“All I want is to be paid well for my find,” Tabitha reasoned. “That’s all. Show me you can reward me greatly for it like you say then I’ll hand it over, simple as that.”
Apoch and Astreal scowled at her before glancing to each other while remaining quiet. After a moment they nodded and held their staves towards Tabitha, the neko leaning back with a hiss as the witches glared at her.
“We shall show you what you want,” the twins said in unison. “However you had best have what we want or else.”
Tabitha nodded while Serle and the other witches watched her curiously and kept a safe distance from the neko. Apoch and Astreal scoffed at the cat girl then held their staves behind them together, both the crescent stones glowing softly before a bright flash lit up from them. All the patrons watched with surprise as a distorted ripple of air shot out along with a small bang, with Tabitha shielding her eyes from the light before it slowly died down to reveal a large brown sack resting on the floor. It was nearly as tall as the small witches themselves and was held closed at the top with a silver laced rope. The twins stood aside and gestured towards the massive carrying pouch, with Tabitha then slowly walking towards it with wonder. She glanced to the sisters carefully for a moment then undid the rope, opening it slowly before she gasped with wide eyes at seeing it filled with gold coins. The shiny gilded collection gave off a soft glow with the light from above, sparkling just as Tabitha’s eyes did while her jaw dropped at seeing the massive amount of treasure.
“Holy shit,” she said looking to the twins.
“Well?” Apoch said tapping her foot impatiently. “We showed you ours, now show us yours.”
“Surely that’s enough for your find, is it not?” Astreal quipped.
Tabitha looked back to the massive amount of gold that had just been summoned by the witches then smiled brightly with her tail wagging behind her.
“I think this will do nicely, yes,” she agreed before closing the bag again with its silver rope. With an excited purr she stepped back and brought out her swords, with the witches tensing up before she bowed slightly and shook her head.
“Calm yourselves, I’m not intending to fight you,” she assured as the witches kept on guard. “I merely need to open my treasure trove.”
Everyone watched as Tabitha held the blades inversely as she always did, sticking them behind her with the ends touching as she glanced back with a slick grin. A soft red light flared up around the tips of the swords, crackling with yellow and green light as the blades then seemed to push into nothingness behind the cat girl. Tabitha then slowly parted her blades, tearing what appeared to be a hole in the air that was lined with the red light. The patrons behind her only saw a distorted ripple of air wavering in the circular rift while those in front along with the witch sisters saw the tear revealing a small storage room made of black obsidian bricks which glimmered lightly while lining the safe house were shelves with brown sacks and chests resting on them. A few katanas sheathed in floral holders were set aside on a rack while golden necklaces and jewels were seen from some of the bags that were loosely opened on the floor. Tabitha used her tail to jingle her bells, making not a sound with them but causing the glowing rift’s edges to shift to a soft blue before she then sheathed her blades behind her again. The magical portal remained open as Tabitha leaned into her personal storehouse and rummaged through her belongings with a purr.
“Ah, here we go,” she mused before pulling out a black satchel and tossing it to the twins. Apoch caught it as they both eyed the bag carefully before watching as Tabitha crossed her arms at them with a smug grin.
“Interesting trick,” Apoch commented.
“I’ve a got a few of them,” Tabitha replied modestly.
The twins then opened the bag and lowered it to reveal the fragment of Eden in Apoch’s hands, the witches staring at it with wonder while Serle and the other patrons were watching the scene with interest.
“This is it,” Apoch said softly while caressing the relic with her hand.
“Indeed, Ms. Charlotte will be pleased,” Astreal agreed with a smile at it.
“Then we have a deal,” Tabitha concluded.
“Yes, we do,” the twins said with a nod at her. “Take the gold, it’s yours now.”
“With pleasure,” Tabitha purred before she grabbed the large sack and, with a few heavy grunts, dragged it over towards her magical gateway. As she lifted the bag and slowly set it inside with her valuables the twins admired the relic with curious smiles.
