LesbeanAda
With the abomination sin, the source of the permeating glow also winks out of existence, much to the chagrin of the serpent. However, Mia’s presence and voice fill the room before anyone else can react. “Ada! Naya! Are you two alright?!” There is a barely perceptible pause before she continues. “Also, who’s that? And what is that?” What she means is rather obvious, as I am, even now, spttered in the blood and standing amidst the many limbs of the abomination. There is a scent emanating from the body, one that is hard to ignore, but I do my best to concentrate on the others, as it can wait.
There is a short silence, that is eventually filled by a melodious voice. “You may address me as zer Highness; warrior princess of the Ta’Vis.” Zer voice shifts from a regal tone to a rather comfortable, slightly amused, one. “Or, preferably, Tatiana, though I’d appreciate it if you show yourself.” Tatiana pauses for a moment, clearly waiting for Mia to appear, though that, of course, does not happen. Tatiana then turns towards me and Naya before continuing. “Is your friend always hiding away? Regardless, I am thankful for your aid. I do not think I could’ve defeated the abomination by myself, not in direct combat.” Ze bows their upper body towards me and Naya, who has stepped up beside me by now. Tatiana eventually raises zer body back up and looks towards where the spatial weakness originated before. “Though it does seem I am stuck here. The pnar bridge it used to bring us here has colpsed.” There’s a slight bit of annoyance in zer voice, but most of it is rather passive, with a small hint of excitement.
“Oh! That expins why the space felt so weak, and now it’s better, not entirely gone though!” I hop over closer towards Tatiana, looking up at zer. Ze is much taller than me, and longer too if we were to compare ourselves fully stretched out. Though zer serpentine body isn’t entirely smooth like that of a snake, there are many fin like appendages of different sizes along its length. Tatiana looks down towards me, a small smile on zer face.
Mia gives us, and herself, a few moments, her presence calming down little by little. Eventually though, she does speak again. “My apologies, Tatiana. I don’t exactly have much choice regarding the nature of my presence. My body is dying and in a coma right now, though through the help of… a friend, I am able to accompany these two on their quest to obtain what is needed to save me. I pointed them in this direction, not knowing you, or that abomination would be here, though I am gd that I did.” There is a very clear push of Mia’s emotions, suffusing her entire presence to the point Naya and Tatiana can sense it too.
“I see, I will not pretend that I know the details of your situation, but it expins the nature of your presence.” Tatiana takes a small bow towards the center of Mia’s presence, which is right next to me. “As for you two.” Ze looks at me and Naya. “As I said, I appreciate your aid, and have given you my name, thus I will ask both of your names in turn.”
I raise myself to the highest I can and spread my tails behind myself, proudly showing off my entire self as I introduce myself. “Ada! I’m Ada, I don’t have any titles, and I am still kind of clueless, but I am gd we could help!” A small hint of amusement rushes through Mia, though it is in a kindhearted manner, a detail that is conveyed across the deeper parts of our connection.
Naya on their part smiles a little next to me, before inclining their head towards Tatiana. “Naya. Most people back at the camp call me master. Though that has more to do with being their trainer. You seem quite skilled yourself, so I’d love to exchange a few techniques sometime.” They look back up at zer face. “I gather from your earlier words that you are stuck here? At least temporarily? We do not have much experience with pnar travel.”
Tatiana slither back and forth in pce before speaking. “Yes. I am not particurly adept at it either, if I were then expelling the creature from my own pne would’ve been the end of it. Either I failed the spell, or it managed to manipute it to pull me alongside it, causing us both to end up here.” Ze looks over at the dead body behind us as ze continues. “These creatures are naturally adept at exploiting weaknesses in space to their benefit.” Ze shakes zer head before looking towards me. “Though I must ask, you mentioned that you felt the weakness of the space. And you bear some slight resembnces to the abominations. I do not question your sanity, nor your good will, it is just curiosity that guides my question, so I ask; what is your connection to these beings?”
The question puts me a bit on the spot, and I fsh a request for patience as I consider it myself. The resembnce is obvious, though they are mostly minor, but the way the tentacles behaved was rather simir to my own tails. And even now, despite my best attempts to ignore it, the body of the creature emits a tempting smell; one that is unlike that of the wurm or octofiend. A smell that is inviting, like it wants to be consumed, not just the smell of a tasty meal. The human part of my brain is concerned at this, though the rest of me wants to give in, so consume.
