HousepetZ: Survivor Tails

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 7: Don't You Hear Me Crying 'Babe, Don't Go!'

'Keep the past in the past and focus on the now. Don't let the past determine your path towards the future' - Mana Codex Chapter 15, Verse 15


FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENTS OF Z-DAY
It was another warm, sunny spring day in Babylon Gardens as a happy-go-lucky Bino was spending this day doing, what else, yard work as he promised he would get the yard mowed before he does anything else that day, one of which included his date with Duchess. His plans for the date included a trip to the movies followed by a meal at her favorite restaurant (which he saved all his cash for) and finally a nice moonlit walk in the park back to her home for snuggles and a night of fun. As he finished the yard, the thoughts of him and Duchess together on her patio looking at the stars then entered his mind followed by the image of them sharing a passionate kiss together as the moon lights up their world and the classic tune of 80's rock comes dancing out of her radio. Yes, tonight was going to be incredible for both he and Duchess and he wanted to be sure that all goes exceptionally excellent. Heading back into the house, he hops in the shower to rinse off any sweat and griminess off his body then hops out and starts to prep himself for a night of fun, relaxation, and love and he knew just what to do. His best collar, the finest cologne, hair slicked back, cleaned teeth, and not a hint of bad breath, Bino was ready for one rockin' night on the town with his darling Duchess. As the afternoon sun began its decent, Bino walked out of the house and made his way to her home with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. There wasn't anything that was going to break his stride nor slow him down from seeing the love of his life today. As he walks down the street, he passes by both Max and Grape, who asks him whats with his get-up and he tells them very proudly that he's going to 'Duchy-Poo's' house to ask her out for a night on the town before prancing away while both Grape and Max just look at each other but not in happiness but of worridness as they just past by her house earlier and, well, they were afraid how Bino would react when he would see what they saw.
"Think we should've told him?" Max asks Grape who just replies "Would he even believe us?" which Max sadly had to agree and then asked her if she would like to go back to her house for a cat cuddle nap, something that Grape smiled and nodded yes to.

As Bino made his way down the road, off in the distant, he spots Duchess' Home and his heart begins to beat faster then the drums on a Judas Priest song. He quickly picked up his pace from a happy walk to a joyous jog for he was all set and ready to take Duchess out on the night of her life! The closer he got to the house, the more excited he became and, in his head, he was running through all the best ways to ask Duchess out for the night which is when he finally arrived and caught a glimpse of the inside of her house and what he saw not only sank his heart, but turned his sunny day into that of a stormy night. For inside the house sat Duchess on her couch and sitting next to her was another dog. All Bino could do was watch from the window as Duchess and the other sat together on her couch without a care in the world. It was at this moment Bino felt his world shatter into a million little pieces and the only thing he could do now was just walk home in silence, the feeling of heartbreak too much for him. Taking one last look at the couple, Bino closed his eyes and let out a sigh before beginning for home but not before sitting down on a bench in silence and mentally weeping. As he does, a voice suddenly appears from his side, asking him "Bino? You OK?" Turning to the voice, Bino sees it was Zach, who had decided to take advantage of the warm weather and go out for a jog (But not in the woods as he still hated the whole Opener Of Ways label he received). Bino shrugs softly and tells him he's fine but his plans for the day were ruined after what he saw at Duchess' house which was her and another dog, who wasn't Boris. Now, Zach did know of Duchess as he had a few run ins with her and he already knew what type of dog she was so he was a bit surprised to see Bino was looking like he finally realized it so, sitting down next to him, Zach tells him "Well, hate to say it, but a lot of us already knew what type of Dog she was. Not to be rude, but she never truly loved you like you thought. To put it bluntly, she was a gold-digger and she used you..." but before he could finish the last part, Bino chimes in and said "What are you talking about? I'm not upset because of that. I just wished she told me ahead time a family member was coming over to visit her!" Zach could not believe his ears: Was Bino...REALLY this blind and stupid to see that Duchess was just using him? But before Zach could question his mentallity, Bino hops up and quips "Well, since we couldn't date tonight and I have a feeling he'll be here for a while, I'll date her a bit later! See ya, Zachy!" and runs off back home, leaving Zach to just sit there dumbfounded and in disbelief. Again, Zach thought, how could Bino be blind to the fact that Duchess was just using him and never really cared for him in the first place? Granted, Zach never had a girlfriend so he wasn't the best one to figure out how love worked but he did know about people who loved to use people just for their own needs (A certain skunk came to his mind) so the fact Duchess was doing just that was upsetting. Just then, he spotted a dog coming down the road that fit the description of the one that was at Duchess' home and figured he at least figure out who he was before heading back home.
"Hey!" Zach shouted towards the dog, motioning him to come to him, "You just come from Duchess' house?" The dog nodded and asked why he wanted to know, to which Zach then asked "What's your name?" The dog replied "Name's Xander. I live in River Ridge and we met at a store last week. Again, why are you asking me this?"
"Well, there's a dog here named Bino and he thinks he's Duchess' boyfriend so he was..." but before Zach could finish, again, Xander stops him. "Wait, Bino? Boyfriend? I knew there was a reason she invited me."
"Beg your pardon?"
"Ok, as you kind of guess, Duchess is a gold digger. The only reason she wanted me over was because of my looks and my money...but she didn't tell me she was doing this just to make Bino jealous and make him try to impress her again." Xander explains to Zach, who just simply replies "That's Duchess for you."
"Yeah, well...I'm done with her now. Say, you seem like a cool rabbit, want to go and grab a bite to eat? I'll pay for everything. Plus, I need to get my mind off of that..."
"Sure!" Zach suddenly replies, stopping Xander from finishing that sentence, "Name's Zach, by the way."

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 8: These Are The Days That Never End

'Nightmares are just dreams who lost their will to exist in ones mind' - Mana Codex Chapter 42, Verse 13


PRESENT DAY
As Duchess dreamed of her true hero coming to rescue her, Bino laid up against the nearby rocks and looked at her for a bit as he was still struggling with his thoughts about his feelings towards Duchess. On the one paw, he still loved her and would do anything for her to the point where he made this journey to rescue her from this demented place. On the other hand, her comments that she made earlier some how stuck with him then any other remark she ever made towards him and this was causing him to rethink his whole relationship with her. Was Zach and the rest of his buddies right in saying she was nothing more then a gold digging dog who never care about him or were they wrong and she actually had feelings for him but she hated to show them as she wanted to keep her persona intact and only drops it when she's alone. Those and many more thoughts occupied his head as he tried to get some sleep but he just couldn't shake those thoughts away, like they were just gnawing at him like mice to a piece of cheese. Every time he tried to close his eyes, it was like someone was holding them open and forcing him to keep thinking on what Duchess said to him earlier that day and how she reacted to him rescuing her from Eudoant.
"Want me to read you a story?" Deus suddenly and cheekily speaks up, snapping Bino out of his thoughts. Replying with a slight chuckle, Bino then adds "Nah, I'm good. Just what Duchess said earlier is kind of getting to me for some reason and I was just too focused on it."
"ProTip: Don't let the past affect your place now" Deus explained, "Let the past stay in the past and be focused on the here and now. Don't let the past determine your future or what happens now, OK? Now try to get some sleep." Bino nodded and, finally in no time at all, he was able to fall asleep. But if his thoughts of Duchess gave him issues before, then what was to happen next would really put him through the ringer.

As he slept, he began to dream and it was of a moment he had forgotten about for it brought nothing but heartache and trouble to him. The dream began on a sunny day and he was walking to Duchess' house with a bouquet of flowers to ask her out for a date that day. As he arrived at the house, however, he noticed that the door was wide open and some of the windows were broken. Walking in, he shouts for her name but hears nothing back and he began to worry so, placing the flowers on the nearby table, he started to explore the house to see if Duchess was there. After a few minutes, he spots her sitting on the floor...once again eating the dead Boris. Seeing the gruesome scene, Bino begins to turn but knocks into the door which gets Duchess' attention who stands and begins to chase Bino down. Bino tried his best to reach the exit of the house but it seemed no matter how fast he ran, the door kept moving farther and farther away and Duchess, meanwhile, kept getting closer and closer. It was then when Bino felt like he was running in molasses it felt like he was making no progress and, as he turned around to look at the encroaching Duchess, he spots the visage of Eudoant floating above her along with the silhouette of something else behind her...which is when Duchess leaps towards him and knocks him to the ground. Drool falls out of her mouth and onto his face and he tried in vain to get her off of him and just when Duchess is about to clamp down on his neck and end him right there...Bino wakes up with a small yelp.
"Just a nightmare" he thinks to himself as he looks over at the still sleeping Duchess, "A messed up nightmare, that's for sure" He then looks behind him and sees the red sun rising from its slumber, realizing it's the next day and they would need to keep moving but first they both needed something to eat and, while it wouldn't be anything too special, it would be enough to give them enough energy until they had to stop for lunch.

"Mm..." Duchess mumbles as a smell of both fire and food enters her nose, "mmm what is that disgusting smell..." Opening her eyes, she looks around and sees Bino with a small fire, cooking two small critters he caught for their breakfast. Seeing Duchess awaken, Bino exclaims "Morning, love!" before showing her he's making breakfast for the two of them and explaining that while it's not what she's probably used to, it will at least give them the energy they need. Taking the one fried critter and placing it on a stick he found, Bino hands the meal to Duchess who takes one look at it and..."This it?" to which Bino said "Well...yeah. This right here is mine and..."
"Give me that. If you are supposed to be rescuing me, then you would've eaten already and, as such, both of those should be mine." Duchess quips and Bino, who already took a few bites out of his critter, just hands the critter to her and she begins to eat slowly and "lady-like" while Bino just sits there, forcing a smile as he was her rescuer, but hiding the fact that he just had his meal taken from him from his girlfriend who didn't even bother to say 'Thank You'.
"What do you see in her?" Deus whispers to Bino who whispers back "Truthfully? I'm starting to question what I saw in her, myself."
"Well, if you ask me, right now? She is acting like a..."
"Lets get going!" Duchess suddenly shouts, interrupting Deus in his whispering. Bino nods but looks towards Deus and whispers "What ever you were going to say...I'm going to agree" then gets on the bike and drives off, the thoughts of last night re-entering and re-occupying his mind along with him thinking "I'm starting to think they were right..."

[NHWestoN]

"A dream is a wish your heart makes …… " Okay, now I'm channeling "Cinderella .... no more Bailey's Irish Cream for you, NHWestoN.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 9: When The Movie's Over, Fade To Black...

