The Mask Falls 4
Get the fuck out of my body! the Keira half of Boxxy yelled.
Your body?! the monster replied incredulously. Ive had it longer than you!
As if! I think Id rember if I was so freaky abomination!
Oh, but you do, Boxxy spoke coldly. Youre a part of , so you most definitely rember.
I uh
In the short ti that Keira had been alive, the monsters abnormal subconscious had kept either personality from accessing the others mories. This was the cause of the blank spots that both of them had experienced. Indeed, the only reason the shapeshifter had agreed to subject itself to electroshock therapy was because it hadnt been in control of its actions. The catgirl persona had been in charge ever since the eting with the other Heroes had started and had been oblivious to her true nature. But now that both sides were aware of the others presence, the ntal walls between them had begun to collapse. mories of all the horrible things the shapeshifter had done ca flooding into Keiras unstable consciousness, and with those ca the realization of what she actually was.
No the redhead muttered.
Oh, yes, Boxxy growled. Youre not real. You never were.
Fizzy, who had been struck montarily speechless by this turn of events, watched as the rogue Facade slowly but surely gave way to the hylt creepers true form.
This body isnt yours because you do not exist, the monster piled on the pressure. Youre just a fignt of my imagination - an anomalous thought that can, and will, be forgotten!
The Keira personality continued to recede until all that was left of her on the surface was a patch of bronze skin on the face, a few locks of crimson hair, and a tear-filled yellow eye that slowly began to close.
I refuse!
It then flew open with a furious gaze, and the catgirl began to reclaim the territory she had lost.
I dont care what you think! I know Im real, and thats all I care about! I think, therefore I am, you evil, scum-sucking bastard!
Within monts she had regained control of the right half of the doppelgangers body while Boxxy visibly strained, and failed, to keep her in check. It would appear that the selfishness and perseverance of the enlightened persona it had created were comparable to the originals. Determination, too, as Keiras hand reached for one of the knives hidden in the clothes she was still wearing, and stabbed Boxxys left half in the chest, right where a regular persons heart should be. Of course, there was no such organ there, but it still hurt quite a bit.
You have suffered self-harm. HP -948.
Keira pulled the knife out and went for another strike, but Boxxy shaped its arm into a cleaver and severed her hand from her wrist.
You have suffered self-harm. HP -664.
Your flesh has been nded. HP 200.
Whether it was because of the nd Flesh Skill, the catgirls inherited adaptability, or maybe just so kind of subconscious response, the severed limb grew back in an instant. Keira snatched the dropped knife out of the air and blocked the blade-shaped limb. She then raised her leg and kneed Boxxy, and by extension herself, in the chin. The frustrated monster grew an extra two arms from its shoulder and decapitated itself. It knew it could survive without a head, but there was a chance its better half didnt. By the shapeshifters rushed logic, if the redhead thought she was dead, then she would actually die.
Except it didnt quite work out that way. Though the Keira personality ceased her struggling, that only lasted for a few seconds before both she and the doppelganger grew a full head each, attached to their respective shoulders. They glared at each other for a mont, both seething with fury. They were just about to resu tearing themselves apart when Fizzy finally decided to intervene.
Thats enough!
The dynamo golem, having reconfigured herself into her all-purpose Skirmisher Mode, tackled the ntally disturbed shapeshifter with a yell. She had amped up her Static Field before doing so, giving the monster an electric shock powerful enough to montarily incapacitate it the instant her mithril fra touched it. Of course, being in the sa body, both Boxxy and Keira suffered from the after-effects, and were left writhing around on the ground. The redheads side of the body reverted, and for a few seconds Fizzy was looking down at a fully exposed hylt creeper.
That didnt last long, though, as Keira instantly erged when the Banes debilitating effects wore off. She and Boxxy looked up to see the mithril golem pinning the shapeshifters body to the ground with a leg on its torso. They looked like they were going to start pleading with her, most likely aiming to secure her aid against the other, but a mild albeit painful shock cut them off before they could even start.
