Chapter 41: Morning

Feeling particularly pleased with himself, Anton couldn’t help but to wear a smug smirk on his face as he passed through the portal and stepped back out into his new bedroom. With a joyful spring in his step, he quickly loped out of the room and descended the stairs as he made his way back to the kitchen.

He had just finished negotiating a buying price for an item that had been set to go to auction at the World Auction House in Halliburton.

The Bacsik Manuscript was a set of wooden plates that had been strung together and featured a series of ancient writings that were believed by some to be instructions that could help in performing powerful rituals. It was an important item in research Anton had been doing off and on for many years now. And he was quite happy that his negotiations had allowed him to avoid having to deal with the hassle of bidding on it.

Unfortunately, his good mood was nearly overshadowed by the unyielding rage he was feeling at being forced to buy back something that he was, technically, already the owner of.

But at times, such is life.

And the guilty person responsible for this annoyance would be dealt with as soon as possible.

In the meantime however, he would need to set that train of thought aside and focus on solving the problem of the other guilty person that was currently disrupting his life.

As Anton stepped back into the kitchen he immediately became aware of a couple of odd sights.

The first was that Mica had completely disappeared from her seat and was now nowhere to be seen. The second was that the dark elves were, for some reason, currently laid out together on the floor and pressed against the cabinets below the sink.

At first glance it seemed that they had apparently “discovered” each other again, as they appeared to be engrossed in what looked to be a very intimate and emotional embrace. Upon closer examination however, it was clear that they were in reality quite distressed. Or at least Kianna was, as she had a pained expression plastered across her tear stricken face as she clutched her ... unmoving, sister to her chest...

“ ... Girls?” questioned Anton softly as his chest tightened in concern.

Anton felt himself go cold as the whole world suddenly seemed to go silent and still. Taking another step into the room, he was unexpectedly greeted with a third odd sight, as what looked to be a nearly-naked, dark-haired, clearly female, crazed eyed lunatic suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision. Whoever this person was, she was apparently quite incensed with him, as she was currently in the process of rushing across the room towards him, whilst brazenly brandishing a steak knife above her head.

Any rational thought that may have been left in Mica’s mind completely vanished at the sight of Anton stepping in through the walkway. With her hated target now in front of her, and focused on nothing else but plunging her weapon into his neck, she immediately began to race towards him. As she came within striking distance, she leaped into the air and moved to bring her knife down with all of her might. Unfortunately, before the tip of the blade could meet its mark, it struck something else entirely.

Mica had no time to react as her whole being was unexpectedly bounced back and away from Anton. Though dumbstruck by the sensation of being thrown backwards, she was still able to land on her feet and remain standing upright. Blinking in confusion, she looked up to find that a giant, glowing orange-colored bubble had suddenly appeared between herself and her target.

Although the light bubble now surrounding Anton may have only been a few dozen molecules worth of energy thick, it was still more than strong enough to stop something as simple as a knife wielding maniac.

Enraged by this complication, the kiochi began to dance about and frantically stab at the bubble in a futile attempt to pop it. Her anger only intensified as these efforts quickly led to her making eye contact with Anton.

“ ... Mica?” questioned Anton as a surprised expression marred his face.

The kiochi merely growled in response before continuing to try and stab her way into the bubble.

Staring down at her for a moment, Anton shifted his eyes back to the dark elves as a grim realization caused his heart to sink even further in dismay.

“ ... No ... Girls ... What have you done?” he whispered quietly as his eyes went wide with rage.

Mica let out an excited cry as the bubble suddenly vanished from in front of her. Before she could continue her assault however, a bright flash of light caused her to reflexively look upwards.

Her mouth fell open in shock as she gazed up at a furious looking Anton who was now bathed in a brightly glowing, fiery orange-colored aura.

“What have you done!” roared Anton as he raised his fist high into the air above her and summoned a blazing ball of ethereal fire into existence.

“Crap!” exclaimed Mica as she leaped away backwards and then to the side in order to just barely dodge the incoming fireball. Diving forward again, she frantically rolled out of the way of two more blasts before leaping back up to her feet. Her instincts were once again screaming at her that the fireballs being thrown at her were made of no ordinary fire, but rather than try to full on escape out of the still open door she instead turned and headed straight for the dark elves.

“How dare you!” raged Anton as he ignited both his fists with the ethereal flames and without hesitation fired both blasts right at the fleeing kiochi’s back.

Mica’s mind fell into a blind panic as she felt the unnatural heat of the incoming fireballs swelling in intensity right behind her. Unable to dodge them, she closed her eyes as she desperately willed herself forward.

Though even she herself didn’t quite understand her own motives, every fiber in her body was telling her to make it to the dark elves. She needed to be with them. They needed her to be with them. She knew she had to make it to them. And she also knew, that she wasn’t going to.

