Clockwork Carnage
Clockwork Carnage
A zeppelin approaches a canyon cliff face city like those in the American southwest. Far below is a raging river that floods the whole of the canyon floor. Suspended between the cliffs are a web of scaffolding that includes a set of train tracks and a bridge leading from the station to the city proper.
One of the clay towers has docking facilities specifically for airships to visit the city proper. A black furry grizzly bear in black leather chaps, blue jeans, boots, black shirt with red vest and a double action revolver in his gun belt walks down the gangplank as an old human prospector looks on and checks his jug of moonshine to make sure he's not seeing things. The bear smiles and nods to the human and then calls back to the zeppelin.
"Willie!" The bear hollers, "What is keeping you, woman?"
"Go on ahead, Kody," A female voice calls out from the zeppelin's interior, "I want to do some experiments."
"Kodyax von Shrecken?" The prospector asks.
"Aye, that's who I am," Kodyax states to identify himself. "Are you Moonshine Tommy?"
"What is Miz Weezelle lookin' fer in these parts?" Tommy asks.
"She built herself a new toy she wants to test out," Kodyax admits. "I hope the saloon still has the same entertainments I remember from the last time I was here."
"The only thing that's changed about the entertainments around these parts," Tommy says with a lecherous leer, "is that you beast folk have made things mighty interesting. Of course Cliffville don't take too kindly to humans and beast folk mixing for the most part."
"Has Mayor Gump made it illegal for certain things to happen?" Kody asks as he makes his way to the winding stairs down to the saloon so he can register the zeppelin and their arrival.
"Not yet, but it ain't fer a lack of tryin'," Tommy states and then looks to heaven, "I thank the Good Lord every mornin' for that. Especially when Lorelei brings me coffee at breakfast."
Kodyax just shakes his head and goes downstairs into the saloon proper below which are the bath houses which feature some fairly inspired methods of getting a nice size bath for someone like him to soak in. The proprietress of the establishment, the Tower of Pleasure, is an old turtle who loves her gossip and regularly tells the local rag who has been in her establishment, especially if he or she has been famous or infamous. Everyone who frequents her place calls her Madame T out of respect mostly and when Kodyax walks down the circular stair he sees the old turtle girl fondling a blonde haired, blue eyed female human as if assessing her for work in the various duties of the place.
Cassandra, the potential waitress and courtesan being "interviewed" notices Kodyax first and almost misses a question posed my Madame T because of it. Madame T is at first cross with Cassandra until she notices Kodyax. Kodyax is approaching the females who are both smiling at him lustily.
"Well, hello, Kodyax!" T says quite loudly. "Long time no see, pardner, whatcha need?"
"A good soak to start with," Kodyax admits. "Followed by something to eat, drink and some fun; Willie spent most of the trip going over the ship or in her lab."
"Par the course with that mink," T says with a heavy sigh. "She keeps a big man like you around to keep her safe from everything but herself. Does she still forget to dress every now and again?"
"I will only say I had the opportunity to surprise her on a few occasions to get a certain itch of mine scratched and leave it at that." Kodyax says with a smirk. "Who's the new girl?"
"Cassandra Kane, sir," The blonde says to identify herself. "I was passing through and found that I ran out of funds. So I decided to find a job and earn some cash to keep going."
"Any relation to that old sinner, Solomon?" Kodyax asks point blank.
"I think he's hanging somewhere in the family tree," Cassandra says in an attempt at gallows humor. "I take it, you're the von Shrecken I keep hearing about in these parts?"
"Guilty as charged, ma'am," Kodyax admits. "I'm mainly known for my brawn and modest skill with a shotgun but I take down abominations whenever I can."
"Modest the man says," T says with a sardonic chuckle, "this from a bear who took a Colt revolving shotgun, took on a tentacle worm and not lived to tell the tale; killed the varmint!"
"I have a hot tub heating up in the water level, Kody," T says.
"I left my guns on the Clockwork Cloud," Kodyax states. "I know better than to defy Mayor Gump's edict about firearms in Cliffville."
"You don't need guns to deal with most threats in town, Kody," T says with a nod as she watches the bear strip off his clothes and put them in a square hole in the wall after paying her for his stay. As soon as he climbed down the stone ladder to the water level she turns to Cassandra. "That bear once killed a deputy in a bar fight when the human got a little too ornery and started harassing my girls, human and beast folk alike. He did it with natural weapons to boot which is why that tyrant Gump hates our kind. Sure he can control the guns in town and the knives and other manufactured weapons. But we beast folk have our natural ways of killing that can't be taken away from us by some legal writ. If you work me and you feel like you could be in danger, find Kody or one of the bigger beast folk I hire or give special privileges to, Kodyax and the others like earn it."
