Chapter 248: Discussion of Dragons and Worms

Katlyn Farragher

“Alright. Take care, ye hear? I want that tail back in one piece.”

“I will,” Ann laughed for the dozenth time as Kat hugged her taller girlfriend close.

She hated when this kind of thing happened. Not being there for Ann if she needed her was a pit that’d stick in her gut until she got back. Nothing to do about it, though. Tarnu would keep Ann safe. He was stronger than Kat, so that was a no-brainer. Still, that niggling worry whispered in her mind as she watched Ann trot up into the tunnel for her patrol. They hadn’t seen or sensed the strange Warped recently. She’d be fine.

Kat closed her eye and took a deep breath.

“She’ll be fine,” Rosalyn said, patting her arm comfortingly. “You’ve done a great job of making her a fighter, and Remmi took that even further. She’s so much more comfortable in her body than when I met her. Crazy to think she was ever human.”

“Aye,” Kat nodded. “An’ she’s damn quick. I’m startin’ tae need to predict ‘er when we’re fightin’. She doesn’t hit as hard, but she can get inside me guard easy if I’m not careful.”

“I’m hoping I get something defensive soon,” Rosalyn sighed. “All I have is a creative use of Thorns. Bren’s great, but it’d help to let him focus on bigger things. A windwall or something like that, you know? There are spells like that, right?”

“Aye. Most mages get ‘em earlier than ye have, but ye’ve gotten a crazy amount o’ firepower fer someone yer level.”

“Yeah. We’re all stronger thanks to her.” Rosalyn nodded at the empty tunnel. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. You found anything that’d help with her task here?”

“Eh, kinda? It’s a hunch more than anythin’, but it seems like all o’ these people ‘ad their mutations stop real late in the process.”

Rosalyn rested her chin in her fingers, thinking. “That’s what I’ve been finding, too. It’s the point of madness that’s being skipped. I’m almost sure of it. The biggest question is why? Why can some of these people resist what breaks literally everyone else? It’s not pain tolerance, because Abigail doesn’t like getting more than a scrape and starts to cry.”

“Bren might know a bit more about tha’. I’ll talk tae ‘im. Might be somethin’ a bit more, er, what was that word? Ephemeral. Could be soul related, which would leave us at a dead end. All that shite’s theory fer the most part. No clue how we’d even test.”

“Well, that’s the point. I can deal with all of the body stuff, Ann’s starting to deal with the soul stuff with Waheela, and Bren’s got the brain to puzzle out.”

“What about me?” Kat chuckled. “Or Lucia?”

“You two are the brave people who keep us safe! Plus, you figure out how things fight way before the rest of us. Well, usually. Most of the time. Sometimes things are just too crazy to predict. Lucia’s got a gun and can really use it. Feel safer with you two around.”

“Love ye, too,” Kat said, giving the Druid a side hug. “Alright. What were ye doin’ today?”

“I was gonna go talk to Eldest with Bren. See if we can figure anything out. You?”

“Alruna,” Kat said flatly. She was still a little nervous about meeting the woman and spending time with her one-on-one.

“You’re nervous! Oh, you really shouldn’t be. She’s weird, but a complete sweetheart. Whatcha gonna do?”

“Was gonna ask ‘er tae fight wit’ me?”

Rosalyn’s giggle felt a little mocking, but she knew it was meant with love. “Yup. Very Kat of you. Alright. Go have fun getting all beat up. I’ll see you later.”

Before she could go, Kat pulled Rosalyn in and buried her in a smothering kiss. She cherished these moments where she could just show how much she loved her girlfriends. The feeling of Rosalyn’s soft body melting against her hard muscles was one of the best things in the world.

Everything had to end eventually, which was bullshit. Rosalyn was left a blushing mess as she walked off towards the large house on the edge of the cave.

