Captain of the Guard, Lindell

I didn't manage to sleep well at all. Between fits of watching Mimi die, and how the Banshee probably ate her. To the new nightmares of watching Alice getting torn apart by a fiend. I was half happy to be jerked from it, by the pain in my side once my wound reopened. This caused the healers to give me a few sedatives, as well as having a blood mage restore some of the blood I lost. It was because of the extra treatment, that I could now walk back to work without worrying too much. I started to wonder why they didn't heal me properly before, but figured it was because Vivian wanted me to look weak for some reason or another.

I wasn't released until a few hours after the sun rose. Then I was eagerly making my way back to the headquarters. To my surprise, I saw Mimi walking out of the building. She was turning the pages to a large book I was fairly familiar with. I could see she held some coffee in her other hand. Then it hit me that she didn't have an escort with her. Still, I was too relieved to actually mention it. I walked towards her with a smile, and promised to see her tonight. The weight of her death off my chest, as I headed back.

It was a little strange that it didn't seem like she drank any of her coffee, but I didn't question it. Instead, I picked up the pace, heading to Vivian's office. I didn't see Brian on the way there, but it probably meant he wasn't up yet, or he was on some kind of mission already. Knocking on Vivian's door, I received the go ahead to enter. I smiled at her, "You didn't tell me Mimi was alive."

Vivian shrugged, "I knew you'd enjoy it as a surprise. Besides, I wanted you to actually realize what you did wrong. She could have died, based on your report. By the hells, you could have died Wyatt. What made you think you should even attack them?" Her voice was low, and calm. It almost sounded sad.

I took a deep breath, "I told you last night, that I did not know there was a talent that stopped other talents." I looked at her desk, not wanting to meet her eyes anymore, "I am sorry."

"You don't have to apologize Wyatt, I'm used to you doing this kind of thing. I want to hear you say sorry when you actually mean it, or better yet, never have to say it again. I don't care for empty apologies. Your next mission is to oversee the Caravan coming in. Help them unload, and everything else. I don't want to see you again for the rest of the day." She started to go through some papers.

I lowered my head, "Vivian, may I please oversee Mimi's physical test? Can I at the very least watch it happen? Please..." I asked, my voice cracking a little.

She stopped going through her papers, I could feel her eyes on me. "Why?"

"My sister is in there, she's a part of the monster. I want to watch over her." I looked at her, our eyes meeting each other.

Vivian pursed her lips, before looking back at her papers. "No Wyatt. I can't count on you to do any jobs involving monsters right. Can you tell me with a straight face, that if Mimi didn't have your sister with her. Can you tell me, that you would not have killed her otherwise?"

Those words hit me hard, my heart skipping a beat. She looked back at me, but I couldn't meet her gaze. I looked at the floor, realizing she was right. If it had been anyone else. I would have killed them out there. "I..." My ears went low. "I would have..."

Vivian set the papers down, "I know, and the only reason I sent you out there, was because I hoped you wouldn't kill her. I literally prayed every night you were gone Wyatt. I shouldn't have to go that far, I shouldn't need to worry about the man above me fucking up. I did not want her to die, because she is potentially useful to us, to the entire city." Vivian kept her voice calm, but there was force behind it. "Now go off and do the job I assigned you to. I have a lot of paperwork to take care of. The last thing I want to waste time on, is nursing your bruised ego."

I clenched my eyes shut, falling to a knee and kneeling. My voice shaking as I spoke, "You are right Vivian, every single word you said. I am only in this position because of my talent. It is my skill on the battlefield that keeps me where I am, and through the things you do. My talent is like a child throwing a tantrum, and Mimi taught me that. If you want, I will start all over as a recruit until you feel I deserve this position." I managed to keep myself from tearing up, my voice still shaking with every word. I felt a deep pain in my chest, but all I could do was hang my head low while I knelt before Vivian.

Silence lingered, as a minute passed without a sound. Finally Vivian let out a small sigh, "I don't want your position Wyatt."

