Core Beast

Maggie stared in awe at a flashing screen. She was watching a cartoon, nothing specific, the point was it had monsters in it. It was an episode of a show with heroes where the monster was about to win. It absorbed the heroes and turned them into faces on it's disgusting body. She immediately became disappointed when, through some circumstance, the heroes won and were freed. No lasting damage or effects. She was fascinated. Their 'otherness' to the cast of heroes and the implications of what would happen if they were to simple run loose without being stopped. She would also have to wonder what it would look like if those strange creatures won. What would happen to the show? The characters? What would the world look like shaped by them instead of Heroes and how would people survive? Questions that were never answered in anything she watched.

As she was staring at the screen Maggie looked over and saw a friendly enough looking girl with silver hair, red eyes and small pointed ears. She was wearing an odd-looking dress that was both dated in it's style and ahead of it's time with how much skin it showed. It was a cross between some type of medieval gown and a clerks outfit.

“Okay, so that's cute. You always liked watching things with monsters but you were always left disappointed by how they were portrayed. We can work with that. It's... Lacking something concrete but it's a good enough motivation to start from.” The girl explained.

“S-sorry?” Maggie asked.

“Who are-”

The girl waved her pale hand. “Oh, don't mind me. I'm just a memory right now. Keep going.” She implored.

“You were jaded by something, right?”

Maggie blinked and found herself years ahead of where she was standing next to a hospital bed. “How am I-” It felt like she was there, but at the same time she was just a passenger to reality as it flowed around her and played out the way she remembered. The girl stood beside her, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“A ****. A **** is pretty good. Due to Human excess? Human recklessness?”

“N... o? It's an illness. That's a big stretch because she's fine. She's recovering. Who are you?”

A nurse approached them both from behind. “I'm sorry, miss? Only family are allowed in this room right now. This other girl will have to leave unless she's related to you.”

The pale girl blinked and lifted both dark gray brows. “No. No, I don't think so. I think that other's are allowed, too. Making a big deal about something like this is a diversion to the real point of the scene...”

The Nurse suddenly shook her head and acted as if it was no longer an issue. “I'm afraid your mother's insurance has been dropped.”

Maggie stared at the woman blankly. “N-no! She needs to be here! If she's sent home she'll... Die?”

“We don't know that.” The nurse claimed.

“The Doctor seems to think she'll be fine with rest. The bill for the care we've already provided will come in the mail.”

“No no no.” Maggie panicked.

“She will die. She-” She clutched her head.

“How do I know that? I can see it, almost...”

The pale girl passed an incredulous look between Maggie and the nurse. “Sorry? You have all of this technology, all of these resources and your Doctors toss out patients for being unable to 'pay?'”

Maggie sniffles. “Who the hell are you!?”

“This isn't believable. She still dies but let's say she died here in the hospital. It's more believable that way. To me, anyway.” The girl shrugged. As she did the machine began to flat-line The nurse ran out of the room calling for the Doctor.

“Still... How is THIS going to motivate you further? It's just a **** from an illness...” She sounded like she was brainstorming.

“I'm actually not confident on this one... Does it matter?”

“W-wait... You can change things?” Maggie clutched her loose black sleeves. The girl leaned back, a smug smile crossing her lips.

“Some. More if you let me.”

Maggie looked around desperately. “M-motivation? Like... like this is a story? What if my mom LIVES?” The girl continued to stare in amusement at Maggie.

“I'm letting you, I'm letting you! You have full access, just save my mom!”

“Wow, that was easy. Okay. So, how does her living motivate you?” The machine began to beep again and the nurse returned.

“Good news! The unsurance or whatever is back and that means your mom can stay here and it's all fine.” The woman said in a very stilted fashion, as if she was being **** or bent.

“I have to go now and do other things.” She left.

That strange event aside, Maggie was content. Her mother was alive and somehow able to stay in the hospital. She was suddenly more open. “Motivates me to what?”

“To be more interested or amicable towards monsters. I think we're pretty close with this backstory.”

