Sorry this took so long. I was moving to a new place, and then video games got in the way and made me lazy. Anyway, time for DREAM to confront some...fun guys.
Expansion Scenario Chapter 9 (Janus) – The Whisperers In Darkness! Face The Fungi from Yuggoth! (Part 1)
"Hey, guys!" Janus called out as he and Masakado entered the hangar of the New Photon Power Institute where Kouji was overseeing the repairs on God Scrander while Go, Kei and Gai worked on Shin Getter Dragon, while Elle and Judau were watching new cables be attached to the ZZ Gundam. With things having been relatively calm since their return from space, everyone could focus on getting their mechs back in working order after being damaged by the previous battles.
"Janus! Masakado!" Kei called down. "When did you get back?"
"A little while ago," Granlif's pilot replied.
"Anything interesting happen?" Kouji asked.
"We encountered this lovely Devilman nun who is taking care of some orphaned children," Masakado said. "Her name was Leica Crusade."
"She lives with them in this old church on Sodom's edge," Janus added. "She gave us lunch and then we spent some time helping her fix up the place."
"Was she able to offer any insight into that new cult that's popped up?" Gai asked. He and the rest of DREAM had been warned about the existence of the Shub-Niggurath cult.
"No, unfortunately," Granlif's pilot replied before glancing over at his masked companion and elbowing him a little; "But we did learn that Wodan here is a real lady's man when he wants to be." The masked man blushed behind his mask.
"I-it's nothing like that!" the swordsman stammered, "I-I-I merely did what any gentleman would do!" However, everyone else - even Go - simply smiled, and Gai gave Masakado a slap on the back.
"C'mon! We're happy for ya!" the Getter pilot said; "It's not often that a guy falls in love!"
"In Neo-Italy there was an expression for that," Elle added. "Colpo di fulmine...literally, 'the thunderbolt'. The signs of a thunderbolt are all over you, buddy – that mask of yours can't hide them from us!"
"Yeah," Judau said with a laugh. "You may be on the older side, but I bet even you've got some of our youthful fire in ya! Even with your scars, your apparent age has gotta be in...what, the thirties?"
Masakado stared down at the floor.
Is that really how I felt upon looking at her, he thought. Like I was struck by lightning?
But his thoughts were interrupted when they head singing coming from nearby, a girl's voice singing a catchy tune, somehow accompanied by musical instruments.
Baby blue buildings far above the crystal cooooove,
Magenta-plated terrace with a table and a stoooove,
Guarded golden railing just to frame the pretty staaaaars,
Fix that old piano and the birds will fall apaa-aa-aa-aart!
As the singer returned to the start of the song, her identity became apparent – Lorelei Stroheim, with Shiro pleasantly rocking his head back and forth in time with the music. When she entered, Janus immediately noticed that she was taller, and clearly looked more grown up than before. Somehow, her body had matured alongside that of Kouji's brother.
That's right, Janus thought after a moment. Kouji told me and Tara that Lorelei has a memory-growth silicon body now, just like Miku. I guess she wanted to grow up like a normal girl alongside Shiro.
"Hi, everyone!" Lorelei said, stopping her singing.
"Hey, Lorelei!" Kouji said; "Where did you learn that song?"
"I found this song in Dr. Heaven's archives," she answered; "and decided to make up lyrics based on what it sounded like!"
"It's totally awesome!" Shiro said as Lorelei began to sing again, with Kouji's brother following along as the two walked onward.
"Great, now I'm going to have this song stuck in my head all day," Kei groaned.
"You're telling me," Gai added before everyone turned to see what Go's opinion would be. To their surprise, he seemed to be deep in thought.
"Is something bothering you, Go?" Masakado asked.
"How does fixing an old piano make birds fall apart?" the leader of the Getter Team said in genuine puzzlement. "Does it really require baby blue buildings far above a crystal cove? It makes no sense at all." Everyone in the room except him and Masakado fell over groaning in reaction to this...
"Unh...huh?" Naakim groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness - the last thing he remembered was feeling a needle pierce his neck as he was getting ready for bed before everything went dark. As his vision became clearer, he saw that he was in what seemed to be a massive cavern – the air was damp and smelled of the ocean, and the ceiling seemed to be miles above his head. But what soon caught the young boy's attention was far closer.
Three mi-go, which he had never seen before, and a tall man with orange-red hair, a pointed goatee, yellow-green eyes and sporting a gray suit with a similarly colored cloak that had a purple lining, and a white undershirt with a frilly collar. He could see a little girl slightly older than him hid behind one of the mi-go, but he was still too groggy to get a look at her features.
Looming behind them was something else: a ten feet tall, somewhat humanoid figure. Its legs were hoofed like those of a goat and covered with coarse black hair. Its forearms and clawed hands were covered in this hair, as was its head, which resembled a twisted cross between that of a human and that of a sharp-toothed, tusked goat. It had two large horns growing from its brow that curled and ended in needle-sharp points. One of its eyes was distinctly goat-like, but the other was human...and closer inspection would reveal the presence of a Geass symbol on the iris.
"Ah, little one." the man said with a wicked smirk. "So you're finally, finally awake."
