A smirk crossed the fire demon's face as she heard the Changeling's voice at her door. "I am aware, Lieutenant Solaris." She said simply, turning from her window and moving to open the door to her stateroom. "Not only are you one of precious few of your kind on this warship, making your ki rather distinctive..." She tapped a panel next to the door frame and it slid open with a pneumatic whir. The demoness pointed down at the cyborg's feet, an eyebrow raised playfully as she did. "Moreover, your feet make a distinctive sound on the tile." Amatricina stepped aside and let her companion into her room. Emperor had spared no expensive with his senior compatriots, giving all in attendance at his council lavish staterooms aboard the Omnipotence for the time being. Amatricina quite liked the creature comforts the Kabochans had to offer, it reminded her of home... if only just. Not even servants though, too many lifeless droids.

The demon sashayed her way back towards her bedchambers, a great opulent throne of pillows are silks no doubt collected across the world's of the Confederacy. She seated herself upon the bed, crossing one leg over the other while pretending the inspect the clawed talons of her gilded crimson gauntlet. "So what brings you to my chambers Kamui? Do you wish to spar with me, perhaps train in the ship's gravity chamber? Are you here to finally avenge all those good men slain at Styx, avenging their deaths with your misplaced sense of honor? Or has my great beauty finally seduced you like so many before you and you've come to profess your undying love?" All questions were rhetorical, there was one reason and one alone the Changeling cyborg had come. She could feel it, wafting from his heart like a shroud of resentment. Wrath, shame, pride, longing, so many negative emotions and sins all swirling about his soul like a maelstrom of self destructive thoughts. Kamui was a being broken by his failures, desperately seeking to become whole again. He had lamented to Amatricina himself about how he despised the fact he could no longer physically transform, as his race was evolved to. In truth she did not blame him, Amatricina had lamented simply losing a horn in her battle with Carambolis. She could not imagine becoming the... thing that stood before her. Though fortunately for her, she did not have to. Her magics and Dark Energy providing a ready means to reconstitute damaged portions of her given sufficient time.

Amatricina chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she did. "No, we both know what this is about don't we? I've been waiting for you to slink your way back to me. The Kabochans' medical machines don't work against amputations of your magnitude, do they?" The demon said in a somewhat mocking tone. She did so enjoy when mortals came to grovel before demons for their dark gifts. Though normally she simply blasted them out of existence, deigned to share even the smallest trinket with the vermin. But this Kamui was no weakling, and no simple cretin bugging for the smallest shred of power to improve his horrid life. No, this was a capable ally, a valuable tool worth firmly keeping within her grasp. Carambolis was not the only one found of pulling unlikely allies into their fold. There were lines to be drawn in the sand, even within the Emperor's own Crusher Corpse.

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Word Count: 584
Total Word Count: 1,162
Doctor Kaijin Vex

The wicked smile on the Fire Demon's face only widened as the Changeling lamented his current state. The sound of his metallic modulated voice distressed over the flesh and blood that had forsaken was the sweetest music to her ears. Amatricina nodded along in understanding as Kamui spoke, seeing no reason to interrupt him. His long tail was one of the few physical tells of his cyborg body, it swished in agitation whenever he was distressed. Amatricina rung her armored hands together, her devilish grin only fading as she parted her lips to speak. "Kamui... you offered me a token of assistance in conquering a world that I was already more than capable of conquering myself. You saw that miserable planet, your subordinate Zephyrus could have done it himself, albeit it may have taken a while. The supplies and fuel my fleet transferred to your vessel meant nothing to me, they were Carambolis' provisions. I intended to do so regardless of your cooperation, though I would have forced you to wait if you refused to help, simply because it amuses me. Your vessel was designated as a Crusher Corps warship, I was not going to leave an allied vessel distressed on a hostile world. I would never have the end of it."

Amatricina's expression did something that was slightly atypical of her as she finished her spiel. It softened, if only just. "Despite what you may think of me, or my race, we are completely without sympathy." The demon said, brushing a hand against her upper right horn, the very one regenerated after being shattered by the Emperor's devastating attack. "I can understand your plight, and sympathize with the lengths you wish to go to in order to become whole again. To be trapped in that mechanical body must be a prison of the highest order." The demon clenched and unclenched a hand, as if envisioning what it felt like to move an artificial limb not your own. "My realm is imprisoned, and has been since its inception. But at least it is a prison of our own making, where we are free to act and do as we chose with the hope of freedom always looming in the horizon." The demon flared her aura briefly, for a moment it flickered with power at her heightened emotions. "But for your very body to be a prison, a vessel that feels alien, that you despise. That is something I can wholly understand. My vanity is great, and I am not too proud to admit that."

