[Story] The Future History of Jakob Pettersohn (11/Jul/09 - Final Chapter)

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 27 - Plans

"Your plan includes me?" Jakob asked, incredulous.  "Why would I want to help you after all this?"

Fendrick paused, and slipped fully into lecturer mode.

"We have so very much in common, Jakob," he said.  "Both of us long for a world where everyone is happy and productive, and no-one dies.  But while you have chosen the path of least resistance by providing a means to increase the lifespans of Creatures, and android bodies for the Beings, we feel that we have hit upon a far more elegant solution.

"We intend to use your android technology to create an army of warriors, entirely protected by blackmetal.  These we shall send to the village of Heimwasser, slaying the entire populace - leaders first - and harvesting their souls.  These souls shall be made into yet more warriors and a larger army shall be sent to the next town, and so on until the entire world has been slain!"

Jakob just stared at him.

"Think of it...  a necrocracy!  Where death becomes one of the highest status symbols instead of a detriment.   No-one ages or dies!  The barriers between Creature and Being will dissolve... there will be no more Beings or Creatures, there will be only androids!  Everyone will be equal!"

"There's just three problems that I can see," Jakob said slowly.  "Firstly, you need to keep some Creatures in order to manage the soul transfers, since mind-reading is often required and only someone with great power and experience can make any guarantee of success.

"Secondly, there won't be any children, which means the population will stagnate and there will be no way to create more people in the event of accidental death or simply if we want to colonise the stars."

"This is true," Fendrick replied, "But according to Ashley you are already researching ways to realise a technological means of transferring souls, and until then we still have enchanted artifacts to achieve the same effect.  Your second point I grant, but we believe there are sufficient numbers who have already died since history began to overcome this hurdle.   What's the third problem?"

"You're out of your f***ing mind."

The Angel looked mildly surprised.  "I don't think so.  It's all perfectly logical.  Meticulously planned."

"No, it isn't.  All this has been tried before - or have you forgotten the Undead?  Everyone knows what happened then... they all rose up from their graves and went shopping or whatever!  This will be just the same, the only difference is the driving technology!"

"That event was a mistake, brought about by an incompetent," Fendrick said dismissively.  "This time we will show them the benefit of our plan.  They will want to help us of their own volition.  They will flock to our cause, joining us with open arms!"

"No, they won't.  Your whole plan is nothing short of lunacy.  The product of a disarranged mind."

Fendrick looked at Jakob with a sympathetic expression, as if the incubus was a stubborn child who would one day come to realise that eating their vegetables was the right thing to do.

"Don't you want to see Furrae become a utopia?"

"Of course..."

"Then why are you trying to interfere with our plan?"

"Your plan.  I will have no part in it!"

Fendrick slapped his forehead.  "Of course!  I understand now.  You don't want to help because it wasn't your idea.  Fine... you can take the credit.  I know your past, Mr. Cross.  I know that you love power.  I can offer you a leadership position within the New Order."

"No."

Fendrick looked rather taken aback and stood very still for a few minutes, muttering to himself and turning pages in his notebook.  He didn't seem to understand that Jakob might have fundamental, irreconcilable problems with his grand vision, and kept going back over the plan step-by-step trying to figure out where it had gone wrong.

"Okay," he said at last.  "I didn't want to have to get into this, but if you won't do this voluntarily, I'll have to force you."

"LISTEN TO ME!  IT WILL NOT WORK!"  Jakob shouted.  Everyone turned to look at him.  "Don't you get it?!  You're talking about mass-murder!  You cannot fashion a utopia by massacring everyone!  If you think people are going to just happily join forces with you after ordering their deaths you are in for a very rude awakening!  I did many things I regret now but even in my madness I never got that far out of hand!"

Fendrick shook his head and turned away.  "One day you will understand," he said sadly.

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Daryil said, his eyes round and full of wonder, like a cub being told some beautiful fairytale.  Oh no... Jakob thought, covering his eyes in a gesture of despair.  He's loony enough to buy into this madness.

"No, Daryil," said the fishing cat.  "That trick won't work.  We cannot risk you running wild, not with powers such as yours.  Your building some Tri-wing-fuelled dictatorship to try and effect a return to the halcyon days of Jakob's misspent youth is quite out of the question.  Even creating a breed of more docile 'Cubi would upset the status quo and therefore interfere with our plans."

"No, seriously.  I think it's a fantastic idea!  Way better than just taking over Ha'Khun... even better than the 'Cubi sub-race.  Have you got any more cool ideas?"

"Not at the moment," said the Angel, with a flush of pride, "But I'm glad you approve.  Maybe you can convince Jakob that our way is true.  In the meantime, I have a special place for you in our plan."

"Really?" Daryil asked, his voice still full of childlike innocence.  It sounded for all the world as if Fendrick was going to buy him a treat.  Heart sinking, Jakob felt as though he was going to cry, and turned away.  As he did so he noticed that Keaton was no longer there.

How the blazes did she pull that off?  He wondered... a jackal the colour of a workman's reflective jacket was not an easy thing to conceal, certainly not with all her powers robbed from her.  He kept his eyes covered in case their captors realised what he was looking at, and forced himself back to the present - Daryil was asking about his new role within the Subtle Paw in a frantic, babbling voice.

"What is it?  What is it?"

"Your role?  It is this.  You will be the first to die and be reborn as a warrior android!  How does that sound?"

"I dunno... what will I look like?"

"Well, the warriors are basically a modified version of Jakob's design," he replied.  "As you know, the vital areas such as the brain and the power plant are protected by a substance known as 'blackmetal', an artificially-strengthened alloy, the secret of which he obtained from another continuum.  So in short, it will look just like you, as with the androids you have already created so far.  The main difference is that all the components are protected with blackmetal instead of just the vital areas as they are at the moment.
"However, I recognise that the outer skin represents a vulnerability, so our warriors will also be suited in an external armour."  He touched his wrist, which had one of Jakob's watches.  The nearest wall-screen sprang to life and a few seconds later, a rendered model of a furre in black armour appeared.

"Hot," said Daryil, almost drooling at the armour.  "That's some tasty-looking kit!  Just one question... how are you going to transfer my soul into the android?"

The fishing-cat turned to Jakob.  "How is it usually done?"

"Daryil does it," he replied.  The Angel's face fell.

* * *

In the forest, Dorcan and Salomere found themselves alone.

"Where did Dad go?" he asked.

"Nem's gone home."

"Without us?  Without you?"

"He had to, Dorcan," the succubus replied sadly.  "But I don't want you to think for one moment that he enjoys doing this.  We lived as Beings, you know...  After the attack by the Rhu'Hanh, we realised that a good way to avoid our enemies was to live in a town hostile to 'Cubi kind.  Of course that brought with it its own risks, the risk of discovery.
"We had an agreement... a pact... that if either one of us was publically revealed to be a 'Cubi, the other would deny all knowledge to maintain their own cover.  It was a risk enough being seen together here by other members of our own race, but soon we're liable to run into Beings as Daryil's protection ward ebbs, and we can't be seen together like that."

