The Mother of Monsters

It turned out that powdered soup could actually be pretty good. When Azrael had first suggested having a taste from the small cup she carried with her, Teyva had examined the contents. Inside was a thick, dark brown broth that looked like chocolate and smelled like an International Market. First impressions, of course, were not all that great. Teyva had considered dipping into her food stock instead but Azrael had insisted that something warm would do her body good. Not willing to argue with the woman carrying a sword, she took a sip.

It was warm, thick like she expected, and surprisingly hearty despite not having anything of substance in it like meat or vegetables. She pulled away from the cup, looking at Azrael who gave her a steady look.

“Well?”

“It isn’t bad at all, what’s it made from?” Teyva asked.

“Not sure,” Azrael said, looking down into the fluid with a raised eyebrow; “Our alchemists make it for travelers like myself.”

“Alchemy?” Teyva blurted, immediately regretting it.

Azrael turned and gave Teyva an appraising look, looking her up and down for a moment before setting down her mug on the grass between them and the fire pit. the wind picked up a little and the smoke blew a new direction. “Do you not know what alchemy is?” Azrael held up a hand before Teyva could respond and pointed in her direction. “Who are you? Really? I have more than a few questions for you.”

Teyva grimaced, she supposed it was natural for someone to question who she was after how they met. To Azrael, she was just some deathly pale woman in rags hiding in a mysterious marble tomb with a broken, empty, sarcophagus. Sighing, Teyva pulled her legs up to her chest and looked the taller woman in the eyes. There was no point in trying to beat around the bush. Especially since Azrael was the only person she knew in this world. But how much did she say? What would be the consequences if she let slip her story?

“Okay, fine… Ask away, I guess,” Teyva said, scratching the back of her neck.

“We’ll start with these first questions. Who are you? How did you get down in that tomb?”

“I call myself Teyva,” She began, looking for the best way to answer the question; she settled for a half-truth. “As for how I got down there, I don’t know. I’m not even sure how long I was down there. Like I said before; I woke up in the tomb and the guardian attacked me. It was this big, rusty, old thing, that looked like a person. I’d never seen anything like it before.”

Azrael narrowed her eyes; “You don’t remember? Do you remember anything before that?”

Teyva hesitated, trying to look like she was thinking hard. She was; just not about what Azrael hopefully thought she was. She certainly remembered her life before. Living in Chicago, the big city, the tall buildings, the traffic, the misery of retail work, all of it. “I have memories of selling things, of a city… I have a feeling it's an unusual place,” Teyva offered, hoping that was enough.

“Unusual how?” Azrael pressed.

“…I’m not actually sure how I should describe it. Very big.” Teyva said.

Azrael’s eyes were remarkably cold despite the woman’s otherwise relaxed body language. Was her face just like that or something? She examined Teyva’s face before moving on to her next question. “Fine. I have more pressing questions anyway. What are you?” Azrael demanded, turning fully to face Teyva. She rested her elbows on her knees and looked Teyva over; “I’ve never seen a being quite like you. You have ears like many known peoples, but your eyes and your… teeth. They are unlike any race I am familiar with. Are you some manner of elf?”

In any other situation; Teyva imagined that question would be quite rude. Then again, perhaps in a world of numerous fantastical races, it was a common enough question for travelers. Even so, it was another delicate question to answer. Or at least to elaborate on. The problem was that according to her [First Progenitor] achievement, she was the sole example of what a labyrinthian was. That meant that no one had seen one for quite some time. She couldn’t share tales about Labyrinthian societies. There were none left!

She mentally crossed her fingers; “I'm a labyrinthian.”

“A labyrinthian?” Azrael tried the word on her tongue. Shit. She's going to ask questions about my home life or something. I have no goddamned clue what Orum is like. I can’t bullshit that hard!

Teyva straightened up, looking indignant, “Look, I have no clue where I am, I've been stuck in that damned tomb for who knows how long, and I just found out there's a whole ton of people nearby who would pay money to have my head mounted on a wall. Can you give me a break and stop being so suspicious?”

Azrael blinked, surprised, then narrowed her eyes, “How can I not be suspicious? I have never heard of labyrinthians in my life until today. His majesty himself instructed me on the beings that exist in the realm! On top of that, no one actually has multiple aspects. Of course, I am suspicious!”

Again, Teyva let her mouth work before her brain did; “Well I have two aspects!” She hurled at Azrael.

“A person can only possess one aspect, it’s impossible.” Azrael replied.

