Chapter 9 - Adapting

[Puppeteer’s Strings].

That was the name of the Ability May’s gift had granted her, etching the way to use it deep into her mind until it felt natural to simply extend her hand and watch the strings coil around her fingers like snakes. Not only that but for the first time the Gift granter her something more: a warning of the consequences of overusing the Ability.

Unlike the previous two others 一 the first Ability having no cost in mana and the second one using a one-time cost kind of deal… which May hadn’t realized at the time she first used [Skin Walking], so it was good information to have 一 [Puppeteer’s Strings] had an ongoing cost. A drain to her mana that took the energy for as long as she used the Ability.

May didn’t need to listen to one of Bel-Ali's lessons or read the book still on her waist to know that it was a bad thing to have no mana in her.

If she had any other concerns, however, they had to be put on hold for now, as May and Kreacher were currently deep into the gory woods in their rush to reach the garden and figure out what was happening and where Bel-Alis was.

As such, they went past the smoking remnants of the rooms in the left wing in a rush, only taking the moment needed to glimpse at what remained of the furniture and decoration, now destroyed among the fallen bricks.

The wave of disgust May felt at the scene, spotting a few limbs still buried under the wreckage made her hurry even more. May had to be quicker if she wanted to stop the deaths and carnage on their heels.

Beyond that, it was with a sigh of relief that her eyes noticed a man walking among the broken tiles 一 he was from a race she had never seen before, but considering his leather and metal armor, he could very well be Madam Leticia’s security. Although she had not seen any type of guards around the Plaza earlier.

Nevertheless, she would be thankful if he helped the wounded, but May couldn’t do the same right now. She had a Priestess to find and information to obtain.

So she and Kreacher continued on their path, leaving the image of the mansion behind to finally reach the garden and its… currently destroyed flower beds, running animals and 一 May noticed after the desperate squeaks of Kreacher 一 Bel-Alis impaled by a branch on the other side. Huh.

At the center of the open area, a human woman had her back turned to them and seemed to be the main culprit 一 considering the way Madam Leticia not only got up from the floor, but dissolved into fog only to reappear behind the woman, piercing her shoulder and leg with her bare fingers as if they were daggers.

May, in the meantime, suddenly sprung into work, conjuring her strings low on the ground and using them to coil around a distracted rabbit. All the while, she talked with the rat on top of her hair.

“Kreacher, can you transform?”

“Not without the bodies!” The rat answered, getting down to meet the tied animal and begin their work as a parasite. “You want me to fight her? Get at least three others!”

“Fine!” May kept on producing more strings until it reached the limit of ten 一 one for each of her fingers, and she was amazed at the way they behaved more like snakes seeking prey than mere cloth. The threads crawled among the grass, swaying left and right as they carved a path towards one long lizard. May didn’t even have to move her fingers to do it, only having to focus on the strings to feel them behave like a part of her.

Under her Control.

The Ability lunged at the animal, tying around its belly in the tightest of bows. It took only a thought for the string to recede and bring it back to her and Kreacher.

Two bodies down and one to go, May only heard the retching and desperate squeaks of Kreacher asserting dominance over the bodies, replacing their tongues with that fungal construct. It was a process she was morbidly curious to watch, but her focus on the hunt didn’t allow it.

Her thoughts churned while trying to mount a valid tactic to approach the enemy fighter, eyes scanning both the floor for more animals and the fight against Madam Leticia. The old siren had done something to the woman’s leg and arm, but the slap she had gotten in return still sent her flying.

May’s search became even more desperate. Bel-Alis was grunting on the other side of the garden, trying to dislodge herself from the branch piercing her side. Still, even if she got out, May doubted the Priestess would have enough strength to join the fight 一 at least not with her arm as broken as it seemed to be.

At the same time the blond fighter got to Leticia again, raising her by the throat with the uninjured arm, May found the second white rabbit. Her mind didn’t even process the animal’s whimper as it tried to flee the strings stalking the grass with small hops, only giving the command to grab it and bring it back as she tried to think about what to do after this.

