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jcogginsa · 16 hours ago

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Thanksgiving Bonus: The Shoe Family

My name is FoeStar, but I mostly go by "Ma" now-a-days. I'm a 899-year-old minutian who lives in a shoe with my three girls: a human named Sally, a dog person named Sara, and a tanuki named Skyler.

The three had crowded around me as we were going to make a video call to my mother, Matriarch MahStar. She was the leader of the Dragon Claw Clan located on the monster home planet of Sarpanit. My kids all knew her as-

"""Grandma!"""

"Hello children." She said with an air of superiority and grace. She was over 1000 years old, when a minutian reaches that age, they've earned the right to be snobby. "Are you doing well?"

"We met a princess!"

"Princess of Sanctuary!"

"She was out with her wife."

"Ah, Princess Anne O' Maley, is that correct?" She said, snootily. "I've read about her."

"She had noodles for arms!"

"And a pretty tiara!"

"I heard she was pregnant."

"Aint that nice." She said, visibly trying to keep from rolling her eyes.

My daughters talked to her for a while, showing their drawings from school, their most recent test results, and their recent fan fiction. At least she had a warm glow as they talked about themselves and their lives.

Eventually, the three would go to the kitchen to start on dinner. They are such good girls, I thought. Unfortunately, their departure gave me some alone time with my mother.

"Seriously, why are you living in that communist hellscape, Foey? We need to get you four back into the dragon kingdom."

She calls it the "dragon kingdom" for some reason. Should I even bother to explain how it was not communism? I doubt she would even listen. "They wouldn't let Sally and Sara in with the current political climate. Besides, we are living comfortably here."

"Living comfortably on someone else's dime!" Exclaimed mother. "Where's your lust for money and power? I thought I taught you better than that! Life is so much better when you can buy prosperity with hard earned cash!"

That was all well and good, but we were struggling to get by back home. The corporations had strangled the economy to the point that rent alone was draining us dry and we couldn't even get anything to eat. Not to mention, it was just one hospital trip to complete and utter ruin.

However, when I told her all this, she let out an audible groan. "I can't believe that weird Princess of yours. She just gives away property and healthcare? She could make a fortune on both those things!"

"Well, I guess she valued the well-being of her people over money."

She looked like she had just been slapped in the face. "What a horrible thought! People are lazy, selfish, and greedy by nature. It's better to lean into it or else you would be taken advantage of!"

It's stunning this woman was a minutian. The Dragon Claws are notorious as the "mercenary clan," valuing the top bidder over protecting the weak.

"Clearly you've been corrupted! Listen, I have some sway with the dragons. I can get you and your family back in."

"We're fine where we are." I said firmly.

She sighed heavily. "Okay, but think about all I've said. Just say the word and I'll have you out in a heartbeat!"

I told her I'd think about it, said our farewells and I hung up. I let out a deep sigh. Talking to family was so goddamn draining. I spent a good amount of time nursing my headache before I heard three voices calling from the kitchen.

"Ma! Dinner's almost ready!"

"It's pretty much done!"

"We got food."

"I'm coming dears!"

We all had grilled cheese sandwiches and conjurated chili. My daughters were becoming quite distinguished cooks! I ate it graciously, my smile clear on my face. My reaction made them happy.

Four days a week, I worked for the Annesville Security Department. I was a blue shawl who would patrol the streets. Normally minutians wouldn't get patrol duty, but I never came close to becoming a master. I was about as normie as I could get. Thankfully, there were ways to protect without fighting.

Normally, I would only take day patrols to coincide with my kids' school days, but I got saddled with the rare night shift when the two groundhogs that normally did it called in sick. So I had my girls stay at the neighbor's place and left for work right after dinner.

As per how it was on The Odd, it actually has been night for days now. However, at this time the streets were quiet and lamps were dimmed. It was so creepy to see my familiar neighborhoods so devoid of life.

"Looking a little down there!" Coming in from my side was my human partner, Axcel. Uh, don't get confused, I meant the AVSD assigned her to work with me. I didn't mean anything romantic was going on between us.

"Oh, no matter how many times I see the streets empty like this, I could never get used to it." I stated plainly.

"Well, don't worry." She said caressing my cheek, looking me intently with those big eyes of hers. "We can get through it when we're together."

"Uh um..." I went completely red. Okay, yeah, maybe it is a tad romantic between us. Just don't know what she sees in an old woman like me. She can't be more than 70 herself!

We began our patrol. I vented to her about my conversation with mom.

"Sounds like a piece of work," she commented, "and she doesn't seem to know what communism is despite her age."

"I know, right?"

"How did you come out of that family with your head screwed on right?"

