Echidna hummed as she made her way towards the… kingdom. It disgusted her to even think of the word in relation to her people. But there was no mistaking what they were going for. The large castle couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
She wondered just what had happened to them. What had made them sink so low that they were trying to not only mimic, but win the acceptance of the mewmans. It was just mind blowing to her. Granted, this seemed to just be one tribe. But it was sizable enough to catch her attention.
When she had seen that girl at the castle, it had made her more than a little curious. She had clearly septarian features. There was no doubt she was one of them. But her resemblance to Hekapoo, and the scissors enforces reaction when Python had been near her… there wasn't much that genuinely surprised Echidna, but that certainly did.
Hekapoo, a member of the Commission. The enemies who tried to wipe them out for god knows how long, had laid down and had a child with a monster. And one from her own race no less. She had to figure out just what was going on here, so she had drawn some blood from the girl during the chaos. The smell traces of magic inside of would have been too small for most to make use of.
But not her.
All she needed was the faintest of trails, and she could trace a magic or one similar to it back to its user. And the trail had led her to this place.
"How gaudy," she commented. The town itself was alright, but the castle? She disliked it. She disliked all castles really. They were too cramped for her taste. She preferred more open and spacious areas. A place where she could always have a clear view of what was going on around her.
As she got closer, she spotted two guards making their way by. Echidna scoffed. Was that armor supposed to make their royal guards or some such? They really were going an extra mile to mimic them. As they saw her approaching, they shared a glance and then began making their way towards her. There was no need to brandish their weapons against a single woman.
"Who goes-?"
"Sleep."
For just a moment, Echidna's eyes flashed, and the two guards suddenly dropped to the ground, snoring as they slumbered away. Echidna kept on walking, not even bothering to look back. If these were the caliber of the warriors left in this time, it was no wonder they had fallen from grace.
She continued onwards until she reached the town, which was bustling with activity. A few people glanced her way, but most didn't seem to think twice about her presence. She was repressing her magic, and since there were a few other monsters of various sizes walking about, she didn't stand out too much.
Despite her disappointment in their choice of a castle and their lackluster guard… it was nice to see her people seemingly thriving. She knew just how far mewman cruelty could go, and she had been half expecting them to be pushed to the brink of extinction. But it made her feel a ting of pride that even without her they found a way to survive.
As she got closer to the castle, she felt an odd presence. She was about to look around to try and spot it, but then a voice called out.
"Whoa… you're tall."
Echidna looked down and was greeted with the sight of a young septarian girl… well, half septarian. Just like the spawn of Hekapoo she had enough features to identify her as one of their own. But her other features were made of one she knew all too well. That of the waterfolk. "How interesting…" she muttered.
Dottie looked up at the woman curiously. It wasn't like she hadn't seen others who were that tall. She had caught Puff one time when he'd dropped off supplies for their constructions, and of course Fum towered over everybody. But she had never seen a septarian woman who had so much height on her before.
Echidna stared back at her. With her wide eyes and the way she tilted her head, not to mention her being a half-breed, she couldn't help but remember back when Scylla was young. The girl sort of resembled her in a way. "Hello there little one. And just who might you be?" the titan asked.
Dottie hesitated for a moment. Her father had always told her to be weary of strangers, but that was usually only when they were outside the kingdom. This lady seemed like she was new here, but they got handfuls of septarians from other tribes every now and then. And she was polite enough. She didn't see the harm in answering her.
"I'm Dottie. Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure is all mine," Echidna said before turning towards the castle. "You may have guessed that I'm not from around here. I don't suppose you could tell me more about this place. Or point me to someone who could. Is the chief here or…?"
Dottie hummed. "Chief? Uh… no. We have a princess, but she isn't here right now. She went to the Butterfly castle to meet with the royal court," she explained. Echidna raised an eyebrow. So, that's who that girl was then? She supposed Hekapoo must have pulled some strings to make that happen. Trying to cover up for his mistake most likely. "But Rasticore is here though."
"Rasticore?"
Dottie nodded, feeling a bit more suspicious now. Rasticore was pretty well known to all septarians. Even the ones from the other tribes all knew him. It was odd this one didn't. "I don't think you'll be able to talk to him though. He's pretty busy."
