Chapter 23: The Master of Irrevocable (Part 12)

"Much to everyone's relief me and my own will be departing soon, no need for any of the locals to constantly watch their heels for the nipping irritant that just so happens to wear my face."

Amoghasiddhi offered a diplomatic smile in response to Harris' words, stating, "As much as you paint yourself a snarling and unpredictable beast I find you of a far more sound mind than you suggest. One might even go so far as to say you possess an intellect sharper than any believe you capable of."

"Oh now you're just flattering me."

Chuckling to himself as the duo of god and man reclined in a small but cozy table that overlooked the Human city - a magically projected image, but real time nonetheless - Harris continued with, "Ego stoking aside that means you'll now be facing the brunt of the Shinto's ire. Since I've been here Lady Amaterasu has had ample opportunity to vent her frustration onto my person with impunity. Her favorite punching bag is now going to be absent, think you'll be able to handle it?"

"I have managed thus far, although if you have been diverting some of Lady Amaterasu's anger and accusations I suppose I should thank you for the sacrifice, willing or not."

"It was my pleasure, I find her quite charming when incensed and overwhelmed. Then again she may just be able to breathe easier now that the killer in your midst is going to be moving on to greener pastures."

Amoghasiddhi offered a raised eyebrow, curiously asking, "Did your presence truly unsettle the deities of this land so? They have been more restrained in negotiations thus far but I had attributed it to cooler heads after the tragedy of Kaiyo's death."

Smirking confidently the shapeshifter idly commented, "I would have thought the same but it seems my notoriety after Charlemagne's death was more than expected. According to the Crown Prince no one wanted to make any hasty moves until they knew what my position on current affairs was."

He chuckled, seemingly amused by the entire situation.

"Imagine everyone's annoyance when it became obvious that I wasn't intending on picking any sides at all but truly was here for completely unrelated reasons."

Not sharing in the humor but nonetheless pretending to the deity mused, "It sounds as if the Shinto - with your approaching absence - really do desire conflict of one variety or another."

"While I can't say anything for certain I can inform you that the Crown Prince and Princess haven't forgotten their mother's death, nor the odd circumstances surrounding it. And while he likely only told me this because I happen to be a neutral friend Akito hinted that some kind of curse or similar affliction had been discovered in Kaiyo's body. They no doubt believe that you're still the number one suspect because of what you're a god of."

Amoghasiddhi frowned, replying, "While I'm flattered that an entire pantheon and people is convinced that I can outwit their senses while bringing low one of great personal power and will the reality is that such a thing is nigh unachievable."

"Hey I said pretty much the same thing. And it's not like everyone absolutely believes it's your fault, there's still an argument to be made that it was a third party trying to frame you or even a Yokai with a grudge against her. As much as Kaiyo was respected it wasn't like it was a universal love. Although…"

Harris dropped his chin into his palm, lazily remarking, "It's certainly a fascinating theory. And I think we can both agree that it doesn't really matter what the reality is so much as what people decide it is."

"Unfortunately you speak the truth."

Grinning as if in on some colossal joke the shapeshifter added, "Besides, if you did have some kind of super secret curse that could freely kill with such impunity then it would be buried under so much secrecy, folklore and tales of endless reincarnation or warnings against human imperfection that no one would be able to discover it."

While you could have missed it if you weren't specifically looking for such a reaction Harris almost laughed at the brief twitch of Amoghasiddhi's jugular, of the minor spasm of his hand at the other male's words.

"Oh this is just too fun."

"You sound passingly familiar on what constitutes a well kept secret."

"I know how to make it seem like I know all sorts of secrets and such things, it's honestly quite an entertaining hobby."

He smirked, continuing with, "Seeing those with power uncomfortably squirm and shift as I pretend to have a clue of what's happening never gets old. The clueless mad dog puffing itself up and loudly barking while completely oblivious to predators all around it, aforementioned predators too scared by the display to simply put the canine down."

"...An odd analogy."

"But you don't disagree."

Amoghasiddhi stared into Harris' eyes, expression unreadable for a fair few minutes as silence descended upon them.

"No. I do not. And I think I truly see you for the first time since we've met. Reptilian. Intelligent. Dangerous. Someone who consistently reaches far beyond their means and lives to tell the tale due to their facade of bluster and violence."

Laughing out loud the shapeshifter cheerily replied, "Something that you and Amaterasu share in common, you seem to have gotten a fair measure of my personality. In the interest of transparency I'll tell you that she's a bit closer to the heart of the matter, though. Besides!"

