Chapter 6 : After Midnight
“What? Why!?” questioned Kianna as she gave Mica a perplexed look.
“Because not that he actually came out and said it.” mumbled Anton “But it's pretty clear that Leopold and Ila have somehow become renegades from their clan. Or at least in part. I can only speculate since I don't know all the details. But it looks like they've taken an opportunity to live free lives, and have decided to try and give their children a chance to live freely as well. Away from their clan...”
“Well, if that's all they want. Can't they just say that?” questioned Kianna “I mean, if they don't want their family to be part of the clan anymore. Can't they just leave it?”
“No. That's not how it works, Kianna.” said Anton as he shook his head “A shinoccubi can't just leave its clan. Not by its own choice at least.”
“Why not!?” snapped Mica “Who's gonna stop them!?”
Anton went still for a moment as he gave Mica a silent assessment.
“You really don't have any idea how the clans work, do you?” asked Anton.
Mica said nothing as she narrowed her eyes and set her jaw.
“...I see, well, now that I think about it. I guess that does make sense.” nodded Anton “All shinoccubi are forbidden to discus anything that is related to their clans with outsiders. And since I'm guessing your parents never intended for you to become part of their clan. They couldn't discus anything about it with you... How very inconvenient for them... Lucky for you though, I can discus it with you. And I can even explain why your parents now want to kill you.”
“Seriously? Do you really think I'm buying any of this shit? My own Mom and Dad suddenly want to kill me out of the blue because some invisible clan is gonna be pissed at them if they don't. A clan that I've never even heard of before because apparently my parents have been “forbidden” from talking about it! And yet, somehow, some random human like you knows all about all of it!? Yeah, right!” mocked Mica “Why would I believe anything you're saying, about any of this crap!? When I have literally no reason to think you aren't just a piece of shit liar!”
“Watch your mouth you little bitch!” growled Kianna as her features began to darken “My Master is not a liar!”
Mica's tail began to quiver wildly around her waist as she instinctively tried to point her spade at the looming dark elf.
“Enough. Both of you.” commanded Anton “Again, believe me or not, Mica, it makes no difference. You're still going to listen to what I have to say. You need to hear this so that you can understand what you've done.”
“Fuck! You!” growled Mica through her teeth.
Ignoring her, Anton turned his attention to the two dark elves.
“It won't hurt for you two to have a better understanding as well. Of both shinoccubi, and cubi in general.” he said as he looked from Fiona to Kianna “So pay attention.”
“Right, there's actually I few things I was wanting to ask you about.” said Kianna “Mostly why you kept talking about their last name? Why is that so important?”
“Oh, that. Right, well.” said Anton as he shifted his gaze back to Mica “You see, any cubi that has a last name is pretty much guaranteed to have been born on Terra. As the cubi that are born in the realms are not allowed to have last names.”
“Why not?” asked Kianna as she too turned her eyes to Mica.
Anton hesitated for a moment as he stared at Mica and let a thoughtful expression take form on his face. Having apparently decided on what he was going to say, he began to speak.
“Because a last name can have meaning. It can be more than just a label. It's something you can take pride in, stand for, and build on. It's a legacy, a piece of heritage. And it's also something that can be rallied around. It can give people unity, hope, strength and a promise for a future. In other words, a last name is something that can make people want to be better people. And this is not something that cubi are allowed to have...” explained Anton as his eyes stayed locked to Mica's “Because in the eyes of the other Infernals, cubi are not people.”
Taken aback, Mica blinked and creased her brow in affront as she took in his statement.
“They're toys, tools, soldiers, minions and servants. The very luckiest of them live as pampered pets, and those that aren't so lucky... Well, they often end up as food...” said Anton as he watched Mica's eyes widen “Cubi may be fully sapient, and are without question people. But not to the other Infernals. To them, a cubi is considered no different than an animal, like a dog. And may even be seen as less. They are creatures bred and born to be owned. And as such they're often treated as little more than living items. Tokens to be collected and bartered with. In fact, this practice of being used as trade tokens is how many cubi have come to be living on Terra in the first place. As it has always been common for a negotiating demon to sweeten a deal by throwing in a cubi or two. This is literally where the vast majority of the Terran population of cubi are derived from, these traded individuals, who were either set free themselves, or gave birth to free children. And that's exactly what I thought the case was with Leopold and Ila. I assumed they had somehow become free themselves, or were descended from freed parents... That doesn't seem to the case though. Or at least not fully.”