Amatricina flashed a teasing smile, she not actually know if Kamui's race found her appearance attractive, as she held no lust for his almost serpentine race. But among her own kind Amatricina was an object of great beauty, coveted by many as was her mother before her. Her tone grew more somber as she continued speaking. "I would despise myself if my physical form was just as shattered and unable to be restored. I too would go to every length, explore every avenue to restore myself to full glory. I cannot comprehend the indignity you must feel being unable to do the thing your race is evolved to do. A Changeling who can no longer transform, it would be as unbearable as a Fire Demon who cannot breath fire." Amatricina's tone lightened slightly, and she pursed her lips into an 'O' shape, puffing out a small ring of wispy fire that drifted towards the cyborg's face.

The demon rose back to her feet, coming to stand eye to eye with her cybernetic ally. "I will help you, to the best of my abilities. Both because I can sympathize with your plight, and to satisfy my own dark curiosities about the results of such a sacrilegious act. I care little about your own schemes, so long as they do not pertain to me. When we are through, assuming you survive the process unscathed, all that I ask of you is a chance to test my mettle against yours. You claim your power level is near to that of our 'beloved' Emperor, and I wish to defeat him one day and restore my honor. My own might grows with each passing day, but I do not yet know the limits of my newfound strength, nor the limits of yours before your injuries." With that Amatricina stepped passed the Changeling, running a hand gingerly along the tip of his tail as she moved by him. "Now come, the Tree of Might may be dead, but even the dead still have their uses..." She said cryptically as the demoness made her way towards the door of her stateroom.

---

Word Count: 788
Total Word Count: 1,950
Doctor Kaijin Vex

As the fire demon walked besides her cyborg companion, she couldn't help but feel at the subtle changes within his heart. There was that glimmer of hope, the only she so normally loved to snuff out. Hiding, tucked away beneath a dozen other emotions good or bad. Disgust at what his body had become, caution at the demoness' ever changing nature, his own pride and ambition and of course the sin of wrath. But it was the hope that most fascinated her. Just this once, she would allow hope to kindle, to bloom into the burning flame of triumph. Or, Kamui's body would prove to frail for her efforts, too far gone from its injuries to sustain the exertion needed to survive her rigorous procedure. Either the cyborg would live to know his flesh anew, or die in one last attempt to regain it. It was admirable in a way, and Amatricina held a quiet respect for the man for his bravery and determination. There were many mortals who would balk at demonic assistance, and with good reason. But in their fear and suspicion, they would deny themselves a chance at a greater gift.

Amatricina scoffed when Kamui spoke of his power level. She had no time for trivialities. "Strength is strength Kamui, I care little for the application of it. If your power is as great as you claim, and I have it on good word it is based on your efforts on Styx, then I shall not be disappointed. Win or lose, I consider it a proper assessment of my recent gains in strength." She nodded in agreement as her ally expressed his own desire to face the Emperor himself in battle. "And I should wish to witness that bout first hand, I would relish the opportunity to watch a fair fight for our dear Carambolis... one where I am not on the receiving end. There is much about him and his otherworldly transformation I desire to study. You're a being of learning, you can appreciate that fact I assume."

The demon's nose upturned slightly and her brow furrowed as she thought back on her ill fated battle against the man both warriors sought to challenge. "In retrospect, your refusal to challenge Carambolis led to your survival. Take comfort in that small feat. I only survived because of his ambitions, and the part he intends me to play in them. It is a mercy I take into consideration each time I am forced to speak with him." She cared not for the Emperor, or the Kabochans. But she had struck a bargain, and would honor her end of the agreement through to the end. There was no admiration in the demon for the man who bested her, just a quiet respect for the strength he wielded. "Know this Kamui, consider it my gift. When we fought, the Emperor displayed total mastery of psychic techniques. He claims to be able to read the energies that are otherwise unseen to most beings, divining a kind of foresight from them. He often fights indirectly, using telekinetically enhanced blows in place of physical strikes. His speed is... without question, able to move and react far more readily than I could. Lastly, is the matter of his ultimate technique, the Helix Beam. I can assure you it has sufficient strength to level a continent at the least. There is a mountain range and several island chains now missing from earth that can attest to that fact." Amatricina said no more on the matter, growing silent as she stuck to following Kamui towards the nearest hangar.

Amatricina watched with playful mirth at the exchange between the cyborg and their pilot. Kamui had great anger within him, she liked watching it flare out in violent outbursts. When he turned back to her she simply smiled a gave a quick nod before stepping aboard the shuttle. "It is so nice to know there are mortals who display common courtesies. You would not believe how rude most of them can be." Her words were playful. feigning innocence in spite of her ruthless nature. The demoness took a seat, opposite Kamui, crossing one leg over the other as she sat. "You know, I had simply intended to fly down to the Husk of Might myself." She said simply, inspecting her immaculate gauntlet to kill time as the dropship lifted itself into the air and sped out the hangar bay doors. "My kind is not hindered by the void of space, not for brief journeys at least. I have experienced far harsher things... like the empty void between dimensions. That is a truly haunting experience to travel through without a proper portal..." The demon trailed off, casting her gaze out the window to the verdant planet below. It grew closer with every passing moment, and the towering husk of the once mighty tree dominated the view of the immediate landmass below.

