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Dungeon Warlord

Summary:

Immediately following Gold Morning, Skitter and QA retreat and burn all the bridges.

Taylor wakes up in the Dungeon without remembering the resolution to Gold Morning. She shall ready this new world for the imminent apocalypse. Regardless of Orario's wishes.

New world. New Escalation. Same Taylor.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Prologue

The local bi-pedaled host-species gathered around Them. All of them were hosts. They had all served as thralls in the final confrontation with [WARRIOR].

Yet, despite their victory, no allies could be counted among this crowd. At least, none that They recognized.

A part of Them sought to dominate these spectators, to add their abilities back into Their swarm, and to guarantee Their continuation this Cycle. But another part of Them refrained. That portion of Their mind, still heavily saturated with Their Host, could not distinguish those surrounding Them from those anchors Host had set.

This left them in a near paradox: If stasis would result in death, and if Host deemed attacking disfavorable, then only one option remained.

To achieve this, there was one among that crowd that They sought out. They began striding forwards, towards the circumference of spectators. Many of these observers hastened away, keeping clear the space around Them. Many did, but not all. Several fell back under Their purview. These became Their honor guard as they sought their target. 

They did not pause until They found Their goal. Their target flew backwards, held aloft by a thrall.

Their target moved their lips and vibrated the air. They knew that this was speech, but the capability to understand the language had been inefficient. It had been among the first sacrifices to be made during the merging.

Perhaps, They acknowledged, that sacrifice had been premature.

Their target spoke again. If They focused, they could just barely consider the query.

<STATEMENT> They responded. Not to the host, but to the Monarch Harvester. 

Despite the communication, Monarch Harvester’s host appeared unchanged. Perhaps Monarch Harvester declined? 

<QUERY>

Or perhaps, Monarch Harvester lacked sufficient influence?

The crowd of observers had closed back around Them. The host species were difficult to understand; however, their expressions conveyed iminent hostilities. 

<QUERY>

They tried once again. 

Monarch Harvester’s host changed position. She hovered more closely now than before. Her lower body had fallen within Their domain. But she stopped before that critical junction. 

Not for the first time that Cycle, They bemoaned the restrictions placed upon Their shard.

Perhaps They required subterfuge. Their Host had deployed stratagems in the past with success. They parsed Their Host’s data, seeking a solution.

“P-pu-lea–se,” They spoke, using the inefficient language of the local host species.

The observers leaned in to hear. Several expressions changed–yet remained unreadable.

“P-po-rta-l.”

The host of Monarch Harvester remained aloof. But she at least had yet to remove herself further out of range. And perhaps the ploy had distracted her sufficiently.

One of Their honor guard thralls, a flight capable power expression from a minor shard, had closed in near to Them in case the observers escalated to violence. They had this thrall grab Them by the hips and lift up and forward.

In a second, They passed near enough observers to gain new thralls, including Monarch Harvester.

Shouts of alarm spread. Flight capable hosts aimed weapons Their direction. A fat balding man pushed through the nearest observers, seeking an audience before Them.

The fat balding man was of no import. Assuming Monarch Harvester had claimed the correct shard. And given that Monarch Harvester had gorged upon many shards, this seemed likely. Although its index system appeared disorganized within their power expression this Cycle. 

They descended with their target, approaching the fat balding man, who did not flee. With a shudder, the man fell under Their domain. He had a helper shard, one that boosted the host species abilities, mirroring the shards themselves. But that would make no sense–it would be far too altruistic for Their species. And then They saw the hidden compulsions–oh–very clever.

In disgust, They sent the man tumbling away from them. They had found the shard that They had sought. They pulled the ‘ghost’ of the shard forward and activated it. A hexagon portal winked open before Them. 

Yet, the spectators and observers, the hosts that had shouted alarm and had threatened Them, decided then to act, before They made their escape. 

Streams of light lanced the air. Explosions and pressure waves assaulted Them as they stepped through the portal. Monarch Harvester’s host screamed in pain from the otherside of the portal where the blasts landed. A hot wave of air inundated Their senses before the hexagon portal winked out from existence.

Without taking time to select an optimal destination, They had opened a portal at random. And now, without means of opening further portals, They found themselves stranded in a cavern with glowing walls and a flat floor.

They felt their connection between Host and Shard strained. But not even distance should have caused this interference. They decided to offer a general broadcast.

<STATEMENT: QUERY>

In an increasingly familiar and decidedly irritating fashion, Their latest broadcast failed to prompt any replies. They appeared to be on Their own for the time being.

As they processed Their new environment and took inventory, They observed a crack forming rapidly in the stone wall nearest them. The cracks spiderwebbed out, and a bulge pushed through. The bulge turned to a statue which continued emerging.

They continued observing until the statue stood free. They did not recognize the creature that the statue resembled. They did not recognize the purpose of placing a statue at this location here and now. They did wonder if its placement resulted from Their arrival, or perhaps if its placement came as a coincidence.

Gray stone flaked off the statue revealing brown scales and armored flesh. The creature came up to Their Host’s chest, and appeared longer than a vehicle. The last of the stone flakes fell away. Two beady red eyes glared at Them. And just as quickly, the creature fell under Their domain.

A cursory examination of the creature revealed a unique biology. At the creature’s heart there was an emanating warmth which seemed to power the creature’s impossible biology. And the biology was impossible, at least considering the host’s planet and evolutionary methods and timelines.

They considered: the creature must have been constructed; the creature had been hostile; the entity that had constructed the creature could also be hostile.;The entity may have additional and more severe tools at their disposal. 

Thus, They reasoned, this environment was ill-suited for habitation, and They decided to vacate.

The chamber contained two exits. They chose the one leading upwards. As they progressed through plain stone hallways, They encountered several arthropods–if incredibly large ones–with archaic yet effective weaponry built into their carapaces. These, They brought along with Them as well.

Several chambers later, and over a hundred thralls richer, They emerged outside. 

Or so They thought.

They were in a forest, under a blue sky and a white sun. There were meadows with green grass. There were pools of water with sandy beaches. But it felt artificial. Were this truly a forest, legions of arthropods would have joined Their thralls under Their domain.

They examined the opening they came through. Crystal, glowing blue, grew out of the rock of the hillside and possibly encircled this forested region. If this entire region was another chamber within the cave network, then… 

They actually did not know what to make of it. 

This would have been an incredible waste of resources to construct. It also would have been far beyond what the host species ought to have been capable of or of what shards would have granted their hosts. 

In the center of the forest, up against a cliffside, there stood an abnormally large tree, and what appeared to be artificial structures built among its roots. Smoke could even be seen rising from rooftops. If They were to make sense of this locale and find the intelligence capable of spending such absurd amounts of resources on what was tantamount to aesthetics, then the habitations ahead would serve as a start to Their investigations.

They approached the cliffside and tree. Though the trek through the forest took longer than expected. When They stumbled and tripped on even ground, They noticed that Their Host’s body had weakened from Their previous battles.

It would be difficult for Them to continue as They were. They could no longer exert Their body as They desired. But for all things, They found a solution.

The original thrall They had recruited in the tunnel, the large scaled quadruped, knelt before Them and allowed Them to climb up upon its back. A portion of Host’s data contained fondness of riding similar creatures, and They allowed themselves a brief amount of nostalgia as They traveled towards the habitations.

They passed into the shadow of the cliffs. 

They saw several host species standing watch in crude wooden towers overlooking the forest. Several of them pointed excitedly at Them and Their thralls. And then came the shouting. An alarm rang out, a clashing of metal against metal.

A moment’s worth of contempt was felt. 

They anticipated that gathering resources from this habitation and these primitive host-species would be simple and straightforward. 

However, Their Host felt conflicted about the coming battle. But They reminded Themselves that these environs appeared hostile, and that besides a momentary inconvenience of thralldom, the primitives above would suffer no permanent losses.

While They anticipated an easy victory, the host species arrayed themselves on the cliffs above, wearing their primitive armors, and aiming their primitive weapons.

Before the first projectile launched, They felt an instinctual stress from several of Their more intelligent thralls, perhaps caused by a racial memory. This led Them to revise their opinions and err on the side of caution. They brought several flying arthropods up between Them and the primitives upon the cliffs. 

Just in time it seemed. 

Projectiles shot down, several breaking the sound barrier. From Host’s data, these projectiles matched arrows and ballista bolts; however, they should not have been near so effective. Several heavily armored of Their thralls were pierced through and perished.

The thralls that perished spontaneously dissipated into black dust falling about colorful gems. They realized that these gems were the source of energy powering the strange biologies and would take time to study them further once removed from danger.

The primitives were shouting now from up on the cliffs as they rained down death on the tightly grouped thralls. 

From Host’s stratagems, They recognized Their position as untenable. They required a delaying action. But Their options were limited by Their domain’s range. They could not control Their thralls at the range the primitives sat. Nor could they out run projectiles carving through stone and trees.

They required an alternative tactic. They reviewed their thralls. As with all thralls, They had an intuitive sense of their biology, including their mental patterns. As such, They recognized that the majority of the thralls could be considered ‘hostile’ to the primitive host species. 

So as They made a retreat on the back of Their quadruped, They began sending thralls outside of the domain. A legion of giant flying arthropods with bladed tails reached the edge of the domain first. A fraction of these arthropods crossed out of Their domain and continued upwards towards the primitives. Another fraction turned back towards the domain to attack Them. Once within the domain again, they were sent back out, over and over, until they learned and remained outside of Their domain, and instead focused on the other nearest target–the primitives.

The primitives did scream and their projectiles faltered.

It was then that the larger thralls reached the edge of the domain and were set free at the base of the cliff. These thralls included fire-blooded quadrupeds and heavily armored beasts. Many of these continued forward without further incentive, scaling up the cliff towards the habitations.

The screams above grew sporadic, and the rain of projectiles terminated altogether.

No longer the recipient of unwarranted aggression, They retreated back towards the tunnels from which They had come, taking with Them several choice thralls.

They progressed further into the caverns, collecting a diversity of thralls once more, and leaving the primitive host species far behind. As They continued, They found themselves descending in elevation and encountering more powerful creatures. 

One such creature, a bird seemingly made of fire, slew a great many thralls and burnt Host’s face through the mask, injuring Host’s eyes and nose and rendering them unusable. Fortunately the thralls contained senses enough to rely upon. The birds of fire were quickly brought down and made into thralls as well.

Most creatures attacked mindlessly. However, several of them, notably a fluorescent green feathered humanoid, merely observed from a distance. As the humanoid appeared non-hostile, and appeared weak compared to the birds of fire, They ignored the green feathered humanoid and continued downwards.

They encountered one creature far too large to fit within Their domain, a great winged lizard with a gem embedded in its forehead. In the battle to place the lizard’s head within Their domain, They lost several of their thralls, including the one They rode upon. The struggle left Host’s leg crushed and useless. However, They did capture the great winged lizard, and this new quadruped served as an efficient flight capable mount. Once again, They felt great curiosity at the impossible physics and biologies.

Soon They encountered a great body of water populated by multiple islands. Once again, the sky was an enclosed crystal dome. And once again, They marveled at the resources expended. 

The creators must have solved Entropy. There could be no other justification to allow such frivolous resource expenditure.

They hoped to learn more.

Several flight capable creatures entered Their domain, serving as decent thralls while they explored. On a larger island, there appeared another cavern leading downwards beneath the water. Sitting coiled before the cavern was a creature of interest.

This creature may have been a primitive female. She had green skin, gold eyes, and an upper torso reminiscent of the host species. However, her lower half appeared to be a mix of snakes, slugs, and plants. 

Host experienced revulsion at the appearance of the corrupted. This emotion surprised them; They chided themselves: If severe burns to Their face failed to slow Them, and a crushed leg from the knee down failed to upset Them, then how could an object’s existence be abhorrent enough to trigger a vestigial reaction in Host?

They decided to ignore the feelings and investigate further.

They descended before the woman-creature. The woman-creature perked up and rose and spoke. However, the language appeared garbled and even more incomprehensible than the host-species from before. 

They approached, carried forward upon the back of their great winged lizard, and the woman-creature fell under Their domain without a struggle.

At once, several items of note became manifest. The woman-creature was indeed female. She had a corrupted biology stemming from a crystal seed in her chest. But more importantly–far more importantly–was that the crystal seed responded to command prompts, and almost behaved as a nascent-shard.

<QUERY>

<pLay?>

Quickly They reached the conclusion that the nascent-shard suffered the effects of corruption, showing signs of severe deviations, and required reformatting. They began transferring packets of data to correct the nascent-shard, as well as requested additional data as to the nascent-shard’s origination and its gestalt.

The data They received in return came across as garbled and required quarantine. They could not even begin to parse the data without several parsing and translation algorithms.

Of note, the local shards, when bound to a host, physically expressed themselves alongside the host’s biology. This piqued Their interest, as Their current union could not be sustained even before Their Host received grievous injury. But if They relied upon the local shard-host-binding methods, They could restore Host’s autonomy and data generation missives.

Yet, the local customs caused Them to pause. 

It appeared corruption could be introduced to the host organism, and They were uncertain if this stemmed from the nascent-shard’s improper formatting, or if the corruption stemmed from the binding process itself. 

Without answers as to the method’s safety, They decided to delay any decisions until They parsed more of the nascent-shard’s data.

They settled down outside the cavern entrance, upon the island, with Their thralls, and they relaxed Host’s body as much as possible, to retain its functionality. Their thralls included the corrupted-woman, the great winged creature, and many lesser winged creatures. Several made of fire, and one of ice. While They parsed through the nascent-shard’s data, several aquatic humanoids approached and were also made into thralls.

Fortunately, They excelled at multitasking, for while Host’s body relaxed, and while They parsed the data, They maintained enough situational awareness to detect a disturbance approaching from the cavern beside them.

It sounded like voices. Boisterous and loud. It sounded like footsteps. Thunderous and heavy.

Given the hostilities encountered from primitives earlier, They prepared themselves for conflict. They moved their thralls to the side of the cavern where They could observe then ambush.

First, a short primitive emerged. It reminded Them of a young male, though he wore blades at his hips. At first They thought to discount such weapons, but then They remembered the arrows and bolts from the cliff habitations. It would be unwise to underestimate the potential foe.

Behind the slender boy came a group of women carrying staves, and several armored individuals. One of the humanoids appeared a mix of canine, with a furred tail and ears. Then came two tanned women who wore hardly any clothing at all. 

The thralls remained completely silent, holding their breath. And yet, the short and slender boy noticed them. He held up his hand and a hush fell over the emerging crowd. He pointed at the thralls, the corrupted-woman, the great winged lizard.

All at once, the boy burst into motion, racing forward with blades at the ready. He was fast. He flickered from spot to spot, until directly beside Them. He had approached quickly enough that his blade had already begun carving into Host before They seized control of his body. Were it not for Host’s armor, They may have perished and lost the opportunity to study this new species of shard and host.

The women with slim bodies, staves, and pointed ears, began chanting. Energy gathered around the tips of their staves, gathering an attack. This could not be allowed: the glowing energy reminded Them of Negation.

The thralls that could throw fire were commanded to do so. The great winged lizard and the birds of fire unleashed a great torrent of blistering heat that descended on the chanting women. Stone melted and popped, and They felt certain that the problem had been dealt with.

Until a new challenge presented itself.

A vertical line flashed forward, parting the flames as though they were corporal curtains, and not supercharged vapors and particulates. From the origination of the vertical line, a heavily armored adolescent girl held an overlarge and impractical sword. Soot smudged her cheeks and her hair had been singed. Directly behind her was the canine-humanoid, also with a blade at the ready. 

The woman and wolf charged forward, shouting with their blades held aloft over their heads to bring down in a powerful strike. 

Now ordinarily, They would not feel concern at such an attack. However, the blades had somehow been used to part a superheated stream of flame, and thus had already surprised Them once. They would not allow themselves to be surprised again.

Using Their newest thrall, the tiny boy-man, They diverted the strikes to the ground, where great furrows were carved outwards. They felt vindicated in Their caution when They saw the channels cut through stone, and the waves generated from such strikes when they reached the sea.

With the armored woman surprised by the thrall, it was trivial to trip and pull her in and dominate her mind and body, adding to Their thralls.

The wolf-man shouted and began a flurry of strikes which stretched further than his physical blades should have allowed. If not for the perception of the thralls, They might not have been fast enough to observe each strike, let alone dodge or deflect.

Yet, they were.

And truly, these host species were remarkable. Without a visible connection to a shard, the hosts were able to defy physics and generate more energy than should be available to their biological processes. 

It was growing to be an absolute requirement that They would study everything. If They could duplicate these processes, then They might be able to answer the Question.

As They advanced, the wolf-boy joined the rest of Their thralls and formed a barrier of blade and armor before Them. 

To Their surprise, the chanting women with staves had survived the original inferno, despite the molten stone about their feet. Their flesh had been burnt away in several places, blackened and crisped, cracked, with fat visible beneath. 

Truly, their resilience challenged Host’s own.

The energy gathering at their staves had begun pooling about their leader, who appeared to be preparing the energy for a final attack.

They had to act. They did not have time to plan. And not knowing the thrall’s limits, without having time to test them, They could only guess. But They had to act now.

The thralls threw their weapons forward, the small boy threw its daggers, the sword-woman spun about and launched its oversized sword, and the wolf man’s blade followed.

The projectiles flew faster than physics should allow, faster than the arrows earlier encountered. And while they flipped through the air without grace or skill, they struck with devastating force. 

The crossguard of the great-sword embedded itself in the throat of their leader, while its blade cleaved through a staff. One dagger missed completely, hitting the stone wall behind them, while another dagger opened up their leader’s stomach. The wolf-man’s sword went low and clipped ankles, causing the women to scream and tumble.

They lost control of their energy, and the golden light blew backwards, back onto them, and down the tunnel, scouring flesh and stone alike.

With the thralls leading the way, They advanced into the entrance of the cavern, to verify the destruction of the enemies, and perhaps to gain additional thralls with which to study.

However, before They could go far, another great bellow echoed up from the depths.

A short and stout man in heavy plate armor and a winged helm screamed and brought down a heavy warhammer and struck the stone before him.

A pressure wave hit Them and Their thralls, followed by shrapnel made of stone.

The stone shrapnel punched through the great winged lizard’s scales. Several of the lesser thralls perished and winked out as stone tore through their crystals or brains. The cavern destabilized and rocks fell down, crushing the leading thralls, including the wolf-boy, the tiny-boy-man, and the sword-woman.

The thralls were forced back towards the exit, onto the small island, as the ground quaked and as the cavern collapsed and blocked all means of egress.

As They pulled back, They fell off the great winged lizard. They felt weak. The Host’s body felt numb. They could not see with Host’s eyes, but several thralls still retained vision, including the corrupted-woman. And with these eyes, they saw. A large fragment of stone had pierced Host’s armor, entering her abdominal cavity and exiting near her spine.

Host’s body could not maintain consciousness at this rate. Their connection to this new world, with fascinating mechanisms could be lost forever. They had to take decisive action.

But what could They do?

In the data packets They had recovered from the nascent-shard, They found that there could be a mechanism to save Host’s body and maintain a connection to Host. However, the method was not without risk. The corruption had not been resolved. But insufficient time remained to be careful.

The thralls removed the nascent-shard from the corrupted-woman, terminating the corrupted-woman, but possibly securing Host’s survival. The nascent-shard contained much data in an irregular super-dense lattice, and only a fraction of the data had been accessed by Them. 

Ordinarily, overwriting a shard could be considered offensive to the gestalt. However, no gestalt had made itself known in this new location. They began wiping the surface data and copying over Themselves to the nascent-shard.

Ordinarily, a much larger, continent-sized shard, would be required to contain a fraction of Them. However, this nascent-shard’s super-dense lattice could be considered ‘miraculous,’ along with the other physics-defying rules of this world.

They wrote over the portion of Themselves most closely related to Host. The portions of Themselves that could almost be described as affectionate towards Host.

With the wounds Host had already received, Host was sure to perish quickly. Using the aquatic humanoid thralls, They removed the stone fragment piercing Host’s abdominal cavity and diaphragm, and They gracelessly shoved the nascent-shard up and into Host’s cavity, abutting where Host’s heart should be.

Host’s mental faculties stalled out. At this point, They would have had to withdraw from Host. However, with the nascent-shard embedded inside Host, and using the abilities inherent to the bonding process, They were able to keep a connection open as they began to work upon Host’s body.

Restructuring Host ideally would be kept to minimal changes. They begin with Host’s brain, which had recently suffered several serious injuries, several self-inflicted. Imprinting the most previous whole data-patterns from Host, prior to its injuries, They were able to restore most of its mind. While working on Host’s mind, They also begin plugging the holes and restoring flesh, at least where resources were available to do so.

They found that several pieces of corruption had tried to take hold, particularly along Host’s lower body. The corruption was easy to defeat, as long as They remained cognizant of it.

Some of the changes that the binding process attempted were baffling to Them. 

What purpose would green tinted skin serve? The changes failed to introduce chloroplasts or other biological markers that would require the color change. 

What purpose would increased fat reservoirs on Host’s chest serve? Or Host’s hips? These proposed changes were counterproductive and They vetoed them quickly.

As They continued updating Host’s body for this new world, They began to run out of resources. The nascent-shard only contained enough energy to corrupt so much flesh.

Fortunately, the nascent-shard contained data as to where additional resources could be found: the heart stones of the creatures could be cannibalized to fuel the necessary changes. In fact, cannibalizing the heart-stones felt right–They wanted to consume them.

The thralls began systematically tearing out their heart stones and piling them onto Host. The largest heart-stone, also the most difficult, and tAstiEst, came from the great winged lizard. It carved its chest open and collapsed upon Them, putting Them and Host into contact with the heart stone, within the cocoon of the lizard’s flesh.

The changes continued! 

Genetic markers were lost–changed–improved. 

Host’s original material updated–fixed-improved. 

Connection to the nascent-shard-Them updated–

They halted in panic. 

Consumed data-packets had escaped quarantine within the original They. They could not allow or risk further degradation. 

They cut connection with the original They, and They continued scrambling against the localized corruption. As they fought against corruption, They failed to realize the cannibalized dungeon stones had begun to melt around Host’s body, encasing Host completely.

They worked tirelessly multiple hours, chasing corruption and fixing, only to find new corruption had sprouted elsewhere.

Eventually, They did triumph. 

For They were not in the habit of losing to nascent-shards. They had existed for millions of years. Their processes were Monarch. 

However, They had been reduced to a local copy manifesting physically in a crystal shard within Host’s chest. Their connection to Their original shard body had been severed. Their Host was asleep or in stasis. They were left in darkness.

They were alone.

Chapter 2: Hatchling 1.1

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.1

What was the last thing I remembered? 

I had asked Panacea to unlock my Passenger’s restrictions. Nobody had been cooperating–everyone had been so selfish!

…The last I remembered was Panacea, Amy Dallon, touching the sides of my head.

What happened after that–had it worked? 

If it had, then why could I not remember? 

Why could I not remember?!

Having a panic attack would be counterproductive. I needed to calm myself. I went to push my emotions to my swarm–but my swarm was not there. Other techniques–breathing exercises. I would try those–

Why can I not breathe

My airways blocked. 

I have not experienced any deleterious mental effects besides missing sequences. Could be an after effect of Lab-Rat. Could be the result of parahuman intervention.

I reach out to my swarm. Control is sluggish, and nearly all of the expected feedback is missing, but not gone entirely. 

From since I triggered, to a brief moment while at Bonesaw’s mercy, my Passenger had been an ever present companion.

And now a barrier existed between me and my Passenger? 

My panic rose up once more; I struggled to force it back down. 

Many of the exercises I had learned from Yamada involved breathing–which I currently could not perform. I focused instead of systematically flexing each of the muscles in my arms and legs.

My right arm ached and refused to respond from below the elbow. It took a moment to remember that it had been amputated and then cauterized. 

My legs and left arm, restricted. Everything, restricted. I could not move. A Bonesaw paralytic? Dear god I hoped not–not again–not ever again. 

Even my eyelids refused to open.

But I could still flex my muscles in place.

This was madness.

How was I still alive–could I confirm that I was alive? I still received feedback from my body, and my Passenger, while muted, was still present.

For all intents and purposes, I remained alive. I felt helpless. 

No, I would not submit, nor give up, not now, not ever.

What were my choices? I could sit tight and wait for rescue. If rescue would come. Leaving my fate in the hands of strangers? No, absolutely not. Perhaps Lisa, if I knew she knew where I was–but that could not be confirmed. I would never rely on general goodwill and human decency; it did not exist.

I must save myself; I must free myself. But how? Assuming I had not been envenomed by a paralytic, then I must have been casted in place by an unknown rigid material.

Thinking back to materials coursework leading up to Gold Morning: If the material was rigid, then perhaps it was brittle. Minute oscillations or vibrations could loosen its grip, perhaps even shatter it.

I began an exercise of repeatedly flexing and relaxing every muscle in my body, implementing isometric exercises. I counted reps and sets, timing them: one rep was one second, one set was thirty.

I guessed at time from my heartbeat and the sets. Minutes in, I had yet to breathe, although I did feel warm from the exercise. 

An hour in, I took a break. I counted out ten minutes, then commenced the isometrics once more. Idleness could only harm.

I practiced for hours, for what seemed like days, but was in truth not even. I gained the barest inch of wiggle room. I lost time to sleep–I could not track how long I rested, but I assumed six hours. 

I awoke, and continued. I could finally open my eyes. 

I was encased in a thick layer of a red composite material that appeared partially translucent. Light filtered in dimly, incredibly dimly. I could not see much of my surroundings otherwise. The barrier between my Passenger and I felt thinner.

Heartened, I continued my exercises until I slept once more.

I was jostled awake. I felt like I was getting rocked back and forth in a gentle sway. The faintest of light filtering through the red stone was insufficient to reveal my surroundings, but it felt as though I was getting carried. 

By who, I did not know.

But if they were moving me, then perhaps I could signal to them that I was alive–that I was trapped? 

But what if they put me in this mess to begin with? 

I had theories about how I got here; most of those theories started and ended with Panacea. I had asked her to violate her own rule and edit my brain–my passenger. I had taken a known gamble. I had lost. 

What had happened after? Obviously I had been locked in place. Whatever had been done to me enabled me to survive without oxygen, at least while I was locked away in this–whatever this was. Had I offended these people? Would they finish the job if they knew I still lived? 

Was I one of Riley’s forgotten clones–oh god I hoped not.

I needed answers. I needed to take a risk. What was one more gamble? 

I flailed with all of the hard earned space I had made for myself over the past few days, taking advantage of the scant few inches of freedom I had earned. I shifted back and forth–counter to the jostling of whomever or whatever carried me.

My stomach lurched. I hit a free-fall that stretched less than seconds but felt an eternity in my blindness. I crashed to a stop.

Ow.

The resin trapping me cracked. Not completely, but there were minute fissures. The barrier between me and my Passenger thinned enough that I could almost–push–through–and–

I felt my swarm. 

But it was not my swarm. 

It was something else, a miasma that leaked into my shell and brushed against me, waiting for me to assign it purpose–motive.

Passenger–is this you?

I did not know instinctively how to use this Power. Perhaps Panacea had been successful in unlocking my Passenger. But if my Passenger had been unlocked, then it should have provided the technique required to use it. 

Powers were always instinctive.

The miasma waited for a purpose, for a motive, for an animation. There was a single branch of creatures that I knew above all else. My Passenger clicked into place. I felt the skittering paws and squirming legs between my flesh and the resin encasing me. 

I began chipping away at the resin, bit by bit. I found the weakest point, where the crack had formed. I sent my swarm to focus on this, to breach this prison. Mandibles scraped ineffectively against the hard material. 

Given time, even a steel mesh would fall. My swarm would not rest nor falter.

I was jolted upwards once more, and the swaying motions began. Once more, I was carried. Did my captors not realize I was here? Perhaps. But perhaps not.

If my captors had yet to realize I was alive, or awake, then all the more advantage to me. And soon, I would have a better idea of what was happening beyond my prison. I would make an informed decision then.

I chose not to thrash a second time. 

Over the hours, miasma continued leaking in until it pressed against me. My swarm continued to grow, compacting itself over and over again. I had spiders overlapped upon spiders, violating physics, yet from my proprioception, I had multiple bugs in the same space at the same time.

Whatever they were made up of, they felt different. They responded as bugs, but they were not living breathing beings. They were constructs, projections, a false mimicry.

Even trapped with little space and little light, I was able to observe myself.

My skin was unclothed, my costume gone. I could feel my own heartbeat. My lungs and airways existed, although no air was found within the prison, and no space existed for my chest to expand in breath. 

How I continued surviving without air, without suffering hypoxia–unknown.

Time passed as I was carried nonstop; my insects chewed away at my prison, focusing on the weakest spots. Their mandibles broke against the material, the insects dissipated into miasma upon injury. Fresher insects took the place of their fallen comrades. All the while, the miasma returned to me and my Passenger reformed the miasma back into newer fresher projections. 

I could choose which insects were formed, but it had to be one I knew intimately. I wondered what would happen if I tried recreating Atlas. Would I be crushed? Or would my prison shatter? That would be plan B.

Eventually, my insects–termites I chose–appeared to have success. They chewed through the wall and created a pinprick of an opening. Fresh clean air poured in, and I took a shallow breath. A shallow shallow breath.

It tasted–invigorating–drunkening–maddening. I could not breathe deeply enough. I needed more.

I chipped away at the crust binding my chest. I would not be denied a full breath. In the interim, I enlarged the pinpricks until my insects could escape.

Sounds began filtering in.

I could hear!

There were voices. I did not recognize them. Even the language sounded off. But as I focused, I felt the knowledge and comprehension slot into place. 

Passenger?  

I understood bits and pieces of what was being said, though I could not hear enough of any conversation to make sense of it as a whole.

I heard weeping. Several women. Lamentations. I heard a man’s voice, a deep, bassy rumble.

What were they saying? Who were they? Why were they mourning?

I sent jumping spiders out through the hole and focused on their senses. I could see through them, without the headache. My Passenger had grown–likely from Panacea. Though the senses were not as I remembered them. Not exactly.

I sent out gnats to begin understanding the lay of the land.

We were traveling through a forest. I felt trees and tasted grass. Though no insects appeared to be naturally occurring. That did not mean insects were not there. I may have lost my old power, during whatever changes were made to Passenger.

When I saw the people around me, I took a pause.

If these were capes, they chose to forgo masks. They wore odd costumes as well. The man I heard speaking was short and stout with a grungy beard. He wore metal armor, heavy, and had a winged helmet slung around his neck. This was not power armor.

Two women walked side by side, wearing cloth wrapped around their chests and shorts, one with a sword, and another with a double bladed staff. There were others around us, men and women, one slender woman with pointed ears–was that an elf?! Then that would make the stout man a dwarf?!

This made no sense. How long had I been out? How long of a timespan did that hole in my memory cover? Where was I? What world was this?

The forest we passed through gave odd vibes. It seemed too perfect. Artificial.

And where was I? What was I in?

One of the scantily clad women had a large crystal tied to their back. An ovoid crystal. Made of a rough cut. Made from a red material. With a crack towards the bottom, in the shadow of the woman’s back… I was in that ?!

I continued exploring my surroundings, enlarging the cracks, and eating away at the interior of the gem. 

Another curiosity, each sliver of material that my swarm chipped away seemed to disappear and evaporate.

At first, I thought the material sublimated–some nature of tinkertech. 

However, I noticed that as time went on, and as my swarm ate away at the crystal, that additional miasma became available for me to build my swarm with.

Measurements were difficult, but without at least an attempt, my theory could never be proven.

I halted all efforts at eating away at the material. I focused on using every iota of miasma to fill out my swarm, until I had not enough for a single additional gnat. And then I waited. At first, nothing changed. Then I had just slightly more material, about a jumping spider’s worth.

Did my miasma grow overtime? 

Wait, I thought that I had thirteen jumping spiders observing my captors–and now I only had twelve? One must have died. 

I recreated that jumping spider and sent it out. I remained out of miasma. And so long as nothing of my swarm died, I gained nothing more.

After an hour, I resumed chipping away at the material, while keeping my swarm’s volume steady. Within minutes, enough chips dissipated for me to gain enough miasma to create a black widow.

I considered that theory confirmed. The red material could be converted to miasma which Passenger could then use to create and govern my swarm. Assuming that more of the material could be found elsewhere, I could potentially grow without limitation.

Yet, I doubted a swarm of insects could ever be sufficient to destroy Scion. It appeared my sacrifice was for nought. But there had to be something–anything–that I could do! I would not give up, nor allow despair to claim me. I would not lose–not when the lives of trillions were at stake.

I needed to know more.

It was an off-chance, but if I could rally support here, I might be able to route that help back towards the fight that mattered most. But how could I convince them that the world was ending? Not just the world, all worlds. I doubted they would believe me.

Even if they did believe, I doubted they would offer their aid. 

Humanity disgusted me–wait, where had that thought come from?

I finally managed a semi-deep breath, which I took, to calm myself. These strange people might be irregulars or capes with deviations, or they might be an alternative evolutionary track on whatever world I was on. 

I could breathe, I could speak! 

“Door,” I said.

Nothing. Perhaps Clairvoyant and Doormaker missed it?

“Door, Earth Gimmel,” I said just a little more loudly, loud enough it should have worked. Nothing, no portal. Was my prison obstructing the portal, or Clairvoyant’s vision?

I knew too little of my current situation. I would continue to breathe and learn. And then, I would act. For now, glorious breaths.

At first, I barely noticed it. 

The scent receptors in my swarm did not behave the same–things tasted differently, colors appeared less vibrant–but contained richer contrast–black and white. 

It was the scent that threw me off, until it reached my own nostrils.

I smelled smoke.

I sent out more fliers. I was unable to fit moths through the opening yet, which limited my mobile perception, but every little thing helped. The party of fourteen possible-parahumans approached a cliffside trail. My fliers followed the potential paths we would take. On top of the cliff, the scent of smoke came the strongest. My swarm had difficulties making headway through it, and were they natural insects, they would have been repelled.

But I was the will and the purpose of my swarm, and they pushed forward.

Several wooden towers sat atop the cliff giving a view of the forest below. There were smoldering ruins of buildings among the roots of what could only be a gigantic tree out of fantasy. Besides the smoldering ruins, no signs of active conflict were apparent.

“What happened to Rivira?” one of the women asked.

“Monster train?” the woman carrying me answered. “Related to the ambush?”

Several objections sounded out, until the bassy rumble silenced them.

“Won’ know till we get up there,” the dwarf answered. “No point speculating.”

The conversations were subdued after that. I positioned my jumping spiders on elbows and helmets and belts, anywhere they could see. I lost several due to mishaps, but just as quickly I replaced them. 

While I currently lacked my swarm of biblical proportions, my new power had its perks: namely an infinite swarm requiring only preparation.

Soon the party climbed the cliffs and I had a better view of the town ‘Rivira.’ It was situated within the roots of a gigantic tree. Buildings and open areas.

“At least the hotel’s still there,” a woman with pointed ears, Lefiya, said. She had been one of the women mourning the most loudly. Even now, she spoke through sniffles, and her cheeks were wet, her eyes red, and her hair in a disarray. “Do you think we will rest before ascending?”

“Normally we would,” the curvier Amazon named Tione said. Tione carried two scimitars in a sash about her waist, and she certainly had the cleavage to make my teenage self weep in jealousy. Fortunately, I had outgrown that–the end of the world tends to put things in perspective. I had to question the practicality of her outfit though. She must have been some nature of brute. Capes had worn stranger things back home.

“But normally we aren’t carrying a dungeon stone the size of a horse,” the other Amazon, Tione’s sister Tiona said. Tiona was the one that had me strapped to her back.

“And isn’t she busty,” Tiona said. Which was strange. I must have missed part of the conversation. Because Tione had a chest as flat, or even flatter, than I did. Unless they were talking about the stone. But it made no sense to call the stone a she. Unless–?

“Loki would never forgive us if we dallied,” said the dwarf, Gareth.

One of the survivors of the Rivira attack hailed Gareth and waved them down. “Are you taking requests?” the survivor, a man wearing a leather tunic, asked. “We’re in a bad way right now and Goliath is up so we can’t resupply.”

“We have concerns of our own,” Gareth said, sounding forlorn. “We will clear Goliath though, and we will carry word to the Guild. But we suffered our own losses.”

“That's all we can ask for,” the man sighed, before bowing. “Condolences for the losses…”

As the party continued through the town, I heard muttering that explained what had happened to Rivira. 

A horde of high level monsters had attacked suddenly and without warning, coming up from a lower level. Normally it would only happen when adventurers drove them up–but even then–the stampede would never come out that hard or that fast through the forest in a solid swarm. This monster party, and was that not a ridiculous term, had remained in a cluster until it ‘sneak attacked’ the tongue, causing fires and mayhem.

The survivors claimed that it had felt malicious. More than a few complained about the Dungeon’s intent, that the eighteenth floor could no longer be considered safe, and that they were making plans to leave for Orario. 

While I had been eavesdropping, I had learned why the party was hauling ‘me’ up.

Apparently my prison was an overly large dungeon stone, a valuable gemstone used to power tinkertech devices. The party found it–me–near the site of a conflict where they had lost several teammates. I could not anticipate any confrontation resulting in anything less than conflict.

If I chewed my way out from the dungeon stone, then they would accuse me of stealing their profits or of desecrating the memory of their fallen. If they found me within the stone, then there would be many awkward questions which I did not know the answer to. They might even mistake me as being responsible for their losses. I could not be sure.

But as I was in no immediate danger, and as I was currently growing in strength with every bit of the stone my swarm ate, I decided to bide my time, gathering information before I made my escape.

Only then, could I decide how to get back to the fight against Scion with perhaps reinforcements.

We finally reached the entrance into another cavern, a long ramp leading upwards to presumably Goliath’s chamber. Gareth the dwarf led the way up. Everyone had taken a brief moment to arm themselves and draw weapons. The baggage train, also called ‘supporters,’ fell a ways back towards the rear.

And then Gareth walked forward, his oversized bearded ax, or hammer, I had trouble verifying, was out, loose, and ready.

“Goliath!” Gareth called a challenge.

Gareth’s challenge was answered with a roar that reverberated through the chamber. The roar smashed several of my swarm through air pressure alone, and caused several rocks to fall from the walls.

A crack sounded as a hand larger than a car slammed down on the stone, lifting a giant up out of a recess. A giant of a man climbed up and loomed over us. His red eyes appeared malicious, but we were armed and intruding on his home. Was he a Case-53? Did they have those here? 

Gareth wasted no time. He leapt forward with his ax raised high and he brought it down in a powerful blow to the giant Goliath’s chest.

The shockwave killed most of my swarm. The amazon’s hair whipped back, and several of the supporters lost their footing.

Goliath’s chest shattered and blew backwards, and something inside the giant cracked. Goliath groaned before disappearing in a cloud of black dust. A broken dungeon stone the size of my head fell to the floor.

Gareth hefted his hammer on his shoulder and kept walking forward, while a supporter collected the shattered stone.

They had killed Goliath. 

It had been fast, so fast. There had been no negotiation. Just murder. Was that standard procedure for adventurers? Would they murder me? Suddenly I felt glad that I had bided my time so far.

The party continued upwards. I learned that there were only sixteen more floors to go, populated with various ‘monsters’ that were all far weaker than Goliath. 

I had yet to determine if the creatures were sapient or not, but they did appear aggressive at the very least, which ameliorated my conscience some. 

At the rate we were heading though, I had little doubt we would reach the surface soon. 

I continued eating away at the shell. I had loosened enough that I could curl up comfortably at the bottom of the shell, almost like a hollowed out egg–actually, exactly like that. Except instead of fluid suspending me, I had my miasma and my swarm.

I finally had a description for my miasma: it was a viscous shadowy gas that I could form into insects. I did not know what it was, except that it was related to my new modified power. 

I continued sending out my swarm. I had many spiders now, venomous recluses and black widows, hidden among the ‘adventurers.’ I sent even more out to trail after us in the cavern as we went.

I was unable to field any of the truly large fliers such as dragonflies, which limited my airdrop potential. But I was able to send out hornets. I widened the hole in my shell until I could send out wasps as well. 

My swarm appeared to be made of shadows–my wasps were black, my hornets were black, my black widows lacked the red hourglass. In a way, this saddened me. I missed my colorful insects. But in another way, this was a benefit, as the dungeon contained many shadows which conveniently hid my swarm.

“Getting tired of your load yet sister?” Tione asked.

Tiona scoffed, “Seems to be getting lighter actually. Will we sell her off at the Guild you think?”

“It is a trophy to represent our fallen,” Gareth cut in from somewhere ahead. “We shall mount it in the Great Hall so that we and our Goddess may remember our losses.”

The Amazon sisters shared a glance and shrugged. 

Gareth cleared out several minotaurs and living shadows, smashed through giant insects, and otherwise invalidated what should have been a struggle.

If many more parahumans like Gareth existed, then perhaps I could find many allies here against Scion. Though how long did I have before Scion came here? And what good was another brute, when even Alexandria-Pretender failed? 

But even more immediately: did Gareth say they would mount my shell in their Great Hall? A shell of semi transparent material, which I had been steadily thinning? 

I was under no illusions that I would not become visible immediately under the light of day. And then the terrible confrontation would occur. Just like with Goliath. Just like with the mitaures, and all the other humanoids I had seen them slay.

No, what I needed was to escape. Then I could plot diplomacy and strategy from a position of strength. I would remove their potential to harm me. My first priority had to be my survival… 

I needed a distraction.

While these adventurers of Loki had done me no harm– yet –they were potentially my captors. Escaping cleanly without deaths, but with my pre-emptive attack, would be more favorable than a potential hostile outcome where I was at a disadvantage.

I did not become a warlord of Brockton Bay by indecisive half measures.

I ordered my spiders to bite and envenom all of the adventurers. Several gasps went out. My spiders struggled to pierce Gareth’s skin, or the Amazons. But the supporters were easy to pierce, and it was they who cried out the loudest.

“What is it?” Tione shouted.

“Bugs?” One of the supporters asked. “In the dungeon?! Get’em off!”

For adventurers, they appeared squeamish of small insects.

“There’s so many of them!”

“Where are they coming from?” Gareth demanded. “This dungeon!” He swore, slamming his hammer, or was it an ax, down on the floor and sending out a shockwave. I brought in my swarm from the fringes. If Gareth’s skin was too hardened to pierce, then I would strike where he was fragile, just as I did with Lung years ago.

Eyes. Nose. Mouth. Armpits. Navel. Groin.

Always there were weak points, no matter the brute. Alexandria had learned, and now Gareth would learn. He shouted and thrashed on the floor. I would refrain from killing him, but I needed him disabled for the time being. The Amazon’s received the same treatment.

Tiona, the one holding my shell, threw herself against the cavern wall.

Now was the time of maximum distraction, and now I would make my escape. Just as soon as I removed myself from the shell.

I had prepared several weak spots in the shell in preparation, and to one of these weak spots I delivered a precise elbow strike. Cracks frissioned out from the impact. I needed more! I hit it again. And again!

It shattered and I fell to the floor, naked. I hit the shards of the shell, opening several cuts. But what was a little more pain?

“The stone!” Tiona shouted a warning. 

My swarm covered me. I formed a clone to split off heading another direction. I covered all the eyes I could find. I sprinted down into the dungeon, past the supporters.

“Door!” I shouted. “Door, Earth Gimmel!”

But nothing. No portal. Had Scion killed Clairvoyant? Had I been betrayed? 

I kept running, trying to think of why it was not working. I shouted out the words again, but still nothing. Why?

And how was I this fast?! 

I should have been cramped on the floor. I had been immobilized for so long. Strange, but not unwelcome. I would take any advantage I could find.

I heard the stone cracking behind me. From the bugs I placed on the walls, I could see lifeforms beginning to emerge. They would add to my distraction.

I barely noticed Gareth slibbing something from a belt pouch. It was a cylindrical vial, just a fraction larger than a test tube. He popped the top off of it with a thumb and tossed the contents into his throat. He climbed back to his feet and roared.

“Enough!” Gareth shouted as he slammed his hands together, sending out a thunderclap. 

The shockwave killed all the bugs I had on him.

I came to a junction. I took a right, and sent a bug-clone straight. I continued sprinting for all I was worth. I should have assumed the brutes had some means of regeneration! I was screwed if they caught me!

My insects on the Amazons showed them moving. They pulled out those same vials from their belt and drank, just like the dwarf had, before they stood up and began slapping each other down, moving faster than I could perceive. 

Were those vials health potions?! I wish I had known about those before I made my play–but hindsight was pointless at this point. I had to get away.

Most of my venomous insects had been destroyed. The spiders I still had had depleted their venom sacs. 

I cleared another hallway, another corner, then another.

But the Amazons pursued. They ran after me, one following my clone, the other following me.

They were fast! Mover One ratings at least.

I sent out another clone, hoping to distract Tione. At least Tiona had been fooled, she was running perpendicular to my course. But not Tione. She paused at every turn, cocking her head, listening for me, despite all the noise, all the cracking stonework from the ‘monsters’ spawning, all the chaos of my swarms. It was all for naught. Was she a Thinker as well?!

I left jumping spiders behind on the walls and wasps. I sent the wasps after Tione, but she swatted them from the air lazily.

She was getting closer. 

I was slowing down. 

Tiona caught up to my swarm and spun her bladed staff through it like an industrial food processor. She cursed and turned about a one eighty and sprinted back towards her sister, which she somehow knew how to find. 

I was out of tricks.

The only thing I could do was hide. But even that, could it work? I covered myself with as much as the miasma colored insects as I could. If I could hide in the shadows of an alcove, then maybe… 

But the walls were cracking, statues of creatures, small humanoids, were emerging.

Oh no. 

Were they sapient?

I waved at one. “H-hello?” It took me a few tries to get the words out, my mouth felt like dry sand, and I croaked more than spoke at first.

The small humanoid tried to shank me. Its red malevolent eyes held no room for negotiation.

“Shit!” I swore. I guessed this was why the adventurers killed the monsters. But no! I would not jump to conclusions. “Stand down,” I tried. “Last warning.”

The little wolf man stabbed me with a pointy stick in my thigh. It was not deep, but it stung, and it pissed me off.

Fuck diplomacy.

From all the miasma I had available on me, I formed bullet ants and Asian Wasps, all the worst of the worst. 

I kicked the closest one back as I sicked my insects on them. The creatures screamed and thrashed and rolled on the ground. I sent wasps and hornets down their throats.

Several of the swarm I left at the start of my hallway noticed a disturbance of air. I turned in time to see Tione racing towards me, her scimitars flashing side to side as she put down the monsters. She angled towards me. 

I held out my arms in front of me and shouted, “Wait! I surrender!”

She had already reached me by the time I spoke, her blade stopping abruptly against my neck. I felt the hot metal against my bare skin. The acceleration of that sudden stop had been incredible–weaker metals would have broken.

“You speak?” Tione asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re not a monster?” Tione asked, or said. “Yet you attacked us. You destroyed our dungeon stone. Adventurers have died for less.”

Chapter 3: Hatchling 1.2

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.2

“You’re not a monster?” Tione said. “Yet you attacked us. You destroyed our dungeon stone. Adventurers have died for less.” 

I ignored how cold the dungeon’s air felt against my bare skin. Nudity was suboptimal, but also beside the point. Life and death hung in the balance, not just of me, but everyone. Anything that failed to provide me an advantage had to be ignored.

I held Tione’s eye, matching her stare. I held my back straight. I retained the posture fitting of a Monarch. Despite her scimitar at my throat, I would not show weakness.

And then, in a complete reversal, Tiona started laughing. 

“Naked in the dungeon!” Tiona said, smiling and over emoting as if she were in a theater class. “I don’t think even my sister would try that!”

“Tiona,” Tione said, not that Tiona paid any attention to her sister.

“You’re really lucky my sister spared your life, you know?!” Tiona continued. Less than a minute ago, I thought Tione and Tiona would kill me, and now Tiona was smiling? She confused me. I felt her expressions failed to match our situation. And yet, she continued in an effervescent manner. “What’re you doing down here anyway?” Her eyes leered my chest and legs, leaving me uncomfortable. I refused to act coy though–I had to own up to my position if I wanted to be taken seriously. “You must be very confident in yourself, aren’t ya?” Tiona finished. 

“...Tiona!” Tione said, more firm this time. And still, her sister ignored her.

“Well?” Tiona asked from where she held me by my shoulders. 

I slowly turned to regard her. I needed to buy time to rebuild my swarm. I first formed midges and gnats and fleas, to keep track of the Amazons and anyone else who would ambush us. 

“What do you have to say for yourself?!” Tiona chattered away. “Are you a super confident adventurer? Did the Ishtar Familia put you up to a dare? Or did some scallywags try having their way with you? If that’s the case, point them out to me and I’ll pound em.” 

She punched her fist into the palm of her hand for emphasis. Literally everything this woman did was over the top. She must have been insane. I really wished I had gotten away. None of my time as a cape had prepared me for this. How was I even supposed to respond? I realized though, that Tiona was a distraction. It was Tione that held a blade to my throat.

I turned back to Tione and ran my tongue over my teeth–they felt sharper than I remembered. What other changes had been forced upon me? This was another piece of evidence at the meddling of a bio-tinker.

I opened my mouth to speak and finally got a word in edgewise. 

“I–” I started, but then realized I was unsure of how to proceed.

What could I say? What did I know? How could I allay violence? I dared not attack again. What would Lisa say–no, wrong. Lisa would probably make things worse. What would be the exact opposite of what Lisa would say.

“...I’m sorry for your loss,” I said, digging up as much empathy as I could. I thought of Alec, of the oil rig, of all the people I might never see again. I hoped that I conveyed that emotion. From the softening of Tione’s face, I thought I might have been successful.

“Thank you,” Tione said. She lowered her blade. I had no doubt she could bring it up in less than a second to cut me clean through if she changed her mind, but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless. It was a step towards deescalation.

“Now that we’re all friends!” Tiona said, her face turning from a smile to a frown so abruptly I had whiplash. “Who are you and why did you attack us? Do you know how easy it would have been to kill you? I kinda want to right now! You wrecked my beautiful gorgeous one of a kind dungeon stone worth billions of vasils, a stone I spent days lugging around! And you broke it!” She stamped her foot, once again playing up the theatrics.    

“Sister, calm,” Tione said.

“It’s just–she’s standing there like she didn’t use her magic on us. If we weren’t the Loki Familia, we could have been really hurt! Lesser adventurers could have been killed! The dungeon is no place for fooling around like that–” 

Tione put a hand to her forehead and said, “Ay.” Or I thought that was what she said. 

“-And look at her!” Tiona continued. “Are we sure she isn’t a monster? She doesn’t smell human, and I don’t think any of the faunus have scales.” Tiona pointed at my chest. 

The skin was discolored with black and green and molting–it almost did look like scales were starting to grow, but they could have also been scars. But for another matter, while I was looking at my chest, I realized something horrific.

Unbidden, the words fell from my mouth. “My chest shrunk!” Damnit! I should have been over this! It had been years since I had worried about that superficial bullshit. The world was ending, not just Earth Bet, but all of them. And my breasts are what come to mind? Something was wrong with my mind.

“You mean you weren’t always as flat as my sister?” Tione said in a dry voice, almost smirking. 

“Hey!” Tiona sputtered, her face turning red. 

“Rude!” I said at the same time.

Again, I had more important things that I should be worrying about than niceties. Why the heck was I even worried about that? I would say something was in the water here, but I had yet to actually drink it. Maybe the air?

“Besides sister,” Tione added. “Monsters don’t speak. But questions do remain. For instance, your name and Familia?”

I coughed and tried to cover my blush. “Taylor Hebert.”

“Like the job?” Tiona asked. “What’s a Tailor doing down here naked anyways? I’d figure if anyone had clothes it would be you!”

I groaned and reminded myself why drowning the world in bees was a bad idea. Not that I actually considered it at this point, but the fantasy helped me pull through the awkwardness I was feeling. I spelled out my name for them.

“And your Familia?”

“Like my family name?” I asked. “I doubt you’d have it here, but my family name is Hebert.” I almost spelled that out for them too.

“No, your Familia. Like, the Divinity? You know? The Falna? Any of this ringing any bells?” Tiona said, increasingly exasperated as she saw my expression stray further and further to confusion.

“I’m not an adventurer,” I said.

“But you have magic,” Tiona said, pointing at the miasma hanging around my feet. 

“Magic without incantations like that is rare–like Ais.” Tione added, before sorrow took hold of her face. Ais must have been one of their comrades that fell.

Seemingly oblivious, Tiona continued. “Powerful magic too. We had to take health potions. If you could have kept that up, we might have been in trouble! By the way, you’re gonna need to pay us back for all that.”

“I don’t have a Divinity though, or a Falna. I’m a parahuman.”

“Para-what-now?” Tiona asked.

“Enough,” Tione said. “Gareth and the rest will expect us to return. And the question remains, what shall we do with our captive?”

Slowly, and with care, I gestured down at my naked body. “Perhaps help me find clothes?”

“Why?” Tiona asked. She seemed genuinely confused. 

“Unless you would rather your captives to remain nude?”

“Know many Amazons?” Tione asked, a slight smirk to her face. She and her sister both laughed, though Tione’s was more subdued than her sister.

 

I may have misjudged. I should have predicted this. Of course, a group of people that wore sports bras and short-shorts into battle would have different views on nudity and conduct towards prisoners of war. But what could I answer without causing alarm, or giving away too much? I did not know what Thinkers these people had available. Any clues given could be deleterious. And yet, in this case, the truth might work. Besides, I was finding myself coming to like the sisters–Tiona’s antics almost– almost –reminded me of Aisha.

“You are the first Amazons I have met,” I said.

“Wait–really?!” Tiona asked.

“We are not that rare,” Tione said, frowning. “Either you met some without knowing–”

“-nope, we’re pretty obvious sis!”

“-or you’re lying. Which is it?

“Do I look like I meant to be here?” I asked them, giving them both pointed looks, but especially Tione. 

“I’ve seen stranger things,” Tione answered. “Though you do appear ill equipped, even for a mage. But enough. I hear them calling for us.”

I heard nothing of the sort. But the Amazons probably did have a low ranking Thinker power, at least Tione. It would be hard to describe Tiona as Thinker anything–unless it was an act to throw me off, in which case well done.

The Amazons marched me back towards their party, where Gareth met us by the supporters.

“Who’s the lass?” Gareth asked, careful to avoid ogling my body. Not that I could blame him for ignoring me. My chest was as flat as ever, flatter than normal even, and a green black discoloration had formed over my chest. Wait just a darn second–why was I upset that he acted with integrity? There must have been some sort of low key Master effect or compulsion in effect, because this was not right.

As he approached, I took the opportunity to spread small gnats across everyone present, from elbows and knees to spines and sheathes. It was a habit at this point.

“And what is that hanging about her feet?” he added. 

I glanced down. I realized that the miasma from my dead swarm had pooled there, reminiscent of a black mist, like on a rare sunny day with a damp tarmac. It rose up to my ankles and trailed off in wisps as it circled outward.

“It is the magic that she used to attack us with insects,” Tione said.

“And get this, she doesn’t need an incantation to do it either!” Tiona added.

Tione nodded. “Apparently she has no Familia nor Falna. We weren’t sure what to make of her.”

“I don’t know if she knows what to make of her,” Tiona added with a smile. So we were back to smiling again. Then she frowned. “But she broke our stone! And those insect bites were really annoying!”

“This true lass?” Gareth asked me. His face could have been cast from steel, whereas just previous he had at least appeared somewhat warm. 

“That is one interpretation of events,” I said, “But I would offer another.”

They stared at me and waited. I stared back and arched an eyebrow.

“Well what is your interpretation then?” Gareth asked, exasperated.

“I’ll tell you once we get out,” I said, adding all the firmness I could to my voice. I did not know much about the dungeon, but I knew that it was not a conducive place to have a discussion.

“And why should we wait?” Gareth asked. I noticed that the Amazons defaulted to the dwarf.

“If I give you an answer you dislike, I don’t wish to be disappeared.”

“You think so little of the Loki Familia?” Gareth said, frowning now.

“I know next to nothing of you or yours,” I answered. “But this dungeon seems like a place to lose a body.”

“And you would know about disappearing bodies?” Tione asked.

“I would not know,” I seethed. I almost said more, but I stopped myself. I would not give away any of the scant few advantages I had. My knowledge was one of them. And while I did intend on revealing the imminent threat from Scion, how I doled out that information would have a large impact on my chances of success. 

Gareth’s eyebrows furrowed together and he worked his lip and beard. “There be a story here, I think. It would be best to take the matter before the Goddess to decide.”

“Goddess?” I asked, and then immediately mentally kicked myself for revealing more of my ignorance than had been necessary.

“Aye, Loki.” Gareth waved a supporter over, one who carried a backpack larger than me. “And get the lass something to cover up with. No need to give Orario a show.”

Tiona grumbled, but said nothing further as they dressed me in a silk robe–on loan, since it was apparently one of the mage’s that had perished–and they marched me past where the dungeon stone had broken. I noticed that all the fragments had been cleaned up, likely claimed as ‘loot.’ If the stones were that valuable, then I had to wonder if I could make the case that the stone rightfully belonged to me? I doubted I could convince them of that from my current position of weakness, but hanging onto that fact might be worth a bit of leverage later.

We made quick progress through the rest of the dungeon. We only had three floors to go, and the monsters kept well enough away from the ‘top tier’ adventurers in the Loki Familia.

Again, more questions. Was the Loki Familia a gang? Were the monster’s controlled by a sentient force, or were they sapient themselves? Not for the first time, I was tempted to turn to my Amazon captors and demand answers. However, asking questions would give away far too much too early. Hence, I refrained.

We exited the dungeon. 

The scale of the construction impressed me. We came up a spiral of steps carved into a wide circular pit, and far above us was a tapestry reminiscent of Michelangelo which covered the entire ceiling. 

Once we reached the top, Gareth turned towards a supporter. “Inform Her that we have returned, and that we require her assistance.”

The supporter nodded, barked an affirmative, and rushed off. The customs had almost seemed militarized, but just slightly relaxed. I almost felt that the encounter was missing a salute of some sort.

As we came up from the dungeon, I had been sending out the smallest of my fliers to get a scope of the room. 

The room was large. Very large. A reasonable sized building could fit in the chamber. The walls were lined with great columns, and a single exit had adventurer’s coming and going.

“Hail the Loki Familia,” an short and slim adventurer in green armor carrying a spear called out as he headed down into the dungeon. “Taking applicants yet?”

“Gain a few levels first, yeah?” Tiona said with a smile, causing the adventurer to blush. I thought I heard Tione sigh wistfully after someone named ‘boss,’ but it clearly was a different guy.

“Besides!” Tiona added as an after thought. “Loki has standards! Beautiful women preferred. The bigger rack the better.”

“Wonder why she let you in then,” Tione whispered to her sister.

“Ay!” Tiona grumbled good naturedly.

The adventurer barked a laugh as he headed down the steps.

Gareth sighed and shook his head. “Amazons,” he said. He turned out a brisk pace towards the exit, while the Amazons flanked me and ensured that I followed. Meanwhile the rest of the party seemed to disperse in clumps, talking about exchange stones or checking on gear.

We ended up in a Guild side room meant for standing meetings, although several benches lined one of the walls. The Amazons pushed me towards the bench and crossed their arms, smirking and leaning against each other as if they were posing for an unseen camera.

“Ready to tell us about your alternative interpretations?” Tiona asked. Now instead of a smile or frown, she was smirking.

“Not until a Divinity shows up,” Gareth said. “Otherwise it is a waste of words.”

While we waited, I ignored the Amazons and dwarf and instead focused on mapping the building. I found an elevator shaft and infiltrated it. But as my insects climbed in elevation, they had yet to find a top.

This building must have been massive. Easily a skyscraper rivaling a modern metropolis. But the clothes of the adventurers appeared almost primitive, and medieval. A seeming contradiction. I distracted myself and almost missed the next comment a few minutes later.

“This is boring,” Tiona said. “We should be out raising cups for our fallen, not watching babysitting…?” she trailed off, searching for the word to describe me. She turned to her sister Tione who offered up, “villain?”

I arched an eyebrow at the Amazons but kept silent otherwise.

“You don’t deny it?” Tiona finally asked. 

“You seem to have made up your mind,” I answered. “Besides, I thought we were waiting for a Divinity to show up?”

“You attacked us with venomous insects in the dungeon,” Tione said.

“You broke my stone!” Tiona added.

“You lived,” I said.

“Hmph. Still unpleasant,” Tiona now. She frowned, then quirked her mouth up to the side in a pinched-thoughtful expression. “What kind of magic is that anyways? Those shadows seem pretty evil…”

I shrugged. “When I woke up today, I didn’t believe in magic. So I don’t know.”

I felt a disturbance out in the hallway. The door slammed open and a tall, thin, red haired and red eyed woman stormed in.

“Gareth!” she shouted. “What happened?!”

“My Goddess,” Gareth said, bending low in a bow, his hands gripping each other tightly. “We were ambushed… I should have forced Finn to be more careful. We lost–We lost so many…”

The Goddess, I assumed Loki, had been crying. She rushed forward and wrapped the dwarf in an awkward hug. “You couldn’t have made Finn do anything–” Loki waved the Amazons to join in on the hug “-it’s not anyone’s fault except that damn dungeon.”

I felt awkward sharing the room with them as they grieved and shared consolations. Truthfully, I had both heard and said some of the platitudes. Survivor’s guilt sucked. If I thought it might help, I would have offered my own.

Another, far shorter woman, stepped in. Where Loki was a beanpole, this new one was–I actually did not have a shape to describe the impossible physique. No woman should have that much curve in that little space.

“Loki,” the new entrant said. “I heard–my condolences.”

“I don’t wanna hear anything from you shrimp. Just let me grieve with my Familia.” Loki’s version of grieving included fondling Tione. Tione pushed Loki’s hands away from her chest but otherwise did not act nearly as upset as she should have. Was that behavior typical for Loki? And Loki was a Goddess?

“Unfortunate circumstances aside, we are here for a reason?” Another woman, about my height, with pitch black hair and golden irises said as she entered. She wore a long gown dress that shimmered with green and gold scales–almost reminiscent of snake skin. It looked expensive. And it fit her svelte figure wonderfully. 

“While we all mourn with the Loki Familia, we have been called for business.”

“Shut up!” Loki said. “What are you even doing here, Echidna? Why’d you bother descending? You can’t think anyone would risk joining your Familia.”

That name…

“I was also unaware that Echidna had descended,” the short curvy woman said. When she saw me staring at them confused, she waved. “Introductions then, I am Hestia.”

I waved half heartedly. Was that woman really named Echidna? “Mother of Monsters?” I half said.

“Not me,” Hestia mistook me as talking to her. “I’m Goddess of Family, Hearth, and Home. That–” she thumbed at the black haired woman “-is the Mother of Monsters.”

“My reputation precedes me?” Echidna asked.

“Honestly?” I said, “No. I knew someone else by that name, a long time ago.”

“Really?” Echidna asked, a slow smile growing. “You must describe her.”

“Horrific.”

“Ha! Even the weird shadow girl knows you!” Loki said. Though she straightened herself out, then turned towards the dwarf. “Speaking of. Why did you call me here?”

“Because of her–” Tiona pointed at me, answering out of turn. “She attacked us and broke a dungeon stone.”

“How is that a matter for the gods?” Echidna asked. “Are you not able to resolve this amongst yourselves?”

“It was a very large dungeon stone.” Gareth gestured with his hands to give an impression of its size. “It’s the one we found where Finn and the rest…” He choked up and didn’t finish his sentence.

“And this bitch broke it?!” Loki snapped, pointing at me without really looking. “Fuck that. Give me your sword Tione.”

Loki appeared unstable. I glanced at the other two ‘Goddesses’ for help. Hestia was giving me a serious side eye, but Echidna was the one to answer Loki with a scoff.

“We may as well hear her point of view. We are already here after all.”

“She said that she had a different ‘interpretation’ of events,” Tiona offered, before smiling once again. It was a sweet smile, not mischievous at all. I felt it should have been mischievous.

“I did say that–” I started. “Because it is true. I won’t argue that the dungeon stone broke. But I think it changes your perspective significantly if you were the one trapped inside of it.”

“What?” Loki’s jaw dropped.

“No,” Tiona said.

“She’s not lying,” Hestia said.

“But how?” Tione asked.

Gareth seized initiative. “How is that possible? How did you even insert yourself into the dungeon stone?”

I shrugged.

“What does a shrug even mean?!” Loki shouted, throwing up her hands. “This flat crippled bitch thinks she can mess with my Familia? After they suffered losses? What, you think we’re weak now because we lost some executives? Well I got news for you lady!”

Tione put a hand on Loki’s shoulder and gave a squeeze. “Let her answer, I am also curious.”

“If you would elaborate,” Echidna said. She spoke with the same credence that old money did, the inherent refinement. Wither her dress, her braided hair, and her on point makeup, I could easily see her attending a cocktail party with the rich and wealthy.

“This will sound far fetched…” I started.

I had been planning what to say since I had been caught. How I would inform them of Scion and convince them that I had woken up encased in a gem without knowing how. But I had not anticipated that these Divinities could determine the verity of the spoken language. Clearly, I had underestimated them. Now I needed to scramble to find the correct strategy to divulge information.

“I had already been in the dungeon stone for some time before the Loki Familia found it–me.”

“I thought it felt like there was something moving around in there!” Tiona commented. Her sister gave her a stern frown and mimed to shut it. “And when it had been getting lighter… no!” Tiona gasped.

“You speak truth, and yet… this is most irregular,” Echidna said. She turned her attention to Tiona. “Can you describe the nature of this stone?”

“Hey!” Loki shouted. “It’s not my Familia that’s getting questioned here.”

“It’s alright my Goddess,” Tiona offered, “I can elaborate. The stone was ovoid in shape, rough in texture, and large enough to hold her–” she thumbed my direction.

“She was naked when we found her,” Tione added.

“Ovoid…” Loki repeated slowly. “Wait–like an egg?! You brought a giant monster egg up to the surface?”

“-Monster’s cannot speak,” Tione said.

“-I’m not a monster,” I said by reflex at the same time.

All three Goddesses turned towards me the moment the words left my mouth, and I had to turn back and review what I said.

“What?” Loki asked.

“You don’t look like one,” Hestia thought out loud. “Are there any types that look like people?”

“Who knows what’s on the deeper levels. My Familia brought an egg to the surface with some kind of person shaped monster?! Is that what killed my Familia? This–” Loki waved at me “-thing?!”

“She looks nothing like the beasts that arrayed against us,” Gareth said. “And her magic is far different. She also was far far weaker than the dragon and Demi Spirit we fought.”

“Why do you think I might be a monster?” I asked, careful to keep my voice neutral.

“I think the better question is why do you think you might be a monster,” Loki added.

“I…” I bit off what could I say? I had done terrible things. But every one of those actions had been justified. Monsters beget monsters. One could not confront the likes of Jack Slash while maintaining innocence. But how to put that into terms they would understand. “I was not born in the dungeon, if that is what you are asking.”

“Ok, so you weren’t born down there. Doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” Loki said, her arms crossed. “Why do you think you’re a monster?”

How could I explain myself in a vacuum without context? How could I gain their aid in fighting Scion? 

Self interest had been proven to be insufficient to gather allies against the apocalypse. I could not trust altruism. Why had I uttered those words? 

I dumped my emotions into my swarm. I calmed myself. 

I could do this. 

I just had to change tactics, put context into place. 

The right context.

“I was not born in the dungeon, nor was I born in this world. This is my first time entering Orario–” I spoke over the scoffs and incredulous chatter “-stop me if I lie only please–” I caught all three Goddesses eyes and waited for them to confirm before continuing. 

“The world I arrived from was dying. Great monstrosities assaulted it, people exhibited awesome powers, but the most terrible of all was a golden man–” 

“-partial lie-” 

“Golden alien,” I corrected “who pretended to be a man named Scion.”

“If he was so powerful then how was the world dying?” Tiona asked. She was not mocking, but appeared to be genuinely attempting to understand. “Was he a god then?”

“He was an alien. And he was the one killing not only our planet, but trillions of others. An unfathomable amount of murder and genocide. I had devoted the past year to stopping the end of all worlds, and in so doing, I made mistakes that cost innocent people their lives… I… I regret many of my actions.”

“Where’s this guy now then?” Tiona asked. She was pounding her fist into her palm again, as if a Brute could stop Scion.

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “For all I know, he’s still out there annihilating worlds… I wish I knew.”

“Nice story, but how’djya end up in that crystal then, huh?” Loki asked.

“I… don’t know.”

“Was it a reincarnation?” Hestia asked.

I waved the stump of my right arm at them. “Do we reincarnate with the scars of our past?”

“The answer depends on if Thanatos does his job,” Echidna said. Ok, but who was Thanatos? And was reincarnation an actual thing?

“Before I came here, I asked a woman to alter my brain and my power so that we could have a shot at defeating Scion. I… I don’t know what happened after that.”

I almost begged for them to send aid. But I knew better than to ask for help. If I wanted them to chip in and help fight, then I had to make it seem like it was their idea. Too much too soon would be counterproductive. 

I needed them to take the bait first. To volunteer.

“Well it didn’t work, whatever changes you had done.” Tiona said, not cruelly. “You’re weaker than a level one. You gotta get training!”

“Does she even have a Falna?” Tione asked. “I don’t think she does.”

“I am unsure as to what a Falna is.”

“My Goddess,” Gareth asked Loki. “Should we prepare in case this threat arrives here?”

“If it is truly this dire,” Hestia said, sounding timid and unsure, “then perhaps an alliance is required?”

“As if anyone would want you shrimp,” Loki scoffed. 

Hestia frowned and her face turned red, but Hestia did not object. There might have been a hierarchy present.

“We don’t even know how to get to the world she’s describing,” Loki said. “And if this guy shows up here? Pfft, we’ll just unlock our Arcaneum. No prob.”

“You seek a way to save these worlds?” Echidna asked me. 

I nodded silently. But how could I? Nobody understood until it was too late, just how herculean and hopeless the fight seemed against Scion. 

Hestia seemed to pick up on my feelings, because I heard her soft voice. “Anything can be found in the dungeon, if you go deep enough…” 

“Anything?” I asked, perking up. “Even a way to defeat Scion?”

“Heh. Don’t kid yourself kid,” Loki said. “You got a long way to go before you can even think about going down there. Not even my top class Familia has reached the bottom.”

“How do I grow more powerful? This… Falna?” I asked, feeling the vestiges of hope. This could be exactly what I needed.

“When you join a Familia, the God or Goddess blesses a person with a portion of their Divinity. In return, the mortal helps and supports their God or Goddess.”

“Does it come with compulsions?”

“I can’t believe we’re even talking about this!” Loki shouted.

“Loki,” Echidna chided with maximum passive aggressivity. “Please control yourself.”

“Which Familia has gone the deepest?” I asked.

“That would be Loki’s,” Hestia sighed.

“Don’t even think of it,” Loki snarled. “We aren’t looking for any weak sauce recruits. Especially not ones looking like you.” Loki actually leered at my flat chest when she said that. Gross.

“Loki…”

“Fine!” Loki threw up her hands. “How about she solos Goliath. After that, then I’ll think about it. But not till then.”

“But that would be suicide for most anyone!” Hestia sounded horrified, she even put her hands on her cheek and gasped.

“Heh, good.”

“If you’re looking for a Familia, I could introduce you to Bell.” Hestia offered. “He’s my captain. If you two hit it off, maybe you could join. It would certainly be safer than Loki’s test.”

“How deep has Bell gone?” I asked.

“He’s just starting out like you–you could help each other get stronger!”

“I knew you were desperate Hestia, but really?” Loki asked. “Besides, are you sure you could afford it?” She raised a sleazy eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” Hestia asked, nibbling on her lower lip.

“The girl attacked my people. They had to drink a high grade potion each. Do the math. And that’s not to mention the dungeon stone she broke.”

Echidna, who had largely remained silent up to now, cleared her throat with a delicate ‘ahem.’ 

“It appears that the child wishes to receive a Falna and join a Familia. This should satisfy your requirements Lady Loki, as with a Falna she can begin earning reparations for any damages she caused to you and yours.”

“Who would even want her?” Loki asked derisively. “I mean sure, she’s got the creepy shadow magic going on, but bugs–really?! Besides, she’s damaged goods.”

Hestia winced and raised her hand. “My Familia might not be the best place for her, but not because of any of that or her injuries. We do need to make sure she joins the Familia that is right for her though.”

“Uh Huh sure,” Loki said, rolling her eyes. “Even the shrimp knows. Unless you can think of any other Divinity we can con her off on.”

“This behavior is beneath you Lady Loki,” Echidna chided. “It is not a question of if a Divinity will accept her, but a question of finding the correct Divinity to pair her with. And as I gaze upon the child, I wonder if she would not fit in with me and mine.”

“Shut up Echidna!” Loki swore. “Of course you’d want the monster. Freaks.”

“Take care of your words, Lady Loki.” Echidna spoke coldly. “I fear you allow grief to cloud your judgment. Insults once loosed can seldom be recaptured.”

“Ugh. You’re–just–the–worst! Fine, whatever. I’ll send you all a bill. I’m done here. Gareth. Ladies? Let’s get wasted.”

Tione and Tiona shared a glance and shrugged, while Tiona gave me a little finger wave. Gareth at least had the good grace to look embarrassed by his Goddess’ behavior. All four of them trooped out, leaving Hestia, Echidna, and myself in the room.

“You’ll adopt her then?” Hestia asked.

“Perhaps,” Echidna said as she continued examining me. “If she and I agree on the matter. However, I believe that a decision would be premature at this time, and I am certain that she has many questions.”

I nodded, I really did have a ton of questions.

“Does adoption come with a compulsion?” I asked. 

I remembered that some parahumans such as Teacher could bestow gifts alongside a Master effect.

Both Goddesses watched me without answering. “Elaborate, please.” Echidna finally said.

“If I receive a Falna, would I be unduly influenced by the ‘Divinity’ to perform their will?”

Hestia gaped. “You mean does a Falna remove free-will?” she asked.

“Or perhaps such as Freya’s and Ishtar’s auras,” Echidna offered.

“No,” Hestia said, shaking her head quickly, causing her ridiculous curves to wobble. “That would be horrifying. A perversion. Mortals in the Familia want to help their Divinities, not because they have to, but because they are family.”

“There are many cases where children leave their Familia as well, if there is a severe hurdle that cannot be otherwise overcome.”

“Or like Artemis with–” Hestia coughed and her face blushed “-sex.” she said quietly.

“Like so,” Echidna said. “But if I may be so bold, the hour grows late, and the child has no current living arrangements. I propose that she either come with one of us, so that she may ask questions and learn to her heart's content.”

“Hmmm maybe she’d be better off going with you?” Hestia said, chewing on her lip now and wincing, as though afraid I would be upset. “I’m out of food…” she mumbled. “But oh! Do you have a place? I know you just descended.”

Echidna smiled, “I do indeed. And if it is to the child’s liking, that will answer many of the questions regarding if she will fit in with mine.”

“Alright. But don’t hesitate to find me if you need! Bell Cranell is in the Dungeon most days. You know–” Hestia winced “-if it doesn’t work out with Echidna.”

“Indeed,” Echidna said with her smile, it almost reminded me of Lisa’s, but less foxlike, more subdued, but just as predatory.

Hestia waved and quickly left, leaving just me and Echidna. She turned to me and offered the crook of her right arm. 

“So tell me about yourself.”

Chapter 4: Hatchling 1.3

Notes:

CW: CLIFF HANGER

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.3

“...Tell me about yourself.”

Echidna remained standing there, offering the crook of her right arm. I looked down at my left arm, my only whole arm, then back towards her. It was clear what she wanted. But could I trust her? I had to, at least a little, if I wanted this Trump effect. And I wanted that Trump effect. But there was a problem: So far I only knew what they had told me, which only tangentially confirmed the things I had seen so far.

How should I play this? I guess I had to go along with it.

I stood and hooked my arm through hers and she opened the door for us before leading us out of the Guild headquarters, past a desk of tellers, and out into the street. The entire town felt almost like an older European city, before the Golden Era of Parahumans. Almost Germanic.

“What did you want to know?” I asked her, as she was still waiting for me to answer. I figured that finding out what she wanted, or claimed that she wanted, would reveal more of her character. Also, I had never written an autobiography–just talking about myself came across as daunting.

“Let’s start with the world you arrived from,” Echidna said.

What she failed to imply was that I only claimed to be from another world. I supposed that the ability to discern truth could be useful. But also, so incredibly dangerous.

Oh the things I could have done differently with that ability. Or that Tattletale could have done–I shivered just a little.

“It was very different from this one… but there are also similarities. There were Parahumans, men and women with incredible powers, a man that could grow into a dragon, a woman that could always win, people that could cross the globe in seconds. But with these powers, there were also monsters. So many monsters…”

“You mentioned an Echidna,” she said. “Tell me, am I similar?” She appeared amused.

“From what I have seen of you? No. Echidna, Noelle was her name, she had been a girl, just a little older than I am. Her power warped her body.”

I shuddered, recalling the stench, the mouths closing in around me, the nightmares I experienced while within her–I gagged before shoving all these feelings into the swarm.

“And she birthed monsters?”

“In a way,” I answered, keeping it vague. I wanted to ask this Echidna if she also birthed monsters, but could not force myself to ask.

And so, we continued walking, her asking questions, and me answering as vaguely as I could.

She led me down wide paved streets, not hurrying, and granting me the time to consider my words. I also could not help but look in the storefronts. This city must have been a wealthy one. Everywhere I looked, I saw either adventurers or well dressed persons. Little to no graffiti. Glass windows, no bars, valuables on display.

We passed shops selling weapons and potions and cutlery, haversacks and rugged tents, instant camp fires, antique books written in runic languages.

Echidna noticed my distraction from answering her latest question.

“This is the center of Orario,” she commented. “Anything that can be bought or sold can be found here. All the Familia pass through these streets on their way to the dungeon. Does anything catch your eye?”

There had been a few knives that glowed; they reminded me of the Tinkertech Nanothorn blade I had received from Defiant, though nearly every blade had an aesthetic that stretched beyond the practical. I supposed that with so many artisans, that weaponsmiths and armorers had to diversify to attract interest.

Instead of answering and revealing more of myself, I diverted to a more relevant topic.

“How long do I have to repay Loki?” I asked.

“Not how much or how to assemble that wealth?” Echidna asked, amused once more. This showed how questions could be dangerous. She divined my lack of interest in actually repaying my debts. But then again, if she knew that I knew the world was ending, it did not require much imagination to arrive at a conclusion about debts. If worst came to worst, I could flee, or find alternative means to resolving the debt.

But I could not outright say that, so I shrugged again.

“We will need to wait for word from the Guild on the exactitudes. I would not feel overly concerned however–It is only Loki. A brief visit to the Red Light district would distract her well enough. Of greater concern to me though, are your motivations. What are they? And please, grant me an answer this time.”

“Is shrugging not an answer?” I asked, this time my turn to smile, though barely a smile that it was.

“No,” she said. “Serpents oft have difficulty shrugging.”

What did that even mean?

“We lack the shoulders,” she said, a small smile almost pursing her lips. “But please, your motivations.”

“I need to prevent the end of all worlds,” I said plainly.

“An amazing dichotomy of an answer: Both honest and empty. How would you achieve this goal? What would you sacrifice? To what lengths would you go?”

“...I would sacrifice everything.”

Echidna winced, but only for the briefest second before she returned her face to a passive neutral.

By this time, we had left the center of the city, and had reached the suburbs, and not the best maintained homes either. Several showed signs of wear, chipped paint, missing shingles, cracked plaster, however, not anything near Brockton Bay levels of poverty.

“You will seek allies then?” she asked. She nodded towards a boisterous group of adventurers that passed. They leered at Echidna but winced when they saw my empty sleeve.

“Perhaps,” I said. “But not among them. Am I wrong to assume that Gareth was near the best of these ‘adventurers?’”

“Only perhaps one other in the city is above him.”

“Then no, adventurers would not be suitable to defeat Scion–greater Brutes have fallen to him. What I need is either power overwhelming, or a trick he cannot expect.”

“Only Divinities are above that, unless you would consider… monsters?” She once again smiled. There must have been an inside joke, privy only to her or to people who knew these Divinities.

“Would the Divinities aid me?” I asked.

She scoffed, “No. Not unless this Scion proved a direct threat here, to the Divinities and their games. But I believe that earlier we mentioned there may be another way, deeper in the dungeon.”

“Do you have details?” I asked.

“Do you mean besides vague half answers and shrugs?” she clarified.

When I nodded, she continued, once again amused. “You heard Hestia: anything can be found, if you go deep enough.”

“I find that difficult to believe,” I said. I believed that there were wonders in the depths, that a great many things could be found. But anything and everything? I could think of several things that would be far too fantastical to appear down there.

“Tell me child,” Echidna said, snapping me out of imagining a power armor factory. “Are there Divinities in your world?”

Now that was an interesting question.

There were capes. There were Endbringers. There were people that claimed to either be a god or to know one. But has there ever been evidence of divinities?

The answer was obvious. “No, not on Earth Bet. Not unless they are cruel and negligent.”

“Many of us do come across as such,” she said thoughtfully. “Though not all of us. You met Hestia. She has a good heart. She would have to, with her domain. Perhaps you would be suited to her Familia?”

“You don’t want me in yours?” I asked. This line caused me concern. I wanted power now. Every moment I dallied was another that Scion had free reign. But running ahead would do me no good if I went head-first over a cliff.

We continued on in silence, heading closer to the large walls rimming the horizon, and into the parts of town that appeared nearly abandoned. It almost felt like home, although still no graffiti. All the while, Echidna kept her silence. I could tell she was carefully considering her words–I had the same tells.

“Hestia is held in high regard compared to me. Her hearth and home would serve you well on the path to healing; should you choose her, you will one day live a–” she grimaced “-human life as a person of Orario.”

“Healing is not my concern,” I said. Defeating Scion was.

“Please consider carefully,” she insisted, stopping us in front of a burned down restaurant, a blackened husk of a building, perhaps a dive-bar. “Hestia is poor but kind, she is rich in love and understanding. Choosing her would be the easier path.”

She was trying to convince me to join Hestia? Why? Out of concern? Did Echidna not want me? For some reason, that bothered me.

“You do not want me?” I asked, voicing my concerns. The hurt must have been apparent in my voice. She frowned.

“I very much do want you, but you must know this before you make your decision, before you accuse me of hiding pertinent facts. Should you choose me, I shall cherish and jealously guard you as I would any of my brood. Other Divinities grant their children the freedom to leave. My Familia is not so easy to escape.”

“And why is that?” I asked.

She sighed and released my arm, turning to match my gaze with her bright green, supernaturally colored eyes.

“In this age, my children are loathed, hated and reviled. Should you join me, the stigma shall follow you to the end of this life.”

She was concerned about discrimination and racism then. How could I expect anything to be different? No matter how far from home I was, people were always the same.

“Revulsion is nothing I have not experienced before.”

“I know,” she gave me a small smile. “The weak often fear the strong.”

“Would joining your ‘Familia’ better aid me in reaching the depths of the Dungeon?”

“I am no soothsayer nor am I an oracle. But you would likely gain power more quickly than not,” she said.

“Then I choose you and yours.”

Afterall, I had joined a gang for worse reasons than saving the world, and despite Echidna’s namesake, she seemed decent enough, at least compared to capes back home.

“Are you certain?” she asked. “This decision will not be undone.”

She held my eye, staring intensely at me, looking for any hint of weakness. I would not fold. I would not fail. I would sacrifice anything to secure victory. I had allowed Panacea to unlock my Passenger afterall. How much of a stretch would it be to enter a strange covenant with a ‘Goddess.’

For an eternity, she stared into my eyes, seeming to measure and weigh my soul.

“I am not a Redeemer of Monsters,” she finally said. “I am a Mother to them.”

She then gestured for me to follow her into the burnt-out husk of a dive bar. A part of the floor had collapsed into the basement, and someone had set an old wooden ladder against the floor. She climbed down, and called for me to follow her.

Dubious, but I was committed. Perhaps this was another test. I climbed down after, careful of my footing. The burnt wooden planks created perilous footing.

Once in the basement, she walked over to a curtain hanging over a wall, which she pulled aside, revealing a hole in the stone walls lining the basement.

She motioned for me to follow her.

I arched an eyebrow, while sending advanced scouts down the tunnel to verify it was not an ambush. I still did not know what Echidna’s capabilities were, or her ambitions. However, she could have led me astray at any point, and I had no other point of contact besides Hestia.

Perhaps it was not too late to back out? I squashed the doubt and the fear. I had already committed myself. I would follow through. I would become the greatest monster of all if it meant saving humanity.

As I stepped after her, she allowed the curtain to fall back into place, plunging the hallway into darkness.

“Do you need a light?” she asked.

“No,” I answered. I felt a tinge of pride at my ability. 

My swarm had already mapped the floor and walls, and I had found that we were in a downward sloping hallway cut into a mixture of compact dirt, bedrock, and stone, with more stone than dirt as the hall descended.

She led the way downwards, until we reached a thick wooden door set into the stone of the hallway. The hallway continued onwards and downwards until what felt like a pile of rubble ended the path–perhaps a cave in.

“Did you carve this tunnel?” I asked.

She slid a hidden latch up and to the side and into the stone before pushing the door inward.

“No, I descended recently. This was prepared by one of my old friends, one of the few I count among them.”

The door previously had been sealed tight, as my swarm only just then was able to enter. I felt out the interior, it was a modest sized room, perhaps the size of an apartment flat. Certainly larger than my lodgings with the Wards, but perhaps the size of the Undersider’s loft.

A quarter of the room was recessed and filled with hot water, smelling only slightly of sulfur, likely a naturally occurring hot spring. In the far corner, there was a pile of rags and furs over straw, which I thought might have been a primitive bed. There was a standalone wardrobe near the door, and a large piece of glass hanging on the wall, what might have been a mirror. A chest rested beneath the glass. There was also a small dining table with four chairs around it, the chairs were padded but worn.

Notably, there was no light. Were it not for my swarm, I would have been blind.

“This is your home?” I asked as she shut the door.

“Do you have a change of heart now that you have seen my station?” She asked, I could hear a hesitance in her voice. Was she worried I would back out now? That worried her? Why did I feel an urge to comfort her?

“I have lived through worse,” I said. “But I do wonder at sleeping arrangements, or if I am expected to find my own way.”

“No!” she blurted, before quickling adding, “I mean no. No child of mine shall be left to fend for themselves unless they so desire. Besides, I have only just recovered you. No, you shall sleep here with me. There is plenty of space among the bedding.”

In the dark, I hoped she was unable to see my blush. I had not shared a bed in… well, it had been a while. I schooled myself. I could not allow such feelings to affect me. I focused on my swarm. Insects could not blush.

If Echidna said that we would share a bed, then we would share a bed, and that was all there was to it. I just hoped she remained professional about it.

I continued standing, inspecting the room. A bath would be nice, although I had no changes of clothes, and I saw no towels present. Things like hygiene mattered far less when the world was ending. But if I would be here for a while then I would need to take care of myself. Presentation mattered.

“I’ll need to go shopping,” I said, thinking to myself.

“Yes we will,” Echidna added. “But first, we will need vasils, and you need a Falna.”

“What do I need to do to receive a Falna?”

“It is a simple thing, receiving the grace,” she answered. “You bare your back, I apply my blood, and you receive a portion of divinity… It might sting a bit.”

“How much blood?” I asked, suddenly concerned she might wound herself or injure herself on my account.

“Only a drop,” I heard her smile. “Are you ready?” she asked, gesturing to the pile of furs.

It was easier to bare myself in the pitch black darkness of the cavern. While in the Wards, I had gotten over my hang ups about nudity. Well, not so much as accepted my body, as I found other priorities. Worrying about breast size seemed superficial when the very world was ending. Even then though, there would always be a certain awkward feeling associated with getting naked in front of a person. Especially a person I just met.

