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The New World: Shadows and Nightmares (Part Five)

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We had begun walking through the woods. I'd fallen silent, just listening to the two chatter. "...So, what's it like, bein' a Faerie?" Kyle asked.

"Oh it is as fun as fuck. I can fly around as fast as a meth-addled moonbat, my senses are intensified when I need them, and the purification talents come in real handy... though I'm not quite a full faerie." She looked a little sheepish, but one couldn't mistake that tone of pride in her voice.

"I should see Ares about getting my own enhancements... Though, he said I'd have to work for them." Kyle snorted. "He picked me out because I was the strongest, and most knowledgeable of a select few candidates for being sent on investigations about Myria's case. Something about not being easily corrupted." Kyle smiled. "I guess after we destroy this stone thing, it should be enough... Though, what should I go for?"

"Really, that depends on what you can live with... once you get those kinds of upgrades, it's a permanent gig. Forget about dying, either... which I guarantee you the first time someone slits your throat, you're going to wonder why that was ever a good idea." She shrugged slightly, insect wings twitching again like they were stretching. "So if he offers it to you, best thing you can do is ask for a week to research things."

Kyle snorted. "Maybe I should become a vixen like Naema." He joked. "I'd be able to use my looks to persuade and distract." He let out a slight chuckle. "...Seriously, though, I don't know who would shift gender like that willingly. I'm sure there are some, but it's not a thing one should have forced on you." He glanced back over his shoulder at me. "It must be hard for you..."

I let out a grunt, not quite ready to comment about that yet.

"Eh. I swapped myself when they approached me for the job. The sooner people let go of preconceived notions of what's proper and what's not in terms of attraction, sooner they cope." She rolled her eyes somewhat, not even bothering to break her stride. "Foxgirl, golem, demonic faerie, doesn't matter. Your inside is what determines things."

"Wait, you used to be a guy?"

"That so hard to comprehend? Twenty years as a guy, over seven hundred years as a girl. Far as I'm concerned that's barely a factor."

Kyle snorted. "I guess. Maybe I should give it a shot. Wonder what it'd be like..."  

I looked away. "It's not that easy to adjust to..."

"Unless you want it, it's really difficult... different bio signatures, dealing with people's stereotypes, dealing with your own ingrained notions, and all kinds of other things. Even when you want it, it takes some time to really get into the swing of things... and keep in mind unless you're a shapeshifter, it's a one way street."

"Maybe shapeshifter will be an option then." Kyle shrugged. "Gods know it'd be incredibly useful in combat."

"...What do you recommend I do?" I said to Keelin. It seemed she'd dealt with this kind of thing before... Maybe she'd be able to provide some insight as to my troubles.

She was silent for a bit, elfin ears twitching a touch before she responded. "...my recommendation is take everything that made you before and hold them tight. The things you prefer... then move on. Focusing too much on the past will drive you mad."

I looked at her as she said this, letting her words sink in for a moment. "...I see. ...That really seems like the best choice at the moment. ...Problem is, how do I move on? I don't even know how to be a girl, /or/ a goddess...."

"Don't think on it. Literally, just don't think... do. The girl thing can take some thought, but focusing on trying to be a deity is something of insanity. No sane mortal can take that kind of pressure, so just don't."

    "...So, just go with the flow then." I nodded lightly. That.. That seemed the best thing to do right now. I fell silent, and began to try to change my mental gears to that state.

Meanwhile, Kyle decided to spring up another conversation. "...What's your opinion on Myria, anyway? Do you think she's trying to start a war?"

"Myria's got ego issues in my opinion. She acts like the legends they had for the greek gods... which is to say complete jackasses with omniscient morality licenses." Her tone was rather spiteful, grumbling a bit more as her wings folded down. It was clear she didn't like her. "Takes herself far too seriously."

"...I think she's in over her head." Kyle said. "...If she wasn't, she'd have noticed the Magick's in the forest." He paused. "Speaking of which... We seem to be here." And indeed, standing in front of them was a rock cave, which seemed to go down into the ground. Small wisps of purple mist rolled over the ground nearby, as a rotten stench filled the air.

