Adora looked at the tree...
the naked devil girl wasn't quite sure where she was. This place seemed so unfamiliar... still nothing to be worried about. She was probably the scariest looking thing here.
"Hello my child."
The girl Shrieked. "Ahh!" The tree? It talked? Holy... she tried to regain some composure as the tree creature looked at her.
"Rest easy child. Welcome to my grove," The earthy voice said with a pleasant tone to it.
"I- I wasn't afraid of you!" She said defensively. Honestly she was just shocked... she heard some transformed people ended up immobile. She just hadn't met one before. She certainly didn't think she would actually meet one out here in the evening.
"My name is Father Maxwell," The tree spoke with that same careful gentleness about him. "What brings you here?"
Adora groaned. A priest?... great. Well at least he wasn't able to attack her. She did have a few religious zealots give her a look now and then. Most were quite harmless, although there was that one time in a shop... "Yeah. Er, look I'm sorry I got here okay? I was just lost, and on my way home."
"Sorry for what my child? You have caused no offence," Father Maxwell said intrigued.
The devil girl just stared at the tree. "Oh come on... take a good look at me. Aren't you going to say how dare this unholy abomination is desecrating your sacred site? I mean I am a devil. and I am naked." The fact that she was naked alone should have set him off. What kind of weird priest was he?
The tree chuckled dryly. "I am naked as well, dear child. I am but a tree. Adam and Eve were themselves unclothed, before sin."
The devil girl shook her head. "I don't go for that stuff... I respect your beliefs and all, but if I were to start believing any of that, then I would have to believe I did something really wrong in my life to look like this. Which I know, is a lie. I didn't do anything bad," She said indignantly.
"What is your name my child?" The tree asked curiously.
"What's it to you?" Honestly, why were they even having this conversation?
"I wish to get to know you my child," the Priest said calmly. There didn't seem to be anything malicious in his voice...
"Adora," she said in the end feeling a twinge of guilt at saying it.
"Oh come now, you have a real name do you not?" father Maxwell said with curiosity.
"Everyone else is taking new names for themselves. Why can't I?" The devil girl huffed at the priests... insight. Of course unlike the others, she still thought of herself as her old name still... taking on a new name just didn't work for her. But it was... nice to pretend.
"Ah... you wish to be loved," said the priest taking on the meaning of her name.
"Huh? N-no! It's not like that." Adora flicked her tail irritably. "The name just came to me... I went with it." She just wanted to leave now...
"Why are you here, Adora?" The priest asked using that name for now...
"If you must know, I was following someone. She just flew off-"
"Flew?" The priest interrupted.
"Yeah she-" She blushed... "She was an angel..." Adora glanced a bit annoyed. She felt like she had fallen into some kind of 'divine' trap.
The tree-priest, gave a little smile. "Oh... I see."
"Its not what you think!" Adora shouted.
"As I understand it... you followed an angel, and ended up here... correct?" father Maxwell spoke the facts very calmly. There was a little mirth in his voice, but not a condescending one.
"Just a coincidence! I was just trying to find out what she was doing." She said getting a little angry about it. She sat down on the grass, her spaded tail writhing about her. She might as well get comfortable if she was talking to a tree...
"She is your friend I imagine?" The priest asked curiously.
"Eh, sort of... not really. She doesn't really like me. I like her," she shrugged.
"You sound as if you are used to unrequited feelings," Said the priest.
"Yeah... I am. I always told myself, you can't control what other people think and feel... only yourself. I like her. She doesn't like me. I don't expect her to change. She became some angel, I'm a devil..."
"Yet you pursue friendship all the same... it is quite remarkable," Father Maxwell said with his calm voice.
"I'm stupid that way. Maybe that's why I'm a devil." She half smiled.
"Is it important to you, to know why you have the form of a devil?" The priest asked curiously.
Adora folded her arms defensively. "I think the reason is obvious. Bad luck," she said annoyed.
"Just luck?" father Maxwell asked.
"Bad luck," she shrugged repeating it.
"Why bad?"
Adora went silent for a moment... well... he wants to know... its not as if he can tell anyone else her thoughts.
"Okay... I'll tell you."
The tree-priest listened calmly.
"You want to know what really sucks? Let me tell you something about my classmates. Tiffany has some kind of aura- and I know that sounds weird... David is a freaking Angel and can fly- among other weird tricks with her Halo. Jon is a slug! Even she got Tiffany afraid of her just by threatening to crawl over her..."
The image did send a little tingle down the devil girls mind. Flexible Jon, crawling all over... She shook her head of that. "...Karyn gained a fair bit of swimming skills... do you want to have a guess at what I gained?"
