A/N: Hi, fanfics! I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day, and I have returned with a new chapter. It seems that I kept everyone waiting long enough to know who this shape-shifter is, and frankly, you might be surprised, so enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: This is my sign: I do not own Killer Instinct nor Carrie.


The Biànxíng Zhe approached Carrie and Jago in a meadow surrounded by forest. Was this creature stalking them while they were escaping from their pursuers? As it moved closer, Jago pointed his sword at the beast while keeping Carrie close. The Biànxíng Zhe blinked, lowered the blade with its right front paw, and examined the humans with its whisker-like feelers.

Despite the initial caution, Jago sensed no aggression from the creature until a crash boomed in the thicket. Hooded men on horseback emerged. Those Gargos cult bastards!

"There you are!" the lead cultist said until he spotted the Qilin. "What is that?"

"Who cares? Let's grab them!" a subordinate said.

Jago readied himself for a fight, but the Qilin placed itself between the two sides, growling. It unleashed a thick stream of fire from its mouth once the cultists dashed towards them, forming a wall. The horses squealed, trying to bolt from the flames.

With the cultists distracted, the Biànxíng Zhe shifted its attention to Carrie and Jago before it wrapped its feelers around them and hoisted them on its back. They galloped to the forest, trees whizzing past. The Qilin sensed life forces until the cultists emerged from their fiery distraction and gave chase. A subordinate reached for Carrie, but Jago threw a fireball at close range, forcing the screaming cultist to retreat.

Carrie focused on the horse until an unseen force snapped its front legs. The horse shrieked, rolled to the ground, and crashed into a tree. Both animal and rider laid dead.

"Those bastards are too close! We need to lose them!" Jago said, and the Qilin quickened its pace.

The cultists, trying to trap their targets, split up, leaving the first half exposed for an attack. The Qilin projected a bright light from its body.

Blinded, the exposed Biànxíng Zhe veered a swift right, resulting in the cultists crashing into each other.

Carrie, Jago, and the Qilin reached another clearing where a crack split the land. The ground rumbled as the cultists emerged.

"What should we do?" Carrie said. "I don't want them taking us their master."

"Neither do I." Jago examined the crack, which was far, but it was their only chance to escape. Once he informed Carrie to hang on, he whispered in the Biànxíng Zhe's ear, *"Tapā'īlā'ī kē garnu parcha. (Do what you must.)"

The Qilin sprinted towards the crack until it sprung forward from the edge. Neither of them glanced at the looming death below them until they landed on the other side. The Qilin roared at the cultists, who stopped at the chasm.

"We can't let them get away!" the lead cultist shouted.

"No!" A subordinate stopped him from continuing the chase. "Our horses won't jump that far."

The lead cultist glared upon his targets while his horse pranced and snorted. The Qilin stared back until it galloped towards the horizon.

"What are your orders?" another subordinate said.

"We'll find another way." The lead cultist gave one last look as Jago and Carrie escaped them. Prodding his thigh into the side of his mount, the leader headed towards the forest.

His subordinates followed, unaware of an unknown figure surveying them. As the cultists trekked through the woods, their horses swiveled their ears and nickered. Without warning, a ring of fire rose from the brushes. The horses screamed while the cultists tried to gain control.

The lead cultist regained control of his horse and scampered until something slammed him to the ground. Once he recovered, a human-sized raptor towered above him. Its yellow eyes gleamed, and its claws emitted an eerie blue glow. Its body flashed a hexagonal pattern, fading from light blue to black, with a U logo printed.

"Aren't raptors supposed to be extinct?" the lead cultist spoke with shuddered words.

The raptor growled. "RIPTOR!" It clamped its jaws on the lead cultist's throat and tore a chunk of flesh. With its prey drowning in blood, Riptor roared as it echoed through the forest.


The night cast its veil on the world, with stars stretching across the sky. Rugged land melted into the darkness, except for a faint red light. Carrie, Jago, and the Biànxíng Zhe followed a river at a jogged pace until they stopped at a waterfall hiding a cavern.

The Biànxíng Zhe's light exposed the cave interiors. Stalactites clung to the ceiling, and stalagmites jutting the floor. Once Carrie and Jago hopped off, the Qilin plucked plants and sticks, placing them inside a ring, and spat a tiny flame. It stepped out of the cavern, but not before it glanced upon the humans, as though telling them to stay.

"Where's it going?" Carrie asked.

"It wants to make sure those cultists had given up," Jago said.

"How did they know of my powers? I have told only you."

"Omen. He must've learned of your presence and relayed the message to his master and his believers."

