Nicora is having difficulty holding onto the pulsating, squishy surface with her toe claws. She dangles down (but everything is 'down' towards the ribbon) and stretches out her arms and fingers to their limits, but still can't quite reach the orbs. Her neighbors greedily grab them up so that barely any go past her to begin with. It's frustrating!
"What is going on?" Nicora finally asks the strange expanse once she finishes looking both horrified and confused. "Why am I reaching towards this river? I do I even care about these orbs?"
Orbs are life, the monstrosity next to Nicora explains, somehow. It grabs one with a tentacle.. and this time offers it to Nicora instead of stuffing it down its maw, hidden somewhere at the center of the tentacles.
Nicora eyes the monster a bit. And a bit longer. And a bit longer still. Eventually she reaches out and takes it. "How did I get here? Where is here?" she asks the creature nest to her while now eying the orb in her hands.
We are always here, the Thing replies, it's barrel-like midsection pumping like a bellows. All things are here. The god devours, we devour in turn.
"What God? How did I get here?" Nicora now has to ask. She then figures since she is here, and doesn't seem to be going anywhere, she tries to bite the orb she holds.
The glowing orb is like gelatin.. soft and wiggly. But it tastes like blood.. and seems to turn to blood in her mouth.
"This is demented. Did I drink too much at the party?" Nicora has to wonder. But food is food, and eating right now is just fine. So, she consumes the odd orb.
It's very satisfying, and fills the Eeee with tingly warmth. It not only feels like she's glowing, but she actually is. And not just her skin - the muscles and organs and tubes and bones are visible through her skin.
"Oookay, that's gross," Nicora complains as she stares at her arm. She pokes it curiously. "Why is my life so strange?" she has to wonder, "And how do I return to normal?"
Something stirs in Nicora's lower belly. She's starting to expand there, as one of the Things grows inside her womb, clearly visible.
"Gah! Not this again!" the bat squeaks! Her toe claws squeeze even tighter as she reaches down to squeeze her belly; maybe hoping it will stop what is happening. "I haven't recovered from the last one!" she thinks, "I'm still stretched and even more drippy!"
The Thing isn't quite like the one she birthed before - no hybrid here, it's just like the 'father' was. It reacts to the squeezing by stretching! The starfish-foot's limbs are pulled together to make a point, and that is pushing out through the birth canal now. But the Thing is still growing.
"Aaaugh," Nicora whines, feeling her birth canal stretch ... and the sensation rapidly getting more uncomfortable. She reaches down and grabs at the bits protruding from her. Maybe she can yank it out like the last one.
The starfish opens up as soon as it's clear, but the stretching is beyond reason. Nobody could stretch that much! Now the 'head' is pushing into her bladder and liver, her womb full of tentacles as the growth shows no signs of stopping!
Nicora screams as she pulls, trying to get the thing out of her! It hurts. It hurts a lot. "Out, out, out," she cries, literally. Tears are flowing.
The pain is brief, replaced with a sort of pleasant numbness. But the sensation of stretching doesn't stop. The Thing presses in both direction, the tentacles reaching up through Nicora's chest, pushing things aside. She can feel them fill her stomach, then her throat as they push outward! Her bones have become soft. Everything is soft! It's impossible, but the growth continues until the Eeee is just an inch-thick wrapper around the Thing! Her eyes are spread so far apart that it's hard to focus. Her body stretches and collapses with the Thing's breathing, and her limbs dangle and flop. Her child is firmly gripping the wall now, and she can see it fishing for orbs...
It's the nausea that wakes her up. Nicora finds herself on her hands and knees, dry heaving onto the floor.
"Did I just become one of these horrible things?" Nicora thinks ... then waking hits!
Over the ringing in her ears, she can just hear someone calling her name. "Nicora?" the voice of Soldano reaches her. "Err, Yodhgorphat Scourge? Are you here?"
Nicora convulses several times on all fours. She tries to steady herself. To still. "Oh thank the Gods, it was just a dream," the Eeee thinks. Small comfort, given there are more inside her just waiting to ... pop.
"I'm here," Nicora rasps out, then tries to get to her feet.
The Eeee captain arrives soon enough, since he knows the way to this chamber. "Ah.. are you all right?" he asks when he gets a good look at Nicora. "You look.. uh.. greener than usual.."
"Bad dreams," Nicora admits as she gets up and wipes at her bare flesh. She also pauses to inspect her gut; probing at it gently. It's also not dignified, but she checks her reproductive system as well for any more external swelling, and the state of the stretch.
It still hasn't returned to normal, but her stomach isn't distended at least. The rest is still.. loose, but not any more swollen than usual (since Gorphat's blessing keeps her permanently in a state of aroused swelling).
Soldano tries to look away during the more intimate parts of the exam. "Yes, well.. I brought the two Yodh from Mt. Sunala," he explains. "They're waiting outside.. said they need to be properly invited in first. I was able to get away from my captors by claiming I needed to scout a safe, unseen path to the shrine I'm to deliver the final srinala too.."
