Long Form Roleplayers

Previous: Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Characters:

You are not logged in. - Madison Jones

You are not logged in. - Tobias Kane

You are not logged in. - David Johnson

You are not logged in. - Volos

You are not logged in. - Copper Wolf

Guest Characters:
Lord Borgia, Aegis Stane, Mirror rirroM

The Author:
With our three heroes working to solve the mystery of the disappearing wolves, elsewhere another man is working to solve his own mystery. Lord Borgia’s weapon, while successful, had unexpected effects when tapping into the underground aquifer. He now grills his lieutenant Aegis Stane about what exactly went wrong and how exactly he is going to fix it.

The floor shakes with the footsteps coming. Aegis Stane looks up from his notes and hides the Galaga game on his console. Long strides close on him as Lord Borgia walks into his lab. His security man behind him in a black turtleneck, barely able to contain the muscle and chest fur inside. His face is etched with concern where Borgia looks like the patron anti-saint of murder.

You are not logged in. - Lord Borgia

You are not logged in. - Aegis Stane

“Hello Stane.” The next sensation is a fiery slap across his face. “Do I have your undivided attention?” Stane’s eyes water but never blinks. He nods furiously, hesitant to speak. “Let me introduce you to my werewolf security officer, Able Caine. I’m sure you noticed immediately his mother’s a comedian. There’s another thing you might miss about him.” A backhand slap rocks Caine’s face. He looks at Borgia with unfiltered hate and rage, only to suspend that and pull back to his security -officer self.

“Have you ever seen a werewolf take such abuse casually? It’s like hitting a berserker in the head for a party favor. But in this case, he’s not turning. It seems he can’t. Why would that be?”

Stane rose to the heights of his position in the Red Star faculty by being faster than most thrown weapons and hard conclusions. He looked at Borgia and watched his outline blur for a moment. Of course, his boss is a tall and strong formidable character, but for a mere second he looked like a corpulent blob of a man with a hint of tentacles about him. Stane quickly turns from Borgia and walks to his bank of computers and starts looking. “How far was he from the experiment?”

Borgia slipped a sly smile. He was pleased with his assistant. “Two point four kilometers.”

The news slapped Stane like a mailed fist. He stammered. “That’s not… possible.” He looked at his data. “The effective radius of the burst was point four kilometers. How…?” His voice trailed off as he looked at the map of the project site. Northwestern Utah. He turned and looked at his staff. “I will be collecting a life tonight!” The staff trembled. “Who made the site selection for this project?”

A man stepped forward. Well, it was more like the others stepped back. “When were you going to mention the aquifer?”

“This theater is enjoyable. And you will collect his life for his failure, “says Borgia. “But you will tell me what happened.”

Stane let out a slow exhale. “In simplest terms, the emission burst can be amplified by bodies of water. This is why we selected such a barren desert location for the experiment. What he failed to mention is that we’re located above the largest aquifer in the world, in fact it’s an inland ocean. The burst probably traveled many many miles from here.”

“Indulge my ignorant brain. How many?”

“Undetermined. It could be local or maybe systemic.” Stane looked unwell suggesting such a thing.

“Mr Stane. How big is this system we’re discussing?” The werewolf officer next to Borgia twitched at the implication.

“It extends from the Canadian border to the middle of New Mexico, to the west coast of California, and as far east as Central Wyoming. Its edges match a mandelbrot pattern of fractal variation so the precise edges are… impossible to predict.”

“How long will he be locked out of his abilities?”

Stane was red faced with embarrassment. “That was never part of our parameters. In fact, we will have a good quarter of the American Lycan population affected. Maybe permanently.”

Borgia’s face grew red and he trembled with rage. For a quick instance his body lost definition and he appeared to be enormous, nearly three times his narrow athletic self. He cast a side glance at Caine. A stomp of his right foot indicated his displeasure but he knew his job with Borgia included horrors and delights. “Do not be upset, dear Able. If you are not to be a wolf for me, you have other uses. I grow hungry.”

Caine boils the scientist with a stare of pure threat. Disengaging his look at Stane, he removes his shirt and squares his jaw. Stane carefully contained his lust for men of the night and merely watched. The blurring form of Borgia melted into a shapeless horror that grasped his security officer. A roil of tentacles engulfed his muscled body and gripped him in a slimy embrace.

Then an eldritch light filled the room and Caine screamed in pain and horror.

Of course this served as an object lesson for the other scrambling lab assistants. Aegis Stane trembled in lust and excitement, wondering what would be left after Borgia feeds.