"...blergh. Hated this place before, hate it now. Feels way too rank." She wrinkled her nose a bit, wings twitching far too much as she gritted her teeth.

I sympathised. Unfortunately, one of the things that came with the package of being a Kitsune was enhanced smell. I wrinkled my nose, almost turning green. "Gah... What DIED down there?!"

Kyle turned to give me a deadpan look. "What do you /think/?"

"...you mean what's trying to die down there." Keelin said.

My tail twitched, as my ears flattened. "I really don't want to go down there... Do i have to go down there? If I go down there, I'm not gonna apologise if I throw up on either of you..."

"Shut up and come down with us." She practically growled the words as she walked forward and took the lead, soon disappearing into the cave.

Kyle didn't hesitate. ...I, on the other hand, did. I let out a little whimper. "But it's dark and scary and I've faced enough giant monsters for now!" I protested, but there really was no fighting it. ...I grimaced, and pinched my nose as I wandered into the dark cave. ...My eyes quickly adjusted. I quickly caught up with the duo. As I examined our surroundings, I saw some kind of black sludge covering the walls, and even in splotches on the floor. "...We better evade those. It feels like some serious corruption magic." Kyle warned.

"Assuming you can even call it magic anymore... it's more like taint." Keelin was very insistent on keeping in the middle, her wings practically twitching like crazy as her hand was... trembling. "Shit is rank. We need to move before this thing starts whispering again."

"Agreed." Kyle said, simply, as we moved quickly through the caves, coming to a T-Junction. "Which way?" I asked. I was finding it hard to sense the magic here, though I guess that was because I wasn't yet fully awakened to it.

Keelin closed her eyes for a second, before pointing to the left. "That way. We go to a cave, head down a hole, and we find it. Be careful not to touch the plant life."

We began to head left. I did as she instructed, staying on the bare rock and dirt surface below me. Then... In front of us, there was a stream. A stream of that black goop, running right through the middle of the cave. Kyle frowned, as we stopped right in front of it. "...Keelin, was this here before?"

"..." She narrowed her eyes at the stream, frowning a fair bit. "...no. No this wasn't. It's terraforming the cave... we need to hurry, NOW." She quickly jumped over the stream and took to the air to avoid touching anything.

Kyle grimaced, and stepped back, before running and leaping over the stream. He turned around, to look at me. "What are you waiting for?" He said, sternly. I gulped, and stepped back. "Uh... ...Here goes nothin'!" I said, and ran forward as fast as my long legs could take me, leaping over the stream. ...Fortunately, my jumping abilities had also been enhanced due to being a Kitsune, so I managed to not fall in.

"Good, keep up!" She flew right to the hole and went right in, some strange red dust following after her as it fell from her wings... whenever it touched the black goop, it was starting to dissolve.

I rushed behind Kyle, who was subsequently behind Keelin. The walls of the cave seemed to thin, the walkable areas becoming almost oblongish instead of round. We narrowly missed pools and fountains of black goop jutting out of the walls. Soon enough, there was an opening ahead. Not even pinching my nose could hide the smell now. It was so bad that I felt like I wanted to hurl. Soon enough, we emerged onto a circular platform, risen above a deep looking pool of the black goop. We could hear it bubbling and almost sizzling down below. The area had an incredibly eerie feel to it, and there it was; a black, runic stone sitting atop a stone podium, dark purple mist seeping out from cracks in it.

"Here... this is where we get complicated." Keelin looked visibly angered, ears and wings folded down as she struggled to take small breaths. "Kyle, what's your best weapon to disintegrate that thing? We want this to be one shot... and leave nothing left."

Kyle raised his hands, showing the gloves. "These are supposed to give insane strength. Sort of like an... Uh... I guess it'd be a set of power gloves?" He said.