"Well, I won't be as good a lover anymore," Nicora thinks when she finds she's, well, quite a bit more accommodating still; which feels weird ... and is naturally more messy. "And here I was hoping you still liked my presence even though I am infested," the Yodhgorphat tells the Captain.
"Well.. it's not that I'm not interested," Soldano says quickly. "It's just that.. what if one of those.. decides to pop out while we're... uh.."
"It would make it more interesting?" Nicora suggests, smiling weakly. Still, the ugly, reeking, Yodhgorphat abruptly wraps her arms around the Captain in a hug. "Thank you for caring, in spite everything I am, and carry." She pauses, then notes to the captain, "And there is always two other ways if you are afraid of the direct one. I do not ... mind if you are the most pleasured. I ... want you happy."
"Well.. uh, what about the two waiting outside?" Soldano says, forcing himself to think of the main purpose of the visit again. "They seemed a bit sour, and the Yodhsunala is frightening. They're here to examine you and try to clean up that infestation.."
"A good reason to see them, then," Nicora says, then leans in and kisses Soldano. Up close she radiates a heavy musk; unpleasant to be sure. The kiss releases, then she adds, "I will go admit them." Without even waiting for his reaction, she walks away; heading to the front. "Mother, I will be admitting two Yodh in your Temple, if you permit," she thinks as she walks. "They are to examine that which grows in me."
Gorphat doesn't reply this time.. but that also means she doesn't object either. At the door of the Temple, Nicora finds Yodhrinala Tanietta, carrying a leather medical bag, and at her side is a rather old looking Yodhsunala that Nicora doesn't recognize. Instead of the usual high-collared robes of black and red, she wears ones of black and white - the uniform of an exorcist.
Nicora is, well, naked. Her condition doesn't exactly lend well to wearing much; her oozing makes everything nasty pretty fast; and her smell would even be worse. "Welcome Yodhrinala Tanietta," she says formally to the younger Eeee. To the other she says, "And welcome Yodhsunala. Both of you are permitted to enter. My Mother, Gorphat, does not object. Please follow me to the examination room."
"Are there any.. dangers we should be watchful for inside the Temple?" Tanietta asks, holding her bag close to her chest as she crosses the threshold. The Yodhsunala (carrying a much larger satchel) just snorts at her companion's fear.
"I am the most dangerous thing here, currently," Nicora remarks with a bemused smile at her fear as well. "I have had no further surprises since last night," she explains as she turns and walks back into the temple, "Though a certain orifice of my body are a fair bit wider than they used to be."
"That could be helpful, actually," the Yodhrinala notes, without humor. The pair of priestesses follow Nicora to the examination room, and the Yodhsunala speaks for the first time, asking in a surprisingly deep voice, "Is this where the original possession took place?" Soldano cowers a bit at the tone.
"The examination room, yes," Nicora says as she goes and sits on the grungy table without concern for its condition. "How does this need to proceed?" she asks.
"Yodhsunala Megrasastis will begin to prepare for an exorcism, while I examine you and.. try to remove one of the larva for study," Tanietta notes, and sets her bag on the end of the examination altar. She opens it and withdraws a long Zolk glove. Megrasastis, meanwhile, shoos Soldano to the hall outside, and goes about.. turning around all of the idols of Gorphat in their alcoves, so they're facing into the wall.
"I should warn you that Mother Gorphat has made sure I ... excrete a lot from that area. It is normal for me, so is not part of the infection," Nicora explains to the Yodhrinala, then lies back. She lifts her legs up on the table now, setting her knees bent and legs spread wide. Given her current state of feeling loose; this makes it feel all the odder; she could swear she feels a little air enter, but that could just e her own paranoia. Her head tilts to the side so that she can watch Yodhsunala Megrasastis since, well, she will likely feel the Yodhrinala work soon enough.
"It'll be easier if you lie back," Tanietta says. "And I suppose we can forego the artificial lubrication then." It probably isn't a surprise that the robes of a Yodhrinala are both short-sleeved and have a certain 'disposable' look to them - deliberate, rather than a sign of poverty. The exorcist removes four figurines of Sunala, each one holding a curved ritual dagger, and places them at the four corners of the room, looking inward. She then begins to inscribe runes on the walls and floor in black chalk.
Nicora lies back. "I cannot believe I am allowing this ... but if it works it is better than randomly squiring out monsters from my loins," the Yodhgorphat thinks. She rests her hands on her lower stomach; perhaps to just feel what is going on there.
Her own hand is soon joined by Tanietta's, after the Yodhrinala extracts a few more supplies from her back, including an empty jar. She presses down, feeling along the pelvic bone. Megrasastis is still setting up her ritual, which also includes colored sands and animal bones, which have to be arranged just so.
"Have you always had the extra teats?" Tanietta asks Nicora, "or did they appear along with the infection?"
The pelvic massage might feel good in other situations, but right now it reminds her that she is a bit pudgy. The flesh squishes around. "No, I had them before the infection," she answers. She doesn't add they too were a 'gift' from Gorphat.
"Are you experiencing any side-effects that have occurred since infection?" the Yodh asks next. "Strange cravings, odd moods... a sudden attraction to Khatta?"
