Ch. 2: Revelations

 "Myself and the others of my Hive are the direct result of a failed magical assault on the guardian forces of the Goddess Tyratha." The reptilian slither echoed amongst her thoughts, bringing with it visions of a serene beauty and pair of immense Dragons.
    "Failed assault?" Riel asked her metallic companion quizzically, so some reason the finer points of Aether manipulation escaping her today.
    "When you send idiots to do a magus' job failure is a common result, their own weave collapsed in on itself, the resulting backlash altering the course and flow of a pair of ley lines running through their attack point. The leylines were now expelling an abnormally high amount of Aether, Bombarding the mithril mine that we now call the Cluster. This alone normally wouldn't be enough to cause any type of "abnormal" magical construct, but where intelligence fails brute force normally follows. The Tainted Templar marching under the banner of Rheyos the Damned mounted a full physical assault on Tyratha's guardians, managing to wound but not kill one of them before being beaten back by Tyrathian Reinforcements. The dragons blood seeped into the ground. It was the unique qualities of this blood combined with the residual aether field of the two broken ley lines that brought about our sentience and awareness to the world around us. We call ourselves the Lorath'Nekan, in your language we are the Ley Bound.
    "So in essence you are a magicaly created organic parasite?" Riel crude analysis of the Lorath'Nekan's birth as a race shocked her level headed....well level fluid...partner.
    "I AM NO PARASITE GIRL, and you would do well to never call me such again. We are as one merely for the convenience of your life, you would have died had I left you after beginning the consumption." The rage within the insulted Lorath'Nekan's voice sent a chill up Riel's spine. With a calming breath Riel shuddered, the liquid mithril flowing under her skin pulsed as it exited through some of the entry ways it made merely hours before, sliding out at her shoulder blades and gliding down her arms, wrapping them like a coiled serpent. Riel stifled a chuckle as the metal flowed between her fingers and pressed into her palm, the metal seeming to pool before returning to cover her hands in what seemed to be gloves of liquid metal. The metal hardened slightly around her hands to the consistency of sofy pliable leather, acting more like sturdy gloves than a living, thinking creature. Suddenly the metal welled up at the knuckles, darting out into a pair of elegant claws. Riel could see the Nethmera's malicious metalic smile within her mind as he spoke,    "However, being as we are now will offer some mutual conveniences."
    "Ok i get it...so there are some things that are bothering me Neth..." Riel seemed almost hesitant as she spoke, the worry of upsetting Nethmera and him eating her from the inside out all too real to even test the waters after provoking his temper once today.
    "It's Nethmera...and there is something bothing me too," Riel could tell that Neth's worry seemed more like a glib observation than a maddening bother, so she decided to see what was on the slimy reptile's mind
    "Ok you go first, whats bugging you Nethmera"
    "Im not sure the best way to say this to you Riel....but you are currently wearing no clothes but the gloves made of my own person"
    "WHAT!!!!!" Riel looks down at herself for the first time since waking up with the snippy Lorath in her head, the realization of Nethmera's words causing her to instantly hide behind a rock as if to protect her virtue from his gaze.
    "You know, hiding yourself does nothing when the one you are trying to obscure yourself from is inhabiting your body," snide sarcasm oozed out of every word, like adding another point to his supposed superiority.
    "Look do you have a solution to this problem or what?? If you are going to be so snide you pile of slime I hope its a genuine gem of insight"
    "Well, you COULD strip one of the monks Riel..."
    "UGH I am SO SO NOT going to wear dead guy clothes." Riel face showed a grimace resounding with disgust.
    "Well I see no other option Riel, beside crafting some rag from the tapestries inside, becuase I am not going to allow you to wear me like some silly piece of clothing."
    "I thought this would fall into, you know, that whole mutual convienence thing." More of Neth's liquid body poured out slowly, fighting for its own dignity. Finally conceding after a lengthy battle to allow his own self to ooze out and cover her own, forming itself to a comfortable and simple set of leathers.
    "You honestly expect ME, the great Th'revirex rth Nethmera, to act as your clothing??"
    "Only until we get to town and I can buy something"
     Neth chuckled, actually impressed with the amount of innocence she mustered into that simple comment, using just the right touch of guilt to make him feel bad for not allowing it.
    "..Very well, but along the way you will tell me why the demise of Rheyos is so important to you"
    "I...I can't" Riel was hesitant in even saying that much as she slowly set out to the north, hoping to find some sort of
    "Why can you not tell me?"
    "Because whatever you did to me in that swampy stomach of yours...well..." Riel turned up an innocent smile.
    "Are you insinuating that some of your knowledge sectors were damaged...by MY entry??"  
    "No, Im declaring you are lucky I remember how to bloody talk!"
    "That is impossible my dear, I would never makes such a fool's error"
    "Well, if this was my error..." Neth quickly adding in a quiet mutter "which I HIGHLY doubt".
    "So you will fix it, after all you did screw up in the first place!" said Riel assertively.
    "I will most certainly attempt to do so...but another comment like that and I'll have you disrobed in the middle of the first tavern we see!"
    "Attempt scares me, but at least I smell real food" Riel drifted North ever faster as the smell of fresh bread and smoked venison filled her nostrils, commign across a small village nestled against the outlying edge of a massive forest. "Good a place to stop for food and clothes as any...do we have any money?"
    "Why would a being such as I deal with currency, you silly girl!"
    "Well how in the Abyss do you expect me to get clothes with no money? Hell where do you suppose Ill get the meal im dying for right now, ill ooze it out of my like I did my current clothing!?!?"
    "We'll figure something out just calm down...whiney rodent"