The Shapeshifter

"Beat him up for me, will you?"

I heard the aged voice of the Spider Queen ringing inside my head. I looked up and noticed the Mantis nodding its head in approval.

"Sksksksksk!"

It was leisurely walking towards me while swinging its scythe-like arm akin to a little girl strolling in a park.

Is that how you're supposed to walk when you're about to fight someone?

Then something clicked on my head and spoke, 'The audacity. T-this b*tch! ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME?'.

"Graaaaaaaaaah!" (The noise he really makes.)

With my uncoordinated legs, I directly pounced at the one armed Mantis.

The attack didn't hurt much, but the impact of me hitting the wall of the cave probably hurt much.

It hurts. It doesn't hurt much, but it hurts. I could clearly feel the pain on my body.

I dislike getting hurt.

But then I saw the Mantis looking back at the Spider Queen.

I was surprised at this sudden action, then I heard the disgusting old hag talk again, "Yes, that's it. More. Make him bleed some more."

I saw the one armed Mantis, with its weirdly smiling face, looking at me as it was basking in the praises that it receive from the old hag.

Then something snapped inside of me.

Fear? No. It's something different.

I felt.

'YOU DARE TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF ME? JUST YOU WAIT, YOU LITTLE WENCH!'

"GRAAAAAAH!" .

With anger coursing through my veins, I rushed towards the Mantis. Similarly, the Mantis did the same.

I once again pounced on my opponent and tried to bite its head off. Since this was the first time that I possessed such a body, it felt a little awkward to move. But I have to deal with it on the meantime.

The Mantis easily evaded and slashed its arm on my body. Smirking as it did, my anger intensified.

'REALLY?'

I could feel something cold, when I glanced and saw two long, but not so deep gashes on my body. As I was quickly inspecting my wounds, it moved behind me and right after it did, I attacked the place it was previously at.

It easily dodged my sneak attack. It was as if it already knew of it.

No. I guess I was too obvious and too slow.

"GRAAAAAAH!", I screamed, as I could now feel my blood running out of my body. Yet its attack didn't hurt me.

Rather than being hurt physically, something—something hurts more.

Humiliation.

If only I was faster. But I know that I am faster! I know that I am stronger!

THEN WHY!?

THIS DAMN BODY!

As I was cursing at myself, I saw the smiling Mantis lift its arm. I reacted on instinct and tried to kick its descending arm. This time, I was faster.

'POW!'

'YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST TOY WITH ME?'

"GRAAAAAH!"

With my incredible vision, I saw where my limb hit it. What I hit wasn't its arm though, but its jaw.

'WHAT? HOW?', my angered mind short circuited, since I was only trying to deflect its attacking arm.

'HOW THE HELL DID THAT HIT YOU IN THE CHIN?'

Then my focus hovered at the Mantis' face and saw its smile being frozen on its eerie face. My mind raced like I finally knew how to solve a hard math problem.

The Mantis appeared to be stunned by the sudden attack!

I took the chance and attacked.

'Got you, b*tch!'

"Graaaaah!"

As I was lost in a trance, I pounced at the remaining arm of the Mantis. I didn't know why, but it came to me instinctively. It felt like it was the right move to take. So I decided to go through with it.

The memory of getting smacked by the Mantis surface to mind, which immediately made me more furious after knowing that it was probably toying with me.

'THIS ARM SHALL BE REMOVED! THIS ARM IS SHARP, YET YOU'RE USING IT TO SMACK PEOPLE? THIS SHOULDN'T BELONG TO YOU!'

"GRAAAAAAH!"

I am making a mess out of its arm in just three seconds.

Perhaps stimulated by the pain, the Mantis looked down at me. I looked at it and smiled. I could somehow see my reflection on its eyes; my red eyes and its green blood splattered all over my face.

Then I started chomping even harder akin to a mad dog that was starved of bones to bite for centuries.

I could see the panic flashing through its eyes. It made my eyes glow brighter, as I knew that attacking its arm was indeed the right move.

I smirked and said incoherently whilst biting its arm, 'This is mine now!' "Graagghh!".

It madly swung its arm, with me still in it.

You can't possibly remove me from your arm without your missing arm.

After swinging its arm for a couple more seconds. Unexpectedly, it stopped waving its arm and brought down its face to me.

'SH*T!

I can't possibly remove my head from it. Not when I was madly biting its arm.

'SH*T!'

I could clearly see the insides of its mouth, which was absolutely disgusting to look at. But I can't even close my eyes!

When its opened mouth was already a few centimeters away from my eyes. My body suddenly felt light. The Mantis' head wasn't even in front of me, but then—.

'BANG!'

My body collided with the cave wall. I could feel my body embedded in it.

Then I heard the ringing voice of the old hag Spider Queen it was talking.

"Not now! We've got company. Go!"

Was it talking to me?

No, I think not. We're not even that close for it to talk to me with such care.

Wait— Company? Back up? I'm saved! I'll kill you both when I get stronger!

But what if they were killed before I could even become stronger? I pondered.

Hehehe. Then I'll just hunt down their entire species into hiding.

As I was thinking of the future, the pain that was supposed to have arrived earlier came at me when I was removing myself from the wall.

It hurts! My body. Especially the side of my face.

'WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?'

Only then did it occur to me that I was probably sent flying by the Spider Queen.

As my body was hurting so much, I saw the Mantis ran to the dark side of the cave with its sole arm limply hanging on its shoulder. It should have ran to the deeper parts of the cave.

As for me, I couldn't move much and can only take slow and short steps. After that, my body would tremble with all the hurt that I'm experiencing.

So I simply gazed at the Spider Queen that was looking at the cave's entrance. I was intrigued on who it might be. I focused my senses on my ears since it said that someone was coming, but there doesn't seem to be anyone approaching.

"Well, well, well. To what do I owe the pŀėȧsurė of this visit, Old Man Gil? Or perhaps should I call you, Gilgamesh? The Old Wanderer. The Undying. Immorta—.", Before the Spider Queen could finish its words, another aged voice interrupted it.

"Oh stop it, you. You're making this old man blush with those silly titles. Hehehe."

Finally, I could hear some footsteps. One was clear and light and the other one sounds forced and heavy.

What entered my vision was the Old Man Gil and behind him was Reynard and some bunch of black humanoid silhouettes.

'Are those the kids?', Since my head's extra jumbled, so were my eyes.

'That's weird. Why would they bring the kids here? Can Old Man Gil and Reynard alone defeat the Spider Queen without letting it hurt the kids?'

I shook my head, since my sight was gradually blacking on the sides.. After doing so, only then did my mind start working again. I processed the words that I heard and screamed internally, 'Did the Spider Queen just called the Old Man Gil, Immortal?!'