"The answer to all those is no. But I have had a strange dream of becoming one of those monsters. but that, well, is easily explained by the trauma of having birthed one," Nicora says.
"Hmm, do not be so certain," Tanietta says. "Many parasites have ways of altering their host's behavior or thinking. Before I go further, please tell me of any enchantments or blessings you are currently under."
Megrasastis sits down on the floor and begins to chant. Her odd voice seems to make the air vibrate a bit.
Nicora takes a breath, then goes through describing that she is currently blessed by Gorphat to be in a constant state of sexual need, along with the induction of lactation upon any nursing ... down to her horrible periods and the pain she feels after sex. She is a real mess.
"The extra breasts are a manifestation then," Tanietta notes. "Good to know. Blessings can interact in odd ways with supernatural creatures. Before I stick me hand in there, is there anything else I should know or expect to encounter?"
"I regularly mate with a demon; it keeps the urges in check," Nicora adds, possibly smirking, "But there shouldn't be anything else inside me. If you find something, it will be news to me as well."
"Any particular sort of demon?" Tanietta asks in surprise, her brows rising up.
"Hosheb, of course," Nicora answers simply.
"Oh.. I do not have any experience with the Sabaoth Seven," Tanietta admits, looking embarrassed for some reason. "They're younger than my Order. Rinala had no such creatures. Try not to bear down. Given your blessings and condition, I do not know how you will react to this.."
Nicora takes a deep breath; her goal to expel it when she feels the Yodhrinala work instead of, well, bearing down. Granted she isn't sure how well she can bear down as it is; the muscles are stretched, after all.
Tanietta pushes down on Nicora's stomach with one hand, and slowly enters here with the gloved one. The texture of the Zolk and feel of hand are not at all like, say, a Rhian entering her. There are knuckles and muscles. Tanietta frowns in concentrating, noting, "Your cervix is a bit swollen, I'm going to try and relax it a bit." This involves a sort of fingertip massage of the area.
Nicora breathes out, slowly, like a sigh. It feels good, thanks to Gorphat's blessing; it also hurts, thanks to the size. Both the Yodhgorphat finds she actually likes. At this rate, she's never going to quite shrink back to where she was; loose and nasty. The way of the Yodhgorphat? The massage also feels good. So, she closes her eyes and tries to relax her entire body, in case it helps. Or maybe she's imagining a rhian? She's an odd sort.
It takes some time, but the droning chant of the Yodhsunala actually helps with the relaxing part. Tanietta gets a finger through, then two.. then has her whole hand in there. It'd probably be visible on the surface of Nicora's belly if the Yodhrinala's other hand wasn't in the way. "Hmmm," Tanietta goes. "Slippery little.. hold still. Gah, it keeps squeezing between my fingers.."
And Nicora can't help herself; it does feel good. So she clenches down now and then. She struggles to make sure it isn't hard, but there is some. "This feels disturbing," Nicora mutters breathily. There is a lot moving around inside her now; and some part of her likes it. Holdover from being a Horrib host?
"You aren't making this easier," Tanietta complains. "Hold on.. this is going to be awkward!" And with that, the Yodh makes a fist inside Nicora, finally trapping her prey. "Gotcha! Now.. hmm. This may cause you a massive amount of pain, so please relax your muscles. I have to pull out of you without unclenching my fist."
"A fist? I'm going to be ... ngh, gaping," Nicora thinks, wincing. She draws in a deep breath and clenches her jaws. "Do it. I am used to pain," the Yodhgorphat says, trying to completely relax.
"Okay, on three.." Tanietta says. "One.. two..." She never gets to three. Nicora could swear she heard an actual 'pop' sound like a cork being removed. Her bones felt that. The rest of the way out is much easier, if.. messier. Whatever was in the canal is now on the table, and it's best to not even look at Tanietta's glove. "Into the jar you go!" the Yodhrinala all but cackles.
Nicora's head arches back and she cries out! Claws scrape the table too. She wasn't kidding when she said it would hurt. The hand doesn't give; the organisms did. There are several moments of deep breathing afterward as she tries to sense how she feels down there now once the Yodhrinala's hand and arm is out.
First there is the sense of blessed emptiness, followed by roominess and a bit of dryness. The glove is peeled off and placed into a sack, and Tanietta makes a face at the dampness of her forearm. Inside the jar is.. well, it looks like an ordinary slime worm.
"I feel more empty than I have in a long, long, time," Nicora admits from where she lies, though she suspects the feeling of dryness will pass quickly. "That is all you got?" she asks next, "Those are the things the monster infected."
"It is something, certainly," Tanietta says, a bit defensively. "It was all gooey in there. This was not at all like rotating a baby that's in the wrong birthing position. Be glad I didn't crush the thing." She picks up the jar and taps the side of it, but the worm doesn't change it's behavior.. which seems to consist of filling the jar with slime and trying to squirm up the smooth sides. "This could turn into one of those creatures.. Sasti will find out."
"Was there only that one in there?" Nicora asks as she turns her head to look at the jar.
