Toofy Ch. 17

Orli cringed, "I... I hate doing it. I don't like being a channel. It feels like I'm steal from them."

"Your boyfriend complained, yet?" Trician raised an eyebrow.

The girl shrugged, "No... But he's a betrayer. He wouldn't complain if any of the official gods went and got murdered."

"Girl. You're still acting like you have a choice." The elf said with irritation, "I've got a very angry, very scary, cat who just discovered she's pregnant. Your tiny little village is about to be swarmed by dragons who might be dumb enough shits to pick a fight with her. I'm not in the mood for this."

"Scary? The neko?" Orli said, glancing towards the building, "What... What is she?"

Tyre yawned tiredly, "She's the last thing you'll know before you die. She'll fuck you. And then she'll fuck your chances of surviving. You can do whatever you like to try and survive. Even go and summon someone like Ouruk to protect you... And all you'll be doing is delaying the inevitable. No one who fucks with her survives. She's terrifying."

"The gods love her?"

He shook his head, "Lady Twenty Four regularly says she hates all the gods. So I highly doubt it."

"T... Twenty Four." The girl breathed out slowly, "I didn't know her name. I didn't know her name. Shit. Oh, gods, shit."

Trician chuckled softly, "Yeah. Eratigan's daughter. Just like you. Isn't that a fun little piece of bullshit?"

"Oh, you don't get it." Orli shook her head, "Not even a little. Twenty Four was fated to die, before mother stepped in. Which means that Death, the god, has been trying to claim her ever since. And failing. Ouruk has mentioned her... She's... Like the sack man, but for gods. I didn't actually think she was real."

The elf laughed loudly, "The sackman of the gods. I like that. Describes the bitch perfectly. You want to piss her off, little human? Then don't help me."

"I hate you." Orli said lightly, giving in. "Let's die, then. Better to die by the hand of an immortal lich, than piss off that neko."

Tyre stretched for a moment, and then drew a sword from his hip. He flicked a couple runic symbols in the air, and his eyes briefly glowed a light blue. "Sorry to say it, girl, but if you let the lich kill you, the cat will probably find a way to come and scream at you."

"Shit."

Trician held out her hand, and the human hesitantly took it. Orli closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Then she thrust her hand into the sky.

The elf's eyes rolled back in her head and she nearly collapsed. The magic surged through her, overwhelming her senses all over again. There was no getting used to it.

She struggled for a moment, and then breathed out slowly. "Last time, Tyre, Astadia came immediately. She... Has crazy power. But, thanks to this one, now so do I. I just..."

"Need a skilled spellsmith to help you choose the right ones." He replied tiredly and took Orli's other hand, "Sorry, girl, this is easy. Be my channel to her. You'll feel the tug, Trician. Don't resist. Don't try and control it. Or it'll rebound."

"Not an idiot." She said through gritted teeth and snapped her fingers, "Astadia! You whore! Come out and play!"

Last time, her sister had come out of curiosity. That wouldn't work twice. The dead elf would also expect this to be a trap, so any slight edge like being pissed off, should help.

Trician grunted in surprise.

It wasn't just a tug she felt. Relinquishing control was difficult when it felt like you were being hauled around by a damned salamander.

Like getting your feet stomped by an inept lord at a ball.

"You call me, whore!?" An ethereal voice screamed from behind the three of them, blasting them rolling, and out of each other's grip.

Trician cried out for Orli as the human went tumbling out of reach. She spun onto her back and tossed up a shield that shattered with a burst of blood from her own mouth.

"Fucking an onokentaura, and you call me, whore!?" The voice screamed again, flattening and pinning all three of them.

The elf reeled, feeling the blood pouring from her nostrils, mouth, and ears. Yet, despite the agony and the overwhelming magic blasting directly at her, she knew what she had to do.

She reached out for the same desperate spell she had cast against Kaleid. The spell that had saved her life and enslaved Astadia's bodyguard to her side.

A spell that had slipped right passed his defences.

There was a brief spark of blue. Just a tiny moment where a single speck of light left her finger tips, before dying in the air.

A scream of utter rage shook the ground, as shadows from all around them were dragged into the same location. Flecks of darkness swept up and forced together until it formed some kind of physical shell.

Orli's hand closed around hers warmly. Little fingers interlacing with her own, and Trician felt the magic rip right through her. She gave a breathless gasp, and all resistance to her spell vanished.

