Teuila’s telepathic avatar’s voice interrupts my thoughts, sounding saddened suddenly, “Air, Air, I’m, I’m sorry. I know how much you hate this spear, but I thought, I figured, since we were going to be going up against hydras, I should bring it out. So I did, during one of those times when it was just me awake rowing on the lake. It took me a while to find where I hid it in the carriage, because I stuck it there before I got, well, frozen. I shrunk it and shoved it in a Beri sheathe, and shoved that in one of the wheel axles, and capped it off.”
Teuila’s telepathic avatar looks almost meek in her worry, and sadness, as she continues, ”I’m sorry. I grabbed it when I was talking to Tiki, since she’s by the carriage. I didn’t grab it on the first go around, because I didn’t know what the commotion was. I told her that, if you were mad at me for it, I wouldn’t use it, and we’d come to her, that I’d rush back and let her know while you brought the hydras up, to get into position. Please, please forgive me, my Air. Please.”
I blink a bit, stunned. I wasn’t going to risk it myself, spending the eight minutes to summon a copy of Gae Buidhe from my inventory, and I wasn’t going to ask Teuila to do that either. With that spear, she could just end the hydra menace, all over the swamps. With her speed, and strength, it wouldn’t even be a challenge. It’s risky to have out, but only when there are allies nearby that might get knocked into the spear, and get injured by it. Which, right now I am an ally who might get injured if the serpent thrashes the right direction. I furrow my brow though. Teuila felt the need to apologize. She felt like she breached my trust.
I drop into paused time, finding a moment between moments. I enter this bubble of paused time, this minor escape from reality and causality. I extend myself and my consciousness into the non-linear, the non in general. I need to think. Am I upset with her for hiding it? Did she think she needed to hide it, from me specifically, or was she just being cautious so that it would be out of the way? Have we ever intentionally kept something secret from each other before? Something that could hurt the other? If I recall correctly, Teuila wasn’t even informed of the surprise party, so she didn’t hide that from me.
Is this something I need to forgive her for? Do I feel like I do or don’t forgive her? I’m confused, and my feelings are starting to jumble. I need time to myself to straighten them out. Thankfully I’ve got that. I’m especially thankful that I’ve got it in a way that doesn’t shut Teuila out for any length of time. I wouldn’t want to do that to her while I’m trying to process, when she’d just been apologetic. I know that Teuila loves me unflinchingly, unwaveringly, and I reciprocate those feelings. Do I trust her, even if she hadn’t bothered to tell me this?
I’m fairly certain that I do, fully and completely, but I need some time to let the sting of the surprise wear off. Right now, I need to be there for Teuila while she’s still vulnerable, still coming to terms with what happened. I need to make certain that the sting doesn’t color any of my reactions to her. She wouldn’t deserve it if I said something with a slightly snippier undertone than necessary, or any sort of hint that I might trust her less. It would be crushing to her emotional state right now. I know that probably sounds conceited, but we’re both rather codependent, and I know her inside and out, literally and figuratively.
My lower lip quivers and my left eyelid twitches as I sit through a mild headache. The headache isn’t getting any better as I gather my thoughts, so I take a deep breath and exhale it through pursed lips with puffed cheeks. It’s all psychosomatic, since I’m just a mental projection in my thinkspace in paused time, but still. Once I get it under control, then I’ll go back.
Think of her smile. Think of the Shellcracker family squee. Think of the peaceful days spent holding her, with her holding you. Know that the reason she did it was because she wanted to keep me safe, keep Tiktik safe, and that she didn’t want to admit it, because she didn’t want to hurt me. She’s scared of hurting me, of upsetting me, of causing me to be upset with her. It would break her heart to have done something that broke my trust in her, because we already went through a period where I was a shell, a husk, because of a psionic attack that traumatized me with Teuila’s face. The merest possible chance that something she did might be a catalyst that snowballs into such a thing happening again would destroy her.