"It's the one I was able to grab," Tanietta notes. "With all the squirming, there might be more. I don't think I want to know how you got worms inside you.."
"Probably wise. There was a lot of squirming?" Nicora has to ask next. "How much is actually in me?" she wonders.
Amelia says, "Finger length."
"Well, it could have just been this one.. all over the place," the Yodhrinala says, giving her hand a cautious sniff. "It was a bugger to get hold of, pardon my Gallisian."
"That is not a very clear answer," Nicora admits, then sighs, "But it is all I can hope for. Can I sit up now? Ir do you intend to put it back once it is examined?" The last comes with a smirk.
"You can sit up, just.. take it easy," Tanietta says, and produces some sort of soap in a bottle from her bag, which she applies liberally to her hands. 'Sasti' is still chanting away, occasionally adjusting a skull or drawing a line in the sand.
Nicora sits up slowly and swings her legs away from the mess between them. "Is touching me that offensive?" she asks the Yodhrinala ... maybe just to see what her answer is.
"Hygiene is important," Tanietta explains. "I washed my hands and glove before coming here, as is only proper. You don't want your private fluids being spread around by a stranger, do you?"
"I ooze them all over already," Nicora points out. "I suppose I am used to it."
While Nicora waits, she is inwardly just taking stock of herself; seeing how long the feeling of dryness lasts. If it was just the one worm, then she may be a lot drier now.
It doesn't last for too long. Things start getting thick and phlegmy by the time Megrasastis finishes chanting and stands up. She comes to the altar, and tells Nicora, "Open your mouth."
"And there is the slothy drip feeling oozing down my insides," Nicora thinks in disappointment. It was only a couple minutes, which means she generates a lot of mucus, and less muscle tightness means it flows easier. Great. The request to open her mouth causes the Yodhgorphat to look up. She doesn't question this, she just opens her mouth.
The Yodhsunala sticks a bone under Nicora's tongue. It looks like a tiny femur.. hopefully from an animal. "Bite down, but don't bite through it!" Megrasastis instructs. Then she turns her attention to the worm-in-a-jar, holding her hand out for it. Tanietta hands it over, a bit begrudgingly. "I went through a lot to get that.." she says.
Nicora closes her jaws, teeth settling lightly around the bone, but not nearly enough to bite through it. "What is she doing?" the Yodhgorphat has to wonder. "Hopefully nothing worse than I have."
The Yodhsunala... glowers at the worm. Then she opens the jar and dumps it out into an upturned skull that serves as a bowl. "Interesting.." she mutters. Now freed.. the worm begins to change.
Nicora's eyebrows go up, which looks silly with the bone sticking out of her mouth. "That is interesting," she thinks.
Slowly, the lowly slime worm begins to grow tentacles and a starfish-foot. It still maintains its slime-worminess though, until it starts to outgrow the bowl. "It is possessed," the Yodhsunala claims. "A very rare sort of possession, similar to that of the vampires but more extreme." She takes it out of the bowl and holds it away from her, the Thing still growing and struggling in her grasp. "Now for the moment of truth," she says.. and draws a dagger hilt from within her robes. A dagger hilt with no blade.
"I know that knife! I have one. Well, had. It has a blade now," Nicora thinks as she watches this intently. She knows what that knife can do; it can destroy possession. Question is, will it work on this thing?
There's a swipe, and the invisible blade bisects the squirming monster. It doesn't seem to notice. "Well.. I had hoped for more of a reaction," the exorcist notes calmly. She returns the bladeless dagger.. and retrieves a crude looking obsidian knife next. It's a knife in concept, at least - it has some nasty sharp edges. This works a bit more effectively, as she slices the creature right up the middle, spilling.. more slime and stringy bits. It isn't clear that the thing has recognizable guts.
"That knife should have done something," Nicora thinks. She feels a bit worried now and feels around her own gut for movement. The second knife works, but that's hardly a surprise. Flesh can be cut after all. The possession is the problem here...
"Well... what happened?" Tanietta asks, clearly not recognizing the exorcism dagger for what it was.
"There are different types of spirit possession," Megrasastis explains. "The more well-known sort is where a spirit takes over a body, living or dead. This is easily dealt with. However, there are other sorts which.. are not truly possession, but symbiosis. These situations are hereditary, or due to a spirit being introduced at conception."
Nicora can't explain what the dagger was for, a Yodhgorphat wouldn't know, after all. "I have to ask here, can you cure my condition? Or am I doomed to be squirting those things out for some time?" the Yodhgorphat asks, her tone held neutral. She feels rather nervous, though.
"That depends on if you are possessed by the alien spirit, which is then fertilizing the worm eggs," Megrasastis notes, and reaches over to pluck the bone from Nicora's mouth.
Nicora's jaw relaxes, letting the bone go.
The monster corpse is tossed aside, and a fresh skull-bowl brought to the table. The little femur is dropped into it, and the Yodhsunala begins grinding it to powder with a pestle (also made from the end of a femur bone). "This will tell us if you are possessed," she notes.
