E4 quickly found that Marcus had alerted them with enough time to shower and put on street clothes. Marissa attempted to get her to wear an outfit made up of a chemise, leather corset, long coat, and a ruffled knee length skirt that paired with leather boots. She wore similar, though being taller the skirt was shorter on her, and her corset was dyed bright yellow to match the yellow script sewn into the boots, top hat, leather gloves, and onto the cuffs of the coat. E4 declined, going for the more conservative maid uniform.
Getting off the Train E4’s first surprise was to see how many people there were. Men and woman seemed to be everywhere, mostly wearing grays and tan, but blue and green accents were common. Black seemed reserved for hats, though she immediately noticed two men in black uniforms. Each wore a black overcoat with copper trim and silver buttons. One carried a rifle on his back, and both had black clubs studded with silver. A moment later one stared at her, the light catching off his black cap and shining in her single eye. Marcus took her hand and lead her into the crowd as she blinked away the spots.
“Don’t stare at the constables.” Marcus whispered. “They can sense it and it makes them upset.”
“That’s a scary thought.” E4 replied. Immediately her three instincts disagreed. One was perfectly happy to be right by her Master, and was making her blush from the fact he was holding her hand. The second wanted to go around the town, finish her errands, and enjoy the day. The third agreed with the second, so many humans to just be around. It made her stomach growl, which reminded her they hadn’t had lunch yet. This sent the first two instincts into a tizzy about making food. “Is it common for my instincts to fight?”
“Fight, over what?” Marcus asked, leading her further into the crowd. She noticed a fountain honoring the first and second High captains. The first was a bold looking man with a noble mustache. He stood with one hand outstretched and holding up a cutlass, a werewolf like creature carved from stone beneath his foot. The statue was made from marble yet the blade was made from silver and its handle rusted iron. The second was made from slate, and held a rusty maul over his shoulder that matched his long rusty beard. The whole thing was surrounded by an odd contraption made up of four pillars constructed from brass and steel that rotated around the device. “And why are you blushing?”
“Master Marcus, you’re holding my hand.” E4 squeezed his hand, causing the first set of instincts to jump off of food and go back to swooning.
“Um,”
“It’s alright.” E4 squeezed his hand in response. “I remember reading a lot of romance novels before becoming Aether Blessed, and a lot of those involve a maid falling in love with her master, and they always involve him taking her to the big city. Just like in those books the maid has never been, and she has an experience that changes her entire life. It’s probably just a holdover but it feels like I’m living one right now.” She smiled, and that made Marcus blush. “Master, are you alright?” She put a hand to his forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”
“E4, are you cheating on me already?” Marissa asked, stepping through the crowd. “Marcus, I am shocked.” She spoke, putting a hand over her mouth. “To think you would try to steal E4 away from me already? In a week I would understand, but it hasn’t even been a day since I got her into bed.”
“No, I,” A moment later both girls began to laugh. “Marissa!”
“Oh hush, we’re drawing a crowd.” She stole E4’s hand away from her brother and whisked her away. “Come on, you can’t go on a romantic date with my brother already. Not on your first visit to Los London.”
“Mistress, have we been here before?” E4 asked. As Marissa lead her down the streets, pointing out a church here, a notable restaurant there, she realized she recognized several of them. “This place seems familiar.”
“We have, you’re probably picking up on the old E4’s memories.” She paused. “You know, you should really pick a name. E4 is a designation, not a name. Even the old E4 had a name. I can’t tell you what it was since I can’t pronounce it,”
“Ere’th’var. I get the feeling it was Here The Varghoul, though don’t ask me what a varghoul is.” E4 replied. “But I like E4, it’s easy to remember.” She realized they had wandered onto a bridge. Looking around she saw a few tired looking vendors manning different carts, and folks milling around them. Despite the shadows that covered their eyes, most moved with purpose. In the distance she saw a massive clock-tower, its hands glowing with Aether so they could be seen through the myst. “It’s like calling someone Doc or Cook, it’s a profession but it’s also a name. I had a mentor who everyone called Doc, and no one called him by his real name.” A mischievous look found its way into her eye. “And you don’t mind if I call you Mistress, do you Mistress?”
