Cooperation

Millia felt a lot of things in the following moment; all of them occupying the same second of real time. She felt her strength leave her. So complete was the drain of her vitality that her first thought was Oh my goodness, she inadvertently killed me. After that was the sensation of withdrawal. Not withdrawal in the sense that she felt deprived of something critical, but rather that she felt her consciousness withdraw within herself. It was like handing over control of a ship to your copilot, and resigning yourself to the back seat - except that it was a one-person ship.

She still retained full awareness. She could hear and see just as well as she always could, except now when she wanted to look at something, her focus shifted while the image stayed the same. Looking at the edges of the vision was... dissatisfying. Peripheral images were all colourless and obscure.

And the pain. The pain was still there, searing in her side. She had no doubt about it, but the sensation was different. It was bizarre. The closest analogy Millia could think of was the difference between feeling and knowing. You might feel that you love someone, but it seems fundamentally different to talk about how you might know that they love someone else; as though there is a degree of removal.

Last came the feeling of presence.

Hello? Are you still in here? came Latonya's voice.

Woah, Latonya? Millia answered.

In the flesh. Yours, specifically.

This was quite possibly the most foreign element of the whole deal. To Millia, it sounded like Latonya's voice, but she had to assume that it sounded like thinking to Latonya, and that her thoughts, therefore, sounded like herself, Millia. Latonya's thoughts manifested as a second, distinct, independent inner monologue. Millia supposed that that made this exchange an inner dialogue.

You're in control then? Millia asked.

She watched from a first-person perspective as her body rose from its knee and stood straight. Her hands were raised before her eyes. The fingers wiggled as though someone was testing their motor control.

"Yes, I believe I am," Millia said aloud.

It was Millia's voice that came from Millia's mouth, but the words were Latonya's. The physical body responded perfectly to the ghost's directives. Out of curiosity, Millia tried to speak.

My name is Millia. The words never left the shared head.

Sorry, goodas, I think this only works for one at a time, Latonya consoled her.

Millia could not help but feel a sense of disappointment and perhaps even a tinge of fear at that. She had done it. She had gone ahead and given up her best defense against losing control of her own body. Latonya was commanding it now, and whether or not Millia would ever get it back was at the ghost's discretion.

A stray thought crossed Millia's mind. Or rather... her part of the mind? Whichever.

Hey, how come you're not floored with pain like I was?

With Millia's hand, Latonya reached down and probed herself in the side where Millia had been injured. It still hurts, just not so bad, Latonya thought. Maybe I'm just tougher than you, she ribbed.

Millia did not bother to validate that with an answer.

A sharp, brief growl sounded and Millia's body whipped to face the fuvea. Apparently, it had finally recovered from its crash. Somehow, it looked even angrier than before, as though it recognized the indignity of what it had gone through.

You said you could take this thing, Millia thought. You're going to deliver on that, right?

You won't be disappointed. Millia could practically hear the smirk in Latonya's voice.

The body's gaze swung to the greataxe on the ground. It had escaped Millia's grip when she became acquainted with the beast's tail. It was near enough that Latonya scooped it up without prompting a response from the creature. She examined the weapon, testing its heft and balance, giving it an experimental swing.

All things considered, it's not too different from my claymore, Latonya thought approvingly. I can work with this.

Good, because that thing is coming right at us!

One advantage of having two minds in the same head was that they could technically focus on two separate things at once. Latonya still had the eyes settled on the axe, while Millia was left panicking at the sound of approaching stomps and blur of motion at the edge of their field of view.

Latonya neither retreated nor advanced on the monster. She held her ground as it barrelled at her. Adjusting her grip on the axe handle, she wound it back like a batter. When the beast was upon her, Latonya unleashed, bringing the greataxe around in a mighty arc, deliberately meeting the fuvea's nose with the flat of the weapon. The clash set the axe humming and knocked the predator off its course.

The **** of the motion left Millia's weighty chest swaying, even below her brassiere and shirt. Not used to the extra mass, Latonya found the pull to be distracting.

Ugh, that's annoying. How do you do anything athletic with these bouncing around?

