Rage Removal
Cormag stormed up the stone steps, panting harshly not from exhaustion, but due to a rage that he struggled to control through those sharply inhaled breaths, a fury that boiled his blood, muddled his mind, and threatened to overcome him at any moment. The wolf's exposed neck fur and leather armor was covered in dried blood and a fresher coating of the crimson substance. He nearly tripped on a step, righting himself with a snarl and a curse at the stairs. His already thin patience was just enough to make him to the top of the steps. It was not, however, enough to prevent him from slamming into from the wooden door that awaited atop. The poor portal swung ajar, nearly torn off its hinges as he forced it open. He stepped inside a dark room only dimly lit by a candle and slammed the door behind him. The wolf glanced around the confines. Stone walls made up the space. To his left stood a robed figure and to his right was surprised jaguar laying upon a cushioned bench. She sat up at his approach, but he was not interested in her. He lifted a rough paw and pointed a claw at the robed individual.
"Are you," he growled. "Yegu?"
"Yes," the robed individual nodded. "But--"
"Good," Cormag said, turning to the jaguar. "I'm here for an appointment."
"But--"
Cormag lunged forward and caught the jaguar by her shoulder. She struggled, but it was of no use. The nearly raging wolf was far stronger and so he had an easy enough time dragging her to the door. He kicked it open and pushed her out, sending her rolling down the steps.
"No interruptions!" he yelled before returning to the room, again slamming the door behind him. He advanced upon the robed figure. "My appointment is now."
"Well actually--" Yegu began.
"No!" Cormag snarled. "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't--"
"Like you when you're angry," Yegu sighed. "Yeah, I get it. Alright, give me a moment."
"A moment? I--"
The wolf fell silent when someone knocked on the closed door. Cormag looked to it and then back to Yegu.
"Who is that?"
"Probably the nice woman you just tossed out of here," Yegu said, shaking his head underneath his hood as he moved to the door.
"What are you--"
Yegu held up a glove hand and opened the door. Cormag bared his teeth and seethed, but remained still as Yegu whispered to the individual on the other side of the door. After a minute, Yegu nodded and closed the door. He turned to Cormag.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked.
Cormag flexed his claws. "I might have killed you."
"Ah, but you didn't. So--" Yegu extended his arms forward. "Why are you here?"
"I have..." Cormag looked down to his blood stained armor. "Anger issues."
"Apparently."
Cormag rumbled and regarded the robed figure with angry yellow eyes. Yegu shrugged again.
"I suppose I'm not the first one you've come to, correct?"
Cormag nodded. "That's right. The others have no been so helpful. The last one..." The wolf shook with anger, staring at the ground. "He kept repeating to me everything I said as questions. It was..." He sniffed and looked to Yegu. "...rather annoying. I slashed his throat. I didn't mean to...I didn't mean to kill him but if he hadn't...hadn't BEEN A--"
"Whoa there," Yegu said, holding up a hand. "That was the past. How does it affect your future?"
"He was the third I saw. The guards...the guards are after me."
"Hmm, and yet you've come to me?"
"Yes. I want you to remove my rage. Even if I'm to die for what I've done, I'd like to have peace first."
"I think I can solve both problems. You neither have to die or live with your anger any longer. Please," he gestured to the padded bench. "Take a seat and lay down."
Cormag was about to when a thought occurred to him. He narrowed his eyes at Yegu and turned his head slightly, his scarred ears folded back.
"I don't think so," the wolf said. "You're just going to run away once I give you the chance. I can't trust you."
"You must if you want to live."
"Is that," Cormag growled, his hand going to the sword at his side. "A threat?"
"Of course not. Now please, take a seat."
Cormag glanced at Yegu's covered legs. "I could just break your legs. Then you couldn't run even if you wanted to. Yeah--"
"That would be quite unnecessary. I promise you I won't hurt you. You have my word."
"And what is that worth?"
Twin spots of light momentarily flashed underneath Yegu's hood. Cormag took an involuntary step back.
"More than you think," Yegu replied. "So, will you let me help you?"
Cormag nodded and sat down on the bench. He was halfway to a lying down position when he opened his mouth to speak.
"What," he said. "Are you going to do to me?"
"Help you solve your problems," Yegu answered, approaching the wolf. "It will be painless, do not worry about that. When I am finished, you will be better off because of it."
"Finished with what? I must know!"
"I am going to remove your rage."
"How? Tell me or I'll--"
Yegu actually snorted beneath his hood. "Or you'll what? Throw a temper tantrum? You berserkers are all the same. Anger and violence is not the answer to everything. I can show you that if you'll let me."
Cormag took a deep breath, then lowered his back until he was lying upon the bench. Still he kept his lupine head turned towards Yegu and his gaze focused on him.
"Relax! I will not even have to touch you. This will be much easier if you just relax and close your eyes."