“I'm not a fucking dog!” growled Mica “Don't ever call me that again!”
“What do you mean by free?” asked Kianna “Are shinoccubi enslaved to their clans?”
“Not exactly. Though they might as well be.” said Anton “Cubi as a whole are rarely ever legitimately enslaved because there really is no need for that. You see, cubi all have an ingrained ability that when invoked, acts as a self-inflicting curse that will bind them to whoever they recognize as their owners. In shinoccubi this ability is more akin to an oath of loyalty, and is used during a ceremony in which they become recognized as part of the clan by activating this ability and essentially committing themselves to what is called their “Makieve”, which is the head of their clan. Now, this Makieve is never another shinoccubus, but instead is usually a demon. A demon which acts as not only the leader, but is in all truthfulness, the owner of the clan, and everyone in it. And I do mean this literally. As the clans are treated as property in the realms. With the position of Makieve acting as the title of ownership. A title which can be, and is often, traded or sold.”
The dark elves both remained silent as they nodded in understanding and gazed at the fuming kiochi.
“Since their Makieve is not actually a permanent figure, these shinoccubi who have cursed themselves are in all actuality dedicated more to the clan itself than anything. Or at least the idea of it. You see, although they will always obey any commands that their Makieve may make, they still operate fairly independently in their day to day lives. And by this I mean they do have their own culture. One that keeps them organized, efficient and functioning correctly. The clans are structured and have hierarchies as well as customs, beliefs and most importantly, laws.” explained Anton “Laws that are enforced with deadly consequences. Laws that dictate “All, within one shadow” which means that one's mind, body, pride and blade, all belong to the clan, and to the clan alone. To steal any of these things from the clan is a blatant betrayal. And this is a crime that Leopold and Ila are both very guilty of.”
“Bullshit!” exclaimed Mica “My parents aren't thieves! They didn't steal anything!”
“Yes, they did.” said Anton.
“What!? What did they steal then!?” demanded Mica.
“You.” declared Anton “You, Nokko and any other siblings you may have. All of you have been stolen away from the clan that by birth you belong to and from the Makieve that ultimately owns you. You're parents, for all that they've done, are, without question, traitors to their clan. By hiding away and living on Terra, giving themselves a last name, accumulating wealth by building successful careers, and finally, by having children. All without the clans knowledge. Makes your parents thieves, that by all appearances look very much like they're trying to secretly build a new, rival clan that's all their own. Now, considering you are clearly not trained in such a way that you could help them fight against another clan, I very much doubt that's what their plan is. Unfortunately, it really doesn't matter what I think...”
“They didn't “steal” me!” growled Mica “Nobody owns me! And I don't belong to any fucking clan!”
“Isn't that going a little overboard though?” asked Kianna “I'm mean, I get it that the clans gonna be pissed that they ran off, but isn't going straight to killing everyone a little much?”
“Of course it is. But you have to remember that shinoccubi are naturally bloodthirsty beings, Kianna. Killing is second nature to them. It's their answer for every problem. And something else that you need to understand is that they see themselves as one of the most cunning and capable races in existence. And they are not necessarily wrong about this. Mica may have given her kind a poor first impression, but don't let that fool you. A trained, experienced shinoccubus can be a deadly opponent, especially when you don't see them coming.” said Anton as he shook his head “And because they view themselves so highly, they consider it an honorable accomplishment to successfully kill another one of their own. This is why clan to clan warfare is so common among them. It gives them the opportunity to target each other and claim the glory of a kill. Which is an achievement so important to them that they'll even keep body parts of their slain opponents as both trophies and proof of what they've done. They are extremely vicious towards their own kind. And with this being the case, there is no question that the clan would see Leopold and Ila's transgressions as more than a good enough reason to target them. They will take the opportunity to make an example of them, and then they'll quell any possible future vengeance by taking out their children as well...”
