Prologue Part One
Birth of a Heroine
by Alexandra and Jen
My name is Melissa Winters and this Chronicle is intended to explain certain events which have shaped my life, how they came about, and how I adapted to them. It will also, in the future, detail my efforts to make my hometown, Queenston, a better place for all its residents.
First, a little about me. I am the youngest of four children. I have three older brothers, and I grew up as a typical tomboy. I was always very athletic, and in decent shape, and was quite daring. I didn't like to back down from things and was always trying to show I was as tough as the guys. I am also pretty curious about things.
I did the normal kid things, and then went to college, where I majored in computer programming and web page design. I like making pages, though, I can program much more complex things than that. Oh, wait, let me stop my self promotion, and get back to the tale.
My saga, such as you can call it, began in my sophmore summer of college. I wasn't sure what I was going to do that summer, when a Professor, Dr Irene Whitaker, invited me along as one of the students on a University funded expedition to Mexico, to study an old Aztec temple complex.
I agreed, I had nothing better to do after all, and in early July we set off for the Yucatan jungle. There was myself, Irene, and 4 others from the school, and in Mexico we added some local people for guides, and for study help.
The trip though the jungle was cool in and of itself. But the temple complex was even neater! There were three buildings. One had been a kinda housing area for the priests, another was just a ruin - no one knew what it had once been. The last was a small pyramid, with many internal chambers.
We stayed in the old housing building and most of our exploration time was spent inside the pyramid. Suprisingly, I found myself having a good time exploring the dusty rooms, and seeking out the hidden treasures. Not all of the treasures were valuable monetarily, but they were for research purposes. And, most of them were hidden in secret rooms. I soon discovered a knack for finding these rooms using spatial geometry to determine where rooms should be bigger which helped us narrow our search areas. The first three weeks flew by. Each day was quite tiring, and we all slept well at night.
It was on the 17th day we found the strange chamber. It had been well hidden. It sort of spanned into two floors, so even my mathematical model almost didn't find it. But, in the end, I did find it. Then, we had to figure out how to get inside. It took us four hours to find the door, and another two to figure out how to open it. The door itself was very solid, with all sorts of symbols across it. I would be able to read them now, but then I couldn't. There had even been traps on the door once, quite lethal ones, but with time they had broken.
Finally, it was open. Irene led the way, and I followed. The room felt cold - felt wrong - I'd say it felt like evil, but you'd just think that that was a cliche. It was a fairly small room and circular, with about a 40' diameter. That had also helped to throw my math - none of the other chambers in this place had been anything other than square or rectangular.
There were only two things in the room. One was a book, mounted on a large wooden stand. The other was a simple looking stone pillar, about 10 feet tall, which was in the middle of the room. I stood around, a little bored, as Irene looked at the book. She opened it, and was soon examining the inner pages.
I was sitting, with my back to the wall and waiting, when she said "Melissa, listen to this."
"And so, after a long struggle, the creature was brought to the temple of Tonatiuh. There the Priests of many Gods gathered for the binding. The binding was successful, and the Priests returned to their homes, as they sought a way to destroy the thing. On that day they would first free it by uttering these words:" She then read off a series of words that sounded like gibberish to me.
I was the first to notice what soon began to happen. A few minutes later, I looked over at the pillar. When I saw it, I said "Uhh, Irene, is the pillar melting?" She looked over.
"It does look that way."
"Well, Professor" I asked, as I rose "are pillars supposed to melt?"
"No, not normally."
Then the statue dropped away, and it stood there. It - it was a creature, 7 feet tall. It was roughly man shaped - except for the spider's head, and the six arms, which were more a mix of tentacle and insect leg. "I am free!" It said - well not really said, I can't explain it, but it communicated those ideas somehow.
I screamed. My screams echoed in the room, and, as they faded, Irene stepped forward, to talk to it. She had gotten "Hello" out when the arms moved! Two of them grabbed her arms and lifted her off the ground. Two more grabbed her legs pulling them far apart, as the last two ripped her clothing away.
Then, from its crotch, a massive penis pushed out from inside it. I screamed again, she screamed, then it shoved into her. At that point I ran. I ran hearing her screams echoing as it literally fucked her to death.
I ran for I don't know how long, blindly, in panic - then, somewhere deeper in the pyramid now, the floor crumbled beneath me, and I fell. I hit hard, somewhere below, and was knocked out by the impact.
*********
In the darkness something else stirred. It had watched the events of the last few days, and waited. Perhaps this girl would be the one - he would not have chosen a girl, but she was the only option. The old days were gone and this was a new world, and one had to adapt.