“That’s one down,” Apoch giggled.
“Seven more to go,” Astreal concluded.
“About that,” Tabitha said with a heavy breath as she finished putting away her newfound treasure in the gateway. She moved her shoulder around to stretch it out after the strain she endured then waved her tail to jingle her silent bells. The gateway’s edge turned crimson again before it slowly started to close, with everyone watching as the rift vanished into the air with a soft crackle.
“Do I understand that if I find these other seven artifacts and give them to you, I’ll be paid just as greatly as I was now?”
“If you find the others for our alpha you will be paid for each one, yes,” Apoch agreed with a nod.
“The sooner the better, she is quite impatient for them,” Astreal added.
“Any idea where I can find these things?” Tabitha asked walking up to them. “I found that one by accident, no idea where to find any others. If I knew where to seek them out for you I’d be happy to take this job.”
“If we knew we wouldn’t be here talking to you,” Apoch stated with annoyance.
“We know where two are, however we cannot touch them,” Astreal said shaking her head.
“Where are they?” Tabitha asked. “Perhaps I can get them for you.”
“One is in the hands of a succubus,” Apoch said, with Tabitha gulping nervously to that. “I’d be very surprised if you managed to steal that one away.”
“I’d rather not take on a Darker One in all honesty,” Tabitha admitted with a weak smile. “Seems a bit out of my league. And what of the other one?”
“He has it,” Astreal said pointing to the picture of Daemon. Tabitha looked to it curiously as she walked towards the bar while the witches followed her. “However trying to take it by force will not end well, and Ms. Charlotte doesn’t want him harmed at all costs.”
“Interesting,” Tabitha purred as she hopped up onto the counter and snatched the picture in her hand. “So he has one, and as I remember hearing he’s also of great importance to your leader, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he is,” the twins replied together.
Tabitha hopped down from the counter while eyeing the picture of the swordsman with a sharp eye before smiling curiously at the twins.
“Does he know where these things are?”
“He has been able to track them down with ease,” Apoch explained. “How he does so is unknown, however it is a high possibility he will find the others soon if we do not first.”
“So let me see if I have this straight,” Tabitha mused with a purr. “Your boss wants all eight of those fragments, one of which is in this human’s hands, however doesn’t want this human harmed at all and as such has not tried to steal the artifact from him, yes?”
“Something like that,” the twins said together.
“Tell me, is his safety worth anything to her as well?” Tabitha asked with a twitch of her eyebrow. “I could not only swipe the artifact from him and deliver it to you but I could also keep an eye on him, make sure nothing bad happens to her… interests.”
“You are offering to be a bodyguard for him?” Apoch laughed. “He needs nobody to protect him; he is quite capable of defending himself.”
“Wait a moment, sister,” Astreal said holding a hand up. Apoch looked to her curiously as her sister eyed the neko with a slick smile. “Perhaps we could hire you to do something for us. We would of course pay you greatly for your time and trouble, if you are interested.”
“I’m listening,” Tabitha said kneeling before the witch.
“There are two things you could do that would be much appreciated by our alpha,” Astreal explained while holding a finger to her chin. “This swordsman is sure to find more of these relics, he has a knack for it. Of course when he does if you could sneak it away from him into our hands instead that would be terrific.”
“You want me to snatch them out of his grasp before he gets a hold of them,” Tabitha chuckled with a nod. “I could do that. And I assure you I won’t touch him at all in doing so, he won’t even know I’m around.”
“Good, then there is another task I have for you,” Astreal continued with sudden discontent. “There are other monsters that travel with him, all seeming to be his loyal bitches and have an eye on him I’m sure. Make certain none of those unworthy girls lay a hand on him.”
“Your leader wants him all to herself, huh?” Tabitha questioned.
“Yes, and my alpha shall have just that,” Astreal answered. “Make sure we get every artifact they find first, and also make sure that none of those girls touch what belongs to my alpha. If you keep them all away from him and make sure he remains a virgin for Ms. Charlotte I’ll give you a hefty bonus for your trouble.”
