Monster Girl Quest: After - Sister Lamia
---
Author's note:
This is a new, long-running series I've decided to start, based on the Monster Girl Quest setting. It'll follow individual stories of various monsters living in the aftermath of the first game's events, but will include monsters and elements from Paradox. However, this is strictly based off the main game's timeline.
---
"It's Sofia," she began with an earnest hand to her bountiful chest, but the human simply glared at her and refused to answer her question. He left with his sack and trundled down the road towards Iliasport, leaving Sofia to sigh, the tip of her serpentine tail twitching anxiously.
It wasn't because she was a monster, not even one of the feared Lamia. But the moment he saw that crucifix hanging from her neck, he wanted nothing to do with her.
And she couldn't blame him.
Not so long ago, she, even as a monster, was a devout follower of the Goddess Ilias. She devoted her time to the Goddess' word, her faith.
And when the Goddess launched her Crusade against the faithless, Sofia served dutifully. She thought little of the men she drained of life in comfort... until the Hero came.
Luka. The young man she met long ago, and in the back of her mind, harboured salacious desire for, something she chastised herself, to be true as the Goddess demanded.
When next they faced, she fought against him in San Ilia. But even with the power of an artificial spirit, she couldn't match him, and was sealed.
Now the war was over. Ilias was gone, destroyed by the Hero Luka and the Monster Lord Alipheese the Sixteenth.
With their goddess dead, the Angels and the many constructs that had been made to serve Heaven were scattered across the world, with Heaven itself now destroyed, along with many of its highest ranking angels. Left to try an integrate themselves into a newfound peace ushered in by the rulers of man and monster, and spearheaded by Luka and Alipheese the Sixteenth.
Integrate into a world that had every right to despise them.
And for those like Sofia, she was no different.
The sun glinted off her pale green scales, though the warmth did little to quell the regret in her heart.
She thought she had done what was right and just. And now... now everything she fought for was gone. And proven wrong.
It left her wondering what she had to do now. All she had was her faith, and she clung to some... abstract remnant of it, hoping it would help her find a new path.
But even asking if there was work to be found in Iliasport was met with silence and hatred; the people of Ilias Continent suffered some of the worst during the war, despite being the centre of worship for the Goddess.
Such was the newfound hatred for the now dead Ilias and Heaven's Angels, there were many rumours and talks of erasing the name. To rechristen the towns and continent to something as far removed from her name as possible.
Only a handful of adherents to the faith remained, and they were shunned by humans and monsters alike.
Sofia was... not quite like them. When she was unsealed, she was left to try and make her own way, and had contended with her own sins. But she didn't know anything else.
She decided to press on; there was no use sitting around moping, and thus slithered down the road, heading to Iliasport.
Iliasport was bustling with activity, though a lot of it was tending to the scars of the War; it had been over for a year now, but even now, there were buildings undergoing repairs, paved roads that had been cracked and torn up, and everywhere, memorials for the fallen.
She had since shifted into human form, though that was just her disguising her tail as two silky human legs covered by a long blue dress, her shoes looking like simple black animalskin clogs.
Not that she really felt them. It was an illusion. One she hoped to maintain to avoid unnecessary hostility.
But truthfully, the most important thing she did, was slipping her crucifix beneath the white collar of her soft blue dress, so that no one saw it; people, even on Ilias Continent, had grown slowly accustomed to monsters, though many were still wary of them and their... antics.
But an open show of faith in the Goddess would be unwise for her.
There were a handful of monsters about, and... Sofia knew they could tell what she was.
They didn't know her specifically, but her blue eyes, their brightness now sullen, saw their glances. And even if she didn't have her cross on display, the blue dress and the blue and white habit she wore hinted to her past, so some of the monsters gave her wary looks.
She ignored them, and continued towards the docks, seeing the seagulls in the distance screeching their obnoxious song as they circled above the piers.
There was a wrecked ship by one of the docks, yet to be cleared, though in the slow process of being dismantled.
She saw Mermaids milling about in the water, helping with the work, talking amongst themselves or to humans, and naturally flirting with them.
On the dockside, Sofia spotted a Minotaur showing off, lifting up two heavy barrels filled with ale... whilst two men were sitting atop. On each barrel.
