Going Batty

This is a story of the Becoming Monsters Universe by AiLoves, used with permission.

The core idea for this series comes from Batthew, and it stars their OC Elise the Bat. This chapter also contains Leo, the OC of RetroLeopard, and will be focusing on him a bit more than before. You'll see why.

--

Chapter 4: Roar

Leo walked back to the Bespoke Batte some days later, after a particularly smug-sounding text from Elise told him that his order was ready. He hadn't had any incidents this week, but there was no point in waiting for one. The text had come, and Leo got in his car to head to the city immediately. Parking was terrible, as usual, but it would be worth it for today. As he shut the driver side door, his phone gave a ping to get his attention. A text message. "Good job getting here so quickly! -Elise." Leo sighed, she was a handful, but the best at what she did.

The bell above the door welcomed him again, the red light over the inner door bringing back memories that had not really left his head. "Welcome to the Bespoke Batte...oh, hi Leo," Elise the bat said from the counter with a grin, as if she hadn't JUST done so by text. The Enchanter had been working on something ring-shaped and large enough to fit around a neck in her workspace, but quickly started putting things away. "I assume you're here for your special order?"

"I am," he confirmed, "but also for some Delving supplies. My last Messenger Egg went stale, I'm afraid, and I could use a new whetstone. You also have a couple of distractions in here if memory serves."

"I absolutely do. They're in the back, too. A couple packets of illusion dust that I normally sell for play will work well for you. Head on to the red light room and I'll be right there." Elise wasted no time, walking to the front of the store to lock it and put up the sign. She had a feeling this one would go significantly more smoothly than last time, but even so she wanted to make sure her work was tested. Thoroughly. By the time she turned around again, the red light door was closing. Leo awaited.

She found him standing in the same circle she'd told him to last time. Leo looked around. "Is it just me or did you reorganize a bit?"

"It's not just you. There was a bit of a rush on my pre-made merchandise thanks to a couple of conventions this week, so I had to rotate my stock. It's why I only have a couple of dust packets left. Now, please go ahead and strip down, and we can get started." She stole a rather self-satisfied leer as he did so. There was no need to hide it, both of them knew what was coming. She pulled a box from a storage rack, opened it, and reached in to grab the mass of leather straps there. These were much darker than the last one, nearly pitch black and shiny. It had taken Elise an inordinately long time to make (for her, anyway). Between being distracted by Caesar's instructions, having to do a lot of research and experimentation, and getting nigh-unbearably horny whenever she thought about what the result would be? Who could blame her? Once more, she tossed it into the circle with him and clearly said the activation word, "

Priapus

!"

As before, the straps seized Leo and secured him to the ceiling hook, leaving his dick hanging out in the air. This time, he didn't swing quite as much. "Not bad, Elise. I can tell this one's holding better." He shifted a few times and flexed. Despite how comfortable the straps were, he couldn't make them budge.

"And I left your mouth uncovered, since I know what you're using it for now." She took a slow lap around him, admiring both her work and his physique. "Alright, test one, go ahead and try to break out."

Obligingly, Leo flexed and pushed, but could not make any significant progress. The more he pushed, the more he realized he wasn't getting out, the more excited he seemed to get. Then again, part of that might be memory from last time.

"Good. Now for test two." Elise had a perfectly hunky guy trussed up and erect with the shop closed. She got underneath him, sat down, and began to give his shaft a couple of experimental licks.

Leo thrashed briefly at the expected-yet-shocking sensation of Elise's agile tongue, and when she took his entire length down her throat he almost instantly found himself in a familiar haze of pleasure. Elise knew exactly what she was doing and enjoyed herself thoroughly, sucking him down like her life depended on it. Or his. He fought it as hard as he could, he tried to remain himself, but it was futile. The sensations crashed over him, and his Inner Beast took over.

To Elise, his changes became evident in seconds. She went from being able to take him to the base without effort to having to struggle and focus for it, almost to the point that she couldn't quite manage. She smirked, at least as much as she could with a mouth full of giant black cat cock. Slowly, she backed herself off of him, letting go with a soft pop and taking a spare second to admire just how much of it there was before shimmying to one side and standing. Leo was back in his battle form alright, nearly twice the size he was before, his much more feral eyes glaring at her. "Looks like my second shot worked. Go me."