I stared at him. "...Power gloves. Power. Gloves. ...The hell kinda name is that?"

Keelin turned around at me with a rather evil grin. "HEY, shut it. Power Gloves were AWESOME back in the day... er..." She coughed a bit to try and compose herself, visibly trying to clear her mind. "...look, this place is affecting us already and driving our emotions. We need to have Naema charge Kyle and get this taken care of."

"I guess now is the part where you tell me how the hell I DO that." I said, bluntly.

"Well... for starters, you're going to be in a lot of pain when it happens. For all gods there's a divine aura about them... like a glow. You have to consciously force that aura onto Kyle. Unfortunately, that's pretty much the equivalent of forcing your heart to stop."

"...what." I said, flatly. ...There was no way she was expecting me to do this, right?
Kyle turned to me expectantly. "...Now would be a good time, Naema." He said.

I glared at him. "Shut up, I'm thinking!" I grimaced, closing my eyes. I decided to try and consult Illaena, but... She was absent right now. I swore under my breath. The main time today I've actively needed her, and she doesn't respond. I kicked at the ground below me, letting out a frustrated cry. "Goddamnit!"

Keelin swore under her breath, kneeling down and staring at me right in the eye with a snarl to her voice. "You agreed to come with us. I told you there is always a risk to things, and guess what, kid? THIS IS A RISK. You have two seconds to decide or Kyle and I do this WITHOUT you and we talk about what to do with dead weight after."
I swore. Repeatedly. "God--freaking--damnit! Okay! FINE! I'LL DO IT!"

I turned to Kyle and placed my hand on his shoulder. Kyle approached the stone, and prepared his gloves. "Ready?" He asked. I shot a deathglare at him. "Okay, okay, jeez." I closed my eyes. I tried-- I tried to focus on that aura Keelin spoke of. I tried to bring it forth, and-- work with it. A sudden power sprung up in me-- one that felt incredibly reminiscent of when I summoned my bow yesterday. I let out a loud yell, and forced the aura onto Kyle-- who would start glowing a fiery orange. The yell turned into a scream as the pain Keelin mentioned shot across every fibre of my being. "What the hell are you waiting for, DO IT!" I yelled at Kyle, who prepared a punch--!

Keelin not only watched, but appeared right behind Naema... a hand on her back. "I told you there would be risks. If you're only pulling out five percent of Illanea's power, then I fix it." She pulsed something through... something warm, before it started to burn. Like red hot hooks.

I buckled under the pressure, my body feeling like it was threatening to tear apart at the seams. ... A searing pain shot through my tailbone, as something furry shot out-- another tail. I twitched, suddenly finding it a little easier to stand. Moments later-- A loud, thundering crash could be heard as Kyle's glove impacted the stone, smashing it to dust. I felt my power wane, and suddenly the aura vanished, and I stumbled behind, feeling woozy, and unbalanced. "...I think I did it." Kyle said, quietly. ...Suddenly, with almost no warning, the ground below began to shake. Bits of the gloop began to fall from the ceiling.

"...oh f-CAVE COLLAPSE. Kyle, your ass needed to be up here five minutes ago, we need to get out of here!" She definitely looked concerned now, grabbing a yellow pendant and clutching it in her hand tightly.

Kyle turned around, and gripped me to prevent me from falling over. He pulled my head back a bit so I was staring at him in the eyes. "Pull yourself together, girl, we need to get the hell out of here." He said, He then gripped my hand, and began to run, dragging me behind him!

"H-Hey, what's-- what's-- what's going on?!" I stammered.

"Did you not f**cking listen to her? The cave is goddamn collapsing!" Kyle shouted.

"Hate it hate it HATE it when it's a load bearing obstacle... this thing wasn't even a support beam fer the Gods' sake." She did not look happy, spinning a bit to create a red circle of dust as the air shimmered around her. "Don't touch the black shit and get UP here! I really don't wanna dig to find your bodies when I blow the place!"

