Amdirlain's PoV - Hades

Amdirlain easily located both the attackers and those who knew. Theodotus, despite his misogyny, hadn't been involved at any point. Though he looked down on women, he considered such assaults to show a lack of prowess and honour. She concealed her rage as she patiently followed Petrov, who sent one of his 'children' ahead to tell the elder. Though only two more had contributed during the attack on Berenice, too many had known before or after, including the timid Petrov, who had been invited to participate. He hadn't deemed Berenice worth the risk to warn. The trip to the Elder's house allowed her time to determine that most of the villagers were memories rather than souls—the superficial nature of their thoughts, with no old memories stirring up, gave them away. The village was filled with oddly dilapidated structures, those walls easily visible from the road in much better repair.

Are the memories of the souls maintaining the structures?

The village elder and his two sons were waiting for them when they reached the square. Around the dirt square, neat, white-washed houses all had wide awnings with tables and chairs.

It's so lovely when the monsters in question come to meet you.

Amdirlain caught the elder's name from Petrov as the grey-haired man spread his arms wide in greeting. His once-muscular frame had gone to seed, but its potential showed in the broad-shouldered sons by his side.

"Hero, we praise the gods that they sent you here to slay that foul beast." Lycurgus's friendly gaze showed he had more practice hiding his nature than the calculating stares of his sons.

Theodotus folded his arms in disgust as Lycurgus honoured her. "She returned claiming it's dead, but where is the body?"

"Bodies," corrected Amdirlain. "Three monsters, and they were preparing to transform their targets into more of themselves. There are still more monsters I'd like permission to hunt."

"What reward would you like?" asked Lycurgus.

"Again, elder, what proof?" grumbled Theodotus. "She'll squeeze us dry."

"You told me she appeared out of nowhere with her tracks starting on soft, recently tilled soil. If she wanted to squeeze us, I'm sure she could."

A trace of a leering smile turned up the lips of the youngest dark-haired son; his older brother kept his composure.

Amdirlain turned slightly to extend a hand behind her and, faster than they could perceive, created three heads that matched her recent foes. They dropped to the ground with a thump and sprayed fresh blood across the hard-packed earth. "Is that enough proof, Theodotus? Magic lets me transport only so much."

Though Theodotus had been rude and sexist with her earlier, he showed the composure he'd sneered at the others for lacking. As the heads oozed blood, he stepped to the closest and crouched to rub it between his fingers. His gaze blazed with frustration, but he reluctantly nodded. "These look like the beast."

He wanted the glory of the kill.

Lycurgus halted and jerkily bowed to Amdirlain. "Please stay for some refreshment."

"I was hoping to be off hunting the other monsters, but I can wait a little while. Do I have your permission to hunt them after enjoying your hospitality?"

"I trust that is enough evidence now, Theodotus?" asked Lycurgus.

"Fine," grumbled Theodotus, wiping the blood off his fingers onto the dirt.

"I give you my permission, Hero, as I want everyone in the village to be safe."

Amdirlain stored all three heads. "Why don't we sit outside? It's such a nice day."

"Did you find out why the monsters attacked?"

"Yes, they were creations of a Witch called Berenice. She had a long hatred for this village's bloodlines. I thought it would be in ill taste to bring her badly scarred head along. Though she had a tale fouler than herself to share in death."

"Wife, bring the best wine for our guest," bellowed Lycurgus as he ushered Amdirlain towards the table on the awning behind him.

The memory of his wrinkled wife brought them a jug of wine and some cups. The jug sloshed oddly when set on the table, and Amdirlain noticed the holes along the spout.

She brushed her fingers along the jug's side before he could react and confirmed her suspicion.

It's a jug version of an assassin's teapot. How cute!

She picked up the jug and gave him a broad smile. "Let me pour for you. It's a custom where I come from since you're providing the drink."

"You don't have to do that," protested Lycurgus, futilely waving his hands.

It's just a sedative. He wanted some more memorable times watching his sons at work.

She put her fingers along the holes to cause it to pour from the safe chamber and served herself and Theodotus first. Shifting her grip, she continued pouring for the Elder and his sons; with the spout's holes no longer blocked, the fluid could emerge from the poisoned chamber.

"We should have poured for you," protested Lycurgus.