The truth was that even with the new Ability, she wasn’t nearly as strong as Bel-Alis, Madam Leticia, or even Kreacher. And considering her damage output was almost negligible with this body and her current Abilities, she had to consider other avenues. But which ones?

Use. Surprise. Ambush. Patience. The whispers told her, but that was a piece of advice that ended with the same outcome: her in a position of attack and taking too long to help both the Priestess and the siren, now choking in dry land like a fish.

Nevertheless, the idea of a surprise attack was something she could use. Although the only possibility her mind could conjure under pressure stung her pride a little.

May couldn’t act like the central piece in this fight. No, the job she had to do was allow Kreacher to engage against the woman and hope they could cause enough damage to kill her.

And the way to do it dawned on May after pulling her strings back and finding another animal 一 a garden mouse the size of a flower that gave no resistance when the thread pulled it back 一 that when coupled with the memory of Kreacher’s true nature made May grin widely.

Three animals around the duo, Kreacher continued to spread inside them, but when they saw the fourth and last one, the rat couldn’t help but ask. “Why the mouse?”

“I have an idea. Can you… possess it too?”

“Infest is the word. And yes, we can.” The rat said while spreading to the insides of the second rabbit. Their mouth opened beyond what should be possible, popping and ripping as thin, white tentacles burst from the rat’s mouth and lodged on the rabbit’s face in what May considered the most accursed kiss she had ever seen. The poor animal, tied as it was, couldn’t resist as its tongue was replaced with the fungal body of Kreacher. “You’re lucky we can control five of them at the moment.”

“Five? What about the bodies still out there?” May asked, thinking of the scouts still living around Crystalia.

The rat, prepared to begin with the utterly terrified garden mouse, turned to her. “They are dead, May. That’s the price the body pays as our hosts.” There was a second of pause. “We are betting everything here, aren’t we?” They said, and May felt the truth in their words not because they seemed vulnerable, but because despite talking with ‘we’, this time she was included as well.

She nodded, honestly. “Yes, we are.”

Bel-Alis and Madam Leticia were worth saving. Not only because they were kind 一 which they seemed to be 一 but also because they were a guaranteed way for May to learn more about herself, the stormtouched and Gifts. All of that while being constantly bathed and cared for.

“So, what is this idea you were talking about?” Kreacher said, beginning to infect the small mouse in the same way. The fact their voice went from vulnerable to the usual haughtiness in the blink of an eye almost made her laugh.

“Oh, it’s a simple one. All we have to do is pretend.” May said, grinning with all her teeth as she organized what was necessary on her mind, growing more confident with every step she planned. The fighter woman seemed to be taking a break before dealing with Alis.

And then, when it became a concrete thing, she told Kreacher her plan.

***

Imara was having the best first outing ever.

The other recruits would be so envious of her for not being here, sharing this opportunity to cleanse Creation of the blight.

Of course, there were still elders and brothers and sisters who have been lost along the way. Her eyes darted to the older siren, unconscious at her feet, reeking of sin as she proved to Imara where her allegiance was.

Allying herself with the Faithful, denying her role in the fight. Oh, her temper flared just thinking about the hubris some of her Gifted siblings had, thinking themselves superior to the natural order.

Could they not hear the world’s call to arms? The way Creation wept as the festering grew? It was an honor then, to be among the few that still fought as intended. Even if her heart ached with disappointment for the Gifted that were led astray.

No amount of reasoning, however, helped with the pain in her shoulder and leg. The touch of the traitor elder did something to her limbs that made it difficult to even move them, but for someone that was already in Iron-Rank and went through the drills Imara had? Ha. She had suffered worse in training.

Was it [Shape Muscle] the Ability she had used? Imara wasn’t the most knowledgeable of her siblings when it came to other Gifts, but that sounded like a healing-focused one to her ears, and she couldn’t help but hope the price the siren paid for such use of the Ability was painful Relinquishment.

Bringing judgment to one of the Unseen Eye and getting a traitorous Gifted to repent in the silent torture that was forgoing their Truth? This mission just kept stacking bonuses on top of bonuses like solstice gifts!

