《I Want It All - CHANGE!》 Chapter 1 - Freedom A single white green coloured soul shaped in the vagueness of a human awoke within a gigantic library. Tall and wide shelves full of books of many coloured covers, stacked to the brim as if ready to burst, the mere look of it implicated taking a book out would be an ordeal. On closer inspection however the soul which was frantically turning its head to look around saw that while the inner section was that of a library the outer rim was a prison. There were many locked and barred doors above leading to every direction. It was absolutely baffled by its surroundings, the librarians were not simple textbook orderly dressed people at all. They were hordes of child sized plague doctors. Tiny little creatures coated in black with white bird like beak masks, scurrying about frantically from shelf to shelf, pushing along carts and then whenever they would momentarily stop¡­ THUD! A book falls from the shelves without any sign of anyone or anything pushing or pulling it out and would smash into the cart and the exact moment it did the plague children would sprint off away to another of the monumental shelves. The soul reached out with its right hand to tap one of the doctors on the shoulder¡­ it then reeled back and stared at its arm in detail, looking at the front and then the back, followed by an inspection of its entire body and when it was done it froze completely still. Its head twitched several times but nothing happened. ¡°I can¡¯t speak.¡± Panic was beginning to set in to the lost soul. Several of the children with carts about to burst would go up some ramps to the jailed doors above and take out a green key from their waist. The key was large and simplistic in design, it looked as if it was made of acrylic, a toy for toddlers¡­ yet when they placed it into the large chained coated padlocks, they snapped off without any sign of resistance. Then the sounds of rattling metal filled the room. The children all stopped in their tracks, let go of their carts, stood upright and turned to face the centre of the room and in perfect coordination bowed their heads. From the northmost door a figure emerged. It was almost exactly the same as the children but stood at an incredible height, the mysterious being must have been at least seven foot tall. In its right hand was a long staff that the lost soul recognised, the caduceus held symbol for medical institutions. The figure began to float. It rose to the top of the room and stared down at the green soul, despite its gaze being concealed by black circular lenses with gold frames, the small green light could feel a piercing laser focused point directed at it. ¡°Hello Lost Soul. Do you remember anything?¡± The voice that came out of the doctor however was surprisingly sweet, carrying a dignity and caring affection to it, certainly that of a masculine male but it felt familiar, like meeting an old friend after a while, as if the soul and the doctor had merely not seen each other in a month. ¡°No¡­ not¡­ really? It¡¯s all... foggy.¡± The souls answers came out as sound in the room. It moved his fingers to touch its lips but of course they weren¡¯t there. It grew even more confused. The doctor chuckled and began to twirl the staff with his fingers, showing incredible dexterity through quick shifts of balance and position, the staff becoming a blur of gold. ¡°Well that is to be expected. A different answer would be worrying but it happens occasionally. So allow me to get to the point.¡± Then the room became heavy, as if the air was growing dense and a storm of rain would flood the room in an instant, all it needed was a crack of thunder to break the dam. ¡°You are dead. You passed in your sleep. I am sorry that your body has come to an end.¡± The soul flinched at the words. It wanted to scream and deny it as instinct would dictate but for some reason the words spoken. It was the truth. The man spoke the truth no matter what, his words were like the blade of justice, hanging down¡­ striking with surgical precision to the heart of matters. ¡°...So what happens now?¡± The Lost Soul was not sure how to process their loss. It could not remember any real details of its life, it tried it could remember emotions. Warmth and passion. Coldness and hatred. Spite and forgiveness¡­ a cluster of painted thoughts that were dripping away into stains of their former selves. ¡°You may have a chance to live again. As is usual for the deceased, one body has decayed and thus you need a new one.¡± Embarrassment, curiosity and excitement began to form an explosive cocktail within the Lost Soul and after taking a replication of a deep breath it spoke loudly. ¡°C-could I be born again in a different world!? Ah.. please, if you could!¡± The doctor began to hum to himself a fanciful tune and then laugh joyfully for what seemed like a good half a minute before clearing its throat and answering properly. ¡°Forgive me. My bedside manner has deteriorated over the many years. It is rare for me to attend to a soul directly nowadays.¡± The hope in the souls heart began to fall like a meteor from the heavens to the spoiled Earth and it sighed, it feared mundanity and boredom would return soon, just more of the same as it had struggled in life. ¡°To answer your question. Yes. That is exactly what I intend to do.¡± Then the Lost Soul¡¯s heart soared back into the sea of blazing stars. ¡°Really!? Thank you, thank you! I¡­ ah¡­ hm¡­ what will I be born again as¡­?¡± The soul began to brew a cauldron of demands, many, many desires were being brought to a boil but they knew better than to try to ask for too much from people with power. ¡°...If you want to get what you want, you¡¯ll have to take it.¡± The voice of the doctor then returned to carrying the weight of nature''s wrath yet again. The soul began to tremble as it feared the thunder once more. The doctor stopped spinning his staff and then reached into his coat with his left hand, pulling out a large key just like the ones the plague children held by their waists but instead it was a ruby red and shimmered every so slightly in the light. He then threw it at the feet of the soul. ¡°Pick it up.¡± It was an order. Not a suggestion. The immaterial hand reached for the product that could grants its deepest desires. They seemed to shake and turn to static as they reached for the key to the kingdom. As its fingers stretched out to clutch it, a voice rang through their head. ¡°Do you wish to be a man or a woman?¡± The key then floated after asking its question and danced around the Lost Soul in circles. It¡¯s voice repeating the question like an endless echo, a neutral voice as clear as a windchime. The Lost Soul if it still had eyes would have blinked in shock and likely turned a shade of red. ¡°I-I want to be a man of course!¡± As if offended the green hand swiped at the crimson key which dodged out of the way easily. ¡°W-what!?¡± The soul was beginning to become restless. ¡°Why a man? Do you even know if you were one in your last life?¡± The doctor intervened with a sigh. The soul again was confused. ¡°I uh¡­ hm¡­ was I? Hey what was I-¡± The doctor sighed deeper as if he was deeply annoyed by the question. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. This isn¡¯t your first time here. It¡¯s never anyone''s first time here. Don¡¯t be so attached. In death you are free of your bonds.¡± The soul hesitated, ¡°okay a woman then¡­¡± and then swiped at the key again and once more their hands failed to attain it. ¡°W-what the hell!?¡± It was growing quite frustrated, as if the soul was made to fit the human body veins began to pulsate across the green model from anger. ¡°Be absolutely sure. Be honest with yourself. You should still have your emotions. Dig deep and tell the key what you want.¡± His calm demeanor returned, nursing determination within his patient. The soul concentrated. Fear began to spike from having to confront itself but¡­ then as the doctor suggested, it let its emotions run freely and there was a clarity. A clarity of burning and raw emotion, gathering together into a tidal wave of regrets from not one lifetime but many that the soul could call upon now.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I want to be able to be anything. I¡¯ve always been so envious. "I want to be a gallant white knight rushing into battle. "I want to be the woman that walks into a room and no one can keep their eyes away from her. I want to turn heads. "I want to be strong. I want to be talented. "I want to be loved and adored. I want to be cool. "I want to be handsome. I want to be beautiful. "I want¡­ to shine!¡± The glimmer of the red key transformed into a spark of sunlight. It spoke to the soul yet again. ¡°Then, would you give up power for freedom? I can make you strong. ¡°Stronger than most on the world you are sent to¡­ but to do that you¡¯d need to be willing to give up this frivolous desire for everything. ¡°If I give you everything, you may not have the strength to survive. You could not crush the challenges of your life with mere force. Are you sure you wish to give up on an easy life?