--- NETUN, FIVE MONTHS LATER ---
Netun watched as the mushrooms flawlessly formed together, the streams of fungus and various constructions weaving into a likeness of a person. He’d successfully talked to Aymiae before this, but he could safely say that it was only thanks to Taasen’s contributions that she didn’t have any lingering mental problems after the long state of miniscule mass.
Taasen was intriguing in his own way, which is to say absolutely invaluable. He knew things about the true word of Justice that Netun could only have guessed at before, and he lived that word to the letter, his only problem being that he might be considered too dedicated.
Netun shook his head at the memory of that conversation, gently poking at a bit of mushroom that was forming a misshapen lump on one side since she’d requested he do that. Aymiae obediently killed the offending section and started a new one.
Netun glanced up as the door moved open a crack, a face peeking out for a bit before it closed a moment later. Fora was getting impatient, or at least, her clone was. It was feeling less and less like she was a clone the longer she was active, and all of them expected that it would just get more strange the longer it went on.
But today was a joyous day, because today Aymi was finally going to be back in something resembling top form. There was a sheet covering most of the forming body, just to keep things from feeling weird, and they’d all donated some blood to her whenever they could. Except for Fora who didn’t have any blood at the moment seeing as she was dead, and any evildoers they’d come across that didn’t deserve to live had been ah… well anyway Aymi was back and that’s what mattered.
Netun prodded another slightly misshapen section and Aymi hastily fixed it. She didn’t used to have so many flaws in her growth, she’d been almost like an artist. But now she was back to the fumbling state of a novice because of the horrible treatment of the Mis-born Dragon.
He glanced at the door again as Taasen peeked in, he examined the growth for a moment before nodding curtly in that way of his, and whispering for some reason. “Your mushrooms are the most… speed bound fungal structures that I have ever had the pleasure to see, very strong too.”
The growth sped up noticeably.
They’d noticed early on that Aymi was more perceptive to Taasen’s… Taasen-ness than almost anyone else he tried it on, Netun wasn’t certain if that was because her mind was still healing and the Divarian had been slowly helping her out through the beginning of it, or if Aymi was just more perceptive to others.
Netun had long since given up on understanding how Taasen’s ability worked though. He knew that all Divarians had it, but he honestly doubted that anyone had refined it to the sheer level that Taasen had. Taasen had actually laughed at Netun when he’d asked if it was possible he’d just been born with a greater ability. Apparently in Divaria they all started with the exact same seed, it was the cultivation of it that brought this forth. That had been the first and only time that Netun had heard Taasen laugh.
Regardless, Netun had asked Taasen to keep his input to a minimum, he didn’t want to accidentally harm the still relatively young growth.
He prodded another lumpy piece and heard the door close again, Taasen leaving.
Netun sighed as the door opened again, the newest addition to their group peeking in, Irean had just sort of… appeared a month ago, demanding that they let her help them. She’d heard from someone that Aymi was alive, and hadn’t even hesitated two days before spending the last four months trying to get Steris to tell her where they were.
Apparently she’d been offered an apprenticeship quite a while ago, but Aymi’s disappearance had put a block in that. Irean though, she hadn’t given up just because of that, she’d spent the last fourteen years diligently studying magic and whatever professions she could get her hands on. She’d even gotten married to a nice scribe, but she’d simply… taken him with her.
Netun glanced at the tuvei peeking in before shaking his head at everyone’s antics and prodding another section that didn’t quite look right. Aymi was on the hands now, and Netun remembered fondly how Aymi had kept trying to remove that stubborn fifth finger. He contemplated asking if she remembered that, but he didn’t want to distract her in the middle of her first body in over a decade.
Aymi, however, didn’t share his opinion. She sent amusement through her spores, ~I kind of want to try doing only four again…~
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward, ~Come on, Aymi, do you want to be stuck with useless hands?~
~It was just a thought!~
Netun sent amusement and then a light rebuke to remind her to keep going before he closed the link.
--- AYMIAE ---
It felt strange to have a body again. It felt strange to be able to hear again, to see.
Aymi blinked at the light in the ceiling, she probably hadn’t given her eyes enough light processing power, but they were working and that’s what mattered at the moment. She could fix things later or make a new body once she gathered more mass.
