Born in Fire

In musing upon the story, I wonder if Thulia just might be part human, by way of her grandmother. It is implied in an earlier story that Tanau once knew a human quite well, and there is the distinct possibility that either Lady Hurmiz or Lord Mirdas (likely the former) were a product of a union with said human. An alternative would be if Tanau herself was the daughter of said human. Either would explain the distrust that many of her peers have of her.

As far as her dealings with humans are concerned, I think Thulia had to learn from the school of hard knocks. My impression is that she saw where her actions took a wrong turn, and she was trying to fix the mistakes as best she could, within the bounds of the contract. More than likely, she'll take the experiences into consideration the next time she attempts to contract with a human (if she makes such an attempt).

My take on the chapter (WOG not withstanding) was that the parasite was introduced just before the experiment, as it would have been an explanation for why things didn't quite go as planned during the experiment. However, that would have resulted in the initial post-transformation scans being contaminated by the parasite.

Given the steps that Thulia had to take to prevent Rob from burning out, I can't help but wonder if Morgana might not have some of Thulia's elemental heritage in her blood (thus making Morgana essentially a regen clone).

The glimpse into the family dynamics is interesting. Definitely puts her on the outs with her parents, but perhaps her making that break will be what was needed to shock some sense into her parents.

At some point, Glyph is probably going to learn about the extra-planar dealings of the family. Depending on how things go, I could see her setting up a deal with Thulia directly, bypassing the broker. I think

Thulia discovering the joys of Amazon was more amusing than it should have been. Probably just as well that she didn't have to go mission impossible as a backup for the rescue.

Thulia meeting London was also somewhat amusing. All those things we take for granted in navigating a big city.

Bruce's comment of 'What's the worse that could happen' was tempting fate, even if he didn't know it.

Thulia's workroom, then her home, after leaving Rob.

Distracting herself with work to keep from screaming in fury, this cult gets what they deserve for causing Rob and Thulia such pain. *eyes bug out* If any of the cult is still alive after what happens during the rescue of Rob from them I almost pity them if Thulia gets her hands on them. Darn it, I know she wishes to be alone with her emotions right now but you just wish to hug her and tell her everything will be alright.

Bruce is a good friend, acts as a better father figure to Thulia than her actual father. Plans to make, I wonder if part of those plans was getting a certain superheroine into the cult's base so the odds of rescue went up. Rescue Rob from the cult, but how with the way the contract is worded?

Besides, given the feelings Thulia had been expressing, she would need someone to at least temper her ideas into something a bit more practical and less risky. She had a rather cavalier way of treating risk at the best of times, and right now she was even less likely to make sensible decisions.

The voice of reason, as it were, for Thulia.

Thulia's Home, the next day

Go back to Earth, tricky to get there, but needed to work around the contract, hhm. Ouch, everything costs money.

"Don't need a summoning, I don't have enough demon in me to make it necessary, and the human inheritance helps. The body I'm using is completely physical, so once I'm there, I'm fine."

Very interesting, just how much demon do you have to be to require summoning to get to Earth I wonder. Ack! No, not asking her parents to lend her the money, anything but that! Go to your grandmother, explain why you need the money, but not to your parents.

His daughter is part human and her father is an anti-human bigot who doesn't want her learning about that part of her heritage...oh boy. Too young to do this, too young to do that, seems to be her father's fallback for when she does things he doesn't like.

"I am NOT too young, my experiment was a SUCCESS, and I don't need to listen to you yelling nonsense at me! I still have responsibilities, and I'm going to be adult enough to deal with them myself. And I can do it without your help - not that you'd actually help me, you'd just yell at me again."

She stood there glaring her father down, and his face went an odd colour as he stared back at her.

"How DARE you speak to me like that!"

Trying to keep herself under control, something she was barely managing, she finally let her feelings at her father's controlling attitude show. "I'm sick of your constant need to control me like I was a child! I'm old enough to take care of myself now, and I don't need you!

About time she stood up for herself, her father is abusive towards her and it is high time she leaves him behind until he learns to change his ways.

