133 Python Chimeras (1/2)
Espers lined up in front of Ed, waiting their turns for the chimera transformation. Tai chose to wait to the side, hoping for a stronger python mutant to be captured.
Oh, right.” Ed slapped his forehead before starting. ”Tai, what percentage of mutant flesh do you want me to give them?”
”Percentage?” Tai questioned.
”Right.” He nodded. ”The higher the percent, the greater the abilities. But the trade-off is the effect on your emotional state. From my experience with the crocodile chimeras, 50 percent will typically leave a chimera with a nice balance where they can utilize scales with emotions heightened to a manageable degree. 80 percent results in additional changes, such as claws, tails, and strong healing abilities, but it also causes issues for holding onto your sanity. 90 percent is even more extreme and allows the body to bulk up, grow fangs, and experience extreme levels of rage.”
”That...” Tai hesitated, unsure of which level to select. ”What do you suggest?” He asked.
”Well, cultivating the Mortal Dragon Technique seemed to help me control my emotions better, allowing me a higher level of control. Purple mana actually allowed me to fully control the transformations while removing all side effects. So, if it's an esper with no cultivation, then 50 percent is the ideal maximum. The rest is pretty much your own judgement call.”
”Alright.” Tai nodded while eyeing his espers. He pointed several Asians out of the group. ”These are the only ones that have cultivated before, so give them 80 percent. The rest shall get 50 percent, and I'll naturally do 90 percent.”
”Sure you can handle it?” Ed grinned.
”Of course!” Tai confidently pounded his fist against his chest. ”Just wait and see!”
”Alright.” He chuckled. He lifted his fingers up to his mouth and whistled.
Hearing the whistle, Tao scurried out from somewhere nearby. He was in his shrunken form, and he hurriedly climbed up Ed's body to rest on his shoulder.
”Tao, prepare to control the ones that go berserk.” He ordered.
Tao nodded, seeming to eagerly await his chance to show off in front of the espers.
Ed set to work, melting the blue python flesh and fusing it into the first esper's body, replacing the human flesh a little bit at a time. 'Good, it's much easier than in the past.' He smiled. Not only did he save time by not needing to do mana infusions on espers like he did with ordinary humans, he also met no resistance as the esper naturally retracted his own mana during the process.
Several minutes passed, and the esper's eyes began turning vertical. Soon, blue scales covered his entire body.
Ed stopped and examined the man, satisfied with his work.
”ROARRR!!!” The man lost control of himself as he swiped towards Ed. Right at that moment, Tao glared at him and released a threatening growl. The man stopped mid-swing, and his eyes returned to normal.
”Good job, Tao.” Ed reached up and rubbed Tao's head. 'Good to know that Tao's ability works on non-crocodile chimeras as well.'
The esper stared as his hands as he repeatedly closed and opened them. Then he began retracting the scales before releasing them again. ”Amazing.” He sighed in awe at his newfound strength.
”Yes, yes. I know I am.” Ed waved his hand dismissively. ”You're holding up the line. Shoo.”
The man didn't argue as he left the line, and so the chimera transformations continued.
Weeks passed, and each day Ed spent time removing mana from Camazotz while also creating new chimeras. Soon, he finished both tasks. Almost every esper had been made into a chimera, including Tai. The only difference was that Tai had been unsatisfied with the ordinary pythons and had chosen to go hunting himself. As a result, he managed to hunt a strong red python that was only a few meters long. This made Tai the odd one in the bunch, as he was the only one with red scales compared to his crew's blue scales. Other than Tai, Rubi and her sister had both refused the transformations, though Ed still hadn't met the mysterious sister wherever she was on board the ship.
With the ordinary chimeras finished, it was time to use Camazotz's body. Tai and Ed were in a private room. Rubi stood guard just outside as an extra precaution.
”I'll be going first then.” Ed decided.
”Fine.” Tai nodded. ”But don't forget to take a look at Haru and Hina after. I've been having an esper keep them healthy all this time, but Rubi is losing her patience.”
”Sure.” He agreed. He had just been too busy over the past month to bother getting to it as of yet. Reaching towards Camazotz's body, he began melting the fangs, as well as various pieces of flesh it connected to. As far as he knew, the various nerves and tissues he took were responsible for the manufacture of the liquid the fangs produced. If he was wrong, then he would have truly lost out on the trade. Condensing the fangs and flesh down to an incredibly small size, he began fusing it into his own teeth and surrounding flesh. The process was much slower than the other chimera operations he had done, and it took him nearly two hours to finish. ”How is it?” He questioned Tai.
”You look exactly the same.” Tai frowned. ”Try transforming?”
”Alright.” Ed nodded as scales covered his body. His canine grew sharper and longer as he did so, jutting out past his mouth like vampire fangs. ”How is it?” His voice awkwardly asked, sounding muffled due to the unfamiliar fangs.
”Pfft!” Tai hurriedly covered his mouth to stifle his laughter. His trembling hand gave a thumbs up as his voice sounded unusually high-pitched. ”You look great, man! Every girl's dream!”
”Oh, shut up.” He frowned as he undid the transformation. Next, he started work on one of the wings, transforming it into a smaller set of wings. This took him even longer, the process lasting several hours. Fortunately, the wings were large enough that he had plenty of material to work with. When he was done and activated his chimera form, two dark purple wings appeared from his back. They traveled the entire length of his body from his feet to his head. They were also large enough to easily enclose most of his body defensively. As he tried flapping them, strong gusts of wind shot into Tai's face. ”Not bad.” He smiled while staring mockingly as Tai.
”Alright, you've had your fun.” Tai snorted. ”My turn. Same as last time with the red python. Don't even think of trying anything funny with my body!”
”Relax, I'm not interested in dudes.” Ed joked. It seemed he was starting to pick up bits and pieces of Dupe's humor due to his extended absence. Repeating the process he had just done, he gave Tai an identical pair of wings. The tail followed next, and similar to the fangs, he had to extract a series of flesh that was related to it, and it was even more complicated in comparison. By the time he finished, most of Camazotz's body had been used up.