Monster:
 
Noun
1. an imaginary or legendary nonhuman creature combining traits of animal and human forms, or having the forms of various animals in combination.
 
2. any creature grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character.
 
3. a grossly and abnormally formed fetus or infant marked by a malformation that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; a prophetic birth, a living omen, etc.
 
4. a nonhuman, sentient creature who provokes or elicits horror by cruelty or threat of bodily harm to oneself or others.
 
***
 
She was perfect, at least that's what Jay thought.
 
The woman in the photo was thick; an amble bust; a belly that folded just a bit with a nice overhang; some nice, wide hips with some generous love handles; a pair of meaty thunder-thighs; all with big, round, bubble butt.
Jay loved some extra cushin' for the pushin'. And this girl had it in spades. More importantly: her face was easy on the eyes too.
Usually a body like that had a fugly face attached. But this girl was a perfect ten-out-of-ten.
 
"Where did you find this?!" It really shouldn't have been a surprise. Dwayne always seemed to be surrounded by gorgeous women. He wasn't much of a ladies' man, not really. But he had an eye for scouting out some of the hottest girls Jay had ever laid on eyes. "I can do you one better;" Dwayne said with a sick grin, " I can hook you up."
 
Jay had to blink. That couldn't be right. This picture had to be Photoshopped or something. There was no way a girl that perfect can be real, right?
 
"Jay, my man, I'm going to do you a solid. Kathy's been looking for someone for a long time. And you are perfect!" Okay, not he had to be pulling Jay's leg. The young man didn't think he was boyfriend material; not yet a least. "Well... "
 
Before he could even respond, Louella called out to him. "Jay! Come on, what's the hold up!"
 
He looked back at Dwayne, whose unamused frown turned up into a knowing grin as he nodded his head. "It's okay. I got your number. And you know mine. Just let me know when you're interested."
 
Jay nodded in agreement as he turned and ran back to return to his friends. He and Dwayne had gone way back before their families moved to different states. They meant to stay in contact, but life always got in the way. And both of them seemed to busy to keep in touch. It was a stroke of luck that they ended up going to the same city to strike it out on their own.
 
Now Jay spent his days with his new friends. It was good, because splitting the rent meant they could pool more credits between them. Harold - however - was never a huge fan of Dwayne. And he was not too pleased with Jay once he came running back.
"Man, you know that guy is shady eief, right?"
 
"Dwayne isn't like that, " Jay tried defending, but Harold wasn't having it. And neither was Maurice for that matter, "He don't share the utilities, that's for sure." Jay gulped. Surrounded by the three of them, he felt more like a child being scolded by his caretakers than a part of the group. Instead of pushing back any further, he just nodded back. "Yeah, you're right."
 
Harold turned, fixing his gaze at Jay over his shoulder as he gestured for him to follow. "Just don't forget who has your back."
 
Later that night, Jay just laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was tired of dealing with the others. Always talking down at him and belittling Jay at every turn. Why did they even hang out with him? Everything he tried to contribute to the conversation was met with an eye-roll; like hearing the sound of his voice was some exhausting chore.
Of course staying quiet was out of the question too. And if there was anything they enjoyed, it was hearing Jay parrot their own words back at them and speak their minds for them.
 
Simply put: He was sick of all of it.
 
Jay didn't even remember where he told the others he was going. He just kind of unceremoniously picked himself up and left with only what he had on him before he could talk himself out of this.
 
Dwayne was there to pick him up just as planned. He pulled up to the side walk and rolled down the car window. "Jay! My man! Come in!" He didn't need any further instruction. But what he was surprised to see was that he wasn't alone in the back seat of the car.
 
"Jay, " Dwayne smiled at him in the reflection of his rear-view mirror, " meet Elsie! Elsie, this is who I told you about."
 
In truth they were already acquainted. Elsie was an old crush of Jay, and she confessed she reciprocated not a week before her parents moved their family to another town.
They just smiled and blush as they giggled to each other.
 
The car ride over was more or less uneventful. They caught up; talking about this or that. But mostly they were surprised that the other would agree to something like this. As they both were rather reserved growing up.
 
Soon they pulled up to a strange building. No windows. Of course.
 
It was quiet and out of the way; one of the few places in town that wasn't closely packed with people or a maze of brick and concrete.
 
Their eyes hadn't adjusted to the dim light yet, but Jay could tell from the cacophony of lust that the orgy was already in progress as he and Elsie walked through the front door and into the place.
From the amorous cooing and lewd moans over the soft smacking of lips around a nipple or pussy, or maybe even an asshole or a dick. To the breathy, bestial grunts and fierce screaming ringing out to the undertone of rhythmic, bassy slapping of a caked up pair of thighs against someone's crotch.
 
A couple cooed and whispered sweet nothings as the woman layed on her back and let her man top her. They kissed as she wrapped her legs around him.
 
Another woman was on her side. Leg yiked up and draped over his shoulder as he was on his knees thrusting into her.
 
A slender girl with small, perky breasts straddled a man laying on his back as she let ouf a soft whimper and she started feeding his member inside her eager pussy. She let out a yelp as she crowned around his purple helmet and eased herself down slowly over his shaft.
 