Thulia's Home

Heh, glad to see Bruce was expecting Thulia to tell her father what he can do with his orders as well. Tanau actually suggested adult sites to Thulia to raise money on, good grief, having a grandmother who is part-sex demon must complicate things. Finding a buyer on Earth for something they can provide, why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Bruce knows about the sexual services having a bunch of perverts doing the request, why do I get the feeling before he worked for Thulia he worked for Tanau? She wants to hunt something dangerous that Bruce can't help her with to sell to a buyer, big-time proof Thulia is thinking with her heart and not her head.

Thulia's Home, Plane of Fire, sometime after leaving the Cult's Lair

A bow and a 'battle bikini' to go hunting, yikes, she needs better armor that covers more.

"So, you're going out to get some Jednorog horns?"

Why do I get the feeling these Jednorogs are like bison on steroids at the least?

Bruce frowned. "I hope you'll be OK, those things are dangerous, and the hunting rules don't allow you to use magic or any proper weapons."

Thulia just grinned as she slid the bow over her shoulder. "Bow, arrows, knives. That's all I had when we started hunting them when I was 12."

Those are some strict hunting rules, not even a sword or ax. That is her battle form, which sounds like more changes than Morgana's 'dragon form'. Impressive, if these Jednorogs can do significant harm to her in that form they are extremely dangerous.

Crimson grass, that sure makes it feel like the Plane of Fire. Crud, is ready to go with one of her grandmother's suggestions if the hunting trip doesn't work out.

slightly under nearly 1200kg of force

What is that bow made of? A bow with a draw-strength like that, the arrows would hit with more force than a pistol at least. And the big tough bull didn't fall after being hit by this, bison on steroids was an understatement for the Jednorogs. Too blows with a knife like that, one to the neck and she couldn't cut through the muscles to get an artery, this creature is built like a tank!

Ouch! Hit in the shoulder by its horn, Thulia should have gotten some help for this hunt.

Jegnorag were notoriously tough creatures, but a foot of razor-sharp blade forced up by muscles that could lift a car slid up through flesh and bone and into the animal's brain.

A foot-long knife and Thulia is that strong, whoa. The magic of the horn does that, no wonder they are so dangerous. And no wonder the horns are so valuable on Earth, something that prevents healing, does that mean healing spells and powers, along with regeneration, won't work on wounds inflicted by it?

Thulia in that bad of shape after all that, no wonder Bruce had wanted her to find another way to get the money. And natural healing is the only way for wounds made by Jednorog horns to heal, yikes. Six prime horns, she risked her life but it sounds like it was a good hunt. Talk to Tanau about Thulia tempering her plans with more caution, *holds in laughter*

The Broker's Office

I wonder how much those horns would go if she had chosen to have others bid on them. Purchases to make through the Broker, don't tell me she saw the things needed for a portal to Earth upon the auction site and is going to bid on them?

Chicago, Earth

Deborah Hanson, what could she need Jednorog horns for? Ah, purchasing them to resell at a greater price to a customer of her own. Ah, the redhead, possibly a former supervillain who is one of the 4 who runs the Family's operations, I was wondering what kind of things she did for the Family. Wait, who is the buyer and why does he need horns that could be turned into weapons easily that can prevent magical healing? Don't tell me Deborah is unknowingly selling these to someone who works for Scorn that they don't know about.

Earth, the Rollright Stones, night

Through the portal to Earth, and the Broker helped with accommodations, talk about quality service. The crescent moon, a sight to see especially for the first time. A portal site they commonly use, I hope that doesn't mean enemies could know about it and set up ambushes. An hour's drive to the house they have set up for her, no wonder the portal site hasn't been located, that is out of the way.

Outside London, a shabby but inconspicuous rental

No direct action against the cult, or using magic. Abraxus sure thought of almost everything with that contract.

Thulia looked a little defensive. "Hey, I'm only going to help them do the sort of thing they do all the time. Just a little setup to point them in the direction of the Cult base, there's nothing in the contract that says I can't help a little bit of innocent law enforcement. It's my civic duty!

I know that superheroine ending at the cult's base was no coincidence.

I like Thulia's visions for taking the cult down in its base, sends the right message. Too bad she can't use them. Manipulating Manx like that, at least it all works out in the end. Thulia stretching the rules of her contract without breaking them, sneaky.