So it was with a smile that Imara turned her back to the fallen elder and began the painful limping towards Bel-Alis, who only grunted more and more as the Priestess successfully broke the branch holding her and began to crawl with a single arm into the woods, away from Imara. Her [Earth Spear] spell crumpled like paper under the pressure of the gale around the freiniardian, as the fighter used her mana to force the earth down with the weight of concentrated air...

“Run, run, child of the Gods.” She said, mocking as the Priestess crawled along the grass like the parasite she was in the fighter’s eyes. “Aren’t you tired, fallen? Tired of the despair brought?”

“Fucking extremists!” Bel-Alis grunted, not looking back.

“Ah, that’s how you’re calling us now?.” Imara lunged with her healthy hand at Bel-Alis’s clay-covered foot, squeezing the limb so tightly the Priestess heard her deformed bones creak under the skin. “Is that the lie you tell the world when you call upon the Gods? That we are in the wrong?”

“I’ve never given a thought to your ilk!” Bel-Alis spat, feeling her body being dragged backward even as she drove her nails into the earth.

“Don’t lie, blighted!” Imara shouted as she squeezed the foot, the sound of an ankle popping resonating against the woods. The smile the fighter gave to the Priestess was a sweet thing, filled to the brim with belief. “There was a time your kind trembled when hearing our names. You should look deeper into the Unseen Eye.”

“It’s always time and history with you morons!” Bel-Alis said, feeling the woman pulling her foot upwards until she held her upside down. She spat at the fighter’s boots. “The world changed!”

“Ha! Changed? Creation doesn’t change. It’s一” Imara’s words were cut short when she turned around at the feeling of something approaching her, the wind whispering in her ear.

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The small pebble struck her chest with barely any strength. But it did its purpose as the woman not only unfocused on Bel-Alys, but could now see the small child running through the garden at her. The image so ludicrous Imara couldn’t help but laugh.

May, in the meantime, ran through the garden while forcing her eyes to produce tears. Her mouth tightly shut as the doll in human skin got closer to the fighter like a child trying to stop two adults from brawling.

By the time she reached Imara, tears dirtied her face and fell onto her shirt, shouldering the woman with all the strength of a twelve-year-old hitting a brick wall. When that proved futile, she began to hit the woman with blows that felt more like kisses, left fingers wiggling.

“And what is it we have here?” Imara said, ignoring the child. “Do you know her, blighted?”

Bel-Alis, to her credit, denied vehemently, unaware of May’s plan. If there ever was one.

Imara didn’t buy it for a second, only scoffing at the drow woman and doing what any sensible adult would when a child pestered them. Leaning closer, the fighter from Freiniard tried to stare the girl down, who had stopped with the blows 一 noticing their futility.

May, seeing the stormy gray eyes grow closer to her own, gave Imara the sharpest of grins, showing closed teeth.

The whispers commented with truth, laughing as the fighter got closer. Moron!

The moment Imara noticed the smile, she had no time to react as May opened her mouth wide and the small, unassuming garden mice that was one of Kreacher’s bodies jumped from its position on her tongue with a cry of war.

“[Poisonous Spore Burst]!” The animal shouted, getting to Imara’s face with a cloud of toxic purple dust in front as its tiny claws found a grip on the fighter’s cheek.

The woman dropped Bel-Alis to the floor with a startled grunt as she tried to use both of her hands to dislodge the mouse from her face, sliding her foot backwards right into the taut string behind her. Choking against the poison in her lungs and using her arms to finally snatch the mouse trying to climb her head, Imara didn’t realize she was falling until her back hit the grass.

Bel-Alis, not one to waste an opportunity, quickly conjured an [Earth Spear] to impale the woman, but the pain hazed her eyes and she only managed to pierce Imara’s shoulder. Still, it was helpful, but May’s plan never considered the Priestess’s fighting capabilities.

As the fighter hit the ground, the other half of the doll’s scheme unveiled itself in the form of Kreacher’s transformed figure bursting from among the trees beside them, where they had stealthily reached with some effort.

