Just as they could hide their true appearance, so too could they hide their benevolent intentions.
*****
“So, where are we going this time?” Kitten asked, walking behind Eirene through the underground tunnels. They passed copycats and monsters alike, though the cambion was now uncertain if they were all copycats or not.
“You wanted to know, so I’m showing you,” Eirene cryptically replied. “It’s a lot easier to explain if you see it with your own eyes.”
“Uh huh,” Kitten said, looking around at the passing corridors with more monsters moving through them. “Is it now? Because I’ve seen a lot so far, and it’s only raising more questions the further I venture into this place.”
“I bet it has,” Eirene chuckled. “We get that a lot.”
“You get a lot of travelers who come down here?”
“More than you would think.”
“Again, only raising more questions,” Kitten grumbled.
They passed a few copycats carrying boxes of supplies and construction tools and then an arachne who skittered along the ceiling above them with a bundle of wood in her arms that she had wrapped in webbing.
“Just out of curiosity,” Kitten spoke up to break the silence between them. “How many monsters that I’ve seen so far are actually copycats? I’ve often doubted the idea of goblins and gremlins being peaceful, and only recently have I seen a benevolent arachne. I’m wondering how many of those I’ve come across tonight are actually what they appear to be.”
“Haha!” Eirene laughed, glancing back to her with a playful smirk. “Oh, I’m sure that’s been one of those questions in your mind for some time now. Rather hard to tell, isn’t it? Well, to answer that question, I’d say about 80% of the monsters who live here are copycats.”
“So everyone on the surface…”
“You guessed it. Nearly everyone you saw on the surface was one of us, either in disguise or in plain sight. Stonegate is our city after all, we run this town, so of course we would have plenty of our kin residing in those homes.”
“And the gremlins that accompanied Calam, Velm and Jezzele, were they really gremlins?”
“Those two? Yes, they’re real gremlins. We do have some members of different races living amongst us for one reason or another. Though it does make you wonder, doesn’t it? You’ll never look at our residents the same now that you know the truth, and you’ll always be left guessing.”
“Okay, that answers one question,” Kitten dryly admitted. “However so many more remain.”
“Get back here, ya lil’ thief!” a woman’s voice echoed in the hall behind them. Stopping together Eirene and Kitten looked back to see shadows flickering along the walls near an intersection before a little girl raced out from around the bend.
“Lucy?” Eirene shouted in both surprise and anger, spotting her daughter sprinting through the tunnel. In the little copycat’s hands was a purse with a few shiny necklaces hanging out from its flap, the valuables being held close to her chest as she stumbled and ran away from a ruckus behind her.
“Finders keepers!” Lucy shouted behind her. Looking ahead she gasped at seeing her mother growling at her while Kitten merely crossed her arms with a dull grimace aimed at the girl.
“Lucy!” Eirene yelled, stepping out into the middle of the hall. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to be back home!”
“On my way, mom!” Lucy declared with a salute. As she closed in on her mother she quickly dashed aside, jumped up onto a nearby crate, and then ran along the wall with scampering feet over her mother before hopping back down into a roll along the ground.
“Lucy!” Eirene raged as she tried to snatch her daughter, missing the agile little girl and instead dropping onto her hands and knees. “Get back here this instant! What have you taken this time? Hey, I’m talking to you, little lady!”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it!” Lucy called back. She laughed and raced ahead with a joyous hop before a chain whipped through the air from behind and quickly ensnared her leg, bringing the girl to the ground with a thump. The copycat whined and frantically clawed at the floor as she was hastily reeled in by the chain, sliding back with fevered mews and scraping claws before coming to a halt. With a gulp and shaky breath, the girl slowly rolled onto her back while clutching her stolen goods closer to her chest, eyes nervously peering over her facemask at the women standing over her.
“You are so grounded,” Eirene growled with a flinching lip.
“You really suck at this, kid,” Kitten chuckled with a smirk.