She wasn’t going to make it. She was going to fail. Again.

Holding her eyes shut as tightly as she could, Mica leaped forward and spread her arms out wide in an effort to block the dark elves from the fire that she could feel was rising rapidly right behind her.

In this final split second before the twin blasts would have met their mark and incinerated her into nothingness, a sense of peace suddenly filled her mind. Sailing through the air, the realization that in this final act she could at least spare the dark elves from this blast was somehow comforting to her. As though, with this single action, her life would finally be given a purpose. The broader reality behind this idea didn’t matter, as for her, in this moment, that thought in of itself was enough. She would die to save them. And for some strange reason, she could accept this. She was okay with this.

Believing her end had finally come, Mica smiled softly in bliss as from one instance to the next the heat of the fires behind her suddenly vanished.

Unbeknownst to the kiochi however, this reprieve was due to a wall of pink-colored light that had instantly taken form in between them and blocked her from the blasts.

“No!” screamed Kianna as she held her hands up in an effort to gain Anton’s attention “Stop!”

“ ... Ki-Kianna!” exclaimed Anton as he pulled back on his next attack and kept the flames in his hands.

“Stop! Please!” cried the dark elf in utter desperation “Please! Please! Just stop!”

Locked in a state of confusion, Anton stared into Kianna’s pleading, tear stricken eyes for what seemed like a frozen eternity. He blinked, and came back to his senses as her aura field fell away.

“Please!” sobbed Kianna as she continued to hold up her hands “Just! ... Just don’t hurt her!”

Unsure of how to respond, Anton blinked again when his view of Kianna was suddenly blocked by Mica as she stepped in front of the dark elf.

With her eyes locked to Anton’s and a hard, determined expression on her face, the kiochi wrapped both of her hands around the handle of her knife as she pointed its tip straight at him. Her shoulders shifted slightly as she suddenly sprouted her leathery wings out from between her shoulder blades and spread them out as wide as she could in an effort to both appear larger, and thus more intimidating, and to further block the dark elves from view.

Dumbfounded, Anton could merely stand there and stare as he assessed the kiochi in front of him.

As he watched, Mica’s wings began to vibrate menacingly in agitation, and to his surprise a series of copper and crimson colored lines began to form across the surface of the leather-like membranes that stretched between the long fingers of each wing. Blood was clearly being pumped into the membrane, and this was causing a bright, vibrate pattern of eerie looking eye spots and trailing stripes to form across the expanse of each wing.

Below this, around Mica’s waist, the loops of her long tail were quivering wildly as she was clearly trying to wiggle herself free from the last of her restraints. Still brandishing her knife at him, the kiochi planted her feet out wide as she took a low stance in front of the dark elves.

With her slitted, snake-like pupils fully dilated into angry looking black pits, she let her lower jaw fall open to expose her thin needle-like fangs as she unleashed a long, menacingly loud and bloodcurdling, demonic hiss.

Taken aback by her display, Anton stayed still for a long moment before his own eyes went wide as a sudden realization took form in his mind.

Mica was threatening him, and only him.

All of her aggression was directed solely at him. She had clearly somehow gotten herself free from her bondage. But rather than take the opportunity to escape, she had instead returned to the dark elves. She wasn’t threatening them though. She hadn’t attacked them or even tried to take them as hostages. No. Instead she had planted herself in front of them and was now standing her ground between them and himself, almost as if ... she was guarding them?

The shinoccubus clearly wasn’t trying to hurt the dark elves, she was trying to protect them.

With his fiery aura slowly fading from sight, Anton let his arms fall and come to rest at his sides as he stared at Mica.

Behind the kiochi, Fiona and Kianna both began to rise back up to their feet.

Noticing this, Mica quickly glanced back at them before refocusing on Anton.

“Just stay behind me!” she hissed as she clenched her teeth and raised her wings upwards to better block the dark elves behind her “I won’t let him hurt you!”

Anton’s mind began to race as he tried to figure out what was happening. Trembling from adrenaline, the kiochi before him worked to steady herself by again tightening her grip on her knife. She was obviously afraid, and yet, she remained right where she was, poised with her determination clear on her face. This was no ruse. She was legitimately ready to fight. To defend the dark elves, she would fight ... But why?

“What the Hell are you doing you little idiot!” shouted Fiona as she smacked the back of Mica’s head as hard as she could “Why are you still here!?”

“Ow! Hey! Stop it!” cried Mica as she turned her head back to glare at the dark elf “What the fuck is wrong with you!?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” snapped Fiona as she pointed her ears straight back behind her head “What are you still doing here!?”

“I! I have to be here!” countered Mica “I can’t just leave you trapped here with him like this!”

