|
Post by jarahamee on Jan 26, 2023 0:49:32 GMT -6
Cassius laughed. The sound was harsh and wild as he was, and his dark eyes glinted with mischief. He was tired. His body ached. It didn’t like being awake all night, no matter what he did to it. To think that once, he could… do…certain…activities all night long and work as hard as ever the next day. “Alright. This once, I’ll let you pay for breakfast.”
He considered making Agent Groves fight for it, but why should he? This was a success, and celebrations were all fair game. He’d enjoy his morning, feast on steak and eggs with a side of hashbrowns, work and then take a good long nap in his furs to celebrate a job well done. He considered that one of the best possibilities he could have.
“We can discuss my current project then. You don’t need to worry about any input, but I have made a chart to track features, flaws and stability. I think it will be very useful for the final products I am working on.”
Final products.
Features and flaws
What a way of describing what would likely be the end of his life.
The old werewolf rubbed his eye. Sometimes it ached where he had torn out the pierced and infected globe, many years ago. After Rome. Was that in India? He was beginning to lose track of when and where. If he lived long enough, maybe he’d end up being all scars and no man.
A part of him still very much yearned for life, as much as most of him accepted death. Was that the human survival instinct?
He always wondered, why had he never sacrificed his life for his sons? They deserved it, much more than he did. Was it the practical part of him that knew they would never have the skill to make the solution to prolong it? Or was it that cruel, selfish part of him that had always wanted to live, to consider himself more important than others. How could this coexist with his reckless drive to work, to sacrifice?
Surely it wasn’t that he thought himself more important than others because he had a duty… Or was it that the duty itself was more important than everyone?
Cassius pushed the thought out of his mind, replacing it with steak and eggs breakfast.
“What are you having, boy?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weeks passed, uneventful, at least until the day that Agent Groves received a text message:
U still up for tonite @ 8 ?
|
|
|
Post by beastly on Feb 8, 2023 13:26:33 GMT -6
yes still am
Simon texted Agent Lucidus back from the parking lot of a fast-food joint, burger in one hand. He hadn't forgotten his promise to help out the old wolf, but it had been in the background of his mind. It seemed fairly simple, just record the results of his experiments. For his project.
Simon chewed his burger thoughtfully, watching cars go through the drive thru. Physical transformation potions. That kind of thing was pretty cool, and he was a little excited that Agent Lucidus had asked him to help. Every now and then, he got a glimpse of the world through the eyes of his younger self, the younger Simon that had no knowledge of the real state of the supernatural. Helping some guy make potions was something that would have wowed that Simon. Plus, he just liked the guy, and owed him one.
Simon fished a handful of fries out of the brown paper bag and licked sauce off his fingers, checking his phone again.
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on Feb 11, 2023 1:23:00 GMT -6
Great
See U then
Came the returning text.
The hours passed, and at the appointed hour and location, Simon was welcomed back into one of the containment rooms in the WSDA.
This room was different than the one that had been used to test the effects of the charms and potions on Simon.
While it had the same sterile, reinforced glass and steel-looking surfaces, Simon could see the faint shine of glyphs and spells built in on the walls. Blessings, prayers to prevent the movement of ghosts and demons. This was a room that was meant to both test and control dangerous creatures and powers.
The door itself was reinforced, a double lock, like an airtight system.
Within, as before, was a set up. A very, very large cage, big enough for an elephant, and within, a single chair.
Outside of the cage were several layers of handdrawn glyphs and spells encircling it. Likely confining whatever would appear within.
Cassius saw Simon approaching and raised his hand in greeting with a familiar grin;
“Hi there. Preparations are done, if you’re ready.”
|
|
|
Post by beastly on Feb 14, 2023 10:12:00 GMT -6
Simon made his way into this highly secure room, and found himself wondering at what exactly was going to be done here. He would be the first to recommend being overly cautious with magic and transformations, you could never be too safe, but it did occur to him that this room was heavily protected.
Simon returned the grin, walking over and shooting the man finger guns.
"Yeah, I'm all set on my end. Looks, uh, real secure here."
Simon nodded at the cage.