One woman played with her breast as she moaned and lulled her tongue out. Legs spread as her man's face was buried between her thighs. Another woman behind rimming him; her lips smacking deep between his cheeks.
 
A lustful, breathy scream came from a woman between grunts as she was bend over on all fours. She was getting plowed from behind. Her large, jiggling breasts swaying like pendulums as he pounded her butt.
 
Another man stood beating his meat off in a woman's face before cumming hard and splashing her. Her eyes closed and mouth wide open and she took his seed.
 
Jay was digging this so far. It felt a little awkward since these were already in full swing. But his excitement ground to a halt as a sharp, shocked gasp came from his side. He looked over to Elsie covering her mouth as she shrinked back in fear.
And turning his attention back to the orgy, he saw why.
 
While the men were normal, all the women were physically merged with each other. Neither Jay nor Elsie could make out the finer details as their eyes were still adjusting from the bright, clear blue sky of a mid-Spring afternoon outside; but now the thick, fleshy cords running from the back's of the women's heads became more discernible in the dark of the room.
 
A coil slid along the ground as it curled like a scale-less snake or an eel and pulsated a bit above the couple in the missionary position.
 
Another tendril swished with the motion as the woman receiving oral threw her head back and let out a particularly breathy moan and came hard against the man eating her out between her legs.
 
The petite cowgirl and the well-endowed woman on hand and knee had a pair of tentacles sprouting from the backs of their heads that lead back to the center of the room.
 
Like a spider's web, these appendages cast out and threated the orgy in front of Jay and Elsie. At its center sat Kathy perched above them in a large chair like a corpulent VIP, but she wasn't as beautiful to Jay anymore. Her body and face were normal, but her scalp reminded Jaw of a Meduasa, or an octopus. Yet at the same time the thick, python-like tendrils were like neither of those.
Kathy was the hub they were all connected to; like the cables of an old PC tower. She was wrapped around a pair of smaller women under each arm as she watched the depraved scene play out. Kathy was seeping with excitement from atop her seat. She looked up and locked eyes with Jay, before lowering her own head as she lapped up a bead of drool from her lower lip, her gaze fixed on the man trembling across the room.
 
Two of the other women who were engaged in their respective threesomes stopped servicing their men, and instead whipped around violently and rush at them. Jay turned to run out the door, but was stopped by Dwayne. "Sorry, Jay my man. It's gotta be this way."
 
Dwayne turned him back around to watch as a number of hands closed around Elsie and dragged her back to the crowd. Several of them clamp around her arms; pulling them apart so tightly that all she could do was thrash her head to the sides as she struggled against their grap.
But the crowd didn't budge.
 
The men didn't slow their pace doing their lewd acts as they turned their full attention on Elsie; watching the scene play out and grinning with anticipation as if they were all in on a cruel joke about her.
 
Jay helpless to do anything other than watch as one of those tentacles slithered up and reared up high above her, and aim directly above her head.
As Elsie uselessly struggled against her captors restraining her, she whipped her head trying to pull her arms free. The tentacle seemed to size her up; swaying side to side from behind as if studying her movements.
 
In one, swift motion, a long, moist tongue shot out and wrapped around Elsie's neck as the tentacle struck down and funneled her head inside its mouth.
 
The small, stubby circle of teeth dug in as Jay heard her muffled voice through the thick, fleshy walls of the cavity. The wriggling form of her head pushed out a relief like a crude mask of someone's face. A hairless brow furrowed over a pair of deep pits, two slits below a flat ridge between flared as the lips of the Lamprey mouth at Elsie's neck folded over the teeth and pulled her head deeper inside.
 
Her moans echoed within the confines of the flesh-tube as it rocked back and forth. Jerking back, Elsie's whole body was pulled tightly every which way as the tentacle strained against her feeble resistance.
 
The opening of the tendril sunk in sharply as Elsie's head shot off her shoulders and started sliding up through the organic tunnel as it snapped back from her body.
The crowd instantly relaxed the moment Elsie's body went limp in their arms as the bulge travelled up the length of the tentacle.
 
Jay followed the strange appendage to its source. The hydra of a woman known as Kathy reached up as the form of Elsie's head layered under a hose of flesh meet the back of her own head and spread the flesh out. Kathy's own neck yawned open to accept her prize as the bulge ran down under her face and disappeared past her collar bone as her deformed-head shrank back into shape.
 
Her belly distended as it filled with its new contents. A few girls huddled around her drew closer to inspect her new pot belly as the ones wrapped her arms around them gave it a few rubs. One arched down and wrapped her mouth around Kathy's nipple as the sick squelching and wet groans of her digestive system bubbled to the surface as it kicked into overdrive.
 
Jay's attention was caught as one of the men grunted loudly as he thrusted into one of the tentacle-women and jerked his whole body as his climax seized him in the throws of passion. A gush of cum dripped onto the hard floor, followed by another before nearly every man in attendance came either into or onto their respective partners.
 
Some of the tentacle women started cleaning off their men as their dicks became flaccid again. Others changed positions with them as they started right back up again after catching their breath.
 
Jay's breathing was labored as he just processed what he saw. He looked back at Elsie's body on the ground. There was a lot less blood than he thought their would be. It had watched some slasher movies like this; but the gel-like goop that slid from Elsie's stump of a neck wasn't like any shotty attempt at a practical effect he'd ever seen.
 
