The Mother of Monsters

Teyva woke the next morning with a headache that would kill a horse. Her eyes blurred and the world fell and rose beneath her. She realized painfully that she’d been sleeping on the floor and had somehow missed the comfort of her floor mattress. She turned her head when she realized that something heavy was leaning up against her and had to stifle a choke when she saw a woman she did not recognize wrapped in a blanket under her arm. A pulse of fear shot through her and she gently ousted her arm from behind the slender neck while she looked around for her clothing.

Five humiliating minutes passed while she pulled herself together and her partner for the evening slept in silence. It was only after she had assembled herself that she realized that her mockeries had been lurking in various corners of the room. She called to them, motes of sparkling gold leaping from walls, ceiling, and floor in a mad dash to be with their mother. The largest of them landed on her hand, its four spider-like legs tapping delightedly against her palm. She reached out and stroked its head while the others watched, twisted eyes gleaming.

“Now where are Nephral and Azrael?”

Her answer came in the form of a bang against one of the boarded windows in the rear of the single room structure. Her unnamed partner stirred and she hurried over to see Nephral struggling against the boards, his enormous eyes shining with fear.

“Nephral? What’s up dearie?” Teyva asked, letting the Mockeries scurry back to their satchel.

“Mother! You must come quickly! We need to leave!”

Teyva blinked, “Why?”

“Humans! A human knight and soldiers, they’ve come for Lady Azrael!”

Journal Update! [No Easy Solution] Soldiers from the Kingdom of Katal have come to punish Azrael for the deaths of the men who attacked you and her in the tomb. Find a way to get her away from them! Reward: Experience, Variable Reputation Increase with Azrael, Unknown Rewards Accept the Quest?: Yes / No

There was way too much to consider in such a short amount of time. Teyva rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up enough to think a bit faster. As the fog cleared she accepted the quest and looked up to Nephral; “Do you know where Azrael is?”

The feline nodded; “I can lead you, come!”

Teyva checked her inventory and was relieved to see that her clothes were all in there instead of all over the floor. With a thought, she equipped one piece at a time, growing ever more irritated that she couldn’t do it all at once. After her boots were on she sprinted for the door, turning back to see a bewildered woman looking around as if she too was confused about her present state of being. “Sorry! Last night was great! We’ll talk over drinks sometime! Maybe? Probably?” She managed in a rush while pushing out the door and onto the streets of the settlement.

The first thing she did was look up; the sky was clear which meant that there was nothing to worry about as far as her oddly glowing body was concerned. It wasn’t bright enough to be noticeable in direct sunlight but that still didn’t get her off the hook. She quickly rounded the door and slipped into the narrow alley between the hut and the next building over. Nephral was waiting for her in the space behind the buildings. She glanced over her shoulder at the hut behind her and shot a few quick orders through her mind. She was rewarded with a jumbled affirmative and the sound of a shriek coming from inside the hut.

“Mother, was that wise?”

“They’ll be fine, they know how to keep a low profile.”

“But won’t that scream draw attention to us?”

Teyva hesitated and then shot Nephral a grin. The feline let out a small groan and flapped his wings, darting down the path ahead of Teyva. They took a long route around the town, moving from one alley to the next. The first thing Teyva noticed was that there was nobody out even at a time of day when folk would be normally active. She wondered if they’d been warned about the knight and his band when they came. Did Teyva sleep through the warning? She groaned and darted beneath a clothesline that was strewn between two buildings.

Nephral came to a stop a few minutes later, lingering next to one house in particular. It was larger than the hut they were staying in but only vertically. It seemed to sport an extra level of space. Otherwise, the place had a drab, serious look about it. Teyva looked up at Nephral; “Is she inside?”

“Yes mother, as well as Sir Elat,” the feline said, inclining his head, “You will be relieved to hear that they assured me by the time you arrived they would be clothed and presentable.”