The shadow flickered and shook, before bursting outwards and leaving a terrifyingly pale-skinned elf kneeling in front of them.

Trician felt a tear slip down one cheek as she looked at the semi-familiar figure.

Her sister was too pale. Not even a sickly pale, but corpse pale. The hair was unkempt, looking like it had been dragged through oil, and then mildly charred.

Trician had mourned her when Tresian had killed her. Even though she'd attempted it, herself. She had still mourned for Astadia, and now... Now she was looking at her and reopening that wound.

She had loved her sister.

The goddess had been the one to demand her death. Anything to prevent Astadia from ascending to the very position of power she had, in death.

Trician had served the gods unquestioningly, all of her life. The moment that the goddess had demanded the death of her sister, was the first time that she had known doubt.

"Astadia." She whispered, feeling Orli squeezing her hand reassuringly.

The human was definitely her mother's daughter. She was just a waitress in a hick town, and she was showing sympathy to someone looking at an undead lich that had tried to murder them all.

Not a single hint of freaking out, like a reasonable person would.

Tyre sat up, stretching out his arms, "Ow. Well, I was useless. Apologies."

Trician staggered upright, and Orli came with. Refusing to let go of the elf's hand. She looked at the human, but saw nothing but earnest determination in her blue eyes.

So this is what someone who moved beyond prophet to date a god looked like. Stubborn and stupid.

"Astadia." Trician said more firmly.

The dead elf reached up and touched the silver collar around her throat, and winced, "You bitch. You fucking whore. You steal my boyfriend, get him killed, and then fucking seal my soul?"

"You killed, Kal!" Trician roared.

Astadia sneered, looking up at her with sunken eyes, "No, you fucking idiot, I did not. That'd be the bitch who calls you her little fucking toy. Might as well be a fucktoy, from what I've seen. Whore."

"Your army."

The elf sneered, "I didn't hate you. Even after you burned down my palace to try and kill me. But fucking Kal before my corpse was even cold? You're a piece of shit."

"I needed the magic." Trician muttered, feeling on the defensive.

Orli spoke timidly, voice shaking, "Why would Trician's goddess kill... Kal?"

"Kaleid. My bodyguard, and an onokentaura. We could never be together." Astadia explained quietly, before glaring with her white eyes at Trician. "Goddess killed him, because she's a jealous bitch. Wanted to punish you for falling in love, with anyone who wasn't her."

"The draug woke up when I crossed the border. That just a coincidence, too, lich?" Trician sneered.

Astadia laughed, a hoarse and cackling noise, "Of course not, you dumb cow. I woke them up. Sent them to shadow you."

"You really working with the human emperor? Bringing back Menes' magic?"

The dead elf stared, "Gods above, you're fucking stupid. How the fuck is my own sister so stupid? Even with most of the puzzle in front of you, you can't see shit. Fuck."

"Stop treating her like she's worthless." Orli said angrily.

Astadia sneered, "I am dead, witch. I don't have much of a soul. All I am is fucking rage! So, shut up the fuck up, before I get sick of both of you and break this fucking collar and rip out your throats!"

Trician frowned, considering everything, "The emperor is bringing back Menes' magic. We didn't get that part wrong. But the method was. You... You were Menes' apprentice. You... You stayed alive to stop him. To fight him."

"Congrats, moron." Astadia said sarcastically, "The emperor needs you. Your blood, and the blood of ten thousand orks. With that... He might actually be able to ascend."

"Why, her?" Orli asked in confusion.

Trician stared at her sister sadly, "Royal blood. The royal blood of the elven line is bound to the Golden Mountain. Enchanted. Old magic, lost magic. There's nothing else like it... Menes sacrificed father, didn't he?"

Astadia punched the ground, cracking and shaking it, "Of course he fucking did. That's how he made the abominations, like that fucker next to you!"

"This fucker doesn't have that magic anymore." Tyre offered weakly.

The lich spat on the ground. Or at least made the sound and motion, but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth.

Trician looked at her sister with pain, "The goddess wanted you dead... Because she wants me dead. And Tresian. The three of us are the last of our bloodline... She assumed Twenty Four would use me, and then kill me."

"The gods keep trying to mess with that cat." Tyre muttered and shook his head, "Someone has to teach them the meaning of self-preservation. It doesn't involve pissing off that neko."

