Chapter 130: The Blessing From A Flask
The team clusters around the Earth Mother, who lies flat on her back looking thoroughly, gloriously wrecked.
Raikya carefully dabs at her face with a towel, then at her own sweaty face as her mind struggles to catch up with the day’s events. "How!?" she’s whispers to herself. "How did I end up like this?"
Penelo and Lula each work one of the Earth Mother’s legs, oil and ointments being rubbed with expert precision into her demi-divine pores.
Pip mists her down from head to toe with a fine, cooling, herbal spray fizzing from his palms.
All while she lies there taking slow, appreciative sips from Vuvi’s flask.
"My thighs..." she says with a delighted sigh, "haven’t ached this good since I tangled with that volcano spirit back in the third age."
"What happened to the volcano spirit?" Penelo asks, wide-eyed.
"He erupted. Prematurely, and everywhere." The Earth Mother takes another long pull from the flask. "Cratered a small chain of islands, but left me dry as desert."
She gives Pip a lazy thumbs-up. "You’re a godsend. Literally. Only the Great Mother’s blessing could produce something like you." She props herself up on one elbow, expression genuinely soft now. "I believe you. All of you. All of... him."
"Told you," Vuvi says, arms crossed, entirely too pleased. "The Great Mother’s blessed Pip, and together, we’re on a mission to restore the world’s magical balance."
The Earth Mother tilts her head, confused. "Restore what now?"
"The world’s cursed," Vuvi explains. "Men can’t perform. Hasn’t in decades. It’s caused a generation of suffering. It’s... it’s a long story."
The Earth Mother goes quiet, considering that for a long moment, then turns to study Pip properly, head tilted. "That doesn’t make sense."
"Excuse me?"
"Why would the Great Mother send him to fix it, piece by piece, mortal by mortal?" she gestures at the crater she’s currently lying in, "when she could simply snap her fingers and undo it herself?"
"We’ve asked ourselves that exact question more than once," Veena admits solemnly.
"And?"
"And we mostly just try not to think about it too hard," Sera says. "Keeps the job simpler."
Vuvi shrugs. "We have no idea. And we don’t pretend to understand the thought processes of deities. Can barely trust most of our own thoughts around him. I just work with what I’ve been given." She turns to Pip with a proud smirk. "Which happens to be a divine pleasure-construct. So we’re taking him around the continent, helping every woman we can, and he gets stronger with every stop."
"And when he reaches his maximum potential?"
"Mmm... Honestly? Not sure." Vuvi grins, only half-joking. "Maybe he ascends to godhood. Maybe he fixes the curse. The Demon Queen might be involved..." she shrugs.
"Hey!" Veena snaps at her. "We’re not killing Mother."
"Not that." Vuvi says, her eyebrows wiggling a little too high for Veena’s comfort.
"Ew! With him!? My mother would never!"
"VEXENA’S HER MOTHER!?" Raikya gasps from the edge of the crater, still mounted on Frostlick.
"We’ll explain later!" Lula and Penelo answer up in unison.
The Earth Mother’s gaze drifts off into the middle distance, brow furrowing. "The Great Mother wouldn’t possibly..." She stops herself abruptly, waving a hand like she’s physically batting the thought away. "Ugh... no no. Silly thought."
"What thought?" the Desert Spirit presses.
"Nothing. It’s nothing." The Earth Mother shakes her head firmly. "Blasphemous to even entertain the idea."
She rises, stretches with a series of satisfying pops, and saunters over to Pip, looking him up and down with a fond, appraising grin. "Whatever your true purpose is, little construct, you truly are a blessing." She grips his shoulders. "Keep doing exactly what you’re doing. There are plenty more mortals, and deities, out there who need your blessings." she slaps her butt, "And your hips."
She leans in and kisses him between the eyes.
Pip jerks as power floods through every circuit at once, system messages cascading across his vision
[BLESSING RECEIVED: Echo Of The Earth Mother]
[New Skill Unlocked: Geo Manipulation Lv.1]
She taps his pelvics, leaning in to whisper into his audio-port, "I’ll need another dose before too long. I’d appreciate a visit." Her lips curl. "Though... I don’t mind coming to you, if I have to."
Pip gives a nervous beep. The Earth Mother laughs, entirely satisfied. "You’re too cute for a little metal man." She traces a finger down his chest plate. "I want one. I’d never leave my chamber again if I had a little Pleasure Prince of my own."
Vuvi steps in fast, yanking her constuct to her side. "Not for sale!"
