Lovetheangelshadow
10-25-2021, 08:39 PM
Chapter 0: The Master’s ServantsBoarcelina had toiled for so many waking hours for a week purifying the White Rabbit. Her fingers were stained with ooze and burnt ashes of magic as she had to sift and pull out any traces of positive emotion from the beast’s essence. By the time her work had been done her hands were shaking from the lack of sleep and her morale was low. She cursed the harlot and should have known better than to trust the Captain Coyote. Boarcelina had lived long enough and should have known better. Women like the captain were not new to her they were easy to lull into contracts where at the end she would gleefully turn them into creatures as ugly as she was. She relished in their throes of agony as their bodies twisted into hideous forms before she shoved them out into the world to endure the same cruelty she had before finally offering them repose in the form of offerings to her master. The witch of the boars was finally satisfied she had prepared the White Rabbit as pleasantly delicious to Oozebo and would gain much favor. Greed and desperation were particularly bitter to her tastes, but she did not question her master’s likings.
She led the grotesque hare down deep into the Underground of Cadric City where her master had made its new home for the past four years. Shoving the dumb brute to go where she needed the beast to go was a chore. She rather missed the ancient castles and fortress that were normally places of non-discovery; but the Black Guardian had found hiding their master in Cadric City to be a bit more difficult. According to him, many places had old devices that interfered with beings of magical nature and trying to get rid of them was too long and painful a process that it was not worth the hassle. The current working theory was that a Guardian long since gone set this up. Boarcelina trusted the Black Guardian’s judgement. He would know about how the Guardians operated far more than herself and King and he had yet to steer them wrong.
As she delved deeper into the tunnels she could feel her master’s oppressive presence. Even limited by what it could do, its existence alone was enough to feel pressure against her flesh. Her skin began to shudder and she could feel a turbulence of uncomfortable emotions swirling within. Her companion hollered and buried his head between his massive hands. He hollered and then turned his blood red eyes towards Boarcelina. He tried to lunge at her with his claws aiming for her throat. Boarcelina nary moved her staff before threads of magic coiled themselves about the White Rabbit’s arms and legs and strapped them tightly against his body. She slammed him against the wall for good measure before dragging his form down the hall.
They stepped out into the massive chamber housed in the heart of the Underground. The ceiling was a good twenty feet high and domed above. Flecks of paint showed that this once had been beautifully decorated and once a place of high standing from what was left of the twisted columns surrounding them. Broken marble statues were scattered about-some broken with age and others scratched and ripped apart. She wondered what this place was used for and what it looked like in its heyday. A shame she would never know. Time spells were far out her league and she knew about that one Guardian who messed with such things and she would prefer to not end up like him. In the center of the room on a large dais was a massive iron crucible. Monsters and runes decorated the interior with one hundred and nine ring shaped depressions integrated in the designs. Most of the depressions had been filled with golden rings already. Inside the crucible a large hulking form was hunched over with its back towards Boarcelina. Its skin was muddy and dripped on the floor and its actual color changed between blacks, browns, and greens. As it heard the witch approaching, the monster turned towards them. It had no set face as it kept shifting and transforming into many forms. Boarcelina learned to just focus on its red eyes to keep down the headache. It opened its mouth and in a female voice responded
“Ah Boarcelina, you have come. Have you been successful? And you brought a snack.” It tried to reach for the White Rabbit but it could only go so far before being jerked violently back to the crucible it was attached to. Boarcelina bowed as she brought the beast closer to her master. She also saw that the Black Guardian was also there.
“I trust your venture to Argentina was well? A tan looks good on you”, he smirked playfully. From her pouch, Boarcelina withdrew a large gold ring. It was a little blacked and grimed up with blood, but even in the dark oppressive room it still shined with mystical radiance. The ooze creature grinned maliciously as Boarcelina placed the ring into an empty depression on the crucible. A surge of magic erupted from the iron and struck through the ooze beast. Screeching in both masculine and feminine voices it thrashed before embracing the magical essence into its body with a satisfied howl. It had grown slightly in stature and Boarcelina saw a new face being expressed by it before it melted into the chaotic mixture among with the other shifting facial attributes. It’s euphoria over the witch’s master then turned its sights on the White Rabbit. Boarcelina stepped back and gestured that the hare was all her master’s.
The ooze creature grabbed it with a large limb and swallowed it whole. It gulped loudly and grinned happily as it expressed the emotions it could taste. But then it stopped and grasped its throat. Foam began to drip from its mouth and it screamed and coughed. White ooze and greenish foam sputtered and erupted from its mouth as it thrashed in agony. Finally it snarled and hacked up a deluge of the white slime.
