Niall rubbed his blurry eyes as he sat up. The remaining three had taken a couple of rooms at an inn they trusted.
"Its pretty hot in here."
Niall attempted to move, only to feel limbs holding him back.
"Ugh... Kyra, can you... wait."
His eyes narrowed as he pulled the blanket up. A pair of bodies were pressed incredibly close, practically wiggling as they held him.
"Uh... I feel like they like Niall more than me."
Reverting to Aveline, she used a combination of Fire and Wind Magic to form a warm wall of air to escape.
"The two of you... jeez. At least they're not fully undressed."
Aveline pushed open the window, allowing a cool breeze to slowly flow in. She breathed deeply, letting out a tiny sigh as her eyes drifted off to the moon hovering above.
["Aveline? What are you worrying about?"]
Aveline felt her lips twitch, knowing she will never be alone.
"I just... am looking forward to the future. Not just school and the girls, but seeing more of this world. Some things out there, even I don't know about."
['You're excited! I think it's infectious.']
Aveline could only smile as she continued to stare outside. Her eyes suddenly shifted down as shadows passed underneath.
"Oh? These must be the guys raising beasts."
Looking back, Aveline sighed as she let her Dark Magic shroud her body. She took a leap, landing quietly as she followed the men slipping through the shadows.
["Aveline! Why would you go alone?!"]
'I know this will be dangerous, but some things shouldn't be seen by them.'
Hika was left silent as Aveline slipped through a doorway behind those she pursued.
["Your magic is not limitless. Be careful, no matter what you do."]
Aveline practically held her breath as she sped along after her marks. Blissfully unaware, they spoke among themselves as Aveline listened.
"Did you hear?"
"Of course. Those crazy bastards brought another weird thing into this world."
"Not just that, but the appearance!"
They continued for a bit, leaving Aveline confused.
'They BREED monsters... what are they talking about?'
Aveline smirked as she listened more.
"We the last of the group to gather?"
"Yeah. Besides us, everyone should be there by now."
"I told you, we should have left sooner!"
The small group continued to talk until Aveline casually slipped between them all. To their surprise, a young man slipped from the shadows and stared up at them.
"What? Never seen a ghost before?"
They all grew pale as Niall vanished from sight, appearing behind one of them men.
"Better to call me a demon, I guess."
He smiled wickedly as wind began to whip around, slicing the group apart. Before long, only one man was left. He was shaking violently, the air around him sour as he tried to move away from his pursuer.
"So, tell me. What exactly did they make in there?"
Niall knelt down, a mischievous smile on his face. The terror-stricken man tried to talk, but the light faded from his eyes as he slumped over.
["You scared him to death."]
With a small sigh, Niall let the wind pierce the man's throat before continuing along the path. Shadows embraced him as he vanished once more.
-
"Any word from them?"
Standing at the center of the group, a muscular man with long golden hair shouted. His scarred arms were crossed as he stared into the crowd.
"No one wants to speak up, huh? Whatever. Let's just carry on, they'll show up at some point. Bring It out!"
Without another word, large curtains were pulled aside. They revealed a large bird cage with a massive black blob sitting within. Many of the onlookers seemed confused as they watched, only one stared with interest from within shadows.
["Aveline, you know what that is?"]
'Not a clue. I just know it's something they shouldn't have. Whoever gave the cannons, as well as the drug formula, must have given them this idea.'
Niall didn't stare with curiosity for no reason, he stared due to the strange glowing heart above the blob. It stayed neutral, a constant zero, but this left him with a fun idea.
"This is the latest creation. An all devouring monster, created from special materials gather by her ladyship's men!"
['You were right! Who the heck is this lady the all work for?!']
'No clue. She seems connected to the church, Alvol and Orion. This... creature, it seems intelligent enough for the system to recognize it as female. Not just female, but as a potential conquest.'
["..."
'...']
Rolling his eyes, Niall slipped between the crowd. He quickly slipped behind the blob, staying out of sight from the men surrounding it. A soft voice escaped the blob.
"Who are you?"
Niall stared in shock as he saw a small, beautiful face shift out of the mass.
"Oh, sorry. I know I don't look... pleasing to the eye. I've been hiding my true self within this mass for so long, ugh. It feels nasty, hiding inside of your own egg."
Niall covered his mouth for a moment as he slipped his second skin off. Aveline looked into the soft features of the woman within the blob, her dark hair practically plastered to her pale skin.
"Oh! You're pretty, miss. So why are you here?"
Aveline peeked around the mass, gauging the many people. A quick count of fifty men. She sighed softly as she got closer to the girl.
"I was here to stop them, originally. Now I need to save you as well."
The girl blinked in confusion.
"Save me? But they are all weak... except the blondie. I fear he knows I am inside sometimes."
She shivered a little.
"Well, I'll need some form of explanation as to who or what you are, but first... maybe I should start beating down the bad guys?"
Before Aveline could move, the blob shot out dozens of tendrils. The shrieks of pain, grunts of death and screams of fear echoed throughout the building. When Aveline looked at the girl, she smiled shyly.
"Egg. I can control it, if I am inside. I gotta bring it with me. No one can use my egg."
She pouted as thin arms slipped out, crossing over her slightly protruding breasts. Aveline fought hard not to laugh at her innocent cuteness, quickly shoving the cage and a massive axe slammed down where it had been previously.
"What the hell is this? A little girl, hiding behind the monster?"
Aveline got to her feet, quickly digging into her spatial shadows and pulling out a sword. It was short, but she was agile.
"Shadow Magic? Huh. You got some sort of control on the monster?"
Aveline rolled her eyes.
"She isn't a monster."
Before he could react, the tendrils pierced his body from behind. Aveline fought the urge to vomit, reminded of the many alien or sludge monster movies she had seen before.
'Seeing it in person is way more nasty.'
The large man dropped to his knees, his axe falling forward. Aveline smirked as her shadows gobbled up the axe.
'I can give it to someone more fitting. This is a valuable axe!'
"Umm... pretty miss, I didn't hit you, did I?"
Small taps began to move towards Aveline. She peeked around the side, her face quickly turning scarlet. The face now had a body. A very erotic body, fit for a dancer.
"Uh umm... I should have something in-"
Aveline was silenced as the girl came closer, her footsteps quick. She wrapped Aveline in a hug.
"Oh! You're alright!"
The excitable girl jumped with glee as she held Aveline. When she stopped, she spun on her heel and approached her egg.
'Oh my... she needs lock up that perky... ahem.'
To her surprise, Aveline watched as the egg began to convulse. Before long, it shrank and split into tendrils that slid up the girls body.
'That is so lewd...'
Aveline felt her face flush a brighter red, but a cold pit formed in her stomach as the girl turned around. Her bright red eyes, as well as the black veins running across her body, stood out in that moment.
"She's a Corrupt..."
---
Thank you,
Anna Haig!