"You're right, Miranda. Sergeant, how long until we can move?" Helena replied quickly and glanced at the rude officer, who grunted and turned to the wounded man, "How long until you're fit to move private?" The man, freshly healed by Maggie, grabbed his weapon and shield and replied; "Good to go now, sir." Caleb, who had released his magical aura when the battle had ended, took the lead toward the Tower Goldspike without saying anything, further, and the rest of them fell into step behind the man.
Though the streets were as devastated as they had been before, Miranda and those with her encountered no further resistance on their way to their destination. The Tower Goldspike loomed ahead as night fell, the difference in lighting barely discernible with the massive grey monstrosity looming overhead. She saw people milling about on the steps of the tower. Clothed people. Many of them in armor, but it was the men and women in robes that drew Miranda and Helena's attention most of all, and though they were greeted well, no one tried to stop either woman as they both ascended the tower's steps toward a bespectacled man in a blue-grey robe. Her turned toward the two of them and smiled that same warm, friendly smile that he almost always wore when looking upon Miranda or Helena.
She had found her father, and Helena had found her husband. Despite the large number of people crowding the stone steps of the ancient, magical tower, a path had somehow miraculously cleared between them and Thomas, a clear path that they could cross, and an open space around him too.
It was clear Maggie had done a good job of healing the soldier, because he was already up and ready to go. The little group took advantage of this quickly, Caleb leading the way towards the Tower Goldspike as they all got under way. The streets around them were just as decimated as before, littered with corpses and broken down wagons. In the deepening darkness the abandoned street was a depressing hellscape, like a picture out of some sort of apocalyptic book, and just as before Miranda felt the presence of aliens from every alleyway and cross-street, hiding in all of the burned out buildings. The young mage’s eyes scanned from one side of the street to the other, watching and listening intently for the signs of another ambush. None came, however, and Goldspike soon enough loomed in front of them in the darkness.
It seemed clear that the danger had passed here, for the moment at least, because a number of people were milling about in the courtyard, avoiding the large hole off to the side. Most of them were wearing armor, clearly the soldiers who had been guarding the tower, and probably some who had fought their way here. The ones Miranda was interested in, however, were the ones in robes, the mages who had helped to fight off the alien attack. Her eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the man she had fought her way here twice to see. Finally she spotted a man wearing glasses and a blue-ish gray robe standing on the steps, and her heart quickened as she began to ascend the stairs as she finally sheathed her rapier again. A path cleared between them as he turned to face Miranda and her mother, the familiar, perpetual smile still on her father’s face.
Miranda couldn’t have contained her emotion if she had tried, and she began to run up the stairs, tears of joy starting to cloud her vision. Unfortunately she wasn’t very graceful in her haste, and she tripped on one of the stairs, stumbling forward and barely breaking her fall with her hands, though that didn’t stop her. The young mage used her hands to bound up a few of the steps before getting fully to her feet again, just in time to nearly tackle her father to the ground, her little arms squeezing him tightly as she buried her face in his chest. "Daddy…" she said, her voice choked with emotion, "I’m so glad…" It was all she could think to say at that moment as she hugged her father tight. Her mother couldn’t be too far behind, and this was everything she had fought and scraped and struggled for. Her family was here, safe and sound, together. There were still aliens out and about in the city, that was almost certain, and that… thing… was still hovering above their heads, but the young mage was sure that they could handle anything by now.
Miranda's father was ready for her, and caught her up in his arms and rocked back only slightly from the force of her impact against his chest. His arms were as warm and welcoming as she remembered them to be, but he squeezed her more tightly than she'd ever remembered him doing. "Miranda..." He whispered quietly, his voice shaking slightly, and she both heard and felt his heartbeat quickening with joy as he held her tight. A moment later, Miranda felt her mother's arms wrap around her as well, and a glance up a moment later showed her parent's pressing their foreheads together tenderly, tears streaming from both their eyes as they hugged one another and their daughter.
The three of them stood there like that for a while, whether it was seconds or minutes or even longer was indeterminate and irrelevant. Nobody bothered them. The world faded out of their collective consciousness for a few moments as they stood upon the steps of the golden tower behind them, embracing as only a reunited family could.
And then, a pulse of energy thrilled up the tower, a sensation of immense power moving that even a layman could detect, but that burned as brightly as a flare to the three mages. All those around them stopped and went silent as one, the sudden pulse having touched a more primitive part of them. The part of the human mind that remembered what it was to be small and helpless, before reason and intellect had brought them to the top of the food chain. That primitive stirred, and awoke fully in Miranda as she felt a second pulse move up the top, ancient magics that none had ever unlocked stirring for the first time in who knew how long.
Lightning split the sky above, beating out even the last rays of light coming from the setting sun, and thunder cracked the sky. A drop of rain fell and froze as the temperature of the air fell, as if the heat had been sucked right out of it, and another massive burst of power ran up the tower, this one dwarfing the last two. Three more bolts of lightning lanced out from the clouds above, but these cracked against the surface of the creature floating above them, causing burns to appear along its fleshy grey surface before the thunder that marked them rang out again, this time closer and even louder. Miranda had never heard thunder so loud before. Another burst of power surged up the tower, this time causing a halo of light to appear, and the sheer volume of it made Miranda tremble subconsciously for a moment even while in her parent's arms. It was an immeasurable amount of energy, more than one could even imagine might be found in a single place at any one time. It was a godlike amount of power.
Lightning lashed repeatedly against the creature in the sky as a constant rumble of thunder shook the very ground beneath them, and freezing rain and snow began to fall. Miranda's parents huddled closer together as the cold began to seep into the three of them, but their proximity to each other and the clothes that she and Helena had acquired earlier kept the worst of it at bay. The wind picked up as well, whipping about and howling violently as they threatened to steal both the warmth from their bodies and their balance. "Look! At the top of the tower!" someone shouted, and pointed up to the apex of the Tower Goldspike. A man shaped figure stood there, illuminated by the constant flashes of lightning. Clad in shining silver armor covered in intricate designs, a warhammer in his right hand and a longsword in his right as he held both arms out at full extension, and with his golden hair and a dark blue cape both flying in the powerful winds.
