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Chrono and Adraxi watched from one of the towers of the manor as the growing horde of infested creatures continued to gather around the barrier that had been erected. Most of them had been mutated to some extent and a lot had been merged together or turned into monstrous versions of themselves. Even with the protection around the manor and the fact that they were removed from the realm Chrono could sense their powerful lustful energies being filtered specifically to the spreading aspect. Then there was the rubber hydra that towered over them all that was the central hub of the parasite's neural network.

"It certainly appears that we have gotten past the possibility of containment," the stone dragon commented as they both crossed their arms. "Now what do we do?"

Chrono didn't know what to say and as he looked at his fingers he could see the shine of his silver synthetic skin showing under the black rubber. "I... I don't know..." he admitted as he saw Renzyl's power failing him. "All I'm doing right now is playing defense and making sure the parasite doesn't reach Renzyl's essence and protecting those that haven't been infected. But they're already starting to weaken the glyphs and we don't have nearly enough forces to push him back... not to mention the fact that it knows that I'm not the real Renzyl."

"We have to start considering alternative options here," Adraxi stated simply. "Namely... purging the realm."

"Purging the realm?" Chrono repeated. "What is that?"

"A last-resort option when something like this happens," the marble dragon explained as he walked back into the room and sat down with a loud sigh. "Strips down everything and brings it back to its primordial state, basically the pool of rubber that's Lord Renzyl's essence and nothing else. Doing that however not only means that the nexus creature has to start from scratch but also anything in it during the purge is converted into energy and released, complete sterilization."

Chrono could feel his jaw drop slightly at the inclination, seeing the serious face set in the stone on the marble dragon. "But we have thousands in the manor that still aren't infected yet," he quickly stated. "We can't possibly think of doing that until we've exhausted every last option."

"There is a way to save them," Adraxi retorted. "The central hub is capable of opening a small, direct portal to another world that is confined to that spot only. The problem is that such a defined vector while everything else is quarantined means that it's going to take a lot of power and that the trip will be one-way. But those minions in here will be safe, including yourself, and Renzyl will probably eventually find you once this world is reset."

"No..." Chrono said as he shook his head. "Renzyl wouldn't do that, he'd find a way to save everyone and not just sacrifice everything in order to save himself."

"Better that then lose himself to some parasite," Adraxi said. "I daresay this creature may already be more powerful then what Renzyl himself could handle and if this creature somehow gets it then its control over the realm would be absolute. It could even radiate to other realms and start affecting other siblings... there would be no way to warn them of the threat that was coming and this could spread throughout the entire nexus realm."

Though Chrono didn't like what he was hearing he knew that the stone dragon was right, he had to start thinking about protecting his master over everything else. Every creature in this realm would be more than willing to give themselves up for the rubber dragon but it still made him uneasy that he would be the one to pull the trigger. It felt like he was betraying everyone... but as he looked out and saw the rubber creatures with the shiny clear rubber on their bodies pulsating everywhere, especially their heads he knew that this parasite's power would only grow with his inaction. Everything he did to try to contain it failed and he could see that their thirst for more was unquenchable and those infested would stop at nothing...

Stop at nothing to infect others...

Chrono suddenly snapped his fingers and ran into the room with such a suddenness that it nearly caused Adraxi to fall over from his chair. "I think I have something that just might work..." he said as he ran towards the door, pointing at the dragon as he did so. "Tell the magi that once they see the signal to let down the force field in the main courtyard!"

"Alright..." Adraxi said, sitting there in slight confusion for a few seconds before he scrambled up and ran to the doorframe himself. "Wait, what's the signal?"

"They'll know it when they see it!" Chrono shouted before turning the corner and disappearing.

About an hour later Chrono walked into the empty courtyard and stood in front of the fountain where Adraxi had been, crossing his arms and smirking as he looked out with his glowing red eyes. He had given Renzyl's instincts the driver's seat and it showed, those beyond the cracking force field stopped their assault and looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear. As the defiant dragon remained there the force field completely shattered, allowing the infested creatures access to the manor and everyone that was hiding inside. When they started to charge forward however Chrono flared out his black rubber wings and it caused them to stop dead in their tracks once more.

It appeared that the need to serve Master Renzyl was still deeply ingrained into them to the point that even with their compromised nature they still felt compelled to serve, Chrono thought to himself as he stared them all down. He knew it wouldn't last forever though and even as he stood there he could start to feel the ground underneath his feet begin to shake. The water that was behind him rippled in a steady rhythm as the huge, monstrous creature that was the rubber hydra moved forward. He could see that several more heads had been integrated into it since the last time he had seen it, including Sivilath, the snake cock that was Zander, and the wyvern that had previously made into a clone of himself.

