All Tricks

This is a short tale of the Becoming Monsters Universe by AiLove.

The ideas for this one came when I thought about how celebrating certain holidays would dramatically change in this universe. After all, when the thing that goes bump in the night is your next door neighbor Phil, it changes the nature of Halloween.

Cameoing here are several characters from TheNyxianLily's Blood and Chlorophyll. It is not necessary to have read those tales to enjoy this one, but I like tossing in-jokes at my co-writers. Especially ones as talented as she is.

—

All Tricks

October 10th, two years after the Change

"Three weeks until Halloween. Hard to believe it came around already." The speaker was a Japanese woman, petite with long, black hair.

Sitting across from her at the outdoor table, eating chicken wings like his life depended on it, was a large man. Very large, about nine feet with green skin and muscles like mountains. "Time does that," came his bass rumble. "Been so busy killing monsters and trying to live, I forgot what month it was. You think there's gonna be trick-or-treating this year?"

Sitting next to him and eating some pizza was a red-skinned Succubus, complete with wings, horns, and swishing tail. "Four years ago, I dressed up for Halloween in the same outfit the Change gave me later," she said. "You think anyone's going to want to celebrate the ghoulies and ghosties and wee little beasties when a third of them are the things I just described? When the things that go bump in the night ate their friends and family?"

To the Japanese woman's left was a Hispanic-looking Human in light armor made from quilted fire-resistant cloth, smelling of smoke and the charred meat of things most at the table would prefer not to have to think of. He bowed his head. "What's left of my own family held a

Dia de los Muertos

observation last year, but the streets are clear now. The governor announced it a week or two ago. No attacks against civilians in a month, and the only topside fights were accounted for by a mini-dungeon opening up. If we can't have a party for one night in the most heavily protected place in all of Chicago, then what have we been fighting for these last two years?"

The Japanese woman looked a bit dreamy. "I would love to hear the sounds of celebration on these streets again. Do you think we can get the others on board?"

"I wouldn't be shocked either way," the Fire magus said, "but I think you might be underestimating things. We haven't had much reason to party around here in a long time. I'd say give it a shot, and we'll see how it goes."

Lunch lasted a few minutes more, and everyone there agreed to at least try to spread the word. The greenskin and the Fire Magus went off to the center of the crowds, done with Delving for the day and wanting to make sure they took care of the little incidentals before unwinding. Repairs, restocking, selling components. The lifeblood of the Delver is in the details. The Succubus and the other woman, though, walked slowly to the edge of camp. Towards a three-story building with a red light above the door. The demoness turned to her friend. "Bit of a stretch you talking about that, Aya. Especially when you're one of those things I was talking about going bump in the night."

Aya, her main body not changing its petite form, sprouted four large spider limbs from her back. Six small red eyes opened on her face and her mouth unfurled a couple of fangs. "I do appreciate you not saying that in front of regular customers, Tish. You can get away with feeding once a day, I still have to get three unless they're on the hefty side. Like that Troll. It's been over a year since I accidentally killed anyone, too."

Tish might be a Succubus, and she might not be able to hide it, but Aya was a Jorogumo. Her absolute slew of powers and monstrous physical might came with a Hunger that made the Succubus look like a nun. Thankfully, a couple of things were true about this brothel they both called home.

First, they were not alone. A dozen of them, all dependent on sex in some way, lived and worked here. Some looked human, some looked demonic, some looked hooved or furry, one was a Dolphin Beastkin who had to go swim in Lake Michigan frequently. All of them worked together to make sure they got the right customers to the right people as often as possible. They got very, very good at their jobs. After all, their lives depended on it.

Which brought them to point two. The brothel was situated almost literally on the border of Camp, catered to a variety of tastes, and made sure to set their prices slightly on the inexpensive side as such things went. That way, a procession of strong Delvers who had been swimming in adrenaline and testosterone and who needed to blow off steam made their inevitable way through their doors. They all had the pleasure of being regularly plowed like the first fields of spring (or ridden in Jerry's case, the ladies tended to like how his halo lit things up when he came into them), and their coffers never risked running low. Aya made sure of it, just as she made sure to enter the rotation frequently.