"Where am I?" Naakim demanded; "Who are you?! You're a bad man, aren't you?!"
"My boy," the man replied with a chuckle, "good and evil are entirely, entirely subjective. But I suppose you wouldn't understand. You are a child, after all." The goat-like humanoid bleated wickedly.
"Let me go," the boy threatened, "or else!"
"Or else what?" one of the mi-go buzzed.
Naakim growled as his body began to warp and swell until he had assumed his Devilman form – bursting through his pajamas as he did so – and then tried to grab the man with one of his great arms, only to be stopped by some sort of invisible barrier.
He then noticed that something had appeared beneath him – a gigantic, glowing symbol resembling a pentagram with numerous inscriptions that he couldn't read. The symbol flashed, lashing out with a strange energy that made the boy's Devilman flesh seethe and roil with agony. He reflexively reverted to his human form, which caused the symbol to fade somewhat.
"Just as you deduced, Vespasianus," the second mi-go said to the man in the same buzzing voice. "A good thing that you learned to craft an Elder Sign."
"To think that this little runt would house the essence of Great Cthulhu," the third mi-go said. Naakim blinked with vague recognition as he heard the name, even as he struggled to make his body move.
Cthulhu, Naakim thought. Is that the demon that tried to take me over?
"You forget my dear, dear, dear children of Yuggoth," Vespasianus said as he approached them , "that Great Cthulhu is not a name, but a title. Any starspawn can become a vessel for its awesome, awesome power." The man grabbed Naakim and dragged him out of the Elder Sign before laying him flat.
"But it seems this one still clings to his humanity," the bearded man said with a devious chuckle. "Let us quickly, quickly rectify this." The second mi-go nodded and nudged the girl from behind it, and she began to approach, clutching a clear tube with a noodle-like worm inside.
As she approached, Naakim managed to turn his head enough to gaze at the girl - she was thin, pale-skinned and had two differently colored eyes: one purple and one yellow. Her marble-white hair was long and flowed free save for two parts tied up in buns and covered in wraps of the same colors. Her attire, which could have very well been from some distant world, was mostly ocean blue with white accents, but a few parts were colored in the same yellow and purple as her eyes. Overall, she gave off an aura of a priestess for some otherworldly god.
If Kurou and Al had been there, they would have recognized this girl as another grimoire spirit.
"Now, dear, dear R'lyeh Text," Vespasianus said. "Awaken your god." The girl looked down at Naakim, her expression vacant and empty.
Or was there a tiny hint of regret in her eyes?
But without changing her expression, R'lyeh Text removed the seal on the tube and dumped the worm on Naakim's face. The boy wanted to get away, but his limbs remained heavy, forcing him to watch as the creature immediately wriggled up his nose. As the worm made its way toward his brain, Naakim began to hear ominous chanting in his brain...
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn...
"Toh!" Domon grunted as he bounded into the air, avoiding Allenby's strike with all the grace befitting the heir to the Tohou Fuhai style of martial arts. At the peak of his leap, he kicked downward, knocking the girl back before she could block. She and Domon were sparring in one of Sodom's parks - he was teaching his fellow ex-Gundam Fighter more of the ins and outs of the fighting style he had learned from Master Asia. Meanwhile, the rest of the Shuffle Alliance was watching with great interest.
Suddenly, the group heard someone calling out to them.
"Guuuuuys!"
They all stopped and saw four people approaching them, three of them in a quick jog, the other at a more leisurely pace.
"Fudo! Miki! Dorango!" Domon said happily as the first three reached them.
"It's good to see you all again," Lucifer said as he arrived behind his three friends.
"Good to see you as well, Ryo Asuka," Argo said with a nod of acknowledgment. "Have you had enough time to yourselves, and come to rejoin us?"
"More or less," Dorango said as Fudo looked at Domon, then grinned wryly.
"Hey, Domon," he said; "How about I spar with you? You're not too exhausted, are ya?"
The martial artist thought about this as he rolled his different joints a bit, while Allenby and the Shuffle Alliance looked at God Gundam's pilot uneasily.
"I dunno, Domon," Chibodee said. "Don't forget that he clobbered mobile suits on foot back during the war. He even put a dent in Mazinger ZERO!"
"I'd honestly hesitate to even fight Mrs. Kasshu as she is now," George added, "and not simply because she is a woman."
"So what?" Domon said. "My Master beat mobile suits on foot too!" Fudo grinned amicably and took off his shirt, then shifted to his Devilman form, minus his wings.
"I'll be the ref!" Allenby said.
"Don't worry, guys," he said as he and his partner stepped away. "I'll use just my own strength. No flying, and no fancy Devilman powers."
"Sounds good to me," the King of Hearts said before bowing respectfully, as was custom. Fudo bowed back, and then both assumed fighting stances.
"Ready?" Allenby called out. "Begin!"
With that, Devilman and martial artist rushed at each other with lightning speed and unleashed a wild flurry of punches and kicks. While Fudo had a physical advantage in almost every respect, Domon's skill and years of training were more than enough to keep things even – he deflected Fudo's strikes while simultaneously landing powerful blows on the Devilman.
