S: 32 "Thank God No One Said The Birds and the Bees."

The grey wastes spanned on forever but seemed smaller as tiny feet pattered swiftly along the landscape, a fiery haired girl running to a massive palace. Her face was plastered with great purpose as her feet carried her straight to a muscular woman with bright lavender hair, "MOTHER!!" She said enthusiastically. Her mother turned and smiled, gently touching the child's cheek in an attempt to calm her and keep her focused, "Yes, little warrior?" Little Morrigan looked up right into her mother's eyes, "Where do babies come from?" her mother hiccupped and looked around, "Umm well now...you came in a basket sweetheart...and oh the souls, I have to go. Ask your mom ok little warrior?" The goddess of love and strength quickly ran away out the door leaving her daughter there. Morrigan was not deterred and smiled as she sped through the house right into her sweet blonde haired mom, "MOM MOM MOM....mom." Ereskagal turned quickly and giggled, "Yes, yes, yes, yes.....yes?" Patting Morrigan on the head and smiling, "Mother said I can ask you where babies come from." The blonde goddess sighed, "Oh Mayvin....some goddess of love you are.." She mumbled to herself but with a smile, "Well my little valkyrie, from the dark essence and blood of the great old defeated beast. Rising from the viscera...but mortals..." She was interrupted from her sentence as Morrigan ran away, "Okay!" speeding out the door leaving her mom to bite her lip, "Oh dear....that is going to bite me in the ass later...."
 
Running back outside she stumbled and tripped into the arms of her dear Aunt Ninkasi and Uncle Shamsir, "Whoa, that could have been a huge boo boo." She smiled with a hint of inebriation, her words just barely slurring, "Auntie Nin, I was asking about babies!" The two adults gave each other a look, and Ninkasi nearly burst out laughing, "They come from beer sweetheart!" She chuckled into her tankard as Shamsir gave her a stern look, but before he could attempt to fix the situation Cu Chulain had called out from the distance for Morrigan to do her daily training. The young girl ran off at full speed squealing with excitement, forgetting her aunt and uncle, "You know how impressionable....." Shamsir thought for a second, trying to be as nice about his words as possible, "..You know how...she is! She will just think she came from beer, and that all mortals are just beer." Ninkasi giggled into her drink, her vision glazed ever so slightly, "I mean...they kind of do, my little Ereskagal and I pour beer into souls and they return to Gaia as babies....sooooo?" A thunder of noise came from Shamsir, "THAT IS NOT AT ALL HOW THAT WORKS." Ninkasi burst with laughter at his outburst.
 
Bounding over to her Uncle Chuchu she smiled, "Did you know babies come from beer?!" She said matter of fact causing her uncle to falter slightly, "What? You came from a basket little one." He spat out, Morrigan contemplated this, "That's what Mother said as well." Cu nodded, "See, there you go. Now get in a stance, and be ready. You're improving so much, I can't wait until you get older and we can really see what you're capable of." They both smiled with excited determination and her training commenced. The whole family setting in motion Orri's blind spot for an important lesson, that she may not learn for a long time.....from the future a voice echoed into the ether of a frustrated high elf, "JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE ADOPTED DOESN'T MEAN YOU WEREN'T BIRTHED.....I need a drink....."
 
The legendary land of Gaia holds many lessons, about eighty something percent of them sail right over certain people's horns. One lesson that branded itself into that particular head was the effect of oysters on a person's....libido. That night on Pomporia made all those jokes and innuendos finally make some sort of sense, to experience something so incredible with her love was exhilarating. Especially when they attempted it again, Artemis making himself "busy" so the couple could have moments alone in the captain's cabin. A few intimate and romantic nights spent in each other's arms, Drake finding some odd joy in making his "Blazing Fire Queen" blush, "Having two swords to use on you is surprisingly amazing." He said to her casually one night. Morrigan looked up at him curiously, "Hmm? One besides your claymore?" Drake smirks his special smirk and laughs, "Ha did you just call IT a claymore?" He nods downward. Orri looks down and see what he is referring too and she nearly burst into flame from blushing. Her voice soft as a whisper, ".....Well....maybe...." A soft giggle escaping her lips. These moments are like the books that mother wouldn't let her read. She sighed contently and snuggles against him, punching him playfully, "My Claymore."
 