“...That's, wow.” whispered Kianna “That's pretty extreme...”
“Yes, it is... And none of this would have been an issue if Mica hadn't gone and put herself out there.” sighed Anton “A full grown female shinoccubus that has appeared out of nowhere, is claiming that she isn't in a clan and is looking for work as an assassin is going to immediately draw attention. From everyone, everywhere! Every clan is going to want to know where she came from, how capable she is and whether or not they can add her to their own ranks. Which they will all want to do, by force if necessary. They will track her down. And when they do, she'll lead them right back to her family. Which she will do. We've already seen this ourselves. She was willing to talk almost immediately after we captured her, so we know she won't last a minute in the hands of another shinoccubus... I can almost see Leopold's point with wanting to kill her. She's nothing but a liability now...”
“Fuck you!” snapped Mica “I didn't tell you shit about my family!”
“Yes, you did. You told me enough to figure out who your family was. You lead me right to them.” said Anton “And you'll do the same again, there's no question of that. You will talk.”
Trembling with raw hatred, Mica's slitted pupils began to pulse with her breath as she glared at Anton.
Narrowing his eyes at her, Anton couldn't help but to become irritated with her blatant disregard and fed up with her attitude he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he addressed her.
“Now you listen to me, you unrepentant little fool. You need to start taking this seriously. As things have been set in motion now, events that could very well end with the spades cut from yours and your family members tails all ending up as someone's kitchen knives!” he snarled as he stared right back at her “And not only is this going to be all your fault! But you don't even have a drop of remorse for what you've done, do you!?”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” raged Mica “Just stop talking! I don't believe you! I don't believe any of this!”
“Seriously!? He's telling you the truth you idiot!” exclaimed Kianna as she pointed her ears straight back behind her head “You need to listen to him! He's trying to help you understand how your crazy murder clan works! You stupid little bitch!”
“No, he's not! He's a liar! He's not a shinoccubus so how could he even know any this!” countered Mica “He's trying to fuck with me! Telling me shit to mess with my head! Like my family! They would never want to kill me! He's lying! And there is no clan! He doesn't know what he's talking about! He-!”
“Your tail was short when you were born.” interrupted Anton as he settled back into his seat and laid his arms out across the chairs armrests “And the spade at the end of it was soft with a rounded shape. It hardened quickly after your birth, but it didn't get its sharp point, or become elongated in shape until just a few years ago. When you were going through puberty. During that time the sides of it split open, and the sharpened edge came through. Its not done growing in yet. It will get even longer and sharper with time. As will your horns...”
Surprised by his statements, Mica went still as she stared at him.
Gazing back at her, Anton waited until it was clear that she wasn't going to speak before he continued.
“Your tail was short so you wouldn't strangle yourself with it in the womb.” he explained “Or get it tangled up with your umbilical cord. And your spade was soft and dull so you wouldn't hurt either yourself or your mother with it.”
“...How, in the Hell?” mumbled Mica as she narrowed her eyes in question.
“You are not completely immune to fire, but you have a very high resistance to heat in general. And can remain comfortable in temperatures that are well over several hundred degrees.” said Anton “The reverse is not the same however, as you have absolutely no tolerance for the cold.”
“...Okay. So what are you like some kind of shinoccubi fan boy or something!?” exclaimed Mica as she pressed herself back against the metal chair “Cause that's just creepy that you know all that crap!”
“I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan...” mumbled Anton “But as you can tell, I am very well informed on your kind.”
“Oh! Did you study the shinoccubi too!?” exclaimed Kianna as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards in question.
“I have.” nodded Anton “I've actually done my best to make an in-depth study of each of the Infernals.”
“...Okay?” drawled Mica “That's... weird! Why would you “study” my people?”
