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« on: January 02, 2013, 07:04:52 PM »
Five minutes later, Daren was four stories up on the raised walkways and looking down at cerberus that was Ryan. He was pretty certain that at least one of those three heads had their eyes on him, though with a body made of shifting darkness it was hard to tell which. Still, secrecy wasn’t necessary for his part of the plan, so he popped the top of his ‘Way Up’ and chugged the thing as he jumped over the edge.
Phase 1: Hit Him With Our Best Shot Only Bigger
Finishing the potion before he even reaches the third story, Daren tosses the bottle aside as he prepares both hands for a grapple. Unfortunately he was still only about eight feet tall when he grabs onto the head trying to snap him out of the air, but in the two seconds it took him to kick the other snapping heads it was ten feat. Five seconds to wrangle his way to the back of the neck, twelve feet. After ten seconds he was twenty feet tall with two heads pinned and the third trying to twist around to bite him.
Of course Daren didn’t just have to contend with heads, and soon the other four limbs turns the small conflict into a bucking bronco match. Daren eventually is launched high into the air, breaking several raised walkways on his way down. Daren being Daren, though, lands on his feet. The cerberus turns around to face him with a growl, which the vulpine returns with a smirk and a brief point back behind the cerberus.
Of course, the cerberus doesn’t react until there was a shadow blocking out the light.
Phase 2: Show Him Our Best Shot Isn’t Our Biggest
Raf Cian cracks his knuckles for emphasis before he reaches down to grab the three headed hound. Raf was still in his Vindictus cadet uniform, but was standing at a towering fifty feet, making the two story dog an easy handful... you know, if it wasn’t for the whole biting claws things.
Thankfully even at his current size Raf was mostly support for Daren. Charging forward, the vulpine manifests the fires of his Spiorad and solidifies it into a solid red and white longsword. Armed with a blade proportionate to his size, Daren manages to land one solid blow right in the chest while Raf held the hound still.
A blade other than Daren’s Spiorad flies from the wound, revealing itself to be Daren’s own katana once it embeds into a dividing wall several yards away. Like a bottle uncorked, a shockwave of darkness explodes from the cerberus as it’s current form flew apart. Daren is knocked back, and even Raf is knocked off his feet.
And there, briefly at the epicenter, Ryan resumes his normal form.
Phase 3: Hope Our Smallest Shot Is Our Most Accurate
Waiting for that opening, a little bit closer than he felt comfortable with, was Benjamin. Once the shockwave of darkness passes, he steps out into the open twirling a simple leather sling. Trying to muster up what hope he could, the rat channels his early D&D days and made a True Shot with the sling, sending a small bit sized otter sailing straight for Ryan’s open maw as a third howl engulfs the room.
Phase 4: Survive The Third Form Until I Can Reach THEM
Awaking from the darkness, Selden pushes himself off of white tile. White tile with black motor. Looking around his surroundings, the otter finds himself in the middle of yet another corridor. Aside from the floor, this corridor was made from black bricks and white motor walls, with the occasional black iron gate.
Without any distinguishing markings, Selden didn’t have much choice but to pick one direction and start walking... and walking... and walking. So much walking. First it starts to hurt the otter’s calves, but he keeps on walking. Then it starts to hurt the otter’s soles, but he keeps on walking.
Eventually when almost every single body part was in pain, the otter felt his heart ache. It didn’t ache because it was tired, but instead because he was sure he had taken too long and the others had fallen. With this thought the otters feet drags to a stop, and for a very long moment he just stood there. Then, with great determination, he keeps walking... for about six more feet before his legs gives out and refuses his hearts orders to get back up.
For what felt like a very long time, the otter just lies there, unmoving but never falling asleep.
And then, something unexpected happens. A pair of very small shoes appears in the otter’s field of vision. The otter stares at the shoes for a very long time before it occurs to him to try and look up at what the shoes were attached to. Finding that his neck still obeys his brain’s commands, the otter looks up.
What the otter saw was a small little boy, a dog boy so really he was a pup. The boy was a border collie with slightly odd coloration and extremely deep emerald green eyes. Looking down at the otter with his white shorts and black shirt, the boy asks a question. “Who are you?”
The otter has to think on this question for a very long time. It seems like such a long since he needed a name. Eventually, he manages to recall. “Selden. My name is Selden.” Yeah, that felt right.