Eventually though, I look over at Tatiana, who has been rather patiently waiting for me. “I am not sure. It… feels different. Like there is something there, a piece that shouldn’t be by itself? Like it is part of something we are both connected to, something we have both strayed from in different manners. It is…” My eyes wander over its deformed body before I find the words, words that are partially guided by a deeper, more primal understanding, one granted to me by my magic. “It is wrong. It isn’t meant to be apart. It is mindless, it does not… resonate with a whole. A broken splinter that has festered. A splinter that needs to be removed.” I suppress the hunger that wants to fsh across my skin. Not yet, the others need to understand first.
It’s Mia that speaks next, before either of the other two. “Tatiana. Is there any chance that these things have mind influencing abilities? Especially ones that work beyond death?” There is a strain of concern in her voice, and it is well pced. My abilities; my magic and the knowledge connected to it, are all still new to us, an unknown. And so is this creature. I do not show anything towards Naya and Tatiana, so as to not disconcert them further, as even now, both of them exchange a few concerned gnces. Instead, I direct my appreciation at Mia. “I don’t think that is necessarily at py here, but I’d rather be sure. Ada’s abilities are rather unique, and we have yet to encounter a creature from beyond our realm.” Mia crifies her concerns, in an attempt to soothe Naya and Tatiana.
Something that shows success, as Tatiana seems to think on it for a moment, before shaking zer head. “No. Not that I know of at least, and I didn’t feel anything attempting to corrupt my mind either, and I am quite familiar with such attempts.” A shudder seems to go through zer body at the thought. “So, no. I do not think your friend is being influenced by the abomination. Though I am somewhat concerned about her words.” Ze looks towards me inquisitively. “Ada was your name, yes? Can you further describe what exactly it is you sense? And have you encountered simir before?”
Naya eyes me from the side, and motions for me to answer. They still seem slightly concerned, though mostly calm now that Tatiana has reassured us a little. Though that does mean that crifying is on me. “Hm, yes? Kind of? Not in the same way though. I’ve eaten some other creatures, but their smell was more like a really tasty meal, something that can make me better, stronger, more me. This… this is different.” I look back towards the body and hone in on the feeling it gives me again. “It’s a festering wound that needs expunging. And, I think I best do that by eating it. Not that it doesn’t smell tasty anyway.” There is a kind of dissonance. Part of me knows it will be beneficial, aid me in growing stronger, and some part knows that it is wrong that it shouldn’t exist and needs to be removed. “It’ll not be detrimental, beneficial even I think. But it also shouldn’t exist, not here at least.” I flicker satisfaction across my skin as I finish my expnation, it’s the best I’ll be able to do, without being able to share what I feel with them.
Tatiana considers my words for a few moments before nodding my way. “I think I understand. These creatures are not meant to be on our pnes. And they need removing, usually we burn the corpses of the ones we can not eject from the pne.” Ze looks at me at zer next words. “I do not know how eating it is going to benefit you, but if your friends think it is the correct choice, I will not stop you. Should I consider your mind to corrode from its influence though…” Ze merely hefts zer spear. “I will not endanger myself.”
I gulp a little and flicker my understanding across my skin. Naya steps up next to me, scythe gone from their hand now. “Your growth is your own business, Ada, if you think you can handle it, then go ahead. You’ve managed to eat enchantments and make them part of yourself, so I am not overly concerned.”
Mia is the st to chime in. “I am not sure if it’s smart. We got no idea what this thing is… though on the other hand, your magic is rather primal in its nature.” She pauses a long moment, the concern for my wellbeing clearly passing across the connection we share. “I can’t exactly stop you. And the way your magic works… the cocoon… there is something there that I am not sure whether we can trust it. It is very reminiscent of the Genesis, and I do not know whether that is a good thing, or a bad thing. But either way, it’s likely to keep you safe, just to what end?” There is a tense moment, as both Naya and Tatiana exchange another look. Neither of them have seen the cocoon, or know about how my magic really works. Though their expressions soften once more when Mia finishes. “Do go ahead. We can’t predict the future, and being afraid of everything isn’t going to lead us anywhere.”