¡± Again the soul had to hesitate¡­ it held its tongue, its body tightened and its hands balled into fists. The temptation was indeed strong but after mulling it over, it gently reached out with a still hand towards the light. ¡°I want everything¡­!¡± The hands gripped the key. Something falls from a shelf. A single red book. Thud. It fell at the feet of the Lost Soul and opened wide and began to transform. Within seconds there was a now a large red door attached to the floor. The soul bent down and looked at it. There was a keyhole under the doorknob. ¡°Open it. Close your eyes and jump inside. Do not open them. Most certainly do not look back. ¡°And do not hold regret. Do not doubt your decision. Do you understand, lost one? ¡°This is a very special door, granted to greedy ones like you but if you want to win big you must risk it all. Failure now would lead to your soul being torn to shreds.¡± The doctor was stern and firm with his tone. Like a parent to a child an inch away from a scolding. The soul nodded and inserted the key and twisted it. They could not turn back. They could not remember their past lives clearly but¡­ they remembered one thing. They wanted this. In every life. They wanted this. Everytime they returned to this place, they wanted this. And they were denied, time and time again. However today it was different. They had lived and died so many times that they were allowed this chance to change their world. With a heart of courage and a hand filled with ambition the Lost Soul turned the knob, the wheel of destiny began to spin again. The Lost Soul ¡°closed¡± their eyes and saw only pitch black. Not even the somewhat lighter colour that one sees when eyes are shut. The soul threw themselves forward into the large crevice of the opened door. Leaping through time and space to a new world. The soul was reborn. A long yawn stretched out as a figure emerged from the insides of a large cave. Long, luscious jet black hair fell from head to waist in a lazy but beautiful mess. Sharp lashes, clean brows and scarlet eyes that held a bestial slit for an iris. The figure crawled towards the rising sun, sitting at the edge of the sharp cliff face; slowly stood to bask in its warmth. Standing tall it was a woman with a pale face, neck, chest and stomach. Her upper torso, back and shoulders however were covered in puffy white fur, almost as if to form a jacket of sorts. Barely covering two rather round orbs under the neck area... Her arms were of a different shade. Black followed by orange, repeating as stripes that ended in elegant human hands¡­ but with particularly sharp nails. On close inspection one could tell there was a decent amount of muscle. Her legs were covered in green glimmering scales. They oddly looked just like snakeskin jeans but melded into flesh that ended into human feet but once again like the hands seemed to be quite sharp. Both the calves and thighs were despite their coating quite bountiful¡­ perhaps to the eyes even more so. The woman walked over to a large pool of water nearby and inspected her reflection. ¡°Heh. This body is pretty good ain¡¯t it! But I don¡¯t understand what they meant by everything¡­!¡± Words flashed into her mind. Following Statuses attained. Name?? Please Select a True Name. Current Race: Nue Current Class: Monk All Classes LV1 Obtained. All Races LV1 Obtained. Class Change Ability Obtained. Race Change Ability Obtained. Age Slider Ability Obtained. Body Slider Ability Obtained. Gender Slider Ability Obtained. Stat Redistribution Ability Obtained. Skill Reselection Obtained. All Changes upon confirmation will be locked that way for three minutes. The limit of changes is three times a day for each type of change. These may increase with time. Please enjoy your freedom. The Nue was overwhelmed with the options given to her. It was so much to take in so fast. Their memories of their time in the library began to flood back to them and she began to smile but quickly broke into nervous laughter. Her eyes boggled, her claws fidgeted, her entire body seemed to slither and shake as it processed the possibilities. Nue obtained her mouth, sharp fangs hidden within glistened as she thought about it. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m a monk so¡­!¡± She punched a nearby rock and it fractured. She was startled by her own strength. In this world it would not be considered anything above middle grade but for the people of Earth it rivalled a fresh master of martial arts. Her curiosity began to grow. ¡°...Class CHANGE! Mage!¡± Nue raised her right hand to the skies as if to pluck the sun from the heavens. ...Nothing seemed to happen. ¡°...¡± Nue decided to punch the rock again. CRACK. THUD. ¡°Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! It hurts! Oh that was¡­ not a good¡­!¡± She fell to the floor clutching her right hand with her left, blowing on it and tossing and turning from left to right as she waited for the pain to fade away, a red blemish forming on the knuckles of her snowy skin. With some water in her eyes she rose, kissed her bruise and pouted. ¡°Okay. How about¡­ uh¡­ THUNDER!¡± She raised her right index finger to the skies above and stood absolutely still. ¡°Oh I guess it¡¯s not¡­!¡± A jolt of lightning fell from above and struck the tip of her stretched out fingernail and began to channel, standing in place and growing larger by the second¡­! ¡°Oh, sweet! This is so cool! Take this you stupid rock!¡± She swung her finger forward and the bolt became a momentary beam of magical wrath! The rock that she had idiotically struck with a non existent strength stat broke apart, shrapnel flying in every direction¡­ then the lightning faded away as quickly as it came. ¡°So¡­ cool! It was amazing! I broke that rock like it was nothing! Take that, you¡¯re just gravel now!¡± She began leaping up and down in victory over the shattered stone. ¡°Okay¡­ time for the other ones. Race CHANGE! Elf!¡± It was a simple choice, likely not to be too weird. The fur and scales of her body receded into her. Her body grew taller and thinner, she yelped as the changes were taken into effect. Her ears spread out like knives and pointed backwards, her fang like teeth receded to flat, perfect more rectangular shapes. Her skin turned from pale white to a more healthy looking sunny shade. Her eyes changed from red to green and the bestial slits shifted into normal irises¡­ but looking at her reflection she noticed very slight hexagonal shapes in the white of the eyes, as if they were¡­ her entire world looked slightly different, everything was in incredible detail. She realised she could see behind her and to her sides at the same time! ¡°Amazing..! This is amazing!¡± It did not occur to her at this time to question why the Elves of this world had compound eyes. ¡°O-okay! Now for¡­ these.¡± She gulped as she imagined a bunch of options and menus¡­ which appeared before her eyes the moment her heart was set on it. ¡°Oh.¡± She blushed nervously as she saw the many sliders appearing around her body, almost as if to form a sci fi mecha cockpit of blue screens. The sliders were in the form of blue orbs that had a x and y axis to from a chart which could be moved vertically or horizontally. She played with the body sliders first, intentionally avoiding the others¡­ watching as her body grew taller, shorter, bustier, flatter and wider before returning the blue orbs to their default positions. There was a button for ¡°confirm¡± that she did not touch. From there she moved to the age slider. It worked about as she expected. It was the one slider which was only horizontal in nature. However Elves had long life spans. She pulled the orb down slowly and noticed no difference. She did not get any change until she dragged all the way down from the starting point which was 800; which had been labelled the average age of Elves, down to 15 to actually see any real difference. Then and only then did she see noticeable differences. Eventually she looked like a petite and cute child and after confirming she was as cute as a button dragged the slider back up, until it was at 800 again and went further upwards. ...There was no change. No matter how high she moved it upwards¡­ almost nothing seemed to change at all. It was absolutely bizarre but at the same time she had been somewhat expecting this from the long lived race. Even at 3000 nothing seemed to change except that some features looked ever so slightly matured. She realised this wasn''t the best race to play around with. ¡°Race CHANGE! Nue!¡± She wanted to see what would happen with her base form; this time posing by raising her fist into the air and twisting it as if it was a key for a cars ignition and returned to ¡°normal.¡± Growing scales and fur back was quite ticklish, though the fangs were the most awkward and slightly painful. ¡°Alright.