Carrie sat by the campfire, covering her face with her hands. She recalled how Omen claimed he had been spying on her. "They're after me, and they'll never rest until they capture me."

Jago sat beside her, rubbing her back. "They'd have to get past me first. I won't let Omen or those cultists near you."


The Biànxíng Zhe returned to the cave where Jago was meditating, and Carrie resting her head on his lap. A light flashed from the Qilin, stirring Jago. Once it faded, the Biànxíng Zhe reverted to human form, concealed in a hooded robe. It sat by the fire, extracted a bag from the shawl, and untied it, showing pieces of half-circled bread. It handed one of the larger pieces to Jago, who squinted at the offering.

"How can I be sure you're reliable?" he asked.

*"Tapā'īṁ ra tapā'īṅkō sāthī huna saknuhunna ki tyō kaṭṭara ākramaṇabāṭa ma na'ā'ēkō bha'ē. (You and your friend might not have survived that cultist attack had I not arrived)," the Biànxíng Zhe said.

Reluctant at first, Jago claimed the bread and split it in half. He nudged Carrie to wake her and offered her the other half. Carrie grabbed the piece but jerked back at the hooded figure sitting with them. "Easy, Carrie, it's the Biànxíng Zhe in human form. We need to hide somewhere."

*"Tapā'īṁ Gasa prayāsa garna saknuhuncha. Pahāḍaharūlē gā'um̐lā'ī bacā'um̐nakā sātha malā'ī kunai śa doubt kā lāgdaina ki hāmī khōjchauṁ. (You could try Gasa. With the mountains protecting the village, I doubt any evil will search for us.)"

"It'd be better if you tell us your name if you're planning to travel with us."

*"Timīlā'ī thāhā cha ma kō hō. (You know who I am.)" As the Biànxíng Zhe removed its hood, Carrie and Jago's eyes widened. A woman's amber eyes and light tan skin glistened from the fire. Her night-black hair touched the edge of her shoulders, and a lightening grin formed around her natural lips.

"Pemba?" Carrie said.

"What trickery is this?" Jago said. "The last time we met was when we brought you home to your mother. How come you're not with her?" Staring at the fire, Pemba spoke her answer. Jago dropped his head into his hands.

"What did…?"

Jago breathed intensely. "Pemba had informed me…her mother is dead."

Carrie let the news sink in her mind before moving next to Pemba, placing an arm around her shoulder. Pemba leaned towards Carrie and sobbed, encouraging the latter to embrace her. "I can't imagine the pain you're feeling. I lost my mother too. A monster killed her and wounded me because, in their eyes, we were witches."

*"Kina tyō rākṣasa yati apavitra kēhī gardacha, ēklai chōḍnuhōs tapā'īnlā'ī bōksī?(Why would that monster do something so unholy, let alone calling you a witch?)" Pemba said.

"Carrie has a gift. If she doesn't mind, she could show it to you," Jago said.

Despite her reluctance, Carrie spotted a rock near the entrance and focused until the stone floated and spun a few times before returning it to its spot. Pemba's red-streaked eyes widened, speaking in her native language. "What did she say?"

"Pemba said what you did was unexpected, but she understands why the cult was after us," Jago interpreted. "She added that she's sad for what transpired to your mother and that no one should judge you. Pemba, I'm not sure what kind of life you and your mother had before her illness, but I'm certain that she loved you, as you do for her."

Pemba wiped the tears from her eyes.*"Dhan'yavāda. Mānauṁ tapā'īṁ ra kyārī jānna cāhanuhuncha ki ma kasarī śyāpēsiṭara banna sakēṁ, tara hāmīlē bhāṣā avarōdha samādhāna garnuparnēcha. (Thank you. I suppose you and Carrie want to know how I became a shapeshifter, but we must solve the language barrier.)"

Jago mused until an idea cropped in his head and instructed Carrie and Pemba to hold hands with him. "Carrie, if I recall in my fight with Omen, your voice echoed in my head. That led me to believe that you have telepathy. If you concentrate, you might understand what Pemba is saying."

Although the idea was crazy, it made sense. After a deep breath, Carrie closed her eyes and focused. "Can anyone hear me?"

"I can," Jago said.

"Same here," Pemba said. "How long can you hold this link, Carrie?"

"Until I reach a limit. Why?"

"You two were in danger from that cult, and after revealing your powers, I understand why. When my mother was a teenager, the same faction that chased us kidnapped her and several other girls from their homes to fulfill a prophecy.

"Long ago, when Gargos slew the Astral Beings, he suspected those rising against him, so he wanted to make an Heir. The cult searched for any women and brought them to their asylum, where they conducted a profane rite. Gargos did not choose them for the possession, but that didn't stop them as they forced themselves on the women."

