Amdirlain focused as the Nox Hunter’s claws thrashed for purchase and its blood sprayed across her. As her claws dug deeper into its abdomen, its rocky shell cracked, but it pulled clear from the wall. In a quick motion, she swung the ute-sized Demon again. As it rebounded off the rock face the final pulped Chasme splattered to the ground. The Hunter, having served duty as a fly swatter, followed the last of the swarm into destruction. The corpse bounced off the cavern’s floor and ricocheted off another Hunter’s remains when she tossed it away.
Even before it stopped, she had ignored the combat summary and grabbed for the Lóm?’s Soul. Energy Drain secured it and caused a moment of panic before its gaze fixed on her and clearly saw within. Instead of a battle the Soul worked with her to pull free of the rock and rush for sanctuary. Once it was safely inside her form, Amdirlain released her hold. Unlike other Souls, Energy Drain only secured them after destruction of their vessel.
“Hold tight, cousins,” Amdirlain whispered, as the latest Soul settled in with those she’d gathered so far. For them she used the Ki’s mist to project a warm sense of reassurance rather than form it into a prison.
Her gaze fixed on the closest Soul lost to the Abyss’s rock amid the fighting and activated Spirit Passage. Soul Sight guided her path through the rock as she played trainer and collected them all. Back in the cavern, Amdirlain’s smile gained a delighted air as she became solid again. The rush of battle and improving was nothing compared to helping the Souls.
[Spirit Passage [Ap](19->20)
Energy Drain [S](30->31)]
It had taken eight cycles of running and teleporting to reach here since she’d left the city. From the strength of Planar Sense’s song, the Lóm?’s sanctuary zone had grown close, but she’d kept her distance. It had been only luck that a strike laden with Energy Drain had gone through a fleeing Soul. The wounds she had sustained while focused on drawing in a single Soul had been worth the price of confirmation. It had led to the rescue of thirty-four, since now she just had to lure more in while she gathered.
With the latest fourteen spinnerets tucked into storage, she returned to her work. Her form grew into a large Hook Horror, pick-like claws swinging in rhythmic strikes as she made the cavern ring. Given the experience she had in bizarre forms, balancing on its three-toed feet - even with its massive shelled form - hadn’t been a challenge to her. The utility it provided for mining had her setting a quick slot in Protean called Clacker. If nothing else, the geodes separated with clear mining marks might help avoid more questions from Lorrella’s keen mind, so she was mining the geodes the hard way. Though she’d only given the strange Succubus a mysterious smile when Lorrella questioned her lack of storage items.
[Mining [B] (11 -> 12)
Telepathy spun outwards in a spherical radar, spilt up into different zones within her mental image. Here and there, bright flares were signalling the locations of minds that the racket from battle and mining alike kept luring in. When the adamantine geode at last came free, she stored it with the rest. Her strikes continued as she moved onto the next. With each step, she tapped the wall to continue the temptation. As the claws cracked on the rock, she projected a whisper of the sound to the minds close by. She continued to lure them as she worked, amused by her skills’ increases. As the next group of Nox Hunters fired their spinnerets, Teleport carried her past. A literal double axe strike crushed open the abdomen of the last in the pack before she blurred into a Xenomorph. As it toppled, she ran across its corpse. The force of each stride broke more armour as she went. The explosive leap to the next left a shattered corpse in her wake. Casting out the effect the blood had on the rest, she felt the pace of others nearby quicken.
When she landed, the muscles of the Hunter beneath her collapsed as Psi force impacted Demonic flesh. Flight pushed her course as its spinneret fired from uncontrolled reflex, and she rolled to land by the side of its turret-shaped organ. Just ahead of the silken cord’s arc, she leapt free and dropped to the ground behind it. As her clawed feet hit ground, a turn set her shoulder against the armoured curve of its form, and claws anchored on its butt, before her feet churned. The bull rush pushed it into and over those ahead, and the living battering ram came off the worst from her charge. The others she caught with it struggled to get free, but while they were busy, she went for one on the roof. Her change in course had its web anchored on those in the struggling pile below.
The spinneret’s spigots cut off the web production too late, and as it re-orientated itself, she’d landed on its face. Claws wreathed in Ki burst through the closest eye and scooped out its brain. Its body stilled in death, and she leapt again, collecting the Soul from its falling prison. As she fell and twisted in mid-air, she quickly checked the largest enemy to avoid any surprises.
[Corrupted Nox Hunter
Level: 31
Health: 530
Defence: 41
Melee Attack Power: 51
Combat Skills: Claw [Ad](3), Bite [Ad](17), Spinneret [Ad](5)]
Two down, eight to go.
