Season 3 Catpurr 8: Heating Tensions

  “Ehk! EhhhhhhhK,” Adam let out as he retreated to his throne room.

  “That bad huh?” Junith said smugly, the paladin lounging across the room on Adam's bed.

  “Disgusting, the lust radiating off that woman is absolutely vile,” Adam hissed, tugging at his collar to release the trapped sweat around his neck, “Somehow worse than last time.”

  Adam paused, realizing that the pair were alone with Junith holding a pensive look. “Is… there a reason you're in my bed?”

  “I…” Junith said, gritting her teeth before turning and trailing off. “I…”

  Suddenly the color drained from Adam's face. “Wait, no… please don't tell me you've fallen in love with me and this is your confess-”

  “What?” Junith's face twisted in disgust, “No!”

  “Oh thank me,” Adam exhaled, his shoulders dropping with relief contrary to Junith's reaction. “For a moment I thought my stunning looks might have bewitched your non-existent heart.”

  “Disgusting.”

  “Me? You wish you could,” Adam scoffed, pouring himself a drink from a nearby pitcher. “What do you want? Is there a reason you're wasting my time?”

  Junith furrowed her brow, her eyes glaring at Adam.

  “Well? Get at it?”

  “Do you even hear yourself?” Junith asked, her ears back, face twisted with disgust.

  “What?”

  “What what?”

  “What what what?*

  “Wha-no! Voltrain above you're so annoying!” Junith spat, “You! The way you're talking! You're so self conceited you don't even realize how egotistical you sound!”

  “Egotistical?! Me?! Your entire personality is wrapped around worshipping an uncaring god who abandoned you! And who, need I remind you, sent THOSE-” Isaac spun, pointing at Dominica and Liza peering from around the corner, “-Women to kill you!”

  Dominica moved to step in, but a barrier of violet energy was erected at the flick of Junith's wrist, binding the cat woman to the nearby wall.

  “Oh yeah? Tell me Adam, what exactly was your plan to “Help” the world as you called it?”

  “What?”

  “Your plan, what was it? When we fought, every word out of your mouth was about enlightening the world, about spreading your will over others. So what was it?”

  “Spreading my will? I have never been about slavery. I've only ever tried to enlighten the masses to the possibilities of undeath! The power and the possibilities of the soul!”

  “Said the man who binds a harem to his will.”

  “That's different. I never intended to-”

  “And yet here we are. When will you learn that your actions have consequences Adam? I've been by your side for the last five months, and what have you done in that time?” Junith yelled, getting off of Adam's bed and jabbing his chest with a finger, “Killed millions, destroyed an entire city, infected the population of another, and shackled not one, not two, not three, but FOUR women to you, and kidnapped the heir of a duchy!”

  “All of that was circumstantial, coincidences I never intended-”

  “And yet again, here. We. Are. Whether you intended to or not you are a plague! In this world and every world you touch!”

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  Adam scowled, his face twisting with an emotion Junith had rarely seen from him.

  Anger.

  “And your point is?” Adam growled, the hairs on Junith's skin standing on end as her eyes met the golden cat-like predatory gaze that looked back at her. “Everything that's happened has been out of my control. I didn't ask for this form, these powers, or the curse of having you follow me everywhere.”

  “But it is your fault Adam,” Junith yelled, the pair's voices getting louder and louder. “You. Your thirst for knowledge, your selfish desires of pushing what you think is right on others is my point. Why did you think we kept that tomb sealed? Why do you think we went to so much trouble to prevent you from finding the Eye of Eli?!”

  Adam scoffed, “Oh, so you knew this would happen did you?”

  “No, of course not. No one knew what the artifact did, only that it couldn't be destroyed or removed. But I! Knew the moment you touched it nothing but chaos would occur!”