I flicker my appreciation at her as I push it through our bond as well, before I look towards the others. “I’m probably not gonna take long, but if I cocoon again, do keep me safe? I’ll try to avoid it!” Even as I turn to approach the body, I am not sure what exactly will happen this time, or what the benefits I am to gain are, if any. The being didn’t exactly dispy any capabilities I haven’t encountered before. Even now, the new organs I’ve acquired from the wurm are slowly growing inside of me. Though, admittedly, the abominations healing was on another level compared to the wurm, it still is rather simir, and the ability to shift my tails between different states is something I already can do.
Slicing away a few tentacles, I uncover the wound towards the center of the being. It’s encased in a tough shell, or rather, it was. Now it is mostly just flesh, likely another application of the same ability as it used to attack. There’s an unsurprising ck of bones in the carcass, simir to my tails, the flesh just hardens when needed and is otherwise an amalgam of muscles. Or maybe not, I am not actually sure what exactly my tails consist of. A lot of magic is at py with them, and they do not have any bones that I know of either, though while that’s rather typical of tails, mine are still capable of things that aren’t normal.
Regardless, I push aside the flesh of the creature, exposing its central organ. Naya lets out a surprised noise next to me as they get their eyes on it. A surprise I am not feeling as intensely, after all, my own body is filling with various organs that I’ve never seen before. Though this one is quite something, it’s certainly not a brain, nor a heart, rather it’s a giant amalgam of different strands of soft tissue interwoven into each other. But that’s not all, there are several sections of cartige too, though they’re clearly part of the whole, connected to, and by, the strands.
“Can’t say I ever took a look at what’s inside these.” Tatiana looms over me, though ze doesn’t stop me from separating the organ from the rest of the body. Oddly enough, I do not feel the same ecstasy as with the wurm or ocotofiend, where I couldn’t really stop myself from digging in. This is much more considerate, and I feel knowledge brush up against my mind. Eating this will need special consideration, it is not something to indulge in.
Mia, of course, is the one to notice the difference in my behavior, and she sends an inquiry across our bond without voicing it. One that I answer with reassurance as I finish taking out the organs. “I’ll need to prepare a little for this one, I think. Kind of like a purification ceremony?” I look around for some kind of bowl or the like, but can’t find anything. I am about to try and cut up a rock before remembering that I am not the only one with spatial storage. “Naya, Tatiana, does either of you have a bowl? A rge one.”
Tatiana is the one to provide me what I need, as ze slithers up next to me and summons a bowl. I flicker my appreciation as I accept it and take a closer look. There’s some intricate carvings on the outside, mostly of other serpent people like zer, but there are also other creatures to be found, one that stands out is a giant serpent that circle the entire bowl. Tatiana watches me inspect the bowl with a small smile, one that widens when my appreciation for the carvings flickers across my skin. Though eventually, I do have to continue with my work and I pce it on the floor nearby. It’s just about the right size for the organ as I pce it inside.
“Okay next up…” The information about the ceremony is all a bit of a haze, though it’s clear enough that I can figure it out with a bit of patience and prodding. The next step is, surprisingly, the fruits that Mia had given me when we first met. I summon them into my hand and slice them open above the bowl, then I squeeze every st bit of liquid from them. The liquid and the blood do not mix by themselves, it’s simir to oil and water, though they do need mixing, something the next step should be helpful with. “Naya, do you still have some of the tree sap?” If they don’t, then there’s some other easily procured options, though the sap is the easiest.
Naya holds up a finger as they look through their own storage. It takes them a few moments before they eventually summon a bowl, filled with a little bit of sap. “All that’s left.” They pce it next to the main bowl for me as I consider the next steps. I’ll need to carve a few runes into the ground, an enchantment to funnel the magic through so that it can purify the organ. Though, part of the enchantment would need to be inside the bowl. A bowl that I do not exactly want to destroy, so I need to figure out some other way.
“What is it you are contempting, Ada?” Tatiana looms over me as ze watches me work and consider. I am reluctant to ask, as the bowl seems very well crafted, but eventually I do.
“I need to carve some runes for the purification, but I don’t want to damage the bowl. Any ideas what I could do instead?” Ze considers my words for a few moments, before summoning another item. A small bandolier of stone ptes. A bandolier that ze quickly slices one part off and forms a circle from before handing it to me. It fits perfectly around the bowl, and should fulfill what I need just fine. I flicker a thanks at them before I get to work.
