Death Hunters 07: To the Cat Fortress

    As the party travels from town to town they learn just how important the red medal they got really is. All the towns in this area base what kind of jobs and what difficulty to give to whom based on this medal system. While the red medal is rare, and impressive enough for some to give them some nice work, it’s still considered amongst the lower ranked medals which are arranged not by difficulty but rather by danger. It is explained to them by an adventurer’s guild representative just prior to a job to relocate an Acid Dragon which had wandered out of the swamps and into a town’s lake, that the towers and thus there medals are ranked in a set of ten. In fact the fifth tower and up won’t even accept adventurers to try and pass their trials who don’t have at least one of the lower medals. The towers are arranged from lowest to hardest, White, Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange, Brown, Silver, and Black.

     Rhulan and the others are surprised to learn just how large an area uses this system, hundreds of square miles. In fact the Easiest tower, the White tower which is described to them as being more like a class-room quiz game than anything else with some basic trials which are more like gym class fitness exams, and the hardest, which has very lethal and real dangers in it, the Black tower, are both right next door to each other outside of Osopika, forming a garden plaza known as the center of balance. The Blue tower, also known as the sea tower, is up the coast line of the Archae Sea, they are told it can be seen on a clear fogless day from the very preserve they are traveling too. The third tower, the Red one which they got a medal from is considered to be both out of the way and more trouble than its worth as in the official ranking its medal is considered no more valuable than the White or Blue, although un-officially they prefer people have at least the White one and one other from Blue, Red, and Green, before trying yellow or higher, and adventurers must have at least five medals before they can even try the Black tower. Most who go from White to Blue skip the Red or Mountain tower as it has come to be called for the Green, or Swamp tower, located as the nick-name would imply out in the swamp. From here they can try the higher towers.

    The Yellow tower is located in an open field along the coast and located a distance Rhulan considers silly, up the coast line. For Hollia it comes as a major surprise that she has never heard of any of this given where they are told each tower is located. Their informant went on to point out the Purple by a small town, Orange near a large river, Brown in an old quarry, and Silver located atop an artificial mountain in which the real tower trials are located. Of course this whole thing was meant to be a spiel to try and get them to travel around between towns and go to each tower. However theirs is another quest, and these towers a game for another time as Rhulan promised to Hollia, in the mean time they need to keep moving to the preserve.

    Despite only having the Red medal, their group with its impressive skills, not to mention that some hire them despite normal restrictions just because of how rare the Red medal is, assuming these adventurers from the east coast may later try for other medals and only got one just so they could work their way to Osopika over land. Odd mumblings are heard regarding the danger of sea travel lately, which has led them to their current job.

   Normally they would only give a job such as guarding a merchant caravan to someone with yellow or higher, but after seeing a demonstration of their skill and viewing the other candidates who were in the area at the time, not to mention strict time restraints, the head merchant of what the adventurer guild representative described as the largest over land merchant caravan she had ever seen in her life, opted for hiring the party of Rhulan, Hollia, Betty, Cata, Cookie, & Lin Lin. The last name on the list and the official record from Ole-Tomash behind it tickled the slightly over-weight merchant.

    Aside from the size of it, Rhulan and the others don’t find anything too particularly odd about the caravan, goods, food storage including a few frost stone refrigerated metal trucks pulled by oxen. Although Cata has pointed out that most of the men traveling with the wagon feel like sea farers not over land transporters and guards. In fact out of all the people in this slow moving caravan, barely going ten miles a day due to its size and safety of its goods with the hired guards, themselves included taking shifts walking along its side and keeping guard at night, aside from themselves only one other guy feels out of place. Which is odd as this one man looks normal, but as Cata said, “Too normal” and “too curious.”

      He is a common enough looking man with a clean shaven face, scruffy brown hair, wearing a white tunic with brown vest, brown travel pants, and boots. Then again this appearance and his build would be more what one would expect from a seller in a market than a hired guard for a caravan coming south along the wide merchant road traveling parallel to the Archae Sea from the kingdoms up north clear down south to Osopika. Several others have remarked how the man is always asking questions, even to things that should be common knowledge such as everyone’s reaction to Rhulan’s name. The man actually needed the story explained to him, and has taken something of an interest in Rhulan and Hollia after learning they are an instructor and student from Stratalia.

    “Always asking questions,” say the men.

    “Always writing something down in that note book of his.” they say as well.

    Of course what really bugs them is the fact that none of these guys needed medals to get hired, most of them save for a few including the man Rhulan figures, or at least has said as much is a scribe researching a paper or something from some minor kingdom or another up north. In fact most the men have been described as “the crew” or “dock waiter” a term they recognize back easy as adventurers who jump between merchant boats to act as guards for traveling long distances.

    [Official log of Scout Commander Travinis Arim:
    I am both proud and ashamed to inform that the early assessments of our predecessors were incorrect regarding the anomalous planet code named Other World Earth. Early assessments declared this planet a primitive agrarian civilization with a feudal structure, only steel and wood based powerless technology.

    In this regard we have two important corrections to make, the first being that more intensive scans have revealed that the human population is not indigenous to this planet. While local folk lore can in most cases be dismissed for this world it appears to be more fact than fiction that their people came to this world from another. We have discovered that there was an indigenous human population, however some event in their past, the local refer to a precursor civilization prior to their arrival, has somehow been mutated prior to the current human population’s arrival into a wide variety of none-human humanoid life forms.

    As one can ascertain we have made un-official incognito contact with the local life forms in order to properly ascertain their culture and technological level. This decision was made after an observation that stands as the second correction. We were forced, its still being researched if the extra caution was necessary, to move from basic stealth to avoid telescope detection, to full on cloaking due to an off-world arrival of a large number of ships. The initial team must have arrived between a scheduled departure and return of what we have discovered is referred to as the merchant fleet. These ships warrant closer inspection as their construction would seem to contradict their abilities, some of these world traversing craft were identical in exterior appearance, as far as we can ascertain, to wooden sailing ships measuring only fifteen to forty feet in length, some resembled winged metal air craft, and a fleet of them with-in the fleet were metal craft with flapping segmented wings that a casual glance would assume should not be able to fly. We observed the craft as the large fleet approached the world, which the locals call Aesperia, and then divided up amongst themselves, these various groups took on different landing paths to the planet falling to specific points on various continents, two on the equivalent of North America, one on the equivalent of main land Asia, one on the equivalent of Australia, and three landing points for the continent of Europe. Life form scans have determined the continent of Africa due to large wild life and gigantic self contained ecosystem trees does not seem hospitable to human life; however I will not say it isn’t in the event we determine other wise at a later date.

    Upon taking up closer inspections of the people via stealth craft I have developed a disguise to fit in amongst them and research them closer. My standard issue plasma field dagger should stand in for a basic weapon. I chose as my entry point the
landing location at the point of the large un-naturally located sea splitting apart this world’s North America.

    I have now spent a few weeks amongst their people in which I gathered the above data, I have also made other astonishing discoveries, the local currency is based on gold and silver as one might expect of a primitive society. I have managed to obtain a job, they referred to me as an “adventurer” which seems to be a common nomadic occupation for a large number of the population. My translator oddly enough proved un-necessary, as the locals seem to have what I have determined is a psionic ability they aren’t even, or as far as I can tell, aware of, which allows them to understand each other and apparently any other human regardless of native language. The astonishing abilities of these humans does not stop there, even as children the average individual seems capable of lifting their own body weight with out the need of enhancements (which I am fully glad I have other wise a simple handshake from these dock workers I have mixed in amongst could crush my hand). I have watched children lift boulders with only minimal effort the size of their own heads and toss them in streams for fun. This strength seems to allow them to easily jump their own height and run very fast. Those that train their bodies I have seen jump from the shore up to the ships, and even have the balance to run along the mooring ropes.

