The ancient temple towered high over the treetops, the massive Omnicrystal spires covered in intricate runes of a language few living people could even speak anymore. Time’s wear and tear was nowhere to be seen on its millennium-old walls, and for those who could sense it, the taste of magic crackled heavily in the air around them, just a fraction of the arcane prowess of ancient Mer'Zem'Ay at its peak. The setting sun cast an enchanting light off of the spires, underscoring the mystical and unreal nature of the temple, a sight which had remained unseen for over a thousand years before arcane researchers had discovered and dispelled the dimensional fold keeping it hidden from outsiders. It was truly a majestic, nigh-unbelievable sight… And yet, one distracted pair of eyes were set on the lovely priestess next to him…

At the base of the temple, there was constant movement, as researchers, adventurers, nobility, and other interested parties discussed what had been found within. Full exploration of the temple had been temporarily put on hold for safety, following the discovery of a previously unknown lower floor and the subsequent triggering of a trap that converted an adventurer into a mindless drone that almost defeated the rest of their allies before being subdued. Despite this, however, plenty of powerful artifacts had already been discovered in the upper floors, and there was much hustle and bustle as the researchers studied them and adventurers quarreled amongst themselves as to who should equip the ones already decided to be safe for use. And in the field hospital, working tirelessly to heal the adventurers from the trap incident, was Sister Malaia, the lovely priestess in question.

As Sister Malaia channeled holy energy into a groaning warrior, her de facto assistant Sthen watched her, very pleased with his view. The sister was quite skilled at her job, but more importantly to him, she was absolutely gorgeous. Her every movement was graceful and elegant, her hair was shiny and flowed around her as she walked, and, well, she was very shapely to say the least. Her beauty was often said to be near-divine, and as such she was always the target of at least one romantic suitor, a fact known to everyone… except seemingly the sister herself. Having been raised in a monastery her entire life, she was often clueless when it came to romance, usually misinterpreting their flirting as just genuine compliments or kindness, and as such none had ever gotten close to her in that way. However, Sthen had a plan in motion that just might get him her heart…

“Shhh, Just relax, you’ll feel better soon~ I promise~” Her soft and silky voice soothed her patient as her holy light washed away their wounds. The warrior stopped groaning and closed their eyes, exhausted by the ordeal, and began to sleep. She smiled kindly at their sleeping form and stepped away, seating herself in a small chair. She exhaled heavily and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Sthen walked over and leaned against the secured tent wall. “Tired, sister?” Sister Malaia smiled up at him, unable to entirely hide the exhaustion in her face. “I suppose I am, yes… But it is all worth it. None of those under my care perished from their wounds, thanks to their being delivered to me quickly. Though…” She looked mournfully over at a bed covered in arcane sigils, the occupant staring blankly with shimmering eyes up at the ceiling as their skin shone unnaturally. “…I do wish I could do more to help them. I can only hope the spell their mind has been put under is pleasant for them, as I have no knowledge of how to reverse it…” Sthen tried to look reassuring. “Well, you did all you could. I don’t know what else you could do. Although…” He adopted a pondering look, and she looked at him, intrigued. “What is it?” He made a show of thinking for a while more before nodding to himself. “…I believe I may know of a solution. Follow me, but be quiet.” She cocked her head, a bit confused, but followed him anyway, eager to help her patient.

Luckily, many were already beginning to retire to their bunks, meaning nobody really noticed them on their way to Sthen's hiding spot near the beasts of burden. Sister Malaia looked around, still confused. “What is your solution? Does it have to do with the animals?” Sthen smirked and shook his head. “No, more about… What they’re carrying. “ Walking over to a cart full of old supplies, he reached into a sack of grain. Sister Malaia was concerned he might be contaminating their food supply, but she trusted he’d remembered to clean his hands so she didn’t say anything. For a moment he was worried that someone may have found it before he could retrieve it, but eventually his hand closed around soft, warm metal. He grinned. “Got it.” He pulled something out of the bag, something that shone magically in the setting sun. Sister Malaia looked at it in awe, enraptured by how beautiful the light was. “What is it?” Sthen walked over to her, careful not to let his true emotions show. “This is the solution to your problem.” He handed her the shining golden helmet.