The figure atop the tower began to expand, growing in size as further pulses of magical power raced up the tower, and after one final tremendous burst of energy, the man hurtled forth into the sky with a boom that momentarily drowned out the thunder. Miranda lost track of him for a moment, but the lightning and thunder had stopped as soon as the figure left the tower. No one moved as the sense of power did not diminish with his absence. If anything, the wild, tremendous power had intensified. A brilliant flash lit up the whole of the sky and held for several seconds, during which the bottom of the floating monstrosity was scarred with a long line of lightning bolts from the man shaped figure now hovering below it. The being's sword rose and fell in an arc, and the flash briefly intensified to blinding heights before darkness came again, the sun having sunk beneath the mountains with the coming of the storm.
A tremendous crash, not of thunder but of impact, rocked the whole of the city, including those standing at the base of the tower, and another long burst of lightning tore at the top of the creature, this time setting it alight as thunder boomed and the wind howled. The flashes revealed that all of the massive tentacles that had writhed from the side of the floating abomination were gone, severed cleanly from the beast, and as the lightning faded the orange glow of the flames along its top indicated that the thing had begun listing to the side. Another burst of lightning against the thing's burning top half revealed the figure of the armored man once more, and this time he raised the hammer in his hands and brought it down. A single bolt of lightning tore straight through the creature from the point of impact and struck against the streets below, but that wasn't where the brunt of the damage came from. The force of the impact had caused the entire creature to deform and shake like a titanic piece of jello, and ruptures appeared all over its body as the internal stresses of the force dissipating caused the thing to very nearly fall apart.
As the light faded once more, the orange glow of the flames along its top allowed them to track its drift over Therion, as it seemed to be moving toward the merchant's section. For a full minute, nothing further seemed to happen, but the sense of power warned that the show wasn't over yet. A final crackle of thunder against the creature's already scarred underbelly revealed the figure already hurtling upwards, hammer and sword held low just before the former came up and slammed into its target with enough force to send a shockwave that almost succeeded where the winds had failed, very nearly knocking Miranda and her family on their backsides. The abomination in the sky shook and recoiled from the strike, rising at least a hundred feet up and squeezing from the sheer force of the blow, and it was at the apex of that arch that the thunder god's sword came up and slashed across, never touching the floating creature.
Darkness came then, and the sense of power diminished. All the same, however, Miranda sensed that another strike was not needed. There was a tremendous thud, and the burning corpse of the abomination that had brought the invasion to Therion fell upon the city a few moments later, plummeting straight to the ground as whatever magic had allowed it to float failed. The winds faded, but the cold remained, and a single bolt of lightning revealed that the sky above the city of Therion was clear once more save for the dark storm clouds.
Miranda's father hugged her harder against his chest, but his eyes remained on the sky above them as he whispered; "We should go inside."
Miranda’s father held onto her as tightly as she held onto him, harder than she had ever been hugged before. She took in all of it, his quiet, shaking voice, the sound and feel of his heart beating against his chest, the typical smell of his robes. Just a moment later her mother came up behind her and wrapped her arms tightly around both of them, her two parents pressing their foreheads together and weeping in joy and relief as they reunited. And for a while, how long she couldn’t say, her and her parents were outside of time, outside of the world. There was only them, and there was nowhere else that Miranda could think of having ever wanted to be more than right there, surrounded completely by the two people she loved most in the world.
All too soon they were dragged back into the real world. An enormous pulse of magical energy ran up the tower in front of Miranda, so incredibly powerful that the young mage couldn’t begin to comprehend it. The battle in front of the tower earlier had left the air filled with enough magic that it could be felt, but that had been nothing compared to this. It had the vaguest similarity with the most arcane of magics her mother had used when she had been around, though it was more different than alike, and she could feel in it a window of a sort to the ancient times beyond the memory of anything living. A second burst of energy shot up the tower, and she felt a sort of fear well up inside of her that she had never felt before. She couldn’t pin what exactly it was, why this magic made her feel such a deep sense of terror. Perhaps it was a racial memory of a sort, a throwback to the days before history, when the world was even more dangerous than it is now.
Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, bright enough to make it seem like day, and a loud crack of thunder followed soon after. Then it was as if every bit of heat was sucked out of the air around them, a drop of rain falling from the sky and hitting the ground as ice. One more explosion of power ran up the tower, this one seemingly larger than both the others put together, and Miranda’s knees went weak. Lightning flashed again, incredibly, dangerously close, the sound of thunder deafening. This time, though, the bolts of lightning crashed against the giant alien ship. Something about it didn’t seem natural… Another burst of power, even more intense, producing a sort of halo of light, and the young mage trembled in the arms of her parents, hugging them even tighter and burying her face in her father’s robes again, her puny human mind incapable of processing the amount of magic around her.
Lightning began to rain down from the sky now, the thunder so loud and so constant that Miranda could feel the ground beneath her shudder and shake. Rain began to fall steadily, freezing into little pellets of ice well before hitting the ground, the wind starting to whip and blow it sideways. It was incredibly cold, though her parents shielded her from the worst of it as they huddled ever closer together, though they were almost blown over several times. Suddenly someone shouted to look up at the top of the tower, and the young mage did so reflexively. There, standing atop the Tower Goldspike and illuminated by the flashes of lightning, was a man with golden hair and silver armor, an enormous hammer and sword held in his hands. Suddenly everything made sense. This ridiculous and abnormal weather, the lightning, the unheard of amount of magical power of a kind she had never known before. They were all in the presence of a god now, one of the ancients whose terrible power could shake the foundations of the world. In the end the gods hadn’t abandoned the people of Therion after all. Things were going to turn out alright.
