He entered the home, passing Dr. Sonnerstein, Ifurita, and another native on the way. Below he found Dr. Maddox sitting in her rocking chair. If he had been expecting to be tackled, hugged, or otherwise squeezed to death he would have been sorely disappointed. Fortunately, he had been afraid Dr. Maddox was calling so that she could skin him alive so when she turned directly to Helio on his bed and ignored him he felt jealous for the attention, especially considering what he had done in order to get here and his disdain for being expected to come when called, but he was also relieved that he wouldn’t have to scratch at her as a warning.
Still, as a point he would refuse the next time she summoned him if she was going to treat it as a point of fact like this.
She lead him to the bed room and was surprised to find Lionheart in Mondrago, ever since the cat had made his request to Gil to send someone to tend to him he’d heard the message had been delivered and that was it. Maddox explained what had been happening, how she had been covered in faerie fire like Helio, though it had become tinted in blue. She seemed to think it was because of her child and looked at him as if he would know…but he had no idea what she was talking about. He had only just gotten here.
He hoped onto the bed and moved closer to inspect him, and asked “Did you need me here to see a link between you?”
“I called because it felt like he wanted you here…” She began uncertainty, but cut off as Heliotrope’s flaming hand reached up and grabbed Arnold’s leg tightly and the cat shrieked as he felt Helio trying to reach inside of him…the horse that was empty, hungry, and in need. Heliotrope was trying to cook and eat him!
Arnold moved to free himself from the professors grip as he reached out to Maddox for her hand, when a more rational side of his mind forced him to realize that Heliotrope had already begun feeding and it wasn’t hurting him…drawing on the stored energy meant for Dr. Maddox. It wouldn’t be enough, but as the doctor took his hand he realized what he had to do. “…hold on…”
The fire on Helio’s hand crept up Arnold’s leg as the energy began to enter the familiar, and it flowed through him like a conduit of some kind. Helio was being filled, but it wasn’t right. There was something missing…there was demon within the energy but so much of it was human. He called for Dr. Sonnerstein’s and he came downstairs and offered his hand. He took it for a moment, only a few moments as he took a piece and then somehow knew he needed to use that as an anchor, something for his body to change the energy to make resemble closer.
He was shooting in the dark, working only on instinct, he had no idea if what he was doing was actually stupid, foolish, or going to hurt someone worse than what happened at the power station. But it was working, the energies came into him and were transitioned, changed to resemble Sonnersteins so it was more compatible for Heliotrope to use.
The horse began to change as he drew from the circuit, his body slowly taking on it’s demonic form, and the cat started to feel very hot. It was about then that he realized that everything below his waist was covered in faerie fire, the professor wreathing them both in it! He turned back to everyone else screaming.
The others ignored his cries as they watched Helio hopefully as he recovered, Dr. Sonnerstein was the only one who asked, “Arnold, are you alright?”
“I have been chased by giant metal dinosaurs, flew here in an urchin ship that nearly blew apart, was attacked by giant air kraken, and five minutes after getting here am now on fire and felt like he was trying to eat me! NO! I AM NOT ALRIGHT!”
Heliotrope sat up, jumping onto the bed and shouting with Arnold still in his grasp dangling upside down, “FREE!” He neighed in triumph while the cat screeched. He was never coming when she called again!!!
The professor had looked at the upside down feline, wondering what he was doing, before releasing him. Arnold ran out of the bedroom to beat at the fire on his tail and legs with his paws as it dissipated. It soon became apparent that Helio had no idea where they were, or what had happened in the past few weeks and the others updated him slowly.
It wasn’t long before Dr. Maddox and Erehwon were insisting that he had to stay. “They cannot fight you on sand.” “I can’t be worried about losing you both… not now.”
Heliotrope and Arnold both agreed to disagree with them, “My dear, Arnold and I cannot stay. If he comes hunting here it would be tragic.”
The purple and black clad doctor objected, “Maddox needs at least one of you by her side, for both peace of mind and in case of complications.”
Lionheart sighed and nodded, “You’re right. I shall need a pipe though.” That was important to him apparently.
“Perhaps,” Erehwon tried to slip in, “Babbage could save itself without you three this time?”
“Who here is doing any of this to save Babbage?” Arnold shook his head, “At this point he’s made this personal. He’s not just attacking me, the raptors are attacking all cats now.”
Heliotrope snorted, “That makes sense for his enfeebled logic.” Dr. Maddox looked at him shocked, “All cats? Like Star and the others?”
“Apparently any cat. Even kittens.” Everyone frowned except for Heliotrope who lamented, “Kittens, my true nemesis.”
Erehwon and the others didn’t give up there as they asked him about the device and he drew them an imperfect rough sketch of the interior. While he was working Helio turned to Erehwon. “Tonight I must get my energy back. Which means feeding. On your people. I don’t need to drive any of them to insanity… but I couldn’t guarantee.”
He finished the drawing and Helio and Ereh began to talk about ways to turn the device to their advantage. Arnold didn’t really listen to them after awhile as they plotted, and he just let them work. Later Erehwon insisted that he stay in Mondrago, but he refused. “I have to go.”
“I think that’s foolish. The Raptors will get you.”
“They probably will,” He freely admitted. He left unsaid the two reasons he had to though. If Dr. Dinosaur did happen to kill him then he would stop the search and the other cats would be safe was one. The other might have been Helio’s influence, who already had a rivalry with Dr. Dinosaur, but after the past few weeks Arnold was sure his desire to ram a flywheel down the lizards throat personally was his own.
Unfortunately the available ships had been told to bar passage to him by someone, possibly that Ifurita before she left to hunt the devices locations for Erehwon, but it might have just as easily been anyone. The ships that had come from Babbage and might have smuggled him out were out of the question.
The only pilot he could trust to not become influenced before he got off the ship was Tepic who was smiling at him and wondering why he would have wanted to travel any other way.
((The nightmares spreading throughout Babbage should now cease. At least the additional ones. Thank you everyone for playing along!))
((The nightmares in Mondrago shall now begin. Heh heh heh.))
((and the raptors are still hunting, and hypno devices are still spinning, then again Roddy Pipers been seen in the area….))
Arnold tried to lay back and get some rest, while he also began think about the letter he’d addressed directly to Dr. Dinosaur in his head when Tepic told him that he saw those storm clouds again.
Sighing, he sat up. He’d have to rest and think later.