"I heard some grumblings about that before I suddenly found myself without funds," Cassandra says. "Probably the same scallywag that helped himself to my wallet."
"Who was doing the mumbling?" T asks. "And is there any reason I thought I saw your eyes light up when Kody walked in?"
"At this point, I'm almost through with males of my own species," Cassandra admits. "I am open to finding the biggest beast folk I can find and see how it feels to have him between my legs."
"One word of caution, dear," T says in motherly manner. "Don't try for the horses or the bulls that come in here. Kodyax is big but I know you can handle him." She fondles Cassandra's clit as she says this. "Taking on anything bigger could very well wreck you. And if Black Bart Backlash comes in, avoid him like the fucking plague; he has a bad habit of taking girls like you and fucking them to death."
"I'll keep that in mind," Cassandra says. "What is Kodyax's preference if I may ask?"
"He likes blondes," T says as she caresses Cassandra's ass. "But not so much reptiles like me. He like humans though, vixens, cats of any type, sheep when we can keep them, skunks, he does Wilhelmina Weezelle, his boss, whenever he can and she's a mink and from time to time when he's deep in his cups he pines for a lady bear..."
"Mind if I take a turn at him then?" Cassandra says with a coy wink.
"Go right ahead," T says with a lusty smirk. "I give patrons like Kody special considerations for breaking in new girls."
The pair share a conspiratorial grin between themselves as Cassandra climbs down the ladder to the water level. The water level of the Tower is constantly flooded to ankle level for safety reasons as Madame T figures folks won't go running around when they can slip so easily and the water serves as a cushion at times. This works in theory but not so much in fact as a few folks have drowned by slipping into the deeper pits from which it's hard to get out of for most humans; beast folk still have claws on their toes so it's a little easier for them.
Cassandra knows this full well and takes her time exploring the area. What Cassandra neglected to tell Madame T is that she is a bounty hunter by trade specializing in monster killing, and beast folk used to be on that list of targets but she killed a fellow hunter who happened to be a beast folk and she has to do penance for her sins, fucking beast folk males is part and parcel to her redemption in her own mind. Lorelei Lop, the rabbit Tommy was talking about, a pink furred rabbit with long blonde hair, is currently making her way to attend someone with shampoo on a tray and not a stitch of clothing and she looks askance of Cassandra.
It was her brother that Cassandra killed on mere suspicion of being a trouble maker. Although like the critters they evolved from, Lori is short and comes from a huge family. She has many "friends with benefits" in Cliffville that she plays with which only enhances the reputation of her people, she knows but doesn't really care, and Kodyax is among those whose pole she likes to ride.
"New hire?" Lorelei asks of Cassandra.
"Yeah," Cassandra admits. "I was told to attend the bear that just came down here."
"Follow me," Lorelei orders and in her head wonders how easy it would be to drown this human bitch so she can have Kody all to herself, "I'm bringing this shampoo for him."
"Alright," Cassandra says and has similar thoughts as they wind their way to the deep pit of hot water where Kodyax is half dosing but glares at both of them as if he can sense what they are both contemplating.
"I get two girls this time?" He asks in a manner that tells the human and the bunny they are going to be working together on Kodyax today whether they like it or not. "Make sure you teach her right, Lore."
"Yes, Kody," Lorelei coos as she gets the inference that grants her some command over Cassandra by virtue of experience.
Lorelei has Cassandra scrub Kody's back while she does the same to his hair with her tits in the face of the bear on purpose so he can lick and suckle them. Cassandra is a little jealous as she presses her breasts into his back and her slit rides his spine. Kodyax is getting excited sexually from all this attention and his cock is out and hard in no time but only Cassandra is aware of it as her feet touch it as she scrubs him.
Cassandra slides herself around to Kody's front in the guise of doing her job as she holds the bear's cock in her hand. Lorelei can feel Cassandra's tits brush against her back as she is eaten out by Kodyax and realizes he has a hard on already and she's too short to try and suck him off. When Cassandra mounts the bear, the rabbit smirks and shakes her head but doesn't begrudge the human as Kodyax changes his position to enable himself to pound the pussy of the huntress that dared to mount him.