"Well, they weren't so bad when I was born. They gradually became that way." They were always capitalistic, but at least at the start they still cared about protecting people. Overtime, however, they started being suckered into the lie that complete unchecked capitalism is the only way to multiversal peace. Yeah, spoilers, it's only really peaceful for the rich.

"I guess corruption is often a gradual decline. At least from what I've seen." She sighed. "We can only hope the leadership of Sanctuary don't start slipping."

"Yeah..."

We continued to patrol when I heard a rustling from a nearby bush. I shine my flashlight on it.

"Hello? Who's there?" I shouted.

"Could be a cat or something..."

"Well we've gotta be sur-"

Before I could finish that sentence, something leapt out from the bush and knocked me over flat on my back. I had the wind knocked out of me. The creature pinned me down with a single paw and finally my eyes adjusted to my attacker. It had dark fur, but its mouth was illuminated by a bright light.

It's no doubt what this was.

Axcel immediately got out her phone. "Soul wolf on Bunny Dr.! I repeat! Soul wolf on Bunny Dr.! Requesting backup!"

The wolf craned its neck until its mouth was right over my face. I’ve heard about this from my training. It was going to feast on my mana.

Tough luck buddy, I never had any!

"Fo!" She ran to assist me but I waggled my hand to stop her.

"It's okay! It can't feed on me! Let it waste it's ti-"

And the creature immediately chomped on my shoulder. Searing pain hit me all at once. Adrenaline flowing, I immediately whack the creature with my flashlight. Axcel started attacking with her flashlight as well. The relentless blows made the creature yip and topple over in pain. My friend immediately started dragging me away from it.

I was bleeding all over, the pain was too much to handle. I saw the creature slowly approaching us, its mouth aimed at Axel.

I struggled to speak. "S-save y-yourself."

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

Suddenly, the soul wolf flew through the air. In its place was an orange shawl honey badger with his nightstick extended out where the wolf was. The creature climbed to its feet, focusing on the newcomer.

The pain, the blood rapidly dripping, it was all too much. The world started to spin.

"Fo! FO!"

Everything went dark.

Everything was bright. My eyes shot open and they took a while to focus. Eventually, I could make out the hospital light above. The mechanical beeps of the nearby machine filled my ears.

I thought I'd be greeting the minutian hero, so waking up to a hospital room... was kind of horrifying. The beeps on the nearby machine started to speed up as I started to hyperventilate. I knew what winding up in the hospital meant. Bills, bankruptcy. I was better off dead than that! At least my family would have gotten a life insurance payout! Now my family is going to have to take care of me!

"Miss! Miss!" A nurse rushed to my side and held my hand. "Everything is okay, you're going to be alright."

"The bills! The bills!" I screamed out in horror!

I was too delirious at the time to remember that I was living in Annesville.

Later my family came to visit me. My daughters wept for a long time in my arms. Thankfully, they were able to heal up my wound with magic and they've cast a spell that speeds up my blood production. I was taken off the machines before they even showed up. I'm only still here for observation. However, my children were just sad that I got hurt in the first place. I guess I needed to be more careful. I couldn’t worry them anymore.

I thought the neighbors were going to have to look after them for the next day or so, but Axcel took them in. They would be way happier with her! I have such a good... uh, whatever we are!

I got two weeks paid leave from work, so I planned to spend as much time as I could with my daughters. As soon as I came home the following evening, my girls and Axcel surprised me with a welcome home meal: boxed mac n' cheese with a cupcake on the side.

"Sometimes it's customary after a traumatic event to count your blessings." I explained. It was an old minutian practice that inspired vigilance in times of strife. "Before we dine, what are things you're thankful for, girls?"

The girls thought for a while before they came out with their answers.

"I'm thankful to this house!"

"Yeah, the old one was run down and drafty." I agreed.

"I'm thankful we have food now!"

"And a warm bed!"

"Television!"

"I'm thankful for my sisters!"

"Yeah, even though they can be annoying!"

Honestly, I wouldn't have them any other way.

"But most of all, we are thankful to you, Ma!"

"Yeah! You protect us!"

"She great."

Sally lifted up her glass of apple juice. "To the best ma! We are lucky to have her!"

"The best ma!"

"The greatest!"

The others tapped their glasses together and took a chug. No, I was the lucky one. I should be the thankful one. As my girls chatted among themselves and ate, I prayed to my ancestors, and to the minutian hero.

Thank you for my happiness!

-----

Arc 11: Ghost Light

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jcogginsa · 3 days ago

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Chapter 61: The True Protectors

My name is Knight Phix the Sphinx. That wasn't my name originally, but it feels just right for me now.