“Okay, uhm.” Maggie stared down at her fading mother, the machine buzzing flatly in her ear.

You!” Maggie points.

“Me.” The girl nodded.

“You're a monster.”

“Am I? Maybe by your perception.”

“That still works, right!?” As Maggie said that the girl looked up briefly and offered a light shrug.

“Okay.” She breathed.

“Good. You stopped my mom from dying. I'm literally in your debt.”

“That's true.” The girl nodded.

“You are in a lot of debt right now.”

“R-right.” She set that aside.

“So, thinking... If my mom lives I would've had an easier time going to school and that would have allowed me to pursue my curiosities rather than what I'd need to get by.”

“I can kind of see that. I'm not a monster, by the way.” The girl pouted.

“I'm a Primal. With that part sorted we're going back to the earlier thing and focusing on that some more. You enjoyed seeing monsters growing up. Funnily enough, your interest in the 'strange' and 'unnatural' lead you to want to understand other cultures. You became something called a 'liberal' and went on several trips around the world. You-” The girl sounded like she was reading on a script but she stopped suddenly and clutched her forehead before looking up.

“Wait, you literally have no monsters in this world? How can you be obsessed with something that isn't real? This makes zero sense!” Her eyes became bigger and redder.

“This world SUCKS!” Her size grew and a shadow or an aura grew behind her of an angry horned creatures with claws and wings, or possibly something else.

“HOW am I supposed to-”

Maggie was stunned, but she managed to **** out in a weak lie. “Th-they're 'real' we just don't see them because they're rare, right? The-they exist in the shadows and prey on people without us...” She closed her eyes and braced to be killed or eaten.

“Noticing?” She opened one eye. The girl was swaying to and fro happily while pulling her bottom lip and staring up.

“Okay. Yeah, you know so many stories. I guess I read your memories wrong. I'll correct them all the way back for you so it's more clear.” Maggie felt her mind burn briefly like a pen was running over her brain, scratching the lobes. Her jaw dropped as she felt different about the world. The stories she was interested in suddenly took on a far more intriguing slant. She was no longer just seeking them out for entertainment but as a means of survival and protection, because all of the subjects of those stories were real to her.

“That works. Just one more thing before we return to my office.”

“Yes?”

“The name Maggie.”

“What about it?” Maggie stared at the woman coarsely.

“I am, yeah.”

“Ooh.. Okay. Well, what if we changed it to Evelyn. I think it's just way nicer.” The girl said sweetly, as if it was not a big deal.

“That is obviously not going to be okay.” Maggie complained.

“I don't know who you are... You came into my life when I was... Young and started commenting about every little thing. I- I don't know what is happening but you can't just change little things about my life and expect me to go along with it.”

“Sorry. So, to be clear, your name is Evelyn and you do NOT want me to change it under any circumstances?” The girl asked somewhat seriously.

Evelyn nodded. “Yes. I like my name.”

“I like it too, actually. I can call you Eve. It just rolls off the tongue.”

“So why did you want to change it to...” Eve clutched her head. Scratching.

“We're getting rid of that part in editing, and this part explaining it. Don't worry about it, Eve.” The girl said flippantly. Evelyn blinked and they were back in an old office. A quaint little study dimly lit with nothing but space outside the window behind the girl.

“Evelyn! I...” The pale, silver-haired girl raised a thick tome.

“Read your book and I'm a big fan. This copy just got drafted after you so wisely gave me full access to your story and I must say, it is a page turner now.”

“My... Book?” Evelyn squinted. It was a dark, leather-bound book with the name 'Evelyn' on it. Well, for the most part.

“Why is 'Maggie' scratched out over the top of my name?”

“Don't worry too much about that, Eve. Point is, I am a fan! I love your story, your drive. I think it works for something I'm working on.”

“What's that? Can you please tell me who you are?”

