Over the Fantasy 8

2.3 Exposition and Adventure

Roxie


Mom always said I was a magnet for trouble. Like the bullies that picked on me all through grade school. Then there was that time fire broke out in the local library, but that was hardly my fault. More as if I was the patsy no one would believe. I guess that trait passes over even after you switch sex, species, and physical planes of exsistence. Not even mid-day and already I find myself before the Windurst mithra chieftainess, who is studying me like a criminal. That has to be some kind of record.

It was more an uneasy silence at first. The mithra chieftainess took turns between examining the black rabbit’s foot in her hands and me. At first glance, she could have been mistaken for any other mithra. Only thing that made her stand out from the other scantly clad catgirls inside the throne’s cove were the painted patterns sparkling across her exposed belly and arms. Oddly enough, if I were not on my knees in shackles, this scene would feel somewhat erotic.

“It’s been a while since this abomination returned to our midst.” The leading mithra rested the paw in her lap, fixing me with a neutral gaze. Despite having no emotion, her gaze made a chill run down to my tail tip. “So what unfortunate circumstances brought you about?”

For a few seconds, I could do little more then stare. My mind swam in circles trying to get a handle on how to proceed. Finally, after a deep breath, the entire two days worth of story poured out in long-winded sentences. Anyway, history has proven I am a terrible liar. Even if I did make something up, odds are they would not believe it any more than the truth. Surprisingly, I only got a few looks of disbelief and giggles from the mithra guards when going over my transformation. Crysten only interrupted once to ask what for a detailed idea of what a ‘PC’ and ‘video game’ were. Even after I answered, it did nothing to help the glazed look in her eyes.

“Interesting,” the chieftainess said after I came to the part with her guards putting me in shackles and dragging me to her throne. It looked more like a fancy carved stool to me, but why point that out to amazons carrying sharp weapons?

My ears perked up with renewed hope. “You believe me?”

“Not in the least.”  She stood amidst giggles from her guards and began to circle me. Piercing green eyes roamed up and down the curves of my body searching, making me shiver with goose bumps. “Then again, our understanding of your past may be irrelevant to the current situation.”

“Um…what arrre you doing?”

“Just curious where your mark might be.” Rough claws yanked back the collar of my shirt. I started to protest but the guard’s tension silenced it. One of her fingers pressed onto my bare skin just between the shoulder blades. I had to use all my willpower to resist flinching. “Ah here it is.”

“What? What mark?”

I looked over in vein to see just what this crazed catgirl was doing, but could not see the area in question. Crysten inched forward a littler curious herself.

“Is that a paw print?” she asked the chieftainess. This caused a round of nervous glances between the other mithra present.

“Afraid so.” She stood and made her way back to her seat. “Zoë, undo her chains.”

“Ma’am?” Poor girl; if her face went any paler she might pass out from lack of brain function. “She could be dangerous.”

“I don’t believe she is, not directly. However this does raise many disturbing questions.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said while Zoë unlocked my shackles. Damn those things were on tight. Almost cut the skin of my wrists. “I’m still trying to figurrre out half the stuff going on myself.”

“Can I join the club?” Crysten muttered from behind me.

The chief looked almost amused now, holding up the rabbits paw for all to see. “You really have no idea what this is, do you?”

My head tilted in mock consideration. “I’d say the rrremains of a very unlucky rabbit?”

“Good guess, but not that accurate.” She tossed the paw into my lap, which I pocketed in relief. It is going to be a long year trying to keep the damn thing safe. “Are you familiar with Mithran lore?” I shook my head. “Well given your story I’d assume not. Anyway, the legend goes; back in the time of the Zilarts fall, the great goddess Altana created our five races in the wake of her tears. Her counterpart, the twilight god Promathia, deeply resented this action. Before his final imprisonment, he made abominations with the intention of seeing our races wiped from existence. One such creature took fascination on the mithra race and tried to undermine us against our allies.”

“How sinisterly original,” I muttered before I could catch myself.

The chieftainess laughed along with Crysten, who I thought had fallen asleep by now. “Still, it worked. Almost all the males of our society were swayed and those of us female that resented its teaching had to follow in their actions. If not for the uprising of a heroic party, I shudder to think of the consequences.” She gestured at my body with a smirk. “You should consider it lucky you became female. After the abomination fled, Altana punished mithra men from ever leaving our homeland again. Breaking that tradition has severe repercussions. ”

“Oh, I’m as ecstatic about that now as I was after waking up like this.” That was a perfect mix of sarcasm and truth. Go me! “So what’s that have to do with my tattoo thing?”

