Beneath The Surface

Act 16 - She's not her Kali.

Normal text
Thinking
Onomatopoeia

Astaroth's POV
A few days later.

Astaroth's class gathered in the arena for Void lessons with a very special specimen. Today's training would be a joint session with two other classes, including Kali's. The whole place was packed to the brim with noisy little horrors. They were chattering fanatically over mundane stuff. She never understood how these creatures could come up with so much rubbish to talk about. Astaroth tried her damn best to maintain a friendly smile, only dipping her head occasionally to show that she's all ears when she's not. To keep her mind distracted from the idea of murdering everyone, she chose to stare at the exceptional Void-touched entity. Almost obsessively.

Not only was she attracted by the capabilities of her cute little Kaisa, able to manipulate the Void to her will, Astaroth was also evaluating her past interactions with her. To say it's strange was an understatement. The way she voluntarily reached out to protect this complete stranger was downright bizarre. Madness, in fact. Kaisa's well-being didn't matter to Astaroth. Neither did it bring about any benefits. So why did she protect her from some impudent rat's toy gun? It had nothing to do with her. If Kaisa was taken out by this small circus trick, it could only mean that she's weak and should perish. This broken world doesn't need more defects. Maybe the truly abnormal life form was Astaroth herself. Did the stupidity of these human spawns finally rub off of her? Did it make her heart soft for others to shred? Astaroth didn't know. All she knew was that she needed to further investigate this phenomenon and determine whether the root cause must be exterminated or not.

Maybe the thought of a fellow parasite carrier dying in such a crude manner didn't sit well with her. It's not every day Astaroth gets to find such a fascinating subject. Kaisa's precious in that way. To die to some jealous man-child's antics was really a pity. Astaroth would rather the man-child die instead. Plus, the ability to create such beautiful armour was icing on the delicious cake. It was a treat for the eyes. Just like Kaisa's exquisite face. Completely matching with Astaroth's sense of aesthetics. The intricacy of the scale-plated armour was definitely on point, rivalling the craftsmanship of Ornn. Meanwhile, Astaroth's great great grandfather could only amount to some ugly goo-like appearance. Utterly vulgar. It's the very reason she insisted the old man remain invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. The thought of seeing such horrendous substance on her skin was enough to give Astaroth nightmares.

Look at Kaisa's pet and look at you. It can create such fine work of art and what about you? You look like some sewer rat covered in gunk.

*Hey! It's all about the functionality! What does it matter if it didn't look aesthetically pleasing???*

I don't care. If it's ugly, I'll banish you to the time-out corner.

*Fine. Fine. I will think about it.*

Astaroth happily hummed.

Then I'm expecting to see some fresh new designs from you soon~

*Nitpicky brat.*

She conveniently ignored her grandfather's rude mutters, secretly wishing that it could somehow also change its raspy voice. While educating this primitive ancestor on proper presentation, Astaroth noticed the woman in question glancing at her. Unlike last time, Kaisa now chose to gawk at her without any sense of shame. Curiosity was practically overflowing from those unblinking violet eyes. Which only got Astaroth to chuckle in amusement. The little rabbit's so fun to play with.

Looking at the pretty Kaisa reminded Astaroth the nonsense she had told her before their spar. Back then, Astaroth was still mad about the previous night's failure. She wasn't in the mood to play. But that selfish instructor was insistent on bothering her. So Astaroth planned to dismantle her piece by piece. Teach that disobedient creature to grate on her nerves. But when she heard Kaisa say that her well-being was of great importance, it made her hesitate. No one has ever told this kind of lie to her before. Not her unsightly parents who were busy losing their minds while whipping her incessantly. Not the worthless rats whose lives ended prematurely when they inevitably got in the way of her ascend to the top of the food chain. In fact, they're all boorish plebeians, throwing every profanity they could come up with before their necks ultimately snapped.