Look at 'em go, Dorango thought as he watched. Hard to believe there's any human who can keep up with Amon. And it looks like they're pretty focused on the fight, too. I guess that means I can...
"So, what brings you back?" Sai asked.
"We came to rejoin the cause," Miki said.
"And to warn you guys that the Devil Gundam has returned," Dorango suddenly chimed in.
"What?!" the other Shuffle Alliance members exclaimed in shock. Domon and Allenby didn't seem to hear the ice demon's words at all.
"No...that's gotta be some sort of sick joke, man!" Double Dragon Gundam's pilot said.
"I wish it was, Sai Saichi," Miki said. "But we saw it with our own eyes. Even if it was our first time seeing that thing, there was no mistaking it."
"What's worse," Lucifer added, "is that an Outer God cult plans to use it an anchor for an Outer God called Shub-Niggurath."
"Have you told Captain Noa and Commander Ray? They're already aware of the cult surrounding Shub-Niggurath, so this is a big deal."
"We did," Miki said. "There was one odd thing about this Devil Gundam, though. It didn't even try to attack us, even after we killed one of Shub-Niggurath's so-called 'Dark Young'. It actually killed its own cultists, and then turned into a puddle of gray goo and slipped away."
"Why would a god attack its own worshipers?" Chibodee said, scratching his head.
"The Outer Gods don't care about mortals in the slightest," Dorango replied, "or did you forget how Nyog'Sothep was about to eat our entire multiverse?"
"Shouldn't we tell Domon about this?" George suggested.
"Not until after this is over," Lucifer said, looking over at Fudo and Domon, who were still going at it. "I'm curious to see how strong a human on foot is compared to a Devilman of Akira's caliber, and this news would surely cripple his fighting ability."
Having dealt with Naakim, Vespasianus and his goat-like companion exited the cavern arriving in a moonlit forest clearing. They were greeted by Asura, who seemed to be waiting for them with excitement, even as he clutched what seemed to be numerous sheets of parchment that may or may not have been tanned human skin.
"Father!" the two-faced demon said happily.
"Ah, Asura," Vespasianus said; "Welcome back. How was your proselytizing, my child?"
"I've recruited another thirty children of the Silver Moon to our fold!" Asura replied proudly. "They will join us for the next ritual!" To his delight, Vespasianus beamed with an equal amount of pride.
"Excellent, excellent!" the sorcerer beamed; "That's the most you've recruited so far! I'm so proud of you, I'm going to give you a present!"
He gestured to the goat-like giant. It tromped over to Asura and squatted down.
"This is a very, very special satyr," Vespasianus said in a fatherly way; "He has been infused with the essence of Pan."
Asura's eyes widened.
"You mean Pan, the Lord of the Woods?" he exclaimed; "The god of nature who ruled the world in our mother's stead in the days when Deathless Amon blessed our kind?"
"Indeed," the sorcerer said; "He shall be your guardian and assistant in the ritual...as well as your friend." Asura looked back at the Lord of the Woods, who bleated happily.
"Thank you, father!" the two-faced demon squealed as he dropped the sheaf of parchment embraced the horrible-looking giant's leg.
"It seems she found a suitable vessel in another world," Vespasianus explained, "and fed him an very, very, VERY large dose of Mother's Milk before bringing him here." After a few more moments of watching Asura hug Pan's vessel, the sorcerer cleared his throat, snapping the two-faced demon back to attention.
"What about suitable sacrifices?" he asked, glancing at the parchment that Asura had dropped; "I understand the vessel for Her is becoming rather...twitchy as of late."
"Our spies located a large number of potential candidates who meet our needs," the two-faced demon said as he picked up the documents and handed them to his father. Vespasianus began to skim the document, holding each page up to the moonlight, nodding satisfactorily before turning to the next one. But on the seventh page, he paused with surprise as he saw the image of someone he knew appear upon exposure to the light of the moon.
That one, he thought. Could it be...
The image, revealed in the lunar glow, was of Leica Crusade.
"Ah, the one on the seventh page," Asura said awkwardly. "She will be..."
"I will have the mi-go bring this one directly to me," Vespasianus said in a commanding tone; "I will decide whether she may have another use."
"Understood," Asura said.
"You may go now, my son," his father then said. Asura grinned and bade the Lord of the Woods to follow him as he ran into the forest. The goat giant did so with the excitement of a young puppy.
For a few moments, the sorcerer stood alone.
"It's all coming together," he thought. "Soon, I..."
"Soon you what, Vespasianus?" an ominous voice came from seemingly nowhere. A moment later, Vespasianus felt his neck hair stand on end as something appeared behind him...Perfectio.
"L-l-lord Perfectio!" the sorcerer exclaimed. "Were you listening?"
"This Satyr Project you have been working on," the Outer God said; "Will it bring the chaos I desire for MY complete entrance into this world? I did not save you from the wrath of Lordgenome back then just for you to continue your own pet projects."
"O-of c-course! Certainly, certainly!" Vespasianus stammered. "You would surely, surely understand that the wild rituals of the Black Goat heighten all emotions, not just lust."
"That is true," Perfectio replied, "but because of a certain unforeseeable factor, I cannot tell how things will go. I need your assurance."
