Home Away from Home (Yogu)

Thread PL: 110,000
Items: Jet Squirrel | Badman Shirt

---

Yogu's dreams have gotten odd lately. Specific and surreal images blur past his unconscious mind. Swirling masses of shadow in a clear blue sky, like birds in synchronized formation. A pool of water deep below the earth, dark and reflective on the surface. Monster staring up at him from the rippling mirror. The beast emerged from him, from his chest. The spiral scar molded into his chest from what happened in central city. The wound was a gateway. His skin was shed, and something new emerged; it wore his face, but it wasn't him. It was scary and different and better. More.

Yogu had a feeling these dreams meant he would die soon. He wasn't sure of the when or how, but ever since he woke up in that hospital after the day he got that scar, Yogu felt that he would not live to see another year. These dreams seemed to confirm that to him. It would be soon, and Monster would play some hand in it. Unlike what Steel had said to him when Central City got wrecked, he would face it alone on a planet that seemed to jump from feeling like an alien land of swords, sorcery, and stark skyscrapers to feeling like home on any given day.

If this oncoming death would free him from this constant limbo he found himself in, that was fine by him.

He awoke in a grimy alleyway, upside down and surrounded by trash. He was in a dumpster, with his legs pointed straight into the sky. This was not where he fell asleep last night, which is a good sign. It meant Monster was stirring. Doing things. While he backed out of the garbage, he thought it best to check on the demon mentally. "Yo. Gimme the rundown. What were you doin' while I was out?"

The Monster speaks low and solemnly, "I have found the path again. It is time. The Kashvar we needed to find have been found."

Yogu scoffs, "You coulda done that since the moment we set foot on Konats, that right? Instead, you have me wander around like I'm still on earth! I had to fight in a kai-damned gladiator arena for like a month; why?!"

Finally, he popped out of the dumpster, landing on his ass in a grimy alleyway. A long silence followed. Yogu didn't move. "Monster, what we're doing is just gonna pull you out of me or whatever, right? There's no way I'm gonna wind up dead, am I?"

"Depends on your definition of death."

The boy's eyes roll reflexively, "Okay, smartass. What's your definition of death?"

"There is more to life than the body. Or mind. We are more than the sum of our parts, boy."

The thing's words shook Yogu. Where was the fatalist end of everything talk? Monster was feeling way off. "I don't get it. Why aren't we with these Kashvar dudes who know what to do about you?"

"You must go of your own volition. It appears you have some will of your own, after all, vessel. Your ancestors would be proud, Yogu. The ones from here, at least."

Hearing those words from Monster caused a sinking feeling in Yogu's chest, so intense that he almost fainted. He thought of Chomei. What would his more earthly relatives make of what the boy was doing now? Nothing good. Yogu knew going along with the beast's plan was a dumb idea. And yet, he had to keep moving—that would prevent him from blacking out again. No thinking. He stumbles out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk of a fast, busy street in Lux. Hovercars narrowly blur by him, and he files into the sea of people wandering the neon jungle on this stormy night. "Okay, so what are we actually gonna go do with these Kashvar fellas? Don't hold back. I don't exactly expect gettin' you out of me to be pretty."

"It won't be. We will return to the place I was made. Ginnungagap. The void pool. Where I was carved out from the abyss and molded into form. I suspect you must submerge yourself in the pool while they perform a ritual." That was it? Didn't sound so bad.

"For real? I just have to take a dip in some fuckin' pond while some dudes chant a song? That's the solution to all my problems?" This was absurd, even for Monster. "You're kiddin'. What kinda bullshit is that?"

"It's magic. I would not expect you to understand, son of Konats. You just need to do it."

"Magic. That's the answer to everything with all this supernatural crap, ain't it? I swear, the next person to explain away something with 'magic' I am gonna put my boot so far up their-" Yogu grumbles the rest of the way to where Monster said he dumped the kid's jet squirrel during the possessed escapades.

