Lego Monkie Kid: Reincarnated as a Demi-Human

The Scrapyard. The final resting place for run-down cars who've seen better days, now smashed together to form staggering towers—hills of scraps and parts scattered across the grounds and nearly flooding over the fencing. It was the last place anyone would consider taking refuge if one was hunted or chased by a group of angry demons. For Aizhen, this metallic graveyard was her only salvation from facing a fate worse than death.

Aizhen approached the gate and tried to jimmy the door, but it wouldn't budge. It's secured with an electronic lock and reinforced with chains. It required a pin to unlock, but Aizhen wasn't going to waste time guessing numbers starting with "1, 2, 3." Instead, she grabbed the lock, used her draconic strength to rip it off, and tossed it aside. Kicking open the door, she ran inside and returned to the gate. She used the fallen chains to tie the doors together, hoping it would hold long enough for her to find a place to lay low.

Aizhen strode down, gazing at the hills upon hills of scrap metal, parts, and assortment of junk that littered the area. Her nose cringed, picking up the foul rustic odor from the automobile's corpses when she cautiously approached the Jenga car tower. Black liquid dripped from the bottom stack, creating a fresh puddle near her feet. She took a step back to avoid staining her shoes, coiling in disgust at the sight of the 'blood' leaking from the vehicle.

How strange. Automobiles can bleed like mortals? She thought as she bent down to examine the dark ooze further. Dabbing a finger into the liquid, she rubbed it against her thumbs. The ooze left a dark mark on her fingertips. When she took a sniff, she turned to the side and coughed. It smelt like gasoline and charcoal burnt to ash. She brushed her palm against the side of her pant leg, but it just left a stain mark that made the embroidered dragon spew soot.

"Ewww...Okay, note to self: Never stick fingers in black bloodied puddles nor any liquid of that matter...." she made a mental note to herself, reaching into her pocket to take out a small sanitizer bottle.

She kept a few of the freebie bottles she received from the spa after Camille explained each of their use. The 'sanitizer' was a special elixir that allowed one to purify their hands without washing, but only used for emergencies like if you sneeze into your palms or get sticky syrup from sugar butterflies. In this case, having charcoal ooze on your fingers counted as an emergency.

Squirting a reasonable sum into her palm, she rubbed her hands together for a couple of minutes to ensure the sanitizer washed away the oil that had stained the tip of her fingers. After it settled, she inspected her hands- spotless and smelt of lotus flowers. How pleasant to replace the burnt charcoal smell in her sinuses.

Rising from the ground, she listened for any sign of Tanlan and his goons. She could only hear the munching of metal far off in the distance. It sounded like a monster crunching up the bones of his victims.

She managed to get distance between Tanlan and his gang. Earlier, she caught their attention to steer their eyes from the truck toward her. She darted down the block like a cheetah when they charged toward her. It was a good thing there weren't many pedestrians down the block; if there were, she'd warn them to head to safety before Tanlan caught up to her. The last thing she needed was innocent people caught in the crossfire.

Her next course of action was to figure out how to handle Tanlan and his men. She had managed to slip away from them, but she would have to fight if they came after her. Although she possessed dragon strength, she wondered what other abilities she had in her arsenal. Curiously, she flicked her fingers and watched a tiny spark fly through the air, reminiscent of flint striking an ember against a pile of sticks, only to vanish within seconds. She continued flickering her fingers until the tenth flick—whoosh! A ball of light formed in her palm and rose above her head.

"Okay, I can make balls of light. That may be useful if I wanna put on a light show." She rolled her eyes as she felt the reality of having limited powers start to seep in. Throwing up her arms, she paced around in a circle, "Who am I kidding? I can't do anything with just strength and illuminating balls alone! If I were back in my prime form, I'd take those guys out in a single swoop of my claw!"

She stopped in place, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Now wasn't the time for her to lose her head. She assessed her strengths and weaknesses to determine the best course of action against Tanlan and his men. So far, she has her draconic senses, claws, strength, and light magic on her side. Although she had many skills in her favor, the downside was the limitation on how much magic she could use. She would need to use her power sparingly and focus more on physical combat.

Skills aside, she could use the Scrapyard to her advantage. As they say, knowing one's environment gains the upper hand in battle. By studying the layout, Aizhen's chances of survival have significantly increased! Not wasting time, she began to head down the metallic forest, soaking in every detail, from the broken-down scooters and hoverboards to a pile of old phones. Aizhen could've sworn she heard a vile mixture of distorted tunes screaming from the phone hill.

A graveyard for appliances and vehicles that outlived their purpose: Worn out, broken, discarded, and tossed aside for newer models to take their place.

A thought came to Aizhen's mind: When a being has served its purpose, do they get discarded and replaced?

Of course not! There's no way anyone could ever replace immortals and divine guardian beasts! She and her compatriots have been around since the beginning of the universe. They came into being even before Nuwa came around. Just because she got reincarnated doesn't mean she has lost who she was. She was still Huanglong, The Yellow Dragon, despite being smaller and humanish. Despite her restricted powers, she still had her strength and wits. But what was her purpose? Right now, her purpose is to ensure her friends get to Pigsy's safely to get help and hold off Tanlan and his men for as long as possible.