Vespasianus laughed, trying his hardest to show his genuine confidence in spite of Perfectio's terrifying presence.
"The creatures who call themselves 'demons' and 'Devilmen' are simply humans with non-human shapes," the sorcerer said. "They still have the same easily, easily exploitable flaws."
He then grinned wickedly.
"Besides, even the unforeseeable factor has a role in my plans."
Perfectio leered, somehow unconvinced.
"If this scheme of yours still fails," the King of Ruin said, his leering gaze piercing into the sorcerer's very soul. "I won't save your skin a second time. Understood?"
"I-I understand perfectly," Vespasianus replied. Perfectio turned and disappeared, leaving his minion to catch his breath and then send the mi-go to capture the new sacrifices...
Night had fallen, and the three children in Leica's care were in bed. Leica herself, meanwhile, prepared to go to sleep herself. However, there was one thing that she couldn't get out of her mind as she laid in bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.
Masakado, she thought, why does my heart beat faster when I think about you? Why do I want to see what lies behind your mask?
Leica sat up and stared at the wall in front of her, which was adorned with various religious imagery – although their presence was merely to keep up appearances...for she was no nun.
Is this...love? Leica thought; Is this how those two felt when they met their future husbands?
Suddenly, a shriek burst out from the hallway – she realized that it was coming from the children's room.
"Alison?" the nun exclaimed. Initially, she assumed that the boys had pranked her again, but then she heard two more cries – these belonged to those very boys. Without further hesitation, Leica rushed out of her bed, into the moonlit hallway and into the adjacent room.
"George! Colin! Alison!" she cried as he burst through the door. To her horror, she saw a pair of mi-go holding the children in their pincers; one had George and Colin, the other had Alison and a free claw. Behind them was a Threshold, though she did not recognize it as such. The three youngsters were understandably frightened out of their wits – their bodies trembled in terror, so much that they couldn't even bring themselves to struggle against their captors. The mi-go holding Alison turned its head toward its companion as it rapidly flashed different colors, then turned to address the false nun.
"You are Leica Crusade, yes?" the mi-go said, its buzzing voice sending chills down her spine. Her instincts told her that these creatures were something even more hideous and wicked than the demons she already loathed. But her reason was occupied by something else.
"Who are you?!" she demanded. "How do you know my name?!"
"We will answer your questions if you come with us peacefully," the other fungus from Yuggoth buzzed. Leica clenched her fists as she resolved to rescue the three children by force. But to her dismay, the mi-go holding Alison quickly opened its free claw and held it around her neck, poised to snap shut.
"If you refuse," the first mi-go said, "you'll find this juvenile shorter by a head."
Leica keep her fists tight as she struggled to think of a way. She had no idea just how fast she could move, and there was no doubt in her mind that these creatures, whatever they were, would carry out their threat if she didn't comply.
"Very well," she sighed; "I'll come with you. Just..." Before she could finish her demand, the two mi-go stepped into the portal.
George...Colin...Alison, Leica thought as she strode in after them. I'll figure out a way to rescue you.
But when she appeared on the other side, the would-be nun saw no sign of the alien creatures, nor of the orphans. Once the portal closed, all she saw was darkness for a moment - until a column of green fire suddenly erupted into existence – a flame that cast no shadows, and coated the stone above with a nasty, venomous verdigris. For in all that seething combustion no warmth lay, but only the clamminess of death and corruption.
And standing before that flame was Vespasianus, whose back was to her initially as he was chanting something in Aklo, his arms raised in adoration. After a few moments, he stopped.
"Hello there," the sorcerer said before turning to her, his cape whirling as he did; "Leica Crusade." As Leica looked upon the man, she was overwhelmed with a hideously powerful sensation of deja vu, and her face turned from bewilderment to horrific recognition.
Images of a white room, a masked boy in black, and being strapped to a surgical table with this man leaning over her flashed briefly in her mind before returning to reality.
"Ah, I know that look very, very, very well," Vespasianus said; "You realize that you've met me before – in a different lifetime, perhaps. Such are the effects of Tulzcha's presence...its verdant light illuminates all truths and reveals what is hidden, even things buried deep, deep, deep within the heart."
Leica shook off the images and leaned in to attack Vespasianus, but stopped as she remembered the orphans – no doubt that this man was in league with those abominations that probably still had George, Colin and Alison in their clutches, and laying a finger on the sorcerer would seal their fates.
"But allow me to introduce myself anyway," Vespasianus said, bowing with a flourish. "I am Vespasianus, sorcerer extraordinaire."
"Where are George, Colin and Alison?!" Leica demanded. "I complied with your lackeys – return them at once!" To this, the bearded man recoiled in mock horror.
"And leave them to starve without their caregiver?" he exclaimed. "We are not so cruel! Their fate will be far, far, far more merciful."
He then grinned wickedly.
"But you, my dear," he continued, "are going to play a very, very, very important role in the events to come..."
"Excellent work, Kamui," Captain Gimbug said from his captain's chair as Kamui smashed through some remote-controlled Andromeda Country knight mechs with BUG's great fists; "I can see that you have already mastered the basics of controlling BUG!" They were on the icy Triton, one of Neptune's many moons, which was serving as one of the Andromeda Country's many forward bases in the Earth's solar system. Using BUG's weapons inside their great ship would easily destroy it, but here on the empty moon, there was no fear of collateral damage.
