From the entrance hall a bright flash erupted, with the girls quickly turning to see wavering golden and fiery glows coming from outside the dining room. Snapper blinked a few times from seeing the light before snuggling back deeper into Doku’s bosom with a small gurgle, the harpy securely holding her close to her chest while stepping back a bit from the archway.
“And what the hell is that?” Triska added. She started cautiously heading towards the court while Falla and Doku stuck close to her sides. Luna however ran over to Rolian and stopped her from spinning, the butterfly trying to get the intoxicated arachne’s attention by waving her hand in front of her face as Rolian finally gasped for air as she dropped her arms below her while still holding Juggy securely in her grip.
Walking out of the dining hall the girls slowly stopped and watched in wonder as a large casting ring of neon gold and crimson radiances was spinning above the court while filling the entire expanse of the circular hall. The strange glyphs and patterns inside the spellbase floated around within the magical ring as it appeared to stretch so wide that it actually phased through the walls and support pillars that looked to be bending and distorting in its wake.
“What is that?” Doku asked in awe.
“Who is doing that?” Falla carefully asked.
“That would be us,” Apoch and Astreal replied, with the girls then seeing the twin witches standing on opposite ends of the court while slowly waving their staffs around at the spellbase above them.
“Apoch? Astreal?” Triska exclaimed. “What are you doing here? And what are you doing?”
“We are here on behalf of our gracious master,” Astreal proudly stated. “Who has designed a new expansion for your home here that we believe you will all greatly appreciate.”
“This gift is for you in thanks for everything you’re doing to help save our poor, imprisoned master,” Apoch commended as she glanced over to the girls. “We’re positive you will all succeed with- AHH! Ms. Triska, there’s an arachne behind you!”
Everyone quickly turned to see Rolian stumbling out of the dining hall with a drunken laugh, wobbling legs, and Luna held close to her side that she kept bumping into.
“I’m hereeeee!” Rolian cheered holding up her jug. “It’s okay, I made it. I got back down on the floor. Floooor. Hee hee hee, that’s a funny word. Floor. I just want to say it more and more. Haha, that rhymed! Floor. More. Floor. More. Hee hee! Isn’t that funny?”
“I don’t really think so?” Luna nervously replied with a weak smile as she tried and failed to pull free from the arachne’s embrace. “But at least you’re not crying now, so that’s good. That’s… really good. Um, could you please let me go now? Please?”
“You’re so pretty and nice and beautiful,” Rolian blurted out in Luna’s face. “I wish I had a friend like you. You’re so amazing.”
“We can be friends, I’m okay with that,” Luna insisted with a nervous smile. She coughed a few times to the side from the powerful breath Rolian had then resumed trying to get free from the arachne’s arm that only clutched her closer.
“You mean it? We can be friends too? Hooray! Now I have two friends! Kroanette and you! Let’s celebrate!” Rolian cheered, the arachne then holding her jug up and chugging away as she dropped to the ground with Luna being pulled along with her. Apoch and Astreal stared at the arachne in stunned silence then looked over to the girls who merely glanced to them with shrugs.
“Don’t mind her,” Falla flatly said. “Please continue.”
“Uh…” the twins unsurely replied with confused looks at each other. “But… there’s an arachne holding Ms. Luna… and drinking profoundly on the floor.”
“Yes, she does that a lot,” Doku admitted. “The drinking I mean. Though she is quite friendly with us all the same.”
“Just tell us what you’re doing with your magic,” Triska requested. “What’s with the lights and spell you’re casting?”
“Our master has designed an improvement to her study that we are now creating for you,” the twins replied in unison. “Please observe.”
“Huh?” Rolian asked as she looked back and forth between the witches, her brew spilling beside her mouth down her shoulder onto the floor while Luna managed to finally scramble away from the clingy spider. “Did- did those girls just talk at the same time? Like they’re the same person? Are they the same person? Wait… how many of them are there? I’m seeing four here… or five? How many… um… I’m so confused. And dizzy. And tired. And dizzy. I’m just going to… going to lay down for a minute and-”
She promptly dropped onto her side, spilling more of her rum onto the floor while passing out with a long murmur. Triska, Doku, and Falla watched the spider twitching her legs a few times with blank expressions, seeing Luna tip-toeing over and putting the cork back in the jug before looking over Rolian with a uneasy grimace, all while Apoch and Astreal remained still and speechless at the sight.
“I’m going to need a very good explanation for this later,” Triska mentioned.
“Aside from the mystery as to how the hell her jug still has rum in it, we can give you one,” Falla agreed with a nod.
“She also makes quite a lot of messes too,” Doku quietly sighed. “Even more for me to cleanup tonight, that’s… oh, I suppose it will help me keep my mind distracted from certain things. But still…”
“Sorry to interrupt you,” Luna said to the witches with a wave. “She’s just… a little tired. Um, so how have you been? What are you up to?”
“We… um…” Apoch said as she turned to Astreal with bewilderment.
“Let’s just show them,” Astreal tiredly suggested.
