When Rose woke up, she found herself in a cell. Only one wall consisted of metal bars whereas the other three walls were made entirely of concrete. When Epyon had finished being electrocuted, someone struck her in the back of her head again, hence the pounding sensation. Also, Ahbeerent was hovering behind the bars as well as Vamacho.
“Ah, you’ve awakened.”
Rose shot Ahbeerent an angry look. “I’m getting tired of getting hit upside the head all the time,” she growled.
“I apologize for that,” Ahbeerent responded.
“Let me guess,” Rose stated before the Mnn-creature could elaborate, “You didn’t mean for your cronies to be so rough with me again?”
“No, actually,” Ahbeerent retorted, “I wanted you subdued swiftly and that was the most efficient method. But have no fear: Once you’ve joined my collection, you won’t have to worry about being attacked again.”
“Why? Because we’ll all be a great, big, happy family?”
Ahbeerent shrugged. “There’s that, but the others will be unable to come into contact with you in a way that might harm you, physically or electric-ly. It’s all part of the conditioning. I create a one-way psychic link between me and the more mentally privileged of my collection. Their personalities are largely intact, but my mental implants direct them on how to go about their duties. It’s the only way to make sure the crew doesn’t accidentally pull a leaf off a tree or scratch one of the beasts. Keeping things in mint condition is very important in maintaining a collection, after all.”
“You’re nuts,” Rose spat.
“I prefer the term ‘thorough,’” Ahbeerent replied. The smugness in his tone drove Rose’s temper to her limit. She raised her arm over her head to summon a Mana disk to throw at the Mnn creature. Channeling her powers into her hand, Rose swung her arm down at her enemies, only to see that she had only managed to emit a few sparks of Mana from her fingertips.
“What?” She asked as she lifted her hand up to her face. From the moment she woke up to now, she hadn't taken a good look at herself. Now that her hand was in front of her face, Rose saw that her arm was… changing. Faint white and black specks now flickered about, alternating between these colors and those of her original appearance. After a quick overview of herself, she could see that this effect was happening all over her body. If someone from Neotopia or some other technologically advanced dimension could see her, they would describe her body was "snowcrashing." Rose, however, had no idea what was happening to her. "What's happening to me?!"
"Before I sent Vamacho and Metalguya to retrieve you,” Ahbeerent explained, “I did some research on the properties of your particular brand of magic. This cell you’re in represents the fruits of my labor. The walls emit a sonic frequency that disrupts your Mana, both what you emit and the Mana used to maintain your appearance, hence your current state."
Infuriated, Rose stalked up to the bars and slammed her hands against them. “You’ll pay for this, you oversized jellyfish!”
“Oh, come now,” Ahbeerent sighed with a wave of his tendril. “Be grateful that you’re in better shape than your friend.”
The plant/human realized that Ahbeerent was talking about Epyon. “Where’s the half-wit?” She demanded. “What have you done with him?”
“He’s still sleeping off his ‘shocking’ experience,” Vamacho commented with a snicker.
“Quite right, Vamacho,” Ahbeerent stated, “Though once he wakes up, he’ll find that he’s… not altogether there, shall we say? Now, I have to go and prepare myself. Mental conditioning is a taxing process, you see. And once I finish with the Berserker, it will be your turn.”
Rose scowled. As if being an unwilling inhabitant of this crazy menagerie wasn’t enough, she was going to be an unwitting prisoner in her own body to boot. Somehow, she was getting the impression that she couldn’t rely on Epyon to break her out, but what could she do? If she couldn’t use her Mana, then she was powerless!
Turning her attention to Vamacho, still loitering around, Rose saw that he had a ring of keys clasped in his hand. Looking over to the right, Rose could see that there was a tiny metal square in the bars, where the keyhole probably was. As she tried to think of a way to get the keys from Vamacho, she inadvertently sensed the flora in the ship. Clearly, while her cell prevented the use of Dark Mana, she could still control plants. After two minutes of plotting, she made her move.
“Hey, bug-boy.”
Vamacho’s head perked up in response. “You talkin’ to me?”
Rose rolled her eyes at the question. “You guys really care about Ahbeerent’s collection, right?”
“Of course,” Vamacho responded, “Gotta make sure nothing happens to them.”
After a short grunt, the plant/human retorted with a “Well, you’re not doing a very good job with the plants.”
That gave her Vamacho’s full attention has he inched closer. “What do you mean?”
Rose’s mouth molded into a grim expression. “I can talk to plants, and one of those plants of yours…” She paused to make a fanning notion with her hand, “It looks like it’s in good shape, but it’s slowly collapsing on the inside.”
Vamacho’s body tensed, “What’s wrong with it?”
After a quick shrug, Rose said “I’m not sure. I couldn’t really figure out the problem before you threw me in here, but if you could get it and bring it to me, I might be able to fix it.”
“Which one is it?” Vamacho asked.
Rose gave it some thought while she struggled to describe it. “It’s got these fat brown bulbs and orange, curled leaves under them.”
Vamacho quickly dashed out of sight, returning three minutes later with the plant in question, holding it by the pot. Holding it out, the insect-man asked “Is this it?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” Rose responded as she took it out of his hands. After seven seconds of peering at it, she spoke up. “Ah, here’s the problem.”
“What? What is it?” Vamacho asked, curiosity filling his voice.
Rose lifted her head to look at him. “See this, right between the bulbs?”
As the plant/human hoisted the plant upward so that Vamacho could get a good look, he peered down at it. “I don’t see anything.”
“Look closer.”
Complying, Vamacho knelt down to get a closer look at the plant. After two seconds, the plant seemed to recoil. Confused, Vamacho tilted his head slightly, right before the plant bounced back to its original position, spraying a cloud of pollen as it did. The insectoid man gasped in shock, causing him to inhale some of the pollen as he did. His body bolted upright and he took a step backwards… And he quickly fell to the ground.
A wide grin formed on Rose’s face, born from the glee she felt at the success of her idea. Setting the plant down, she pulled at Vamacho’s body so that she could grab the ring of keys. Taking one key, she rubbed it against the side of the metal square in the bars in an attempt to find the keyhole. She soon hit pay dirt, but when she tried twisting the key, the bars wouldn’t budge. She tried another key, but had no luck there, either. After three more tries, she found a key that worked and the wall of bars moved as if it were a door.
Picking up the plant in case she needed to use it again, Rose dashed down the hallway, passing numerous cells. She had gotten lucky with Vamacho, but if she were to have a real shot at escaping this ship, she was going to need Epyon.
At the end of the hallway, she found a door. When she opened it, Rose found another hallway which was perpendicular to the one she was just in. Making her way down, she could see that the hall was adorned with doorways, and a glimpse beyond each one showed her another hallway lined with cells. “Half-wit?” she called down one such hall with a hushed tone. No response.
She made her way to another doorway and opened it. “Epyon?” Again, no one answered her.
Rose was about to open another door when she heard someone screaming, the noise echoing down her hallway. She immediately recognized the incredibly deep tone as the one belonging to Berserker Epyon. Rose dashed down to the opposite end of the hallway, straining her ears to hear anyone else talking.
The sight that greeted Berserker Epyon was not a welcoming one. He was in a compact room; one wall was made of metal bars and the others were made of stone. Ahbeerent was hovering on the other side of the bars. What made the whole situation so terrifying was that the Berserker’s body was continuously shifting. Every portion of his being was flowing like dust in the wind, random sections of his body constantly changing position. It was the most terrible thing Epyon had ever seen, in a lifetime filled with many awful sights. He couldn’t help but scream.
“I was beginning to wonder if you would ever awaken.”
Epyon’s stare immediately shifted from his arms to Ahbeerent. “What have you done to me?!”
“Your cell was designed to disrupt Mana,” Ahbeerent explained calmly. “It was built to make sure you couldn’t use any of your magic to escape. However, I overlooked the fact that your body was made entirely of Dark Mana. As a result, your body is struggling to hold itself together. Not to worry, though. After I have you reconditioned, you’ll never have to worry about being shut in this cell again.”
Epyon fell to his knees, his body wracked with pain, probably a result of his body’s struggle to keep itself in one piece. It took him a moment to find his voice again. “Wh… Where…?”
“You’re still in the Malignant Seizure,” Ahbeerent explained. “This floor is where the ones who originally owned this vessel kept their—”
“No!” Epyon growled, “Where is…?”
“Your friend?” Ahbeerent responded, “Don’t worry, I have Vamacho watching over her to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself in any futile attempt to escape.”
If Ahbeerent had possessed eyes, he wouldn’t have had enough time to blink before Epyon slammed against the bars of the cell, the Berserker’s arm outstretching towards him. “Let her go!” Epyon demanded, “RELEASE HER!”
“Oh, I think not,” Ahbeerent responded with a haughty tone in his voice. “A specimen as unique as her definitely belongs in my collection. However, neither of you will truly belong until you are reconditioned. Not to worry though, your time will come soon. I simply need to prepare myself for the task.”
The Berserker struggled to grab the Mnn-creature, even as Ahbeerent floated down the hallway. Soon enough, the Berserker retracted his shifting arm, only to slam it against one of the stone walls. The only thing more aggravating than being held prisoner and being uncertain about the safety of the rose-woman was the fact that he worried about her in the first place. “What is wrong with me?” He wondered aloud. “This is not like me at all.”
(What isn’t, Berserker?) queried his host from deep within the contents of Epyon’s mind.
Caring so deeply about the well-being of one person, Epyon snapped internally. She’s little more than a shrub granted a human form and sentience, a maverick created by Mana and plant life. But I care about her well-being over everything else. And I don’t—know—why! The Berserker slammed his fists against the wall upon thinking the last three words.
(We both know that’s not true.)
Epyon said nothing, digging his fingers into the wall. The worst thing was he knew his host was right.
(You know full well why you care so much about her,) the host elaborated, (You simply don’t understand the reasoning.)
“Am I interrupting something, Half-wit?”
Hearing this made Epyon turn his attention to the barred wall of his cell, where he saw the rose-woman standing off to the side, carrying a potted plant under one arm. From where she was positioned, Epyon guessed that she had come from the other side of the hallway, opposite to where Ahbeerent had floated away. Despite being consumed with pain, Epyon felt a tinge of relief.
“You look terrible.”
