"Samhara?!" I cried in sudden recognition.

Almost faster than I could track, her blade was against my throat. "Yer aff yer heid. Who's the fertie clipe wit the bum out the windae?"

I glanced down at her blade and took a breath. I could probably take her, but I neither wanted the risk that I couldn't nor did I think it was a risk that needed to be taken. I returned my gaze to her good eye. The other one, though healed, still freaked me out. It was pretty gnarly, half caved in and hairless. So calmly, I answered her. "I have no idea what you just said."

John started to laugh and quickly covered it as a cough when Sam glared at him. "I'm Frostina, Zet's wife and I'm he-"

"Aye, ye think I'm a doolally do ye? She got her wife outrae the game. Even a howlin' gowk knows ye nae can return. So I ask again, what cry ye?"

Rage seethed from her, her lips twitched. I swallowed and pressed on. "I am Frostina, I was out of the game until this morning. I sat with her and watched on television when the Game Master was fought. I thought you both died, so did she…" 

Her eyes flicked back and forth as she searched my face for something. Suddenly, her lips drew back into a snarl, "Ye lying cunt! Hell mend ye!"

She slashed the blade across my throat with a cry. I fell back in my chair and tumbled across the ground as my heart pounded in my chest and I panicked, waiting for the pain to bloom. But it didn't and as I lay on the dirty, blood soaked floor, I grabbed my throat and found it whole and unharmed. 

I rolled to my feet and readied an attack spell, it would only knock her out and maybe she'd be less bitchy then. Light flared around my fists and arced up to my shoulders, the air hummed with the power waiting to be unleashed. It was different than before, before there was power but this time, that power also filled me with a sense of peace. Samhara screamed in rage and uttered some kind of silliness I didn't quite catch. She charged at me and I raised my hands, having only to release the energy to end the fight. 

"Enough!" Miat shimmered before me and suddenly John was there, steel met steel as he parried Sam's blade and she was tossed aside, her smaller figure working against her in this case. "Enough Sam."

He gave me a weary glance and I let the power dissipate from my fists, though I remained on guard. Sam rolled to her feet, a snarl contorting her muzzle and rage was on her eyes. "Get tae fuck, John! Or I'll give ye a taste as well…"

John threw his blades down, "No Sammie, what are you doing?"

"She's lyin' aboot who she is! If we're survivin' then how can we trust this one?"

John slowly approached Samhara with his hands exposed, his posture open. Nothing I said would fix this, I was certain of that. And so I waited and prepared should it go bad. "She healed you Sam. If she wanted us dead, then we'd be dead. Sh-"

"Aye, get tae fuck. She says she's Zetsumei's wife...Zetsu….she was captured. Who stays in a city when their loved one is haert? She needs us John! Not some….lass who just showed up like a bloody Mary sue." I realized tears were falling down her face, "aye, tae hell wit it. I'm going to get my friend back."

John finally reached Samhara and slowly pulled her into an embrace. "We'll save her Sam. I promise, but let's hear what this woman has to say. We need help, don't even know what bloody hell we're walking into."

I just stood there letting the scene play out, I don't know if Sam had feelings for Zet or just got really attached to friends. Definitely hoping it's the latter because the last trope I need to deal with is some harem bullshit. Sam's ear twitched and she suddenly skittered between John's legs and flung herself at me. Before I could even raise a hand she was on me, her little claws digging into my clothes as her face hovered just barely away from touching mine. I'd been taken by surprise and found myself knocked to the ground. 

"If yer really her wife, tell me somethin' only someone she trusts would know." Her eyes were lit with rage but her face was otherwise neutral. My mind went to Zet's family, she stays quiet about the kids until she feels a measure of trust (too many weirdos). Then it went to her being trans, but if she hadn't disclosed that then it wasn't for me to do… 

"She set you up." I blurted out.

Her ears went flat against her head, "What…?"

"Both of you. You remember that mission, in the woods to grab that kid and find out where Impervious was at? Yeah, so she thought you too might be a good matchup. I found it kinda silly but guess she was right."

Samhara stared blankly at me, her ears twitching rapidly. After a few seconds of sputtering she managed to get a couple words out, "Yer off her heid! Ah umnae….its uh….just friends is all. He's not a right scunner I guess…."

John walked up next to her, obviously suppressing a smile. "You aren't half bad yourself mate."

