experiment to bring him to life she injected the mixed DNA cocktail into one of her own egg cells so as to provide the elven DNA she deemed necessary for his creation.
Moreau von Frankenstein is currently an executive officer within Alchemed as well as a major stock holder who maintains an exemplary relationship with the morphen as they are a race that he genuinely respects. Cassandra has markers put on her file by Moreau himself to indicate he is interested in her progress and child especially. This affords them his personal attention and protection as there are few in the Alchemed corporation willing to defy him.
Faolart himself is annoyed at this and expresses his feelings to his mother as he moves higher to see what else this facility has to offer. He has his hand cannon out and ready to fire when a cheetah-wolf runs past him at breakneck him which causes him to raise an eye ridge as he recognizes her as Maureen Mahoney with whom he has a "friends with benefits" relationship and while he knows she is almost always in a rush her expression causes him some concerned as she looked like she was running for her life. Then he hears the sound of metal feet rushing to greet him and as a robot that looks like a metal beach ball with metal and circuitry wedge that features a single cyclopean eye with a machine gun levitating above everything accompanied by a robotized skeleton wearing an iron top hat and a black poncho with a red gear as its only decoration, a pony sized multiheaded robot alligator and about ten more generic robot skeletons close behind.
"Tech Rex and its Blood-E-Gear Gang!" Faolart growls and takes aim with his hand cannon and shakes his head in disappointed disbelief. "How times do I have to dismantle you crazy robots until you stay down?"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Faolart O'Connor," Tech Rex beams darkly. "One of the few fleshies I happen to know by name as opposed to reputation. I'd love to have you head on my trophy wall. Murderball, spikes out!"
"You engage in some truly wishful thinking for a robot, Tech Rex," Faolart teases as he tines up a shot with his hand cannon. "Are you sure you don't have an actual brain contained in that metal frame of your?" He then takes his shot and completely obliterates Murderball's CPU located in same box where its electronic eye is located. "That's the spot!"
"Murderball!" Tech Rex screams. "You killed Murderball! That tears it, we're going to kill you slowly and painfully...now?" It has to pause its rant as Faolart throws a powerful EMP grenade at it starts affecting the robots almost immediately. "But...how?"
"I keep toys like that around for just such an emergency." Faolart says before giving Tech Rex a mockling false salute before putting a bullet in its brain box that sends it tumbling. "Well that takes care of them for a little while."
Faolart leans heavily on what he thinks is a solid way wall but is in fact a secret doorway into a hidden chamber. He stumbles in and almost loses his footing as the stench of carnage hits him automatically. The room is pitch black with not a single light source but eventually his eyes adjust to the evergloom and a part of him is wishing his sense were not so well endowed as his vision switch from full color to black and white with fine details abounding as the charnel pit reveals itself to him in full.
The overall ambience of the chamber he now finds himself is exactly the same as any other industrialized slaughterhouse with one eerie and totally significant difference in that unlike others of its kind it is not set up to slaughter non-sentient animals and beasts for consumption as meat foodstuffs but rather it is fully equipped to render sentient beings into little more than mass produced meat product for sale and consumption by the general populace of the galaxy where such products are legal to dispense as well as labeling for the deceptive practice of again selling this vile goods in areas where the process of producing them is entirely illegal on more developed worlds and where the practice might be seen as appalling on other less developed worlds where such ideas are not routinely considered as part of a free and open market system. Chains and video cameras abound as if the killings and mutilations that occur hear are either recorded for later sale or worse livestreamed in special events with a cabinet nearby filled to capacity with samples of previous works that are probably available for purchase or streaming on demand on various sites if one were brave and resourceful enough to look deep enough to find such things. As he approaches the one end the floor automatically recedes to reveal a tank of water, expertly maintained but currently devoid of inhabitation according to his display which shows that the shark tank is a passageway to another chamber that in the current situation bears enough possibility to be worth investigating.
"Great spirits of nature," O'Connor prays intently as he casts a spell he is all too aware of. "Grant your humble champion the means to survive and maybe even thrive in such an environment that would otherwise be somewhat toxic."