Something about how tightly the vise-like grip around his wrists told Jay that the performance wasn't over yet. And his suspecions were confirmed when a new woman was hauled in. This one had a bag over her face. Whatever was being used to gag her; it made it hard for Jay to hear anything apart from her groggy, muffled attempts at speaking and her irregular, panicked breathing.
 
Just as with Elsie, the tentacle sized up its next meal. It's tongue darted out as it lunged forward and grabbed the top of her head. It rotated as its mouth wobbled and ground around her like a crown or tiara before engulfing it completely and pushing down to her neck.
 
As it bit down, the neck of the poor woman softened like a packet of mayonnaise being squeezed out. The gore inside melted and congealed into the same homogenous slop that was pouring from Elsie's body.
With a sudden, wet "shlink" the head was severed. And a few moments later, and the "mask" settled into place; facing forward as the tendril now perced where her head had been.
 
Jay watched as the hands that once tightly gripped her arms loosened and were now gliding up her shoulder and down her curvacious torso.
His gaze followed their movements as they reached down her weakly quivery body to her sopping wet vulva. He hadn't even noticed that she came; and came hard. Even as her juices pooled between her legs as her feet, more trickled down as one of the other woman traced her fingers away from her lips up to the woman's stomach and between her breasts.
 
As they came to rest on her chest, Jay saw the mouth of the tenctacle on the neck. It had joined with her flesh somehow, fused so that it seamlessly transitioned from the baige tone of her body to the pearlescent ivory of the thing it was now attached to; like it had always been there.
The woman's new head slowly started to warp. Her facial features shifted and became more defined as the eyes seemed to squint and become more developed at the same time. Where once their were a pair of wet holes, there was now articulate eyelids and a brow growing in. Even the top of the tentacle started growing some hair around the base where the crown of the head would be.
 
Jay's jaw dropped as the newly grafted head opened its eyes for the first time. Before he knew those eyes; they were Elsie's eye.
He couldn't believe it at first, but witnessing it first hand he couldn't deny that this was Elsie's face he was looking at on this stranger's body.
Any semblance of familiarity was gone, she was just another face in the crowd now.
 
"Well Jay, my man, " Dwayne's casual tone broke the silence of his enthralled trance at the display before him. The man's leisurely footsteps echoing through the room as he walk up beside Jay just out of his field of vision. "I hope you enjoyed the show. Now it's time for you to take a little nap so we can get everything ready."
 
Jay regained consciousness slowly as he tried to recall what just happened. He heard one side of a conversation Dwayne was having. The man paced the floor in front of him; currently unaware that Jay was now awake.
 
"Trust me: I've got this down to a science. Elsie's bitchy attitude's gone bye-bye. That pretty face is on a new, smokin' hot bod just I had lined up. Just in time for the client." Jay woke up on the floor. He couldn't move his hands, which were tied up behind him. As everything came into focus, he saw Dwayne pacing with phone in hand, "She ticks all the boxes. Don't worry.
Yeah, we'll be ready to ship soon."
 
Jay shouted: "You're never getting away with this, Dwayne."
 
Dwayne just laughed, "Of course I'm getting away with this! How long do you thing 'this' has been going on?" Jay's eyes widened. "Oh and don't worry: no one's finding the body. Kathy's taking care of that right now. And that bitch can eat! She's got a lot of mouths to feed, afterall."
 
How could he be so casual about all this? What Dwayne just said, Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. As much as he hated to admit it, Jay's friends were right about Dwayne.
"What are you going to do to me?"
 
"That's the only real problem here." His tone turned a lot more somber as he walked over to Jay and knelt down in front of him.
"See: I can't exactly let you go now that you know about my little secret.
 
And it kills me to do this to you, man. It really does."
 
Jay thrashed around, it was all he could do really. "But like I said: I'm going to do you a solid.
 
I saved one especially for you. Most people aren't as fun as you, Jay. You have no idea how boring all these orders have been. I was looking for a project a little more... creatively stimulating.
 
You are my favorite, Jay my man. You know why? It's because you get it, you know? You're like me. You like big girls, gamer girls, you like nerds, and the country girls. You like thick thighs, big tits, small tits. You like pot bellies and six-packs. You like yourself a tall queen and you like the shortstacks!
You, my friend, are a man of culture."
 
"... " Jay's expression twisted into shock and horror as he realized what Dwayne was saying, and what he must have done, " H-how, how many people?"
 
Dwayne thought about it for a moment, "You're saying that like I had to look very hard. You think any of these posers are going for a double-wide dumpy? I find grade-A fap material all the time and these other guys just pass it up!" He stood up, leaving Jay on the ground as he continued to monologue. "Of course the ones I have for you aren't as enthusiastic as Kathy, but they'll warm up to you. You're a nice guy; that's what I had to promise to get them here in the first place."
 
Jay felt helpless. He knew Dwayne wouldn't be telling him all this if he didn't take his phone away from him so he couldn't call for help, and he was bound and laying on the floor. The orgy with that... thing had picked back up and was in full swing as the sounds of rough sex nearly drowned out his own thoughts.
But it was obvious Dwayne was being completely serious. Why wouldn't he just let Kathy eat him otherwise? Jay answered his proposal with the only thing that made sense: "... No."
 
