Apologies for the long delay between the last submission. My motivation had been shot for the past few months, in no small part thanks to things going on in the real world. I hope you enjoy this story, and I hope to be more consistent with my uploads again.
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Vetiscia sensed the Seeker the moment they entered the caves. The great Serpent Goddess knew all that transpired in her domain, and within a certain distance of it. One did not become a deity of forbidden knowledge by being blind to the workings of the world, after all.
She shifted upon her stony throne, a rocky formation with a spire-like protrusion scraping for the sky, though not nearly reaching the edge of the sandstone sinkhole she resided in. Her puddle of coils rippled, scales glinting as they caught the sunlight from above, reflecting a glittering constellation of light specks across the striated sandstone walls, which already sparkled subtly from fine crystalline formations within the rock.
She felt something was... different, about this Seeker, though not unknown to her. There were other Seekers like her, the ones that fast tracked themselves into her cult, for what they sought was something else entirely.
Her forked tongue flickered past her lips briefly in anticipation, scenting the dry air, wetting her scaly lips.
She shifted again, the glints of purple sheen lighting up across her black scales as the light caught them at the right angle, a seething scraping audible to the goddess, not quite as loud as one would expect given her bulk, thicker around than a typical anaconda, and about as long. Yellow eyes fixed on the narrow opening that led into the sinkhole from the cave network, where Seekers were expected to approach from, slit pupils narrowing just that bit more when she heard the grinding and rumbling of the stone door that hid the narrow, winding passage that linked the spaces together.
She felt a tingle in the golden-tinged ridges that flanked the top of her elongated head, modestly reminiscent of a crown, befitting her nature.
She flickered her tongue, scenting the air, thick purple tongue already slick with a devious saliva.
The goddess heard a shuffling sound, fabric brushing against stone, shoes scraping against rock as the newest Seeker squeezed their way through.
Vetiscia already detected the scent of a woman, and sensed a purpose in them other than ambition. The goddess awaited their newest seeker with rapt attention, before the woman finally emerged from the passage with a small stumble, trailing a small saddle bag behind them.
She was a young thing, only a few years since coming of age from her fair complexion and slender frame. Her face was smooth and a little rounded, possessing a small hint of that prior youthfulness, though mature looking she was not, with thin lips tugged inwards to protect from the dust that caked her face. Her hair was messy from travel in the desert, brunette locks sticking to a perspiring scalp beneath a cotton headdress to keep the sun at bay, whilst green eyes scanned the room and took in the woman's surroundings.
It didn't take long for them to fall on the goddess, eyes widening in shock, as the woman quickly composed herself.
She brushed down her garments, lightweight cotton clothes made for the desert, meant to keep the sand out, but nevertheless allow the wearer to breathe in the heat, though the arid lands Vetiscia called home fortunately wasn't as hot as many of the sandy deserts of the world. Or as sandy.
Her shoes were a little worse for wear, however, starting to fray at the seams, the leather footwear not designed for the rigours of travelling.
Besides the shoes, which bore a dark black colour, her clothes tended towards the beige spectrum, lightly coloured to keep the heat out, and perhaps blend into the environment just a little should unfriendly eyes be looking for potential prey.
Of course, Vetiscia did not think the woman before her was anything like a warrior, brushing herself down and hanging her saddle bag by her side, trying to look presentable... though no mortal could truly suppress the awe they held for Vetiscia.
What else would they do in the presence of a goddess?
Eventually, the woman found the courage to speak.
"You are, ahem... you are Lady Vetiscia," the woman stated, sounding particularly reverent. Vetiscia craned her head up a little, watching the Seeker with close attention, maintaining that godly aloofness.
Then, the woman knelt before the serpent, head bowed.
"I am Cressian of Parturius," she introduced with formal grace and dignity. "I am humbled to be in your presence, my Lady."
She kept her head bowed, waiting for whatever came next.
"You may rise, Cressian. I will not have you on your knees just yet... not least before we have talked," Vetiscia stated. "And I know you have something to discuss, or you would not be here."
"Y-Yes!" Cressian explained, rising to her feet, some of her grace faltering, the woman clearly excited. She shuffled forward a little, and looked upon the goddess with a mixture of emotions; fear, awe, reverence, hesitance, polarising emotions that did not seem to douse her enthusiasm. "You are right, I have come here to talk."
"Then talk," Vetiscia said, a hint of amusement in her tone as she smirked. "You're the one who came to me, mortal."
"Y-Yes, that is... well," she stammered. She went quiet for a moment, and then cleared her throat, rather endearingly tensing herself up, steeling her resolve.