The twins clacked their staves on the floor, the sound echoing in the hall as the casting ring above began to slowly drop through the air. As it did the archways it passed resonated with a strange light while the pillars surrounding the circular court wavered and appeared to both disintegrate from the spell touching them while at the same time reforming above in perfect condition as it passed by.
“What’s going on in here?” Specca asked as she walked out of the library. From the entrance Star walked in and meowed in puzzlement as she saw the strange lights, the two of them then looking up to see the casting ring dropping down on top of and then passing through them.
“AH! What’s happening?” Specca cried out as she leapt back into the library. Star quickly warped outside and peeked in from the doorway with a loud yowl, them and all the girls who were still conscious seeing the spellbase touching down on the floor and flashing with a bright light before slowly fading away. Apoch and Astreal held their staves upright at their sides and straightened out their hats while Specca and Star slowly entered the hall again.
“What in Eden is going on in here?” Specca demanded. “What was that strange light just now? Apoch, Astreal? What are you two doing here? And Triska? You’re awake?”
“I think so,” Triska said rubbing her head. “Seeing a lot of strange things here so I’m not really sure anymore.”
“What did you girls do just now?” Doku asked as Snapper was cawing and waving her claws around.
“Hey, look,” Falla said pointing to the side. As she did Luna was pointing in the other direction, with everyone then stepping around and seeing there were two new doorways in the central court. Between the bedroom and dining hall there was a tall door made of fine redwood with a silver handle that had the image of a sunny hilltop vista engraved into it. On the opposite side between the bathing room and the library was a similarly shaped door made of dark wood and steel plates with its golden handle being curved and engraved with small red gemstones.
“Where did those come from?” Specca asked. “What did you two do just now?”
“What are these doors for?” Doku wondered.
“The one to the left is your new restroom,” Astreal announced as she waved to the doorway near the bedroom.
“Restroom? You mean…” Falla said, then rushed over and opened it. The girls quickly
gathered around to see that inside was a spacious lavatory with dozens of softly lit candles burning with white and blue flames set in rafters above near the walls along with colorful flowers that were growing out of many potholders on the ground in the corners. In the back were three toilets, with the left and right ones having handlebars set on the nearby walls, while next to them were pouches with fine silk tissues that appeared more inviting to use than leaves found outside. On both sides of the room towards the middle were sinks with small fountains of water flowing down into the bowls and several towels hanging next to them from gilded holders.
“We have a toilet,” Specca marveled. “Are you serious?”
“We have an indoor restroom,” Doku said in awe.
“No more leaves,” Triska breathed out. “Oh please don’t let this be a dream.”
“It smells so nice in there,” Luna mentioned.
“We apologize for the delay with this,” Apoch and Astreal said, gaining their attention. “You see such accommodations were never required when our master used this portable study with her research, she rarely spent considerable time inside in her travels. However she has realized the burden it’s been for you not having such facilities, and for that she devised a way for us to alter the study to include this chamber for you. We hope you find it to your liking.”
Everyone stared at them in stunned silence, even Snapper, as the twins bowed with closed eyes. After a pause the sisters noticed everyone still staring at them.
“Is something the matter?”
“Okay,” Triska slowly said. “That time I definitely heard it. You two just said all of that together at the same time. You even paused during the breaks at the same time. That was eerie.”
“How in Eden did you do that?” Doku asked shaking her head. “My word, that was just astounding. I never imagined that to be possible, even between close sisters such as yourselves.”
“Even we never do that,” Luna softly said, with Falla shaking her head in agreement as they eyed over the witches in disbelief.
“That’s not really important here,” Astreal replied with a weak smile. “What is important is the care our master has given with providing such gifts to you. She truly does hold hope that you will be her savior and wishes to aid you all in any way she can with your own quest. And she also wants to provide another convenience besides the one this restroom will give you, and that is in regard to communication between you.”
“As such she had us create another room specifically for that purpose,” Apoch continued as the twins waved towards the second newest door in the home. The twins led the girls over to it and opened the door, both standing aside and gesturing for everyone to enter. Leading the group in Triska walked through the doorway and carefully looked around, her eyes widening as she and the girls found themselves in an incredibly large, darkened hall that had giant violet shaded crystals growing out of the ceiling and floor around the footpath constructed of smooth stone bricks they were currently on. Inside the crystalline chamber Triska and the girls gathered close in the middle, with Apoch and Astreal walking in behind them and closing the door, in doing so causing a soft white bloom to come from a few floating spherical lanterns that hovered through the air. The walls of the chamber were made of dark stone bricks while at the end of the central pathway were a cluster of crystals that protruded high above those around them in monolithic fashion. Apoch and Astreal glanced around at the unique decor before clacking their staves on the floor to get everyone’s attention.
“What is this room for?” Specca asked.
“Before we tell you, please, please listen to our request,” Astreal begged.
“This room allows you to speak directly to our master,” Apoch explained, with the girls jumping in surprise. “Not only that, it allows her to project an image of herself here so that you may actually talk to her and not just the ceiling as you often have.”
“We can speak to her here?” Triska asked. “We can even see her?”