Jago squeezed Carrie's and Pemba's hands out of comfort. The thought of Gargos producing an Heir sickened him. "What happens to those that don't bear this Heir?"

"The cult offers them to Gargos," Pemba explained. "Mother was the last to become pregnant, but she escaped. She wanted to kill me when she brought me to the world, but she changed her mind and kept me. As a child, I discovered the ability to change my form. Mother found out and brought me to Thanza to master this gift. I kept asking about my ability, but she never told me until her deathbed."

A fiery burn spread through Carrie's chest. "…we must…stop."

Pemba and Jago let go, which the latter patted Carrie's back.

*"Kē ūnī…? (Is she…?)" Pemba asked.

*"Unī ṭhīka china. (She'll be fine)," Jago said. "Carrie, take deep, slow breaths, okay?"

Outside the cavern, Riptor and her pack hid in the shadows. Though she received the instructions to observe, Riptor pondered what a telekinetic tasted like. With their stomachs full of the cultists they slaughtered, the Stalker units remained low.


Jago stepped out of the cave early in the morning. He was in no mood to conduct his morning prayer as Pemba's story simmered through his mind. The sun arrived, bathing its light on the land.

Pemba emerged from the cave, untying her bag containing food. Black streaks leaked from her puffy eyes towards her cheeks. She sniffled while rubbing her nose.

*"Timīlā'ī kastō cha? (How are you?)" Jago said.

* "Ajhai sāmanā garna kōśisa gardai. (Still trying to cope)," Pemba said.

*"Mam̐ bhanchu sabai ṭhīka huncha, tara tyō mūrkhatāpūrṇa hunēcha. Kyārī kahām̐ cha? (I'd say everything will be okay, but that'd be unwise. Where is Carrie?)"

*"Unī ajhai sutirahēkī chin tara chiṭṭai uṭhnu parcha. Unakō śaktiharu ma mā ēka asāmān'ya prabhāva chōḍiyō. (She's still asleep but should wake up soon. Her powers left an unusual effect on me.)"

*"Kasarī? (How so?)"

"Try my voice echoing in your head," Pemba said.

Jago raised an eyebrow. Carrie's ability seemed more potent than he assumed. In fact, he'd been sensing residual psychic energy whenever he reached out to his senses or conducted his morning prayer. Carrie stepped outside, yawning and stretching her arms. "Good morning, Carrie."

"Morning." While she warmed herself under the early sun, Carrie spotted something in the rock formation. A reptilian eye peered, though hard to spot from a distance. "Jago? Pemba?"

"What is it?" Pemba asked. Carrie did not answer as she pointed at the rock formation.

With narrowed eyes, Pemba told Carrie and Jago to stay in the cavern. She did not go far, but after quick browsing, whatever Carrie spotted vanished. Unaware of a Stalker unit hiding, she headed to the cave.

"Did you see what it was?"

"No, but we should head to Gasa."

After clearing the cave of their presence, Pemba tapped into her powers, changing into a dragon. Her red scales gleamed on her twisted body, and a yellow mane flowed across her back. Once Carrie and Jago climbed on her back, Pemba pushed from the ground, soaring through the wispy clouds.

Pemba, Carrie, and Jago spotted Gasa as twilight came, with snow-tipped crags surrounding the town. They settled on a summit where Pemba changed into her Qilin form. They trotted through the forest until they arrived at a cabin. Merged stones formed the building, along with a chimney, a grass roof, and wooden doors and windows. Carrie and Jago slid off Pemba's back, allowing the woman to revert to human form. They settled inside, but outside, Riptor and her Stalker units arrived.

The fire crackled within the hearth in the lounge, bringing warmth. Jago sat by the window, staring at the darkness until he sensed a presence. Carrie arrived in the living room and sat in front of the fireplace.

Jago moved to sit next to her. "Is it those dreams again?"

"They are becoming less frequent but still haunts me."

"Do you want to divulge?"

"Too horrific to even explain."

"Fair enough. I'm sorry for what happened to your mother. When did that happen?"

"Two months now…maybe longer. Pemba's story lingered in my mind since we arrived here. Perhaps it's time I should learn to defend myself."

At first, Jago did not understand what Carrie meant until he sensed her aura. "No need to say it. Once I learn the full extent of your powers, we'll begin your training."


A/N: So, Carrie has decided to take Jago's offer. What kind of training regime should Jago do for Carrie? Well, time to let my brain rest. After all, it had been a few weeks, so I'll see you later.

*Translations from Nepalese