Tribulations

[Blaze]

"Ew... why do those carrots taste so gross, man? Can't they be made to taste better?" Squirms as he feels the changes happening.

"We've tried, believe me, but the taste is bred in. Even trying to cook them better doesn't work, they taint any meal they're involved in." Abba says with a shrug.

The changes continue, Marco's face rounding and becoming womanly as his body begins to shrink, shoulders rounding and slimming, skin becoming smooth as his nails blacken and grow, becoming sharp and pointed. He feels something push out from under his shirt, two things actually, round and somewhat heavy, tenting his shirt... on top of them though, something else seems to be forming, feeling odd against the fabric of his shirt.

At the nun's words and soothing gestures, Innes is stunned into silence. Her eyes widen slightly and she gives her a lingering glance before she responds.

"Um... perhaps that would be best..." She's on the verge of blushing as she summons those words. She continues, "I never would have expected a member of the choir to be... so..." She pauses again and the redness of her cheeks intensifies. "... gentle."

And once she had gotten that final word out of her mouth, the chuckle resonates throughout the area. Innes almost literally spins around to face the direction the voice had come from. She looks around as thoroughly as she can before turning to face the nun again. "... dost thou have any idea as to what that might have been?" She doesn't wait for a response before continuing, "And does it pose any sort of threat to my friends?"

From the shadows of the street, from roofs and up from manholes, demons emerge, surrounding the three. Thair leader, the one who was laughing grins menacingly at Innes.

"Who do we have here?... a little angel, two human mercs, some supplies... and innocent children in these buildings. Come along quietly, or I can't promise no... collateral damage."

The redhead stands between Innes and the insect demon, gesturing with her hand. The nun goes to pick up the supplies and kicks the door down, running inside!

"Little angel, follow me!" she calls.

*All the stuff, forever*

The unconscious soldier does in fact wake up in transit. His eyes flick around, taking in his surroundings and giving a defeated sigh, remaining quiet other than that. As for the bodies the CTC moved out of the way, Choir and Southerners show up for them eventually, giving the CTC a respectful nod and a gruding grin respectfully before taking them away.

-----

The scans show that the child is healthy,if a bit malnourished. As for the nuns, the older nun gives no resistance as she is pumped wit the drug, and the younger ones remain silent, following her lead.

-----

Alex beams, her smile filled with optimism and shakes her head.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaah, they would never! They're probably trying to gather info or somethiiiiiing~"

The scratch does not do anything at the moment but the demon can feel an unfamiliar presence in his scratch mark. However Sam takes advantage of the demons' demonstration of anger as he begins to attempt scratching him all over his body

"You're getting so angry you've broken your tool. Well I guess it won't be the only tool breaking away... hehehe sorry couldn't help myself.

THe demon grunts angrily, swinging his fist wildly, leaving massive opening for Sam to claw him up!

"Oh my, how graceful~" the demon ditz says with a giggle.

[KonokoHasano]

"We've tried, believe me, but the taste is bred in. Even trying to cook them better doesn't work, they taint any meal they're involved in." Abba says with a shrug.

The changes continue, Marco's face rounding and becoming womanly as his body begins to shrink, shoulders rounding and slimming, skin becoming smooth as his nails blacken and grow, becoming sharp and pointed. He feels something push out from under his shirt, two things actually, round and somewhat heavy, tenting his shirt... on top of them though, something else seems to be forming, feeling odd against the fabric of his shirt.

"That's a shame, man, I bet they could be really tasty..." Wiggles some as he looks down at himself. "Gender changes can feel sooooo weird sometimes, you know? Though... I got some nice nails." o.o

[Restless Lucidity]

From the shadows of the street, from roofs and up from manholes, demons emerge, surrounding the three. Thair leader, the one who was laughing grins menacingly at Innes.

"Who do we have here?... a little angel, two human mercs, some supplies... and innocent children in these buildings. Come along quietly, or I can't promise no... collateral damage."

The redhead stands between Innes and the insect demon, gesturing with her hand. The nun goes to pick up the supplies and kicks the door down, running inside!

"Little angel, follow me!" she calls.

Innes looks away from the nun long enough to notice the demons and their leader... or at least take note of them, somewhere in her mind. In reality, as she glances around and tries to sight every one of them, she falls in to a sort of trance - a sort of dizzy daze brought about by the stress of the situation and suddenness of the demons' appearance. Her eyes glaze over and she stumbles back before the voice of the nun breaks through the fog that seemed to surround her. As if she was a lost soul seeking the light of the end of the tunnel, she blindly dashes in the direction of the voice with every remaining ounce of her strength and determination. In that brief moment, she forgets about her friends, her body, the state of the world...

