The Chameleon Loop

If he wasn’t holding a crystal knife to her heart, the organ might have skipped a few beats. This freak– No. This Venator was dripping with the nanzihan of warrior king, a champion of ten thousand warriors. Exactly the type of man she enjoyed coupling with, either to hide in their shadow or in their sheets.

“Strangest thing? You would be high on that list. Or Mia. When I last saw her, she was larger than an elephant, and meaner than a honey badger.” Said Ruby, somehow managing not to quiver under Nox’s touch.

“And now she is a girl. Almost cute, with gardner snakes instead of vipers for hair. Hmm, an unusually auspicious example Ruby. Now listen here. Imagine I have the power to grow stronger with each kill–”

What is he saying? Grow stronger with each kill? That’s impossible, preposterous, and the wet dream of every psychopath or cultivator in all of human existence. And probably a few alien races, if any exist off world.

“--now suppose Loki decided to give me the power to rewind time. What would that make me?” Asked Nox.

“A god, until -uhm, Low-key revoked his power.” Said Ruby, keeping her tone even.

“A god? Hmm… You aren’t wrong… But I haven’t killed everything in the dungeon yet, so more like a god in waiting. Got it?”

“I understand what you’re saying, but why reveal your power to me? Oh, how did you phrase it? ‘A damned body snatching demon’.” Asked Ruby.

The power to rewind time? Impossible, that’s just not physically possible! Even for a god like this hawaiian Low-key or the dragon emperors I slew… But… He’s gotten lucky, luckier than Ebisu himself, jumping into a wyvern’s mouth and surviving, switching souls but still able to use his powers, shapeshifting and magic… And he looks different now. His eyes are harder than I remember, as if he’s been forced to kill his own family. Or died and returned to life dozens of times since our meeting.

Liam eyed her, peering into her mercurial eyes with a gaze that attempted to read her very soul, and might succeed. He tugged on her chest crystal.

“Humanity has a name for this, doctors call it Aetheric Lithogenesis, while hunters call it mana cancer or death. Our only effective treatment involves a slow death of partial dismemberment that spans months or years. They hack away at the body to remove the crystals, then leave you broken and wounded. Documenting your healing with pictures. Sometimes we get lucky and live with a healer who can patch you up, but most don’t get lucky. But you…” Nox said, tugging on the mana crystal again. “You took a fucking nap and cured yourself.” Growled Nox, fury whistling between his teeth –which had been shifted into a full row of enlarged incisors.

Ruby heart skipped two beats as understanding blessed her mind. And her face bent into a winning smile. “Oh, I see. So is it a parent or your child?” Asked Ruby, brushing his hand off her shoulder and rising to her feet, assisted by Nox lifting her by the dan tian crystal.

The sneer of helpless fury that crossed his face told her everything. “Ahem, I’m not a miracle worker, I can’t teach someone who is simple nor can I make the crippled walk. But,” Said Ruby, dangling her carrot as she clasped Nox’s hand with both of hers, pressing it into her bosom.

With the strain of his Venator’s might relieved, she retracted her dan tien from Ruby’s, then let it slide forward, slamming home like a rubber band. The soul-shudder cleanly detached the mana crystal, leaving a one inch wide hole in Ruby’s chest and a silver coated mana crystal in their mingled hands.

“Promise that you’ll take care of me.” Said Ruby, pressing herself against a flustering Nox. “and I’ll do my best to take care of you, oniichan.”

The last word was unfamiliar to Mae, but it floated around Ruby’s consciousness with the only context being ‘say this to a friendly boy and he’ll do what you want’. Context identical to their current scenario. Nox blinked dumbly, mouth falling open, spine straightening. Wow, i’ll have to remember ‘oniichan’, it really seems to work! Thought Mae, extricating the mana crystal from Nox’s hand and pocketting it. Mana that had been artificially condensed was a valuable reserve of power, something that she wouldn’t allow to be taken.

“Ouch, that really hurt, could you please heal me?” Asked Ruby, pressing Nox’s empty palm to her middle dan tien.

A space quite literally between her breasts, not quite touching, but so close that Nox looked away, averting his eyes and blushing a hot pink.

“Eugh.” Nox managed to gurgle out.

Despite his lack of verbal intelligence, the wound closed immediately, cured by Nox’s magic. Ruby continued to tease him, repeating the scenario with her lower mana crystal, coaxing healing out of the now red faced Nox with a “Please be gentle on-ii-chan.” Her forwardness chased Nox away, barking at his cat eyes til he practically sumersaulted backwards over the wyvern corpses. Just to distance himself from the mad fox.

Hehe, I figured an older man like him would have three kids by his age. Aside from his shapeshifting, Nox isn’t unattractive, why is he single? The answer floated to her from Ruby’s mind. In this era marriages weren’t established at twelve years of age, nor were they consummate at fourteen. Oh my, how unusual… Wait, I'll come across like a filthy streetwalking whore to a twenty year old virgin! Realized Mae, palming her forehead.