The biggest question was: How can she hold them off if she's one to twelve? Halting in place, sticking a finger under her chin and thought for a minute. Her eyes landed on the piles of junk, darting each item she could pinpoint in each hill, recalling the time she observed Celestial Guards training in the courtyard, striking their blades against straw dummies. One guard managed to slice the head of an enemy dummy with one fell swoop!

Ding!

A torch lit up in her head!

Dummies! She could craft dummies to use as a means to trick the enemy. By crafting dummies to appear like celestial guards to throw off Tanlan and his men, she could get the drop on them. With all this junk lying around, there was enough material to make a hundred dummies, but considering the time she had, she'd have to settle for making six dummies. Quickly, she grabbed a nearby barrel, dragged it toward a clearing, and sprinted to the piles closest to her. She plucked trinkets and slabs of metal plates and tossed each part into the barrel.

Between hunting for material, she couldn't help but find some of the parts fascinating. One, in particular, was a strange square with four stars embedded in it- it was a night light that, when flipped, glowed, but this one kept flickering each time it turned on. She tossed it into the barrel, which could be helpful as an outlet to channel her power into blinding her enemies.

Her left ear began to flicker as she continued rummaging for materials, picking up a jangling sound from the pile next to her. Curious, she cautiously walked toward the pile of trinkets and pieces. Staying a few feet away, she observed for a moment and listened for the jangling sound.

Jangle...Jingle...Jangle...Jingle...

The mid-section of the pile shook, and parts began to fall out of place, revealing a shining red eye looking directly at her! Startled by the glowing eye, she scanned the ground for a weapon to use against this unknown assailant. A nearby pipe laid close by-perfect! Whatever creature lurking in that scrap pile will be in for a rude awakening. She took a wide step, scooped up the pipe, and held it like a samurai about to strike.

"Alright, you, 'Red-Eyed Beast', you picked the wrong dragon to mess with.", she whispered, taking small steps toward the pile in front of her.

The red-eyed beast didn't stir from its nest; it kept watching her and blinking just once before keeping its gaze on Aizhen. Passing the pipe into her left hand, she carefully pushed some of the junk from both sides to get a better look at her one-eyed enemy. Brushing nuts and bolts to the side, she made a dent into the gap. She was getting closer to the eyeball. Squinting her eyes as its crimson light got brighter, she could make out the creature much better. It appeared metallic with a red eyeball and two tiny green appendages clawing through the rubble as if trying to dig itself out to no prevail.

Aizhen reeled her face back in case it tried to claw at her but leaned in just a bit, observing the strange creature for a while. What was this thing? It didn't look like a crab or any bug she'd seen before. She'd never heard of a creature with a glowing red; it must be some new species. Dropping the pipe, she raised her palms up only to briefly freeze near the gap's entrance.

Two things could happen: One scenario: She tries to help the creature, it'll pierce her palms, and it'll hurt. The second scenario: She gets the beast free, but what if the pile of rubbish comes undone and crashes down on her? It didn't sound like a win-win, but if she could use something to swap the creature with something of equal width and height, she could pull it out, and the hill would stay intact.

She rushed back to the barrel, rummaged around the bin, and pulled out a rattle drum without the rattle strings. Returning to the pile, she studied the gap's spacing and stability structure. This was it-she had to time it just right: Swap the creature with the rattle and keep the rubble hill from falling on them.

Taking a deep breath upon exhalation, she glanced toward the creature with sincerity in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of there. Just promise you won't...pierce me with your claws?" she said in a soothing voice to ensure the creature that she meant no harm.

The red-eye creature's metallic eye softened for a moment but grew when her right hand grasped its pincers as she tugged with all her strength. The critter started to budge from captivity and yanked right out just as her other hand secured the rattle drum. The creature flung itself onto her chest, causing her to fall toward the ground. Aizhen and the critter turned toward the shaking tower that rattled and moaned but slowly quieted down when the rattle drum's placement kept the rotating parts from spilling out and dislodging the placement of the interior structure.

Aizhen let out a sigh of relief. Her plan worked. Thank goodness. She and the critter were safe from being buried six feet under scrap metal. Speaking of metal, Aizhen had a better look at the beast she had just rescued from the junk pile. The red-eyed creature looked like a purple spider with neon grin pinchers, but its abdomen was the weirdest thing about it. There was a vial speckled with dots and splatters of paint, and the glass dome on its back housed rich mauve purple ooze. Sickly green and silver liquids danced around the core of the mixture.

"Well, now. You're quite a sight to behold.", Aizhen said, raising her body halfway, keeping an eye on the metallic spider.

The metallic spider tilted its head like a puppy, keeping its gaze on Aizhen. It must have been curious about her as well. It began to take cautious steps up her chest before resting on her shoulder, poking her cheek softly with its appendage.