  “Well, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black. You're making it seem as though I'm the bad guy when I've ALWAYS been the one to clean up the mess from your wars,” Adam hissed, “How many bodies were left on the field? How many men did you lot take from their homes for conscription in your petty religious wars? Did you ever think that the villages that surrounded your battlefields might be in danger from the monsters attracted by all the death? Did you ever wonder what happened to the villages left defenseless? I defended them! I saved people who were abandoned by your church. Did they fear me? Yes! Did they ostracize me? Yes. But it was a better alternative than all of them dying because of bullies ripping their lives apart.”

  “Tch,” Junith clicked her teeth and got up, “Damn it, why the hell did I even try to talk to you! I don't approve of…” She gestured at Adam, “This. And whatever you're becoming.”

  “I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed your approval!” Adam shouted as the ex-paladin dropped the barrier and shoved past Dominica and Liza.

  “What are you two looking at?” Adam hissed, “Begone.”

  The crest that bound the pair activated, causing both cat girls to wince before they complied and left.

  Adam scowled, flicking his wrist to summon Dungeon who appeared, the white furred woman bowing and opening a secret door of his room where her master promptly disappeared.

  ****

  “So… you guys really do have a deep history together huh?” Liza said, poking her head into Junith's room, the latter already busy striking a skeletal mannequin with a wooden sword.

  “Not now vermin,” Junith hissed, decapitating the skeleton that quickly began to race after its head.

  “Well, I've noticed it too.”

  “What?”

  “That he's changing,” Liza’s words caused Junith to stop. “The last few months we've been able to contain him when he transforms, but lately it seems the more time that goes on the stronger he gets, easily escaping his coffin. Not to mention the way he talks when he's in normal form has been changing.”

  “I'm well aware,” Junith muttered, striking the skeleton’s head that sent it scuttling after its bones again.

  “And I figure, you were trying to talk to him about it, am I right?” Liza asked, flopping down at Junith's feet. “You care about him.”

  Junith closed her eyes, expelling the air from her lungs before sheathing her weapon with a scowl and turning.

  “What I care about is the threat he represents. Nothing more, nothing less. You've seen the carnage left in his wake, you know what he's capable of.”

  Liza smiled,

  “Mhm, I do, but I also know he's not that bad of a person. A little creepy at times, maybe a bit too curious, but he's not a bad person.”

  “He's egotistical, selfish, maniacal, and is keeping dozens of people in the dungeon below locked up as tests subjects,” Junith replied as she rubbed her temples. “You clearly need your eyes checked.”

  “Well,” Liza smirked, “From what I've heard, your church is no stranger to keeping prisoners. Or performing tests.”

  Junith turned slowly, face scrunching, “What do you want?”

  “I'm just here to make small talk, can't we have a little girl talk? Aren't you the least bit curious about how I was chosen? Or what my relationship to Voltrain is?”

  Junith would be remiss to say she wasn't curious. But who was she to question the whim of her god? Who was she…

  Without him.

  It was clear she was forsaken, clear that she had earned the ire of her patron, clear to her that Voltrain…

  No. She couldn't admit it. Not aloud.

  “Tch. What do you want, vermin? State your business or begone!” Junith hissed, drawing a steel sword at the pink-haired cat girl who quickly retreated.

  “Whoa! Hey! I'm just saying,” Liza said before her body turned to smoke and vanished, only to appear behind Junith who glanced down at the dagger at her throat. “Don't think because I'm so easy going that I can't defend myself.”

  “So the rat finally reveals her true colors. Assassin.”

  Liza giggled, retreating and shoving Junith away with the latter swiping the air where the woman had once been.

  The pink-haired girl vanished, turning into smoke as Junith's blade swiped through her figure.

  “Your God isn't as godly and holy as he'd like his followers to believe. Otherwise why would he hire me? Soon, there will be a reckoning. And you'll have to pick a side. Just knowww,” Liza’s voice echoed around the chamber, “If you pick wrong, I'll come and get you.”

  Junith sheathed her blade, her brow furrowing. “And which side would be the wrong one?”

  “Whatever kills the fun,” Liza laughed before her voice trailed off, leaving Junith alone to stew in her thoughts.