Sister Malaia inspected the helmet with wonder. It was obviously Merren in design and it felt oddly warm and soothing to the touch. She could even feel a subtle pulsing of magic within, even more pleasant to hold. “What is this? Where did you find it?” Sthen grinned. “It’s a Merren helmet of, uh, healing I think Lukace said.” Sister Malaia looked up curiously. “Lukace?” Sthen nodded. “Yeah, he’s one of the researchers here. I came along with him, to help with his research and stuff, before I saw you needed an assistant and realized I’d be doing better helping you heal people!” She smiled warmly at him, and he felt butterflies in his stomach. It was nice to see she believed him, not that he was lying, technically, just… Slightly misrepresenting a few things. “Anyway, uh, yeah, the helmet, he says… It helps stimulate healing power, I think! I don’t know, I, heh, I’m not the researcher.” Sister Malaia raised an eyebrow. “Wait, if this helmet is being researched, why was it not in the field library with the rest of them?” Sthen grinned sheepishly. “Well… When he told me what it was, I realized it’d be perfect for you, so I... asked him to let me borrow it for a bit. And, you know, I needed to put it out of the way so the expedition leaders didn’t confiscate it.” Again, basically telling the truth there. Sister Malaia looked shocked. “Sthen, I can’t… You did not need to break rules on my behalf! We must return this at once!” She turned to go towards the library, but Sthen gently grabbed her arm. “No, look, sister! Think about that hero back in the hospital… We have no idea how much time we have before their condition gets worse. And if we have to ask the expedition leaders, it might be too late by the time you get permission to save them. Look, sister,” He put a hand on her shoulder, “Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. This could be our only chance… Just put it on, and let’s go save them…” Sister Malaia looked pensively off at the rest of the camp, then at the helmet.  She was silent for a while, and Sthen worried he’d messed up, but eventually she solemnly nodded. “Alright. I may still report you, but their life is more important. “ She began to don the helmet, and Sthen looked away so she wouldn’t see his devious grin…

--- 

Lukace was in the process of poring over the old Merren records when someone else entered the library. He glanced up, seeing a guard wearing a golden shield insignia. His stomach dropped. Did they find out?! “Uhh… Hello, there… Uh, what brings you to the library?” The guard casually looked over to the doorway as another researcher entered. “Oh, I’m chaperoning Marellie.” The researcher, Marellie evidently, glared at her, and Lukace raised an eyebrow. “…Chaperoning? What, did she do something bad?” The guard chuckled. “No, not yet, that’s what I’m here to ensure.” She leaned in a bit closer and whispered, “The expedition leader wanted to ensure she wasn’t getting too drunk.” Marellie pouted and sat down at the research table. “It was ONE time, okay?! I learned my lesson! And besides, it wasn’t even because of me that my workshop got, uh… Anyway…” Lukace looked over at her and noticed the same insignia on Marellie's blouse. He pursed his lips. “Ahhh, right, you’re the girl who came along with Lord Goldshield, got it…” Marellie scoffed. “Hey, Lord Goldshield came along with ME! I’m the only reason his bastion hasn’t been cleaned out of treasure again!” Lukace sneered. “Ah yes, you’re the reason, not the Merrenguard he acquired.” Marellie grinned smugly. “And I’m the one who got that working for him. And it’s not the ‘Merrenguard’, it’s Prijsalmrae, which means… Oh, you probably already know what it means.” Lukace nodded, quickly wracking his brain for his repository of Merren language. “Yes, of course… It means… Uh… ‘Loyal Servant’, yes.” Marellie raised an eyebrow, and the guard made a weird sound. “…No, it doesn’t mean that. At all.” Lukace blushed, embarrassed. “Ah, right, yes… I’m, er, not too great at speedy translation.” Marellie nodded. “Fair enough!”