“Mom, if you do that again, I'll shoot you in the face repeatedly.” Said Ashley-Shakko.

The redheaded mage stood with arms crossed, glaring death at Ruby. And for a moment, Ruby-mae understood there was genuine malice in those eyes. Hidden violence that possessed a willingness to kill her.

“Shakko knows better than to goad me with meaningless threats. So I presume you’re Ashley. Why would you care if I banter with the strongest hunter.” Asked Mae.

Ashley took stwo steps forward, one hand falling on her Mbar before her eyes fluttered. The tell-tale signal that Shakko and the host body were fighting for dominance, or having an internal discussion. One that ebbed and flowed with the Mbar’s blade as it’s steel edge scrabbed against the sheathe. Mae sighed, closing the distance and wrapping Ashley in a hug. Nuzzling the new redhead’s hair away from her ear. Their closeness made every muscle in Ashley tense, going rigid with confusion.

“I appreciate you Shakko, but let us girls chat. The world has changed a great deal since I first fell into this pit. And Ruby… Isn’t a warrior. She has practically abandoned this body to me, leaving me to stumble over her odd vocabulary.” Said Mae, whispering into Ashley’s ear.

The Mbar scrapped one last time, pressing cold steel against Ruby’s throat.

“Let go.” Hissed Ashley, pushing the dagger forward.

Mae released her instantly. Taking a moment to relax her body and retire a pace, demonstrating that she held no ill intentions for the other woman.

“Is Nox your husband? Or just your crush?” Asked Mae, earning an upturned nose and a scowling frown.

“Neither! He’s my brother, and you just promised to cure our mother’s mana cancer. If you’re lying, I’ll kill you and Shakko, even if it costs me my life.” Said Ashley, gritting her teeth. Despite this gnashing, additional words escaped her lips, no doubt some side effect of two souls inhabiting one body. “Their-our- father died-missing- legless, my siblings are taken, in camps and mom is dying. Her eye bleeds every morning and I have to wake up before Nox does to clean off her crystals cause they cut her in the night and cause her to bleed. Ack- SHUT UP!” Shouted Ashley, clamping both hands over her mouth.

Mae’s brow softened. This girl was a lost child, not her enemy. Though she was a cultivating ronin, Ashley was still just a girl. One who needed her family and just wished to be loved despite the violence around her. Mae exteneded an open palm towards Ashley.

“Foxes are known for stealing farmer’s chickens and other midnight mischiefs. But I can promise you this, we do not bite the hand that feeds. Help me escape this dungeon then I would be indebted to you. Whatever it is, I will exercise all my cunning to aid you.” Said Mae.

The two women stared at each other, not daring to break eye contact. Not even looking away when tears began to flow down Ashley’s cheeks, or when she whipped them away for the fifth and sixth times. Her Mbar slid into her sheathe, and a few husky words escaped her lips.

“Stay away from Nox.” Said Ashley, spinning on the balls of her feet and stomping off.

An overprotective sister? Or maybe she’s just the right amount of protective. Shakko warned me that those two were close… I’ll need to be exceptionally careful… Oh! I’ll just sleep with them both. Cuddles ought to soften Nox’s virginity and Shakko will be used to it, so Ashley should be used to my presence! Perfect, sleep with Ashley, then sleep with Nox!

Red fire vented dirt clods in a geyser. While the shockwave of detonated C4 was broken by the ziggurat’s bulk. Someone had set off the bomb. Their plan had been simple, detonate the bomb to summon the minotaur, hit it with bullets and Jamal, then use a remote detonation to summon it across the ziggurat, buying the kill team time to reload ad refresh their cooldowns.

Gunfire ripped through the silence, accompanied by the sound of something large hammering through the sound barrier. Most likely it was Jamal’s spear, though whatever it was had been obliterated by the bellow of a curios minotaur. Bullets ran dry and soon a flaare was shot, rising above the intervening ziggurat. A smaller block of C4 was blown, summoning the minotaur to the entrance nearest Ruby.

Oh shit. I need to cripple him before he chases the others down! Thought Mae, summoning most or her depleted mana to create several strands of razor barriers. They weren’t much, but Mae aligned them –to the best of her notable abilities– with the minotaur's left eye, his throat, but she saved the finest barrier for last, placing it in a hooked “U” shape where she expected the minotaur’s pouch to be.

The minotaur, covered in a fuzz of golden-blond hair crouched. Then -like the walking catastrophe it was– it began to run, mining the sawgrass with each step of powerful legs. The first barrier wire, was brushed aside, snapping into a thousand dust particles as one hand smashed it. The second read broke on the minotaur’s throat, popping like a handful of poprocks. damnit! Thought Mae, seeing her mana reserves vanish. But the third string barrier connected, slicing through the rotten leather that kept the minotaur’s secret in place.