The sun half way finished rising on the Hive armada as the captains discussed their plan to take on the massive beast of legend. Morrigan chewed the last remnants of her second breakfast as the meeting began. She assumed they would just jump right into the maw of the beast like in the memory, "It's maws move in...blah blah blah...and blah blah, at a time....blah blah." Anaxa and the Admiral went on, with a few interjections from Zephyria. "Blah blah blah food.." Orri sprung up, which gained Anaxa's attention. Zephyria motioned for Anaxa to remind Orri of how her food works, "Orri, be ready we won't be eating for a while maybe, and Zephy's food needs to be the last thing you eat, remember?" Orri nodded, "OH RIGHT!" She quickly grabbed a pouch containing a bundle of well cured meats and vegetables, Anaxa looked on with a shake of her head, "Is that a second breakfast?" A mocking tone in her voice, Orri shook her head, "Nope, third." She gobbled it down with grace and sneakily pulled out a what seemed like a loaf of bread. She broke it in half revealing it to be a meat filled confection, "What is that?" Anaxa growled." Morrigan ate more than half of it with a smile, "Oh, just getting some of lunch in, before I eat up Zephy's delicious food." The hoplite tried to be surprised, but knew better at this point as Orri decided to finish the entire lunch and then moved onto the meal Zephyra prepared. The group could see the tell tale signs in Orri's eyes declaring that she still might be hungry.
 
A few hours later the wind flowed through the hair of all the Hive women, the group flying in a cauldron piloted by the queen of poisons and curses, the goddess of song, and a juvenile kracken. The beast's malevolence so strong poor Calliope changed almost immediately. Beside them was the transformed Admiral and the princess riding her like some fantasy knight. The only one missing was of course dozens of feet below running along the land at full speed, Drake's Queen. She smiled with delight as she kept up easily with the flying teams as she bounded over mountainous terrain and occasionally jumping to eye level with them, failing at conversation. The finally hit water and they all watched as like only Morrigan can do she hit the water and sped across it like solid ground. Jumping up to grab a portion of the cauldron, her hand gripped something and she looked up as Zephyria started giggling. Orri's eyes widened and she blushed brightly, her hand gripping something she had only recently become well acquainted with. Zephyria had indeed made a handle for Orri to hang on, an elaborate sculpture with a massive falice. it was proportioned so that Orri had no choice BUT to grab the engorged part of it. As the high elf laughed, gaining the attention of Anaxa and the admiral as they flew lower to see what was happening. Laughter surrounding her as Orri blushed more and more. Her initial thoughts strayed to her love and how this sculpture could not compare, her imagination going wild. Knowing that a single one of her hands barely covered his.....claymore. She shook her head returning to the moment and the Hive's laughter, she could now feel Anaxa tickling her to make her fall into the whirlpool.
 
"That's just a whirlpool, we are looking for a giant monster thing I thought...." The Admiral turned into a massive shark and dropped toward the whirlpool. Suddenly the water erupts with ship sized teeth and a black endless maw, "Oh!..it IS the whirlpool, That's so cool!" Morrigan braces herself and vaults off the cauldron into the maw of the beast, heading straight down the middle. Jumping off teeth and sailing at full speed through an army of mouths and fangs, she found herself submerged in sea water and stomach fluids. She looked around and watched a mouth open up and suck her in landing inside of a tiny stomach. She looked around and wondered how hungry this poor animal must be to have so little in it's stomach. "Poor thing." She thought to herself as she imagined the pain of having an empty stomach. Shivering with horror at the thought of not having food inside you. She looked around for an exit and considered what to do, after considering many options she just started kicking the stomach, summoning the fires of true love. Stuck alone in this odd situation.
 