Kat hooked her shield onto her back, made sure she had her old sword, and set off to Alruna’s. It wasn’t hard to find, being the only residence made of stone. It was oddly reminiscent of Graven Keep, if significantly rougher.

“Oi, Alruna, ye in there?” Kat called, rapping a finger on a block attached to the exterior next to the door. Handy thing since it was all stone. It made a much louder sound than she expected, and she found it hollow when she ducked down to get a better look. She’d seen an instrument like that, using a ball attached to some metal to hit the hollow block.

“Yes! I am mixing currently. You may enter, should you wish!”

Kat pushed aside the “door” and took stock of the room. It was pretty much exactly like Rosalyn described it. Austere on one side and stupidly organised on the other. Bren’d love the organisation system, even if Kat couldn’t really figure it out. Alruna stood at the side of a cauldron, dressed down in just some underwear and a large shirt. Something bubbled inside. What? Kat would never be able to guess.

It afforded Kat a better look at the woman’s body. Everything still moved like skin, but now she could see the segmented joints. Every now and then, a worm would poke out of the joint, squirm, then pull back inside. Alruna’s fluffy ruff was pushed down with a weighted collar of cloth to keep it out of the way while she worked. Smart little garment with the front and back held down by pieces of metal tied into it. Once again, Kat noted how little in the chest area Alruna had. Even Lucia had more, and hers were just handfuls. The alchemist was nearly flat. Maybe a cupped palm’s worth, but nothing to grab onto. She sure did make up for it in her hips. Wide, curving, and distractingly sexy. So much so that even the loose shirt couldn’t hide their flare. The ass attached was just as amazing, and Kat felt her mouth watering.

“What can I help you with, Katlyn?” Alruna’s voice jolted Kat out of her daydreaming.

“Well, been in the city fer a few days, an’ we’ve fought together, but I wanted tae get some sparrin’ in wit’ ye. Perfectly honest, I’m not much for the more academic shite aside from military theory. Wanted tae at least ‘ave a talk, an’ it’s somewhere we apparently both know pretty well.”

Alruna didn’t stop stirring as she hummed. Such slender arms hiding that much strength really shook Kat’s usual definition of strength. Usually, that stat was a force modifier. The stronger you were in your body, the harder the magical stat would amplify it. Alruna being Warped sure had given her a surprising body.

Speaking of, Alruna extended two bundles of worms from her shoulders, taking a couple of nearby jars of ingredients and adding them to the cauldron without a stutter of her ladle. The precision she displayed was fascinating.

“That is something we can do, definitely. Let me finish this first. We can discuss our methodologies while I work. Please, take the seat.”

Kat pulled up one of the two stools in the room. Rosalyn had said Alruna had gotten another one when she started showing up more.

“What’s the potion?”

“This is a fatigue potion. I hope to have it ready before we next require a trip to Godrin’s Cliff.”

“So we don’t wipe ourselves out again?” Kat chuckled.

Alruna nodded curtly. “Correct. Seeing you three so distraught was uncomfortable, so I seek to rectify that issue. This is but one of the potions I am working on for you. The other salve Rosalyn has requested is quite interesting. I have been experimenting with several reagents that have proved promising, however something is missing. A catalyst, I imagine. The finishing touch, should you prefer. What imbues the potion with the ability to bring both the ingredients which give it the magical properties and the base liquids into harmony. It is different for each class of potions, and can be tricky to find when researching a new brew.”

Katlyn placed her face in her hands. She had an idea of what the Druid might be after. “Can ye tell me what the potion is? Might be able tae help.”

“Something to help her stretch.”

Kat let out a muffled groaning laugh. “An’ I’m guessin’ it’s not bein’ able tae flex ‘er joints a bit better?”

“No, though I imagine it would help with that as well. No, this would make softer portions of the body more malleable should a person drink the potion. What use she has for this, I could never guess.”

Kat’s laughter eventually died out.

“Though it seems like you have an inkling.”