“Because I'm a naturalist, and my main interest is other sapient races.” explained Anton “And the reason I've studied your kind as well as all of the Infernals so deeply... Is because it was necessary. We needed to know everything we could about you. What you could do, and any weaknesses you might have. We had to have this knowledge. So we could survive against you. So we could fight you. And so we could beat you.”
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Mica blinked in uncertainty as a lace of anxiousness formed in her eyes.
“The modern age may be a time of peace. But this is a new experience. This is the first instance of true peace this world has ever known.” stated Anton “For countless millennia this world knew only constant conflict, and war. And no enemy of peace was more prominent than Hell itself. For Hell, and its people, war was the way of life. Conquest and destruction were its culture, and no place was safe from its flames...”
Mica said nothing as she merely stared back at him.
“You, yourself, may be far removed from the Hell of the old age, Mica. But that doesn't change the fact that it is where you come from. It is why you exist. And it is still what you are. You're a product of war. And the blade at the end of your tail is proof of that.” said Anton “Your kind was our enemy. And in order to defeat an enemy, you need to figure them out. You need to understand them, and how they work. We knew this. And so we learned. We watched you. We studied you. Until we understood enough about you, to finally win...”
“...That, that wasn't me though.” muttered Mica as she looked away in defiance “That was forever ago, and I had nothing to do with any of that!”
“No, you didn't have anything to do with it.” nodded Anton “And the wars may have long ended. But you and your kind are still here. And so many of you are still so ready and willing to kill. So understanding how to stop you will, unfortunately, always be knowledge worth having...”
The room went quiet for several long moments before Kianna slowly leaned forward to gaze at Anton.
“Were you, actually there?” she whispered softly as her eyes tightened in question “Back then?”
“...Another time, Kianna.” answered Anton in a soft tone as he stared at Mica.
“...Right.” nodded Kianna as she too looked to Mica “...Right.”
“...Fine then. So let's say I think you might know what you're talking about.” mumbled Mica as she shifted her eyes back over to Anton “You might! ...None of what you've said explains why my parents would want you to kill me though. If the clan doesn't know who I am, or anything about me, then if anything we could just run off and hide or something! Wanting to kill me doesn't make any sense! And I think you're just trying to fuck with me, or trick me! Or something! I don't know what your deal is! But my Mom and Dad would never do that to me! They would never hurt me!”
“They would if the clan told them to.” said Anton “If the clan told them to find this mystery kiochi, and then bring her in. They would do it. Even if it meant their own deaths through being found out, they would still do it. They would have no choice. And they know this.”
“...Wait. ...Th-that!” stammered Mica as understanding suddenly formed in her eyes “...But, that. That would only matter if the clan was real! Which you could still be full of shit about that! This could all be bullshit! Just a trick! You! You're! ...You're!”
“And why would I be trying to trick you all of a sudden? What would I gain from that?” asked Anton “You have nothing I want. And even if you did, I have you at my mercy here. If there was something I wanted from you, I could take it easily enough right now this moment. But there is nothing. In fact, all I've wanted was to send you home. I even called your Father, and I let you speak with both him and your sister. I didn't have to do any of that. So what, am I supposedly trying to trick you for? What goal could I possibly have for doing that?”
“...What is this then? ...What do you want!?” demanded Mica as her expression became frantic “What are you going to do with me!?”
Anton remained still and silent as he stared back at her.
“...What are you going to do with her?” asked Kianna as the silence began to drag on.
“...Honestly.” sighed Anton “...I don't know.”
“Then just let me go!” cried Mica as she began to pull against her binds “Let me go! Let me go!”
Seemingly ignoring her, Anton shook his head in frustration before continuing.
“This is a very difficult situation...” he mumbled as he began to rub his temple “And if I was going to be completely honest about it... I'd say the easiest, and probably the best solution... Would be to just kill her and be done with it...”
Kianna had a stoic expression on her face as she nodded her head and watched as Mica's emerald eyes went wide in panic as she froze mid-motion in her efforts to free herself.
Sighing through his nose, Anton said nothing as he folded his arms over his chest and stared down at the distressed kiochi.
