Chapter 11 : Late Morning

“What?” questioned Anton “What did you do?”

“We ran away!” repeated Kianna as she tightened her arms around her torso.

“Kianna!” cried Fiona as she angrily nudged her sister's shoulder “What are you doing!?”

Anton let go of Kianna's face and leaned back a bit as he looked from her to Fiona and back.

“What are you talking about Kianna?” asked Anton as he met her eyes “What happened?”

“Nothing!” declared Fiona as she pressed herself against her sister “We don't want to talk about it!”

Kianna's face showed her misery clearly as she stared at her sister and kept her ears laid back submissively. Fiona's ears were pointed straight back behind her head as she gave her sister an exasperated glare and bared her clenched teeth.

“Right!?” growled Fiona through her teeth.

Kianna said nothing as she let her eyes fall to the water.

Anton stayed silent as he assessed the two dark elves. After several moments of stillness he settled back into his chair and dropped his aura.

For some time all three sat in silence.

Although nothing was said between them, and neither was actually even looking at the other by this point, the tension between the two dark elves never lessened.

Deciding to let them end their silent stand off on their own, Anton went to look away from them and go back to his book when he stopped short. Kianna had been lightly shivering for some time now and Anton had assumed that this was due to her emotions rather than the temperature around her. But as he went to look away from them he noticed that Fiona now had a very slight shiver to her as well. Taking his right hand, he reached out to feel the bathwater.

Fiona flinched and cringed away as her eyes darted first to his hand and then to his face. Mistrust was still clear in her large eyes as she stared at him.

Roused by the movement taking place around her, Kianna looked up at her sister before shifting her attention to Anton. Unlike her sister, this dark elf had no apprehension in her eyes and merely blinked in curiosity as she watched him.

Slowing his movements, Anton continued to reach forward until he was able to feel the bathwater.

“...Why didn't either of you tell me that the water was starting to get cold?” he asked as he gently shook the water from his hand.

The sisters said nothing as they both tightened their arms against their sides.

With both of the dark elves still watching intently, Anton ran his fingertip in a circle at the waters surface to assess it's temperature. Mumbling quietly to himself about cold baths, he lightly tapped at the water with just the very tip of his middle finger.

The dark elves cringed back in surprise as a ripple of energy washed across the surface of the water and instantly heated it back to a comfortable warmth.

“Whoa! ...That was magic!” cried Kianna as she frantically looked around herself “How did you do that?”

“Very, very carefully” said Anton as he watched Fiona feel her chest where the energy had washed through her “Too much mana and I could have boiled you both alive”

The dark elves both froze before looking up at him in unison.

“Yes, I am being serious” said Anton with a grin “If I wanted to I could incinerate you both, bones and all, into nothing but little piles of dust”

With their eyes going wide and their ears pointing themselves straight upwards in panic, the unease was clear on their faces as the dark elves turned to each other and then looked back up at Anton.

“And that's not even close to the worse thing I could do to you” teased Anton as his grin spread into a thin smile “That would actually be a pretty quick and merciful death”

Fiona swallowed a lump in her throat and leaned herself back as Kianna flattened her ears back submissively and hunched down.

“You two never stood a chance” said Anton as he looked from one to the other “And had you been raised right you would have known that”

“...What do you mean?” questioned Kianna as she raised her ears back up a bit “How would we have known that?”

“Because I made myself and my abilities clear the moment we met” explained Anton as he shifted his gaze to Fiona “You just thought it was the A/C kicking on”

“...That was you!?” exclaimed Fiona “Back at the bar!?”

“Mm hm” nodded Anton “That was my aura. And as dark elves you two should have not only been able to recognize that immediately, but have been able to resist it as well”

“Just because we're dark elves?” questioned Kianna as she raised her ears back up completely.

“That's right. Not every species has the ability to manipulate auras, or even feel them at all. Auramancy is a specialty of the dark elves though. It's how they influence emotions, creating fear and despair or making everything seem calm and safe” explained Anton “Almost all of the dark elves major abilities utilize their auras in some way or another. This is one of the reasons that dark elves are considered so powerful and potentially dangerous. You see, unlike a mana pool, an aura can't be easily cut off or bound. There are ways to do it but it isn't an easy thing to do and most of the world doesn't even know it can be done. This is again why dark elves are considered so frightening. Because even if you were to place a manabinder on a dark elf, that dark elf could still use a big chunk of it's abilities. This means that they can't be stopped or controlled very easily, if at all”

“...So that's how Sierra made people be afraid of her!” exclaimed Kianna “She was using her aura!”