Despite the size difference Chrono refused to look up, especially when the main head of the creature let out a low chuckle. Though internally the raptor was shuddering in pure fear and panic he allowed the external black rubber dragon to remain cool and confident. Eventually it was clear that he was still running the show and the former allosaurus craned his head down so that they were eye to eye. As Renzyl looked him over it was clear that the parasite had fully taken control of this creature, his eyes crystal clear and with a number of rubber tentacles that had sprouted from his head that stretched towards him.

"If it isn't the imposter," all the heads said at once, Chrono just smirking. "Why do you still wear the mask of your soon to be former master? As soon as I take his the primal essence of Renzyl I will rule this place like a god... not even the real one could stop me at this rate."

"Do you honestly think that this realm would cower to the likes of you?" Chrono just replied, Renzyl's cadence unwavering to the point where even he was impressed with it. "I've created more complex creatures then you, even if you somehow manage to get a foothold here my brothers will stop you from spreading and will put you back in an egg... this time I'm thinking that it should be a chicken one should suffice."

There was a flash of anger in the faces of all the creatures, Chrono trying not to look at the multiple pairs of similarly clear eyes while staring down the one in front of him. "Bold talk from someone that can't even wield all the powers of the one you're pretending to be," the hydra replied. "I can smell it on you... you can hardly keep up the guise much less do anything to stop me. What's the plan, going to try and bluff me into surrendering myself and all that I've taken from you?"

"The plan is to offer you a compromise," Chrono stated. "I have no wish to trap you again indefinitely, but in exchange for doing so you're going to be transported to a world that is not connected in anyway to the nexus realm. Of course to reach such a place I'm going to need to be reconnected to the nexus and I will need all the power I can muster to form a bridge where there is none, which means you will have to give everything and everyone back to me."

There was a moment of pause from the hydra as he looked at Chrono, then laughed so hard that it would have knocked him off his feet if he hadn't braced himself with Renzyl's feet claws. "It seems you still have your master's arrogance,' the hydra replied. "As for your offer I would like to counter with this, if you let me infest you now and take his powers you can be more than just a head on my shoulders. How does that sound imposter?"

"Sounds like something that would be offered from someone who thinks they're on top," Chrono replied defiantly, keeping his arms crossed even as he was surrounded by bared teeth. "You think you can handle my power? You'd probably come back in a minute begging for me to take it from you, wishing that you were never born as that pathetic little brain of yours gets so overwhelmed that you practically melt into a pile of hardly sentient goo..."

That was clearly not what the parasitic creature wanted to hear as reared his head back, then darted forward like a snake to snatch Chrono up. Though he wanted to make sure that he avoided the teeth he didn't dodge completely out of the way, instead he grabbed onto the huge tongue of the hydra as he was lifted up into the air. In his mind he could hear those that were still connected to the nexus realm gasp as they saw their leader get lifted up into the air. As Chrono struggled to get his footing he could feel his entire body tingling as the thick latex goo that was this creature's saliva began to leech the black rubber from his body.

Just a little bit longer, Chrono thought to himself as he saw his silver scales once more reappearing. Already he could feel the parasite starting to infest his mind and body and though the raptor was powerful he could feel that this creature was almost overwhelming. He could also see his hands and feet starting to melt into the rubbery maw of the creature, no doubt to create yet another head, or worse, from his body as he could hear another head of the hydra start to announce his proclamations that he was the new ruler of the realm. It was sickening to hear, but Chrono needed to continue to have the strength to resist as rubber tentacles began to branch off of the thick tongue he was practically riding.

Chrono felt the head he was riding in start to sway slightly as more of the tentacles slithered up his body while the black rubber melted off of him. He let out a groan of pleasure as one of them eagerly pushed into his backside while another cupped around his slightly diminished ridged cock. As his feet continued to be straddled against the thick appendage underneath him he saw that his thighs and calves had started to sink into the brightly-colored latex beneath him. As the silver coloration began to spread over it he realized that he wasn't going to be made into another head of the hyrda...

"I can see that you're starting to understand the situation now," the head that had been talking said as the main one opened wide, exposing him to the light once more as another tentacle pushed its way into Chrono's maw and slid easily down his throat. "You thought that you would come out here and, what, sacrifice yourself for the good of those that you're trying to protect? The only thing you've done is allowed me to take my rightful place in this realm."