---

Word Count: 832
Total Word Count: 2,782
Doctor Kaijin Vex

The ride down to the planet's surface was a tedious affair, Amatricina could have made it in half the time by simply flying herself. But as Kamui stated, he had concerns about punching through the upper atmosphere with crippled body. So be it then, if it was for his own safety then Amatricina would tolerate it, if only just. The demoness had been waiting for the moment since the cyborg had first brought it up to her in the meeting the day prior, she could wait a bit longer. She sighed, looking at the viewing window with arms crossed. "I am aware how space craft work, Lieutenant Solaris." She said irritably. "Do not think my kind do not possess space ships. Our warships can match or best any in the mortal realm, our methods of construction routinely employ dark magic to lend strength where science and engineering cannot. We also tend to bind the souls of captives various components without a star ship, to ensure they are kept magically maintained and can properly channel Dark Energy through them." That was all she felt like lecturing the cyborg on her realm, for the moment anyways.

"I will agree with you on the scenery though." She added, looking down on the Husk of Might. The demon was already carefully inspecting the leviathan mass of branches and roots for a suitable location for her dark ritual. She wanted it central located, towards the epicenter of the tree at the point where the arms and branches most converged. The tree itself was to function as something of a lightning rod, drawing in excess power so it would not harm Kamui more than was already needed. She did not want to explain herself to Carambolis if the being expired from her endeavors. "I wish I could have seen the Tree of Might firsthand, while it yet lived. My only knowledge of it comes from a brief video display the Emperor showed me while we first struck a bargain. It was lush then, covering half the world in the shadow of its leaves. A part of me dearly wished to see it burn, just to say I could." She scoffed, the instinctive urge to destroy temporarily rising within her. To a demon, anything that could not be claimed, could be destroyed. Anything that could not be destroyed, they sought to claim. It was a cyclical nature.

The boredom ceased only when Kamui moved to open the rear bay door on the dropship, much to the pilot's dismay. The man frantically hollered back at the duo over the roaring rush of the wind whipping through the craft. Amatricina chuckled as she rose from her seat and turned to depart. "Oh be silent, craven. We have more important matters to tend to than you incessant whining. Go back to the Omnipotence and drown your sorrows at having to do your job for once." With that Amatricina leapt from the back of the ship, cape rustling wildly as did her hair. "I will do more than keep up." She said as her aura flared and her demonic ki spilled forth. The demoness had no doubt her very presence on this planet would strike concern and even fear into the local populace. Carambolis had told her much of his race's history. For eons they had been shackled by a Demon Clan. Maybe someday history would repeat itself; Amatricina chuckled to herself. "Follow me." She said simply as she matched speed with Kamui. "I found a suitable spot from orbit."

With that Amatricina flared her aura further, her body engulfed in fiery crimson ki, tinged at its edges with ebony hued Dark Energy. She increased her speed, breaking the sound barrier several times over she rocketed towards the great Husk of Might. Darting and zipping between its tangled web of branches as she hurled towards the center of the tree. It was almost like navigating a winding tunnel system, even without leaves little light reached the areas deep within the entangled branches as Amatricina made for the center of the Husk's mighty trunk. The demoness scowled as the branches ahead weaved together into an impassible barrier; she merely lowered her head and plowed through the dead branches horns first like a battering ram. It wasn't even worth raising a hand to blast her way through with an energy wave. Soon though Amatricina closed in on the place she had eyed from orbit, a kind of inner grove where the branches intertwined towards the center of the once lush tree. She slowed to a stop, hovering in the air and turning round to face her companion. "This place will do." Amatricina said cryptically, lowering herself the 'ground' and looking around to marvel at the scope of the mega-flora. Despite taking a dropship down planet side, they duo was far into the upper atmosphere. So close in fact to the edge of space no clouds filled the skies above, only the dark blue view of space tinged by atmosphere and a billion twinkling stars above. "It is spectacle isn't it?" Amatricina found herself muttering aloud, ruby gaze looking up to the heavens through the gaps in the branches.

---

Word Count: 875
Total Word Count: 3,657
Doctor Kaijin Vex

"Understandable." Amatricina replied swiftly, nodding in agreement at the cyborg's requests. She eyed the main trunk of the massive tree. It would do nicely for her purposes. Amatricina began to walk slowly around her companion, rubbing her chin as she thought aloud. "The Husk will act as insulation against the strain of my demonic magic overloading your body. This tree is not mortal in nature, and I can still sense the residual magics coursing through its deceased limbs. More important though, I need to see if the Husk of Might yet bares sap within its bark. The sap's potent rejuvenation properties are going to needed to stabilize your condition and assist in tissue regeneration..." As she spoke the demon looked over Kamui's body, Amatricina had not actually seen how much of the xeno was living tissue beneath the cosmic suit he wore to maintain his vital signs. But she knew the damage was severe, as even when Kamui breathed it sounded as though his lungs were artificial.