They walked in to find the expected brisk business, but before long there was an undercurrent of something Aya should have expected. Chat of the coming Halloween, a growing excitement about it, and comments that the Delvers were starting to spread the word. It was the first time the old celebrations could be observed again. They were not going to pass it up.

***

October 31st, two years after the Change

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

The kids were unbelievably cute. The group of six ranged in age from "barely old enough to walk enough" to "almost old enough to try to apply for a Delver Card," with costumes that were barely more than sheets. The older two were a Goblin and a Ghoul, dressed as a Ghoul and a Goblin respectively. Creative, effective, and they probably had expert help applying it. None of this really helped the fact that this was the fourth such group to knock on the door of a brothel despite the red light shining a warning and lack of decorations out front. The girls still had to eat, so business was open, but this was getting awkward.

The woman who had answered the door this time thankfully had the foresight to toss a bathrobe on, which covered her pendulous breasts and went down her goat legs to mid-thigh. She was clenching slightly to keep from dripping out the results of the customer she had just finished with. Thinking VERY quickly, she reached over to the breath mints they kept near the front door and handed one out to each of the visitors before they turned and left. "Aya, we need to do something about this."

The Japanese woman, spider features hidden since she was working, nodded back. "You're right, this isn't good. Maybe I can head to Camp and get some supplies to make a sign? It doesn't have to be much, just enough to put on the lawn to turn them away. Sound good to you, Vera?"

The Faun, still standing at the front door, pondered it. "I think that's the best we can do for now." Tish and I can hold down the fort here while you're out."

"Thanks. I promise I'll be back as fast as I can." Aya ducked into her room to swap out her easily-discarded robe for jeans and a long sleeved white shirt, stepped out of the building, and jogged to the Guild Hall. There, she found a party in full swing.

Perhaps it was bias from being part-spider herself, but the first thing she noticed was the incredible amount of spider web decorating the place. It was draped from trees. It lined paths. Treats hung from it in random places for visitors to pick. Heck, even what little there was of the Bean was strewn with the stuff. She thought nothing of it until she noticed that a quarter of it was real, not some cheap imitation. Either some spiderfolk had been VERY busy the last day or two, or else some people who could summon or control the bugs had been. Either way, the effect made the colored lights and fog machines stand out even more. Music played from several places, spooky classics from a lifetime ago that made her remember the days before the world turned upside down. It seemed like every stand and every stall had something to give to visitors, and all of them were staffed by people either looking entertainingly monstrous or who were just plain monstrous and acting entertaining. The most important part, though, were the children.

The running, shrieking, chattering, laughing,

wonderful

children. They were here. They had survived, kids in every shape and form. In a stall that Aya knew held a guild full of dog folk, three were being directed to drink from the punch bowl on the LEFT, since the one on the right was for adults. She walked by an enchanter's stall, where another bunch shouted "trick or treat" and were rewarded with magical trinkets that glowed in the dark and little else. Two of them were trading candy with each other, one horse girl wanting the candy apple and willing to give up peanut brittle for it. They were everywhere.

Aya knew she had a mission, but when she found a chair she could not walk another step. She sat in it, and she cried tears of joy. They had won. Humanity had survived. Here was the proof.

"You too, huh?" The voice from behind her was harsh and raspy, a man who had seen too many years and too many battles. She turned, and he was standing there. A tattered tie-dye shirt set him apart, possibly there to be visible to some of the kids. The man himself was Human, easily over seventy and hard-worn from those years, but happy tears were in his eyes as well.

"Yeah. After everything, it's hard to believe." She couldn't take her eyes off of the children for long.

"Like my dad once said, sometimes just living is enough. Which ones are yours?"

"Oh! Right, none of them are. I need to get some sign making materials. I'm from the brothel, and we've been getting trick-or-treaters. Need to tell them not to knock."

