☠ Undead Wastelands

@დ Kang Daesung "I need to gather some supplies," Lisa said softly, setting the mute down gently on a worn wooden chair. It creaked under his weight, a small protest against the stillness. "Can you wait here for a bit?" She glanced at him before stepping outside, her movements quick and purposeful. The blade she'd wielded earlier was still in her hand, the weight of it a comforting reminder of her readiness.

She moved swiftly, collecting what she could—a length of rope, something stiff, and perhaps... the branches would suffice. Lisa worked quickly, her hands steady as she fashioned makeshift medical supplies, then hurried back to Daesung’s side.

Kneeling before him, she immediately turned her attention to his injured wrist. Her fingers trembled slightly as she began to wrap it, the rope pressing into the raw skin, the broken bones held together by rough-hewn branches. Beneath, a small plant of wood acted as a makeshift splint, its sharp scent mingling with the earthy air.

"Don’t hate me," she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, the sorrow thick in her words. She worked with care, but the makeshift bandage was a far cry from the healing Daesung needed. Her hands were gentle but desperate. "This is the best I can do until we find a way back into Central."

Her gaze drifted up, meeting Daesung’s unblinking stare. His eyes were locked in a trance, somewhere between bewilderment and something deeper—something unfamiliar. A flicker of concern crossed Lisa’s features, her brow furrowing as she searched his face, torn between worry and curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked in a soft whisper, leaning closer to him. "What do you see?" She turned her head to follow his gaze, but the air between them remained empty, the darkness of the forest pressing in against the edges of the window.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she stood and crossed to the window, her hands reaching to shut the panels, blocking out the vast, endless void of the forest. The air inside felt stiller, safer.

Returning to Daesung, she ran her fingers gently through his hair, the motion soothing yet uncertain, her touch as much for her own comfort as for his. "I’m sorry," she murmured, her voice light but thick with regret. "If it wasn’t for me asking you to come on this adventure... I didn’t think it would end up... like this."

Her hand slipped from his hair, falling limply to her side. Her long, dark hair cascaded over her chest in a soft, fluid wave. "We’ll take turns sleeping," she added, her tone resolute but tired. "We’ll leave at dusk... go rest now, okay?"

@დ Lalisa Manobal Daesung’s eyes widened when Lisa’s firm voice cut through the eerie cacophony. Run? Leave her behind? The words rattled in his skull, mixing with the suffocating fog of fear. His instinct was to obey—escape, survive—but something inside him rebelled. He wouldn’t let her face the horde alone. Not again.

As anxiety clawed at his chest, his trembling fingers dropped the machete she’d pressed into his hand. His unbroken right hand shimmered faintly, shifting and twisting into the familiar, weighty form of a steel hammer. The dull metallic gleam reflected the sickly glow of the moon.

Daesung stumbled forward, planting himself at Lisa’s side. She turned, her amber eyes flashing with surprise and something he couldn’t quite name. Her growl deepened, and the two of them charged the ghouls together.

The first swing of his hammer crushed the skull of a fiend, but the sound was drowned by the echo of screams—not here, not now. Images of flames, of his village burning, of his daughters’ faces twisted in terror flooded his mind. His strikes grew erratic, frantic. Every blow against the undead dragged him further into the past, where his silent screams had gone unheard.

“Daesung!” Lisa’s shout snapped him back. He glanced at her, blood-soaked and fierce, a vision of defiance. She was alive. This wasn’t then.

The battle blurred until the last fiend fell. Lisa shifted into her stallion form, and Daesung climbed onto her back, gripping tightly as she galloped through the whispering trees. The ground seemed to dissolve beneath them, the shadows reaching out as if to drag them back into the dark.

The cabin loomed ahead, its jagged roof silhouetted against the moonlight. Inside, Daesung sat numbly as Lisa knelt before him. Her voice was faint—he only realized she was speaking when her hand gently took his wrist.

He blinked down at her, her expression firm but softening. The blood on his hands seemed to glow, dragging his thoughts to his lost family. His breath hitched. They’re gone. She’s here.
Daesung stilled, his sharp eyes darting toward the dark window. The creak of the floorboards followed.