As she spoke, the female Doberman concealed both sets of her wings, and using his internal morphing charm, Dorcan did likewise.

"Can you tell me what it is that they think you've done?" he asked.

Salomere sighed as they strode through the trees.  "Have you ever heard of Morgalen's Dream Shack?"

"Vaguely, yes."

"It's an establishment that offers Beings the chance to have their dreams somewhat customized.  Run by 'Cubi, obviously.  There's a branch in Kurnshire, not far from where we lived.  I was bored and Nem had his eye on a new sportsbike, so I joined them and commuted to work each morning.

"You've no idea how much money you can make from the fantasy market," she added salaciously.  "Though some of the weirder things I ended up doing were kind of... distasteful.  Apart from the usual dodgy stuff there was some nutjob who wanted a dream where he ran around stealing the souls from Angels.  Though I think my favourite was the guy who used a sledgehammer to smash up the city museum while it rained gold pieces."

"Uh, right,"  Dorcan said, sounding slightly embarrassed.  "Each to their own, I suppose.  But it sounds like you found quite a cushy little number, there.  What went wrong?"

"One of my clients died in his sleep."  Her son stared at her, appalled.

"You didn't... have anything to do with...?"

"Dorcan!  What a thing to ask!  As if I'd betray my father-in-law's ideals by murdering some poor little Being in their sleep, just when they are at their most defenceless!"
"No," she continued, "I don't know what happened.  Maybe it was a heart attack.  But whatever the case, whatever really happened, can you imagine what it looks like when someone hears a choking cry and bursts into cubicle to see a startled-looking succubus standing over a freshly-dead corpse?  They thought I'd... eaten him.  Murdered his soul."

"Oh my gods."

"It's worse... he was the son of the city mayor.  The ruckus that caused meant we didn't even get a chance to explain ourselves.  Assuming we could explain ourselves, since we still don't know what happened to this day.  The town was baying for our blood so we had to cut and run.  And then word got back to our home town - which has a pathological hatred for Creatures at the best of times - that I was a succubus and a soul-murderer..."  She stopped.  Dorcan looked at her, aghast.  Salomere was silent for a few minutes.

"You see, Dorcan," said began, "you're not the only one to be sentenced to death for the crime of being a 'Cubi."

[Gabi]

Poor Salomere... I'm not going to justify Dorcan's actions, but I think you're doinbg a great job at explaining his background.

And wow, Fendrick's so mad he makes Daryil look sane in comparison!

[Tapewolf]

Poor Salomere... I'm not going to justify Dorcan's actions, but I think you're doinbg a great job at explaining his background.

As far as I remember the only really wicked thing Dorcan has done (so far) was kill the mayor, which can be justified given that the mayor had him killed.  Talking of which, that was never properly explained, not least because there were a few plotholes in it.  I've been revising it for Project Future and the official (if somewhat retcon) version is that the mayor had Dorcan killed because he's done far worse and is shit-scared of anyone being able to read his thoughts.
All Dorcan really did before that was have a fling with a Being vixen.  He was actually fairly fresh out of SAIA at the time, and like Jakob, probably did something stupid to accidentally reveal his wings.

Later on he becomes a terrorist in BotM, but again, there are reasons to justify it.

And wow, Fendrick's so mad he makes Daryil look sane in comparison!

Wait 'till you see what he does next 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

"Daryil does it," he replied.  The Angel's face fell.

That makes me laugh -so- much. ;-]

[Cogidubnus]

"Daryil does it," he replied.  The Angel's face fell.

That makes me laugh -so- much. ;-]

The Devil's in the details, indeed.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 28 - Madness

After Jakob's attempt on Ashley's life, Fendrick had deemed it prudent to ensure that Jakob and the other 'cubi were fitted with the same enchanted bracers that had ensnared Daryil.

How swift the veneer of sanity falls away, he thought, standing glumly with the others as the Angel pressed a gun into the side of a rabbit's head.

"Now," said Fendrick, "Mr. Tanholt... tell me why Jakob doesn't like my plan."

"What plan?"  The rabbit protested desperately.  "And who's Jakob?"

"I'm going to count to three..."

"STOP!"  Daryil yelled.

"Ah, Daryil... are you going to tell me why Jakob doesn't like the plan?"

"I don't know why he doesn't like it - I think it's brilliant - But you promised me that I would be the first to die!"

"If you can persuade Tanholt to persuade Jakob to agree with my plan, then he won't have to die yet and you'll still be first."

"No," Daryil said.  He sounded for all the world as if he was a spoiled cub who was sulking because he couldn't get his own way.

Fendrick sighed.  "You can be the second.  How's that?"

"No, I want to go first!"

"Excuse me," interrupted Joshua.  Fendrick looked at him in surprise.  So did Jakob, suddenly noticing that the husky was bare-chested, which hadn't been the case earlier.  Oho...

"Yes?"  The feline asked.

"What about those of us who are already androids?  Do we get an upgrade?"

"Perhaps.  But I don't know if you're on my side yet, Mr. Oswald."

Joshua shrugged.  "Well, I've recently resigned as a secret agent, so technically I'm unemployed.  I've got advanced weapons training and more than 5 years experience in espionage.  A career as a warrior robot is a distinct possibility.  Make me an offer."

"Look, can't we deal with this later?" Fendrick sighed.  "First I must know why Mr. Pettersohn is so adamantly opposed to my vision of a perfect world."

He turned back to the rabbit.

"Now, Mr. Tanholt... about Jakob?"

"I don't know who he is!"

"One..."

"Oh gods... I don't know... I don't know..."

"Two..."

"Six," said Daryil.  Fendrick looked at him strangely.

"Mr. Tanholt.  Why won't you tell me about Jakob?"

"Mr. Fendrick," Jakob began, and the Angel lowered his gun, looking pleased.  "I believe I can explain why your friend here won't explain why I don't like your plan."

"Indeed?"

"It's because you're mad, Fendrick, and he doesn't know what you're talking about."

The cat rolled his eyes and sighed.  "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were delusional, Mr. Pettersohn."

"Me?  Let's get this straight...  You've kidnapped some random rabbit off the street, and are now forcing him at gunpoint to try and explain why someone he has never heard of refuses to accept something else he has never heard of.  And you call yourself sane."

"Jakob has a point," Daryil said.  "Why don't you explain the plan to the rabbit?  Let him see its brilliance.  Or, if he doesn't like it either, you could have a second opinion as to what might be wrong with it."

"I've told you!"  Jakob was almost crying with frustration.  "Your plan involves killing people!  I do not like killing people!"

"Nonsense.  You made the panthers, they are lethally-armed.  So are your aircraft."

"I didn't design those, I got them from Earth.  And besides, they're for defensive purposes, for my own protection.  There are people out there who want to kill me!  What you are planning is a pre-emptive strike on innocent people!"

"You were also working on a doomsday weapon, or so I'm led to believe."