The monster of fur and mycelium was an amalgamation of the bodies Kreacher controlled, stitched together with white hyphae that melded the skin and hair until all that remained was a vaguely spherical blob of flesh and snarling teeth. The four sets of eyes and different mouths screeching as they ran were just the terrifying detail needed to finish all the work.

That and the eight rabbit legs that made the body move with large speed, skittering over the grass like Creation’s worst spidery mutant.

Kreacher jumped into the air, landing with all the compressed mass of five small animals on top of Imara’s stomach 一 the umph! The woman gave as she was hit making it all worth it to May and her companion.

Seeing the way things were going quite well, May took to her job of taking Bel-Alis out of the combat area by dragging the Priestess as far from Imara as she could. The low body strength and infantile muscles made the task a hard one, but May was a stubborn doll, so despite grunting and puffing, she succeeded in her task while Imara was being attacked by the piercing teeth of Kreacher’s multiple mouths.

Some would say the burst of strength she got to move Bel-Alis was a product of adrenaline. May would deny 一 obviously 一 as it was just her reaching untapped potential under dire circumstances. One could not expect less of a great servant such as her.

By the time May had dragged Bel-Alis's writhing form to the middle of the garden, halfway between Madam Leticia’s prone form and Imara’s attempt to destroy Kreacher with fast, piercing punches 一 the fighter had successfully gotten up from the floor, even if her breath was still a little ragged as the spores were still coating her throat.

The moment Imara noticed the Priestess being successfully rescued and the dog-sized monstrosity biting her skin, she left the proverbial gloves fall to the floor. With a burst of lightning, the Gifted left the Wind behind and 一 for the first time ever 一 May saw what a Guise truly was.

“[The Wind Announces]!” Imara shouted to the sky, the gale around her moving with such speed that Kreacher could do nothing to avoid being buffeted far by the power in the air. Mana left the fighter in waves, her Ability making the wind spin and whistle as it got faster and faster under the power of the Gift.

With Kreacher repelled, the sound of the wind screaming in their ears made Kreacher, Bel-Alis and May curl in pain, the gale lashing at their bodies with the force of whips.

“[A Storm is Coming]!” Imara finished, the grin on her face a feral thing as what wind was around her converted into lightning so intense Kreacher’s fur rose with the static. The blue bolts of electricity enveloped her arms and wrists, covering the wrapped cloth around them.

Her eyes, once a stormy gray, now gave space to the shine of lightning underneath, glowing like a bolt of energy drifting among the clouds.

The sky above them darkened with power, rainclouds gathering by Imara’s sheer willpower and mana, covering the sun like a blanket. As darkness grew, all May could see was the dazzling blue energy jumping and twisting around Imara’s shape. And with the speed it took for lightning to reach the earth, the woman moved.

Imara reappeared with the sound of thunder, kicking Kreacher and vaporizing two of their bodies in the process. What remained was an unconscious lizard and a rabbit so heavily wounded it wouldn’t last long.

The woman moved again, this time appearing in front of May and Bel-Alis, her mouth moving as she mumbled Ability names under her breath, summoning more of her power.

Her kick was about to strike May’s ribcage when another presence fell upon the garden, the aura of power stinking of the end of times and loneliness. Of abandonment and remains.

The fighter stopped on her heels, unable to move under the pressure of the ages falling on her shoulders. So paralyzed was she, that when the man appeared in front of her, she did not react to the slap on her cheek. The fact there was no mana to it ensured the humiliation.

“Retreat.” He simply ordered, his voice giving no space for arguments. His throat bulged and expanded, the long tongue licking his pointed, skewed teeth. To May, he looked like one of the frogs that showed up after the rain, skin the deep green color of moss and bulging eyes tinged with a grayness fully unnatural.

May wished she could see it closer, but the man gave them a spare glance and nothing more.

The one that stared at her, however, was the man May had previously seen walking among the rubble 一 of a race she did not know of. His skin was also green like the man that seemed to be their superior, although several shades lighter. His eyes were red and shiny and the pointed teeth on his mouth settled in two rows that showed when he smiled, long ears twitching.

