Once Alexis and Minerva were out of earshot of the other women, Alexis began to speak. “You’re not being forced into anything, right?” She asked.
“No.” Minerva replied. “I owe these people a lot. They went out of their way to cure and shelter me, even though they just thought I was a bandit attacking their caravan at first. And then, when…well, you know, they bailed me out. They’re good people, and I owe them my life.”
Alexis frowned. “It’s true, then? Your parents really tried to sell you into slavery? That seems so…” She trailed off, recalling her own behavior towards Minerva while they both had Aira’s Fervor. Minerva was something like a daughter to her, and yet she had made passes at her and absolutely would have kept her as a slave if the opportunity was given to her.
“Y-yeah.” Minerva said, voice catching in her throat. “The moment I revealed I had become a monster girl, they disowned me and had the guards take me away. They looked at me like I was trash.”
“I’m sorry.” Alexis said, pulling Minerva into a hug. “Sorry you went through that, and sorry for the things I said and did to you while I had Aira’s Fervor.”
“I said and did a lot of creepy things to you as well.” Minerva replied, returning the hug. “We’re even.”
“But…”
“You’re too hard on yourself, Alexis.” Minerva said gently. “You may be a hero, but you’re a person, just like any of the rest of us. This is a curse of such power that the greatest of archmages couldn’t protect themselves from it. Maia says that she considers the things people do while cursed to be not their fault, and I think…I think I’m starting to agree. I mean, look at me; I literally went out for weeks at a time to cavort with monsters. I would never do that if it wasn’t for the curse.”
Alexis hesitated uncertainly. “About that. I wasn’t sure if I should ask, but do you really…”
“No.” Minerva said firmly. “If there were no repercussions whatsoever, I wouldn’t do it again. Not only are any of those desires fulfilled far better by monster girls, it was more an act of…frustration with people than anything. People always wanted something from me, and I resented it. I felt like I could never make real connections with people, and those frustrations boiled over while I was cursed. That’s all there is to it.”
“I never knew.” Alexis said softly. “You kept it in so well.”
“By the time I had that resentment, I had already learned how to hide it.” Minerva replied. “That’s all there is to it. It’s water under the bridge now, so let’s look forward to the future, okay?”
“Alright.” Alexis said, letting go of the hug. “Give me a moment here to organize these people, but stay near, I still have a couple more questions for you.”
Minerva nodded, and waited patiently for Alexis to finish giving orders to her troops before their conversation continued. “I know you said you think these are good people, but can you elaborate a little more?” Alexis asked. “How did they earn your trust? Was it rescuing you? You’re a bit more suspicious than this usually.”
“It’s partially the rescue, but also partially from traveling with them for a few days.” Minerva explained. “If they’re masterminds scheming the downfall of the world, they’re incredible actors. With the exception of Galiena, I can read these people like a book; they’re not used to politics, and it shows. And with the rescue…well, they really didn’t have to. They warned me of what might happen well in advance, and it’s not like I’m really contributing much, given that I don’t have power anymore. I think they really do believe that they’re doing the goddesses’ work.”
“They said we were going to meet them, right? Do you really think that’ll happen?”
“If we do, great. If we don’t…well, they’ve made it abundantly clear that they’re not keeping us hostage. I mean, look at that Bernard woman; she was actively working against them, and they let her go. Granted, she probably won’t be anything close to a threat anymore, but I think if they let someone like her go, they’ll let us go. Whatever happens, I would like to stay with them at least until we can cure my parents. I can’t just…leave them like this.”
Alexis nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. They’re good people, they don’t deserve to be like...that.”
“Right. I feel that there’s no huge downside to traveling with them for now, and there’s a lot of potential upside in learning from Galiena, even if I can’t discern her motives.” Minerva replied.
“I think that’s wise. If she really is the Bone Tyrant, then she has a lot she can teach.” Alexis mused. “Just don’t take everything she says at face value. But, to change the topic a bit…do you think she really is the Bone Tyrant? If she is, then she should have been able to handle that entire battle herself, and I’m pretty sure that’s not what happened.”
