Chapter 7: Duty

Eli woke up as the sunlight hit his eyes. The passage to the balcony was facing the horizon where the sun rises. Eli sat up in bed and stretched, letting out a satisfied groan. He rested very well last night, better than he expected to after the violence of yesterday. Eli stood up and walked outside to get some air and see the view. What he didn't expect was Pitou standing to the side of the passage, looking out into the distance. He jumped, and let out a slight yelp, as they startled him. Pitou looked at him sideways, almost seeming insulted by Eli's presence. "Oh… it's you." Eli said. They said nothing, simply staring back out into the distance. "What are you doing up here?" Eli asked. "Watching for intruders." They said plainly. "Oh, um… okay. How did you get in here without me waking up?" Eli asked. "I jumped up to the tower." "You jumped?" Eli asked, making sure he heard them right. "Yes." They didn't like repeating themselves.

"Did you not… sleep?" Eli asked. "No. Protecting the King is more important. I only sleep twice a week for three hours." Pitou said. "And how exactly have you not died of exhaustion?" "I'm not as fragile as a human." Pitou glared at Eli sideways. They were in no way going to pretend to be nice to Eli. "I… I see…" Eli said. "I will admit, I'm surprised you were able to sleep inside my en." "En? What's that?" "It's a technique nen users have. I send out my nen in a wide range, and if anyone steps inside of it, I become aware of them and know their exact location, though some nen users know how to mask themselves." Pitou explained. "Okay, but how would that affect my sleep?" Eli asked. "Most people feel the emotion of the nen user that's using en. Typically, humans that are in my nen feel like they are going to die a horrific death." "Oh, so what I felt yesterday was your en."

Pitou was surprised by this. "So, you did feel my en?" Pitou asked. "Yeah… why do you ask?" "Why did you press on, even though you felt such horrific anxiety?" "I had a mission to accomplish. My people need me, and I need your king to fulfill my duty, so… I had no time for fear." "Oh. Meow I get it." Pitou said, which caught Eli off guard. "What?" Eli asked. "What?" Pitou asked, not sure why Eli was confused. "What did you just say?" "Meow I get it?" Pitou said, not sure why Eli was asking. "You… you realize you just made a cat pun… and you're a cat, right?" Eli asked. "I don't understand. That's just how I talk." Pitou said. "You… I… never mind." Eli wasn't sure what to say.

Pitou said nothing, but they started moving to the other side of the balcony. Eli followed them just to keep them in his sight. "I'm going to the central palace." Pitou said. "Okay, see you later Nef." Eli said. "Pitou." "Okay, Nef." Eli said, trying not to laugh. Pitou grunted then crouched down. They got their hands flat on the ground and bent their knees away from their body. Their legs suddenly started swelling up, becoming much larger than they were before. Pitou then leapt high into the air, rocketing to the center of the palace, and grabbing onto the pole sticking out of the top. They took their perch there, and continued watching the outside. "Wow… that is one strange lady." Eli said.

Eli decided to get out of his room. He slipped on his shoes then walked down to the ground floor. He started wandering around the palace, seeing what the place was like. It was massive, and what few people there were living in this place had plenty of space. He remembered how Amelia told him that the chimera had taken over this place from someone else. The person who originally owned this place must have been incredibly vane. "Wow… guy who built this place had an ego on him." Eli said. He continued walking through the palace, admiring some of the finer craftsmanship of the architecture. He had never seen a building so big. It was totally new to him. He liked this place, though the people? That was more complicated. He wanted to like the Chimera Ants, but he simply felt… endangered around them.

As that thought crossed his mind, Eli came to the stairs leading up to the next floor, where the throne room was. It was there that Youpi was sitting. Eli went over and sat on the stairs, a fair distance from Youpi. "Good morning Youpi." Eli said once he was settled. Youpi just grunted in reply. "Is that not your name? I just assumed it was because Pouf and Mr. King called you that." Eli said. "It's short for Menthuthuyoupi. That's my full name." Youpi said. "I see… I'm sorry about Pouf's arm, by the way." "Why are you apologizing?" "Because… Pouf got his arm cut off because of me?" "He attacked you, against the King's wishes as well." "Well, yeah, but… I'm still sorry. He's just… a little arrogant is all, and he's just a little too eager to please the King." "Well, I guess you don't really have to worry about it. The King didn't punish him, and Pitou reattached his arm." "Really? Nef healed it that quickly?" Eli asked in amazement. "Yeah. Pitou's Dr. Blythe ability is really powerful." "Wow… you guys are so impressive it's scary."