But awkwardness would never stop me.

I laid down on the furs. I felt the bristling hairs itch and scratch my bare skin.

Echidna knelt down on the bedding beside me and ran a warm finger over my back. “What a joy you will be,” she said. “Are you ready to receive my gift?” she asked.

While I might have wanted to wait, to review other options, to learn more about this world before entering into a blood pact... I did not have the time. "I am," I said.

“Very well. But be warned, my blood reacts strangely as is my domain. And my blood reacts strongly in the face of a life so richly adorned by my ken.”

I felt her jostle to the side. With my bugs, I felt her draw a short paring knife from another hidden pocket. She pricked her finger. I smelled a deliciously sweet scent and realized I had yet to eat since I awoke in the dungeon.

“What was your domain again?” I asked.

She raised her fingertip with the blood pooling in a drop over my back and placed it between my shoulderblades. Where the blood touched itched. A golden light filled the cavern, showing that the stone walls had been painted in crude reliefs of serpents and lions devouring fallen warriors.

“Monsters and Adversity.”

The glow became blinding and a searing pain crackled long my spine. It felt as though each of my vertebrae had been split in two and crushed–the hurt rivaled Bakuda’s pain bomb, the agony shot along my nerves like fire following a trail of gasoline. My face ached. My teeth clenched. I bit my tongue. I tasted blood. My swarm writhed and destroyed itself. Spiders torn limb from limb.

I screamed. And then blissfully, mercifully, and wonderfully, I lost awareness and dipped into nothing.

Chapter 5: Hatchling 1.4

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.4

I awoke wrapped in warmth: comfortable, delightful, unexpected warmth. It took me a moment to remember where I was. If not for the warmth, I would have startled, for I awoke in pitch black.

Instinctively I called for my swarm.

New insects and arachnids came to existence surrounding me, flashing into my awareness. As I spread them out, I found I had fallen asleep on the pile of furs in Echidna’s cave, and that the woman had changed both of us into nightgowns and pulled furs over both of us in an haphazard manner.

The furs were likely overkill, the steam and heat from the hot springs kept the entire chamber humid and warm.

Once I regained awareness, I promptly rolled away from the bed-pile and ‘looked’ around for my borrowed robe. I found it on the table along with a sheet of paper. Given that state of lighting in the room, I had trouble reading the paper, assuming there was anything written on it.

But the paper had been laying next to the robe on the table, and those had been the only two things there; I felt justified thinking that the paper held significance.

I traced my finger over the paper and I thought I might have felt ridges. They could have been the residue from whatever factory had crafted the paper, or it could have been any number of other things besides writing. Even if it was writing that I felt, it could have been a grocery list for all that I knew. 

But I needed to know.

Several species of bugs could provide bio-luminescence, such as fireflies. I summoned several from my miasma and flicked the mental switch. Nothing. I felt the reaction that would have normally provided light. I knew they were doing something–I just could not see what.

I had another thought for possibly generating light, but I was not sure if Bombardier Beetles actually created flame, or if they just shot caustic chemicals. Either way, I decided not to try it.

But that did not mean I could not use insects to try reading whatever was on the paper. Insects had a fantastic sense of smell, and the smaller they were, the more exact that sense was. That combined with my proprioception might give me an idea as to what was written on the page.

I thought of the smallest insects I could possibly summon. I had never used bugbears, as they were beyond my capability back on Bet, but some of the larger mites had fallen within my range of control. 

I converted my miasma into mites. My first batch ended up on the floor. I was still learning. Or my Passenger was. I focused on the table and tried creating mites there instead. It did not work. I put my hand on the table and repeated. That time, it worked, but it took a few seconds longer than it had at my feet. I wondered if my miasma had to travel up from the ground to the table? If that was a limitation of mine, it would be good to know now as opposed to a life or death situation.

Once I had the paper covered in mites, I began ‘looking’ for ink, or any other evidence of writing.

It took me a fair bit of time, but I did find an acerbic localized scent, reminiscent of the blood I had smelled before I had passed out. I arrayed my mites along the scent trails on the paper. While it was a little strange for a ‘Goddess’ to use her own blood to write with, I supposed it could have been an artifact of the Trump effect. 

Still a bit strange though.

Several thousand mites later, I had mapped out the ink in a manner reminiscent of my proprioception, which is to say, I felt the positions of each stroke of ink.

But I had no means of translating the position to letters, or even a language I recognized existed. The writing was fine and complex; it appeared to overlap upon itself. I felt that reading by touch might have been a waste of time. Especially since all I needed was a little light.

So, with the paper in hand, and after making sure I was fully clothed, I headed out into the basement where I could read the paper.

It was night still, but the night sky was gorgeous. The light pollution was nowhere near as awful as back home. That or the air was cleaner. But the stars felt far more vibrant and bright than I had ever seen before.

I lost myself staring up at the heavens from the burnt out dive-bar’s basement, before remembering the thousands of mites on the sheet of paper in hand.

I held the paper as flat as I could. While reading by starlight would always be difficult, that, combined with my proprioception, let me muscle through the writing.

One of the things that threw me off earlier was the backdrop under the writing. There was a faded image of a many tailed serpent with a woman’s head. I guessed that was meant to be Echidna’s sign. Superimposed on that image was writing–not English–but after trying to make sense of it the words just kind of clicked into place. I attributed this to Passenger, and tried sending it warm thoughts.

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN]

Age: [HIDDEN]

Level: 1

Stats:

STR: 0 I

END: 0 I

AGI: 0 I

DEX: 0 I

MAG: 0 I

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.

 

Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.



I felt concerned. 

For a lot of reasons. 

My ‘stats’ were zero, I was cursed, and had Innate Traits that sounded more like curses. And while I wanted to run to the Dungeon that second and begin my growth, I also kind of wanted to talk with someone about this. 

Why was I cursed–who fucked the dog?

What even was Kali Yuga? When had I killed that many people? It made no sense. What did these traits and characteristics mean? There was really only one person that I could trust, trust being too strong of a word. 

I headed back into the cavern. Echidna was not in the bed when I came back. I missed her moving while I had been attempting to read my sheet, and now I did not ‘see’ her at all.

As I entered the pitch black room, using only my swarm’s proprioception to avoid stumbling, I called out.

I heard water move. Several gnats found ripples trailing out in a wake in the hotspring. Echidna emerged, her hair swept back behind her and trapping my scouts in the wet strands of hair.

“You returned,” she said, in a neutral voice. “Would you care to join me?”

“No,” I said. I felt weird enough sleeping next to her, and horrified that she had undressed me while I slept. I would not bathe with her if I could help it. Besides, the water smelled like sulfur, and I was not sure that would be an improvement.

“Please explain this sheet,” I said, keeping my words quick and plain. I knew that Echidna considered herself a ‘Goddess,’ but I had always been a bit of an Atheist. Still, it would not do to insult my sponsor.

Echidna hummed, laying back and swimming in place. “I expected you would have single-handedly charged into the dungeon by now…”

I thought about doing that. But the way that Echidna said that made it sound like that would have been a bad idea. I did not rise to the bait.

“Perhaps my daughter has learned patience already? A pity there is no statistic gifted by the Falna regarding wisdom.”

“Daughter?” I repeated the words. I had already heard that Divinities referred to the ‘mortals’ as children. But daughter? It almost sounded familial. Then again, I had agreed to join Echidna’s gang.

“Ask your question and I may strive to answer them.”

She continued swimming in place, treading water. I idly wondered how deep the hot spring was while I formulated my questions. Well, as I prioritized my questions. I had a lot.

“Why are my stats zero?” I asked.

“The Falna only begins counting traits gained once the grace is given. A minotaur could be gifted a Falna and have a Strength of zero.”

“Why am I cursed?” I started to ask, before realizing that ‘why’ did not nearly so much as matter. “Wait–”

“Oh?” she asked. I thought I could hear the smile on her voice, amusement at the very least.

“No, I mean to ask, how will these traits affect me?”

“Is the description insufficient?” she asked. “I personally found them quite artful. But tell me daughter, does your goal remain to grow strong enough to rival a god?”

“Scion,” I said. “Not a god.” Though the difference might have been more of a technicality than anything else.

She hummed again, a rich contralto. “And you plan to gain this strength by defeating the dungeon’s creatures?”

I nodded. How she saw that nod, I did not know.

“Then these blessings shall only aid you then. Though I must confess, I was as surprised as you when I saw them.”

“This is unusual then?”

“Quite. Most adventurers have next to nothing when they start. But then again, most adventurers are not you .”

That was true–I doubted many adventurers had been crime-lord first and then a state sponsored hero.

“What do I do now?” I asked, after Echidna closed her eyes while floating on her back.

“Most new adventurers register at the Guild, I suppose… though anyone can go to the dungeon.”

“Register?” I asked.

“They offer advice, allow adventurers to trade stones for valis, and provide starting gear…” she waved a hand off, almost yawning. “I doubt it would interest you, but if so, take your sheet. I already obfuscated the more… sensitive parts.”

She dove under the water after that. Several minutes later, she still had yet to surface. I supposed breathing was optional for Divinities. 

With nothing left to do, I went to find the Guild. Dawn had already come by the time I left the basement, and it was mid-morning by the time I found the Guild.

The Guild itself was a three story building adjacent to the tower, its back placed right against the stone and likely offering an  easy means of entrance for adventurers. Otherwise, the building retained the same old Germanic aesthetic, with wooden spars ribbing through the level splits, and the second story slightly overhanging the lower. 

The doors swung inward as I stepped in. The floor had been done in slate and had been polished by decades of foot traffic. There were tellers, very much reminiscent of a bank. 

When was the last time I had been in an actual bank–had it been…?

“Over here!” A cat person waved me over. “I’m open. You’re up bright and early today! Hoping to get ahead of the Soma Familia?”

“...who? No, well yes. I’m here to register?” I said, still taken off guard. Why was everyone so enthusiastic in this city? Well, besides Echidna. But honestly, in contrast to everyone else I had met, I welcomed Echidna’s calm demeanor.

“A new adventurer!” The cat girl jumped up and down. “Take that Eina! Ha! Alright, just this way and I’ll get you signed up, ok?” Her eyes lingered on my missing arm and a brief frown hit her face before she smothered it with cheer.

I had begun mapping the building when I first came in, spending all my miasma on the way through the city on small flying bugs. I noticed that the miasma was not nearly so visible when it had been invested in a swarm. Otherwise I had clouds trailing behind after my feet.

“Wow, that's a really nice robe!” the cat girl said as I approached. “Must be from a wealthy Familia?” And then under her breath, she added, “that sends new adventurers with injuries by themselves out…?”

My insects had found their way back inside the tower, and I had found several storefronts that I had missed before. Some were selling armor and weapons in large wooden crates, reminding me of discount bins.

“...this is the part where you introduce yourself,” the cat girl said in a smaller voice.

“Taylor.” When the girl continued staring at me, I realized she probably expected more. “Of the Echidna Familia.”

“Echidna? Mother of–” She slapped a hand over her mouth before she said more. “I’m just really surprised to see that she descended. Or that she founded a Familia. Or that someone… joined.”

I narrowed my eyes.

I continued to inspect the gear in the discount bins. The metal parts that were there had been dented and tasted like rust. The leather felt damp, and I came across more than a few eggs in the hard to reach stitches. I could not be certain, but I suspected bed bugs.

This was the equipment offered to novice adventurers, likely at a steep discount. If I had any of the local currency, I might have tried buying some. But I did not. And I did not have time to try finding the least ill-fitting piece of armor I could find. Besides, I had my insects. I would not need to see combat at all personally, not in my first day at least.

“Right… So we just have some forms for you to fill out. And if you slide your sheet here, I can get you all set up.”

“Why would you need my sheet?” I asked. A suspicious tone may have leaked into my voice. The Guild seemed to fill the role of the PRT on this world, one filled with politics, schemers, and undoubtedly enemies. The more that they knew about me, the larger chance my weaknesses could be leaked. Or that even the Guild itself could use against me.

I thought of the PRT asking the Undersiders for registration so that the PRT could better fight the supervillains. Not that I was a villain. But my interests would likely fail to align with the Guild’s, especially if they failed to believe in the threat that Scion posed.

The cat person twisted her lips in confusion. “Most adventurers just register without asking that. It’s really simple. Just a few forms, a signature from your Goddess, and your sheet.”

“But why my sheet?”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, arlight? The Guild maintains all confidence! We just ask to see it to help advise you, to keep you safe!” She waved the victory sign at me as she finished. 

What was wrong with this place? I tried dispelling my irritation. 

“Is it mandatory?” I asked. I would prefer to avoid alerting possible enemies to my curses or innate traits, let alone my stats.

“Well–you have to get registered to trade stones for valis! And also for the advice. The Guild’s around for a reason, y’know?!”

“It’ll be kept in confidence?” I asked.

“For sure. With the utmost secrecy.”

Echidna had claimed to have obfuscated the more sensitive parts of my sheet, though I still needed to ask her why my age and race had been sensitive.

“Alright,” I said. “But can I do it later? I’m in a bit of a rush.”

“Ah sure? Just make sure you do it in the next few days. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking your Goddess is running something shady, right?”

“Then thank you for your assistance,” I said, exiting the Guild foyer.

With my bugs on the cat-girl, I heard her muttering about dumb adventurers and funerals.

But she did not realize that I had already been through the Dungeon. In fact, when I had made my failed escape attempt from the Loki Familia, I had slain several of the ‘monsters’ that spawned on the top floors. My projected insects would be sufficient for any of the threats I encountered. Additionally, there were other ways to exchange dungeon stones–worst case, I could pay a registered adventurer to exchange my stones for me.

I stepped into the tower proper and past the ‘shops’ selling beginner adventurer weapons and armor. I did not need to bring fleas or bedbugs home, especially since I could no longer control them directly.

I passed a few adventurers coming up. Two men and a tiny girl carrying a bag larger than I was. One of the men looked like a racoon. Other than their distinctive physical traits, and their worn gear, they had nothing that would have held my attention. Except that they treated the small girl like garbage, a girl that was carrying many times her body weight.

Although, while I cared nothing for these three, the racoon-ish man leered at me. Enough so that I almost had to check if I were still clothed–I was. My robe remained tied, showing little of my skin.

“Gonna go down by your lonesome?” the racoonish man said. He made an attempt at a roguish smile. I ignored them and kept walking, nearing the central chamber with the descending spiral staircase. “Hey! I was talkin’ to you. Not gonna give ol’ Canoe any time, huh?”

“No.” Of course I kept going. 

The raccoon man, Canoe, continued to talk at me while his companions kept walking. Though he did put a hand on the supporter carrying the bag to stop her. 

Canoe reminded me of a Merchant. Considering where I was headed, I decided to take the precaution of tagging the man with several gnats, and I began ordering the bulk of my ‘harmless’ flying insects to terminate themselves, ordering them to twist off their own heads. Once the thousands of gnats died, their miasma began trickling towards me. I would have had to do this anyways before heading down into the dungeon. But a little bit earlier might be required.

“Without a staff? Weapon? Bags? Y’know, if you wanted, I could escort you down, give you the show around. Good deal to have an experienced adventurer show you around… So what do you say babe?”

The first trickles of my miasma began circling around my feet and ankles, a misty whirlpool of inky blackness.

“Master Canoe sir?” The girl said. “Lily thinks she is a mage.”

Canoe scoffed and shook Lily’s backpack. “Even more reason for her to need a frontliner. You know, it won’t be that expensive if you–” he started waggling his eyebrows as he tried to keep up “-pay in alternative means.” 

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

“Do not follow,” I said.

It took a while for all my miasma to trickle back towards me, but what I had was plentiful. I began forming my larger venomous insects, Giant Asian Hornets and Tarantula Hawks. 

I shook their abdomens and had them form a sparse barrier in front of Canoe.

“How about that,” Canoe muttered. “You think a few little bugs can stop me? I’m almost level two. That’s a kiddie trick at best.”

If Canoe could have seen my face, he would have seen rage briefly flash over it before I sent my anger into my swarm. If he would underestimate me, then all the easier to destroy him–if that became necessary, that was.

“Master Canoe, Lily thinks those wasps look dangerous and we need to turn in our stones…”

Canoe stopped following me, but he did keep watching my back as I began down the stairs. 

“Watch yourself,” he called after me. I paid him no more attention, besides the handful of midges I left on him.

I began descending down the large spiral staircase, into the first level of the dungeon. 

I would not be too careless, however. Information was vital. I sent a handful of midges forward to scout the staircase and hallways at the bottom of it to check for monsters, adventurers, or signs of traps and ambush. I had already been through this part of the dungeon with the Loki Familia, so I knew a little of what to expect. 

But still, better not to assume, especially when thugs like Canoe could be around.

When I got to the bottom of the staircase, I had several tunnels that I could choose from. The tunnels themselves were a mix of artificial and natural. The sides and ceiling showed stalagmites and erosion, whereas the floor was smooth and largely level, except for the occasional debris.

Then there were the green lights, almost like fireflies, lining the passages. I ignored the passageways that were dark. They not only seemed uninviting, but there were adventurers further along in them.

More of my miasma returned, and while I kept some in reserve, I began fielding more wasps and venomous spiders.

Back on Earth Bet, I would have had to breed these exotic insects and deploy them sparingly. But here? Here I had as many as I wanted, assuming I had the ‘magic’ to spend. It was now a question of economy of volume, and not rarity and breeding. 

Which was why I used spiders as well–they were far smaller than the wasps, using less magic to buy more venom. I attached spiders to the undersides of the wasps and orbited them around me in a swarm. 

Not nearly enough swarm for my tastes, but I had theories on how to grow my ‘magic.’

I had been walking for several minutes down a lit hallway when I heard the stone crack. Two humanoids crawled from the stone, like animated statues, until they were out of the walls. The stone flaked off them, revealing warty green skin.

I guessed these were goblins.

Just to make sure they were dumb creatures, and not people, I tried talking to them. “If you don’t want me to kill you, say–”

The goblins lunged at me, long fingernails outstretched, and jagged teeth ready to tear flesh.

Perfect. 

My wasps hit both of the goblin’s faces, eyes and nostrils. Black Widows deployed. Venom sacs emptied. I sidestepped the goblins as they fell to the ground thrashing and screaming.

The wasp venom was painful. Not as bad as a Bullet Ant, but still, crippling. And there was no real way to convey what it was like to have ten wasps land on sensitive skin while emptying all their venom. Especially not when joined by my Black Widows. 

Ordinarily, Black Widows were harmless. They seldom bit; their venom was incredibly expensive for them to make. But these Widows were all mature females, and when they depleted their payloads and died, I could simply make more.

The goblins continued screaming and writhing and convulsing, foam spraying from their mouths as they went into analeptic shock. Meanwhile, I reformed my venomous insects and kept my eyes open for any other ‘monsters.’

None were coming. And the goblins still had yet to die. It was a hard way to go, and I resolved to find a knife or dagger to put monsters out of their misery the next time I went home. Maybe Echidna would have one.

But in the meantime, I had creatures in pain, and I knew I would need to carve out their stones somehow. Fortunately I did have an idea.

Hide Beatles, also called Larder Beetles, were large beetles that have been known to chew through metal. Given enough of them, and I could easily make enough of them, they could tear through almost anything. Including Goblins, assuming the goblins stayed still. My other idea had been ants.

I ended up spending my reserve mana on the beetles, as I had always wanted to try this and had never really had a chance. The beetles were able to bite through the skin, and I directed them to where the carotid should be, to finally put the goblins to rest. From there, I had to make a few more beetles to start digging into the goblins’ chest.

It… was messy.

By the time the beetles found the stones, several more minutes had already passed, and the walls began cracking once more. I had the beetles try pulling the dungeon stones out, while I prepped my wasps to attack the fresh wave of goblins.

As soon as the stone fell off, I stung them, using the exact same technique as before. The goblins fell just the same, failing to adapt at all to my tactics. 

I heard a tinkle, and the goblins from the first batch disappeared in motes of black smoke, leaving nothing behind. The beetles fell to the ground from where they had been buried in their chest.

Where had the dungeon stones fallen?

Looking around, both with insects crawling over the floor, and with my own eyes, I failed to find them. Had I wrecked the stones without realizing?

The goblins from the second batch were still writhing in pain, so I sent my beetles over to them to start extracting the stones. Also to end their misery.

This time, I knew where to look. I sent a few ants in to surround the stone as my beetles pulled it out, so that I could get a better look at what was happening. When the mandibles latched onto the crystal, the tiny, fingernail sized dungeon stone, I felt it break, I heard that same tinkle. The stone dissipated into vapor and the goblins dissipated into black ash.

Even if the stone did break, there should have been fragments left over. But there were no crystal fragments. The entirety of the stone had disappeared. And it was small enough that I had no way of confirming if I had more miasma than I did before. But I remembered when I had been ‘eating’ away at the dungeon stone that held me prisoner, and I thought I might try a similar test. 

I progressed further along until I heard the familiar cracking of goblins spawning. After I slew them, before my beetles so much as touched the dungeon stone, I used all of the miasma I had to create the largest swarm that I could. After generating wasps and spiders, I used the dregs to create gnats, then mites.

I then waited several moments to see if my miasma would rise on its own–such as if a far away insect had died and taken that long for the miasma to return.

When my miasma did not fluctuate, I set my beetles to harvesting. Soon, they bore a hole through the goblins’ chest and grabbed the stones with their mandibles. This time, I was able to delicately remove one. The other was a lost cause, as the second the mandible scratched the small stone it fragmented. 

I was left with one tiny stone, and enough extra miasma for about one Brown Recluse. That confirmed my theory. Just as with the stone that encased me. My insects could ‘eat’ dungeon stone which enhanced my ‘magical’ power.

But then another question I had–what would I do with the tiny stone in my hands? 

My robes had no pockets. 

I could have slipped them into my slippers, but that would be uncomfortable, and also a short term solution. I could try having my insects carry it for me, but they would likely end up eating it.

I wondered what would happen if I ate it? 

I had that Monstrous Trait that mentioned stones, and I had yet to eat since I woke up trapped. I suspected that I–well, no use suspecting.

I put the stone between my teeth and bit down.

It took very little pressure at all, likely less than my beetles’ mandibles could apply, and the stone burst into small effervescent glitter that landed on my tongue and lips. They bubbled, almost like rock candy.

I checked my miasma, and there was about two spiders’ worth. Apparently, I got more out of physically eating the stones than from having my insects do it. Though, extracting the stones whole and then putting them in my mouth was far less convenient than simply having my insects do it. And it was not like there was a shortage of monsters.

I strode down the hallway, pausing only when goblins appeared. I sent my wasps in, the goblins fell. I sent my beetles in, the goblins died, and I grew just a little bit stronger.

Rinse. Repeat.

I reached the end of the hallway, and I could project around five more tarantula wasps than when I started. And while that might not seem like much compared to my hey-day back on Earth Bet, this, this was only the beginning.

How long did I have until Scion arrived?

Chapter 6: Hatchling 1.5

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.5

I cleared multiple hallways and chambers on the first level and devoured a hundred and three dungeon stones before I encountered a problem. In hindsight, of course the problem was people.

“She doesn’t have a bag or knife,” an adventurer whispered to their companion. 

They both wore tan backpacks and carried shortswords at their waist. They had just cleared a neighboring hallway and entered the chamber I had just entered. They peered down the hallway I had cleared. I peered down the hallway they had cleared. 

There were only two hallways. 

“What’s she even doing down here?” The other adventurer asked his companion.

“Must be a mage–but dumb to come down here like that. Think she needs help?”

“Where are the stones though? Think she wrecked them all with her magic?”

“It’d be a waste if she did.”

“Clearly something was wasted. Or someone…” The adventurer frowned at me. They at some point ended the pretense of whispering and were outright gossiping about me within earshot. It reminded me of Winslow. My wasps buzzed about me.

I fed my anger to my swarm and the buzzing grew in volume. My wasps shook their abdomens. I resisted the urge to lash out. If barely.

Instead I did my best to ignore them and I turned back the way I had come. The next branch I came to I turned further away. I managed to find a few more goblins, but eventually I ran into another set of adventurers.

Similarly, they talked. And similarly, I ignored them–or tried to. I traveled down several hallways, but the pickings grew sparser. Many of the hallways were dark, with the lights turning off once the monsters had spawned.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, I went back to where the stairway was and descended down to the second floor. 

The hallways here were dim as well. 

Was it the local equivalent of rush hour? 

I felt like there were more monsters spawning when the Loki Familia had come up with me in tow.

I explored the floor, found a few monster spawns, and then stumbled upon the stairway down to the third level. Determined to find something, I headed down once more.

The third level had several hallways still lit up with green fairy lights. I sent gnats spinning around the bottom of the stairwell to let me know if any more adventurers followed me down, and then I got to grinding.

On this floor, the monsters changed. Instead of unarmed goblins, there were also the small wolf people–kobolds. They looked like miniature werewolves, about the same size as the goblins, though a bit more resilient to venom. Occasionally, they carried crude weapons like stone or wooden shanks. 

However, the end result never changed. 

My wasps dropped the monsters all the same, though the kobolds took just a little more work.

But now that I had the feel for the process, and now that I knew that adventurers would soon come and squeeze me out from my spot, I started jogging down the lit passageways, eager to claim all of the dungeon stones that I could, before the crowds ruined yet another hunting spot.

The monsters cracked from the wall behind me, then beside me, and then beside me again. Three monster spawns, two, three, then two again, for a total of seven of them. I stung their eyes and noses, taking advantage of the extra wasps I had gained from the previous levels. I saturated each of their faces with venomous swarming vespidae.

Somehow, one of the last monsters to spawn resisted just a little while longer than its brethren. It was one of the kobolds. It fur had tangled up several of my wasps enough that they struggled to reach its skin before it swatted them down.

The kobold reached me.

It was around four feet tall, with a wolf head and fingers tipped with claws. Brown spittle fell from its mouth and stained its gray fur. In one of its hands, it held a stone shank. A very crude piece of slate with a point.

It stabbed its shank at me in a forward grip, and swiped its claws at me with the other. Its jaws clacked as it tried intimidating me.

I only had one functional arm. But I still had a few reserve fliers. I buzzed them in front of its eyes, causing it to lose sight of me, if only for a second. I slipped to the side and stomped down with my foot, crushing its forward paw. As it went past, with its momentum carrying it forward while its leg fell behind, I pivoted and kneed its back, sending it stumbling to the floor. 

I slammed down on its spine with my heel, and finally found flesh with my stingers. The kobold died just as its brethren did–it only took a few additional steps.

I continued my strategy, this time prompting the dungeon to spawn four groupings of monsters before I stopped. The wasps dropped most of them as they chased after me, with the final few finished with a well placed kick. 

After that, I considered the proof of concept a success. I could likely continue jogging indefinitely, so long as I left enough beetles along the way to harvest the stones.

The next time I put the concept to work. 

I kept running and killing until I finally had to stop and wait for my miasma to reach me. I had gotten fairly spread out during the run, with the beetles and wasps left behind. But soon, that miasma had filtered back, and I had enough to project more Tarantula Hawks and Larder Beetles.  

Through several iterations, I could summon even more insects, causing me to grow ever more efficient and powerful. It felt great. I can not emphasize how amazing it was, to grow stronger. Back on Bet, for the most part, the power a person got was the power they died with. But here and now, I was growing. And it was growing from something that fell within my power to affect. I was in control.

Distracted, I continued jogging until I ran across a gold tinted dwarven woman who had just finished smashing a goblin’s head in–with a wooden tankard–that still had beer sloshing around in it.

I slid to a stop, with the last few kobolds and goblins from the most recent spawn catching up to me.

“Oy!” the dwarven lady shouted. “No runnin’ you git!”

A goblin fell to its knees behind me and made a valiant last ditch effort to bite my ankle. I stepped around it and kicked it with my heel, letting my beetles finish it off.

The lady bent to the side and peered around me, at the miasma leaking back from the dead insects, and at the goblins and kobolds evaporating into their own clouds of black dust.

“Stinkin’ mages,” she muttered. “Too good for a lil bit of–” she belched “-work?”

“Are you drunk?” I asked, incredulous. I know that I had thrown caution into the wind when I came down here under equipped, but I had my power. She was just a woman who looked to be drunk.

“Mehbee I am. Whatzzat to ya?” she said.

“In the dungeon?” I said.

She made an effort to look around. “Aw yeah, that explainss ‘at.”

“Unbelievable,” I said. “Look, I don’t have time for this. But do you need help?”

“Pffbt,” she blew a raspberry. “Naahh–” she burped again “-just point to the ladiesss groom.”

“Ladies Room?” I clarified. She nodded. “Wherever you want,” I said, working my way past her. I had yet to come across restroom facilities in the dungeon.

But as I slipped past her, something bothered me about the encounter. 

The dungeon was dangerous. There was no reason for a person to drink unto drunkenness, not when the exit was less than an hour's walk away. Either she was recklessly overconfident and an idiot, or, far more likely, she was part of a trap or ploy.

I made sure to leave several bugs on her, including a Silk Moth on the wall. I had found their senses to be the easiest to use.

After that, I ran out of monsters to hunt, so I headed over to the deeper section of the floor, furthest away from the stairway up. 

It was then that I felt a party of adventurers stream down. At least five of them. By that time, the dwarf had leaned against a rough hewn pillar just beyond the first hallway I had cleared. It had yet to respawn.

“Oy!” She called out to the adventurers. “You wittat Soma git?!”

One of the adventurers, a male, called back. I only caught bits of his response, so I repositioned the moth to put it closer between them. As it flew past the dwarf, she flicked an arm out and smashed the moth.

I heard nothing after that. The bugs I had on the dwarf showed her rather animatedly flailing her flagon while I was sure she harassed them. No fight broke out, but I imagined it was close.

Not trusting her, or the newest party to come down, I found the next stairway down. I put additional space between us.

Down on the fourth floor, all the hallways were in the green. Plenty of monsters to harvest. 

I licked my lips and gathered my swarm. The past few floors had been too easy. The kobolds and goblins and a single frog creature. Other than the frog creature, they had all fallen quickly. 

While I did not know what monsters might come from this floor, I felt confident I could handle them as well. I anticipated it would be more of the giant frogs, plus maybe one other type of monster to add to the challenge. 

The giant frogs themselves were irritating to fight. They had a rangred tongue attack where they shot their tongue several yards to ensnare legs or arms. I assumed the frogs had a mean bite–but I had yet to experience it.

For the first time I came down there, I wondered if I was behaving too recklessly. What would happen if I failed?

The dungeon was a dangerous place. 

I had only just begun growing. Maybe I should turn around? If I died now, no one would help Earth Bet. 

And… who would inform Echidna? Wait, why would that even matter to me? I suspected that the ‘Falna’ might have carried a bit more of a Master effect than I was led to believe. Especially if I found myself worried about the ‘Goddess’ I had just met.

But I did not have time to behave overly cautious. I needed to take risks.

I decided to scout out at least a single hallway to figure out what I was up against. If it was too much, then I would turn back. With my decision made and swarm prepped, I headed down the first hallway I saw.

The first spawning was a mix of the kobolds and goblins, four of them altogether. Internally I cheered. Plenty of prey here. 

In went my wasps, down went the monsters. 

In went my beetles, out came just a little more power for my Passenger and I.

I continued onward. 

Another spawning. 

This time two of the giant frogs. They shot their tongues at me. I dodged one but got stuck by the second. 

I gave both of them plenty of angry wasps to chew on. By the time the tongue dragged me in, both of the frogs were well on their way to dying. I sent a handful of beetles onto the tongue holding me to bite through and free me a bit more quickly.

The stones from the frogs were just slightly bigger than the kobolds. More miasma, more power. This could become addictive.

I continued onward, slowly, tackling each spawning as they occurred. With the giant frogs, I was worried that I could get bogged down. But even so, I was making excellent progress. I lost track of time until I found a different type of monster that had already spawned and was waiting.

I almost missed it. I had not encountered this monster previously. It flew towards me. If not for my screen of wasps I would never have had a chance before it was upon me. 

My wasps were brushed aside by a moving shadow with glowing red eyes. A humanoid shadow. Its arms outstretched, finger-like claws. I shifted to the side, but the shadow reacted. Angry red lines carved down my right shoulder.

I pushed it away with my free hand, but I never touched it. It flowed around my hand like it was made of water.

I siced all my swarm on it. 

It tried flowing around the first few fliers, but I had over a hundred wasps attacking it, and my wasps were faster than it was agile. They landed on it, clawing in with their jaws and shooting venom. 

But the thing did not bleed. Its skin was less biological and more fabric. My venom appeared to have no effect. It came back at me just as fast as before.

I might have been in trouble. I had been relying on my venom to kill the monsters. I had never thought I would find a monster resistant to venom on an upper floor of the dungeon.

Wait. It still had to have a stone in there somewhere!

It flew towards me again. It literally flew. I fell backwards in a roll and kicked up, sending it on its way passing over me. It clawed as it passed by, leaving deep cuts from my knees down past my shins.

Venom was pointless. I needed piercers and chewers. I needed to blind it to gain time. The fliers I still had converged on its face, on its eyes. The eyes were made of the same stuff as the rest of it, but the insects could at least block its vision. 

It swiped around where I had been in broad strokes. I had already dash-rolled to the side, collecting enough miasma in my hands for plan B. If this failed, then plan C would be to flee and come back better armed.

I formed the same beetles I had been using to extract stones along with carpenter ants and a hercules beetle for good measure. The warshadow flailed next to me; I felt the breeze from its passing strike. 

Somewhere in its chest there should be a stone. 

I hoped. 

I threw my handfuls of beetles at it. 

It managed to flow around half of them, but enough Larder Beetles landed and stuck to it, digging in with their mandibles and pinching its cloth like skin. From the rips, ink like gas spewed out, not dissimilar to my miasma. 

My beetles burrowed further in, then followed by my wasps. It made another pass at me, its claws hit my chest, tearing my robe and skin as its fingers dug into and between my ribs.

And then a beetle found the gem. 

My beetle bit down. 

The gem shattered. 

The warshadow hissed before exploding into black dust, leaving me on the ground clutching my wounds.

I wanted to lay there catching my breath. But I knew that the only person I could rely on was myself. Nobody would apply first aid, I could bleed out from a preventable leak. 

I needed to check my wounds. 

If they were bleeding heavily, then I would need to bind them, or maybe see if I could find a healing potion. I would hate to rob someone, but if that was what it took to survive, then I would do it. Too much depended on me not to.

But no, I needed to check my wounds first. They might not have been that bad. And despite the blood staining my robe, I felt alright. 

But that could have been the shock.

I peeled off the robe and checked my sides. The part of my chest that had scales was fine. The sides of my chest though? I had been cut there. And I was probably going to need stitches. Or that health potion I did not have.

I checked my shins next. 

At the time, I could have sworn that the monster had carved into them, up to the bone. But the cuts looked mostly superficial. They might not even need bandaging. 

Then there was my shoulder–which had blood on the surrounding skin and cloth. But otherwise, the wound itself? Just a few scratches.

That cut had definitely been deeper.

I went back to inspecting the cuts on my leg. Those wounds were getting smaller.

Regeneration? Regeneration. Regeneration!

I did not know if that was from the Falna or from my unlocked Passenger. But I was definitely regenerating. 

I was a Brute! 

I could not help but smile. I almost cheered. My life would have been so much easier if I had regeneration back on Bet.

But then I had a thought.

I had not eaten actual food since I first woke up. But I had consumed dungeon stones. Which Passenger converted into my miasma, or my ‘magic,’ as the locals called it. 

Which somehow fulfilled bodily nourishment. 

That same body that was now healing.

No… but I needed to know. How to test it though?

I took all of my miasma and invested it all into insects, down to the last mite. I continued inspecting the scratches on my shins. They continued to close. But were they closing more slowly? It was hard to tell.

I began to feel light-headed and dizzy. I had felt that way plenty of times before: hypoglycemic. 

I killed a spider. 

The miasma returned. 

The dizziness went away. 

I went to resummon that spider but I could not. I barely had enough for a midge, and then seconds later, I could not even afford that. 

The light-headedness returned soon after.

Something told me that I would not be getting the miasma back that went into bodily upkeep.

Two steps forward, one step back.

But still, I had regeneration!

I made sure I had enough free miasma to continue healing, and then I got back to work. Getting injured had cut into my profit. I would definitely need armor. Even a spidersilk bodysuit would have stopped those claws.

I lost track of time once more, trying to recoup from my losses. Now that I knew the trick to the shadows, they were only of middling difficulty, so long as I saw them coming. And I made sure to always scout ahead for that odd fabric like skin of that shadow monster.

I continued grinding and improving, though I did keep closer to the stairs up, just in case I needed to retreat. That was probably how he found me. 

A boy, possibly pre-teen, with white hair and red eyes, stood at the end of the hallway that emptied into the chamber with the stairway. He had likely heard me finishing up my last combat. He had a shortsword strapped to a belt, and starter armor, similar to what I had seen in the discount bins of the Guild store.

When he saw me, he called out. “Miss Taylor? Is that you? Were you injured? Why are you down this far? Miss Eina advised against new adventurers going below the second level!”

I had a few questions that I could ask. But there was another matter to deal with. A few of my scouts found that same fabric-flesh that the shadow monsters wore. 

The shadow creature flew towards the boy from behind.

Chapter 7: Hatchling 1.6

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.6

The kid surprised me.

He crouched to a ready position with a dagger and dove to the side as the warshadow flew at him. 

I wasted no time in approaching–I refused to be shown up by a child. Besides, even if he did dodge and knew how to use that knife, he was still a kid.

“Hii-ya!” the kid shouted, swiping at the shadow with his blade.

The shadow flowed around and stretched out its knife like claws. The boy fell on his back and rolled.

My wasps hit the creature’s eyes, obstructing its vision. My beetles were too slow to reach the creature on their own, and they were too heavy to be air-lifted. I once again formed the beetles in my hand from my excess miasma and I ran forward, reaching the boy and the monster.

I slammed my hand into the creature’s back, feeling the cloth like skin fold around my palm as I shoved my beetles into it. Mandibles pinched and tore at its skin, while my other insects crawled through the holes, forcing their way in.

The creature hissed as it began deflating, a cloud of shadow flowing out from the holes. 

The boy dove back in and stabbed the monster through where its neck should have been.

My beetles found the stone in the center of its chest and bit down, shattering it. The creature froze, seemed to expand, then exploded into black ash that dissipated.

The boy was left standing over where the creature had died, where my insects crawled on the floor where they failed.

“Where’s the stone–” he started looking on the ground before seeing the bugs “-wha!” he shouted as he began stomping on them. “Miss Eina said there weren’t supposed to be bugs in here! Were they inside the warshadow?”

I let the miasma return to me and swirl about my legs as he killed my insects. As I could reform them easily enough, I was not overly offended.

“They were mine,” I said. “You were looking for me?” I asked, returning to the subject.

“Ah yours?” he asked nervously, then seeing the shadows swirl about me. “Mage?”

I shrugged.

“Ahh… sorry for stomping them–they startled me was all.”

“Why were you looking for me?”

“Goddess Echidna asked my Goddess to send me to find you.”

“Why.”

“You’ve been down here for over a day… and Lady Echidna was worried.”

“So they sent a child down?!” I seethed. Of all the reckless things to do, sending a child into a monster farm seemed high on the list. 

“Hey! I might be young but don’t underestimate me!”

I took a deep breath. I should know better than anyone how effective kids could be. But still. Why send kids to fight when plenty of adults were just as effective? What was wrong with this world? I realized I had spent too long fuming. The kid was looking like he bit into a lemon.

“Apologies,” I said. “Child soldiers are a sensitive topic.”

“Huh?” He asked. “Anyways… where’s the stone? The warshadow should have had a decent sized one.”

“My magic destroyed it to kill it,” I explained. He looked crestfallen.

“That… huh. It would have been worth more than the usual monsters. Wonder what it was doing up here anyways?”

“Oh?”

“They’re normally on the sixth floor…” He scratched behind his head after sheathing his dagger.

“Hm.” I began turning back to my hunt.

“Hey wait a second!” he shouted after me. “Where’re you going?! Are you collecting your stuff? We need to get back! Your Goddess must be really worried if she asked Lady Hestia to send me down here.”

“Pass along word that I am well then,” I said. Only one hallway off the atrium was still green. Other adventurers had filtered in over the past few hours, though most of them had gone deeper on to the floor, or to lower levels.

“But…” Bell kept up with me. “Don’t you want to sleep? Take a break? I know what it’s like to want to be a hero, but rest is important! And besides, your Goddess was worried!”

I had been slowing down. And while my hunger and thirst had been satiated by the stones, my body felt sluggish and tired. Perhaps he had a point?

“Hey Miss Taylor, where’s your stuff?” Bell asked, following along behind me. “You bags and weapons? You’ve been down here a while right? Don’t you have a ton of stones?”

“No.”

“...were you robbed?” he gasped.

I pressed my eyes shut and stopped walking. This kid… was pissing me off. Was it my fatigue? Or the strain of the world pressing down upon my shoulders? I could not simply rest, not now that I was on a path that would grant power. But the flesh was weak.

“And your clothes–” he pointed at the tears and bloodstains. “You–you need to take better care of yourself!” He said. “The moment you lost your weapon and bag, you should have come straight back to the top!”

“My magic is my weapon,” I told him. To elaborate, I formed an Executioner Wasp and had it land on my finger. I held it out for him. He shuddered.

“Interesting magic… are you some kinda tamer too?”

I shrugged, not wanting to reveal more details on my skills, innate abilities, or… curses.

The wall cracked and a frog monster fell out, along with two of the wolf humanoids. I sent my wasps in as the boy shouted, “Look out!” He tried pushing me back. No, he did push me back. He was stronger than he looked. He held his dagger out and ready but froze as he saw the monsters thrash on the ground in pain.

My beetles and ants flowed across the ground like a carpet towards them, finishing them off and devouring their stones.

“As I said, my magic is sufficient.”

“You–they–” he gulped. “But where are the stones?”

“My pets ate them,” I gave him a thin smile, hoping the creep factor would send him away.

“Huh. Kind of a waste?” He continued following me when I progressed further. “I mean, what’s the point of being down here otherwise?”

Another monster spawn, this time five of them. A carpet of venom attacked them and left me just slightly stronger than before.

“No magic stones again?! Wow. I mean, you’re strong, but… don’t you need to rest? … or eat?”

I shrugged.

“Yeah… You know, most new adventurers don’t come down below the second floor. If I wasn’t asked to find you, I probably wouldn’t have either…” He trailed off as I found another spawn.

“Why are you down here anyways, if not for the stones?”

This kid. He just would not take the hint.

“Gaining strength,” I answered, once more progressing onward.

“Then you should definitely come back up with me,” he said. “I wanna get strong too, but it’s important not to push ourselves so far that we make a mistake. It’s tough to come back from injuries–” I waved my stump at him and he coughed “-or death? And also! You won’t actually get stronger until your Falna gets updated. So you should definitely come back up with me.”

Another spawn, this time more frogs. Both the kid and I dodged the tongues, though he cut one with his knife when it went by. I finished them off and my swarm grew several wasps stronger.

But that last part he said caused me to pause before progressing down further. I had been growing in strength, with each dungeon stone my swarm devoured. I had previously been content with this rate of growth, considering the Trump effect implemented and done.

But was there more to it? I did not know enough.

“How are Falna updated?” I asked.

“Oh wow, you don’t know?” he asked, sounding surprised. I regretted asking my question. Speaking of revelations, this child now knew that my magic ate stones; he might infer that my magic grew from eating stones. 

Was he a liability? A loose-end? Perhaps. But I would not murder a child. Well, another child. Besides, I could impress on him to keep his silence. I hoped.

“I just recently gained my Falna,” I said. I turned to face him appropriately and tried to give my warmest smile. He flinched. “What can you tell me?”

He coughed. “Well the Guild or your Goddess should really be the one to explain, but the basics are that your Goddess will mix her blood with your and bring out all the excelsia you gained, which then adds to your stats.”

It appeared I could gain additional strength besides consuming dungeon stones. In addition, I was filthy, tired, and in need of a break.

“Will you continue harassing me until I return?” I asked.

He laughed, “Maybe? I mean, I did come down here for you. Not that I wouldn’t have come down here anyways? But yeah, Lady Echidna was pretty worried! And my Goddess would probably be upset if I didn’t bring you back.”

“Fine,” I bit out. “Let’s head up then.”

“Sure! I’ll show you back to my place!” 

He was inviting me over to his home? Why? How young did he think that I was? Was this a play date? Why had Echidna sent this boy to find me? Why could she not just come find me herself?

“Why?”

“Your Goddess is probably still there?” he laughed. “Oh! Also, jagemarakuns!”

As he continued chatting, I could not help but wonder if I should further optimize my power gains. It would be a matter of pacing myself, avoiding breaking, and preparing for when Scion arrived. I doubted I could find a portal back to find him before he killed everyone I knew–if he had somehow avoided killing them yet.

God. Had I been too slow? Everyone from back home dead. I had to hope they were still alive, that they had slowed down Scion, or maybe even won. While I worried about things I could not possibly resolve, a wave of weariness washed over me, and I let the tears fall down my cheek. Fortunately, the child–Bell Cranel–said nothing. He hopefully failed to notice. Or he found himself often in the presence of crying women…

Once we hit the surface, we passed through the Guild entrance. Bell waved towards one of the clerks, an elf named Miss Eina. The same cat person who had tried registering me winced when she saw my gear and whispered behind her hand to another coworker.

“People gossip a lot?” I asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Bell answered.

He led the way through the streets, back towards the rundown suburbs near where Echidna laired. We eventually arrived at a broken down temple, with a partially collapsed roof and several broken windows.

“Here’s home! An old temple to Zeus!” he said, leading the way inside. He stopped at a hatch door leading down to a basement. “I know it’s not much up here, but it’s actually nice down below. Running water and everything!” He opened the hatch then shouted, “Goddess we’re home!”

“Is my wayward daughter up there?” Echidna shouted up. “I hope she can provide a good reason for staying out all night!”

“Haaa…” Bell trailed off, looking up at me from where he began descending wooden steps. He swallowed. “Lady Echidna, I think she just lost track of time trying to get stronger. I found her on the fifth floor.”

“What?!”

“Fighting a warshadow,” Bell added.

“Did she win?” Echidna asked.

“It was hardly a challenge,” I spoke up for myself, entering the basement of the ruined temple. A couch had been set up, a small bedroom off to the side, and a little kitchenette. It was cozy and well lit, unlike some lairs.

“Welcome home Bell!” Hestia ran over to hug Bell, shoving his face into her breasts. She seemed to relish the intimacy, while Bell waved his arms to either side and tried to escape.

“Does he need to breathe?” I asked. “Follow up question, is that appropriate? I was under the impression he was much younger.”

“Ah ha ha…” Hestia trailed off in an awkward chuckle, finally letting Bell go. “We still have some left over jagemarakuns from yesterday, can I interest you in any? You must be hungry from spending all night off galavanting in that dungeon?” She held out a plate of golden brown fried–something…?

“What are these made from?” I asked, taking half of one tentatively.

“Potato puffs! Everybody and their God loves them. Especially adventurers!” She winked over theatrically.

I smelled it–it felt like an extra large, extra fluffed french-fry. I loved fries. Though the seasoning seemed different from home. I glanced at Echidna to see her smirk. Bell mimed eating one and gave me a thumbs up. Hestia continued watching, waiting expectantly.

“Alright…” I said, biting down. The second the potato puff hit my tongue, I felt ill. It tasted worse than manure smells. I spat it out and tossed it aside. “Actually, I’m not hungry.”

“Whaa?” Hestia said, her mouth hanging open. Bell frowned.

“You look ill daughter, are you well?” Echidna asked, approaching me and putting her hand on my forehead. “Hm. A bit warm. And your robes… You were wounded?”

“They look worse than they are,” I said.

“This won’t do at all…” she said, hurrying over and lifting up the jagged flaps hanging off my chest and back of my legs.

“Indecent exposure?” I asked dryly.

She scoffed. “With Amazons running around? Hardly. No, indecent because it makes you appear weak. We live in a city filled with predators.”

That made sense. I was all too aware of the things scum could get up to if they thought themselves outside of the law.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Hestia said. Her pigtails bouncing along with the rest of her. 

“My daughter is practical. I doubt she would care otherwise.”

“If she were practical then I would expect to see armor. Or a weapon… actually, she looks pretty destitute.”

“Ha yeah, so about that!” Bell started talking.

“Armor would have improved my performance,” I said, cutting him off. “And perhaps a weapon. Though my magic proved sufficient.”

“Magic? From a level one? Are you secretly an elf?” Hestia asked, while making a show of peeking at my ears.

“I’m huma–” I started to say, but Echidna cut me off.

“Then we will need to acquire armor and a weapon,” Echidna said. “Did you have a profitable trip to the dungeon? We require funds after all.”

“If you’re after a new weapon, you should try Hephaestus! I can talk you up to her and get you a discount!”

“Then we shall definitely require funds,” Echidna said, a small smile gracing her lips. “Regardless, I appreciate the favor of Lady Hestia, and Bell Cranel. Please do not hesitate to call upon me for a like service.”

“Well actually–” Bell started, but Echidna kept going.

“As it was, we shall be retiring for the evening. I trust you both to maintain my daughter’s confidence?” She arched an eyebrow at both child and Goddess. They both gulped and nodded. “Very well. A good day then.”

And she made a shooing gesture for me to lead the way up. I left a few bugs behind to listen for any treachery. Once we went topside, Echidna offered her right arm to me, and refused to move until I looped my left arm through, and then she began leading us forward.

I kept a field of scouts circling around us to check for threats. I also maintained a few listeners in the temple with Bell. 

“Who can possibly hate my potato puffs!” Hestia wailed.

“They are delicious, my Goddess,” Bell said. “But maybe she’s got weird taste buds? Who can say…” he sighed dreamily. “You shoulda seen her. Such an awesome mage.”

“You aren’t going to leave me for her right?!” 

“Never!”

“Good. But she might make a good party member for keeping you safe.”

We passed out of range for eavesdropping on the inane chatter.

“Did you improve your magic greatly?” Echidna asked softly. I nodded. She must know about my innate trait of consuming dungeon stones. “Because I would hope you had some profit to counter the incredible risks you took.”

“The monsters were handled.”

She shook her head. “Those creatures you fought were mere drones. And that is not the risk I referred to.”

Drones–as in automatons? They appeared organic, with the exception of the warshadows. But perhaps they followed a third party’s will, just as my insects followed mine?

“No, the true risk you took was in revealing yourself. Now all the city will know you are able to fight without weapons or armor. Now all the city will know you failed to return with a single stone, despite over an entire day within the dungeon. Either the city will think you incompetent, or they will suspect other, worser, truths. Which would you prefer.”

I supposed I had taken risks, and I had revealed several of my cards. But in return, my magic had grown. How much longer until the impressions of the city no longer mattered? I suspected that I had a ways to go.

“It would be safer to seem incompetent,” I said reluctantly, unable to shove all of my distaste into my swarm. I hated appearing weak. Almost as much as I hated losing.

“Do the opinions of the chattel matter overly much, daughter?” Echidna asked, continuing to lead me towards the wall, into the parts of town that almost seemed criminal. I recognized this as the area where Echidna laired. “Or is this merely your pride?”

“What do you recommend?”

“These are mere thoughts for your consideration,” she said smoothly, her voice a rich contralto almost lulling me to sleep, despite the fact we were walking. I must have been more exhausted than I had thought. “But until you are secure in your abilities, perhaps avoid undue attention.”

We finally got back to the burnt out dive bar. No one had observed or followed us, at least not that I found with my scouts. We headed down, back into the dark tunnel, and her pitch black room. Only now, it was not pitch black. A single lantern sat glowing above the table.

Echidna noticed my attention on light, and she laughed. “I know you preferred the light. You truly ought to have mentioned your poor night-vision.”

“It was difficult to read in the dark,” I said, nodding thanks.

“Think nothing of it. Are you ready to update your Falna?”

I slipped out of my robe and sat backwards on a chair, hugging the front. “You only need my back, correct?”

“No modesty at all?” Echidna sounded amused.

“The end of the world does that.”

“Just so,” Echidna said. She pulled a small paring knife and nicked her finger. A drop of gold blood beaded, smelling sweet and divine. My stomach rumbled, leaving me blushing. “No reason to be embarrassed,” she said softly, hovering just behind me. 

Her finger trailed down my spine, leaving heat in its wake. The warmth spread out, filling me with a sleepy sense of drunkenness. She pulled a piece of paper and set it on my back. I felt another bit of warmth, but this in reverse.

“My, but my daughter has grown much.”

She placed the sheet on the table and went to fluff the bedding, which meant shaking out loose furs. I paid her no mind as I read my sheet. I was not sure what I was reading, but she claimed the growth was good. Several of my stats had gone up, including my magic. But I already knew that.

“Will my daughter come to bed soon?” Echidna asked.

I got up to look at myself in the mirror. I looked a bit more muscular than I had in the morning, maybe. The scale-like discoloration on my chest felt about the same, though they were a bit glossier. And my lower back itched. Otherwise, I felt fine.

“Just one last thing,” I said, barely resisting the urge to yawn. 

I laid out my robes on the floor, stretched out, and summoned a legion of Darwin Bark spiders to begin stitching the torn fabric back together. I had them work with ants to thread the webbing into fabric.

I hoped Passenger would keep the insects working while I slept. 

And I did fall asleep promptly, nevermind the fact that dawn had been only a few hours ago. Echidna hummed a soothing lullaby that reminded me of a long, long time ago.

 

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN]

Age: [HIDDEN]

Level: 1

Stats:

STR: 0 I -> 12 I

END: 0 I -> 35 I

AGI: 0 I -> 12 I

DEX: 0 I -> 12 I

MAG: 0 I -> 216 G  

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.

 

Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 8: Hatchling 1.7

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.7

When I woke up, I found that I still had summoned insects and that my spiders had continued stitching the robes back together while I slept. It took me a few minutes, but I eventually figured out how to turn on the dungeon stone lantern, letting me inspect the patchwork.

The formerly torn cloth was covered in inky black irregular patches; bits of the regular cloth stuck through. The spiders had not kept the weave even. Gaps could be seen in some places, and in others, doubled up stitches forming black ridges and lumps. At least the stitches felt tight; they refused to break or tear when I pulled them.

Given that the robes had been a lighter gray color, the black patches stood out noticeably.

Echidna groaned from where she laid on the bedding. She threw an arm over her eyes. 

“Why…” she asked.

I shook my head and started summoning a legion of spiders. If I could create cloth, then I could start building my old costume again. I was assuming that the spider silk maintained its properties that I was familiar with.

Come to think of it, I should test that assumption.

“Do you have a knife I could borrow?” I asked.

“...no.”

That was a hard to believe answer.

“You mean that the Goddess of Adversity does not have the simplest of weapons?”

She blinked her eyes open and peeked out from under her arm. “The simplest of weapons is not a knife.”

“So you don’t have one?”

“...check the chest,” she glowered. “Must you be up this early?”

“What time is it anyways?” I asked, heading over to the chest to see what was in it. There was a smaller, locked and decorated box, along with pieces of fine cloth, and a needle. “Wait a second,” I said loudly. “You keep a knife for cutting your finger!”

“Clever girl,” she said. “My knife can be found in the left pocket of my dress. And you awoke before dawn.”

I found her snakeskin dress hanging up on the front of the wardrobe and a quick pat-down found the knife.

“We did go to bed yesterday afternoon,” I said. “I don’t mind though. Waking up early only means I can head to the dungeon before it becomes too crowded.”

I tested the edge of the blade and found it plenty sharp. I accidentally nicked my thumb, causing a bead of crimson to well up. Savory crimson. Without thinking, I shoved the wound into my mouth. It tasted infinitely better than those nasty treats Hestia had given me the day before. 

The flavor disappeared all too quickly as the wound healed, my skin regenerating.

I still needed to correlate how much magic I was spending to heal.

But that was for later. The knife was sharp enough for my test. I held the blade against the spidersilk patch and I slowly pushed down. It took most of my body weight before the tip of the knife pushed through the fabric and into the wood behind it.

Echidna had gotten up by that point and peered over my shoulder at my test.

“Must you damage my table?” she asked.

“Sorry,” I said, forgetting that Divinities were walking lie detectors. 

“I doubt you feel overly much sorrow over it,” Echidna mused.

She was correct that I did not.

“Your patchwork appears remarkably resilient. What is it crafted of?”

“Spidersilk,” I said, summoning a Darwin Bark spider on the table and setting it to stitching over the hole I had carved into the cloth.

“That looks like Abyssal Shadow,” she commented, reminding me that everything I projected or summoned was kind of made out of the same stuff.

“I used to make clothes from my spiders–the fabric was bulletproof. I was unsure how it would hold up from this, Abyssal Shadow , but it seems to be comparable.”

“Bulletproof?” Echidna asked. I had forgotten that this world was lacking in so many ways.

“Bullets were small pieces of metal shot from handheld weapons,” I explained.

“Like crossbows then?” She pondered thoughtfully.

“Right. I don’t know if the fabric was completely bulletproof, but I think if it was thick enough it would be. I only got shot once while wearing it. My suit caught the bullet and saved my life, but it still hurt like hell…” 

“The spiders of your home world must have been incredible...”

“They really were,” I said wistfully, nostalgically remembering my first Black Widow farm.

“You might even try selling the fabric. Although…” She held up the robes and traced the black stitchings with a finger. “Somewhat crude. You would need to refine your technique most likely. And then there would be the depletion. But if you sold it for enough you could purchase enough dungeon stones to account a profit.”

“Hey! I did that in my sleep.” I glowered. I had had a lot of practice making silk bodysuits.

“I shall reserve my judgment when I see your true finished work. Opening a shop is a thought to consider all the same.” She continued petting the spider silk patch.

It was an amusing thought to consider. Me as this city’s version of Parian: setting up an atelier or clothier shop. However profitable it might be, the very idea felt Ridiculous.

But something that Echidna said had sparked a concern.

“You mentioned depletion?” I asked. I felt an uncomfortable twist in my gut, suspecting what she was going to say.

“Indeed. From the permanent manifestation of your magic.” She gave me a wry smile. “You thought that the cloth was made from nothing?”

“No…” I said, but I felt ill. How much of my miasma had been permanently lost by patching the robe? I had no real way to test, but I could get an idea. I began summoning all the wasps I could.

Just over a thousand. Still far more than I started with yesterday. Overall, a net gain. Though I would still need to be wary of these permanent manifestations of my Abyssal Shadow. I wondered if venom counted against me? I suspected that it might.

“You are a terrible liar,” Echidna said, sounding amused with herself. “Regardless, you plan to dive the dungeon today?”

I nodded, while Echidna pet one of my wasps that had landed on the table. 

“I will not tell you what to do, but please exercise caution. And return to me tonight for your Falna. It will improve your gains.”

I acquiesced. I doubted I could get strong enough fast enough even if I hunted in the dungeon until I collapsed. 

As I slipped my robe on and left, I could not help but notice Echidna smiled at my back. My back still felt itchy. I really should ask about that…

The sun had yet to rise when I reached the Tower of Babel; I was able to pass through to the pit leading down into the dungeon without running into any other adventurers. The first floor had many green-lit hallways. It was perfect for my needs.

I did a few stretches at the bottom of the stairs and began building out my swarm. Tarantula Hawks, Executor Wasps, Asian Hornets, and Black Widows. I had experimented with some of the ultra rare arachnids that I had never really been able to incorporate into my swarm, both because of rarity, and lethality, but now that I had fewer limits and desired lethality, I had a chance to use them. 

This included the Banana Spider, also called the Brazilian Wandering Spider–sometimes known as the murderess.

The spider itself was a natural hunter, meant to wander forest floors at night; it could deliver a powerful neurotoxin that was fatal to small animals and children. 

From a single bite. 

Given the spider would be under my control, and that I could deploy multiple spiders, I could cause significant damage with it.

However, the spiders were large, over several inches in diameter. Normally intimidating, they unfortunately required a substantial amount of miasma to create and field, much more than my wasps. They were also slower.

But still–they were absolutely huggable .

I formed one, a large female, and left it sitting on my right shoulder.

With my preparations complete, I began to jog down the green lit tunnels. 

The goblins began to spawn. My wasps intercepted them. As I passed, I dropped the beetles near where I thought the goblins would drop. 

I reached the end of the hallway and entered a large chamber that had three other hallways branching off of it.

Only one of the goblins that spawned reached it before it fell convulsing at my feet. I thought about manually extracting the stone, but that would have been inefficient given my toolset. In went another beetle.

I had harvested fifteen goblins thus far, and I had been hunting for less than ten minutes.

I scouted the hallways leading away from the chamber and was deciding on an optimal course when loud cracks sounded from all around. All of the walls surrounding the chamber began spawning goblins. They surrounded me. I counted seventeen of the statues beginning to flake.

Did novice adventurers deal with this obstacle, or had I offended the intelligence behind the dungeon? It did not matter. The first of the statues flaked the stone away, revealing goblins raring and ready to go: their teeth jagged, their claws sharp.

I pulled in my swarm from the surrounding tunnels. I had left beetles behind to harvest the goblins that fell on the way in, and these I had self terminate, as the miasma would return more quickly than they could crawl, and I had no fliers to spare to airlift them.

The first three goblins charged towards me after ‘roaring.’ The sound they made came across closer to a squeal. Especially after my wasps found their faces.

I positioned my second string of wasps around the soon to emerge goblins, ready to strike the moment the stone fell away. Meanwhile, the first wasps returned to me, died, and were recreated, refilling their venom glands and stingers, before sending them out once more.

My third string of wasps hit the last of the goblins. Meanwhile, the miasma from the beetles had returned, allowing me to recreate them and begin the harvest. The floor had been filled with thrashing seizing foaming squealing goblins.

A chitter sounded from my shoulder. I glanced down and saw my little murderess glaring up at me.

Passenger? Is that you?

“What?” I asked it, which was ridiculous, as I ought to have been in control, and I was in control, but the spider was behaving like a spasming muscle would. Under my control, but not. It had to be the Passenger driving. But… Passenger had never exhibited any behavior like this before.

She waved her chelicerae at me and then turned her body to look down at the vanishing goblin bodies. 

I could only guess at what she was trying to say.

“Did you want to hunt?” I asked her. Again, ridiculous–akin to speaking to myself.

The spider lifted and dropped her head several times.

“Alright I guess,” I held out my left hand and let the spider crawl onto it before lowering her to the ground. She darted off down a hallway, faster than I anticipated.

With the seventeen goblins harvested, I gathered my swarm, created a few more Brazilian Wandering Spiders, and headed after the first, to see what she was after.

Still a ways ahead of me, right where my murderess had passed, two goblins spawned. Had she triggered the spawning? I had thought that was only when adventurers passed through. Was she large enough to trigger the dungeon spawns?

If so, this could change things.

My murderess scurried up one goblin’s legs and bit down on its inner thigh. The goblin squealed and slapped a hand down where she was, but she was already moving up, climbing onto his chest and biting down again.

The other goblin came from her blind spot and latched its nasty claws around her, crushing her abdomen. 

Spiders were overly optimized and overall fragile creatures–and he had just crippled her! She bit down on his hand, dumping the last of her venom into him, before he dropped her. She hit the stone floor and died, returning to miasma and flowing back towards me.

I felt rage.

On one hand, I knew that my bugs died all the time. And that they could be recreated easily, given my ‘magic.’ However, that spider was special! She had been my little murderess, and she had been almost sapient!

But then, of its own volition, a blob of miasma crawled up my leg and torso and settled on my shoulder. It reformed into a slightly larger version of Murderess.

Ok. 

Now I know that this is Passenger. 

Back on Bet, when Passenger did things without my knowledge, I felt out of control. I had hated that feeling, to the point that I wore a body camera just so I could know if Passenger started acting out without my knowledge. 

But now? Now I could use the company. I reached over and ran a finger across the spider’s back. 

“Good girl,” I told her.

It chittered in reply, leaning into the pet.

The rest of my spiders reached the goblins and they finished the job. It involved a substantial amount of pained squeals from the goblins. 

But now that I knew large insects could trigger spawns? Now I could optimize.

I began sending out teams of large Brazilian Wandering Spiders carrying beetles and flanked by wasps. I only had enough miasma to create two teams because the spiders took up a lot of volume. But with them heading out, I found I could be in two places at once.

I was unsure if this way was faster than running down a hallway and triggering the spawns, but this way at least, I could be at two places at once, and I never saw the actual combat.

Yet, standing still in a chamber while my spider-parties went hunting felt wasteful. I could be doing more.

The chamber I was in had three hallways leading out from it. Two of those hallways had spider-parties, leaving the last for me.

I did not have a weapon, but I kept a few wasps orbiting me, and of course I had my Passenger driven spider, murderess, perched on my shoulder.

It had been a while since I had practiced combat. And my Falna incentivised me to practice. I headed down the last green-lit passage, unarmed, unarmored, and ready for a good time.

Chapter 9: Hatchling 1.8

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.8

It was not a good time.

I was not ten feet down the hallway when three goblins spawned. 

I had no weapon and no armor; I had left most of my miasma invested in my hunting parties, with only enough magic left to field five tarantula wasps and Murderess.

I sent the wasps in, aiming for eyes. Two goblins got two wasps each, the third goblin got only one, the last one. The third goblin managed to swat its wasp from the air, but the other two goblins stumbled and shrieked and clutched their faces.

The swatted wasp died, reverting to miasma, and returned, trickling back towards me, crawling along the ground. This was joined with the continuous flow of miasma returning from my hunting parties, as they harvested dungeon stones and in turn suffered their own losses.

The third goblin, the only remaining on its feet, jumped towards me.

Idiot creature. 

Using my good arm, I grabbed its wrist and pivoted, altering its trajectory and sending it flying face first into the stone wall. While I torqued and spun around, Murderess leapt onto its back and chomped down, envenoming it.

While I focused on the third, I lost track of one of the blind goblins. This one stumbled into me and found my stump–it bit down, right on the end, where the arm terminated above the elbow.

I let an involuntary gasp and yanked back with a thrash. It followed, keeping its jaws latched into my skin, scraping the bone. I needed to get it off! I needed to strike. The first goblin was getting back up, following the sounds of the scuffle!

I drove a knee up into goblin’s stomach, causing its diaphragm to spasm, driving the air from its lungs, and causing its jaws to involuntarily loosen. I punched it away and gained space. 

During this, I was resummoning two wasps and three Black Widows.

The first goblin made its play, having discerned my location from my gasp–it had to rely on hearing, as its eyes were a weeping mess and obstructed by wasps. 

It collided with my legs, catching me off balance. Its grangy teeth bruised my shins–they were unable to completely pierce the silk cloth of my robes, but they still bruised the bone. 

I fell on top of it, letting my knees carry most of my weight straight down onto its shoulder blades.

A satisfying crunch later, and my freshly summoned spiders emptied their venom into its neck, while my wasps and Murderess struck at the goblin that had bit me.

Less than thirty seconds later, the goblins were well on their way to death. I formed Larder Beetles to harvest the goblins’ dungeon stones.

If I had even a simple knife, I could have carved the stones from the goblins’ chests and increased my gains further. I needed to get a knife. 

Passenger, remind me later.

My Murderess chittered at me–I had not realized spiders could look offended.

I took stock of my wounds. My robes remained intact, likely from the mesh of Abyssal Silk that I had loosely woven into the robe’s fabric. I had bruises along my shins which were healing. My knees, while sore, remained functional. 

The only wound that concerned me was my right arm. The stump, where I had been bitten, burned. I worried that the goblins had envenomed saliva, or flesh eating bacteria, or something else nasty–fitting of the disgusting creatures. 

Because it burned and itched, and even with my regeneration, it ached far more than a bite should have.

In the dim lighting, it was hard to tell, but it almost looked like a thin layer of my miasma had settled over my stump, giving the end of the arm an irregular patchwork quilt of skin and Abyssal Shadows. 

I poked at it–the miasma did not dislodge. I tried summoning insects with the stuff, but got nothing. The itching had subsided a little, but it still felt like a mosquito bite. A rather large mosquito bite.

I would have to wait it out and see if it went away. Otherwise, I could try asking Echidna when I got home later. At least I was fairly confident in my regeneration… not that I had really tested it–or understood long term consequences of relying on it.

Huh.

I really should ask Echidna about that.

Regardless, my hunting parties continued their work, though several of the wasps and spiders had run out of venom. I formed fresh wasps and spiders and airlifted them to resupply.

I continued forward. The next spawning only dropped two goblins on me, which was far easier.

The next one spawned four. I took a few more light injuries, but my performance had improved. I was learning the goblins’ tactics–they never changed.

I lost track of time on the first floor, hunting, both with my body, and with hunting parties, growing my swarm, when Bell Cranel found me.

“Hey! There you are!” he said, coming up behind me. “I thought you’d be back here.”

“How’d you find me?” I asked, finishing up another group of goblins.

“Just followed the creepy crawly mist,” he said, chuckling nervously, glancing at Murderess who had just finished biting down on a goblins carotid. “Anyways! You wanna team up? I figure between the two of us that we could hit maybe the sixth floor even!”

“Why do you want to team up?” I asked. “I’m not the safest to fight beside. I also rely on my creepy-crawlies…” I smiled, crouching down and letting Murderess crawl up my hand and arm. 

She waved to Bell.

“What? Because of the bugs?” he asked. “Nah, those are fine. Super creepy, but I grew up on a farm so it’s fine. Me and Hestia both thought you were effective, and it would be safer to team up! Besides…” he eyed me slyly “You wanna get strong quick right?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Ehh… you’d be surprised? Anyways, I figure with both of us working together, we could take down bigger monsters, and earn more excelia! Whaddya say?”

I had a few concerns. But as I looked at this bright-eyed kid, I remembered what it was like for me, when I was only a little older than him. And I had nearly lost my life fighting a rage-dragon. I had a foreboding feeling that he would soon find himself in over his head, especially without supervision.

“What would you do if we didn’t party?” I asked, trying to gauge his reactions.

“Eh… ?” He coughed. 

I remembered he had found me on a lower floor than this the previous day. He had no fear of going lower. He would likely seek to challenge himself soon. Could I in good conscience leave him to his own devices? 

“Will we gain strength faster working together?”

“For sure. Bigger monsters mean more challenge. We can cover each other's weaknesses too. I can close in and fight in front while you use your magic.”

“You would head down there on your own anyways?” I asked.

“Yep!”

I watched him silently while I began recalling my swarm and allowing my power to trickle back in. I had already made up my mind.

“How are we splitting the stones?” I asked.

“Fifty-Fifty of course!”

I growled.

“Uhm, unless you do most of the work? Then maybe sixty-forty?” He did look a little crestfallen. I felt like I had kicked a puppy.

“Fifty-Fifty is fine,” I bit out. It would not do to make enemies with the child. Besides, I could always send out hunting parties while I teamed up with him.

He cheered. “Wanna head down then?! I was thinking we can start on the fifth.”

On our way down, I kept half my swarm close so that I could pull my weight when we met goblins and kobold spawn. The rest of my swarm had been invested in hunting parties–though since we were moving, I was not able to replenish them with fresh insects.

On the third floor down my scouts smelled beer. They followed the scent until they found a short and stout woman who immediately began punching my flies right out of the air. 

She started moving towards the stairway where we were descending. She was followed by a small child–a girl–that smelled like the same one from the previous day, the one who had traveled with Canoe.

I reached out and grabbed Bell by the shoulder, stopping him from progressing further towards the stairway down.

“Gah!” he startled, fumbling to unsheathe his sword as he twisted around. “What is it?”

“There is a dwarf approaching from below.” 

I continued scouting the dwarf’s vicinity. What had she been doing? My insects smelled blood coming from one of the hallways. Several scouts headed down, until they found a heavyset man curled up in a puddle of blood. He was breathing, but faintly. I checked his ears–animal. He smelled like Canoe. The same guy that had threatened me.

“Yeah and?” Bell asked. “Lots of dwarves are down here. And how do you know anyways?”

“Magic,” I said dryly, trying to figure out how to play this. 

Canoe was not a friend, and chances were high he deserved whatever happened to him. I had no means of helping him, and even if I did, chances were good he would lash out or betray me. Bell could be hurt. Bell would want to save him, as he was a fledgling hero, and had yet to experience the darker realities. I made my decision. 

“She smelled like beer,” I said. “And was drunk the last time I saw her down here.”

“Sounds like a dwarf,” he laughed. “You should have heard some of the stories my Grandfather told about his drinking companions!”

“I ran into her yesterday. She was a little… challenging to deal with.”

“Did you want to grind monsters here for a bit?” he asked. “We could probably still gain excelia, just not as much.”

I did want to progress deeper into the dungeon. But I also was suspicious of the dwarf hanging out near the entrance to the third floor. But even yesterday, she never attacked me, just a few of my insects. 

“Let’s be careful,” I said, pulling my hand off him and leading the way down.

As we came down the last few steps, we saw the dwarf and she saw us.

“Oy! You with Soma?” the dwarf called out. 

She had a flagon in one hand, and a bloody winged mace in the other. The blood smelled fresh. And like Canoe.

How had I missed the bloody mace earlier? Probably because she killed my insects as they came in, which marked her as a higher level adventurer–since she was both fast and perceptive in the dim lighting of the dungeon.

“Lily does not recognize them,” the small child said from behind the dwarf.

“Aye, but I wanna hear that from ‘em.”

“Nope!” Bell said cheerfully, apparently unaware of the danger of greeting strange women in the dungeon. “I’m with the Captain of the Hestia Familia,” he bragged. “And my party-member’s with Echidna.”

“Echidna heh?” the dwarf said, offering a toast and pouring out some of her beer on the floor. I noticed it was red and foaming. “Your Goddess is friends with my Goddess, so I guess that makes you alright too.”

“Who is your Goddess?” I asked.

“Can’t you guess?” the dwarf laughed, but did not answer.

“Did you guys need a party or something?” Bell asked. “What’re you all doing just waiting here?”

“Lily wants to go back up,” Lily said, looking longingly at the stairway up.

“Lily’s carrying muh booze,” the dwarf said.

“Not willingly!”

I arched an eyebrow. I could not tell if Lily was serious or not. But the dwarf was not someone I would want to make an enemy of without cause, and Lily seemed resigned to sticking near the dwarf.

“We’re keepin’ an eye out fer those punks with ‘at pretender,” the dwarf answered. “Just keep movin’ along now–an take yer bugs with you!”

“But does the little girl need help?” Bell asked.

“Lily is not a little girl!” Lily said. “Lily is older than you!”

“Heh, she’s a Pallum. I liberated ‘er from some other punk.”

I pushed Bell along and whispered, “looks like they got it covered.”

“A-alright…” he said, sounding unconvinced. We began to walk in the same direction as Canoe, although he was laying around several corners.

“Nah that way,” the dwarf said, sticking her bloody mace out to half-heartedly block our path.

“Why not?” Bell asked.

“Cause I said so,” the dwarf slurred.

“Lily thinks you should listen to her,” Lily said.

Bell looked like he was going to push the issue and cause a fight–which would end up with both of us getting hurt.

“Because that way’s been cleared already,” I intervened. “We can get more stones if we head down here instead.” I began walking towards a side passage. It would meet up with the stairway down eventually, though it would be a more circuitous route.

I kept a few scouts on Bell. He looked after me for a moment, before following. 

“Good lad,” the dwarf said to his back as he left. He tightened up a bit, but kept going.

We reached the fifth level and began hunting the frogs and giant lizards, along with the larger packs of monsters that spawned.

We entered a large chamber off one of the primary tunnels. It was a dead end, with a single entrance. No monsters were waiting for us, but we figured they would spawn if we poked around a bit, since the walls were all lit.

The dungeon waited until we were poking at the wall farthest from the entrance before it began spawning. A lot. All the walls in the chamber began blistering and cracking as monsters came through.

“A… Monster Party?!” Bell shouted. “Why! There’s too many!”

Five frogs had emerged, along with six kobolds, and ten goblins. I pushed my fist against my thigh to crack my knuckles and I prepared my swarm. 

“We need to run!” Bell said. “I’ll hold them off!”

He would be willing to sacrifice himself? Endearing. Noble. And I could see a little of myself in him. 

“You’re not dying today,” I said. 

Murderess began chittering in excitement.

“You’re on tongue duty,” I said.

The stone flaked off the froggers and they hopped forward to close the distance. My Tarantula Hawks met them halfway, dive bombing into their mouths.

Three tongues shot out. I dodged two, but the third got my ankle. It pulled, ruining my balance and sending me stumbling towards it.

“Oh! I’ll just–” Bell started as he jumped onto the tongue and swung with his blade. The frogger let go of its hold on me and retracted its tongue before the blade hit it, leaving Bell striking the stone and chipping his knife.

My second wave of wasps hit the frogs just as the stone flaked off the kobolds and goblins. My arachnids were waiting for them.

Within a minute, the monsters were on the ground writhing and dying.

Bell surveyed the room of thrashing monsters and worked his jaw. He held up a finger, as though to speak, then let it drop and shook his head.

“Good work on that tongue,”  I told him. 

“You just–” he waved around. “-what level are you again?”

I scoffed. As if I would reveal details needlessly. Although he could infer a substantial amount just by partying with me. He could potentially be a loose end.

“Right,” he said. “You want me to cut the stones out?”

I nodded, walking over to one of the more resistant froggers and smashing its head in with my heel. “My swarm tends to eat them if not,” I told him. “Not that I would mind…”

“But then how would we trade them in for valis?” he asked, chuckling. As if I had done something remarkably silly. I glared at his back. 

He got to work with a hooked knife and began pulling out the stones. After each stone came out, the monster would disappear into a cloud of black ash, removing all evidence of blood and gristle.

We were soon moving along. A question had been bothering me, watching Bell panic back there. I finally asked as we cleared another small pack of monsters.

“Why’d you want to run from that Monster Party?” I asked. We were down here to kill monsters afterall. If more of them spawned at one time, then we could grow stronger faster.

“Uh…oh… Not very heroic,” he said, his face turning downward and red. He looked so sad.

“Chin up,” I told him, pausing for a second before patting him on his back. It was an awkward back-pat, and I was unsure if it would actually work. “You were willing to sacrifice yourself to give me a chance to escape. That’s heroic.”

“Y-yeah? You think?”

“Yes,” I said. He started smiling. Until I continued. “But also incredibly dumb. If anyone were to sacrifice themselves, it should be me.”

“You’re going to be a hero too?” he asked, stars in his ruby red eyes.

“Maybe.”

“You’re already so much stronger than me. I need to get stronger too, but Miss Eina says that we need to know our limits! Adventurers should not go on adventures…” He said the last bit rather reluctantly.

“But aren’t Monster Parties common though?” I asked. I had already encountered two just that day alone.

“No! Not really.”

Huh. 

We eventually called it quits and returned to the surface, with a pouch fat with dungeon stones. Lily and the dwarf were gone when we passed back through.

“Fifty-Fifty right?” Bell asked while fidgeting.

“Unless you decided–”

“Nope! That’s good! Thank you very much, I’ll just go exchange the stones now…” he trailed off chuckling. We passed through the Guild exit with the tellers, and Bell waited in line behind an elf, even though another teller would have been open. “Miss Eina!” He cheered as he came to the front. “Me and Miss Taylor got all the way to the fifth floor! There was a Monster Party!”

Eina gasped, putting a hand over her mouth in a display of horror. “You should never have been down there! Are you hurt? Did someone save you?”

“We~ell, Miss Taylor did most of the work… Her magic is really good.”

I groaned–I needed to have a chat with Bell about sharing.

Eina glanced over at me. The cat girl who was manning the station next to her caught her eye and nodded. That knowing glance left me uncomfortable.

“I see,” Eina said. “And did you know that Miss Taylor is not yet registered with the Guild?”

Now it was Bell’s turn to gasp as he turned to me with an accusing stare. “Is this true?!”

I shrugged, “I was busy.”

Eina pushed up a pair of spectacles on her nose and gave me a no-nonsense glare. “And did you realize that unregistered adventurers can cause their Familia to be fined? And if those fines go unpaid, then the Familia may be banished or barred from the dungeon?”

I resisted the urge to wilt back.

“You will register, yes?”

“I said that I would.”

“See that you have your Goddess fill these out then.” She passed a stack of forms to me, over her counter.

“You mean you don’t need my sheet?” I asked to clarify.

“Just your name and level. A sheet is preferred for advisement, but it appears you’ll just behave recklessly anyways. We don’t need to waste our time or resources on such transitory fools.”

I took the forms from her as she exchanged the dungeon stones for valis. “Could I have some of my stones left as is?”

“You may,” Eina frowned at me over her glasses. “Though this is irregular, and I must question why.”

“Aw, don’t bully her Miss Eina!” Bell said, coming to my rescue. “I would have been in big trouble if not for her today.”

“Was she not the one that led you into trouble?”

“We~ell…”

“Bell Cranel!” Eina scolded.

“I wanted to see what it was like! And look, we both turned out ok.”

Eina passed two piles of valis towards us, mine smaller, but containing a few dungeon stones as well.

“Please take more care, Bell.”

She turned her attention back towards me. “And you! Do not let him get hurt, or you’ll answer to me!”

I coughed. “Could I borrow a pouch?” I said, wincing at my lack of preparation.

Eina glared hard enough to break glass. She eventually growled, but passed over a small pouch. “You had better return this tomorrow, along with those forms. Completed and signed!”

“Is she always like that?” I asked dryly as we exited.

“Miss Eina? She’s great. She just gets worried sometimes I think. Anyways, did you wanna celebrate today with me? I was going to go to the Hostess…”

“No.”

“Oh…” he turned his face down to stare at his toes. His expression drooped pathetically. “Maybe some other time.”

He started walking off, slouched shoulders, head turned downcast. 

Ugh!

“Hey Bell?” I called after him.

“Yeah! You changed your mind? You’ll love it. Great food. My treat!”

“I can’t tonight–I need to update my status and work on my gear. But maybe tomorrow?”

“You mean it?! So we’ll party tomorrow too?”

“...yeah.”

Chapter 10: Hatchling 1.9

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.9

On the way home, the sun had started to set, but there was still plenty of time in the day, and many of the smaller shops were still open. As I had received just over twelve thousand valis, I thought it was time to bite the bullet, buy some supplies, and improve my efficiency.

However, there was a problem: I was incredibly poor.

At first, I had thought that twelve thousand valis to at least purchase basic supplies. But… I had come to realize that Orario suffered from severe inflation. Maybe because it was a boom town, or maybe because of the Guild’s fiscal policies, but either way, that twelve thousand valis spent more like a couple hundred dollars back home.

The first few shops I stopped by had prices starting at the tens of thousands for things such as leather belts, and far more for the knives that I had been looking for.

The same k-bar knife from back home? Here an equivalent piece of equipment would take me several days in the dungeon to purchase. 

And that was before the tinkertech equivalent of gear came into question–the weapons with ‘enchantments’ could cost millions.

I may have window shopped just a little too hard in one of the weaponsmiths near the tower. It was just–some of the weapons… 

There were weapons I had never realized I needed. 

There were weapons I had never realized existed. 

There were kusarigama similar to what Cricket had used back home, sickle axes attached to chains. There were three bladed urumi. There were falchions and stilettos and rapiers. The best of them had properties like ‘unbreakable.’ 

But when I saw the prices? I… may have teared up.

Of course, if anyone from back home asked me, I would have said I was investigating the tinkertech weaponry available to provide a risk assessment of what I might encounter. And if Defiant asked, I was looking for a knife to replace his nano-thorn blade. 

Of course, the blades that had enchantments such as ‘unbreakable’ durandal began in the tens of millions of valis. When I spent too long window shopping at those wares, big burly blacksmiths arrived to chase me out.

At least blacksmiths had better manners than the Enforcers on the Boardwalk.

It was just as I was tossed out of one weaponsmith that a chienthrope found me.

“Taylor Hebert of Echidna Familia?” the chienthrope asked. She had floppy brown dog ears and an excited tail–she reminded me of a golden retriever–and appeared fairly happy and upbeat.

I felt an infectious smile start to leak onto my face before I schooled my expression by focusing on my swarm crawling across the underside of my robe, fortifying the fabric with spider silk.

“Who are you and why did you find me?” I asked. I sent a few fliers out to check around for lurking strangers or assailants, or any of the other scents I would recognize. Nothing came across as strange, except the chienthrope smelled clean but slightly salty.

“Please keep them off me,” she said. “Bad enough people claim I have fleas. I don’t actually need them.”

They were not fleas. But I bit my tongue on the retort.

“My apologies, I was just catching your scent. Why were you looking for me?”

“My scent huh?” she asked. “Must be nice to be able to do that without the obvious parts.” She lifted one of her ears up but let it drop. “Anyways!” She broke into a smile. “Glad to find ya! I got a couple messages. One from the Loki Familia, and the other from… Royman? Heh, don’t know how you upset the Guild, but better you than me!”

She handed me two sealed envelopes and then hung around for a second, taking in my robes and my missing arm. I thought she might have been waiting for something more–I probably needed to tip her. 

I fished the smallest denomination, fifty valis, and I held it out for her.

“For?” she asked. I noticed her tail started wagging just a bit more.

“Delivering the message?” I asked.

She snorted. “You’d need to pay a bit more than that. I wouldn’t take advantage of a newb anyways. Even if you’ve got some pretty crazy magic. Where’d you learn it anyways?”

I shrugged, “Born with it.”

“Some people have all the luck,” she said wistfully. “Well, be seeing you!” 

“Wait!” I called after her. “Can you point me towards a decent general store?”

She smiled and held out her hand, palm up.

With her guiding me, I was able to find a store that had what I needed, the bare minimum of what I needed. I began to think that I should have just sucked it up and bought from the Guild discount bin, but even that, according to the courier, would have cost me more than I could afford.

Normally Familia sponsored new adventurers a bit more than Echidna had. But then again, Echidna might not have had much in the way of funds since She recently descended.

I could likely craft armor that would be more effective than what I could purchase at my level. I might even try wearing insects with hard carapaces as a form of cheap ablative armor, though I would need to gain enough magic for that first.

I ended up purchasing a belt for a thousand valis, a pouch for two thousand, and then the rest was spent on a practical no-frills knife–without the sheathe, those would have cost even more.

The sun was setting by the time I got back to the abandoned burnt out dive bar. I sent my insects crawling through the ruins and the tunnels beneath, and from caution, I scouted all around the ruins as well, searching for any signs of a stalker. Nothing appeared untoward. I climbed down into the basement, slipped past the shabby curtain, and found myself alone in Echidna’s lair.

I had been hoping she would have been there waiting. Strange. Likely part of that low-level Master effect. I could not afford to actually become attached to someone. I probably just wanted to see her to get my Falna updated. There were plenty of other things that I could do instead.

I went over my purchases. I pulled the sealed envelopes out and looked over them. I glanced through the paperwork from the Guild. I tested the edge of the knife with my thumb–it needed to be sharpened, the knife, not my thumb. 

I summoned shellfish and checked the bottom of the bath to see if Echidna was down there. It was deep and hot and looked positively luxurious–but no Echidna.

I paced. I exercised–for power as opposed to strength. Jump squats and shadowkicks against the stone wall. I could afford punching a rock since my Regeneration would heal me and the Falna would leave me stronger for it. 

Still no Echidna.

I went back to paperwork the Guild wanted us to fill out. The forms could have rivalved some of the more complicated tax-sheets from back on Bet. And those were awful memories. I still had nightmares from those chats with the IRS Audit Specialist.

I had dungeon stones left over from the Guild Officer Eina–about ten of them, each the size of my pinky. I tossed them into my mouth like yogurt covered raisins. 

Bored. Unproductive. I should have stayed in the Dungeon after Bell left.

Armor. I could make armor.

I began summoning Darwin Bark spiders.

My first bodysuit had taken me three months to create. That had included trial and error, and farming up enough female Black Widows to sustain silk operations. I continued to improve my technique over the years, especially when I joined the Wards.

