“Feck me.” Cillian panics. “Feck you jammin on me now?” he asks the Zip-rifle, half expeg it to answer.

  With a grunt and click, he mao open the rifle. With a shaky hand, he loads another bullet and takes aim.

  “Crazy fe Russian.” he excims from his perch atop several crates. His barrel follows the fenriromorph Alpha as it rampages in circles. The beast sms its head into crates to throw Boriss off, but the Russian tio keep his grip.

  Eventually, the moops to raise its arms to reach the top of its head, only to fall short as the interlog scales restrict its arm movements. Using the struggle as an opportunity, Boris lights another shotgun directly into its face.

  The beast roars in agony, but still tinues seemingly unhindered.

  Then, out of nowhere, the beast stops its movement. It spread its legs and seems to brace. Boriss, using this opportunity, retrieves another shotgun and takes aim. At the same time, the fenriromorphs' armored spiked tail rises up.

  Slightly panig, Cillian aims his rifle to the tail. He fires at it, and hits. The bullet loudly pings off the scale. Boriss, hearing the sound, notices the tail. He drops the shotgun and jumps off the head, narrowly dodging the tail strike as it sms into the fenriromorphs head. The strike makes tad the monster falls face first into the ground.

  After the fall, the beast roars in even more pain. When it rises, it is down to only two good eyes. One of the destroyed eyes has an officer sword stig deep into it.

  While it rages and screams, Irmgard rushes away from its feet. The woman had timed the beast's fall perfectly and positioned herself for the stab.

  The fenriromorph raises its head and roars loudly. Its two eyes ascertaitlefield for threats. Then, its eyes fall on Cillian. It roars in his dire and rampages towards him.

  “Shite!” he curses. With a struggle, he opens the Zip-rifle and is the st bullet. He raises the rifle and aims it at one of the two good eyes. He pulls the trigger… and the bullet bounces off a horn.

  Uerred by the sound, the monstrosity rushes towards him with a vengeance. Just as it is about to reach his position, something rge sms into the side of its skull with enough force to veer it into a pile of crates.

  Not a momehe beast regains its bearing and once again stands fully erect. Cillians gasps as a grinning fenriromorph is tg on the Alphas snout using the bullet holes as leverage. Still gaping, the fenriromorph pulls out the officer's sword with one arm, shoves a lit pipe bomb into the eye, and then pushes the bomb deeper into the skull using the sword before hopping off and nding directly o cillian.

  The fenriromorph then coolly raises both its arms with middle fingers extended.

  A muted explosion goes off, followed by the Fenriromorph Alpha finally falling for the st time.

  ________________________________________________________

  Just as the Alpha’s face explodes, the pressure on my noggin pletely disappears. The monster's body falls to the floor with a loud whump. Only then do I deign to lower my fingers.

  Well, that takes care of that.

  I g my new form.

  I was kinda hoping I’d turn back with the boss dead. Maybe I’ll get to turn back if I finish the test?

  “Q-Quasi. Is that still you?”

  I turn to Cillian and nod.

  “Grraaagg Greeoggg.”

  My attempt to speak is met with garbled nonsense.

  I sigh.

  I walk up to him and grab him by the arm.

  “What are yo-shite!”

  Then I hear him curse as I lift him up to my shoulder. I hop off the crates and slow my dest using my cws. When I nd, I lower the Scot to the floor.

  “Ughhh, my stomach,” Cillian touches his belly, “Warn me ime yonna do somethin like dat.”

  I roll my six eyes and start walking to the corpse. Cillian follows after a sed.

  ____________________________________________________

  My arrival is met with Panic by both Boriss and Irmgard, but the presence of Cillian walking calmly o me puts them at ease. Well, as much as ease as my current form allows.

  “rade Quasi,” Boriss grins, “You have grown taller.”

  “Taller he says,” Cillian shakes his head, “He’s turned into a fe Monster.”

  “Bah,” Boriss waves his hand, “is tiny ge. You are still Quasi, yes?”

  I nod.

  “See. Tiny ge.”

  Cillian groans.

  Irmgard steps forward with a dagger drawn.

  “We should not be treating such a ge lightly.” Irmgard clutches tightly on the dagger, “for all we know, he lose his mind and bee a threat at any moment.”

  Cillian shrugs. “True, but he also finished off the Alpha and saved our lives.”

  “Da. Is fluffy rade. Is fine.”

  Irmgard frowns as she tio look at me with her guard up.

  Holy, her rea is the most normal of them. Boriss I uand. The damn Russian is a weirdo. But Cillian, I would think him to take her side.

  Well, it doesn't matter. We’re almost done here. Just one more thing to do.

  I growl at Irmgard and then point upwards.

  She stares at me for a long moment, and then nods. “I’ll go activate the elevator. You two,” she g Cillian and Boriss, “keep an eye on him in case he loses his mind. Scream loudly if he mauls you so I be warned.”

  She turns and starts walking away.

  “Damn, she’s a heartless bitch,” Cillian excims.

  “Da.” Boriss nods. “Very sexy.”

  While Irmgard goes to operate the elevator, I take the moment to better assess my body. First, I begin with stretches that test how far I move my limbs. Surprisingly, my limbs have just as much range of motion as a human. Except for the legs. The digitigrade legs aren't able to move like a human , but it has far more explosive power and speed. , I move the tail, which isn’t actually that useful. Sure, it's long and spiked, but the muscles on it are rather weak. Using it as a on would be wasteful. Far better to tio use the tail for bance.

  , I flex my hands- with difficulty. Though I have a hand mimig a human with extendable cws, I do find the movement quite stiff. The hands seem to be designed for g and grabbing, and not for dexterity. Still, they do have the full range of motion as humans.

  , I start to py with my six eyes. Apparently, ead every eye move indepely of each other.

  Just as I start to move on to my mouth ah, I feel the elevator lurch upward.

  I look up and grin towards my approag freedom.