The Mother of Monsters

Sari had never mentioned it to Myranda, but she absolutely hated the cold. There was something about how the chill bit into her skin that put her on edge. She didn’t mind snow, she honestly thought it was rather pretty. If only there was a way to separate the two. Regardless, it was bitter cold that set her off more than anything else, and the place she was in right now was only making it work. Darkness, nothingness, an empty void of cold that seemed to swirl around her like some kind of viscous fluid. Her fingers twitched, she wanted to kill something, make something bleed, watch the life drain out of someone’s eyes. She needed it, craved it, wanted it so badly it drove her crazy.

“How long do we have to do this?” She hissed into the dark.

“Patience,” Azrael’s voice came, “We’re moving now, Conrad’s distraction was a success.”

“We haven’t moved yet?” Sari snapped.

“We’ll get there,” Myranda purred into the dark, somewhere to her left.

Sari fell silent, her hand slipping down to the knife on her hip. She ran her fingers over the handle and felt another rush of cold wrap around her as they began to move. She shivered and tried to think about her new toys to take her mind off the sensation. Teyva had come through for her in ways she couldn’t have imagined. She’d gifted Sari the [Aspect of the Lord of Plagues], not long after that she had finally presented the aspect stone she had been holding onto all this time to Paraklytus who had been more than happy to activate it for her. Now she was equipped with the [Aspect of the Physik]. The combination sent a delicious sensation down her spine. She held the power of life and death in her hands. She could heal, she could kill, and she could inflict suffering or just as easily take it away.

It was all she could have wished for, and all she had to do was swear her service to a being who was more than willing to give her even more when the time came. There was an entire culture’s worth of knowledge waiting for her back at Osan. There was the knowledge of the other-world that Teyva had come from, knowledge that her familiar, Nephral, seemed to be able to articulate in ways that not even the Queen could. She could have it all, laboratories, resources, knowledge, power, all in exchange for her Loyalty. In the end Sari did what was in Sari’s best interest, it was easier that way, but she couldn’t help but feel drawn to the Queen of the Akurai. She made her dreams possible and that was good enough. To top it off, the only person she had ever considered a friend was on board. Myranda understood her, both the darkness and the light.

“Hungry?” Myranda asked in the dark.

“Ravenous,” Sari hissed.

“I figured, you’ve been pretty well behaved,” Myranda said.

The movement around her stopped, the liquid darkness beginning to change direction. Quick jerks and twists of movement followed and suddenly Sari felt a rapid tug on her entire being. She gasped as the cold left her body and she was deposited unceremoniously onto a carpeted floor. She blinked a few times and looked up to see Azrael standing over her and Myranda to her right. Azrael wore the armor of one of the elven soldiers. She looked over her shoulder as a shout rang out in the distance and tilted her head towards the path behind the two women. “Off you go, I’ll cover you.”

Sari and Myranda hurried to their feet, the sound of men in armor rushing in their direction enough to add to the urgency of Azrael’s statement. Azrael turned on her heel and threw her hands out, raising them slowly as billowing black flames began to stretch across the corridor they had found themselves in. Soon a wall of pure darkness took shape and formed a sheet of shadows. Azrael held her position and nodded to the two women, “Alright, you’re good. Get going!”

Sari rounded on her heel and darted down the corridor, taking in her surroundings. She’d never been in the royal palace long enough to get a good idea of where she was but she knew Myranda had seen plenty of it. More importantly, Myranda knew where the prison was. The hall was made of that audacious white marble that clashed with the red carpet at their feet, gold trim lined everything in a gaudy display of wealth. Myranda, ignoring their surroundings, hurried to the first turn in the corridor and darted to the left with Sari close behind.

“How far is it?” Sari asked.

“Not far, for all its grandeur the Royal Palace was built with efficiency in mind,” Myranda said, racing down this next corridor and keeping her eye on the doors they passed.

“Looking for something?” Sari asked.

“Yes, actually,” Myranda grumbled, “I had one of the Goddess’ guardsmen plug the nobles at the party for rumors about what happened to my raiment and staff,” She said darkly, “Apparently the new high priest keeps them in his quarters at the Royal Palace. Pervert.”

Sari rolled her jaw and peered towards the corridor ahead, “Give me directions.”

Myranda glanced her way and nodded, “There’s a fork up ahead, turn left, it’ll take you further into the palace. Near the end there will be a set of guarded double doors. That will lead you to the inner barracks and beyond it, the prison.”

“Inner barracks,” Sari murmured, “You won’t feel bad setting me on the guards there?”

Myranda’s eyes darkened, “Heretics don’t have rights, they are objects, according to the King.”

Sari grit her teeth so hard she could feel them grinding, she whipped her head in the direction of the fork in the corridor and exhaled, a cloud of green smoke dancing around her jaw. “Say no more.”