“Well,” Marissa blushed. “Shoot, I shouldn’t have let you maids read all those romance books. Why weren’t you this flirty before you were blessed?”
E4 chuckled before turning back to the river. It seemed to flow through the entire city. A tear welled up beneath the bandages, and when she wiped it away she noticed a tiny wriggling ravager isopod had come out with it. She flicked the bug into the water. It would live or not, Ravager isopods were hardy, but not sentient. If it was lucky it would find a host, or take root somewhere. “Who can say? Objectively I can say I’m acting like the first girl to die in a horror movie, but my life on Earth was a horror movie, and I survived until at least the third film.”
“And we live in a horror movie here too.” Marissa replied. She gestured, towards a group of three boats, each bearing a candle. E4 watched them float, then traced them back towards a young man who had released them. He had his tri-cornered hat in his hands, his blue coat and matching pants trimmed in tan. E4 noticed his skin was deeply tanned, and his face was marked by red paint in several symbols she couldn’t trace. Pointed ears poked from his hair.
“What’s he doing?”
“It’s a ritual. When one of your teammates passes you make a paper boat and light a candle. You affix a charm that belonged to your team mate to the boat, and you set it loose. Legend has it if the candle remains lit until the boat washes ashore you will be reunited with your lost companion in your next life.” She smiled. “It’s a pretty thought, but I wouldn’t put much stock in it.”
Half way across the bridge was an island, upon which sat a large building made from brick and mortar, metal pillars capping each of the five corners. As E4 approached lightning dropped from the sky and struck a rod far above. The scent of ozone filled the air, and Marissa took a deep breath.
“Well here’s the place, The Well Regulated Rest. Might want to turn down the flirting, might not be well received.” E4 nodded. Approaching the door E4 noticed what was either a man in seriously heavy armor or an automaton with a human form standing guard. It was made from some manner of brass though a strange steel armor formed a vest and arm guards. This odd metal seemed translucent at a glance, yet as E4 got closer she noticed that it was merely a trick of the light. On its chest it bore a symbol of a golden rod being struck by two lightning bolts forming a Y shape. Above the symbol were the words “Might be a myth,” and beneath, “might be The Myst.”
“Two seek to walk the fog.”
“Proceed.” A mechanical voice replied. The door folded in on itself allowing them passage. Immediately E4 was struck by the smell of tobacco smoke and the sour smell of alcohol.
“Hey boys, anyone order some entertainment?” A muscular man with a shaved head called, sipping from a mug as large as his head. E4 immediately noticed the room was full of tough looking men and a few tough looking women. To the last they were armed, and most wore some form of armor be it a chain shirt of tough leathers. A few wore matching colors, but most did not. No one wore full plate, and despite her expectation no one wore clerical robes or carried a magical staff.
There was a woman in a witch’s hat with a cat on her shoulder, but she was behind the counter serving drinks. Immediately E4 noticed she could see the woman’s eyes, blue and piercing. She checked the other occupants, to the last all she saw were shadows.
“Only the witch… woman in the black dress is Aether Blessed.” E4 said quietly. As she spoke the woman flashed her a smile. E4 half expected her to have a mouth half full of crooked yellow teeth, yet every tooth was present and accounted for. They even gleamed with a bit of Aether, and to the last they were all perfectly straight. The cat let out a meow, and hopped down before running towards them. With an impressive leap it jumped into Marissa’s arms.
“Call a rose by any other name, it’ll still prick you if you grab it.” E4 started as the cat spoke, before she noticed the small device on its collar. “The name’s Matilda, and what’s a Myst Folk like you doing in here?”
“But, this place is full of Myst Folk.” E4 stammered.
“E4 just recently swallowed a soul, we’re here to get her registered and charged.”
“Purrrfect.” The cat jumped down and lead them towards a desk where a bored looking man in a leather jerkin with black sleeves and a blacker beard was mixing some kind of drink. His shadowed eyes cast over them with mild interest.
“Sign your name here. If you can’t read have your friend read it to you and just make a mark on the back. If she can’t read Matilda can explain it to you.” He handed a piece of paper to her. E4 read it over, finding it was a contract. She took a few minutes, finding a few clauses she asked the man to clarify, which he did not but Marissa did.
