Guilty x Creatures Ch. 62

"Feral? What does that mean?" asked Kianna as the mantis kicked a surprised Mica in the side and then instantly tried to slice her head off.

"Essentially it means a person who lives a more animalistic life in the wild. There are quite a few races that live a mostly, if not entirely feral existence. For some this is due to their basic natures making it too difficult for them to fully function in normal society." explained Anton as Mica slashed at the mantis with her tail in effort to drive her away while she groaned and staggered back in pain as she struggled to breathe "Many of the elemental races of Astrals and Voidlings would fall into this category. Creatures like sylphids or narguns and their ilk, are more often than not found living outside of urban settings, as an existence on the fringes of the wild is just more comfortable for them overall."

"Right. So it's like how dryads mostly live in forests and almost never in cities." said Kianna as the mantis merely moved her head back and forth to dodge Mica's darting tail.

"Exactly." said Anton as the winded kiochi found her breath and stood up straight again "For others a simple lack of desire to live in society is the driving force behind the decision to live a feral lifestyle. And there are many examples of werefolk who choose to live in the wild even though their race may be fully capable of living in society."

"Why the Hell would they want to do that?" asked Fiona as a now furious looking Mica wrapped her tail around the mantis' arm and proceeded to lift her overtly lightweight body into the air.

"Some people just prefer to live a more natural life." said Anton with a shrug as Mica kicked the hanging mantis in the gut as hard as she could "Others may have been born into it and have never known anything else....And of course there are some people out there that are just a slave to their nature. The one's who simply enjoy hunting down, killing and eating their own food too much to live any other way."

Mica cried out in anger as the seemingly limp mantis suddenly slashed at her head with her free arm.

"...Huh, so those people are basically just crazies who want to live like animals then?" said Fiona as Mica used her tail to slam the mantis against the ground and then fling her away.

"More or less." said Anton with another shrug as the mantis landed on her feet and immediately leaped back in to attack Mica again.

"Are you people going to talk throughout this entire fight!?" questioned Nokko as she leaned forward to look around her parents and glare at Anton and the dark elves.

"I don't know. Maybe we will." said Fiona as she turned to the kiochi and planted the back of her wrists against her hips "Why? Is that not okay?"

Narrowing her eyes at the haughty dark elf, Nokko's tail coiled about in obvious irritation as she turned back to the fight and said nothing.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." said Fiona as she smiled viciously and turned back to the fight herself.

Grinning, Anton shook his head as he focused his attention on the two speedsters that were zipping back and forth in front of him.

For the next few minutes it seemed that the two combatants were easily on equal footing, as they were both able to effortlessly dodge and counter each others attacks. As Anton watched though, it quickly became apparent to him that the mantis was struggling with this fight, as although she was still able to invade Mica's attacks, he was quick to notice that there was a distinctly heavy pause with each of her counterattacks. This did not come off as if she were hesitating to hurt Mica though, but instead it almost seemed as if she was reacting via instinct and attempting to make moves that simply weren't working. This resulted in her movements having a janky, uncoordinated feel to them that Mica was clearly beginning to pick up on.

On top of this, as time went on, the mantis' focus on her opponent was apparently beginning to waiver as her attacks were becoming more and more frenzied by the moment.

Fatigue was clearly setting in.

"This fight is over." mumbled Anton as he shook his head.

"Huh!? What do you mean!?" questioned Fiona.

"How do you know it's over?" asked Kianna.

Anton was quiet for a moment as he watched Mica go still and lower her guard in an obvious invitation to her opponent. The split second before the attacking mantis' strike could land, the kiochi disappeared from sight only to reappear above and behind the mantis. She then twirled around in midair and landed a spinning kick square into the mantis' back, sending her flying forward to land, tumble and roll across the ground before coming to rest in a crumpled heap on her side.

"...Because that mantis is almost at her limit already." said Anton in a hushed tone as he watched the mantis slowly get back up to her feet "She won't last much longer."

Glancing over at the watching shinoccubi, Anton found both Leopold and Ila smiling softly as they too had obviously come to the same conclusion.

"Well that didn't take long..." grumbled Fiona as she folded her arms behind her head and watched in disdain as the mantis began to stagger "What a shitty bug. She's already falling over and she couldn't even get Mica to break a sweat."

"It's pretty obvious that you're not familiar with mantises at all." said Anton as Mica countered an attack by the mantis by blocking her scythes with one hand and her bladed spade "If you were, you'd realize that this poor creature is already more dead than alive..."

"What do you mean?" asked Kianna as she quickly looked from the mantis to Anton and back.

"This mantis has been horribly injured, to the point of mutilation... And on top of that, while mantises are naturally thin people..." said Anton as he watched Mica use her free hand to punch the mantis hard in the gut "It looks like this one has been starved nearly to death..."

Crumbling over backwards, the mantis maintained an emotionless expression on her face, yet despite this it was still easy enough to see that she was in great pain.