"Sometimes, the mountain has to endure the wind while the sun beams down" - Mana Codex Chapter 29, Verse 20


"I thought you said we would be getting out of here yesterday..." A impatient Duchess states as Bino looks around the desolate landscape. While it's only been one day since they left Pandemonium, they still haven't found any way of escaping the Underworld be it portals or at least a crack in the sky and, as such, Duchess was not only getting impatient but a bit testy too. While Bino was doing his best to ignore her complaints and focus on the goal at hand, along with keeping her spirits high, Deus was getting fed up with her constant complaints, to the point where he was imagining ways she could meet her end, though he knew he couldn't act out on them as that would look bad on his Celestial Report Card. But he did go ahead and ask Duchess "Are you ever happy, Duchess?" who, in turn, just glares at Deus and replies "You're a machine which means you don't know anything about happiness so don't bother yourself with me." It was then Deus was about ready to knock her into the nearest lava geyser but Bino placed a paw on the bike and told him to relax before turning to Duchess and asking her "Do you recall if you heard of anyone talking about any way out of this place while you were enslaved..."
"You came here somehow so you should know how to get out!" Duchess interrupts and snaps back at Bino, who just smiles and goes back to looking around, though inside he was starting to feel a bit perturbed at Duchess at that moment. "Why couldn't she just be happy that she was being rescued?" Bino thought as Duchess continued to complain and fuss, "I mean, I'm her boyfriend! Shouldn't she be happy I'm risking my life..." but before he could finish that thought, a growling noise emerged from beyond and it was getting closer...
"Duchy-Poo, stay with the bike" Bino tells her as he draws his sword while pointing to the shotgun, "If any of them would get close to you, use that shotgun right there and..."
"You're the hero, right? You have to defend me" Duchess retorts before plopping down on the bike and adding "Besides, if you are risking your life for me, then you wouldn't have to tell me how to defend myself" All Bino could do is just glare as he didn't have time to say much else as a group of creatures, sent by Eudoant to get Duchess back, arrive and began to attack. These creatures, called Ce'Rames, were the basic foot soldiers of Eudoant but could still hold their own in a fight as they were no slouch when using their claws and teeth for offensive and defensive intentions, started by slashing at Bino but he was faster then them and with one swipe, managed to split one in half which angered the others as they upped their attack speed on him. While he was fighting them off, one started to make its way over to Duchess, who shouted at Bino "HEY! FORGET THOSE GUYS AND KILL THIS GUY!" but Bino, surprisingly, didn't hear her as he was dealing with the others, which made Duchess a bit angry though before she could say anything else, Deus revved up and took out the creature himself with a wheel to the face before telling Duchess "If you want to survive here, lose the diva and learn to get dirty." Before she could react in her usual way, Bino suddenly shouts "DUCHESS! GRAB THE SHOTGUN AND TAKE THIS GUY OUT!" In the time Deus took out the creature and spoke to Duchess, Bino had taken out the remaining ones save for one who disarmed him of his sword and had him pinned to the ground and was bringing its mouth ever closer and closer to his face for its midday meal.
"DUCHESS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Bino shouts again, struggling to hold the creature back, "GRAB THE GUN AND SHOOT THIS THING!" And just as the creatures mouth is one inch away from his face, the things head suddenly explodes, covering Bino's own face in blood, and the body collapses on him. Knocking the creature's body off of him, panting, Bino looks towards where the shot came from and smiles as he sees Duchess standing there, holding the now smoking shotgun...but his happiness soon disappears as she chucks the gun back at him and berates him by saying "Some hero you turned out to be! First you arrive on a motorcycle, then you get knocked down by that thing, THEN you expect ME to save you!? You are, without a doubt, the WORST person I have ever met, let alone this hero!" As Duchess continued to berate him, something inside Bino suddenly and unexpectedly snaps as while he stands up and walking towards Duchess, he was feeling something he had never felt before towards her: Pure Anger. As he got closer, Duchess was still berating him as she said "..when we get out of this place, you are taking me back to my house and..." but before she could even finish, Duchess suddenly finds herself on the ground, holding her face and looking up at Bino.


"You...you slapped me?!" she growls to which Bino explains "Yes...Yes I did and you know why? Cause YOU ARE ACTING LIKE THE ENTITLED LITTLE PRINCESS THAT YOU ALWAYS WERE! I'm risking not only my life, but my very soul coming here to pull you out of here so the least you can do is be happy I'm doing this for you cause, if I didn't know you were here, you'd STILL be working for that Eudoant dude! On Earth, you know what I did ever since you were dead? I saved my friend from a zombie horde! I saved another from a chainsaw maniac! I KILLED A CREATURE THAT WAS GOING TO TURN ALL OF US UP THERE INTO KIBBLE! I even taught Joey how to drive! And you know why I did that? Not because I'm a hero...but because that is what a friend does: They watch out for their friends, which is something I'm starting to think you hate having as you don't want friends: You want people to lick your feet and bend over backwards for you just so you can get your way. I should've realized that all those times I ever tried to do something nice for you or tried to impress you...you never appreciated anything I did. You don't want a boyfriend: You want someone you can leech off of, hence that other dog I saw you with the night I was going to ask you out. If you REALLY care about me like I do for you, then you would be making an effort to change your selfish ways and actually be friendly!" Duchess then stands up and looks Bino dead in his eyes and growls "So what? I wasn't there when you did those claims so, for all I know, you were just playing that stupid game with those other pets. Same time, why would you care who I date that isn't you? If you truly love me, then you would be making an effort to be with me 24/7 and tending to my every need and..."
"ENOUGH!" Deus proclaims, startling both of them, "Duchess! Everything Bino has said is true as I, along with his friends and the other Celestials, have witnessed those acts, so you choosing not to believe him is not only stupid, but proves you are blind to happiness. Should he have slapped you? No, but to tell the truth, I would've done the same thing if I was in his shoes. So, please, do us all a favor: GROW UP!" A small smile crossed Bino's face as he was hoping that would've gotten through to Duchess, but it soon vanished as Duchess looks back to Bino and tells him bluntly "Letting someone else speak for you to save your hide? Typical Bino" before sitting back down on the bike and adding "Let's go" to which Bino just sighs and gets back on as well, but not before whispering to Deus "You tried" which Deus gives a soft rev before they all drive off back down the road, the events of the slap now behind them. But, even then, Duchess still kept finding ways to berate and belittle Bino at every turn, though surprisingly Bino wasn't letting those remarks get to him as that slap and his exploding on her? Somehow felt catharic to him and he began to wonder if, once they escape the Netherworld, if he should finally just break up with her and go with his heart for when he's looking for a girlfriend instead of diving head first into a relationship with the first dog he sees.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Yes! Please! Break up with that little hellion! New and improved Bino would be attractive to ANY dog that comes across him!

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 10: You Want To Shut Away The Pieces Of A Broken Heart

"Peace can sometimes come from the place one least expects it" - Mana Codex Chapter 5, Verse 5

As day turned to night and the events of earlier behind them, the trio were camped out along the road, with Duchess already asleep and Bino and Deus on guard duty. It was a long day for all of them, especially with the small little spat that Bino and Duchess had that day, one that ended up with Bino smacking Duchess and him starting to question his relationship with her. As Bino and Deus watched the horizon for any signs of creature activity, Bino was still deep in thought over the events with Duchess earlier that day. He started to think back to all the days he and her spent together and how Duchess never really seemed to appreciate anything he ever done for her, especially when it came to Christmas and her Birthday. He thought back to days when he had to put aside whatever he was doing just to make her happy, be it moving furniture to clearing her walkway of leaves to mundane stuff like fixing her tea which he actually questioned as Boris was there that day, but she told him bluntly that he was only there as her bodyguard and nothing more. As he thought back, he began to realize that maybe he should have listened to his friends and dumped her from the start, but he was young and a bit head-strong so he never really listened anyone. In fact, the more he thought back, the more he started to realize that before he ventured here to the Underworld and, for that matter, before the events of Z-Day, he wasn't the nicest dog in Babylon Gardens and, in all honesty, very conceited. Bino sighed heavily as those thoughts soon overshadowed his previous thoughts of Duchess but he soon snapped back to those thoughts as he realized that his past self was pretty much behind now, oddly thanks to the events of Z-Day as, ever since that day, he noticed he was more willing to help his friends and protect them with his very life. If it wasn't for Z-Day, he probably wouldn't even be traveling down to the Netherworld to save Duchess from her nightmare, but he did wish he could bring her to a happier place instead of another nightmare...
"Penny for your thoughts, Bino?" Deus suddenly speaks up, jolting Bino from his deep thoughts, "You seem to be channeling Aristotle right now. Anything you want to talk about?" Bino shrugs as he said "Eh, I was just thinking about earlier today and how Duchess' been acting towards me ever since we pulled her out of Pandemonium. Pretty much, I'm starting to think maybe I should just break up with her once we're out of here." Deus gave a relaxed rev as he listened to Bino speak before replying "Hey, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to call it quits with her. I've seen how she acted WAY before I met you and, trust me, I would've broken up with her as well if I was in your paws now...I never seen anyone act like how she does towards everyone before." Bino nods with a chuckle as he knew exactly what Deus was talking about as he did witness all of that and then some first hand. Granted, he couldn't do much as he was madly in love with her and didn't want to make her mad, but now he's starting to see the error of his ways. Looking over to the sleeping Duchess, Bino asks "Do you think she even knows what love is?" to which Deus just replies that he's not really sure, if he can be honest.
"I mean, lets face it, her so-called "love" seems to be only in herself and her ego" he adds then which made Bino smirk and quip "Sounds like me when I was younger" before adding "How do you think she'll react when I do break the pact with her?" And Deus just replies "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. Not to be rude, but I'm not Tarot."
"Nah, you're a bit nicer then her." Bino remarks, making both him and Deus laugh softly. Once the laughter subsided, Bino looks over at the shotgun and draws it out. Chambering a new shell, Bino looks it over and tells Deus "You know, I'll give Duchess this: She handled this gun very well." To which Deus explained "All Celestial weapons are easy to handle and work, but only the ones worthy enough can master them."
"So, kind of like Thor's Hammer?" Bino asks which Deus simply responds "In a way, yes, but not as nerdy." Bino chuckles again as Deus said that while placing the shotgun back into the pouch and looking back towards the horizon in case of any trouble. While he does, however, he then looks back to Deus and asks him a question that's been on his mind ever since they first met: "You say you are a Celestial? Couldn't you just make a portal for us to drive out?" Deus thought "Oh, he had to bring that question up", so he responded "Look, I may be a Celestial, but I can't do that. Most I can do is be a sentient bike and that's it. If I was in my actual two-legged form, I could easily form the portal and get us out, but as I'm a bike, I can't...well there is SOMETHING I can do..." he then adds which got Bino's attention but quickly adds "BUT...you have to prove yourself to me and, right now, while you are doing the right thing and I do sense you mean well..you're not at that level yet." Bino playfully scoffs then decides to ask him "OK, next question: The goat skull...that what you really are?" to which he responds "Actually I'm more of a Clydesdale Horse then a goat. The goat skull was Anubis' idea as he thought a Horse's skull would freak me out. In actuality, it wouldn't but I do like how he thought of me." They both shared a chuckle before Duchess suddenly quips "Would you two keep it down?!" before going back to sleep. Both Deus and Bino then just looked at each other, with Bino giving a shrug, before going back to being lookouts. Just then, Bino started to hear the sound of running footsteps and they were getting close. Quickly looking down the road they were on, he spots the originator of the sound: More of Eudoant's minions!
"Ah fuzz!" Bino shouts, rushing over to Duchess and waking her up, who snaps at him but quickly sees why he did and they both hop onto the bike and drive off, the creatures fast approaching from behind!


