This is unprecedented. Harmony does want to check on her girls, but... she looks over at the shrunken demon on the other side of the alley. It looks like it's curled itself even tighter. Either it's trying to make itself look smaller, less of a threat (unusual enough for these creatures) or it is packing itself tighter to be more defensive in nature.
But what is really bothering her is the voice. Was that some form of accident? Did it somehow just mimic words it heard? Even that she's never heard of before, and she's looked over hundreds of the books the abbey had on the old assaults on this world by the demons, plus what she's encountered here in the last year since the portals started forming.
Sucking up her courage Harmony steps forward, hands tucked behind her back, head straight and a severe expression on her face. Slowly she advances on the creature, and raises an eyebrow as it seems to almost cower as she gets closer. Stopping ten feet from it she squints, attempting to make out any discernable details. It already seems more like one of the faster ones, relying more on rapid jabs and strikes rather than raw power. Still any such beast has a lot of strength behind it, no matter it's focus. It proved in the fight it could make incredibly fast short movements, a lesson the girls did not pick up on apparently, leading to Melanie and Teresa... Terry's capture. At this distance from it she should be safe from immediate attack. At least the fast ones, they tend to be very short distance from such a rapid movement. Other attacks she thinks she can avoid, arthritis or not.
But. the speech...
Harmony clears her throat.
"So. Can you understand me?" she says calmly, seeing Melanie helping a shaky Terry up from the floor out of the corner of her eye.
It quivers, eyestalks all glancing from Harmony, to the two girls behind her on her left, then back again. Then, tentatively, the thing shifts, rocking forward. Immediately it's eyes look confused. Then the eyestalks bob forward and back, and it looks even more confused. As Harmony tilts her head sideways attempting to figure out what the thing is doing two eyes turn in place towards each other, and the thing freezes solid for half a second.
"AAARGGGH!!!" It yells, jerking back against the wall and slamming into it.
A window bursts open above and a bleary face leans out from the second floor dormitories.
"Keep the damn radio down you idiots! Some of us are trying to sleep!" And then the windows shut again with a slam.
Harmony is still amazed sometimes how oblivious untouched people are to monstrous events. Sometimes it takes coming literally face to face with one of the monstrosities for them to truly notice them. Harmony refocuses on the monstrosity in question, who is now quivering in fear on the floor, tentacles slapping randomly about, some at itself, some at the ground and a few at the wall behind it.
"Calm down." Harmony demands, her voice radiating command.
Amazingly it works, the creature's frantic movements quelling, all it's eyes once again focused on her. Then one eyeball swivels to the girls behind her, Terry still naked, holding hands over her chest and crossing her legs awkwardly, and squinting Harmony sees the tell tale signs of lustful need in the creatures... and it shakes it's head and purposely looks away.
What?
Since when do any of these creatures attempt to defy their basic needs? She squints, staring purposely at the being, making her mind up.
"Melanie. I am in no danger. Take Terry back to her room and find her a change in clothes, then see if you can hunt down Ophelia. I'm sure she will need some calming." She turns back to the creatures as Melanie nervously follows her orders. "As for you, perhaps you can explain yourself?" And she slowly leans down, crouching till she can curl up in a crosslegged position before it.
Slightly risky on her part. In her youth she could jump into action from such a position easily. Nowadays? Perhaps not. She is a good teacher of martial arts, and her abilities with chi channeling are considerable, less so on actual physical abilities nowadays. But she is more relying on her instincts, and everything is telling her this is something to take advantage of, and he is of little risk to her currently.
"I... don't know." Comes the creature's gurgling voice, seeming to come from several mouths at once. Given the lack of tongues on the being she is actually uncertain how it's speaking at all. "It all happened so quickly."
"Perhaps then you should start with why you are here?" Harmony said simply.
"Uh, walking home actually." It said, one eye seemingly reflexively glancing over at itself. It seemed shocked still at it's own body. "I... noticed something strange and... I can't explain it. It felt like being ripped out of myself somehow. Then I found myself here, with a..." It gulped reflexively. ".. a... a girl in... my.... mouth."
Hmm, so the monster did change. Some form of possession perhaps? Rare, but not unheard of in the arcane history. It appeared this wasn't some form of change of heart or subterfuge in the beast? Or at least not one she had uncovered as yet. Though her heart told her it was telling the truth.
"Perhaps you could speak with only one mouth? That might make your voice a little clearer to understand."
"Speak with one wha... Huh?" Again his eyes crossed, the tentacle eyestalks looking across at each other, then the 'mouth' tentacles, some opening awkwardly making coughing noises. "Oh god.... how is this possible?" One mouth uttered, in a much more understandable voice.
"Better. But with practice I am sure you will improve. My name is Harmony Gallerston, head of the Holy Warrior Women. Defenders of this establishment against the demons that invade it."
"Holy..? What? Who came up with that name?" it said incredulously.
Harmony sighed.
"It is tradition. Admittedly a badly translated name, but a tradition none-the-less." Her eyes got severe, the beast gulping at her gaze. "Now, My wards in the defenders are Terry, Ophelia and Melanie. You will need to apologize to Terry for... nearly consuming her."
"I... still have no clue how that happened, but of course."
Harmony nodded politely. Hopefully it meant it.
"Now to the point. You stated you were travelling home. To which reality were you heading?"
The eyes stared pointedly at her, blinking for several seconds.
"Huh?" It said intelligently.
Harmony sighed. This was going to be annoying she just knew it.
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