[Story] The Epsilon Project - Final Chapter (2013/06/29)

[VAE]

Okay, after a few months of ignorance/ignoreness/whatever you call ignoring something these days, and a few hours of catch up time, I have read what's here of project Epsilon, and the main thing I have to say is
BLOODY WELL DONE.
This has pretty much been keeping the quality CJP and FH had, so yeah, great work, though not sure praise from me matters much.

Now , for comments. Probably in no reasonable order.

* Lady Finch and the Professor (and the rest of Fa'Rana there) are ranking high among my favourite characters. Building a robot that can kill demons, and testing/demo-ing it with a couple Monty Python references? Yes please!
* That drawing of Sheila Ketania you got off at AC is awesome. Well done to the artist.
* Poor Lady Finch. Her son is an utter moron with a big mouth. Makes me wonder how he managed to massacre those people over where he was almost executed, makes me think he was .. improving over reality a little (I fully believe the bits about escaping due to a crap subduing spell, and making Niall cry and leave). You know.. half the story I kinda expected he had an affinity for shock and anger/disgust, which'd explain several episodes. As a clan Daryil member, he probably is one for shock, yeah.
* Probably the best and funniest moment was Jyraneth's "I stop thinking you!" .. actually reminded me of something from our regular DnD campaign (mental conversations between Inquisitor Steelsprocket and the Dragula the Deffbike (a steam motorcycle), the second invading the first's mind)
* Close second is strip clubs serving flapjack (as a fan of that particular snack due to low price/mass ratio *yes*. ) , and the whole porridge thing. Oh, and Jakob performing a reverse interrogation by playing along, then sabotaging the android. I wonder.. could that be perhaps aided by position tracking? As in, unless ordered otherwise, the android "latches" onto the first suitable person entering the room (perhaps they'd have to touch it => fur sample, or simply vein prints or something.. I'd imagine an IR scan of blood vessels somewhere in body (muzzle, paw)  would be insane for even a cubi to fake) and accepts orders tracking their location.. if they leave visual range, it resets again to some sensible pre-programmed behaviour. It's probably still horribly fragile, though I suspect.
* 12 phase power supply? I.. hmm, as far as I know, the benefits drop off after 3 phases low enough that it isn't worth the extra wiring. Unless they were using it to distribute the current better or something similarly arcane that  my knowledge of electricity fails to take into account.
* Gonna disagree with owl there - Keaton is not so much a case of villain decay, rather, not that she's able to do all that much in her present condition, and is pretty much screwed if any old enemy comes up. Hence, paranoia.
* So Haley is a succubus? Poor Josh. That said, she isn't being very.. tactical or sane about it... saying that she screwed him over plain because he was holding her up and going to become old when he just told her what he did... is his mindshield *that* good? I'd imagine that'd screw a cubi over - if you're used to feeling emotions, having to deduce them by other means, especially from a frakkin' robot is kinda hard.
* Your Bobness does go among the best religious titles. Though, any deity called Bob should smoke a pipe

[Tapewolf]

* Poor Lady Finch. Her son is an utter moron with a big mouth. Makes me wonder how he managed to massacre those people over where he was almost executed, makes me think he was .. improving over reality a little (I fully believe the bits about escaping due to a crap subduing spell, and making Niall cry and leave). You know.. half the story I kinda expected he had an affinity for shock and anger/disgust, which'd explain several episodes. As a clan Daryil member, he probably is one for shock, yeah.

Thanks for your comments and critique.  Richard was originally conceived as 'Dan, brought up by Destania'.  He has kind of drifted away from that, but - at least when he joined the school - he was of the opinion that killing Beings was kind of like hunting for sport, and he is definitely competent at murder if he has the advantage of surprise.  Against a full-blown adventurer?  He'd likely be toast.

I really need to catch up with Richard and co in the chapter I'm writing now (39) but they don't really have much to say, writing smalltalk has never been one of my strengths.  (And nor has SmallTalk either)

My current favourite character is Illiath, who debuts in chapter 31.

* Probably the best and funniest moment was Jyraneth's "I stop thinking you!"

Actually pinched from The Face of Evil, one of my all-time favourite Dr. Who episodes.

* 12 phase power supply? I.. hmm, as far as I know, the benefits drop off after 3 phases low enough that it isn't worth the extra wiring. Unless they were using it to distribute the current better or something similarly arcane that  my knowledge of electricity fails to take into account.

Yours is probably better.  Maybe it should have just been 6

* Your Bobness does go among the best religious titles. Though, any deity called Bob should smoke a pipe

Wouldn't really gel with his nerdy image.  I will have to try and get Merlin to draw him when she has a chance.

[VAE]

* Poor Lady Finch. Her son is an utter moron with a big mouth. Makes me wonder how he managed to massacre those people over where he was almost executed, makes me think he was .. improving over reality a little (I fully believe the bits about escaping due to a crap subduing spell, and making Niall cry and leave). You know.. half the story I kinda expected he had an affinity for shock and anger/disgust, which'd explain several episodes. As a clan Daryil member, he probably is one for shock, yeah.

Thanks for your comments and critique.  Richard was originally conceived as 'Dan, brought up by Destania'.  He has kind of drifted away from that, but - at least when he joined the school - he was of the opinion that killing Beings was kind of like hunting for sport, and he is definitely competent at murder if he has the advantage of surprise.  Against a full-blown adventurer?  He'd likely be toast.

Hahah, yes, the "What I made / What I played / etc." RPG meme, happens to everyone.
That said, he doesn't appear to be //too// good at magic, nor is he exceptionally good with tentacles or physically.. I mean, Syd was pretty much an adventurer in training a few years ago, perhaps comparable to the folk in town guards, and despite obviously Richard not being intent on harm, he still did not much of a job of getting himself loose and fleeing. Who knows... (Also, him fucking up, and the fact that his mother didn't inform him fully, and the fact that a lot of them treated the result to be *as expected* implies moar things.)

Oh, on a related point... the clan mark of Daryil didn't come as a surprise to me at all, as soon as they learned of his clan (that said, the fact they are a Daryil splinter *was* surprising, but then I'm less of a thoughtful reader than some)  - I pretty much thought it's a taboo because they still got Daryil's marks to their shame and disgust,  much like Dorcan and the like (Kamei'Sin I think)  have Jyraneth's.

I really need to catch up with Richard and co in the chapter I'm writing now (39) but they don't really have much to say, writing smalltalk has never been one of my strengths.  (And nor has SmallTalk either)

Hahah, neither is mine.

My current favourite character is Illiath, who debuts in chapter 31.

As the blind man said, we shall see.

* Probably the best and funniest moment was Jyraneth's "I stop thinking you!"

Actually pinched from The Face of Evil, one of my all-time favourite Dr. Who episodes.

It's still hillarious. Hmm, given the amount of stuff Saph tends to mention from there, maybe I really should watch Dr. Who one day.

* 12 phase power supply? I.. hmm, as far as I know, the benefits drop off after 3 phases low enough that it isn't worth the extra wiring. Unless they were using it to distribute the current better or something similarly arcane that  my knowledge of electricity fails to take into account.

Yours is probably better.  Maybe it should have just been 6

Ehh. While electrical power was one of the things to do with electricity I sucked least at, it doesn't imply I'm much good.
That said, who knows what sort of spells it's mixed with, there well could be special requirements to power some machines with a dash of magitech that Earth's hardware simply doesn't have.  

* Your Bobness does go among the best religious titles. Though, any deity called Bob should smoke a pipe

Wouldn't really gel with his nerdy image.  I will have to try and get Merlin to draw him when she has a chance.

Tell that to this mister here.

[Tapewolf]

Hahah, yes, the "What I made / What I played / etc." RPG meme, happens to everyone.
That said, he doesn't appear to be //too// good at magic, nor is he exceptionally good with tentacles or physically.. I mean, Syd was pretty much an adventurer in training a few years ago, perhaps comparable to the folk in town guards, and despite obviously Richard not being intent on harm, he still did not much of a job of getting himself loose and fleeing.

You mean when they were taken by Lady Finch and co?

Oh, on a related point... the clan mark of Daryil didn't come as a surprise to me at all, as soon as they learned of his clan (that said, the fact they are a Daryil splinter *was* surprising, but then I'm less of a thoughtful reader than some)  - I pretty much thought it's a taboo because they still got Daryil's marks to their shame and disgust,  much like Dorcan and the like (Kamei'Sin I think)  have Jyraneth's.

Yeah.  I figured a lot of people would guess that.  IIRC it surprised one of my proof-readers, though.

