“My, my,” a woman coyly remarked as she gently ran her hand through Star’s hair. Seated on the edge of the fountain was another catgirl with black furry ears and a long dark tail. She wore black heel boots and dark pants that had rips on the legs, her shapely hips having daggers sheathed on either side while a long dark cape fluttered down behind her rear with a small red frill hanging against her right hip. Her impressive bust size was barely contained by a brown and black tunic that left the top of her chest exposed along with her belly. A black bandanna was worn atop her head amidst her long, dark violet hair that reached down to her back. Her golden feline eyes examined the sleeping jinx while her slick smile gave a faint glimpse of her fangs, a chuckling meow being made by the woman before she turned her curious gaze onto Kitten.
“All this fuss, just to save this jinx’s life? She must truly be special to you, my dear.”
“Wha- who the hell are you?” Kitten demanded, turning around and pointing her sword towards the woman. “Get the fuck away from that cat, lady, or so help me-”
“Easy now,” the woman gently insisted. She slowly stood up and began walking towards Kitten with both hands resting on her hips. “Picking a fight in this city isn’t exactly frowned upon, but if you pick one too many then we’ll have to politely tell you to stop.”
She came up right in front of Kitten’s sword, glancing to it briefly before eyeing over the demon who remained wholly ready to plunge the steel into the newcomer if pressed in the slightest. She then calmly waved off the gargoyles, with both guards stepping back and lowering their stances on command. Kitten noticed the tension in the air having been struck down rather quickly by the newcomer as the gargoyles and Diago had eased themselves while Lucy was now hiding entirely behind the ant girl with a shaking tail.
“Kitten, right?” the woman asked, earning a surprised look from the demon. “Yes, your hair… it matches your description perfectly. And your sword… and temper… just as fiery as foretold. Yes, you are the one I’ve heard some interesting tales of recently.”
“How did you know my name?” Kitten carefully inquired. “Where did you even come from?”
“I’ve been following you ever since you came to this city.”
“No you haven’t,” Kitten argued shaking her head. “I’ve seen plenty of monsters in these streets, none of which were you. Ah, I get it. You were stalking me from the shadows like that gutter rat hiding over there.”
“I’m not a gutter rat, you stupid bat!” Lucy shot back.
“I’ll thank you not to speak so unkindly about my daughter,” the woman replied with a raised eyebrow. She then glanced over to Lucy who was peeking out from behind Diago. “However, I did see that she once again felt like she could take that which does not belong to her, so I’ll let your mean remark slide this one time. Lucy?”
“…hi, mom,” Lucy squeaked out.
“How many times have I told you not to steal from others?” her mother demanded. “Every time you act so callously you set our people further back in this world and you embarrass me in front of everyone who lives in our city. You do realize I get reports daily about your thievery despite constantly disciplining you for acting as such? Have you no shame or dignity?”
“What’s shameful is all of us acting like domestic pussycats!” Lucy shouted back. “We’re copycats, we can get anything we want in this world just like we always have, so why should we change that and throw everything our ancestors taught us away for nothing? We shouldn’t-”
“We will not have this discussion out here!” her mother roared, causing Lucy to hop back with a squeak while the other monsters watched the child with tired looks. “You know our rules. Bite your tongue while we’re outside. We shall have a lengthy discussion about this when we go home, so I suggest you save all your courage with speaking to your mother with such impudence for when you will sorely need it. Am I understood, young lady?”
“Y… yes, mother…” Lucy mewled, lowering her head in defeat. The gargoyles giggled at seeing her shutting up while Diago continued to show a stoic look as she holstered her pickaxe. Kitten however was showing a confused expression from their argument as she lowered her sword, the demon then slowly looking at the mother with a curious eye as something clicked in her mind from what she said.
