Strange Mobius
The holy grail of Alchemy is the philosopher's stone, with which an alchemist can convert any substance into another. Its discovery gave the Ilthur great power, and with that power came arrogance. Once a race of philosophers and scientists, now the Ilthur are conquerors and hedonists, seeking only to expand their empire and acquire power. Ilthurians breached the dimensions, enslaving, amalgamating and altering the creatures they found into various slave races to serve their lusts and build their arcane cities. Woe to those who fall into their clutches, for even demons are not safe from the Ilthur's schemes.
-The Brahmn Codex
"Mistress, I beg you not to proceed with this experiment. It is unnatural, and highly dangerous. Are you not aware of the disaster that befell the City of Zuul when they attempted this?"
Sullustra calmly set her wine goblet down on an ornate teakwood table. Rather then respond to her prostrate underling, she made a short gesture with her hand that left a glowing rune floating in the air. The lowly Ilthurian servant girl felt a growing lump in her throat, and then realized her tongue was growing. It spilled forth from her lips as a large, slimy tentacle. Needless to say, the girl could no longer speak with the large appendage protruding from her mouth.
"I've told you before Sul'Thaka that I do not appreciate your nagging. My decisions are final, and if you continue to question them I will not only leave you like this, but I will sell you to the Ophidian cultists. They pay quite highly for modifications such as yours. Now go and check the preparations, I wish to start when the moons are aligned."
In truth Sullustra knew how dangerous her plan was. Melding the demonic powers of a mighty nightmare demon and the healing aura of a pure unicorn could indeed level whole cities. The energy released by the joining could not be contained in any known creature or amalgam thereof, except for the ones she had recently discovered. Of course she had not shared this fact with Thaka. It wouldn't do for her young servant and would be apprentice to learn too much too quickly. Besides, she thought as she admired the way Thaka's petite derriere swayed as she left the room, Thaka could always serve in other capacities, especially since Sullustra would no longer need apprentices after she harnessed such power.
Summoning her other servants, Sullustra dressed in her latest set of Mancer robes. These were imported from a dimension of tree dwelling creatures and their soft fur brushed sinfully on her bare skin. She had taken the liberty of modifying the color herself to match her newest deep blue hoof polish. Now properly dressed, she descended to the slave pits to observe her secret treasure.
The pits held row after row of strange beasts gathered from all over the universe. Slave raids regularly left from the capitol of Gozer and brought back all manner of strange creatures from the cosmos. Sullustra often went to the slave auctions just to see what new and bizarre creatures they had found. Many became little more then exotic pets in her gardens, but others became her magical playthings, twisted and sculpted to suit her whim or satisfy some experiment. She passed many of those on her walk to the depths of the pits, but she had long since forgotten them. Only the creature in the last cell had any interest for her.
The Auctioneer told her that they were called humans, and they were pretty in a strange way. Shorter and stockier then Ilthurians, they had blunt ears rather then Ilthurian's long and graceful ones, and had blunt hand-paws instead of split hooves for feet, but otherwise looked very similar. Of course, they had one important difference that Sullustra had discovered while experimenting with a female. Humans had an exceptional capacity for containing light and dark powers. She had stuffed the female so full of demonic creatures that each drop of the girl's fluid released a small thraxodemon, and yet the girl did not devolve into a mewling demon spawn as so many had done before. She repeated the process with another, this time merging it with pixies, light spirits and fauns until it was blinding to look at.
Unfortunately, these humans were difficult to capture, and it took months before another came up for auction. Sullustra snapped up the male quickly, using her sundry reputation as cover for her purchase. Though bound, the human stared angrily from beneath his chains. "You have no idea, my pet, what is in store for you." Sullustra whispered.
She held out a large horse bit and bridle.
"It may look too large now, but when I am done it will fit perfectly. I will ride you to victory and dominion over all Ilthuria, and perhaps in other ways as well."
She shuddered at the thought of all the power that would be hers.
Of course, Sal'Thaka found that being unable to talk made the final preparations take much longer. Fortunately the other acolytes knew what had to be done and she only had to write brief instructions. All the magical seals on the Nightmare and the Unicorn's circles were intact, and the final inscriptions on the third seal checked out as well. She had just enough time to step into one of the storage rooms and paint her skin with protective wards of her own design. Just in case. She returned to the main alchemy chamber just as the acolytes brought in the creatures.
