//------------------------------// // There's Charlie In Them Bushes (8) // Story: Embrace the Darkness, Carpe Noctem // by musicman722 //------------------------------// It was dark in the Stone Hills. The moon was a waxing crescent and high in the sky, lending little light to the three zebras on the ground. I watched them huddle behind a pile of rocks and peer out at the cluster of bushes covering the cave where their target hid every night and day. The zebra in the middle stood up and lit a torch. “Now keep up your chin, we're going in.” he proceeded to march to the cave only to be stopped by his buddy's hoof on his tail. “Have you lost sense in your head?” he hissed, “Don't you know that Wraiths grind bones for their bread?” “Actually,” I said behind them, “that would be giants.” The zebras froze and turned to see the source of the voice, afraid to confirm their suspicions. Much to their dismay, they were right. The Wraith they had been hunting that night towered above them. Their single torch cast ominous shadows on my body. The zebras gasped in fear of seeing their deadly quarry in front of them. I took a step forward and the zebras took a step back. “Now, Night Shades, or Wraiths as you call them, are much worse.” I explained. I slowly pressed his advance as the zebras slowly retreated in fear. “They'll make a suit from your freshly peeled skin,” It tugged at my essence as a demonstration, “shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your eyes!” Then I stopped and thought aloud, “I wonder what that would taste like?” The zebra holding the torch had a sudden impulse of bravery and waved the torch in my face, trying to be as threatening as he could, “Back! Back foul beast! Tonight, we shall not become your feast.” He put on as brave a face as he could. I smiled at them like a parent would at a child's antics. “Aqua.” I whispered and grabbed the lit end of the torch, causing it to extinguish and leaving us in darkness. The zebra's face turned from bravery to a forced smile that said 'Sorry we intruded upon your territory. We would like to leave alive and with our body intact please.' I raised my hands menacingly and yelled, “RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” The zebras screamed in fear, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-” “-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRR!” “-AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGHHH!” Once quiet, the zebras stood there paralyzed in fear. The ground below them was considerably wetter than before. I leaned in close and cupped a hand around my mouth as I whispered, “This is the part where you run away.” The zebras, finally gathering their wits, gasped and sped off into the night back to their village. I stood there laughing at the sight of the zebras running before returning to his cave. “That's the fourth time this week. These zebras are really persistent on wanting me gone.” I mused. It had been several days since I had escaped the village. For those days, I've done nothing but level grind as hard as I can. I found out at level ten that I get perks every ten levels. I received the Predator perk, which gave me heightened animal instincts. In other words, I could hunt better and find prey easier like the actual Predator. It was easier to level grind since Swift hadn't come to see me in that time, leaving me with no distractions. But I was still pretty lonely with no one to talk to, except for the damn Voice. Consume them! Let the tribe hear their dying screams! “Fuck off.” I muttered. I had tried umbra to silence it but it didn't work. Luckily I could ignore it like an annoying fly. The only problem was that I didn't know how long it was going to be that easy. “Well, now that they're gone, I can get some sleep.” I went back to my cave and fell asleep on the leaf bed I crafted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke to the sound of pebble shifting and sliding. Someone or something had entered my cave. I got up and pulled out my pistol as I waited near the tunnel. I heard the sound of a body hitting the floor and then hooves clopping against stone. I relaxed a bit. It was one of the zebras, not some random creature. But what was a zebra doing down here? Once the first hoof came into view, I immediately grabbed it and hoisted the zebra into the air. I got a good look and was a bit surprised. “Swift? What are you doing here?” I asked. “I came to see how you are. Trying to get away from my watches was a bit hard.” he said. I set him down. He wore his bags, bulging with ingredient he had been collecting. “It seems you've been doing fine. You even had time to make this cave shine.” I had been cleaning up the place recently. Leaf bed in the corner, Magic torches in the walls, a small table for me to work on my experiments and plan my future survival, and my bag hung on a rock that jutted out of the wall. “What? I need something to do. Come in and sit down. We have a lot to talk about.” We sat down at the makeshift table I made from stones I found. “So what happened at the village that day. Who was that guy? How did he know about me?” I gushed out. Swift held up a hoof, “Hold on my friend, I will tell you everything from beginning to end. That was Two Torch you saw. He is tribe chief and his word is law. His talent is leading, of which he is very effective. However, this leads him to be a bit...overprotective. I found out from him that the Shaman elder mad a prediction. A Creature of darkness had awakened on the island, sharp teeth and claws was his depiction.” 