“How many times must we catch ya doing this before ya stop already?” Hilda scowled down at the girl. Next to her Diago was slowly shaking her head with an annoyed look on her face, the ant girl coiling her chain-whip back up and holstering it at her hip.
“Leave me alone!” Lucy yelled shaking her head. “I found these, they’re mine!”
“You stole ‘em from the warehouse,” Hilda argued, reaching down and grabbing the bag. She yanked it and the copycat up into the air, with the little girl screaming and kicking her legs as she held onto it for dear life. “I heard you laughing your lil’ ass off out in the halls after you swiped ‘em, just like you always do when you pinch something of ours. Now let go, ya lil’ crook. These are going up to the Stonegate marketplace to be sold off, they’re not staying in your filthy mitts.”
Lucy kicked and yelled as she tried to wrestle free the bag, her efforts being futile as Hilda was easily able to hold her up with one arm and shake the girl off with a few hard swings. Bouncing onto the ground with a cough the copycat tried to turn around and scurry off, only making it two steps before Diago grabbed her by the back of her shirt and lifted her off the ground.
“Keep your darling lil’ angel away from this place for the rest of the night, would ya?” Hilda snidely requested of Eirene. “I’ve got enough to finish up without having to deal with her grabbing anything that’s not nailed to the floor.”
“I’ve had my fill of her behavior as well,” Eirene agreed, eyeing her mewling daughter who had her legs, arms, and tail tucked close out of fear. “Diago, please take her home and make sure she stays there. I’m going to reunite Kitten here with her friend, and then I’m coming home to murder my daughter.”
“I’m sorry, mom,” Lucy whimpered.
“You’re going to be,” Eirene said, waving the ant girl off. Diago slung the young girl over her shoulder and walked away with a heavy stride, once again remaining silent and stalwart with her assignment while Lucy yelled and thrashed in her arms in her fruitless attempts to get free.
“Is she always like that?” Kitten asked, getting an exasperated sigh from the countess as she again led the way after Diago.
“It didn’t used to be this bad with her,” Eirene distantly remarked. “But nowadays she’s… well, testing my nerves more often than a mother should have to deal with.”
“They grow up so fast, don’t they?” Kitten smirked as she followed the copycat, getting only an irritated grumble out of the countess.
They proceeded down the tunnel by way of torchlight from the walls, neither speaking a word while the continued cries of Lucy further ahead still echoed through the corridor. Kitten watched Diago carrying the young copycat towards a bright light at the end of the tunnel, the ant girl calmly walking forward and vanishing into the haze while Lucy’s shouting started to fade as they ventured into the unknown.
“What is that?” Kitten cautiously asked.
“I know you’re a demon, but don’t tell me you’re afraid of the light,” Eirene chuckled. She led Kitten through the bright haze, with Kitten shielding her eyes as she slowly followed after the copycat. After a moment she lowered her hand, eyes adjusting to the light while a surprised look slowly overcame her. Stepping forward from the tunnel entrance she made her way over to the railing of the wide overlook they were now standing on, herself and Triska unable to say a word as they saw something most unexpected before them
.
“Welcome to The Cellar,” Eirene said, stepping beside her and admiring the view.
The two stood there at the edge of a cliff, both gazing out at not a small cave or even a large cavern that they had entered, but what Kitten could only describe to be an entire countryside lying peacefully beneath the surface of Eden. A sprawling city was seen beneath them, and although it appeared to be comprised of the same gloomy looking buildings seen in Stonegate, there was a much brighter and livelier charm to it. Copycats and other monsters were seen moving about the bustling municipal, with horse drawn carriages traveling down the streets while the residents were going about their day without a care and not a single fight seen breaking out anywhere.
