Chapter 4: Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes...
Shit.
In a situation like this, I can't help but dig into that old bandit's impressively wide repertoire of curses. Of course, I'd argue that's a perfectly natural response to having one's legs spontaneously turn into solid rock-- right up there with loudly screaming for help or doing something absolutely insane.
Being a Chimera, I'm obviously going to choose that last option.
But, just as I'm about to detonate the beast's body so my actual form can escape, my legs start reverting to actual flesh and blood, and with the fluttering of wings, a certain incredibly clingy chicken-monster lands on my head.
"Hwuhhh… Was that you?"
"Kuuu~!"
"You know, it's incredibly poor manners to turn your new friend into a statue, right?"
"Kweh."
Why do I feel like that last cry meant "cheapskate"...
"Well, fine-- if you want to travel with me so much, then it can't be helped." I tactfully refrained from adding "literally" to the end of that sentence…
"Let's see, you'll need a name then… Chicken… Chick… Chi- Ahh!"
Apparently not appreciating my insightful naming process, the bird pecks me in the head-- little does it know it just sealed its fate.
"Okay, your name is 'Chiia' from now on. That's what you get for pecking people randomly."
"Kuuu~~~!"
Huh, despite being teased, it seems to like the new name. Makes my job easier, at least.
And thus, the party of a talking wolf carrying a satchel- with a mythical chicken-monster riding on its head- was born, bravely striding forth into legend for all eternity.
…
At least, that's how it should have been according to all those stories that humans tell. Guess we're not the heroes though, because all the commotion in the dead of night attracted some unwanted attention. Mainly in the form of a two-meter tall bear with a glowing jewel on its forehead.
Well, I've been meaning to test out my combat ability against non-abnormal existences, anyway.
"Chiia, I wanna try a few things against this guy, mind sitting this one out?"
"Ku."
"... That means you have to get off my head, Chiia"
"Kwehhh~..."
As Chiia hops off, the bear backs away, seemingly afraid, but regains its bluster once Chiia slips into the bushes. That annoying little bird may actually be pretty famous in this part of the forest, huh?
With the birdbrain gone, the bear charges at me, and I rush forward to meet it. Claws fly and fangs clamp down, and for some time, I narrowly evade the bears attacks as I get hit after hit in, but I can't say I'm winning…
As the fight continues, I can feel the Direwolf's body starting to get fatigued. What's more, although the bear-monster is a bit bloodied up, my fangs barely pierce through its fur and fat, to say nothing of my claws.
Something has to change here. This wolf just isn't equipped to fight something like this. Lucky for me, though-- I'm not actually a wolf.
'Cores, simulate composition of human and wolf physiology using current biomass. Requirements: walks upright, frontal claws at least 16cm'
< Simulation initiated, estimated time to completion: 56 seconds >
Although that seems pretty quick, the wolf's body is barely standing at this point… Holding out could be a challenge. Dodging a few swipes of the bear's claws, I dash past its outstretched arms, running for a tree that's nearly half a meter thick. My current body's claws might not be enough to hurt the bear, but climbing a tree? I'll manage.
The tree towers above the nearby forest, standing ten or twenty meters above the underbrush. I can feel the moss and vines beneath my feet as I climb, almost running up the trunk as the bear lets out a frustrated roar.
The seconds tick by as I climb, and almost fifty seconds of the simulation have passed before I reach the first few branches. Unexpectedly, the bear seems to have backed away, almost as if it was giving up. I doubt it's that simple, though, and a few seconds later the bear turns around and lets out a ferocious roar, dashing at the tree like a furry bulldozer.
Wait… Don't tell me it's going to ram th-
Something like a crack of thunder resounds through the forest, and the tree groans in protest, cracking sounds accompanied by the growling below. With another creak, the massive tree begins to lean forward, rushing to embrace the forest below.
< Simulation complete. Form designation: Werewolf. Reassembling biomass. >
As the limbs of the tree crack, mine do too, elongating into two powerful arms ending in terrifying claws. By now, any human that saw this would think me a werewolf of legends, although with everything that's happened so far, something tells me they're not so mythical here.