The boy smiles, “Hi Selden. My name is Not Yet, on account that I’m not supposed to be just yet. Or at least that’s what THEY tell me.” The boy holds out a hand, which the otter somehow manages to take. The otter, Selden his name was Selden, almost lets go out of shock from the contact. It was like touching a live wire connected to a bottomless well of resolve. There wasn’t simply the strength to stand up with that touch, there was the strength to move mountains.
Standing up, Selden’s memories return to him like summer deluge. “It’s very nice to meet you, Not Yet, but I’m searching for something. Do you happen to know where I can find a multiheaded dog?”
Not Yet smiles. “Of course, THEY sent me when you passed the test.”
“Test,” Selden asks with a bit of hesitation. He knew he had to hurry, but part of him felt like this was important.
“Yeah, the test of resolve,” says Not Yet, “You kept your resolve to find THEM ever after you had been stripped of the hope, ability, and even memory to find them. That’s the kind of resolve it takes to be of this mind so anyone with that level of resolve is treated as a welcome guest, all doors open.”
As if on cue, all the black iron gates up and down the corridor unlock themselves and throw themselves wipe open. The otter looks up and down the corridor with feeling of reverence. Access to an entire mind entrusted to him... a great burden of trust, though one that somehow made him feel lighter. “So... where can I find THEM?”
Back outside Ryan’s mind, things were reaching their final straw. Sure, Daren looks like he could go a few more rounds, but Raf was knocked out to his original size and Benjamin wasn’t leaving his side. This left the fox standing protectively over the two furs, knowing that the next attack was probably going to decide everything.
As for the cerberus, it wasn’t tall... it was simply the horizon. The three heads loom over the protagonist getting ready to strike... and they do exactly that. The head on the left and the head on the right both open their maws wide and attack the center head. The room shakes with it’s howl of pain, and slowly the darkness recedes back to that one spot that was the center of their attack.
That one spot, once again, just happens to be Ryan... who was a few hundred feet up in the air.
As the cat’s body fell limply, Daren withdrew his Spiorad back into his heart and races to reach the Ryan before the ground did. Daren being not only Daren but also twenty feet tall, doesn’t have much trouble with that. Landing on firmly on the ground, Daren examines the small fur in his arms with at first concern and then curiosity.
While the darkness has completely receded, the two canine heads on his shoulder remain. Rather than attacking him like they were a few seconds ago, they were... nuzzling him, quietly whispering that everything was going to be ok. The cat himself was in the fetal position shivering.
Finding a soft bench to put the cat down on, Daren lays Ryan down before pulling out his small metal device again. Pointing it at himself, the device glowed yellow as Daren starts to decrease in size. Once the fox was back to his normal size the device glows blue. Back to normal, Daren approaches the cat and waits.
After a few minutes Ryan calms down, but when he makes to sit up Daren puts a hand on his shoulder. “Just a little longer,” the cat tilts his head in query, causing the fox to move his hand to his jawbone. “Try not to move your head.” Comprehending the what if not the why, Ryan holds still. More minutes pass.
After what feels like an eternity, a small brown otter in blue hawaiian swim trunks crawls out of the cat’s ear. “Everyone ok,” squeaks Selden, causing Ryan to flinch from the proximity. Acting fast, Daren scoops up his friend before the the otter falls back into the cat’s brain. “...thanks.”
“No problem,” Daren responds as he raises his device again and points it at Selden. “And yeah, everyone is ok. Raf got knocked out, but Ben is watching over him.” As the otter increases in size the fox lowers him to the ground. Pretty soon Selden was back to his normal bouncy sized self. “Honestly, I think the person who took the the brunt of it is sitting right in front of us.”
All eyes fell on Ryan, who in pulls back in shock. “Me? You two are the ones who risked themselves in someone elses problem. Raf is cold on the ground because of me. Ben...” the cat trails off, hand raising to his temples, “In what way am I the one worst off?”
“Well one,” Daren starts, holding a hand up to silence Selden, “You’re blaming yourself for everything that’s happened despite the fact any of us could have walked away at any moment. You only chased Raf when you were in control, and when you lost it... you didn’t engage unless we did first.”
“Two,” Daren continues as Ryan averted his gaze, “Benjamin was a mess over what we you were feeling but not doing anything about it, at least until he talked it out with Selden here.” The otter blushes slightly, but still keeps silent.
“And three, this all started... to the best of my knowledge... because Raf asked you to take your frustration out on him.” Daren raises an eyebrow when Ryan flinches, “Not quite how it happened?”