Once Kodyax takes over Cassandra just lets him do as he pleases with an eye to watch what Lorelei is doing so she doesn't get drowned and end up in a stew pot. Lorelei is busy sucking on Kody's scrotum as he fucks Cassandra so the human is in no danger yet, although, just to be spiteful, the bunny does take a long handled brush and shoves it in the human female's anus.
Kodyax is ignorant of the fact that Lorelei is masturbating Cassandra's back door with a brush but he is compensating for it none the less as he licks and suckles on Cassandra's tits as best he can as he shoves his tool in her box, almost takes it out and thrusts back with authority. Cassandra is almost glassy eyed as she gets fucked by the bear and masturbated by the rabbit; she'd grip something with white knuckles if there was something to grab as her toes curl in ecstasy. Lorelei smirks to herself as she's sort of enjoying breaking in this human; granted she wishes she was the one getting banged by the bear but she'll get her chance later she reckons.
The three of them could go at this all day but a noise from above them gives Kodyax cause to pause. He would have pulled out entirely but he is almost knotted with Cassandra so he takes his time extricating himself. It sounded like an explosion and given the kinds of things Willie likes to play with, Kody is afraid it's an experiment gone wrong.
Both Cassandra and Lorelei just watch as the bear climbs the stair as quickly as he can. They blink and look at each other as if either one has the answer as to what spurred the bear into action. Then the whole chamber rocks as if at ground zero as a ton of dynamite just went off.
"What in the name all that is holy and unholy was that!?!" Cassandra thunders. "It felt like a massive explosion...right below us..." Then she looks at Lorelei.
"You think we should follow him?" Lorelei asks as the water level starts to rise. "Why is the water rising? We have systems in place to keep that from happening."
"I'm getting to higher ground," Cassandra announces and makes her way to the ladder as quickly as she dares to keep from slipping.
"I think that's probably wise," Lorelei says as the water is now high enough for her that swimming is an option.
As the water level rises the sounds of machinery starts to be audible. Distant and vague at first but growing louder and more distinct with each passing minute, the sounds of gears on gears like some clockwork creature coming closer is becoming more and more recognizable. This does not sit well with Cassandra even if Lorelei has no idea as to what could be happening.
The knowledge as to what this might be spurs Cassandra to throw caution to the wind as she does not want to be in a flooded room naked and unarmed if what she thinks is on its way arrives and is looking for blood as it is wont to do. Willie Weezelle calls her airship the Clockwork Cloud more out of whimsy than anything else, but she is mostly unaware of the fact that the same sort of fool scientists that created their kind so many years ago also created clockwork critters that were designed to kill other humans quickly and efficiently. Some of these clockwork creatures eventually became self aware and turned on their masters.
Cassandra climbs out the area as quickly as she can thinking Lorelei is right behind her. However, when she gets back to the saloon she reaches back to help the bunny but finds she isn't there but a pair of angry red eyes glowingly glare at her below. Willie is actually in the bar when Kodyax comes up and finds her there getting static from the local constabulary.
Kodyax dresses quickly and mentally prepares for a fight as Cassandra jumps back from the square hole leading below in a hysterical manner. Madame T gives her a weird look as Cassandra looks for Kodyax desperately. For his part, Kodyax makes a beeline for Willie to make sure the hombre giving her a hard time backs off.
"And what exactly are you testing around here, Missy?" Deputy Maxwell Cilantro demands to know of Willie Weezelle.
"I have numerous experiments to perform," Willie answers somewhat honestly. "None of which I care to discuss in public."
"Is this human bothering you, Willie?" Kodyax asks as he stands behind the deputy.
"I'll bother whomever I please, boy," Deputy Cilantro growls before he gets his head bounced off the table and slammed onto the floor.
"KODYAX!!!" Cassandra screams as she runs into the saloon. "You need to get the biggest, nastiest gun you got and get it fast!"
"Whoa! I'm the law around here, not him!" Max growls.
"Then go to the ladder to the water room and take a look at what's coming up!" Cassandra challenges. "I doubt you have the ordinance to make a difference."
Deputy Max Cilantro storms out of the saloon with his revolver drawn and goes to where Cassandra indicated he should go. Upon looking over and into the pit leading down to the now completely flooded water level a steel tentacle rockets forth and impales itself in his braincase. It then pulls his corpse into the water as a horrified Madame T watches and cowers.