"That was a prototype for an asteroid defence system.  But I couldn't get the accuracy... the distance was big enough to make the speed of light a limiting factor."

"Enough!"  For the first time, Fendrick looked angry.  "We are wasting time.  Daryil, I'm afraid I am starting to doubt your devotion to the cause.  You will therefore not die until after my guards have been converted."

Daryil pouted.

* * *

Keaton ran through the complex, Joshua's pullover concealing her saffron yellow fur.  The guards hadn't objected when she told him she was cold and asked to borrow it, and the crowd of eight or so people had been big enough that they didn't notice she was gone after Jakob's shout had distracted them.

She had the run of the base now.  Possibly it was part of Ashley's mind rebelling against his conditioning, or perhaps Fendrick and he had simply botched the job, but there were doors open to her now that had denied her access before, even after Jakob had told her that she was free to go.  Part of it, she knew, was Jakob's vehement insistence after the murder of Mr. Lutlakes that she be barred from getting her hands on any kind of tool.
Like a caged animal she had not spent her time idly and had made a map in her head of the layout of the base, notwithstanding cheap dimensional tricks like the circular corridor.

Before her stood the door linking their arctic base to the mainland.  Fleetingly she considered going through it, leaving the madness behind.  But she was a Being now, and ill-equipped to survive amongst her one-time fellow Creatures.  The only possible way out of that condition was through Jakob, and Jakob couldn't help her if he was dead or a synthetic replica.  And then there's Dad...  She turned back.

As she strode out of a storeroom, into one of the many corridors - tightly clutching her prize - she saw movement and quickly flattened herself against the wall.  For a moment she thought they were looking for her until she realised it was Niall, being herded into another laboratory by a pair of red foxes, two of the Weres.

So far, so good, she thought, but made her return via the kitchens anyway in order to fashion an alibi.

Back in the laboratory, she hid under the table.  There were only two Weres left, now the others had escorted Niall to the lab.  That meant that it would be easier to sneak back in to the crowd.  The two fox-Weres seemed distracted, eager perhaps for the promised end of their flesh-lives and their phoenix-like rebirth into cybernetic glory.  If she was swift, no-one would notice...

But not swift enough.  Fendrick caught the movement and turned to face her.

"Ah, Keaton!  Back with us, I see?"  Shit, rumbled.

"Daryil asked me to get him some water," she said, handing the fox a mug, which he drank from greedily.  Fendrick gave them a foul look before casting his eyes at the pair of foxes guarding them.  He didn't seem to notice the strange bulges in Keaton's sleeve.

"As for you two, you have let her escape your attention twice.  I am less than pleased.  Fail me again, and you shall both remain mortal."

The two Weres lowered their heads and Fendrick turned back to his captive.

"Now, Mr. Tanholt.  I have asked and entreated and yet you have kept your stubborn refusal to tell me, in simple terms, why Jakob will not cooperate.  I can only conclude that you are in league with him."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" the rabbit screamed.

"I forgive you," Fendrick said, and cocked the gun.  "You'll make a fine warrior.  But first, you'll have to die."

"You're the one who'll die, you Angel shithead!" Keaton shrieked, bringing a hefty spanner down upon the fishing-cat's head with all her might.

A moment later, Tanholt was out cold on the floor next to the jackal, who lay on her back clutching her impromptu mace.  Something had gone very, very badly wrong.... she knew that even before she glanced reluctantly down at the chrome tool.  One of her thumbs was broken and it hurt like hell, although not as badly as it would have done while she was still alive.
Even as she concentrated on the pain, it lessened - having done its job - but she was unable to take her eyes off the spanner in her hands.  It was bent.

As the cloud of feathers slowly began to settle, Fendrick stirred, picking himself up unsteadily.  He looked slightly bewildered and the top of his head had a tear down it revealing the black, metallic surface of his skull.  "You've been a very bad boy," he said.

* * *

Dorcan and Salomere walked through the crowded shopping district of a nearby town.  Hand-in-hand and about the same age, they looked like two lovers.  Dorcan had initially resented it when his own mother had suddenly kissed him before he realised it was a disguise.

In the town centre, a pair of guards were harassing an elderly feline, who sat on a bench by the fountain.

"Why are they doing that?"  Dorcan asked.  "What did he do?"

"They suspect he's an incubus," she replied.  "This town has had a problem with 'Cubi spies.  One of their favourite tactics was to assume the guise of an old man by the fountain, watching the world go by.  In reality he's scanning thoughts, seeing through other people's eyes.  Trying to find his target.

"It's become such a problem that this town now has a paranoid hatred against harmless old men who sit by fountains."

"And is he an incubus?"  Dorcan whispered.

"No," she replied after a pause.  "He's just a harmless old man sitting by the fountain."

"What a bunch of bastards," Dorcan said.  Salomere didn't reply.  He glanced around to see her staring at him in shock.  He didn't really consider 'bastard' to be one of those words which you don't say in front of your mother, but then he suddenly realised that he could see his wings.  And Salomere was winged as well.

"Incubus!" someone screamed.  They were surrounded in moments, the old man by the fountain being dropped to the floor as the new emergency took hold.

"Do not try to teleport, shapeshift or summon a warp-aci," said the guard, a tough-looking Alsatian hound.  His sword was at Salomere's throat.  "You're under arrest.  The pair of you."

"What's the charge?"  Dorcan asked.

"Violating six town ordinances against Creatures entering the city, suspected espionage, suspected murder and if you can beat those, I'm sure we can think up a few more," he replied.

"There ain't no justice," Salomere mumbled to herself.

[Gabi]

She's right, there's no justice in that. And the guard has practically admitted it.

[Tapewolf]

She's right, there's no justice in that. And the guard has practically admitted it.

Sometimes I wonder if I overplay the Anti-Creature thing.

[Dannysaysnoo]

Why was Daryil thirsty? that kinda bugged me...

[Tapewolf]

Why was Daryil thirsty? that kinda bugged me...

That was something Keaton made up as an excuse.  Fortunately he cottoned on to it immediately.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

She's right, there's no justice in that. And the guard has practically admitted it.

Sometimes I wonder if I overplay the Anti-Creature thing.

Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes I don't. *shrug* You're doing ok so far...

[ConfusedNewbie]

my favorite line from this chapter was "Daryil Pouted"

Sheer Genius on your part... Major kudos to you, tape.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 29 - Water

"Ashley, punish... her."  Fendrick said, slowly recovering from the attack.
Hesitantly, as though he was struggling to fight the conditioning, the lynx entered a code into a nearby terminal.  Keaton flopped back to the ground, her power level reduced a hundred-fold.

"Bastard," she slurred, as one of the Weres propped her in a chair, casting nervous glances at the Angel.

Jakob was the first of the others to speak.  "Well, that explains your reluctance to use magic," he started, goggling, "But I thought you didn't know how the transfer was done!  And where the hell did you get that body?!"

"Ashley made it, of course.  And as for how it is done, I don't know, because I was already dead at the time.  But the information was passed on to an incubus, one of my minions."
 