“I'm Synra. The people of this world refer to me affectionately as The Writer. I am a Primal and you are, as it is affectionately referred to in your world...” She opened the book to a random page and squinted. Eve had an odd feeling that the word 'affectionate' was being used liberally.

“Is..e..kai'd? Did I say that right?”

“Yeah.” Evelyn shrugged.

“So I get to have an adventure in another world? It's a good deal, I guess.”

“Not like you were doing anything back home.” Synra flipped the pages quickly to the point that Eve began to stumble and feel dizzy.

“What if I want nothing to do with you?”

Synra shrugged. “That's actually fine. I don't mind too much. I didn't bring you here and I can't send you back. I just intercepted you along the way. From what I understand, being a human in this world is actually really uncomfortable for you. You can't eat, the air slowly poisons you. You have to basically live like a monster to survive and it breaks most of you.” She explained, trying to sound sad.

“So you're suggesting I have an alternative with you?”

“Do you like this body?” Synra asked, standing up to do a little spin.

“Yes.” Evelyn said quickly. She was a pretty woman with short, smooth silver hair and pretty red eyes. Her thin lips held an almost innate, ever-present smile. Her body was nothing short of immaculate. Trained but also feminine and voluptuous. She was like a model.

Synra giggled. “So, this isn't actually mine but I like her, too! This girl is a lot like you. She's curious and academic and a bit sad!”

“O-okay? Getting a bit hurtful near the end.”

“Oh, and get this, her name was also Evelyn! Isn't that a crazy coincidence?” Synra said cheerily.

“It is.”

“I'll give you her body and place you back where I picked her up. It's going to cause a few ripples in the area, since she's been gone, but I'll feed you some of her memories to help you through tough situations. I mostly want you to figure things out for yourself, though.”

“Okay? What exactly am I doing?” Evelyn asked, shaking her head.

“You're going to be completing a long-time project of mine. The Bad End Guide.”

“Oh, before you leave, I'm writing this part out for now, so you're going to have no idea any of this happened. You're just going to feel like someone that got reincarnated in another world.”

“How convenient...” Evelyn criticized.

“Are you insulting MY writing!?” Synra's shadow grew again as dark red lines radiated off of her.

“N-no. I was just saying that...” She was in the process of being stared down with the Primal breathing heavily and angrily. Evelyn relented.

“I think it's a good idea... Sounds way more fun.”

“Right?” Synra giggled.

“It's probably too much info to include at the start of an adventure. Don't want to overload your little brain.” She perked up.

“Oh! Speaking of!” Synra tapped Evelyn's forehead, causing the girl to immediately pass out.

-

You snorted and lifted your head. There was a puddle of drool that was collecting around your cheek, so it was wet as you sat up and looked around.

“Where the hell-” You muttered, wiping your cheek with one of your white silken sleeves. You looked down at your soft, slender hands. Nails painted bright red. As you stood up, people were looking at you and you were not sure why. As you stepped over to a cart and picked up a brass plate you immediately knew why. You admired your stunning appearance. Piercing red eyes, a thin, pretty smile and short cute silver hair. It was a sharp contrast to your plain appearance back home.

“This is me? Is this a dream?”

An Asian man with dark hair approached you, at least, that is how you read things. “Excuse me.” He stared at you and waited impatiently.

“Yes?” After waiting a little longer he reached out and swiped the plate from you.

“Order or leave! You've been sleeping here for hours!”

“Sorry!” You quickly left the inn and entered out into the open world. Looking up you saw steep green slopes leading up into cylindrical mountains that stretched out as far as you could see, which was surprisingly far. You felt your face and realized no glasses. No glasses, yet you had better than perfect vision. If you focused, you felt like your eyes could work like weak binoculars. You began to feel excited from just that, even before you took in the large, foreign creature carrying a cart past you on the secluded road. It was a hoofed creature that could pass for mammal back home. It's limbs seemed coarse, however. A cross between wood and stone. It's horns were black and stretched far out to the side before branching out like a moose. It's head seemed to have something like an exo-skeleton, with a solid-looking natural mask holding two beady eyes deep in the sockets. It's body was covered in a thick layer of moss-like brown fur.