"Relax, Alchemist, I wouldn’t dream of taking him." The Earth Mother waves a hand, completely unbothered. "He’s a blessing from the Great Mother. The whole world deserves him... not just me." she breathes deep, and sighs slowly before shooting Pip a wink. "As much as I’d love to keep you around."
"Though," she adds, tapping her chin, "I would accept visitation rights. Quarterly visits. At least."
"We’ll scheduling something." Vuvi says through gritted teeth.
"I’m very flexible."
"Of course. Speaking of the flexible..." Vuvi straightens up, all businesslike again. "We’ve got a continent to cross, a kingdom to save, and we’d really love to get back on the road to the Dwarven lands. We’re already days behind schedual."
The Earth Mother nods. "Then I won’t keep you any longer."
She bows. First to Pip, slow and deep, and a quick sweep to Vuvi and rest of the team.
"Thank you. All of you. For taking the time to visit an old, forgotten goddess, and for letting me feel like myself again."
She opens both palms, and diamonds and raw gemstones come pouring out in a glittering cascade. "A small gift. For making me feel like a whole again."
"Oh, that’s really not necessary," Vuvi scoffs "We already have a literal dragon’s hoard, we don’t need—"
But Zora is already scooping fistfuls of gems into a shimmering portal at his hip. "It would be deeply rude to refuse a gift from a deity, Lady Blackthorn. I’m simply being polite on the group’s behalf."
"Keep the raw ones separate from the cut ones," the Sera advises helpfully. "They sell differently."
"Noted, my lady." Zora says, already sorting.
The Earth Mother turns to her daughter. "Help them reach their destination safely, my child."
Then she strolls back toward her chamber, rubbing her inner thighs thoughtfully, muttering about how mortals these days really are quite interesting, before the shattered doors knit themselves back together behind her with a low, grinding groan and slam shut.
The team stands in silence for a moment. Then everyone starts snickering at once.
"Does this," Raikya asks slowly, "always happen with you people?"
Penelo and Lula each drape an arm over her shoulders, expressions grave. "Oh, sweetheart," Penelo says. "You haven’t even heard about the Seedmother yet."
"Or the demon Baroness that’s trying to kidnap Pip," Lula adds.
Raikya’s eyes go wide. "What demon Baroness?!"
"There’s also the Vexena, Demon Queen," Penelo continues cheerfully. "As you know, Veena’s her daughter."
"Don’t forget that she kidnapped Vuvi’s mom, too" Lula adds.
"She what?"
"We really need a proper orientation packet for new members," Sera mutters. "This is gonna keep happening."
"Good idea," Veena agrees. "The poor wolf-girl can’t keep up."
Raikya looks between all of them, slightly pale. "Is there anything else I should know before we keep walking?"
"I’ll get my notebooks," Zora says excitedly. "The pages on forest witches are particularly worth review."
Raikya’s mouth falls open with disbelief.
Meanwhile, Vuvi pats down her jacket, then her pants, then drops to her knees to dig frantically through her bag.
She freezes.
"That demi-bitch stole my flask!"
Veena bursts out laughing. "That’s the second time a divine being has stolen your wine."
"It’s not funny, you... you literal, demon!"
Sera snorts. "Sounds like a sign from the Great Mother that you should cut back on the drinking."
Vuvi stomps one foot into the sand, genuinely wounded. "That flask has kept me sane through this entire godforsaken journey! Do you know how many times I’ve almost lost my mind watching Pip do..." she gestures vaguely at the crater, the ruined temple, the general vicinity of everything,"...this? And now it’s gone! Stolen! By a demi-goddess!"
"You could ask for it back," Penelo offers. "Politely. Next quarterly visit."
"I am not scheduling a diplomatic flask retrieval, Penelo."
"You’re scheduling literally everything else about this trip." the bunny-kin pouts.
"And absolutely nothing goes to plan!" Vuvi snaps back.
"To be fair," Zora offers, still cheerfully pocketing gemstones, "she did leave you an entire fortune in exchange."
"I don’t want a fortune, Zora, I want my flask! My plum wine!"
"Priorities..." Sera mutters, shaking her head, already turning to lead the group back toward the temple entrance and the long road still ahead.
Behind them, the desert spirit lingers a moment longer at the sealed inner doors, one hand pressed flat against the stone, a small, wistful smile on her face.
Then she jogs to catch up, falling in step beside Raikya.
"For what it’s worth," she says, "I don’t think there’s ever a dull day with this group."
"I’m starting to get that." Raikya mutters, watching Vuvi still muttering under her breath murderously about flasks and devilish demi-gods. "I’m not so sure that’s a good thing anymore."