AshenPhoenix

I am sorry for delaying this chapter so much. I had to write it 5 times. Each time with different content to get it to a point where I was happy with it. I had already hinted in the description I would update irregularily but I hope there will be shorter pauses than between chapter 2 and 3.

The next morning when they ate in the mess, Liz asked, “So any idea how long it will take to travel to the human home world?”

“No idea, but I would guess 2 years at most. But it will depend on how good our route through the warp is. While the distance between the galaxies is quite short, galaxies have quite a lot of space between them.” Gindor answered. “Before you leave, you will need to sign the contract that you are part of our crew. I wouldn't exactly mind if you only did it vocally but we just do it for formality.”

He handed her a tablet. It basically stated that she was now part of their mercenary band and wouldn't do anything to harm the band. She would also follow the baseline rules that Gindor had already told her before. She had to sign with a probe of DNA or a drop of blood.

“With that out of our way you are free to do what you want.” Gindor said before he left. After that the rest also slowly left.

Alice went to her engineering quarters to start working on her newest task, the suits. While Liz wanted to watch, she was sent away after half an hour because it was too distracting being stared at with such intensity.

Not knowing what else to do, she went training. Seeing Gorshak she asked him if he wanted to train with her. He agreed instantly. When Alaron saw them training, he asked if Liz could summon her sword again so he could have a look at it. So she pulled it out. But after pulling it out the sword seemed different but she wasn't able to catch what was different before it moved towards her and expanded. It became more and more transparent before it caught her frame and disappeared.

With its disappearance, pain shot through her body. It started in the middle of her body and expanded quickly outwards. When it hit her brain, she blacked out.

When she woke up she found herself in an open hall. The left side was sickly green while the right side was red. Liz marveled the beautiful interior. It looked like a Gothic cathedral. Pointed arches. Colored windows but with no motifs. High pillars. The green side gave off a slightly creepy vibe and the red one a bit of heat.

A few runes floated in front of her. While she didn't know them she understood them. “Decide and survive or die.” But before she could even think what it obviously meant she fell down. Liz wasn't able to move a single muscle. Then the change started.

At first two runes started to fly out of her body. One green, one red which flew to their respective sides.

The red symbol that flew out was Arch-Demon of the highest order. It floated in front of her left side. It was red and crude and also gave off a sign of somewhat intelligent brutality. Then other symbols flew out of her translucent body. Female and wrath, while the symbol for wrath could also mean mindless rage. The two fused with the rune already in front of her. At first only wrath. Liz knew it referred now to the species of the daemon. It also resembled the daemon greatly. Then the rune for female also came into play. The rune distorted and flashed the forms of kitsune and succubus. But in the end it settled on a form similar to the one for daemon. But it gave off an unnatural feeling like it shouldn't exist.

Then another three symbols floated out of her body. Three great contracts, similar but not the same.

Just as the three symbols were combining with the symbol in front of her a script in the runes appeared before her, “A contract of permanence made with intent. A contract of continuity signed with blood. A contract of fate fulfilled. An arch-demon of wrath but not natural.

Constituting the birth of a new devil. A kind never before seen.” Liz understood that her marriage was the contract of permanence. It would last until either partner was dead. The contract of continuity was her mercenary contract which she signed with blood. The contract of fate was her time in the legion of the damned.

Like following the words the runes rushed towards the symbol in front of her. The one meaning contract of fate combined first and countered the wrath part. Instead it now meant natural fighter or instinctual leaner. One other flew into the 'skin' of the daemon. Making it stronger and more durable. The last one flew into the head. It combined with another rune. Space. While the rune for it was small it was there. The rune the combined with space and let it grow.

The symbol in front of her had changed greatly. It exuded some majesty and raw power. It now also meant devil similar to others but a completely new form never seen before in the universe. I felt unnatural, a violation of nature.

Then a new rune flew out of the red side. It was lust in its origin but not in a normal form. It could also mean form to please your chosen partner. Instead of infidelity and orgies it promoted fetishes. Together with the rune that came from lust, devil changed again. It became more of a fallen angel than a beast. The rune started to look like an outline of Liz. But its figure became more plentiful with bigger breasts, wider hips and lost a lot of its edge. It lost her toned muscles and became softer. But it didn't become weaker. Liz instinctively knew that it was strong. Very strong. The form also grew some wings.

Almost at the same time a green rune had flown out of her. No, not out of her. Instead it came from a sword the looked similar to the one of the daemon. But now it had become a long and slim sword with green runes along its blade. It seemed like those parts had been covered by demon corruption before.