The Author:
Meanwhile our heroes work to unravel the mystery of what is going on with the missing Volos and Copper. Madison decides to use one of his tools, a Cursed Mirror that somebody allowed him to get hoping it would kill him.

Madison Jones:
Opening the door, you two are able to see it is completely black on the inside. Umbra whines loudly when the door opens, a cold stale breeze coming from it. “Watch your step.” I say as I step over the thick line of salt on the floor. I move into the room and flick the light switch one. It doesn't help much, the walls are all painted black. In the room is a single circular object, about 4 feet tall, a black cloth draped over it. “Close the door behind you, this could be very dangerous.”

Tobias Kane:
I don’t quite trust David being behind me and I gesture for him to enter the room ahead of me as I pat Umbra’s head to calm him. I have chills looking into the room and feeling the air that emerges. I remember the first time I was in this room and looked into this mirror. Wondering what I’ll see this time, I could use someone patting my head to calm me! I carefully cross the line of salt.

David Johnson:
Madison leads the way into this mysterious room. Tobias pauses to allow me to enter first. Unsure if I’ll attack him again or is he letting me face whatever the room contains first? I’m not sure but I can’t say that I blame him. I may have taken out my rage on him without any of this being his fault but his ability to heal so quickly is also suspect.

Tobias Kane:
I step up, Madison in front of the draped mirror, with David on his left and me on his right. I wait to see what will be revealed this time and whether the Mirror itself has its own nefarious purpose.

Madison Jones:
Stepping up to the object I turn and face my companions. “The history of this object isn’t clear, I bought it off a dark web auction that I was directed towards. I think whoever was doing it was hoping I would get myself killed or maybe replaced by it. Regardless, Banks used it to hunt monsters and it’s proven to be useful at revealing a person’s inner creature. If the wolves are still inside of us, I think this mirror will reveal it.” I grip the black cloth over the object almost like I’m preparing to do a magic trick, maybe getting a little caught up in the flair.

“Should we go one at a time, or a single big group reveal?”

Tobias Kane:
“As long as we’re all here, let’s all see it together.”

David Johnson:
“Agreed.”

Madison Jones:
“Very well.” And with that, the three of us gathered in front of the object, I abruptly pulled the cloth away. The round mirror revealed now, there is a layer or plexiglass over its surface to help contain whatever nightmare it holds. We stand there observing our reflections in all their glory.

You are not logged in. - Mirror rorriM

Mirror rorriM:
Reflected in this mirror is the other face of David Johnson, Madison Jones, and Tobias Kane, the image of The Wolf Lord Volos, Copper Wolf, and Tobias Kane respectively.

You are not logged in. You are not logged in. You are not logged in. - Reflections

Their actions mimic that of their counterparts as the marionette of all mirrors behave when observed directly.

Madison Jones:
I move my arm and see that the sleeping wolf’s reflection moves in the same manner, just as the other time I have looked in their mirror. This is proof to me that Copper is still inside of me, but I had figured that out since I can still use magic. Tobias no longer reflecting Volos is surprising though…

David Johnson:
In my peripheral vision, I see Madison’s arm move and the image of the wolf with red-tinged fur moves its arm along with it. I stand for a moment, seeing the huge form of the sable-furred monster, its glowing blue eyes staring back at me. I move my arm and the huge foreleg tipped with black claws rises in the same gesture. I have not seen the beast since it turned to me and everything went dark.

I am silent for a moment as the monster and I lower our foreleg and arm. I mutter, “So I am still not free of the beast.”

Tobias Kane:
I see myself in the mirror, the only human form beside the two wolves. I have not seen Volos face to face since he released me in Estonia. I stand, suddenly feeling exposed and very alone. What woke me last night was the silent severing of the last connection with the Wolf.

Madison Jones:
It’s rare for me to see Copper’s form, probably rare for anybody. I look at it, his lupine beauty on display, but then shake my head returning to the matter at hand as David makes his statement. “It’s rarely so simple David. These creatures hide inside of humans. Most are opportunistic or sly, try to use their host as a timeshare, often without them knowing it. Kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… or that one movie with Edward Nortan and Tyler Durden. Volos however seem to dominate the host and take full control, Bedlam I imagine too. Anyhow, last time Tobias, you reflected the Wolf in the mirror… interesting that at least for now, you seem to truly be free of him.”

With a sigh I look back to my reflection. “I should probably be more afraid of Copper consuming if I’m being honest. Something inside of me seems to keep him in check though, sometimes I can feel him pushing me to do things in my wrestling matches you know?”

Tobias Kane:
I hear Madison’s remarks. Is this what freedom feels like? Without speaking, I turn away from the mirror and leave the room. I go to the kitchen and begin making myself a drink.