“Copycats,” she repeated, earning the group’s attention. “You’re not nekos, you’re copycats? Wait, I remember that monster class, you girls can…”
“Copy others?” the copycat questioned. With a smirk on her face she demonstrated their innate skill, with her body and figure then shifting and remolding into a mirror image of the cambion that stared back at her in surprise. Except for her clothes which remained the same, the woman was able to mimic Kitten’s exact appearance, height, and body proportions, complete with demonic wings and tail which emerged behind her. Even the glowing eyes of the cambion looked exactly the same, leaving Kitten speechless as the monster was able to throw her usual arrogant smirk right back at her.
“Yes, that is our special talent,” the copycat purred in Kitten’s voice, taking a moment to remove her bandanna and gently shake her hair in a sultry manner, before shifting into the appearance of a gremlin without batting an eyelash. Kitten carefully eyed over the perfect likeness before the copycat shifted to a troll with a mohawk, then a goblin with a lazy eye, and then another copycat that looked strikingly familiar to the demon. Seeing the multiple faces of the copycat, Kitten recalled each and every one of them being among the citizens of Stonegate that she had at one point or another crossed or passed by that night.
“How are my imitations?” the copycat asked as she shifted back to her original appearance and put back on her bandanna. “Are they convincing enough? I have quite the number of looks I can mimic which I’ve learned during my life, though it’s hard to pick a favorite.”
“You were stalking us since we arrived?” Kitten cautiously remarked.
“Not at first,” the woman replied shaking her head. “I was actually searching for my troublesome daughter before I noticed you strolling through town. That’s when I decided to keep an eye on you, after all I always keep a close watch on those that come to my city.”
“Your city? You mean…”
“Allow me to properly introduce myself,” the copycat purred with a formal bow. “I am Countess Eirene, head of Stonegate and chieftess of the copycats here in Koskaysil. Well, most anyway. There are sadly a few broods out there that ignore my guidance, but they are few and far between. At any rate, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from someone you know very well. I’m sure you know who I’m speaking of, don’t you?”
“Kroanette?” Kitten carefully asked.
Eirene chuckled with an amused grin before waving to the gargoyles.
“You can open the gate, my dears. I will personally vouch for this one here.”
“If you say so, countess,” one of the gargoyles agreed, the two giving Kitten a curious look again before flapping their wings and flying over to the mountainside entrance. Kitten watched them go before seeing Eirene walking back and lifting Star up from the empty fountain.
“Now then,” Eirene cooed as she headed over to Kitten’s side. “First thing’s first, let’s get this one fixed up with the good doctor. Fear not, she’ll soon be in good hands. Star was her name, yes?”
“You know about her too?” Kitten wondered.
“Oh yes,” Eirene smirked as she eyed over the jinx. “I know of this jinx very well. Very well indeed.”
Kitten showed a perplexed look at the woman before noticing the gargoyles hopping back onto their pedestals on either side of the gate. Each of them pushed their hands into small openings in the wall behind where they had stood earlier, both of them fiddling with something deeper in before turning to Eirene. The copycat nodded, again confirming her decision, with the gargoyles then pulling something that made a loud thump inside the wall. With a heavy rumble the large stone gate began to slide up, re
vealing a deep tunnel with large suspended basins overhead that had burning fires lighting the way. The gate was lifted up into the rocky cliffside and locked in place with an echoing thud, with Kitten closely examining the hidden pathway that appeared to have more gargoyles perched on platforms lining the walls all the way through the corridor.
“Please sheathe your sword, dear,” Eirene mentioned as she started walking forward. “And follow me. We’ll drop this poor jinx off at the doctor before we discuss other matters.”
Stopping next to Diago the woman glanced down to Lucy who mumbled something with her head lowered.
“Diago? Please escort my daughter to my quarters at once. I’ll deal with her and her actions later.”
Diago looked down to Lucy with a dull stare as the younger copycat jumped with a squeak.
“And, Lucy?” Eirene continued, cutting off her daughter’s protest. “I expect you to wait there until I return, or else I will remind you what happens when my patience is pulled to its last thread.”