The man laughed a huge belly laugh, drawing looks from a couple of the nearby adults. "Oh, I didn't know what I was expecting you to say, but that wasn't it. Hey! Freddie!"

A teenage boy looked up and trotted over. He looked half-Human, half machine of some kind. It was actively hard to tell if it was all him or a costume. "Yes, sir?"

"I'm giving you permission to use your Class abilities. Race home and get a poster board, glue, and two stakes for the woman."

"Yes sir!" He took off running, so fast that the breeze ruffled Aya's hair significantly.

"My oldest grandson. I'd tell you his story, but we don't have time for it. Should be back in about thirty seconds if I know him."

Aya smiled. "Quite the talent he has there!"

"That he does. Got good manners, too. Now if I could just get him to do his homework, we'd be all set."

Any further chat abruptly ended when the boy... no, the young man... arrived back even faster than the older man had said he might, breathing hard and carrying the requested materials. "I also got a marker for you, ma'am."

"Thank you! That was thoughtful, and no trouble had a chance to happen while you were away."

He smiled, a bright white but slightly crooked kind of thing. "Wicked. Do you need anything else? Someone made sausage rolls and they're calling my name."

The old man grinned. "No, I think that's it. Go have fun!" The boy vanished as though he'd teleported.

A few more pleasantries were exchanged, but Aya did have to get back. It was with some regret that she stood and got moving. Away from the music, away from the laughter. Back to where she worked, still doing brisk business. Tish had turned a fifth group away not long before she got back. The Succubus looked at her as she stepped in. "You okay, Aya? It looks like you've been crying."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Aya had, long ago, taken calligraphy classes. She didn't have the time to make this one truly fancy, but it was better than nothing and readable. In black ink on the white construction paper went the simple message which would go out front. One which would make sure no more children came to their door.

NO TREATS

***

October 31st, three years after the Change.

"Felicia! Don't forget to put out the sign!"

The bright orange catgirl yelled back "I got two customers, boss, can you handle it?"

Aya sighed, but went to dig through the supply closet to try to find it herself. Aya had asked her to do it mostly because the closet light had gone out earlier in the day, and by a stroke of ill luck they didn't have a bulb on hand. Felicia could see in the dark, though, so she would have been a good choice. Thankfully, so could Aya. It still took a couple of minutes to get to where it was leaning against the wall in the back of a few piles of things.

The last year had passed quickly. November first had arrived eventually, no matter how much everyone wanted the party to last. Then winter, followed by spring and summer as people got back to living, but now the air was starting to have a cool bite again. After the raging success of last year? This time, everyone knew the Guild Hall of Chicago was going to go all out. The schools were open again, and at least two were organizing class trips. The U of I campus was open, too, and the university students looked like they were going to make an occasion of it right with them. All this to say, the city was getting into it.

Aya thought for a moment, then ducked into her room to change out her work robe for simple pants and a tee shirt. Much better to work in, much less likely to slip off and show something she shouldn't outside. One hammer to go with the sign, and she got outside to put it in place. Before she got far, another woman joined from inside. She was exquisitely beautiful, though the observer would be hard-pressed to remember any of her specific features later. Was her skin pale, or was it exotically tanned? Did her piercing eyes seem to shine blue or green or brown? Nobody could agree. She also wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black denim pants, but these could not hide her feet. Her legs ended in broad hooves like a camel. "Hey, Aisha, you doing alright?"

The woman smiled. Serenely, like she did almost everything. "I'm doing well. Are you ready for tonight?" Aisha held the sign steady as Aya kept up her work.

"Definitely. We have Felicia on the desk tonight. Not on her Heat cycle, so she'll only grab customers if we're running full capacity. Considering I almost ran myself empty trying to get us all ready, that's not too likely." Aya stood, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "That's done. Hopefully nobody underage comes to the red light district this year."

Aisha nodded. "We do have some time before we need to be out of the way. Want to go see the daytime stuff?"