“So, what’s stopping an Aether Blessed from stealing the evidence of a successful hunt?” E4 asked. She pointed to another clause. “It looks like that’s the only way to get paid.”
“Nothing really, but if you make a habit of it you’re going to end up on the wrong side of a blade soon enough.” Marissa replied. She took a small bag from her coat and pulled forth several goblin ears, half a dozen skulls, and what looked like long blue feathers. The man behind the bar counted them and passed her a weighty bag of coin. She weighed it in her hand before placing it in her bag. “A good name is worth more than a sack of coin in this business.” She passed a few coins back to the man. “We need to get my companion charged.”
The man eyed E4. “She hasn’t signed yet, can’t make her a Regulator if she hasn’t agreed. Can’t turn a Myst Folk into a regulator anyhow, they’ll just burn up.” E4 continued reading, and noted a clause that she attested she was Aether Blessed. Finding nothing more amiss she signed. “Alright. “Hey W2!” A woman in a blue dress and white apron approached. Her dress reached almost to the floor and was spun from gray wool, though it had a long slit up the side to provide access to the long blade strapped to her thigh. Her apron bulged with ingredients in small glass bottles. She looked older, with short black hair in a bob. “New Regulator, take her to the basement and get her hooked up to the machine.”
“Yes brother.” The waitress replied. E4 had the feeling that if she could have seen the woman’s eyes they would be dead. Yet she stiffly lead them towards a heavy wooden door then down the stone steps.
“Is this safe?” E4 asked.
“Pretty safe. Arnold is a little strange, but he isn’t a bad guy.”
Beneath the pub E4 saw a large room made from steel and concrete. Large metal machines connected by tubes and wires stared back at her, their dials and gauges foreign and arcane to her eyes. Bottles of various compounds sat on shelves, their ingredients scrawled in somewhat legible hand writing. Upon the wall was a large flag of alternating red and white stripes and in the left corner a ring of 14 stars sat upon a blue background. Beneath the flag a man in a white overcoat and thick goggles stared at a map with dozens of pieces on it. He leaned on a cane that seemed to have unnecessary clockwork and a some kind of tubing attached to it.
“What’s this then, a couple a’ street walkers coming into my apothecary?” The man turned from his map and adjusted his goggles to look at Marissa. “Don’t remember calling a girl, mind must be going. How are you doing harlot?”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“Doing alright you old smuggler.” Marissa replied as the two clasped hands in greeting. E4 watched the exchange in mild confusion. “How’s your little war going?”
“Would be going a lot better if I got the recognition I deserved, but that’s politics for you.” He looked over at E4. “Who’s this then? One of your maids? Did the elixirs finally work?”
“Sadly no, E4 here managed to swallow a soul. We’re here to get her charged, maybe break some of the hold The Myst has on her. Maybe she’ll take a name rather than a code.”
Arnold got to work on some of his machines, adjusting dials. “About how tall are you miss?”
“170 centimeters, 70 kg” E4 replied.
“Alright,” He pulled on a set of handles and a device that looked disturbingly like a steel coffin with several capacitors and gauges bolted on followed. “And don’t feel bad about not using your name. Lots of folks don’t, isn’t that right?” He shot Marissa a look, which she didn’t return. “Took me years to get over the shame my name brought, but I did it.” He paused, thinking. “You’re not Myst Cursed, are you?”
“I don’t know what that is.” E4 replied.
“Well lots of folks who come down here are Aether Blessed. They can take in Myst, turn it to Aether, and perform feats of power the folks in my day would call witchcraft. Not that I’d turn it down, could have given the old king a real headache, might have even gotten that promotion I deserved. Let’s see them deny me, sorry. Rambling.” He opened the coffin and E4 winced at the burn marks within. “Myst Cursed tend to be stuck where they are. If we leave, the city tends to fall apart, sometimes literally.”
“I seem to be able to move around.” E4 replied.
“Then probably you’re not. If you were, well, getting in here would probably be both painful and pointless.” He paused. “Ok, now strip.”
“Excuse me?” E4 asked.
