The Mother of Monsters

Tiisha sat in quiet vigil on a ledge at the far end of the abandoned main street that opened up once one entered Osan. The Lord of the Lofty Peaks lingered nearby, he had transferred enough of his essence to the summoned body that she could even smell him. Her lips formed a thin line as she forced down the emotions that were bubbling beneath the surface. She would compose herself as she always had, with grace and decisiveness. Even so, a small tear ran down her cheek, she was the last of the Four as far as she knew. They had not heard from Yaga since her message warned them of the early attack. The roars of Barin and Argus’ summons had stopped. She couldn’t feel their presence anymore either. Two towering beacons of mana had gone dark. Only herself and Thrake remained. Her king had ceded to their demands, he would play his role and they, theirs. He hadn't liked it. She smiled a little, he was too soft for his own good.

The doors to the city flew open and three figures stepped inside. Far behind them, the battle continued unabated. Soldiers fighting for their lives on both sides. The three figures glanced around, likely confused about how empty the city appeared to be. Tiisha smiled. It had taken days, down to the wire even. The last of the civilians being spirited away just minutes ago. The warning from Yaga had allowed them enough time to retreat the entire population of the city into the deep places accessible only by lift tower. The largest of those was Nulakam, which had become the temporary home of thousands. Other parts of the population had fled to the homes of the cardinal clans to disperse the people and protect as many lives as possible. Every day they spent crammed beneath the city was risky, conditions were far from perfect but it was better than dying at the hands of these animals.

Tiisha got to her feet and brushed herself off, watching the trio of invaders draw closer. She’d have to deal with them quickly. From the looks of it at least one of them had some skill in hand-to-hand combat. She couldn’t allow him to get close to her, that would be problematic. Tiisha was the most powerful among the Four, she’d always been secretly proud of that fact, but power with aspects does not directly correlate with physical strength or martial skill. Of those two, she had very little. Her lips curled a little as she raised her hands. Not that anyone had ever gotten close enough to test her martial ability, besides Thrake of course.

The one at the center, he is the most dangerous, little viper.

Tiisha glanced to the right at the big eye of the serpent. Tell me more.

He wields a strange weapon, it burned away at the strength of my kin from the Open Sea, banishing his power to whence it came.

Tiisha turned back towards the trio who were still poking around the main street, trying to find some sort of life. Anti-magic, then, noted.

Are you truly willing to die here? The serpent pressed.

Whatever happens, happens, darling. Tiisha said, curling her fingers and turning her hands' palms up. Thrake and I said our goodbyes and my groundwork for the future is already set.

Then this shall be glorious.

Tiisha finished working through the motions of her ability, she felt her internal mana reserves plummet and swayed once, taking a step back to catch her breath. Around them the structure of Osan itself began to tremble, the tower city shuddering as her will worked its way through every inch of its stony surface. She drew her arms up and the buildings around her began to move, sheer black stonework rising to form an enclosed space around her with just enough room to create a pocket of air. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, her point of view leaving her body and shifting to the great Serpent. From the aspect being’s point of view she could see that the trio had come to a stop, looking around. The sound of the stonework moving had drawn their attention.

Abruptly the stone beneath their feet shot into the air, hurtling toward the ceiling above it. All three men leaped from the stone just in time for juts of stone to launch from the parallel walls. One of the men was struck on the side, sending him spinning about while the other two deftly dodged the attacks. Pillars of stone came from every direction, from above, from below, from the left and right. The crushing force behind each eruption of the stone left fractures in the flat surfaces they impacted. One of the men, a brown-haired human, hesitated. He let out a cry of terror as a quartet of stone columns slammed into him leaving nothing but a smear of blood behind. The man she had initially knocked down got to his feet, his body gleaming like metal. He whipped his head around, looking for the source.

“One down,” she hissed.

The serpent moved among the rising and falling blocks of stone, adjusting his angle to get within range of the man’s body. When it was close enough the vision that Tiisha was seeing began to change color, turning off-gray as the creature’s eyes cast their spell on the man. The man looked at his hand and spun, shouting something at the others. One of the other men changed direction, charging at his companion. Something began to glow on his hand. Tiisha frowned, perhaps a curative power? She drew up several columns of stone in his path, timing them to interrupt him and hit him with a follow-up attack. The second man simply moved faster, his body seeming to blur.

He slapped his palm against the metal-skinned man’s body. Immediately the stone began to fade from his skin, the petrification fading away. The Serpent turned and fled, slipping back into the buildings around their quarry, looking for a fresh vantage point. Temporarily blinded, Tiisha could only wait until the Serpent turned around to see where the enemy was. A sudden shock of pain lanced through Tiisha’s head and she stumbled, gripping at her skull as her senses returned to her all at once. She blinked, opening her eyes to the darkness within the stone room she’d created for herself.

Darling? She called out through her connection to the Lord of the Lofty Peaks.

A strange hum and buzz of sound was her only response followed by the sensation of weakness washing over her body. Around her, the structure that she’d built for herself began to retract into its original shape. Light poked through and a sudden thrill of danger worked its way up her spine. She pointed her hand at the ground and with a grunt of effort created a column of stone that carried her up and out of her box, hurling her to the north. A shout rose up behind her and she cringed, they’d spotted her already. Cursing under her breath she let the column carry her to the wide stairs leading up to the second tier. She landed and spun, holding her hands out and gritting her teeth. The ceiling and floor extended before her, closing like a mouth.

Down at the base of the stairs, the two remaining men slid to a stop, staring up at her as she continued to close the path ahead of them. The golden-haired one drew something from his thigh and with a grunt of anger threw it at Tiisha. Tiisha put her back into shaping the stone finishing the process just a half second too late. The stone slammed shut as a knife dug into her abdomen. She gasped, looking down at the bladed implement and then back up at the wall. Something big slammed into it from the other side. No time to fuss over the injury now. She ripped the knife out and slapped a coating of stone over her waist, covering the wound. Tiisha turned and ran, making her way from the second level to the third, then the fourth, and fifth. The two surviving men close behind her.

Darling are you there? She called out again as she arrived at the lift tower leading to the pinnacle.

I wake once more, my strength is diminished, little Viper. I must recover.

Tiisha rolled her eyes, Well I’m glad you’re okay! I could really use some backup now, though. Tiisha shot back.

Now that I am awake my Aspect will have to suffice, I am sorry, Little Viper

She cursed, rushing through the doors to the lift and setting it for the pinnacle. It started to rise and she felt herself sway a little, her body growing heavier. She glanced down at her injury. The blood had stained her clothing and the whole spot was wet with warm crimson. She shuddered and slipped her hand into her pocket space, drawing out a vial of red fluid. “What a time to waste money,” She muttered, knocking back the strong-tasting fluid and gasping as she felt the wound start to close. A sudden crash down below signaled the arrival of her pursuers.

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened out to the sky-bridge to the pinnacle. She raced to the edge of the path and stopped, drawing on her Aspect. She took a deep breath and held out her hands, looking to the door at the far side. She was fine with this, she could never be his wife but she could defend him with her life as any Azar wife would. She’d ensured the future. She’d done what she could. She took another deep breath and exhaled, clenching her fists. Just one more night would have been nice. Just as beautiful and passionate as the last one.

“Sorry, Thrake,” She said and just as she heard her pursuers reach the top, probably having climbed the tower itself, she crushed the sky bridge. Glass and stone toppled down and fell to the exterior of the city below. A powerful wind blew through the chamber, her hair whipping about her face. She turned and faced the two humans, a wild grin on her face. “I am Tiisha, Mightiest of the Four! This is as far as you go!”