Life in Mine 4 turned around for Morrigan thanks to Nora. Despite periodic episodes of overwhelming happiness, which Morrigan had become better at controlling, her sense of comfort in the mine reached a new level of contentment.

Morrigan and Nora spent a considerable amount of time together. Morrigan was truly happy to connect with someone other than Apollyon to help keep her sane, though Nora’s mentality was questionable at best.

She spent a lot of time watching Nora fight in the pit since the blonde woman took joy in offending other inmates on a near daily basis.

It made Morrigan worry sometimes, but Nora seemed to enjoy the chaos she caused.

“hehehe, he so thought he could beat me! Sure, he broke my nose but I broke his jaw!” Nora laughed to herself as her head lay in Morrigan’s lap.

Morrigan snorted in amusement, “yeah but could you sit still for a second,” she complained as she tried to clean the blood off Nora’s bruised face with a wet scrap of cloth.

Nora just grinned, holding her head still as Morrigan gently wiped the small trickle of blood from her nose and upper lip. “You’re really pretty when you're annoyed with me,” she quipped.

Morrigan blushed fiercely as she smiled, grabbing Nora by the forehead and holding the woman still. “Shush you, otherwise I'm going to end up undoing all that hard work with resetting your nose,” she retorted.

Nora puffed out her lips in an exaggerated pout so Morrigan bopped her lips with the bloodstained rag and continued wiping her cheek clean.

“Not my fault I enjoy a good brawl,” Nora pouted.

Morrigan laughed at that, “I'm pretty sure it is since you instigate all of them.”

“Well, when I’m getting tended to by such a beautiful lady, kinda hard not to get into fights,” Nora said before sticking her tongue out childishly.

Morrigan gave her a gentle slap on the stomach as she laughed despite the heat she felt on her face. Morrigan explained to her recently that she had a boyfriend somewhere in the galaxy who had been conscripted with her.

Unlike her, he did not get away however, she still felt loyal to him. That didn’t stop Nora from flirting with her though.

“Oh? What did you do before I happened to come to Mine 4?” she asked.

Nora reached up and began playing with the severely faded blue of her bang, “Oh, you know, suffered in solidarity within my meager bleak existence of being a pirate turned slave by the communist state that is the Federation. Shoveling shitty rocks into dumpsters and getting into fights to stem the corroding boredom that threatens to consume my black soul.”

A moment passed before both of the women cracked up in laughter. “You’re ridiculous!” Morrigan said.

“Awe, come on, I thought it was poetic, didn’t you know I was a poet?”

Morrigan snorted as she ran her fingers through Nora’s hair, “not buying it huh?” Nora followed up.

Morrigan shook her head with a smile. Nora sniggered, “can't blame a girl for trying, but really though, only difference between then and now is I look a lot cleaner after at a fight… wonderful company aside,” Nora said as she looked into Morrigan’s green eyes.

Dooo iiit hehehe Apollyon whispered in her mind as Morrigan felt her lips part.

She clamped her mouth into a tight smile and looked away turning red again. She let out a small breath to realign her focus.

She looked back to the silver eyes staring back at her. Nora had told her, on top of being a mage, she had been born into piracy as a saboteur, which was how she came to Castile V. One venture gone wrong earned her a life in the mines but aside from that, Nora did not speak about her past outside the mines nor did Morrigan pressure her to open up. After all, she had her own secrets she kept.

I bet if you told her you embodied the God of Destruction you'd have her eating out of the palm of your hand… or anything else you want her to eat out of!

Morrigan’s face turned the brightest shade of red imaginable as her face twisted in restraint to keep from laughing. “For fucks’ sake shut up!” She yelled in her mind.

Nora looked at her with a sparkle in her eye, “what?”

Morrigan pursed her lips and shook her head.

Come on, she’s a wet noodle in your arms… Apollyon paused and made a dramatic sniffing noise, a very wet, horny noodle.

Nora could see Morrigan barely retaining her composure as Morrigan repeatedly screamed in her mind for Apollyon to shut up. “What’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours?” Nora asked sweetly as her fingers traced Morrigan’s jaw.

Morrigan felt trapped between a rock and a hard place now that she had on one side, a gorgeous woman openly flirting with her and tempting her very nature as a bisexual, and on the other, a sadistic deity whispering salacious encouragement in her mind.

“N-nothing, it’s nothing,” she stammered out with a weak chuckle as her emotions were all over the place again.

This only heightened Nora’s curiosity as she sat up and prowled close to Morrigan on her hands and knees, “now you have to tell me,” she said in a tone that told Morrigan she wasn’t going to let it go.

Morrigan cursed up a storm internally as her anxiety soared through the roof, the many fractures of her mind fighting for control as she let the slightest hysteric giggle out, doing her best to look away from Nora as she fought to keep control.

