Destroyer of Legends

by Clayton Wood

“How do I register?” she inquired.

  “You must accept one of the spirits within a shrine,” Kip answered. “Then you can be registered as a Seeker of the Deep.”

  Sukri stopped, forcing Kip to stop as well. She put her hands on her hips.

  “What’d’you mean I have to ‘accept one of the spirits?’” she demanded. Kip frowned.

  “Dio did not tell you?”

  “Dio doesn’t say shit,” she answered. Kip grimaced.

  “I should not be surprised,” he admitted. “He took on the spirit of the snake, among several others.”

  Sukri blinked.

  “What?”

  “Dio took on the spirit of a snake,” Kip repeated. “His mind is as cold as a snake’s blood.

  “That explains a lot,” Sukri grumbled.

  “I can show you each of the shrines,” Kip offered. “You can choose whatever spirit you like.”

  “Wait a second,” she stated. “You’re saying I have to absorb an animal’s will?”

  “Or a plant, if you choose,” Kip confirmed. “We have many…”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “No,” she repeated. “I’m not doing it.”

  “You’d better,” a voice behind her said. She whirled around, finding Dio standing there.

  “The hell?” she nearly shouted. “You scared the crap outta me!” Her armpits itched, as they always did when she was unpleasantly surprised.

  “You want to be the Lady’s Seeker,” Dio stated, “…you have to register.”

  “But Camilla said I could stay myself.” Sukri protested. “How is this any different than having to wear one of the Guild’s damn medallions?”

  “If I may,” Kip interjected. She turned on him. “The Seekers of the Deep are a part of nature,” he explained. “To be a part of the world, you have to understand that your spirit is part of a much larger whole.”

  “I got it,” she retorted. “I don’t need to turn into a snake to…”

  “No register,” Dio interjected, “…no job. Then you’re on your own.”

  Sukri turned to face her teacher, swallowing in a dry throat. She didn’t’ need him to explain what would happen if she refused him. If she refused the Lady. Camilla was the only person standing between her and the Guild of Seekers; without the Lady’s protection, Sukri was good as dead.

  “Fine,” she muttered, turning to face Kip. “Show me the damn shrines then.”

  “We only ask that you take a part of an animal spirit within you,” Kip insisted apologetically. “You still get to keep your mind if you choose.”

  “Great,” she muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”

  * * *

  The first shrine Kip took Sukri to was the one with all the insects in it. It didn’t take Sukri long to finish that particular trip; a few insect-human hybrids was all it took to convince her that she didn’t want any insects inside of her. Or rather, insect-spirits. The next shrine they visited was underwater, and had a bunch of fish-people in it. Breathing underwater seemed cool, but again, fish-people looked ridiculous, except for the mermaids. They were sexy as hell, but not having legs was a deal breaker.

  The bird shrine had been pretty interesting, and she’d given some serious consideration to becoming one of the bird-people there. But as awesome as being able to fly might be, it wasn’t compelling enough for her to want to sprout a pair of wings. The lizard shrine she skipped altogether, having already seen an example of it in Dio. That left the shrine with the mammals.

  And it was there that Sukri found what she was looking for.

  “Damn,” she murmured, staring at one of the cat-women leaning against a tree within the huge main room of the shrine. The woman was curvy in all the right places, and utterly nude. Short gray fur covered her body – barely – and a long tail whipped about of its own accord. She had mostly human hands and feet, but with long retractable nails, and small pointed ears. Sukri watched the woman climb up the tree with ease, sitting leisurely on a branch some twenty feet up.

  “You like?” Kip inquired. He’d gamely escorted her to each shrine, and unlike Dio, seemed to enjoy every moment of her company. If the man ever stopped smiling, she hadn’t noticed it yet.

  “Oh yeah,” Sukri replied. “She’s sexy as fuck.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I like,” she clarified.

  “Do you want to talk to her?” Kip pressed.

  “Love to.”

  Kip approached the tree, speaking with the cat-woman, who leapt gracefully off the tree branch – falling twenty feet! – and landed in front of them without any problem at all. She smiled at Sukri, extending a hand-paw.