   I caution against standing as I report the next bit of data, these people are energy enhanced. Any individual has the capacity to learn what they are referring to as magic, however this is not simple superstition or religious practice, they can actually accomplish abilities that my level of technical training does not allow me to guess at the function or method of which they can accomplish them. However I have determined they all have some basic abilities, such as the strength mentioned above, and an incredible but not supernaturally so healing ability. I witnessed a large man get into a fight and get stabbed through by a sword and continue fighting. He was taken to a healer who manifested a white light from her hands to heal his wounds, and after a night in a “drunk tank” was released with out a scar. I was told upon questioning the healer that it was a combination of his own healing and tolerance thanks to his size and “level” (what ever that means) along with only a basic healing spell that caused his recovery. In fact me might have been able to survive it with only basic bandaging but that might have left a scar.

   As for the energy or magical abilities they divide themselves up amongst basic spells anyone can learn and low level ones, to something called a “specialty” which I have determined refers to what we would call special abilities such as pyrokinesis, hydrokinesis, and aerokinesis, amongst others. For them this means they are able to control these at a basic level and can learn spells to enhance their power in more complex ways in those fields. This connection may require further research. In order to continue my research I have opted to join a fleet heading down the sea to various stops along the eastern coast all the way down to the mouth of the sea to a city called Osopika. In order to do so I had prove my skill should the ships face any danger, I used the wave cutter beam of my dagger, blasting it into the water to show how I could handle myself in a fight. I determined this a safe course of action after observing others focus their abilities through their weapons such as shooting fire from a sword. The main guard captain for the ship apparently found this enjoyable, and much to my surprise pointing with his index and secondary finger pointed at the sea, crooked his arm pointing his temple standing sideways, and then threw his hand to the water while announcing “Chainsaw Beam”. This man fired from his fingers the exact same natured blast as a wave cutter beam. I was employed, and listed amongst the adventurer “dock waiters” as a “short blade using swordsman with an energy specialty”.

     *Second log entry: After joining the crew I discovered a few things through questioning. The first being the nature of the merchant fleet mentioned before. It seems every few months on a schedule ships head off planet and join up, even though many of the nations would be natural enemies as they stated it. For protection to another world, which warrants exploration to, called the Makai Cluster, they form a temporary merchants alliance. Upon returning they dissolve this. I also learned that they can only land in specific spots and then ships and overland caravans take the goods to other ports. The reason for this seems to be various dangers in flying over land, one of which is large flying territorial creatures; I am told this world even has actual fire breathing dragons. I have alerted the crew to do full life form scans to determine the exact nature of the wild life, as aside from this description some of the cargo is meat belonging to large unknown creatures, and I have witnessed animals in the waters not native to any Earth I am aware of. This world may very well look like an Earth, but most certainly does not feel like one. Another reason is people flying, apparently this magic also allows individuals to fly with out the use of technology or wings. One is the danger of harming others, and the other the danger of coming across a powerful sorcerer (as flying seems to cost so much energy that only very strong individuals would fly around everywhere) who might decide to shoot the ships out of the air rather than risk a collision. Apparently though this was a threat more in the past than present, but tradition has sunk in on how their operations go.

    *Third log entry: I am now sending my reports back at periods of rest, writing my observations on paper then sending my digitize report through a transporter as my transmissions have been detected. Not directly so, but apparently the signal has caused some interference with the magic stones they are using to keep the refrigerated compartments cold, odd little devices they call frost stones which have a glue diamond for a center and a snow-flake in appearance silver base. These are kept on the walls and emit cold air, apparently cycling air into them, chilling it, and then expelling it. However despite my attempts to examine them, they only look to be a gem stone with an artistically crafted silver base. Another important thing to note is that this region is in a political turmoil. The ships were stopped by a blockade representing a growing military power on the western side of the sea called the Magnus Empire. They used steel plated ships and ignitions based fire-arms. A technology well above what the previous scout team had reported. On that note I have determined all the technology here is divided into four categories, modern: the magic based technology they use now such as the frost stones, Imperial: a legendary lost technology from a millennia ago which according to legend all vanished when the Empress was defeated in battle (I assume meaning killed) and apparently cast a powerful death spell that took all technology with her, this is of course treated as legend by the locals and I would assume rightfully so, the third they call lost Aesperian technology which is apparently the technology they brought with them when they colonized this world, apparently using a system similar to our own of simple form colonization but using themselves as the basis and cast off their technology to rust away with time, the fourth would be this precursor technology. Apparently the humans, which as stated in an earlier report have become various other none-human humanoids, that inhabited this world had reached a high level of technology before their mysterious fall, enough to create few and far between hidden labyrinths with self-sustaining machines.

    The blockade demanded a hefty sum from the ships, however the captains had foreseen this and brought enough extra to pay the toll to this empire. Which implies this situation has been going on for some time now. The imperial blockade’s commander is apparently on good terms with the head merchant leading this fleet and has warned him about military turmoil further south in which the imperial ships may attack us mistaking us for spies. For this reason we have taken to land in a slow moving caravan to avoid detection sending the ships with enough crew to run them back north and scouts on ahead to inform their customers of the delay.

    *Fourth log entry: The caravan due to growing proximity to the area in which we were warned about the presence of military turmoil has decided to take on additional local aid. The scouts sent ahead in fact posted this job for the adventurers. The reasoning seems to be that the adventurers in this part of the world are rated amongst the most trustworthy and capable, at least compared to “dock waiters” and adventurers found from the kingdoms up north. It was under the guise of feeling insulted that I learned that this entire region is known as the Stratalian Neutral Zone, or Merchant Confederacy, which is apparently the very thing the Magnus Empire is trying to have a war with. I say “try” as all the information I have gathered points to this neutral zone being comprised solely of individual towns and villages who simply share the same currency and a guild that caters to traveling adventurers being one of the larger companies. The neutral status is insured by a city, which I am told is actually a school for magic and adventurers as well, called Stratalia. Which I have determined was the other landing point of the merchant space craft.

    I was expecting the merchant in charge of this caravan to take on at least twenty men, instead all that was hired was five women and their pet, which appears to be a mammal, yet resembles descriptions of dragons. However what I am about to report is startling, I know it startled me. Two of the women are Kuhrai. One of which appears to be fully Kuhrai yet wears local clothing, from the look of her I would say she is a Korai-Kuhrai, the other woman looks human except she has Kuhrai ears, I believe she is what is called a Kokin-Kuhrai, or hybrid. Which means not only have the Kuhrai been in contact with this world, they may very well be living amongst them and interbreeding. I have been able to ascertain as well that these two aren’t even related to each other, which further cements that the Kuhrai have some serious contact that we need to look into least our scout team be discovered by a Kuhrai world guardian war-bird. The other three are something rather strange, woman in an orange costume who uses guns which fire both fire and electric bolts, which I discovered when a rather large creature came from the swamp and attacked the caravan. They referred to this monstrous reptile that spews digestive enzymes as an acid dragon. In fact the small military that makes up the crew need not have even been there. These girls fought off the creature themselves; they were even able to tranquilize the beast and transport it out of the road and back into the swamp.

