Chapter 69 - Night 71

NNNNNGYUUUhh~ I'm awake. I don't remember falling asleep, but I'm certainly in the Treasure Room. The last thing that I remember was boning Misty. Oh well~ I had a good enough time with what I can still recall… I'd say that it was a success. Who knows? Maybe there will be some super unique baby Ifrit(/a) Jinn of the Halloween Clan in a few years. I feel horrible. Cat of kindness? I don't want to burst your bubble, mam… But you've got the wrong one. I don't know a great deal of things, but I believe that I may know this. Excuse me, but I slay more people than I save; regardless of how I treat the few that I actually save… Which is questionably kind. I may feed them, clothe them, take them in, swear to protect them, or even help them accomplish something that they may have otherwise struggled to do… But half the time? I just blatantly ignore them and fly on by as they call for me. I'm a busy, successful, and generous Cat... but a kind Cat? I don't know.

Then again, I became a Halloween Cat based on my previous life; correct? Apparently, that's how it is. I was capable of becoming a Halloween Cat due to having been a descendant to Hael or Satan… I was apparently destined to be of Hael, but like… I don't recall being overly nice in my past life, either. I don't know what I possibly did to deserve to be in the kindness category, above all else. Perhaps… I was just an overly average person who happened to be slightly leaning towards the kindness category, then I also had an overly fanatical knowledge on Halloween themed things, a love for organizing events, and leadership experience… So I was given the choice? Well, I'll be talking to the Allwessistant later… But she doesn't seem to be of too much help. She's got cold hard facts and statistics, but her knowledge doesn't appear to be whole. It's as though she learned what she knew from a textbook, or her own experience… But that textbook is like a constantly updated database, still with limited information. It's frightening. I'm almost certain that she is an android of some form… Actually, she said something about puppet type monsters. She may be a puppet. I believe Mr Scarecrow is also a puppet. Wendel may be a puppet, too. Wait! If Golems are puppets, and I can't procreate with them… Then will they ever procreate on their own?! I totally killed off half the Golem populace to give way for a Weeping Angel to appear because I assumed that Golems would have weird rock hard sex or something! What about Mr and Mrs Scarecrow?! Will they ever make passionate love after I set them free?! I'm starting to feel as though I may have just been the undoing to a couple of races.

Moving along~ I'm meow dressed. While I was mulling over those topics before, I was actually double checking my Gold Coins deposit… And filling my Candy buckets from the remainder of Candy. Turns out, I have 30 Gold Coins, and I made a new bucket last night. Go me~ I meow have 55 full buckets of Candy, and there's even a little bit left over in the Candy Man's bag. I decided to pour them into the first bag that he gave to me… Because I don't know if he wants the second one back. I also don't know if my next order will be delayed due to making two of them in such a short time period… So, I should probably hold off on any excessive Candy eating. I don't want to be caught unprepared by any armies. I should also check up on the Apple trees. I forgot to do it last night. Tales of rare tails got in the way…

Floating into the Dining Hall, I found that the feast had commenced. White Beef Lady, Penny, and Luna were singing in the background. Spirits were high, as literally dozens joined in the event. Yeah, apparently not all of the tournament had their chance at participating last night… As some of them decided to sleep early. It's still going on, but it's nearing completion. Third last round for one particularly promising Unicornkin boy, final round for a particular One Eyed Lizard who has absolutely no chance at winning but insists on finishing the match. Looking around, Jon is present and accountable… But looks like a mess. The Unicornkin boy needs to win two of his final three matches if he hopes to take the crown from one damned pretentious appearing Frogman named Frank… Which makes this quite the event, I suppose. It's rare for a final game to be a game changer, so everyone else seems quite invested. It would appear that the children have started to sit at their own table of the Dining Hall. It's the one to my left. If you were walking in from the Foyer, it would be on the right of our table. I sit on the far opposite side of the room from the Foyer. Cindy has claimed the master seat of the children's table. I honestly could not care less, but I'm quite certain that the adults watching over them toward the other end of the table are truly the ones in charge. The eldest Ravenkin child, who is basically an adult is there; alongside Rustle and Mary. Also, the Earl Tigerkin's grand daughter is sitting with them. I was being informed of the events taking place by a certain Cheetahkin woman after I had obtained my plate and taken my seat. Jeez. It would appear that the white eyed Cheetahkin woman is meow the strongest individual in this room. I say that, because she's sitting closest to me.

