by Andur
I look up to Ishaan. “Is there a way to control this thing?” My father doesn't care to answer. Instead, he raises a mocking eyebrow as if to say, 'I am a fucking titan and not some stinky beast tamer'.
I sigh and decide to say the only thing which leaves me with a bit of self esteem. “We get all of your resources, this city gets ransacked to the last stone, no discussion.”
To my great surprise Jera lets out a sigh of relief and bows to me. “I'll see to it that everything gets transferred.” Then he hurries to get out of my sight before I am able to change my mind.
Finally I realize that he probably would have agreed to everything as long as his people get a safe home.
“I should have asked for more.” Like a thousand sacrifices to restock my army of souls.
57. ~Dragon ribs.~
“In the early Vedic religion, Vritra (Sanskrit: वृत्र (Devanāgarī) or Vṛtra (IAST)) "the enveloper", was a dragon or a "naga" (serpent) (Sanskrit: नाग) or possibly dragon-like creature, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi ("snake") (Sanskrit: अहि), and he is said to have had three heads. In later Puranic mythology he came to be identified with an Asura.”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Draconis
Elona
“We need more food! What was on your mind when you allowed them to join us! Our clan alone has almost seven thousand people. With all the small fry from Draconis we are scratching at the ten thousand mark,” Doreen complains to Tisha.
Shade's mother shrugs with an innocent expression. “I thought that with this new crystal technology it would be no problem to provide enough living space for those people. And isn't this clan related to you? I thought especially you would jump at the opportunity to help them. One thing is clear. If they have to leave this jellyfish and make a living down there between the volcanoes, we will have a lot of deaths on our hands.”
Doreen shakes one of her bandaged hands at Tisha. Somehow it looks funny. Yesterday I feared that my grandmother would die, but the old hag is recuperating fast. Even if her whole body is covered in bandages and my healing potions. I made a quick trip home to get the medicine and check on Seria.
Then we decided to make Moonray's skyscraper our new headquarters; at least until Draconis is evacuted.
The first fifteen hours were the hardest time for Doreen. Since Shade, Titho and I are the only ones who know strong healing magic, we had to take turns in stabilizing Doreen. Moonray's fire didn't only burn her skin, it also applied a strong curse against any healing or restoration effects. So we had to overcome the curse while stopping Doreen's body from quitting out on us.
In the end Doreen finds her voice again. “It's not about living space and I am sure that you know that. Ten thousand people is at the edge of what our safe zone can support. And that's only if we have all our fields in order. Did you forget that we had several major battles? Half of our fields are useless until we manage to make the soil able to bear fruit. We already have food problems as it is. Yggdrasil is helping, but he isn't a wonder-plant which grows food in a day. I think that we have to help, if we can. And that's the crux. You should think and do some calculations before you spread your arms to take in every refugee who happens to come across.”
I knead my fingers in search for an answer. “And Draconis isn't doing well enough to give us some time to come up with an answer. How much time do we have?”
Tisha's expression turns sour. “Two weeks. We are a little tight on foodstuffs. As Doreen said, all those battles didn't help much.”
Doreen throws up her hands, exhasperated. “Hell, no. Look out of the window, Child. Out there are stones and volcanoes. Moonray's clan exists at the edge. They always have water and food problems. At least we can say that water is of no concern to us with a swamp right next door.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Then how did they get their food up until now?”
“Hunting dragons,” Tisha replies crestfallen.
“Pardon?” I ask.
“You heard me the first time. They hunt the dragons which live in this region. The carcass supplies food and high grade materials,” Tisha says.
I purse my lips and let my attention wander towards the window. “Okay. Let's kill some dragons. How can I find one?”
Doreen starts shaking her head and Tisha is outright shocked. “You can't hunt a dragon. The smallest ones are the size of a house and all of them are on the level of a spirit.”
I make a dismissive gesture. “Point me at a dragon and I'll kill it. The bigger the target, the better.” I turn around and leave them gaping. A little hunt should be just fine to relieve some stress.
All I have to do is to snatch Shade and then we search for that windy Jera character who is managing the integration of Draconis. He should know where to find those dragon nasties.
One hour later I am walking along the foot of a particularly big volcano. Shade and I linked arms while following Jera towards the hunting grounds. Shade is using his valuable staff as a simple walking stick. Our guide looks a little stressed out and there are actually pearls of sweat on his forehead. “Are you sure that you want to do this with just three people? I am not much of a fighter, you now? My divinity lies in divination.”
Shade scowls. “Not much of a deity if you had no idea about about our arrival. Why didn't you warn Moonray.”
Jera scratches his head. “Divination doesn't work like that. My ability only shows me what's good or bad for me and how to avoid it. I actually knew that you were coming, but not why. I only knew that the outcome would be good for me.”
Great! So he is a rabbit god. Only with the difference that he starts running before he is actually in danger. I gesture for him to go on. “Yes, yes. Hurry, where are those dragons? I want to go back to my baby. Explain how this dragon hunting is supposed to work.”
