Boarding House: Kiss of the Traveller District of Commerce, Third Ring

Annabelle punched the sandbag with all her might. She noticed the pain shooting up through her knuckles and it made her feel alive. Another punch. Her heavy grunting filled the tiny room. A distinct and sour scent of sweat lingered around her. The windows were boarded up and Tharia wouldn’t let her out for her own safety. Yet idleness lured the demons in her mind. She had to do something.

The silver-haired and sweaty woman suddenly stopped punching the sandbag. She held up both her hands and wrapped them to fists. Intense light flaked into existence and wrapped tightly around her hands. Serpentine scales covered her delicate fingers like a second skin. This was the golden vanity glove she had gotten from being made to absorb Lord Farian. Yet they were anything but an ugly fashion accessory. A single punch carried her fist straight through the sandbag and partially through the wall behind it. She grabbed the stone and saw the wall crumple around her fingers.

Suddenly, the door flew open and a confused Tharia stumbled into the room. The small woman looked dangerously cute with bedraggled hair. She saw Tharia blink twice and then rub the sleep out of her eyes. Intricate plant patterns covered her body as far as Annabelle could see – and the nightgown left little to her imagination.

“Enough already”, Tharia said with a sleep laden voice, “I get your frustration but let me bloody sleep. You’re not healthy yet.”

Annabelle felt a surge of anger. She held up her right hand and punched it straight through the wall. Rubble exploded and covered both of them in a layer of dust. Tharia screamed in panic and stumbled away from her. An unspoken fear had festered between them.

“I’m ready. Stronger than I ever was”, Annabelle insisted. This was the truth. Energy surged through her body and brought with it a small part of her powers. She was faster, stronger and further amplified by the gloves. Better still, she felt the remaining essences. All ten of them. One of them was a few kilometers away and the proximity drove her up the wall.

“Annie, please”, the small girl started speaking. Annabelle raised her hands in frustration and saw Tharia flinch away.

“Gods cursed, I’m not going to hurt you”, the goddess said. Tharia nodded and suddenly walked closer. The small woman wrapped her arms around Annabelle and pulled herself close.

“I know. It wasn’t you. This is just instinct, like a mouse that flinches in front of the cat. But listen, Annie, you’re not well enough yet and these outbursts of yours are precisely why. Healing wounds takes time. You must rest”

Annabelle showed the hint of a frown on her face. She pushed Tharia back and then put a single hand underneath Tharia’s flat bosom. While keeping eye contact, she applied a bit of pressure. Her love winced and stepped away from her.

“For a while now you’ve been walking around with a broken rib”, Annabelle said and turned away from Tharia. Her sentences took time to come out but they lacked stuttering, “Don’t talk to me about rest. Tomorrow, we set out and get the nearby essence”

“Fine Annie. Tomorrow. You didn’t have to be so gods-cursed rough about it”

She hadn’t been rough though, had she? Annabelle looked at her hands and realized she had never dismissed the strengthening gloves. Yet before she could apologize, the short-haired woman had disappeared from the room and the goddess flopped down on the bed in frustration and gloom. An invisible barrier had formed between them.

Ervald Masenheim Street District of Commerce, Third Ring

Cold. That was Annabelle’s first impression as they neared the end of the staircase. Tharia walked in front, she held her staff in front of her with the fire sprite inside. Somehow, Sisi had agreed to go back in on her own. Every step down the stairs, Tharia had winced and grimaced, it was obvious she wasn’t on top of it yet.

“Fairy, I am...” Annabelle began but Tharia stopped her with a gesture.

“Nothing happened”, the small woman said.

“Tharia...”

Instead of an answer, Tharia opened the heavy wooden door. Loud creaking echoed throughout the hallway. The city outside had changed indeed. Several layers of snow covered the street and buildings.

“Don’t mind the Observer”, Tharia said and gestured towards an odd sight in this freezing mess. It looked like a half-naked man that stood hunched over. His bald head was aimed at something in the sky. The torso moved with raspy breath but the body showed no action otherwise.

“What’s he doing?”

“Step out of the building love, you might just look the same”, Tharia said with an ominous tone. Annabelle felt the cold breeze on her skin and tugged deeper into her clothes. Her shoes sank into the fresh snow and already she felt a thin layer of its form on her. The clouds hung impossibly low, making it seem like she could reach out and touch them. Not that it would be a smart thing to do. Lightning and thunder rumbled within. The weather felt otherworldly.