An aura of pure energy providing him with clean air to breathe surrounds Faolart O'Connor as he takes out his sonic rifle because while the usual sensors feeding his cybernetics are usually quite accurate he has come across things that make all that sophistication null and void and for that he has the weapon drawn and ready to fire although his internal jukebox starts to play Lana Lane's "Souls of the Mermaids" in his head. He travels through the flood passageway to find it to be yet another holding area for mermaids and other such beings which causes him to shake his head and moves on as a hard shell mollusk the size of a king sized bed stirs in response to this intrusion to its domain. Sentience can be something of a sliding scale especially when applying such a status to an alien creature especially when meeting it for the first time.
Later on when he does research on the thing, Faolart will discover this thing is commonly known as a wave slaver and is a lesser known agent of the Shadow Syndicate although whether they are general malcontents or serve an unknown upper echelon entity is currently unknown. As far as to some details about them they have been designated as the monster type aberration with a psychic sub division as the thing is known to be able to utilize psychic powers to help them pacify a target and communicate with others when they can be bothered to do so. Its diet is not well understood but it seems to prefer to eat sentient beings to other types of prey and the exact reasons for this are unknown.
The wave slaver stalks Faolart O'Connor as he swims through its territory with some dark intent upon his person as creatures of this type take an interest in an individual is almost always either as a slave for its use or to be sold or its hungry and wants to eat said individual. For his part, Faolart is sufficiently paranoid that the idea of a psycho psychic giant clam stalking him for snacking or worse is actual a comfort as the trip so far has been entirely too uneventful. Which is why at a random point he whirls around and shoots the thing.
Hairline fractures appear on the shell from sonic damage done from the ranger's rifle which only seems to infuriate it. It lets loose a psychic scream that causes Faolart no end of mental anguish as well as physical pain and suffering. With grim determination O'Connor presses on and keeps firing his weapon which cause the fracturing to get even worse as there is no cover as Faolart keeps making his way to the other side of the pool where the area that enticed him to enter the water in the first place is. Finally Faolart decides he is feeling pickish himself and tosses a plasma grenade at the thing that it gulps down eagerly only to get roasted from within as the grenade explodes and delivers the final blow.
Near exhausted, Faolart climbs out of the moon pool to find himself in a kind of cafeteria area of the facility which intrigues him darkly as he approaches a refrigerated glass case in which is what looks to be a masterfully rendered set of sushi rolls. Clam, oyster, salmon, crab, all the kinds of seafood he actually enjoys eating as a sushi roll with teriyaki sauce on the side for dipping. Without hesitation Faolart sits down and eats the sushi which at first bite is satisfying but once they mix in his stomach the trap is sprung.
The sushi he just consumed was the prize offered to entice his participation but it was also a trap laid out specifically to murder him with a special poison that was undetectable until it was far too late. Faolart slumps onto the table as the poison forces him into the dream lands where something awaits to deal with him once and for all. Rain continually falls in the dreamscape of a ruined city in which something resembling a shadowy kaiju lurks and in his head Saturate's "Concrete Island" starts to play..
Its name is known to Faolart: Umbrakill the Dream Stalker and it has a reputation of killing people in their sleep as its domain apparently the dream lands. Its form is a lump of shadow flesh that almost looks one of the ghosts in the classic video game of Pac-Man if it wasn't literally as big as a house. Eyes and mouths appear and disappear in random places all over its body and in seemingly random si
Umbrakill raises a pseudopod in O'Connor's general direction as its eyes collectively blink as one following which the false limb in question explodes into thousands of shards of solidified shadow the vomit forth like a shotgun blast which forces Faolart to dive for cover and avoid getting hurt as he tries to draw a weapon only to find he has none. Most people would be panicking at this point but the ranger merely concentrates and tries again imagining an energy bow for his use and trough sheer force of will makes one manifest in his hand. Channeling his own inner fire of pure hatred, the compound bow he manifests an arrow of pure plasma energy that he then fires after taking careful aim to ensure that the weapon strikes true.