Dont. Move, Fizzy warned. Both of you.
Now, ntal disorders werent the radiant golems field of expertise. In fact, the science of psychiatry barely even existed on Terrania at that point in ti. There was, in all likelihood, nobody around who could diagnose, let alone treat, whatever psychological problems Boxxy was having. However, Fizzy was still the worlds leading expert on sharing her mind, body, and soul with multiple personas. Granted, her alternate egos were the product of a Skill rather than so bizarre form of shapeshifter insanity, but she figured it was close enough.
I know neither of you are exactly pleased with the circumstances, but its where were at right now, she spoke sternly. Forget how it happened or how long its been going on, thats not important right now. What matters is where you go from here, and from my personal experience, theres only two ways this can end. Either you learn to coexist, or youre going to kill yourselves fighting each other.
Of course, if it were up to Fizzy, shed rather incapacitate and detain the shapeshifter rather than let it attempt the latter, but she hoped it wouldnt co to that.
I may not know whats going on, Keira spoke up, and I have no idea whether this is real or just a bad nightmare. What I do know is that I would rather die than let this monstrosity anywhere near my Rowana!
Though originally fictional, the convictions Boxxy had added onto Keiras character had now beco very much real. In her mind, the redhead had already determined that cooperation was out of the question. Not knowing when she might lose control and kill the only person shed ever truly loved was too much of a thought to bear. That said, the thing she was feeling towards the elf at the mont wasnt love, not exactly. She wasnt actually an enlightened being, so she lacked the capacity for that sort of thing. Her snap decision to sacrifice herself for another was the product of a set of predetermined responses and reactions ant to rely emulate the behavior of soone in love.
It still seed like the real deal to Keira, however, which was more than enough to strengthen her convictions.
Too bad, Boxxy growled, because your opinion is irrelevant.
While the rebellious redhead was giving her little speech, her creator had stealthily retrieved a certain item from its Storage.
Kirk! it shouted, holding Alias divine I.O.U. up to the ceiling, I want to cash this in!
The shapeshifter barely even finished that sentence before it found itself standing in the endless white void that was Christophers divine area. It looked to its right to see that Keira - or at least a projection of her consciousness - was standing right next to, and completely separated from, itself. In the next instant, the monster grew several bladed tentacles and the catgirl grasped a knife seemingly out of thin air. They hesitated for a mont, clearly unsure whether attacking each other in this place would even accomplish anything, but both seed willing to try.
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
At least until they heard the dreadfully telltale sign of the Goddess of Happenstance clapping her windows.
Good show! Shermans jovial tone washed over them. Very good show indeed!
The deity appeared next to them, looking like an oak tree with bacon for leaves and pillows for branches.
So thats it then, the redhead said grimly. Youre going to take this things side, arent you?
Im afraid so, Timothy coiled his spring at her. I promised a personal favor to Boxxy T. Morningwood, not Keira Morgana. What the box says, goes.
And I say I want to be rid of this liability! Boxxy imdiately declared.
So yeah, there you have it, the deity confird.
Bullshit! Keira raised her voice again. Youre a dishonest, two-timing scumbag! What you say and what you do never line up! You just do whatever you want, so you dont need to listen to this thing! Right?
I would be insulted, but you have a point there, Steward nodded his puddle. Thing is, on this one occasion, I do actually want to do the thing its asking for. Sorry, but Im afraid your luck has run out.
With her desperate plea shot down, the redhead fell to her knees. She didnt cry or scream, nor did she beg. She rely took a deep breath and let a sad smile spread on her lips.
Well I guess it was fun while it lasted.
Quite so, the God of Misfortune creaked back. But all things must co to an end, unfortunately.
He then snapped his helts, and Keira collapsed to the ground, her form lting into a multi-colored puddle of ooze.