“I’m getting to that!” she replied with a bit of ice in her tone. My tail and ears instantly lower in submission, so she continued. “The abomination’s true name, we do not know. She carefully kept that a secret even from her highest subordinates. Only title we have is what those chosen as disciples called her: Infinity. Those individuals bare her black paw print and posses gifts beyond any of the five races. We generally refer to them as black rabbits.”

“Oh crrrap.” I shuffle a bit uneasily in my seat, causing the guards to rest paws on their weapons. “But I haven’t even heard of this deity or whatever until that other psycho rrrabbit girl attacked me.”

“Raven’s not a black rabbit. Only mithra are marked with Infinity’s blessing.” A light suddenly ding inside my mind. Something about her words that had been bothering me started to make sense. She seemed to notice my expression and smirked with amusement. “Did you think you were the first changed victim? Odds are you will not be the last either. Although you are the first we’ve captured to be so open about such an odd origin.”

My whole self just slumped forward. It was getting hard to hold my chin up anymore. “I just want to go home.”

“I’m sorry that’s beyond our power. Only person who probably can help is the one that did this.” Before I could say anything, the chief raised a hand to silence me. “And no, we don’t know whoever is following Infinity’s will. All we really have to work on is rumors and guesswork from our tarutaru brothers. Most of your kind is hardly cooperative, and usually ten times as violent.”

I took a moment to glance around at the other mithra gathered. Their chieftainess’s words seemed to ring with truth. Most of them were relaxed again, but still gazed back with a mix of pity and loathing. As if, they could not decide which feeling to go with.

“So what happens to me now?” I asked when my gaze returned to the leading mithra.

Her answer was little more than a shrug. “I guess that depends on you. My advice is not to rely on that trinket. In fact, throw it away when you get the chance. No good will come from carrying it around.”

“I…can’t.” My hand came to rest on the pouch carrying my meager supplies. The weight of the rabbit’s foot inside felt heavier in that moment. “It’s my only chance.”

“I wouldn’t say your only one.” My ears shot up erect with the rest of my face, giving her my full attention. “Raven is obviously connected to Infinity in some way. If you can bring her back here, you’d earn our trust and we might be able to find out a greater deal about these monsters.”

“You’rrre kidding, right?” Well that would not be the first time I felt my hopes dashed into a brick wall. I thought playing this as a game was unfair. “She almost ran me through the firrrst time we met. Besides, I have no idea where to look for her.”

“Wait, we do!” Crysten spoke up from behind, making me nearly jump out of my boots. “Sorry, I just suddenly remembered. Raven has a notoriously good standing with the yagudo because of her history with Windurst.”

“Exactly,” the chieftainess said with a nod. “And if she was this close to the city recently, odds of finding her in Giddius might be pretty good.”

“So all I got to do is walk into a beastman stronghold and find a girl that can kick my cat-tailed ass.” I stood up and wiped dirt from said cat rump. “What’s the hard part?”

“Well if you’re that worried, you have my permission to take Crysten with you. You’d be hard pressed to find a better guardian in our city.”

“You bet I…wait what?” Crysten blinked several times, apparently a few sentences behind on the conversation.

The chief rested her chin on the back of a hand, giving the paladin a sweet smile. “Well you always are complaining that guard duty is too boring for your extreme skills.”

“Well..uh…” The hume’s face turned a new shade of pink as some of the gathered guards began to chuckle. Finally, she turned to me with a shrug. “She’s got me there.”

I had to admit, there was some personal doubts about trusting a blond girl with my life. Chalk that up to bad dating experiences in eighth grade. Still, she seemed the closest thing to a normal person I have met so far.

“Guess we’re partners then. Hope you’re not allergic to wild vines. Giddy is covered with them and you’d be surprised where those can end up.”

Like I said, she seems very normal.

The chieftainess cleared her throat to get our attention and waved us off. “Well, if you both have no objections, I have other business to attend to. May Altana watch over you in your quests, Roxie.”

Crysten saluted in parting and I quickly mimicked the gesture. No point in being rude to someone who can have me killed on a whim. Our boots clanked along the wooden piers as we filed out back into the center of Windurst’s Woods district. We had just started to pass the giant tree in the center square when I halted in my tracks. It just occurred to me that no one mentioned my name during the whole exchange.

“What? Are you getting cold feet already?” Crysten slapped me on the back in support. Her pretty face twisted in pain for a passing moment as she pulled her hand hastily back. Then the cheery smile returned even while rubbing the reddened palm. “Relax; I’ve been waiting for a chance at adventure for a long time.”

“Adventure, huh?” I said and we continued our march towards the city gates. “Fucking grrreat!”