Teleport landed her on the belly of her abandoned ram as it struggled to turn upright. The others caused its awkward position having flipped it during their own struggles to untangle. Even as it wiggled to right itself, Amdirlain dropped to one knee and speared an arm deep into its sternum. The impact of the Ki Strike ripping flesh apart. As the confused Soul separated, she jumped through its path and went for the next kill. A loop of web that struck across her path triggered Ki Aura’s effect and flared into ash when the Destruction Mana consumed it.
[Combat Summary:
Corrupted Nox Hunter x 10
Total Experience gained: 12,000
Fallen: +2,400
Scion: +2,400
Psion: +2,400
Sora Master: +2,400
Warrior Monk: +2,400
Psychometabolism [Ap](12->13)
Psychoportation [J](33->34)
]
Having endless hordes to gather up and kill has spoiled me.
When she finished the collection from the corpse, she returned to the recent geode and took on the Hook Horror form. With each swing, she concentrated on feeling the echoes through the stone. The rebounding sounds showing her more geodes and their valuable cores amid the cavern’s walls. When she pulled the next geode free, she shook her head at the system’s message and moved to the next.
[Mining [B] (20) -> [Ap] (1)
Miner Class Unlocked!
Treasure Hunter Class Unlocked!]
With all the Necropolis’ mausoleums, I should be glad I didn’t get one called Tomb Raider.
Though the only thing I was taking from them were the cursed Souls.
As Tremor Sense revealed a dense vein deeper in the stone, Amdirlain’s beak twisted as she smiled.
<hr>
Judgement’s white clouds were as beautiful as the first time she’d seen them. The Souls inside her jolted in surprise and as she released them, they manifested around her. Their forms still golden as Soul Sight had shown her in the Abyss instead of mimicking whatever appearance they’d possessed in life. As their feet touched the clouds, they looked about and lifted their eyes and started to Sing. The first note of their wordless Song shivered deep and almost dropped Amdirlain to her knees, not in pain but in disbelief. Every note carrying such overwhelming emotions that weren’t anger or reproach, but thanks and relief. None of them reacted negatively to the Succubus form she wore, just nodding their thanks before they rose their voices to join the Song she somehow knew was to the Titan.
“You didn’t take them to a Grotto this time?”
The words came from one of the Titan’s Servants, who appeared nearby, identical to the others with its shifting gears and cogs warping inside the outline of its form. With a smile Amdirlain opted to act as if it was the same one, since the others had continued previous conversations.
“The first time I was told ‘Only those Souls that stand among them can decide their fate’. I have a Soul and brought them somewhere safe,” said Amdirlain.
“Indeed, you did. Father thanks you for this expression of your trust,” the Servant replied.
“How is Andre?” Amdirlain asked hesitantly, the soft whisper of words barely audible under the Souls’ Song.
“He purified her Soul to Gold, but her memories are still settling. It will take a while to avoid unsettling her,” explained the Servant, but Amdirlain breathed a sigh of relief.
“I thought the Titan didn’t enjoy remaking things?” asked Amdirlain, blinking in surprise.
“Father had never purified a Human Soul before. It was a very unusual endeavour,” corrected the Servant, amused tones somehow resonating from its gears.
“Can I speak to her?” Amdirlain asked hopefully, eyes growing bright with suppressed tears.
“In time perhaps, she has more than one lifetime of pain to settle. What was hers is being drawn back following the purification. When she is ready, Father has promised to place her where she might find a life of joy,” consoled the Servant, its metallic voice somehow chiming compassion.
“Thank you for letting me know,” Amdirlain sighed, shifting uncomfortably in place at the memory of her fury at the Servant in her first exchange. “Was the comment about trust the other time directed at me?”
“You believed you and Father were in conflict, you had no reason to trust. They remember him, you do not, yet they didn’t trust in him, then or now,” offered the Servant, its reassuring tone edged with annoyance. “If only they’d Sung to him long ago, rather than needing to be dragged from the depths. It is good they are safe now, though it makes this one wonder if they’ve learnt at all.”
“They were going to be wiped out,” protested Amdirlain softly, glancing at the singing Souls.
“Yes, and stood alone, rather than ask for help, you among them as well. In pride, they were certain they could stand against the child of a primordial power. He had promised not to interfere where they dwelt if they didn’t request aid. With them gone and the Sun Elves destroyed, he was within his rules to set punishment for the attack. ”
Stolen novel; please report.
“The living don’t know where the Souls of the Royal Line are and they won’t leave without them,” Amdirlain stated, hoping to gain information to help.