Apparently, the other top dogs are the Elderly Dragonkin woman, the Goatman, and Molag Dregora. So… I lead a freaking quarter of our four most powerful individuals currently seated… Also, the Elderly Dragonkin woman totally desires to leave this place. It's a shame. Cetilla's seat seems to have been taken. It's been replaced by the Cheetahkin. The individuals around me don't even really know Cetilla. Molag met her, briefly… But I can't blame them for thinking that the seat may have been opened. Actually, it would appear that all of those visiting the Orc Mountains no longer have seats of their own. I'm sure room will be made for them on their return… I can't help but wonder if Cetilla will even accept my plan. Leading Reygid, or at the very least… Being the face of whoever is leading Reygid behind the scenes… She might decline. Responsibility probably isn't one of Cetilla's strong suits. I should plan ahead, for the event that I need to have someone else leading the second troupe of my prestigious Cat Crew. That's right~ I'm going to take another peek at my illustrious list of the most prominent and successful Catkin, searching specifically for those who may be the perfect candidates to lead Reygid through these trying times. The Lions hath failed us all. It's time for the Cats to rule!

I was thinking such things as I finished my meal and ditched those seated in the Dining Hall. I'm going to the fields. The small fields north of the Goblin Village where I planted my Apple seeds. No one was at the fireplace, they were all likely still in the Dining Hall. The leaves were changing colors, and beginning to fall from their trees. It's that time of the year, I guess. It's somewhat cold outside. I'd better get this over with~ Ahh… Of the 20 seeds that I planted, a whopping 3 have started to grow. With how small they are, they might just not survive the winter. Did I choose the wrong time of year to plant them, or did I do something wrong in the planting process? Should I have tried to water them more? I totally neglected them after first planting them… I want to cry. If these three seeds were strong enough to grow on their own, then I'd probably do well to leave them be for meow. I believe in them. They shall survive the harsh winter! I'll probably mourn for twelve nights if they don't.

Setting out on my nightly routines, I went to the waterfall and cast a [Hallowed Gate]... The two Tier 1 Scarecrows appeared happily while giving a salute. I could die of cuteness overload right about meow. I love these guys. Cosmo and Wanda, you're amazing. Just thought you should know. My next stop was the new waterfall; the one in the Demon Kingdom. Mary didn't cook any of the new Fish this morning… She's probably just trying to use the oldest of Fish first. That's likely it. Conjuring the second gate, not only did the Tier 2 Scarecrows appear; but the Tier 3 Crow also appeared. It's Fred, Daphne, and Connor~ They'll make a great team, I'm sure. Stepping through the Hallowed Gate, freaking Mr and Mrs Scarecrow appeared before beginning to carry some extra Fish that seemed to have been forgotten last night. What the what?! ALL of you just managed to do your tasks before I even asked you?! What is this?! Since when?! I decided to interrogate the two Tier 5 Scarecrows immediately as to their reasoning for this blessing.

"Who sent you?!" [Nero] spat hysterically.

"..." [Mr and Mrs Scarecrow] both tilted their heads to the side in silence.

"Why did you appear before I even called on you?!" [Nero] explained, still shouting.

"...Most Halloween Cats that perish, die before they reach the age of 3. We respect you more as a True Allwe Halloween Cat because of your age." [Mr Scarecrow] explained while bowing.

"We follow Allwe." [Mrs Scarecrow] declared as she bowed.

"...Huh. Carry on~" [Nero] replied, before setting off toward the northern edge of the town.