I really need to catch up with Richard and co in the chapter I'm writing now (39) but they don't really have much to say, writing smalltalk has never been one of my strengths.  (And nor has SmallTalk either)

Hahah, neither is mine.

It's still hillarious. Hmm, given the amount of stuff Saph tends to mention from there, maybe I really should watch Dr. Who one day.

That one is from about 1976, I think.  A little primitive technically but it had some very, very nice moments, particularly with the dialogue.  It introduced Leela.  Basically the Doctor runs into a semi-divine entity resembling himself and worshipped by the locals.  Said entity is completely insane and believes the Doctor is a figment of his own imagination.  I think that's about as much as can be said without spoiling things.

"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."

Ehh. While electrical power was one of the things to do with electricity I sucked least at, it doesn't imply I'm much good.
That said, who knows what sort of spells it's mixed with, there well could be special requirements to power some machines with a dash of magitech that Earth's hardware simply doesn't have.

Yeah.  I was trying to imply that they needed something rather peculiar to run it, since a normal industrial power supply wouldn't be a problem.

Tell that to this mister here.

Yeah, I thought that was what you meant.  I was never sure where that came from, though.

[VAE]

Yep, or rather a while before that, when the ISAS proffessorship considered using Richard as a hostage of their own.
That said, I wonder if Finch would have been phased have they gone through, or declared him a loss much like Stalin did with his son when he said the "I don't exchange generals for soldiers" when the germans offered his swap for captive officers.

[Tapewolf]

Yep, or rather a while before that, when the ISAS proffessorship considered using Richard as a hostage of their own.
That said, I wonder if Finch would have been phased have they gone through, or declared him a loss much like Stalin did with his son when he said the "I don't exchange generals for soldiers" when the germans offered his swap for captive officers.

Lady Finch may have a few screws loose, but she would have gone nuts if Richard was killed.

EDIT:
Oh, and where the fight between Richard, Falkirk and Syd is concerned, Richard didn't want to risk harming fellow 'Cubi.  If he had been assailed by Beings, he would probably have hacked them up with his tentacles.  He may be pretty lousy at the other 'Cubi powers, but he can certainly use the tentacles to deadly effect.

[Gabi]

Ah, so that's what the rolling thunder was for! Poor Josh.


It was weird that Lady Finch and the Professor used the exact same words as Bob did. Then again, my brother and I did the same thing yesterday (when our dad sent us messages saying that signing a scripture had been a hard labor, we both replied - independently, since we were in different places - "Is it a boy or a girl?")

[Tapewolf]

Oh, and thanks to Sunblink for helping with Keaton's dialogue.

Chapter 27

"In this class I'll be teaching you more basic shapeshifting," Professor Falkirk began.  "But before we start, I feel it's only fair to take any questions you may have about the future of this school.
"Before anyone asks the obvious one, I will say now that we still don't know when we'll be able to return to the ISIS building.
"Teaching will resume within Daryil's complex, but to avoid accusations of bias we will be restricting ourselves, mostly to practical subjects like emotional discipline, psionic powers, self-defence and of course shapeshifting.  More abstract things like history classes, Being studies and the like, things which have a political angle to them, those will be on hold until we can find more neutral territory to run the school from."

"Professor," Sheila began, misery evident in her voice.

"I can talk to you afterwards if you like, Sheila," Professor Falkirk said quietly.  "Are you sure you're in a fit state to attend class yet?"

"I think I can manage, sir," she said unhappily.  "Professor... will the literature classes continue?"

"Not immediately," the poodle told her.  "We're still working on that one.  The base's connectivity is a bit limited, this many students will saturate it, and the library here is... well, not ideal.  Some would call it 'tainted' by Daryil Clan's outlook, and we don't want to give that impression.  Once we can arrange a wider selection, those classes will resume."

The class had arranged the tables into the same configuration they had had in the school, partly out of habit, partly to give themselves some semblance of normality to cling to and in some cases out of sheer defiance against the school's attackers.  Fighting back tears, Sheila looked at the empty seat next to her, where Syd would have been, if he was there, and then to the spot where Richard had sat.

This is ridiculous, she told herself.  Sydney's one thing, but Richard was responsible for this whole fiasco... Why do I miss him too...?

* * *

"Professor," Lady Finch said.  "I've had an idea what we should do with Sydney."

"Oh...?" the raccoon asked, turning to look at the wolf succubus.

"We should definitely take him hostage and threaten his life.  If we can then draw his father to us, we can take him prisoner... then we will have a Jayhawk android to study!  Think of the improvements we could make to Sophie!"

"Apparently his father is friendly with Daryil," The Professor cautioned.  "He may not take this well.  But if we can manage that side of things, yes... the idea has merit.  I will bring Sydney here."

* * *

"What is Sydney to you...?" Dorcan asked nervously.  "Why do you care enough to watch him and warn me he's in trouble?"

"You pledged him to me," Bob said.  "You pledged your firstborn to Bob in exchange for the android race being recognised by the Being-Creature Commission."

"Oh hell," the Doberman said, and his head-wings fanned out.  "What will you do to him...?  Please, please don't kill him, he's the last son I can ever have... WAIT!  They didn't!  The Commission decided to take a wait-and-see approach!"

"That they did," Bob agreed.  "In fact, we didn't actually close that deal.  If you remember, I warned you upfront that it might not be as simple as you thought, with that whole "I'm a robot and I can't have children" thing.  Give me some credit!
"But I've been watching him anyway, just out of curiosity... to see what I might have won, I suppose.  He's a good lad, and I'd hate to see anything happen to him.
"But there is another reason.  I can dimly sense something on the horizon, and your son is caught up in it, I'm afraid.  If it goes bad, it could spark another war against the 'Cubi race."

"Oh gods," Dorcan said.  "Will it never end?"

"It's a matter of probabilities," Bob said.  "And probabilities within probabilities.  Right now, there's a sixty percent chance of this shit hitting the fan, but that doesn't automatically mean a war.
"That's if things proceed as they are now and the loonies succeed in this Epsilon Project of theirs... it's such an outrageously stupid idea, it is likely to spark a war.  Now, if that happens, there's a 50/50 chance of the 'Cubi race being able to shift the blame onto the loonies, more if I intervene.  But even that would still be messy."

"What about the other forty percent?" Dorcan asked, head-wings drooping.

"Oh, that's if someone stops them.  Then things will happily carry on as they were before, a slow and gradual thaw between Beings and Creatures.  I think that's best, personally."

"And my son...?  If things are really going to descend into chaos, I want him somewhere safe!  Can we get him out?"

"That's the thing.  They've hidden him very, very well.  The whole place is completely shielded, like SAIA was back in the day.  And that means the only way he's getting out, the only way anyone can even locate him, is through divine intervention.  And whatever you may think after the poem malarky, I do happen to have god-like powers, whether I really am a god or not."

"You're not sure?" Dorcan asked.  "No offence intended..."

"I figure I was probably some weird experiment created by the Fae... maybe along the lines of "Can I create a rock that I'm unable to lift?".  Whatever the case, 'god' is the closest thing I can find that people will understand.   Whatever I am, I do seem to be able to draw extra strength from the worship of others, and I get first dibs on the souls of all who are killed in my name or my service.  I think that's reasonably godlike."

"You're talking about intervening to save my son," Dorcan said.  "Is that something you've done much?  I mean... I don't want it to go wrong and lose him..."

"I've done it a bit," Bob said.  "More than before.  See, my hands were kind of tied in the Dragon Wars... if I intervened too much they'd know, and I have no doubt they'd be able to commit deicide if they really, really wanted to.  After all, I have a soul.  I guess... I guess I was scared."

"You just sat back and watched?" Dorcan said, horrified.  "As entire clans were wiped from the face of Furrae?  You did nothing?"

"I didn't say that," Bob said, and for the first time he sounded annoyed.  "I worked stealthily.  I didn't do anything that could be pinned on a deity - just a bit of random good fortune here and there, a few key people hidden from the Dragon's vision.  I think it's fair to say that there would be even fewer clans left if I hadn't helped out."

"I'm sorry," Dorcan said, "It's just..."

"Yeah, I know.  I could have done more.  You have no idea how difficult it was, how much it hurt each time another clan died, how many times I wished I could have done more.  And that's one of the reasons I want to try and prevent another war from happening now."

The Doberman nodded.

"In fact, fuck it.  Let's do this."  Bob said, and closed his eyes.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"  Dorcan asked.

"Yeah.  Stay there for a minute, and wait.  You'll know what to do."

* * *

There was a slight change of pressure in his room, but Syd was used to it by now.  He put down "Confessions of Another Jyraneth" on the bedside table and glanced up to see Richard standing there with a small bag of cookies.

