Chapter 250: Continuing Developments

Ann really couldn’t get used to talking to a dragon. Eldest of All was something that’d pop off an awesome metal album, and she had caught herself staring a few times now. She wondered what it’d be like to ride him. Not like he could fly anymore, but it’d still be awesome. The giant being would be a living landslide underneath her.

“Chosen, do you need a moment?” the ancient being asked.

“Oh, sorry, no. I’m good. Was just thinking about… stuff.”

“So you are concerned about the increasing contact with Warped over the past few days?”

“Yeah, obviously,” Ann sighed.

Rosalyn nudged her. She knew what Ann had been daydreaming about. Or at least could guess.

“So, there’s more and more showing up. You think they’re tracking us? Trying to find the entrance?”

“If the one hunting you is among them, they might be,” Eldest of All growled. Loose stones shook on the cave floor with the noise.

“Eldest, uh, sir, um, we haven’t even seen it since last time we were headed to the town! How do we know whether that’s still after us?” Rosalyn asked. “It could have lost our track and wandered off?”

“Should we be so lucky. If it followed you from the southwest, past Korvas, and all the way here, this thing will be far more persistent than the usual creatures we encounter. I fear what Ann suggested is correct.” Alruna’s tone was grave. She’d just come back from a patrol with Kat and Eyes. The three had run into several smaller groups in the four hours they’d been up there. Twinwolves, some weird snake creatures, insects, more of the sloths. The strangest one was a hand that was just a hand. Nothing else about it was wrong except that it was big enough to give Kat trouble and that it was missing a body.

Bren groaned, putting his face in his hands. He’d been a bit touchy the last couple of days. With Lucia’s feathers coming in, he expected his to start any time, but nothing noticeable had started. “I am inclined to agree. We are already getting reports of increased activity near Seeds, but this is too far from one to see much of that impact yet. Our predicament is isolated from the brewing Swarm.”

“Ye think Godrin’s Cliff’s dealin’ wit’ this?” Kat asked. “They’re well defended, but who knows what narsty beasties could be pokin’ around their walls?”

“Gods, I hope not. Still owe Palidius some coin for the chair I stole,” Tarnu said, his mandibles chittering nervously.

“I do not see reason to increase our isolation yet,” Eldest said, regarding the assembled group. “This is still within the realm of fortune not being on our side. This may change, but for now, we continue as always with a more watchful eye.”

“Sounds good, boss,” Eyes saluted. She was sitting, which meant she was only about a foot taller than Ann. She had a few gashes in her scales, and one of her antlers had been chipped from the fighting, but otherwise she’d done well, according to Kat. “Rosalyn, do you wanna come up with me next time? I want a girls’ trip! You can bring Kat and Ann too if you want. Maybe Lucia?”

“Why not just all of us and Bren? Big ol’ party to really see if we can shake the forest clear of whatever’s inside?”

“Would be harder to cover our tracks,” Tarnu growled. “Don’t like it.”

“The little one has a point,” Eldest nodded. “Tarnu, would it be possible to separate and join at a further location set beforehand? So we do not have all eight of you exit together immediately? Bark might join as well, should we ask them.”

“That’s a better plan,” Tarnu nodded. “We can do that. I want this cave closed up tight while all of us are up there. No surprises getting in.”

Eldest nodded again. “I will see to it personally. None shall enter while you are outside, and none shall leave.”

“Then we have a plan. When shall we commence this expedition?” Alruna asked.

“Tomorrow’s Abigail’s birthday, right? I’d like to do it after that, if possible,” Ann said. “Better to give the little one some happy memories before we possibly make things worse.”

“She’s near ‘er teens. Gettin’ big fer a little ‘un,” Kat laughed.

“Still an Inlon, so she’s little, and I’m going to love her reaction to the doll,” Ann huffed. “Let me have this.”

“The day after tomorrow it is,” Tarnu declared, clapping his hands loudly. “I’ll go see if Bark wants to come along. See you kids at supper.” With that, he lumbered out of the room.

“So brusque,” Alruna shook her head. “Rosalyn, I believe I am nearing a point where your potion can be made, but I still need the catalyst. Have you discussed this?”

“I… um… no?” Rosalyn squeaked, looking panicked as she glanced at Ann.

“What? Catalyst, what’s this about?” Ann asked.

“Oh, Alruna wants some o’ yer jizz fer a potion.”

Everyone in the room stared at Kat.

“What? That’s the point, right?”

“You are getting way too comfortable with all of this stuff,” Ann groaned. “Why do you need that?”

“Hold on!” Eyes interrupted. “You’re making weird potions with stuff from people? Alruna, that’s kinda nuts.”