Kodyax was watching in casual amusement until the deputy was massacred without a shot fired.
"How far along are those explosives you're making for the Union army that we were discussing also offering to the Confederate army?" Kodyax asks of Willie.
"I want to do some field tests," Willie says as if nothing is out of the ordinary here. "This seems like as good an occasion as any to test them out. They're in my lab in the hazardous materials vault."
"The keys," Kodyax says and holds out his and paw.
"In the key case which I keep locked," Willie says as she realizes and hands over a key to Kodyax.
"I'll be right back," Kodyax promises and rushes off to get the experimental explosives.
"Does she not realize what's going on?" Cassandra whispers to Madame T.
"Willie is one them mad scientists, hun," T says in a low voice. "She ain't quite right in the head."
Five minutes later Kodyax comes running back with a satchel of wind up grenades that that he primes and tosses into the well and then gets a safe distance away with his shotgun drawn. The bombs go off as planned as the backsplash threatens to flood the saloon. Then it rises out of the well with a bad attitude.
Tentacles lash out of the well at first to secure a purchase for the rest of the body. A black rubber body that vaguely looks like a human skull blown up to the size of a rain barrel is hauled up and lights in the eye sockets glare around the room for victims and spots the saloon and hears the murmur of voices. Madame T gives of a shriek and tries to run to safety only to be speared by a tentacle and dragged towards the mouth of the thing.
Among his many faults, Kodyax is in touch with the hero within himself and he does his best to rescue Madame T as he blasts the thing with his shotgun. Unfortunately the shot just bounces off of the thing's rubbery skin and kills Madame T. Now Kodyax is angry as the thing gets closer and draws his Bowie knife and charges. Cassandra and all the other humans look at the bear as if he's lost his mind as Willie just calmly drinks her beer and asks him not to break into too many pieces.
Kodyax has not lost his mind, just changing tactics as the thing just stands there and goes through it's parameters to decide what it should do. Fortunately for Kody that's pretty much the worse course of action it could have taken as it gives the bear time to close into melee. It waves its tentacles to try and capture the bear and while it succeeds that tactic allows Kodyax to sever a tentacle and it only has ten to use.
It needs at least four tentacles to get around but can move faster with six tentacles which it uses and sends four to capture its opponent. Kodyax having the wherewithal to attack its tentacles directly also did not figure as he goes through all four of the tentacles it sent to capture him with great ferocity. The thing starts to retreat when Kodyax tries his shotgun again, this time at extremely close range.
The lamps in the eye sockets shatter and the thing roars in pain as a ticking sound can be clearing heard. Willie walks up and sets up some screens around the thing and looking mighty bored as she does so. One of the screens has a doohickey that Willie plays with for a few seconds before grabbing Kodyax's crotch and leads him back to her table with a smirk.
Willie keeps her hand down Kodyax's pants and fondles him as they watch with Willie taking notes as she observes. The thing explodes but the debris is contained within the cordon of screens. In fact the screens may bulge from the explosion but remain in place as if absorbing the blast.
After the explosion, Willie examines the screens and finds them no worse for wear and makes notes of that as she turns one around and takes measurements of temperature among other things and records that as well. All in all Wilhelmina acts as this was all some big experiment and now she is going to record the results which disturbs folks something fierce. Kodyax just drinks his beer and shakes his head.
Behind the action the saloon doors leading out into the city proper swing open as a group of male humans walk in as the saloon musicians play something ominous. A great ball of a man with short blonde hair and the ruddy complexion of a man who is never happy unless he makes others downright miserable waddles in as everyone watches in fear. He is flanked by bodyguards who look like they were hired more for their ability to crack skulls than use their own in any meaningful capacity.
Lord-Mayor Roscoe Filbert Gump glowers at all the beast folk in attendance as if their very presence somehow deeply offends him to the core of his being. Master T, Madame T's husband and rarely seen partner in the business comes out to greet Mayor Gump who looks like he's ready to bust a rivet as he just fumes for the moment. The fact that Kodyax has his shotgun out isn't helping matters.
"Just what in tarnation was all the ruckus over here, T!" Gump demands to know at full volume. "And who gave that fucking bear a gun!"
"It's my gun, Gump, and I needed it to deal with the ruckus," Kodyax says as one of the four hairless gorillas goes to hit him for daring to speak out turn. "Try it and take a bath."