“I do. Ye probably need somethin’ from Ann if it’s fer what I’m thinkin’. Guessin’ Rosalyn told ye about ‘er venom already?”

“No? I wouldn’t think someone so canine would possess venom.”

“Well, she’s got a potent aphrodesiac venom. Shite’ll send a rock intae rut. Figure somethin’ else from ‘er might help as yer… catalyst.” Kat could feel her cheeks heating up as she tried to dance around some of this. It was weird. Alruna’s presence and utter obliviousness to sex in general were like a field of innocence that compelled her not to ruin it.

“Hm. From what I surmise, it is a stimulant. What is it for?”

“Er, ye know how children are made, aye?”

“Not particularly. It never concerned me, and my parents never brought it up, so I seem to be missing that knowledge.”

“You… how old are ye again?”

“Thirty-eight,” Alruna stated plainly. Kat knew this woman could blush. How was she not black in the cheeks already? Kat was probably beet red!

“Damnit. Alright, people ‘ave sex. Ye know where ye piss from?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s got another purpose. Well, it usually does. Not sure ‘ow it’d work fer someone like ye. Anyway, male sticks a penis intae ye there, an’ when ‘e gets ‘is rocks off, ‘e shoots some sperm intae ye, which makes a kid after a while. Well, most o’ the time. Some people have a ‘ard time wit’ it.” Kat couldn’t believe that she, of all people, was giving Alruna the buzzerflies and larkwoods.

“I see. Much like an alchemical process,” Alruna nodded as she continued stirring the pot. “One ingredient is added to another’s body, which results in a reaction through which a child is made. The delivery method seems inelegant, but such is nature. Why would someone want a stretching potion for this?”

“Well.” By the Gods, she was actually doing this. “Some people ‘ave larger tools than their partners can handle. Feck, this is so awkward. Ann’s pretty big. Got a skill that can ‘elp with it, but Rosalyn’s greedy. She wants it full size.”

“Thus, being able to stretch to accept a larger object within her body. I would not have considered an application like that. If I want to store an object inside myself it has to be smaller than these.” She extended a few bundles of worms from her shoulders and tapped the healed circles next to where they sprouted. “Small things only, but it helps carry potions and other objects I need to be kept safe and away from harm. I can even ingest them via my internal organs if needed. It comes in quite handy when dealing with a foe that can outmanoeuvre me.”

Kat grabbed the topic and held on to it like the damn thing was keeping her from falling off a cliff. “Aye? Happen tae ye much?”

“Quite. Tarnu covers me the best he is able, however I work better in a team. He and Eyes cover my weaknesses so I might fully perform my role in combat.” Several more tendrils snaked out to grab herbs. Her red-ringed eyes never left the pot. “It is what lets humanity exist and evolve. Teamwork, cooperation, coordination. I am sure you’re already aware of this, considering your tactical forte. Now, would you be a darling and break down that stone? It is the next step.”

“Can’t ye ‘ave yer worms do it?” Kat asked, already getting up and walking over to the seemingly ordinary grey rock.

“Yes, but you are a woman of action, and I have kept you sitting and talking for long enough. Use this,” Alruna passed a hammer with her worms. It had some good heft to it, but was small enough to be held in one hand. Nothing like Complacency.

Kat got to work. The stone cracked easily, much to her surprise. Inside was a glittering white geode of triangular crystals all pointing towards the centre like hungry teeth.

“Just the crystals, please. Get them to be as fine as possible,” Alruna instructed.

“So, a team, aye? ‘Ow long ye been fightin’?”

“Well, about twenty years now? I did not have my Path for some of this time, but the… alterations allowed for significant increases to my strength by themselves.” Alruna raised a pale hand, her other continuing to stir, and twiddled her segmented fingers. “I never thought it would also make me slightly more resilient as well. Sadly, my status sheet does not reflect these changes, so I am left to guess at my statistics. I can take far more of a hit than if I were still human, yet it comes with the unsettling knowledge that I am no longer what I was.”