As the male figure expanded in size, gathering ever more magical power around him, Miranda recognized that it could only be Doraleus, the god of thunder. A mixture of fear, relief, and a sort of love filled her as she watched the divine being fly into the sky, fast enough to cause a sonic boom. The lightning and thunder ceased, the magical power still tangible all around the tower, the intense and ancient force of it pervading the air. After a moment an immense number of lightning bolts slammed into the bottom of the huge alien creature, and then there was utter darkness. It didn’t last long before there was a powerful impact, the noise and the sheer force of it nearly shaking Miranda off her feet again. Lightning crashed into the top of the alien, setting it on fire, and the god began to float just above its massive form. With one powerful blow from his hammer a bolt of lightning impaled it all the way through, and in the residual light the young mage could see its flesh rippling, the force of the impact very nearly destroying it outright. It began to drift away slowly, the orange glow of its burning flesh allowing Miranda to follow its path. It only took one more attack from Doraleus, a hammer smash to the underside of the alien setting it up for a slash of his sword.
The intense magical power weakened then, as the burning husk of the invader made its final descent, crashing to the streets of Therion. The wind died down, and the freezing rain ceased, though it was still unnaturally cold. A final bolt of lightning revealed an empty sky. "Yes… let’s…" Miranda replied to her father, shivering from the cold. She prayed in thanks as they moved towards the tower, for if ever the gods had deserved her thanks, it was now.
Miranda, Helena, and her father all moved up the rain slicked steps together beneath the storm marking the end of the thunder god's wrath. Many others still stood in place, stupefied by the display of power that they had been made to witness, but none stood in their path. All too soon, Miranda was inside the Tower Goldspike with her parents, where it was warm and well lit by numerous magical lights of a wide array of colors. As they stepped inside, her parents momentarily separated from Miranda and wrapped their arms around each other, their lips locking in a way that she couldn't ever remember witnessing from either of them in all of her years. Their lips pressed together, eyes closed and mouths open, and with their arms wrapped tightly around one another, it almost looked like they had become one being.
They only held the embrace for a moment, but when it broke and they both turned back toward her, Miranda could see the flush upon her parent's faces plain as day. Her father, Thomas, said; "Miranda, Helena, are you both alright? When this all started and I didn't know where either of you were..." He trailed off and looked into Miranda's eyes for a moment, the worry he'd held for so long plainly evident to her, but then he let out a sigh and let it all flow out of him. "Are you both alright? I imagine you must have had more than a few battles in order to get here. Did anything happen to you? Was it you that diverted the attention of the invaders a little while ago?"
Helena looked somewhat nervous, but offered her husband a nod and said; "That was us, yes. And we did get into a few fights along the way... Something did happen." She glanced meaningfully at Miranda as she trailed off, clearly unsure of how to explain to Thomas about what the slimes had done to the two of them. "What? What was it that happened while you were out there?" Thomas asked, his worry returning in full as Helena seemed unable to tell him what had happened.
Miranda and her parents ascended the rest of the tower steps slowly, hand in hand, careful not to lose their footing on the surface that had been made slippery by the rain. Although many people were standing in the rain, staring up into the dark clouds in awe, no one was in their way, and it didn’t take them long to get inside. The Tower was pleasantly warm, more so than usual thanks to the rain that clung to Miranda’s clothing, and the multicolored magical lights almost set the mood almost of a party, inappropriate though that may have been. The young mage’s parents quickly separated from her once they were inside, though, and wrapped their arms tightly around one another. Their lips quickly locked, their eyes closing as they kissed each other with a passion Miranda had never seen before, though she recognized it immediately. When they turned back to her, a flush on their faces, she almost felt uncomfortable, as if she were standing in the way of something she certainly didn’t want to take from them.
As the words began to pour out of her father’s mouth, though, Miranda could feel the weight of the worry he had held for her and her mother, a worry that she had returned to some extent, though she had a feeling that it wasn’t nearly so much compared to the fear that one’s child was maimed or dead. "We’re fine" the young mage reassured him, nodding quickly. Her mother covered the fights and their role in front of the tower, though she couldn’t quite seem to bring herself to tell him about something. Judging from the look she gave to Miranda and the subject, it was probably the slimes having raped them and implanted a crystal into their wombs… if the young mage had thought that she felt uncomfortable before, she had been mistaken, because this was discomfort. How does a girl tell her father she’s been raped by a monster?
As could be expected, Miranda’s face began to turn a shade of red as she diverted her eyes to look just over Thomas’ left shoulder. "Well, um…" she started, scratching at her right ankle nervously with her left foot. "We had a… an incident… with a slime" she said, slowly, letting the words and the implication sink in. "There are crystals… um… inside of us…" She couldn’t bring herself to just come out and say it, not wanting to describe something like this to a parent.
Thomas raised an eyebrow and nervously said; "Crystals!? Inside of you!? How in the hell did that happen? Have they done anything yet as far as you can tell?" Helena shook her head and replied; "No, they haven't done anything yet, but its been very worrying."
Her father nodded in understanding and took both of them by the hand, "C'mon, lets get you to the healers." Leading them through the hallway lined with so many colorful lights, Miranda and her family came to a chamber within that was filled with people, many of whom were wounded. Thomas pulled them up to a female healer and said; "Excuse me, we need to speak about something. Are any private rooms available?" The older looking blond woman looked confused but nodded and led them to a private chamber, where he released their hands. "These two having something to tell you, I'll be outside."
Thomas left the two of them alone, and the healer folded her arms and said; "Alright, out with it." Helena hesitated for a moment, giving Miranda a moment to explain if she had the nerve to. If she didn't, Helena would say; "We were attacked by slimes, and they implanted some sort of crystals inside of us." The woman seemed more aggrieved than surprised, however, and replied; "Were they purple or grey? The slimes I mean."
"They... They were purple," Helena replied, and the woman nodded evenly and said; "We can remove those, just hold on a moment." She walked out of the room, not seeming particularly concerned or hast and leaving them alone. Thomas slipped back inside as the nurse left, and he asked; "Well? What happened? Will you be alright?"
