Aether Beasts

07/2/2023 - [I'M BACK. DAILY CHAPTERS. ONE A DAY AT THE VERY LEAST BUT I WILL TRY AND DO TWO. ALSO PLEASE PLEASE READ THE NEW AUXILLARY CHAPTER.]

Eventually, my mood improved from the depressing state I had been in. The bonds made it hard not to notice. It felt like pieces of me had been ripped out, and yes, it sounded cheesy, but that didn't make it any less true.

"So what do you want to know?" I said, surprising Tily. Although a moment later she smiled.

"Well, I'm rather intrigued about who you are and what you are." She met my eyes. "Your eyes are not that of a normal person, nor any mage I've seen, and I've been to the royal court."

"What and who?" I shrugged. "I'm human with a non-human lineage which has granted me these eyes and other… things. Who? Well, let's just I'm a stranger from an even stranger place. I'm not meant to be here. That's about as much as you're gonna get from me I'm afraid."

"A shame, but intriguing nonetheless. And you are on your way home?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"And you could use some help?"

I glanced at her. "Not really, I know where she is. I can sense her."

"So it's a woman, hmm." Her eyes moved up and down my body. "Lucky woman."

"Any man would call me lucky if they got a look at her."

"Really, well, maybe you can sense her, but I can still help. Maybe we'll find her in Marik's capital. If so, you must allow me to aid you. This ride is hardly repayment for your act of valor and brav—"

I held up a hand. "What I did was neither brave nor an act of valor. They were weak, and I could have killed them without moving, or with my pinkie finger. There was no fear of them. I saw someone who needed help, and I helped."

She smiled. "Humble and modest. Lucky indeed."

*****

Sandra had been through a lot in her life. From being betrayed and abandoned to poverty and begging. To the despair, she felt through most of her teens when she had thought she'd never see home again. There was also the wat and the numerous experiences she'd had with Aiden and Misty.

What she was currently in was definitely up there on the list. She sighed and glanced down at the chains binding her, glowing with a faint blue light, and covered in dozens of runes. She looked to the guards, ten of them, surrounding the cage she was in and two dozen other guards nearby. All for her.

It made sense since she'd almost escaped after breaking the mere normal iron chains the first time. They hadn't stood a chance. She'd killed at least over a hundred before they'd managed to chain her with these things, but even then none had gotten close. That was good, they weren't able to see what she was currently doing.

"Keep me caged, oh we'll see," she muttered as she focused on her aether which was very difficult since the chains were interfering, making it harder for her to use her aether. She had guessed they thought she couldn't use whatever they were using. Some other type of power. So far she had figured out she wasn't in her world anymore, was split from her loved ones, and needed to get to them.

She could feel they were still alive, and to her relief she Aiden getting closer. He was coming for her. She smiled and felt genuine pity for these fools. They weren't going to know what hit them. From him or her. Her shadows were working away, and when she was free next, she would kill them all first then escape. She was the bloodthirsty type but she heard the screaming and moaning and grunting. Yes, she was going to kill them all.

*****

Misty had plenty of normal fears like most people. Such as losing loved ones, and insects, being overly filthy, and losing control. However, another fear she had which she had never told anyone save for Aiden and Sandra was her fear of deep bodies of water. She kept it under wraps and even being nearby didn't scare her, but she'd floating about in this bloody ocean for the better part of two days, on a raft of bone she'd made. There was also the fact, she could not senses a single bit of ambient aether.

All she had were her current amount and some cores in a spatial ring. That was it. For two days she had been trying to psyche herself up. To just swim and go. Go to Aiden and Sandra who were very far from what she could sense and Aiden was getting further away. She guessed he was going to Sandra which hurt at first, but she knew he wouldn't do so unless she was closer. He'd get Sandra and then come for her, probably thinking she was also coming to him.

But here she was playing the coward. After everything she had faced, an ocean was the thing that bested her. As she sighed and tried to jump off, she heard something. Her head snapped to the side, her eyes narrowing. On the horizon was a ship headed her. She opened a hand and a shot a bright ball of red light into the air just to make sure. She still felt disappointed in herself but she just couldn't.

As the ship grew closer another shop appeared behind it. "Is it…" She heard a boom, and a part of the first ship shattered into pieces. Her enhanced senses allowed her to see and hear it all. The first ship was being chased by pirates or someone. Maybe it was pirates being chased. That thought was quickly dismissed when the second raised a black flag with an odd looking on it. The skull had tusks. Another boom and the first broke a little more.

She looked down at the water, and considered what it was for. For Aiden, Sandra, and these people. Was she really just gonna stand here? She could. She looked beautiful enough that they would come, and she'd take over easily enough. Whatever this world was, she imagined they understand the law of power.

She stopped thinking about it, stopped worrying, and just jumped in. She needed to do this. She knew what Aiden would say. The smile he'd give her, and the absolute confidence and trust he would have that she could easily do this.

The water was very cold, but she pushed away the fear and worry, and replaced it with her love for Aiden and Sandra and her truth. A monster she may be, but that didn't mean she didn't care for people. She began to swim.

*****

Far from Misty, Aiden and Sandra lay Zirani, sleeping soundly upon a bed of moss made for her. She was surrounded by beautiful trees and greeny, by animals and creatures who looked at her in awe and respect. Even changed as she was, they could sense her connection with nature, her bond and power.

Those who had found her stood watch. Each was beautiful, womanly, and would be the eye of any man's desires. Dryads that were similar but different to once dryad who lay before them. Not just them, but elves of the forest, dwarves of the mountain and even an orc tribe had come to see this mother of nature that had fallen from a supposed hole in the world. The clan of dryads helped those who came with child rearing, birth, and problems of nature, fertility, and illness.

The meadow was silent as it had been deemed. The sleeping mother was tired and recovering, though none of them knew what.

"Mother, how long till she wakes." A young dryad looked up to her mother.

"Not long now, sweetling," her mother replied. imperceptible to most eyes, but clear to the grove mother, on her right hand two of Zirani's fingers twitched. "Not long at all."