"Thanks," Syd said.  "Any idea when they're likely to let me out of here?"

"Not really," Richard said.  "Mom was extremely vague about it.  It's starting to worry me."

"Supposing," Syd said, "Supposing you heard that they've decided to... silence me."  Richard's head-wings fluffed out at this.

"...I mean purely hypothetically," Sydney added quickly.  "Where would you stand?"

Richard looked around nervously.

"I don't think it will come to that," the jackal tittered nervously.  "I mean... obviously, I don't want you to die, but... if I stick my neck out too far to save you, I'll be dead too and what's that buy us?"

"Your own clan would kill you for trying to save your friend?" Sydney said, aghast.

"If they thought I'd turned to Daryil's side, they might," the jackal said.  He looked scared.  "They'll be angry if they even think I've been visiting you.  Mom would go apeshit... she'd send me to The Professor..!"

"Well, maybe it won't get that far," Sydney said, but he sounded doubtful himself.  He glanced around.  Richard was pointing at one of the walls.

* * *

Nick turned as they opened his door, and his head-wings fanned out slightly as he took in Keaton.  The succubus leapt backwards at the sight of him, a handsome youth, heartbreakingly similar to herself or perhaps her older brother... but clothed in shiny leggings and arm-length gloves.  Keaton went apeshit.

"WHAT. THE HELL. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" she screamed, a wild expression on her face which at once embodied both horror, shock, fury and a considerable number of various other things.

"Wuh...?" Nick's head-wings fanned out even further at the reaction, and he almost fell off his chair.

"You... a Jyraneth... the noblest of all clans... What the fuck are you doing dressed like a whore?!"

"His clothes were falling apart," Daryil said.  "So I lent him some of mine."

"Oh, so that's your game!" Keaton sneered.  "He's been here five minutes and you're already trying to turn this kid into your concubine?!"

"I chose them," Nick squeaked, head-wings fanning out.  "They're comfortable and shiny and cool looking.  'Cubi are supposed to wear tight clothing!  And we're supposed to dress outrageously, to spark people's emotions!  I've read all about it!"

"Yes, but..." the succubus stopped and closed her mouth.  She turned away, radiating misery.  "Never mind.  If that's what you're into, that's your choice, I guess..."  She left the room.

"Well, that didn't go down as well as I'd hoped," Daryil said.  "Ah well, she should warm up eventually, but this may take a lot longer than I thought."

"Who was that?"

"Keaton," Daryil told him.  Nick stepped backwards a few paces.  "That Keaton?"

"Yes.  But she wouldn't dare hurt you," Daryil said.  "Even without me here to protect you.  For better or worse, she's part of your close family and I guess this came as something of a disappointment to her.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better get after her in case she does something foolish."

Lord Daryil stopped at the door and glanced back at the shaken jackal.  "By the way, you do look rather cute in those," he added.

Not for the first time, Nicklaus wondered what he had got himself into.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Love the last line. Really do.

[Tapewolf]

Love the last line. Really do.

Oh, I forgot to mention that it ties in with this, which was originally done while experimenting with new highlighting techniques for shiny surfaces:
http://www.project-future.org/stuff/things/NickGoth33.png

[VAE]

Heh. The whole "Divine intervention is too risky" shtick reminds me of what happens when you combine Epic Level Handbook and Deities and Demigods supplements  - there are many stories of DnD campaigns whose common point is "If it's got HP, it can be killed". And considering DnD dragons definitely qualify for at least a good 30 levels...

Also....

"You... a Jyraneth... the noblest of all clans... What the fuck are you doing dressed like a whore?!"

Some questions just don't have a satisfying answer.

[Tapewolf]

Heh. The whole "Divine intervention is too risky" shtick reminds me of what happens when you combine Epic Level Handbook and Deities and Demigods supplements

The other reason is of course to avoid treading on Amber's toes too much

Some questions just don't have a satisfying answer.

The normal 'Cubi answer is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.

[Gabi]

Not for the first time, Nicklaus wondered what he had got himself into.

He got himself into Daryil's clothes. That invariably leads to trouble. Except in Daryil's case he's usually the one causing it.

[joshofspam]

Love the last line. Really do.

Oh, I forgot to mention that it ties in with this, which was originally done while experimenting with new highlighting techniques for shiny surfaces:
http://www.project-future.org/stuff/things/NickGoth33.png

Wow, Keaton and Nick look quite a bit like one another. If not sharing similar fashion tastes.

Edit: Though looking back to Keaton on her cast page, there is a difference in hair style and the marks around Keaton's eye's. Though it does seem like Keaton wears more then him.

[Tapewolf]

Writing has slowed down a bit so I might go back to the two-week schedule now that the backlog has shrunk, we'll have to see how things go.

Chapter 28

Richard stared at the apparition before him.  A glowing point had appeared in one wall of Sydney's room.  It traced a square on the wall and opened, revealing gateway to somewhere else.  Sydney strode up to it and peered through, but it was hazy and he couldn't quite make out what he was seeing.

"Come on..." a voice was calling.  "It won't be open forever!"

"Oh," Sydney snarled, "And just why should I go through it?"

"What?!" the voice exclaimed.  "We're trying to rescue you!"

"Oh fuck off!" Syd put his hands on his hips.  "You don't seriously think I'm going to fall for that one again?"

"Don't be a tit," the voice said.  "Look, Dorcan's here.  Do you want to be rescued or not?  Because you can stay and be killed by the Fa'Rana crazies if you prefer."

At that moment another dot appeared next to the first, tracing out the square of a new portal.  The words "...some kind of interference..." drifted through it, and the opening became brighter.

"Come here, Sydney," someone was saying.  The fox glanced and panicked as he saw it was Professor Fa'Rana.

Everything after that happened in a blur, it was almost like someone else had taken him over... It was exactly like he'd read, sometimes in stressful situations a 'Cubi would be overridden by their own emotions and that seemed to have happened now.  Syd was like a prisoner inside himself, watching in amazement as his arms grabbed Richard bodily and pushed him through the nearest portal.

Richard lay chin down on the grass, winded.  As his watering eyes came into focus he found himself staring at some kind of translucent incubus.  Through the ghostly one's shoulder he could see a Doberman incubus, who looked somehow familiar.

"What the hell?" the glowing one said.  "That's not your son."

"You got the wrong one!" the Doberman yelped.

* * *

"What's the catch?"  Mayor Dickens said, hands on hips.

"You have to have a child with one of my clan," one of Daryil said.  "She then has to sacrifice half of her power and lifespan to make you into half an incubus.
Then you both get a complimentary chunk of soul energy to bring you both up to scratch."

"What's she get out of it?" the mayor asked, eyes narrowing.

"Depends," Daryil said.  "Sometimes clan members desperately want a child, but haven't found a partner.  Sometimes it's a penance for those who have severely broken the laws of my clan."

"This is all a trick," the llama said, smiling cynically.  "If I'm a member of your clan... it's all a ploy to gain control of Parbury."

"Technically I already have," Daryil reminded him.  "But at the end of the day you're kind of right.  Once more for the record, I fully intend to return Parbury to you once the present crisis is over.
"That said, it would be nice to have Parbury as a part of my clan's territory, I won't deny that.  If you were to join my clan, it would make a nice compromise that satisfied both sides, but at the end of the day, it's up to you."

"You'd just wait until I retire anyway..." the llama began, but he cut short as the screen next to them suddenly buzzed.
Daryil snapped his fingers and Mayor Dickens' office appeared on it, a leopard succubus standing before the viewscreen with a vixen stood next to her.  Their eyes were slightly unfocused.

"I have been instructed to assassinate a Mr. Lizzabud of 73 Gromshire Drive, Palance, West Parbury," the leopard said.  "He is scheduled to inspect one of our properties in Grunmore and this would expose our hidden complex.  What are your orders?"

"Very good, Bill," Daryil said.  "And Ben?"

"I am to hold the premises in her absence and dispose of the corpse afterwards.  What are your orders?"

"Now Hear This," Daryil said, and his eyes blazed slightly.  "Bill, you have already assassinated Mr. Lizzabud.  Ben, you have already disposed of the corpse.  You will return to your duties in ten seconds."

"Yes, Professor," the two succubi chorused.  Daryil cut the link.

"'Bill'?  'Ben'?" the llama asked, frowning.

"Well, I don't know what their real names are," Daryil said, "So I made some up.  Bill is the leopard, Ben is the vixen.  Do you like them?"

Mayor Dickens turned his head slightly, not quite sure whether Daryil was kidding him or not.

