When Cyrek came back, he proved himself useful for maybe the first time ever. He not only brought a ton of tacos, but some liquor and burgers. He also got glamour entire piles of fashion magazines, and world-class makeup.

He seemed to understand the idea, and whispered to me.

“This better make us legends, If we don't get instantly upgraded to rank A, I'm complaining to the department.” he was taking things in stride more, like me. “But i'm gonna need like 10,000 Credits, this was all expensive.”

“I'll split it with you later, don't be cheap.”

“I'm not being cheap, that's like many people’s yearly sal-”

I held up a hand. “Don't be cheap, brother. The ladies don't like this.”

“Like you know about women,” I heard him mumble behind me. I merely turned around, and presented my sword fingers. The rest didn't need to be said.

“Come, brother Star, and his pet human, drink, drink.” Party was jovial and friendly, a hard guy, or bird, to dislike. “But don't touch my tacos, ill kill you.”

We both laughed, but it apparently wasn't a joke. He stared at us very seriously, expecting a serious response.

“No, man, I already ate…”

“Yeah, me too…”

Glamour was doing makeup, she looked somewhere between a model and a harlot. In avian form. She wasn't too bad, not like I knew what meant good in these terms.

I clapped my hands together, eager to progress

“So, any other birds of your type around here?” I got straight to the point.

“Don't bring up those bastards while i'm eating,” scoffed Party, “They were very un-chill, always wanting to wage war against the other beasts, eh.”

“Mm.” agreed Glamour, “A bunch of savages, they are even more savage than your pet human. They would try to assualt me sexually.”

“Yeah, but that’s how birds mate.” Cyrek butted in on the conversation, a little drunk.

“That's exactly what I've been saying, dude.” Party fist-bumped him.

Ravens were actually very romantic animals, mating for life, often soaring together wingtip to wingtip. These, however, were mutated by lightning, and have an inbred viciousness as a result.

Glamour was surprisingly quiet, ignoring them as she looked at me. “You look almost human, how?”

“I was originally human, turned into a beast.”

“If you can change into a beast…” she began, glittering eyelashes flashing, “Could I change into a human…” she asked with hesitation.

Awww, the creature wanted to be human. It made sense, given her love for fashion, there were not many designer clothes for birds.

“Of course you can. You could become anything.” I spoke enticingly. “It just requires the blood of a certain beast, and you will transform.”

“Which one?! Where?”

“I don’t know.” I spoke plainly.

“What are you on about? You can just give her your blood, over the course of a year or so, and she will evolve according to her will. Your main blood base is of the Star ape and the Blood Horde.” I couldn't believe what I heard.

“Big star, you, you were actually useful, for the first time ever.” I spoke in the tone of a proud parent.

“And hopefully the last time. Disgusting.” Big Star was a tsundere.

“Actually,” I spoke to Glamour. “There is another option, you can slowly take my blood, and you will experience an evolution eventually.”

“Really?! What do you want? Please help me, prince!” If a bird could get on its knees, she would’ve. I was suddenly elevated to the level of prince.

“Good for you, sis.” he hiccuped and patted her back. Cyrek raised his glass in a drunken toast.

“I just need you to lead me to that tribe of ravens.” I proposed.

“Sure, for what?” Glamour inquired.

“To kill them.”

Party and glamour looked at eachother, then back at me.

“Only if we can help.”

These two clearly held some petty grudges.

There were three eggs laid by that one special bird. Only one remained. A lonely, cold, and solitary creature from birth. He became the chief of the tribe of three-eyed lightning ravens. They dominated all other animals in the region, but because of the weakness of their blood compared to his, he would never evolve.

He could only grow stronger by slaughtering his kin in secret. One day, his siblings arrived, he was overjoyed.

After all, the blood of beasts closest to you was the most precious, and these were his siblings, and stood above the rest of his flock. It was to his great despair that they were quickly chased out of the tribe, speaking in human tongue, acting as humans would.

His chance at evolution now truly lost, he did not hesitate to chase after them. For some reason, they were far faster than him. They were gone before he could even give chase.

That was unacceptable.

The bird did not hesitate, as he slaughtered his tribe.

The birds were fast, damn fast, I could not keep up at all. They constantly mocked me for my speed.

It's not my fault I'm made of metal instead of electricity, is it?

Soon enough they lead us to the tribe location. It was destroyed, the corpses of Ravens littering the ground, not a single core to be found. It seemed some beast had torn through here.

“What the hell happened here?” I asked, looking around.

They shrugged, fairly unconcerned. “Well, that was our part of the deal.” spoke Glamour, “Now give me your blood.”

“No, no, no.” I waved my hands. “We need to find whatever beast did this.”

“No. Need.”

The voice sounded like broken lightning, scratchy and raw.

“Brother. Sister”

A large, lightning coated bird with four wings descended upon us like a bolt. It was a few times larger than the other ravens. Its third eye bulged out, nearly exploding. The creature was a grotesque thing, and it had legs growing out of its legs.

A monstrous mutation. It spoke in single words, somehow. It seemed to gain a hint of sentience.

“Holy shit, duuude.”

“Ugh, who are you referring to as ‘sister’ you ugly thing?”

These two would likely not be fazed by anything. I sensed a massive power coming from the beast. It eye’d the two ravens, clearly intent on consuming them.

“Join. The. Family.” it croaked grotesquely. The speed of lightning surpassing what the human eye is capable of, the birds were fast enough to dodge.

Party was silent as he shot out lightning from his eye. Glamour gave a little snort. As the blasts landed on the four winged raven. It was not affected in the slightest.

“So. Close.”