  “Greetings,” the woman said. Sukri shook it; the woman’s hand was surprisingly warm, and furry with fleshy pads. “Welcome to the Shrine of Mammals.”

  “Hi,” Sukri replied. “I’m Sukri.” Up close, the woman was even more beautiful, with big, shimmering golden eyes and a cute button-nose. Her teeth were slightly sharpened, and she had long black whiskers. “Damn you’re cute,” Sukri blurted out.

  “Thank you,” the woman replied with a smile. “I’m Kayla. I curate the feline exhibit. You caught me on my break.”

  “I’m Sukri.”

  “Why don’t I leave you two alone,” Kip offered.

  “Good idea,” Sukri replied. Kip smiled, then left them. The cat-lady – Kayla – eyed Sukri curiously.

  “What brings you here, Sukri?” she inquired.

  “I’m becoming a Seeker of the Deep,” Sukri answered. “Apparently I have to choose a, uh, spirit.”

  “Well then,” Kayla replied with a little smile. “You’ve come to the right place. Her tail flicked from side-to-side, seemingly of its own accord. “I can show you around,” she offered.

  “Sure.”

  They walked toward one of the hallways that came off the main room like spokes on a wheel, and Kayla gestured at some stuffed animals mounted on or near the walls. They were dogs and wolves of various kinds, as well as foxes and coyotes. As interesting as they were, Sukri found herself looking at Kayla more than at what Kayla was showing her. The woman walked with a casual grace, each movement fluid and effortless. She held herself with utter confidence, which – combined with her remarkably slender yet curvy body – made her impossible not to watch. They’d gotten halfway through the canine exhibit when Kayla glanced at Sukri.

  “See anything you like?”

  “You,” Sukri stated bluntly. Kayla arched one eyebrow…or rather, what would have been her eyebrow. She had fur everywhere, after all.

  “Hmm,” she murmured, a little smile playing at her lips. “Would you rather I show you the feline exhibit?”

  “Hell yes,” Sukri replied immediately. Kayla chuckled.

  “Very straightforward,” she observed. “I like you already. Follow me.”

  Kayla led Sukri further down the hallway, then took stairs to the next floor up. Sukri walked up the stairs behind Kayla, admiring the woman’s shape. She had small but well-muscled shoulders, her back tapering like a “V” to her tiny waist, which immediately flared out to generous hips and a rather remarkable butt. Her legs were long and extremely well-developed…which explained how she’d jumped twenty feet down from that tree earlier without getting hurt.

  “Where are you from?” Kayla inquired as they reached the next floor. The cat-woman continued up the next flight of stairs toward the third.

  “Tykus.”

  “We don’t get many people from there,” Kayla admitted. “What’s it like?”

  “Not great,” Sukri answered. “Not for people like me.”

  “People like you?”

  “People who’re different,” Sukri clarified.

  They reached the third floor, and Kayla stepped into another hallway. This had to be the feline exhibit; stuffed cats of all kinds lined the walls. Kayla stopped, turning to face Sukri.

  “You’d like it here,” she said with a smile, her golden eyes twinkling. “We
love people who are different.”

  “I like what I’ve seen so far,” Sukri admitted. Kayla raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh really?” she inquired. “What’s been your favorite part?”

  Sukri hesitated, but only for a moment.

  “You,” she admitted.

  “Hmm,” Kayla murmured, turning away from her and strolling down the hallway. She gestured at the exhibits. “These are the housecats,” she explained. “The larger cats are further down…the panthers, leopards, lions, tigers…and so on.” Sukri nodded, following beside Kayla. There were more types of felines than she’d ever imagined…many of which she hadn’t seen before. Pets were rare in Tykus, only the weakest-willed animals allowed to live there. Animals – and plants – were specifically bred to be as weak-willed as possible, to prevent corruption of the masses.

  They finished their perusal of the exhibits, and Kayla turned to Sukri.

  “Any questions?” she inquired.

  “Which one did you choose?” Kayla inquired.

  “The Chartreux,” Kayla answered.

  “What made you choose that?”