Miranda just blushed and looked away when her father asked how the crystals were put inside of them, really wanting no part of explaining it to him. It was just far too embarrassing a topic when considering the audience. Her mother took up his other question, telling him that the crystals hadn’t seemed to do anything thus far, though she pointedly avoided the first question. He then took their hands, leading them both through the tower towards the place where the healers had set up shop. It wasn’t a long walk through the colorfully lit hall, and soon they came out in a chamber filled with those who had been wounded. The sights and sounds made the young mage cringe, even though for the most part things were well in hand. Magic was a wonderful thing. Thomas quickly alerted a healer, asking her to take them to a private room. She seemed a little confused, but she led them to a private chamber, where Miranda’s father took his leave of them so they could discuss the matter amongst themselves.
And, perhaps surprisingly, Miranda was willing to discuss it in a more or less straightforward way. It was an older woman, a stranger and a healer to boot, and there was little doubt that she had seen similar cases today, or at least knew the sorts of things aliens had done to the women of Therion. This would doubtlessly not be her first such case, and it almost certainly wouldn’t be the most embarrassing story she had heard today, so the young mage was relatively comfortable with sharing it with the older blonde in a straightforward way when her mother hesitated. "We were raped by slimes" she said, quietly and blushing, but her voice unwavering. "They put a crystal inside each of our wombs when they were done." Sure enough, the woman wasn’t surprised, she simply seemed saddened at the news. Her mother chimed in on the color of the slime, and the woman nodded, relating that the crystals could be removed, and then walking out of the room at a casual pace.
Thomas came back in behind her, asking if they would be alright, and Miranda nodded. "Yes, she says the crystals can be removed, and from the way she acted it isn’t dangerous or urgent. I think we’re fine" she said to him, a relieved and happy smile on her face. She had been worried that they might be something terrible, a trap of some kind that might “go off” at any moment, especially considering that according to the soldiers they had been the only survivors they had seen, so the thought that it was something routine enough that the healer wasn’t worried about it took a weight off of her shoulders.
Miranda's father looked incredibly relieved at the news that the crystals could be removed, a sentiment mirrored on Helena's expression. "That's excellent news! I'm sure that it will be taken care of shortly!" Sure enough, the woman came back in with three other healers, one of whom was carrying a bag of surgical equipment. "We'll have to ask you to wait outside sir, and we can only do one of you at a time. I'd recommend whoever wants to go second wait just outside." Thomas nodded and headed for the door, while Helena said; "I'll go first if you don't mind Miranda. That way you can be sure that nothing will go wrong, though I'm sure that nothing will."
"Yes, I'm glad it's almost gone" Miranda replied, her hand resting on her stomach. It would feel good knowing that the thing wasn't inside of her anymore, and that it couldn't fulfill whatever purpose it had been placed there for. It only took another minute or so for the woman from before to come back, several other healers and a bag of surgical tools in tow. The young mage cringed a little at the sight of the bag; she didn't necessarily like the idea of being cut open. Still, if that was what it took... When the woman said that they would have to be dealt with one at a time and her mother volunteered she almost protested, not wanting to have to wait outside and worry a little, but she let it go with nothing more than an "okay" and walked out of the room with her father. As they closed the door she said another brief prayer for her mother's safety, standing just a little bit nervously next to Thomas.
Miranda's father didn't seem nervous in the slightest as the door closed on them, sealing both of them away from Helena. He simply took a seat on a bench sitting close to the door and sat down, crossing his arms. If Miranda joined him, he gave her a reassuring smile and said; "Don't worry Miranda. The greatest healers in the world are here, your mother will be fine. She's the strongest woman I've ever known, and loves you far too much to come this far only to die now."
After Miranda had given whatever reply she thought appropriate to such a statement, she and her father were interrupted by the silent approach of Maggie and Caleb, though they didn't seem to be coming together. The former stood meekly a few feat away as Caleb stepped up and nodded to Miranda with a friendly smile upon his face. "Hello Miranda, have you been able to-" Caleb was interrupted by Thomas, who sharply said; "Who are you, young man?" Caleb blinked in surprise for a moment before replying; "My name is Caleb. Sir Caleb Ilidan Ironwood of the Order of the White Falcon if you'd like my full name and title, good sir. If you don't mind me asking, might I ask the same of you sir?" Thomas, in turn, smiled darkly and returned; "Thomas. Lord Thomas Doraleous Blackthorn, former professor of the Academy, adviser to the Queen of Therion, and member of the High Magi. Why, might I ask, are you approaching my daughter?"
Miranda could see Maggie smirking and giggling in the background, while Caleb ticked nervously as he realized that he was speaking to Miranda's father. He recovered quickly, however, and gave Thomas a respectful nod and said; "It's an honor and pleasure to meet you, my lord. I was among the men who found your wife and daughter among the ruins of your estate, and wanted to make sure that she was doing alright." Thomas's expression softened and he rose to his feet, holding out his hand which Caleb quickly moved to take, only taking long enough to pull his studded leather gauntlet off before shaking her father's hand. "Well then," Thomas began, "I'd like to thank you personally for helping them get here safely."
Caleb nodded solemnly and said; "It was my duty, sir. I could do no less." They pulled apart, and Thomas finally noticed Maggie giggling in the background. He frowned at her for a moment and said; "Who is that?" Caleb glanced behind himself, and Maggie seemed to realize that she'd been discovered. The shy young girl looked like a deer before a hunter, ready to bolt at the slightest wrong move, and it seemed that Miranda would have to give the young girl a prod once more if she wanted her to come over and speak to them.
Miranda noticed that her father seemed to be not even a little bit nervous as his wife was operated on in the next room. He sat down on a bench near the door, smiling at his daughter as she sat beside him, and began to try to reassure her. She sighed heavily, looking over at him and saying "you’re right. I know you’re right. But it’s hard to be calm, even knowing that things will be alright." She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, resting as she continued "I think I’ll probably always be a worrier." After a brief few moments of resting her eyes that way she opened them just in time to see Maggie and Caleb coming their way, though the skinny little mage was far enough away from the guardsman that it seemed clear that they weren’t coming together.