"And if I am, it can be cured? If I am not, then what?" Nicora has to ask, bare brow-ridge arching again. A familiar wetness that starts to ooze between her thighs and down on where she sits reminds her quickly what is at stake.
"It all depends," the Yodhsunala says, trying to sound mysterious. Some fluid is poured from a black bottle, turning the bone dust into bone-dust broth, which the priestess stirs with yet another bone. The bowl is then set down and the contents allowed to settle, before Megrasastis gazes into, going into some sort of trance.
"All this mystery is just making me more nervous," Nicora thinks as she kneads her lower gut.
There's an escape of gas from the kneading, which nobody feels the need to comment on. After several minutes of gazing, the Yodhsunala looks up, and says, "Tanietta, I need some time alone with the patient."
The Yodhrinala blinks in surprise. "You want me to leave?" she asks, just to make sure.
Nicora shifts a bit from the sound. A flush of green ripples across her skin. "It is okay," Nicora tells the Yodhrinala. "I am sure the Captain outside would like some company."
"Have the captain escort you back to the entrance," the Yodhsunala says. "I'll call you back later."
Tanietta looks a bit peeved, and does not repack her supplies as a sign that she will be back. She goes to join Soldano outside, and their voices begin to fade with distance.
"If you asked her to leave, the news cannot be good," Nicora notes to the Yodhsunala. "I am used to difficulties and challenges, so tell me what the prognosis is."
"The prognosis is that you have not been completely honest with us," Megrasastis says. "I assume there is a reason for the deception, so I sent Tanietta away. You are a mess of symbiotic possession.. and I suspect you are also the Barsunala."
Nicora's brow arches a bit. "And you believe this because of what?" she asks flatly. Nicora does not want this information public, after all. She is actually getting a bit angry.
"I am very familiar with the.. signature.. of Sunala," Megrasastis says, "and of srinalas. You are a spirit medium at the very least. And if it helps you decide whether to confide in me or not - I take no sides in the silly 'debate' over whether such avatars are a danger to our faith. I deal in what is."
"And I am having to deal with what is in this city. And the Barsunala has a great many enemies. It is not as if he can act openly," Nicora answers in turn. "Disguises are necessary, as is repairing many things. They come with complications. This was one hoped to be treatable."
"Whatever else is in you.. I do not detect the spirit of this creature possessing you," the Yodhsunala notes. "If you are the Barsunala, then such a possession would be impossible anyway. Whatever eggs remain in you are under symbiotic possession, however, which cannot be exorcised. You are riddled with blessings and other spirit manifestations - your entire body may be such a thing, in fact - that I cannot say what interactions may cause these creatures to suddenly sprout into monsters. They do not appear to be a threat to you, however. They are fragile enough when birthed to not pose an immediate threat. I will take the body for further examination, however, to see if there are any beneficial uses for it."
Nicora nods slightly at that, expression solid. "So, simply put, no cure for the situation. So be it, I will manage," she says, though her stomach has fallen to what feels like her feet. "I appreciate that you came and were able to learn something, if nothing else. I hope you do not feel your time wasted."
"On the contrary," Megrasastis notes. "I find these creatures fascinating. The way that they can suddenly grow with only air to apparently nourish them... there may be some useful application, if it can be properly isolated."
"So, is that a request to collect them should I spawn any more?" Nicora asys, bare brow ridge arching again.
"If you can isolate one and safely allow it to grow to maturity I would be most interested in studying it, yes," the exorcist notes. "Such things cross the boundary between spirit and flesh, without being undead."
"There are numerous containment cells here. I may be able to honor that request," Nicora says, "Consider it payment for your time."
"As for the rest.. I have no interest in knowing what your activities are," Megrasastis notes. "I serve Sunala. I do not meddle in Her affairs. And I am no gossip. I do ask that you appear someone despondent when Tanietta returns. It will justify her sense of sympathy."
"You just told me I an going to keep birthing these things and there is no cure. It does not exactly put me in a good mood. Nor does ending up sitting in a puddle of slime if I sit in the same place for too long," Nicora says, sighs, and shifts, leaving thready-strands of goo as she moves. The Yodhgorphat rubs her forehead as she looks down.
"Well, you are a Yodhgorphat," Megrasastis notes. "It is in keeping with the image. As the only one in Babel, it is only proper that you be... extreme."
"The worst you have seen, then?" Nicora asks, still not looking up.
"Most certainly," the exorcist says, with a bit of admiration. "One could not doubt in Gorphat's existence or influence upon seeing you. Only the Yodhinala are as.. exemplary.. of the image of their goddess."
"I am sure that pleases Mother Gorphat to hear," Nicora admits, then thinks, "You have made me the most vile of your daughters, Mother. It is instilling much awe. And ... a lot of slime."
"If I may be so bold as to suggest it.. but you should be a bit more public, at least in the Streets Below," Megrasastis notes. "Gorphat is the Sister of most influence there. It may do good to remind people that she is still watching over them."
"I just have to find a way to control the ooze. It soaks the bandages quickly, and as you can tell, has a horrible smell," Nicora points out. "But, your words are true. I need to spend more time on the Streets."