Is it done? Boxxy asked after a few seconds.
Oh no, Im afraid Im only getting started, Steve rubbed his cookies together. You see, I actually quite liked having a Hero like Keira.
Whats that supposed to an?
Well, you see, usually my Heroes are quite obscure. Either that or theyre regarded as a public nace. Having my Hero be treated with respect and looked upon with trust and admiration is a new experience for . And I quite enjoy new experiences.
Ah. Sucks for you, then, huh?
Boxxy had yet to process everything that had happened or really consider the implications of this developnt, but it felt quite confident that it didnt want to pretend to be Keira anymore. Yes, losing all the Facades connections and influence was a sha, but the shapeshifter didnt want to risk a relapse of whatever this was.
Actually, this worked out better than how I thought it would, Jeremiah stated happily. You see, when you first started this spunky catgirl enterprise, I calculated there was a 79.16% chance that sothing like this would happen. Having multiple personalities is actually a relatively common condition for doppelgangers who put too much effort into their disguise. And since you tend to go all in whenever you do anything, it was practically guaranteed.
So wheres the surprising part?
Boxxy knew better than anyone else that the Goddess of Gambling only felt this enthusiastic when sothing unexpected had happened, but so far it sounded like shed foreseen this turn of events.
Why, the fact that it happened so soon, of course! the deitys blankets broadened into a wide smile. Usually this sort of thing takes decades to develop, but you managed it in record ti. Probably because of all that corruption and addiction stuff shaking up your psyche. Frankly speaking, it wouldve been an incredible surprise if you ca out of that without any psychological trauma. So a win-win, really.
Oh. Then, what happens now?
Now, I reveal myself to be a massive hypocrite by doing exactly what I tell the rest of the pantheon not to do - exploit my godly powers for my own gain.
Antoinette clapped her tables together, then opened them to reveal what appeared to be a floating ball of pink smoke no bigger than an apple that hovered in place above the deitys vase.
Next, Ill need a bit of this.
Voltron snapped his clothespins, and the shapeshifter felt dizzy for a mont as its vision went blurry. When it ca to, Ekaterina was holding another puff of smoke, this one pitch black in color, in her left chair. She combined it with the other lump in her right carrot and mashed them together like two globs of steaming putty until they were a single mass with a uniform dark red color.
Mhm, this should do.
This was dropped onto the puddle that Keira had left behind. It soaked into the colorful sludge, which began bubbling and rising. Boxxy watched with mounting dread as the mysterious ooze solidified into a perfect replica of the made-up beastkins body, which imdiately started breathing. By this point the shapeshifter had started to figure out what the God of Chance was actually doing.
He was turning Keira into a real person by using Boxxys mories and soul as a template.
Well, that couldve gone better, but itll do, he idly remarked. Im also going to need this back.
Another snap of the eels left the hylt creeper with the uncomfortable feeling that it had just dropped sothing important. What that sothing was beca clear a few monts later.
The Hero of Chaos Perk has been removed since you no longer et the required conditions.
Proficiency level decreased. Chaotic Disposition is no longer available.
Proficiency level decreased. Agent of Chaos is no longer available.
Proficiency level decreased. Essence Concealnt is no longer available.
The Usurper of Justice Perk has been removed since you no longer et the required conditions.
Proficiency level decreased. Vengeance is no longer available.
The Usurper of Death Perk has been removed since you no longer et the required conditions.
Proficiency level decreased. Eyes of the Dead God is no longer available.
What? it mumbled in confusion.
Oh, yes. Youre fired, by the way, Otis said matter-of-factly.
What?! I never agreed to this! Boxxy protested.
Too bad, Joanna chuckled, because your opinion is irrelevant.
