A Friend in Need
Whomever saves one life earns as much merit as if they had saved the entire world - Talmudic saying
From the research diary of Dr Lucy Willing,
June 18th 1937
Case profile: Velika La Pette
Velika is from an old wealthy Persian family. Somehow they managed to avoid the guillotine during the revolution and survived to spawn a whole brood of nasty little aristocrats just like her. She's got a taste for fashion like a lion has a taste for meat, using combined animals to create new kinds of furs to sell to her high-society friends.
She and Julius get along grandly. I think he wants her for her less... tangible abilities. Along the way, they discovered their visions were complimentary. Julius wants to take over the world - and Velika wants to take over Julius.
Isla Ligatio
June 20th 2937
As Lucy brought the lab, Wolf leaped off as they hovered over the rich green grass, landing lightly and easily on his feline paws. Rex, watching him through the open door while Lucy steered, had to laugh. He stretched (Far more like a cougar than a wolf) then took off at a run, scouting the coast they'd landed on. As Rex and Lucy stepped from the lab's rear platform onto the ground they saw a pair of hippos and a couple of cheetahs dashing away from robust Wolf.
"This island is teeming with wildlife, Rex. It will be an excellent place for us to extend our genetic library of stock." Lucy observed, watching the hippos dive into the water to escape Wolf. Her little Frupine was riding on her shoulder, and he too started to emit little grunts when he saw they were back on solid land. Lucy put him down for a hop around near her feet, where she could keep an eye on him.
"Don't forget Lucy, we're here on a rescue mission. We've got to find out what Velika is doing, kidnapping villagers. Saving them has to be our top priority." Rex reminded her. She nodded, turning towards him. He'd shaved that morning and looked quite different without his usual stubble, she couldn't help but notice.
"Of course Rex, but there's no reason we shouldn't benefit along the way. We're going to need better creatures if we hope to stand up to Julius. We can kill too birds with one stone."
Rex thought the creatures he'd come up with had been doing a pretty decent job so far, but Lucy knew more than he did of what lay ahead.
At the mention of killing birds Wolf trotted up hopefully, tongue hanging out. Lucy halted him with a shove to his furry chest, stopping him in place, then reached down to scoop her tiny Frupine into her palms. "Watch where you're putting those great paws, Wolf!"
Wolf stared at the little creature in her hands, wagged his tail, and licked his lips. Lucy drew her Frupine closer and glared warningly. "Don't even think it, buster!"
Trying to control his laughter, Rex gave one of Wolf's ears an affectionate tug. "Come on, big guy. Let's scout out the area and on the way back you can hunt, ok?"
Wolf barked, then reared up and threw his forepaws over Rex's shoulders. Solidly built and in shape Rex might have been, but Wolf weighed around three times what he did and he found himself sprawled on his back in the grass, Wolf gazing delightedly down at him. It was Lucy's turn to laugh, even the Frupine now perched safely on her shoulder again seeming to chortle.
"Come along then, Rex!" She called, deciding for once she wanted to scout with him instead of setting up base. A few henchman had been radioed ahead of time as usual anyway, and Lucy left them arguing over who got to construct which building.
Wolf led them to an apparently deserted village. None of the usual bustle and noise that went with them were present here. Lucy kept close to Rex, rather glad of Wolf's presence as he stalked a few paces ahead of them.
"Well, this place hasn't seen a soul in weeks." summed up Rex, looking about with a furrowed brow.
"It looks like they left in a hurry. And I don't think it was by choice." Lucy replied, noticing a half-empty basket that had been turned on its side, spilling out what appeared to be children's stick-figure toys.
Wolf went completely still suddenly. Rex walked into straight his backside, having been still gazing at the apparently abandoned huts beside them. Wolf swished his tail and gave him a little 'pay attention!' growl.
A villager ran up to them. "Help us!" He pleaded. "The evil sky witch keeps stealing our people!"
"Evil sky witch. Hmph. Sound like anyone we know, Lucy?"
"Velika La Pette! Rex, I want to help these villagers as much as you, but we need to collect some more powerful creatures first."
"You will not help us?" Exclaimed the villager, staring at Lucy. "Then you will not use any of our islands creatures!"
Before either of them could explain he ran over to a large, suspended round item Lucy had thought was some sort of pendulum. She realized her mistake when the villager seized a massive stick to beat it with, producing an incredible bass note that boomed like thunder. It was a very large drum.
Wolf uttered a short, painful howl and shot backwards several paces, pawing at his ears. Rex, concerned, went after him. Lucy could see other island creatures fleeing along the coast. The pair of hippos Wolf has been chasing for fun earlier struck out into the shallow water for a nearby sandbar Lucy thought was part of quite a large island.