"So that's your game!  You're so jealous that everyone else is alive that you want to bring the whole damn world down to your level!"

"What a cold way to put it!"  The fishing-cat said, shaking his head sadly.  "One day you will understand.  In any case, we shall soon know if Niall is able to produce the same results.  I know that you achieved a soul-transfer with Ashley and the original owner of his body, and you were about his age at the time."

There were two gunshots from the corridor, spaced a few minutes apart.  After fifteen minutes, two figures in black armour entered the room, with Niall in tow.  He looked haggard.

"Superb!"  Fendrick said, ecstatically.  "This has truly made my night.  Now.  I want you, you and you..." he pointed at Daryil, Wils and Tanholt.  "You two," he added, pointing at the foxes who perked up instantly.  "Take them to the laboratory.  Niall is to convert you, and then Daryil.  Wils and Tanholt shall follow."

"Thank you, sir!" they chorused.

Wils crouched in disbelief.  "Why me?" he asked.  "I'm already a warrior robot!"  Jakob glanced at him with irritation.

"Yes, but you will be more useful to me with hands," the Angel replied.  "I am sorry if this is an inconvenience to you.  Now..."

"Just a minute!" Wils interrupted.  "There's something I've been meaning to ask.  Why did you kill me with a bullet?  It's so messy!"

"Oh, that," Fendrick said, distractedly as he fiddled with his scalp, trying to conceal the hole in his head.  "It was our second choice, actually.  We did an initial test using a poisoned soul-stone.  That was a disaster since when the poison killed them, their digestive processes halted and we couldn't get the stone to come out the other end."

"Enough chitchat," he decided.  "Take them to be converted."

Daryil had ignored most of the conversation to this point, gently stroking the enchanted bracers upon his wrists.  As the two red fox-Weres came to take him away, he suddenly dug his heels in.

"I want more water," he said.  Fendrick gazed at the grey fox, his eyes narrowing.  "I beg your pardon?"

"I want a glass of water," Daryil repeated stubbornly.  "A nice, big one."

"Whatever for?  You're a four-thousand-year-old, tri-winged incubus.  You haven't needed to drink for millennia."

"You're going to execute me.  I'm entitled to a last meal, and I want it to be water.  A nice, big glass of iced water.  Some lemon slices would be nice as well, if you have any.  Oh, and one of those little paper umbrellas you sometimes get in cocktail bars..."

"...and a pony," Jakob added sarcastically.

"Get him his f___ing water," Fendrick interrupted angrily, pointing at one of the Weres. 

"Can't Keaton get it again?" Daryil asked.  Fendrick ignored him.

The Were returned a few minutes later with a jug of iced water and a glass containing a cocktail parasol.  He had even managed to obtain a plastic bendy straw from somewhere.  "I couldn't find any lemons," he said apologetically.  "Will orange slices do?"

"I wanted lemon," Daryil said, and pouted.  Fendrick looked like he was about to explode - if it wasn't for the fact that he was a machine, his blood pressure would have been horrendous.

"Oh all right.  Orange will do," the fox said, and poured himself a glass.  "Bottoms up," he added, handing the jug to Tanholt.  "Can you carry that for me?"

* * *

Daryil kept looking at the walls with apparent fascination as they were marched into the lab.  The corpses of the two Weres lay propped against a workbench, slumped in a sitting position, expressions of rapture upon their dead vulpine faces.  Tanholt, still clutching Daryil's precious jug of water, looked at them with an expression of fear.  As they are now, soon will you be...

"The guards.... we're going to throw this into their eyes, right?" he whispered to Daryil.  "That's why you wanted the fruit, isn't it?"

"Don't be silly," Daryil whispered back.  The rabbit didn't seem to know that Weres have abnormally acute hearing.  "You're going to give it to me at the appropriate time.  That's all."

"So you don't have a plan..." the rabbit said, his ears flopping over.  "I thought for a moment we might get out of this..."

There was some arguing between the two fox-Weres about who would get to die first.  After several games of rock-paper-scissors they eventually settled upon a coin toss.

Daryil waited as this did this, a strange, serene expression on his face.  His eyes were closed and his arms were braced out behind his back as though he was stretching.  One of the Weres glanced at him suspiciously for a few moments before remembering that Daryil was strange anyway.  He missed what happened next.

Tanholt, still clutching the jug of water, stared in astonishment as the bracers on Daryil's arm began to glow cherry-red.  He almost cried out, but somehow managed to choke it back.
"Would you like some more water, Darl?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically calm.

"Yes, please," the incubus replied.  Tanholt tripped, spilling the entire contents of the jug over Daryil's arm.  The bracer was quenched instantly and shattered.  So did the jug.  The foxes turned in alarm.

Daryil pointed at them, the remaining bracer turning to slag and dripping off his arm as they watched in horror.  All three pairs of wings were visible.
The molten metal dripped onto the black and white vinyl tiles, melting them like the bendy straw, yet Daryil's fur was entirely unharmed.

One fox collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling up into his head.  The other fell to his knees, whimpering.

Daryil placed his hands upon either side of the terrified foxes' forehead.  His expression was grim.  The Were tried to become human.  It didn't work.  He tried to scream.  Daryil kissed him.
His pupils became very small as the light flared up and he gave a small, ragged gasp before pitching to the ground, soulless.

Tanholt had fainted again.  Niall was looking at Daryil with an expression of horror and disgust, as though he was about to throw up.  Wils looked like he was about to soil himself, and probably would have done if it was physically possible.

"Oh my gods.... I... D-did... you just... destroyed him..?  His soul???" he gabbled.  Daryil turned to face him with a grave expression.

"He came here to die, Wils," he said.  "That wish has now been granted."

"But not like that!  Not the True Death!"

Trembling, Niall made the sign of the Noose, a throwback to a religious gesture he had not performed for centuries.  He was evidently shocked to the very core of his being.

"The gods gave Beings and Creatures their souls for a reason," he said, his voice cracking.  "What you have just done... is... abominable."

"The True Death is not a power I wield lightly," he replied.  "But fear not.  This one is only stunned." he gestured at the first fox with a fist.  "His companion, though..." he hesitated for a moment, and then the fist uncurled.

Wils stared enraptured at the glowing crystal in the tri-wing's palm.  Niall, still trembling slightly, looked up at Daryil with a hopeful expression that bordered on - but wasn't quite willing to commit to - relief.

Sssh!  Daryil mimed, gesturing at the fallen Were with a wing tentacle.

That's him?  Niall thought, lowering his mind-shield.

...like a fly in amber, Daryil thought back, smiled, and then shook himself.

"Now," he said,  "We do not have long.  We must make certain preparations."

"But can't you just smite Fendrick with lightning from the heavens?  Like the wrath of the gods or something?"

"Maybe.  But 'maybe' isn't good enough.  Remember, I have been Tri-Winged for less than a week.  Fendrick still has two heavily-armoured warrior robots at his command and things could get very nasty if we don't do this right."

