I roll my eyes as I say, "Don't you think that's kind of dramatic?"

She giggles as she says, "I am taking your life force though."

I run my hands down her back as I say, "It's life force worth giving."

She blushes lavender as we spend the rest of the evening enjoying each others company.

We end up sleeping by floating in the water, and the sensation invigorates me. Water cradles with absolute perfection despite my strange and now permanent modifications on my back. The gills absorb some oxygen from passing water while my lungs breath with a slow, steady ease that enables utter relaxation. It's soothing especially after having fought with such vehemence the past days.

The tension of the situation leaves us somewhat aghast at how to continue however. After several days of exploring the area, we find areas with insects being researched by the green alien named Harlow. I apologized after our initial greeting, and his quirky intelligence presented far more depth then I imagined initially.

He fills the stereotype for a nerdy scientist with his hunched shoulders and probing eyes, but he enjoys dabbling with poisons and needles as well as his fingers suit the work with their mechanical efficiency. We exchange a few military tactics as he retained a few of his memories of serving with the Melotic Empire, and we end up becoming friends to my amazement since our initial meeting created so much chaos. 

The blue girl with flowing, crisp clothes and gestures named Teralla. She despises me with a burning passion because of my instigating the scenario were Gorge smashed her though she melts before Allure's charms. She controls the militant aspects of the tiny research center utilizing her sharp mind for destroying forces with brute force when necessary while incorporating advanced tactics such as operating with Trojan horses or faints for setting up flanking maneuvers. 

Despite her hatred, she remains professional in all scenarios besides the scorching tone in her voice when she rasps at me. She enjoys strong females who dominate in conversation however, so she loves Allure and Gorge alike. She acts with a near pretentious air that irritates me, though she operates with a cold confidence in her duties. The outburst in the room was a characteristic anomaly of her normal behavior apparently, and without her emotions running high, she's as frigid as arctic storms to the general male populace on the ship.

I enjoy most of the other members though. Bordore assists with whatever questions we have before he gives both Allure and I two books made of a plastic filament from his research. the manuals detail the layout of the ship as well as a plethora of other common questions we may have of the ship. His bulky frame and enormous hands handle deft tasks with a fluid and innate talent that shocks me. He reminds me of what I imagined a fighting author would act like - both scholarly and obtuse.

The orange man who assaulted my back before Gorge and I clashed ignores any attempts for the reasonable approach that Teralla incorporated. He illustrates his general disdain of my existence at every opportunity, and he uses the sharpness of his facial features for adding a deepness to displaying his displeasure I disagree with. It's petty however. His jabs spawn from a immaturity, and after speaking with Bordore about the scenario, I comprehend his circumstances.

He offered his soul to The Fog before he had transformed, so he remains one of Gorges most trusted advisors. He devotes himself as a vassal, and he operates as her elite guard though after sparring with him, I understand the rift between the acolytes and Gorge.

Even with my constant mutations and advancements in strength, Gorge obliterates me in spars. She utilizes her tools of strength and the liquid she owns with such a smooth, creative flow that I struggle just to understand her motions at times. She never missteps. She never fails her attacks. She never leaves a single opening. The hundreds and hundreds of years of constant combat left her with a palpable strength that I've never seen matched during my dozen years in the army.

Regardless, I find allure altering as she stores our...uh...charges in her tattoos. She glows with vitality, and she no longer needs to eat. She feeds of my soul instead. The relationship's strangeness bewilders me at times, but I relish the abatement of my mutations after any of our sessions.

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The plates on my tails grow from my back interlocking over my skin with a refreshing protection while the tentacles themselves increase in size towards the ends of their expanses giving them a nice snap when I sheer them through the air. Even with the multiple hours of practice I use incorporating them, Gorge overwhelms me with her own due to her superior use of the utensils.

That's where I find myself now. I roll my shoulders as I walk through the squelching doorway spotting Teralla and Gorge battling. Well, what appears like a battle. Gorge decimates any attempts at attacking her without even the slightest twinge of difficulty while Teralla uses her swords with a proficiency lacking the flexibility of Gorge's black liquid.

As I pace over, Gorge parries the left sword of Teralla by hardening the liquid of her gel then striking the sword at an angle. Even though she could easily overpower Teralla, Gorge uses her skill maintaining her razor sharp technique. The sword slides down the gel slamming into the ground before Gorge launches another tentacle towards Teralla's sharp eyes.

She releases her sword before bending backwards kicking sword as she backflips. The unique tactic shocks me, but Gorge turn grabbing the handle of the sword midair before she builds her momentum turning sideways while her gel knocks Tellara's hands from under her pulling her arms and legs stretching her out like a tanned skin.

Gorge stops the serrated, 4 foot long blade just shy of the back of Tellarra's neck as she says, "Excellent use of your resources there. You should always maintain a solid footing though. When you try fancy tricks like that, any tactic you use relies on surprising your opponents for compensating the reduced power of the technique. That won't work on any powerful opponent."

I wince before Tellara responds, "Ah, that makes far more sense now. I suppose trying to surprise a warrior who's faught for millenia borders folly."

I say opening my palms as I walk into the room, "It would've worked on me personally."

Tellara rolls her eyes as she says, "Anything works on you."

I grin as I point a finger and a plated tail towards her saying, "Besides everything you've ever tried."

She squints her eyes as she says, "You've never battled me when I was serious."

I hunch my shoulders while brandishing my fists and tails towards her saying, "Care to try?"

Gorge spits, "Alright ladies, keep your cat fight to yourselves. We're here to learn." She stares at Tellara saying, "You need to stop him from antagonizing you so easily."

Tellara leans forward while whispering with a loudness like shouting, "He acts so superior."

Gorge purses her lips as she says, "He doesn't act superior to you in combat. He is superior. End of story. You need to accept that. You're a superior commander. Focus on your strengths rather then your weaknesses."

Tellara bites her lip as she glares at me hissing her words, "I hope you can give Gorge a better spar than I did..."

The sudden shift on her words inspires my own as I say, "I saw the maneuver with the sword. You're selling yourself short. Besides, Gorge was right in saying this isn't an area of expertise you excel at. We can't win at everything."

Her eyes soften as she says, "Hmmm. Alright then...Where is Allure?"

I smile as I say, "She's resting in the pool. That's why I left. She isn't too tired. I'm sure she'd love some company."

Tellara blushes before she trots out of the room with wide steps. She hides her affection of Allure, but anyone could see she loves telling allure different stories of her life before she became a part of Gorge or gossiping about the crew members. There's no one else she could discuss those matters with, and I believe she savors her meetings with Allure.

Gorge says snapping me from my thoughts, "You ready?"

I stretch out my arms and legs as I say, "whenever you are."

she nods before she says, "Then let us begin."