“Freely offered with no coercion, I promise! I have not even used anything so far, and would need to test with such fluids to even know if they would properly act as a catalyst for this particular brew. It is the only ingredient I would be sourcing from someone.”

Ann glared at her girlfriends. “So all three of you knew about this and didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t wanna freak you out and didn’t know how to say any of this without making it sound really weird and maybe you getting the wrong idea so that’d be bad and I was trying to think of a way which was probably while we were having sex or just after and then now we’re talking right now.”

“This is a lot…” Eyes said, her antlered head twisting back and forth as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

“Welcome to my life. So, how fresh do you need it?” Ann asked Alruna as she tried to maintain some level of sanity while Kat cackled madly next to her.

“No more than an hour past emission. The fresher the better, as magical properties may dissipate over time. Given the sensitive nature of the fluid, I am willing to work with less than extremely fresh.”

Ann looked up at Eldest of All with pleading eyes. She wasn’t ready for this. The old dragon’s lips split in a bloody grin. “Do not look for my aid, little wolf. Your Goddess may be at work here.”

Ann felt defeat sink into her soul. “You’re probably right. Fuck it! We’re doing this now! Alright, well, excuse me, I’m going to go do literally anything else right now so I can not think about this whole request for a minute!”

“Come on, Ann! Don’t ye wanna find out what she’s makin’?”

“Nope! Gonna leave that up to you all and find out when it happens!”

“Ann! Wait!”

Ann ignored Bren’s laughing cry and stomped out of the room. She wasn’t really angry. Her cheeks told her that well enough. She was blushing furiously, and her heart was pounding.

You are aroused.

No shit, Sherlock. My girlfriends are talking about making a potion with my cum. You know the shit I’ve read. There’s only one place that goes, and it’s sex potions. Sex potions!

How is this different from your sexual skills? You seem to enjoy those without this tantrum.

Maybe ‘cause Alruna’s involved and she seems like a snow white virgin? Rosalyn, I swear to Orenous, if you started this.

She is the most likely candidate. The lamb has spent much time with the worms.

I know! Still, sex potions! What the hell kind of weird shit can we make with my cum or venom? Hell, is my blood magical enough to work like that?

As your Warping progresses, it may become saturated enough to count. For now, I believe other fluids are more imbued. Waheela was snickering to herself, too. Everyone was getting a real good laugh at Ann’s expense here. She could take it, but it was a little frustrating.

Bets on it being a dick potion?

Why would it be that when you have that little device? No, this is something else. Perhaps a potion for breathing with something in their throats?

Nah. Think that’s already a thing. At least, it should be. Just a breathing potion, really.

Hmm, perhaps changing their bodies in some way to better please you? In a way their own transformations have not yet provided?

Swear to god, if there’s a slime girl potion I’mma flip.

Slime girl? Oh, that is a very vivid picture. I do not know of such a creature.

Yeah, but you’ve been stuck with me for a long-ass time. We’re both missing some information.

Five thousand years’ worth. Bitch couldn’t have given you any of the history of what happened?

I’m still suspicious of that sabbatical They all took for a real long time. What the hell could have made Them all need to leave and swear not to talk about it?

Killing another of Their kind?

Ann had to stop walking when that thought hit her. That’d make sense. Gods wouldn’t have wanted others to know they could be killed. Maybe one of them fell? Kinda like this possible Goddess that was causing all of the Warped? There were just too many questions that could not be answered.

Either that or some external or existential threat that needed a lot of oomph to fix. Crack or tear in reality, maybe?

If the universe was eating itself, wouldn’t They want Their children to know?

I mean, it’d probably be aligned with Entropy if it was something like that. Maybe They all had to go stop Them? A war in the depths of space?

Bah. Without the Bitch telling us, we are left to guess. Waheela was angry. She was always angry when they talked about the Gods. Next time we see Orenous we give her a few words of our own. The act she pulled in your soul still infuriates me. Nor has she delivered on her promise of a boon.

Yeah, that’s not cool. I’m also not real savvy with her spoiling Bren and Lucia’s relationship thing. I was actually having some fun trying to tease it out of them.

They know your minds. It is in their nature. What they do with it is not. That is their decision. We will piss on her leg for that.

Knock yourself out. I don’t wanna cock my leg for that. A bit too rude for my tastes. I’ll just yell at her. Wonder if we can talk to Nylir about her, seeing as they’re sisters.

Careful. Gods can be jealous. Especially the Bitch.

Yeah. Point taken. We want to try calling her out?

I have been. She can’t hear me. My Maker has made certain of it.

Still can’t talk about her?

No. It is engraved in my being. I cannot utter what she does not wish to reveal. Your journal will be your guide and connection.

