Steem Monsters Origin Story: Talia Part 2 // Talons

This is part two of the background story for Talia. Talia is a summoner that will be launched in round 2 or 3 of the cards. She's going to be in the intro animation and she's based on my second child.

Talons

Talia sat twiddling her human thumbs on a chair looking sheepish as the firefighters put out another fire that her summoned monsters caused. Talia would get nervous, scared, or angry and depending on what she was feeling if she wasn't completely in control she'd start summoning monsters... That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It happens to a lot of summoners when they are growing up, but Talia wasn't like most other summoners. She was born to a nature and life spirit, but called on a full red moon. She was a fire spirit living in the University.

If there's one thing the University doesn't handle very well it's fires. If there's anything worse than a fire it's many fires. If there's one thing Talia did it's summon many monsters that created lots of fires. This apparently was the worst one yet. It was just a little fire beetle... but even those can get red hot.

Her dad Aggroedius came around the corner talking hurridly to the Chancellor holding his bright magic lantern.

"You can't do this. My research!!! We're so close!" He sounded desparate, and he looked unwell past the burn he had started to feel.

"Lyanna is pregnant again. Kiara is in the academy. You can't be serious!"

The chancellor stopped for a moment. "This isn't just my decision. And it isn't personal. Your daughter is an extremely gifted and talented young lady, but we aren't equipped to deal with this. We're a university. There's enough alchemical concoctions around here to burn down the Splinterlands and your daughter seems determined to make that happen. Aggroedius you've been my friend for 25 years, but your family is endangering us all. Look in the mirror! Between going back and forth between Scalvin and the fires in the halls." He gestured around the room to where there were multiple scorch marks left along the otherwise pristine white quartz. "They simply have to leave until she can learn to control herself."

Aggroedius looked crushed and he noticed Talia sitting there. Talia wasn't supposed to see or hear that... but she did. She was old enough to know it was her fault her family would have to leave home. The sudden wave of guilt and shame hit her. She'd been doing emotional control lessons with her mom and some of the protection instructors, but it wasn't enough. She started sobbing and as she did magic emanated around her.

Aggroedius was right there this time to see it. He had placed a protection spell on her chest to help keep some of this in. He started casting. He drank an elixir of clarity. He called forth the elemental spirits of his ancestors. His hands moved in quick motion almost like a dance helping to clear his head.

Out of the floor a serpent of the flame started to wiggle and rise. It looked confused, and then it looked angry. It looked at the chancellor and at Aggroedious and hissed.

Talia started feeling her fathers calming energy. It was like cool soothing waves. She focused on that and started to pull herself together using her emotional control training. She started to breathe deeply. She let her fears enter her mind and then leave them. She...

The chancellor seeing the present danger said "Enough of this." He pulled back his tunic grabbed a jar and threw it at the ground by the fire serpent. Lightening sizzled and the quartz halls shook, but it wasn't enough. The serpent of the flame was now enraged. It charged at the chancellor while he was thinking 'that should have been enough."

Aggroedius called into the air "Light the way!" The lantern shifted it's form from magical lantern to magical mace, and he swung down upon the Serpent as it's teeth nearly sank into the chancellor.

Talia again lost control, but this time magical fire started sprouting all around her. "Noooooo" she cried, and a burst of flame shot upwards above her bursting through the walls of the quartz tower, into the night, and lit the sky like a shooting star.

Aggroedius put the mace before him and started walking towards his daughter as she screamed. The heat was searing and it pulled at old burns from the Essence of Lava. "Talia! You must stop!" But she couldn't. All she could do was scream. Her family was moving. Her new pet Serpent was dead. it was all her fault. The magic rushed through her and seemed to almost distort her flesh. Ripples like scales could be seen under her human skin in the magical glow. Her eyes turned fiery red. There was a renewed surge coming, but it stopped abruptly. The chancellor picked up a piece of quartz she had knocked off the tower and he hit her in the head with it.

The two men exchanged looks. "You have until tomorrow to get her out of here Aggroedius. May the light the shine for us all."

Aggroedius looked defeated, but nodded.

Lyanna wasn't happy. Being 6 months pregnant and having to move across the world with a uncontrolled fire born was one thing, bringing her sister was another. Aggroedius was saying he couldn't come for another month, and if that wasn't bad enough there's now rumors of serpentine soldiers and even a report of a cerebus roaming the land outside the city!