¡± She gulped. She began to sweat and licked her lips while berating herself inwardly. She dragged the orb slider to the male section on the left instantly. Her hair became shorter, spiking upwards and waving from right to left. Breasts faded and were replaced by chiseled pectorals, a slim waist became toned with abdominals and thick legs compressed for more power based performance. He admired himself for a short while with a satisfied and smug look of brimming confidence that only men who know they are handsome can carry. He shifted the slider back to the female side and then took a deep breath. ¡°Hoooooooo¡­.!¡± She looked at the slider. The fact it had a middle¡­ the fact it had a y axis¡­ it both distrubed and excited her. She brought the orb right to the middle. Now she lacked neither the muscle nor the plumpness of the male or female forms. Instead she was thinner, more athletic and ambiguous. Lashes were neither too long nor too short. The chest had actually been fully covered by the monkey fur this time and their face had extremely neutral features. Hair fell to just around the top of the neck. The Nue frowned for a moment but then put a trembling, sweaty hand back on the sliders orb. She pushed it upwards and then went extremely silent. The winds howled with the morning rays and the chirping of birds at dawn. She coughed as she brought the orb, now at the central top of the sliding grid all the way to the right, but remaining at the top of the screen. She recovered her female body and nothing looked different. She blushed a deep shade of red, on her pale skin it looked like blood smeared across fresh snow. She coughed and then brought the orb back down to the bottom. ¡°Okay.¡± She coughed a few more times and looked away from her direct line of sight, even though there was nothing and no one there to judge her. ¡°Alright. I got all this¡­ freedom. Now I can use it. This is another world after all. So the first thing I should do is, surround myself in beautiful women!¡± She had no real interest in trying to be the number one adventurer, fighting in wars or ruling a country. She seeked simple fun and boundless freedom. So she began the hunt. Unfortunately she was not going to have an easy time of it. Chapter 2 - Oblivious The Nue had not thought this through. She had ran down all the way down the cliff and towards the lands below and upon finding a road followed it until she came to a city. The journey had not been hard for her. This new body was quite athletic due to its chimeric and animalistic nature, stamina did not run low and her running speed was far greater than a normal human, she even went on all fours and sprinted like a cheetah for a while and found her speed greatly increased when she did. Then came the problem of just standing upright and trying to absentmindedly walk into the large city that was in front of her. She immediately ceased in wonder of what she saw. Tall white walls that formed a circular defense, with western style ramparts and towers. Many small houses made of wood and simple stone, some of marble could be seen from the large gates open field of view. ¡°As expected of another fantasy world!¡± They were however plenty of skyrising buildings despite the more feudal world, on the western side a giant tower that looked haphazardly stacked together, as each floor was built on top of each other at later dates and the constructors had always gotten their calculations slightly off, resulting in a lopsided building that looked like it could collapse with one more addition. Each separate section also had different colours and weirdly shaped windows, chimneys and pipes coming out of them, even having doors despite not being on the first flaw. It was truly bizarre and to some quite distasteful and chaotic. ¡°Aw! It¡¯s got that certain janky je ne sais quoi, it seems so magically absurd!¡± She took in a deep breath and sighed as she brought her hands together just above her heart and fluttered her eyelashes. She then darted her terrifying scarlet eyes to the east. There was another easily visualised tower that rivalled the mishmashed western tiled spire, this time it was oriental in origin, at least by appearance and design. White stacked with black tiles above stretching up in a straight orderly line with not a single mathematical flaw, each layer looked exactly the same form the outside but was immaculate in the splendour of its basic colour scheme. It had a very presence emitted a calming, classic and serene aura. In fact the city seemed to be split right down the middle between western and eastern designs, the only consistent thing seemed to be fact the ground was sand. ¡°Nice! So it¡¯s not just standard videogame like faux feudal! I like mashing up genres. Got to thank whoever made this world at some point. Oh maybe they can hear me now? Thank you! Oh, what if it¡¯s that doctor from before? If so double thank you!¡± Her excitement electrified the air, her shouting words of thanks sounded like bombing thunder clouds and the fall of lightning. The young male guards covered from head to toe in steel breastplate armour as well as all travellers going through inspection at the gate trembled in terror at the monstrous woman talking to herself and summoning black clouds above without a care in the world. Magic was not too rare in the world but those who were particularly good at it were still a rather small population of the world and many were quickly promoted to positions of power under the service of a country. Monsters however usually had much larger aptitude for the art of sorcery.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. In truth her current races nature was amplifying her abilities particularly in weather magic, especially lightning. In all other areas she was not impressive magically. It was just that this one speciality in this race and class was overflowing her with mana that leaked out as her emotions were growing wild. The civilians and travellers were being rushed in as more soldiers were gathering at the gate, armed with bows and halberds. Nue was still not paying attention and with her great eyesight was just taking in the wider scenery. One could say she was not seeing the trees for the forest. Of course most other, normal and functional people would have the opposite problem. ¡°Stop right there, monster!¡± She finally snapped out of it when a larger armoured man arrived, compared to his guards who wore simple bucket like helmets, their leader had a more sharp bird like design as his choice of headgear. On top of that he had gaudy shoulder pads that seemed to serve no purpose. She finally noticed the set of bows drawn with their arrows aimed at her as well as the sharp spear ends of polearms pointed in her general direction. ¡°Oh. Oh¡­! I get it. Yeah, I don¡¯t blame you. I must look terrifying to mundane humans.¡± Her comments forced the men to shuffle back half a step. Her voice was silky smooth, yet held the depth of a dark ocean yet her mood was both blunt and cheerful all at once. Combined with her words they had no idea how to react. ¡°B-but¡­ aw this form is so damn sexy! Don¡¯t you think? It¡¯d be a waste to not use it. ¡°I mean it¡¯d also be a waste to not use my ability to change but¡­ if I go away and come back after a while it may be okay but I¡¯d have to wait a few hours at least, I reckon. ¡°I hate waiting, not that I can¡¯t be patient, I think. I just don¡¯t feel like¡­ forcing myself to do something just because others have a problem with me. That doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± She murmured to herself as she mused what to do, a long finger nail reaching up to her lower lip as she crossed her arms to ponder and weigh her options. ¡°Well, you¡¯re just doing your jobs and I don¡¯t want to hurt you. So, let''s do this.¡± She raised both hands to the air, the tips of her fingernails shone like razor shape blades. The men were too stunned and stressed to pull their bow strings. They had never seen a monster of the mythical class before. She brought her arms down to a crossed position around her chest. ¡°CLASS CHANGE - DRAGOON!¡± And then her legs bent down and her arms released as she kicked off the ground. The sand below her feet flew into the clouds above as her body left the earth completely. It formed a smokescreen of swirling winds and dust as her figure became but a shadow in the eyes of the locals that were nearby. The air bent around her body, twisted and danced with her hair as she reached into the heavens. From here she looked below to the city. The two enormous towers in the east and west were right below her¡­ as she began to fall. ¡°Oh. Oh¡­! Ah, crud. Uhm. Hm. How does this woooooorrrrkkkkk!?¡± She crashed into the western mishmashed tower, making a hole through the top floor ceiling and landed on her two feet within the large room, with no signs of any pain nor damage. ¡°...Oh. Yeah that works.