Miranda smiled back at Caleb as he nodded at her and began to speak, and was quite thrown off when her father interrupted him, quite rudely. She wasn’t used to him being aggressive and slightly hostile like that, and she wondered why as the young soldier introduced himself to her father. The young mage heard his full name and title for the first time, and recognized it instantly. The Ironwood family was a long line of relatively prominent nobles in the city of Therion, going back a long way. The Order of the White Falcon was a fairly prestigious order of knights; that Caleb was a member at his age was actually quite impressive. He seemed to be trying to impress Thomas, which Miranda knew was a mistake. Her father simply came back with his name and title, throwing back the attempt to impress with one of his own. She could see that Maggie thought much the same of the situation, and found it quite amusing as she began to giggle in the background, a smirk on her face. Caleb seemed shaken for just a moment, and the thought occurred to Miranda that he hadn’t known that Thomas was her father until just now, and didn’t quite know what to think. Still, he recovered fairly quickly from his surprise and respectfully explained himself, which her father seemed to appreciate.
That exchange over for the moment, Thomas noticed Maggie standing behind Caleb, and asked who she was. The girl seemed startled, her eyes going wide as she nervously twitched, and Miranda could tell that she might just run at any second. "That’s Maggie" she quickly said, motioning for the little mage to come closer. "We, uh… we helped her on our way to the tower, and then she helped us with the attack on the courtyard. She’s quite a skilled mage" she explained, getting up off the bench and walking a little closer to the girl, holding out her arms to offer Maggie a hug. If the skinny mage didn’t come to meet her she would take the lead, walking up to her and wrapping her arms around the girl, giving her back a few pats before pulling away. "Thank you for your help" she would say, before moving to give Caleb a similar, though longer, hug. "You too" she said, before pulling away once more. "I’m fine, or should be in a little while. Why did you come find me, Maggie?" she replied to the guardsman’s answer to her father, and then asked Maggie. She was actually curious; the little mage hadn’t seemed the type to seek her out after the fight was over.
"Maggie?" Thomas asked questioningly, though unlike with Caleb he had seemed curious rather than defensive. The young girl didn't bolt as Miranda approached her at least, but Miranda had to take the lead in pioneering the hug. Maggie was fairly awkward about it as if she wasn't used to such an embrace, but she did make an effort to return the gesture by patting Miranda on the back in turn. "Uhhh.... You're welcome, I guess." When she moved to do the same to Caleb he hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture, glancing at Miranda's father for a moment before wrapping his arms around her in turn, but when he did return the gesture he did so quite tightly. "I was happy to be of service, Miranda." Thomas seemed to have settled into a comfortable place in terms of his opinion of Caleb, as there was no indication that he was disapproving of Miranda approaching him.
"That's good, I'm very glad to hear that. And I see you've found your father alright as well!" Caleb replied to her thanks, and Maggie blushed slightly in embarassment at Miranda's question. "Errr... Well," she stuttered, "Now that I'm here, I don't really.... I can't really figure out what to do with myself." Thomas spoke up delicately from behind Miranda, "I don't recognize you child, and I know many of the magic wielding families in Therion. Were your parents lost in the attack?" He didn't specify whether that meant lost to the invaders or simply not found, but Maggie shook her head, blurting out before she could think better of it, "No, I'm an orphan. I was left here by my master a few days ago." Thomas quirked an eyebrow at that, no doubt also confused by her fairly casual tone about it, and asked, "You aren't a student at the Academy? I had assumed that any decent mage hailing from this region would have some sort of schooling there."
Miranda could tell that Maggie was awkward about being hugged, which made her a little bit sad. It seemed like the young girl hadn’t been treated with much affection in the past. Still, she made an effort to return the embrace, which was good enough for Miranda. She then moved on to Caleb, who seemed to hesitate for a moment upon being hugged. After that moment was over, though, he wrapped his arms tightly around the young mage, squeezing her close to him. She felt warm, and not just physically. It was as if she belonged in those arms, nuzzled somewhat against the knight’s chest. Miranda had felt this feeling only twice before, this sort of at-homeness with a person. Of course, she had never felt it so soon after meeting that person, and she wasn’t quite sure about all this, but it was sort of exciting. She pulled away only reluctantly once he had replied to her thank you, replying "yes, it’s so wonderful to have my family together again" as she left one hand lightly touching Caleb’s side.
For some reason, though, Maggie seemed embarrassed at having been asked why she had come to see Miranda, which made the young mage curious. She turned to face the skinny little girl again, watching her stutter nervously for a moment before saying that she didn’t really have a clue what to do now that things had settled. Thomas then asked her about her parents, and the girl quickly replied that she was an orphan. Miranda had a sudden thought as her father wondered out loud where Maggie had received her magical instruction, one that was probably hasty and rash, but at the same time seemed… right, somehow. "Well, we can talk about her training later" she said, not wanting to bring up the business with Camrona again here in public. She wanted a little bit of time alone with her mother now, but unfortunately that would be impossible for at least a little while longer, and now she didn’t really know how to deflect the conversation temporarily.
Caleb didn't seem to mind Miranda's continued proximity in the slightest, though Thomas's smile faltered somewhat at the sight. When Miranda interjected to divert the conversation away from the question of Maggie's training, the girl shot her a grateful look while Thomas turned towards Miranda, after a moment's hesitation, nodded and said, "I suppose you're right." He returned to his seat and beckoned for the rest to join him as he continued, "Come, sit down. We're waiting for Miranda's mother to come out of surgery."
