Fight

Lyla smiled triumphantly. “What do you think, Virise?” She looked to the Green haired girl who in turn looked over the camp. You saw some flashes in your mind of the girl you now knew to call Virise, but not enough to really go off of.

“Now that we know that intelligent Minotaur are not that uncommon, and that they are almost exclusively women, I believe we can be more proactive about rooting out their 'nests.'” She began to draw her long, thin sword from a sheath at her side.

“Wait!” You exclaim. For some reason you are not included in whatever effect was slowing down time, or speeding the the three of you up. You hesitated as the two intimidating girls looked at you closely.

“What is it, Eve?” Lyla asked.

You looked to Moona. Her head was just starting to turn. A look of horror had begun to slowly creep across her face. You took a breath and steeled your resolve.

“I get that the Minotaurs cause problems but the girls are harmless! Moona hasn't even done anything yet.” You argued. The Cultivators looked at you quizzically.

Virise stared through her classes down her nose at you with her thin green brow furrowed. She retorted. “You know as well as we do, maybe better, that it is not about what they have done but what they are going to do. The fact that the women can be intelligent and direct an otherwise mindless horde just means it is even more important to mercifully execute women that have been turned, or are in the process of turning.”

Lyla sighed. “Eve, you've always had a soft heart but even you have to understand that this is for the best. Think rationally.”

“But-”

“Philosophy belongs in the classroom, Eve.” Lyla interjected sternly. It was clear to you that she would not entertain any more arguments. That was the gist of what she was saying.

“Out here there are real problems that require real solutions. We'll talk about this more after we clean out this camp.”

“N-no! You can't!”

“We can't?” Virise full drew her sword and began flicking her wrist in an arc towards Moona's neck. You had no concept of how to fight and had no faith that you could do anything at all to stop them until you witnessed very clearly the direction of Virise's sword. You could see it and it was more than that, you could move fast enough to intercept it, but with what? You thought fast and threw up one of the masks laying on the hung belt near you. Part of it shattered but the horn deflected the sword enough to save Moona.

Virise gritted her teeth and found different footing. She was casual, but had entered a more serious stance. You knew that... Somehow.

“What are you doing?” She asked coldly.

“Dammit, Eve!” Lyla groaned.

“Not THIS again.” She also began to draw her sword. You could see that as well.

“You aren't going to-” You hopped up with surprising speed but even with that burst you felt that you would lose to either of them if you did not take the element of surprise immediately. You pulled the other mask and pushed it into Virise's face abruptly. The green haired girl shuddered and dropped her sword to try and grip the mask. She cracked it and tore it from her face but her eyes had already become milky and you could see the horns pulling themselves tightly to her head.

“N... o. No no no...” Virise Uttered madly. She stumbled back, neutralized as a threat. You turned your attention to a shocked Lyla.

“What did you do!?” She screeched, threatening to break your ears. The girl wasted no time turning her sword on you. You couldn't dodge, but you could move. The point pushed into your shoulder painfully. You cried out and noticed as Virise fell to her knees that time was speeding up once again. Moona fully turned and watched in horror as you competed with Lyla. You had no hope of beating the Cultivator and the remaining of the three masks were more than an arms reach away. You thought fast and reached to the other side where the broken mask lay. As you mustered every ounce of surprising strength at your disposal you gripped the sword with one hand and the broken one-horned mask in the other, lifted yourself up and slammed the thing into the side of her head. She flinched and it shattered, but she did not move. She pressed you back down to the ground far more easily.

“Eve... You will need to answer for this. I hope you under-” She loosened her grip involuntarily and seemed very confused as to what was happening. She released the sword and stumbled back off her feet.

“My- My footing...” She felt one side of her head. Nothing. You then watched as she felt the other side. Her lips curled into a frown and her eyes glossed over slightly as she gripped the single horn weakly.

“No...” She whined.

“Eve why?” Lyla stared up with a defeated expression and began to curl up into a ball beneath you.

You struggled to your feet. “You were...” You swallowed.

“You were going to hurt them. Moona is my friend and... And she doesn't deserve to die. None of them do.” You smiled weakly and turned to the Minotaur.

“Moona, I did it. I beat the Cultivators for you.” Even though you did beat them the woman was still staring at you cautiously.

“Not all of them.” She stated.

You looked up. “Are there more coming?” You panicked.

“I-I don't have the strength to beat more. I couldn't even beat one fairly.” Moona did not answer. She stepped forward slowly and pointed to you. You nodded with recognition.

“Oh... It's me.” You stared down at your bloody hands and remembered what you had done. The girls had a past with you that you did not fully remember.

“I'm a cultivator.”

The woman sighed and hid her horror badly; pushed it down. She smiled weakly and hugged you, her heavy breasts pressing into your far more moderate pair.

“It's okay, Eve. Thank you. You did the right thing. But... We need you to do the right thing again.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Moona?” Moona released you and leaned down. She picked up the third mask that you could not reach during the fight.

“W-wait.”

“You understand us.”

“No, but I... I don't want to be mindless.” You worried that it was like ****. A blackness that would overtake you and permanently silence the part of you that made you 'you'. Like a more **** and rapid ship of Theseus.

Moona looked at you sympathetically. “Your old comrade back there seems to be doing fine.” She nodded. You glanced back and saw the Virise was on her knees bawling. She was passive but lucid. Whining and groaning madly to herself.