David Johnson:
I stand there still looking at the hideous version of myself in the mirror, transfixed. I am aware of Tobias turning on his heel and exiting. I glance over at the reflection of Madison’s other self next to the beast. The realization creeps up on me that it was the two wolves who had shared that fur-lined nest in the lair before Madison and I woke up naked beside one another.

Madison Jones:
I observe Tobias leave the room, a lot is probably running through his head now. As much as I want to follow, I can’t risk David being alone here in the room, I can’t let this… THING try and replace a person, it would be something straight out of a horror movie or soap opera. I’m still trying to figure out the ramifications of the last time I used the mirror to help StockyJock… regardless, something seems to click in David’s head while he is looking at the reflection.

“Figured it out huh? Yeah, Volos and I did that last night.” I turn to David looking a little concerned now about something… “I’ve never considered the consequences of having sex with a person who was possessed… in a way, I guilty of violating you. Please forgive me.”

David Johnson:
“It’s the oddest bloody sex triangle - rectangle? - that I’ve ever been involved with!” I take one more look at the image in the mirror. I’ve been to the funhouse hall of mirrors before and seen warped versions of my reflection but never anything as terrifying as this. How do I manage to look at myself and only see David Johnson again?

Madison Jones:
I think showtime is over, and so I toss the cloth back over it to put it to rest. “Come David, I think Tobias is beating us to a drink.” I gesture for you to leave the room with me, ready to flick off the lightswitch once you exit.

Tobias Kane:
I stand at the window, drink in hand, staring out at the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s an odd thing about bridges. Before they are built, the two bits of land seem so distant, even if in sight of one another. They are separated by a stretch of water or chasm so difficult to navigate or maneuver around. Once the bridges are built, there is a connection, as if the gap never existed. But what happens then when bridges collapse or are burned? How does one remember the way to make the passage?

David Johnson:
I see Tobias, still as a statue at the window. I am clueless as to his thoughts in this moment. But I am very clear about mine. “Now that we know this, Madison, do you have any of your magic tricks to get this creature out of me, once and for all?”

Madison Jones:
Upon exiting the room I turn off the light and close the door, then start to bolt it back up. We all have a lot of thoughts going through our heads about the revelation, the largest calling to me is that both the wolves seem to be sleeping. Volos is perhaps the most vulnerable I have ever seen him, and for that reason David must be protected. That being said, I honestly don’t know if freedom is on the table for him, but I still have to try. He asks me for magic tricks to remove Volos from him while I am coming to the counter to start making some drinks.

“I have some tricks David, but my magic isn’t the type of thing you see in Harry Potter. What I do is more like… impose my will on things, bend things to be what I want, all while using Mana as an energy source. It takes a lot of will to perform miracles, and the few I’ve done came with help from others.” I smirk with a humble brag, “Even managed to bring a ghost back to life once with some help.”

Sliding over the completed drinks for the three of us, I take a sip. “Volos is one of the most dominant forces I’ve ever encountered. I’m not sure I could overpower him even with the toys I have. I did make you a promise though to try and free you, so I will honor that. I refuse to try and imprison him in an object like Bedlam though; he deserves far more respect than that.”

Tobias Kane:
I continue to stare at the bridge’s imposing towers and graceful cables. “You will never succeed in overpowering or exorcising Volos.” I pause as I consider what to say next. “If you wish to truly free David, we need to determine what caused the wolves to be suppressed and reverse it. But Volos needs a host to continue to exist. To have him give up David, you’ll need to offer him something he wants more.”

I turn back to the two of you. “Me.”

David Johnson:
My jaw drops as I try to determine if Tobias means what I think he just said. Is he offering to take the monster back inside himself?

Madison Jones:
I nod along with what Tobias says, he is right that I probably couldn’t succeed on my own, though Volos is sleeping right now which could make the task easier. Perhaps if I woke up Copper first, our combined will could do it… but then Tobias volunteers himself. I set down my drink and move over to the bookshelf where I keep my D&D book and Bank’s journals.

“Tobias, you know I’ve been an advocate for you to be your own person. You don’t need to exist as a…” I glance over to David, “A prisoner of this creature. You have gifts he left you, you could be something great, a force for good. With great power…” I refuse to finish that line and instead open the final journal to the parts that talk about the Kane family. “Still since you are the latest in a rather elaborate breeding program… Perhaps you are best suited to fill this role. And you did say earlier you were in conversation with the Wolf when he was controlling your body, right? Perhaps you and him would be more like myself and Copper…”

Tobias Kane:
I look over at David’s confused expression. “David, these journals were written by William Banks, the lover of my great-uncle Fernand Laurent. Fernand and his father Marcel were both hosts of the Wolf too. Possibly others of my ancestors.” I pause to take the last sip of my drink. “Madison, would you please make me another?