The Japanese woman quickly responded "of course! We just have to be back by four or so to get out of the way."

"Can we push it to four-thirty? I didn't get to see much last year."

Aya's smile got bigger and much warmer. "I think that's fair. Come on, let's not waste time!"

The two practically skipped there. It wasn't far, after all, and the occasion was joyous. Last year's celebration was a night to remember. This year, if anything, was twice as wild. A Necromancer had animated a number of skeletons to carry serving platters around with refreshments, he was also taking the opportunity to instruct them in some dance moves for the occasion. The effect in daylight was somewhat hilarious. The effect at night was probably going to be something else entirely. Floating witch-lights were already emplaced and drifting slowly around Camp, the spider webs were back, and this time not a single stall was closed. Literally every door had decorations out and lights on. Guild rooms and crafters, food and merchandise sellers, mages and knights and acrobats. One Tinker had put together a number of fake, flying ghosts around his stall. One Cleric had shown him up by hiring half a dozen real ones for herself, who were trash talking the fakes at every opportunity.

And, of course, the people. One unbelievably attractive Arctic Fox woman grabbed them both for a selfie. When she left, several others followed her. A knot of Humans looking like recent college graduates were going around, not in costume or anything, and taking in the sights before the kids got there. Not exactly something Aya or Aisha could throw stones at. A couple of folks who might have been in costume, might have been in their Delving gear, might have been wearing their gear as a costume, but in any case were trying to buy actual potions instead of punch in potion bottles. They knew there were way fewer people out now than there would be later, but even so it seemed like they couldn't take two steps without running into someone new.

Aya noticed the necromancer putting on a red jacket, which in turn made her check the time. Four-fifteen. "Aisha, we have to go. Time waits for nobody, no matter how sexy."

"Already?" She looked at her watch. "That is a shame. They were just starting to let out the bats, too. Wait, that should have been a hint, shouldn't it?" Aya nodded. "Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted. Do you think we'll be busy tonight?"

The two started to walk back as Aya responded. "Look, it's a giant party, involving a ton of emotion, including getting frightened. People get aroused in that state, and a lot of them don't have people to go home to if they want to take care of that. Which is why we have a job. Last year we had a constant stream of customers until dawn, half of us had to take a few days off to recover. That's why I have all hands on deck today."

"I guess that makes sense." The two didn't have too much more of a chance to talk before getting back. It was time to take their places. Halloween had long been a chance to be sexy. Today was no different. At the front desk, Felicia was in a tiny bikini top and daisy dukes, showing off her trim and athletic build. Aisha put her own robe on, ready to discard at need. So did Aya. And the need was certainly present. It seemed that as soon as the sun touched the horizon, the customers started arriving.

The first turned out to be a widowed father of two teens, who had dropped off his kids and was enjoying himself in the time he had free. He was followed by another who wanted to celebrate the day by having sex with the most monstrous worker at the brothel. A couple in costume who were just asking to use an empty room. They got a discount. One guy dressed like a priest who bought an hour with the Succubus and the Angel to roleplay temptation before having a threesome with them. The predicted bunches of people aroused by brushes with fear. The typical stream of people who were just plain horny with cash to spend on solving the issue. In all, a busy night.

Aya had already helped one customer by the time one particular knock came, around midnight. She wasn't sure why, but it sounded different. Could just be that the door wasn't locked, most customers could just walk in. Maybe a Vampire who needed to be invited? Still, odd. Waving Felicia off, Aya made sure her robe was straight and answered the door. What was on the other side probably shouldn't have surprised her.

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

Two guys were there, wearing letter jackets from U of I's Chicago campus. They were smiling and giggling, obviously there on a dare of some kind. Aya felt a bit irritated at it all. Then, she came to a decision. She grinned. "Boys, did you see the sign out front?"

The one on the left, brown hair in a longer style he obviously thought looked good on him, responded. "Yeah, we did."

"And you're in college, so that should mean you can read enough to know there are no treats here."

The other one, a nicely muscular blond, nodded.