“Your body is infused with Aether, your clothes not so much.” He shot a look to Marissa who shook her head. “Anything you wear while inside isn’t coming out with you afterwards.”
“Should have worn the skirt I offered.” Marissa replied with a smirk. She fished around in her pocketbook and pulled out a towel. “Here, this is infused with Aether, it should survive. Changing room is over there.” She gestured to a side room. E4 quickly changed and entered the machine. It hummed lightly, and to her relief despite the several metal components it was slightly warm. She gripped onto the metal hand holds and placed her feet on the contacts.
“Are you sure this is safe? It reminds me of a more horrible electric chair.”
“Ah, is Edison’s monstrosity still taking lives on Earth?” Arnold asked. “I heard of that from another Aether Blessed. Had a devil of a time getting him in the machine.”
“No, execution is normally done by hollow point, or ISC-9 if you’re unlucky.” With that the coffin closed. E4 took a deep breath and began to hum. The isopod currently growing replied and her vision in one eye flashed a few times.
It was only then she remembered she was still wearing the eyepatch. As the coffin flooded with mist she quickly grabbed it with one hand and removed it. Her hair stood on end as she gripped the hand holds and held on.
The machine started with a light tingling sensation. It reminded E4 of Marissa’s little game earlier. Then the sensation became stronger, her limbs twitching. Her right eye began flashing as the isopod seemed to react strangely to the machine. From the amount of serotonin and endorphans it was sending it was either quite happy with her or she was taking a lot of damage. It was at that moment E4 thought of something.
“Wait, if I can survive due to the Aether, but my clothing can’t,” She paused. “Oh shoot.” She began banging on the machine. “Hey, hey!”
Then everything went white. For a single moment E4 felt her body go white hot, then ice cold. She felt her hands twitch, and split. She registered a pressure building in her skull, then heard a loud CRACK and felt a sharp pain as if something had erupted from within.
As soon as it began it was over. E4 blinked twice, and on the second blink she could see with her right eye. As she did words seemed to appear before her eyes.
[[Mara is watching you. Welcome back Erin Johnson, I’ve missed you - Red Queen]] E4 grinned at the message. She whispered a prayer of thanks as she made a gesture to pull up her self diagnostic. She felt the isopod, not just in her eye anymore but in her skull and down her spine, begin to twitch. She reached up and pushed the coffin open to find the basement empty. “Hello?” She called, wrapping the towel around her. She looked around, quickly finding her clothes in the changing room. She dressed quickly, finding the clothes a bit tighter and shorter than she remembered. The torso of the dress strained a bit, and the skirt was a good bit shorter, reaching just barely to her knees.
“Ok, either Marissa swapped out my clothes, or I gained a few centimeters.” E4 considered. “Could be either.” She also found a short black wig and a white cap. She felt her head, finding smooth skin. “I guess hair probably would burn off after all that, it being dead,” She felt something hard protruding from her head. “Horns?” She felt them, a pair of horns protruding from a bit above and behind her ears before sweeping towards the front forming a pseudo halo. “That was fast, don’t tell me I have,” A long sinuous tail with a small triangular tip on the end whipped around, handing her the shoes Marissa had left for her. Her tail was flesh colored and descended from a bit above the base of her spine. She quickly counted her fingers, five with a thumb on either side to make seven. Checking her face in a small mirror she found She saw that her left eye now shone an emerald green while her right was an amethyst purple, with both the slit pupil of a cat and the horizontal box of a goat. As she looked the eye twitched, causing her cat’s eye to swell slightly as the world became uncomfortably bright as well as devoid of all color. Blinking to reset her vision E4 placed her shoes on the ground again, and with barely a thought her tail whipped out and grabbed them for her, the shoes sticking to it like a magnet. E4 made a gesture, and a bit of telekinesis pulled them from her tail to her hand, her horns easing the process as they acted as little radio antenna. “Ok, that works. Doesn’t explain how a year’s worth of growth happened in a few moments. Good thing I’m used to a tail, or this could get problematic.” As she put on the shoes she found this set adjusted size using a clever set of straps, which was fortunate as her feet had grow a few additional joints. While her heels were currently retracted, she could extend them if she needed to grip something.