"What I need from you Kamui, is to remove your armor and cybernetics while I go about my preparations. If you care about indecency, I can conjure you up a cloak or a shawl or something." The fire demon dismissively waved a hand, she ultimately cared little if she saw whatever passed for genitals among Kamui's kind. She had more than likely see far worse in her long life. A good number of demon worshiping cults believed they could conceive their messiah figure by bedding a demon. A good number of dead cults anyways. "However you will be quite naked after we are finished, though that is more or less the intended purpose is it not?" Amatricina chuckled to herself, moving to inspect the trunk. Removing her gilded crimson gauntlet and feeling her bare skin against the coarse wood of the deceased tree. "Oh yes... this will do nicely..." She cooed, hair standing up on the back of her neck. Even to the simplest touch she could feel the Husk of Might's magics still faintly clung to its corpse. "You can sustain yourself for a reasonable length of time outside of your life support systems, can you not?" The demon asked questioningly, turning again to face her cyborg ally. "Also, I presume you can simply hover or otherwise float until I am ready? If not I can simply hold you aloft with my magics, though I thought you'd find that demeaning..."

Amatricina scoffed at her own words, shaking her head as she reequipped her gauntlet. She began to summon her demonic ki, inhaling deeply and breathing out a steady gout of fire breath on the central trunk. Not a ravaging amount of flame, but a controlled burn that she carefully managed, keeping from spreading as it smoldered about the edges of her work site. She was carefully burning out a dugout of sorts, roughly the size of a small sauna, right in the heart of the tree's trunk. The room would need be no bigger than was necessary, spacious enough for Amatricina to walk around the edges freely and Kamui to lie on his back, tail and all once that returned. The Fire Demon kept to her work in steeled concentration. Her race were masters of wielding flame, delicate as a scalpel or destructive as a great sword. Amatricina shaped the fire with her hands, coaxing it through her fingers like a a seamstress spinning wool into thread. It danced and twirled in unnatural ways, with a kind of otherworldly beauty as it gracefully carved out her work space.

Once the rough dimensions of her dugout were in place, Amatricina began to truly add her artisan's touches to her work. She deftly inscribed the outer walls with demonic glyphs and runes of the Makaioshin language that was her native tongue. Long spells of sealing, protection, and mending were etched into the walls of the small room as well as prayers of strength, endurance, and mental fortitude. Simple demonic spells alone would not save this cyborg and restore him, but they would help ever so slightly to augment Amatricina's chances of success and limit Kamui's likelihood of dying. Moreover, Amatricina carved incantations that would allow the Husk of Might to better absorb the excessive magics the Demon Lord intended to unleash upon the mortal. She cared little for any negative effects they may have on the greater Husk of Might as a whole, the tree was dead anyways. This task was far more pressing. Once satisfied with her work, Amatricina ceased the slow caress of her fiery touch. She stood in the center of an ornately carved room, the center of the ceiling in the middle bore the ancient symbol of her clan. In the center of the room, roughly the same dimensions as Kamui's body albeit slightly large on the off chance she mismeasured, Amatricina had carved out a shallow depression in the floor. It was deep enough that Kamui could lie submerged in it once the time came,and spacious enough he would not feel completely like he was being laid to rest.

Admiring her own handiwork, Amatricina stepped back outside, dusting herself off of cinders and black ash. A thick plume of black smoke still wafted from the dugout as it had while she worked. "Once you are ready Kamui, I will you to enter the chambers I have prepared. It was a hasty production, and stone is a preferred medium to wood, but it have to do. When you are inside, lay on your back at the pool in the center. I can answer any questions in the meantime, before we begin. I will say it last time, so I am blisteringly clear. This process will hurt, likely worse than death. You will feel every nerve and synapse within your body as it is forced to regenerate. Those nerves will coincidentally be on fire, of magical origin and demonic nature. There is also the effects my demonic energy will have on your physical body and mind. Suffice to say, I do not know how badly the pain will hurt a mortal. But together we shall find out." Amatricina replied as her tone grew increasingly sinister, eyes like a cat's shimmering with malevolence and hellish orange light as she spoke.

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Word Count: 1,059
Total Word Count: 4,717
Doctor Kaijin Vex

Amatricina furrowed her brow as she looked upon the wretched form of her ally. Truly, he was every bit as gruesome in person as he had described his injuries to be. No, it was far worse, his words utterly failed to do the extent of his damage justice. Were he one of her race, it was very likely he would have been deemed beyond repair if found alive in that state. Magic could do only so much, at least when wielded by a simple shaman or sorcerer. But Amatricina was no lowly mage within the echelons of her clan. She had been practicing dark magic under her mother's tutelage since the day she could first learn to speak. Eighteen hundred years of keen study, diligence, and application culminated in this one moment. For Amatricina it was in many ways, the ultimate application of her skills. Wielding a chaotic and ruinous power of death and destruction for mending and healing, on a mortal no less. Not an ounce of demonic ki radiating from the cripple, not a drop of demonic blood in what was left of his veins.