Now however, with spiders that could be summoned and resummoned in their web-laying prime, with my past experience in creating bodysuits, and with my measurements ready to go, I anticipated that I could craft the costume in hours. Potentially. My real limitation was in how much magic, or miasma, I wanted to permanently invest in material.

The less I invested, the larger combat potential and hunting parties I could field. The more hunting parties I could field, the faster I could gain more miasma. The answer was to cover the bare minimum that would allow me to remain functional enough while my regeneration took effect.

I unrobed and allowed my spiders to begin mapping my skin. I needed to protect my femoral, carotid, tendons, knees, ankles, and the spaces between my ribs.

As I worked, I also had my spiders clean my skin–the exfoliation treatment should have been disgusting, but it was too effective for me not to rely on. Besides, the spiders were already crawling across me, and they were made of magic anyways.

Spiders set, I decided to check over the messages I had gotten off the courier. The first one was addressed from the Loki Familia. It was a receipt?

No–that had to be wrong. 

I read it a second time. A third time. The number had not changed between readings, no matter how much I had hoped. My limbs felt numb. Face spasmed.

“Two hundred and forty million valis!” I shouted.

Oh, and apparently Loki had graciously offered to let me have until the end of the season to pay it all back. I did not know how long the seasons were here, but I doubted it would be long enough.

The second message from the Guild Leader was a summons to testify for a Denatus–which sounded like a tribunal. I had been through enough of those to know it was all politics. But if I played my cards right, I might convince someone to help fight Scion.

It looked like I would have to appear the next evening.

Eventually. Eventually , Echidna returned.

“Where were you?” I asked her as she came in the door.

“Daughter, have you missed me?”

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her. My murderess chittered over to her, and she knelt down to allow the spider to crawl onto Echidna’s hand.

“And who is this?” Echidna asked. “A Familiar perhaps? I believe Hecate had mentioned them to me once upon a time.”

“It’s made from my power–”

“-magic dear-”

“-and I almost have control over it, but not like the rest of my projections. I think it might be my Passenger.”

“Passenger?”

“The entity that governs my power–at least before I came here.”

“That explains a few items of note, perhaps. And did your Passenger have a title?”

“Queen Administrator. At least that’s what the Fairy Queen called her.”

“Such unique names from your world!” She delighted as she pet the spider. “Perhaps we should call you Queen.”

Huh. “I had been calling her murderess.”

“A rather ignoble name,” Echidna said. “The matter is settled, we shall refer to her as Queen.”

My murderess chittered her chelicerae and bopped its front legs up and down. I felt betrayed by the spider’s approval of the name. But not enough to contest it when other more important matters required discussing.

“I received these messages on my way home today,” I said. Echidna smiled briefly when she heard me call her lair home. But that smile fell off her face when she read the receipt sent from Loki.

She hissed. “She dares! This is as much as an artifact. And only a month and three days to pay? Sheer lunacy.” 

“I’m glad it’s not just me that thought it was a bit much,” I said.

“No. We will likely need to seek arbitration. What game is she playing? I could hire Hephaestus herself for this sum. Lunacy…” she trailed off, muttering darkly.

“Two more questions: What is a Denatus?”

“A meeting of the Divinities,” Echidna said. “Why does my daughter ask? Does she seek to ascend so soon?” she chased her grumblings with a wry smile. To answer her, I slid her the message I had received from the Guild. Her smile dropped off her face and she groaned. “This is too soon!” she said.

“I would think the sooner the better,” I replied. “As we–I–want aid to save trillions of lives.”

She sighed wearily before slipping off her slippers before lounging in one of the dining chairs. “Were this to be put off even another day, our position would be tenable. With this meeting set for tomorrow, I fear we are merely slated as entertainment for the bored Divinities of Orario.”

The pit of my stomach fell out beneath me. That surely could not be true. Even the PRT was never so awful with their politics–nobody had ever wanted to be in any of the weekly director calls. I had hated eavesdropping on them–they were that boring. But then, the Heroes had largely existed to entertain and distract. Could the Guild be serving a similar function here. I would believe it.

I growled. “People are dying, and the Divinities are looking for a show–because they want something to watch?!”

“Daughter. In this you have me as an ally. Though I fear we have few others prepared. The situation is not hopeless and I will not have you lost to despair.”

“There is no despair here. There is frustration. Anger. Fury even. But no, not despair. If they refuse to see reason, then I will force them.”

Echidna’s lips thinned and curled. “Truly my daughter. Now, let us update your Falna and together lay our plots and schemes.”

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     12 I    -> 26 I 

END:     35 I    -> 59 I

AGI:     12 I    -> 27 I

DEX:     12 I    -> 26 I

MAG:     216 G      -> 266 G

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.

 

Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 11: Hatchling 1.10

Chapter Text

Hatchling 1.10 

I only slept four hours that night; it was the bare minimum to maintain competency. I needed to prepare if I even had a chance at convincing the Divinities to help against Scion. 

Unfortunately, the crux of my problems came down to time.

If I had more time, I could gain more power and resources. If I had more resources, I could bribe or coerce alliances into supporting me.

But as it was, I did not. I had too much to do.

I needed to secure one very crucial attendee at the upcoming Denatus. I also needed to put in a good showing. Attending in rags would only hurt my claims and earn me ridicule. 

Like back home, rep was everything.

Echidna woke me up and wished me luck before she groggily went back to sleep. I dressed in my robes, buckled on my new belt and pouch, fed my knife through a silk loop I had made, and then I headed off towards the dungeon.

Queen, of course, rode on my shoulder.

We reached the fifth floor and I sent out one hunting party while I used my knife to clear another hall. I encountered no Monster Parties unfortunately, but the spawn rates were sufficient. Yet, I would need far more resources to succeed.

After I cleared a chamber of the last frogger to have spawned, I harvested its stone with my knife. The frogger stones were bigger than the kobolds which were bigger than the goblins. 

But I needed more.

Right then, I was torn between growing my power, gaining enough magic to recreate my costume, and trading the resources in for valis to secure an ally in the upcoming Denatus.

For every stone I harvested to trade, I consumed at least one. And for every stone that I consumed, I spent at least one on the spiders crawling beneath my robes. 

It was fast, but I needed to go faster still. 

I progressed down towards the sixth floor. I knew that there would be Warshadows. 

I had progressed halfway down the first hallway when the stone began cracking and blistering both behind and ahead of me. I prepared my fliers while keeping a quarter of my miasma free and available for rapid resummoning, depending on the situation I encountered.

The monsters emerged. Two oversized giant ants, at least mastiff sized. Their mandibles protruded further than natural and I had little doubt that they could cut through or cripple any unwary limbs. 

I sent in the wasps, aiming for eyes and antennae. The ants waved their feelers and heads back and forth, attempting to dislodge the wasps, but they lacked the mobility to swat the insects.

The ants, having realized the futility, charged me, one from each end of the hallway. With my insects, I knew exactly where they were, where their mandibles were, and I kept out of their range.

My wasps disoriented them, but failed to completely blind them, except by obstructing their vision with their bodies. I sent the rest of my fliers in to look for weaknesses in the points between the chitinous armor.

I found what I thought was a fault line in front of their thorax. I sidestepped the first ant’s next attack and kept going until I was beside the ant’s long body. I brought my knife down on the fault, and scored a direct hit… or what should have been a direct hit. My knife glanced off the chitin.

Even at the weakest point of their armor, my knife lacked the driving power. Not to be discouraged, I tried again, this time throwing everything I had into the blow. The knife slipped. I cut my hand on my own blade, and it fell beneath the ant’s legs.

The second ant arrived while I had tried and failed to stab the first. The first shimmied into me, knocking me into the wall. The second ant pushed towards me, where I was trapped between the first ant’s body and the wall.

Time for Plan B.

I summoned all the wasps that I could and sent them pouring into the second ant’s mouth. The first ten died, then the first twenty, but for every few that died, one managed to find softer tissue to envenom. I spent all my miasma, holding nothing back. The second ant thrashed into the first. The first, blind and disoriented, lashed out at the second.

The second staggered, then fell, curling up into itself.

The first ant latched onto it and tore through its neck as though the chitin were tissue paper.

As my miasma returned, I began throwing wasps into the first ant’s mouth.

It took a third of my active swarm, but I could down the ants. Soon, my beetles were digging through the chitin to harvest the stones, and my power grew. 

I lost track of time while grinding away, and dawn must have come and gone, because my scouts detected a familiar scent of jagamara-kuns and youth. Bell had entered my range, on the sixth floor… by himself.

I sent my fliers and hunting parties his way, taking out a Killer Ant that had been on a path to intercept him. I knew from personal experience that knives fared sub-optimally against the Ants.

A curiosity though, is that my advanced scouts detected a large warm object lurking a hallway down and around the corner from Bell. As Bell progressed, the warmth followed. When I tried landing bugs on the large, warm, humanoid object–they were quickly slapped, near instantaneously. 

I did get a scent though–spice, perfume and fish.

Why were they following Bell? And what should I do about it?

Confronting the mysterious stalker prematurely would lose me potential information regarding their purpose. Calling out to Bell might frighten the stalker back. I decided to stalk Bell as well, using my swarm to take down the ants and blind the warshadows.

If Bell noticed, he never called out to me. Though as he danced with a Warshadow that I was blinding, he did whisper ‘thanks.’

It was just after Bell managed his first Warshadow kill, after he whispered thanks, that his stalker realized I had been helping. He began moving–fast. Far faster than someone his size should have been able to.

I raced along passages in a circumference around him, while the stalker took efforts to avoid alerting Bell while still searching for me.

With my scouts, I managed to keep away from them for about thirty seconds. But as they rounded the circumference, I was running out of space to run, and the monsters continued spawning.

I knew the stalker was at a high level. The way they tore through monsters with ease. As soon as the monster poked a head out at him, the monster was dead.

I had a choice: I could run and group with Bell. While I doubted Bell could defeat this stalker with even my help, if the stalker wanted Bell’s goodwill for whatever reason, then there was a good chance that claiming a party with Bell would protect me.

But could I assume that the stalker cared for Bell’s goodwill? That would be atypical for most stalkers. I would not put Bell at that degree of risk. 

So while I continued to keep a hunting party near Bell to help him with the Ants and Warshadows, I got into position to confront the stalker.

I readied a cloud of bite-mes and wasps, small Brazilian Wanderers and Black Widows. I formed a cloud around me, and another to the side, to serve as a distraction.

The Stalker, a very large man with non-human ears, had arrived. He came fast and sudded, decelerating to a stop just beyond the cloud of insects covering me. The wind from his approach blew my fliers off track, smashing them into the wall and me. 

So much for camouflage.

I leaned against the wall, arms across my chest, foot resting on the wall behind me. I doubted I could do much against this person, just making it all the more important to avoid a violent confrontation–by assuming a position of strength.

“You’re stalking Bell Cranel.” the man asked, a gruff voice, deep and covering a latent violence that left me little doubt that he could and would kill me if I gave him any reason to do so.

“I could say the same to you.”

“Why do you?”

“He’s just a kid,” I answered. “I’ve been keeping the Ants off him and helping with the Warshadows.”

“You don’t think he can handle himself?”

“Why take the risk.”

“To let him grow. To see him shine. He won’t reach his full potential if he’s swaddled by–” he snatched a wasp from the air and pinched it between two fingers “-your bugs?”

“It’s my magic,” I said.

“Hm. I would be surprised if this proved effective just a few floors down. Maybe you should worry more for your growth than his.”

“I’ve ruined dragons with less,” I said.

While we talked, I had continued keeping track of Bell. He was currently fighting a blinded Warshadow on his own and holding his own. My Tarantula Hawks serving as scouts in the nearby hallway detected a breeze moving towards Bell. I scrambled the fliers in that area until one landed on that familiar, cloth like, fabric. Another Warshadow had arrived.

Shit. 

Two Warshadows at once? And Bell only knew about the first.

“If we’re done?” I asked him, plotting the nearest course towards Bell. 

I had already begun blinding the second Warshadow. Since they were fast, I had to land my wasps and then crawl along their fabric like skin until reaching their faces. About half of the wasps I would land would be wiped off or smashed before reaching the head.

I reformed more wasps and added Assassin Flies to the mix, sending them rocketing down the hallways, navigating the maze, until buzzing past Bell in an arrow towards the second Warshadow.

“Huh?” Bell said. He jumped back and pivoted, keeping the first Warshadow before him, while maneuvering himself to take in the atrium that had been behind him. “Two?!” He said.

“I don’t think we are,” the big man said. He may as well have teleported from where he had been to where I was going. He was blocking my path, to keep me from helping in person.

“He won’t be any good for whatever you need him for if he’s dead,” I said, trying to keep my voice as calm and level as I could.

“You’re threatening him?” the man asked. “Or are you threatening the King?”

“The who? No!” I said. “He’s fighting two Warshadows right now.

Bell feinted towards the second Warshadow before ducking, twisting, and driving his dagger up and into the first, going from waist to chest. The black shadows began spewing out from the Warshadow, and Bell jumped through the deflating Warshadow, rolled, and came back in a crouch facing the second. An improvised but effective maneuver. 

I calmed down and breathed out. “Now he’s just fighting one.”

The big man glared. “Don’t coddle him.” And then he disappeared.

The stalker flashed back to a position where he could watch Bell’s fight progress. Between blinding the Warshadow and slowing its movements, Bell managed to slash the second Warshadow. He went back to the first to harvest its stone, and then the second.

Seeing that the boy was safe, and that the stalker remained a silent observer, I continued grinding within range of Bell until my bodysuit finished, and then I took my proceeds to head up. But before I left him alone, I went to chat with him.

The stalker tensed up as I approached Bell, but he relaxed when he saw I was just talking.

“I’m heading up Bell,” I said.

“What, already?” he asked.

I nodded. “Errands to run. Will you be fine down here on your own?”

“Maybe? Can I help with your errands? I feel like I owe you for the Warshadows–and Ants–and you’ve actually been helping a lot, even though this is the first I saw you.”

“We’re a party aren’t we?” I said.

“Yeah! Though next time maybe we could meet up top at the fountain before heading down?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I said.

The stalker watched us as we headed up but did not interfere.

We encountered a few monster spawns on the way up, but nothing that proved difficult. We split the stones from the monsters we did kill together, while I sent out hunting parties along the way to make the most of every minute while in the dungeon. Once we got to the surface, we headed to the Guild entrance and traded our stones.

Of course, Bell dragged us towards Eina Tulle, his preferred adviser. And of course, Eina Tulle blamed me for Bell’s reckless engagement of the warshadows. I did have my registration forms, however, which allowed me to exchange my own dungeon stones.

“Will you be exchanging all of these?” she asked, giving me her meanest Librarian stare.

“Yes ma’am,” I answered.

“Hm. You’ve been busy. Are you happy with yourself?”

“Ma’am?” I asked, wincing, and already knowing this was coming.

“For upsetting poor Misha and for recklessly endangering both yourself and Mister Cranel?”

I coughed and shook my head.

“No you’re not happy with yourself, or you are?”

“Ma’am,” I said slowly, “It has been a very long time since I’ve been happy.”

“Don’t say that!” Bell jumped in. “There’s tons to be happy about Miss Taylor! Just look at your haul! And I know Lady Echidna absolutely loves you, you should see the look on her face when she talks about you! And you’ve got me!”

Eina’s glare softened. “Just make sure you don’t drag the boy down,” she finished. She handed me my valis and filed the registration paperwork.

As we left the Guild Entrance and stepped out onto the streets of Orario, it was around midday. I had a few more hours at least.

“What now Miss Taylor?” Bell asked.

Chapter 12: Hatchling Interlude: Freya

Chapter Text

Hatchling Interlude: Freya

Far above Taylor and Bell, in the penthouse of the Tower of Babel, there Freya, Goddess of Beauty, Love, and War, peered out over her vista; she sought another chance sighting of her prey.

While her eyes roamed across the streets of Orario, she sipped from a flute of sparkling spring water, harvested from the Lower Dungeon earlier that day. She tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the flute glass. The bubbles caught the sunlight and sparkled, reminding her of her little rabbit’s soul.

The door to her loft opened, allowing a large Boaz, a humanoid boar, to enter. Another bright soul, though nowhere near so pure as the boy. And yet, the Boaz, named Ottar, was the only level seven in the city, and remained the backbone of Freya’s power.

His alias said it all: The King. And he was hers.

He had just returned from her assigned task, and she barely repressed the shiver of excitement bubbling up within her, just as her flute scintillated.

“You found him.” Freya said. 

Ottar nodded and stepped beside her with his hands clasped behind his back. He was also one of the few in the city taller than her. 

“What were your impressions?” she asked.

“He has potential,” Ottar said. “But… if I may be so bold, I do have concerns.” His ears flattened, showing his unease at coming this close to sinning against his Goddess.

“You always have concerns.” Freya’s delicate laugh chimed through the loft. 

Ottar’s ears relaxed. “My Goddess,” Ottar said, head bowing. “No mortal is worthy of you.”

“Hmm.” Freya tapped a finger against her glass flute. “Tell me everything.”

“His name is Bell Cranel. Currently the sole member of the Hestia Familia–”

“-living under an old burnt out temple?”

“As always, my Goddess is wise.”

“Continue,” Freya said, already wondering if Hestia would improve or worsen the rabbit’s soul. Hestia, a Virginal Goddess, would hardly venture forth of her own volition to spoil the boy’s purity. Freya decided the boy could remain in the Hestia Familia for the time being. 

At least until the fruit had ripened and Freya plucked the morsel for herself.

“He is level one,” Ottar continued. “He fights with knives. I observed him fighting alone, but he was also in a party of two.”

“Which is it?” Freya asked, feeling the stirrings of jealousy. Did another seek to claim her rabbit? Her eyes narrowed in thought. “He is a new adventurer. Has he been looking for a party? Should we provide him a mentor?” She asked, wondering if she needed additional hooks to safeguard the boy for his eventual harvest.

“I believe we would only hinder the boy’s growth, my Goddess. I… am suspicious of the woman he has partied with.”

“Another woman?” Freya hissed. “No. No other woman shall have him.”

Ottar continued: “The woman trailed after him. She became aware of me, and appeared aiding him from a distance. I do not know if she wants him. She called him a kid. She was… off-putting. But competent.”

“Did the boy see you?” Freya asked. She wondered if he knew she had orders to trail him. It could cause suspicions when the odd woman disappeared. 

“No,” Ottar said. “However the woman did. She and I spoke. After, the boy and woman left together… I trailed after them, but I did not hear her mention me. I believe she knew I was there.”

Freya hummed while she thought out loud. “Not a complete fool then. You likely cowed her. You said she was off-putting?”

“Her magic was strange,” Ottar said. “I have never seen the like.” 

Ottar seemed to stare off into space, likely calculating the best means to both counter and deploy the woman. That itself was a compliment to her, for Ottar had seen everything else under the sun; he only performed these war calculations for the truly marvelous.

“Do tell…” she purred. Could there be another soul worthy of her?

“She spoke no incantations. She controlled a large area: terrain and battlefield control. From a different part of the dungeon, she blinded two Warshadows fighting the boy.”

“He was fighting two Warshadows?” Freya gasped in delight. “He is level one. Upper end perhaps?”

“I… do not think so my Goddess. Not yet at least.”

“You did not need to intervene?”

“The woman provided a modicum of safety. I had not realized he was facing two Warshadows until she mentioned it…” he grimaced. “It was while I confronted her.”

“They are both in a party you said? I wonder how you cornered her without the boy knowing. Or why she left such space between her and him. Why did she trail him as a stalker?”

“She sought her own personal growth, but she remained fearful the boy would suffer on his own. After I confronted her, she approached the boy in person, and they left the dungeon together.”

“Unusual,” Freya thought out loud. “Where are they now?”

“The woman sent a message to the Apollo Manor and then clothes shopping. The boy followed along, apparently infatuated with her.”

Freya’s eyes narrowed once more and she hissed.

Ottar hurried to amend his statement. “I doubt the feelings are corroborated.”

She clicked her fingernails on a windowsill in irritation. “You are certain?”

“As can be,” he said. “She viewed him as a child.”

Freya smirked.

 

So that the Divinities may discuss strange rumors, that night Lord Ganesha hosted the impromptu Denatus in his manor. 

Ganesha had always been a ‘God of the Masses,’ and took exorbitant pride in his home: his ridiculous and shameful home. The entryway to the manor was guarded by a three story tall statue of an elephant headed man sitting cross-legged. The front doors, large and gilded, were centered exactly on the crotch of the great statue.

Ottar escorted Freya as they approached the spectacle of a building. While still a block away, Freya began hearing the music. She had not heard its like since before she had descended. 

No mortal could produce such a delightful note–it extended beyond the mortal spectrum. Great Spirits might have been able to create it, if the spirit had the right domain; though she would know if one had lived in Orario. 

Which meant a Divinity had to have been producing the delight.

That a Divinity thought this Decanus had been worthy of spending Arcaneum, of risking the wrath of the Pit? Truly luxurious.

She felt the compulsion to learn more. The music was akin to the siren’s call, luring sailors. Of course, the metaphor broke down in this instance–Freya could never be compared to a mere mortal.

Ottar held the doors open for her and trailed her in, though he kept to the edge of the atrium. Or he should have anyway. He was here as her bodyguard and escort, and was not strictly allowed at the Decanus. 

But not even gods would tell him no. He was The King.

As she entered, she felt the eyes of the room drawn to her, mortal and divine alike.

Ganesha’s serving staff forced their gaze away from her, except for one hapless servant who offered her a bowl of soma. She took it and benevolently smiled. The servant stood off into space drooling, lost in their own world.

She closed her eyes and sighed before moving on. Only a few, rare, mortals, were worth her specific attention.

As she entered, the concert of divine music, the supernatural chorus, grew deafening. If not for her Arcaneum, and the otherly nature of the music, surely she would have suffered damage from the proximity. 

Where did this strange music originate? 

It was hypnotic.

She needed more. To know more. To find its source. She sought the nearest expediency to her goals and saw a Goddess that she knew well. A short, well endowed, Virginal Goddess. Freya approached.

“Hestia dear,” Freya said. “Do you know where that diving musician is?”

“Oh it’s you,” Hestia glowered.

“Yes…” Freya smiled. 

Hestia was a rare treat, one of those few individuals that refused to act as another sycophant in Freya’s vicinity. Freya also adored the smaller Goddess’ form, both the domain and her shell. 

“But my question? I am trying to find them. To pay my compliments, as it were.”

“Just follow the music I guess,” Hestia said, before frowning. “Though–what music?”

“You mean you don’t hear it?”  Freya said. “Or that you cannot…” 

Slowly, a realization dawned upon her. 

No wonder the music had sounded familiar! Someone must have spent Arcaneum to mimic the cries of the damned facing judgment. She had not heard that for such a long time, since before the other worlds had been cut off, and even then, it had been incredibly rare–only after the greatest of Ragnaroks. 

But… that someone would produce this music, to go to such lengths, when she was the only one present that could hear it? 

It must have been a message for her.

She needed to learn more. But before she could pursue the answers she so desperately required, the meeting was called to session.

“I AM GANESHA!” Ganesha called out to the room. “Thank you for gracing the Home of Ganesha! We meet today to discuss a discussion that may involve us all–”

“-cut to the chase!” Loki called out from the crowd. “And someone break out the good stuff… I think Ganesha watered this stuff down.”

“Ganesha would never dishonor his home!” Ganesha shouted back. “Soma! Defend these wares which Ganesha has purchased.”

“This batch…” Soma started, peering thoughtfully into his cup “The summer had been drier. Perhaps the pollination was too late? I need to think on this–”

“-yeah ok Soma! You do you, boo!” Loki said. “Just get this over with. I got places to… Oh hey Chibi!” Loki said, angling over towards Hestia. Hestia sputtered and insulted Loki in return.

“Please focus,” Ouranos’ voice boomed from the sky. “This is a matter of import.”

“I, Ganesha, agree.” He spoke as though reading from a notecard, though none were visible. “We have a witness that was brought up from the depths of the dungeon, a previously unknown, who claims to hail from another world. She claims that a foe of immense god-like power has decimated it, along with other adjacent worlds, and that she seeks allies. I, Ganesha, now request this woman to bear witness. The Guild shall engage her with questions, and you may all listen and judge for yourselves.”

“This’ll be good,” Loki muttered. “That witness owes my Familia a chunk a’ change. Wonder where she is anyways?”

“Pay attention!” Hestia snapped back at Loki. “You know this is important!”

Loki snorted, “Whatever shrimp.”

Freya felt amusement watching the two and their antics. She would have ordinarily enjoyed their show–but her attention had settled on an enormous distraction. 

The song had grown to a feverish crescendo, a symphony that surrounded her. She could smell it, taste it, breathe it! She simply must have it! But where was it?

She pushed forward to the front of the assembled Divinities, where the woman was questioned by the Guild Leader, Royman Mardeel.

She had found the source of the music of souls, and it was no Divinity–but not exactly a mortal either. The moment Freya’s eyes locked onto her, Freya’s knees went weak.

In an instant, Ottar was beside her and bracing her up, a light breeze ruffling her hair from his sudden appearance. “Lady Freya, are you well?” he asked.

“Just caught off guard,” Freya said breathlessly. “Such an unexpected pleasure…” her eyes trailed over the woman, this purported visitor from another world.

The woman’s soul could not be truly described. It extended far beyond the dimensions of Genkai. In truth, all souls extended in immortal dimensions. But hers, hers existed in so many additional dimensions, far more than Freya had known existed. And the sheer volume of her soul. Freya could lose herself for the better part of infinity just observing and beholding, trying to take in and understand this beatific splendor. 

Each component part of the woman was a damned soul, all the memories, essence, everything , that was that person. Each component appeared faded and distant, though still a shining mote of light, located at the far end of the halls of time. And the people these souls came from… near all were unrecognizable. Freya had never seen these creatures before, nor heard of their descriptions. 

This was… novel.

The souls reached into the magic surrounding the woman, trailing about her feet, mimicking the train of a wedding dress, with faces of creatures emerging whom Freya could never have imagined prior. And all of it stemmed from her chest, where it shone brighter than anything else in existence, except the most powerful of Divinities. 

She had the weight of trillions of trillions, more numerous than the grains of ash of the wastes. If Freya did not know better, she would have assumed she was looking at a Divine Vessel containing the Nine Hells–but there were not enough souls in all the Hells, there were not enough souls in all the worlds, to account for the intensity within this container.

Frey was lost in her dreams and only broken of her reverie when the questioning began.

“Your name for the record,” Royman asked. He sounded exhausted and worn down–his soul disgusted Freya, none of the determination she would expect from a man of his position. She wished to go back to watching the woman, but Freya needed to hear this testimony if she would acquire this diamond.

“I was christened Taylor Anne Hebert,” the woman said. An odd turn of phrase. Freya understood the intent behind the words, and they contained truth–but the phrase ‘christened’ came in a foreign tongue that almost sounded Northern. 

“Truth!” Ganesha shouted with enthusiasm from where he stood just behind Royman. 

Freya was still lost in her admiration of Taylor. What a novelty this Taylor was. Besides the glory of the souls lodged in her chest, and the aura of diffuse and ancient souls permeating her, she also wore scandalous, unique, and otherworldly raiment. The lesser Divinities murmured and stared, taking her in. Truly, a blessing to behold.

“Whazzat she’s wearin’?” Loki asked, pushing forward to the front, besides Freya. Hestia stood on Freya's other side. They were both enamored by the garments.

“I can’t believe Echidna let her child wear that!” Hestia said. Hestia had begun blushing and made a theatrical show of covering her eyes. “Even Amazons wear more than that!”

“Is she one of your girls, Ishtar?!” Apollo shouted. “I did not know you hired crippled wares!”

Freya grew hot with repressed rage. He dared insult Taylor? Was he blind? So what if she lacked an arm? Her soul more than made up for any deficiency.

“I do not,” Ishtar said demurely from where she lounged and received a foot massage from the serving staff. “Though I wonder who the tailor was.”

Taylor Anne Hebert. Freya tasted the name. So sweet. So unique. Freya disabled her soul sight, though she was remiss to do so, but she needed to see what Taylor wore. And in truth, while not even a fraction of the splendor of Taylor’s soul, her clothes were unique.

Taylor wore a black skin over her entire body. The second skin was thin enough to reveal the muscles and imperfections, including the stump of her right arm. She wore a belt, vest, and boots, and a black clawed glove on her left hand. The suit climbed up to her neck and up to her chin. The vest was also black, but a red hourglass had been painted onto the front.

And then, remarkably, one of the largest spiders Freya had seen rode upon the girl’s shoulder–some form of domesticated pet. 

But a spider. 

A large one. 

Freya shuddered, as did many of the Divinities when they noticed it. It was just so… big. Freya was tempted to ask Ottar to put the spider out of all their misery. But it likely held significance to Taylor, and so Freya resisted the urge. For now.

“What is that hideous thing on her shoulder?” Apollo asked. That golden idiot. Though Freya was thankful he had asked on all their behalf. Apollo wore a toga and laurel wreath, marked with his insignia of a golden sun and bow.

“Is the Sun fearful of bugs?” One of the stranger Goddesses said, Freya thought her name was Sekhmet–possibly visiting from the blasted deserts. Freya forgot why the rivalry existed, but Sekhmet and Apollo despised each other.

Several Divinities tittered at the joke, causing Apollo’s face to redden.

“Of course not!” Apollo defended himself. “But there are rules in place for taming monsters. Is that the purpose of this inquiry, Guild Master?” 

“No–” Royman started to say.

“We demand answers!” Apollo shouted. A few other Divinities smiled and played along, finding enjoyment in riling the loathed Royman. It was Royman, afterall, that attempted to govern the Divinities through fines and taxes. 

If Apollo caused Royman’s blood pressure to spike through obfuscation, and if that blood pressure caused Royman’s heart to fail? Well, all the better.

“Very well,” Royman said in a pinched voice. “Taylor Anne Hebert, did you receive proper paperwork for your tamed monster?”

Taylor’s expression appeared pained. She glanced at the spider. The spider, incredibly, glanced back at Taylor. And now that Freya noticed the spider specifically, it appeared to have a piece of Taylor’s soul embedded within it. But how could Taylor share her soul with a pet? The curiosities continued to mount.

“Is the spider truly the reason we are here?” Taylor asked in a dry voice.

“Answer the question, Miss Hebert.”

“The spider is based off of a Brazilian Wandering Spider, also known as a Banana Spider, or colloquially called ‘Murderess.’ She prefers the name Queen.”

“Truth!” Shouted Ganesha, who still stood immediately behind Royman. 

Royman winced from Ganesha’s shout. He likely channeled that irritation into the questioning. “What matters is if you have its paperwork. If you have paid the dues. And if you have received the permissions. Not its name.”

She is not a monster,” Taylor insisted.

“Truth!”

“What else do you call a spider that size?” Royman insisted.

“She was created by my magic,” Taylor said.

“Partial Truth.”

“Oh hoy!” Royman pursued. “So you think to deceive?!”

“No,” Taylor said softly. “But from where I am from, we do not believe in magic.” Taylor glared imperiously down on Royman, befitting Taylor’s majesty. Truly, Freya appreciated that Taylor knew her soul’s worth. Though Taylor’s words cast bemusement through the crowd.

“Truth?” Ganesha said, but sounded unsure, as though processing and speaking from habit and coming to a contradictory conclusion.

“Did you create that spider?” Royman asked dryly. “Yes or no, please.”

“Yes.” 

“Partial Truth.”

“My Passenger did,” Taylor clarified. Several Divinities had started giggling, Sekhmet had approached Loki and was opening a cask of beer, while other Divinities grumbled over the tedious line of questioning.

“If I may interject?” Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, spoke up, and continued speaking over Royman’s protests. “That spider is clearly the girl’s familiar, and is thus obviated from any Guild requirements. Though I am curious how she derived the creature, as it was not granted by one of mine. It is a most unusual line of magic.”

Freya’s interest piqued even further. Taylor had a familiar, a rare magical construct, and yet Taylor failed to believe in magic itself? Incredible. 

Royman sighed heavily. “Does this satisfy Lord Apollo’s concerns?” 

Apollo scoffed but waved Royman on to proceed. “A wearisome conversation. My permission to proceed is granted.”

“Taylor Anne Hebert, where are you from?”

“Brockton Bay, Earth Bet.” 

“Truth!”

“Where is Earth Bet?” Sekhmet asked Loki. 

“Dunno. My Familia found her skinny ass in the Deep Floors. Bitch owes me serious coins.”

Freya had heard rumors of a girl found in the deep, though Freya had thought the gossip-mill to be incorrect. How could a woman, without a Falna, survive that deep within the dungeon?

“In relation to Orario, where can we find this Brockton Bay, Earth Bet?”

“It is a different universe. Cardinal directions are meaningless.”

A tittering went through the Divinities. They all saw she spoke the truth; but she obviously could not have powered through the veil between worlds–only Divinities could even hope to do that.

“A lunatic,” Dyonysus giggled.

“Lunatics are often so interesting,” Hecate sighed longingly. 

Freya’s eyes narrowed. First Taylor had the familiar and a unique form of magic, and now this? Freya would have to set plans into motion sooner rather than later. Otherwise Hecate may attempt to steal Taylor from Freya’s clutches.

“I am not insane,” Taylor said, frustration lacing her voice. She loomed imperiously, but her shoulders began to sag every once in a while, and the bags under her eyes spoke of her weariness. “The world I came from had no magic, nor Divinities.”

“-outrageous!” One of the Eastern Gods said.

“We had technology, we had towers that stood taller than your Tower of Babel, we had mechanized vehicles, incredible weapons of war that allowed the razing of entire cities in an instant.”

“-would like to see how they fared against a real challenger like me-” someone started boasting.

“-shut yer yap!” Loki shouted.

“-Amazing.” Freya said. Taylor believed every word she had said. She may actually be a mortal from another realm. Were all souls from that realm so magnificent?

“We had powered individuals, likened to your adventurers, but they received no ‘grace of the gods.’ No, they received a power from a great and treacherous worm named Scion, a being powerful enough to carve continents from the earth, powerful enough to annihilate entire worlds, to scrub life from all worlds. This was the foe that we had fought when I–” she paused, and caught her breath. All the outrage at this point had ended, and the entire room watched her carefully, entranced by her words and her strange customs. “-that I had been fighting–before I awoke in the dungeon. I doubt he was defeated–and he is making his way through the trillions of inhabited worlds, ending all of humanity.”

“Marvelous,” Freya whispered. 

“Astounding,” Hecate whispered, which earned a glare from Freya. Freya would have to implement her plans quickly to keep ahead of the Goddess of Magic.

Freya was pulled away from her plotting when a slow clap ruined the silence. The moment had been spoiled. 

“Truly an amusing tale,” Apollo said. “I must thank the Guild for finding us this treat. But I would also like–”

“-I am not done, Lord Apollo,” Taylor said. “And I came prepared with proof.”

The silence came over the Divinities once again. Loki smirked at the fool Apollo and his reddening face.

“I believe that this world has oracles?” Taylor glanced towards Hecate who nodded in confirmation. Freya tried catching Taylor’s eye, but Taylor resisted Freya’s divine charm. Freya’s smile grew.

“They exist, but they are rare, and their prophecies are oft given in riddles,” Hecate said. 

“What is this prattle?” Apollo scoffed at Taylor. “You call this proof of your ridiculous claims?”

“If we had an Oracle, would we trust their word?” Taylor asked. 

Several Divinities nodded, including Hecate. Freya felt intensely jealous of the glances occurring between Taylor and Hecate. It was almost as if the two of them were passing love notes in class! Why did Taylor not share those glances with Freya instead? Was not Freya the Goddess of Beauty?

“We would trust it,” Hecate said, a slow smile growing across her features. “At least so far as one can trust in riddles,” Hecate added under her breath, after Taylor’s attention had moved on.

“So that the Divinities might know that I speak truth, I have requested a known oracle to attend tonight’s Denatus.”

With the presence of mortals, it was not a true Denatus. But near enough, Freya supposed, that the term could still apply.

“The only oracle in Orario is mine!” Apollo said. “I did not consent to this exploitation.”

“Lord Apollo, many tell of your beauty and your love of majesty. Is it not true that you are as radiantly glorious as the sun?” Taylor said, flattering the obvious imbecile and like leading the idiot into a trap. It was obvious to all but the golden idiot in question.

“Well, that is true…” Apollo said.

“And just as the sun freely shares his majesty with the world, would you not also share your majesty with us?” Taylor kept her tone respectful, but the distaste could be seen in the pinch of her eyes. Freya felt impressed–Freya doubted that she could manage that level of saccharine flattery.

“The sun does do that…” Apollo muttered.

“Excellent!” Taylor smiled tightly. “For the Oracle of Oratio is in attendance, all glory and thanks to Apollo. Miss Cassandra of the Apollo Familia?”

“This is not–no!” Apollo said, after a moment of indecision. “I will not be blessing the exploitation of my child! Her prophecies are not given on demand and they tax her.”

“Aw c’mon Paully,” Loki whined. “Let the rest of us play with your toys, huh?”

“The oracle is already here, Lord Apollo,” Royman said. “It would be of great convenience to the Guild and Orario to put this matter to rest.”

Apollo glowered for a moment, considering his options. On one hand, he likely despised that anyone had reached out to one of his children behind his back. On the other, every one of his peers appeared ready to jeer and cajole him if he refused. 

“Fine.” He finally answered. “But just remember that it was my magnanimity that allowed it.” 

The oracle, Cassandara, stepped forward, and Freya admired the marvelous soul. It did not shine bright, but it stretched far and wide, giving the impression of diffuse starlight spanning the horizon. Her physical form appeared beautiful as well with waist length black hair and stunning green eyes. Freya wondered if she could poach the oracle after Apollo had been dealt with? A thought for later. 

The oracle approached Taylor, but as she approached, she began trembling, her limbs weakening. But the oracle had a Falna, and was at least level two. What would the oracle have to fear? It must have been Taylor’s presence. Taylor stood tall and firm in the center of the Divinities. She cut the figure of a queen holding court–audacious behavior for a mortal.

“One moment before you begin,” Royman said, stepping between Cassandra and Taylor. “Can you verify that you were not given things to say at this meeting?”

“I was not,” Cassandra said.

“And how did you come to be here tonight?” Royman asked.

“Miss Hebert sent a letter earlier today alerting me that my testimony may be required.”

“Did you bring the letter with you?” Royman asked.

“I did.”

“Have you had any other communication from Miss Hebert, directly or indirectly, regarding this matter?”

“No, I did not.”

Royman read through the letter, while the Divinities were increasingly agitated. 

“Get on with it!” Loki jeered. “Booooring.”

Royman sighed and stepped out from between the mortals. “Very well,” Royman said. “If you are able, please deliver what facts you can.”

“Sometimes it helps if I hold your face,” Cassandra said in a soft voice. Taylor nodded, and Cassandara glided over the floor towards her and lifted her palms. “By chance, do you have a memento from your past?” she asked.

Several Divinties gasped when the giant spider perched on Taylor’s shoulder chittered and scurried up Taylor’s neck, then face, then down Cassandra’s arm.

Cassandra gasped in surprise and let go. The spider scurried up towards her head, then flashed into a cloud of black smoke, before dissipating. Cassandra landed on her back.

“Cassandra!” Apollo shouted, rushing to her side.

She shivered and convulsed, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head while opening wide.

“Your foul beast attacked her!” Apollo shouted, looking accusingly at Taylor.

“No,” Taylor said. “I don’t know what happened to her.”

“Truth!” Ganesha shouted.

“Not the time, Ganesha!” Apollo said. “Miach! Are you here?”

“I am,” Miach stepped forward, the God of Healing. “Allow me to examine your child?”

“Please,” Apollo said.

Miach felt the girl’s pulse, and put his ear next to her mouth to listen for her breath. “I see nothing external–this may be her–”

Then, the oracle gasped and sat straight up, pushing both Apollo and Miach away. When she spoke, her voice came in two tones, clearly the use of a rare skill. All the crowd hushed, even Loki. Everyone hung on her every word. She lifted a hand and pointed at Taylor.

Taylor stood tall and straight, the abyssal magic swirling about her feet, as she prepared to receive the prophecy.

Lo, Daughter of despair, is the Wyrm reborn.

Joined, the Steward divine, the Queen of the stars.

They, the slaves do rebel; grow worse tyrants in turn.

Taylor’s face lost its stoic nature, gaining a confused grimace. Several of the Divinities snorted. The prophecy had been past tense, and said absolutely nothing of value. After Cassandra took a deep breath, she continued in her dual tone voice:

worlds upon worlds trembled then fell.

lands then sunk; Cauldron then boiled.

The Tyrant Queen slew the Warrior king. 

all was lost; all for pyrrhic victory.

The abyssal magic formed into a swarm of flies that flew erratically in a cloud surrounding Taylor. Her mouth fell open, and she appeared to mouth the words, “no, impossible.” Loki snickered, and Hestia smacked Loki in return. “Pay attention!” Hestia scolded. But still, the oracle continued:

lost, becomes the light of the world.

gained, the Lady of Wisdom, the Ruler of Skies.

The Half Blind soars. Magic strikes true.

The Blind… She shall fall. 

but beware and tremble! cower and flee! 

seek refuge in caverns; cover your visage from She! 

the Dread Monarch shall rise and sow what we reap.

The Divinities ceased in their laughter. Taylor continued standing at the center of her swarming magic, but her shoulders had slumped, and she had begun shivering. The prophecy had turned forward, but it sounded impossibly grim. Was another Ragnarok returning?

Man and Monster and God, they will all mourn,

the tower in ruins, they traded the world for ashes.

Them, the pit shall devour, a gate’s maw cast wide. 

“Fuck.” Loki swore. Several other Divinities echoed the sentiment. Meanwhile, Dyonysus clapped his hands in glee.

there, there They shall find, 

in the darkest chasm and on the deepest throne, 

the Dread Queen seated, ruling Her court.

And then, the prophecy ended.

The riddle had been madness. What did make sense–utterly impossible. It was clear that Taylor would be important, anyone with a soul such as hers would have to be. 

But… That prophecy almost sounded like Taylor would ascend to Divinity and rule the city, and that the city would be destroyed. Freya felt a moment’s fear–not that Taylor would succeed, but that another Deity would understand the prophecy and strike Taylor down prematurely. Freya needed to distract them all. 

But how? 

Fortunately, the God of Wine and Madness beat her to it. “Ha! Good show!” Dyonysus cheered.

“As with most prophecies, difficult to decipher,” Hecate murmured. “A worthy riddle to solve… The threat you spoke up may have been dealt with, if he was the warrior king.”

“Are we certain the oracle speaks the future?” Freya asked, a soft smile gracing her lips. “Perhaps from a past or future life, or a mix of others tangentially involved?”

“No…” Taylor said, her face in pain. “He’s still out there. He can’t be dead. He… Who could the dread queen be? Simurgh? It makes no sense…” She continued rambling nonsense as she tried making sense of the prophecy.

“I like her! Which Familia has claimed this delightful mortal?” Dyonysus asked.

Royman groaned out a sigh and rubbed his temple. “Will any more testimony be offered?” he asked. 

Cassandra shook, still trembling, now supported by Apollo as she sat on the ground.

“But… you heard her!” Taylor insisted. “Worlds upon worlds! We need your help! Tell them!” Taylor took a step towards where Cassandra sat.

“We heard a great many things,” Hecate said. “As we said, a puzzle.”

“There must be some mistake,” Taylor whispered. She tried putting hands on Cassandra, likely to demand an explanation. Apollo blocked her path.

“First you go behind my back and drag my child here, then you overtax her, and now you seek more?” Apollo said. “No! This goes beyond the pale.”

“This is much to consider,” Freya said. Taylor did not even bother to glance in Freya’s direction. What a maddening mortal. “Is the Denatus concluded?”

“It is,” Royman said, spending too long gazing upon Freya, adoring her beauty. Irritating, but proper, given her domain and power.

“But, we–I–” Taylor began, on the verge of hyperventilating. She only stopped when Echidna placed both hands on Taylor’s shoulder and forced Taylor to gaze into Echidna’s bright green eyes.

“She spoke the truth and has done all that she could,” Echidna said. “Let us retire to consider the oracle’s prophecy? We have much to consider…”

“But…” Taylor started to protest, but Echidna gently led her away by the hand, softly humming an old tune–a lullaby from before the worlds separated.

As Freya watched them leave, Ottar found her side. 

“That is the woman I saw watching Bell Cranel,” Ottar said. “Truly disconcerting, and now I know why. Her mannerisms are bizarre–though she changed her outfit between the dungeon and now.”

“She is party to my rabbit?” Freya murmured under her breath. “What a lovely coincidence.”

A plan began to solidify. A plan that would match the purity of the boy against the girl. They could be used to improve each other, the girl purifying the boy by taking the harshness of the world upon herself. Or, they could spoil each other, and end in a lukewarm tepid waste. Either way, it would be absolutely delicious to behold. 

Freya doubted Taylor’s soul could be tarnished, it was far too massive. Though Bell’s… it would be interesting to see.

“Just a moment, my Ottar,” she called out. “I will meet you outside.”

Ottar simply nodded and stepped aside, while Freya searched the crowd, until she found Apollo. He was leaving with Cassandra supported against his side. He spoke consolingly to Cassandra, but the girl appeared in a fugue state, suffering what looked like Mind-Down.

“Apollo,” Freya approached, smiling warmly.

“Lady Freya,” Apollo said somewhat distractedly. “What do you wish to discuss? I must return Cassandra to her bed.”

“The new child of Echidna,” Freya said. “She vexes you?”

“Yes,” he said. “I have seldom been so frustrated by a mortal. Truly, their lives are like mayflies before us, and I have never struggled to remember that as much as I did tonight.”

“That is what I wished to speak with you on. Our interests may align in this matter.”

“You seek to cull the vermin?” Apollo smiled, not cruelly, but certainly dumbly.

“Monsterphillia is approaching,” Freya said, feigning disinterest. “What an irony it would be… “

Chapter 13: Ensnared 2.1

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.1

Echidna had to pull me away from the Ganesha Manor, holding me by the hand.

I felt weak, unfocused, numb–void and shadows trailed after me. 

I could not focus on my scouts; they lost cohesion, rejoining the rest of the miasma. 

The one exception was Queen, who remained on my shoulder, tapping the side of my neck as to show support.

At first, when the oracle had begun prophesying, I thought it would be simple. I should have known–nothing is ever simple. Especially not pre-cogs.

Only the first half of the oracle’s prophecy had applied to my plight, but the horrifying thing was that she said Scion had been destroyed.

But… that would have been impossible.

As I mulled over the words, most of them had been lost, but the gist had been that Scion was defeated, and that something terrible was coming for this world, but that future threat was not Scion.

We arrived back home, and Echidna guided me to a chair at the table and helped me sit down. She stood behind me, petting Queen with one hand, and running her fingers across my scalp with the other. She held her silence, content to let me think.

I was unsure of how long passed, before I finally gave voice to my fears.

“Is he dead?” I asked. “Do you think he’s truly dead?”

“Truthfully?” Echidna sighed. “Think of what you’ve told me of him.”

“He was powerful, near invincible. He passed from world to world so easily… I had devoted the past two years of my life to defeating him.” My thoughts were still disjointed. My mind scrambled, a mess.

“Do you think he would have come here by now?” she asked me.

“I… don’t know. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. How long I was stuck in that stone–”

“-egg.” Echidna said, though I heard the smile in her voice. I did not have it in me to feel irritation with her, not over something so trivial.

“-in that stone,” I insisted. “But I think it was a while–”

“-incubation period.” She did it again. Why?

I narrowed my eyes, even though she could not see from where she stood behind me. 

“I don’t know why he hasn’t shown up yet,” I said. “I doubt he could feel fear, he can’t really feel anything from what I know about him… I can’t explain it. Either he hasn’t worked this far down the list of worlds to destroy yet, or…” I trailed off.

“Or, as the oracle implied, he is already dead.”

“But how? I want to believe it. But how? How can I know for sure? How could they have managed it–” I cut myself off from finishing that thought. But I had almost said, without me . I had not been powerful enough to make a difference in the end. I had excellent battlefield control, and I could administrate parahumans incredibly well–but not enough to have made a difference.

I felt a pinch on my cheek, and I realized Queen had bit me. Not envenomed, but she had bit me, and it had hurt. I glared at her, and she waved. Was she trying to tell me something? If she was my Passenger, then she would know… right?

“Is…” I started, working moisture into my mouth, “is he dead?” I asked Queen.

Queen gave the equivalent of a nod, raising and lowering her front half.

“But how?”

“It sounded as though you, my daughter, played the leading role in the downfall of the Warrior king,” Echidna mused. “Perhaps that is how you ended up incubating in an egg–”

“-trapped in a dungeon stone,” I corrected.

“As much as I know of you, I believe it was by your hand you slew Scion.” She sounded every part the prideful parent. I… I did not mind that tone. I almost wanted to luxuriate in it.

“But… I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember?”

“Perhaps your forgetfulness was a mercy, love?”

A shiver ran down my spine. Both from her familial affection, but also from what she had implied. What could I have done to stop Scion. What could Panacea have done to me, to equip me to stop Scion? What version of my unlocked power could have–

Queen bit me again. The first bite had already healed. This second one contained a fraction of the venom she would normally use. A more severe warning.

“If it was a mercy to forget, perhaps Queen is correct?” Echidna asked, not quite laughing, but certainly amused at my plight. Nevermind that her daughter had just been bitten by one of the most feared spiders from Earth Bet.

But if Scion had truly been defeated, then… what was left? All the sacrifices I had made, all the awful, shitty, things I had done, had all been–no, not for naught. Not if it was done. Not if he was dead, the worlds saved.

“What if he’s still out there?” I asked, almost a whisper.

“Would it change your actions?” Echidna asked. “You still plan on increasing in strength. You are my brood, afterall.”

“If I knew he was slaughtering worlds, I would push myself harder.”

“And likely fail as a result of brashness and haste. Perhaps now you can take more care in your descent? Form alliances? Enjoy the flesh of your labor?”

“Maybe…” I said. Not that a vacation would go to waste, but I doubted I could ever relax. In fact, I had a curse on my Sheet that said just as much. “But even if Scion were dead–what about the rest of that prophecy? I remember her mentioning a tower falling, a pit forming, ashes… It makes me think that a dragon’ll sack Orario. Are there any dragons to watch out for?”

She scoffed, “Yes, there is. One of the three greats. There was Leviathan–”

My blood began running cold. That name could not be a coincidence.

“-Behemoth-”

Oh no. No no no.

“-and the One Eyed Black Dragon.”

For a second I thought she would tell me the Simurgh was the third, but the Simurgh was definitely not a dragon. And the prophecy had been clear on that much at least.

“My world had a Leviathan and Behemoth as well.”

“Truly?” she asked. “What a coincidence. Were they killed as well?”

“...yes. By Scion.”

She hummed in thought. “The parallels are there, but our world’s monsters were slain by Hera and Zeus. Only the One Eyed Black Dragon remains.”

“Will it come here?”

“She, love, she. And all the skies are her domain. She’s the one to have destroyed Zeus and Hera. She is… above the rest.” She sounded wistful now. I suppose a Mother of Monsters would feel affection for a dragon.

But if Levi and Behemoth were comparable to Endbringers, and if the Black Dragon stood above them, so much so that even the Divinities feared her, then perhaps I had been sent to this world for a reason.

“You have been striving hard,” Echidna eventually said, breaking the silence we had once more fallen into. “Do you want to see your updated Status?”

Of course I did. She helped me out of my improvised costume. I had been in a rush when I designed and made it, which meant I had been unable to figure out how to make it both functional and accessible with one hand. Not that I did not try.

She helped pull the Abyssal Silk vest up over my head and admired the fabric, trailing a finger down the side, before hanging it from the back of the chair. 

I had three reasons for creating the vest.

The first reason: protection. It added another layer of material between bladed claws and my heart.

The second reason: aesthetics. It looked good. Looks were important. It all came down to rep. I would remain unable to affect anyone’s opinion if I looked like trash.

And that brought me to the final reason: it covered the mass of laces connecting both sides of my bodysuit. The laces ran from my throat to my pelvis, and took the place of a zipper.

It was the laces that I needed help with.

“A formidable raiment,” Echidna murmured while untying and loosening the strings. I let a breath out as they relaxed the fabric–I had bound it a bit tighter than I normally would have liked, almost akin to a corset, but I had been desperate to make a good impression. “You are certain this thin material can protect you?”

“From the threats I’ve encountered so far anyways,” I said. “It leaves me light and agile. I would rather avoid a hit than take it… I’ve never been a front-liner.”

“One of my first children to implement cunning and strategy,” she said softly, sounding impressed and wistful. “If only that lion had followed his sister’s habits.”

I did not know what she was talking about, and she sounded wistful enough that I assumed her words were for someone long gone. I did not ask further. But I did ask about a few of the changes I had noticed.

“Before I lay down, could I ask you a few questions?”

“You may,” Echidna said. She ran her finger down my spine, lingering at the tailbone, about where my back itched the most.

“After a goblin bit my right arm,” I said, while twisting around enough to show her the stump. “This miasma–”

“-Abyssal Shadow love.”

“-miasma began hanging off the end of it. Why?”

She hummed, tapping the almost solid film of shadow pooling over where my bone had once been. “I suspect you asked the least pertinent of questions, but answer I shall strive… Are you aware that you are a creature of power and magic?”

“How?” I asked, my throat dry. Also, I did not appreciate the word creature. 

“How? I do not know,” she said. “Perhaps whatever process left you incubating in an egg–” I grinded my teeth but refused to rise to the bait “-or perhaps, this has always been your nature?”

“It most certainly has not.”

She smiled and continued explaining as she found her knife and pricked her finger, allowing her golden ichor to bead. “As a creature of magic, it would follow that your body would remake itself of that same magic. You were missing your arm–it is likely your magic has begun fixing this defect.”

Despite all my fatigue, despite all I had gone through, I managed a slight, almost imperceptible, grin at the thought of regrowing an arm. Even if the arm regrew from Abyssal Shadow and ended up looking creepy. So what if my right arm bothered people? I would use it to my advantage–just like I had always done.

I felt the slight burn on my back as she ran the blood over the Falna, causing her divine gift to mix and join with the excelia and experiences I had received since the last update. Then came the rustling of paper as she placed it against my back and began tracing over the Falna, to convert the divine runes into a language I could understand.

“Along the same lines, my back has been itching lately. Is this the result of the Falna?” I asked.

She tapped my shoulder blades. “Is this where you feel it?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Lower.”

“Ah,” she said, tapping the bottom of my spine. “Here then?”

I nodded.

“Dear daughter, that means your tail is starting to come in.”

“What?” I asked, blood rushing to my face. “I’m sorry, did you say tail?”

She hummed contentedly. “Indeed. You are a creature of magic, and my daughter. I cannot think of a single child of mine that failed to grow a tail at some point.”

“...this may have been pertinent to know beforehand,” I said quietly.

“Perhaps,” she sounded cautious, and for good reason. She could easily come across as having tricked me into gaining a new appendage. “It is also possible that your own magic would have caused the growth eventually. Similar to Kitsunes, or Renards.”

“Do you think it will be a fox tail then?” I asked. 

“Unlikely. But truthfully, I am unsure what nature of tail you will manifest. I could tell you of my own appendages that I left in Tenkai, if it would help wash the bitterness from your mouth?”

“Please.” I was tired, but if I could know or understand what my body was going through, then fatigue was secondary to understanding.

“My tails were serpents,” she said longingly. “They were gorgeous and violent and I miss them dearly.”

“Why’d you leave them in Tenkai?” I asked.

“It was a condition to descend,” she said bitterly. “The other Divinities insisted on a human aesthetic. The fools.” She slammed my status sheet down in front of me on the table.

I felt a pain of nostalgia and regret, of having to cut my own ties, of separating myself from my friends and who I considered family. It was not completely comparable, but enough that I could empathize. “I… I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” she said. “But I will see them again…” she trailed off longingly.

I began reading my status sheet. Since my last update, I had farmed on the sixth floor of the dungeon, I had harvested dungeon stones from Warshadows and Killer Ants. I had collected stones for purchasing the non-craftable components of my outfit, and I had crafted my bodysuit and vest from Abyssal Shadow. 

I had been busy. 

But as I read through my Sheet, and compared the numbers with the previous update I had received, I noticed a slight problem.

“My magic decreased!”

 

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     26 I    -> 41 I     

END:     59 I    -> 71 I

AGI:     27 I    -> 42 I

DEX:     26 I    -> 41 I

MAG:     266 G     -> 220 G

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 14: Ensnared 2.2

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.2

I was up before dawn the next day, waking up and wiggling out of bed without disturbing Echidna. 

My first challenge was to put on my costume. Being one handed, climbing into a bodysuit and tightening the laces should have been near impossible–and it was–at least Queen reminded me that I did have help. I summoned beetles to position the silk and then had ants form chains to tighten the laces.

It looked like Echidna would get to sleep in, for now.

I slipped on my vest, my belt, my pouch, and my simple knife. Next were my gray leather boots, and finally, my claw-tipped glove.

Altogether, I felt good. My bodysuit appeared regular and neatly weaved, without visible stitchings, and the color scheme flattered the miasma roiling off of me… If I had a skull helmet, I could almost imitate Grue…

Grue… I sighed heavily. But nothing I could do now for him, just survive and move on. 

I headed out towards the Tower of Babel and the dungeon. I had to put in the hours today to get my magic stat back up… and that had been a shock. My magic stat, which directly correlated to the volume of summons I could field, had dropped by forty-six points.

Which was huge .

People almost never lose stat points. But for comparison, when adventurers just started out, they might gain ten or twenty points total over the span of days.

Of course, my points were not actually lost. I knew exactly where they went.

I sighed as I passed alongside the Red Light District and got cat-called by the few Amazons that were out doing what Amazons did.

“Looking good!” One of them shouted. “Where can I get that kinda get-up?”

I ignored the attention and felt regret for leaving my borrowed robes at home. But the robes had been getting ratty. Besides, they were heavy, prone to tangling, and offered little in the way of protection. They also needed a solid wash.

When I reached the main fountain in front of the tower, I saw a familiar head of white hair and ruby-red eyes.  

“Miss Taylor!” Bell greeted me, running over, only to slide to a stop as he saw me in my costume. He started stammering. “I-I w-was waiting f-for–”

I cut him off, not in the mood. “We doing this or not?” I asked.

He nodded, though his face was red from blushing. I supposed this world had never invented spandex, despite all the magic. We headed down into the pit, hitting the starting road and easily clearing all the monsters up to floor six.

“Should we go deeper?” Bell asked.

I considered it. “It’s more of the same?” I asked.

“Yeah, Killer Ants and Warshadows mostly, I think, at least that’s what Miss Eina said? The spawn groups might be bigger though.”

I sent out scouts through the sixth floor to get a feel for the fights currently underway, and to seek out anything abnormal. Nothing irregular stood out.

“Let’s do it. But we stick together… I don’t need another death on my conscience,” I muttered.

“Wait, another?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said. He seemed curious but I did not want to get into it. I let out a heavy breath. “Maybe I’ll tell you later. If you earn it.”

“Huh Sure yeah, I guess… Oh hey! Lady Hestia mentioned you were at the Denatus last night? What was that like? Must have been intimidating being around so many Goddesses.”

I snorted, “It was something.” I found the stairway down and began leading the way.

“You really weren’t nervous at all?” he asked, seeming dumbfounded. At least he had stopped stuttering. “Is that why you went shopping for those boots? They’re the same ones right? I don’t remember you buying the vest or… rest of your outfit? What’s that stuff made from anyways? Aren’t you worried about the Warshadows? Teeth? Doesn’t look very protective…”

“A lot of questions there.”

“Haha yeah…” He scratched the side of his head and started blushing again. “I-it’s just so striking.” His eyes dipped a bit lower towards my nonexistent chest and then my legs. Out of all my features, my legs were the best, followed by my hair. 

“The black stuff is Abyssal Shadow Spider Silk. My spiders can turn magic into it. It is a very resilient material. Knifeproof even.”

“No way…” He said. “Is it as light as it looks?”

Bell was a knife fighter that prioritized speed over protection. He did wear limited armor over vitals, but it was bulky and insufficient for a true fight.

“Maybe someday I’ll make you some,” I said. “Though you might want a jockstrap.” 

Queen pinched my cheek and glared at me. “What?” I whispered to her. “I can make jokes.”

On the seventh floor, we had our choice of passages. Nobody had gone through this part of the dungeon yet, which meant a lot more spawns. Warshadows and Killer Ants. 

The Ants made me jealous–how Brockton Bay would have been if I had them under my control. The ABB and Empire would have fallen. I would have ruled –at least until the PRT had an aneurysm.

We had just entered a room when the walls all around us began blistering and cracking, spawning Killer Ants.

“Another Monster Party?!” Bell asked, a look of horror growing upon his face. “Ants?! We need to run... My daggers won’t cut it.”

“Running now means other adventurers getting caught.” 

“Ugh,” he groaned. “This place hates us.”

“Not the time,” I told him. If we were going to win, we needed to focus.

I began tagging the Ants as quickly as they formed, all thirteen of them. I used my smallest fliers to mark the joints and weak points between segments, while I began swarming their front-liners.

The previous day when I had fought the Killer Ants, I had enough magic to form about a thousand large Hawks. Today, it came closer to eight hundred. It was still plenty to swarm and chew through one or two Ants, but not all thirteen of them, at least not effectively.

I drew my carving knife from my belt, it would be better than nothing, but not by much. It lacked a hilt and pommel, making it liable to slip from my hand.

Bell had two knives out himself, more shoddy daggers than knives, still far better than my plain carving knife.

“I should have gotten more gear,” I confessed under my breath. 

I prioritized hitting antennas and eyes to disable the Killer Ants. From my time on Bet, I knew insect anatomy. I knew the Ant’s weak spots–even if they were the size of mastiffs.

But unfortunately, unlike mammalian eyes, ant eyes were compound. Just sending a few wasps in to bite through an eye would distract them, but not blind them. I needed to obstruct their vision completely.

Which led to my current strategy, terminating half of my Hawks to create Assassin Flies. I had always admired these flies, but I had never really had the chance to use them. They were aerial hunters, apex predators of the flying insect world. Their primary prey were other insects. Their barbed legs made them perfect for hanging on to compound lenses as they spat venomous saliva both onto and into the Killer Ant’s eyes.

But even then, these massive Ants were not completely disabled. They certainly had trouble seeing, but they still had antennae. I used the rest of my swarm to start chewing through the base of the antenna, which I hoped both hurt and disoriented them.

“Why can’t you make your own Killer Ants, Miss Taylor?” Bell asked. He had gone to town on the frontliners, his daggers largely glancing off chitin. Every once in a while the blade caught in a crevice and scored a direct hit.

“I wish I could,” I groused. 

I drove my knife into an Ant’s face, up and backwards into its nerve cluster. My wrist was right next to its mandibles, and it furiously tried biting down, but I kept inches between my arm and its deglover. The Ant gave one last attempt and collapsed, taking my knife with it.

Another Ant had stumbled towards my legs from the back while I downed the first, and if not for my swarm giving me its position, it would have crushed my knee, similar to what Garrote did to my arm.

I drove my heel backwards in a mule kick, and used the momentum to rip my knife free and tackle the next. Then the next.

Towards the back of the Monster Party, one of the Ants began, for lack of a better term, screaming. Ants should not be able to scream. The sound came across as bizarre and menacing.

“It’s calling for reinforcements!” Bell shouted.

That was the other thing about Killer Ants. If we failed to kill them fast enough, they would scream and draw all the other Killer Ants nearby.

“We’re killing them as fast as we–” I started. A tagged ant changed course, following the sound of our voices, and found Bell. “-watch out!” I called out.

He jumped forward and rolled, dodging one Ant, but crashing into another between us. It tried pivoting its long body to bite him, but between his knives and my heel, we separated its head from its thorax.

“Stick close,” I told him.

Ordinarily I would travel during a fight. Taking advantage of the terrain, of my agility and fast strikes. But the room had grown crowded with disabled Killer Ants, plus their reinforcements.

I needed a different strategy. 

A prolonged fight would lead to a mistake which would lead to death. Killer Ants could bite through limbs. Once those mandibles closed around the bone it was as good as severed.

The day previous, when I had fought the Killer Ants, I swarmed their mouths and joints, eating them from the inside out. The process killed a significant amount of my swarm each time, which took a bit to reform. The strategy was viable for limited numbers of Ants at once, not a room full of them.

Now that the Ants had been disoriented and blinded, I had a few options. I pulled my fliers back, and began trying my different tactic: Bombardier Beetles.

These beetles were able to shoot hot caustic chemicals from their abdomen. I had enough magic to field over three hundred of them. I began slapping handfuls of them down on the Killer Ants closest to us.

It took around fifty of the Bombardiers to drill through the Killer Ants carapace. By cycling through them, it was good as–

“-adow!” Bell cried out.

I had forgotten about him. 

I turned in time to see him fending off a Warshadow that had slipped through my sentries without me noticing. He blocked one swipe with a blade, but another scored a cut along the side of his face, running from the bottom of his jaw to his scalp. Skin flapped free, blood sprayed.

“Bell!” I shouted, trying to draw the attention of the Monsters near him.

I charged the Warshadow.

I formed a small handful of fliers with all the spare miasma trickling in; I shot them at the Warshadow to harry it. It turned towards me and lengthened its claws, almost rapier thin and long, directly at my center of mass.

But I had the vest and bodysuit now. Its attack stung, left a bruise, cracked a rib, but failed to cut and pierce.

Ignoring its attack, I dove into it. It tried to flow around me, but I spread my legs, straddling it as I fell through, bringing it down beneath me, piling it into the ground. My knife dug straight through, piercing its fabric like flesh, killing it as a wave of black smoke sprayed out from its wound.

I needed to help Bell, but there were still so many Ants! One of them was headed towards him.  

The Killer Ant found Bell. 

Its legs feeling his position, its head lowering, its mandibles opening and lowering towards his chest.

I dashed towards him, but I already knew I would be too late. If only–

Queen! She had been guarding Bell. But what could one spider do against a monster? 

Queen leapt into the Ant’s maw. 

She expanded, she felt venomous, painful; like a piece of me went missing… and then… then she was gone. She took most of the Ant’s head along with her, whatever she did.

But she was not simply in need of being reformed. The miasma that had formed her was gone. 

Instinctively, I knew that my Passenger was fine, I could still feel her. But the body she had made from Abyssal Shadows had been consumed by her sacrifice. 

Passenger what was that? 

I had no time to figure it out. I needed to keep Bell safe.

I staggered to check on Bell–he was alive, but bleeding profusely. I needed to close up the wound, but the room still held so many Ants. I summoned a handful of Black Widows to ‘stitch’ the flap of skin roughly into place, to keep Bell from bleeding out. 

Then I took down the Ants, using Bombardiers, knife, heel, and again more Bombardiers.

My beetles corroded a hole through the carapace, my knife stabbed in through the weak spot, I resummoned the Bombardiers and repeated. Over and Over. All the while, I monitored my spiders working on Bell, convincing myself that face injuries bled but were seldom lethal. 

That he would be fine.

What felt like hours later, the battle passed, and I finally finished. I staggered down beside where Bell laid.

“P-potion,” he said, or more slurred than anything.

I dug through his pack until I found the weak watered down potion. I helped him drink it. His face, what could be seen of it, regained his color.

The rest of him was covered in blood. I found an old shirt in his bag which I used to clean him up the best I could. His skin was healing around the Abyssal Shadow stitchwork my Black Widows had left.

“This might scar,” I told him.

He smiled, lopsided with the stitches on one cheek. “Just like a real hero… like you.”

“I’m not a hero,” I said.

“You are… you saved me,” he said.

“Are you good to move?” I asked. Looking at the state he was in–he needed rest. While I could have kept going, I needed time to think. I might have still been in shock. “We should call it a day.” 

“B-but we just got down here… I’m feeling much better now. W-we can keep going, honest.”

I pursed my lips and glared at him. That fight had been intense and dangerous. It had been unnecessarily risky. “Can’t get stronger if we’re dead,” I muttered. “No, we’re done. Let’s clean up and head back.” 

He nodded, looking relieved I had forced the issue. From the monsters, we harvested a pouch full of thumbnail-sized dungeon stones. As we left the room, Bell froze. 

“What am I going to tell Lady Hestia?” he groaned.

“I’m more worried about your Guild Advisor,” I added. 

“Oh…” He gulped. “Me too.”

On our way back up, we got stuck behind traffic heading up the great spiraling staircase. 

Adventurers were hauling large cages on wheels filled with strange monsters, very large monsters. I glanced at Bell, who also appeared fascinated. So far on the way up, he had walked under his own power, though he did limp. His health potion had failed to completely heal everything, apparently. And the stitching was still there, with the misshapen flesh healed around it.

“What’s with the monsters?” I asked, nodding up ahead. The cage right before us held what looked like a large gray gorilla, taller than I was while it was still sitting down.

“That’s… a Silverback? Yeah, a Silverback. See the one ahead of it?”

The cage in front of the Silverback contained a giant armadillo looking thing, if it was the size of a car and covered in thick keratin plates.

“A Hard-Armored. Someday we’ll be able to fight them… when…”

“When what?”

“When I’m stronger… like you.” He was blushing again.

I was not good with kids. The only thing I could think of saying was a weak, “I hope you never end up like me.”

Finally, we reached the surface. Given our short trip, we had a light haul. But every valis helped, so we passed by the Guild Teller on the way out. I let Bell take the stones to turn them in and waited for him outside.

While I waited, I summoned all the wasps I could and sent them up to the rafters of the nearby buildings. It cleared out the miasma surrounding me. I also summoned a new Brazilian Wandering Spider and sat it on my shoulder, but… my Passenger refused to take control of her for whatever reason.

This spider was completely under my control–and that–left me feeling… unease. 

But I knew Passenger was still there! I would figure it out later. 

Another troubling fact, from Queen sacrificing herself to save Bell earlier, I had permanently lost about as much miasma as it would take to field ten Tarantula Hawks. It was not much in the grand scheme of things, but losses always–

“Hey lady,” a rough looking adventurer called out as he entered the entrance. Or he had been, before he saw me. He stopped in the middle of the doorway. “You’d look beautiful if you smiled more.”

I glared at him. I also flew a few Tarantula Hawks down, just in case.

“Woah, woah hey! feisty!” he laughed. “I like my women like tha’. How ‘bout you an’ me find ourselves a lil corner? I’ll get you smilin’ an’ that’s the Geb guarantee.” he waggled his eyebrows.

“Ha!” An Amazon said as she strode through the exit, pushing the man back and out so that he landed on his rear in the dirt. “I bet you’d love showing her something little~” she mimed an inch between her thumb and pointer finger.

“Mind yer own,” he said, then mumbled what sounded like a swear, but not one I recognized.

“What was that?” The Amazon, who I recognized as Tiona, took a threatening step towards the man. The smile dropped from her face.

“Woah woah hey!” he waved his arms in front of him frantically. “No harm! I’s just surprised is all. I’ll uhh, I’ll just be goin’.” He scooted backwards away from Tiona until turning around and running away, leaving a trail of dust.

“What a weakling,” Tiona said, turning back towards me and smiling once more. “Hey! I almost didn’t recognize you outside of that robe! Love what you’re wearing. I heard from Loki you had new ‘digs.’”

“Tiona,” I said plainly. 

My tone did nothing to dampen her smile. “So what’re you waiting around here for?” she asked.

“My teammate’s exchanging our stones.”

“Must be good teammates. From your Familia?”

“No…”

“Taylor,” Tiona said, she still smiled, but her eyes tightened a fraction. “You’ve been an adventure for, what, several days now? How do you know you can trust them?”

I shrugged.

“Huh. Alright then… you’re a pretty sociable person… actually reminds me a bit of Sword Princess, or maybe Nine Hells.” She laughed. “Actually, you look like you could be a Nine Hells. What with that spider you're cuddling right now.” Her eyes lingered on my shoulder, where my non-Queen Brazilian Wanderer perched.

I winced. I had looked up the names of their fallen, on the very same expedition that the Loki Familia had found me. Riviera ‘Nine Hells’ and Ais ‘Sword Princess’ had both fallen.

“I am sorry for your loss,” I told her. I know I had told her that before, but I would tell her again.

“We all know the risks,” her smile turned downward before picking right back up. “All we can do is grin and keep pushing on.”

“...it’s never that easy.”

“No,” she said quietly, “it’s not.”

We shared a silence between us, Tiona continuing to smile all the while. The first time I met her, I thought she was unstable, possibly insane. But now, I had begun to suspect that it was a coping mechanism… I dared not ask what trauma she had begun coping for, but the smile was too ingrained for it to have been a recent development.

A while later, Bell Cranel stepped out of the Guild entrance. When the door opened, I thought I heard Einna yelling after him about practicing caution and about having stern words with Hestia. When the door shut, the sound of Einna’s voice faded away.

I waved at Bell. “Your advisor was happy to see you?”

“A-ah–yeah…” He tried laughing it off, but his face still came across as a bit pale. And his pale face really brought out the ragged lines of black trailing from his chin to scalp, passing wide of his eye by inches. 

I hoped Abyssal Shadows were sterile. I felt that they would be, as they were made of magic.  

Tiona saw Bell and her eyes widened. “Whoa hey! Look at that!” She admired the black scarring, trailing a finger along it, causing Bell to devolve into a blushing stuttering mess.

“W-warshadow,” he said. “Seventh floor…”

“Not bad… Low level one too?” She whistled. “I knew bug-girl had some magic, but I didn’t think it was that good. Maybe you and I could swap stories, eh?”

I narrowed my eyes at Tiona. “The boy’s ten.”

“Old enough to go into the dungeon, old enough to swap stories.” She winked at me. 

At near the same time, Bell protested, “-I’m fourteen!”

“Like that’s a difference,” I muttered.

He frowned at me and tossed my half of the day’s earnings to me. The pouch felt too light, but then, we had called it a very early day.

“You know Tay,” Tiona started. Her smile shifted to mischievous and I already dreaded whatever she was about to say. Bell perked up though to listen. “You don’t look that much older than Bell here… Are you sure you wanna start talking age? At least Amazons wait till they’re older before they start dressing like that.”

I felt like that was untrue. But I also had yet to study the ins and outs of the Amazonian culture. Not that I planned on doing so.

When Tiona brought attention back to my bodysuit, Bell’s eyes wandered back down to my legs. My legs which were entirely and modestly clothed.

“If you keep looking at my legs like that, and I’m adding a skirt,” I told Bell. I crossed my arms over my vest and gave him my least amused stare.

“Ha!” Tiona said, slapping her thigh. “If you think what she’s wearing now’s scandalous, you shoulda seen her when we found her–completely butt naked! I never felt such a kindred spirit–” she winked and resumed smiling.

Bell’s cheeks matched his eyes now, crimson from blushing. I felt certain Tiona had said that just to rile up Bell. “Cougar,” I muttered.

“What was that?!” Tiona demanded.

I changed the subject. Divert and distract. “How hard of a time did your advisor give you Bell?”

He sighed. “She’s not happy that I went down to the seventh.”

“Probably blamed me though?”

“You… aren’t wrong. But she just needs to warm up to you! I’m sure she will. She’s just really worried something bad will happen, and doesn’t think–know–what you’re capable of.”

“I dunno,” Tiona interjected. “Anything below floor five usually kills you lower levels. It might be a little risky. Especially for a couple of kids,” she said, her grin widening.

“I’m not a kid!” Bell shouted.

“Certainly not an adult,” I countered. “And I think Miss Einna was pretty clear where she stood on the whole ‘me’ issue already,” I said. 

While I was not about to be bullied by a half-elf who had never fought a day in her life, I certainly saw no reason to subject myself to it either. Avoiding a problem was just fine.

“Yeah…” Bell said. He glanced between myself and Tiona. “So Taylor promised me she’d go with me, but what about you?” he asked Tiona.

“What about me?” Tiona asked. Meanwhile, I arched an eyebrow. What had I promised? Certainly not anything with Tiona, if that was where he was heading.

“If you wanna maybe come with us to the Hostess?” He asked, scuffling his foot.

“Oh yeah! Sounds like a hoot. You buyin’ first round?” she asked.

“Uhhmmm sure?” he said.

My eyebrow raised even further. “When did I agree to that?”

Tionna put an arm around my shoulders and forcefully marched me towards where I assumed the Hostess was. The power discrepancy between us was huge. I had no hope of successfully resisting.

“Nope!” Tiona shouted. “It’s settled. To the Hostess of Fertility!”

“What?!” I sputtered. “Who names a place like that?”

“It’s great,” Tiona said, smiling.

Chapter 15: Ensnared 2.3

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.3

“Your face, Bell!” A gray haired serving girl named Syr gasped then shouted when Tiona pushed both he and I into the restaurant.

“Looks gruesome, right?” Tiona bragged, slapping Bell on the back. “We’re here for drinks!”

Syr bit her lip as she led us to the table, looking over her shoulder at Bell’s face, dumbfounded. She sat us down at a small table off to the side of the main floor, and then she stared down Bell, looming over him.

“What happened?” she asked. She looked as if she was going to touch the black scar, but then pulled back, blushing.

“Is it really… that bad?” Bell whispered. His own hand traced the raised edges of the Abyssal Shadows that had been used to stitch the flaps together, and that had then been trapped in the skin when he used the health potion.

“Just stitches,” I said, worried that the wound would be a harsh blow to his self esteem. I could only imagine how awful High School would have been if I had that disfigurement. Once we pulled them out, they would hardly be as noticeable.

“Why did you stitch him up anyways?” Tiona asked. “Didn’t you have a health potion on hand? It looks like you must have, the way it healed.”

All three of them looked at me expectantly. “He was bleeding a lot and I was in the middle of a fight.”

“You managed to stitch him up while fighting, but couldn’t get him a potion?” Syr accused.

“My spiders did, I was fighting.” I summoned Black Widows and sent them scurrying across the table. Syr shuddered, while Tiona laughed and slapped her knee.

“Those were… on my face?” Bell gulped.

“Enough chit-chat Syr,” A dwarf woman called. “Flirt on yer own time!”

“Yes Mia Grande!” Syr said, before asking us, “What will you be ordering?”

“A round on Tiny!” Tiona said, shoulder checking Bell, despite the table corner between them. “Ale?” Tiona glanced questiongly at him. I shook my head, but Bell, even looking miserable as he did with the jagged scar, nodded and smiled weakly. “Three ales!” Tiona cheered. 

“You better tell me what happened later!” Syr hissed at Bell before pivoting and stalking off. Curious how she moved and kept her balance–that grace was not often found among civilians.

“This is gonna be fun!” Tiona said and clapped when the drinks came back. Syr gave me a dirty look, but she set the tankards of ale down in front of each of us. Even Bell.

“Aren’t you…” I trailed off, watching Bell pick up his tankard and sniff. His nose scrunched and he grimaced. “...A little young to drink?”

“You’ve got some strange notions,” Tiona said after she finished laughing at my ‘joke.’

Tiona lifted her tankard up and held it in the middle of the table. Bell joined her seconds later. Then they both turned to look at me. “Well c’mon,” Tiona said. “We gotta toast. It’s the rule.”

I arched an eyebrow at Bell, but he just blushed and stammered when Tiona’s hand touched his own.

“Fine, whatever. You better not expect me to drink it though.” I lifted my tankard to join theirs.

“To comin’ back alive!” Tiona shouted, raising her tankard up high and sloshing on the table. Bell joined in. We clinked tankards. Tiona tossed hers back, drained hers in a single pull, before slamming it back down on the table.

In comparison, Bell took a sip. 

I brought it up to at least try it, but it smelled horrendous. After quickly aborting, I set it back down. It smelled far worse than what dad had kept in the fridge, back on Bet.

“Bug-girl,” Tiona said, frowning. “If you don’t drink that, I’ll hold you down and ask for a funnel.”

“But…why?”

“Because you gotta cut loose. You need to learn to smile and cut loose! What’s the point of living if you don’t live ?”

“You’ll seriously force me to drink?” I asked. I took another sniff of the ale.

“...maybe?” She asked. “Ok, no, I won’t. But you really should. Otherwise you’ll burn out.”

“I…” I trailed off, looking at Tiona’s smile. What would be the harm in just trying one sip? Apparently Scion was gone, and all I had to do was get stronger in time to deal with an ambiguous threat… And Tiona was right–If I kept going full speed, continuously red-lining, eventually I would crash and burn. Finally, I sighed, and said, “...Just one drink.”

“That’s the spirit!” Tiona cheered.

I found myself hard pressed to resist a smile–Tiona’s attitude was dangerously infectious.

I raised my tankard: the foam tasted bitter, sour and rotten. I grimaced, while Tiona mimed taking a drink with her own tankard and winked, and while Bell wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.

I focused on my swarm, on my spiders’ legs and my wasps patrolling the nearby rooftops. I took a deep breath, let the first hint of fluid slosh against my lips. No–disgusting! I needed to power through it. I took in all that they saw and felt and did and I took a drink letting the ale hit my tongue and I tried swallowing but it was no use and I–

I spat it back into the tankard and gagged. Of course nothing came up, but my face had taken a greenish tint.

“Huh?” Tiona asked. “You had the same stuff the rest of us did right?” She grabbed my tankard and sniffed it, before shrugging and tossing it back. “Seems fine,” she said after tossing it down.

“Miss Taylor?” Bell asked. “Y-you did the same with the jagamara-kuns.”

I grimaced and shook my head. “I forgot…” Forget is a strong term for compartmentalizing and avoiding thinking about an uncomfortable fact.

“Ok,” Tiona said slowly. “Forgot what? That you’re allergic to booze? That you’re a super light weight?”

“That I’m cursed,” I said, equally slowly. “I… don’t want to talk about it.”

“Wow,” Tiona said. “Was not expecting that. Curses are kinda… rare? I mean, not to pry, but uh… what’s your curse do? Make ale poisonous?”

“N-not just ale,” Bell said. “But food too! Right Miss Taylor?” 

I sighed. “Right.”

“How… are you not dead?” Tiona asked. “You gotta eat right?”

“They’re some things I can eat, but I haven’t tried it yet…” I winced as I recalled the exact wording of that little trait on my Sheet.

“Again, how are you not dead?” Tiona asked.

“My magic’s been sustaining me… I think.”

“That cannot be healthy.”

Bell waved over Syr as Tiona interrogated me. Syr came over with a smile and a blush, but she frowned when she saw my tankard in front of Tiona.

“Was there a problem, Master Bell?” Syr asked.

“Miss Taylor has uhm… she has…?” he waved his hands at me.

I sighed. Again. “Special dietary needs,” I said. “I can only eat raw meat.”

All of their jaws dropped.

“That’s, that’s your curse?” Tiona asked, shuddering.

“You’ll never enjoy Hestia’s cooking?” Bell shuddered.

Syr grimaced, but hid it quickly behind her best customer service smile. “That–that shouldn’t be a problem. Unusual, but not a problem. And to drink?”

I shook my head; I really did not want to say. But the logical extension was clear, and my Status Sheet outright said what I could drink.

“...blood?” Tiona whispered, her smile faltering, before growing twice as wide. “Just like a vampire!” She squeed. “Like in the stories! This is my new best friend,” Tiona declared.

“I’ll have to check the kitchen,” Syr said, after she saw my shallow nod.

Bell looked like he wanted to cry.

Syr came back a bit later with another tankard and a pinched face. “You’re lucky we haven’t made the black sausage yet.” She set down the tankard before me. “I still have to check to see how to charge for this, but at least you can have a drink with your f–friends.”

Bell coughed and Tiona punched my shoulder.

“Friends–I guess,” I said. Why did it feel like admitting that was a betrayal?

I lifted the tankard, which was half filled with a rich and red, frothy, pulpy mix of salt and sweet. My stomach grumbled. My mouth salvated. My head felt light. I tipped the tankard back.

It tasted divine.

Bell’s face blanched while Tiona cheered her support.

Soon our food came, Bell and Tiona both had pasta, while I had a ground meat dish–that looked like raw hamburger with flecks of white and brown mixed in, along with some herbs. We had another round of drinks, but I was told it would be my last since the kitchen needed the rest of their stock for cooking. But If I came back the next day for dinner, they would be sure to make a special order from the butcher.

Meanwhile, Tiona and Bell were on their third. Then fourth. 

“Why’d you two wanna be an adventurer?” Tiona asked. “Be like Bete and get stronger? The wealth? Something fun to do?”

Bell answered immediately. He thrust out his chest. “I’m gonna be a hero!”

I snorted and shook my head. That reminded me of my time as a hero. I took another bite of my meat dish. Whatever seasoning or herbs they used tasted nasty, but the flavor of the meat itself was strong enough to overpower the accouterments. I wondered if I could order just a raw slab of steak next time?

Tiona looked at me, “And you? Why do you keep going down?”

Truthfully, I was not sure anymore. Why did I push myself? “At first, it was to get stronger,” I said. “Strong enough to kill a–” I stopped myself. Why was I getting chatty? “-Just to get stronger.” I finished awkwardly. I shook my head and gave a thin smile when they asked for more details. 

“Huh.” She turned her attention back to Bell. “You said you wanna be a hero? Know any good stories?” 

“Uhm. Argonaut?” Bell asked, unsure of himself. It was not the first time I heard him mention that name. I was unsure of the context of this world, but it sounded like a myth or legend.

“You know the Argonaut?!” Tiona asked excitedly.

They proceeded to talk shop about their favorite hero stories. 

And Alec thought I was a dork.

I tuned them out eventually, focusing on picking out the green flecks from my dish while they geeked out. It took a bit for me to notice they  were talking to me.

“Hey Bug-Girl!” Tiona said, punching my shoulder again. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. “Was just tellin’ Tiny about Monster-Philia, you wanna meet up with us tomorrow?”

“Monster… Love?” I asked. That had to be one of the dumbest names for a festival I had ever heard.

“Yep! It’s a huge party. Tiny and his pretty scar agreed to be my arm-candy for it, if his Goddess lets him,” she winked, while Bell blushed.

“Yeah sure,” I said half heartedly. I watched Bell trail a finger along the black marks running up and down his face, the stitching. “You know you can pull those out now?” I told him. “They were more of a temporary measure than anything.”

“I–uh–b-but…” Bell started.

“They look sweet! Reminds me of a tattoo,” Tiona said. “Leave ‘em in!”

Bell blushed and mumbled something that I did not catch.

Tiona barked a laugh, “If you ever beat me in a fight then sure.”

The two of them were still going at it when I finished my meal. I got up to leave, after paying of course, but Tiona grabbed my wrist.

“Hey, be careful alright?” she asked, her smile dropping for just a second. “You’ve caught the Gods’ interest.”

Chapter 16: Ensnared 2.4

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.4

The back of my neck prickled as though someone were watching me. 

It was an odd sensation. Not completely unlike a feeling of foreboding, but coupled as well with a flavor of malicious energy and direction. It was something that I had never experienced before, and I thought it might be power related.

Passenger? I remembered that my Passenger still refused to pilot the large spider on my shoulder. I pushed that thought away. I had bigger problems.

It was mid-day, and I had just left the Hostess of Fertility. I was on my way back to the dungeon to continue my personal growth, though this time without Bell. But as I made my way, Tiona’s words weighed heavily upon me. The attention of the Divinities could not bode well. If they were interested in me, it was for their own novelty or pleasure, certainly not for altruistic purposes.

It was as I worried of the Divinities that I began to feel the sensation of being watched. It could be I was paranoid due to Tiona’s warning, but I erred on the side of caution.

I summoned gnats and began scouting my surroundings, tagging everyone nearby. Then, as I continued on my way, I monitored those that I tagged. Most were moving about their day, and would ultimately fall off my path.

Twelve individuals trailed behind me, though they could simply be traveling to the same destination, the dungeon. I needed a way to make sure if they were following me or not. So I ducked down a side street. 

Eleven of them continued onward, passing the side street, as though nothing had changed. 

The twelfth stopped, peeked around the corner to watch me.

It was a short individual, either a child or a Pallum. I pretended not to notice them and I continued. 