Outside, the sound of heavy, uneven breathing grew louder. The shadows beyond the door twisted unnaturally as something massive loomed just outside. A low, guttural growl vibrated the air, followed by a sound that turned Daesung’s blood cold: A woman’s voice, soft and familiar, called his name from the forest.

@დ Kang Daesung Lisa glanced up at Daesung as she touched her wound, her hand gently pushing his away. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." The ex-soldier stepped forward, facing the oncoming horde of fiends with unwavering resolve. Her grip tightened around the blade, pointing it toward the ghouls daring to approach. They would survive—Lisa would see to it.

"Go. I'll hold them off," she said, her eyes gleaming with fierce determination. An orange aura seemed to radiate from her, and a low growl rumbled in her chest. The first ghoul lunged, and she swiftly decapitated it. The next met the same fate, and she moved with agility, cutting through the rotting creatures one after another. For a split second, she thought she saw her late husband fighting beside her, but she shook the thought away—there was no room for distraction.

When the last ghoul fell, Lisa was covered in dark, viscous blood. She quickly moved to Daesung, assessing his injuries. A broken wrist. She sighed. "If you shift now, you'll transform with a broken limb." A growl echoed faintly from the dense, damp forest. There was no time to waste.

"Hold this," she said, handing him the machete. "Strike down any ghouls that come near." Without hesitation, she stripped off her clothes, shifting into a powerful stallion. They needed to get as far from the crash site as possible. She waited for Daesung to climb onto her back before charging into the forest.

The ground cracked beneath her hooves as she weaved through trees, running faster than she ever had, with Daesung holding on tightly. After a while, she spotted a dark, seemingly abandoned cabin. She stopped in front of it, waited for Daesung to dismount, and then shifted back into her human form. Taking the machete in hand, she cautiously entered the cabin, staying alert for any danger. Once she was sure it was empty, she turned to Daesung.

"We'll rest here for the night. Looks like this cabin's unoccupied. Come in, and let me tend to your wounds."

@♦ Hyunjin [] Thank you! And happy freedom!

Sen’s chest heaved as he slowed his frantic pace, his sharp senses picking up the crackle of fire and the agonized howls of ghouls behind him. His head snapped back, eyes widening in awe at the towering wall of flames that now separated him from the bloodthirsty creatures. The sheer brilliance of the fire reflected in his multi lens goggles, casting flickering shadows across his face. He stopped, catching his breath, his curiosity far outweighing his sense of danger. His gaze quickly found the source, a lone figure, commanding the blaze effortlessly. The sight made Sen’s heart race, but not from fear. “Now that.” he murmured to himself, “is a story worth telling.”

Without hesitation, Sen turned and made his way back toward the fire, his steps careful. The heat grew more intense as he approached, the flames dangerously close to the ghouls on the other side. One particularly bold creature lunged forward, only to collapse at his feet, its decayed form engulfed in flames. “Magnificent.” He muttered, crouching slightly to examine the way the fire consumed the ghoul, the edges of its body glowing like embers. He reached out a hand, stopping just short of the flames to feel their warmth, his lips quirking in a curious smile.

Movement beyond the fire caught his eye, and his instincts kicked in. In a flash, Sen drew his dagger, the blade glinting briefly in the fire light before it met its target and cutting off a ghoul’s head, cutting it off its body. Straightening, Sen twirled the blade in his hand with practiced ease, his grin widening as he addressed the fire wielding stranger. “Will you be needing my help?” he called out, his voice light and teasing as though he wasn’t standing a hair’s breadth away from certain death. Sen’s posture was relaxed, his confidence bordering on reckless. He held up his dagger as if it were the answer to all their problems, the playful glint in his eyes showing he knew full well the stranger could handle the situation alone. Still, his curiosity and admiration were genuine. “Consider it my way of saying thanks.” he added, tilting his head slightly. “After all, you did just save me from being ghoul chow." Sen then flicked his wrist, and with a satisfying click, the dagger in his hand extended into a short sword, making it compact enough to fit in his coat but serves its purpose when things get dicey. The weapon was a testament to his knack for combining practicality with ingenuity and showing the other that he had some skills to offer despite his unassuming demeanor.