    The leader of their group is a woman whose very name makes the crew uneasy, apparently they think either she’s crazy calling herself that, or her parent’s were crazy to name her that. Rhulan, who was apparently the legendary empress of the world a millennia ago. Given that this woman used telekinesis to lift the massive creature and send it back into the swamp I’d say being named after an imposing figure works. The  last girl I would have mistaken for their travel long maid if not for an oddity, at night she takes on another outfit and personality. The caravan chief views this as a bonus because she doesn’t need to take shifts, apparently each form is a separate person in the same body who goes to sleep and switches places with the other between day and night. If just running into one group has revealed so many amazing things one can only imagine what a longer term research team could uncover about this world, of course keeping in mind the aforementioned issue with the Kuhrai presence.

    *Fifth log entry: I have learned that the woman in black who calls herself Rhulan and the Kokin-Kuhrai girl have a master and student relationship, and in fact come from Stratalia. I have taken this opportunity to try and investigate more about that location. However I have discovered something rather disturbing. I had though my dimensional flux alert, set to vibrate of course, was going off due to a malfunction as each time I checked back on my drop ship’s security it was still secure. The alert is going off it seems each time this Rhulan woman walks too close to me. At first I thought it only coincidence but lately she has been walking by me apparently on purpose and smiling as though she knows she is setting something off, I &%&*$ do^*&*^know((*6*^) ^^^ bla, bla, bla, bla….I am Rhulan! Hear me, or rather read this, as apparently you people are going low tech these days. I will not tolerate a Qwie presence on my world. You’re people who apparently don’t understand the concept of allowing a world to develop on its own, have no business here. In fact you have no business in this Universe! The Aesperian people have no ties to the Qwie, I will find your ship and I blow it up if you do not leave immediately after I send this man back. Don’t worry I wont hurt him, he’s just a scientist after all, but I am a warrior, oh and reading his reports, which by the way I have hacked your ship and read everything you’ve collected on my world, which by the way you have no clue about the powers that dwell here, and oh yeah I am the actual Rhulan, as in Empress from a millennia ago and so forth and so on. Or do I have to something more impressive than hack your supposedly impregnable computers, oh say like fly up there and kick your asses.

    Transmission out: for good, bye, bye, and don’t come back.]

    Rhulan’s hand stops glowing purple, along with her eyes, as she holds her hand over the tech pad screen and throws the transmitter back into Travinis’ hands the surprise look on his face bringing a smile to her face.

   “Miss Rhulan?” asks Hollia as she rubs the sleep from her eyes waking to find Rhulan doing something to a weird mechanical device in the dark, by the still cart watching over the head of the caravan.

   “A Qwie.” says Rhulan, “aliens with no business here.”

   “huh?” asks Hollia.

   “I…I…” stammers Travinis profoundly dumfounded, he had thought these people more advanced than initially believed, but to be this advanced.

  Rhulan sighs, “Don’t worry about it Hollia, it’s a long story, but long story short this man is a Qwie scientist, there aliens…kinda like the Immortals who look like us but aren’t us.”

   “Oh,” says Hollia looking at the man and back at Rhulan, Lin Lin yawns in her arms.

   “I…what ever.” says Rhulan looking at the frightened man, “Okay, here’s the deal kid. You obviously don’t know what’s going on here, or why I’d threaten to blow up your ship and all your friends.”

   “By the goddess.” says Hollia.

   “Great,” says Rhulan, “Don’t worry Hollia, I wont blow them up, last thing we need is a fricken Qwie military attempt, then we get the Kuhrai shooting them up, and bam whole world get curious and sends people up to salvage the remains, I mean hell the Kuhrai have no use for that tech, and bam more Qwie issues. Shit, you people make things more complicated then they need to be you know that. Just know this, we got something going on here and the Qwie really have no idea what they’re in for, between us, the Kuhrai, the Insectoids, the Suihrai, the Rai, the Naj, the Hinnen, and a dozen others you people are just…”

   She shakes her head, “Really you scouts are just lucky…I mean damn, that I found you first is amazing, I mean the Suihrai should have shot you out of the sky the second you showed up in this universe.”

   Travinis looks back and forth, at Hollia who just shrugs, after all she is well aware of the many aliens her parents have dealings with and has seen a few times just how impressive their technology and powers are.

   “If Miss Rhulan says so,” says Hollia, “Mister then I am sure she is saying all this for your own good. I don’t know what you scientists want here, but sneaking around pretending to be one of us is…kinda weird isn’t it?”

    “Uh,” says Travinis, “Well…yeah if we knew you’re people were advanced enough to have trade relations with other species.”

    “Never judge a book by its cover.” says Rhulan, “but any who, I really am surprised the Suihrai didn’t at least contact you guys. So first chance you get I really suggest you leave because…well with all these transmissions you’ve been sending, and…that rather…loud one I just sent, they definitely know you’re here now, and if they were just tolerating you before, now that they know you’re Qwie, your ship must be some weird new model.”

   She eyes him and he responds, “Well, yeah, it’s the latest scout vessel.”

   “Thought so,” says Rhulan crossing her arms, “they were likely just watching you, but the second they find out you’re Qwie they’ll have issues, your people aren’t the best at keeping their noses out of other people’s business.”

   “If I could,” he says pointing at his communicator.

   “Sure,” says Rhulan

  “Come in scout ship this is Travinis Arim, come in.”

  “Sir,” comes back the voice of a woman.

  “I have good news and bad news.” says Travinis.


  “Sir?” says the voice, “we have worse new.”

   On the bridge of the scout ship the crew has been rounded up in the center of the wide open bridge with its stations and centrally located captain’s chair, by what look like living three dimensional shadows whose bodies are folded capes and heads hoods covering darkness with red slit eyes glowing from them.

    “That transmission,” she says, “came a little late, we’ve been locked in quarters for weeks now by the Suihrai. They brought us out to talk after that woman sent that last message. They’ve…”

   “We are the Suihrai.” Comes a dark voice that seems to be spoken by all of them at once, “We have been waiting for you’re return to send you all on your way with the message to never return. Empress Rhulan has given you her warning, now we give your our own.”

    A darkness appears around Travinis, a blackness deeper than the night that folds up from the ground like the mouth of some hungry demon with shadow tentacles and pulls him into the ground. Rhulan holds out her arm to stop Hollia from rushing to his
rescue.

   “Its okay,” says Rhulan, “Just look up.”

   She points at the exact spot the scout ship is located, although Hollia can’t see it, “If you see an explosion, you know he died, if you see the stars vanish briefly with a blackness darker than the night sky then you know they were sent home. Their fate is in the hands of the Suihrai.”

    “who now know I’m back,” thinks Rhulan, “Damn, gotta watch that temper, but then again that stupid bastard put my name and mentioned my skills in his triple goddesses damned reports.”

   Hollia and Rhulan watch the sky as the a few stars vanish, however they are not alone. Cata was awoken by the commotion and eavesdropped on the whole thing, she watches from just outside her tent the night sky, and Dark Cookie is sitting atop the cart lying back her head cupped in her hands and smiling, “So much for Rhulan and Hollia sneaking off for a good time, damn, but what the hell, this was fun too. Who’d think the Qwie would send some science team to this world of all places, weird, weird as fuck…but not as nice, ha.”