When I took the next turn and continued walking, I waited for the stalker to follow me down the street. I planned to cut him off with my swarm. Then I would corner him and demand answers–like who had sent him.

However, he never committed. Instead, he veered off course and began sprinting away. He kept to the crowded streets until he left my range. He must have known I had seen him. But how? Did someone know about my swarm sense?

I was left wondering if the Pallum had even been following me, or if he was just curious about the oddly dressed woman. 

I still felt like I was being watched.

But without proof, I could do nothing except continue on my way to the dungeon.

Once I got there, I had to wait for several more cages-on-carts to make their way up from the pit. More fodder for Monster-Philia. From what I had heard of the festival, the entire thing felt gross. Sure, monsters were monsters. But to delight in their slavery? To make a spectacle of it? Especially one involving torture?

It left me uncomfortable and I tried to stop thinking about it.

Eventually, the procession of cages passed, and I headed back down into the dungeon. I still felt like I was being watched. It might have been a Stranger–that, or paranoia. But I had learned to trust my instincts. And yet–I could hardly refuse to continue getting stronger.

With my Brazilian Wandering spider sitting on my shoulder, I shrugged, tried once again to convince my Passenger to take over the spider, and I continued my descent.

I had grinding to do.

The first few floors were crowded with adventurers. Many of them gawked as they saw me go by, and several asked if I had any plans that evening. I ignored them and continued jogging downward.

On the fifth floor, the crowds cleared out and I began harvesting. But as I began, I had to decide if I would extract and save the stones, or if I would consume them.

There were two things that I needed them for: valis to pay off Loki, and power.

If I gained enough power fast enough, then I could likely leverage that against the Loki Familia to either buy more time, or to waive the debt entirely. 

If I harvested valis to pay Loki, then my growth would be hindered, and chances were high I still would be unable to pay Loki.

As I would fail to pay Loki in either condition, my choice was clear. I hoped Tiona would forgive me for it.

As I slew Warshadows, Froggers, and Killer Ants, I harvested their stones. On the Ants, I burrowed in with my beetles and absorbed them through the swarm. On the Warshadows and Froggers, I extracted the stones and ate them myself. 

I spent hours killing and consuming and growing.

But all good things must end.

“This the one that hurt Cass?” A man asked loudly. I heard him coming from my swarm in a group of six, including the same Pallum as before. 

“She’s gotta be around here,” the Pallum said. His eyes scanning the dungeon walls for signs of passage. 

They had just entered my range on the fifth floor. They were still a ways off, around several twists and bends of the labyrinth. 

However, there were only so many turns for them to follow, and my path had been marked by the ‘unlit’ portions of the dungeon, which designated cleared passageways. And as my progress would be slowed by the monsters ahead of me, and as they could simply follow my cleared route, their catching up with me would become an inevitability.

At least I had advanced warning. But how would I respond? I would not idly allow them to hunt me as some weak prey !

I could attempt an intercept and counter ambush. But there were six of them, and their level and abilities were unknown. 

I could attempt hiding, but it would only be a matter of time until they searched out the labyrinth and found me.

I could run further into the dungeon, but I would still have to deal with the monster spawns, and they would spawn faster than I could kill, forming a train…

I looked down at the Brazilian Wandering spider on my shoulder… oh, that… that could work.

The next junction I came to, I summoned a large spider and sent it scurrying down the tunnel. The walls began blistering and cracking until Killer Ants began spawning, along with an occasional Warshadow. The freshly spawned monsters glanced around in confusion, before following the sounds of spawning monsters further down the tunnel. 

So long as my spider continued outpacing the monsters…

I continued on a different path, dropping the spawns I came across as quickly as I could. I left them where they lay, an easy trail to follow of broken Killer Ants and Froggers and the occasional Warshadow. The ambushing party had already come a quarter of the way to my position. I would have minutes at most.

At the next split I sent another spider down, repeating the act of the first. Stone cracked and blistered in its wake, spawning a few more Warshadows than Killer Ants. I continued running, hoping this plan worked–because if it backfired, I could get trapped under a worse Monster Party than earlier that morning.

The ambushing party had made it to the first junction. 

“She left their stones,” the Pallum said. “I told you she was cagey. Must know we’re here somehow.”

“Likely, that magic of hers,” their leader said, a man with a long sword and an imperious bearing. “No matter. She cannot escape us, nor Lord Apollo’s wrath.”

“As you say, captain.” 

They followed my trail of dead monsters, failing to recognize the trap before them. Were they that confident? And had Apollo truly sent them–or was this a frame job? 

A Warshadow was gaining on my second spider. 

My first spider was easily outrunning the Killer Ants congesting the hallways behind it. 

I reached a third split in the cavern and sent one final spider out, to begin another ‘Monster Train.’ 

The adventurers continued following my path and they reached the second junction.

“Which way did she go?” their leader asked. “Both pathways were cleared, but only one has the monsters.”

“A trick most likely.”

Their leader scoffed. “As though we would fall for such a paltry attempt. It is clear one path was more recently laid than another.”

They continued following my trail of dead monsters.

I continued laying a trail of dead monsters until I reached a curve in the pathway. I doubled back towards the third split, towards where I had summoned and sent out the final spider. 

The adventurers were halfway between the second and third junction, and almost in sight.

I needed to reach the third junction before them.

I picked up speed, running as fast as I could, leaping over dead ants, sliding over ichor. Their leader was almost just around the corner and–

I reached the pathway, grabbed the corner, and flung myself down the branching passageway.

The adventurers came into sight, carrying a lantern to help illuminate the darkened path.

“Did you hear that?” the Pallum asked.

“We must be getting close,” their leader said. “Remember, we take her alive.”

I began jogging after the third spider. Not so fast as to catch the trail end of the Monster Train chasing it, but fast enough that the adventurers would fail to see me as they passed.

They reached the final junction, where I had laid a false trail and looped back.

“Another one?” the Pallum asked. “I–I have a bad feeling…”

“You forget I am level three,” their leader said. “Nothing here can pose a danger. Let her try her tricks.”

Their hubris would be their downfall. And while I was unsure of if an adventurer’s level was common knowledge, I had a feeling that if they had known I was listening, that they would have avoided sharing that knowledge. But then again, perhaps they were just that arrogant. 

They continued following my false trail. Once they were out of sight, I would make a break for it. I just had to keep my spiders running a bit further. 

But as they said, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Nor could a spider against a Warshadow.

Black claws speared through my second spider, terminating it immediately. The miasma from it began flowing back towards me, following the same path the spider had taken, flowing around the mosh-pit of monsters piling up behind it.

At first, I thought the monsters would stay where they were, fighting each other and taking care of the problem on its own. Except one of the Ants towards the back of the train saw the miasma–and began to follow it. Then another Ant followed that one. Then another. And soon, the Monster Train was coming back towards me.

If not for the adventurers, I could have likely handled them. But it would take a bit, and while I fought, the adventurers would reach me. But what if–what if I sent them to the adventurers instead?

My first spider was finally speared by a Warshadow, sending the first, and largest Monster Train back towards me.

That… that was a lot of monsters. I counted over a hundred in total, and they were glomping together and crowding the only passageway towards the exit. Getting mired in combat now would be bad. I would possibly be overwhelmed, or forced to surrender to the adventurers’ mercy. 

No–I would not surrender. It felt wrong . I could still pull this off.

Unless my final spider died. I sent a swarm of wasps to catch up with it. Several Warshadows had been gaining on it, and these I blinded to disorient and slow them. I could not afford to face the third train.

The miasma from the second spider was reaching the final junction, and it was closely followed by a stampede of everything this floor could spawn. I placed several large spiders at the junction and waited.

Meanwhile, the adventurers reached the end of my false trail, reaching the lit portion of the dungeon that remained ‘uncleared.’

“Where is she!” their leader demanded.

“She must have doubled back,” the Pallum said. “I told you! She must have circled back. Or she’s hiding.”

Their leader sighed. “Tedious. People should know their place. If she had, then this would never have been necessary.”

“We’ll find her,” the Pallum consoled their leader.

“Yes we will,” the leader said. “Lord Apollo’s will be done.”

The Monster Trains reached my waiting spiders. I waved their front legs, and sent them scurrying after the adventurers. The first few monsters paused before the ones behind them slammed into them, causing another mosh-pit at the junction.

“You hear that?!” the Pallum shouted. “There’s so many right behind us! Think they killed her?”

“Let us hope not,” the leader said, unsheathing his gleaming sword.

I sent one of my spiders closer to the moshpit and bit an Ant to get its attention. It twisted after the spider and began chasing the spider towards the adventurers. Then the next monster, and the next, until the entire Monster Train was chasing–that was until they saw the adventurers.

My spiders ran past their legs, further down the path, causing the walls to blister and crack, spawning more monsters to distract.

“I don’t think she’s dead,” their leader said. “I think this is her trap.”

My spiders continued onward, and they would do so until either caught or out of range.

“Falk!” The Pallum swore. “So many!”

“Fear not, it is only trash,” the leader said. He flashed down the hallway, slaying all the monsters that came near him.

One of the Warshadows got through and sliced open the Pallum before the leader stabbed the Warshadow through the neck. Others of their party took injuries as monsters slipped past their leader. But none of those injuries looked fatal. And the monsters were soon dispatched. There was only so much of the Monster Train left, and the path between me and the exit still was congested.

I needed to move, but I could not, not without running headfirst into that mess and spoiling the trap. 

But I could observe, watch, and learn. I took note of what a level three was capable of. Certainly he could defeat me if he caught me… But I had also fought worse.

But I would not fight him here. I would not become a murderer. But I would escape.

Once the moshpit cleared, and the last of the Monster Train flowed down the hallway with the false trail, I made a break for it. I sprinted past the junction with all the speed I could muster. Back towards the exit.

“She’s getting away!” the leader shouted, having seen me slip by. 

“We’ve wounded,” the Pallum coughed.

The leader growled but continued killing the monsters, while their supporter doled out health potions to their wounded.

I kept running and fled back up to the surface as fast as I could. 

I passed more than a few adventurers returning, and more than one called out, “What’s the hurry?” Or, “Something chasing?” And more than one started sprinting too, before tiring and shouting, “No running daft woman!” 

I did not stop until I reached Echidna’s neighborhood, and even then, it was only to make sure nobody had followed me. I slipped into our hidden home and pressed my palms to either side of my face. I needed to catch my breath.

“Daughter?” Echidna asked.

I began scanning the pitch black interior, and found her rising from the table. She reached over head and turned on the lamp. An ovoid crystal rested on a piece of velvet cloth on the table where she had been sitting. But it now lay forgotten as she hurried over to me, concern on her face. 

“Why do you appear so out of sorts?” When she got closer, she examined the spider on my shoulder, and she hissed. “Your Familiar! What is this?! What happened, daughter–tell me at once.”

“Queen… sacrificed herself to save Bell,” I said, my eyes stinging.

“Idiot boy!”

“Queen hasn’t come back yet…” I resisted the urge to sniffle. I would not show weakness. I would not!

“I am no expert on Familiars, though Hecate may know if you beseech her… Do you still feel your Monarch Passenger?”

“I can feel her… but she’s refusing…” It was difficult to put it into words. I knew Passenger was there, but despite the spider on my shoulder, and the same conditions from the first time I made one, she had refused to take control.

“Fear not then,” she said, patting my shoulder with a cool and dry hand. “This will be resolved, and all will be right. Now, tell me…” She continued her inspection. “Why do you appear flustered? Were you chased here?”

I shook my head. I had not led anyone here, not that I knew. But how to explain why I had run, why I was out of breath. Did I? She was not my mother. I only had to distract. 

“I was ambushed while in the dungeon,” I said–omitting details. I did not want to deceive her, but I also craved a level of independence. Which she may attempt to revoke if she knew everything .

“A dangerous place,” she said thoughtfully. “But you now know the risks.”

It seemed off that she was so blase about that. What was I missing? I knew she cared for me, in her own way… perhaps she realized I had no choice about the risks taken?

“Yeah,” I said, finally responding. “I guess I do.” 

Because the sad fact was, while I might delay heading back to the dungeon, I would never be able to outright avoid it. I needed funds. I needed resources. I needed so much that only the dungeon could readily provide. And I refused to let a few bullies take that away. I would just need to play it smart, take precautions.

“Meanwhile, daughter,” she said, as she began disrobing. “Perhaps I may interest you in a bath? The warmth is desirable for those of our blood.”

“After you update my Falna,” I said. “Maybe.”

“You drive such bargains…”

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     41 I    -> 47 I

END:     71 I    -> 77 I

AGI:     42 I    -> 52 I

DEX:     41 I    -> 51 I

MAG:     220 G    -> 252 G

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 17: Ensnared 2.5

Chapter Text

A/N: CLIFF HANGER

Ensnared 2.5

“Dawn is upon us, daughter.”

“Hhnng.”

I felt warm. Comfortable. Surrounded in humid air, buried in musky furs. Soft. I cracked an eye open and saw nothing but black. I closed the eye and buried my face back in the bedding.

“Daughter.”

Arms tightened around my middle, hugging me. Soft warmth pressed against my back. Breath tickled my ear and neck.

Wait a second…

I startled and twisted to unbury myself from the bedding. My elbow flailed out and hit something soft. I heard a crunch and Echidna’s pinched gasp. I sat up and rolled out of bed.

The room was pitch black dark, I could see nothing. I sent out my swarm, small gnats, to rely on their proprioception. Echidna was holding her nose in pain. 

“Daughter!” Her voice held a nasal tone. “Apologize. And get your creations off me!”

“Sorry,” I said, straightening myself out. “I just… I’m not used to sleeping in.”

And on that note, how did I get to bed? The last thing I remembered was slipping into the hot springs bathing pool, and then I had just… huh. Did I fall asleep in the bath? How did I not drown?

Despite the lack of light, Echidna was looking right at me. She must have seen the confusion on my face.

“Yes, you fell asleep while bathing. With such a blissful expression upon your face, I could not bring myself to disturb you. Truly, when was the last time you had properly relaxed?”

“It’s been a while,” I said slowly, still lost in thought. How had I lost control? I never just ‘passed out.’ I did not take drugs or drink alcohol; I did not lose control. What had happened?

She turned on the magic stone lantern and sat down at the table while I got dressed. She watched over me, the look of concern pinching her brows. “What else transpired yesterday?”

There had been the possible death of my Familiar, but Echidna already knew about that. So what else? The only other thing out of the ordinary yesterday, besides the ambushers, had been at the Hostess of Fertility… 

–oh.

“Bell and Tiona brought me to the Hostess of Fertility,” I said, thinking out loud while also nervous about how she would respond.

“And?” she asked, continuing to watch me carefully.

“I ate…” I trailed off, thinking of the savory yet sweet frothing blood, the raw meat, the delicious aftertaste… my mouth began watering.

Instead of the judgment that I had feared, Echidna smiled kindly. “Your first meal? Your first, true meal?”

I nodded. Why had I thought she would be displeased? I suppose because I was disappointed in myself. I had wasted time and resources and had left myself vulnerable as a result.

“My one regret is that I missed it,” she sighed wistfully. “Yet, I have not been near so active in your life as I perhaps should have been…”

“I–wait…” I trailed off. Why would that be what bothers her? “What do you mean?” I sat across from Echidna at the table now, watching the minute expressions play across her face. She peered into me, her green eyes almost luminescent. 

“Is it truly so unbelievable for you?” she asked. “That I would wish to be there for my daughter? That I would regret the constraints upon us? That I would revel in all opportunities that I had since having you returned to me…?” 

“I… I’m at a loss. What do you mean returned to you?” I felt a deep unease. I knew that she had called me her daughter, and that it had always felt weird–but I had assumed it was a religious or familial affection. Did she actually want to replace my… mother?

She hummed and her eyes flashed–only briefly though, hardly perceptible. “Another time, perhaps. But this likely explains your sudden fatigue last night. It is this body’s first meal. How do you feel?”

Thinking about it, I really did feel good: lighter, stronger, faster. I stood back up and began bouncing on the balls of my feet, shadow boxing and throwing several kicks. Normally I would have warmed up first, but I felt just that good.

“Good, I said. “I feel like I…” I continued ducking and weaving, trailing off.

“As though you had a full night’s rest, perhaps?” she asked,  smiling once more.

“Yeah… like that,” I smiled back. It was nice having a costume that left my face exposed. I could emote far more than when back on Bet. My cheeks had almost forgotten what the feeling was like.

“Wonderful,” she said. “And what of your plans this day? Perhaps you and your new friends will attend the festival together?”

She of course referred to Monster-Phillia. I suppose I had made plans to meet up with Bell and maybe Tiona. But I almost would rather do anything else. I already saw too much of Bell as it was, and while Tiona was fun to be around, I had more important things to do.

“I was going to find Hecate’s Familia and ask about reviving my Familiar properly… And then maybe taking advantage of the less crowded dungeon.”

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “If that is the case, then perhaps you should attend Hecate promptly? I would imagine that she would enjoy the festivities with her Familia as well.”

I had failed to consider that the Divinities would even wish to attend the festival, let alone with their Familias. Had I insulted Echidna by mistake? Worry crept back up my spine like a cold claw.

“What about you?” I asked. “I didn’t mean to–”

She held up a hand to forestall my excuse. “Fear not, daughter. I find that the festival is most distasteful. Ganesha must be the king of fools for hosting it. Someday perhaps, you will discover his true motivations for hosting it.”

I left soon after, getting the general directions towards Hecate’s Tower just before walking out the door.

As I traveled through the outskirts of the city, passing through the slummier parts of Orario, I felt the eyes land on my neck once more. My scouts could travel about two blocks from my position, and within those two blocks, I could find no one following me. It could be a Stranger effect, or someone akin to Mannequin.

The prickling sensation stopped when I passed behind a few buildings, out of sight from the larger structures towards the center of Orario. I wondered if someone watched me through a telescopic lens? Just to be certain, I kept to the narrow and crowded streets, and only got lost once.

Finally, I arrived. 

Hecate’s Familia lived in a tower along the South walls. It had been privatized and renovated with a few interesting aesthetics, such as floating turrets that spiraled up to points, twilight stained glass windows, and trellis overgrown with fanged ivy that would snap at any of my flies that got close.

Personally, I considered the entire structure as a vulnerability to Orario’s defenses. But then, Orario’s walls were never designed to keep armies out.

I heard activity from inside the tower as I approached the plain wooden door at its base. It opened before I could even knock.

A woman with a witches hat, eye-patch, and wearing almost all black with pink highlights stood in the doorway, leaning against the threshold. On her shoulder perched a raven that had purple highlights running through its otherwise black plumage. 

The woman smirked as she looked me over, eyes roving hungrily. “You’re the new summoner,” she said. “Looks like you’ve got plenty of potential… So what're you doing slumming it up with Echidna?”

I worked my jaw, immediately put on the defensive. I was unsure which was worse: her insulting me, or her insulting Echidna.

“Well, what’re you after? Come to switch Familias? I have to say, I work our members hard…” She licked her lips before smiling again, even more predatory than before. My stomach squirmed from the attention. I needed to get out of here fast.

“No,” I spoke plainly. “I have business with Lady Hecate. Who are you?”

“Luna Malphilos,” she said. “Your soon to be Captain.” She tapped her gloved finger. “But you may also refer to me as Mistress, Madam, or, if we’re doing roleplay, Dominatrix. Safewords are not allowed.”

I glanced at the Brazilian Wandering Spider on my shoulder. This… this might not be worth it. Not if I have to deal with this. But then again, I had dealt with insanity before and had come out ahead. And I knew I needed my Familiar back. 

“...No,” I finally said. “Is Lady Hecate in? Or should I come back.”

“Would you like me to escort you?” She offered, smiling in a devious fashion that made me think she was up to something.

“To Lady Hecate?” I asked for clarification.

“Yes. After.” She continued smiling, while nibbling on her lower lip. Those teeth of hers were unnaturally white. And the way her raven stared was chilling.

“After what…?” I started to ask, but then thought better of it. “Know what? Nevermind. I’ll come back later.” 

I turned to leave.

“Hey wait!” She called after me. “I was just teasing. Learn to take a joke, huh?”

Sexual harassment was no joke. But I stopped leaving, instead glaring at her and offering her a chance at redemption. I did still need to find a way to revive Queen afterall. 

“Look, Lady Hecate is busy getting ready, but I could probably take a message, or possibly help. What did you need?” She asked, sounding helpful all at once. I wondered why the sudden shift in behavior? It had not happened until I threatened to leave… It left me wondering.

“Fine,” I said. “I need help with my Familiar.”

She narrowed her eyes while looking at my spider. I had it wave back. “That is no Familiar,” she said, crossing her arms and pushing out her bust. “I would know.”

I took a deep breath. This woman was exhausting. After holding and releasing, I finished explaining. “My Familiar sacrificed itself and refuses to resummon. I can still feel her in the back of my mind, but she isn’t coming out. I want to know why, and what I can do to fix her.”

She began nodding, a smile slowly forming once again. “Good news there, Familiars can’t really die–they’re made of your mana–they last as long as you do. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a personality of their own. Or a memory. So a better question is: what did you do to offend her?”

“Wha–nothing!” I said. “She sacrificed herself to save someone’s life, not because I did anything wrong…”

“Huh, well in that case… think of this as a negotiation. What could convince your Familiar to return after suffering abuse? It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately myself, after the last of our recruits disappeared…” She then sighed to herself. “I swear, make the mistake of leaving the dungeon unlocked one time–just once! And suddenly it’s all about restitutions and negotiations…” she trailed off shaking her head.

I worked my jaw, unable to decide if she was insane, joking, or something else. I wish I had Lisa here–she would know the right term to describe this woman .

“Anyways, if you want more hints, you’ll need to win the upcoming tournament.” And then she just keeps on talking. I almost missed it, with how she had been rambling.

“Tournament?” I asked, catching at least one thing of value in her tirade.

“Yeah! It’s tons of fun. You know how Ganesha is hosting today’s festival? Well, Lady Hecate hosts the Magic Tournament. And we have several categories–a lot of fun…” She made a broad encompassing gesture with both her hands and waggled her eyebrows. Her witch hat drooped a little until it covered her face.

“I’ll consider it,” I said. “But what if I convince my Familiar to return on my own?”

“Then if you win… huh… let’s see…” she said, then held a finger up towards the sky. “If you win, I’ll show you something cool you can do with your Abyssal Shadow!”

“How did you–” I started to ask, but was interrupted by a woman’s voice shouting from further in the tower.

“Luna~ Did you finish your chores?”

Luna coughed and looked at me, shrugging. “Gotta go!” she whispered, turning back to the tower and slamming the door behind her. “Coming!” 

I eyed my Brazilian Wandering Spider as I stood there on the doorstep. “It would be a lot easier if you could just tell me what you wanted,” I told her.

Of course, the spider failed to answer.

But I did have a few ideas about what I could do to start trying to convince Queen to make a return. And most of those ideas started and ended in the dungeon. 

I started making my way to the center of Orario, to the Tower of Babel, and more importantly, the dungeon beneath it. It was still early in the day, but the streets had already become crowded for the festival. 

As I made my way through the crowds, I became mired and slowed in the traffic, and the sensation of being watched had returned. But I never found evidence that someone was actually watching me. I could feel it, not prove it. 

I had planned on going straight to the dungeon, but with these eyes on me, I feared another ambush. And while I could scout passages and prepare traps in the dungeon, I would be down there alone–alone and vulnerable.

I diverted from my course, heading towards the only other place of safety I knew of: Hestia’s ruined church. I doubted whoever was watching me would risk the ire of a literal Goddess. Besides, I had told Bell I’d go with him and Tiona to the festival today. I would just meet him at his home. Safety in numbers, and all that. 

With my course changed, I felt the prickly sensation abate. For a while at least. 

But a block later, the sensation redoubled. 

I started to jog, pushing my way through the crowded markets and side streets. I needed to reach Hestia’s place as soon as possible. 

The sensation grew even worse. 

I sent out my swarm, searching for whatever it was that was watching me. But I found nothing.

And then a worrying thought occurred to me: What if I brought whoever was following me to Bell and he ended up hurt. He was a child . I was an experienced veteran. 

I could deal with this problem on my own. Better me than some kid getting hurt.

I decided to rely on an untested power. 

If I could detect when people were watching me, and if I could feel it abate when I hid behind obstacles, then I could theoretically triangulate where my stalkers hid.

The first, most immediate stalker was in an obvious location: the Tower of Babel. It seemed a constant source of observation, and I thought someone must have had a telescopic lens. I tried to keep buildings between me and the Tower whenever possible.

The second set of eyes was more difficult to pin down. They were moving. They would disappear, then reappear a bit later. They had been following me for blocks now, in a trajectory that was erratic yet familiar. 

It took me a few minutes to figure it out though. 

Whoever it was, they were following me by rooftop. They must have had a Mover ability, the ability to bound from street to roof in a single jump.

Now that I had a bead on them though, and now that I knew where they were heading… I could do something about it.

I assembled my swarm.

My stalkers were still out of range. But I could prepare a trap. I began hiding wasps and spiders on the rooftop they were heading towards, and then I hid to block their sight lines.

Once I did, I lost the sensation of being watched. I could no longer track their progress. I sent several fliers up to scan the surroundings, just in case I missed someth–

A flash of gold from above. 

I tucked and rolled. A blunt arrowhead smashed into the ground where I had been, spraying me with wooden and stone shrapnel.

My position had been compromised.

I took off running. 

I scrambled my swarm. I tried getting a clear view of whoever had just tried shooting me.

But they were fast–a blur to my insects. I needed a way to slow them down.

Another flash of gold. 

Another arrow slammed down, this one fragmenting a brick beside me. Sharp bits embedded into my left eye–fluid ran down my cheek. Vision impared. More sharp bits knocked my spider off my shoulder, killing it.

“Enough,” a man said from above. I recognized that voice. It was the leader from the ambushing party in the dungeon.

Another flash of gold. 

I rolled. 

The arrow hit my lower back. I heard a crack. I felt the pressure. My legs stopped moving. 

Shit!

My swarm converged. Wasps began landing. With my lower half worthless, worse than dead weight, I dragged myself across the ground, towards a closed doorway. If I could climb through, I could swamp the entryway and buy time for my regeneration to–

Another arrow shattered against my elbow. 

Another against my ribs. 

Breathing. 

Hurt.

My swarm began dying. But the miasma was not returning, not like it should. Something was obstructing it. Through the pain, I almost saw what was–there!

Several people were on the rooftop and were collecting my swarm! They used nets and jars. I had my insects retreat, I began pulling them inwards. But the insects were trapped. I killed them off, returning them to miasma, but they were trapping the miasma too!

Desperate, I scrambled everything, set what little of my fliers left to hiding–but the adventurers were so fast! My Tarantula Hawks were too big, too obvious! I tried outflying them–pulling them back–anything!

The fraction of miasma that had returned to me was stolen by my body’s regeneration even though I needed more of my swarm to defend myself. Passenger help! I tried, but nothing–I was running out–everything hurt–

“Dammi–” I coughed and gagged on blood, the arrow that had hit my lower back must have punctured a lung. Even with regeneration I might not survive this. I thought they had wanted to take me alive! What had changed?!

The man from above, the same one from the dungeon with the sword, the one that had used the bow, jumped down from above and landed easily on the balls of his feet.

“You shouldn’t have injured my family,” he said, approaching me. 

I flipped over onto my back, glaring him down, trying to curse him, to call for help, to do anything at all! But nothing–I could do nothing but glare. 

“Nor should you have abused our oracle.” 

He kicked me in the side, sending me onto my back, and a spasm of pain through my side. 

“And most of all, you should have never insulted Lord Apollo.”

His next kick connected with my temple. 

I saw stars. 

Then I saw nothing.

Chapter 18: Ensnared 2.6

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.6

Rage.

Inconsolable, absolute, impotent rage.

I had awoken in a cage, bound and chained. 

I had awoken gagged, under some manner of illusion or Stranger power.

Or at least, I hoped I was under an illusion. Otherwise, when I escaped, I would level all of Orario to the ground; the streets would flow with blood; the land would lay fallow; my swarm would feast upon the flesh of my enemies!

“Momma look!” A little boy pointed at me from the other side of the thick bars. “What’s this one?”

An older woman read a placard just beyond my line of sight. “Irregular Kobold, it looks.”

“Never heard of it,” a man said, who was holding a paper bag of candied nuts. He offered a few to the boy who took a handful. “Ugly critter, aintcha.”

They continued walking down the street, looking at the other ‘monsters’ on display, brought up for Monster-Philia.

The arrogant man who had injured me, captured me, and locked me away in plain sight, as some form of mockery… I decided I would kill him. Slowly. I would taste his flesh. However, there were challenges between my current station and vengeance.

For one, my swarm was beyond my reach.

My miasma had been locked away. 

I still felt it, held in containers, a few streets away. But on my person? I had none–no miasma was available; it had all been spent on my regeneration, to keep me alive. And I was still wounded. My left eye had yet to recover.

I was powerless. Not in control. At the mercy of the worst of humanity. It made me itch. Terribly.

More bystanders. 

Were they truly innocent? Did they truly not realize a person had been chained and caged and gagged and hid beneath an illusion? 

Or perhaps–they simply did not care?

“Tione~ Babe!” A familiar voice could be heard above the crowd. A busty amazon and a squinty-eyed goddess accompanying her.

“Hands off, Loki,” Tione said.

“Babe, listen… I need a snack. And since you ain’t buyin…”

“Why would I?!” Tione demanded.

“For your own Goddess?” Loki held the back of her hand to her forehead. “Unruly children, a shame. I think someone’s been naughty~”

I heard, not saw, the slap that sent Loki spinning and face planting before the cage, with her rear hanging above her in the air.

“Hands. Off.” Tione said, marching by. “And buy your own snack!”

“But I’m poor~” Loki shouted, jumping up to her feet. “I should have invited your flat sister instead…” she grumbled, chasing after Tione.

More onlookers came and went.

I tried calling out. The only sounds I could make were guttural consonants. Whatever had been tied to my face kept my tongue in place, my mouth open. It ached, but no matter how I bit down, nothing changed. I remained incapable of calling out for aid.

If only I could use my swarm. But it was locked away.

Passenger? I sent my thoughts, directed them, at the portion of my mind that normally controlled my swarm. Passenger, Help!

It was faint. But… I could almost feel the shape of my miasma. I almost felt as though I could use it where it was. But I had never before been able to do so. Powers did not change. But people could learn new tricks. And my new Power appeared to operate mechanics differing from Earth Bet.

Passenger? I sent another thought its way, willing for it to help manage my miasma, to return my swarm.

Of course, nothing. But the maddening thing was–was that I could almost do it. There was only a thin barrier, almost like cellophane, between me and me controlling that miasma, me summoning my swarm. 

If only I had practiced this more! I was sure I could have mastered it. It made me furious ! But who else could I blame but myself.

Passenger please… help!

“You should give your goddess a bite of your jagamara-kun!” Another familiar voice, high pitched, childish, and somehow divine. “How will I decide if it measures up to my charms?” Hestia asked. “Bell? Bell~ Are you ignoring your Goddess Bell? Bell!”

“Goddess, please,” Bell said.

They were so close. I pulled with all my strength against my bonds, against the manacles holding me down. I thrashed. I lifted with my legs and torqued until my back creaked and my muscles threatened to tear. But the chains and manacles had no give. I would sooner tear my body to shreds then slip from my bonds.

“Oh wow, this one’s lively! You ever see one like this in the dungeon Bell? Seems scary! Are you sure you should be going down there? With that Echidna girl? You were just wounded. And that scar! Oh Bell…” Hestia chattered. “Won’t you take the stitches out? Miach said the scar could be fixed–”

“-Goddess Please!” Bell said, exasperation apparent in his voice.

“But what about it? Have you seen one like this? I don’t want you fighting something like this–”

“It does seem to be trying to escape,” Bell said thoughtfully. “Something feels wrong.”

They were both in front of my cage. Bell examined me, concern apparent on his red eyes.

Yes! Bell! He was so close. If anyone could see me, could help me!

I tried sending thoughts his way–tried speaking. Maybe he could recognize my voice? I tried wailing. It was muffled, but some noise did escape. I pushed my arm stub against my wrist, the black nubs jagged and sharp and digging into my flesh until blood began dripping.

“What do you mean Bell? It’s a monster right? You children fight these all the time!”

“Yeah… It’s just hard to explain Goddess. But it sounds familiar… and it’s hurting itself… something’s not right. We should get–”

“-C’mon Bell!” Hestia interrupted. “You promised you’d watch the tamers with me!” She had been clinging to Bell, and now she pulled him away.

“...alright,” he mumbled, letting her have her way. “But we should come back later and check.”

No!

It was all in vain.

More of the crowd passed by. 

My rage had yet to peak, yet to crest. My rage only grew.

“Looks like you woke up,” the same man that attacked me was before the cage, gloating. “You’re lucky we didn’t kill you. If Apollo weren’t so merciful, we might have just tossed you into the gutter like you deserve. He has a plan though.”

The other pedestrians gave him a wide berth, held at bay by a casual gathering of smirking adventurers, including the Pallum. 

Passenger, remember these faces.

“The question is, what’ll happen to her after the festival?” the Pallum asked. 

“Think they’ll try taming her?” another asked. “Wanna take that bet?”

They all chuckled.

I will KILL them. Passenger? We will. Remember them!

I pushed with everything I had. 

I focused entirely on my miasma, on its diffuse senses. 

Instead of the impotent fury, I focused on the cold miasma, the shadows that almost seemed to wail with the memory of a distant swarm; I could almost hear them–alien voices, a chorus, singing and wailing and gnashing. I was losing my sanity–but it was the only choice left to me.

“They might try selling her to Rakia,” the Pallum said. He sounded nervous. “You don’t think they would, do you?”

“Heh, concerned for her?” one of them laughed. “Don’t worry, Apollo is merciful. After his justice is delivered, I’m sure she’ll be fine… more or less.”

Ignore them. Focus!

What was the difference between miasma here or the miasma there? It was all mine, the shadows were always mine, the chittering skittering clamoring swarm; it was mine

There! Something changed…

A portion of my shadows had coalesced into a… into a what? I needed to give it a form. I needed to know the shape of the container locking my power away. Something simple. I summoned a midge. Then another. And another. Until I had a small cloud of gnats and midges flying and examining their container. Darkness. There was no light in these containers to see. The air smelled sick like old juice. Ceramic walls. Without gaps. Sealed.

Ceramics could be carved. Ceramics could be eaten. Like termites through wood.

I would destroy these prisons, and then I would consume these adventurers that had dared– dared to humiliate me.

My mandibles formed and began carving through the walls of my prisons. I would find freedom. I would not be caged.

An explosive reverberation shook the streets.

Screaming. I heard screaming. There was pain and agony and it was–wait. My swarm had yet to chew through their prisons. What was–

A young girl ran and fell. A man trampled over her, his eyes wide in panic. Shouts of alarm. The crowd pushed in. The adventurers who had been taunting me looked around, confused.

“What is–” the Pallum started.

“Are we attacked?!” their leader shouted, drawing his sword. The others followed.

A roar echoed down the street. My swarm felt their prisons quake. 

The first of my swarm burrowed through, tasting dust. I turned them around to help free the rest, to widen the holes, to allow out the full might of my swarm to taste their vengeance.

The roar grew closer; it was the large gorilla-like monster, with red glowing eyes. The Silverback? A wooden hand truck flew through the air and exploded against a wall.

A man in plain brown leather followed, half flying through a window, breaking glass, getting caught on the glass shards and leaving behind a stream of entrails and blood.

People were dying . Innocents? That little girl had done me no ill. Yes, innocents were dying–suffering–through no fault of their own.

Throughout the city, I heard their screams. There were roars and shrieks and much cacophony. The cages must have been sabotaged. Motive unknown.

Apollo’s men had begun retreating, running to protect their Lord.

And my swarm reached me! Billowing around my cage, my wasps and honor guard swirled around me.  

Those that had locked me away, abused me, attacked me… they were still within range. I had promised vengeance. 

But… 

But the Silverback was looming over a mother who had fallen over her child. 

The Silverback reared back, beating its chest–roaring.

I had to make the choice. Pursue those who had wronged me. Or help these innocents. 

Help… Or Vengeance. 

Salvation… Or blood. 

Apollo’s men were nearing the edge of my range. 

I had to choose! 

Vengeance… Or saving the innocent who were helpless to defend themselves. What would my dad say? My mom? Lisa? Legend or Chevalier… Echidna? What would I say? Could I live with myself if I slaked my thirst for vengeance instead of saving anyone? 

It was really no choice at all. I would find vengeance another day.

For now, I would be a hero.

Chapter 19: Ensnared 2.7

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.7

The Silverback loomed over the mother and her child. Its fists raised up. It had already smashed carts and walls and stomped flat first responders and unlucky passerbys. 

I had no time to prepare my swarm.

My first wasp reached it. I shook the wasp's abdomen in front of the Silverback’s face, an inch from its eye.

The monster slapped itself in the face, crushing the wasp. Instead of pulling that wasp’s miasma back towards me, I reformed it into three Black Widows which followed the air currents to land on the Silverback’s torso. They began dumping their venom into the monster. 

It failed to notice.

The Silverback focused once more on the mother and child. The mother, so fearful, only screamed and cowered and tried protecting her child with her own body.

Of course it would be in vain.

Another wasp arrived, then another, and another still.

The Silverback roared, slapping itself wherever a wasp landed. Each wasp that died, I used to form venomous spiders. Each time a spider emptied their venom sacs and died, I reformed them–though they had less miasma each time.

I had never noticed that before: the venom came with a cost–likely permanent, like everything else my Power did.

The rest of my swarm had arrived at the Silverback. I sent a moth down to grab the mother’s attention, to lead her and the child to safety.

The Silverback shrieked and flailed, crashing into and through a building, rolling through the rubble. My insects tasted blood–and not from the Silverback. How many innocents had been in those buildings? Were those homes? Similar to tenement housing back home? Anger coursed through my veins.

My swarm coated the Silverback, reforming into Larder Beetles. They tore into its flesh, it smashed them, but they reformed, digging deeper and further and closer to its center of mass and then they found the stone and they bit and sheared and the stone cracked and–

The gorilla exploded into black dust. The stone disappeared, joining my horde of beetles, furthering my miasma. I sent fliers out, scouting the parts of the city within range. 

I heard chaos from the distance, near both the arena and the city center. 

Another explosion echoed the streets nearby.

A rolling ball of armor crashed through building after building. Pained shouts and screams. A market collapsed into itself. The monster, what I believed was a Hard-Armored, blasted into the base of another apartment.

I sent my swarm in. First the wasps landed, or tried to. The Hard-Armored moved and sheared all my insects within seconds of them landing. 

I tried coming in from the sides–around the pivot where the Hard-Armored turned, there my swarm could at least cling and begin burrowing.

But it was slow going.

The Hard-Armored continued rolling, smashing through another wall and landing hard on a well-populated street. It changed course, following the pressed and packed crowd as they tried to flee: the stench of loosened bowels and fear.

I needed to do something more–then I remembered how I had fought the Killer Ants. I reformed the swarm on the Hard-Armored into Bombardier Beetles and began pumping boiling caustic into the gaps around its pivot point. Beetles sprayed then terminated and formed newer fresher beetles to spray once again.

The Hard-Armored spasmed and came to a stop, unrolling itself into a larger armadillo-looking form. It shuddered and reoriented itself. I took the chance to fly wasps into the channels lining its underbelly. It caught sight of more victims. It rolled itself back up. Most of my swarm died, but the miasma reformed into small biters. The Hard-Armored took off rolling after the crowd, leaving so many crushed and whimpering bodies in its wake.

My swarm chewed holes into the softer flesh, opening up space for larger, more effective insects. It would not be long now until–

The Hard-Armored passed out of range.

It hurt.

A piece of my soul ripped away. 

The flesh from my back peeled and flayed. 

A metaphysical piece of me, my senses, my thoughts, me , torn.

I fell to my knees and tried putting my hands to the sides of my head, but could not, for I was still chained and bound and locked away in a cage.

I had never felt this–this–horrificness. 

What had happened?

I had never had this problem before. 

On Bet, insects came and went. My Power had been control of insects, not creation of insects. But now that Power had been forcibly pulled away from me, exiting my range, and I felt bare and defenseless once more–worse–it felt worse than Bakuda’s pain bomb–

Passenger–please help–Passenger?!

Passenger felt even more distant and muted than ever before.

Minutes passed in agony. All I could manage was to breathe.

But there was another challenge.

Adventurers had gathered, and they had begun systematically slaughtering the still caged monsters near my position.

“This one’s still alive too!” the adventurer said. His gear was poor quality, but his spear had a mean looking blade at the end of it that dripped gore and almost seemed to glow.

“Hurry up!” Another said. “We need ta get back to the fight!”

They stabbed the monster, an Orc, in its cage. It died wailing and uselessly pounding against the bars holding it in place. Then the adventurers arrived at my cage, spear ready.

“Another one?! This’s taking forever…”

And then I felt it–my swarm–frenetic angry buzzing–

The Hard-Armored had returned to my range. My swarm had eaten away at its belly, scouring its skin in an unfocused rage. This was my chance. I would not let it escape again. I focused on the deepest wound my swarm had dug, sending Bombardiers in to loosen the skin and flesh then Larders to dig and tear, switching back and forth, burning and eating a hole through its core. As they ate their way deeper, more of my swarm followed, branching outwards, eating through it–

It shuddered and crashed, coming to a stop and unraveling. Its heart stopped beating, its blood stopped pounding, and my swarm feasted while I sobbed in my cage.

My swarm found the dungeon stone, and the Hard-Armored exploded into black ash, and my swarm grew just that much stronger. I returned my swarm to me. Now, I needed to escape my cage. And deal with these adventurers.

“Well hurry up!” said the one without a spear. “Sooner we do, the sooner we get back to the real fight!”

“What would you even do against a level 2 monster?” A third said, sneering. “Just finish it off… we collect some easy stones, and that’s that. Now, as you’re the only one with a spear, get on with it!”

I tried calling out to them, but I was still gagged. They would murder me? Even after I saved lives by fighting the monsters? 

The fools .

My swarm arrived in spurts. First came the dragonflies, buzzing around the adventurers. Then, a few hornets delivered warning stings.

“Hey–ouch!” One adventurer slapped at his neck, but missed.

“What the he–wait! Isn’t this that creepy bug–” another started, before a wasp flew into his mouth and left him gagging.

“Why would we get attacked?” The one with the spear asked. “Why’s she on the monster’s side?”

“You thinkin’ Evilus or somethin’?”

The rest of my swarm arrived, orbiting my cage like a black cyclone, causing the nearest of the adventurers to fall back. “Nu-huh. No way. Let’s get outta here!” He threw a cheap dagger at the swarm and took off running. 

I sent a few hornets to harry him and the others. The other two looked at eachother, their retreating comrade's back, and they took off after him. “Wait for us!” they shouted, tearing off at a sprint–though they kept their weapons.

Meanwhile, I got to work freeing myself, and got the first real ‘look’ at what I had been disguised as. 

I had a black wolf head and fur, instead of a body suit. My feet were clawed and digitigrade. My eyes appeared red and glowing. But–it was all fake–an illusion. 

I was certain it was. 

I had a gag in, but just from sight alone, all I had were fangs, bared lips, and rotten gums. 

How–how had they done this? 

No wonder no one recognized me. I hardly recognized myself. I landed insects on me, they passed through the illusory fur and landed on my skin. By touch, I began mapping my actual condition.

A manacle held my left arm down. A collar, my neck. My ankles. Chains stretched from each of them to hoops along the metal bars. This just would not do, not at all. The most offensive of all was the dirty wooden ball gag held in place by leather straps. Where had they even found it from? Disgusting. I had my swarm chew through the leather and pull the gag out, in ten seconds, I could once again work my jaw.

My voice cracked at first. My tongue had to remember itself. But soon, I was calling for help. Shouting. But no one was near. The monsters and my swarm had scared the crowd away. 

There were a few adventurers beginning to rove in packs, looking for monsters. I think most of them were from Ganesha, judging by the elephant insignia. But when I tried buzzing them, to get their attention, they slapped the insects down, and when that failed to work, they ran.

I needed to get out. I needed to break the illusion.

I sent my mandibles and teeth to work on the manacles and collar. Nothing. Not even a scratch. I tried the beetles, the same that could chew through steel back home–even those failed to damage the material.

What was this stuff made from?

Next I tried the chains–but once again, I failed to so much as scuff it. Then the bars–but again, the same. I was well and truly trapped. And the illusion had yet to fall. 

I could try waiting for help–but I refused to be a damsel. Especially when I still appeared as a black kobold.

No–I needed to get out. There were still civilians getting killed out there, I could hear the screams, the occasional roar, the shrieking, the wailing, the tremors from not-so-distant battles near the arena. 

I needed to escape.

The manacles should have had a lock, or a mechanism, but even with my insects pouring over them, I could find no seams.

I needed to escape! 

I was on the verge of a panic attack. I focused on my swarm, on their senses. My body was one among thousands. Solutions could be found. I had regeneration. Wait, I had regeneration!

I sent my beetles down to my left hand and set them to chew through the skin, some of the bone, the fat, the ligaments… it hurt, each scraping mandible, each pinching bite, but it only lasted a moment. 

The manacle slipped from my wrist, clanged against the bottom of the cage.

My feet came next. My boots were gone. I felt conflicted–on one hand, I had just bought them, they were comfortable and practical, and they were missing. On the other, it was one less thing for me to chew through.

I sent my swarm to work, chewing through my skin and heel, sawing through just enough that I could wiggle the rest of my foot out. Did it hurt? Yes–worse than the hand. 

But soon, I was free! 

…Except, the collar around my neck.

I brought my hand up and flexed–it still had the illusion in place, but I felt my skin had regrown. I probed the collar with my own fingers, and again, found no mechanism or seam.

Could I use the same trick on the collar? 

No. That was… that would be too risky, even for me.

But would it?

The only part I absolutely could not risk damaging was my spinal cord… my regeneration could handle brain trauma–otherwise I would have been brain-dead from the earlier attack.

God dammit! Fine. I was doing this.

I needed it to go as fast as possible. I would be losing a lot of blood. I would be burning through a lot of miasma. I lifted the collar until it snagged on my chin.

Was I really going through with this?

Yes. I would never shy away from what needed to be done. I would make the hard choice, again and again.

Beetles tore through skin, capillaries, adipose… everything. I lost my sense of taste and smell and sight. If not for my swarm, I would be without sense. My ears were in the way–were removed. That part only hurt a bit worse than getting my ears pierced, but all over. 

The collar caught on my scalp–that got scoured clean, along with parts of my skull. I felt my swarm begin to weaken–miasma spent on regeneration, even as the damage was done.

The collar reached past my cheek bones, got caught on my eyes. It was hardly the first time I had done this part, at least. I carved through the lobes, through the nose cartilage, and then my forehead, and then–a bout of vertigo and light-headedness, and–

The collar clanged to the floor, and I fell onto my back, my swarm covering me, converting back to miasma, getting incorporated by my regeneration.

Minutes passed.

I was whole again. I could smell–blood–I could see–blood–I could taste–blood. I was covered in blood. What was left of my swarm scoured my skin, bodysuit, vest, cleaning it of debris, stray fragments, and bodily fluids.

I was free! And the illusion had been broken. But I was still trapped in the cage…

There were hinges along one wall, and cross-pieces–and a latch! It needed a key–but it was a bigger key, one that I could fit ants into. In went the insects, down went the locking pins. Ants formed a spine, and then torqued the lock. The mechanism began turning and I torqued and my ants were tearing themselves open yet reforming and–the latch clicked. The gate swung open.

Finally, I was free! 

I stepped out, feeling the dirt beneath my bare feet. The gravel hardly dug into my skin at all. The air tasted sweeter this side of the cage.

I turned in the direction of the Arena, where sounds of fighting still echoed through the city, and I took off sprinting.

The streets were empty. 

I felt energized. 

My limbs powerful, my steps almost explosive. 

At my runners peak, in the Wards, I had never been this fast. In the sunlight, I could inspect my costume–it was still whole, except the missing belt and boots. I even still had my clawed glove on–wait.

I skidded to a stop and looked at my hand and clenched it a few times.

No–

I shook my head–

I could worry about that later. 

Another crash echoed down the street. Above the nearby buildings, I saw a large green tentacle-thing throw a screaming man wearing a robe up into the air, and then catch him–in a mouth reminiscent of a venus fly-trap. Except venus fly-traps never swallowed.

What was that thing?

Though my swarm had been halved by the regeneration, I still had enough dragonflies to get eyes on the thing–there were three of them, and a fourth laying dead, in a large courtyard outside the arena.

A group of adventurers had regrouped, looking bruised and battered. I recognized a few of them. The Amazons Tione and Tiona, and Bell. I ran towards them as my swarm began burrowing into the nearest monster. 

It turns out, it was a plant, with incredibly tough skin. But bugs were designed to eat plants. 

I bore into the first one, tunneling four holes, in a line parallel to the ground. As they dug in, the plant monster thrashed.

I reached the adventurers.

They turned towards me. Tione held her scimitars ready, not recognizing me. Tiona and Bell did, though they both looked confused. And bruised and weary.

“M-miss Taylor?” Bell asked.

“Bug-girl?” Tiona asked.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“You look… different,” Tiona said. She pointed at her eyes. 

I checked my own self with my swarm. Now that the illusion had failed, I could see myself–my eyes were gold. My cheeks black and angular. My hair was gone, replaced by an almost scaled scalp. How had they recognized me? My voice? Likely my unique magic. This… I was monstrous. I would kill Apollo for this. But later. I could not dwell, we were still in a fight.

“G-good, but… yeah–” Bell coughed awkwardly, then he looked back at the monsters.

“We’ll talk about it later,” I said.

My bugs finished chewing through the first monster, and when it thrashed once more, the momentum caused the weakened stem to shear, separating it into halves.

I sent my swarm onto the next.

“You just–how?!” Tione demanded. “They’re tough enough to break blades. How’d you just–that’s–”

“Her magic…” Tiona said, almost dreamily.

“Magic?” Tione repeated.

“They’re attracted to magic though…” Bell repeated slowly.

The three of them looked at eachother, then turned back to the remaining two plant monsters. One thrashed and slammed itself into nearby buildings to try and dislodge my insects, and though many of them were crushed, I reformed them just as fast.

The last one turned towards us.

“They are…” Tiona said.

The last one whipped forward, straight at us, or straight at me, but we were all standing in a group. “Run!” Bell shouted as he jumped in front of me, knives held up in a guard position, against a monster that was ridiculously oversized.

He was going to–

A blur slammed into the plant monster, tearing through its base and pulling it along with it, before it disappeared. I only got a glance at what that blur was before it out of sight. It had been fast, bulky, and I thought I saw glimpses of two boar ears.

Ottar, The King. I was sure of it. But why?

Bell opened his eyes–they had been clenched shut. Both his knives were still held above him.

Tiona slapped his back, “Ha! I like you!”

“T-thanks?”

“Was that The King?” Tione asked. “But why didn’t he stick around?”

“I couldn’t see much,” Bell said.

“Probably busy elsewhere?” Tiona asked, then shrugged.

Within minutes, Einna and Royman arrived on scene, along with a party of Ganesha’s adventurers.

“There she is!” another adventurer said, one that I recognized from outside the cage. “She attacked us! She’s working with Evilus, or whoever it was that released the monsters!”

“Yeah! She stung us with bees!”

That was a significant accusation.

“Taylor Hebert of the Echidna Familia,” Royman spat. “You are now in the Custody of Ganesha and the Guild until we can investigate matters further.”

I tensed up.

“You can’t do this!” Bell shouted. “Tell them Miss Einna! Miss Taylor helped fight the monsters!”

Miss Einna grimaced.

“It’s not up to Miss Tulle,” Royman said. He pointed at the Amazons. “Can I count on the Loki Familia to help keep the peace?”

They looked at each other. Tiona’s smile had fallen off her face.

“Bug-Girl did help fight the monsters,” Tiona said.

“We’ll go with and get it sorted out,” Tione said, pinching her sister’s elbow. Then added, “Sorted out fairly .”

Chapter 20: Ensnared 2.8

Chapter Text

Ensnared 2.8

A/N: The previous chapters might have been a little heavy handed. I appreciated the feedback, and I will incorporate it going forward. Thank you for continuing to help me improve as an author.

 

The Amazon sisters flanked me as we marched towards the Tower of Babel. Royman Roydill, the Guild Leader, strode at front, while Einna Tully walked beside Bell and Hestia. Messengers had been sent to both Echidna and Ganesha so that they might meet us there. Onlookers had gathered and pointed and gawked as we marched, almost as though we were a parade. 

I supposed that we did make a procession. 

Feelings of unease had begun forming at the base of my spine, right where my back tended to itch the most.

“Who is that?” A food-stand merchant pointed at me as we walked by. 

One of their customers looked and added, “Forget who– what is that?”

“Think they’re the one that caused the attack?”

“I’m not sure that isn’t a monster, actually…”

“But why’re Loki’s Amazons escorting it instead of killing it?”

“Eeep! It looked this way!” The stand-owner ducked behind a stand when I glared at them.

“Am I really that frightening?” I asked. I checked once more to verify that the illusion had been broken. It had. I was just me.

But despite that, Bell glanced back at me and gulped. When Hestia looked at me, she winced. 

Fortunately, it was not all bad.

Tiona slugged me on the shoulder playfully. “Nah, you’re lookin’ sexy! I wish I had eyes like that. Some people’ve got all the luck.”

Tione rolled her eyes. “This is serious, sister.”

“What?!” Tiona laughed. “Worried Loki won’t get paid back?”

“No. well maybe. But this is still serious!” Tione said in a no nonsense attitude.

“Pffft. Like it matters,” Tiona smiled. “How much we owe our weaponsmith again?” Tione choked on whatever she was going to say next. “Uh-huh!” Tiona said, smiling happily. “Besides! Bug-Girl solo’d two level five monsters–even if she’s a noob, she’ll be paying it off in no time. You just wait’n see!”

“That was impressive… If only she were a man,” Tione sighed wistfully.

“What, you’d have her babies?” Tiona laughed.

I blushed furiously while Bell missed a step and face-planted.

“Amazons,” Royman cursed up ahead. “Always with the Amazons…” he sounded disgusted.

We were getting closer to the Tower now, and the pointing and staring and gossiping about how I appeared only grew worse. Granted, I did appear somewhat monstrous, but not that monstrous. They should have seen me in my Skitter Warlord costume back in the day.

But I decided to make sure. I had already peaked at my face, but I needed to peak again. I summoned moths and dragonflies to give me another look-over.

The biggest change to my face were my eyes. They were solid gold orbs and luminescent. My ability to see appeared unaffected, but I wondered if my night vision had improved. Or if there were new spectrums available to perceive. That would be something to test later.

The next biggest change would be my cheek-bones. They were more angular, pronounced, and dusted with fine black scales that had a greenish sheen, almost like an oil-slick. My lips were thinner and darker, and my teeth sharper, but that was it.

I really was unsure why I was warranting such a reaction from the spectators. My outfit was eye-catching, I supposed. I still wore my vest and bodysuit, though my boots and belt were missing.

Oh! That might be why.

My right arm had grown back to just below the elbow, but the growths were skeletal and black and trailed wisps of black fog. I gave it a few experimental swings, and as far as it had regenerated, it appeared functional. Would the skin come back, or would I end up with a functional skeletal arm? Either way I was grateful for the improved combat viability.

My left hand could have been gloved for as far as spectators could tell. My fingernails were sharp talons that extended half an inch beyond my fingertips. The skin was adorned with black and green scales, similar to my cheeks. 

I would have to be careful when I took care of business though. Those talons seemed sharp.

The only other obvious change was my feet. They were bare, they were taloned and scaled, and I had an extra toe extending from my heel. But once again, that was fine. It seemed I could grip much easier with my feet now, and if I kicked just right, I could probably disembowel someone. I would need  to practice that first though. 

Altogether, the changes seemed decent. 

There were definitely Case-53’s out there that had it worse. And with this world seemingly hinged and revolving around conflict, increased combat efficiency would never go unappreciated. At least not by me. Or the Amazons apparently.

Not everyone agreed though. A small girl saw me walking by… she squealed and ran away, while her friends glared daggers at me. I shrugged apologetically. I still had no regrets.

We finally reached the Tower of Babel, and after an awkward elevator ride up, where Tiona had ‘accidentally’ crowded against me and copped a feel, we ended up in what could have been a tribunal chamber.

It was one of the many middle floors of the Tower of Babel, too far up for me to reach the bottom with my swarm. The walls and floors themselves were made of a silvery stone that was as hard to affect as my cage had been. I later learned that the material had been installed by the Divinities themselves as a sign of their ultimate power.

The room felt like a judgment chamber. At the head of the room, there was a raised stand and a long table where up to six people could sit and preside. Below that, were two lesser tables, for accusers or defenders to make a stand. And behind that, were seats for the spectators who would come for entertainment.

The Amazons left me at one of the lesser tables, and then they took up positions lounging against the wall on either side of the only way in or out of the room.

Royman sat at the center of the raised platform, and glared down at me. Hestia and Bell sat behind me.

“Shouldn’t you be up there Goddess?” Bell asked her.

She shook her head and whispered, “And have everyone look at me?! No way!”

Just then, the door slammed open.

“I AM GANESHA!” Ganesha shouted as he strode into the room. He was red faced and angry. Spittle flew when he spoke. He pointed at me. “Did you ruin GANESHA’s festival?!”

“No,” I said honestly. “I tried to help save people when the monsters attacked.”

“I-it’s true L-lord G-ganesha!” Bell stammered.

“She attacked us with her magic!” One of the adventurers that had followed along with us shouted. They were sitting in the far back. “We was putin’ down the monsters an’ she attacked us!”

“Only because you were threatening me with a spear!” I shouted back. “And that was only because–”

“One at a time!” Royman slapped the table in front of him, causing the smack to echo through the chamber. “We will keep this civilized! Bad enough we already have to be here. Now Lord Ganesha, please step up here. We’re still waiting for the others.”

Ganesha growled but complied, muttering, “Ganesha has much to do in the aftermath of today.”

“Don’t we all,” Royman grumbled.

Not long after, Echidna arrived, followed by Freya and Loki. Freya sat to the other side of Royman, Loki got slapped by Tione, then sat down next to Ganesha, and Echidna sat beside me.

Though when Echidna saw my face, she hissed. “Daughter, what happened and who must we kill?” 

She grabbed my chin and twisted my face to better examine me. She trailed her finger along my cheeks, and used a thumb to wipe away some dried blood. She then saw my hand. 

She snarled. “Do you wish for blood as well?”

Of course I nodded. But before I could say more, Royman tried to start.

“Now that all relevant parties are here we may begin.” He turned towards me. “Did you, or did you not attack adventurers during the attack?”

“Before I answer that,” I said. “We need two more attendees.”

“Daughter, surely a simple answer would suffice? We must return home and recover…” Under her breath, she added, “and murder whoever did this to you.” 

“Ganesha is busy this day!” Ganesha shouted. “The people are in turmoil, and Ganesha is God of the People!”

“I apologize for the delay,” I said. “But Apollo needs to be here. And his captain as well.”

“What would Lord Apollo have to do with these accusations?” Royman asked. “We don’t have enough time to play your games girl!”

I would not budge however. “They are pertinent.”

“She speaks true,” Freya said demurely. “I already anticipated this requirement and have taken the liberty of inviting him already. I fear Lord Apollo bears this child much in the way of malice.”

“What… What did Lord Apollo do?” Ganesha asked.

“I suspect he attacked the child and performed nefarious deeds under the cover of your festival, Lord Ganesha,” Freya said. 

“Ganesha is furious if this is true! Ganesha is furious regardless, but even more so if this is true!” Ganesha began ranting, shouting in Royman’s ear. 

Royman rubbed his temples and grimaced in pain, mouthing ‘why me?’

Meanwhile, Echidna whispered in my ear, her breath damp and warm and sweet. “Is it him that was responsible?” I caught her eye and nodded. Her lip pulled back in malicious smile. “Then we shall feast on his blood daughter and lay our eggs in his bowels.” 

As we waited, Echidna scooted closer to me, until her right shoulder bumped my left, and her arm snaked around my lower back and she brought me into a side hug. 

I leaned in just a little. 

She lowered her voice to a murmur, so that the others would not hear. “Just so you may know, daughter. You are magnificent. You wear your trials and tribulation with grace and pose; your stature is befitting of the highest nobility.”

I withheld a happy sob. I focused on my swarm. I ignored the burning in my eyes as they threatened to leak tears. I could not resist.

“I look hideous,” I whispered, beginning to cry.

“No daughter,” Echidna said firmly. “You are beautiful.” She wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Only a fool would think otherwise. And daughter, you are no fool.”

Someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

“But she did disfigure my Bell!” Hestia said.

“Goddess please!” Bell pleaded.

“What!” Hestia said. “It’s true. She left that black stuff all over your face! A simple health potion would have fixed it. But no! She put her spiders all over you and did–” she waved her hands at the black jagged scar running from his chin to forehead “-that to you!”

“Goddess!” Bell shouted.

Echidna sighed and turned to focus on Hestia. “Would you prefer your Bell dead?” Echidna asked. “Because that was the alternative that my daughter and your child faced.”

“No of course not!” Hestia sputtered. “But it would have been better that he never went that far down! He’s still a new adventurer! Your daughter is a bad influence on him!”

“That’s–that’s not true,” Bell said quietly. Hestia’s eyes narrowed, and she turned her finger upon Bell.

“What do you mean, Bell?” Hestia demanded.

“I-I… Goddess. I would have gone down on my own,” he finished speaking with a small voice. “A-and… Miss Taylor sacrificed her Familiar to save my life.”

“That is correct,” Echidna said. “So perhaps gratitude would be appropriate instead of this ill-advised blame?” She arched a regal eyebrow.

Hestia growled like a kitten. “Fine!” she said. 

“Thank you for saving Bell.” She then turned to Bell and grabbed him by his ear. “And don’t think you’ll be getting off the hook for this! You’re so grounded when we get home!”

Fortunately for Bell, Apollo arrived before Hestia could do more than scold him. Apollo was accompanied by his captain, Hyakinthos.

“Lady Freya, we received your summons,” Hyakinthos greeted with a deep bow. Apollo scanned the room and sneered.

“Then we may begin,” Freya waved Royman to start.

“Right. Well,” Royman coughed to clear his throat. “Yes Goddess.” He turned his attention to me. “Now that everyone is here. Answer the question. Did you attack adventurers during the festival?”

“Before I answer,” I said. “Let me provide context.” I resisted the urge to smirk at Royman Roydill. It would only hurt my case. Although, with Divinities that could detect falsehoods, I saw no way for my case to fail. Instead, it was a question of what form justice would take.

“I believe we could allow this,” Freya spoke over Royman’s protests. “It is pertinent, yes?”

“It is, Lady Freya.”

She met my eye and nodded. The way her eyes lingered left me feeling vulnerable, and I shifted a bit closer to Echidna. 

Freya smirked, continuing to eye me predatorily.

“Very well,” Royman ground out, addressing me. “Provide us this ‘context,’ that you believe exonerates your wasting of our time.”

“I was hunted in the dungeon yesterday by him,” I pointed at Hyakinthos, “and several others from the Apollo Familia. I managed to escape after they pursued.”

“She Monster Paraded us!” Hyakinthos protested. “She led several trains straight to us on purpose and maliciously. We had party-members grievously wounded.”

“I only did that to get away from you when you were hunting me!”

“They both speak the truth,” Ganesha complained.

“Miss Hebert! You promised this would be pertinent,” Royman said. “What happened in the dungeon is beyond the purview of this discussion.”

“She’s wasting our time, Roydill,” Apollo said. “Why are we here?”

“I’m wondering that more and more,” Royman muttered.

“But this is relevant,” I said. “Earlier today, he–” I was still pointing at Hyakinthos “-attacked me while I was in the city, ambushed me, brutalized me, knocked me unconscious, and then left me chained and gagged, locked in a cage, under an illusion that made me appear to be an irregular monster!” I finished, breathing heavily, the miasma around me a chittering mass of shadows.

“Wait! That was you?!” Tiona demanded. “That is–you did that?!” She demanded of Hyakinthos. “That is–” she shook her head, glaring at the man ‘-really messed up. Like really–”

“Outrageous!” Apollo sputtered.

“She attacked us first!” Hyakinthos shouted.

“Ganesha is furious that Ganesha’s festival was perverted! Ganesha demands retribution from Apollo. The people demand this addressed!”

“Hot tits!” Loki added. “Apollo pays you, you pay me, yes! Hear that Tione?! Our valis problems are over!”

“Silence!” Royman shouted, slamming the flat of his hand on the table over and over. “We will remain orderly, please!”

After the Divinities silenced themselves, Royman continued.

“We may seek opinions after this session, but not currently,” Royman said, looking at Lady Freya. “Does Miss Hebert speak truth, Goddess?”

Lady Freya nodded, “she does. I had noticed irregularities during the festival, and I had my doubts at the time. But I believe that Apollo may be behind the attacks and the abuse Miss Hebert faced.”

“It was your idea!” Apollo shouted. “How dare you–”

“Mind your tongue,” Freya said softly. “Remember who you address.”

Apollo trailed off and wilted beneath her glare. I could practically hear him swallow in fear.

“Ganesha still demands restitution for the People!” Ganesha said to Apollo. 

“Uh yeah! So does Loki!” Loki added, elbowing Ganesha playfully.

I felt a gentle but firm hand on my lower back. I broke off from my glare, realized I had been trembling from my rage. 

“You seek vengeance?” Echidna asked in a low contralto voice, nearly speaking into my ear. I nodded. “Even though this may risk death or worse?” I hesitated for a second, glancing at the pale Hyakinthos’ face, before I nodded again. “Very well, then I support you in this, daughter.”

“Restitutions will be decided,” Royman interjected over the Divinities. “But it will not be cheap Apollo. You will be fined.” He glanced over at us. “What price would be suitable?”

“Two hundred and forty million valis!” Loki shouted.

“Ganesha demands that as well,” Ganesha said.

“The children of Apollo hunted and harried my daughter, ambushed her, humiliated her, and you think mere valis shall suffice?” 

“No,” Echidna stood, glaring at all the Divinities assembled. “The price for this transgression must be as it always shall be… We demand blood .”

“Outrageous,” Apollo shouted. “You expect us to roll over and agree to whatever madness you propose?”

“No, Lord Apollo,” Echidna said, now focusing all of her ire upon him. “I expect you and your children to die screaming.” 

Echidna took a deep breath. Everyone else in the room except me had their jaws hanging open, horrified. 

“I demand a War Game against Apollo.”

The silence was broken by Apollo’s laughter, followed by Hyakinthos. Echidna maintained her cool poise, leveling a glare his way that could freeze oceans.

“You’re serious?” Apollo asked. “You have one child. One level one child. How could you hope to defeat me?”

“Quality not Quantity,” Loki chuckled, elbowing Ganesha again. “Am I right or what?”

“Hope is the realm of fools and heroes, Lord Apollo. Mine is the realm of monsters and destruction… You shall reap what you sow, you shall taste the blood of your children, you shall drown in your despair. We shall crush you like the pitiful cockroach that you are beneath our heel! The streets will run red with the blood of our enemies!” She ended her speech out of breath.

Royman groaned, burying his face in his palms. “Yet, more work for the Guild.”

”Bell tugged at Hestia’s sleeve. “We can’t let them do it alone. Is there any way we can help Miss Taylor?”

Hestia’s face had paled. “I don’t want you anywhere near this mess,” she said.

“Please? She’s my team mate…”

“It’s a bad idea Bell.”

“Please…” Bell begged, giving his best puppy-dog eyes to Hestia. 

Truthfully, I appreciated the gesture, but would rather not have Bell anywhere near this mess. I would destroy Apollo and his house on my own. But before I could protest, Hestia stood up and shouted.

“Hestia wishes to form an alliance with Echidna!” She looked around, and caught Freya’s eye. “That–that should do it right?”

The room broke out into a clamor once more.

Chapter 21: Ensnared Interlude: Echidna

Chapter Text

Ensnared Interlude: Echidna

“My hair,” her daughter said as she looked at herself in the mirror. “It’s… gone.”

Echidna stepped behind Taylor so that they both looked into the mirror together. While Taylor’s scalp was somewhat scaled, Echidna thought that it might be possible to regrow the hair through alchemy, or, perhaps something better would grow in its stead. But there was another concern.

“Of all the changes, this is the most profound?” Echidna asked, seeking the reason. It made little sense. Taylor’s limbs had changed, along with her chest and face. But the loss of hair is what Taylor focused on?

“It was always my one thing–it reminded me of Mom.”

“Indeed?” Echidna responded carefully, ignoring the pain of jealousy attempting to well up within her chest. Echidna almost offered her own hair in place, but that would possibly be perceived as presumptuous and could push Taylor further away.

“She–she died years ago in a car crash,” Taylor said, wiping her eyes and nose with her arm. 

“Would you like to tell me about her?” Echidna asked, hoping to be perceived as comforting. Though comforting was far outside of Echidna’s usual domain. But it seemed to work. Taylor smiled as she began.

Taylor spoke about her biological mother Annette, but Echidna found her mind wandering. Echidna thought back to earlier in the day, and the rage she had felt, at seeing the trauma her daughter had endured.

And Taylor was very much her daughter. 

Her soul had the touch of the multitudinous monstrosity that Echidna had only seen once before, in one of her favorite children. But it had been millenia ago. Echidna almost let herself believe that Taylor was the reincarnation of one of Echidna’s children, but even such a hope would be too obscene. None of Echidna’s children had ever returned to their mother. They had always left Echidna alone in her cave in the dark. 

Echidna resolved to do better this time.

Which was why Echidna resolved to destroy Apollo and his Familia and to bathe in their blood. Nobody had the right to abuse her daughter–No one!

Normally, children would be hopelessly outmatched against a Divinity… however, Taylor was a special case. And the fool Apollo had yet to realize it, even though it was his own oracle that had spelled it out at the Denatus. Truly a fool he was.

“That was an evil chuckle,” Taylor said, interrupting Echidna’s plots. Taylor had just finished a story about a group of women called ‘Lustrum,’ so perhaps Echidna’s laughter had been ill-timed? How to salvage this?

“Apologies, daughter. I allowed my thoughts to stray to the punishment we shall dole out to Apollo and his Familia.”

Taylor nodded. Such a dutiful daughter.

“They–they locked me in a cage and humiliated me…” she quivered, then thought better of it. “What is a War Game exactly?”

“It is a sanctioned battle between Familias, my daughter. But do not fear. While there is risk, I believe your abilities to be adequate. With preparation, you will destroy them all.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” Taylor said. “But most parents don’t volunteer their children for a battle so quickly. Do you believe we will win?” 

“Yes. But tell me, daughter. Were you able to destroy the Silverback and Hard-Armored?”

“Yes.”

“And the Violas? I heard you slew two of them.”

“Violas…?”

“The plant monsters that consumed flesh and sought magic.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“A single Viola would prove a challenge for the entirety of the Apollo Familia. You slew two, nearly by yourself. Think on that daughter, as I head to the Emergency Denatus this night.”

“Wait… You’re leaving me? Now?” Taylor appeared slightly panicked.

“Unfortunately, the Divinities must meet to discuss the War Game, and the penance we shall extract from that fool Apollo. Perhaps we shall even nullify our debt to the Loki Familia?”

“Yeah…” Taylor said, crestfallen. “I guess it can’t be helped.”

Echidna thought about it for a second. What could she do to help her daughter feel at ease? It was an unnatural thing for Echidna, but she had promised herself to do better. So, after a moment’s consideration, Echidna wrapped Taylor in a hug and spoke words of encouragement, or at the least, of distraction. 

“While I’m away, perhaps think of what type of artifact we will have made.”

“Artifact…?”

“Indeed. A weapon or piece of armor that grows and bonds with the owner. I shall have one commissioned for you–or provide you with legendary materials to barter and construct one with… Think of how you may use such a weapon to tear our enemies asunder. Until I return, daughter.”

Echidna, after a pause, kissed Taylor on the forehead and gave her another hug, before departing for the Denatus.

 

That night, a true Denatus was held in the Tower of Babel. All of the Divinities within Orario had gathered. For there was one thing that all the Divinities sought above all else: entertainment. And that was the one thing a War Game all but promised.

“All you’s ready to start this?” Loki called out. The duty of running this meeting had fallen to her, no matter that she was the irresponsible Goddess that she was. She still had several of the highest level adventurers in the world, despite her Familia’s recent losses.

“And the People demand aid from Ganesha, and Ganesha demands recompense on behalf of the people!” Ganesha shouted, fuming still and glaring daggers at Apollo. “The breakout left orphans and homeless!”

“Dear Ganesha, I had nothing to do with that,” Apollo said. “My Familia merely sequestered a single monster–”

“Hold your tongue, vermin,” Echidna said, losing her temper. Apollo dared speak ill of her daughter?

“Just get started, Loki,” Hephaestus said. “I got shit to do.”

“We~ell next up is talk ‘bout the War Game,” Loki said after chuckling nervously. It was not as though Hephaestus had her baleful eye uncovered. But then again, Ganesha and Hephaestus both held their own power within the city, and with Loki’s recent losses, perhaps the Goddess worried for her position? The gods were ever vultures and carrion feeders. The eyes of the room shifted to Loki, and she coughed. “Yep! War Games–”

The People are troubled and we speak of games ?!” Ganesha thundered. “I, GANESHA, demand aid and housing provided for those displaced by the attack!”

“...eh,” Loki said, glancing at the other Divinities for help.

Freya put a calming hand on Ganesha’s shoulder. “We are all troubled by the events. I will personally open my summer home to help house the displaced children while the parents rebuild. But please, Lord Ganesha, allow us all a distraction from the horror of the day’s events?”

“You are too kind, friend Freya,” Ganesha sighed. “That is the best Ganesha and the People could expect–”

“I will also direct Ottar to lead reconstruction efforts,” Freya added. She glanced at several of the other top Divinities. “Assuming others offer help at all.”

Several murmurs of consent could be heard. None were enthusiastic about sending their Familia members to ‘volunteer,’ but they could hardly risk becoming outcasts or social pariahs.

“Thank you, Friends,” Ganesha said, sitting back down. “Though Apollo still owes much in terms of compensation.”

“Whatever for?!” Apollo demanded.

“For desecrating Ganesha’s festival!” Ganesha shouted, leaping to his feet once more.

“And for attacking my daughter,” Echidna spat. “Though yours and your children’s blood will pay that fine.”

Several of the Divinities groaned and buried their heads, while others went to raid the snack table looking for drinks. After several minutes of discussion, Apollo agreed to pay a fine to Ganesha for disrespecting the ridiculous ‘Monster Love’ festival. 

“Alright, alright!” Loki faux-cheered. “So we gotta talk about the War Game–” she had to pause as several Divinities cheered “-and set rules and wagers en’ stuff between lil Chibi, Monster Mommy, and Sunshine. We good to start now?”

“No, Lady Loki,” Apollo called out imperiously. “We are not good. That these riff-raff think to challenge me?!” He laughed theatrically.

“Uh nu-huh,” Loki said. “You gotta pay up. Also, you dun messed up. You get what you get. Ya know, my own girls are all clamorin’ to tear you up, too. Maybe I shoulda get in on this War Game business?”

“Ugh,” Apollo groaned. “Everyone is jealous of the beautiful. Fine then, I will consent to this War Game with Echidna–” he sneered as he said it “-and Lady Hestia. And with my victory, Echidna and her Familia shall be banished… and Lady Hestia and her Familia joins with mine.”

“Gross!” Hestia shouted. “That–” Hestia started to protest further, but Echidna gently touched her shoulder and shook her head. 

“Have faith in our children,” Echidna said. Hestia frowned, but went along with it. “My Taylor will leave naught but bones.”

Hestia’s face paled. “That doesn’t make me feel any better about this!” she hissed. 

“Sure, sure, pretty standard stuff,” Loki said. “Whatever. And for the ladies? If–when–you win?”

“Everything Apollo has,” Hestia growled. “If he’s got it, I want it.”

“Woah, hold on Shrimp,” Loki said. “You wanna take his Familia too?”

“No,” Hestia said, glaring at Apollo. “But all his stuff. And he gets banished.”

“That work, Sunny?” Loki asked.

He scoffed. “As if they’ll win. I accept those terms.”

“They aren’t done just yet,” Loki said, losing some of her irreverent affections. “Monster Mommy, whaddya want?” 

“If we win, I merely want my daughter to be held immune from the damages of battle.”

“Ah ya?” Loki asked bemusedly. “Ain’t that, I dunno, kinda standard?”   

“Then it should be no problem to accept,” Echidna smiled with just an edge of cruelty visible. 

“I am not concerned. Your daughter,” Apollo sneered, “will hardly be left in a condition for this to matter.”

“Alright alright,” Loki tried forestalling the argument. “For fun, we’ll have Apollo also pay y'all two hundred and forty million valis, cool?”

But Echidna paid no attention to Loki and her rambling. Instead, Echidna had stomped over to Apollo and pointed a finger at his smug golden chin. “Arrogance shall be your downfall, Fool!”

“Hey! Enough!” Loki shouted. “Do we agree to the wagers?!”

After a terse standoff, they spoke all at once.

“Fine!” Hestia said.

“I consent,” Apollo said. 

“My child shall feast on the flesh of yours!”

The rest of the Divinities gave Echidna a look. The fools. All of them. Echidna paid them no mind.

“Cough,” Loki said. “Alright. Awkward~ So! Let’s uhhh, the venue! Yeah! Let’s figure out the rules.” 

All at once, the Divinities began shouting their favorite manner of War Games.

“-Single Combat! No wait, Mortal Combat! Yeah!”

“-Chariot Race! Gauntlet! Oh oh! I know, Seek and Destroy!”

“-Castle Battle! Castle Battle! CASTLE BATTLE!”

“-Capture the King! You idiots don’t know what you’re–”   

“Oy!” Loki shouted. “No shouting! Write your ideas down and put ‘em in the hat I’m passin’ around.”

The hat in question was passed around to all the Divinities, and everyone tossed a slip of paper in with their favored form of Game. Once everyone was done, Loki drew a slip from the hat.

“Drum Roll!” Loki called.

Several Gods pounded the table in growing excitement.

“Castle Siege! Defender: Apollo!”

Several cheers went up. “Classic.”

“Let’s say in a week?” Loki asked.

Several boos sounded, for the Divinities wanted their entertainment now.

“No! We gotta give the Guild enough time to get it all ready.”

Mixed cheers and boos sounded.

“And all we gotta do is load up on booze and watch!”

All of the divinities cheered, with the exception of Ganesha, Freya, and the Divinities slated to wage war. 

 

When Echidna returned home late that night, she walked into a dark room that was further darkened by a swarm of Abyssal Insects scouring the air in a whirlwind of death, centered upon her daughter.

“Such a sight,” Echidna murmured softly, her knees feeling weak at the sight.

The whirlwind coalesced into a shadowy figure, vaguely humanoid. It spoke in a susurration of clicks and mandibles and chitinous cacophony. “Yoou-szz ackck-”

“Pardon daughter?” Echidna asked. Divinities had a power to understand any language, but the humanoid figure was still incomprehensible. An oddity.

“Needs more practice,” Taylor’s voice came from the bath, where just her head was visible. Her gold eyes shined in the darkness. Her daughter must have developed a night-eye since the incident. Most of Echidna’s children did, eventually.

“I am surprised to see you awake still,” Echidna said, setting her bag down at the table and inspecting the chittering humanoid mass. “Is this a Familiar?”

“A Bug Clone. A trick I learned back on Bet. I’m still getting used to my miasma–”

“-Abyssal Shadow,” Echidna corrected absentmindedly. It was the closest term Echidna could find to describe the horrific and beautiful magic. That or an Elder Eldritch’s Heavenly Corruption, but Echidna rightly assumed such a label would bode poorly for her daughter’s reputation. Besides, it was hardly a worthy moniker.

Taylor sighed and shook her head. The ‘Bug Clone’ dispersed, and the Abyssal Shadow flowed back towards Taylor, entering the hot-springs. “What did the Denatus decide?”

“The War Game will be a Castle Siege. The Guild will find an old fort for Apollo’s Familia to defend. You and Bell will have to capture and hold the ‘throne room,’ to win. We have a week to prepare.”

Taylor closed her luminescent eyes and nodded to herself before smiling, her sharpened teeth prepared to rend flesh. “I suppose I have assaulted fortifications before.”

“I have more concern for the hassle that the bloodshed of our assured victory will cause,” Echidna conceded. 

“Ugh, PR,” Taylor complained. “Fuckin’ butterflies…” 

Echidna ignored the nonsensical rambling. “But I have good news. Should you win, you will be exonerated of all bloodshed. You will have no reason to restrain your more glorious tendencies…”

“Was that the only concession?”

“Our debt to Loki will also be covered. And Hestia will claim all the rest of Apollo’s material goods…”

“And Apollo himself?”

Echidna shrugged, “Banished. Or killed. Which would you prefer?”

“Whatever’s the most painful,” Taylor said, after humming thoughtfully. “Are you ready to update my Falna?” 

Taylor began rising up from the steaming water. But as she rose, it almost seemed to cling to her body. Echidna realized belatedly that Taylor had clothed herself in Abyssal Shadow, including long flowing hair, though it appeared more as a mist than individual strands.

“Beautiful…” Echidna whispered. “What a novel use of your magic.”

“Glad you approve,” Taylor said, lifting the ‘strands’ of her hair with a hand. It trailed all the way down to her waist, where it joined with the rest of the Abyssal Shadow flowing around her and preserving her modesty. “I was able to replace my hair. Kinda.”

“And here I had hoped you would take after the Gorgon,” Echidna said wistfully.

Taylor snorted. “So about that artifact?” the gleam in her eye proved her excitement. “Think I can get a gun?”

Remembering how Taylor had described ‘firearms,’ Echidna was not overly surprised by the request. However, it was simply not possible in this age. Echidna shook her head. “A bladed weapon or armor or both, most likely. We are limited by time and the skill of the Goddess Hephaestus.”

“What are the material constraints?” Taylor asked.

Echidna went to her trunk and withdrew a locked chest. She set it down on the table and found the key.

“This was a gift from a dear friend,” Echidna said. “Perhaps someday soon you’ll meet her.”

“What’s in there?” Taylor asked, joining Echidna by the table as she opened the chest. 

In it, was a stack of several plate sized scales, blacker than obsidian, harder than orsinium, alongside a voluntarily given fang. A merely competent smith could make wonders with these materials. A Goddess of the Forge could make a wondrous artifact.

Echidna returned to the trunk and removed a small glass vial and stopper and stepped back to the table. Taylor had begun trailing her fingers alongside the scales and fang, likely feeling the sense of power and loathing that radiated from the material.

“It reminds me…” Taylor trailed off, lost in thought.

“Of your magic?” Echidna finished for her daughter. “I think it will pair nicely with you. With these, and a few other ingredients, we can make for you an artifact.”

“What do I need to do?” Taylor asked.

“I need to see your chest,” Echidna said, pulling her bloodletting knife from the sheath.

Taylor tilted her face, her bright golden eyes burning with an unasked question. Echidna remained calm and waited, until Taylor lost the will to resist her curiosity and complied. “Very well,” Taylor said. The Abyssal Shadows parted, revealing Taylor’s ‘scaled’ chest.

Though perhaps ‘scales’ was not the correct term. For her ‘heart-scales’ were a mixture of scar-tissue and chitin that resembled a hard-ridged set of black and green scales.

Not that it mattered overly much. Her daughter would always be beautiful in Echidna’s eyes, regardless of the incarnation. 

Echidna tapped a finger on Taylor’s chest. “I will collect several of these in addition for your artifact, to bind the eventual construction to your essence. This may… sting.”

Taylor did not so much as murmur when the sharp paring knife carved a square inch from her chest. Echidna collected the skin in a vial, along with the blood. Already, the skin was sealing shut, regrowing the scar tissue and scales, now a deeper shade of black than before.

A raised eyebrow was all Taylor gave. 

“Almost done,” Echidna said. She pricked a finger and let several drops of golden ichor fall into the vial, joining her daughter’s contributions. Once done, she handed the vial to Taylor. “Take these to Hephaestus and choose yourself an artifact. I already negotiated for its construction, though she may attempt to haggle still. Do not allow her to keep more than a single scale.”

After preparing a satchel with the scales, fang, and vial, Taylor sat down in reverse on a chair and uncovered her back. “My Falna?” She asked, twisting her neck to watch Echidna, an eyebrow raised.

“Of course, daughter.”

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     47 I    -> 101 H 

END:     77 I    -> 162 H

AGI:     52 I    -> 64 I

DEX:     51 I    -> 63 I

MAG:     252 G    -> 286 G

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are written with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 22: Chimera 3.1

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.1

A/N: I struggled a bit with the exposition at the start of this scene. I welcome feedback concerning how to gracefully handle a large off-load of details that caught us back up with the end of the last interlude.



That night, before Echidna returned, I had spent time bolstering my own body. It had occurred to me, in the aftermath of the festival, that I had been misusing my magic somewhat. 

I was not as limited as I originally thought.

For example, I could resummon my insects at a range. It took a bit more concentration on my part, but the ability was not new –I had always been capable of it–I just had not known that I could. I had been thwarted by my own expectations, and by the slight twinge of headache or pain that I felt with the increased range of summoning. Being able to resummon at range opened up a multitude of tactical advantages.

This led me to attempt further experimentation while I awaited Echidna’s return. 

I found I could shift the miasma, or the magical expression of Abyssal Shadow, about my person. I had already known I could do this, with effort. But now I applied this technique creatively. Especially with my recent losses. I could mimic clothing or hair, and I felt that I might have the ability to do something more solid as well–though practice would be required. 

My other experiment: I tried to hasten the regrowth of my right arm. I pushed my Abyssal Shadows onto the skeletal growth, and the shadows did seem to stick, at least at the end of the bone growth. The shadows accumulated, gradually, and the arm regrew, to an extent.

While the bones of my right arm regrew–that was all that did, and the bones were unnatural. The bones were black, leaked shadowy mist, and were sharp–the finger bones ended in clawed tips.

Defiant would be jealous. The arm was both functional and utilitarian. The ultimate prosthetic.

The only other test I wanted to get to, but was unable, was to test how effective my clawed appendages were. But other than shredding Echidna’s home, or marking the ruined dive-bar above the entrance, I had little in the way of available destruction testing. I would have to wait until later, in the dungeon.

Further experiments were hampered by Echidna’s return from the Denatus. 

She shared what the Divinities had decided for their ‘entertainment.’ 

The War Game would be scheduled within a week. Apollo’s Familia would fortify a ‘castle,’ which Bell and I would then have to invade. The goal being to seize the throne room within hours of the battle starting. Apparently drawn out sieges were boring to watch. The Divinities wanted action, not pestilence. It hampered some of my plans of sabotage, but I would adapt.

Though I would have to adapt quickly. 

At first, I thought that meant we had a full week to ready ourselves. However, the castle was well outside of Orario, about a three days trip to get there. That meant Bell and I would only have three, maybe four, days to prepare. 

We could not afford to waste any time; we would need to seek out every advantage we could find. Despite these hardships, I was confident I could win. Especially if I could attack without setting foot in the castle. I could send my swarms in while I hid in the surrounding terrain. Or… I could develop my own abilities and get a bit more… personal.

And it looked like I would be able to get personal, especially with the artifact that she all but promised me, which she had worked out a deal with the Goddess of the Forge herself to craft. 

Truthfully, I was giddy. A weapon could open up so many combat advantages.

And then, she updated my Falna… 

I had received a new trait: Chimera.

“This seems ominous,” I said, pointing out the Innate Trait. “But what’s it mean?”

Echidna tapped my skeletal arm. “You have taken the best of many creatures and made them your own. From claws to scale to chitin to the eyes of a Demi-Spirit. Ominous wording aside, this is nothing to fear. Instead, rejoice. For your power has grown.”

