Side Story: Sins of the Past V: ??? (Strange Meow)

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'Magic...blood casting...?' I thought as I silently watched the humanoid evo before complete his strange and eccentric ritual.

I paused as the words that filled my thoughts played again in my mind. Magic...blood casting. Two words that I should mean nothing to me but didn't. I knew them, their meaning, their importance. The very essence of each word seeming to leak out of my very genes.

I knew magic because I could preform Magix. That much became clear when those men attacked. I looked away from the Djinn Signifier and back at my tails, which had already healed from getting blown off from that assassin's spell, regrlwn as of no damage had ever taken place.

Spell, yet another word that should be meaningless to me. I knew of it in relation to the splicers that attacked us. They could cast spells. The evo named Jiggles casted a spell earlier, though the knowledge I possessed told me that should have been impossible. A evo of any kind should not be able to cast spells, or at least that's what my genes told me.

I felt a shiver start from the tips of one of my tentacle tails and run up my spine. I quickly looked back and saw the Djinn Signifier finishing his ritual.

The blood sigil that sat in front of him glowed with a bright orange light and levitated off Grimm-Guard's back before returning turning into solid crystal and shattering into a fine dust. The Djinn Signifier quickly inhaled the dust and seemed to glow with the same orange light as the blood sigil did.

"Spells…spell sigils…Lazure's homing bolt…offensive spell…" He muttered almost absent-mindedly as he looked down at his hands.

"What fuck? That evo can do voodoo shit!" Yafier; the reason I was now here in the middle of the desert on the back of a flying evo instead of being back in my cage; exclaimed.

The Djinn Signifier paused and looked up at the woman, blinking several times before looking back down at his hands. The evo I have come to know as Empress stepped in front of the Djinn Signifier and splayed her razor sharp wing in a threatening stance.

"I know not what you did unnamed one, but you have once chance to show that you are not a threat to Lord Sin or I will eliminate you." Empress warned the Djinn Signifier.

A slight moment put lf the corner of my eye caught my attention and I turned my head slightly to see the evo known as Jiggles standing in a defensive posture with his eyes locked on the Djinn Signifier. Not wanting to get caught in the middle of this I crouched low and kept my tails still.

I looked towards Grimm-Guard's head and saw Sin watching the Djinn Signifier very closely as well. His sudden ritual had spooked the lot of them.

The Djinn Signifier frowned and looked around himself. Considering how high up in the air we were and on the back lf a evo that could drop us at any moment he didn't have many options. He did the smart thing and held his hands up and bowed his head in submission.

Empress seemed satisfied with that display and turned her head to look at Sin, not fully taking her eyes off the Djjnn Signifier.

"Lord Sin what do you want to do?" She asked. Sin frowned and looked out into the vastness of the desert then sighed.

"He did nothing wrong so he continues on with us. We can't continue to waste time." Sin said sternly then turned to Yafier. "How long until we reach the stronghold?"

"We're close...the stronghold also moves around when the spell that protects it is active so unless we get a move on it could possibly end up on another continent when the spell deactivates." Yafier explained.

"You didn't say anything about the fucking thing moving Yafier!" Sin snapped. Yafier rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms.

"That part is moot if we get in and out before the spell activates again." She replied and then turned and pointed off into the distance. "That way...it'd between us and that mountain range in the distance."

"THAT'S HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY YAFIER!" Sin bellowed.

All of us evos flinched slightly at the harshness and volume of his voice. Even Grimm-Guard, which wasn't ideal since he nearly made Jiggles fall off his back. Though given how Jiggles and Grimm-Guard have acted since I seen them together, Grimm-Guard probably wouldn't have cared or even felt bad of he had fallen.

"Yafier, could you please be more specific...while my current injuries aren't enough to fully cripple me they are making it harder to fly." Grimm-Guard said.

"Shit!" Sin exclaimed then looked to Yafier. She looks off to where she pointed earlier and her eyes widened.