Teyva snorted, despite the seriousness of the situation Nephral had a way with words. She decided she wouldn’t tease Azrael when she got inside. Much. Okay, maybe a little. She and Nephral made their way around the side of the building to the main road it sat in front of. The sound of rattling metal was the only warning they had before they both slipped back into the alley. Teyva pressed her back against the sodden wood behind her, the early morning dew making the surface slick and stink of grass.

She peered to her right and spotted two men hustle by. Both of them wore chainmail over a heavy gambeson and plates had been affixed to their pants legs as well as onto their boots. Both of them wore helmets so it was hard to tell what they looked like otherwise. Teyva frowned and used her journal, trying to get a bit more information.

[Breakland Mercenary] - Unfriendly - Level 5 <Elite> HP: 100% MP: 100% SP: 85%

“How many of these guys are there?” She asked Nephral, “I only see two, and no sign of the knight you mentioned.”

“I saw at least a dozen, maybe more, they were at the round-a-bout when I left to warn you, some other locals managed to get away without being noticed and warned others in town to stay inside their homes. The Knight is speaking with Elder Yol right now,” Nephral said.

She figured she could probably take on one at a time with where she was at now but a dozen, even with the backup, seemed a little daunting. That Elite tag gave her pause too. She rubbed her chin and moved back into the shadows on the side of the building. Little good that did, given how she glowed, but at least she was out of the direct line of sight. She waited for the sound of rustling metal to fade before poking her head back out. With the coast clear, she darted for the door, threw it open, and rolled inside. She didn’t have time to knock.

She sat up straight and found herself nose to point with the tip of a sword. She followed the blade up to its owner, Azrael looked greyer than usual and wasn’t wearing her armored top. Instead, a simple cloth undershirt was slipped down over her chest along with her britches. She blinked a few times before lowering her weapon and giving Teyva a swift kick in the thigh; “You scared the shit out of me!” She grunted, marching toward a small pile where she’d laid her backpack and chest armor.

“Sorry, glad I didn’t interrupt anything,” Teyva smarted, rubbing her thigh and rising. She glanced at Nephral; “Go and keep an eye on the conversation with the Elder and the Knight. If anything pertinent comes up, hurry back and tell me. We’ll get sorted out here.”

“Yes mother, right away!” Nephral leaped out the nearest narrow window, his little body able to slip through the tight space before he was gone.

“Sounds like you know already,” Azrael said, affixing her chest armor.

“Yeah, looks like what happened in the tomb caught up with us.”

“But we disposed of the bodies,” Azrael pointed out, “Literally turned to dust.”

Teyva nodded; “They must have just assumed the first group died and sent someone tougher.”

Azrael shook her head as the sound of heavy feet came from above. Teyva turned to spot Elat coming down the steps in full guard gear. He had a satchel slung over his shoulder. He stopped when he spotted Teyva, blinking a few times before casting her an awkward smile; “Lady Akura.”

“Guardsman Elat,” She let the words hang in the air until she could barely hold in the quip any longer. “What are your intentions with m-”

Azrael cut her off, clearing her throat, “Can the jokes wait, Teyva?”

“Yeah, sure, sorry,” Teyva scratched the back of her head and turned to Azrael, “We got a plan?”

“As of now the plan is to flee with all due haste, there’s a stairway up to the outer wall at the rear of the village that we can take, then we just hop over the side and make our way out of the Balthin Sea,” She said, adjusting the last of her gear and sliding her sword onto the belt loop. She rested her hand on the blade and looked Teyva over; “Where are your mockeries?”

“What are mockeries?” Elat cut in.

“They’re on their way. I left in a bit of a rush,” Teyva said casually, resting her hands behind her back.

Azrael rolled her eyes and Elat stepped a bit closer; “What are mockeries?”

A clattering sound caught their attention from the narrow window that Nephral had fled through and Teyva nodded in the direction of the tiny golden coin that had climbed its way up to stand proud at the edge of the window. The moment lasted just long enough for Teyva to appreciate before the next thirty of them came bursting through the hole, swarming into the space. Elat stared in dumbstruck horror as the adorable little darlings dragged their mother’s satchel in with them, scooting it across the ground to her feet and swarming inside without so much as a fuss.