Vetiscia found it quite adorable.
Cressian squared up, and then faced Vetiscia with a stern, determined look.
After which it took on a more reverent expression, and the woman once more knelt before the goddess, on both knees this time.
"I know who you are, Lady Vetiscia," Cressian began. "I know that you hold knowledge beyond comprehension, things lost to the ages, and knowledge yet to be learned by man."
"All quite true," Vetiscia agreed, lowering herself a little, a thin smirk twisting her elongated lips, looking at Cressian eagerly. "Go on~"
Cressian seemed unnerved to be so keenly focused on, but the woman continued, letting out a sigh.
"That is... powerful. Such things are possibly greater than divine wrath. In my eyes, you hold more power than most other Gods... and unlike the dogmatic descriptions I have read of them, you... you value knowledge and wisdom. It is your way I value, the way of the mind to bolster the spirit and the body. To know the secrets of the world... that's real power. And you know more than any other."
Vetiscia pulled back, nodding slowly.
"So it is power you seek... power that I can, perhaps, provide..." she began, preparing to mention her 'price' to the woman.
But Cressian cut her off with a sudden exclamation.
"What, no!" she blurted, before cutting herself short, embarrassed by the outburst. "No, what I mean is..."
Then she lowered herself to the ground even further, bowing on hands and knees before Vetiscia.
"I wish to serve you, my Goddess. I wish to learn as much as I can, but I have no need of what I learn. It is you, My Lady. You are everything that I admire, everything that I value. You represent what I think is true influence in this world... and I want to be by your side. So, please... take me as your humble servant. I can think of no other higher purpose."
Vetiscia was amused by this prostration. It wasn't new to the goddess, and Cressian was young, so her flair for the dramatic was to be expected.
But Vetiscia valued such people... they had their uses, and their devotion was always appreciated. Besides, the fact they found her at all was evidence enough of their intelligence; one couldn't simply find Vetiscia... they had to find the clues that pointed the way.
Of course, Vetiscia couldn't simply accept her offer like that. Cressian had to prove herself first. Though that would not require much effort.
"So you wish to submit yourself to me," Vetiscia said. "Wholly and faithfully in service."
"Yes, my Lady," Cressian confirmed, still bowing.
"Then are you prepared to prove your faith to me?" the goddess asserted.
At that, Cressian perked up.
"Yes, of course! I even brought a token of my devotion," she said, starting to sound like that giddy girl that first presented themselves to Vetiscia. She turned around rummaging into her saddle bag, before producing a tome with a triumphant 'aha!'
It was a leather bound book with gold filigree impregnated into the spine and silver leaf pressed into spiralling patterns on the front, with an ovoid frame on the front depicting a highly stylistic eagle.
"I found it," Cressian proclaimed. "The Book of the Eagle Wind. It details the mythical Eagle Wind, a magical current in the sky that the Eagle Gods were said to use to pass from one world to the next."
She had an enthusiastic smile on her face.
Vetiscia raised a scale brow. It wasn't unusual for a Seeker to submit themselves to servitude immediately.
It was, however, a bit rarer for them to present such a find. There were several such books, but all were closely guarded secrets of an order that worshipped the Eagle Gods, and a handful of scholars trusted by said order. There were copies but they were notoriously incomplete and lacked some subtle details only a genuine article could reveal.
And Cressian had managed to find one.
That was a worthy feat indeed.
"My, I must confess, Cressian of Parturius... that is quite the token," Vetiscia admitted, grinning deviously as she drooped her head towards the woman. "And it is acceptable~"
Vetiscia's tail slithered forward off her throne, and the tip waved over the top of the tome. There was a shimmer, and when the tail's tip passed over the book, it was gone, Cressian looking at her hands in surprise.
"You have proven yourself worthy already. I admire that~" she crooned, slowly slithering off of her 'throne' and proceeding to circle around the young woman, looking at her sidelong as she did.
"So, I will ask you this once, if you are prepared to serve me, and accept the price of that acceptance," Vetiscia asserted. "You have not changed your mind?"
There was a moment of hesitance on Cressian's face, but she pushed it down with a determined look.
"I will serve you, body and soul, my Lady. From henceforth, I am your faithful servant. I will do what you require of me within my abilities. I will accept your price," she said, bowing her head.
Perhaps a little naive, this girl, hardly trying to negotiate, but there was talent and determination there. Vetiscia wasn't going to squander that. The naivete would be tempered with service, and she too will become a valued member of the Learned.
Of course, Vetiscia couldn't help but lick her lips at the prospect of what she was about to do.