“You, wha!? And what do you think you’re even going to do about it!?” seethed Fiona “Besides get a matching hand print on your other ass cheek!”

Mica’s mouth fell open in affront as she turned completely around to face Fiona.

“You ungrateful bitch!” she exclaimed as she glared up at the fuming dark elf “I’m trying to help you right now you stupid shit-skin!”

“Help me!? You’re not helping me at all you little idiot!” cried Fiona as she balled her hands into fists and loomed over the smaller female “All you’re doing is ruining everything we just did for you! ... And what the fuck did you just call me!?”

“What’s the matter!?” sneered Mica as she mockingly waved her knife back and forth to indicate Fiona’s ears “Are those stupid looking ears of yours not working!?”

Fiona froze mid-comeback as the room was suddenly filled with an intense bone-chilling malice.

“Point that knife at her again.” threatened Anton as he leveled his inflamed open palm at Mica “And I will blast your head right off your shoulders.”

Her eyes going wide at the sight of the ethereal flames, Mica grimaced in annoyance before scowling at Anton.

“Fine...” she said in a calm tone as she turned away from Fiona and re-took her stance as she fully faced him again “I’ve got a better target for it anyway...”

Anton stared at her for a moment before dropping his aura.

“Well this has been a morning of non-stop surprises...” he grumbled as he dispelled the flames at his hand and let his arm fall back to his side “Somebody really needs to tell me what is going on in here before I-!”

“We aren’t telling you crap!” exclaimed Mica as she replanted her feet in front of the dark elves “You come any closer and you’ll be kissing this blade!”

Anton stared at her for a moment before looking up at a clearly seething Fiona, and then shifting his gaze over to an absolutely miserable looking Kianna.

“Kianna...” he called in a calm tone.

“Ah! Yes!” chirped the dark elf as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards.

“ ... I would really like to know what’s going on in here.” said Anton as he crossed his arms over his chest “So do you think you could answer some questions for me?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” replied the dark elf as she flattened her ears down submissively behind her head.

“Good, that’s good.” nodded Anton “Okay then. To start things off, the first thing I would really like to know is ... Why, exactly, does Mica have a knife?”

“ ... Uh, that! ... I don’t really know anything about that?” whimpered Kianna after a moment of hesitation “I don’t even know how that happened!? We definitely didn’t give it to her though!”

“ ... Alright. Well, that’s good to know that you didn’t just give it to her, I suppose.” mumbled Anton “So then, do you at least know why she isn’t wearing her straitjacket anymore?”

“ ... Yes ... It’s because, we took it off of her.” answered Kianna as her eyes drifted over to where the discarded straight-jacket was still laying on the floor.

“ ... I see.” said Anton as he nodded slowly and followed her gaze to the straitjacket “ ... And why, exactly, did you do that?”

“Okay! Look! This was all my idea! Okay!” cried Fiona.

“Of course it was...” grumbled Anton as he shook his head “Naturally I assumed you had to be behind this, Fiona ... I mean, who else but you could have the brilliance to come up with a plan as ingenious as setting the assassin free, and then allowing her to arm herself...”

Taken aback, Fiona grimaced as she looked down at the floor.

“I swear, Fiona...” continued Anton as he began to rub his eyes in frustration “You are without question your own worst enemy...”

Her expression turning sorrowful, Fiona began to nervously run her hand up and down her left arm as she flattened her ears down behind her head.

“She’s not the only one who did it though! We both let her go! Not just Fiona! And we can explain!” cried Kianna as she began to speak rapidly “We thought about it and we figured that just letting Mica go might actually be the best idea!”

“Right!” nodded Fiona as she began to speak at the same pace “Listen! We thought that since you won’t kill Mica, and you don’t really think you can actually help her, then the next best thing would be for her to just disappear all together! That way everything just, kind of solves itself!”

“She won’t be your problem anymore! You could just forget about this whole thing!” explained Kianna “Mica could go and get everything else straightened out! And with her gone, she’d be safe, and you wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore! So this really will solve everything!”

“ ... What? Wait, that? ... Girls that plan doesn’t solve anything!” exclaimed Anton as confusion marred his face “Mica isn’t going to be able to just go get everything straightened out! And she won’t be safe at all! In fact, dark elves and torture aside, this is actually the safest place for her to be right now. Her not being here isn’t going to make her family want to kill her any less. They’ll hunt her down as soon as she leaves. They’re probably already looking for her as we speak.”

“ ... Uh, well, yeah. She wouldn’t really be safe from them ... At least not right away.” mumbled Kianna as she looked down at the kiochi.

Anton tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at the dark elf.

“Then what are you even talking about?” he asked “What is she going to be safe from?”