“That's right” nodded Anton “She used her aura to influence other people's emotions and created a sense of fear in them. This can be crippling to anyone who doesn't have any way to resist her influence. And why the dark elves can so easily stand up against and take down multiple people at one time. Or people that have tens times their physical strength”

“What do you mean!?” asked Fiona “How does making fear make them stronger than other people!?”

“It doesn't actually make them stronger. In fact it doesn't even make their opponents any weaker. But it doesn't need to either” explained Anton “You could have all the strength in the world. But how is it going to do you any good if you're too afraid to even move?”

Fiona made a small sound as she looked downwards in thought.

“Auramancy is actually the reason I went to Tantarra in the first place” said Anton as he settled back into his chair “I wanted to learn more about it and how it works. So I figured I'd go to the experts. It took me a little while to fit in but I finally found a few dark elves that were willing to teach me, and after I learned the basics they even taught me a few useful abilities that blend both mana and auramancy. So it was time well spent. Learning more about the dark elves themselves was a bonus that also turned out to be surprisingly interesting”

“Wait!” cried Fiona as her head snapped back up “You know how to use dark elf abilities!?”

Anton leaned over and put his palms down on the edge of the tub as he loomed above the sitting dark elves. In the span of a second all of the lights in the room seemed to dim down to almost nothing as if they were cringing away from him. Both of the dark elves felt an unnatural chill creep up their spines as the world around them became cold and foreboding. Despite the still warm water they both began to shiver uncontrollably and without thinking they instinctively huddled together and wrapped their arms around each other. Looking upwards their eyes went wide in shock as Anton's whole form went pitch black and featureless, save for his eyes which stood out so brightly against the darkness of his face that they seemed to glow as they became piercing and soulless.

“Yes!” whispered the room itself.

In a single blink of an eye, the blackness around Anton faded away as if it were a cloud of thin smoke and everything immediately returned to normal.

The dark elves were still quivering as they continued to hold onto each other. They laid their ears back submissively and cringed away from Anton as he lowered himself down and folded his arms on the edge of the tub.

“Like I said before!” he said as he grinned at them “You two never stood a chance!”

Fiona narrowed her eyes into a glare as her ears rose back up and pointed themselves straight back.

“S-so you know some cute lighting tricks!” she croaked as she shook the nervousness from her shoulders and eased away from her sister “Big deal! You're still just a human! Even if you do know a few dark elf abilities! You'll still never be able to beat a real dark elf!”

Anton chuckled and closed one eye as he aimed his pointed finger at the glaring dark elf. A thin chain made of orange glowing light shot out from his fingertip and sped towards her. The chain crossed the distance that separated them almost instantly and before Fiona could even react, the end of the chain wrapped itself around her neck and became a shackle-like collar.

Crying out in a panic, Fiona immediately grabbed the chain with both hands and tried to pull the collar away from her neck. Her panic set in deeper as the links at the other end of the chain began to disappear back into Anton's fingertip, and started pulling her forward as they did.

Kianna sat motionless and mesmerized as she watched her sister get dragged across the tub by the pencil-thin glowing chain.

Fiona planted her palms against the side of the tub and tried in vain to brace herself as the chain pulled her in to just below Anton.

“Oh look! It looks like I've caught myself a “real” dark elf!” teased Anton as he flexed the fingers on his free hand and then balled them into a fist “Maybe I should see how badly I can beat her!”

Fiona laid her ears back submissively and shook her head as her eyes became locked onto Anton's fist.

“Mouthy little dark elf!” mumbled Anton as the chain and collar disappeared.

Fiona fell backwards with a splash and immediately scrambled away from him the second the chain vanished. She kept moving backwards until she could press her back against the wall at the other end of the tub and once there she frantically felt her neck where the collar had just been. Clearly cowed she sat staring at nothing as if she was unsure of what to do or how to react.

Kianna continued to stare wide eyed at her sister for a moment before slowly looking back at Anton with obvious excitement in her eyes.

“That was amazing!” she cried excitedly as she sidled up to the edge of the tub “Is that a dark elf ability!?”

Anton gave her a perplexed look as he tilted his head.

“...Yes, it is” he said as his face softened “You've never seen it before? Your Mother or Sierra never used it?”

“No!” cried Kianna as she shook her head “I've never seen them do anything like that!”