“I feel horrid,” Epyon responded. The rose-woman smirked as she fiddled with a collection of tiny slabs of metal with jagged ends, adorned on a metal ring. One by one, she brought them up to a metal square in the bars and eventually, the wall of bars acted like a door and swung open. As soon as there was enough space to get by, Epyon dashed out of his cell. The moment he was outside, his body stopped shifting, molded itself into its regular shape, and the pain stopped. The Berserker gave a sigh of relief as he leaned against the wall.
"Stop laying around, half-wit," the rose-woman demanded, "We need to get out of here."
Epyon pushed himself off the wall, and at a brief nod a hole opened up from thin air. “This will take you to the Garden.” Glancing through the hole, Rose could see vegetation and the familiar obelisks of the Garden of Wisdom. Picking up her plant, Rose made her way to the dimensional gateway but stopped herself before she could walk through it. Something that Epyon said had caught her attention.
“You’re not coming?” Rose asked as she looked over her shoulder. Indeed, Epyon hadn’t taken a step from where he stood.
“No, I will stay here.”
Incredulous, Rose spun on her heel to glare at the Berserker. “You’re not seriously going to join up with these losers, are you?” She thrust an arm down the corridor for emphasis as she continued, “They attacked us, they lied to us, they attacked us again, they threw us into these jail cells, and that gigantic Mnn plans to brainwash us. If you’re seriously going to stay and become that maniac’s slave, you’re not a half-wit. You’re less than half!”
“I’m not joining Ahbeerent’s crusade,” Epyon elaborated as he raised a fist to his face, “I’m going to kill them. They tracked us down once, plant-person. They can do it again, and if this vessel can take them to any dimension, then there’s no place beyond Ahbeerent’s grasp. I’m putting a stop to this so that they cannot come after us again.”
A short moment passed before Rose found her voice again. “First of all, it’s not ‘plant-person,’ it’s Rose. Second,” she said as she placed her hand over her stomach, “You can’t fight them all by yourself. You need my help.”
“What I need,” Epyon snarled as he marched up to Rose, fists at his sides, “is for you to go through that gateway,” at this point, the Berserker was standing directly in front of her, “and wait until I have devoured my enemies.”
Rose glared directly into Epyon’s eyes, defiance writ across her face. “Why?”
“Because I... care... very deeply about your personal safety,” Epyon muttered, pausing as he struggled to put his feelings into words.
Rose jabbed a finger into Epyon’s chest, just above the soul stone. “You mean your host cares about my safety!”
“No! My host may restrain my actions, but he does not control my thoughts! These feverish concerns over your safety come from me and me alone!”
The anger in Rose’s eyes intensified as her finger increased its pressure on Epyon. “Because you don’t want anything to happen to your food supply,” she shouted.
“I have never thought of you as such,” Epyon snapped, his patience reaching its end.
“Then why do you care about me so much!?”
“All I know,” said Epyon, his voice a barely contained fury, “is I feel a kinship with you that is stronger than the bonds than I have formed with the other beings that I have encountered in this lifetime! I do not know what spurns this sensation, only that it is more powerful than my eternal hunger, and the thought of you in danger is more painful than any of my previous deaths.”
A blanket of silence descended upon the two. Casting his gaze at the ground, Epyon internally cursed himself; the words had come tumbling out of his mouth before he had known what he was going to say, and before he could stop himself. While everything had told Rose was true, that didn’t mean he was comfortable with expressing these feelings. “I cannot fight off our enemies while I fret over your safety,” he muttered, breaking the silence. “Please, Rose, you must wait this out in the Garden.”
“And what exactly is your plan on dealing with Ahbeerent and the others?”
When Epyon brought himself to look at Rose again, he could see that her facial expression hadn’t changed. However, the look in her eyes had gone through a metamorphosis. He couldn’t place what it was, but he would describe it as positive. Once he had gathered himself, Epyon’s response was “as I said, I’m going to kill them. To clarify, I am going to devour them.”
“Could you... elaborate?” Rose asked without a change in her expression.
Epyon gave an angry sigh before he spoke. “The Evil Sword Epyon absorbs those who are impaled upon it and—”
“That’s not what I meant!” Rose declared with a mildly annoyed look on her face. She closed her eyes, sighed, then brought the index and middle fingers of her right hand to her head before looking at the Berserker again. “Look half-wit, you probably don’t know everything that Ahbeerent and his goons are capable of. You need me to back you up. And I sent needlenose to la-la land, so I can handle myself.”
“Needlenose? La-la land?” Epyon tilted his head in confusion, whereas Rose dragged her fingers over to the bridge of her nose and squeezed.
“I’m saying that I took down Vamacho, so I’m not helpless.” She released her grip on her nose as she continued. “Besides, Ahbeerent was nice enough to tell me how his reconditioning works, so I know how we can use it to our advantage.”
Another moment of silence passed before Epyon gave a long sigh of resignation as he mentally commanded the dimensional gateway to close. “Very well. How do we go about slaying them?”
Rose raised her hand with her finger pointing at the ceiling. “Ahbeerent’s the one we need to kill. With him gone…” Uncertainty clouded her expression as she lowered her arm. “Look, Ahbeerent told me that he’s got the others under his control. Once he’s dead, the others should probably stop making our lives harder.”
“Probably?”
“It’s our best bet.”
Epyon turned away. “Very well, then I shall create a dimensional gateway directly to Ahbeerent and kill him where he stands.” The Berserker was about to swing his arm in front of himself before Rose stopped him.
“No!” she cried out. “Look, half-wit, I want this done just as soon as you do, but that giant Mnn might be stronger than you think. And the longer you take to eat him, that gives him more time to summon his crew to swarm us.”
At first, the Berserker said nothing, simply clenching his hand into the tightest fist he could muster. His host was speaking to him again, and Epyon was not pleased by what he was being told, which he relayed to the female. “There is another problem. My host wants me to try to get Ahbeerent to surrender before I attack him.”
Rose muttered a word that Epyon was unfamiliar with. “Can’t you do something about that voice in your head?”
“I do not control him, Rose. He controls me. Barely.”
Her response was a heavy sigh as Rose grabbed her forehead before she recomposed herself. “Look, we need to work fast, divide and conquer. You deal with Ahbeerent, kibosh him if you can’t kumbaya him. I’ll deal with his cronies so they can’t make things harder for you.”
The Berserker swung around so he could face the plant-person. He did not understand a few of the words she had used, but he had a bigger concern. “And how do you intend to fight off Ahbeerent’s forces without me?”
Rose’s mouth shifted into a grin. “That giant Mnn’s crew can’t bring themselves to harm anything in Ahbeerent’s collection, so that’s what I’m going to use against them.” Epyon tilted his head again, which Rose took as a sign to elaborate. “I’m going to unleash half of Ahbeerent’s collection on them. The plant half!”
<–Chapter 4 Chapter 6 (coming soon)–>
Well, it’s been about a year since I started this fic, and I was hoping it would be finished by today. However, due to a short attention span, allowing myself to be distracted by new video games, and real life stuff, It hasn’t been finished yet. Enjoy this chapter, and look forward to the next one!
As the elevator descended, Rose stayed silent. She wasn’t particularly comfortable being in a tiny little room full of hulking brutes and weird squid creatures, and a large part of her wanted to leave… But the way Ahbeerent spoke about her being a flower in a weed-infested dimension really appealed to her. It was a far cry from how she was treated in Lacroa, being confined in the castle away from public eye.
By chance, her eyes flicked over to the side and caught sight of Berserker Epyon, staring up at the ceiling. Rose couldn’t wrap her mind over how the Berserker was so strongly opposed to Metalguya and Vamacho’s attempt to abduct her back in the Garden of Wisdom. The idea that he was genuinely concerned for her well-being somehow drifted into her head, but was quickly dismissed.
The only reason Epyon didn’t want her taken away was because she fed him, Rose convinced herself. Obviously, the Berserker only gave an Mnn’s hum over her was because she presented the possibility of constant mealtime. If Ahbeerent’s goons hadn’t arrived, she would have ended up like one of those fairy tale princesses, locked up in a castle guarded by a dragon; which wouldn’t have been much better compared to how she was living in Lacroa.
Rose was broken out of her thoughts as Ahbeerent continued his story. “I drifted aimlessly in my time alone. I came across this ship when its original crew tracked me down. They were obsessed with collecting… Certain kinds of life-forms. Specifically, one-of-a-kind creatures, whether they were the last of their kind or if they were artificial life-forms. And seeing as how the Symbionts were one step away from extinction, I was qualified to join their collection.”
At that point, Rose felt the room stop descending and a short while later, the doors opened. When the ones in front of her vacated the room, it gave Rose her own chance to exit. The room she was in resembled an oversized hallway, stretching out for what seemed like a mile. Large portions of the wall were adorned with glass panels, behind which were large chambers. There were multiple large pits in the middle of the hallway, each one possessing a fence around the edges.
Rose was unable to see the bottom of the pit in front of her, but it held two different animals with elongated necks which stretched over the railing. The animal closest to her had skin that was mostly blue with its lower jaw and neck’s underside having a creamy color. It had black eyes, a stubby horn on its forehead, and “ears” that were curled in a way that resembled the buns on Rose’s head. The second creature had skin that was mostly colored a shade of periwinkle and a pale blue coloring on the underside of its neck, which had two lines of crystals running down its left and right sides. Its face was mostly covered with a white mark shaped like a V with a crystal in the center. The eyes were blue and there were two flaps of skin, yellow at the bases and fading to a pale purple at the edges, running down its neck from the back of the head.
Out of curiosity, Rose advanced towards the pit to get a closer look, allowing her to see its bottom as well as the creatures in their entirety. The walls of the pit resembled that of an iceberg, with half of bottom area consisting of a large body of water, which allowed the animal with the blue skin and horn to swim around. Its main body was encased in a greyish-purple shell covered in blunt spikes, and it had flippers for arms and legs. The periwinkle-colored animal was standing on a plateau of ice, its clawed toes effortlessly gripping the sleek surface. Aside from the line of crystals that ran across its sides and its tail which curled inward, its quadruped body lacked any distinguishing features.
The shelled animal quickly took notice of her, squealing as it swam over to Rose. It certainly wasn’t acting vicious, so Rose allowed herself to edge closer. As soon as the two were in close enough proximity, the shelled animal started nuzzling its head against her. Although Rose largely found this display of affection annoying, a small part of her found it endearing, inspiring her to stroke its head.