In fact she was wasn't just unhappy... she was pissed. It wasn't just the hormones. Honestly anyone leaving like this would be pissed. Her husband suffered from the burn, some kind of spiritual possession, and either or can't or won't leave his research to find a cure for either. Her children were a wreck. One just tried to burn down the tower. The other was going to when she found out she would have to leave. Kiara had just made it into the Academy, and now she was being pulled out. Lyanna was with child. At least this one wasn't burning her from the inside out. But even their friends were scared to travel with them because of the "Flaming Red Head."

Talia was just a girl. A simple human girl. It didn't make sense that such a little lady could summon such monstrous flames, but the quartz tower begged to differ...

Aggroedius wouldn't budge on leaving either. The lunar arrangement is what he'd been waiting on for almost two years. The White moon was full and the black moon was empty. If there was a chance to rid himself of Scalvin with any help for lunar magic he would have to wait just a few more weeks and the it would be perfect. Then he said he'd meet up with them.

Aggroedius started taking their padlocked chests to the wagon at the base of the tower. She peered through the window. Travoneous and Natalium at least were there. They apparently volunteered to travel with themt. A favor pulled in by Aggroedius having helped them pass their entrance exams to the Academy many moons ago. Hopefully the rumors of the serpentine soldiers were fake, but she felt a little better knowing that two Silvershield Warriors were coming with them. That made it so they were a party of 3 summoners (even though two were just children) and two Silvershield Warriors. She wanted to cry, but just set to finish up packing.

Dawn was slightly past them. The family huddled together in a hug one last time by the wagon. They stood there for a minute. The girls cried, Lyanna already looked exhausted, and it hadn't even fully dawned on Aggroedius yet... "If you find Ouasthma on your journey ask him for my father's mace if you will." Aggroedius said.

The joke fell flat. No one wanted to think about the cave ooze that almost killed him 20 years ago. Nor did she want to think about the Mace of Plenty he left buried in it. Seriously... sometimes this man didn't get even the simplist of things.

She put a hand upon his face. He held her hand. They touched foreheads together. They breathed for a few moments. Aggroedius put his hand on the stomach of his wife. "Be kind to your mother." He said. She pulled herself away and into the wagon.

Lyanna and the children got into the wagon and watched as Aggroedius started shrinking into the horizon.

Two days had passed mostly without incident. There was some sniffling from the girls, but the larger problem was boredom. Being in a carriage is boring. That left Kiara thinking about the Academy and everything she was missing.
Talia was left thinking about being the reason they all had to leave. The only thing worse than the boring part for the girls was the discomfort for Lyanna. The carriage was nice, but it's still a carriage ride across a continent while pregnant...

The carriage halted abruptly. She could hear the muffled talking of the Silvershield brothers through the wood and quartz of the carriage. Travoneous came in through the roof opening.

"Lyanna, we're pretty sure we're being followed by Serpentine Soldiers." He said gruffly.

"Mom?!?" Kiara said. "What do we do?"

Talia's eyes went wide. Serpentine Soldiers here??? Her blood started racing. She started to do her breathing work to calm herself down... but she was scared. In part... she could... sense them... This wasn't good. She started rocking back and forth and began to glow.

Lyanna was now unsure of what to do. Aggroedius had protection spells that could calm this child down... but if she starts raging here there isn't much that Lyanna has in her magical bag of tricks to calm her down. She pulled Talia onto her lap with a pregnant grunt. "Shhhhh, buddy, we're going to be ok, no one will hurt us. We have Silvershield Warriors with us.

Kiara started thinking about the limited amount of training that she had taken already. She started working through some of the movements, thoughts, motions and swirls to summon. Her best so far was an air elemental. She was hoping she wouldn't need to call one.

"Ember and Ash" Natalium shouted. Then there was a thunk on the carriage and then another. Arrows.

Lyanna pushed the hatch up and shouted at Natalium "Go!" He looked at her like she couldn't handle the ride... "But you're pregnant?" He said.

"Don't you think I know that!?!" Another arrow hit the carriage. "Just go!

She could faintly here dogs barking... Cerebus. This wasn't good. 'There's been peace' she thought. 'Why are they attacking?'

