We had slowly been making our way through the asylum, magical bombs were everywhere. I took the lead as I followed the footsteps. Lory had been right behind me, and Abby and Funk followed her. As we turned a corner, everything started to shake. Lory grabbed me, and we felt energy rush through the ground. Funk gasped as he saw all the charges shake. After things cooled down, I sighed, “That was a close call. Something is going on up there alright.”

The footsteps ended at a wall, I pushed the wall aside, it led into a tunnel. We followed it to a rope ladder and climbed it. I helped everyone climb the last part. Lory looked around, “Now we have finally made it to the capital, what is our plan now?”

Everything started to shake again, Abby looked around, “Somewhere people are fighting.” I followed the red footsteps, it led to a house.

I slowly walked inside, and the others followed me. The first thing I noticed, is blood on the floor, and a body on the couch. Lory pushed me aside and ran inside. She looked at the body, “Is this?”

Funk walked over and gently removed the cloth near her face. He looked at us, Abby grunted, “Come on tell us already.”

Funk sighed in relief, “It’s not Haley, I think this is Shirley.” Lory and I let out a sigh of relief as well. As I looked around, I started pacing back and forth.

Abby looked at me, “What is going on in your brain?” I held up my hand and closed my eyes.

I found myself in my white space. Captain looked at me, “What are you waiting for Steve? You need to find Haley, she is the one fighting out there.”

“Yes, I know Captain, but if I go there right now, Brent is going to kick my ass.” I looked up, “You can transform us, right? That plant?”

Captain shook his head, “The rune, you cannot transform. You'll lose control, it will not go as it supposed to go. You will get horribly disfigured and what not, or worse, someone might break free and take over the transformation, who knows what ancient god you might awaken.”

I sighed, “But it will grant me an insane power boost, right?”

Captain nodded, “You will not transform into what you are supposed to transform into. There is no way to know what will happen.”

“Look, I don't give a fuck, we need to save Haley, how do I activate it?”

Captain sighed, “Fine, it is your death wish, but I guess, you will kill me too. You need to activate your rage with the intent to mutilate yourself.”

I nodded, “You will help, right?”

“Yes, it is going to drain the shit out of me, but I will help.”

I opened my eyes and looked at Abby. “Hit me.”

“What?”

“Punch me in the face.”

Lory looked at me, “What?”

“Just do it and make me angry!”

Abby shrugged and punched me, I grunted, “More, it is not working yet.” She punched me a few times and I spit blood on the floor.

Abby shook her head, “You are not getting angry enough.”

Lory sighed, “This is not helping Haley!”

Abby looked at Lory, she chuckled, “I know what to do.” She walked over to Lory and punched her.

“Goddammit Abby! I said hit me, not Lory!” Abby punched her again. “What did I just fucking say, Abby!? Let her go, right this fucking instant.” She kept punching Lory and she grunted in pain.

Funk looked at what was going on, “Abby, this might not be the way.”

Lory just took the punches. Abby gave an epic gut punch to Lory, and she coughed and spit up a lot of blood. I grunted, “I said, You need to let her go!”

Things started turning red, I felt myself getting ripped apart, huge bumps appeared over my body and the wound where my left arm used to be exploded open and tentacles came out of my wound. My whole left side changed into some kind of eldritch being. I could even feel my left eye turn into an ebony color, my skin hardened on the left side and pimples that erupted purple puss appeared on my left side. Tentacles shot forward to Abby and slammed her against the wall. She tried to struggle, but I ripped her into two equal pieces.

Funk gasped, “Holy fuck Steve!” My tentacles covered Lory, instead of harming her, they healed her. I felt my control slipping, it is completely gone, I am running on primal instinct at this moment. My instinct is to protect my family, no matter who the fuck stands in my way. There is someone else in here.

Lory walked over to me, “Steve?”

More and more tentacles started filling the room. When I spoke up, it sounded very demonic. “I am getting Haley.” Then I walked outside. Humans and Lizardians were in my way, my tentacles shot forward and drained them of their life force. I could feel Funk and Lory following me. For some reason, I felt compelled to walk somewhere, there I found a group of people, and a podium. Brent was about to decapitate Haley.

Tentacles shot forward and stopped his axe and threw it away. People started running away, and my tentacles shot everywhere, draining their life force, or snapping their necks. The Reader came over and grabbed an artifact, one of my tentacles grabbed his hand, another grabbed his legs. One of my huge pimples opened up, and he got dragged inside, I could feel his screaming as he got turned into liquid.

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Brent slowly walked my way, “What is this kind of demonic monster?”