Copycats were window shopping while dressed in more colorful clothing, the purring felines admiring dresses and floral arrangements on display for passing onlookers. A gremlin was carrying a small box filled with pouches and beakers, the monster crossing the street and passing a copycat and a reptile girl who were clad in summer flocks with flower headdresses on. An arachne was spinning a web on the flank of a tall tower, creating a dazzling array of shimmering thread that she then decorated with colorful ribbons and tinsel. And flying through the air were a few mites, the monsters trailing behind kites that they flew over the streets that residents below smiled at seeing.
“What the hell?” Kitten breathed out in awe. Looking up she saw the ceiling of the massive cave high above, with a field of shimmering crystals protruding through the rock that seemed to glow with the sun’s radiance. She even caught sight of another succubus flying through the air, the seductive Darker One dressed in a white and blue elegant dress as she soared past the city and towards another incredible sight.
Outside the city limits were sprawling hills that rolled and stretched outward further still, with the entire expanse of the underground cavern being unable to make out from where Kitten was standing. A forest was growing to one side, and on the other were vast and bountiful grassy plains that blanketed much of the scenery. And running in a massive herd through the endless fields were centaurs, hundreds of them galloping across the open terrain with rumbling thunder echoing from their footsteps.
“What… the… fuck?” Kitten blurted out. “What is this? Are those centaurs?”
“Yes they are,” Eirene agreed, hopping up to sit on the railing while smiling amusedly at Kitten’s shocked expression. “Those are the centaurs from Ruhelia. We’ve been collecting them out there and bringing them down here to keep them safe from The Sisterhood. Haha! Oh my, were they sure freaking out when we brought them in, let me tell you. They thought we were going to cook them up in a grand feast. The looks on their faces; priceless. Funny, when they saw this place their jaws were dropped just about as far as yours is now.”
“What… but… they’re… how… what… is this place?” Kitten asked shaking her head.
“This is a sanctuary,” Eirene told her, admiring the view of the peaceful territory before them. “For those who have no other place to go in Eden, for those who are lost or wounded, and for those who are unable to live elsewhere; we offer those lost souls a home here where they can be free and live in peace.”
Kitten held up a finger to propose a question, failed to speak as too many questions were wanting to be asked at once, then showed a curious look as she surveyed the grand secret of Stonegate. She saw copycats and monsters living happily in their hidden cave, with even centaurs running freely without any fear of being eaten anytime soon. There was no fighting, no ominous looking buildings or shops, no mountain of corpses or blood-soaked streets. Everything was as serene as could be.
“Holy shit. Calam… spoke the truth,” she softly remarked.
“What was that?” Eirene asked.
“Oh,” Kitten replied with a jump, then quickly looked away. “I was just saying… Calam was telling the truth when she said we needed to come here. We weren’t sure about such an invite given where it was coming from, it was rather hard to believe her or that Kroanette really sent for us.”
“And who could blame you?” Eirene reasoned, hopping back down next to Kitten and shrugging at her. “After all, Stonegate has a rather horrible reputation of being the most dangerous, lecherous, mysterious, and wretched monster-filled town Koskaysil has to offer. It’s a danger zone to many. What idiot in their right mind would ever want to come here? After all, even to monsters, we’re known to be rather… malicious.”
Kitten blinked, glanced to the peaceful sight of the city below them, then looked at Eirene in question as the copycat laughed and waved her to follow as she started walking off. She led the puzzled cambion down a slow incline along the side of the cavern, with Kitten looking up and around at seeing many overlooks and tunnel entrances into the catacombs that they came from, and then back to Eirene as she guided Kitten down towards the ground level near the city.
“As you may have guessed by now,” Eirene mentioned. “Everything you heard about Stonegate, everything you saw on the surface, it’s all just for show. We’ve been putting on this act for generations now, and I’m proud to admit that we’ve been garnering a more fearful and terrible reputation in the land these last few years. We really are skilled deceivers in our own right, aren’t we?”
“It was all pretty convincing up above, that’s for sure,” Kitten remarked. “The part about having children in chains and propped up as merchandise was a rather sadistic touch.”