'Nice to know he got it right.' I thought idly. “When you brought the others back. I should have warned you not to attack.” he said guiltily. “No shit Sherlock.” I deadpanned. “What was that thing that zapped me?” “It was a ward that our Shamans have always set. It keeps out any evil or spiritual threat.” He explained. “Sooo, it's a bug zapper and I'm the bug” “I'm afraid so. It's why I had you not enter the village that one time, you know.” I thought back to when Swift didn't want me going into the village. 'So there was another reason other than scaring his people. Makes sense.' “So how are the zebras I woke up?” I asked. “They are getting along fine. There's not a moment where they aren't in the sunshine.” Swift said happily. “Good to hear.” The conversation dwindled to various topics after that. Swift was going to ask Sparrow to be his marefriend, Torch was trying to get the stallions to come and kill me but with little success, and, to my surprise, the foals were asking about me. Apparently they thought I was more fun than scary to them. I probably overdid the yo-yo trick on them. I told Swift that if they want to meet me, they have to bring me fish to eat. I wanted to see how many would actually do it. After a while, Swift had to leave before his tribe became suspicious of his location. We said our good byes and I went back to level grinding for the day. Level seventeen, here I come. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I blinked in surprise, “Huh. You actually did it.” I said as I stared at the large pile of fish in front of me. Behind it was not only the foals I had rescued from the cave, but also from the village, though they seemed a bit more nervous than the former. “Swift told us what you said,” one of the colts spoke up, “so we caught these fish to keep you fed.” They all looked at me expectantly. I humored them by grabbing the biggest one in the pile and eating it. “Ah, you've no idea how much I needed food recently.” I said gratefully. Despite my Predator perk, it had become a lot harder to find animals to eat. I wasn't eating that many to make a dent in the population, so I assumed that they somehow knew about my presence. “So what do you want?” I asked as I grabbed another fish and ate it. The foals stared in awe of my eating habits. One snapped out of it and spoke up, “Um could you play some games with us? We promise not to make a big fuss.” I couldn't help but smile. No matter what species, kids were always so damn adorable. “Sure, what do you want to play?” This time a filly spoke up, “I know what to play! How about you make a silk swing, like that day?” Yeah, I've spoiled them, but I didn't care. Remind you of anyone? Someone in particular? I tried to keep the scowl off my face. ‘Shut the fuck up and STAY OUT OF THAT!’ The Voice just laughed at me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Days passed and I was starting be on edge. Nothing was happening. By that, I mean there was no way off the island that I could find. I know Erebus said to hitch a ride on an airship, but there hasn’t been one since I got here. I asked Swift to keep an eye out and tell me if one arrived but he hasn’t seen one yet. Not that I didn’t mind having my own personal island, I just wanted to get on with this game. I made it to level seventeen before I had to stop due to inadequate training resources. I thought about making a raft but I didn’t want to risk drowning in the ocean half way there and flying off wasn’t much of an option either. Oh well, good things come to those who wait. It was a little more than two weeks since I woke up on this island. I was napping in the shade of a rock over hang when I heard the sounds of yelling coming from the village. I dismissed it as a ceremony or ritual, since I didn’t really know their culture that much. It went on for about an hour before it quieted down. Now I was a bit curious. I wondered what kind of celebration would only last an hour. I turned to my harpy form and took to the skies. Just after I took off, however, there was motion in the foliage. Swift suddenly burst out, running like the devil was chasing him, and a strange form followed. It looked like a massive greyhound on steroids but different. For one, it wore a vest and a bandolier with several small knives. Secondly, it burst out on its hind legs, holding one of the knives in its front paw. It chased Swift with a hungry look in its eye and drool coming from its mouth. Swift looked up and called out to me, but I already knew my part. I closed my wings and dive bombed the dog. Needless to say, he definitely wasn’t expecting a hundred pounds of bird muscle dropping out of the sky. “Bad dog, no biscuit for you.” I said, sitting on top of his back. I could feel him breathe below me but I doubt he was going to wake