Hello and welcome back, everyone! I hope you enjoy today's chapter!
Lepris stood at attention, hanging onto every word Lord Mumm-Ra spoke. He had a task for her, the very thing she had fought, bled, and trained for her entire life outside the nursery. She had proven herself special in their Master's eyes and she wasn't going to squander it for a moment-
Or, she was trying to listen.
At that precise moment, something inside of her… changed. Suddenly, she was distracted. Her eyes flit around the room, searching for the disruption.
Nothing was permitted to distract her from her master.
Nothing.
And no one.
The statues of the Ancient Spirits surrounded the dais, each posed with majesty and grace. They were dormant, for now; there was no glow in their eyes, no thrum of magic filling the room except for that which naturally imbued her master. It was just her and her master in the throne room.
Her ears strained.
Something wasn't as it had been mere moments ago.
The ship hummed with coursing electricity. Footsteps of fellow cats carried through the labyrinthine corridors, echoing and reverberating off the angled walls. None of it sounded amiss; all of it sounded unfamiliar, suddenly.
It was like a… a sudden haze had fallen over her senses and something other, both familiar and foreign, occupied…
Her.
"-of the utmost importance." Lord Mumm-Ra finished.
Automatically, she replied, "I understand, Lord Mumm-Ra. Your will shall be done."
What did he want her to do again?
… that's right, he had given her a target to hunt. It didn't matter who or what the target was, she would find it. She couldn't afford to fail. She wouldn't fail. Still, it was irksome she had missed much of his instruction because of some nebulous distraction.
"Good." Lord Mumm-Ra praised her. He turned. She stayed perfectly still, not daring to move until she was told to. I cannot make even a single mistake. "Follow."
All at once, her body relaxed. She stepped smoothly after him, each step directly in front of the other with all the poise her 'peers' didn't possess. That was why she was here, at Lord Mumm-Ra's side, and they were not.
Act perfection and discipline, always.
As she had the thought, she sensed disquiet… from herself?
Strange, she didn't feel disquieted… until she had sensed it. Troubled, her thoughts turned inwards, interrogating the feel. What did she have to feel disquiet for?
Hm… there was that strange sensation.
It's like someone else is looking through my eyes, she thought, unbidden. She turned all of her ire on the thought; How ridiculous.
They left behind the throne room, Lord Mumm-Ra's seat of power, and strode through the corridors. Her unease grew as they walked, and so did her annoyance. What did she have to be uneasy about? Where were the obnoxious emotions coming from? Why could she sense them before feeling them?
She became aware she was clenching her jaw, and must have looked to be in an especially foul mood to her kin as she stalked behind Lord Mumm-Ra.
No one dared walk directly at his hip, no. Not even her.
And she was the prize of his collection!
"Something agitates you, Lepris." Lord Mumm-Ra observed.
"Forgive me, My Lord. I feel… strange, all of a sudden."
He turned his head and fixed his noble, red gaze on her. It was all she could to not cringe away from him, hoping he couldn't see through her. A part of her, but not really her, wanted to. Instead, she bowed her head respectfully.
Never a misstep.
Lord Mumm-Ra did not speak again until they stopped in front of the nursery. All animals knew of it, but few were ever permitted inside. The future generations of animals were cultivated inside, chosen and nurtured by Lord Mumm-Ra until they were ready to begin training for their predetermined roles, whatever Lord Mumm-Ra created them for.
"Are you familiar with the nursery?" he asked.
"I know of it, Lord Mumm-Ra. I have never been inside."
What does the nursery have to do with my hunt?
Lepris took as deep of a breath as she dared and exhaled as quietly as she couldn't. It mattered not what she thought; Lord Mumm-Ra's wisdom was infinite, a benevolent, guiding light leading her, and all animals, to true peace in the universe. They owed their very existence to him.
She would not dare question him.
At this, she sensed another pang of disquiet. Something- someone was truly disturbed. She turned her head right and left, checking from the corners of her eyes for an intruder. There was no one.
And how would an intruder react to her own internal thoughts and beliefs anyways?
Ridiculous.
Lord Mumm-Ra finished inputting his security code. The door opened with a loud hiss, fog spilling out and curling around her boots. He stepped inside and continued walking.
Without needing to be told, she followed him.
It was much colder in the nursery than the rest of the ship, a fact that surprised her. She glanced around. Rows and rows of cylindrical tanks, filled with cloudy white liquid, stretched on seemingly forever. Despite herself, she paused to peer closely at one.
Through the murkiness, she saw a darkened silhouette. Red hair, tannish fur. A cat, still developing. By its size, a small child, they would be removed from the tank soon and sent off like all other children to train for whatever role Mumm-Ra intended for them.
