Stupid Sexy Cryptids [73, 74]

73: Suspect

As they moved toward the exit, the Datamancer, Emperor and Marshal followed.

Sillicia frowned at them.

“The cat has to stay close enough for my hooks to be in her head," Shady clarified. "The experiment I'm running requires me to stay mentally tethered to her. Otherwise the whole thing collapses and I'll have to start over."

Sillicia's hooks caught the edge of something there—not quite a lie, but perhaps an incomplete truth. The Princess's mind was  opaque in some areas, like trying to read text through frosted glass.

The Wendigo Commander glanced at the Emperor of Earth.

"Shady trusts me with everything," the masked human said simply. "I base my Earth-administrative decisions on things we learn together.”

The casual intimacy of the statement made Sillicia's chest tighten. She'd commanded hundreds of kobolds, but none of them would have said such a thing, especially not the male prads. They obeyed. They served. They feared.

Sillicia felt no fear emanating from the Emperor at all. It was very odd.

“It was me who granted your Division that lovely vampire compound,” the Emperor added. “You're welcome.”

“I… appreciate it,” Sillicia let out. “Thank you.”

They walked in silence toward the alley where Corpse Seeker Kappa waited, its crystalline edges reflecting the city lights in prismatic patterns.

Sillicia's hooks kept brushing against Aquillianne's consciousness, trying to understand the strange resonance between the Princess and her serval. It was like watching sound waves bounce between two surfaces, amplifying with each pass. The Princess's hooks held Nexxali's mind in their embrace pushing seemingly random stuff in, then organized, structured thoughts flowed back—clearer, more coherent.

Odd. Very odd.

The Seeker's entrance unfolded as they approached, crystalline stairs extending like a tongue. They climbed inside, and the wall sealed behind them.

"Privacy please, Kawthy," Shady said.

"Yes, of course. I'll be in the back chamber if you need me." She hopped away.

The interior shifted, the organic-crystalline walls flowing to create a more intimate space. Shady settled onto one of the couches, Nexxali immediately curling against her side. Shady drew the small human into her embrace with her tail.

Sillicia remained standing, suddenly uncertain. Her hooks extended further, reading the room's emotional landscape.

Aquillianne: Curious. Concerned. But underneath—a deep well of genuine affection directed at both the serval and the human. Not the possessive ownership of a master toward property. Something... softer. Definitely not how fleet Commanders felt about their prads.

Nexxali: Contentment. Security. And when her thoughts touched Shady—devotion so absolute it made Sillicia's fractal engine heart ache.

The Emperor: The same image of a throne, the golden mask seemingly amused, staring down at the alien’s attempt to read him.

"Sup?" Shady asked, tilting her head. "What's on your mind, Sillia?"

Sillicia's claws clenched. 

Just ask. Just get it over with. Maybe start with something lighter-ish.

"You have the Emperor. You have Nexxali as your... your Prima-Knight. You have Kawathra providing data support." Sillicia's words tumbled over each other. "My Marshal. My Datamancer. Somehow they're completely yours now."

"Does that bother you?" Shady asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know." Sillicia said. "I… Division 881 is mine to manage. And now they're… part of your household like they were never mine at all."

"They can be part of both," Shady pointed out. "Officially, they're still assigned to Division 881. Nothing's changed on the data charts."

"No. Everything's changed," Sillicia said flatly. "They look at you and the Emperor like... like you're the center of their world. Nexxali especially. I've never seen her that devoted to anything. And Kawathra is analyzing you two like you're the most fascinating puzzle in the universe."

Nexxali smiled, burrowing her face into the Princess’ embrace.

Sillicia laughed bitterly. "I worked with them for years! Conquered planets together. Bonded. Or so I thought… Because in a few days, you've made them more loyal to you than they ever were to me."

"Is that what you want?" Shady asked quietly. "Loyalty like that?"

"I—" Sillicia stopped. "I don't know. Maybe. I just... I've spent my entire life building something. Climbing ranks. Proving myself. Commanding a Division. And tonight I'm watching my own people bond with someone else and I realize I've never had what you have with them and never will because they're now irrevocably yours!"

“They chose this. Just like they once chose to serve you."

Sillicia's hooks caught something in that—a flicker of genuine sadness in the Princess's mind. Not pity, but... understanding. Recognition of a shared loneliness.

