Amon! You were all wrong about this! The Allagans really were giant beast-monsters!

Scylla looked around for a path of escape, struggling against her captors as they dragged her closer to the she-creature. It was only then that she could see the subtle shapes of water-dragons and the cadre of soldiers around the perimeters.

“Pathetic.” A voice came from the wolf creature as it leaned down to examine Scylla, the central head panting in her breath. “Driven to consorting with mine enemies?”

Scylla tried to ignore the strand of drool that dribbled to the floor, looking aside in disgust. The white mage tried to remain brave as she was held down at the shoulder by flanking warriors at either side.

“What did you do with Amon?” Scylla spoke with defiance.

A silver dish slid from the shadows, and rolled along the rim, before rattling to a stop in front of her. Leftover smears of brown meat ringed the inside.

A feeding-dish!

“Amon!?” Scylla screamed, eyes welling up into tears. “No!”

The creature cackled in laughter, dog-creatures yipping in response.

“Oh come now? Do you really think I have lost that much control that I would be driven to eat sentient beings?” The creature spoke with a mused voice, growing clearer amongst the sated wolves. “Though I could be driven to make an exception for your rotten companion.”

Amon? How does this creature know of him?

“He lied to me…” The creature said pointedly.

“Amon?” Scylla shook her head, as the guards released their hold, just slightly. “How? Amon couldn’t be that old?”

“Indeed, Amon is practically a fossil- and a former denizen of this place. We grew up together under the shadow of the great Sycrus Tower as children.” The dog creature recounted. “None could be counted as his rival in song… or in aetheric technomancy.”

“This can’t be the same Amon,” Scylla looked up at the creature with a perplexed stare. “Amon can’t even protect himself from a simple Kedtrap. And he didn’t mention ever being friends with a big, multi-headed dog creature.”

“We weren’t friends!” The heads growled and snapped in response. “And do you think this was always my visage, foolish child?”

Scylla was curious, but remained silent as if not to upset the creature further.

“Amon had discovered a so-called secret of immortality and endless power. It started when he raised the timeless emperor Xande from his enchanted not-tomb. Then came the aetheric enhancements, which made our people unstoppable, even to the dragons.”

The creature tapped her staff against the floor, lighting up the entire room in a blue flare before continuing.

“Then I was pressured to submit to his enhancements, of which he insisted on presiding over personally. He made up some pathetic excuse of me being royalty.”

The voice grew more coarse as the dogs started to howl.

“We were heated rivals, and in the end fighting desperately over favor before the Emperor… but never did I expect to wake up to… THIS!”

The six heads snarled and writhed uncontrollably, as the creature reared up, falling down and pacing around.

“Oh, that twisted psychotic man thought he had his sweet revenge… explaining off my death, while secretly torturing me in the bowels of the tower, feeding me just enough bio-pellet nutrition to keep me alive, but not enough to keep the hounds satiated. He purposely made it so that I could feel their feral nature and wild hunger, as they slowly tore away at my mind.”

The creature poked a paw in Scylla’s chest, sending her stumbling back into the guards.

“Fortunately for you, he underestimated my resourcefulness.” The creature sounded smug, as six predatory smiles lined each of the heads. The dog creature paced over to one of the corners, caressing one of the shadow soldiers on the shoulders.