She pointed to a stone crevice that peaked out beyond the sand dunes and jumped excitedly.

"Over there! There's a cave that leads to the cavern the stronghold is currently in." She exclaimed.

"Grimm-Guard head there!" Sin exclaimed.

"Understood!" Grimm-Guard replied and started to descend.

While this entire exchange went on Empress and Jiggles did not take their eyes off the Djinn Signifier. Probably because they sensed the same thing I did. Slowly but surely there seemed to be a unnerving energy that he gave off. Similar to when he was channeling mana and lightning was sparking from it.

The look on the Signifier's face was one of concentration. It was focusing on something that required a lot of concentration. I found it odd that despite the fact that both Jiggles and Empress were watching it neither of them seemed to notice this.

A strange scent suddenly filled the air as Grimm-Guard descended to the spot that Yafier and Sin indicated. I hadn't smelled the scent before but I knew what it was instinctively: death and rot.

All of the evos around me noticed it at the same time, even the Signifier who had been so focused up until that point. The smell snapping it out of its concentration.

Grimm-Guard leveled out a few feet about the stone crevice that jutted out of the desert sands and then flew in a circle above it. While the Yafier woman said that there would be a cave near the crevice I saw no evidence of any cave.

Empress flew down from off of Grimm-Guard's back and checked out the area. After a few quick passes she then landed on the edge of the crevice and strutted up and down its length. It didn't look that big in comparison to Grimm-Guard, especially standing on his back and several feet up in the air. But with Empress right next to it I realized that it was much larger than I originally thought.

After a few moments checking out the crevice she flew back up to the group and landed by Grimm-Guard's head to report to Sin and Yafier. Wanting to know more I crept closer, mindful of the warning glare that I received from Jiggles.

"The crevice is very deep Lord Sin. I cannot see the bottom however it is much too narrow for me to try and fly down. My wings are much too large." Empress reported. Sin nodded and then looked to Yafier.

"The entrance to the cave is at the bottom of the crevice. There is an enchantment spell cast on it to make it look smaller than it actually is." Yafier replied.

"So the spell is why it smells like death?" Sin asked. Yafier looked away to the side for a brief second before responding.

"No...it's not..."

"Then why..." Sin started only for his eyes to widen slightly for a brief second. "...nevermind...Grimm-Guard go ahead and land. We'll figure out what to do next on the ground."

"Understood." Grimm-Guard replied and quickly found a patch of sand about twenty feet away from the crevice to land on.

Sin quickly jumped off Grimm-Guard and hurried around to Grimm-Guard's side. I walked over to the edge of Grimm-Guard's back to see what he was doing and saw him walking over to one of Grimm-Guard's wounds and looking it over. He had to climb under one of Grimm-Guard's legs to get to it but after a few second he popped back out from under her and rushed back up to Grimm-Guard's head.

"Grimm-Guard! Why didn't you tell me you were that badly injured?!" Sin demanded, his voice a mixture of anger and worry.

Grimm-Guard, along with all of us evos flinched at his tone. He looked away from Sin, looking embarrassed.

"We're here to rescue your child. My injuries are the last thing you should be worrying about." Grimm-Guard replied after a moment.

"Exactly! Our son should come first, not some evo!" Yafier exclaimed in agreement. Sin scowled and turned to face the woman.

"He's not some evo! He's my Boss's evo and I would rather cut my manhood off with a rusty butter knife, grill it up with some onions and peppers, and eat it than tell my boss that I got his evo injured and then didn't heal it!" Sin exclaimed, pointing a finger at Grimm-Guard and then reaching into his pocket and pulling out a object. Meanwhile Yafier studied Sin's face.

"You're seriously terrified of your boss?" Yafier asked.

"Not scared...respectfully cautious. Chase is only a kid but...he's so fucking strong. In a one-on-one fight I'd lose instantly and add his evos to the mix and it's less of a fight and more of a massacre." Sin said softly.

