Prince Jaw Breaker left the darkness of the anthill and went into the sunlight for the first time in a couple of years walking evenly for the first time in even longer on his new Glassteel foot.
The Omega women seemed like a grave threat to him and his mother at first. He never thought she would casually offer them a high place in her new faction or offer him a new arm and foot. Looking for her angle, He had said that healing or hiding the scars of the General's betrayal would dishonour the loyal men and women who died or were driven into hiding in the coup. He had really been spouting political BS to buy time to think. sure stale old candy war vets loved a good scar, but the coloured layers of his body made the stump at his right shoulder and missing left foot particularly brutal to look at.
Doctor Omega, who seemed like a slightly different version of the Omega Scout who they had first met. She had taken his fake concerns quite seriously and created beautiful prosthetics that looked to be made of clear glass. They could change opacity as well as colour to match his outfit, so the foot could turn a solid black to match a shoe on his real foot, or the fake arm could be the same shade as his Blue skin but still semi-transparent so that his stump was visible through his shoulder. The design was practical, stylish, and would please any old sour candy war vets and generals.
Along with a proper foot and arm, she also gave him a tiny breastplate and a shapeshifting spear. In exchange, she solemnly asked if he would watch over her daughters while they were on an important quest to save some zombie children. He did not really know what a zombie was, they were not a concern for young candy princes before the coup. But not only did she help him walk and fight properly again, she made all the bad ants into good ants so that there were no more threats to him or his mother.
Today was the first time the underground nest stopped feeling like a prison and started feeling like a home, his home, his hive.
Now he was the last of a party of four children about to venture into a dry a wasteland of old ruins, dust, bad men and hungry monsters. He knew that he should feel daunted by his task, but he was too excited to be scared.
He rounded a boulder and saw his party, A boy with soft pinkish flesh and pointed ears was tending to their mounts; 5 large unique ants, 1 from each Queen’s brood. The Special mounts were smaller and denser than their worker sisters, and each had a shaped section of the carapace to act as a bucket seat for 1 rider each.
The Omegas daughters could not have been more different, the younger one looked like a giant toddler, except she moved like an apprentice warrior, and had the sharp eyes of someone calculating his value. His training on evaluating the strength of a foe told him that while he had more skill and experience, she might be able to break him anyway.
The other daughter looked like a mini version of the Omegas with pigtails and an excited grin, similar soft skin to the pointy-eared boy. She was bouncing up to him, so he quickly assessed her treat level as well, and was shocked to find that she too was less skilled, but was also potentially stronger and smarter than him.
Some people might have been put off or threatened by such strong children, but to Jaw, these were the first potential peers he had ever met, a small smile almost cracked his blank expression before he got the impulse under control.
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Sergeant Bella Bloodrage was having the strangest day of her life, mostly because she died over 10 years ago. In less than 24 hours: She went from an elite Feral Ghoul in Azreals legion, to a living, breathing soldier in an elite squad with the strangest name and job she had ever heard of. She was the second in command for the first squad of the Babysitters Club.
A 5 person team of the most powerful ex-undead sapients cured by Princess Tiffany. Each member outfitted in obsidian looking power armour that shapeshifted to fit a user, and change to suit their needs on the fly. They had taken the new gear on a test run to clear the paths the children might take, they had killed a waste warg in under 5 seconds, it got shot 3 times by other members of her team before Bella could close on the creature and shove an obsidian looking claw into it’s brain. Then her new H.U.D.(Heads Up Display) had prompted her to touch the corpse and activate a loot function that gave her a syringe of healing nanites in exchange for the monster corpse, with a message about getting paid for the parts of the monster later.
Her new boss seemed to think granting awesome powers to her soldiers was like making sure they had enough food or ammo. The armour alone was worth more than anything she had ever owned in her last life.
When she deployed her natural claws the armour created claws of the black shiny metal on the outside, the helmet would even mimic a bite attack if she wanted, it boosted her strength. Being a berserker in life, made her body quite strong, to begin with, then becoming a zombie, then evolving from zombie to ghoul, then eventually having many of her berserker skills merge with her ghoul race making her a Feral Ghoul, all of these changes made her strength rise by quite a bit, she was a nearly mindless killing machine by then.
So when the change to Aetherial restored her mind, but let her keep the unholy strength, she was quite surprised. One could understand why being given nearly indestructible armour that made her faster, stronger, and able to slip in and out of another dimension seemed like overkill to protect some kids to her at first. However, When she overheard the kids discussing their mission and introducing themselves she realized that her princess was among them, her saviour. No task seemed too minor when it came to keeping her safe. And she was on a holy quest to cure more zombie children. A fire burned in Bella to punish anyone who even dared to look at these children the wrong way.