“Love….hope…joy...you tried to poison me!” Boarcelina threw up her hands and screamed how it was not her fault. She was not given a chance as her master entrapped her in black webs and was dragged along the ground towards the ooze monster’s mouth. The Black Guardian just watched all this occur, amused even. A purple haze began to form about the witch as she was drawn closer to her master’s maw. The haze was absorbed happily by the beast before he dropped Boarcelina on the floor weakened but alive.
“That will do for your transgression”, it sneered.
“Y-yes Master Oozebo. Happy…happy to serve, Master Oozebo.”
A loud wheezy laugh echoes from one of the many tunnels leading into the chamber followed by heavy footfalls of clawed cloven feet and leather dragging along the stone and mud. The gargantuan form swayed elegantly into the space with his massive arms behind his. Boarcelina flittered her massive eyes at the Black Guardian with a lusty thanks and blew a smoking kiss in his direction. An action that the Guardian flicked away in annoyed disgust.
“Well well well the gang is all here”, the giant sneered as his long sharkian snout peeled back rows upon rows of blackened teeth. His beady red eyes leered at them.
“Congratulations of your success, Boarcelina. I trust it was not too difficult a task to procure the Gem Guardian’s ring.” Boarcelina’s chest puffed out with pride as she twirled her staff in bemusement. Smoke flittered from the gem in the center as it formed into an angel with gem-like armor wielding a baton. Before the angel a silhouette of Boarcelina raising her rod towards her enemy rose from the mists before the two engaged in battle.
“Oh it took a bit to wear him down after ferreting out his little hiding place, but I managed. Personally I would have liked to have had a little more…fun beforehand.” The appearance of the angel began to twist and writhe in agony as it transformed into a draconic beast. The trio watched with mixed amusement as the smoke version of the witch cackled in glee as it attempted to force the dragon to its will. The former Guardian seemed to have a moment of clarity because it slammed itself against rocks below and impaled its heart on a rocky spire. The Black Guardian felt rather sick at his comrades’ perverted glee. His master seemed to be aware because it glanced at the angel with narrowed eyes before clearing its throat to get their attention.
“And what of you, my dear King? I trust you were successful with your hunt as well?” There was no inquiry in Oozebo’s voice, only demand. And they all were aware of it. King hesitated to look his master directly in the eyes and tapped the meaty fingers of his forepaws together. At least he bowed with one knee before Oozebo. “Forgive me, my lord. I fear my search was in vain. The Crimson Guardian was in Port Said, but has long since left the location. But it was not my fault, my master! That angel purposely gave me outdated information!” He bellowed as he grabbed his finger towards the Black Guardian who could only raise an eyebrow underneath his devilish mask.
“He led me on a false trail to make me fail on purpose. I would not disappoint you, my lord, with such an important task!” The Black Guardian pretended to be invested in his fingernails.
“I gave you all relevant information. Not my fault you decided to screw around…in more terms than one”, Black responded coolly. King bellowed and lunged for the Guardian. Black summoned dark fire from his palms and jabbed them hard into King’s eyes. Blinded, King groped wildly in the air for the angel. He got lucky and snagged Black by the leg. Even blinded, he swung the angel in erratic directions missing the floor with each thrust. The fallen angel snarled and puffed into black smoke before reappearing over King’s back. From flames he summoned out of the ether a chain and with one hard strike wrapped it tightly around King’s bullish neck. Struggling to stay in place upon King’s shaking mane Black pulled the chains hard.
“ENOUGH!” Oozebo shot a multitude of tendrils upon the trio and entrapped them with nary an effort. The oozing creature slammed his servants hard against the domed tiles above and dragged them hard letting marble shrapnel and ancient stone cut against their faces and arms before finally dropping all three of them hard onto the ground; watching their bodies bounce and crumble about upon landing. It let them gasp and whimper in hurt before forcing them to their feet by hoisting them up as weak kittens.
“My patience is wearing thin. We have made considerable progress this past decade thanks Black’s efforts, so I cannot allow you to waste my time squabbling at each other.”
“Feh, it is not as if a certain fallen guardian so amateur lost a ring and later got burned by a secondary whelp”, King scoffed. The Black Guardian was having trouble staying on his own feet and clutched his side where a shard of concrete tile had embedded itself nicely between his ribs. Such a mortal wound was far from being able to actually kill him, but it did not stop it from hurting like hell.
“Unlike some I do not make excuses for my failures, my lord. I accept my shortcomings and will rectify the problem.” He spat his last words in the general direction of King.