When the two of them arrived at the fork in the path, Sari turned left without a word. Her mind raced, her heart ached, her skin tingled, her belly growled, her everything yearned for only one thing. To inflict pain. She spread her arms and felt the power of the [Lord of Plagues] boil beneath her skin. The very first ability she had gained from the stone was so obscene she marveled that she had ever been given the chance to use it at all. Clouds of green smoke roiled off of her body, clouds that changed color as they burned in the air until they became transparent. [Befoulment] turned the air into a cloud of afflictions, randomized, with no rhyme or reason to what they did. Each individuals suffering would be unique. She wrapped the cloud around herself and twirled her knives between her fingers. Ahead of her she saw two men standing on either side of a door on the left side of the corridor.

Sari used [Razorstep], her body splitting the air ahead of her, the sound of her movements cutting off and her speed increasing. Her weapons gleamed with [Cutting Edge] as she bore her teeth, her thick hair flaying about around her as her small tusks glittered in what little light existed in the hallway. One of the guards, more prescient than most, turned his head just in time to see her approaching. His wide eyes would be the last expression he made as his head was separated from his shoulders. Blood sprayed across the wall and ceiling, splattering his comrade who barely had enough time to draw breath, let alone scream. Sari was on top of him, driving her knives into his chest and puncturing his lungs.

“Shhh, quiet now,” She hissed, sliding off of him as his eyes went dark and turned to the doorway. She pressed her fingertips against it and closed her eyes, using the first ability she’d gained from [The Physik], [Lifesearch]. She imagined the intention was to seek out survivors and to get a measure for the condition of people she was treating. She doubted it was intended for something like this. She smiled as over a dozen motes of light took shape in her minds eye, crowded in one room. More indistinct was a collection of motes that were separate from one another by several feet and further away. The cells. She only wished she could see through walls. Still, given the separation of the guards in the first room she had an idea of how big it was.

“Good enough,” She whispered and pressed her palms to the floor, sliding her fingertips against the crack beneath the door and pushed. For a moment she didn’t hear any reactions, then abruptly she began to hear coughing and cries of pain. She licked her lips, savoring it as one after another the motes of light on the other side of the door began to thrash about and fade. One winked out abruptly. Then another. The movement increased, the motes were coming toward the door. She cursed and darted backwards, moving to a corner out of immediate sight when they stepped out the doorway. She pressed her back against the wall, knives in hand, as eight men in armor came running out the door, coughing and gasping for air. One of them gripped his throat and collapsed while another turned to see the bodies on the floor.

“Intruder!’ He squawked, his voice hoarse from whatever affliction had attached itself to him.

One of the men of the pack, a good head and a half taller than the others, turned his head and examined his surroundings calmly. She could see patches of purple on his neck but it didn’t seem to bother him at all. She forced herself not to hiss in frustration, sidestepping while using [Razorstep] to silence her movements. He turned his head in her direction and she pounced, dashing forward and cutting down two of his comrades with clean strikes. Five left including the big one. One of the men shouted something and rounded on her, swinging his weapon. She darted beneath the attack but her kill was interrupted by a brutal blow to her side by the big one. He kicked her so hard she saw stars, hurtling backwards and sliding across the floor. Growling, Sari held out her hand and cast [Brightstar], a ball of light forming in her palm that exploded with radiance, blinding her opponents. She started counting down from ten.

She closed her eyes and relied on [Lifesearch] to find her prey, darting low when she got close to the biggest mote of light and drove her knives up and into the body of one of the smaller ones. Seven seconds. She heard a satisfying gurgle and moved to the next, cutting across a throat. There was a rush of air above her as the big one took a swing and she rolled. Five seconds. She had to get rid of the small fry first or she wasn’t going to be able to focus on the big guy. She ducked low and moved, activating the second ability of [Lord of Plagues], [Consumption]. Three seconds. She whipped her arms out to her sides and pulled with all her might, ripping the afflictions out of her victim’s bodies.

As her body began healing, she felt two more bodies fall to the ground. The light from [Brightstar] faded just in time for her to see the axe-blade swinging for her eyes. She threw up her arms and grit her teeth, using [Aspect of the Orckin]’s [Unbreakable]. Her flesh tightened for an instant and her body was thrown off its feet, hurtling to the wall behind her. She felt her thoracic and lumbar vertebrae shudder under the impact. She gasped for air, trying to keep her back straight as she placed her hand over her abdomen. [The Physik]’s second ability was [Healing Touch]. She held it as long as she could, feeling her injury right itself as the large elf came rumbling toward her. She rolled, twisting to the right and feeling her bones grate a little under the effort, stepping around her own feet in a pirouette as she moved down the wall and away from her attacker.