“I’d say I’m seventy five percent sure.” Minerva said. “She claims to have lost a lot of her power in her stasis and that the stories about her are overblown, but her techniques are flawless and she is clearly incredibly skilled in…most everything. Even if she isn’t the Bone Tyrant, she’s definitely no ordinary person.”
“I see. Well, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like you to keep your tent or bedroll near mine; if something happens, I want to be there to protect you.”
“I will.” Minerva promised. “Thank you, Alexis, knowing you have my back means a lot to me.”
“Of course.” Alexis said, giving her a smile. “Though we may be different, I’m still your retainer.”
Minerva gave Alexis a smile in return. “I’m not going to be able to pay you for a while, you know that, right?” She teased.
Alexis chuckled. “It hasn’t been about the pay in years, Minerva. I think you can be a force for good, and I want to make sure you’re kept safe.”
Minerva blushed and looked away. “Thanks.”
Alexis ruffled her hair. “By the way, what’s with the ears?”
“I’m a shapeshifter now.” Minerva replied. “It seems that most shapeshifters have some sort of animal feature, and for me it’s these ears. I can always shift into human form if I need to hide them, but I find that I happen to rather like them.”
“Human form?” Alexis asked.
“Yeah. All monster girls can take a human form if we just focus on it.” Minerva said, pulling away from Alexis. After a moment, her fluffy ears vanished, and she looked just like how she had when she was human. Then, a moment later, the ears came back, and Minerva returned to Alexis’s side. “See?”
“Interesting. Let me try.” Alexis said, focusing on the idea of becoming human again. And, in a flash, she was. She was still a woman, and she imagined she looked mostly the same, but she could feel her heat beat again, feel breathing become a necessity again, and feel a slight sense of weakness as she once again became flesh and blood.
After a moment, she reverted back to her true form. “I think I’ll just stay like this.” She said. “I don’t think there’s ever going to be a need for me to take human form again. Well, maybe to have childr – or, no, that’s going to be impossible anyway, if we’re all women.”
“It’s not, apparently.” Minerva replied. “And I imagine you can stay in your real form and it wouldn’t be a detriment. Galiena says that monster girls are strictly better than humans, and though I think she’s a bit too zealous about it, I can’t help but agree.”
“Oh? Tell me more.” Alexis said. “You have me curious.”
“Well, we’re all stronger and faster, and then there are the powers our species give us…”
Alexis listened curiously as Minerva laid out all the advantages that came with being a monster girl, and, she had to admit, the prospect sounded nice. In fact, it seemed so nice that Alexis found herself wondering why the goddesses hadn’t just made them all monster girls to begin with.
She didn’t have long to wonder, though, as she soon had to turn more of her attention to mobilizing her troops. And, once they were on their way, Alexis took the time to talk more with Minerva, and then Maia, getting as much information as she possibly could on the situation.
And as she did, two things became clear. First, Maia and most of her group really did seem like good people trying to do their best in a hard situation, and Alexis felt she could trust them to be acting with everyone’s best interests in mind.
Two, Galiena knew a lot more than she was letting on, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Alexis needed to have a talk with the woman. So, after dinner, Alexis waited until Galiena had finished cleaning before approaching her. “Galiena, do you have a moment?” She asked.
“I do.” Galiena replied, giving Alexis an appraising look. “I take it you would like to speak in private?”
“I would.” Alexis confirmed.
“Follow me, then.” Galiena said. She led Alexis outside of camp, then stopped and turned to her. “You are having doubts about my honesty, no?”
“I don’t know if I was going to be so blunt about it, but yes.” Alexis replied. “Specifically, I need to know who this ‘enemy’ is, and more about them. Maia says that the knowledge is dangerous, but how can that be? It sounds like a convenient excuse for you to lead people on and nudge them into doing your bidding.”
There was a short pause as Galiena studied Alexis’s face. “You’re not going to leave without some sort of answer, are you?”