     The next day Rhulan and Hollia come up with a cover story about Travinis leaving on his own for different opportunities. There story is backed up by Cata and Cookie Clean, who despite not remembering much as its dream like to her, remembers the Qwie being mentioned. Betty is a little miffed that she never realized the man was a Qwie, being that she has pirated from their ships and their allies in the past.

    ******

    The caravan has reached the small town of Ritix, rather than going directly to the were-cat preserve and requiring some of the carts to split off from the group they instead drop off the supplies at a local grocer set to hold the goods for employees of the preserve to come and pick it up. The party has finished its contract with the caravan, set now to head to the preserve, fulfilling two functions, one to deliver the message that their goods have arrived, a job from the grocer in fact, and seeking the No-ma.

   As they walk down the road out of town Rhulan suddenly stops.

   “Okay,” she says, “Hollia, you’ve have this look on your face ever since the whole incident with that guy. I know you want to ask me the whole story about why I snapped at him…”

    She cheers up and claps her hands together, “well what kind of student would you be if you weren’t curious, okay I’ll tell you the whole thing.”

   Hollia cheers up.

   “To begin,” says Rhulan, “As I stated before that man is, was, what ever, an alien. Well the whole story is the Qwie aren’t
alien aliens, they are human, however they come from another universe. A void universe. I encountered them before back when I was adventuring between universes, yeah I know, I ran into all sorts of weirdness back then trust me. Well any who the Qwie aren’t exactly the most respectable race out there, they believe their entire galaxy is rightfully theirs thanks to some story about some ancient race they call the Creators who they are either descended from or created by who apparently ruled the entire galaxy back in their own time. Well the Qwie practice something called simplest form colonization where they will encode their own genome onto a primitive life form on a planet so that species will evolve into their likeness but adapted to that world; you know what with the whole void universes having round worlds that are completely alien to each other and what not.”

    Hollia nods, Rhulan has taught her all about this stuff before.

   “Well any who,” continues Rhulan, “This practice means they have been doing this for millions of years, they create some off-shoot on some planet, then come back telling the human or humanoids they are their ancestors from space and either pose as gods or something and enslave the population to be part of their empire.”

    “And they do send scouts to evaluate worlds,” says Betty nodding along, “Oh yeah, Rhulan is right, they weren’t just doing that freaky stuff back two thousand years ago, I’ve had dealings with them too, they got whole worlds of humans working for them; but like I’ve never heard of them crossing into universes like this one before.”

   “Well you have me beat,” says Rhulan, “I hadn’t even heard of them crossing into other universes period.”

   “So,” says Hollia, “that guy was like a spy for an invasion and you were scaring them off?”

   “Pretty much.” says Rhulan as Betty nods.

   “I knew it!” yells Hollia as she hugs Rhulan and then quickly lets go blushing from ear to ear.

   Rhulan chuckles, however Cata glances between them thinking, “the Qwie aren’t just about invasions, for all we know that was a legitimate science team, then again the presence of humans here might have lead to something else, then again the presence of Kuhrai here should have proven enough of a deterrent.”

   She looks up to the sky as the party continues on its way thinking, “Hollia, you ask about the Qwie, but why not about the Suihrai, surely that should peak your curiosity.”

   She watches Hollia laughing for the first time since the encounter, talking about something or another with Rhulan, Betty, and Cookie Clean and thinks, “Kid, I get the feeling you know more than you let on, why else would you so calmly travel with someone like Rhulan, and…I’m starting to sound like Scrags…shit.”

   She shakes her head thinking, “get a grip girl, this is all none of your concern, the tiger eye ruby, remember the tiger eye ruby and that monster that wreaked your ship.”

    ******

    Thoughts of space ships flying through an empty cold void between ball shaped worlds, guns that shoot lasers, flying bikes, and other such sci-fi nonsense that Hollia has read about over the years is short lived in her mind as they travel the path through the woods as a dark evil aura permeates the air. A black smoke swirls from a central point, from nothingness. From the smoke a pair of large skeletal talon legs appear followed by a body like the legs made of only bone. In place of arms are the bones of bat like wings, and sitting atop a long neck is reptilian skull sporting goat like horns. Its long tail with four spikes near the tip swishes back and forth as the empty eye sockets, save for small dots of red light, stare down at them like an eagle over looking its prey.

    “wha…what is that?” asks Hollia

   “I…don’t know.” says Rhulan much to everyone’s surprise, “My first guess is some sort of undead dragon, but I don’t recognize the type.”

    “of course you don’t” comes a high pitched squeaky voice from the direction of the monster’s head.

    “Did it just talk?” asks Hollia

   “with a squeaky voice?” adds on Betty

   “Of course not! That was me!” comes the voice again as a small black figure crawls up from behind the skull.

   The creature only adds onto the confusion as it’s a small black penguin, with bright orange feet and a bill. Where a white belly should be is instead white feathers in the shape of a skull pattern with black feathers making square eyes and the space between the teeth and giving it a slightly open mouth appearance, something a little similar to a Jolly Rodger.

   “I,” says the small creature as it bends its flippers impossibly pointing at its self, “am Vol-Pinyo, master of necromancy, lord of ghosts and demons, I am the great and fearsome master of bone yards.”

   Cata, Betty, Rhulan, Hollia, and even Lin Lin start to chuckle.

   “Don’t laugh at me!” it screams in its high pitched voice, “My appearance is not to be laughed at, as its no question what you find is funny, but my great undead dragon from the shadows of the Netherworld on the other hand should teach you other wise!”

   The Dragon opens its mouth black smoke issuing forth from the space between its teeth.

   “Okay,” says Rhulan as she summons a red sphere in her hand, a fire sphere ready to be thrown, “a sword against a pile of bones would be silly, so I guess I’ll just blow you to pieces if your dumb enough to pick a fight with us.”

   Before she can throw the fire sphere the dragon’s body distorts, like an image going out of focus, hiccupping its presence in reality and turning into a green mist. Vol-Pinyo flaps his flipper wings comically as he’s caught off guard and falls to the ground saying, “haaaaaaaaay!”

   The green mist that was the dragon’s body swirls into the air and into a red crystal, much like the one the man who called him self “Death Fisher” used only a lot smaller.

   “Who, what?” stammers Vol-Pinyo as he looks into the air, as does everyone else.

   The robed tiny figure of Adorable Death Bringer appears, holding the crystal.

   “That’s Adorable Death Bringer!” shouts Betty, “She’s very dangerous!”

   “As if we needed to be told that.” says Cata, “that thing just sucked up that dragon.”

   Rhulan and Hollia exchange looks as Lin Lin cocks her head, they remember back to the island of Los Rodos, the tiny figure that attacked them only for its necro-arc to be absorbed by Rhulan’s barrier.

   “I see,” says Rhulan as Hollia nods, “So we face this thing again, well it was completely useless against me last time so lets see if it turns tail and runs again.”

    Betty looks at them, “oh yeah,” she says, “that’s right you guys told me you already fought her. If she still works for Jim then she must be back after all those other guys of his failed.”

    Vol-Pinyo looks at them and then back at the Adorable Death Bringer, “Failed?” he squeaks, “I haven’t failed yes, and yes I am also a mercenary hired by The Thing Named Jim, but know this, I am not one his cartoony lackeys or some lame low class demon, I am Vol-Pinyo, I was born from the twisted imaginations of a Chaos Demon Queen on the Hell world of Abstractive.”