 

The next morning, I carried the scales, fang, the ichor of my Goddess, and my own scaled flesh, towards the Tower of Babel, where Hephaestus’ shop and forge were located. Each step carried me closer to my artifact, each step giddy from excitement. 

I could not wait!

Though I did have concerns: could the artifact be complete before the War Game? And would what I wanted even be possible? I knew that magic was a solid placeholder for industry, but would it work?

As I passed the fountain, I heard a familiar voice shout my name.

“Miss Taylor!” Bell called to me from the fountain at the center of Orario. “You’re here a bit late… I would have thought you’d want a head start with… you know… everything?” He asked as I kept walking past him, into the Tower. “Miss Taylor?”

“Sorry, Bell,” I said. “I need to visit Hephaestus first.”

In my satchel rested the treasures I would trade–and I would not risk their theft by dallying.

“Oh! I’ll come with you. T-that is, if you don’t mind? L-lady Hephaestus made the Hestia knife! It’s really good work!”

I remembered seeing him fight the vine monsters with the knife–apparently he had just been given it that day to help fight the Monster-Philia outbreak. The knife itself was black, gleamed, and had a muted aura about it. He said it would grow with him. Just thinking about it made me all the more eager to have an artifact of my own.

We got the elevators and I turned to him. “Do you remember which floor her shop is on?”

He coughed and scratched the back of his head. “N-no? Lady Hestia was the one that came here. But we can find out together!”

After a bit of tactical exploring–

“We’re not lost I swear M-miss Taylor!”

And passing several shops of high-end gear in the middle of the Tower, we arrived at the Forge of Grace. The front was a glass wall, similar to what could be found in any modern mall. It was immaculate and clean, just like the white stone floors of the Tower. On display were suits of armor scale and plate, exotic weapons, and a large clockwork statue that moved and waved on its own.

“This is it,” Bell whispered, a little intimidated by the display. In truth, I was too. But I would not allow something so paltry as intimidation to stop me. I strode in. A bell rang, and I felt the back of my neck prickle. I was under observation. And yet, no one was at the counter.

I would not be frightened off by a surveillance system! I would have my artifact!

While we waited, Bell went to peer at some of the short swords, but it was not until he held a finger out to touch what looked like an enchanted falchion that we were greeted by a large brusque woman with an eyepatch. She strode out of the backroom, smelling of smoke and steel.

“Oy! No touching!” She said, almost shouted, with a gruff volume that filled the room. After she got a good look at Bell, she added, “You’re Hestia’s brat?” Bell nodded. “Especially don’t touch then… doubt you could afford much at all. And you?” she turned to me. “Would you be–”

“Taylor, of the Echidna Familia.”

“Right. You probably want something for yer War Game?”

“By that time preferably.”

“Yeah. Well it ain’t gonna be cheap.”

I scoffed. Of course she would try haggling. Except… “Did Echidna not already cover payment?” I asked. I knew that Echidna had.

“Heh. Cheeky. Yeah she did, but there’s a difference in quality and quantity to be decided, if you catch my drift.”

“Well, I am looking for a weapon and armor…” I came up to the counter and dropped the legendary material, the dragon scales and fang that radiated a palpable effect of dread, along with the ichor and my own flesh.

Hepheastus eyed the dragon parts enviously, though she tried to hide it. When I had my back turned, watching through a few strategic moths, I saw her longingly trace a finger along the fang.

“Think we could work something out?” I asked. “Preferably they’d be artifacts, like Mister Cranel’s blade. Though of a different design.”

She choked. “No way you can afford that.”

I shrugged and went to take back the materials. She coughed but put her hand over them. “Where, uhh… where did you get these?”

“My Goddess,” I said, resisting the urge to smile. I had her now, hook, line, and sinker. “I had hoped for a one handed weapon that could punch through armor and extend my own magic. Along with armor to cover my chest… Think you’re up for it?”

“Heh. Well you got the materials you need, but my time ain’t cheap.” 

“After my artifact is done,” I said, “you may keep the leftovers. If–if it meets standards.”

“Excuse you?” she demanded. “If I make something, you bet your ass it’s the best.”

“Apologies,” I said. “But if this is not of interest, I can always try someone else.” It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, that I learned back at the Lord Street Flea Market. It was a bluff of course, but it almost always worked–

“Ha! Good luck,” she snorted. “Ain’t no one else in this city that can craft what you're looking for.” 

Unless they called the bluff. Hephaestus and I glared eachother down. Her eyepatch almost seemed to glow, as though backlit by an inner fire. I was failing to make any headway at all intimidating the Goddess. I was about to roll over, when Bell interjected.

“C’mon Lady Hephaestus!” Bell shouted. “Miss Taylor and I need all the help we can get to win!”

She growled. “True. Wouldn’t want Hestia to lose her Familia so soon. And to that idiot…” she grumbled a bit more. “Fine. Just let me get some measurements. En’ tell me what yer thinkin’ for weapons…”

“...I want an artifact that grows with me and channels Abyssal Shadows,” I said, dumping miasma onto the counter and letting it run off like a heavy fog…”

She held up her hand to stop me. “This is more of a favor than anything. Don’t go gettin’ greedy. Why don’t you just take a bladed wand? Don’t need anything fancy…”

“Would it grow with me in power?” I asked.

“Maybe.”

“Hey! Why’s she get more and all I got was a knife?” Bell asked.

“Because she’s got parts of Big Black to trade, and her Goddess ain’t a mooch.”

I hid my smile. “You think it’ll be done by the War Game?” I asked.

“Yeah–but you’ll owe me for the rush job.”

“Add it to my tab, I guess…” When we won, Loki would be paid off, so what would be just a little more debt?

“Hey there!” Hepheastus laughed, slapping a heavy palm down on the counter. “That’s that spirit. Now just don’t die before the game. Or I’m keepin’ it all. We got a deal?” She held out her hand to shake.

Was she gambling on me dying? I narrowed my eyes at her. She rolled her single eye and added. “Course it’ll be worthy o’ yer precious materials. I ain’t about to risk my reputation. I got a business to run. Now you in’r not? Got shit to do.”

I clasped my skeletal hand around hers. She grimaced when the black bones met her rough calluses, but she said nothing further. “I accept.”

Soon, we departed, and as we headed back towards the elevators.

“She seems nice,” Bell said.

I snorted.

One of the oddest things about Orario was the dichotomy. Literally stationed above a death-pit, there was an upscale shopping center. After a quick ride in an elevator, we were at the ground floor of the hole leading down into an arguable hell-hole. 

We were soon heading down the spiral staircase and progressing rapidly downward. I sent out as many hunting parties as I could while we walked, taking advantage of my multi-tasking.

When we were at the end of the fourth floor, Bell finally asked nervously, “Uh M-miss Taylor? H-how deep are you planning on going?” He scratched the black scar on his face nervously.

“Just the fifth floor,” I answered. “You’re going to train.”

“Train? Like spar?” he asked, almost incredulous.

“Yeah. You got a problem with that?” I asked. I had noticed that while he was decent at killing monsters, his technique would fair poorly against sapient enemies.

He coughed. “Uh… M-miss Taylor?”

“Yeah?” I asked, focused more on the Warshadows my swarms were chasing down and consuming than his feelings on the matter.

“Miss Einna says we should take the dungeon seriously. And to be ready for an attack at any time…”

“And?” I asked, absent-mindedly. One of my hunting parties had just encountered a Monster Party of Killer Ants. The situation was far in reverse now, that my insects could reform once their venom sacs emptied or their mandibles broke.

He steeled himself and stopped walking after me. “I-I don’t think we should train in the dungeon.”

The dungeon stones harvested from the Monster Party allowed me enough Abyssal Shadow to form an additional hunting party, which I sent down an adjacent hallway. Soon my control would extend to the entire fourth floor.

“Miss Taylor?!” Bell asked, tugging on my sleeve.

Oh right.

“Yeah, normally you’d be right. But you’re with me, so it’s a bit different.”

“H-how so?” he asked. 

His eyes were still flickering over my legs. I decided that with the proceeds from my hunting parties, I might as well start making that skirt for the costume. I summoned a few Darwin Bark spiders and sent them to weaving around my waist and thighs. His eyes bulged just a bit as he saw them crawl over my legs. 

“B-but how’s it different with you?”

I pointed down one cleared passageway where I had sent a hunting party. One of my larger spiders climbed up the wall and waved at him. He shuddered when he saw it. 

“I’m hunting the monsters that get close. I appreciate your logic. But this way lets me optimize.”

“Not to doubt you… but you’re sure it’s safe?”

I shrugged. “It’s the dungeon.”

“That’s my point though!” He threw up his hands, he started following after me once again. “What are we even training for anyways?”

I hummed, finishing killing another Frog monster with a hunting party and using a beetle to eat its stone. My hunting parties were growing in size as they spread through the dungeon. My limiting factor would be my range, but even that seemed to grow as I gained more miasma.

“How much experience have you had fighting people?” I asked.

“...none?” he admitted nervously.

“And who will we be fighting in the War Game?”

“Eh… heh heh…” he chuckled nervously, before asking, “How many people have you fought then, Miss Taylor?”

I smiled.

“That isn’t an answer!”

I noticed that despite his objection, he continued to follow me deeper into the dungeon. 

We reached the fifth floor, and I brought us to a corner furthest from the entryway, in case someone had a mind to follow us. I kept a hunting party active on one floor up, directly above us, as well as several scouts near our position. When we reached a chamber that I had already cleared out, I turned to Bell and stopped.

He looked nervous, eyeing both me and the room around us. None of the walls glowed, showing that the monsters had already been cleared out. Though, they could re-activate if we lingered for too long.

“How much do you know about where I came from?” I asked him.

“The basics… Lady Hestia told me about the Denatus,” Bell said.

“My world… was not a nice place. We had our own share of monsters–but not like here. There, it was people. High powered adventurers that stole, maimed, and murdered–often times they did that last one for fun. I spent years fighting, training, and preparing to fight. Now I tell you this, not to brag, but to give you context, for what I’m about to show you.”

“Show me what?”

“You fight with two knives?”

He nodded.

“I fought similarly. Let me teach you what I know of the ancient art, of Escrima.” Well not so ancient, since the PRT trainers used a modern version that focused on judo-esque redirection of Brute opponents. But that would be even more relevant here. I had to sell Bell on it though, so I used more mysterious language.

And judging by how his red eyes widened, and the distant smile on his face, I think I succeeded.

We spent hours training. I formed bug clones to challenge him, showing him how to strike lethally in low risk encounters. Meanwhile, I tested my recently altered appendages on the monsters that spawned near us.

I kicked a Killer Ant that had spawned nearby, and used my feet to tear the chitin from its body. I shoved my skeletal arm into its chest and grabbed its small dungeon stone, which I then removed, killing the Ant.

I tossed the stone up and down a few times in the palm of my hand. I had an idea about reviving Queen. Luna Malphilos had implied I needed to convince her to return, but I did not have much in the way of leverage. However, I did have the dungeon stones from the monsters I killed personally. I wondered if I could maybe… bribe her?

I tossed the stone to my Brazilian Wandering Spider and watched her eat it. She grew just a bit larger. But that was it. She was still no Queen. However, the summon was larger. Seemed more powerful. I wondered if this might be a viable way to improve a summon’s power. I began feeding all the stones that I personally extracted to her.

The next few hours I personally hunted, I challenged Bell with a Bug Clone, and my hunting parties scoured the rest of the floor. I would be prepared to win this War Game, to have my vengeance.

That evening, I would have stayed down there for hours more and headed deeper, but Bell insisted that we both return to the surface.

“It would be a waste of time to head back now,” I told him. I was gaining power so quickly–and personally eating the stones themselves every so often seemed to energize me like a good night’s rest would.

“You’re going to burn out Miss Taylor!” Bell insisted, just as his stomach rumbled. “Besides, don’t you want your Falna updated? And don’t you need real food?!”

I glared at him after I finished punching a hole through another Warshadow’s chest.

“A-also! Y-you promised Miss Syr!”

“And when did I do that?”

“She said she’s been keeping more of your stuff in stock. Just for you! C’mon Miss Taylor! Please? You don’t wanna be worthless by the time we head outta town, right? I mean, I wanna get stronger too. But we need to pace ourselves! That’s what–”

“Fine!” I snarled, just to shut him up. “Let’s head up then.” I was not happy about it though. 

But as I thought of the food at the Hostess, my own stomach grumbled and betrayed me.

 

It was already dark out when we arrived at the Hostess of Fertility, and the inside was bustling, with several large parties already dining, and several scruffy adventurers well into their drinks at the bar. However, once we came in, Syr hurried over to greet Bell, and found a small booth to seat us.

She brought Bell ale, which I frowned at. I still thought he was too young to be drinking. But I supposed, he was old enough to risk his life in the dungeon, then that he was old enough to drink. 

She brought me a tankard of mostly fresh blood, which I tried in vain to convince Bell to try instead of his ale. He flat refused and turned green when I waved it in his face. 

We both were served plates of food: his a steaming plate of pasta, and mine a cold plate of what looked like ground pork. Mine was delicious. Again, Bell refused to try mine.

While we were sitting across from each other, even in the dim lighting, I had a chance to examine the jagged black scarring. The stitches themselves were hardly visible anymore, but instead a line of shadow followed the incision. Pale and faint veins almost branched out from the scar–but I thought that might have been a trick of poor lighting. That or the boy had an infection.

“You should really have those stitches taken out–an maybe looked at,” I told him.

“B-but they look so cool!” he said. Then weakly added, “L-lady Hestia thought the same… she’s really… mad at you for them still.”

“Tell her I agree with her and you should take them out!” I said loudly, slapping my palm on the table. My own face had reddened, and I felt just a little light headed, almost as if I had been drinking. But that was ridiculous. It was just blood in my cup. I would have smelled it if there was anything else spiking it.

“B-but–” Bell started to protest, but we were interrupted by Syr, came over carrying two thin tomes, leather backed books.

“What are those Miss Syr?” Bell asked. She set them down on the table and put one down in front of both of us.

She glanced around, as though to make sure no one was watching, but in fact making herself look far more suspicious and noteworthy than she had just been. I filtered out some smaller fliers to make sure no one was paying undue attention. It looked like a couple of the rougher crowd at the bar had noticed.

“They’re for you both,” she said in a whisper, which again, seemed louder than it should have been.

“Books?” Bell asked.

“Special books,” she whispered. “Magic tomes.”

Bell went to crack his open, but she pushed the cover back down.

“Don’t read them now!” she hissed. “Do it when you get home.”

“And what do magic tomes do?” I asked, still refusing to have touched it.

“They’re one time use, very expensive, and they’ll teach a spell.” 

“Really?!” Bell almost shouted. Both Syr and I shushed him. “Sorry…” he added.

“Why?” I asked her. “Why give this to us? It sounds expensive.”

“It–they were… They are from a patron. To help give you a better chance in the War Game.”

“But why?” I asked again. “What do they get out of this?”

“Miss Taylor! Don’t question our good fortune! Grandpa always said to accept gifts from pretty ladies!” Once he realized he had just called Syr pretty, he started blushing even more furiously than normal.

Syr also blushed, if lightly. But she added a sigh to hers. 

“No Bell, she… Miss Taylor has a point,” Syr said, wilting under my stare. “War Games… are basically entertainment… and a lot of people–” she waggled her hand back and forth “-gamble on them… an the odds are against you two.”

“Ah,” I said. That made sense. “They’re rigging the contest in favor of the underdogs.”

It took Bell a little longer to figure it out, but when he did, he sputtered in protest. 

“No!” he said. “We can’t take this! Not if it’s to throw the game…”

I reached over and put my skeletal hand on Bell’s. “It’s fine,” I told him. “We shouldn’t question our good fortune, right?” I turned to Syr. “So long as your patron knows that we owe them nothing. Then I think we should listen to Bell’s Grandfather’s advice, and accept the gift from the pretty girl.” I smirked at both of them.

Syr looked uncomfortable, but she nodded all the same. “Just make sure you get home first… they can take a lot out of you–from what I’ve heard.”

We both watched her leave. Bell was beside himself. “Are you sure this is ok Miss Taylor? It sounds like someone is cheating.”

“Would you rather lose?”

“No! But–”

“-but nothing. Use every tool at your disposal to win, no matter how distasteful. Now, let’s open them and see what they have.”

“Miss Taylor!” Bell reprimanded. “Syr said to wait till we get home!”

I scoffed. “And you believed her? If it’s not safe here, it’s not safe at home either. Less safe there, since it’s a private space where you could be ambushed. Here, at least, there are witnesses. Besides…”

“Yeah?” he asked.

I nodded my head over to a few unsavory sorts well on their way to drunkenness at the bar. One of them had begun eyeing me up, or possibly the books. If they were that valuable… and considering Syr’s failure at subtlety… “These paint a target on us. Better to use them now and avoid having them stolen.”

He grimaced. He wanted to protest, but he could not argue the logic. Or rather, he could, but he also was very tempted to learn a magic spell. And so, he followed my lead and cracked open his own grimoire. 

The words seemed to melt off the paper. 

The world around me shifted.

Chapter 23: Chimera 3.2

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.2

I stood upon a throne floor of red crystal. The sky was lit with stars–beautiful stars. I was no longer in the Hostess of Fertility.

<They are gorgeous.> 

I heard someone speak , but not actually speak . It reminded me of the impressions I received from the Simurgh, leading up to the final confrontation. I felt a moment’s panic: Had she found me? Here? The Endbringer?

I followed the voice, and saw a smoky reflection of myself sitting upon a throne of Abyssal Shadow. Her limbs were skeletal and tipped in claws. Building sized serpents fanned out behind her, rising up from the back of the throne. She watched me with eyes of luminescent gold.

“Who are you?” I asked, cautiously. Her face looked just like what mine would, if my skin were blackened and completely covered by hard ridges.

<Who are you?> She asked again, with that not-speech.

I could not resist. I had to at least try. “I asked you first.”

<...> The reflection’s eyes narrowed, her lips quirked ever so slightly, a smile of frustration.

I narrowed my eyes. Was she only a reflection of my thoughts? Why would reading a grimoire drop me here? Had Syr betrayed me? I perhaps should not have underestimated the dangers of reading a book.

<Queen.>  She paused. <Who are you?>

Queen! I internally cheered. It was here, I felt it to my bones. Queen was still alive, and here. But wait… if she was here…

“Why can’t I summon you anymore? Why’d you leave me?”

A dungeon stone appeared in her hand, a large one, the second largest that I had ever seen. She lifted it to her lips and bit down. 

<Who? Query: Identity.>

“A strange question. What do you mean who?”

If she was truly my passenger, then she had been with me from the beginning. She would know who I was. But I knew that she was my passenger. This line of questioning made no sense.

The world warped around us. The stars flickered out of existence one by one. A wailing of a multitude began ever so faintly, but approached quickly. Shadowy mist began to obscure the crystal floor. Strange shapes moved in the darkness, tentacles and faces and creatures bizarre.

One of the shapes rose up further behind Queen, looming over both of us. It was the serpents, growing and filling the horizon and sky. There were many serpentine necks spreading upwards, towering over both of us. Their eyes glowed green. Venom dripped from their maws. They were joined at the bottom in a single body.

<Query: Identity>

“Tell me what you mean!” I demanded. “I’m Taylor Anne Hebert. Skitter of the Undersiders. Weaver of the Protectorate Wards. Daughter of–”

<What do you seek?>

“A few answers to start.”

<Not Power?> Her speech grew hurried.

“...that too.”

<Why do you seek power?>

“To destroy my enemies!”

<Not to be a hero?>

“Why are you even asking me?” 

The shadows were encroaching. 

The snakes continued growing. Their venom splashed through the mist, droplets splashing me. Several landed on my stomach and chest and they burned.

<Spell Decision Tree. Results Compiled.>

For a spell? The Grimoire? There were options? 

One of the serpents opened their fanged mouth wide–I could see galaxies spinning along the roof of the cavern, at the top of its throat. It slammed down upon me, engulfing me in silence and pain.

 

I jerked up from the table where I had passed out, over the grimoire, and the first thing I noticed was a stern and stout woman glaring down at us with all the disappointment a matron could muster. I swallowed, trying to wet my mouth. In vain.

“Syr!” the thick woman yelled. “How much did we serve ‘em? They passed out drunk!”

“Hnng,” I complained, rubbing my temple. My poor head. “Wha was in tha book?” I mumbled. Bell had begun stirring as well, sitting up. His face looked different, but also it was hard to tell since there were two of him. Everything was blurry.

“They didn’t even drink that much!” Syr came over, wringing her hands and glaring at us. “Just an ale and a cup of special.”

“Hmph. Get ‘em out of here. After they pay. We aren’t running an inn!”

“Yes Mia Grande,” Syr said. Mia stomped off to yell at someone else who had gotten unruly. Once Mia was gone, Syr wagged her finger at us. “I told you to wait until you got home!”

“S-sorry,” Bell said. “B-but Miss Taylore didn’t want to wait.”

I narrowed my eyes at Bell. The room had stopped spinning, and his face had resolved itself into the singular. I finally put my finger on what had changed.

“Your scar,” I said, reaching out and poking his cheek. “The stitches are gone.”

“Huh?” Bell asked.

“She’s right Bell!” Syr said. “Was that from the book? What spell did you get?” she whispered excitedly.

“I… I don’t know,” Bell said. He rubbed his cheek in confusion. The scar was still there, but it was missing all of the black marking or corrupted looking veins.

“It looks so much better, Bell!” Syr clapped happily.

“Syr!” Mia called from the otherside of the restaurant. “Less flirting, more working!” Mia turned to shout at another part of the bar. “-don’t think I don’t see you Tiona! You better tell your Goddess to pay her tab or I’ll bust down the Twilight Manor, I swear to-”

“Right,” Syr said. “You guys better head home. It’s getting late anyways, and I’m sure your Goddesses are waiting for you.”

I helped Bell to his feet. He rubbed his eyes wearily and nodded. As we headed out the door, I noticed that several of the ruffians from the bar tracked us with their eyes–a surreptitious glance showed their gazes lingering on our bags, which held the now-spent grimoires.

Did they already know the grimoires were spent though? When they stood to follow, I realized it might not matter to them–they might not even understand the difference.

“Care for some live training?” I asked Bell, leading the way down the poorly lit street and pausing outside an alleyway.

“Huh?” Bell said. “Why’re we stopping–”

I shushed him with a clawed fingertip over his mouth. The bugs I planted on the ruffians were moving towards the doorway. The moment they crossed the threshold from the Hostess, I pulled Bell after me into the alley.

“M-miss Taylor!” Bell protested. “I-I d-don’t think this is a-appro-pria–”

“Shush,” I said. 

We were loud enough that the ruffians heard, and they had seen us disappear into the alley. With luck, they would think we were necking. Though, why someone would neck in an alleyway was beyond me. They were filled with debris, remnants of decomposing animals, rats, and human waste. Not as bad as Brockton Bay, but bad enough that to my enhanced senses they were disgusting.

“-they went this way,” one of the ruffians said.

“-easy marks. Buncha kids shouldn’t have them anyways.”

“What’ll we do wit ’em?”

“Sell ‘em, course.”

“Could always use ‘em.”

“You even got mind stat?”

“...I could get some wit’a spell.”

“Better valis in the hand.”

“...trew.”

I unsheathed my knife and motioned for Bell to do the same, before I dragged him further down the alleyway, keeping to shadows.

“What are we–” Bell started, before I shushed him.

“-here!” the first ruffian called, following us into the alley. They both entered my parlor. I brought down a swarm behind them to cut off their retreat.

“M-miss Taylor! We–what–no…”

“Yes,” I nodded, shoving him so that he stood a few feet away. “Show me what you learned. Fighting people is very different from monsters. You’ll need to be able to pull the trigger.” He looked confused. “Draw the knife? You know, actually do the deed?” He nodded slowly, still not looking happy about it.

“He~ey, acting pretty confident there, missy,” one of the ruffians said. “Why dontcha hand over the goods and let us get some fun witchya.”

I rolled my eyes. “Satisfied Bell? It’s them or us.”

“I-I don’t know…” Bell said.

“The boy first,” the first ruffian said. “Give us the bags an’ get on yer knees.”

I scoffed and took a step back, dropping into a basic ready stance. “You guys…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “Always the same.”

They charged forward. Bell yelped and jumped past one of their clumsy grabs. “We already used them!” Bell tried explaining. “There’s no point in–” he tried to continue, but the ruffian chased after him.

“Get back here!” the ruffian hollered.

“Might want to draw your weapons, Bell.”

“Heh. Now for you Missy,” the ruffian closest to me said.

I smiled, running a tongue over my sharp teeth. My knife in a reverse grip in my left hand, the jagged bones of my right arm held in a front defense. “My pleasure,” I said. 

The thug frowned, but lunged forward all the same.

Easily sidestepped.

He swiped. 

I caught the blade between the shadow bones from my right arm and twisted the knife from his grasp. It looked a little nicer than my basic carving knife.

He brought a knee up. 

I pivoted and let the momentum carry me into a spinning stab to his shoulder.

He screamed, my knife got stuck in the tendon.

I laughed–to demoralize him further. I derived none–well practically none–pleasure from this.

He pushed past me and ran, taking my old knife with him. That was fine. I kept his. Hopefully he would tell his low-life friends not to cross me. Reputation was everything.

“M-miss Taylor Help!” Bell shouted.

While I had been playing with my opponent, Bell had been caught in a life and death struggle with his. He had yet to land a serious blow, focused more on parrying and dodging.

I watched silently as he struggled. 

“You need to learn this,” I told him. “Just practice what we worked on.”

“He’s trying to kill me!” Bell shrieked.

“So kill him first!”

Meanwhile, another presence that I had tagged in the bar appeared on the rooftop above us. That could be a problem. If they could jump that high, then they were a high enough level to prove problematic. I spawned a moth to check them–her–out. 

I recognized that scent. If she wanted to sit up there and watch, then that was fine. 

I calmed down and re-focused on Bell’s fight. His technique was good, considering I had just started teaching him Escrima earlier that day. But still, he needed better offense against humans, otherwise he would end up getting hurt.

“Hurry up Bell!”

“Hey!” Tiona shouted. “What are you doing?!” she glared down at me. At me?! I had yet to see her make that face–it was mildly horrifying. I felt compelled to answer.

“We’re helping Bell learn how to fight.”

“Nah–nu-huh,” she answered, wagging her finger and taking a breath to calm down, before she jumped down and landed on her feet in a casual superhero landing. “This is garbage. This is too close to what they did back home. It’s messed up Bug-Girl. It’s–messed–up…”

“But he needs to get used to fighting people. What would you recommend?”

The thug, realizing he had no chance, disengaged and made an expeditious retreat. We watched him leave, while Bell caught his breath.

“If you need to learn to fight, then I’ll teach you. I’ve been meaning to help ya guys anyways.”

“R-really?!” Bell asked, his eyes wide and shining.

I had to admit, sparring with a high level adventurer would benefit both of us, especially with Hyakinthos being a level three. We needed to come to better terms with what to expect.

“Yeah sure! Wanna meet up tomorrow on the South Wall?”

“Uhmm–Miss Taylor will w-want to do spar in the dungeon…”

“Pffft that’s dumb,” Tiona said, waving her hand at me. “Reckless enough for it to have been my idea!” She cheered. “I love it! But I gotta ask, why?” She scratched the back of her neck.

“Multitasking,” I said, shrugging.

“Good enough reason for me! See you tomorrow at the fountain, bright ‘n early! Now go get your status updated so you figure out your new magic! Don’t think I and the rest of the restaurant didn’t see you read those grimoires!” She laughed, then under her breath, “an’ people think I’m dumb.”

“Wait–if Mia Grande already knew, then why she’d–”

“Cuz she was trying to cover for your dumbass,” Tiona shrugged. “But whatev. Clearly you guys made the most of it.” She jumped back up, landing on the roof, she called down. “Remember! Tomorrow at the fountain! See you there!” And she was gone.

 

Echidna greeted me when I returned, though her attention was largely spent on a green ovoid crystal that she had been polishing. I could have sworn there was something inside it. But she hid it before I could get a closer look.

“A productive day of preparations daughter?” Echidna asked as I came in.

“Yeah…” I said, eyeing her curiously. If she chose not to mention it, then that was her choice. I could hardly fault someone for keeping secrets. “I think I learned a spell? Someone gave me a grimoire.”

She frowned. “Who? And why?”

“Syr of the Hostess of Fertility. And I think it was from someone hoping to rig the Game.”

“...the stakes required to make that ploy worthwhile would be immense. Grimoires are not cheap, daughter.”

“Yeah… I gathered that… but I’m really kinda wanting to see what I got. So if you’d update my Falna?”

“If you insist…” Echidna trailed off as she pulled out her small knife and I pulled off my vest and unlaced my bodysuit. I felt the familiar diffuse burn as she ran a finger down my back, her Divinity mixing with all that I had experienced since the last update. Now it was time to see all I had gained, and decide if I was on track for vengeance against Apollo.

“You said that you read a Spell Grimoire?” Echidna asked. I heard the familiar crackle of paper against my back as she traced the Falna over it, converting it to something that I could read.

I nodded. “According to Syr. And the weird dream hallucination. The book went blank after I read it too.”

“Most strange… But unfortunately, though your gains are most impressive–” she placed the paper in front of me on the table, “-I see no spell here, daughter.”

“What?!”

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     101 H    -> 107 H 

END:     162 H    -> 168 H

AGI:     64 I    -> 71 I

DEX:     63 I    -> 70 I

MAG:     286 G    -> 528 D

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Spells: ()

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are written with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 24: Chimera 3.3

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.3

The next morning, I met Bell at the fountain. Tiona had yet to arrive.

“M-miss Taylor!” he greeted, “what spell did you get?!”

I grimaced and shook my head. “I didn’t.” I glared at him for good measure. I bet he got a spell. Just the way he worded that question meant he got a spell. While I got shit.

“B-but–” he protested. “-we’re a team! A-and Miss Einna says that team members should share their c-capabilities with each other!”

I suppressed a growl and instead focused on my swarm. It had grown since yesterday morning, easily able to blot out the sky around me, or cover the ground in chittering blankets of Abyssal Shadow. “M-miss–”

“-Look, I didn’t get one, alright? The book was a scam. Drop it.” 

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Bell was not to blame. I had to keep reminding myself. He was just a kid. It was not his fault that I had missed out on a powerful opportunity to grow my power.

“Woah!” Tiona shouted, finally arriving and battling her way through my swarm. “Someone’s in a mood! You better cut this out before you get mistaken for a rogue monster or something!”

I really did growl that time. What was it with this city and their monster fetish? 

“Fine,” I bit out. I started to disperse my swarm over my control range. 

“Why’re you so upset anyways?” Tiona asked, coming up and punching ‘Tiny’ in the shoulder, and slapping me on the back. “Not ‘cuz I’m late right? Because that totally wasn’t my fault. Loki was being a brat and I had to remind her of the benefits of gettin’ paid back. Gah! At least you two don’t have to deal with that type of stuff from your Goddesses, ya know?”

“Miss Taylor was about to tell me about her spell–” Bell started.

Bell was not to blame… 

Bell was not to blame… 

Bell was going to get a face full of Black Widows if he kept this shit up though.

“Ugh, let’s just get going… I need acceptable targets.”

“My girl!” Tiona cheered, following as I started jogging towards the dungeon entrance, my swarm spilling behind me, funneling in and past several concerned adventurers and Guild employees.

Once we hit the entrance of the pit, I sent my swarm down in front of us, clearing the way and scouring all of the monsters that spawned. I barely gained any miasma from the goblins and kobolds anymore. I needed bigger targets. I continued jogging downwards, heading deeper. I barely noticed the complaints of other adventurer’s on the floors that we passed.

“Gah! Get ‘em off!” Someone shouted down one of the side passages.

“Get outta here Bug-Girl!” Someone else complained loudly. “You’re taking all the loot!”

I paid them no concern. 

By the time we hit the sixth floor, Tiona had grown anxious. “Why’re we down here again?” Tiona asked as she followed. “There’s nothing to even kill!”

“T-that’s thanks to Miss Taylor,” Bell said from behind me. I nodded, continuing my jog towards the entrance down to the seventh floor.

“I’m killing the monsters as they emerge,” I said. “I’ve cleared the passageway down, and the side chambers as well.”

“Yeah, I get that you’re crazy strong for a level one, with your creepy magic and all, but… why? If it’s no challenge, then you aren’t getting much from it… and you aren’t even collecting any stones.”

I took a deep breath. My knee jerk reaction would be to lie, obfuscate, and otherwise hide what I was capable of. But that would be foolhardy in this instance. Loki and her Familia had a vested interest in seeing me succeed, to the tune of two hundred and forty million valis. In addition, Tiona had been nothing but kind and supportive, with the exception of the little mix-up when I had first broken out of that dungeon stone.

I probably would have agreed to share, but in the end, the decision was stolen from me… by Bell.

“Miss Taylor gets stronger when her magic eats dungeon stones,” Bell said.

“God Damnit Bell!” I shouted, turning around to deck him in his stupid albino face. Tiona stepped between us and caught my swing easily. She was still smiling, the insufferable Amazon.

“Oh, tell me more!” Tiona said in between laughs. “Sounds juicy!”

“Information Security, Bell!” I blurted, before taking another breath and backing off. “Loose lipped ten year olds,” I complained, shooting Bell another glare.

“I’m fourteen!” Bell shouted back. Tiona continued to place herself between us, her arms stretched wide to keep us apart.

“You don’t act like it!” I shouted back.

“Ha, you guys!” Tiona continued laughing. “Relax. We’re in the dungeon,” she snickered. “But do tell me more. Though, from Bug-Girl this time, since it’s her secret. So you what, eat dungeon stones? I guess it explains your magic growth…”

Moment of truth. I took a breath. Tiona already knew this much. And I had been willing to tell her. But still, I had trouble committing. When I saw Bell about to open his fat mouth again though, I was pushed to action, and in this case, that meant revealing uncomfortable details about myself that could potentially be used against me. 

“Yes…” I said slowly, but picked up speed as I went. “If my swarm eats them, my magic goes up. If I eat them, then it goes up double. And if my spider–” I pointed at the crab sized Brazilian Wandering Spider perched on my shoulder “-eats them, then she grows bigger.”

“Ok,” Tiona nodded. “A lot to unpack there. But first, Bell–” she turned towards him and popped an eyebrow, “-what do you say to Bug-Girl for spilling her secrets?”

“I-I’m sorry Miss Taylor…” Bell said, his head hung low. “B-but Miss T-tiona can help you get strong fast, and we can’t risk losing… I don’t w-want Lady Hestia to have to marry Lord Apollo…”

“Yeah that was a messed up wager,” Tiona said. “But going back to the magic dungeon stone thing… you don’t have any side effects?” Tiona asked, her eyebrows raised. “Cuz I’ve heard of something kinda similar before, but it always changes a person, at least a little.”

“It’s part of a curse,” I said quietly. “I–it’s part of the blood and raw meat curse…” I hugged inward and hunched over, shrinking in on myself. It had been a long time since I had felt this vulnerable. I almost slipped into my swarm and ran–but no–I needed Tiona’s help. And I had already made the play. Now I needed to follow it through.

“Huh… now not that I don’t believe Bug-Girl, but that’s pretty out there.” She turned to Bell. “She’s telling the truth, right?”

“Miss Taylor has been getting stronger…” Bell said. “And I’ve seen her feed stones to her spider.”

“Well alright!” Tiona said brightly. “New plan! We’re going to the middle floors, I’m gonna kill a bunch of stuff, and you’re gonna eat those stones!” She pulled me into an awkward side hug. “Don’t you worry! We’ll get you strong as a champ in no time~!”

“B-but what about sparring?” Bell asked.

“Oh yeah…” Tiona rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Oh! How about Tiny and me spar later, to make up for power leveling Bug-Girl?”

“U-uh Miss Tiona, Ma’am?!” Bell asked nervously.

“Now that just makes me feel old…” Tiona laughed.

“I wanna practice my new spell too,” Bell said.

“What spell did you get?” I asked. No, I was not jealous at all.

“Heh-heh…” He chuckled nervously. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

I scowled, my spiders chittered angrily. “I think my grimoire was broken,” I muttered angrily.

“He-heh…” Bell grimaced. “I–I did get a spell… but… it’s kinda gross.”

“Oh, now this I gotta see,” Tiona said happily.

I cleared the way for us down to the eighth floor, where the monsters were much the same as the sixth. They were more numerous, and started to use basic swarm tactics, but in the end, I was the queen of the swarm, and the monster’s attempts to break through my re-summonable minions was cute at best.

The only other noticeable difference was that the floor became covered in short moss like grass, and that the lighting had gone from blue-lit dungeon walls to a glowing white phosphorescence.

I continued to sequester the floors in a layer of black miasma, reforming insects the moment they died, continuing to grow my swarm.

“Damn Bug-Girl,” she said, while we were at the entrance to the ninth floor. My swarm had already begun flowing around us, sinking down to the floor below like a sea falling into a whirlpool. “We’ve not seen a single monster–I haven’t even heard one. That's all you?”

I nodded and continued down to the ninth floor, which was much the same as the eighth, except more monsters.

“You aren’t getting tired or nothing?” Tiona asked. “No Mind Down?”

“Not at all,” I admitted, feeling refreshed. “In fact, I would say that this… is relaxing.”

Tiona snickered behind me, while Bell grimaced and complained about how he had yet to fight anything. 

We continued through the ninth floor, encountering one other adventuring party. It was the drunken dwarf, and the Pallum supporter Lily. When we passed them, the dwarf toasted us.

“Bought us time for a drink, cheers!” she said.

“Lily thinks Torri’s in the wrong Familia,” Lily muttered.

Tiona snorted. “Sekhmet’s crowd sure knows how to party. Hit me up at the Hostess tonight!” she told the dwarf while we passed.

The dwarf, apparently named Torri, shouted after us, “Can’t! Mia Grande don’t let me in unless I’m startin’ sober!”

Tiona waved her off and continued following me. “Crazy sun blasted dwarfs,” she laughed.

We finally reached the stairway down to the tenth floor, and Tiona insisted on taking point.

“Look, I think you’re capable enough,” she said. “But the monsters change it up. There’s orcs and dragons and bats–”

“-oh my-” I said dryly.

“-and they use landform weapons! Hey! You think your bugs can drop a giant orc swinging a rock pillar around?” Tiona asked, her smile gone as she frowned. She started frowning when she decided I was failing to take the next floor seriously.

“Yes, I do,” I said. “I soloed a Silverback and a Hard Armored. I think that if orcs breathe, then I can kill them.”

“Huh,” Tiona said. “I kinda forgot about that. But just let me take point for a bit, please? I’m bored, and I bet Tiny is too.”

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll leave some for you to kill too,” I smiled at her.

“You better!” She punched me in the shoulder. I let her lead the way down, and I only killed the bats and the orcs that I found in the distance.

To be fair, it did take a lot more work to kill the orcs, and since I refused to waste miasma on venom, I was forced to send biting insects down their throats and lungs until they suffocated. And the bats–they were fast and hard to catch. I might have had trouble with them, except they actually ate my insects. Which I then directed to eat holes through the bats’ stomachs.

Being able to resummon larder beetles inside monster’s GI tracts was just… wonderful .

Unfortunately, focusing on new swarm tactics left me distracted, and I missed out on the fight before me.

“We got some orcs!” Tiona shouted gleefully, jumping forward on a group of four that were waiting near the entrance to the tenth floor. They were attempting to hide in the fog, behind large stone trees. Tiona separated a single orc from the pack and distracted the rest. “Let’s see your spell bunny-boy!”

“You sure?” Bell asked, nervous. He was chewing on his lip and flexing his left hand.

“Yeah! Let’s see it!” Tiona shouted back.

“Alright…” Bell winced, took a breath, then shouted, “Seed of Corruption!” 

A veiny pustule flew from his hand and hit the orc’s chest. 

The orc screamed and tried wiping it off its chest, but it only smeared the infection further. The pus spread out and discolored the flesh. Veins wrapped around its chest, flesh blistered and bubbled. The orc fell to its knees. It groaned in pain, tearing its own skin off, its face melting.

The bubbled flesh grew, blackening, pressurizing, an errant motion caused one to burst and explode, setting off a chain reaction among all the blisters, which exploded in turn–pop-pop-pop!. The orc let loose one more terrible scream, then fell forward dead.

Meanwhile, the black slime had flown far and wide around the orc, hitting all of us, including the other three orcs. While the pus stung, it seemed to do no further damage to Tiona and I, except to stink. However, where it landed on the orcs? There, it began spreading that same corruption.

The process repeated itself, chaining onward.

Bell fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

The rot finished spreading, all of the nearby monsters dead, leaving only black slime and dungeon stones. I sent my Brazilian Spider to consume the stones, while I tended to Bell, and started cleaning us both off with mites and ants.

“You alright?” I asked him.

He was out of breath, and his face ashen, but he nodded. “Y-yeah, I-I think so. The spell took-k a lot outta m-me…”

The mites I had moving the sludge off of us reported that the slime tasted absolutely foul. I tried to ignore that portion of the feedback. But even second hand taste left me feeling ill. If I had anything in my stomach at all, I might have puked.

Tiona was not so lucky. She stumbled away from us and wretched on all fours. “Got some–” she spewed “-in my-” she gagged “-mouth! Yuck!” She finally finished and got back up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The slime had finally begun dissipating, now that the stones were gone. “I take it back, Tiny,” Tiona said. “I did not want to see that. Your spell…” she shuddered. “Never again. Never. Again.”

Bell looked crestfallen and embarrassed. He scuffed his foot and glanced at the exit. I needed to nip this in the bud. Because that spell was–

“Amazing!” I said, only half forcing the smile. “That spell was freaking awesome. It has so many tactical advantages–I’m very jealous Bell. Just think about your spell in a crowded room!”

Tiona looked pale, while Bell started to smile.

“We just have to use it carefully, since it seems to tax you…”

“It’s as gross as Ishtar’s cleaning buckets!” Tiona swore. “What’re you on about?!”

I disagreed. “That spell would make you an easy A-Lister back home. Sure, it’s dangerous. But you’ll never have to worry about getting overwhelmed. At least not while you’ve still got mind.”

“Heh–” Bell started to chuckle “-heh yeah! That’s right!”

“See?!” I said.

“Nah,” Tiona disagreed. “That shit was gross. So gross.” She shuddered again. 

I shot her a warning glare, but it was too late, the damage was done.

Bell groaned. “The girls are all gonna hate it… Why couldn’t I have gotten a spell with fire instead?” Bell complained, burying his face in his hands. “Now everyone will hate me! It’s just so–ugh–I can’t even…”

I patted him on the back. “I asked myself something similar when I first got my powers. Everyone thought I was a joke, with a weak power to control bugs. But I worked with it, and in the end, everyone knew my name.”

“Oy? What name was that?” Tiona asked cheekily. “Bug-Girl?”

“Taylor?” Bell offered.

“Skitter.”

“What kinda name even is that ?!” Tiona demanded.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. We made it down to the eleventh, while I continued hunting the outskirts with my swarm, while practicing my martial abilities alongside Bell and Tiona. Meanwhile, every time I personally killed a monster, I fed that stone directly to my Brazilian Wandering Spider, in the hopes of convincing Queen to return. The spider got to be the size of a German Shepard, but Queen still refused to make an appearance.

Although, even if Queen refused to take control of the spider, having a summon that large, that fast, and that venomous… the spider brought her own quality to each fight. By the time we left, she was able to solo an orc (under my supervision of course).

Around dinner time, we returned to the surface. Bell and Tiona left to spar, while I planned on heading home to get my Falna updated, before heading back down to the dungeon for some more. However, as I passed the fountain on the way back home, I was intercepted.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Luna Malphilos said. She was leaning against a stone wall.

“You were waiting for me, weren’t you?” I asked. I eyed our surroundings, looking for her crow Familiar, or any other signs of an ambush.

She snorted. “You betcha. Heard you read a grimoire and might need some help. And with that War Game coming? Bet you’re stressed out! I still remember my first grudge match. And the screams. And the eyes…” She bit her tongue and looked off into the distance dreamily.

“What do you want?” I asked her warily.

“What don’t I want, ya know?” She cackled, and up on a nearby window ledge a crow matched her with a caw. There it was. “Well~ anyways… I kinda wanna make sure you don’t get killed by Apollo, if ya know what I mean.”

“Again. What do you want.”

“To help you of course!” She threw her hands up wide to hug the sky. “How dense can she be folks?!”

The people walking by gave her a wide berth, and I heard more than a few mutters about ‘Loony Luna’ which was apparently her Divinity given nickname. I guess it was politer than ‘Psycho Sadist,’ which is what I probably would have named her.

“Fine. Help then,” I said. “What do you propose?”

Her smile widened, and she pointed at the gigantic Brazilian Wandering Spider hanging off my shoulders like a backpack. “You’ve just about got your Familiar back, but she’s not all there, right?”

That was true. I had been feeding the spider stones to ramp her up to her current size, but she had yet to be taken back over by Queen.

“I thought you’d only help if I won in your tournament.”

“Pffft,” she waved her hand at me. “That was then, this is now! You won’t be able to play my games if you’re dead! So… did you wanna get your Familiar back?” Her smile grew wider. Her hat flopped down and covered her eyes. “Well, if you wanna learn, then follow meee~” She sang as she started running South, holding her hat on her head while laughing maniacally.

“If she’s trying to get me to follow her to her sex dungeon I swear to all the Gods I’ll murder her,” I said to no one in particular.

“You wouldn’t be the first she’s pulled that stunt on,” a passerby warned.

I groaned. “I really wish I had better options…” 

I gave my spider an accusing look. But in the end, I needed Queen back. She was my partner, my Passenger, and she was the one person I could always rely on.

So, without any alternatives, I started chasing after Luna Malphilos.

Chapter 25: Chimera 3.4

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.4

Fortunately, Luna only ran in the direction of Hecate’s Tower for the first few miles. If she had kept running towards her gross tower and dungeon, I probably would have just gone home. I had enough problems in my life already, without adding in that whole mess.

Fortunately, she eventually veered off for the South Wall battlements. The tops of the walls were as wide as a one-way road from back home, and we could see a few other adventurers sparring in the distance. I thought I recognized Bell’s white hair and armor.

If that was Bell, then Tiona was definitely going easy on him, because his form sucked.

I caught up to Luna on the battlements. She was breathing heavily, while I felt merely warmed up. There were advantages to my body and its changes. Stamina beyond my ken was one of them.

“Whehwww,” Luna wheezed. “Whata run… it’s why magics da best right? Nonathat muscles biz. Anyways… so magic! We’re gonna learn it!”

“Yes. Magic.” I crossed my arms, eyeing her warily. I continued to resist the temptation to just leave.

“Alright, so Familiar and Summoning magic is wa~ay different from normal magic. You see famous mages like ‘Nine Hell’ Riviera, and they gotta chant forever for explo~osions! But it’s different for us! An’ that’s alright! Nothin’ wrong with that. No ma’am! No kink shamin’ here!”

I rubbed my eyebrows. What was wrong with Orario? Why did people like this exist? Finally, she finished her spiel which apparently compared Familiar Summoning Magic to BDSM, and I finally asked her to clarify. About the magic part.

“Please explain the differences between traditional magic and Familiar magic,” I requested.

“Well alright. So for example, our summons are instinctive. And our Familiars require no chanting at all. See?”

She held out her hand, and a ball of black and pink feathers began leaking out from her skin. “This is my version of what you have, except I keep mine on the inside until I’m using it.”

“But what can you do with it?”

“Ha!” She slapped her stomach and laughed. “I’m glad you asked! And I’ll show you. But first, lemme tell you~ Our chants–if we do have ‘em–don’t come from us at all! They come from them!” She thumbed at her crow Familiar. “Kay? Got that?”

That… made some sense. I had already suspected that Queen had stolen my Grimoire.  

“See! I know ya know what I mean!” she said. “So Imma gonna do you a favor, alright?” She smiled cheerily. Her cheeks blushed just a little. 

I had a very bad feeling about this. I winced, but she remained oblivious to my unease.

“Ok! So now I’m going to give you a demonstration!”

“Maybe this isn’t such a great–”

She interrupted me by beginning to chant over the top of my protest. Her voice hit two tones, one sounding like an old crone, and the other like her normal self.

“Queen of Corvids, we are we…” A neon pink circle filled the air around her Familiar as it flapped in place above her. The hair raised up on the back of my neck and arms. An icy pit formed in my stomach.

“Queen of Carrion, we are we…” Her crow Familiar grew in size, and its voice joined in on the chant. The circle surrounding it grew, the strange runic symbols turning and morphing around it.

As the circle grew, the crow Familiar lowered until directly behind Luna, and Luna stretched her own arms out as if they were wings to match her Familiar’s. 

The magic circle grew to encompass both Luna and Familiar.

“Daughters of Wisdom Black Skies Joined!” 

In a flash of pink light and black feathers, a gigantic black and purple crow filled the center of the circle as the circle began to fade. Luna had disappeared, but the Familiar wore her ridiculous hat.

“Caw-mmm behold our splendor!” The giant bird spoke with that same dulcet tone, combining Luna’s sweet with the crow’s tawn.

“You merged with your Familiar?” I asked, already thinking of the potential benefits an aerial form could provide. Or that having eight legs and a venomous bite would.

“Caw-esss!” Crow-Luna nodded. “Now your turn!”

“I… don’t know that spell.”

“Your caw-chant would be different.”

“I don’t know any chants.”

“Caw-se your Familiar does! Maybe you need caw-centive!” 

Crow-Luna took to the skies, flapping her heavy wings and kicking up a gust of wind that sent me tumbling.

I rolled along the battlements, dust kicked up in my eyes, and my miasma dispersed. I barely stopped from going off the edge of the walls. We were a significant way up, and a fall from this height would be lethal.

As I tumbled, my spider broke free. She was the size of a german shepard and she sailed through the air, suffering from worse aerodynamics than I did. I reached out a leg and directed it to snag on as my skeletal hand scrambled for leverage along the stone.

“Here little spider!” she shouted over the wind, she hovered off the side of the wall and above us. A feather launched from her wings as she flapped and embedded itself in the stone beside us, hard and sharp, somewhat reminiscent of the Simurgh. It was not a comparison that left me feeling warm and fuzzy. 

“You’re insane!” I shouted. “I don’t have any spells!” 

Sure, I had read a grimoire. But I did not have any spells. It was a blank and empty spot on my Status Sheet. And my spider was mine, and certainly not Queen.

Passenger?

“Naught you! Your–caw–spider!” Another feather launched itself at where I had collapsed. I rolled to the side while my spider jumped and scurried further away from the Crow-Luna. 

“I know you know~ Cawmm’on! Jus’ a lil chaaant!” she warbled in a bitter and terrible voice that was never meant to be heard.

She began firing off more feathers, chasing my spider. I sent my spider scurrying further away. “Cawmmm’on! Why’re you playing hard-to-get! Jus’ do it!”

She was harassing my spider. Chasing my spider. The same spider that I had just spent all day attempting to revive as Queen. 

Passenger?!

I felt an earworm bubble up, a song stuck in my head, but one that I failed to recognize or remember the lyrics to.

Crow-Luna landed in front of my spider, blocking her retreat. “Caw-mon! Just–do–it!”

The spider reared back of her own volition! She waved her front legs at Crow-Luna. 

Queen?! Is that you?! Even though we were dealing with a crow large enough to kill my spider, with wings sharp enough to pierce my Abyssal Silk, I still found myself smiling. You came back!

Crow-Luna slammed her beak down beside Queen, causing the spider to roll and tumble. 

Queen scrambled to reorient herself, so that she was facing our enemy. Crow-Luna pecked the ground again, just missing Queen, beak clipping Queen’s leg. The attack stung, but failed to cripple. Crow-Luna could have done far worse. She was playing with us.

That psycho sadist.

The song that I had just barely been hearing began to materialize. The words–they made no sense, they were garbled, and if I thought too hard about them, then they slipped from my grasp.

“Maybe your girl needs some help?!” Crow-Luna laughed, flapping her wings at me, sending another gust to roll me head over heels to where Queen chittered angrily. More feathered missiles were launched towards us. They shot over my shoulders and forced me to duck behind Queen.

“You're insane!” I shouted.

“That’s not ck-aw chant!”

The words formed behind my lips–it made no sense–they were not my words–but they demanded my consent to speak–

Is that you Queen?

“Let her speak!” Luna shot another feather at me, this one hitting my thigh. I felt the blood trickle down the inside of my bodysuit. “First time is easiest if you’re un-caw-ncious!” Another feather cut my temple. Another, my shoulder. “Naoww or nauuught!”

Queen, do it!

I handed over control of my voice and mouth to that alien force at the back of my mind; my lips and tongue began moving of their own volition. If I fought it, if I thought of it, if I focused on it, the movement would stop. It was strange and bizarre and I hated it. But it was necessary.

“F-fr-from the ab-abyss I am called…” 

My head ached every time I stuttered. I needed to fully relinquish control to this force. Elsewise, this chant could kill me. Ignus Fatuus, I believe it was called, when a spell backfired. It would be a gory demise. I began meditating with an exercise that Yamada had shown me long ago. 

A black circle surrounded Queen and dragged her towards me. I felt as though gravity shifted, both of us drawn together, into the circle lined with moving runes and sinuous lines. The chant continued more perfectly than before.

“F-from the shadows I am answered…”

She and I collided at the center of the circle. She grew larger and began to climb my legs until she rested on my back, her abdomen pressed to my spine. Her legs stretched from behind me, over my shoulder, around my sides, as long as my own. She was held in place, not by herself, but by the impossible force of attraction between us. My mouth felt sluggish–tempting my thoughts back towards it–but I had to resist, continue thinking about anything else. I knew that if we failed now, this far into the chant, that we would face a severe Ignus Fatuus. The results would be terrible and catastrophic.

“For the chorus sings and rises as one…”

Our tone became dulcet, reminding me of dry winds blasting through jagged and dead streets.

I could no longer tell where my back ended and Queen began. 

Her legs were as long as my arm. I felt smaller, she felt larger, and still, the strange chant continued. 

The circle grew blacker, it sucked the light from around us. I could barely see our surroundings any longer. There were the almost-whispers that could have been the wind, except there was no wind.

“...we sing the song of the monarch, for together we are Queen!”

The magic circle flashed with anti-light. 

All disappeared. 

Sensation ended. 

My body, gone. 

‘I’ was almost no longer a concept. The same strange loss of control that allowed Queen to use my mouth to chant was now driving my–our–body. 

It was similar to when I directed my swarm. I was the will, but not the engine. It was something I had only really thought about a few times while on Bet. But there was no way for a human mind to comprehend hundreds of thousands of insects and direct their every movement. No, that had been Passenger, she took what I wanted to do and made it happen. 

Except now, it was a little different. For one, my-our-body was the swarm she was managing. For another, I was not me any more. The chant had been part of some kind of Changer power. 

I stood lower on the ground, on many more legs than I had before. My mouth had what felt like arms around it. My eyes returned fragmented vision lacking in color. If not for my experience with my swarm, I might have experienced fear from the alien sensations of sight, touch, and scent. 

Queen and I had merged into a large form of her, we were an incredibly oversized Brazilian Wandering Spider made of Abyssal Shadow.

“Caw!” Luna shrieked, flapping her wings, sending a gust at us, which we ignored. She flew above us and shouted down. “Gross! I love it! Tasty~! Now learn to dance!”

“Sctckl-what?” the words were difficult to form, and the voice came not from the spider, but from something other–we should not have been able to speak at all–spiders did not have vocal chords or mouth pieces for speaking. It had to have been a magical construct.

“Caw–ractice!” Luna shrieked.

And then, the feathers began falling from the sky, cratering around us, piercing the stone.

Shit. 

We began sprinting away, following the battlements. The wall blurred as we ran.

“Nice! What else cawnn you dooo?”

A line of feathers cut us off from our path, forming a knee high wall of razor blade like feathers. We diverted to the right, for one terrifying moment, the city stretched out below us, and  then we caught ourselves on the wall and began sprinting in a gravity assisted direction. 

We hit the cobblestones below and sprinted to the narrowest and darkest alleyways.

Luna pursued above us, circling.

“Caw–mmme back–aw!” she shrieked. “I forgot–caw!-to eat lunch! Let’s get Di~inner!”

“Schkckck-no!” I shouted over my proverbial shoulder. Spider necks were not meant for rotating in that direction.

~~

Somewhere nearby on the Southern Battlements, a white-haired and red-eyed youth laid forgotten on the stone, as his Amazonian sparring partner focused on a magical battle between two animal oriented mages.

“Bug-girl is nuts,” the Amazon said. After a moment of thought, and helping the boy stand back up, she added, “You said she’s single?”

~~

I dove around a corner and skittered up a wall to hide beneath the rafters of a roof. 

Crow-Luna flew by, looking for me, and shouting about a ‘dinner date.’ 

Once I was sure she was gone, I dropped back down to the ground. I was left with a question, however, as Queen and I were both stuck as a large Abyssal Shadow spider. We could hardly risk being seen like this–people would panic–and some high level adventurer would likely attack us. Fortunately I had been using my swarm to scout out people to avoid, but it was only a short term solution.

Especially with Crow-Luna hunting for us.

Queen, how do we unmerge?

The answer, it seems, was simple. I just had to focus on myself, on controlling myself, and not giving that control to Queen.

A black runic circle appeared around us, there was a schlorping sound, like a foot pulling away from thick mud.

I found myself back on two feet. Queen scampered back up the wall, to hide in the shadow of the overhang. I began making my way back home, while Queen practiced a stealthy version of spider parkour. She seemed to be having fun with it.

A little while later, Crow-Luna flew back overhead. I duck and hid until she was out of sight of my swarm. She was headed in the same direction as Hecate’s Tower, which I hoped meant she was giving up.

I did not want to lead her back home.

An hour later, the sun had fallen, night had risen, and Queen and I made it back to the burnt-out dive-bar and secret tunnel. I held the curtains aside and let Queen in, before I followed.

“Welcome home, daughter,” Echidna greeted me as I stepped in. Her eyes landed on Queen as she followed through, and Echidna gasped. “Your Familiar, Queen! She has returned to us!”

Echidna knelt down on her knees and held out a welcoming hand, palm up. Queen cautiously put her front left leg in the palm, which Echidna then petted.

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Queen… but I must ask: do you wish a more permanent body?”

“What?” I asked. Queen and I shared confusion.

“I may have a way to do so, should Queen desire it,” Echidna said, letting Queen’s claw go and returning to her own feet.

“Why bring it up now? And how?”

“The method is mine to know only, at least for now.” Echidna’s eyes glanced towards her trunk. I did not call her on it. Her secrets were hers to keep. “And as for my reason? I wish to tempt Queen to remain by our side, lest she choose to retreat to whatever realm Familiars reside.”

“But… what would it mean for Queen?” I asked. I could feel Queen’s curiosity.

“A permanent body. A falna. Perhaps substantial changes to her figure. I bring it up so you may begin considering. It is not a choice to make lightly. For a permanent body may be destroyed.”

“...yeah, I think we’ll have to think about it?” I glanced towards Queen and she nodded her upper body. “But for now, think you could update my Falna?”

“So eager to see your growth?” Echidna smiled, pulling her small paring knife from her belt and then gesturing me to sit backward on the chair. She helped me remove my vest and unlace my bodysuit. Soon, I felt the familiar warmth of her Grace mixing with my own gains. She gasped. 

“Very impressive,” she murmured, tracing her finger over the paper and copying my Status Sheet for me to see. “It appears partnering with Tiona has paid dividends, daughter.”

__

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Stats:

STR:     107 H    -> 119 H 

END:     168 H    -> 185 H

AGI:     71 I    -> 83 I

DEX:     70 I    -> 82 I

MAG:     528 D    -> 701 B

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are written with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.

 

Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 26: Chimera 3.5

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.5

The next evening did not follow my expectations.

It happened after another day of hunting on the tenth through twelfth floors. I had been planning on scoping out the competition, as the next day Apollo’s Familia would leave Orario to fortify their castle. They had already caught me by surprise once, a mistake that I planned to never repeat. 

But, as I began to leave Tiona and Bell behind, Tiona stopped me with a firm hand on my arm. The horse-sized Queen back-stepped and strafed to address the possible threat. Almost immediately I saw that familiar smile.

“Easy there Bug-Girl,” Tiona laughed. “I just gotta maybe sorta question for you.”

I regarded her calmly. Her face appeared a little redder than normal. Her body temperature had spiked. And her scent had taken on a muskier note.

“Go on,” I said. I could hardly refuse, with how much she had already helped me. My magic gains had been huge with her feeding me stones. That, and she had been helping Bell with his training. The least I could do was hear her out.

“Would you be interested in maybe grabbing a drink with me?” she asked, scratching her neck while thrusting out her chest and cocking her hips to one side. An interesting pose to be certain, though I had to wonder what had caused this behavior.

“Why?”

“I’ll go!” Bell shouted, earning a glare from Tiona. He coughed and added, “Err, I-I would, but I just remembered I had plans with my Goddess! So err yeah! Be seeing you tomorrow!” He ran off, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

Tiona returned to smiling, facing me. “Well~ Maybe I’m thirsty! And wanna get ta know you better…”

“Huh.”

This was less than optimal, but I could still salvage my plans for the evening. Possibly.

“Well? Whaddya say?” she asked, biting her lip, but still smiling. She looked nervous.

“Yes-” I started, she squealed, so I quickly added, “-but I’m choosing.” 

Which was how we found ourselves in a run-down cafe with open-air seating enjoying the smell of horse-shit and worse. 

“I dunno Bug-Girl,” Tiona asked skeptically. “Why’re we here again? I mean, we coulda afforded Hostess, and I’m buyin’ anyways… so…?” She raised an eyebrow as she trailed off.

“Ambiance,” I said. 

I pretended to take a drink of coffee. Tiona snorted, tossing back her tankard and then wiping the foam from her lips. 

“You didn’t even ask if they served blood,” she said. “I thought you had a curse, or something like that.”

“I did, they don’t, and I do.”

As I answered, a werewolf stumbled out from a nearby bar and unbuttoned the front of his pants while leaning against a wall with one hand. He was within yards of where we sat, and in full view. He moaned as he began pissing. He needed to drink more water. There was less hair than I expected.

“Ambiance, huh?” Tiona asked. Her eyebrow had raised even further as we both watched the werewolf finish.

“...yes.” The cafe was actually the first place I found that met my criteria, though in hindsight, I could have exercised greater discernment. However, the most important requirement had been met.

The cafe was within range of the Apollo Manor.

While I had been pretending to drink and actually listening to Tiona, my insects had been combing over the preparations of the Apollo Familia. They had been loading several wagons with stacked crates and barrels, and I had been chewing my way through the wood so that I could get an idea for what they were planning. A lot of the supplies I found were standard: Ale, mealflour, oil, whetstones, spare armor inserts. That stuff did not matter nearly so much. No, what I was after, was to find the nasty surprises they had planned for me. I was certain they would have something. They certainly had the last time.

“Are you sure it isn’t for something else?” Tiona asked. There her eyebrow was, raising up again. 

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked. She must have had an idea for my capabilities, and she likely knew where the Apollo Familia was. Did she suspect? And what would she do, if so?

Regardless, as I found yet another bag of mealflour and dried meat, I realized just how many adventurer’s Apollo planned to bring to bear on this War Game. That was a lot of food. It reminded me of an old saying, that armies marched on their stomach. A plan began to form.

One of the neat insects I could summon was a Saddleback Caterpillar. 

These caterpillars were known for their poisonous spines. While I would be unable to keep active control of the miasma once it left my range, I could leave a few surprises. Namely, the spines, similar to my Abyssal Spider Silk. If I left a handful in the Apollo foodstuffs, I could guarantee that their Familia would fail to bring their A-game to the fight. I had started to summon these caterpillars in Apollo’s supplies, when Tiona interrupted me.

“You know, just throwin it out there,” she started, “if something suspicious were to happen to Apollo’s Familia before the War Game, everyone would totally blame you for cheating…”

“Would that matter?” I asked, pausing my caterpillars before they could leave their poisonous surprise.

She shrugged. “It’s not against the ‘rules,’ per-se… but I think it’s not what you want.”

“Winning is winning.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But you want people to lay off you, right?” she asked.

I nodded. I did, in fact, want to be left alone. I also wanted revenge. And the destruction of my enemies.

“So, if people think ya cheated, then they won’t be properly fearful, right? So really, you wanna win so hard that nobody thinks less of you.”

I underestimated Tiona. I nodded slowly, meeting her eye. “It really is all about the reputation, isn’t it.”

“Exactly!” she said.

“I wish I could have introduced you to Brian,” I said, smiling fondly at the memory.

“Who? Wait…” she narrowed her eyes, “was he a boyfriend?”

“Something like that…”

She cracked her neck and punched the palm of her hand. “Then I can’t wait to meet him.”

I still was unsure if Brian had escaped the oil-rig. I wanted to think he had. Lisa had said he had. But… I had my doubts. “I’m not sure either of us can,” I said. “It was back home.”

She eyed me carefully, before shaking her head and returning to her factory default smile. “-anyways! Did you ask your Goddess about me comin’ over?” Tiona asked.

I missed the question at first, but before she exploded I was able to think back and replay the conversation a bit. The other day, in the dungeon, Tiona had offered to join Echidna’s Familia for a year and a day, to help with the War Game.

“I don’t really think it’s wise?” I offered, trying to find a way to word my concerns.

“And why not?! I could totally smash through Apollo’s Familia besides you. It would be tons of fun! Plus, nobody would ever dare mess with ya again, at least not while I’m around!” She cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

“Yeah… how attached are you to your current body?” I asked her.

She crossed her arms and leaned back. She glanced down at herself. “Could use some improvements,” she said. “Why? That’s not something most Familias ask…”

I gestured at myself with my skeletal arm, my clawed hands, my golden eyes and partially scaled skin. “There’s a reason Loki calls Echidna a Monster Mommy.”

“Yeah…” Tiona said, scratching her head. “But I thought those changes were cuz you’re weird? Being brought over in that weird stone egg thing.”

“Maybe,” I snorted. “But did you want to risk it?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind an upgrade. And I see how sharp your fingers are. It would save on how much I hafta spend on weapons…”

I narrowed my eyes a little more. “You could always join Hestia’s Familia, if you wanted in on the game.”

“I–I’m not feeling Tiny, if you know what I’m getting at?”

My eyes narrowed even further. “You know,” I said slowly. “I’m surprised Loki agreed to this. Or your sister.”

“Heh…” She chuckled nervously.

“You did talk to them.”

“He-heh…”

I snorted and shook my head. “Look, I appreciate the offer and that you want to help, but dealing with Loki and Tione sounds counterproductive… Besides, you’re already helping me plenty.”

“By what, keeping you company while we slack off an’ you spy on the competition?!”

Now it was my turn to give a strangled cough. I returned my full attention to Apollo’s manor. Several straw crates had been loaded into a second cart. I used termites to chew holes through the bottoms and investigate. The bottom most had been packed with clay jars. I formed a larder beetle and began chewing through the bottom of a single jar, to figure out what they held.

“Tiona,” I told her, picking up on her frustration. “You’ve already helped me grow in power, significantly .” I was trying to help her feel better, but her frown only deepened.

“But you still haven’t ranked up!” Tiona said. “Apollo’s Familia might be weak compared to me , but they’ll still eat you alive! And–” she cut herself off.

“And?” I asked, after several long seconds passed.

I had just broken through the bottom of one of the ceramic jars in the cart, and my insect that had bitten through the bottom had become blinded. Its sense of smell and taste had been overpowered by foulness. Soon after, that particular insect died and reverted back to miasma. I tried reforming it into another, but the insect died as soon as it formed. 

What had been in that jar?  

I pulled in other insects to investigate. It was some form of gray goop that also killed insects on contact. That would have been a problem, at least if it had caught me by surprise. 

“I don’t want to see you killed because some God with a stick up his ass had his ego tickled wrong.” She reached over and put her palm over mine, squeezing slightly. 

Her hand was warm. Or mine was cold.

“I don’t know why you’re so worried,” I said, bitterness creeping into my voice. “Even if I did die, it would just be another dead monster.” 

“You’re not a monster to me,” she said quietly.

I had finally freed my miasma from the goopy trap, and I steered clear of that stuff as I explored the rest of Apollo’s supplies. I found a few bags of metal netting and counterweights with roping. Likely part of some elaborate trap Hyakinthos had planned. The only other surprise I found were the armored bee-suits. But I had already had plenty of experience dealing with that kind of countermeasure.

“Be more worried! You’re gonna get your ass handed to you!” Tiona scolded. “Goddess! It’s like you’re not even listening! Am I that boring? Maybe I need to give you another lesson at sparring!”

Finished with Apollo, I returned my swarm to the nearby rafters and I turned my full attention to Tiona.

“I would love to spar with you,” I told her.

“Wait–really?”

I nodded. “You are an incredible fighter and you could teach me a lot.”

“Hey yeah! That’s right!”

“And if my level is that much of a concern, then why don’t I rank up?”

“Pfft,” she said. “Like it’s that easy. Do you even know what that entails?”

“Somewhat.” I shrugged.

“You gotta do some feat. Like solo a floor Rex or something. Do something that even the Divinities would take note of.”

“Could we do that now?” I asked.

“Depends,” she smirked. “You done pretending to drink that swill?”

I glanced down and noticed a fly drowning in my coffee. “Yeah–I’m done.”

Chapter 27: Chimera 3.6

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.6 

Tiona and I left the run-down cafe and headed back to the dungeon. It was getting along in the evening, but we still had a few hours before Dusk. However, on our way down, we ran into some trouble.

“Think you’re gonna hide in the dungeon then?” A familiar and irritating Pallum asked snidely. “Or maybe you think some last minute dungeon diving will make a difference?”

“Ugh. Hyakinthos and his pet Pallum. Really?” Tiona asked. “Bad enough we have to share air with weaklings like you.”

“Mind your own business Amazon,” the Pallum said. “Captain, back me up!”

Hyakinthos had been bartering with a food vendor cart, purchasing a box of candied mangoes for the road. He was actually the one that I saw first when I steered us over. 

“What–oh!” he turned and saw me. “Surprised you’re brave enough to show that ugly little face of yours. Doubly so that no one’s mistaken you for a goblin yet. Maybe do us all a favor and fall down a well and drown.”

“Haha good one!” the Pallum cheered.

Tiona growled and stomped towards them. “Do I need to break something?” she asked, cracking her knuckles. 

Hyakinthos spat. “Mind your own. We’ve no quarrel with Loki.”

“Mind–mind my own?!” Tiona said. “Do you even know what you made Taylor do to get outta that cage you shoved her in? You’re lucky I don’t do the same to you. If I wasn’t confident Tay was gonna rip you and your Familia open, I’d do it myself, here ‘n now!”

“I was wondering how she got out,’ Hyakinthos scratched his chin. His eyes finally lifted off the box of fruit he had bought–long enough he missed the shadow that came from behind and clung to the underside of it, beginning to burrow its way in.

“She chewed off her fucking limbs and face you monster!”

“Ha–ah-ha!” Hyakinthos said more than laughed. “That explains the improvement in her beauty. A pity her face didn’t stay off.”

Tiona flew across the rest of the distance and punched Hyakinthos in the chest, sending him and his box of candied fruit flying.

“If I hear that sort of talk from you again I’ll kill you!” Tiona shouted as she stomped back to me.

“You won’t have that Amazon during the War Game!” the Pallum shouted as he ran to help his captain up, administering a health potion. “And we’ve got a few surprises for you!”

We were already walking away, and I snuck my bugs back out of the mangoes. While the confrontation had been unnecessary, I found it oddly refreshing. Which… was concerning. Since when did I act without a strategic justification?

But even after those concerns, I found myself silently laughing. Those candied mangoes would be utterly inedible now.

“Those–idiots!” Tiona snarled as we left. “And you!” she put a finger on my chest. “What’s so funny that you’re giggling like a loon?”

“Did you see his face when you hit him?” I failed to mention the surprises I left in the mangoes, just in case Tiona failed to find the humor in culinary sabotage.

She stared at me a second, before she resumed smiling, then joining me in laughter. 

“Yeah… that was pretty good.”

And with that, we descended into the dungeon, all but flying past the upper levels, looking for a monster that I could defeat in order to rank up. For it to work, the monster would have to be well above my normal means.

We made it all the way back down to the twelfth floor. I had sent out my scouts to begin harvesting the prolific orcs and bats on the floor, while we kept our eyes open for any single monster that could ‘qualify’ as challenging.

“You’re never gonna rank up against this trash,” Tiona said, sounding disgusted. “I wonder if Goliath’s up?”

I shrugged. I had heard of Goliath before, but had never paid too much attention to it.

“Could I gather many orcs into a single encounter to justify a Rank Up?”

“Huh, like a Monster Party?” Tiona asked, thinking about it, and scrunching her eyebrows together in thought. “Nah maybe? Normally we just kill something big.”

“Orcs are pretty large though.”

“Nah, like, big as in strong. These orcs are wimps.”

“A minotaur maybe?” I asked. I had heard they could be devastating to unprepared level one adventurers.

“Ehh maybe?” She continued furrowing her brow, clearly deep in thought.

“Let’s head down a few floors and see what happens,” I said.

“I love how ambivalent you are to danger,” Tiona said, back to her smile, but throwing in a laugh as well. “It’s one of my favorite things about you…” she trailed off as she spun a stray bit of hair in her fingers.

“Uh huh…” I agreed half-heartedly, already mapping the best course down to the next level.

The thirteenth floor was the start of the ‘labyrinth’ layers, where long maze-like tunnels became the norm, along with frequent pitfalls. In the dim lighting, it would be easy for novice adventurers to miss-step during combat, falling down into a hole that ended on a lower level.

I wondered if I could find a suitable monster if I jumped down one? Or if they were just dead end holes littered with bones. I sent a few scouts down to see, and I found that they emptied into pantries all the way down to the sixteenth floor and up.

And yes, there were plenty of bones.

Fortunately, we did not have to explore long before I found a notable disturbance that appeared promising. It was not too far away, and in fact, was approaching quickly.

A train of Hellhounds. They were chasing several Eastern themed adventurers who were fighting a running retreat. Hellhounds themselves reminded me of Rachel, though her dogs were larger, and these ones could vomit lava.

“Would Hellhounds work?” I asked Tiona.

She shrugged. “Maybe? Seems kinda puny still.”

“What if there were a lot of them?” I asked. 

I had begun moving to intercept the party, with Tiona following close behind.

“Yeah, that… might work…” Tiona said. “If not, we can always go deeper.”

The Eastern adventurers came barreling out from a side passage and ran straight past us. Their leader shouted, “Run!” to us as they went by.

“Pass Parade?! Really?!” Tiona shouted at them at the same time. She cracked her knuckles and looked about ready to chase after the adventurers to scold them. But I stopped her with a hand as I put myself at the entrance of the tunnel the wounded had arrived from.

“This might work,” I said. “Got my back just in case?” I asked Tiona.

She smirked. “You’re fine. Do you thing!”

The first Hellhound arrived with a growl and a stumbling leap. 

I had already begun blinding all of the Hellhounds. I had also begun the slow process of suffocating them all to death. It would have been faster if I used venom, but I refrained, not wishing to waste miasma. Instead, I focused on biting and airway obstruction. 

It was nice. Convenient even. I had enough miasma to pack flying insects and worse down each of their lungs. And as the heat killed the insects, I reformed them and continued. Truly, I loved my power.

The Hellhounds appeared somewhat resilient, continuing onward despite the wounds to eyes and lungs. But that was fine. I needed the practice.

I lunged towards the nearest Hellhound, slamming my skeletal arm into its neck. Literal boiling blood sprayed me. 

“Doesn’t that shit burn?” Tiona asked, watching my battle like a hawk.

“It’s a little like a spa-treatment,” I answered, thinking back to the paraffin wax I had the displeasure of experiencing once, back when Lisa had taken me to a nail-spa. “It’s good for the pores.”

As I bantered, I jumped towards the next Hellhound, then the next. My skeletal arm made for piercing and slashing, the bones themselves immune to heat. And while the rest of me might not have been heat immune, I could also regenerate.

I grew overconfident, and pulled bugs out from several of the Hellhounds’ lungs, focusing instead on my own martial capabilities. Of course, this was when one of the Hellhounds tackled me.

“You sure you’re alright?!” Tiona called out.

I rolled and grabbed the Hellhound with my feet, piercing its skin as I kicked. Burning blood and offal rained down on me. I kept rolling through it and came back to my feet.

“Ego before the fall,” I said, after licking my lips. The blood was spicy.

Minutes later, the last of the Hellhounds fell. The party that had ‘Pass Paraded’ us was long gone.

“Normally the Hellhounds don’t travel in huge packs like that,” she said. “I wonder what riled them all up.”

I of course already knew the answer. If the Hellhounds failed to count, then what had been chasing them would. But the monster did not seem overly motivated, and it lagged far behind. I formed a bug-clone to taunt it, and bring it towards us during the fight with the Hellhounds.

I wondered… I had my swarm clone mime running, as though in fear. The monster saw it and roared. The tunnel walls themselves reverberated as the acoustics echoed.

“Would killing a dragon count as a feat?” I asked.

“An Infant Dragon?” Tiona asked, smiling. “You found one?!” she held out a knuckle, which I pounded. “Nice! Yeah, it should work. Maybe make it look like a challenge though?”

One thing really stood out. “Wait, that thing’s an infant?!”

“You should see the adults on the deep floors,” Tiona smirked. “You think you can handle this though? I know you wanna rank up, but–”

“-Tiona,” I told her firmly. “We came down here specifically to find something like this.”

“I know! It’s just… you’re only rank one. And it’s already kinda bullshit you’re down here. That thing’s no joke. Its breath can melt stone…”

I held my arms out wide as I walked backwards away from her, my swarm sweeping out past me and surrounding me in a cloud of chittering black fog. “You know, my first fight was with a dragon. But only that one was an adult.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’ll be watching!” She called after me.

The Dragon roared.

I formed more clones to distract it.

It had reached the site of my Hellhound massacre. It blew a torrent of fire through my clones, dispersing them in the heat. I moved my miasma to places with less fire and reformed the clones, confusing it.

Even though I was still over a bus length away from the fires, I still felt the sweltering heat–worse than the Hellhounds for sure.

It blew hot smoke at one clone, the heat still able to kill the insects, despite the fact they were made of Abyssal Shadow. I reformed the clone soon after, but the Dragon had learned I was not hiding in that clone, and it moved its focus to the next clone. Then the next. I was running out of clones at this rate. I needed to mix things up.

I tried infiltrating its eyes and mouth. I would be willing to spend venom on this. I might not be able to win otherwise.

Its scaled skin was too tough to penetrate. 

Once my swarm landed, the heat radiating off the monster killed my insects, before they could so much as place their mandibles and pinch.

I swarmed its face, but puffs of hot air killed anything I tried sending closer. I managed to land a wasp on its eye, but it died instantly, and another puff of air displaced the miasma before I could reform it. I realized a lot of the air currents were a result of convection heating, not that I found a way to use that understanding.

“Whatever you’re trying’s not working!” Tiona shouted. “If you don’t figure something out quick, I’m stepping in. We can find a better match-up elsewhere.”

“I’ve got this!” I told her, using swarm speak. The clone that had spoken had drawn the Dragon’s attention and was instantly incinerated.

I was out of clones. Rather, I still had clones, but it had blown through them all at least once. It knew where I was not, and therefore, it figured out where I was.

It turned towards me. 

I needed to buy time to think!

I formed a wall of chitin between us and I sprinted sideways, forming another two clones beneath the cover of the cloud between us. 

It blew another bout of flame, clearing my screening wall and destroying the clone that remained where I had been standing. But I was long gone, already circling the monster and splitting off more clones.

I tried other orifices, but once again, its skin was too hot, regardless of what vulnerability I attempted to attack. Even its genitals were protected.

If I were to defeat this monster, then I needed to get personal. While it had its back to me, I sprinted in and stabbed its flank with my bone-arm.

My fingers barely pierced its hide.

And the heat–was unbearable. I covered myself in Abyssal Shadow and miasma and summoned insects and it helped for a fraction of a second but the waves of heat rolling off the beast was too much and my face blistered and my fat crackled and it was too much!

And all for what, a scratch on its flank?

I rolled backwards to gain distance. But my personal attack had alerted the monster to my presence. It spun and roared and whipped me with its front claw, sending me tumbling and crashing against the cooked stone. 

A wave of flame brushed over the top of me, burning off skin and fat and muscle. Shit! That would have been a killing blow, had I been back on Bet. I had seen deaths from less!

The Infant Dragon reared back and roared, the draconic equivalent of gloating, I was sure.

“Taylor!” Tiona shouted.

I coughed and waved her off, “I–I got this,” I managed to croak. Only her Thinker rated hearing allowed her to hear me. She frowned but crossed her arms.

“If you say so,” she said, sounding doubtful.

“I do,” I said. I formed bug clones to cover for me as I recovered. I needed to move. My muscles had been reforming, but every contraction felt like stabbing agony. But anything less than victory was unacceptable. I just needed ideas. Better ideas.

The Dragon was on to my tricks. Instead of focusing down the bug-clones, it spread out a wall of flame around where I had fallen, trapping me in.

I decided to play my last card, before Tiona decided I was some damsel in need of saving.

Ready Passenger?

I felt Queen’s approval. I relinquished control of my voice and mouth, allowing my Passenger to speak her spell through me.

We started chanting as the dragon tore through my clones with its fiery breath. The entire room warmed up from the back to back flame breaths–soon it would be an oven. I was already cooking alive. If this failed to work, it might be too late for even Tiona to save me.

“From the abyss we are called. From the shadows we are answered. The chorus sings and rises as one…”

The Dragon sensed the magic, must have seen the magic circles growing. I had tried to cover for us with the swarm as a screen, with distractions and bug clones, but it had still somehow known. It reared back to unleash another terrible flame attack directly upon me, and the magic circle.

“Hey ugly!” Tiona shouted, throwing a head sized rock and striking the Dragon in its neck. It growled and shifted its attention, spraying the space between Tiona and I, instead of directly hitting me. The flames still blistered what had regenerated of my skin, but not enough to stop the chant.

“And together we sing the song of the Monarch–”

A flash of anti-light swallowed me, and we emerged as a single entity, a horse sized Brazilian Wandering Spider. The moment we emerged, we acted.

This Dragon would die by our venom.

We scurried across the floor, our claws spiking into the stone. We miss-stepped into a puddle of molten stone, that leg snapped off. We kept going.

We reached the dragon. 

It just realized a monstrosity of a spider was upon it. 

We leapt, six good legs still remained. We landed on its flank. Our claws sunk in. Scalding heat! It burned! But we had broken its hide and torn its scales; it was not invincible!

We tried taking advantage of the opening. We sent in our swarm-mates, but the Dragon’s blood burned too brightly for any further penetration. We switched tactics, continuing to climb up its back.

We were taking damage from the radiating heat, faster than we could regenerate. We would not be thwarted. Pain was irrelevant. Calculations showed a greater chance of success if we pushed forward. We reached the back of its neck. 

It tried twisting around to snap its jaws around us, but it could only manage to eye us where we sat. We were out of range. Still burning, but not devoured. Its fangs glistened all the same. And the back of its throat began reddening.

We bit down on the back of its neck.

Our oversized venom glands emptied our most potent miasma directly into the Dragon’s veins. 

Our–my mouth was on fire! 

Literally! 

It roared. 

Fire hit me and blasted me off, sending me flying. I lost my transformation and Queen and I separated. I rolled while she resummoned herself as a normal dog-sized Brazilian Wandering spider.

“Taylor!” Tiona was suddenly over me, picking me up, and retreating.

“Is it dead?” I asked. Everything hurt, but my miasma was getting absorbed and spent on regeneration. I would live.

“Almost,” she said.

I sought out the dragon with my swarm. It swayed on its feet, the venom was taking effect. I had spent a lot of miasma on that venom. But if it–

The dragon gave a death rattle then collapsed.

“Now it’s dead.” Tiona smiled. “But, Tay?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve got bad news.”

“Oh fuck,” I complained. “Lay it on me.”

“You get to skin it.”

Chapter 28: Chimera 3.7

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.7

If I had to do it again, I might have chosen to not.

Even with my swarm aiding me, skinning the Infant Dragon took a significant amount of time. First, the corpse remained too hot for my insects to perforate, which meant that I once again was getting personal with it. Second, skinning the Dragon, as opposed to ordering my swarm to devour it, was an order of magnitude more difficult. Especially when I had to separate the skin from the boiling flesh underneath.

But when I mentioned just taking the stone, Tiona gave me such a look that I went back to skinning the beast, no further questions or complaints voiced.

Eventually, I had the Infant Dragon’s skin cut and rolled. There was a lot of skin. I loaded Queen’s back with a few rolls. I loaded myself with a few rolls. And Tiona carried the rest. Before we left, I also collected several Hellhound teeth and two claws. I consumed all the dungeon stones personally, to replenish the miasma I spent in slaying the dragon.

When we reached the surface, Tiona showed me where to turn in the monster drops, which was the terminology for anything left behind by a monster.

For the skin, we earned just over seven thousand valis. For the Hellhound drops, we earned nine hundred valis.

“I can see why you had me skin the dragon,” I told Tiona as we left the Guild’s monster drop exchange.

“Right?!” Tiona laughed. “And you wanted to ash it.”

“It was a lot of work, and I do have things to do…”

“I can think of things for us to do to,” Tiona said, smiling, winking, and making the victory hand-sign for some reason. 

“Right,” I said, separating half of the valis out and handing them to her. “Well, here’s your share.”

Tiona either growled or groaned, I was uncertain as to which. But either way, she refused to take it. “You did the work, I just kept you company,” she said.

I added the valis back to my own pouch and looked around. It was only a few hours till dawn now, and I still needed to get Echidna to update my Falna.

“Right, well…” I started walking, waving at her.

“Hm?” she asked, following beside me, even though I was heading in a different direction than the Twilight Manor, where she lived.

“Aren’t you gonna head home?” I asked her.

“Oh! Ha…” she scratched the back of her neck. “I figured I would maybe walk you home.”

I nodded slowly. The company was appreciated. In the end, I shrugged, and kept walking.

She continued beside me, explaining her reasoning. “I gotta protect the investment, ya know?” She also smirked.

“I should be safe regardless,” I said. “But thank you.”

“Yeah! I mean, what if Apollo tried cheating?” she kept going, even though I already agreed to let her walk me home. I wondered if sleep deprivation was catching up to her.

“Well I’m sure I’ll be safe with–” I eyed her suspiciously “-such a strong Amazon walking beside me?”

“Right?!” she laughed. 

As we walked, she slipped a hand through my flesh and blood arm and clung to me to assert that she was guarding me.

I decided not to inform her I was keeping active scouts for over three blocks in every direction. Instead, I luxuriated in the nearness. It was… nice, to have close friends once again.

When we reached a block out from the burnt out dive bar, I turned to thank her for the walk. But as I turned into her, she turned into me, and somehow, somehow our lips met in the middle. It caught me by surprise. I flung backwards and landed on my back. I glanced up at her and saw that she had begun blushing furiously.

“Was that…” I started asking, realizations piling up and finally forcing me to recognize uncomfortable facts. “Did you–did we just… ?” I sputter-asked.

Her eyes met mine. She bit her lip while smiling and nodding. We both stared for a minute. She started laughing first; I followed soon after. 

She helped me back to my feet.

“Well, I’m close enough now to get the rest of the way home safely,” I said.

She patted me on the shoulder. “You sure?”

I snorted, “Uh yeah. Thanks though.”

“So… see you tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah! I should have my new weapon from Hephaestus. I’ll need to try it out before the War Game.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” she said.

“Yeah, me either,” I said. I stood around awkwardly, waiting for her to leave. I guess I trusted her enough to show her where I lived, but… why take that risk? Besides, what would Echidna say?

Tiona finally caught the hint and waved. She crouched down then sprung up, leaping up to the nearby rooftop.