@დ Lalisa Manobal “Daesung. Wake up!”

Lisa’s voice tore through the haze in his mind. A rough shake followed, jarring him into consciousness. His eyes snapped open, and the world rushed back in—a swampy nightmare shrouded in smoke and shadows.

Lisa knelt beside him, her face pale and streaked with dirt. Her forehead was bleeding, and her eyes glistened with panic. “Daesung. You have to wake up. We need to go.”

Daesung struggled upright, his body screaming in protest. His heart pounded as he took in their surroundings. The airship was a gutted ruin, its scattered pieces glowing faintly from the dying embers of the fire. Around them, the forest loomed, twisted and alien. The trees seemed alive, their branches creaking like twisted laughter. Whispers danced on the still air, too low to make sense but loud enough to chill his blood.

Then he saw the shadows. They slid between the trees, shapeless and writhing. His breath hitched as the faint glow of moonlight revealed a distorted, skeletal form—a grotesque figure, hunched and hollow-eyed, stepping forward with unnatural jerks.

His instincts screamed to run, but Lisa’s injuries anchored him. He scrambled to her side, his hands trembling as he checked her. His heart twisted at the sight of the gash on her forehead. He reached to touch it—then froze, his wrist erupting in searing pain.

He glanced down to find his left wrist bent, swollen, and useless. Panic welled in his chest. He turned.

Dozens of figures emerged from the shadows—gnarled, inhuman, their rotting skin stretched over jagged bones. Their hollow sockets glowed faintly, fixed directly on him and Lisa.
The whispers grew louder, rising to a cacophony as the creatures advanced.

Daesung’s pulse thundered. There was no escape.

@♦ Sen Mitsuji At last, Hyunjin was free. The chains that had bound him, the demon that had controlled his every move—gone. The weight that had crushed him for years lifted, leaving him with a sense of liberation so intense it almost felt like intoxication. He was free. But freedom meant one thing now: returning home. The journey would be long, crossing dangerous lands filled with creatures and treacherous trials. Yet, after the horrors he had endured, none of it seemed as threatening. He was ready.

His first challenge was simple—he was weaponless. His trusted blade, broken years ago during his capture, was a distant memory. He needed a new one. The trading post was an easy enough stop. He scanned the wares, noting the sharp gleam of swords and daggers. His eyes fell on a blade with a red and gold decorated handle. Light, yet deadly—perfect for his needs. Waiting for the merchant’s attention to shift, Hyunjin swiftly seized the sword and vanished, using fire to shield himself from those who would chase him. He was too quick, and the weapon was now his.

As he continued his journey, the air shifted. The familiar stench of decay filled his nostrils—rotting flesh and death. The land beneath his boots cracked with the sound of old bones. “Ghouls…” he muttered. The eerie silence was broken by the hurried footsteps of a stranger, a human running past him in a panic. Hyunjin turned just in time to see the horde of ghouls chasing the poor soul. His hand tightened around his new sword. “Dammit… I just wanted to go home,” he grumbled, but there was no time for complaints.

Hyunjin conjured a wall of fire, the flames roaring to life in an instant, creating a barrier between him and the oncoming monsters. The ghouls howled in fury, but the fire held strong. Hyunjin stood firm, prepared to fight. His path home was still long, and now, fraught with danger—but nothing, not even the horrors of the land, would stop him from reaching it.

@♦ Sen Mitsuji ()replying to this since now hyunjin is free!

@დ Kang Daesung It took Lisa a while to regain consciousness. The airship had crashed in an unfamiliar land, and it was a miracle she was still alive. Though she wasn’t seriously injured, her body was covered in cuts and bruises, and she was winded, covered in dirt and soot. Slowly, her blurry vision cleared as she blinked, the unpleasant stench of decay filling the air beneath her. A soft groan escaped her as her body ached from the crash. Despite the discomfort, she forced herself to sit up.