Echidna eyes glowed once more. "I think he may find the time. Take me to him."
Rasticore was nervous. Anyone with eyes could see that.
When he had seen his daughter off this morning, he had actually looked rather confident. Or at least he had tried to anyway. He knew the burden Amber was carrying on her shoulders, and he wanted to try and reassure her as best he could before she left. After all, she had been preparing long and hard for this day. He knew how much it meant to both her and the entire tribe.
He knew she was ready for this. If there were any failings, it surely wouldn't be on her part. But… he still worried. While some of the royals had stated they would give their support to their effort, there were plenty of others who were just as vocal about how they were going to be against it.
What would they try and say to her? Would they try to goad her into slipping up? Would they use his connection to her against her? He really wished he could have gone along, if for nothing else than for moral support. But he knew he would never be allowed to set foot in the castle. Not after the part he'd played in Queen's Comet's assassination. Knowing that Moon was going to be there… he really couldn't blame them.
Still, not knowing what was going on was driving him crazy.
"Are you alright?"
Rasticore looked up and saw Brock making his way towards him. His right hand man had a look of concern on his face. He had a feeling he knew just what he was worried about. He had known him for a long time, so it wasn't hard to tell when his friend was bothered about something. "I hope everything is going smoothly…" Rasticore said.
Brock grunted. "I'm sure they are. After all, she's more than ready for anything they could throw at her," he said confidently. Not only had her mother been helping her, but Princess Vera and Maria had come by to assist her as well.
"I know. I have faith in her. I just can't help but be worried. What if they have some ancient loophole or some such they try bringing out? Or what if they-"
"You're worrying too much Rasticore," Coral said as she made her way in, carrying a tray of plates. They were planning a surprise dinner for what she knew would be a successful first step towards their goal. Brock got up and quickly went over to help assist his wife. "She's going to be fine. They studied every rule, every law, went over every argument. Things will work out."
Rasticore grunted. "I guess you're right…"
"In my experience that's usually the phrase I end up going with when Coral tells me something," Brock said, smiling. Coral playfully nudged him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It's just the father in you is all. We can't help but worry about our kids. Especially our little girls."
Coral raised an eyebrow. "Amber is hardly little…"
"They're always little in a father's eyes," he argued. "Speaking of which, where did Dottie go? I sent that girl to fetch groceries ages ago." He hoped she wasn't buying the cheap stuff and pocketing the extra coin. No, knowing this was for Amber she probably wouldn't do anything like that. Still, she had been gone for quite a while. She could have been back by now.
The doors opened, and the three turned their heads to see Dottie making her way in… with no groceries, and a cloaked figure walking behind her. They all looked confused as Dottie led Echidna towards him. She looked like she was in a daze of some sort. "Dottie? Where have you been? Who is this?" Brock asked, looking back and forth between his daughter and the stranger.
Echidna looked down towards the child. "Thank you dear."
Dottie's eyes went wide, and she looked around confused. "What the…? How did we get here? What…?" She looked back over her shoulder towards Echidna. The last thing she remembered was talking to her outside, so how had they suddenly ended up inside the castle?
"Dottie, come here," Coral said, narrowing her eyes towards the woman.
Echidna looked towards her, instantly picking up on the stench of her Waterfolk heritage. So this was the mother was it? "Go on Dottie, listen to your mother," she said, gently nudging the girl forward. Dottie jumped, and then scurried over towards Coral. Brock quickly stepped in front of the two, and Rasticore got up from his chair. "You must be Dottie's father. And that makes you… Rasticore."
"Who are you?" Rasticore demanded, his hand on the blade at his side.
She looked him up and down. "Missing a few parts I see. Did the royals manage to do that do you? Or did you just happen to cross the wrong wielder of the dark arts?"
"I asked who you were! And while you're at it, what are you doing here?!"
Everything about this woman just made his instincts scream at him to be on guard. The way she had showed up, seemingly controlling Dottie somehow, it was alarming. Especially on today of all days. Was this someone from one of the other tribes. Some of the other larger ones had voiced their displeasure about their princess plan, but he didn't think they would try anything like this.