... everything.

But she's snapped back to reality soon enough once she's inside with the nun. She runs alongside her, panting, and is barely able to force out the words, "Miss... nun... whatever is going on? Were those horrifying things... insects? Demons?" Her voice trails off and her eyes shut tight for just a moment. "What's happening?"

[Sam]

Sam begins to rapidly claw the demon with his blue hand targeting every body part he possibly can. Hopefully if he manages to scratch him entirely, the transformation process can proceed at a pace that isn't slower than a slug.

"Man you are just so angry right now? Was it something I said?"

[Jello Shot Mischa]

The unconscious soldier does in fact wake up in transit. His eyes flick around, taking in his surroundings and giving a defeated sigh, remaining quiet other than that. As for the bodies the CTC moved out of the way, Choir and Southerners show up for them eventually, giving the CTC a respectful nod and a gruding grin respectfully before taking them away.

The vertol travels swiftly, carrying the soldier to Academy City, where it sets down upon one of the many hospitals there -- although as the soldier is offloaded onto a gurney, he may note that there seems to be a significant military presence in this hospital. His guards escort the gurney, as techs and orderlies begin checking the soldiers injuries as he's moved to an operating room for a proper examination.

Meanwhile, once the clean-up duty is complete, the CTC troops began to evacuate back onto their aircraft, pulling out of Muffinville for the time being. The squad that had been accompanying Abel hop on board one of the aircraft, to get to the rendezvous point more quickly.

The scans show that the child is healthy,if a bit malnourished. As for the nuns, the older nun gives no resistance as she is pumped wit the drug, and the younger ones remain silent, following her lead.

The doctor nods, and double checks the color scans of the child, to see if there may have been any latent exposure to color energies, before motioning for the next family member to approach to be examined.

Meanwhile, the lieutenant chuckles. "So, it's one of those kinds of beliefs? Short on critical thinking, high on dogma, in order to instill unquestioning obedience within its members? I'm disappointed... I'd hoped for at least a rousing intellectual discussion regarding your philosophies and beliefs. Not even the usual propaganda speak about how virtuous your faith is, how it will lead to the betterment of humankind? Honestly, why are the lot of you out here harassing the poor citizens of Muffinville?"

As the drug progresses through the older nun's body, unless she has some unusual resistance to it, she'll start to feel more relaxed and compliant. The lieutenant doesn't seem too bad, even friendly to a degree. Perhaps talking with her about things might help the CTC see their own shortsightedness!

Alex beams, her smile filled with optimism and shakes her head.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaah, they would never! They're probably trying to gather info or somethiiiiiing~"

Alex nods. "That is, admittedly, this highest probability assessment of our strategic AIs. Still..." She glances at Mendo. "They are the ones that would have the most useful information for your search. I presume you wish to investigate this sighting?" she asks, tapping the datapad.

[Blaze]

"That's a shame, man, I bet they could be really tasty..." Wiggles some as he looks down at himself. "Gender changes can feel sooooo weird sometimes, you know? Though... I got some nice nails." o.o

Marco's shirt begins to fall apart, scrap by scrap, revealing black feathers that cover his chest and upper waist, covering up any naughty parts on his new breasts! His shoes break apart as his feet shift, toes fading away, feet splitting into three gray leathery toes with long talons on the end. His womanly legs are also clad in black feathers, up to his thighs. The remains shrink down into black panties that cover a shrinking bulge as a pair of wings erupt from his back! Though, male pronouns aren't accurate anymore it seems, judging by the lack of bulge in those panties.

Marco has been left as a harpy!

Innes looks away from the nun long enough to notice the demons and their leader... or at least take note of them, somewhere in her mind. In reality, as she glances around and tries to sight every one of them, she falls in to a sort of trance - a sort of dizzy daze brought about by the stress of the situation and suddenness of the demons' appearance. Her eyes glaze over and she stumbles back before the voice of the nun breaks through the fog that seemed to surround her. As if she was a lost soul seeking the light of the end of the tunnel, she blindly dashes in the direction of the voice with every remaining ounce of her strength and determination. In that brief moment, she forgets about her friends, her body, the state of the world...

... everything.

But she's snapped back to reality soon enough once she's inside with the nun. She runs alongside her, panting, and is barely able to force out the words, "Miss... nun... whatever is going on? Were those horrifying things... insects? Demons?" Her voice trails off and her eyes shut tight for just a moment. "What's happening?"

"It seems that some demons tracked us for our supplies, and they know about your friends. My companion can deal with them, but we need to find and protect the children." the nun says, all trace of jovility gone from her face, replaced by a cool, stern woman.