“But, mom,” Lucy whined. She saw her mother show a stern glare towards her, the youngster then lowering her head with drooping ears as she mewed and nodded slowly. Eirene gave a firm nod before walking forward again, leaving Lucy to mumble to herself as Diago grabbed her hand and led the little troublemaker into the passageway. The countess made it a few steps into the lit tunnel before looking back to Kitten.
“Well?” she said with a playful smile. “In or out, my dear. Which is it going to be?”
Kitten narrowed her eyes at the woman, her hand gripping her sword tightly as she looked around at the city she was in along with the monsters who were observing her closely. Glancing to Star she took a moment to consider what she was doing before she sheathed the sword at her side and approached the copycat.
“There had better be a good explanation for all this,” she snapped, taking Star back into her arms and holding her away from the countess. “Your suspicious generosity towards this one doesn’t excuse you or the vile practices exercised by the citizens of this accursed hellhole. I’ll play along and follow you for now, but this jinx better be walking out of here in perfect health or else you and I are going to have a problem. And just so we’re clear, if you touch her again I will remove your hand before you can blink. She is only for my master to touch, nobody else.”
“Our vile practices?” Eirene questioned with an amused grin. “My word, whatever do you mean by that?”
“Don’t play stupid with me. The fact that so many monsters and miscreants congregate here is one thing, however your treatment of not only human men but also little boys and girls is rather condemning against any virtuous traits you may claim to have. My master would be stricken ill if he saw what you were doing to his people here, and your kind words would do nothing to defend you in the slightest from his judgement or mine.”
Eirene laughed heartily at the cambion while the gargoyles exchanged slick smiles and chuckles of their own. Kitten watched the copycat finding only amusement in her words before the countess shook her head with a smirk at the demon.
“Is that so? Well, I feel I must tell you, what you just said isn’t true at all.”
“What do you mean? I saw everything with my own eyes.”
“Did you now?” Eirene purred with a twitch of her eyebrow. She giggled while turning to walk away, with Kitten watching her in puzzlement as the copycat shook her head and waved for the cambion to follow. After a pause Kitten growled and reluctantly tailed the copycat, both of them traversing deeper into the tunnel while the gargoyles laughed a bit as they prepared to close the gate.
“They never do realize, do they?” one of them said as they pushed the hidden switches to close the entrance.
“It would seem they don’t,” the other mused as the gate began to slide down with a loud rumble. The two gargoyles surveyed the area to make sure nobody else was watching before they resumed posing against the pillars. Their bodies began to harden as they shifted to stone once again, their eyes closing while the gargoyle finished her statement that nobody else heard.
“For a town filled with copycats, visitors are sure quick to believe everything they see.”
Inside the tunnel Kitten glanced back to see the heavy gate closing behind them, the loud slam it made echoing through the large corridor. Her eyes then slowly moved across not only the two gargoyles that were still as stone next to the gate on the inside of the entryway but also the many others that stood on marble pillars all along the walls. The monsters appeared to be statues at first glance, however a few glowing green eyes were seen peeking at Kitten from some of them.
“Do watch your tongue, Kitten,” Eirene warned, gaining a cautious look from the demon. “I’ve heard you often speak your mind and are quick to draw your blade, something you demonstrated quite clearly earlier. Before you speak or act from this point on know this; we are all guests in this mountain and beneath it. The gargoyles and their queen were here first after all, and it’s only by their good graces we’re allowed to come inside.”
“Their queen?” Kitten repeated.
“Queen Mahovahn resides high above this place in her castle,” Eirene said looking up, her eyes then going around at the many gargoyles that remained motionless nearby. “And her many subjects watch over not only her but us as well. It’s a very welcome coalition between our races and has proved to be beneficial for all. So I kindly ask that if you do decide to start ‘hacking and slashing’ your way out of here, simply ask for permission to leave first and we’ll politely show you the door.”