She kicked and punched the hazy memories of a few hours ago coming into sharper focus. The briefing on the ship, the plan they all tried to formulate, the four meals Orri stuffed into her face. She thought all she heard were murmurs and mutterings, but she remembered the Admiral say something that may have been important, "Blah blah blah now, everyone, try not to get to far ahead." She stood on something to get into Orri's eyeline, "DON'T BE GETTING TO FAR AHEAD...when we be in there. Miss speedy 'specially you. Stay with everyone and don't speed to the far ahead of everyone...blah blah blah." After a few kicks remembering the Admiral's words, and seeing her predicament, "Oh man....I'm in so much trouble...the Admiral is going to yell at me." Her final fiery kick landed against the soft acidy tissue and the stomach popped around her. Dropping from such a height presented no issue, she landed so softly onto the ground into darkness, "Huh....um now what?"
 
Looking around at the darkness she heard a faint noise of metal clinking. With a crash her big sister dropped right in front of her, "Oh Hey Ana..." Anaxa grabbed Orri by the shoulders, "Move, they're right behind me!" Orri looked behind Anaxa as she jumped away leaving the demi-human to nearly be hit by a crumpled up and cracked cauldron that embedded itself into the awful tissue of the beast in front of her, "Oh..hey everyone." She saw the Admiral stand up and looked worried she was about to get an ear full, she then saw Zephyria's injuries and rushed over and gathered up energy and exploding with healing ki that closed some of everyone's wounds. Orri nearly forgetting about the skills that her mother told her about, the ones that expand items capabilities.
 
Somehow they all finally noticed the weird membrane a few hundred feet away with the silhouette of a heart inside it. Everyone looked over seeing just how far away it is, they watched as the beast's parasites burst from the stomach walls. Impatiently Orri watched the others heal themselves, she was about to burst with excitement to fight, they finished up and the Admiral gave her the go ahead. Like a flash of lightning Orri crossed the entire distance in seconds and unleashed fiery attacks on the membrane. A few parasites, more sizable than Orri thought as one tried to bite her head off, surrounded the group. Morrigan duck and weaved forcing her new necklace to fly up into her vision, the sword shaped jewel glistened with the fire surrounding her. The flames that her love helped her cultivate, "Drake..." She whispered to herself with a smile, "Let's do this, my king." She grabbed the necklace and it glowed, the light shaping into Drake, and the two performed their ridiculous Love Love Tenkyoken to most of the Hive's dismay. After their display Morrigan erupted in a powerful bright red aura surrounding herself in flame, receiving a romantic kiss from her man she continued her onslaught with renewed vigor and strength.....if she had noticed that her powerful flames of passion and love weren't doing as much as she thought, it may have hurt her feelings. Her thoughts racing, "I'm his queen! Now for a heart attack!" Being completely oblivious to the word play she just adds heart to most things nowadays.
 
Calliope shot lightning through the heart to deal the final blow through the hole in the membrane. The beast started to fall apart and dissolve, Morrigan's protective instincts kicked in hard as she worried for her friends. Suddenly appearing before Zephyria, "Just relax, ok?!" Before the elf could answer she found herself sucked in between Morrigans cleavage. The poor elf surrounded by a random assortment of cloth, romance novels, and half finished desserts. Most of the desserts baked by Zephyria herself, it seemed Orri wanted to save some of each one so happy that her dear elf friend made them for her. After what seemed like an eternity Zephyria found herself suddenly in the ocean with a smiling Orri, "Ok stay here, I need to go get Anaxa and Eddy." The speedster vanishes again leaving Zephy, Calliope, and the Admiral blinking at each other, somehow not surprised.
 
Anaxa was determined not to share the elf's fate, she dashed for the dissolving maws as a red blur ran past her. She felt a pressure on her leg and was dragged at full speed back to Edea. Throwing the hoplite in the air in front of her about to scream in protest before she was sucked into Orri's tithole. Grabbing Edea and sprinting up back out of the beast. Anaxa grumbled at the disorganized nonsense that her big sis kept in there, the vomit worthy love books and the snacks....was that an entire rack of ribs?! Half eaten cakes and pastries, did this hollow food monster actually NOT finish food?! Suddenly popping out of her big sis's cleavage, "All safe!" Morrigan yelled with a victorious voice. Everyone looking at her somehow surprised and not surprised at the same time. ".....Oh...I forgot to get the cauldron...sorry Zephy." She looks back at the dissolved beast. "Maybe..it floats..." Zaphyria sighs, mostly that Orri might think metal floats.