Behind them, on the floor, the surviving foxes' eyes flicked open.  Then closed again.  Gently, slowly, his arm reached for the gun around his belt.  Ate his soul, he thought, a tear trickling from his eye and soaking into his fur.  I'll always remember you, twin.  But first... revenge.

The others were distracted.  He fired at the back of Daryil's head.

* * *

Salomere and Dorcan remained winged as the captain of the guards, a puma, inspected them in the town's secure facility.  They were no longer covered by the dispelling field that had negated their disguises earlier, but each wore a suppression bracer of the kind Keaton had worn several days ago to prevent them from shapeshifting.  Not that there was much point in doing so, even if Dorcan actually could.

"So," he said, in a somewhat indifferent tone, "Let's see what kind of 'Cubi we have who are stupid enough to try and enter Old Saloth."

"I am not a 'Cubi," Dorcan stated.  The swordsman burst into a peal of laughter.

"Of course you aren't.  You don't have wings on your head at all, do you?"

"I am not a 'Cubi," Dorcan repeated.  "I am a synthetic construct designed and built to resemble an incubus.  If you feel the need to be convinced, I would be quite willing to submit to fluoroscopic examination."

"All right," he said.  "We have time to spare.  But if this is a trick, any kind of distraction, remember that I'm the one with the sword, and I won't hesitate to use it on you both.  After all, even an incubus would be hard-pressed to survive decapitation."

Eyes kept firmly on the pair of them, the puma made a call and a few minutes later a technician arrived with a portable fluoroscope.

Holding a sword firmly against the Doberman's throat, the captain removed the restraining bracers from Dorcan's wrists to prevent them from interfering with the equipment, and x-rayed him.

"Oh my gods," the technician exclaimed, as a concise view of Dorcan's internal systems appeared, the shielded power-plant in his abdomen appearing as a solid blob.  "That's a new one on me."  The captain looked somewhat shaken.

"Thank you," Dorcan said, as the sword was taken from his throat.  He noted with some interest that his mother had been avidly studying the x-ray with a look of extreme concentration on her face.

"All right," said the guard, gesturing at Dorcan, "You can go.  You're not a 'Cubi so I'm dropping the charges.  But your friend... what is she?"

"I'm synthetic as well," Salomere replied, predictably.

"No," the guard said slowly.  "You're probably real.  Delivering the construct to his destination, I would wager.  Well, there's only one way to find out.  Get in the fluoroscope."

Dorcan's headwings fell as his mother was forced into the machine.  They removed her bracers, sword at the ready and switched on the machine.  She closed her eyes.

Somehow Dorcan managed to prevent his own eyes from bugging as the screen displayed a picture similar, but not identical to his own.  At first he thought that she was dead too, until he remembered that she'd shapeshifted.  She couldn't be an android herself... in any case there were a few things subtly wrong with her supposed internal structure.

How the bleeding bloody hell did she do that?  He wondered.  Photon tunnelling?  Shapeshifting and changing the density of her insides?  It's got to be something like that.  I hope they don't notice the discrepancy...

The guard looked bitterly disappointed, and removed the sword from her throat likewise.

"All right," he snarled as they shut the machine down.  "Charges dropped.  Now get the hell out of here, the both of you."

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

....


I -like- Salomere. She's very sharp.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 30 - Punishment

Fendrick began to get nervous.  It was taking too long.  That bastard Daryil is behind this, he thought darkly.  Probably kicking up some kind of fuss.  Maybe I had better go and check.
At that moment, a shot rang out.  Fendrick smiled... it looked like things were going to plan after all.

Another four gunshots and an almost unendurable wait later, Niall returned, sobbing at what he'd been forced to do.  He was led by five figures in black armour.  Daryil, Tanholt and Wils - in cheetah form - carried their helmets, the other two, the Weres, wore theirs.

"You," Fendrick said, pointing to one of the ex-Weres.  "You were slow to start.  Was there a problem?"

"It was Daryil, Sir," the fox replied, opening the visor of his helmet.  "Somehow he managed to break free, but I shot him and proceeded anyway, as per your instructions."

"Excellent.  You shall be richly rewarded."

"Now you know what dying feels like, dipshit," Keaton croaked at Daryil.

"Yes," he agreed.  "We are brother and sister."

Jakob began to sob as well.  While Daryil had lived there was a slim possibility that things could be repaired.  But now...

"Do not cry..." Daryil told him, in a slow, deep, toneless voice.  "Join us...  Do not be afraid..."

Even as a robot he's mad, Fendrick sighed.  Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Ashley, Jakob, Simeon... Daryil is, on this occasion, correct.  I think it is your turn now.  You and you..." he pointed at two of the ex-Weres.  "Take them to be converted.  Then we shall have to work out how to convert Niall."

Defeated, Jakob did not resist as the Weres led him, gently but firmly, out into the corridor.  As soon as they were out of sight, the Weres halted and someone came up to greet him.  It was another Daryil.

* * *

Back inside the lab, Daryil was practically bouncing with delight and was proving difficult for Fendrick to control.

"Thank you so much for this lovely armour," he burbled, hugging him tightly.  The cat did not look at all pleased.

"And now I have something for you!" he continued, holding out a fist.  He opened it.  It was empty.

"What is it?"  Fendrick asked in a tired voice.

"It's a hole!  Isn't it good?"

"What?"

"A hole.  Very useful."

"How is a hole useful?"

"It's like this.  I make one in your head... and you die!  Isn't that a nice gift?"

"Sounds more like a curse," murmured Joshua.

"But he likes dying," Daryil said.  "Don't you?"

Fendrick did not deign to reply.

* * *

"What I don't get," Dorcan said as they trudged along the side of the highway, "Is why you're staying as a Doberman when they have your description.  Why can't you just change your base form to something less conspicuous?"

"I can't," she said.  "I've never really learned how.  I never needed to do much more than conceal my wings until now."

"Really?"

"Yes.  I'm of Jyraneth descent, from one of their minor allies, actually.  Within our city we lived like kings, and outside we were mostly plundering and looting, or so I'm told.  Changing our base form didn't come high on the list of priorities."

"But the trick with the x-ray machine?"

"Photon tunnelling," she said.  "The clan didn't teach me that either of course, but it's dead useful and easier to pick up than full-body shapeshifting."

"I never thought I'd teach my own mother to shapeshift," Dorcan said, "And the idea of doing that after I have died is frankly surreal.  But I think we'll have to try it.  We may not be as lucky at the next town."

"What do you suggest?"

"Something simple.  A red setter, I think - the form is close enough.  You just need to make your ears longer and your fur fluffier and red throughout and you should pass for one at a glance."

* * *

"Restrain him!"  Fendrick screamed to the Weres as Daryil ran amok and began to search through the cupboards as though he was looking for something.  The black gauntlets he had been wearing hung around his waist like a cub's mittens, tied with a pair of laces he'd stolen from Fendrick's shoes.

"How, Sir?" asked one.

"With your magic, obviously."

