The Mother of Monsters

Myranda’s chapel wasn’t inside the tower proper. There was a cathedral to the various aspect beings that the people of Orum venerated, but Myranda refused to practice there. She claimed it was because she didn’t want to offend the guardian beings of the city, but Teyva was pretty convinced that she wasn’t being wholly truthful in that regard. So Teyva was forced to leave the tower itself and wander out into the city proper, something that required a few more steps than strolling through the quiet interior of the tower-city. First, she needed to use [Alter Self]. Not for any deceptive purposes, mind, but more just to avoid the additional attention that came with her stepping out into the vastly more populated-and active-area.

It was the perfect opportunity to practice her look for traveling to Katal, a look that she hadn’t worn in a very long time. She stood in front of a particularly reflective pane of black marble and used the aspect ability, mana rushing through her veins and into her skin. She closed her eyes and felt her body begin to shrink and her frame condense. Her soft silver hair grew rougher and coarse, her toned body smoothing out into the form of a young human woman. Two of her eyes fell shut and vanished, hidden away by the power.

She opened her eyes and let out a small gasp, the series of changes taking more out of her than she expected. She had opted not to try to get rid of her third arm, turning it into a chain instead, but that still wasn’t enough to stave off the impact of a solid chunk of mana burning out of her body. She pressed her hand against the marble and wheezed as Nephral stared up at her, having stood by watching throughout the entire procedure. She glanced down at him and smiled, “What do you think?” She asked, her voice smaller, more… plain.

“Your human form is so… ordinary, mother,” Nephral said with mild confusion, “Pretty but not? It is a strange thing.”

“You’re used to seeing my true form,” She said with a chuckle as she stepped back from the marble to look at herself. Long, dark brown hair hung down her bare slightly sun-tanned shoulders. Hazel eyes glimmered only slightly in the dark. She had equipped a simple spun tunic and trousers from her inventory along with a plain pair of brown boots. They had of course adjusted to fit her when she did so. She looked at her hand and flexed her fingers, rubbing her thumb and index finger together. It didn’t feel right to not have talons anymore.

She looked up at her face again, “I don’t even recognize you,” She said quietly only to smile when she realized that it wasn’t a bad thing. It was okay, it didn’t hurt her, in fact it was a little liberating to look at her old face again and feel… nothing. She had a home, life, love, friends, and people to protect. More than she could have ever had back on Earth as Ianna. Down at her feet, Nephral walked between her legs and rubbed up against her, purring. She crouched down and picked him up easily before letting him crawl onto her shoulders.

“Less room to sit,” Nephral complained.

“Oh you’ll be fine,” She teased and turned on her heel, “Now let’s go say hello to Myranda.”

They found Myranda’s chapel a bit further in to the city, the priestess had wanted a central location where folks could stop in as they walked down the main thoroughfare. Teyva had been more than happy to oblige her, of course, and the building was constructed along the main road leading up to the tower itself. It was larger than most of the buildings around it, but only by a little. Teyva had balked at a chapel any larger being dedicated to a priestess that quite literally worshiped her. The endless teasing about a temple to Teyva from her comrades did not help.

She walked up and watched for a moment as a pair people stepped out of the building, a young couple. They were talking quietly amongst themselves and the woman was resting her hand at her belly. Teyva tilted her head and watched them go before stepping up to the building herself. She pressed her hand against the door and pushed, it swung open easily and revealed the rows of benches leading up to a statue of herself, two hands open wide in invitation and one low, reaching out to the masses. She flushed a little at the grandioseness of it all and cleared her throat as she stepped inside.

The sound of footsteps from the side drew her attention and she turned to see Myrand walking towards her with a raised eyebrow. The pretty elf tilted her head, “Young lady, isn’t it a bit late to be out right now? Why don’t you-” She trailed off as she spotted Neprhal on Teyva’s shoulders. She blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes, examining Teyva’s face for a moment before her eyes widened, “My goodness!” She gasped before quieting down, thankfully she was aware enough to read into her disguise a little, “What are you doing here? It’s so late!” Myranda asked in a whisper before walking forward and offering a polite bow.

“I wanted to talk, do you have a minute?” Teyva asked, gesturing to the benches.

“Of course, Anything for you, I am-” She started to declare before clearing her throat, “Right, right,” She turned and led Teyva to one set of benches and they both sat down.

Teyva glanced at Myranda, she was taller than she realized. Teyva herself had grown significantly taller thanks to her race and [Titan Blooded] so she hadn’t really been able to appreciate the amount of height that Myranda had on the average human. Myranda looked down at her and examined her face thoughtfully before looking away, suddenly nervous. Teyva smiled at her, “It’s my appearance from Earth, yes,” Teyva confirmed.

“It’s so… plain,” Myranda said, “Compared to your true visage it is so strange to see.”

Teyva laughed, “Nephral said the same thing.”

“Did he?” She asked, glancing at the sphinx that flicked its tail in acknowledgement, unwilling to join in on the conversation directly. Lazy bum.

“Yeah, it was strange seeing my old face. I didn’t have it when I woke up here. Yaga’s gonna freak,” She chuckled and leaned back against the bench. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them for a few heartbeats before she glanced up at Myranda, “Myranda, I need to know that I can trust you to keep your head for me, even when it’s hard.”

Myranda frowned for a moment before glancing her way, “Of course, but why are you asking me this, did something happen?”

Teyva looked up at her, dead in the eyes, “I’m going to Katal undercover and I need to bring two of you with me. We’ll be a party of five with the two heroes I recruited.”

Myranda stared at her uncomprehending for a moment before her eyes went wide, “Katal,” She breathed and looked down at her fingers, “Katal,” She clenched her fists and squeezed them tightly. Teyva reached out and touched the woman’s arm and she froze before looking back at Teyva. She took a deep breath and exhaled, “I see. I understand why you asked me that,” She looked away with a bit of shame in her eyes, “That is a difficult request to ask of me, my lady.”

“But I’m going to ask you anyway, as your Queen, and as your Companion,” Teyva said with a small smile, “Can I trust you to come with me to Katal on this mission? I can promise you that if the opportunity arises that we can safely help your sister, I will do everything in my power to get her out of there,” She squeezed her companion’s arm, “I need you to be patient until that time comes and understand if it does not. We will be there for one primary reason, to recruit heroes to our cause and bring them back to Osan ahead of the war.”

Myranda squeezed her hands together and Teyva rubbed her shoulder.

“Myranda I would never ask you to do something I didn’t believe you could do. I know it is a big ask but-”

“I’ll do it,” Myranda said firmly, looking down at Teyva with resolve in her eyes, “I won’t let you down, my lady. Not ever. I am your voice, and if you are going out to recruit, it is only wise that I be at your side,” She said firmly before slipping into a small smile, “And, for what it’s worth, I appreciate that you thought so much about this before asking me. Even if it is for the smallest chance that we might have the opportunity, I want to be there to be the one present when she is freed,” Myranda said, “I owe it to her.”

Teyva searched Myranda’s face for a few moments before reaching up and wrapping her arms around her neck. She gave her a squeeze before pulling away and nodding to her, “We’re in it together, then,” She said before cracking a grin, “Now get ready, we’ll be leaving very soon.”

Myranda nodded in return, “Yes, your majesty.”