Blinking, the two dark elves glanced at Anton before turning to watch the mantis get back to her feet. While they had always thought that she had looked thin, now that they gave her a closer examination, it was actually pretty obvious that this mantis was not at all healthy looking. Nearly every rib along her torso stood out clearly, and below them the top crests of her hip bones jutted out sharply. And not only was her face overtly gaunt, but the bones of her spinal column were all poking outwards from under the chitinous plates that adorned them and the thin layer of skin that was stretched over them.

"Shit..." breathed Fiona "She really does look like she's about to die..."

"The poor thing..." said Kianna as she sadly shook her head.

"This is messed up." said Fiona "Mica needs to end this."

"She will. In her own time." said Leopold.

Anton and the dark elves all turned to him as he spoke.

The kiogah had a smug grin on his face as he stood with his arms crossed and his tail waving about above his head.

"You may not understand this. But this is a big moment for Mica." he said "This is her first victory in battle after all. Her first taste of bloodshed. And her first step to becoming a true shinoccubus....This is something she should savored till the very end."

Keeping their eyes on Mica, Ila and Nokko both began to nod in agreement.

Fiona and Kianna both went to say something but stopped short as Anton raised his hand.

"He's not wrong..." he whispered softly as he turned back to the fight.

Unhappiness clear on their faces, the two dark elves looked at each other before halfheartedly turning back to watch the end of the fight.

Out in the field, Mica stood at ease while facing the mantis. Though her expression was stoic, she was clearly paying attention as she waited for the mantis to make a move.

Swaying on her feet, and taking one labored breath after another, the mantis' face was as blank and expressionless as ever. Despite this, there was still a fog of desperation lingering in the air around her.

The two combatants stared at one another for nearly a full minute before with a thin, quiet sigh, Mica sheathed her twin daggers.

The mantis' breathing slowed as she focused on what the kiochi was doing. When the weapons were safely stowed away, she raised her strange eyes up to meet with Mica's.

Mica's expression never changed as she arced her tail up over her shoulder and pointed her spade directly at the mantis.

Recognizing this challenge for what it was, the mantis went still for a moment before leaning into a stance and readying herself to attack. Another moment of stillness passed before she shot forward and raced straight at the kiochi.

Mica stood where she was as she sent her tail forward to meet the mantis' charge. As the mantis made to attack the incoming spade, Mica's tail feinted to the side and curved around the slashing scythe before again wrapping itself around the mantis' arm. Before the mantis could even react to this she was again lifted into the air and violently slammed into the ground. Mica preceded to then drag the mantis across the ground for a moment before lifting her back into the air and slamming her back into the ground again. She did this twice more before raising the limp mantis back up and leaving her to hang before her.

Gazing at the bloodied mess that the mantis had become, Mica quickly registered that the arm she had her tail wrapped around was clearly broken, as were both of the mantis' legs.

As Mica stared at her, the mantis coughed violently and spit out a mouthful of blood before raising her last good limb and feebly making to slash her scythe at the kiochi. Failing to do so, her entire being became limp as she went still.

Unfazed by this last act, Mica merely tossed the mantis to the side and left her to land in a broken heap.

"Excellent job, Mica!" cried Leopold as he, Ila and Nokko all began to clap "That was a marvelous display!"

"You did amazing, Mica!" exclaimed Ila "I knew you would!"

"Yeah... That was alright..." muttered Nokko.

Standing still, Mica stared down at the ground in front of her as she seemingly ignored the cheers from her family. Slowly, she looked up at Anton and the dark elves. Meeting their gazes, her chest tightened as they all turned away from her eyes. Looking to move past this awkward moment, they too began to clap, albeit in an impossible to hide morosely manner.

"...Stop....Just stop." whispered Mica "...Stop clapping."

Too far away to hear her, the two watching groups continued in their cheers.

Enraged now, Mica scowled angrily as she turned to fully face them all.

"I said, stop clapping!" she roared as she arched her tail up over her head and flexed out her barbs.

Shocked by the outburst, everyone immediately went silent.

"What the Hell do you think you're clapping for!?" exclaimed Mica as she balled her trembling hands into fists "Do any of you really think that was worth clapping for!? No! It wasn't! That wasn't amazing! It wasn't excellent! That was nothing! Don't clap for that!"

"Mica! What is wrong with you!?" shouted Leopold "Where is this nonsense coming from!?"

"Shut up! It's not nonsense! It's true!" countered Mica "You shouldn't clap for that! That! That!...That wasn't worth clapping for!"

Seeing the turmoil on his daughter's face, Leopold paused his next outburst and took a deep, frustrated breath.

"Mica, that was worth clapping for." he started as he tried to suppress his own anger "You won that battle, Mica. You deserve to be congratulated for-."

"Battle!?" interrupted Mica "That wasn't even a battle at all! That wasn't even a fight, or a challenge or anything!...That was!...That was....That....That, wasn't fair."

"...Well. I'm sorry you feel that way." said Leopold as he crossed his arms "But that was a battle, Mica. It was a battle to the death. And whether you like it or not, you did win that battle. You earned your victory. Now stop with this embarrassing display. And accept that victory."