“You all are different from us, it seems. I have no idea how it works, but it's like her horns have already grown to the same size as mine and are still growing. Like it's absorbing and assimilating her power. For you-”

You interjected far more honestly and directly. “I'm scared. I'm still just scared.” You admitted.

“Close your eyes.” Moona asked softly.

You cringed. “Are you going to-”

“I'm not going to tell you if I'm going to or not. Just trust me and close your eyes, okay?” She asked sweetly. You surrendered and gave in to her lovely tone. You closed your eyes and prepared yourself for oblivion. She was rubbing your back but you felt nothing else.

“Open.” You looked down. She was still holding the mask.

“Breath and calm yourself.” Moona said soothingly. You breathed, a calmness washing over you at the fact that she held back from masking you right then.

“Close your eyes again.” It was the same routine. Just calming gestures and cooing in your ear as you relaxed in her arms. You opened them again and saw the mask again, and Moona smiling gently.

“Are you still scared?” You shook your head.

“One more time, Eve.”

“Okay.” You closed your eyes and felt the same soothing gestures and soft tone like a hum accompanied by a sudden tightness on either side of your forehead. Very sharp at first like a needle before it simply became numb. You tried to reach up but she gripped both hands and guided them back down around her waist. You obeyed and gave in.

“Stay like this until I say.” She begged.

“Why?”

“So you aren't scared. Nothing is happening, Eve. Just be comfortable and calm in this moment.” You nodded submissively and relaxed into her. She lowered you down and you sat with her, leaning on her. You sat with her for a few minutes before finally you heard her voice again in more than just a rhythmic humming.

“It's okay now, Eve. Open your eyes.” You did as she asked and opened your eyes to what seemed like a new world. It was so fluid how everything you thought changed so subtly. The Camp felt like home and the men that populated it were just that. Men. Attractive men. Desirable men. You felt wish cross your mind that one would notice you soon. Moona giggled.

“Already getting into the spirit of things, I see.” She wiped a bit of drool from your lip in a motherly gesture.

“Your horns are already quite big and you still look like you're 'all there.' See?”

“Are they? Am I?” You reached up and felt two quite long horns, longer than even hers, extending from your forehead off to the side. If you were to try and externalize what was happening and consider what they were, the horns should have felt foreign and alien to you, but as hard as you tried to think about them like that, they were simply 'your' horns. There was no strangeness about them. They were a part of you and thinking that about them in those terms, they were the same as any other part of your body. You may as well have been born with them.

“Breath it in, Eve. Everything feels... Amazing. There's really nothing to be afraid of. It's why I just needed you to relax.”

You inhaled deep. The air smelled sweeter. The sun was warmer and everything just looked brighter. For the first time since you arrived you felt comfortable optimism.

“You're right. This is amazing!” You said excitedly.

“Amazing?” Virise muttered woozily.

“You really are a piece of work, Eve... I can't believe you did this to us. To yourself.”

“Oh shush!” Moona glared back at the girl as if she had not been a threat that could have slaughtered them all mere minutes ago. To your surprise the girl did not act up. She relented.

“I- I should outrank you. Don't shush me 'Moona.'” Virise uttered haughtily. You stared at her. Her horns were just a tad longer than yours and curved down. Her glasses were crooked on her face and she had not yet bothered fixing them. Her eyes were very puffy, as if she had been crying quite heavily.

“That's only IF you consider yourself a Minotaur, dear.” Moona smirked. You covered your mouth and stifled a giggle as that seemed to shut Virise up rather effectively.

“W-well what about Lyla? What'd you do to her?”

You blinked. “Shoot!” You turned your attention to the purple haired Cultivator. She was drooling on her own in the fetal position. Not quite vacant but not all there, either.

“Lyla...” You reached out to touch her.

“I'm not even...” She sniffed.

“Not even a COMPLETE failure. One horn? What the hell does this mean?”

Moona shrugged. “I guess we'll have to figure it out together.” As you still had your worry and attention centered on Lyla, Moona nudged you.

“He's coming!” She whispered.

“He-” You turned and saw the biggest, handsomest man you had ever seen in your life approach you. Your eyes widened and your mind went somewhat blank before flickering back as though it were a computer that had to reboot.

“Is.” You smiled widely up at him as he leaned down. You leaned the rest of the way and caressed his large head gently as he sniffed you. Somehow, this on its own felt very erotic.

“Is she ready?” The man bellowed. Your ears twitched. You were amazed that you could understand him all of a sudden until it crossed your mind that of course you could. You were the same Species. Or... You were becoming the same.

“She just needs more time.” Moona bellowed back.

“They all do. They haven't changed fully and I think it's best to watch them. Make sure nothing strange happens as a result of the combination of their abilities and the transformation. The male exhaled through his nose sharply onto your face. You felt a rush of heat in your netters as he did. A shudder that ran up your spine followed.

“Seems ready. But ok.” He shrugged.

Moona leaned in. “They're not 'dumb' really, they're just... Driven by their urges and their instincts. They don't have time to think things through, but that's what we're here for.” She rubbed her belly. We have all the time in the world to think and talk while we're doing our part.

“I see.” You nodded slowly. It was all starting to make sense.

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