“Pac... Pacnal?” You repeated out loud uncertainly. The cart stopped.

“Are you alright, miss? Do you need a ride?”

A booming voice sounded from behind the mountains. “Do NOT give her a ride!” You watched the cart driver quickly rush around the bend to escape. He did not even look back. You looked up in the direction of the voice and witnessed something you only thought you would ever seen in movies. A purple haired girl was riding a large sword down towards you. She was possibly more stunning than your current form, at least in terms of chest size and hair length. It trailed behind her as she flew after you quickly. You began to hastily cross the road to leave, but the girl of course landed in front of you. Her sword shrunk, pulled into a small pendant-sized sheath around her neck.

“L-listen-”

The girl seethed as she closed the distance. She spoke in a low, harsh tone. “After you were taken by the Writer I thought we'd never see you again. I hoped we wouldn't. You don't look Scriven, but-”

“I'm- I'm not! I have no idea what you're talking about! I swear. I swear... Lyla.” The name just came to you, but you could not put together anything else about the girl. Hearing you say it seemed to soften her up some.

“You can't trick me... Just tell me why you went with her? You knew...” Lyla uttered.

“I don't remember any of that, I swear!” You cowered as Lyla drew her sword and began walking towards you.

“Satisfied that those are your last words?” She asked coldly.

“If you're Scriven, now, at least fight. The ruse is over. Your mistress did not send you out to simply die, did she?”

You backed up and raised your hands, shaking. You somehow felt her intent as though it were a real **** that was assaulting your senses, like a warm wind biting your face. She actually wanted to kill you. She lifted her sword, and just as she was about to bring it down across your chest the two of you stopped, hearing a brutal, gurgling groan from the brush.

“Damn it! Not now...” Lyla glared at you.

“Is this your doing?” You just gave her a confused look as large, bipedal hoofed beasts emerged from the brush and charged straight for you. Lyla watched your reaction scrutinizingly and was surprised to see only fear. It was as if you were completely unprepared or uninitiated in facing an actual beast. It was not something she expected. The purple haired girl stepped back and waited. The charge was in process and you and her were both in it's path but she seemed for more confident than you. She was waiting.

“Help me...” Your legs gave out and you covered your face with your hands as you fell to your knees. You heard a sound like a clicking tongue in the midst of the loud stomping and bellowing, followed by a an arm curling around your waist. You opened your eyes to see the ground rapidly retreating in an arc. Lyla had picked you up and jumped away. The girl landed about twenty feet away.

“Seriously? You're actually clueless, aren't you? Either that or this is the best bluff I've ever seen. Standing in the way of a-”

“M-minotaur...” Your eyes widened as you took them in in all their large, masculine glory. The bulls were between eight and ten feet tall, but stocky as well. They were legitimate tanks. Their bodies were covered entirely in fur with a very clear, lifelike bulls head sitting atop their muscular shoulders. Their eyes centered on you and Lyla. The men wore little more than a loin-cloth supported by a belt. At their side they had three bovine-skulls of all things that hung from their waist like masks., horns and all.

“What are they doing?”

“They've got 'masks' so it's not a hunting party it's breeding party.” Lyla explained. You both watched two of the Minotaurs keep their attention centered on you. The third began moving towards the inn.

“Were there any women in there!?”

“Y-you asking me?”

“Yes I'm asking you!” You thought for a moment, then nodded evenly. There were one or two enjoying meals at different tables.

“Damn it!” With that revelation Lyla dropped you and charged forward in one motion. She was like a purple missile moving towards them monsters, however your eyes could actually follow each movement. It was fluid. She got right up under the first and poked her sword into his chest as the third ducked under the entrance. As you wondered why she was not going for him first, you realized that if she had, the other two would have come and easily taken you and done whatever it was Minotaurs did to women. You had to admit, you were very very curious.