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Introductions complete, the kids left on their ant mounts, and the babysitters club kept pace and watch from the Aether.
Thus began a painful day for the random encounters of the wasteland.
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The Mutant Battle Tiger picked up the scent of easy prey, a few small ants and some children. He stalked them in his combat form, green fur with yellow stripes proclaiming the doom of any who oppose him. 6 legs helping him run faster and quieter than any of his 4 legged, non-mutant, brethren. As well as giving him another pair of deadly claws to rend the flesh of his prey
Just as his huge muzzle twisted into a vicious grin, a black fist smashed up into his face, shattering his smile and cracking his jaw. The devastating punch also sent his huge, 8-meter long, combat form flying up 20 feet into the air before the shadow flickered up behind him and hot lines of pain ripped across his back legs before another punishing blow sent him hurtling back to earth. He crash-landed into a boulder, shattering the boulder into pebbles and cracking a few of his ribs.
As he staggered to his feet, trying to shake off the confusion, hot geysers of blood poured out of his back legs, almost enough to drop him if not for his extra pair. Even then his 4 front legs were not meant to drag his back half like this.
He shifted back to his Cringing Tiger form, the shift stopping the bleeding and cleared some of the confusion, even if it did not restore much movement.
He bounded after the children no longer looking to hunt, but in the hopes that the black shadows of pain might prefer easier prey.
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A plume of wasteland dust was Prince Jaw Breaker's first clue that something was approaching them from behind. The giant ants were travelling at a sedate pace, so it would catch up soon.
He wheeled his majestic mount around. he had been given a choice between a bullet ant and a honey pot ant, he had seen the honey pots used as living food dispensers in the Queen's cavern for his whole time hiding/imprisoned there, so he had of course chosen the Bullet Ant. He was able to modify the bucket seat into one that suited his martial riding skills. And he loved the option of overrunning someone and having his mount drop their stinger into a foe, it was called a Bullet ant due to a single sting being considered equal pain to being shot, and the pain lasted over 24 hours, and that was the non-mutant ones smaller than his fingertip. There were so many fun facts in his new menus.
The ants had eaten his prized Swedish Dala Horse, but with his balance restored he could ride again. He liked the sense of justice he felt that they had eaten his mount, then replaced it. All the same day the alliance the 6 Queens dreamed of for so long finally came true, with a worthy Empress who wants her Queens and Princes and Princesses to be strong, not ground underfoot fearful of her wrath.
Now the Ants that had been used as a weapon to kill him and his mother were his to command. The foolish gumdrop general who betrayed them would bawl icing sugar tears and beg for his mercy. He would smile and he would feed that man slowly to the next generation of the Nightmare Swarm.
The grim smile that lit up his face as he turned his mount around did not go unnoticed by the rest of his party.
“Whats up Jaw?” Jr O asked as the other kids slowed their mounts as well.
“Company” was all Jaw felt necessary to say as he pointed at the growing dust cloud coming along their trail.
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“Can anyone get a good look at it yet?” Princess Tiffany asked.
Jaw said “Green” and shrugged as he prepared his mount to do a jousting tilt at the approaching creature if it did not slow down soon. He pulled his new shapeshifting spear from his storage space, both the storage space and spear proof of the benevolence and power of his Empress. He shifted the spear from toy spear size to a lance with black and white swirls down its length ending in a razor-sharp tip.
The creature did not slow, and the other members of his party just looked at each other unsure of what to do. So it was up to him to be decisive. He patched his visual feed to the other kids so that they could see what he saw and give him any new ideas they had as he made his mount start moving towards its normal top speed.
Cupcakes! This thing is fast! He thought, though now that he thought about it, the ants' ridiculous movement score is what makes them so dangerous in the turn-based combat system of his home.
“Hot Lips!” he cursed as he realized this was about to be his first real-time combat battle, he was not even sure how his few combat skills would work in a real-time battle!
Then something even worse occurred to him, he had used a terrible curse word. Out loud! He just knew his mom was going to find out and wash his mouth out with that awful, purple, soap-flavoured gum. It didn’t matter that she was in a nest underground the last few years, she would find some of the evil substance.
His grim smile had been replaced by a determined hard line. He locked himself in on the green creature, some kind of six-legged tiger. He was able to plan out his movements still, he just had to beware changes. This was just like dealing with counter-attacks or dodge type defence skills back home. He could do this. He just had to put this wounded beast out of it’s misery and keep his team safe.
{Don’t kill it}
{incapacitatate and capture if you can.} A pair of voices in his head said. The first sounded like Jr O and the second Princess Tiffany.