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on Feb 14, 2023 18:36:11 GMT -6
Cassius looked back at the cage, and though he continued to grin, there was something about his eyes that telegraphed concern. The expression lingered for a moment, then he turned back towards Simon.
“It has to be secure to contain the results of this experiment. We’re going to be recreating a dead God.. I hope.”
He considered what he had just said, and then decided to rephrase it, just in case that sounded like it might be objectionable.
“Well, a powerful spirit or entity who was once worshipped on a small scale, eons ago. Nothing like your Christian God, or whatnot.”
From his tone of voice, it was clear that he was not Christian, and that he was entirely serious.
“I have something of a problem. I made a deal with an ancient entity, with the promise that it would be restored life one day. There was the understanding that I would give up this body, and if necessary, that is what I will do.”
Cassius sighed. This was more personal information than he would have preferred to give, but otherwise, Agent Groves wasn’t going to understand the gravity of the situation, or the necessity of the condensed timeline.
“That time has now finally come, but I have an idea. I have the remains of the entity here. If I can transform my body, and retain my own mind, I can keep my end of the bargain, without losing my life.”
His expression became solemn
“Do you understand?”
|
|
|
Post by beastly on Feb 16, 2023 21:55:33 GMT -6
Simon listened attentively, trying to keep his facial expression as neutral as humanly possible. They were just gonna be bringing back a dead god so Agent Lucidus didn't have to give up his life. No pressure there.
Simon sucked in a deep breath, running his hand over his head and looking down at his shoes before meeting Agent Lucidus's eyes again. This was a life and death thing. This wasn't just some experiment Agent Lucidus was asking him to help with, not just a little project. It was important.
"Yes. I understand."
He had about five million questions to ask (what in whatever god's name had this man done to get here?) but he swallowed them. Focus, Groves. Keep it to what was needed.
"I'll help in whatever way I can," Whatever way he could help with was likely limited to what Agent Lucidus was having him do now, but he said it earnestly, "Promise."
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on Feb 17, 2023 2:55:26 GMT -6
Cassius’ tense, dog-like focus softened as Agent Groves agreed to his plan. No protests, no hesitation. A part of him was surprised, but he supposed he shouldn’t be. He had helped him before, the man probably felt indebted to him.
He hoped that he would not be upset if nothing came of their work. Death was a natural process, the end of all life, and even all things inanimate. Stars could die, the earth would die, and most surely, so would Cassius, either now, or at some point in the future.
The old wolf didn’t dwell on it, instead smiling toothily.
He looked back at the cage, inspecting it one more time. It looked stable enough to hold whatever was going to happen.
Remember, this is temporary. Remember it is reversible. It should at least be substantial enough not to die immediately upon creation, which was more than he could say for most alchemically created beings.
“Whatever it is, even if it looks bad, or like it’s dying. Don’t go in there. Don’t come within range, and don’t let it out. It’ll wear off after a few hours, I’ll be fine, and you can simply make notes and converse with it like on the check list, ok?”
|
|
|
Post by beastly on Feb 22, 2023 21:02:44 GMT -6
Simon's brow furrowed, and he tried not to frown. Jesus Christ, Agent Lucidus. He was feeling less and less confident about this as the seconds ticked by, but he was going to help. He said he would. This was important. He hated the idea of having to sit by and watch something that was part of Agent Lucidus 'die', but he'd do it if he needed to. It wouldn't really die. He wouldn't.
"'It' being you," the werewolf shook his head, " I won't do anything stupid, I won't. I'll stick to observations."
Simon went for the clipboard and scanned over the checklist, giving it a firm nod.
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on Feb 24, 2023 2:51:32 GMT -6
Cassius shook his head. Don’t get the wrong idea. There was an excellent chance that if things didn’t go perfect, whatever he turned into would definitely not be him. Or would be enough Cassius to deceive Simon if it could speak and had access to his memories.
“It. I don’t know what sort of being it will present as, but I know it should be…reasonably physically stable. No matter what it says or how it speaks to you, it is not me, and do not listen to it.”
