“I need more of that healing potion over this way!” Angela yelled as she rolled her sleeves up. They were held up by a tiny teensy bit of magic so not to get in her way as she plunged her hands into the open wounds of a man on her table. “Adraejen be a dear and get me some of that salve over there please and thank you.”

The man let out a scream as Angela brought a handout and smacked him hard knocking him out. “Be quiet. It was your own damn fault for going into the city unprepared.” Her other hand started to pull out live flesh-eating scarabs. She killed them and threw them off the side before starting to heal him with light magic. “I shouldn’t even heal you all the way. Going into that city with no weapons to steal a treasure that may or may not be there… was pretty stupid.” Angela lectured the knocked out man.

Once Adraejen got her the salve she sewed the wound up and began to paste it all over the man’s wounds. “Why do humans have to be so dumb.” She groaned it out loud. “They hear treasure and get a boner before running off into danger.” The goddess shook her hands and blood splattered all over the ground. “Honestly, my magic is good the protection ward up over this place.” She looked over to see a mummy attempting to get in.

“Can you take care of that?” She washed her hands off in a bowl and looked up at him. “You don’t have to be here. I don’t think you’ve ever been around me while I’ve worked before.” She chuckled at her husband. “Don’t know how much you like blood and entrails… and not death while I’m here but you know… healer stuff.” He did marry a healer after all.

"Coming your way," Drae said from his place at the alchemist table where he was rapidly throwing herbs and grinding components in a pestle and dumping it into a boiling cauldron. Three finished flasks of healing potion flew off the table and soared over the heads of all those rushing around trying to help the poor idiots that had thought it would be a good idea to venture into Asyut unprepared. One potion, and a jar of salve slid to a stop just beside Angela's hand while the other two flew off to other stations where they were needed, all the while the Keeper kept grinding and brewing. 

"Stupidity in mortals, I am afraid is part of their nature. Typically the shorter lived the stupider," Drae answered. "Intelligence and Wisdom, unfortunately come with time, and there are very few humans who actually make it that far," he mused with a slight frown on his face as he worked with his back to Angela while bottle and jar lined up after another. "And as we all know, Greed is a powerful motivator, very similar to Lust."

The Keeper glanced up from his work when Angela indicated to a nearby section of crumbled wall that marked the edge of her protective barrier. The desiccated corpse over a millenia old looked as though it would fall apart right there was missing an arm and trailing it behind him by the tattered linen wrappings that covered the majority of its body. 
"What a pain," he muttered and snapped his fingers in the undead's direction. A bead of red lodged itself in the rib cage of the cursed desert denizen and a brief second later there was a small explosion that blew it to dust. 

"You aren't wrong, my love, but unfortunately, I have seen enough of this sort of thing while working under a particularly unsavory duke. I think if anything its those damned bugs that are getting to me," he admitted as he looked up just in time to see one that she had missed skitter across his work space, which he promptly smashed with a plate. 

"But, I am out of components, so I am going to go and send Iris and the others out for more," he said. "Fortunately I was able to make enough to last us a little while… so long as we don't get another wave of idiots," he said as he kissed Angela's cheek before he opened the flap tent and barked an order to Iris, Nathaniel, Justice, Holly, Dart and Foxglove and watched as the group hurried off to do as he asked. 

Angela was musing for a moment before she laughed. “I’m so old I can’t remember what being mortal was like… I can’t remember the last time I feared for myself.” She tilted her head. Dalanesca’s tantrum was the closest but even then she didn’t fear dying… She was rather happy about it until she realized leaving Rohan was the wrong thing to have done. “That is true. At one point my Love, greed is what fueled you.”

She made a light chuckle as he made a fuss about the zombies. “It’s only a chore if you make it so. There isn’t much we can do about this… Until that crystal is weakened that is… then I imagine that Dalanesca is going to raise all unholy hell.” Voice knew that her Conclave Sister was on the warpath right now.

“That unsavory duke was an asshole and a scoundrel… We don’t need to worry about him anymore.” She smiled just a bit as she tried to bring comfort to her husband. “Even if we did… We’re gods. He couldn’t even touch our children without us knowing about the thought.” She pushed her cheek up to his lips to help and smiled.

Watching the children run off she sighed a bit. “I do worry about them even if they are old enough to take care of themselves… It’s hard to just let go and let them do whatever the hell they want with their lives.” She frowned a bit. “I just got a while before Rohan gets even more like that… Iva is practically there… and Poppy and Lark… Well, they haven’t even stopped the drooling on themselves phase yet.” She chuckled once more.

Looking up at the skies she frowned. “I’m the only thing stopping them from getting in… I can’t even leave the damn barrier.”

