In a place that was hidden yet connected to Delmathar by a skien of reality, like a soft breath of wind on the nape of the neck in the night, was two figures in a glade. The glade was populated by an phantasmal echo of fauna in reality, yet the two stood there as real as gravity.

One figure was a pale beautiful lady, with her hair and the dress she wore an impossible glimmering nebula of stars. If a bystander were to look at her carefully they would not be able to pinpoint what was wrong with her at first, other than her ethereal attire. But upon closer inspection they would notice that her outline just bled into nothingness. It was as if the figure was constantly fading out of existence.

Opposite from the improbably lady was a plain, aged old woman who wore a green dress. Her skin was of a tanned olive, her hair a soft green like a spring bud and the dress she wore was simple and plain. On her head sat a coronet that was made of some twine and old bark, yet somehow it fit together with her look. But a horrible and unnatural burn ran down the left side of her face and down her neck. For it constantly crackled with small embers that caused pieces of her desolated skin to constantly burnt to ash and float away. Yet if the horrible wound caused her any discomfort it did not show. For her emerald green eyes always had a mellow and soft expression, even if the dept behind it was beyond mortal ken.

“Hello my dear Emilia, you should visit more often,” greeted the green lady in a soft gentle voice, with each word conjuring the sound of soft summer breezes languidly tickling a field of grass.

“I have been busy with my usual antics mother, you know how it is, an improbably coincidence here or a chance encounter there,” replied the starry lady Emelia in a legion of voices that somehow defied normal hearing. “How have you been with your new champion? Did the grafted make it ok?”

“I am not very satisfied with whom you choose to bring over for me my dear, couldn’t you have done better?” answered the green lady with some annoyance, along with the crack of a fallen woodland giant in a summer storm as she swirled away.

“I’m sorry that the soul did not have a lot of ambition or drive mother, the grafting was quite the failure indeed. But I guess you still have a local whom you can mold to your liking. The earthers tend to be quite impertinent in their free spirited nature,” Emilia replied with her unnatural susurration. “I think I was thwarted in my most recent trip, I was definitely sure from my divination that a tragedy was to occur mother.”

“You think he did this? After bending all the rules and stooping so low with what he did to my dear..” spoke the green lady along with the buzzing of a stirred hornet’s nest as she whipped around to look at the impossible figure of her daughter. The burns on her neck grew hotter as he anger grew as the faint embers enlarged into small gusts of flame.

“There’s not much we can do about it, plus I don’t think the earthers truly worship anyone anymore, let alone my two roles there,” sighed Emilia with her jarring amalgamation of voices as she tilted her head and rested and arm on her hip.

The green lady walked slowly towards her daughter, able to cross the large ghostly clearing they stood in with only a few gliding steps. It was as if she floated with how disjointed the distance she traveled not really matching with the effort or length of her strides.

“That is truly a shame, the grafted have been truly useful to our means, well the ones that grow well enough anyways.. hehe,” joked the green lady with her laughter accompanied by the sound of giggling wisps. “But worry not my daughter, I have already set some plans in motion for the latest one you have bestowed upon me.”

“You should take care not to break it mother, you have so few of your own pieces to work with,” stated Emelia with her self-echoing voice as she gently placed a hand on her mother’s arm.

“Oh you know how it is with me,” shrugged the green lady to the sound of small rockslide. “They either survive the trails of nature or they die weak.”

“Mother it’s not exactly the natural course of nature to send a Gloom hydra way outside of the acrid marshes to test someone,” scoffed Emilia in her legion of voices.

“Well yes that was done with quite a bit of oversight on my part. It was unfortunate how it turned out for Dawnglow, but in the end it made him stronger so it all worked out,” said the green woman with a tiny shrug and a chorus of birdsong.

“So are you going to tell me what it is that you are planning?” asked Emilia with her usual reverberation.

“Well my dear and inquisitive daughter, if you must know, I have placed a Minor Wild Geas on the boy! But worry not, it is only for a few years. So in the meantime my new recruit will be having a few encounters with my wilder subjects…. But I have also enlisted the help of some very enccentric individuals,” the green woman suggested slyly with an conspiratorial raised of her eyebrow. This was accompanied by the hissing of a million reptilians waking up from their winter slumber.

“Mother…. Who are these eccentrics you speak of?” asked Emilia with a slightly shaking voice that was barely noticeable in her weird multitude.

“Oh no one my dear, just those two unaligned grafters,” answered the green lady with a small smirk to the sound of a gentle waterfall.

“Mother! They are dangerous and unaccountable elements! They have no allegiances other than their own! Just look at how the Charmer ended up working for Fantimal and that annoyingly stern woman is now working under Genehha! You’re better off staying away from those annoying rejects!” roared Emelia and a myriad of other voices.