"Leo." Lord Mumm-Ra said. She snapped to attention and faced him. Before she could apologise, he continued, "He will be the commander of our crusade across the stars- if you are successful in your task, Lepris."
"Forgive me, My Lord."
He flicked his hand dismissively and continued walking further into the room. "This is a privilege you have earned, Lepris."
"A privilege?" She hurried to catch up, falling in step behind and to the side of him.
"I allow few, even of your kind, to enter the nursery. It is a privilege and sign of trust I have allowed you to enter."
What does that mean? He… isn't angry I dallied?
Lepris' eyes wandered, roving with newfound curiosity. She had always maintained such strict discipline to please her master.
"Thank you, Master. I am honored." Was this a trick?
She cast one more glance at him, and then strayed from his path again to walk closer to the tanks. It wasn't just cats inside them. Lizards, jackals, apemen, birdmen, fishmen, dogs, elephants…
"Master, I don't recognise this one."
Lord Mumm-Ra, in his grace, paused. He glanced at the tank she stood in front of. With pleasure in his voice, he explained, "Ah. That one is a new animal I have been experimenting with. Tigersharks; they show great promise in all aquatic endeavors."
Lepris leaned in closer. A new animal?
On a simple look-over, it looked similar to a fishman, but it looked more… dangerous. It was sleek, its fins- a matching set on its arms, legs, one on its head and one along its spine- were solid and thick, but angular and sharp. Its fingers and toes tapered into sharp claws. Rippling across its body were dark stripes.
"What of the fishmen?" Lepris asked.
"They have their uses, for now." Lord Mumm-Ra began walking again. She hurried to catch up. "Once I perfect the Tigersharks, I will have no need for them."
Something deep in the pit of Lepris' stomach sank. Could Lord Mumm-Ra create an animal that was a better version of the cats? Would he ever have no need for them?
She swallowed that feeling of dread. Instead, with confidence, she declared, "We must always prove our worth. If the fishment cannot, then they are of no value."
Lord Mumm-Ra radiated pleasure as he turned his head towards her. She felt honored to have his gaze fixed solely on her. "And that, Lepris, is why your kind are my prized soldiers. You understand your place."
"Our place is beside you, of course."
Mumm-Ra did not disagree with her. Instead, he continued on in silence and she followed. Her curiosity was mostly sated, except for one thing…
"…My Lord, may I ask why we are in the nursery?"
Maybe she missed it when the disruption… whatever it was… occurred. Perhaps Lord Mumm-Ra simply had not made it clear to her why they were here, yet. By his grace, if he so wished, he would illuminate their purpose here.
His gaze slid towards her, peering at her from the corner of his eyes. Fear flashed through her. Did I overstep-?
"For your task, you must hunt someone." Lepris nodded; she knew this. It was Lord Mumm-Ra's command that she find the man in possession of the Book of Omens, and claim it for their use. She didn't understand how that connected to the nursery.
Lord Mumm-Ra did not elaborate.
Her shoulders grew tense as they stopped. In front of them was a tank larger than any of the others. It was encased in metal; whatever was inside was very important. In growing anxiety, she waited while Lord Mumm-Ra pressed his hand into the interface. It turned green. With a creaking, groaning, and grating sound, the metal cover began to slide and retract into itself, revealing the tank within.
Wreathed in long, white hair, was a woman.
With soft pinkish-grey skin, short, round ears, blunted fingers and toes, it looked nothing like any animal she had seen before. From the dozens of pink scars marring its skin, head to toe- literally, with scars like claw marks on her face and neck- it was clear whatever she was, this woman had once been a combatant.
Lord Mumm-Ra gave her several moments to examine her features before speaking. "This is a human. You are hunting one of its kind. A man of greater stature than this one. He is a practitioner of magic. Taking the Book of Omens from him will not be a simple task."
"By your will, it will be done."
The eyes of the Ancient Spirits flared to life, brilliant and ruby red. Their raw power filled the air with the thrum of raw magic. It smoldered and weighed heavily on Lepris as she approached the Well of Souls. Around it, Lord Mumm-Ra's other acolytes had arranged themselves for the ritual. Lord Mumm-Ra, himself, stood back with his arms crossed over his chest, and watched her with expecting eyes.
Imbuement was never a pleasant process, but Lepris had endured it many times before.
She steeled herself for what was to come and stepped into the water.
Magic licked at her as she waded into her knees. It seeped through her suit in ways the water itself couldn't, and bored its way through her skin and into her flesh. It stung her veins, coloring the room in purple.
A long pause.
"Begin." Lord Mumm-Ra commanded.
The latent magic, all that potential energy, exploded all at once, crashing into her. She opened her senses to the pain, to the burning and searing, and pulled it into herself. A raging torrent, it swirled through her core like a storm.