"Do you have any idea where they could be?" she asks as the wall of the building cracks as a body is slammed on the outside of it.

Sam begins to rapidly claw the demon with his blue hand targeting every body part he possibly can. Hopefully if he manages to scratch him entirely, the transformation process can proceed at a pace that isn't slower than a slug.

"Man you are just so angry right now? Was it something I said?"

"KILL YOU!" the demon roars, whole body tensing up. By this point, he has likely been scratched all over, to angry to form a proper defense.

The unconscious soldier does in fact wake up in transit. His eyes flick around, taking in his surroundings and giving a defeated sigh, remaining quiet other than that. As for the bodies the CTC moved out of the way, Choir and Southerners show up for them eventually, giving the CTC a respectful nod and a gruding grin respectfully before taking them away.

The vertol travels swiftly, carrying the soldier to Academy City, where it sets down upon one of the many hospitals there -- although as the soldier is offloaded onto a gurney, he may note that there seems to be a significant military presence in this hospital. His guards escort the gurney, as techs and orderlies begin checking the soldiers injuries as he's moved to an operating room for a proper examination.

Meanwhile, once the clean-up duty is complete, the CTC troops began to evacuate back onto their aircraft, pulling out of Muffinville for the time being. The squad that had been accompanying Abel hop on board one of the aircraft, to get to the rendezvous point more quickly.

~*stuff and things*~

The techs would find that the soldier has a few bruised ribs and some minor internal bleeding. He also went without any air for a bit, but it's all minor. In fact, he begins to stir as he is wheeled into the hospital.

"Nnrgh..."

-----

Scans show that the child has no significantly higher exposure to color energy than the typical Muffinville resident. As for the nuns, they follow the orders of the older one, remaining silent, faces calm as they simply stare at the LT. The older nun relaxes in her seat somewhat, a dreamy smile crossing her face.

-----

Alex gasps at Abel's words and tugs on Mendo's arm!

"Can I go too boss? CanIcanIcanI?!"

[KonokoHasano]

Marco's shirt begins to fall apart, scrap by scrap, revealing black feathers that cover his chest and upper waist, covering up any naughty parts on his new breasts! His shoes break apart as his feet shift, toes fading away, feet splitting into three gray leathery toes with long talons on the end. His womanly legs are also clad in black feathers, up to his thighs. The remains shrink down into black panties that cover a shrinking bulge as a pair of wings erupt from his back! Though, male pronouns aren't accurate anymore it seems, judging by the lack of bulge in those panties.

Marco has been left as a harpy!

"Whoa, this is amazing!" She flaps the wings. "I'm a... um... a harpy, right? Well that's cool! I was worried I'd turn into just a demon." Hops a little, trying to fly.

[Jello Shot Mischa]

The techs would find that the soldier has a few bruised ribs and some minor internal bleeding. He also went without any air for a bit, but it's all minor. In fact, he begins to stir as he is wheeled into the hospital.

"Nnrgh..."

Noting that the soldier is starting to regain conciousness, the lead tech tries to get his attention. "Sir? Sir, I'm Doctor Ellison. You've been transferred to the Primus Medical Facility in Academy City," she explains. "Can you tell me your name and rank?"

Scans show that the child has no significantly higher exposure to color energy than the typical Muffinville resident. As for the nuns, they follow the orders of the older one, remaining silent, faces calm as they simply stare at the LT. The older nun relaxes in her seat somewhat, a dreamy smile crossing her face.

Doctor Serena nods, and motions for the child to move to one of the techs nearby, giving her a reassuring smile before turning to the boy. "All right, you're next! Just hop up here and we'll take a look at you..."

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Morgiana glances at the tech standing nearby, switching to her cybernetic commlink to speak with him mentally.

Status?

Physiological indicators suggest the compound is taking effect. I'd say it's about time to switch to Stage 2.

The lieutenant nods, and then straightens up a bit, twisting to relax her back muscles a bit. "Well... so..." He gaze focuses on the older miko. "I hope you understand, we're just trying to do what we can to protect the people," she says, her voice shifting to a more conciliatory tone. "It's gotten on all of our nerves a bit." She lets out a sigh before continuing. "Maybe if you just told us more about what your group is trying to do, or what you believe in? I'll admit, unlike the demons you don't seem as intent on hurting people. Maybe if we understood you all better, we could actually do more to help rather than fighting like this."

Alex gasps at Abel's words and tugs on Mendo's arm!

"Can I go too boss? CanIcanIcanI?!"

Abel simply looks towards Mendo, knowing the decision is the ninja's to make.

