Chapter 16
“Feelings and Precautions”





















“Wait…” I coughed wiggling in the air suspended by Strik’s arms. Neo turned to look at me. I was panting hard and coughed up some blood that spilled over my lips.
“Quiet idiot!” Strik hissed, “You barely survived that just keep your mouth shut and I’ll take you to the INN.”
“My, my, what spirit.”
We both turned up to see Neo was right there about one inch away from us, Strik jumped backwards about ten yards.
“I’m sorry for my rudeness but I had to hear what you too were whispering about.” He smiled and looked at me.
Strik grimaced and went to leave. I pushed him away and landed on my feet. I staggered before I started to cough. Wheezing I looked at Neo. Hatred brewed. He didn’t have to smash my head in. I could feel as though my aura go demonic with hate. All wariness left my body and I leaped at him. His eyes flew open shocked. I slammed my fist into his forehead. I stopped by using one foot. As he flies and slams into a nearby building cracking the outer wall significantly, I flipped him the finger and stuck out my tongue,
“Touche, ass.”
He lay there motionless, until his hand twitched and he shot his head up laughing. I looked shocked. I put my hand away and sucked my tongue back into my mouth. He got up and dusted himself off as he giggled.
“This is fun.” He giggled. He looked at me again this time without his pupils showing. His pupils flicked down and he giggled again. I was getting uneasy by his laughs. I flexed my aura. It shot out. My aura was much larger in size than I remember. That’s when he jumped at me. He grabbed my face with bloodlust in his eyes he licked his lips and threw me into the air. I soared and when I opened my eyes he hooked me in the jaw. I coughed spitting out saliva and traces of blood. He put his hands together and smashed them against my skull, the pain was intense and I flew back down the earth. I knew I was done for. Then my leg got snagged on something. My head was an inch from the ground. I looked up and there was Neo smiling. He dropped me and I fell but I shoved my hands before my head so I flopped onto my back. Neo squatted at my face with a big grin on his face. He pinched my cheek,
“Down yet?”
I felt my hate bubble and with my new strength I slammed my hand to his face. I cringed at the pain. I must’ve popped something when I landed awkwardly on the ground. When I opened my eyes. Neo was still there with his stupid grin and his left hand on my face. But now his right hand was holding my fist. He opened his eyes a sliver.
“Guess not.” He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me with his left hand. He held me high like you would a trophy.
I looked down and his eyes were now wide open and his teeth were revealed in an evil grin. His hand squeezed around my throat.
“Guess we won’t get a new colonel. Oh well.” He squeezed tighter and I felt my throat closing. I gasped for air.
“ENOUGH!” Strik barked sternly as he ripped me out of Neo’s clutches and sent a powerful kick to his stomach. It connected beautifully. Neo skidded and slammed his hands on the building to absorb the impact. The walls creaked.
“Get out of here you scum. This is between me and him.” Neo spat as he pointed at me. I went to get up but Strik placed an arm in front of me. Irregular hatred boiled in me; infuriated he would step in where he is not needed. I grabbed his hand and hissed,
“Stay out of this!”
“Don’t be stupid.” He hissed back, “You have no idea what will happen if you get too into this.”
I squeezed and summoned all my strength into my arm, “Pretty sure I do.” I thrusted him far into the sky and ran at Neo,
“That’s more like it!” he shouted excitedly. My fist grew blue.
“AIR-CANNON!” I screamed. A blast of high-pressurized air flew at tremendous speed. Neo dodged with ease.
“Getting a bit sloppy are we?” he quipped flipping in the air. I flashed him an eye and pumped my energy into my aura making it a tangible constantly moving web of tentacles. I threw one strand at him. He caught it but burned his hands at the same time. He landed on his knees blowing his hands. I threw another at him; this one wrapped around his stomach and his scream was filled with pain. You could see smoke coming off his burning flesh. I threw him into the air. I looked down and bent my legs and was about to jump at him. When I saw a piece of broken glass on the ground reflected my face. My eyes were purple and my hair was bleaching white. I stared in disbelief until I heard Neo slam on the ground. He was on his knees panting. I felt this surge of passion. To see him in pain, voices were in my head whispering horribly delightful things. Than I stopped, “This isn’t me.” I thought, “or is it?” I looked at one of my hands. The nails looked like claws than anything else. Slightly bloody. I looked over at Neo. He was struggling to get up. I walked over to him. My hand formed in a tight upright position. I pulled my arm back and the voices sped up. “DO IT! DO IT!” the called at me. I grinned evilly. When Neo looked up at his doom. I was gone. He looked around. I had vanished.

