Chapter 18 : Afternoon
The three shinoccubi standing at the portal were all slightly taller than Mica but were otherwise very similar to her in appearance. Two of them, like Mica, were female kiochi while one was clearly a kiogah.
The kiogah stood in stark contrast to the two women at his side due to several obvious key differences in his features. The first of which were his larger horns, which were only slightly longer but were much broader at their base and spaced further apart, being placed on either sides of his brow rather than at his temples. Also unlike the kiochis, his horns curved inwards with their points facing each other rather than curving back above his head.
The bladed spade at the end of his tail was also noticeably larger and broader than those of the kiochis, and unlike them, the saturated coloration around his eyes was almost nonexistent.
The most obvious difference between him and his female counterparts however, were his wings. The kiogah's wings were markedly larger than Mica's and were currently wrapped tightly around his shoulders. The arms of his bat-like wings had been laid over the tops of his shoulders where they then bent at their elbows to wrap around his collarbone. The tiny clawed fingers at the wings wrists were then clasped together over his chest, while the longer, thinner fingers that made up the structure of the wings themselves were curling back, over, and around his shoulders before trailing down his back. The length of his wings then draped down his back to his waist and made it appear as though he was wearing a short cape.
The three shinoccubi were all dressed identically in full black colored bodysuits that covered them from head to foot. Attached to these suits were pads of lightweight, tactical style plated armor that wrapped around their limbs and torsos, while half masks that were identical to Mica's covered the lower halves of their faces.
Dressed as they were, the only parts of their bodies left visible around their suits and masks, were the top halves of their heads, from their eyes upwards, the kiogah's wings, and their long, coiling tails.
Like Mica's, the three shinoccubi's hair were all colored a solid black, but would shine a different color whenever they moved through the light. The kiogah's hair was cut short and shined a dark blue that was identical to Mica's but the two kiochis hair shined a dark green color instead. One of the kiochi had her long hair in a multi-banded ponytail that was similar to Mica's while the other one had hair that was cut shorter and was left to hang freely.
Their guarded stances and the sheathed weapons that hung across their backs and at their hips made it clear that these shinoccubi did not intend to be peaceful.
Though they did carry themselves with a presence that belied their potential danger, this had little to no effect on the two dark elves, who were both far more intrigued by the sight of them than intimidated.
Interestingly, the long haired kiochi seemed to be carrying a teddy bear sized stuffed frog that was a bright green in color and had a broad cartoonish smile stitched across its face.
"Yes!" cried Mica as she pulled her tail back to herself and quickly scrambled to her feet "I knew it! I knew they'd come and get me!"
Anton shook his head softly as he slipped the dry cloth back into the pouch.
"You're so fucked now!" cried Mica as she balled her hands into fists "You might have kicked my ass but you'll never beat them! They're the real deal! Actual assassins!"
"I'm sorry, Mica." said Anton as he placed the whetstone and towelettes back in the pouch as well "But this is for the best..."
Taken aback, Mica stared at him for a second as she registered his somber tone.
"...You're a dead man." she declared quietly before turning and making to run towards her family.
Mica only made it a few paces before being forced to stop short as the wall of an orange light bubble suddenly appeared right in front of her. She went to cry out in anger but her voice died in her throat as a thin dart-like blade struck the bubble directly in front of her face. The tiny ping sound that the blade made was quickly followed by one after another as a rain of blades, all clearly aiming for her, struck the bubble and bounced off of it to land harmlessly on the ground in front of her.
Dumbstruck, Mica went completely still as she stared through the transparent bubble at her family. She blinked as a sharp hissing sound caught her attention and looking downwards, she immediately noticed thin streams of smoke rising from were a bubbling chemical that had been smeared on the dart-like blades was burning the ground itself. Making a small sound in the back of her throat, she took a tentative step away from the blades and looked back up at her family.
"...Wait?" she whispered as she fell forward and dropped to her knees "No, wait... No!"
"I'd say that was at least 12 pings..." mumbled Anton as he rose from his sitting position and set the pouch down on the log next to the dark elves "That will hopefully be all their poisoned darts. They usually only carry about 4 of them at a time."
The dark elves looked from him to Mica and then finally to the three shinoccubi.
"...What are you going to do now?" asked Kianna as she pointed her ears straight back and glared at Mica's family.
"I'm going to go over there and have a chat with my friends." said Anton as he turned to look at the waiting shinoccubi "...But first."
The two dark elves both stiffened in surprise as a faint warmth began to emanate directly from the bloodgems mounted to their collars.
"Wha... Whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Fiona as a surge of raw power began to slowly seep into her and fill her entire being "Hold on! What are you doing!?"
"I'm making sure that you two will have more than enough power to do whatever it is you feel you need to do..." explained Anton.
"...What we need to do?" questioned Kianna as her ears pointed themselves straight upwards "What do you mean!?"
"Well, I'd like you girls to stay over here, and keep an eye on our kiochi while I'm gone." said Anton as he tightened his eyes at the shinoccubi "And if anyone decides to be foolish enough to come over here and try to kill her while I'm busy. Then I'd like you girls to step in and stop them."
Wide eyed, the dark elves glanced at each other before turning to stare at the three figures in the distance.
"Remember. You have no reason to be afraid. You have the defensive advantage." said Anton "Your aura fields alone should be all you need to keep yourselves and Mica safe."
"...Right....Sure." nodded Fiona "But let's say, that if we, maybe wanted to try... Could we beat them?"
Pausing at her question, Anton tilted his head and glanced back at the two dark elves. Finding them both staring at the shinoccubi with calm, calculating looks on their faces, he couldn't help but to grin.
"They are assassins. For them the element of surprise is everything. In fact, I'm sure the only reason that they're hesitating right now is because at the moment, they don't have that advantage on us." explained Anton as he focused back on the shinoccubi.
The dark elves both nodded silently as they continued to listen.
"You've seen Mica in action, and you know how quickly she can move. They'll be just as fast, if not faster. And unlike Mica, they'll have training and experience on their side. They won't be as clumsy as she is, or as predictable. Do not take them lightly." continued Anton "Your auras are what will make all the difference for you. So do not hold back with them. The link you have to me will give you all the power you need. So you have no reason to worry about running out. Work together, force them to feel fear, and there will be nothing they can do to stop you."
The dark elves nodded again as faint smiles formed on their faces and their ears began to twitch in excitement.