It was at that point that Ahbeerent started speaking again. “The ones who caught me had no interest in the well-being of their quarry. They were simply focused on the overall value of their ‘collection,’ keeping them in cages or in a suspended state.”
“And what makes your actions different from theirs?”
Rose turned her attention to Epyon, who was standing in front of one of the glass panels. Rose could now see that these glass panels acted as oversized viewing windows, for behind it was an environment that resembled the inside of a cave; rocky walls, floor, and ceiling with a bluish tint and tiny, stubby stalactites. It had a single inhabitant, pressing up against the window as if it was trying to break the window through the weight of its bulk.
It had a black blob-like body with a large, gaping mouth right in the center. Its teeth were yellow, the inside of its mouth was light blue, and its tongue was black with spikes. The head was tiny, positioned between a pair of horns with two pairs of blue eyes, one pair in the middle of the head and the other pair positioned right above the mouth area. There were two clawed arms located near the top of its body, but there was another pair of arms coming from the mouth, long and ending with large pincers.
“Watch your mouth!” Vamacho demanded angrily, “He made things better for us!”
“Calm yourself, Vamacho.” Ahbeerent pleaded. “I assume, Berserker, that you are referring to how this creature has been sealed in its own private room?” Epyon turned to face the Mnn-creature. He said nothing, but he nodded his head. “This particular specimen, the Glutton, is one of the more hostile species that inhabit this ship. As such, I keep it sealed for the safety of the more peaceable animals. This applies to all of the more hostile creatures that are kept here.”
At that moment, something damp and soft was pressed against Rose’s face. She turned her head to see what it was, even as it slid to the upper part of her head. By the time she was facing the shelled animal, it was retracting its neck back to its upward positon, its tongue hanging from its mouth. It had affectionately licked her face. Repulsed, Rose put her hand over her forehead and swiped it down her face to wipe the saliva off. There was a sizable amount of it, and it ended up creating a small puddle.
At that moment, a white blur flashed through the air. Rose turned her head to the direction it was headed and saw Cleanopatra standing to the side, halfway across the hall. Rose watched as the white insectoid opened a door and went through it.
“My idea of separation was inspired by the original owners of this ship,” Ahbeerent explained as he floated further down the hallway. “Tremendously hostile creatures, like the Glutton here, were put into suspended animation and displayed as trophies. They reserved their cages for the more peaceful and sentient specimens… Like me.”
Ahbeerent motioned to N-ur-jize with one of his tendrils as he continued. “I spent a very long time as one of their captives… Until the day that they captured N-ur-jize.”
Rose had been following Ahbeerent as he talked, when a white blur zipped past her again. Looking over her shoulder, Rose now saw Cleanopatra wiping away at the puddle of saliva with a mop. “What happened with N-uh-gee?”
“N-ur-jize’s species is capable of generating ridiculously high amounts of electrical energy. It’s why they’re nearly extinct, from other species abusing their capabilities, draining them dry until they couldn’t give anymore and then going beyond. However, his species also had great physical strength, which many overlooked, and the ones who owned this ship was no different.
“They intended to use N-ur-jize as a power source for the ship, in a way that would not result in his demise. However, the outrage he felt over being condemned to the same fate has his people drove N-ur-jize to break out and rampage. By the time I was freed, the crew had been slaughtered by the more dangerous of their trophies.”
Paper-Cut took over from there. “Living with the collectors made us think about how other near-extinct creatures might be suffering. As such, we decided to claim the ship as our own and travel from dimension to dimension, picking up endangered species to protect and preserve them.”
“Since Ahbeerent was the smartest of us, we just made him the captain.” Vamacho stated. “Metalguya and Cleanopatra joined the crew after we took over.”
Rose took another glance at Cleanopatra, still mopping away. “Was she always such a neat freak?”
“Cleanopatra’s species was wiped out by a virus,” Ahbeerent elaborated. “By the time she joined us, the trauma had left her in the state you see now: terrified of all filth, believing that it could cause infection.” At that point, Ahbeerent’s voice took on a sorrowful tone. “I’ve been meaning to get treatment for her, but she does such a good job of keeping the pens and habitats tidy for the animals… And you know what they say about ‘needing the eggs.’”
“I don’t, really.”
Ahbeerent ignored Epyon. “Metalguya was the result of military project, an attempt to create an entity who would not be stopped once it was in motion. They succeeded… But they found that Metalguya’s speed was… Lacking. They attempted to dispose of her, but she escaped using her natural gifts of psychically shielding herself from view and detection, technological and physical.”
“Is… That the reason why I could not sense her back at the garden?” The Berserker asked. “What of Vamacho?”
“My species lived for conquest,” Vamacho explained, “We would travel from one planet to another, draining the inhabitants of their fluids to empower us. But one day we encountered creatures whose fluids were toxic to my people. I was subdued before I could enjoy the spoils of our victory, so I was spared death. Eventually I was picked up by the creeps who owned this ship first.”
Epyon’s response was a low growl. Luckily, Rose got the hint. “He meant ‘how did bug-boy here manage to avoid half-wit’s detection?’” she elaborated in a huff.
“I am capable of shielding my allies from sight and detection.” Metalguya explained.
“Indeed,” said Ahbeerent. “And Vamacho’s people believed that draining the fluids of others was how they survived, but the notes I dug up from the ship’s computers revealed that this was merely a religious belief, which I shared with Vamacho, and he has been much less hostile than before.
“Finally, Paper-Cut originated from a two-dimensional universe where everything is as flat as he is. The entirety of his universe was brought to ruin by a band of xenophobic robots who could turn organic material to stone. Only a small handful of Paper-Cut’s people could escape to other universes, but their appearance horrified others who hunted them down. Paper-Cut was the only one to survive before the ones who owned this ship captured him.
“Together, we all work to find critically endangered species to give them a new home, away from those that would hurt them. In the event that we take in a sentient specimen, we allow them to join us and receive a new purpose in life. We are all equals here, no slaves and no masters.”
Rose spent a short moment pondering if Paper-Cut’s universe was a victim of the Dark Axis. It certainly sounded like their MO, petrifying all organic material. She was brought out of her thoughts when realized that they had reached the end of the hallway. There was another door in the wall with a pair of buttons to the side. One of Ahbeerent’s tendrils lifted and pressed the higher of the buttons, and the door eventually opened, revealing that it lead to another elevator.
Rose turned to look at the hallway one more time, casting her gaze to the closest window. Behind it was a floor completely covered with grass, but it was all withered and brown. There was a single tree in the chamber, but it looked no more alive than the grass. The only thing that seemed to be alive was the giant bird-like creature nesting in the tree. It was largely red and black in color with a gray ruff circling the neck. Its wings were massive with claws at the ends, and it possessed a tail that was virtually identical to its wings.
Focusing her attention back towards the elevator, which now had everyone inside of it, Rose squeezed her way inside. Someone pressed a button, but Rose wasn’t paying attention. While she had planned to join up with Ahbeerent’s crew for how he had been treating her like she was as special as a real princess, Rose wasn’t as convinced anymore. Something was nagging at her in a way she couldn’t quite place. Was it the bird creature who was placed in a wasteland? No, it seemed pretty content despite its living conditions. Maybe it was Ahbeerent ignoring how Cleanopatra was bonkers for the sake of having a clean ship? No, that wasn’t the problem either. Rose’s face took on a grim expression, even as the doors opened again.
Berserker Epyon was finding himself to be swayed more and more by Ahbeerent’s words. He wouldn’t deny that he didn’t give two Mnns about Ahbeerent’s goal and plans, and being surrounded by such appetizing morsels and being restrained from devouring them would no doubt be considerably frustrating. However, the other alternative would be waiting in the Garden of Wisdom for another opportunity for “heroics.”
If Epyon took this chance, then he would be traveling through the dimensions, seeking out these critically endangered creatures on Ahbeerent’s behalf. Whilst the Berserker had no desire to do anything on anyone’s behalf, it would open the opportunity for Epyon to find something to eat. Perhaps a being who was holding captive the object of Ahbeerent’s interest? Or maybe an insignificant creature that the universe would not notice if it went missing? And while these were the only possibilities that Epyon could imagine, perhaps fortune would smile upon him and grant the Berserker other opportunities.
(Are you really sure you want to go through with this?)
If Epyon’s eyes had possessed irises like a normal being, he would have been rolling them out of irritation. Why would I not be? the Berserker thought to himself, in order to silently communicate with his host. I have been wasting away in that garden for too long because of you!
(Look, Berserker. I know that this hasn’t been the most active of all your lifetimes, but if you were to just fly out into the world as you are now, you would not last a month. You can’t go on with the world being your enemy!)
So I should simply meditate in the Garden of Wisdom while society moves on without me? Waiting for a chance to react instead of taking action? If being a hero is all about waiting for things to go wrong, then perhaps heroes are not as great as you think they are!
It took a short moment before Epyon’s host spoke again. (I just believe that you should not be so hasty with joining up with this Ahbeerent.)
What complaint could you possibly have over this?
(It’s about Ahbeerent’s story. If the Symbionts were so useful, then people should have taken measures to prevent their extinction.)
Accidents happen.
(That’s not all. How did Ahbeerent know about what happened with N-ur-jize’s escape in so much detail? Ahbeerent should have been in stasis at that time—)
ENOUGH. You have been manipulating me for too long. It is time that I—
Before Epyon could finish his mental rant, he felt the ascension of the room coming to a halt. Soon, the doors opened to reveal another elongated room much like the last one, but with few key differences. This room lacked the chambers and pits that the previous rooms had. Instead, it had three separate beddings of dirt, which were long enough to reach the other side.
The dirt beds were lined with trees, every single one of them was different from what Epyon could see. The walls were lined with rows of platforms, which were decorated with various fauna and flora, each one housed in its own reddish container. A large percent of these trees and flowers were sealed in their own glass tube. Of course, what really caught Epyon’s attention was the dirt bed in the middle of the room. It was massive compared to the others, and for good reason: The flora that was placed in the middle of the room was enormous, most were taller and wider than most of the structures in Lacroa.
As Epyon watched those who were in front of him exit the small room they were in, the Berserker decided to follow them into the large chamber. The rose-human dashed out, immediately getting as close to the giant plants as she could. In the distance, Epyon could see one plant in the middle bed that was shorter than the others, but had massive red petals that stretched out. Another plant that caught Epyon’s attention had a yellow body and was capped with a giant leaf. As the leaf swayed, the berserker could see that beneath the leaf was a gaping mouth. However, the centerpiece was a plant that stretched up to the ceiling with a thick trunk sparsely covered with thorns along with thin but enlarged red petals at the head.
