By the time I arrived to the control room and turned on my monitors, Sonja and Keenan were already in the middle of their transformation. The Mergers were strapped down to their chairs, my assistant pulling out their Essences—small, glowing tubes—from their chests.

Keenan finished turning first. He was now one head taller than he normally was, covered in thick black fur, with long claws and even longer fangs. By all rights he could have been classified as a werewolf, if werewolves actually existed.

Sonja transformed soon after; her Vessel form was basically a lizard on two legs, a bit smaller than her original self. Her weak reptilian eyes were compensated by her long tongue that flickered out of her mouth periodically, and despite her awkward posture, I knew that she was incredibly swift and agile on her feet.

My assistant approached Sonja and Keenan, placing the Essences into their maw one by one. I had to admit that I was impressed by how unfazed she was. She didn't even flinch as she pressed the tubes into Keenan's maw, or as Sonja scooped them up from her hand with a long and flexible tongue.

Just as I expected, Sonja had chosen Liam's Essence; enormous leathery wings burst out of her back, flapping wildly. Liam could have gone to either of the Vessels, but Sonja's smaller form would be better at utilizing the wings.

Sonja's legs contorted next, her flesh shifting beneath her scales and talons emerging out of her toes as she merged with her other Merger. She stood up straighter, powerful legs bulging with muscles, sharp talons digging into the concrete floor.

In the meantime, Keenan had grown a large, bluish sac beneath his chin. Three pairs of thick tentacles were trailing after him, sprouting from his sides. The third Merger gave him large, curling horns—almost bigger than his entire head. He also had bone-line outgrowths on his neck and spine, helping him support the weight of his horns. It made him a bit less agile, but the combination was good; the tentacles could help him move around, and the horns gave extra protection to the sac under his chin.

The Vessels clambered into the elevator—Sonja's wings folded in an awkward position—and the rest of the kids gathered to the monitor in the waiting room, eager to watch the fight. It wouldn't be easy for Sonja and Keenan, I knew.

Although I had told them that they'd be fighting in a random arena, I had no intention to make it so. I chose a practice ground specifically for them; a large area of knee-deep water, with only a tiny island in the middle, rocks and stones abound. The water would slow the bloodgoyle's movements down, while Keenan could use his long tentacles to compensate. Sonja wouldn't be bothered by the water either, plus she could drop the rocks upon the creature from above. I also set the lighting to simulate dusk; the two Vessels had superior senses, so it favored them. I tried to give them every advantage I could.

It didn't matter much.

Ten seconds after I let the bloodgoyle loose, I could see that they weren't going to win. The creature perched on the biggest rock in the middle of the island, four blood-shot eyes scanning the arena for prey. The bloodgoyle's featureless face was difficult to read—having no mouth, nose or ears didn't help in that regard—but I could tell by its body language that it was patient. The hole through its chest was larger than a melon, which indicated it was hungry, but not hungry enough to enter into a blood-frenzy. Even in its crouching position I could tell that the creature was tall, taller than Keenan's werewolf form. In the dim light his obsidian skin and unnatural stillness made him blend into the landscape, though Sonja and Keenan had no trouble to spot it.

They might have had a chance, if they had decided to lure the bloodgoyle out into the water. Instead of that Keenan howled, then rushed straight towards the monster. Sonja spread her wings and took flight, shooting for the bloodgoyle too. I sighed in frustration. These goddamned kids were only barely less bloodthirsty than the creatures they were fighting—and that was after months of training.

At least Sonja showed a little bit of promise; she changed direction mid-flight. I could see from the way she angled her head that she was conversing with her Mergers. That was good. Liam was one of those Mergers who used their head the most, and it showed. As Keenan crashed into the bloodgoyle—wrapping tentacles around its arms immediately—Sonja got behind the creature, hovering patiently and waiting for an opening.

Keenan opened his jaw and breathed out a puff of white mist, the sac under his chin pulsing slightly. The mist enveloped the bloodgoyle's head, frosting its face all over. The bloodgoyle wasn't overly bothered by it though, and Keenan had to let the creature's arms go, lest the fog caught him as well. Sonja took this opportunity to drop down, her sharp talons raking across the bloodgoyle's head. She took flight again before the monster could catch her, but the damage she had done was superficial.

Keenan rammed the bloodgoyle with his horns, forcing it backwards. The monster didn't lose its footing though, and when Keenan tried to grab its arms the second time, it twisted to side and seized one of his tentacles. With a savage jerk the bloodgoyle tore the tentacle out and with the same motion hurled it at Sonja, who barely managed to dodge. While Keenan was still reeling from the pain, the bloodgoyle picked up a palm-sized stone and threw it at Sonja. This time it managed to hit her wing, breaking her bone with a loud crack.

Sonja fell, landing in the water awkwardly, her huge wings now serving only as hindrance. The bloodgoyle didn't waste any time to lunge towards her, but Keenan had finally recovered, tackling the monster and taking down both of them into the shallow water.

In the brief struggle that followed, it was obvious that the bloodgoyle had the upper hand. Sonja rushed in to help, but her wings slowed her down too much and she took a few heavy punches before she fell back. Keenan didn't fare much better. He never managed to subdue the bloodgoyle properly, as the creature kept grabbing at his tentacles and trying to pull them out. Keenan then breathed his frost—freezing the surface of the water around them—which only made the situation worse. Neither of them could move, but the bloodgoyle's reach was longer; it began to rip out Keenan's tentacles one by one.

At that point Sonja joined the fight again, but the bloodgoyle shrugged off her feeble attacks. The creature backhanded her in a way that was almost contemptuous, and she disappeared under the water, thrashing wildly to get on her feet. The monster then lunged towards Keenan, breaking the ice and closing the gap between them in an instant, punching him under his chin. While he howled in pain the bloodgoyle grabbed his head and thrust it through the hole in its chest. Keenan tried to get free, but the creature had an iron grip on his shoulders. The bloodgoyle's chest began to close up, tightening around Keenan's head. Meanwhile, Sonja was still struggling to get to her feet, grasping for breath. It was obvious that both of them would be dead within moments.

I slammed a button on my control pannel and the chip in the bloodgoyle's skull exploded, melting the monster's brain. Keenan wrenched his head free immediately, then jumped upon the dead bloodgoyle and pummeled it into the water.

"That was terrible," I spoke through the comms. "Both of you are bloodgoyle food. Keenan, Sonja, transform back to heal. Everyone else, get ready for an endurance training session. I'll evaluate the battle while you go through the usual exercises."

At least, that was my plan—up until Keenan and Sonja arrived back. As it turned out, my already shitty day could become even worse.