“Really? Hm, this is a pretty standard ability for dark elves... so that's kind of surprising?” said Anton as his face became thoughtful “It doesn't make any sense why your Mother would never use it? Sierra on the other hand was still a child though... and she probably didn't have a large enough mana pool to create anything that was that strong. So rather than risk the embarrassment of having something break on her, she just never used it...”

“More mana will make the chain stronger?” asked Kianna as she stared at Anton's finger.

“Mm hm, the amount of mana you apply will effect the integrity of whatever you create” explained Anton “With enough mana you could create something that was almost unbreakable”

“That's so cool!” breathed Kianna as she continued to stare at Anton's hand.

“It really is, the dark elves have some amazing abilities” agreed Anton as he balled his hands into fists “It's just ridiculous that your Mother didn't even get you started with at least the basics! I really would like to know why she didn't teach you anything... But I understand if it's something you'd still rather not talk about...”

Kianna was silent for a moment as her face became solemn. With a conflicted look in her eyes she looked up at Anton before looking away at nothing.

“...If, I tell you what happened” she whispered “...Can you promise that you won't get mad?”

“No” said Anton as he shook his head “I won't make a promise unless I know for sure I can keep it”

Kianna looked back up at him and they both stared silently at each other for several moments before the dark elf broke away and looked back down into the bathwater.

“...I don't know for sure” began Kianna as she kept her eyes lowered “But me and Fiona think that she tested us... And we think that, we failed...”

“She tested you?” questioned Anton “How did she test you?”

“...It was 2 summers after Nanny Ma died” started Kianna in a hushed tone “We weren't planning to come home... but she called, and said she wanted us to...”

“Kianna!” cried Fiona in a panic as she stared at her sister from her place on the other side of the tub “What the Hell are you doing!? Why are you telling him this!?”

“We didn't do anything wrong Fiona!” exclaimed Kianna as she turned to her and stared her down “She, she was the one who did it!”

Fiona was wide eyed in uncertainty as she looked from her sister to Anton and back while shaking her head.

Kianna stared at her for another moment before turning away and looking at nothing.

“...What did she do?” asked Anton as he shifted his gaze from Kianna to Fiona and back “...Did she hurt you?”

“Huh!? No!” exclaimed Kianna as she looked back up at Anton and shook her head “No she...! She didn't hurt us...”

Both of the dark elves had expressions of unease on their faces as Kianna turned and looked back at her sister.

“...She took us to a beach” said Kianna as she continued to stare at Fiona.

“...A beach?” questioned Anton when the silence began to drag.

“...It was at night. There were rocks everywhere, and like, cliffs, all around it...” explained Kianna as her eyes went distant in memory “It was really warm... And there was a house there, a big house with big windows, and curtains, so you couldn't see inside... But you could tell the lights were on...”

“We don't know where it is!” exclaimed Fiona “We got there through a portal!”

Anton nodded to her before turning back to Kianna.

“...You only went there once?” he asked in an effort to prompt the dark elf to continue.

“Yes...” nodded Kianna “Only the one time...”

“...What did you do there?” asked Anton.

“We didn't do anything!” whimpered Kianna “She was the one who did it! We didn't do anything!”

“What did she do Kianna?” asked Anton as he spread his aura outwards and filled the area with a calming essence.

Kianna shifted her shoulders and began to chew on her lower lip as Anton's aura surrounded her. She laid her ears back submissively as she looked up at him.

“She told us to watch! She said we don't have to do anything, or say anything!” said Kianna as she swallowed a lump in her throat “But if we wanted to, we could...”

Anton remained silent as he waited for her to continue. When she didn't, Fiona began to speak from her place on the other side of the tub.

“...There were people inside the house” said Fiona in a hushed tone “3 of em... all human men... I think...”

“They weren't okay!” cried Kianna as her eyes tightened in anguish “They were tied up to chairs! And they were hurt! Really badly!”

“They were all bleeding, and, missing pieces...” explained Fiona as her eyes tightened as well “...None of them, had hands...”

“I don't remember what Mom was saying...” said Kianna as she stared forward at the empty air in front of her “But she started talking to them... And she was really loud! And she was laughing and pointing at us... They were all staring at us... And they were scared! Really, really scared...”

“...Mom went behind them, and then she wrapped a chain around the middle one's neck” said Fiona as she stared down into the bathwater “She pulled on it, just a little bit... And he started screaming...”

“She told us to stay still, and to watch... but we didn't!” whispered Kianna as she shook her head “We ran. We ran outside...”