"I know that, if you wanted it, you would have taken it years ago." I didn't dare look at her.

"Then why are you kneeling before me?" She sounded curious, rather than upset.

"Because I want to be better. I want to become a captain you can rely on. One that actually makes this city safer, versus being an idiot that just does what he's told." I thumped my chest, before finally looking at her.

Her eyes were glowing as she looked into mine. Then she frowned, and went back to her papers. "There is no one I can replace you with, if you step down. Get the job done before sundown, and report back to me for the next one I need done. If you are quick, and do both jobs I will think about letting you watch the physical testing session. I will run you ragged, and you better thank me for it after we're done. Now get out of my office."

I stood up, and bowed to her. "Thank you Vivian, I will get it done." I left the room, running to the castle to take care of the caravan coming in. Today was going to be long, but I needed to do this to become better. I cannot make excuses for my actions anymore. I will get better, I will become a proper captain.

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Richard Adams

I just stood there, mouth agape as the portal disappeared in front of us. Then I closed my mouth, scowling as I balled my fists. I heard the guard move towards me, "You okay kid?"

I turned towards him, "Shut the fuck up. Don't touch me." My voice low, and angry.

The guard stopped halfway from putting a hand on my shoulder. A little surprised, but his face was hidden by the helmet he wore. "Listen kid..." He pulled his hand back, placing one on his sword. "I know it was kind of a shitty thing to do, but you need to understand..."

"No, you need to understand that if anything happens, I will never be an ally to the Guard. Now take me to her." I managed to push my frustration down. There was nothing I could really do right now. Even hitting the guard would just make things worse.

The guard shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I cannot take you there. I can escort you home, or have a portal made for you."

I frowned deeply at this, before looking away. "Fine, make the portal to Oswald's estate. I'll start making breakfast, and I'll just wait."

"Of course... give me a few seconds." The guard made a portal in front of us, that lead right to Oswald's front door.

"For what it's worth, I don't blame you. I am pissed off right now, but there isn't anything I can do. Have a good day, and all that shit." I stepped through the portal, feeling sick to my stomach once again. Teleportation sickness wasn't too bad when it was just a portal, but it still unsettled me. The portal closed behind me, as I turned around. I found that Oswald was approaching, and looking like he always did.

I quickly moved to him, "Hey, where have you been?"

Oswald grinned at me, "Just handling some loose ends, lad. What did the guard want with you?"

"They didn't want anything from me, just that they wanted Mimi. They are doing an interview, but were complete asses about the whole thing." We walked to the door, before it opened thanks to Oswald's magic.

"Makes sense, did I miss breakfast by chance?" We entered the estate with Oswald heading towards the dining room.

"Nah, I was just about to make some. Glad you are back, by the way. I thought the apology token was supposed to take care of all documents and stuff."

"It is, why do you ask lad?"

We looked at each other, before I let out a deep breath, "They lied to me then. Saying I didn't provide documentation for taming Mimi."

Oswald stroked his beard, "That part isn't a lie, someone did come to document your bond and all. I sent them away, because you needed to focus on training lad. That said, I did request a bond ring. It will be coming in tomorrow, and before you ask. I don't want you bonding to Mimi through the ritual or anything of that nature. There are a few reasons for this, but I am worried that the closer you get, the more you might lose your sense of self lad."

I frowned at Oswald, "Could have told me sooner brother." The door closed behind us, as I headed to the kitchen.

"Wanted it to be a surprise lad. The ring will be silver, and will have you bonded with whoever wears it. It won't allow you to gain strength or anything like that, but it will let you know where she is at all times. As well as being able to feel how each other are emotionally if you both are okay with that. It cost a pretty copper, so how about a thanks?" He waited at the doorway to the dining room.

I smiled, feeling a little better that Oswald was taking care of that, but still wished he told me sooner. "Thank you brother, to make it up to you, how about I cook us a good breakfast?"