"Whatever," the fox said, "Frankly I'd be worried if you immediately accepted my proposal to join Daryil clan.  It's something that needs very careful consideration.
"The offer is still open, so have a think about it.  If at the end of the day you don't want to, I can accept that."
"But now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better find this Mr. Lizzabud and get him out of trouble before someone realises that the Flowerpot Men here haven't killed him."

So saying, Daryil pushed a small, glossy booklet into the llama's hands and skipped happily off down the corridor.

Shaking his head, Mayor Dickens glanced down at the brochure.  The cover depicted Daryil in sunglasses, trenchcoat and a fedora.  He was leaning against the wall, and above him were the words "Hey kid, wanna be a 'Cubi?"

* * *

"You bastard," Keaton flared, as another of Daryil's projections caught up with her.  "Why did you do this to me?!  I served my time in prison, I didn't kill anyone while I was there, no-one at all!  You don't think I've suffered enough?  Is that it...?"

"What?"  Daryil fluffed out.  "What are you talking about, Keaton...?"

"HIM!"  Keaton pointed at the door, claws extended with her shapeshifting powers.  "You bastard... raising my hopes with tales of some young Jyraneth... and then showing me this... this fake!     
"Gods, Keaton," Daryil said.  "I thought he was your son!"

"My son?!  I've been in fucking prison for the last 25 years!  This may come as a surprise to you, but they don't let you do things like that when you're in jail!"

"I wouldn't have thought that would have stopped you," Daryil said.  "If you were determined enough you'd have found a way.  I think that's why I like you, you're so tenacious."

"'Like me?!'  You bitch," Keaton snapped, her voice full of venom.  "You just wanted to crow over this, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry," Daryil said, and he looked very hurt.  "Really, I am... I mean... I didn't do any of this to spite you.  I honestly thought it would make you happy to meet another member of your clan, to know that they're still out there...  I didn't think this would happen..."

As he spoke, the jackal succubus began to sag visibly, leaning back against the wall for support.  "When I look at him...  It's like he's...  He's a reminder of everything I had... everything I've lost... everything I can never have now..."

"Never is a long time, Keaton," Daryil said.  "Especially for someone with a multi-milennial lifespan.  All you have to do is find a good man who is tolerant of your... foibles... and settle down for a bit.  Start a company that makes plushies or something.  It's not soul surgery.  Hell, I can lend you some seed capital and premises if you want."

"But he's a Jyraneth..." Keaton wept, burying her head in Daryil's arm.  "One of the Lady's Children... and he doesn't know the first thing about how he should behave!"

"No, he does," Daryil said softly.  "He's seen the Jyraneth Way and it appalls him.  And he's right, Katherine.  Going on murderous raids against other races is not a survival trait.  It works if you're a Demon or if you're safe in your own closed environment like the Jyraneth were, but it doesn't work in the world outside."

"It worked for more than fifteen thousand years," the succubus said, her voice choked.

"Yes, but those days are gone," the fox told her gently.  "They always say that you can never really go home, and it's true.  But even if you could... would you really, honestly want to?  As I understand it the Lady held loyalty checks every ten years and cruelly punished or destroyed anyone who she felt didn't meet her ideals.  Is that really the life you want to lead?"

"But it's the life I grew up with!"

"Yes, and you're seeing it with rose-tinted glasses because of that," Daryil said apologetically.  "That's normal and natural, but it's not especially helpful.  It may have been the life you grew up with, but that's because it was the life you were forced into by the Lady and your parents' terror of her," he continued.
"Don't you remember when you were young and innocent, when you first found out what your clan was doing to people?  It horrified you, Keaton, just like Nick is horrified now.  They had to break you, Katherine," he said.  "They had to condition you to accept what most other clans consider to be atrocities, they had to brainwash you into thinking they were just a part of normal life.
"I mean... she had you brand yourselves with hot irons to prove your loyalty to the Queen, over and over again because we heal rapidly.  Gods, Keaton, self-mutilation!  None of the other clans do that.  Tri-winged Leaders nearly always take a friendly approach with their children.  What Jyraneth did, how she ran her clan... that's not normal."

"What are you trying to do to me...?" Keaton whimpered.  "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I think it's best in the long run.  And because... because I went through a very bad period myself when I was younger," Daryil said hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to admit it.
"But now?  Now I have a clan, a true clan of my own, and many children who look up to me.  Maybe one day, a thousand or so years from now, you can say the same, do the same... look back on your murderous rampages as simple immaturity, something you don't talk about very much."

"Yeah, right," the jackal said, looking at the floor.

"At the end of the day, Jyraneth clan can never be the way it was again.  There are survivors of the massacre out there still, but without the Lady's iron fist, nearly everyone has gone to seed.  Settled back into an ordinary, normal way of life, living among Beings or in Creature-run cities.
"Even the inquisitors... what were they called again..?  Even those... well, some of them were executed for murder, but the ones who survived have adapted, putting their past behind them and becoming normal, happy 'Cubi like Mordrith and Julei.
"There are still a handful of fanatics out there, but honestly, Keaton... they're so far gone they'd probably kill you for heresy."

Keaton shuddered.  "That's true, but... Look," she snapped.  "Just tell me where you're going with this, if you're so concerned for me."

"Yeah, right.  What I'm trying to say is... don't judge Nick too harshly for being like any other young 'Cubi, because the Jyraneth Clan of your youth is gone.  If you're trying to recapture it, you'll always be disappointed.   You'd have much better luck with the plushie factory."

* * *

"Wait," Josh said, one eye widening with suspicious curiously, "You're offering to turn me into a 'Cubi...?"

"Well, once you've been put into a flesh body again," the malamute said excitedly.  "We can't do it to an android."

"I don't follow," Josh said.  "It sounds to me like you faked your own death to break off our relationship.  Why couldn't you have converted me then...?"

Haley winced slightly at the mention of her death, but a moment later became her previous bubbly self once more.

"Only a clan with a true Leader, a tri-winged clan leader... only a clan like that can convert other races into 'Cubi."

"You're from a tri-winged clan?!" the husky half-shouted, stepping back in alarm.

"No, not yet..." Haley said, quivering with excitement, "But once Project Sigma has been completed, my master will finally be able to grant me this reward for all I've done!"

"But I don't want any part of it," Josh said.  "Not if it means killing or soul-stealing."  The malamute looked stung, and then saddened.

"Joshua, Joshua... please reconsider.   I'm offering you a chance to transcend all the limits of a regular Being.  As part of the Master Race, you'd have far greater powers... far greater lifespan... everything you could possibly want!  And most of all, we'd be together..!
"Please, dear... I wouldn't make this offer to just anyone.  Think about it... do you comprehend what I'm offering?  How much I'd have to sacrifice to make this work...?  Even The Professor can't just snap his fingers and turn you into a 'Cubi, it's very involved a... part of me would have to merge with you!
"It's such a rare thing, it only usually happens when a 'Cubi is very, very deeply in love with a Being... and that's what I'm offering to you now!"

[joshofspam]

Seems like Bob interventions have slightly varying results

Wow, with the idea of Keaton possibly being a Plushie Baroness, I'm getting weird idea's of what the commercial would be like for that.

[Tapewolf]

Seems like Bob interventions have slightly varying results

Well, it wouldn't be fun to have someone who is completely all-powerful

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 29

"If you feel up to it," Daryil said, once he was sure Keaton had calmed down, "I do need to ask you about the Red Queen."

The jackal's ears pricked up, and she turned around slowly, a suspicious expression across her face.

"After all you've just said about putting the past behind me?" she said.  "Now you want to know about the Lady!?"

"Yeah, I know, I know... but it's important," Daryil insisted.

"She hasn't been seen for centuries," Keaton said.  "Most people think she's dead, people who haven't seen the heads on our wing-tentacles.  What do you care about ancient history?"

"I'll get to that.  See, the thing is that you're one of the rather few people who have ever met her in person and survived," Daryil said.  "And this has suddenly become rather important.  I need an unbiased opinion, which Mordrith and Julei cannot provide, particularly since she wanted to execute their souls.  I don't expect you to have an uncoloured opinion either, but I figure if I add yours to Mordriths, they should cancel each other out and leave me with something vaguely accurate.
"That and I've read 'Confessions of a Jyraneth'," he added.  "It was very well written."

"Thanks, it sold great," Keaton said.  "Oh!  You want me to write about the Lady?  Is that it?"

"No, though it might be a fun project," the fox said.  "No... I'm afraid that it's to do with Nick, who you met earlier.  I don't expect miracles after your first encounter, and besides, the guy's probably scared shitless of you by now.  But if you can bring yourself to at least be cordial with him, you're free to ask him any questions about it."