Mica went to speak again but stopped short as a faint rustling sound in the grass next to her caught her attention. Turning to the source of the noise, she blinked as she found the apparently still alive mantis slowly making her way towards her.

Using her one good arm, the mantis would drive her scythe into the ground and use this leverage to drag herself along as she made a beeline for Mica.

"...Seriously!? You're still going!?" snarled Mica as her face twisted in rage "What the fuck are you doing you stupid bitch! This fight is over already! Give up! You lost!"

"End it, Mica." said Leopold "Finish her off, so we can be done with this."

Mica glanced at him before looking back down at the mantis.

"...I already won though. It's over already." she mumbled.

"Not yet. There's still one more task before you complete your test." said Leopold "She isn't going to stop until she's dead, or you are. So just end it now."

"...But, it is over though." said Mica as she shook her head "...It's over."

"No, Mica. This is not over." said Leopold "Your test is not over until your opponent is dead. So kill her now, and end it."

Her mind racing, Mica's chest tightened even further as she dipped her tail down over the prone mantis and pointed the tip of her spade at the back of the mantis' neck. Reasoning that she was putting the broken, wretched creature out of its misery, she pulled her spade back to strike but froze completely as the mantis lifted her head and looked up at her.

Mica's breath became caught in her throat as she stared down at her fallen opponent.

Although her expression hadn't changed from the same blank, emotionless look she had worn throughout their fight, the mantis now had two thin lines of moisture running down her cheeks.

And following these lines back to their source brought Mica's gaze to the mantis' strange, alien-like eyes, and here, for the first time since they had met, she could see emotion.

She could see fear, pain, anger, and above all else, desperation.

Here was the last flames of a dying fire, the last desperate will to go on, to keep moving forward, to keep fighting.

To keep living.

Without even thinking, Mica slowly lifted her tail away.

"...Mica! End it!" shouted Leopold.

Startled out of her revelry, Mica blinked and turned to him before looking back down at the mantis.

"Do it, Mica." said Leopold "Complete your test."

Looking back and forth between her father and the mantis, Mica began to take one heavy breath after another as she continued to hesitate in her indecision.

Seeing the agony on her face, Anton calmly reached into his pocket before crossing his arms over his chest.

Catching this movement in her peripherals, Mica's head immediately swiveled in that direction and she blinked in uncertainty as she locked eyes with him.

Staring back at her, Anton's expression remained stoic and unreadable. After a moment of stillness, he slowly shifted his eyes downwards to his hand and the item he now held there.

Following his gaze, Mica found Anton's closed fist casually resting atop his other arm. She froze and her eyes widened to their fullest as she registered what it was that he was holding.

In Anton's hand, was a small glass bottle that was radiating a faint, pale light.

Staring at the bottle for a moment, Mica slowly dropped her gaze back down to the mantis.

"...She's not going to do it." mumbled Nokko as she shook her head in annoyance.

"No. She'll do it." said Leopold "We may have had our doubts in the past. But Mica has already shown us that we were wrong. She is one of us. And just watch, she's about to show us what she can do."

Placing her hands atop the hilts of her daggers, Mica slowly nodded her head.

"...Yeah, I am." she whispered softly to herself.

Everyone but Anton jumped in surprise when Mica disappeared from where she had been standing and reappeared a few feet in front of Anton.

Turning to her family, Mica narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"You think I'm one of you, huh?" she said as she shook her head "You really don't know me at all. You have no idea who I am....You are right about one thing though. I am going to show you what I can do."

Anton grinned softly as the kiochi snatched the bottle out of his hand with a loop of her tail.

"I'm gonna show you all what I can do." said Mica as she grinned back at Anton and disappeared.

Reappearing in front of the downed mantis, Mica held her hand out to the side and caught the bottle as it fell from her tail. Shaking the bottle as rapidly as she could, she was pleasantly surprised when the potion inside it began to shine with a bright golden light. Tearing off the wax seal, she dropped down to rest on her haunches in front of the mantis.

"You. You failed." she said softly as the mantis looked up at her "You were supposed to test me. You were supposed to challenge me, to force me to go past my limits, and you failed at this... But even though you lost. I know you aren't done yet... And lucky for you, I'm not done yet either..."

Reaching out, Mica grabbed hold of the mantis' hair and lifted her head up higher so that they could both see each other more clearly.

"I am going to kill you." said Mica as she stared into the mantis' eyes "You are my test. Your death is my goal. And I assure you, I will complete this challenge....But first, we're going to fight for real. And we're going to have the battle that we both deserve."

Plunging the mouth of the bottle in between the mantis' thin lips, Mica tilted it back slowly as she forced her adversary to drink every last drop.

"...Anton. What is Mica giving her?" questioned Leopold as he glanced over at him "What exactly is in that bottle?"

"Hm, in that bottle?" grinned Anton as the mantis' entire body began to glow with a bright, radiant light "Well, in short... A miracle."