CHAPTER 3: SHADOW NEGOTIATIONS

A swarm of dark beasts gathered in a distant part of space, near the edge of their respective territories. Twelve in total, they roared out their challenges into the soundless void and conveyed their intentions with waves of trembling space.

{{Prey is scarce, but that does not excuse this invasion.}} One roared, a female with great scars over her mighty hide and a single wounded fin. Her tongues lashed angrily towards the others.

She called herself Nyx, the term a mortal race had called her long ago which she had learned meant Night Goddess. She was the largest of the dark beasts gathered here, but not by much. Her pride came from the fact that her mate was a mighty beast, and that he had claimed her as his own and would destroy any who dared harm her.

{{We do not come to invade.}} The next largest, a male with a swarm of three females around him, placated her. He claimed the title Hades, name of a long deceased god of death, and he was proud that his hide lacked any scars or damage. The females around him, his three ‘Furies’ according to a mighty mortal emperor who had escaped their assault once before, swam lazily behind him and coquettishly waved their eyes and tongues in attempts to appeal to him further. Alecto was the largest, Megaera the second, and Tisiphone the smallest.

{{Nor do we.}} Another, a medium sized female with a slightly smaller male beside her. Juliet and Romeo, that pair that had come together despite the wrathful rage with which their parents fought over territory. They did not acknowledge the names in the slightest, believing it beneath them.

{{It is not about the scarcity of prey. All know that even if the prey does not traverse the void one only needs descend to their puny worlds to feast.}} Another female, a philosophical type among the dark beasts that traveled the void who enjoyed long conversations with mortals before she ate them, noted. She was called Thinker by the others, though she called herself the Beast of Wisdom as a fancier title. She was alone, yet two small males who competed for her affection floated nearby and nodded approvingly at her words. She insultingly called them Fat and Skinny, for one was short and stubby while the other short and slender, each far inferior to her elegant length and delicate (in her mind) flippers.

{{Mother, Father will deal with these interlopers.}} The final male snarled, glaring at all the others warningly and protecting his tiny sister who was the smallest of those gathered her. These two were children of Nyx and the mighty dark beast that ruled this territory. He claimed the name Pluto, in the style of his mother, while his sister was called Nemesis by her family. Snarling, the dark beasts growled at each other and send blasts of fractured space in every direction to warn their rivals, a gathering of enemies the likes of which would normally erupt in violence in seconds. Yet at this moment none dared, either fearful of the terrible ruler of this space or the possibility that they may be defeated by the combined force of the rest if they moved first.

{{Enough of this. We came to talk, not to fight.}} Hades declared, moving back from the brink of combat.

{{Indeed. This is a discussion of peace.}} Thinker added, glaring warningly at Nyx and Pluto.

{{Peace?! When you invade our domain unprovoked? What peace is this?}} Nyx snarled, Pluto growling agreement.

{{You claim territory beyond your needs and you claim it is unprovoked?}} Alecto snarled back.

{{Territory is meant to be claimed, fool.}} Pluto growled.

{{When others go hungry and you feast on excess!}} Tisiphone whined.

{{This is not about territory, Furies!}} Juliet scolded.

{{Of course it is! What else could it be about?}} Megaera replied, glaring at the slightly smaller female and her mate.

{{We just wish for a slight redistribution so no one starves.}} Hades explained calmly, glaring at Nyx who glared right back.

{{You dare?}} Nyx snarled threateningly.

{{Wait, we came to trade not fight…}} Fat started, looking at Skinny who made affirmative motions.

{{So what? This will lead to fighting no matter what.}} Pluto snarled, tensing his great body before Nemesis.

{{Calm down, brother…}} Nemesis said weakly.

{{Why must we hate each other so? Mortals are so much more sensible about this.}} Thinker complained.

{{We are not pathetic mortals, fool.}} Nyx growled.

{{Do not insult us so, either.}} Alecto growled, turning on Thinker aggressively.

{{Um, can we get back to the discussion?}} Romeo added weakly, swaying his fins unhappily.

A tremor of space reached them and raced across their bodies. Pluto and Nyx grew more confident while Hades and Thinker’s groups grew more hesitant.

{{Father will be here soon. You better run.}} Pluto taunted.

{{We need to discuss with him anyway.}} Thinker said, forcing herself to sound confident.

{{I’m not afraid of him.}} Hades snarled, though his females obviously did not agree with those bold words.

Far faster than expected, a vast rift in space opened and revealed the mighty dark beast that had visited the ashes of the star, his great body dwarfing even Nyx and making the others draw back in fear. Glaring around, he paused for a second before roaring towards all parties.

{{What is going on here?!}} He demanded, the largest and mightiest dark beast in this region and perhaps in the universe intimidating the rest with his fury.

{{They came to steal our territory.}} Nyx growled, gleeful at her mate’s arrival to punish the interlopers.