"Thank you, Captain Gimbug," the half-Saurian said as he landed his colossal machine on the icy ground.
"Now I believe it is time for you to start practicing against real opponents," the Andromeda Country officer said, "and for that, we have arranged a suitable sparring partner." A moment later, a small hatch on the ship opened, and out zipped the black Xi Gundam, which stopped in front of the colossal BUG.
"A mobile suit?" Kamui exclaimed, surprised at facing such a small opponent. "Why is a human helping us?"
"So, you're Kamui," Mafty said politely. "Lord Perfectio told me about you."
"This is Mafty Navue Erin," Gimbug said; "He may be a human, but he and his Gundam are on our side." Kamui nodded warily – he was somewhat more concerned for his foe than for himself.
"You believe this tiny thing can challenge BUG?" he said.
"This Xi Gundam isn't for show," Mafty said with a smirk. "And you underestimate me at your peril...now, here I come!" With that, Xi Gundam sped forward, closing the distance between it and BUG in the span of a second, slashing its colossal opponent with its beam saber, cutting a deep gouge in BUG's armor just as Kamui raised a hexagonal barrier. When the anti-Getter weapon tried to grab the Gundam, it quickly danced out of its way.
I can't hit him or raise my barrier in time, Kamui thought as this dance continued; He's so fast!
"One of BUG's few flaws is that it is bulky and slow," Kamui's commander said; "Fighting Mafty's Gundam will help you learn to handle foes that are smaller and faster than you."
Mafty quickly backed away and launched a barrage of funnel missiles, which Kamui countered by firing a beam from BUG's forehead. However, this left a gap in BUG's barrier that Xi Gundam was fast enough to exploit. The corrupted Newtype then sent several more missiles through the gap, causing them to slam into BUG's torso again, even staggering the colossus.
"Take it easy!" the half-Saurian exclaimed. "We're just sparring, aren't we?"
"If you cannot fight with all your might, you cannot hope to best Getter, even with BUG," Gimbug said. "But if you fall here...well, we will just have to find another pilot for it."
I guess this is the equivalent of a crested flier forcing its fledglings out of the nest, Kamui thought as the black Gundam took aim with its mega-particle cannons; Their only choices are to fly or die!
He reached for a button on his controls and pushed it. BUG held out its hands, causing black Qliphothic energy to start gathering there. It then raised its hands skyward, shooting the energy straight up into the moon's thin atmosphere. Just then, dozens of black energy bolts rained down, leaving deep craters everywhere they hit.
And one of them scored a massive blow on Mafty's black mobile suit in spite of its speed. The suit quickly crashed to the ground, exploding in a great fireball, which was magnified by the nitrogen in the moon's atmosphere.
"Um...he's dead," Kamui said uneasily. "Did I...go overboard?"
"Fear not, son of Gore," Gimbug said; "Lord Perfectio will restore Mafty to life. However, do not let this victory make you arrogant - remember that you have only mastered the basics of controlling BUG. You are nowhere near ready to challenge the Dragon and its allies..."
Upon reaching Sodom, Kz'Yuei quickly found himself a place to perform more work on his experiments – mostly in the form of examining its results. As two of the Elder Thing's five eyes perused papers with data on them while using one eye and two of his limbs to work on something on a computer. Lucifer appeared in the room with a blip.
"Hello, old friend," the angel said.
Ah, Lucifer, the alien creature said, paying attention to Lucifer with his two other eyes while still carefully perusing the data sheet – a trick possible thanks to his five-lobed brain; How were your travels with Fudo and the others?
"Pleasant enough," Lucifer replied. "Are you pleased with the humans your experiment brought forth?"
Indeed I am, Kz'Yuei beamed. Every day I find more and more things to marvel at. He then presented his friend with the papers. The angel looked over it, but quickly found it to be incomprehensible – it was covered in letters that he had no way of reading. He even turned the stack of papers on its side, but to no avail.
"What...exactly am I looking at here?" he asked after a few seconds of this.
Data on the energy capacity of the mitochondria of these humans, the Elder Thing replied.
"Ah, yes," Lucifer replied as he returned the papers to his friend, "the powerhouse of the cell. So, what were your conclusions?"
First, you should understand that our kind discovered that mitochondria were critical in the development of multi-cellular life forms, Kz'Yuei explained.Ironically, they were initially single-celled organisms that entered their hosts and actually fed off the energy their hosts gathered.
The Elder Thing then flipped out a page in the middle of the document, displaying what seemed to be a diagram of the organelle.
But we modified these little darlings, he continued, so that they would form a symbiotic relationship with the host cell instead. Ultimately, the mitochondria and cells become so dependent on each other that the former became just another part of the latter.
The Elder Thing then let out a whistling sigh.
Oh, I remember when we DIDN'T do that, he then said almost nostalgically. It did NOT end well for the humans...though it was certainly interesting to watch what resulted.