Teyva was already annoyed, though, and kept going; “Yeah well I have two. The Pale Dawn and The Facsimile. I told you this already!” Teyva said, crossing her arms. “Two of them! You saw the Mockeries, and you saw the hole in my gut close. I absorbed the stones myself after killing the Tomb Guardian. That's where I got them!”

Teyva caught her breath and realized she might have gone a little too far. Was that too much information? What if Azrael thought she was some kind of monster? Given how well the woman fought, she did not doubt in her mind that she’d end up dead in an instant. She paused. Didn’t she have the ability to check someone’s level now? She focused on Azrael as the gray-skinned woman fell into thoughtful silence.

Yep. Teyva didn’t stand a chance in hell.

Azrael suddenly seemed stunned by some realization.

“You're… right. And the pocket space power… You absorbed the aspects?” Azrael asked in a quiet voice.

“Isn’t that how it works?” Teyva asked, resting her chin on her knees. “It really hurt!”

“For you… maybe so. I had to undergo a ritual, for my aspect,” Azrael said.

“I see,” Teyva breathed, hugging herself as a heavy silence began to hang between them. Azrael looked to the ground for a long moment before she got off of the stump she had been sitting on. She stood over Teyva and stared at her until she seemed to come to a decision. She rested her palm on the hilt of her weapon and Teyva winced, but nothing happened. Instead, she heard the rustling of cloth, metal, and leather as Azrael dropped to a knee, lowering her head.

“Please forgive me for my insolent questions, my lady,” Azrael barked, startling Teyva out of her stunned silence. Teyva stared at the kneeling woman, showing the nape of her neck in deference.

Teyva’s hands went up defensively; “What?”

“Multiple aspects are the domain of divine creatures like yourself, my lady, and the fact that you simply took them into yourself without ritual only confirms a truth that I’ve had yet to realize in my misplaced suspicions. Though I have not seen you absorb the aspects, the fact you have two aspects leaves little room for debate; you are divine, my lady.”

Teyva did not expect that reaction, of all things. She was frozen, confused. “Uh… no. Can’t have that. Um. I’m not going to talk about my home any more, but kneeling to me and calling me 'my lady’… is a no-go where I come from.” Teyva blushed and rubbed her cheek. “Buy me a drink first and maybe we can work something out later, but I'll be honest, I don’t think I’m capable of acting very ‘divine’. So don’t get caught up in that. Oh, gosh— this is embarrassing.”

Azrael squinted at Teyva; “Buy you a drink…? Oh. Uh. My lady, how do I say this…”

Teyva panicked. Uh— shit! She’s not into me!

“Ignore that nonsense about drinks! Moving on!” Teyva practically shouted, the mockeries on her arm shifting and squirming at the sound of her raised voice. She groaned and pointed at the small creatures; “Now look what you did, you made me wake the babies.”

Azrael looked back up and the sheer confusion on her face was something Teyva knew she would treasure for the rest of her life. She broke into a wide, needle-toothed smile and barked out a laugh. Awesome. Less awkward. “Seriously, stand up Azrael. I’m just me!”

Azrael got warily to her feet, her eyebrows still raised in consternation as she kept her eyes on Teyva’s face. Teyva let out a breath. “You’re a badass, Azrael. No need for deference here.”

Teyva blinked at the notification.

“What are you looking at, my lady?” Azrael asked.

Teyva groaned and waved away the notification; “It’s nothing, just more weirdness in my life. And don’t forget to quit calling me that!”

Azrael opened her mouth to apologize again only to clamp it shut from a stern look from Teyva, the two stared at one another for a long time before Teyva cracked a grin. “You were really cool when you were all ‘You, name yourself!’” She said, giving her best impression of Azrael’s gruff voice.

Azrael seemed unable to help but smile. “’Why are you in a place like this?’“ Teyva continued, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “You sounded so dramatic!”

Azrael let out a single chuckle and scratched the back of her head.

“I did?”

Teyva nodded solemnly. Azrael nodded and stared imperiously at Teyva, working her way from a grin to her usual stoic expression.

“Yeah! That’s it,” Teyva said, relaxing. The little creatures on her arm eased in their writhing as well.

Azrael sat back down and let out a sigh; “Thank you for answering my questions as best you were willing.”

“No problem, we good?” Teyva said.

Azrael paused in thought. “I dare say we are.”

“Cool, because I have a few questions of my own,” She said, a greedy smile spreading across her face; “Starting with… Where are our hunter friends?”

It was time to do some looting.