“Yet they’ve persisted in not asking for help. Where they dwell, he has promised not to interfere unless requested. They are presently dwelling in Ternòx, even if not by choice. This prevents him from helping there as well,” The Servant stated. When it raised a hand, the gears flicked back and forth, imitating a wagging finger.
“Will you help me find the Souls of the Royal line?” Amdirlain asked.
“Do you acknowledge debt with the Titan?” enquired the Servant.
The familiar question rose her hackles before, but Amdirlain pushed the remembered anger aside.
He keeps coming back to this and why did he stress this expression of trust earlier. He keeps to his rules, does something prevent him from acting without those rules being fulfilled?
If it helps bring good, I’ll do what is needed.
“I acknowledge the debt,” confirmed Amdirlain, with a polite nod to the Servant.
“Father thanks you for your display of trust. There is never a debt between a Father and his Children, however without trust, nothing else can stand. They are in the Royal Tower. It, like other once special places, now sits within Ternòx, though it remains sealed against Time itself. It requires a Singer of the Sun to break the Song of Night upon it,” the Servant stated, its tone as casual as if it had remarked on the weather.
“The other Sun Elves are long gone and I’ve no memory of how to Sing,” uttered Amdirlain in frustration.
“Indeed, you do not, nor are you a Glinnel.”
Amdirlain opened her mouth to ask what it meant as the Plane went silent around her. The Titan’s Servant and the Lóm? Souls were all gone. Where the Titan’s servant had been standing, sat a large crate with alchemical symbols stamped on the sides.
“What, is he watching me?” grumbled Amdirlain, as she pulled up a corner of the crate’s lid. As it opened, a fragrantly acidic stench assaulted her senses, the eye-watering aroma almost getting her to step back in reflex. Waving brown misty tendrils wafted through the air from cloth sachets sitting in a compartmentalised tray. The fumes emanated from the opening she’d made but also from the other edges of the lid, so Amdirlain yanked it open completely. Curling her lip in disgust, she quickly stored all she could see before pulling the top tray out. Hastily repeating the process on each layer till the crate stood empty, the trays cast away, littering the surrounding clouds.
“Disgusting vermin!”
Ignoring the male voice behind her even as her Power translated the language, she cleaned up her demolition work. The crate and other packing materials she pulled into Inventory now that the goods were separated. Risking Lorrella or anyone else in the Abyss associating her with goods obviously received in one of the Titan’s crates seemed a majorly bad idea.
“I’m talking to you vermin. What caravan did you steal that crate from?”
Glinnel, it’s High Elven for Singer, but they made it sound like it was a Class not just a Skill being applied.
Analysis
[Class: Glinnel
True Song Adepts that use their innate sense of reality’s resonance to shape effects using their vocal ability and True Song. Like all users of True Song, accessing it is restricted to individuals with a Golden Soul of either the Anar or Lóm?. The most complex effects are beyond individuals and require multiple Glinnel Choruses, led by a skilled Conductor.]
Like all users of True Song!
Rach blew apart the landscape with True Song.
She once said a psychic told her we’d been friends across more lifetimes than their ability to see. Sarah had joked it was an easy claim for a con-artist to make.
“I’m talking to you.”
Concealed eyes she’d included in her wings had no issues tracking the advance of the armoured Celestials. The closest armoured figures wore Grecian style armour and weapons, but Amdirlain could see two other groups with unique styles of armour following them. The closest of those groups comprised lion-headed female warriors wearing leather breastplates, battles kilts, greaves, and sandals, and bore Khopesh. Just trailing them, human-like figures wearing plumed helms, thick hide jerkins, cloth pants and strapped boots. Both groups had their shields ready, but while the Egyptian Celestials had their weapons still sheathed, the Slavic warriors moved purposefully with their spears ready for battle. She recognised the symbol of Sekhmet at once, but it took a moment to remember Lada’s symbol. The servants of the Slavic Goddess of Beauty and Love being ready for a fight surprised her.
Unfortunately, the Grecian hoplite demanding her attention obviously was Zeus’ Servant. The blue-on-blue lightning bolt crossing the Z on his shield and chest plate declared that, and he had an arrogant posture that went well with it.
“With all the Mortal worlds out there, why do I keep running into shit-for-brains like you?” muttered Amdirlain. With a sigh she gazed at the Celestial and spoke clearly. “It was payment for a delivery of Souls, I was separating out the contents here.”
Analysis
[Name: Tiu?
