Becoming Monsters: In the Mirror Ch. 19

This is still a story of the Becoming Monsters Universe by Ai Loves, setting used with permission. All canonical and mechanical errors are my own. The yarrb is the creation of FelisRandomis, used with permission.

This chapter is going to get really heavy for the first half, discussing relatively realistic responses to a few tropes I see get used a lot. If that's not your jam but you want to see where the plot is going, search for the phrase "the moment was completed" and read from there.

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Chapter 19: A Heavy Lift

Lucy, as usual, could practically smell when something serious was on my mind. "Jay, sit down. We need to talk. You're brooding again, and this time it's big enough that even Sarah could see it. Sarah!"

Okay, maybe this time it didn't take particular insight. "Yeah, I am, love. Can you close the door? This is not going to be an easy conversation, but it is necessary. I promised you I would have it."

She did, quickly. "What's going on? Jeremiah, you are worrying me."

"I'm worrying me. Lucy, have you noticed how smoothly everything is going?"

"Smoothly? You've almost died twice, we've faced four demonic attacks in two weeks, and a job interview just tried to murder you." Her look of skepticism was amazing.

"That's all external to the group, look at us. Look at our living situation. If I had told you, hand over my heart, that anything remotely like this would be in our future a month ago, you'd have called me a liar, then accused me of wanting to cheat on you."

"Okay, you're not wrong. Even doing all the coordinating, I'm not used to being shacked up with this many cute girls."

"And that's the point. Look at Amber."

"Been doing that a lot, why?"

"She didn't have a choice. Just thrown in, and now her everything is changing to fit us."

"We kind of knew that, though, why are you bringing it up?" She sounded scared. I didn't use frivolous examples. I brought her up, I thought it was relevant.

"Love, at the beginning of this craziness, I promised to stay level with you no matter what happened. I think... I think I'm changing you. All of you, not just Amber. Even Whitney openly said her sexuality changed dramatically since being with us. What if that isn't just the experiences and exploration? What if my Class Ability is doing it?"

She sat next to me, on the bed. She leaned on me, breathing deeply. The exhale was a long, shuddering kind of thing. "What else is making you think that, love? You wouldn't be giving it this much thought for that alone." She believed me, already. I knew the tone. This was just asking for context.

"It's not just the living arrangements. Have you noticed how idyllic this Guild is these days? How clean the teamwork, the cooperation? No real infighting, no real jealousy. That's not how this works. You know it's not how this works, you were here for all the petty loads of manure from before our Guild dissolved."

"... and they are all new. No time for us to integrate, no time to earn the trust. You haven't even gotten to know everyone yet, not properly. I see it. But... is it so bad? You're shortcutting things, but I think it could have worked out over time without cheating." Her words were hopeful, her brows indicating thoughts as burdensome as my own. Doubt.

"Not like this, it wouldn't. Whitney would have gotten set up at a halfway house. Sarah would be back in Vancouver by now. Would Emily have even wanted to join? At best, this would have become a more traditional Guild. Not this. No matter how dedicated I am to doing right by you, to treating everyone with dignity and respect, what does that mean?"

"It means you are in unexplored waters, love. We knew that when you got that new ability. You've always had a Racial that attracted Demons, we knew it could work like this if you leaned into it."

We were laying down together, on this new bed, in this new room, in this new home, filled with these new people. "I'm scared, love. How much of this is smoothing the edges, and how much am I changing you against both our wills?"

She spooned up with me, I could smell the faintly spicy scent of her hair. I could feel the tears I was slowly, quietly shedding.

My sleep was turbulent. When I was awake, I was plagued by thoughts and fears, the feeling that I was about to lose everything I loved. When I was asleep, my doubts manifested nightmares of intense power, visions of loneliness in a barren wasteland, of enraged vengeance from those I now held dear. I finally stopped trying to sleep well before the sun rose, and stumbled out to the kitchen.

Nibbles was up. He padded over, leapt up, and cuddled in my lap. Well, at least I knew I wasn't unnaturally influencing him. Old fashioned bribery and kindness were the keys to his heart. He wasn't a Demon. If I had been unworthy of cuddles, he would never have found his way into a yarrb-shaped hole in my heart. It helped.

