144 Preparations (1/2)
Aoife was silent as she stared at the creature in front of her. Her mind was racing but it was because of that that she couldn't easily find the words to articulate the complex emotions she was feeling.
Her mind was also racing because of Althos' own vague instructions, given to her telepathically shortly after the creature appeared in front of her: ”Do not interfere, merely house this creature until I arrive. If she were running around freely others might think she was you, and that would be no good for anyone. This creature is part of a plan I have in place to protect you and placate your sister at the same time.”
He informed her of painfully little. Only a bit more than he told the creature seated across from her. It greatly frustrated the dwarf who now knew that her sister was apparently still bent on revenge.
The woman and her pseudo-clone were seated across from each other. They were inside of the house that the mysterious god Althos had divinely constructed for her when adding buildings to the town so that its first inhabitants had places to live. Her house was a small one, perfect for her since she didn't need or want much.
A strange creature was seated across from her. The entity appeared to be a dwarf. On a purely physical level, it was impossible to tell the two apart. That said, all it took for someone who knew Aoife to be able to differentiate between the dwarf and her doppelganger was a chance to see the pseudo-clone walk. She lacked Aoife's belief in herself and her body-language whenever she moved revealed as much to any astute observer.
The strange dwarf-like creature was Althos' mysterious creation. Aoife had heard her repeat her commands and found herself at a loss for words. So for now the two sat in awkward silence.
The room they found themselves in was a simple one. It was supposed to serve as a combination kitchen and living room that was split precisely down the middle. The two occupants of the room were facing each other from across a kitchen island made of divinely generated metal. After several minutes, Aoife's almost-clone looked at her and spoke.
”Listen... are you going to tell me what's going on?” The creature asked, in a voice that was a hauntingly perfect replica of Aoife's own. It was unsettling for the dwarf to hear someone mimic her voice so perfectly. Aoife considered the question, then shook her head.
”No. Althos spoke to me, and he told me not to interfere. You are here because if you were elsewhere people might think you were me.” The dwarf explained. This caused the creature to grimace. That grimace elicited a small smile from Aoife, who sympathized with the creature who wore her face.
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In the tower, the smell of sweat and blood mixed together to create a nauseating miasma. That said, I didn't doubt that the demons and the ants who could smell it loved it. It was the perfect sort of toxic miasma for them.
Ava was in motion. She was dashing towards her chosen victim, the first of the creatures who would fall to her blade. Her target was a powerfully built myremekes warrior who stood nearly three-meters tall. The creature grinned, a masochistic smile on its face as it waited for the sting of the blade that would soon penetrate its body.
Ava's feet smacked the floor beneath her several times before she finished closing in on her enemy. The sound of her footsteps was a quiet one, thanks to her diminutive stature as well as her small weight. When she closed in on her foe she smiled and leaped into the air.
I watched this, studying how her muscles pushed against her clothing and immediately realized she wouldn't be able to reach where she wanted to go unaided. Ava was staring at the unprotected skin of the massive ant-human hybrid. She wasn't trying to penetrate the insectoid's scales, she was trying to stab deep into its flesh. This was a smart choice but it was not one she was capable of making alone. At least not successfully. I chuckled and quietly intervened.
Silently, I directed the air beneath Ava to give her a boost. The air instinctively obeyed me and uplifted Ava in mid-air. With it, she received the boost she needed to successfully reach the place she was aiming at, the unarmored torso of her foe. Her foe had a distinctly human torso and upper body. He had a pale, muscular chest, and a handsome face that was wracked with anticipation. He was eagerly awaiting
”Heeyah!” She shouted, as she shot her blade forward at and into her opponent. The blade, composed of shadow-stuff, effortlessly sank into her enemy who welcomed Ava with a smile and reached out with his bladed arms. He wrapped them around her and pulled her into his chest even as he began to feel the exquisite pain she was inflicting with her savage weapon.
He sighed, a strange smile on his humanlike face, as he helped her push the blade deeper and deeper and into himself. His eyes were alight with joy and pleasure, even as he felt his life-force seeping out of his body. The creature looked at Ava and studied her. I studied him, finding this whole thing amusing in a dark and macabre way.
I had never fully seen the dreadful impact of my powers over pain in play before. Watching them in action was fascinating to me, and affirmed that I made the right choice in doing this. The ant-monster who was dying was in eerie and unsettling ecstasy as he perished, the life leaving his eyes but not the light. There was a sinister, sexual satisfaction visible in his gaze.
His heart was beating rapidly and thus was accelerating his demise. I watched as scarlet fluid began to be spat out of the space where Ava had lodged her blade into him, and I could hear him gently laugh, the sound an innocent and delighted one. Ava grunted and gripped her sword tightly. Without moving I quietly buffed her strength and watched as she violently tore the blade from his chest.
”Ahh...” The ant gasped, his eyes more lit than ever, as he felt new and unexpected pain from Ava's violent and unskilled movements and motions. I audibly chuckled, as the ant staggered and fell, his legs no longer containing the strength needed to support his massive weight. His face was now on the floor, within reach of Ava even when she wasn't in mid-air. I turned my attention to my servant, Ava, and spoke.
”Finish the creature. Touch its head with your fingers.” I told the dark-dwarf as I reached out and began to modify her. I swiftly made use of one of my more potent abilities and began to alter Ava herself.
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[Hello! Welcome to the ”Alter” menu. This menu allows you to glimpse at the traits possessed by a creature and select new traits to paste onto them.