Running from rooftop to rooftop. Feeling this stabbing pain all over my chest and arms. Than there was a sharp stabbing pain in my head. I fell and crashed into a cart. I staggered to my feet and swayed. Uncertain of what was going on. I stumbled and placed my hand on the wall of a building. People yelling at me others asking if I was okay. Next time I realized where I was. I was in a huge field. The Sun was going down. I felt groggy.
“Hey, how yah feeling?” a familiar voice said. I looked around lazily. No one around.
“In here moron.” It said again. Than I remembered.
“Sepretis?” I croaked.
“The one and only.” He replied. “Couldn’t help but notice you put some more in your head.”
“Yah.” I replied weakly. “I needed more to fix my leg.”
Just than there was a sound I look up. There was a lamb. I can only see the head. I felt relieved that there was something that was normal to me here. Than it stepped closer. It’s bottom half was that of a hyena. It hissed at me. I felt my body and mind respond to this threat with a low gurgling growl that originated in my throat. The lamb made its base larger and than it leaped at me. I dodged with ease. I seized the lamb’s neck and threw it at the ground. Than my foot came up and I squished its head. I shook my head and realized what I had done. I fell on my butt and shook.
“Oh come on!” A voice said. “If that gets you nervous you’ll never beat the dragons.”
I thought it was Sepretis and was about to tell him off when a hand fell on my shoulder. I looked up and Strik was there with a stern look on his face. I got up and dusted myself off. He was still looking at me. This icy glare he was not blinking, not twitching. I felt uncomfortable. I went to leave when he pushed me back.
“What?” I finally asked. He pointed at the corpse of the lamb/hyena.
“Eat it.” He said coldly. I looked at him with a cock eyebrow.
“You kidding?” I huffed. He shook his head.
“Why should I?”
He brushed his hair back and began preaching, “Moral #289 of Margan Tradition: Any being killed must be put to the use of the killer as supposed to our custom means.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means according to our customs you killed an animal and an animal is only killed for food or for wear. Since I suppose you don’t want to wear that thing, I suggest you eat it.”
I looked at it. I knelt over at the bloody mess of an animal. The sun disappeared behind the horizon. I felt this twitch in my arm. Then absolute pain! My cry filled the air. I felt like claws were digging around in my mind and I felt my body transforming.
Strik was on me in a flash, he stabbed this needle into the back of my head. It hurt like hell and I roared at him swatting him aside. I stood and lurched over. Something sprouted out of my back and tailbone. My skin turned to scales and I felt my body grow. I jumped in the air and began flapping something. I leaned forward and swooped through the skies. I looked around and something flickered in the side of my eye. When I turned to see what it was. A fist slammed into my cheek. I flew down to the ground and collided with a tree. I rubbed my face. Shook my head and felt the pain again. But it wasn’t as strong as it was before. I pushed back and the pain faded I leaned against the tree panting.
“Just as I thought.” Strik said. I looked up at him and answered,
“What?” I went to stand but found I couldn’t. Strik smiled and held up an empty syringe.
“This is model #225 of the anti transformation formula I’ve been giving you. You’ve been taking model #224.” I looked at him
“What improved?”
“Well in this model there is no side effect except partial paralysis of your limbs.”
“And the last side effect?” I asked.
“Well in the last one, it destroyed part of your brain.” He coughed looking away from me.
“What?” I stammered, “How much?”
“Oh nothing big just 0.01% of your brain.”
“Great I’ll be lucky if I grow up retarded.” I huffed. Strik knelt over and hitched me on his back.
“Come on you have plans.” Strik commented.
“What? I do?”