The demon followed along in stoic silence as Kamui entered the chamber she had prepared. Already she could feel the dount and second thoughts wafting off the wounded being like a sickening stench. But beneath his fears and doubt, Amatricina could sense Kamui's rage, his hatred and spite at those who had maimed him and his own failures. He was his own worst enemy, a man who could not forgive himself. That wrath would be her anchor, the way in which Amatricina would burrow her talons deep into the warrior's soul and chain it to his body as she reforged him anew. She did not want his spirit to reject his newfound flesh, she would force the two to coexist in one form if she must. It was a magic she had never attempted before, but centuries of killing mortals out of decadent pleasure had given Amatricina great knowledge in the inner workings of the spirit. She would make do.

As Kamui moved to lower himself into position, Amatricina so too also prepared herself for her mystic operating theater. The fire demon would have no need of her ostentatious armor for once, and using her powers of Magical Materialization, warped and melded her attire into apparel more befitting. Crimson armor, gilded jewelry, and tight figure hugging clothing were replaced by a long flowing robes. Simple by comparison, though no less regal on her voluptuous body. Her garb was black as midnight, trimmed in a fiery pattern that shifted and flowed like magma around the edges of her attire. For once Amatricina's hands were bare and uncovered, porcelain hands, soft and delicate with long pointed black nails like poisoned claws. Amatricina stepped before Kamui, gazing down at him over the slope of her expansive bust. She smiled, a sinful, wanton smile that betrayed her every dark intention. The demon sage bent down to her knees, letting her right hand briefly caress the charred flesh of Kamui's cheek.

"Don't worry Kamui, Mother will make it all better." She cooed softly, in words too kind for the malevolence of their orator. Amatricina leaned in close and planted a soft kiss on the creature's forehead. It burned like venom, taking the shape of the Fire Demon Clan sigil and causing the matching icon on the ceiling to glow with hellish, fiery light. "Let us begin." Amatricina said simply as she rose back to her feet, spreading her arms wide as she began to channel her powers. Once her concentration was focused enough, Amatricina looked down as Kamui, eyes glowing with an unholy black flame as she tapped into the Dark Energy that permeated from her realm through her spells. With a flick of the wrists, demonic lightning arced from Amatricina's fingertips, crackling around the edges of Kamui's shallow grave. The demoness was reaching out into the Husk of Might with her magics, coaxing what sap and resin she could to her location.

Slowly it began to bubble up and weep from the wood beneath Kamui as it was willed forth by the demon's magics. Soothing at first, like a warm salve on a wound fresh wound, the sap's great restorative properties were needed to fulfill the same role mortal medical fluid did. Except it would a more active role in keeping the cripple alive. At first the sap was thick and heavy, like warm honey. But as it heated, it gelled less and became a more viscous fluid. The substance filled the pool, covering Kamui completely as he lie motionless save for brief twitches and spasms of pain or discomfort. Once the changeling was completely submerged, Amatricina took stock of the situation thus far, withdrawing her lightning. There had been sufficient sap nearby to properly fill the pool, so already they were headed in the right direction. Though the Husk of Might's magics were far too weak alone with its death. Amatricina would need further augment the resin into something more appropriate for her purposes.

The demon focused her energy, fel black lightning crackling around her hands as they called forth brilliant fiery demonic energy. Amatricina pressed her arms wide to her sides, creating her Demon Barrier technique around the upper portions of the Husk of Might. A black sphere of malice, tinged with deep reds and brilliant oranges like a ball of volcanic, molten energy. It crackled with deep red lightning from the sheer exertion of demonic ki needed to sustain a barrier this size. Amatricina was not done yet, this was but the beginning. She relaxed her stance, then breathed out slowly in a long drawn breath, exhaling a thick miasma of demonic smoke. It filled the room, obscuring all vision and leaving Kamui immersed in total darkness. Soon though he could see the burning orbs of ki at Amatricina's hands as she weaved and shaped her Destron Smoke into a thick tendril that swirled through the chamber like a serpent chasing prey. It rose up towards the ceiling, then plummeted downwards straight for Kamui's chest. The onyx smoke however did not strike the Changeling, instead permeating every facet of the pool of resin. Demonic magic overtook the Tree's, consuming it as fuel as the once golden amber turned a sinister shade of ebony. Amatricina smiled a wide smile, step two had been a success.