Idly motioning with his hand the man continued with, "As I said before I'll be leaving here soon enough. Yet I can't help but wonder…"

Staring out over the magically projected image of Nagaoka-kyō Harris languidly posed, "Will things spiral out of control with the Shinto and Hindu? This talk of a curse and enmity long held is certainly the kind of kindling a good, raging inferno of conflict needs. Even setting that aside there still remains the reality that Japan no doubt despises being subordinate to China, that could be reason enough right there to kick off the very battle you're trying to avoid."

Amoghasiddhi gave Harris a neutral stare.

"Are you merely speaking of conjecture or offering a warning?"

"I'd like to use the word 'speculation'. But I would honestly hate to have this meeting end on such a dour note so I brought us a bit of a farewell gift to enjoy."

Reaching behind him Harris produced one of the prized Saki bottles Merlin had pilfered from the palace's stocks - she was nothing if not a disobedient young lady - and set it on the table before them, grinning widely.

"While she wouldn't tell me just how many security measures she had to disable in order to get ahold of this I'm certain it was more than is advisable. Who knew Merlin flaunted the rules so readily?"

The joke went unappreciated by the Hindu god - now well and truly wary of the man - as he poured them small plates of the pristine drink, handing one to Amoghasiddhi who accepted it out of habit.

"A toast, then. To our continued friendship and Kaiyo's death, tragedy that it was and continued source of trouble for what will no likely be a long time to come."

Amoghasiddhi's eyes conveyed just how unimpressed he was with the impromptu salute, Harris smirking as they drank nonetheless.

...And in doing so, had sealed the shapeshifter's victory.

"Sometimes it's just that easy."

"O-oh, fuck that's new~!"

"Hmm, does our cute little tactician have a limit when it comes to enjoying homemade toys?"

"A-as if you're any better right now!"

Deciding to give Robin a minor victory over Merlin the shapeshifter grinned, twisting and curving his fingers as the Magus of Flowers squealed with delight, arching her back and rising up on her tiptoes as she shuddered in ecstasy.

"See?"

"None of that, Robin. Or else I might just decide-"

He slipped a third finger into the woman's burning cunt, her draconic tail frantically constricting around his limb as a groan that sounded almost pained slipped past her lips.

"-that I'm not paying you enough attention."

Chuckling at the euphoric whimper released by the tactician as he rotated and flexed his digits in a random pattern that scraped and stretched her ridged walls Harris went back to experimenting with his body, focusing more on small scale and isolated changes rather than anything more dramatic.

While earlier tests had conclusively proven that he could shift into creatures he touched or encountered and then fantastical or fictional ones as his power grew - the Wailord transformation had proven that just fine - thus far he'd only attempted shifting his entire body and not individual bits or pieces, hence the current bit of fun now that they had a private moment together.

Smirking as he abruptly withdrew his digits from Merlin with a soft sluck noise he ignored the pouty mewl from the woman and instead inspected his work, nodding in satisfaction with what he found.

He'd started things off simple, simply imagining the callouses that used to be on his hands and applying that to his fingers, smooth and raised bumps of hard skin now dotting his digits in uneven patterns that Merlin had been quite happy to sample, even now his first summoned partner pouting at him ferociously as he inspected his hand.

"Shall I just wait and kick my heels while you take your time and attempt to be creative, master? Or should I just watch and await my turn as Robin receives all of your attention?"

"Hold on a moment, I'm trying to do something special for you. But if you're just going to complain and be impatient…"

He yet again flexed his fingers burrowed inside of Robin's dripping canal, her test consisting of three bumpy fingers except they were all jointed in different directions, spreading out like a tripod as a particularly enthusiastic twist of his wrist had the woman going cross-legged, arms wrapped around his torso as she moaned in bliss.

"Hmph!"

Throwing herself into a nearby chair and crossing her arms over her bust Merlin offered up her most ferocious pout, Harris chuckling at the display even as he admired her perfect body, glistening with a light sheen of sweat from the past hour's exertions.

"Relax, I'll have something ready right about...now."

Bringing to mind several images and sensations he combined the movements of both a snake, octopus tendril and swaying ocean kelp as he merged it with the memory of hardened rubber and smooth flesh-

-and at his willing his left arm seamlessly morphed into five swaying tentacles of shifting color, the sensation and control of them feeling completely natural and seamless despite the fact that it should have been bewildering beyond comprehension. Something he was grateful for much like with the rest of his transformations, since it made something as bizarre as operating a trio of opposite facing fingers as natural as breathing.

"Now was there a certain lovely lady that was upset I wasn't paying attention to her?"

With a flexing motion that was roughly analogous to a knitting pattern except longer and multiplied by five the tendrils sprouting from his shoulder wound their way towards the Magus of Flowers, now practically bouncing with anticipation as they appendages slowly wrappedaround her legs and arms, lengthening according to his will as the Magus found herself hauled upright under a power not her own, swaying tits gently poked and prodded by the lengths of warm flesh before they looped around the female's tender mounds in their entirety, squeezing and binding as Merlin released a pleased giggle.