Dwayne was taken aback by the stern shift in tone.
"Did I stutter? Clean the wax out of those ears and listen: And I'm not going to play any part in this. So either kill me or lock me in a hole and throw away the key, because I. Am. Not. Down. With. This!"
 
Thud!
 
Like a ninja, a tell muscular woman dropped down from the ceiling above and landed looking downward with her feet wide apart; showing off her long, thickly packed legs.
Her front leg bent and the back leg extended with the balls of her foot on the ground in a way that made her big, shapely buttocks even more pronounced from her curvaceous hips.
One hand in front gripping a curved, ornate broadsword. And another in her other hand outstretched behind her towards Jay where he could get a close and uncomfortable look.
Covered from head to toe with tattoos and fine gold jewelry which made up a scanty bikini. After a brief pause, she suddenly snapped her head up to look at Dwayne in front of them. Voluminous, indigo hair swept upwards at the front high over her forehead.
 
Jay wondered if she a valkyrie sent from on high to save him. Or maybe - he thought - she was an Amazon where to chop off his and every other man's dick as punishment for their hubris.
 
At her sudden appearance, the orgy that was previously raging on behind Dwayne skid to a halt as the bare-naken men all scrambled to gather up their clothes discarded on the floor and run for the exit.
 
Jay wanted to thank whatever merciful deity brought this woman in front of him to his rescue; he wanted to tell her she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and ask her to protect him and take care of him. And to take him away from this awful place.
Then she turned her head to look over her shoulder, and a lump caught in Jay's throat as he froze when he saw her face.
 
"Square" is not the word he'd use for it, but maybe it would be more apt if the corners were rounded a bit. It was only when Jay took a good look at their androgynous features that he noticed how broad their boulder-shoulders were with the thick, kite-shaped back muscles that partially obscured their face. But Jay did notice the glossy, pink lipstick, eyeshadow, and long lashes they wore.
 
The figure looked forward as they spoke, "To whichever one of you was screaming at the top of their lungs just now, thanks for helping me find this place faster." Before anyone could get another word in, the naked women all stood up; walking toward them while remaining huddled together around Kathy like they were her security guards.
Maybe it was the fact that they were barefoot, but it was hard to understand how so many people could move so quietly. And with such perfect coordination, like the many legs of a centipede skittering along the ground. They got between the Algaren and Dwayne as he shook his head. "Who are you supposed to be?" With a tenor tone, they answered: "I am an Algaren, you crass, little troll." Their voice was even more confusion for Jay.
 
"Well, whatever. Kathy, take care of 'em!" He just casually walked off.
 
That reverse-hydra - or whatever you'd call it - stood between the Algaren and him.
Jay knew shit was about to go down, but he still had to ask: "Hey! Uh, I know you're about to fight; but what are your pronouns?" The Algaren sighed, "... I'm a girl."
 
With perfect coordination, the crowd tackled her like a team of football players, but the Algaren braced herself as they exploded into her. Despite her considerable stature, their sheer combined mass pushed her back as they toppled over each other and spilled over her.
 
But the Algaren was stronger still, and she threw them off her as she regained her balance. She ran forward and tried to swing at Kathy, but the octopus-like creature put one of the other girls between them. The blade stopped just short.
Jay recognized whose face it wore. It was Elsie's. With a loud thwack! the crowd tried to sideswipe her. Stambling, they dogpiled on top of her. But they erupted like a volcano as the Algaren threw them off.
She swung her sword down hard. Shlink!
Elsie's neck separated from the stolen body under her. Like a dragon, it reared back toward Kathy.
 
As the others advanced, any reservations the Algaren might have had were gone. Tss! Snit! Shink! One after another, the blades came down and felled each member of the crowd.
Soon there were no more human shields to put between them as Kathy recoiled from the Algaren.
 
The tendrils whipped out and snaked through the air to strike at her. But the Algaren's tattoos seemed to glow so brightly that Jay's eyes squinted in the dimly lit room.
 
Fwoosh!
 
A fireball soared into the tangle of heads as it crackled and roared. Jay could feel the heat even as far as he was as it sailed passed them and hit Kathy right in the face.
The thing - which was now engulfed in flames - sent out one last tendril to attack the Algaren; it was Elsie's tentacle. The bloody stub had once again formed into a toothy maw as it tried to swallow the Amazon's head.
But with a Thunk! A blade sang through the air as its edge bit into the flesh, and the tentacle was cut cleanly off the monster as it fell onto the floor and writhed around.
 
Kathy collapsed into a smoldering heep, and was no more. "If I ever get taken by one of those things, just end me."
The Algaren calmly approached Jay to untie him. When she did, she offered him a hand after he rubbed his chafing wrists. "Um, thanks." He got up to his feet. Standing right in front of her, he said: "Your hair is pretty, beeteewahy. I didn't really.. " but she had already started walking away, "... get the chance to say that before."
 