“Thank you. We took a community vote on what we could add to seem more terrifying to travelers. It was almost a tie between that and having more public executions of monsters in the town squares. It would have been simple enough to rig up a clever show or two, but in the end we decided it would have been easier just to have a few of our children learn the ropes and contribute to the ruse. Plus we would have had to deal with all constant cleanup from the fake blood after the dummies were beheaded. We’ve got enough work to be handling around here already, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, sure,” Kitten slowly agreed, and then stopped as she saw something that made her again question what she was actually seeing. “Um, excuse me, but… is that a man over there?”
Eirene stopped and looked over the railing of the incline towards the city, spotting a human man walking through a nearby trail in a lavish garden with a few copycats closely following him.
“Heh heh, yeah, that’s a man alright,” Eirene purred, watching with a coy smile as the human was laughing a bit at seeing the four copycats keeping close to him. He was dressed in shiny dark boots, white leggings, and had a brown vest that excluded sleeves so he could show off his muscular arms. His dark hair was short and combed back while his chiseled good looks drew lustful purrs from the felines that kept pushing each other away so as to get closer to him.
“Michael,” Eirene called out from above, catching their attention. “Drawing in the horny kittens again I see. What have I told you about seducing my kin like this?”
“It’s not my fault,” the man replied with a laugh. “I was just taking a walk when they ambushed me. I can’t get them to leave me alone it seems.”
“Do you want them to leave you alone?” Eirene questioned with a slick grin. “I could order them to if you like.”
“Nah, that’s alright,” the man waved off, walking ahead of the girls before glancing back with a twitch of his eyebrow. “I don’t mind the attention. Quite the contrary actually. Now then, ladies, who wants to visit the market with me? I hear they have a sale going on for yarn today.”
“Meow! I do!”
“I’ll be your escort for the day, Michael!”
“Back off, I saw him first! Let’s go, Michael; I can’t wait to try on that yarn for you.”
The man laughed and continued on down the path while the copycats quickly scurried after him with waving tails and shameless meows, something that brought a chuckle to Eirene while Kitten was stunned just as much as her counterpart was.
“That man,” Eirene sighed before turning back to
Kitten. “Anyway, where were we?”
“Hold up,” Kitten said, raising a hand. “That was a man. There’s a man down here… and he’s not being raped senseless. What the fuck?”
“Yeah, he lives down here,” Eirene said with a shrug. “Has a shop in the western district, sells shoes there. And he hasn’t been raped once all this time, which is a miracle for him given how much he swings his moneymaker around in front of the copycats like he does. I swear, he’s just trying to get those girls to play dirty with him.”
“He lives down here?” Kitten exclaimed. Eirene laughed and waved her to follow as she started walking down the incline again.
“Like with the centaurs we rescued, we also come across humans and monsters alike who have fallen on hard times. Some were captured by The Sisterhood, others faced their own perils and were left beaten, and some ran away from their troubled lives to seek refuge elsewhere. That man was captured by some unfriendly gremlins out there to be used as a breeder, but our scouts liberated him before he could suffer such a fate. He was brought here for medical attention, they were using some nasty poisons on him with their experiments, and after seeing what it was like here, he opted to stay.”
“He wanted to stay here?” Kitten questioned.
“Sometimes those we rescue choose to remain here, and that’s perfectly fine with us. We’ve got plenty of room after all. For those who wish to return to the surface after they’ve recovered, they’re allowed without question. They’re sworn to keep our secret, and then escorted out of the city to do as they please.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kitten marveled. “There’s actually a sanctuary below Stonegate? You’re not actually bloodthirsty monsters? You’re just acting tough to scare others away out there?”
“You got it,” Eirene answered with a nod and proud smile. “Copycats aren’t known for their impressive strength or notable warriors. But what we can do is fool others very easily. I bet you didn’t realize when you were walking through Stonegate that nearly everyone you saw was a copycat. Don’t feel bad, nobody ever suspects it.”
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act II Page 40