"We don't have magic anymore, you fool," the other Were said.  "We're robots."  Fendrick looked as though he'd just been slapped, and fixed the armoured fox with a dangerous expression.

"You may be invulnerable now, but that situation can soon be changed," he snarled, and then suddenly spun around as the other two Weres entered the room.

"What the hell do you want?" he yelled.  "Get back out there and follow your orders!  What do you think you're doing?  Who do you think you are?"

"We are Daryil," all four Weres said, in perfect unison.  Fendrick froze.

"Lord Ikaarion Daryil - Tri-Winged incubus and founder of the clan that bears his name.  Bane of the dreaded fire-snail, nemesis of Clan Ti'Nera, scourge of Q&B Home Improvement Limited, eater of pies and founder of the Subtle Paw."

Fendrick span around and glanced at Daryil, who was still rifling through the cupboards.

"I don't know how you did that, but it will be your last prank.  Ashley, Daryil has outlived his usefulness already.  Deactivate him."  He looked around the room before remembering that he'd just sent Ashley out to die with the others.

"Mr. Oswald," he said at last, glancing at Joshua.  "You were asking about an upgrade to your frame.  If you can prove your loyalty to me by terminating Daryil, I shall have you upgraded as a priority job."

"I'll see what I can do," Joshua replied.  "But I've never used this system before."

"It shouldn't be too hard.  All you have to do is find Daryil's entry and use it to kill him.  Failing that we'll ask Ashley after his conversion."

After he's been freed of his compulsion to serve you, you mean, Joshua thought, but didn't say anything.  For an Angel, you've really screwed up the planning on this one.

"You might find me a little difficult to kill," Daryil mentioned, now playing idly with the visor of his helmet.

"You forget," Fendrick sneered.  "You are an android, as am I.  We are equally matched, except that I can switch off your brain at a keystroke."

"Are you sure?" Daryil asked him sweetly.  He waved his hand and the four Weres suddenly dropped to their knees, whether stunned or dead it was hard to say.  Daryil's headwings had returned and there were a pair of backwings and hip-wings behind him, apparently phased through his gleaming black armour.  Fendrick stepped back in alarm.

"You... I should have known!  I should have killed you in the first place.  But you would have been a perfect ally," he said.  "Still, I see that it's not going to pan out like that and I can't allow you to oppose me.  This time there will be no android body for you."  He drew an automatic.  "What were you saying about a hole?"

"You?  Take down a Tri-Wing?" Daryil asked him, gloating.  "This should be fun to watch."

Fendrick aimed between the eyes and fired.  The round slowed to a halt before dropping to the floor.  "Haven't you ever seen The Matrix?"  Daryil asked.

"That explains the gunshots," the fishing-cat snarled.  "You're smarter than I gave you credit for.  But it doesn't matter.  Physically, I'm far stronger than you.  Tell me... can a Tri-Wing incubus survive a broken skull?"  He began to reach for Daryil's head, but the fox wrestled him away, and stepped back.  Fendrick advanced, driving him further and further back until he was up against the wall.

From her chair, Keaton watched the struggle in an almost idle fashion.  It wasn't laziness or apathy which was responsible for this curious attitude so much as the interlocks which kept her slumped over and helpless.  Mentally uttering a fatalistic curse, she whispered three syllables as clearly as she could.

"Hey, shit-for-brains!" the jackal yelled, her voice hoarse with the effort.  "Your head's about to fall off!"

Fendrick glanced round at her in annoyance.  "What are you-"

Xianxi's tail was composed entirely of dark magic and less than a molecule thick.  It glowed and flicked around in circle, teleporting the cat's head clean off his shoulders and turning the jackal's prophecy into fact.  Fendrick's body spasmed once and then fell to the floor.  Daryil didn't even glance down, but casually flicked out a wing-tentacle and caught the head in mid-air.

"I wanted to do that," he said, glowering at Keaton.

"And now," Daryil continued, staring at Fendrick's severed head, "All good things must come to an end.  I don't like to do this, Fendrick, but you've been a very, very naughty Angel, and you shall have to be punished."

"i would... have won..." Fendrick whispered.

"A hollow victory," Daryil said.  "Even if you could somehow kill this body, I am also outside with Jakob.  My awareness is spread between them and I can make as many others as I wish."

"You still don't get it, do you?" he continued sadly.  "You and I only fought because I allowed you to.  Because I thought it would be fun.  If I so desired I could have erased you from existence at any convenient moment."

"it would... have been... a perfect... world..."

"No, I'm afraid not.  Jakob was quite right, and in any case the Fae would never have stood for it.  In short, although it had a few moments of brilliance, your plan as it stood was quite deranged.  And now I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's time for your hole."

"you... can't pierce it..." the head whispered.  "it's... impenetrable..."

Opening his palm again he made as if to pick something up - something which only he could see - and placed it firmly against the fishing-cat's forehead.  A hole appeared, the black metal of his skull melting where the fox had touched it.
"Goodnight," he said and Fendrick died instantly, his life ended there and then by a mere thought from the tri-wing.

Daryil closed his eyes and watched the translucent figure of the feline crouching in shock by his own headless corpse.  He waved goodbye.

"Now," Daryil said, and turned to face Keaton.

"Twice you have aided me, Katherine," he told the jackal.  "Though I suspect it was more out of your own self-interest than any measure of compassion or virtue.
"Still, while lopping Fendrick's head off wasn't strictly necessary, it was a nice gesture and it deserves some small token of my gratitude.  In the meantime, I suggest you get some sleep."

The jackal blinked at him, nonplussed.

Daryil turned away from her, picking up Fendrick's head.  "Help me with him," he said, gesturing to Tanholt and Wils.  "We'll need the frame."She tried to follow them as they removed the corpse - if 'corpse' was the correct term for a defunct robot - but her strength had not yet returned. 

"Xianxi," she croaked, "Find out where they're going and take me there."

A few minutes later, a parcel appeared, wrapped in shocking pink paper.  As she watched, it turned on its side and began to open of its own accord.  Something black fell out - her warp aci, trussed up and bound with a selection of brightly-coloured ribbons and a bag of lollipops by his side.

"Well, Keaton," Joshua said, "Daryil said you should sleep, so I guess I'd better put you to bed."

* * *

After an hour, Salomere had reshaped her ears, but still hadn't quite got the hang of changing her fur colour, even just the fur on her head was something she could only maintain for a few seconds before it reverted to black and tan.  The only consolation was that she'd managed to fluff the fur out somewhat, which broke the lines of her Doberman form slightly.

"Well," Dorcan started, "Maybe we can-"

"Quiet," she hissed.  "There's someone behind us."

"Eh?" Dorcan said and glanced around.  But Salomere was gone.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I love the parcel.


And, I think I know what happened to Salomere. I'm gonna leave it as a surprise for everyone else, though. ;-]

[Tapewolf]

And, I think I know what happened to Salomere. I'm gonna leave it as a surprise for everyone else, though. ;-]

It'll be interesting to know if you're right, although in all honesty it wasn't intended as a major cliffhanger.  Originally it ended with Josh taking Keaton away, but I figured it might be best to refer to back to Dorcan.  That left me a problem of how much to leave in.  There are a few far more cliffhangery things coming up with that, but I decided to leave them for now.

