Alptraum left Mt. Gorphat the same way he entered, in the form of Scourge the fungus-dragon. The sexless entity bypassed the issue of Gorphat's latest blessing, although there was still some sense of oddness. The closest thing the creature might have to a reproductive mechanism is the production of mind-control spores, however.
It's night by the time Scourge returns to the ruined Temple of Inala, the bioluminescent patches on its body giving the walls and floor a ghastly green glow as it goes deeper into the temple, until it reaches the mural wall with the hidden door.
And since it doesn't particularly have working hands, it has to use its weird tail, split apart, to fondle the wall and activate the hidden passage. So ... that's exactly what it tries to do.
The secret door opens, and Scourge can pour through it into the bunker below.
There's no sign of Tulani, but there's an aura deeper into the bunker.
Well, squeeze through, it's not a super wide passage after all. And so, Scourge does just that as it worms down the stairwell, then senses out and locates the aura. That ... well, it's either Mave or Tulani. Scourge's bet is on Mave, simply because Tulani usually doesn't go that deep into the passages here. Anyway, someone else is here, so that's the direction Scourge tries to go.
Finding a direct route through the maze is a challenge due to Scourge's size, as storage shelves are packed close together in spots. But eventually Scourge makes it to Mave's inner sanctum..
A naked Eeee woman sits at the vanity, brushing the dark coloring from her hair so that it's mostly black with blonde streaks. "Hello?" she asks, looking at Scourge in the mirror.
"Ah, good, you are back," Scourge says as it squeezes through the doorway. "It's Alptraum, but I think you knew that already. I, er, have a problem you might be able to help with. Gorphat has decided to ... bless my male forms with intense arousal; it's causing some, er, problems with my bits when I'm male. Hence why I'm here as, well, nothing."
"Nothing?" Mave asks, and leaves her stool to approach Scourge, and then start rubbing him behind his fringe of sensory tendrils. It feels nice!
Scourge mphs. "I have no gender in this body, no reproductive organs at all. No real, well, anything," it explains. "Feel free to look."
"I'll trust you, unless you want me to look," Mave claims. "Intense arousal does not seem in keeping with Gorphat's usual theme though. It does not seem like an affliction after all."
Scourge turns around and lifts its tail just to prove it anyway, and perhaps to mess with Mave some. "I know my normal form has the problem, at least; pretty sure it's all males that suffer from it," it admits, grumbles. "I was hoping you had a way to counter or remove the condition."
"I'll need to see it first," the Eeee notes, and tries to goose Scourge because the target presents itself.
"Well, which male form, then?" Scourge asks, and seems to make no notice of being pinched.
"Whichever is convenient," Mave says, "Although there is a chance that any male form that hasn't previously been afflicted will become so once you manifest it, and each one would then need to be treated separately."
"Seriously? That would be a problem," Scourge grumbles. "So, I guess the only male form I tried then, my own." So, it flumps down on the ground and curls up. The why is because it is soon enveloped in shadow, and inside of that it tries to shift back to his original form. Even though he knows full well the pain coming, too.
"You should never present a form to Gorphat that you don't want messed with," Mave advises. When the transformation is done, for a moment there isn't any pain.. but it starts up again soon enough.
Alptraum stretches a bit and comments, "The same can be said for Inala, you know." He seems confused at first as there's no pain, but then ... he grimaches and curls a little. "Ugh, there it is," he complains.
Mave pokes at it. "Hmmm, most likely an actual curse then," she diagnoses. "Otherwise it would develop gangrene after a day of this and probably fall off." She looks up into Alptraum's pained face and asks, "Have you tried soothing it with the shadow already?"
"That I've not tried. Generally any poking on it just makes it worse," Alptraum admits as he sort of rocks where he sits, in pain.
Standing up again, Mave suggests, "Maybe you should give it a try then."
Alptraum makes a face, grumbles. So, he extrudes the shadow flesh/cloak over his groin and tries to ease the discomfort, somehow.