"Oh~? Fantasies of being the big bad tentacle monster, master?"

"Please, you control plants and other vegetation without issue, you're going to tell me you never took advantage of that before?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny what I might have done on lonelier nights-HAH~!"

Directing one of his morphed 'limbs' to plunge itself into Merlin's dripping cunt he grinned as while it wasn't a perfect sense of touch the tendril offered a reasonable enough tactile sense that he could feel and divine pleasure from his soulmate's drenched and clenching walls, leisurely and lazily thrusting or twisting the tentacle as he desired.

"Satisfied?"

"W-what a perfect fiend you truly are-MPFH?!"

Conducting his morphed body like he'd been born into it - not a statement entirely off the mark - one of the tendrils that had been fondling her chest sprouted an additional length of flesh, thinner than the rest and wrapping around Merlin's tongue before slipping down her throat, small enough that it easily avoided any possible gag reflex - not that he expected a succubus like her to have one - while still teasing her insides. The look she gave him was just icing on the cake, flushed expression nonetheless conveying thoughts he could read clear as day.

"Really? This feels great, but really?"

He'd freely admit she made for as an alluring a sight as always, arms and legs encircled by his altered form as white and pink hair clung to her shining skin, jostling back-and-forth as tendrils of saliva dripped past flawless lips.

Of course, he'd be remiss not to pay just as much attention to his other partner, abandoning the finger fuck and shifting his hand back to its normal state, gently embracing Robin and maneuvering her so that her back was against his chest.

"Why didn't you do something like that before? That was incredible."

Shrugging at the inquiry he bluntly replied, "Vanilla not good enough for you anymore? I was perfectly content with it."

Robin gently grabbed his goatee, tilting his head downwards - thankfully mindful of her horns - before pointing to where Merlin was obviously enjoying herself, eyes half lidded with bliss as she gave them an arched look.

"I think we've been missing out. And need I remind you that you brought us here fully prepared and ready for some, shall we say, adventurous inclinations?"

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to the fact that I have the perfect women in my life now."

"Nice save."

He bent down and kissed the tactician's forehead as she preened at the action-

-before stiffening as she felt his cock brush up against the length of her spine, the familiar and warm flesh now altered in feel as her hand closed around a bumpy and ridged spear, Harris whispering into her ear, "I've gotten used to all sorts of alterations and stuff now, I think I'll let you have a taste of the fruits of my labor."

Then he promptly wrapped her tail around his arm, lined up his shapeshifted girth with her dripping nether regions and rammed inside of her with one go.

If Merlin's reaction had been one of steadily mounting enjoyment then Robin's was one of immediate climax, a strangled gasp leaving her throat as tensed arms locked onto the other woman's shoulders as Harris brought them close together, teeth clenching at the warm and almost crushing pressure of the draconic female's pussy.

"The sensation is a little muted, but that's about the extent of my complaints."

He would have to work on that, on ensuring he had full control and tactile feedback in whatever he shifted into, for reasons both perverse and practical.

"Well, it's good to have goals in life."

With that thought in mind he yanked his hips backwards, the friction and other physical addition granted to his length grasping and catching on Robin's ridged walls as she released a high-pitched moan, leaning forward to catch Merlin's tongue with her own even as it wrestled with his tendril currently in the process of tenderly throat-fucking the Magus.

Setting an increasing pace the male grinned at the two beauties before him, one restrained and submissive as she took his 'arm' inside of her, Robin greedily and obediently taking in his altered meat as she bounced off his groin-

Knock knock!

-Harris paused, closing his eyes and counting to three as he prayed there wouldn't be another set of knocks.

Knock knock!

"Fucking dammit."

Releasing his lovers and turning his body back to its normal state he did his level best to ignore the highly amused looks they sent his way, clearly getting off on his blue balls.

It didn't work.

"Yeah yeah laugh it up. When I get back I'm trying out the enlargement shapeshifting, see if you're still laughing then."

Robin merely rolled her eyes, Merlin giggling as she brazenly peeled open her cunt, exposing the dripping insides as she purred, "Remember, Master~! You called and made us so we could do all sorts of naughty things…"

The male huffed out a sigh of defeat.

"Well here's hoping I'm not killed before that. Unless I'm far off the mark we should be getting to the climax of events soon. Pun intended."

The air inside the royal palace's main hall was one of quiet tension and unease, everyone wishing to speak but clearly unwilling to offer anything that might constitute a comment or observation on current circumstances, lest they draw the ire of the stalking predator in their midst, hungry for a kill and just waiting for an excuse to start eating.