Oswald grinned back, "Of course lad. Don't worry about Mimi, I have someone watching over her to make sure she makes it back safely."

"Thank you brother." I felt a lot better after he said that. It allowed me to focus on cooking.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

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Mimi

I managed to finish the book properly, by the time I arrived home. It was nice to confirm that people would not freak out if they saw a monster holding a book and some coffee. They more than likely thought I was some kind of dark elf noble, wearing armor and a cape. Which was more than likely, considering a few shady individuals were following from the shadows. They did not act however, which was a relief since I did not want to fight anyone for the rest of the day. I knocked on the door without stepping on the trapdoor. Once the trapdoor did its thing, I stepped over it and entered the building. I could smell Richard had just finished cooking.

I made my way to the dining room, to find Oswald already sitting in his spot, while Richard carried out a few trays of fresh food. I smiled at them both, as Oswald gave me a wave. Richard smiled back at me and began making us plates, as I went to my usual spot. Oswald looked at the cup I was holding, as well as the pastry I pulled from under my wings. I only took a few bites out of it, before deciding to give the rest to my hive. The workers would probably love the sugary glaze. Oswald coughed a little, "What do you have there lass?"

He was looking at the cup with now cold coffee. I tilted my head, "Just coffee, and a pastry I was given for being good. They want me to do some physical testing tonight. The coffee and book were great for disguising myself as a noble dark elf." Richard and Oswald both seemed to think about it for a moment, before laughing.

"Well anyway, glad you're back safely Mimi. I made a lot of food, since you were so hungry last night." Richard slid my plate towards me, as I thanked him. Oswald was already digging into his, but I waited for Richard to start on his meal. Once he did, I finally cut into mine. The three of us enjoyed a peaceful meal, and after we finished Richard finally spoke up again. "So, it seems you have some reading to do Mimi. Do you need help?"

I looked at the book I already read, then smiled back at him, "No thank you, it gives me something to do later." I wasn't sure if I should tell them I already read and memorized everything important within the book itself.

Oswald nodded, "That's fine, take your time. It's important that you learn everything you can, since the laws will protect you, if you know them well enough. As for the coffee you have there. You haven't touched it, why is that lass?"

I looked at the ice cold blackish brown liquid, "It doesn't smell pleasant, I was hoping to sell it since it's a luxury item."

Oswald nodded, "Sorry to burst your bubble lass, but it won't sell now that it's cold. If you don't want to drink it, I won't mind taking it from you."

I frowned slightly, but nodded before sliding it to Oswald. "Help yourself, from what I understand it is a bitter drink. I do not think I would like it."

Oswald smiled a little, "That's fine lass, but you can add sugar to it if you want. You should try it at least once. This probably wasn't for you, where did you get it?"

Richard laughed a little, as he got up and headed to the kitchen. "It was on a table, and I was told to help myself by Vivian."

Oswald nodded, as Richard came back with some sugar and a bit of cream. "That was Vivian's way of apologizing." Oswald took a few spoons of sugar, and added some cream into the coffee for me. I could feel him using his magic as he stirred. "There is nothing wrong with the coffee, save that it is cold." He slid it back towards me, "Give it a try, will you lass? You never know when the next time you might get to drink any."

I looked at the coffee, wondering why they wanted to try it so much. I took it with one hand, as I realized why. Oswald noticed my new stingers, and probably wanted to see if I might gain more the next time I evolved. I pouted a little, before drinking the now caramel brown liquid. It burned a little going down, as I shuddered. Then I started to giggle. Everything felt so silly, as I took another sip. The other two were watching me with wide eyes, their words slurring.

I could hear the voices of my hive, all of them like stars shimmering gently. Then Richard came at me, as I was looking at the ceiling. "Mimi? Are you okay?" I looked at him, before seeing the cup in my hand was now on the table. There was still a half left. Was it half empty? Half full? I couldn't come to a conclusion as Richard started to gently shake me. Oswald's magic was going over me, but that wasn't important. I drank the last of the coffee, letting it be all empty, or was it just not full?