“As you can see,” announced Ahbeerent, “I take the time to preserve not only endangered creatures, but plant-life as well. Every tree and plant you see here is endangered in their home dimensions, so I took it upon myself to claim one of each to take with me in order to preserve them.”
“Why are most of them held in these casings?” Epyon heard the plant-person ask.
“The ones in the glass tubes come from habitats where the environment is radically different from what the Malignant Seizure is capable of providing,” Ahbeerent explained. “As such, I engineered these capsules so that they can provide the necessary requirements so that the trees and plants inside can live: specific temperatures, a certain amount of moisture in the air, and so on.
“This is what awaits you if your decision is to stay.” Epyon turned his body so that he was facing the Mnn-creature, as the tone in his voice that taken a grave sound to it. Ahbeerent was hovering towards him, whereas the rest of his followers were hanging back. “I will do everything that is within my capabilities to ensure your survival. If you require sunlight, water, and nutrients, then you shall have it in spades. Your nourishment, Berserker, will be provided… With some limitations, of course. While I am willing to sacrifice for your well-being, I cannot provide you a buffet.”
Ahbeerent had stopped his advance. He was now three arms-lengths away from Epyon. “However, I can assure you that the Malignant Seizure can be much more hospitable compared to that hole in the ground where you were residing.” His arm-tendrils spread out to their sides. “Choose to stay, and you can find food, a purpose, a place… to belong.”
At this point, Epyon was hooked to the idea of siding with Ahbeerent, but before he could say anything, the Berserker felt something tugging at his wing. “Half-wit and I want to… Talk this over.” The voice belonged to the rose-woman, and as Epyon turned his head to face her, he could see that she was the one pulling his wing.
“We do?”
“Play along, stupid,” she hissed in a hushed tone as she started dragging him away from Ahbeerent. The Berserker found that he did not care much for how the plant-person spoke to him.
“Your disrespect—”
Before he could finish, the rose-woman had shushed him as she grabbed Epyon’s shoulder and pulled it downward, forcing the Berserker to lean over. When she spoke next, the volume of her voice had dropped significantly compared to what Epyon was used to. “Keep your voice down. This isn’t something we want them listening to.”
Despite his confusion, Epyon decided to play along. “Why not?”
The plant-female’s gaze shifted off to the side, her expression becoming more and more clouded by the second. Finally, she said “I’m not sure if we can trust them.”
“What possible reason could you have to not trust them?”
The rose-woman’s eyes started wandering in various directions, as if she were struggling to explain what the dilemma was. “Something about this whole thing doesn’t sit right with me…”
Epyon huffed in frustration. “You are putting too much concern over this. This is the answer to what ails us!“
“I know, but—”
“I would no longer be confined to the Garden of Wisdom,” Epyon elaborated. “And by traveling through the dimensions, there would be a multitude of opportunities for me to eat.”
“Good for you, but—“
The Berserker kept talking, ignoring the increasingly annoyed look on the rose-woman’s face. “And you would no longer be treated as an outsider, not among fellow outsiders! You would only be seen as an equal, never as a slave and you would answer to no master!”
The moment Epyon said those words, she gave him a hard look. “What did you say?”
After spending a moment reviewing his next sentence, Epyon spoke again. "I said that you would never answer to masters as long as–”
Something light up in the plant-person’s eyes. “That’s it! That right there, that’s what’s been bugging me!”
This caught Epyon’s attention. “What are you talking about?”
The plant-person’s eyes narrowed. “That word: master. Ahbeerent yapped about everyone being equals, with no masters or slaves, but back in the Garden, that… Metalguya mentioned a ‘master.’ So, he’s lying.”
At that moment, an odd sensation came over the Berserker. He felt as if something deep within his chest had dropped down to his stomach. Whereas it didn’t really matter to him that his host had reservations over the prospect of siding with Ahbeerent, he had been hoping that the rose-woman would join Ahbeerent’s crusade along with him. With the tone she used as she talked, it was clear that she had no intention of doing that. And Epyon felt very unpleasant about the whole thing. Were he more knowledgeable about emotions, he would classify his current feeling as despair.
The Berserker’s thoughts were interrupted by a heavy sigh. “To think that this entire charade would be untangled by a single word.” The voice belonged to Ahbeerent, and Epyon turned to face him. Sure enough, the Mnn-like creature and his menagerie were slowly advancing towards the Berserker and the rose-woman.
“I have to confess that I have not been entirely truthful with you,” Ahbeerent’s voice rang throughout the room, but now his tone had a sour edge to it. “It’s true that my crew sees me as something more than a captain… But it’s also true that I provide a home and a purpose to those that have none. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?“
Epyon noticed that Vamacho’s left hand was covering his right hand, which was balled up into a fist. Paper-Cut was rubbing his arms against each other, reminding the Berserker of the way he would scrape his blade against his shield. In spite of everything, Epyon stole a glance at the ground. Was he hallucinating, or was his shadow darker than what it was earlier? However, he quickly purged this distraction from his mind, focusing back on the approaching crowd.
Maybe the rose-woman was right to be suspicious… Epyon thought to himself as he summoned his blade and shield. The plant-person spoke up again, interrupting the reply that the Berserker felt bubbling up from his host.
"Look Auto-cranky, thanks for taking all this time to show us around your ship, but I’d really like to be going now.” She glanced at Epyon before she continued, “That goes for half-wit, too.”
“Why would you want to leave? Most dimensions I have traveled through don’t appreciate what they have until its gone,” Ahbeerent insisted. “Their people only care for that which shares similarities with themselves. The Malignant Seizure cherishes those who are unique, the ones who are alone. You need to stay… so we can all be alone together.”
“No thanks,” the rose-woman blurted out. “If staying here means I have to work for you, then I’d rather be alone-alone.”
“She speaks for me as well,” Epyon announced. For some reason, he was dead-set on siding with the rose-woman as opposed to going against her.
Ahbeerent’s arm tendrils crossed over each other. “I had hoped that I could gain your trust before I changed your minds.” The odd paraphrasing puzzled the Berserker, but he found himself distracted by the icy tone in Ahbeerent’s voice as he said “But it seems that I have no choice but to skip a few steps.”
At this point, Epyon could no longer deny that the room was getting brighter than it was before. Cleanopatra was the only one with visible eyes and she was squinting. Vamacho and Paper-Cut were shielding their faces with their hands, Metalguya and Ahbeerent were still standing in ways that Epyon deemed hostile, and N-ur-jize…
Where was N-ur-jize?
Realization seized Epyon as his upper body jerked upward. Even as he swiftly positioned himself behind the rose-woman, he shouted “Look out!”
At that moment, sharp electrical agony shot through every fiber of his being. Epyon couldn’t help but scream as the energy crackled over his body. Unconsciousness, when it came, was a mercy.
What will happen to Epyon and Rose? What does Ahbeerent have planned for them? Stay tuned to find out!
Once again, I’ve taken a LOT of inspiration from Pokémon to create the noteworthy life-forms in this story. The shelled animal is based on Lapras, while its roommate is based off of Aurorus. The blob-like creature is supposed to be the Guzzlord, and the bird creature that Rose sees comes from Yveltal. In the plant room, two of the big plants described in the chapter are based off of Vileplume and Victreebel. The remaining plant is actually NOT a Pokémon, but the giant titan-flower that Poison Ivy merges with in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Look forward to the next chapter!
Slowly but surely, consciousness returned to Epyon. While his vision was blurry, he could tell that there was NOT a swirling mass of darkness covering his face. Strange, normally when he was resurrected, he would be enveloped in Dark Mana as the body of his new host was molded into Epyon’s image. What he saw instead was… metal? Curious, Epyon focused his attention towards his other senses, and realized that his body was being pressed against a wall. No, he was lying on a ground made of metal. Also, he couldn’t feel his arms. Check that, he didn’t have arms. In fact, he was still in his Wyvern form. He should be in his Gundam form. What was going on here?
“This is not what I expected at all.”
The voice startled Epyon, who pushed himself off the ground to allow himself to change back into his Gundam form. The Berseker’s vision was still somewhat blurry, but after putting all his focus into his sight, he could see clearly. Hovering a short distance away from him was creature that resembled an Mnn, though the bottom of its head had a disk-like rim with floppy edges and decorated with stars. It had many tendrils stemming from its head, but the tendrils in the back were much more elongated than the ones in the front. In fact, the tendrils in the back gave the appearance of a dress much like the one Rose wore, with two vines were particularly long, as if they were legs. Two shorter tendrils in the front hung uselessly from the head, but two tendrils behind them were crossed over each other, like arms.
To the left of the Mnn-creature stood an entity who was as thin as a leaf. Its head was in the shape of a square with a yellow “X” in the center, two blocky antennae and a red scalp. There was red plating in the center of its body where its blade-like arms were affixed to. Its legs were triangular in nature and it had yellow straps emerging from its shoulders.
Whatever was standing to the Mnn-creature’s right was what caught Epyon’s attention the most. It had a head with the appearance of a white, glowing ball of spikes with no other features to speak of. Sprouting from beneath its head was a series of black vines which consisted of his entire body, the arm, leg, and tail limbs held together by white bracelets, each one was adorned with a single thorn. Both of its “feet” had two orange-brown needles for “toes” which its “tail” appendage had three. The “hands” ended in spheres that had six flat strands which Epyon assumed were its fingers.
Behind the trio was a strange wheel with short poles emerging from the rims, suspended a fair distance above the ground. There were various constructs behind the wheel, made of a metal with various flashing lights adorning them. Above the constructs was a wall that consisted of a clear material, behind which Epyon could see the world outside: hills, clouds, bodies of water and other such things.
“Ah, you’ve awakened.” A voice rang out throughout the room, in the same cultured tone that Epyon had heard earlier. None of the creatures assembled before the Berserker had mouths that he could see, so he couldn’t tell who was talking. “I’m certain that you have questions, but I must insist that you save them for a little while longer. There are others coming.”
Epyon was about to retort when another voice began speaking. (Calm yourself, Berserker. Events like these don’t happen every day. We should wait and see what happens next)
The Berserker growled. He was still stuck with this particular host, which meant that the events that occurred in the Garden of Wisdom did not result in his demise. That ‘Vamacho’ creature and his partner saw fit not to kill him, and that meant they intended to capture him as well as the female—
The female!