Lucifer could only nod uneasily. Even for all the time he had known the Elder Thing, he still couldn't avoid being at least slightly unnerved at the gruesome consequences.
And then there was the time we seeded another world with a special worm that could turn its host into a colossal...
"How did you get samples?" the angel finally asked, hoping to change the subject slightly.
Humans drop dead skin cells everywhere, Kz'Yuei replied as he flipped to another page of data. After gathering a few samples, it was a simple matter for me to whip up a simple bio-analyzer using the junk the humans leave around, and then perform an analysis.
"Aaaaand what did you find?" Lucifer asked, though he could already make a guess as to the answer. Still, he was surprised when Kz'Yuei's eye-stalks began to twitch with excitement.
The capacity of this particular set of humans is enormous, the Elder Thing answered; Beyond anything I'd ever dreamed! Even a single one of these special skin cells, if revived, could hold enough energy to power one of my people's interstellar warships for no less than eighteen of this planet's days! I can only assume their more energy-hungry cells can store even more!
Lucifer chuckled a bit – it would make sense. He himself had incredible power. He remembered many passes through the time loop that had trapped him – he had laid waste to the entirety of the Devilman Army on his own – as well as the Earth itself.
Yet so many questions remain, Kz'Yuei said, his mental voice filled with frustration as he laid the papers down on the table. If I could make a more sophisticated bio-analyzer...oh, if only I could get in touch with others of my kind!
"It's a shame," the angel said. "If I knew where any were, I'd take you to them in a heartbeat."
Well, such is life, the Elder Thing said. Now, I must focus on the matter Captain Noa told me about. Creating a program so your machines can capture images of the mi-go in the humans' visual spectrum. I wonder why they even bothered to consult that Dr. Heaven fellow before coming to me...
The surgery had been a success. By using data from the arms created for Hyoma Aoi, a new, Spiral-powered limb was made for Darry, and it had been successfully grafted to her. In the past, her immune system might have rejected the limb without the use of immunosuppressant drugs - but thanks to the use of Spiral Power and usage of her own cells as part of the grafting process, that was not an issue. What was more, she would be able to use it almost as well as her real limb without any sort of therapy, at least according to the doctors.
Even so, the pink-haired Gunman pilot stared at it glumly the night after the surgery.
So, this is my arm now, she thought as she made the robotic fingers open and close into a fist. She looked over to the right side of her bed - the moon shone directly into her room, revealing that Gimmy had been with her since the procedure was over, waiting for her to wake up...
Only to have fallen asleep himself – the young man was resting his head on her bed.
"Gimmy..." she muttered with a smile. She then used her robotic limb to gently tap his head.
"Wha-wha-what?" Gimmy babbled as he started to wake up. He rubbed his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the low light before gasping in delight.
"Darry!" he exclaimed jubilantly, only to be shushed by the girl.
"Quiet down!" she hissed, bonking him on the head almost reflexively "Other people are trying to sleep, you know!" However, the hardness of her new arm made the blow hurt more than she intended.
"Sorry..." Gimmy groaned as he rubbed the bump that had formed there. "You didn't have to hit so hard." But he soon forgot about his injury when Darry leaned over and embraced him.
"Thank you for waiting," she whispered. "I was hoping you'd be the first person I'd see after waking up." Darry's friend blushed deeply, and was glad it couldn't be seen in the moonlight.
But the moment was interrupted when a portal opened up behind the girl, a pincer claw reached out and yanked her through it, all right before Gimmy's eyes...
As soon as he could, Gimmy made all haste to contact his fellow DREAMers and report Darry's kidnapping, having DREAM's leaders from their rest. However, it wasn't until morning that he could give a full report.
"The next thing I knew," he said frantically as he stood before Bright and Amuro in the captain's chambers on the Ra Cailum, "she was pulled into this portal, and it closed before I could go after whatever had pulled her in!"
"Did you get a look at what grabbed her?" the Hi-Nu Gundam's pilot asked.
"All I saw was this big claw," Gimmy replied, "l-like you'd see on a crab!" The two veterans looked at each other grimly.
"Then it's as we feared," Bright said.
"You know what kidnapped her?" the Grapearl pilot exclaimed.
"We do," Amuro said with a nod. "But more importantly, she wasn't the only person taken last night. Twenty-three other people disappeared over the course of yesterday...all of them women or female demons ranging from the ages of fifteen and forty. What's more, all of the kidnappings happened within a sixty mile radius of the city."
"So what's your plan?" Gimmy then asked after a moment. "We are going to rescue her and the other people, right? Do we have any idea about where they're being held?"
"Of course we're going to rescue them," Bright said. "Where they're being held is a mystery, but I can probably guess what they'll be used for, and what kind of place it might take place in."
"Plus," the Hi-Nu Gundam's pilot added, "the Colonial Republic of Zeon has someone in custody who's been a fountain of information for us. I expect we'll be able to strike them tonight."
"You're welcome to come with us," Bright said. Gimmy smiled and saluted in reply.
