Act IX

by Alexander Gordon

  All the girls stared at Daniel in stunned silence as he waited for a moment before glancing back to Kitten.

  “I will not repeat that order.”

  Kitten quickly scooted back so she wasn’t touching him with her breasts and held her hands on the back of his shoulders, a nervous smile coming across her as she nodded hastily in agreement.

  “Sure thing, master. Whatever you say.”

  Daniel nodded then saw Clover staring at him in wonder with a deep blush as she slowly helped Star up onto Lucky behind her. He winked at her then watched Kitten as she appeared to be using the utmost amount of self-control in fear he would make good on his threat. The elf smiled a little before lowering her head to hide her face then pulled Lucky’s reins to get him turned around.

  “Let’s go home,” Daniel said to Kroanette, the centaur nodding then looking over to Kitten with a smirk on her face.

  “Whatever you say, Daniel,” she agreed before taking off into the cavern. Clover and Star rode after, the two girls watching Kitten riding behind Daniel in silence before glancing to each other with smirks.

  “Thank you, Kitten,” Daniel spoke up, with the cambion then looking at him curiously. “For both protecting my family and showing your heart with Reiko.”

  “I just want you to be proud of me, master. To accept me,” Kitten softly reasoned.

  Daniel held a hand over his shoulder on top of hers, the gesture making the demon’s heart flutter as she smiled timidly at him. She watched her master for a while in silence then glanced to the side, seeing Triska in her mind floating backwards alongside them with her arms resting behind her head and a curious eye on the demon.

  “If you want him to be proud of you then show him more of that kindhearted side you have hidden deep down inside you.”

  ‘I’m trying, Triska. I really am.’

  “I know you are,” Triska agreed. Kitten watched curiously as the teen smirked at her.

  “Daniel’s not the only one who’s proud of you.”

  *****

  Standing by their carriage Squeak was gazing around at the silent and still cavern, seeing rigid bodies of swarm clumped together along with softly glowing minerals embedded in the nearby boulders and walls. Sitting atop the ride Alyssa was holding a troch in hand while watching the fire crackle and flicker off the end, her attention not really being focused on the flame but rather the revelation of who one of their traveling companions really was.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Alyssa spoke distantly. “I never would have guessed Star was that monster. It didn’t even cross my mind that a jinx could be confused for a neko with those rumors. All this time we’ve been right next to one of Eden’s most notorious killers, and we never knew.”

  She sighed and flicked her fingers up in the air, drawing a trail of cinders and flame over onto her hand which danced around on her skin.

  “But she didn’t act like a murderer, not at all. Sure, she tried to rape Daniel and put up one hell of a fight for him, but she never used lethal force. If she really was the Bloodcat of VanEllovan then surely she could have killed us if she wanted to, right? She could have gotten Daniel if she really wanted. So why didn’t she?”

  Snapping her fingers she caused a loud pop with a flurry of cinders erupting out, discharging the fire she was manipulating before examining her hand which had not a single mark on it from the flames.

  “It just doesn’t add up. How can she be the infamous Bloodcat of VanEllovan if she’s not acting like that monster at all? I mean, she admitted she was, but was she just saying that to cover up another fear she had? Or was Reiko messing with her head, confusing her and pushing her into a nervous hysteria?”

  After a pause she blinked then looked over to see Squeak watching her in silence. The witch sighed then shook her head while leaning back in the seat.

  “I really wish we could talk with each other, Squeak. You’re a great girl, but a horrible conversationalist.”

  Squeak merely gave her a dull stare in response, not squeaking anything as she knew it wouldn’t get through anyway. Her antennae then twitched, the girl jumping a bit and turning to see a warm glow approaching from the darkened cavern ahead. The two girls watched as Kroanette and Lucky came riding through the hollow and approached the carriage, with everyone having returned along with the jinx in question.