Kyle rushed to Keelin, dragging me with him. I was in a daze, and the ground was beginning to shake even more. I was finding it hard to keep my footing, as rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

As the two entered the circle of red dust... she crushed the yellow pendant with one hand and threw it out, the cracks glowing with... no, not glowing. Absorbing light in a sense. She pulled out a much more intricate pocketwatch with red and gold decorations with a manic grin. "Did I say blow the place? I meant consuming it with an Unravelment Singularity. Hang on to your hats, folk. We're porting out of here."

"P-Porting out of here? What the hell does that even mean!" I said, almost falling over as the shaking got even more intense. Kyle supported my weight-- he seemed to have much better balance than I.

"Shut up and trust the girl, Naema. She's the only way we'll get out of here alive!" He shot at me.

"Away we go!" The intricate pocket watch opened as a light enveloped the trio... for a second, blinding white light. Then before they knew it we all appeared outside the cave... at least fifty meters away.

I fell right into Kyle as we appeared, knocking the both of them to the ground. "Oof!" I think I blacked out for a moment, before coming to. Kyle had already rolled me off of him, and was sitting up, brushing himself off.

"...Jesus, girl... You can knock a guy out with that strength." He said, bluntly. "...eeeeeeeeeeeeugh..." I groaned.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our flight about to take off. Please place seats and tables in their upright positiooooons~" She was far too giddy about something... until the ground under them shook. The cave looked to be dissolving, falling apart like cloth being torn at the seams as matter was torn away and vaporized.

I was trying to bring myself back to my feet, but the shaking ground was too much and I just laid there, on my stomach, looking around. "...That cave... it's dissolving like that monster did!" I said.

Kyle frowned. "...Maybe it's because they were born from the same dark magicks?" He suggested.

"...It's possible..." I replied quietly. "...Or whatever Keelin did caused the same effect." Kyle theorised.

"Close, but neither ones. This is a special one. Pretty much unravels and vaporizes everything in its wake... literal nothingness. Have to use it whenever there's a contaminated area and need it gone pronto... problem is it requires the blessings of three greater deities just to use, and anyone with an inkling of politics knows how hard THAT is." She just smirked as the cave collapsed... then ground around it as it started to become consumed and spread out in a circle. "We're outside of its blast radius by about a meter. I just wanted to watch this baby in action."

"Wh... Why didn't you TELL us you had this before we hit the stone!" I complained. I rubbed my forehead, having one HELL of a migraine. My body hurt all over, and there were several fresh cuts and bruises joining those I'd gained from yesterday.

"It's only good for removing immediate contaminated sites, not wiping out an eldritch stone which could have mingled with it and multiplied its taint. We needed to destroy its source first. You think I wouldn't have used this thing the first time if it was possible?"

"No, no, that's not what I was saying... I was asking why you waited until it needed to be used to even tell us about the thing."

"Alright, tell me how you would have reacted if I stated I was carrying an artefact that could have killed us and everything in a fifty meter radius just by breaking the seal." She crossed her arms, just kind of raising an eyebrow at me.

"..." I grunted, and looked away. "...You... Have a point." I sighed. Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder, patting it gently. "There, there, foxxy, just be glad it's over!" He said, cheerily. ...I glared at him. "You think it's over?! It's not over till Myria is defeated!"

"Yes, well, you don't have to worry about any more shadowmonsters emerging on your vacation." He pointed out.

"...True." I gave a resigned sigh.

"Until then, I get the wonder and joy of talking to her and finding what all of this was about... I'm going to need a freaking drink after this." The faerie just grumbled as she rubbed her temples a bit in dismay. "...and you will need training, for I will not be helping you."

I grunted. "...I know I'll need training. Illaena's offered me some mental training, but said something about it being no substitute for physical training...." I groaned.

"...Arrgh... That-- That freaking aura thing you made me do... It's screwed me up...." I grumbled.

"Is it as bad as a hangover?" Kyle snorted.

I glanced at him. "...Probably worse."