Caleb and Maggie both looked suddenly concerned, and neither hesitated for long to join Thomas in taking a seat. They were both quickly filled in on why Miranda's mother was in surgery, at which both of them looked highly distraught, and then passed the next hour in small talk with Thomas and Miranda while they waited for her to come out. Finally, the door opened and Helena strode out, smiling weakly and walking with the assistance of one of the healers who quickly handed her to Miranda's father. "I'm alright, everything went well!" she said quickly in response to questions asking something of the sort from Thomas, Maggie, Caleb, and quite possibly Miranda herself. The healer gave them all a patient look as Thomas helped her amble over to the bench and then said to Miranda, "We're ready for you now hun."
Miranda noticed the grateful look Maggie gave her once she covered for her on the story of her training out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t make any sign of acknowledging it as she looked at her father. He agreed to talk about it at another time and went back to his seat, motioning that they should all join him. He also mentioned that they were waiting on Helena to get out of surgery, which seemed to concern both of them. As Miranda and the others moved to sit on the bench with Thomas, the young mage hastily explained what was going on, sparing them some of the details, but giving them the idea, and telling them that apparently it wasn’t serious or particularly dangerous surgery.
After that the four of them engaged in small talk for a while, at least an hour and maybe more. Miranda gave her father more detail about what had happened during the invasion, purposely leaving out or brushing over incidents that were sexual in nature, as well as Maggie having tried to kill them all without provocation. Once that well of conversation was done they just discussed more everyday topics, trying to regain a little bit of a sense of normalcy amongst them. Finally the door opened, and one of the healers came out, helping Miranda’s mother to walk towards them. She quickly told them that everything went quite well, and that she was fine, as the healer handed her off to her husband who had risen to meet them. As he led her towards the bench Miranda got up to give up her seat to Helena, her hands coming to rest gently on either shoulder, a sort of hug without potentially being too forceful with the weakened older woman.
Once her mother was on the bench the healer called to Miranda, telling the young mage that they were ready for her, but she turned and asked "can I have a few minutes alone with mother?" and then turning to the other three, indicating that she wanted them to leave temporarily. They agreed without too much prodding, and the girl sat next to Helena on the bench with a heavy sigh, watching Maggie as the little mage walked away. "Mother, I just… wanted to see what you thought about something. Maggie came to find us, she said because she didn’t know what else to do, and…" Miranda trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. This idea had been in the back of her head since the girl had revealed this, but it seemed rash and sudden, and she wasn’t sure how to phrase it. "I don’t think she has anything to do or anywhere to go, and I think that it might be good if we… took her in. I don’t know that she’s ever had anyone treat her with kindness, and I want to see her in a warm, loving home. I think… we might be the only ones who can give that to her." The young mage sat back against the wall, looking at her mother as she waited for her response. She wasn’t exactly proposing that they take Maggie on as a servant, and it wasn’t every day that a noble family essentially adopted a commoner, so she wasn’t sure quite what her mother might think.
Thomas nodded with a knowing look on his face and said, "Of course Miranda." Caleb and Maggie proved no less agreeable, the former quickly nodding and saying, "It's good to see you well again Lady Blackthorn!" Maggie, meanwhile, gave Helena a thankful smile and a curtsy before moving off with Thomas and Caleb. Out of the corner of her eye, Miranda saw the three of them engage in conversation, Maggie speaking little even though Thomas seemed to be directing much of what he said at her while Caleb seemingly spoke in her defense. Their topic of conversation was lost in the din of noise coming from the chamber in which the wounded were being tended, which they were in a corner of. The healer simply nodded and went back into the room, though she left the door open.
Helena gave Miranda her full attention when she began to speak, seemingly still possessed of her wits despite how gingerly she moved. When Miranda paused briefly she said, "Go on." When Miranda did so and uttered her suggestion that they take Maggie in, Miranda's mother gave a thoughtful grunt and remained silent for a moment, her gaze drifting onto the girl in question. "You might be right about that," she finally said, "she's certainly very talented for her age, and I fear what her former teacher might expect of her if she returns to him. It's not everyday that a commoner is adopted by a noble family, but.... I think in this case that is appropriate. If she consents, of course. Though she is fairly young, she has proven herself a match to the responsibilities of an adult, and I wouldn't force this on her even if it is for her own good. The only thing I would require of her was that she never reveal her original instructor, which I don't think will be too much of a problem for her."
As they watched, Maggie became more animated in the conversation with her father and Caleb, speaking more often. They weren't laughing or even smiling, but none of the three seemed to be upset either. "You may invite them back over now, I think. Discussing this issue now might be best, lest Maggie run off of on her own for some reason. Still, I leave it up to you, I'm sure that all of them will want to offer you their well wishes before you go into surgery."
Miranda was encouraged somewhat by the way Maggie thanked her mother with a curtsy; she seemed to be getting a little better about being polite just in the short time that they had known each other, perhaps as the shy young girl had warmed up to them somewhat. The young mage could see that her father, Caleb, and Maggie were all having a discussion amongst themselves, though the skinny little mage wasn’t talking much despite the fact that Thomas was talking mostly to her. It seemed almost as if he was accusing her of something, but Caleb was speaking up for her. Miranda took all this in as she worked up the courage to say what she wanted, and to find the phrasing for it.
Once it was all out there, Miranda and her mother sat there in quiet for a moment, Helena thinking the proposal over as she too turned to look at Maggie. The young mage smiled when her mother indicated that it was a good idea, letting out a sigh of relief. It felt good to have her approval, especially considering that it was something of a daring suggestion. Now they just needed her father’s approval, which shouldn’t be terribly difficult to get. At least, Miranda had a way of getting what she wanted from Thomas, a certain puppy-dog face that made him melt. She didn’t know if it worked for things as important as adopting children, though. Then again, they would also need Maggie’s approval… The young noble wasn’t sure how she might feel about it, actually. The skinny little mage did seem to be warming up to them, and she didn’t seem to have much else in mind to do, but you never could tell with people, especially since it would be asking her to leave her mentor and teacher behind.
