Weapons of a Chameleon

Chapter 1

   She stood tall, looking over the edge of the worlds, as she liked to call it. Looking over the cliff, it wasn't truly the edge of the worlds, but it might as well have been. It was a relaxing place to her, ironiaclly enough, it being a place of evil. Her cape was retaining little warmth, but she didn't mind. It was a breezy autumn day, the winds blowing her pink hair around. Below, the void of the worlds was full of both darkness and light, the perfect home for the Watchers. Drawing out her chameleon staff, she waited to attack. Peering over the edge, she saw that the Watchers weren't fully awake yet, their gangly limbs sprawled along the floor of the cavernous void. Then, the sun broke through the clouds, signaling the girl's time to leave. Gathering her staff, she began to walk away toward the city. The way to the city was a forest that nobody dared venture. Everyone knew that the forest was where the Watchers lived. However, the girl was not afraid of the Watchers. She and her best friend, Omie, hated them with a fiery passion. Five years ago, one of the Watchers attacked Omie's brother, Nectance, and killed him. This event sparked a new-found hatred in both girls, and now they were self-proclaimed hunters of the evil beings.

   Life was at times very difficult for the girl, as she was only nine when she started to fight. Omie was thirteen then, but knew no more at fighting than the nine-year-old. They couldn't exactly tell their parents, either. For one thing, Omie was the only one who knew her parents. The other girl was adopted by Omie's parents after being left on their doorstep in a basket with nothing more than a card saying 'Moxie' and her chameleon staff. At first, Omie wasn't very excited about having a little sister, per se, but the two girls grew to cope with each other. As the years passed and the girls grew, they learned how to fight and trained together in secret, after fabricating the excuse of combat class so that their parents let them use the weapons. But even then, their parents didn't know about their guns. Guns were technically illegal in the country, so they disguised the holsters as frens, a trendy type of fanny pack. Of course, Moxie was allowed to use her staff, because her true parents had left it to her, but the adults had no idea of the power it possessed. Paired with her katana, Moxie was unstoppable, but she rarely used both things at once. Sure, she had them with her constantly, but it was sort of impossible to fight with a staff and a sword at the same time.

   "You've gotta expect the unexpected," a thirteen-year-old Omie had said. "You never know when a Watcher will try to attack." Omie lunged at Moxie with her katana, Moxie parrying all the attacks and rolling away, then Moxie quickly pounded her staff against the dirt, causing it to transform.

   This was another very curious thing about her staff; the very reason it was called a chameleon staff. According to Omie, they were extremely rare and forged by a wizard or something else of myth. She had thought it nothing more than a legend, until she had seen it in front of her eyes. The staff adapted and changed its form based on the wielder's emotions. How this was possible? She never knew. But after a fight, when she pounded it against the ground once again, it returned to its plain form, looking like no more than a hiking stick. Moxie adapted to this weapon quickly, becoming more powerful with every new form she discovered the staff could transform into.

   This time, it was a form she would later call Scorch, the shaft of the staff a clash of red and yellow colors, making it look like it was enveloped in flames. And, it cut through Watchers like it was made of fire as well. The younger girl, it seemed, had a rather knack for fighting, and her skill quickly surpassed the older girl's. The younger girl struck the staff against the floor twice so it would change forms, and this time it morphed into Life Collector, a sword with jewel skulls embedded in the hilt. This wasn't one of Moxie's favorite forms, as she already had a katana she fought with. Nonetheless, Moxie carried on, using her evolved weapon to counter her friends attacks.

   "I know, and then you have to counter!" Nine-year-old Moxie said, cutting off Omie's next attack, then shoving the blade against the other girl's weapon, effectively knocking it out of her hand. Omie was out of breath and panting as Moxie lightly pressed the steel against her throat. "And then, the Watcher is dead." Moxie said, lowering her weapon and backing up a few steps.