"I can't say it doesn't fuel me now," the Keeper chuckled. "But perhaps in a less detrimental way," he said as he came over and rubbed Angela's shoulders. "I'm out of components, so I can play guard duty for a while, at least until they come back," he said. "I can only imagine the fun Dal is going to have in all this. Hell, I bet Xunatar is just eating this up if he isn't already rising to the challenge that Sardon has made to him. That statue I've heard tell of in the center of Asyut… it is only asking for trouble," he mused. 

"Forgive me if I don't fully share your opinion about Greer," he said. "He was a true blooded Irian and Parvporan. Gods never scared him, and I doubt we will now if he came back," he said gravely. "But I do think it will be a LOOOOONG time before he makes his way back into the soul stream. He should still be sitting pretty in whatever level of Porta Inferni he was banished too after his… 'untimely demise'."

"You are a true Mother, Ang. You will never stop worrying about them, and should the day come that you do, I will be very concerned. It's parental nature," he said. "Or even 'mother nature'," he added trying to make her laugh. "They'll be all right. Two Avatars, four and a half Rosenites, and a very talented… whatever Justice is, since he CLEARLY isn't human, and each with their own set of skills? This will be a cake walk for them. Besides they were clearly getting bored."

He probably shouldn't have said that because it was clear that his wife was chomping at the bit as well. He laughed softly. 
"Maybe we should have kept the Avatars here so WE could go and do some exploring ourselves," he said. "Surely Foxglove and Iris would have the capabilities to stand in our places?"

“I don’t know if that part of you will ever die… I had a reason mine did but I am being reminded why it is alright to be greedy every once in a while. Especially when it comes to family.” She took a deep sigh as she thought about the day she finally regained her form and hugged Rohan for the first time. “Fun is putting it mildly. She is probably pissed. Xunatar? I don’t know.. I sensed him a bit ago but I doubt he will overly upset more like amused if I know him well.”

Angela tilted her head at him. “Well, for one… In Parvpora, I wasn’t known for being a god. I was feared for many things. I am a skilled mage and one of the best healers in all of Revaliir. My temper is quite pissy and out of control at times. If Greer needs to be afraid of me… It won’t be because I am a god… It will be because I was powerful at such a young age. I have been a god since I was just barely a woman… It does things to people.”

The thing about being a mother made her smirk. “It has become who I am… Less of I am the Mother and more the Mother is me.” She chuckled as she realized she had grown into the role over time. “I hope so… Fox keeps asking me things every once in a while. Like why don’t they ask her for things? Or can she do something to help them? She is still learning her abilities as an Avatar so we will see if she speaks up. She is much more docile then I was at her age but the whole being a god young does that to you.” She chuckled a bit. “Justice isn’t human but I can’t put my finger on what him and his sister are.”

Angela perked up a bit and looked at her husband mischievously. “I would have loved to but that,” she pointed at the barrier. “Foxglove can’t do and I’m afraid neither can Iris… It wouldn’t be strong enough to keep everyone safe here. I’m afraid I’ve been reduced to nothing more than a barrier mother.” She chuckled at her own joke. “No, I guess you can either stay here and keep me company or run off and have one hell of an adventure… Probably run into Dal on the way.”

"Considering I am a greedy individual by nature, I am sure you are right. I feel no shame in it though. I'm a business man and a deity of magic and knowledge collection, it is practically my job to be greedy," he chuckled. "But you are right, most of my greed is family oriented too it seems, at least as far as you and the youngest of the children are concerned," he added thoughtfully. 

"Everyone has their own idea of fun, whether they go about it in an angry fashion or not. I simply meant she is probably going to enjoy tearing apart these living dead and their lich master," he pointed out. 

"Fair point," he conceded in regards to the conversation on Greer. He remembered a brief moment when he had first encountered the Duke. "I may not believe in the Gods… " Greerhad said "but I am not stupid enough to get on the wrong side of one who has the power to back up that so called title. If you ever run into one kid, be respectful even if it makes your blood curdle." 

"Gods… that was a lifetime ago…" he muttered under his breath to himself as he returned to the present. 

"Iris is the same. Still learning in more ways that just her powers. Thank the powers that move the world that she and Nathaniel finally got over… what ever the hell that was. It was really starting to effect Tar Eisalae and not in a way that I was liking. As for Justice and Rizka…I have my suspicions about those two, actually. But I have no evidence to back it up. You might have some insights into that, actually. I'd like you to hear out my theory once this whole sand-blasted fiasco is over," he said brightly. He frowned when Angela pointed out that even their two avatars together would not be powerful enough to keep the barrier up and he pretended to pout. Then he smiled and walked over to her.
"The whole point of going out and having one hell of an adventure was to go out and have one hell of an adventure with YOU," he laughed. "Nah, I'll stay. I'd probably get bored reducing mummies to nothing but dust, even if my powers are exponentially greater here. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it would be good fun sweeping through ancient ruins with Dal, but I think I'll wait until my research can go uninterrupted," he smiled.