Marellie leaned back in her chair and looked over at Lukace's work. “So, I know why I’m not at the feast, eventhoughIshouldbe, but why are you still here?” Lukace thought through his answer. “Well, I wanted to get some more translation work done on the stuff we already have, since if all goes well we’ll have a lot more to get through soon.” That was partially the truth, and as long as she or the guard didn’t go poking around the artifact storage that was all he needed to say. Marellie nodded, looking at the papers all over the table. “Yeah, pretty good idea, we definitely need to do more work on translation. Whoever did this stuff,” she waved at the papers, “really messed up so we need to fix that quick.” Lukace glared daggers at her. “…**I** translated those.” Marellie looked up at him sheepishly. “…Oh… Well, they’re still bad. Sorry.” Lukace stared at her, aghast, as she grabbed one of the papers and the ancient tome next to it. “For one thing, you have the complete opposite idea of what half these words and tenses mean! This helmet doesn’t ‘increase suggestibility and weaken thoughts of the wearer', it does the complete opposite! Which is actually kind of- nevermind ignore that- and also… Uh, are you alright?” Marellie and the guard stared at Lukace, concerned, as the blood drained from his face. “…oh fuck…” He suddenly bolted from the room. Marellie and the guard stared at the door in confusion before glancing at each other and shrugging. “Well, might as well start fixing his errors…”

--- 

As Sister Malaia placed the helmet on her head, a visible shudder went through her body. She let out a small gasp, and a golden sheen formed over her eyes as her body went slightly limp. Sthen grinned. “So, how do you feel, Sister?” Sister Malaia spoke in a soft, slightly dazed voice. “…feels nice… Warm…” Sthen nodded. “I bet it does… Now, what do you want to do?” She cocked her head. “I… want to heal them…” Sthen shook his head. “No, what you want to do is Obey.” She blinked. “…Obey…?” Her voice almost seemed to echo in Sthen's mind as she said that. “Yes, Obey… You want to Obey… to… to Obey…” Sister Malaia looked at him, her eyes a bit unfocused. “…Why would I want to Obey?” Sthen's eyes widened. “Huh?! No, you want to Obey… Want to Obey… Obey… W-Wait… I… Y-You want to…” Sister Malaia's eyes widened as well. “Are you alright? I… I think you may be having a mental attack of some sort! Follow me to the hospital!” Sthen shook his head. “No, I’m… I’m fine… Just… Disoriented… I don’t need to follow… need to follow…” He suddenly realized that he was following Sister Malaia without even thinking. “W-Wait, I… Wait… No, no… Stop, wait, no…!” Sister Malaia turned to him and gently grasped his shoulders. “Shhh, don’t panic~… Just relax~… Look into my eyes, and breathe deeply~…” Sthen felt his whole body calm down at her soft words, and obediently looked into her eyes. They were still golden, but no longer unfocused… They were bright and strong, and… There was a soft pulsing in them… A subtle ring of gold, pulsing out from the center… With each pulse, he felt his mind and body relax… With each pulse, he could head a voice in his head saying,

Relax

Relax

Relax

He leaned on her body, and she gently stroked his neck to calm him more. “There you go~ Now follow me to the hospital so I can ensure you’re not at risk of brain damage.” He obediently followed her, continuing to stare sleepily at her even as Lukace approached from the distance.

Lukace wheezed as he ran, not at all used to this much physical exertion. He had to get to Sthen and tell him to call it off before… “oh no…” He saw Sister Malaia wearing the helmet, looking perfectly in control of herself, and Sthen following behind, almost sleepwalking. This was really really bad. He had to get away before she- “Sir, are you okay? Can you help me take this man to the field hospital?”

Come and Help

Come and Help

Come and Help

The thoughts pulsed into his mind, and he felt a strong urge to obey them. And, exhausted as he was from his physical exertion, he wasn’t able to resist, and so despite his intent he walked up and helped support Sthen as he followed Sister Malaia. He urgently whispered to his friend. “Hey, Sthen, are you okay?” Sthen hardly noticed his presence. “…obey… relax…” Lukace grimaced, incredibly worried. This had gone very, very bad, and now Sthen was in the state Sister Malaia was supposed to be in! Which… Maybe that meant he deserved it, but… He wouldn’t want to say that about his friend… In fact, it was hard to want to do anything right now other than Help Sister Malaia…