I set him down beside me before I stood. He looked at me quizzically, this was not normal behavior. A deep breath. I started some coffee, two notches stronger than I preferred, since Lucy, Gloria, and Amber liked it that way. I pulled out the milk and cocoa. Seven mugs, seven orders. By the time they all started coming to the kitchen, I was ready to pour. Nibbles kept rubbing up against my leg, concerned.

Eggs were next, as I warmed up leftover pancakes. Gloria made good stuff, but didn't seem to know how to cook for less than fifteen. One by one, the others were there. All of us, together. They seemed to realize I was worried, about to talk. Attempts at their own conversation died out.

It was Lucy who broke the silence. "I guess you want to have that talk now, Jay?"

I nodded. "It needs to be said before we embark on these next steps. This is going to be hard, everyone. Just... promise me you will listen to what I have to say, in its entirety, before you make any fast decisions." They all nodded at me, as usual. It hurt this time, knowing what was likely causing it. Another deep breath, and I launched into my explanation. I told them my suspicions and fears. I promised that I was doing none of it intentionally, if it was happening. I reassured them that I would support any decision they made about how to react. That I would never force them to be who they weren't, that I would never unnecessarily put them in danger, or force them to do something that was against their real desires. At least, not more than a normal Guild Leader would.

I trailed off. My throat was raw. I was crying again, my nerves shot. To my surprise, Amber was the first to speak up. "What you just told me is less than what I was already doing to myself. It changes nothing to me, and I'm still happy to be here."

Lucy spoke up next. "Before any of the others came to be with us, you promised me. We didn't know what your abilities would lead to, but you would tell me everything, and still treat me right. You haven't broken any of those promises. I'm still here, and I'm still yours." My heart lightened at that decision. All of the others could rightfully beat me to a pulp and leave me for dead, as long as I had Lucy all the rest would work out.

Whitney stood. Her wings and feathers were flared out. "You all saved my life, gave me a home when you had nothing to gain, and gave me happiness in the face of my loss. I've learned a lot, and I'm happy with it. Please, let me stay."

Sarah was looking down into her cocoa. "The last two weeks have been the best of my life. Bar none. So what if Class abilities are helping it along? I want this to keep going. I'm here."

Gloria's turn. "I know the Lord put me in your path for a reason. That reason is not finished, I think. You have never asked anything of me I did not freely offer, you rescued someone with nothing and gave me hope again. That faith alone would not have to carry my steps. I will remain."

Emily thought longest. "On one hand, I know I have to stay here. The universe already told me that in no uncertain terms. The implications of it all are disturbing, I agree with you on that, and I certainly didn't know what I was asking for when I demanded you let me in. Still, I'm the one who made that demand, and you were the one who told me I couldn't know what it meant. I will also stay, and hopefully we can keep this on the right track."

It was done. I fell to my knees, there in the dining room. I was crying, tears of joy and pain and everything in between. "All of you, thank you. I swear it, I will continue to do my best to do right by you all. As a Guild Leader, as a husband, as a man, and I hope as a decent person. I owe you all that much." I was suddenly aware of a glow. Emily's tail tips were shining again, the first time I had seen them do that since that day a lifetime ago, when she made the deal that would lead her to sit here today. The sigil they drew was simpler, despite the knot being four-stranded.

With an explosion of light, the magic of it washed over me. I could feel it in my chest, in my soul. What I had just spoken into being was signed and sealed. An oath as sacred as any other I had ever sworn. The others knew it, too. There was no need to explain. They knew I meant it even before the spell, they knew the spell sealed it, and they knew that I would move Heaven and Earth to keep the promise I had just made.

"It is done, Jay. If you managed to convince my deepest fears of your sincerity, I think the least we can do is go forward and see where all of this leads." Emily stood, shimmering into her Human form. "Not that I begrudge the honesty, but it is still Tuesday, and I still have a shift to get to, and most of you have to go talk to HR for onboarding as part-timers."

The moment was completed, and time pressed on. We again broke into a semi-controlled scramble to get ready for the day. This was somewhat complicated by the fact that we had not finished getting everything put away last night, so solidly two-thirds of everything was not where we expected it to be. We cycled through the showers as we got there, not waiting for previous occupants to clear out before jumping in. Help each other out, move on. Gloria and Amber just kind of stayed out of everyone's way, helping when they could. They'd be preparing the home more while we weren't there, and if the Twins got there early they'd get started. It was a very good thing we were as close to the hospital as we were, if a bus had been involved in the morning plans we would never have made it on time. Instead, we walked in as a party of five, stepping up where we were supposed to be within 30 seconds of when we were supposed to be there. Emily took us to HR, and we got started.