“Please do not mention that annoyingly impertinent newt in front of me again dear, the things that me and your father did for him and his kind….” Asked the green lady with sadness and whisper of falling Autumn leaves as she took a step back from her daughter.

“Anyways dear I didn’t do anything untoward or attempt to steer them in any way. If anything I have just placed a small request with my very own Isaldra to place a small baby dungeon in the Whisperwoods. It just happens to be that the Eater Amir and his adorable little troubadour friend happened to be the ones to pick up the request. They are such a fantastic pair of mortals to follow! Well when they aren’t up to something they always just talk about food.” Monologued the green lady as she teased her daughter to the sound of thundering ungulates through a large Savanna.

*Sigh* “Mother don’t you think that this is a little too much? Those two always stir up mischief and unaccountable events wherever they go!” Emelia tried to reason whilst lowering her voice that came from everywhere at once.

“Its fine my dear I explicitly requested to Isaldra to make sure not to make too many waves in this endeavor, it’s not like I want undue attention on my new follower too early anyhow,” reasoned the green lady as she swirled on her feet to the sound of winds whistling through a narrow valley.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“But mother, asking the goddamn QUEEN OF DUNGEONS for a request AND having it carried out by those two bumbling fools is sure to attract so many strings of fate that I cannot control!” spoke Emelia as she slipped out from her usually disturbing manner of speaking into a normal voice. The goddess just found it so exasperating to deal with her mother, plus it’s such a pain to keep up the theatrics all the time.

“Sometimes it’s just better to just cast a stone into the pond and watch the ripples my dear,” spoke the green lady as she whirled round to face her daughter. There seemed to be nothing weird to accompany her this time, but a split second later came the unmistakable “phuuuuthuuwhouuup” of a drop falling into a pool from above.

Emelia could only scoff at the understatement as she shook her head. Her mother also had an very annoying knack to sometimes use the different sounds of nature that followed the goddess around for slapstick humor. Emelia only found this abuse of godhood funny in her first century at best.

“But it’s just impossible to predict what those two will get up to!” protested Emelia in uncountable number of voices, slipping back into her “professional” side.

“Sometimes the ones you expect the least from , may go on to perform the biggest feats,” said the green lady enigmatically to the sound of rustling leaves and punctuated by cracking sticks.

“Anyways I’m sure that my new follower will be having quite the eventful adventures ahead. All this talk is making me recall the adventures I used to have with your father dear,” sadly continued the green lady with her burn fading into white ash. But instead of a sound this time Emelia pictured a white sandy beach. Instead of enjoying the scenery she was compelled to think of the echo of a million tiny souls that used to live in the shells that had long grated into sand.

Oh no mother’s getting emotional if she’s seeing the beach again, sadly thought Emelia. The green lady was wistfully looking off to the side but her stare was in some distant past, reminiscing some unseen memories.

“I’m sure Gilbar is doing his best to bring him back mother,” softly whispered Emelia. “Plus Uncle Piad is doing quite the commendable job keeping everything in order here.”

“Well the balance we have here is just so fragile Dear, we don’t even know when the next Realm war against them will be….,” spoke the green lady with her voice wavering to the sound of a million saplings bending in a gale.

“Mother, we can only hope that the pieces we have will be strong enough to face them. For all his flaws that “Newt” has done a quite commendable job too,” stated Emelia as she slipped back into her many voices.

“If only he didn’t have to antagonize Piad so much,” replied the green lady with a small gust of wind as she looked up into the ghostly sky.

“Well he is pinning for Uncle Piad divinity mother,” spoke Emelia as she too, looked up into the sky.

“Well wouldn’t it be better if we all worked together like the old days my dear?.... Speaking of which, when do you think you will be strong enough to collect the pieces to make more grafted?” Asked the green lady with the whirring of a wings of a raptor falling through the skies.

“I do not know mother, nobody worships Fate or Gaia over there anymore. Both my roles are losing their power there,” Emelia reasoned with a hint of annoyance in her mirroring voices.

The green lady tutted before saying, “Well Earth is a godless world outside the Realm wars. Good thing that they know better than to forsaken their gods here.” The unspecified threat was joined by the sound of a rumbling snarl of some unseen predator.

“Well if you throw an army of bloodthirsty beasts or horrific disasters their way then I’m sure they will be more compliant,” joked Emelia.

“That’s so long in the past dear, its better to look towards the future… But I shall not suffer being slighted my dear, FOR I AM THE WIILDER QUEEN declared the green lady with her burn flaring up like molten magma as her voice slipped into an amalgamation of voices that was similar to Emelia’s but one that commanded fealty. For the wild only bows to one Queen and in that ghostly clearing the trees and little blades of grass bent to their queen, whilst creatures for leagues paused in their daily pursuits to prostrate by some Divine compulsion.

