Closing the ‘Profile’ was as easy as wanting it. Another look towards the thing slogging its way through the blood sent a shiver running up Julia’s spine. Yet, with information being essential to her survival, she forced herself to not look away. Not sure how it would work; Julia simply willed the Analysis skill to activate. Annoyingly, the information that came back an instant later wasn’t really useful.

Demon: Immature Dretch

[Level: 1

Class:

Health:

Mana:

Defence:

Combat Power: ]

“So effectively all it gives is a name and a level.”

What Julia wasn’t prepared for was the information that vomited into her awareness. Dretch were thuggish, vicious creatures, but also among the weakest of Demon kind. Their answer to everything was brute force and vicious carnage. Their intelligence limited them to follow basic instructions, yet they would look out for themselves like all Demons. Being at their mercy was asking for horrors since they had none. They were the Abyssal equivalent of cannon fodder and practice test dummies for demonic summoners. Summoners consider them easy to control and practise with while gaining experience.

“Wonder if I could use them as a crash test dummy and beat them up? Though note to self - do not become a party favour.” Julia whispered, wanting to cross her legs. She wasn’t sure if her imagination could completely cover everything a Demon would wish with a Succubus. Yet their idea of a date night was high on the list to avoid. The insights the knowledge ‘unlock’ had provided were unpleasant.

Looking herself over, Julia groaned at what she found; it precisely matched the label of Succubus. Running her hands up along her torso from her wide hips, she felt along the ridges of stomach muscles, up to the large D-cup breasts now adorning her chest. Before she had been lithe, now her form looked stacked enough to win lots of wet t-shirt contests. Though her skin tone would suit a Victorian lady, so white, she made copy paper look dull.

Her form was a weird mix of lush and danger, long limbs and inviting body ending in talons at both her fingers and toes. Yep, instead of her 5’ 4" B-cup runner build, she had grown. Now she was living inside the sex demoness model that even came with claws that made honed butcher’s knives look dull. Indeed, all of them looked far sharper than a well-tended straight razor. Each nail’s surface reflected the weird luminance while adding to her sight an eerie internal gleam.

Leathery black wings unfolded from behind her, dark red veins visible all along their surface. The bone ridge that supported the wing's leathery material came with its own cutlery set. However they’d come into existence, they seemed inclined towards going big or go home bitches with an upended bag of spikes and hooks.

I thought Succubi had bat-like wings. These are more like ribbed dinosaur mix and match, blended with a full set of hooks and serrated edges.

Turning carefully to reach out towards the cliff face that avoiding the fall had smacked her into earlier, Julia froze, fingers twitching toward the impression in the rock. The black rock was a weird mix of basalt and obsidian, its rough hued surface battered and pockmarked.

The latest pockmark was a shattered alcove set directly behind the ledge where Julia stood. The nook was an empty shadow in the rock, but it seemed to mirror the shape of her previous existence. Something about its presence was staggering with the finality of loss brought about by its barren presence. The alcove’s rear wall appeared as if a rock tunnel had collapsed and then the rock melted. A memorial stone taunting her mortal hopes and dreams, once Julia left it would become just a spot in this nightmare landscape.

Forcing the train wreck of those thoughts off to one side, she completed the motion, the tips of her fingers touching the rock. Flexing them, she slowly increased the pressure against the surface, feeling when the nails caught a grip. She tightened her fingers and saw as flecks of stones came free from the rock.

Her ‘profile’ showed she didn’t have massive strength, more like a strong mortal; yet her claws had shaved gullies into the stone. Either her claws were sharper than any blade Julia had ever owned, or the rock incredibly soft. With the way they looked though, she was betting on sharper until she learnt otherwise.

Gingerly touching the pads of her fingers to her scalp, she traced them through inky black hair. It was far longer than Julia usually wore. Shifting position on the ledge, Julia could feel the ends of it brushing low on her back. When her fingers found small spiked horns on either side above her ears, she pulled back from exploring further.