"They never chose to serve me," Sillicia said. "They were assigned. Their worlds were dying and this was their escape. They hate it. They hate me, fear me, tolerate me. I’m not stupid. I was taught to feed on that hate and fear from birth.” 

Sillicia's hooks pressed deeper into the emotional currents of the room, tasting the bonds between the trio on the couch. It wasn't the bitter iron of blood contracts or the acrid fear of commanded obedience. 

Voluntary affection that flowed in all directions, strengthening with each pass. An unbreakable triangle of love. She could almost see it, feel it, taste it. It pulsated sideways into the Abyss, spiralling into itself, echoing, magnifying itself.

She’s never felt anything like it.

"How?" Sillicia asked. "How did you make them want this? Did you create this… triangle bond between you? Is this some kind of a spell, an artifact effect?”

"I didn't make them do anything," Shady said. "I just... offered them something different. A place where they could be more than their jobs. Home.”

"You know what I realized tonight?" Sillicia said. "Those humans at the pizza place. They had something I've never had. They genuinely liked being together. Not because they had to. Not because contracts bound them. Just... because."

"Yeah," the Emperor said. "That's kind of the point of friendship. Do you want to be our friend?”

The Frontenachii Commander swallowed.

"There's something else," Sillicia said, needing to change the subject before she drowned in her feelings and said something stupid. "Something I need to ask you about."

Shady tilted her head, waiting.

Sillicia took a breath. This was dangerous territory, but she had to know. Her hooks remained extended, ready to catch any deception.

"Did you destroy the Corpse-God Citadel?"

“...”

Pure surprise from the Princess. Nothing from the Emperor. Likewise, a taste of shock from the serval.

"What?" Shady asked. "What are you talking about?"

Sillicia's hooks pressed harder, finding only honest bewilderment. The Princess genuinely had no idea what she was referring to.

"The fleet production facility," Sillicia clarified. "On the Corpse-God Citadel. It's been badly damaged. Multiple sections completely destroyed. Control wards keys and Wormwood Star shards stolen. The Admiral..." she paused, then continued, "Admiral Evelithria suspects it was you. That’s why we chased your trail to this Earth, why the entire Third Fleet had to dedicate all of its resources to find you, Princess.”

Shady's confusion deepened, rippling through her connection with Nexxali. The serval sat up straighter, ears rotating forward.

"The Citadel was attacked?" Shady asked. "When? How badly?"

Her shock felt genuine. Sillicia's hooks found no deception, no hidden knowledge. Just surprise and, underneath, a thread of worry.

"Five days ago," Sillicia said. "The damage is... extensive. Several Master Builders died. Many dimensional bubbles popped and tons of fleet-building infrastructure were destroyed.”

“That sounds inconvenient, surely it’ll be rebuilt,” Shady shrugged.

"It set us far back and that damned Lissander Fox exposed everything to Omnithornia,” Sillicia sighed. “The other Omnicorps are circling us like vultures, threatening sanctions, investigation, war… The Admiral is convinced it was you. She says only someone with your specific magical signature could have bypassed the Citadel's defenses. Only a direct descendant of the Empress herself."

“My mind is open to you,” Shady shrugged. “Do you sense deception? I don’t recall destroying anything or murdering anyone. Maybe Lissander was the one who did it. He’s a sneaky fox. The fear wards in North Acadia on homeworld were marketed as impossible to breach.”

"Lissander Fox is clever," Sillicia admitted, "but he's human. No magic. And he has an alibi this time. He hasn't left Skyfall."

"Unless he had other help," the Emperor suggested, his modulated voice thoughtful. "Someone else with the right bloodline."

Sillicia's hooks instinctively reached for his mind again, finding that same impenetrable fortress. The golden throne. The mocking presence that deflected all attempts at deeper reading.

"There aren't many Frontenachii with that level of access," Sillicia stated. "The Empress herself. Her direct descendants. The Legates..."

“It could simply be the act of a madwoman,” the Emperor suggested. “Someone who lost her mind by living for far too long deep inside the Citadel. Maybe it was… Lady Zexxia. Did your Empress check on her lately? How many other Highborn Wendigos are hiding deep within the Corpse-God’s innards doing whack experiments, slowly losing their minds to entropy in time bubbles?”