¡± She surveyed her surroundings and realised it was basically a home. There was a bubbling black cauldron under a fireplace, a few shelves of books, a few small tables and chairs as well as a large bed in the corner. It was quite expensive in appearance, red blankets, white puffy pillows and a golden frame. The room was well illuminated by windows as well as lamps¡­ which shimmered with an unnatural golden light. ¡°What the hell!?¡± A voice cried from below her and the Nue looked down to see a young woman. Her hair was a short autumn red, slightly bob like but with a few stylish waves. Her eyes were pure green, both the iris and usual white were green. She wore a short white dress, similar to something you¡¯d expect from Earth, perhaps the Americas in the 1920s, plenty of skin was shown and Nue¡¯s eyes scanned the woman who was about a head shorter than herself. Over all her body was fairly slim and had a very balanced figure, a simple beauty. ¡°Huh. Cute.¡± She just couldn¡¯t help but speak her mind. Coupled with the blunt compliment and being observed by a gaze that seemed predatory due to the sharp style it held, the younger women¡¯s jaw dropped and her brow raised as confusion set in with a blush of cherry red over her face. ¡°This is one weird monster.¡± If only she knew. Interlude 1 Trumpets were blaring, flutes chirped and drums banged as the northern door to the library opened yet again. The plague children paused just as they had for their leader for this new figure walking into the busy room. A man walked through it and trailing behind him in two straight lines were women wearing all manner of outfits. The leader held a long metal rod in his right hand, between his thumb and index finger, it was long and grew thinner from base to tip, which ended in brown hair shaped like a flame. His face was covered in a total covering luchador mask coloured red, orange and yellow, patterns like flares spreading out from the centre. The rest of his body was green and yellow, the outfit of a matador but instead of a capote there was a long crimson cape flowing off his back and arms. The women by his sides were all beautiful in one way or another, all wearing golden masks that covered their faces, barely showing their eyes. It seemed there was at least one of each body type, some were dressed in traditional clothing of many cultures. Kimono¡¯s, togas, qipaos, medieval dresses, victorian outfits and anything else that could be imagined, anything that was fashionable at one time or another. Anything with a fashionitic flair. On top of that they were also outfits that would not be foreign to a modern day catwalk, taking daring risks to express a person''s soul and an artist¡¯s vision. The matador swung his conductors wand downwards and both he and the music stopped before the tall head doctor and those who followed him turned as still as stone. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to see you brother. I see you decided to have some fun¡­¡±Stolen novel; please report. His voice if compared to his brother¡¯s was overbearing, yet charismatic, like a bonfire, taking in everything and changing it into a glorious crackling passion, with the high youthful crescendo of singer on stage. The doctor laughed in a low tone, just a few chuckles before he gazed at his sibling who always, always made sure to make a dramatic entrance. It was something required for him. Without it he may very well die from frustration. ¡°Well, that soul has danced a lot danced, walked a very long road and I thought, what the hell? Give them the chance to really enjoy themselves this time. Think of it as miles reward program.¡± The doctor spun his staff until it became a golden blur yet again. ¡°Really? I was surprised. You don¡¯t often do something like this. Father and mother and all the rest love to play with mortals. Yet you, despite what you represent have sent very few to other worlds and rarely with such blessings. Is that all it is?¡± The doctor smiled and his brother caught it despite the mask. ¡°We¡¯ve made a lot of worlds. We get bored and then make some more. ¡°We go back to some and then we change something up, introduce some new people from other realms and see where the dice land. ¡°I need to space my plays out, otherwise it¡¯d get too boring. ¡°Ah. My protagonist has met a possible candidate for heroine. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, let us watch a while.¡± The doctor slammed his staff to the ground, two seats and a table shuffled from the inside of the library to land between the two of them and the masked matador swung his wand yet again, this time to play more relaxing and soothing music as the pair sat down and began to watch, to the other supernatural creatures in the room they were looking at nothing but the space between them. ¡°This soul¡­! Ahahaha¡­ I see. What a magnificent scenario you¡¯ve concocted. Father would be proud of this. Honestly, I haven¡¯t seen you play so recklessly since we met.¡± The doctor sighed but continued to smile under his mask, he brought his right index finger to his lips, or more accurately his masks beak; and made a shushing sound. ¡°Remember brother, I only have one rule. Don¡¯t make too much noise before the finale. That''s how heists and performances should be. At the very least wait for a climax." The doctor snapped his fingers and two cups of what looked like green tea appeared before them in small cups and saucers. They were steaming hot. "Ah. It''s always with this... health food. Oh well. Maybe I''ll keep it down this time." Chapter 3 - Infuriating Behaviour ¡°O-okay. Who are you and why¡­ how¡­ are you in my room?¡± The red haired girl asked the proper questions. ¡°I¡­ jumped in?¡± The obvious quizzical tone as the Nue finished her sentence only served to confound and infuriate the girl who was now rising up, pushing her body from the floor so she could stand up straight. Nue was much taller than this girl and significantly taller than most average women, especially with the nutrition of a feudal society. The girl stood up to her chest¡­ her eyes direct pathway fall into the chest area of her literal homewrecker. She had been ready to explode in anger as she was known to do to those who knew her but getting a good look at this exotic creature and its¡­ assets she quickly became self conscious. Still she took a second to accept what was going on and then looked up to stare her mystery guest in the eyes as her skin stopped showing embarrassment. ¡°Did you like what you see?¡± The grin of the dark haired woman was as mischievous as the cheshire cat and the quickly gathered resolve of the smaller of the two stepped back and went red again almost instantly. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always wanted to say that and for it to work. I absolutely adore that face you¡¯ve got on right now!¡± It was unusual for the shorter girl to be treated like this. To be, one, hit on and two for her to be the person being disrupted. Her fiery personality was well known to be a bit overbearing at the worst of times and a bit too enthusiastic at others. Again she took a brief second to recollect herself before trying to let the interloper have it. ¡°Okay, bitch why did you tear a whole in my roof!?¡± The Nue pursed her lips and nodded several times. ¡°Yeah. Uhm¡­ sorry? I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± The smaller girl had decided to not let up on her verbal assault. She needed to get control of the conversation or else this cuckoolander would shatter the tension again and leave her confused. ¡°You didn¡¯t mean too!? Well who in all the hells cares!? How are you going to pay for this you stupid mongrel! Get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness and then think of a way to fix my roof or pay me for the damages!¡± The Nue whimpered and dropped her body the warm leaf green rug laid out over a light wooden floor. ¡°..Yeah! T-that¡¯s more like it! Grovel like the¡­ cat? You are?¡± Honestly she didn¡¯t expect this to work in a literal and instant way. Then the Nue opened her mouth again. ¡°You¡¯re into stuff like this? I mean, it¡¯s not my favourite thing in the world but well if it pays for the roof...¡± A sharp intake of breath came from the frustrated fiery woman and then a long groan. ¡°Okay. Just. Look. My name is Fika and you¡¯re obviously not from around here. So first, tell me your name.¡± If the stick doesn¡¯t work maybe the carrot would be better. ¡°...I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ know? I haven''t really decided yet.¡± Cricket legs singing their songs could be heard chirping across the entire room.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Fika brought her palms together and rose the tips of her fingers to bottom of her nose and closed her eyes as her eyebrows furrowed and narrowed. ¡°Alright. Okay. You don¡¯t have a name. That¡¯s¡­ weird. You¡¯re a Nue, right? Can I just call you Nue then? I¡¯m just going to call you Nue.