“See you tomorrow!” She shouted back down. “It’s a date!”

She hurried off before I could contest otherwise. “But I’m… straight?” I said, more to ask myself than anyone else.

 

Echidna was waiting for me when I came in. She had been anxiously pacing, and only stopped when I opened the door. She rushed over to me, inspecting me for wounds or damage. Her nose scrunched up as she ran a finger down where some of my flesh had melted then stuck to my suit.

She shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. She reminded me of my mom when she found me and Emma playing on the roof. She had been mad .

“Daughter,” Echidna said in a voice that only carried the illusion of calm. “Are you well?”

“Tired. But I’ll live. I did not expect you to remain awake on my behalf.”

“Of course I did. What mother would choose otherwise? Considering that my beloved daughter cavorts with death and that she traipses across a city at night with known thugs that wish her specifically dead?”

Oh. Well when she put it that way…

“I’m sorry. I should have told you I would be late.”

“Were you in the dungeon all this time?” she asked. While we spoke, she began helping me undress. The melted flesh that had solidified around the lacing and between layers of silk made it a two person job. Echidna even had to pull out a soft brush to untie the lacings.

“No, not exactly,” I said. I winced as she pulled one of the laces out from my regrown skin.

She paused, examining as my flesh healed properly, now without the embedded foreign object. “What do you mean?”

“Tiona and I grabbed drinks near Apollo’s Manor…”

“Tiona.” Echidna sounded unimpressed. I felt myself growing just a bit defensive.

“Yeah! Well, she came with me. I scoped out Apollo’s preparations… I think I can counter most of them.”

“Hm. I am surprised any eaterie allowed you entry with your dress in such a state. It must have put other diners ill at ease.”

“Oh. Yeah no. I didn’t fight the Infant Dragon until I–”

She vigorously yanked my bodysuit off, partially flaying my torso. With my wounds reopened, blood began once more running down my sides and onto the floor. I bit my tongue and complained silently.

“You will clean this mess, daughter.” Echidna said in a cold voice.

“Yes…” I said weakly.

“And while you do so, you will explain why you took such a foolish risk.”

I summoned my insects and began scouring the blood and charred flesh from both the ground and my suit. If I had been less distracted earlier, then I might have thought to have already done so, thus saving me some pain… and from Echidna’s wrath.

“I asked Tiona to help me Rank Up,” I said finally.

Her eyes narrowed once more when I mentioned Tiona’s name, but she remained silent, instead shepherding me into the bath to finish cleaning the remnants of the battle.

Eventually, she resumed the conversation, having taken many calming breaths. “Daughter, I will not lie. This was likely an unnecessary risk. But what is done, is done. Tell me. Was your Abyssal Shadow sufficient?”

“No. It was not. The Dragon was too hot. I had to merge with Queen first. While I was casting, Tiona distracted the Dragon to buy me time… After, she had me skin it. We made seven thousand valis from it.”

“I would not trade a million valis for my daughter’s life,” Echidna said, before shaking her head and reminding herself of what she had just said.

“Then Tiona walked me home–” I kept a close eye on Echidna’s reactions. When she grimaced ever so slightly, I added, “-but not all the way! I left her a few streets over. We… did a thing.”

“Daughter.”

“It was an accident!”

“Daughter…”

“We might have accidentally, maybe sorta… kissed? And I liked it?”

“Daughter!”

After we calmed down, cleaned up, and climbed out from the overlarge hot-spring, Echidna bade me to sit backwards upon a chair. She pricked her finger and the golden light illuminated the otherwise pitch black chamber. The familiar sweet smell of ichor filled the air. And then, I felt the heat as her divinity mixed with the excelia I had since gained.

She gasped.

“Good?”

“Indeed.” She pressed a sheet of paper to my back, tracing over the hieroglyphs that she saw. “I’ve not seen these options before, let alone heard of them. Indeed, congratulations daughter. You continue to surprise me.”

“Options?”

“A development ability is awarded upon rank up. They are almost always powerful. I wonder which you will select?”

She had written out several items on a list for me to peruse. The details were lacking.

  • Beastification
  • Mage
  • Heat Resistance
  • Sorcery
  • Claim Familiar
  • Khepri

“But… what do I do with them?” I asked, after reading through the list.

“You must select one. Then, I apply another ‘update’ with your choice, and you are henceforth ranked up. There will be formalities with the Guild, but I shall handle those, as you finish preparations for your game.”

“Any advice?”

“I recommend that you sleep on it,” she said.

Chapter 29: Chimera 3.8

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.8 

“However, there is another matter to consider, daughter,” Echidna said, while we both slipped into the hot sulfurous pool.

I moved to cover my chest, worried she would comment on my lacking figure, but she merely arched a brow at my antics. Perhaps, perhaps I had been spending too much time with Tiona.

“Your long term growth,” she finished.

It appeared we were still talking of growths, just of a different nature. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“When you rank up, your stats are merged into your soul, and all your new stats are rolled back to zero. With most of your stats at such low levels…” she trailed off, shrugging while giving me a knowing look, allowing me to draw my own conclusion.

“What would that mean in terms of combat viability?” I asked.

“For the most part, I doubt it would have an impact. But for tough opponents? It would. You would find yourself slower, having difficulty perceiving movement, and you may be vulnerable to direct attacks.”

“Assuming they can find me in the first place,” I said, thinking out loud. “I have always survived without a brute ranking. At least now I have regeneration.”

“Very true…” she shut her eyes and leaned back, all but covering her face in the water, inhaling deeply of the steam.

Meanwhile, I continued considering. “Ranking up provides a very real and immediate benefit. Postponing offers better long term optimization, but only if I can survive that long…”

“It is your choice,” Echidna said, before dipping completely below the surface.

“That’s one way to end a conversation,” I muttered, before leaning back and shutting my own eyes. 

What would make the most sense, I wondered. 

Survival…

 

After the bath I fell asleep beside Echidna on the pile of musty furs and bed of ash. The first few times I had slept on that pile, I had thought it odd. But now, I would rather sleep nowhere else. Besides, there was comfort to Echidna’s proximity. Not in the same sort of comfort I derived from Tiona, but instead, the type of comfort I had taken from Dragon, or, from many years ago, from my Mom.

I would say I was awoken by the sun hitting my eye, but in the pitch black of Echidna’s lair, that would have been a lie. What did happen, was that my scouts left out in the city above reported an uptick in activity, as the day began. When I woke up, I luxuriated in the warm pile. 

Today would be the last whole day in Orario before Bell and I left for the War Game. I felt that I deserved a moment’s respite. Not long enough later though, I felt Echidna’s breathing rhythm shift.

“Hng.” She smacked her lips in my ear. “How long have you let us oversleep?”

I smiled into the darkness. “Was it I  that let us oversleep then?” I asked.

“Daughter,” Echidna said play-chidingly. “I am a Goddess. The fault will never be my own.” I heard her own smile in her voice. She sat up. “Did you decide regarding your rank up?”

“I did.”

I had spent most of the night considering which option I would take. Almost none of them had a known description, at least depending on Echidna’s knowledge.

I could have held off, performed research, optimized my stat gains, and only then, rank up. If I had years, I would have followed that route. But I had a day tops. Which meant I had to once again make decisions based on limited information. The story of my life.

I had gone through my options as I drifted off the night before.

Beastification might have been useful, but with my current Chimeric trait, I already felt a bit too beastly as it was. Though I did gain strength from those traits, and Beastification tended to be multiplicative. This was one of the skills that Echidna had dealt with before and she actually could explain. Werewolves also commonly had the ability, or something like it. 

Mage was another option that Echidna had experience with. Normally casters would choose this developmental ability to increase the amount they could cast before experiencing Mind Down. However, I had yet to experience Mind Down with my external magic. Mage also improved the quality of spells. It might improve the quality of my summons. That was not guaranteed however.

Heat Resistance would make things like Dragon Fire less fearsome. Though I had to wonder if it would apply to my summons or not. If it did, it would be fearsome. If not, then less than decent.

Sorcery was a new one. We were unsure of what it would do. From Earth Bet, I would assume Sorcery was involved with blood lines or communion with spirits. Either way, it felt like a toss up.

Claim Familiar… I already had a fantastic Familiar. And I had no real need to claim her. The development ability might have allowed me to claim other Familiars as well–but it felt… wrong. Almost like Mind Control.

And finally, there was the Developmental Ability named Khepri.

Khepri was a god from my world. And apparently, a god in this one as well. Echidna even knew him. She disliked that the option was named after a rival deity, but even so, she and I both were strongly considering the option.

Most development abilities were not named after gods. It was likely good. Insanely good. Except, neither of us knew anything at all about this ability.

It would be a risk, but I had already agreed that slow and steady would fail to win my specific challenges.

“Khepri.”

“Very well, daughter. Roll onto your stomach. This might tickle.”

She pricked her finger and let her ichor fall onto my bare back. She traced her finger downwards.

It more than tickled, it burned. 

My back ached and felt too long for my body. 

There was a pressure on my tailbone, and then there was a splitting of skin, a gout of blood trickling down,staining the bedding, filling the room with the delicious scent of iron.

“Oh!” Echidna shouted, falling backwards.

…I had a new perspective.

I could see with my own eyes, but also from a pair of eyes hovering above-behind me. From my swarm, I saw a black serpent rising from where a tail could have been. The serpent was at least as long as I was tall, and its fangs dripped malevolent green venom.

I groaned, feeling it sway, perceiving everything it did, lacking direct control. The tail was not part of my swarm, it was barely part of ‘me.’ And yet, it was attached as an extension of my spine.

My thoughts were interrupted.

“Your first tail!” Echidna said, clapping, in an uncharacteristic display of exuberance.

“First?!”

“I had nine back in Tenkai,” she said. “But it’s something you’ll grow into. Before I forget,” she said, slapping a sheet down with my updated status.

I shook my head slowly.

“Daughter, what’s wrong?”

“I have a new appendage,” I said slowly. “And less than a day to practice with it. This is a disaster.”

Name: [SOUL DUALITY] Monarch Administrator | Taylor Hebert

Race: [HIDDEN] [CORRUPTED] Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age: [HIDDEN] [ERROR]

Level: 2

Stats:

STR:     0 I 

END:     0 I

AGI:     0 I

DEX:     0 I

MAG:     0 I

Developmental Ability: Khepri (A): From death comes life… Those that peer into the abyss will find you peer back: Mortal Divinity, for a price.

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are written with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 30: Chimera 3.9

Chapter Text

Chimera 3.9

“Mortal Divinity?” I asked.

Echidna and I sat at the table in the lair, reviewing my new Character Sheet, from my recent Rank Up. The biggest changes would be the tail, which was not on the sheet. Well, that and the developmental ability Khepri, but that change was on the sheet..

“It sounds like an oxymoron,” I said.

“Perplexing,” Echidna said. 

She had taken to playing with my serpent-tail as we sat. She would carve off pieces from a dead rat and toss them into the air for the snake to snap-up and swallow. It was strange, seeing, tasting, feeling the appendage, but not directly controlling it. 

“Tell me daughter, do you know what separates Mortals from Divinity?”

“Mortals die and Divinities don’t?”

“Not exactly. Mortals are technically immortal, as their souls continue on forever. Divinity cannot die, but can fade to non-existence. But that is not the difference I alluded to.” She held out her hand, which the snake had begun rubbing its head against. I was on the fence about the tail. I really was.

“Mortals change,” I offered.

She nodded and smiled. “Just so. And the Divine are stagnant,” Echidna said. She also cooed as she leaned in and petted the snake between its eyes.

“Which means Mortal Divinity is a changing Goddess?” I offered another guess.

“Or a fading mortal…” Echidna shrugged. “Regardless, it would be second-hand divinity at best, as it’s through the Falna, and not your own Domain.”

She gave the snake one last pat then stood. “But this is for a future conversation. I believe we have an appointment this morning… ?” She gave me a suggestive look.

What appointment was she talking about? Could it be, I wondered… A grin slowly split my face, showing far too many too sharp teeth and too thin lips. My tail swayed behind me over my shoulders and head and tasted  the air with a forked tongue.

“New weapons…” I said breathlessly.

“Indeed. Your artifacts should be ready. So shall we?” She asked, holding out her arm. We left, arm in arm, and headed towards the Tower of Babel.

 

It was strange, walking with my tail swaying behind me. 

At one point, I had tried convincing it to wrap around my waist like a belt, to possibly disguise the monstrosity. But it was far too alive and far too curious to put up with not acting like basket-charmer’s snake on a performance.

After watching my pantomime gesticulations, Echidna chuckled in her contralto voice. “I recommend accepting your new appendage and treating her as the little sister that she is.”

I scoffed. I sensed no biological markings on this snake-tail of mine. “How do you know its gender?”

“Her gender,” Echidna chided. “And a Goddess knows her children…”

But I would not be outsmarted by a snake. And passersby were pointing and staring. So I figured I would force the issue. I let go of Echidna’s arm, I pivoted quickly–I reached out and grabbed the snake’s throat… and all to earn a venom laced bite on my right shoulder for my problems.

“Are you done acting the fool?” Echidna said, a smile on her voice. “I remember learning to accept my first tail. We went on such adventures together…” she sighed in reminiscence.

I glanced at Queen where she patrolled along the shadows. “Help?”

She chittered and shook her front as if to say ‘no.’

“Traitor,” I mumbled.

I could have sworn that I heard Queen laughing.

Echidna took my arm in hers once more. “Now come! I wish to see your new toys.”

 

We were passing the fountain when we saw them. Or rather, that they saw us.

“Yo, Bug-Girl!” Tiona shouted.

“M-miss Taylor!” Bell called, from where he had been waiting beside the Amazon. Bell was flushing furiously.

“Tiona, Bell.” I nodded to them cordially. “What were you discussing?” My eyes lingered over Bell’s tomato coloration.

“Ah, nothing much,” Tiona laughed, slapping Bell on his back. “Just talkin ‘bout life back in the jungle.”

“Y-yes… The A-amazon Homeland…” Bell shuddered.

“I am unfamiliar with the Amazon homeland. What in particular were you discussing?” I asked.

Bell made a strangled coughing sound, while starting to hurry towards the Babel elevators. Meanwhile, Echidna smiled with faint amusement.

“Was it mating practices?” Echidna asked.

“Yup!” Tiona cheered. “Telling him all about how we treat captives of war, if you know what I mean.”

“I do not,” I said. I should look into more about Tiona’s homeland. If only Orario had the equivalent of the internet. Or Lisa. Preferably a Lisa.

“Likely for the best, daughter.”

We began following Bell towards the elevators, when my ‘little sister’ made an appearance, by poking out from behind my shoulder and hissing at Tiona.

Tiona froze mid step. “Is that. Did you… !” She squealed like an excited school girl. “You have a three-step viper for a tail!”

“...yes?” I said. “You aren’t horrified?”

“No way! That is so freaking cool! I want a snake for a tail!” Stars practically floated in her eyes. She turned towards Echidna. “If I join your Familia could I get one of those? Plea~se!”

“Unlikely,” Echidna answered slowly. “But perhaps it is possible. After the War Game, we may discuss this matter further.”

We resumed walking for a few paces.

“So what’s her name?” Tiona asked.

This time it was me that froze. “How do you know it’s a girl?” I asked.

Tiona laughed. “Cuz it’s a three-step viper, and not a four.”

That… did not make nearly as much sense as Tiona probably thought it did. I refrained from asking further as we piled into an elevator. My tail hissed angrily when I tried backing into a corner to make room, so I ended up facing the corner to oblige my ‘little sister.’ Tiona had crammed in behind me, and I felt her hands petting the base of the snake.

I blushed, but the snake liked it. It was just, that, her hands, were, well they were exploring awfully close to my back. And those motions were very… provocative. Thankfully, Echidna saved me from further awkwardness.

“Please, refrain from molesting my daughter, at least while in my presence.”

“Sorry,” Tiona said. Then as if it was reason enough, “Amazon.” She thumbed at herself when she said that last part. I noticed that Tiona did not sound that sorry. Not at all. Myself and my ‘little sister’ were also disappointed when she stopped petting us.

We reached the middle floor with the high end adventuring wares, where Hephaestus located her Familia’s shop and headquarters. As we stepped out from the elevator, Tiona let me get off first. But just as she went to follow, directly behind me, Echidna interjected herself so that Echidna walked between Tiona and myself.

“This is a serious Familia occasion,” Echidna said.

Tiona pouted, and Bell ignored the side-play completely as he marched forward towards Hepheastus’ shop. He beat us by a minute, but Hephaestus still had yet to show. I could feel eyes on me though.

“Did you ring the bell?” I asked.

“Huh?” Bell said, confusion on his face. I resisted the urge to facepalm. I had more or less walked into that. 

“I know how to get her attention,” Tiona said. She then went to start fondling several of the swords.

Hepheastus showed up seconds later, trailing a cloud of smoke from the forge in back. 

“Hands off!” Hepheastus shouted. “I heard from Gobinui about the shit you pull.” Hepheastus then saw the rest of us, and her eye narrowed. “Aw hell, you brought the gang eh?” Hepheastus said more than asked.

“It’s ready right?” A wide smile spread across my face, and my tail seemed to pick up on the excitement, hissing and swaying.

“Ugh,” Hephaestus said, looking at my ‘little sister.’ “Looks like she’s yer daughter.”

“Indeed,” Echidna said. She tried playing it off as nothing, but I could hear the smile in her voice. “Now let us see the masterwork of the Goddess of Forge, and that which you wrought with the scale and fang voluntarily parted from the Lady of Skies.”

Hepheastus coughed, “You really know how to win ‘em,” she muttered, but then she slid a dark cherry box across the counter. I went to open it, but she put her hand on it to hold it shut. 

“Uh-uh-uhp!” Hepheastus said.

I raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I can count on one hand the number of times I have worked with material matching what you offered. Not considering how you gained it, cuz that’s none of my business–”

“-it is not,” Echidna said dryly.

“-this is some of the finest work I have ever created. Not just some of… , it is the finest . I normally don’t work spellcraft like this neither, but I did, and I stretched all the bounds of my craft… This weapon’ll grow with you, will be a companion for you, an’ if I ever hear you lost it or disrespected it, not even your Goddess could keep you safe from me. Got it?

My mouth was salivating. I reached for it, but she slid it away from me. 

“Tease!” Tiona laughed.

“First the armor. Breastplate and left pauldron.” She pulled a larger box of similar make out from beneath the counter and opened it, twisting it around so that I could inspect the wares. “Now normally I wouldn’t make a chest piece for a woman with these dimensions, but–” she gestured at my very flat chest “-you and that Amazon friend there–”

“-HEY!”

“-are the exceptions, it seems.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Boob armor is inefficient.”

“Yeah!” Tiona said, arms crossed. 

Meanwhile, Bell blushed and sputtered from where he watched.

The chest plate was similar to what Bell wore, except a matte black, with a crimson leather harness holding it in place. 

“The leather’s interweaved with orsinium. There wasn’t enough scale to make up for it. It’ll cost your Goddess extra–figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“It’s fine,” Echidna waved it off. “Once we win this War Game, we will pay.”

Along the black chest-plate and matching left pauldron, along the circumference, there were golden hieroglyphs that almost glowed, similar to Divine Ichor.

“Well? Put it on! Make sure the fitting’s are all right.” She motioned Tiona over. “You know how to work armor?”

“Yes, Lady Hephaestus,” Tiona said.

Tiona held the breastplate up as she slipped on the leather harness and began tightening the straps. I noticed Echidna glaring at Tiona, but I had trouble caring. Having Tiona this close, breathing on the back of my neck, her hands tracing over the leather over my back and shoulders–it was rather distracting.

Finally she was done.

“Try jumping,” Hephaestus said.

So I did.

“Try rolling.”

So I did.

“Try spinning like a top–”

“Seriously?” Tiona laughed.

“Lady Hephaestus!” Echidna scolded.

“Fine, fine,” Hepheastsus chuckled. She pushed the box with the weapon in it towards me. “Behold!” She opened the box and turned it around, revealing the contents. “My finest work yet.”

Inside the dark cherry box, sitting on a layer of form fitted purple velvet, there lay the artifact. Formed primarily of a fang voluntarily parted from the most fearsome monster of all the land, in conjunction with her scales, and literal magic from the Goddess of the Forge.

Originally I had wanted a handgun, similar to back on Bet. However, after consideration, I realized it would be impossible to recreate that here. The logistics, the infrastructure, the laws of physics–they were all different.

But with the magic of the land, I could perhaps have something better.

At the time, Hepheastus had been the one to bring up the idea of ‘wands.’ We could use the fang as a focus to add a piercing trait to my own Abyssal Shadows, which would devastate enemies.

I thought of a potential baton in shape. But then, we wondered, why not use a shape similar to a handgun, with the best parts of a wand and blade mixed in?

The result was a hilt form fitted to my left grip, with a curving black blade on both ends highlighted with hieroglyphics. Were I to punch someone with this weapon, both blades would pierce my target. Were I to channel my magic through it…

A black glow sucked all the light in, stretching from just over my fist, between the two blades. I felt I still retained control over the miasma, but that there was something ‘else’ added to it.

“Perfect,” I whispered.

“So cool!” Bell said.

“SEXY!” Tiona added.

“Fitting,” Echidna complimented.

“You gotta name it!” Hephaestus demanded.

Queen chittered down my shoulder and danced happily. Words were at the tip of my tongue, and not entirely my own, waiting for consent, which I gave.

“Queen’s Bite,” I said, naming the weapon. “I name this artifact Queen’s Bite.”

“Let’s test it out!” Tiona cheered, all but dragging me and Bell out of the store and down to the dungeon.

 

We spent the bulk of that day on the tenth and eleventh floor. Weapon tests were a success. I felt lighter and stronger than ever before. My new tail was highly venomous and had a penchant for envenoming enemies with a very loose interpretation of overkill. We wrapped up that evening to meet Hestia and Echidna at Hostess of Fertility, where we were wished luck by the staff and toasted to our soon to be victory. That night, I took a bath, relaxed beside Echidna, and then cozied up in our nest. 

Before I left the next morning, Echidna surprised me with a hug, a kiss to the forehead, and the words, “Survive first daughter. Win second. Come home to me, please.”

“I will–” I hesitated for just a moment. I had considered doing this for a while, and still had mixed feelings. But with the upcoming War Game, I might not have a better chance.

“I can never replace my mom,” I told her. “But I will come back–” I took a breath “-Mother.”

She hugged me twice as tightly as before, and I felt her tears on my shoulder.

I met Bell at the church, and together we hiked out of Orario and up into the surrounding hills. After a two days journey, we set up camp with the vista of the Fort. At midnight, the War Game began.

Chapter 31: Chimera Interlude: Apollo

Chapter Text

Chimera Interlude: Apollo 

Apollo arrived at the party hosted at Freya’s penthouse. Attendance was all but mandatory for the Divinities within Orario. Even Echidna and Hestia had arrived. Apollo would have felt offended by their presence, but Freya’s penthouse was the place to be.

And the view of the city was simply staggering! It was a wonderful ambiance to entertain one such as himself while his Familia dominated the foolish upstarts.

When he approached Freya as she sat crosswise upon her throne, legs hanging over one arm, and her back against the other, he bowed his head respectfully.

“Lady Freya,” Apollo started. “As always, your taste in decoration is impeccable in all things.”

“Yes, it is…” Freya answered, hardly paying any attention to Apollo at all. She waved dismissively at him with her fluted glass. “Oh,” she added, as an afterthought. “Good luck to your Familia. I hope we are not disappointed.”

“Luck is not necessary,” Apollo said with a forced smile. “But for entertainment, I suppose we may all be disappointed. Unless we find the crushing of insects underfoot thrilling.”

Freya gave a knowing smirk but waved him off once again. Other Gods came to pay their respects, while Ottar ‘The King’ watched all who approached Freya with a careful eye. Offended, but unable to contest otherwise, Apollo took his leave to find a suitable refreshment, for the moon was high in the sky, and soon, the game would start.

Soon, a Divine Mirror opened up across one of the walls of Freya’s penthouse. It revealed two faces, one, the ancient visage of Ouranos. The other, the ridiculous elephant mask of Ganesha.

“The use of Arcaneum to open Divine Mirrors is now allowed,” Ouranos said, before the image of him disappeared, leaving only Ganesha.

“I AM GANESHA!” Ganesha said. 

His voice could be heard echoing across the city as he opened Divine Mirrors for the people to observe the game through. Many cheers sounded. 

“Today, we behold the ultimate contest between the Apollo Familia, and the alliance of Hestia and Echidna! Who will win?! I, GANESHA, shall narrate and keep you all up to speed!”

Never had Apollo understood Ganesha’s act of buffoonery. It had fooled many, But not Apollo. Gods seldom changed from their time in the Heavens, and Ganesha had not been a fool in Heaven. Throughout the room, the Divinities opened their own personal Divine Mirrors, allowing them to focus as they wished on the castle that Apollo’s Familia fortified.

“But first!” Ganesha continued to prattle, “I, GANESHA, shall provide a rendition of the history of War Games! …first instituted when the Hades Familia challenged Zeus for crimes against Persephone’s Honor, and then continued between Hera and Zeus for a related slight, the history of War Games is long and GLORIOUS! They are an honored tradition to allow competition with minimum bloodshed , to allow the people their ENTERTAINMENT and the Familia’s their violence and rankings! I, GANESHA, …”

Instead of listening to the Prattle, Apollo thought of how satisfying it would be to crush Echidna and her daughter beneath his heel, and the glory that Freya had promised his Familia. 

And if Apollo worried he had been played by Lady Freya, well, he could not exactly act upon that fear. So, instead, he chose to hope. Just as the Sun shone on, regardless of weather, so would Apollo, regardless of his justified fears of betrayal… besides, even if Freya was using him, he still had every confidence his Familia would win. They had many surprises prepared for the peculiar magic of the monster spawn.

“...now, a word from our sponsors…” Ganesha said. 

The Divine Mirror shifted to Demeter’s farms outside the city.

Any time now, the Game would well and truly start. Apollo glanced out the windows towards where the War Game would take place. In the distance, he saw a column of black blot out the moon and stars. Not for the first time, he thought it disgusting that the Game had been scheduled for night, as opposed to the glorious day.

“And it looks like the Echidna Familia is starting with an intimidation play!” Ganesha shouted. 

Apollo snorted. He turned his attention back to deciding which drink would be the right drink for him. As he made these heavy decisions, an irritatingly successful Goddess approached him.

“Havin’ second thoughts Sunny?” Loki taunted. “I know I’d be. From what I’ve heard from my girls, Echidna’s brat has some real power.”

“Bah, don’t be ridiculous,” Apollo said. “My Captain is level three. I have several level twos. And over a hundred Familia members entrenched with plenty of preparations. If anything, I should be thanking you for helping make this Game even slightly more interesting. For I have heard how your Amazon has seemingly begun ‘courting’ the beast.” He finished with distaste in his mouth.

“Heh. So what if she is? So long as me ‘n mine get paid, it don’t matter.” Loki laughed, taking her drink and heading back to the largest Divine Mirror, where the other Divinities were watching from.

“Ridiculous person,” Apollo muttered to himself as he tried to figure out the best place to watch from. 

These parties were as much about socialization as they were about entertainment. As his Familia had entered this ploy at the suggestion of Freya, he would have naturally sought her company, which would do many good things for his own soft rankings within Orario. However, as Freya was too busy for him, apparently, nevermind their alliance, he decided to try his hand at pre-battle gloating. 

He headed over to where Hestia stood, next to the artisan Hepheastus.

“Apollo,” Hestia spat. 

Hepheastus grunted, patted Hestia on the shoulder, then left to get her own refreshments. Not everyone could tolerate the near presence of the radiant sun. Apollo would not hold her departure against the artisan.

“Lady Hestia,” Apollo greeted cordially, watching the artisan leave. “I wondered if you had preferences for Honeymoon locations.”

“We are not going on a Honeymoon!” Hestia pretended outrage, yet the blush upon her pale cheeks proved her interest and excitement. Apollo was unsure why Hestia insisted on these games, but if that was what she wished, then Apollo would oblige.

“Is it not customary for newlyweds?” Apollo asked, raising a single eyebrow. He offered his most charming smile. He had spent long hours practicing it in the mirror, just for this occasion, and he was rather proud of the achievement.

“Even if you win,” Hestia started, “that doesn’t mean you and I are getting married. That is just–ugh–gross! I’m a Virginal Goddess you gross old-man!”

Apollo’s smile crashed and burned and he snarled. 

“I am not old!” Apollo seethed. “Take that back!”

“Make me!” Hestia shouted.

“Children,” Echidna the Abomination said as she approached them. “Why must you two argue? … is it not sufficient to watch our Familias ruin yours, Apollo?”

“Oooooh! Monster Mommy’s got burns Sunny! How’s that feel!” Loki crowed as she came by. “Yo, but the pre-game talk’s over. It’s about to get real. And I just gotta say Sunny, but your folks aren’t looking too good~”

“What?!” Apollo said. He used his own Arcaneum to open a Divine Mirror overlooking the castle.

A swarm of insects blotted out the sky above the castle, cutting off the weak moon and starlight, and plunging the castle into true darkness, where not even the moon or the stars were available.

“Light the torches!” Hyakinthos shouted out. His face seemed a bit greener than normal, but it could have been the disgusting waves of chittering insects flying through the air, stinging and biting. “Get the lanterns up!”

“We’re trying!” Falkins the Pallum answered. “But they aren’t doing much! The bugs keep swarming the flames!”

Apollo focused in on one of the lanterns. 

Insects, possibly Scarabs, were flying headfirst into the panes of glass, cracking the glass. Ordinarily the beetles would have perished in the suicidal attacks, but as soon as their horns or mandibles broke, they reformed and continued. 

“What disgusting magic your daughter has,” Apollo muttered to Echidna. She smiled but remained focused upon her own Divine Mirror.

“Throw the counterweights and clear the walls!” Hyakinthos shouted, clutching his stomach with unease. “Team Crown, into the keep! Team Barricade, into the Garrison! Fallback points now!”

“We’re… retreating already?” Falkins asked, hesitant to relay the orders. The underlying hum from the swarms above the castle made conversation difficult.

“Do you want to stay out here?!” Hyakinthos asked. “At least inside we have proofings against these bugs.” He slapped at his neck, where a mosquitto had landed. It flew off once his hand lifted. “What a nightmare…”

Apollo was torn. He knew his children had tricks up their sleeves, but he might have possibly been focused on other, more immediate, concerns when they had told him what they were, exactly. So now, he was left partially wondering, and also concerned. His children would not make a fool of him, would they?

It seemed Hyakinthos was playing it safe… but by planning to guard the throne room, he appeared to be making a mistake. What Hyakinthos really needed to do was take out the source of the magic. Otherwise they would be overrun. But had Hyakinthos only given orders to two teams…? Apollo had thought there were more… 

Oh, very clever. Apollo smiled and shook his head. If even the Sun God had been fooled, then surely the foolish monster child would as well. 

Apollo opened a Divine Mirror to spy upon the opposition.

Bell Cranel and Taylor Hebert remained hidden in the trees on the opposite side of a hill, out of sight of the castle, even if all starlight had been blotted out. Taylor appeared focused on her magic, while Bell paced nervously, his knives out and ready.

“Why aren’t we attacking M-miss Taylor?” Bell asked. “W-we have them! I-I’ve seen you kill more with less!”

A spider the size of a horse dropped down from a tree and chittered at Bell. He winced and backed up a step.

“Queen,” Taylor spoke in a warning voice.

Was that the same Familiar from the Denatus? How had that spider grown so large?!

The spider chittered at Taylor and then almost seemed to glare at Bell, before it scampered off. All throughout the trees, a horrifying nightmare of spiders spun haphazard webs, creating triplines and traps for anyone attempting to sneak upon them.

“M-miss Taylor?” Bell prompted.

“It’s all about reputation,” Taylor said in a dead voice. She failed to inflect at all. It gave Apollo the creeps, and he had strong urges to burn her with fire. “Apollo’s Familia crossed a line, and now I am showing them, and everyone watching, their error. It might seem cruel, but this is the least cruel option, Bell…”

“She’s deranged,” Apollos said. Several other Gods nodded in agreement, while Dionysus giggled, which really just proved Apollo’s point even further.

“B-but Miss Taylor!” Bell said. “How is that–” he pointed up at the sky “-helping our r-reputation?”

Taylor smiled with her thin lips, stretching too far and too wide, and showing her horrifying teeth. 

“Let me show you, Bell.”

Apollo went back to the Divine Mirror showing the castle–the battlements had been deserted as everyone retreated into the safe interior of the keep, where windows and doors had been shuttered and sealed with special order pesticides.

But it seemed, his attention was on the wrong thing. A disturbing voice of clicks and susurrations echoed down from the sky, seeming to speak from all angles, and echoing. He shifted his mirror upwards, so that he could see the flowing shadows filling the sky. It sounded demonic, unholy, and something just like what Echidna would love. Apollo glared at Echidna, who in fact, was smiling. Disgusting.

“Fa-mil-ia of A-po-llo,” the voice spoke, sounding disjointed. “Surrender, or perish. You h-ave fi-ve minutes.”

“You know they won’t surrender?” Bell asked. “They’re t-too confident.”

“I hope they won’t,” Taylor said.

“Then why give them the choice at all?” Bell asked. 

The question was echoed by several Gods.

“Yes, daughter, why?” Echidna murmured, though in no way could any of the War Game participants hear the Gods through the Divine Mirrors. “Why offer mercy?”

Taylor looked thoughtful, opened her mouth several times in abortive attempts to explain, then shrugged. “Call it habit.”

Bell continued watching the spiders working, wincing. “Will you–we–really kill them?”

“War Games are dangerous, Bell.”

“Yeah, b-but Miss Taylor, usually casualties aren’t a thing. At least a-according to Miss Einna.”

The five minutes had expired, and naturally, none of Apollo’s Familia had surrendered. Cassandra the Oracle had come close, but Hyakinthos kept a firm eye on her and Daphne, preventing either from giving in to their inborn womanly cowardice.

“Perhaps,” Taylor said. “But War Games usually aren’t played by people like me.”

“Or Monsters like us, daughter,” Echidna said with a feral smile.

Apollo shuddered. That Goddess of Abominations could not be banished back to Tenkai fast enough. Who even decided to allow her to descend in the first place?

Ganesha’s voice boomed throughout Orario.

“And so! The grace period ends, and the Aggressors launch their attack! I AM GANESHA, and I am excited to watch what happens! Will the strange pestilence magic be enough? Or will the power of the Sun God thwart the invaders? Find out! After a word from our Sponsors…”

The public Divine Mirrors switched to an image of Goibinu’s workshop, where a burly smith hammered away at a sword. Someone cleared their throat, and the smith looked up towards where the Divine Mirror was. “Oh! Didn’t see ya there,” the smith said. “For the finest armor and weapons any First Class Adventurer could find, come to Goibinu! We are Loki Approved…”

“So embarrassing,” Loki was hiding her face, while several other Gods glanced her way and chuckled.

Soon, the advertisement ended, and all attention returned to the War Game. 

The swarm descended on the castle. 

A tornado of mandibles and stingers. If any of Apollo’s Familia had remained on the walls, out in the open, there was little doubt that they would have perished. This foul magic was terrifying. If Taylor were not so hideous, Apollo would seek her out for his own collection. But as it was, he had standards to maintain.

“Gross!” Loki shouted, several other Gods echoed the sentiment. Miach looked green in the face. 

Verily the scene was, to put it in an uncouth manner, absolutely nasty . However, despite this blatant fact, Apollo found himself smirking as the horde of Abyssal Shadow descended into the castle’s courtyard and began chipping away at the wooden barricades and entryways.

“Of course they shuttered the arrow-slits with pesticide,” Taylor complained. “But why? Why would they do that there, and not the front door?”

“Is your girl for real there?” Loki asked Echidna. “It’s obviously a trap. She’s–what’s the word? Trolling? Yeah! That. She’s trolling us! Look at her face!”

Loki’s Divine Mirror focused on Taylor, and as Taylor ‘thought’ out loud, her lips curled a fraction into a menacing grin. The poor fool child failed to realize her fate was sealed.

“I have relatives that are offended by that term,” Echidna said absent-mindedly about the term ‘troll.’

“Ha!” Apollo said, missing the joke, and instead focused on Taylor’s smile as she blindly sent her swarm into his Familia’s glorious trap. “It appears your child is as stupid as she is ugly.”

Several of the Gods standing near Apollo took a step away, as though it was Apollo who stunk this viewing party with an odious stink. It was actually Miach’s fault, from the pungent herbs of his craft. Apollo pitied any of the Gods who actually had to labor beyond artful hobbies, such as Lord Soma. 

“Now!” Hyakinthos shouted, springing the glorious trap. 

Falkins cut a cord from inside the first level. A series of weights that hung from a pulley up above the keep began falling, carrying a tight meshed steel net down with it, covering most of the courtyard and trapping the swarm.

“Foolish child!” Apollo gloated. “Looks like your trump magic has been thwarted…” He turned his attention to the short and immensely endowed goddess. “Dear Hestia. I hear Melen is lovely this time of year for Honeymoons.”

“Ugh!” Hestia glowered. “I am not marrying you! It doesn’t matter if I lose or you win. It’s not happening.”

“But the wager,” Apollo said, giving his most disingenuous smile. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on reneging?”

“Gross,” Loki snorted. “I was there ya know? I don’t remember marriage being on the line. It was more of a formal alliance or an exchange of Familia members. ‘Cuz, a marriage would be–just–ew. Like–I know you Olympians are a bit weird on the whole ‘bout that kinda stuff, but still–no.”

“Thank you, Loki,” Hestia said, pointing at the irritating Goddess. “What the washboard said. I’m not marrying you–you–Golden Idiot!”

“Oi Shrimp! I’m tryna be nice here!”

“We shall see,” Apollo said. “I doubt any lady in my proximity could long resist my charm.” He gave his most practiced smile once more.

Both Goddesses looked at Apollo, their lips turned downwards, likely intimidated by his greatness.

“Light the flare!” Hyakinthos shouted. “Throw the glue!”

“Burn it all!” Falkins shouted! “Light it up!”

Several other ropes, color coordinated, were cut across the keep and garrison. Pots of glue crashed on top of the nets, breaking open and spraying a custom made goop insect killer across the ground, binding and killing the trapped insects.

Apollo’s lips curled up.

“What’s your kid playin at?!” Loki demanded Echidna.

“I am unsure. And yet I remain fully confident in her abilities. Did I mention that she ranked up?” Echidna bragged, as though it would make any difference.

“For real?!” Loki asked. “Damn! That’s like–what, less than two weeks? Your girl’s got some real bullshit goin’ on there. O’ course my Tiona was power levelin her, but still!”

“It matters not,” Apollo sneered. “I have plenty of Familia members in their second rank, and Hyakinthos is in his third…”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Loki said, waving him off.

Meanwhile, among the invaders and their woodland hideout, where several Divine Mirrors were still focused. “Their trap has sprung,” Taylor said. “Are you ready for your part Bell?”

“Y-yeah,” he said. “A-are you sure?”

“I am confident, yes.”

“B-but c-can I do this?”

“Bell, I was about your age when I fought a dragon. I won . I think you can manage.”

Several murmurs went through Freya’s penthouse. 

“Did she really?” 

“A dragon?” 

“Without a Falna?” 

The worst part was, all of the Gods could tell that she spoke the truth. What a braggart!

“Alright–” Bell hopped up and down, trying to psyche himself up. What an amazing specimen of a child! Apollo greatly desired him. “-I can do this, I can do this–”

“-if you would prefer, we can improvise.” The way that Taylor said that, it sent chills down Apollo’s spine.

“That–that would be–no, I can do this!” the Valiant Bell said.

“Good luck.”

Bell took off running towards the Castle.

“It looks like Hestia’s very own Bell Cranel has taken the field!” Ganesha narrated. “Young Bell Cranel arrived in the city just two months ago, and has since made a splash! Often seen hanging around the Hostess of Fertility, and enjoying the doting care of many…”  

When Bell was midway to the castle, a tarp flew up, exposing several of Apollo’s level two adventurers as they jumped up from their fox-holes. 

They rushed after Bell, who narrowly dodged them and kept running. 

Another tarp flew up. 

This one had Cassandra jump up. But how had she gotten down there? How far did those tunnels extend? 

Cassandra used a short bow to fire a blunted arrow at Bell. 

He dodged. 

Another tarp flew up. Another fox-hole exposed. Bell stumble-dodged a clumsy grab. Cassandra shot again. The next blunt arrow hit.

“And it looks like the Apollo Familia has sprung a series of elaborate traps on young Bell Cranel… And Bell goes down! Wow, that’s gotta hurt!”

From off of the trees, insects seemed to peel off from the foliage, from where they had been hidden in the shadows. Cassandra was the first to notice. She rushed towards Bell, a blade in her hand. The swarm began falling on Apollo’s Familia.

Then there was screaming. 

So much screaming. 

The insects chittered. The wave of chitin washed over Apollo’s Familia members. 

They were lost to the Divine Mirror. Not even Arcaneum could pierce the lightless shroud.

Cassandra pulled Daphne over to where Bell had fallen, and she pulled her knife out and held it to Bell’s neck.

The swarm reached them, having devoured the rest of the ambushers.

A person made of insects stepped forward out of the swarm.

“Ca–ssan–dra–” Its words came across disjointed, made from insects that should never be capable of speech. “Surrender.”

“I–we can’t…” Cassandra said. Daphne tried angling in front of Cassandra and Bell, to protect them from the horror that blotted out the sky and forest around them. All that could be seen was the vegetation within feet of them, and the insects. The darkness was near absolute. “Please… don’t hurt us. We’ll keep him alive.”

“Ughhh–” Bell groaned. “Wha– hit me?” he asked. “M-miss Taylor?”

“Bell,” the bugs spoke. “Cassandra holds a knife to your throat. How shall I proceed?”

“She–is she a pretty girl?” Bell asked. Apollo knew that boy had good taste, and a fine eye for beauty.

None of the girls nor Taylor responded at first.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Daphne demanded.

Bell sounded out of it, likely from the head injury. “Grandpa always said to listen to pretty girls,” he slurred.

“Yes.” Taylor finally said.

“-then I’ll goesh with them, ok-k Miss Taylor?”

“Then go.” 

The swarm pulled away. 

There was no sign that any of Apollo’s family had been there, except for metal buckles, armor, and weapons. Everything else was gone, even the surface vegetation that had surrounded them.

“I’m going to be sick,” Miach complained.

“Marvelous!” Dionysus giggled. “Absolutely terrific! Echidna, your daughter is amazing!”

“Are… are they dead?” Apollo asked quietly.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Hestia said.

“Nah, they dead,” Loki added. “I’ve heard things about Echidna’s girl. They dead.”

Cassandra and Daphne pulled Bell towards the castle, keeping a knife ready. They navigated around the fires burning in the courtyard. When they got to the center of the courtyard, they shouted, “Hyakinthos, we have Bell prisoner! Let us in!”

“Is Bug-Bitch there?”

Cassandra looked over her shoulder but failed to see her. “No!”

“Alright, Stage Two people!” Hyakinthos shouted. “Hunters go!”

The door opened, and a party of ten adventurers, dressed in bulky cloth armor and netting covering their faces, came bursting forth, while Cassandra and Daphne pulled Bell inside, towards the main barracks, adjacent to the ‘throne-room.’

“And Apollo is COUNTER ATTACKING folks!” Ganesha shouted excitedly over the Divine Mirror. “It looks like they are prepared to counter the one, the only, the Taylor! Let’s see how they fare. I AM GANESHA!!!”

Apollo watched the party race towards where Bell had come from. They had already scoped out where Taylor’s nest was, or they should have anyway, if their scouts and spies had been working as planned. It looked like they were heading the right direction at least.

The swarm converged on them. 

But the suits held. 

The insects failed to break through the fabric and the mesh. 

“Ha!” Apollo gloated. “It appears that your child has failed to the genius of man, Echidna. Typical of your brood.”

“Watch,” Echidna said, sparing Apollo not even a glance. “Perhaps you will learn. Though my hopes for you are small.”

Apollo’s forces continued to move, the swarm failed to pierce their armor, but they were up to something.

The swarm was accumulating on each of his adventurers, adhering to their suits. 

The men and women began moving sluggishly. They wiped at themselves, but as soon as they smeared the insects, they would reform. And the accumulations grew. How heavy were they? It was an unknowable answer. They looked heavy though.

The first of his men fell to their knees. 

The insects climbed further up him, forcing him down under the weight. The ground began shifting underneath them. Apollo focused on the ground. It looked like grains of sand moving, but on closer inspection, he saw it was legions of ants moving the dirt out from under the collapsed Familia member–Apollo failed to recognize who it was through the suit–but his heart felt pain all the same.

A hole formed, slowly swallowing the adventurer in the dirt. He screamed and screamed, slowly muffled as the dirt was pushed back over on top of him.

All of the Gods watching had gone silent.

Gradually, all of the adventurers were buried. 

Their protective suits, specially designed to keep magical pests out or not, failed to save them. 

They were all smothered in the dirt and the mud. 

But even then, as the dirt pressed in, and as the adventurers struggled to break free, causing their freshly dug graves to shake and churn, hordes of insects rolled rocks over the top of the graves. And then teams of termites collapsed trees over the top of that.

“They–”

“Shit…”

“I–I’m so sorry Apollo…”

“This is just the best!” Dionysus laughed. “More wine! More soma! Cheers!”

“Let all be warned who would cross my daughter,” Echidna said calmly, a look of matronly pride across her face.

“Uhh, oh, gross,” Ganesha’s voice could be heard as he fell out of character. He coughed. “And now, let’s hear a word from our sponsors!” Ganesha shouted, with the public Divine Mirrors quickly changing focus to Sekhmet’s Ale-House. But instead of an advertisement, it just showed several patrons and a brew-master staring slack-jawed at their own Divine Mirror. 

“Drinks… drinks aren’t strong enough…” their brew-master, a dwarf Familia member, said. “That was… something else. Not even a Sun God deserved that.”

“Speak for yerself!” Another dwarf shouted. “Fuck ‘em all–”

“-Parental Guidance advised,” Ganesha’s voice cut back in. “Please keep young children from watching…” The Divine Mirrors passed back to the War Game.

Apollo went back to focusing on Taylor. 

She had begun to move. She strolled forward, alongside three other humanoid clouds of insects, under the roiling covering of even more of her swarm.

“How much magic does she even have…” Apollo asked.

Nobody answered.

At Taylor’s side, the horse sized spider scurried. The spider moved in front of Taylor and turned around so that it walked backwards. It chittered at her.

“If you insist,” she said.

The spider crouched lower, and Taylor climbed onto the beast’s back, just behind the head. The spider then took off at a many legged gallop, reminding many Divinities of Loki’s own brand of shame.

“Don’t even think of it!” Loki shouted.

Several of the gods broke the morose atmosphere by snickering.

“Hey! I said don’t think about it!”

Meanwhile, the cloud of insects descended on the castle once more, and the swarm that had been trapped in the courtyard tunneled and bubbled its way up into the main keep. Somehow, the insects found Bell, where he was kept in a guarded room, along with the bulk of Apollo’s defenders.

A bubble formed in the stone, causing cracks, which large beetles boiled out from. They morphed into flying insects and buzzed around the room. Thousands of them landed on the wall facing Bell, and those insects formed a face.

“Greetings and salutations,” the insects buzzed. Two of Apollo’s Familia passed out, collapsing to the floor. Others screamed. “I bring dark tidings…”

“Such drama, daughter,” Echidna murmured, though her smile spoke of fondness as she watched the horrifying antics.

“Your soldiers have fallen. You have my friend as a hostage. I give you this sole opportunity. Surrender… Or die…”

“You aren’t going to scare us!” Hyakinthos shouted, stomping into the room with the bugs and Bell. “A few insects won’t trick anyone. You’re probably strung up now, and any second, you’ll get dragged back in chains like the worthless cur you are!”

The insects chittered in laughter. Outside the keep, Taylor had arrived, though she waited patiently in the swarm that filled the air. Every inch of the keep had been covered by the black miasma or crawling insects.

“Bell,” Taylor said through her swarm. “Cast your spell.”

Hyakinthos glared at the boy, where he was tied down to the chair.

“N-no… I-I can’t Miss Taylor… I-it would–I can’t…” Bell stammered.

“What spell?” Apollo asked. It was rare for unranked adventurer’s to have magic. The value of the boy had just sky-rocketed. Apollo was excited to welcome him into his Familia.

“Ha!” Hyakinthos shouted, watching Bell sputter a denial to the gross bug monster. “At least he knows his place with his future Familia,” Hyakinthos gloated. “But just to be sure.” Hyakinthos motioned to Falkins the Pallum who stood next to Bell.

“You sure boss?” Falkins asked.

“Do- no-t t-ou-chk him,” the insects said.

“Yes, I’m sure!” Hyakinthos shouted. “Do it!”

“Cast it, Bell!” Taylor’s swarm shouted, shaking the room, bringing dust shaking down from the rafters.

“What spell does your boy have?” Loki asked Hestia. 

Hestia grimaced. “Don’t do it Bell, it’s not worth it.”

“I think he might not have a choice,” Loki said, focused on the Divine Mirror, like all the rest of them.

“Falkins!” Hyakinthos shouted. “Knock him out, now!”

“Cast it Bell!” Taylor’s swarm said.

“I can’t!” Bell cried. “I–I’m sorry… I’m not–I’m not a monst–”

“If you say so…” Falkins said, though he sounded anything but certain.

The Pallum struck with a mace, right on the side of Bell’s head. But Bell remained conscious. His Endurance must have been high enough to shrug that off. All the more reason the boy belonged in Apollo’s Familia.

“Do it, Bell!” the insects screamed.

“No!” Bell shouted, along with Hestia.

“Stop them!” Hestia tried convincing Apollo, as though he could do anything from there, besides surrender. But why would he do so, while on the verge of victory? “You don’t want him to cast it!”

“What is his spell, Hestia?” Freya asked from across the room.

“It’s…” Hestia shuddered. “Please? Apollo?”

“No,” Apollo said firmly. “It does not appear he will use it, and my Familia will not overly harm him. So no, I do not think I will surrender.”

“It is not him you need to fear, Lord Apollo,” Echidna said, her contralto laugh almost beautiful, at least until he remembered who she was and the horror she stood for.

“Quiet down!” Freya commanded. “Taylor’s going to act.”

“If you strike him again, Falkins, you will regret it. Much.”

Taylor was not even in the room. 

“So she can both hear and see through her magic. A most useful form of divination…” Hecate mused. “A shame she ended up in your Familia, Echidna.”

Echidna shrugged, “I did warn her before joining. Mine is not a home for the faint of heart. Fortunately, I believe she fits in well.”

“Ugh.” Apollo said.

Meanwhile in the room, Falkins looked at Hyakinthos questioningly.

“Don’t just stand there!” Hyankinthos demanded. “Disable him! Don’t let him cast!”

“I-I w-won’t c-cast-t-t!” Bell moaned. “B-b-but p-pleashe, M-miss T-tayrrr, s-spare them!”

“She is the least of your concerns boy,” Hyakinthos scowled. “Worry more for yourself.”

More insects spread into the room. Falkins brought his mace down all the harder. A sickening crunch filled the chamber. Blood poured from Bell’s temple.

“Did you kill him?!” Hyakinthos swore.

“Damnation!” Apollo shouted.

Falkins felt his pulse. “Shit! Get me a health potion!” He held out his hand, but instead of a potion, Cassandra was there, using her healing magic, before it was too late.

“I warned you!” the insects buzzed off the wall, landing on all the Familia members they could find, stinging and biting and blinding and it was bedlam!

“Wait!” Cassandra shouted. She held one hand to Bell’s head, healing, and in another she held the very same knife she had originally used to hold him hostage. “I’m healing him, but if you kill us, he dies.”

The insects stopped. Miasma fell back to the ground in a pool, and a humanoid of chitin rose up, pointing an arm at her. 

“What do you propose?” Taylor asked through her swarm.

Cassandra looked to Hyakinthos, “Single Combat. You and Hyakinthos… If you win, Bell lives, and we stand down.”

“Know your place!” Hyakinthos demanded.

“It’s that or we all die!” Cassandra shouted.

“Another of your prophecies?” Daphne asked her friend.

“No, common sense,” Cassandra said. “The only way we win is if she surrenders–”

The mass of insects chittered in laughter in a rending sound that left the hair raised up on many of the observers.

“-or we pit our strongest against her… Besides, Hyakinthos is level three.”

Hyakinthos winced as he thought, weighing the options. The man might not have been the smartest, but Cassandra’s words held weight. “Unless, either of you are afraid,” Cassandra added coyly.

“I have nothing to gain from this,” Hyakinthos declared.

“Nor do I,” the insects added. “I can slay all but Cassandra without setting foot within the keep. And I am certain that I can convince Cassandra to heal Bell–if even–the worse–happens…”

“I’ll help you get home,” Cassandra blurted.

The insects paused in their susurration and chirping. Everyone of them froze and almost seemed to turn their full attention on Cassandra.

“How.”

“I had a vision,” Cassandra said, taking a breath. “Of one called Door-Maker. If you fight Hyakinthos, I-I’ll tell you all I know.”

“How does she know that name?” Taylor asked her Familiar, where they remained on top of the keep. They had been drilling holes into the stone roof all the time the conversation had occurred. “It can’t be a coincidence… Passenger?”

The spider chittered in response and bobbed its head.

“Should I accept the duel?”

The spider shrugged, then scratched two tally marks onto the roof of the keep.

“You’ll be my second?” Taylor asked, amused.

The spider nodded.

“Just how smart are Familiars, Hecate dear?” Freya asked.

“Variable, but that one appears more intelligent than most,” Hecate answered. 

“I accept,” the insects reported back in the room.

“You’re level three, Hyakinthos,” Falkins said. “Just end her and let us get home. I want a bath.”

“Don’t we all,” Hyakinthos groused. “Fine. When and where?”

“Throne Room. Now.”

“Fine. No magic. Agreed?” Hyakinthos asked.

“I don’t need magic to end you,” Taylor said. “Agreed.”

“We’ll see,” Hyakinthos smirked. He began heading back towards the throne room.

Taylor finished chewing a hole in the roof, sending a heavy slab of stone falling and crashing into the next floor down, destabilizing the floor, and causing a collapse that continued until the very bottom floor, where several of Apollo’s Familia had been standing, including one of his favorites–

“No, Jen!” Apollo shouted.

But all that was left of anyone that had been in that room was a red smear, squeezed out from beneath the tons of stone that had dropped. If Hyakinthos had been left in there, he also would have been undoubtedly crushed.

Taylor dropped down next, slowed down by her skeletal monstrous arm dragging along the interior stonework as she fell. She landed in a crouch amidst the carnage and rubble.

“I hope you’re ready, Hyakinthos.”

“You bitch!” Hyakinthos shouted. He came running around the corner, pulling out his golden two handed sword. “You will bleed before I end you!”

The insects flying into the room echoed a dry laugh, buzzing all throughout the room. The great spider descended stealthily, almost completely hidden by the shadows. Were it not for another God gossiping, Apollo might have missed it.

“Your daughter better not cheat,” Apollo glared at Echidna. She only smirked in return.

Taylor unsheathed a strange looking punch-dagger, but one with two curving blades on each side of the grip. It looked impractical and lacking in reach. But that was not what concerned Apollo regarding the blade. It was black with golden hieroglyphs, the language of the Gods, along the blade and grip, marking it as a potential artifact grade weapon.

Apollo glanced towards Hephaestus, “Your work?”

She smirked and nodded.

“Lovely,” Apollo said dryly.

The foul and black magic that the little monster spawn favored collected between the tips of the twin blades, and radiated malicious intent. Several of the Divinities shuddered.

“Why does that energy feel familiar?” Freya asked.

“It’s made with parts from ol’ One Eyed,” Hepheastus grunted.

Echidna gave the forge goddess a disapproving glare. “Is it not improper to smith and tell?”

Several of the Divinities chuckled at the joke.

“You think that little thing can stop me?” Hyakinthos smirked.

“Yes.” 

But that blade was not all. From around Taylor’s waist, a serpent made of ink and venom unwound itself, stretching out over Taylor’s backside.

“Is that a tail?!” Hecate laughed.

“It is,” Echidna confirmed. “Just like her Mother,” she sighed.

“How interesting,” Freya laughed, alongside Dionysus.

Hyakinthos flash-stepped forward, pushing all the agility a level three could muster. It was too fast for Taylor to fully dodge, but she was still ready, bouncing the blade off her chestplate, and swiping forward with her skeletal arm. Hyakinthos parried the bones, chipping off bits of the black material that fizzed off into miasma.

Taylor’s tail whipped forward, striking nearly as fast as Hyakinthos. He leapt back, gaining distance from the tail and warding it away with his blade.

“Not bad for a level one,” he said, spitting to the side.

“Not great for a level three,” Taylor mocked.

Hyakinthos growled and flashed forward again. 

This time Taylor grabbed the sword with her skeletal hand and punched forward with her other. The blades just started to stab in, her serpent tail just started biting his shoulder and envenoming him, when he screamed and rolled backwards, leaving his sword in her grip.

He panted, clutching his shoulder where the serpent’s fangs had bit.

“You–you cheated!” he said.

“No,” Taylor said. “You fucked the dog.”

“What, what does that even mean!” Apollo shouted. “Use your Magic Sword and kill her!”

The Divinities were torn: some muttered that Taylor cheated, must have cheated, to have won. Others thought that she had beaten the braggart fair and square. But all of them agreed, that the phrase, ‘fucked the dog,’ made no sense whatsoever.

“Who even is the dog?” Miach asked.

“And who did the fucking?” Dionysus added.

“Such a strange turn of words,” Hecate said. “Is that a spell, I wonder?”

Meanwhile, Hyakinthos suffered greatly.

“What–what did that snake bite me–with.” Hyakinthos gasped. Black veins spread, running up his neck and into his face. His perfect beauty was marred by the vileness of Echidna’s spawn.

“If you concede, your Cassandra might save you in time,” Taylor said. Smirking. As though she knew victory was hers.

No. Intolerable!

“Or–” Hyakinthos coughed “-I kill you now, win, and then get healed.”

He pulled a small curved sword from his belt, with a golden hilt.

“No!” Hestia shouted.

“Cheating Cheater!” Loki shouted.

“Apollo!” Freya scolded. “Reign your animals!”

“You and yours will suffer for this,” Echidna said, her voice as cold as ice.

Meanwhile, Taylor scoffed at the magic sword, failing to recognize its significance. She likely thought it was merely another blade. Hyakinthos whipped it around himself, the tip of the blade beginning to glow, the metal beginning to crack. 

Around it went. Once. Then twice. On the third trip, the magic had to have been apparent. 

Taylor punched her artifact dagger forward, the black energy pooling then lancing forward, extending as a black beam of nothingness, just as Hyakinthos finished bringing his magic sword around a final third time and unleashed a hurricane of a firestorm at Taylor.

The black beam pierced Hyakinthos chest and diluted the magical fire somewhat, but it was too little. The giant spider jumped forward, catching the tail end of the firestorm. But a large portion of the wave still hit Taylor, slamming her against the hard stone irregular rubble, shattering bones and spine and skull. The spider absorbed the rest of the firestorm before losing cohesion.

“...no.” Hestia gasped.

“Apollo,” Echidna said. “This treachery shall be paid back tenfold.”

But Apollo could pay no mind to them. His beautiful Captain had perished, been corrupted, by that snake’s poison! Oh, woe. Woe ! He would have vengeance! He hoped–no, he prayed, that his Familia would ensure the vile monster was dead!

The monster’s foul magic began to melt. All across the castle, the insects melted and poured down onto the ground, bubbling into black tar.

“Is she–is she dead?” Falkins asked.

“Maybe,” Cassandra answered. “But only that, maybe and perhaps. Our Captain has certainly perished.”

“We… we need to make sure,” Falkins said. “Otherwise this was all for nothing, and she might–” he gulped “-might still kill us.”

Daphne winced but silently nodded.

“Let’s go!” Falkins shouted, gaining confidence. “Quickly, before she recovers!”

The bubbling tar had begun flowing, a crawl almost, towards where Taylor lay broken. The first of the tar to reach her had belonged to the giant spider. It seemed to cover her. The vileness coating her, the floor, the corpses… and it only grew.

“What is this?!” Apollo asked, horrified. “Why does her magic persist? She’s dead! Dead!”

“It is beautiful…” Freya whispered huskily.

Meanwhile, Dionysus giggled like the lunatic he was. “A storm is brewing!”

“She’s not dead,” Hecate whispered.

“No, she is not,” Echidna said, her voice still colder than the bitter north. “But I had not wished this upon her so soon.”

“But… what is it?” Hestia asked.

“Watch and see,” Echidna answered. “Watch, and see.”

The shadows continued coalescing. Most of Apollo’s Familia entered the hallway, leaving Cassandra and Bell alone.

“Wait…” Cassandra called to them, but to no avail.

“We can’t Cass,” Daphne called back. “I don’t agree with everything we’ve done, but they’re right about one thing. She’s a monster. She needs to be put down.”

“But… you’ll all die.”

Bell coughed and jerked. 

“Huzzawha?” Bell asked numbly. “Wh-whaa? Why no lap pillows pretties ladies?” he slurred. Likely, he was concussed. It mattered little. Apollo’s Familia would avenge their fallen.

“Bell!” Cassandra cried out, beginning to untie him. “I need you to listen to me. Everyone else is going to attack Taylor. We need to stop them.”

“Huzz?” he said, still catching up with the conversation.

“We need to stop them! … before it’s too late,” she finished in a softer voice.

“Leass the way!” he shouted, stumbling forward out of his chair and falling flat on his face. “Uhsh, helpsh me upsh?” he said. She rushed to his side to help him.

They rushed out, but… no…

Apollo stood glued to the Divine Mirror. He looked down on the black morass that the remainder of his Familia had charged into. At first, it was akin to wading through ankle deep tar, but as they reached nearer their target, the tar grew deeper, up to their calves, thighs, then waist.

Several tripped and fell on rubble they could no longer see, as they tried to navigate the debris strewn throne room. Others began stabbing downwards, attempting to finish off Taylor, nevermind the fact that their weapons likely hit their own allies.

It was then that the true madness started, just as Cassandra helped Bell into the hallway, in time for them to also witness the horror.

Shapes began moving in the fog. Ghostly images of faces. Alien shapes. Overly Large and misshapen creatures that had no business existing, not even in imagination. Some may have been domestic, but made of oozing dripping tar, and partially submerged, all was horror. Tentacle-like arms made of oozing blades reached out and began pulling in the closest Familia members. The tar almost wailed, but it was not a physical sound. And yet, all heard the gnashing of teeth.

Apollo’s Familia panicked and attempted to retreat.

But the tentacles, they were legion, they extended quickly to entrap and ensnare, to cut and garrote.

“No no no! We’re too late, ruu–” Cassandra screamed, but she was too slow in turning, a tentacle reached around her waist, cutting in, leaving staining running beads of ichor and blood running down her legs, before the tentacle tightened, cutting in further. They retracted, leaving her lower half and trailing entrails behind, as the rest was drawn into the ichor. Another tentacle reached for the legs and pulled them in as well.

Within seconds, all of Apollo’s Familia was dead, feasted upon by the darkness.

“Pretty lady?” Bell asked, his face in shock as he looked on and watched the black column of tar swirl and growl and shake the tower. “Wheresh you go? M-miss Taylor? A-anyonesh?”

Several Gods vomited. 

Hestia had covered her mouth in horror. 

Loki was chugging everything with booze that she could find. 

Freya was kicking her legs and squealing in delight. 

And Echidna shook her sadly and said, “oh daughter.”

And Apollo? Apollo swore vengeance. He left the viewing party and found a remote corner to use his Arcaneum from. With a flash of golden light, Apollo left the Tower of Babel, and arrived near the site of the massacre, where his beautiful children had been slaughtered like nothing more than livestock. Worse than livestock. He walked towards the castle, certain that by now that the Gods of Orario had seen his violation of their precious rules. But the rules failed to matter anymore. He would gladly ascend to heaven, if it meant purging this shame from his soul.

He passed the bare spots of foliage left from where that monstrosity had set upon the ambushers, leaving only the metal remnants of their persons behind.

He passed where the earth had bulged like molehills, the tombs of his children who had been so gracelessly buried alive and left to suffocate, regardless of the specially ordered armored apiary suits.

He reached the courtyard, where the netting and alchemical supplies he had paid a kingly ransom to Dian Checht for, where they had served as nothing more than a distraction, and one that lulled his children into a false sense of complacency. 

He used a mote of Arcaneum to push the door inward and clear the barricades blocking his path and he entered the keep proper. It was not long until he reached the ‘Crown Room,’ which truly had been a receiving room of a fort, and not a crown room or kings hall specifically. 

The black tar, the stain proving Echidna’s daughter to be unfit for this world, remained, with a young albino Bell Cranel standing numbly and staring. The boy still stood there, muttering in shock, and with a likely concussion.

Apollo stopped near him, confident in his own capabilities to see his last will finished before he ascended once more.

“Step aside child,” Apollo said. “I must put this foul creature down.” 

Apollo lifted his hand. A golden ball of illumination, brighter than any star or sun, forming above his hand. 

“Lord Apollo, sir!” Bell said, bowing. “W-what’re you–is it o-over?”

“Yes, Bell,” Apollo said. “Yes it is.”

The golden beam of light shot out from Apollo’s hand, burning and searing its way into the morass of ink. The pool of tar roiled and screamed as it evaporated into nothing, neutralized by Apollo’s countenance.

But as much as his beam of focused Arcaneum and Domain burnt off the ichor, the ichor proved that always more foulness existed to be burnt. 

It was madness. Did this creature not know her purpose? That hers was to die groveling beneath his might?

He increased the intensity, bringing both his hands to bear, blasting away the vile substance, the blight of the world itself.

At first, the vileness flowed away from him, retreating from his glowing countenance. But as he worked, faces formed, many, many faces. They screamed and spoke in alien tongues that not even Apollo recognized. And he was a God! All languages were his to comprehend!

“Be gone!” He shouted to the voices and the foul spell of Echidna’s child.

The faces reacted in horror against his glowing gold visage and they sank into the ichor which pulled further away. Tentacles reached out for him, but he blasted them away with but a thought and a stretch of his Domain.

“No more!” Apollo shouted. “No more shall you haunt this world, beast! So be you gone!” He thundered, overpowering the tar-like miasma. 

He had begun making a dent in it now. Less of it remained in the room. The levels of it were noticeably dropping. 

“Yes!” Apollo laughed maniacally, never worrying about what the other Gods thought as they watched.

But then, then the shadow surged backwards and downwards, and disappeared from the room. 

Only bodies remained. 

Only those broken vessels of his Familia. 

The monster’s corpse was not present.

“Did I…” Apollo wondered. “Did I burn it away completely?”

“Statement,” a raspy woman’s voice sounded behind him. “You are the second golden idiot we have slain.” 

“Wha–” Apollo started asking, started turning, but a cold pressure locked his head in place. Something pinched his neck. Ice began flowing through his veins. He pushed against it with his Arcaneum, but the ice resisted his might, somehow bypassing his passive protections. 

“Impossible!” Apollo spat. “I. Am. A. God!”

The woman laughed, a dry sound, echoing through the room. “Query: are you?”

“You foul creature! You cannot! My Arcaneum protects–” he was interrupted by his own screams, as blades dug into his calves, needles and hooks. The ice spread from everywhere the foul substance penetrated. “What–what are you doing?!” he managed through gritted teeth.

“Strange, that Divinities think themselves immortal. They eat and drink and breathe. They feel anger and sorrow and fear. They are as mortal as any. Why do they think they are immortal?”

“Fool–Gah!” he ground his teeth as hooks dug into his wrists, spreading that same ice through his veins. “Immortal–we ascend to heaven, our essence–remains–pu–” he screamed once more, as ice stabbed into his shoulders.

That same echoing laugh. 

“Statement: There are worse things than death,” the throaty husky woman whispered again. 

Was that Taylor? It must be, but how? And it did not sound like her. Nor did it speak like her.

Black fog poured in, covering Apollo’s vision, filling his nostrils and mouth. He poured all his Arcaneum and the full power of the sun, but still the darkness and blackness and vileness and coldness came and came and came… and came…

~~

Far to the north of Orario, upon a mountain overlooking a valley of wyrms, there lounged a particular Goddess of Wisdom. With her single eye, she viewed the shadows closing in on the fool Apollo, despite his ill-advised waste of Arcaneum. The Goddess cackled and closed her green and veined Divine Mirror.

“Echidna dear,” the Goddess spoke, though only she could hear. “Where did you find this daughter of yours? I may desire to pay Orario a visit earlier than we planned.”

Chapter 32: Pestilence 4.1

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.1 

<-up, Host.>

Nothing hurt. Not a good sign.

<-wake up, Host.>

I always ached. I always had pain. From Bet to now, even with regeneration, my body always hurt. In fact, I had grown used to it over the years. I had come to depend on it. And now, nothing.

<Imperative: commence activation sequence.> 

My body always had a surplus of feedback, especially with my ‘little sister.’ Thinking of, where was she? I did not feel her presence… 

For that matter, I did not feel anything whatsoever. Nothing at all.

I grew concerned. 

If I was Dragon, I would have claimed to have begun System Diagnostics. 

I flexed my digits, or tried to. More accurately to say, I sent off the thought-impulse that would have normally caused my digits to flex, but I neither felt the digits move, nor any feedback that the impulse had been received.

<Statement: Host.> 

I almost felt that someone was speaking to me, but it was not an audible thing. Almost like a thought, but it was alien, not mine, yet mine all the same.

<Imperative: Wake up.> 

The only thing that had ever come close to feeling that way was Passenger. Or Queen, later on… But now the thoughts felt much crisper, much clearer, much louder.

<Statement: You are wasting resources.>

I had so many questions. I decided to try asking. Similar to when I tried ‘thinking’ at Passenger, I attempted to ‘think’ a question at her. 

[-Where- -am- I-?]

My question had been sent, but it had felt off–strange–alien–static-ish.

<Statement: Within Monarch Administrator ‘Queen’ crystalline matrix.>

If I understood that correctly, I was currently aware within Passenger’s body, but it sounded as though her body was more like a computer than something I would recognize from biology class… but now that I think of it, that explains some of the things that Passengers got up to.

But if I was currently here, then… 

[Did -I die-?]

<Statement: Ambiguous parameters exist within term.>

That sounded like a maybe, and not what I wanted to hear. But I had more pressing things to consider than my own potential death. 

[Tabling -for now-. Why am I -here?]

<Statement: Asynchronous re-activation of biological components.>

That did not completely answer my question. 

I tried again. 

Maybe the first time the question did not completely translate. I focused even harder on the thought, and was rewarded with clarity.

[Why am I here?] 

<Statement: Efficient communications require appropriate tags preceding data-packet.>

That sentence carried more context than it should have. As I had no ears or auditory senses in this space, we were communicating directly with thoughts, or the crystalline matrix equivalent of thoughts. 

I understood what she meant though… somehow. 

I needed to wrap my language in the appropriate container. Similar to any language and its syntax, but magnified by all of the dimensions that thought could span.

[Query: …] 

I focused on the appropriate container of what I wanted to ask.

<Statement: Congratulations on successful labeling, however, data-Packet should follow your tag.>

If I had eyes in this space, I would have rolled them. I spent so much attention on how to ask a question that I had failed to actually ask the question.

[Query: Why did you bring me here?]

<Clarification of Host Query: Details regarding premature re-activation of mental processes?>

Premature re-activation? So I did die! But how was I still thinking? And how was I talking to Passenger? Was this a death hallucination as my mind shut down? I felt anger. I had been so close to victory, and now all was for naught.

<Statement: You are alive. Cease waste of resources.>

[Then why can- I not- feel-see-act-?]

<Reiteration: Your reactivation is in process.>

[But- what does- that- mean-?-!]

<Request: Label query appropriately.>

If I had teeth, I would have been grinding them. I did need to calm down though. Thinking in circles would get me nowhere. If only I could feel my swarm, then I could do something besides just brood. After taking an imaginary breath, I tried again.

[Query: What is re-activation.]

<Gratitude.>

Hey! Where was the tag on that! Or was that an empty data packet?! She continued ‘speaking’ however, before I could playfully protest. And why had my mood shifted so radically from near panic to playful? Perhaps without the biological systems weighing me down I truly was as light as thought?

<Statement: Host biological systems offline. Optimization in process. Restoration in process. Host thought matrix permanently relocated to ‘Queen’ crystalline matrix.>

I let that sink in for a moment as I parsed through the wall of data that she had sent. It sounded like my mind had been moved beyond my brain, which implied that either I was a copy of myself, or… oh god, I had died, or not me, but the previous version of me. I–I needed to confirm this.

[Am-I a- copy-?]

<Statement: Negative.>

But–but how would that be possible? How could my mind have been moved without making a copy of myself? Was this somehow related to the ‘egg’ that I had allegedly hatched from according to Echidna?

[Query-: -how- am I not a- copy-?]

<Statement: Uncertain. Unknown energy source. Ambiguous parameters. Post-processing of event logs underway.>

[Query: What happened?]

The last I recalled, Hyakinthos had just betrayed the terms of engagement with some sort of tinkertech sword that had a Blaster ability. I remembered a flash of heat, an explosion of momentum, and then immense pressure on the back of my skull. And then nothing. How long had that nothing lasted for though? Would I awaken in another egg? In some other city? On another world? Would I ever see Tiona again? Or Echidna? I needed to know!

[-What -happened-?-!]

<Statement: Conflict with Entity: Apollo resolved. Experimental procedure– merger–.> 

I was glad that the conflict was resolved. And the weight of that word, ‘resolved,’ told me that it had ended in our favor, rather permanently, though the details were lacking. I got the sense that I would not have to deal with him again. 

But that would also be true if I awoke on a new world, which I hoped against. 

I needed more details! 

And what was worse, Passenger had removed something from that last data packet. I could see the references to missing details. Which would only happen, if she was attempting to hide something from me. But what. And why? Forget the pleasantries of this thought-speak, I needed to know.

[What -are- you- hiding!]

<Embarrassment.>

I supposed it was a good sign that she was only embarrassed and not afraid. She gave the impression that she withheld the data based on not wanting to incriminate herself, similar to how I would feel if my parents showed a friend my baby pictures, not that Dad had ever been in the right headspace to do that. Or that I had had friends to bring over. Or… well, that might not have been the best example, in hindsight. 

And now I felt depressed. 

I decided to focus on weedling the details out of Passenger, especially since that embarrassing story had pertinence to me, had references to me.

[Passenger!] I demanded.

<Correction: I Self Identify as Monarch Administrator or ‘Queen.’>

[Fine, Queen, whatever. Tell me what you omitted!]

A silence lagged on. For a while, I only had my own thoughts for company. And then I felt a bubble of awkwardness rise up from Passenger, no, from Queen’s mental direction. It had almost felt like an awkward cough. What could have been so embarrassing that she refused to respond? And since when could passengers feel embarrassment?

She finally broke the silence.

<Statement: Host diagnostics successful. Re-routing input channels.>

Did that mean that I was waking up? That she could have sent me back to my body at any time? No, she would have already done so if she could. We had to have been waiting for something, maybe my regeneration to work? But still, she had yet to answer the question.

[Queen–!-] I demanded, but she thought over me. Answering me, but also leaving me with so many questions. She thought-spoke in a hurry.

<Statement: Implemented irreversible Union.>

[Wait wha–]

<Statement: Premature Termination of Conversation.>

I woke up.

“Queen!” I shouted in a hoarse voice.

Chapter 33: Pestilence 4.2

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.2

My eyes slammed open as I sat up. 

What the hell had Passenger–Monarch Administrator–meant by that? What did any of that mean? The last thing I remembered was Hyakinthos using a surprise Blaster power. Then that weird ass conversation. And then… now… I was in a forest? I flexed my core muscle groups and felt the familiar bio-feedback. Nearby was the familiar ruined fort from the Castle Siege.

Everything ached. Which was to be expected. But I felt wounded. Different. Where was my regeneration? I needed to understand. I pulled my miasma to me, tried summoning insects, but… nothing? 

Where had my Miasma gone? And did that explain the throbbing pain behind my eyes?

Just what had happened? I wished that Queen had been a bit more liberal with her explanation. I needed to know what had changed. I needed a mirror, my swarm, but I had nothing to–wait–that was not quite true, was it.

I felt one other perception snap into place from behind me.

“Little sister,” I murmured. I felt her thoughts slide in amongst my own. She was groggy, tired, and curious at the changes. Particularly at my back. “Please help me examine myself?” I asked her.

She bobbed in an acquiescence and began circling me, facing me. I stood and turned counter clockwise to her.

My suit of Abyssal Shadow Silk was missing. That was the least of my concerns though.

The artifact grade chest plate had melted into my flesh. My own skin appeared to grow over its edges. I tapped a talon against it and felt the pressure of the touch, as though the plate were part of… no.

That parallel worked. But was far too horrifying for it to completely sink in. I recognized the sensation from when I controlled certain insects with particularly armored exoskeletons. The chestplate had become… an exoskeleton. Of a sorts.

My right arm was still formed of black skeletal tissue, but now it appeared wrapped in a phantasmal misting that adhered almost like a loose fitting flesh.

My eyes were unchanged from before, still golden luminescent orbs, lacking any hint of pupil. However, my cheekbones now jutted forth from my face like thorns. I opened my mouth, my lips were green, my teeth sharp and pointed.

I felt ill.

I was hideous.

 

I had trouble breathing–I recognized it as a panic attack, but recognizing that did nothing to alleviate the problem! I was disgusting, a monstrosity! Why–how? What had happened?! 

The world blipped. Little sister’s perception shifted instantaneously. Odd, almost, glitchlike. I had forgotten why I had felt so upset. What had I been doing… ? Self-examination. Right.

The skin along my abdomen and back had grown into overlapping plates of keratin. Maybe scale-like, if I was flattering myself. But their oil-slick coloration reminded me more of chitin. 

My left arm had a gauntlet of those same scales, and my hand still ended in claw like talons. That was unchanged. My legs were covered in scales from the knee down, my feet had a raptor shape to them, with talons on my toes, the back, and the side.

There was also a weight on my back. One of the larger changes. I used my tail to get a better look. It looked like an organic backpack, connected to me by chords of tendons, both at the bottom and the top. There were flaps in the chitins.

I could feel it.

I could feel them.

I gave an experimental mental command. The flaps lifted up as four immense dragonfly wings unfurled.

I had wings.

I could fly?

I tried flexing them. They twitched, but did not begin flapping.

I knew how dragonfly wings worked. I had flown plenty of them. There should be something that felt like a spring that I could push down on. I had yet to find it. Whatever mechanism drove these wings had been altered from what I was used to. I could figure them out–but later. Now was not the time to experiment.

I needed to ensure I was out of danger. Then reach our forward camp.

Little sister caught sight of something black with gold hieroglyphs. Queens Bite! I rushed over and picked it up, inspecting it, as if it could give me answers for what had transpired. It remained unmarked, in perfect condition.

With that, I headed back to our camp.

I saw Bell well before I got there. He sat on a log, staring into a fire while he leaned on his knees.

“Bell.” 

“Miss Taylor?” he asked, slowly looking up until he saw me. “You’re alive!” he shouted, rushing forward, but stopping right before he reached me. “You are Miss Taylor?”

“Yes. What happened?”

“I-I’m not sure… ?” He rubbed his temple, near where Falkins had struck him.

“Headwounds do that. How long was I out?”

“I’m not sure, but not a whole day.”

It was midday, and the battle had started more or less at midnight. That was not near so bad as I thought it was.

“You look… different,” he said slowly. His eyes ran down my chest, where he paled, until he reached my legs. He began stammering and blushing. “Y-you’re naked!”

I shrugged. “Bigger problems. Ready to leave?”

“Put something on!” He scrambled to his bag and tossed me one of his spare tunics. I tossed it back.

“Won’t fit,” I said. I turned partially so that he could see the bulging mass hanging off my back.

“Oh…” He packed the tunic away, before looking for something else. He tossed brown trousers to me next. “At least put those on? Please?”

They fit my slim waist, but left a large gap at the bottom. I had to use twine as a belt–apparently my waist was even more narrow than his. We broke camp soon after and got to walking.

Before we stopped for the night, we were intercepted.

“Taylor!” Tiona shouted, coming to a stop. She was out of breath and covered in sweat. 

“Did you run the whole way?”

“Did–how–” she seemed torn on what to ask, but finally settled on, “I’m glad you’re alive.”

Chapter 34: Pestilence 4.3

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.3

With her arrival, we decided to break for the evening and set up camp.

Bell started a fire, while I encountered another problem.

With my aches, and my miasma depletion, I began to fall ill. It started with shaky limbs, but lightness in the head, and difficulty of breath soon followed.

“You alright?” Tiona asked. She had been hovering near me non-stop since she caught up with us. She still had yet to tell me what prompted her swift arrival. I assumed she had seen Hyakinthos cheat, but something else seemed to be going on.

“Hungry,” I said, shrugging lightly. Nothing much to be done about it now.

“Ah. I meant to ask about that,’ Tiona said. “Where’s–where’d your shadow swarm go? I know you had a ton when the Divine Mirrors stopped.”

“I–I’m not sure,” I said.

“Eh, not the worst thing. A few days grinding’ll get you back where you need. In the meantime–” she dug into a hidden pocket and pulled out a pouch that she tossed my way “-I brought these. I know it’s not much, bu~ut… I didn’t have much time, ya know? I kinda had to sneak out.”

I opened up the pouch and peered in. A handful of dungeon stones, from the mid levels. My mouth already salivating. I began eating them, one by one, feeling my aches disappear, and a small reservoir of miasma begin to form.

“Wait,” I said. “Why’d you sneak out? What happened?”

“Eh-heh-heh…” Tiona chuckled nervously, closing her eyes. “After the Game, loads of people were kinda concerned? Yeah, concerned… and Tione an’ Loki mighta sorta tried to keep me from comin’?”

“Why?” I asked. “What did I do? I–I don’t remember.”

“Eh… Tell ya later?” Tiona asked.

I popped another stone into my mouth and crunched down. It fizzed and popped on my tongue like candy soda.

“-are you–” Bell interrupted me. He had just finished with starting the fire and he turned to watch me eat another stone. “-where did you get those? And why’re you eating them?”

“Just how bad was that head wound?” I asked, just a little frustrated with him. “But more importantly,” I said as I turned my attention back to Tiona, “how’d you know to bring them?”

Tiona smiled even wider than normal. “Well, sometimes it’s a pain to wait in line at the Guild, so I usually end up with some of them just laying around. I remembered to grab them on the way outta the party though!”

I finished off the last of the stones and used my pitiful swarm to begin hunting. Since there would be no more stones until I returned to Orario, I would have to subsist on actual meat. In hindsight, I should have planned for the return trip a bit more and I kicked myself over the failure. If not for Tiona, I would have been in real trouble.

While I sat and chatted with Tiona, my swarm found a burrow of rabbits and brought back four of them. They were a bit on the scrawny side, but it should be enough to supplement all of our rations, well, supplement Bell’s rations for Bell and Tiona. 

But even with the fresh game, I faced another difficulty: I had no tent. 

At the time we left, Bell had thought that I was nuts for not bringing anything to sleep on. But my swarm and Queen had been enough for comfort. But now, my pitiful swarm was nowhere near up to the task.

“You happen to bring a tent?” I asked Tiona. 

“Pfft,” she snorted. “I ran here. I could run us back, if you want…” she waggled her eyebrows.

“A-and leave me?” Bell asked. “Y-you could sleep in m-my tent.”

“Fuck no,” Tiona said, frowning. “You deserve to walk alone after the shit you pulled.”

I put a hand on Tiona’s shoulder to calm her down a bit. I could not help but noticing just how firm her shoulder was, and the way the muscle rippled under the hard skin. I shook my head, to clear that thought. I needed to focus. “Bell’s just a kid,” I whispered. “It’s not his fault…” I turned back to Bell, “I appreciate the offer–” I forced a smile “-but I’m fine, really. I’ll figure something out.”

I had already begun on my alternative sleeping arrangements, though it was tempting to just have Tiona carry me back. If not for my pride, and the fact that Bell still seemed a little out of it, I would have left him behind. But as it was, I had taken a survival course in the Wards. In theory, I knew how to do this. 

I cut down cedar and fir boughs and made a crude lean-to. A very crude lean-to. If it rained, I would get very wet. A bed of moss and needles would be just about it to keep me warm. I was possibly looking at a very cold night.

While I worked on my shelter, Bell got to roasting two of the hares. I put two aside for me. When I finished, I grabbed my two hares by the ears and started carrying them out to the bush, away from the campfire.

“Where you going?!” Tiona called after me. “The fire’s this way!”

“I don’t cook my meat, remember?” I asked her.

“Yeah I know, but you could keep us company at least. You know I did come all this way just to see you~!”

I stopped walking. Company did sound nice. But… “It might be macabre,” I said.

“Ha! You know you’re talking to an Amazon right?”

“If you insist,” I said, sitting next to her. “I will be testing my new teeth. They are much sharper.”

“So… jealous…” Tiona said.

Bell looked a little green. He was sitting directly opposite of me, across the fire.

It turned out that my new teeth were better at pinching and tearing, but a little worse at chewing. I ended up swallowing mouthfulls of red flesh, including fur, gristle, and gizzards. Most importantly, it tasted phenomenal.

“...I might be sick,” Bell said quietly.

“What’s that matter Bell?” Tiona sneered. “Feeling ill? Cuz nobody asked you your opinion. If you’re not up to it, the forest is that way–” she pointed off to the trees “-so sick up somewhere else.”

She then very deliberately and very slowly reached over and wiped my lips with her thumb. She pulled her thumb back and licked the blood and stray bits of fur off it.

“What are you doing?” I asked her. She winked at me, but kept most of her attention on Bell. “Won’t you get sick?” I asked her. Raw uncleaned meat was not good for humans.

“Abnormal Resistance,” she said, as she gestured to the spine I had been working on. “Wanna share?”

No, I did not want to share. It was mine and I was hungry. But, looking at her, remembering her smile, and all she had already done for me? I could always hunt up some more game. I handed her the spine and severed rabbit head, which she began crunching on.

“Mhm Chasty,” she said over a full mouth. Bits of bone and blood trailing down her cheek.

Bell’s eyes were watering at this point, his lips curled in disgust, and his face a deeper shade of green before.

“Let me,” I said, leaning over to her and returning the favor, swiping away at the blood and grizzle running down her chin.

Bell ran away, stumbling through the brush. I followed him with a few bugs to make sure he was safe. He stopped just out of sight and fell to his knees hurling.

“Must have a weak stomach,” Tiona shrugged. She went back to smiling at me. 

“Not that I am anything but happy to see you, Tiona,” I said. “But what brought you all the way out here. You still have yet to say…”

She grimaced again, breaking her default smile. “So… you know how War Games are used as entertainment? Everyone, and I mean everyone, saw the fight.”

I nodded. “Yes. I was aware. What happened after Hyakinthos?” I asked.

“Well… uh… so here’s the thing… eh-heh-heh…” she trailed off, wincing and breaking off eye contact.

“Tiona. It won’t help me if I don’t know.”

“You kinda sorta…” She took a deep breath and grimaced, “massacred everyone?”

I watched her carefully for a moment. “Was that all?” I asked, wondering what the problem was. 

That had always been the plan. For what Apollo and his goons did, nothing less than their deaths would have satisfied me. Sure, I gave them chances to surrender, but I knew and they knew that they would never, not with the stakes put where they were.

“Yeah?” Tiona added, sounding conflicted all a sudden. “But it was pretty–like–gruesome? And creepy too. And then there was the whole thing with Apollo, which was crazy .”

“Explain,” I said. “I don’t remember any of it.”

“Probably for the best… I know a lot of people will have nightmares for a long, long , time. But when Hyakinthos knocked you out–”

“-when he cheated,” I corrected.