Astadia touched her collar, "I could break this any time I want. I'm already dead. Blowing myself to hell wouldn't be a big deal. I blew myself out of it, to protect my fucking stupid sister, after the other one killed me. I hate this fucking family."

"I think what she's trying to say... Is that she loves you." Orli said quietly, squeezing Trician's hand.

The undead elf frowned, "This... Thing... That helped you bind me, sister. What the fuck is it? Even if I was a god, it would make me shit my pants. Her aura isn't human."

"What about Toofy's aura, dead-elf? Is it cute enough?" A familiar voice cut the air like a knife, despite the soft tones.

Trician looked at the approaching neko, and her golden eyes. The neko seemed as cute as ever. She wasn't showing yet, either. If the elf hadn't known who she was, she would have been confused that the cat was acting like a threat.

Apparently Astadia knew who she was.

Her sister scrambled backwards on the ground, twisting and breaking her arms in a mad dash to get away from her. "Fuck! Please. Please. Fuck, no!"

Toofy crossed her arms, glaring, "Astadia is a little bitch. Toofy also doesn't like that Astadia wanted to sleep with her Sai. Did she touch him, when she was alive?"

The pale-skinned woman flattened onto the ground in a bow, dropping her forehead to the dirt. "Lord Sai rejected me. Said he never wanted to pass on his curse."

"Toofy still wants to hurt." The cat said angrily, and took a deep sigh, "But she can't touch her death magic. Not with kittens. Won't ruin their souls to bind the Astadia. Assboy. You know Relanti's Rite?"

Tyre nodded, "Relanti? Sure. It's simple enough. Just blood magic. Binding two people to a promise."

"Swear to follow and obey the insane elf, and Toofy won't send your soul to oblivion." She instructed.

Trician watched in confusion as Tyre sketched out an intricate circle of symbols on the ground. Her lich sister, who had summoned and controlled a nation-sized army, still panicking before a simple neko.

The elf had seen the neko's magic first-hand.

It wasn't Toofy's magic that was impressive. It wasn't the reason she survived, or thrived, when surrounded by so many enemies. She was average for an exotic.

What was impressive was that Toofy was either a genius, or luckier than the god of luck.

That little neko had the gods themselves trying to control and manipulate her, and at every turn they failed. All they managed to do was piss off the cat, and give her more powerful weapons to use.

Which she was more than happy to make use of.

The bagman of the gods.

"Blood magic. Needs blood." Tyre said to her, "Won't get any from the lich. Sister should work, with my modifications to the rite."

Trician looked at the circle, and then over at her sister. "Astadia... Despite everything that has happened... I don't hate you. Choose. Return to death, or be bound to me."

"I came back from hell to protect you, bitch!" Astadia yelled, glaring at her with her dead eyes. "Bind me."

---

Saia held her head as she stumbled out of the gateway's circle. The salamander had dropped her off at one on her way to ruin Lord Sai's day. Wasn't as bad as a flash dance, but still made her feel sick.

"Hold. Documents."

She looked blearily at the guards surrounding the gateway just outside the walls of the capital, and rubbed her temples, "I left the city just yesterday. What the hell are you talking about?"

"The city has been sealed." One of the guards barked, "A permit is required, for passage in and out."

She tried out her new magic, lifting her wrist to show off a golden bell. She rattled the small item, "I serve the will of the emperor. That good enough for you?"

"An ambassador is of course welcome." The guard said and bowed his head, "My apologies, m'lady."

Saia struggled not to laugh. She'd felt the spell scan her bell, but apparently she really could make one as good as the real thing on a whim, now.

That was cursed magic for you. Might steal your soul, but it let you do whatever you felt like. With terrible consequences.

"What happened to seal the city in the one night that I was gone?" She demanded.

The man bowed his head, "There was a prison break, m'lady. The former priestess of the temple escaped."

"Efina." She growled, "Well. They should have seen that coming. Bitch never did play fair... The temple is my destination. I assume security around it has increased?"

"Yes, m'lady."

She pretended to be pleased with that, "Good."

Saia headed towards the city, but before she reached the front gate, she had transformed herself with a shiver and cracking of bones. A thrill of short and sharp pain.

She took on the form of an elven woman, who was a right twat, but would find it easy to get close to Lord Yu. Getting her walk correct was harder than getting the form.