A long time ago, back when I was still living as a lady sphinx, I was the door woman for a bougie apartment complex for the super rich. It's a place I could never afford to live in, that's for certain. I would ask riddles and questions to the people that came to confirm their identities (prevent shapeshifters and the like from getting in.) My employers showed me little respect, to the point that I believe they only hired me because I showed up to the interview naked. But despite that, I thought I was happy.

Then one day, they bought an identifier device that did my job half as efficiently and cost twice my salary to maintain, so naturally they considered me irrelevant and let me go.

This was a blessing in disguise. Not only was the job the only reason I hadn't transitioned yet (thought the lack of boobs would lower my value in the eyes of my employers,) but I got to go into debt and go to college!

I've heard stories of people that can use questions to help people understand the world. Riddles can be used to explain people's perceptions instead of interrogating them. I wanted to be that person so badly that I dreamed of going into higher education. And so, I majored in psychology.

Oh what a fool I was at the time. I graduated first in my class and I went out into the world with a hopeful spring in my step... and found there were no jobs for me. Turns out, the money makers in charge didn't exactly want people to think. If they did, people would start to realize how the people on top screwed them over. Next thing I knew, I was working as a cashier at a burger joint. Until they bought an automatic order machine that did my job half as efficiently and cost twice my salary to maintain, and I was fired again.

I was broke, starving, being hounded by debt collectors, and to make matters worse, I was on track to be evicted. I'm so glad monsters can transition naturally through RNG editing. If I had to hire a spellwriter like the humans had to, I'm not sure if I would have survived.

I first heard of Sanctuary in a rumor. I was told of a city established on The Odd that provided free housing and a guaranteed government issued salary. Sounds like the makings of a scam. However, considering I was jobless and drowning in debt, I took the gamble. Boy did it pay off!

I lead the minutian posse through town. We came across our first blue shawl out on duty. He was a gentle ol' jackal person named Samson who was helping an old hen cross the street.

"Thank you dear Henry. My old talons can't make the trip as well as they used to."

"You're quite welcome Mrs. Roost!"

"Would you like me to buy you a cookie?"

"Sorry ma'am, I'm on duty."

"That's a shame. Well, thank you young man!"

"Always a pleasure!"

The jackal took two steps away, then stopped and looked back at the old chicken.

"So the blue shawls are just boy scouts?" Remarked one of the minutians.

"What's a boy scout?" I asked.

"...good question."

Suddenly, the lady chicken's talon got caught in a big crack in the road and she toppled forward. Lord Panchi started to move, but the jackal was already prepared and caught her first.

"Oh, thank you Squire!" Mrs. Roost said with a heavy breath. "I nearly broke my beak, again!"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes! Thanks to you for saving me again! My eyesight must be really going..."

Lord Panchi, upon seeing that the situation was averted, walked the rest of the way over there. "Excuse me, Squire Samson."

"My Lord!" After helping the fowl to her feet, he quickly got into attention.

"At ease." And the jackal relaxed. "Did you report to the city about this dangerous crack in the road?"

"Yes, sir! It seems they haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Hmmm, must have been lost in the shuffle..." Lord Panchi rubbed his chin. He turned his attention to the hen. "I'll personally make sure this crack is fixed. You have my word!"

"Oh thank you! That is very kind of you!" The bird was moved to tears.

"Just doing my job, ma'am." He bowed before turning to the officer. "Squire Samson?"

He tensed up as soon as he heard his name called again. "Yes sir?"

"Good work! I'll put a commendation on your file for your diligence."

"Thank you sir!" He was overjoyed to hear it. You can tell because his tail was wagging.

The minutians around me were stunned silent so I decided to turn this into a learning experience. "There's no task too small for blue shawls. He was helping her across the street because the world can be perilous for some." I pointed my paw at the hen, who was vigorously shaking Lord Panchi's hand with her wing. "Empathy and compassion are the most important tools of the job!"

After my boss shot off a text (presumably to Marquise Lexine,) we all continued to patrol the streets.

The next blue shawl was helping out a homeless man. "Come on sir. Let's get a roof over your head, and maybe a warm meal. Maybe you'd like to talk?"

"How can there be homeless in Sanctuary?" Asked another minutian. "Don't you guys provide all that free shit?"

"A lack of money isn't the only way to become homeless." I explained. "Mental health or a bad home life can be contributing factors, too."

"Bad home life?" Chimed in another one of them.

"Abusive and dangerous relationships. They may have chosen the street because it is better than going back home."

"Why don't they apply for housing, then?"

"Maybe they've been convinced that they would not deserve the help. Maybe they've been under someone's thumb for so long that they've forgotten that was an option. We can't presume their reasoning from a glance, only they can really tell us why, if they feel comfortable sharing that is. If not, the best we can do is protect them."

The first minutian was kinda lost in thought. After I finished my explanation, she solemnly said, "I think I can understand that."