Strike true it does indeed as the plasma energy arrow splashes against the inky darkness that comprises the whole of Umbrakill's form. There is nothing to ignite so that is all it does but that is enough to send the thing reeling. It can't show emotions but the blow hurt Umbrakill which shocks it to its core and frightens the aberration no end as none of its previous victims were able to fight back, but none of its previous victims were rangers well trained in the profession of monster hunter.
Umbrakill may have set up this dreamscape to be like any other it has used to murder its victim quickly and utterly but through sheer force of will control of the dreamscape can be contested and currently that control belongs to Faolart and he is using that to his advantage. Umbrakill starts to phase out so it can regroup its thoughts and come up with a better plan of action to complete its mission of eliminating Faolart O'Connor once and for all but as it tries to go out of this version of reality it finds its efforts refuted. Umbrakill assault shotguns its attacks to try and trick its target into making it easier to kill it but Faolart is having none of it as he ups the environmental threat level from merely being a torrential rainfall into a fully realized thunderstorm that strikes the monster with a random lightning bolt.
Waves of darkness flood the scene as Umbrakill collapses itself in and effort to overwhelm the ranger with its very essence in an effort to maybe drown him but instead have only given him a broader target to shoot at. Faolart is starting to get annoyed and thus he drops something he doesn't carry himself in the from of a holy water hand grenade which creates a column of holy light that causes Umbrakill to recoil in disgust and pain as it definitely counts as something unholy. It still wavers although it is overly obvious that it is severely injured.
Two plasma grenades later the dream stalker is dealt with and Faolart returns to the waking word with a boost to his mental abilities. The battle in the dream lands has left him exhausted in the waking world and he is not sure if he should go back through that passage again in case there is another one of those things in there. Upon further investigation O'Connor finds out that he found a monitoring station for an overseer which includes something of a luxurious sleeping chamber and while the rest of the cafeteria is empty it is obvious that quality foodstuffs were once stored here and of course there is a room full of monitors connected to security cameras both obvious and hidden.
The ranger watches with grim satisfaction as the Blood-E-Gear gang faces off against a formless spawn with predictable results as Tech Rex is left running for its "life" while the ooze consumes its minions, although the self-destruction of the minions does destroy it eventually. Thoroughly amused by that course of action he looks to see how many other survivors there are and doesn't find too many. Death Squad #13 is fully alive of course, and satisfying enough the Ballistic Bankster is not, but Maureen is hanging on, if just barely but is currently being stalked by the Death Squad. Utilizing the internal communicator he has a part of his cybernetics suite he gives Miss Mahoney a discreet call.
"Maureen!" Faolart whispers harshly, "Can you hear me, bitch? You can respond how you like but I can see you and the trouble you're in right now." "Faolart?" Maureen harshly whispers her inquiring reply. "Where are you? Us kymera are getting slaughtered out here. The sushi apparently was a fucking lie!" "Not a lie, love," Faolart says affectionately. "Just well hidden." "Son of a bitch!" Maureen returns with mock anger. "You ate didn't you?"
"Yup, it was actually nice, I think I actually got smarter, after I temporarily murdered Umbrakill that is." Faolart openly admits.
"Shit!" Maureen retorts. "The sushi was a trap? Glad it was you then, no offense love, but you're better prepared than most of us to go mano e mano with that bastard."
"None taken," Faolart returns with wry amusement. "Would it be safe to assume you would like some help?" "Sure, I'd love some respite from senior psychopath and his murderous minions." Maureen states sarcastically. "How near are you?"
"I found a monitoring room, near the area you ran past me with Tech Rex and his gang hot on your heels." O'Connor openly admits. "I "discovered" a hidden sentient slaughterhouse with a flooded containment area leading to a moon pool access portal to where I am now." "And by discovered you mean you almost tripped and fell on it after putting your weight on it?" Mahoney sarcastically inquires. "I know you, Art, I love you for your way of blundering through subtle clues that are sometimes laid out for us when we are part of the same adventuring party. Sometimes as a brother, sometimes more. And if you manage to extricate me from my current situation I may just give you a nookie reward."
"You're endangered to the point you're looking a funerary plots in between reloadings and this puts you in the mood!?!" Faolart inquires incredulously.