up any time soon, especially with his head, half way into the ground. I turned to Swift who was trying to catch his breath. Hey, I told him to exercise but he didn’t listen. “Care to explain this?” I asked. “Village…attacked…slavers…are back.” he wheezed out. My vision fogged up. New Quest: Save the zebra tribe Reward: 750 XP, Diamond Dog Airship Contents Accept/Decline ... Accept “Show me.” I said. We raced to the tree line near the grass lands. The village was practically overrun with the Dogs. Their massive airship hung above the village, providing shade over most of the village. “Aquila Oculus.” My vision zoomed forward and I saw that there were only a few Dogs on the ship itself while most of the crew was on the ground. A thought occurred to me. “Hey Swift, I thought you said you had a barrier to protect against evil like this?” “No. It blocks creatures like you, an evil soul. Anything else can take a pleasant stroll.” I scowled. “Racist.” I watched every detail and started to formulate a plan. I motioned to Swift to huddle up close. "Okay, here's the plan..." Swift's POV ‘I can't believe I was talked into this. Why was I talked into this? Oh yeah, Sparrow. Gunhaver said that if this goes to whatever plan he's thought up, then the village would be safe and we could live happily together.’ I smiled, remembering the kiss we shared and that we were now colt and marefriend. A nearby growl shook me out of my thoughts. I froze, not daring to move a muscle and listened for the dogs to move away before continuing on to the village. ‘This is the stupidest thing I've ever done. But here I am, sneaking to the village, mindful of the diamond dogs prowling around. This plan had better work Gunhaver or I'll make a potion that will knock you into next week!’ I met the end of the grass and poked my head out. I saw no dogs around and the one on the ship couldn’t see us thanks to Gun’s invisibility spell. I darted over to the decorated posts that formed the focus for the spiritual barrier and knocked it down, allowing Gunhaver safe entry into the village. I scurried to nearest home and peered around the corner. All the villagers had been rounded up and stuck in chains. The foals were held together by a net, each one crying or whimpering. There were a few that weren't chained, but they laid on the ground motionless, even the tribe chief. I held back my tears and muttered a small prayer for their souls. After this ordeal, they will be given a proper burial so they can return to the earth in peace. The diamond dogs were another story. They surrounded the zebras, some giving jabs with their spears to those who won't be quiet, some giving leering looks at the mares, but most of them stared at their leader, who was speaking to some underlings, awaiting orders. I began to count the numbers as instructed; there were about thirty five in total, save for any blocked from my view. Some had vests that held strange vials of liquids. A few had some net launching contraptions but most held spears or swords. Gunhaver said it was important to get all the details to him. ‘Now for the stupid part of the plan where it could all go wrong.’ I thought. Gun’s spell dissolved, leaving me clear in the open. I stepped out from my cover and shook my flank at the dogs while yelling, "Come and catch me if you can! I bet you're the slowest in your clan!" All eyes locked on to me. I felt a stab of fear in my heart. The leader yelled and the closest diamond dog charged after me. I took off and ran around the village to the meeting point. I could hear the dog's paws slowly gaining on me. Its panting breath was nearby, but so was the meeting point. I put in a burst of speed and ran straight for the home that was hidden from the dogs view. I stopped in the shade of the home and the dog caught up and cornered me. His mouth was slobbering with drool. He chuckled, "Hehe nowhere to run now stripepony." He lunged and I braced myself but the attack never came. I looked up to see the dog held up around his throat by a familiar black set of claws that rose from the ground in front of me. A billowy figure followed and Gunhaver stepped out of the shadows with a malicious grin on his face. "Didn’t your mother tell you it’s not nice to play with your food?" He said before he latched his teeth into the dog's neck. I shuddered at the dying yelp the dog gave before it turned into a withered corpse. I suppressed the urge to throw up. I'm never going to get used to him doing that. Gunhaver turned to me, eyes expectant, "Swift, sitrep now." ‘A what?’ I gave him a confused look and he put his claws up on his face. "What have you found out?" He said with an exasperated sigh. ‘Oh.’ I told him what I saw and he absorbed it. His red eyes showed that he was planning something big. I only hoped that it didn't involve me anymore. I'm not cut out for fighting. My talent was with the Shaman Elder. My ears perked up at the sound of dogs approaching. Gunhaver must have heard it too because he tossed the corpse away and dove back into the shadows. I stayed where I was. ‘Why do I have to be the bait?’ Two dogs stepped around the corner and looked surprised as they couldn't find their comrade, but that didn't stop them from charging. I stood there, unmoving while Gunhaver leaped out of the shadows, knife in hand and stabbed the dog on the right in the throat. He snapped the dog's neck and began to feed on him. The other dog saw this and began to back pedal away. He didn't get far before Gunhaver lifted his 'pistol' and growled. The small weapon changed, extending itself and then it jerked silently. The dog fell to the ground with new holes in its body. My eyes went wide at the destruction his weapon caused. Gunhaver spat out the corpse and smiled, "Down, dumb dog." Gunhaver's POV Did you know that Diamond Dogs taste like chocolate? Both of the ones I nommed on tasted like dark chocolate, though I think one of them had a taste of orange to them. I wonder if they all taste slightly different. Either way, they were delicious. ‘I have to hand it to Swift, he's got more balls than I thought, being the bait like that.’ I used him because he knew the tribe layout better and he trusted me to save him. Now I have intel on the enemy and they're probably alerted to my presence. Not ideal, but you have to make do with what you got. I quickly made a snack of the last dog and then set my plan into motion. "Trans Form, Diamond Dog" I felt myself change like molten wax, my arms and chest became thick and furry while my lower body turned into the legs of a dog. I felt my face extend into a muzzle and my ears shift to the top of my head. ‘Yeah, I'm going to need a custom set of clothes once I get out of here. I got a few designs in mind.’ ... What? Even nerds like me know how to have style. I turned to Swift, "Okay, I'm going to take it from here. Regroup back with the others and await my signal. I'm going to play with the puppies." I said as I reloaded my pistol. Swift nodded and scurried into the tall grass and out of sight. Kill them all! Strip their flesh and let the blood spill! Carve them up! Make them your slaves! Kill! I made my way to the village center, not even trying to hide now. On the way, I double checked my gun, knife and my projects I brought with me. I turned the corner and saw everything as Swift described it to me, though minus a few dogs. I saw the leader, a tall, steel grey, barrel-chested dog point at me, "Who are you?" “Name's Gunhaver. Assassin class. Number seven-two-two." My brother always told me to only give name, rank, and serial number to the enemy. "You do not smell of our kind. You cannot be a dog. What are you?" Okay, so I haven't taken a bath in a while, at least I don't smell bad...I think. Maybe I should check on that later. I held up my hands, "Okay you got me. I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Well, that was only half true. The leader clicked his tounge and six dogs surrounded me, all pointing swords or spears at me. ‘Bad move, Fido.’ "It matters not what you are. You will work for us all the same." I’m calling bullshit on that. I turned my head and fixed my guards locations in my mind before facing the leader. I only had one shot at this, "Yeah, how about no? Duo Tri Depulso!" I raised both my hands and spun around, pointing them at three Dogs each. TH-THUMP TH-THUMP TH-THUMP My six guards dropped their weapons and cried out in pain. They clutched heads, chests and necks where a shaft of white bone protruded, and they all fell to the ground whimpering in pain. That was one of my projects that required bones. I took the long bones such as arms and legs and fashioned them into an aero dynamic bolt with my knife. After that, I enchanted them with Armor Piercing (Aeternum Lacero) and a few other special enchantments as well. I could easily store it out of sight and in my arms and no one would ever know it was there. Unfortunately, now I only had two shots left. The Dogs and Zebras looked at me in shock. The Dog leader spoke up first, "GET HIM!" I watched them come at me and I began to sing as I fought. Music helps me concentrate in stressful situations. Two dogs with spears came at me first. "Run up! In slow motion kick a guy in the head" I jumped and curb stomped the right one's face to the ground. Another Dog came at me and stabbed with his spear, I expertly dodged his attack and pulled out my knife, "Stab his friend, spin around, roll off. Punch a face." I put my knife away for now as another spear dog attacked and I stunned him. He let go of the spear as he fell. "Start out in slow motion first then use a speed hack." A sword Dog attacked the ground I was just at when I spun around with my spear and impaled him in the chest before he could defend himself. Unforunately, the spear was stuck to far and I couldn't remove it. Leave it for now. Just fight. "Grab a sword use it to deflect. Stab him in the back." Another sword Dog swung wildly at me, but I dodged his attack and grabbed his paw, bringing it up and using his sword to fight off a spear Dog before putting the sword in the owner's back. A Sword dog came at me from the side and I barely had time to react to his side swipe. "Get down just in time and slap him in the face." I took my claws and gave the pooch a few new scars. Honestly, the cuts were an improvement to his look. Two dogs decided to get smart against me. One came from behind and held my arms down while another came at me with a spear. I pulled a move my brother taught me. I Bashed my head against my captor, which caused him to lose his grip. I slid out and put the confused pup in the way of the oncoming spear. His friend stabbed him in the heart. "Friendly Fire's on, apparently." ‘Wow. These Dogs are NOOOOOOBS!’ I didn't even have to pull out my gun or use magic for the next two. "Why unsheath your blade? Make 'em use their own." What was left of the Dogs kept their distance from me, knowing they could be killed if they came too close. The ones with the makeshift guns and vials were readying their weapons. A few were set and about to shoot or throw at me. "Time out, lemmme get my Weaps... IN SLOW-MO!" I pulled out my pistol and emptied the clip on them, killing some and incapacitating others. More dogs decided to rush me. “Multi” My rifle turned into a pump action shot gun. I unloaded rounds into their faces. “Boom, headshot!” I bashed one dog in the face with the butt of my gun. “Killing Spree!” I took my knife out and threw it into the next dog’s throat, piercing the wind pipe, “Running Riot!” I grabbed the last dog and fired a bone bolt into his heart, “Killtacular!” I ran and jumped off of his falling body towards more dogs. In the air, I spread my body as far as it could go, “I’m Batman!” I grabbed the next dog, ready to kill him, only to have an arrow pierce his body. I jumped back and turned to the arrow’s origin. “Fuck, I forgot about them.” The dogs on board the ship were readying more bows and arrows. I ran to the nearest bit of cover and pulled out my gun. I popped in and out, firing shots in their direction, ducking back when their arrows flew towards me. “Ha, can’t touch a sniper!” I suddenly had an ominous chill go up my spine. “I feel like I should run now.” I turned to see a massive hammer slam me in the gut and send me flying across the village, into one of the huts. I stood up shakily. “Damn, this game hurts. How the hell do they program the pain sensors on this thing?” I looked up to see the dog leader from before, now holding a massive hammer in his paws like a Brute Chieftain. “Oh, fuck me.” On the bright side, it wasn’t a gravity hammer. “I will show you who is stronger here, puny dog!” I gave him a flat look, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The leader charged and I dodged out of the way, letting him crash into the hut and collapse it. I made a mental note to apologize to whoever owned it. I heard an angry bellow from the village center, “COME OUT, YOU COWARD! FIGHT ME!” I circled the village searching the place for a good spot to leap out from and catch the leader by surprise. He kept on yelling for me to come out and face him. I had found a spot where his back was turned to when he stepped over to the net that held a colt and his mother who clutched him tightly. The dog ripped the colt from her grasp and knocked her out with a backhanded blow. He then took the colt far enough away and yelled again, “COME OUT NOW OR THE VILLAGERS WILL DIE! STARTING WITH THE FOALS!” I stood there frozen in shock. Memories raced through my head. Memories I never wanted to see again. They laid there in a heap. Their bodies twisted and mangled. Blood covered the entire scene. I stood there and watched. I should’ve said something. I could have prevented this. Their blood is on my hands because I didn’t say something. IT WAS MY FAULT! Anger, pain and rage swirled inside me like a fire. “I can prevent this, at least.” I said vengefully. I stepped out from my cover. “I’m right here.” I said coldly, my voice echoing across the village. The leader turned around with a malicious grin on his face. “So it seems the only way to get you out of your hole is to threaten these people.” He held his hammer up high, “Now you will fight me!” I kept my voice even somehow, “Put. The. Colt. Down. Now.” He smirked. God, I hate that smirk. It reminded me of Erebus, which made me even more enraged.“Of course.” He then drew his arm back and chucked the colt straight at my head. Without flinching, I caught the colt and set him down. “Go hide.” I told him. He nodded and scampered off. I faced the leader once again. “If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get. Trans Form Base.” I felt the Dog form fall off of me like a snakeskin. My body returned to its original form. The Dog leader's smirk disappeared at the sight of me and he tightened his grip on his hammer. “Now,” I said, “Phobos Sonor.” I inhaled and let loose the most blood chilling, ear piercing scream of all time. It was the kind of scream that promised pain. Lots of pain. PAIN! GLORIOUS PAIN! LET THE BLOOD FLOW! YES, TASTY TASTY BLOOD! STRIP THE FLESH OF THIS WEAKLING! CONSUME HIM! FEAST ON HIS SOUL! RIP HIS BODY APART! HEAR HIS SCREAMS OF AGONY! KILL HIM SLOWLY! MAKE HIM SUFFER! When I was done, the Dog didn't seem fazed. Either he wasn't afraid or he was good at controlling his emotions. Time to end this. “Music a memoria.” I wanted him to know how he was going to die. “Na-a, Na-a.” I knew how I was going to kill him. “NOW!” I rushed forward, claws at the ready. “I