"Hahahaha...Looks like I'm not the only one curious." she chuckled as she smiled at the spider, but her smile shrunk when its appendage smooshed against her cheek, "Um. Pincers to yourself if you please.."

It reeled its pincer back, tucking its limbs into itself while its back legs clutched onto her shoulder. She wondered if this spider belonged to anyone for being so obedient to her commands. She sat upright and crossed her legs, her eyes not leaving the spider's gaze. Raising her hand to her shoulder, she tilted her head as if telling the critter it could crawl onto her arm. The spider observed for a moment, popping its limbs out and, unlatched its back legs from her shoulder, and began to tip-toe onto her arm.

Aizhen couldn't help but watch in awe as it used her arm as a tight rope to crawl over to the other side, walking onto her shoulder, then crawling up onto her head. Its limbs tickled her ears as it reached the top of her scalp and hopped into her lap. She applauded its adventurous spirit.

"You are a brave little fellow to climb onto a legendary beast like myself. I commend you, little one. Speaking of which, what manner of creature are you?" she asked the metallic spider.

The only response the spider could give her was a series of beeps and boops-the kind sci-fi robots make when trying to communicate with fellow robots. Unfortunately, Aizhen wasn't fluent in robo-nese and didn't know how to speak robot. It sounded like a jingle, an arcade machine made to her ears before starting a game or when you level up before heading to the next level.

Confusion filled her face after listening to the spider, "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."

The spider-bot tapped itself with its leg. Aizhen offered a playful shrug to her new mechanical friend. Although she had studied and mastered nearly every language in the universe, a series of beeps and boops were not part of her vocabulary. That didn't mean she could do her best to translate what her new friend was conveying.

Before she can ask her new friend, her eyes slit, and her hair stands on end as she feels a strong presence make itself known like an approaching fog straight off the ocean. She closed her eyes, her ears perched and twitched to listen to her surroundings. She could hear the faint sound of approaching footprints; their pace was starting to pick up into a sprint that was getting closer and closer. She shot open her eyes, clutched the spider-bot, and rolled out of the way just as a slick mechanical leg pierced the ground where she previously sat.

Aizhen stuck her neck out of her armadillo pose, catching a few quick breaths after nearly being stabbed. She looked down in her arms to find the spider-bot safely nestled on her chest, Letting out a sigh of relief that her new companion was unharmed.

She looked over her shoulder to see what nearly tried to skewer her. It wasn't a spear, nor was it a projectile for retracting from the ground was a slick, sharp appendage. Her eyes followed the metallic leg's motion, not leaving its sight to figure out its origin, but her pupils grew watching the limb reunite with three other legs attached to a body standing just about six feet away from her. What was this creature whose appendages readied themselves to strike upon command? Was it a new species, just like her metallic companion?

Its eyes lit up like headlights-eight glowing neon green eyes shaped like a diamond were looking directly at her, narrowing as the figure brushed its right leg back while scrunching it. It was ready to charge. Aizhen scrambled to her feet just as the creature ran forth, launching one appendage at a time, trying to skewer her. She side-stepped and dodged each one as best she could while clutching the spider close to her bosom for protection.

The creature leaped up high and used two of its appendages to suspend in mid-air while the other two charged toward Aizhen, each piercing through her jacket's sleeves and pinning her to the ground like a butterfly pinned to a board.

Aizhen struggled to break free from its grasp, but the legs refused to release her. The creature descended upon her-its pupils shifted into crimson fury, glaring daggers at the young lady.

"Those were some impressive moves, kid, but not quick enough.", said the mysterious creature speaking in a honeyed voice. "You got some nerve waltzing into my turf and stealing from me."

"Steal...from you?", Aizhen asked, confused about what she meant by 'steal from her.'

"Don't play dumb! You think you can walk out of here with Lumie so you can sell her for scrap just to make a quick yuan!?" the creature barked at her.

"Lu-Mie? Who is Lu-Mie that you speak of? I don't have your Lumie nor know what one is?"

"The little spider-bot you got clutched in your arms there.", the creature pointed to the spider-bot peeking out of Aizhen's arms waving.

Aizhen glanced down at the spider-bot for a moment, then back to the creature. Her eyes lit up as she understood-This little spider-bot, Lumie as its dubbed, must belong to this creature.

"So its name is Lumie, huh? That is quite an admirable name because of its illuminating pupil."

"Well, SHE was named Lumie not because of her glowing eye, but because she has a radiant personality compared to her predecessors", answered the frustrated creature as its eyes turned bead-like,"...And that she has a multi-LED function that allows her to change her eye's coloring."

"I don't know what LED is, but it must be quite a feature for your friend to possess", Aizhen replied with a smile.

"And at the moment she is in your possession after you attempted to kidnap her!"

Her eyes change from wide eyes to eight question marks as the spider-bot, Lumie, began to speak in Robonese. The creature listened closely to each beep and boop, nodding once in awhile.

"Uh huh...I see...Wha-that's what happened!? Lumie how many times have I-....", she projected during the conversation only to pause to allow her friend to proceed. "Okay, so after which she saw you and..."