  “I liked the way they looked,” Kayla admitted. “Their golden eyes and beautiful fur. And…” She paused, reaching out and touching Sukri’s arm. “Chartreux are very affectionate,” she added with a little smile. “We love to play, and to please…and be pleased.”

  Sukri swallowed, finding herself – for once – at a loss for words.

  “We tend to form very powerful bonds with our masters,” Kayla continued, sliding her hand down the side of Sukri’s arm, then dropping it. Sukri frowned.

  “Your masters?”

  “The one we pair-bond with,” Kayla explained. “We protect them, serve them, and lavish them with attention…and expect the same in return.”

  “Oh,” Sukri replied, relieved. “I thought you meant you were like, subservient or something. That’s not me.”

  “Sometimes yes,” Kayla replied. “Sometimes no. We’re cats,” she added with a smirk. “We do what we want.”

  “And how do you…do it?”

  “Pardon?” Kayla asked.

  “Uh, change into…you,” Sukri clarified, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks.

  “I thought you meant something else,” Kayla replied, continuing to smirk. “But it doesn’t change my answer. I’ll show you.”

  With that, Kayla turned back down the hallway the way they’d come. Sukri stared at her retreating form, her face feeling hot. She swallowed in a suddenly dry throat, rushing to catch up to the woman…but trailing a few feet behind. She hardly wanted Kayla to see her blushing, and what’s more, she had no idea how to feel. She’d crossed over to the other side a few times in the past, and for the most part had enjoyed the experience. But someone like Kayla…

  God damn, she thought, staring at the woman’s figure as she walked.

  They went up to the fifth floor, which consisted of many small rooms. Most were empty, but Kayla brought them to one that was not. A woman was lying down on a wooden cot in the center of the room, another cat-lady methodically wrapping what looked to be thin strips of bark around the woman’s legs.

  “What’re they doing?” Sukri asked. Kayla explained the process; this woman had requested to gain the claws of a cat only. A fact that surprised Sukri; she hadn’t imagined that she could choose to gain a single part of an animal, after all. Not that the idea interested her; Kayla’s full-body transformation was far more intriguing.

  Sukri watched them work, then glanced at Kayla.

  “You’re saying that – if I wanted to – I could be like you?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  “What can you do?” she pressed.

  “I can climb trees and many other structures,” Kayla answered. “And jump several times my own height. I have a very good sense of smell, and I can move silently. I have excellent night vision, quick reflexes, and I never get cold.”

  “And you have claws,” Sukri noted. “Are they useful in a fight?” Kayla smiled.

  “Very.”

  “Anything else I should know?” Sukri asked.

  “We’re carnivores,” Kayla answered. “So if you’re opposed to eating meat, that might be an issue.” Sukri smirked.

  “Never been an issue for me,” she quipped. “Are you…glad you did it?”

  Kayla put a hand on her hip, giving Sukri a look.

  “I wouldn’t go back,” she replied. “Ever.” Sukri smiled, mulling it over. And finding herself gazing at Kayla’s body once again. This time, however, she didn’t try to hide her fascination.

  “Do cats kill snakes?” she pressed.

  “Of course.”

  Sukri turned back to the woman on the cot, watching as her upper thighs were wrapped with that strange bark-like material.

  “I gotta admit,” she stated, “…I’m tempted.”

  “What would help you make your decision?” Kayla inquired. Sukri smirked at her.

  “You,” she answered. “And a whole lot of alcohol.”

  Chapter 10

  After what seemed like an hour of careful hiking up a steep incline, the rocky terrain leveled off fifty feet ahead, the omnipresent fog lifting a bit to reveal what lay ahead of Hunter and Xerxes. It was exactly as Hunter remembered from his mother’s memories; bones littering the ground as far as the eye could see, with trees growing in dense clusters among the rocks. Or rather, what appeared to be trees. As he got closer, Hunter saw that they were all screwed up. Some were covered in fleshy tumors, while others were covered in scales or feathers; one was even covered in something resembling skin.

  Most of the corpses littering the terrain appeared long-dead, but as they continued forward, fresher corpses were visible amongst the bones.

