MONSTRUM
ADAM
“She had horns,” Adam said. He couldn't get off that.
Derek looked pained. “Yes, she did. I didn't know you were that... uh... I thought you knew a bit more about the city.”
“And fangs. And red eyes.”
“They're all perfectly common here. Well, maybe not common, but you see them around.” He pointed somewhere. Adam didn't look. “See, there's another one.”
“And a tail.”
“Ah, yeah, that's a new buff. Came out about two months ago. I hear it's not very popular, though. Not useful, and it keeps hitting things.”
Something about that knocked Adam out of his fugue. “Wait, what do you mean not popular? It's... optional?”
Derek sighed, sat down on a nearby bench, and put his face in his hands. Adam sat next to him, and after a minute he looked up.
“You've heard of the toy maker, right?”
Adam frowned. “That... gene mod thing, right? It can make muscle enhancements and stuff, make your bones stronger? I thought that was restricted to the military.”
“It... it's not a gene mod.” Derek shook his head. “I never really paid attention to how it works, but it has something to do with using unrelated cells as seeds, and growing them into whatever you want, which can then be grafted with no possibility of rejection. Like stem cells without all the moral implications.” He sighed. “And yes, it is illegal. Very illegal. But this is where it was first invented, and Domina has never had a very good relationship with US law.”
“So... it gave her horns and a tail and... red eyes?”
“Yes, exactly. Well...” He frowned. This clearly wasn't a subject he liked to talk about. Adam wasn't sure exactly why, though. It seemed a sore point, and not because it was something he couldn't adequately explain.
“You see, the toy maker can't make complicated structures. They're getting much better, but right now a tail—which is basically just one big muscle—is about the most complex they can make. But there are other things, engineered viruses that can make slower changes. Somehow the toy maker makes that easier, I'm not sure how.” He shrugged. “But that's how the eyes are altered, or muscles and bones strengthened. Cosmetic changes, like Lily's eyes, are easy. Those are called cosmos.”
Adam nodded, catching on. “But changes that have an actual benefit are called buffs, like her tail. Or the enhancements the military is keeping a hold of.”
“Right, exactly. And the general term is 'toys,' just so you know.” He sighed again. “You need to understand, Adam, Domina isn't like other cities. Here, if you want to be a completely different person, it just costs a bit of money.” He nodded to someone on the street, wearing large goggles that seemed like they would be impossible to see out of. “That guy over there is a vampire—he had his eyes altered to allow him to see in the dark. But the downside is a pretty horrific light sensitivity.”
“Does he drink blood too?”
“Probably not. Fangs are common, but the buff to process blood is expensive, and rarely worth it. Most don't bother any more.” Derek shook his head. “The thing about the toy maker... it just gives people more excuses to hate each other. The angels hate the vampires, the vampires hate the kemos, the kemos hate the demons, and everyone hates the fey. There's no reason for it, they just...”
“So... there are a bunch of gangs, I guess?” Adam had already seen a bunch of the people Derek was talking about. They were the “costumed” people he had assumed were going to a festival. He made a mental note to punch Dale next time he saw him. This was not something you just forgot to mention.
Derek waved his hand. “No, no I don't know enough. I don't pay enough attention to politics, I'd just end up giving you misleading information.”
Adam threw up his hands in frustration. “I don't need a history lesson. I just need to know enough to survive without looking like a complete idiot.”
“Okay, okay.” Derek sighed. “We'll keep it simple. There are five cultures you need to know by sight. Everything else is secondary.
“First are the angels. They have eyes that give them incredible dayvision but virtually no nightvision. It's a somewhat common buff, and popular among the military too. But the real distinguishing mark is the dayskin. Basically, they get phosphorescent bulbs implanted under their skin, and can act as flashlights.” He paused. “I think. I really don't know the science of it.”
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“That doesn't sound so bad.”
“Please don't interrupt. The problem is that the dayskin isn't really all that useful. It's not terribly expensive, but it's not cheap, and it's hard to control. Especially when a good flashlight usually works just as well. So the only ones who get it are the ones who really, really hate vampires, and use it as a weapon against them. Blind them when they least expect it, then shoot them or stab them or whatever.
“The vampires I already explained. But they have a whole bunch of subcultures that I'm not going to get into. The point is: Black eyes means a vampire. Most of them aren't bad people, but watch yourself anyway.