Her gaze moved around the room to the various faces there, some she recognized and some she didn’t, but Aymi felt her gaze linger on one person as she sat up.
Fari. She looked about sixteen or so, it was strange to think of her having been a child again while Aymi was gone.
Aymi opened her mouth, “I’m sorry that I-”
Fari hugged her, squeezing tightly, “Nope nope, it was entirely my fault, you don’t get to take all the blame.”
Suddenly everyone was hugging her. Netun, Irean, Fari. It was tight and warm, but it was a good hug. Aymi found herself smiling. “Th-thanks!” She managed to get out, a bit breathless.
They finally let her go, most of them smiling. It was nice to be surrounded by friends.
“It is a pleasure to meet you.” A human man she didn’t recognise said, inclining his head. His skin was tinted blue and she could see faint snowflake like patterns across it, almost like he had frostbite. “I am Taasen.”
Oh, Taasen! Netun had told her about him. There was only so much that he could relay though, for one she’d expected him to be taller… “Thanks for telling us about Kalteii, it should make interpreting my oath much easier.”
Netun nodded ruefully. “We were kind of stumbling in the dark before that.”
Taasen tilted his head slightly, “Something is-”
A new voice appeared before he could finish. It was powerful, though it was near the middle range with a feminine inflection. Aymi jerked her head toward the sound, the rest of them doing the same as the words sank into their very beings. “I admire your dedication.”
Fari stared at the newcomer with her mouth agape for several seconds, looking like she was a bit weak in the knees, “That rune…”
The woman standing in front of them was a pure silver that shined brighter than the stars and the moon. Aymi got the feeling that it was only weaker than the sun because this creature had commanded it to be. Her skin was a pale white like snow, her hair a shade of silver with slight hints of blue. Her eyes were like deep storms that examined all of their souls and found them lacking. When she smiled her smile wasn’t warm, and yet it wasn’t cruel, it simply was.
She also was clearly a creature so powerful that Aymi was surprised they didn’t all simply die upon contact. “I am Kalteii,” She said, “and I have been watching your group for quite some time.”
Netun knelt down immediately, followed closely by a stumbling Aymiae and a graceful Irean. Taasen didn’t move, he simply nodded as if this was to be expected. Fari fell over, Aymi suspected that she’d fainted.
Kalteii strode around the room, examining them, “I’ll admit that none of you are perfect, however any deity who seeks for followers who have no more progress to make is simply an idiot. You have all been dedicating your lives quite nicely to JUSTICE. As such I am accepting you fully. You may call on my authority.”
She stopped at the other end of the room and each of them got back to their feet, feeling helpless before a force such as this. “Aymiae, I sense that you have a pressing question.”
Aymi fumbled for a moment with her words, her eyes still blinking wildly at the sheer amount of light. “Did you save me?”
“I don’t often intervene with affairs, but I have brought each of you to this point, knowing that you have what it takes. You are all capable of taking pain, you are all capable of seeing balance, you are all capable of giving pain to those who deserve it. So yes Aymiae, I did save you, and I will continue to give you what you require in order to become what the world needs.”
Her gaze was sharp, but it softened the slightest bit as it met Aymi’s almost terrified gaze before she glanced down at Fari’s unconscious form, where it sharpened once again. “Foralen, however, has been claimed by another. I would like to have said that I considered claiming her first, but she would not have had what I needed.”
Aymi blinked, “Another? Who?”
“Decay attempted something, but I believe Balance or possibly Mercy has the claim, I could see Cycle or Change doing so, possibly even Debts… Regardless I am not fully aware of who, only that she has been claimed.”
There was silence for a long moment. Kaleii shook her head slightly at Fari and glanced at each of them in turn. “Prepare yourselves, soon there will be JUSTICE.”
And then she was gone.
A piece of paper floated down from the air where she’d been. Taasen picked it up, blinking at the words.
“‘Gium is mine to deal with, please focus your efforts elsewhere.’” Taasen sighed, “I suppose Kalteii herself is certainly more suited to the task than I would be.”
Aymi blinked at him, “Wait you were planning on killing the god of order?!”
“He is a deceiver.”
“I agree but still.”