Bino and Duchess drove like the wind down the Underworld land as Eudoant's minions closed in closer and closer, ready to kill Bino and recapture Duchess for their master, but Bino wasn't going to give up that easily as he came too far just to lose her now. Pushing the bike to it's top speed and then some, Bino continued to rocket down the road as Duchess held on as best as she could, all the while Eudoant's Minions started getting very close to them. But just as one got close enough to grab her, Bino quickly pulled the shotgun out and blasted the being into dust and flames.
"Deus! Keep her steady!" Bino shouted as he was going to do something both clever and kind of stupid: Standing up on the seat of the bike, with Duchess screaming "What are you doing, you idiot!?", Bino took aim and started to take out as many of the creatures as he can to give them some breathing room before leaping back down onto the seat and re-assuming direct control.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Duchess shouts while backhanding Bino, "YOU COULD'VE GOT ME KILLED DOING THAT STUNT!" and Bino's response was a simple "YOU'RE WELCOME!" as he was more concentrated on the road ahead and looking for some place they could duck into and hide from the beings.
"MORE COMING IN! 9 O'CLOCK HIGH!" Deus suddenly shouts as, this time, flying creatures started to swoop down from on high, armed with tridents that were coated in blood. Spotting the freaks, Bino tried to take a shot at one but the creature was too fast and dodge the oncoming round, which impressed Bino surprisingly but his impressed state soon dissipated as the same one that dodged the round dive-bombed down in an attempt to pierce him. Thankfully, Deus was able to break quickly and in time to dodge the stab before regaining the lost speed and continuing onward while both the land and air creatures continued the pursuit. While the bike Deus Mechanicus inhabited was just a normal bike, his Celestial status allowed the bike to have unlimited fuel so they could just continue driving until the end of the universe, but even Deus knew that Bino and Duchess would soon tire out and, as such, they needed a place to hide out and fast. Just then, and out of nowhere, who would spot something but Duchess as she suddenly shouts to Bino "Hey, over there! That looks like a cave!" Bino looks over to where Duchess is pointing and sees the entrance and states that it's "Worth a shot!" before jerking the bike over to it's direction and thundering towards it, the creatures still hot on their tails. However, that wouldn't be for long, for as soon as they entered the cave, the creatures suddenly, and mysteriously, stopped in their tracks and roar in anger. For some reason, the creatures feared the cave and wanted nothing to do with it and just drove or flew off, leaving the trio alone in there. After a period of silence, just to make sure they were alone, Deus speaks up and tells Duchess "Well, color me surprise you spotted this cave!" and Bino also congratulates her by saying "Yeah, I don't think I ever would've spotted this cave if..."
"If you weren't trying to be a stupid hero" Duchess suddenly replies, "Plus, I was just getting tired of you trying to show off and I was getting annoyed with having the wind constantly on my fur." She then proceeds to get off the bike and sit down on one of the nearby rocks in a huff and started to fix her fur back to it's clean state, all the while Bino and Deus just stood there dumbfounded as Bino thinks to himself "You self centered..."

[Amazee Dayzee]

I think I know what the last word of that sentence is gonna be.

[NHWestoN]

Who's in the cave ........... ?! Probably not the Care Bears!

[Amazee Dayzee]

No of course not. It's not gonna be them.

It will be Barney and the Teletubbies.

[SeanWolf]

No of course not. It's not gonna be them.

It will be Barney and the Teletubbies.

Please I'm not trying to send people reading running away in fear

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 11: Does It Come With The Darkness? Does It Bring Out The Light?

"...those who choose the 'White Avenger' for their Avatar are cursed to be forever embraced by Dark Mana..." - Mana Codex Section 2: How To Use Mana Correctly, Chapter 10, Verse 39, Line 5


Cracking his neck, Bino tells the group "Well, since we'll probably be in this cave for a while, we better get as deep as we can, just so we are away from the entrance," an idea that while Deus agreed with, Duchess protested by saying "Those things are long gone now. We can just leave..." But Bino look at Duchess and replied "We are moving deeper. I don't care if you think they're gone, we are moving now." Duchess, for once in her life, was speechless at how Bino responded to her. Wasn't this the same one that got his tail handed to him by a child years ago? All she could now do was to just simply nod and follow both him and Deus deeper into the cave. The cave in question looked like a normal cave back in the mortal realm but the rocks were more of an ash red color and the whole cave smelled of brimstone with a hint of sulfur, which wasn't the nicest of smells to tell the truth as Bino jokingly asked Deus if he farted just now, something that made Deus laugh a bit and tell him if he did, he'd probably see some black smoke too. As for Duchess, while she following behind them, the joke was actually pretty funny to her but she kept her laughter to a quiet little peep as she didn't want anyone to hear that she was laughing at a juvenile fart joke. As they progressed deeper into the cave, it suddenly stated to become lighter but the air became more warmer then usual. It didn't take them long to see why as when they arrive at the exit of the tunnel they were in, they immediately spot the reason for the sudden change in temperature: A river of hot, molten lava was flowing through the cave.
"Good going, guide!" Duchess complained but, again, Bino paid no attention as he was more focused on the lava as something was off about it so he decided to actually do something stupid, on purpose, and get up close and touch it. As he does so, both Deus and Duchess, in her own way, try to stop him but was too late as he place his paw into the lava. A moment of silence then emerged before Bino started to laugh as he proclaims "This lava? It's as hot as a warm bath on a winter's day!" And indeed it was for this style of lava in the Netherworld was known as Colava or Cooled Lava and it was simply lava that resided in caves that didn't get hit by the temperatures of the Netherworld itself. Basically, one can easily hop into this lava and swim around in it without the fear of turning into a skeleton compared to the standard lava. Once the trio saw it was safe and had no reason to worry about falling in (Other then Duchess who didn't want to mess up her fur), they continued along the path in the cave, wondering where they would end up or, for that matter, who or what they would run into. It didn't take them long before they stumbled across another cavern entrance but this one didn't lead to a tunnel, but a medium-sized chamber of sorts filled with random artifacts, ancient weapons, and various books of all types.
"This is impressive" Bino remarks before turning to Duchess and telling her "I want you to look over there and see if you spot anything of use to us now."
"And get dirty? I don't think so." Duchess retorts but Bino looks her dead in the eyes and repeats himself but adds "And I don't want any smart-alleck remarks or complaints, got it?" Again, Duchess was shocked with Bino's new found sense of maturity and, as such, nodded in silence and went over to where he said and began looking while Bino looked in his area. Deus, meanwhile, sat at the entrance of the area and acted as a lookout in case anything did follow them in or anything inside the cave were to spot them. In Bino's corner, the most he was finding were broken swords and shields, along with various other trinkets but nothing of value or of help of any kind, though he was tempted to take a few for souvenirs for the gang back on Earth. As for Duchess, while she hated doing the job, she was actually worried about what Bino would do to her if she acted up so she kept her comments to herself and continued to scrounge around until she spotted a book on the shelf with an interesting name.
"Hey...Bino" She called, motioning him over "I found something....you might like" Bino asks her, as he arrives, what she found and she pointed to the book in question and said "It looks to be the cleanest of the junk here" and it oddly was so Bino reached out and pulled the book out from the shelf to get a better look at it. The book was bounded in an black leather and had dark red wording on the front cover and spine and was entitled THE MANA CODEX.
"Hey, Deus?" called Bino to Deus, who responded back "Yes?"
"Do you know what this MANA CODEX is?" Bino asked and Deus responded, in a very happy tone, "YO! The MANA CODEX is one of the most important books to all Celestials! It contains all the rules pertaining to everything Mana and such!"
"Mana?" Duchess asked with an raised eyebrow, "What, is that some sort of drink I never knew of?" which Deus explained "No, Mana is simply fuel for powering spells and ones powers. Everyone on Dimension Prime, your home Earth, has it but can only access it if they sign a agreement with a Celestial or they unlock it themselves in a variety of ways."
"So that pool of white liquid Anubis has is the physical manifestation of Mana, I take it?" Bino asks while still holding the book, which Deus revs in agreement and goes on to say "The MANA CODEX also includes some self-help tips at the beginning of the book while the second part of the Codex contains all the rules, stipulations, and consequences of using and misusing Mana. Go ahead and give it a read, it's actually pretty cool stuff!" Bino, after listening to Deus speak, nodded and opened the Codex up to explore its contents. The first part of the book, which was about 100 chapters, were as Deus said, just self-help quotes and ways to better oneself in life but were written like old, ancient sayings and they ranged from understandable to a bit confusing to head-scratching. Some were even funny as a few brought a chuckle to Bino and, surprisingly, Duchess (who still kept it silence but audible enough for her to hear herself). After a while, Bino reached the second part of the Codex, entitled HOW TO USE MANA CORRECTLY and began to read, hoping that maybe he might be able to unlock some mana in himself and be able to get them out of the Netherworld. Unfortunately, as he read, most of the rules flew over his head as this was the first time he ever really came in contact with anything mana related so a lot of the rules just confused him though he did have a bit of a understanding of Avatars as he knew Peanut was Anubis' Avatar. There was one thing that got his attention, though. As he got to Chapter 10 of the rules, he spotted a line that stood out to him the most that went "...those who choose the 'White Avenger' for their Avatar are cursed to be forever embraced by Dark Mana..."

"Dark mana?" Bino thinks to himself before turning to Deus and asking him what this 'Dark Mana' business was, which Deus just stayed silent for a few before beginning his explanation in a way that he knew Bino would understand, "You know how in Star Wars, the Force has a Light Side and a Dark Side, along with a Grey Side? Well, Mana does to as it has Mana, which is standard and everyone has it...then there's Dark Mana. This mana forms in one when their soul becomes either corrupt with power, they rely too much on Mana for everything, they break one of the rules in the Codex, or they give in to temptation, to name a few. The thing is? Dark Mana IS actually more powerful and deadlier then regular Mana but is nigh impossible to remove from one's soul once they have it and they slowly become corrupted by it before becoming something far worse."
"Wow...You said 'breaking one of the rules'...does that mean that Pete..." Bino asks, referring to one Pete The Gryphon, and Deus just sighed and explained "Yes...so I'm not sure if Anubis told you about the last U&U game played but to give a short version of one event: Pete tricked Bailey into signing a contract and she was granted the powers of The White Avenger. The problem is that any mortal given the White Avenger status can never return to their normal lives and are doomed/cursed to fight for the Celestial they signed a contract to for the rest of their lives or until they die, hence why the Codex said not to use that power...but Pete The Gryphon, or how you knew him as Pete The Chimera which, by the way, great head shot if I may say! Anyway, Pete? He knew about that rule but didn't care as he wanted to win and you know the rest...but I fear that since he was corrupted by the Dark Mana after chosen that power for her, there would've been no way to redeem him even if he never became that Chimera thing." Bino nodded in silence as Deus spoke but, in the back of his mind, was thinking that if it was possible to control Dark Mana and not be corrupted by it, that maybe he could use it to help them escape the Netherworld. Again, this all came from the hopes that he wouldn't be corrupted by it and that was a long shot and one of the most deadliest risks out there, next to becoming a member of the Wolf Pack in Babylon Gardens. Keeping that thought private for now, Bino continued to read and had just flipped a page when, once again, Duchess piped up and asked if she could see something in the book just quickly. Looking at her, Bino nodded and handed her the Codex and Duchess turned back to a previous page and read for a few minutes before, in a bigger surprise, looking to Deus and asking him "Is Bino...your avatar, Deus?" Deus was a bit shocked that she was asking him a question that wasn't a rude command or insult and needed a few seconds to gather his thoughts before answering "No...why?"
"Well...when Bino here rescued me...I could've been seeing things but I swear it looked like there was something glowing on his arm...and it looked like this picture" she shows Deus the picture in the book of a oddly shaped symbol that Deus at first didn't recognize but soon he realized what it was.
"Huh..." Deus revved in confusion as he looked upon the symbol while Bino asked what was wrong and why was Deus acting so weird, "Bino...if what Duchess said is true and she did in fact see this symbol...then you have been marked by The Immortal." As Deus spoke, Duchess turned to Bino and showed him the picture which Bino was confused at as he never saw the symbol on him before and Duchess explained that it vanished after he knocked Eudoant out but Deus then adds "The thing is...The Immortal only marks those it feels offers a worthy challenge to itself and the mark doesn't go away until they face in combat and it feels the marked one is worthy enough. But since it vanished from you, it probably decided not to mess with you for some reason. Still, it's a bit odd it chose you..."
"Why's that?" asked Bino as he continued to look at the symbol, to which Deus asked "Well, don't take this the wrong way, but you only started using these Celestial weapons and, even though you have proven yourself to be a worthy warrior, you still have a ways to go so the fact that he marked you at all is a surprise." Even Duchess admitted that Bino was pretty good at fighting off Eudoant's creatures, which took Bino by surprise as he never heard her compliment him before. That said, he retakes the book from Duchess and, after reading into the symbol a bit more in hopes to find a name for this Immortal one but having no such luck, he closes it and stores it in the bikes side pouch and tells the two that "We better keep going...there's bound to be an exit somewhere..." As they left the chamber, however, the symbol soon reappeared on Bino before vanishing again as, at the entrance of the cavern they just came out of earlier, stood the very same figure that first spotted Bino in Pandemonium. As it watched the trio leave the Colava chamber and enter another cavern, the being smiled and leaves the chamber through the cavern it came in from in as it knew it wasn't time yet to reveal itself to Bino for he wasn't ready yet....