You’re in the presence of an apex predator girl, Apollyon noted as she looked at Nora’s sweetly sinister smirk out of the corner of her eye, she thinks you’re her prey but you have to ask yourself the real question, are you the prey? Or are you the real apex predator?

Morrigan’s face softened instantly as the question rattled around her broken brain. She turned and stared into the icy eyes that widened instinctively, shimmering with the dull light that bled into her hovel from the abandoned tunnel.

“I am no one’s prey,” Morrigan growled in reply to her deity, leaving her to do the only thing she could do in that moment.

Nora fell over upside down into Morrigan’s lap as she had pulled her over by the back of her head and side.

Despite yelping in surprise, Nora's breath quickly faded into a soft moan as she felt Morrigan’s soft lips against hers. Neither woman could process anything as they lost each other in one another, Morrigan pulling at the nape of Nora’s neck as Nora’s hands tangled within the wild mess of Morrigan’s brown and blue hair that draped over their faces, their kiss becoming more deep and fervent.

In that moment, Morrigan felt perfect clarity as all thought and all her emotions melded together into a constant state of contentment.

Morrigan’s body vibrated as she slowly pulled away, feeling everything click into place in her mind, her emotions ringing bliss within a gentle sigh as she watched her long bangs brushing against Nora’s cheeks.

“If I would've known that's all it took, I would've tried that much sooner,” Nora said playfully, the smile on her face soft and sweet.

Morrigan chewed on her lip lower lip, feeling the tingle of Nora’s lips on hers, savoring the taste as shame filled her eyes.

Nora saw the split in Morrigan’s face and sighed, her smile faltering but still present. “I get it, I suppose I should probably head out,” she said.

Morrigan panicked as Nora sat up grabbing a hold of her arm, “wait, no,” she chirped.

Nora let out the softest chuckle before turning to her, “no you misunderstand. I’m a selfish, shameless asshole Mori… I know I’ve overstepped some boundaries but I like you a lot, so I don’t want to be the normal selfish asshole I always am…” Nora said with a sigh, “I’m not going away I’m just backing away before I do something really stupid ya know? Besides me and relationships tend not to do well,” she snorted in sarcasm.

Morrigan’s brows furrowed as she cocked her head. “I’ll be back after digging or maybe I’ll see you at another fight I’m sure I’ll have another soon enough,” Nora continued in a sweet, understanding tone before brushing the hair out of Morrigan’s face and pulling her in, forcibly kissing her cheek. “but that kiss, I will definitely never forget, that’ll be mine forever,” she said as she looked Morrigan in her radiant green eyes.

Without saying another word, Nora got up and walked out of Morrigan’s hovel, leaving Morrigan sitting there deeply confused on multiple levels and unaware of the dangers that lurked in the dark.

Hmm, well look at you being all sane and shit. Doesn’t sound like a dying cat in here anymore, Apollyon mused as Morrigan reached up and touched her cheek.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I don’t… I don’t get it…” she stammered as she realized what Apollyon said was true. Her mind, her emotions felt like they did before coming to Castile V. She felt like her old self again. Not only that, but she felt happy as well.

I don’t know either kid, but hey! Got to kiss the girl! Apollyon noted smoothly in a cheer.

A small smile grew on her lips that still tangled from her guilty pleasure. Something that she was shamefully happy about.

Without comment, Morrigan moved across her room and dug for spare clothes to lay out that she used as sheets.

Shit! Was all Apollyon could get out before Morrigan was slammed and pinned against the wall, sending her into a panicked struggle against whoever held her.

“I see now, you let the cheating ice bitch play with you yet have the audacity to look at me in disgust?” came Tyrus’s voice from behind, his voice dripping with danger.

“Get the fuck off of me!” Morrigan yelled as she tried to push back, her panic diving even deeper when she realized her powers were eluding her.

Kill this fuck! Stop being afraid and get fucking savage! Apollyon screamed at her.

She started to hyperventilate as she struggled against Tyrus’s frame only to have her head yanked back by her hair. She knew he could see the fear in her eyes by his sadistic grin, “I always get what I want one way or another little terrorist, so which is it? Am I taking it or are you giving it up?” he demanded, carnal and savage desire lining his voice.

“Fuck you!” she growled in between breaths while trying to turn and elbow him in the face.

Her natural strength was no match though, as she felt her face slam into the stone wall, and again and again.

Apollyon’s vicious shouts were drown out by the stunning impacts as her eye was split open and her temple smashed into the stone, dazing her into minimum consciousness.

Her eyes lulled as she could vaguely hear Apollyon, her body not responding as he held her face against the wall with his hand, barely able to feel where he touched her as she fought against the edge of unconsciousness, unwilling to give up.

Kill him now! She could faintly hear Apollyon roar as her focus began to return, only to feel a sharp, extravagant pain.