"Mimi? You're starting to scare me." Richard looked worried for some reason, almost as if he was about to cry. Oswald said something, but I couldn't make it out. His words were bouncing off the wood in the room. Richard turned towards him, so I pulled him onto my lap. He jumped a little, or was he shivering? Ah, my wings were warm, I could stop the cold. I hugged him to me, he struggled a little, before I saw the leftovers. My hive was hungry, I needed to take the leftovers to them.

I held Richard close with my lower two arms, as the room seemed to spin while I got up. Oswald used magic to cover himself in shadows, while Richard said something back to him. "I love you Richard." This made him freeze, as I giggled a little more. I grabbed the leftovers and started to make my way to the stairs. The floor seemed to move with every step I took, as if it were water. I softly set Richard down so I could focus on carrying the leftovers to my hive. I could hear the two talking in slurs, but that didn't matter.

I managed to make it up the stairs, then I slipped and ended up with an arm through the floor. Some of the leftovers got on me, but that was fine. My hive would clean it off me once I got back to them. The hard part was pulling my arm through the hole without making a bigger hole. After managing that, I continued to the next set of stairs. I could hear the other two following behind me. This would be a lot easier if the floor wasn't wobbling so much. Finally I made it back to my room, closing the door behind me. I looked at the handled I was now holding, as the door seemed to want to hug me too. I grabbed it from where the hinge broke, and gave it a half tug.

I set the leftovers in front of the hive, as they started to eat it happily. I held the door that was hugging me still, and moved to the corner of the room. I looked out the window for a few seconds, before remembering it was cold outside. I wrapped the door in my wings, hugging it hard as it warped. "Buzz, buzz." I giggled a little more, before falling asleep. I needed to do something tonight, but I forgot what it was.

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Oswald Manfred

I finished mixing the drink, without finding any kind of poison in it at all. It would have been uncalled for, if they tried to poison Mimi, but I checked out of pure habit. It took some coaxing, but Mimi finally drank the cold coffee. It was nice to let her experience it at least once, even if she ended up not liking it. I was also curious if she might grow new stingers with the pure benefits of the coffee, judging by how she grew a new set of stingers. Ones that were capable of paralyzing whispering wolves, likely made from a cocktail of spider venom, and other things. Ah, Mimi seemed to notice what I was thinking, and pouted a little.

I smiled a little as she drank the coffee, not telling me she wouldn't try at the very least. By the time she set the cup down she was giggling. Which was a little unsettling. "Hey... Oswald? There wasn't anything in that coffee right?" We both watched as she seemed to wobble a little.

"No lad, I checked myself. No poison at all, and she should be immune to it if there was..." She looked up at the ceiling, as if staring at something we couldn't see. Holding herself, as she rocked a little in her chair.

Richard moved towards her, "Mimi are you okay?" I used my talent to figure out what was wrong with her, as well as finding out anything new about her. I needed to make a report about her anyway, and to my surprise I struggled to comprehend what her status was. The coffee was reacting with her body to create enzymes that entered her blood. This was well and good, until it started hitting her nerves, and practically traveled along that system. The best way I could describe it, was a mixture between being drunk, high, and having a trip all at the same time.

I sorted through the rest of the information, and the best I could come up with, was that the coffee wouldn't hurt her. Just bring her to this unique state. Richard gently shook her arm, "Mimi, you're starting to scare me." The boy's voice cracked a little, as it was clear he thought she might die from this.

"Richard, back away slowly. She will be fine, but she is intoxicated right now." I couldn't bring myself to call it drunk.

Richard turned towards me, as if to ask a question. While I slowly let the smoke out of satchel. I might need to subdue her, if she harms Richard. "Wha-hey!?" He was pulled onto Mimi's lap, as she hugged him. Her wings having fallen to the sides. "Too tight Mimi." He gritted his teeth, as I started to move the dark gas towards her. I needed to suffocate her again, but I had to do it in such a way that she wouldn't fall on Richard.