Even a God.
With patience born of Millennia, he waited. She would awake soon enough, and he would see if she would stand or break.
***********
I awoke sometime later with a soft groan. I was alive, I noted, which meant that the thing had not found me, if it had even looked for me. I slowly sat up. I was hurt, but ok, overall. Much better than Irene was. That thought sobered me, and I looked around.
I was in some sort of shrine. It was a small one, and basically was composed of a small altar, and a large statue of an eagle. The eagles feathers were made of gold, so, even in the dark, it glittered like the sun. I don't know why I did what I next did.
I knelt at the shrine, and said "Please. I don't know who you are, or if you can hear me, or even what you are the God of, but, please, help me. There is a creature in the pyramid, it's killed Irene I think, and, can you do something about it?" I didn't expect it to answer - but it did!
The eyes of the statue opened, and its beak then did, and the statue spoke to me. "Do not be afraid, young Melissa. I may be able to help you. Your companion was foolish, and has paid a price for that foolishness, but you have no blame there. You are quite resourceful in the ways you found the rooms of my temple."
"W..who are you? How do you know my name?" After seeing a pillar become a Cockroach from Hell, for some reason a talking statue didn't seem to faze me much.
"I know all that transpires within the walls of my temple. I am Tonatiuh, and you are in my home. I am a god of light, and warriors, and those that protect the weak." He seemed to anticpate what I was about to say, for he then said "You are far from weak, only frightened, and the bravest warrior can feel fear. We must deal with the creature above, and I need your help."
"Me? What can I do?"
"I can assist you but only if you show me your worth and your bravery. I am a god of Warriors, and of those that would defend the helpless - but I cannot act alone. I need a servant to act in my name."
"Y..you mean like a priest?"
"No, not exactly. Let us worry for now about the demon above. We can talk more of other things later." That sounded like a very good idea to me.
"Uh, ok...Tonatiuh...what do you do?"
"Not me, young Melissa..you. You must face the ceature, to show you are worthy of aid. I will aid you in that struggle. I cannot help those who are afraid, not directly, so you must face it first."
I took a moment to think about that. It seemed to me I had two options. One, do nothing, and, at some point get raped to death. Not appealing. Two, fight it, like Tonatiuh suggested. There was always option Three - run like hell and tell the Mexican Army - but I doubted that one was viable. So, after some quick thought, I said:
"Well, your option sounds like the best one to me...what do I do?"
"First, you will need a weapon." A wall panel glowed, and then it slid to the side, revealing an archway. I walked over, and then through, the arch. I found myself in a small room, with weapons all over the walls. There were spears, and swords, and all sorts of things. "Take one - the one that seems right to you."
I looked around for quite a while or so it seemed to me. I looked over all the weapons, trying to decide which one would be right for me. I had some akido training but never any sort of weapons training, so I was nervous. Finally my eyes fell on a weapon that, as he put it, seemed right to me. It was a sword, and was about 3 and a half feet long. It had a small hilt, and a sleek, black, blade. The blade glistened, like obsidian, but felt like metal. I lifted it, tested it hesitantly, and it felt good to me. Nice, light, easy to use. I smiled.
I returned to the shrine as the armory door shut behind me. "Now what?"
The statue said "Now, you go above - you first must slay the brood, then the mother. Good luck. I will be with you." The statue then went silent.
I didn't like the sound of that - but I managed to retrace my steps, and was soon back on the floor where Irene died. It smelled bad here, and the walls were icky. It was like the hive in Aliens. I made my way back to the room, and peeked inside.
I was instantly angry!! Two, two tiny cockroaches from hell were laying on what had been Irene, and one of the other students, a guy named Mark. I strode in, sword high. Holding it in two hands, I thrust down, stabbing one in the center of it's back. It screamed, and I tore the sword free, a yucky yellow ichor coming from the wound. I spun, snapping the sword down in an overhead slice and chopped the other one in two.
Then I was hit. Momma had arrived, and a tentacle leg hit my right side. I felt two ribs snap, simple fractures, when I hit the far wall. It hurt, and I screamed.
Then I stood, and faced it. If it was gonna kill me, I was gonna die on my feet. It looked pissed - well, I had just killed its kids - and one of those tentacle legs came right at me. Amateur. Even without a weapon I would have avoided that attack.. But I had one, and a simple sidestep took me past it, then a slash with the sword and no more tentacle leg. Course, it still had five more...