   He turns to Adorable Death Bringer and flies into the air, well floats into the air anyway, “why are you interfering with me? If we are both working for Jimmy the Cartoon Man as my creator used to always call him, then why don’t we just work together and finish them all off, of course taking Betty the bed bitch for Jimmy back.”

   He sneers a sneer impossible for a penguin down at Betty who just shivers at the mental image its comment left in her head.

   “Ignore that stupid thing.” says Rhulan as she absorbs the spell back into her hand, a feat that gets a wide eyed look from Hollia as re-absorbing a smell rather than it dissipating or having to be cast is thought amongst academic circles to be nearly impossible, “I get the feeling something else is going on here.”

   “Indeed.” says the Adorable Death Bringer in her own overly cute for her appearance voice as she looks down at them and then back at Vol-Pinyo, pointing her small scythe at him with her four fingered black gloved hands, “I no longer serve The Thing Named Jim, my true master has re-called me, thus my contract with anything else is void until further notice, and things like that dragon, well they are on my list of hits.”

     She vanishes like a ghost with out any further explanation leaving Vol-Pinyo floating in mid-air above his queries. He floats down to the ground saying, “No matter, I will still kick your asses!”

   Everyone calls forth their weapons, except for Rhulan who says, “With such a small opponent that sword is just a little too inaccurate, not to mention given our last big battle against that La-mopo, I’m just not feeling the sword is good for much except fights where I need to use my mystic energy attacks.”

   She cracks her knuckles, “So I’ll just beat this little beach ball down the old fashion way.”

   “Is it just me,” says Cata, “Or has Rhulan started to come out of that reserved fearsome aloofness shell lately.”

    “Yep,” smiles Hollia, “and I like it.”

   Rhulan blushes a little.

   Vol-Pinyo starts to focus necro energy into a sphere between its flippers.

   *ambush!*

   Vol-Pinyo is sent rolling across the ground as a brown with dark brown stripes were-cat comes leaping from the bushes and swats him with her paw like hand, in that it has a thumb, yet still clearly paws. She rolls onto her back as she grabs Vol-Pinyo in her paws exposing her white belly with her small fur covered perky breasts which defy both gravity and logic with their perky roundness. As she juggles the screaming for help and flapping his flippers wildly Vol-Pinyo in the air she smiles at the group with her cat like, yet human like at the same time face and *meows*.

    She tosses Vol-Pinyo really high into the air, flips over quickly into a crouching position, extends her claws, and leaps into the air as though to do a flying clawing upper-cut. However Vol-Pinyo twists in the air, a green cyclone surrounding his body and vanishes. The were-cat only swats at nothing, landing with a *awwww*.

   Still crouched she licks the back of her paw and bats her ear, “hmm?” she says looking at them *sniff, sniff*, “Oh yeah! You’re the people I came to bring back home!”

   She walks over to them on all fours and then stands up, standing on her toes she is eye to eye with Rhulan.

    *meow*

   “I’m Nata!”

   She bows her head, and then looks back up at them smiling as she leaps away back on all fours. She looks behind her and say, “come, come, the mistress is expecting you, *meow*.”

    They put away their weapons, after all it is a were-cat preserve they are traveling too, although they could have sworn they were the ones that were going to tell them they had supplies back in town waiting for them as well as asking the priestess who runs the place for No-ma.

   As they follow the were-cat named Nata, whose ability to speak so clearly comes as a surprise to all of them, even Cata, Nata turns and says, “*meow* why don’t you run on all fours?”

    The were-cat’s pace is faster than they can reasonably walk in the hot sun with their stuffy clothing better suited for the cooler climates up around Stratalia.

    “I would.” says Cata, “If I wanted to stab myself in the legs with my swords, or be mistaken for a panther.”

    Nata just twitches her ears, shrugs and starts to walk on all fours rather than leap as she leads them to the high walls of a massive compound. Nata stands up and places her paw on a panel in the massive gate which lights up with a mystical green glow and opens.

     She turns to them saying, “The mistress is in the main house straight down the path. Follow me.”

     The dirt path is rather direct even though it winds around with a few coming off of it. Tall grass fills large square areas between the criss-crossing roads. Closer inspection as they pass reveals small dirt mounds with doors on them.

   “Were-cat houses.” says Rhulan, “really nothing more than small nests for sleeping, usually placed in clusters in the center of a colony’s territory.”

   They look around and what they see are not just were-cats. There are even small shed like houses, a few smaller normal sized houses, inside of which they see beings that look like were-cats but lack the body fur or cat like faces, instead they just have the paw like arms, legs, tails, and ears, looking closer one would also see cat eyes, teeth, and tongue; but they aren’t going to look that close. Although some are wearing t-shirts, those with out them reveal either only some fur over the breasts, or exposed breasts, but show no shame in walking around either way with out cloths on. One may guess for those with cloths on it’s
just a matter of comfort; or perhaps imitation of humans.

    “Kokin?” mutters Cata

   “No,” says Rhulan, “those are from Xiang and Nipponia, they are just called Cat-girls, Cat-women, or even Cat-maidens. Our scientists believed the warmer climates produced less fur covered versions, but that wouldn’t make sense given…”

   She points at a creature very much like a were-cat in appearance but with the orange and black stripes coloration of a tiger which is wearing a black bra and panties as she lounges by a stone surrounded pond next to the grass nest house which is undoubtedly hers.

    “That is a were-tiger, or tiger-girl, tiger-woman, or any number of similar names. They also come from South Eastern Xiang. Although despite appearances they can even survive in frigid climates, but the ones in colder climates tend to be giants with thick fur.”

    As if on cue one such nine-foot tall giant one, whose breasts would be the only indication of being female with her muscular build comes walking around and lays next to her much smaller (human sized) cousin species.

    “Yeah, like that.” says Rhulan.

    As they get closer to the mansion a few others can be seen, some with fully cat like faces, some more human like, with various colors of fur from silver, blue, white, some with human like hair and some with just fur covered heads.

    “Where are all the boys?” asks Betty as Cookie walks beside her, she had also been wandering the same thing but didn’t want to say anything out of politeness.

   Cata, Hollia, and Rhulan exchange glances, “Uh, miss Betty,” says Hollia, “there are none, all cat-girl species reproduce asexually.”

    “However,” says Rhulan, “to be fully accurate they are none-classifiable, or better yet, asexual yet require a sexual partner. While reproductively they are making an exact copy of the parent with minor mutations that make them as different as a normal mother and daughter would be, they are still reproducing in a sense sexually. It’s almost as if they can pick and choose what traits, such as immunities to disease to take from the father. They breed with the males of any mammal of the same body size, or even slightly smaller or lager, trust me I have heard some horror stories of those big were-tigers abducting human men. It seems, while they may mate any time, only during a special heat period can they get pregnant, but any sexual stimulation, even from other females will end this heat period, if they mate with a male, with the aforementioned requirements during this time they will become pregnant. But what is born is always female, and always of the same type of cat-girl as the mother. As I said they may get a few traits from the father but nothing that would qualify them as a true hybrid.”

    “oh,” says Hollia, “the books…glossed over those details.”

    “and,” adds Cata, “aren’t completely accurate either. Most males its like that, but for some reason if they mate with a Kuhrai the offspring is a true hybrid between the two.”