[Amazee Dayzee]

With the compliment that Duchess gave him, maybe there is some hope for her after all.

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Get in line, Duchess! Apocalypse is no place for attitude. Bino has more patience than I do... Great chapters

[Amazee Dayzee]

Which is strange considering in canon Bino is the most impatient character ever.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 12: The Sun Is Just A Ball Of Desire


"What is friendly on the outside may be ready to stab you in the back on the inside" - Mana Codex Chapter 90, Verse 3


It took an extra hour as the trio made a complete 360 by accident but they finally made it out of the cave and back into the open landscape of the Netherworld, making Bino quip "Well, out of the frying pan and back into the fire, I guess. How are you holding up, Duchess?" to which she just shrugs and said "I'm...doing fine, Bino...just fine" as her voice was surprisingly soft and not as direct as it was in the past, which was a bit surprising to Bino as he was beginning to think that maybe she was starting to change a bit after both the slap and how he talked to her back in that chamber. Though he didn't focus long on the thought as he realized it was close to night time and they should wait until morning before they...
"Can we...not stop for the night?" Duchess suddenly suggested, making Bino a bit surprised, "Don't ask me why but I don't feel safe right here..." Looking at Deus, who gave a small rev to signal that he was OK with it, Bino nodded and told her "Well, if you don't feel safe here, we'll keep moving." And they did, leaving the confines of the cavern behind and returning back to the unforgiving world they were trying so hard to escape from. The rest of the night's ride was surrounded in silence as Bino was concentrated on the road ahead while Duchess, again, was completely silent, though this time it was of concern to Bino as he wasn't used to her like this at all. Looking back towards her, he asks if everything is alright with her but she didn't respond verbally but instead responded with a soft nod before returning to being still and silent. Although she did acknowledge, though in a non-talking way, that she was OK, deep down Bino knew there was something wrong with her and he was starting to think it wasn't because of him but was due to something else. He thought that maybe the events of the previous days before he rescued her was finally registering in her head and she was just now realizing that she was basically in an eternal torment or something else occurred that she wasn't telling him or Deus. As the songs of the night continued on and the light of the moon lighted the land, the trio continued on their way to a potential escape from this land but it seemed that no matter where they went and drove to, they seemed to be trapped there. But it seemed that hope would arrive for them in one of the most unexpected ways possible and it would all begin with Duchess shouting...


"Bino! Look!" She points ahead down the road, getting Bino's and Deus' attention. Looking where she's pointing, they both see what Duchess was pointing at as, up ahead, a figure was being chased and attacked by two creatures and it looked like the one being attacked was another mortal! Looking back to Duchess, he tells her to hold on tight as he hits the gas and revs towards the scene and, as he got closer, draws his sword and leaps right off the bike and swings the sword towards the two, striking them down where they stood. Once they were dead, he looks down towards the being and was happy to see that it was indeed another mortal but he wasn't sure of the name.
"What's your name, weasel?" Bino asked while helping him up as Duchess arrives on Deus. The weasel in question, who had light brown fur and was about Bino's height, answers while catching their breath "First, thank you for the rescue. These guys been hunting me for a few days now since I escaped from Pandemonium. As for my name, it's Breel and..."
"Breel?" Deus quickly interrupts "Weren't you already trapped here?" which was referring to Breel's stint in The Netherworld and was one of the two sole mortals who escaped, the other being Keene. Looking at Deus, Breel tells him "Ah...turns out there is another angel down here and I got picked to rescue her so with a..portal I came here...but it turns out it was a trap and I got stuck here." Deus gave a confirming rev but was starting to think that there was something up with Breel but he couldn't figure out why. But, right now, both Bino and Duchess were jut ecstatic to find another mortal and when Breel mentioned he came here via a portal, it was as if lightning had struck twice!
"You mentioned a portal" Bino then asks Breel "Is it nearby?" With a smile, Breel tells them that while the portal closed when he arrived, he can easily make a new one when he chooses. For the first time in a LONG time, a huge smile crossed both Bino's and Duchess' faces when they realized that they would soon be escaping from the place!
"Hey, Deus! Did you hear that? We'll...Deus?" Bino began to exclaim to Deus but, for some reason, Deus, along with his shotgun (he still had the sword) had vanished without a sound or any trace of him leaving, "Hey did anyone see where Deus went?" Duchess shook her head and Breel said that maybe he already left, something that Bino found odd as he thought he couldn't escape as he was a Celestial in a machine hence he couldn't form a portal, though he didn't have long to think on it as Breel motioned for both them to follow him to a safe-place where he could form the portal. Following him, they arrive at the safe-place in question and, while it looked fine, Duchess suddenly stopped in her tracks and froze in terror. Seeing that Duchess had stopped in her tracks, he walks over to her and asks "You OK?" Duchess looks over to Bino, with fear in her face, and tells him "I remember this place...when I was first brought to Eudoant, it warned me that if I fell out of line, I would be buried alive in a place known as The Lake Of Souls...this is that place..." This was the first time he heard of that name and while he was ready to snap at Duchess, he held off as he began to question why this Breel guy brought them there.
"Breel!" He shouts suddenly, "Duchess here said this is the Lake Of Souls and you claimed this to be a safe zone...what gives?" Breel didn't respond at first but only chuckled for a bit before turning around and answering "Oh, sweet innocent Bino. Don't you remember? Down here: Never trust your eyes" and in a flash, Breel quickly changed into his true identity: One of Eudoant's minions. It was a trap and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Shouting for Duchess to get behind him as the creatures of Eudoant got closer, Bino drew his sword and readied himself for a battle until something kicked him from the back, knocking him to ground with a grunt.


"Hello again, Bino" an angry Eudoant said while looking at the grounded Bino, "You know, that wasn't very nice of you: Stealing my bride-to-be." As he stood up, sword in hand, Bino replies in a huff "Bride-To-Be?! What ever gave you that sick idea?!" before rushing Eudoant head-on but, before he could even get a chance to swing, Eudoant's foot comes up and knocks Bino back a few feet back onto the ground. It shakes its head with a scoff, "Once headstrong and impaitent, always headstrong and impatient" it then remarks while walking over to Bino, who was struggling to stand up as the previous kick knocked a good bit of wind out of him. As Eudoant got close enough, it leaned down and picked up Bino's Black Rebellion sword and swung it around for a bit, complementing that it was a nice sword and the Celestials must have some good blacksmiths up there before gripping the blade itself and snapping the sword in two, tossing the blade itself in one direction and throwing the handle at another. With the sword destroyed, Eudoant walks over to Bino and lifts him up by the neck and held him tightly, not enough to choke but enough so Bino couldn't escape, while telling him "Even if you could escape, we would still find you and you would still be condemned to a eternity in our realm. No one steals from me and survives." Bino, who was struggling to break free, manages to form some words and tells Eudoant bluntly "You and this realm...can kiss my tail..." which gave Eudoant a good laugh as it replies "You think cause you can still insult me that you are strong? Hah." All the while this is going on, Duchess is being held back by two of Eudoant's minions and was being forced to watch the whole ordeal go on. For once in her life, she started to feel helpless and wished she could do something, anything to help, but somehow she knew, deep down, she would only make it worse. Just then, a few feet away from where Eudoant was standing, the ground suddenly opens up, gaining Eudoant's attention, who looks towards it and smiles before looking back at Bino and smiling as it walks over to the now formed hole in the ground. Hoisting Bino over the hole, Eudoant informs him "End of the line for you, mortal" as he loosens his grip on Bino and, in a span of ten seconds, Bino falls into the crevice and the ground shuts its mouth to where it doesn't even look like it ever opened. Duchess, helpless and still in the minions grasps, could only watch as the events unfolded in front of her and, after Bino was basically buried alive, suddenly shouts "EUDOANT! YOU STUPID..." before Eudoant suddenly appears in front of her and cups her mouth shut, saying "Ah ah ah. The Bride of Eudoant shouldn't have such language" before a portal forms behind them, leading them back to Pandemonium. As the minions enter first, Eudoant looks at Duchess and tells her "Hope you said goodbye to Bino and your mortal life...cause you now belong to the Netherworld" before walking through the portal with the screaming Duchess, who was calling out in vain for Bino...then everything went silent as the portal shuts, leaving nothing behind except the broken Black Rebellion sword: Bino had failed. Above the area, however, on a ledge, the figure that's been watching him sits and observes the area in question in silence as it waits...

[Amazee Dayzee]

Maybe now Duchess will start to treat Bino with a modicum of respect that is if Bino is still alive and has another plan to rescue Duchess. If not, I hope she thinks long and hard about the way she used and abused him in the past.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 13: Just Like An Angel Rising Up From A Tomb


"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" - Confucius


Deep below ground and clinging on to whatever life he had remaining, Bino laid motionless and alone with only his thoughts to interact with. But his thoughts weren't that of hope and serenity, but for the first time in a long time, they were of despair and sadness. He had failed in his quest to rescue Duchess, all because he trusted his eyes and not his heart, leading to where he was now: Buried alive and slowly dying. He tried to move his paw but, due to the weight of the ground, he couldn't move it at all. In fact, the only part of his body that he could move was his tongue in his mouth and that was only if he could keep his mouth shut, in order to keep the dirt from entering his mouth and ending his life faster. It seemed no matter what he thought of to try to do, he was trapped with no chance of escape. "Never thought it would end like this..." he solemnly thought to himself, "...I always thought I would go down in a blaze of glory or at least in a last stand defending my friends...but not like this..." As soon as that thought entered, he began to softly weep as he realized this would, in fact, be the end for him and Duchess would be married off to Eudoant. He began to wish that he killed that faux-Breel when he first encountered him instead of listening to him that begin tricked like the idiot he was. He then thought back to when he snatched Duchess from Eudoant and he wished he took his sword and shoved it up Eudoant's backside and turned Eudoant into a...a...hang on, where were these thoughts coming from? He never had these before as he wasn't really a violent person (Slaying of the Netherworld Creatures not withstanding as they weren't mortal beings and people he knew) so the fact that he wanted to massacre Eudoant made him happier then a puppy on...again, there are those thoughts again! What was going on? He tried to think of something happy and he began to think of a sunny meadow, surrounded by happy little trees, fluffy clouds, the head of Eudoant on a pike...what's going on?! Where are these thoughts of death and destruction coming from?! As he tried to figure it out, his mind quickly began to form thoughts of Duchess being married to Eudoant...and her transformation into a being similar to that of Eudoant but, of course, female. Some reason, that thought alone brought rage and anger to his soul and his body began to shake and quiver from the thought. Something was going on within Bino and it was not of his own doing...but it made him happy...wait, it made him madNO it made him happy to be angry..."WHAT'S GOING ON?!" he thinks angrily to himself as his body continued quiver and quake, a dark aura forming around his body, and the urge to annihilate Eudoant grew ever so bigger...no, his urge to rescue Duchess AND kill Eudoant grew more and more...no, his need to murder growing like a weed...