“You could still hear them, a little bit... even outside...” whispered Fiona as her ears slowly shifted back and forth “He was screaming... and she was laughing...”

“When he stopped screaming” said Kianna as she shivered in unease “Another one started screaming, and then the last one!”

“Then it was quiet... It was finally quiet... for a long time...” said Fiona “We stayed by the rocks... we were, hiding... and crying...”

“We didn't move until it was morning...” said Kianna “When we saw Mom outside, and she started calling us. We went back over to her. And she took us home...”

The dark elves went silent as they both stayed focused on the water around them. Unsure of what to say, Anton merely stared at them for some time.

“...Did, she say anything to you!?” questioned Anton as he looked from Kianna to Fiona and back “Did she tell you why!? Or anything at all!?”

The dark elves both glanced at each other before looking back downwards.

“We didn't wanna say anything because we thought that she'd be mad that we ran away... But she wasn't” said Kianna “She was acting like everything was fine, like everything was normal!”

“She said not to worry about what happened” said Fiona “She said it was important. But, that we were still too young to understand why. She said that it had to be done, for pride... Dark elf, pride...”

“She said we should be proud too” said Kianna “Because we're dark elves too... and that dark elves, will always win...”

Anton stayed silent as he watched the sisters for a moment.

“That's, hm...” he started before looking away “That had to have been, intense! ...I don't even know what to say... I'm sorry...”

Kianna blinked and began to rub her upper arms as she nodded softly.

“...And you, feel like she was trying to teach you something with this!?” asked Anton as he began to softly rub his chin “That this was a test of some sort!?”

“We don't know that for sure” said Kianna as she shook her head “She never said anything... But that's what we think it might have been...”

“I see... And she never did anything like that again?” asked Anton “Anything at all!?”

“No” said Fiona as they both shook their heads “That was the only time she ever did anything like that... Or, at least as far as we know...”

Anton went silent again as he nodded slowly and digested everything he had just been told. After some time his face began to slowly shift from an intensely thoughtful look, to a hard and stoic expression.

“...I would imagine, she's done more than just that though” he reasoned as he tightened his eyes at the dark elves “Considering there is a dungeon in the basement”

“No, she never did anything down there” said Kianna as she continued to stare at the water while slowly shaking her head “She hasn't even seen the dungeon yet”

“She hasn't?” questioned Anton dryly as he stared at the empty space between the dark elves “What do you mean?”

“Well, it's...” stammered Kianna “It's new. So she's never seen it before”

“Really?” asked Anton as he let his eyes fall to land on Kianna “Does she know it's there?”

“No” said Kianna as she lightly shook her head “She doesn't know anything about it”

“Why not?” asked Anton “Are you hiding it from her?”

“Huh? No!” said Kianna as she glanced up at him before quickly looking back down “It's supposed to be a surprise...”

“I see...” mused Anton as he let his chin rest in the cradle of his hand “...And I'm guessing, that I was supposed to be part of that surprise?”

Kianna blinked and went wide eyed as she registered what had just been said. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet Anton's.

“You keep saying that you think she was testing you, and that you failed...” said Anton as he stared back at her “What exactly do you think she was testing you for? And what do you think you were supposed to do, to pass her test?”

The dark elves had both gone completely still as they stared unblinkingly at him.

“...You said there were 3 men” questioned Anton “...Do you think that there was supposed to be one, for each of you? And that you, were supposed to prove yourselves?”

Kianna's eyes widened a bit more as a hint of panic began to form in them.

“...I'm asking you questions, Kianna” said Anton as the soothing feeling left his aura and the air itself became heavy “And I would like some answers”

“W-we don't know!” declared Kianna as she shook her head “We don't know!”

“But you have a theory” said Anton as he shifted his head to the side and let his eyes land on Fiona “Don't you?”

The dark elf pressed herself even further back against the tubs sidewall as her eyes locked to Anton's.

“I'd like to know” said Anton as he stared unblinkingly at Fiona “What your theory is”

The defiant dark elf remained completely still as she stared Anton down.

“...You!” whispered Kianna “...Guessed it already!”

“I see” nodded Anton “So when you two kidnapped me. You weren't trying to poach a slave, or just looking for a fun filled weekend... Were you?”

The dark elves both remained still and silent.

“...What exactly were you planning to do with me?” asked Anton “I would really like to know”

Kianna clamped her eyes shut and bowed her head in shame.