  “Weird,” Hunter murmured, staring at the corpses as he passed by. They were all screwed up as well, just like the trees. Mish-mashed parts put together like an interspecies Frankenstein. Birds with lizard tails, a dog with multiple pairs of wings and the legs of an insect sprouting from its body.

  “Getting close,” Xerxes signed.

  “Got that,” Hunter muttered. He gave the corpses and skeletons as wide a berth as possible, hardly relishing the thought of absorbing their memories. Memories of their deaths were usually the first ones he experienced, and judging by how they looked, none of them had experienced a peaceful passing. Thank goodness for his helmet, which offered a degree of insulation from the wills of others. “This place freaking you out?”

  “Yes,” Xerxes signed.

  “At least you’re immortal,” Hunter pointed out. Xerxes smirked.

  “IMMORTAL NOT…GOOD HERE.”

  “Good point,” Hunter conceded.

  A few minutes later, he spotted the ruins of an ancient stone building amidst the fog to their left. Just a few columns and a crumbling archway, strange fleshy growths clinging to the stone. The smell of decay grew thicker as they walked, making Hunter feel a little nauseous. That, combined with the throbbing in his back and chest, was making for a miserable hike.

  “How do my wings look?” he asked his brother – not for the first time. It annoyed him that he couldn’t see them.

  “GROWING,” Xerxes replied.

  “No wonder why I’m so hungry,” Hunter grumbled, his stomach growling so loud that Xerxes had to have heard it. They’d already stopped for a snack twice since drinking Xerxes’ goo, and he resisted the urge to eat again. Their rations were limited, after all. If his wings wanted to keep growing, they’d have to be satisfied with being fueled by his fat.

  Suddenly Xerxes stopped.

  “What…” Hunter began…and then Xerxes shoved him bodily to the side. A huge thing burst out of the fog toward them, slamming head-on into Xerxes, right where Hunter had been a split-second ago. Xerxes flew backward, disappearing into the fog behind them.

  “Xerxes!” Hunter cried, falling to the rocky ground. He scrambled to his feet facing the…thing that had attacked Xerxes. A massive snake hea
d turned to face him, gazing down upon him. It was easily twenty feet high, with a long, coiled body that was mostly hidden by the fog. Huge insectoid wings sprouted from its back at odd angles, misshapen insect legs dangling from its sides, many of which were broken. Patches of what looked like bark interrupted its scales, and every movement caused the bark to crack, blood oozing from the wounds.

  The thing hissed, its huge maw gaping open, revealing dripping white fangs as long as Hunter was tall.

  Then its head burst forward right at him!

  Hunter leapt to the right, but he was too slow. The creature’s lower jaw grazed his legs, the impact sending him spinning around madly. He landed on his right hip, and the creature’s head lunged at him again. This time there was no time to dodge out of the way; he could only watch as the monstrosity’s gaping maw came right at him.

  And then Xerxes slammed into the side of the snake’s head, deflecting it at the last second.

  Hunter scrambled to his feet, backing away from the thing and drawing his sword.

  The snake recovered, swinging its head sideways at Xerxes, tossing the Ironclad bodily to the side. Hunter’s pack flew off Xerxes’ shoulder, and Xerxes vanished once again into the fog.

  “Run!” Hunter shouted, turning and following his own advice. He looked back, seeing the giant snake coming after him, slithering on the rocky ground, its insect-like limbs snapping and tearing free from its body. It shrieked, lunging at Hunter, who juked to the side. He felt its head smash into his left shoulder – his left wing – sending him careening to the ground.

  His wing howled in pain.

  Hunter gasped, scrambling to his feet just as the snake’s head reared back, its jaws opening wide. It lunged forward again…just as Xerxes leapt on top of Hunter’s back, shoving him belly-first to the ground.

  Darkness descended on them both as the snake’s mouth engulfed them, surrounding them in cool, slimy wetness.

  Hunter realized his sword was still in his hand, and gripped the hilt with both hands, thrusting it blindly upward. His guts wrenched as the snake’s head thrashed from side-to-side, its mouth opening. He slipped out, falling a few feet to the ground below, Xerxes tumbling out after him.