"It's been a few hours now" the being watching over the area thought to itself. It had arrived to the area right after Bino was buried alive by Eudoant and just sat there out of there viewpoint, not doing anything but it had its reason for not interfering. As it sat in silence, the only sound heard was the wind blowing against the land and the various creatures flying about, their wings pushing the wind away to keep them afloat. The red sun of the land was over head, signaling mid-day, shining down on the area in front of it, illuminating the red of the land. Quite suddenly, however, the area began to shake a bit as pebbles began to dance, followed by the rocks soon joining in. A very small smile crossed the beings face as it knew what was going on and waited in anticipation. Below the land, Bino suddenly opened up, his eyes now a burning fire, and began to push his way out of the deep grave, the dirt seemingly running away from his every move and fast approach, as his paws dug and dug through the dirt and rocks. All the while, an aura of red and black had surrounded him yet he paid no mind to that as he had somehow gotten the strength and will-power to dig himself out of the ground and nothing was going to stop him. Above him, the ground began to quake more and more violently before beginning to slowly split open like a wound on a person's body. It was then what appeared to be black and red lights shot out from the ground, splitting it open further, followed by a closed paw and another then a triumphant roar. Finally, the figure who paws and roar belonged to crawled out and laid panting on the ground as the aura disappeared and the quaking slowed to a stop as Bino, the one who was buried alive and almost died, was freed. Though still quivering, he collapsed on his back and looked up to the red skies of the Netherworld and, for once, the sight made him happy. Not because he was still there but because it was at least better then looking at nothing but dirt and rocks for the rest of his life. Same time, he began to laugh but not from comedy or anything, but from the fact that, somehow, he managed to dig himself out of a grave and still have a lust for killing..."Honestly, right now?" he thinks to himself "I don't give a fluff about those thoughts: I'm alive!" he then shouts the last thought out loud before erupting into laughter for a good few minutes. After the laughter subsided, he picks himself up and looks himself over, only to see any wound he sustained from the digging was gone and his body was basically brand new, save for the dirt and grime but that was to be expected. Though what did bring some sadness back to him was the sight of the now broken Black Rebellion sword as he lifted the hilt up and saw that the blade itself was shattered. As he observed it, he thought "Well...hilt's still good I might be able to use that...but other wise, unless I can find Deus, I'm out of luck..." Even though he wanted to run like never before and reach Pandemonium to rescue Duchess....again....the city was a good few days or more away from his location and he had no idea if Duchess was even alive any more. Though he knew he at least had to try but he decided to do that the next day as, right now, he was hungry and needed to feast on something and get a well deserved nights rest...then...he'll be ready for the slaughtering of Eudoant and his minions..."Just wish I knew where these thoughts were coming from as...they ain't my normal thoughts..."

[NHWestoN]

"Revenge is a poison you drink hoping to kill someone else." Various.

[SeanWolf]

"Revenge is a poison you drink hoping to kill someone else." Various.

Pay attention to how the first paragraph was written Something else is going on

[Amazee Dayzee]

I really like how Bino was written in this chapter! Nice job!

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Bino a n g e r y
I'm excited for what comes next

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 14: Don't Worry About The Future, Sooner Or Later It's The Past


"Never kill with your eyes...Kill with your heart" - Mana Codex Chapter 99, Verse 2


That night as Bino slept, his mind was filled with thoughts of escaping the Netherworld with Duchess and Eudoant's head mounted on his bikeOK why are these thoughts still running through his head? His soul felt on fire, his veins burning red, and his frustration was getting bigger and his sight was turning redder and redder with each passing moment. He knew the only way to extinguish this burning desire was the systematic slaying of EudoaBUT he actually knew that the only way to quench this feel was the feeling of tearing the flesh off the creaturesWHEN in actuality he just wanted...wanted...Blood! GORE! PEACE! HAPPINESS! SERENITY! FREEDOM! No matter what he tried, his thoughts kept going to a dark place while leaving the comforts of the light behind, which was a good thing as he would be able to satisfy his lust for war and death as peace was just an illusion set forth by powers thatSHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! Bino was a mess, his mind had become a warzone as two thoughts had declared war on each other and his mind was the battleground. It seem no matter what he thought of, the exact opposite would instead take over and tempt him to act on that thought instead of the other. Not even trying to trick his mind via thinking of a violent thought would help as said thought would become even more violent, and borderline disturbing, then ever. He even tried to think of a simple sandwich but to say the thought became messed-up would be an understatement. For some reason, his thoughts were better...no amazing...something was up with his thoughts and he wasn't sure how to react. Did Eudoant do something else to him as he buried him alive, that...that...or was his time in the Netherworld slowly affecting him in ways he was not expecting nor warned of and he would have to go and murder DragTHAT was not his thought! Not even his dreams were safe as a simple dream of him and Duchess soon turned into Duchess becoming something out of The Thing and him going all Doomslayer on her...OK, that dream was actually kind of cool. Messed up and disturbing but, still, pretty cool. The only bad thing was that every time he opened his eyes to wake up from said happyNOT REALLY dream, it was still night out which meant, to him at least, it was going to be a long night...a long, joyousRESTLESS NOT JOYOUS night!


As the red sun began to rise the next morning, Bino was still struggling with his thoughts as he munched away on a creature for his breakfast. He was trying to get himself to think of ways to quickly get to Pandemonium and rescue Duchess, all the while keeping any impure and chaotic thoughts out of his head, which was easier said then done to tell the truth. The raw meat of the creature continued to be mulched up in his mouth and had a nasty taste to it. The blood seeped from its carcass over his fingers which he drank like wine. He knew this was not him and would most likely freak out the others in the mortal plane, but right now he knew he wasn't himself as this was very tastySOMETHING was making him do this and it wasn't of his own power as the raw meat and blood started to taste like a meal at a incredible restaurant, one he wishes he could spit out but he needed the energy for the long trek to reSLAYRESCUE Duchess again. Finishing off the last few bites of the creatures, Bino wiped away any residue from the meal from his mouth and let out a heavy sigh before gripping the hilt of the now-broken Black Rebellion Sword. That nightmare would pay...no...even though the sword was destroyed, he still had that urge to fight and, if push came to shove, would use the hilt as a bludgeon weapon and pound Eudoant to death...and this time he meant to think that thought. The moment he stood up, however, something came flying and stuck itself to the ground in front of him, startling him to no end. The object in question was a sword but where it came from was a mystery for all of thirty seconds he spotted a figure on a ledge overlooking the area. The figure in question soon jumped down and walked a bit towards him before stopping a few or so feet away from him and dropping the cloak it had on. This figure was interesting, to say the least, as it had fur like a pet but its eyes were crimson and looked to be filled with dread and, most striking of all, two horns were upon its head. It had armor but only covering its lower torso as its body was exposed to the world, its muscles clearly defined and menacing. This being stood in silence before commanding Bino to "Pick up the sword you see before you" and Bino, while worried that this was a trick and this thing was sent by Eudoant, does so but is surprised he is able to hold it, seeing at how big and bulky it was.
"You hold it very well," The being state as it draws it own sword, which was of same build as the one Bino had except it looked like a claymore that a butcher would use instead of an actual warrior, "I had no doubts about that." The being then takes a stance with the sword and points it towards Bino and exclaims "Lets see how well you handle it in combat...RRAGH!" before suddenly charging towards Bino and swinging the massive sword, leaving Bino only a fraction of a second to deflect it with the provided sword, which he somehow does. The being chuckles before continuing the attack, swinging the massive blade at Bino, who in turn deflects every swing he can while trying to get in a few good swings himself, though his attacks were very easily deflected right off like they were nothing more then a slap. As both swordsmen looked each other in the eyes, Bino asks the being "How'd you know where to find me?" which was followed by the being chuckling before pointing at Bino's right arm and, as he looked, Bino eyes widen as he what he saw was indeed the same symbol from the Mana Codex that Duchess said she saw on him. Bino quickly looks back at the being, who just smiled and nodded, acknowledging that, yes, the symbol was his and he had indeed marked him as a worthy opponent and yet...it was beginning to question his combat skills as Bino had yet to even scratch him, let alone poke him. All Bino could do then was just grit his teeth and charge the being, dragging the claymore through the dirt before lifting it and swinging it towards his opponent, who in turns just lifts its own sword up and blocks the swing but was suddenly caught off guard as Bino quickly swung the sword towards its body and managed to slice its hide just enough to cause a small, scratch-like wound to form. With a grunt, the being is taken aback by Bino's sudden strength and tries, in vain, to block the rest of his moves but it seemed that Bino had been possessed the greatest swordsman of all time as, swing by swing, Bino continued to lay into the being until, with one swipe, he managed to knock its sword from it's massive hands and deliver a powerful thrust to its body and rammed the sword through its chest. The sounds of clashing steel had ended as the only sound that remained was the sound of the wind whistling and the breaths of air from both combatants. Bino stood there, still holding the sword in the beings chest, before pulling it out and taking a few steps back, while still clenching the sword in case the being had anymore tricks. The being, meanwhile, just looked at the wound it sustained in silence for a while before looking back at Bino, its wound repairing itself, and walking over to him, its hooved footsteps hitting the ground with a heavy thud. As it approached Bino, who held the sword in prep to swing, the being spoke and said "It has been forever since someone was able to strike me down in combat. Long had I wished for that day of someone worthy enough to call my equal to come. Many a warrior I've come across here had tried to strike me but none had succeeded where you? You done the impossible, Young Bino: You managed to pierce the flesh of the immortal one" The being then place its huge hand on its chest, "And for that, you not only have my respect...but you have gained a powerful ally" Bino, who was still clenching the sword, couldn't believe his ears when the being, who attacked him earlier, said all that to him and yet the only words to come out of his mouth were "If you are to be an ally...I need to know the name of the champion I have bested in combat." The being smiled, its fangs faintly shining in the light of the red sun, and replied "I go by many a name here in the Netherworld...but you shall call me by the name I was given by the ones who watch over your world and call themselves Celestials. You may call me..Nosferatu Zodd" before bowing its head. Bino, lowering the sword before offering it back to Zodd, was taken aback by its proclamation, "Celestials? You mean you're not one of Eudoant's friends?" Zodd shook its head as it takes his sword back from Bino, "No. I am the life-long friend of a Celestial named Spirit Dragon. Many eons ago, I was sent here to rescue a soul who was wrongfully imprisoned here by the being you know as Eudoant. I found the soul but, alas, we got caught and we got stuck here as it thought it could hold me. But neither Eudoant nor the ones who call this place home honestly knew me as I was able to strike down thousands and thousands of the creatures here before I fled...not for cowardliness but for the safety of the soul. I had a little bit of power left but not enough to get both of us out of here, so I sent the soul back to it's rightful destination and I stayed here, fighting the armies of the night and awaiting someone who could not only best me in combat, but perhaps help me to return to the place I call home. I waited for days, months, years, centuries for someone to come...and that day had finally come when you, Young Bino, arrived." As Zodd spoke those words, Bino started to grow respect for it as its story of coming here to rescue someone reminded him of what he came here to do, minus anyway of escaping as, even if he could find Deus and Duchess, there is no way he knows of to escape. Looking at Zodd, Bino first asks him "Who was the soul, if you don't mind me asking?" which Zodd chuckled and replied that the soul's name was Rufus, whom Bino had no idea who he was, so he just nodded before telling him "I don't know how to escape this place myself...but if you say you are my ally, then will you join me in rescuing a soul named Duchess from Eudoant...and look for Deus, the bike?" Zodd was quiet for a moment before sighing and telling Bino "Due to laws set forth, I can not aid you in combat here...but as for Deus..." he then points to the opening of the area and a smile crosses Bino face as he spots none other then Deus Mechanicus waiting for him, "Hope you didn't mind, but while you and Duchess were being tricked by that being, I took Deus as I knew Eudoant would destroy it completely." Bino nodded and thanked him before hopping onto the bike to leave. But as soon as he turned to face Zodd, it was gone, leaving nothing behind. An eyebrow raised on Bino's head before revving the bike and leaving the area behind as he had a wedding to crash and a soul to rescue...