“Oh, you all are so precious!” She crooned, picking up the bag and opening it to peer inside; “Thank you for being so polite for mommy, you did wonderfully!” She slung it over her shoulder and patted it lovingly.

“Those were Mockeries, they’re her creations. Infant mimics,” Azrael explained to a shellshocked Elat. She patted him on the chest, “You’ll get used to them.”

“Get used to?” Teyva asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I’m going to take you two as far as the edge of the green sea,” Elat said, clearing his throat, “So we will be traveling together for a few days.”

Teyva glanced over at Azrael and gave her a knowing smirk. Azrael frowned at her and the two shared a series of facial expressions while Elat looked on helplessly. The argument ended with Teyva giving a weary shrug and sighing; “Fine fine, he can come along, just make sure you both-” Once again her smart remark was cut off. She was starting to get annoyed with fate’s intention to prevent her from saying something funny when she saw Nephral hurry in through the window.

“Mother!”

“Yes, Nephral, what is it?”

“The knight is a Justicar, he’s come to execute Azrael!”

Teyva looked to Azrael for clarification; “A Justicar is to the Kingdom of Katal as a Warden is to the Azar. A guardian-protector and meter of justice. They’re quite serious about my guilt, it would seem,” Azrael said coldly. She thumbed her weapon, glancing toward Elat and then at Teyva.

Nephral shook his head; “That isn’t all! They have a war mage with them. They know she’s in the settlement. They’ve threatened to burn it unless she shows herself!”

Azrael’s eyes went wide; “How could they have tracked me? They’d need a personal affect of mine, something that I’ve used. They-”

Teyva held up her hands to quiet her friend. “Let me think!”

Teyva rolled her jaw and rubbed her temples, they didn’t have time for an elaborate plan. It would need to be something simple. She whipped out her journal and started pouring over her abilities, there was no way they could take on that many elite enemies. Let alone a knight of an unknown level. More importantly; if they fought here, Katal would send more soldiers and they might not show the settlement mercy. She ran scenarios through her head as fast as she could. They all came to the same result. Unless ‘Azrael’ died today, the village would die. It was one or the other. It wasn’t like they could just provide a fake Azrael to them.

“Or could we?” Teyva mused, then frowned at the prospect. She looked at Azrael, considering all they had been through together. Their arguments, their banter, the friendship they had forged. All of it had built into a sisterhood that had carried her through the madness of this new world. She was worth it. Teyva opened her [Old Satchel] and pulled out her latest Aspect Shard.

“Teyva?” Azrael asked, starting to sound worried.

“I have a plan, one that I can’t really explain how it will work,” Teyva said, turning to Azrael.

“You have magic training, right?” Teyva said, thinking back to her slap-dash training with the old man. “Can you hide your Aspect?”

“Certainly, but that won’t fool a trained mage if they take their time to double-check to see if I am nearby. It will only interrupt their senses. I can’t hide all of my mana, no one can,” Azrael pointed out, “That’s not long enough to see us out of the village.”

“Mother? What are you planning?” Nephral asked, his feline features growing tight.

She dropped to a knee and stroked his head; “I need you to be a good boy and take care of the Mockeries for me. Go with Azrael. Do as I say, okay?” Teyva cooed onto the top of his head, thumbing his ears gently.

She stood up from there and pulled off the satchel, handing it to Azrael. Azrael took it with a confused look on her face; “What are you going to do?”

Teyva squeezed the shard in her hand, selected Facsimile, and then [Alter Self].

Alter Self [Facsimile] Pathetic Active Utility | 15MP

You alter your physical appearance to replicate the features of another humanoid you have seen before. You may mix and match features of various sources. This ability lasts until dispelled. Sufficient sensory abilities can see through the transformation.

She took a deep breath; “Here’s what we are going to do.”