The Berserker twisted his body in various directions as he sought out the rose-human. He could see that the area he was in was slightly condensed and the walls aside from the one behind the trio as well as the ceiling was made of the same metal as the floor. Particularly, the wall behind him had a large circular structure at the bottom that glowed bright blue.
Hearing a groan beneath him, Epyon cast his gaze downward where he found who he was looking for: the rose-human who had wandered into his sanctuary. The Berserker quickly knelt down to inspect her, casting a quick glance at the crowd of beings that were assembled as he did.
Seeing that he was not in danger, the Berserker took the moment to ponder his recent actions. When he invited the rose-woman into his “home,” it was because he was curious about her human/plant physiology, which was so very similar to his Gundam/spirit body. However, when she announced her intention to leave, a part of himself did not want her to go. What’s more, panic filled his thoughts when the metal female announced her intention to abduct the plant-person. Though Epyon was quick to convert his fear into rage, the fact remained that he felt such an emotion to begin with. His host could partially control the Berserker’s actions, but he held no such dominance over Epyon’s emotions and desires... Which meant that everything Epyon experienced and did since meeting the rose-woman had been of his own free will.
He had met new people in this current life of his, people that he had formed... Bonds with. However, something about the plant-person was driving Epyon to put her well-being and safety above the rest of those he had met, despite having just met her. How could that be? Did the rose-woman cast a spell on him? Was being unable to leave the Garden of Wisdom’s footprint taking its toll on his mind? Perhaps—
It was at that moment that Epyon heard a muffled corral of voices, causing the Berserker to turn his head in the direction it was coming from: behind the blue glowing circle in the back of the room. As the voices grew louder, Epyon managed to decipher what the voices were saying.
“Cut it out, Cleanopatra! I don’t need to be cleaned off, so stop it.”
Epyon could tell that the owner of that particular voice was Vamacho, with the way his S’s sounded like Z’s.
“It’s your own fault,” said another voice with a feminine tone. “If you hadn’t roughhoused with that burgundy mech-spirit, you wouldn’t have gotten all this dirt and dust all over your carapace. You should have been more peaceful with your duties like Metalguya.”
“Your polishing of my arms was an unnecessary endeavor as well, Cleanopatra,” said someone else, whom Epyon identified as Vamacho’s partner from the Garden from the sound of her voice.
“You never know when dirt or grime from a new dimension may contain dangerous diseases or parasites,” responded the second voice. At that moment, the circular structure split apart at the seams and opened to reveal another room which seemed very condensed, even when compared to the room Epyon was in. The Berserker was slightly taken aback, having never suspected that the blue circle acted as a sort of door, and because two of the three creatures that were behind it were indeed Vamacho and his ally from the Garden of Wisdom.
A third creature was standing right next to Vamacho, an insectoid entity with an extremely skinny and white body. Its main body was comprised of four disk-like segments with arms sprouting from beneath the highest segment and legs coming out of the lowest. Its appendages had pale-yellow kneecaps, elbows, feet, and hands, though its hands and feet were more like twigs. It had a long neck and a semicircular face with narrow eyes. Its hair and the twin antennae went all the way to the ground. It was hard at work, rubbing a piece of cloth over Vamacho’s left arm, who tensed up when he saw Epyon. “Oh, so you’re finally up?” he asked.
Extremely wary by the sight of Vamacho, Epyon curled his right hand into a fist and slammed it against the floor, aiming his blow so that it was right next to the plant-person’s head. “Awaken, rose-woman,” the Berserker demanded.
At that, the rose-human’s eyes slowly opened, filling Epyon with contentment for some reason. When her eyes turned to Epyon’s direction, they widened as her body snapped into an upright positon. “What’s going on, half-wit?” She demanded, rubbing the back of her head as she focused her gaze at Epyon, suspicion filling her eyes. “Where am I?”
“Ask them,” the Berserker muttered as he nodded his head towards Vamacho and his little cluster, who had now joined the Mnn-creature’s group. “They brought us here instead of slaying me.” Upon hearing this, the plant-human turned her attention to the group that loomed over them. As she turned her body to face them, the Mnn-creature unfolded its arm-tendrils and slowly hovered towards the pair.
“Well, Vamacho? Metalguya?” A voice rang out throughout the room, in the same cultured tone that Epyon had heard earlier. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”
“I’m sorry, sir.” This came from Vamacho’s ally in the garden—probably the same ‘Metalguya’ who had been addressed earlier. Across from her, Vamacho put his right hand on his chest, finger splayed, and half-bowed. “Ditto, sir.”
“These two are our guests! How could you treat them in such a manner?” It was that same voice from before, and the Mnn-creature was now standing over Eypon and the plant-person, one of its tendrils hoisted up in front her. She glanced up at the Mnn-creature with an arched eyebrow before she grasped the tendril, which pulled her upwards in response, getting her to her feet. Epyon stood to his full height immediately afterwards.
“Is that you talking?” the rose-woman asked as she released the tendril and resumed rubbing the back of her head. “It’s hard to tell when only two of you have a mouth.”
In response, the Mnn-creature positioned one of his tendrils so that it was pointing at itself. “Yes, the voice you are hearing is mine. You may refer to me as Ahbeerent.” The Mnn-creature—Ahbeerent—floated a short distance off to the side and gestured his—the voice was masculine which inspired Epyon to refer to it as a ‘he’—right ‘arm’ tendril towards the group behind him. “No doubt that you are already familiar with Vamacho and Metalguya, but the rest require introductions.”
The insectoid creature spoke first. “I’m called Cleanopatra.”
“I am Paper-Cut,” another voice rang out as the nearly-flat being raised his left arm upward.
“We call the other one N-ur-jize,” Ahbeerent stated, gesturing towards the black vine entity. “He isn’t much for conversations, chatting, or anything revolving around talking.” After saying this, he floated in front of Epyon and the plant-human. “Tell me, are you still wounded from your encounter with Vamacho and Metalguya? Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine,” said the rose-woman, who had stopped rubbing her head.
“I already ate,” Epyon responded, and left it at that. Truthfully, he was a little famished and would have been more than happy to devour Vamacho to satisfy his hunger as well as his desire for revenge. However, the idea that the rose-woman would get hurt in the middle of the skirmish somehow persuaded him remain passive.
“I apologize again for the way you were treated,” Ahbeerent stated, his arm-tendrils clasped together. “I would have collected you myself if I had known the others were going to be over-enthusiastic about it.”
“Actually, sir,” Vamacho spoke up with a meekly raised arm, “I was the one who roughed them up. Metalguya just… Um… She didn’t hurt them.”
“Yes, I suspected that was the case,” Ahbeerent said in response as he twisted his body around to face the muscular bug. “I know you have a penchant for violence, Vamacho, but still!”
At that point, the one called Cleanopatra spoke up. “Ahbeerent, shouldn’t we start the proceedings?”
“Quite right, Cleanopatra!” Ahbeerent tone took an enthusiastic turn as he spoke. “We have to bring our guests up to speed!”
“What are you prattling on about?” Epyon demanded as he clenched is fists in frustration, “First you attack us and now you treat us as if we were the Sacred Beasts of Lacroa?”
“Your encounter with Metalguya and Vamacho was not meant to be an attack,” Ahbeerent declared as he turned to face Epyon. “I simply wanted them to invite you to our home. Unfortunately, it seems Vamacho was a little too enthusiastic about his duty.”
“Yeah, attacking someone isn’t the best way to go when making a first impression…” Epyon heard the rose-woman muttering behind him, “And I could understand why you’d want half-wit here, but why did you drag me here, too?”
“To join us.” This had come from Paper-Cut.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” the flower-human retorted, “I’m not much of a joiner. Go find some other human-plant freak to join—“
“I certainly could do that,” Ahbeerent interrupted as he floated towards the rose-woman, “After all, there are other hybrids of homo sapiens and plant-life out in the dimensions. You are not unique in that regard.” By that point, the Mnn-creature was hovering over the rose-woman with Epyon keeping his gaze focused squarely in their direction.
“However, you started life out as a normal flower, but was then granted a human form through the use of ‘Dark Mana,’ a magic which is very specific to your dimension. And that… Is what makes you unique. Each dimension is a garden of weeds and you, my dear, are one of the few flowers in this particular garden… In a matter of speaking.
“This goes for you too, Berserker Epyon,” Ahbeerent continued as he pointed in the Gundam/Spirit’s direction. “A hybrid of Gundam and Lacroa’s brand of Spirits? You certainly qualify as a flower in this weed-infested garden of a dimension.” He raised his arm tendrils up high as he continued, “And all flowers have a place here.”
“And… Where is ‘here,’ exactly?” the plant-woman asked with her voice filled with curiosity.
“‘Here’ is my vessel, the Malignant Seizure,” the Mnn-creature declared, “And I, Ahbeerent the Autocratic, am its captain.” He was now floating in the direction of the circular door in the back of the room. “You see, I am the last of my kind, the Symbionts. My species were extremely sought out because they could be used to store the memories of others, much like how a computer can store data on a hard drive.”
The door opened up when Ahbeerent got near it and he floated through the opening. “I went into hiding and eventually my race was written off as extinct.” He turned around, pausing for a brief moment before making beckoning gestures with his tendrils. “Come, come! I have much to show you!”
The Berserker did not so much as move an inch whereas the rose-human made her way towards Ahbeerent, followed shortly by Paper-Cut and Metalguya. Both of them were floating, but Paper-Cut was drifting through the air like a piece of cloth caught in a heavy breeze. A red hand clasped down on Epyon’s shoulder with a little too much force as Vamacho leaned down so that his head was level with the Berserker’s. “Come on, you’re gonna love it.”
That did nothing to encourage Epyon to join Ahbeerent, but he could hear his host urging him to go along with it. In addition, the Berserker did feel a hint of curiosity. He was attacked. He had lost. However, he was left alive, an event that was completely alien to him. Besides… Who knew what would happen to the rose-woman behind his back? The Gundam/Spirit slowly made his way into the room with N-ur-jize slinking behind him.
It was something of a tight squeeze, but everyone Managed to fit into the room. “Cleanopatra,” Ahbeerent commanded regally, “Third floor, please.” The insectoid female silently raised her arm and stretched it towards a series of circles grouped together in a straight line, a symbol inscribed next to each circle. Cleanopatra pressed one of the circles, which lit up just as the door that separated the two rooms closed.