The changed form of Leo struggled even harder, but this time the straps were strong enough to resist his efforts. No matter how he thrashed, they barely even flexed. "Release me, Bat. This is no place for one such as I." His face reflected immense anger, at her or the situation was anyone's guess.

"I don't think so. You ruined some good clothing last time and I don't want to repeat that bit."

The constrained beast grinned evilly. "You seem to think I can't remember things from when the other side is in control.

Pineapple

!" Nothing happened. "What? That's the safe word! This thing should have let me go!"

"And you were nice enough to leave a remarkable amount of cum in, on, and around me last time, so I could make things a hair more specific. Once again: go me. Time to finish up test two, shall we?" She got back down under him and sat before the enormous and angrily throbbing dick. Without further preamble, she feasted upon it once more. His roars were encouragement to her ears, and despite his apparent anger at his situation the beast was incredibly turned on and close to finishing. Whether it was the situation or the setup was anyone's guess, but less than a minute and a half later the roars changed timber and the dick in her mouth grew more. Elise got swallowing as he unleashed a torrent of cum for her, so much more than most could hope to give, and she didn't spill a single drop.

As the beast reached the end of his (amazingly drawn out, come to think of it) orgasm, he began to shrink again. The black fur lightened back to gray, and soon it was Leo there once more. He blinked his eyes, bending to look at her. "I assume from the fact that I woke up in here that the bindings worked?" His faintly British accent only served to make the situation that much more comical.

Elise licked her lips. "Looks like it, just one more test. Do you remember the safe word?"

Leo had to think for a moment. "Oh, that's right.

Pineapple

."

The straps loosened and extended, lowering him to within a couple of inches from the ground before pulling themselves away, depositing him there. Not precisely gentle, the ground was hard, but much less than the several feet he had been expecting. Elise nodded approvingly. "Excellent! No charge for the test, I feel like I got more out of it than you did." She gave a toothy grin. "I'll grab the straps, hooks for the device, a Messenger Egg, and two Darkness Powders. You can meet me up front to pay once you're dressed." She only took a few seconds to gather the items and walk out... after one more admiring leer.

Leo got up, slowly. Though he technically couldn't remember the orgasm itself, he had plenty of afterglow to make him feel all nice and floaty. Must have been a good one, he was a bit sore from the force of it even as he pulled on his underwear and clothing. Jeans and a gray hoodie were easy enough, so without too much delay he was out front again. "Now for the hard part. What's the damage?"

Elise already had the breakdown up on a computer screen, so she turned it around to show him. The price was... okay, he knew what he was paying for was more than worth it, but ow. He had enough in the bank thanks to a few recent runs, though being an obligate carnivore meant that he'd need to do another soon if he didn't want to be stuck on oven-dried stew beef or dino nuggets for a bit. Not to mention his car needed gas regularly. His next contract run was next week. With a sigh, he swiped his card.

The bondage gear THANKFULLY folded up with the application of another command word, which meant it fit neatly into its unobtrusive box along with his other supplies for his trip back to the Guild Hall... or, specifically, the apartments nearby it. It wouldn't do to be carrying a box full of magical bondage gear through the area where about one in ten could easily identify it. Unlike his car. The classic VW Rabbit was one of the first investments he'd made when he got to the States three years ago, and adding to it had become a hobby of his. Let people think the small car looked ridiculous with its candy blue exterior, he knew that the racing rims and lowered springs were not just for show. The turbo it was holding under the hood could outrun most anything on the road, especially if they weren't expecting it. Definitely meant he was never late for work or appointments, too, and the compact size meant that when Gregory parked like a dunce

again

he could scoot in to his designated spot without too many issues.

It was lunch time, so he had a moment to grab a bite or three. Granted, last time he made the dried beef with a really good teriyaki marinade a buddy had given him as a gift, but that was starting to run out. One meal down, time to install some hooks in the ceiling of the largest space he had (the living room) and make sure the straps could hear and respond to him from the little storage space inside of the ottoman. Good news: they could. Bad news, this sent the lid flying in their enthusiasm, so after he released himself Leo needed to improvise a way to keep that from happening in an emergency. After that? It was time to get rolling to the Dungeon.