Morrigan’s scream pierced the room as she thrashed and struggled as the pain of him being inside her tore through her soul.

Everything faded away as he slammed her face into the stone wall again. She couldn’t hear Apollyon anymore, her body wouldn’t respond. Each thrust she felt set her nerves on fire, the terror that gripped her soul drown her deeper and deeper in darkness.

Heat flared inside Morrigan’s core as her breaths became slower, deeper, rumbling in a growl before she roared in terrorized anguish.

Spectral wings of bone flared from her back wide as she howled, severing Tyrus’s arms off just below the elbows.

She spun, raking her crimson claws in a savage swipe cleaving Tyrus in half at the waist. The look of shock and terror plastered on his face as his upper torso fell to the floor.

Reflexively, she caught Tyrus by the throat with a savage snarl and dragged her free claws down his torso, severing the bones in his rib cage and eviscerating all that fell from his chest cavity.

She howled as she planted her foot against his ribs and tore his spine free from what remained of his torso, snatching the remainders off the ground and dragged it along in a bloody heap as she stepped towards the entrance of her hovel.

Guarding the entrance stood two of Tyrus’s bodyguards on either side, unaware of her approach. One of the guys yelped in surprise by the girl that carried their boss’s spine and ruined body in her clutches.

She knelt, skeletal wings unfurling, pinning each guard to the wall with blinding speed and unnatural force. As she stood, the wings curled behind her, bisecting both men into bloody slumps.

Morrigan let out a haunting scream that resonated throughout the mine, letting everyone know the true horror of Castile V had been unleashed.

ΩΩΩ

Nora slapped a prisoner upside their head as they tried to make a poor attempt at stealing back their bet at the card table. Nora was in a good mood for the proverbial night as she dealt the new hand.

A bone chilling wail caused her, as well as every other inmate, to freeze in place as it echoed throughout the central warren and beyond.

All but the Saurian that is, who all hunched low, the Skinks sprouting gibberish noises in what sounded like terror.

Nora’s eyes went wide with panic as she remembered Morrigan had been alone in her room.

She jumped up knocking over her chair and that alone got the warren scrambling for cover. When she looked towards the tunnel Morrigan’s hovel was in, she could see a faint red glow that slowly grew which caused her to pause, waiting to see what emerged.

Soon all of the prisoners of Mine 4’s central warren turned their attention to the tunnel as a pair of skeletal crimson wings emerged; the soft glow of the energy highlighting the shadowed details of a small girl with long brown and faint blue dyed hair.

Shock gripped Nora as her heart hammered harder in her chest than ever before. “Mori?” she whispered.

The wings unfurled in a glorious display as the girl stepped off the ledge and gently glided to the ground, her wings brilliant in their spectral translucence.

Nora’s eyes inspected her closely with an audible gasp. It was Morrigan who stood before the crowd of prisoners, teeth ground in a vicious snarl, with the head and spine of Tyrus, and part of his shredded body in her hands. Her eyes were wild and feral as they scanned the room for threats.

Nora’s eyes started tearing as she held her hands tight against her mouth when she noticed the only drop of blood on the girl was a messy stream that trailed from right above her right eyebrow and the trail of fresh blood that streamed down her bare legs.

Morrigan let out a low, rumbling growl that sounded completely unnatural before raising the head she held, the frozen terror on Tyrus’s face for all to see before crushing the vertebrae she held, letting the head roll off her hand.

Several prisoners, who were loyal to Tyrus, rushed Morrigan. Nora panic screamed, “No!”

Morrigan drove the broken ribcage into the nearest assailing inmate’s chest, dragging the severed spine’s jagged edge across another inmate’s throat before dropping the makeshift weapons.

Large crimson talons formed over her hands as she tore through the oncoming swarm of inmates. Slashing, tearing and severing off limbs in an orchestra of gore and death.

Nora was petrified in place as she watched the sweet, respectably innocent girl she had kissed earlier that day massacre a good portion of the warren in their retaliation of their late leader.

A large man charged at her with a shovel and the spectral wings shot out impaling the man in several places as the wings lifted him into the air above her.

Everyone, including the assaulting inmates stopped and watched the growling little girl stare up at the man squirming on transparent spears of bone.

Morrigan let out a vicious, primal snarl before spreading her hands wide, the wings pulling apart and tearing the man vertically in half in a shower of gore and viscera that magnetized towards Morrigan.

The assaulting inmates dropped their makeshift weapons and raised their hands all attempting to step back in surrender. Morrigan let out a primordial scream that resonated throughout the warren, many covering their ears as she encompassed the room. Only to stop when her gaze fell upon Nora’s terrified form.

Nora saw a look of recognition in the girl’s eyes as she cocked her head and let out a long growl that sounded like the purr of a jungle cat.