Her gaze immediately landed on Daesung, the man knocked out beside her. He must have acted quickly to save them both. The explosion had knocked her out before she could understand what had gone wrong with the airship.

"Daesung..." Her voice was frantic, though only a harsh whisper. She had no idea what kind of dangers lay in this unknown place. Surely, the wreckage would attract attention. Her hand shook as she gently tried to rouse him. She paused to listen closely, and after a moment, she heard the faintest breath from his nose. He was alive—just unconscious.

Lisa took a moment to survey the crash site. Parts of the airship were scattered everywhere. A large section of it lay a few meters away, and jagged scraps of metal were embedded in the cold ground. A fire was still burning, sending thick smoke spiraling into the sky. She needed to find a weapon—and fast. She cursed herself for not having her sword with her.

Wincing, she pushed herself to her feet and limped toward the wreckage of the main cabin. The conductor’s body was nearby—no one could survive such a brutal injury. Her eyes caught a flash of silver, and she saw the reflection of flames in the blade of a machete wedged in the cockpit. Found it. She whispered to herself as she carefully pulled it free from the wreckage.

As she turned back, she heard footsteps approaching. A figure—ghoulish and menacing—was making its way toward Daesung. Gripping the machete tightly, Lisa moved quickly and quietly behind the creature. With a swift motion, she neutralized the threat before it could reach Daesung.

"Daesung. You have to wake up. We need to go." Her voice was filled with urgency as she shook him, knowing time was running out and more danger could be closing in.

[ OPEN ]

The air in the wastelands was thick with decay and an unnatural chill, with the sun's light dimmed by a sickly gray mist. Sen stood at the edge of the expanse, the jagged silhouettes of crumbling and twisted, lifeless trees stretching as far as his eyes could see. He ran a hand through his hair, a cocky grin plastered across his face. “Alright, Sen..” he muttered to himself, brushing some dust off his coat. “No guides, no maps, no backup. What could possibly go wrong?” He then ventured deeper into the wasteland. Skeletal remains jutted out of the ground like sculptures, and faint, ghostly whispers seemed to drift on the cold wind.

He pulled his compass from his pocket, its needle twitching before pointing toward a certain direction. “There we go.” he said. “The legendary Necrotome isn’t going to find itself.” And as he pressed on, the shadows around him seemed to shift, and a faint, growl broke the silence. Sen paused, his grin faltering for just a moment. “Ah..” he murmured, glancing around with a nervous chuckle. “Didn’t account for unfriendly company.”

And from the mist, hollow eyes began to emerge, followed by figures with decayed flesh and claws. A dozen feral ghouls surrounded him. Sen theb raised his hands as if in mock surrender, his charming grin returning despite the odds. “Well, well, well. Don’t suppose you’re the welcoming committee?” The ghouls then lunged and Sen bolted, laughing nervously as he weaved between the ruins. “Alright, maybe a bit of backup would’ve been smart!” he shouted to himself, looking over his shoulder to see the unrelenting feral ghouls after him.

@♆ Karina () yes it is :((((((
enjoy your vaca though

@♆ ♕ Huang Mi Ni () Aww that's unfortunate... Just when I have a vacay AHDHFJSJ

@♆ Karina () nahee left :(

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"Sure." Karina told her before they continue walking along the road, she looked at the map and saw a crossroad where they have to choose which path they should take. "The one is going south while the other is straight to the west... however it doesn't show any sign of people crossing on which ways." She muttered as she looked at the ground, not seeing which path has most footprints. "Something's not right." She told before hearing a sharp whistle and unsheaths her katana from her waist then sliced an arrow into two. A group of rogue ghouls limping towards them, hunting for flesh to eat. "I knew it."

@♆ Karina "I know this is gonna be weird, but m-may I hold on to you please? I get a scared if I'm alone in places like this." Nahee asked while stuttering as she held the light on her hand. "It's fine if you don't want to, I understand." She looked around for a moment as she and Karina start exploring towards the misty realm of the wastelands. "I may have took the wrong train by accident because I just finished school a while ago and was running towards the train station to go home in a rush...then I realized I have ended up here..."