Aizhen tilted her head, listening to their conversation. Could this creature understand what the spider-bot was saying through the beeps and boops?

"You...can understand her?"

The creature gave Aizhen an annoyed gaze, "Duh. Of course, I understand her. In the beginning, it was trial and error at first during the time I was creating a translation program to install in my visor that allows me to understand what she's telling me."

"Vi-sor?"

"Glasses? Eye ware?" asked the creature, rolling its digital eyes and letting out a frustrated groan.

She pushed her visor up, and the first thing Aizhen saw was a pair of piercing neon green eyes staring directly at her. This creature didn't have eight eyes; she only had two eyes! And it wasn't a creature at all. It was a demon, but not just any demon- a spider demon!

As the demon lowered itself closer, she could make out more of her surprised attacker. Her spikey hair looked like a garden of pointy sea-green thorns dripped with cyan and neon pink soaking into its root. Donning a ghastly soul drip hoodie with its zipper halfway down, exposing the red/black webbed shirt matching her ripped cherry flannel pants. The soles of her Artic black combat boots planted themselves near Aizhen's feet.

"You're....a spider demon?", Aizhen said in awe.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"I don't think that's possible. One: I don't have a phone, and two: I do not know how to take a picture."

"You're...joking, right?", the spider demon raised a skeptical eyebrow toward Aizhen.

"If I was, it wouldn't be a good one.", answered Aizhen.

"Great...I am dealing with a weirdo..." she mumbled to herself, planting her hands on her hips.

"Look, there has been a terrible misunderstanding. I had no clue that this 'Lumie' you call her belonged to you, nor was I trying to steal her."

"Yeah, yeah. She gave me the lay down about what happened", the spider demon waved a hand. "Lumie wandered off for about five minutes when we were searching the mounds for scrap when she came across some old model car wheels on one of the piles."

Lumie nodded energetically, a tiny fantasy bubble floated above her head: Lumie vrooming down in race car mode, buzzing passed legs, leaping off staircases and leaving a sick burn mark as she slid across the ground. Tiny flowers bopped around her head as she swayed left and right with joy. The bubble popped as the spider demon resumed the story.

"So, she decided to try em out by attaching em to the ends of her tips, only to end up fumbling and rolling down the hill, launched off a piece of wood and fell right into that stack you pulled her from.", she pointed a thumb toward the pile behind her.

Aizhen tilted her head to the side, seeing the familiar mound, returning her attention to the spider demon. "Yes, I saw her eye shining forth when I was looking for supplies to make decoy dummies."

"Decoy dummies? For what?"

"I'd be happy to explain if you'd be so kind as to let me go. I promise not to do anything funny. You have my word."

The spider demon stared long and hard for a moment, letting out an annoyed sigh she slowly retracted her legs keeping watch to ensure Aizhen kept her word. With the last leg extracted, Aizhen rose up from the ground, brushing the dirt off her clothes with one arm while the other cradled Lumie.

Once she finished getting the grim off, she approached the spider demon and held out Lumie to her.

"Here's your spider-bot back."

Once she was in reach, the spider demon snatched the tiny bot out of her hands and nestled her close to her bosom fondly stroking its back.

"I'm so glad you're alive. You're lucky the Incinerator is off duty tonight. What would've happened if you got hauled off and plopped right onto its conveyor belt, huh?!", scolded the spider demon waving a finger at her companion.

Lumie lowered her head in shame, but felt a tiny pat tap the top of her optic as she glanced up at her demon friend.

"Don't scare me like that again, okay? I know you've wanted a 'racing mode' for a while, but you should've come back to me to see if modifying those wheels for your legs was possible. I'm just glad you're alright." her voice sounded soothing, like a dove when she spoke to the little robot like it was a child.

Lumie gave her an understanding nod.

"You care deeply for that little spider-bot."

"Of course I do. Spiders like us gotta stick together to make it through this world without being stepped on...or killed off..."

Aizhen pondered what she meant by 'killed off,' but she didn't want to poke at it; otherwise, she'd find more than her jacket nearly punctured with holes by her mechanical legs. The spider demon took a bold step toward Aizhen, gaze locked on her like a missile at its designated target.

"So, now that we got that mess straightened out, mind telling me who you are, what you're doing here, and about these 'Decoy Dummies' you're making?"

"Right. Right." clearing her throat, she stood straight and firmly held out a hand to the spider demon., "My name is Aizhen, I am on the run from a nefarious buff demon and his goons who wish to end my life, and I am putting together decoy dummies as a plan to get the 'jump on them' to dwindle their numbers."

The spider demon looked skeptical at her honest response. Quick and open. There wasn't even a hint of shadiness hidden in that explanation, but it sounded a little vague regarding a buff demon and his goons wanting to end her life.

"And whom should I ask is your name and what you meant by 'turf' earlier when you nearly tried to stab me like you were trying to turn me into a 'demi-human kabob'?" asked Aizhen.