Nora slowly lowered her hands to reveal her quivering lip, earning a chirp from whatever Morrigan had become. Nora couldn’t pin point the feeling that gripped her soul, whether it was dread or sadness, as tears began to stream down her cheeks. The only thing she did know was seeing that sweet, endearing girl in that state, having a good idea of what had happened to her, tore her heart in two.

Nora took a step forward, “Mori…” she croaked out.

Morrigan seemed to recognize her name as the wings curled back behind her and shifted her body to inspect Nora from a distance like some wild animal, moving her head in every lateral direction as she watched Nora take another step closer.

Morrigan’s attention was quickly snatched away at the eight foot white figure that stood stoically near her.

“Xol don’t!” Nora exclaimed as Morrigan shifted back on her feet defensively with a loud hiss, wings flared out in deadly elegance.

Xol however, did not flinch, nor did he move. He just stood there studying Morrigan from ten feet away as his Skinks and fellow Lizard looked at each other nervously.

Morrigan growled low as she readied her crimson talons to strike.

Xol dropped to one knee bowing his head, one fist over his chest. “Baş çokçûn danin Mirina Sor,” he said.

The Skinks of his clan lost their minds in shrill protest to see their leader kneeling before another. Nora knew one thing about the Saurian and that was they bow nor kneel to no one. So even Nora was shocked by this.

“Baş çokçûn danin Mirina Sor!” Xol shouted in his deep alien voice for all to hear, his head still bowed before Morrigan.

Morrigan frantically watched as the Skinks looked unsure at each other while the second Lizard knelt obediently. As the Skinks nervously knelt, several other of the inmates nearest Xol began to kneel as well, bowing their heads.

Nora watched as Morrigan let out a feral hiss as she watched more and more inmates follow suit, kneeling before her in fealty.

Nora was the only inmate in the warren to not move as her brain fought to catch up to what she was witnessing.

The skeletal wings folded tight into Morrigan’s body and slowly faded as she stood straighter, seemingly feeling the danger had passed despite her crimson claws still present in their translucent beauty.

Even kneeling, his crested head met her at her chest as Morrigan took a step towards Xol. Ever so gently her crimson claws touched the sides of his face; Xol remained unflinching despite the dangerous position the he was now in.

Nora took another careful step closer until she was merely a few feet from the interaction, not daring to move any closer and startle her.

Despite the pounding of her heart in her ears, Nora could hear a faint reverberant sound coming from Morrigan, as much of a purr a human being could make as she gently lifted Xol’s head to see him.

Soft murmurs began to break out through the inmates but Nora put her finger up to her lips for all to see, ushering silence as Morrigan studied Xol’s face.

The crimson claws felt all of Xol’s features, ever so gently stroking up the crest of his head and down his cheeks and jaw as if she were a small child who found something she could physically admire and adore.

Nora would never admit the small tinge of jealousy that coursed through her from the display as the strange purring noise grew louder as the spectral claws faded from existence.

Even Xol’s reptilian eyes were wide from the interaction with the creature he bowed to, his breathing steady and even as he let the strange girl examine him.

With a deep sniff to Xol’s snout Morrigan leaned back with a deep hum as she stood up straight. Nora watched the small, sweet smile she knew grow on Morrigan’s face before her hands slowly went back to her sides and she started heading towards the front of the central warren.

As she got near where the ramp was to the second tier, a single gunshot rang out. “Oh my god!” Nora screamed as she watched Morrigan’s body jerk. Nora had forgotten about the ten guards that stood sentry over the elevator, like most prisoners did. Now she stood there watching every guard aiming their weapons at Morrigan, one with reminiscent smoke rising out of the barrel of his rifle.

The crimson claws slowly crackled into existence over her hands again as Morrigan seemed completely unfazed by being shot as she let out a low predatory growl.

After witnessing the massacre that unfolded, the guard dropped his rifle and raised his hands quickly, “Sorry! Sorry…” he stammered in a panic, his meek voice echoing throughout the warren as the other guards held their weapons off to the side, aiming away from her.

Morrigan began prowling past the nervous guards as she moved towards the slope and walked up to Tyrus’s old dwelling. Once she disappeared, the sound of thrashing and breaking furniture and glass could be heard mixed with the angry growls that came from the savage beast Morrigan had become.

Nora let out a haggard breath as she ran her hands over her hair in anxiety. Her own emotions and mental faculties unable to sort out everything she just witnessed as she looked around the warren, the bloodless corpses thrown about, the confused and worried inmates and the stoic alien Saurian who swore fealty to Morrigan.

At the very least, conflictingly, Nora's hormones were all over the place as she tried to steady her own breath.

“What in the ever-living fuck?” Nora forced out in a quiet breath as she watched Xol and the Saurian stand and begin ushering inmates to disperse.