“There are indications that Volos was manipulating bloodlines to breed his perfect host. I think it was to be able to communicate directly with the host. While I gather he could use their senses, not being able to influence their activities would have been a major impediment for his plans.”

David Johnson:
I nod as I take in all this information. I was completely unaware of what the creature did when it was in control of my … our … body. I see the utility of a host he could directly communicate with. “So you were the end product of this breeding program?”

Tobias Kane:
“I am not sure if I’m the first but I was definitely the latest. Without my cooperation, it is unlikely the Wolf would have been able to reach Estonia in time to defeat the demon Bedlam and keep him in his prison.” I choose not to revisit that it was my pleading for my life that made him take David.

“Madison, whatever the Wolf’s plans are, he and we both want to thwart the Red Star Cult’s plans. He and I …. rejoined … would make a formidable opponent to them. In a way, that seems like my destiny.”

Madison Jones:
It’s basically second nature for me to be making new drinks, but in this case cheat and tap your glass with a little amber light on my hand, the glass then refilling. “See, I told it to do that… and it did. Anyhow…” I take a drink of my own. “Volos did say something to me before that stood out, he seemed curious… maybe even envious of how well Copper and I cohabitate. I can’t help but take a little amusement that my mutual respect for Copper has led to what he has been trying to accomplish over the course of many multiple centuries through manipulation. But then again, maybe I’m just an experiment in his diabolical plans. I digress.” Drain my own glass.

“We don’t even know what is causing these wolves to sleep. I think it’s time we reach out and call an expert… or at least somebody maybe more informed. I think Dr. Scott Damm would do, he’s been a strong advocate of me and if the Red Star is connected, he would know. I could probably go into my mind with some help and maybe wake Copper up, but it could be dangerous. Likewise, I could probably go into David’s mind and try to move Volos if I can find him, but again, I would need help. Tobiass, would you be willing to come with me on such a dangerous journey?”

Tobias Kane:
“Yes, I don’t see another way to get this done. I will try my damnedest to resolve this. David?”

David Johnson:
I look at Tobias, still astonished that he would willingly take on what I am so desperate to rid myself of. “Yes, I don’t see another way to move forward.”

Madison Jones:
“In that case, I’ll make the call.” I reach into my cargo shorts noticing the Bedlam Medallion is still there next to my phone. Pulling my cell I find Scott’s number and make the call. “Dr. Damm, it’s Madison…”

You are not logged in. - Cell Phone

The Author:
While the heroes work on solving the problem at hand, the two wolves are trapped in a state of suppression by the Red Star’s weapon, the Crimson Veil. While trapped in their forced slumber, the two of them do the only thing they can, they dream.

Copper Wolf:
This haze clouds my mind, there is nothing but this dim red. I have never been without this Madison Jones before. Something has happened, my instincts are to resist, to protect him if only because he has protected me. In this haze my mind recounts the journey we have taken.

At first I feel his fear and pain as I am inserted into him. I was unborn, yet even then I could feel his desire for companionship. He was lonely and sad, a fracture in his mind from the trauma he had suffered. Lord Volos gave him a purpose other than sex in his human sporting activities. This event is what he calls, “The Turning.”

You are not logged in. - The Turning

As this swirling red around me shifts like a thick and bloody aurora, my mind wanders… Madison calls me out one night, with fear that I will not give back control. He is fighting a man under a bridge.

You are not logged in. - The Quicksand

Madison spares him, holds me back, and I do not like it. I am not strong enough to consume him, there is something about him… a hidden strength that shines bright when he is struggling. Were it not for this, I would consume Madison… I am a wolf and he is prey. There is something about his compassion that intrigues me, he feeds me knowing what I am, and as time went on I’ve grown to respect him. He doesn’t try to control me, but he is weary, and rightfully so.

My mind shifts to another time when Bedlam was harming Madison. In desperation Madison released me. Bedlam tried to feed me that night, to let me grow into what I am now. That light of Madison’s shined again, flicker of strength and memory of his father, allows to kick the mighty Bedlam off us. He grew to fear me after that, convinced I would consume him… he wasn’t wrong.