can feel the animal inside My resolve is weakening” I charged forward and darted to the right as the Dog swung his hammer into the ground. “Pounding at the doors of my mind It's nearly overpowering” I jumped at him, claws outstretched and tried to swipe at his head only for him to duck below me. “I cannot begin to describe The hunger that I feel again” That was true. I felt hungry and I needed to eat something. Something big and with lots of blood. I tumbled to the ground and jumped to the side before the Dog smashed the spot where I was. I recovered and set my sights on him again. “Run if you intend to survive For the beast is coming to life Taking form in the glimmer in this tainted moonlight Death approaches on this night” I charged him again. Ducking when he tried to swing his hammer sideways at me. “For the animal's soul is mine We will be completed right before your eyes I have no control this time” With his momentum keeping him off balance, I attacked his wrists, slashing them and causing him to drop in hammer in pain. I muttered a quick “Depulso” to create some distance between him and his hammer. “And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight” I picked up a few nearby swords and strung my spider silk around the hilts. “I can hear it calling again The primal need is filling me” With my new weapons in hand, I advanced upon the Dog, who was just getting up. I noticed that some of the dogs from before were coming out, possibly to back up their leader. Nope. “Changes are about to begin And now my blood is boiling” I threw my swords at the first grunt, letting the silk uncoil from my body. I pulled the ropes taut and swung them in midair towards him like a whip. He tried to duck behind the hut, but I let the rope extend and catch the edge, flinging the sword around the corner. The sound of a yelp and metal on flesh confirmed a hit. I continued this sword flurry on the other grunts. “I can see the fear in your eyes But you can't bring yourself to scream Time to shed the mortal disguise For the beast is coming to life Taking form in the glimmer of this tainted moonlight Death approaches on this night For the animal's soul is mine We will be completed right before your eyes I have no control this time And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight” The rest of the survivors and the wounded were getting up, trying to run back to the ship. I wasn’t about to let them. I pounced on the closest one, who had a limp leg. I quickly fed on him. “We begin the hunt and I Feel the power course, as the creatures take flight For the kill is close and I will be satisfied For the smell of fear tonight Wakes an ancient lust that will not be denied You're mine” I had fed on the last of the wounded. Now the Dog leader had taken up his hammer again and was preparing to charge me, oblivious of the carnage I had unleashed. “For the animal's soul is mine We will be completed right before your eyes I have no control this time And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight” He swung wildly, and I dodged it with relative ease. ‘Time to put this puppy down’ I thought. I slashed at his wrists again and then swooped under him and sliced his hamstrings. He yelled in pain as he tumbled to the ground. “For the animal's soul is mine And the world around will never hear your cries An unholy crime And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight” I grabbed the Dog by the neck and lifted him up. He now showed absolute terror on his face. “D-d-don’t h-hurt m-m-me.” he begged, “J-just let me get back to my ship. Please!” I glared at him and then glanced at the ship above us, “My ship now.” I growled. The Dog had pretty much pissed himself by now. “Fine! Your ship! Just let me go!” He shouted desperately. I gave a cool calm smile. “You’re right. I should let you go.” I reassured him. He sighed in relief, “Thank you so-“ “To Tatarus. Requiescat en pace.” I watched his face turn to a look of horror before I tore his throat out with my teeth. Feeding on him felt good. Yes! That's it! More blood! Feast upon them all! I wanted more. The taste of blood was...sweet. Like a special kind of fruit. I needed more. But where? The tribe? Yes, they could provide so much more for me. I could- I punched myself in the jaw. 'What the hell? Why would I think that? I-I think I'm going to be sick' I hunched over to heave out my stomach, only to find out that I couldn't. It was like throwing up but the bile wouldn't come out. I managed to stutter out a few words. “Trans Form Harpy” As soon as I changed, I threw up properly. I don't know how long I was laying there in blood and vomit. I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was Swift. He gave me a concerned look, “It has been a rough day. Are you okay?” I took a deep breath and practiced the Candle trick. When I was calm, I spoke, "Free the others. Tie up the wounded Dogs and treat any with injuries. I need them alive for questioning." Swift nodded and left me alone. Achievement Unlocked: Dog Eat Dog World - Gained 20 XP Achievement Unlocked: Crouching Toby, Hidden Ezio - Instant level up Achievement Unlocked: Pwning da noobs – Gained 30 XP Achievement