Even though the silver saurian could feel his body warping under the tentacles that were completely encasing him he focused on retaining his mind, which caused the hydra to chuckle before looking at the manor. "Look here!" the hydra exclaimed as the main head showcased the transforming raptor, who had partially melted into the tongue of the creature while losing the last vestiges of his Renzyl disguise. "This is the one that you so blindly followed, and he is not even your Master! You have all been deceived by someone who merely wishes to have your respect and admiration, when we all know that creatures such as yourselves desire it being taken from you."

The smiles on all the creature's head disappeared slightly as they heard muffled laughter coming from inside the main head, the other heads shifting their necks to look at the raptor that was laughing despite the tentacle being pushed into him from his maw. Their curiosity got the better of them and the tentacle in Chrono's mouth slid out as they asked what was so fun. "Just the fact that you think any of this matters," he said with a smirk even as his torso and cock were absorbed. "You're so blinding by your desire for power and control that you missed something that was right in front of your face."

"Cease your endless prattling," the hydra growled. "Renzyl may enjoy hearing you talk but we do not, and soon the only thing you're going to be able to do is feel the vibrations as we give orders to our new subjects. Once we reach the primal essence of Renzyl and absorb it-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to say before this is over that you really did have a good run at this, I am impressed," once more the fury on the faces of the hyrda didn't bother Chrono as he looked back at a black lump of rubber that had been nestled between his former wings, watching as the glint of silver metal became exposed. "Unfortunately for you I have one last thing to say..." The grin on Chrono's muzzle widened when he saw the rubber that had been holding the pocket watch closed weakened to the point where it could no longer do so, the cover flipping open and exposing the face within. "Time's up."

The effect was instantaneous; the second the stolen power of the parasite had come in contact with the watch it sent a shockwave throughout the infected. It was the one thought that Chrono had been protecting from the creature; knowing that sooner or later it was going to incorporate the latex of his disguise into itself and expose the watch he had altered so that it would stay open. The fact that he had hidden the watch essentially inside of him was the reason that he didn't use any of Renzyl's powers on the hyrda, knowing that even with the watch somewhat secure if he used anything it might have activated on him.

The rubber that Chrono had been getting incorporated into quickly melted away from his body and as he reverted back to his normal state he found himself sliding out of the mouth of the creature. Every head on the hydra was screeching, though Chrono knew that was merely the parasite as he jumped away from the falling main head and landed in the fountain with a splash. As he quickly got back up he saw as the hydra, which was mostly parasite at that point, continued to melt those that had been brought under its thrall were thrashing about as well. He could see that the goo of the parasite was being pulled out of them and coalescing around the melting mass of rubber that was in the middle of them all.

Chrono could see out of the corner of his eye that others in the manor had started to come out to see if they could help their ailing fellow minions and he quickly jumped out of the water to stop them. To his surprise they all stopped dead in their tracks as he held out his hands and told them to wait while he heard the parasite continuing to implode on itself. When it was clear that no one was going to defy his orders he looked over his shoulder to see that most of those that had been infested were now back to their old forms, most losing the features that had been given to them by the creature while others retained them as they began to stagger away from the thrashing creature. Eventually the other heads of the hydra began to pull away from the main body and reform into their old forms as the rest of it shrank while starting to turn translucent.

As Chrono slowly stepped forward while others such as Sivilath and Draylin that had been absorbed into the creature quickly pulled themselves away he found himself joined by another. Adraxi watched in sheer fascination alongside the raptor as soon there was only one figure left that was greatly reduced in mass, especially as the feral dragon that had been initially captured pulled away as well. In the middle of the parasitic goo was the lizardman that had started it all, the allosaur form that had been created melting away as it tried to maintain its hold on one last host. But as Chrono and Adraxi surrounded the creature they could see the clear substance peeling away from the head of the changing reptile as it looked up at them with partially clear eyes.

"H-how..." the parasite said, though most of its words were mere gurgles as the tentacles attempting to keep a hold on its host were pulled back into its body. "This is... i-impossible..."

"You should have taken my offer," Chrono said as he knelt down and looked straight into the parasite's eyes. "Renzyl may be the master of this realm, but every soul here is ready to protect it, including me. The fact that you underestimated me when you figured out who I was gave me the opening I needed to put you back where you belong."