Two servants carefully placed a jet black orb in the first circle, quickly stepped outside the wards and used a long pole to pull off the paper seal. Instantly the orb vaporized into thick black smoke that flowed and tested the perimeter of the wards before coalescing into a jet-black mare with a flaming mane and socks. The demon nightmare snorted and whinnied angrily, but did not attempt to escape.
Next came the unicorn. Unlike the nightmare it did not resist, for the magic bridle on it's head kept its will in check. Of course the hell spawned chains used in the bridle rubbed and chafed the magnificent beast and left raw bleeding welts and scabrous infections. Only the unicorn's magical healing kept it alive. They left it sitting blank eyed in another circle.
Finally came Sullustra's mystery creature, the human. Bound and gagged, he still struggled mightily against the beast handlers. Just as they reached his circle he slipped free of their grasp and made to run. One of the other handlers jumped for a trailing choke rope grabbing it and hanging on as the human dragged him along. His weight slowed the human just enough for the others to grab hold of the other lines. They soon wrestled him back to the circle and chained him down to the floor.
With the creatures in place, the acolytes positioned four large philosopher's stones in the antherior circles around the human and withdrew to their places. Of course with the grunt work done Sullustra could now enter. She sashayed over to the human. "Little man, where did you think you could run? You can't escape the fate I've made for you. Don't worry, you will enjoy being my minion."
Sullustra then took her place at the combiner's juncture.
"Let us begin!"
She led the chant herself, her melodious voice echoed in the vast chamber. The philosopher's stones glowed a deep red and pulsed with each octave her voice rose and fell. The apprentices and acolytes, Sul'Thaka included, each began their own parts of the chant. A mystical vortex formed over the human, reflecting the glowing wards. Both the nightmare and unicorn started to fade, their essence drawn into the vortex and then into the human vessel. The first stone shattered and the fragments flew into the vortex, feeding it further. The human's chains disintegrated, and he slowly levitated into the center of the storm.
The change came quickly. Black fur spread down his arms and legs. His toes merged into a split hoof, and his ankle extended. Two more limbs grew from his chest, and his ribs expanded on both sides of the new limbs as his hips rotated. His body became more centauroid as the second philosopher's stone disintegrated and joined the vortex, adding to his mass. The third stone shattered as his head elongated into a mix of equine and human. Surprisingly, two large breasts blossomed on his, now more her chest as the female aspect of the nightmare and unicorn mares overwhelmed the smaller human's maleness. Sullustra smiled, her mount would indeed be beautiful.
In color the new creature resembled the nightmare, but instead of fire she merely had reddish orange fur and mane. Oddly her tail took more after the nightmare then the unicorn, but she had more of the unicorn's sleek physique. In a final gust of magical power the fragments of the last stone merged with the fleeting images of the two supernatural creatures to form a long, elegant pearl horn on her forehead.
"I shall call you Sal'Vaul, or Sullustra's victory in the old tongue. Now let me gaze upon you my darktaur." Sullustra moved forward, her magic bridle in hand. She had plenty of time to put it on the new creature for the wards would keep it docile and weak for some time. As if to prove her point, the beast fell to the ground and promptly vomited, giving Sullustra a new view of her steed's hindquarters.
"Hmm, its seems you are not a she, but a shi. This will make breeding so much easier."
She lifted the bridle to the dry heaving Sal'Vaul's head. But the darktaur ceased hir convulsions and swiftly grabbed her hand. "No." Shi rasped.
"What! Release me!"
"No!" The darktaur stopped heaving and looked the Ilthurian in the eye. A fearful knot formed in her gut as Sullustra realized the creature had spoken directly in her mind. She quickly asserted herself.
"Fool, inside this circle you are at my mercy, I will..... why is nothing happening? Thaka! I knew I couldn't trust you to check the wards!"
"She did check them." Vaul held up a small, sharpened fragment of rock obviously chipped from the wall of a holding pen.
"You, scratched it out?"
"Just a small part as I wrestled with the guards, but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link."
"Kill him, do something!" Sullustra ordered, punching at the darktaur's hand as she spoke.