At the center of it all floated a ginormous sphere. Spirals of energy were drawn towards it and faint light pulsated out in turn. She saw a massive human-like shape at the center of the sphere while the object itself was covered in dozens of impossibly large eyes.

“The Observers all just look at it”, Tharia said, “Hundreds of them the city over”

“Won’t they die?” Annabelle asked. She certainly felt the cold but the half-naked man didn’t even shiver. Instead of a verbal answer, Tharia walked over towards the man and then suddenly pulled out a knife. She ran the blade along the man’s arm yet no blood came out. What Annabelle saw instead made her happy her breakfast had been some time ago. White worms crawled out of the wound, they wriggled in the cold air and then suddenly slithered back inside. The skin was patched up by hundreds of tiny appendages.

“They can’t. These things just build them back up together”, Tharia said and spread her arms, “So which way do we go?”

Annabelle listened in on the essences. There they were, ten spots of energy at the edge of her consciousness. One of them, a particularly weak one, rested maybe an hour or two away. She pointed towards a collection of towers some distance away.

“The old church district? Alright. Let me grab some things first then”, Tharia said and headed back into the house. Annabelle waited outside. The surroundings looked different from the buildings in the fourth ring. These had intricate wood panels worked into them and even the smaller houses were twice as large as usual ones. Each building even came with a small garden in front, locked away by heavy metal fences. She noticed the roads were broad enough to allow horse carriages through on either side and the snow-covered lanterns had a brassy sheen. This didn’t look anything like the Fourth Ring. She heard Tharia’s return, mostly by her faint steps and occasional grunts.

“We’re not in the fourth anymore, are we?” Annabelle inquired.

“Nah, it’s the third and quite a bit in as well. We had to change locations a few times. Remember the fields from before the city? They really love us. If you squint, you can see them storm the third wall”, Tharia said and handed her an overly long scarf.

When Annabelle reached for the scarf, her hands brushed along Tharia’s and the smaller girl suddenly jumped back with a wide-eyed expression on her face. It quickly disappeared but the quickly heaving chest was a testimony to how the touch had unsettled her love.

“Fairy?”

“It’s nothing. Just jumpy. These creep me out, you know?” she said with a half smile and then put a hand on Annabelle’s hand. The goddess couldn’t help but notice the touch of hesitation. Annabelle then glanced at the scarf. She half expected it to jump to live and attack but it was just an average fashion accessory in the end. The smaller woman snapped a finger to get her attention and then started wrapping the scarf around her own head, painfully covering up mouth, nose, and ears. Tharia spoke with a muffled voice.

“We’re going to need to cover ourselves. Doesn’t have to be tight but there must be no way inside. You really don’t want to let them inside. Trust me. Just don’t. You’ll see”

Tharia shuddered and pulled the scarf back down.

“Be ready for it. Remember, cover everything.”

There was something deeply disturbing about seeing normal looking people stand half-naked in the snow. Tharia took a deep breath and kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. This was the thirteenth observer they passed. All of them had the tell-tale blank stare towards the false star in the sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she also kept looking at Annabelle with a touch of fear. There was no helping it, even though it came with an unhealthy dose of self-loathing. The fingers in her left arm were still slightly numb and the living plant tattoo on her body was enough proof that she had reason to fear her. Yet her heart told her she could trust her as well.

She was a mess. The situation was a mess and the whole damn world would be a mess once she was done with it. Following the sudden urge of defiance, she accelerated and grabbed one of Annabelle’s hands. Like little lovebirds, she then just plain didn’t let go anymore.

“Hey girl, what you doing this evening?” Tharia said with a playful tone and put on a smile.

“Hunting monsters”, came Annabelle’s flat reply.

“Aye, me too. You know I’ve been meaning to ask something and this might seem a bit random but out in the fields, you were singing a raunchy tavern song”, Tharia began. It was the first thing that came to her mind.

“Who taught you that?” Tharia continued.

“Foreign dignitary”

“Alright, Annie. Next question, could I get that as a complete sentence please?”

Tharia carefully observed her friend. She still felt fearful of the goddess. That was a matter of fact. The tingling in her left hand hadn’t stopped either. Yet she couldn’t let this get between them. The only way she knew to cope with it was to create better memories than the broken mess they had. While walking, she tipped a finger against the cage of the staff and then momentarily sought eye contact with the sprite. She winked at it and then nodded towards something at the corner of the road. The elemental sighed quietly and then squeezed out of the cage of its own. She had learned weeks ago that it had never really been able to hold it in the first place.