………………..

Along a deserted overgrown path in the woods, walked a trio of individuals. The three were quite the eccentric sight, even by the standards of the racially diverse world of Delmathar.

The figure in the front that seemed even vaguely humanoid was taller than the tallest human and encased in some ochre insectoid exoskeleton that covered him from head to toe. His featureless and smooth head could easily be mistaken for a sallet helmet, but it was actually his face and it was currently looking up into the sky in exasperation. Underneath his natural armor plating on his neck was some shiny black skin that was encased in some veiny membrane. This was the famous and renowned Grafted called Amir the Eater and on his shoulder sat his Earthling buddy, Bob.

As imposing and intimidating Amir was in his suit of natural armor, Bob was hideous. He was some unknown creature that is some unfortunate mix between a malnutritioned goblin and some small guinea fowl that is suffering from rickets. His tiny hideous head that sat atop a skinny neck had bulbous eyes that darted about wildly as his horrible wattel swayed to the motion friend he sat upon. His small featherless belly that was covered in many folds wore only a small red silk thong and unfortunately one of his small mishappen testicles was peeking out the side.

“How longggg is it going to be man!! It’s fucking boiling in these woods here, I’ve fuckking shed all ma feathers mate!” complained the tiny figure in a shrill voice.

A coarse rumbling sound came from the huge Firefist ape that trailed just beside the Eater. It was the sound of the creature laughing at the moaning little figure. The large hairless ape that was covered in rippling muscles and glowing red skin that stood as high as a Minotaur even when hunched over, was in fact a she. She was called Harriet, and Bob’s pet/bodyguard for the Eater couldn’t be everywhere at once.

“I swear to god bob, if you fucking complain one more time I’m going to fucking eat you. And put your balls back inside that budgie smuggler , I can feel it on my shoulder you fuck,” hissed the Eater from somewhere deep within his torso.

“Mate it’s not like everybody can go around looking like a Kamen Rider and eating folks to get Heat resistance like you do you dick,” Bob continued to complain as he panted heavily. He also took this opportunity to readjust his situation in his lower regions. But honestly he preferred them out in this heat.

“What the fuck is a Kamen Rider?” asked the Eater as he stopped. Harriet also stopped in her tracks as she straighten out her posture to the sound of popping and cracking bones.

“Welllll, if you must know you infidel. It’s a Japanese show where a person morphs into some superhero who wears a suit of armor that reminds you of a cricket or some sort of bug. Kinda like you …. but less lame.” Explained Bob in a grating voice as he attempted to goad his friend.

“Now tell me, considering we have an important mission from the head of the fucking Grafted alliance, why the fuck have we stopped?” asked Bob in his shrill and pompous little voice.

“It’s time for lunch,” explained the Eater as he gently grabbed his hideous friend off his shoulder using a seven digited armored hand.

“Oh shit, shoulda just told me man!” exclaimed the horrible creature as he scampered on his stubby little legs to hide behind Harriet. The Firefist Ape was making little “Ook ook,” noises as she started to bounce on her heels at the prospect of some exercise.

“You want a buffing song? I’m feeling like Anastasia left outside alone,” asked Bob as he peeked from behind a muscular calf.

“Nah its ok, I’ve got this, Harriet you keep him safe ok?” Replied the eater as his tall figure phased out of sight in the small woodland.

…

“Now now now! What do we have here, you know the schtick! YER MONEY OR YER—What in the Realms is that?” declared a orcish figure who was clad in leathers as he appeared from behind a tree. A few more figures also started to appear from the various hiding place as they surround Harriet and Bob.

“What the fuck Nevor, stick to the fucking script for Realms sake!” complained a tall Bearkin with blueish fur who wore a set of half plate iron armor.

“But Jeffrey it’s a fucking monster! And theirs some horrible wee gibblet-looking fuck next to it’s leg!” complained Nevor the Orc.

“Oiii it’s the DASHING ROB-BIER TO YOU, YOU IMBECILIC PIECE OF DOG FOOD!” angrily shouted Bob in a magically enhanced voice as he jumped out and waved a tiny fist angrily.

The Bandits were startled by the sudden display, but quickly regained their composure as they inch closure to their victims.

“I’d prefer you not to call my food dog food,” came the hissing sound of the Eater’s voice as he materialized behind Jeffrey with his elbow to the Bearkin’s back and a ochre blade running through platemail as the shouting and chaos began.

But before long the Eater was enjoying a delicious lunch as Bob rummaged through the dead.