His expression softened, and he reached out to pat Agent Grove’s shoulder. Hopefully this would all go off without a hitch, and he would not have to rely on Agent Groves’ most sensible qualities to ensure that he would not have to deal with some ridiculous Jekyll and Hyde situation.
“I appreciate your help.”
The scarred man turned his head to stare at the cage, as if contemplating it. That was an apt metaphor, wasn’t it?
Simon looked down at the checklist, which read:
1. Physical stability 2. Shapeshifting 3. Speech ability 4. Cognition 5. Magic Use 6. Reading Comprehension 7. Problem Solving Ability 8. Cognition/Recognition
|
|
|
Post by beastly on May 8, 2023 17:36:39 GMT -6
"Right-o. Physically stable."
Simon tried for a nonchalant nod, sticking his free hand in his pocket and tapping his foot. He followed Agent Lucidus's gaze to the cage but quickly looked back at the paper.
"Any time, y'know? Any time, heh."
It was straight forward. Simple. He could do this for his friend. His hand moved from his pocket to his hip as he looked at the checklist. Just do the paperwork, talk to whatever he became.
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on May 15, 2023 17:55:12 GMT -6
“In just a bit. I want to make sure I go over all the safety measures with you.”
Cassius spent a little while explaining each part of the containment unit to Simon, carefully going over each and every detail of how to reinforce or remove various barriers, and how to lock, unlock and triple lock the physical doors and chambers at every step. And of course, how to contact the authorities, in the same offhanded way he spoke about his cases, or the latest film, or even a restaurant he liked. He even provided a little written guide, as he’d likely be unable to explain things himself, should Simon have any questions. All of this provided just in case.
Just in case.
Just. In. Case.
And then, finally, he made his way through the circle, towards the single, lone chair. He felt the cold, unfamiliar craw of anxiety in his chest. It was really the unpredictability that he didn’t like. What if he did something that could not be undone? But that wouldn’t happen, would it?
A human might be able to walk in, but anything else would not be able to walk out. Perfect containment. Strong enough to prevent powerful spirits from escaping, good enough for ghosts, and perhaps even minor gods.
Exactly what he needed in this situation.
A perfect trap, for himself.
He took a seat in the chair, ensuring that Simon locked all three barriers behind him, then gave Simon the thumbs up from somewhere behind the glass.
“All set?”
He asked, voice muffled through layers of reinforcement. He sounded almost excited. Almost.
After Simon’s reply, he stared down at the vial, and then took a deep swig of the deep, sludge-green potion. The vile flavor assaulted his taste-buds immediately, but he’d had worse. He made sure to swallow it all. Every drop. After all, if it was wrong, he had to make sure it was the formula, and not a dosing issue.
The scarred man stared back at Simon, waiting for something to happen. To Simon, his expression was something like a neutral smile, the way his scarring pulled on his face and cheek. While it might have been pleasant on most people, it made Agent Lucidus look rather like an alligator.
Nothing except some mild abdominal burning. He should have remembered to eat first. This was what he got for taking something so acidic with an empty stomach.
Maybe it was a dud.
|
|
|
Post by beastly on May 25, 2023 0:17:01 GMT -6
Simon dutifully listened to Agent Lucidus as he explained everything. He schooled his face to keep it neutral as Cassius gave him the little guide. It was simply precautions. It was good to be careful. It was good to have the worst case scenarios mapped out. It was all just in case something happened. It was fine, Simon was fine, Agent Lucidus would be fine.
Simon carefully locked all the barriers as he was instructed, intently double checking to make certain everything was as it should be.
"All set."
He watched, holding his breath as Agent Lucidus drank the unappetizingly green potion. He locked eyes with Agent Lucidus, waiting for his skin to bubble, or him to start growing fangs, or there to be some outward change in his personality or expression. Nope. Same slightly predator adjacent look on the man's face.
Simon drummed his fingers on the clipboard, tilting his head as he studied Agent Lucidus.
"...You feel anything...?"
He called out to the agent from behind the layers of protection, his tone carefully kept in check to sound only slightly concerned.
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on May 26, 2023 0:36:44 GMT -6
The stomach upset was getting worse. It felt more like burning now, and less like acid reflux. Painful burning.