All she had to do was endure-
Her vision turned white. A scream of pain escaped her lungs, torn forcefully out by just how much magic Lord Mumm-Ra was giving her.
And then, her vision blackened. Slowly, color returned. The black dots began to disperse, swimming out of her sight. She took a deep, burning breath. Her lungs protested. It felt as though they had been charred and were now cracking as they expanded. Her heart beat so fast and so loud that it roared in her ears. For a moment, she contemplated whether it would leap from her chest and race away without her. Her arms and legs trembled.
She dug her claws into the palms of her hands to ground herself. It was a dull pain, in comparison to what she had just experience.
"I'm ready." she rasped.
The acolytes began to chant . The waters around her began to churn and swirl around her. She stood, crossing her arms over her chest, and took a deep breath.
The Well of Souls erupted upwards- and she plunged straight down into its endless basin. Water engulfed her, pulling her deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper. She hurtled through space and time; it unraveled all around her into glimpses of her life.
Her, a young child sitting with her squadron, listening to their tutor extol the virtues of their master. There, as a cadet, bloodied and ragged, exhausted from fighting tooth and claw with her peer for her rightful place. Echoes of her own screams echoed all around her, a dozen instances of being imbued with the magic of the Ancient Spirits that she endured and became stronger for.
Lepris stayed focused. She didn't let her mind stray from her task, even as more and more shards of her past hurtled past her.
The Astral Plane. The seventh dimension.
All of reality turned itself upside-down. No longer was she plunging downwards, she was being thrown upwards.
Lepris let her arms snap out to either side and spun. With one simple twist and flip, she landed harmlessly on her feet. She straightened, looking around warily.
All around her, an opalescent landscape stretched on as far as her eyes could see. The ground beneath her feet, the skies above her, and the horizon itself. Nothing stood out to her.
That would not deter her. This mission was not going to be easy, but that was why Lord Mumm-Ra chose her, and not anyone else.
She took her first step forward. The ground rippled, darkening into a dull gray. Strange. She took another step. And another, and another. As she did, a landscape of jagged metal, dim purple and green lights, began to spring up around her. Familiar cries echoed all around her. From the corner of her eyes, in a simulacrum of the training room, lay a younger version of herself, beaten, bloody, bruised- defeated.
Lepris continued walking.
Another simulacrum, of a time the pain was too much. When she collapsed after her gift of magic, Mumm-Ra looked down on her with disappointment. "She is young and overeager, My Lord." Her progenitor had defended her. "She simply isn't grown enough for this. Time will erase this weakness."
"See to it that it does." the simulacrum of Lord Mumm-Ra said, turning away.
Lepris continued walking.
"If I were a magician from a time long gone, where would I be?" she wondered aloud. She stopped and closed her eyes, opening her other senses.
Again, there was that annoying emotion she could sense, something other from within herself. She didn't let herself linger on it. It was a distraction, that was all.
Lepris expanded her senses further. Surely a magician would radiate magic? Even here, in the plane of magicks itself, it should be enough to find him.
She kept pushing and pushing her mind, opening herself to more and more of the sensations here. There were strange, alien creatures, filled with ravening hunger. Scampering scavengers filled with malice and hunger, yet again. Monstrosities filled with sadistic glee and thirst for violence.
It's not enough. I need to find him.
Pushing her senses once more-
There. Magic radiated from this creature, but it was oddly devoid of emotions. With a deep sigh, she focused on that one and imagined reaching across the distance and pulling herself to it.
And in the Astral Plane, thought and imagination ruled all. She opened her eyes, watching as the unfathomable distance around her warped and distorted around her. The Astral Plane moved, closing the distance between her and her destination. Landscapes and creatures blurred past her, leaving behind the simulacrum of Lord Mumm-Ra's ship, passing through a lush jungle where a creature lunged at her, missing her by a hair's breadth, through a deep, crumbling gorge, beneath islands of floating stone where even more strange creatures soared, and finally into a desert of endless dunes.
Sandstone pyramids loomed on the horizon. In front of her was a statue of a mythological felyne, and sitting atop its head was a man.
Lepris stepped forward, eyeing the man. He wore a long, white robe, a headdress with gold trim, and thick sandals. Something red was hooked onto his multicolored belt, with a glittering red jewel set.
The Book of Omens.
Lepris smiled. She had found him.
Wizz-Ra.
Thank you for reading! A special thank you to The Night Whisperer, Hestia28, Heart of the Demons, and Frankannestein for your reviews! I appreciate them very much! Let me know today if you guessed who the voice would be before the name reveal!
(Oh, and yes, WAR was asked about the cameo lmao)