Species: Archon, Legion (Zeus)
Class: Fighter
Level: 62 / 62
Health: 2,820
Defence: 350
Melee Attack Power: 295
Combat Skills: Spear [S] (7), Gladius [S](3) - Various Innate Powers
Details: An Archon in the service of Zeus, he formed from energy accumulated by Petitioners. He is currently a patrol leader assigned to the security of Judgement’s fields.
]
“Deliveries are now to be made only through the Portal where we can monitor those doing the deliveries,” declared Tiu?, his tone heated.
“Stand down,” growled the leader of the Sekhmet patrol.
“You have no authority over us, thing,” Tiu? sneered as he glanced at the patrol leader, and Amdirlain wondered what his skill level was in posturing and blow hardiness.
“Your master doesn’t have the authority to change the rules of this place.”
The lioness’ words he waved dismissively away and Tiu? looked at her in disgust.
“We are doing most of the patrolling at present because others can’t manage their internal issues. My Liège is ensuring the safety of all the Souls. A Succubus should not be wandering here unsupervised,” retorted Tiu?.
“Blow it out your arse. I’ve dealt with the Titan’s Servant now I’m leaving,” declared Amdirlain confidently.
“You will not,” Tiu? snarled, as he grabbed for his gladius’ hilt, though his slowness only amused her more.
“Have a nice day,” Amdirlain said, wiggling her fingers with a grin that enraged the whole patrol.
When the patrol leader finally lunged towards Amdirlain, an energy tried to flare across her as Planar Shift slipped her away. Whatever Power or item he invoked, the magic within her shunted it harmlessly away.
* * *
When Amdirlain entered the shop, Lorrella gave her a strained smile, before her shoulders slumped.
“Everyone’s got work for cycles and cycles already paid for, or commitments based on pain of destruction,” grumbled Lorrella with a pout.
“No chance of getting the work bumped up?” asked Amdirlain with a sigh of frustration.
“Not unless you want to spike the cost,” cautioned Lorrella, setting some books on the bench behind the counter.
Amdirlain moved to the counter and as soon as the first pouch appeared, Lorrella smiled at the acidic odour.
“Oh, you’ve got good stuff,” squealed Lorrella, before gesturing towards the pouch. “May I check it?”
The Succubus practically bounced on the spot and lightly clapped her hands in excitement at the smell. Her hyper mood strained the bikini’s ability to hold her breasts in their tiny coverings as they impacted the top of her apron.
“Go right ahead,” Amdirlain said, unable to resist a smile at the strange contrast between the Succubus and her childlike glee.
“Oh, you lovely cutie,” Lorrella said, as she opened the pouch. Unbothered by the stench, she dipped a little glass spoon into the bag and held it up to the light. “The Treasury and other Soul traders normally have this quality sewed up. High-quality reagents are one way to get someone’s attention. Though from the sounds of things, you’ll be hard pressed to not get bumped further down their work list.”
“Could you refine the silver?” Amdirlain asked. “I thought you were a skilled Alchemist as well.”
“You do care, you’ve been learning about me,” smirked Lorrella, and fluttered her eyelids at Amdirlain coyly before she explained. “I certainly know how, but commitments here and in the repair yards would interrupt. Alchemical refining needs a nursemaid for more cycles than I can spend at one time. So I leave it to various slothful demons - those rock brains don’t mind sitting around. I prefer working on my babies to anything else, but my assistant is planar locked for another sixty years, and I’ve not found a replacement. I told her to watch the proportions, but the silly Hag didn’t listen.”
“Your babies?” Amdirlain asked absently, distracted by a thought about rock headed individuals.
“Transports - I much prefer to be in the guts of one of my babies getting it working right,” Lorrella replied casually. “I also work on Golems, but I prefer the various transports. Did you find the geodes?”
The thought of Lorrella in grease-stained coveralls doing an oil change made Amdirlain lips twitch, and Lorrella gave her a flirty smile.
“Indeed,” Amdirlain responded, as she went to place a geode on the counter Lorrella waggled a finger.
“Table please,” reminded Lorrella, before she handed the pouch back to Amdirlain. When she made the gesture again, the door locked, and the table appeared. “Chop chop.”
Amdirlain gave her a smile and put the pouch on the table, along with only twenty of the geodes. As she stacked the Hunter spinnerets up, the table became a box.
“Well, that’s not a lot of geodes, but I’ll get a ton of dimensional silk from those suckers,” Lorrella said, as she considered the material Amdirlain provided. “Not a literal ton, but it will get some construction boss’ rocks off. You were really unlucky for geodes given the Plane practically grows them in some places.”
As she spoke, stacks of obsidian coins appeared on the counter, and her words rang a bell for Amdirlain.
