Malik's POV
I moved as slowly as I could while staying ahead of Nightshade, who is straying behind slightly, taking each step very carefully with her trench coat swishing behind her. I kept one hand on the hilt of my ebony obsidian sickle in case of attack, and winced as an ocelot skittered past nearby. It's quite unnerving knowing that it could easily have been our target. I saw out of the corner of my eye my companion cringing. My mouth twisted into a small smirk, and dusted my waistcoat as a tiny flame fell. Otherwise, I'm doing great with not burning down anything so far. This has got to be a record or something! Now knowing that there was potentially a dangerous glitch in this jungle, suddenly everything is tense and nervous. Basically, this is a waiting game until something pounces. And with ocelots prancing absolutely everywhere, it is REALLY hard distinguishing what was a threat and what isn't.

I paused, listening to the skittering of paws. Sharp jolts of adrenalin, fear and a sort of anticipation that drove starving mobs to attack shot through me, and I swollawed hard.

"He is evidently aware of our presence already. If he is prone to attack people travelling through here, then something is keeping him to doing the same to us." I murmured, half expecting a dragon or something to burst out of the bushes.

"Oui, I suppose." She replied in undertone. "My informant better be right about this..." She crossed her arms, her fingers just brushing the handle of one of her red and black revolvers.

"He could be listening to us, you know."

"I'm aware." She said vaguely. "And I can't say I really care. As long as we can get this done and get out."

"Agreed." I answered, feeling a drop of sweat trickle down my forehead just from the effort of not setting anything alight. Well... I can't say I'm entirely comfortable on this mission, I mean, it IS a shapeshifter, and he's killed many a few hunters in just the last week or so. But no, I'm not afraid. There was a time when I faced off against Nightshade. Yeah... That wasn't pretty for either of us. My head turned sharply as I saw a glimpse of a spotted tail protruding out of some shrubbery, but it was whisked out of sight in a nanosecond.

"You shouldn't be here." I immediately sparked as I experienced a jolt of surprise, though my expression didn't change or waver. With a quick snap of my fingers, the flames spreading stopped in their tracks and disappeared into nothingness.  Nightshade had stopped so still she could have been mistaken for a statue, slowly adjusting her headphones with one hand.

"Affirmative, that is true." She replied smoothly, keeping a cool demeanour. "I do not wish to be here either. But sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do." She finished serenely, guns both cocked and ready for action in their holsters. I had seen her preparing bullets and loading them earlier, while reading the same book casually as if she WASN'T handling weapons. Huh... Must be a good book. I couldn't detect the source of the sound, for there was rustling all around me, but I could tell it was somewhere above. We appeared in be in an almost ring of trees, with ocelots surrounding us like an army of cats. I could see the glint of their golden eyes, and I sighed softly. What the nether is going on here!? This has got to be the weirdest glitch confrontation yet...

"You have no need to be here." A low hiss, raised in hostility came from above. "You should leave; you can take the desert if you wish to leave this village. Not through my jungle." HIS jungle? If the shapeshifter is even a he. They seem more like an 'it' to be honest.

"On the contrary." She unsheathed both guns, allowing them to turn a midair somersault before aiming at exactly where her target is. I'm not sure how she is able to do it; perhaps it was part of her somewhat freaky powers, but she was always able to pinpoint EXACTLY where she had to shoot. Comes in useful sometimes. "It has come to peoples' attention that hunters have been disappearing down this path. Stopping this slaughter would be a good thing, non?" She tilted her head just the slightest, almost curiously.

"Stopping their slaughter of mere children is good." The shapeshifter replied smoothly without any regret, moving forward so the thick green foliage no longer covered it before sitting down on the thick branch. I shifted slightly to face it, feeling hot all over. Well, duh, I'm a magma cube hybrid, but part of which contributed to that heat was nerves. Us nether beings get nervous or agitated easily. "If you wish, shoot me. I've done my fair share of evil to this world. I am aware. The hunters have families. And I have ruined many, surely, in this jungle." It waved a hand lazily. "I would have mercy... but, I have my own vendetta against them. Even with said hatred, they just fail to see glitches have families as well. Ignorance should have a price. I'm collecting the payment." It leaned forward almost happily. "But, if I'm to die, tell me something. How are you two hunters?" I raised an eyebrow slowly. What sort of question is that?

"I had no choice." She said apathetically, as if bored of the proceedings already. I moved sideways slightly, not believing that the shapeshifter would simply allow itself to be killed so easily. Surely not... Of course. This was probably some ambush or a trap, and this was a set-up this whole time or something... A fireball began forming in one hand as I let out a low breath.

"Similar reasons." I said softly, a deadly steely edge to my voice.

"Boring." It sighed. "Elaborate. If its one thing I hate, its bits and pieces of information. How did those hunters just allow you to walk among them? I'm not bothering to ask you why you'd betray your own kind, obviously your heads is as messed up as this world is. Whose isn't. If I'm dieing, I want some good info." A brief silence met his words.

"Well this is awkward." I remarked after a few seconds.

"Not helping." She sighed.
~~~
Author's Note
Yey another update! I might actually be able to keep up! Anyways guys, this chapter is a roleplay between me and the very talented RubixPsyche. I wrote most of this, but a lot of her writing is coming up. Thanks so much Rubix, she really didn't haven't to do any of this, and it's a massive help! I'll be editing and changing parts of the roleplay for this current plot I've got planned rn. The media is my adorable new betta fish Napoleon! So cute <3
-iVesper
PS: Shoutout to RainbowSnowflakeRS and EclipseTheWriter for entering my writing contest and being awesome in general! Check them out!