Akito briefly traced his sibling's spine with one of his tails in a silent bit of reassurance, the younger Kitsune starting to shift and tremble with obvious unease as the air became almost stifling with anticipation, the Crown Prince keeping a frown to himself as he observed the room at large with a critical eye. Yokai of every species and clan had gathered while even a few deities stood off to the side, all in attendance cowed into silence by the tempest whirling about as mood dictated it.

It was a rare, rare sight indeed for Amaterasu to so openly show displeasure, never mind to the extent she currently displayed as she paced from one end of the hall to the other, a storm of red, white and black that resembled a sentient solar flare as heat shimmer escaped her body in unpredictable flashes, crisping and singing any that stood too close to her fire as the ornate throne was completely forgotten in favor of movement.

Akito had a fairly good idea of just what - or perhaps it was more accurate to say who - had worked their chief goddess into such a frenzy the likes practically none within their hall could recall ever experiencing.

If it hadn't been causing such open and chafing stress for their people Akito would freely admit to being impressed by Harris' ability to cause such rampant chaos, the trickster side of him practically in awe of his seemingly effortless talent in bringing about strife. But circumstances were what circumstances were and he had to at least pretend to uphold a stern disapproval of events even if he felt quite the opposite, holding his head high and chin proud in order to assure the rest of the gathered individuals that everything was under control.

Which was a rather amusing thought to the Kitsune, considering most of the present crowd was several centuries - if not millennia - older than he was.

Those scattered thoughts came to a swift end as the gargantuan doors swung open, admitting the man of the hour as he was escorted by a quartet of guards and pair of silent assassins garbed in camouflaging attire, expression as unflappable and composed as it always was, containing a trace of amusement as if the proceedings were some kind of fast approaching punchline only he could see.

So really just business as usual, his saunter and relaxed body language seemingly designed exclusively to annoy the very people who held so much fury towards him as he was directed to come to a stop perhaps a dozen paces away from the leading edge of the crowd, all of them either standing, sitting or kneeling as personal preference and courage dictated.

For a few seconds there was perfect silence, none daring to speak or even breathe in a few lower tiered cases, Amaterasu coming to a sudden halt as she met Harris' polite and inquisitive gaze, voice completely and utterly devoid of emotion.

"Over the past three days - ever since his final meeting with you - Amoghasiddhi slowly sickened and then died, any and all attempts to stop his decline meeting with failure. Just like what happened to Empress Kaiyo."

"Huh. Well that's weird, I couldn't even hazard a guess as to what-"

Akito barely managed to keep his feet as a burst of heated air that felt like standing less than a finger's length away from a forest fire hit him full force, hand automatically closing around his sister's back in order to keep her steady as a few startled curses and shouts of alarm left the less composed Yokai around them, the Kitsune staring with wide eyes as Amaterasu blazed with solar fire and held Harris aloft by his neck, expression volcanic and her power surging like a veritable ocean of flames.

"What did you DO?! Have you no concept of what you have done?! What you have wrought?!"

The goddess's words were an echoing roar that caused Akito's skin to crawl, tails and ears upright with tension as they bore witness to a truly terrifying sight and spectacle as the woman clearly lost control.

"Talk of war and retribution fills the Hindu pantheon if they do not receive proper explanation and justification for the death of one of their own...AN EXPLANATION I CANNOT GIVE!"

"Oh calm down, would you?"

Silence reigned, even the crackling fires that resulted from Amaterasu's rampant energies simmering down as the goddess blankly replied, "What?"

Akito shared her shock, flames dissipating enough that they could catch sight of Harris' expression, the man completely unfazed by the solar deities temper as the Kitsune marveled at the man's brazeness, even being as familiar as he was with the male's general outlook on life.

"Rather rude behavior, considering the favor I did for you in eliminating Amoghasiddhi from the face of the planet. Honestly, if I'd left him unattended you or another of your own would have likely been next on the chopping block. A simple 'thank you' will suffice."

So completely overwhelmed by the man's bold and irreverent comments all Amaterasu could do was soundlessly work her jaw, limply dropping the male as he pleasantly smiled, commenting, "So would you like for me to explain how I killed a god and left no one the wiser? It's a fun little tale, I promise you that."

Akito watched with bated breath as his people's goddess began to tremble, a full-bodied tremor that walked hand-in-hand with a sibilant hiss.

"I should have killed you. No, I should have never even allowed you entry to this damn palace."

"Too late now, my fair lady. And are you perchance experiencing doubt right now?"

A slow, reptilian smile pulled at Harris' lips.

"Doubt is what killed Amoghasiddhi, you know."

Acting on instinct more than cogent thought Amaterasu took a step backwards, the rest of the room tensing as if expecting the man to strike her down right in front of them as he smirked at their reactions.

"Out of curiosity, have any of you heard of the Curse of Mittavinda?"