"Um, yeah?" Maureen responds with a guilty grin before heaving a heavy and guilt-ridden sigh before putting her head down shamefully. "yeah"
"Luckily for you, I'm in Hero mode," Faolart admits in a tone that is half shameful and half prideful. "And there is a motor pool near me, so I'll come to you. Afterwards we have to find a star port and get out of here. By the way, Bankster's got his ticket punched. I know you and he had a thing." "Had is the key word there, Art," Maureen growls. "Sorry, he's been such a prick since he got access to that vault of toys and bling that he's turned insufferable. I left him to wallow in his gilded misery."
"Well, he's going to find out just how far Rapid Extractions On-Demand Bonewagon will go for a client. I just hope for his sake he invested in platinum." Faolart jokes.
"Get your fat tail over her and help me already!" Maureen orders even as she is convulsing in laughter.
Faolart and Maureen share a laugh as he slides down a pole to the motor pool and selects a mini walker tank as his ride. The control and passenger compartment is an armored howdah on top of a mechanized arachnid with twin plasma forks and a dragon cannon the vehicle well earns its nickname of Volcanic Scorpion. Six legs propels the vehicle forward but it does cost O'Connor some credits as it implants an interface jack into his spine as a requirement for piloting said mini tank, fortunately he has a separate fund to cover such things and there is more than enough in the account to cover the new addition.
He grimaces as the piece is put in but shakes his head as this is something he was saving up for. And once the jack is installed then he can link up with vehicle's own CPU. Once everything is synched up he starts the thing rolling and the opposition between him and Maureen for the most part are not up to par to him with his new toy. Death Squad #13 would be a challenge though as they have taken out mini-tanks like this on their own before and with Crash and Smash backing them up now, the challenge of taking them out just skyrocketed.
Death Squad #13 is in a "wait and see if some fool tries to rescue the bitch" attitude at present and are just watching for now until the Scorpion arrives. Both hobgoblins go wide eyed as they knew about that particular mini tank and had plans to claim it as a command vehicle once Brutalis had claimed and eaten the sushi so they have mixed feelings about this situation. The fact that whoever is piloting the thing needs to die is unquestioned in their minds but how to do that without damaging the actual vehicle too much, especially with a pair of ogres under their command is the real challenge, other than that dealing with the situation should be relatively routine and unchallenging.
Maureen for her part needs no invitation as she clambers into the control howdah and immediately assumes the co-pilot position which Faolart allows without any protest whatsoever. The passenger compartment has enough room to accommodate three individuals the size and girth of Faolart, whom is 6'9" and weigh approximately 354 lbs., so the company they can pick up to join the party so speak is limited but there aren't a whole lot of friends of theirs left. Lorelei Jenkins the bunny-skunk battle bard is first to perk her ears up at the arrival with Takara Yamaha, the tiger-vixen pyscho-witch attending her wounds with provocative lesbian groping added into her bedside manner with no extra charge and were part of the same unit as Maureen and as such they also have a similar relationship to Faolart that she does with Lori being more willing to ride his pole and Taki a little less even if she feels guilty every time she submits to the wolf-bear sexually the feelings he provokes in her means she finds herself needing a DAMN good excuse not to indulge in own wants and desires as Faolart has the distinction of being the only male that has consistently made Takara want to play house with him, a secret she shares with none, at times not even with herself.
Truthfully Lorelei and Takara combined might make one Faolart so they have plenty of room in that passenger compartment which potentially is the problem. Lorelei actually has been diagnosed with both nymphomania and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder as well as being completely and utterly bi-sexual. Takara for her part openly proclaims herself to be a lesbian even if she has feelings for Faolart and that a lot of time she won't admit even to herself but is perfectly willing to play undress-up with Lorelei.
O'Connor aims the cannon at one of the ogres and fires as he makes sure the speakers are loud enough to broadcast music he has downloaded for his personal use and selects the song "Cracker" from Ohgr to be played as he mercilessly blasts the miniature giant. His first shot hits Crash complete center and ends up igniting his uniform which sets him up for another shot that hits him squarely in the face. Smash screams for his partner as the huge lifeless corpse kneels before falling to the floor as the orcs and goblins surge forwards as the bugaboos take up sniper positions.