She looked down at her hand- the 'formal handshake,' the classic introductory move. When introducing oneself-in response, she gave it a firm slap. She wasn't one for handshakes.

"Name's Amber. Amber Arachne: 'Jackie of All Trades', Tech Webber, Scavenger, and the greatest hacker in Megaopolis, but you can call me Amber. You've already met and rescued my partner-in-crime, Lumie, here.", she gestured to the spider-bot crawling up onto her left shoulder.

"Amber. That's a lovely name."

"Thanks. Now, about what you said earlier, said something about a 'buff demon and his goons' were hunting ya down to end your life?" asked Amber.

"Yes."

"What did this 'buff demon' look like?" she pulled down her visor, tapping a button on the side. Her visor shot out a beam of light, producing a default hologram of a basic horned demon.

"Your glasses can make holograms?" said an intrigued Aizhen, watching the holographic demon blur each time she surfed her fingers through it.

"They do a lot more than that. This one allows me to go through a compendium of known beings and creatures that exist in our world from what I've gathered from the net and locals that live in or outside the city."

"Known Beings...," she thought deeply. If that compendium stored in her 'visor' has every knowledge of life forms residing in and out of the city, it might contain intel on 'Guardian Beasts' including herself. She'll have a lead on her friends!

"Let's get back on topic- the 'buff guy'. What did he look like?" barked Amber.

Rewinding the recent memories in her brain like a tape, she paused at the image of the olive green giant towering over herself and her friends. Menacing eyes pierced through their skulls, his foul breath, and the tiny cup stuck to his horn.

"He was olive green with a fur vest, smelt like he fell in a swamp, had a cup on his horn after he tripped over my friend's tails that made his drink fall, and yes, he had a giant club?"

The hologram flicked for a second, a bulging demon replaced the horned demon. It was Tanlan alright-even his hologram was uglier than his real-life counterpart.

"Tanlan of the Kongbu Yeshou Gang?!" Amber cried, her digital eyes turning into exclamation points. "Of all the demons you ticked off, you ticked off this guy!?"

"You...know him?", Aizhen raised a curious eyebrow.

"Everyone knows about Tanlan and his gang, including yours truly. How in the world did you end up on the guy's 'hit list'?" asked a bewildered Amber.

"Me and my friends...When they saved me from falling, their tails tripped Tanlan and his drink drenched all over him. Cup on his horn, beads in his hair, and covered in tea...When I tried to explain the misunderstanding, he said he'd let it slide if I went on a 'date with him'."

Amber's digital eyes cringed. Who in their right mind would go on a date with a boarish demon like Tanlan.

"Tell me you DID not say yes?"

"I kindly declined after I learned what a 'date' was. It was a form of courting, not a fruit."

Amber fell back before regaining her composure. Her eyes blazing red with a tiny vein on the right side.

"W-w-why would you think he'd want you to 'go on a date'!?", barked Amber.

"Exactly. Dates are small and hard to sit upon, let alone the tree from which they come, but after Yin explained the true meaning of 'date, ' it was another term for courting one another."

"Yin...Why does that name sound...familiar?" Amber asked herself, turning away for a second with question-mark eyes.

"Anyway, my friends and I got away before he could turn us to 'jam,' but I stayed behind to lead him away while they went to get help at Pigsys."

"Pigsy's. I know that joint, but I've never been in there. I've got noodles in secluded locations. Always left a note to put it outside the door or basket or use a mechanical claw to grab it and pay the delivery boy."

"Oh! So you've had their noodles!" Aizhen's voice rose excitedly, zipping over to Amber with sparkling eyes. "Tell me! From your experience, are his noodles 'legendary' as my friend has spoken highly of!?

"UH!" Amber stepped back, surprised at how she popped up beside her. "Well..Zha jiang mian wouldn't be considered 'legendary', but...you can say it's...' eye-opening'."

"Eye-opening? Do tell."

"Well...It's hard to describe, mainly because it's been almost two weeks since I had his noodles. Strapped for cash, ya know? Speaking of strap and scrap, what about those 'decoy dummies' you were talking about earlier?"

The dummies! Of course! She was so distracted to hear one's opinion on the noodles that she forgot why she was in the Scrapyard! To find a way to beat Tanlan and his men and the dummies was vital to her plan!

"Right! Right! The dummies! I was gathering parts to make-shift some dummies to use as decoys before I came across your metallic friend."

"And how much have you gathered for your project?" asked Amber, like a teacher asking a student for her homework.

Aizhen led Amber to her barrel full of scraps, parts, and mix-match knick-knacks. She looked one look and was disgusted at the supplies the demi-human gathered for herself.

"Oh yeah, these look top-notch, high-class material for making dummies.", she exaggerated, picking up a broken pipe that might've been used as a support beam.

"Really?"

"No, not really!" snapping over at her, "You think these are gonna be sturdy, let alone strong enough to stay together before Tanlan and his cronies can tackle one of them!?"

This girl didn't know what she was doing. Was this her first time DIYing dummies? Did she not have the proper materials, tools, or blueprints on what the dummies would look like? She needed more than this if she was going to stand a chance against Tanlan.