"Do tell," The priest asked curiously.
"I gained a form that has... skills in bed with." She folded her arms annoyed.
The tree-priest blinked.
The devil girl continued. "Now some might say that's a great skill to have, but I did actually have bigger things in mind then to be just that!" Yes a lot of people knew it when they saw her... and she knew it too. She didn't care a lot about it. It's what she was.. now. But surly there was more to her then just...
The priest looked sympathetically, one of his branches gently touching the devil girls shoulder. "You may find you have other skills... in time. You have only had your body for a short time... and consider this... my own body is immobile. I do not resent you, for being able to do something as simple as... walk. Nor should you resent your friends ability to fly..."
Adora swallowed.. she didn't think about it like that. This priest was on his own.. immobile. Why isn't he going mad? Why is he so calm... why is he so concerned with her, when she should be concerned for him?
The two continued to talk...
Brittany sighed... another night, another wait for the changes students. Being among the humans was a little... lonely at times. Still, she enjoyed floating around them. She found she could make sure some of them stayed out of trouble...
she floated going the wall, when suddenly one student reacted to her.
"AH!" The boy screamed.
Brittany looked curiously surprised.
"Something wrong Steve?" Another boy asked.
"D-Don't you see her?" Steve pointed in fear.
Uncertainly Brittany decided to make haste and leave going back through the wall.
Steve blinked... she was gone.
"You should lay off the taco's Steve, nothings there..." The boy laughed.
Steve just stared... "Ha.. er.. yeah. You're right.
Brittany went to the school Gym... that was... really weird. That boy had to be a changed... but what was he doing in the night side of the school? How strange... She looked up at the storm. Something felt... familiar about it.
Suddenly lightning struck the school building.
Brittany blinked as she felt herself going back... to a different time.
David waited patiently... the storm was getting quite heavy. Suddenly she knew now was the time, and she raised her arms as did all her sisters. A strange 'sheen' of energy erupted across the suburbs, barely visible to them.
43AD
The priestess ran to the holy circle, climbing the high hills. It was the dead of night, and a terrible storm was brewing around them. She had to reach the Druids before the storm! The world was changing.
"Make way, I must speak to the Merlin," she said to the outer guard.
"You are expected priestess. Merlin has already foreseen your presence... please wait here."
Brittany waited and it was not long before the aged man approached her.
"I am Merlin," He said softly. "I know why you are here, Brittany Le'Terra"
"T-the world has changed." She said sadly and quickly. "Magic is leaving.. we have lost the gods! The armies of Rome are upon our shores, and Londenium has been taken. They will slaughter us all!"
"All of this has been foreseen, my child" Merlin said sadly.
"You must use the stone! Send the armies away!" Brittany begged and pleaded.
Merlin shook his head. "The future is now... exactly as it should be. There is a balance to be struck, between the world of the gods and mortal man... those who we refer to as gods, are only such because of this stone... which has already, become limited in the range it might affect.."
He gestured to the magic stone in the center of the druid circle.
Brittany stared at it with awe. One of the four key elements... this was the Keystone... With but a wish, you can make anything happen. But no wish could be undone... that was the price. How could Merlin not use the stone to protect them!
Merlin carefully took the stone from the pedestal, immediately the stones around the druid circle started to tumble, becoming ruins. A Stonehenge.
"You are now the keeper of the Earth-stone, Brittany... it must not fall into the hands of Rome, or indeed any army of man..." Merlin advised her carefully.
Brittany looked to Merlin.. was it her imagination or was he becoming even older? "W-whats happening to you?"
"Age... is catching up with me, my child. This isle was the last vestige of magic... the connection to worlds are now closing... this stone, along with her brothers and sister... are all that can be left."
"B-But.. without the gods..." Brittany looked at Merlin in fear.
"Yes... our destiny will be our own... as it must be, for now. As keeper of the stone, these are the laws you must observe, until you hide it for the next keeper to find. Never interfere with history... or the future. Do not use the stone to change the outcome of any battle... do not interfere with life, and death..."
"B-But.. Merlin! This stone is the last magic power of our world... why must we hide it?"
"It will be found again... by a new keeper. And you will have to aid that keeper..." Merlin touched the stone. "I wish that Brittany, will be able to aid the next keeper of the stone, should it be needed..."
There was a flash of light
"Now.. go Brittany. Hide the stone in the deepest, darkest place you can find on earth... you must do this without aid of magic as the Enemies will be able to track it... they must never gain possession of it!"
Brittany swallowed and accepted the quest...