Epyon lurched as he felt the entire room descend, and he cast his gaze upwards as he descended into the depths of Ahbeerent’s ‘Malignant Seizure.’
((Well, this was a challenging chapter to write. Just to be clear, that little descending room that Epyon and everyone was in at the end? It’s an elevator. I’m trying to describe things as Epyon experiences them, and he’s never been in an elevator before.
BTW, these new characters? They’re also expys of Ultra Beasts from Pokemon Sun and Moon. “Paper-Cut” is based on Kartana, “N-ur-jize” is Xurkitree (I got his name from Elec Man’s battle cry in Mega Man: Powered Up), “Cleanopatra is Pheromosa”, and “Ahbeerent” is Nihilego. Don’t worry, an expy of Guzzlord will appear soon enough!
The name and title of “Ahbeerent the Autocratic” is based on Imperious Delirious, who was the villain from the Transformers Collectors Club magazine comic I got the title of this story from. In addition, the ship’s name, “the Malignant Seizure,” comes from the “Grand Mal” ship in Transformers: Beast Machines (Grand Mal is a type of seizure).
As Rose descended upon the Garden of Wisdom, she couldn’t help but notice that it was almost the exact way she remembered it: a forest environment within the depths of a giant footprint and an altar with tiny obelisks in the middle of a clearing. There was only one key difference: a sizable hole in the ground, leading to what looked like a dark abyss.
“The Lacroan Royal Family is going to be very upset when they see what you’ve done with the place,” she commented dryly.
While she couldn’t get a read on Epyon’s emotions through his face, Rose could clearly tell from his tone that he was angry. “The Royal Family can eat themselves for all I care.” The Berserker’s bluntness caused a short giggle to escape from Rose’s mouth.
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more,” she responded. At that point, she had finished her descent and hopped off her Mana disk, which she dispersed. As she gazed upon the Gundam-Spirit, Rose took a moment to reflect on her current predicament. She was face-to-face with Berserker Epyon, the most dreaded being in Lacroan history. Her common sense was screaming at her to get as far away as possible. However, the Berserker was making no attempt to devour her… And Epyon said that he could sense that she was different, and this made her very curious. As such, her curiosity overwrote her common sense.
Besides, she was beginning to feel like she was being watched up above, and the time she had already spent in this footprint was making her feel better… Even if she was in the presence of a killer. “Are you really the Berserker Epyon?”
“Yes.”
“But from what I heard, Berserker Epyon only lived for spreading chaos and to slaughter,” Rose elaborated, based on what she had heard from others and had read in books. “But you? You’re just talking to me. What’s the deal here?”
A short sigh escaped from behind Epyon’s faceplate as he hopped onto a rock behind him and folded his legs into a lotus position. “Let me tell you a tale, a tale of manipulation and submission and, most of all, hunger.”
For the next few minutes, Epyon began weaving his tale: about his new host having partial control over his body, about being confined to a footprint, then discovering the Garden of Wisdom with the help of a visitor, and being “promoted” to the Garden of Wisdom’s guardian by his host. While he spoke, Rose used her plant powers to bring a tangle of roots out of the ground to create a makeshift seat for herself.
Once Epyon was done, Rose stayed silent for a few seconds. Then the staccato rhythms of her laughter echoed throughout the footprint. “So,” she exclaimed as she finished gasping for air, “The fearsome Berserker Epyon has been reduced to a half-wit guarding a crater in the middle of nowhere! Oh, how the mighty have fallen!”
By the time Rose had collected herself, she noticed that Epyon was staring intently at her. She had no doubt that if Epyon had eyes on his optics, he would be glaring daggers at her. Not that it would have mattered to Rose. She hadn’t given much thought towards the consequences of her actions lately. Besides, if what the Berserker had said about his new host was true, he would keep Epyon from killing her.
After what seemed like an eternity, Epyon spoke again. “A ‘half-wit’? For what reason could you have to address me in such a manner?”
Rose smirked. “You’re a half-gundam half-spirit with two minds about you. Half-wit is the perfect way to describe you.”
The Berserker actually seemed to ponder this for a moment. “I suppose ‘half-wit’ is more preferable to my last moniker.”
This caused Rose to arch an eyebrow. “What was your last nickname?”
“Eppy.”
That tidbit of information was too much for Rose to handle, as she spent the next half-minute laughing. She even fell from the seat she had made out of tree roots. “Wh- Who gave you THAT nickname?!” Rose asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I… I don’t remember.”
Hearing the tone in the Berserker’s voice made Rose snap to attention. It was infused with sorrow. Epyon was rubbing his left wrist, and despite being incapable of showing expressions, he looked downcast. “All I remember about her was that she called me ‘Eppy.’ Any other details about her… Are lost to me.”
It was only after seven seconds of uncomfortable silence before Rose attempted to speak again, but the Berserker had beaten her to it. “What of you? I can sense that you are no ordinary human. In fact… I can sense that you have qualities not unlike the shrubbery that surrounds us.”
Rose gave a brief sigh. She didn’t want to go over her life’s story. “I was… Born from a rose. Born because of Deathscythe… Deed’s-“
“The Darkness Knight.”
Rose briefly paused at Epyon’s interruption. At first, she wondered how the Berserker knew of Deathscythe. Then she remembered hearing something about Deathscythe turning Tallgeese into Epyon’s host as part of his grand plan.
“Because of Deed’s plan to take the Princess of Lacroa, Rele, as his bride. With the help of the Dark Axis, he turned all the plants and humans into stone and melted down all but one of the Knight Gundams. After that was done, Deathscythe waited for a way to reverse the petrification on Rele. When he learned of it, Deathscythe—“
At that point, Rose found herself gently cut off with the wave of a hand. “Enough about the Darkness Knight,” Epyon declared. “I want to know about you.”
Rose froze up. As far as she could remember, this was the first time anyone had taken such a keen interest in her background. When Deed found out about her residency at Lacroa castle, he was merely curious as to how she had been resurrected. It took her a short moment to continue. “I was supposed to infiltrate the Gundam Force and steal this white Bagu-Bagu, the key to turning Rele back into a human. But the human, Shute… Was really nice to me, so when the time came to give Deathscythe the white Bagu-Bagu, I gave it back to the Gundam Force instead. Deathscythe… repaid me by turning me back into a flower.
“All I remember was being trapped in darkness and being afraid… Then I was somehow turned back into a human, only to be told that years had passed and Lacroa had gone back to normal. As ‘thanks’ for my part in saving Lacroa, the royal family let me stay in the castle, but forbade me from leaving. Even after I stood in for the princess while she was kidnapped, I remained a shut-in secret to the rest of Lacroa. So I ran away. The Garden of Wisdom is off-limits to the rest of Lacroa, so I thought it would make the perfect home for me, where I would be alone… Or so I thought.”
While she spoke, Epyon’s gaze never wavered from her direction. Now the Berserker was resting his head on the edge of his fist, as though he was in deep thought. A moment of silence passed, followed by another, and then another. Rose now felt very uncomfortable; even though Epyon wasn’t looking at her, she felt like she was being watched. It had started to feel that way right after she encountered the Berserker, it was why she followed him into the garden to begin with. She thought she could escape the feeling but it had gotten worse now. It was high time she got out of here.
“I’m gonna go,” Rose stated as she stood up.
Epyon’s head perked up. “What? Why?”
“I’m not going to stay where I’m not wanted, it’s why I left Lacroa in the first place. So I’m going to find somewhere else to live, where there’s no one else. It’ll be the perfect place to live, where there’s nobody around to not want me around.” Having said that, Rose turned around and with a wave of her arms, started emitting Dark Mana from her hands as she started forming a Mana disk to take her out of the footprint.
“But I have no quarrel with you… And I would take no issue if you desire to stay here.”
Hearing that made Rose cut off the flow of her Dark Mana. “What?” She turned around to look at the Berserker, who had taken to standing.
“With my frequent meditation, I certainly would not be a bother to you, either,” Epyon explained. “You can live comfortably here… Away from the judgement and suspicions of mortal minds.”
“Wait…” Rose said as she took a few seconds to process what Epyon was suggesting. “Are you… Suggesting that I live here with you?”
“As I said, I would have no issue with it. But I won’t force you to stay here.”
(He probably just wants to keep me around to feed him again,) Rose immediately thought to herself. (That new host of his won’t let him keep me prisoner, but it’ll be just as bad as back in Lacroa Castle… But those morons back in Lacroa are probably searching for me by now, and they’ll drag me back if they find me… Maybe if I stay here, I can make a new home for myself… And get a ‘bodyguard’ in the deal)
A wry smile crept onto Rose’s face at the thought of having the most feared Spirit/Gundam in Lacroa as a bodyguard… A smile which soon vanished when she noticed that Epyon was looking at something behind him, and then focused his gaze at the upper edge of the footprint. Her curiosity compelled her to ask “What’s up?”
“Why don’t look up at the sky and see for yourself?” Epyon muttered as he looked towards a new direction. Casting her gaze upwards, Rose could see nothing in the sky but clouds. For a second, she wondered why would be in the sky to have the Berserker so on-edge, but then she realized that he had completely misinterpreted what she had said.
“No, you half-wit,” Rose snapped. “I meant what’s got you looking all over the place.”
“For some time now,” Epyon elaborated, “I have felt that something is wrong. I cannot describe it, but I have this sensation as if —“
At that moment, Rose wondered if the impression that she was being watched was the same thing Epyon was feeling right now. “As if you’re being watched?”
“That cannot be,” Epyon stated “If there was anyone else here, I could feel it.”
“To Hell with your feelings,” Rose retorted. “I know we’re being watched.”
“At last! You figured it out!”
Rose’s turned her head at the direction where the voice came from. At first there was nothing there, but two figures, red and green in color, quickly faded into existence as they rapidly descended to the bottom of the footprint. The red creature made Rose think of a Bagu-Bagu with its insect-like appearance. Its head seemed to be directly attached to its body without a neck and rimmed with a black tube-like organ. Rose couldn’t see a mouth on it, only a thick white needle that was almost as long as her arm. Above the needle were two black orbs which Rose assumed to be its eyes with long, black-stripped antennas sticking out on top.