@♅ Kim Nahee ¥ [SH] "That's fine, as long as we see the road, we're not going to get lost." Karina reassured the other before they start walking to the misty realm of the wastelands. While walking, they went passed the creepy looking cemetery, Karina couldn't avoid feeling uneasy around these area as if someone was watching them. "Why were you travelling around this region, if I may ask?" She asked the other, trying to break the silence and to make sure the other won't feel the unnerving feeling of being watched.

@♆ Karina "O-Oh, I see.." Nahee hummed while giving out a shy smile on her face, rubbing the back of my neck. "I would love that..if that is alright with you, Miss Karina." The fallen angel picked up her things dropped on the ground earlier and held them in her arms. "I can try to give you some light if you want." She brought out before a medium-orb appear out of her palm to create some light for the two of them to see through the fog. "How's this? Or will it attract more bandits?"

@♅ Kim Nahee ¥ [SH] "Unfortunately, I'm a traveler. I never know about this place either." Karina told her before getting her knapsack and shows the map of the whole Heleo, "I was about to go on a small town here." She pointed at the map within the region, "But with this fog, I couldn't see a thing." Karina looked around then look back at the other. "You can join me if you want to, in case you're not feeling safe in this area."

@♆ Karina Nahee noticed Karina putting her straw hat back on her head after defeating those bandits. "E-Eh? Why not? There has to be something for me to repay you though." She was surprise that the person she just met is a bit more nicer unlike the other passerbys she encountered with during her travelling adventures. "Nice to meet you too, Karina...wait, are you from this area? If so, mind helping me?"

@♅ Kim Nahee ¥ [SH] "I'm fine as well, the ones you should be asking was them." Karina looked over to the injured thugs she just took down before putting back her straw hat and looked back at the other, "You don't have to repay me, really. I was just passing through." She smiled at her, "And it's nice to meet you, Nahee. I'm Karina." She told her name.

@♆ Karina Nahee became shocked at the fact the mysterious figure managed to knock out a group of bandits on their own using a straw hat without any hesitation. "I-I'm fine..no they didn't." The fallen angel stuttered due to her shyness. "What about you? Are you hurt? As much I appreciate you saving me, you must have gotten hurt because of me..." she sighed since she's feeling really guilty for her saviors to get injured. "I'm sorry you got dragged into my mess...anyways..I'm Nahee by the way..what's your name?" She look at the mysterious figure as she tilt her head in curiosity. "But thank you for saving me though...is there something I can repay you?"

@♅ Kim Nahee ¥ ( OMG I'M SO LATE I'M SO SORRY ;;; )

As a wanderer, Karina had many encounters with bandits and thugs, the demon of Wrath has been wandering for centuries now and she knows what danger she might be into as she roam around the world and now, Heleo. The untouchable land of the dead, similar to the Underworld, it was barren and no signs of life and vibrance. She walked through the dried road with her straw hat and then stumbles upon another 50 over 100 of her encounters, thugs. They are asking money on an unsuspecting traveler, it really is a pigsty for Karina. She walked towards them, "Hey, she already said she has no money." When she was about to approach the woman, she was pushed away by the thugs, telling her that it's none of her business.

She frowned and moved along as they said she should, but then she stumbled upon a skull, underneath her foot. She picked it up and looked at the bandits, "If you're looking for a friend here, I'm afraid its long gone now." She called out, now the bandit's attention was on her. Karina walks slowly towards them while holding the skull, "I believe they want you all to join them too." This pissed off one of them before it charges towards Karina where she throws the skull towards them hard, knocking one off before all of them charges towards her. She touches her straw hat and pulls if off before everything went fast until one last bandit was knocked out by Karina using her straw hat. Then she looked at the victim and walked closer to her, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" She asked the female.