Goblins are normally hard to hit because of their small size but they are attacking en masse which makes things a little easier as both Lorelei and Takara hold their hand cannons with both hands before firing away as Maureen takes over the actual driving so Faolart can concentrate on shooting. The plasma forks blast forth cones or energy ordinance which roasts goblin and orc alike with survivors getting picked off by the skunk-bunny and the tiger-vixen. As the one song fades off Duran Duran's "Finest Hour" starts to play and pump up the spirits of the kymera involved.
Lorelei and Takara make short work of the goblins and orcs as Faolart takes a shot at Smash and gets a head shot of a sort as the first blast him square in the groin causing the ogre to scream in pain and drop his weapon as both hands go his crotch to try and put the fire out. Faolart take two quick shots to finish the job with the first hitting the ogre to complete the immolation of the uniform followed by a proper head shot. After killing the other ogre the song fades and Lorelei herself steps up to the plate as she belts a Lita Ford style cover of Pat Benetar's "Invincible" all the while setting herself up tactical nuclear rocket launcher sized for a human, Lorelei herself is something along the lines of a supermodel skinny dwarf in her own proportions.
Takara's face takes on a knowing smirk as she alters reality so a version of Lorelei that actually knows what the fuck she's doing takes over and fires the weapon properly and manages to kill all the bugaboos in one fell swoop as well as Venomona. Brutalis was spared a good portion of the radiation from the blast due to Venomona's sacrifice but with her went his heart as she was the love of his life. Denied the life he wanted by her death, Brutalis activates his own plasma sword and walks out and challenges Faolart to meet him for a final duel.
Amused by his audacity, Faolart accepts his challenge by activating his plasma axe and striding out to meet the villain. Brutalis asks if O'Connor is overcompensating for something with his massive weapon that the wielder needs both hand upon its shaft to keep everything going in the right way but Faolart responds by taking a swipe at the hobgoblin that he barely manages to deflect with his sword as Disturbed's "Warrior" starts to play. A dark and dangerous smirk plays on Brutalis's face as he starts a flurry of attacks that Faolart is barely able to block and dodge.
"You fancy yourself a warrior?" Brutalis mockingly inquires of his opponent. "How quaint, it's a wonder that you have the harem that you do. Or do they all just hope to be satisfied?"
"This from an alleged male who prefers to stick his dick in goblins rather than his own kind." Faolart retorts. "Or is it they cunts are the only ones your own pathetic dagger can be sheathed instead having a proper soft sword?"
"How dare you!!" Brutalis screams as he tries to chop something off of the wolf-bear only to have the ranger sidestep him and chop off his left leg at the knee.
"Oooh!" O'Connor taunts. "You can dish it out but can't take it? I think Lori did your woman a favor as now you can no longer disappoint her."
"You'll pay for that, kymera!" Brutalis growls as he psychically causes a hail of stones to barrage his opponent.
"You'll have to do better than that," Faolart challenges as the song being played changes to "Indestructible" by the same artist. "Would it help if I told you the female I call mother is an elf? She is a morphen but still an elf."
"Die you weak abomination!" Brutalis screams as once again Faolart sidesteps him only to chop him in half.
"You're the one who's pathetic." Faolart asserts before decapitating his opponent to ensure his doom.
Disturbed's cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" blares as Faolart rejoins his "harem" as Brutalis put it to shame him and put him off his game but Faolart just ignored him as he took care of business and all three female kymera cheer him as he rejoins them. But even as they greet him all three ladies have a song in their hearts as they regard what Faolart means to them. For Maureen, Janet Jackson's "Again" plays as she questions whether it is right to let her heart and libido guide her in terms in what she wants from him as Takara hears Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" as she bitterly battles between her lesbian leanings and never needing to get humped by a male ever again and the deep affection she feels for this particular male because of how he treats her and how special he makes her feel when they do spend intimate time together all the while Lorelei belts her own cover of Gunther's "Ding Dong Song" complete with original background music as she sings both male and female parts.