The rune was fate weaver. It had the form of a tall woman with 2 extra pairs of arms. But over it was etched essence and undead. Those two runes then disappeared into the bigger rune. Even though it didn't get boosted by other runes it was about as strong as the one of devil.

As soon as both runes formed they started to fight. When one side hit part of the other it would overwrite some cells in her body while the other side lost some. With only one weapon the fight of the fate weaver was a bit awkward but it was able to block some attack with the exoskeleton like armor on her forearms and hands.

The devil on the other hand defended with her wings a struck at her opponent with fangs, talons and claws. The two forms were in a ferocious and dirty fight with no rules. While Liz couldn't move and was in pain every time her cells changed she watched.

After both sides saw that they couldn't win in a short time they started to use their ability. Devil had the rune for space glowing inside her head. With it she seemed to be able to perceive and also manipulate the space around her to some degree. She was able to take energy from the attacks of her opponent inside the bubble around her making them loose power.

Fate weaver had another rune, time. Liz felt that it was able to see the attacks of her opponent coming. She was able to dodge all the attacks her opponent threw at her.

Using its trait natural fighter the devil was learning and countering every move of the fate weaver. Without it she would have already lost since her enemy was relying on a singular style using her limbs as an advantage. With it she was able to block all the attacks the 6 limbed silhouette threw at her with ever increasing speed.

Instead of stopping the effect on her cells the standoff of both parties meant that it crept on. Soon her body was half devil half fate weaver. When it reached her heart a white light came out of her chest.

In her last moments her adaptability as a mimic showed itself in front of her literally. It was an undefined rune with no form but power. It hadn't been able to stave off the corruption but now it was able to interfere. It couldn't sacrifice itself as long as the mimic it resided in had a chance to live. But now it had to interfere. Its host was about to die. Under the danger of leaving its host forever it charged at both of the adversaries that were in a now frenzied fight.

Instead of overpowering any of the two sides it went for fusing them. Under great resistance it pressed both together. Under the pressure both combined.

At first the green fate weaver completed itself to become a god-level existence. Then it fused with devil and became brown and Great One. Space and time combined into something called domain of energy control. But she instinctively understood that it was restricted to energy that was not directly part of a being with a soul. When that then fully combined with the bigger form it became purple. The form also changed its exterior. It had only one pair of arms and legs. The extra arms became two pairs of smaller wings over and under the main wings she got from devil. She still had the exoskeleton on her forearms but now with tipped fingertips. She kept the more sensual form and stayed small. The figure flew into her again and with it came information but before she could understand any of it she blacked out again.

The as sudden as she had appeared in the hall she came back to her real self. She found herself in the exact situation she was before. She was only broken out of her stupor when Gorshak asked, “Liz is that normal? I would say no from what I have seen...”

“What?”

“Your eyes lost focus for a second and then suddenly the sword has purple runes on it. You have also grown some wings. You have some weird gauntlets. Your skin is also very white now. Your eyes also are the same purple now. Your body has also become fuller.”

“Wait a second. No this is not normal. I think we should delay this training. I have gotten some racial memory and I don't know the effect those changes have on me.”

“Makes sense. I think you should go to Vasili and get yourself checked. I am not one of the brainiacs but I feel that you are a lot more dangerous now. If you need something just ask.” Gorshak offered. “Even if it is just drinking something together.”

Liz moved quite carefully through the corridors. As her wings were quite wide or long even when she didn't spread them out. On her way she asked Lance to inform Alice about the changes. She went back to hers and Alice's room. The subtle scent of her partner calmed her down.

In less than a week everything she knew had changed. She had become a level 0 entity. She had completed her service in the legion. She had married her sweetheart who she had only learned to cherish after she had already left the legion. Before she had never known love before so how could she have known. But she had also left known space and a home that she wasn't even sure she wanted to return to.

No that place was not her home! The parents she had weren't really parents! The politicians can do whatever they want with the Empire. The only person she cared about was now here with her. 'My home is not where I was born but it is here with the person I love.'

The rest of the crew was also quite nice and couldn't be bad if Alice worked that long together with them. They were also very close knit. While they received her with open arms it was mostly thanks to Alice. She could respect Vasili because of his professionalism at work, he was also quite nice despite his quirk to get excited over biology.

Urghat and Ylaya were the ones she would call firends as they got along swimmingly. Gindor was also nice from the times they talked on the corridors. He had that fatherly aura that she didn't experience since her coming of age.

Albert was mostly silent but she could do with silence. For the rest she would have to wait and see. But what could she expect when they knew each other for less than a week.