{{We came to talk…}} Thinker complained, shrinking before his mighty glare.

{{... You… you are starving others…}} Hades muttered, falling silent and retreating away from the mighty monster before him.

{{Oh. Just that?}} He said, seeming completely uninterested all of a sudden. {{Food is scarce in many places, isn’t it? Unfortunate, that…}} He muttered, his rage vanishing as he played with his pet and wondered how to reveal it in this situation. He had been so happy to show it off before the gathered multitude but if they wanted to fight for territory right now it may not be safe. And he didn’t want his pet broken so soon after he obtained it.

{{Shaitan…}} His mate called the name he took a long time ago, though he himself had forgotten when and how. {{Aren’t you going to punish these interlopers?}}

{{Again, we’re not after territory… wait, why aren’t you mad?}} Thinker asked, watching him suspiciously.

The rest focused on the great beast, no trace of the expected rage and battle fury they were used to from invaded beasts coloring his words. They had not experienced this sort of cold fear before, wondering why he was restraining himself so far and if in fact he was as furious as he should be but was simply not showing it.

{{I don’t mind. It’s just territory.}} He said, still thinking about his pet and remembering the vast stretches of space now filled with stardust he had just claimed on the outer edge of the universe. His territory was likely far too vast already, and he didn’t much care if they wanted some of it. He didn’t have many neighbors anyway, after secluding himself this far away from even the main regions the dark beasts ruled.

{{Its… its… just territory?!?!}} Nyx wailed, whirling to headbutt her mate angrily. {{They’re stealing our domain!}}

{{Father, what is wrong with you today?}} Pluto asked, trying to stay polite even as he directed rage towards his father.

{{See, dad’s calm.}} Nemesis muttered softly, though everyone ignored her.

{{Why are you so upset?}} Shaitan asked, surprised. {{We had so much before. Also, I just found another galaxy, a bit small to be fair, empty of mortals or beasts beyond the outer edge of our territory. It’s ours now too.}}

{{You… you claimed a whole galaxy?}} Hades screamed as the other outsiders were still stunned by a dark beast saying territory wasn’t important. Their entire existence revolved around territory, after all.

{{Shaitan, it’s the principle of the thing. We can’t give up any ground.}} Nyx scolded, repeatedly hitting her mate. But he was ignoring her, the girl inside him stretching and standing up at last.

“Jeez, just give it a break already, shouldn't they?” She asked, tapping his walls to get his attention. “Just let me out for a second could you? It’s stuffy in here.”

“Could you wait until I handle this?” He asked, rumbling through his body though none of the others perceived it. “I don’t want my pet eaten.”

“Your concern is cute. But seriously, don’t worry about it.” She said, her closed eyes seeming to stare straight at him. “They’re more interested in your territory than little old me.”

“You can understand us?” He said, shocked. She nodded as it it was the most obvious thing in the world and tapped his tongue impatiently.

{{Haa… So troublesome…}} He said through space, opening his mouth and pulling his pet out in front of him. {{Are you Happy yet?}} he asked, ignoring the other beasts for a bit.

“Ack, Ack! A little warning that its vacuum would be appreciated!” She coughed, waving her hand to generated air and a solid surface in the void as she floated through space. “Shiva’s heart it’s cold out here.” She yelled again, trembling and glaring at him.

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{{... The void is cold.}} He said, noting the obvious. {{Not everywhere is in the ruins of a star.}}

“I know but that doesn’t make it not cold!” She cried, the air she conjured warming significantly as he settled his great body on the solid surface, feeling it with his great flippers and wondering why it drew him like the gravity of a planet. His great eyes fixed on the squirming girl who was hopping from foot to foot hugging herself.

{{Shaitan…}} Nyx said. {{What are you doing?}}

{{I got a pet.}} He explained simply, still watching it attempt to warm itself.

{{I see…}} Nyx said slowly, her eyes rolling in confusion. {{My mate is insane.}} She lamented in a roar, looking pointedly in the opposite direction and rippling dismay across her skin.

{{I’m not insane.}} He said, displaying confidence in turn.

“Last time I checked void swimmers didn’t keep pets, so you are either unique or insane. There was a point where the first was more insulting than the second.” The girl noted, finally letting her arms drop.

{{... Why would unique be more insulting than insane?}} He asked, forgetting his mate again.

“How should I know? I never claimed to understand those idiots.” She protested, shrugging her arms against the unnatural pull she created.

{{Who were they?}} He asked, curious again. {{Why were they idiots?}}

“Because they were.” She said simply, shaking her head. “And they were part of the cult of equality.”

{{Cult of what?}} He asked.

“Equality, you know, that thing where everyone is the same… It was not quite as stupid as it sounds, but it was still pretty stupid once upon a time.” The girl said waving her arms and then dropping them as she realized equality wouldn’t mean anything to a dark beast.