"Speak when..." The flunkie starts to growls when Kodyax grabs him and throws into the wall leading to the well that used to be the water level hard enough to crack his skull.
"Anyone else need a bath or do you want to actually use your noggin fer a change?" Kodyax growls as the other three look at each other then at their boss.
"Is the addle brained bitch picking up the pieces?" Gump inquires.
"Yeah, the thing just exploded," Cassandra states and another gorilla tries to slap her but gets a quick kick between the sticks for his trouble that forces him to kneel on the floor.
"Do not act unless I tell you boys," Gump growls to his gunsels. Then he looks to Kodyax, "Where is Cilantro?"
"I don't know to be honest," Kodyax replies, "the thing that was attacking us grabbed him and we haven't seen him since."
"T, I need a conference room." Gump says plainly.
"I have one available," T says, "Follow me please."
"Shrecken, I want to talk to you privately," Gump says in a manner that practically commands him to follow. "I'd say bring Miss Weezelle, but I know better."
"I'll bring your meal into you, Kody," T says as Kodyax follows Gump more to get the meeting over with than anything else.
"I'll get right to it," Gump states once they are in the room and his remaining leg breakers are outside guarding their privacy. "From what I could see of the debris you probably took out one of the things that have been causing trouble today." Kodyax is about to say something when Gump puts up a hand to stop him. :"Let me finish, please, yes, there have been multiple rubber skulls causing trouble and killing folks at random. They are some kind of automaton, but that's all I know." Cassandra Kane, in a pink leather outfit that looks like it's made to protect her as much as accentuate her figure, brings in beer for all three of them as well as a cheeseburger and fries for Kodyax. "And you are?"
"Cassandra Kane," Cassandra says plainly. "I'm a travelling card witch. I was going to just try and hide here as a simple saloon wench until those things came and made themselves known."
"You're also a professional Monster Hunter," Gump says plainly. "I think you should pool resources with the freaks here for a spell."
"I intend very much to work with the hybrids, Mister Mayor, you fat piece of shit," Cassandra growls, "I expect payment though. I don't work for free."
"You will be well rewarded I assure you," Gump growls.
"You'll stand still long enough for me to get a god shot off?" Kodyax asks facetiously.
"You'll do it so I won't have every law man in twenty miles after your worthless hide and so I won't put a bounty..." Gump thunders before Kodyax puts the barrel of his shotgun in Gump's face. "Let's not be so hasty, shall we?" He looks at Cassandra for some assistance.
"I'm not going to lift a finger, fat boy," Cassandra promises. "As far as I'm concerned, the bear would be doing the human race a favor by taking you out."
"Fine..." Gump starts to say when his muscle gets the message that their boss is being threatened and bust in.
Cassandra draws her double action Peacemakers and shoots both men dead as Kodyax paints the room red with his shotgun. Turtles come in and drag the bodies away as Master T comes in to take Gump's place at the table. Lines of worry and age paint Master T's face as he heave a heavy sigh as he addresses the pair.
"I really wish you hadn't done that," Master T says and sighs again. "But he was on the right track. I'll get compensation from the city coffers but I'll hire both of you. Kody, I'll expect you to get Willie interested in this somehow but we need your hope. Lorelei has not surfaced yet, even as a corpse. I fear the worst. As it is I'm going to have my hands full figuring out a way to get my bath chamber back to where it was."
"What can you tell us, Master T?" Kodyax asks respectfully. "I know you're not going to screw us over unless you have to or it would increase your profit margin enough that the backlash won't matter."
"It would have to one Hell of a pay off," Master T jokes. "I am Beast Folk the same as you. I may still remember bits and pieces of my life as a human prior but I'm old enough to realize I'm better off as a turtle. In any case the attacks started about a month ago, subtle at first but growing bolder with each passing week. This full on assault is the boldest they've gotten."
"Oh, here you are!" Willie says as she enters the conference room. "Good afternoon, Master T, is something wrong? Did my Kodyax do something he shouldn't have?"
"That's rather debatable," Master T says as he takes a moment to contemplate. "But please sit down, I have something I need to talk to you about."
"Alright," Willie says and takes a seat on Kodyax's lap that amuses Cassie. "What's going on? Does it have anything to do with that machine Kody took apart?"
"Yes, a bunch of them have been attacking Cliffville and we need you to find out who is doing this and why," T states.