Youpi smiled at Eli's compliment, revealing that his mouth was much bigger than what it appeared to be. He was literally grinning from ear to ear. Eli decided to change the subject before Youpi's smile became too frightening. "What are those trees in the courtyard?" Eli asked. "Humans we've captured. They're going to be transformed into Chimeras." Youpi said. "Oh… I see." It made Eli uneasy hearing that. "Does that violate your deal with the King?" Youpi asked. "No. You captured them before the deal, and you aren't eating them, so nothing is being violated." "Okay, good." "So… how are you today?" Eli asked. Youpi looked to him with confusion. "What?" He asked. "How are you?" Eli repeated. "Why are you asking me that?" "I'm just trying to make pleasant conversation." "Hm… as long as the King is alive and healthy, then I'm happy." "Okay, I guess that's… an answer." "It's the only one you're getting." Youpi grunted. "I'm glad you're not pretending to be nice." "This is me being nice." "I see…"

It was then that Eli started hearing music coming from the throne room. "Is that music?" Eli asked. "That's Pouf. He plays the violin to entertain the King while he plays his games." Youpi said. "Games?" Eli asked. "The King challenges humans that claim to be the greatest at their respective game. The King makes them play until they lose, and then gets rid of them." "Gets rid of them?" "He kills them. They're no longer useful or a challenge, so the King has no need for them." "Isn't that kind of petty?" Youpi got visibly angry at Eli's insult. "I meant no offense! All I'm saying is that the King is getting rid of an opportunity." Eli reasoned. "What do you mean?" "Well, that person that he played with was a master at their game. The King wins one time then kills them. Shouldn't the King at least see if they could improve themselves and see if they can become better than they ever were?" Youpi got a blank look on his face. "Look… that stuff is beyond me. You'll have to ask the King about that. Just don't insult him." Eli looked up the stairs to the throne room. "Do you mind if I go up and watch?" Eli asked. "Just don't interrupt him."

Eli went up to the throne room, hearing the violin at its full volume now. The song that Pouf was playing was one that wasn't entirely pleasant. He was playing it very well, hitting every note flawlessly. However, the song he was playing was foreboding. It was one of death and destruction. Eli didn't like it very much. He walked to the opposite side of the room from Pouf. Pouf stopped playing for a brief moment and looked to Eli with spite and rage in his glare. "I, uh… I'm sorry about yesterday Pouf." Eli said. Pouf ignored him and went back to his song. Eli looked over to the King. He was playing with an elder man, one that looked to be perhaps eighty years old, maybe more.

Eli didn't know the game that they were playing. The board was arranged in a diamond shape, with several small squares on it. There were small metal disks that were just the right size to perfectly fit in each square. "I assume you understand what happens if he loses?" The King said to Eli. "Youpi told me the terms." Eli said. "If he loses, we'll keep him alive until our business is concluded. I won't break our deal." The elder man didn't seem to much care. Perhaps he thought he wasn't long for the world anyway? It bothered Eli that the King planned on killing him anyway, but he couldn't say anything because the King was still technically following the guidelines of the deal. "I… I see."

Eli watched the King play this game, trying his best to figure what the rules were. He hadn't a clue what was going on, and before he knew it, the game was over, and the King had won. "I have won." The King said. The elder man looked upset. He was furious, though Eli wasn't entirely sure if it was because the old man was being sentenced to death, or if it was because of the loss itself. Perhaps the old man was incredibly competitive, and he didn't like losing? The old man didn't say a word, even as he was escorted out of the room. "Well… I think I'll leave you to your own devices." Eli said to the King. The King said nothing in return. Eli left the room and continued exploring the palace.