You are not logged in. - Bedlam

He tries to starve me, afraid to let me out, my hunger growing with each passing moon. I see him growing and using me like a source of power in the human establishment he works at. I fear he may be trying to suppress me. His skill grows when he enters a land untouched by human hands, natural energy flowing thick as blood. These Pagan Woods as he calls them are the place he lets me out, and so we run in them like the wind, drunk on their energy, light trailing from our copper tips.

This dream shifts to him taking in milk from a creature of intense power and beauty, silver skin whose light reflects as every bit as captivating as the full moon. A deity Madison calls him, a god of that ever changing object in the sky, he is called Lumen.

You are not logged in. - Lumen the Moon God

The “blessing” he received has been feeding me, and so I grew from a Pup to a Wolf. It is then that we start talking to each other more clearly, Madison becoming aware I am not a mindless source of power… but a creature. He respects that, and so using those Pagan Woods, he gives me the freedom I need to be myself… while we wear his skin in the human world. He never tried to consume me like I desired of him, and so we now exist together, two forces weary yet respectful of one another. My ferocity aids him in his life, his compassion allows me to see the world as more than just a predator.

Memories of more recent months come to mind with us attacked by the Red Star. This human carries much guilt, it is tiresome at times, and seeks redemption by wiping out our enemies. This bloody aurora gets thicker as my mind wanders closer to the present. He fights a lot, he fucks a lot, and together we spread much seed. A man tries to kill us in a warehouse, and for the first time I have to take control and not relinquish it.

You are not logged in. - The Mercenary

His good nature might be the end of us if I don’t act. I impale this man with my Copper Spike, and while he is begging for death, I crush his skull with my maw. Madison is horrified at my actions, but accepts what I do. We start to talk about humans as food, monsters by his evaluation, that should be cleared away from the realm of humans. There are stories of my master protecting humans from themselves, so feeding off these monsters is something he and I agree upon. We go to hunt this man, Arthur Reed, and we do so with our master. That night… while we unite… this bloody aurora fills my mind. It has been here ever since, and now my mind wanders again… and again.

Volos:
Floating weightless. There is no sound and only an ambient red glow. No objects or horizon to determine the space I’m in. I sniff but my keen sense of smell detects nothing. My last memory was of being with Copper after a hunt, a kill, a feast, and a rutting. I touch my body, thinking I had met my demise, and I still feel solid.

Unsure whether minutes or years have passed in this seemingly timeless void, the sensory deprivation causes my mind to wander. I have visions of my reign in Shadow millennia ago and being unseated from the Skull Throne by the power and machinations of ruthless Borgia and his accursed Red Star Cult of humanoids. I feel again the agonizing pain when they unleashed their spells and my body was ripped apart, only its remnants and my relentless thirst for survival and vengeance sent hurtling to the humans’ realm. I was only able to regain and maintain corporeal form by inhabiting a human host. Yet even then, I had to share that body and hundreds after it, allowing the human to exist for half the time, moving from one to the next as one wore out.

I generally took my Wolven form at night, when darkness hid my actions and I developed an affinity for the moon when it appeared full and bright. I was frustrated that my range and territory were limited by my host. They were unaware of me other than memory blackouts and waking up naked each morning, and I was unable to communicate with them, although I could see through their eyes and hear through their ears.

That vision fades and I find myself meeting that meddlesome, seemingly immortal, Plato. Plato promised me the magick that would return me to power in Shadow. I did not think I had found that magic until recently, his promise four centuries in fulfillment. Even that was insufficient.

My mind jumps ahead to the shores of the river Avon. I was hunted after being seen during a kill and feast in the outskirts of London. I fled to the Cotswolds where I took residence within a would-be poet and playwright. His writing was pathetically bad but his ideas had promise. It was not easy for these talons to master quill and ink to write as if with his own hand, but I spent much of the time rewriting his work, careful not to reveal my true form to the hack’s prying wife.

To remain unobtrusive, I limited my kills to the sheep herds of Stratford. Watching how the shepherds carefully bred their flocks, I began to plot doing the same with my human herd, manipulating the bloodlines of my most compatible hosts, hoping to one day create a lineage with whom I could mentally communicate.

My mind jumps ahead once more, to London three centuries later, hunting on the dark streets of Whitechapel. I thought to hide in plain sight by preying on the thieves, prostitutes, and miscreants whose absence society would be unlikely to notice. But my atrocities were noticed. Two decades later, I prowled the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. Throughout my travels I found hosts who showed promise and I put them in each other’s paths. Within decades, the first human who could sense my presence walked the earth. Half a century later, there was Tobias and there was Bedlam. I try to turn off the memories when I cannot determine when I’m asleep or awake.

Published: 2022-08-26, viewed 58 times.