The Chameleon Loop

Liam did the only logical thing, drawing his pistol, he directed it’s muzzle purposefully, rising past his temple before pulling the trigger. His sudden motion caught the wyvern off guard, and his first trigger pull sent a slug through the wyvern’s eye. It screeched in pain, rearing back on its hind legs and clawing at the air, rending space that Nox had occupied only a few milliseconds beforehand.

Feline claws left four rows in the polished marble wall, slowing Nox’s descent so he would fall between the two mimics. The wyvern’s dove after him, bumping into each other and throwing their gnashing fangs into the nearby mimics. Blue blood squelched as the mimics were turned into shredded cheese, leaving no time for Nox to appreciate the appearance of two new souls to unlock. He was too busy running away, sprinting away from the wyverns. And right into a tripwire.

His foot snagged on the wire, but the rucksack over his shoulder added to his momentum. The walls seemed to open in slow motion as he tumbled forward, revealing rows of spears that thrust into the corridor. Thankfully the rucksack’s momentum was enough to carry him beyond most of the spears. Four spear tips found Nox, two were glancing blows, but one slipped between his ribs and introduced his lung to the exterior world. While the final spear tore through his Achilles tendon, hobbling his leg.

Pain burst into Nox’s mind, but all he could think of was how little these wounds hurt. It was nothing like the rending strength of the minotaur, or even being shot a few dozen times by soldiers.

[mana -15%] appeared, the cost of repairing his tendon via shapeshifting. Yet the change only seemed to alert the wyverns, who turned their attention on Nox. One dropped into the corridor while the other remained atop the walls, lumbering along with one foot and one wing on either side.

I’m so dead. Thought Nox, scrambling down the hallway on one hand and one foot as his leg slowly shifted into a usable state. It was all happening too slowly. The wyverns were gaining, stomping overhead. A wing passed by his left, then a wing passed by his right. He didn’t want to look, but couldn’t help himself. Peeking over his shoulder towards the sky. The wyvern’s head was reared back, neck flared like a cobra’s. Fangs dripped baby blue saliva, still moistened from the mimic’s blue blood.

But the wyvern’s single eye wasn’t looking at Nox, it’s dreadful red eye was focused forward, on the three bone foxes. They were advancing casually, one even paused to stretch it’s spine, fearless despite the greater beast in front of it.

Their courage made Nox’s stomach kiss his soles goodbye. They wouldn’t advance without knowing they could win, and their tag communicated why.

[Slay our kin, let monsters thin, chase the humans, feast within.]

It was as strangely poetic as it was disturbing. How can that be their primary goal or desire? Thought Nox.

His body moved automatically, raising the 1911 towards the bone foxes, only to see the pistol’s slide was bent 45 degrees. Warped along with the dust cover and barrel. Useless, impotent. He dropped it, and a wyvern’s claw smashed it into dust. Both wyvern’s charged past Nox, forgetting him in favor of the bone foxes. No, they weren’t bone foxes, they’re spirits of death and hatred. Reapers of the living. Reapers… Reaping Shakko?

Liam tried to take a breathe, but his lungs filled with blood. Sending him into a coughing fit until he repaired his lungs. Thus Nox laid on the floor, plugging the hole in his side while three bone reapers tore into the wyverns. Their talons glanced off the wyvern’s hide, but they still tried to slash at its throat. Each slash earned the wyvern’s caution and soon it reared back, assuming they were striking at a gap in its scales or some other weakness. But that wasn’t their goal. While two of the reaping shakko had distracted the wyvern the third had mounted the wall on its blind side.

Which created an opening for the reaping shakko to leap across the corridor, wrapping six clawed legs around the wyvern’s head. It all happened so quickly, that only Nox’s Venator powers allowed him to see the reaper plunge two legs into the wyvern’s eyes. Thin boney legs shattered the creature’s skull and slid into it’s brain. Claws slashed through the creature’s intelligence, crippling it and destroying any higher function though it kept the wyvern alive for the reaping shakko to feast upon later.

Blood, skin, and bones flowed together within Nox’s chest. He needed more time to heal, but only one wyvern remained. Pay attention, these reaping Shakko could appear in any life, I need to fight, to stay alive! I promised Loki ten victories in a row! We can’t reset or my last death will be meaningless!

But the death foxes hadn’t gone unnoticed by the second wyvern. Sensing the death of it’s mate the wyvern leapt into the air. Fangs catching the death shakko before it could extricate its claws from the wyvern’s skull. The second wyvern aided it by tearing through it, biting the shakko in half and letting the pieces fall.

Wings beat a tempest through the corridor, lifting the wyvern into the air. Where it’s hind legs caught the Shakko’s eviscerated corpse. Dungeon’s are simple places, kill or be killed. Thought Nox.

