“I really don’t know how to answer that,” I replied as I attempted to meet her gaze but had to look away again when she began adjusting her shirt and pushing the blankets away. “Do I need to step out so that you can change?”
“Pfft, no,” the fairy woman snorted. “That’s cute that you asked, though. But normally you can’t even tell when I’m changing. I just fly behind your head and count on the fact that I’m… so… small…”
As she trailed off, I risked looking back at her. Breena had stopped removing the blankets and was staring at her body with wide, unblinking eyes.
“Stell is gonna murder me.” Her voice was as small as she should have been.
“Breena, are you okay?” I demanded. “Is this a normal thing, or do I need to be concerned?”
“Um,” Breena began, “this is totally a normal thing. I mean, it also isn’t. Definitely not. But it’s nothing to be concerned about at all. Just… don’t tell Stell.”
“What exactly am I not supposed to tell her?” I asked. “Why did you grow in the middle of the night? And did we do anything else that I don’t remember?”
Part of me knew that was a stupid question, but part of me also dreaded getting a certain answer back. Apparently Breena dreaded the question even more than I did.
“Eep!” the still-petite woman squeaked with a small jump. “I mean, nope! Definitely not! Everything was fine! Everything still is fine!”
“Okay,” I said, relieved. This conversation was getting increasingly awkward, as I was torn between getting some more answers, leaving the room so that one of us could get dressed, and suppressing whatever idiot idea Teeth was having right now. “Let’s just revisit this at a later date, after we’ve both dressed, bathed, and whatever else we need to do.”
“Yes!” Breena said brightly. “That is definitely a good idea! And I am definitely agreeing with it, because it is a good idea! I should go use the bath first, which totally doesn’t have any hot water that I’m super excited about! Be right back!”
With that, she dashed for the bathroom, still wrapped up in blankets, until she reached the open doorway to the bathroom. Then she threw the blankets up and used some kind of fairy magic to dash into the bathroom.
I thought about getting a bath as well, then realized that there were probably a dozen empty bedrooms in this place that I could use to clean and get changed. As I put on my pants and walked toward one, Teeth suddenly spoke up in my brain.
Hey, he said awkwardly, can we talk about this stuff? Some time later?
What stuff? I asked, concerned about his new lack of confidence. Teeth normally didn’t hesitate with his opinions, and never suggested the safer course of action. If I was facing off with an enemy, I could count on him urging me to punch, kill, or eat it, depending on some factors I couldn’t understand, and I knew he wanted to engage as soon as possible. If there was a beautiful woman nearby—especially one of Stell’s bodies—he would urge me to do what I could to impress them, usually by showing off whatever I had recently killed.
You know, he said, the stuff where we always feel confused about what this woman with the multiple bodies wants and how to handle it and whether or not we’re doing all the wrong things? We’ve never really talked about it, we’ve just yelled at each other a lot.
That’s because, I started to snap, before I caught myself. That’s actually a really good idea, I finally said. In fact, that’s something we’ve needed to do for a long time, but this whole relationship has been so weird from the very beginning that I haven’t been able to figure out how to handle it.
Which one? FNG asked, surprised. Your relationship with Stell, or between you and me?
Um, I struggled to choose, yes. That’s exactly right.
Whatever, my dragon replied, sliding into his usual abrasiveness. Let’s just talk tonight, after everything’s done, but before one of the star woman’s bodies has a chance to send any more mixed signals.
That sounds like a plan, I agreed, then stepped into the empty bedroom and headed straight for the bath.
While I bathed in what turned out to be surprisingly warm water, I opened up my mindscreen to see the messages concerning yesterday’s victories.
Uploading updates, my mindscreen wrote across my vision. Please stand by.
That was a bad sign, but not a horrible sign. I leaned back in the large stone bathing pool and waited.
Attention, the first update said. A Behemoth, Toxin, and Oblivion-based, Tumult-level Challenge has been overcome by the allies and inhabitants of the Sun-Jeweled Seas. Both the source of the Tumult, as well as the previously failed Tumult enhancing it, have been removed from this world. As the entity known as the Nuckelavee also represented an Expanse-wide Trial, extra power has been released upon its obliteration. Its discorporating toxin has been countered in a way that allows for renewal in the place of loss. Power will be gained by all parties, including the planet itself, restoring all previously discorporated lifeforms, such as the bodies of lifeforms lost to the toxin’s sponsor. Ancient sea life will slowly be reintroduced. Soil will be improved for agricultural purposes, and all plant life has gained special resistance against toxins, diseases, and poisons. Pollutant contaminants have either been completely removed from the planet’s water and atmosphere or modified in a way to be beneficial instead of harmful to the environment. Furthermore, dormant aspects of all living beings will awaken, making their bodies stronger, healthier, and more responsive, granting +5 to Strength, and Constitution, and Dexterity, as well as instinctive understanding for a physical skill of their choice, allowing them to increase it more quickly due to practice. All inhabitants will also gain 5 skill points to allocate for physical skills.
Creatures that directly participated in overcoming the Tumult will additionally receive +10 to Dexterity, Strength, and Constitution, ten skill points to allocate in any of their physical skills, and one free skill point per Rise. This benefit is retroactive.
As the Challenger of Avalon and the primary combatant responsible for defeating the Tumult, all benefits are doubled. ERROR: multiple Earthborn Challengers detected in the vicinity. Applying the award of power to both Challengers. ADDITIONAL ERROR: Challenger cannot raise skills more than five points above his Risen level. Countermeasures are attempting to reallocate benefits to prevent waste of power.
A nascent Planetary Lord has participated in the ending of a Tumult. Right to Rule has been gained. The Lord will receive the same benefits in skill as the inhabitants who participated in defeating the Tumult, 10 free skill points and one free physical skill per Rise. The Lord also gains two additional skill points per Rise to spend on any skills related to administration or governance. He need not choose the same skill each Rise. ERROR: unable to allocate further Rise points due to unknown limitation. Countermeasures are engaging to prevent waste of resources.
ERROR: detecting allegiance from at least one Elder Icon of the Sun-Jeweled Seas. Right to Rule has further been increased. Further detecting that the nascent Lord has played a direct role in ending the Tumult, including the use of his personal retinue. The lord will gain the same increase in martial skills per Rise granted to his retinue. As a Challenger has been detected among the Lord’s retinue, this increase will total to two skills per Rise, and +20 free skill points. This benefit is retroactive. ERROR: the Planetary Lord cannot raise any skill more than five points above his Risen level. Countermeasures are engaging.