Going through her new memories she found out that she had been in the 'hall of trials and opportunities'.It was made for the descendants of some races. When the candidate either reached an achievement or came of age they would be sucked in. They would be able to choose a path or would be evaluated and gain a blessing like she did.

After this neutral information she learned that she had become an undead demon now. She had lost most of her bodily functions. While she could still eat and drink it would be transformed into energy. She didn't need to breathe anymore. Liz lost her ability to produce sweat but the worst part was that she was unable to reproduce anymore.

Her strneght could be best explained together with her new domain. She simply needed energy to move. Which in turn she could siphon from her surroundings. Should someone attack her she could use that energy to counterattack. She could even return mass into energy. The only downside was that her bubble was only 5m in diameter.

She was also able to have her wings and exoskeleton on her forearms disappear. Just as she was playing with her wings, Alice came into the room.

“I have heard already from Lance but wow. If your body was my wet dream before it is now causing me to almost flood the floor.” Liz was embraced from behind. The Alice murmured into her ear. “You know how sometimes people are influenced by their natural form? Apparently little fairy mind dragons like wings. And yours are very beautiful with their purple color and the white quills. Right no my instincts scream to strip the beautiful female in front of me and mark her as mine. I also want to get you pregnant.”

When she heard that Liz turned towards her partner. “I...i.. have just gotten a message that I can't get pregnant anymore. Here feel my heart?”She moved Alice's hand towards her chest. “No well that is because of my recent changes. Apparently I am now an undead. But if you still want to have sex I could use some to get my mind off of it.”

At first Alice was a bit taken back but she realized how vulnerable her partner was at this moment. "Even if we can't have children you are still my wife. If we ever want some and our lifestyle allows it we can fin a solution. Now get on the bed so we can fulfill our marital duties. Lance say the others that we are preoccupied until next morning.”

At first Alice played with Liz' new wings. The bases of them were especially sensitive. Liz had also become a lot more submissive during sex. She also liked a bit of pain now. That they learned when Alice explored her new body.

“You know your body is now like a goddess. No scars or a blemish on your skin. I am quite jealous of you.” She hit Liz' butt. “And that is quite the nice ass.” Liz blushed and asked quiet, “Can you do that again?” “What?” “Hit my ass?”

But Liz disliked verbal abuse and bondage also wasn't hers. She didn't like being constrained.

After Alice run out of stamina, she asked, “Did you know? I would have never thought that I liked to have kinkier sex. And you completely conform with fetishes I never thought I had.”

“That would be because of the things that transpired in the trial I had I think.” Liz recounted her story while still bathing in the new stimulation and the afterglow.

“No matter how you change you are still my cute Liz.” Alice pulled her wife closer and deeply kissed her. “I believe we should get up clean up and tell the other about you now being an undead and that you have become stronger.”

The next day the others were of course surprised but after some tests with Vasili and Albert and a fight with Gindor and Alice some very conclusive conclusions could be drawn.

1. She was no longer a mimic but something different.

2. She could suck the energy out of barriers of all kinds. Not even a level 0 protector who specializes in barriers, like Gindor, could keep them up.

3. Psionic attacks could also be siphoned almost instantly. Even mind attacks.

4. She could use her sword freely in the radius even without touching it. But they couldn't test its capabilities as Liz only knew it would curse the target but not how strong and what the effect were.

5. She could convert the mass of atoms to power her attacks making her almost unstoppable. They also discussed to give her a 'mass tank' in which she could carry some should she fight in space.

With Liz spending half the day with the men, she was dragged off by the women in the afternoon. While the men decided that she would train with them in the morning the girls decided to do something else.

When Liz was asked what she did in her free time and she pointed only at Alice and said, “She does me.” The others interrupt her. “No hobbies, nothing you do in your time off?” Alice came to the rescue, “In the legion you either train or laze around and die as simple as that and the life before doesn't matter anymore. So she has done nothing that could come close to a hobby in her last 2 decades.” “Come to think of it you also don't have any hobbies, don't you, Alice?"

Under the pitying gazes of the others she was dragged into a room filled with sofas and pillows. “Let us show you the beauty of movies and a girls evening.” Eating and talking they filled their evenings with shows of the humans that they had on their cryo-ship, the orcs and the dwarves. Alice had simply not downloaded any content as she had been always somewhat busy with the ship.

While nobody could say that she mastered it, Liz had learned how to fight properly with her new body, sword and ability. Over the two years Liz fully integrated into the crew.

One day Lance interrupted their daily routine. “Exiting warp. We have reached the milky way. Taking course to the home-world of the humans, Earth. ETA 8 days.”