CAN YOU PLEASE FOCUS, Millia insisted, sounding flustered. Had the body been responsive to her actions, it would have been blushing.

Don't worry, not even clumsy tits can save this fleabag from what I've got planned, Latonya assured her.

Why did I let you in? Millia groaned with exasperation.

Latonya did not afford the fuvea a chance to recover and come at them again. Now that she had a taste of tangibility once again, she wanted more. She crossed the short distance between them in swift fashion; axe ready. She took a swing at the beast, opening the flesh high on its leg. It roared in pain and swiped at her with one of its arms. Latonya parried the claws, something that Millia did not know one could do. Continuing the motion in a full spin, Latonya swung the long blade overhead, catching the fuvea in the underside of its neck. The gash carved in its path was made shallower by the monster's tough hide.

Instinctively, it recoiled, pulling away from the thing that was causing it harm, but Latonya was on it. She kept the pressure on, denying it any chance to retreat to a distance that would give it more control over the situation.

Come on, then. You wanted a piece? Latonya taunted internally. She circled around to the other side. To the untouched leg she delivered a powerful chop. It must have hit something important, because the leg gave out beneath the beast's mass. Latonya hacked at the creature's ribs, embedding the blade in its side. Using this new hold, she hoisted herself up onto the fuvea's back. It tried to throw her clear, but struggled with one of its legs crippled. Up there, Latonya wrought havoc on its back.

There was less energy in the fuvea's struggling by now. The pain and blood loss darkened its world. It had fallen to one side, flailing. Dropping down, Latonya moved to stand near the underside of its jaw. It howled, and kicked, and clawed at anything within reach. It raised its head, craning to get a look at the adversary it had underestimated. Latonya met the pair of eyes with her own. It was staring one final curse at her. It spewed forth a pained roar, voicing its rejection of the possibility of falling at the hands of what should have been easy prey.

The possessed cow girl pulled back the greataxe. Latonya swung it with her own roar; a guttural cry to show the fuvea that it had been defeated by a superior predator. The axe head ripped through the beast's throat, severing many vital conduits. The incessant roar was replaced by a thick gurgling. Blood poured from the slash, the monster's neck went limp, and soon after, the life left its eyes.

"Should have just left us be," Latonya tutted, wiping the sweat from her brow with Millia's arm. "Well then, would you call that delivery?"

That was... something. Millia was a bit shaken by what she had witnessed. She had had front row seats in her own body to watch as someone else used it to utterly butcher a creature that she - the owner of said body - had no right to prevail against. The gore had been... disquieting to witness so personally, but more shocking was the degree of finesse Latonya had demonstrated.

Just whom exactly had Millia gotten herself stuck with?

"Okay," Latonya said with a deep exhale. "Now then, the ship. Where did you say it was?"

Millia was about to ask that Latonya exit her so that she could lead the way when an explosion echoed in from somewhere distant.

What was that?

"That's probably my team," Latonya said with Millia's mouth.

Your team?

Yeah, team. I'm pretty sure I mentioned them earlier.

No, you didn't, Millia asserted. You only mentioned a 'we'.

Oh, well, I have a team, they're also here to kill these pests, and if they're breaking out munitions like that, then we need to get over there and help. Latonya returned the greataxe to its holding place. Let's go! she declared as though she needed Millia's permission to take them anywhere.

Millia wanted her body back. Playing spectator to her own actions did not sit well with her. But... if they were off to fight more of these nightmares, then she would definitely prefer Latonya's combat proficiency to her own.

Alright, Millia begrudgingly agreed. But wait a second. Don't forget my pendant.

Oh, sure. Latonya walked briskly over to where Millia had thrown it. She retrieved the diamond and placed it in one of Millia's pockets.

Millia noted that returning the necklace to her person did not affect Latonya nor her control over the adventurer. Perhaps it only worked when worn, or maybe it only had the power to repel influences that had not yet taken hold.

Details for another time.

All set, Latonya jogged in the direction that the explosion had come from. At the edge of the clearing, she took one last glance over her shoulder at the fuvea's remains.

She stuck out her tongue. Serves you right for challenging me.