Slowing bringing his gaze back towards the fox, Ryan sighs, “Ben contacted Raf that I was ‘moping’ after being asked about how I felt about the species change,” that last part got Daren’s eyebrow to raise, but he doesn’t interrupt. “Raf barged in and told me I had to let it out. How was up to me. I honestly thought he would back down, but he said something about kicking his tail would be good ‘male bonding’. No clue where he picked that up.”
Selden chuckles a little bit, and Daren coughs before continuing. “So, point is that all that has gone on here was to make you feel better... do you honestly feel any better Ryan?” The cat’s downcast gaze was all the answer the fox needs
Selden chooses this moment to speak up, “How about you tell us what’s so bad? I’ve been in your head... being upset about something like this is ok, but not talking about it is just hurting you.”
“Yeah,” chuckles Daren, “If there’s anyone you could come to for support about species TF, you’re looking at him.” This earns him a small glare Selden, which Daren returns with a raised eyebrow.
Ryan eventually speaks up to resolve the silent conflict. “It isn’t a transformation... it’s a change. Not a rewrite of all I have been, but a new me for all futures I will have. I was Ben’s first roleplaying character on the internet. A lot of my beginning were arbitrary choices made to just allow him to get started. Still took about a month, and I’ve grown into most of them... but being a cat was never one of them. It took years of reflection, but he eventually started to feel I was more dog than cat.”
This almost gets a reaction from Daren, but Selden holds him back with a firm hand on his shoulder. Ryan continues, “We’ve been spending the past few years brainstorming the best way to represent that revelation. Obvious ideas like lycanthrophy have been discarded, but the concept of a cerberus evolved from just being demonic possession to actually be a full true cerberus soul. And while the nature of what that would mean is still in flux, it’s something we both agree fits...”
“But then... he was browsing dog breeds in order to select species for something else... and he looked at... and it clicked,” Ryan stammers, taking a moment to breath in and out. “...just because I never clicked as a cat doesn’t mean I clicked before as a dog. But when he looked at the tricolor border collies, mixed with the current affirmation of a cerberus soul... it just felt right.”
There was a weight of acceptance in Ryan’s voice, bringing up images for Selden of the little Not Yet. The otter squeezes Daren’s shoulder as the cat continues, “We went over ideas of alternating between lives, cat dog. Spending time as one during the day and the other during the night like. Even considered just making me a hybrid... and then he just thought why not go cold turkey? It does make sense; while I’m staying who I am this is also a new beginning. It’s just... so...”
“Different,” finishes Daren, shrugging off Selden’s hand. “You’ve been a cat all your life, identifying with it more than anything else even when you’re in worlds where having whiskers and a tail aren’t an option, and then suddenly you’re asked to be something else. Do you want to know the key point in all that is,” the fox says as he reaches forward to put his own hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “You were asked. I’m not going to pretend to understand what it’s like to know you’re a character, but I’m pretty sure the fact that you do is an expression of how much Benjamin cares for you two.”
Ryan smiles slightly, “Actually he mostly just likes stories where the meta of the story itself becomes a part of the narrative, but yeah. I know he cares even when he’s putting us through what might be considered ‘abusive’ situations.”
Daren grins as he lifts his hand off Ryan’s shoulder only to bring it back down in a firm pat. “Yeah, he likes you two a lot. So much so he’s kind of given you two a tour of the multiverse. Which raises an interesting point,” the fox turns around and walks away a few steps before spinning back around, “During all the fighting you and Raf were wielding a wide range of powers. Too big a range to have allover wherever you are. That means that right here, in this place, you two actually have as much control over what you are as Benjamin does.”
Ryan raises an eyebrow. “...I guess.”
“Good,” Daren says as he sat down on his heels, “Then show me.”
“What,” was the cat’s response. Ryan eyes widen as he tries to answer his own question... he doesn’t seem to like the answer.
Daren keeps on smiling despite the cat’s apparent apprehension, “Show me what this perfect image of you as a dog looks like. Well, maybe not perfect. It’s still a work in progress after all. But go on... you can change back any time you want, so what’s the harm.”
Ryan still looks hesitant. The cat looks pleadingly at Selden, searching for a reason why this is a bad idea. Selden was tempted to say that the fact Ryan doesn’t want to was reason enough... but looking into Ryan’s deep emerald green eyes, the otter can only find one response. “It’s time for Not Yet to be.”