It looked like the parasite had more to say, but it wasn't going to get the chance as the tendrils on Ishmael's body were pulled back from his head and throat and collapsed into the rapidly shrinking mass of goo. Less than a minute later the entire organism pulled away from the lizardman and on Chrono's instruction two others came in and pulled the unconscious creature away. That just left the parasite itself with the pocket watch still floating around inside of it. As Chrono and Adraxi watched soon the rest of the gooey form collapsed on itself until the only thing left was the device itself which sat partially opened on the ground.

Just as Adraxi was about to ask what they were supposed to do now both of them felt their abilities being muted as the others in the courtyard suddenly parted to give a ventablack-scaled creature a wide berth. "I believe this is where you wanted me to come in Chrono?" the creature asked, even the silver raptor and the marble dragon moving away from him. "I'm also guessing that the pocket watch is the target."

"You would be correct," Chrono replied as he gestured to the silver time piece. "Go do what you do best Felix."

The void creature nodded and went over to the pocket watch, picking it up with ease and closing it tightly as he concentrated his energy on it. The grass and trees that had already started to look a little sickly became blackened and the other rubber creatures began to have their rubbery scales and fur melting away to reveal their forms underneath as Felix channeled the power that existed between the nodes of the nexus realm. Even though the sensation only lasted for a few seconds Chrono didn't like it at all, especially as he saw his human hands reappearing briefly before his saurian digits reformed. Felix announced he was done and when he opened his palms they saw the pocket watch was completely enveloped in the same nexus-neutralizing effect as the lizardman himself while he began to walk back into the manor.

"Well, it looks like the crisis is over," Adraxi said as he patted Chrono on the shoulder before spinning him around and showing him the large group of rubber creatures that were still gathered in the courtyard. "Of course now you have some explaining to do, but I'm sure after dealing with a realm-ravaging parasite this will be nothing." As Chrono found himself swallowing hard he felt himself get pushed forward by the marble dragon. "Go on then, your audience awaits you."

At the prompting of Adraxi Chrono climbed up to the platform that had once been occupied by the marble creature, all pairs of synthetic eyes on him save for those who were still recovering from being possessed by the parasite. "Minions of Lord Renzyl's realm," Chrono started to say. "The crisis that has been plaguing us is now over, which means that we can go back to our normal routines. I want to personally thank everyone that helped during this trying time and stopped this thing from becoming an even bigger fiasco then it was."

"Wait a second," a voice in the crowd chimed in. "How long have you been pretending to be Master Renzyl?"

"I've been filling in for Lord Renzyl for only a short while," Chrono replied, trying to stifle the growing murmur that was cascading through the crowd. "In no way was I attempting to replace him, in fact this system was put into place in the event that something like this might happen. It was thanks to this back-up system that we were able to keep the parasite at bay until we had the means to capture and contain it once more."

"So... you've been Master Renzyl the entire time that this parasite thing has been happening and leading everyone using his image?" another voice shouted, Chrono once more trying to stay stoic as he nodded that caused a hush to fall over the crowd. "...get him!"

Chrono's mirrored eyes widened as suddenly the entire congregation of creatures moved forward, splashing into the water in order to get the raptor that was sitting on the pedestal. Even if he thought to run there was no where to go as several nagas quickly slithered their way up to him and grabbed him by the arms. Before he could say or do anything they tossed him off to the crowd below, the silver raptor feeling like he was hovering in mid-air as the shouts grew more intense around him. Then, just as suddenly as it started his fall was arrested by what felt like dozen's of hands as they continued to keep him hoisted in the air.

For a few seconds the raptor squeezed his eyes shut as he was at the mercy of those that he had deceived, but as he finally deciphered what the voices were saying he slowly opened them once more. They were not, as his fear-induced instincts told him, shouting for him to be punished, but instead chanting his name as they continued to bring him towards the manor. "Uh, Adraxi!" Chrono shouted as he was just able to make out the marble dragon still standing there with a smirk and his arms crossed over his chest. "Little help!"

"It appears that you will be at the whim of your admirers for a while!" Adraxi called back. "You should probably just try to enjoy it, they're going to celebrate you whether you like it or not!" The marble dragon watched for a while as the horde of rubber creatures continued to file in, all of them jubilant as they not only survived the parasite but also had an excuse to party. The only one that didn't follow them was the stone dragon himself, though as he watched them all disappear he was soon joined by a fully recovered Zander.

"Looks like he's going to have a hero's feast prepared for him," Zander said as the two looked at one another. "Are you ever going to tell him?"