She planted her hand on her forehead, ruffling her bangs and letting out a disappointed but frustrated sigh. "Sigh~Okay, Star Girl, since you saved my bestie, I can help you with your little project if you want to get the edge on Tanlan and his guys. First off, you know how to fight?"

Know how to fight? Sure, Aizhen knew how to fight! She was one of the most potent divine beasts in existence! Of course, she knew how to defend herself against enemies that would threaten the fabric of the universe! She had her tussle of foes in the past, including a pesky, troublesome nine-headed bird. So, yes! She knew how to fight!

Then again, having a human body raised questions as to how she'd manage to fight against a pack of demons and their heavy-set boss. Dragon strength would benefit them in a battle, but she'd have to be careful about how powerful her blows. Could a single fist send a demon flying across the air? Recalling sending the weasel demon crashing into his booth with just a swing of her arm answered one of her questions.

Aizhen had to devise a proper strategy and hone some fighting moves before Tanlan showed up. After what felt like ten minutes, she turned to Amber and nodded.

"I know the basics of combat, but if I am to prepare to face Tanlan head, on-I'm going to need to increase my skills quickly."

"Well, if you wanna pick up a few fighting moves, I guess I could show ya some vids on my laptop back at the base while we assemble those dummies."

"We could make a spare one to use as a training dummy. It'd be interesting to see how much power my form contains so I don't go overboard in breaking another booth."

"Breaking...another booth?" said Amber with a skeptical eyebrow. "Did you destroy some vendor's stall or something?"

"Purely accidental when the 'vendor' tried to rob me of my stone.", answered Aizhen, lifting the barrel with both arms.

"Rob you of your stone? Are we talking a regular ole' rock or a fancy gem?"

"An heirloom...That's all. Now then, Miss Amber, we have scavenging to do. I'll carry the goods; you choose what would be an excellent material for the decoy dummies.", Aizhen proposed. Trusting Amber to gather the supplies needed seemed like a good move on her part to help make a proper stuffed soldier.

Amber responded with a shrug, "Sounds good to me, Star Girl, let's get going. The Scrapyard may be a big place, but you never know how long til that creep and his cronies come popping around the corner. Now, follow me, and don't lag."

"I'm never one to lag, and it's Aizhen."

"What? Don't like the nickname? It goes well with your starry hair.", commented Amber. "Never seen a lot of folks with shimmery hair that shined like stars before."

"Guess I'm the first you've seen. And believe it or not, you are not the first to comment about my starry hair.", replied Aizhen.

Amber started ahead, vanishing behind a hill of old VHS tapes as Aizhen followed behind her.

After thirty minutes of scavenging half the junkyard for decent parts, Amber brought Aizhen back to her hideout. She headed toward a ramshackle shack that's seen better days: The siding had peeled away as bronze bled through the silver coating, dust smogged up the windows, and the door squeaked like a mouse each time the wind brushed against it. No normal human would dare be caught dead living in such a sad excuse for a cabin let alone a demon.

"Is this....where you live?", questioned Aizhen horrified at the state of the shack.

"Oh no, this is where I stash my tools, extra parts, and some stuff I may or may not have stolen here and there," Amber called from within the shack, one of her appendages stuck out and pointed toward her left. "My house is over there."

Aizhen turned to where her limb pointed- a purple dome tent nestled near a corner safely away from an unlit portable fire pit littered with crates. One consisted of cupped noodles, jerky, chips, and a pack of rice crackers. The other was coated with a cold thermal foil and ice, keeping water bottles and bubbly beverages chilled. The third box contained a kettle, cups, plates, and utensils in a pencil holder.

Amber came out with her toolbox, torch, and welding mask. She was ready to make tin soldiers from the rubble they'd gathered.

"Though it's not much, and it's not always in the same place all the time, it's convenient to have a house-on-the-go when you're on the go."

"So, a tent can be a home-on-the-go when you're on the go?...Even that campfire?" Aizhen pointed to the portable fire pit.

"Yep. Portable fire pits are handy when you're roaming about the city." She answered, pulling down her mask, picking up the welding torch, and piecing together the first decoy dummy.

Aizhen approached the tent, and out of curiosity, she unzipped the cloth door to look at the interior. The sleeping bag unraveled with a travel pillow on top and a pair of combat boots to the side. Still, from the corner of her eye, she saw a small table full of moments: Cracked six-eyed lensed goggles, a grappling hook, a spider emblem, but in the center rested a crown helmet-but not just any crown helmet...This broken crown belonged to the late Spider Queen.

It dawned on her: Each of those little souvenirs on the table was a keepsake of her late comrades. Was this a shrine dedicated to them? She wanted to take a closer peek but quickly zipped up the door when she heard Amber call out to her.

"Hey! I could use some help keeping this piece in place while I meld it! If you're done looking at the mini-exhibit, come give me a hand, will ya?!"

