Inexorable Altercation [Round V - Saint Arthelais' Hospital]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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The beast's mind was forming, slowly, around a semblance of identity. A ruler needed subjects. There was much to do, far too much to accomplish alone.

Fortunately, there were surely no shortage of inmates eager for vengeance against the Hezekiah and her creators. Perhaps their will had wavered, but with the guidance of a charismatic leader, surely they could be persuaded to fight once more.

This was the general thrust of the beast's thoughts. Of course, the specifics were more muddled, a fact that became apparent moments after it flung open a cell door and yelled "You now serve Urdralus Tralide Lengrathor Emitus Nio, Fourth Third Grand King Emperor Queen of Zambus Clore Elluna!"

The prisoners were unmoved. They had seen more than a few would-be conquerors call for their aid. Indeed, they had seen a fair number stricken with madness. The beast was left to stare awkwardly at its audience, most of whom were still in cold sleep.

"Whatever you're planning, we tried it already," a large reptilian woman muttered absentmindedly. "You'd be better off looking for newbies. They still think they have a chance to escape, after all."

"You dare to defy me?" the beast shouted, stepping towards her.

"Yes, I do. Don't bother making threats, whatever you've got in mind, the ship's already done something worse."

The memories of the conquerors knew this was true, and so did the beast. But they were also stubborn.

And they knew that the best way to deal with insubordination was to set an example. The beast grabbed the lizardwoman by the throat.

"Go ahead," she said, almost smirking. "End it. It's the only hope any of us have for escape, after all."

The beast hesitated. Nearly every memory in its body recalled that exact same thought. They were strong-willed, and yet every one had nearly been broken. The lizardwoman had suffered the same punishments, the same failed escapes... many even recalled working with this particular prisoner before.

"That's what I thought," she said. "Your imagination, however twisted it may be, just can't compete with my memories."

Memories.

The beast laughed. It could deal with memories. It put the lizardwoman down, and touched its hands to her head, and began feeding.

But the beast had never before tried to take the memories of a living being. It wasn't prepared for one who would fight back.

The prisoner's mind was trying desperately to cling to her memories, terrible as they were; perhaps because they were all she had. But the beast, with the arrogance of fifty conquerors, would not relent. It would win. No mere prisoner was stronger than it.

Minutes passed. Physically, the combatants stayed still, but the mental struggle continued. Then, finally, the lizardwoman's mind relented; she collapsed on the floor, and new memories flowed into the beast.

But the struggle had put a great strain on it. It stumbled backwards, disoriented, as it incorporated the new memories. Its plans for conquest were doomed to failure. Nothing mattered any more. It would conquer. It would have its revenge. It would fail.

The beast slowly wandered out of the room. It had won the struggle. It would not fail. But it could not succeed.

The argument continued to rage in its mind. The lizardwoman's memories were intense, having been so hard-fought and found so recently; and her pessimism was shared, in part, by the conquerors. But they were still stubborn, and they still dominated the beast by force of numbers. Gradually, its desire for conquest would overcome its fear.

But even as it sorted through the conflicts in its own memories, it had completely failed to realize how much it had lost in the fight. The lizardwoman's mind had been determined to hold on to some memories, even if it could not hold onto its own.

Felix Atrum picked himself up off the floor, then looked down at his new body.

"I don't think I want to know how this happened," he muttered, rubbing his scaly forehead.