Guilty x Creatures Ch. 57

"Wha? Oh no!" cried Kianna as she held out her hand "Wait! Don't go!"

"Uh oh, you've done it now..." chuckled Mokai as they all watched Isabella effortlessly climb the pillar and disappear into the hole in the ceiling.

"Did I upset her!?" questioned Kianna as a hurt, panicked look spread across her face.

"Hm? Oh, no. Not at all." chuckled Mokai "No, I'm afraid you've done the opposite actually. You're her new best friend now, and she is going to need to show you every single toy that she owns."

"...Oh? Oh, okay!" smiled Kianna as Isabella suddenly reappeared and spiraled down the pillar as fast as she could.

Racing over to Kianna, the little girl wordlessly handed her a brightly colored dryad doll before turning around and quickly retracing her path up the pillar.

"Yeah... Sorry about this." mumbled Mokai "Me and the wife have been going through our molts lately. And so she's been a little starved for attention. If she's bothering you at all just let me know and I'll have her stay upstairs."

"What! No! No, not at all!" laughed Kianna as Isabella came back carrying both a stuffed giraffe and a plush tiger "She's a sweetheart!"

"She is... She really is." smiled Mokai as he watched his daughter zip back up the pillar "She's our youngest baby. And our last one... Well, I say that..."

Chuckling to himself, Mokai turned to Anton and Fiona as he indicated the bleachers.

"Have a seat. Get comfortable." he said as he stepped out into the sparring area and headed towards one of the large cabinets mounted to the far wall "We're about to see what Mica can do..."

Taking his seat next to Kianna, Anton grinned as the dark elf began to shift some of stuffed animals that were beginning to overflow her lap onto his so as to make room for more newcomers.

Grumbling as she was carried along beneath the tsuchigumo, Mica grunted as she was suddenly shifted forward and planted back on her feet.

"This is what happens whenever you let your instincts make you predictable." said Mokai as he clipped a manabinder around her wrist before letting her go completely.

"Wha, hey!" cried Mica as she immediately unwrapped her tail from around herself and went to try force the manabinder off her wrist.

"We're just going to be testing your basic skills today." said Mokai as he opened the cabinet and took out two wooden training swords "So you don't need any magic for that."

"...Maybe not." growled Mica "But a heads up about a manabinder would have been nice though!"

"You wouldn't have agreed to wear it." said Mokai in an offhanded tone as he handed her one of the swords "...Would you?"

"Guess we'll never know..." mumbled Mica as she took the sword.

"Guess not." grinned Mokai as he turned and made his way to one side of the sparring ring.

Making her way to her own side, Mica hefted the wooden sword a bit to get a feel for it before giving it a few light swings.

Mokai couldn't help but to grin again as he glanced over at the bleachers and found his daughter holding up one stuffed animal after another so that Kianna could give each of them a kiss on the cheek.

Focusing back on the task at hand, he shifted his attention to Mica and leveled his sword at her.

"Whenever you're ready..." he said as she mimicked him by readying her own sword.

Eyes tight with determination, Mica's tail did a long slow loop through the air behind her before she suddenly shot forward.

Tucking her sword in close, she raced up to Mokai and leaped into the air. Using her tail as a third limb, she lifted herself up high enough to be at eye level with him and began to attack him over and over with her sword.

Parrying each of her strikes with ease, Mokai stood his ground for a moment before stepping forward and driving Mica back.

Using her tail as a makeshift spring, Mica flung herself backwards towards the center of the room but was both surprised and dismayed to discover what for her was an unexpected fact about Mokai.

Despite his large size, the tsuchigumo was incredibly fast.

Striding with ease across their battlefield, Mokai was able to effortlessly keep pace with his smaller opponent. And although it was clear that he wasn't legitimately out for blood, he still refused to give Mica a moments rest.

Each time the kiochi landed on her feet she was immediately forced to dart backwards again by the quickly advancing spider who could not only attack her from on high, but would also give her feinting strikes with his many legs. Dodging and weaving around each of his attacks, Mica's frustration intensified as she noticed that even as he was in the middle of fighting with her, Mokai's attention was still on Kianna and his daughter.

At the bleachers, little Isabella was busy arranging an armful of her Dragon Force Warriors action figures across Kianna's lap. Her own arms now quite full of stuffed animals, the dark elf could only smile as she bent forward to give each of the warriors a kiss before the tiny spider-girl would carefully set them down and present another.

Even though she herself couldn't help but to find this scene cute, Mica's anger still flared, and as Mokai went to strike at her again with his sword, she planted her feet and put all her weight into blocking the blow.

"Are you going to start taking this seriously, or not!?" she snarled as she held Mokai's sword at bay and locked eyes with the looming spider.

"What? No." said Mokai.

Before Mica could even react, Mokai rolled their swords to the side and sent two quick punches into her gut with his front legs.

Hit hard enough to be sent flying backwards, Mica had just enough of her wits left to cushion her landing with her tail. As her feet hit the floor though, she immediately dropped to her knee's and clutched her middle in pain.