Jay rushed over and caught up with her as she starting scanning the dark building they both found themselves in.
"Where do you do your shopping?" no response, "It looks pretty expensive... Your outfit, that is." Jay nervously followed behind her. He didn't want to risk anything else jumping out at him without her around.
"What you did was pretty cool back there. Where did you learn to fight like that?" The Algaren tilted her head, it was hard for him to tell if she wanted him to clarify or not. "So - uh - what's your name?" "Purity." Okay, there's some progress. At least he knew her name now.
 
"So is where you learned to fight you also where you learned how to shoot fire like that? Does it have anything to do with your tattoos?" Once again she didn't respond. Instead she just kept searching around for something; not paying - or at least pretending not to pay him any attention.
"Hey listen, I'm sorry I didn't know what to call you earlier. I'll do better, I promis-"
 
Before he could get another word out, Purity whipped around and grabbed him by the arms.
"NOISE, NOISE, NOISE! Could you just shut up for - like a second?!"
She wasn't hurting him; but the way she effortlessly lifted his feet clear off the ground shut him up pretty good.
 
They just stood there for a second staring each other down as Jay's feet dangled limply in the air. "If I tell you about myself, will you be quiet so I can think?"
 
Jay stammered out: "... What?" The Algaren gently set him down as she repeated, "If I tell you about myself, will you be quiet so I can think?" letting go of him and backing off a bit, she dropped her built-shoulders as Jay answered: "Okay... " She blinked and took in a deep breath.
 
"I am female; always have been. All Algaren are born female, that's just how it works for our species.
The reason I look like this is because my mother is the horse god Catastrophy. He magically transferred his manhood to my father, Petunia - the first Algaren, so he could have me while she was out fighting. But he had huge hips and a big butt too.
 
I make my own clothes. Metallurgy is my specialty. I make jewelry and weapons.
 
The form I use is called Sword Dance. And no, it isn't a martial art per se. But I picked it up by training with weighted, practice-blades everyday for nearly three decades with the goal being to duel-wield my swords with as much precision as possible.
 
These are my onuses. And they're not the source of my magic; the goddess Dorcha is the source. The tattoos are merely a sign of my devotion to follow her teachings. That's what lets me cast magic.
 
And thank you. I wear my hair like this because I always thought it looked pretty too.
 
Is there anything else?"
 
Jay thought about it for a while. "No, that's everything."
 
"Okay, " Purity sighed, " now I have a question for you." Jay let go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding until just now, "Uh, sure. Got right ahead."
 
Purity pulled out something from behind her back. Jay recognized it immediately. The cracked screen, the cheap case that always slipped off; he'd know it anywhere. "Is this yours?"
 
Jay blinked, "Yeah, that's my phone. Can I call for a ride back?" The Algaren handed it over. But when Jay tried to tap the screen to wake it up, nothing happened. "Fuck! I must have forgotten to charge it."
 
Purity blinked, "... Can you charge it now?" Jay sighed, "... No."
 
Another moment passed, but it wasn't long before Jay started again: "... Just one more question: If your mother was a man-" It seemed like Purity had had enough, and raised her voice again.
"Listen! Just because I'm a Werwif doesn't mean that I'm-" Purity stopped shouting as she caught herself mid-sentence, "... I was not supposed to say that word in front of you." Purity sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. She breathed in as she asked: "Why are you so afraid of silence?"
 
Jay shrank back, "Am I in trouble?!" Purity pointed a finger at him, "There! That!"
At that point, Jay felt more frustrated than ever, "What did I DO?! Please help me understand you!"
 
But Purity took in a breath, calmly she spoke: "No, what you just said: you said you were in trouble. Why do you think you're in trouble?"
 
"Because you won't talk to me!" Purity blinked, "For - like - a minute? You know: so I can try and hear something that's clearly too quiet for me?"
 
Jay rubbed his head. "... I don't know what's wrong with me... " Purity put her hands on her hips, keeping her head down. "... What else can your smart device do?"
 
"What?" she repeated, "Your smart device. It's a phone; it's a map; what else can it do?" Jay sighed, "... Well, it's a phone. I got call and text; I've got GPS; I got internet, so I can watch videos."
 
"Watch videos?" Purity perked up, it was a weird thing to focus on. But it was better than nothing. "Yeah, I watch videos. Usually when I'm bored, or when I'm studying. Or even when I can't fall asleep-"
 
"What else do you do when you're bored?" He thought about it, "You mean for fun?"
Purity shook her head. "I mean do you ever just stop and rest for a while without keeping yourself entertained?" He defended, "Is that why we're sitting here doing nothing?"
 
"We're not doing nothing; we're talking, like you wanted." Jay's head started to hurt. "This isn't what I meant."
 
"Well than what did you mean?"
 
"I don't know... "
 
Another awkward silence fell over them. Jay wished she'd just yell at him, or storm out and leave him here. This was torture.
 
"Did... Did you actually think my hair was pretty?" The silence was broken, and Jay gave pause. "Did you actually think my hair was pretty, or were you just bored and keeping yourself... entertained?
 
"Is that was this is about?"
 
"Every human I talk to asks me questions about where I come from and why I look the way I do, and a bunch of other things I don't understand at all.
 
But they never seem to actually listen to me, or try and understand things from my point of view.
 
It's like they're looking for something, but they never just come out and asking me what it is."
 