"And one more bit of advice," the Yodh offers. "Should you decide to keep one of your strange children.. do keep it away from the slime worms. Just in case."
"Lest it infect them too? Agreed," the Yodhgorphat agrees. Whether she can stay away from the slime worms remains to be seen. Something about the pool is comforting.
"If there is nothing more you wish to talk about in private, I will summon Tanietta back," Megrasastis offers.
"Is all well on Mount Sunala?" Nicora asks next. "And is all vigilant? There are enemies in the shadows moving."
"Our vigilance is quite good, I am led to understand," the Yodhsunala assures. "There have been a few foolish assassination attempts against Sunala in the past. Those instigating them were dead before even knowing how badly their attempts failed. Nobody is beyond Death's reach in Babel, and those in power are aware of that fact. We have not become 'soft' with the opening of the hospices and hosting of the Yodhrinala - such actions increase our strength, if anything. Anyone that reaches the mountain does so because we allow it."
"Do not get overconfident in that," Nicora suggests. "Blatant plans distract from subtle ones. And Diphath moves. I am not suggesting you are overconfident, just warning of it. Please do not take offence. That is all I had to ask. You may summon the Yodhrinala." She rubs her gut again, and that of course elicits another rude noise. "It seems I will be a brood 'mare' for your worms for a bit, Mother," the Yodhgorphat thinks. "I will endeavor to make sure it does not affect my duties to you."
A few minutes later, Tanietta and Soldano are back. "Well?" the Yodhrinala inquires of her counterpart. Megrasastis explains the situation. "There is no lingering spirit causing the growth of the creatures, and thus nothing to exorcise. Once the existing 'clutch' has been exhausted the problem will be at an end."
"She's going to have to keep.. bearing.. those things?" Soldano asks. "Can't you kill the eggs?"
"But until then I will randomly give birth to those monsters. And there is no way to know how many that will be," Nicora says. She's looking down, ears dropped, and sounding depressed about it. "There is no known safe way to kill them."
"That is a sensitive area to be applying poisons, and if they do not work they may cause her more damage," Tanietta confirms. "It is in Gorphat's hands now." That said, she still produces a large jar of some sort of pink cream. "This is a topical anti-inflammatory cream," she explains. "Apply to your genitals to decrease the swelling and sensitivity.. it may numb them slightly. It will also help with recovering from giving birth."
Nicora accepts the jar. "Will I recover fully in, ah shape? Things are, to be blunt, very loose," the Yodhgorphat says to Tanietta. "Noticably so."
"Normally it can take a few months after birth, with proper exercise," Tanietta notes. "Since it is unknown what the frequency of your births is going to be.. who knows? You could try the exercises anyway. There is a device that the Yodhinala would sell... er.. that is, provide for dutiful and generous pilgrims."
"So, the prognosis is unlikely to return to as I was," Nicora sums that up. She sighs and hangs her head. "I will ... manage." It's about then she feels another sizable glop of goo ooze out. "I I use this cream I may anger my Mother. If I do not, a future of loose mess." she thinks. Doomed either way.
Tanietta helps Megrasastis wrap up and secure the body of the monster-baby for later study, and then the two begin cleaning up and packing. "I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help," the Yodhrinala apologizes. "But it's always possible that that was the last of them. Or there could only be a few more.."
Nicora rubs her gut, feeling for movement. "You did what you could and it is appreciated, regardless. Gorphat will look favorably upon the aid, I am sure," the Yodhgorphat claims.
It's hard to tell if there's movement.. or just settling from having a fist in there. Another release of trapped gas hints at settling, at least.
Nicora rises form the table, leaving trands of ick in her wake. "I will escort you to the entrance," she says, then heads for the exit.
"Well, if Gorphat is feeling generous, there are still plenty of sick people on Mt. Sunala," Tanietta notes, then smiles. "I'm grateful for her previous intervention, removing the diseases from so many at once.."
"I will plead your case to her. She may send aid, but I cannot promise it," the Yodhgorphat admits.
At the doorstep, Soldano seems uncertain of how to proceed. "Do you want me to stay for a bit?" he asks Nicora, since the two Yodh know how to get back on their own.
"That is your decision," Nicora tells Soldano. "I am aware my presence is not pleasant," says the rather fragrant Yodhgorphat.
"I command an airship pulled by pteras," Soldano notes. "Have you ever smelled ptera dung? I have a hardy nasal constitution, and I'm not expected back for a few hours.. uh, I didn't want to bring it up while those two where here, but.. will I be able to bring the srinala to that shrine on Mt. Sunala without any trouble?"
"Yes. I spoke with the High Priestess on the matter. They will not impede you," Nicora answers as she goes to clean up her slimy leavings from the table and herself. Walking may never feel normal again.
"So.. is there anything I can do to help with your.. situation?" Soldano asks.
"Continue to make love to me," Nicora offers, though it might be a joke. "Other than that, I do not know what you can do."
"Are you still.. loose?" the bat asks. "I once had a liaison with a Rhian mare.. I know how to handle such a situation."