"Sit!"
A wave of mental energy flooded from Vaul and the acolytes gripped their heads and fell to the floor. Only her personal wards saved Sal'Thaka, and she began to edge towards the door. Just as she reached it, the very rock of the walls closed in, sealing all the room's openings. "You weren't thinking of leaving were you?" The darktaur taunted. Hir voice carried a demonic edge.
"We...I ... have many interesting ideas. Vengeance we agree upon, and in this the demon is whispering many, many appealing things."
Mustering all the charm she could wile dangling above the floor, Sullustra tried to bargan. "Wait, we can make a deal. You have great power, but I have great knowledge. I can advise and aid you in taking over Ilthur."
Vaul regarded her for a long silent moment.
"I have decided.... I have always wanted... Minions."
The darktaur stood, hoisting Sullustra as shi did so and walked out of the circle. The unconscious bodies of the acolytes rose and levitated before hir. With a wave of hir hand their bodies began to twist and reshape, growing extra legs, fur and tails. Soon a phalanx of deer like centaurs bowed before their new master. All were now female, and below the waist they resembled large deer. Each had a star shaped mark on their forehead flanked by two small antlers. "How may we serve master?" they asked as one.
"Bring me the other one." The doetaurs quickly dragged Sal'Thaka from the corner.
Vaul plucked the enslavement halter from Sulllustra.
"Hmm, your head is not the right shape." With a wave, Thaka's head elongated into a smaller version of Vaul's own sans hir horn and keeping Thaka's tenti-tongue. Shi easily slipped the halter on the terrified girl and watched the intelligence seep from her eyes. The doetaurs released their new sister and she bowed submissively before Vaul. Her first thought broadcast from the halter. "How may I serve?" Sullustra could almost see the obedience imprinted in Thaka's thoughts.
Vaul released Sullustra into the waiting hands of his minions, and turned hir back on them. Sullustra dared to hope. "So, how can I help you?"
"Take off her clothes and jewelry." Vaul ordered. Sullustra willingly disrobed, wishing to avoid the eager hands of her former servents.
Vaul braced her rear legs. "Thaka, prepare me."
The mindless girl stepped forward and placed her hands on Vaul's rump. She licked her slimy tongue, slowly at first, all around Vaul's opening. With great care she coated the darktaur's rump with slime, then moved to her inner folds, and finally coating her virgin channel. Vaul moaned slightly as she did so, turning an evil eye to watch Sullustra's reaction. Her thick nipples betrayed her carefully maintained mask of indifference. She would always find such power arousing, more so when she was a step away from doom.
"Enough, I'm ready." Thaka stepped back from the darktaur. The doetaurs gripped Sullustra firmly, lifting her in the air and keeping her limbs tight against her. "Wha.. What are you doing?"
"You have no idea, my pet, what is in store for you." Vaul taunted.
"You may look too large now, but when I am done you will fit perfectly. Don't worry, you will enjoy being my minion, and in time, my daughter. Then you will make recompense for your crimes."
The last thing Sullustra heard as the doetaurs shoved her into Vaul's slick passageway was the darktaur's evil laughter.
Thaka woke suddenly at the gates of the pit. "Owww, what happened?" She checked herself and found her normal Ilthurian body without the tongue Sullustra had given her earlier. Looking behind her the tunnels were a contorted, twisted mess. Obviously the spell had gone awry, and only her secret wards had saved her from being blasted into who knows what. She turned to go back upstairs and instead looked straight into the eyes of Vaul. Immediately her own eyes glazed over, and her tongue dropped from her mouth revealing that it was still a long tentacle, just retractable now.
"What do you remember." Vaul asked.
"The merging failed, the magic exploded and wrecked the pits and joining hall. I escaped due to my wards, but everyone else perished."
"What will you do now?"
"I will take over Sullustra's position in court and spy on the various factions. I will blame humans for the disaster and have their dimension blacklisted. I will gain power and wealth and continue my studies, I will induct others.... All to better serve my master."
"Good girl."
Thaka shook her self. Why was she staring at the wall? She headed up to deliver the bad news to the other acolytes, but for some reason felt pleased with herself. She was going to be a very good girl from here on.