Echidna hummed. "I have a few questions of my own. So how about this. I'll answer yours, then you answer mine. And while I completely understand your suspicion, you have nothing to fear. I didn't come here for a fight." If she had, it would be over already.
Rasticore said nothing, but looked over towards Brock. He nodded towards him, and the guard nodded back before nudging his wife. Coral grabbed Dottie's hand and began making her way out of the room, off to let the other guards know they had an unexpected guest. Echidna glanced over towards the two as they left, and both Rasticore and Brock got ready to move in case she lunged at them.
"Dottie," she said, causing the girl to look back towards her. "You're a very special little girl you know. There's hardly anybody else like you. At least from what I can tell. You remember that." The girl looked back at her curiously, but Coral kept pulling her along.
Echidna watched as they left, then turned back towards Rasticore and Brock. "Alright, you said you would answer our questions. So, who are you?" Rasticore asked.
"My name is Echidna."
Both septarians' eyes went wide when they heard the name, recognizing it instantly. There was no septarian alive who didn't know hadn't heard of her legend. The strongest of their race who had ever been born, the lover of Typhon, and the second in command of the Titanic Ten. "Your… your mother had high aspirations for you, didn't she?" Brock asked. Or a death wish. Someone naming their child that was bound to put a target on their back from the mewmans.
She smiled towards the two. "Well, how flattering." The fact that her name was still known and held in such status amused her. "But I think you may be confused. I wasn't named after her. I am Echidna, the Mother of Monsters."
"You… you can't be," Rasticore said shaking his head. "That's impossible. She died, over two thousand years ago. There isn't any way that can be true."
"And yet, here I am," she said shrugging her shoulders. "As you can see, the rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated. I am very much alive."
Brock's jaw dropped. "But how?"
"The Commission didn't have the means to kill us. We were sealed away. And now the seal is broken, and we are free once more. Free to exact our revenge and right the numerous wrongs committed by mewman-kind in our absence," she said simply. "And looking at the current state of things, that will be no simple task."
Rasticore and Brock looked confused. "What exactly do you mean by that…?" Rasticore asked, fairly sure that he wasn't going to like the answer.
"I mean eliminating the rest of the mewmans royals."
"Rest of?! What did you do?!"
Echidna smirked. "We defeated the mewmans royals gathered at that wretched Butterfly castle and stripped them of their souls. I assume Python will want to track the others down as well. We go have more important business to attend to first though." Despite how eager she was to finish the mewmans off, she understood why Kitsune was first priority.
Both Rasticore and Brock's faces both paled. "You did what?! No!" Rasticore said stepping forward. "That gathering was to help determine whether we could finally be accepted among the royal court! It would have finally helped put an end to the treatment that our people have endured all these years!"
Echidna actually laughed. "I see. So that explains why that girl was there. It seems Hekapoo wasn't just trying to clean up her mess after all. Seems as if being on the Commission wasn't enough to her. She needed a puppet in the royal court itself," she said shaking her head. "It was quite foolish of you to trust and lie with her. And even more so to believe you'll end our peoples suffering by bowing your heads to them."
At the mention of what could no doubt have been his daughter, Rasticore's eyes turned sharp. "What did you do to Ambrosine?!" he asked, glaring angrily.
"She's still alive and conscious if that's what you're worried about. Though I did take a bit of blood from her to find my way here. And when he moved to protect the others, Gadfly was rather rough with her. That boy never learned how to properly treat a lady." Of course he had been raised by Typhon, so that was largely his fault.
Rasticore growled before lunging at her, pulling out his blade. He was going to take her down and sort out the rest later. She was clearly a threat, and he couldn't just let her walk away. Things were no doubt a mess, but if he brought her maybe he could salvage something of their alliance.
But more importantly, she had attacked his daughter, and he was pissed.
"How rude. I was told I would have my own questions answered." Echidna said, not even bothering to dodge the attack. The blade shattered against her body, and Rasticore went wide eyed before he was suddenly grabbed by the throat. "First question. As a leader, how could you betray our people by not only sleeping with Hekapoo of all people, but kneeling to the mewman Queen."
Echidna's eyes turned sharp, and suddenly the two of them felt a massive amount of magic radiating from her. Their instincts had told them that she was strong, but now that she had stopped concealing her actual power, they could tell just what a gap there was between them. Everyone in the castle could.