¡± She opened her eyes again and took a very, very deep breath. Fika did her very best to not let her rage be anything more than a mild simmer. She was trying very hard not to go berserk as it just didn¡¯t seem to do much at¡­ she then noticed that Nue was rolling around on the carpet, clawing at the air playfully as if there was an invisible ball of yarn in her hands. ¡°What¡­ are you¡­ no. Nope. Don¡¯t.¡± Fika¡¯s wrath was almost at its boiling point. This extremely odd behaviour reminded her of someone and like a light switch being turned on she realised that this might be a solution to a very large problem she had. ¡°Nue, are you any good at fighting?¡± The Nue stopped playing around and got back up on two feet and stretched her back and arms as she did so. ¡°I mean, probably? I can change classes and race so that¡¯s gotta be useful right? Though the key said I¡¯m not stupidly overpowered because of that.¡± Fika was approaching nuclear meltdown. ¡°Y-you can¡¯t be serious. Class change is an absurd ability in itself but race change is something only legendary mimics and slimes can-¡± Nue lifted her made a cross chop pose with both of her arms over her head. ¡°Out of class changes for today but still got one more race change. CHANGE DRAGON!¡± Mana crackled around the air, a dense atmosphere began to build like the heat and cold necessary to form a tornado. It was then that Nue was struck by information. Weredragon form or Manifested Dragon form? What colour of dragon do you desire to be? Red? Blue? Green? Yellow? White? Black? ¡°Uh¡­? I guess Weredragon? Red is good.¡± And the moment the words left her lips her body transformed again, the fur faded away and was replaced by soft skin for a brief moment before the scales on her lower body took on a crimson coat and began to multiply all over her body. The changes ignored her neck, chest and stomach area. Two black grew out of the back of her head and curved backwards, as if they were a deer''s horns but built inversely and then from her shoulders two scale coated red wings with a fleshier peach colour on the inside burst out. Finally a tail of the same colour sprouted from just above her waist that had ended like a large mace like appendage crafted from hardened bone. ¡°Huh. Do all of the female transformations have to have a boob window?¡± Nue inspected her body as if she had just put on a freshly bought dress in the mirror. Fika blinked a few times with her large green eyes before placing her hands on Nue¡¯s body, feeling out the scales just to check if they were real. ¡°Hey, no touching! We¡¯re not quite at that stage of our relationship yet!¡± Fika ignored Nue¡¯s comment but did let go. She had ascertained it was the real thing. ¡°Now if I had some tomahawks I could start making some fun references¡­¡± Fika rubbed her temples as she realised that this being before her might as well be from a totally different world. ¡°Tomahawks, right?¡± Fika walked over to the bubbling black cauldron and without any hesitation dipped her hands into the scalding hot grene mixture within. ¡°Alchemise.¡± She lifted her hands out of the liquid and within her grip were two metal objects, a sharp axe edge with a hammer like blunt section at the back with medium length handles, both were made of what seemed to be shining steel that sparkled as the sunlight kissed its sharpness. ¡°Forget about the roof. I need you to take these and kick my dumb brother¡¯s ass two days from now. Or I¡¯ll call every guard in the city to come after you.¡± Fika presented the weapons to the red dragon. Nue had no reason to really accept. She could just fly away and not take any responsibility at all. It would certainly be easy. However¡­ she took the weapons with less than perhaps a modicum of thought. ¡°Sure¡­ but it sounds like this might be a hassle. A fun hassle but still a hassle. I want one more thing, alright?¡± While she couldn¡¯t remember the facts of her most recent past life or the ones before it, she did know one thing. She had a hunger for adventure and passion she just had to sate or she¡¯d go mad. ¡°Whatever it is, if you can really kick that idiot down then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem-¡± ¡°Alright! Score one date with a cute girl!¡± The red dragoness twirled the handles of the tomahawks between her fingers with dexterity and skill that was actually surprising to herself. This mild joyful shock was nothing compared to the impactFika had taken to her soul in just one conversation. "J-just to make... sure, do you mean... me!?" Fika pointed to herself cautiously though she already knew the answer. Nue nodded her head like a puppy with a new toy in it''s mouth. Nue had no way of knowing but Fika was a type of Dryad. One that could not break promises it makes. Chapter 4 - HEAT For Fika she thought it would be pretty simple. I mean, she obviously knew this shapeshifting monster was not right in the head but a simple task of being able to beat up a Low Race, even one as skilled and powerful as her brother, shouldn¡¯t even be more than a minor nuisance for a member of the Legendary Races. It was not like the situation was in an urgent rush. There were still a few days before the window of action would truly fade, so she thought that she could sharpen the fangs of the beast that had fallen into her lap in that grace period and guarantee victory. The first thing they did was leave her home as not to attract attention from guards looking for a Nue who preferred action over words. This did not work. Nue in her half dragon form had; instead of waiting for Fika to use a magical tool to fly out of her home, simply grabbed her and flew out of the door without even considering the consequences. She had been planning to use a potion to conceal their presence but she mentally threw up her hands in the air and gave up, she¡¯d need to explain a lot of things to the guards and authorities of the city at a later date. Worst case scenario she¡¯d just point to the woman who invaded her house and she¡¯d probably just fly away. Gasps of amazement exploded from almost every citizen of the city, their fingers pointed up to the clouds as they saw the crimson beast soar towards the mountains to the west. Dragons, even Weredragons were auspicious to almost every culture of this world. When they appeared incidents of great upheaval would almost certainly follow. A red dragon usually brought drought or a storm of fire. If neither of these things happened when the divine creature presented itself then it meant one thing. It had come to fight a worthy foe in single combat. Rumours began to spread like wildfire in a forest and the flames of excitement were ignited. The people had been waiting for the duel between Lincoe and Agnar but such a momentous occasion which had been the talk of the town for over a month now had instantly be dwarfed by the appearance of a dragon. Historically a red dragon looking for a challenge made the fights strictly one on one and had made it perfectly safe for people to watch so great is their power that they could often guarantee the safety of the audience or would cast complex magic to allow viewing from a safe distance. Those who fought a dragon and perished were already legendary for the mere fact the divine¡¯s eye fell upon them for even a fleeting moment. Those who lived and those who actually slew their challengers? They were among the greatest of legends. Fika had been hoping that Nue could beat her brother senseless and thus convince him to not get into a life and death duel with the nobility over some woman who did not seem to care for him nor seemed to be interested in what he had to say. She assumed her brother just had a stupid crush. She assumed that even with the complications of the dragon being seen; possibly with her even, that at least it¡¯d cause Lincoe to back down and think twice before he did anything rash. It is dangerous to assume such things. The moment her brother saw the red dragon in the heavens above he could only smile. For in Lincoe could defeat a dragon then surely his demands would have the absolute weight they needed to be fulfilled. Since, who would dare challenge a man who surpassed the rage of divinity forged into flesh? A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Lincoe began to walk back home and every person on the street turned their heads as he took every step. The dragon was no longer in view and so their minds naturally went to question who the dragon has come for. Many thought it was Agnar, he was the best warrior within the entire city. Or did it come to punish Lincoe for his transgressions? For an unworthy one to dare use the right of Challenging the Heavens when he was not ready, would he take the ire of a dragon? He looked much like his sister, however he was taller, more muscular but not overly so, though his arms were particularly well built. His clothes were black with a border of gold, the main body being close and concise, similar to the outfits you¡¯d see in a modern martial arts movie on Earth. Golden ivy like vines