Shady radiated fear and pain at the mention of her Aunt.

“Far too many,” Sillicia let out. 

“There you go then,” the human stated. “Go interrogate them first. My Princess is too busy managing mankind to bother annoying her relatives.”

Sillicia considered the Emperor's words. The masked human had a point—there were indeed numerous Elder Wendigos sequestered in the depths of the Corpse-God Citadel, many of whom had been conducting experiments for centuries. The isolation and constant exposure to the Citadel's warped Aetheric fields had driven more than a few to madness.

"You raise a valid point," Sillicia admitted. "From what I know, the investigation has been... limited in scope."

The Emperor pressed on, leaning forward. "Let me guess—they're only looking at external threats. No one wants to suggest that one of the sacred Elders might have gone rogue."

Sillicia's silence was answer enough.

"Classic institutional blindness," the Emperor continued. "When something goes wrong, it's always easier to blame an outsider than examine internal rot. Your Admiral needs a scapegoat, and a runaway Princess makes a convenient target. Much simpler than admitting that the Citadel's security might be compromised from within by a bunch of Elders who lost their minds due to messing around with time."

"You speak as if you understand our politics," Sillicia observed.

"I understand patterns," the Emperor replied. "Every empire follows similar trajectories. My princess watched Earth’s greatest magic and mundane nations rise and fall over millennia. She understands it too.”

Sillicia sighed.

Furthermore," the Emperor continued, his deep, modulated voice taking on a lecturer's cadence, "attacking the Citadel would be strategically nonsensical for someone in the Princess's position. She's building something here—a new model of governance, a different way of managing a world. Why would she jeopardize that by provoking the Empress? It would be like... burning down your own house to spite a neighbor."

Nexxali nodded in agreement. "The Emperor makes excellent points. Our Princess has been focused on building actual loyalty rather than forced obedience. Why would she waste time with some petty revenge?"

“Indeed,” Shady nodded regally, projecting the air of a planetary owner. “I'm too busy building something better here."

"Building what, exactly?" Sillicia pressed. "This grand experiment of yours—managing humans without harvesting them—what's the endgame?"

The Emperor and Princess exchanged a glance that Sillicia couldn't read through her hooks.

"The endgame," the Emperor said slowly, "is proving that cooperation yields better results than domination. That willing partners are more valuable than enslaved resources. That forced fear-harvesting is a poor foundation for an empire."

"Pretty words," Sillicia said. "But the fleet won't accept them. They want resources. They want power. They want—"

"They want what they've always gotten," Shady finished. "But what if we could offer them something better? What if Earth could provide things no other world can?"

"Such as?"

"Innovation," the Emperor said. "Entertainment. Art. Culture. Ideas. Humans are remarkably creative when they're not being tortured. Emotional sustenance. The Fear Factory was just the start of our tour, a sample of many delights humanity can offer you.”

“Just the start?” Sillicia raised an eyebrow. “So there’s more?”

“There’s much more,” he said. 

74: Movie Night Terror

The transition from pizza to our next destination happened smoothly enough. Shady practically vibrated with expectation-excitement as Seeker Kappa drove through Seattle's neon-lit streets. 

In a few minutes, we stepped out into the night, having parked at our next destination.

My front mind focused extra-hard on maintaining the Emperor persona—measured steps, authoritative posture, mysterious silence. 

Meanwhile, my back mind was running circles around itself wondering how the hell I was going to keep this circus afloat.

Don't let Sillicia figure out Shady's brain is held together with cat thoughts and determination. Don't let her realize the 'Empress of Earth' is mostly improvisation, fake gun-people and Crawdgpt-generated memories.

"Where are we going?" Sillicia asked, her massive form drawing stares from passing humans.

"The Neptune Theatre," I said. "They're showing a special late screening."

"Of what?" Nexxali asked.

"A horror film. 'As Above, So Below 2: The Bone Throne.' It's about explorers getting lost in the Paris Catacombs."

“Another fear experience?" Sillica asked.

"Different kind of fear!” Shady nodded, bouncing on digitigrade legs. "Cinematic fear! I've actually never been to a scary movie in a theater before.”

"First time for us both then,” Sillicia offered a shy smile.