I pull my knees to my chin, and weep. Te, oh My Wings. My poor beloved Teuila. I’m so sorry for those months that you suffered, seeing me screaming in fear in sight of you. I’m the one that’s sorry. I’m the reason you feel you have to walk on eggshells to be perfect. My mental avatar’s tears flow freely. She put up with that, for me. She hid herself away from me, for me. She—. I gulp down sticky saliva and realize my avatar’s nose is running all over its knees. We’ve been through so much together. How do I let her know that her best is good enough, that it’s perfect, that she’s perfect, and she needn’t fear any longer? I can’t bring it up while she’s processing and recovering. I don’t know if I’ll live long enough for her to work through most of that, for me to have an opportunity to tell her.
Take a few minutes to yourself Reggie, just breathe, just let the emotions flow. She’s here, waiting just outside paused time. You’re not alone. You’ve got time together still. Cherish every second. My eyes flash wide and I jerk my head side to side as I scan my frozen mindscape. Future me, so very long ago told me much the same. I mean, I sent that message back to me, and became the future me who told me th—. My life is confusing as hell. Could I send a projection back inside paused time, to other periods where I’ve paused time? If they exist outside the normal flow of time, I might be able to connect them with an absence of space or absence of time between them.
Hm. Perhaps, maybe someday. I don’t really know my power yet anyway though. I mean, between me and Teuila, we have most of the fundamental forces of the universe, space, time, gravity, particle manipulation, thermodynamics—. Could we build universes? Have we? Built universes?
I spend long moments not breathing, not thinking, just letting the barest hint of the concept sink in, and its ramifications. Souls that are also worlds, almost bubble realities. A candle of souls. An adversary that hounded me through multiple lifetimes, through time and space within the course of events. My mind is reeling at the implications. My breath catches in my telepathic avatar’s throat, as its pulse quickens, mimicking the sudden rush of anxiety I’m feeling as my thoughts race. I realize I’m edging dangerously close to thoughts that will erase themselves, and cause me a great deal of pain. There are some conclusions I’m not allowed to come to, and I don’t remember exactly why. We—. I need to stop guessing. I need to survive for the two or so weeks it’ll take to get to the Medusa Falls in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude at the Spine of the World. Lu and Lil and Lucky are there, I’m almost sure of it. I don’t recall how I came to that conclusion, or why I’m so certain, but that was the plan, the direction.
I glance around my frozen mindscape, and rub away my tears before blowing my nose, resulting in snot bubbles. Huff, okay. Deep breaths. Remember, Teuila just apologized to you, rejoin reality, in normal time, and give her all of your love. I release my grasp on the non, the time between moments, and I snap back into the normal flow of time, to reality.
I flash Teuila’s telepathic avatar a half smile with mine before responding, “Te, you’ve got nothing to worry about, or apologize for. It was the smart move. Honestly I think the reason I’m so worried about that spear is mostly Mat’s fault, some part of me contained the knowledge that he was going to use them against me at our final showdown. It’s why I had to chop my own hand off before going to see Lord Deckard Agni, way back then. That’s not your fault at all. I mean, the other part is anger at myself, for what happened to Lil, but that’s a whole other issue.”
Teuila starts to complain, “But—.”
I interrupt her, “But you’re okay, you’re brilliant, and confident, and careful enough, and powerful enough, that you’re not going to stab me with it. I don’t have the tendril tattoo, so I can’t reach out and snag it in a fit of rage if something sets me off. We’re good, you’re good. No apologies necessary.”
Teuila mumbles, “Okay. Okay. Thank you.” Then, more confidently, she adds, “Anyway, um, I guess you’ve got this one handled maybe? I’ll go poke the other two, so that we don’t have to bother Tiki.”
My avatar nods to hers, and explains as she fades, “Yeah, I’m sure the harefolk won’t mind a few of the hydras being dead. I’m almost positive there’s a lot more, to be able to terrorize hundreds of square miles of a region. Maybe the others will expand their territory with these ones being dead or something.”
Deep breath Reggie, everything’s okay. Teuila knows you love her. A quick telepathic “Dork,” echoes in my mind, and I can’t help smiling. Anyway Reggie, focus up. Punch, punch, quarter body electrical discharge E S P, thunder shout, repeat. The interior musculature linings convulse and constrict around me, threatening to crush me, but currently I’m far harder than its soft insides. I regret my thought train immediately as Teuila’s laughter burbles over our telepathic connection.