Now that I think about it, the whole clan was living under the thumb of that lady. I didn't hear many complaints out of most of them, but the fact that what I said seemed to have resonated with this one minutian means that I might need to reach out to her in private later. Sometimes, the protectors needed to be protected, too.

Suddenly, one of my pages ran up to us. "Knight Phix! Lord Panchi! Bruce Gunsleg has escaped from prison!"

"What?!?" I yelled. That was one of the spies that tried to blow up Warehouse 21.

"He's been found on main street! Appears to be hostile."

"Don't engage until we arrive, keep your distance. We'll be on our way!"

"Yes sir!" He sent out a text to everyone on the scene while we immediately left for the situation.

As we arrived, we heard shouting. In the middle of the road stood a man with a feminine body screaming at the top of his lungs. The other blue shawls had formed a perimeter, keeping everyone a good distance away from him.

"YOU MONSTERS! YOU LIED! YOU NEVER CONTACTED THEM! CONTACT BERRY BLITZKRIEG! CONTACT THEM NOW!"

"I can have this situation over in seconds." Lord Panchi said.

"Please, sir, let me talk to him." I requested.

"Huh, talk to him?"

"This is an emotional response. I think I can end this peacefully."

"Alright, but I'm stepping in as soon as he gets violent towards you."

"That's fair, sir. Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

We broke from the circle and approached him. As soon as he saw Panchi, he immediately tensed up.

"Sir, how did we lie to you?" I asked. I already knew from what he said, but I wanted him to tell me.

"You told me you called Berry Blitzkrieg, but I don't believe you! They would have come for us by now!"

"But we did contact them. We even showed you the records."

"You must have faked those!"

I thought for a second. I needed to be diplomatic here. People tend to attach their egos to their beliefs. When the belief is challenged, it's perceived as an attack on them. If I told the full truth, that I believed their government doesn't care about his existence, he would just double down and close his heart towards me. The only way people like that can be receptive to change, is if they knocked down everything and started anew, and to many that's too much of a task to ask for. For now, I needed to find a middle ground.

"Berry Blitzkrieg is currently going through economic and social unrest right now. They have a lot on their plate, it makes sense that they haven't been able to come out here to negotiate your release."

"That uh..." He wasn't expecting a reasonable response.

"Until they can, we will take care of you. I know those cells aren't very comfortable for you. Is there anything we can do to make them more hospitable?"

"No uh, honestly we thought we would get worse treatment."

"Why is that?"

"Well, you're monsters, and we're your prisoners."

"If we are truly so horrible, then what does escaping and shouting at us accomplish exactly? You're clearly appealing to a sense of duty that you think we lack."

"Uh..." Clearly he hadn't thought this through. Of course he didn't. This was an act of emotion, not of logic.

"Come on, let's go back." I said, gesturing to the palace.

"W-why? Why should I go with you?"

"Well, you are unarmed and surrounded and you're an escaped prisoner. I thought you'd prefer to be brought in willingly instead of dragged in by my boss."

He looked over to Lord Panchi, and then back to me. Then he dropped his shoulders in defeat. "Okay, I'll go with you..."

The crowd parted as I led the man back to the palace. It wasn't a permanent solution, he wasn't ready for change anyways. However, I did calm him down enough to come quietly, and I consider that a win in my book.

Upon looking into it later, we found that he was released by a minutian in a black shawl. Considering all of their kind were currently cadets at the time, we believe it was someone in disguise trying to use the induction of the others as a cover to pull off this breakout. They wore a hood when they went to the cells, so we couldn't easily I.D. them. The identity and motivations of this individual is still a mystery. It is currently under investigation.

They actually released both of the prisoners, but Dennis Gregsalot refused to leave his cell, stating that he didn't see much point in escaping. "Where would we even escape to?" He reasoned. We wanted to reward him for his level headedness with a better cell, but he insisted on staying with his buddy. True loyalty right there.

Of the 20 minutians that applied, 10 would become black shawls, 7 would become orange shawls, 2 would become brown, and only 1 would go blue. I would look into why so many of them wanted to work at the palace, and they saw the recent prison break as a reason the palace needed more guards. Though, I suspect that they actually just wanted the prestige of protecting a princess.

I was disappointed so few of them wanted to don the blue shawls considering how much time I spent with them, but my efforts were eventually rewarded when they brought word back to their mansion about how their first day went. Soon after, I had 12 joining the SSD with the intent of becoming blue shawls.

Turns out, many minutians who couldn't come close to mastering the art were attracted to the concept of protecting people without fighting. I've got my paws full now training them, but there was nothing more enriching than passing my knowledge on to others. I feel like everything I've worked for was worth it.

For once in my life, I was truly happy!

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