It does soothe the pain, but the discomfort is still there as things are still swollen. But he has to maintain a 'flow' of shadow through the affected bits to keep the pain dulled. It does let him stand up straight though, at least.
"I can dull the pain, but not the swelling," Alptraum explains, grumps. "I suspect Gorphat is mad at me." At least he's not hurting as bad. Yay?
"This looks familiar," Mave says, tapping her cheek with one finger. "I believe it was first used on a man that a Yodhgorphat was infatuated with. She made a doll of him, and cursed him so that his only recourse to have it lifted was to bed her. But if this is from Gorphat Herself, it require something a bit more severe. You've helped to create a lot of monsters for her, haven't you?"
"Well, a few, yes. I wouldn't call it a lot," Alptraum claims, looking irritated, in pain, and flustered all at once. "Are you saying I have to bed Gorphat herself? I've done that before."
"Which is why that isn't the likely solution," Mave notes. "So probably a monster or a demon. You're a demigod, so probably.. hmm.. Magog?" she wonders.
"Well, there's Magog, or there's the horrib queen," Alptraum observes. "I suppose either would be possible. Though if I bed either of those I might come away with something worse, too," he points out. "Or maybe one of them and Gorphat. Hmm."
"Have you tried any female forms yet?" Mave asks. "Especially any that are favored by Inala?"
"I feel odd in those too," Alptraum admits, "Though I've not tried one specifically favored by Inala. Like what, Nikky? The unicorn?"
"Any that Inala has given an unfulfilled task to?" Mave asks. "That would be a better test, to see if Gorphat is deliberately trying to mess with Inala."
"I'm not sure ... I ... well, there's one I think Inala had an interest in," Alptraum admits. He sits right back down and says, "One moment." Well, moment, maybe. He doesn't know how long it actually takes to change! But, in the shadow he goes and then thinks through all the bodies he knows ... and remembers the mouse. One Inala seemed to have some interest in of all things. So ... the bat now tries to overlay the body of a diminutive, cute little mouse girl.
The shadow eventually withdraws, leaving a white-furred Skeek girl. At first, nothing seems to be wrong, but then it feels like her genitals are trying to make a fist, the way they're clenching! It's not as painful as with a male form, but it's definitely going to interfere with Inala's plans for the mouse.
The mouse girl squeaks and sits upright! "Eeeee, yeah, it's having an effect here too. Things are clenching like a vice down theeeeeeeere," she whines and squirms. She even tests by poking around, to see what the muscles do, or not do.
Things feel rather hard down there, and it would take a lot more effort to try and pry things open.
"Yeah, things are not ... opening," the mouse admits. "So, yes, this is some sort of punishment."
"Against Inala," Mave claims. "This is serious. The Sisters will use proxies in their little contests, of course, but not family."
"I just want to know how to undo it," the mouse complains as she squirms. It doesn't hurt, but damn if it doesn't feel bizarre.
"It can lead to a hernia or sprain if it isn't dealt with," Mave notes. "At least with your normal form, there are.. methods.. to restore healthy blood flow."
"So ... do I need to go back to myself then and see what can be done?" the mouse asks.
"Yes, we know now that this is partially a means of getting back at Inala," Mave says, nodding. "There's a reason the color of envy is green. Go ahead and switch back, and I'll prepare a few things."
The mouse twitches, grumbles. Back into the shadow she goes! And back to a very masculine Eeee! Which isn't saying much, really. It's only a bit more masculine than a mouse. Just a fair bit larger.
As usual, it takes a moment after the transformation before the curse kicks in. Given just how masculine-centric it is, there's a question in Alptraum's mind about whether it would prevent the 'slow slide' into being female or not. "Try to sit down and relax," Mave tells him, and offers him the stool from the vanity. "I need to collect a few supplies."