were the pattern, that danced over his body. His eyes had the same colour as his sister¡¯s, a verdant green that reminded those who saw it of the beauty of the forest, but unlike Fika his eyes had the white common to most of the humanoid races, their fathers were different but this was not uncommon among the Dryads. He opened the door to his dull white brick home at the border of the city, where the designs of the east met the west and closed the door gently. There was plenty of artificial and natural sunlight leaking in from lamps and windows. The actual contents of the room were a very simple dining table and a singular chair, a stove against the east wall with cooking utensils within arms reach of it. A single set of straw and covers for a bed tucked in the northwestern corner. He went straight to the bed¡­ but instead of laying in it, he lifted the straw up to reveal a trapdoor. With a single pull of the chain, it revealed a staircase which he travelled down with slow steps. The room the path lead to was very dimly lit compared to the one above. It was also far more decorated in a way¡­ every spare shred of space besides a large drawn circle in the middle was lined with black bladed swords. On the walls. Sticking out of the ground. Laid haphazardly on the floor. Blades as far as the eye could see. Lincoe sat within the circle in a crossed leg position. He closed his eyes. ¡°Alchemise.¡± From the ground erupted black dust, like tendrils of some eldritch god rising from the depths. It looked like his body had living gunpowder dancing around his form. And slowly it began to take shape¡­ more blades were birthed within seconds. ¡°I will free you. I will free myself. I will free us all of these old ghosts.¡± Nue had returned to the mountain she had initially awakened on. Fika had began yelling at her the moment they landed about a great deal of annoyances but soon relented when she realised it wouldn¡¯t work on this beyond bizarre creature. The moment things calmed down both Fika and Nue wanted to know what the monster could do. ¡°Okay! First thing¡¯s first¡­ can I shoot a beam?¡± Nue¡¯s entire body began to vibrate in excitement, she had several ideas for stylish and referential attacks she could possibly do. Obviously such terminology was lost on a native of this world. To answer her question, Nue once again was given options and information in response to her query. ¡°...The closest approximation with the current parameters is to use the Red Dragon¡¯s Lv1 Racial Skill, Heat Burst. I may warn you however that-¡± The interface did not get a chance to caution the fool. ¡°HEEEEAAAAATTTTTT BUUUURRRRSTTTTT!¡± Nue aimed her head towards the cave she had come from and said the words with an infectious, hyper and overly excited tone that rumbled the skies. A third vertical eye opened in her forehead the moment she finished her roar. Then her mouth opened wide. A bright and searing red ignited in all three eyes and her throat. It just took half a second. Pouring from these holes was a conflagration of condensed and world shaking intensity. The earth trembled, the skies shivered and the oceans cowered as the titanic sun coloured beam of destruction burrowed through a mountain, melting stone and vaporising anything that came into the mere vicinity of the blast. In but a few blinks of her eyes, Fika had witnessed the damage this monster was capable of. Half a mountain turned to smoking rubble with a single indescribable attack. The third eye of Nue¡¯s closed. Then her normal pair closed and lastly her mouth. Then her body collapsed to the shattered ground with absolutely no fanfare. She was almost out cold from performing the attack. ¡°Dragons have incredibly mana outputs but naturally eat up their own mana and that of their surroundings when performing their racial skills. ¡°For this reason most Dragon¡¯s reside in locations that resemble their elements and have heavy mana density to avoid deprivation. ¡°Extended fights outside of such locations rarely end in a Dragon¡¯s favour, though such combat dragging on is indeed rare. I would not recommend its usage in a location like this.¡± The systems words were too little, too late to give off the much needed caution. Fika stared at the engine of destruction that had her face to the floor in disbelief. Nue lifted up her right hand ever so slightly to form a thumbs up. ¡°Totally¡­ worth¡­ it¡­!¡± Then she passed out for around twelve hours. Chapter 5 - Level Up! When Nue woke up she was greeted with a message from the system that occasionally guided her with words that she knew all too well. The moment her eyes saw the words and her brain connected the dots, her entire body leapt up and sprung to life. Level Up. The two most treasured words of any gamer. Her teeth formed a wall of shimmering white daggers within the dark blue night. She got up, practically leaping out of her fallen position. There was a note on the ground held down by a rock and by its side was a small woven basket and sticking out of it were the two tomahawks that Fika had made. She gave the note a cursory glance. ¡°You¡¯re crazy and absolutely terrifying but you¡¯re the best chance I have. "I need to do things so I¡¯m leaving you like this, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be okay. "Don¡¯t you dare use that in the actual fight. I don¡¯t want him dead. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow morning. "Here¡¯s some food.¡± Nue opened the basket up and grabbed a large piece of bread and chewed on it, it was fluffy and sweet and had a hint of maple or perhaps honey to it that her sensitive tongue quite enjoyed. She then addressed the floating blue menu with Level Up on it and tapped it. Revert Base Race Obtained. You may select a base race and change into it from other races with no penalties or delays. Revert Base Class Obtained. You may select a base class and change into it from other races with no penalties or delays. Cross Change - Race Obtained. You may perform a change where you mix the attributes of two races together. This may be done once a day. Cross Change - Class Obtained You may perform a change where you mix the attributes of two classes together. This may be done once a day. The Nue was overjoyed. What an amazing set of abilities to obtain. She ignored the fact that none of her races or classes had levelled up however. ¡°Alright set my Base Race to Nue and my Base Class to¡­ eh I¡¯ll wait for that.¡± The screens flashed to affirm the change before fading away. Now with some new toys at her command she didn¡¯t wait even a minute before trying them out. She stretched out her hands as if she was going to start doing star jumps and then brought her hands together, fist into open palm.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Cross Change - Class! Ninja and Archer!¡± She was fairly dedicated to a certain idea in her head. For fans of a game series which is known for its rolling combat and murky settings, she¡¯d most certainly by a cosplay build player. The moment her soul underwent the change she picked up the tomahawks and began twirling them between her fingers again, forming blurring, spinning circles of sharp metal. She just had to know if she could pull it off and this was likely the best set up for it. Finally she had a good idea. ¡°Can you tell me what my Class abilities are?¡± The system flashed back to life and revealed itself. ¡°Ninja LV1 abilities are Silent Step, Scroll Use and Throw, I can give more information about these if you desire, if you want the ability of a class just perform it or state what you want, please pick-¡± ¡°Throw, please.¡± Nue could have swore the system lagged for a moment before affirming the choice and began talking again. ¡°Archer LV1 abilities are Bonus Hit Rate, Bonus Critical Rate and Aim Trajectory-¡± ¡°Aim Trajectory!¡± Like a child seeing the highly desired game they want was the last stock at the store. Despite the fact the system was something crafted by the doctor to assist the formerly Lost Soul and that it shouldn¡¯t have consciousness, for a small fraction of a moment it almost found itself gaining awareness and asking what it had done to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment of a life. Nue arched her back and pulled her arms with them, winding up like a jack in a box. ¡°Aimed Throw!¡± She flung her body forward as if she was a living sling and then threw her weapons at the same time at the furthest point! The two tomahawks flew forward as shining disks of death into the distance! They were like shooting stars in the midst of the night sky¡­ and then they twisted. The thrown axe from the right hand curved left and the axe from the left hand curved to the right. With a whirring howl they travelled through the air and ripped the atmosphere. Nue closed her eyes, stretched out and gripped both of her hands. They both forced a snagging sound as they closed. She opened her eyes and saw both tomahawks had returned to where they once were. ¡°Yes! I made them into boomerangs!