“I've watched tons of monster movies with my Emperor though,” Shady boasted.

Perfect, my back mind noted. Two Wendigos experiencing their first horror movie. What could possibly go wrong?

As we approached the Regal Meridian theatre, I spotted a familiar group lounging near the entrance—the guys and girls in various fursuits and costumes. My Seattle resistance cell.

"Oh hey!" A wolf with LED strips in his costume called out. "Man, your costumes are even creepier at night.”

"Thanks," I said. 

A fox-suited man approached Shady. "That skull mask is incredible! Did you make those antler extensions from foam?"

"Something like that, yep," Shady grinned, enjoying the attention.

Jasmine emerged from around the corner, carrying sodas and popcorn.

"Yo! You guys made it!" She waved enthusiastically. "Come on, we saved your seats!"

The theater lobby was packed. The smell of popcorn mixed with the distinctive scent of gathered humanity—deodorant, perfume, sweat. Sillicia's nose twitched, and I saw her pupils dilate slightly.

"Many humans," she murmured. “I taste excitement? They're excited to be scared?”

"About a hundred humans," Nexxali supplied. "In an enclosed space. With limited exits."

"It's fine," I said. "This is normal. Humans like gathering for shared experiences."

We filed into the theater proper, and both Wendigos stopped dead in the doorway.

"It's like an amphitheater," Sillicia breathed. "But for..."

"For voluntary terror," Shady finished.

“It sounds so ridiculous when you say it,” the Wendigo Commander giggled.

We found our seats in the middle back with nobody behind us as people would have trouble seeing through Shady and Sillia’s antlers. Through Jasmine's enthusiastic organizing, we ended up in a cluster—me between Shady and Nexxali, with Sillicia on Shady's other side. The furries filled the rows in front of and around us, creating a buffer of colorful fake fur and LED lights. The wider-than human Wendigos shared three seats with the handles folded back.

"First time at the Regal Meridian?" A blue wolf asked Sillicia.

"Yes," she admitted.

“You're in for a treat! This sequel is supposed to be even scarier than the original. They filmed many parts of it in the real catacombs!"

The lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the theater.

"Why is it getting dark?" Nexxali whispered.

"To improve screen visibility," I explained. "And to create atmosphere."

The previews started—bright, loud, a barrage of coming attractions. Both Wendigos flinched slightly at the first jump scare in a trailer, then looked around in wonder as the entire theater reacted in unison.

Then the main feature began.

The opening was atmospheric—aerial shots of Paris, the camera slowly descending into the earth, into the endless tunnels lined with human bones. The music was ominous, building tension with every note.

I glanced at Shady. Her eyes were locked on the screen. 

On screen, the narrative began with daylight urbex trip planning and looking for a catacomb guide.

“That's not scary at all,” Nexxali commented.

The protagonist descended into the catacombs, their flashlights creating dancing shadows on walls of skulls.

"Six million bodies," the guide urbexer explained. "Moved here when the graveyards overflowed. Some say their spirits never left."

"Many bones," Shady whispered, mesmerized.

The first scare hit—the urbexers having to escape from police crawling through very tight spaces. The theater erupted in gasps and nervous laughter.

Sillicia made a small sound beside Shady, somewhere between a moan and content sigh.

"Getting good, yeah?" Shady whispered.

"The fear," Sillicia breathed back. "It's... it's everywhere. From everyone. All at once. Concentrated. Synchronized. Growing."

The movie progressed with protagonists arguing over directions, making choices to go into deeper tunnels.

“He he,” Nexalli giggled, “such primitive dungeon exploration. That's just asking to get nommed.”

The explorers realized they were lost. The map was wrong. The walls were closing in. Something was following them through the tunnels.

Another scare—this time a chase sequence. The protagonist running through narrow passages, bones crunching underfoot, something horrible just behind them.

Someone behind us screamed.

Shady's hand found mine in the darkness, squeezing tight. 

"This is incredible," she whispered against my ear. "They're all feeling it together. The same story, the same moments, the same fear. Like at the Fear Factory but more. They're creating a shared nightmare!"

Nexxali leaned against my other side, breathing heavily, her tail wrapped around my leg. He twitched at each noise, ears rotating like radar dishes.

On screen, a long, tense buildup. The music went quiet. Everyone in the theater knew something was coming, leaning forward.