The change to the very nature of the Sap of Might would not be a pleasant one for the 'frost demon' within. No longer a mostly neutral entity, the sap was now overcharged with demonic energy. It became actively malicious, assaulting the flesh and bone exposed to it like a thousand white hot needles, even as its restorative effects were amplified and transmuted to the Demon Lord's purposes. It was a good pain, it meant Kamui was still alive. Not all healing with pleasant, scars itches, bones arched, blisters stung. But this, this was true agony in its rawest form. If he tried to scream, the Demonic Sap would flood his lungs, scaling them like tissue paper before a bonfire. But they would not be damaged by this intrusion, only agonized by its presence. Amatricina watched in silent observation, already channeling her power and letting her aura swell and flare as she drew forth her full strength.

Since her time in Carambolis' company the man had never seen Amatricina's full might. First she wore the guise of a mortal, her power level abyssal as it remained suppressed. Then in their spar, she had been atrophied and sapped of strength from her withdrawal, her demonic body still aching and weakened with its connection to Dark Energy severed. But now, now she was capable of truly displaying her might. She had trained herself mind and body, losing her dependence on the ruinous energy that flooded her realm yet remained void in this. Amatricina had focused her training in her dark magics, working to ever broaden her mastery of the Dimensional Rift technique. Even now, under such concentration she could will forth and draw small but intoxicating quantities of Dark Energy from her infernal realm to flood her body and provide her with boundless untapped power. Amatricina tensed her muscles, her aura raging through the room like a barely contained maelstrom. The runes and spells along the wall hummed to life, burning like engravings into the Husk of Might. Above the sky darkened, ominous and unnatural black clouds forming from the release of such demonic ki. Violet lightning arced and streaked from the storm, striking the Husk and snapping off lesser branches as it seared wholes along the Tree's mangled length.

It was the greatest display of demonic power witnessed by the planet Kabocha in eons, and Amatricina had no doubt in her mind her power eclipsed whatever warlord had ruled over these mortals in ancient times. That thought was distant in the back of her mind, her own thoughts locked with laser focus on her task. It was as much a challenge to herself as it was a promise to the creature before her. Amatricina's eyes shimmered with fiery light, as her dark magic wrapped its way around Kamui's soul. Like a kraken snaring its prey, inky tendrils of rare darkness wrapped tenderly around the ethereal force that was Kamui's spirit. His mind would be physically assaulted by manifestations of every negative emotion or thought that had ever plagued his being. His own inner demons ravaging his mind as Amatricina prepared to ravage his body in moments to come. Like the chains of a mighty anchor, the tendrils of dark magic lashed Kamui's soul to his body, pulling taught so tight the fire demon briefly feared she had killed him. His life was temporarily smothered by raw malicious magic before flaring forth anew. If souls had a color, Kamui's would be red. Red with wrath, fury, and anger. Amatricina smiled as she felt it, fangs bared against her lips as elation crept across her face.

"So he has chosen... Wrath will be his sin..." Fire Demons held true to the belief that every being, divine, demonic, or mortal, was susceptible to the seven deadly sins. All souls, great or small, came to embody the sin that resonated most strongly within them. In Amatricina, this had long been pride, but Kamui was a being with which pride had been greatly damaged, and bitter resentment had taken its place. In time that may changed, but at this moment, in this broken state, Wrath would shape his form. Amatricina sent out a pulse of Dark Magic rippling into the cripple, inundating his body with her mystic energies. Amatricina locked her eyes on the crippled being, this would be the last time she saw him in this state. His body would be made whole, in the imagine of the greatest darkness within him. It would be a magnificent display.

Amatricina clenched her hands into fists, they crackled with demonic ki and coursed with power. The fire demon free forth as much of her fel crimson ki as she could manage, her body radiating such intense heat it boiled off the atmosphere within the barrier. The Husk of Might began to smolder in proximity to her, and as far away as the opposite end of the planet any being with even the faintest ability to sense ki or magic would seem the malicious sense of dread permeating the very air in chaotic waves of energy. Amatricina extended both hands, in an instant unclenching them and sending two beams of demonic ki at her patient. This was no attack, it was a magical mending technique her kind used to repair their injured forms. But Kamui was no demon, this ki was not his and the Dark Energy that augmented it was antithesis to this realm. Whatever pain her currently felt, would suddenly become much much worse.

Agony, pure and total agony is all that would fill Kamui's thoughts. How he would deal with it Amatricina did not know, so long as he found the will to endure a physical, mental, and spiritual torture no being in existence had likely felt before. Demonic energy would wrack his frail body, pouring through every cell and gorging it with infernal power. Kamui's body would be forced to regeneration, cells being split and replicated by the very ruinous energy that surging inside of them. Every single nerve, every synapse, every last cell that could would scream out in unbridled pain as it was forcibly torn apart and remade a trillion times over by the darkness flooding through the being. Amatricina did not watch, her eyes looked but did not see, they only read the rippling waves of demonic ki and the onyx flow of dark magic. Two forces being wielded in perfect synchronization, augmented beyond their natural limits by a steady stream of Dark Energy. The process would last only a minute, but to Kamui it would feel as if he died and was reborn a thousand times over in his depthless state of pain. Every ounce of the Demonic Sap of Might would be consumed by his regenerating body, greedily drinking in any balm that might sooth the wretched pain that defined its new existence. Skin and bone, blood and muscle, every tissue, every organ, all would be reforged in fire and shadow. In each of them feeling would return only to experience the true horror of a force outside its existence assailing it again and again.

