Masquerade of Madness: Explanations and Devastation: Part two

"I guess that's what you meant by 'monster' – boyfriend or girlfriend," Sue spoke tersely.

Creed glared at her, "Okay, if you say so."

Crystal laughed. "But you got to admit it's awkward."

Offended, Spike quickly spoke out, "What is so awkward about a relationship between master and monster? It is a good and precious bond that is irreplaceable to the monster."

Sue's light brown eyes widened. "Is she your slave!?" She jumped up pointing an accusing finger at Creed.

Creed jumped off the couch, spreading his wings in rage. Gin jumped back as feathers flew from the emerging appendages. Crystal covered her mouth with her hands in amazement.

Sue stood in shocked silence.

"Slavery starts and ends with the Human race! This is why Casalyians refuse to be compared to your race, because it is a misguided race!" He screamed with all the fury he could muster.

"Slavery is vile. Having a monster is just taking on a pet for us. Despite her looks, she is not Casalyian, and she is certainly not Humanoid. And if you think . . ."

Gin cut Creed off, trying to calm the situation, "So, it's like people choosing cats or dogs, right?"

Creed turned to study Gin's face, "Exactly." He sounded exasperated. "But most of the time, the monster chooses you."

Spike nodded, "I chose Creed because I could feel his untapped power and his innocence." She started to float in the air, almost dancing to emphasize her beauty, all the while looking adoringly at Creed.

Sue could not handle it. "But she looks like a woman!"

Spike smiled. "That is because I am a female." She floated across the room and gently sat down beside Sue, taking her hand. "You are kind," Spike said softly, "but very misguided. I have no qualms about killing the innocent. I have no qualms about breaking and devouring the strong." Spike's eyes turned black.

"Spike," Creed warned.

Spike ignored him. "You see, Sue, these are my basic instincts. I have never lived in a tri-level domain, but rather in the wilderness of Casalynn. I was not raised to be good, but taught to be good by a Casalyian named Vaan. Us monsters, well most of us, prefer being wild. But I wanted to change, and I needed to change. There is another part to our monsters. We want to be tamed, so that we have someone for ourselves, maybe."

Sue reeled in confusion. How did she know her name? No one told her.

Spike withdrew herself from Sue's side and floated back to Creed. She leaned close to him, as if sharing a secret.

Sue's eyes teared up, realizing she had misjudged the entire situation. Now she only wanted to change the subject. "What about your family?" she asked Spike unapologetically.

"There is no loyalty between us monsters,” Spike retorted calmly. “The only loyalty we have is to our masters."

Gin had listened to Spike talk intently but only picked out one thing. "What is a tri-level domain?"

"A Casalyian's living quarters,” Creed replied. “It is a cylinder-shaped domain with a central air funnel leading to each level. The bottom level is the common area, upper levels are private."

"I have more questions. If it is a metal city, how can there be a wilderness, and how can there be a metal city in the sky? And why haven't we seen it?"

"In our history books, the war with the Nards was at its peak, and the Humanoids were learning to explore. The Casalyians had enough from the stupidity of the Humanoids and the violent ways of the Nards. So, they started to build a city, and until it was done, countless Casalyians were slaughtered by the Nards.

"The Casalyians made sure there was enough space to take all of the monsters with them, too. Apparently, they did not trust the Humanoids to live in harmony with them. The Casalyians also figured that if they left, the Nards' violence on Humanoids would die down. Casalyians were always trying to protect the Humanoids from the Nards."

"Of course, after the city was built, they kept tabs on the Humanoids to still protect them from the Nards, who became infuriated. They had discovered that Casalyians were coming from the sky, so they would attack them at the landing zones."

Gin made a move to interrupt, but Creed stopped him. "I am not finished. All of our trees and grass are scientifically grown. And the reason Casalynn does not fall is that since the old times, our mechanics have kept working on it, day and night. They still have to because if something goes wrong, your gravity will pull Casalynn down." Creed paused, taking a deep breath. "And the reason you have never seen it is because Casalynn is rather high up and its back valves create a mist that shields it. Any other questions?"

"Yes, why did you come here? I don't mean to be rude, I just want to know the truth," Gin asked with direct intent.

"I hope to study the Humanoids to see if we can all live together. Now, any more questions? I am exhausted."

"No," Gin replied thoughtfully, "But I'll bet you have a few for us."

"Yeah, why does one part of this place look like it's destroyed and the other doesn't, and why are there no street names?" asked Creed, revealing he had some concerns, too.

"It's quite simple. Do you know about the great Tectonic plate shift in 2089?"

"Sure, it is in our Humanoid basic history class. The Humanoids thought that was when the world was supposed to end; but instead, it was one of the biggest disasters in their history, the Reformation of Pangaea. Entire races of Humanoids almost went extinct, their governments fell apart, and a lawless world was reborn."

Gin smiled in approval and picked up on Creed's history lesson. "That's not all of it. A group of people fought against the injustice and hopelessness and created a new government known as the Knights of Pangaea. They gave the people hope and safety from each other. Once again society began to rebuild itself.

"Then soon afterward, the earthquakes came, dashing the peoples hopes each time. The knights rallied on until they could not continue any longer. The ones who grew tired fought against their faction and ended up protecting their demolished homes. Each time the earthquakes spread more chaos among the people, destroying any hope. The knights began to crack down, arresting anyone who stood in their way. Some of the knight faction broke off and began to fight each other.

"And then there was one last major earthquake."

Creed nodded.

Gin frowned solemnly. "They called it the devastation. It devastated us again, and this time the streets remained nameless. Another government was formed, but it does nothing."

Sue spoke up, wanting to know more about Creed and his home, "How old is Casalynn?"

Creed rolled his eyes, still enthralled in the history of the Humanoids, but felt obliged to respond. "No one knows for sure. They guess about a thousand years old. But Casalyians have existed as long as there have been Humanoids.