The Mother of Monsters

Teyva glanced over at where Azrael’s stats had been sitting alone for the longest time. Now, a second set of stat bars had appeared showing Paraklytus’ own statistics. The Archlich had been initially startled by the notifications that appeared for him but had come to appreciate them even more quickly than Azrael. He murmured elatedly as he played with the windows, pulled out his journal, and enjoyed the convenience of the inventory satchel more than anything. The lich looked to Teyva and she could practically sense the giddiness in his eyes; “What delights!”

Teyva shrugged in his direction, trying to offer him the most convincing smile possible. She still wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision but she knew that having a being like Paraklytus at her disposal was without a doubt a bonus. The alert about her reputation with him was also a clear indicator that she really didn’t have much to fear from him. She sighed audibly and resisted the urge to scratch at the back of her head. She really needed to try to let it go. It was becoming more and more clear that the Labyrinth had been a test and he really had nothing against Teyva or her friends.

The Lich pressed his fingertips together, “I apologize for my enthusiasm, I daresay I have not seen any new forms of magic in a very long time. Knowledge is power you know!” He laughed heartily before turning to Nephral who was surprisingly alert on Teyva’s shoulder. “Wouldn’t you agree, Master Nephral?”

Teyva blinked and turned her head toward the sphinx who puffed his chest out and nodded, “I do concur, Master Paraklytus.”

“How did you two become so buddy-buddy?” Teyva asked, squinting at her familiar.

“The Archlich was a remarkable host,” Nephral began, “We enjoyed some very pleasant conversation while we waited for your return. Occasionally he would step away to push you along. We spoke on a wide range of topics, would you like a syllabus of our discourse?” Nephral asked.

“No, thanks, I appreciate it,” Teyva managed, holding up her hands in defeat.

Azrael laughed, and stepped over to take a spot next to Teyva before holding out her hand, “I told you she’d say yes,” the Azar said and Paraklytus took her hand in his own, shaking it, “You worry too much.”

“It comes with the territory of being an educator I’m afraid,” Paraklytus said, “Though I must say I am grateful for your open-mindedness.”

The Warden glanced back at her lady and chuckled, “I’ve learned a bit about accepting people for who they are and not letting first impressions fool me.”

Teyva rolled her eyes, “Okay, okay! I get it, one big happy weird-ass family,” She blurted out, throwing her hands into the air. Before she could continue her tirade, Batel hurried forward and took a knee. He was about to open his mouth to say something when she reached down and swatted him on the top of the head. He winced and looked up at her. “No, I’m pretty sure I know what you were going to ask. Your priority right now is to look after your brothers and sisters,” She said and glanced over at Paraklytus. “This place is still a wreck from all the time that has passed. It’ll take a while to get into shape again and then they’ll want something to do.”

The young man frowned but nodded all the same, “Yes Mother. We won’t let you down. However, if you need any of my men at your side, you need only ask.”

Paraklytus chuckled, “The last remnants of Rani’s royal guard, quite a boon on its own, yes?”

Teyva glanced in his direction, “I suppose so. Thank you, Batel.”

“It is my honor, Lady Akura,” He said, getting to his feet before hurrying down the steps toward the courtyard. There over a dozen of his men were beginning to practice. One of them complained about his new body being stiff while another shouted back that he just needed to loosen it up. The men laughed, and Teyva couldn’t help but feel responsible for them. She looked over her shoulder at her now two companions.

“Thoughts?”

“On what?” Azrael asked.

“On all of it,” Teyva said, gesturing around them, “The University, the… good grief … ‘Akuran Labyrinthians’,” She stumbled over the name of the reborn race, she wondered if that meant that they were fully alive or some sort of magical creature other than just being undead. The thought made her a little wobbly. “What do we do next? I don’t even know where to start processing any of this.”

“For now you should consider your original mission, if I may say so,” Paraklytus offered, “You came to this place for a reason, it is high time you saw that goal through.”

Teyva pulled up her journal and checked the specifics of the Quest.

She noted that Elat surviving was one of the requirements still and that the quest hadn’t failed. That was good news. She mulled over the details and then looked up at Azrael and Paraklytus. “We need to find something of use to Osan to bring back to the King. I need answers about how to get rid of Teyva Rani. Also…” She trailed off and pulled out her satchel, drawing out the [Heart Stone of the Labyrinth]. “We need to learn how to use this.”

Paraklytus’ eyes flashed and he held out his hands, “May I?”

She handed it to him and he turned the stone over between his bony palms before looking up at Teyva, “To think she would go so far. She was prepared for her own death and resurrection,” Paraklytus said, shaking his head. He handed it back to Teyva and nodded, “I know the ritual to activate a heart stone though you will need to be careful about the location you pick. The Heart Stone is like a seed, it will germinate and grow, expanding the structure it has been made a part of.”

“What about the one beneath the great tree, then? That room was so small,” Azrael pointed out.

Paraklytus tapped his chin, “That is very curious. Perhaps it wasn’t intended to be the hub of a labyrinth but some other manner of adjoining point? Now that I think of it, there may be another such location beneath the library.” The lich canted his head to the right, “Whatever the reason when used correctly that artifact can be used to create a living structure that can be then improved by its master.”

Teyva looked down at the object, “Awesome,” She breathed, “Like a dungeon.”

“A dungeon would be better suited to holding prisoners, yes?” The Lich pointed out.

Teyva looked up at him and blinked, then realized that she’d slipped a little and laughed, “It’s a figure of speech where I come from.”

“I see…” Paraklytus said, “At any rate! On to your next topic, yes? Something useful to the people of the city above. Perhaps the entire library itself?” The lich said, “Now that the dead do not walk its halls I imagine it should be put to good use.”

Teyva glanced at her journal and watched as a line traced through two of her objectives. She made a face and nodded, “Okay, that works, all that’s left is Teyva Rani.”

The Lich nodded and turned toward the hallway leading into the University, “That may require some study, but I have little doubt that with enough time I will find a solution for you. If I only had something that belonged to her to start from.”

“You can’t have my bones,” Teyva blurted out, drawing a laugh from Azrael.

“No, my Lady, not your bones. Perhaps that mask, though?”

She narrowed her eyes and frowned, “Barin Kot says that thing is dangerous.”

“I would very much like to meet Magister Kot at some point. Perhaps a trip up to the surface would do my mood some good,” The Archlich weighed in.

“Kinda interested to see how the people react to you, bonehead,” Teyva grunted and wiped her brow. “So much to do. But if you really think you can find me a cure, then I think that’s it for this quest.”

“I guarantee it,” Paraklytus said with a bow of his head.

A tone sounded in the back of her head, signaling a series of prompts. Teyva ignored them for now, knowing that the first thing she was going to see was that level-up message she was waiting for. She had time to deal with that later. For now, she wanted to report back to the king on her findings before returning to the University. She felt uneasy leaving it alone for too long and that alone gave her pause. Was it a connection between her and the people here or was there something else at play? She thought of the mental block that Teyva Rani had subjected her to and scowled. She hoped she wasn’t being played again. She sighed, dismissing the paranoid thought, and glanced over at Azrael. Her friend was fretting over her equipment, her clothes, everything. Now that there wasn’t any fighting, Azrael had time to think about those who were far away.

“Oh, before I forget,” Teyva said a bit loudly, nudging Azrael in the arm, “Might want to check that quest out yourself before we head back up.”

Azrael raised an eyebrow and pulled out her journal, her eyes scanned the details for a moment and she opened her mouth to say something before her mouth fell shut. She glanced over at Teyva and smiled widely before reaching up and throwing her arm over Teyva’s shoulder. “You’re the best.”

“I know.”