“Oh he is adorable!” Pieses queued. “I’m so glad you let me decide what you wear!” I looked at her furrowing my brow.
“For a disciplined priestess you sure act like a teenaged girl.” I huffed. I was right to say it because I wore a tight navy blue jacket, a bow tie, beige pants and brown loafers. I was the farthest thing from adorable anyone could ever see.
“Oh calm down Blake.” Strik laughed walking in. “She just found someone that can show her the more…fun parts of life.” He put his arm around her waist and nibbled at her neck. She giggled and held his back. I turned in disgust,
“Whoa! What are yah doing?” I tumbled backwards, “I got a few words for yah, GET-A-ROOM!”
“Oh come on.” Strik grinned looking at me, “You’ll be doing this sorta stuff soon, you might as well learn how to from the master.” He stuck his face on her neck again. This time Pieses moaned. I shook my head and went to my room.
“Alright losing these.” I stripped down to my boxers. I looked and found my white sweater that stopped me from changing. I thought, “Nah.” I tossed it and found the navy black jacket. I undid the buttons and ripped them off. I left little trace they were ever there. I took out a white muscle shirt and slipped it on. I found a pair of beat up blue jeans from when I first came here. I thought about wearing something else but decided on this pair. I put the jacket over my shirt and popped the collar. I looked at myself in the mirror. Looking good. I looked around and put on my jet-black runners. I tapped to make sure they fit properly. Not wanting to offend Pieses by my change in wear I opened the window. I almost jumped out when I realized I forgot to bring some tonic in case something goes wrong. I looked around and noticed that there was a needle in a container under a note on my bed side table. I read the note:

You owe me.

-Strik

I laughed silently and took the needle. Put it in my front pocket and lept out the window.  

“Wiola!” I called quietly at the side of the tower. “Wiola!” I paused for a minute. No answer. I grunted looked around and found a small rock. I walked over and picked it up. I juggled it a bit to determine its weight. I smiled, “Perfect.” I looked at the tower and strolled over so I could get a clear shot. I pulled my arm back and threw the rock at the window. Too hard I thought as soon as it left my hand. And of course I was right. The rock smashed thought the window. I flinched at the noise I looked up and then I peeked around and bolted around the corner. I looked behind my back as I ran. When I turned around the second someone was there and I instantly thought it was a guard. I threw a palm and it was caught. I looked at the person and discovered that it was much too small to be a guard. It was Wiola. I looked at her puzzled. Despite her size she stopped my hardest punch. She squeaked and recoiled slowly groaning.
“Owwwww.” She groaned slumping to the ground. I panicked and pulled her back up.
“I’m sorry are you okay?” I tried looking at her face, which was slumped down. She quickly jerked her head up and stuck out her tongue expecting me to jump back but instead I looked at her confused. One minute she’s groaning in pain the next she’s making kid jokes. The silence was kinda awkward so I finally said,
“So…where do you want to go first?”
“Well first off tough guy, I’d like to be able to touch the ground.” She replied cutely.
“Oh, geez sorry.” I put her down, she giggled,
“Nice job with the window.” I took a step back,
“Hey I didn’t know you where outside. I thought you were in your room and needed help down.” I explained.
“Whatever, any-” there was a dull sound of music in the background. I looked at her confused,
“What’s that?” She looked at me and exclaimed,
“It’s the float parade come on!” She grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the sound.

All in all it was a good night, we went to see the performers, magicians (I could show up those chumps any day with my Morgango) dancers, and the floats, which I found out, were not powered by car but by volunteers. I don’t know who would volunteer to do such a thing but hey, a guy can’t complain about the result. Wiola was a riot and so fun. We danced and I picked her up and placed her on my shoulders and ran around the parade. We were walking back to the palace when a hand flew at my face. I dodged easily, thinking it was a drunken bimbo just flailing his limbs. I was half right. He was drunk but the attempt to hit me was intentional I knew because he threw his hand at me again this time I grabbed it and twist it sharply. He let out a yelp. I thought this was a good chance to impress Wiola, I shouted at the man,
“Hey, leave us alone yah bag.” He looked at me, there were more than one. He had a medium build and his buddies were about the same. One of his eyelids were lazy and fluttered as he talked,
“Watch it twinkie! Or I’ll pop yah wight in dah mouf.” He slurred.
“Buy mouf?” I teased his lisp, “I cawn’t beweave muy mouf, oh boo hoo.” Wiola laughed loudly. The man snarled and went to punch me. I dodged and jabbed his jaw with my fist. Despite his size I knew he had a glass jaw. He slumped over. His buddies looked at me and ran off. I grinned pleased at my superiority. Someone touched my face and I looked over at Wiola. She had this look in her eye. That look told me. ‘Hold me.’ I picked her up in my arms and jogged over to an alley. Once inside I put her down. She grobbed the corners of my jacket and pushed me against the wall and she kissed me. I was shocked but than I leaned into it and soon we were making out. I enjoyed every minute of it. Something in my head was nagging me. I didn’t know what. She’s my fiancée; I can do what I want. Something, no someone stood in my mind as I was kissing I realized who was in my mind.

Karen.