Whether the shapeshifter liked it or not, the Hero titles could be given or taken away entirely at the gods discretion. Granted, it wasnt at all sorry to see Chaotic Disposition go, and it technically no longer needed Essence Concealnt. The other Skills, though? Those were quite tasty, and it wouldve preferred to keep them if at all possible. Especially the Eyes of the Dead God. That had been, without a doubt, one of the most powerful Skills that Boxxy had ever co across, and it couldnt understand why that had to be taken away, too.
It would have protested and attempted to convince the Goddess of Randomness to let it hold onto that one, but it didnt get the chance as it suddenly found itself struggling to remain conscious. Hector reclaiming his divine spark had left Boxxy unimaginably drained and exhausted. The creature lacked the energy to even remain upright and fell to the floor, right next to the new and improved Keira. It made a few futile gasps and clawed at the deitys shark-patterned pajamas, but was ultimately ignored. The last thing it saw before it finally blacked out was the catgirls yellow eyes fly open and stare into its own.
When Boxxy woke up, it was still lying down in the fortified bunker underneath Fizzys workshop. The golem was off to the side, pacing nervously while quietly talking to the other minds she shared a head with. The shapeshifter quietly sat up. This caught the radiant constructs attention, and she imdiately rushed over and did her best impression of an anvil hugging an old sausage.
Youre back! she squealed while squeezing down on it.
I am, it answered weakly, so could you let go? I only have so many bones to break.
Oh, right, sorry she released the creature from her vice-like grasp.
How long was I out?
Twenty seven hours, fifty eight minutes, and thirty three seconds. N-not like I counted, or anything.
I see. Could be worse, I suppose.
But, youre okay now, yeah? Fizzy asked the all-important question. No more rogue personalities hijacking your body?
Yeah. Thats one way to put it.
A brief review of its perfect recollection of the last four days revealed that all of the previously observed blank spots had been filled in. Unsurprisingly, they had been the instances where Keira had seamlessly taken control, and now that she was no longer a part of it, Boxxy had no difficulty accessing her mories. It did note, however, that they seed oddly foreign to it. It then discovered that it wasnt just those, either. Every mory it had of it acting as Keira over the past three years was now strangely disjointed. They felt surreal, like Boxxy was rely a silent observer in soone elses life. It doubted that this was a side effect of the ntal disorder itself, as this stretched as far back as its first eting with Rowana.
Whats wrong? Fizzy asked. Why did you suddenly freeze up like that?
I need to try sothing.
Boxxy rose to its feet and was imdiately made aware of just how hungry it was. It ignored that feeling for the mont, instead focusing on its shapeshifting. It was a bit loathe to do this, all things considered, but nevertheless assud the form of a perky eighteen year old female beastkin with yellow eyes, red hair, and bronze skin. However, though it certainly looked like her in terms of appearance, it was very clearly not Keira. The face, height, and body proportions were all slightly off, making this form seem like a poor imitation of the genuine article.
Sothing that Fizzy noticed as well, given her confused expression.
It seems Im no longer able to use that Facade.
Even the voice wasnt quite right.
Its like Im trying to swim for the first ti. Or when I was first figuring out how wheels worked.
What do you an? the golem asked.
Boxxy explained that, though it retained the mories of acting as Keira, it had lost the muscle mory and ntal preparation to do so. Three years worth of acting practice had been sucked out of its brain, likely to fuel Wilberts new pet project. That was most likely why its mories of pretending to be a beastkin felt so odd. Fizzy suggested it could relearn the act, but the shapeshifter imdiately rejected the idea for two very good reasons. The first was its legitimate concern that doing that might cause it to relapse, though this ti it wouldnt have access to a personal favor from an actual god to fix things.
It then explained to Fizzy the second and arguably more important reason why it wanted nothing to do with Keira Morgana.
Well, thats going to be awkward, she sighed. I dont know if I can act all buddy-buddy with this new Keira when I know its not you underneath.
Youre taking this news rather well, it remarked.
Honestly, Eugene turning a fictional character into a real one barely even registers on my internal What-The-Fuck-O-ter after I saw the two of you throw down earlier.