Then in one final, terrible moment it was done. The last of Amatricina's needed exertions flooded into Kamui. She halted the floodgates on her flow of ki, cutting off the concentration needed to maintain her dark magic. There was a violent feedback from Kamui as his body dispelled the foreign energy, replacing it with his now forever changed energies. For this purpose Amatricina had erected her barrier, to shield Kabocha as best she could from the effects of her own malevolence. The barrier contained the writhing cocktail of energies as the Demoness focused herself anew. This time though, she drew in the radiant malicious energy into herself absorbing it back with her Demonic Siphon like a surgeon wiping blood from the operating table. After a few moments it was over, and Amatricina had cleansed the area within her barrier of most of her own energy. She let the protective field expire, and the raging electrical storm overhead began to dissipate into the ether as Amatricina relaxed her sheer concentration. The seal upon Kamui's forehead faded, and all runes within the chamber burned out like hot embers turning to coal.

The fire demon collapsed to her knees, exhausted and panting heavily. She had expected the effort to take an enormous toll on her energy, but had not expected such a toll. Her eyes looked up from her trembling hands to the shallow basin before her. Now all that remained to be seen was if her subject had survived the procedure. Amatricina briefly felt outwards, her mind touching the soul she had so recently chained. It had broken free of its bonds, defiant but not rejecting its new, now very foreign physical body. Amatricina had used her own energies, her own demonic ki, to remake this creature before her. All in one grand display of vanity and pride in her own ability. Now what remained to be seen was if she had succeeded. "Arise Kamui Solaris." Amatricina said softly. "Arise and awaken, my child..."

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Total Word Count: 9,892
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Amatricina looked down upon her creation with a soft smile as it stirred to life. Kamui had lived, and his flesh remade anew. Amatricina did not know if this was his true, original form, or if it had been marred and corrupted by her demonic influence. But at the moment, she did not care. The demon's own body ached with the steady throbbing, her muscles screaming out from sheer exertion as her forehead throbbed with a pulsating migraine from the mental strain the fire demon's mind for those brief yet long minutes was far more taxing than she had anticipating. Amatricina had never used her powers to that extent, magic and ki in tandem at her full prolonged might... and while not in the Demon Realm where Dark Energy flowed abundant through all things. It had been a fitting test of her limits, one she would quickly exceed.

"Fun..." Amatricina said with a long drawn sigh. "Is not something one considers when rebuilding a mortal body with demonic ki. But this... does put a smile on my face." She chuckled slightly under her breath before rising back to her feet. She watched the changeling reborn inspecting his form, and admired him in turn. The demonness arched her back, raising her arms above her head and giving a long stretch. When she finished she moved besides Kamui, gently running her clawed fingers over his shoulders, feeling the touch of skin beneath her gauntlet. "Sometimes I astound even myself..." She purred, feeling the subtle perfection of his new form. Not a hint of scar tissue, not a bruise or a boil or a blemish. As if fresh from the womb, Kamui's body was without flaw. There was a certain aura of... spite that radiated from it. The darkness within the warrior's soul only amplified and made more pronounced by her ritual. It would likely cascade through his mind, created marked shifts in his personality if the warrior lacked the mental fortitude to keep his spirit in check. Amatricina did not care though, her part of the task was done.

"Immaculate." She purred upon finishing her inspection, pressing a hand to the Fire Demon Clan birthmark that now tattooed itself across Kamui's back. "And this is, is my little signature. A reminder as permanent as your new limbs should be. Do not try to remove it, it is as permanent as any stripe or spot, just more intricate." Amatricina slowly sashayed around to the front of the Changeling, fiery eyes leveling on his newfound demonic seals. A wry smile crossed the demon's face. "And that..." She said, pointing to the tattoo. "Is very important, do not let any being of magical power in equal to mine meddle with it. It is a demonic seal, a necessary stopgap to prevent your soul from rejecting your mortal body. You are a chimera now Kamui, an amalgamation of magic, flesh, and both the mortal and demonic. I do not truly have a word to describe what you are, but it prides me to know it has never been done before to my knowledge." Amatricina paused, tapping a finger to her chin as she thought. An even wider, more malevolent smile crossed her lips.

