There was an air of disappointment radiating from the dryad at Alanna's refusal. It was concerning enough that the druidess was considering just leaving. She had no idea what the fluids would be needed for and it sound quite unsanitary. However, watching the dryad across from her manipulate nature to grow and create objects from living wood, it was difficult to pass on the opportunity.
She stared hard at the dryad who had yet to answer her question. "Well what about the other options? Why do you want my fluids in the first place?" Alanna queried. Lulura looked to the Queen then back toward Alanna. My kind, much like all of nature requires nourishment to grow. I am comfortably living withing this worlds natural cycle but with a bit of your essence I can grow even more. My preference is to receive it during coitus as it is the most potent. However, blood in enough volume is just as good. Saliva is the least I am willing to accept as it will have the least essence but from a Druid with such an ancient soul, even that will be a boon to me."
Alanna looked toward Queen Medb who just nodded. That was not really the reaction she was hoping for as it could mean that the dryad is being truthful or she should accept. "To vague," she thought. "So you want my blood or saliva to grow. I can understand that but what will it do to me? I do not plan to be drained like a succubi snack." The amusement of the dryad was palpable and even the queen seemed to be affected. You may have heard tales of my kind and that is not an unreasonable fear if you were just an average human. They are full of essence as all life is. Yet theirs is very weak. A sip of your blood is equal to draining a human. Two sips and I will have enough energy to grow my tree a few meters. When my tree grows, I grow."
If the deal would not harm her other than a bit of blood, Alanna could agree to that. She was hesitant to give saliva as she was afraid as to how the dryad would wish to retrieve it. She was not certain spitting on her would be viable. She looked to the queen who nodded that this was truth which Alanna found comforting. "I see." Alanna said and took a deep breath to center herself. "I agree that you can have a bit of my blood for the training. However, it will not exceed more than two sips." The dryad's eyes narrowed. "Seven," she countered. Alanna shook her head. "You have already explained how much growth you will receive from my essence. I will allow you one sip every other day and depending how I feel after a week of training we can renegotiate." She said firmly.
Lulura's eyes widened and she thought about the request then nodded her acceptance of the deal. She reached out a hand to which Alanna accepted. A thin sharp vine snaked out and bit into Alanna's wrist. The druid grimaced but did not remove her hand from the clasp. The vine went from a brown to a vibrant green when Alanna felt a bit of energy drain from her. She felt a touch of mental and physical fatigue but it was not overwhelming her. The dryad let out a rather improper sound that was somewhere between a purr and moan then released Alanna's hand.
The two staggered for opposite reasons as Alanna experienced fatigue while Lulura experienced ecstasy. They stumbled back into their seats where Alanna shook off the feeling. The dryad was not faring quite so well and she waved her hand so that the doorway appeared back into the tree with the stairway headed down. "Come back tomorrow after midday and we can begin. I need to process this and you need to recuperate." The dryad said.
The morning training the following day saw a few more additions into the spear and staff kata that Sétanta threw into the routines. Alanna's grasp of this weapon was quickly approaching a higher proficiency than Sétanta was able to instruct. He had been awed at her ability with the spear and began to think she was Lugh reborn rather than the myths that said he was. That would make it rather awkward as Lugh was supposedly his father according to what his mother told him. That was probably also untrue but many chose to believe it and Sétanta honestly did not know or care. He was sure he would find out when his time stuck in the shadow lands was over. It was irritating to be here and under this queen's thumb. Yet when the person you oppose turns out to be a minor deity the afterlife gets a bit questionable. After a century things seemed to relax but the first century was difficult as she still had some rage at her being thrown into the otherworld by a hard piece of cheese. "Turning it into a necklace was an odd choice though." He thought to himself as he admired the exquisite form his student was showcasing.
Allana groaned in frustration as she tried to exert control over the wild growth spell she just cast. She could barely feel a tether from herself to the plant that looked like a bramble with ivy vines growing from beneath it and extending to either sides like some sort of plant monster. She knew there was a connection but she could not even understand where it was attached to her. It felt like it was somewhere near her heart or perhaps a bit lower in her abdomen. Yet, she could not see it even when dryad gave her the approximate location for where she should feel it in her core.
Alanna had been feeling extremely positive after her morning training. She had learned additional moves and even though Sétanta was overly adulatory at her comprehension, which would usually annoy her, she had been quite happy. Now though, now she was getting a migraine while trying to find a core that was somewhere in her upper body, to manipulate the growth she created at the cost of mana. She had cast the spell somewhere in the range of 8-13 times and was running low on mana yet she still had no idea where the tether connected to.
It was supposed to be something she instinctually could feel according to Lulura. However, those instincts were clearly missing from the druidess who had a total of no teachers in this field as their had not been any available for nearly a millennium in the overworld. She was a bit offput by the loss of knowledge that the world used to have nut given the history of one of her countries she couldn't be surprised, sad sure, but not surprised.
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Lulura walked up behind Alanna and once again put her hands on the druid's body. Alanna closed her eyes and prayed to all the gods she knew of to give her patience with this creature. The dryad continued to touch and hold and rub against her which was not only unwelcomed but extremely counterproductive to the concentration she was trying to commit to. The faery were some seriously overly sexual beings and it was getting a bit old. She grit her teeth as the dryad's hands grasped her shoulders and squeezed them in a massage then ran her hands down her arms.