Kat finished breaking up the geode, separated the stone from the crystal, and started grinding it down with the hammer. “Ye ever get thins talkin’ in yer head?”

“Do we not all have an internal voice?”

“Not what I mean. Like somethin’ else that’s talkin’ tae ye. Some monster or creature that’s tellin’ ye horrible things.”

“Oh, that,” Alruna’s face fell. “We all do in some way. It’s part of why we are so unstable around normal people. An urge or voice, it differs, will just force us to violence in a moment. For me, it is a voice. She is oddly sweet for the things she tells me to do.”

“She talkin’ right now?” Kat needed more information. This might be the Goddess they were after.

“Nought but a whisper. Easily ignored. They are quieter with you than a normal person. With that said, she still does want me to kill you. I can just… not do so. Do you recall the incident from your first day here? That is what happens when our mutations progress, and the voices or urges gain strength. We become less us and more of what we were to be.”

“Meant tae be. Who says that?” Kat asked, twisting the hammer slowly through the crumbles. She needed this to be fine, so a couple passes would be needed.

“For me, the voices. Others it is instinct. I was to be a creature of great might and terrible durability. Not a singular mind but many as one within my shell. An infiltrator, I believe. I fear the day that voice grows deafening.”

“Heavy shite. Mine just tells me I’m worthless fer not bein’ a jealous bitch, an’ that I should be takin’ the world by storm. Dearc’s been much quieter since I stabbed its snout into the ground.”

“This sounds equally maddening. Not many people have the fortitude to withstand such provocation.”

“Maybe that’s what sets ye apart?” Kat suggested like it was an idle thought and not consuming her mind right now.

“Ah, that is fine enough. Please tap it off the slate into the cauldron slowly,” Alruna said, leaning over to see Kat’s work. “While it may be a contributing factor, I do not believe that it is everything. If a strong will was all that was needed, Lodrick the Indomitable would not have succumbed to the mutation when he was striving to quell that Seed during the thirty-second Swarm.”

“Gods, been a while since I’ve ‘eard that story. Monster o’ a Mulsfar, lead the charge intae the belt since Orenous’ Seed was just explodin’ with Warped.” Kat gently tapped the slate and watched the glittering powder land in the liquid. It didn’t have any dramatic reactions, and Alruna just kept stirring. “Wielded the biggest axe I’ve ever ‘eard o’. Could cut buildin’s in ‘alf. Came back as a feckin’ mountain o’ a Warped. Literally. Skin turned tae stone, an’ his axe fused wit’ his arm. Took some o’ our best tae kill ‘im.”

“Indeed. A cautionary tale. Regardless, there must be more to it. We all ruminate on the subject to some degree. Eldest of All probably spends the most time with it. One of those wings is his library, and we procure literature for him at his request.”

“Wish I could’a met ‘im when he was still kickin’. Must ‘ave been a wonderous thing.”

“Yes. Alright, that should be all that is needed for this batch. I’ll need to let it cool before I can bottle it.” Alruna put down the ladle and gripped the iron cauldron with her bare hands. Kat lunged by instinct. That thing had to be scalding! Yet Alruna just picked it up and set it on the stone floor away from the heating crystals. “Hm? Oh, did you forget I am resistant to heat?”

Kat scratched the scales on the back of her neck bashfully. “Aye.”

Alruna giggled at that. It sounded almost painful how rough the noise was, but she didn’t show any signs of distress. “Such a gallant woman. I appreciate the gesture, no matter how unnecessary. Now, shall we go beat each other bloody in the streets?” It was like she was asking Kat to grind the crystals. No excitement or tension. Just stating what they were about to do.

It was Kat’s turn to laugh. This lady was something else, that was for sure. “Aye.”

Alruna pulled on some pants, tucked her shirt in, and shouldered Complacency. “Let us get to it. After you, my chivalrous guest.”