  “Daniel, you found her,” Alyssa said as she hopped off the ride. Kroanette trotted over and allowed Daniel and Kitten off while Clover rode Lucky back to the front of the carriage. As she turned him around to face the right way the group saw Star holding her from behind, the jinx resting her head against the elf’s shoulder while having her eyes closed.

  “Star?” Alyssa asked.

  After Lucky stopped and calmed down Star warped herself and Clover off his back onto the ground. The elf stumbled a bit in surprise as she regained her footing then chuckled while looking back to the cat.

  “Warn me before you’re going to do that, alright?” she said. Star nodded then meowed at her with curiosity, looking to where they had come from then back to the elf in wonder. “Hey, you came after me when I was lost. I had to return the favor.”

  Star smiled a little then licked her nose quickly, the elf flinching then smiling amusedly as she wiped her face. The jinx then turned to face the others, with Alyssa and Squeak watching her carefully while Kroanette and Daniel had calm smiles on their faces. Kitten however was staying close to Daniel’s side and eyeing him over rather than paying any attention to Star.

  “We brought back our friend,” Daniel said. “And we also found a way out. Or rather Kitten made us one.”

  “You’re welcome,” Kitten purred.

  “What happened to Reiko?” Alyssa asked.

  “Kitten showed her the way out,” Kroanette answered with a shrug.

  “You’re welcome,” Kitten said again.

  “Yeah,” Daniel mentioned rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t think we’ll be hearing from her for a while.”

  “I see,” Alyssa slowly replied before holding her staff towards Star. “And… what about her?”

  “Allow me to properly introduce our friend,” Daniel mused with a small wave to the jinx. “Meet the renowned Bloodcat of VanEllovan, Star.”

  Star smiled nervously and shrugged before lowering her head in shame.

  “She really is the Bloodcat?” Alyssa cautiously asked.

  “She is,” Daniel agreed. “Though her actions in the past need a little explaining, which is why she came back with us. Before we can condemn her for anything we need to hear her story, and I believe she has quite a lot to tell.”

  “Boy does she,” Clover mentioned with a raised eyebrow at the jinx. “There are questions, and then there are questions.”

  Squeak slowly approached the jinx and squeaked, with the cat mewling with a fleeting glance up at her. The ant girl watched her curiously for a moment then gently hugged the girl, the surprised look on Star’s face being seen by all before it slowly started to turn into a saddened smile. Star began crying and mewing into Squeak’s shoulder, being held by her friend who only had a calm smile on her face.

  “She doesn’t seem like a coldhearted killer to me,” Alyssa pointed out.

  “I don’t think she is either,” Daniel said shaking his head. “Which is why I wanted her to come back and defend herself by telling us what really happened in her past.”

  Squeak and Star held each other while the jinx let out her tears and mewls for a while before they finally let one another go. Star wiped her tears away and looked around at everyone with remorse before resting her eyes on Alyssa. The witch stared at her in silence as she contemplated her verdict on the matter, then smiled a little and shook her head.

  “You could have killed us all when you went after Daniel, you could have struck us down if you were so inclined. You didn’t. I just can’t see you being the merciless monster those stories have made you out to be.”

  “Let’s get our home out of this corp
se infested cavern,” Kroanette proposed with a curious smile on Star. “And then Star here can tell us her story. Although how she’s going to convey it with words we’ll understand I’m not quite sure on.”

  “We’ll figure something out,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “Alyssa, Clover, please get Lucky ready to ride again. I think we’ve spent enough time in here.”

  “With pleasure,” Clover said as the two headed over to their horse.

  “Have Pip and Cindy returned yet?” Kroanette asked looking around.

  “No, they haven’t,” Alyssa said, stopping and searching the area for any movement or sound. “They ran off a while ago and haven’t come back yet.”

  “Think they got lost?” Clover wondered.

  “It’s possible,” Daniel worried. “I hope they’re okay.”

  “Reiko killed everything in this cave,” Kroanette mused. “They shouldn’t have run into any danger.”

  “Still, we’d better find them,” Daniel said. “They’ve been gone for a while and I don’t like that. Pip’s small and can get hurt easily, and although Cindy can’t get hurt I do worry what trouble she might get herself into all the same.”