"Of course not," the marble dragon replied, his eyes glowing red as he started to walk over towards the pedestal that Chrono had just been vacated from. "It was fun to see him work his magic, I just played a small part in his decision-making process. Speaking of which, I'm sure he would have told you had he not been carted off by hundreds of hooligans but if you could please reconnect the realms I would like to return back now."

"I'll do it before I go to the party myself," Zander said before shuffling in, looking back as the movement of the marble creature stiffened. "I will eagerly await your return Master Renzyl."

A few hours later the party was in full swing, Chrono thankful that he was no longer hoisted through the air and his latex-scaled butt was planted firmly on the seat. In usual Renzyl style all the creatures of the realm leant their expertise to turn the grand hall into an impromptu party spot. As the raptor watched they banded together almost instantly and brought in tables, chairs, made decorations, and finally food and entertainment. He almost felt a little embarrassed to have so much attention directed to him, mostly he just sat in the background while Renzyl took the show.

Many people came up to him and asked him how he managed to outsmart the parasite and free all those infested by him, to the point where Chrono could have told it in his sleep. He weaved the story of how he had been introduced to the power of the stopwatch before the parasite had escaped and knew that with the way the creature worked it would never be able to escape the pull since its powers were instinctual and essentially on all the time. Then it just came to the matter of how to introduce it into his system, which was where his goading the creature into completely sublimating his body and not just infecting him came in. By the time that the parasite knew what was happening it had accidently released the pocket watch, which in turned caused all the corruptive power and infestation it had created to basically implode on itself to the point Felix could trap it.

"That's amazing!" one of the lizardman said as his tail wagged excitedly. "Were you scared when you had to provoke the hydra?"

"Well, I mean, who wouldn't be?" Chrono said as he took a drink that had been provided to him. "But I guess I learned a think or two from being around with Master Renzyl, if I can poke fun at him and not be afraid then I could do it to anyone." The chuckles and laughter he had gotten from the joke quickly died out, causing Chrono a bit of confusion as he saw their jaws drop slightly. "What, you don't think I can make fun of Renzyl?"

Suddenly a pair of hands that were unmistakable to anyone else landed on his shoulders, the fingers gently applying pressure as he could instantly feel the radiance of Master Renzyl himself behind him. "Perhaps I've been letting you have a little too much of your leash," he said, the raptor slowly turning back to see those red eyes gleaming down at him until one gave him a wink. "Relax Chrono, you know that I'm just teasing."

A number of breaths were released at that point, including Chrono, as a smirk appeared on the rubber dragon's muzzle. When he asked if he could have a word alone with the hero his minions were all too quick to oblige and very quickly the silver rubber saurian found himself alone save for the one who sat down next to him. "Master Renzyl!" Chrono said as he leaned over and hugged Renzyl, who quickly reciprocated. "Had I known that you were trying to get back I would have immediately gone and restored the connection to the nexus for you!"

"You can relax Chrono," Renzyl replied as he leaned back. "Zander knew that you had been otherwise preoccupied and restored everything for you, and he also filled me in on the adventure that you've been having. How did it feel filling my rubber paws for a while?"

"Exhausting," Chrono stated simply, causing the rubber dragon to chuckle. "Don't get me wrong, I did have a lot of fun with the perks your presence can give, but I'm just surprised at how little I actually know about what you do to protect everything around here. I'm sure had you been here when that parasite escaped you could have just subjugated it and turned it into a minion yourself."

"Don't sell yourself short Chrono," Renzyl stated. "I may be powerful, but you're very clever when it comes to these sorts of things. There's a reason why I let you pretend to be me when I'm gone, because I know that everything I care for around here will be safe in your hands."

"You... you really trust me that much?" Chrono exclaimed, the dragon nodding.

"In fact," Renzyl said as he put his hands behind his head. "I may have to take prolonged vacations more often."

"Please... please don't..." Chrono said wryly. "I don't think I could handle being you for any longer then necessary."

Renzyl laughed and patted Chrono on the back, then got up from the chair and told him to enjoy himself while he caught up on the work he had been missing. The silver raptor normally would have insisted that he was the one who did it, but at this point he was more then happy to let the rubber dragon see to his infinitely expanding list. With Renzyl retiring from the party the focus once more snapped back at him and Chrono found himself far more at ease with the adulation and accolades being given to him. Even if this was only for a month, a day, or even until the party ended Chrono knew that everything he had done up to this point was worth it.