Te quips, “Told you I’d tell you to get hard and get your O body on, hehe.”
I close my eyes and shake my head with a smile plastered across my face that’s half exasperated, half laughing. My laughter becomes a sigh as I continue shaking my head and working my way up the serpent’s insides. I glance down with my silent sonar as I attempt to analyze the slimy ichor that’s slowly building up a thicker and thicker coat on me. As far as I can tell, it’s simply slick fluid that’s rather vitreous in nature. I’ll prestidigitate it off later.
As I make my way through the intricate internal organs of the hydra, I am struck by the sheer complexity of the gore and walls of flesh that surround me, pulsating with life, glistening with a slick sheen of mucus that coats everything. I crawl through narrow passages, my body coated in the slippery residue that lines the hydra's insides. The walls are lined with pulsating membranes, throbbing with the rhythm of the creature's life force. I can feel the faint vibrations beneath my fingers as I make my way deeper into the labyrinthine network of organs.
The hydra's innards are covered with delicate tendrils and waving cilia, each performing its own vital function within the hydra's complex physiology. As I continue my journey, I pass next to chambers filled with swirling currents, carrying particles of undigested prey. Eugh, horrific. Also, slightly enraging, since some of those prey were people, living, breathing people, not so long ago. The hydra's digestive system is a marvel in its grotesqueness, with specialized cells and enzymes working tirelessly to break down its food. The hydra's inner world is not without danger, as I encounter pockets of acidic secretions and sharp, jagged structures that could easily ensnare me. I work my way upwards towards its heart with caution, reminding myself I have to be wary of the hazards that lurk within this foul beast.
Oof, the lungs are massive, or is that the heart? Either way, the organs in this area are giving me a headache with their expanding and pounding. Let’s see how they react to a bit of frost. Ah, nice. Well, nice for me, not nice for the hydra. Let’s make this quick, I don’t know how long my steely body spell is going to last, and I’d really rather not be crushed to death inside this thing’s torso. I’m almost tempted to empower a cold rune within this thing’s chest, to see if I could cause organ failure from within. It’s not worth risking passing out inside of it though.
Where am I at with my S P? I’m somewhere around three hundred or so, maybe mid three hundreds. I’ve gotta be careful. A few more weak frost rays quickened might put me into the four hundreds, and if I need to recast the steely body spell, that would be my entire daily limit of runes. Wait, crap, I forgot the runic practice I’ve been doing. How many did I do today before we got to the Altross Estate? Was it one hundred? Or two? Fricklefrack! Hellspit and Fel Fires. I could be a scant few S P away from the fatigue effect of hitting half my total maximum limit. Gorrammit Reggie, keep better track of this stuff! Okay, okay, calm down. It’d be a lot easier if we could see our Can’Z’aas interface, or read our memory logs.
Think for a bit, just think. I mastered that rune, and I was partway through mastering that rune, when I got distracted by the whole cold-iron gate frying my synapses thing. One fifty’ish we’ll say. Then ten per frost ray that I had to quicken, because of the doubling cost of quickening the runes without a mnemonic. Let’s see, six there, ten there, five there, five there, five there. Thirty one, that’s three hundred ten, so already at four hundred sixty, and I’ve cast Steely Body twice, which is a hundred thirty two since quickening it brings it to sixty six S P each. Crap! I’m at five hundred ninety eight or so used, and my limit before fatigue has been around six hundred since I left the Sisters’ compound. Crap crap crap crap crap.
Okay, okay, deep breath, try to stay calm. We’re going to have to throw ten or so frost rays at these organs, and still manage to pulverize them with everything we’ve got, while the frost is piled up. Or, I suppose, we could try to cut our losses, literally, and cut our way out of here, and try to squirm out before the wound makes us a permanent fixture in the snake’s belly. Hm. Long, slow exhale. Keep it together Reggie.