"I'm told it's a moderate hangover with a sinus headache if anything. Protip? Don't cast any magic, take the day off, and get an early night's rest. If Kyle wants to help you, he's free to. But your actions involve fighting a god, which means I'm automatically bowing out and returning to my case." The faerie didn't exactly look pleased with that frown, but her words remained stern.

"…Why can't you help me? –You seem very… Resourceful." I admitted. "We're only a small group… And I'm incredibly undertrained." I sighed, glancing away. "At least I can shoot an arrow… But that's not gonna be worth shit in battles of wits."

"Naema..." Keelin sighed... wings folding down as she took a deep breath. "I'm not like most servants of the gods. I'm strictly neutral... I serve all the Gods. I take great pains to not involve myself in inter-deity conflicts, and only do work when it involves deity-to-mortal relations or when it's a project that doesn't affect others. The cave was something that was unanimously a danger, but your feud with Myria is not something I'm allowed to fight in."

"Naturally, this means I can't tell Myria of your plans and what you plan to do, either."

"...I... See." I said, quietly. That was when I paused, getting an idea. "...Keelin. You say you're a servant of all the gods, right? ALL of them?"

"Unfortunately for you, Naema... you are not a deity yet. It's a nice try, but you're not quite there." She smiled softly, reaching forward and patting the foxgirl on the head like one would pat a dog.

My ears flattened at the patting. It was an odd sensation. "...It would be in our best interests to inform the gods that take part at the school of my existence, and my need of help. But perhaps not Myria." I paused for a moment. "Of course, this may sound dubious, buuuut... It would certainly help Illaena get back to full strength, no? If that is the intention behind your actions, then technically wouldn't it still be impartial?"

"Informing the deities of the school, most who are under Myria's thumb at the moment, of your eventual ascension furthers your plans to combat her and furthers Illaena's feud with her. I can't do that." Her eyes narrowed as she took on a slightly more stern voice. Like a mother lecturing a child. "I appreciate you trying to find a loophole, but here's a hint. Don't."

I let out a groan, rubbing my forehead. "Great... Here I was, thinking we'd potentially have another ally..." I grumbled.

Kyle patted my shoulder again. "Hey, you still got me." He said.

I sighed. "I guess...."

"You don't have an ally, but you don't have an enemy either. How do you think I even lasted seven hundred years?" The faerie rolled her eyes again with a frown, though she seemed to take note of the patting. "Hey now, let's keep it professional. No need to chase tail the first sign she grows one."

Kyle snorted. "Or two, for that matter."

...Wait, two? I blinked in surprised, and looked behind me, standing up. "Gah! When the hell did that get there?!"

"When you refused to provide the power needed and I had to take measures to make you provide it, that's when." Eesh, Keelin could at least be nice about it.

"I was trying, okay?!" I shot her a deathglare. "That hurt like hell, and you know it. Plus, it was the first freaking time I did it! Cut me some goddamn slack!"

"My job demands that no slack be given. When it comes to a decision between letting more monsters roam on account of inadequacies, or giving you mild discomfort, I think I'll go with hurting feelings." She tried to sound stern, but the undertone of her voice betrayed Keelin. Regret? Sadness? Longing? It sounded like any one of those.

"…Mild discomfort. It felt like my entire goddamn body was being ripped apart at the seams."

"Let it go, Naema." Kyle said.

"...Rrrgh..." I groaned, flopping back onto the ground and staring at the sky, trying to alleviate my headache.

"...Naema... I just hope you never have to know what I mean." Keelin sighed, pulling out her pocket watch again as it started to spin like a dial. "Try to send your report soon if you can, Kyle. I'm going to go talk with Myria right now... this won't be fun at all."
"Take care. Don't say anything stupid, and you'll be fine." Kyle said. I nodded. "Good luck. ...Please don't mention me or Illaena." I said. "...Since I'm not a god yet, you can follow that request, right? ...The only advantage we have... At all... Is her ignorance"

Keelin was silent for a second before she just smirked. "Neutrality, remember? I can't help you against Myria... but I can't help Myria against you. If mentioning you gives her an edge over Illaena, I can't quite do that, now can I?"