“Annie? Can you sing it again?”

That got a reaction out of her friend. She gently pushed Tharia to the side and shook her head.

“You don’t have the ear to appreciate music”

Hearing that reply, Tharia leaned in closer and batted her eyes, “Well I can try and make you squeal some other way.”

“Fairy!”

“Aye?”

Annabelle groaned in frustration and gave her another shove. This time, Tharia played along and let herself tumble into the snow. The elemental came flying back and Tharia gestured it to wait. When Annabelle came to help her back up, she instead pulled her down onto herself. The gesture was wrought with instant regret as the unhealed rib made her wince. She quickly played over it and tugged her love close.

“Are you sure?” Tharia said with a broad grin. She then held her hand out and took what she had sent the sprite to get. Tharia quickly brought it to the fore and held it out towards Annabelle. It was a beautiful snow white flower.

“I love you, no matter what”, the woman said while struggling for breath. Stupid rib.

“See, Annie? I can make you squeal! Ouch, ouch, stop, my chest hurts”

When Annabelle pushed herself off to give her room, they both stared at the indignant face of a human-sized elemental floating above the snow. Its sheer presence was enough to melt it away underneath them until they both came to rest on a rather dirty road.

“I’m starting to think you two are a fluke of nature. Two lifeforms too stupid to live. Can I remind you, that you’re in monster-infested Valarn, out to slay some nightmarish horror and you’re rolling around on the ground like a pair of rabbits”

“We ain’t doing anything”, Tharia protested. Sisi snapped a finger in a rather sassy gesture.

“Uh huh. Sure. Cheek coloration, quickened pulse, dilated pupils and slightly parted lips. Just look at her.”

The human girl turned her head and looked directly at Annabelle’s face. She saw the goddess quickly snap her mouth shut. The blush was adorable as was the reality that the beautiful girl looked like she had been caught with her hands in the cookie jar.

“Oh huh”, Tharia said, “uhm, okay. Anyways, please accept the gift of my love”

Tharia placed the white flower in front of Annabelle and then got up from the ground. Truth be told, she had done this intentionally. While Sisi was right and doing this out in the open was insanity, this little stunt had lessened the barrier between her and Annabelle. This would become a good memory, just like many others she intended to plant. In time, it might wash away their mental scars. But for now, it had significantly improved their morale.

“For real though, that foreign dignitary taught you something really funny. Did he teach you the last verses too?” Tharia said as Annabelle got back up from the ground too.

“No.”

“Complete sentence?”

“Nope.”

Tharia continued on her path, her feet compacting snow under her every step. She watched the elemental nestle back into the cage. Now that they had put in miniature doll carpentry, it really looked like a cozy room and it turned out that the sprite was quite the heavy sleeper.

“So, do you want to know the last verses?” Tharia asked with a tone of innocence that all things considered, should have warned Annabelle.

“Are they perverted?” Annie asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“Nothing perverse about a wild free for all orgy with a flood of pregnancies leading to the abolishment of the churches”, Tharia answered matter of factly. Annabelle seemed skeptical. It was obvious by how she raised her left eyebrow just a hint more than the right one. The edges of the lips curled as well.

“It’s true. Although the original verses were locked away in the royal vault for centuries. I’ve read some of them and you know, our ancestors mostly thought about two things. How to get into skirts and stir them up as well as how to plan out their next conquest. Did you know that the oldest wall in Valarn has a written note on it? It’s about this guy Kuliverious and the things he did with his boy-lover, for example...”

“Fairy!” Annabelle said with an exasperated sigh.

Tharia kept up the pace with her friend. Several blocks passed during their back and forth and the mood had improved significantly.

“Come on, for a goddess of lust you’re a prude”, she retorted with a broad grin.

The groan she heard had just the right amount of frustration to it. It was too much of a temptation to tease her. It was a pity that Annabelle was already nearing her limit, one or two more teases would round off the mood. Yet her next ideas might push it too far. Still, she had to try.

“You seem surprised that I know about your domain? Two reasons, really. One. Sisi told me. Two. You were my personal sexual awakening back in the day. Late at night, when no one was awake, soft gentle wind brushed over my...”

“For crying out loud, Tharia!” Annabelle suddenly roared.