"Get to the point," Keaton said curtly.

"Well..." Daryil hesitated.  "Nick thinks he's met Her in his dreams."

Keaton froze, vision greying for a moment as she steadied herself against a nearby wall.  Daryil winced at the obvious shock and terror the jackal had just unleashed, though being only present as an avatar, he couldn't really feel it himself.

"Oh... Oh fuck..." the succubus murmured quietly.

"Yeah, I thought you might say that," Daryil said.

"I've been a bad girl," Keaton babbled, looking hastily around the room in case Jyraneth had somehow sneaked in and was waiting to destroy her while Daryil pointed and laughed at her dying soul...

"Right," Daryil said, "I'm no expert, but if you've done enough to have both Jyraneth and everyone else thinking you need to be punished, you're certainly in a bit of a pickle."

"What can I do?!" she yelped.  "If she finds me..."

"Calm down for a start," Daryil advised.  "There are ways to conceal yourself from a Leader.  I can't really tell whether Jyraneth would take that as a death offence, particularly since she must know her clan has been almost obliterated.  But if you want me to do it, I can.  She'd likely assume you'd died anyway."

"But she got to this Nick person!" Keaton snapped frantically.  "She'll be able to do that to me!  She must already know!"

"What she did to Nick and Sydney only works for younger 'Cubi who can still dream," Daryil said.  "She won't be able to do that to you anymore.  But if we move quickly, we can hide you from her."

"Is it reversible...?"

"Yes," Daryil said.  "I tried it on Jakob."

"And you'd do that for me?  Protect me from my own Leader?  Why would you even care?"

"Oh, not this again," Daryil said, pouting.  "Is that so hard to believe?  I know your past, Keaton, and in some ways it mirrors my own.  Believe it or not I am sympathetic to your plight.  I know what you've suffered and I'd like to see something good happen to you for a change.  That and... well, if you died, Furrae would be a much less interesting place."

"But most of all, you want to stop Jyraneth from reforming her clan," Keaton said.

"Well, that too, but like I said, most of them have gone to seed.  You know how disappointed you were when you met Nick?  Well... think what it's going to be like for her."

* * *

Sydney was in a state resembling concussion when he finally staggered through the portal.

"Ah, good!"  Professor Fa'Rana said.  "I was afraid we'd have to come and get you.  That wouldn't have got us off to a very good start now, would it...?"

"Hah," Syd said, still reeling slightly from his emotional freak-out as if mildly drunk.  "You'd have got me anyway, with that other portal, right?  Nice trick, by the way."

Lady Finch and the professor glanced at each other, faces lined with concern.

"What 'other portal'...?" the succubus demanded.  "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to produce even one of these things...?!"

"Who cares?  You're going to kill me anyway," the fox said.  And then fell through the floor.

"You little idiot," Bob said, as Sydney tumbled onto the grass beside Richard, who was hugging his knees and whimpering.  Falling was an interesting experience because the gate had opened below him but the destination emerged horizontally, giving him a rather strange sensation as gravity shifted 90 degrees and he landed on his back.

"I'm sorry," Sydney said, staring confusedly for a few moments before picking himself up and hugging his father.  "They were trying to take me somewhere... I think they wanted to kill me...  I'm really glad you were able to rescue me..."

"Ah, right," Bob said.  "That would explain a few things."

"Shouldn't you have known that, your Bobness?" Dorcan asked casually.  "I mean, aren't you kind of divine?"

"Yes, but sometimes I have problems seeing things and doing things at the same time," the pine marten shrugged.

"So you're the Bob that dad told me about once?  I didn't know you could be an autistic god..."  Sydney exclaimed, staring at the glowing figure in wonder and confusion.

"Divine power has fallen a long way," Dorcan muttered.

"Power has its price," Bob said.  "And for your information, it's not actually autism, it's to do with the fact that I'm not quite here on this plane.  What you're seeing now is a projection caused by me manipulating reality very slightly.  Warping it more aggressively, like making that portal or making a television set ascend to heaven, that produces a lot of noise and blinds my senses on your plane.

"Anyway, I've rescued you in the end, Sydney," Bob said,  "Despite your best attempts.  I think you owe me a favour now."

"What do you want...?" the fox gulped.  "I... I can't.. please don't make me do anything illegal or immoral..."

"I dunno," Bob said.  "'God told me to do it' is actually a pretty good excuse if you're caught.  But no, I won't do that.  I mean really, it's like any other cult or clan... if you ask too much of your followers they sod off and leave you.  Deification 101.
"Anyway, I haven't decided what yet.  It'll probably just be something boring like helping to spread the Word of Bob on Furrae.  If so, I won't bother you about it until you've finished your studies anyway."

* * *

Lord Daryil was snuggled up cozily inside his private inner sanctum when the call came in.  Most Clan Leaders had some kind of bolt-hole, underground or dimensionally isolated... these had come in handy when the Dragons attempted to kill them all, and for the most part no-one really noticed since a Leader could conduct most of their affairs by means of a projection or avatar.

Daryil was tucked up in front of a viewscreen with a stack of Demon-Sized cherry pies.  The fact that he was no longer able to obtain nourishment from food meant that he no longer got fat, but it didn't stop the pies from tasting good.
The call came in just as he was dangling a slice of pie in front of his mouth.  Hastily he hid it somewhere behind him, and snapped his fingers to accept the call.  The indignity!  Who would dare intrude...?

"How the hell did you get this number..." he snarled, wing-tentacles hissing and baring their teeth.

"Hi, Dar," the jackal incubus said demurely, "Sorry to disturb you again, but this is important."

"Oh, Callahan!" Daryil said, his anger melting away.  "What can I do for y... ewww."

"Yeah," Callahan said, his hands stained with blood, and an unhappy expression in his eyes.

"Is that... what I think it is...?" Daryil enquired.

"Yeah," the jackal said, "They sent me some fresh... Uhhh.  I'm sorry, my Lord... I... I don't know how much longer I can take this!  I hope they relieve me soon..."

"It can't be helped," Daryil sighed.  "It's horrible, but you're attached to a horrible clan.  Look, if you really can't cope, just say the word.  I don't want to see my Children suffer, and you've done so much for me already..."

"No, my Lord," Callahan said firmly.  "It's more important that you have an eye on things.  The Professor..."

"You've found something?!"  Daryil said, his expression hardening as he devoted his full attention to the jackal on the video screen.

"The Professor sent me a message," Callahan said.  "He's offered me a place in clan.  He's offered... He's offered to perform the ritual of transfer.  To bind me to Fa'Rana clan."

"Holy shit," Daryil said.  "It's a loyalty test, then...?"

"Yeah, I think so," the jackal said.  "If I refuse... well, I'm already suspect.  But if I show signs that I want to remain with Daryil Clan... they'll know..."

"Can't you make it look like you're hedging your bets?" Daryil said.  "That you might be able to make your peace with me...?"

"Oh, The Professor won't go for that," Callahan said.  "No, I'd have never got this far if he thought I had any love for you... Dar," he swallowed.  "They think I'm on the run from you..."

"My offer remains," Daryil said.  "I don't want to lose you, and I don't expect you really want to switch clans either."

"No," Callahan said.  "I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.  But the thing is... the ritual of transference..."

"I know," Daryil said.  "It only works with a Tri-winged clan.  And that means The Professor thinks he's going to ascend in the near future.  What the hell is he playing at...?"

* * *

"Daryil must have done this," The Professor snarled.  "No-one else would have both the power and the interest in kidnapping him.  But how could he have penetrated our shields and our wards?!"

"To Sydney's quarters," Lady Finch snapped, "Quickly!  I thought I saw my son there through the portal!"

"Don't rush me!" The Professor said, struggling to create a gate as fast as he could.

"Holy shit," he added as he stepped into the room where the fox had been cooped up.  "Richard was here...  I can feel his aura fading...  He went into this wall..."

"He's gone!" Lady Finch screamed, "They took him!  Lord Daryil has taken my son hostage!"

* * *

Daryil sat in his sanctum for a while after Callahan rang off, wondering what the hell was going on in Grunmore and whether he should be concerned about The Professor's apparent ambitions.  Elsewhere, one of his avatars was distracted by another call, this time on a less private number.

"Lord Daryil," the succubus said, her eyes glazed.  "The Professor has ordered a hit, a tax official named Silas Fitzwarren.  What are your orders?"

"Now Hear This, Ben," Daryil said, "You have already killed Fitzwarren.  You will return to regular duty."

"Yes, Professor," the succubus said, and hung off.