    “and then again,” comes a woman’s voice from inside the door which with all their talk they hadn’t noticed they walked right up to the main house, “were-tigers will occasionally produce male offspring called tiger-men, who can breed with females of any other equivalent sized predatory or humanoid, which by the way also applies to the females of all cat-girls, you’ll never see one try or be able to breed with a deer after all, the offspring of tiger-men with these females can either be tiger-men or tiger-women, of course if a tiger-man breeds with a tiger-woman they child will 90% of the time be a tiger-woman, so some males have chosen to only breed with females of other races in order to preserve themselves.”

    The source of this other instructional, female professor like voice is a woman who appears to be a cat-girl herself, one would easily assume her entire body to be covered in snowy white fur, although the only parts visible would be her tail, feet, human like hands and forearms, and her head with its slight muzzle appearance and large ears. Her face is more cat like than the were-cat’s but not as cat like as some of the panther-women (who look exactly like Cata if she wasn’t wearing cloths) who are lounging about on what looks like wooden gym equipment, or those oddly colored ones which Hollia recalls reading about are called Cyber-cat girls, or also named Metal Claws, as even though they resemble humanoid house cats their fur and claws are as strong as steel, comparing them to the giant white tiger’s the Byakko from Xiang, although these are said to be from Croix not Xiang. Hollia makes a mental note to ask Rhulan later why the ancients called them Cyber-cat girls, Cyber being a term she has only heard in technological circles but doesn’t really know what it means herself.

    The rest of this woman, although the cloths are either tight enough or she is endowed well enough to show off a bulge clearly indicating some rather large breasts for a cat-girl, is covered in white robes similar to those Hollia wore back in Stratalia, only with more layers and looking like the outer cloak is held off her body by large shoulder pads which pretty much look as though they would prevent her arms from pointing upwards. The truth being these are made of a special material that is rigid like armor but bends easily when pushed from the inner side of it; this being a fact Hollia, Rhulan, and even Cata know well enough, one being this garment type is known in Stratalia as the clothing of a white priestess, a master of white magic, and known to Cata for an all together different reason.

    Cata actually squints her eyes and leans her head forward a little looking at this woman.

    “Something wrong my dear?” asks the woman.

   Cata’s eyes shoot open, surprised she didn’t recognize the voice sooner, but this exact phrase hits a memory, “no way,” says Cata as she bows her head and places her own claw over her heart, “My apologies priestess I didn’t recognize you sooner.”

    “Oh don’t be so silly,” she says, “It has been many years since I visited your father, you were very little back then Kathara Harana, but then again you did visit here with your mother a few times till you were a teenager as I recall. Please come in and tell me how your mother…and of course your father are doing. Your mother’s rescued sisters, by friendship, miss her, she hasn’t visited in months.”

   The others give each other questioning looks.

    Cata looks at them as they walk inside, “Yes,” she says, “I am what I look like, my mother is in fact a panther-woman, my father is a Kuhrai. Why else would I have the paw like hands and feet of one, the Kuhrai sure don’t. She indicates the priestess. Most Kuhrai have paw like feet, but clawed human like hands, such as the priestess here. I had a feeling coming in here that this placed looked familiar. It was years ago, and I only saw it from above, the landing strip is further in the back.”

   She indicates the woman, “this is the white priestess of the Kuhrai, Hyatha Aria.”

    Now its Hollia’s turn to look surprised, yet Rhulan only gives a knowing smile.

   Hyatha Aria sips some tea on the table as a Nipponian Cat-girl in a shirt and shorts sets a kettle on the neatly set round table, large enough for all of them in this rather clean house. She looks up at Hollia, then at her ears and smiles, “So tell me, you wouldn’t happen to be Holly-Lia would you?”

    “Uh, yes,” says Hollia nervously.

   “In that case,” says Hyatha Aria standing. She walks over to Hollia and wraps her arms around her giving her a big hug. She holds Hollia at arms length saying, “let me get a good luck at you. Yes, yes indeed, the spitting image of your brother and father, but with your mother’s, and dare I say some of my charm as well.”

    “What?” says Cata and Cookie in unison.

    Rhulan is trying very hard not to laugh.

    “Sit, sit down,” says Hyatha Aria, “and tell me what has finally gotten my great grand-daughter away from her studies and out into the world to finally pay me a visit?”

    “Uh,” says Hollia looking at the woman whose name she recognized and back at Rhulan who nods with a wide smile confirming that yes this is the Hyatha Aria, the one her father told her about, and told her not to mention around her grandfather as he has “parent issues”.

    “Wait a minute.” says Cata, “I’m confused, with all due respect priestess are you saying that you and Hollia are related?”

    “Well of course,” says Hyatha Aria, “The story of my wedding to Stratos the Sky Warrior isn’t a secret after all, nor our having a son, my beautiful little boy Jinron.”

   She gets a somber look in her eyes and her voice changes from her motherly soft tone to a more natural sounding one, “who grew up to become a hard-ass with heritage issues despite proper up-bring somehow.”

   She switches back to her previous look and tone, “At any rate, I will assume my son hasn’t yet decided to apologize.”

    “Excuse me,” says Hollia still trying to take all this in, “But grand-father is very old, well over a hundred and seventy…or eighty, he doesn’t like to talk about it…so…how…”

    “How can I be your great grandmother?” finishes Hyatha Aria as she takes another sip of tea, “Simple I am as Kathara has said a Kuhrai, we have indefinite life-spans, we are not invincible or eternal, but old age can not claim us.” She raises an eye at Rhulan, a gesture no one else notices as they look at Hollia whose cat like ears haven’t stopped twitching since they arrived, apparently reacting to all the subtle sounds made by cat-girls.

    She puts her cup down, “Your grand-father for instance, has he ever shown you what’s under his hat.”

     Hollia shakes her head

    “Well,” says Hyatha Aria, “It’s a pair of cat like ears, just like what you have now. He has worn that silly mushroom hat since he was eight just to cover them up. I swear, I hope he gets over before he gets much older, but at this rate it’s not likely.”

    “Grandfather is getting old.” says Hollia taking a sip from the tea placed in front of her and the others by the Nipponian cat-girl.

    “No he isn’t” says Hyatha Aria in her colder tone, “he wears some silly illusion ring to look old, take that thing off and he’d look just like Tyros.”

    Hollia nearly spits out her tea, both from the shock of this news she has never heard or known about or had any clues about her entire life, and the from the metal image of her father dressed in what she considers silly looking robes and mushroom like hat of her grandfather.

   Hyatha Aria laughs a little, “I guess its no surprise you didn’t know.”

   “hmmm?” she says suddenly, “Kathara Harana, I just realized, what did you call Holly?”

   “Uhm,” says Cata who doesn’t know what to make of all this, “Hollia.”

   “Hollia…Hollia.” says Hyatha Aria, “and you picked this name yourself Holly?”

    “Well,” says Hollia, “yes, is something wrong?” she remembers how her grandfather hates the name.

    Hyatha Aria has a broad smile on her feline face, “Of course not my dear.” Her voice sounds weirdly happy, “I absolutely love it, sounds so much more like…a Kuhrai name; wouldn’t you agree Kathara? Cursed Maid? Or how about you ghost who is now flesh?”

    She indicates Cata, Cookie, and Rhulan in turn, giving both Cookie and Rhulan cause to be surprised.

   “So,” says Hyatha Aria to Hollia, “please tell me all about your adventure, and please don’t leave nothing out, your friends are certainly an interesting bunch. Starting with…*sniff* how you freed Rhulan the sorceress, up to *sniff* your cursed friend here being the last to join your group, there is also another smell, someone, a male from some time back.”