Monsters were naturally predatory towards humans in some form or another, but the monsters that did not devour flesh or spirit found themselves integrating far more easily, as they could direct their hunger for semen or pleasure towards showy feats to impress and perhaps seduce.
For monsters like Lamia, if they wished to integrate with the new world, they had to curb their aggression... especially those among them who would happily swallow a human whole and digest them.
Sofia had never contemplated such, of course. She found it... primitive and barbaric.
But at the end of the day, there wasn't much difference between that and whispering gentle words of reassurance to any man she had in her coils, as their life was stolen away.
She closed her eyes and turned her head, not wishing to think on her wickedness.
However, though she no longer thought on the lives she took with any degree of satisfaction, and far too much guilt... it was rather hard to keep her urges at bay.
She had no desire to kill... but the monster she was, wanted to be sated.
Another sigh, and she kept looking around, seeing if there was anyone posting jobs for work. Any sort of work.
But as the day drew on, and the sun started to dip towards the horizon, she discovered that, even in a port city, there was no one looking for workers.
Not like her at least. The demand was for labourers, and most took one look at her and politely rejected her, believing her to be a slender human.
The handful of monsters looking for workers, saw her for what she was, and in another stroke of bad luck, told her they didn't think Lamia would be suitable for the work they had in mind... mostly because they didn't want to scare the humans.
She sighed, and slithered miserably back to the main square. The day was winding down, though people were still busy. Everyone save her. How was she supposed to find purpose in life, if she couldn't even find work?
She needed faith. She needed reassurance that faith could help her. If not in Ilias, then... in something.
She clutched her crucifix through her shirt.
With only a quick thought, she walked up to a human serving out street food. He was an older man, and his smile was crooked but genuine.
"What can I get fer ya, lass?" he asked, raising up what looked like a buttered bun with raisins.
She raised her hand apologetically.
"I'm sorry, but I have no money, sadly. I just wanted to ask a question," she began.
He gave her a look, halfway between disappointment and sympathy, but he gave her a gentle smile.
"Ask away then, lass."
"I..." she paused for a moment, wondering how she'd even
begin
to broach this subject. This man seemed like a gentle soul, but Sofia expected kindness to turn to vitriol quickly if she revealed who she was. "... do you know where the church is?"
His expression turned to a quizzical frown.
"The church? Why'd you want to go there?" he asked.
"In honesty... to pray. Not to anyone in particular, just... pray."
He gave her a strange look, though it didn't seem too suspicious.
"Well... the remaining church is on the east side of town, on the edge of a small woods, so you can't miss it if you head to the edge of town." He pointed in the direction. "Down that road ought to get you close. But, uh... the priest there, he... he's not taking visitors right now."
A priest? Sofia was surprised that there was one here. In San Ilia, many priests were slain during the war, but many more renounced their faith in Ilias. Others, they retained their holy oath, but like the Pope, redirected their faith to better ends.
Sofia just wished she knew how.
"Why's that?"
The old man shook his head.
"He was a young man, but damned devout, he was. The war... didn't do 'im good. Took up the drink. Rarely leaves his church. I feel for him, though. He was never a bad man. He just doesn't have anythin' to believe in anymore."
The expression on the old man's face was sad, and that told Sofia this priest was not a diehard holdout.
And Sofia, she related to this man. She had to meet him.
"Thank you anyways. May the blessing of--" She caught herself, and chose a different end to the sentence. "--good customers and fair winds follow you."
The man had a laugh, and reached over and gave her a small piece of bread capped with some jam and a cherry.
"Fer makin' an old man smile," he said.
Sofia glanced at the small treat, and took it graciously, she returned the smile.
"Thank you."
With that, she bade farewell, and walked off to find this church, quickly consuming the gifted food; though simple, it was very fluffy bread, and the jam was sweet, and the cherry juicy. It uplifted her spirits a little.
Indeed, it was hard to miss the church, small though it was for a port city; the wooden construction was nestled in amongst several trees, the woodland behind it seemingly planted for the church's benefit. However, to the right was the cemetery... and there were a number of fresh plots. Many fresh plots, enough that some of the woodland had been cleared to make room for them.
It filled her with sorrow and guilt.
She turned her attention back to the church, and noted its simple glass stained windows had either been dirtied, or boarded up. Some were smashed. Only the normal windows remained clear.