"Extremely," Nicora admits, her ears turning green. "I open when I walk now." She's still cleaning the goop and thankfully has her back to him.
"Just leave it to me," Soldano says. "All I need is some warm water! Although I should warn you this could be quite messy and surprising.."
Nicora looks over her shoulder. There's a squelch as a blob of goo splatters on the floor below her. "I think I am a bit used to messy, lover," she says with a smirk. "I am Yodhgorphat after all."
"Well, just.. lie back and make yourself comfortable then," Soldano says, as he rolls back his sleeves.
Nicora climbs back up onto the still slimy table. She figures there is no point and just lies back on it. "I wonder if I should just ask you to bless me with something that makes all of my skin slimy, Mother" the Yodhgorphat thinks as she relaxes. She has no idea what the other Eeee plans.
At first it seems like a another 'examination'.. except Soldano focuses on some very specific internal areas, and with finger-motions that Tanietta didn't even come close to attempting. It's over-stimulating, and in places that aren't normally stimulated at that!
Soon Nicora isn't thinking about what comes out so much as what when in. She makes all sorts of coos, hisses, and low sounds as her friend 'works'. This time she doesn't fight her body so much and it does clench and bear down on its intruder. "Okay, so ... this feels nice. Maybe there are advantages to have been stretched out." she thinks in a moment of lucidity.
One of those advantages is.. well, Soldano doesn't have to stop. Although he does switch hands a few times. When the explosion comes.. it really is explosive. There's something squirting out of Nicora!
Nicora's back arches again and her claws scrape once more! She's certain she cries out, even though she's a bit lost in how good that suddenly felt. It was amazing! It's several seconds of feeling completely dazed before she looks at Soldano. "Egads, that was ..." she rasps.
The captain is wiping his hands on one of the less used up pieces of cloth. He was about to 'dodge' in time to save his clothes though. "It is a useful technique," he admits. "There have been times when I was too drunk to.. uh, otherwise perform to satisfaction.. and this is handy backup. Not great for foreplay though, as it is hard to compete with.."
Nicora frowns. "You're not done. You haven't found any release," she says matter-of-factly. "How do you wish to be ... satisfied?" she asks him.
Of course, once the afterglow begins to fade.. things start to clench up painfully again. At least, for the moment, Nicora doesn't feel loose as her muscles cramp up.
"I'm.. well, if you really want to.." Soldano says, oblivious to Nicora's new discomfort. "How hungry are you?"
And without thinking about it, Nicora actually does grab the cream the Yodhrinala left and applies that to herself, and even a bit inside to the cramping muscles as far as she can push. Maybe she is thinking it'll help things stay tighter once the pain and severe cramps subside. She then sets the jar aside and grins to him. "Very," she tells the other Eeee.
Soldano actually grins, and just stands there, hands on hips, waiting for Nicora to do the work of getting his pants off even. After all.. he just did everything for her.
Nicora then slides herself off the table (easy to do with the slime!) and down to her knees before Soldano. She even licks her lips, leaving a fading trail of green from her sickly-green tongue. She then leans in and undoes his parts with her teeth, then uses her hands to pull them down. "Someone is excited," she teases soon thereafter.
"Well, I'm relieved to know my final delivery won't run into any security issues," Soldano claims. "And that I made you squeal a bit! I don't think either of those other Yodh ever had that done to them!"
"Or do this," Nicora remarks wryly. That's when the Yodhgorphat starts to savor her 'meal' so to speak. It's probably a disturbing sight, given her saliva is green, her lips flush green, and her tongue practically glows. There is no place her tongue doesn't reach, and she's quite good at angling her head so her meal completely fits. It's slow, steady, and intent on making things explosive for him. And when that explosion does arrive, she has her own way of keeping the mess 'down'.
"That.. stud.." Soldano moans, as he takes deep breaths to recover. "You could be a Yodhinala.. in the dark."
Nicora's only reply to that is a rather lewd slurp, followed by a popping sound as she lets him go. "For you, at least," the Yodhgorphat claims as she gets slowly back to her feet. "Since you are not comfortable with the, ah, normal way given my condition, I will use this way for you instead," the Yodhgorphat claims.
"You'll be back in shape in no time, I'm sure," Soldano claims with a smile. "Then I'll be adequate for you again!"
"You were adequate this time. If it meant feeling like that all the time, well, I do not mind so much being looser," the Yodhgorphat claims and waves her hand. "You should probably be getting back to your keepers. I'll get back to watching for spontaneous births."
"Be careful," Soldano says, as he pulls his pants back up. "Can you summon the dragon-thing to protect you?"
"I can try. If I am in danger, things will come to my aid, do not worry," the Yodhgorphat tells the man. She even gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for, with everything, remaining ... intimate."
"Now that I'm not worried about being eating alive from the inside, my outlook has improved mightily," Soldano notes. "And I owe that to you. So thank you, Yodhgorphat Scourge."
"It was my duty, and an honor, Captain Soldano," the naked, denuded, Eeee says with a bow to the man. "And I will always think of you when I have a monster slipping out of my womb." She grins slightly at that.
