Nightshade's POV
"You're simply distracting me." I sighed. This shapeshifter is making me uncomfortable. We're wasting so much time dwindling like this. "WE, have the sense to switch sides, because this is all pointless. Everything. Survival is the most important, oui?" That... Was more or less a lie. I felt the heated (literally) gaze of my partner boring into me slowly, even though I could tell most of his attention was trained on our target. I waved a gloved hand somewhat irritably and dismissively. Fine, time to stop stalling."Enough? Okay then, if you don't mind, shall we continue?" I asked charmingly, striking a small smile and pulled the trigger. Mentally, I braced myself for and expected a loud gunshot that would send those pesky ocelots scattering. Instead there came a sort of low, hollow noise that I barely even picked up. What?

"You're making this seem a lot harder than it actually is." My counterpart muttered unhelpfully.

"Yes yes I know." I replied testily, examining my weapon before trying again. The same clicking of the trigger could be heard, and nothing else. Right, this is just embarrassing. Faulty weapon!? Now!?

"Need some time?" The shapeshifter asked pleasantly. Notch knows why it isn't running for its life while I'm experiencing... Technically difficulties... I didn't reply, switching weapons and sliding my other revolver into my hand. With a lazy flick, I aimed and pulled the trigger once again. To my horror, the same thing was happening. How can this happen? I quickly found the gun to be... Empty? Malik was staring at me, both appalled and impatient.

"What the...? I saw you load myself!" He immediately reached the conclusion as did I. Sabotage. I did service my weapons... The day before. Somehow, our saboteur had gotten into our room while the door and window were locked and we were gone. And I have a feeling I know exactly who it is.

"Oh, I'm going to kill her..."I promised murderously. "It's not like we need to stay any longer in the inn... Whatever." Sadly, I can't ACTUALLY kill Viridian. She's a human, and any form of "prolonged aggression" towards humans will end badly for me.

I spent another two or three fruitless seconds searching for spare bullets in vain before finding them missing as well. I took a deep breath, sighing. Great. The first five minutes of this hunting trip has already been in disaster. No matter, I am salvaging this expedition, and hopefully our lives. I unsheathed a silver and red sabre with ornate roses carved down it and curling around its hilt, which had been hidden underneath my coat. I guess since the swift death by bullet didn't actually go that great, my back-up weapon will have to suffice. "Well, you can either try to kill us, or risk letting us send for help..." I said buoyantly with a challenging edge to my voice, facing the shapeshifter. Neither of us are at our element here against our foe, so it'd be easier to convince it down. And the best way to get someone to do what you want is to have some... Motivation. "I'm either getting paid, or getting hurt. Preferably the former, but I'd settle with both."

"And I went through all that trouble, ready to follow my customs." It sighed. "It seems I am not joining the others so soon, then. You, are staying alive, I do hate when somebody doesn't finish a story." I heard the rustling of foliage as he shifted position. He had a plan that he was waiting to execute. Malik wasn't taking his eyes of of it for a single nanosecond, leaving me to look around us. Ocelots were forming a ring around us, unseen. I could sense them though, and they are not making me feel welcome in their jungle home. There are around twenty or so golden eyes shining at us in the dark green shadows cast down from the bundled trees and diverse net of branches above, slowly tilting their heads creepily. Or is that my imagination? What if they're hatching a plan, and they're in cahoots with the shapeshifter?

"My mistake, I do think that you believe we have no way of harming you." He put in coolly, holding out an outstretched palm. A fireball ignited and blossomed upwards like s fiery flower unfurling its petals. A streak of smoke floated upwards peacefully, and he stemmed the flow with a quick snap of his fingers, the fire flickering out in an instant.

"Moving on." It replied, strangely, and before I had time to process what it just said, it crushed the branch beside it with a massive SNAP that shook the trees, making the one it was perching on fall. There was a crash as it made contact with a shrub, a small shower of leaves flying into the air. A few lithe, spotted bodies of ocelots darted away. I caught a glimpse of it for s second, but that was really enough to create a photo-like memory in my mind of it. It has a black collar buckled around its neck that didn't seem part of its spawned skin, a greyish jacket that flew behind it as it was airborne, and a darkish red shirt underneath. Its currently form was almost humanoid in shape, but mostly feline-like with claws like daggers and sharp spines. It had sharp spines like daggers raised as it leapt off, and upon instinct I whipped backwards like I had been struck. As if by slow-motion, it flew through the air and attacked Malik with claws extended. Finally. I was worried we'd never commence fighting.
~~~
Asult's POV
Without flinching, the magma cube hybrid was several blocks away with his arms crossed. My claws scraped empty air and pixels that disappeared as soon as he himself was gone.

"Cheater." I accused reproachfully. He shrugged. That's fine; I had at least scored a wound on the girl. She flinched from the cut on her forearm but there was no other reaction, and quickly swung the sabre around at an alarming speed. I hissed and leapt aside, skidding to a halt against a tree before leaping at her. In midair, however, I teleported like an enderman and pinned him down instead. Being a shapeshifter, I possess some mob powers even when I'm not in their form.

He showed surprise at being hit, but was somewhat calm for being held down like this. I dug my claws into his flesh, and felt a liquid somewhat like lava. Maybe that's supposed to be his blood? With a swift movement, he had slid out his obsidian sickle and sliced at my throat. I dodged aside, but suddenly the top shot toward me, knocking me away against another tree and inflicting small wound. It stung, surprisingly, and I touched cut briefly. the He brushed himself down which one hand, holding his sickle- which had just became somewhat of a scythe.I hissed at the miss. One of them at least should be dead by now. These two may be a worrying issue, however. I had given no hint of teleportation, yet the hybrid had reacted quickly enough to stop a fatal attack. Underneath my claw, I had hooked off a part of his bowtie, which I flicked aside with a look of disgust. He seemed unfazed at first, but glanced down and touched his torn tie briefly with a shocked flicker crossing his face. Bits of code were already reattaching itself to the damaged ribbon, but he was mad. A look of fury flickered across his face before he took a deep breath and calmed down. I realised a second later that he had charred the sides of the trees just from that surge.

"Malik..." Nightshade had moved away swiftly.

"Right, you don't know what you just did, but you're going down shapeshifter." He said in a dangerously calm tone, just dripping with acid. I raised an eyebrow. Touchy.
~~~
Author's Note
Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I don't really have a good excuse to explain why lol. But anyways, I'll be focusing more on updating and writing now. I also am thinking of starting another minecraft story, but I don't have many ideas. Ehh... I've done a lot of planning, and I've got the two fabulous hunters and their backstory pretty much perfect. The protagonists still need work but I'll get there. And I'm still trying to figure out how to introduce all the fabulous winner characters from my contest. Well, cya guys!
-iVesper