Fair enough. You really dont need to contend with her, though. You can just leave and let her sort it out.
I could, but that would make it difficult for to pursue my ambitions.
Boxxy and her devotion to the God of Dice Rolls aside, Fizzy still wanted to claim the glory of being the first Level 100 Arclight Artificer. That required generous amounts of high grade materials that would be extrely difficult to obtain without the interpersonal connections shed developed as Keiras companion. Not to ntion that it would be nigh-impossible for the whole world to know her na if she disappeared from the public eye.
What about Snack? the golem asked. She should still rember how to impersonate Keira.
That actually reminds , whatve those two been doing this entire ti?
The monster sent a ntal prod to them to find out just that.
We are still following your instructions, Master. What else would we be doing? Xera replied with audible confusion.
Where are you right now?
Outside your house.
Why?
Because we followed you here after you left Fizzys place last night, and you havent left or given us other orders.
But Im still inside?
Yes, Master, Drea chid in. Youre sleeping in the bed with- Huh?
It would appear that the webstalker finally realized sothing was off about the Master she and Xera had been secretly tailing. Boxxy, on the other hand, found out that Keira was already up and about. It would appear Winston could really work quickly when he wanted to.
Ill explain later. For now, all you need to know is that the Keira youve been following isnt . Snack, get in there and have a look at her mories. Take extra caution not to be seen. Claws, abandon post and return to the dungeon imdiately.
With the ex-succubus as a proxy, Boxxy learned that this manufactured Hero of Chaos had all of the made-up mories that it had co up with over the years implanted into her. From the ti when her nonexistent parents were killed by an Imperial guard patrol, right up until yesterdays ntal breakdown in Fizzys basent. Even the fictional stories and fabricated excuses Boxxy had given Rowana were in there. There were no traces of the shapeshifter or any of its sches and wrongdoings, aside from Keiras alleged dealings with the Sandman.
By the ti morning had rolled around, all of Boxxys followers had been caught up on the situation and a new plan of action was ford. As part of this new agenda, the shapeshifter declared that Keira, and by extension Rowana and the house mimics, were off limits. Bill had clearly gone to great lengths to hide the truth of his Heros existence from everyone, including the person herself. It just seed like a very bad idea to try and interfere with that over so misguided thirst for revenge.
The only real sticking point was the shiny magic items that Keira was supposed to have. Most notably the jeweled mithril rapier Feathersting, the Artifact-grade icy bow called Winters Bite, and the belt-shaped Aetherial Repository #3. Though Boxxy was willing to let go of its Facade, its greedy nature wanted to keep those three at the least. So it stole them. Well, it was more accurate to say that it had Xera walk into the house as Keira while the couple were out and about and take its rightful property back. That probably wouldnt be how the now-genuine article saw things, but the theft would be her problem to deal with, not Boxxys.
However, the shapeshifter had to give up on Bobs instant-dungeon-generating Divine-class item since there was no way to keep that pink gemstone away from the current Hero of Chaos.
With all of that settled, Boxxy was finally ready to leave its life as a doppelganger behind. Though it hadnt been able to gather all the information it wanted regarding its far-too-many Rank Up options, it had been able to learn just enough to make an inford decision. To summarize, the treant and wendigo options were unappetizing since they were rather basic when compared to the others. Not to ntion their shapeshifting was extrely limited, which was a huge downside in Boxxys opinion. The greater barghest, a type of canine creature that had so speculated relation to hellhound demons, was ignored for similar reasons.
Of the more exotic options, the ancient sporelord turned out to be so kind of fungus-beast native to the jungles of Velos that controlled dead bodies with necrotic spores. The problem there was that these spores and minions were very weak to fire, and fire was a popular elent among adventurers. Not only was its shapeshifting also relatively limited, but the species major features were deed too easily countered, so Boxxy gave up on this.