"Stay calm lad, tell me if she hurts you, and I'll make her pass out. I need you to be ready to move out of the way if she falls towards you." Richard nodded, his face half covered by her wings. Then she got up, wobbling as I moved the smoke to her mouth.

I could see her struggling, as she grabbed the leftovers, "Ish luv u Ris char." Come on, just pass out already. I cut off your oxygen lass. Richard froze a little, before being carried by Mimi into the main room. Then I saw one of her stingers flex, as she stung herself. She seemed to stop wobbling for a second, and softly set Richard down. I let out a sigh of relief as I called the smoke back to me. Richard moved out of the way, as she moved towards the stairs.

"Are you okay lad?" I checked him for any bruises or broken bones. Thankfully he seemed perfectly fine, he was lucky she was gentle with him.

He checked his body, pushing on a few parts that were held a little more than others. Then he nodded, "Yeah, I think I'm good. Are you fine Mimi?"

I quickly analyzed her again, and realized she was still in that euphoric state. Though I didn't really need to use my talent to tell she was out of it still. Not when she almost fell on the stairs, before using her free arms to help her crawl up them. Richard and I both looked at each other, and followed after her. "She's probably going back to her hive..."

Richard frowned, "Which one? I don't think the swarms are back yet."

I scratched my beard, "Likely the one with the highest number. I can tell she's connected to the other ones. Though I don't know where they are."

Richard nodded, as she made it up the stairs. I moved my gas to her mouth again, trying to get her to pass out a second time. "Makes sense to me." She slipped, and coughed a little. Punching a hole in the floor as she tried to catch herself. The force was enough to shake the whole damn floor, so I settled for waiting until she stopped moving.

I frowned deeply, as Richard winced. "I'll take responsibility for this, since I coaxed her into drinking the stuff. We do need her awake by tonight however. She probably won't remember anything, so we might need to take a few samples from her."

Richard glared at me, "No!" He practically yelled the word at me. Then he swallowed hard, "I understand the benefits, but we shouldn't take it from her like this. Not when she can't even walk, or say no."

I wanted to say something, but looked away. "You are right lad, it's not worth the risk of her going on a rampage." Mimi freed herself from the hole she punched and started moving again. I let up on the smoke a bit more, since she was just stinging herself to become properly immune to it at this point.

We followed her all the way to her room, where she tore the knob off the door, breaking one of the hinges. Then after setting the leftovers down, she proceeded to rip the door the rest of the way off, with an innocent smile. As if this was all a game to her. When she finally laid down in her corner, she crushed the door with enough force to make it warm to her body.

Richard laughed nervously, "You know... she's so gentle most of the time, you kind of forget just how strong she is."

I started walking away, since Mimi was unconscious. "Watch her lad, and don't forget how strong she really is. Even for a minute, I need to make a report that she's become stronger."

Richard looked at me, "What do you mean brother?"

I stopped for a second, "Her joints and muscle structure have changed slightly. It's likely that her body recognized the muscles of the silver whispering wolf, as stronger than the fiends. Then there's the fact that she can now spin silk, and potentially molt. It's insane how quickly she can change and adapt. Though, that's probably why the king wants her on his side."

Richard was stunned for a second, "The king knows about her?"

I slowly nodded, "He knows everything that is important. While he didn't tell me directly, he is making moves to ensure her cooperation going forward. I'll find out more when the time comes, but for now you need to keep an eye on her. If she isn't up by the time the sun starts to set, come get me."

"Understood, brother." Richard stayed just outside the room, while I let the smoke turn back into it's liquid form. Out of all the things I could think of, it was coffee that made her weak. It might be best to have some of the stuff laying around, in case she goes on a rampage in the future. I scratched my head, before updating the files on Mimi.