¡± She began to jump up and down, giddy with her achievement, her tail hammered the land and caused small cracks, her body began to slightly float in the air as her wings beat together to create the smallest of updrafts. Her eyes sparkled with the innocence of a child playing the simplest of games¡­ ¡°Alright. Revert Nue!¡± Her body instantly transformed to her base form without any of the usual inconvenient body morphing. She threw her weapons into the sky again, guiding their paths in her head, making loops of steel through the air, they danced like dragons locked in battle. She looked down at the destruction she caused as she continued to eat the various meats and breads within the basket she had been given. ¡°I sure hope I didn¡¯t kill anything harmless.¡± Then she turned her gaze towards the full moon. She was satisfied with this. Being able to mess around without a care in the world. Nothing would stand in her way of enjoying this new adventure. Meanwhile¡­ Lincoe was half naked and covered in blood and sweat. His armory room was now filled with dark metal mannequins¡­ that had been battered to bits yet were still twitching like a dying animal. Weightlifting bars were discarded in the corners. Shattered blades were embedded in the walls. Scorch marks still singed from the harsh, life threatening training. His breath was ragged, his body felt like it was on the brink of total collapse, his blood pumped furiously with the rage of a bull stung by a hive or hornets. His eyes were looking straight forward at what seemed to be nothing. He had been throwing armies of metal dolls at himself everyday since he devised a plan to earn his freedom three years ago. The presence of the dragon had both frightened and inspired him. Today he had likely overdone it, he had doubled the usual load of work that he forced his body to undergo¡­ but right now, for him.. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough. He wasn¡¯t going to mess around. He wasn¡¯t going to allow himself a lull or a rest. To gain the wings of freedom, he would need to clip the wings of others. He would need to take and earn them with fresh blood and tears. He can¡¯t afford to play. He had to learn to kill his heart. The joys of life were for after he took them back from the jaws of oppression. Chapter 6 - Two Girls Go On A Date With Each Other Fika did not expect the day to turn out like this. She was sitting on a white chair, next to a cute cream coloured circular table and across from her was another white chair which in it was Nue, in her female Weredragon form. It seemed that cosmetically she changed it so her face was human, bar a few scales around her cheeks. The table had two cups of tea on saucers and two plates of cake. She was on a date with another girl. And she was a girl. A shapeshifting dragon girl at that. Same gender and different species. Sure a Dryad does not care for the distinction as much as humans or many other races but it was still far from common. On top of that, this courting was strange, but the woman before her would not stop spewing ideas for modifications and weapons that were completely and utterly¡­ well it was doable, at least but that was the extent of it. Yet despite this oddity or perhaps because of it, she was being entranced by the prospects being presented to her. It llght a fire in her to challenge these fantasies and make them real. To make a weapon she could have actual fun with. It was almost engrossing enough to ignore the judging, the curious and the awed faces of those around them, like lightning caught by a rod of upright metal. And the unusual couple were the unlucky spot being slowly burnt to ash. ¡°Okay! Imagine this! I can take the two tomahawks and smash their blunt hammer ends together. Then they open up and join together! They combine and the handles link to form a large pole! They turn into a larger battle axe!¡± It was a novel idea. It was excessive and wholly unnecessary, though she could see some advantages in this mechanism. It wasn¡¯t too hard to imagine once she was told but before the words left Nue¡¯s ruby red lips, Fika wouldn''t even be able to dream anything resembling the mechanism. Yet despite how ridiculous it was she found herself nodding and visualising it. Then once all of it finalised in her head¡­ she without warning grabbed the tomahawks from Nue¡¯s waist and began to chant in a language few would understand. The green liquid glass bottles by Fika¡¯s waist opened by themselves and the concoction leaped out and then danced around the weapons, entwining like twin snakes around them. The weapons began to glow the same colour as the crafting agent and Nue¡¯s eyes began to sparkle in the usual childlike and giddy fashion whenever she did anything or saw anything remotely entertaining. ¡°It¡¯s cute.¡± Fika found herself absently thinking a stray thought as she got to work on indulging this request. The day had started with Nue leaping into her house, thanking this time from the front door and in dragon form¡­ so the best of a bad situation. And then she said that she wanted to see the city, that she wanted to talk about her alchemy skills and all about the wide world she really, genuinely had little to no clue about. So even though Fika had promised a date after Nue had defeated her brother¡­ it somehow ended up like this. The two eating and drinking while talking about something they both could be passionate about. This was a date and she was somehow okay with this. Not exactly happy or finding this experience even the slightest bit delightful but it wasn¡¯t nearly as unpleasant as she had imagined. At least that was what she told herself. She was absolutely not in denial. The tangling lights then receded back to the containers they came from and the tomahawks gently landed on the table. Nue immediately picked them up and smashed the two hammers together with incredible gusto. The burst of air that was forged blasted right in front of Fika¡¯s face, her hair being turned into a puffy, back pointed mess. She simply sighed but then her eyes focused on the weapons. Fika needed to see her beauties at work and her curiosity overcame her annoyance. CLANG. SNAP. CLINK. Just as she had described and just as she had made. Now in the arms of the dragon was a large shimmering battleaxe. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± The praise coming from the bizarre beauty touched her heart. ¡°Okay, now I need you to make this turn into like¡­ a crossbow.¡± Then her seething discomfort came back to her, as if being with this woman was like being on a bungee rope where the bottom sucked you of life and the top was as thrilling as a high speed ride.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You¡­ want me to make this into a crossbow?¡± She¡­ she had to hear this, even though her tone was filled with dismissal¡­ ¡°Yeah! Like¡­ now it¡¯s a battleaxe, right? So from the same idea we make the axe blades curve and form a double sided scythe, pendulum like blade! And then the pole becomes like¡­ a large black iron bar with a hand grip with a trigger to fire off giant bolts of uh¡­ glowing magical energy arrows, I guess?¡± Yet again with the out of this world requests. She sighed but she then began to chant again. This one was far harder for Fika to comprehend but she closed her eyes and let her brilliant mind put the pieces of insanity together to make something reasonable, practical and amazing. Once again the natural looking substance melded with the weapon¡­ and the battleaxe began to shift shape, again as Nue had described. However this time, flying out of Fika¡¯s bag was a long blue metal bar that attached to the pole of the axe, it began to reshape itself to form the necessary components and shape to form the grip and shaft of the crossbow. When Fika finished her chanting, the newly form was complete. She puffed up her cheeks and then blew out a long tunnel of air that caused her ruined haired to flutter about. ¡°Awwwwww! Yeah!¡± Nue leapt up from her seat, almost spilling the tea and collapsing the cake and then looked at the path the bolts of the bow would travel. She began to squeal when she noticed they were two large arrow like objects on two paths. ¡°How did you know I wanted it to shoot two beams!?¡± Fika took a long drink of her tea and cleared her throat before she answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I can¡¯t possibly make a weapon like that be able to rapid fire or carry multiple bolts, it¡¯s too impractical even for me¡­ but shooting two powerful bolts simultaneously was the compromise I was able to craft.¡± At that the dragoness howled with joy, people were getting quite concerned with the spectacle unfolded before their eyes¡­ especially when she aimed it at the half destroyed mountains in the far distance that had exploded for no reason yesterday, at least that¡¯s what the civilians thought happened, though now watching Nue they began to put two and two together. She held the handle like a pistol. She arched her entire body back as if she was rowing oars on a boat. She smirked as her eyes locked onto what she had unconsciously designated as her territory to play with. Then her brain sparked another semi acceptable idea. ¡°Cross Change - Sniper and Mage!