"What man could ask for anything more," Soldano says, and blows Nicora a kiss before heading out to return to Abbas Tower before his keepers think the Yodhsunala got him.
Nicora lets out a soft sigh and sits back against the exam table. "It is never dull in this Temple," she thinks. She even rubs her swollen lower gut, even pausing to tickle the teats. "Just another thing to deal with," she tells herself, perhaps secretly hoping there cannot be that many left in her.
"Are you going to turn my idols back around so I can see what's happening in here?" the familiar voice of Gorphat gurgles. And there she is, standing in the doorway.
Nicora's ears perk. She quickly goes to reset the idols to facing back into the room. "I am sorry, Mother. That was remiss of me to forget," she says timidly as she quickly works.
"Where you hiding something from me?" Gorphat asks. "I assume it was one of those other Yodh that turned them. It was the Yodhsunala, wasn't it?" She strides into the chamber and looks about, as if expecting a rival priestess to be hiding behind the altar.
"The Yodhsunala turned it so that she could perform am exorcism ritual. It proved ... inaffective. The creatures within my womb I must pass as naturally as I can," Yodhgorphat Scourge admits, bowing her head in respect to the approaching Goddess.
"Hmmph," Gorphat huffs. "She probably just didn't want to admit that she couldn't do it," she claims. "The Yodhsunala are so stuck-up. Worse than the Yodhinala, probably. No humility in them at all. Not like me and mine."
"You have indeed taught your daughters to be humble," Yodhgorphat Scourge claims as she comes to stand close to Gorphat. "The Yodhrinala did ask that if you were willing, to allow more cures to occur at their clinic. It was a gentle ask, I said I would pass it on."
"The Yodhsunala also did say I was the most hideous and extreme of your daughters she has ever seen. I thought it may please you to hear that," Yodhgorphat Scourge adds.
"The Yodhrinala has my respect," Gorphat notes. "We should see about helping her, in exchange for a minor affliction or two, to show her respect. And it is true that you are my most beautiful creation - such artistry! Even my Bargorphats pale in comparison. And I am sure you will overcome the challenge of birthing abominations."
"It will be a challenge, yes. The Yodhrinala gave me a cream that she said will make it easier," Yodhgorphat Scourge says. "And I am honored to be your canvas to shape into your beauty."
"A cream to make it easier?" Gorphat asks. "Easier in what manner?"
"Less painful and faster recovery. I tried it and it does seem to ease things," Nicora explains.
"It is supposed to help the muscles recover. The birthing leaves them quite stretched. The abomination left me very loose," the Yodhgorphat explains.
The goddess seems to consider this. "These pregnancies are the results of your own actions, and not challenges I have given you," Gorphat concludes, although she sounds a bit disappointed. "I will allow you to use this aid after giving birth. But you are not to use it to relieve any of my blessings."
Nicora bites her lip. "Mother, if you desire it, I will submit to being punished for using it, even if it was not caused by your blessings," the Yodhgorphat offers after seeing the look of disappointment in Gorphat's eyes. "I will beg to be punished if it would please you."
"Why use it then?" Gorphat asks. "Are my punishments so mild, that they do not compare to the discomfort of feeling loose?"
"No, it is not that. It was you seemed disappointed and I wished to remove that disappointment. I thought it might please you to punish your Daughter," Yodhgorphat Scourge admits and bows her head. "I did not mean to suggest your punishments are in any way mild. I remember the first horrib clutch and how it came close to killing me."
"I do not do what I do because it pleases me, Scourge," Gorphat notes. "I do it because it is what I am. I am bound by certain rules, by the lore if you will. I should not have to punish you - you should think about what I represent and act accordingly. Do not defy me. Do not try to 'get around' my challenges. Face hardship head on, overcome it by your own will and strength - this is how you please me."
Yodhgorphat bows her head. "Yes Mother. I meant no disrespect," she says. "I will be keeping the monsters I birth in a cell below the temple unless this will disturb you."
"There are many meant for keeping virulent substances," Gorphat says. "It will be interesting to have some life in the Temple again."
"Is there anything you wish of me, Mother?" Yodhgorphat Scourge asks, "Otherwise, I will resume cleaning up the slime that my body oozes."
"You have let it be known that the Yodhgorphat endure in Babel," Gorphat notes, referring to the little get-together. "At least, in private. Make it clearer. Go to the hospice, let yourself be seen by those who need to be reminded."
Yodhgorphat Scourge bows, takes Gorphat's hand, and kisses the back of it. "Your Will be done," the Eeee says.
"Soon, the respectful ones will be asking for some of your goo to keep as a sign of faith," Gorphat claims, although maybe that's wishful thinking on her part. "Make me proud." And with that.. she's gone.
And a splat of goo comes from between her legs. The cramping has subsided, and well, she's back to feeling stretched. Naturally this means larger globs make it out of her much easier. The Yodhgorphat sighs and looks towards the ceiling. "As if it wasn't a challenge enough to keep this place cleaner..." she mutters.