A rope of red twine slapped him downside the nose. Startling him into motion. At the top of the wall stood the burning shakko, its five tails woven into the rope. Nox took hold with both hands, inhaling with one lung and Shakko jumped off the wall, using his weight to counterbalance Nox’s ascent. It worked like a trebuchet, flipping Nox end over end until he crashed –upside down and backwards– into a marble wall.

“OOoooofffff.” Was the only thing he could say as air left his lungs.

Strong hands lifted Nox, and hastily dragged him through the outer crevice and into the inner crevice. Where a one armed Taylor (in Nox’s body) was laying on the floor. Blue blood coating his Realcamo fatigues, absolutely saturating his shirt and probably soaking through his pants.

Good job Taylor, get my arm bit off. What am I going to do now? I Don’t want to get stuck in his body or lose an arm! How are we going to get out of this mess!? Thought Nox, wheezing on the floor until his lung sealed itself. It was a painful half hour, and the decreased mana regeneration reminded him of the black crystal in one of his belt pouches. He looked at the blood caked shard, and relaxed his hand, dropping it with a grimace.

“Damn rock nearly got me killed.” Nox groaned.

He Laid there, just breathing. Doing nothing other than letting mana flow into his soul. After ten minutes his mana level allowed him to heal his minor cuts and bruises, but his health bar still didn’t increase. I wonder if the damage I take, or the blood and cells I loose are gone and have to be healed naturally…? Shit… That would make sense, if i’m loosing cells and then shapeshiffting to seal the wound i’m not replacing lost tissue, i’m just spreading out the existing tissue in a less dense matrix. Kinda like splitting doubly ply toilet paper into single ply.

To test this theory, Nox poked at his ribs, finding the hole into his lungs to be overly malleable, in fact, he could fit an entire phalange into the void. Whereas the other half of his ribs held firm. Proof painfully positive that Nox’s healing wasn’t really healing at all. But it could fix an arm…

“Cmon you turd. Regrow my damn arm, or i’ll make sure to snip these peanut sprouts of yours.” Growled Nox, dragging Taylor to a particularly large mana crystal and dumping him under it.

Taylor did not resist, nor did he complain. He simply breathed, completely catatonic. Remaining motionless even when Nox began tearing mana crystals out of the stone walls and building a mana crystal fort around his fellow E ranker. Others copied his actions but in reverse, finding clusters of the black mana crystals and creating a safe zone for them to sleep in. MRE’s were cooked and passed around, with a few morsels being offered to Shakko. Who was practically purring after being fed ‘cheeseburger with jalapeno sauce’ and the vaunted MRE gum, which was normally a laxative meant to make soldiers shit their week-old bricks of fiber.

Yet the fire fox washed the gum down with mana crystals, swallowing the condensed mana like it was water, and not tougher than titanium. A feat that left all hunters nervous at Shakko’s presence, and more concerned about Ruby’s black day. She seemed to be conscious, but the black goo had completely encased her body. Except for her face, which she wiped every few moments with a filth covered hand. Shakko occasionally helped, somehow wiping her face with his tail of flames and then flicking it clean. One more impossibility from the spirit fox.

Six hours passed. With the party eventually recovering their weakest spells, although talents were still locked down. Leading the C rankers –in Ashley, Jamal, Jon, and Nora– to congregate just outside of the inner crevice.

“May, how fucked are we?” Whispered Jesus in Nora’s body.

“I can’t even begin to guess, but… There were three wyverns, and the adds killed them. Not the boss, but the fucking beta trash mobs.” Muttered Mary-sue, using Jon’s lips.

“Shit, Jesus, it’s time to pull out that bat signal of yours and get Arigorn all up in this bitch.” Said Jamal, with Ashley’s face.

Nora pulled off her glasses, rubbing her eyes. “This cave isn’t a safe zone, and worse, the gate is probably closed. No one is coming to our rescue. And… uhm… I tried the candle an hour ago. No response.”

What candle is he talking about? Team Arigorn can’t be summoned by a random stick of animal fat and thread… right? Thought Nox, pointing his ears towards the group. With his enhanced senses and the large feline ears he could easily overhear their whispers.

“Fuck. The Venators really could have used this much Onyxium. But we’ve got no shot at returning unless Nora awakens as an S rank… And we get our powers back.” Said Jon.

“No way hose.” Said Nora. “No one’s ever awoken as an S ranker, you need time to work out, get used to your abilities and then learn how to apply them with skill. We’re fucked.”

Liam had heard enough. He crept through the inner crevice, intent on joining their conspiracy. Jamal had mentioned ‘Venators’, the word that Samson had banned. Loose dirt and rocks broke free as Nox crawled, until he placed a hand on something incredibly plush and painfully warm. Surprised by the sudden touch inside the cramped confies of the crevice, Shakko sprang forward, zipping between the four conspiratorial hunters’ legs.