It had four spindly legs that ended without feet and spikes on the knees. While the legs were muscular, they were nothing compared to the muscles on its chest and arms. Those muscles almost seemed like sacs filled with red and orange liquid with white veins running across them. Finally, there were semitransparent wings on its back which fluttered rapidly as the creature descended.
The upper body of the green creature consisted of an extremely skinny pole with a tiny head. Rose could only see a mouth as everything above it was covered by some kind of helmet which had a pair of green circles which COULD be its eyes. The helmet also had four tiny blades sticking out to the sides and a large needle at the very top, along with thin sheets of metal which flowed from the back of the helmet and flapped like paper in the breeze.
Its lower body seemed almost like a dress with different shades of green and a series of small stumps which probably qualified as feet. The arms were not attached to the body in any way Rose could see, but were huge and shaped like tubes. These arms ended in smaller poles which surrounded a large hollow opening. From what Rose could see, the air directly beneath the openings was rippling and distorting.
“Assassins!” Epyon declared as his eyes seemed to glow brighter, “Leave while you still—“
The red Bagu-Bagu creature broke off its descent and darted right for the Berserker, cutting off his threat as it plowed right into Epyon, slamming him against the wall. “You think you’re tough?” It asked, “You think you’re stronger than Vamacho? Think again!”
Rose could tell this ‘Vamacho’ was the one who spoke earlier, as his S sounds came out as Zs. Before she could roll her eyes at the cliché, Vamacho grabbed Epyon under his arms and hurled him over his head. The Berserker crashed through a tree before he hit the ground, causing Rose to wince (mostly over the fate of the tree more than anything else). By the time Epyon had picked himself up, Vamacho was almost on top of him, giving Epyon only enough time to raise his arms which Vamacho reacted to by throwing his own arms forward. Palm met palm and both pairs of hands grabbed each other as they grappled.
Vamacho may have had the advantage of height, but Epyon seemed to match him when it came to strength. This stalemate only lasted for two seconds as Vamacho dragged Epyon’s arms to the side, pulled them downwards, and then hoisted them up. The Berserker was now suspended in the air by his own arms, and he yelped in pain. Rose imagined that the stress in Epyon’s arms had to be excruciating, being forced to bear the Berserker’s weight.
However, this only lasted for a short while, as Epyon managed to nudge his arms out to their sides, allowing the Berserker to hoist his lower body upwards through the gap between their arms so he could plow his feet into Vamacho’s face. Yelling out in shock and pain, Vamacho released the Gundam/Spirit and stumbled backwards. As Epyon landed, he took a moment to bring his blade and shield from his magical subspace and charged at his enemy. However, Vamacho had since then recovered and thrust his face forward so that the stinger on his face clashed with Epyon’s weapon.
Rose was so enticed by the battle that she almost didn’t hear the sound of rustling leaves coming from her left. Turning to face the source of the noise, she could see that Vamacho’s ally was slowly floating towards her. Cursing herself for overlooking this other creature, Rose created a disk out of her Dark Mana and flung it at her new enemy. The creature made no attempt to dodge the disk and it bounced off its body. This didn’t inspire the creature to pick up her pace, but it didn’t slow her down, either.
“Get away from me!” Rose shouted as she decided to play her other card. She reached out to the trees surrounding her with her mind, and soon their roots had sprouted out of the ground around the floating menace. “What do you want, anyway?” She asked even as the roots began to wrap themselves around the strange creature’s waist and arms.
“Capture,” was the response. Judging by the sound of the voice, Rose assumed that the creature was female. Continuing to float towards Rose, the creature never changed her speed despite being bound by the tree roots. Somehow, the roots didn’t even slow her down as she slowly pulled herself free. Even her arms couldn’t be held back as they moved forward with her, as if they were magically tethered to her. “Our master requests that you be brought to him.” That having been said, the creature’s arms pointed themselves toward Rose with their ‘fingers’ open as if intending to grab her. Rose opened her mouth to scream.
“NO!”
Immediately after, Vamacho’s limp body flew into Rose’s line of sight and crashed into his partner. The creature grunted in shock as she crashed to the ground with Vamacho on top of her. Rose’s head turned in the direction that Vamacho came from, where she saw Epyon was hunched over in a menacing way. “I will not allow you to take her!”
Rose’s shock dulled as she tried to make sense of the new development, which quickly ended as she watched Epyon’s body twisted itself into an armless, double-headed dragon. The heads of Epyon’s wyvern form roared as he shot forward. For a brief instant, Rose thought that she was going to get out of this alive…
Which was quickly dashed. Vamacho’s partner had already managed to get up before Epyon reached her and, with a speed that eclipsed the pace at which she had floated earlier, thrust her arms out in front of her, hands open. The creature didn’t so much as recoil as the Berserker slammed right into her hands. Instead, her fingers closed around the gemmed shoulders of Epyon’s wings.
In her shock, Rose watched as Epyon’s heads lurched towards the creature’s body in an attempt to attack her. However, the Berserker found that he could not reach her as her elongated arms prevented Epyon’s heads from reaching her body. The Gundam/Spirit tried lashing out with his tail, but it wasn’t long enough either.
Moisture began to form on Rose’s forehead. This wasn’t working, and it seemed as if Epyon had realized the same thing, for he tried raking his talons across the arms of his captor. However, this only resulted in sparks erupting from where the tips of his talons met the steel surface of the creature’s arms.
Rose didn’t even notice Vamacho until he had descended from above, positioning himself behind Epyon. The Berserker took no notice, retracting his legs as his necks leaned backwards, his heads snarling. Vamacho grabbed the heads in mid-lunge, pulled them to the sides as far as they could, and slammed them together. Rose flinched as she could have sworn that she heard something crack.
Epyon’s body went limp, and the creature holding him soon dropped the Berseker’s body. “One down,” Vamacho muttered has he turned his head towards Rose’s direction. Raw fear gripped Rose as she took a few steps back before she turned to flee. She only ran a few feet before a blow to the back of her head sent her into darkness.
((This was certainly a more action-packed chapter than last time, wasn’t it?
Regarding the person who gave Epyon the nickname “Eppy,” it was Freya, an OC created by a person who left the SD Gundam Force fandom and took her OCs with her. Since her OCs have left a considerate mark on the SDGF Tumblr-verse, in a way that leaves a retcon out of the question, the SDGF characters will have had their memories of her OCs wiped from their memories with magic enchantments being used to fill in the memory gaps. However, since Epyon held such a strong bond with Freya, he still possesses faint memories of her.
On another note, if you can’t tell, Vamacho and his partner are both expys of Ultra Beast Pokemon from Sun and Moon, Buzzwole and Celesteela, respectively.
If someone were to be keeping an eye on the Garden of Wisdom, then it would come to no surprise that Berserker Epyon was meditating. In the long while that he had been confined to that specific giant footprint, he had rarely done anything else. It was how the Berserker spent his spare time, seeing as how it was the only way to ignore his appetite. Unable to feel or hear anything, not even his host, Epyon was completely cut off from the rest of the world…
Or so it seemed. While Epyon could not see, hear, or feel anything around him, he could still sense when he was being approached and that was exactly what was happening. Whatever has approaching him, it was coming at a very slow pace and was a few miles away from his residence. Epyon was curious, but not worried. There was still a chance that whoever was approaching him would change direction, avoiding him all together. So Epyon decided to continue his meditation.
Hours passed, and this new entity was now a mere mile away from him. Readying himself for the inevitable encounter, Epyon broke out of his meditative trance… Only to find himself brought to his knees by the agonizing hunger within him. Never had Epyon’s hunger been taken to such a degree. It took Epyon a while to find his bearings and by the time he had finished, whatever was approaching him was only a few yards away from the Garden of Wisdom.
Deep within the Berserker, his host tried to speak to him, but Epyon couldn’t hear his voice. The only thing Epyon could hear inside of him was the “voice” of his stomach, begging Epyon for food. Starving as he was, Epyon had no objection to the desires of his stomach.
Swiftly tearing off his cloak, Epyon summoned his blade and shield, yelling in exhilaration as he flew to the top of the pit and beyond, finding himself face-to-face with his new visitor: A human of the female persuasion with her hair curled into rolls, wearing elegant dark-blue attire on her body and an expression of complete shock on her face. Caring little for the appearance of his new visitor, Epyon swung his blade down upon her.
Somehow, the human was nimble enough to leap out of the way before the blade could touch her. Her body was parallel to the ground when she landed, allowing her to roll a few feet away from the Berserker before she sprung to her feet. In an instant, her arms were at her side, glowing with Dark Mana that waited to be flung towards Epyon.
By that time, Epyon had pulled his weapon out of the ground and entered a battle-stance. The two of them eyed each other wearingly, waiting for the other to make a move. A few seconds passed before a look of realization dawned upon her face. “You…! You’re Berserker Epyon, aren’t you?”
“Yes!” Epyon stated. Deciding to take advantage of his opponent’s distraction, the Berserker tapped into the spiritual side of his being and focused it at his opponent to get an evaluation of her. He continued his tirade, hoping to keep her distracted. “I am Epyon, nature’s grandest mistake! Nightmare made reality! And you…!”
Before he could continue, Epyon sensed something about the female which made him more curious than hungry. She was… different. Part human, part fauna. In all of Epyon’s lifetimes, he had never encountered anything like this person. Was she, perhaps, a maverick of nature like he was? Suddenly, Epyon was more interested in learning about her than using her to satisfy his appetite. “You…” Epyon droned as he lowered his arms, and his weapon and shield with them, “You’re different.”
Seeing the Berserker lower his weapon did not put the female at ease in the slightest. If anything, it seemed to put her even more on edge. “What do you mean ‘different?’”
Hoping to make himself appear less threatening, Epyon cast his effects away. “I can sense it, you’re not like the rest. You… Are an anomaly… Created not by nature-”
Before Epyon could elaborate further, he bent over as he cradled his stomach, groaning in pain. In about five seconds, Epyon fell to the ground. The female arched an eyebrow at the spectacle as she dared to inch closer to the Berserker. “What’s your problem?”
Despite the agony stemming from his hunger, Epyon found her question to be humorous. He had many problems plaguing him right now, but his biggest problem at the moment was that he was starving. “So… Hungry,” Epyon droned out. “Feed me…! I need… Mana!”