Everyone else in the party gives her "the look" then they glance at each other and shrug their shoulders as they consider the source. Then they go back to piloting the mech to the starport as the radio plays Sade's "Smooth Operator" which causes everyone in the vehicle to raise an eye ridge but shrug their shoulders as they move on. Nothing happens as the next two songs are the Miami Sound Machine's "Falling in Love" followed by Gloria Estefan's "Cuts Both Ways" before switching to "I Saved the World Today" by the Eurhythmics which plays as they enter the hanger to try and find something that will take them out of here.
They find a medium sized flying saucer that will carry the scorpion and themselves just fine but there is a problem in that there is a moon beast occupying it when they arrive. Faolart knows all too well what the thing is as to everyone else it looks like a titanic white skinned toad whose face has been replaced by a mass of tentacles that prompts Lorelei to do a cover of the Eurythmics song "Sweet Dreams are made of these" which causes Maureen and Takara to drop their jaws and give her the classic "WTF" look as Faolart just rolls his eyes before explaining just what this thing is and why they need to kill it. After the data dump, everyone takes out a hand cannon and leaps from the scorpion as the moon-beast surges forward to smash it.
Lorelei starts to do a cover of the Beastie Boys song "You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party" as she and the other members of this makeshift adventuring party turn the hanger into a shooting gallery with the moon-beast as the mutual target. All four of them hit on their first shot which blows back the beast and severely wounds it as it makes a special whine that causes all four kymera to cringe and cover their ears as it is so painful to hear. Three shadow syndicate headhunters descend to defend the moon-beast as well as collect their brains to further their own evolution.
Headhunters are some of the worst monster within the Shadow Syndicate and a well-known threat to the galaxy at large. The crab like aberrations with beards of grasping tentacles, a suite of glowing eyes set in the front of its carapace and gel domed bubbles all over their bodies just large enough apiece to store a single sentient brain. Unbeknownst to the general populace but well known to rangers and other assorted monster hunters like O'Connor collecting the brains of sentient being grants them power and while they are called headhunters, it's the brains of a given individual they are after.
Faolart notes that none the three have any brains in their bubbles which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's a bad thing because it means all three are desperately hungry for brains and the four of them just happen to have theirs which makes them prime targets for the monster. On the other paw having no brains makes them especially weak so it shouldn't take too much to kill them is the initial thought that comes into Faolart's mind quickly refuted with the voice of cynicism telling him not to wager anything on that assumption.
The first volley of gunfire from the quartet all hit the same target once again and causes it to falter as the other two race forth to be the first one to consume a brain and thus make themselves that much more powerful as Faolart studies all three and finds them standard for their kind to which he breathes a sigh of relief. Takara and Maureen scream in terror and each target a different headhunter for their next shot and while they both hit it was the collective damage that caused the one to faulter and while wounded they press on with each of them as Lorelei concentrates on killing the one they started and puts two shots that almost finishes it off while Faolart shows off by firing his weapon three times, and hits every single time, outright killing the one and just putting more hurt on the other two. Faolart starts to sing his own cover of "You're going down" by the Sick Puppies as a way of goading the enemy into doing something stupid.
The last two headhunters change course and converge on Faolart who takes another three quick shots that finishes off his shell total but hits all three targets once again which this time includes the moon-beast as their success emboldens everyone else to take two shots instead of one this time with Maureen and Takara each shooting at a single target and Lorelei splitting hers between the two which slows them down enough for Faolart have the time to reload but only does so after executing a double noggin knocker on the headhunters which ends of killing them both. The three girls still have ammo in their guns so they run forth as a unit guns blazing which ends up taking the moon-beast out in a hail of bullets. Faolart laughs as he hauls the other corpses on board while Maureen gets the spider on board and after everything is stored and secured they leave the moon behind as they look to each with a smirk and a nod as they make their way back home, although Faolart insists they pick up the Stooge brothers once they enter the planet's main atmosphere as he is worried about what trouble they'll get themselves into without his direct supervision.