“He’s a virgin?” Tabitha asked with a smirk.
“Yes, and he will remain that way until Ms. Charlotte gets her hands on him.”
“So you want me to kill the other girls then?” Tabitha asked with a shrug. “Seems like the easiest way of getting them to leave him alone.”
“If you must then you must,” Astreal reasoned with a smirk. “We don’t care if they live or die; just that they keep their hands off of what belongs to Ms. Charlotte.”
The twins approached then leaned closer to Tabitha on either side of her head, gently petting her behind her ears while they had slick smiles on their faces.
“Do this for us and you shall be one rich neko,” Astreal whispered, with Tabitha purring in anticipation.
“Fail us and Ms. Charlotte will have a new fur rug for her study,” Apoch hissed, with Tabitha then looking at them with a nervous smile as the witches backed up while watching her sharply.
“For the gold you are promising me I will not fail,” Tabitha assured them. “I’ll steal away every artifact he comes across and I’ll also make sure nobody but your boss gets close to him.”
“Good, then be off,” Apoch ordered pointing to the door.
“We’ll be watching you,” Astreal mentioned.
Tabitha nodded as she rolled up the picture of Daemon then quickly trotted out of the tavern, going through the door and past a smoking corpse that was slumped over the rope railing of the bridge outside and the guard who watched her go with a small grunt. The neko nimbly ran along the bridge over the marsh while having a sly smirk on her face and a swiftly wagging tail.
“Finally, this is going to be the biggest score for me yet.”
*****
Sitting by the river flowing near their campsite Specca and Squeak were washing a few plates and cups in the clear flowing water while Alyssa was standing behind them with her eyes watching something with frustration. She watched as Pip was flying around in circles with Complica and Luna chasing after her on foot, the two butterflies laughing and playing with the fairy as the three were enjoying their time together after they all had breakfast together.
“Are you still upset about Falla and Luna getting a little closer to Daniel, Alyssa?” Specca asked as she and Squeak looked over to the witch.
“I let them kiss him without killing them,” Alyssa grumbled. “I’m trying to give them a chance, aren’t I?”
“They’re not that bad, Alyssa. We don’t mind having them be closer with us,” Specca reasoned with a shrug.
“You two just want them around because they got you off, don’t you?” Alyssa said glancing back to them.
“No,” Specca defended looking down with a blush while Squeak glanced down and away and shook her head a little. “But I do feel a little closer to them aside from that event. They have been nice with us and respectful of our space with Daniel. And Luna does make me smile and laugh every now and then.”
“Luna’s an idiot,” Alyssa said shaking her head.
“Alyssa, you can’t lie and say you don’t feel any closer to them at all.”
“I don’t feel any closer to them at all,” Alyssa insisted looking back to seeing Luna running merrily around with Complica as they chased the giggling fairy. “Luna is not right in the head and Falla won’t keep her snide remarks to herself.”
“We’re not that bad, are we?” Falla asked from above. The girls looked up to see the butterfly sitting on a tree branch with her wings fluttering once behind her. “C’mon, you like us and you know it.”
“I liked it a lot better when it was just us and Daniel,” Alyssa said looking over to seeing Daniel sitting on the seat of the caravan with Triska while the two were talking to Kroanette, the centaur timidly speaking to the two while Triska watched with amusement at seeing the centaur becoming very tame around her now. “Not when all of you kept tagging along for the ride. We just needed to speak to your rulers about his beliefs, not have you join us at all.”
“We’re offering to help Daniel with his quest,” Falla reasoned as she hopped off the branch and fluttered down next to the witch. “I agreed to bring everyone here to speak to my monarch all for him.”
“You didn’t really believe in Daniel or his quest, you just wanted to sneak into bed with him at some point with your sister.”