Jay honestly didn't know how to respond. What came out next was something even he wasn't expecting: "... I was always worried about making people upset growing up."
 
"What?" Jay could have kicked himself at that moment. She was opening up to him, and he just had to make it all about himself.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"
 
"No, no I want to hear this! Please, continue." but Jay didn't know how to continue. "... I-I don't think I should... I just don't want you to think I'm judging you or anything. I don't know. I can never do anything right, it feels like I can't even do nothing right."
 
"... When was the last time you ever just sat down and thought about this?"
 
"... "
 
"... When was the last time you just let yourself relax and not worry about anything?"
 
"... I don't know when."
 
"Is that why you're afraid of silence: because your worried you'll get in trouble if there isn't some distraction going on somewhere?"
 
Jay rubbed his arm. It didn't hurt at all even after Purity man-handled him. She was always gentle. Graceful; like her Sword Dance.
 
"... Purity, can just ask one more thing? I promise I'll listen this time."
 
"Go ahead."
 
"That word you said before, why aren't you allowed to say it in front of someone?"
 
"... We have our own language, one that we're supposed to keep sacred. Humans are forbidden from learning it and we aren't suppose to speak it around you either."
 
"I understand. I'm sorry I asked. I'll try and forget that I even heard-"
 
"It's what I am."
 
"That word: Werwif. That's the word we use to distinquish me; it's was separates me from the rest of my sisters.
We all made a promise to stay together and watch each other's backs no matter what. Me being a werwif doesn't change that.
If there are going to be more Algaren like me, I want them to be treated the same way my sisters treat me: the same as I treat them and they treat each other."
 
This was quite the culture shock for Jay. Not because their family apparently had their own separate language, but because they genuinely seemed to care about each other. Jay thought back to his friends. They were right about Dwayne, but were they really right?
 
Purity shot up suddenly.
"What wrong?" But she shooshed him, "Listen... Do you hear that?"
 
For the first time in a while, Jay just stopped for a moment. "... Yeah actually, I do." Purity confirmed what he was thinking, "... It sounds like crying."
 
They followed the source of the sound as the crying got louder. Eventually they came across a stray door in the middle of a hallway. Purity peered inside, "Uh, Human?" It was at that moment Jay realized he didn't even give Purity his name. "Just call me Jay."
"Jay, come take a look at this."
 
Jay looked inside, and his eyes went wide as he realized what he was seeing.
This was her: the tentacle monster Dwayne said he made just for Jay. A collage of ages, heights, and builds. Some of them looked just like the pictures Dwayne had sent Jay; a thought that sent a shiver down his spine. He took a long look at the women and wondered whose heads and bodies were stolen to make them.
 
"Behind you!" Jay's monster shouted with many voices.
 
Jay whipped back. It was Elsie's tentacle; the one that had her face on it.
 
Purity reached for her swords, but she stumbled when she only unshealthed one of them. Her other hand came back empty.
That was because her other sword was clenched in the tendril's lower mouth.
 
It whirled back, and whipped around with a sickly Shlish!
 
Purity's sword clattered to the ground, follow by the other, and then by her own head as it came tumbling off her shoulders.
 
Elsie's tentacle fell over. It put all it had into that swing, and now the motion had sent it whirling over onto the floor.
 
Jay was in shock. Once again he was helpless. "Jay, wait!" Elsie's voice rang out. He turned to the tentacle and saw her looking at him. "Please. I love you; I've always loved you! Let's leave this awful place! Together!"
 
Jay trailed his eyes over to Purity's body laying lifelessly on the floor. Then he turned his gaze back at the crowd behind him; still cowaring. One of their tentacles didn't have a body yet. The mask on it was little more than a smooth, featureless span of flesh where a face would be.
 
A thought came to mind; a terrible thought that made Jay feel sick.
But he didn't have much time, Purity's body was bleeding pretty bad; and it would be useless to anyone if he didn't act fast.
 
"I'm so sorry." Jay offered. He had a lot of time to himself to reflect on it, but he still felt like he had to apologize for what he had done. "I didn't have your consent. Explicitly, you told me yourself that you didn't want this."
 
"It's okay, Jay." Purity put an arm around the little human as they spoke. She'd have time to do up her hair into her signature pompadour later after it grew into her new scalp a little more, and right now Jay needed her full attention.
"Being one of these things isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Oh, and I suppose the alternative is still an available option if I change my mind later." The Algaren's new tentacle accepted her quite well; her face and memories were all intact. The crowd of miscellaneous women with their varied builds surrounding them as they continued.
"Still, that was some pretty quick thinking back there. Not going to lie, I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't just leave me for dead like a lot of other humans. You're quite an exeptional specimen."
 
"That's... " Jay started, " disappointing." Elsie's tentacle was sliced vertically down the middle with one of Purity's swords. Right between the eyes, Jay had bisected the thing that wore her face; and the last of Kathy's hideous horde was gone and lying in state.
 
Purity lifted Jay's head back up by his chin as he looked up at her. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I guess you'll just have to raise your sons to be upstanding men like you one day. But I know you can do it."
 
"Wait. Purity, ... are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"
 
"Is that a no?"
 