Jera points at a dark cave which leads into the mountain. “Actually we arrived. This is their nest. Red fire dragons. They live in huge packs and build their nests inside mountains. One nest can contain over a hundred animals. We will wait here until one of them comes out to hunt. Then we kill it as silently as possible. We avoid waking up all of them, otherwise we would have to fight the patriarch of the nest.”
Shade raises an inquisitive eyebrow. “And that's bad... why?”
“The patriarch commands the rest of the pack and if all of them attack at once we stand no chance. In addition the patriarch is normally the biggest and oldest dragon. They are very intelligent and can wield magic with abyssal power. If he wakes up we should get out of here.”
“Hmmm...” Shade points a finger at the cave and a ball of blue energy shoots out and into the cave. “That should speed the waiting process up.” A low rumble marks a big explosion and the mountain rumbles a little.
“What did you do!?” Jera gasps. “I see my own death if I stay here!”
I wave at him. “Then you should probably get away. Be sure to direct a few gathering groups to this place after we are done.”
Jera teleports away, mumbling something about batshit crazy deities.
We don't get the time to fret over it. A dragon jumps out of the cave and roars in rage. It's a puny, little thing, not much bigger than a house. It's a standard european dragon with wings, tail and four legs. We need much more than that if we want to feed the clan. I draw on the power in my crystal dagger and flick my finger at the monster. The force is transmitted instantly and its head explodes.
“You are no fun,” Shade sighs. “But I can't really blame you. If that's all they have, then this won't be much more than pigeon shooting.”
I grin. “You get the next one.”
As if on command the cave lights up with fire and dragons start pouring out. The cave entrance is huge, surely a hundred metres wide. So I am actually impressed that the blasted things manage to clog the exit of their lair.
Shade and I start throwing spells, dispatching o
f the weaker dragons as they pour out of the cave.
Then a huge head peeks out of the dark hole. The patriarch's head fills the cave entrance completely. When the creature sees us and the corpses of its smaller brethren its maw snaps open and we are engulfed in hellfire.
Hadn't Shade created a barrier just in time, we would be toast. After a few moments the fire stops and we find ourselves in a sea of lava.
Shade wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Luckily I didn't forget to bring my staff.”
I unhook myself from Shade's arm and step forward. My view tunnels as I channel mana through my legs and in the next moment I find myself right in front of the dragon's left eye. The eye alone is bigger than me, but it doesn't change the fact that this creature is simply too slow. There is no point in being big if you don't have the power to back it up.
I place my palm on the wet eyeball and channel all my mana reserves through it, directly into the creature's brain. With a wet 'pop', eyeball and grey brain matter are blown out of the other side.
Then the head sinks to the ground and it seems like the battle is over. Even if there are more dragons inside the nest, they can't get out because the big one blocks the entrance.
Shade appears next to me. “This is relaxing. I feel like on a bunny hunt, just that the bunnies are coming to us.”
I smile and hug him. “I knew that you would like the idea. Now we only have to deal with Doreen. I hope she won't be too mad once she takes the bandages off.”
58. ~New Start.~
“The Ancient Egyptians believed that, the journey into the afterlife required a sin-free heart and the ability to recite the spells, passwords, and formulas of the Book of the Dead.
The beliefs were that the deceased appears before a panel of 14 judges to make an accounting for his deeds during his life. Anubis (who is depicted with the head of a jackal) who represents the underworld and mummification leads the deceased before the scale. Anubis then weighs the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma'at (goddess of truth and justice).”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Draconis
Shade
We are back at the crystal city and it has been a few days since Doreen was badly burned. In order to treat her properly, we had to cook up a believable story about an almost unbeatable curse which was caused by Moonray's fire. And at last, we are able to see the fruits of our labour.
Elona slowly removes the bandages from Doreen's head. The whole family is gathered to witness the event. Of course Doreen is the only one who doesn't have a clue why Elona and Titho are making such a big deal out of it. According to Doreen she had been on the brink of death countless times already, and had always stood up again. When Elona is done, we say nothing for a long moment and simply stare at Doreen's revealed face.
“What!? What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Doreen touches her face and trails her fingers across the smooth, perfect skin. “I was always scarred. Don't tell me that a few fresh burns look even worse.”
“Ahem.” I clear my throat. “It's more that you look unbelievably beautiful,” I explain with a low voice. It's true, her face is top notch. High cheekbones and slender, with perfect symmetry. The pale hair colour only adds to her cold, Scandinavian beauty. I wonder how she looks in the nude... she never had a bad figure and if all those scars are really gone, then-
“Hngh!”
I cough. Elona jabbed her fist into my side with enough force to crack a rib. Ok, I didn't hear it cracking, but it was certainly close. “Why?” I stagger to the nearby wall in order to steady myself. At least I didn't double over. Whatever I did this time to antagonize my wife, I got away with a loving poke. Upon remembering what she did to that dragon I have to admit that she could probably turn a human-sized target into a red smear on the wall.
My wife snorts and straightens her posture to enforce her statement. “I don't even need the wedding ring to know what you were thinking; it was written all over your face. Just remember that she is my grandmother.”