Sweat beaded on Cassius’ forehead and his face became tense and pale. The nauseating pain spread to his chest, tightening it and cramping his gut. He’d definitely had worse, but this wasn’t pleasant. Hopefully he’d end up intact enough he could transform back in one piece. He supposed, if he didn’t then… well, it wasn’t too different than his own end that awaited him.
“Something…”
His voice had a strained quality, sharp teeth gritted tight together. He hunched over, gripping his stomach. The pain was excruciating. He felt the strong urge to vomit, but when he went to retch, he made a strangled sound instead, dropping onto all fours.
“AAAugh.”
This was much, much worse than any of his other alchemical transformations. What did it remind him of? He tried to think through the pain, but his brain was slow and thick as molasses. Thoughts came slowly and without cohesion, blending together, one, then the other.
Separating the soul from the body.
The Disconnection Experiments
Was that what was happening here?
Whatever further thoughts he had were immediately extinguished as he dropped onto all fours on the ground, before rolling into a half-ball like a pill-bug. He took a few slow, steady breaths, and then his body quivered in a way that seemed unnatural.
His skin rippled as his entire body grew, expanding outward by twisting unnaturally with the snap of bone and muscle. The arms and legs took on an inhuman appearance as he sprouted thick mottled fur, quickly shredding what was left of the t-shirt and athletic shorts he had been wearing for modesty with the change in size.
The creature grew… and continued to grow, tall, so tall that it brushed the top of the containment unit, even in its bowed position. Yet, as it grew, the skin that had initially laid against its flesh correctly seemed to be stretching too tightly, and while at first it appeared a trick of light and movement, quickly it became clear this was the truth.
The monster gave a baleful wail as the skin of its face and elbows stripped away from its pale bone, ribs poking through half-formed flesh. It stood fifteen feet tall, quadrupedal, legs longer than its human-like arms, body more humanoid than canid, with a skull-like, canid head atop its shoulders. Silvery blood streamed from the torn flesh, and an open ribcage, instead of revealing exposed organs, instead contained a glowing mass of what seemed to be a starfield, with a single pulsing point inside of it where a heart should be.
It breathed out, glowing matter flickering out of its open, toothy jaws, before turning its head to look at Simon, liquid mercury dripping from the raw sides of its face. It was terrifying.
The monster then raised a hand upwards to clearly hail him, all four clawed fingers extended.
|
|
|
Post by beastly on May 30, 2023 23:49:06 GMT -6
Simon watched in silent horror as he clutched his clipboard, unable to look away as Agent Lucidus's form shifted and twisted horribly. He wasn't a man with a weak stomach, he wasn't one to scare easily, but god. He could only stand there as Cassius grew and grew, nearly losing his lunch when the skin on the creature's face ripped and tore as bone burst out. Ribs were visible, but there were no organs- just a glowing ball of stars. A terrible spine chilling thought clutched Simon, one more awful than the sight itself, would his mentor survive the change back?
He trembled as the thing turned it's gaze upon him, and Simon took a deep breath as the beast raised a hand at him.
He had a job to do. He was helping Agent Lucidus. He couldn't fail him. Control yourself.
The werewolf gave a shaken exhale and looked back at his clipboard, then up at the creature again. He raised a hand back.
"...Agent Lucidus? Cassius?"
|
|
|
Post by jarahamee on May 31, 2023 1:35:01 GMT -6
The creature turned its skinned-looking, skull-like face, and from somewhere deep in its eye-sockets, eye lights shined back, similar in hue to the star-field in its chest. It dribbled silvery blood onto the ground as it moved, leaving small pools where it paused.
Whatever the goddess had looked like, Simon was fairly sure that this was an imperfect permutation of the body she had been given when she was alive.
The dark, coarse-furred shape of the entity shifted forward, walking on its hands towards the glass barrier. Impossibly huge even crouching. It moved as close as it could get, and then rapped on the glass twice with a long, crooked finger.
“RHHHHHHHH….”
The entity listened to him speak, moving its fanged head from one side to the other, and then nodded once in response, spattering a few mercury-colored drops there too.
It could hear him, and appeared to understand.
|
|