There it is… The Hallowed Orb. Extending my arm out to it, the familiar menu appeared. I'm calling for my Allwessistant Dott. It's tea time. We have things to speak about, actually… Wendel, make sure that you're keeping an eye on those children. Just because the Scarecrows and Crows are treating my better, it doesn't mean that my Weeping Angel will. It's strange… I wonder if Crowli is on the Allwe side or the Hoen side… He has flame eyes, so he might just be one of us. White Beef Lady lacks flame eyes, but she's definitely a Fire element. She might just need an extra Evolve or something. When I finally reach Tier 10 and decide that this place is safe enough for me to Prestige, I think that I'm going to feed a lot of my leftover time to White Beef Lady… And Luna. They both seem like optimal Clansmen to be feeding my time to. Both of them are relatively of the lower Tiers, but they're highly capable. White Beef Lady needs more power, desperately to make proper use of her abilities. The fact that she's no stranger to the Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand, means that she's a high payout Clansmen for yours truly.

Luna is genuinely a support class on all angles... But she can also dress up. If she's to be my temporary replacement as I level up once more… Then she's going to need as much MP as possible to keep this thing of ours going. She can literally heal Halloween Clansmen. She's a peculiarity on that front. I have no one else like her. Luna and White Beef Lady are going to be the showboats of Halloween for a little while, Luna will be the main showboat… Genuinely taking over for me. White Beef Lady is special. She's seemingly alone in her race on this continent. Before having met me, she was already on the verge of infertility. I can't afford to have her be aging until I find her a suitable partner. There's one other Werewolf among us, and he's like a quarter of her age. It won't work out unless I keep White Beef Lady as an immortal. Therefore, she's an amazing candidate to be my personal bodyguard while most of the others are all acting without a leader… Following under Luna. Luna Pratz, the Unholy Priestess Vampire will be the face of Allwe for a little while. I will be using the Skeletons to watch over the Hallowed Gates, I'll be using the Phantasms and Banshees to act as Luna's direct line of defense… Or my emergency line of defense. They will be under Luna's orders for the most part, but nyah. She'll also have access to Andy, Mick, and Steve. By limiting my Clansmen down to just these 5 races… Vampires, Werewolves, Phantasms, Banshees, and Skeletons… I will be able to grant my other Clansmen the chance to Evolve without my help. I can't Evolve everyone, so this is the best way. I'll ask them to go off on a hunting party… In a Dungeon, or something… And request that they return in a month to serve me once more. I'll also stress the fact that I want as few deaths as possible to emerge from this transgression… And that I'll want them to protect each other. One month should be plenty of time for me to at least regain a modicum of my former strength… And for them all to have at least Evolved once or twice.

To prepare for my unofficial Clansmen Dungeon Raiding party, I should probably teach my Clansmen how best to make use of their abilities while in a Dungeon. It's going to be a tough, long, overdrawn out battle in which they will be fighting for survival. Not for experience. They need to survive down there, as long as possible if they hope to combat enough threats to truly Evolve multiple times. They might gain extremely unbalanced ability proficiency upgrades due to this, but it's worth the risk. The status increases that they will gain are what truly matter. Conrad, at all costs… Is to abstain from [Flock Storm]. Even without being my Clansman, that ability is no good for long term battle. Wendel will undoubtedly need to abstain from her [Pebble Storm] ability as well… Honestly speaking, the very first abilities that a monster acquires… Those abilities seem to be the least expensive ones to use. Nyah. I'll handle it when the time comes. The Allwessistant Dott seems to be crashing in now, anyways. Yep… New Blood stains across my Town pavement in 3, 2, 1~ Wonderful... It's coming in from two directions meow.

"What's up, loser?" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] begged the question as she began to adjust her hair.

"I was wondering if Puppet… Spirit… Or Undead types could procreate among each other?" [Nero] asked while ignoring the insult.

"...Not usually. It requires an ability only attainable through a relatively high Tier. The height of that Tier depends on the race, or their own proficiency related to it." [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] explained while nonchalantly checking her finger nails.

"Okay, so… Did you get around to asking Frieda about life after having her soul bound to Halloween?" [Nero] replied dejectedly while staring at the blood stains on the pavement.

"Yeah~ She had a whole lot to say on the matter, though." [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] exclaimed with a smile before sighing.

"I've got time." [Nero] shot back with a grin.

"Well, I warned you. This is the exact log of what she said…" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] shot back while returning an even more sadistic grin before continuing as a particular Witch of War began to tremble.