Haley looked up, “Dad?” Slowly one of my tentacles came over to her, it broke the stockade and another one caught her. It gently brought her to my side, one of my tentacles caressed her cheek. She smiled, “It is good to see you again dad, even if you are looking a bit weird today, Brent murdered Shirley.”

My demon eye looked at Brent, I spoke up with an outraged demonic voice. “How much did Shirley mean to you, Munchkin?

” She came closer and whispered to me, “I loved her, she was my first real girlfriend.”

I clenched my fists and more tentacles started sprouting. Haley ran over to Lory and hugged her. I walked over to Brent. He seemed to be very scared of me, he whistled, and a portal opened up and at least a hundred armed Lizardians stormed out to protect him.

More of my skin started to harden and get disfigured as I got ready for battle. Control is something I had not, all I wanted, is to protect my family. Lizardians stormed towards me, my tentacles seemed to have a will of their own. One of the Lizardians got ripped to shreds, while another got his face burned in on my giant pimples that burst over him. While one of my tentacles bit off the head of a Lizardian, I saw an airship in the distance, it started to land in the aircraft harbor.

The Lizardians stood no chance as they got slaughtered in the must brutal ways. Their blood splattered everywhere, limbs started flying around. More and more tentacles sprouted from my body as I started to lose control of my human side, the part I had been trying to hold on to.

I saw someone come from the alleyway and one of my tentacles shot that way, it stopped in front of Bella. It touched her for a moment, then my tentacle retreated. Recognizing her as a friend and an ally. While my tentacles continued making short work of the Lizardians, I saw Bella walk over to the others. Eventually, only blood and gore remained as limbs lay scattered on the ground, villagers had taken up arms, I did not care they wanted to harm my family.

One of the tentacles dragged a villager to one of the pimples, and it bit off her head. Then I disposed of her corpse by slinging it against the wall. Slowly I walked over to Brent, hiding behind the massacre. He drew his sword, but he shivered and trembled with fear. He slashed down his sword at one of my tentacles, it grabbed his sword and swallowed it up with a mouth of its own.

I floored Brent and grabbed Lucy, then I put them across each other, like little toy people. Brent called out, “Just let me go and leave me alone. I promise you, I won’t bother you ever again!” My mind did not want to reason with him, he hurt my family. The family I need to protect. He stretched his hand towards Lucy. “Just hold on darling, close your eyes, I am sorry.”

Lucy also stretched her hand, “It is not your fault my love. I gladly accept the release of death.”

My tentacle cut off Brent’s hand and pushed him back. I walked over to Lucy and kneeled beside her. I looked at Brent and spoke up in a menacing demonic voice, “This is your lady? Your family?”

Brent nodded, “Please let her go.”

I lifted her head, “I am sorry, that command is not available to you.” I lifted Lucy’s neck, and then I bit down with sharp fangs I had grown, I drained her of her blood and threw on the floor, dead.

Brent started crying, “My love, what have you done, monster!”

A tentacle wrapped around Brent’s waist. Slowly I walked over to Lory and Haley, my tentacles covering this whole square. I put Brent down in front of Haley, then one of my tentacles spawned his sword and gently handed it to Haley. I grabbed Brent’s arms and pulled them behind his back. “Go on Haley, this is your kill.”

Haley walked forward and infused the sword with rage energy. “This is for Shirley,” before Brent could answer, Haley stabbed the sword right through his heart, we could feel things starting to explode in the underground system.

I let out a sly demonic smile at Haley, “Good job Munchkin.”

Lory walked towards Haley, “Is it over now?”

I looked around, “No, it is not over yet.” My tentacle slithered over to Brent’s neck and grabbed his necklace, the artifact.

It is some kind of dark orb. Bella spoke up, “You should handle that with care Steve, it is a great magical artifact, I can perform some rituals to remove the tainted essence and open the shadow world. Then you can enter and-”

I did not let Bella finish, this thing brought my family harm. I smashed it on the ground and it cracked. Then a tentacle slammed down on it a few times and dark mist came out of it. A shield became visible around Stratos Isle. I walked closer to Haley and Lory, my tentacles started to form a colossal mouth, then a tentacle came out and gently stopped next to them. I was being targeted on the inside by a mysterious woman, I needed their help.

Lory looked at me, or what is left of me. She smiled and grabbed the tentacle and put it around her waist. Funk called out, “Lory, are you fucking mad, that monster is going to kill you!”

Haley walked over to Lory, “Don’t act so silly Funk, that is just my dad. He would never harm us.”

Lory nodded, “That is right, Steve is in there, and he is giving us an invitation.”

Haley grabbed Lory, then the tentacle slowly retracted and pulled them into the mouth that had been made with tentacles. It closed and they had vanished. Then I fell forward and blacked out.