To my fortune, I was wearing an outfit that gave me a small boost to all things big game hunting, including killing tigers. It was comprised of a pale tan button-up, a pair of slacks hued a darker tan, a blood red ascot, and a belt with a large ivory elephant buckle.

My opening salvo was to send orange energy threads imbued with Olivia’s Friendship, a ring artifact that I made out of Olivia’s Armament Amulet, towards the wooden shrapnel to both stop them from piercing my body and create impromptu weapons. When the threads connected the wooden shards transformed into daggers and were subsequently launched into my opponent.

_

Olivia’s Friendship

“A good warrior should never be without a good weapon or a good friend”

A ring that assists the user’s innate abilities and allows for the rapid creation of weapons and armor by using the surrounding materials

_

In retrospect, I should have used them to create a more long-term weapon or a shield as I was trapped in a thin hallway with a tiger and no tools to deal with it. I did not have the time to turn my surroundings into weapons.

So, it was time to see how good essence weaving was in a straight on fight.

The azure thread of water essence flew towards the tiger’s head and acted like a water cutter bisecting it. Normally that would be fatal except for the fact that shapeshifters have a core that contains their consciousness. They were also masters in redundant biology and could adapt to any damage taken. I knew this but the shapeshifter was conceptually dense enough to block my sixth sense from piercing deep enough to find the core.

The shifter realized that it was only matter of time though until I got lucky and bisected said core though.

Muscles bulged under skin until it inevitably tore, but the muscles grew ever larger until the shapeshifter turned into a large skinless beast with a pelt hanging off its frame.

This process gave me the time to condense a sphere of Consumption.

It for whatever reason decided to open its mouth to charge me aiming to tear out my throat. I think it’s either the beastly instincts dumbing it down or it did not realize how dangerous my little sphere was.

I shot my star turning it into a black shooting star and when it hit the shapeshifter, a much larger sphere was no longer there for the creature

It slowed the creature down but did not stop it. It kept going and I knew that if it reached me, I was dead. I lost the tank to my dps. While Olivia and I fought alone most of the time that was only when we had an edge in power or compatibility. Any time that wasn’t the case, like my current opponent, we needed the other.

The missing sphere left a huge orifice where the tigerlike head used to be. Which allowed me to continuously create smaller consumption spheres and fire into its stomach again and again. Each time the tiger grew weaker and slower. After a quick salvo the tiger’s front legs were barely attached and had a crimson core exposed. It was only pulling itself forward with its paws at this point.

It did eventually reach me but could only slump its body to the ground at that point. I sent blue threads made of water essence to rip out the exposed core and the creature was dead.

The core contained a shapeshifter matrix that similar the charm matrix that I got from the succubus was a collection of energy that contained information. I had been looking for something like the shapeshifter matrix for quite a while. The charm matrix helped with rebuilding my body but that was almost entirely on the outside as it was all about appearances.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

This new matrix contained all that there was to learn about physiology. It allowed me to do a lot more with my unique biology.

The shapeshifter matrix also contained a fair bit of knowledge on manipulating people. The charm matrix was all about how to get people to like or trust you. This matrix contained that, but also how to get people to feel every other thing about you or someone else. How to poison relationships and sow discord. Just what to whisper in someone’s ear to get a certain reaction. What face to wear in every situation.

That was promptly added to Mena’s Book as well.

I then crafted something that I had been planning and thinking about for a while, an armament of my own.

I took the bodily remnants of the shapeshifter into its apartment to get some privacy for my work.

I finally had that special something that an artifact that I had in mind needed. I had been collecting various murder weapons from my myriads of cases to create an artifact that represented the very concept of murder weapons.

The problem was that while I had a bunch of weapons, I had nothing to tie the idea together. That’s where the shapeshifter’s body comes in with its ability to take the shape of any weapon. It also really fit the theme; Cain made the first murder weapon out of the jaw of an ass after all.

I was left with the symbol of murder that had supplanted the dagger, a gun. The artifact’s default form was an ivory flintlock that copious amounts of smoke will have to obscure.

_

Murder Weapon

“Forged in hate, Quenched in blood”

Tier Three

A gun that can shift into any other implement of murder

_

With that done, dinner at the diner. I mainly go there as the food is great and I like the alliteration.

***

“Same as usual Mr. Garnet?” The kid serving me asked. One of the fake names that I used to hide where and when I eat. One makes enemies in my hobby/profession and being predictable is the enemy when you have enemies.

“Same as usual Gary.”

*Ten minutes later*

After setting my french toast, scrambled eggs, and a glass of cranberry juice down in front of me, “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“You hear about how they caught the Tarragon Killer?” Gary asked while I was digging into my food.

Looking up from my food, “Don’t really watch the news.”

With a chuckle, “Yeah, me neither, but my girlfriend loves watching the news from all around the world.”

“That’s nice.” I said while regretting my coming here. I forgot Gary works Tuesdays.

“Yeah. She is currently obsessed with the Dracula.” He said not knowing that he was talking to his girlfriend’s latest interest. I don’t love the name, but it could be worse. Also, not a lot of names for the guy leaving exsanguinated bodies all over the east coast.

“That’s rough, but there are other fish in the sea.” I got out between mouthfuls of my food.

“That’s a good one, but we’re quite happy.” Gary said while cackling.

“That’s fantastic. Happy your happy.” I said before gulping down my juice. I then threw down a twenty and left the restaurant.

Being:

Body:

[Bone Apple Tree]

Soul Tattoos:

[Celestial Weaving]

[Sand: Tier Three]

[Water: Tier Five]

[Faith: Tier One]

[Holy Water: Tier Three]

[Shadow: Tier Five]

[Necromancy: Tier Five]

[Rot: Tier ErRor]

Special Abilities:

[Consumption: Tier Nine]

[Wound]

[Empowerment: Tier Nine]

[Empathy: Tier One]

Current Equipment:

Head:

[The Black Wasp Jackal’s Face]

Earrings:

[]

Necklace:

[]

Clothes:

[]

Rings:

[The Mentalism Ring]

[Mena’s Book]

[Petrifying Ring]

Bracelets:

[]

Shoes:

[]

Armaments:

[Beastly Heart]

[Murder Weapon]

Storage:

[Chi Organ]

[Spirit Shards]

[Various Utility Artifacts]

[Various Articles Of Clothing]

[Death Dogtags]