"...When I died in my mortal realm… I awoke here, back in this Town that I had previously spent time with you in, Sicursy-Fiforon… I was alone, aside from Ronald over there; who happened to be within Halloween at the time of my death. Ever since then, I've been absolutely alone. You, Ronald, Jonathan; my Hoen… And five of his Clansmen... You're the only ones who I have contact with. After I came to that realization, I checked my Clansmen list to find that the others all had grey names. I can't reach them any longer. I don't believe that I can talk to them anymore. Over the ages, some of them seem to have gained new names... But it still shows what I called them, and all of the names that they had ever gained after losing contact with me. Many, seemed to have perished; as their names went black. I can still see all of their current stats. A few of them just seem to be borderline god status at this point, but for the most part… They're all dead. The four guards who originally protected this place disappeared after I perished. I'm on my own now. I'm still able to use all of my original abilities, and my Wailing Keep actually decided to move on to the northern border of the Town; extending it… But it's not the same, without all of my friends to enjoy it with… We're never hungry in this realm, but we need sleep again… We sleep when the sky goes purple… But we don't age. My Hallowed Gates now connect to the middle of Town, not the Wailing Keep. The only means for continued Evolution after having your soul bound is to somehow manage finding and slaying another Halloween Cat in the distance. I've managed to do it twice against five of the other Cats that I found… It's been centuries, and I've found five Cats. Two of them were ridiculously strong, but one of them still had guards protecting it… So I've been waiting for it to die, but it just doesn't seem to want to. I'll likely never be able to kill them even after they perish, due to how long they lived. I've had a gate open near their place for the last 50 years as I continued on my hunt for more Towns, but it all just feels like a wasted effort… And more of a way to kill time than a way to actually Evolve. The two that were ridiculously strong seemed heavily interested in rescinding the attack, so I had to close my gate and lost all knowledge on their location. It sucked. When I killed another Halloween Cat, their Clansmen nearby as well as their entire Town vanished into nothingness. It was weird, but I Evolved from the ordeal... Hey, if you're listening to me right now… Nero, if you Prestige, make damned sure that you have all the friends you'll want for the rest of your whole life with you, in Halloween. You probably won't get another chance this time." [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] cited Frieda with a monotone expression, before returning to her usual attitude with a smile.

"Uh-Uhmm… Can you send her a message for me?" [Nero] stammered with eyes wide.

"Obviously~" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] shot back with a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

"Frieda… If I Prestige, I would like to humbly invite you to my Halloween Town. We can keep calling the Allwessistant Dott repeatedly, having her lead the way between our two Towns, because we share the same Dott. Then, we can conjure gates leading directly between our two Towns. We can have an endless sleepover~ Rather than fight each other, let's just be friends or something. I'll do my best to ensure that there will be Halloween Clansmen of all kinds... Roaming our streets and performing or socializing for all of eternity! As we roam Halloween, let's search for more friends to share in our fun." [Nero] declared with a smile as he puffed out his chest.

"...Is that all?" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] asked with a tired look.

"Yeah, the message is over." [Nero] answered the Dott with a sigh.

"Do you have any more questions, or can I go?" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] restated the question with a groan.

"Uhm… Yes. Every single time that you interact with another Halloween Cat aside from Frieda or myself… Please, send them this message." [Nero] shot back with a smile before continuing.

"Greetings, my name is Nero. I'm another Allwe Halloween Cat that shares the same Allwessistant Dott as you~ I have not perished yet, but when I do… I would like to humbly invite you to my Halloween Town, and ask if you would like to become my pen pal. After we both perish, we can have our Hallowed Gates connect our Towns. We can bring our Clansmen together to form an Alliance to protect all of us from any rogue Halloween Cats that may seek to slay us. As long as we can all create more than two Gates, we can theoretically gain an indefinite number of allies. All of our gates can connect to more than one other Town, making a rather confusing network of portals that us and our Clansmen can use to protect each other. I've made the conscious decision to call upon this Allwessistant Dott every few nights at the very least, so feel more than welcome to send her off with a message back to me." [Nero] declared with a grin.

"...Is that all?" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] asked with a tired look once more.

"Yeah, the message is over and I have absolutely nothing left to say to you. Have a good night~" [Nero] explained with a smile as he waved off the Dott.