{{... Shaitan, why is there a mortal in the void? Un-devoured?}} Hades asked, his tongues licking his lips.

{{She is my pet.}} Shaitan said simply. {{She is mine to do with as I will.}}

“Every time you talk, you seem more and more perverted.” The girl complained, shaking her head.

{{That has nothing to do with perversion.}} Shaitan declared simply.

{{Father is talking to a mortal, mother…}} Pluto said, joining his mother in watching everywhere at once.

{{Pretend it's not happening.}} Nyx replied, still ignoring it.

Nemesis, on the other hand, swam down to her father and ran into the plain of solidified void.

{{AH! Why is it hard!?!?!}}

{{The mortal created a solid surface to stand on.}} Shaitan explained, watching the girl start stretching and running in circles.

{{{{{{{{{{{{WHAT!?!?!?!?!?}}}}}}}}}}}} A cacophonous roar came from the collected beasts, who one by one settled and started examining the plain of solid void that was unlike anything they had ever seen.

{{The Void has become hard.}} Thinker observed.

{{What is this power, Shaitan?}} Hades asked while the others were struck with silence.

{{Unknown.}} Shaitan said. {{So I’m keeping the mortal.}}

{{This is… How was this done, mortal?}} Pluto demanded, having returned to the group and even now repeatedly ramming the solid void to pass through.

“What are you doing, void swimmer?” She asked, staring at the bouncing dark beast.

{{I’m sitting behind you.}} Shaitan answered, assuming ‘void swimmer’ to be her name for him. Then he noticed that she was talking in the language of the gods, something none of the other dark beasts understood. {{Also, they don’t know that language.}} He pointed out.

“Mercible’s blessings. At least I don’t have to deal with pronunciation even worse than yours.” She commented, rolling her eyes.

{{What did she say, father?}} Pluto asked, realizing the mortal tongue was one his father understood and staring at him without bouncing any more. The rest were similarly fascinated by the pet, making Shaitan swell with pride that his pet was the center of attention and he was the only one able to talk to her. He wrapped his tongue around her and pulled her closer, putting her right below his head defensively and glaring at the rest who were staring at her with a bit too much hunger for his liking.

{{A mortal who can make the void solid…}} Hades muttered.

{{How delightful must she taste.}} Atropos wondered.

{{Don’t be so greedy, Shaitan.}} Juliet commented.

{{I wonder what it knows…}} Thinker considered.

{{Maybe it tastes good…}} Fat added.

{{I might want a pet too…}} Skinny considered.

{{Perhaps you aren’t insane after all.}} Nyx decided, coming back to join the circle staring at the girl.

{{She’s mine.}} Shaitan said, growling aggressively.

{{Maybe I should speak for myself.}}

A new voice was suddenly added the the chorus and rung with pleasant kindness in all their senses. The new vibrations were too gentle and beautiful to be produced by any dark beast, almost musical in nature, and they all fell silent before looking towards the girl who was the only other one there. She waved her hand again and space trembled, producing the same musical voice that all of them could detect.

{{It isn’t polite to talk about someone as if they’re not here, you know.}} She said kindly, causing another eruption of shaking space.

{{She can talk!?!?!}} Hades screamed.

{{What sort of Mortal is this?!?!}} Nyx cried.

{{Shaitan how did you teach her to do that?!}} Thinker asked.

{{Father, so cool…}} Nemesis muttered.

{{Am I dreaming?}} Romeo added.

{{Only mortals dream, my mate.}} Juliet retorted.

{{How is it possible?}} Tisiphone asked.

Shaitan himself was struck dumb. She had only been hearing the language for a few minutes and could already speak it, for he could not believe that she had already known the language. But as if to deny that belief she grimaced and muttered in the language of the gods. “I forgot how annoying this is. Fortunately space is a lot weaker than it used to be.”

{{... You know this language?}} He asked finally, silencing the rest who realized he had not taught her.

“Of course. Though it is much different than I remember… at least I can convert it pretty easily.” She said to him. {{The people used it all the time.}} she continued in the space shaking language before shuddering and shaking her head. {{The people… the people…}} “What did you do to yourselves, old wyrms?” She complained in the language of the gods again.

{{This is a fascinating mortal.}} Hades praised.

{{Of course.}} Shaitan said, rippling in pleasure.

{{What is it?}} Thinker asked, reaching out her tongue and retracting it at a warning growl.

{{ I don’t know.}} Shaitan said, displaying negation and uncertainty.

{{Then where did you find it? Assuming I have your permission to visit of course.}} Thinker added, cautiously.

{{In the dust of a dead star.}} Shaitan said. {{One that blew up just before I got there.}}

{{{{{{{{............}}}}}}}} A long silence stretched among the beasts, before a few chuckled at what they perceived to be a joke.