“The Order of Amethyst was alerted. Our job is done.” The frog man said, taking the paralyzed body of Imara and the other companion in a fierce grip, just to vanish as suddenly as he appeared. All that was left behind was the stench of the end and a trio of ragged forms panting and swearing on the floor, two frozen by fear and the other deeply enraged that her plan wasn’t completed successfully.

“What the… fuck!” May swore, feeling the specter of Lady Sbertha gasping at her manners. But the situation required it more than any other 一 having a brush with death was something the matriarch had failed to teach a proper reaction to.

Bel-Alis gasped on the floor, bleeding all over the grass and unable to stand due to the pain in her side and foot. Kreacher, in the meantime, still lived 一 even if they seemed utterly terrified of the presence that had just shown up 一 although the two bodies that weren’t vaporized by the fighter’s lightning were wounded. The rabbit lost most of its ears and one leg, the left side of its head so deeply burned it had blackened the bone under what was white fur.

The lizard, in the meantime, was mostly unharmed. A few scorch marks and some scales that were crisped by the lightning, but the half-meter-long iguana remained whole and functional.

At least the reptile figure would prove more hygienic than the rat bodies. Or so May hoped.

“Leticia…” Bel-Alis moaned, face twisting in agony. “Get Leticia…”

Oh. Right. May got up from the grass, stumbling a little towards the prone, unconscious body of the elder siren. “Madam.” She poked the woman’s side, noticing the small breaths she took. Imara’s Ability had taken her out of combat, but she hadn’t finished the siren, finding the possible Relinquishment enough for repentance.

“Madam!” May said louder, taking the woman by the shoulders and shaking her with more strength. It was with a sigh of relief that May watched the fin ears of the siren twitch and her eyes flutter.

“Wha一what happened?” Leticia said, trying to get her bearings and feeling the sharp echo of the pain of Relinquishment on her chest.

“No time,” May said, cutting all of Leticia’s thoughts short and pointing to the prone form of the Priestess bleeding out in the garden. “Bel-Alis. Now!”

She helped Leticia get up and walk to Alis, but the way the brown skin of the siren looked so pale… May felt scared she would just faint on top of the Priestess if she pushed harder. The woman seemed exhausted.

Still, there was little time for concern. Now that the culprits left 一 and May had no opportunity to give them a piece of her mind… beyond poisoning and trying to kill one of them, of course 一 she seemed to be the best one around to take command of the situation.

Truly, Control was the best.

Poking Kreacher’s new body, the lizard gave her a half concerned, half terrified look. It boggled her mind how expressive animals became after Kreacher parasitized them.

“Go get Cathy and Miranda.” She pointed back to the house and the entrance area where the two attendants were left responsible for making clean bandages. “There’s nothing you can do here.”

“May, she’s一hurt.” They said, only now realizing the gravity of Bel-Alis’s wounds. To that, May simply picked the lizard up and turned it towards the mansion, making them unable to see the Priestess and the panting Madam Leticia.

“You want to help her? Get the bandages and the girls, Kreacher. Unless you have an Ability for healing. No? I thought so.”

The lizard swallowed once but seemed resigned to their role. Good.

May, hearing the animal’s legs walk away, turned to Madam Leticia. “What do you need?”

The woman, fingers deep into Bel-Alis’s side where the branch had impaled her, talked without losing focus. “A healing potion, dearest. At least two of them. And… some of the girls. The ones strong enough to help me here.”

“All right.” May nodded and left the siren to her work. Bel-Alis grunted and moaned under the pain and discomfort, but seemed largely able to survive the injuries. Her blood still flowed scarlet instead of the thicker and darker coloration May had associated with death.

Moving quickly through the remnants of the gravel pathways of the garden, May invaded the mansion through the glass doors that separated it, and the scene inside made that distaste for the carnage soar.

Five women ran from left to right, tending to the wounded patrons of the Plaza. Many had been hit by the debris or ended up with severe burns because of the flames.