@♆ Karina After taking the wrong train to her supposed destination which is her home in Crystal Citadel, Nahee ended up in the Undead Wastelands by mistake. "Aish...stupid me, why did I take the wrong damn train?! Curse my stupidity..." she muttered under her breath as she tries to figure out where the actual train to her hometown. Instead of waiting, she decided to explore the place a little bit while waiting for the next train to come in. "Maybe exploring will help for now." She hums to herself while feeling a little frighten about this whole place. She heard stories about this place, being all creepy and eerie, knowing this is the territory of the ghouls are living. As she continues on her mini adventure, a group of demon bandits and thieves sudden appear out of nowhere with their claws out. "Give me your money or I'll kill the of our wings." One of them demanded, not being patient. "Look I have no money if that's what you're asking for.." she told them. "Yeah, right..that's all they say. Now give us the damn money!"

@♆ Joy ".........?" Christian was passed out, hearing a loud, projected voice in the silence startled him, but it did not immediately sound threatening, nor did it sound familiar. At the very random greeting, he pushes himself upright with some effort, glancing up at the unusually gleeful woman. Odd eyes squint, trying to process what the hell this woman wanted, and furthermore, why she seemed to be anything but afraid. In fact, as she slowly approached, the more uncomfortable he got. Whilst still looking up at her, it's apparent he's covered in excess bodily fluid from returning to humanoid shape, like that of a newly born infant. A subtle threatening grin forms. He will not be taken;"..you have a death wish, madame?"

[] https://i.imgur.com/N0WRbyd.jpg

@☠ Christian Yu ¥✔ joy observed him at how the human had completely turned into a hideous creature such as this. she could hear the crunch on his bone, the gnawing of his teeth, the guttural screams of madness and agony, it was all music to her ears. she watched the man no longer and went down from the tree to meet him.

"hello there!" she greeted him with a gleeful smile on her face like she was talking to a human being, "i hope you don't mind my curiosity, you are such a peculiar type of an undead. you simply made your way out of your shed just to show your... real monstrosity." joy added as she walked closer but slowly to him.

@♆ Joy In Christian's feral state, he's about on all fours despite a towering height of 8 feet, and leaping from location to location, almost like an overtly large jumping spider, or agile big cat. Thin and emaciated to the point of looking skeletal, there's no hair, and when he senses company, he turns swiftly, revealing the whited over eyes and jagged, misshapen teeth as they clamped hungrily once in the clear of his slavers. It's movements were quick, yet hesitant at the same time. With the lack of excess skin, the eyes appeared wide at all times, with a mouth that opened that gaped to emit a shrill cry that echoed into the night and through the wooded areas. The hands and feet were elongated, with claws pointed and pointed like talons. Christian was ghastly in comparison to his human appearance, and leapt around surprisingly silently when not emitting a shriek.

It is noted, that when he does cry out, he doesn't move, only turn the head abruptly to any small noise, or sign of movement if there were any, was he trying to lure prey in, or scare predators away? 4 long, effortless hours of this strange behavior, and eventually, he disappears into a small unoccupied cavern and does not come out. It is here, when Joy finds Christian, with the crackling of bones breaking the chirping of the crickets as the inhuman frame crumples down and dislocates bones and joints until all that remains is a and passed out man on cold stone under the cover of night in a cave with enough light pouring in to make out his humanoid outline laying on his side.

[] https://i.imgur.com/tCbZGXF.png

@☠ Christian Yu ¥ (SH) (i know in late but i could only reply to you in a short one for now ;;)

she walks around the land of undead often to get herself some alone time since only undead could live here and joy loved being swarmed in the presence of souless presence. for once she roamed around here, looking for some lost souls to collect it in her jar of souls she could go back to the kingdom of hell to serve under them.

but when she walked around the dirt path, she sees a lost soul... or a monster. joy followed him until the monster slowly went back to his human state, the demon of greed just looked at him with interest as she sat on a thick branch of a dead tree, "interesting... a slave with an uncontrollable urge of madness." she chuckles darkly.

@♆ Joy Ever since the return to the slave quarters after the big blood moon trial event gathering, Christian has yet to see the end to the torture. Was one day- one weeks punishment not enough- or was this simply part of the ongoing daily lives of Heleo’s slaves? The days had begun to blur together, the same routine rituals, the same beatings and physical labor to keep its patrons drained with low strength to keep everyone obedient. Christian’s day to day always started the same; staring helplessly at the open doorway, wrists bound by cuffs linked to the wall behind him, waiting for the next meal, and had begun to take a newfound interest in food. Over time, the body underwent change, starting mentally in feverish dreams, and eventually losing standard vision in a left eye. Not having a mirror or obvious reflective surface to see the damage, it was assumed to have been caused from the beatings, and this further instilled a already deep-seeded hatred.