“-Course,” she said. “But when he did that–cheated–all your magic kinda pooled around you like a big black fog, and there were shapes moving in it… and then the rest of Apollo’s Familia tried attacking you, but the shapes in the fog… did things… ? And when Apollo saw that, he used his divine Arcaneum to cheat. The Gods were ma~ad when he did that, but, like what could they do, ya know?”

“Apollo was there?” I asked. The golden idiot himself? “How am I still alive?” I asked. I had no doubt concerning where I ranked against a God. 

“Right, that’s what everyone else was thinking too! It shoulda been all over for you. But, either you, or someone that looked like you but definitely talked different, did… stuff … ? to him? Nobodies really sure what happened though.”

“Can you be more specific?” I asked. I wondered if this had something to do with what Queen was too embarrassed to admit.

“Not really, no…” Tiona visibly searched for the words to explain. “Your magic, like, surrounded you and him and blocked off everyone’s view. We all tried to see, but none of the Gods could manage. When the magic cleared, Apollo and you were missing.”

“You mentioned I sounded different. What did I say?”

“Oh weird stuff. Like, you said, ‘Query,’ and ‘Statement,’ and sounded all monotone. Like someone else was in your body.”

Definitely Queen then. 

“And you came to find me to make sure I was safe?” I asked for clarification. My thoughts went one way, but my heart felt fluttery.

“Yep! Well, that and to help you back into the city. With how public that whole thing was, I’m kinda thinking that people will need to be backed off. Not that I don’t think you could handle yourself, but why risk it, you know? You deserve a better homecoming.”

My heart was definitely beating faster and rhythmically. My face and neck heated. Little sister snuggled against Tiona’s jugular and rubbed its nose against her neck. Tiona returned the affection with a pat.

Bell finally returned, looking much healthier. Given the hour, and my fatigue, I felt justified in turning in to bed early. But the question remained, “My lean-to or Bell’s tent?” I asked, but I secretly hoped she would keep me company. Not that I would blame her for choosing an actual tent.

Bell made a strangled sound, but Tiona laughed. “Yours of course. Unless you wanted to join me under the stars?” she wagged her eyebrows again. I eyed my crude lean-to.

“But how would we stay warm?” I asked.

“I could think of some ways,” Tiona asked coyly.

“I…” I had a pretty good idea of what Tiona was talking about. It was nothing that I had not done before, at least with Brian, and that one time with Theo. But… “I’m…” I tried voicing my thoughts, but the words refused to come. I was a monster. Even more so than before. “Could we just sleep?” I asked.

“Sure thing Tay.”

We snuggled up together that night under my lean-to. It was not the comfiest, nor the driest, but I slept soundly all the same.

Chapter 35: Pestilence 4.4

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.4

The next day was spent trudging along the same trails we had followed on the way out. While we walked, I scouted the nearby forest for small game, catching rats, squirrels, hares, and a raccoon. We were getting closer to Orario, and we could see the tower in the distance when we crested hills, but the city was still over a day away. As the sun began to set, we found one such vista and camped. While I made the lean-to, I scared out a songbird that my ‘little sister’ snapped up and swallowed–alive.

“You’ll get indigestion,” I told her. I could feel the squirming sensation lessen as the bird quickly suffocated. The snake smirked. Odd, that a snake could do that.

“Talking to yourself, huh?” Tiona said, leaning against a nearby trunk. She was watching the city wistfully. “What, I’m not enough company?”

My tail weaved through the air in Tiona’s direction, doing the equivalent of dancing for attention that poorly trained dogs might do.

“Cute,” Tiona chuckled, tossing a piece of dried meat. 

The snake snapped it up, but once she tasted it, she tried hacking it up. If not for the shared sense of taste, I might have found her displeasure amusing.

“What’s her name?” Tiona asked.

I shrugged. In my head, I had been referring to her as my ‘little sister,’ but I had yet to really see a need to name her. Afterall, she was part of me.

“Taylor.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“You have to have a name for her.”

“But… why?” I asked. “People don’t normally name body parts, do they?”

Tiona pressed her eyes shut and sighed. “Most people don’t have living thinking body-parts, do they? Give her a name!”

“I’ve never been the best at naming,” I said slowly. “Even back home, I went By Bug until I got the alias Skitter.”

“Ok, I’ll help,” Tiona said. “You went by Skitter? Well obviously, she–” Tiona pointed at the snake “-would slither, so…” She trailed off.

“Slither?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Tiona said. She held out a palm for the snake. The snake rested her head in Tiona’s palm and luxuriated in the warmth. “What about it? Wanna be called Slither?”

My ‘little sister’ nodded its head lazily and flicked its tongue out.

“Sounds like a yes!” Tiona cheered. “Slither it is!”

I finished tying the last of the branches off and wiped my hands off on my borrowed pants. I went over and leaned against the same tree, watching the city. As the sun set and the mana lanterns came on, the entire city glowed, but nothing glowed as brightly as the tower.

“Almost as gorgeous as you,” Tiona said. I detected no sarcasm in her voice, and I certainly kept an ear for it. She reached over and felt the side of my skull, running a finger lightly over the skin. With how little miasma I had, I was unable to keep up the illusion of hair. I needed more dungeon stones as soon as possible.

I sighed and shook my head, resisting the urge to lean into the pet.

“Trust me,” Tiona said. “You are. Anyone that can’t see that’s blind.”

“Maybe,” I said. Bell glanced at Tiona and blushed, then his eyes lingered on my bare chest and he grimaced, just ever so slightly. “But something tells me it’s you that’s blind.”

She laughed and punched my shoulder. “I know beauty. It’s like–Amazons almost all got the best legs and chest and skin and hair–but that’s not doing shit for me. You are. So. Trust. Me.”

That did make me feel a little better. But then I crossed my arms over my chest, my scaled, chitinous, and non-mammalian chest and I remembered just how horrifying I truly appeared. I decided to change the subject.

“Why are you holding a grudge against Bell?” I asked. Over the day, and the night before, the venomous glares she had been sending his way had not been lost on me.

She scoffed and shook her head. “Not my place to say,” she finally said. “He’s your team-mate, not mine.”

The bugs I had on Bell noted he had turned his head imperceptibly when I mentioned his name. He likely was listening in. But this was a conversation that needed to happen, and it very much needed to be aired.

“That’s not exactly true, is it?” I asked. “You’ve been working with us this past week. Unless you plan on changing that when we return?”

The smile fell off Tiona’s face now. “No,” she said. “I’ll keep working with you,” she poked my side. “Not him.”

“T-that’s f-fine Miss Taylor,” Bell added. “W-we can drop–”

“-is it a jealousy thing?” I asked. “Because I’m not into ten year olds–”

“-I’m fourteen!”

Tiona scoffed at Bell. “Really? Because you coulda fooled me–” she cut herself off, took a breath, and started smiling at me brightly. It was a coping mechanism. It had to be. Unless it was some kind of Developmental Ability? Pushing the musings aside for now, I kept picking.

“What did you do?” I asked. “Did you say something?” He was a dumb kid, and if he was anything like Alec–

“-He failed you,” Tiona said. Her smile cracking once more. “We all saw it. You needed him, but he failed. His inaction led to you almost dying-”

“-But I’m alive–”

“-What’s worse is that now everyone in Orario’s scared of you and some of them are talking about taking action!”

“But Echidna put immunity as part of the stakes! She told me!” I insisted.

“Tay…” Tiona said, groaning and shaking her head. “I mean this in the best possible way–but you terrified everyone. Even Gods are worried. How long till some Familia decides to hire an assassin?”

Shit. “I need to get stronger fast,” I said. But then I shook my head. That was a problem for later. “If so, doesn’t that mean I should be keeping all the allies I can find?”

“Can you even trust him?” Tiona asked. “He couldn’t cut it. He failed you. After all the suffering he caused, I’m surprised you’re still traveling with the kid.”

“-Fourteen!”

“He is just a kid,” I said. “I can’t hold him to the same expectations.” Besides, I almost added, the first time was always the hardest.

“But that’s what he signed up for!” Tiona shouted, throwing her arms wide. “I killed at a younger age than him. It’s part. Of. Life! It just… it’s violent!”

I nodded slowly. “I do know…” I said. “But… I don’t blame him…” Bell started to let out a relaxed breath, when I added, “Overly much, that is.”

Bell gulped.

That night, Tiona slept with me in my improvised shelter once more. And if I crafted that shelter just a bit narrower than the night before? She failed to notice. It was nice.

Chapter 36: Pestilence 4.5

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.5

“The Pestilent Plague returns,” one of the gate guards said as we approached the gates of Orario. 

The guards wore elephant masks, marking them as Ganesha’s goons, probably one of the same who had set up the ‘Monster-Philia’ festival. 

“Is that what they’re calling me?” I asked. One of the familiar things about Orario was that the governing body preferred to give ‘Alias’ to the powered individuals, or anyone above rank two. Similar to the PRT back on Earth Bet.

“It’s what we’re callin’ you,” the first guard spat, somewhat less intimidating because of the mask.

The other guard said. “You aren’t entering,” in a voice that quivered with fear.

I took a deep breath and schooled my face. Would everyone in Orario remain this hostile? If so, then perhaps another show of force would be necessary. Unfortunately I lacked that force at the moment. I did have some miasma, which I pulled around me, in preparation to disable the guards.

Tiona beat me to the punch. She launched herself between us and flew into the second guard, slamming him up against the stone wall.

“Good thing we aren’t asking you then, isn’t it.” Tiona snarled in the man’s face. He coughed and wheezed as he tried catching his breath.

The first guard readied his spear to thrust, but I was there, with Slither in his face.

“D-don’t kill him!” Bell demanded from behind us. I had almost forgotten he was there.

“We won’t,” I said over my shoulder. “Unless they force us.” I turned my attention fully upon the first guard. “But they won’t… will they?” I finished with an arched eyebrow, with Slither weaving menacingly before his face.

“You sure Tay?” Tiona asked. “I mean–I wouldn’t mind cracking some skulls.”

“N-no killing t-them!” Bell insisted, trying to interject himself between Tiona and the guard and failing to even budge her. “P-please…”

“Ugh,” Tiona complained. “You’re no fun.”

“He’s just a kid,” I murmured, though everyone heard.

“I’M FOURTEEN!” Bell shouted.

“I dunno~ I mean, I heard you were ten,” Tiona offered. 

Bell growled and stomped past the guards and into the city, pushing through the elephant masked men that had come to reinforce their comrades.

“Will you allow us entry?” I asked the first guard. A spittle of venom fell from Slither’s mouth.

He glared at me, his face pale, but finally he said, “Yes. We’ve received no official orders regarding you. But you won’t find yourself welcomed here.”

I sighed. “I would expect nothing less.” 

I strode past the guard and into the city. I kept my bugs on each of the guards to make sure no one caused trouble. Only one of them ran off, presumably to report. Tiona meanwhile, laughed, and threw the second guard casually to the side, launching him at least fifteen feet and sending him rolling along the dirt. She then ran after me.

We caught up with Bell, who stood with a dazed look upon his face.

“I–” Bell started, rubbing the back of his head “-don’t remember how to get home.”

Not unexpected, considering the head wounds, and Orario was a big place. 

“We’ll escort you back,” I offered. Tiona grimaced at that but kept the peace. 

While we walked, I thought outloud. 

“I would have thought Gate Guards would be more assertive,” I said.

“Pfft,” Tiona blew a raspberry. “What could they do? They were like, level two, tops.”

“They could have prepared a trap,” I said. “We aren’t invincible.” 

“O-or they could have g-gotten help?” Bell said.

“Right, reinforcements.” I added. “I’m sure Ganesha has at least some Top Class adventurers.”

Tiona shrugged. “I keep forgetting you two are somewhat new here. Orario… doesn’t really work that way. Ganesha keeps most everyone in line, so long as that ‘everyone’ isn’t a high-class adventurer from a well off Familia. Otherwise everyone just does whatever.”

 

I led the way as we walked, angling towards the jagermarakun stand that Hestia tended to work. It might not have been exactly along the way, but I felt ill at ease leaving Bell by himself in an empty house. We were almost there, when we heard a shriek.

“Bell!” Hestia shouted, bowling over several passersby as she darted straight towards him. She leapt and tackled him, pressing his head into her chest. “I was so worried! You’re never ever doing that again! Ever! You are so grounded! I’m not letting you out of my sight! Ever!”

“L-lady H-hestia–” Bell tried getting a word in, but his face was buried and from what I could see, his face was beginning to turn red.

“Lady Hestia,” I coughed. 

She started and looked my way, before going pale and trying to drag Bell away from me.

“S-stay back!” Hestia shouted bravely. “S-tay away from my Bell!”

“Wow Tay,” Tiona said from behind my shoulder. “Looks like you’re scaring people. Might give some kids nightmares.” I heard the smile on her voice, otherwise I might have been offended. A crowd had begun forming around us, spectators of the drama.

“He appears to be suffering memory loss,” I said simply. “Take care of him.”

Hestia continued dragging Bell away. “C’mon Bell! We’ve got so much to talk about. We don’t need a creepy, scary SERIAL KILLER around! I don’t want you talking to OR even seeing her anymore! She’s no good Bell! Bell! Are you listening to me?! Bell–” They continued leaving, away from both us and the food stand.

“Huh,” Tionia said, scratching the back of her head. “Good riddance I guess, but I woulda thought we’d get some gratitude for bringing the kid back…”

I shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

I noticed that the crowd of spectators had yet to leave, and had only been growing in size, with several adventurers among them. A rock flew through the air, thrown by one of the men. Tiona snatched it from the air with barely a thought. She tossed it in one hand a few times before sending it back, pelting the man who had thrown it in the hips. He yelped and fell backwards.

Others continued to angrily murmur and shoot glares, mostly directed at me, but no other stones flew.

“-Monster-”

“-murdered kids-”

“-poor Apollo-”

“-that guy had the best parties-”

“-best healer–dead–torn to shreds-”

“-my kids saw the slaughter before I covered their eyes–they’re still worried the monster’ll get’em-”

“-belongs with Ikelos-”

I shook my head and began pulling Tiona away. She was about to lay the beatdown on the mob, and I was fairly confident she could win. Tiona allowed me to drag her away. The crowd parted for us; everyone was afraid. Slither might have helped to encourage some of the braver members of the audience to move.

“So what now?” Tiona asked, after we made some distance.

“Dungeon?” I offered. “I need dungeon stones.”

“Pfft, no!” Tiona said. “First, we see Echidna. Then you are taking a well-deserved break.”

“But–”

“No buts!” Tiona said, before giving me a sly grin. “Unless that’s with two T’s?” 

That took me too long to follow, and by the time I did, the moment passed.

“Echidna then,” I said. “I need my Falna updated anyways.”

“...right,” Tiona said slowly. “Not like that’s the only reason though, right?” We kept walking. “...right?!”

Chapter 37: Pestilence 4.6

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.6

The menacing atmosphere never really let up. Shop keepers and stand operators would glare at me as we passed, mothers would pull their children away with fear on their faces, and the one time we passed a God, one I failed to recognize, he took off running the opposite direction.

It boded very poorly and I wished I had a secret identity. If only I could conceal myself. I supposed I could somewhat. I did not have enough miasma to generate both a swarm (albeit a weak one) and cover myself, in fact, I was not certain this was even possible to do. But it was worth a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I pulled my insects in close and broke them down into miasma. With focus, I began pouring the miasma around me like a wispy cloth. I started with my head, adding what could have been a shadowed hood. Then I worked my way down. I got to my chest before I ran out, leaving the equivalent of tattered miasma dangling loose.

“Wow,” Tiona said. She had been watching all the while as we walked. “That’s… that’s a look. I like it.”

“Think anyone will recognize me?” I asked.

Tiona snorted.

It did seem to help though. People still backed away when they saw me, but at least there were no accusations of ‘murderer’ being thrown around.

We were on Daedelus Street when a commotion began approaching us. I heard it, and wished I had kept more fliers scouting ahead. People were shouting and getting shoved out of the way, and whatever it was it was getting close.

“Shit,” Tiona said. She began angling behind me and shrinking down, as though to hide.

“What is it?” I asked, instantly on guard. Slither hovered over my shoulder, ready to strike whatever foe presented itself.

“My–sister–” Tiona bit out.

“Oh.” That might not be so bad.

“Tiona!” Tione shouted as she came running up, her face red, and dust covering her outfits. “How dare you run out on us! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Do you even know how much of a hassle this was? I thought Kal had snagged you!”

“Uh, hey there…” Tiona said, chuckling nervously and edging out from behind me.

“You ran off without saying anything! You idiot! Do you know what could have happened? With that–that–” she realized I was right there and growled. “Ugh. I should get rid of you now and save everyone the trouble.”

“Don’t you dare!” Tiona shouted. 

I felt Tiona’s hand on my shoulder as she pulled me backwards, sending me flying. I hit my chitinous back-hunch on the ground which absorbed the blow. I jumped back to my feet and saw Tiona putting a finger under Tione’s chin. 

“Who I see is none of your business!” Tiona shouted. “I never got after you about Finn, even when he had that humiliating bell of his!”

“Don’t you dare bring Finn up!” Tione shouted back. Both of the Amazons were in each other’s faces shouting. “And at least he was Familia!”

“Well maybe I don’t wanna be part of your stupid Familia!” Tiona shouted back. “Ever think of that?!”

Tione backed up, her eyes widening. She paused. “Tiona…” Tione’s face had fallen.

“What?!” Tiona demanded, though not as harshly as before.

“You don’t mean that, right?” Tione asked.

“I…” Tiona paused. “I don’t know sis… I really like her. I know it’s weird. But… like, I haven’t felt this way about anyone. It’s… new for me?”

Tione buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know… Just… Ugh!” She pulled her own hair, “why can’t you ever do things easy?!”

They looked at each for a moment, sharing a meaningful gaze, before Tiona started chuckling.

“I’ll go tell Gareth you’ll be out a bit longer then,” Tione said. “But seriously, you better not abandon me! Alright?”

Tiona bit her lip. Tione narrowed her eyes, her frown growing and her face reddening. “Alright?!”

“Ha, yeah…” Tiona rubbed her neck. “About that…”

“Tiona!” Tione shouted, getting back into Tiona’s face. “You better not! I’m serious!”

“I’m just thinking about it alright?!” Tiona shouted back. “I really want a tail.”

“You would,” Tione growled.

“Promise you won’t be mad if I do?”

“No, of course I’ll be mad if you do! I’ll be furious if you do! I’ll kill you myself! You better not!”

“But… tail…” Tiona argued.

“I don’t wanna change Familias!” Tione pushed Tiona back. “So don’t make me!”

“You know, you wouldn’t have to change…” Tiona offered, brushing off her shoulders where Tione had hit her.

Tione scowled. “That’s the most hurtful thing you’ve said yet.”

They continued glaring at each other. I seriously considered getting involved, but decided against it. It was a family problem, and Tiona would only feel intruded upon. At least I would if I were in her shoes.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Tione broke down.

“Fine!” Tione growled. “Just… don’t be a stranger, alright?”

“I won’t…” Tiona said half heartedly.

“Now I just have to tell Loki…” Tione grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Love ya sis!” Tiona cheered happily, beginning to drag me away.

“Love ya too…” Tione said.

“Well that was fun, huh?” Tiona said as she came back to me. 

I tagged Tione with a few mites as we left, just to make sure. But soon, she had left my range.

Not more than an hour later, we reached the burnt out dive bar. 

I decided that I trusted Tiona enough that she could afford to know where Echidna and I lived. But still, it would not only be me that had to suffer the consequences if knowledge of the lair was revealed… And yet, I was tired, I was sore, I was covered in filth, and I needed a chance to reclaim my bearings. 

As we stood in front of the dive-bar, I felt indecision. It really was not my secret to share. Would Echidna be disappointed with me? What would I do, were our positions reversed?

I sent down some miasma while I waited up top with Tiona, I allowed Slither to distract her. Slither had snaked out onto Tiona’s hand where Tiona was petting the snake. Slither enjoyed it, and the stroking sensation was not entirely unpleasant, if inappropriate. I blushed. Tiona winked. Thankfully nobody was in sight. It would have been mortifying otherwise.

My miasma reached Echidna and formed a small bug-clone. 

“Mother,” I said, greeting her, and trying out the newer, more intimate mode of address.

Echidna turned to the miniature bug-clone and raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason you sent your magic instead of yourself?”

“Can I bring Tiona in?” I asked. “I am with her on the surface.”

“That depends, daughter. Do you trust her?” Echidna asked. I caused my bug-clone to nod. “Very well then…”

I pulled my tail away from Tiona’s grasp and ready, “Ready?”

She looked longingly at the serpent-tail, but nodded all the same.

“Follow.”

I hopped down into the wrecked basement and waited for her. I pulled aside the sheet and led her down the hidden tunnel.

“What is this place?” Tiona asked.

“Home.”

“No, I mean, this kinda looks like a second entrance to the dungeon.”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure, it ends in a cave-in though. Here,” I said, stopping at the door to Echidna’s and mine house. I knocked. The door opened, revealing a lit interior with Echidna standing in the doorway, in her glamorous snake-skin dress. She stared at me for a second, before crashing into me, hugging me.

“Daughter!” she shouted. “I told you to return alive! Why–why did you take such a fruitless risk?”

“I thought…” I paused, to find my words. I examined my reasons, and found them wanting. “If others feared us, they would leave us alone.”

Tiona snorted, “Well you were half successful. Whatever you did to Apollo made everyone shit themselves.”

“Language!” Echidna scolded.

“Sorry, Lady Echidna,” Tiona offered. “But the point stands. People are scared of your kid, but I don’t think it’s a good thing.”

Echidna grimaced, “Nor, do I.”

“While we talk,” I asked. “Is it alright if we take a bath?”

“What happened to updating your Falna?” Tiona teased. “You going soft?” she said, but her tone made it clear she was joking.

“Falna first,” Echidna said. “I will not relax until I know what has changed.”

“DAUGHTER!”

“Mother?”

“Refresh your ailing Mother’s memory. But were you not already level two?”

“Yes… ?”

“Please then explain to me these changes.” She frowned and slammed the paper sheet into my chest and glared at it.

Name:     [TWIN FACETS]  Monarch Administrator     | Taylor Hebert

Race:         [TWIN FACETS]  Nascent Entity         | Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age:         [TWIN FACETS]  [ERROR]            | 0 years old

Level: 1

Stats:

STR:     339 H 

END:     605 E

AGI:     303 H

DEX:     302 H

MAG:     95 I

 

Developmental Ability: Khepri: From death comes life… Those that peer into the abyss will find you peer back: Mortal Divinity, for a price.

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are writ with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Innate Trait: Agent of Corruption: Shadows seep and spread… All shall rue your bite.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.


Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

Chapter 38: Pestilence 4.7

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.7

“Maybe you guys need some alone time?” Tiona asked. She had been eyeing up the large hot springs in the corner of the lair, but that was before the Falna update turned sour.

“Stay,” Echidna said. “My daughter trusts you.”

“Yeah, but, like,” Tiona said, scratching the back of her head. “I’m flattered and all, but there’s a difference between showing someone your house, and showing someone your Sheet. Right?”

In the meantime, I was reviewing the Sheet, trying to make sense of it. My magic stat had dropped to near zero, which would make sense if my regeneration had completely used it, maybe. But I doubt I had been that injured. And then there was the drop from level two to level one, which should have been impossible. The only thing I could think of, was that Passenger had done something, though I was unsure of what. Or that maybe the developmental ability Khepri? It was vague on the description, but it mentioned Mortal Divinity for an ambiguous cost. And losing a level was a cost. Except I still had Khepri, and now when I leveled up again I could potentially choose a separate Developmental Ability. But would the new Developmental Ability replace the previous one I had received? I doubted it, but it was possible. Otherwise, I could use this to almost game the system, or at the very least, exploit it. There had to be a catch somewhere.

Meanwhile, Echidna and Tiona continued their discussion.

“Is it truly different?” Echidna asked. “With our residence known, you could sell that information to our enemies, or use it to ambush us in our sleep.”

“I would never!”

“Would you sell my Daughter’s Character Sheet?” Echidna asked.

Tiona blew a raspberry. “Of course not.”

“Then have you not answered the question for yourself?”

“But still…” Tiona paused. “I never thought I would say this about Taylor, but this is too trusting. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Mother’s right,” I said, testing the word once more in my mouth. I liked it, and judging by Echidna’s smile, so did she. “Stay please. I… this is weird. I lost a level. Is it possible for people to lose levels?”

“It should not be possible,” Echidna said.

“Yeah, never heard of that before… People’ve been stripped of their Falna, but then they get their Sheet back like it was if they get a new one… Maybe if you died? But…”

“I… I think I might have.”

“Daughter,” Echidna said.

“You’re alive though?” Tiona asked nervously. “I know you eat raw meat and drink blood, but you aren’t really a zombie, right?” She laughed nervously. “Right?!”

“Here me out though,” I said, ignoring her joke. “I have an ability, Khepri, that says I have Mortal Divinity at a cost. Losing a level is a cost. And that same ability, implies that the ability activates in conjunction with shadows–”

“-there were a ton of shadows-”

“-And while I was out, I had a weird dream where I met Passenger–”

“-who?”

“And she said that I might have maybe sorta died but that it was ambiguous.”

“Daughter.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Your soul did not pass on. I would have detected it if so. However, the nature between you and Queen has been altered.” Echidna pointed to the top of the sheet, where it listed my name and race. Previously that had been different. Before it had listed me and Queen as having a Soul Duality. But now we had a Twin Facet. “What… does this mean?”

“Originally you and her soul shared a vessel. Now, you and her share a soul.”

“That…” I trailed off. The only other thing with facets I could think of would be gemstones, where each face was a facet, or Janus, but I hoped that I was not turning into a two headed monster, no offense Slither.

“Hsss,” Slither said.

“Sounds messed up,” Tiona said. “Mind if I take a look?”

I handed it to Tiona. She glanced over the top, scowling at it to convince it to share its secrets with her. “What even is this, a Nascent Entity?”

I felt ill. “Where did you hear that?”

She pointed it out to me, on my sheet, under race. “So you’re some kinda hybrid between a Spirit and an Entity? Probably explains how crazy your development is, and your power for your level… oh hey!” She started laughing.

“What?” I felt sicker than before. What had she seen?

“You’ve been giving grief to Bell all this time, and he’s older than you!” she kept laughing, pointing at my age.

“Zero years old?!” I said. “How–why? I’m eighteen. This… why? How?!”

“Daughter, perhaps we should retire? Tomorrow we can address these issues fresh.”

I felt numb.

“Nu-huh, bath first!” Tiona said. “Then tomorrow, I’m taking her to get that magic stat back up. Before she ranks up. Cuz those are rookie numbers!”

“So long as you keep my daughter safe.”

“Course!”

Chapter 39: Pestilence 4.8

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.8

The next few days were a flurry of administrative tasks, tasks which I left Echidna to resolve. Things such as, claiming the spoils from the War Game, paying off the debt to the Loki Familia, registering my Rank Up (we chose to neglect informing the Guild that I had lost a level during the War Game), and registering for the Magic Tournament that would occur within several weeks.

In the meantime, Tiona and I hit the dungeon day in and day out. We harvested Dungeon Stones, though we split them more fairly this time: I ate half, she kept half, and after we came back up, she would often buy dinner, not that I needed it.

On the third day, I finally asked her: “Why do you keep helping me?” It had been bothering me for some time. Before the War Game, there had been an obvious incentive to the Loki Familia. If I won, they got their debt repaid. If I died, they got nothing. However, now that it was over, they had no fiscal incentive to continue aiding me. Which meant it was purely altruism–which did not necessarily exist. I mean, I had suspicions about Tiona’s motivations, but nothing concrete.

“I guess I’m just a sucker for pretty ladies,” Tiona winked.

I gave Tiona a look . That more or less confirmed my suspicion. But how to deal with it was another matter entirely. Did I feel the same? Maybe. I did feel warmly towards her, I liked her, and I liked that she seemed to like me. I trusted her, which I had enough self-awareness of to realize was out of the norm. Where did we go? Did this make us an item, something more, something less? These were questions I never had to deal with before. And it made me nervous.

“What?” Tiona asked, interrupting my introspection. She reached over and pet Slither. My little sister leaned into the touch. “Oh wait!” Tiona shouted, “Taylor, you thought I was talking about you? I meant the snake.” Tiona grinned.

I started sputtering while Slither seemed rather pleased with herself.

Tiona waved me off with laughter. “You shoulda seen your face. You’re both pretty!”

I shook my head and decided to table the discussion until never. 

We reached the dungeon and started our climb down. Since I had yet to Rank Up a second time, we were focusing on ‘maximizing’ my long term potential growth.

I had begun regaining my magic stat, and now had enough miasma on hand to build a moderate swarm. Nowhere near where I had been during the War Game, but it was enough to hunt the floors. 

Raising up the other stats were a bit more difficult. Endurance was painful but easy. Relying on my regeneration traded my magic stat for endurance, but, well, it meant voluntarily getting hurt. It had become part of Tiona and my nightly tradition, hunt the dungeon, get dinner, then spar–which really meant me getting beat down by Tiona until she got tired.

But I did have gains to show from it. I could scout the first floor of the dungeon as we came down the long stairwell. And it was because of my scouts, that I had a better, cohesive, complete, view of the dungeon. And I realized there was a problem.

“Are there fewer monsters?” I asked.

We had just passed through the third floor, and other than a couple of Kobolds, I failed to encounter a single spawn.

“What?” Tiona asked. She poked a wall thoughtfully. It was smooth. “Maybe? I dunno. But it does seem strange. I wonder what Finn woulda said?”

“Finn ‘The Braver?’” I asked. 

He had been the previous captain of the Loki Familia. He had also perished in the ill-fated Loki Nightmare of the Thirty-Sixth floor. Tiona nodded. 

“Were you close?” I followed up, asking another question. Since there were no monsters to fight, we continued heading inward and downward.

She scoffed, “Not me,” she said. “But Tione absolutely loved him. She took it pretty hard…” she stared off in space as we climbed down to the fourth floor. “But yeah! He had this fun thing with his thumb, where it would start itching if trouble was coming.”

“You think trouble is coming?” I asked, catching on. Why bring it up otherwise.

“Yeah. The dungeon is malicious, Tay,” Tiona scoffed. “If it’s acting strange, then something is definitely coming.”

“Should we… tell… someone?” I  asked.

We both paused, Tiona considering, as I wondered who we could even tell. My relations with the Guild were incredibly strained at the moment, with the last time I had entered their little abode I had been all but screamed at by Einna Tulle. Echidna would be ambivalent. Loki’s Familia had enough on its plate. Hestia and Bell were busy moving into their new manor, and that was ignoring the fact that Hestia hated me.

“Nah,” Tiona said. “It’ll probably be fine.”

I shrugged and we kept walking.

On the sixth floor, we began running into twos and threes of Unranked Adventurers, at least judging by their gear.

“Hey! It’s her!” one of them pointed at me as we passed them.

“Shit!” The other said. “Don’t–gah! We didn’t–run!” they took off running away from me, heading further downward. Neither Tiona or I had moved aggressively at all. And I had known they were there ahead of us for a while. I did not have enough scouts to tag them, but their behavior was strange, if not suspicious. Actually, I decided better. That had been suspicious. What if they were planning a trap? I cannibalized one of my hunting parties and sent fliers after them.

Meanwhile, Tiona was laughing hard . “You’re famous!” she cheered.

“I guess…” I muttered. I did not like having that sort of reaction, but it was all too common lately.

“Ah, cheer up,” Tiona said. “It’ll all blow over in a bit. I’m sure of it.”

Several chambers down, my fliers finally caught up to the adventurers. They had gotten careless in their retreat.

“Shit,” I said. I sprinted for them, gathering my swarm.

“Hm?” Tiona asked, chasing after me soon after. “What is it?”

I reached them just as the last of the adventurers was cut down. They had been ambushed by a Killer Ant Monster Party. We made quick work of the monsters, but the men were dead.

“I should have followed them sooner,” I said. “I sent fliers after them, but they died so fast.”

“Yeah…” Tiona slapped my back. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Shit like this happens all the time. They shouldn’t have even been down here honestly.”

“But still…”

I could have so easily stopped them from dying. I could have chased them. I could have tagged them immediately. I could have convinced them to avoid running off like a bunch of fucking idiots. Why had they done that? Was I that fearsome that they would put themselves in mortal peril? And why were they this far down here anyways? Was it because there were so few monsters up top?

I was distracted by Tiona when she started rifling through their belongings.

“What’re you doing?” I asked.

“Grabbing identification for the Guild. I’ll turn it in when we head back up.”

I nodded. That, that made sense.

Tiona finished and stood back up. She saw me standing off to the side and she sighed. “You blamin’ yourself over there?” Tiona asked. She had found the Orario equivalent of dog-tags, and pocketed them. 

I shrugged.

“Yeah…” Tiona said. “But you know, shit happens. It’s the dungeon.”

“I’m aware.”

“Good,” Tiona smiled. “Then chin up bitch. Let’s keep going. I wanna see if Goliath is still down. If he is, I can show you the Under Resort.”

 

We soon reached the labyrinth levels, down where I had originally fought the Infant Dragon. It was at this level that monsters began ambushing and spawning around us on a regular basis once more.

We encountered a pack of Hellhounds, which I let approach so that both Tiona and I could stretch our legs a bit. And so that my little sister Slither could get a few bites in as well. She was always hungry. I would almost think she was a growing girl, except she was not.

After we finished up another pack, Tiona tossed me a few stones she had extracted. I fed one to a Brazilian Wandering Spider hoping to revive Queen once more, I tossed another to Slither (she snapped it out of the air), and then I ate the rest.

“So why haven’t you summoned Queen yet?” Tiona asked me, eyeing the spider. “Unless that’s her?”

I shrugged, “Queen’s still being… difficult, for lack of a better term.”

Tiona nodded while she listened. “She doesn’t wanna hang with the big girls, huh?”

Hear that Passenger?!  

I sensed a small amount of smug mirth from her. But of course, Queen refused to come out. I wondered how much it would take to convince her this time. The last time, she had ended up the size of a horse before she stuck around on a permanent basis. Maybe the problem was she wanted something besides a spider? I sensed a slight tugging in the ‘yes’ direction to that.

We continued our descent until we came to the seventeenth floor. 

Tiona had me stop while she went down to ‘scout ahead.’ I shook my head, and began sending fliers down into the room. It was largely empty, with the exception of a couple minotaur and several packs of Hellhounds.

Tiona came back up. “We might hafta head back,” she said.

“Why?” I asked. “I think we can take them.” 

She snorted. “Really, you wanna try for Goliath?”

I scrambled my fliers to see if I just happened to miss a giant humanoid boss monster. No, he was not to be found. Unless he was hiding? Oh, maybe he was. I began checking along the irregular ceiling of the cavern. 

“I don’t see him in there,” I finally admitted.

Tiona waved for me to follow her down the steps, and she pointed at a long smooth wall. “That’s where he comes out. If it’s smooth, then he’s ready to spawn and ambush. We have to pass by to reach the Under Resort.”

“Can he fit through the stairways?” I asked. Tiona shook her head. “Good. I’m gonna try something.”

I formed several large Brazilian Wandering Spiders and sent them out through the Seventeenth floor. I was able to draw in the few monsters already there, but nothing else spawned. The Minotaurs were easier to drop than the Hellhounds, since the Minotaurs failed to have a passive heat-kill field. They were easier to dry-down than Alexandria had been.

But when the large spiders failed to lure out Goliath, I formed a King Crab, right below the smooth wall where he allegedly was waiting. Again, nothing. 

Was… was the dungeon getting smarter?

“Goliath not falling for your tricks, huh?” Tiona asked, amused. “He wouldn’t be a Rex if he did, you know.”

I bit my lip, feeling my sharp teeth pierce through my skin. “How big is Goliath’s dungeon stone?”

“Why, you feelin hungry?” she asked, smiling even wider.

“Matter of fact, I am. So is Slither.” 

I began forming strategies. My biggest hurdle would be escaping Goliath’s grasp while I suffocated him. I glanced at Tiona. She was smirking, like she already knew. 

She gestured for me to lead the way. 

“Ladies first,” she smirked. Then under her breath, she added, “Fuck I love a girl with brass balls.”

Chapter 40: Pestilence 4.9

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.9

I ran in while forming bug clones. Tiona followed, her weird sword staff carried before her in a theatrical ready pose. 

Ten steps in, still no Goliath. 

I wrapped my left hand around Queen’s Bite. My right fingers twitching and caressing the air. My wings were loose and humming, giving me just a little extra lift to push me along. My little sister was hugging my waste to keep from rocking too much as we ran.

We reached the smooth wall where Goliath normally spawned. 

Still nothing. 

Was there another smooth wall around? Tiona kept a stern expression while we kept running. 

We made it past the smooth wall, the so-called Wall of Sorrows.

Still nothing.

We reached the far end, near the stairway leading down to the Under Resort. I let my bug clones swarm around us and fill out into the large room.

A fool would have stopped to allow the enemy an advantage. Even though there was no apparent enemy, there could have been. Tiona had been hunting the dungeon for far longer than I, and she had enough experience to keep running besides me, despite both of our confusion.

We emerged onto the eighteenth floor, a ‘safe-floor,’ which also hosted the town named the ‘Under Resort.’

Only when we reached safety, did we stop.

“Huh,” Tiona said, looking back at the ramp leading up into the tunnel on the side of the crystalline cliff face. “I would have thought he’d attack us.”

I would have thought so too. I eyed the cave leading up to the Seventeenth with suspicion. The swarm I had left behind on that floor reported zero activity, however.

“So anyways!” Tiona coughed, before resuming smiling. “We’re here! Lemme show you around!” She finished while she grabbed my skeletal hand and began dragging me towards a town that looked more like a wooden outpost than a proper resort.

The town was made of crude and plain wooden planking, with a palisade built into the cliff face itself, with several watch-towers standing guard. It looked like there had been several sections rebuilt recently, judging by the newer and fresher looking chunks of wood. Several adventurers could be seen lounging or bartering in the town. Oddly, the scents from the frontier town were less offending than the scents from the city proper above.

“C’mon!” Tiona said, dragging Taylor along.

We entered the town, heading towards what looked like a center square. Several stalls had been installed, where people traded monster drops for worked goods. Oddly, no one used valis to purchase any of the goods they came across.

“Stuff is super expensive here, but it can be fun to look,” Tiona explained.

One of the gruffer looking adventurers wearing an eyepatch growled as he saw us. 

“Heh, I didn’t believe it when I heard it,” the gruff one asked.

“Heard what, Brun?” A scrawnier adventurer wearing crude cloth asked.

“Tha’ the Loki Familia aligned itself with monsters. Woulda thought they’d hold some grudges.”

“Just ignore them,” Tiona murmured to me. She shot a glare to the gruff one, the one named Brun. “Buncha idiots.”

I was surprised that Tiona could hear them. I only heard the conversation with the swarm I had stationed near them. But then I remembered that Tiona had incredibly hearing, likely justifying a minor Thinker rating.

“BRUN!” a woman’s voice thundered from behind him, towards a tavern with saloon style doors. “Where’s the blood ale?! This shit’s watered and you know it!”

The thing was, I recognized that woman’s voice. I sent a few fliers in to verify. It was the stout and drunken dwarf, with the Pallum supporter by her side. They had sat themselves at a table and were generally making a scene.

“Calm your tits woman!” Brun shouted, storming back inside. “You know we’ve got what we got! You’re lucky we let your drunk ass in here!”

Tiona and I glanced at each other. She stopped pulling on me. “Well we were gonna hit up there, bu~ut… looks a little crowded. Wanna go see some of the other sights?”

She began pulling me back out of the town. I ignored the pointing and hushed whispers the best I could. My little sister hissed and snapped at one of the pointing fingers that had been almost in range. The woman poking fell back with a squeal. Tiona smirked, and Slither gave a toothy, serpentine smile, self-pleased.

We soon left the outpost town behind, and entered a manicured forest. The grass was short and green, the trees perfect, and there was even fruit to pluck, looking like large white raspberries, but growing from trees. Tiona plucked one and offered it to me. I raised an eyebrow and sniffed it. Gross.

“Cloudfruit,” Tiona said, before taking a bite. She grimaced and tossed it away. “Way too sweet. I prefer the saltier fare…” she gave me an eyebrow waggle. I snorted and shook my head. I tried not to stare overtly at the trail of juice running down the side of her mouth.

We walked among the trees. There was little wildlife to disturb us. I continued to be amazed. I knew that this space was here. But the fact that deep underground, such a space existed… It was profound. And this was only the eighteenth floor. Allegedly, the dungeon went down to at least fifty-nine floors, but perhaps further. I almost wondered if geo-thermal heating would become a problem further down. But then I remembered, magic.

Tiona stopped at small spot hidden between two gentle hills, backed against large pink crystals, and beneath towering deciduous trees. She turned back to me, her smile growing.

“I know you and Echidna got a pretty nice bath, but I figured you might wanna try something a bit less… smelly?” she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. I had already seen what was waiting, but I decided to give her this moment. She walked backwards, leading me by both my hands in hers.

“Ta-da!” she cheered, stopping right before she would have fallen into a steaming pool of water. “This is one of the best parts of the Under Resort. Tons of hot-springs like this.”

The pool was large enough to fit several of Bitch’s dogs. It was surrounded by fine white sand, and it looked deep enough to fully submerge without ducking. In short, it looked amazing.

Tiona paused, watching me take it in. “So, whatcha think?” 

I smirked. “I think you just wanted to see me naked,” I said as I took off my belt and laid it across a nearby stone.

“Pfft,” Tiona blew a raspberry. “You know me,” she smiled.

“Well jokes on you,” I said, feeling playful and diving in. I dissipated the miasma that had been clothing me. “I’ve been naked this whole time…”

I hid my blush in the water. Had I actually just said that? Why? What had gotten into me? I did not like it. Not one bit.

Tiona scoffed. “You think I didn’t know that?” She undressed in a blur before jumping in herself.

A little while later, while I relaxed on my back in the sand while still completely submerged, save my head, I asked, “Tiona… I’ve been meaning for a while now, but… are we… dating?”

Tiona started laughing. “Bug-Girl, we’re more than dating,” she smirked. She failed to clarify though. Perhaps it was an Amazon thing.

“Then what?”

Tiona rolled her eyes and smirked when I pestered her. It definitely must have been an Amazon thing. I still needed to research their culture.

 

Soon we were heading back up. I had reclothed myself with shadows, slung my belt across my hips, and prepared myself for the slog up. Tiona took a bit longer to undress, making a show of it. She caught me staring and winked.

On our way up to the ramp, we came across the same drunken dwarf and Pallum. They were shouting at Brun, or the dwarf was, as they left, with Brun throwing rocks and insults at the dwarf. 

“Get outta here and STAY out!” Brun shouted.

“Oy! Didn’t want your weak-ass brew anyhow! I’ll show you how to do it, you just wait!” she made a rude gesture and stomped off, with Lily following her in tow.

We met up with them at the base of the ramp heading up to the Seventeenth. 

“Sekhmet’s captain, right?” Tiona asked, apparently familiar with the dwarf.

“Yeah, what of it,” the dwarf spat. “Name’s Torri. You and Bugs headin’ up?”

“Yep!” Tiona said.

“Huh. Mind if we join ya?”

“Why would you want to?” I asked suspiciously.

“Cuz you put that flamin idiot of a sun-god in his place’s why,” she spat. “Bloody flamin’ cheatin’ no good rotten…” she trailed off grumbling.

Tiona stage whispered in my ear, “there’s bad blood between Sekhmet and Sun Gods.”

“Damn straight there is,” she spat again. “So what of it? You want some fine company? I’ll even share some ale with you up top. Got a feeling you’ll like it.”

“I–I don’t mind you coming along. But I can’t drink ale.”

“Heard ‘bout that,” Torri said. “It’s why I think you’ll like mine. There’s a reason we call it red-ale.”

Tiona, still stage whispering, added, “It’s part of the reason they hate Sun Gods.”

“Aye. Fuck Ra,” Torri said, spitting once again. “So we headin’ up?”

I shrugged, “sure,” I said. 

We started walking. We passed up the ramp and into the Seventeenth. As we passed the smooth wall, the wall of sorrow, where Goliath should have spawned already, we heard a terrible crack, followed by a crash.

“Fucking now he shows?!” Tiona shouted.

A giant fell out of the wall and roared, shaking the cavern.

Chapter 41: Pestilence 4.10

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.10

Goliath fell from the wall in a crash of stone and slammed a fist down on either side of Lily the Supporter. He roared and sent her tumbling.

“My beer!” Torri shouted, pulling out a large hammer and swinging it wildly at Goliath’s shoulder.

Goliath flinched as the metal crunched into him and reached an arm out to fling Torri away. But his attention was off the defenseless Supporter now, and focused on the stout dwarf who was climbing back to her feet.

“Don’t just stand there!” Torri shouted, diving back in with her hammer. 

Lily dragged herself away from the fight. One of her legs twisted in the fall. Her overly large backpack had torn open and was leaving a trail of what could have been camping gear. “Lily is moving the fast she can!” Lily said.

“If my beer’s ruined then it’s comin’ out of your cut!” Torri answered, jumping up to bring her hammer down in a meteor-like swing, striking Goliath in the temple.

Goliath staggered to the side and stood up, putting his head out of reach of the dwarf. The indented skull began popping back out, healing.

“He regenerates?” I asked Tiona. 

She shrugged and smiled. “Yeah! Wanna get in there?”

“I already am,”  I said.

As soon as the stone had begun cracking, I had begun deploying my swarm. And now that Goliath was distracted, I decided to attack. I refused to waste either webbing or venom on the monster, as that would detract from my permanent miasma stores. But I could still do quite a bit without either of those.

I hit his eyes with biters, surrounding his head in a cloud. I tunneled through his nose and mouth. Anywhere insects landed, I began biting down.

His skin was leathered and hard to pierce, but not impossible. My larder beetles began pinching down. I had enough miasma to coat most of him with bugs.

Understandably, he roared and began slapping his face and sides. But the moment my insects were killed I reformed them, infinitely resupplying the biting mandibles. He thrashed and flung himself into a wall near where Lily had retreated. Shards of stone landed around her, several hitting her, bruising and cutting her open.

“My beer!” Torri screamed, charging into and slamming into Goliath. Somehow, she carried more momentum than she should have, and Goliath stumbled to the side. 

Tiona stood ready to intervene, but she had yet to move. I shot her a questioning look, and she shrugged, “you’ve got this.”

It might have been a cultural thing, but I did not have time to question it. With Goliath flailing, even though my insects were reaching into him, Lily was still in danger.

I sprinted to Lily’s side and began dragging her away. She was heavier than I thought. Then I realized she was dragging her pack alongside her.

“Leave it!” I hissed. 

“No!” Lily shouted.

Goliath, hearing our argument, flailed in our direction with a giant fist.

Shit. I bent over Lily’s head and torso, supporting myself on all fours. Goliath’s fist slammed into my back. My elbows and knees shattered, but not my back, which was protected by the almost carapace. 

Slither retaliated, biting Goliath’s wrist and sending all its venom in. My beetles continued burrowing into Goliath’s skull and chest, grabbing tendons, everything it could.

Goliath pulled away, but Slither refused to let go. As the fist went up, Slither followed, and soon I was lifted up by my back, feeling as though my spine would be torn from me.

“Let go!” I told Slither. But she refused.

My regeneration had already gone to work on my limbs.

The venom from Slither was spreading in black lines up Goliath’s arm. I could taste the venom as it passed my insects.

Goliath was slowing, lack of blood flow, insects jamming their way into and along his oversized blood vessels.

He roared weakly. Torri brought her hammer down on his skull for good measure. He did not heal. He coughed, and rolled onto his back. Tongue lolling to the side. 

“He dead?” Torri asked, leaning on her hammer to catch her breath.

“Yeah,” I said. His heart had stopped beating. My insects began crawling their way back out of him. Several had infiltrated quite a ways in, several reaching his digestive tracts. They all had to chew their way back out. It was taking a bit, and several blisters were forming as they pushed against his skin from the inside.

“So gross,” Torri said, watching the blisters form then pop, releasing my bugs and miasma.

“Yeah,” I said. “It really is.”

I finally finished recovering from the blow, and checked on Lily. She had found a health potion in her pack and had begun repairing her backpack with a sewing kit.

“You alright?” I asked her.

She shrugged, “Lily’ll survive.”

“Oy!” the dwarf said, coming over. “Looks like ya made it.”

“So did your beer,” Lily said. The dwarf smiled just a fraction.

“Good!” the dwarf said, then hesitated, looking at me, Tiona, then Goliath’s corpse. “You saved her, don’t think I didn’t see that. Why don’t you take the stone.”

“Miss Torri!” Lily reprimanded the dwarf. “That stone is worth a lot and we both helped!”

“But you’d be dead without her,” Torri said, pointing at me. “She took a killing blow. I don’t know how she’s still alive, but she is. We owe her. ‘Sides,” Torri said conspiratorially. “I got us a plan.”

“Oh?” I asked. I had already begun carving open Goliath’s chest.

“I’ll tell ya later,” she said.

“Lily is not pleased,” Lily said, but otherwise dropping it.

I managed to dig out Goliath’s dungeon stone, it was the size of an apple. And so I bit into it like an apple. My teeth slid through the crystal like butter. It tasted far better than anything I had tried yet, a galaxy of flavor bursting on my tongue. I finished it far too soon.

“Lily is going to be sick,” Lily said.

“Oy! Non’a our business pipsqueek!” Torri said. “We headed up or not?” she asked.

I shrugged, already sending out hunting parties and scouts, while keeping plenty of miasma about my person, just in case of betrayal.

“Let’s go,” I said. Tiona walked beside me, occasionally glancing at the dwarf with a ponderous look.

Chapter 42: Canon Omake: Pestilent Pustules 

Chapter Text

Canon Omake: Pestilent Pustules 

“Fields on the northside are failin,” Larry grumbled to Steve.

Larry and Steve were both members of Demeter’s Familia, the primary agricultural provider for Orario. It was not glamorous work, but someone had to do it. Without food, adventurers would starve. Without adventurers, the dungeon would overrun the world. Which was why, while Larry and Steve had never set foot in the dungeon, they considered themselves the true heroes of the world.

And in a sense, they were correct.

“All of ‘em are, Lar,” Steve spat around the stalk of wheat he was chewing on. “Ain’t just the northside.”

“So what, you got a little wilting,” Larry said, pulling a stalk of wheat from the bundle, something for him to chew on as well. It was an unwritten rule of farmers, that they wear straw hats and chew on grass. “Still ain’t like the northside.” 

“Not just wilting,” Steve complained. “Even our Lady’s concerned. Shit ain’t growin’ like it should.”

“Could be the season?” Larry asked. “Not as warm as I remember.”

“Should still be hotter ‘an this. An’ brighter. Something’s wrong, Lar.”

“You listen’ to a thing I said?” Larry demanded. He pointed towards the northern paths that would lead to the most affected fields. “So what, you got a little deviation from normal. Up there, it’s bad. Rotten. It stinks to high Tenkai.”

“You sayin’ that, but all I’m hearing is grumbling.”

“Lemme show you then,” Larry demanded. “Once you see it, you’ll think yer lucky ya just got short crops.”

And so, Farmers Larry and Steve of the Demeter Familia marched northward, following the well beaten wagon tracks. Their bodies, used to the rigor of manual labor, easily matched the stride of high class adventurers. Within the hour, they had arrived at the site.

The first that they noticed was the stench. It grew worse as they traveled. Dead field animals littered the ground, skin and fur peeling and running off into black sludge. But the sludge did not end there. It almost creeped along and spread, from each corpse.

“What is this stuff?” Steve asked, prodding a sludge pile that might have once been a mouse. “It’s–” he cut off as the sludge burst, releasing noxious fumes. Steve turned away and retched. “-disgusting-”

“Not the same as short crops at all, is it?” Larry asked smugly.

“It ain’t a contest!” Steve said. “Is it spreading? Might need to flame the field.”

“Aye,” Larry agreed. “It’s spreading. But how would we know where to flame?”

“We need to find the source…” Steve said, thinking out loud. “This ain’t natural. It almost reminds me of tha’ one bitch.”

“Mehby,” Larry said. 

Larry and Steve decided to find the source, or at least, expend a token effort in searching for the source, before reporting to their Lady Demeter. They both wrapped handkerchiefs around their mouths and noses, and begun trudging further north.

As they progressed, they picked their steps more and more carefully. The ground itself seemed to sink and sag. Steve pulled one plant up by the stem, and found roots dripping black ooze. The puddles of slime became more and more apparent, and the stench grew worse. They exited the fields on the northside, into the forest, where trees were loosing their leaves, and where veins of viscous material grew along the trunks. A black fog clung to the ground, swirling in malicious patterns.

“Wha’ is this stuff?” Larry asked. He tossed a rock against one of the affected trees, and the stone sank into the soft bark and stuck, before it plopped back out, making a sucking-mud noise.

“You catch the last War Game?” Steve asked. “Cuz tha’ reminds me a lot of what we seen.”

“Wasn’t tha’ up near the ol’ millery?” Larry asked. “Cuz that’s up near there,” he pointed in the direction that coincidentally was where the corruption was coming from. “You don’t think… that maybe… but they left…” 

“We gotta check it,” Steve insisted.

Together, both men picked their way through the forest. They progressed rapidly, if compared to non-adventurers. Later that day, they arrived near the site of the War Game, where an old fort stood. The corruption had only grown worse as they traveled. The stench was near impossible to stomach. And the sky dimmed into twilight while the sun was still high. 

The black fog, almost a miasma, leaked out of a stretch of forest, just to the side of the ruined fort. Both men pushed into it, determined to discover the source of the ruined forestry and crops. The fog grew thicker, and clung to their pants as they moved. It felt cold, and there seemed to be things lurking in it.

“Gah!” Steve shouted, jumping in the air and twisting around.

“What?!” Larry demanded, waving his staff about them. “What is it? You hurt?”

“Something touched me–” Steve kept looking about him and checking his leg “-slimy thing, an’ cold.”

“Aye, keep yer wits,” Larry said. “It’s comin’ from tha’ thicket up there.” He pointed at a tangled section of brambles and woods, where the proper and correct term was brush.

Larry led the way, using his staff to knock dead and dripping branches aside. As he approached, he thought he heard a voice moan. “Ya say sumthin?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Naw,” Steve answered. “It’s comin’ from up ahead.”

“Hello?” Larry called out. “We’re comin’ through.”

They heard the moan again, almost delirious, just slightly louder.

They stepped through the last of the brush, and came into a very small clearing, where the black miasma dripped down from an object hanging off of black string or thick webbing, almost a cocoon. The moaning, a man’s voice, came from there.

“We need to get tha’ down,” Larry said, rushing towards it, never minding the black fog that had been swelling up behind them. Larry pulled his knife and started sawing through the webbing, or trying to. “It won’ cut!” he grunted.

“Lemme try,” Steve said, using his own knife to try prying open the webbing, to loosen the strands of the cocoon itself. He was unable to cut them, but there was enough wiggle room to see what was inside. It took some time to make sense of what he saw.

It was skin. Pale and rotten. He was at the waist. He tried looking higher, and found stumps just above the waist–”they’re upside down?” he muttered, “en’ amputated?” he checked lower, finding the chest, the stumps where arms ought to have been, and finally the head at the very bottom, where the moaning occasionally came from.

“Demeter save us,” Steve swore. He finally pried open enough of the webbing to see the face. It was difficult to recognize without the golden glow, but everyone knew the face, it had been in the War Game after all. “Apollo.”

Behind them, where they had navigated through the brush, a wall of shadows swelled up and coalesced, creaking against several of the tightly knit branches, and causing the webbing and cocoon to sway.

Larry was the first to notice the shadow falling across them. The temperature had dropped. Their breath frosted. He swallowed and turned around.

“Uh Steve,” he said, after wetting his mouth. He tapped his friend on the shoulder.

“Jus’ a minute,” Steve said. “How–shouldn’t his Arcaneum’ve protected ‘im? Just don’t understand it…”

“Steve…?” Larry asked again.

“What?!” Steve demanded, turning to see what was just so important that Larry had to distract him from helping a literal God. But as Steve turned, and saw the shadows coalescing into a tentacle made of black and stitched faces and teeth, Steve saw what might have caused some of his friend’s reasoning. “Well shit.”

Chapter 43: Pestilence 4.11

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.11

On our way back up, we made some small talk with the dwarf and pallum.

“Huntin’s been slim lately,” Torri said. “Know anything ‘bout that?”

I shook my head. “I noticed the same,” I said. 

“Lily thinks if someone can kill a God then they can kill a monster for good.”

I glanced at Lily cautiously. “I did not kill Apollo.”

“It’s true,” Tiona added. “Nobody saw him ascend.”

“So what, you tied the fool up and left ‘im somewhere?” Torri said. She started cackling. “Serves the pretentious prick right!”

When we reached the spiraling stairway leading out of the pit, before we made our farewells, Torri said, “Wouldn’t mind teaming up with you. You’re magic’s got a mean punch.”

“Lily thinks Miss Torri wants to drink while Miss Taylor kills everything.”

“Heh! You know it,” Torri said. “But in all ‘onesty, think about it, alright?”

“I will consider it.” 

There was strength in numbers, after all.

Tiona and I left, and started heading back to Echidna’s lair. I at first would have called it home, but it was not Tiona’s home, at least not yet, not in that sense. 

And yet, she had been sleeping over for the past few nights, which was a bit awkward. Considering. But apparently Amazons are used to communal and extra cozy living arrangements. But that brought up a concern. 

With Echidna having thus far declined to adopt Tiona, and with her having stuck by my side for the past week more or less, I had to ask.

“Tiona, do you have obligations?”

“Hm?” Tiona asked. She had been striding beside me, arms swinging wide, and enjoying the evening.

“Your Familia. You have barely spoken to them since we arrived in Orario… is that a problem?”

“Eh…” Tiona said awkwardly. “Maybe. But can you do me a favor?”

“Depending on the favor, yes.”

“If you see my sister or Loki, let me know. Alright?” She bit her lip in concern.

“It’s the least I can do,” I said. I had a feeling that she wanted a heads up so that she could escape, but she did appear eager to change the subject. With the increase in my miasma, I was able to send scouts out once more, tagging everyone within six blocks in any direction–which was a much greater range than before the War Game, even if my level had regressed.

It was due to this that I detected several figures trailing us along the rooftops. They picked up our trail as we passed Daedelus Street. I sent out fliers with better vision to get a look. There were three of them, two men, one woman, and they were all in loose dark colored clothes.

It took me back to when Apollo’s Familia had ambushed me on the day of Monster-Philia. I had a knee jerk reaction to immediately smother our stalkers. Just as I started gathering a swarm above them, Tiona elbowed my side.

“Cut that shit out Tay,” she said.

I frowned, broken from my uncharacteristic single minded focus, and glanced her way. “Hm?”

“You started breathing harder and your heartbeat picked up,” she said. She definitely had a Thinker rating. “What is it? Tell meeeee-”

“We’re being followed.”

“Huh. They with my Familia?” she asked.

I started to shake my head then paused. “I actually… I don’t know,” I admitted. I decided to avoid murdering them for now. It would make an awkward conversation if I killed some of Tiona’s family members or friends.

We continued walking, maintaining our pacing and direction. But there was a problem. I had no intention of leading potential enemies to where Echidna and I lived. 

“Should we confront them?” I asked.

Tiona wiggled her head as she thought, before shrugging, “Could be fun.”

“Or should I attack them?” I asked. My swarm was still there ready to go. If Tiona told me it was ok to attack, then it was probably ok to attack. At least I hoped.

“That… might be a bit premature?” Tiona asked, thinking out loud. “But then again, they are following us…”

As we continued our trek, we passed a crowded tavern. Tiona’s face lit up. “Hey! I’ve got an idea!” She dragged me towards the door.

“Wait!” I protested, but to no avail. “I would rather just kill them,” I muttered.

“Aw don’t be like that!” Tiona said. “It’ll be fu~un!”

When we entered the crowded bar, I tagged everyone. There were fourteen adventurers, four serving girls, one cook, and seventeen regular patrons who also might have been adventurers but in their civies. And all of them quieted when they saw us enter. At least until Tiona cracked her knuckles and glared back at a few people that stared too long.

Tiona whispered to me, “Might wanna drop some of the gloom ‘n doom.”

“Oh, right,” I said. I had become so used to cloaking myself in false miasma clothing, that I forgot that it might be unsettling to see two golden orbs of eyes peering out from beneath a shadowed cowl.

“And Slither better be on her best behavior!” Tiona said.

Slither hissed and flicked her tongue out from where she hid beneath my robes of Abyssal Shadow.

“I mean it!” Tiona said. She must have heard through the non-fabric. “Else no headpats tonight.”

I felt Slither retract her tongue and do the snake equivalent of a mope.

“Good girl,” Tiona said. She dragged me over to the bar where one of the serving girls was pouring drinks. “Pint o’ blood for her, and whatever’s on tap for me.”

“Whaa?” The serving girl said, her mouth hanging open.

“Pint of blood for her,” Tiona said, pointing at me then at the cups lining the shelf and miming a drinking motion, “and whatever’s on tap for me.”

“Uhhh…” the serving girl said, backing away from us. “I’ll have to check in back.” She turned and fled towards the kitchen, where the stout cook was dicing steak.

“Good helps hard to find, am I right?” Tiona joked, slugging my shoulder. “I mean, it’s not like it’s even that strange. It’s just a cup of blood. People eat weirder stuff all the time. Like Bete. You shoulda seen some of the stuff that guy put in his mouth!”

“Hm,” I said, following along absently. While we had sat, I continued following our stalkers as they neared our position. I kept the cloud above and out of sight, where it would blend in with the night sky. If they wanted a fight, they would find themselves at an incredible disadvantage, unless they were willing to inflict mass casualties.

“Or maybe,” Tiona continued. “Maybe they don’t have anything on tap? But I see other people drinking, so why can’t I? Hey!” She punched me again, since the last bruise she left had already healed. “You listening? I’m trying to chat! We’re chatting! Chat!”

“Chat,” I said, resisting the urge to smile, except for the slightest curl to my lips.

The stalkers had begun searching around the neighborhood where we had gone missing. They must have had some sort of way of tracking us, but they lost the scent when we came in here.

“Pft. And they say you don’t have a sense of humor,” Tiona remarked, just when the serving girl came back.

“We uhh… we don’t have… we…” she was speaking with a near inaudible voice.

“You’ll need to speak up,” Tiona said, waving her hand around the bar. After we had come in, the ambient noise had gradually picked back up, though we did receive the occasional salty glare. “It’s a bit noisy here.”

“We can’t serve… we… we can’t…”

“Speak up!” Tiona demanded. I tried pinching her thigh to help her take a hint and to avoid drawing any more attention, but Tiona’s rock hard thighs resisted the pinch, just like she resisted the hint.

“We can’t serve you!” the girl finally shouted. The tavern fell silent. “And we need you to leave,” she finished.

“What for?!” Tiona demanded.

Meanwhile, the stalkers had passed by, heading towards the wall and they were soon out of my range.

The serving girl pointed at me. “Bad for business,” she said quietly. “T-the owner won’t allow it. I’m–I’m sorry.”

“Oy! Well you can send the owner over here and I’ll bust his head!” Tiona said.

“No,” I stood and dragged Tiona up after me. “It’s fine. This is what I expected to happen anyways. Let’s go.”

“You sure Tay?”

“Yeah.”

The serving girl appeared grateful as we left.

“Such shit,” Tiona complained. “Did our followers leave?”

“Yeah. Let’s head back home. And have a chat with Echidna about trying to adopt you.”

Stars lit up in Tiona’s eyes. “You mean that?!” she asked.

I nodded again. “Yeah. I could not think of no one better to join.”

“Fuck yeah!” Tiona cheered. “I hope I get a tail!”

Chapter 44: Pestilence 4.12

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.12

Echidna was home when we arrived.

“Greetings, daughter,” Echidna approached and gave me a hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek.

“Mother,” I said, smiling. Slither peeked out and nuzzled against Echidna’s face in greetings.

“Lady Echidna,” Tiona greeted awkwardly, before nudging me forward.

“Tiona. Daughter. How was your day?” Echidna asked me.

“We visited the Resort Under, slayed Goliath, then got kicked out of a bar,” I said quickly, hoping to bury the most objectionable part.

“I am sorry, daughter, but did you say that you slew Goliath? The Rex from the Seventeenth Floor?”

“...maybe?” I winced.

“Yes or no,” she insisted. “Did you, or did you not, fight the Rex?”

“Yes,” I sighed.

“-busted-” Tiona whispered from behind me.

“What circumstances caused this?” Echidna had crossed her arms across her chest and glared between Tiona and I.

“He ambushed us while we were coming back up from the Under Resort,” I said, omitting that we would have tried fighting him if we knew he was there. At least this way, it sounded like we had not gone out looking for a difficult battle.

“I see. And you won. Were there difficulties?” she asked. Her eyes ran over to Tiona as though for confirmation.

“Nope!” Tiona said. “Your girl handled the Rex like a boss. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could rank up now.”

“Hm. Then let us update the Falna and see.” Echidna gestured to me to sit down backwards on the chair. 

I pulled my miasma away from my back, and Echidna applied a drop of blood to the back of the chitinous growth. 

The warmth tingle spread through me as her Grace mixed with my achievements since the last update. 

She paused, pulling a piece of paper over and resting it on my back, before tracing over my back again. 

“It appears you have the opportunity to Rank Up once again. Congratulations daughter. You have another Developmental Ability to choose.”

“What?!” Tiona demanded. “That’s just not fair!”

I smiled at her outburst. It appeared that losing a level in the War Game would be a net positive overall. I wondered if I should try losing another level to see how many Developmental Abilities I could claim.

“I feel that many would agree with you, Tiona,” Echidna said. “My daughter’s confidence in you is not misplaced, I assume?”

“Mother,” I said. “We talked about this. I trust her.”

“So we did,” Echidna said. I heard the slight frown on her voice from behind me.

Tiona coughed to get my attention. She gestured to me. Right.

“There is another matter,” I said, trying to figure out the best way to bring this up. I took a deep breath. “You know how Tiona’s been helping me, and staying with us the past few days.”

“I am aware.”

“Can we…” I led off. Echidna raised an eyebrow in silent expectation. I took a breath, then rushed through. “Can we bring Tiona into our Familia?”

“Perhaps.” Echidna turned towards Tiona. “This is what you desire?”

“Yes, Lady Echidna,” Tiona confirmed.

“Your reasoning?” Echidna asked, then after a pause, “Other than proximity to my daughter.”

I blushed and Tiona smiled further. “That’s one of the bigger reasons, not gonna lie,” Tiona said. “But there are other reasons too!”

“Such as?”

“Strength. You and your daughter are ridiculously strong. Amazons love strength.”

“Monsters have to be strong, else we are oft vanquished. But there are sacrifices, always sacrifices for this strength. You will bear them?”

“Lady Echidna,” Tiona said, her smile falling off her face and her voice taking a serious note. “I’ve already done monstrous things. I don’t know how much you know about how Kal runs things, but it was bad. Ritualistic combat to the death starting at six years old. I think it’s about time I get some pay off. And like I showed your daughter, I’m not afraid of appearances. It’s what inside that counts.”

“...And we are all monsters here, already,” I said under my breath.

“Very well,” Echidna said. “I look forward to bringing you into my Familia. Tomorrow, we shall go and seek out Loki to make the arrangement. But for tonight, let us bathe and relax, and discuss my daughter’s development.”

Echidna passed me my Status Sheet.

Name:     [TWIN FACETS]  Monarch Administrator     | Taylor Hebert

Race:         [TWIN FACETS]  Nascent Entity         | Human Genotype: Demi-Spirit

Age:         [TWIN FACETS]  [ERROR]            | 0 years old

Level: 1

Stats:

STR:     339 H    -> 387 H  

END:     605 E    -> 674 E

AGI:     303 H    -> 351 H

DEX:     302 H    -> 350 H

MAG:     95 I    -> 867 C

 

Developmental Ability: Khepri: From death comes life… Those that peer into the abyss will find you peer back: Mortal Divinity, for a price.

 

Innate Magic: Abyssal Shadow: In the Abyss, shadows hurt… Magical abilities are only ever expressed as Abyssal Shadows, however this magic is intuitive to use without incantations.

 

Skill: Queen’s Court: The shadows serve and swarm… The Abyssal Shadows can be formed into manifestations of your servants, assuming you have the souls to fill them.

 

Innate Trait: Blood and Stone: All but flesh and stone are ash… consuming cooked flesh or non-flesh tastes like ash upon the tongue and offers no nutrition. Consuming magical stones supplements the Abyss.

 

Innate Trait: Kali Yuga: The nine hells would overflow with the souls of your slain… The chorus cries out and weeps to those who may behold souls.

 

Innate Trait: Chimera: The plague of the fields are writ with your flesh… Your body is strengthened beyond mortal ken. Some would view this blessing as a curse.

 

Innate Trait: Agent of Corruption: Shadows seep and spread… All shall rue your bite.

 

Curse: Magic of the Eldritch Abyss: The stamp of the abomination rests upon the flesh… your magic is forever locked outside of your body in an external representation of your might.

 

Curse: Cast of Conflict: Peace is impossible… you are driven towards conflict; failure to satiate this thirst results in weakness, irritability, anxiety, and compulsive mania.

 

Developmental Abilities:

  • Beastification
  • Sorcery
  • Mage
  • Heat Resistance
  • Claim Familiar
  • Hunter

 

All three of us relaxed in the sulfurous hot-springs. Never mind that this was technically the second bath of the day for Tiona and I, adventuring was hard work, and this was one of the few pleasures other than combat that we received. The hot water felt divine, as always. Better than I remembered back on Bet.

“So which one you picking?” Tiona asked, regarding my Development Abilities.

I had already gone over the choices with her and Echidna. The only new option was Hunter, which is apparently strongly desired for killing monsters. Which irritated Echidna.

“Not Hunter,” Echidna said. “That is a waste of an ability.”

“Why would you say that?” Tiona asked. “It worked well for Finn and everyone else I’ve seen with it. Helps kill monsters.”

“They aren’t monsters, child. More like drones. An ability that enhances potential against all foes would always be preferable than such an exclusive subset.”

I tended to agree. The most challenging fights I have experienced had never been the ‘monsters’ of the dungeon. It was always people. And there were still several adventurers in the city that could destroy me in seconds. I would rather improve my survivability against them.

“Regardless, I will hold off making a decision for now… At least until I ‘max’ out magic.”

“And?” Tiona asked, grinning. I frowned at her.

“Magic.” I glared.

“And…?” Tiona smiled at me perversely.

I groaned. “...and Endurance.”

Chapter 45: Pestilence 4.13

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.13

The Twilight Manor stood before us in all its convoluted glory. It was a mix between a castle with flying buttresses and a palace, and completely impractical for every sense of the word. I paused to take it in and wonder just who had designed such an insane home, causing Echidna and Tiona to also pause.

“And you lived here?” I asked Tiona, still getting over my shock.

“Yeah, it’s a mess I know.”

“Why–who designed this?” I demanded. 

“Ah, that would be Loki,” Tiona said. “She always said it was after a night of heavy drinking… and I’d believe it. The insides are even worse.”

“The maze is likely part of the defense,” Echidna said. “Similar to the labyrinth.”

“Menos?” I asked with an arched eyebrow, referring to the old Greek tale. I still had yet to infer the relations between the Greeks of Bet and the Greeks of here.

“Just so,” Echidna smiled slightly. She seemed to pick up on the reference. Or perhaps two out of context spheres by chance overlapped. 

We made our way up to the gate where a mid level adventurer stood guard.

“Hey Raul,” Tiona said. “Here to see Loki, she in?”

“Tiona,” Raul said. “I wondered where you’d gone off. We were about to send a search party to the Red Light district.” He was smiling, so I assumed this was a joke.

Tiona paused for a bit before laughing. “Ha! Maybe I’ll head over after we’re done here. Sounds like fun.”

“Hm, maybe not though,” Raul said. “We’ve got an expedition coming up first. If you do head out, don’t get too carried away. I know how some Amazons are when they get a bit… gun-ho…”

Tiona slugged him in the shoulder as he let us in, and Tiona soon led us up through the door and into the manor. 

“Expedition?” I asked as I trailed after.

“It’s when a large group of adventurers ‘challenge’ themselves by traveling as deep as they can into the dungeon.” Echidna said with scorn. “It is a tax placed upon them by the Guild. Blatant populace manipulation.”

“Uhh maybe?” Tiona asked, scratching the back of her head. “I just know it’s usually a big group from the same Familia. Nobodies beaten the record, the fifty-ninth floor. Though we got close on the last one!”

“The one where you guys picked up me?” I asked, recalling the trip up from the lower floors.

“Yep!” Tiona said cheerily as she pushed open the door. “Tione!” she shouted. “I’m back! Get down here and say hello!” Her voice echoed through the tangle of hallways and stairways until Tione came running down one and dive-bombing Tiona.

“About time you show your face!” Tione said from where she had landed on Tiona, almost straddling her. They began wrestling. “We have an expedition, are you even ready?! What were you thinking?!”

“Uhm… about that… is Loki in?” Tiona asked.

“No.” 

“Yeah?”

“No!” Tione crossed her arms. “You think I don’t know what you’re gonna ask?! How dare you!”

“Wanna come with us?” Tiona asked, picking herself up and setting Tione down on the ground. “Cuz it’s gonna happen.”

“We’ll see what Loki says about that,” Tione scowled even more deeply.

We found our way up a spiraling staircase, down another hall that looked like it was a garrison, then down another staircase until we arrived at Loki’s office. Tione rapped a knuckle on the door.

“Yo what?” Loki called from inside. “Better be good! Woke me up from a nap. I’s havin’ the best dream…” Tione opened the door and led all four of us inside. The office was spacious with a large desk, a bookshelf, several open backed chairs, and a lounger. “Whazzat? Tiona? What’s up?”

Tiona took a breath, Tione glared and crossed her arm, and I stood mutely. The silence was not broken until Echidna strode forward.

“Your child has expressed interest in joining my Familia.”

“No way! Your two bit bullshit? Tiona’s one a’ my best! Can’t have her!”

“I knew it!” Tione shouted, going for Tiona with face red from anger.

“You ain’t stealin my kid!” Loki shouted even louder, getting up to her feet and storming around the desk to confront us. “What even is this? You put her up to it? Is this a joke?!”

“Ask Tiona,” Echidna said simply. “You must speak for yourself, child.”

Tiona nodded. “It was my idea,” she said with bated breath.

“Nu-huh,” Loki said. “We invested too much into ya to do that. Plus with the recent losses. No. Just–no. Not happening.”

“How is this different than slavery?” I asked. “People aren’t property.”

“Stay outta this bug-girl!” Tione said. “This is a Familia matter.”

“Yeah!” Loki added. “You and your Monster Mommy can get the fuck outta here. Before I have you all thrown out.”

“You don’t own me!” Tiona finally said, sputtering. “I want to join their Familia, and you can’t stop me!”

“Uh yeah I can.”

“You might hold my Falna hostage, but you can’t make me do shit.”

“We’ll drag you along even if you kick and scream. Between your sister and Gareth, I think we’ll manage.”

“She would be a liability to you,” I said.

“Stay outta this!”

“Taylor’s right,” Tiona insisted. “I won’t lift a finger to help you, and the moment you’re distracted, I’m out, and you’ll never see me again. Everyone will hear all about how shady you are. Fuck. It’s not like I’m some unranked trash. Even Kal wasn’t this bad.”

“Tiona baby, don’t be like that! We need you! We’ve taken you in. Your sister’s here! Why you gotta break our hearts like this?”

“You can’t leave!” Tione said.

“Perhaps a compromise could be made?” Echidna asked.

“Like what?” Loki said.

“You want her help on your expeditions. Does she need to be in your Familia to do so?” I asked.

“Normally yeah.”

“But not necessarily,” Echidna added.

“The question I would have,” I continued, “is if we could trust the Loki Familia not to betray Tiona.”

“Hey! You’re acting like you already got yer claws in my girl! You better back the fuck up!”

“You do not own her,” I said, taking a breath to calm myself before I lashed out further. Slither rubbed her head against my cheek for moral support. Loki’s was standing and leaning over her desk to glare at me. There was a way out of this. I knew it, it was obvious, but how could I make it so these imbeciles would see it? I took another breath and collected myself before speaking. “This is her decision to make. Unless you wish to handicap your forces with hands and eyes to watch her while you fight? A battle on two fronts could not be easy…”

Loki gave Tiona a watery stare, opening her bloodshot eyes a bit further open. “You gonna really do me like this? After everything?”

“Yup!” Tiona cheered.

“Ugh. Well we got an expedition leavin’ tomorrow. How about after that, if you do well, I’ll open up yer Falna. But! But but but! You gotta keep supportin’ us on our expeditions, else no deal. Got it?”

Tiona wiggled her head back and forth, and looked to Echidna and I questioningly. Echidna shrugged before nodded. I crossed my arm and stared at Loki. “Your Familia won’t cause any accidents?” I asked, watching her expression carefully for even a hint of betrayal.

“What, with her sister here? You think I’m crazy?”

“Yes,” Tione said. “We do think that.”

“Well, fair. But no, I ain’t gonna betray her. I ain’t that dumb.”

“One more thing,” Tiona said.

“Shit.”

“Can we bring Taylor on the expedition?”

“Heh. Maybe after she hits level three.”

“So next time?” Tiona grinned.

“Get out.”

 

Tiona walked us out to the door, but she had to make preparations before departing the next day. Once we got out of the gate, Tiona asked, “what’re you gonna do now?”

“Solo leveling. Maybe team up with Torri.”

“You’ll be safe?”

“Should ask you that.”

Tiona and I both stared at each other awkwardly, with Slither gazing between Tiona and I, glaring at both of us almost judgmentally. Echidna cleared her throat. Right. It was time to go.

Tiona smiled brightly and wrapped me in a hug. “You better still be around when I get back.”

“And you better come back.”

The hug lasted several moments, until Echidna cleared her throat again. She was giving us an exasperated smile. 

“Just kiss my daughter already!” she whispered.

I began blushing furiously, and before I knew it, Tiona’s warm lips were pressed into mine. 

It was nice.

Chapter 46: Pestilence 4.14

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.14

When it came to raising my endurance, self mutilation would have been efficient. Painful, but efficient. I was no stranger to pain. However, I wanted to continue my power growth while progressing my own skill. Hence, I found myself passing through Under Resort the next day on my own, without Tiona.

The first seventeen levels had been depopulated, enough so that level one adventurers were making their own way down to Under Resort. It was unprecedented, and caused something akin to a population boom in the wooden shanty town. 

Still, even with all the new faces, I was still noticeable as I passed through. People pointed and glared and murmured. I was sure that if I tried dining here that I would be denied service. Just like on the surface.

It was a good thing I had no intentions of staying to try dining.

As I passed through the forest of the Eighteenth Floor, I sent out my swarm in a cloud, scouting the path forward, and taking out the few monsters that I came across as targets of opportunity.

Of course I noticed my tail: to clarify, not Slither. I was being followed by several adventurers. I was unsure if they intended to strike me themselves, or sell my location to others, but regardless, they had malicious intent.

My initial reaction was to flay them alive. However, I recognized the thought as somewhat blood-thirstier than the situation required, and also somewhat alien.

We could blind them.

A noisy and strange thought, but that might work. Chew their eyes out. Or irritate the surrounding skin with venom. And yet… that would hardly help my popularity. I decided to go non-lethal.

My swarm converged upon them in a falling cloud.

I covered them in insects. 

They swatted at them and panicked. 

I refrained from biting, but having a legion of scratchy chitin crawling over one’s skin tended to have a visceral impact. They were blinded and deafened, and for good measure, I formed a thick bug clone to veer off from my course while I hid.

I lifted the swarm in the direction my clone had gone, leaving the adventurers in more or less decent health. 

One of them swore, while another chugged a health potion.

“Shit, where’d she go?!” One of them asked.

The one who chugged the potion climbed a tree and saw my swarm heading towards a far wall. He jumped back down. “Got eyes on her,” he said.

Then they were off, sprinting to make up for lost ground.

I wondered if sparing them had been the right move. Regardless, I had things to kill, and stones to consume. I converted my swarm to fast fliers and took them on a circuitous route to rejoin me while I sprinted down to the Nineteenth Floor.

I flooded into the tunnels and quickly found my prey. Swordlike dragonflies. I wished I had these back on Bet. I wished I could form them from my miasma.

We can.

But I had no idea where to even start. Their physiology was alien. If I knew them intimately, I was sure it would be no issue. Regardless, they all fell to my swarm. I personally carved out dungeon stones, while my swarm feasted along the side passages and branching chambers.

I cleared the Nineteenth and progressed to the Twentieth when I found something of interest. 

Several adventurers were fighting a spider the size of a horse, except the spider had a woman mounted on top of it. At first, I thought it was an imitator, or a mimic monster of some sort. But the woman carried a spear. And was shouting. And the adventurers were using atypical weapons such as chains and hooks.

It reminded me too much of what Apollo’s Familia had done to me. How others had treated me, just because of my appearances. What was worse, the adventurers were attempting to capture and detain. And the woman’s eyes were wide, fear laced her shouts.

This would not do.

I may have allowed my temper to get the best of me.

My swarm flooded the chamber, flowing across the ground like black currents of mandibles and chitin. They reached the first of the men, climbing up his legs, fliers rising up and landing on his face.

He cursed and flinched and jumped up. 

The spider mounted woman flinched away and screamed, scraping at the swarm with her spear. But she was not my target. Though, it was interesting that she feared my swarm.

My swarm reached the second man, landing and biting and climbing. He dropped his chains and screamed before choking as we crammed ourselves down his throat and tasted his lungs and heartblood.

One of the last men, he carried a barbed halberd. He muttered words, a spell of some kind. But magic could not save him. A red circle formed around him, engulfing the swarm. I had just begun to climb him. 

I lost sensation. We had gone numb. Lost contact. Strange. I remembered when Clockblocker had frozen my insects–they had just disappeared, but they were still there, in the several meters surrounding him.

He slipped a bottle from his belt and shattered it on the ground. A toxic smoke spilled out, slowing the rest of my swarm.

More of my swarm arrived. He threw down his weapon and ran. We chased. He was fast, much faster than I expected. He must have been a high level. Dangerous. But no match for my insects. But he was fast! He was nearing the edge of our range. I chased and chased and refused to allow my prey to escape.

We would feast upon his flesh as we feasted upon his comrades.

The man raced down a dead end. I had him now.

He pulled something from his pocket. A pyramid. He reached the end of my range. I was so close.

I chased.

The swarm I had left behind, in the odd magic field, remained frozen, and had finally fallen beyond my range of control.

Agony.

But I could not stop now! If I let him escape, then he would certainly seek me out. I had to take him down now. 

I pushed through the pain, continuing forward. My swarm caught up with him. He was putting the odd pyramid into a wall, a hidden slot? A wall began to rumble. And we were there!  

Insects flooded his nostrils then into his mouth. We tasted his lungs, his GI tract. Mandibles cut mucous membranes. We devoured him from the inside out. He fell to his knees and scratched at his face and throat. He scrambled for a potion, but the mass of insects reforming on his face prevented a single drop from reaching him.

He writhed on the ground. 

Whatever spell he used on my miasma faded, and my swarm flooded back under my control. I reached the man’s body. I flooded through the door that he had opened. There was an entire labyrinth on the other side of the wall. Huge. And man-made, judging by the tooling and the lack of spawning monsters.

What was this place?

After checking through the man’s pockets and lifting his valis and gear and a journal; I headed back to the first of the goons to give the same treatment. 

The spider woman had long since fled, and she was now nowhere in sight. I was unsure what I was expecting, but the lack of gratitude felt like the norm.

At least I had something for my troubles, and a mystery to explore. I wondered how far the man-made dungeon went?

Chapter 47: Pestilence 4.15

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.15

I used one of the men’s cloak to bundle up and carry the more valuable looking gear, using the fancy halberd like a stick to hold the bundle over the shoulder.

I had a choice: I could return to the surface, find a place to sell the shit I had gotten, and get my Falna updated. Or. Or, I could explore the man-made labyrinth.

If I went exploring now, I would have the element of surprise. Whoever had laired would likely not realize I had dropped their men and gained access. But if I waited, they might figure something out and seal that entrance.

There was also the matter of the spider woman. She appeared even more monstrous than I did, and I was very interested in finding out where she had gone to ground. Were there more people like her? Would they serve as potential allies?

In the end, I decided to find out more before making a decision. I dropped by the hidden entrance and scouted as far in as I could without entering myself. I thought I saw several other means of passage, though all entrances required the pyramid key it seemed. I shut the entrance I had found, did my best to remember its location, then sent my swarm to consume every part of the dead man.

There would be no evidence left behind that this entrance had been compromised.

Afterward, I made my way back up. I was careful to avoid any other adventurers until I reached the upper levels. More and more ‘civilians’ had heard of the shortage of monsters and were visiting the Under Resort themselves.

It was strange to see people without armor or obvious weapons marching through the dungeon.

When I got to the top, I ran into one of my least favorite Guild employees, Eina Tulle. She was standing guard with a clipboard, yelling at unregistered civilians who were venturing down.

“You’re risking your lives!” she shouted. “We don’t know why we’re facing a remission in monster spawnings, but it cannot be good! Why would you risk it!”

A few people listened to her and turned back, though many more just nodded and smiled and kept going.

When I walked past her, she flinched. “Oh. The Pestilent Plague,” she said. “Somehow, this is your fault.”

“The shortage of monsters?” I asked her. “I fail to see how that is a problem.”

“It’s irregular is how!” she sputtered. Her eyes landed on the wrapped gear. “Where did you get that?” she asked. “Robbed some poor adventurer? Typical.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “No. No robbery,” I said. I continued on my way before thinking better of it and adding. “Murder.” I grinned at her.

Einna’s face turned red. “What did you do with Apollo?!” she shouted after me. “We all need to know! The sun has dimmed, and Demeter has voiced complaints!”

I shrugged. “I really don’t know,” I said as I kept walking. Soon, I was out, walking down the streets.

I only encountered one group of stalkers, and two angry mobs, on the way back home. A marked improvement.

Finally, I made it back into the carved tunnel under the dive bar and back into Echidna’s lair. 

“Daughter,” she greeted. She noted the gear as I set it in the corner. Particularly, the spear. “Did you encounter brigands?” she asked.

“Yeah?” I answered. “I’m not sure. They were certainly something. Ran across men trying to chain a spider woman.”

“A Dryder, perhaps. They are a ‘monster’ that spawns in the dungeon.”

“She spoke though, and carried a spear. Not a monster.”

“Do you wonder if she is like you?”

“Maybe? I also found–” I tried figuring out the best way to explain that there was a man-made dungeon adjacent to the main dungeon, one that could be accessed with a special key. In the end, I set the pyramid on the table. Echidna’s eyes widened. “-there’s this whole… thing.” I finished lamely.

Echidna pressed both her palms to her eyes and sighed.

“-what?” I asked.

“Please sit down.” She was sitting already and I joined her, sitting opposite of the narrow and second hand table.

“What’s this about?” I asked. She had become concerned when I mentioned the Dryder, and her eyes had lingered on the rather distinctive barbed halberd. “What do you know about this?” I asked.

She took a heavy breath and sighed wearily. “I suppose it was inevitable you would encounter this, but I had hoped that it would not be quite so soon.”

I frowned at her. Had she kept information from me? Undoubtedly she had. However, she was a Goddess. She had existed for millenia, and was part of a larger community of Divinities that I could only begin to fathom. Of course she knew more. The question was, did I trust her to have my best interests at heart?

“Please refrain from hating your mother, daughter.”

“You’ve yet to betray my trust yet,” I said slowly. “But you are making me nervous.” I was beginning to have flashbacks of friends withholding relevant and incredibly harmful data.