The sap stays where it is for the moment, it’ll cause the ingredients to properly mix and form the fuel for the initial shove. Something that I will need to quickly follow up with the leftover liquid from my first cocoon to start the purification itself. So, instead, I begin by carving the many small symbols on the floor around me. Each of them is rather deliberately chosen, though I do not recognize many of them, just some here and there from enchantments I’ve eaten before, but most of them are new to me. Though luckily, I do not need to know the exact purpose for each of them, just what the whole is meant to be. Tatiana and Naya walk off to the side to leave me space and time to work, though I do feel Mia’s presence remain with me, attentively observing both me and the work I am doing.
Mia
Mia observes Ada as she works, though the work is rather hard to follow. Even with the additional knowledge she has obtained from Anya, as well as her acquaintance with one of the best enchanters. The runes that Ada is using are foreign, not human in nature. Sure, some of them are fleetingly familiar, or at least resemble something human. But most of them have the same property to them as the magic of the Genesis. The same as Ada’s magic, though driven up to an extreme, as if they originate in an entirely different magic. Though of course, that is false, as she well knows by now. The magic is just more primordial, ancient and powerful.
She stops musing and refocuses on what Ada is doing. Ada’s progressed on to carving more runes into the stone bandolier that Tatiana provided her. Tatiana, on zer own merit, is rather curious. Not a lifeform Mia has encountered before, and zer home is clearly aquatic, at least if zer serpentine body and the gills are anything to go by. Though ze does not seem to have issues breathing air, which is rather fortunate, all things considered.
Tatiana and Naya are still over to the side, talking about things with each other as they leave Ada to her own devices. It fills Mia with a bit of regret, but also happiness. Regret that she can’t physically be there, happiness that the others trust in Ada as much as she does. Ada, who is slowly finishing the st of the runes.
Mia sends a small prod at her, curiosity and reassurance, that she is there for her if she needs help, as little as that would be, she still wants to be there for her. Ada flickers her appreciation in response, and pushes emotions of her own across the link. It’s a mix of affection and yearning. It’d bring a blush to Mia’s face usually, but she keeps her emotions close at hand. These things are not something to confront while they are as they are. Instead, she directs her voice towards Ada. “What’s going to be the next step? I must admit, this enchantment you’ve made is almost entirely foreign to me.”
Ada pauses for a moment as she considers Mia’s question. There is an obvious moment of realization, one that makes itself known as another pattern fshing across her body, before she responds. “Oh, that parts’ not hard. Just gonna have to add the sap and some blood, then channel some magic into it. Though, well, that’s hard for me actually… maybe Tatiana is going to have to help me. Do you think ze is good at external magic? Naya has the same issue as me, though worst case they could manage I think.” She pauses for a moment before she continues. “Anyway! The enchantment is foreign to me too, not just because I am not very knowledgeable about them, but most of this is knowledge that my magic has given me! It’s kind of an intuitive process, just like absorbing the trinkets was!” She finishes the st rune before calling out to Naya and Tatiana. “Tatiana! I need your help I think, or Naya’s, depends on whether you’re good at using external magic!”
Both of them come up next to Ada, and Tatiana leans down towards her to look at the runes she carved. “I do not recognize these. But I can supply you with the magic you need. I take it that neither of you are good at external uses?” Ze pauses for a moment before looking at Ada. “Though you do use poison, it should be retively easy for you to adapt that mechanism to other uses.” It’s not something Mia herself had really considered, though on second thought it does make sense, even if the process for Ada does seem to be more biological in nature. Tatiana curls up close to the ground and pces a hand on the runes, before giving Ada the go ahead. “Signal me when to start, please.”
Ada gives ze a nod and moves next to the bowl, before holding out a palm above it. She pauses for a moment, and grabs the bowl of sap with a tail. She then cuts open her palm and pours both her blood and the sap into the mixture at once. “Go ahead please.” There is a short moment of nothing happening as Tatiana starts to pour zer magic into the enchantment. But that doesn’t hold for long, as the very fabric of space begins to shiver underneath its influence. The feeling is very simir to when Mia was cut off by the abomination before, though there is something else to it. These are the remnants of that power, and what first began as an intense sensation, quickly begins to lessen as Ada’s eyes gze over and the purification takes its course.
LesbeanAda