[Ryan_Galen]

Well, nice to see the arc I walked in on after discovering this story has finally been resolved. Now it's just a question of when the guys back at the lab are going to remember about Dorcan. Which might be what happened at the very end, but with cliff hangers you can never tell if it's a real danger or just a tease... at least not for a week or two when the outcome is revealed.

Daryil has certainly had his time to shine. Makes me wonder if he'll be put on a back burner for a bit, just to keep things from getting too insane. We can't have all problems both come from and disappearing into lolipops.

[Gabi]

Oh, a cliffhanger!

Just 3 little details:

"As soon was they were out of sight" should be "As soon as they were out of sight"

"Still, I see that it's not going to pan our like that"... shouldn't that be "pan out"?

And where it says "i would... have won..." the I is not capitalized.

I liked the way things turned out... and Keaton's confusion in the end was amusing. Sorry I didn't post before, I've been quite busy lately.

[Tapewolf]

And where it says "i would... have won..." the I is not capitalized.

Thanks for the typos.  I've fixed the other two - this one is deliberate, though (since he's just a head).

[Gabi]

...So heads can't use uppercase letters?

I know I must be missing something. I just wish I knew what.

[Tapewolf]

...So heads can't use uppercase letters?

The impression I was trying to give was that he was whispering, because he has no air supply any more (they speak using a compressed-air modulation design inspired by the Auxetophone).  If I could have shrunk the text, I would have done that instead, but I couldn't so to create the impression that something was badly wrong, I stripped all the capitalisation.

[Gabi]

Ah... I get it now.Thanks for explaining.

[Tapewolf]

Thanks again to Keaton for her help!

Chapter 31 - Rebirth

Keaton dreamed.  There was a certain novelty in being able to do this again after so many centuries.  On the other hand, sleeping was a nuisance and it left her vulnerable while the others were up and about doing who-knows-what.

In a painfully vivid dream of her youth, she came home to be greeted by her father and Sierra, her younger sister who was sickly to the point of being housebound.
She gazed at Salem, studying every facet of his fur.  It was a strange, almost hypnotic feeling... somehow she was unable to look away.  But he didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't seem to mind.  Through the window she caught a glimpse of grey fur, a fox.  Shivers ran down her spine.

Glancing back she saw that Salem was gone.  On an impulse she ran outside, a sinking feeling in her soul telling her that she knew what would be there.  Daryil stood over her father's corpse, rifling through his possessions and removing his shirt.
He turned to Keaton with a smile.

Oh gods, let that just be a dream, she thought, tearing through the streets of Harla'Keth as the city burned.

"Keaton?" asked a voice.  She turned.  It was Dorcan.

"What the f___ are you doing here?" she asked.  "You haven't even been born yet!"

The incubus gestured to the sky.  Looming over her was the figure of Ashford, some twenty feet tall.  And as she turned she noticed that her limbs were brighter and harder than before... with a shock she realised that she had become a painted wooden doll.  Her arms jerked as Ashford began to jiggle the massive wooden frame above her.

"Now who is the puppet?" he asked.

Keaton froze up and reached to sever her strings.  "You're out of your f__in' mind!"  She yelled.

"No," the fox replied, "But you are."

As she ran she tripped and fell in the long grass.  A dandelion clock burst from the impact, the seeds going up her nose.  She sneezed, and when she opened her eyes again she was lying on a table in Jakob's laboratory.

The room was empty, but in a corner was a set of drawers of the sort found in a mortuary.  Gingerly she opened it and pulled one out, staring down at the corpse inside. It was hers, staring sightless and dead but somehow still breathing.

"Don't touch that," called out a voice.  She turned around with a start - it was Dorcan again.

"What do you want?" she asked, as the incubus locked the door and began to advance on her.  He was no longer smiling, his usual cheery disposition now icy cold.

"I want you, Katherine," he said.  "Well, your soul, at least."

Slowly his wings morphed into tentacles, the distinctive heads of a Jyraneth member at their tips.  With a start she noticed the clan-mark on his ribcage... the extra lines of the Ja'Fell branch were gone.  He had the true mark of a Jyraneth incubus.

"What the f___ are you talking about?  You can't eat souls!" she protested.  "You're just a machine!"

Dorcan shook his head.  "Daryil has made it possible.  He promised you a reward, and I have been chosen to give it to you.  It is the perfect reward, an end to your miserable existence... to all your pain and suffering."

"Bullshit," she snapped.  "In fact, why am I even talking to you?  This is just a dream."

"Indeed," the Doberman agreed.  "But your death can still be real.  You may be asleep, but what makes you think I'm not standing over your bed, ready to suck the soul from your poor, helpless little body?

"You betrayed us, Katherine," he continued, smiling again with a cold, cruel smile, the likes of which she had never seen upon his face.  "You caused the fall of our Clan.  You sold the secret of Harla'Keth to the Kamei'Sin for thirty pieces of silver.  I hope you spent it wisely."

"That's not true!" she screamed.  It was her brother who had been tortured into revealing it.  Surely he knew...

"Trivia," he said.  "But I want you to realise this before I destroy you - I know where Lianna is.  Oh, yes... your sister!  And when I'm done with you, she will be next.  And after her, your mother.  You see, when I have consumed your soul and their souls and the energy from the souls you have consumed yourself, there will be enough power at my disposal to create a new, living body for me.  A rebirth."

An aura surrounded his tentacles and his eyes became slits of solid red light.

"Oh gods," she whimpered.  "I don't want to die..."

"Don't struggle," he said.  "You might enjoy it, after all..."
His hands became claws, cruel and razor-sharp.  As reached for her head she tried to scream, but nothing came out...

The jackal sat up with a start.  A normal Being or Creature would be breathing raggedly, pulse racing and the bed-sheets damp with sweat.  She was trembling... it was all her body could do.

Never again, she thought, and let out a brief whimper as she noticed something at the end of the bed... it was a grey feather.

Glancing round, she noticed that the door was open.  From the gloom outside she could make out two red glowing eyes.

Oh gods... it's Dorcan again...  A moment later then they were gone.

Just then Daryil knocked twice and entered the room.  "Good Morning, Keaton!" he said.  "Did you sleep well?"

Keaton's eyes widened.  "You BASTARD!" she screamed.  "That... nightmare... that was all your doing!"

"Nightmare?"  He looked nonplussed.  "Oh dear, no.  I was only in your mind for a few moments.  Everything after that was just a dream."

"Bullshit!" she snarled.  "And where's that bastard Doberman?  You're in this together-"

"Shhh," Daryil interrupted.  "Calm down, calm down.  We don't know where Dorcan is.  He's still not returned yet.  But there's someone here to see you."

"Y- What?"

"It's okay, it's okay."  He turned for a moment.  "You can come in now," he called.