“Yes, but before you do, please listen closely,” Astreal beseeched. “Our master… she does not approve of her physical appearance. We adore everything about her, but she does not feel the same way. Though she’s peaceful and kind towards others, she was born with a rather… monstrous form.”
“Please don’t stare or speak ill about her appearance,” Apoch implored. “She’s very… insecure about her looks, especially with those who she’s been lucky to call friends in her long life.”
“We would never be so rude to do something as that,” Doku promised.
“We’re no strangers to monsters having different appearances,” Triska assured. “And we already know the person Twilight is, we know who she is. We won’t be scared to see her in person.”
“Is she here right now?” Luna asked looking around. “Is Twilight here?”
“Not yet,” Apoch answered shaking her head. “Though as long as you stand in this room she can almost hear you speaking with your normal voices. When you’re ready you may call out to her, and she will reveal herself.”
“She was a bit tired after devising the plans for creating these chambers for you,” Astreal mentioned. “It was rather difficult for her to formulate such designs without actually being present to work with the enchanted study and its delicate magical tethers, thus she exhausted a great deal of time and energy working out the exact spell needed to do the job from her current location. You may speak with her, but let’s not keep the conversation too long tonight. She does need her rest.”
“We understand,” Triska said as she stepped forth. Looking around the crystalline chamber she heard a faint ghostly whisper floating in the air as everyone fell silent. “Twilight? Twilight, can you hear me?”
“…Triska Raylight?” Twilight’s voice softly spoke. “Is that you?”
“Yes, I’m here in the communal chamber Apoch and Astreal made for us. Can you hear me okay?”
“I can. I’m happy to hear my gift for you is working properly, I was a tad worried I may have miscalculated the proper magical bindings for the expansion. Did my little helpers also show you the other gift I had prepared for you?”
“Yes,” Specca quickly spoke up. “Thank you very much for the restroom. I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say we’re very grateful for that gift.”
“Haha, I’m happy to hear that as well. Sorry for forgetting about such a simple yet obvious necessity for you. It honestly slipped my mind for so long that I’m rather embarrassed about it now.”
“No no, no apology necessary,” Specca insisted waving her hands. “Really, everything you’ve given us has been greatly appreciated. We absolutely love living here in your study.”
“She absolutely loves the bathing room and library, that much is for certain,” Falla chuckled.
“And the bedroom,” Luna giggled as Specca timidly lowered her head with a blush and small whine. “But then again we all like that last one a lot. The bed is so big and comfy, and has room for all of us when we’re having sex with Daniel-”
“Luna,” Doku quickly spoke up. “I don’t believe Twilight needs or wants to hear of such personal matters that go on between us and our mate. Best keep the bedroom talk in the bedroom.”
“We’re grateful for everything you’ve done for us,” Triska agreed as she held up a hand to silence the girls. “You’ve given us a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, mobility with our quest, and helpful information and aid when possible. I mean it when I say we’re certainly glad to have you as our friend.”
“You’re very welcome, Triska Raylight,” Twilight kindly replied.
“Twilight, is it true we can see you now?” Triska continued. “I would very much like to say thank you in person, or at least as close to in person as we can get. Would that be alright?”
“Yes…” Twilight hesitantly answered. “Um… that would be alright, it is why I had this room created after all. But… before we do…”
“We promise we won’t judge you based on y
our looks,” Triska assured. “We know you’re a wonderful person, you can’t change that no matter how you may appear before us. Please, we so do wish to meet you at long last after everything you’ve done for us.”
“Very well. But please… don’t be alarmed for how I look.”
The girls quickly searched the room for any sign of the reaper as silence filled the air. One by one they all turned towards the large cluster of crystals at the end of the pathway, the smooth gemstones glowing softly with a crimson hue that swirled around within them before the radiances slowly flew out towards the ground before them. A shimmering haze formed on the floor, the nearby gemstones glowing with the same vibrant shade as they offered their magical light to the wavering blur that began to take the shape of a woman. The girls watched with eyes of wonder while Apoch and Astreal retained stoic gazes, seeing the woman slowly coming into form while kneeled down on the floor. With a soft blaze of light the sparkling radiances faded away, revealing someone curled into a ball atop her feet sitting before the girls.
“It’s an honor to finally meet you,” Twilight said as she slowly stood up, with everyone staring in hushed surprise at finally seeing the reaper standing before them. She appeared slightly smaller in height than Triska, her feet and three toes covered in dark gray carapace armor that glimmered in the nearby light. She wore a frilly black skirt with white lace mesh petals over it, her skintight violet vest being opened down the middle to reveal her large breasts cupped with the same type of carapace segments like an armored bra. Her wrists and lower arms were clad in the same natural armor, her hands having three long protrusions resembling claws extending out above her fingers. Three golden arm bands were worn below each shoulder, all baring a single blue gemstone in them. Her hair was crimson like blood, reaching down past her shoulders in long, curly locks, while above her ears were dark curled horns that were impossible to miss. Her blue eyes timidly looked around at the girls standing in front of her before glancing down to her claws, the woman then quickly hiding them behind her back with a whimper while they touched nothing more as the reaper had not manifested another part of her person with her fabricated image.
Chronicles of Eden - Act XII Page 46