"No, no it's just... I never thought anyone would want to go out with me."
 
"I'm not going to lie, Jay. When I first met you, I thought you were loud and annoying." he waited for her to continue, "... And?" she plainly added, "And you are."
 
"Oh."
 
"But I also think you were never really given a fair chance." At this, he felt a little more hopeful. "Really?" the Algaren knodded, "Of course not, Jay. You were genuinely treated terribly your entire life.
 
Maybe it's the girls influencing me - or me influencing them, but I'm seeing you in a whole new light. These women were all brought here with the promise that they'd get a hot date with a nice guy.
And something about what they managed to overhear when you were in a shouting match with that Dwayne person, and what I learned from our little talk earlier makes the girls and I think he wasn't wrong about you."
 
That was probably the highest praise Jay had ever received in his entire life. "So that's it? There's nothing else?"
 
"No actually. There's a few things."
 
"First off: no more noise. And don't just shut up and never speak your mind either.
I actually like to talk, and you seem to genuinely have some interesting things to say when you aren't trying. Which leads nicely into the next thing...
 
Second: Just be yourself; even if it annoys me. Not that this is any excuse not to tackle your other problems, because trust me: We are going to have a lot of things to work out.
 
Lastly: My work is dangerous. So please, please, please try not to get mad when I tell you to be quiet or stay behind. And forgive me if I don't have time to explain why I'm asking you to do what I think will keep you out of harm's way."
 
"Okay, I understand."
 
"If you think you can do all of that, than I'd love for you to be my boyfriend.
 
Now this, " Purity held up a noticibly large skull in her hand, " this is going to be a lot harder to explain to my sisters though.
 
And it feels light too. Is my old brain even still in here, or is that in my new head? See: this is the kind of thing that's going to keep me up at night from now on."
It would make sense that Purity knew how much her own head should weigh. After all, he had been carrying it on her shoulders for all her life. Until just a few minutes ago - that is, when it was replaced with her current one on her neck right now.
But something about how she is able to compare and contrast with such certainty made Jay feel... "Uh, how many skulls have you held before?"
 
"... Too many." Jay and Purity both laughed out loud as they rose to their feet. The Algaren lifted Jay the human into her arms as the crowd followed behind them out of the dark and into the bright of day.
 
A moment passed, and Jay had one lingering question he had to ask: "So... How are you going to fight monsters like this?" Purity sighed, "... If all our collective memory serves, I'll survive on my own separated from the main body as long as I have my own body as a host.
 
And when I cut myself loose, the other ends should just regenerate more mouths.
That's how it worked the last couple dozen of times, at least."
 
***
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Everyone , I would like to introduce who I like to call: the Faces of Gluttony!
Say hello, girls!
 
Lady_of_the_Void: We're back!
 
MadTeaParty: @Everyone , Hello hello!
 
Wendi_go-go: Hey!
 
TrashBandit: hey
 
Ace_of_Hearts: Welcome, ladies!
 
Live_Laugh_Lift: @Ace_of_Hearts Sup.
 
Twin_Blademaster: Somehow I knew the quintuplets would turn sooner or later.
 
BishonenApocalypse: We'll need all the help we can get. Even with our tentative alliance with the Algaren and the trolls, we still have the Heavenly Host breathing down our necks.
 
MadTeaParty: a pleasure to be of survice. Love the opportunity to put these wankers in their place.
 
Big_boss893: @MadTeaParty language, young lady!
 
Live_Laugh_Lift: The fact that we can just use geokinesis out the gate is pretty sick.
 
TrashBandit: that is pretty sick yeah
 
Lord8=======D: Wait. The orange ones can earthbend?
 
Twin_Blademaster: Invidus, if you can hurl lightning and Ira can shoot fireballs out of his hands, why would it be a surprise Gula and her daughters have earth powers?
 
Lord8=======D: Gula never did anything like that. Also why aren't they tan like her?
 
Big_boss893: Tan? Gula's dark orange.
 
Lord8=======D: Big_boss893@ No, she's brown.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Lord8=======D Brown is just dark orange.
Luxuria and I are both artists. He knew what we're talking about.
 
000003: @BishonenApocalypse You didn't just DM us to introduce the new recruits, did you?
 
BishonenApocalypse: @000003 Straight to the point as always. No, I didn't. Gula's been hard at work figuring out how the uterine replicators work. And she's finally ready to present her findings.
 
Lord8=======D: @Twin_Blademaster what?
 
Big_boss893: @Lord8=======D He means artificial womb
 
Ace_of_Hearts: @BishonenApocalypse
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Ace_of_Hearts that's an easy one. Beldwitsch has been in a depression since they employed that new form of birth control. The field they have up won't let anyone get pregnant no matter how much sex they have. So of course they're tackling both problems at once. I already procured a few working models and blueprints a few decades back.
 
Lord8=======D: @BishonenApocalypse It's kind of amazing when you think about it. What's so wrong about having fun without the risks involved?
 
Ace_of_Hearts: @BishonenApocalypse HOW OLD ARE YOU?
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Lord8=======D When you get to a certain age, you start wanting kids. At least if you're part of the majority of people on Gaea. The fact that they don't even have the option is a huge turn of for most people.
BishonenApocalypse: @Ace_of_Hearts biologically: 19; chronologically: too old.
 