“Let it go, Darling. Men will always be men.” Chloe pats her daughter's shoulder and smiles, then she returns her attention to Doreen. “Oh, you are so beautiful, Mom.” Chloe slaps her hands to her cheeks and blushes. “Moonray, that asshole of a father didn't even know what he was talking about when he said that my looks came from him. I've obviously inherited more from your side of the family.”
“Yes!” Titho, our dryad healer, bends down and produces a hand-held mirror from somewhere under her leafy dress. “You are gorgeous, Doreen! I always wanted to see the real you.”
Doreen gapes at the mirror, then her mouth snaps shut and her eyes ignite with that terrifying blue fire. Her fingernails lengthen and turn into sharp claws, tearing into the bedsheets. Titho recoils from the cold, furious beauty in front of her. Doreen is visibly trying to keep her calm. “Who? Why? And what was hard to understand about me keeping my scars for a reason?”
Elona raises a guilty hand, palm outwards. “I did. Since your skin was gone anyway, together with your beloved scars I might add, I thought that I should restore it without any ghastly burn marks. I wanted Moonray to know who he threw away since he is all about outwards appearances. And you have already proven that you are a wonderful person on the inside, so why not show it on the outside too?”
Then Elona lowers her voice and mutters, “And besides, I always thought that you should get over that bastard and find yourself a new guy. Have a little romance and a good boning to forget about the past.”
Chloe claps her hands together. “Yes! Your new looks will make that much easier, though you probably should do without your nail-thing,” she points at the torn bedsheets, “that's a serious mood-killer for any guy who might show interest in taking you on. We are immortals with eternal youth, so why not live life to its fullest? Moonray will pay for what he did to us soon enough. I can't even regard him as a father any more and neither should you, Mom.”
Shawn pats his wife's back. “Love, you probably shouldn't antagonize the fury any further. You know how she can be.”
“Shut up, Shawn. Or I'll hang you for a few days from one of Yggdrasil's branches, like in the good old days when you defiled my daughter. There is no blazing sun in this region, but I'll see to it that there is a nice, warm fire directly under your worthless scalp!” Doreen barks.
Shawn steps back, but Chloe is unfazed. “Oh, yes! That was so brave of him! I never would have imagined that he would dare to confess to you that he got me pregnant without proper marriage. I seriously thought that he would wriggle out of it when he went to your house. Those were the old days when we stuck to the letter of our traditions.”
Doreen draws in a deep breath and lets out a long sigh, retracting the claws and extinguishing the blue flames, though a blue shimmer remains in her eyes. “What did I do to deserve you lot? I swear, someday I will flip, and then nothing will help you. How do you think should I retain my authority, looking like this? The men will do nothing but drool when I talk to them. The clan won't even recognize me any more. This is more than a simple make-over.”
I raise a finger. “We can testify to your identity. And what's wrong with men drooling over you? A woman who doesn't use her female charm will always end up old and alone, just like-”
Doreen's eyes flash with blue fire and I raise both hands, palms outwards. “I understand! No violence! I'll shut up.”
The fury sighs and flexes her back. “At least the stiffness is gone.”
Elona crosses her arms in front of her chest and nods with a superior smile on her face. “Of course, what did you expect with all that scar tissue. As a higher immortal you should look after your body, especially if your natural healing ability isn't perfect and allows for scars. By the way, I took the freedom to use my mediocre skills to make you a little more resistant against fire. And to remove that scar-tendency of yours. From now on you will heal up perfectly fine, just like me and Shade.”
Doreen clenches her bedsheets once more. “Anything else I should know about?”
“No,” answers Elona.
I use our mind-link to inquire further. 'You aren't completely honest. Normally you would boast much more about your witchcraft. Tell me, what else did you put in her food?'
Elona looks away to avoid alarming Doreen. 'Just a few minor changes to her hormone levels. That's all, I promise. It should make finding a new beginning much easier. A little less inhibitions, a little stronger urges. It's nothing she will notice, I promise.'
Somehow I want to facepalm myself, but that would probably alarm the others that something is going on. Luckily it seems like Doreen didn't catch Elona's behaviour. Probably I notice it only because I've spent several lifetimes with her.
Doreen closes her eyes and I imagine her counting to ten like it is taught in some anger management courses. When she opens her eyes, the blue light is gone. “Well, that probably means that I can have a little fun before everyone else knows my new face!”
She stands up and starts ripping off her nightgown and bandages. The male side of our family manages just in time to turn around. I join Ishaan and Antonius in their endeavour to stare at the wall.
When Doreen is done with putting on a form-fitting combination of a robe and a leather outfit, she storms out of the room, swaying her ass in an enticing gait. I check her out unashamedly, following her departure with my eyes.
Three... two... one!
I raise my hand to stop Elona's fingers from poking out my eyes. Not a second too late I catch her index finger in my hand. “Hah! I knew it! It took me the experience of two multiverses, but finally I am a step ahead of-”
She kicks me in the shin.
It hurts! “Ow!”
Elona looks haughtily at me, though she seems a little tired. “You still need to learn a lot more about me, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. So let's go to bed. It was a long day.”