With the air knocked from her, she started sucking in gasping breaths through her teeth as she glared up at Mokai with watery eyes.

"If I was taking this seriously, Mica." said Mokai as he squared his shoulders "You'd already be dead."

Seething, Mica put her pain out of her mind, brandished her sword and using her tail as a springboard, she launched herself at Mokai.

For the next several minutes Mokai danced around Mica's attacks and as the kiochi's blows became more desperate and predictable, he started to focus more and more on what his daughter was doing.

Having apparently exhausted her supply of dolls, stuffed animals and action figures, Isabella had now moved on to her books.

Though their laps were now hidden beneath a plethora of children's toys, Anton, Kianna and even Fiona all maintained patient, and even amused expressions as they seemed to be completely unfazed by Isabella's antics.

Even now, they were all more focused on the little girl who was proudly holding up her Dragon Force Warriors picture book, so a cooing Kianna could see its cover.

Furious at being disregarded by all sides, Mica let out an angry battle cry and flipped herself over backwards. Using a series of gymnastic flips, the kiochi landed on her feet at the edge of the sparring ring where she stopped to lock eyes with Mokai.

Surprised by her shouting out in the way that she did, Mokai had gone still and merely watched as the kiochi had put on her show of athletics.

With her face hardened in determination, Mica dived into another forward set of flips as she made to close the distance between herself and the tsuchigumo.

Spreading his legs out wide so as to plant himself, Mokai grinned as he readied his sword to block Mica's obvious frontal attack.

Tumbling flip over flip, Mica built her momentum up as high as she could in the space she had available and at the very last second before she reached her target, she arched herself forward and threw her sword straight at Mokai's face with all the strength that she could muster.

Caught off guard by the unexpected tactic, Mokai reacted instinctively and blocked the projectile sword in such a way that it went flying off to his side. Unfortunately he realized too late that he was sending it right at the spectators. Turning towards the sword in an effort to snag it with an outstretched leg, he was just in time to see Anton reach out and safely catch the flying sword before it could hit anyone. Livid now, he turned back to face Mica but was again surprised by her unexpected tactics as he found her sailing feet first straight into his shoulder.

Having used the sword as a distraction, Mica had flung her tail out to the side and wrapped it around a wooden beam which she then used to swing herself up into the air and around the room before launching herself straight at Mokai. Using her own body as a living missile, the kiochi let out another loud cry as she slammed feet first into Mokai's raised shoulder. Looking to drive as much force into her opponent as possible, she then curled in on herself upon landing and kicked off of him as hard as she could.

Shocked by the shear force of Mica's assault, Mokai became stunned as he was sent skidding sideways across the smooth wooden floor. With all his legs still spread out around him, he slid along at a quick pace until finally coming back to his senses.

Acting quickly, he deployed the twin claws from in between each of his toes and dug them into the floor. Coming to a skidding stop just before the bleachers, loud splintering sounds of wood breaking could be heard echoing through the room as the tsuchigumo came to rest by fully sinking his mighty claws into the floor beneath him.

In the silent stillness that followed, Mokai slowly shifted his many eyes to the still seated spectators and sighed in relief as he found them to be safe.

Anton and Fiona both had calm looking faces as they each sat poised and ready to put up their aura fields. Meanwhile, as Mokai's massive form had come bearing down on them, Kianna had reacted without thinking and had reflexively scooped Isabella up and out of harms way. Her expression clearly concerned and full of spent adrenaline, the dark elf held the child clutched against her chest as she stared up at Mokai and blinked in the sudden stillness.

For her part, Isabella seemed completely unfazed by the action taking place around her. Swiveling her head back and forth, she looked from Kianna to her Father and back a few times before settling into the warm spot she suddenly found herself in. Having apparently decided that she was perfectly comfortable with having Kianna's arms locked protectively around her, the little spider-girl made a soft huffing sound as she folded in her legs, curled herself up into a small ball and snuggled herself in against the dark elf.

"I, I'm sorry!" called Mica.

With every head now turned towards her, the kiochi froze for a second before swallowing a lump in her throat.

"...I didn't mean for that to happen like that!" she exclaimed as she looked from one staring face to another "I, I just..."

Breathing hard now, Mica's face was apologetic until her eyes rose up to meet with Mokai's. Fixated on the dark orbs that were his eyes, she went still again before looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." she said as she balled her hands into fists "I didn't... I just wanted..."

Gaze still on the floor, Mica squared her shoulders and set her jaw as her eyes became filled with a fierce determination.

"I just wanted you to take me seriously." she said as she looked back up at the tsuchigumo.

Glaring at him now, the kiochi slowly raised her balled fists and planted her feet as she took a fighters stance and made it clear that she was ready to continue.

Staring at her, Mokai stayed still for a moment before turning to Anton and silently holding out his hand to him.

Without a word, Anton handed over the sword he had caught earlier.

Holding both swords now, Mokai gripped their hilts tightly and looked down at the floor beneath him for a moment before slowly nodding.

"You want me to take you seriously..." he whispered softly as he turned to Mica and narrowed all his eyes at her "Alright then... I will..."