[[Diagnostic protocols complete. Unknown particulate identified as Myst.]] Her hand tapped against her leg, sensitivity was slightly heightened from what she was used to, but it was not painful. E4 nodded. [[Myst had been observed to spontaneously become a volatile energy tentatively identified as Aether in contact with host body. Exposure to Aether has caused host body to be destroyed and spontaneously reconstructed through unknown means. Ravager isopod was likewise affected. Host synergy has been completed. Preliminary observations indicate the body is in a constant state of collapse as it converts Myst to Aether and gathers more Myst from the surrounding area. Further research is needed to adequately integrate Aether and ATP generation. Connect to Wise Mind system to accelerate this process. I will be working on that in the mean time. Hang tight.]]
“Ok, that makes sense, sort of.” E4 whipped her tail around and held it in her now seven fingered hand. “Just have to figure out how to explain why I have a tail and horns. She’s mentioned a group of wizards from a coast. Hey Red, think she’d buy I’m a tiefling?”
[[Roll the bones, hope for a 20]]
She adjusted the wig and hid her tail beneath her skirt. Thankfully it was relatively thin and flexible, allowing her to wrap it around her waist like a belt a few times. E4 didn’t remember it being this long, but it was certainly as flexible as she remembered.
Stepping out of the basement E4 found the pub was closed, though she could hear quiet snoring coming from above. Moving quietly she found the second floor had several rooms, all occupied. Listening she could hear the sound of breathing, but it seemed everyone was asleep, save one room where two individuals were speaking quietly. She didn’t recognize their voices, so she took the time to look around the pub.
It was pretty obvious it catered to a rough crowd. All the tables were bolted to the floor and edged with metal. The chairs too were wood and metal, which E4 figured would make them brutal weapons if need be. She noticed a light from behind the bar, and quickly jumped the bar to investigate. Crouched over a ledger Arnold was working feverishly on balancing his accounts.
“You are up late.” He whipped around, raising his cane which opened up to reveal both a barrel and a bayonet. “Woah, easy.” E4 stepped back. “I saw the light.”
“Who are you, how did you get in here?” He demanded. “Know that I have a dozen hard men ready to see you out.”
“Easy, I’m E4. The maid who you left in the coffin down stairs.” E4 eyed the cane gun, was it loaded? Probably. Could she snatch it out of his hand? She watched his eye twitch. “Please don’t shoot me.”
Arnold adjusted his goggles. “Oh, didn’t recognize you. Didn’t expect you to be up until morning.” He lowered the weapon, the bayonet refolding and the barrel covered again by the base of the cane. “Are you feeling alright, no pins and needles? No unusual growths or numbness?”
“I’m a little taller than I remember, and a few other, minor issues.” Arnold chuckled. “What?”
“Are your clothes feeling a bit tight, maybe a more than a bit around the chest?” E4 nodded. “Tell your sponsor she owes me 3 coin when she returns.” E4 tilted her head. “She knows why, I won’t ruin it.” He closed his book. “Now normally I’d have Matilda do a reading, get your MIST score and have you decide your path, but she’s dead to the world at this hour. I’d offer you a room for the night, get your score in the morning, but we’re full.” A sly grin crossed his face. “Of course, you could share my bed.”
“I’ll pass. Just point me towards the train yards and I’ll find Marissa’s car. Worst case scenario I’ll just wander the streets until morning, wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I wouldn’t recommend that, pretty girl like you would just be calling for The Ripper.”
“Jack the Ripper is here?” E4 asked.
“The name changes, the manifesto changes, but the killings remain.” He fished around behind his desk and found a small metal badge. He flipped it to E4, who caught it with her telekinesis. “Your Regulator badge. It won’t stop The Ripper, but it should keep the coppers off your back for being out late at night. You sure I can’t convince you to stay the night?”
E4 considered it. She eyed the table, and a creeping feeling descended her spine. “Alone in a city, hostile law enforcement, and some creep trying to put me in a grave.” She pocketed the badge. “Won’t be the first time, might as well roll the bones.”