Cormag reluctantly shut his eyes and turned his muzzle upwards. Yegu nodded and moved a little closer to the wolf.
"Good, good," Yegu said, speaking in a tone more soothing and calm than before. "Tell me, do you know your rage?"
"Above everything else," Cormag said. "It's been there from the beginning."
"Oh? Always?"
Cormag nodded. "Since I was a pup. My litter-kin were always afraid of me, even those elder."
"A terrible thing, then."
"No," Cormag shook his head. "It has brought me wonders. Were it not for my rage I wouldn't have been able to slay a hydra, pillage an old god's temple, and face a horde of Earthen alone."
"Yet you wish to be rid of it?" "It has cost me more than gained...I am disowned, dispossessed...disliked. I've killed three others because all they had me do was talk. Talk, talk, talk. Like this." Cormag scowled. "Is this it? You are annoying me, sage..."
"We are almost done talking. Well, at least you are. Tell me one more thing: can you envision your rage?"
"My rage is me."
"No, no. Your rage is part of you, not you. Perhaps it is your core?" Yegu asked, to which Cormag nodded. "Good. Visualize it as a sphere if you can."
"A ball?"
"Sure, why not--a ball of tangled anger and fury. Let me have it."
"But it's mine!"
"Are you sure you really want it?"
Cormag sighed, and then he relaxed a bit. His arms hung loose at his side and his breathing was calmer and slower.
"No," the wolf said.
"That's what I thought. Let me take it."
"No! That's thievery! What do I get?"
"Peace. Think. When that...ball is gone, there is a void, an emptiness. You can fill it with something. Let it be serenity. Are you ready?"
"All we're doing," Cormag groaned. "Is talking."
"Are you ready?" Tegu repeated.
"Yes, fine."
"Good. Good..."
Tegu pointed a hand to Cormag's chest, palm facing upwards. He then motioned towards himself. Cormag hiccupped as a crescent outline of energy traced itself near his heart. Red lines of the same force spilled out from this circle in every direction over his body, forming rivulets that pulsed occasionally as they fed into the circle. Cormag shuddered and the lines pulsed faster and more frequently. The circle began to rise out of Cormag's chest, forming into a solid sphere of spinning crimson.
"I am taking it now," Tegu whispered.
"I feel nothing," Cormag said.
"Good..."
Tegu gestured to the sphere again. It rose a little further and at that moment Cormag began to change. His dirty, unkempt fur became clean seemingly of its own accord; then, it transitioned to a smoother texture, soft and downy. Starting at the wolf's head, it ruffled itself a bit and was soon fur no more, but fluffy feathers. It was an odd sight to be sure, a feathered wolf, but Tegu did not focus on this. He only concentrated on pulling the sphere further out.
"This cushion is actually quite comfortable," Cormag spoke, though he was not sure why. "It's--"
"Hush," Tegu murmured. "Relax."
Cormag did so, much to his own surprise. At other times he might have struck out at a man for telling him to quiet. Now he only lay still, growing content as his rage left him.
Tegu extended his other arm and gestured with both hands. The sphere tugged and came no looser from its confines. Still, the wolf's feet briefly shivered as the feathers on his paws gave way to tough, almost scaly orange flesh, digits elongating into taloned extremities. Cormag stretched his altered feet, not even realizing they had changed. He suddenly shuddered as a strange feeling crept from his feet to his head. The wolf shrank, tough muscle and sinew fading away into delicate legs and curves while his bones hollowed out. He absentmindedly scratched at his chin with his right hand as additional feathers grew on both his arms, giving them the appearance of wings, and paws lost a digit, twisting into tri-taloned hands that were much weaker than before.
Cormag opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Why ruin the moment? Everything felt fine. For once he wasn't angry.
Tegu brought both of his hands closer to his chest and the sphere was finally able to pull itself out more, now almost half complete. The robed figure chuckled softly when the wolf's scarred muzzle shrank inwards, stubby now, nose and teeth fading away as the flesh hardened, bisected unequally into a pointed beak. The rest of the wolf's head followed suit: his ears shrank away while his cranium reshaped into a more avian appearance and his eyes shrank, now predominantly black though tinged by a brown iris. At the base of his spine, his tail pulled inwards then spread out into a fan of tail feathers.
Tegu laughed again and brought his hands to his chest. At that, the sphere ripped itself out completely and flew towards the robed figure, coming to rest in his open palms. Cormag moaned in near sexual ecstasy while his manhood, barely visible under his ill-fitting pants, drew in, shriveling and diminishing until he simply had nothing there for a moment. His hips widened and his groin roiled and then two soft lips of a feminine sex formed--and he was no longer a he. The female dove shivered pleasurably, uncaring as two mounds of flesh pushed out from her upper chest until she had a proper set of soft breasts a little larger than average for an avian of her size, nipples pushing not entirely uncomfortably into her too-large leather breastplate. Finally, the dove's rump plumped out, giving her an ample amount of cushioning.