Night. The waxing moon glowed high in the sky as children of the Silver Moon, seduced by the call of the Black Goat, gathered in a forest clearing, forming a semi-circle. In front of all these demons stood Asura, with the Lord of the Woods at his side. The hulking creature now seemed to be holding an over-sized harp. Lying on the ground between the demons and Asura were twenty-two women, ranging from ages fifteen to forty. Vespasianus, meanwhile, watched from the edge of the clearing – as well as a number of mi-go, who remained just out of sight.
"Come in! Gather 'round, sweet children, and leave Her all your tears!" the two-faced demon spoke, its voice echoing through the trees while the would-be avatar of Pan took up his harp and began to play an eerie and dissonant tune. "Tell Her all of your troubles, the weight of your short years!" Another demon began handing out vials of a strange white liquid that was flecked with red and black.
"Love is only a river," some of the demons intoned almost in response; "Drowning all of our cheer..."
Such an enchanting speaker, Vespasianus thought.
"So send Her all of your laughter," Asura continued, his voice almost singsong; "and She will take some of your feeeeear..."
The demons then opened up the vials.
"So give Her your fire!" Asura cried exultantly. "Give Her your fear! Give Her your faith, should love give you tears!" With each phrase, several demons chugged down the white liquid, and instantly began to mutate in horrifying ways. Some sprouted extra eyes in places they shouldn't be, others gained extra limbs, others sprouted tumor-like growths, many a combination of all three.
But all of these souls had one thing in common – the humanity they had regained only a few years ago was gone. They had become what Vespasianus had intended them to become:
Satyrs.
"And give Her your heart!" the two-faced demon continued, "Give Her your fate! Give Her your hand, should love give you hate!"
The twisted satyrs, began to howl, cackle and bleat as their new bodies writhed and swayed in unholy ecstasy.
"Give Her your prayers - up on your feet!" he shouted. The horde of satyrs rose to their feet, or whatever passed for limbs after their mutation.
"And She'll give us a show," the newly-formed monstrosities cackled; "It'll sure fill the seats!"
The final line was then chanted by all present.
"So give Her your sins! Give Her your lies! And when you whisper your love..."
But before they could finish, the sound of approaching warships could be heard in the distance – the Ra Cailum and Nahel Argama, with a number of mobile suits and Super Robots launching out of them.
"Interlopers!" Asura exclaimed, still maintaining an almost ritualistic tone. "Go, blessed of Shub-Niggurath! Destroy these infidels who spurn the Black Goat's love! Do not let them interrupt the sacred rite!"
As if this were some sort of signal, the Lord of the Woods dropped down on all fours and let out a bleating cackle as its body suddenly seemed to encase itself in a strange eldritch metal even as it swelled up grotesquely. Before long, the twisted creature had grown to eighty meters from head to tail, and its body looked a twisted cross between a human and a ram, with its upper torso and legs encased in black metal that almost looked like stylized wool, while its arms and feet were dark purple, and its head, hands and toes were burnished bronze. The head bored a pair of spiraling horns not unlike the ones adorning the Lord of the Woods' smaller form, and a hydra-like thicket of tentacles grew out of the back of its head, with two pale white tentacles grew from its upper lip like a Manchu-style mustache.
The other satyrs howled and cackled gleefully as they moved to meet their incoming foe, somehow growing in size to match their foe...
"Enemies incoming, everyone!" one of the operators of the Ra Cailum called out. The two ships were accompanied by the Hi-Nu, Xi, ZZ and Zeta Gundams, Granlif Ceadei, the Shuffle Alliance, Shin Getter Dragon, Gimmy's Grapearl, Mazinger Z, Artemis A, Gurren Lagann, Great Zeorymer and Forte Gigas, Fudo in his Devilman form, God Gundam and the rest of the Shuffle Alliance, while Masakado's stony form, noticeably smaller than before but still larger than even the ships, lumbered behind them.
"Are those...the worshipers?" Bright murmured as he beheld the images of the approaching satyrs.
"This feeling," Amuro grunted as he felt the waves of sheer malice and wickedness coming from the twisted monstrosities, "it's the same as when we fought the Lamalice!"
"Have they been tainted by the powers of Outside?" Kouji wondered out loud. "Are they like Deathless Amon?"
"I'm a little more worried about that huge one!" Judau exclaimed, pointing to the looming form of the Lord of the Woods.
"It looks like a taotie!" Sai Saichi exclaimed.
"TouTetsuOh," Masakado rumbled. "So, they've brought it back."
"You know that thing, Masakado?" Janus exclaimed.
"It was part of a series of ancient Arubbothian war golems that were restored during the second Arubboth-Zohar War," the stony samurai explained grimly. "The Theocracy had disabled them in the distant past, but they were brought back to be used against the Republic."
"Let me guess - they quickly went rogue?" Kamille said as he readied the Zeta's beam rifle.
"I wonder why the Shub-Niggurath cult has it?" Simon said. "It can't just be the goat-like appearance."
"We'll think about it later!" Viral shouted. "They're about to be all over us!"
And indeed, the horde was quickly upon them – a horde of dozens of bleating, cackling and slobbering monstrosities that would have driven most others insane. Even their already somewhat unsettling forms paled in comparison to the shapes they had gained from downing the strange white substance.
The first one to reach DREAM lunged out at Mazinger with a tentacle, but was quickly cut to ribbons with a barrage of Southern Cross Knives. But a moment later, the Super Robot was struck by several beams of unknown energy.