“See that you do. Three rings remain out there. Three rings keep me trapped to this cauldron”, Oozebo snarled. It waved its hand and three indentations with the face of the crucible glowed a faint purple. “Black Guardian, see what you can about locating the Crimson Guardian. They have been a most annoying presence to us. Boarcelina, learn what you can why the Black Guardian’s scouts have failed to return. And King…I have a mission for you to rectify your failings in Port Said. Do I make myself clear to all of you?” The three servants bowed and acknowledged the commands in unison. They were smart enough to. As limited as their master’s powers were at the moment, it was fully capable of ending their lives as easily as it had changed them.
She led the grotesque hare down deep into the Underground of Cadric City where her master had made its new home for the past four years. Shoving the dumb brute to go where she needed the beast to go was a chore. She rather missed the ancient castles and fortress that were normally places of non-discovery; but the Black Guardian had found hiding their master in Cadric City to be a bit more difficult. According to him, many places had old devices that interfered with beings of magical nature and trying to get rid of them was too long and painful a process that it was not worth the hassle. The current working theory was that a Guardian long since gone set this up. Boarcelina trusted the Black Guardian’s judgement. He would know about how the Guardians operated far more than herself and King and he had yet to steer them wrong.
As she delved deeper into the tunnels she could feel her master’s oppressive presence. Even limited by what it could do, its existence alone was enough to feel pressure against her flesh. Her skin began to shudder and she could feel a turbulence of uncomfortable emotions swirling within. Her companion hollered and buried his head between his massive hands. He hollered and then turned his blood red eyes towards Boarcelina. He tried to lunge at her with his claws aiming for her throat. Boarcelina nary moved her staff before threads of magic coiled themselves about the White Rabbit’s arms and legs and strapped them tightly against his body. She slammed him against the wall for good measure before dragging his form down the hall.
They stepped out into the massive chamber housed in the heart of the Underground. The ceiling was a good twenty feet high and domed above. Flecks of paint showed that this once had been beautifully decorated and once a place of high standing from what was left of the twisted columns surrounding them. Broken marble statues were scattered about-some broken with age and others scratched and ripped apart. She wondered what this place was used for and what it looked like in its heyday. A shame she would never know. Time spells were far out her league and she knew about that one Guardian who messed with such things and she would prefer to not end up like him. In the center of the room on a large dais was a massive iron crucible. Monsters and runes decorated the interior with one hundred and nine ring shaped depressions integrated in the designs. Most of the depressions had been filled with golden rings already. Inside the crucible a large hulking form was hunched over with its back towards Boarcelina. Its skin was muddy and dripped on the floor and its actual color changed between blacks, browns, and greens. As it heard the witch approaching, the monster turned towards them. It had no set face as it kept shifting and transforming into many forms. Boarcelina learned to just focus on its red eyes to keep down the headache. It opened its mouth and in a female voice responded
“Ah Boarcelina, you have come. Have you been successful? And you brought a snack.” It tried to reach for the White Rabbit but it could only go so far before being jerked violently back to the crucible it was attached to. Boarcelina bowed as she brought the beast closer to her master. She also saw that the Black Guardian was also there.
“I trust your venture to Argentina was well? A tan looks good on you”, he smirked playfully. From her pouch, Boarcelina withdrew a large gold ring. It was a little blacked and grimed up with blood, but even in the dark oppressive room it still shined with mystical radiance. The ooze creature grinned maliciously as Boarcelina placed the ring into an empty depression on the crucible. A surge of magic erupted from the iron and struck through the ooze beast. Screeching in both masculine and feminine voices it thrashed before embracing the magical essence into its body with a satisfied howl. It had grown slightly in stature and Boarcelina saw a new face being expressed by it before it melted into the chaotic mixture among with the other shifting facial attributes. It’s euphoria over the witch’s master then turned its sights on the White Rabbit. Boarcelina stepped back and gestured that the hare was all her master’s.
The ooze creature grabbed it with a large limb and swallowed it whole. It gulped loudly and grinned happily as it expressed the emotions it could taste. But then it stopped and grasped its throat. Foam began to drip from its mouth and it screamed and coughed. White ooze and greenish foam sputtered and erupted from its mouth as it thrashed in agony. Finally it snarled and hacked up a deluge of the white slime.
“Love….hope…joy...you tried to poison me!” Boarcelina threw up her hands and screamed how it was not her fault. She was not given a chance as her master entrapped her in black webs and was dragged along the ground towards the ooze monster’s mouth. The Black Guardian just watched all this occur, amused even. A purple haze began to form about the witch as she was drawn closer to her master’s maw. The haze was absorbed happily by the beast before he dropped Boarcelina on the floor weakened but alive.
“That will do for your transgression”, it sneered.