Leo could and would check if there were any trips that were going to head out this afternoon calling for a freelance Striker of his capabilities which would be worth it, but chances were against it. This was the middle of the week, most of the local Guilds were doing targeted runs with rosters long since set. Leo walked the quarter mile or so to Camp and went to look and see about his suspicions.

Yep, nothing. Nobody is calling for freelancers or advertising a pick up group today or tomorrow. Looks like I'm doing this one the hard way.

He would have to go do things himself. Not exactly recommended, but it was all he had. Leo informed the schedulers of his intent and got moving.

The next drive was over to the Dungeon Gate staging ground, followed by pausing in the parking lot to gear up before walking over. Leo had learned to wield twin scimitars because it looked cool. He had continued to use them because his Combat Shifter Class and Cat Beastfolk Race let him use them to absurdly lethal effect. These two were also enchanted. Nothing too out there, just particularly sharp edges along with durability. Thing is? Those two together added up to way more than the price tag might suggest. Leo strapped on some extremely basic leather armor, not exactly great coverage but designed to stay on him when he changed size. It pressed against his gray fur, not exactly comfortable but significantly better than getting clawed would be. Going solo he would not be able to go all that deep or all that far in, which meant that the pickings would be slim. Thing is, the stuff nearer the starting line also tended to be weaker, which meant less of a threat. If he could take a few of those down, rack up maybe one or two hundred bucks worth of Coinage and some materials? That would be plenty to last until his next contracted run.

Now that he was properly dressed, Leo walked over to the Guard Post. Even if he was going in alone, it was best to do this the right way. That post would always have one or two people at it who could come to someone's aid, or call for reinforcements if the need was desperate enough. Leo had never... okay, ALMOST never... needed to call on them, but they were literal lifesavers and would let him do this piece more safely. It meant that going down to fight monsters for a living was a practical choice. There were two Beastkin women manning the station, one a blonde Setter dog and the other a feline of some kind. Leo thought she looked somewhat ocelot, and as he walked over she was the first to spot him and turn to help.

He almost missed a step. She was beautiful, with a striking face and figure that was only accentuated by her armor. Her Guild badge said she was from

Patheon

, the Clerics. Probably doing this duty as part of their lifesaving mission. He shook his head to get himself reset, no matter the temptation this was the wrong time. She was on the job and obligated to be polite, and he needed to get to his own job. His thoughts were interrupted by her voice, a very soothing kind of sound. "Hello! I'm Lola, and this is Amanda. When is your scheduled run, and which Guild?"

"This isn't scheduled, and I'm going alone. Sticking near the entry, just taking all the right-hand turns to see what I can find." He looked down for a moment, and spotted something unexpected on her belt. "A firearm? Didn't expect that from a Cleric."

"What kind of self-respecting Ocelot

doesn't

carry a backup revolver?"

Leo shrugged. "I guess it makes sense in case of rescue."

Lola nodded, jotting notes in her registry. "Alright, speaking of which, I need to see your Messenger Egg, or other means of signaling for help. Especially if you're going solo." Leo pulled out the one he had just bought that day, which she scanned with a handheld device that beeped cheerily. "Good! Already had to turn one team away today. Do you need anything else?"

"I'm good."

Lola smiled. "Have a productive and safe delve, Leo!"

He turned and jogged over to the Dungeon entry, but as he entered the cool dimness, a thought struck him. She seemed familiar, somehow, but more importantly how had she known his name? He shook his head again, this wasn't the time to ponder mysteries. His swords were out, and it was time to go find some trouble.

Outside the Dungeon at the gate house, Amanda the blonde dog turned to her friend. "Did you want to tell me something, Lola?"

The armored Ocelot stiffened up from the half-daydream she'd been having, staring off at the Gate where Leo had gone. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean the tip of your tail's been ticking against my leg since that last Delver passed by five minutes ago. You got it

bad.