"I suppose I shall call you a Frost Demon now. The only one truly befitting of that moniker, at least in my eyes. And I meant what I said before, you are born anew of my efforts, my energy willing your current form into existence." The demoness giggled to herself, beaming with pride and a hint of motherly affection. "In many ways you are the closest thing I have to a child. Take some satisfaction in that knowledge, though you are no true demon. At best you are closer to the half-demons that I have encountered in this realm, sired by unions between exiles from my realm and willing or unwitting mortals. Though you still do not possess even a half-breed's demonic soul." Amatricina shrugged, wrapping her arms around her creation, pulling him into an uncharacteristically warm embrace. Smothering his face against the silken robes the covered her enormous bust. Amatricina leaned in close to whisper into her creation's ear. "Yours is a boon no other mortal is privy too my child. Bask in my affections, for you have earned them through your very survival of my ritual. But squander my gifts, bring shame to my name, and I shall tear your soul from your body and rip your skull from your spine. I will drink your blood and taste the marrow of your bones. That is my dark promise to you, Kamui the Frost Demon." With that Amatricina slowly withdrew, softly kissing Kamui's cheek as she did. Her lips hot as a volcano against his flesh. The demoness drew back, placing a hand on a wide feminine hip as she resume admiring her creation in silent appreciation.

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Total Word Count: 10,717
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The Fire Demon joined the Frost Demon in his cackling, their raucous laughter filling the small chamber as their boundless elation got the better of them. She smiled warmly as she listed to Kamui's brief monologue, crediting his future successes to Amatricina's efforts. It stoked the fires of her pride, and the demoness beamed happily at the heaped praise as it washed over her. "Well said my dear Kamui." She replied as he finished, flashing a wry smile to the warrior. "Let the galaxy burn, and let the flames spread word of my grandeur!" She sighed though, and her sunny disposition quickly faded as the demoness grew somber. "One small caveat though, much as it pains me to say. I am no Demon Queen, much as I covet the title. I am merely a Demon Lord, albeit a mighty one. Though my plans towards that goal move further along with each passing day. I should hope you will attend my coronation, when the time comes I finally get the whole of my realm to submit before me and dip their heads low before my banners."

Amatricina watched as Kamui destroyed his prosthetic limbs, casting off the last lingering memories of his no longer shattered form. A proverbial beginning of the next phase of his life. Out with the old and the frail, in with the new and the strong. The demoness could feel his heart quiver with darkness as his eyes watched the limbs detonate before him, the satisfaction of the act no doubt beyond reproach. When Kamuio turned back to address Amatricina, a wide smile spread across her face, like that of a Cheshire cat's. "Of course my darling Kamui. I have been ready for over a millennia, though you know what I mean." She let her aura flare around her, loose robes flowing around her threatening to reveal more tantalizing displays of the flesh beneath them. The demon had not yet shifted back into her signature armor, in truth the reason was she was exhausted, and this attire was more comfortable against now sore and tender skin.

"Kamui." The Demon Lord stated like a mother addressing her child. "I order you to rest your body for the next few days at a minimum. Your flesh is new, your bones are not fully hardened, and your restored organs will need time to acclimate. You will do nothing overly strenuous until I deem you fit to, I will not have you permanently damaging the new body I have crafted for you with reckless haste. That is how you lost it in the first place. I can only hope the ordeal has taught you a modicum of patience. Until then, limit yourself to mediation and low impact gravity training. No full combat sparring or physical exertion that remotely tests your limits. I understand how intoxicating your new, demonic may be. And how wondrous even the mere vestiges of demonic power must feel to you... but, Mother knows best." Amatricina winked, blowing her companion a literal fiery kiss.

As she finished her instructions, the demon's stomach rumbled loud enough for the two to hear. She grimaced, placed a hand to her midsection. "The ritual... it was agonizing for you, but it was exhausting for me." She said, suddenly keenly aware of the soreness in her muscles and the headache that plagued her. "Even in my battle with Carambolis I did not expend so much energy. I am famished, tired, and sore. Let us return to the Omnipotence, I'm sure you'll enjoy the feeling of eating unassisted again. If you absolutely must do something to occupy yourself afterwards, I will meditate and rest in your company as I monitor your condition." Amatricina began to walk out of the chamber back onto the large branch outside. She looked around, vestiges of demonic energy still hung in the air like a fine mist. It gave the stars above an ominous red tone. She smiled, shaking her head slowly. "Carambolis will likely be irritated at any lingering corruption I have done to this Husk of Might. I will pay it no mind. This place of death has breathed life into more than just this world anew." The demon clutched her hand, feeling the power behind her fist. Her own strength was beginning to surprise even herself. "Our Emperor thinks himself the strongest in our 'faction.' That gap shrinks by the day, where he remains complacent. Come Kamui, let the Crusher Corps bask in your newly minted might." With that Amatricina took off, flying up towards the massive space ship overhead. Though she moved notably slower than they had arrived, the flying equivalent of a limb. For every ounce of strength Kamui presently felt, Amatricina had been drained in equal measure. Though she did her best not to let it show, her exhaustion was far greater than she let on.

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Word Count: 822
Total Word Count: 11,539
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