Esme walked with an arrogant sway of her hips, to emphasise the sound of the bell she wore there. Showing off that she was a favourite play thing of Lord Yu, and the property of Domina Florence.

It made Saia feel like an idiot.

Didn't help that without her tail, she felt completely unbalanced and out of sorts. She'd only ever glamoured it away, never actually physically changed herself so it was gone.

She'd worn so many faces over the years, becoming more comfortable under a glamour than her own skin. But now that she literally was in someone else's skin, she felt like a beginner, all over again.

Shifting felt so different than just faking it.

She had plenty of time to get used to the new movement, and to experiment a little with the limits of shifting, as she made her way through the city to the temple.

She couldn't create anything that was actually separate to her.

So she could have a bell, but it was part of her. You would have to cut it free, and Saia wasn't quite willing to find out if afterwards the bell would remain or not.

Heck, she didn't know if she had nerves connecting her to something like that.

She did notice that the longer she spent in a form that wasn't her own, the more she had to concentrate to stay in it. She had used an alley to drop back, before re-becoming Esme, and it became easy again.

There seemed like there were plenty of limits and rules.

She would have to have a very long talk with Tyre, if either of them survived the coming days. Which probably mean that she'd have to actually ask him what happened to Helen.

She could already guess parts of the story, but Saia had turned herself into an elf, and she didn't seem to have the instincts of an elf.

So why was the man who turned into a bear, mourning because he killed someone he had loved?

"Esme?" A voice said in surprise, and Saia felt the familiar danger.

She turned towards them, looking over with absolute arrogance at the woman approaching her. They were some kind of mongrel, with short nekomimi showing up through their blonde hair, but also the ears of a human.

She only knew of three half-nekos in the city.

All three, funnily enough, were sisters.

They were officially daughters of Domina Florence. However, it was an open secret that they had been born as illegitimate children of Lord Westcolm on one of his whorehouse crawls.

"What do you want?" Saia sneered, popping her hip.

The woman frowned, "Well, I did want a drink. But you turned me down. Said you were too busy hunting -"

"No shit." She interrupted the woman, "What do you think I was doing? Going on a bear hunt? Bloody hell, idiot."

The woman moved closer, looking around fearfully, "She's still in the city? I thought... She'd run away."

"She's got some grudges to settle, first." Saia said, pulling back her elven ears, and glaring, "And number one on that list, is Lord Yu. So I think you should be running the other direction, hey? And leaving me the hell alone."

"Sorry." The woman mumbled nervously, briefly touching Saia's hand, before she turned and walked away.

So... Esme had a girlfriend. That was intriguing.

If she didn't have somewhere else to be, she would be using it to undercut the arrogant bitch and make her life hell. But, Saia had somewhere to be and someone to kill.

The rest of her trip to the temple went without incident. Not a second glance from any of the guards. She didn't even know if her new magic was detectable once she'd changed form.

A glamour wasn't the easiest thing to detect in the first place. And this was a step up from that.

The succubus made her way to Lord Yu's private office, retracing steps that she knew so well. Remembering all the times she had made the trip with trepidation, knowing that a failure meant he was going to hurt her.

Not this time.

She pushed open the door, and stepped inside with a ring of the bell on her hip.

Yu looked up from a half-flagon of wine, and glared at her, "You found her, yet?"

"Pretty sure. But I'll need your help to get to her, m'lord." Saia replied, not even trying to sound like Esme.

He glared at her, "Pretty sure? What crap is this? Gods, I miss Elia. At least she knew how to bend over and take it."

She smoothly pulled out a cage and put it onto the desk, "I found this, whilst tracking Lady Efina. I think I know what it is, but I also think I'm out of my depth. Sir."

He practically fell off his stool.

The man made his way around, half-stumbling, and stared at the hissing white creature inside the cage. He looked up at her and back down at it again, "How in the fuck did you catch it without getting stung?"

"With difficulty." She replied, "I believe that one of these was also found when Lord Sai's assistant was killed. They're supposed to be a special thing, right?"

"Special ain't the half of it." Yu breathed out with a belch of fumes, "This... They aren't meant to exist. They're the symbol of the goddess of mischief. A betrayer god. One of those deities that is supposed to be trapped where they can't mess with mortals anymore."

Saia nodded slowly, "Curious. I suppose these must be the truth in the legend. They can't be native. Maybe Efina is using whoever she got them from to escape across the sea."