"

Back in the Dungeon, Leo was having a relatively quiet run. Couple of skeletons so far, nothing that could remotely threaten him. Thankfully, they'd dropped both some copper and some materials. He was ahead of the game. One turn later, the next bit of resistance he found was a bit stiffer. A dozen monstrous Goblins saw him alone and immediately charged, their shrill screams echoing off the stone walls. Action time. Leo readied his sabers and called his power.

Combat Shifters came in many forms, all puns intended. Leo's particular way of doing business was brutal and direct: he Shifted his body into a form that was much stronger, faster, and tougher than his own impressive base and let the edges of his scimitars do the talking. More than that, he had gambled his choices for strength. By accepting the fact that he could lose control, his powers could push his body significantly further than even most of his brethren. It was a curse he dealt with almost every day, but in times like this it was more than worth it. What he could reach by choice, retaining control, was almost as much as he got when he lost it.

Almost.

His first slash passed through the skull of the first Goblin seemingly without resistance. A leap brought him between the next two, simultaneous vertical strikes bisecting both before they could realize that the situation had changed. To Leo, it was as if time itself had backed off half a step, giving him that much longer to decide the path he'd take through the other nine. As they started to turn, flailing at him with torches to try to take him down. This served to bring more of them within easy reach of Leo's blades, and he dispatched them with a quick series of clean motions more resembling a dance with sabers than direct attacks. The shrieks changed tone from aggression to pain before ceasing entirely moments later. In the echoing silence, Leo released his power and got looting.

A little bit light on the crafting materials, just a couple of fangs and a dagger, but that was a decent bit of Coinage. Couple of Silvers in there, too. How's the Status... okay, no damage to health, plenty of stamina left, and MP still over 80%. A couple more fights and I'll start making my way back out...

Leo's head snapped up as he heard a rapid semi-metallic clicking sound, like four people walking on stilts. That sound wasn't common around here, but he knew what it meant. One of the Steel Spiders was near, not an easy foe but one that usually guarded a chest. If he could either sneak past it or ambush the thing, that meant an unusually good reward was waiting. Goodbye chicken nuggets, hello sashimi tuna.

That wasn't going to be easy, though. Steel Spiders were usually taken down by groups of five to ten people working together, and though they weren't really a threat to anyone in that situation, he was alone. Leo immediately got as quiet as he could, which was definitely better than most, and slowly started to work through the confusing echoes towards the source of the sound.

It didn't take long. A glance as he approached a corner showed several glinting gray legs. The thing was right there, and would be easy to ambush for him. The situation could not possibly have worked out better. Still silently, Leo invoked his powers again, then dashed around the corner to strike at his unsuspecting foe.

His first attack severed one of the thing's legs, his second catching a glancing hit against its armored abdominal segment, but a blur of motion surprised him. Leo jerked to one side and felt a line of burning pain trace itself across one cheek. Two more slashes warded off snapping claws long enough for him to duck backwards, and another deflected a second strike from a massive metal stinger. This wasn't a Steel Spider. It was a Steel

Scorpion

, and it was mad. Behind it was a glint of silver atop a small pedestal. A Lair Key Shard, worth more than just about anything else that could possibly be found in the Labyrinth. Five to ten of those would let a strike team into the deepest, darkest reaches of the Dungeon and try for the riches there. Leo had to at least try.

This thing is heavily armored all over, so the only places I can do real damage are at the joints. God thing it has a lot of those.

Decisions made, Leo wasted no more time. Simultaneously, he let his power flow through his body as much as he could push it, tore open a Darkness Powder, and dashed in as quickly as his empowered legs would allow. For reference, this is very, very quick. Even so, the Scorpion's next strike with its enormous stinger was fast enough to barely be visible to him. If Leo had tried to block, or if he hadn't had the screen of darkness to protect him, he likely wouldn't have made it. Instead, he threw himself forward over the creature's body, aiming a strike for the joint where the stinger met the tail. Somehow it worked, the Scorpion expecting him to do almost literally anything other than what he did while Leo himself could mostly see in the darkness, and with an enormous clang the stinger flew across the section of hallway, severed from the tail and dripping ichor.