"Elder, I said I'd wait until after your hospitality to hunt, yet that's already run its course since I don't appreciate someone trying to provide poisoned wine."

Theodotus growled. "Poisoned?"

Amdirlain split the jug down the side, so the smaller chamber that had the safe wine showed.

"I appreciate your permission to deal with all the monsters. You're doomed, but the rest of the souls, I'll get to safety."

Her brief speech gave Lycurgus and his sons enough time to reach their feet before her Enervating Aura flared out, sweeping the entire village. Hundreds of memories manifested by the local souls popped like soap bubbles when the relatively few souls were drawn into her flesh. Despite the village's annihilation, the gold pane remained in the distance. When she stepped through the Gate, her fingers absently tugged her white tunic straight, the cut and cotton of the garment raising odd notes from her flesh.

I've spent so long wearing silks.

Damon looked like a picture of childlike innocence, sitting on the ground playing jacks with yellowed knuckle bones. He scrambled to his feet, his welcome smile fading as he took in Amdirlain. "You don't look happy."

As she stepped away from the pane, the door sealed, and the symbol of Hades appeared. "Just disappointed with people. I'm glad that the village was mostly memories. Would you open the next trial?"

"You don't want to rest first?" asked Damon.

Amdirlain squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Let's continue. You don't have to wait here for me."

"It's my duty," insisted Damon.

"This seems more Asphodel Meadows than the Hades I'd expected," noted Amdirlain.

Damon nodded. "I know the tales you're referring to. While there are places like the meadows, most don't possess a gentle nature."

"As the custodian, do you also care for the records?"

"Of course," said Damon.

Should I bother looking at them or move on? I'm tougher to challenge than most people but I can't assume.

"Anything common between the trials?"

"I can't share that information," said Damon. "Those who ask for guidance need to seek wisdom in the legends."

Greek myths? Or lies of the victors?

"Can you open the next trial for me?"

He floated into the air and spun a circle around Amdirlain. "Flying is so much fun."

Amdirlain lifted beside him and carefully took his hand. "Let's fly to the next door."

"Do you have any children?"

"Not in this life," replied Amdirlain.

"You've had multiple lives? How does that work?"

"In some faiths, souls are reborn after a time," explained Amdirlain.

Damon blew a frustrated raspberry. "That will never be me."

"Never say never," advised Amdirlain. "After I recover the objects from the maze, I'll try to help you escape this place."

"Really? Do you promise?"

What is it about promises? I don't want to give them out, so people ask for them.

"I'll try to get you free, but that's the only commitment I can give you."

"Would you look after me in my next life? I've been alone for so long," said Damon.

Amdirlain rested a hand against his cheek. "I'll try to find you and ensure you're with an excellent family."

"Thank you."

She could see him worrying at the inside of his cheek, but he said nothing further.

As they approached the next door, Damon slipped his hand free and flew forward to tap the stone. "Best of luck to you, Am."

Another white pane appeared behind the opening doors, and Amdirlain nodded to him. "See you soon, Damon."

With that, she stepped forward to touch the pane. The same wormhole effect hit, but her destination this time was a forest of grey Cyprus trees. The fierce wind whistled through the trees but couldn't even shift a branch or flex a leaf. Carried with the wind was the intermittent sound of stones striking each other. The sharp noises echoed oddly, bouncing off trees and the soil instead of being absorbed. A quick push against moss-covered sod brought a sharp crack of stone.

Is everything petrified?

Amdirlain's hand passed through the white pane. She extended a palm vertically against the pane and focused on the energy brushing against her skin. Within it, she caught the energies of an incomplete circuit, but the pattern needed to bridge them was a melody she partly knew.

Hades houses just one Gorgon. It seems I'm supposed to find Medusa for this trial.

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Precognition tugged in hundreds of directions through the trees, with no superior option.

She took a step forward to examine a tree and, further into the forest, red eyes appeared on the twisted trunk of a Cyprus. They were barely chest height to Amdirlain. Its branches shifted with a rasping crackle before a multi-octave groan emerged from a maw on its side. The energy within the sound tried to burrow through Amdirlain's skin to shatter bones. She grew a single-eyed tendril from her neck, the single spell proving enough; fragments of petrified wood scattered far and wide. The trunk's destruction opened a hollow interior that reached into the earth. A swarm of forearm-length rats with granite fur and garnet eyes rushed out of the stump. As each reached ground level, Amdirlain severed its head, their bodies splitting in two with a click of splinting stone.