Talia accidentally summoned a fire beetle inside the carriage. "Shoo Shoo" her mother called at it as she pushed it out the carriage.

The Serpentine Soldiers were fast, but they were no match for beasts at the front of the carriage. They also seemed to stop at the fire beetle. The carriage moved well past them and arrows ceased to rain. Talia saw them through the back window. Somehow they seemed ok now and she calmed down watching them fade.

An hour or so from then a very exhausted and uncomfortable Lyanna told Natalium to stop the carriage. "We're getting out!"

Natalium "M'Lady! Are you mad?!?"

Lyanna said firmly "They're hunting a carriage not a woman and children on foot. You can't be more than a days ride from East Haven. Take the carriage and race to town. We'll be ok. There's bound to be more of them around here."

Natalium "What will you do? If you are harmed Aggroedius will have my head. Peace be damned."

Lyanna looked to the West and saw the ooze caves in the distance. We'll head there.

"Mom, that seems insane, we know that beasts lurk in there. They haven't been cleared since Dad lost his mace. He's said that over and over to people to warn them." Kiara said.

Lyanna looked back behind them. "Serpentine Soldiers, cerebus, or a little ooze. I'll take the ooze. I doubt they'd go looking in the caves for us. They've mapped these lands too ever since that Scarlet Witch has been coming to our lands on her scouting missions. It seems a poor choice to head to the ooze. That's why we'll go. You two take the cart and head for town. We'll head to the caves. Hopefully they'll follow you and you'll be able to get help from the East Haven Watch. There's a SilverShield outpost there. Kiara keep your sword ready. Take some food from the carriage and pack it up. Toss it in bags for you and Talia to carry. Talia. You're coming with us. No matter what you have to keep your cool. Can you do that for me? Can you promise mommy?"

"Yes mom." Talia said. And she meant it. Something about them didn't scare her after she'd seen them. She felt ok. Then she felt a drop. And another one. Rain...

After an arduous hike through the wet woods the family made it to the base of the ooze caves. Lyanna was exhausted. Every muscle hurt. Healing magic can cure an open flesh wound, but it doesn't do much for cramps and muscle soreness. She found a big rock and sat on it.

"We need shelter mom!" Kiara said. It was true too. The rain wasn't freezing, but it was cool to the touch. Lyanna knew that if she was sitting outside for long after she stopped moving she'd be freezing. She looked at her belly. She looked at the cave. She looked at her little starting warrior and red headed child. She closed her eyes. Spirit of the Forest help us she thought. "Let's go inside."

Thunder and lightening smashed and streaked across the sky accentuating the decision.

Once inside it was dark. Kiara cast a quick light cantrip to brighten it a little, and Talia summoned a few fire beetles to poke around. "They'll keep us warm" She said. Lyanna looked around. They were far enough in that no one from outside would see the glow off of them. They scurried off a bit and it looked like there might be people farther off. They could see shadows of something that looked human on the walls.

They walked closer and quickly found that beneath and around them wasn't just rock and root. It crunched and cracked. It was bone. Very brittle bone.

The beetles moved around some more and one found a small puddle. Hissss it sounded as it stepped in it. The air grew a fine mist, and a light smoke both cleared their noses and burned them.... acid Lyanna thought. The cave itself seemed to let out a slow moan.

"This was a mistake" she claimed. "We have to go!" But it was too late. A splash hit one of the fire beetles first. There was a hissss. Kiara quickly powered up her light spell from dim glow to maximum strength. The cave lit up. It was filled with bones everywhere, and where there wasn't bone it was like watching a giant moving swirling waterfall. This was no ordinary ooze. It filled the whole cavern.

Fear struck Lyanna first and instinctually she started summoning. From the ground she called up a Swamp Thing. She moved as if through dance and called the Earth to open. The very rock opened up underneath her as she summoned. He lumbered forth from the ground and growled a fierce growl. He sent tendrils into the ooze and they just went through it. When it pulled them back they were disfigured and brown.

Kiara too summoned. She darted back and forth with her hands. She swirled the air and a pulse of light burst forth in front of her as an air elemental spontaneously burst into the cavern. It screached and it echoed across the vast room.