It fell from the boss’ waist, landing on sawgrass that quickly tore through the leather, consuming the animal product with the same eagerness it brought to bear against wandering goblins that did not belong near the ziggurat. Without missing a step the minotaur carried on, breaking into a jog, his red-gold bracers and armor bounching against his momentum. Well toned muscles –enough to win a Mr Olympia contest– drove the minotaur towards the recharging hunters. He’ll reach them in seconds, why did he show up now?! I have no mana to act– Ruby’s hand went to her newly looted sword, an unfamiliarly straight blade with an exaggerated crossguard. Similar to the jian, but far western style as opposed to the single edged wakizashis or dao she favored.

Despite the soft blue glow emanating from the sheath, Ruby had to laugh at the idea of wounding the minotaur with this weak blade. So when Ashley sent a fireball at the minotaur’s head, she nearly fainted from surprise. Not moving an inch as the fireball arced through the air to land on the minotaur’s spine–

–and pop like a soap bubble. Dealing a whopping zero damage.

“Ah, crap.” Muttered Ashley-Shakko, disappointed at the failure.

She started backpedalling allong the wall’s crown, collecting ambient mana to charge fireballs in each hand. They swelled from candle sized flames to basketballs of burning mana which were then hurled at the minotaur. Doing the unthinkable. Getting it’s attention.

Ruby saw it slow, then turn. Looking back at the pair with motley irises of blue and brown. She ran. Sprinting away before the minotaur could catch them. She might not have mana, but this body was strong and fit, able to leap across corridors and remain atop the walls. Away from traps or any wandering beasts.

“Shakko! RUUUNN!” Shouted Ruby.

More to forecast her own actions than to warn her son. Against the polished marble Ruby could see flames flicker into life, only to laser off and pop in burning poofs. Though each laser grew shorter as the minotaur closed the distance. Steel broke stone. Still she ran. Never looking back until an explosion sent shockwaves across the labyrinth.

One glance over her shoulder told the story, another distraction team had blown their charge. A C4 explosion that called the minotaur away once more. No threat meant no reason to run. Ruby pounced, reversing course in a single bounding leap to rejoin Ashley. Rubble lined the walls, but Ashley was nowhere in sight. So ruby aimed for her last suspected location, aiming for a portion of wall that had been broken away by the minotaur’s axe. A new development. And one that sent shivers down Ruby’s spine.

Her boots pattered against the stone, approaching a familiar scent. Mae was no warrior, she was a courtesan, one who carried a blade at night. When her magic was strongest and shadows would augment her natural stealth against roving bands of imperial wolves. But she knew the scent of blood.

“Shakko! Where are you?” Called Mae, reaching the shattered wall and finding only rubble.

“Over here.” Came a weary voice from her left.

Two steps and a leap later, Ruby-mae was looking down at Ashley-Shakko, growing at her missing leg. She had no mana to heal the wound, and even less time to act. Ashley-Shakko blinked, the fire fading from her eyes, becoming Ashley alone. The girl worked quickly, fingers ripping open a pouch with a red X over it and using the odd strap contained within on her stump. It tightened with dozens of clicks, speaking the explanation as to why Ruby called it a ‘zip tie tourniquet’ or ‘tournizip’. Though it had been applied too late, blood was already pooling around her.

“Don’t gawk there like a dumbass! Find my leg.” Growled Ashley, leaning back and pulling the tournizip tighter.

Her heart pulsed, but the femoral artery had been crushed shut. Now it was a race, for each minute the tourniquet remained in place the chances of re-attaching the leg dropped by twenty percent. And they didn’t start at 100% either.

But finding meat had been Mae’s existence for the past millenia. So despite the change of noses, she found the leg in seconds, leaping over the thirty foot wall to land beside Ashley. Who shot her a stunned look. Ashley was fading fast, already pale in the face.

“Sorry, this might hurt.” Whispered Mae, jamming the severed limb and stump together. “HEAL!”

Not understanding the command –but trusting her kill-teammate– Ashley began casting. The bone occified first, reconnecting with it’s other half long before the muscles or arteries met. Resistance came from the smashed muscle as the minotaur’s axe wasn’t sharp. Instead of cutting through her leg, the axe had smashed through the leg and wall, hammering through her limb due to the heightened elevation of the wall.

After the bone, the muscle fibers elongated, swaying like intestinal villi. Only to fall limp as Ashley’s mana faded. Her body going limp from bloodloss.

“You were supposed to be protecting me!” Groaned Ruby-mae, withdrawing her silver lined mana crystal.

One hand crushed the crystal, while her other guided the mana into Ashley, healing the leg. In seconds the muscles knit together, her arteries reconnected, and the nerves found each other. Blood flowed in reverse, floating back into arteries a second before the skin sealed her leg. The tournizip was cut free with the aid of Mae’s enhanced fingernails, though it put up more resistance than steel, piquing Mae’s interest. On the back of the tournizip she could see the words ‘Made in Japan’. This world has changed. Thought Mae, finally grasping –in totality– that the China, Japan, and Korea she had called home for centuries, were now considered ancient history.