    “You can tell all that from scent?” asks Cookie speaking up for the first time in several hours.

    “No,” says Hyatha Aria, “The sniffing is a force of habit from being around our feline humanoids, but I do find it less alarming looking than hissing in the air to pick up the astral essence trail.”

   “It’s a Kuhrai thing,” says Cata both instructionally and respectively in regards to Hyatha Aria, around whom she has been quieter than usual and avoiding eye contact with, which would be disrespectful to have prolonged eye contact in both Kuhrai and cat-girl societies.

    Hollia tells her the whole, or most of, well very very summarized with only the biggest most important, yet still takes about two hours with small breaks for tea and cookies, which no one recalls when those were placed on the table, of her adventure, freeing Rhulan, Los Rodos, Scrags, the journey, the Dah-Hoth (something Hyatha looked disturbed hearing about), the weirdoes after Betty, including the little penguin guy outside and the strangeness of another one turning on him, going back to talking about the swamp, and the red tower, the weird turtle thing, and just a little bit ago with the caravan a Qwie alien (something else that troubles Hyatha Aria), and finishes with, “Oh yeah, we were on a job right now to also tell you that your supplies are in.”

    “I see,” is all she says for a moment before continuing, “I…will see into both the Dah-Hoth and the Qwie presence.” she gives Cata a look that sends a shiver up her spine, a look of, “you better have already reported these things.”

   “However,” she says, “In regards to the No-ma, yes I do have a rather large supply of it. I originally had taken some back home in Stratalia for Jinron, but I think his stubborn streak goes down to the bone, that or he simply over used it. He would use that final strike move of his time and time again as a kid, relying on the No-ma to turn back, logically he must have built up a tolerance to it, but by then he was too stubborn and…” she tears up a little, “wanted nothing to do with me, to accept my help with control over this transformation. After that he never used the move again out of fear that his so called beastly side would come out more and shame him more.”

    She sips some tea and her emotions change instantly back to normal, “At any rate, Tyros had used some before, but he accepted the training to control transforming.”

    She notices Hollia perk up at the term training, “Well,” says Hyatha, “I’ll think about it okay dear? Just spend the night and we’ll finish this discussion in the morning.”

   “Okay,” says Hollia, “honored great grandmother.”

   This puts a smile on Hyatha’s face, “Now Hollia, please go with Mina,” indicating the Nipponian Cat-girl, “You may be my great grand-daughter but neither No-ma or training will not come cheap, you’ll have to show me you deserve it, a little work and interaction with cat-girls should help. Mina was about to go and switch places with her sister to watch over a group of youngsters in the kitten play house. Please do a little babysitting with her if you would.”

   Hollia stands and bows to Hyatha Aria, “Of course honored great grandmother.” and leaves with the Nipponian cat-girl named Mina.

   “Kathara,” she says next, “My curiosity is peaked by something; I know you’ve been traveling with your friends here for some
time now, so why were they all surprised to hear your name?”

   Cata looks genuinely worried, “I…well…it’s not to lie or anything, nothing so dishonorable.”

   “Just tell me,” says Hyatha Aria remaining calm.

   “Yes priestess,” says Cata, “I have been calling myself Cata.”

   “I see,” says Hyatha Aria, “I recall your mother would call you Katha, I would hope this change in name was more to do with this than any shame, oh say a reason you wouldn’t want to come back here, or refusal to eat Micono-Mice treat bits the last time you were here saying that’s animal food.”

   *gulp*

   “No,” says Cata, “I’m, not…as…ashamed.”

   “Indeed,” says Hyatha Aria, “So unless you want me to bill the empire for your stay here tonight I suggest you do some chores
also. Your aunts are around to the east side of the house, I trust you saw them coming in, go say hi and keep them company till later okay.”

   Cata stands and bows, “Of course priestess, I will not view this as a chore; it is an honor to visit my mother’s family.” She turns and leaves with out another word thinking, “oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…”

    If Betty or Cookie hadn’t seen it they wouldn’t have believed it, however further astonishing is the fact that Rhulan still has a smile on her face, like she predicted everything that has happened here so far.

    Hyatha Aria turns to Betty, “So tell me you are an elf correct?”

   “Uh,” says Betty remembering how truthful albeit energetic Hollia’s retelling of their adventure was including the observation of her both being an elf, “yeah, like, in a way I suppose.”

    Hyatha Aria just sips her tea, “So tell me then, how are you really related to Hollia?”

   Betty looks confused, “I’m not…I mean I heard her mother was an elf, but I’m not related to either of them.”

   “I see,” says Hyatha Aria, “You’re aura is a little different, but it is odd that another member of such an exclusive race as the elves would just show up and join her team, then again from what she says your involvement has more to do with a mutual goal and a rather interesting bit of serendipity.”

   “uhhh,” says Betty.

   “No need,” says Hyatha Aria putting up her hand, “I can tell. You are not the same type of elf. Perhaps a higher power lead you to them, you would do well to look into the how and why of this semi-omnipotent enemy of yours not being able to come to this world.”

   “huh?” starts Betty but is cut off by Hyatha Aria.

   “At any rate,” she says, “Please go to the ware house and tell the volunteers the supply shipment has arrived and act as their escort.”

    “Uh, of course.” says Betty as she stands, she bows to Hyatha Aria as the others did, a very unusual feeling for her given her history, she hasn’t bowed to anyone other than Rhulan, and then it was for a purely selfish reason, to follow and learn what secret she has that makes her a threat to Jim that could be of some use to Betty. Although she thinks to herself she has become friends with them despite her own attempts to hide herself behind silliness and act the part of a pirate.

   “Perhaps,” thinks Betty, “my better nature is coming through again, making me act so polite.”

   She smiles as she leaves, Hyatha Aria having handed her a paper with directions to the warehouse thinking to herself with great joy, “My crew of Figmentions, those born to be happy yet filled with sorrow, reflecting my own position. Jim said once I was like him, chaos itching to break out, a mask of innocence hiding an evil face, maybe, maybe he really was wrong.”

    As Betty heads down the trail seeing Cata’s swords being carried around back by Nata. She sees just beyond them Cata herself mixed in amongst panther-women, creatures that if not for her cloths Cata would easily be lost amongst through Betty’s eyes. Cata is talking to them in some meowing language and rubbing cheeks, acting in a way she has never seen her engage in before. Betty heads on her way quickly not wanting Cata to be embarrassed for being spotted acting so out of character.

    Hyatha Aria turns to Cookie Clean, “Now then,” she says, “You are indeed interesting, even before my great grand daughter told me, I could sense you were two minds in one body. I trust you are here for the No-ma as well.”

    “Yes miss,” says Cookie Clean.

   “I see,” says Hyatha Aria as she stands and walks over to Cookie Clean, “Now please stay seated.”

    She walks around her a little; a look of concentration on her face as her eyes glow.

  “Well then,” says Hyatha Aria sitting back down and sipping at her tea, another Nipponian Cat-girl shows up and prepares a new kettle, this one with black hair with red streaks in it and wearing a blue maid uniform, but not a professional one, in fact its almost the same kind of cos-play outfit Cookie Clean is wearing.

    “I believe I know your condition,” Hyatha Aria continues, “However I’m not sure how effective No-ma will be. You see No-ma reverts someone back to their default state; your transformation is more mental than physical. I would imagine with your powers an external change is possible, but it’s all aesthetics, if you wanted to right now you could take on the same form that this Dark Cookie as Hollia put it has. Am I correct?”