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

I can feel his power. It seems Bino's next adventure will be very entertaining

[Amazee Dayzee]

Bonus points if someone ends up face planting into the huge wedding cake!

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 15: You've Been Nothing But An Angel Every Day Of Your Life...


"Temptation will always be the biggest enemy one will face" - Mana Codex 88, Verse 12


The doomy landscape of the Netherworld sped past Bino as he raced down the land with the goal to show Eudoant why his name is Murder and why Eudoant will be face-fisted to deaRESCUE Duchess from the clutches of the...creature...being...monster...thing named Eudoant, who's head will soon be resting on a pike...wait. Those weren't his thoughts just now...in fact he already had these thoughts earlier. Why were they suddenly returning? Did Zodd somehow trigger them? The more he thought, the more he wanted to skin Eudoant alive and turn his skin into a leather jacket and a pair of boots for himselfOH WOW...that was one heck of a dark thought he had just now! Why would he skin anyone, espically Eudoant, when instead he could just have his liver with a side of fava beans and a niceSTOP! Bino was not a cannibal of any kind...OK YEAH he did eat those creatures he came across but they were small and very animal-like so he had an excuse...still a roasted Eudoant kidney sounded good at that moment..actually it didn't, stop thinking these thoughts, Bino! But why should he stop thinking that when Eudoant's soul is ripe for the takingSHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! The more Bino had these thoughts, the faster and faster he drove and the tighter and tighter he gripped the handlebars, almost to the point of his veins popping out of his hands. His was beginning to quiver again as well, just like earlier when these amazingSTUPID thoughts first came to his head. The more they occupied his thoughts, the more he began to lose sight of his goal and, more importantly, the road ahead as he began to swerve slowly left and right on the road until...
"BINO! Heads up!" Bino suddenly snaps out of his thoughts as Deus shouted at him for in front of them was the edge of a cliff that, somehow, Bino had driven to in his daze. Quickly hitting the breaks and sliding the bike just before they hit the ledge, Bino breathed a sigh of relief before hopping off the bike and pacing back and forth as Deus gives a concerned rev and asks if anything was wrong with him as "I never seen you like this before" but Bino paid no attention to Deus' inquiry as he was lost in his thoughts again as visions of Eudoant's gnarly demise filled his brain...no, visions of him and Duchess eating nachos out of Eudoant's hollowed out head...wait, visions of love, death, and a .500 round going through Eudoant's body..."Bino..."....he wishes he could know where these amazing thoughts were coming from NO they were stupid thoughts but he loved to think on them LESS AND NEVER..."Bino..."...sweat started to form on his head the more and more he thought on those actions, to the point where the only thing that could cool him off was the blood of Eudoant..."BINO!"

"WHAT!" Bino suddenly roared at Deus, gritting his teeth towards the bike before suddenly calming down, his eyes returning to their natural shade and his teeth...his teeth going from fangs to what he originally had. While this didn't shock Deus, he knew there was something up with Bino as he never saw him like this before so he asked him "You been in a world outside of this place ever since you left that grave. Are you OK?" Bino, panting from the roar and the thoughts, which had now disappeared from his head again, looked at Deus with his eyes filled with pain as he tells him "I don't know. I've been having thoughts that aren't mine. Thoughts of murder, death, and destruction of Eudoant...thoughts that bring me happineNO SHUT UP!" he suddenly shouts, smacking his head, "See? I don't know what is doing this to me!" Giving a concerned rev, Deus then sighed and asks him "You had these thoughts after you were buried alive when Duchess was recaptured, correct?" Bino nodded slowly and Deus then asked "And you never had these before that event, right?" Again, Bino nodded slowly to which Deus asked then "And you said these thoughts aren't yours?" Bino was still for a few moments but nodded to his question.
"Bino..." Deus solemnly said then, "I hate to think this, but I fear you are being tempted by the powers of Dark Mana." Bino just looked at Deus when he spoke those words as, to him at least, it didn't make sense. Why would he be tempted by something he loved instead of the Good Mana...wait, why was he being tempted by DARK MANA when he had nothing but good intentions in his heart and soul, that being the massacre of EudoaNO the rescue of Duchess? Deus went on to tell him that while Dark Mana is still confusing to him as there is a lot of theories surrounding it and the Mana Codes only explains so much, the most he knows is that "Depending on a event prior to the person's current state, in your case watching Duchess get captured by Eudoant and being buried alive, it seems Dark Mana soon makes itself at home in their body and slowly builds and builds until it's ready to be unleashed into the world...so I gathered."
"And that's supposed to mean..." Bino asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It means that's what I was able to figure out as, to tell the truth, the whole concept of Dark Mana is a mystery to every Celestial, Bahamut, and everyone up there as we can't figure out what it exactly is and how some mortals are able to contract it as it seems to be completely up to chance at times." Deus explains as Bino sat on the ground, still struggling with...with...mixed thoughts.
"So you think, because I was buried alive, this Dark Mana stuff found its way into me?" Bino asked which Deus just gives a minor rev and tells him "Probably, I don't know what else would've caused it...you didn't have those thoughts after you slapped Duchess, right?" and Bino shook his head and reaffirmed to him that the thoughts came to him after he was buried alive. With a sigh, Deus tells him "Just a theory, but I think because of Duchess' recapturing, that triggered the dark mana temptations in you, hence these bad thoughts" and Bino, while he didn't want to, sadly had to agree with him as that honestly seemed like the truth now. Still, the thoughts of Eudoant's body burning over a pyre..."Hey!" Deus suddenly shouted, snapping Bino out of his thought, "I know it'll be hard, but try to fight those thoughts off. The more you focus on them, the more you'll probably let the Dark Mana grow in you until...something happens."
"Something? What?" Bino inquires but all Deus could say was that "I don't know. The Mana Codex doesn't really say what happens when one is fully taken over by Dark Mana...I mean, you could say Pete did but you went all Resident Evil Zero on him so I highly doubt he had Dark Mana..." which Bino adds "Well, what color is Dark Mana? When I shot him, both blood and a white liquid came out of him, which I later learned was Mana thanks to Anubis" and Deus just gives a 'I Dunno' rev and states that, again, the Mana Codex only talks about it and never describes what it does, how it works, and, in the the case of Bino's question, what color it is. Standing up from the ground, Bino walks back over to Deus and places a hand on the gas cylinder and tells him "I think...we better stop here for a while...until I feel comfortable in driving cause, right now, I'm just a mess" to which Deus, in turn, gives an agreeing rev and tells him that sounds like a good idea. Same time, Bino walked over to the one pouch and brought out the Mana Codex and, after opening it to the sections on How To Use Mana, began to read carefully so he could figure out how Mana works and maybe, just maybe, find a way to harness it to rescue Duchess. At the same time, he was hoping to find something about Dark Mana to see if there was any more clues about it and ways he could control it...no, combat it so he doesn't fall for the temptations and sweet allure of it..."This is going to be a long day" he thought to himself after the last thought went into his head.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Don't you know Bino that its just a fact that most things in life don't come easy.

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Bino's new, strange anger could be a deadly weapon in the future, if used correctly

[Amazee Dayzee]

I'm looking forward to seeing how he can use it and if it will turn the tide for him. It DEFINITELY will make people respect him though.

[SeanWolf]

HouspetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 16: ...And Now You Wonder What It's Like To Be Bad


"Use your aggressive feelings, boy...Let the hate flow through you" - Emperor Palpatine, Return Of The Jedi


As Bino sat on the ground reading the Mana Codex for anything about Dark Mana, it was quickly proving that rest was out of the question as, try as he might to rest, Bino continued to combat those lovely...wrongful thoughts in his head, though it was proven to be harder done then said as no matter what he thought, it would be corrupted somehow. An image of a flower would morph into a venus flytrap. Thoughts of a peaceful land would be littered with the heads of various creatures on pikes. Even a simple thought of a bird would change into something out of a Iron Maiden album...which actually was pretty cool, if Bino was being honest as it did make him chuckle. But that thought aside, it seemed he was fighting a losing battle as every good thought turned into a bad thought and every bad thought was seen by his head as good. Whatever this Dark Mana business was, all he knew was that it was being annoying and he wanted nothing more then to embrace the darknessHE MEANS be embraced by the light and refocus himself on the resMURDER of Duchess...wait, what?! He never wanted to murder Duchess! Yes, she was a major pain in the tail and, yes, she had never showed him any sign of affection when he did anything for her...so it did make sense for her NOT to murder her! Now this is getting worrisome! The fact that his thoughts were now telling him to murder the very person he was going to rescue was enough to cause concern to him.
"There has to be something in this book that can help" he thinks to himself while reading every chapter in the Codex that details everything related to Mana and the powers it can hold and, while some chapters did describe how to form weapons and a armor that looked kind of like some sort of holograph technology, there seemed to be nothing about Dark Mana other then a passing mention along with some brief descriptions but nothing about how it works and such. One chapter in particular, entitled 'Avatars', was a interesting read as it listed various powers an Avatar could have and one listed got his attention: Machinery and the section called Vehicles. As he read, he noticed that if a Celestial or Avatar has a very high amount of Mana in them, then they can possess a vehicle and can keep it how it was but they have the ability to turn it into a more powerful machine. Turning to Deus, he shows him the sentence in question and asks him if this was true of him and Deus gives a chuckle and tells him "Yep and I can turn this bike into one heck of a beast...hate to say this, but I don't feel that you're ready yet to handle that power." Bino nodded as he knew exactly what he was referring to as, if he did turn into the beast machine, his thoughts would probably make him mess everything up and he would probably end up doing something very, VERY stupid, so the fact that Deus was declining him of this power was understandable so he returned to reading the Codex in the vain hope to find something about Dark Mana and, hopefully, learn how to vanquish these thoughts from his head.