She leapt onto his chest and dug her claws into the shirt, her ears back and a snarl on her face. "Not half bad?! Oy, ye bloody limey. I'll skelp ye fer that!"

John scoffed, "Aye, then I'll have to call the bobbies to find my naughty bits, eh? I think I'll stick to beating the ol' bishop till we get out of here mate."

Sam rolled her eyes but shot me a grin, "alright then. I'll believe ye lassie, long as we're after my friend, I can work with ye and let her give the right of it." She ran a hand over her face as her grin fell away, but quickly masked it with another lopsided grin. For a moment I was reminded of the grin Pyria gave me during the short time I knew her, I wonder if foxes just attract a certain person? "Thanks….for the healin'. Now. Having been in the shadow of death and all. I'm ready for a few pints and maybe a right sha-"

"The fuck is wrong with you?!" Eire stood in the doorway and looked piiiiiisssed…"I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are with….with…."

She stopped to look at all the bodies, some bloated and deformed from Samhara's less than gentle touch. Eire sighed. "Who are these two and why aren't you in your chair?"

I began to fill Eire in on having to run and hiding here, John's polite intervention and  Samhara's….well….being herself.

*Zetsumei *

I groaned as light filled my vision, my head hurt and my….actually everything. But I couldn't remember why I hurt.

"Hey you. You're finally awake." A smug voice spoke to me, I jerked my head around looking for the voice. My vision was still blurred but my nerves went to high alert. "Over here Steven…"

I whipped my head to the voice and my vision started to focus a bit. A tall man in armor stood a few feet away, "It's Stephan…"

I frowned at the too masculine voice that came out, "No...I mean Zetsumei...damned headache…"

The Game Master chuckled, "still out of it huh? Well. I brought you a present."

I looked at where he gestured and found a full length mirror and looking back at me was my real life self, sans a few limbs which was by far the more disturbing part of seeing myself. I could already see where he was going. 

"So, Stephan. Looking good huh? Got all the fraud off of you. Get to see who you really are. Probably pretty difficult to face, isn't it? Not some great heroine. Just some barely in shape, 30 something bald guy with boobs." He frowned, while I rolled my eyes. He really didn't get me.  "Breasts? On a man? That seems wrong. Let's fix that eh?"

I watched as he pulled an orb out of thin air and as it glowed, I looked in the mirror. The reflection shifted. No longer did I see a face that I could see passing femme with a little effort, the breasts disappeared and suddenly I saw me from a decade ago. Just older. My heart sank and I closed my eyes, fighting back the anxiety. I'd worked so hard to overcome my assigned gender and the fallout from it. I felt tears sting my eyes as I felt the wrongness of my body deepen.

"Oof. Pretty rough, isn't it man? And to think, you'll die like this. With everyone watching. Forgotten. Lost. Seen as you should be, a man, by everyone."

The panic rose, he'd taken my body from me. He would take my life and further a false narrative of falsehood. No! No. I'm still me, I'm still me in the real world. He can't take that away and he can't steal who I am on the inside. I struggled my whole life to overcome those doubts. To find myself. I began to laugh and his smile fell.

"You're an idiot of the highest degree you fucking loser. I should thank you. Really, I mean that. I spent my life wishing things were different, that I'd just magically be better. That I'd suddenly get over it and be a cis guy, wake up a cis woman. Didn't matter, I just wanted an easier time. I couldn't face the fear of coming out and finding myself socially."

"What's that have to do with anything?"

I chuckled, "I know you've been broadcasting everything. Now everyone knows, so I have to face it. My greatest hurdle and you kicked me over it. I'm still going to kill you, for all the shit you've done, all the lives you stole and ruined. But you did break that barrier, so I should thank you. But I won't  because it was my choice that you stole, you, and I quote my friend here, 'fucking bawfaced cunt'."

His frown deepened, "you should be horrified at this…"

"Read that online eh? Yeah. Maybe some would despair, but we all have different experiences. We all have strength we won't know till we need it." I shook my head. "I don't hate him. Past me. He kept me safe until I was ready to be me. He was strong enough,  my shield while I found myself. So if I'm going out looking like him once again...aye, it seems fitting enough…."

He snorted with, I assume, derision, "Such bravado. Well then, I guess I'll have to be a little more direct. I want you to know, I will enjoy every. Single. Moment of this."

I grit my teeth as a fire burned across my stomach and he pulled a bloodied blade away. I screamed as he stuck his hand into the wound. My world collapsing into one of pain…