“...Were you going to imitate your Mommy? ...Were you going to prove that you could pass her test?” questioned Anton “Were you trying to make her finally notice you? By being just like her, and doing exactly what she did?”

The dark elves continued with their silence.

“Were you going to kill me!?” demanded Anton “Was that your plan!?”

“We're sorry!” whimpered Kianna “We're really sorry!”

“...I see” nodded Anton as his jaw tightened “...Well, while I do appreciate that you regret your actions, Kianna! Unfortunately... I'm afraid that won't be enough to save you from paying for what you've done”

Fiona tightened her eyes and clenched her jaw as her ears pointed themselves straight back behind her head.

“...It was your idea. Wasn't it Fiona? ...All of it, the dungeon, the kidnapping, the drugs. ...Killing someone. All part of your “plan” to impress Mommy, and make her proud. Make her think you were real dark elves. Just like her. ...And when your sister told you this was a bad idea. You didn't listen. And in the end, you finally got her to go along with it!” declared Anton as his aura tightened around the two dark elves and became thick with a bloodthirsty malice “Didn't you!?”

Kianna's breath hissed in between her teeth as she began to quiver.

“This! It's the same as before!” she whispered as her eyes locked to Anton “This really was you!”

“This is nothing” said Anton in an eerily calm voice as he continued to stare at Fiona “I'm not even trying to hurt you yet”

Kianna made a small sound as she flattened her ears completely and lowered herself further down into the tub.

“Please!” she begged through her teeth as she tightened her arms around herself “Please don't hurt us!”

“Answer me, Fiona” said Anton as his aura became laced with even more power “I want to hear you say it!”

Fiona's ears dropped a bit as her eyes darted from Anton to Kianna and back. Her face tightening in resolve, she took a ragged breath through her clenched teeth.

“Yes!” she declared as she began to tremble “It was all my idea! I did it! It was my plan!”

“Hm, well that's very unfortunate...” said Anton as he nodded slowly and narrowed his eyes at her “You've made some very poor decisions, Fiona. And I-”

Anton stopped short as Kianna rose up on her knees in front of him and blocked his view of her sister.

“Please!” begged the dark elf as she stared at him with eyes wide in terror and her ears pointed straight up in panic “Please don't kill her! Please! I'll do anything! Just don't kill her!”

“You can't keep stepping in to save her like this Kianna!” growled Anton through his clenched teeth “Or she will never learn to stand on her own!”

“No! I don't care!” declared Kianna as her eyes welled with tears “I have to protect her!”

“And how are you going to protect her Kianna!?” demanded Anton “What are you going to do!? Are you willing to suffer for her again!?”

Kianna's eyes widened even farther before she clamped them shut and nodded.

“...You keep sacrificing yourself like this and the only thing she'll ever learn is how important you really are!” exclaimed Anton “And she isn't going to learn that until after you're gone!”

“I don't care!” whispered Kianna as she kept her eyes shut and shook her head “I have to save her!”

“...So you're really willing to take it to the end!?” demanded Anton “You'll give everything you have!? Even your life!?”

“Yes!” whimpered Kianna “Yes I will!”

“...I see” sighed Anton as he reached out to take hold of Kianna's chin.

“Don't you touch her!” screamed Fiona.

Kianna went stiff at Fiona's cry and Anton pulled back as he turned to face her.

The second dark elf shot across the expanse of the tub and nearly collided with her sister as she came to a stop just in front of them.

“I did it! It was all my idea! She didn't do anything!” declared Fiona as she mimicked her sister by rising up on her knees as well “Take me and let her go! Please!”

Fiona went to continue forward but was stopped short as Kianna stuck her arm out and stretched it across her sister's chest to block her and hold her back.

Fiona's eyes went wide with rage as she pushed her sister's arm away.

“Stop it Kianna!” she screamed as she came in line with her and tried to shove her away.

“No!” cried Kianna as she put her arm back across her sister's chest and tried to force her back.

“What is wrong with you!” raged Fiona as she stretched her own arm out across Kianna's chest in an effort to send her back instead “Get out of here!”

“No!” shouted Kianna as she pressed in vain against her sister “I can't! I can't!”

“Yes you can!” shouted Fiona as she clasped her sister's hand in her own and tried to push her off “Just get back!”

“No! No!” screamed Kianna as she grabbed her sister's hand and pushed back against her “No! Fiona please don't leave me alone again!”

Fiona stopped short as she registered what her sister had just said.