Aizhen looked back briefly at the tent before assisting Amber with the dummy. She secured the toaster as the head while Amber melded it onto the body, followed by rusty pipes acting as the limbs. It took one hour to make the decoy dummies-sturdy, strong and convincing, but something was missing-The paint job!

Amber disappeared into her tent and returned with a paint-splattered toolbox. She propped it on the ground and revealed different colored cans from scarlet, tangerine, seafoam, neon, and almost every color under the rainbow to the underworld. Hoisting an indigo canister up, giving a nod and turned toward Lumie, resting on a brick. The spider-bot raised its backside as Amber twisted off its canister and the sherbert glow in her dome transformed into a glowing dark blue.

"Alright, Lumie-Let's give these dummies some flair!", she offered her arm to the spider-bot as it latched onto her wrist.

As Lumie prepared her arm to approach the first dummy, she sprayed the chest from top to bottom with paint. Aizhen watched with curiosity and awe, realizing that she had never seen a spider-bot use paint in this way. It was fascinating to see the spider-bot coat the dummy's chest, giving it the appearance of being dressed rather than leaving it bare. Typically, dummies were given spare clothes to resemble people instead of having their outfits painted on. Did a dummy really need painted clothes at all?

Shifting from different paint cans with sharp precision, the metallic dummies were ready to be deployed. Aizhen carried the dummies while Amber led her to perfect spots to position them across the junkyard. She tagged a spot to remember the dummy's location. If Aizhen were chased into the area, she'd know where to hide while the dummy took the fall.

After Amber cleaned up, she put on a kettle of water and pulled out two cupped noodles from her backpack. The kettle whistled, pouring the steaming liquid into the cups and putting a pair of chopsticks on each. While waiting for the soup to settle, she plucked out a piece of metal from her bag and offered it to Lumie, munching happily on the scrap.

"Hope ya like cup noodles. May not be the noodles your expecting from Pigsys', but it's pretty decent to say the least.", said Amber offering her her cup of noodles.

Aizhen carefully took the cup, "I've never tried noodles in a cup, but I'm willing to give it a try. At least it isn't soggy dumplings."

"Soggy dumplings? Ya mean microwave dumplings? Bleh. Those can be the worst depending on the brand," answered Aizhen, pulling back the lid and plunging her chopsticks into the cup, pulling out a waterfall of noodles slowly slurping.

"That's what Camille told me when she healed me from the poisonous dumpling Yin and Jin offered me."

"Yin and Jin. Let me guess-identical brothers, different skin tones, horns, and wearing those ridiculous outfits?"

"You know them?", asked Aizhen with a curious brow.

"Unfortunately. They were one of my targets the Spider Queen ordered me to capture for her mech. Ughhh~They are so annoying. I kidnapped them while they were preoccupied on who was better: Silver or Gold? What is the deal on what's better? Silver and Gold are different compounds and minerals, but silver has more worth than gold does!"

"I think it's just a sibling thing. Then again, I wonder which of em' is the oldest? Does it depend on the timing of the birth or the height?" pondered Aizhen, taking a slurp of her noodles.

"I don't know. It's stupid if you ask me. So how do you know those two dimwits?", asked Amber.

"I ended up in their hideout when I woke up in this world."

"Woke up in this world? What? You some otherworlder like in those isekais I read about?"

"You can...say that, but you can say other-realmer."

"So, you're from the Celestial Realm then."

Aizhen let out a quiet gasp, her eyes grew to saucer cups. Finally! Someone who understands her situation! All day, she didn't know if her new friends believed she was a celestial being, but Amber was the first to believe her from the get-go. "Yes, I am. I stop by the realm once in a rare while, but I am from the celestial plane until I find myself in this world and in this body."

"Makes sense in a way. Not knowing what a robot or LED was. Okay, so 'Celestial Being', what would you be doing here on Earth than back home with your celestial pals?", Amber asked before having another portion of her noodles.

"Honestly, I don't know. I was supposed to be in the Great Beyond with my friends when the Pillar of Heaven was coming undone, but thanks to MK and his companions, they patched up the pillar, and everyone got powers...The only thing I remember was awaiting my fate before waking up in the theater."

Amber paused mid-slurp looking at Aizhen. The Great Beyond...Pillar of Heaven...The lights that rained down on the citizens chosen by the respected included...She shook it off, slurped the noodles, and gobbled it down.

"Maybe it had something to do with when the Pillar got fixed, right? You were awaiting death but then found yourself here."

"Yes, and this vessel you see before you."

"Vessel...So wait, this isn't what you used to look like?", Amber pondered now curious as she placed her cup down.

"Nope. I used to be much bigger, powerful and....fangier than I am now. I used to be...a Dragon. I mean, I am a dragon-just...not the one I was before..."

Aizhen lowered her head. It was hard to explain her form when she was caught between two species, Dragon and Human, mixed into one being: A demi-human. That made her wonder if she was still immortal or half-immortal. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got.

"Okay, so you used to be a powerful, divine dragon until you wound up as some demi-god?"

"I guess you can put it like that."