Looking on, Maggie seemed to be talking a lot more now, and the conversation didn’t seem to be going badly. Miranda’s mother suggested that they deal with the issue now, before the skinny mage ran off somewhere for whatever reason. "Give me a few minutes to think of how to word this" the young noble replied, resting her head against the wall for a while as she thought. Finally she called out "the three of you can come back, we’re ready for you. And we have something to talk about." Once they had gathered around again Miranda cleared her throat, looking at Maggie. "Maggie, you said that you didn’t have anything to do, and we know you’re an orphan, so mother and I were thinking… we would love to have you as a part of our family. It’s kind of sudden, I know, but I think you would make a wonderful little sister, and I think we could each give the other something we need. Daddy, what do you say?" she said, putting on her best puppy-dog face for the last question. If all went smoothly, she could get to surgery and get this ordeal over with.
“Take all the time you need. It’s not an easy thing to word properly,” Helena said amicably as she watched the conversation between Miranda’s father and her two companions unfold. They looked up when Miranda called out to them and quickly ambled over, Thomas taking a seat next to his wife immediately. That she said they had something to talk about seemed to make the man nervous while Caleb and Maggie simply gave Miranda their full attention. The young mage seemed very surprised to be addressed first, and Miranda’s suggestion was met with a look of shock from the young girl. “You… You want me to be your little sister?” she replied in an odd, subdued sort of voice. Thomas, who had reacted to the idea with a thoughtful look, gazed back at Miranda’s puppy-dog look with a knowing smile. Maggie had turned to him to see what he thought of the idea was well, her own mind clearly not made, and Caleb had remained silent, recognizing his role as an outsider in this particular conversation.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea!” Thomas said lightly after a moment, and all eyes turned to Maggie. The tiny mage stood stock still, her face having not altered its shocked expression since Miranda’s suggestion. Finally, after another minute of everyone staring at her and expecting her opinion on the idea, she squeaked, “Okay! I’ll… I‘ll do it!” Thomas and Helena both smiled warmly at her, and the latter quietly said, “We’ll see about getting all of the paperwork out of the way while Miranda is in surgery. Caleb, dear, would you mind waiting here in case Miranda gets out before we’re finished?" The young knight nodded and replied, “I wouldn’t mind a bit ma’am!” Helena gave a mock scowl, “I thought I told you enough of that ma’am business?”
Her lips upturned in a smile, and she turned toward Miranda and said, “You’ll be fine dear. I never felt a thing. There’s just some discomfort afterwards, nothing to worry about at all!” All the same, Helena stepped up and gave Miranda a gentle hug, still moving gingerly following the operation that Miranda herself was about to go through. Thomas hugged her as well, holding her more tightly and kissing her on her forehead, “I’ll see you again soon, my daughter. Everything is going to be alright.” Caleb gave her a tight hug as well, quietly saying, “Good luck Miranda,” into her ear before releasing her. Finally, Maggie gave her another mildly awkward hug, but at this distance she could see the wetness at the corners of her eyes and the twitching of her lips as she fought a smile, and as she hugged Miranda she whispered something into her ear, "Thank you.... So much, Miranda! I know you'll come back out alright, just like your mother!" Maggie ended their embrace with a light kiss on Miranda's cheek. After Miranda had said what she needed to say to her family and friends and steeled herself however she might want to, she stepped into the room that her mother had been in for over an hour.
It was fairly clean, the only signs that anything had happened being a small discarded cloth that was stained with blood. The healer who had come out with Helena earlier smiled warmly to Miranda as she stepped inside and gestured for her to come over to the table that the healers were standing in a circle around. “Come on over here dear, we’re just finishing cleaning up after we took care of your mom!” A set of tools were being held over a magical flame by a middle aged man with a cane, the fire cleansing any traces of their previous use away while leaving the tools themselves unheated. Turning toward Miranda and giving her an odd smile that was probably meant to be reassuring, the man quickly limped over to the table and patted on it, “Take off your dress and take a seat! This shouldn’t take very long now that I know what to look for.”
When Miranda had taken a seat on the table, the man pulled forth a copper needle filled with a clear liquid and said, “This is the only part that’ll hurt, we’re going to give you a sedative so that you can sleep through the procedure.” He handed the syringe to the healer that had welcome Miranda into the room and put on a pair of gloves made of an odd translucent material, and then equipped an odd contraption to his face that resembled a pair of extremely large glasses, but rather than having a single lens over each eye the left eye was uncovered while the right eye had a series of lenses that could be raised and lowered, a series of locks on each piece probably designed to keep an undesired lens from falling into place accidentally. “Now, before we begin, I should warn you that you’ll probably feel a bit of discomfort around your abdomen for a while once you come to. Nothing to worry about, we’ll be healing you up fully, but some things just won’t right themselves no matter how much magic you pour into them! Gotta wait for them to heal up on their own naturally, but it shouldn’t take long at all! Anyway, you should probably wait a couple of days before having sex. Not that you look like you were going to just go out and do that of course! Errr… Not that you’re not attractive! I mean, uhh…. Ahh fuck it, just give her the shot.”
The other healer rolled her eyes and tied a piece of cloth around her upper arm. “This will pinch a little, but it’ll be over in no time,” she said reassuringly, and when Miranda indicated that she was ready the healer stuck the needle into her arm and injected a small amount of clear liquid into her arm. The effects weren’t immediate, but they certainly were very quick as Miranda felt herself growing drowsy rapidly, eventually passing out completely under the influence of the drug that had been pumped into her.
~~~~~~~~~
Miranda’s eyes snapped open sometime later, and the eccentric healer that had performed the surgery on her was looking at her apologetically as he explained, “Sorry. We, err….. Accidentally removed your ovaries instead of the crystal that the slime put inside you! We’re very sorry about the mixup, but here! We made them into a nice snack for you!” He presented her with a tiny ornate dish in which two tiny orbs were garnished with little leaves and a small amount of honey, “Eat up!”