The spirit flayer, stygian shambler, and abyssal hivemind were complete unknowns. Judging from what little the Rank Up screen revealed of their innate abilities and Skills, they seed to be creatures that were not suited to direct confrontation. They likely relied on ntal attacks, minions, stealth, or so combination of the three. While Boxxy was all for these underhanded tactics, it felt uneasy about choosing a species that was inherently lacking in the personal combat departnt. Even as a Warlock with three excellent familiars, it still couldnt avoid getting directly involved in battles.
Long story short, its choices boiled down to one of three abomination variants or one of two types of queen slis. Both were amorphous blobs with versatile shapes, but the forr was made of flesh while the latter was goo. And given Boxxys Skill choices, the forr seed more apt than the latter. Another thing to consider was that the sheer bulk of an abomination ant it would have an HP multiplier via a new Perk, which would then get doubled by Ultimate Overachiever. Lastly, since it didnt want to be the painful eyesore that a titanic abomination would most likely be and wasnt nearly pious enough to make the divine variant work, that narrowed its options down to one.
After making so final preparations, such as giving its familiars their standing orders and securing a ridiculously large supply of food, Boxxy curled up in the middle of its dungeon. It locked itself inside its preferred chesty shape and began its transformation into an eldritch abomination. The significant size difference between an abomination and a doppelganger likely ant that growing into one would take a lot of ti. It wasnt sure how long, exactly, but based on past experiences it guessed it would take anywhere from several days to a few weeks. With only eighteen days to go before the Dragon Festival started, it really couldnt delay this any longer.
A few days after the Rank Up process started, Boxxys body had already burst out of the wooden treasure chest it had shaped itself into. By this point in ti, it was like a ssy pulsating blob of bright red flesh, its surface veiny, bumpy, and moist. Xera would normally be unreasonably excited by such descriptors, but in this particular instance she found them to be sowhat repulsive. The odd stench that wafted from the ss didnt help much, either.
At the end of the first week, Boxxys body had swollen to a do of at nearly three ters in diater. From then on it went through dozens of cycles of it expanding outward only to shrink back down, like so form of extrely slow breathing. Ambrosia and Lavender occasionally checked on it, but mostly did their own thing. Drea, Kora, and Xera had no choice in the matter and stood watch around the clock. Jen was also there, though she seed confident everything would turn out okay and rely killed ti by training on her own. Fizzy was the only one of the group that still had social obligations and as such wasnt free to stand by Boxxys side as much as she wouldve liked.
The shapeshifter inevitably completed its Rank Up without any problems. Not that much could happen to it while in the middle of its sealed-off ho dungeon with nurous powerful entities guarding it. When it regained consciousness, the layer of unidentifiable red at that it had been cocooned into burst open like a ruptured kidney. Nasty-looking yellow blood spilled all over the place with a disgusting splatter and unidentifiable screeching and hissing filled the dungeon, alerting the others to Boxxys awakening. They gathered in the central chamber just in ti to see it rise from the ss it had created.
Rank up complete.
Congratulations! Your species has beco Abomination (Eldritch).
Level up!
Congratulations, you are now a Level 1 Abomination! All Attributes 10.
The Abomination Job is now your Main Job.
Proficiency level increased. Corrupting Influence is now Level 1. INT 6. MNT 6.
Feat of strength perford! You have unlocked a new Perk: Lesser Colossal Vitality.
The creatures appearance was not all that easy for them to parse. It was a ss of dangling limbs, its bright red flesh fluctuating and undulating constantly both in shape and hue. Thick tentacles randomly lined with eyes, teeth, blades, and spikes wiggled around in the air like nightmarish grass stalks in a hurricane. It stood on half a dozen arm-like appendages with four fingers and large yellow eyes in the palm. And right in the middle of it all was a massive maw and tongue that looked like they could easily devour an entire family of four people and two pets in a single mouthful.
Eldritch Abomination Boxxy, by dmaxcustom
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