Alanna was just about to snap out in anger when the dryad clasped her hand and let a trickle of power invade Alanna's body. The warm feeling entering her palm startled Alanna but Lulura shushed her before she could make a sound. "Follow the mana as it moves naturally through you." The dryad said as she ran her fingers back up Alanna's arm. Alanna closed her eyes to visualize the foreign sensation she was feeling. It traveled up her arms and then into her chest where it then descended down below her sternum but just above her stomach then disappeared. For a brief moment she felt something there. It was so very faint but there was a spark of warmth she could almost see. She focused all her senses toward that spot and after a brief moment there was a sound like the shattering of glass and the world seemed to fade away as her mindscape opened to a new world.
Greenery as far as the eye could see covered Alanna's vision. Rolling hills and large wooded forests with oak, birch, blackthorn, and willow trees were spread about the landscape. A warm and comforting sun shone down on this world providing the fuel for the plants around to grow. This was a place deeply saturated in life and she felt that life pouring into every last part of her. There were countless creatures darting or flying around living in perfect harmony within this living system.
Alanna laid herself upon a hill and basked in the rays of the sun feeling it empower her. She felt that the day cycle was coming to an end and with that feeling the bright light that had been shining on her for countless hours faded. The world was plunged into darkness and Alanna stood and looked out over the landscape once more. The land had changed dramatically as life gave way to death. Where once there was a vibrant landscape now there was only corpses of the flora and fauna she had previously witnessed.
She felt a profound sense of loss and sadness as the trees, animals, grass, and insects turned into husks and then were broken down further into the dirt of the ground. There was sadness and desolation surrounding her but there was still a semblance of peace here. It was a feeling of finality and inevitability and there was comfort to know that endings are as natural as beginnings. She breathed in the emptiness and looked out at the barren landscape and smiled as she felt it. The life that broke down and was reduced to atoms charged the soil with all that it was and new life was ready to be produced when the next day dawned.
Nature was not just life but death as well. She knew that from her previous visions in the place of power but once again her power, her soul, or the land itself showed her what she kept forgetting. She saw the sun rise once again and the tiny shoots of plants shot through the soil and became fully grown in moments. Alanna's mindscape fell away and the real world came rushing back. She opened her eyes and felt the hands groping her from behind and the small biting feeling on her shoulder. "Oh my god you undersexed creature enough is enough." Alanna snapped. "Why do you keep doing this?"
"So, training is going well?" Queen Medb asked a few days later at dinner. Alanna smiled then it dropped and she groaned. "Weapon training is going extremely well. I have been focusing on the spear mostly but we started sword training as well. I do not like that weapon much but I appreciate the lessons regardless of that." She paused and grimaced. "Training with my druidic spells is actually going well now that I can feel the link but that damn dryad is— hard to deal with." Alanna decided diplomatically. Medb grinned and shook her head. "Do not be to hard on her Alanna. We are all extremely attracted to people from the overworld. We do not get to see many and for many in the otherworlds the humans are a source of nourishment. Now imagine a being filled to the brim with potential and power that comes from there. An evolutionary step above a human with beauty of a goddess and power besides." She smiled in understanding but also with a hint of something more behind her eyes. "Now how do we resist that? She asked.
Alanna could not really understand the perception of the fae. She did not share their specific requirements and given her life up until recently she had no confidence in herself. So, while she recognized and appreciated the beauty of all the creatures around her she was not really interested further than that. She thought that she would be ready some day but her mind was on the quests and understanding her power. She also wanted to know more about the past. Questline aside, she was interested in what she was learning.
The fact that she loved the sparing and weapon training was unexpected. She thought she would love the magic training more but perhaps that was the difference in her teachers. Lulura made it difficult to concentrate with her overzelous flirtation, while Sétanta was not really flirtatious at all. In fact he had been cold and indifferent when they started which was a reaction that Alanna had grown to expect from people. She understood his sentiment and was able to work with that.
"Oh," Alanna said after having that thought. "Oh, oh boy I'm a mess." She said aloud. "I don't know how to react to being liked." She thought. She was certain that the over infatuation of Lulura was a bit more than anyone should be comfortable accepting but lately Sétanta had been complimenting her and she pretended like it was not happening. It even irritated her to an extent because she did not know how to respond to that. Her mother loved her but was demanding and had expectations. She was kind and tried to provide genuine warmth but she was also an executive in a huge company. She had little time for her daughter.
"Alanna!" Grainne's voice snapped the druidess out of her thoughts. "Hmm?" Alanna asked as she looked up from her dinner plate at the queen and her daughter the Leanan Sídhe. "I said a missive came in regarding you today. A request from Emain Ablach and Manannán mac Lir." Alanna could not help the blank expression that crossed her face. She knew a bit about the Tuatha and that was a name she thought she heard but she could not recall from where. She would have to delve into her memories and hope that Nuada remembered who that was and why they were important. She was sure she would remember eventually.