Coral, who had been taking Dottie to a safe place after warning the guards, stopped in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Dottie, go find a hiding spot. The best one you can. I'll be back," she said turning around.
"Wait, you're not gonna try to fight her, are you?!" Dottie asked. She knew her mother was strong, but she was hardly in fighting shape right now. Plus she could feel just how powerful the magic coming from the throne room was.
"I'm just going to go make sure your father is okay. Go on now…"
Echidna continued glaring at Rasticore, tightening her grip on his neck. Brock yelled out before pulling out his sword and charging at her. Echidna brought her arm back, then casually hurled Rasticore at him. He lowered his weapon so as not to hurt his friend, but couldn't moved out of the way in time, and was knocked over.
The two hit the floor, and Echidna looked like she was going to walk towards them until she heard the doors burst open. "Lord Rasticore!" A troop of guards came rushing in, weapons drawn as they charged towards her.
Echidna's eyes suddenly began to glow, and she began to let out a low hiss. The guards started to suddenly slow down, and then… they began to drop to the floor, unconscious. Rasticore and Brock looked stunned. What type of magic was that?
"Pathetic," the titan said, turning back towards them. "I can only pray the quality of warriors in the other tribes hasn't fallen so low. And that they're being led by someone who isn't so foolish as to trust the words of mewmans, and send their own children into the jaws of danger itself."
Rasticore growled and got back up. "You're the one who harmed her! Every decision that I made was to help our people! And every step she took was of her own will! Her own desire to help us in the only way she could! We tried fighting, and it didn't work! We chose peace, and now we have a chance to-!"
"To make fools of yourselves, yet again," Echidna said. "Do you know how many times we offered the mewmans peace? How many times have we sheltered them? Saved them from destruction? Countless. And we were repaid time and again with betrayal, all because it was never enough. More land, more food, more everything. They will never be satisfied, and they will never accept you. They will take everything that you have, and once you have been stripped of what you're worthy, they'll betray you."
Brock got up and stood next to Rasticore. "That might have been the case in your time, but things have changed! The current Queen isn't like that! She's tried to help monsters! To help us! She's even-!"
"Times change, mewmans don't," Echidna said, cutting them off. "I've lived more of their lifetimes than I care to count, and I know how they are. And even in the short time I've been awake, I can see things haven't changed for the better. So don't bother wasting your words on me little ones. They fall on death ears."
She turned around and began to walk away. "I came here to warn you. We will continue where we left off. And you have a choice to make. You can stand with your own, and grab the peace you strive for with your own hands instead of hoping to be gifted it by others. Or, you can stand against us, and perish along with the mewmans. I pray you make the right choice. Every drop of our blood spilled is a waste."
As she made her way to the door, she saw Coral standing before her, glaring. Echidna just stared at her. Supposed she could have just killed her, but she was carrying the little one. And she didn't want to bring harm to one of her own. Not to mention that Dottie still reminded her of Scylla, and she didn't want history to repeat itself.
"So that's it? It's just us vs them? No room for debate?" Coral asked. "It doesn't have to be that way you know. Brock and I are proof of that. Dottie is proof. This one will be proof too," she said rubbing her stomach. "We can live peacefully without killing each other."
Echidna stared down at her, feeling yet another wave of nostalgia. The way this woman talked, and the look in her eyes. It was just like… "Hmm, I knew another Waterfolk woman who used to say those exact same words to me," Echidna said as she continued walking on. "She was wrong too…"
Brock turned towards Rasticore. "Should we go after her?"
"There wouldn't be much point…" Rasticore muttered angrily. He was no fool. If he tried to stop her now, it wouldn't do anything but end up in casualties. And if what she was saying was true, they were going to need every person they had to weather the coming storm. "We need to get going towards the castle. I have to make sure Amber is alright, and see what… whatever is left of the royal court will do…"
A/N: Echidna plays no games. She's blunt, mysterious, and most of all dangerous. And she gives you an ultimatum, she means that shit. With Dottie being a waterfolk half-breed, I always saw her as having a soft spot for her. Reminds of her of her own little fry she raised. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to carry out her mission though.