Talia was scared. She'd never used magic like this before. She was more than scared. She was terrified. It wasn't like just seeing the Serpents. This was different. She tried to summon, but it wasn't working. She started on her breathing trying to call forth something powerful like she had when the Chancelor was there, but no luck. She was too terrified and all that she could summon was another fire beetle.

There was a moment of silence between them all and a small lizard scurried out of the room. Then balls of acid and ooze started wizzing by them. Kiara had studied these things in the academy. She didn't know of any this large, and the globs were far larger than her teachers had explained. She conjured up lightening and powered it through her air elemental to then also strike the ooze.

The light exploded into the beast amplified by the spirit of the air elemental. It seemed to open a gash in the monster and for a flash it looked as though it had a giant tumor inside. Liquid simply filled back in around the cut and the ooze globbed closer to them.

Lyanna was hit first. She wasn't as quick as she used to be, and fighting wasn't the first thing you do when pregnant. The glob stung and burned, but worse yet it made her tired and her leg quivvered where it was struck. "Run!" She said panicked, but the light in the room showed no opening.

"There's no where to go!" said "Kiara."

Lyanna suddenly knew it was time. She was afraid to use them much magic while pregnant, but she had no choice. She had to save her girls. She had to save her baby. She had to call the Spirit of the Forest. She started gesturing and speaking, but another blob of goo smacked her in the face.

"Mom!" Kiara shouted. "By the LIGHT!" She sreamed. She didn't know what else to do. The lightening had barely done anything. She dodged a blob of acid, and a second one struck off her shield. She took a flask from hip and slammed it on the ground. "Clay to LIFE!" She shouted!

And a Clay Golem started coming from the rock below.

Kiara screamed at her sister "RUN!"
The fire beetles lit her path first and as they stepped towards the monster the little globs sizzled off of them. She looked at her sister using the golem as a shield and her mother struggling to even breathe, and her fear started to turn to anger. "MOM!"

Kiara screamed again! "JUST RUN!!!"

The opening looked to be closing up. She took another step towards the hole. She saw the beetle step in a glob and it sizzled and burned off. She was scared to go through the whole. She put her arms in front of her and a burst of fire shot out. It opened a gap in the ooze as the beast sizzled out of existence. She ran through it.

She looked back at her mother and sister. She felt scared, and was watching her family lose this fight, but then the ooze filled in the gap she had blasted. She looked at her hands and blasted another hole in the ooze so she could see, but it looked just as grim. She looked at her hands. She looked at the ooze. She looked at her hands and then steadied herself. She snarled a little. "Open Up!" she cried and fire burst from her hands opening a new hold in the ooze. Talia walked through the hole and started running back to her family.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!!" She screamed at it. She began to glow red and orange. Her hair lifted and a tremor moved right beneath her flesh.

"I'm FIREBORN! YOU DON't SCARE ME! AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HURT US ANYMORE!" From her hands pulsed a first jet of fire. And the ooze hissed a little, but it seemed to never run out of liquid. It barely noticed. Now Talia was angry. "I'M WARNING YOU!!!!"

A portion of the ooze collapsed around the swamp thing enveloping it completely. More ooze splattered on her mother and her sister. It was enough that Kiara couldn't dodge. Lyanna didn't appear to be moving.

"I SAID STOPP!" She screamed at the ooze. Full fire jets pulsed from her hands towards the globular beast. This time it pressed into the creature slightly. The tingle of magic started racing through her, but seemed to slow as it hit the protective spell her father had placed at her chest.

Another part of the ooze collapsed and covered the clay golem and air elemental. The elemental gave a muffled shriek as it was practically consumed. The Clay Golem looked confused as it tried to move inside the ooze. Kiara was standing, but more ooze was on her. Like it was draining her energy away.

Talia couldn't take it anymore. She was full enraged. Fire burst from all around her. It started to sizzle her flesh, but she felt like she didn't need it anymore anyway. She could feel something harder forming underneath. As she pushed the fire of her anger through her she could even feel like her body was trying to change, but it kept stopping short at her heart near the protection spell. She focused on her hands and tried to pulse as much rage through them as she could.

She looked like the picture books she read of the crazy goblin engineers. Giant jets of fire burned out of her hands. They started melting her hands and for a second there was nothing there but magic and fire. It hurt some, but she wasn't going to let this thing killer her mom or sister! The ooze seemed to back off just the slightest as it encountered this. Again, an opening pushed towards what looked like a gross and infected tumor on the inside of this gelatinous creature.