  “I’ll find them,” Clover volunteered quickly. “I can see in the dark after all, so it would be no problem for me.”

  “Don’t bother,” Kitten scoffed as she walked ahead of the group. “The safety of my master’s property is best entrusted to me. Besides, he gave you an order to get the horse hitched up. Don’t try to weasel out of it.”

  “I’m not weaseling out of anything!” Clover barked back. “I just wanted to help! Besides I’m the one that found Star for us earlier, tracking others in the dark is something elves do best!”

  “Besides running their mouth insistently?” Kitten quipped. She then smiled amusedly at the elf with a small chuckle. “Or is it that you’re trying to suck up to my master and look better in his eyes. I suppose you would be desperate enough, given how low you must rank amongst his other toys.”

  “The more she says it like that, the more offensive it sounds,” Alyssa dryly commented.

  “I’m not trying to suck Dan!” Clover exclaimed waving her hands about before her. She blinked then jumped with a flustered scream. “I mean I’m not trying to suck him off! FUCK, I mean I’m not-”

  “Help me!” Pip’s cry echoed through the cave. The group looked around in search of the source before a blue light became visible in the darkness ahead of them. Flying in a blur of light the tiny fairy raced through the air and quickly shot down into Alyssa’s shirt.

  “Help me, my boobies!” Pip wailed. After a pause she quickly zipped out of the witch’s top. “There’s no boobies in there to protect me!”

  “Dammit, Pip!” Alyssa shouted in embarrassment at the fast moving blur, the light streaking around the group before diving down into Clover’s shirt. The fairy rustled around for a moment then quickly departed the elf’s garb and circled the group again.

  “Where have all my boobies gone? Help me!”

  “I’m not flat-chested!” Clover yelled out with a deep blush.

  Pip soared around the group before she dived down into Kroanette’s bosom, the tiny fairy kicking her legs about above them before she quickly crawled into the mounds out of view.

  “Boobies!” she cheered out gleefully from between them.

  “Pip? What’s the matter?” Kroanette asked as she tried parting her breasts to find the fairy. The tiny girl popped her head up and whined with a few hops before turning to point towards where she came.

  “It’s trying to eat me!”

  “What’s trying to eat you?” Daniel asked, the group then looking into the dark where they heard snarls and a giggling girl. The approaching sounds drew closer before everyone saw Cindy running around a stone column towards them holding something in her arms, the happy and laughing sand wraith showing an excited smile on her face despite having a little swarm savagely mauling her neck and breast with its teeth and claws.

  “Is that… swarm?” Alyssa gasped.

  “It looks like a baby one,” Clover mused with a puzzled look.

  “I thought Reiko killed them all,” Daniel said turning to Star, the jinx merely shrugging as she watched Cindy merrily running towards them with the little swarm now slashing her face apart.

  “Cindy, put that thing down now!” Kroanette cried out. “Good heavens, what are you doing with that anyway?”

  “Do you not realize what it’s trying to do to you?” Alyssa questioned with disbelief.

  “Look what I found!” Cindy cheered as she ran up to the group and held the baby monster towards them, her horrifically disfigured head and chest slowly regenerating for the umpteenth time after being mangled by the little creature. Everyone stared in surprise at seeing the swarm snapping and snarling at them with a wide smile on its face, the monster’s eyes quickly going over everyone as it thrashed around in Cindy’s grip with boundless energy.

  “It’s a baby!” Cindy squealed with a hop. “She’s so cute and amazing! I love babies! See, look how cute she is!”

  Daniel looked at the young swarm with shock, seeing the ravenous monster snapping at him and the girls with its smiling mouth before Cindy coddled it against her bosom with a gleeful cheer. The monster squirmed around in her grip before turning and biting onto her cheek, the group watching in stunned silence as Cindy smiled brightly at them while the swarm chewed on her sandy head with muffled growls.

