Snippet #2718954

Rick Brackwall

He did indeed know just how much fun their time there would be.

He could also fill in what she might of said towards the end, his mind filling in the blanks where her words were too unclear. He more or less got the message.

Eventually after some touring she brought them over to the trailers. It was quite nice that they were provided a place to keep their stuff and sleep this time. More than likely however there were probably going to be unfortunate surprises awaiting them in the night. He had his plans for avoiding some of these potential pit-falls when the time came. He had experience on his side to aid him, something he sorely wished he had possessed the first time, especially in the packing phase of the trip.


At last came the test. Much like the rest of this boot camp it was different from last time. Last time he had to prick his thumb and draw blood to press against the sheet of paper. It seemed they made the process simpler for the newcomers. A novel mercy given their latest run-ins with the supernatural.

"Ah yes. The paper test. If you would all be so kind as to take a sheet and perform to our fair principle's specifications we can get a rough approximation as to your future capabilities, so to speak."

He added, standing by as the others took their sheets and performed their tests. Once Illusion was down to the last paper he caught her looking over his way. He simply put his hand up, rejecting the offer of the paper to him.


"I myself of course have already performed this particular segment. Naturally I'm sure I and the order are already quite well aware."

Despite his excuse to not divulge his own powers to the new recruits he noticed quite well the odd look Illusion was giving him, her arm outstretched to him with a paper for a suspect amount of time before relenting.

Curiously Illusion had carried seven slips of paper yet she held eight needles. Strange to think that somebody might be offered the opportunity to hurt them-self without needing to perform the ritual. He contemplated what possible use it might serve. He briefly considered using the magnifying glass to see if there was anything more to the needle but was loath to produce the tool in present company. The last thing he needed was to sunder the other's faith in the order by acting with suspicion. He was on stage and all eyes were on him. It might not of always felt like that but that was how it was because even if he felt comfortable in acting more freely if the others were in his company they might not be paying attention to his behavior but it was a strong possibility that they might.

He did miss his old boot camp days. All things considered back then it was himself and the will of the order he was looking out for. Now he was looking out for some of the most important new recruits alive, multiplying his concerns manifold.


I do miss those old days. The days only look bleaker with each passing moon.

---

Meanwhile elsewhere...

---

There she stood. In the darkness of her cell, not a trace of light from the hall to illuminate her cage of torment. She shivered, the everlong bite of cruel metal gnawing at her bone. The collar's vicious teeth chewed at even the slightest trace of hope of ever seeing the light of day once more. It was sheer agony and yet there she stood, unable to move like a doll set back in it's box. The collar had seized physical control of her body, paralyzing her with it's dark magic. Despite this fact the collar punished her anytime she tried to will herself to sit down, biting back with unbearable pain for trying to fight it for control so she could have even the slightest bit of comfort.

The door opened, blinding her even with the bleak light of fires that illuminated the shadowy halls beyond. In the doorway as a silhouette was the Man in Glasses, her cruel doctor. Next to him stood two guard demons, misshapen and cruel beasts that looked tortured themselves.

"Follow."


His command was a simple one. Her body, like a jerky wind up doll, started marching along behind the doctor. He turned and lead her down the hall, demons to either side of her just in case. He was fairly confident but she was a special specimen, not one to be treated lightly. Were her restraints to fail in any capacity not even they might be enough to cull her before she could unless measurable destruction.

Her scared eyes, wet with renewed tears of fear, darted left to right with each time they past a room. The sounds were so vivid, so loud to her it was maddening. Every tortured scream felt like they rocked her form through and through like they were mortars detonating at her feet. Her body couldn't respond to any of these primal, physical urges of hers to collapse in the wake of such maddening noise thanks to the dark magic imbued within her collar. The eyes set in as patterns upon the collars looked about as though they were real, glowing with an unnatural health. This was because the collar would sap her vitality, using part of it to strengthen it's hold over her.

Soon enough the doctor arrived at a metal door, the last door in a series of doors all along a separate hallway. This was where he kept most of the subjects that he needs but isn't experimenting on any longer. Producing a strange, magical key from his pocket he unlocked the heavy metal door, pushing it open as it made a labored cry of metal scraping metal. The room was wholly dark save for a single hanging electric lamp in the center of the room, suspended over a chair decked from head to toe in methods of restraint. It fit the image of what some sadistic government agency's interrogation room might look like. What took this picture just that extra step further down a darker path was the rusty metal floor, stained red with rust and brown with blood.


"Sit in that chair and remain still now."