"...Of course not." I smiled, and inclined my head. "...Thank you..."

"Take care of her if you can, Kyle." Keelin closed the pocket watch again as it glowed with a white light... and she vanished, leaving the two alone.

Kyle took a deep breath, and turned to me. "We should head back to the springs." He held out his hand, offering some help up.

I accepted it, and brushed myself off. I glanced down to my two tails. Jeez, I thought it was hard enough to get used to ONE.

"You okay?" Kyle asked.

"…I'm alive." I replied.

Kyle grunted. "I guess that's all that matters, in the end." He sighed. "Sorry, Keelin was—kind of harsh."

"No, it's fine. She's… Keelin."

"As true of a statement as any, I guess."

We stood there in silence for a moment, nothing but the sound of our own breathing filling the air.

"We did the world a service today, Naema. …A keystone of corruption was destroyed. You have no idea how out of hand that could have gotten." Kyle said.

I turned to Kyle. "…You said you were a servant of Ares, right?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Kyle said, stretching casually.

"...I'm in the Ares house at my school." I said. He stared at me.

"No freakin' way. Really?" He grinned.

I nodded. "So in a sense, I'm already allied with Ares. …As such… I'd like to ask for you to request his help with this, once you get back to him." I said.

"…It's gonna be tricky. Ares is caught up in a storm with the other gods. Myria's actions with Illaena disrupted the celestial balance."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"Basically… It upset the balance of the gods, and shifted the weight of power in Myria's favour. You see, Naema… There's something off about Myria. More than what you've noticed. A god shouldn't have the power to do what she did to Illaena." He said, with a sigh, looking around the forest.

"…Illaena said she cheated." I replied, flatly.

"Yes, that is the blunt way to put it." Kyle snorted. "What the gods are concerned about is HOW exactly she cheated. I'm willing to bet a good chunk of my rewards that that stone we just destroyed had something to do with it—but I don't know WHAT."

"…What makes you think the stone is connected to Myria? She just LET us destroy it."

"Maybe that's because she doesn't want to take the blame."

"How could she NOT take the blame? This happened under her watch!"

"…I never said it was a logical reasoning. I don't—I don't know why Myria seems to be so stupid right now. She's—She's completely illogical, Naema. It's like… She's gone nuts, or something."

"…I certainly HOPE she hasn't." I shuddered.

"So do I, kid. But remember, it might be our one advantage against her."

I sighed. "True."

"Let's head back to the main building. I bet the others are worried sick, especially after that earthquake."

It was gonna be a rough night. Though something told me I'd sleep like a baby.
The New World: Rebirth
Part One: [link]
Part Two: [link]
Part Three: [link]
Part Four: [link]

The New World: Challenges
Part One: [link]
Part Two: [link]
Part Three: [link]
Part Four: [link]

The New World: Intermission
Part One: [link]
Part Two: [link]
Part Three: [link]
Part Four: [link]
Part Five: [link]
Part Six: [link]

The New World: Shadows and Nightmares
Part One: [link]
Part Two: [link]
Part Three: [link]
Part Four: [link]
Part Five: [here]
Part Six: [link]

The New World: Changeling
Part One: [link]
Part Two: [link]
Part Three: [link]
Part Four: ....
Part Five: ....
Part Six: ....

Co-Written by :iconwthat: ; We sort of roleplayed out the segments featuring Keelin, whom she was governing. So if you see any writing style differences, that's why. I figure it's best to give credit where credit is due. (I also censored some swearing.)
© 2012 - 2024 adaminator1
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IonScribe's avatar
So far the story is great, origional storyline, dynamic and believable characters, and a good style. However I found this part sort of hard to follow. Another thing is that switching from 1st to 3rd person perspective makes the story seem a little less fluid. Well, there's my 2 cents, hope it helped