Chapter 40.5 - Merging

“Oh, that’s just perfect,” she exclaimed.  “And where did you come from?  Huh?  Answer me!”

The hole could not do much more than be a hole, but it certainly gave the impression that it wanted to shrink from her outrage.  None of this was its fault, it seemed to complain.

To one side, a pile of fresh bricks took the inopportune moment to emerge from the floor, complete with a bucket of freshly mixed cement.  A shiny, new trowel had perched along its lip, eager as a puppy about to go for walkies.

Mia narrowed her eyes.  “And what exactly do you want?”

The trowel wilted.  It seemed to whine a bit.

Mia rolled her eyes.  “Insufferable.  That’s what it is.  Absolutely insufferable.  I swear, if it isn’t one thing, it’s another.  Well, let’s see where this leads.”

Exasperated, she marched through and was almost instantly transported to an abandoned, dusty street running through the middle of an equally abandoned town.

There was not all that much to it.  Just a few wooden buildings running parallel to the road and the one intersection off to the left with a signpost marking the names of the roads.  Only a single broken placard was still attached.

What was left of it read, ‘Par-He—‘

Meanwhile, off to the right and in the far distance, Mia did not need to look to know it was there, but a walled citadel was just visible above the horizon.

Because, of course, she had recognized the place immediately.

“So that’s who you are,” she murmured.  “Interesting choice, my lord.”

And it explained the hole.  It would seem the matter of his second connection had sorted itself out… if a tad violently.  No doubt, she could have avoided the mess had she managed to find the plug sooner, but she could not be blamed for missing it.  It had been hidden, after all.

“Bloody wench…”  She sighed, then began to slowly spin, scanning the area.  “I suppose you would’ve been meddling in here, as well.  So then, where… ah!”

Spotting what she had been looking for, she stomped into what had been an empty lot.  Now, however, it had a new inhabitant in the form of a familiar, black obelisk.

Mia scrubbed a hand over her face.  Yet another thing to deal with.

She had to admit, these workings were cleverly designed, if inefficient.  And abject heresy, but that was an altogether different matter.

It was all part of the general disarray she had inherited.  There was no way she could manage clearing them out on her own.  Not anymore.  Their removal would cause a Core breach at the very least.  No, best to simply leave well enough alone.

Her pondering was interrupted by the faintly muffled sounds of a child crying coming from one of the buildings behind her.  She did not need to search for it, though.  The girl was not always in there, but when she was, it was always the same place.

And if she was there…

Mia turned and headed for the old brothel.  It was just on the edge of town and one of the few buildings with a bit of paint left to it.  In its heyday, it would have been a brightly colored and charming sort place.  Now?  Just another ruined wreck in a town of decay.

The inside was worse.  Broken tables and chairs were strewn all over the place.  Glass bottles laid shattered in front of the bar, though one or two were embedded into the walls.  A fight had happened here.  Once.  And long ago.

The little, gray-skinned child was huddled into the corner as she always was.  Sobbing her eyes out.  Though, when Mia looked, her features were indistinct.  Faded and worn, but not like the town.  This was something different.

“It’s funny,” a woman said from the bar.

Mia glanced at her.  She looked almost nothing like she once had.  Her skin was not quite so dark.  Her hair, once black, had turned white as snow.  She was altogether slimmer and less imposing than the hulking warrior she had once been, yet more voluptuous.  And of course, she had never had a pair of horns spiraling out of her head.

“I can remember why I was crying,” she said absently, staring into an untouched tankard of ale.  “But I can’t remember why I was crying.”

Mia sniffed.  What twaddle.  “I’m not really the person to be asking about that sort of thing.”

Arx turned to look at her.  For a long moment, she just stared, no doubt giving her the same once-over she had just received.

“You look like you’ve just crawled out of a sewer.  Whoever you are.”

Mia quirked an eyebrow.  Rude as ever.  “I was just on my way to find a bathhouse, but I got sidetracked.”

“You’ll not find one here,” Arx replied, turning back to her drink.  She did not move to touch it, though.  Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, “Stranger.”

“Maybe,” Mia allowed before joining the woman at the bar.

Casually, she leaned an elbow against it and allowed her eyes to rove about the woman.  Butterflies rolled up her belly, perhaps a residual side-effect of her earlier flirting… or perhaps something else.  Arx was her lord master’s creature, after all.

“But things always change.  Maybe if we look, we’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Arx turned her head slightly, “We, huh?  Look, as I’ve said twice now, I don’t know—“

“I’m your daddy come to fuck you!”

Arx looked at her sharply and stood.  Rage flared in her eyes… but then just as quickly faded.  Replaced by confusion.

“I am Donum.  Not…”  Slowly, she dropped back into her seat, shaking her head.  “And anyway, that one never touched me with anything but his fists.”

Mia cleared her throat awkwardly.  She had never been a being of mercy.  Even so, it was strange to hear the woman admit to something like that so indifferently.  But as she had said, she was something other than she once had been.  This whole song and dance seemed to be a performance more for the sake of rote habit than anything of real significance.

“I apologize,” Mia said anyway.  “I have… a curse.  You should avoid asking me questions directly.  They make me say things I don’t mean.  As it happens, I am also Donum.  Specifically, Mia.”

Arx’s eyes widened.  “The Faen?”

Mia’s face contorted immediately.  “Queef harmonica!”

Arx winced.  “’Snails, you weren’t kidding.  But what’s a uh… harno… harm—”

“It’s not important,” Mia said quickly, cutting her off.  “I should ask how you want to spend your attribute points, however.  Since you’re in torpor.”

“But I’ve already…” she paused.  “Wait, that’s right.  I am in torpor.  I remember now.  But this is a dream!  I know it is.  How am I—“

“I don’t know!” Mia interrupted quickly, forestalling the question.  “It still doesn’t make any sense to me, but as you have said, you are Donum.  He pulls this kind of crap all the time.”

Arx started to give a reluctant nod, but then something else caught her attention.  Slowly turning on her barstool to face the door, she scented the air a few times.

“Hmm…”

“What is it?” Mia asked.

“I’m not sure,” Arx replied.  “But I’m going to find out.”

Mia watched as the taller woman stalked through the door, totally heedless and gave her head a rueful shake.  She had never much cared for interacting with mortals this way.  They tended to be a tad single-minded and forgetful while within the fabric.

But if this woman truly was being influenced by their lord, there was the possibility he might twist her dreams as well.  If that were the case… this could get interesting.

Mia quickly scurried to catch up.

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And so ends the first section of our little experiment.  Hopefully, I will have already finished the next chapter by whenever this gets released, and you'll be able to jump right into it by next release day with no worries.  Fingers crossed...