The female blinked rapidly as her eyes darted left and right. Before long, she started backing away from Epyon. The Berserker began to panic. There was no way he could enter a meditative trance while his hunger was at this stage, and he couldn’t so much as stand up. Unless he had Mana to feed on, his future seemed very bleak. “No… Please!” Epyon muttered as he slowly reached out towards the female. “I need… Your Mana! I… Need you! Please!”
At that point, the female had stopped her retreat, a small spark of some emotion flashed in her eyes, but she remained quiet. Then, after a few minutes of staring at the Berserker, she sighed and walked up to his prone form. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” She muttered under her breath as she raised her arm towards Epyon, the palm of her hand glowing bright blue. Sure enough, a blue aura enveloped Epyon’s body, a sign that the female’s Mana was entering his body. As the hunger dissipated, Epyon gave a sigh of relief.
Soon enough, the female cut off the flow of her Mana. “I… Apologize for the loss of my composure earlier.” Epyon said as he picked himself off the ground. “And for my… Earlier assault.” The female grunted in response. For reasons unknown to him, Epyon’s attention was drawn primarily to her face. Her expression was a mixture of annoyance and unease. “However,” Epyon continued, “You assist me at your own peril. You knew who I was, and yet you still relieved me of my suffering.”
The female’s shoulders jolted upwards for a half a second before they returned to their original positions. “You said you needed me. You were… depending on me for your own survival,” the female responded. “No one has ever done that before. Also, you also expressed a weird interest in me. I want to know why.”
“Very perceptive,” Epyon responded. However, before he could elaborate, he felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t hunger, but something else. It was like… Some nagging feeling that something was out of place, maybe? He couldn’t describe it. The Berserker gave a brief glace at his surroundings but he couldn’t see anything that would make him feel this way. Eventually, he began walking towards his footprint. “Let us talk down below.”
Without waiting to see if his guest was following, Epyon stepped over the edge and descended to the bottom. However, instead of letting gravity do the work for him, Epyon used his powers of flight to hasten his journey. He wished to speak with his host before his guest arrived. As he landed, Epyon began to speak in a hushed voice. “You have been unusually quiet up until now. Tell me why.”
(You could have eaten her, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop you…) said a voice that echoed throughout Epyon’s head, a voice that only he could hear. His host. (But you stopped yourself before things got violent, all on your own. I find that… Interesting. So, I’m just going to observe and see how you handle yourself)
Epyon turned his gaze upwards, to see that his new guest was descending on a Mana disk. The Berserker may not have understood what had come over him, but one way or another, he was going to find out.
((Nothing to say for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed!))
((Alright, folks! Here’s my own little Valentines Day-related post: The beginning of a story, hand-typed by yours truly, which takes place within an alternate universe of Superior Defender Gundam Force, where all the Tumblr RPs created by the SDGF Fandom take place, dubbed the SDGF Tumblr-Verse by me!.
What makes this story so attuned to Valentines Day is that it features a ship that I started as a joke but then snowballed into something bigger: EpyonxRose-Rele, which can only take place within the SDGF Tumblr-Verse, due to what these characters have endured (aka changes in personality and personal turmoils) under their muns, me for Epyon and whoever Rose-Rele’s mun was.
I’ve never done anything to promote this pairing until now, and I’ll admit it’s not the most ORIGINAL story, as it takes a LOT of cues (and the title) from a comic in the Transformers Collectors Club magazine, and the characters I’ve created specifically for this story are based on certain Pokemon...
But I just want to point out that all these similarities, both story-wise and character-wise, are meant as homage, not theft. Now please read and enjoy!
PS. Credit for the image below belongs to Xzeit of Devientart (http://xzeit.deviantart.com/)))
Prologue
Chapter 1-->
In the distant outskirts of Lacroa, a few hundred miles away from Lacroa Castle, a Gundam-like figure sat on a rock in a lotus position. Based on his appearance- burgundy and ebon armor with wings, blank emerald eyes, and shoulder pads resembling lizard heads- anyone could tell that this was no ordinary Gundam, and this was true: this was the dreaded Berserker Epyon, a Gundam-Wyvern spirit entity who lived to destroy. Under normal circumstances, just so much as seeing the Berserker Epyon meant you could kiss your future goodbye. However, nowadays Epyon wasn’t feeling himself. Literally.
Epyon’s life had always revolved around a certain routine: The Berserker would spend some time causing as much destruction as he wanted, devouring others by impaling them with his blade and absorbing them into his body. Eventually, Epyon would be slain, upon which his body would burst into Mmns, floating and glowing jellyfish-like spirits, which would return to the “life force of Lacroa.” After some time had passed, Epyon’s body would be reincarnated as his signature weapon: the Evil Sword Epyon. Once someone had found the sword and started wielding it, they would eventually become corrupted by Epyon’s influence and would soon be possessed by the Berserker, allowing him to be reborn and continue the cycle again.
This time, however, things were different. Epyon once again had a new host, but this host was not like the other ones: he had limited control over Epyon’s actions. While the host seemed ok with Epyon using his body, he had no intention of allowing the Berserker to continue his evil actions. The host intended to mold Epyon into an instrument of good, a hero.
However, instead of actively looking for a chance for Epyon to prove his worth as a hero, the host decided to wait for an opportunity to present itself. After all, Epyon wasn’t welcome just about anywhere. Thus, the Berserker was confined inside a rectangular hole in the ground, which he had earlier learned to be the entryway to the Garden of Wisdom, an underground cavern where pillars had been inscribed with ancient runes.
So far, Epyon had experienced a small handful of adventures, making acquaintances here and there, but he still had not found a chance to leave the Garden of Wisdom for good. What’s more, while he did have the occasional chance to devour other beings, gaining new powers such as opening dimensional gateways, Epyon was famished. The only way to ward off his powerful hunger was through meditation, which was exactly what Epyon was doing at this very moment.
Deep down inside, the Berserker was fed up. He was tired of being confined to this hole in the ground, having his eating habits severely restricted, and being under someone else’s control. At least while he was meditating, he was cut off from the rest of the world, even from the voice of his host. Completely alone, Berserker Epyon was at peace…
In the distant outskirts of Lacroa, a few hundred miles away from Lacroa Castle, Rose climbed up the side of a small mountain. She could have gone around it, but climbing it would allow her to see if she was getting closer to her destination. Also, while she could have used a Mana disk to project herself through the air, she had used up a lot of her Mana and needed to recharge.
As Rose climbed, she reflected on how she got to where she was today. Rose may have appeared human, in fact she looked exactly like Princess Rele(jimana Miya du Lacroa), the princess of Lacroa Kingdom, but there was a reason for that: Some time ago, the Royal Knight Gundam Deed had fallen in love with Princess Rele, but he knew that such a love between human and Gundam would never be accepted by society. Deed’s depression over this fact soon turned into despair, and despair eventually twisted into madness.
During that time, the Kingdom of Lacroa soon found itself under attack by the Dark Axis, mechanical invaders from another dimension. Seeing a chance to win his love, Deed created an alter-ego named Deathscythe and defected to the Dark Axis. Through Deed’s manipulations, the Dark Axis conquered Lacroa, melting down all but one of the Royal Knight Gundams and turning the people and vegetation to stone, including Princess Rele.
This, however was all part of Deathscythe’s plan. If everything in Princess Rele’s life was destroyed except for him, then there would be nothing keeping her from accepting his love. Now he needed a way to reverse Rele’s petrification. Deathscythe waited for about two and a half years, and then the one other Gundam to survive Lacroa’s destruction, Zero the Winged Knight, had returned with reinforcements, the Gundam Force, along with the means to de-petrify the princess.
That was where Rose came into the picture. Taking a princess rose, Deathscythe charmed it so that it would be able to take the form of Princess Rele. This doppelganger would infiltrate the Gundam Force and steal the means to reverse the petrification. However, when the time came to deliver, the friendship Rose forged with the human member of the Gundam Force, Shute, convinced her to rebel against Deathscythe. As punishment, Deathscythe removed the charm he cast on her and Rose was turned back into a princess rose.
Eventually, through means she herself did not know of, Rose was granted use of her human form once again. The world around her had changed, and not for the better in her opinion. While Lacroa had been returned to its former glory, Deed was still alive and what’s more, had been forgiven for his past crimes. Rose soon found that due to reasons, she was not allowed to leave the castle. Instead, she had been confined to the palace.
Recently, Rele had been kidnapped, and due to their similarities, Rose had to fill in has her body double. When everything was said and done, it was back to business as usual for Rose, no new privileges and no real show of gratitude. Enough was enough for her. If she could only life in Lacroa as a shut-in freak, then she would find somewhere else to live.
Rose needed to find somewhere secluded, a place where she could hide from the rest of society. Eventually, she came up with the perfect place: the Garden of Wisdom, a forbidden sanctuary where knowledge from all over the world was sealed by the royal family of Lacroa. It would be the perfect place for her to live!
Once she had snuck out of the castle, Rose began her long trek to the Garden of Wisdom. Along the way, she had learned a few things about herself: While she could eat food like a normal human, she didn’t HAVE to. Since she was a plant, all she needed was sunlight, water, and nutrients to sustain herself. Also, she had the ability to move and manipulate plant life, without resorting to using her Mana.
By the time Rose had finished reflecting on her life, she had found that she had indeed reached the top of the mountain. In the distance, there was a zig-zagging pattern of rectangular holes in the ground. Rose smiled, she had almost reached her destination. Once she was there, she would finally be alone…
Sweet holy fuck this thing is gorgeous! This is by far the greatest Wing MG kit yet and by far the best transforming MG kit too, in terms of sturdiness and balance.
The detailing is superb, right down to every coloured groove and spike this thing needs no stickers or paint whatsoever, bar the usual eyes and scopes. The weapons are the right scale and still manage to be light enough to be wielded in any pose without drooping or falling.
The kit is really flexible and is really easy to pose into the Epyon’s many stances, requiring only slight care with the waist armor as these can spread out too far or catch if you aren’t careful with them. The whip has multiple adjustable pieces, each with two set joints to allow for a long flexible whip or a short more rigid one.
The wings flare out with the simplest of pulls, a mechanism they have excecuted perfectly. As said before, the transformation to dragon mode is simple yet easy and it looks fantastic too. It doesn’t have many features besides the open jaws and flexible tail, but it does the job.
Easy 10/10, if you’re on the fence about this kit then leap that fence and go buy one before Bandai decides not to make them or halt production for more reprints of older kits. Seriously, don’t wait just go get one!
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