[joshofspam]

Spreading the word of Bob?

I guess that's a better dealing then what Keaton's fearing right now. I don't really think she has much to fear though, it seems like the Red queen has almost completly withdrawn into herself.

Though it does seem strange that she keeps connecting in her descendants dreams if she's still hiding and doesn't care for those of her clan that don't follow her beliefs.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 30

"I have called this meeting together for a specific purpose," Professor Fa'Rana said.  "Unfortunately, with the inauguration of Project Omega, we have now run out of Grecian letters for our projects, so we will need to decide upon a new series of codenames.  Does anyone have a suggestion?"

"Enough of this bollocks!" Lady Finch raged, "Lord Daryil has taken my son hostage!  What are we going to do about it?!"

"Very well," the raccoon snapped, "I'll have someone look into it.  Can we get on with the meeting?"

"He's my only son..." Finch said, but more quietly.

"Yes, I appreciate that, and I don't want him to come to harm any more than you do.  But to mount a proper investigation, we'll need a codename for that project.  So if we can get back to the matter at hand..."

"Very well," the wolf sulked.  "But if he dies..."

"We'd hear from Daryil first," The Professor said.  "He'd want to negotiate.  If he kills Richard at all - which I doubt - it will likely be to make an example of him to us.  In which case he'd want to make sure we were watching first."

* * *

The two succubi jumped as Professor Fa'Rana entered the room.

"Professor," the leopard said, "This is an unexpected pleasure!"

"Ah, I'm glad you got rid of that stupid anti-filter ward," he said.  "If they really wanted defences against 'Cubi... ah well.
"Look, Anja," the raccoon said, "Something's come up.  I want you and Victoria to investigate Daryil's house in Kingsfield, Grunmore... the one he filled with nylon washers... Lady Finch believes that he has kidnapped her son and is holding him hostage there." he placed a small briefcase on the ground.
"This case contains a standard-issue portable sonar unit to help you scan for cavities and so forth... I feel sure the washers are just a decoy.  You are to leave at once.  Oh... and if anyone tries to interfere with your searching, kill them."

"Yes, Professor," Anja said, and dialled a number on her desk phone.  The Professor sighed.

"Forget the call," he said.  "Whatever that is, it can wait.  This is urgent, you have to get there before Daryil can react.  If he thinks we're searching for him, he may do something rash so I need you out there now."

"Yes, Professor," Anja repeated vacantly and continued dialling.  The raccoon stared at her in puzzlement.

"What the hell do you think you're doing...?" he demanded.  "I just gave you an order!"

"Bill is calling Lord Daryil to brief him on the new orders," the vixen succubus said, her eyes glazed slightly.

"WHAT?!" the raccoon screamed.

Daryil's face appeared on the wall screen.  "Yes, Bill?" he said, and then froze as he saw Professor Fa'Rana gaping in the background like some kind of fish.

"Ben and I must investigate your house, number Nineteen, Kingsfield, where Lady Finch believes you are holding her son hostage.  If anyone interferes I must kill them.  What are your orders..."

"YOU TRAITOR!" The Professor yelled, and one of his wing-tentacles flew out in an arc, skewering the leopard succubus through the heart.  She gave a little cry and collapsed into a motionless heap like a condemned man cut from the gallows.

"Oh fuck," Daryil said, an expression of absolute mortification on his face.  "Oh fuck..."  'Ben' stood there quivering with terror, but unable to break the spell upon her.

"You murdering bastard," Daryil snarled, and signed off.

"You have betrayed me..." The Professor hissed, "And for that you must die.  Both of you!  You sold us all out, our whole clan...  You betrayed us to Daryil...  He even gave you codenames..."

As soon he got the words out, his expression suddenly did a series of flip-flops, from anger to shock, from shock to horror and then finally into guilt as he realised what had happened.  In front of him, Victoria was sweating with terror, but she was still standing exactly where she was, wild, staring eyes locked like gunsights upon the wall display where Daryil's visage had been...

"Conditioning..." the raccoon whispered, and cast a spell upon her.  "Possession... How could I have been so stupid..."  The vixen suddenly collapsed, sobbing with terror.

"I didn't want to..." she babbled, "I had to..."

"Oh gods," Professor Fa'Rana said, cradling the fallen leopard.  "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't know...  I'm so sorry, Anja..."

* * *

"But to become a flesh and blood husky again, we'd have to sacrifice someone's soul," Joshua was saying.  "That's what you said, wasn't it?  Doesn't the idea of destroying someone's very soul prick your conscience, even a little...?"

"Who needs their soul?"  Haley said, shrugging.  "Once you're dead... what?  A year later and it's all gone!  Up in smoke!  Nothing's left."

"Purgatory," Joshua said.  "Then the afterworld.  The soul is not gone, it has simply passed out of our universe and entered another plane."

"Oh grow up, Josh," Haley snapped.  "No-one believes in those fairy-tales anymore."

"Except those who have come back," the husky replied calmly.

"Bullshit," Haley said.  "Hoaxes and fables.  Please be serious, darling.  I'm offering you the chance to become an incubus... I'm offering you a powerful and beautiful body that will live for thousands of years and grant you powers you can only dream of now!"

"After all you've said and done today," Josh said, "What makes you think I'd want to become a 'Cubi?"

"Oh, yes," Haley said, and giggled.  "I'd forgotten how scared you were of 'Cubi.  That was half the fun of being with you, you know, so much fear.
"And hah... remember when we first went out?  How you used to joke that I might be a succubus in disguise?  And I was, all along..."

Haley's laughter choked as she turned back to face Josh.  Two wings of fiery orange and red had appeared at the back of his head, with two larger ones flanking him.  It made him resemble some kind of avenging phoenix and his expression was not particularly comforting.

"Holy shit," she gurgled.  "You lied about being an android!"

"Is that all you know?" Josh asked, lip curling slightly, "Lies?  Are you really so deep in deception that you automatically assume everyone else is lying to you too?  Do you honestly think I'm so shallow that I'd deceive my own fiance?  Because it's not helping our relationship at all."

"We're 'Cubi," she snapped irritably.  "All our natural talents lie in deceiving the lesser races...  why the hell shouldn't we use them?!"

"Against our loved ones?  That's just stupid, Haley."

"As long as there is love between us, why should it matter?  Love is blind, after all."

"It matters because once someone lies to you, that means you can never trust them ever again," Joshua said coldly.  "A prank is one thing, and yes, in this harsh world there are often good reasons to hide if you're a member of an unpopular race.  But deceiving someone into thinking you loved them for your own sadistic pleasures is just fucking sick, even for 'Cubi."

"Oh, but Josh, you've got it all wrong," Haley sighed sadly.  "I've done that kind of thing before, but not to you..."

"I bet I'm not the first to hear that from you..."

"I did love you, Joshua.  That's why you're still alive!  After all, I could just have destroyed you and taken your place like all the others..."

"How many others were there?"  Josh asked casually, raising an eyebrow but otherwise unsurprised.  But Haley didn't seem to be listening.

"You were distracting me," she said, eyes slighly misty as she stared back into the past.  "Falling in love with you... oh no, that would never do.  And when my masters called me away to a new project in another territory... well, I had to end our relationship.  I'm sorry it had to be that way."

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," the husky said, placing his hands on his hips.  "The death really was a fake, then?"

"You know, I'm not really sure..." the malamute replied, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

"What?!  How can you not know...?" Joshua snarled.

"Well, it depends upon your point of view, I suppose," Haley said.  "I faked my death, yes, but I needed a fresh corpse that you'd recognise, preferably with signs of a struggle."

"Oh my gods..."

"Oh yes," she giggled.  "Why did you think that after a decade of rebuffing your clumsy, teenage advances, that Haley suddenly changed... suddenly got interested in you, husky-boy?
"She was me and you were so handy to have around... an alibi, a fun lover and a wonderful source of classified information.  But had to I keep the real Haley on ice the whole time, so that when I finally needed to disappear, I could cut away the parts of her fur which didn't match me in the fight, and leave behind a perfect fresh corpse, just for you."

"That sounds about right for a Fa'Rana succubus,"  Josh said.  Haley's laughter cut off abruptly and she froze, blinking for a few seconds.

"What makes you say that, honey?" she asked quietly.

"You called your leader 'The Professor'.  I know that Fa'Rana clan's leader, the one who branched the clan from Daryil's, was calling himself 'The Professor'.  You see, I read up on Professor Fa'Rana and his goons during the flight after it was suggested to me that they might be behind the massacre."

"Massacre...?  What are you talking about?"