INXSFan89: The field works by suppressing the ventral dorsal protein. Basically: it is responsible for the assymetrical formation of the zygote; your back from your front.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @INXSFan89 so the mother's body just miscarries the zygote since it can't form properly. No protein, no child.
 
INXSFan89: Exactly.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: Let's not get sidetracked, everyone. What about the artificial womb?
 
INXSFan89: @BurningRangerSaturn After reading through the plans for all the prototypes and reverse engineering the working models I was given, I think I understand.
 
Twin_Blademaster: @INXSFan89 Well don't keep us in suspense. What's inside them that makes them do what they do?
 
INXSFan89: @BurningRangerSaturn Nothing.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: @INXSFan89 what
 
INXSFan89: Despite the fact that they work as intended, there is nothing about their internal workings that should let them carry a fetus to term outside the womb.
 
000003: Impossible
 
BishonenApocalypse: @000003 it seems like everyday we discover something new that redefines what we think is possible.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: @BishonenApocalypse Okay, smartass. What do you think this means?
 
BishonenApocalypse: Remember when I taught Petunia how to make the first alms?
 
Lord8=======D: @BishonenApocalypse huh?
 
Twin_Blademaster: @Lord8=======D the Algaren's magic chamber pots.
 
Lord8=======D: lol
 
TrashBandit: can I get one of those? sounds lovely
 
MadTeaParty: @TrashBandit We're not in the swamp anymore, Fastidiousness. You can use a real toilet.
 
TrashBandit: its just not the same
 
BishonenApocalypse: @BurningRangerSaturn It works using sigil technology. And how do sigils work?
 
INXSFan89: tapping into the metaphysical properties of Gaea.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @INXSFan89 precisely. That's how they're able to teleport. And we learned about sigils from angelic technology. Maybe these scientists are invoking a form of magic we're just now discovering.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: @BishonenApocalypse Magic. What a very scientific explanation.
 
INXSFan89: @BurningRangerSaturn And it makes sense.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: @INXSFan89 in what world?
 
The_Man_for_the_Job: Ours, apparently.
 
BishonenApocalypse: The more we seem to learn, the more we realize there's still so much he don't know about or fully understand. No scientist worth there salt wouldn't want to learn everything they could about this stuff.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: @BishonenApocalypse *their
 
Big_boss893: @BurningRangerSaturn Ironically, most scientists are unscientifically religious about dismissing anything supernatural going on here.
 
INXSFan89: It gets the job done pretty well. The kids are perfectly healthy. Though with the field up, their skin microbiomes are suffering.
That could lead to health problem when they eventually leave Beldwitsch. Wouldn't be a problem if the death aura could discriminate more between microbes that are harmful and ones that are helpful.
 
Big_boss893: @INXSFan89 Wait. You used the artificial womb for the kids? Why didn't anyone tell me?
 
INXSFan89: I was less than useless while I was having the quintuplets. And it would have been almost twice as bad if I didn't.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: I just thought you put on a little weight that year.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @INXSFan89 I'll have to side with Luxuria on this one. You really should have consulted him first before you did that. Both of us actually.
 
Lord8=======D: @BurningRangerSaturn It was a lot more than just a little.
 
INXSFan89: @BishonenApocalypse You're right.
INXSFan89: @Big_boss893 If I didn't think it wasn't 100% safe, I wouldn't do it. But I should have told you first. I'm sorry.
 
Big_boss893: I know. I'm just worried.
 
INXSFan89: I know you are, baby.
 
Big_boss893: I love you.
 
INXSFan89: I love you.
 
Big_boss893: Jinx.
 
MadTeaParty: Mom, Dad, think of the children. Your children here in chat.
 
Lady_of_the_Void: @MadTeaParty What's wrong; aren't you glad they're getting along?
 
MadTeaParty: @Lady_of_the_Void perv.
 
BurningRangerSaturn: I have a question: Why does this matter at all? Aren't we just here for Putrescence's soul?
 
BishonenApocalypse: I love you both too. Now let's go home and rest up for tomorrow night.
 
Lord8=======D: Let's give octomom a break.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Lord8=======D nonumom
 
Lord8=======D: huh
 
BishonenApocalypse: @BurningRangerSaturn How do you think the state is employing their exciting new birth control?
 
Don't you get it? We've been trying and failing to pinpoint Putrescence in Beldwitsch for decades now. Maybe that's because she's technically everywhere.
Putrescence's "death aura" breaks down dead animal tissues, herbaceous plant matter, and microbial life on a cellular level. It's the reason she's able to grow plants at her feet as fast as she can too.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Lord8=======D nonu = nine; she's having nonuplets.
 
Lord8=======D: @BishonenApocalypse: I always wondered what that power of hers was for.
 
BishonenApocalypse: @Lord8=======D It's to recycle nutrients back into the environement. She played her part in the cycle of death and rebirth well.
 
BishonenApocalypse: It's important because if we figure out how they're using her soul like this, we can figure out where her soul is.
 
Big_boss893: Let's not forget that all this technology could help a lot of people if genuinely put to good use.
 
The problem is that it's also dangerous in the wrong hands. And it's in human hands!