The jump scare hit like lightning—a skull-faced creature bursting through a wall of bones with an inhuman shriek.

Many girls yelped and screamed.

Sillicia gasped, her whole body shuddering. Shady made a similar sound, pressing against me.

"Absolutely… delicious," Shady purred, voice thick with delight. 

"So much. So pure. No danger, just... raw emotion from hundreds of minds at once,” Sillica let out with a shudder, drooling slightly. “Like… a concert of fear.”

Front mind: Stoic Emperor, amused by xenos behavior.

Back mind: My Wendigo girlfriend and friend getting high on crowd-sourced fear like it's the world's most potent drug.

The movie continued its video and audio assault—claustrophobic tunnels, ancient curses, the gradual revelation that the catacombs were alive and hungry. Each scare was precisely crafted to build on the last, ratcheting up tension until the audience was wound tight as a spring.

"Look at them all," Shady murmured, silver eyes reflecting the screen's light as she gazed around the theater. "They came here for this. Paid money to be terrorized together. To share fear that blends into… love."

“What a strange planet,” Sillica agreed.

The costumed wolf near Sillica made an alien invasion joke, trying to guess what was chasing the protagonists.

If only he knew that one of the Commanders of the alien invasion force was sitting next to him, looking like she was practically melting from the ambient terror of a hundred horror movie fans.

Another massive scare hit—the revelation that the tunnels had been rearranging themselves, that the explorers had been walking in circles through dimensions, descending into hell, that the thing hunting them was made from the bones of the dead.

The fear in the room peaked, and both Wendigos shuddered in unison.

Sillicia's hand gripped Shady's in the darkness, both of them smiling, breathing in the fear.

On screen, the survivors made a desperate escape attempt, the bone creature right behind them, the catacombs collapsing and revealing a gargantuan chamber.

"Holy shit!" someone shouted as the creature's true form was revealed—a massive skeleton made out of thousands of bodies, reaching up from the depths with a thousand thousand hands.

The wave of human fear hit the Wendigos like an invisible tsunami.

Sillicia moaned, her head falling back against the seat. Shady buried her head in my neck, whimpering and offering me soft kiss-licks.

Her breath came in pants against my ear, each exhale carrying the scent of pine, wet stone and ozone. Her claws dug into my thigh through the hexasuit fabric.

"Ashyyy," she whimpered against my throat. "The love-laced fear... it's making me so..."

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. I could feel it in how her body pressed against mine, the way her tail had wrapped possessively around my waist beneath the armrests. The darkness of the theater provided cover, but I was hyperaware of everything, of Nexxali leering at us from my other side with feline eyes, of Sillicia's soft moans from beyond Shady.

On screen, the survivors made their final desperate run for the surface, bones cascading around them like an avalanche, dragging them into the deep. Every crunch, every scream, every gasping breath amplified through the surround sound, making me feel trapped in those gloomy, bone-filled tunnels with the hapless urbexers.

The bone-creature revealed it could reshape the very architecture of the catacombs, making the audience gasp as one of the urbexers was sliced diagonally by a moving rock. Sillicia made a deep, guttural moan.

"Princess," she breathed, and I saw her lean into Shady's space, pupils dilated. "This is... amazing. I love it.” She looked completely intoxicated on the cocktail of fear flooding the room.

On screen, the climax reached its peak. The protagonist's flashlight died. Darkness. Heavy breathing. Then—

The entire screen filled with a thousand skulls screaming in unison.

The theater erupted. People screamed, grabbed onto each other. 

Both Wendigos convulsed.

Shady's teeth found my shoulder—not biting, just pressing, holding me in place as her body shook. I felt wetness on the spot where she drooled against me.

Sillicia was worse. Or better, depending on perspective. She slumped forward, one hand still gripping Shady's, the other disappearing between her own thighs as she rode out the sensation, panting furiously. In the darkness, illuminated only by the screen's light, I could see her hips moving in small, desperate circles.

"Fuck," someone beside us said. "This movie is intense!"

If only they knew they were sitting behind two aliens literally getting off on their fear.

The movie's final scenes played out—survivors emerging into daylight, the revelation that they'd brought something back with them, the setup for another sequel. But neither Wendigo was paying attention anymore.