The two dark elves stood kneeling side by side. Kianna's left arm was spread across her sister's chest and her hand was clasped in her sister's left hand, while Fiona's right arm was the mirror opposite with her right hand now held tightly in Kianna's.

“Don't leave me!” sobbed Kianna as she pulled her sister's hand in over her heart and held it against her chest “Please! Please! Don't leave me!”

“...I, I won't!” cried Fiona as she mimicked her by clutching Kianna's hand to her own chest “I promise I won't! I promise!”

The two dark elves were tear stricken but determined as they both raised their heads and faced Anton together. With their ears pointed straight back and their jaws clenched in defiance they stared him down and waited for the end.

Anton was still for several long moments as he stared back at them.

“...You two, look at you two, you truly have nothing. Here you are, helpless and alone, with no knowledge, no power, no family or allies to save you. You don't even have a single friend. You have absolutely nothing, nothing... except each other...” said Anton as he watched the sisters both tremble and tighten their holds on each others hands “And yet... that's still enough to make you both move, to take a stand, and to protect each other...”

To afraid to blink and barely even breathing, the dark elves merely stared back in silence.

“...Your Nanny Ma would be so proud of you two right now!” whispered Anton as he slowly nodded his head “...So very, very proud!”

The dark elves both blinked in confusion as Anton's aura suddenly fell away from around them.

“Brave, brave little sisters! Both ready to stand together, and die for each other...” marveled Anton as he looked from one dark elf to the other “Your Nanny Ma really would be very proud of this! Of you! Both of you! You need to know that!”

The dark elves both struggled to breathe normally around the heavy weights that they had in their chests. Still trembling from the spent adrenaline, they stared at Anton as he continued to shift his eyes back and forth between them.

“...W-what!?” croaked Fiona as she loosened her jaw “W-what are you doing!?”

Chuckling to himself, Anton settled back into his chair and gave them both a thin smile.

“At the moment!” he declared while shaking his head “...Nothing!”

Kianna nearly collapsed as she let out a heavy sigh and hung her head.

“Oh Gods alive! Thank you!” she cried as tears fell from her eyes and landed on the edge of the tub “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“You aren't going to kill us!?” exclaimed Fiona as she absently held her sister up “Are you serious!?”

“I've already told you that I have no intention of killing either of you” said Anton as he tilted his head at her “That hasn't changed”

“Really!?” exclaimed Kianna as she raised her head back up and smiled maniacally “That's so great!”

“B-but, we! We were!” stammered Fiona as her brow creased in confusion “We were gonna kill you! Don't you even care about that!?”

“Of course I do!” said Anton as he folded his arms over his chest “I'm actually very upset about it!”

“...You don't seem like you're very upset about it!?” questioned Kianna as a hint of nervousness laced her voice “...You don't even seem surprised!?”

“Well that's probably because I'm not very surprised” explained Anton with a shrug “At all really”

“...You're not!?” cried Kianna “...But, how did you know!?”

“You can't honestly think that I didn't realize you two had some obviously, evil intentions from the very beginning!” stated Anton as he cocked an eyebrow at her “I could tell that you were up to something sinister the moment you walked up to me”

“...Oh!” mumbled Kianna as she looked at her sister before turning back to Anton “But you're not mad at us!?”

“Yes, I am! I already said that I was very upset about all this! And I do have every intention of making you both pay dearly for what you tried to do to me!” exclaimed Anton as a devious grin spread across his face “In fact! Now that you both have admitted to your guilt! And I've gotten all the information that I feel I need to make my final decision... I think it's finally time for us to discus your punishment!”

The dark elves glanced at each other and nervously lowered their ears before looking back at Anton.

“What does that mean!?” cried Fiona as she eased herself back “What are you going to do to us!?”

“I'm going to make you help me with an experiment!” declared Anton “You see, there's something that I'd like to do. But I'm going to need some help to see if I can do it. So you two are going to help me!”

“...We're going to what!?” exclaimed Fiona “What the Hell are you talking about!?”

Anton sighed in mock frustration and shook his head before turning back to face the dark elves.

“There is a certain immunity in place that makes doing what I want to do normally impossible. But I think I may have figured out a way around this immunity” explained Anton “You two are going to help me test my theory, by helping me with my experiment. And we are going to see if I can really do, what I want to do!”

“...Okay? ...What, exactly?” questioned Kianna as she tilted her head and cocked one of her ears in a curious manner “Do you want to do!?”

“...I want to see if I can enslave a dark elf!” said Anton as he smiled at her and then shifted his gaze to Fiona “Or two!”