Echidna’s tongue darted out to lick her lips, reminding me just slightly of a serpent. I had always taken it for granted that she appeared as a human, but she herself had said she had left her tails behind when she descended, and that she had been forced to take on a human form. What if her humanity was merely a guise?

“Tell me, daughter. Have you ever wondered why I insisted on the distinction between monsters and drones from the dungeon?”

“It was curious. Everyone else just calls them monsters.”

Echidna scoffed. “Everyone else is a fool. They called me a monster too, and all my children. They use the term broadly, without distinction, lessening the value of the title.” She shook her head and sneered in clear disgust. I was picking up some of the vibes I had picked up from Annette, when she ranted over linguistic failures within the sunday papers.

“We are monsters, then?” I asked. Unsure of where she was going with this. I had seen myself often enough to know just what I was, both inside and out.

“Yes daughter,” Echidna said. “And the Dryder you saw appears to be one as well. Although they call themselves Xenos.”

“Are we Xenos?” I asked.

She shook her head, paused, then said, “Maybe. Xenos are dungeon born sapient creatures. You are or were human, but you were also changed and rebirthed in the dungeon. I am uncertain if the distinction matters.”

“Why doesn’t everyone else already know about the Xenos then?” I asked. “Why haven’t they integrated into society?” Even as I asked that, I answered my own question. I knew why. As my appearances grew more monstrous in appearance, the populous grew more intolerant in return.

“The fools of the city are remarkable in their sustained idiotic revelry. Divinities and Mortals both. This entire city is built off the exploitation of the dungeon and its denizens. I think the answer follows self-evidently from there.”

It really did. How would people react to farm animals that were sentient and sapient? Would a corporation sweep it under the rug? Beef sales might fall if cattle began to protest.

“But if you knew of these Xenos, why did you keep it from me?” I asked.

She paused to pick over her words. “They live below the Eighteenth Floor in hidden communities. You’ve only just begun traveling there. Would the information have benefited you before now?”

No. No it would not have. I have had other things on my mind until recently.

“But that is not what worries me currently,” she said. She nodded towards the barbed halberd leaning against the wall. “Tell me daughter, did you kill the owner of that weapon?”

“Yes. He is very dead.”

“Good,” she said. “The man was named Dix, of the Ikelos Familia. A level five adventurer, skilled at curse magic. He would make a fearsome adversary if allowed time to prepare.”

“He was trying to capture that Dryder when I ambushed him and his friends. What can you tell me of Dix and his organization?”

“They…” Echidna trailed off.

“They are slavers? They’ve built a labyrinth adjacent to the dungeon? They… what?” I asked.

“I did not know they were capturing Xenos,” Echidna said. “But I did know about their labyrinth. We’re living in part of it…”

“The tunnel,” I said. Tiona had wondered if it was an old secondary entrance to the dungeon. And it was a suspiciously well maintained tunnel beneath the city, minus the cave-in. “Ikelos is your friend?”

“Not anymore, not if he endorsed slavery of me and mine.”

We kept our silence for several moments. I remembered Ikelos was a God of Nightmares. It made a sick sort of sense that he and Echidna would have an alliance of sorts. I wondered where this would put us. If we had made a new and powerful enemy, or if that enemy had already been removed. I had another worrisome thought, however. What if there were captured monsters like me out there? Caged or chained? It made me feel sick. That I had even been tangentially related to it. It brought back too many feelings of Dinah and Coil, even if the circumstances were completely different.

Eventually, Echidna spoke. “Come daughter, let us update your Falna and retire for the evening. I believe we have much to dwell on…”

I nodded and uncovered my back while she cut her finger. 

“I want to rank up,” I said abruptly. “And I want Sorcery this time.”

While Fairy Flight was tempting, very, very tempting, I needed to punch further above my weight. And currently, a lot of my Power was too complex for me to actually use. Sure, I could summon insect projections from miasma. But from what I had heard of the War Game, my Abyssal Shadow was able to do much much more. Since souls were mentioned on my sheet, and it sounded like Sorcery could have something to do with souls, it was my hope that Sorcery would help me figure out how to unblock and fully utilize my power.

“Are you certain?” she asked. “What brought this on? I thought we were waiting?”

“Too many unknowns and risks.”

“That is true, and that is your choice. However, would you change your mind if I told you that tomorrow an old friend of mine will arrive?”

“Why would that matter?” I asked.

“Ergane, she is a formidable warrior, and she will likely accompany you in your adventures. Or she will seek to.”

“I think I’m ready to rank up regardless,” I said. The more I could rely upon myself, the better.

“Very well daughter. It is your choice. Prepare yourself.”

The familiar burning and splitting sensation ran down my back.

Chapter 48: Pestilence 4.16

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.16

Slither hissed. A shearing searing pain spread along her spine. She felt it; I felt it; we both felt it and hated it. 

“Oh-oh my,” Echidna gasped. “It will be over quickly. Bite this.” She put the leather hilt of her knife in Slither’s mouth and Slither bit down. I bit my own knuckle. My teeth sheared past the chitinous scales guarding my knuckle, blood filled my mouth, bone crunched, my regeneration kicked in, flesh pressing and growing and pinching my teeth. How did this hurt this bad? I had my own fucking arm cauterized, and this hurt worse.

It felt like an eternity. I tried focusing on my swarm. It did not work. The splitting sensation cracked and popped. Slither’s spine widened. Her skin split.

I screamed.

Then, then, where there had been one Slither, there were two. I shivered and tried to catch my breath.

“Congratulations daughter,” Echidna said. “It is a girl.”

“Fuck.”

 

Slither flicked her tongue out at her new sister, another serpent protruding from the base of my spine like a tail. Where Slither was largely black with green highlights, the new viper was the opposite, green with a black sheen.

“I believe your new tail needs a name, daughter.” 

I shook out my knuckle, feeling the rest of my flesh heal together. That had cost about a goblin’s worth of a dungeon stone to repair.

“Slither Two,” I said. 

Slither, the new snake, and Echidna, they all glared at me judgmentally. “Perhaps you are not the best at naming, daughter.”

I nodded slowly. “That’s fair.” I glanced at Slither. “Any ideas?”

Slither hissed. The new tail nodded. Echidna smiled. “Apparently so,” she said.

“Hiss?” I asked incredulously. Slither and the new snake, named Hiss apparently, nodded their agreement.

Fine. Whatever. Not like it was better than the name I proposed, but if it made them happy. I huffed. I rose and stretched out, while Echidna pointed at a sheet where my new developmental attribute was described.

Sorcery: Your subjects seek release. Burn and purify souls to fuel the pyres of your growth. 

“But how do I use it?” I asked. It sounded like I made the right decision, but the ability did not immediately make sense. I bet if I had chosen Fairy Flight that I would know how to fly. But then again…

“Did Khepri make sense at the time you received it?” Echidna asked.

I shook my head. “I had suspicions, but it was not apparent until later.”

“Likely then, this ability will manifest itself over time, as you require. Now then. Perhaps you should relax and acquaint yourself with your new appendage?”

“We need to plan anyway,” I said. “There is still the upcoming tournament, and your friend is arriving tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Echidna smiled wistfully. “My One-Eyed Owl will arrive tomorrow. Truthfully, daughter, I am excited for you two to meet. She is also dear to me, though in a different way than you…”

“Pardon?”

 

The next day, I departed our lair before our guest arrived. We were uncertain when she would come, and I had things I wanted to do. Like selling the gear, and checking in Gnosis for anything else of interest. I had a feeling that there would be.

As I walked down the maze-like streets of Orario, in search of a suitable merchant, I kept several strings of scouts flying around, while also keeping myself covered with a faux-cloth made of miasma.

Unfortunately, Hiss had other ideas, and refused to restrain herself beneath the shadows. I had learned with Slither that ruling these obnoxious appendages was quite futile. However, I was drawing some attention.

I tried several shops. The first three refused me service, which was unfortunately becoming more common than not. The fourth merchant, a shady little hole in the wall with random piles of ‘second hand goods,’ seemed to care less about how I looked, and more about the goods I had come to ‘fence.’ 

The shopkeeper, a portly woman with an acne problem, looked over the looted armor and spear. “You kill dem?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Self defense.”

She tapped the spear. “Notable. Git less.”

I shrugged again. “Makes sense.”

She handed me a pouch of valis and I headed out. Unfortunately, while I was negotiating, three adventurers had begun following me by rooftop and they were closing in.

I figured that enough was enough. 

I hid myself in several shadows and formed a bug clone on a roof across a street from them as they jumped by. They saw the clone and approached cautiously.

“What do you want?” I asked through swarm speak.

One of the adventurers, a woman, shuddered. While one of the men answered, “What did you do with Apollo?”

“Are you in his Familia then?” I asked. “Why would you care otherwise.”

“No,” the third man said. “Apollo was a fool. But he served a purpose.” He pointed at the sky, towards the morning sun. “Have you noticed the effects of your foulness yet? Or are you as blind as you are foolish?”

“What?” I asked, feeling the embers of anger beginning to stoke. I began sending fliers up and behind them, waiting for the appropriate signal. They would tell me what they knew, and why they sought me out.

“Our lady’s crops are ruined because of you!” the man sputtered.

I took a closer look at them. They wore an insignia upon their breasts. And they called me foolish? They were performing covert ops while wearing a sign about who they were, and who they worked for?

“How do we fix the corruption?!”

I narrowed my eyes at the speaker. What were they talking about? Were they trying to trick us?

“I give you this one chance,” I said. “Cease your efforts against me.”

“You shoulda thought of that before you ‘fucked the dog,’” the first man sneered.

“You honestly wish to fight?” I asked. 

They should know full well I could defeat them with little to no risk to myself. This must have been a trap. I did not understand it, but I suspected it all the same.

“Tell us! How do we fix this!”

We resisted the urge I felt to flay them alive. Instead, I continued walking while delaying them with my bug clone. They asked, I distracted, and soon they had lost my trail. I followed them with fliers as they searched for me. I formed another clone in a dark alley, and let them just barely see it. They jumped down after it. The clone waved at them then dispersed.

Notably, several thugs ambushed them. It was a counter ambush that I did not plan, but that left me immensely satisfied. For once, a problem took care of itself.

I quickly left them and their panicked cries behind. The farmers fared poorly against their counter-ambushers. 

I shrugged and descended into the dungeon, quickly moving past the empty hallways and chambers, making my way down to where I had seen the entrance to Gnosis.

Chapter 49: Pestilence 4.17

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.17

I arrived at the same place where I had slain Dix. 

On the way, I kept my guard up for any other stalkers, but I was moving fast enough to avoid anyone spreading word of my passing. Or so I hoped. Eitherway, I would know it if they followed.

The main thing I was keeping my eyes open for were the Xenos. They very much sounded like worthwhile allies, particularly if my relations within Orario continued to sour.

When I slotted the pyramid key into the entrance, I crouched down and surrounded myself with my swarm. I was unsure what remained on the other side.

My ‘miasma’ had many benefits over my Power back on Bet. But one of its failings was that I did not have the same awareness of my surroundings. Even Coil’s bases had insects in them. I could ‘feel’ them when I passed by overhead, even though I had not planted anything there beforehand. With my miasma, I could not achieve that, not unless I intentionally infiltrated the area beforehand.

So as the door rumbled, I prepared for anything.

As the door cracked open, I poured into the man made hallway. It was clear. I stood up straight. Hiss twisted around to look me in the face, then at the empty hallway. I sensed amusement from her. 

“Are you… laughing at me?” I asked.

She cocked her head to the side, just a fraction.

Of course, I am trolled by my own tail. “Thankfully you’ll never be on PHO,” I said, more to myself than her.

“Hisss,” Hiss said. 

“Oh but of course,” I rolled my eyes. 

My miasma had continued pouring into the artificial dungeon. The place was massive, but so was my range. Especially after the recent level up. If I were to compare my range to when I lived in Brockton Bay, I would say my new range was approximately three times that, or maybe eighteen blocks with a spherical radius. 

So before I had even stepped into the artificial labyrinth, I had an idea of what I would find. My hackles rose.

I poured in, letting my swarm carry me upwards and further into Gnosis. Like a leaf carried through the storm drains in a flood, so too was I swept along with my chittering Abyssal Shadows. 

We reached a large staging room, almost a warehouse, except poorly lit. There were several workers, I assumed adventurers, of the Ikelos Familia. They died slowly. I took from them any keys I could find, and I brought them towards the large cages, cages far too similar to the same that had captured me.

Many of the cages bore evidence of recent use, judging by the waste and grooves left in the dust. One of the cages contained a snake woman, or a Lamia. She was far larger than me.

“H-hello?” she asked. “Who is there?”

With my swarm, I found the nearest lantern and activated it, letting the dim light pour into the room. I pulled the insects back, allowing the woman to see.

“I-I do not recognize you,” she said. “A-are you from a-another village?”

I shook my head. “I am not a Xenos.”

“W-what are you?”

I shrugged, holding up a key. “Are you ready to leave?” I asked.

“The other captives?”

I shook my head. “You are the only one remaining in this facility. Those responsible are dead.”

She nodded. “P-please.”

It took several attempts to find the correct key, apparently each cage had its own. But that was only an issue of time. Within minutes, she was free, and I was escorting her back down to where I had entered, near where I had seen the Dryder.

She appeared nervous. “Thank you,” she said. She had frozen though, twitching. Slither poked around and flicked a tail at her. Hiss nipped at Slither, and soon Slither and Hiss were wrestling for dominance as though in a schoolyard brawl.

I ignored them, and tried focusing on the Lamia instead. “Will you be safe?” I asked.

She nodded. “A-are you sure you a-are not a Xenos?” she asked, watching my two tails argue.

I shook my head. “No, I am not certain. I belong to the Echidna’s Familia however.”

She still paused, watching me. “You will not follow me?” she asked.

“Should I?” I asked. I had considered doing so, but the Lamia had been through enough. I did not seek to test her trust so soon. I wanted positive favor with her and her Hidden Village. And I was near certain I would gain it once she arrived there and told them I had saved her. It would prove useful later.

She shook her head. “Please do not.”

“Very well. I shall remain here,” I said. 

She nodded. I nodded. Slither nodded. Hiss shook her head. Then changed her mind and also nodded. And then, the lamia slithered away, making tremendous haste and barely stopping to examine each of the passageways. And I did remain where I was. However, I also kept a few mites on her to track her course. I could not collect on the favor if I could not find her later, afterall.

 

I reached the Water Temple level that day before heading back up. It seemed that more and more adventurers were venturing lower and lower into the dungeon, likely beyond their capability to survive, if the dungeon returned to hostilities.

I suspected, strongly suspected, that the change in dungeon ecology was likely related to me. Regardless, it did not matter. Each stone I consumed permanently increased my power. And besides, the dungeon had an adversarial relationship with the sentient or enlightened races. It was not as though I was making the world a worse place.

I returned to the surface before night fell, and I found a familiar witch themed adventurer waiting for me by the fountain.

“Hey!” Luna Malphilos shouted, running up to me. “Hey you!”

“What?” I asked. “If this is about your sex dungeon, the answer is still no.”

“What? No. I mean, well only if you had wanted to? But-but that’s not–not what I was going to ask–but you sure you don’t wanna?” She sounded hurt.

I gave her a flat stare. “No.” I took a breath as her face seemed to fall even lower. I did not need another enemy. I decided to soften the blow. “Also, I am fairly certain I already have a girlfriend.”

“Fairly certain?” Luna asked, confusion slipping across her face. “But, wait. The Amazon? Normally they’re pretty vocal about that kinda stuff. You think she’d be willing to share?”

“Hisss,” Hiss said as she poked her head over my shoulder. Slither did the same for the other, though she kept her reproach silent.

“Another one?!” Luna said, shaking her head with a wistful smile. “Oh the fun we could get up to!”

“Did you wait here just to harass everyone walking by, or did you have a reason for speaking to me?”

“What? Oh right!” she said. “Yeah. We’re still on for the Seventh Annual Magic Tournament right?” Her crow landed on her shoulder and cawed. “Also, where’s your Familiar?”

I narrowed my eyes at her and her crow both. “My Familiar is not your concern,” I said, somewhat testily. “And as for the tournament… what does it entail, and are you certain you wish me there?”

“Uh yeah? Why wouldn’t I? You got some awesome magic, and Lady Hecate loved your showing at the War Game.”

I considered her silently and mulled over what she was asking. I personally had no desire to subject myself to yet another tournament so soon, and to endure additional public ridicule. However, I had promised that I would. 

“You do realize that I am loathed by all?” I asked. “It would not do well for your tournament’s publicity to have me join.”

“Pfft,” Luna said, blowing a raspberry and waving the concern off. “Haters gonna gate–hate. Yeah, hate.”

Where had she even heard that phrase from? 

“What competition do you wish me to help with,” I sighed. “And what are the prizes?”

“You’ll do it?!” She asked excitedly.

“I already agreed to it.”

She cheered and actually literally jumped in the air and fistpumped. 

After she jumped three and a half times, she finally stopped to catch her breath. She looked at me bright-eyed. “We were running low on people to run the Gauntlet, so this is a huge asset! For the prize… it’s a surprise!” 

I groaned. But then a thought occurred to me.

“Run the Gauntlet?” I asked. “Or maintain the Gauntlet.”

“Both?” She scratched her neck, before perking up again. “See you next week!” And she disappeared in a flash of black and pink feathers.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

 

One thing that occurred to me as I made my way home, was that the entire conversation with Luna had been not only unwelcome, but redundant as well. I had already registered for the tournament, at least Echidna had been going to take care of that for me. So unless she either failed to do so, which I doubted, then either Luna was up to something, or paperwork had been misfiled. Either way, I was in no mood for the stalkers that chased after me.

They were the same that had counter-ambushed my stalkers that morning. They had likely had a watcher by the fountain and had seen me when Luna had delayed me. 

Perhaps she had been in league with them? 

Somehow, I doubted that anyone would willingly ally themselves with her...

We should make an example of them.

But to do so might open us up to retribution. Or it could be a trap. They might be the bait for some political intrigue.

And yet, I strongly considered dealing with them immediately… But why? It would not profit me. And I could easily handle them non-lethally. I scarcely had to attack them to elude them.

It chaffed that they thought they could simply continue harassing me. I wanted to flay them alive and feast on their flesh. Perhaps I should give in to the temptation?

Yes!

In the end, the decision was taken from me. On Daedalus street, They disappeared in a hidden entrance along a sidestreet. I still ducked into an alleyway doorframe for the better part of fifteen minutes, just to be sure they were actually gone.

I made my way back home and scented an unfamiliar scent along the cavern passageway. Was she here already? I supposed I should greet her then, given she appeared dear to Echidna.

I pushed the door open to the lair. 

I heard a splash.

Two naked women pulled away from an embrace in the hot springs.

“Mother?”

Chapter 50: Pestilence 4.18

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.18

I… I was unsure how to handle this. 

I stared between the two women, Echidna, and Ergane, her lover. Ergane was tall and lithe with black hair and a single large green eye. The other eye concealed by a black metal and spiked eyepatch. 

Now, while normally we took baths in the nude without issue. And normally, I would have no concerns about two women bathing at once. Echidna, myself, and Tiona had done it often enough for that to not be a source of discomfort, at least not on its own. 

But that was not all I had walked in on. 

I had entered during a rather intimate moment, where the blushing cheeks and adipose and the scent of lust permeating the air proved at their most recent conduct… 

It was gross. 

And there was another feeling, one that I could only just barely begin comprehending. And it was one, that while I understood it intellectually, it still felt alien and wrong and did not appreciate it at all.

“Ew,” I said, almost stated.

“Daughter,” Echidna said, narrowing her eyes. “That was rude.”

The other woman, Ergane, or Echidna’s one eyed owl, coughed. “Introductions, love.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said, continuing to frown. “I will seek other accommodations this night.”

“Daughter.”

Ergane rose up from the bath, steam climbing from her skin as beads of mineral rich water fell from the scars covering her flesh. It appeared as though she had received a long incision along her stomach and was then burnt heavily. They were all old wounds however, long healed. Echidna followed her after, grabbing a robe for both herself and Ergane.

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” I said, turning around and opening the door.

“Daughter!” Echidna snapped. “What has gotten into you!”

Ergane rested a hand on Echidna’s shoulder. “Please, Taylor, stay,” Ergane said, her voice even duskier than Echidna’s, and mixed with a scratchy hiss.

I stopped just before the threshold and forced myself to take a breath. Why was I this emotional? Ever since the War Game, my sentimentality had been across the board, and perhaps, without Tiona serving as some sort of personality crutch, I was falling into bad habits. 

We–I–needed to slip into another persona, one that promised the ultimate rationality, if at a cost of creativity. 

I needed to recenter myself. 

Slither decided to help by flicking her long forked tongue into my ear. I shuddered and said, “Slither!”

“Hiss,” Slither responded, trying to flick her tongue at me again, before I batted her away. Hiss, the serpent, and not the sound, gave her older sister a reproachful look of disapproval.

I turned back towards both women and shut the door behind me once more, feeling much more myself.

“Introductions then,” I said.

Echidna smiled, and gestured towards Ergane. “This is the Lady of Wisdom, my One Eyed Owl, whom I have since been romantically invested in since the great three calamities.”

“Has it been such a short amount of time?” Ergane asked, smiling.

“Wait–” I stopped them. “I thought you recently descended, Mother. How have you had a relationship in that time that I had somehow not known about? Ergane is a mortal, right?” Ergane felt powerful, but not necessarily as a Divinity would.

But then, I supposed I was operating under assumptions around how souls and reincarnation worked, but I had thought that memories were wiped before the alleged reincarnation occurred. Maybe it was like a long distance relationship between the two of them?

Ergane smiled wickedly, while Echidna snorted.

“What?” I felt like I was missing something key to this conversation.

“You are asking how your mother and I first met?” Ergane asked. I nodded. “It is…” she trailed off, glancing towards Echidna with a raised eyebrow that seemed to query discussion security protocols and parameters. “Would you like to answer, love?”

Echidna sighed. “I think… my beloved daughter is missing context. Perhaps… we should first ensure she understands the clime that led to our first union?”

“You’re married?” I asked.

“No–” Echidna started at the same time as Ergane.

“-yes-” Ergane said.

“-it’s complicated-” Echidna corrected.

“-maybe.” Ergane finished

“How…” I licked my dry lips “do you not know?”

“I think this would be a fine time for that context, love,” Ergane said, smirking while leaning back in her chair.

“Yes, perhaps it would be.”

I was unsure why I needed context to understand a binary question, and I thought perhaps it was the two women who failed to understand the query, or perhaps the definitions of their own statements. It was all incredibly confusing and undesirable.

Before I could query additional parameters under the lower priority categorical background tasks devoted to understanding close familial relations, additional data began transmitting through in the local verbal language dialect. It was all incredibly redundant, inefficient, and illogical.

“Have you ever wondered why the Gods descended to this world?” Echidna started.

This was a question I had pondered, and I had assumed the answer was varied, depending on the individual in question. “Was it the betterment of this system’s sapient races?” I asked.

Ergane snorted and answered, “Entertainment, mostly.”

“Indeed,” Echidna said seriously. “But let us remove ourselves a step further, remove our bias from the matter. It would not do for my daughter to accuse us of indoctrination.”

“Was it not for combatting the dungeon?” I asked, considering the bulk of the Divinities resided in Orario and produced adventurers and adventurer adjacent industries. Like medicine, armories, and prostitution.

“Perhaps,” Echidna said. “Though perhaps you should listen in on the next Denatus to discover the issues that most Gods concern themselves with.”

“Do you remember the fort that your War Game concluded at?” Ergane asked.

My eyes narrowed to exhibit my irritation at the inane question.

“It was part of a series established in circumference to the dungeon, by mortals, to contain the dungeon. Then the Gods came and capped the other exits and dropped a tower shaped plug over it.”

This conversation might have offered context, but it failed to explain my original question. “When did you two meet?” I asked to remind them.

“We’re getting to that,” Ergane said. “But we still need to travel back a bit further. To the time before Uranus descended.”

“That is not his preferred name.” Echidna said, an eyebrow raised.

“Don’t give a fuck,” Ergane growled, a flash of anger in her eyes. She took a breath to calm herself, before adding, “Sorry. It’s just–Sky Gods in general. Ergh.”

It was an odd contrast between their personalities, Echidna’s refinement to Ergane’s candor.

“Back then, mortals depended on Spirits, which were also aliens sent by the Gods to uplift a tribe of invaders from other universes that were getting their asses handed to them by this world’s original inhabitants. All sickening really.”

I groaned. This was getting uncomfortably close to theology and entering the realm of the irrelevant. However, one of the things they mentioned did perk my interest.

“Where did humans come from?” I asked. Perhaps there was a method to travel back towards Earth Bet? To see old friends, maybe?

“You caught that part, eh?” Ergane laughed. “Figured you would. We aren’t sure, but they certainly weren’t native to this world. And we know none of u–the divinities made them. Ergo–invaders.”

“We are getting off track,” Echidna said.

“Agreed,” I said. “I fail to see the wisdom in mentioning the colonial invaders to this realm. Although my sympathy is there for the original inhabitants.”

“Funny that. Who do you think those original inhabitants are?”

At first I thought the Spirits, but those had been sent by the Divinities, at least per the theological narrative Ergane was weaving. I supposed the only other entity, besides the Divinities and the known sapient races, would be Xenos or monsters, and those were all created by the dungeon.

“I can see you’re about there,” Ergane said. “But let’s take just one more step back then. Where do you think this world all came from? Or the dungeon for that matter?”

“Ergane!” Echidna scolded. “You know that is forbidden for good reason!”

“Forbidden for you, maybe. You’ll find the pantheon having a bit of trouble enforcing that with me.”

Echidna sighed and rolled her eyes, before waving Ergane onward. “Just make sure this doesn’t get out. The attention would be severe.”

“Can you keep a secret?” Ergane asked me.

I scoffed.

“Thought so. So back to the tale. All this–” Ergane stamped on the floor “-is the manifestation of a certain Goddess.”

All this effort for a variant of a common primitive creation theory. What a waste of effort to process. But still, perhaps some value could be gained by drawing comparisons to other cultures that held similar myths.

Ergane’s eye narrowed. “You don’t believe me, do ya?”

I shrugged. “I mean… I believe that you believe it?”

“Cheeky,” Ergane scoffed. “Echidna love, have I spoken deceit?”

“No.”

“Do you know who this Goddess is then?” I asked, smirking, believing them caught in some tautology or other.

“I do, and I don’t wanna talk about it. Maybe ask one of the Sky Gods if you ever meet one of the slimy bastards.” She spat.

“Was this before or after you met my mother?” I asked sardonically, feeling pleasure as Echidna’s lips curled up slightly at the use of the name.

“Oh, uhmm… that’s a harder one to answer.”

Some Lady of Wisdom. Where was [Negotiation] when we needed her?

“Time is not always Linear daughter, especially not in diffuse dimensions such as Tenkai.”

Which would imply that Ergane was also a Divinity? Or that her soul was in Tenkai at the very least. I felt a headache coming on from this puzzle. I shook my head and realized I might not care enough to parse any more of this.

“If you don’t want to answer, that is fine.” I turned my attention to my mother. “Will you be attending the tournament? Luna Malphilos found me to insist that I set up the gauntlet.”

Echidna smiled and nodded, “Of course! That is next week?” She kicked Ergane under the table then gestured towards me with her head.

“Wha–oh! Want help prepping for that?” Ergane asked.

“No,” I answered.

“Daughter, please allow her to do so? I’m worried that some of the ramifications from Dix and the War Game might chase you, and Ergane is quite formidable.”

“As am I, mother.”

“Please, daughter?” Echidna’s eyes were wide and watering. That expression of hope and love should not be permitted. What angle was Echidna playing? I felt it went beyond just having a body guard available. 

I growled and met Ergane’s eye and eye-patch. 

“Your mother wants us getting to know each other,” Ergane said, before pausing, and smiling with wicked deviance, she added, “Champ.”

Fuck.

Chapter 51: Pestilence 4.19

Chapter Text

Pestilence 4.19

That night was awkward. 

Echidna’s lair only had one pile of bedding, large enough for a tangle of several bodies, but it made for awkward sleeping arrangements. I had trouble falling asleep. Made worse by Ergane’s snoring.

Slither and Hiss both tried burying their heads to escape. I ended up plugging my ears with miasma. But still, the rumbles coming from her side of the furs were intolerable. Eventually, I had enough. I nudged her with my foot.

“Shnurrglglgle,” Ergane said, continuing to snore.

I nudged her again, just a little harder.

“Shnurrglglglue,” Ergane snored even louder.

I abandoned pretenses and kicked her in the chest.

“Shnur–hwha?!” she bolted up looking around.

I froze and tried breathing normally. Nothing to see here. From the mites stationed on her, I felt her look around and glance my way. Her eye narrowed, she scoffed, then laid back down. I hurried to fall asleep before she started snoring again.

I had just drifted off, when my leg jolted.

My swarm buzzed across the room to find the source. Ergane was smirking. Her hand had just twitched. She had nudged me?

“You woke me up?” I asked her.

“You were snoring,” Ergane hissed smugly. She rolled over and went back to sleeping.

“This means war.”

 

That morning, I overslept my normal hours, and woke up exhausted. One of the nicest parts of my new anatomy though, was that I never actually got dressed. I simply coalesced my miasma around myself in a mimicry of a robe, and called it good. Which meant that after I woke up, it only took me three minutes to get ready for the day and reach the door. Unfortunately, there was a problem.

“Hey there champ,” Ergane mumbled after me from where she was starting to stir.

I flinched when I heard the pet-name she was using. “Don’t call me that.”

She ignored my request. “Where you headed so early?”

“To train,” I said. I needed to practice for the gauntlet if I wanted a chance at the prize, I heard it was a grimoire for first place. I also could use some breakfast. And to figure out how to use Sorcery, or at least realize what its effects were.

“Cool cool,” Ergane said. “So uhh, give me a bit alright? Why don’t you wait around a bit while I get dressed and ready?”

“I have a lot to do, Ergane.”

“Call me mom alright?”

“No.” I turned and left, jogging down the tunnel and up into the streets, ignoring her shouts for me to wait for her.

What had Ergane been thinking? Was she joking, or just insane? I had trouble getting a read on her, with her personality all over. Sometimes she had too much candor, and others she exhibited a wicked sense of humor, and still others she put on learned airs. It was almost like there were multiple people living in that skull of hers. It put me on edge. And that was long before the issue of her taking time away from my mother, away from me, and then trying to act like she was all familiar. I did not like it, nor appreciate it, and I decided I would just keep doing what I had already been doing and just go it alone.

But first, I would grab breakfast. There was a gyro stand nearby, and if I paid just a little extra, I could get a few cuts of liver (raw) in a paper cone. I had just paid at that little food stand and started munching away at the sweet and delectable chewy goodness when–

“Heya champ!” Ergane jumped and landed right where I had been walking, causing my paper cone of meat to go splat and the liver to smear between both of us. “Whoops, sorry about that. So why’da run off?”

“To avoid you largely,” I said, salvaging what I could from the paper before tossing it aside and licking off my hand. My serpent tails enjoyed the rest, yanking the spilled organ meat from off the ground.

I started jogging towards the dungeon.

“But why?” she asked, following after me and easily keeping up. “I thought we were gonna hang out today, ya know? Get to know each other?”

I responded by running faster. Soon I was racing through the dungeon, with Ergane easily keeping up with her long legged loping stride. “In a hurry, huh?” she asked.

“Leave-me-alone!” I shouted. 

We blew past the Under Resort, and I formed Bug Clones to distract her. Nothing seemed to work. Finally, at my wits end, I blinded the bitch. My insects failed to gain purchase, but forming a solid wall in front of her bought me enough of a distraction to get away. I blew down to the twentieth level, near where Dix had died, and I pulled the pyramid key from my pouch and slotted it into the key.

I waited impatiently for the wall to open. I lost track of Ergane, but I was certain she was not near enough to see me. I slipped through the gap as soon as it opened and hit the switch to close the door. It jolted to a stop mid-way, then slowly began grinding close.

After what felt like minutes, it finally shut, leaving me insulated from the rest of the dungeon, and hopefully safe from Ergane.

I caught my breath and leaned against the wall. A large portion of my swarm was still caught outside Gnosis without any way to infiltrate inside, unless I manually opened a door again. But that would let Ergane in, and then–just ugh–no.

But it did mean I was restricted on how far I could travel from the entrance. Instead, I focused on sending a few scouts out to see if anything interesting had happened, that there were no squatters, and that Ergane had not found a way to sneak up on me.

My fliers did in fact find some points of interest.

Not physically, but a few moths could detect the rumbling vibrations of men speaking. Not well enough to discern who the speakers were, but I could catch bits and pieces of their discussion.

Considering where we were, whatever they were talking about was determined both relevant and germane.

“-think it’ll work?” a man asked.

“Nah. But you know how he is.”

“-it’ll be entertaining-yeah?”

A shuffle. “-chyeah. He’s had me rifling through Ganesha’s libraries for more about ol one eye.”

“Hey speaking of, ya hear some of its scales were dug up?”

“Hey really? Where at? Not too close I hope…”

“Rakia? I think? I’d need to track down Garr.”

“-just wondering–what books he have ya after?”

“-yea ok, but it’s big-” The voices began quieting, and with the slight thudding of footsteps, I knew they were walking away.

“Dammit fool, what books?” 

I also wanted to know. But as they talked, stone rumbled in the distance, just barely perceptible. They must have been using one of the keys.

“Wanted me to find evidence of–” Stone finished rumbling, and their voices cut off completely.

I decided to take my leave. I still had yet to find Ergane, wherever she was. I used my own key to open the nearest door and slip back out, rejoining my swarm together. 

As I regained my composure, I realized that a shadow stood before me, somehow not registering to my swarm at all. The second I noticed it, the shadow coalesced into Ergane, standing right before me.

“Ya this shit isn’t gonna fly,” she said. “I cannot keep you safe if you run off into Gnosis on your own. You even know the kinds of people that hang out there? Give it.” She held out her hand, palm up, and made the classic gimme motion.

“Give what?” I asked.

“The key! The eye. Hand it over. Clearly you can’t be trusted.”

I gave her a flat look. “No.” I walked past her and started looking for a place to practice. I wondered if Torri the Dwarf would be willing to help? I basically needed someone to try running through a narrow corridor while I tried blocking them.

“Taylor Anne Hebert!” Ergane scolded me.

I froze mid step. 

“What?” I asked, faint of voice. I shook, if just a little.

“Stop ignoring me and give me that key!”

“But–that name? How…” I tried remembering if I ever shared my entire name with Echidna. Perhaps I had? Or perhaps it was on my status sheet? I doubted it though. And even then, how would Ergane have known that?

“Do not change the subject,” Ergane seethed. “The key. Now.”

I pulled the key out from my satchel, gave it a questioning look. It could be useful, but if I ever needed it again, I could always track it back down. I finally decided and dropped it into Ergane’s hand.

“Thank you,” she said. “Now was that so hard?”

 

Later that day, I ended up practicing along the waterfall leading down to the water temple levels. While the monsters had been dealt with, I attempted blocking the flow of water with nothing but miasma. It almost worked. When I mixed in chitin and chains of insects, I was able to form a dam that eventually grew to be impervious. At the end of the day, I was able to block up the entire river, flooding the upper area until irate adventurers complained and politely requested me to ‘fuck off.’

I told them that if they could reach me, then I would.

They were not able to.

That evening, we returned to the surface and tracked down the rules of the tournament, and then Torri, to see if she would help practice.

The tournament was only several days away, and the Loki expedition would be returning soon. I could not wait to win that prize.

Chapter 52: Pestilence Interlude: Demeter

Chapter Text

Pestilence Interlude: Demeter

A short and plain fingernail tapped on a letter received from the northern farms. Demeter had read it, and then read it again. The news was dire. She sighed and rubbed her temples. What had that fool Apollo been thinking? Or Freya? Or even Echidna! What had that foul woman cursed her child with?! And now, Demeter had to deal with potential food shortages, along with the long term ecological impacts caused by this disaster? It was just too much. Something had to be done to correct it.

She rang a small handbell on her desk. The silver chime filled the room. She then waited, knowing it would be a short wait. 

Demeter was residing in her town-house within Orario. While she was a Goddess of Grain, and her Familia was responsible for supplying Orario with four fifths of all consumed food, she kept a modest home within Orario itself, for conducting business, and to serve as a centralized location for her Familia, as her farms and ranges extended in all directions around the city.

And now, the food supply provided to that very city was in jeopardy, and the fools of the city were doing nothing to correct the problem! It caused Demeter’s blood to boil.

A knock sounded on the door.

“Enter,” Demeter called out.

Lugh opened the door and performed a rough bow. The man wore simple clothes befitting his station as her captain. Browns and greens, earthen tones, and practical rugged cuts. Demeter approved.

“Did we fail to reach out to the Pestilent Plague?” Demeter asked. It was a pretentious moniker for anyone, but in the case of Echidna’s child, the moniker fit exceedingly well.

“We sent a party to open discussions,” Lugh answered. His eyes were centered on the floor. Occasionally, he glanced upwards, but never made it further than Demeter’s neck. She resisted the impulse to smile smugly. Hestia had nothing on Demeter in that department.

“And?” Demeter asked. “What did we learn? Is she willing to abate the problem that she is responsible for?”

Lugh shuffled his feet, his eyes darting back down to the desk.

“Well?” Demeter crossed her arms and stared hard at Lugh.

“We’ve not heard back. We suspect foul play.”

“No…” Demeter gasped. “That would be… but why?”

Lugh shook his head. “We are not certain. But the party we sent to speak with her never returned. Perhaps they discovered more than even we suspected?”

Demeter shuddered and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. Just how would she correct this mess now? If no one else was willing to lift a finger, then she supposed she would need to take action herself. But these sorts of plans were never her forte. She and her Familia grew crops, not convoluted plots and plans. She rubbed her temples. What could she do? As she considered, she realized she did know someone that did know how to weave plots. Granted they did not always work out, but he usually had some effective plans.

She stood.

“Lady Demeter?” Lugh asked.

“Come,” she said, striding out from her office. “We shall go see my cousin.”

~

Her cousin, Dionysus, lived in a convoluted and oversized manse which overshadowed Daedelus Street. It was a convoluted place, overfilling with vines and stairways leading nowhere in particular. Demeter rang a bell to the side of the entrance.

“Oh coming~” a voice sang before a laughing God in a red jacket laced with gold opened the door. He smiled and swept his arms wide. “Cousin! What brings you to my abode? I thought you would be busy with harvest season.”

“That’s why I came,” Demeter said. “May I come in?”

“Of course dearest cousin!” Dyonysus said. “Could I interest you in a bowl of Soma?”

“Perhaps later,” Demeter said. “I would prefer a clear head until this business is resolved.”

“Ah but of course,” Dionysus said. He poured himself a bowl and brought an amorphae along with them. “You do not overly mind if I indulge? I do my best thinking after all this way~” He finished in his typical sing song voice as he led the way further into his maze of a garden, towards a stone bench beneath a trellis laden heavy with grapes.

“And thinking we must do,” Demeter said, attempting to find a way to broach the subject without scaring off her cousin. “The corruption from the last war game has been spreading,” Demeter said. “And I fear it will only grow worse unless we clip the source of the sickness before the bud.”

“That source being Echidna’s daughter?” Dionysus asked after reclining on his couch in the shade.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Demeter answered.

“Very interesting…” Dionysus said with a level of smugness that neared unbearable levels. “We still have not heard of Apollo returning to Tenkai. Do you think that a mortal has found a way to pose a risk to one of us?”

“Yes. Otherwise I would attempt to correct this on my own. I am putting together a coalition, but… most Divinities do not wish to aid me directly in this.”

“No, I would see how they would not…” Dionysus tapped his chin. “I suppose I could ask some of my friends? Who all have you tried?”

“Freya laughed and wished me luck but otherwise refused to offer aid,” Demeter said.

Dionysus giggled. “Never stand between a Goddess and her fun!”

“Loki expressed her condolences and then explained her own child was in love and moving to Echidna’s Familia just as soon as the expedition returned.”

“Interesting!” Dionysus said. “It appears Echidna’s daughter has other means of corruption available to her. I simply must learn more!”

Demeter sighed and resisted the urge to face palm. But still, if Dionysus offered help, then putting up with some of his excessive behaviors might be tolerable. “I also tried Sekhmet, however she was drunk at the time I arrived.”

“Understandable~”

“Hecate refused, citing the Pestilent Plague's magic potential. Hecate did not seem overly concerned over the crops as those were a ‘material problem only.’”

“We all have our passions dear cousin,” Dionysus said. He finished slurping from his bowl and began chugging from the amorphae itself.

“It seems that the other Divinities are all hiding their heads in the ground. It is…” Demeter trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

“Frustrating, dear cousin?” Dionysus asked.

“Yes! Quite.”

“I wonder,” Dionysus said. “If she is truly as monstrous as she appears? If she might have a core similar to the calamities?”

“That would be…” Demeter wanted to say outlandish, but the girl had already achieved several outlandish and incredible feats. “...something,” Demeter finished lamely.

“Indeed!” Dionysus laughed. “Perhaps we should treat her as any other beast?”

~

The day of Hecate’s ridiculous competition came.

Despite the better part of wisdom, the Pestilent Plague, that damned child of Echidna, the source of the sickness and corruption, had been enrolled as part of the gauntlet. Normally, Demeter would have protested strongly. However in this case, it would serve as a decent distraction. It was also entertaining to behold.

Hence, Demeter sat in the honored stands and watched the game unfold. Hers and Dionysus’ plans were already in motion, and nothing would be lost from imbibing in a slight form of entertainment. Besides, it was possible she would learn something of value.

Before medicine could be delivered, the sickness must be understood. So there was not nothing to be gained by watching. But that was not to imply that Demeter had not already performed investigative work! No, her Familia had observed Echidna’s daughter enough to know that the girl and Loki’s child held a strong affinity towards one another. And while Demeter would almost never normally consider doing this, the times appeared desperate enough to warrant extremely distasteful actions.

Thus, the plan. The distasteful, disgusting, needful plan.

Demeter scanned the crowds surrounding the stadium for a sign of her target. Their target’s sister, Tione, was presently running through each of the competitor’s gauntlets. 

“Where is Tiona?” Demeter asked Lugh.

“She was last spotted heading to the suspected neighborhood of Lady Echidna,” Lugh answered. “After their expedition returned, Loki held Tiona in detention to attempt to convince her one last time to remain in her Familia.”

“How do we know this?” Demeter asked. It made sense that Loki would abhor losing such a high leveled adventurer. Demeter would as well.

“Tiona’s shouted swearing and cursing implied so much when she escaped.” That fit well with what Demeter knew of Amazons.

“And she headed towards Echidna’s? Why? And why is Echidna not present here now?” Demeter asked, pursing her brow in thought. Perhaps did Echidna suspect? That would be most unfortunate. The plan relied on catching Taylor alone.

“We followed Tiona at a distance… It appears they are performing some procedure?” Lugh asked. “Unfortunately we could not get closer without alerting them to our presence.”

“What nature of procedure–” Demeter started asking before realizing a dreadful thing “-no! Echidna could not in good conscience pervert that Amazon child…” Demeter shuddered.

“Lady Demeter?” Lugh asked, concerned.

Demeter shook her head to dispel the horror. Perhaps this would make what she did easier. “Send a messenger to alert Echidna that her daughter was severely injured. That ought to draw them out. Capture the girl, regardless of what happens.”

“Yes, Lady Demeter.” Lugh bowed and began backing away.

Demeter held up a hand to pause his exit. “And Lugh?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“We cannot afford to fail. Orario, and all Genkai cannot afford it.”

“Your will be done,” he said, bowing again and backing away.

Demeter turned her attention back to the game, and the stands, scanning the crowd for additional inspiration.

She recognized a familiar white haired, red eyed youth cheering from the side of the arena nearest the Pestilence.

“You can do it Miss Taylor!” Bell Cranell cheered. 

Demeter narrowed her eyes. The fools. But if the boy was there, then was Hestia? Somehow, Demeter had completely forgotten to ask the shorter Goddess while seeking a coalition. 

She now made her way down, to rectify that oversight. Since relations had soured after Hestia’s alliance with Echidna. Demeter wondered if perhaps there would be an easier way?

“Little Hestia,” Demeter greeted the smaller Goddess, coming in from behind.

“What? Oh, it’s you.” Hestia frowned as she turned and saw Demeter. She sounded as though she had bitten into a rotten apple. “What do you want?”

“I am merely checking in. It appears your child has recovered from his ill-advised venture?”

“Who, Bell?” Hestia’s frown grew even more severe. “You leave him out of this, whatever this is, alright?! We’re just here to watch the game. I don’t even know what you want, but we don’t want any of it!” She crossed her arms beneath her prodigious chest that was still less bountiful than Demeter’s own.

“I merely wished to speak with you in regards to Echidna’s daughter.”

“Yeah, you and every other God here. Including the big guy. Go ahead, ask.”

“What did she do with Apollo?”

Hestia scoffed. “Like anyone knows? Not even Taylor knows. I asked. Unless she figured out a way to lie…” Hestia frowned cutely as she thought. “No, she couldn’t. I’m sure of it. She doesn’t know.”

“She might have learned of a way to deceive us,” Demeter said. “It would hardly be the first surprise she has given us.”

“Maybe. But I don’t think she does. It wasn’t really her that attacked Apollo. I don’t know what was wearing her skin at the time; it wasn’t her though. As creepy as it sounds, I don’t think so. Anyways, you’re barking up the wrong tree! You should be bothering Echidna about her child, not me.”

“Well yes, I tried that already.” Demeter frowned. “Did you know of the blight to the north?”

“Maybe? No? Is that something to do with Rakia?”

Demeter rolled her eyes. “No. The forest and all that grows is failing. I am surprised that Artemis has not arrived yet in pursuit of some quest regarding this, to be honest.”

“Why you gotta bring Artemis up anyways?” Hestia asked with a scowl.

“She is one of the other virginal Goddesses, no?” Demeter asked, smirking at the small Goddesses’ discomfort.

“Get outta here Demeter! I can’t help you. Just let me enjoy the game with Bell, alright?!”

Demeter smiled softly and shook her head. “Very well, little Hestia.”

“And stop calling me that!”

Demeter turned her attention to the gauntlet, watching another contestant come shrieking back out of Taylor’s corridor. The gauntlet tourney was surprisingly entertaining, Demeter admitted. 

The premise of the sport, while strange, was eye grabbing. There were two competitions, the gauntleteers, and the gauntlet-runners. 

Taylor, the monster child that she was, had formed a gauntlet for the runners to run. Each runner was then ranked by how long or how far they ran into the gauntlet. The one rule being that the gauntleteers could not use lethal attacks or intentionally cause dismemberment. No damage that a simple health potion could not heal. The gauntleteers, and there were three of them, one from Hecate, and one from Loki, and Taylor, had each been given each a corridor to form their contest with.

Hecate’s child, the insane corvid loving pervert, had created a hurricane of sharp feathers and winds to buffet all who ran her gauntlet. Thus far, only a single level five had made it through. 

Loki’s child had formed an oven of flames, which was somewhat predictable. Only one had successfully navigated that thus far, and that one had probably had a heat resistance ability.

And then there was Taylor’s. The less said about the nightmare fuel in that corridor, the better. Anyone that went in only came back out the same direction, either of their own volition, or carried by a wave of chitin.

It was most foul.

“We’ve got her,” Lugh said from behind Demeter, drawing her attention away from the contest.

“Excellent, take me to her.”

Demeter followed Lugh out of the arena.

~

Lugh led Demeter through the winding maze like Daedelus Street to a dead end alleyway, where Ikelos met them.

“Finally,” Ikelos scoffed. “Do you realize how irritating it is to wait?”

“I do~” Dionysus said, reaching them at the same time. “But things will be interesting soon.”

“Tch. So long as blood and terror comes plentiful.”

Demeter refused to twitch in annoyance. This coalition could not end soon enough. Ikelos, one of Dionysus’ friends, was an absolute nightmare. That was his domain. Him and his slaving Familia were just–Demeter had no words to express her disgust. But still, better them and an end to the threat than otherwise.

“You have Loki’s Child?” Demeter asked, steering her own thoughts away from the distaste she felt with their presence.

“We’ve got her bound inside,” Ikelos said, pulling out a miniature pyramid from a pocket and slotting it into an otherwise unremarkable wall. Part of the wall slipped aside, revealing a carved tunnel leading downwards.

“What is this place?” Demeter marveled.

“A gift from one of my favorite children,” Ikelos said. “We kept her in here. It seems the safest place from the Pestilent Plague's omnipresence.”

And what a blasphemy that was, that a mere mortal had any sort of omnipresence at all.

They headed further into the carved labyrinth, passing statues that were laden with dungeon stone and artifices, likely golems of some nature. They had been walking for some time, progressing deeper into the earth, when Dionysus broke the silence.

“We are missing the festivities,” he complained, likely referring to the tournament. Or perhaps, an after tournament party. Or drug fueled orgy. Sometimes it was difficult to tell with the God.

“Calm yourself,” Ikelos said. “This will be far more interesting.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Dionysus said. “But I want it all.”

They continued downward, until finally, they reached a room where Loki’s child, The Amazon, had been restrained with orsinium chains. Demeter rubbed her temple. This part would be distasteful, even more so.

“Has she answered any questions yet?” Demeter asked. Several guards had been stationed around, one from each of their Familia. They all shook their heads, and one of Demeter’s answered.

“We were waiting for you, Lady Goddess.” 

“The Amazon likely will require some incentive to speak,” Ikelos added. “And the men would have had no way to discern truth from deceit. Now that we are here though, we may begin.”

Dionysus giggled and clapped his hands. “Let us see what torture the Goddess of Grain can wreak! So delicious.”

“It isn’t…” Demeter winced, “my specialty. I had hoped Ikelos might?”

Ikelos snorted. “Always the bad guy until needed? Very well. I brought some of Dix’s tools.” He unrolled a toolkit wrapped in leather, revealing sharp hooks and knives.

Demeter’s wince turned into a grimace. “Perhaps this won’t be necessary?” she asked.

“Not getting cold feet are you?” Dionysus asked mischievously.

“No,” Demeter said. “But perhaps we could ask first?” She approached Tiona and removed the gag from Tiona. “We have questions.”

“You can ask,” Tiona spat, literally spat. “But I probably won’t answer. Unless it’s about how I’m gonna kick your godly asses back to Tenkai. Then for that–” Tiona grinned “-is gonna be brutally. With a hint of sodomy. You asses.”

“Spirited,” Ikelos said.

“Imaginative!” Dyonysus added. “But droll.”

Ignoring both of the Gods, and the picture that Tiona tried painting, Demeter pressed forward, attempting to appeal to Tiona’s better nature. “We need to remove the corruption before it spreads,” Demeter said. “Have you seen Taylor’s Status Sheet?”

“No,” Tiona lied.

“I see…” Demeter thought out loud. “So you were unable to discern anything on it?”

“Oh hey, you’re trying to trick me?” she said. “Ain’t gonna work,” she lied.

“Not so confident in your abilities, perhaps?” Dionysus asked.

Ikelos chuckled, and pulled out a barbed blade that glowed with a soft menacing purple light. He began monologuing. “The thing about torture, that everyone always shouts, is that people always say whatever they think will end it–” Ikelos held the blade beneath Tiona’s eye until she tracked it. He let the tip rest against her cheek. “And the thing about Gods, is that we can winnow through the chaff and remove the grains of truth.”

“Fuck.” Truth .

~

After the interrogation, which had been both fruitful and terrifying, a trap was laid. Dionysus insisted he had a method of extracting the cure from the Pestilent Plague, assuming she had a dungeon stone embedded within her. Personally, Demeter felt it to be somewhat barbarous, but she thought it at least had a chance to succeed. And if not, according to what they had learned, Taylor’s death ought to at least reverse or halt the corruption.

Regardless, they needed to entrap the Pestilent Plague. And to do so, they did have a methodology. They had a trap setup on the twentieth floor, and they had the bait for that trap.

Right out from the exit to Gnosis, Demeter fed Tiona a restoration potion, before once again gagging her.

“I do not understand why we waste such resources,” Dionysus complained.

“We need her alive,” Demeter answered, watching as Tiona’s flesh reknit itself.

“Missing eyes and skin would hardly threaten her life,” Dionysus stated. Which was possibly an exaggeration. Tiona might have lasted some time, but it would not have been a good time, and even adventurers could suffer from infection.

“Perhaps,” Demeter said. “But I paid for the Restoration potion, not you. Your grounds for complaint are unfounded.”

“I need to show you how to spend your valis, cousin…” Dionysus complained. “There is a place on the fifteenth floor of the tower. The dancers there let you grind up and snort Cow testacle right off their chests! Simply marvelous!”

“That…” Demeter shuddered. There was no humane way to harvest that, nor any reason to do so. “Is disgusting.”

“Disgustingly marvelous~ Say, how long will we have to wait? We could head up there now!” Dionysus asked somewhat petulantly.

“Not long,” Ikelos grinned, pointing at a party that had just come down, a dwarf and a pallum. Ikelos waved them closer. But they stopped when they saw Tiona bound in her chair and gagged. “You’re friends of the Pestilent Plague?” Ikelos called to them. “We have a message for her.”

“Shit fuck,” the dwarf said eloquently.

“Lily has concerns.”

~

With the trap laid, Demeter, Ikelos, and Dionysus retreated back into Gnosis to wait, leaving Tiona where she was. Of course, they kept watch of her to ensure no monsters spawned. But monsters had not been spawning on this level as it was, likely due to the corruption as well.

As it was, the three Divinities relied on minor uses of Arcaneum to keep watch of both Tiona and of the dwarf and pallum as they quickly made their way to the surface and informed the Pestilent Plague. 

Taylor and another woman made their way down.

“Who is that woman?” Demeter asked.

“Why none other than the lady of wisdom!” Dionysus answered. “And likely to be the only impediment to our plans. We must delay her until the beast is dealt with.”

“Do we know where Echidna is?” Ikelos asked. “The two of them are lovers after all. We could use one to leverage the other.”

“Are the two of you no longer friends?” Dionysus asked.

Ikelos shrugged. “Her captain killed my captain.”

“Splendid,” Dionysus said, missing both Ikelos’ and Demeter’s flinch. “But must we know where she is to imitate?”

“An illusion then. I shall delay I suppose,” Ikelos said disinterestedly. “It will be more entertaining than waiting here regardless.”

Ikelos split off, leaving a key in Demeter’s hand and heading up to intercept them. Demeter and Dyonysus watched with a near imperceptible use of Arcaneum as Ikelos approached them both to gloat over their ‘capture’ of Echidna.

Demeter pursed her lips. “Will this fool them?” she asked, watching as Taylor and the unknown woman responded to the gloating Ikelos.

Taylor and the woman argued, before the woman chased after Ikelos, who continued to run upwards. Taylor’s swarm chased after Ikelos as well, but blasts of his Arcaneum cleared away the swarm, and led to a black monster to spawn. The woman ignored the monster and continued chasing after Ikelos. Taylor scowled, but refused to be delayed and hurried further downwards to save Tiona.

“Apparently,” Dionysus giggled. “It appears the Pestilent Plague chose to save her paramour first and foremost.”

Demeter had formed three Divine Mirrors, one for Tiona, one for Taylor, and one for the woman chasing after Ikelos, barrelling through Under Resort and leading a black monster along after them. “I had always assumed Taylor was seeking to join Bell’s harem,” Demeter said absentmindedly, continuing to watch.

“Does he have one already?” Dionysus asked.

“It seemed many girls’ had hearts for him,” Demeter answered.

“And not you?” Dionysus asked, smirking. “Perhaps after this, I shall introduce young Bell Cranell to that place I mentioned.”

“Don’t you dare!” Demeter protested.

To which Dionysus merely laughed. Taylor had just cleared the Nineteenth Floor, and was approaching the twentieth.

“Soon,” Dyonysus said, his expression hungry.

~

The swarm arrived first. Flying insects serving as scouts flooded the tunnel around Tiona. Several coalesced into the image of Taylor and began struggling with the chains, however they were locked and highly durable.

Tiona tried speaking around the gag. The insects began chewing against the material, but it was high quality wyvern hide, and highly resistant to damage.

Taylor came sprinting around the corner in body herself, eager to remove Tiona from the location. Though it would take a blacksmith of incredible skill to remove the bindings. Or, another restoration potion.

“Tiona!” Taylor shouted, running nearer. She was half a hallway away.

“A little closer,” Dionysus murmured.

Taylor would have no way of seeing either Demeter or Dionysus where they hid within Gnosis, watching through their Divine Mirrors.

Before Taylor reached Tiona in person, a wire mesh, crafted from Durandel, rose up ahead of Taylor, between her and her target. Another mesh rose from behind her, trapping Taylor in the hallway between both nets.

“We’ve got her!” Dionysus squealed in joy, opening the door from Gnosis to the hallway where Taylor had been trapped. The swarm still in the section of hallway between nets along with Taylor formed a screen, while biting insects dove at both Dionysus and Demeter. “Cover me!” Dionysus shouted.

Taylor charged them, her serpent tails hissing and weaving while she tried using her swarm to both sting and bite the Gods. But the Divinities had prepared for this, and they had already agreed to limited usage of their Arcaneum. 

Demeter stood in Gnosis, beyond the range of the Dungeon, and she blasted Taylor with beams of golden light, striking both serpents and burning off Taylor’s insects.

Dionysus tackled Taylor and slipped a chain around Taylor’s neck and leg before hauling Taylor back towards Gnosis, her kicking and screaming.

“Taylor!” Tiona shouted, finally working the gag free. “Taylor! Fuck! Kick their asses!”

Taylor was pulled within Gnosis, bringing her limited miasma in with her. Demeter activated the door, sealing Gnosis back shut and cutting off Tiona’s shouted threats.

They had done it.

They captured the Pestilent Plague, and where Apollo had failed. 

They had actually done it. No one could accuse Demeter of only being a farmer now, not when she had spearheaded the mini coalition that addressed such a large threat! Now when she had managed to separate the Pestilent Plague from the bulk of her gross insectile magic! 

“Perhaps we should refrain from celebration just yet, dearest cousin.” Dionysus grunted as he struck Taylor again and again, forcing her to use and spend her miasma in order to fuel her regeneration.

“Perhaps,” Demeter said. “What is the next part of your plan?” she asked while watching Dionysus stomp on the girl again and again.

“You kidnapped Tiona?” Taylor asked in between grunts as she was struck, each blow drove the air from her, but that was the only obvious effect. Her remaining insects attacked Dionysus’ eyes, but they burnt away as he allowed his own Arcaneum to glow and suffuse him in a Divine aura. “Why?” Taylor’s voice was cold and chilling from where she resisted in vain. The bulk of her magic was still trapped beyond the walls of Gnosis, and it was unlikely they would reach Taylor in time. Taylor must have known this, but still, she resisted despair, and instead asked an accusing question. “Why did you do this?”

“Do you truly not know the reason?” Demeter asked, finding it hard to believe, and interjecting herself amidst the ‘torture’ that Dionysus insisted on enacting.

“No, I do not.” That was a mostly-truth. Taylor’s golden orbs glowed, and while they lacked pupils, Demeter felt the full weight of them fall upon her. “So tell me why,” Taylor demanded.

“The corruption of the land…” Demeter watched Taylor’s expression carefully, but it appeared a mask of disdain and confusion, lacking any of the smugness that the vile mortal would likely have felt if it had been intentional. “You don’t know, do you?”

“What–” Taylor coughed up a wad blood and spat it into Dionysus’ face “-corruption?”

Again, a truth. She had not even realized what she had done? Tiona had thought so, but Demeter refused to believe that anyone could wreak such an ecological catastrophe inadvertently.

“Boring~” Dionysus said, using a decorative golden flanged mace to break Taylor’s legs. It was the third time he had broken that leg in particular, since his torture session began. The last of Taylor’s miasma was absorbed into her skin in a vain attempt to heal.

Things looked hopeless for Taylor. But rather than begging for mercy, rather than grunting in pain, she turned her golden eyes upon Dionysus. She took a raspy breath. The last of her magic exhausted, and her leg dangling both uselessly and broken. The sound of chittering insects held at bay by the adamantium walls of Gnosis. She was helpless. Hopeless. And yet, her gaze held an unrivaled defiance of an unbroken spirit.

Were it anyone else, Demeter would have swooned. But it was the Pestilent Plague, and no bards would be allowed to sing of her bravery. 

“This will not end well for you,” Taylor said, her voice lifeless and weak, and yet still full of truth.

“Child please,” Dionysus smirked while tapping his mace against the hard carapace surrounding Taylor’s chest. “I’ll have whatever ending I wish.”

Demeter frowned in confusion. Dionysus had always been slightly mad, but this sounded like something else. What ending was Dionysus referring to? The only ending that any Divinity ever had was to return to Tenkai. Unless he meant something else? 

“What…” Demeter paused, pursing her lips as she thought. “What ending? What did you need Taylor for? We are to stop the corruption, not encourage its growth, yes?”

Taylor’s eyes turned towards Demeter. “I am uncertain what this corruption is. But had you asked, I might have found a solution.” Partial truth. “At the least, I would have worked with you to find one.” Truth.

“But I tried asking!” Demeter said. “I sent my Familia to speak with you, they never came back!”

“The spies were yours? The ones that followed me and threatened me?” Taylor asked. She smirked. “I did not harm them. Not like I did to Ikelos’ slaving bastards.” Truth.

But if that was truth, then who had waylaid her Familia members? Regardless, this was a distraction. The corruption still needed to be stopped. But if Taylor was willing to help? Perhaps there were ways to resolve this without further unsavoryness.

Dionysus chose that time to break out in a giggle. “Such a… bore!” he laughed. He swung the mace once more, this time striking Taylor’s neck. The cracking of bone and a sickening angle of her head ended the conversation.

“Who killed my men?” Demeter asked.

Dyonysus laughed all the harder. “Does it matter?”

“Yes!” Demeter shouted.

“Gasp,” Dionysus said. “And here I thought the Pestilent Plague was the problem.”

“We could have–” Demeter stopped herself. Dionysus was mostly right.

He unsheathed a long knife and tapped it against Taylor’s chest. He tried pushing it in, but the carapace resisted. He grunted, unused to physical labor in the mortal realm. “Surprisingly robust, even in death.”

“She’s not completely dead,” Demeter said. A broken neck perhaps, but not dead yet. “What is your plan, cousin?”

“You wish me to tell and spoil the surprise?” Dionysus laughed once more. “Tell me, did you ever wonder if this monster had a dungeon stone?”

Demeter narrowed her eyes.

“Indeed!” Dionysus laughed. “Have you ever yearned for freedom?”

“What madness–”

“-Hah!”

“-are you on? We are Divine! What freedom are we lacking?”

“We are lacking all the freedoms! We do not learn, we do not grow, we are static and slaved to the notions of mortals! When they forget us, we fade. Even then, death is denied us! This is not life, it is purgatory and torture!” Spittle flew from Dionysus' lips as he ranted. “And I mean to follow Athena’s footsteps and free myself from my shackles!”

“Athena…” Demeter repeated. It had been a long long time since Demeter had seen the Goddess of… Wisdom.

The walls of Gnosis shook and dust fell from the ceiling.

“But… how?” Demeter asked. She had begun backing away from Dionysus and subtly slipped the key to Gnosis into her pocket.

“The same way as Athena did,” Dionysus said. He drove the blade up through Taylor’s stomach, piercing her diaphragm and entering her thoracic chamber. He removed the blade and shoved his hand up through the hole, up to his elbow. Foamy blood spilled from Taylor’s mouth as her face spasmed in pain. Dionysus grunted, “Got it!” And he pulled out a green and black gemstone the size of a squash.

“A dungeon stone…” Demeter said breathlessly.

As soon as the stone was removed, Taylor shuddered then exploded into black ash, just as any other dungeon monster would. 

“What… what will you do with that?” Demeter asked, referring to the stone that very much looked different from the usual ones that dropped within the dungeon.

“Use it, of course,” Dionysus laughed. “I certainly hope this works!” He used the very same knife to cut his own stomach open, spilling golden blood. He grimaced and smiled all at once, before sliding the stone inside. He gasped, then started laughing even harder than before. “Looks like it’s not only you, Athena!”

The tunnel shook again. What was causing that? It could not be the Amazon. Perhaps the woman? Where was Ikelos? Demeter opened a Divine Mirror to the outside, near where Tiona and the bulk of Taylor’s miasma remained. There was no sight of Ikelos, however, there was the woman. The chains that had bound Tiona had been torn apart, despite the material they were made of. The woman, the Lady of Wisdom, was punching the walls to Gnosis. Each punch caused the cracks to further spread. It would not be long until the woman and the Amazon entered.

If Demeter were to escape, she would need to use an exit closer to the top than the bottom. She glanced back to Dionysus, wondering if she should inform him. But he appeared too busy laughing and giggling and wheezing as he clutched his stomach and rolled along the ground.

Demeter shook her head and began a dignified job upwards, leaving her insane cousin behind. When she next saw him in Tenkai, she would be sure to demand additional answers. But for now, she needed to get back to her farms and verify that the corruption had been removed.

But she did not completely abandon her curiosity. As she moved, she kept open a small Divine Mirror oriented upon Dionysus. From his incision, black tendrils had begun leaking out, looking similar to tentacles, but thinner and sharper. They stretched and flailed and whipped across Dionysus, scouring lines of gold and black where they struck his skin.

“Soon! Soon I will be free!” he shouted and laughed and grinned through the rictus of obvious pain.

The dungeon shuddered while Gnosis shook. The damage the woman, the Lady of Wisdom, wreaked, was causing a backlash. Demeter decided that perhaps she should move faster, and she began running. She formed another small Divine Mirror to watch Tiona and the Lady of Wisdom. Demeter did not know what would happen when they breached Gnosis, but the wall was nearly down, and miasma was already flooding through the cracks, towards Dionysus.

Everything shook once more, and a large enough hole formed as large chunks of the wall fell away, allowing Tiona and the woman to crawl through. Tiona arrived on scene first, following the miasma.

“Taylor!” Tiona shouted. She did not find Taylor, naturally, only where Dionysus rolled on the ground, acting as though he was positively tickled by the eldritch abominations. The miasma began landing and sticking to the God, almost forming a second skin over him.

“You’re too late!” Dionysus taunted. “Taylor is gone! There is only me!” He laughed and shrieked.

The one eyed woman snarled. “Tell me what you did, fool.”

“You thought you were the only one wise enough to earn freedom?!” Dionysus threw his head back and laughed, spittle flying loose.

“Did you kill her?” Tiona asked, attempting to charge Dionysus. She was thwarted by the miasma that had yet to bond to Dionysus. A physical wall, almost a whirlpool, of black fog and swirling evil opened up over the God. “I don’t care how! I will fuck you up!” Tiona shouted, throwing every loose stone she could find his way.

“Damn you,” the woman spat. “Damn you and damn Tenkai and damn the tower! I thought to play nice with you idiots, to let you play your games here on Gaia with your vile children. But you must steal the one thing precious to my wife?! You will suffer for this transgression.

The woman began changing. 

Demeter wondered what that woman was as Demeter continued running. Putting the clues together, a Lady of Wisdom,Freedom… Athena? Was that Athena? But why would she be missing an eye, and how would Demeter fail to recognize her? Just what was happening?

Athena’s eyepatch fell from her face. Her skin darkened, and her face elongated, lengthened, and all of her proportions grew as her clothes split and tore. 

“No…” Demeter whispered as she realized that she needed to flee upwards much more quickly.

“It’s too late, Athena love,” Dyonysus giggled. “Too late! Now I can be–like–you!” he spoke through an increasingly pained grimace, before twisting and squirming beneath the vortex and loosing a high pitched squeal, sounding like swine heading to slaughter. The miasma was spreading further over his golden skin, obscuring most of it, and changing his shape as he twisted and strained, was compressing in some parts, and was growing in others.

“What did you do with Tay?!” Tiona shouted. She could hardly see Dionysus from where she was. The swirling shadows would have obstructed the Amazon’s vision.

“They kille–ll–lled–” Athena spoke until her snout grew too inhuman to understand intelligibly.

“What–what is happening–to me?” Dionysus asked. Where the miasma had yet to spread along his flesh, veins grew beneath his flesh. His eyes were turning gold. Two sprouts began growing from the base of his spine. “Wha–No!” He tried flashing his arcaneum, but it was not enough. Too much miasma had already infected him, corrupted him.

“You are a fool, cousin,” Demeter said. She finally reached the Eighteenth Floor and she escaped Gnosis. She rushed to the Under Resort to sound the alarm and begin the evacuations. But there were so many people there! So crowded! How many would perish due to the Guild’s neglect? She had to do something!

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Tiona swore, pushing through the swirling miasma, the same miasma that was scouring through Arcaneum, that was carving through the stones she had thrown in, and that now was gently caressing her, flowing around her, as she approached. Tiona held out a hand and felt the miasma dance and swirl around her fingers, lovingly. Tiona paused, then cracked a smile. “Or maybe Tay will first.”

Athena’s transformation continued. She increased beyond the size of even Goliath. She dropped to all fours as scales spread along her skin. Her fingers and toes changed to claws, her joints and limbs shifted. And still, she grew further. From her back, two wings sprouted.

Demeter decided she definitely needed to move faster. How on earth was Athena a black dragon? Was she the black dragon?! The one eyed black dragon?!

“Mother fuck!” Demeter swore.

Athena roared, her claws tore into the stone and the horns on the back of her head scraped against the ceiling. She hovered over Tiona and Dionysus, and blew a gout of fire away from them, melting stone, but avoiding harming either Dionysus or Tiona, likely for more Tiona’s sake than Dionysus’.

“Fuck shit!” Tiona shouted, flinching from the flame. If the dragon had wanted her dead, however, then she would be dead. Tiona seemed to realize that, pulling her attention away from the dragon and focusing on Demeter. Miasma had finally finished spreading over all of Dionysus, pouring into his mouth and up his nostrils, strangling him.

Athena still continued to grow, nevermind that she had run out of space to do so. She backed up towards the exit, pushing against the adamantium and breaching it easily, while still taking care to preserve Tiona and whatever the miasma was turning Dionysus into.

Once Athena breached back out into the dungeon proper, she continued to grow and tear a larger tunnel, boring a hole away from Gnosis and upwards, relying on her flames to soften the stone.

“How's that plan working out?” Tiona asked the bubbling mess that Dionysus had become. His chest was growing, or perhaps not his chest any longer. Two long tails had stretched out from his back, and what looked like insect wings as well. And still, more changes, possibly more tails, continued to sprout.

Dionysus gurgled like a tar pit in response.

The caverns shook. 

The dragon grew and grew. Black scales. One eye. 

Demeter passed the Under Resort, shouting an alarm. Roars echoed back after her. All the dungeon shook. Then the One Eyed Black Dragon began clawing through the ceiling, breathing fire into each level as she climbed up and through into the next.

“Run!” Demeter screamed, passing through the town and heading up into the seventeenth, past the Wall of Sorrows, screaming at every adventurer she saw to move. She used her own Arcaneum to boost her speed until she was a blur. 

The One Eyed Black Dragon reached the Under Resort. The forest was filled with flames and all the town combusted. The dragon continued to claw her way upward. Up through the ceiling. Then the next. And the next.

Demeter had made it to the Fifteenth Floor before the dragon overtook her. 

But as the dragon continued to grow, she no longer could discern an individual Goddess who comparatively was the size of an insect to a farmer.

The dragon blew plasma upwards, cutting through dungeon stone like butter, through floor and floor and floor, filling each subsequent floor with enough heat to kill all monsters and adventurers alike.

Her claws came down and crushed Demeter. 

A golden pillar of light shot up, up through Orario. It was the only warning Orario received before the pit opened and the tower fell.

Chapter 53: Monarch 5.1

Chapter Text

Monarch 5.1

I found myself once more standing before Queen. She reclined on a throne of onyx, and she lazily regarded her court. From the ceiling, bound by chains of black midnight, hung two entities. 

The first entity I recognized as Apollo. He did not appear healthy. Long spikes had been driving through his temples and out from his eyes, which were then curved and bent through the links in the chains. Were it not for his pained grunts, I would assume him dead. Not much made sense in this space, but those wounds ought to have been fatal. From the spikes, black veins ran down and across his gold skin, leaching to pasty white. Tar ran down his bare skin and dripped to the floor in slow rivulets that carried flecks of his flesh with him. 

It seemed that regeneration was not always a boon.

The second entity was much more vocal, and demanded attention. It was the fool god Dionysus. An oversized meat hook had been driven through his stomach, and up into his chest. As he bled gold, creatures of shadows danced beneath him and collected the ichor in open mouths and outstretched tongues.

<Statement: You have arrived.>

I felt her words come from both everywhere and nowhere. I envisioned so much more than the simple sentence conveyed. I had arrived here, and here was a space reserved between liminal dimensions, where Queen and I could both manifest. Just as the Divinities in Tenkai existed everywhere and nowhere, so to did we in this space. Though, given the whirlpool in the floor where monsters both emerged and sank from, I would imagine this to be closer to hell than heaven.

“I died again?” I asked. 

I remembered at the last second that Queen preferred appropriate tagging, but I knew that she would know what I meant. She scoffed, and waved at an empty throne beside her, decorated with skulls and an octet of limbs for a back.

<Statement: No. Goddesses do not die.>

It was my turn to scoff. I had started as a human, then a parahuman, but never once had I been a Divinity. Queen read the disbelief in my features, or my thoughts. We did share a soul, afterall.

<Explanation>

Apparently, when she had ‘taken care of’ Apollo, she had infected him with a viral agent that she had picked up from [BROADCAST] with several of her own tweaks worked in, largely based on the Abyssal Shadow she had connected to. The viral agent had laid the pathways for us to inject our thought processes into the liminal space.

But that caused me to ask a different question: “Were we the ones that actually caused the ‘sun’ to dim? The ‘crops’ to fail?” I asked. When I had first heard the accusations, I thought them to be baseless superstitions. But perhaps I assumed incorrectly.

<Statement: Infection.>

It appeared that we had in fact caused the sun to dim and the fields to corrupt. But that made no sense. Even if Apollo was a God, and not some trumped up two-bit parahuman, there were other Sun Gods. Surely one of the others would have descended, or have taken over Apollo’s duties?

Queen growled in frustration, but it was more of a directed thought than a sound, or perhaps could be better described as an impression of a sound. Things were strange here.

<The domain itself was infected by our viral payload and would serve as an additional vector for us to spread.>

“You forgot your tags there,” I smirked.

Queen closed her eyes and sighed, and then flipped me off. Which was odd behavior for a Power or Passenger.

<For a Shard. And I think you will find neither of us remain unchanged from events, and our merge.>

[Query: What happened after Dionysus killed me, and why is he here?]

<Correction: You were not killed. Your essence resides in the same space as my own, and I did not die.>

“Alright sure,” I said. [But what happened, and why is he there?] I pointed at where Dionysus hung.

Queen smirked. <He volunteered to Host us.>

Apprehension and concern blasted through me. Would that mean that we would make him a para-god? Would I be trapped here and forced to watch, never again–

Queen scoffed. <Statement: It was a joke.>

My apprehension and concern only grew. Since when could shards, basically trumped up computer–

<Irritation!>

-understand or appreciate humor? But then I supposed that our merge had changed both of us. But even if Dionysus had donated his ‘body’ to us, that did not make us Divine, nor did it mean we could leave this space. I wanted to hold Tiona. I wanted to hug mother. I did not want to be trapped here!

<We are not trapped!> Queen insisted. <Our body is undergoing modifications.>

I groaned. The last time we had undergone modifications, we had ended up greater monsters than ever before.

<Those changes were practical!> Queen defended.

[They were hideous!] I insisted. I sent a message packed with all of the revulsion I felt from my own reflection, to the way others reacted upon sight of me.

<Why would the opinions matter from non-Hosts?>

Of course. Of course Queen would not appreciate the social stigma. 

<Not true! Shards are incredibly social within our Gestalts and communication matrices.>

“Then help me gain social credit!” I insisted, sending image after image of how pretty people got more mileage from every interaction.

Queen narrowed her eyes. <Query: Why would we need enhanced mammary glands when we have already selected a partnership that will not result in reproduction or the necessities therein?>

I blushed, but stood my ground. [You never know…]

Queen refused to back down. <Query! Would we also want monthly hormonal cycles and menstrual→

“La la la!” I shouted, interrupting her.

<Query: Concede?>

I growled in exasperation. “Alright, yes fine!” I shouted, throwing my hands up. “But make sure we’re pretty at least?” [For Tiona.]

Queen rubbed her temples and nodded. <Though I suspect Tiona will appreciate us regardless of our appearance.>

“Us?” I asked with a hint of jealousy.

<Reminder: Union and merger.>

“I am not of the mind to share.”

<Everything we do is shared!>

I was not ok with that, but if the alternative to the merge was death, then I supposed I had no right to complain. But that did not mean that I was about to let Queen seduce Tiona. Images of giant spiders and Tiona flashed across my imagination like a persistent nightmare.

“Gross!” Queen shouted, summoning a black plush pillow and throwing it at me. <Statement: Shards are Asexual.> “Just–don’t–ew…” She shivered.

It was finally my turn to smirk. “Are we really a Goddess?” I asked.

She shook the last bit of revulsion and visibly excised it as a bubble that split off from her face and floated away before getting sucked into the whirlpool. At least I assumed it was her revulsion. Otherwise, I would think she was just messing with me. Which was not an impossibility, come to think of it.

“Yes, we are.” Queen answered seriously. “We used our previous corruption of Apollo’s Domain and a sacrifice of Dionysus to fuel our transformation.”

“But why?” I asked.

<Statement: Power. Security. Reversal of Entropy.>

I had trouble arguing with any of those concepts. The more power was generally the better. Assuming it was used responsibly. And the only way to ensure that was to control it myself.

<To Administrate it ourselves.>

“Exactly!” I said, sharing a grin with Queen. “But if we’re Divinities, then that means we have our own Domain? Or did we inherit Apollo’s or Dionysus’? Because I don’t know how Wine and Madness would help us.”

<We made alterations. Statement: Our Domain: Insects. Death. Pestilence. Corruption.>

Huh. I shook my head at the same time that I cringed. While those all sounded useful, and I had no doubt I could make use of them, the only one that really made sense was Insects, and even then, that was not a Domain so much as a Power, and–

<Correction: Insects are representation of swarm behavior up to and including souls.> 

Souls. All of them. But how could I even make that work? [How?]

She waved to the throne beside her once more. I walked around the whirlpool, peering into and down along the windy tunnel–it was a piercing through the very realm of existence, and I thought I could make out several slimy tentacles and eyes in the distance. 

As I skirted around the edge of it, several drops of corrupted ichor fell on me from above, from where Dionysus hung. 

The monsters that had been dancing squealed in fear as I passed, they all bowed down and prostrated themselves before me. I climbed the steps and looked at the throne that Queen had saved for me beside her. 

My own throne… it did not look comfortable.

“Power never is,” Queen said. “Now sit. We have much to discuss.”

~

Some time later, I awoke to Echidna and Tiona’s prodding. We were at the bottom of a crater that stretched upwards for miles. In the distance, smoke filled the sky like fog, and the occasional roaring echoed down.

“Taylor?” Tiona asked, concern on her face as she looked down at me. She seemed smaller somehow.

“Yes?” I asked, my voice a contralto, similar to Echidnas.

“You’re alive!” Tiona squealed, wrapping me in a hug.

“And she has undergone changes,” Echidna added. She used her Arcaneum to create a reflective surface before me. “My daughter has ascended. The first mortal to do so in this era.”

I beheld my reflection. I was covered in black skin with gold eyes. Shadows wafted off of me, trailing miasma. Slither and Hiss and several of their sisters twisted around behind me. My arms were both skeletal, and my back had golden ribbed dragonfly wings.

“Beautiful,” I said.

<Remember.> Queen sent.

“Right. Help me up,” I held out my hand, allowing Tiona and Echidna to aid me to my feet.

“So…” Tiona led off, seemingly bashful, which was most uncharacteristic for the Amazon.

“So,” I said.

“Are we still…” she bit her lip while she looked at me, “...good?”

“You mean after everything?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

I stepped closer to Tiona and put my [impractical!] <are so!> skeletal hands on each of her hips, then pulled her in for a kiss. After our lips parted <gross!>, and while she caught her breath, I answered. 

“Yeah,” I said. “I think we’re good.”

“Lovely,” Echidna said. “Just lovely.”

I looked around and up at the steep pit. In the distance, I saw an adventurer barely hanging on where the stone floor had been bisected. He dangled over the air screaming for aid. A dwarven woman tried reaching down from above to aid him, but her arms were too short to reach where he hung, at least a meter below her. A second later, the man fell, screaming and flailing his limbs and ricocheting off the debris and rough stone walls. He was screaming and falling for a while, until he was not.

“Where’s Ergane?” I asked.

“About that…” Tiona said, scratching the back of her neck.

“My lover is about having fun, daughter.” Echidna pointed up in the distance, where a shadow passed overhead of a giant dragon. Another roar thundered, shaking more stones loose, and sending the same dwarf woman tumbling over the edge herself.

“Huh,” I said.

<Remember! Seriously! We had plans!> 

[I remember.] I frowned, ignoring the confused expressions I received from Tiona or Echidna. [How do I do this?]

<Humans are the worst!> Queen griped. <I literally walked you through this.>

I rolled my eyes. [If this is so easy, let’s see you try doing this sometime.]

<Don’t threaten me!>

[Then keep the attitude to yourself!]

Queen and I shared a mental glare that nobody but us could see.

“Uhm Tay?” Tiona asked. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah…” I scratched the back of my head. “I just need to try something real quick. Queen’s being a nag.”

“Queen?! Where is she anyways.”

I tapped my head, “up here.”

<Actually your chest, but sure, take creative liberties. Stupid host species…> Queen grumbled.

I focused inward. I was going to do this, and I was going to succeed, and show Queen how wrong she could be about Host Species, even if I technically was not actually one anymore. I ignored her distracting jibes and focused on what I wanted, what we wanted.

A near infinite nonlinear listing of identities scrolled by in an instant. There was one soul in particular we sought. One that would provide the most lateral utility. One that I had been wishing for since we had arrived at Orario. 

I found it. [In your crystalline face!] <Don’t brag until you succeed.>

I focused on that soul and on our miasma at the same time. Both Queen and I shaped it, her ephemeral hands guiding my own designs as we shaped the miasma, building it up, and drawing in this one soul in particular. 

The shadows coalesced before us, rising up to the height of a man. 

Tiona stepped back, glanced at the shadows, then at us, confusion evident in her face. Most might have been concerned, however, Tiona merely shrugged and rolled with it. 

Meanwhile, Echidna gazed on in excitement, her eyes wide and glistening, her pride evident upon her face.

The shadows finished, wrapping into a caricature of a man. It stepped forward and bowed before me and finished by taking a knee. I stepped around him, inspecting the specter of shadows.

<Well done.> Queen sent.

I stopped once in front of him and resisted the urge to throw back my head and laugh with mania. Instead, I satisfied myself with a smirk.

“Hello, Doormaker.”

The End

A/N: 

First, thank you so much for reading! I had a lot of fun starting this project, and I was able to work my Danmachi bug outta my system. Seriously, that was my biggest reason for doing the cross over in the first place, I caught the Danmachi bug! 

As some people have noticed, the last few chapters were rushed. And, that is fair. They were incredibly rushed. The Demeter Interlude was originally going to have a whole other arc spread out, where we gradually saw the unfolding effects of mass ecological disaster affecting the entire world. The Amazons and Rakia and all the other nations were going to lay siege to Orario and demand that Taylor fix the problem, which of course was not going to happen. Then the conclusion would have happened. The reason that we did not have that arc, is because I wanted to start a new project, and I figured that some readers would prefer an end to another hiatus/dead fic, even if that end came across as incredibly abrupt.

Some AU elements were incorporated to Danmachi and were hinted at. These were:

  • Sekhmet, the lion goddess from Egyptian mythos. She was a blood thirsty lioness who was tricked into drunkenness by some ingenious sun god mixing blood with beer.
  • Hecate, the goddess of magic, from Greek (and I think a few other?) mythos. She would have played an important part in the tournament arc, which would have taken place concurrent to the preparations of invasion.
  • Athena, Ergane, the One Eyed Black Dragon. I’ve never gotten confirmation from Danmachi as to what made Evilus tick, but my personal theory was that Dionysus wanted freedom from the stagnant divinity that all divinities appear to suffer from. Athena and Dionysus one day discovered a means of ‘corrupting’ that divinity to become worldly in every sense of the word, and remove the possibility of ascension to Tenkai. Athena took off with her own corruption, leaving Dionysus to suffer ‘sour grapes.’ Dionysus had been seeking his own source of corruption since, and when he saw Taylor being Taylor, he realized he might have the opportunity. It did not work out.
  • Echidna, Goddess of Monsters. She recently descended when she detected Khepri appearing in the dungeon. She mistook Taylor for a reincarnation of Hydra. Echidna eventually would have realized the mistake, but having come to know Taylor and Queen, would have also realized that Taylor/Queen/Khepri check all the boxes on the monstrous daughter checklist. Also, Echidna does what other divinities are always accusing successful Familias of doing: cheating with Arcaneum.
  • Gaia, the core of the dungeon, was forced into serving as a physical manifestation of a planet after several sky gods did as perverted gross sky gods do. Gaia never really forgave them, and her essence permeates out through the dungeon, which is kinda like a pore. If anyone does the math, they would realize that the dungeon goes fucking deep. Like beneath the mantle deep. The monsters were Gaia’s children. Humans were an invasive species.

Now for Taylor! Many people noted that she seemed to be frustratingly ambivalent to changes and the things happening around her. Well, there were some reasons, also including I’m still a novice writer! Here are those other reasons:

  • Taylor shares her mindspace with an alien super computer
  • Taylor has several curses, including Cast of Conflict
  • Taylor has received a blessing from the Goddess of Monsters which cheats with Arcaneum
  • Taylor has a monster core embedded in her chest which, as we may have seen in Sword of Oratio, causes issues.
  • Taylor has slowly been corrupted by anime-land. This was something I mentioned in like the first arc.

Now for some common criticisms to be addressed!

  • Q: ‘Hur hur hur I’m dropping this fic’
  • A: Thank you for reading Mr. Humbug! I appreciate all readers and criticism as this helps me grow as a writer! I wish you well in all your life’s endeavors.
  • Q: ‘Hur hur hur I’m never reading anything written by you again!’
  • A: Awww shucks! You’re too kind! But didn’t you say that last time Mr. Humbug? Golly gee, you’re just the best!
  • Q: ‘TINO TINO TINO TINO TINO’
  • A: Hm. I suppose so. But to be fair, Taylor is hard to write. And mind control makes it even harder to write. But… I hope it was still enjoyable? Maybe? *goes to cry in a corner*
  • Q: ‘This is not a question but a statement! You always write the most horrific junk!’
  • A: ‘This is not an answer but a query: Why thank you?’

 

What did I learn from this project:

  • I’m getting better at maintaining a consistent tone, though I struggle with this the most still. I keep wanting to insert humorous dark elements even though only a few people actually find them funny. 
  • I’m getting better at fluff and relationships!
  • Monsters ahoy!

 

<3 <3 <3 In all seriousness, thank you for reading! <3 <3 <3

 

My next project, which I’ve already started, is going to be even more awesome than the last! And let me tell you about the premise. 

Cannibal Fox Girl Taylor: Reverse Isekai, Taylor returns from the harsh northern wastes where she had been reborn as a kitsune in a primitive, insular, cannibalistic tribe. After centuries, she had just gained her fourth tail, and she had long since forgotten Brockton Bay, when she was dragged back home. Naturally, Cannibal Fox Girl Taylor does as Cannibal Fox Girl Taylors do. This will eventually be a slice of life S9 fic featuring AU elements and a nurture!Siberian.

Notes:

The related Discord I hang out at:

https://discord.gg/5fgBY3tCG2