It was now late afternoon and Bino was still reading the codex when, a few feet behind them, a few of Eudoant's minions were making their rounds (mainly to pick up any wayward souls that arrived) when one of them spotted the bike in the distant. Nudging the other to show it, they both agreed Eudoant would reward them handsomely if they bring back proof of the bike's destruction and, pulling their sledges out, began to walk up to Deus, who was oblivious to them as he was reading along with Bino as he was also hoping to learn something about Dark Mana. As the two got closer and closer, they did they best to avoid making any noise by avoiding any loose rocks and watching where they stepped. But it was all for naught as Binos ears suddenly perked up from hearing something (and yet he heard nothing) and so, grabbing the shotgun, he somehow leaped over the bike and engaged in combat with the two. As they fought, Deus noticed something very disturbing about Bino's combat prowess as he seemed more animalistic in his ways, which would really show as he rammed the shotgun into on creature and blew it in half before turning to face the other one, who was yelling at Bino in a language unknown to both him and Deus. But Bino didn't care if it was speaking Klingon as he raised the Celestial Shotgun towards the creature, his eyes literately burning red and his teeth now showing fangs, and growled at it "Your bones have held your flesh long enough" then pulled the trigger, blasting the creature and dropping it against a nearby boulder...but even though it was dead, Bino continued to fire and walk towards it, eventually eviscerating to the point where there was no trace of the creature saved for a splotch of its blood on the boulder and the ground it once sat on. As Bino stood there, for the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of pride and accomplishment from his deed. He even felt a sense of power like never before. This Dark Mana stuff was amazing! Maybe...wait....oh, no...Bino quickly dropped to the ground when he realized why he acted the way he did: He let the temptations of the Dark Mana get to him and, in turn, became just like the ones he was killing to save Duchess. It felt...it felt..."Bino" Deus suddenly spoke and snapped him out of his trance, "Uh...while you were fighting, I think I found something here that may explain your current action just now...You OK?" Bino looked back at Deus and shook his head, for he wasn't OK. If he couldn't fight off those thoughts and his urges, then maybe he should just forget about Duchess and find a wayNO he must find a way to kill Eudoant, no matter what the cost was. Again, these weren't his thoughts but they were so mesmerizing but disturbing to him. Yet they were amazingNO these thoughts needed to either stop taunting him or just die a horrible death! As they continued to run in his head, he walked over to Deus who pointed his headlight at a page of the Codex that discussed various Mana Powers and, more specifically, he pointed to one that, he thinks, may explain why Bino has been the way he is now. Bino looked at the section and saw the name in question then asked Deus "You think this is why?" and Deus just revs as it's probably the best explanation as the section in question name was entitled 'The Beast Within'.

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Yikes, Bino Now I really have the feeling time is running out, hang in there...

[NHWestoN]

Power is seductive … as is a multi-round rifle magazine.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Lets hope Bino doesn't let the beast control HIM instead of the other way around.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 17: I've Been Living My Life In A Cage

"You better get ready to die, You better get ready to kill" - Andrew W.K, 'Ready To Die'


"Within every mortal and celestial..." Bino read, "there exists two beings: The Truth and The Beast. The Truth is what everyone sees of the mortal/Celestial and is what is always shown. This is the real side of one and while some hide it with a psychological mask of some kind, it is always the one all mortals/Celestials are known by and is what gives power to their mana. But, deep within everyone, there is a being that sleeps and is known as The Beast. While everyone has a Beast when they are born into the world, what causes this being to manifest into a physical form is determined by both the Beast and mortal/Celestial themselves. Under normal Mana usage, the Beast can not be control and is an unstoppable but, if the end user has both a high willpower and mental stability along with a very, very high amount of Mana within, then they can take control of The Beast but it comes at a heavy cost of the slow decline of ones sanity and the acquirement of Dark Mana. It is possible to not lose oneself and be the master of their Beast, but this can only happen if the mana in oneself is pure and beyond count..." As he read the last part, he stopped progressing and read the last part over and over again as the idea of being able to control The Beast sounded good, but the whole 'mana in oneself is pure and beyond count' brought a bit of confusion to him. For the most part, he understood that he couldn't be corrupted by Dark Mana in any way, which he knew he wasn't pure as he has been dealing with the temptations of that, but beyond count? What was that supposed to mean? Did it mean that he had to be a Celestial to control it? Did he have to a very high amount of Mana and, if so, how was he supposed to obtain that high amount? Make a deal with a Celestial or take a bath in Anubis' Mana Pool? This was just too confusing and mind boggling to him as everything he read was getting him nowhere fast. Even Deus, who was a Celestial himself, was finding most of this info confusing, although he had heard of the concept of The Beast before but where he couldn't remember off hand, other then that he heard of it from somewhere. Bino, placing the book down in front of Deus so he could continue reading, then got up to stretch as he has been basically sitting for what seemed like four hours and to say he was sore would be an understatement. Groaning as he stretched his legs out, he quips to Deus "Know what I'm gonna do the moment we are out of this place? I'm gonna fry up a greasy burger and make some onion rings for myself, grab a root beer, and plop down in a warm bath and not move for a week." Deus laughed and told him that he might do the same before asking him "What about Duchess? What do you think she'll do?" Bino just shrugged and told him "She can do what ever she wants, for all I care. When we rescue her, first thing I'm doing is breaking up with her."
"So you decided" Deus asked and Bino nodded while cracking his neck before replying to Deus "Yep. While I can't remember why I dated her in the first place any more, the whole experience with her here...I don't know just changed my whole perspective on her." Deus just chuckled and continued reading the same page again and again (as he had no way of turning it) while Bino continued to stretch before telling Deus "Hey, I'm gonna go for a quick job to that cave up opening of trees over there. Need to limber up my legs...I shouldn't be long, K?" Deus gives a confirming rev as Bino went for the jog to the opening. It actually felt pretty good as, for once, he wasn't running for his life or charging after someone but, instead just jogging for fun...and a bit of well-needed exercise.


It took a bit as it was a bit father then he thought but he finally arrived at the opening but was now out of breath now and sweating a tad so he leaned up against the nearby tree and took a few to catch some much needed breaths. As he does, his fur on the back of his neck began to tingle and he felt a hint of cold air emerging from behind him, enveloping him in a blanket of cold. Looking behind him, he realizes quickly that the air is coming from within the opening of trees and, some reason, it felt like something was calling to him, inviting him to explore its home. Under normal circumstances, he would've hightailed it out of there but for some reason? For some reason it felt like whatever was calling to him was peaceful and alluring, though for all he knew it could be a trick so, just to be on the safe side, he broke off a piece of a tree limb and headed into the opening, tapping the limb on his leg every few or so steps. As he ventured into this area, he was surprised to see less and less of the color red and more grey and green. A rather unsatisfying combination of colors, if one could be honest, which made Bino more and more cautious of this area and his surroundings as, for all he knew, someone or something could be lurking in there and waiting for him and, as such, he needed to be on his guard at all cost. And yet, nothing of the sort happened as he ventured deeper into this area, once again hearing something call to him, like a mother calling their cubs. Finding another opening, he took a deep breath and entered it, wondering if he would find either a trap or something horrific but was surprised to find an area straight out of a Bob Ross painting.
"What...is this place?" Bino uttered under his breath as he looked around, the unsuspecting beauty of the area was a stark contrast to the entirety of the Netherworld on a whole and while it did bring a sense of relaxation to him, there was a part of him that didn't buy any of this and was thinking this was a ploy by either The Forgotten or Eudoant, though he would love it to be the later as he would love to have to chance to drown Eudoant...oh no. The thoughts were back. But before he could even try to combat them, the lake in the middle of the area turned into lava and the surrounding area became very Vallejo-like as a unmortal-like roar soon engulfed the area as something began to emerge from the lava lake. It was then the whole world felt like it was moving in slow motion as Bino turned to face what ever was emerging from the lake but the only thing he saw had the vague shape of a bipedal being but was buffer then any he ever saw, even buffer then Zodd. Gripping the limb as tight as he can, he readied himself as the being came ever so closer and closer, with the land it stepped on being turned into a another small lake of lava. Bino looked quickly about to find a place he could avoid the lava but, oddly, as the lava finally reached him, it was cool to the touch. In fact, it was like the Colava back in the cave he, Deus, and Duchess were in.
"What are you?" Bino asked, his mind refocused on the being in front of him, who didn't reply other then giving a fang-filled grin and showing its eyes, which were burning red with fire. It suddenly raised its hand behind its back and pulled out a massive sword, one that would even dwarf Deadeye. Bino didn't have long to think as the being brought the sword down towards him like it was a hammer and, even though the only thing he had to defend himself was a limb, he lifted the limb in a vein attempt to deflect it but was surprised to see the limb was the Black Rebellion...which was confusing as he thought the sword was destroyed. But whatever, his sword successfully blocked the beings massive sword and both began to swing at each other, the sound of steel clashing and scraping filled the air as both Bino and the being fought until Bino managed to get the upper paw and swung his sword towards its neck, reliving its body of the head. As body collapsed to the ground and melted back into the lava, Bino walked over to the head to get a closer look and while at first all he could see was blackened lava, it began to melt away and what Bino saw next horrified him to his soul. For beneath the lava exterior was a normal head...and that head was his. Bino dropped the sword, which was now a limb again, and looked over at the headless body, which the lava had melted off and showed, to his horror again, that it was, indeed, his very own body. Nothing was making sense to him anymore and all he wanted to do was scream like never before but, to his horror, he couldn't...in fact he couldn't even talk at all. As he frantically looked about, he suddenly felt something oozing up his body and it was warm. Looking down, he saw the lava that had came off of the being slowly oozing up his legs and, as he found out when he tried to move, was holding him in place. He desperately tried to wipe it off but the more he wiped, the more in engulfed him like a symbiote. As it began to reach his neck, he suddenly looked at "his head" and all he could do is stare in horror as the head on the ground? It was smiling. Not only that, it then spoke "It's too late, Bino! We have you where we want you. There is no escape" All Bino could do now was just close his eyes as the lava began to engulf his head and when it reached his eyes...he suddenly woke up with a scream. Looking about, he saw he was back where he was from his jog a few minutes ago. He then looks behind him to see that the opening, while still there, were nothing more then weirdly shaped trees and the opening itself? When Bino ran in, it only led to the immediate other side of the trees. As he looked around, he began to wonder if he either dreamt that whole thing or if it was just his mind tempting him again. Shaking the feeling from himself, he jogged back to Deus, who was still reading the same page, and sat down beside him in silence for he didn't want to tell Deus what happened a while ago...manly because even he didn't know if it was real or not....

[Amazee Dayzee]

I'm pretty sure that after this is all done with, Bino is gonna need MAJOR therapy to deal with his issues

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

That's one heck of a runner's high.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 18: I Scream Out And Your Light Sets Me Free!