[Mendi-chan]

*Nods to the two in the room*
It seems like the next logical step... Alex, you can come as well but only on the condition that you only act on my orders. Understood?

*He nods to Abel*
Seems like we're getting somewhere with this after all.

[Sam]

The demon finds his form suddenly changing as the scratch marks in total seem to have finally done the trick. The demons finds himself becoming thinner by the seconds as his male clothes begin to become too big for him. His pants fall down revealing a bikini bottom as he finds his manhood disappearing to better fit with his new swimwear. The older demon's chest begins to grow larger as breasts become clearly seen under his shirt, thankfully they have been covered by a blue and white bikini top.

Of course the changes are not done yet as the demon's hair begins to grow pretty long as it turns into a luscious shade of blue. The finishing touches come in as the demonic features disappear from the ex-demon as his... sorry her face finishes its adjustments so it becomes as pretty as her new bikini clad body

"You look stunning darling. Tell me how do you feel?"

[Restless Lucidity]

"It seems that some demons tracked us for our supplies, and they know about your friends. My companion can deal with them, but we need to find and protect the children." the nun says, all trace of jovility gone from her face, replaced by a cool, stern woman.

"Do you have any idea where they could be?" she asks as the wall of the building cracks as a body is slammed on the outside of it.

"Demons? If not one obstacle, then another..." She lets her voice trail off and takes a breath in attempt to compose herself... but loses all concentration on account of the crashing noise that comes as the body slams into the wall. "Wh-What in heaven's name...?" She blinks again, taking a few moments to conjure a reply to the nun's question.

"U-Um... yes. They're behind this building. There's a side street that can take us there." She glances around, gaze eventually focusing on a particular break in the long row of buildings on the side of the street. Once she finds it, she points with a "There" and dashes onwards without a moment's pause. She, of course, expects the nun to catch on and follow her...

[Blaze]

"Whoa, this is amazing!" She flaps the wings. "I'm a... um... a harpy, right? Well that's cool! I was worried I'd turn into just a demon." Hops a little, trying to fly.

Her wings catch the air immediately allowing her to take flight!

"Well, no. Uncarrots just make you into creatures with negative connotations. Harpies were basically vultures in the original myths so..." Abba says with a shrug.

"Though you do seem resistant to the mental effects. Interesting."

*not so much stuff this time*

The man looks to the doctor and gives a derisive snort.

"I ain't military ma'am. No 'name and rank only' from me. I'm in your hands, I'll do what it takes to make my capture as pleasant as possible. Since ya asked though, name's Davidson."

-----

The girl hops off the seat with a toothy grin as the boy moves to sit in it.

"Is this gonna hurt?..." he asks.

Meanwhile, at the nuns, the drugged one gives a small, dreamy smile.

"Well... that would be okay. You see, these more... tyrannical methods are only temporary. When we drive the Southerners out of Muffinville, we can become a much more benevolent force. But for now, we need to keep up with them, least they hoard everything for themselves..."

*Nods to the two in the room*
It seems like the next logical step... Alex, you can come as well but only on the condition that you only act on my orders. Understood?

*He nods to Abel*
Seems like we're getting somewhere with this after all.

Alex immediately snaps into a rather serious salute.

"Yes sir! Anything you say!"

The demon finds his form suddenly changing as the scratch marks in total seem to have finally done the trick. The demons finds himself becoming thinner by the seconds as his male clothes begin to become too big for him. His pants fall down revealing a bikini bottom as he finds his manhood disappearing to better fit with his new swimwear. The older demon's chest begins to grow larger as breasts become clearly seen under his shirt, thankfully they have been covered by a blue and white bikini top.

Of course the changes are not done yet as the demon's hair begins to grow pretty long as it turns into a luscious shade of blue. The finishing touches come in as the demonic features disappear from the ex-demon as his... sorry her face finishes its adjustments so it becomes as pretty as her new bikini clad body

"You look stunning darling. Tell me how do you feel?"

The former demon glowers at Sam, folding her arms and pouting.

"Still really ticked off."

The ditzy demon giggles and glomps the newly Blue'd girl, who blushes brightly.

"Demons? If not one obstacle, then another..." She lets her voice trail off and takes a breath in attempt to compose herself... but loses all concentration on account of the crashing noise that comes as the body slams into the wall. "Wh-What in heaven's name...?" She blinks again, taking a few moments to conjure a reply to the nun's question.

"U-Um... yes. They're behind this building. There's a side street that can take us there." She glances around, gaze eventually focusing on a particular break in the long row of buildings on the side of the street. Once she finds it, she points with a "There" and dashes onwards without a moment's pause. She, of course, expects the nun to catch on and follow her...