“It is on the verge of evolving, if that happens, it's over. End it now or run.” The Lord of Stars chimed in suddenly.

The Bird almost appeared to be melting from an unstable power. Unable to handle the immensity of its newfound strength. It continued to target the birds, allowing me for a sneak attack.

With wings, I took to the sky, both the fingers on my hands becoming swords. I spun in the air, before sending myself down with the greatest weight and speed possible.

I called this move, “Sky Drill”. I had watched some animated entertainment in my lodgings . They inspired me.

I hoped to pierce straight through, but the bird had incredible reflexes, turning its head and shooting out a blast from its third eye. I used my wings to curve around the blow, but it was able to narrowly dodge the strike as well. It sent its wing toward me like a guillotine, and I was sent deep into the earth.

It charged headfirst downwards at me, straight at my core. Now realizing I was a beast, it was attacking ferociously. My armor cracked upon, as I felt the greatest force I had ever felt to this date. The greatest pain, and immediate sensation of death. A barely visible Core of blood was revealed, I could only narrowly deflect its fatal beak strike with my tail.

Screeech!

Metal on lightning, I was barely able to hold off its beak. Unfortunately, it was pressing down still, its strength simply too immense.

For the first time, I needed to do something I never hoped I would.

“Help! Help me! I'm going to die!” I shouted to the sky. I saw lightning blasts rain upon the beast, but it did nothing.

The beak was inches away now. I had my arms and tail pressing against the beak with all my strength, fending it off in a stalemate for a time.

“If you die, I'll just scatter into the cosmos again. I'll try and find you in the next life.” The Lord of Stars was not too concerned with the prospect of my death. He was an immortal parasite hoping to find a capable host. A few million years was a painful loss to him, but it was not the end.

For me, it was.

Just as the beak inched even closer, I heard my savior's voice. Cyrek

“Don’t worry, I'll savesh you!” he was even more drunk than before, and shot another goddamn icicle.

Luckily it was all I needed to escape from its beak, as it looked back and shot another blast. Party had gotten the drunken mage out of the way in time. Me myself barely rolling away, and hoping back up onto stable ground.

My core was still exposed, the armor on my chest was slowly healing. The bird, melting from the enormity of its power, now had half its face exposed as a skeleton. Its core was soon to be revealed as well. I needed to bide my time.

But it knew its own situation, and would not be willing to let itself melt, with a beast's core so close within grasp. There was little to no hope doding its ranged attacks. The birds were useless, and so was Cryrek. If I die here, I hope it haunts him to the end.

The Lord of stars was the most useless, even going so far to claim my death was not that big of a deal.

It was up to me. I took a deep breath as I hunched my body down, bending my knees. This was my martial arts stance, that of a boxer, that of a muay thai fighter. My tail and arms covered my face and chest, with my tail curling overhead as another arm.

“Alright, birdie, let's do this. Mano o Birdo.” I started remembering my training with sergio.

“Beast. Pretending. Human.” it spoke as it shot toward me, fast as light.

It pecked forward, I took a small step back, doding the blow. Then I shot out a couple of powerful, quick right jabs. The bird stumbled back a few steps as I stepped forward, closing the distance. A weight front kick to its core sent off more of its melting flesh.

It took to the sky, and I continued to follow it with my wings.

I could not let it use its range. In the air I kept my arms in a defensive stance, as my tail began pounding at its center. One strike, its flesh scattered a little. Another strike at the same spot, the flesh scattered completely, revealing a cage of bones.

The bird quickly pecked down upon my skull. In the air, I used simplistic dodging, and shifted to the side. As its neck was down, I saw my chance.

I lifted my leg, and wrapped it around the bird's neck, the other leg following suit. My tail wrapped around its body, my arms holding its beak closed.

A grapple. Sergio would be proud. Like this, the bird could not flap its wings, and we fell into the earth.

Bam!

Its defense far less than mine, its flesh was now nearly half gone from its body. It struggled immensely to free itself from my grasp, but I would not let it go. My wings became hammers that pounded on its rib cage.

Boom! Boom!

This continued for what felt like minutes. A brutal struggle as the bird's almost human screeching was piercing to the ear. Eventually, its core revealed itself to me.

It was melting, a gooey, warm mass of pure energy and lightning.

I scooped my hands straight into the core, it felt like a warm, static goo. I began eating it like candy. It tasted fantastic, like a sweet, electric, tart nectar. The creature’s last howls were indescribable, as I ate the beast alive. Finally, it stopped struggling.

I licked the remaining goo on the inside of its corpse. Appearing as a true beast, Cyrek, even in his drunken state, would never forget this sight. He fainted then and there.

The process began immediately, as it always has. I felt my blood start tingling, and a stream of blood red lightning began flowing through my veins. A third eye painfully sprouted on my forehead. Red electricity and static covered my eye, and danced around my metallic form. I gained another pair of wings, overlapping the previous ones. I felt the energy, and a newfound speed coursed through my veins. I took off, many, many times faster than before. My form now turning into a blurred streak of red lightning and metal. My third eye shot out blasts of red lightning. Upon my sword fingers, Red lightning danced at the edges, now forming a thermal layer, increasing its cutting and piercing ability significantly.

An excellent upgrade, overall. Many times more valuable than the hundreds of iron beasts I consumed prior. I had missed this rapid growth on this planet, where beasts were on the verge of extinction, only kept alive through laws and regulations.

My luck was also quite good, I had found three birds of amazing quality. Glamour was the only one to celebrate, probably because I promised to give her blood. The other two were dead drunk, passed out.

I sighed, contentedly. But those words stung, and it hit upon an insecurity of mine.

A Beast, Pretending.