Unlocked: Beast Within – Gained 50 XP Achievement Unlocked: Mortal Kombat – +5 Combat Quest Complete - Earned 750 XP Combat Muliplier - 17 Total XP Earned – 17,000 XP You are now at level 21 New Perk Unlocked: Part Time Job – +25% chance of bonus rewards. Reward: Diamond Dog Form Airship Contents 'God Damn...I haven't fought that hard since my brother came back during his leave from the military.' When he came home, I always had to be on guard from him and his attacks. Since he was in the Marines, he usually wiped the floor with me but I learned and made sure to work out so I could be ready for him next time. Now I won about half the fights we got into. But I still panted from the intense work out I had just now. I watched the zebras make quick work of the mess I left for them to clean. I'd help but I'm too tired. The stallions roped the wounded Dogs together, binding arms, legs, and muzzles like a hog. The mares were freeing the tribe and helping them with any wounds they recieved. The few foals were doing their part by pulling the wounded zebras over to Swift and Sparrow who were quickly making medicine for everyone. But they all kept a safe distance from me. ... It seemed quiet. Stallions were grunting, Mares gossiping, Foals chatting, but something was missing. ... The Voice. It was quiet. For the first time in a while it was quiet. No. It was still there, just muted. I had to strain to hear it but i could barely make it out. It'll be back soon enough, but now it was not yelling at me. So I guess that brutally murdering others instead of being diplomatic could act as a temporary solution to calming it. There's probably other ways but for now, it will have to do. ... 'I should probably help them clean up. At least drag away the dead dogs so I can eat and restore my energy. I wonder how strong Dog bones are? They'd have to be fairly strong to support the muscle. Eh, I'll find out later. I should probably find any stragglers.' Scanning my memories, I found some words to help. "Adversa Bio Locus" I felt a new awareness in me rise up. I could sense the land around me but more importantly, I could sense the location of the wounded Dogs I had fought. More importantly, the ones that were on the ship. They were weak but still there. I looked up at the airship. Yeah, definitely a freighter. I could even see a pulley system on the side with a hook that I assume would have lifted the heavy cargo, in this case the would be zebra slaves. Now that I have a closer look, I could see that it was on it's last legs with all the damages. I sighed. Well, looks like I'll have to upgrade on the way there. Great. But look on the bright side, I could now custom fit this thing to my advantage. My engineering skills from college and imagination started to kick in, already making plans for my future ship as I stroked my non-existent beard evilly. I could see it now. I would have the most fearsome ship in the world. Maybe I could make a fleet? I would rule the skies then. For now, I'll just stick with one ship and focus on maxing it out first. Then we'll bring in the others. Baby steps first. "Trans Form Base." I was too tired to fly so I wrapped my spider silk around my last bone bolt and aimed in the general direction of the main deck. “Depulso.” The bolt shot towards the ship and landed with a solid thunk in the wood. “Retract.” I slid forward and up into the air as my body pulled in the silk. I made it to the deck of the ship. There were a few wounded Dogs as my senses told me before. There wasn't much on the main deck except the pulley system and the doors to the cargo hold. There were stairs leading up and down to the other levels and some doors that probably lead to the captain's quarters. I went over to the doors on the deck only to find it locked tight with out a key. I could shoot it open but I could also look for another entrance and explore the ship on the way. That and I don't want to fall in. Knowing my luck, I'd land on my face. Yeah, I'm going to explore. I went to the stairs, humming a familiar song What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning! Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning! Put him in a long boat till his sober, Put him in a long boat till his sober, Put him in a long boat till his sober, Early in the morning! Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning! I kept looking around the ship, not really paying attention to my surroundings much, until I found a chained and padlocked door. 'Now what could be so important that they had to keep it locked?' I wondered. I go up to the padlock and try to pick it open with my claws to see if I could do it. All I got was an unopened lock and sore claws. Now I know why cats and dogs hate having their claws cut. Guess I have to practice that skill. "Fuck this." I pulled out my pistol and unloaded the clip on the lock. Excessive but the thing did hurt my claws. Now the lock and the door behind it looked like a metal/wood swiss cheese. The lock hung there for half a second before falling off, bringing the chain with it. I kicked the door open with my foot and stepped into the room. I stopped. 'Okay, I wasn't expecting this.'