They're not something ordinary swords could easily handle, but they are a pest to anyone with an enchanted weapon or hammer.

[Combat Summary

Stone Treant x1

Granite rats x27

Total Experience gained: 724

Psychic Bastion: +362

Ki Guardian: +362]

If nothing else, they're a bit of practice with Spell Gaze.

After she'd wandered the forest for a few days, swatting undead, granite rats, and other animals composed of flexible stone, she found the limits of the petrified forest. She'd completed a circuit of its perimeter and spiralled inwards when a sound in the wind caught her attention. The noises were initially indistinct, but as she followed them, they and their source became clear. Screams of rage and hissing originated from a series of narrow cave mouths along the side of a dust-covered hill. From the hilltop beyond the caves, a series of holes acted as fluted chambers to distort the echoes.

Swarms of fist-sized globes formed from ectoplasm appeared around her and dived into openings. Kilometres of limestone passageways crisscrossed under the petrified earth. Several barely accommodated scrying globes; others could comfortably fit three or four well-armoured men. Tracing them methodically, she found a number that eventually merged into a central cavern. In the lichen's phosphorescent glow, Amdirlain saw a rag-clad woman chained in the cavern's central chamber. Sapphire-scaled asps covered the woman's head, each independently flexed and hissed as their attention jumping about in an uncoordinated fashion with no common target. Around the chamber, there were dozens of shattered statues. Among the scattered pieces, some matched the woman's body minus the head, while others were from armoured men.

I wonder if she'll come with me?

Amdirlain backtracked with her scrying globes to isolate a passage wide enough for at least one person and entered. The route descended and then ran through a series of living caves, a constant beat of water droplets echoing throughout. Mostly, it was water-striking stone and building up formations with mineral deposits but in places there were clear, sharp chimes from water pools.

She sent a light globe ahead to announce her presence. Though the strength of its illumination was barely more than the lichen, the swaying source caught Medusa's attention, and she angrily observed Amdirlain's entrance.

Layers of dirt covered her high cheekbones and supple limbs, the torn rags she'd tied in place barely enough to give her a token of modesty. Ectoplasm flowed together as Amdirlain created her a bluish-green cotton toga to match her hazel eyes, fashioned so that she could dress herself with the chains still in place, and a leather belt to secure it. She floated both past the assorted fallen statues from her position at the entrance. Medusa ignored the gesture, the serpents fixed on Amdirlain with red eyes blazing with hate.

"Hello, Medusa."

Amdirlain felt the press of the petrifying gaze against her skin, her strength slid it aside like water from a polished stone.

"I want nothing from you," spat Medusa. "Just kill me and get it over with."

"I've no intention of killing you. I created the clothing as a sign of respect while we talked and sorted out the path forward," advised Amdirlain.

"Who are you then?"

"Call me Am. If you help me, I will look to reunite you with your sisters," said Amdirlain.

I'll also look into breaking the curse, but it's better to under-promise and over-deliver in this place.

Medusa's upper lip curled scornfully. "Someone finally killed them as well?"

"Your sisters are still alive. I recently brought them back together," advised Amdirlain, projecting an image of the pair reunited. "They miss you bitterly."

"I'm dead, trapped in Hades. I'm only here to serve as a key to the maze." Medusa bowed her head and pushed the snakes out of the way. "Come, take my head since the asps' gaze can't hurt you."

"You're dead now, but that doesn't mean you'll stay that way. I know what they did and can reverse some of it even now," said Amdirlain. "Would you explain how you're a key to the maze?"

Medusa's lively eyes narrowed. "Does it matter? I've died repeatedly, and each time they show up, I make the same mistakes. Just as with you, the asps try to petrify them, and I find myself turned to stone. They carry my head to the maze, use me against the guardian, and cast me aside. After that, I'm back here again, chained to this place."

Amdirlain ground her teeth and let out a slow breath. "The more I learn about them, the more I hate the Greek Gods. Was it Athena who cursed you or someone else?"

I'll have to ask Hestia how she could endure their behaviour for so long.

Medusa hissed. "Her brother violated me—in her temple—as though I had a choice!"