---

Having to march back into the scrap heap that was Gamma Row was pretty sucky. He'd been hanging out around there because he felt like he belonged there at the time. Among the trash, with all the other forgotten things. There were nice parts and not-so-nice parts, but they all blurred into indistinguishable gray for him. His vision tunneled, and the boy's brain felt like it was lit on fire, trying to imagine what this Ginnungagap would be like. Until some kid shouted 'Yo!' which got his attention. Yogu instinctively turns to see who shouted his nickname and what he saw made him do a double-take. Whatever that beast behind him was, there was no way it had a kind soul. With the horns and the general build, it reminded him of Monster... Was it looking at him? Had it been following him?

An afterimage is left where he's standing, but he's already dragging the kid across the street by the arm. "Get the fuck outta here, 'kay? Whatever that thing is, don't matter 'cause shit's about to get ugly." He pokes the kid in the forehead and turns swiftly, the outstretched finger now pointed squarely at the now-exposed creature. His tone was more annoyed than anything else as he saunters across the street towards the thing. "Alright, you. I'm not completely dumb. You were followin' me, weren'tcha? Explain. Now. And make it snappy; I got places to do and shit to be."

His misspeaking was more accurate than he knew.

---

wazzup

Total WC: 1,069

That went pretty well. Monster didn't intervene; he caught that thing off guard; that kid was nice and safe. Now for... Nothing?

Yogu deflated. He was getting pumped for a brawl, but the creature wasn't into it anymore. What a letdown. This disappointment in his humanness really peeved the kid. He was here to learn all about this Konatsian side, and here this guy was calling him some run-of-the-mill mundane human. He was loads of unique! He was! And the boy was desperate to prove that to just about anyone, especially people who've already called him super powerful.

He squats down in front of the creature, one foot in a puddle, and tilts his head, "Well, to be honest, not really. Everyone I've run into around here has been kinda weak. It was a bit of a letdown for me, too. Although..." He stands back up, "I'm half-konatsian myself, pal!" His pointed ears wiggle for emphasis, "Ya know, if that helps. That kinda makes me the strongest Konatsian, technically. I think. Not to mention-"

Monster laughs in his brain, "Are you so desperate for attention that you're going to brag about the spooky demon you're bound to? How passé."

Yogu deflates again after the sassy remark but continues, "I've got an evil spirit bound to me. That's probably that weird thing you felt in my ki. Guy's a real tough cookie. Had 'em since birth, I think. I dunno how that works out in science-speak, but that probably funks up my DNA, right? Ehhhh?" He says, nudging the guy on the shoulder. "Come on, you can still do your evil plan! I swear! I've got plenty'a Konatsian DNA runnin' through me!"

---

Total WC: 1,350

Yogu was successfully reeling the guy back in. The problem was that the kid forgot what he was reeling him in for. The creature sat on the sidewalk brought up a pretty good question. "Hey, Monster, are you from Hell? I guess I probably should have asked that a long time ago, huh?"

"What, that measly little fire pit you fell into that one time? You think I'm from there? BWAHAHAHAHA- No. You never listen, do you, boy?! I am cut from the fabric of the unseen! I am from the space between where the walls meet in the corner of your room! The gaps in the world—those spaces that stop existing when none are around to perceive them—that is my dwelling! Not some ditch your gods kick lost souls into when they're through with them. Mortals are just too dumb to differentiate the difference between myself and your bog-standard demon, your languages so primitive that you call me not but a Monster! I am so much more son of Konats, but this physical reality restricts me! I was chained long before I was sealed into your ancestors' body."

Yogu sighs and rolls his eyes, "I dunno, just asked, and its answer was pretty long-winded and self-aggrandizing. But no, I don't think he's from Hell. I've seen the guy a few times, though. Definitely looks like a demon to me."

Well, it looked like Yogu was able to get this creepy DNA-eating creature's spirits back up. Surely nothing bad could come of it, right? "Good! It's always important to get back up and try again, ya know? Gotta keep on goin'- WOAH!" Suddenly, this behemoth is diving on top of him, their chest opening to reveal a freaky-deeky mouth! "THAT'S NOT WHERE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE!" He shouts as it is about to clamp down on his head.