Things are going to need to change. Time to try out that Shapeshift power, it would seem. Wonder if I’ll lose hours on this like I used to do with MMO character setups. Shapeshift, what can you offer me.

A glance left then right revealed no visible path up the cliff. Though pockmarks covered the cliff face, there wasn’t a discernable pattern. Which made the similarity between the appearance of each pockmark so odd. Each was a bubble-shaped hollow with a small ledge set out in front. It gave the appearance of the rock having melted to let something escape, yet hardened before the stone fell away. Seeing no larger place to shelter close at hand, she tucked her wings in tight. Only then did Julia ease into a crouch, trying to shelter in the nook.

Note to self: don’t talk aloud - who knows what might hear you. Wait, you have that ‘Detect Thoughts’ power, so others likely do too. It will be so easy to give the game away. I must be cautious. Can only focus on now, not then. Sounds like an old joke, yep, let’s be all zen.

Stop the jokes J, focus on now, only do what you can do now.

Visualising a shaved scalp, she tried a few things to activate her Shapeshift power. There was no response as, apparently, this reality was only issuing annoyed school teacher looks currently. Julia forced herself to go back to the most basic, when frustration had risen, simply willing Shapeshift to work with her mental image. A click resounded inside her and the sensations of hair vanished from her scalp and back.

Just add one familiar haircut and much more Monk vibe now.

That was safer than skin going first.

[Shapeshift (1 -> 2)]

Yes, thanks for your confirmation, please come again soon.

A quick brush of hands over scalp encountered fuzz, matching to the image she’d tried. Even the horns encountered earlier were no longer present. She just hoped it matched the ivory white skin tone. She sure didn’t want it to look like one of those weird b-grade skin caps.

I know that the form changes; it doesn’t leave discarded parts behind.

Worried about it looking weird? Really, Julia, you're in the Abyss! Stop! Cause yeah, your head looking weird is your primary concern. Plus, the next step, it will not stay lily white.

Now it’s time for many safety precautions. Thanks go to the makers of childhood icons, and the design team of the Xenomorph scariness. However, chitin isn’t flexible like I need for martial arts, so similar to, but not exactly like, the Alien shell.

Focusing mentally on one body section at a time, she ignored the various level up messages as she worked. Some flesh segments merged, some got removed, and black scaled chitin replaced her skin. Working upwards from one foot and then the other, she changed each section to match what she imagined. Until she, at last, carefully traced the tip of her tongue over her new dental additions.

Standing, she checked her balance and shifted in place, twisting her arms and legs, pretending to be a Bollywood dancer, as she tested her limits. She checked the surface of her limbs to make sure she hadn’t left vulnerable gaps in their new covering.

Then, twisting at the hips, she stretched to test her torso movements and stopped to make a few tweaks in places that restricted her motion range. It was clear her intent as much as the mental image had shaped the outcome. The chitin scale covering had at first gleamed with the same weird internal light her claws possessed. It had formed a slick shell; gleaming like the body of the Alien when it was first fully seen, allowing the audience to take it in.

She had adjusted as the changes progressed. The final chitin was more like a brown snake’s scales than a solid piece protecting her flesh. In colouration, matte-black had replaced the shiny-black chitin from her initial attempts, with flecks and irregularities of lighter tones. The chitin had gained a resemblance to military BDU camouflage fatigues, though she kept the general colouration dark.

She had flattened out her curves into Barbie-like contours, so both they and her v-jay, or rather lack-there-of, now matched that childhood icon. Along with the other adjustments she had made, that reverted her body structure from a blow-up sex toy towards a lithe marathon runner.

Yep, all the standard locations now clearly marked ‘no entry’.

Mentally she tried to scroll back through the notifications she had gotten and smirked to herself when it reacted like a mental smartphone.

Is this how they perceive these messages? Or how my mind is translating things?