"Poseidon is dead." Amdirlain moved forward and sat on a misshapen boulder that wasn't a piece of someone. "Athena has a fragment of her former strength and is no longer a goddess."

Medusa's jaw dropped, and her coif of snakes flared up. "What do you want?"

"To save my family, I must breach the seal. This is the second trial I must overcome to get permission. Frustratingly, I'm unsure it'll work since Hades is dead, but some of this appears to operate independently, so hopefully it will."

"You need to kill me, then," declared Medusa flatly.

Amdirlain motioned toward the exit. "There is a path out that way. Do you see the white pane of the trials at all?"

"They always presented my head to a white pane, then stuffed it back in a leather bag until the first guardian within the maze. Once you pass the seal, you need my asps' gaze to petrify them."

"How about we try with your head still attached to your body? None of them would have tried that."

Medusa raised her wrists. "How exactly do I leave with my head attached?"

"Might I examine the chains?"

"They're forged by Hephaestus," scoffed Medusa.

Amdirlain strode forward and seized the chains. Within them, she felt a link akin to an Energy Drain set up to bring Medusa's Soul back to the shackles. The enchantment triggered upon her death and shattered the statue to recreate her body when her head was no longer in someone's possession.

"Do you know the problem with chains?"

"What?"

"The weakest link. Here, it's the creator's expectations. I can help you get out of them," reassured Amdirlain. "There is nothing in the enchantment to adjust their size since they know you don't have the ability to shapeshift."

"Don't you think I've tried?" hissed Medusa. "I've rubbed my wrists bloody trying to slip my hands out. Why would you free me? How do I know this isn't a scheme to inflict more misery on me?"

"What version of the Minotaur's tale do you know, the lie or the truth?"

"A child born of a disgusting act."

"Only in there was adultery involved. The Minotaur was the child of Kronos and Queen Pasiphaë. Admittedly, Kronos shapeshifted to look like her husband to get her pregnant. The child was born with silver eyes, and an attending priestess learned the meaning and received subsequent instructions. She told Minos the child was blind and should be left exposed to the elements."

"And the bull's horns and features?" asked Medusa sceptically.

"Nicholaus gained them after being abandoned on a hillside, and a cow allowed him to suckle from it directly. Abandoned, he adapted to the herd. Did you know later drawings show you with an ugly, scaly face? Some even had you with a serpentine lower body."

Medusa reared back in disgust, rattling the chains loudly as she did.

If I ask her for help in advance, it will seem like coercion, and it would be. Is she sane only because the passage of time in Hades is strange?

"Medusa, the winners get to write the stories, and Nicholaus was first secured in the maze and then fled from their prosecution. I must get into the maze to undo another injustice done to his family. I intend no harm and only ask that you consider helping me."

"How am I even to get free of these?"

I could add Shapeshift, or should I give her Protean, which would let her extend her lifespan when she's alive again?

"I gave your sisters the Power of shapeshifting to fit in among the locals. I can't give you the Power fully grown, but I can give you its seed and guide you on your first steps. Even that seed should be enough to let you slip free of these manacles."

Amdirlain clasped her hand gently, and read Medusa's form. Confident she could duplicate it with Protean, she moved on. She provided Medusa with Protean and, as a safety measure, set a link to her Soul to allow Amdirlain to draw Medusa back to her if needed.

"There was a thrumming in my bones," stated Medusa.

"Just the edge of my own Power at work granting you the ability. The form you take on now is in your control. You could change into a child or alter your hands to narrow them enough to slide through the manacles."

Medusa yanked her hand futilely to pull free from the manacle.

"You need to visualise the shape and will your flesh to fill it." Amdirlain held up an arm and changed it into a tentacle.

"That looks like one of Echidna's legs," said Medusa.

"You can use whatever form suits you. The more you experiment with the Power, the more you can accomplish."

The snakes disappeared from atop Medusa's head, replaced with wavey blond locks that reached her hips. The hair blurred again, reforming into a braided length, and Medusa clasped it desperately, tears welling in her eyes. "It feels odd to only have one set of eyes after so long. Whatever form?"

"Yes. Though if you take on a bird's form, you'll have to learn to fly. The Power also heals injuries. You'll keep it once I bring you back from the dead, though you'll have to relearn it. Once you have Mortal flesh you might kill yourself with a form that cannot survive."

