Appearing in a back alley, Alex...
~~~
A hand reaches out and lands on the author's shoulder.
"GHAAA!!!"
"HAHAHA, did I scare you, Anna?" Kevin
"Yes you scared the sh** out of me, when did you even get down here?"
"Just a little while ago. I saw you typing up a storm, and waited for you to do your thinking pose, for a chapter title, before bugging you."
"I do not have a thinking pose!"
"Yes you do, it's cute, it's like looking at a puppy begging for food. Also... The cops cleared out the house, a few things were stolen, and everything is trashed."
"So what do we do..."
Sitting on the bed beside Anna he hugged her close.
"I don't know. This is the first time they have ever gotten so close to us. Not only did they find where we lived, but also infiltrated the police force without me even noticing."
Leaning back into Kevin's arms Anna sighed.
"I think it's time we start to cultivate..."
"Are you sure, we have been holding off for so long because you were scared, that it was incomplete?"
"I don't think we have a choice anymore. We need to protect ourselves, and we have the means to do so, but we hesitated because it requires a lot of things. With the new book, I can solve that one problem, and since it will be delayed on the release we can alter the cultivation to our desired needs."
"But what about the government I thought we couldn't release something like this without it causing everyone to go after us?"
"It should not be a problem, the early stages within the book so far only have..."
*Creek*
Looking at one another Anna gets up and quietly hides, while Kevin draws his pistol and aims at the entrance.
A few tense moments go by before a figure climes down and appears before Kevin.
"Aren't you lucky she decided to dig a tunnel?" ???
"Cory? How did you get down here, and how did you know about this?"
"Cory?" asked Anna in confusion as she reveals herself.
"Oh, your both down here. Ahh, yea well the thing is, I'm actually from a cultivation family, that was sent to monitor you."
After hearing those words, Anna hid behind the wall again, while Kevin raised his gun and pointed it at Cory.
"Woah, woah, woah, woah. I come in peace, our family owes a huge debt to Anna."
"That still does not explain the fact that you knew about this place!"
"Who do you think built it?"
"Oh."/"Ohh."
"Yea Ohh is correct. Now stop hiding we have things to talk about."
"Starting off with, we owe you because one of your early books changed a cultivation method that our founder used, and saved many of us from a terrible disease while hiding us from lurking eyes. Most people think your books are based on fiction, but we know better, your books change reality."
"After today's incident, we have a feeling you are going to release a new book, that will change the world forever. As our saviors, we are offering you a hand to hide, and if you don't want to hide we will protect you from the shadows, however, we ask one thing in return."
"And what would that be?"
"..."
"Come on spit it out."
"If you chose to go into hiding, help us develop a new cultivation technique so we can hide better."
"And what if we don't want to hide?"
"If you don't want to hide, we will come out to the public and announce that Anna and Kevin are the new heads of the Beastburn Clan."
Stunned into silence the couple looked at one another, while Corry leaned against a wall and waited for an answer.
Stepping out from behind the wall again, Anna asked in a low voice.
"Bestburn clan, are you talking about the clan written in my first-ever book?"
"Yes."
"How is that possible?"
"We don't know either, at the end of your book, you wrote that everyone within the clan, became pure, and disappeared from the world, but it did not state what pure meant, or why they disappeared. In our records, our bloodline became pure, and we went into hiding for some unknown reason."
"So what you're trying to say, is you're blackmailing us one way or another."
"Yep."
"And why should I trust anything you are saying, any of the big cultivation families can find that book and make up a fake story."
"Oh yeah, what about the stuff that was not released to the public, that only you would know as the author, and the Beastburn clan, because it happened to them? I have been authorized to answer any question you have about us being the legitimate clan, in your book."
"I don't need you to answer a question then. If your really the Beastburn clan that I wrote about, then all you have to do is show me your families, ability."
"All right, but can you turn around for a bit, so I can undress?"
"Why would you need to undress?"
"I'm not as skilled as the elites in my clan, I can only do a full body morph at the moment."
"I will turn around, but he will be facing you then. It's not that I don't trust you, but that I don't trust you."
"Understandable. But, can you tell him what to expect, before I start, so he does not freak out and shoot me?"
"Kevin, if he's from, the first book I wrote, you will probably see something very unsightly, unless he lunges at you Don't shoot."
"Alright."
"She's underplaying it, it's not just unsightly, it's horrifying."
Walking behind the wall, she gives out the ok.
"I will begin now."
Getting down on all fours, while naked, his skin started to melt off, revealing blood, and muscle underneath. At the same time, Anna stepped around the wall to witness what was happening.
With a grunt, the bones in Cory's body started to make snapping noises. His muscles started to change shape, and his body began to bubble. With each crack of a bone, a jet of blood sprayed across the floor. His arm started to elongate, and as he began to stand straight, a new flesh started to cover his body. The flesh however was orange, and feathers started to grow across his skin, while his feet turned into clawed talons.
"Ahh, so you're a bird person."
"Not quite, the clan records stated that this form was similar but much rarer."
After saying this Cory turned his body slightly to let Anna see.
Shocked Anna stammered "A... A griffin."