As Eli walked, he got to thinking about the situation. The Chimera Ants obviously thought of humans as cattle, nothing more than that. The King only thought humans to be useful if they could be used as food, converted into a soldier, or give him a brief challenge. He thought about the three elites. Youpi seemed aloof, really. As long as the King thought Eli or any other human was useful, so did Youpi. Pitou only tolerated Eli's presence because they were interested in his determination, his will power. Pouf thought that all humans should just drop dead where they stand, but there was something else. He wanted the King to be ruthless, unforgiving, a force of pure destruction, and it didn't take much thinking for Eli to realize that. Eli feared that if the King made a decision that Pouf didn't agree with, he'd stop at nothing to change his mind. Eli knew that he'd definitely try something irrational. Eli hadn't even met any of the other Chimera Ants, so he hadn't a clue what their thoughts were, but he knew that it would be similar to the elites.

Eli thought about how the Chimera Ants were being so ruthless, so cruel. He thought about how it would affect the world, but then he realized… he was being selfish. His whole plan was to simply get rid of Shroud then return home and enjoy his new found freedom. He wasn't thinking about the impact he was going to have on everything around him. He knew that the King was gaining something from this deal, but what was it? "Why would he so willingly accept? What's he gaining?" Eli thought to himself. He pondered for a moment. It didn't take long for him to come to a conclusion. "He must have some way of taking Shroud's power. If he does, he'd become a god… he'd be unstoppable." That thought horrified him. "He'd enslave the world…" Eli thought. His mind raced, he had to do something, he had to stop this, but he didn't want to hurt the Chimera Ants. Eli thought they were something new and unique to the world, and he wanted, with everything he had, for them to cooperate with humanity and build a future where everyone could live in peace. That was his mission now. He felt he had a responsibility to change the hearts and minds of the chimera. It was his duty to fulfill. "But how?" Eli thought.

He started thinking of the possibilities. He knew that Youpi was mostly thoughtless. He seemed like he mostly just went with what the other two elites and the King thought or planned. "If I change the minds of the others, he'll follow without a problem." Eli thought. "However, the other two are another story. Pouf would kill me the second he got the chance, but Nef seems… vaguely interested in me. Maybe I could use her curiosity?" He thought about what he had to do, and it didn't seem very promising. He was an optimistic boy from the middle of nowhere. How would he convince monsters to give up their cruelty? "This… isn't going to be easy." Eli said as he finished his thoughts. "What won't be easy?" Asked a voice from behind. Eli turned to see the cheetah-like Chimera Ant. "Getting rid of this thing." Eli said, pointing at Shroud. "It looks… really gross. What is that?" He asked. "It's a parasite that's been feeding off of me since the day I was born. It feeds off of nen, and the King has agreed to help remove it." "I was wondering why they were keeping another human alive." "Another?" Eli asked. "Yeah, they're keeping some Senator guy alive. It's because he's keeping everything stable so other countries don't end up invading or something like that."

"Where is he?" Eli asked. "He stays in his office, and he has some kind of room below the palace. I've seen him take some women down there. I think it's pretty obvious what they're doing down there." The chimera said with a fiendish smile. "Uh… yeah. My name's Eli, by the way." Eli stuck out his hand for a hand shake. The chimera simply looked at Eli without moving and said, "I'm Cheetu." Eli put down his hand and said, "Wait, you're a cheetah, and your name is Cheetu?" "What's wrong with that?" Cheetu asked. "Nothing, I guess. Are you as fast as a cheetah?" Eli was met with a cocky smile. Cheetu, in an instant, rushed to the end of the hall and vanished. He suddenly came back from the other side of the hall in less than a second. "How fast is that!?" Cheetu said with a cocky grin. "Wow! That was awesome!" "Of course!"

He had a big ego, Eli could tell. "Did you… by chance eat humans?" Eli asked. Cheetu's smile vanished, and he said, "What's wrong with that?" Eli couldn't believe what he just heard. "A multitude of things!" "Says you." "Well, no matter what you think, you won't be eating human flesh while I'm around." Cheetu laughed and said, "Oh yeah? Are you gonna stop me?" "No, but the King and the elites will." "What? What are you talking about?" Cheetu started to get worried. "Oh yeah, that was part of the deal. Until this parasite and all the parasites infecting my people are removed, the King and the other Chimera Ants, including you, aren't to eat human flesh." Cheetu got a horrified look on his face before running away. He was probably checking to see if Eli was lying. "Not so cocky now…" Eli said with his own smile.