"The one in the police station.  Where a violent warrior android appeared in the exact same spot and direction as a female doberman had been standing for thirty seconds three days before.  That was so you could isolate the Furrae Positioning System coordinates afterwards, wasn't it?  And when you were walking past the building while the massacre occurred, you were listening out for the pain and terror, right?"

"Oh Josh, Josh," Haley buried her head in her hands.  "I love you.  I have done for a long, long time.  It started out a lie, but you grew on me, and before I knew it, I was in far deeper than I intended at first.  You may know how deep 'Cubi emotions run, but you have no idea how hard this is going to be."

The sled dog succubus' wings became tentacles, and her expression hardened, despite the tears in her eyes.  "Why did it have to be you who found out about Sophie?  I'm sorry, dear.  I'm so, so..."

For Josh, the change was small.  Just a teeny, tiny mental shift and to him it was as though Haley had slowed down.  To anyone else who may have seen it, he became a blur, like Sonia in the video of the massacre... leaning, swaying as his fist delivered precisely the amount of force needed to knock her out.  It slammed into the side of Haley's skull just as she realised what was happening and she went down like a sack of potatoes.

[justacritic]

Ooo burned, feeling sorry for Josh poor husky it wasn't a lie but it was. Also is he still an android or a mix?

[Tapewolf]

Also is he still an android or a mix?

He is an android.  Since Project Future they have been working on giving more 'Cubi abilities to androids, Josh is kind of acting as a testbed for them.

[Ignuus66]

Furry revolution: The conspiracy.

Speaking of that, I wonder if brain implants or any Augmentation exist in this (split) universe, because if they would I'm pretty sure that the lines between creature and being would dissapear over time.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 31

One of the advantages of being a Being-turned-robotic-incubus was that Josh could suppress his emotions a lot more quickly than the real thing.  Sometimes it was almost like he was still a Being, and he speculated that in some ways, Haley's offer to make him a true, flesh-and-blood incubus might have been a disappointment.

Josh used Haley's wallscreen to make the call.  He routed it through to a one-time-use dummy number that no-one could connect with Starfire Intelligence, from there to his own office and finally on to Jayhawk, to confuse any potential allies of Haley should they attempt to investigate the call registry.

"Hi Josh," Niall said.  He lay shirtless on the sofa in the common room, lounging in a predatory manner as if trying to seduce Joshua.  "How did it go?  Did you find out what happened to your ex?"

"It was interesting," Josh said, paying no attention to the grey fox's pose, 'Cubi just did things like that from time to time, an urge he now understood perfectly well.
"She... well, it looks like she was replaced by a succubus when she was about nineteen."

"Aw shit," the fox said, wincing.  "You mean she killed the real one...?"

"Yeah.  She was stringing me along, I think, though she claimed that she started to fall for her own sham.  But get this... she seems to have been tied up with the massacre.  And she's a Fa'Rana."

"Oh crap," Niall moaned, and sat up.  "Are you sure?"

"Take a look," Josh said and picking her up, peeled back some of the unconscious succubus' clothing to reveal her orange clan marking to the wall display.

"Dammit!  That band of crazies have been quiet for centuries, and now... now it's like they're making up for lost time!"

"I need to figure out what to do with her," the husky said.  "I can't let her go and I can't take her with me on the flight... Customs and immigration hate it when you bring dead or unconscious people back into the country and she's too big to count as hand-luggage."

"You want us to take her off your hands, you mean?"  Niall asked slyly.  "Yeah, I agree.  Daryil must know about this at once.  We'll want to ask her a few questions, and if we don't turn her over to the authorities, we'll still need to keep her secure until this blows over.
"I'll send Kirian to you.  Want to come as well?"

"No," Josh said.  "I mean, I'd love to... but if I don't take a conventional return flight it's going to look really weird on my passport."

"This is important," Niall said.  "I think you should come.  But I can have Kirian drop you off at the airport after we're done here."

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Sheila," Daryil said, offering the Border succubus an orange lollipop as she entered his study.  "I'm sorry to distract you from your schooling again, but I need to know something about Richard."

"What is it, milord?" the Border said.  She was less scared of Daryil now, especially since he only had two pairs of wings at this time, but all the same, it was difficult to...

"I think the time has come that I should try to contact Professor Fa'Rana directly," Daryil said, "and see if I can find some peaceful solution to what seems to be some kind of cold war between our two clans.
"But being your typical mad professor, he's hiding in some kind of complex, probably hidden in Grunmore, and that makes things harder.  Any self-respecting evil genius will have an ex-directory number as telemarketer calls in the middle of an evil scheme can be disasterous."

Sheila blinked, not quite sure whether he was serious.  She could think of nothing to say.

"Of course, most telemarketing campaigns are evil schemes," Daryil added.  "But the point is, I don't have Professor Fa'Rana's phone number.  Now, I could try and root him out, pay a personal call, but it would make him panic and that would be very bad.  But then I remembered... you've seen Richard's phone!  Did you by any chance catch the number?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord," the succubus replied, "It just said 'Mom', and I'm not sure I'd remember it anyway."

"I'm quite good at hypnotic regression," Daryil said.  "But if you never saw it in the first place, I'll have to think of something else."

"My Lord," Sheila said timidly, "If they're so dangerous..." she struggled, not knowing quite how to put it.

"Why haven't I tried to purge them from Parbury or wipe them out?"  Daryil asked innocently, and poked his tongue out.

"Well, I didn't think of it in quite those terms, but..."

"Violence like that... it's never a good solution," Daryil said.  "And besides, after the war with Ti'Nera's clan... Oh, no.  I don't want that to happen ever again if I can avoid it."

Sheila whimpered slightly, and took a step back.  "I didn't mean..."

"No, I appreciate your asking.  I've been trying to make my clan pacifistic like Dimanika's, but... well, it's not an easy thing to achieve in practice.  In short, AAIIEEE!"

Sheila fell on the floor, prostrating herself before the Tri-wing and radiating terror.  Then she realised that Daryil was almost as scared himself, his fur puffed out and his wings in a very threatening pose.  His very form had become unstable for a moment.

"HOW DID YOU GET IN?!" he shrieked at something behind her.  "This place is warded!"

"Dar, it's me," Dorcan said nervously.  Daryil clapped one hand over his eyes for a moment and when he had calmed down, he settled back into a position a little bit more like the one he had used while chatting with Sheila.

"Are we in trouble, Dad?" Sydney asked nervously, his headwings still fanned out after Daryil's outburst.  Sheila let out a gasp and ran to hug the fox, forgetting her terror of Daryil for a moment.  Richard was still curled up on the floor next to Dorcan's bike, which had also materialised along with a small quantity of turf.

"No, you're not in trouble," Daryil said, causing Sheila to exhale a large sigh of relief.  "But I still want to know how you lot managed to breach my protective wards," he added, sulkily.

"A passing god gave us a lift,"  Dorcan said.

"Bob?" Daryil asked, and relaxed back into his normal self again as he surveyed the trio.

"Ah, just the man!" he said happily.  "Richard, I want... Richard...?"  Daryil peered at the quivering incubus uncertainly.  He concentrated, giving his avatar more power and abilities.  "Oh dear, he seems to be in a state of shock."

"Well, yeah," Dorcan said.  "Having a Tri-wing scream at him didn't help any, but I think it was the sight of Bob that really set him off.  Oh yeah, and Bob wanted me to give you this..." he handed Daryil a torn scrap of paper.  On it were the words "Lady Finch" and a number.

"Thank you, Oh Great and Powerful Bob!"  Daryil said happily, staring at the empty ceiling in rapture as if he had seen some kind of glorious vision.

Don't mention it, an unearthly voice replied.

"Well, I just hope The Professor doesn't have a god of his own to call on," Sheila said, sounding a little worried.

* * *

Illiath was a leather-winged Doberman succubus, corn-yellow hair down to her neckline and held fast by a headband, fur a mixture of blue and grey, unnatural colours that marked her for a Creature.  A large broadsword was strapped to her back and she was clad in a suit of light armour.  Adventuring had been in something of a decline for the last century, but there was still a strong demand for armour, especially discreet stuff.

The set she wore was dual-use, outwardly resembling motorcycle gear, but also providing the wearer with bulletproofing and protection against bladed and magical weapons.  It had proven popular with motorcyclists, adventurers and Creatures who lived openly among Beings but feared random assassination - something that was still occasionally a problem in some of the more rural areas.

The ominous curves and bulges in the armour combined with the sword and her own dour expression made Illiath look far more like a bounty hunter than the headmistress of a higher education establishment, but she'd always looked like that anyway, even before the attack.