Medusa's eyelids fluttered as she blinked away tears. She narrowed one arm and pulled it free. The manacle struck the stone with a loud clank and she began laughing, the laughter growing hysterical as the other chains hit the ground. Amdirlain plucked the cloth she'd created from where it was still floating and dressed the still-laughing Medusa—a simple casting cleaning her of centuries of accumulated dirt.

"How? Why?" gasped Medusa.

"I hope you'll help me in return. At least long enough for it to count with the trial's gateway. If you stick with me, I'll see to getting you out of Hades and back to your sisters."

"Do you know how many people have tried to escape the underworld?" asked Medusa. "There are tales filled with them, and disappointment invariably awaits their efforts."

"I'm not most people," said Amdirlain. "Refrain from vengeance on those who didn't hurt you, please."

Amdirlain felt a pressure against her skin that had nothing to do with Medusa's gaze. A rush of notes split the forming Mantle, and she ruefully shook her head in time to the melody as she recognised part of the theme.

I should have lain low on Qil Tris. How did they find out my name, or did the recordings of us provide sufficient focus?

"Are you rethinking helping me?"

"Sorry, my headshake wasn't about you," said Amdirlain. "I learnt of an unexpected matter. Shall we see if we can return to Crete?"

"I'm sure you're going to have to cut my head off," sighed Medusa.

Amdirlain squeezed Medusa's hand gently and set a link to her Soul to prevent it from becoming lost. "We'll find another way. Please stick with me on the way back. This place isn't safe, and you've endured enough."

"Is it a long walk?" asked Medusa. "I usually made the trip swaying in a bag at someone's hip, and it made me feel sick even though I was bodiless."

"It's a bit of a trek for a normal person, so I'll fly us back," offered Amdirlain.

"Of course you can fly," Medusa frowned. "Do we have time to walk? I've not been under the sun except for the briefest moments."

I wandered around the perimeter for a few days, but we should still have plenty of time left.

"The surrounding forest is all petrified, so it's not exactly the prettiest."

"I'd like to be in the sunlight for a time."

"You'll have plenty of time for sunshine at Crete. I've got ten more trials and thirty days to complete each," offered Amdirlain.

"You might still have to cut my head off to get through the pane," said Medusa. "I'm sure you wouldn't leave my head out in the open if you had to cut it off."

"Decapitation isn't on my agenda," said Amdirlain.

She motioned towards the exit again and began leading Medusa out leisurely.

When they exited onto the rocky slope, the Gorgon stopped and stared at the sky, rubbing where the manacles had sat for millennia. Though she had walked the uneven path through the caves without issue, she stumbled and fell to her knees. "This can't be real."

"Be careful. Hades works off your expectations," cautioned Amdirlain. "While mine should counter yours, I don't know if it requires proximity. If we separate for a time, you might influence things and put yourself back in the cavern, so please try to be positive."

Medusa shuddered convulsively.

I'm pretty sure she'll want to be in control.

"I'm going to cast Flight on you. Then you'll have to concentrate on the direction you want to move or will yourself to stop. If you stop in mid-air before the Spell ends, it will keep you hovering in place. We'll start slow, and I'll stay near you to intercede if needed."

With the modest pace Amdirlain kept to, it was nearly a day of flying before they arrived near the white pane. Amdirlain landed them in a clearing within sight of it and, eyeballing it, calculated it had reduced by a third.

"I can see the pane. It's still white," offered Medusa without prompting.

"Maybe move closer?"

Medusa readily moved forward to stand within arm's reach of the white pane, yet nothing happened.

"Perhaps try reverting to having your snake hair," suggested Amdirlain. "Though don't step through with them out. The custodian is a child."

Medusa's asps reappeared, and the energy of the pane immediately shifted to gold.

"I love it when I can take advantage of loopholes to help people," said Amdirlain.

Medusa huffed. "I've got a sense of impending doom trying to choke me right now."

Amdirlain's Precognition was silent regarding danger to either of them.

"I can only imagine after being trapped for so long. After I finish the maze, I've got a few million souls to release. Let me know if you want to come along before then," said Amdirlain. "Shall we go? I'd suggest you step through first, as I wouldn't want you left behind."

The asps transformed back into blond braids, and Medusa stepped into the gold pane without hesitation. As her form vanished, Amdirlain followed.

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