The villager nodded, satisfied. "They will not return for a long time. Now if you want our help, you must save my people!"
"Why you no good, manipulative little creep!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Easy, Lucy." soothed Rex, after making sure Wolf had recovered. "Look fella, we'd be happy to help you out."
"You're still going to help him? After what he just pulled?" Lucy couldn't believe her ears.
"Well, that is what we came here to do. Besides, he's holding all the cards. It looks like we do need those creatures, after all. Now, where did Vel- I mean, the evil sky witch, take your people?"
"She locked them up near our great Temple." Replied the villager, and Rex nodded, taking Lucy's arm to head back to base. He patted Wolf apologetically.
"Sorry Wolf. Going to have to wait for that hunt."
Wolf looked back over his shoulder and growled softly at the villager, as if to say he'd just see about that.
The main buildings around the base had been set up by the henchman, who were now chipping coal. Lucy went inside the lab to get some research done to strengthen the creatures and their production.
When she emerged, Rex had things well under control. He was standing on the platform looking deep in thought, and she went to stand beside him. He turned to her with a thoughtful expression. "You know Lucy, I'm exhausted, and yet I fell... absolutely invincible. I thought that piranha bite from a few days ago would scar for sure, and yet I can't even see where it was. Then I cut myself shaving this morning, and it seems to have healed before my very eyes."
"I've noticed. It's remarkable, there's barely a scratch on you." He spent so much time on the front lines, fighting alongside the creatures, it was quite remarkable.
"It's true, I've always been a quick healer."
Wolf jumped up with a canine sigh, at a loss to comprehend why humans always had to chatter about everything. They'd scare any remaining prey away. He knew Rex could heal u cuts and scrapes, and he knew why. Rex faintly gave off the same scent he smelt when he went near the Lobsox. It was no mystery to Wolf. He stood up and bounded towards the bay, putting in an extra stride and leaping lithely out to the water chamber there. Her perched with great agility on the boom, staring down into the water with his intent ivory gaze.
At length Rex nudged Lucy, pointing to the chamber. She turned her head to see Wolf's paw flash down, whacking a fish straight up out of the water. He caught it neatly in his jaws. If he couldn't hunt, he'd make do with fishing.
Rex smiled to himself and headed to the creature chamber for a little editing before they started building an army. From what the villager had indicated, he and the creatures would have to swim the nearby channel to get to the main part of the island. His Oxine had served him well, but they wouldn't fit in this time around.
He wanted to keep a ranged attack creature though, and he found an excellent replacement when he experimented with the chameleon. It had a tongue attack to fire over distances. He couldn't combine it with the ox this time if he wanted it to swim... but he soon found an amphibious animal that would do nicely.
He gaped as he read over the crocodile's statistics. It had more health than anything he'd come across. Its defense was also excellent, and as well as its obviously powerful jaws it had a tail attack, resulting in a very high melee count. This he had to try.
A moment later he finalized the Chamodile for his army. The only chamelion part was the most necessary one, the head. It's tongue attacked could hit from twenty-five meters away. Rex was highly impressed. He decided to see what else he could combine the crocodile with.
He soon discovered that by replacing the ox in his Lobsox, he got an even tougher, healthier beast with a far high melee. It looked like something out of a nightmare, a lobster body, crocodile head and tail, huge lobster claws snapping in front. Knowing the Lobsox had pretty much run their course and served him well, Rex swapped them out for the new Crocobster with a mighty 34 melee damage.
When he tried out the gorilla with the crocodile, interested in the mighty pummel attack it had, he was surprised at how fitting the upright gorilla body went with the scaly face and tail of the reptile. They were almost streamlined. He couldn't resist adding these Gorodiles, even though they were slightly below the Crocobster in nearly all abilities. They looked like dinosaurs with furry bodies.
When Wolf returned to land fully sated, he found Rex standing in a circle of a score of new creatures. Lifting his paw to give Rex a leg up, Wolf barked for the attention of the new army, then set out for the shoreline. Every one of them followed, and Lucy sighed as she watched them go, absently patting her Frupine (She had long since learned to avoid its spiny shoulders). She hoped he would be able to rescue the villages, despite her earlier anger. She couldn't believe Velika wanted the people for experiments with Sigma. She preferred to think they'd simply been in her way, that she wanted their island and had found locking them up to be the easiest way to get it.
Still, she couldn't quite quiet the little voice in her conscience that pointed out Sigma seemed to breing out the worse in people.