“Not if you want me to remain an ally.” Alexis said.
Galiena sighed. “Very well. I am going to remain as vague as I can, because every specific detail is a potential problem, but I will explain the shape of things. Our enemy is a being that feeds on our animosity and fear, and the more we feed them, the more they are able to influence our reality via things like Corruption or visions.
“The more we know about them, the more efficient this process becomes. Therefore, it is vital that as little information about them is leaked as possible, as it could have a direct impact on the course of the war. And I will keep my silence until you find out more about them on your own, or until the goddesses decide otherwise.
“I know that is likely not the answer you are looking for, but I would ask that you hold judgement until we reach the Isle of Advent and meet with the goddesses again. You can ask them about this directly, and if you decide that I have overstepped my bounds, then I will accept your admonishment. Until then, though, I will not hold your caution against you.”
Alexis frowned. “That doesn’t make sense to me.” She said. “How can just knowing about something give it power?”
“This may seem obvious, but humor me for a moment.” Galiena said. “What is the source of the goddesses’ power?”
“A combination of being born into their station and the respect and worship we offer them, if the church is to be believed.” Alexis replied. Then she stopped, things beginning to slot into place. The being behind the curse was clearly powerful beyond mortal or perhaps even godly means, as the goddesses seemed unable to deal with it themselves and had to name a champion in Maia. And, if the opponent was on the level of the divine, then perhaps what Galiena was saying wasn’t so far-fetched after all.
“I see you understand.” Galiena said. “Please keep that epiphany to yourself; I am sure you can see how revealing that might be counter-productive at this time.”
Alexis considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. But don’t expect me to blindly accept everything you say because of this.”
“Good. We cannot afford to be lax, lest history repeat itself.”
“Speaking of, are you really the Bone Tyrant?” Alexis asked. “My understanding was that she was slain by a legion of the world’s greatest warriors.”
Galiena chuckled. “You said much the same when we first met on the field of battle.” She said. “My power is greatly diminished compared to back then, and the tales of my prowess have likely been embellished, but that is what people called me. And if a legion of that time’s greatest had truly hunted me down, I would have been slaughtered; my limit was two, perhaps three.”
“Would I be correct in assuming the personality traits history attributes to the Bone Tyrant are likely fabrications?” Alexis asked. “You certainly don’t seem like the stories claim you were.”
“I am afraid I do not know what they said about my personality, but it is almost certainly all lies. May I have an example?”
“They claim the Bone Tyrant was a battle-crazed maniac that ritually mutilated the corpses of her foes.” Alexis said.
“Ah. That is, while not completely untrue, taken very much out of context. Yes, I used the bones of my enemies when prudent, but only as much as was necessary to protect me and the ones I love. It is technically corpse mutilation, but in the type of war we are fighting, we cannot afford to let niceties get in the way.”
Alexis raised an eyebrow. “The type of war?” She asked. “When it all comes down to it, war is war, is it not?”
“Perhaps between humans, but not between monster girls and humans.” Galiena replied, a faraway look in her eyes. “We are fighting a war of extermination; either we successfully cure the world, or we all die. Every single one of us will be systematically hunted down and slaughtered. Civilians, cripples, children, it matters not; our enemy will not allow a single one of us to live. I have been through that once before, and I would very much like to prevent it from happening a second time.”
Galiena stopped, looking past Alexis in an unfocused manner for a few moments before shaking her head and turning her attention back to Alexis. “If you do not believe me, recall how Minerva’s parents treated her, and recall how even the altered history that was passed down claims that all monster girls were killed. If you only believe one thing I say, have it be this one.”
Suddenly, Galiena’s claims of being an old soldier didn’t feel so outlandish. It wasn’t necessarily anything she said, but the way she had said it that had resonated with Alexis. Alexis had talked with many veterans before, had listened to their traumas and woes, and for just the briefest of moments, Galiena talked just like one of them would.
“I understand.” Alexis said. “I won’t take up any more of your time.”
“And your understanding is all I can ask for. Thank you, Alexis.”