What about the weird energy cell things? They’d definitely do enough damage when shoved tight right up against an organ like the heart, and let me tell you, having your heart obliterated from the inside makes for a quick death, even for a regenerating creature. Yeah, speaking from personal experience. Eugh. Twice. Lil’s bond is the only reason I lived long enough for a potion to regenerate my heart. Still, I don’t think I need to rig an improvised explosive device to accomplish such a task. Hopefully. If nothing else, I can wait for Teuila to rescue my lame arse from inside this stupid snake. Better to conserve resources than to risk possibly atomizing myself in here with the thing.
Okay, now I’m sure I’m looking at the right organ. I find myself face to face with the heart of the hydra, nestled deep within its pulsating chambers. The sight before me is a behemoth, a muscular organ that dominates the center of the hydra's anatomy. Its walls are thick and powerful, rippling with each beat, propelling the life-giving force of blood throughout the creature's body. The blood itself is a rich, thick, crimson ichor, flowing through a network of intricate vessels that branch and intertwine, nourishing every cell in the hydra's form.
Crap on a cracker, the sheer power of the heart's contractions, are sending waves of migraines my way. Each beat sends shockwaves of motion through the surrounding tissues. As I watch, I notice the delicate valves that regulate the flow of blood, opening and closing with precision to ensure the optimal circulation. The walls of the heart are adorned with fine tendrils, microscopic extensions that further enhance its ability to pump blood efficiently. I’m starting to get an idea for my plan of attack, how to maximize the efficiency of the damage that I do. The complexity of the circulatory system, the thousands of tiny vessels that carry oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to every corner of the hydra's body, sustaining its existence. Disrupting just a few key elements might be all it takes to end this monstrosity.
Build up your electrical charge Reggie, take it beyond capacity, keep building. Condense it down to a single time delayed spark, slowly, more focused, more condensed. Keep at it. There we go, be ready to deliver it, and to back off. I begin carefully tracing out several sets of the runes for the modified frost ray spell, trying to control my breathing and remain calm, knowing that as soon as I empower them, fatigue will kick in, and my muscles won’t want to work any longer. Alright, begin throwing a hell of a punch, set to deliver the time delayed spark, retain enough electrical charge to operate my muscles with internal electrokinesis. Just before the punch connects, quicken and empower the series of runes for ten casts of the frost ray. Oof. The frost lands at ten precise points that I’d picked out for maximum efficiency. The calculated, precision strike is my best hope for preventing possible regenerations of the heart. The various aorta, the vena cava, the primary arteries, all are struck with enough frost to almost imperceptibly halt healing momentarily, for only fractions of a moment.
Every muscle in my body quivers with exertion, and I barely manage to connect the punch that delivers the payload to the heart as my limbs slump, exhausted. It feels like ages as I work the electrical pathways along my throat to engage another thunder shout, letting it knock me away from the frosted heart. I’m sent sprawling further down the beast’s chest cavity, losing the ground I’d made crawling up inside of it, but that’s the plan. As I struggle to squirm my way in reverse, to put any extra bit of muscle, tissue, cartilage, or bone between me and the offending organ, I barely make any progress with my limbs feeling leaden. The insides of the hydra are rocked by explosive force as the electrical charge blooms outwards in a contained radius, bouncing and arcing within a programmed sphere of utter annihilation only slightly larger than the heart itself. It’s like a bubble of boom. I think Lil would get a kick out of that name. It took way too long to set up, but I’m holding on to hope that it was worth it.
I feel tingles and shocks as the wave of the excess charge washes over me when the timed spark finishes its mission. I also feel the hydra slump heavily to one side as it spasms, twitches, and thrashes in its death throes. I breathe a sigh of relief, after ten long seconds of worry, ten long seconds of bated breath, wondering if the hydra will simply regrow its heart. I stifle a nervous chuckle as I imagine the hydra growing two new, stronger hearts, in place of the one I destroyed. I slump, weary, exhausted, within the cavity inside the creature, as I’m unable to work up the energy to try to free myself. I blow bubbles in the mucus that coats its internal membranes, partially to keep it from entering my nose or mouth, partially to occupy myself while I recover enough to carve my way out, or wait for rescue.