“Hey,” Falla snapped at her with hands set at her hips. “I’ll admit I’ve been understandably skeptical of Daniel’s goal in the past, I mean he is doing what no other human in the world dreamed of doing, but I do believe in him now just like all of you. And my sister wanted to come with him because she’s nuts for the guy. I mean she’s nuts all the time, but she really likes Daniel for who he is, not because he’s a male.”
“Whatever,” Alyssa scoffed as she walked away past her. “Just don’t get any ideas about Daniel yet, you’re not allowed to have him like we can.”
Falla sighed and glanced to Specca and Squeak as the two gathered the dishes and stood up together.
“Don’t let her anger you, Falla,” Specca gently said as they walked over to her. “She’s always been very possessive of Daniel. Even before he picked her as a mate she would never let anyone else get too close to him without giving them trouble.”
“How come you two are okay with me and my sister being with him?” Falla asked as they all started walking back towards the caravan together. “I’m glad you are, I just don’t understand why.”
“We’re used to sharing him with those we care a lot about,” Specca reasoned with a shrug. “We chose to all be his mates together because we didn’t want to lose one another. Not even Alyssa wanted to have Daniel all to herself if it meant losing us in the process. This was the only way we could stay together and also have the mate we loved.”
“But how come you’re okay with me loving him too?” Falla asked looking at her.
“Because Daniel loves you,” Specca replied with a glance to her. “He would be sad if he lost you. And to be honest so would we.”
“I get the feeling Alyssa wouldn’t be.”
“I bet she would be, although she may not admit it. The rest of us however feel a little closer to you, Falla, you and your sister. We don’t want to lose you just as Daniel doesn’t, so this arrangement is worth a try with us.”
Falla nodded slowly then glanced between the girls curiously.
“And that has nothing to do with what me and Luna did with you two last night?”
“Of course not,” Specca quickly insisted with a blush. “What happened then was out of all of our control. We’re not basing our decision to let you join us on that at all.”
Squeak nodded and squeaked while glancing away timidly while Specca’s tail wiggled behind her briefly. Falla looked between the two the
n ahead with a thoughtful expression as she walked ahead of the girls.
“Okay, just checking. Because I did speak with Luna about it, and we agreed that if it would help us get closer to Daniel in this hierarchy thing we would both eat the whore out of you two if you asked.” After a few more steps she stopped and glanced back to seeing Specca and Squeak standing still while staring at her with wide eyes and deep blushes on their faces.
“You… would?” Specca asked softly.
“We’ll do anything to be closer to Daniel and his mates,” Falla said with a wink before walking off again. Specca glanced down to her skirt then to Squeak as the ant girl was watching Falla with wonder. The two then slowly walked towards the caravan while questioning what they heard.
Pip zipped around in the clearing with Complica giddily chasing her and Luna laughing as she too tried her hand at catching the agile fairy. The tiny monster flew around in a blue blur, weaving around tall patches of grass and flowers, racing through a few peepholes in trees and back out others, darting around the two girls between their legs and around their shoulders, before she soared over and dived headfirst into Kroanette’s bosom. The centaur squealed while Daniel and Triska watched with weak smiles, seeing Kroanette scampering about before Pip popped her head out between her large mounds and giggled at Luna and Complica who raced up to them.
“I’m safe in my home, hee hee!” Pip cheered before ducking back down out of sight.
“Why must you keep going in there?” Kroanette cried out at the hidden fairy.
“Boobies!” was the muffled reply from within her breasts.
“She’s so silly,” Complica giggled while hopping up and down.
“She’s something alright,” Triska agreed with a nod.
Daniel chuckled in amusement while Kroanette tried not to lose her patience with the fairy then showed a curious smile.
“Say, Pip?” he asked, with the fairy popping her head back up to smile at him. “You never said where you went this morning. What was it you were doing before we all woke up?”
“I told you, I made them go away, Daniel,” Pip happily said.
Chronicles of Eden - Act V Page 42