Maybe I should have worn the sword at work too, she thought wryly.  But then again, in my long life I've been a student, a headteacher, an adventurer, a bounty hunter.  I wonder which of those I am right now...?

A copy of the school prospectus lay on her desk, the cover showing her in that very same set of armour, being hugged over-enthusiastically by Daryil while she made an irritable get-this-idiot-off-me face.  At the time it had been annoying, but now it seemed so precious, a memory to be treasured.  After this attack, who will trust us with their children again...? she wondered.

With a sigh, Illiath brushed the book aside and cast a spell upon a large mirror in the centre of her study.  Moments later, the surface was filled with a large, grey face... part lioness, part porcupine.  All incredibly dangerous.

"Must we use this newfangled magic?"

"Hi Granny," Illiath said, allowing herself a thin smile for the first time that week.

"Never call me that," Taun replied, her expression neutral and calm, almost distant or cold.  "I'm glad you are safe, child.  Pity about your school, but that was always a risk partnering with Daryil."

"I believe all the first-year students were safely evacuated," the Doberman said.  "Later years hadn't started at the time of the attack and have now been warned not to attend until further notice.
"However, I managed to pull some feathers from one of my attackers.  I was wondering if you could forward them to the 'Cubi registry for identification?"

"Good work, my child, but a little late.  That... Daryil has already written to me.  He believes that the Fa'Rana clan are behind this outrage, whatever his opinion may be worth."

Illiath frowned at the slur, but said nothing.  Taun was very much a traditionalist and Daryil had outraged several clan Leaders in his earlier days with his pretentions of being a Tri-wing prior to his actual ascension.  Illiath was well aware that her Leader was one of these and would probably not be on speaking terms with the fox for thousands of years to come.

"You've spent too much time in Daryil's influence," Taun continued.  "You are not thinking clearly."

"Lord Daryil, Granny," Illiath grouched.  "He changed his first name."

"Never call me that.  Most of the first-years are safe, albeit in his care.  All the students are accounted for except for Sydney Ja'Fell and Richard Fa'Rana.  Supposedly the Fa'Rana clan orchestrated this... indignity... solely to kidnap him."

The Tri-Wing paused for a moment, tilting her head slightly.  "Five one four," she said.

"Sorry?"  Illiath asked, one of her wing-tentacles slamming into the chin of someone behind her and to the right.  "Oh, five-one-four!  Already on it."

"I thought you said this place was secure," Taun said impassively.  "You are getting clumsy."

"Nah, I can take 'em," Illiath said as she punched another assailant unconscious without turning.  "And it was secure.  The wards were untouched."

"Maybe they planted a tracking device," Taun suggested, as her great, great, great granddaughter throttled someone with her tentacles.  "Actually, send me the feathers anyway.  They might be from another clan entirely."

"We won't know until we try," Illiath said, casually searching through her pockets as she blocked a club blow with one of her wings.

"Now you're showing off," Taun complained.  "Remember what I told you.  Pride before a fall!"

Illiath's expression suddenly changed as her fist struck something that wasn't meaty like the others, but instead hard and made a resounding metallic clang at her strike.  She glanced around in surprise as a female horse with a strangely blank expression grabbed her with overpowering strength and then folded up into nothingness, taking the succubus with her.

Taun stared back at the mirror, her distant, impassive countenance suddenly shaken.  Who would dare kidnap one of my Children before my very eyes?
Taun's face twisted and for a few brief moments she became the embodiment of her clan's emotional affinity.  Rage.

* * *

Cautiously, Nick entered the room just as Richard was starting to come around again.

"You sent for me, Lord Daryil?" he asked nervously.

"Yep," Daryil said.  "I'd like you and Sheila to show Sydney about the complex.  He and Richard will also need quarters here until we have been able to assign some for them.  You will also need to inform Professor Falkirk of their return when convenient."

"Just Sheila?"  Nick blinked.  "Richard as well?"

"Not yet.  I need to talk to him first.  Alone."

There was a silence.  Sheila and Sydney looked at each other worriedly, and Nick looked at the floor instead.

"Do you want us to leave?"  The yellow jackal asked after a brief pause.

"Well, I suppose you could start the tour of my office, but the rest of the building is much more interesting," Daryil said.  "I will conduct this... inquiry in another room anyway, so it's up to you." he turned to face Sydney's father.

"Dorcan?  I'll be back shortly, if you'd like to wait here, I'd love to catch up.  Oh, and nice leathers," he added, studying the muscular Doberman's motorcycle gear appreciatively.  "I tried to get Keaton into some, but she wouldn't..."

Richard made an unhappy, fearful sound and began to stir.  Daryil helped him up, and then gently but firmly led him out of the room.

"Where are you taking me...?" the white jackal whimpered.  

"To the Master," Daryil said, as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Y-you mean you're not in charge...?"

"Not as such," the fox said, opening the door that led into a large warehouse.

"Then who is?  Who do you work for...?" the jackal gibbered.

"Me," a voice said.  Richard turned with a start, and saw another Daryil, about eight, nine foot tall.  He was dressed in regal attire, with the mark of Daryil upon his chest and three sets of wings.  A strange tingling feeling passed through Richard's body as he approached and his thoughts became clearer and sharper than he had ever remembered before.

"But... you're..." he gabbled.

"He's Daryil," the first Daryil said helpfully.

"But then... who are you?"

"I'm nobody," the fox told him and disappeared with a bow.

"Come in, Richard," Lord Daryil said, "We have a lot to discuss."

[justacritic]

I wonder if there was a Cubi to Cubi world war.

[Tapewolf]

I wonder if there was a Cubi to Cubi world war.

There have been wars between clans.  IIRC Abel alluded to a large conflict that I suspect the Dragons may have engineered.
Whatever the case, some clans still hold grievances, at least in the time leading up to DMFA.
Interestingly, Taun seems to make it her business to try and prevent these (recall Fa'Lina taking her into account wrt. Aniz angering Zinvth and Jin's clan), Taun's clan being - in a sense - protectors of their race.  She also tends to see the long view and doesn't typically have this kind of grudge, so don't expect her to move immediately.


EDIT: Oh, and this is Illiath:
https://www.weasyl.com/character/5995
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8482124/
http://tapewolf.deviantart.com/art/Illiath-Taun-316070598

http://www.project-future.org/stuff/things/Illiath-25-shaded.png

[Gabi]

I enjoyed the more light-hearted scenes at the begining of the latest chapter. It's good to take a break from all those tense situations from time to time. I was surprised you decided to include Taun in the story, but I do think her part in it was interesting.

I laughed at these parts:

"Of course, most telemarketing campaigns are evil schemes."

"Thank you, Oh Great and Powerful Bob!"  Daryil said happily, staring at the empty ceiling in rapture as if he had seen some kind of glorious vision.

Don't mention it, an unearthly voice replied.

[Tapewolf]

I enjoyed the more light-hearted scenes at the begining of the latest chapter. It's good to take a break from all those tense situations from time to time. I was surprised you decided to include Taun in the story, but I do think her part in it was interesting.

I did a bit of research, asked Amber a bit about her too.  For the most part my impression of her seems to have been pretty accurate.  However, it's not clear that she would react quite so emotionally to Illiath's kidnap - AFAIK that's the only thing which really diverges from Amber's impression of her, and even then I think I've managed to correct that to within respectable tolerances, since her reaction is measured enough that it doesn't take place for a number of chapters.

She is liable to make a couple of other small appearances, but for the most part I'll be focussing on original character members of her clan rather than Taun herself.

[joshofspam]

I like how Daryil handles Richard in this instalment of story.

Avatars probably would save many a Tri-wings lives. But it makes me wonder of the trade-offs. Obviously, they certainly wouldn't be as powerful as the actual Tri-wings. But it makes you wonder if they're other trade-offs as well.

Though the interaction between Taun and one of her distant children was also interesting. Though Rage is known to be the clans affinity, it would make sense for the battle hardened Taun to keep her emotions almost sterile.

I'm guessing she would be a terror and a danger if you ever managed to enrage her.

[Tapewolf]

I like how Daryil handles Richard in this instalment of story.

Avatars probably would save many a Tri-wings lives.

It can be a problem, actually. A dragon or similar powerful foe can use the link to reach the Tri-Wing and attack them.

In the Project Future / Epsilon time period, this is not such a problem.

Though the interaction between Taun and one of her distant children was also interesting. Though Rage is known to be the clans affinity, it would make sense for the battle hardened Taun to keep her emotions almost sterile.

Yes.  She takes the long-term view and as such can seem somewhat distant.  I assumed that from the Taun Letter and her expression on the clan leaders page, turns out it was pretty much accurate.