The bear waits below, confusion in its eyes as my body transforms, waiting to pounce the second I fall to the ground. Of course, I don't plan to disappoint it, and I leap off the branches towards the furry embrace of death.
As in, my embrace of death.
'Cores, begin overclock and disable biological limiters. Designate all potential lethal strikes'
With a thought, the world slows to a crawl around me, and red arcs surround the bear's chest and head. I land less than a meter in front of the bear, pouncing forward as my claws trace the red paths and combat information floods my consciousness.
First, paralyze diaphragm, send target into shock. My claws pierce under the bear's ribcage, blood flying amidst the sound of a balloon being punctured.
Next, puncture aortic valve, arrest target's heart. Without waiting for the bear's response, my claws plunge into the bear again, this time between the collarbones. As directed by the Cores, my arm sweeps left to right, severing the heart muscles as I withdraw.
Finally, target's expiration imminent, retreat to a safe distance.
A perfect set of lethal moves, programmed by countless killers thousands of years ago. Executed flawlessly, without thought, almost as if it was outside my control. Somehow, the cold, brutal efficiency scares me. Maybe that's my human side coming out, but in the end, it's what I was made for.
The giant bear soon breathes its last, and I walk forward to assimilate it, my werewolf form dissolving into the bear's wounds. DNA, biomass, nutrients, all of it gathered in an instance, my cells eating the bear from the inside out.
A few minutes later, a silvery-grey blob sits among a pile of bones, even the skeleton dissolving with time. At some point, Chiia returned, watching me with curiosity as I finish my meal.
'Cores, begin biomass compression, emulate human adult male form, optimize musculature based on bear's genetics'
My body slowly gathers, building up legs, then a torso, and finally a head, the silvery pool of chimeric cells swallowed up by my new body. My face still holds the harsh features of the bandit I killed, but the newly chiseled muscles are visible even in the night.
Right.
I'm naked.
I check the bag I abandoned before the fight, but no such luck awaits me. There's not much I can do at this point, so I tie what fabric I have into a loincloth, intending to set off into the forest until a certain birdbrain nips at my shoulder.
Wait…
How could a chicken-sized, flightless bird nip my shoul-
"Whoah!!"
Behind my stands a seven foot tall, brightly colored bird. Rainbow plumage? Check. Dragon tail? Also check.
"... Chiia, is that you?"
"Kuuu~!"
"... So this entire time, you could have been giant and kept up on your own, but you instead decided to stay small and ride on my head?"
"Kweeeh~~~"
It looks way too proud about that, shaking its tail like a dog about to be fed. And I'm not even going to ask how it changing size is possible, despite the absurdity of the situation.
Yup, it's just the world that's crazy. Not me in the slightest.
"You know Chiia, I've been wondering… Normally, monsters can't understand human words or do half of what you can… Would that make you a demon instead?"
"Kuu~."
"So can't you transform into a human or something? It'd be a lot easier to talk that way…"
Without a word, er, squak, it leans its head down to me, pressing its forehead against mine. Waves of energy run through this body's brain, forming a muddled torrent of information…
"Oh… so you're too young to transform? And you're a Cockatrice? And- wait, you're a girl? Why are you telling me tha-"
Chiia headbutts me as I ask, and a feeling of 'shut up and get on my back' flows into my head. With a sigh, I climb atop the giant bird, and we plod through the forest as the night passes us by.
...
Finally, dawn breaks, and a half-naked man riding a giant bird emerges from the forest. Yeah, I'm beginning to understand that subtlety isn't my strong suit.
There's a carriage in the distance, a brightly colored emblem on the side, and it seems like I'll finally be able to meet a human proper. I wonder what they'll be like... Good luck, humanity-- this is your first test.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AsteriskDelta
AsteriskDelta Sorry for the wait, everyone! I've been busy outlining where I want this story to go, and I'm happy to say the prologue is almost complete. Two more chapters before the first arc!
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