The Second tried to smash her with his large, crude mace but she easily side stepped it. He covered his chest with his hand, seemingly forcing her to slice around at his limbs until he fell forward, unable to move. She then bolted into the Inn, which sounded like a disaster area. The Minotaur must have been moving around like a bull in a china shop. You were not sure what happened, but you assumed it was quite similar to what happened outside. There was a loud crash to confirm your assumption. A few more minutes passed before Lyla lead two slumped over women out of the Inn. They had the skulls over their faces and seemed to be in a daze. You watched curiously at first, then rushed to intervene as Lyla raised her sword to strike them down in the street.

“Wait!” The girl stopped and looked at you curiously.

“What?”

“What are you doing!? Why are you going to kill them?”

“They're already infected.” Lyla explained.

“You really don't know anything? You were the one who knew the most about all of these...” She added sadly.

“I- I don't remember.” You claimed.

Lyla explained with a pained expression. “It's a life cycle. Watch...” As she said that the skulls crumbled, leaving just the horns. The area where they were attached looked red and angry, like the skin was fighting an infection. Lyla pulled on them.

“Fixed... There's no getting them off once they attach. Look...” She walks over to one of the felled Minotaurs and grabbed a skull. She tossed it haphazardly to you.

As you caught it you asked. “Put it on?”

“Don't put it on, idiot!” Lyla shouted.

“Just look at it.”

You turned it around. The inside was smooth, almost polished. Everything was picked clean. Finally, you noted on the inside of the horns there were thin tendrils reaching out. You recoiled, but also felt an intense interest in them.

“The... It's all in the horns? The brain?”

“Exactly.” She walked back to the two unlucky women. They looked clueless, drooling. Their eyes were crossed, but they at least looked happy.

“The horns penetrate the skull and attach. Removing them basically kills the person, since they immediately wrap around the brain... They're going to slowly change into female Minotaurs capable of breeding. Then when they're used up they die, the parasite nourishes itself on the flesh of the body and recedes into the horns to go again when a Minotaur comes along and presses the mask over some poor girl's face.” Lyla gave you a strange look.

“Are you salivating?”

You were, but you were not about to admit that. You wiped your mouth. “Sorry, I'm still adjusting. I really don't remember anything. I guess... I guess I knew you at one point because I remember your name.”

Lyla rolled her eyes. “Got it... I'm taking you back to the Ascended Great Master. Jiahna. Remember? If you know, and you're lying to me? You might as well just put that mask on. Understand?”

“I don't...” You offered honestly. You were thrust into this world that you did not understand, in a body that was not your, one with a past that was biting you. You stared down into the mask as the writhing tendrils within the horn that were poised to grip and penetrate into anything they touched. You wondered if it would be a merciful end. As it stood, you were alone in a world that had none of the amenities you were used to. None of the people you liked. Your family, your mother in particular.

“Do... Do you feel it?”

“Hm?” Lyla intoned questioningly before offering a little shrug.

“I don't know. Eventually, you come to your senses. So far as I know, you still have memories but you are a Minotaur. You're hopelessly aroused all the time, big...” She paused.

“Milky... It's a popular fate for bandits to subject women to, just for the fact that it creates attractive, useful slaves. But it's also dangerous.”

“How?” You asked curiously.

“From what we've seen.” She described while looking down at the rapidly degenerating women.

“You eventually regain your sanity but it's a constant battle between against your instincts to try and help 'your own.'”

“I see...” You placed the mask down.

“Please don't kill them. It seems... It seems cruel to not give them a chance, right?” Your heart bled. Lyla was speaking from a place of practicality, educated by where she grew up. You Knew she was being rational. At the same time, your sensibilities did not like to see life wasted if there was a chance. With that explanation out of the way you also came to terms with the fact that you were just so interested in seeing what was going to happen to them.

“If we don't kill them, you are going to be responsible for looking after them. So long as Master doesn't just kill you when she sees you.”

“Understood.” You considered your options with the added responsibility tacked on.

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