  “I’m calling her Snapper, and I love her so much!”

  Chapter 13

  Heart of a Swarm

  In the world of Eden there were many wild and feral monsters, ones that lacked the higher intelligence of their greater sisters. They were still compelled to breed, most of which resorting to kidnapping and taking men by brute force, however there wasn’t much else to their motives. The most well-known type in the world were of course swarm, the locust monsters that were feared by both human and monsters alike. Always traveling in great numbers these lustful creatures were uncontrollable and unstoppable, being able to wipe out entire settlements while raping all the men to death and devouring all else. They were considered evil incarnate, devils of lust, and by all accounts just as dangerous as the Darker Ones.

  For any to think they would be capable of compassion or even love was simply unheard of.

  *****

  “What the hell am I seeing here?” Clover asked with genuine wonder and fear.

  “This isn’t right, I just know it,” Alyssa worried.

  “It’s a little unsettling to see her like this,” Kroanette mentioned with a disturbed look.

  Daniel, Squeak, and Star shared stunned reactions while watching the same thing as the other greatly confused girls were in silence. Pip however was still hiding in Kroanette’s bosom as her fears of the little swarm being near them hadn’t been quelled just yet. Of course somebody in the group wasn’t showing any concern with the youngling being present, which was the reason for everyone else’s bafflement.

  “She’s so adorable!” Kitten squealed. She had the infant monster in her hands and held very close to her face, something the swarm was trying to snap at with her teeth repeatedly. “Oh, look at you, you little cutie. O ho ho ho, somebody wants to eat me, don’t they? Don’t they? Aw, you’re such a cute little thing, I could just eat you up myself.”

  “What the fuck am I seeing?” Clover cried out waving to the sweet talking cambion.

  “Kitten?” Alyssa said with bewilderment.

  “What happened to her?” Kroanette asked.

  “Triska?” Cindy wondered, looking over the cambion’s demonic wings and tail in awe before seeing the girl nuzzling her cheek against the swarm’s. The little monster tried to snap at her before being pulled away and held up in the air by the smiling demon.

  “Did that big, bad harvester miss you while you were hiding down here? I’m so glad she did, because now I got you all to myself. Hee hee, yes I do!”

  “Kitten?” Daniel slowly a
sked, highly doubtful he was in fact talking to the same cambion everyone knew so well. The girl turned to him with the most compassionate and caring smile he had ever seen on her, one of the first times she showed such an emotion.

  “Yes, master?”

  Daniel opened his mouth to speak before remaining still and quiet, words failing him as he saw the cambion smiling curiously at him while holding the young swarm at just enough length so she couldn’t bite her face.

  “What happened to you, Triska?” Cindy asked. “You didn’t have wings and a tail before, did you?”

  “Triska’s not here,” Kitten told her with a smirk. “Not right now anyway.”

  “She isn’t?” Cindy replied looking around curiously. “Where is she then? And how come you have her clothes and sword? And how come you look just like her? Is she your sister or something?”

  “Something like that,” Kitten answered with a shrug. “You could say we’re very alike. Twins almost. We even share our clothes and this sword together, among other things.”

  “We are not alike!” Triska yelled in her mind.

  ‘You know I can hear you perfectly well, you don’t have to shout.’

  “What is wrong with you? Why are you coddling that swarm?”

  ‘She’s so cute! How could you not like her?’

  “That’s a fucking swarm!”

  “So what if she’s a swarm?” Kitten asked looking at Snapper, her eyes seeming to hold some empathy towards the monster. “I don’t understand why you’re all so leery of a baby like this.”

  “Kitten, you do realize that’s a swarm you’re holding, right?” Kroanette nervously spoke up.

  “So what?”

  “They’re evil!” Alyssa cried out. “You know what those things do! They rape and kill everything they see without hesitation! They’re the worst of the feral monsters in this world, everyone knows that!”

  “So you’re saying we should kill her?” Kitten wondered tilting her head to the side. “Are all swarm to be killed on sight?”