Julia had ‘seen’ various notification pop-ups as work had progressed. The final notification seemed to provide evidence of how many adjustments it had taken Julia. However, the notification rate had slowed down as work had progressed towards just finishing up with tweaking contours and ridges. Even the hours spent setting up characters in her favourite MMOs didn’t compare to the care she spent crafting her shape.

[Shapeshift (18 -> 19)]

However, one of the earlier notifications caught her attention and gave her something else to figure out.

[Shapeshift (9 -> 10)

Quick form slot one unlocked, base form auto reversion available]

Twisting and turning, she tried to test her flexibility in the limits of the space allowed by the ledge, while working on improving that flexibility. Clad head to toe, in gothic space horror faux-Alien military chic, she hoped the result was nightmarish enough to make things in this place pause.

[Intimidate (0 -> 1)

Demonic species bonus points added on skill unlock.

Intimidate (1 -> 5)]

I’m such a gamer girl. I’m in the Abyss, and skill ups still make me happy. But why didn’t I get the notification till I considered how I’d look to folks I knew?

Shapeshift Quick Slot set to the current form.

Nada!

It took more experimentation with different variations before the troll in charge of wherever-here-was finally announced success.

[Shapeshift Quick Slot One Set: Queen Bitch]

I'm seriously cursed by someone; that was such useless information. Tell me the way out. Lots of ‘no’ help you are ‘System’.

Could you at least tell me who sent the curse my way!? Then I could mock up their likeness and used it as a voodoo doll for stress relief.

Taking in the vista below her again, she mentally nope’d out on that whole blood-soaked plain. Though she would not kid herself, she didn’t know enough about getting here - besides the completely useless messages.

Most Isekai novels - you know they don’t get home J.. What if I’m really just stuck here?

Then I make somewhere safe for myself, somehow. That’s later. The first step, get off this ledge. The second step, I need to learn more.

Don’t feel like wading through shit and blood, and failing to fly or control Flight would be an awful face plant.

The chitin locked her face more rigid than an aged-out movie starlet too deep into the Botox. She paused for a moment as she considered the primary vulnerable spots: eyes, nose, mouth, throat, solar plexus, and groin.

Closing her eyes, she took a physically unneeded breath to centre herself before shifting them gone. The vista of the surrounding horrors shifted and pulsated for a moment before the visual darkness became complete.

[Shapeshift (19 -> 20)

Initial training phase completed.

Shapeshift power ‘Beginner’ Rank Achieved.

Quick form slot two unlocked, form shift speed increased.

Shapeshift (20) -> Shapeshift (B) (1)]

For just an instant the urge to scream choked her, but Julia fought it back by grinding her teeth. While it might go unnoticed with the sounds below, it was a risk. Julia was certain no one in this place would be truly safe to meet. It would toss up between them trying to kill her or use her or maybe use her while killing her. By comparison, the neighbours from hell would be a joy to live beside, loud music and drunken parties, yeah, no worries. Not worrying about becoming the sex toy of a sadist would make everything better.

Hell O Neighbour, could I borrow a cup of Souls, please?

She’d felt smart figuring a way to conserve skill points, but that seemed to make an almost meaningless difference once she'd learned about ranks.

So, what? Are they only good for learning initial skills? What is the point of getting them at all when I learn so fast?

Stop J. Enough. Higher ranks will probably be harder to level, save them for breaking rank thresholds. Don’t know how much difference the various ranks make. That might be a lifesaver later. Jump multiple levels when getting your arse kicked, surprise mother fucker.

Plus J, you’re still blind here, remember.

Time try getting Mana Sense or Soul Sight abilities to work.

If eyes are the window to the soul, why risk peeping Toms. Julia did not know what visual cues or direction of her gaze might show enemies, but why take the chance? If hiding her eyes hid her Soul, that was a step forward. The chitin would stop facial expressions, but the gaze revealed things that shouldn’t be on display.