Malicia Mortalyss: Babysitter
Between shadows a hungry predator lurked without a sound, its presence only marked by two glowing pits of sadistic malice peering from the dark to track hapless prey. Another USA soldier abruptly had their screams cut short by the ultimate predator, unable to even comprehend what had happened before sweet oblivion's song reached them. The predator dragged their newest catch away back to their lair and added the unconscious soldier to a rapidly growing pile consisting of various other members of the Slawkenberg military, a couple of the more magically capable administrators, some hapless BORGs and even a Handmaiden who had gotten too curious for her own good. No civillians decorated the pile, the hunter only sought interesting prey, and the ordinary people were far too beneath their notice, especially for its true ambitions. It spun a cocoon of resiny material around their latest trophy and secured him to the growing mass, a small amount over his mouth of course, screaming would alert more attention than it wanted. The night was still young, the hunt could not afford to end so soon...
Suddenly it felt the presence of another predator, gene-craft enhanced senses picking up the tiniest fluctuation in the air. The hunter hissed and entered a defensive stance, ready to defend its hard earned quarry from a stalking rival.
"By Khaine's shattered asscrack not this again you little devil!" Malicia moaned. She had turned around to check on the health of her charge for ONE MINUTE and the THING he had insisted on dragging back had already slipped out of sight for the THIRD TIME TODAY! THREE TIMES! And in the span of less than an hour it had already constructed a pile of hardened resin and unconscious mon-keigh easily twice her own height and four times that in width! She was lucky really that none of the humans had woken up yet, why they insisted on thrashing so much even when being rescued was simply beyond her, did they want to be cut with an Archite Glaive?
"Auntie Malicia no fun!" The hellspawn pouted, which was an expression eerily out of place amidst its predatory stance. "Daddy gets to play with the little humans all day but nobody ever lets me!"
Malicia let out a long suffering groan as she pondered where it all went wrong. Her master as it was, not the man Cain but the Dark Prince damned daemon that he apparently had enamored with him (a fact that still sent shivers down her spine when she thought too hard about the implications) sent a message straight into her brain demanding her devote her time to taking care of the creature when her "darling" was busy with some war front or political business. Had doing so not literally risked her soul to an eternity of unspeakable torment she would have left then and there, but unfortunately here she was babysitting a true monster. After two or so local months the thing had grown to the size of a Mon-Keigh 8 year old and had only grown more disturbing to her enhanced senses supernatural and mundane, what horrible secrets were involved in its creation were the stuff of the fevered nightmares of mad Haemonculi, and yet she could not raise a finger against it or simply leave someone else to deal with her problems. And she saw the knowing smile on Cain's face, he knew exactly what she was dealing with and relished every moment of her pain! Truly he was a terrible man that she had to begrudgingly admit scared the shit out of her.
But dragging herself back to the present, bereft of other options she tried to reason with the beast. "Your father does very important work, and he needs these underlings to do it. I know you like to... play... but how would you like it if someone took something that belonged to you?"
"Then I would simply tear their flesh! Consume them and wear their face to consume everyone they love!" The creature screeched.
"Young Mistress... these men and women who you have taken... they are your father's yes?" She pushed, and suddenly the hell-child's expression softened into one of genuine guilt.
"I- but I was just so lonely... nobody can play with me..." She admitted whisper quiet, large feline eyes brimming with tears. "Daddy always so busy... and uncle Jurgen always with him... and Mama lives in the Screamy Place..."
Against her better judgement some part of Malicia's frozen heart cracked at the child's words. Something about it dredged up long repressed memories of her own childhood, always needing to be an exemplar of her house, never allowed to show weakness or trust even and especially amidst family, a long trail of loneliness that had defined her adolescence surrounded by either murderous rivals or snivelling slaves. No space for friends... no space for true equals... no room to be a child.
Screaming at herself for the imminent poor decision she got down on one knee before the monstrous child and took off her helmet to look the strange not-human girl in her deep purple eyes and spoke softly, almost warmly. "How about Auntie Mortalyss plays with you then? We could have a lot more fun, after all I can do a lot more tricks than a simple Mon-Keigh!"
"R-really?" The girl sniffled.
"Of course! But we have to clean up your mess first before we start playing and your father gets back, we don't want him to be mad about you damaging his servants after all. And try not to be too rough, I still need to look after your papa when your... mama... isn't here do you understand that? Sorry dearie, Auntie needs to be awake and not covered with goo, but otherwise we can play however you want!"
The child beamed brightly, an expression almost adorable if not for rows of too-sharp teeth. "Yay thank you! You are the best Auntie Malicia!"
The girl wrapped her clawed arms around her waist faster than she could react, gripping hard enough to be felt through the armour, yet it felt otherwise like a warm, innocent expression of love, something Malicia had no idea how to deal with. Slowly she cautiously reached over to pat it- her head, feeling a loud purr beneath her as she did. "It's quite alright dear, now let's get to work."
"I'm already done!" She heard the girl reply chipperly a few seconds after the embrace ended. Sure enough the trapped humans had been released and lay on the floor only slightly glistening with traces of rapidly evaporating slime. "Playtime now?"
Feeling as though she had made a terrible mistake Malicia gulped and put her helmet back on. "Yeah... playtime now..."
The next four hours of her life made the worst of the arena look like a lazy afternoon lounging before the skinning tables, and probably took off hundreds of years of her lifespan. When she next saw Cain his smug knowing smile had somehow grown even larger than the last time they met.
"Long day?" He asked, pouring a glass of the toxic waste he had built up to drinking now that his regular use of Panacea rendered him practically immune to liver damage.
Grabbing the glass and gulping it down in a single go, feeling the burn of caustic chemicals that could get her physiology slightly buzzed, she let out a long suffering sigh. "Please just flay me alive or something normal..."