Slipping out the door E4 was quickly struck by how peaceful the city was. Even though the city had electric lights it seemed no one was up, and only every third street light was actually on. In the distance she saw a glow, towards the center of the city, yet from the directions Arnold had given her the train station was in the opposite direction. E4 considered sleeping on one of the tables for the night, but the idea didn’t sit right with her. That, and she felt a pull. A faint chittering sound called out to her, and she had a good idea who or what was making it.
As she walked the cobblestone streets E4 noticed the mist begin to thicken around her. She made a gesture and extended her claws. From the tip of each finger a hidden claw shot forth, thin and just sharp enough to scratch unprotected skin. There was a moment’s pause before each projected a field of telekinetic force half a meter long, razor sharp, and visible only by the sheen of ravager toxin suspended within the barrier. Even less visible but still discernible to E4 a subtle barrier coated her hands to protect them from blood splatter. With a gesture she slashed through the fog, and was surprised to notice some of it was not just parted but actually vanished.
“Wait, how does that work?” E4 tried it a few more times, cutting into the mist, or Myst as she realized. A tiny bit of light, a faint distortion invisible save for the fact it seemed brighter, seemed to form along the edge of her claws. “Am I actively turning Myst to Aether?” She paused, thinking. “I’ll have to ask Marissa, or maybe Mara will be better.” She closed her eyes and listened to the chittering. It was distant, beyond what she should have been able to hear. She smiled, just imagining Mara cramped in the waste section of the train car. Were Mara anyone else E4 was sure she’d catch flack, but Mara was nothing if not practical.
With that thought E4 broke into a run, willing ATP to fuel her legs, or was it Aether? “Aether or ATP, more questions for later.” She whispered, her own voice reverting to a chittering sound. Bound after bound strong legs ate through the cobblestones, before a whiff of blood tore her from her run. “Huh, what’s that?” E4 sniffed, and like a bloodhound followed the scent towards an alley. “Ok, either I’m about to get attacked, or this is the scene where a jogger finds a body.” She reached for her med kit, only to remember she was in a maid outfit. “Definitely going to have to fix that. Hopefully this is just a dog or something.”
It was at that moment two things happened. First, E4 remembered she hadn’t seen a dog since she woke up in her body though she had seen a few horses. Second, she stumbled upon two humanoid figures crouching over the body. Immediately her claws were out.
“Alright you ghouls, I think you’ve finished your meal.” E4 spoke. One of the ghouls looked up, and E4 paused. Its skin was pallid and gaunt, yet despite the jaundice its eyes were clear and cunning. Fresh blood dripped from its lips, and when it grinned E4 could see its teeth were filed to points “Oh, oh my, didn’t mean that literally.” She instinctively stepped back, even as her voice instinctively adopted a frightened inflection. Her hands shivered with fear she did not feel, her instincts portraying the image of a terrified and helpless maid. Yet even unnerved as she was her eyes were open, her stance wide, and her claws were ready.
Without a shout or any other sign the ghoul charged her. E4 had but a moment to be unnerved. With its dead eyes the creature showed no sign of aggression, no sign of fear, only hunger. It lashed out with claws still stained with the blood of the woman lying on the ground.
E4 rebuked the creature with her own claws, a quick sidestep removing her from its lunge and a gesture of the wrist leaving a deep cut into its side. Any human would have at least their lung punctured, but this creature seemed not to care. It landed hard, in a way E4 figured would at least injure a human, yet it got right back up with nothing but a hacking cough that brought forth a fountain of blood. “So you feel no pain.”
The ghoul growled at her spitting out another fountain of blood, yet its second attempt was slower, as if it was more leaping than sprinting. Its razor sharp claws outstretched only to catch air, and with a quick spin E4’s tail lashed out and severed the creature’s head just before a kick sent it flying. With a low gurgle the ghoul fell, and began to evaporate. “In a battle of claws, never bet against a ravager.”
[[High density Myst detected.]] E4 took a deep breath. [[High density Myst is being converted to Aether at a rapid rate. Aether storage insufficient for continued generation.]] E4 felt a prolonged tingling spread through her body, like she was being shocked from all over. She pointed at the remaining ghoul, still enjoying its meal.
“Guess I’d better burn some energy.” E4 spoke, electricity arcing between her two right thumbs as she positioned her other fingers behind the arc. “Bio-lightning.”