The physical changes were not out-rightly noticeable at first, but sickly white skin that bled less, and less- and seemed to be able to take a harder beating raised eyebrows at first, but one fateful day Christian was not where he belonged, but rather hunched over in the corner of the neighboring room munching on a femur bone while a dead slave, or rather their remnants all over the place. Since then, Christian is labeled a dangerous slave and is quarantined away from the rest- unintentionally isolating him even more so than before.

However, this too was temporary confinement, as full change allowed a freedom slavers were unprepared for. In an effort to lessen the work load and protect any further loss of ‘valuable assets’, it was decided he’d be used as a weapon. Subdued with fire and high powered voltage, Christian was collared with a product very similarly understood in modern day as a hybrid ‘shock collar/cone’. With all the same controls of a basic function, touching the collar resulted in punishment, and attempting to attack slavers or anyone else resulted in the same ‘electrotherapy’ as the slavers took to calling it to intentionally be condescending when threatening. There was a third ‘death’ button, but he was assured that would be an unlikely option.

It’s another day, Christian and the other slaves are gathered to one of many borders to dig trenches and do routine maintenance on the stone walls and towers to keep the peace. Due to the sheer size and gaudiness of the collar, Christian was handed a shovel to dig. The body is exhausted, and the collar was smoldering against the skin, a heavy metal that added unbearable weight to the shoulders and neck. Just one hour in, Christian is pausing and panting, and he knows asking for water would get him spat on, and so he sets down the shovel to squat by the trench he was helping dig out and drink the muddy water coming through.

Without warning, a heavy boot is pressed into the back as the body goes forward into the water. ‘You idiot! his collar!’ But it’s too late, the exposure to water short circuits, sending a few involuntary shocks through the body making him jolt and seize. The stress of getting wet through uncalled for punishment has him struggling to get out of the water with strained cries while the muscles spasm against the high voltage. Finally, gloved hands yank at his arms to pull him from the water, but the very moment the shocking ends, a split decision is made, and a shrill, inhuman cry echos through the encampment as arms suddenly elongate and crack.

‘He’s changing!’ ‘It won’t work, the collar got wet!’ ‘Move the slaves!! quickly!’ Within moments, screaming drowns out activity at the encampment, people struggling against their restraints, and slavers working to free anyone they could get their hands on before Christian could complete his change with the entire skeletal shape stretching and forcing the muscle shape to reconfigure and lean out or appear completely nonexistent. The eyes white out and lose natural fat in the face making the skull look sunken in or somewhere in mid-decomposition, with needle prick teeth jutting from the jowls like a piranha.

Leaping to its feet, people are still scrambling in all directions, there’s too much movement- and in a wild rampage easily massacres a good handful of slavers since it was known between fellow slaves to hold still, and so despite not all being free from their bonds, most remained unscathed. Gunfire soon echoes, buckshot, throwing the monstrous frame back several times over, but it only delayed the beast. Finally, flamethrowers forced Christian in his wild state to flee the encampment.. but at least he had his freedom.. now it was just a matter of waking up..

@☠ Tomo The taste of the shapeshifter's blood on my lips pulls a hum out of me when your mouth connects to mine. I can't recall the last time that my lips had touched anyone else's like this, blood-stained and with a hunger unlike any other. I almost lose myself to it, the acrid taste mixed with your saliva coating my tongue as I slide it briefly between your lips; but teeth sinking into my flesh draw me back to reality. I swiftly - but gently - take my blood-coated hand and grab your face, pulling you off me. “Careful, now,” I say gruffly, “Don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you too hard, hm?” I the remnants of my blood from your lips in one swipe, then remove the hand that rests in your pants and use it to guide one of your hands down to my own hardening length. “If you’d like to thank me, there are other ways to do so.”