Shady had progressed from licking to full-on mouthing at my neck, her teeth grazing skin, marking me with little nips. Her claws traced patterns on my chest.

"Need," she whispered against my ear. "Need you. Need more. The tasty fear is making everything so..."

"When we get back," I promised quietly.

"No," she whimpered. "Now. Gibs kisses now."

Her hand moved to my lap, finding exactly how affected I was by her display. Through the fabric, her touch was electric, made more intense by the taboo of the setting—a packed theater, surrounded by people, while she lost control.

Sillicia had given up any pretense of composure. She was openly panting now, her free hand working between her legs while she held onto Shady like an anchor. 

"Ladies," I managed, voice strained. "The movie's ending."

Neither Wendigo seemed to care. The credits started rolling, lights beginning to come up, and both of them were still trembling with aftershocks.

"Wew!" Jasmine voiced from two rows ahead. "That was amazing!"

"Totally," I agreed, trying to sound normal while Shady continued to mouth at my throat and Sillicia tried to remember how to breathe.

The house lights came up fully, and I got my first clear look at the situation. Shady's eyes were completely gone—pure silver, no pupils at all. Sillicia wasn't much better, her fur matted with perspiration, her whole body still shaking with micro-tremors.

“Let’s go.” I said. “Show’s over.”

"Can't move," Shady whimpered. "Legs don't work. Too much yum. Too good."

Nexxali stood and offered Shady her arm. "Come on, Princess. Let's get you back to the Seeker."

That snapped Shady back to some semblance of awareness. She stood on shaky legs, immediately clinging to me for support. Sillicia managed to rise as well, though she swayed dangerously with each step, leaning on the row.

We made our way out of the theater in a cluster, trying to look normal despite the two seven-foot aliens who could barely walk straight. The humans around us were all chattering about the movie, comparing favorite scares, making plans for food.

"That was incredible!" one of the furries said to Sillicia. "You really got into it!"

"Yes," she managed, voice rough. "Very... immersive."

We finally made it to the back parking lot where Kappa waited. The moment we were inside and the entrance sealed, both Wendigos collapsed onto the couches.

"That was…" Shady let out.

"Better than any Entertainment Deck," Sillicia finished. "The voluntary fear, the shared experience, the intensity of the catch with no magical resistance…”

Shady nodded.

"I can still taste it," Sillicia murmured, eyes closed. "The aftertaste of all that terror. It's like... like the best Ambrosia wine. Complex notes. The anticipation, the shock, the relief, the nervous laughter after each scare."

"And they'll do it again tomorrow. New audience. Same but slightly differently cast fears. An endless buffet of terror. Told you Earth was special," Shady said, wrapping her tail around my waist possessively. "My Earth. My humans. My perfect fear generators." She smooshed me.

“It felt… right? Like…” Sillicia tried to output.

“Like we belong,” Shady finished for her.

“Here,” Sillicia agreed. “On Earth. Yes. It does feel like this is where we belong. I want to do this again. Every night. Forever.”

“Mmmhmm,” Shady agreed. “Totally. Plus other things.”

“There’s… other things?” The Wendigo Commander leaned forward, looking mega-curious. "Like what?"

“Things like watching scary movies with a boy you like,” Shady nodded, messing up my hair.

I realized why Shady's made us watch monster-movies as on the second day of her arrival in my house.

"You know, you both looked like you were about to combust back there," Nexxali snickered.

"Almost did," Shady admitted, fanning herself with a hand. "The combination of all that unshielded fear plus being so close to my human bae and kitty cat radiating so much fear n’ love. Rawr."

Sillicia watched us with an expression I couldn't quite read on her skull-face. Longing? Envy? Hope?

"This planet," she said finally. "These humans. They create experiences I couldn’t even imagine. Voluntary terror for entertainment. Shared nightmares that bring them together instead of breaking them apart."

"That's just the beginning," I said. "There’s base jumping. Bungee. Drop coasters. Roller coasters. Hell, maybe you’ll like concerts or something. There’s no fear there, but maybe you can enjoy eating other emotions too?”

“Yes. I’d like to try those too then,” Sillicia smiled. "Erm... If the Princess would allow such. Could I... experience more? With… all of you?"

“We can arrange it,” Shady grinned. “For a price.”