"MORON!" Monster's voice rips in his mind. The spiral wound in his chest sears for a moment, and then the world goes black. Did he just get eaten? No, but his body was gone, separate from the soul. He was floating in the void now, in the unseen space Monster came from.

Back in the physical world, Yogu's body suddenly surges with power. The terrified expression hardens into that of a rageful beast. He pulls back, narrowly avoiding getting his head chomped on, "SHOVE THIS UP YOUR CAKEHOLE AND DIE!" He points a palm dead-on at the things' chest-mouth, and a one-handed Kamehameha explodes out; red bleeds into the true blue of Yogu's ki until the beam becomes a vibrant, blinding violet.

The boy's body stands up, smoke trailing off his hand. "Pardon my roommate here. That boy is a bit of a dunce." Monster cracks his neck. It's loud. "My, that is much better. I tell you, earthlings have the worst posture. Especially the ones his age." He smiles, "Look at you, eh? You are beautiful. I would show you my face, but the last time I shed this skin the boy fought for control again and sent us both into a sleepy little coma for a while. Shutting down like that is not in the cards for me. The boy was right; we have places to be. Apologies if you thought you could jump the idiot, but tonight is not your night, it would seem."

---

Monster takes control using Utility || Possession!
Monster activates MAX Power (x3), PL is now 330,000!
Monster fires a Medium Attack || Kamehameha to meet Cephala's Crunch! Incoming damage is 108,000 (60% - 90,000)! This technique has the SNIPER variant.

KP: 6/6 -> 2/6
MP: 0/6 -> 2/6
HP: 0%
Total WC: 1,907

"Ooh, you alright there, buddy? I didn't getcha too bad, did I?" Monster cackles, gloating over the hole he put in the thing's shoulder. "That will be my first and only warning shot. Look at me, being so kind." Okay, maybe messing around when you had things to do was fun. A little bit of mayhem every once in a while was necessary! His foe seemed to think so as well, diving at him to try to chomp the kid's noggin yet again. Monster was too sluggish after that attack—just a little bit too slow.

The chest teeth bare down on his skull, "You wanna see what's behind the curtain so bad?! Fine-" With a satisfying crunch, a chunk of the boy's head is torn off. No blood or brains. No anything. It gave like paper. Shadow poured out from the head wound as though there were nothing behind the skin but smoke and vapor.

A furred, black-clawed hand extends from the hollow space in his cranium, reaching out to scratch at the creature's eyes. "Look what you did! I'm oozin' out into the material world all over the place now! FINE! You'll get what you want... But it won't be pretty." The hand stuck out of the boy's head pushes against him, forcing itself out. Monster emerges unnaturally fast from the impossibly small hole, the beast standing tall in all its horrible glory before Cephala. The outer shell lay there limp, like shed snakeskin. "Well, here we are. You've got your look at me. Aren't we a pair? We could be a duo, you with your sciencey DNA stuff and me with my thing. Whaddya say, partner?" He doesn't wait for an answer, slamming his fist into his fellow monster's jaw.

"So what are you, another experiment dredged up by the Kashvar to recreate me at my apex? Some overgrown lizard from Lux's sewers?" Either way they would be reduced to mashed bits and ash soon enough. No one gets in the way of his afternoon ancient rituals!

Yogu was freaking out. This was really bad. Sure, Monster living in his brain or whatever was bad enough, but the last time the demon-thing was physically on Konats was, like, a millennia ago when his ancestor sealed the beast inside himself! Bit of a dumb plan if you asked him, but he could still feel that he was letting generations of people down. 

---

Monster tanks Crunch! 27% Damage received.
Monster claws at Cephala's eyes with Light Offensive || Devil Claw! Incoming damage is 66,000!
Monster crawls out of Yogu! Konatsian Spirit (x5) triggered! PL is now 550,000.

KP: 2/6 -> 1/6
MP: 2/6 -> 4/6
HP: 27%
Total WC: 2,311