“...I really should. ...It would instantly solve this entire situation.” he mused after several minutes of silence “Her life for her families... It's the best way to make them safe... Maybe the only way...”
Mica made a small noise in the back of her throat as she pressed herself against the metal chair.
“...I should just to do it. ...And be done with it.” continued Anton as his expression remained blank “It's the best way... It needs to be done...”
Mica's eyes were at their widest as she stared at Anton and held her breath.
After another moment of stillness, Anton slowly shook his head.
“...But I can't do that.” he whispered softly as he closed his eyes and sighed again “I just can't do it...”
A relieved expression instantly spread across Mica's face and was quickly followed by an angry scowl.
“Why not?” asked Kianna as she narrowed her eyes at the kiochi and pointed her ears straight back.
“Because I know how badly this will hurt Leopold and Ila.” admitted Anton “And I just can't do that to them...”
“...Right, but, you said they were going to kill her themselves, right?” questioned Kianna “Wouldn't it be better for you to do it instead?”
“That's not what they want though, Kianna. They're only going to do that because it's what they have to do. What they think they need to do.” stated Anton as he began to rub his temple again “It's not what they want to do... It's not what I want to do...”
“...Right. They're your friends, I keep forgetting that.” nodded Kianna “I'm sorry...”
“It's okay.” grinned Anton “I know how you feel about Mica. So I understand.”
“Yeah... Still, I'm sorry.” mumbled Kianna softly as she gazed at the kiochi “...So then, what are you going to do with her now?”
“That...” replied Anton “Is still a very good question...”
“...Well, what were you planning to do with her before?” asked Kianna “Before you knew who she was, and who her parents are?”
“Ah, well!” grinned Anton “That's not a plan that's going to work out anymore either. So I don't think there's any reason to discus it in front of our guest.”
Mica narrowed her eyes in irritation as Kianna giggled softly.
“We are going to need to do something though...” mused Anton as he addressed Mica by leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees “And a little more information is going to be necessary to figure out the next step. So, that being the case, I'm going to need you to answer a few more questions for me, Mica.”
“Fuck you!” snapped Mica “I'm not telling you anything else! Give me my phone! I want to talk to my Dad!”
Taken aback by her outburst, Anton narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
“Have you not been listening? Your parents are not going to be any help to us right now.” declared Anton “We're on our own here, and if we want to fix this, then I'm going to need some more information. Some clue that could tell me what clan your parents are part of. So you need to think. Did they ever talk about anything that sounded like it might be work related, but seemed off to you? Any strange, demonic sounding names they may have talked about more than once? Anything at all like that might be important. So think hard.”
“I'm not telling you shit!” hissed Mica through her teeth “You keep twisting around everything I say! You're not getting anything else out of me!”
“...Listen to me, Mica. This is important. Your parents will never tell me what clan they're in. So I need you to help me figure it out.” explained Anton “You said they were assassins, right? How did you know that? What did they tell you?”
Mica pressed her lips together as she shook her head in defiance.
“Mica. I am not trying to trick you. I am trying to fix this.” stated Anton as his face hardened “And for that I need you to answer my questions. Please.”
Again, the kiochi shook her head as she remained tight lipped.
“...If she doesn't wanna talk, then we could always try putting the needles back in her.” offered Kianna as she grinned smugly “It worked the first time.”
“No, Kianna...” sighed Anton “We are not going to torture her again...”
“Aw! But it did work...” groaned the dark elf as she smiled cattily at the fuming kiochi “We got her talking right away before. And we could do it again. Just scare the words right out of her!”
Shaking his head, Anton settled back into his seat and sighed in frustration. After a moment of stillness, his face took on a thoughtful expression.
“...Actually. That might not be a bad idea.” he mused softly.
“Oh, seriously!?” exclaimed Kianna as she turned to him with excitement in her eyes.
“What! No!” cried Mica before slamming her mouth shut again.
“Not the needles, necessarily.” smiled Anton as he again leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees “I meant scaring the words out of her. That is actually a great idea.”
“What!?” mumbled Mica as she blinked in uncertainty.