It was... painful. I had it easy, already being in their system due to my bounty work as a Cursebreaker. I already had my badge, already had the background checks done, everything. My stack of papers was still such that I didn't want to try to pick it up in my current state. I still read every word. There would be no mistakes today. After the paperwork came the videos. After the videos came the part where each of us went to the departments that could use our talents, in order to best integrate.

I got to see the moment my wife crossed the threshold to Pediatrics. The moment she found a crying child, and as if drawn by magnets went to him. How she immediately calmed him down. There was no Race or Class ability at play. She just went to where there was pain and fear, and in her wake were calm smiles. Her pure joy was infectious, radiant. She'd do just fine here.

By comparison, Whitney's introduction was fairly normal. A burly nurse nodded his head and took her to where they needed to go. Sarah and I got to our little troubleshooting shops and dove right in. A thousand little problems crop up in places like this, requiring a million little solutions and people willing to apply them. The morning passed quickly. Laughing and smiling, we returned to the apartment with few plans in place. Emily would need to go first since she would need to get back to work...

Alright. I thought this particular degree of chaos could only be created by Sarah in a groove. Nope, two teenaged Cecaelia could apparently manage it. Especially with Gloria's help. Exactly one corner of the living room was utterly pristine, that corner was obviously where they had been taking pictures and videos. There were notes, odds and ends, equipment, and who knows what else scattered everywhere else. One of the twins, I think it was Misun, turned at the sound of the front door. "Hey, Jay! Just in time, already got..." his eyes landed on Lucy. His voice trailed off.

Lucy, for her part, merely quirked an eyebrow. "Ah, you were the 18th birthday. Three months back, wasn't it?"

Misun's face went from gray to scarlet so fast I thought for a second it was active camouflage. Ah. Someone familiar with our previous profession. "Ahem, Misun? I'd like you to meet my wife, Lucy."

He looked at me in abject horror. Chaske glanced in from the kitchen, and managed to react utterly identically to his brother. Must have been a two-for-one celebration. "Alright, some ground rules. We are not in that profession any longer. I have no problems with what we used to do, obviously, but if you make one hint of that without it being freely offered, I will turn you into calamari. Rapidly. Come on, Emily is the one on a time crunch." Both of them suddenly got very professional and right on their business.

Lunch for most of us was sandwiches, something Gloria called a medianoche, from Cuba. It tasted a lot like if a ham and cheese had achieved Nirvana. The twins had brought their own, it looked like dried fish filets and iced mussels. Anyone who wasn't eating was giving interviews or getting photos taken. The twins had miniature drones flying around the apartment, shining lights and taking pictures on command of their Technopathic masters. Chaske was focusing on the people... including Nibbles. Misun was focusing on the Cool Stuff, be it gear or Class. Both were ecstatic beyond words at the absolute wealth of background they were about to be able to present to the world.

I had enough time to sit and think for a bit about my own words from this morning. Two weeks ago, my choice of Concubal Acquisition even told me that Demonic Attraction had been upgraded. At the time, I took it to just be mere intensity, given how Lucy had reacted, but by now I figured there was more to it. That Racial ability upgrade was probably the basis for what was putting in this much work, keeping harmony in the harem of the Acquired. Wait, "attraction." That could mean a lot more than merely emotional or libidinous appeal. It could mean...

Physically bringing demons to me. In a panic, I was springing to my feet, and we heard the roar.

This time? This time we could grab our equipment. We were halfway there to begin with after showing off much of what we had. Less than 30 seconds later, Whitney and I were jumping off the balcony carrying Sarah and Gloria. Lucy was descending with the force of a feather, Amber beside her with Nibbles in her arms, and Emily was flying down in sparrow form. We heard gunfire. This one would be ugly. I could hear the whine of the camera drones pursuing us, four of them, also mounted with transmitters and laser sights. We landed, and took off at a sprint. The sounds were coming from around the corner, on the main street.