She caught his eyes, burning with hatred, his lips pressed thin in a frown of determination. There would be no banter here. She pressed her back against the wall and caught her breath, grinning at him, she was fine with that. She bore her teeth in his direction and licked her lips. The taunting face she made only goaded him, he charged and she dove right into his attack, laughing. She hadn’t fought like this before in her entire life! The aspects she’d chosen worked together perfectly! She wasn’t a fighter, not really, she preferred her prey unawares. But she could do it if she needed to. More importantly, she knew the body better than anyone. The axe head swung past where she had been and she slipped between his legs, whipping her blades out and cutting his calves down to his ankles from behind. He staggered forward, unable to keep standing and began to glow, the wounds already closing.

Sari got to her feet and panted, laughing again, “You can heal too!” She cackled, “What a magnificent test subject!” He turned his head and stared at her, not giving her any backtalk. Her lip twisted, “Here’s a question for further study, How much can you take?”

She took a step forward with [Razorstep] and danced past him, drawing her knives across his arms. His eyes widened as he lost grip on his weapon. His arms began to heal as she slid to a stop and kicked toward him again, spinning through the air and expelling toxins from her lips with [Befoulment]. Two more cuts along his arms, pustules began to form on his neck and cheeks. He swung at her with his bare hands and she dove again, cutting up across his abdomen and down again. He tried to retreat against the wall but she threw her hand out and cast [Starburst], releasing a concussive blast behind him that sent him tumbling forward, covered in knicks and scrapes, small cuts bleeding heavily even as they tried to close with his Elven aspect’s powers.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she found herself talking again, “How was she?” Sari snarled, “Did you enjoy your time with Myranda? Did you like it? Did it feel good?” She bit out, “You’re in charge, right? You got first pickings didn’t you?” She dragged her weapon down again across his skin at an angle, peeling it, he screamed and fell to his side, trying to roll away. He rolled onto his chest and tried to force himself to his feet. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up, exposing his throat.

“Kill me,” He rasped.

“No,” Sari purred, a golden glow rippling from her fingers as she cast [Healing Touch]. “My Queen did not say anything about showing mercy here.”

His body visibly relaxed as the pain began to fade, she gripped his hair tighter, “My Queen gave me the power over life and death, I can heal you as easily as I can break you. I know every bone in your body. I know every ligament, every tendon, I know which organs to puncture and where, I can keep you alive for months with barely any flesh on you,” She rasped, her chest rising and falling. “All she asked of me was my service and-” Sari laughed releasing his head and staggering backwards, pressing her hand to her cheek. “That’s it! Isn’t that crazy!” She cackled, pointing at him with her knife, “I have the power to toy with life and that’s all she asked from me!”

“You’re crazy,” The guardsman growled, reaching for his axe and getting to his feet. “Your queen is worse, creating someone like you.”

She froze and tilted her head to the right, pinning him with a cold stare, “I think I’ll take your tongue first.”

He snatched up his axe and rushed her, she stepped back and blinked. Weird. She could see his back. He was standing in front of her though, facing her. She shook her head and sidestepped him, slicing at his side. Blood sprayed from an identical wound on the opposite side of his body. She blinked again, looking past him this time. She could see herself standing there. He spun, trying to figure out where the attack had come from. His eyes went wide, “There were two of you?”

Sari and her copy shrugged. He snarled and spun, moving into a wide arced swing aimed at both her and the other. They retreated as one. Sari glanced at her copy again, she could feel where it was, feel its thoughts. Could it feel hers? She looked back at the guardsman as it came in for another attack. She dove again, going in from below. To her left, her copy went high, drawing her own knives and raking them across the guards side. Sari breathed a flash of [Befoulment] in his face before rolling between his legs and cutting his ankles again. He threw himself backward, thrashing his forearm against her side. She felt one of her ribs give a little and tried to bend with the hit, reducing some of the damage.

She slid to a stop, panting, holding her side as the guard’s wounds healed again. She stood up straight and her copy moved over to her side, pressing her hands to Sari’s ribs and casting [Healing Touch]. Sari looked down at her copy who looked up at her and smiled. “Life and Death.”

“A perfect balance,” Her copy responded with a grin.

Sari looked up at the Guard who looked between the two of them, his chest rising and falling. She savored the moment. Never would she be alone again. There was someone as smart as her out there, herself. She could heal and fight at the same time. She felt unstoppable, untouchable, invincible. She didn’t even notice the world slow down as she basked in the power that rushed through her veins. She thought back to the moment that she’d been caught by the elders back home in the badlands. All she had wanted was to treat her friend’s illness. They’d been in pain.

Had she been this powerful back then they would never have torn her away, she’d have been able to continue the treatment. The elders were an illness of their own making. It all made sense now. There were just some people out there that needed to be removed, like tumors. How many innocent people had she killed, not realizing that what she’d been craving all this time was that simple answer? There were those who just deserved to die. Teyva made it all so clear. She laughed, her copy wept, and the universe, for just one instant, turned on her as an axis.

I am the Cure for what ails Her.