He had no time to figure out how to respond to the mental communications, he just shifted his war lance to a blunted tournament lance, then shifted his aim to the creatures two working legs on the side he would pass, then he prepared the special move his father, Kongen af Danmark taught him before he was killed in the coup.
“Kongen’s Brutal Medicine!” He screamed in a battle cry, then his mounts speed tripled for a few seconds and three additional spectral lances formed, he landed a blow on each knee and ankle of both legs on the creatures front right side, all 4 lances seemed to shatter, before the real one reformed itself after they passed the creature, preventing the nearly indestructible weapon from getting him caught on the creature as he passed.
His father would have killed for this weapon.
He maneuvered his mount to the downed animal to convince it to keep still for whatever the girls wanted it for.
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The Mutant Cringing Tiger was convinced.
The large ant's abdomen was pinning it, and the massive stinger, somehow, was more menacing than the black shadow chasing it, some primal animal instinct told it that the death offered at the tip of that stinger would be worse than anything a half dozen of the black shadows could ever do to him.
So we waited in incredible agony like a good kitty that had certainly not been planning on killing them all for lunch 10 minutes ago.
The brutal charge of the boy had been a surprise, but in his Battle Tiger form it would not have done more than sting for a minute, but it was more than this weaker, already crippled body could take or dodge.
Now he was at the mercy of 4 strange children and their strange variety of giant ant mounts.
The only way it could get any worse; was if that needle got any closer. So he held still like a good kitty.
One girl had the slight stench of a troll, but it was a good stench, like a musk of power. She was more than just a simple troll, the gleam in her swirling grey eyes spoke of intelligence and power fused to be one and the same. Those eyes spoke to him and he understood that: She would have him, or he would be left to feed the shadows.
The other Girl seemed indifferent to his fate, and the 2 boys were scanning the area for new threats having already dismissed him. Then there was the thing in the indifferent girl's lap, it seemed like it would devour his soul if he looked at it too long.
He shuddered as he met the troll girl's eyes again, knowing she was his only chance at survival.
“You look fluffy!” the girl said
The Tiger stared at her, not understanding the words, but still realizing that the child coveted his luxurious fur.
“My sister has a cute pet, and I want one too” the girl pointed at the thing that must not be looked at too much. Before turning back and giving him an intense stare within which he thought he saw the stars. “Be my Guardian Beast”
Congratulations! Princess Tiffany Arch-Crusher wants you to be her Guardian Beast.
Guardian Beasts are the highest form of Animal Companion, and thus grant the greatest number of benefits. Warning, some of the changes may be permanent even after the contractor grows up or dies.
Princess Tiffany is the first of her kind and heir to the throne of an Advanced Plane and thus, such a powerful contract will grant additional benefits and responsibilities to a normal child's Guardian Beast Contract. In this case, those benefits include making you the Beast King of the advanced plane known as The Aether.
Do you accept Yes or No
Well then…. That is an offer he really could not refuse. While most beasts can’t understand the spoken words of men, the system makes sure they understand their notifications. And he would have licked this child's boots clean in his Battle Tiger form for the smallest chance at becoming a Beast King. She was offering him more than his wildest dreams on a seemingly childish whim.
He would have agreed to be a lowly pet just to potentially survive. So he slammed the accept button with his mind with newfound zeal.
Just before the blinding pain of a transformation knocked him out he noticed the previously indifferent girl sprinkling some kind of sand on his injured legs.
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“What is that stuff?” Tiffany asked her bigger younger sister.
“Oh mommy gave me some magic dust, it’s the same magic dust she cured you with, so I thought it could heal his injuries now that he is yours.“
“Aww thanks” Tiffany hugged her sister, she was excited to ride her new friend, and now that they could see his legs straightening out she knew she would get the chance sooner then she had hoped.
She had been a bit jealous of Junior and Mr. Thing, she knew it was silly, she did have Azrael, but he had tried to kill her. True, since his change he had been nothing but helpful, and he had already taught her a lot about her new abilities, but he was not the same as a loving pet.
She watched in awe as his fluffy fur grew fluffier, the main green colour replaced by a murky grey and half the stripes went pitch black, while the other half turned a snow-white. He matched her new colouration, telling her that he had probably become an Aethereal creature like her.
Then the most surprising change. A pair of mismatched wings formed on his back, one with snow-white feathers and black fur and the other the reverse. Both were healthy and strong, unlike the sickly evil black wing Azreal had once had. The folded wings created a natural pocket for her to sit on his back, she did not think they were big enough for long flights, but with the new Aether based powers he was likely to have now, he might be capable of more.