The red eyes returned for a moment.  It was Azrael, but behind him the figure of an incubus walked through the doorway.  His fur was saffron yellow, his back and head adorned with wings.  He was also translucent.  Keaton was struck dumb.

Oh gods.  I'm still dreaming.  It must be.  This can't be real...

"Hello Katherine," Salem said.  "It's good to see you again."

* * *

"I'm still here," Salomere whispered.  Dorcan turned fully around, but whoever it was wasn't there.

"That's not a good sign," he murmured... someone who had something to hide like that was either afraid of them, or up to no good.
With a shrug he turned around and walked for a few paces, waiting for the footsteps to begin again.  As soon as they did he suddenly span around.  This time he caught sight of a figure darting behind a rock.

Dorcan wandered over to the rock.  "Can I help you?" he asked, and promptly felt a gun poke into his scalp.

"Hey," he protested.  "That is uncalled for!"

"I'm afraid it is called for, Salomere." said the squirrel.  "I have a warrant for your death."

Dorcan froze.  "What makes you think I am Salomere?" he demanded.  "Who are you?  And I might add, if your habit is to jab random strangers in the head with a gun like that you're liable to wind up in the dock for assault or attempted murder."

"How many Doberman succubi am I likely to find heading away from Old Saloth?"

"What do you mean, 'succubi'?"  Dorcan scowled, his headwings fanning out with anger.

"It is well known that 'Cubi are sexless, assuming a given sex for the task at hand.  Becoming female to seduce their prey, devouring the souls and then assuming a male form to seduce a fair virgin so that they may impregnate them w-"

"Too much information!" Dorcan squeaked.  "And just where did you get that fairy-tale from?  I'm a 'Cubi and I've never heard such tripe in all my centuries!"

"Silence!"  The squirrel snarled.  "Make your peace with the gods, Salomere."

"I'm not Salomere!"

"You are now.  At least, when you're dead you will revert to your true female form."

"I thought you just said 'Cubi were sexless."

"What's going on?" demanded a voice behind them.  "What are you doing to my boyfriend, you bastard?"
Dorcan glanced around to see Salomere, wingless, resembling a setter and brandishing a large chunk of wood with a nail through it.  He suppressed a faint grunt of astonishment as he realised that her fur was exactly the same shade as the iron-rich soil.

"It is a demon, lady," the squirrel returned.  "He - or rather, she - has committed the foul crime of soul-murder and must answer to the gods, in person."

Salomere looked at Dorcan and blinked.  "You bastard!  Why didn't you tell me?" she yelled, brandishing the plank at the Doberman.  "You promised me you were through with soul-slaying!"

"I am!  It must have been from before..."

"Enough!" the squirrel interrupted, pushing the two of them apart.  "It must die, lady.  Its head is worth a fortune to me.  If you try to interfere I shall reluctantly be forced to slay you as well for aiding a fugitive."

Dorcan sighed.  "Very well.  I can't stand in the way of justice.  You're quite right - I must apologise to the gods for the sins of my misspent youth, so let's just get this over with.  Read it out."

"What?" the squirrel barked, dismayed.  Where was the fun in killing someone who wanted to die?

"The warrant.  Read it out.  I want to hear the charges before I die."

The squirrel scowled, but drew out a scroll and began to read.

"...intent to destroy or otherwise remove the soul of an innocent, and murder in the first degree," he finished.  "Do you have any last requests?"

"Not really," Dorcan said, and closed his eyes.  He looked completely calm and serene.  Salomere, on the other hand was snivelling, unable to intervene without the squirrel firing anyway.  He pulled the trigger, and then blinked in surprise.

"That hurt," Dorcan said, and punched the squirrel's teeth in.

"It's surprising how many people think a gun makes them invulnerable," he added.  The squirrel gave a short croak as if in agreement, and then, to the Doberman's surprise, keeled over.  Salomere bent down and removed her spiked plank from the back of his head.

"I'm sorry," she said, and muttered some kind of prayer.

"There was no need for that," Dorcan said horrified, as he stood rearranging his hair to cover the mark from the shot.  "My skull is pretty much bulletproof.  Besides, what will grandfather think?  Was..." his voice trailed away.  He blinked and waved his hand in front of his face.

Salomere rubbed the red dust and soil out of her fur.  "If you'd lost as many children as I have, you'd be a bit overprotective too.  No-one tries to execute my son and lives...  Dorcan?  Are you all right?" she asked, a note of concern touching her voice.  "What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure," he replied.  "I think there's a problem with my eyes."

Or more likely, my brain, he thought uncomfortably.  Salomere gave a great yelp of horror as she saw the mental image - words had appeared at the top of Dorcan's field of vision.


kernel: I/O error: timed out reading /dev/soul
kernel: I/O error: timed out reading /dev/soul
kernel: I/O error: timed out reading /dev/soul

[Tapewolf]

And now I'm going to bang my head against the ground for forgetting to remove the f-words from the CMF version.

[Gabi]

/dev/soul? I'd never thought of souls as a device before. Still, it sounds like a scary warning.

I'm beginning to feel sorry for Keaton.

Salomere is smart. And that was the least likable squirrel I've read of.

----------------
Addition after seeing the red sign and checking to see the new post: F-word? Where?

[Edit: ah, now that they've been replaced by f___ I can see them clearly. Good job if what you wanted was to draw attention to them, I hadn't noticed them before.]

[Sunblink]

"It is well known that 'Cubi are sexless, assuming a given sex for the task at hand.  Becoming female to seduce their prey, devouring the souls and then assuming a male form to seduce a fair virgin so that they may impregnate them w-"

Referencing the original mythology about the Succubae and Incubi, Tape? I lawl'd quite loudly.

Overall, though, great chapter, dude. I can't wait to see what you have planned next. 

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gabi]

Ah, yes, that made me laugh too. Especially Dorcan's reaction to it.

[Tapewolf]

Referencing the original mythology about the Succubae and Incubi, Tape? I lawl'd quite loudly.

Actually, the presence of succubi in DMFA was one of the things which drew me into it.  At the time I was studying(*) medieval mythology and witchcraft, which had some wonderfully improbable ideas.  But in short, yes.

(* That's as in researching for a project, not some kind of weird degree in medievalism)

Overall, though, great chapter, dude. I can't wait to see what you have planned next. 

Thanks.  I was a little uncertain about this one, but it seems to have been well-received.

/dev/soul? I'd never thought of souls as a device before. Still, it sounds like a scary warning.

There's a few things I could say about this, but it would give away the surprise.  That said, I think there is enough information in the series for someone to put the pieces together and work out what's going on.

Salomere is smart. And that was the least likable squirrel I've read of.

Salomere was very, very nearly killed off before Neremath was introduced.  I'm so glad I didn't do that now.

As for the squirrel... that felt a bit shallow, really.  Yet another completely amoral bounty-hunter.  That said, if your life consisted of killing other people for money, I imagine your ethics would dissolve fairly quickly.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Nice story. I like the ending - real cliffhanger territory.