“And just what benefits do the gargoyles receive in return with your little partnership?” Kitten snidely asked. “I take it they can have their choice of any man they want in your twisted shops? Maybe a special discount even?”
“What men?” Eirene quipped with a smug grin.
“All the ones you have strung up on display. Not only them but also little boys and girls that you seem to fancy peddling. You know, I’m not going to say you having enslaved men here is shocking or even unexpected in the least, but the fact that you have children put out for sale for monsters to do who knows what to certainly raises some red flags regarding you and your town.”
“Again, Kitten, what men?” Eirene slyly said. “In fact, what little boys and girls are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the humans you’ve got propped up in your markets for sale, that’s what!” Kitten shouted back. “Dozens and dozens of them, all chained up and waiting for the day they get bought by a lecherous old bitch and raped to death, that’s what I’m talking about!”
A few of the gargoyles were heard snickering now, with Kitten quickly looking around to try and find those who were breaking their silence before they resumed acting inanimate. She then watched as Eirene was shaking her head with chuckling mews at the demon, the copycat taking a moment to calm herself before walking up closer to the confused cambion.
“Kitten,” she expectedly said. “There are no humans out there in the city of Stonegate.”
“Yes there are, there are dozens of them. I saw them myself.”
“No, you haven’t laid eyes on a single human ever since entering my city,” Eirene assured. Kitten slowly looked back to the gate behind them with a cautious eye, taking a moment to think about what she said before showing a surprised look on her face. Turning back to face the copycat Kitten remained silent, with Eirene nodding slightly as she saw the truth starting to get through to her.
“There are many different monsters who live in the city of Stonegate,” Eirene explained. “But the vast majority of those who dwell there are copycats such as myself, this is after all our home in Koskaysil. That being said, there are no men among them, Kitten. Not a single human at all.”
“But… wait, then… that means…” Kitten slowly said before jumping at the realization. “Those humans on display… were all copycats?”
Eirene chuckled before shifting her appearance to that of a rugged man with a full beard and short
dark hair. Kitten stepped back as she saw the woman having changed into a perfect likeness of a human man while still retaining her smug look from before.
“Surprised?” Eirene asked in a distorted man’s voice. “I told you before we have such talents. We can copy anyone we see, albeit with some practice of course, and we can literally be anywhere you could imagine. Who knows, you might have come across one of our kind before in your travels and never realized it.”
Kitten remained stunned just as Triska was, the two seeing firsthand the mimicking potential the copycats of Eden possessed. Shifting back to her original appearance Eirene merely crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in question at Kitten as the demon remained silent with a curious look on her face.
“Anything else you’d like to say?” the copycat asked with a shrug.
“You can change your form into human men?”
“I just showed you as such, didn’t I?”
“So… you can perfectly match a man’s physical form?”
“Yes, dear. I just showed you that.”
“Including their penis?”
Eirene fell silent with a blank look on her face as Kitten eyed her crotch then her with puzzlement.
“…yes, dear. We can copy them down to the last detail.”
“So you just had a dick a few seconds ago,” Kitten said pointing to her.
“What’s your point?” Eirene sighed.
“Do you copycats ever use them?” Kitten wondered. “I mean if you can give yourself a dick and you’ve got a sister who’s hungry for one, can’t you just bend her over and-”
“Is this really the only question you want to ask me right now?” Eirene tiredly complained. “There is literally nothing else you want to ask me but this?”
“It’s one of many, but also one of the more prominent ones,” Kitten answered nodding. With a heavy sigh Eirene rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“No, we can’t impregnate each other by copying a man’s appearance. The penis we mimic is only for looks, not functionality. The same goes for your wings. I can copy your appearance and wings, but I cannot fly with them, they’re merely for looks and nothing more. Copying men is just as easy as copying a woman, however we cannot replicate a man’s seed with our ability.”
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act II Page 19