Still nothing new as of this morning. Think she’s only adding things in the Seeds? Would make sense if it’s where her influence is strongest.

Possible. I cannot guess as to her larger machinations.

Helpful. I’m not mad. Just frustrated. Orenous, if you can hear me, we need to talk again, and with the entire group. You’ve been fucking up some shit, and more boundaries need to be set, alright?

Agreed. Is your past still off limits?

Eh, I’m mostly fine with it. There’s nothing I did to be super ashamed about, and if she’s pulling sexy characters out of my head, I am so down for that. The others might not be so cool, though. I expect Bren and Lucia value their privacy a bit more.

“Oi, earth tae Ann!”

Ann blinked, realising Kat was waving in her face. “Shit, sorry, was talking to Waheela. Everything alright?”

“I’m fine. Ye ok? Been spacin’ out a lot today.” Kat backed up a little to give her some space.

“Mostly?” Ann shrugged. “Need to give Orenous a lecture on privacy and secrets, but otherwise I was just thinking about riding Eldest of All. We had so many stories about people soaring the skies with them, that it’s kinda a dream of mine.”

Kat laughed, her closed eye crinkling with the outburst. She really did have a great smile. “Just our luck we find the one who can’t get off the ground, ain’t it?”

“Is Ann alright?” Rosalyn asked, trotting up to them.

“Aye. Just in ‘er head.”

“I’m fine, lambchop. Might have to yell at Orenous a little, but otherwise I’m ok,” Ann said as she padded over to her Druid and ruffled her hair. “Swear.”

“Well, don’t yell too hard. She has helped me a little with Eas. Was asking Them about Xirali the other day. Translating leaves on the wind is really difficult, but she helped at least with the yes and no, so I could get that on my own. The finer details are still waaaay out of my league.”

Ann shrugged. “Sorry, no promises. What’s up with Xirali?”

“Just her being pushy about a couple things. I had to yell at her a couple nights ago because she was getting too excited and rushing me into things. Had to talk to Eas about how to deal with that. Their advice was pretty much to be my own breeze and to become a hurricane if someone gets in my way. I’m gonna keep up with what I’m doing since it seems like it follows Their advice.”

“Good fer ye. Don’t let these things control us, right?” Kat said, patting Rosalyn on the shoulder as they caught up to her. “If we can’t be friends, then we get tae kick their arses intae black paste.”

“Glad Waheela’s come around,” Ann sighed. “At least mostly. She’s still bound to some things she can’t talk about. Magical oaths and coding in creation sucks. If I ever get the chance to rewrite her rules, I’m gonna rip those restrictions out.”

“Oh, you going to loosen her chains? I’ve been really interested to see what she does when you do and what you do back cause that’s a huge step between you and what the Gods call corruption, and it’d be crazy if you got more feral but also scary which I don’t like, but I do in a way?”

“I have been.” In truth, she’d been mulling it over for a long while. After Waheela helped her in the nighttime ambush and these last few days of training, her opinion of the grumpy lupine had only improved. She wouldn’t undo everything, but taking off the muzzle would be a step. Waheela could move around well enough when she shrank. The chains shrank with her, but their length didn’t change, giving her considerable slack. Thankfully for their training, they could be hidden and pass through the trees. “Think I’m going to take off her muzzle. Should be soon. Once I’m ready. I don’t know what it’s going to do, and want to prepare myself.”

I’ll be good.

Ann repeated it for the others. “I know you will. Or at least you’ll try. It’s just a leap of faith that I want to be ready for it not working out.”

“Ah, ye’ll be fine. Waheela’s a big softie. Enough o’ the depressin’ shite. What’re me doin’ about Abigail’s birthday? We don’t ‘ave much fer a cake or the like. Think Alruna got sugar, though. Could make somethin’.”

“You know how to bake?” Ann asked, flabbergasted.

“Feck no. I can cook a bit, but Bren’s better at tha’.”

“I can bake,” Rosalyn interjected. “Had to make my own bread in the house. I got pretty good at it, so I can probably figure this out. Just need eggs, flour, sugar, salt, bicarbonate, and butter, and some milk. Mix it all together, and you’ve got a batter that can bake into a nice, simple cake. It’s not fancy, but it’s tasty.”

“Wonder if Cook knows how to help with any of that?” Ann mused.

“Oh! I’ll go ask her. Wouldn’t be right to go and take someone’s job from them, ‘cause I’m all excited. You two wanna come along?”

Ann grinned. Seeing Rosalyn so excited about baking was a great sight. Kat acting like she was just going with the flow despite her interested posture was adorable as well.

“Yeah. Let’s make this a real good cake for her.”