   “Yes miss.” says Cookie Clean.

   “In that case,” says Hyatha Aria, “I may have something for you.”

   “Really!” says Cookie Clean excitedly before quickly lowering her head again saying, “Sorry miss, I mean of course to say, thank you.”

   “Not so fast,” says Hyatha Aria, “I wish to speak with your other side first and get her opinion, I get the feeling she may be a bit more assertive about than you. After all you both must feel that No-ma will prevent the other from appearing. This is a serious situation, I will need to gauge you both as individuals rather than the typical transformation where only one personality exists or the other is simply a different set of emotions in control. Seeing as Hollia mentioned something about one sleeping when the other is awake. Correct?”

   “Yes miss,” says Cookie Clean sounding disheartened yet still polite.

   “Please don’t be so sad,” says Hyatha Aria with a slightly chipper tone to her voice, “I may have something that will work out for you both after all. However in the mean time I would appreciate if you went with Mika here.”

   She indicated the Nipponian Cat-girl in the room, “Seeing as you are dressed for the part you two would be cute together as maids.”

   Hyatha Aria smiles, “However come night fall I want to speak with this Dark Cookie at once, no silliness.”

   She hands her a seal, where it comes from Cookie Clean has no idea.

  “This,” says Hyatha Aria, “Is a memory re-call, come night fall when you transform it will activate and your darker self will instantly remember everything that has happened during this conversation in the last fifteen minutes when I activated it.”

   Cookie Clean stands, bows, and leaves the room guided by the Nipponian Cat Girl named Mika. Meanwhile Cata plays panther-woman with her aunts, rescued from the international black market just like her own mother, Betty greets the human adventurer volunteers, or rather temp workers, at the ware house directing them, and Hollia with Mina keep watch over the young ones in the crèche, some of them are the offspring of cat-girls in the preserve, others taken from the wild by poachers and rescued from their ships seized at sea heading to Aztin and Amazonia; and islands in between from all across the world, where nefarious individuals would trade cat-girls as pets, slaves, and for sport, a horrible game where they raise them as vicious as possible to be hunted by the wealthy on islands along with other “monsters” something unheard of a thousand years ago, and something Stratalia is trying to put a stop too, but not being an official governing body its not easy.

   However right here and now this leaves Rhulan and Hyatha Aria alone, sipping tea looking across a table at each other.

   “So,” says Hyatha Aria, “the ghost that watches is now flesh again.”

   “I knew you could see me Hyatha, or should I say Harley the White Priestess; oh yes I knew who you really were long before Stratos, or should I call him Staltos, knew who you really were.” says Rhulan

   Hyatha Aria gives her a look for a moment before sipping back on her tea.

   “Its very interesting,” says Rhulan, “that you would tell Hollia that you’re her great grandmother, reveal her family has more issues than she would have thought, reveal that her grandfather has been using an illusion her whole life to look old, is a hard ass, not that she didn’t already know that, and on top of this pretty much tell her she may very well have an indefinite life span, and yet you didn’t go further to explain why Jinron is really angry with you, oh yeah the whole Kuhrai thing is part of it, but the rest is much juicier.”

   Hyatha Aria glares at her.

   “Oh don’t get me wrong,” says Rhulan, “I’m not trying to mess with you, I just want to make sure we both agree that she doesn’t need to know all that now. I imagine you have your reasons, afraid she may turn out like Jinron, but don’t worry I have it on good authority, my own authority, that she wouldn’t. However you really hit it home with some of these issues, she pretty much figured you doubt she may live a very long time, what with a Kuhrai ancestor, and her mother being an elf, but I think this is the first time, what with meeting her great grandmother who bore her nearly two hundred year old grandfather, and we both know that’s not the end of it, that she has really got the concept into her conscious thoughts.”

   Hyatha Aria giggles a little before saying, “I had nearly forgotten what it was like to talk to someone even older than myself. I see this must be how I sound to those younger than me. Yes, in due time she may be ready, but as you said, in so many words, I did drop a rather large bombshell as it were on her at once. I trust in due time she may be ready to learn more.”

   “But for now,” says Rhulan, “Now is not the time.”

   “Agreed,” says Hyatha Aria, “Although what role you will play in her future should be interesting.”

   “Indeed,” says Rhulan as she sips from her tea for the first time.


    ******

    The silence of night, as silent as a large complex several miles wide inhabited by a wide variety of mostly nocturnal anthropomorphic felines can be at any rate. While some are as at home being awake during the day or night such as the were-cats, or prefer to be awake during the say such as the Nipponian Cat-girls or the Cyber Cat-girls, there are still many who are almost strictly nocturnal, some that are the very reason why the adventurers who volunteer to work part time at the preserve have no night shift, creatures that are rare and hold high value on the black market for almost always killing the prisoners and others let loose on private islands to fight them for the enjoyment of very twisted wealthy individuals and clubs, creatures like the Shadow Cat-girls which are said to be even more fearsome than the Shadow Stalkers (humanoid black leopards with both male and female genders) found on the continent of Ifrit. That anyone would find pleasure in forcing anyone to fight such creatures speaks volumes to the depravity possible in the hearts of men.

   However none of this means anything, even as a shadow cat girl stalks beneath the window of the room in which Hollia, Lin Lin, and Rhulan share a massive comfy bed with white blankets as soft as the white clouds they resemble. Cata sleeps curled up amongst her aunts in their nest house above the ground in one of the gigantic trees of the preserve, although she would never admit it, possibly not even to herself, this is the most comfortable sleep she has had in years, years of sleeping in beds forcing herself to lie down on her back, head on a pillow, like a human or a Kuhrai. Betty sleeps, her orange pirate costume no where to be seen, in white shimmering robes, her long blond hair slithering as though it were alive across her white pillow apparently reacting to the shadow cat girls and were cats wandering just on the other side of her wall. While they would never dare enter the house the scent of the new comers has them curious and investigating. The only one not sleeping would be Dark Cookie, and Hyatha Aria has her waiting in a den by herself, a test of will power she says, Dark Cookie is to remain in this room for another three hours while Hyatha Aria takes a nap, wanting to be refreshed before speaking with her.

    Deep in the darkness of Rhulan’s cape, with in her sub-dimensional ware house, the silver disc like device with its black center, of which there are visual duplicates of everywhere on the walls, a device known as Aesperia Prime, does something very un-expected, it emits the voice of a young man.

   “Damn it Shintaro! You knocked it on the floor, what if you broke it? You know I’m not even supposed to have it, what if you hit a button or something and those old geezers in the cave got a signal or something huh?

   “Sorry man,” comes the voice of a second young man, this Shintaro individual, “Here look, its okay, just…”

    The first man interrupts him, “Just it’s blinking or something, damn man…wait, I think…”

   *click*

   Rhulan opens her eyes dazedly, “huh?”

   In her sleep she had wrapped her arms around Hollia like a human comfort pillow, she tries to take her arms off, but Hollia’s sleeping form protests hugging her arms and scooting back into her. Rhulan just smiles and feels something by their heads; Lin Lin is lying sprawled out along both their heads and squished into the pillow, cushioned on both her sides between fluff and hair.

    *yawn*

“Huh…okay…”says Rhulan sleepily.

“Must…remember…too…look…into…that,” she yawns as she goes back to sleep.