“How high an enchantment can the silk carry?” Amdirlain asked, biting her inner cheek in regret at the question.
“Depends if its refined properly, certainly decently processed it can hold some species of Greater Demons,” Lorrella replied, focused on setting out stacks of coins on the counter. “I heard some Demon Lord used it to trap an old Celestial, could be truth or a tall tale. Yet there are some that say you can still hear its screams deep in the Abyss.“
Lorrella wiggled her fingers, and her eerie tone wouldn’t have been out of place at a campfire tale till Laodice spoke up.
((If the one I know of is still there, they’ve been a prisoner longer than I.))
I’ll keep an ear out then.
((Don’t! Just going near them would do catastrophic damage to you from their aura.))
Darn!
“No chance of getting Alchemical Silver at all soon?” Amdirlain asked, in an attempt to get Lorrella to focus.
“Ages maybe, between the destruction of ùeqr?kas and the Sisterhood schism,” replied Lorrella, scrunching her nose but with it so tiny it was hard to spot the expression. “They’re a pain in the arse, but the threat of the ùeqr?kas council hiring them to back the miners kept some pressure off this city.”
“I’m too out of touch in local affairs. What are they arguing about, a new hair style they should all wear?”
“No idea, but I’ve heard tales of feather-winged Succubi in Sisterhood armour killing the Lady’s drones in various places. Most of what I know is from the local lord and master busting my arse about making golems faster because he can’t count on them. Never mind that you can’t rush golem construction and it’s important to let them settle so they don’t come apart,” grumbled Lorrella.
Oh goodness!
“No one respects your art form. They just see the end results as something to do a job,” stated Amdirlain, her expression become mournful to hide her shock.
“You’re so right, little one,” agreed Lorrella from her tone, it was a pet peeve for the Succubus.
“Will there be more bounty work?” Amdirlain enquired, hiding her amusement at the Succubus’ put out look.
“Of course, but I’ll see fewer handling the gather or mining requests to pay for their preferred fun,” Lorrella huffed. As she folded her arms across her stomach, causing a seismic change in her chest, only her scowl made it obvious she wasn’t flirting.
Okay, need to get the circle working before the shit-storm calms.
“What makes you worry about what others are doing?” enquired Amdirlain, taking in the frown that hadn’t left Lorrella’s face.
“Not enough lazy fuckers taking care of those jobs and materials will get expensive. Gets too bad and no one will want to buy new constructs from here,” grumbled Lorrella. “Basically, if they aren’t bringing in materials, then I can’t make my babies. No good at all!”
“Is that all you''re worried about?”
“Absolutely I wouldn’t care if I saw no one, provided I had enough materials to make my babies forever,” declared Lorrella hotly, teeth bared in anger. “Most beings are a pain in my arse, and not the fun kind.”
“No sex if there was no one about,” Amdirlain pointed out, unable to resist, given Lorrella''s antics.
“Ha, you are so wrong. I’ve three different golems to take care of me if I need an itch scratched while I’m busy,” retorted Lorrella. When Amdirlain burst out laughing, Lorrella stuck her nose in the air tossing her hair about.
* * *
When she left Qcppxtypcd this time Amdirlain just headed for the nearest exit, glad to be free of the place. As soon as she crossed the wards, she teleported away, the illumination of Hrz’Styrn’s Portal greeted her. The passage was as empty as last time with the debris accumulated further still.
Feather-winged sound like Fórla?rea?, but she never said her name to me. That blocks the option of getting her a message about the other Lóm?, if she’d even care after being a Succubus so long.
Master Farhad sounds like he’s gone off to meet up with Ebusuku, and I don’t want to open that bag of trouble.
Changed into an innocuous pebble, Plane Shift carried her away to the Elemental Plane of Earth. With her arrival point empty, a Wood Elf with deep green clothes soon occupied the rough tunnel where she had appeared. Amdirlain allowed the remaining geodes and the ore she collected to spill onto the floor and moved away. At a safe distance, she cast and laid a wall formed with Order across the materials. As it faded, she cast it again, alternating between Celestial and Order until she could no longer sense the Abyssal energy clinging to any of it.
“Torm, I hope your meeting with Tyr went well. I’ve gotten some of the Lóm?’s Souls free and took them to Judgement. The conversation with the Titan’s Servant was surprising. So much is going on and I don’t know where to start, so will focus on my plan while I consider things. Going to the Dwarven community you showed me, hope I can trade for the Alchemical Silver. Trading my reward for freeing the Souls to Dwarves is better than someone in the Abyss gaining it.”
When the Mercury’s Whisper released, she collected the materials as she considered a message to Livia.