The changes complete, Tegu lifted the sphere to his hood. He slurped and the sphere vanished.
"Delicious," he said in a voice so low that Cormag could not hear. He gave another soft laugh and took a step back. "How do you feel now?"
"Wond--" Cormag began, ceasing speaking when she heard the sound of her voice--so soft and feminine, nothing like the harsh growth of before.
The dove opened her eyes and sat up. She glanced down at herself and her eyes widened with surprise. She opened her beak to speak, but no words came to her. She did not even feel angry, she could not feel angry--she was merely bewildered.
"What--what did you do to me?"
Before Tegu could answer, a knock sounded on the sound. Whoever knocked gave neither inhabitant any time to answer before the door suddenly flew open. Out of instinct, Cormag got to her feet, which she realized too late was a mistake. Not only was she unused to her new feet, but her clothes weren't the proper size. Her pants and belt fell to the floor, exposing her sex to all and she found that her leather breastplate did little to hide her actual breasts. She squawked when she saw who entered--four city guard. One of them, a bear, stepped towards Tegu though the ursine's attention was far more focused on the naked avian a few feet away from him. He stared at her in bemusement, causing her to blush and cross her legs.
"You," the bear said, turning to Tegu. "We received word that a wanted murdered was housed here."
"It seems to be a mistake," Tegu replied. "It's just me and my whore."
Cormag opened her beak to protest, but Tegu raised his gloved hand.
"Silence," he said. "There's no use disguising the fact."
"Hmm," the bear grunted, looking around the room and the strangely dressed dove. "Weird attire...kinky, but very well." He nodded to the others. "He must have paid her off to lie. We'll find him..."
The guards left shortly, closing the door behind them, leaving a near naked Cormag and Tegu alone. For a time there was silence between them. Finally, Cormag could hold it in no longer.
"What the hell did you do to me?" she asked.
"I removed your rage," Tegu said. "And resolved your problem. You won't be recognized like this."
Cormag sputtered. "I didn't ask for this!" "I think you did," Tegu chuckled. "You most certainly did."
"Tits and weakness? I did not! C-change me back!"
"No."
Cormag tried her best to summon her familiar anger, her rage, but it just wasn't there. She was empty--no, she realized, she was at peace.
"I'll report you!" she said. "I'll warn anyone else! Your name will be worth nothing! There will be retribution!"
"No."
"What do you mean, no? You can't stop me! You took my dick--I'll take your--"
"You'll take nothing," Tegu said, lowering his hood.
Cormag gaped at what she found herself staring at--a demon's grinning visage. Tegu snorted and took a step towards the dove, who shrank away at his approach.
"You'll do nothing. The only thing you should say about me is good things, because I could have taken much, much more. Oh yes," he said, leering at Cormag's exposed sex. "I could take something else and give you something else. Would you really like to carry a demonchild?" Cormag shook her head. "No...no."
"That's what I thought." Tegu put his hood over his head again. "Now accept what goodness I have granted you."
"H-how? I'm female and I--"
"Have no applicable skills? That's what I thought at first too when I was exiled. In time I found it easy enough to serve mortals in a way that benefitted me. Perhaps you can come to a similar, more corporeal arrangement with other mortals--bodily works, for a price. You wouldn't be bad at it." Tegu chuckled as shock ran through the dove's eyes. He shrugged. "Or not. You could always take up knitting. I don't really care. You gave me a taste of something I haven't had for quite some time. More than a taste--I'm really quite full. I already gave you my gratitude and you have my thanks."
The demon brushed past the dove.
"Wait!" she squawked, grabbing hold of him. "What am I to do?"
"I already gave you two answer, three if you count the one about you whoring yourself out. Would you really like more advice from a demon, a denizen of the dark?"
Cormag shook her head. She let go of the demon and lowered her arm. She shook, though no longer out of rage, but fear, fear of the future. Tegu sighed and his shoulders slumped. He turned to the dove.
"I know a seamstress by the name of Irn," Tegu said. "I helped her out too. Mention me and the Eager Gem and she'll help you out."
Cormag stared blankly at Tegu.
"I'm helping you out more, alright!" Tegu said, bending down and picking up Cormag's oversized pants. He held them out to her. "Now put these on, go to Irn the seamstress and mention me and the Eager Gem. Got it?"
Cormag nodded, taking the pants and hurriedly putting them on.
"Now get the hell out of here!"
The dove set off immediately, waddling towards the door. The demon watched her leave, sighing when she was actually gone.
"Nice ass," he said. "Would've made a good whore. Freakin' mortals, making me go soft..."
The demon retreated to the wall opposite the padded bench and waited for his next appointment.