"Keh~" [Allwessistant Dott 333 Dash 541 Series B006] sighed before she hopped over the fence and began to sprint off madly to the north.

I can literally see dust clouds from her running… Well, this is a nice plan. If I'm supposed to change just about anything in Halloween after my soul is bound to this realm, I'll need allies. I'll need to lead or partake in a crusade against whoever is currently running this place. The Allwe Halloween Cats will rise against this foul scheme for immense energy intake, I'll have you know. I still intend to give Halloween a future in the realm of the living which I am connected to… But I'll just need to stop merging souls, is all. If I stop merging souls and move totally into the whole Dungeon Raiding thing… Then I might be able to allow the Halloween races to recuperate enough, even with me taking an elite squad into the underworld. I'll need the best of the best to make this thing work. The way I see it, individuals like Frieda who ended up with very few Clansmen within Halloween by the time their souls were bound… Will essentially just become Candy machines in this war. They're high risk candidates, as if they were to perish… It would be game over for their entire Halloween Town. We can't have that. If the Cats like Frieda have [Daily Candy], then they'll actually be useful. Otherwise, they could only be necessary for the Clansmen that they bring or the gates that they conjure. It's going to be a troublesome war, I can already tell that it will give me several headaches when I'm actually supposed to wage it… Not to mention the amount of time it will take. We're effectively going to need to scour all of Halloween in hopes of stumbling across some kind of headquarters. Think about it... Someone is conjuring the Allwessistant Dotts and those guards surrounding my Town. I'm willing to bet that whoever is doing it, is someone within Halloween. I'm also willing to bet that they will have the most beautiful of all the Halloween Towns. I have a nose for these things.

I was thinking such things as I left Halloween and made my way to the fireplace. On arrival, I was met with a group of individuals. It's the new night crew~ Goddin Village Neith Sama, Cyclozard, White Beef Lady, Wilson, Lora, Boris, Christina, Penny, the Elderly Tigerkin man, his grand daughter, the Cheetahkin woman, the Ravenkin guy, and the unknown race Woman. Wendel was slightly off in the distance, singing as she watched a few of the children running around. Taking a seat at the fireplace, many seemed astonished. Yes, yes… I sometimes join in on the fun~ What's the topic of conversation for tonight, Christina? Apparently, we're getting to know each other… And I arrived just on time to hear about some of the new residents. The Elderly Tigerkin who was formerly an Earl is named Trignam Firemane, and his grand daughter is named Rosa Firemane. They got the name from their family's nack for Fire magic. Fun. They could totally ditch the Valentine Clan and go spook if they wanted to. The Cheetahkin woman is apparently from a tribe on Lorimaki Island, and fights for the safety of all. She's a Martial Artist. She was detained by the Monarch due to excessive freedom fighting. Lorimaki Island is sounding like quite the nice vacation spot.

The Ravenkin guy with two younger siblings said that his parents were executed for a crime a few years ago, and that he was left to raise them ever since… But he needed to resort to crime in order to do so, one thing led to another; they were captured… And to be executed until my lesser Clansmen so bravely rescued them. He's a Flyer, alongside both of his siblings. They all have the same Class… Which is apparently only known for being good at flying. Huh. The unknown race Woman who wanted to help work for the Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand is actually... A Humon. It took quite the hassle to get her to confess to that, might I add. She's half Human, half Demon. Well, that's just fantastic. Our first Demon. Welcome aboard. She's a Gambit. She wields a freaking Pole.

I was asking the others if they had any information on the current day crew… But their information was incredibly limited. I decided that I would be better off to handle ascertaining those details the next morning, before I go to visit with the Candy Man. Nyah. In order to do so with a proper disposition, I also figured that it would be best if I had an early night's rest. So, I only ended up sitting down with the others for a few hours before going to sleep. While we sat there and enjoyed the fire, we talked about all numbers of things… Like how freaking epic the Lorimaki Island was… The Humon's life before encountering us... And even about Christina and Penny's brave, perilous adventures before being captured within the Lizardmen Pyramid.