"It's a bit hard to relax like this," Alptraum points out. But, he does move to the stool at the vanity, walking bowlegged as he went. He settles there and uses the shadow to ease the discomfort while he waits for Mave to collect things. "Is this going to get me into even more trouble?" he has to ask while twitching.
"That depends on what you consider to be trouble," Mave replies from somewhere in the labyrinth beyond her sanctuary.
"Be clearer," Alptraum actually barks. He's back to rocking.
The Yodhinala returns with a wooden bucket, a wine-bottle, some towels, rubber gloves.. and a roll of leather. "This won't be any trouble," Mave declares when she returns. "For me, at least."
"Trouble for me, though. And will Gorphat will be mad?" Alptraum has to ask, worriedly. His ears twitch, then the rest of him twitches. "Shouldn't I try sleeping with a monster first?"
"Oh, you'll still be able to do that," Mave says, as she puts on the gloves. "But something has to be done in Inala's name, to show Gorphat that she doesn't stand idle."
"So, you're telling me I have to do both?" Alptraum asks and gives Mave a suspicious look.
"You need to put up a token resistance in Inala's name," Mave says, and places the bucket at the front of the stool, directly beneath Alptraum's organs of interest, before pulling the cork from the bottle with the side of her mouth, which releases eye-watering fumes.
"Ugh!" Alptraum complains and covers his nose. "What the heck is that horrid-smelling stuff?!" He's now leaning back, trying to escape the smell. "How do I know you're not just delighting in getting to torment me?"
"It's a disinfectant," Mave claims. "Just in case." She then unrolls the leather, which has several pockets on the inner face holding various flat tools, including an obsidian-flake scalpel.
"Uuuuuh," Alptraum says, wide-eyed. "You're not going to cut me are you?" he asks in a very squeaky voice. Well, squeakier than usual. "Surely there are other options!"
"Cut? No, of course not," she says, drawing out a flexible stalk of what might be straw. "Now, pull the shadow back from the tip," she requests, while grabbing the shaft in her other hand.
"I can turn you into a toad," Alptraum does warn as he withdraws the shadow completely, not just the tip. He wants to have a clear view of this. Boy, are his toes curling into fists now.
"Now, this is just an inflammation test," Mave says. "It may feel weird, painful, or good." Then she inserts one end of the straw, and sort of twists around like a screw to see how far it can go.
It feels.. confusing. The first inch or so is very stimulating. Beyond that it starts to feel weird, because that first inch is still being stimulated, while the deeper part just feels strange. And more straw is inserted, the more it sort of drags. And when it hits the first bend after awhile, it feels very wrong, as Mave often has to withdraw it a bit, try to adjust the angle with her hand while things are in a very-resistant-to-changing-the-angle sort of state and then working it deeper.
Alptraum's ears are doing a strange sort of semaphore. "It doesn't hurt. It just feels ... strange! The first inch kinda feels really good, but deeper just feels odd. Not painful, just odd," he finally admits as he fidgets some, including wing movements. There are points he ends up hissing a little though during angle changes. "This seems like something Gorphat would enjoy doing to guys," he says accusingly.
"I'm making sure there isn't constrictive inflammation," Mave notes. "A Life Mage could probably tell you as well, but that might be a bit more embarrassing. Only Chaos Mages deal with curses." She wiggles things around to get another inch. "Alright, it isn't a crippling curse that would prevent you from peeing," she says, and then draws the straw back out, which also feels odd because it's faster.
The draw out makes Alptraum yelp and almost jump up! He has to grab onto the stool to remain seated. "Slower!" he squeaks out long after, ears straight up and twitching. "So, she made sure I'm fully functional, just ... always ready."
"Well, maybe not fully functional," Mave notes. She dowses the straw with the astringent over the bucket before setting it aside. "I'm sure I could make you pop with a little curved tool, but probably not externally without some special ointments. The curse is usually tuned so that it only works with the intended target, like a key in a lock."
"And no indication who the intended target is," Alptraum mutters, annoyed. What is Gorphat's game here? If she wanted him to bonk her, she could have just asked!