Bruce has to remind Thulia about the details of the plan, how to get off the island, etc. Back-up plans are needed, and no acting directly is making a simple rescue plan seem like something out of Mission: Impossible. I should have known, no seagulls in the Plane of Fire.

Possessed seagull and control gear, the Brokers sure have an unusual way of spying on Earth. Oh boy, if Manx and Rob had tried to swim off the island the plan would have been a lot more complicated. Thulia can't swim, of course she can't, no water for pools or lakes in the Plane of Fire. And just like that, they have to buy more stuff, just in case.

Watching things from a rooftop, Thulia, you need to read some stuff from the internet on proper ways of doing things instead of relying on Earth's pop culture to guide you. A spell with pre-recorded things said to lure the Manx into hitching a ride to the island and finding Rob, clever but too bad Thulia doesn't know about the newer security measures they have taken since she left. And the plan works, now just how did Manx's team figure out where she was to go rescue her and Rob?

Google maps and GPS to guide her back to the place they are staying, so glad she doesn't have to navigate on her own in an unknown place in this weather. 180 miles in just over an hour and a half, for a winged flight that is very fast. Bruce has a very good point, a flight like that in winter, I think Thulia might have frozen before she got halfway back. She thinks the weather is why we wear so much clothes all the time, wait until she learns about how the weather is different in different areas of the world and London is just one of the ones with a lot of rain.

So the seagull was a good purchase, monitoring the situation from that far away. And the boat is at the island, with no sign of Manx as she can't get the seagull any closer without breaking the contract.

A disturbance close by the entrance to their tunnels, is this the escape? Oof, I forgot they made a run for the sea and stopped at the cliff's edge, Thulia is so frustrated she can't do anything, so close and yet so far. And the rescue as the assault shuttle shows up, been so long since I read that story I forgot some big details on how Rob and Manx escaped.

"I don't understand why she flared up like that, it was way more power than she should be channelling at this point."

And the first sign of the demon parasite messing with Rob/Morgana.

Thulia was still worrying her lower lip. "I don't know. I really wish I had some readings of what happened. It could be a sign of something serious, and I have to leave him in the hands of these...amateurs... who know nothing about what she is now!"

No wonder Thulia is so relieved later when Morgana contacts her. A hotel close to the A.E.G.I.S. base in London, she was that close to Morgana and not able to see her, ouch.

A rather seedy hotel room in London

Not knowing the condition the person you care about is in, I empathize with Thulia. Yikes, Thulia is going crazy not knowing how Rob is doing to do that to a table. So this is when she creates the communication candle. Meeting with Rob's sister to give her the candle to give to Rob and explain why, Thulia certainly has a lot of hope in her.

A.E.G.I.S. Headquarters, London

Oh boy, never let Thulia go to China if she thinks London is packed with humans... The first floor of a superhero HQ, about what I expected it to be. Ouch, a splitting headache later for the spell working on so many people, Thulia, you need to take better care of yourself. With wards and protection like that on their HQ, I have to wonder what kind of threats they have faced over the years.

A picture of Ceridwen Jones to find Rob's sister, I hope it isn't too hard in this crowd. Listen to Bruce on this one, following someone through a large crowd is nowhere near as easy as the movies make it out to be. Using Bruce to scare off any boys who try to chat her up, good idea, some of them might not take no for an answer.

Ceridwen! Tell people where you are going, a family emergency has come up at least, so they don't flood you with messages out of worry. Heh, Thulia can pass for Morgana's cousin, that is a very close resemblance. Ceri is very smart to put all that together so quickly and figure out who Thulia is.

"I swear on my power, I am not here to hurt or harm you or yours."

Ceridwen's eyes widened a bit as the girl drew something in mid-air between them, something that she could actually see glowing for a moment before it faded away. The words were formal, and she let herself sink back into her seat again. If Thulia was a magical being - as she was pretty certain she was - all the stories she'd read said she couldn't swear such an oath lightly.

That is one way to get someone's trust fast.

Morgana sure told her sister a lot about Thulia and Bruce.

"Notice him just because he's green and scaly? In a Starbucks in London? Please..." The two girls both grinned at him, which just brought another patient sigh.