{{No mortal could survive the death of a star.}} Hades said, showing negation again. {{Where did you really find her.}}

{{Father… didn’t you go examine that surge of energy in the outer reaches? It was really a dying star?}} Pluto commented, thinking it a bad joke but remembering that his father didn’t often joke. And a dying star was a feast for dark beasts like them.

{{Yep. She made the void hard and was sitting on it.}} Shaitan said. {{Apparently her kind was destroyed with the star.}} he lamented, showing unhappiness.

{{You have a dead star in your territory, truly?!}} Thinker responded.

{{So that’s why you don’t mind losing territory}} Hades added angrily.

{{Ufufufu… You are truly still the best, my mate.}} Nyx said with pride.

{{I told you already, beast. My kind was dead far longer ago than the mere lifespan of a star.}} The girl corrected, her sealed eyes glaring at him angrily and a pressure he had felt similar to when he asked her why she wasn’t scared of him.

He did not reply, but the others were highly amused. She shook her head and walked back towards him, her brilliant cyan color reflecting light even in these dark depths of the void. Then she sat down and seemed to ignore him and all the others, looking down into the endless void.

{{Your mortal is arrogant, Shaitan.}} Hades sent mockingly.

{{So it would seem.}} Shaitan replied, rippling his own amusement at her antics.

{{What kind of mortal is she?}} Thinker asked. {{I have never seen this kind before.}}

{{Nor have I.}} Shaitan said. {{Thus I took her as a pet.}}

{{Interesting.}} Juliet commented. {{She looks a bit like the elves I met once.}} she noted.

{{Perhaps she's some sort of elf.}} Romeo added. {{There are a lot of types, after all.}}

{{She doesn't smell like an elf.}} Shaitan sent. {{I don't think she is one.}}

{{Oh.}} Juliet replied unhappily, showing negative colors.

{{What do you feed her, dad?}} Nemesis asked, her tongue flicking out to touch the girl as only she was allowed to do. Her great black eyes drank in the appearance of the tiny mortal, enjoying every moment of observation.

{{... I haven't yet.}} Shaitan admitted finally. {{I was hoping to find out where other mortals could be found, and try taking her there.}}

{{Father, there are no mortals in our domain right now. You and mother ate them all.}} Pluto said, rippling confusion.

{{My territory is also empty. Prey is scarce in these parts.}} Hades added, showing negation as well.

{{Don't look to me. The lack of mortals is one of the reasons I'm bored as well.}} Thinker said unhappily, rippling fascination with Shaitan’s pet.

{{Uh… There is a mortal world within our territory, though it's rather small and they aren't traveling the void.}} Romeo piped up, hesitantly offering a solution.

{{Yeah, but there are only elfbeasts. This is obviously no elfbeast.}} Juliet scolded him.

{{Is it that important?}} Megaera wondered.

{{Yeah, the mortal could be killed by the wrong kind. They don't like other species mostly.}} Alecto explained.

{{It's worth a try. There aren't any better options.}} Shaitan said, his tongue pulling the mortal up towards himself as the mysterious solid void vanished suddenly. She remained limp in his grasp, not struggling in the slightest and even enjoying the ride. The dark beasts gathered there flapped their flippers to elevate themselves off the once again empty plane of void.

{{We don't mind you coming through our realm, but in return…}} Juliet started.

{{My clan will allow the use of a few systems to each of you. Mate, we’ll move back to the new galaxy instead. If they incur too deeply into our realm, I will deal with them myself.}} Shaitan warned, glaring around while returning the girl to a hidden pocket inside himself. The other beasts agreed gladly, though his own family was less happy about the arrangement, and began dispersing with Hades and his furies swimming off to feed in their newly obtained systems. Thinker seemed to contemplate the mortal further before swimming off through a hole in space, Fat and Skinny behind her, without a backwards glance.

{{I'll handle it, mate. Our clan will head for the star’s corpse to feed. That should get us through this drought.}} Nyx commented, rippling discontent yet acceptance.

{{I'll help mother. Nemesis, stay with father for now. Unless you're hungry for some reason.}} Pluto ordered, following the tail of his retreating mother.

{{If you don't mind, I'll lead you to the mortal world.}} Juliet claimed, offering a tongue to seal the agreement with Shaitan, who accepted. Romeo started opening a spatial rift into their domain, leading the way ahead of his mate and the father daughter pair.

“I don't need to eat yet, you know.” The girl commented inside Shaitan.

“All mortals eat, and need other mortals.” Shaitan observed. “Even strange ones like you.”

“... You know, you're not wrong, but still… I feel like I'm being misunderstood.” The girl complained, laying back and crossing her arms behind her head.

Shaitan ignored her, widening Romeo’s rift and taking off into the fractured space between spaces. Nemesis and Juliet followed, and the rift closed behind them and left space once again undisturbed.