The cat winces aback as he was left hanging. Looking around helpless for something he could use as an excuse, his eyes fall on the approaching figures of Raf and Benjamin. He pauses at the sight of Raf’s slight limp and Benjamin’s uncertain concern... and then the steeled resolve Daren recognizes from their earlier engagement returns.
For a moment it was unclear what that resolved indicates, but as Ryan’s fur color starts to shift it was clear what his choice was. His fingers twitch slightly as the minor details in his nail claws shift. His tail stiffens as longer fur bristle down it’s length. As his ears twitch limp adjusting the cartilage and ligaments, Ryan braces himself for the worst. The former cat’s jaw is firmly shut against the pain of it’s own slow expansion outwards into a more pronounced canine muzzle, pink nose shifting black. The changes doesn’t stop at the muzzle, but most likely only Daren notices all the minute changes in the transformation from a feline to canine skull.
Once all the changes are done, a tricolor border collie with unusual coloration stansd before the protagonists. It wasn’t the colors of the coloration that was unusual, but the layout of the pattern. Ryan’s markings covers the right side of his head and his right arm, and appear again on his left leg and tail, leaving his left arm and right leg white. His eyes are still the same deep emerald green. “Right... so how do I look?”
“I’d say you look like about time,” Raf speaks up, alerting Daren and Selden finally to his approach. Walking past his friends, the ferret walks up to the dog... his fellow character, muse... and brother. “You look good Ryan. Complete. I can only hope I come out as good after my redesign starts picking up speed.”
Selden and Daren exchange a worried glance. “You’re redesigned?”
Spinning around, Raf steps back to stand side by side with Ryan. “Oh yeah. I’m pretty sure it was mentioned somewhere in those monologues, but I can understand if it got overshadowed by the Ryan’s issues.”
“We’re already in the brainstorming stages,” Ryan says as Raf put his arm around his shoulder. “He’s staying a ferret or course, but Raf has never had as defined skill set as I do. Choosing one has been difficult...”
“Still have my doubts about the macro upscaling,” Benjamin comments, a little bit lost in thought, “It has potential, but it still feels more of a sometimes thing rather than a major ability.”
“Mind leaving it in for a trial period?” Daren asks, “I can think of a few things I’d like to get up to with a twenty foot mad scientist back at Crimson Flag.”
Selden chuckles, “Right... speaking of Crimson Flag, I think it’s time to head home. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster, one with a few good high at the end, but this otter could use a lazy drift with a clam bushel.”
“Are you sure,” Raf says, “We’re in a realm of pure imagination right now... admittedly Ben’s pure imagination, but we can at least get you food and maybe show you about.” Ryan elbows Raf in the side lightly, “What? They’re my friends. Now that they know, I’d like to show them where I really live.”
With a sad smile, Benjamin waves his hands behind the group. In the direction where he waved the room appears to grow rapidly smaller until the border wall is right next to the group, the doorway to the corridor back to Crimson Flag in clear view. “Sorry Raf, but I think even you don’t want to confuse people with the you of the Crimson Flag and the you of the multiverse... one’s not exactly rated for the other, among other thing.”
Sighing like a dejected child, Raf releases Ryan and headed down the corridor. Selden was quick to follow. Daren was as well, but he was delayed by a hand on his shoulder. “Before you go... there was just something I realized I haven’t said,” says the dog to the fox.
Smiling, Daren waves him off, “If it’s goodbye, I should warn you I hate endings.”
“Then I’ll just have to phrase this right,” Ryan says, pausing just a moment in consideration “Hello, my name is Ryan Galen. I look forward to sparring with you again.”
Smile still plastered to his face, Daren responds, “If we’re ever in the same time and space again, I’ll consider it.” And with that, the fox was off. Back to Crimson Flag, off to another adventure.
This one was just getting started.
--- --- ---
And... done. I'll need to edit the first post in a bit since apparently my browser has a better spell checker than google docs. But my player's first story since part two of Beach Wars is done.
This doesn't mean that Beach Wars is terminally stalled, but I'll be honest... the direction for that one ends after the next part, so it's close. It does mean my player is writing again, and getting serious with his OC world for me and Ryan as the 'us' that will inhabit that world comes into focus.
Thank you for Selden and Daren (foxgamer01) for being OK with the use of their characters. I apologize for any remaining typos, but after changing the tense of at least half the verbs we felt like most of them had been caught. While this is mostly a personal piece, we all hope you have enjoyed reading.