Too far. She quickly accelerated her pace to get out of range, ignored the pain in her lower half and whistled innocently while Annabelle followed with a sour expression.

“Sorry”, Tharia whispered and even meant it. Somewhat.

Church of the apostate faith District of Profaners, Third Ring

This was it, Tharia thought. They were back in action. Annabelle had taken point and she followed. Nothing much had changed about their surroundings but they both felt the urge to be careful. The cold wind brushed up snowdrifts. The old church district was right in front of them. An area several kilometers in size had been depressed into the ground and this trend to build downwards hadn’t stopped there. Most of the churches were built underground, only their towers reached up high into the sky. White stone bridges connected them. A single, absurdly large bell, hung at the center of four of the towers.

“It’s interesting that in all the years of the Theocracy, no one actually tore down these apostate churches”, Tharia commented to the nod of Annabelle.

When they reached the edge of the stairs, Tharia pulled up the scarf and then wrapped it around her face until only her eyes could be seen. She then watched Annabelle do the same and paid close attention that every part really was covered up.

“Which direction do we go now?”

“Below”

Tharia heard the single word from Annabelle and then kept waiting, staring at her until Annabelle suddenly raised her shoulders.

“What?” the goddess asked

“Oh, I thought you wanted to finish your sentences”

A tease too soon. Annabelle was still pissed. Tharia quickly walked down the steps. Her staff clanged each step of the way until they reached the lowered ground level. Curiously, there was neither snow nor ice near the apostate churches and she felt a faint warmth come from underneath. The church plaza was mostly just large empty spaces, save for the small entrance buildings and the towers. Strange humming and singing reached Tharia’s ears and she saw Annabelle freeze as well. The source of the sounds soon came into view.

Priests, made unrecognizable by their gold and black robes, walked in groups of three. The one in the front held up the symbol of a vase. He had a face of sorts. It only missed the entire lower jar and a lengthy tongue drooled all the way down to the ground. The humming came out of the priest. His companions looked similar, each was missing their jar and each of them had a strangely long tongue.

“Alright, let me demonstrate why we cover up”, Tharia said and then suddenly pulled down the scarf just a hint. The effect was immediate. The three priests suddenly fell to the ground. Their limbs stood off in awkward and frankly nauseating ways as they quickly shuffled towards Tharia on all fours. Bloodshot human eyes stared directly at the single nostril she had freed. The tongues suddenly raised up, quivering and shivering like a snake about to strike. Yet when Tharia covered her nose again, the priests stopped. They pushed themselves off the ground and continued on with their singing sermon.

“Lovely, ain’t it? Their tongues have tiny hooks with poison on them. First time I came across them, Sisi had to burn them out of my skin. It’s really... not fun. Alas, they were one of the few places that still had food left.”

“You’ve been here?” Annabelle asked. Tharia put her hands against her waist and puffed up her cheeks. Somehow, the question gave her the impression of being criticized.

“Sure, what else was I supposed to do? The way back is overgrown with carnivorous plants and most houses look plundered from several hundred steps away. I figured something like this with active monsters had the best chance at something to eat”

“Didn’t mean to attack you. I’m impressed”

Tharia shot her a wary glance. This was the prime moment for her rib to suddenly ache with piercing intensity. It had been surprisingly stubborn, only healing a little bit at a time. Although she was at fault for this, because she just could not sit still. Annabelle suddenly tensed up.

“We were noticed”, the goddess said and pointed towards another group of priests. These looked directly at them, even though they had covered up every orifice. A terribly gargling voice came from the leading priest.

“Annabelle. Crimes. Heretic being. Improper Behavior. Punishment - death”, it said, then looked to Tharia.

“Tharia von Verholden. Crimes. Cursed being. Whore. Pervert. Tempter of gods. Thief. Murderer. Familicide. Liar. Fornicator. Indecency. Punishment - death”

She listened to the verdicts and could only disagree with one. She had never done it for money. Still, she looked at Annabelle and raised her eyebrows to tease her some more. She couldn’t stop herself.

“My sweet luscious profanity, Annie what did you do?”

Annabelle blinked and a bright light suddenly covered the hands of the goddess. Golden gloves, made of serpentine scales covered them. She crunched them together and then continued bringing out the trusted Scythe. Tharia, however, dismissed the priests with a wave of her hand.

“Relax, they’re not going to attack. They do this every... aye, they’re actually attacking, would you look at that”

End: Yet new doors open | Coming up: Church of the apostate faith