“Since things have become more, complicated, as of late. My plans for what to do with you have since changed. And out of kindness, I was going to spare you the details of what I had potentially intended for you.” explained Anton “But now having thought about it a bit more. I think you can actually still be quite useful to us. At least in a few instances.”
“Wait, what!?” questioned Mica “What are you talking about!?”
“I'm talking about what I had originally considered doing to you, of course.” chuckled Anton “You see, Mica, Fiona and Kianna, the two dark elves that are here with us. Are in the process of learning how to use their various magical abilities. Now, as you can see, they are already adults. Which means that they are a bit behind where they should be. This, unfortunately, is due to a rather, rough, upbringing. One that resulted in them only recently being able to begin practicing with their magic. Now, despite this late start in life, they've been doing very well with developing their skills. And we have been able to make quite a bit of headway in getting them to where they need to be. Of course, this hasn't been without a few, hiccups. One major issue that we have been dealing with recently has been a lack of a... proper target...”
“...I don't like where this is going!” mumbled Mica.
“You see, Mica. Thus far we've been forced to do what we could with what we have. And this has meant that in order to help each other practice, each of us has had to take our turn as a stand-in target.” said Anton as he gave Mica a playful smile “Now, unfortunately, this really hasn't been working out too well for us. As you see, the girls can be a bit, eager, or, heavy-handed, if you will. And at this point we've had more than one... Well, let's just call them, close calls, shall we?”
Mica involuntarily swallowed a lump in her throat as the two dark elves began to snicker.
“And that is where you, and your usefulness, would have come in.” continued Anton “You see, had things gone differently. I was planning to use you as a training body for the girls to practice with. It really would've been so much easier to use you as the target, than to try and continue to have them learn while using each other. And I just knew that you would be the perfect person to help us with this. Since, as a shinoccubus, you would definitely be tough and, flexible, enough for the job. Of course, we would have certainly have had to remove some of your more, unfriendly attributes, first...”
Mica gulped again as Anton leaned in even closer.
“After all, a good little training doll has no need for horns, fangs, clawed wings or a bladed tail...” whispered Anton as he stared into her eyes “Nasty little things like those would just get in the way...”
Mica remained completely still as Anton eased away from her.
“Now, due to a possibly misplaced act of kindness towards your parents...” said Anton “I'm no longer planning to subject you to such extreme modifications... Unless of course you make me have to...”
Mica grimaced as she tried and failed to wiggle her spade free from the belt it was locked to.
“In any case, even though my plans have drastically changed. I do believe there is at least one thing you can still help us with.” smiled Anton “Something that would have otherwise been very difficult to practice on our own.”
“Fuck you! I'm not helping you with shit!” exclaimed Mica.
“Wonderful! That's actually an excellent attitude to have for this!” chuckled Anton as he settled back into his seat “Alright ladies. We're going to have a short, impromptu lesson real quick.”
The dark elves both turned their attention to him as their ears pointed themselves straight upwards.
“Now, I want you both to think back to the confrontation that just took place between you two and the sasquatch, Joel.” said Anton “If you remember correctly, Joel did react to your auras. Unfortunately though, that reaction wasn't enough to stop him. He could clearly feel the auras, but he was still willing to attack you. Why do you think that was?”
“...Uh?” questioned Kianna as she and Fiona looked at each other “...I don't know? ...I guess, because he wasn't scared of us?”
“Exactly. You got it in one, very good.” said Anton as he grinned up at the dark elf “A lack of influence was exactly what allowed the ape to continue with his assault against you. Now, had you been affecting his emotions, things would have likely gone much differently. As there is an emotion that when influenced with intensity, can be quite crippling. Even to a being with the strength of a sasquatch. And which emotion do you ladies think that is?”
The dark elves looked to each other for a moment before turning to Mica and smiling wickedly.
“It's fear!” they both answered in unison as their eyes began to glow with excitement.
“Correct, very good.” nodded Anton as Mica's eyes quickly darted back and forth between the two smiling dark elves “Now then, let's see just how well Mica can handle a little fear, shall we...”