"I'm sure Kodyax would just love to do this as he has heroic tendencies, a most unfortunate delusion I intend on helping him get rid of some day." Willie says with a wistful sigh. "Can I study anything we encounter later?"
"That's certainly amendable," T says with a nod.
"Alright, I'm on board!" Willie announces, and then she turns to Kodyax. "I think this would be a good opportunity to test out the coach roach."
"Oh, just, wonderful," Kodyax says as he face palms.
"Do I want to know?" Cassandra asks.
"You'll find out soon enough." Kodyax promises.
"Well, that was inspiring," Willie says with an annoyed tone of voice to which Kodyax just glares at her. "It's a perfectly feasible manner of transportation!"
"It's a mechanical cockroach the size of a stagecoach that you designed to be used as a stagecoach!" Kodyax thunders.
"I know I'm going to regret this," Cassandra says. "But this I gotta see!"
Willie grins like a proverbial fiend as the three of them make their way up to the airship where she brings down, just what Kodyax said it was: a steam powered, clockwork cockroach the size of a stagecoach that looks like it can go almost anywhere but most self respecting folks wouldn't want to be caught dead inside of it with all the nasty things attributed to roaches and all. Cassandra shrugs her shoulders as they pile into the buggy, as Willie is wont to call it and as soon as all three are properly seated, she starts making adjustments in the head portion of the vehicle and away they go. Kodyax and Cassandra are on the lookout for more of the creatures as Willie has her coach roach scale down the clay walls of the Tower of Pleasure into the city proper.
Scattered throughout the city are the remains of numerous victims with an assortment of body parts that do not seem to have ready owners near by. Humans and hybrids are among the dead with no preference given to gender or age. Willie is more concerned with keeping her buggy on an even keel that worrying about the carnage around her even if Cassandra is repulsed and Kodyax is wondering just what sort of deranged individual would create such a monster that would be capable of doing this.
The flexible antennae of the coach roach serves as tentacles picking up bodies for Willie to examine as she drives the coach roach. She finds the wounds to be interesting but not much more than a casual glance. When one of the rubber skulls actually attacks them is when she finds some interest as Kodyax blows out the lantern eyes with his shotgun.
As the coach roach moves further into the cliff face city the weirder things become as eyeballs dangle off the walls of the buildings like street lamps. It becomes obvious that the eyes are watching them, which doesn't sit too well with Kodyax who shoots them out with his shotgun. Cassandra does likewise as experience has taught her that whatever sets things like that up is neither very friendly nor in their right minds.
The sounds of chanting in tongues nobody recognizes can be heard faintly before the ear splitting sounds of screams cuts through the chanting like the knife the cultists are probably using to kill the poor girl that made the screams. There is no room to bring the coach roach into the area where the screams are coming from so Cassandra and Kodyax disembark with long arms, a Winchester repeating rifle for Cassandra and a Colt revolving shotgun for Kodyax but Willie elects to stay behind with her contraption.
Or at least that's what she told the human and the bear. However, once they get deep enough into the hole Wilhelmina sets up a field lab next to her vehicle and starts to tinker with the bits and pieces of the thing Kodyax destroyed and she contained. The energy expelled from the explosion is now used to forge a bit of a companion and pet for the mad scientist that she loving calls "it", more for her own whimsy than anything else.
It is still the size of a rain barrel but is more of a rubber ball in shape with four tentacles and the ability to just bounce about for Willie amusement. After quickly looking around, Willie strips herself nude to experiment with the other methods of play she is building it for. Tentacles insert themselves into Willie's ass and pussy in a manner she finds most pleasing before the other two massage her breasts.
"What is she doing?" Cassandra asks of Kodyax in an annoyed fashion.
"I'm sure we'll find out eventually but for right now, we have more important things to do." Kodyax says as he continues on and does his best to ignore the moans of pleasure reverberating down the hallway behind them.
Brown robed cultists rush out of a secret passage in the walls to attack the bear and the human with sickles. Kodyax shields Cassandra with his own body which is much better able to handle the blades than Cassie. At this point he forgets he has a shotgun and starts to bust some heads.
Cassandra picks up Kody's dropped shotgun, which just so happens to be empty in any case and just watches the bear at work. Kodyax grabs the two cultists that attacked him and puts their heads together rather painfully. A third cultist comes at Kodyax with an ax and gets a boot to the head for his trouble.
After the man who was split Kody's skull with an ax drops his weapon, Kodyax picks it up and decapitates him with it. He does the same with the other two unconscious cultists to ensure they won't be waking up and causing trouble for them. He also reloads his shotgun just in case they need to go shooting.