Upon rounding that corner, I didn't hesitate. My own pistol was in my hand as fast as if it had teleported there. Its roaring voice was joined by Amber's much lighter one, along with Gloria and Sarah's own projectiles. We gazed upon horror and despair. The being stood easily 20 feet tall, its skin like magma and its horns a shining gold. The fire of its eyes carried a burning hate for the living, its maw full of fangs the size of my leg. Great, batlike wings spread from its back. In its left hand, a whip of fire. In its right, a sword ten feet long, cruelly sharp and alight with a sulfurous flame of its own. The entire area was awash in the power of its Aura, the shimmer making it look almost like we were under water. Balar. The biggest, baddest, nastiest kind of demon to crawl out of the depths.

"Get the civilians clear! If police show up, have them cordon this area off!" Gloria paused from her attacks to empower Nibbles, who then worked with Emily and Whitney to get that done. Two of the four drones did so as well, leading people to safety. We were literally a hundred feet from the Emergency Room entryway, directly on the path that ambulances would be most likely to take. "Disperse! Form a semicircle between it and the hospital, and remember to aim upwards at its center of mass. Keep your range!" Lucy was already charging her battle staff, unleashing silvery blasts of kinetic might like the fists of a raging deity.

The enormous demon was not about to take our entry to the scene lightly. It lashed the whip at Sarah, and I had to intercede with my shield, which she had created for just such an occasion. It struck with the force of an enraged elephant, trying to wrap around the material of the shield itself. As it pulled me towards the monster, I let it dissipate. The whip was carrying nothing but air. My arm, shoulders, chest, and back were all seizing up with pain. I had to remember that I could not take such a vast amount of punishment this time. I could not engage directly with the beast. With a roar, it called fire, dousing myself and Sarah with an inferno called directly from the deepest pits of the Underworld. Sarah, with a matching scream, blew the fabric of the spell apart directly with a mighty Combat Disenchant, saving both of us. She sagged a bit. "That was almost more than I could handle by itself, but I'll try to knock out the big ones when I'm not wandfighting!" I snapped off another pair of shots at the thing's torso, reloaded, and moved on.

The gunshots were not doing particularly much to harm it individually, but between the two of us and some supporting fire from the few remaining armed bystanders they were starting to add up. I saw Amber reach one of her upper arms into an extradimensional space and come out with a red canister. It looked like a grenade, but... wait. How in all the blazes did she get her mitts on freaking THERMITE? The grenade glowed slightly, I could see Amber concentrate, and her bearing changed. Gone was the woman I was familiar with, suddenly replaced by an identical-looking soldier. I saw her take a ready stance, thumb off the clip, briefly release her grip on the spoon, and then lob it with a pushing motion directly at the demon's face. Lucy chose that second to blind it, and though it didn't last long the distraction meant that when the explosion came, dumping molten iron several thousand degrees hot, it was directly inside the thing's mouth. It screamed, an entirely different sound from before.

"Distract it!" Whitney called out as she and Emily dove in. Emily was rapidly changing, turning into a monstrously large bipedal fox form, all rippling muscle and terrible claws. In the full grip of Rage, Whitney jumped at her foe and lashed out with her enchanted sword. Emily clawed deeply at one of its arms. I threw a Lightning Net, binding its other. Both attacks struck home, delivering terrible wounds to the enormous demon. The two got clear, and I could see the sizzling and smoking tips of fur and feathers. It turned to face them, and with a blasphemous utterance lashed at them with telekinetic might. Both were flung away as if struck directly, but both landed on their feet. Emily reverted to her Human form and had to focus on healing. Whitney was not that patient, and immediately charged back into the fray.

Amber drew the enchanted baton and physical shield to flank the beast, to give Whitney a chance of making it back out again a second time. Gloria shifted from arrows to casting Lightning Nets of her own, and I took the opportunity to attempt to Scan it. The being was much too powerful for me to be able to withstand analyzing it this way for very long, but it was getting hurt. Getting tired. I also recognized some of the hashing, from long ago. Just like in that hospital bed in the Curse Annex, when George Godfrey lay wasting. I swapped immediately to Cursebreaker, and got what was simultaneously the best and the worst news of the afternoon. The titanic threat was another person, under the biggest and nastiest instance of the Curse of Reversion I had ever seen. It shone an actinic white, its glare defying my ability to even look at it directly. I holstered my pistol, it would not be useful for this part.