---

Sister Malaia gently lay Sthen down in the hospital bed. “How do you feel? Does your head hurt at all?” Sthen murmured, “…feel good… nothing hurts…” Sister Malaia smiled slightly, but still had several tests she needed to do quickly. “Alright, do you smell anything unusual, like food or smoke?” Sthen didn’t. “Good, now raise both arms for me.” Sthen obeyed, and she gently grasped his hands. “Squeeze with both hands.” He obeyed, and his grip strength seemed perfectly normal with both. “Alright, smile for me and puff out your cheeks.” Sthen obeyed, and both sides of his mouth moved. “Alright, almost done, you’re doing so well~ Now, count backwards from 25.” He obeyed and seemed to have no difficulties doing so. Sister Malaia exhaled in relief. “I believe you’re fine. I know today has been stressful for us all, and I think you just need some sleep.” He really needed Sleep, and she hoped he wouldn’t have any trouble. As she thought that, she felt the helmet gently pulse again, and she noticed Sthen immediately drift off to sleep. “Hmm…” She got up and noticed the researcher still there, sitting on the ground. “Why are you still here?” Her voice was curious and not accusatory, and he looked up. “I… I’m not sure… I just… Uh, nevermind… I should leave…” He got up to leave, and Sister Malaia wondered something. She didn’t like the idea of doing this, but… If she was right, this could help… She focused on the researcher and thought as hard as she could

Come to Me

Come to Me

Come to Me

The researcher immediately turned around and walked up to her, looking slightly worried. Sister Malaia smiled gently. “Why did you come back? I thought you were leaving.” The researcher stammered. “I, uh, um, I, uh… had a question… But… I forgot it, so…” Sister Malaia focused and thought

Tell the Truth

Tell the Truth

Tell the Truth

“I came back because I felt a powerful urge in my head telling me to, and I’m pretty sure it’s from your helmet.” He looked terrified as he admitted it, and Sister Malaia gently laid a hand on his shoulder. “That is what I had assumed. I’m sorry for using you as a test subject. I merely wondered, if this helmet was truly giving me the power to do this… I may be able to help my cursed patient!” She looked over at the bed excitedly, then smiled kindly at the researcher. “Again, I am very sorry for intruding on your thoughts without your consent. You can leave now, if you want.” The researcher scurried off, looking incredibly uncomfortable, and Sister Malaia frowned. She didn’t feel great doing this… She would certainly need to apologize to Sthen for unintentionally doing it to him as well… And she would need to try very hard not to do it again… But right now, she needed to attend to a patient.

She walked up and steeled herself, then disengaged the wards. She focused on the patient as hard as she could and thought

Wake and Do Not Harm Me

Wake and Do Not Harm Me

Wake and Do Not Harm Me

Their eyes locked onto hers, and the mesmerizing shimmer inside started to turn gold. And oddly, she didn’t feel mesmerized by their gaze this time… The helmet must be protecting her from it. She softly asked them, “What is your name?” They responded in a pleasant monotone. “This servant has no official designation.” She shook her head. “No, you do. You had a name before. What was it?” She thought

Remember Your Name

Remember Your Name

Remember Your Name

They responded in their monotone. “Rathgau Scartach.” Sister Malaia smiled happily. “Yes! It is!” This was further than they’d gotten all day! She thought, to herself this time, about what to do next. From what she and the others had learned earlier, Rathgau, or the servant, seemed to consider itself an ‘Ownerless Servant' after the trap had been fully dispelled, and therefore refused to answer any questions. And that got her thinking… Focused on Rathgau again

I am your Owner

I am your Owner

I am your Owner

Taking a deep breath, she asked Rathgau, “Who is your owner?” They immediately responded. “My owner is Sister Malaia Sunvrey. I obey only her.” She laughed happily. “Yes! I am!” Finally, she might be able to reverse this! Or, if not… At least Rathgau wouldn’t be a threat anymore. “Alright, my servant, Sleep.“ Their eyes instantly went blank. Sister Malaia sat down and brushed hair out of her face. She looked over at Sthen, still fast asleep. She still wasn’t too keen on his methods, but his theft of the helmet had worked out well in the end. He was a pretty good assistant, all things considered. And at least he hadn’t tried to flirt with her… She wasn’t quite as oblivious to that as she let on…

She just wished that people would accept that she was asexual!