It still wasn't enough. The ooze simply pulled more liquid from within it somehow, and again a portion collapsed. It couldn't get close enough to Talia as she was too hot, but it finally engulfed Kiara and Lyanna. There was nothing left for Talia to do but rage!!!

She thought of every single lesson she'd ever had on controlling her anger, she thought of every item her sister had taken without her permission, she thought of every fire she had accidentally set, and she thought about how her birth had almost killed her mom, and she focused on her mother and sister slowing down inside the gel and the magic raced through her.

Horns started growing from her head, wings started poking through her back, fire continued to jet from her hands used to be, and a set a talons started to take shape where her hands had been. She felt a tail start protruding brom her backside. She could feel the magic pushing her face outward and her human flesh burning off. It wasn't enough. Her father's spell was still there. She looked at her new claw, looked at her chest, and used the claw to rip open the flesh where her fathers spell had rested. It hurt, but mostly it was loud. There was a boom and a crackle. Then for a second she felt free.

She looked again at the Giant Ooze and screamed "BUUUUUURRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNN!!!!" From her hands came forth a giant flame bigger than any she'd ever seen and this time it touched the tumor inside of the ooze, but it wasn't enough. But as the magic came through her so too did something ancient. It was as if it was called into existence by the power of her flames and the falling ash on the floor. Talia could hear a "caw caw" come from inside her. it felt like an old friend. An old and very powerful friend. With an understanding she didn't quite grasp she called out "Come my friend and BURRRRNNNN!"

A golden Phoenix shot forth from her chest and hands. It took center stage in the room screached into the air and exploded in magnificent light.

---

Talia woke to gentle mumbling at her feet. She sat up slowly and looked at her claws where he thumbs had been. She didn't really recognize herself, but this felt... better? Across from her sat a very old female. She had a certain glow about her and wore a deep red cloak. Talia thought she may have heard of her. "Are you the Scarlet Witch she asked?"

"Some have called me that!" She answered kindly.

"Are you here to kill us?" Talia asked.

"No my dear, No one is here to hut you and your family is safe thanks to you."

Talia looked around the cavern. There were Serpentine soldiers and Cerebus dogs. Some of the Soldiers were facing her and bowing towards her. Others were painting a mural of a little dragon girl incinerating a gigantic ooze. Talia smiled and then looked at the scarlet witch.

"How did you know we were here?" Talia asked.

The old woman chuckled. "Everyone for miles knew you were here girl. You nearly caved this whole cavern in my darling. It looked like the Essence of Lava had erupted herself. It's quite a power you have there dear." Talia looked up and saw starlight. 'Hey, there had been a rock ceiling there before' she thought.

"Why have you come?" Talia asked.

"When I was a child your father came to my home and asked to save your mother. She saved your mother's life and he promised you would spend time with the Essence of Lava. I was there and saw it. She asked me to find you and I've waited almost a hundred years to meet you young lady. We're to go home." The scarlet witch said.

"And I'm to die there?" Talia asked.

"No, my dear. You'll go there to train..."

A Serpentine soldier interupted the conversation when he brought a very large mace over. "My lady. What would you have us do with thissssss?"

Talia glanced at the Mace and remembered some of the pictures of her Grandfather holding it. "Oh" . She said "that's my grand father's. It's the mace of plenty. What's it doing here?"

The Scarlet Witch glanced over it. "I believe this was inside of the ooze you shrank. What should we do with it?"

"Can you give it back to my dad?" Talia asked.

"Consider it done." The witch said. "My name is Regina. You can call me Gina if you like. the serpents are taking your family to East Haven, and we're going to Ferexia. The Essence of Lava will be so happy to meet you. I have to say this is just like the dreams I've been having about this since I was a girl, but I will say this. I didn't know what to expect from you, but I'm so excited to finally meet."

Talia looked at her new talons, her green skin, and was a little sad, but she saw in a glint of moon light in a puddle of ooze that used to belong to a giant monster that she at least she still had her red hair. 'This felt better' and it was great to get rid of Dad's silly protection spell.

For some reason she trusted and loved this woman already. "When do we start?"