“Kemos have animal parts. Usually just the ears or fur, but they've been getting much more advanced in recent years. I saw a full-on humanoid crocodile the other day, scales and tail and everything. Part of the problem is that they're vulnerable. They don't identify as a culture, they identify as subcultures. Canes don't associate with fels or vulps or laces. That just means more division, more fighting.” He shook his head. “The kemos claim to like it that way, but it used to be that the Big Three could keep things from getting out of control. Now...”
“Big Three?” Adam asked.
“Later,” Derek said. “Too much politics in that for now.” He kneaded his forehead. “Where were we... right, giants. They're pretty much what they sound like. They mostly sprung out of construction workers who figured being bigger and stronger would get them better jobs. It worked pretty well.” He shrugged. “They're mostly harmless, or at least no worse than any of the other cultures. Just don't piss them off. I've gotten some good jobs from them, and at least they didn't fight among themselves as much.
“And then there are the demons.”
“Like Lily,” Adam said, nodding.
“No,” Derek said. “Lily's not a demon. I mean, demons do look almost exactly like her, but...” He brightened a little. “That's actually a good point. Just because someone looks like they belong to one culture doesn't mean they actually do. Keep that in mind.”
Adam tried to force his head to stop spinning. “Okay.”
“Anyway, most demons are just people with red eyes and horns, but they've also got a lot of subcultures. The hellions, the goblins, the sibriex, the orcs, the succubi...”
“Wait,” Adam said. “Succubi?”
“Yeah. Exactly what it sounds like. Oh, and incubi too. Obviously. But they're not that bad any more. They're way too sexualized for my taste, but whatever. You want to have pansexual orgies in your nightclub, that's fine with me. Just don't expect me to show up.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course, most of the city feels differently.”
“Really?” Adam said. “I wouldn't think they'd be prudes.”
“No, that's not it... it's...” Derek closed his eyes. “Malcanthet.”
“What?”
“The Queen of the Succubi. She was one of the original founders of the demons. She wasn't your normal succubus. Most of the others stayed the hell away from her, but she and her Riven became the face of their culture regardless.” He sighed. “Then her Malcatari became the fist.”
Adam raised an eyebrow. “So a crazy girl decides she's in charge of one little subculture. What's the big deal?”
“Normally? Nothing. There are a few of those running around. The vampires have Dracul, the fels have the White Cat, the angels have Zaphkiel, so on and so forth. They're mostly good people—no one wants to follow a crazy person, and if they do, they all get themselves killed sooner rather than later.” He gave Adam a level look. “What do you think the Queen of the Succubi would be like?”
“I guess... I mean...”
“She had a very well-deserved reputation for raping her opponents into submission.”
Adam blinked. “She... what?”
He looked away. “Malcanthet raped her opponents until they didn't remember why they ever stood against her.” He shrugged. “And I hear she used drugs when that didn't work fast enough.”
Adam thought on that for a moment. “So she eventually had a harem of sex-slaves willing to die for her. That's why she got run out.”
He looked pained. “You picked it up faster than I did. I couldn't believe something like that could exist. Part of me still thinks it was an elaborate prank.”
“You're a better person than me, I think,” Adam said quietly. Adam could think of the advantages of having a legion of slaves at his command. “But if she's gone now—”
“Her taint remains,” Derek spat with surprising violence. “Every once in a while, one of her sleepers goes crazy. Not often. She's far less dangerous than any warlord left in the city. But it's enough to bring up the old prejudices.” He let out a long breath. “And the succubi always defend themselves the same way. 'If we're so bad, what about the angels? They're entire purpose is to kill people!' Then the angels claim vampires aren't people and we go through the whole cycle again...”
Adam remained silent. He had no idea what to say to that.
For a long minute neither of them spoke, but eventually Derek broke the silence.
“Things are going to get better,” he whispered. Adam wasn't sure if he knew he was talking aloud. “I don't care if I have to wrestle every daybreaker and nightstalker and hunter and titan to the ground with my bare hands. Things are going to get better.”
He looked up suddenly, a smile on his face. It wasn't a real smile, not quite, but it had more truth to it than Adam expected.
“C'mon, enough sitting around,” he said, standing up. “We've got a rat to catch.”