~~~~~~~~~
Miranda’s eyes snapped open once again; awakening from the dream she’d been in to find the very same healer she’d been dreaming about standing in front of her and smiling at her. “I told you that you wouldn’t feel a thing! Now, your mother already gave us hers to study, so if you want,” he held up a small jar at the bottom of which the crystal that the slime had planted inside of her womb lay, “You can keep this as a souvenir!” The crystal was about the size of a grape and had a number of sharp protrusions. It was a deep, dark blue color and shaped almost like a starburst. The only pain that Miranda could feel at the moment was an ache in her belly, akin to what it felt like to have a stomach ulcer almost, and it was hardly unbearable. Her limbs felt a little wobbly, but she no longer felt drowsy at all, the drug she’d been administered to sedate her having apparently passed completely from her system.
Miranda noticed the shocked look on Maggie’s face, but thought that it was probably normal when someone you barely knew asked if you’d like her parents to adopt you. She was more worried about her father’s reaction. He just looked thoughtful, mulling the idea over for a while. It couldn’t be an easy decision to make, really, though when he smiled the young mage couldn’t help but think that her idea had won out. Maggie herself had turned to look at Thomas, clearly wanting his input before she said anything, not sure of what to say to the offer. When the man finally approved, calling it a “wonderful idea,” Miranda smiled broadly, turning her eyes on the skinny little mage she hoped to call “sister.”
The girl stood completely still, the look of shock still plastered over her face. It was almost uncomfortable as they all stared at her, waiting for her to either accept or decline. It took another minute, almost two, before Maggie finally squeaked out her approval. "Wonderful!" Miranda said, clapping her hands together once. She was glad that her idea was working out, thinking that it, and she, could make a very positive difference in Maggie’s life. The little mage was so technically skilled, so good at magic, but the fact that she hadn’t had parents really showed. Her questionable judgment and morality, her seeming lack of social skills, these were all things that Miranda thought she and her parents could teach the girl given a little time and the sort of loving attention she had probably never received before.
"Alright, mother. I’m sure I’ll be okay, you have to be good at your craft to be invited to work in the Tower Goldspike" she replied when the older woman told her that she would be fine, and that the operation wouldn’t hurt. Miranda returned the hug, though she did so very lightly, careful not to hurt her sore mother. She then went around to the others, accepting their hugs and well-wishes, hugging her father and Caleb back with a smile. When it came to be Maggie’s turn she hugged the girl tightly, pulling her close and accepting no awkwardness out of her. The little mage seemed ready to cry as she fought back a smile and thanked Miranda, who quickly whispered back "you’re welcome, little sister." When she pulled back from the hug Maggie gave her a kiss on the cheek, which made her smile even wider as she returned it to the skinny girl’s other cheek. "I’ll be back in about an hour or so, I’m sure. Don’t have too much fun without me!" she said to the four of them before walking into the room her mother had just come out of. As she stepped in she said a brief prayer, both thanks for her mother’s safety, and for her own. She was a bit too giddy to worry about the outcome now, uncharacteristically, and it helped that her mother had just had the exact same procedure she was about to and had come out fine.
The room was surprisingly clean, with barely any sign at all that it had been used for surgery before this. There was a single bloodstained cloth discarded in a bin, which was somewhat reassuring; if there was that little blood as a result of the operation, there surely wasn’t any danger. Miranda smiled back at the healer, walking over to the table the lot of them were gathered around, watching as a man probably around the same age as her father cleaned the tools that were to be used with a magical flame. As he limped over to the table he gave the young noble a weird smile, which was probably meant to reassure her, though she couldn’t be sure. He seemed to be an awkward sort of person, she felt. "Alright. " she replied, stripping off her simple dress without a fuss, folding it carefully and placing it on the ground, and then taking off her panties and folding them similarly, laying them on top of the dress. She didn’t feel uncomfortable doing so; she was around mostly women, and the apparent surgeon was old enough to be her father. He had doubtlessly seen many a nude young woman in the context of his job, and probably didn’t think anything of it. She didn’t take off her bra, though, thinking it unnecessary as she sat down on the edge of the table.
The sight of the needle made Miranda freeze up, though. She had always been scared of needles. "O-o-okay…" she stuttered, going a little bit pale as she watched the man hand off the liquid-filled syringe to the healer woman she had come in with. She didn’t watch the man put on his strange glasses, or whatever the tools were called, though she nodded when he told her that there would be some discomfort after the fact. His bumbling after telling her to wait before having sex brought a smile back to her face, though, and she giggled a little at the awkward man. The healer tied off a little cloth around her arm, preparing her to be injected with the sedative, and Miranda closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the needle pierce her, but she nodded her assent. She soon felt it enter, somewhat painfully since her muscles were tensed by nerves, but it was all over fairly quickly, and she drifted into unconsciousness swiftly.
Miranda awoke some time later, to see the older man who had operated on her looking at her quite apologetically. That couldn’t be good. The apology and the stuttering confirmed it. "What happened?" she asked, a worried look all over her face. When he told her that he had removed her ovaries on accident her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open; when he pulled a tiny plate with the two little orbs on it, garnished and seasoned, she began to scream.
And that was when she really awoke, jerking upright in a cold sweat. The surgeon was in front of her, just as in her dream, but this time he was smiling at her. She let out a sigh of relief when he told her that everything had gone alright, a hand reaching up to wipe her forehead. When he held up a small jar and told her that she could keep it she took it from him, eyeing it curiously. The little thing was tiny, maybe the size of a grape or even smaller, a dark shade of blue with sharp protrusions that made it look sort of pretty, really. There was an overwhelming feeling of relief as she studied it, a sense of closure to this whole incident; nothing could hurt her anymore, she had come out of the invasion more or less unscathed. "I don’t suppose you have any idea what it was for" she asked as she gingerly held her stomach with her free hand; there was a dull ache in her belly, a reminder that this thing had once been inside of her, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Her limbs were a little weak and wobbly, likely an aftereffect of the surgery, but it was a small price to pay, and she would probably need only a little bit of help, if any, dressing herself, getting up off the table, and walking out.