"That's because my lord is the strongest splicer!" Empress exclaimed, proudly puffkng her chest out.

"Star Shaper is the best! HE'S CHUNKY!" Jiggles bellowed and pounded his chest with his fist.

"Star Boss is greatest! His mercy knows no bounds!" Grimm-Guard chittered proudly as well. Sin pointed to the three evos and looked at Yafier.

"Those three aren't even his strongest evos and yet they can talk and are stronger than ascended evos. Do you think it's a smart idea to get on a splicer like that's bad side?"

I watched with great intest as he palmed the object he pulled out of his pocket; which turned out to be a ring thar he slipped on his finger. He started channeling mana and then started casting a utility spell sigil.

I paused as I realized Understood what he was doing and even how he was doing it. The ring was a enchanted item, a conduit to help splicers cast spells. Another thing I shouldn't know or understand and yet I did.

Once he finished casting the spell a orb of green energy formed in his hand and he walked over and touched the orb to Grimm-Guard. The green light illuminated his entire body for several seconds and then faded. Limbs, carapace, and soft flesh grew back almost instantly in that span of time.

Grimm-Guard let out a relieved chitter and his whole body shook as if stretching or perhaps scratching an itch.

"Thank you Sin." Grimm-Guard said greatfully.

"You're welcome..." Sin said then then turned to look towards the crevice. "...now for the main problem: getting down into the cavern."

"We can have a smaller flying evo carry us down into the cavern." Yafier said.

"But what of there is an ambush awaiting us at the bottom?" Empress asked. Yafier looked up at her and frowned.

"An ambush?" Yafier repeated. Empress nodded and glided down from Grimm-Guard's head, landing beside Sin.

"We were not able to successfully eliminate the enemies that attacked us in a timely fashion. There was plenty of time for one of them to send a warning to the main stronghold about our presence." Empress further explained. Yafier started to say something then frowned.

"Shit! You're right! There was more than enough time and they have the knowledge to cast axiom spells that transmit thoughts and messages." Yafier said.

"We'll need to send a scout ahead then...to make sure it's safe." Sin said softly. Yafier frowned and looked at all of us evos.

"Are any of them designed for stealth?" She asked.

"I am..." I said. The words left my mouth before I even had a chance to realize what I had said.

It was the truth however. My creator did design me for stealth. I knew this in my very genes. It was why I had thicker pads on the bottom of my feet, to both quiet my footsteps and also to add more surface area so the tiny suction cups on my feet had more space to grip. It was why my skin was so special.

"You were?" Sin asked, looking up at me on top of Grimm-Guard's head.

I jumped off off and landed on the other side of Sin, Yafier, and Empress, my landing nearly totally silent as the sand and my foot pads muffled most of the sound. My skin then stretched and smoothed out, losing the fur like texture that I had been maintaining this entire time. My skin went from black to a mixture of dark yellows, orange, and browns as it to changed to match the color of the sand around me and small textured bumps formed all over my body. Before their very eyes I vanished, disappeared into the background.

Everyone gasped and Sin reached over to where I was, his hand touching one of my ears before quickly jerking it away.

"Effective..." Sin said.

I allowed my skin to return to the default appearance of black fur and looked at Sin expectantly.

"...looks like we have our scout." Sin said then paused and looked away.

"Something wrong Sin?" Yafier asked.

"My boss normally names evos with weird and unusual names. Feels wrong to send a evo ge created on a mission without a name...let's see..." Sin said and scratched his chin as he looked at me. "...you're a strange meow...what's another word for strange? Kooky? Weirdo? Oddball? Wait! Bizarro!"

Hearing that name I felt something stir inside me. Like a primal instinct suddenly taking over. I felt a powerful pull from Sin, my own mind reaching out to find his. The next words that came put of my mouth were not my own but rather words that seemed to be embedded in my genes, like an order bestowed on me I had to say them.

"Bizarro...thank you, Primarch Sin. I will see your will is done..."