It turns out the one that was screaming was Lorelei but when the pair arrive the High Priest is extracting her heart as part of the sacrifice. As the High Priest holds Lorelei's heart high above his head, Kodyax swings his ax and decapitates the man with one fell swoop. It's only after avenging the bunny the bear realizes a congregation of about five hundred human cultists are now very angry with him.
The cultists all produce knives and begin to move on the interloper en masse. Kodyax has a moment of fear before he switches to his shotgun and starts mowing them down as he makes his get away. Cassandra covers him as they make a fighting retreat back to the coach roach.
When they almost get to the stairwell leading back up to Mina and safety the mastermind of the operation behind the rubber skulls reveals itself. A brain in an industrial sized mason jar sitting on a metal bed with claws and spider legs attached as well as a boiler in the back belching smoke and steam in its space climbs out of a hidden trapdoor just in front of them flanked by four of its rubber skull creations. There may not be a face to read on this brain in a jar but somehow that fact that it's royally pissed off at them comes through loud and clear.
"Oh, look," A voice in the minds of Kodyax and Cassandra says in a mocking tone of voice with utter disdain dripping off of every word. "Heroes, come to stop the mad scientist in his diabolical experiments more than likely. Not that it matters, just another pair of corpses to add to the pile."
"Just one quest, brainiac," Kodyax inquires as he reloads his shotgun. "Are all these rubber skulls dependent on you for anything?"
"I command them," the brain answers, "but killing me won't deactivate them, no."
"Well, that's something, Willie can have a field day dismantling them." Kodyax states.
"Willie?" the brain asks. "Who is Willie? I do hope there is no weird scientist with you that answers to such a juvenile nickname."
"Willie is short for Wilhelmina Weezelle," Mina yells behind them. "And yes I do, it rather amuses me."
"Ah, my former student," the brain says in a patronizing manner. "You disappoint me my dear."
"Aim for the boiler, Kody!" Willie commands and Kodyax shoots rather than verbally answers.
"OW!" The brain yells. "That hurt! Kill them! Kill them all!"
"You first!" Kodyax yells and demolishes the boiler with his shotgun.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The brain yells as its support carriage starts to break down. "Uh, oh! Something is terribly wrong, I feel as if I'm about to explode!"
Kodyax knocks Cassandra to the ground and covers her with his body as the brain in the jar explodes and takes its pets with it. Wilhelmina is protected by her own gadgets that puts up a protective barrier that absorbs the heat of the explosion and uses it to form an energy barrier to turn aside the flying debris. Cassandra wiggles her rump against Kodyax's groin to see if he reacts and is alive.
The reaction she gets is one she was hoping for as the bear pulls down the human's pants and starts to fuck her on the stone floor. Mina is busy picking up spare parts and fails to notice the fact her bodyguard is doing the witch doggy style. Cassandra is smiling all the while as she is getting the full fucking she came here for.
Even when Kodyax knots himself within her, Cassandra is smiling in a lustful manner. Part of her is wishing she was a female bear right now so she could get pregnant. But for right now, having a bear prick in her pussy is what she is content with and enjoying every moment of the experience.
Sheriff Grimly, a weasel of a human male and his posse round up the rest of the cultists, to be hanged later. Master T arranges for a substantial payment to go to both Kodyax and Cassandra with Wilhelmina taking her pay in being allowed to keep all the raw materials from the automatons and what's left of the brain in the jar. As for whose brain was in that jar to begin with, there was not enough anecdotal evidence to definitively prove his or her identity, save they were probably a mad scientist of some stripe and taught Wilhelmina at least some of the tricks of her trade, but those persons were legion as Mina moved from lab to lab in her formative years before striking out on her own.
It remained a secret from Kodyax for all of one day before Cassandra agreed to accompany the hybrids for a spell. Cassandra wants to remain close to Kody and keep an eye on Mina. Once they are well on their way Willie introduce Cassie to It for her to play with and it takes all the mental restraints Cassie has not to attempt to destroy the little thing and offend her host, but she does tell Kodyax about it and he is less than enthusiastic about the whole affair but he has little actual control over Mina, since he is supposed to be her employee and not her boss so he just lets it be and instead takes Cassandra into his bunk so he can nibble on her nipples as part of foreplay before full on fucking her again to the witch's delight.