Bwahaha, priceless. Poor Thulia breaking down crying again, if she hadn't sent Manx after Rob/Morgana the rescue probably wouldn't have happened. The candle and instructions on how to use it, now we know how Ceri got the candle to give to Morgana. And now I wonder what Ceri's eventual favor from Thulia will be.

Thulia is crying, afraid Morgana can't forgive her for leaving them with the cult and what they did to her, Thulia needs to see one of the Whateley counselors as much as Morgana does.

"Look, you weren't responsible for that, the Cult was. And if you hadn't warned him, he'd have signed his soul away, and then Manx wouldn't have been able to rescue him."

"But what his sister described..."

Bruce pulled her close. "Look, she'll be OK, she's a tough kid. Use the candle, talk to her. See if she blames you or not before you start convincing her she does."

Heh, keep forgetting she already has a pretty good counselor in Bruce. Eep, the Cult is toast no matter what.

Thulia's Hotel room, that evening

Waiting for hours in that position for the candle to be lit, Thulia is going to be sore when she goes to stand up. Those two together, the pain in Thulia's voice, so glad they are able to talk again.

Morgana sighed, and gently pushed an aberrant lock of hair back from Thulia's face. "Stop being silly. Ceri told me all that you did for me - Thulia, you saved me! I was going to give myself to them, and you arranged a rescue for me - how could I blame you for that? It all worked out OK, thanks to you."

It is what Bruce has been trying to tell her, she had to hear it from Morgana to finally get it. Blood sister, I hope that doesn't mean someone can use Morgana's blood to mess with Thulia or vis versa. Well, that is one way to make ending their chat for the time being memorable.

Thulia is so happy that Morgana' doesn't blame her, Bruce knew they were sensible, and Thulia is happy Morgana wants them to meet again. Explain what she had been up to to her family, now why does she need to do that after Thulia basically cut ties with her control-freak father the last time they spoke?

Thulia's Home, about a week later

A visit to Hell, ugh, glad her grandmother gave her good advice about the robe.

She shivered, the greasy feel of evil still seeming to stick to her, as she headed for her shower, determined to scrub it off if she had to take most of her skin with it. She really couldn't understand how Tanau managed to visit the place, her grandmother was a lot tougher than she'd realised.

And that is proof enough for me, Thulia is as far from a full demon as you can get while still being part-demon.

She looked up at Bruce and gave a smile. It wasn't a very pleasant one, but it was extremely satisfied. "Now, Bruce, you know we did nothing but witness justice being done, that's all."

The smirk on the imp's face said it all, but there was a need for distancing herself from what had happened. While her contract of course forbade any retribution on Abraxus for his recent actions, merely witnessing the Blind Lady taking her due had no connection. Especially as no one in the right mind would meddle with her judgements.

Ah, seeing Abraxus being judged by the Blind Lady in Hell, I wondered why she went there. Won't be coming back, that sounds like even his soul can't be brought back by some foul magic, brutal. Putting off dealing with her father, with how he will probably blow up at her if not worse I would put it off for a century or two at least.

London, a cheap hotel room

She hacked a version of Google Maps to work with her spell, whoa. Aww, blocked by the wards, but at least she knows Morgana is now safely on the grounds of Whateley Academy.

"Look, you don't need to worry about her. She's only going to High School, right? What's the worst that can happen? Anyway, we have to get packed up, your studies start soon. Assuming we can sort out all the issues with what you've been doing, of course."

Ah ha! So it was Bruce who jinxed Morgana, never say what is the worst that can happen. It will always result in a lot of trouble coming the way of the person you are talking about.

Tanau being brought along to smooth things over with Thulia's parents, why do I feel like that might make things worse with her father's attitude?

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I hate this, I know my parents are being stupid, and my father is, well, acting like he always does, but they are still my parents. I'd rather sort things out."

"And if you can't?"

Thulia gazed sadly at the wall of the shabby room. "Then I guess I'll have to go it alone. I won't grovel for forgiveness, what I did was right. I'd just like them to realise that too."

Well, her father can only blame himself in this case, she inherited his stubborn attitude, just focused on different things.