“It seems like you have a problem, one we can fix!” Said Shakko.

“Yeah right, how is a firebug like you going to slay the minotaur?” Asked Nora.

“Me slay it alone? I could never!” Said Shakko, finding a seat between Ashley’s legs. “But, I’ve been watching Mae, your Ruby, and I understand the curse now. I can exchange the souls of two bodies.”

“You;re a demon of trickery. Why should we believe anything you say?” Snapped Jamal.

“Because it’s in my best interest.” Answered Shakko, grinning evilly. “I never said I would risk myself for free. One year is my price. You see, my powers aren’t equal to mother’s. Once I swap two souls, I’ll be trapped into the second body until I recover enough vitality, and I want time to experience the human world. So one year.” Said Shakko.

The squad was perplexed, horrified, and already prepared to pay for the privilege of returning to their own bodies. Until Nox spoke up.

“Why settle for a year shakko? And why would you abandon the spirit inside Nora, who only plans to escape? We do not live glamorous lives outside of the dungeons. Truth be told, we’re prisoners in our own homes. If you can even call a TEMPER tent, ‘home’. And we’re forced to enter dungeons we might die in.” Asked Nox.

Eyes turned to face Nox, glaring daggers at his intrusion.

“Go back inside Nox. This doesn’t concern therapy hunters–” began Nora, voice trailing off as she met Nox’s disgusting feline eyes and ears.

“That’s what I thought, I’m a blood hunter, one who can heal, and shapeshift, and use magic.” Said Nox, grinning wider than Shakko. “Now can you please explain what a Venator is?”

After his question the crevice was so silent he could hear their hearts beat. No one breathed, until Nora swallowed, readying to speak. Her furrowed brow carried a dismissal, but it was Jon who spoke first.

“Liam… Can you really see the future?” Asked Jon.

His tone carried an imperceptible challenge within it, daring Nox to lie. Or maybe it was a touch of overconfidence, as if catching Nox’s lie. She knows it’s a lie… But how? I haven’t done anything at all to arouse suspsicion! I’ve— Wait, I haven’t done anything… A seer would be able to find this place…

“Yes… and no.” Said Nox.

“You can shove dem riddles up your ass.” Snapped Ashley.

“I’m not trying to be a dick! It’s just that, well–” Nox shouted, voice trailing off as he contemplated his admission.

How do I tell them I can’t see the future, I just live my life and die horribly. ‘Hey guys, let me just shoot myself in the head and rewind time.’ Yeah, that’ll go over great.

“Look, my foresight isn’t free. There is a price that comes with each use…” Said Nox.

“You want information, you have to give it first.” Said Jon.

“Let’s just say I wouldn’t survive using it endlessly. Even once a dungeon might be too much.” Said Nox.

“See! His powers are worthless!--” Began Ashley, only to be interrupted by a slash from Nora.

“Once could be enough…” Said Nora.

“He’ll find out sooner or later even if it’s one dungeon at a time. Just like I did…” Said Jamal.

“Enough! Nox, do you know why we can’t have television or internet on base?” Asked Nora.

“The quartermaster said it was so we couldn’t cause a panic trying to go viral.” Answered Nox, unintentionally showing his naivety.

“No, it’s because then we could coordinate with the other Venators and finally win this civil war.” Said Jon, taking a deep breath to steady their nerves.

“What? We aren’t at war, civil or otherwise, what are you saying May? That we’re in the middle of a war no one knows about?” Said Nox. They have to be screwing with me, some kind of hazing to pass the time. “Cmon, there’s no war! We’ve never be in camps if there was a war, they would have us protected by the most loyal soldiers… who were backed up by tank divisions and airfields to keep us in check…” Nox paused, knowing the ‘hunting camps’ would be exactly how to deal with a rebellion.

There are always rangers stationed around the camps, with armored detachments and humvees carrying conventional weapons… Guns and explosives that aren’t effective against dungeon creatures, but will take down low and mid ranked hunters… Thought Nox.

“Don’t forget the human experiments. And the constant injection of therapy which you are required to log. Or how the camps split up families and don’t let you transfer to other tents or camps without quartermaster permission. Or the ‘ethics’ class in hunter basic training and hunter school.” Said Jamal.

“Why haven’t I ever heard of this?-- oh…” Said Nox.

Until this dungeon he’d been a therapy hunter, a fake, a homo sapien who’d borrowed power. But he had the Persean Orb, the least painful version of a do-over button imaginable, and a functioning homo Venatorus body.

“So, we’re really in the middle of a civil war… And I just flipped sides…”