The right-wing remained largely intact 一 not considering the cracks spreading through the walls of the place. Thankfully, that aquarium wall May had been so enchanted by before was made of some stern stuff, or they would have to worry about glass and water as well. Not considering the loss of the fish.

Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Could Kreacher become a fish as well? She had to ask if that was possible later.

Shaking her head to vanish the thoughts, May heard a few voices drifting towards her ears.

“How are the enchantments holding up?” One of the women said, applying some kind of red liquid to one of the wounded. The purpled bruise forming on their head vanished almost instantly, bringing him back to consciousness.

“They will keep the house up. The protective runes were blasted by the explosion, but the structural ones should hold.” One of the attendants May had previously seen on the central counter of the entrance hall explained, now standing with a magical glint to her eyes, examining an array of runes and spellwork that floated over her open palm.

“How long until help arrives?” A girl carrying a basin full of bloody water and dirty towels asked while throwing the liquid over a window.

“They left at the explosion, so it shouldn’t take long.”

The conversations happened simultaneously, many of them followed by pained grunts and moans as the wounded were moved or doused with more of the red liquid.

Noticing how busy they were, May did what she thought was the most assured way of getting someone's attention.

“Everyone!” She shouted as loudly as her lungs could, the veins around her neck bulging. “Madam Leticia needs help outside! We need some healing potions and capable staff!”

For a moment, the room froze, watching the young girl screech to the top of their lungs, her hair a mess of leaves, grass and pins. Their lack of reaction, however, only flared more of May’s temper.

“Well! What are you waiting for!?” She continued to shout, the embodiment of a head maid among novices, and the words successfully registered on their minds. What came after was a whirlwind of employees trying to help their boss, carrying different supplies out to the garden with the precision and speed of worker ants.

May cleaned the single proverbial tear she shed as a witness to the efficiency. Watching servants do their utmost job with such a degree of pride, going out of their way to help their superiors, was a balm to her wounded soul and body.

Nasty. Disgusting. Repulsive. The whispers barraged her with pointed words, to which May huffed in annoyance.

“Quiet, you! You didn’t see me complaining about the number of oils you guys used while bathing, did you?” May jabbed at them, getting an offended gasp in response.

Oils. Nice. Fruit. Good. Smell. They seemed to explain, although by the way the words almost faded at the end, she couldn’t help but think they were self-conscious of their requests.

“Yeah, but they make me sticky, and that is truly disgusting!”

They mumbled to themselves, but May couldn’t comprehend the words. Nevertheless, their embarrassed tone made it a small victory she enjoyed while walking back to the garden to a sight of true efficiency.

Kreacher had run back carrying a small bundle of bandages made by Cathy and Miranda 一 who May could see running into the garden with the rest of the supplies 一 and was handing them to Leticia as she dabbed her own scratches and cleaned the worst of Bel-Alis’s wounds. Two of the attendants were at the ready behind the manager, each one holding a vial of healing potion as the siren got ready to pull the remains of the branch still stuck to the Priestess.

The scream Alis gave as the wood was pulled from her body was enough to make Kreacher recoil in worry, circling her head like an anxious familiar. Still, Leticia used a mix of Ability and first-aid skills to take the splinters and other possible intrusive objects from the wound, before ordering the workers to both make Bel-Alis drink the potion and pour it into the circular wound.

Watching the purple skin of the Priestess regrow made even May let go a relieved sigh. In the end, this morning had been the most chaotic she had ever gone through.

Beyond that, it was a good morning all things considered. More power, more Abilities, more acquaintances. May felt satisfied with the way things were going.

Still, the work needed to return to the palace remained a beast in front of her 一 but one that she was winning over every time she grew and learned and changed.

Now, she still needed to get supplies, go to a dungeon 一 whatever that was 一 and learn more about the stormtouched and what they are. She grinned to the sky, that wild thing full of teeth and boldness. The Path was clear; potential once untapped now flowed freely as May felt her Truth in all its glory.

There was, in the end, nothing better than being in Control.