He commanded, treating her no less than some autonomous slave. Her body took her over to the chair, planting her right down in the seat looking forward where all she could see is darkness. Her legendary hearing made short work of alerting her to the presence of something else living within this room, something disconcerting. It moved with an awful slimy writhing, dragging itself along as the darkness kept it's full appearance a mystery. She could tell only that most of it was hairless save it's massive front limbs which clacked against the worn metal floor with each step. The faint ringing of metal's crystalline structure indicated that it too also had a collar.

"Come forth, Baku."

With that command the creature shambled forth from the darkness, it's bizarre and unsettling appearance becoming fully clear in the harsh white light of the light bulb which swayed faintly. It possessed a head like that of a pale white squid with many, many tentacles which hung down, close to all of them long enough to reach the floor. It's torso was that of a man's and it possessed huge arms like those of a gorilla's except instead of monkey hands it instead had large bird talons. In place of legs it had a large tail like that of a dolphin which it drug around behind it as it walked along on it's talons.


"What... Must I do... Today... Master?"

The creature's words were consistently interrupted by the various slurping and slithering sound of it's slimy tentacles wriggling around below it's mouth. It spoke with a defeated sorrow, fully understanding the role it now plays in this man's machinations.

"Hm."

The man in glasses gave a slight sigh, contemplating the phrasing of his instructions for the creature as well as the ideal outcome he desires from this process.

"Give her a full memory wipe. Spare the basics of living, walking and such as well as her ability to communicate. I need her operational but compliant."

Just as the Baku believed the Man in Glasses to be finished he remembered an addition to his request.

"Also! When you eat her prior hopes and dreams leave enough of the works behind to form new desires. In order to be compliant she's going to need to understand the difference between reward and punishment."


The lowly creature bowed it's head in acquiescence, acknowledging his commands. With that the man in glasses turned, him and his two accompanying guards leaving through the door and shutting it behind them with a rattling slam.

Now the poor young girl was left, having been strapped into the chair by the guards as even with the collar patients in the past have been known to flail uncontrollably during the process. She could only look on in sheer terror as the tentacular monster drew closer to her, it's pungent smell and disgusting noises assaulting her senses.

"No..."

She managed to hiss the words through her teeth even as the collar bit into her spine even deeper for trying to defy it's control. The beast could not suffer any more than it did, not even out of pity. The Baku came right up to her chair, it's slick cold tentacles now touching her shins. She wanted little more than to cry out at the feeling of it's appendages however her sharp cry was forcefully muted into a strangled groan from the back of her throat. Just as it's done many times before the Baku walked itself up until it's head was over hers, dragging it's disgusting tentacles up her legs and along her body until they were resting across her shoulders like some sort of cephalopodic scarf.


"No... No!"

She moaned, the sheer horror of what was going to be done to her now overwhelming the pain her collar was subjecting her to. Her whole body was now sickeningly sticky with a mixture of cold sweat and the Baku's gooey saliva which perpetually drips along it's surprisingly heavy tentacles. Her whole body was twitching and shivering with fear, that fear growing tremendously as the tentacles slithered up the back of her neck, wrapping and securing themselves around her head with their plethora of suction cups.

"Nooo!"

She let out a strangled yell, mustering all that her body could manage before the Baku dug in. Her body shook and rocked violently as it's tentacles seized her mind, passing through the physical world and invading the realm of her own mind. The chair rattled as her body twitched and jumped about in place wildly, all unconscious physical reactions to the unwanted invasion of her conscious mind. Ordinarily Baku only entered the minds of others while they were ensconced in dreams to prevent this particular response where the body fights as a natural retaliation against the invading entity. Such was the reason why they needed the straps on the chair. After all, she wasn't the first to have this done to them. The Man in Glasses observed early cases and made adjustments where necessary, refining the process into a cold scientific reprogramming of his patients.


As the Baku enclosed on her fully everything slipped into darkness. No more fears, no more pain, only the sweet release of unconsciousness.

---

Back at Camp...

---

The first one to take their test was Jojo. His powers were few which led him to believe there was more to the Void Mark to be investigated. The name itself drew his mind back to the night where he observed the result of a complete annulment to any aura he could of had before the observation was made. There was no coincidence there.

The second to perform the test was Vesper. Her power's names proved quite interesting indeed. The clock tower seemed to have to do with some form of time function. Lumina was Latin for light, indicating that she'd have much use in manipulating light. Restart and Mind Shield both possessed great promise as well.

When it came to Caius it was predictable that he'd try and stand in the way of it all. Once he performed the ritual however the results were going to be more oriented towards a demonic focus. His minor abilities held quite a bit of promise however. It didn't seem he was ready to pull his head from the sand quite yet however.