Now that the very distracting straw has been removed, things go back to being painful again. "Alternatively, you could probably remove things altogether with the shadow," Mave notes, bringing back memories of when Melusine did just that after he slept with Phlagaea.
"I could, but I won't," Alptraum growls. He squirms a bit more now as the pain gets worse. "I thought you were going to do something!" he hisses.
"Without cutting, yes," Mave says, and selects a long needle next, which she uses the bottle to disinfect. "I don't have any leeches.. which would have been more disturbing anyway, I'm sure. Do you want something to bite down on? This isn't going to hurt any more than you're already hurting, and I don't think the sight of blood will bother you.. it's more the location that is the issue."
"Blood doesn't bother me," Alptraum growls as he grabs onto the stool again. "If it won't hurt any more than it already does, I'll be fine without biting anything so ... just do it." He is twitching, though.
"Just close your eyes and pretend I'm a vampire," Mave says. "A one-fanged one. But seriously, close your eyes."
Alptraum arches his brow. "I'm sure I could watch," he claims. But to 'humor' her, he does actually close his eyes.
Nothing happens for a few moments, and then Alptraum feels a prick and pressure. It isn't bad, and then comes the sound of liquid hitting the bucket. It isn't a stream, and he feels wet in other places since the needle went in near the base. But the swelling does begin to go down, along with with the pain as the blood pressure drops.
Well, he's back to twitching. "You're right, it really doesn't hurt any worse," Alptraum admits as he breathes slowly and easily .. and tries to not think about that he's bleeding from, well, down there. and he's not even a girl right now! "I'm guessing this is only temporary?" he asks.
"Yes, this is just to relieve things for a bit," Mave says. She hasn't withdrawn the needle yet, but eventually she does when things seem back to their normal state. "Can you use the shadow to heal this so I don't need to use a towel?"
Eyes still closed, Alptraum does extend the shadow again and uses it to slowly encourage the flesh to knit back together where he was punctured. "So, unless I figure out what of Gorphat's I have to boink, or Her directly ... I am not cured then," he grumbles.
"Presumably," Mave says, cleaning her needle. "It may require trial and error. Didn't you also birth one of those tentacle monsters for her?"
"Yes, but you can't exactly sleep with those," Alptraum points out. He rubs over his face, and sighs. "So, I'm basically stuck with this for the time being then? Dagh take me."
"You could petition Inala," Mave suggests. "After all, She had a task for you before this happened."
"She can't undo Gorphat's actions, can she?" Alptraum asks. "Or if I did, wouldn't it just make things worse?"
"She could probably postpone things until you'd finished the task She set you," Mave suggests.
"That Inala set for me? I think it would be better to cure this first?" Alptraum offers.
"Assuming it isn't just the first in a series of sequential blessings," Mave notes. "You may need to negotiate if that's the case."
"Is there any way to tell?" Alptraum asks, now looking horrified by that idea.
"Well.. how well does Gorphat answer your questions about this sort of thing?" Mave asks.
"Like all Goddesses. Sometimes directly, sometimes not. It's not predictable," Alptraum admits as he rubs over his face, and sighs.
"Have you ever stood your ground against any of the Sisters?" Mave asks while putting the tools away and rolling the leather holder back up.
"Of course, from time to time. You know that can be tricky to do," Alptraum points out. "I know I hold a strong position, but I still have to tread lightly to keep things in balance."
"My suggestion is to try and find out if this is something specifically for you, or if it's to take an indirect swipe at Inala," Mave says. "You should be deflated for at least another hour while things recover, although the muscle discomfort will probably just be dulled a bit."
"Or I spend more time as a woman, or genderless, to compensate," Alptraum sighs out. "I'd have to go back to Gorphat's temple to talk to her; I doubt we can converse here."
"You could contact Inala here, of course," Mave notes, "if you want to get her opinion."
