464 The Might of Ashobel (1/2)

The giant Ashobel smoothed down the fur on its hips. ”Does this puppet make me look fat?” Chiba's rubbed her muscular chest while showing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Nix glanced at her and shrugged slightly. ”I like the look on you. Perhaps you should keep it.”

Chiba nodded in agreement. ”Can you modify one of these into my armor?”

”That's an emperor puppet... Do you know how much time and credits it takes to make one?” Nix turned his back on her and started tightened the strap on Morti's silver helmet. ”Remember... You need to stay here until the second wave.”

Morti's big head started to nod up and down but then paused. ”Hey, Nix.”

Nix stepped back and viewed his work before giving Morti the thumbs up. ”What's up?”

Morti stared at the stack of puppets on the floor. ”How many extra Ashobels do you have?”

”Five. Maybe I should get the acolytes to inhabit a few.” After considering it for a moment, he shook his head. ”No... They really need combat experience to temper their training.”

”Let me use one.” Morti waddled over to the pile and nudged one with his black nose. ”They smell pretty interesting.”

Nix smiled despite himself. ”Think you can do it? Lay down, and I'll try to walk you through it.”

Morti moved closer to the wall and flopped down onto the ground. ”What do I do?”

The Inferno leader knelt next to the Titan cub and placed a hand on his soft, black fur. ”Stare at it for a moment and then try to imagine yourself in the puppet. It's not as easy...” His words filtered off when the Ashobel in front of him sat up.

”Woah...” Slowly the puppet climbed to his feet. ”These legs are so nice!” It bent them slightly and jumped into the air. The entire room shook when he landed.

”Careful, Morti.” Nix followed the retreating Chiba out of the room.

”Yeah. That's me. I'm really careful.” The Ashobel stared at his own body, resting comfortably next to the wall. ”Was I always that good looking?”

Nix chuckled. ”Since you've had fur, yes.”

The Ashobel patted his own head and then ducked through the doorway. ”Can we go outside? I want to practice jumping and kicking things.”

”Ashobel mostly use their claws to fight, although I've seen a few Axe wielders.” Nix waited for Morti to catch up and started heading toward the exit. ”Stay close, no wandering around.”

”Well, I'm gonna kick things.” Ashobel Morti stopped in front of the door and nodded to himself. ”Yep. I'll stick close by.”

/Inferno: Chiba: Hey Banz, got any Great Swords?

/Inferno: Banz: I have one, the damn thing is five feet long.

/Inferno: Chiba: That's perfect. I dislike biting and scratching things unless we're both naked.

/Inferno: Banz: Noted, I'll get it for you.

/Inferno: Semmi: When are you bringing the Ashobel in?

/Inferno: Semmi: Thanks for the puppet.

/Inferno: Wind: Same here. I'm gonna kick ass.

/Inferno: Nix: Don't try and wander off with them. I didn't give them to you.

**************

An hour later, after giving Ducky last-minute instructions, he made his way back to the room where he created the puppets.

[Summons Soup]

Nix bent on one knee and rubbed the turtle's smooth head. ”Change to your Sphinx form, and you can accompany me.”

Soup flapped her front fin loudly on the floor, the sound of it echoing in the room. A moment later, a tiny black creature peered up at Nix, its eyes filled with curiosity as he took a seat on the floor and leaned back against Morti.

”Over here, girl.” An Ashobel stood up from the stack and climbed to its feet. As someone who spent hours in the form, there was no sign of awkwardness. Nix waited while she ran up his leg and settled in the thick fur of his shoulder. ”When I drop this form, stealth your way back here and return to Haven.”

/Alpha: Nix: Report!

/Alpha: Chiba: I'm in the north hall with two dozen acolytes.

/Alpha: Wind: South Exit with leadership.

/Alpha: Semmi: Eastern courtyard with the rest of them.

/Alpha: Nix: Watch out for these guys. They may look good on the mat, but combat experience is a bit different.

/Alpha: Chiba: My beautiful niece is here, I will take care of them.

/Alpha: Wind: I'll work with Banz and Wylie to keep an eye on the leaders.

/Alpha: Semmi: We got this, I've got Morti with me!

/Alpha: Nix: Noted.

/Alliance: Breach Commander Nix: Ready Junie?

/Alliance: Jun Li: I'm in Loki with the 12 Pillars.