Lorimaki Island is filled with Jungles, and Mountains. The soil is rich, and a plethora of different fruits grow from the trees there. There's a Tower called Sanctum on Lorimaki Island, where most of the residents live. The way she describes it, it sounds more like a hotel skyscraper than anything else. The residents all pay for their home, but there are multiple means of procuring Coins on the Island. Surrounding the Tower, is a marketplace. One can simply find a job in the marketplace, or they may venture out into the Island to gather fruit to sell to shops in the marketplace. There's a free trade agreement, so gatherers can even sell their products themselves if they so desire. In addition, there's a Dungeon in one of the Mountains on the Island. Many Adventurers go out to challenge that Dungeon, bringing back valuable resources from the Dungeon monster's corpses… Which end up being sold to Crafters with stores in the marketplace. It genuinely sounds like a great place to be.

The Humon was originally born in the Demon Kingdom, of a Demon mother who happened to visit a Brothel hosting exotic species… Humans. Her mother screwed a Human, and ended up needing to conceal the fact of her daughter being a Humon for her entire upbringing… Which actually somehow worked. When the Humon came of age, she began working in a Furniture Store within the Demon Kingdom... She found her love for Coin through this experience. According to her, profit is just about the only thing that's ever on her mind, these nights. She fared well with the Furniture Store up until the moment that she was found to be a mere halfblood… She ended up being detained by some of the Kingdom Fighters, imprisoned… And later exiled from the entire Demon Kingdom. Harsh. Leaving the Demon Kingdom, she set out in search of a new home… Due to having horns, she decided that she might be able to pass off as a Beastkin, so she went to Reygid. It was fine, for a little while… But she was captured and expected to be sold off as a Slave or executed. She's desperately seeking a new means of attaining Coin now that she's free.

Christina and Penny first encountered one another in the Lizardmen Tribes. Christina was but a mere Crocodile at the time… But the two of them got along fine… Penny was more or less just relentless in her quest for attaining a friend outside of the Pixie race that she was choosing to leave behind… The Crocodile could not reach when attempting to devour the Pixie. The Crocodile eventually grew tired, and submit to the Pixie's presence. The Crocodile was just minding its own business, lurking around in the Swamp mud while devouring nearby Eel… As the Pixie would fly nearby, barraging the Crocodile with idle chatter. When dangerous monsters would come to attack the Pixie, she would use [Pixie Powder] on them… Absolutely enraging and wounding them, before she would lure them back into the Crocodile's current puddle… Where they would be unsuspectingly attacked. Both of the two gained experience from the strategy… And it worked out fine for them. Eventually, they actually started to use my previous theory; where the Pixie would sit atop the submerged Corocdae and use her songs of madness on those who attempted to delve into the puddle in attempts at chasing her. As the years went on, they became notorious around their Swamplands. They were known by all as the "Sinister Songmakers of Surprise". They were a Rank SSS duo, those two. It got to the point where almost all of the nearby monsters were leaning towards abandoning the Kingdom or trampling the Lizardmen Pyramid… So, the Lizardmen rallied an army and marched to capture or slay the two. They wanted to capture them, so that their haki would convince the nearby monsters to never attack the Pyramid. They managed to capture and detain the Corocdae… But they absolutely could not deal with the Pixie. The Pixie continued to sing its horrific songs long after they captured the Corocdae and began to drag her back to the Pyramid. Many Lizardmen grew mad from the ordeal, but they still managed to get the Corocdae detained. At that point, the Pixie dejectedly gave herself up; and joined the Corocdae in the cage… But was able to easily come and go as she pleased. She did so, ensuring that the Corocdae had plenty of Eel to eat; and also continued to drive the Lizardmen inhabiting the Pyramid mad every second night. Just for fun. She later became known as the Pyramid Plaguing Pixie. Christina vouched for the entire story with a groan.

Feeling content with the amount of knowledge that I squeezed out of them all, I left on my way to the Treasure Room. Con. Wake me when dawn arrives! I'm going to sleep~ I have some MP, so I might as well… Entering the Throne Room, I created new pieces while aiming for level 50. I attained 16 pieces from endeavor. Entering the Treasure Room, I got undressed before returning to my smallest form... And hopped on into bed~