¡± Lightning and flame began to build and circle the two silver coloured arrows along the open chamber of the freshly forged, transforming and magical weapon. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t fire that thing from here-!¡± Fika cried out. It was too late. The crowd ducked low and cowered in terror. ¡°TWIN BUSTER RIF-!¡± But before she could finish her sentence the world began to slow down for her. The system was speaking again and it sounded¡­ mad? ¡°Do not break copyright. The Maestro of Media would heavily disapprove. Also the Doctor recommends you aim towards the sky.¡± Nue frowned and pouted but she felt such a stern warning that she sighed and accepted the demands of the power she was given. ¡°What¡¯s a name anyway? Okay¡­ so I can¡¯t say that so¡­ ah alright. That works.¡± Nue pointed the crossbow heavenwards and took in a deep breath to prepare for her usual over the top screams of passionate joy. Her soul, she felt truly singed when she did something like this. She always felt a unique and unrivalled tension when she was about to use any of her gifted powers. ¡°Double Blast Bow!¡± Time returned to its normal pace and within a blink the sky had a titanic pillar of growing light opening up the skies, clouds were torn to shreds in a matter of moments. Then almost as quickly as it came the golden tower disappeared. ¡°Oh! That felt so¡­ good!¡± Nue collapsed back into her chair, dropped the crossbow and then began to furiously shovel the honey coloured cake with a small spoon, throwing chunks of it into her mouth. She chewed with a blissful smile and swallowed with a look of delight as she closed her eyes to absorb the taste. It was honey and maple. It seemed to be a pretty popular flavour in this city. Nue was wild. She was uncontrollable and unrefined. She just did whatever she wanted whenever she felt like it¡­ and she was having the time of her life. And it showed. It made her gorgeous. Fika found herself smiling at the fool who danced so freely to whatever she desired. A stark contrast to herself and everyone she knew. Her brother flashed into her mind at that prompt.. ¡°...I want her to be free. If nothing else I want to fight for that. I want her¡­ to be able to live the way she wants. To let her die the way she wants, too. Can¡¯t you understand that?¡± Fika stared at Nue and her smile became both joyful and miserable at once. She was still going to stop Lincoe but just a little bit¡­ she knew how her brother felt. To admire and want the best for someone from a whole other world than you. ¡°Hey, Nue. It¡¯s good, right?¡± Fika conjured the energy to give a full and bright grin. ¡°Mmphgh¡­ gulp. It¡¯s great! Not as sweet as I¡¯m used to but¡­ it¡¯s got this refreshing punch to it, I can¡¯t get enough!¡± Her fangs showed but they looked as harmless as a kitten¡¯s with her face being the way it was right now.¡± Fika beckoned with her hands to the staff of the restaurant. This was burning a hole in her pocket but she¡­ wanted her to smile a bit more. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got some recommendations for you to try¡­¡± Fika and Nue were having fun. Enjoying their day. Just being at peace with themselves. ...Yet Lincoe, still in his self made dungeon was training even harder, harsher and heavier. Everything he did was only growing in excess. His desire for happiness¡­ if he wanted it¡­ no, needed it, he had to work harder than anyone else. There was no time. There was no time to smile. The only thing he felt down there was hunger. Hunger for his life to change. Hunger to end the cycle of foolishness. That and the screams of his constantly tearing and repairing muscles. The sweat dropping like bullets and his strength ebbing and flowing like a rushing river. He would collapse until he couldn¡¯t move. And then he would rise again. As many times as it¡¯d take. Chapter 7 - Do You Like What You See? Fika and Nue laid together on the bed. Nue had laid her head against the front of the bed and Fika laid her body on the upright proper position of the bed. They both looked at the now fixed ceiling together. They sighed at the same time¡­ and then they began to lightly laugh. ¡°We ate way too much. Ah! It feels like my teeth are going to fall out!¡± Nue moaned with a smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not a problem for us Dryads we can always grow more teeth and just about anything actually.¡± Fika giggled and Nue¡¯s face changed to one of shocked and slightly uncomfortable surprise. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s uh¡­ honestly the idea of it is a little weird to me.¡± Nue stated honestly and as bluntly as a sledgehammer. ¡°Gosh. You¡¯re so insensitive! You¡¯re even weirder, you can change class and race! Both of those together? It¡¯s unheard of.¡± Fika wasn¡¯t as mad as she shounded. ¡°...I can change my body too. I can be a girl or a guy or¡­ something in between.¡± Nue blushed as she explained that last fact but not nearly as hard as Fika who was now at the heat and complexion of a flaring sun itself as she processed all the implications. ¡°W-what¡­ are you? To be able to do that¡­?¡± Nervous laughter came from Nue who stretched her entire body at the question. ¡°Well¡­ I was given the choice between being ridiculously strong or having the chance to be what I want to be whenever I want it. I chose¡­ to be like this.¡± Nue got off the bed and then threw her body back on it so she was face to face with Fika. Their faces burned even hotter now that their eyes met with one another.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± This time the question was not a joke or a way to prod at Fika¡¯s sensibilities. It was spoken with a full and rare weight of seriousness. It was an honest inquiry to the heart. Fika¡¯s blush actually left her from the shock. The intensity in the red eyes of the woman by her side was like a calm but growing flame. She was frozen in place from those words.The heaviness began to bear down on her and she realised that how she replied could change everything, even though she barely knew the person before her¡­ there was an awareness that this was a crossroads. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know?¡± Immediately she felt maybe it would have been better to have said nothing or to think it over a little more, she mentally kicked herself for giving the most generic and possibly worst answer to anything important. Nue didn¡¯t change her facial expression, her lips did not waver or tremble. Her eyes were locked onto the face of Fika with the precision of an elite sniper and then scanned her with that gaze. Finally after what felt like an eternity to Fika, Nue¡¯s lips pursed upwards ever so slightly. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to know.¡± The mood became awkward to continue so they just laid there, blushing a little bit, looking at each other and resting their bodies though their minds were dancing madly from their emotions finding no way to let themselves go free. Nue chuckled and then closed her eyes. Fika blinked a few times and then heard snoring right after. It wasn¡¯t fake either. The woman who caused all this just fell asleep as if she didn¡¯t have a care in the world and did so in the blink of an eye. Fika could only laugh near the point of crying. ¡°Well, if nothing else you¡¯re very cute.¡± Fika got up and went to her desk and began to write a letter to her brother¡­ to issue the challenge. She wanted this uncertainty in her heart to fade away. Once this matter was settled then she might be able to earnestly focus on¡­ her. Lincoe was being crushed by an enormous pressure from above. His body was being twisted by a tornado of wind and metal. Yet he stood tall and held back the forces about to break his being from every direction. He focused and harnessed his ki and mana to the boiling point. His own ultimate attack¡­ he just had to test it against himself. The winds settled and all that was left was Linoe on his knees, his clothes tattered and blood dripping from his fresh wounds. His hair was disheveled and his limbs seemed to have no strength left as they hanged limpy from his body. Yet he was smiling a wide grin. He fell to the floor and reached for a bottle nearby filled with a golden liquid. An elixir to heal him to full strength. He¡¯d shatter his form over and over and heal it again and again. As many times is it takes. Not just for the woman he loved but for himself too. He heard a letter come through the mail box, hsi sensitive ears catching the sound, he chugged the drink and ran up from his basement to grab it, ripping it open with shaking hands¡­ the fight would be the day after tomorrow.