Jean does so, sprinting after Innes... scooping her up in her arms, carrying her bridal style!

"Point the way!" she says as a purple flash illuminates the house coming from the street they came in from.

[KonokoHasano]

Her wings catch the air immediately allowing her to take flight!

"Well, no. Uncarrots just make you into creatures with negative connotations. Harpies were basically vultures in the original myths so..." Abba says with a shrug.

"Though you do seem resistant to the mental effects. Interesting."

"Ah yeah, Mental changes don't do much on me, and I don't know why. It's probably something to do with my brain or such, you know?" Lands back on the floor.

[Jello Shot Mischa]

The man looks to the doctor and gives a derisive snort.

"I ain't military ma'am. No 'name and rank only' from me. I'm in your hands, I'll do what it takes to make my capture as pleasant as possible. Since ya asked though, name's Davidson."

The doctor nods, giving the man a slight smile. "All right, then, Mr. Davidson, perhaps you could tell me a bit about what you were doing? From the preliminary reports I've received, you had a building collapse on you... making you rather fortunate to have survived. Although it sounds like you were in a combat zone... so if you're not military, I'm assuming you're a member of the resistance?"

The girl hops off the seat with a toothy grin as the boy moves to sit in it.

"Is this gonna hurt?..." he asks.

"Of course not," the doctor reassures the young boy. "I think your family has already been through enough for one day." She glances at the boy curiously. "I hope it wasn't too frightening?" she asks softly.

Meanwhile, at the nuns, the drugged one gives a small, dreamy smile.

"Well... that would be okay. You see, these more... tyrannical methods are only temporary. When we drive the Southerners out of Muffinville, we can become a much more benevolent force. But for now, we need to keep up with them, least they hoard everything for themselves..."

The lieutenant gives a reassuring nod to the nun. "See, that's the sort of thing that is helpful to hear. It's good to know that your methods are only temporary, after all... it would certainly be relief to my superiors to know that, and it'd be more likely for them to help you out." She pauses a moment, as if deep in thought. "You said the Southerners would hoard everything for themselves... do you mean supplies such as food and ammunition? Or something else?"

*Nods to the two in the room*
It seems like the next logical step... Alex, you can come as well but only on the condition that you only act on my orders. Understood?

*He nods to Abel*
Seems like we're getting somewhere with this after all.

Alex immediately snaps into a rather serious salute.

"Yes sir! Anything you say!"

Abel nods at Mendo's comment. "I will follow your lead on this -- you are arguably one of the masters in terms of stealth." She offers a slight smile. "But don't worry too much about my ability to keep up with you."

Turning her attention to the datapad, she taps a few commands into it. "I presume you would prefer to keep the number of individuals involved in this operation small, most likely just the three of us. However, I will request an assault team be placed on standby just in case. Better safe than sorry."

[Blaze]

"Ah yeah, Mental changes don't do much on me, and I don't know why. It's probably something to do with my brain or such, you know?" Lands back on the floor.

"Is that right? How interesting..." Abba says, rubbing his chin.

"... how would you like to help bring an end to this gang war once and for all?"

The doctor nods, giving the man a slight smile. "All right, then, Mr. Davidson, perhaps you could tell me a bit about what you were doing? From the preliminary reports I've received, you had a building collapse on you... making you rather fortunate to have survived. Although it sounds like you were in a combat zone... so if you're not military, I'm assuming you're a member of the resistance?"

"Of course not," the doctor reassures the young boy. "I think your family has already been through enough for one day." She glances at the boy curiously. "I hope it wasn't too frightening?" she asks softly.

The lieutenant gives a reassuring nod to the nun. "See, that's the sort of thing that is helpful to hear. It's good to know that your methods are only temporary, after all... it would certainly be relief to my superiors to know that, and it'd be more likely for them to help you out." She pauses a moment, as if deep in thought. "You said the Southerners would hoard everything for themselves... do you mean supplies such as food and ammunition? Or something else?"

Davidson smirks at the doctor.

"Oh, nothing much. Helping to keep the gang war going, keeping the gangs at each others throats, as my employer intends. You guys are smart right, you must have figured that there was some third faction at work here."

-----

The boy smiles and shakes his head.

"Not really. it's hard to take bad guys seriously when most of them are pretty ladies.

His father gives an embarrassed cough at that.

-----

The nun gives a nod.

"What you said, and more. You see, celestial beings need faith to survive, while demons need fear. Fear is much easier to inspire than faith, so we must artificially create faith by creating holy men and women."