"I can guess her opinion, but yes, I could," Alptraum does agree.
"I'll need to go to her altar and such to ... commune with her," Alptraum says and rubs his face even more. "Perhaps as one of Hers to help encourage things."
"That's generally a good way to talk to any of them," Mave agrees. "Except for Sunala."
"I am one of Hers," Alptraum points out.
"Well, and I don't think she actually has an altar," Mave admits.
"Sunala? Yes, she does," Alptraum corrects. "I've seen it."
"I'm surprised," Mave says. "I mean, what sort of offerings are there to make to Her, when everyone is eventually an offering?"
"Your life," Alptraum points out. "Some go to willingly end. Some used to send elderly relatives to be ended."
"The last I unfortunately saw once," Alptruam admits, "And had a meltdown."
"Sometimes in Babel the dead get more respect than the living," Mave notes.
"That's changing too," Alptraum says, sighs, and rubs his forehead. "Now, hm, who should I even approach Inala as?"
"Either yourself or the Skeek, probably," Mave suggests.
Alptraum rubs his forehead. "The skeek then, since she seems really interested in that one," he admits. Since he's still sitting, he just wraps his wings about himself and disappears right back into the shadow. Since he was just the mouse, finding that shape again is relatively easy, then he's applying it back over his body. So when the shadow withdraws, the bat is now a tiny mouse girl; adorable, really.
Still a bit tense down below though, as it turns out.
The mouse actually, well, tries to push a finger in just to see if she can.
Nope, it's still tight as a mousetrap.
Grumbling, Moursetraum gets up. At least she can walk like this okay! So, she's off and heading through the lair to make her way back up and out to the actual altar to Inala. It's a bit exposed, but then exposing oneself is an Inala thing to do.
It doesn't look like there are any pilgrims lurking around the altar chamber, but it is a bit nippy out. Skeek don't have quite as a high a body temperature as Eeee maintain, apparently.
The skeek moves quickly, (and parts of her body are quite perky!) as she makes her way to the altar, then climbs up on it! "Uhm, Inala?" the mouse asks nervously. "Are you there? I need to understand what is going on with me..."
"My sister did this, didn't she?" a (literally) warm voice replies, taking away some of the chill.
"She did something, yes, to challenge me, but she's never affected every aspect of myself like this before," the mouse claims as she fidgets. "Female aspects are ... rendered chaste, and males suffer."
"She oversteps!" Inala rants. "This is direct interference with MY interests!"
"But why?" Mousetraum asks, "And how do I undo it without making things worse?"
"Gorphat will have to remove it," Inala admits. "Whatever you need to do, she must limit herself to just that."
"What if she won't tell me what that is?" Mousetraum asks, and pouts cutely.
"Then you may claim whatever you do to have been what she wanted," Inala claims.
"You know that doesn't work. It's never worked for YOU," Mousetraum points out.
"I am not cryptic in my requests," Inala claims.
"You can be. But ... be that as it may, until I resolve this it's going to be very difficult for me to function," Moursetraum admits, sighs. "Maybe the human form is unaffected since it is owned by many.
"It is the mirror of the Barsunala," Inala says. "But it does not give me my Skeeks."
"I thank you for your advice. I unfortunately cannot give you anything in return at this time, as I am crippled, save for, well, the back door," Mousetraum admits.
"That is Gorphat's path," Inala says, sounding unhappy.
"It's all I have. That or my mouth," Mousetraum pouts.
"Both are unacceptable for my purposes this time," Inala points out.
"I know," Moursetraum says and slips off the altar. "I will go see how to solve this."
"Let her know I am cross about this," Inala says. "I do not appreciate her messing with the Barsunala."
"I don't either. Some of the other forms, sure, but my normal one is vexing," Mousetraum admits. Then she's off. It's bloody cold and rightt now the naked tiny mouse girl just wants to get back in where it's warm, so that the only part of her that's clenching is her poor bits, not her entire body!