“Y-yes Master Oozebo. Happy…happy to serve, Master Oozebo.”
A loud wheezy laugh echoes from one of the many tunnels leading into the chamber followed by heavy footfalls of clawed cloven feet and leather dragging along the stone and mud. The gargantuan form swayed elegantly into the space with his massive arms behind his. Boarcelina flittered her massive eyes at the Black Guardian with a lusty thanks and blew a smoking kiss in his direction. An action that the Guardian flicked away in annoyed disgust.
“Well well well the gang is all here”, the giant sneered as his long sharkian snout peeled back rows upon rows of blackened teeth. His beady red eyes leered at them.
“Congratulations of your success, Boarcelina. I trust it was not too difficult a task to procure the Gem Guardian’s ring.” Boarcelina’s chest puffed out with pride as she twirled her staff in bemusement. Smoke flittered from the gem in the center as it formed into an angel with gem-like armor wielding a baton. Before the angel a silhouette of Boarcelina raising her rod towards her enemy rose from the mists before the two engaged in battle.
“Oh it took a bit to wear him down after ferreting out his little hiding place, but I managed. Personally I would have liked to have had a little more…fun beforehand.” The appearance of the angel began to twist and writhe in agony as it transformed into a draconic beast. The trio watched with mixed amusement as the smoke version of the witch cackled in glee as it attempted to force the dragon to its will. The former Guardian seemed to have a moment of clarity because it slammed itself against rocks below and impaled its heart on a rocky spire. The Black Guardian felt rather sick at his comrades’ perverted glee. His master seemed to be aware because it glanced at the angel with narrowed eyes before clearing its throat to get their attention.
“And what of you, my dear King? I trust you were successful with your hunt as well?” There was no inquiry in Oozebo’s voice, only demand. And they all were aware of it. King hesitated to look his master directly in the eyes and tapped the meaty fingers of his forepaws together. At least he bowed with one knee before Oozebo. “Forgive me, my lord. I fear my search was in vain. The Crimson Guardian was in Port Said, but has long since left the location. But it was not my fault, my master! That angel purposely gave me outdated information!” He bellowed as he grabbed his finger towards the Black Guardian who could only raise an eyebrow underneath his devilish mask.
“He led me on a false trail to make me fail on purpose. I would not disappoint you, my lord, with such an important task!” The Black Guardian pretended to be invested in his fingernails.
“I gave you all relevant information. Not my fault you decided to screw around…in more terms than one”, Black responded coolly. King bellowed and lunged for the Guardian. Black summoned dark fire from his palms and jabbed them hard into King’s eyes. Blinded, King groped wildly in the air for the angel. He got lucky and snagged Black by the leg. Even blinded, he swung the angel in erratic directions missing the floor with each thrust. The fallen angel snarled and puffed into black smoke before reappearing over King’s back. From flames he summoned out of the ether a chain and with one hard strike wrapped it tightly around King’s bullish neck. Struggling to stay in place upon King’s shaking mane Black pulled the chains hard.
“ENOUGH!” Oozebo shot a multitude of tendrils upon the trio and entrapped them with nary an effort. The oozing creature slammed his servants hard against the domed tiles above and dragged them hard letting marble shrapnel and ancient stone cut against their faces and arms before finally dropping all three of them hard onto the ground; watching their bodies bounce and crumble about upon landing. It let them gasp and whimper in hurt before forcing them to their feet by hoisting them up as weak kittens.
“My patience is wearing thin. We have made considerable progress this past decade thanks Black’s efforts, so I cannot allow you to waste my time squabbling at each other.”
“Feh, it is not as if a certain fallen guardian so amateur lost a ring and later got burned by a secondary whelp”, King scoffed. The Black Guardian was having trouble staying on his own feet and clutched his side where a shard of concrete tile had embedded itself nicely between his ribs. Such a mortal wound was far from being able to actually kill him, but it did not stop it from hurting like hell.
“Unlike some I do not make excuses for my failures, my lord. I accept my shortcomings and will rectify the problem.” He spat his last words in the general direction of King.
“See that you do. Three rings remain out there. Three rings keep me trapped to this cauldron”, Oozebo snarled. It waved its hand and three indentations with the face of the crucible glowed a faint purple. “Black Guardian, see what you can about locating the Crimson Guardian. They have been a most annoying presence to us. Boarcelina, learn what you can why the Black Guardian’s scouts have failed to return. And King…I have a mission for you to rectify your failings in Port Said. Do I make myself clear to all of you?” The three servants bowed and acknowledged the commands in unison. They were smart enough to. As limited as their master’s powers were at the moment, it was fully capable of ending their lives as easily as it had changed them.