"The only thing strong to slay the inner darkness is the light of ones heart" - Mana Codex Chapter 4, Verse 4


Deep withing Eudoant's tower, sitting alone in the room she was once forced to call her home, Duchess sat on the bed in silence just starring at the floor. Just days earlier, she watched the only dog to ever show her a inch of kindness get buried alive and, soon, she would be forced to wed Eudoant in a unholy matrimony: A match made in the darkest regions of the Netherworld. She knew that once she and Eudoant were married, then any chance of her escaping would be lost forever and she would be then and forever a prisoner in her own living nightmare. Across from where she sat, a small crack in the wall could be seen that had little splotches of blood on it from all the times Duchess punched it to relieve herself of anger and while it was therapeutic at times, for the most part it did nothing for her but cause her even more pain and not just from the obvious reason of punching the wall. As she sat there in silence, clutching her paw, she tried to think on the good things of her life as a way to distract her from the coming horrors that would soon embrace her but, try as she might, the only things that came to her mind were thoughts of Bino and her youth. In regards to her youth, the thoughts of the days when she was carefree and a wild puppy brought some happiness to her as she recalled the days of her playing in the sun, going to the park with her friends, her first date with Peanut, her first boyfriend, though that didn't last long due to them admitting they were a bit too young to be dating so they called it off but they both admitted they enjoyed their time together and promised each other that they would stay in touch, which they have been until...well, she was sent here. In fact, it was the only secret both she and Peanut kept from everyone and were determined to keep as a secret until they both felt the time was right to reveal their contacts with each other to their friends. Everyday, they chatted about the days events from Duchess' days to Peanuts adventures with Tarot and the others. At times, Duchess even gave him ideas for future Spot comics and gave him ways to improve his story-telling. Those thoughts were bringing some much needed happiness to her at this moment and she slowly had a smile forming, but then another series of thoughts came. Ones that took her smile and flipped it into a frown. For her newest thoughts weren't a continuation of her youth, but were filled with all the days she spent with Bino up until the burying alive happened. But these thoughts didn't bring her happiness, joy, or any sort of peace as these, for reasons unknown to her, brought grief and sadness to her heart and pain to her soul. Why was she suddenly having these feelings for Bino when he never did anything she wanted, never bought her anything she desired, never gave her respect...but yet, he was always there for her, always trying to make the sun shine through her cloudy day, always trying to bring a little bit of happiness to her. But no matter what he did for her, she would always react to his ways in a negative manner and would never give him the slightest sign of love. In fact, when he was rescuing her that faithful day, the first thing she did? She started to complain and wished that an actual hero would rescue her and not Bino, to the point of where he was showcasing how much he matured, she passed it off as him showing off for her. Even when she had to rescue him, she still reacted in ignorance and not helpfulness. The more she had these thoughts, the more her paws clenched into fists and the more she shook and quivered until she suddenly screamed out and rammed her fist into the same wall she been punching for hours on end, denting the wall a bit but ripping her skin on her paw a good bit.

"I am so sorry...." she began to weep, "When you tried to hold me sacred and tight, I pushed you away. You tried to colorize my life, thinking I was sick of black and white...I drained the color. You showed me magic with your hands...I dismissed it as fake. When you built an Emerald City for me with grains of sand...I washed it away with water. When you gave me something I could bring home...I threw it away. Every fantasy you tried to bring to me...I called it fake. You tried to hose me down with holy water on a hot summer day but I stayed in the heat of the sun. You wanted to take me to places I never seen but I never wanted to go. Bino...Bino...where ever you are now...what ever you heard about me...the rumors about me being a gold-digger, being self-absorbed, being unlovable? They are true...I don't know what you saw in me and I don't think I'll ever know but I can never be the girl of your dreams nor can I be the key to unlock the mysteries of love. If you can hear me now, Bino...I'm sorry that I never loved you the way you loved me..." and with that, she fell to the floor and broke down in tears. For the first time in her entire life, she felt helpless and alone and, this time, no one was going to hold her tight and tell her everything would be alright. There was no Boris. No Bino. No Peanut. Nothing. Just her, her thoughts, and her own soul and, right now, none of them were comforting her but making it worse for her. Outside her room, one of the guards that Eudoant had stationed there heard her cries and just chuckled while thinking to itself "Keep crying, Duchess. Your tears are like necter to us and your pain a sign of love to Eudoant" before cracking a smile. Duchess, meanwhile, continued to weep and wishing for it all to end right there and now when, from the sole window in the room, something began to shine through. At first, through her tears, she dismissed it as the red sun, but this light was white and not red. As she stared at the light through the window, trying to work out what it was, something began to speak to her via her thoughts and it said "Don't be afraid...for I am a Celestial...I need your help...I can get you out of this prison if you become my Valkyrie in my upcoming battle" The voice, as it spoke, didn't bring peace to her mind, as most white lights do, but a sense of uneasiness. Why, in order to leave, must she become a...a...Valkyrie? Still observing the light through her tears, she asks it softly "What battle?" to which the voice replies "A young canine during my time on Earth robbed me of peace and a happy ending and I wish to end his miserable life...will you join?"
"End? What's this Canine's name?" She asked, drying her eyes, and the voice replied simply "The canine is named Bino...and he is the reason why I am the way I am...Join me and not only will I set you free, you can be the instrument in my conquest to end his life and gain the happy ending that I deserved more then the mortals that get it..." Duchess was shocked. Who ever this voice belonged to...Bino was the reason it was killed? She knew he could kill the small creatures here but a Celestial? She had no knowledge of them other then knowing they are some higher beings (thanks to some internet browsing) so the fact that Bino killed one...the fact that he killed one must mean this Celestial isn't who they say they are...and that Bino could very will be alive! Looking back towards the light, Duchess takes a deep breath and tells it very bluntly "If Bino killed you...then there must've been a darn good reason why he did...and let me tell you something right now, you incorporeal rat carcass. I may not love Bino and I may have treated him like the dirt I step on, but I'll have you know that if Bino could kill you once, he darn well can kill you again! I won't be a instrument for anyone's pointless war of revenge...not even a maggot-filled Celestial sack of dog chow like you. So do me and Bino a favor...and kiss my tail." The voice scoffed before chuckling and telling her "So be it" and it and the light vanished, leaving nothing but the red glow of the sun and the sound of the Netherworld. Duchess stood there at the window in silence before thinking back to her dreams...but instead of a white knight rescuing her, it was Bino doing the rescuing and, this time? She was OK with this.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Finally Duchess is coming to learn to respect Bino.

[NHWestoN]

Duchess and Peanut got history??!! Okay, now I'm really intreeeeeeeeeeeeeeged! Tote-tote-totally unexpected twist!

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Peanut, eh? That's a couple I didn't expect. As for her relationship with Bino, there may be hope yet.

[SeanWolf]

HousepetZ: Bat Out Of Pandemonium
Chapter 19: "It's All Coming Back To Me Now"


"Sometimes the past can reveal itself in ways we never intended" - Mana Codex Chapter 29, Verse 1


That night, Bino didn't feel like sleeping as the events from earlier were still playing on repeat through his head as the images of...himself, he guess, being whatever that lava thing was. Instead, he was just looking at the ocean of lava and watching the various creatures jump out of it and swim through it. It wasn't SeaWorld but at least there wouldn't be expository documentary about the treatment of the creatures! All jokes aside, watching the lava flow and the creatures that swim in it was, surprisingly, very relaxing to him as he was able to keep his mind off of the events of the day and just focus on the present. As he did, thoughts of the past then arrived to visit but, thankfully, these were thoughts of the happier times before all this happened. He thought back to the time he tried to apply for the K9s but couldn't stop himself from chewing the uniforms as, to him, they smelled like mailmen, which brought some chuckles to him and the idea of, once this is all over, attempting to join the K9s again as he feels he has matured enough. He then thought back to the time he tried to be a wolf but ended up being a bear's cuddle toy, which he never admitted to anyone but he actually enjoyed the cuddling, though he wished the bear didn't snore as much as it did. Thoughts of movie nights, BBQs, and more then entered his head and the more he thought on them, the more happiness came to him and the more he surprisingly felt at peace, which was a bit of a surprise given his current location. Then came the thoughts of Duchess but these, oddly, didn't bring him the happiness that the previous ones had. In fact, he didn't have any feelings with these thoughts. But why? He was there to rescue her and would do anything to make sure she was safe as he did like her...he meant like...again, he meant like...he loves the 70's Battlestar Galactica. He started to think it was odd that while he could say love before any other subject, he could only say LIKE when it came to Duchess...but thing is he knew he liked her...what the heck? Bino began to get frustrated when he could say the L-word before Duchess, so much so that he tried to force himself to think he likes DuchessDOGGONE IT!
"Something wrong, Bino?" Deus asked as he noticed Bino smacking the ground with his fist, "Temptations again?" Bino could only shrug as he was still trying to get himself to say that he liked DuchessAH FLIP!
"Not so much temptations" Bino then replied exasperatedly, "But my head is being one big pain in the tail right now in regards to my thoughts."
"How bad are we talking about?" Deus asked while giving a concern rev, which Bino scoffed and replied "Man! Ok, I've been trying to cheer myself up by thinking of some good stuff and for the most part, it was working! Then thoughts of Duchess came to me and I felt nothing, but that's not the issue. The issue I'm having is that I can't even think of the L-word when thinking of her." Deus, puzzled, asked "Love?" which Bino nodded and answered "Yeah! Usually, when I think of her, I immediately have images of me loving her! Now? Now it's just me liking her...the word 'love' never came to my head when it comes to her now, for some reason." Again, Deus was puzzled at this so he remained silent, other then giving an acknowledging rev to show he was listening, while trying to think why Bino was thinking like this.
"I'm starting to think that maybe I never really loved..." Bino quickly stopped himself before he finished that thought as something just came to him: Why DID he start dating Duchess? He tried to think back to all the times they met until he remembered the day he first saw her. He was going to his garden shed and he spotted her in there unconscious. Of course, like anybody who caught an intruder, he ordered her out and, in turn, she called him a "stupid twit"...which, some reason, made him fall in love with her..."Oh, you STUPID idiot!"
"Hm?" Deus asked, shaken from his thoughts as Bino, for some reason, insulted himself before looking to Deus and telling him "It's all coming back to me now! I didn't start dating her because I LOVED her...I dated her because she reminded me of ME and how I acted towards everyone, i.e rude and inconsiderate of everyone! So, me being me back then, I figured if I was dating someone LIKE ME, then I could FINALLY have everything go right for ME!"
"But it never ended up like that, did it?" Deus added, which Bino nodded and said "Turns out, Duchess was even worst then I was!" Once Deus heard that, he finally knew why Bino and Duchess were dating..."You just wanted some points on your then ego card, didn't you? You thought dating Duchess, who was similar to you, could boost your rating but, instead...if I could use some RPG logic here...she was a level 80 Ego Witch and you were still just a level 20 Ego Maniac, right?" While he wouldn't put it like that, what Deus said was actually true and Bino, surprisingly, agreed with him.
"So, now that you finally figured this out...what's Step 2?" Deus inquired and Bino, who was still ecstatic that he finally unlocked the mystery of his and Duchess' "relationship", thought about it for a bit before replying, "Well, I'm still going to rescue her. But the moment I do, I'm telling her flat out that I gave it some thought and...I'm breaking the contract and ending our relationship as lovers. BUT, I'll add that if she wants to be just friends, I'll be OK with that." Deus gave a nodded of the headlight before telling Bino "Well, you better get some rest first. We got a long ride ahead of us" and Bino agreed and went right to sleep, still happy that he figured out that biggest mystery that plagued him.