"More attacks!" one of the Cailum's operators exclaimed.
"Where are they coming from?!" Bright shouted as the ship was rocked by several more blasts. "Find out what's firing on us!"
"They're coming from all directions," the operator answered, "but nothing else is showing up on our scans aside from those creatures and the hostages!"
"Do what you can!" the captain ordered; "Our main mission is protecting and rescuing the hostages!" Meanwhile, Amuro tried to focus his mind on trying to find these seemingly invisible foes.
Suddenly, he felt a flash in his mind, dodged an incoming energy beam and whirled his Gundam around, firing his beam rifle into what his cameras showed as empty air. But the beam shot disappeared, and he heard a hideous, agonized buzzing coming from the spot where he had hit.
"It must be the mi-go," Amuro suddenly said. "The same ones that kidnapped Darry!" However, he didn't see another invisible foe try to close in on him, only for it to be struck by a bolt of demonic energy and a long metal spike.
"Leave them to me and Masakado!" Fudo said as he flew past. "We can see them just fine!"
"We're counting on you two then," the ace pilot said as he turned his attention to an attacking satyr...
The Deep. The Abyss. The endless, limitless Sea of Stars. The young man had been looking up, staring forever at the Twinkling River of Heaven. For eternities beyond eternities, he had lived in fear of and as a slave to the Other lurking behind this infinite sky. Yet now that fear and that slavery was gone.
Though bereft of purpose, he didn't mind. He, who went by the name of Master Therion, was free.
A girl with black hair and green-blue eyes was in his arms...his beloved Etheldreda. Like Al Azif, she was also a grimoire spirit – but of the Pnakotic Manuscripts, a tome as potent as the Necronomicon. Still, she had been with him all that time, sharing in his bondage and loving him, and now she was free too.
Having found each other, Master Therion and Etheldreda planned to spend eternity in each other's arms. Their peace would last until time, the cosmos and their souls would ultimately fade away. But then, another voice called out to the pair, and told them that there was something else they could do, and then all was white light.
The next thing the pair knew, they found themselves somewhere else. It was somewhat dark, though a band of red shone on the horizon, shrouding the landscape in a lovely twilight that seemed to be neither clearly dusk nor clearly dawn. The ground was covered with thick, lush grass sparkling with dew and interspersed with a variety of trees – some in full bloom, others fruiting, and still others doing both at the same time. The only noises that could be heard were the chirping of songbirds, the sounds of a creek flowing by, and the singing of young children. Nearby was an incredibly huge tree with thick branches and dotted with every fruit imaginable. They spotted about a dozen children dancing around the colossal plant, no doubt in some sort of game.
"What...is this place?" Etheldreda said as she let go of her beloved.
"Hello there," a woman's voice came from behind them – one that sounded very much like the voice that had called to them in The Abyss; "Welcome to the center of creation." It was Tahra – who had once been Iophiel. She now sported a plain white dress, while a wreath of flowers, vines and leaves was perched on her head, making her seem like an archetypal mother goddess.
"The center of creation..." the grimoire spirit echoed.
"You...sound like her," Master Therion said as he got to his feet. "The one who sent us here...or did you call us here?"
"Who knows?" Tahra said with a shrug that somehow gave the pair a sense that she knew more than she appeared to. "But if you're here and still retain material forms, it means that you're not here to be reincarnated. Besides, you somehow resemble someone I know."
She approached Master Therion and leaned closer to him. Etheldreda leered slightly, only relenting after Tahra had backed away.
"Yes, you have a similar aura to him, too," the woman said. "You must be one of his brothers."
"Brothers?" Master Therion said, a little surprised to hear this. The wreathed woman smiled and turned around.
"Come," she said, looking back at them; "We'll be sitting down for lunch shortly, and it sounds like we have a lot to talk about."
Master Therion and his beloved looked at each other, and then followed...
This one was much shorter than I meant it to be, but it's been sitting in this state for almost a year, and I wanted to get SOMETHING out there so I could get myself back into writing. Anyway, here's the requisite previews:
-The conflict in Zilkhstan may be over, but the threat of Keisar Ephes remains! Nonetheless, DREAM's core forces attempt to return to some semblance of normalcy...but in spite of the fall of Zilkhstan, it seems the Outer God's cults have only gained strength! And when DREAM gets word that not only has Jupiter began to act more violently, but extremist elements in PLANT are planning to use the ruins of Junius 7 in a devastating attack on Earth, their struggle becomes a race against time! How will DREAM handle this attack on two fronts? Find out next time in Expansion Scenario Chapter 10 (Tahra): Land of Confusion! Attacks From Within And Without!
-The battle between DREAM and the satyrs begins in earnest, but the cultists get some extra help as Kamui suddenly decides to take BUG for a live combat test against DREAM! How will the appearance of the anti-Getter weapon affect the outcome?! And what will happen when Janus inevitably comes into contact with Vespasianus?! Find out next time in Expansion Scenario Chapter 10 (Janus): The Whisperers In Darkness! Face The Fungi from Yuggoth! (Part 2)
Until next time, mecha fans!