It was around midnight, and laughter could be seen from one particular veranda.
Yes, seen and not heard.
For the sounds didn’t pass through the glass doors, and the shadow could only watch as one creature laughed himself silly over those blasted devices.
But this was perfect, for in all the years it has survived, humans were the easiest opponents.
One sashay, one claw, or even a snarl could instantly get it what it wanted.
And right now, it wanted that source of spiritual energy,
It was an unexpected turn of events as the creature—once on the brink of death had found a source of sustenance in a world that had long lost it.
The energy was intoxicating, and its senses, honed by decades of energy starvation, awakened at this promising last hope.
And so it prowled, right until it reached just outside its goal.
However, when the creature slunk silently through the terrace, bright lights suddenly battered it!
"!!!"
Yet, instead of giving away the location of this phantom, all traces of it just disappeared, and all that was left was the empty yet lit porch.
But as nerve-wracking as that was, this incident seemed to attract the attention of the human who hesitantly came out to check the balcony.
It was the perfect opportunity, and the creature, now camouflaged into the night, went in unnoticed.
But just as it prepared to beguile the blonde stick into surrendering the goods, its keen nostrils caught a whiff of something delightful.
A new one.
The creature paused, ears pricked as it advanced slowly, unknowingly shelving the plan to dominate the gullible being as it drained this energy source.
There was no other choice.
However, in direct contrast was the human who had been scared shitless that he decided to abandon everything.
For who wouldn’t when the glass that was supposed to be full toppled over while all emptied in a similarly empty room?
It was an unexpected boon. And it was the beast’s fortune that it chanced upon one particular idiot and ended up acquiring the finest delicacies of a lost era.
The food was unrecognizable, but each morsel ignited its body and ever so slowly, its body swelled.
Muscles rippled beneath its fur, and its stature grew, inch by inch, until it loomed monstrously large—a hulking, energized presence that defied its previous, frail form.
This form was one that no one of its kind had likely used in a very long while.
And it was addicting.
The more it ate, the more it absorbed, and the more powerful it became.
Yet, just when it thought it had used up all its luck, a new scent tickled in—a scent so unfamiliar, yet it sent shivers down its spine.
That desperation for survival morphed into desperate longing, and the creature followed its call towards this one room that jailed that distinctive smell.
And it lunged forward, capturing what looked like another beast with its maw, only to find it unresponsive and ready for the taking.
A waiting prey.
What a wonderful boon!
But just as it neared the doorway for its inevitable escape, fate intervened, and an ear-splitting alarm shattered its victorious moment.
*REEEEE! REEEEE! REEEEE!*
The Manor’s security system suddenly roared to life.
Every corridor resounded with the blaring alarms, as if the entire building had turned angry. And for one particular presence, it felt like so as the very veranda through which the creature had planned its exit slammed shut.
"!!!"
"Host! It’s gone again!" reported the frustrated D-29, whose radar had again been eluded by this demon incarnate!
And this ability to escape would be their biggest issue, as it ran around eluding everyone.
Duke Leander has had enough. Now, while he was fine with this beast butchering furniture, it was a whole different thing when it almost knocked over his son’s statue!
The hearts of the onlookers nearly stopped as their Young Lord’s image almost fell if not for the ledge holding it all together.
And this got all of them fired up to think first before acting as the beast would likely end up destroying the manor everytime it panicked.
Luca had been playing around with a possible solution. Now, he wasn’t really sure if it would work, but a cat was still a cat, right?
Even if it looked like a car, it should still be one, right?
Probably, but better yet, hopefully.
So, Luca offered up his unique suggestion. "Uhm, I have something that I think might work against a giant cat."
This obviously got everyone’s attention, and Luca almost regretted saying it like that but still continued.
"There’s this thing called catnip."
"And while the scent would likely attract cats, the goal is to get it to ingest it to act as a sedative."
He’s got some, that’s for sure, since the neighboring cats loved it so much that he tried planting a few for them.
The suggestion hung in the air, met with a momentary silence. Of course not because they were against the idea, but because they knew nothing of such a thing, in fact, they didn’t even know what kind of beast this was!
And last they heard, cats should be way smaller!
But the suggestion was from their Young Lord, and if anything was bound to succeed, it was probably going to be this.
What they didn’t expect, however, was just how successful this would be.
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