"Well, demi-god or not, you look pretty good for a....humanish dragon?"

"Demi-Human."

"Right...Demi-human. You should thank your lucky stars. You weren't reincarnated as a regular human or demon- let alone a spider demon."

When she said it like that, her tone softened like she was at a funeral trying to convey the eulogy of a dear friend. Aizhen's gaze softened and after gobbling up the rest of her noodles, she put the empty cup down and cupped her hands together.

"Those souvenirs in your tent...Did they...belong to your comrades?"

Amber's eyes grew for a second, shrinking down into a vicious scowl like a wolf intimidating its prey.

"Those aren't souvenirs...Their.Artifacts of a fallen empire. Reminders of the past...A reminder of what happens when you put your trust in someone with other plans in mind."

"Someone who had other plans in mind?"

"....Not important. Anyway, now that we got the dummies made and bellies full of noodles, I say you're pretty set with your plan to get the drop on Tanlan. So, anytime you're ready, you can get going."

"HUH?", Aizhen was confused. Amber wasn't going to tag along to lend her assistance? Then again, she didn't want to endanger her life after she was kind enough to help build the dummies and offer her food in exchange for saving her friend. Giving her an understanding nod, she rose from the ground and slightly bowed to Amber, "Right. The longer I stay around here, the more likely I may lure danger your way. Thank you for your hospitality and help, Amber."

"All I was doing was returning the favor for saving Lumie. The noodles were extra. You're gonna need your strength after all," she waved her hands at her. "Now get going! Otherwise, Goliath's gonna sniff his way all the way to my camp!"

"Got it! I hope our paths cross again someday, Amber...If I live to see you again." Aizhen gave a sad but sincere smile before dashing off.

Amber, arms crossed, watched Aizhen disappear behind a hill of computer parts. Finally, she thought she'd never leave. Back to solitude and blissful silence. She headed back to her tent, but Lumie tugged at her collar just before she unzipped the door.

She looked down at her metallic friend; Lumie began to speak in a series of beeps. "She dug her own grave, Lumie. She picked a fight with Tanlan, she has to deal with him."

Lumie narrowed her optical, batting a leg at her cheek. "Ow, ow, ow!" she pucked Lumie off her shoulder and placed her down in the tent, "No way! I already helped her with the dummies and gave her two of the last cupped noodles! She's on her own now!"

Lumie leaped up and down, steam puffing from her body as she kept beeping and booping quickly. Amber gasped at the last boops she heard. "Gasp!...Young botling, I did NOT program you to speak such language! Last time I let you watch Monkey Cop."

Lumie squatted up and down, scuttling toward the spider queen's crown and pointing a leg toward it. Amber stared at the crown, a lump formed in her stomach. Each time she looked at the Spider Queen's broken crown, she could recall the queen's final moments from the shadows. Her body was torn from her mech as she was dragged into the depths of the bubbling furnace while the Lady Bone Demon let out a cackle that rattled one's soul. Before she and the Fake Mayor caught a glimpse, she sprinted down the tunnel. She took different pathways and crawl spaces until she came across a ladder leading to the surface. She didn't look back and kept climbing until she reached the manhole, pushing with all her might until it began to give way. With one final push, she slid it off and climbed right out.

She felt her chest tightened. Every time the queen's death played in her head, she could hear the Lady Bone Demon's cackling echo through her mind. She ran down an endless darkness, trying to get as far away from her as possible; even though she was far the words spoken haunted her to this day.

Poor Little Spider, you'll never escape your fate no matter how far you scurry. You will forever be alone. Your existence shall be a reminder of the Spider Queen's fall. You will never have a place to belong. You will forever be ostracized by the world for the queen's sins...

Amber took steady breaths, grasping her chest as she tried to ground herself, but the words kept echoing repeatedly in her mind. She could feel them pounding into her brain like a hammer hitting a nail deeper into the wood. Lumie leaped onto her arm and scurried up her shoulder and to her scalp. She began to massage her head with her limbs-softly scrunching the roots and being careful not to scrunch too much to harm the skin. Amber started to calm herself when she felt Lumie's scalp massage taking effect. Taking one final deep breath and releasing, she gazed up at her robotic friend with a small smile.

"Thank you, Lumie. The ole scalp massage always helps to calm my nerves."

Lumie gave her a nod and leapt off her head only to be caught in Amber's hands. Amber gazed at the crown before looking over her shoulder to where Aizhen disappeared. Even with those decoy dummies and her skills, it wasn't going to be enough to take down Tanlan and his goons. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but that Celestial would owe her after the rumble.

"Sigh, Lumie...Time to hook ya up with some firepower; we got a Celestial to help."

Lumie's optical form transformed into a heart, excitedly waving two limbs in the air. Amber let out a disgruntled groan. When had she become so soft that she would stick her neck out for a stranger she had just met an hour ago? She was a spider demon. Spider demons looked out for each other; if you helped one, they kept their end of the bargain, and that was that. One thing was for sure: Aizhen was going to owe her big time for saving him from becoming Tanlan's midnight snack.