I spun - though that sent bolts of pain up my side as I faced it once more. I held the sword in front of me, both hands on the hilt. "C'mon, you stupid thing! Bring it!" I shouted, more for me than to scare it. It didn't seem scared, and moved in at me, all five legs rising.
***********
Tonatiuh was pleased. The girl would do. She still had much to learn, but that would not be hard. Now he decided to save her life.
The god simply slid into her body, taking it over, shunting her own will aside. The demon didn't see the change in time. The god was used to a sword, and the girl's body was a finely honed one. It's muscles moved well, fluidily, and within seconds the demon was slain.
Tonatiuh smiled, and let out a strangely pitched cry of victory. He looked around the room - through mortal eyes once more - and stepped about it. However, he felt - unusual. This body didn't feel like a male body - though, the diety quickly realized that it shouldn't. It was a new experience, though, and, he had had few of those of late, so he decided to explore it.
**********
I slowly awoke, back in the shrine. I remembered the creature, and the fracture of my ribs, and then a soft, soothing, warmth. I looked around, as I stood. My sword was propped nicely against one wall, and my ribs felt fine. I also felt sore, though, as if I had been through one major sex session. Maybe that was a side effect of being possessed by a god, for that must have been what happened.
The eagle statues eyes opened and it began to speak.
"You did well young Melissa. I have healed your injuries. You may have even defeated it without my assistance, but I decided not to risk that. I trust you don't mind my borrowing your physical form."
"N..no, not at all. I'm just glad it's defeated." I was, too. I didn't think I could have beat it without help, then, though now I could.
He - well it - well maybe he, kept talking. "I have a proposal for you, young Melissa. Will you listen to it?"
"Sure - you did save me from that thing, I don't mind listening to you."
"I do not know of what you know of Gods. To keep it simple, let us say that Gods can have champions. Mortals - like you - that we grace with special capabilities, in order to push forward our own spheres of concern and interest. It has been a very long time since I have had such a champion. I would like you to become my champion in your world."
I sat stunned for a moment, then analyzed what he said. I am quite good at rapid analysis. I asked "What would my responsibilities be?"
"All I would ask you to do is to live your life, and when you can, use my gifts to assist those who need help. As I helped you."
I thought about it. Helping people, nothing's wrong with that. "Would I have any religious duties?"
"That is a wise question. You would be taught all about our religion. However, our rituals are from another time, another world. You would be free to use any you wished, although I would not require you to, as your world would frown on some of them."
Part of me wanted to say no - but I was quite curious, and if there was one demon in the world, there might be more. If there were, well, I wanted a chance against them. So, I said "I agree with your proposal, Tonatiuh."
The statue's eyes glowed. "Then sleep, young Melissa. We will perform the ritual in the dream world. Sleep with your sword next to you."
I grabbed the blade, and lay down with it beside me, and long before I thought I would I fell into a deep sleep.
***********
I found myself, well my dream self, on top of the pyramid. I was dressed in my clothes, and my sword hung, sheathed, at my hip. It felt right - perfect - as if it were made to be there. Or is if it were a part of me I had never known was missing.
Tonatiuh who was in the form of a massive eagle hovered over the roof, and on each side stood a man - a ghost - two were dressed in cloaks made of Eagle feathers, and had helms shaped like eagles' heads. The other two wore cloaks of jaguar skin, and the head of the jaguar was over thier heads.
Tonatiuh spoke. "Young Melissa, you will be the first of my champions to be blessed by both the spirit of the eagle, and of the jaguar. Before you are the spirits of my greatest champions. As you will be my first female champion, you will have the blessings of both orders of knights. Are you ready?"
I nodded, and my dream clothes faded, leaving me naked. At Tonatiuh's prompting, I stepped, one at a time, to each of the spectral champions. They each painted a symbol on my body - one on my forehead, one on each breast, and one on my stomach. They each spoke as they drew, although I didn't know what they said. As each symbol was completed, I felt power enter me, fill me, and change me. It was like, well I can't describe it.
Then Tonatiuh shrank, to the size of a robin - though he still looked like an eagle. He landed on my shoulder, his talons dug into it, but yet drew no blood. He then tapped his beak to my head - and then he expanded, into, well, what seemed to be the sun! I was enveloped in light, and warmth.
While I was surrounded by his essence, he imparted knowledge to me. Knowledge about the Aztec language, about the religion, and about my new ability to transform. It seemed, that to protect me, only part of my new abilites would function when I was Melissa. He had created an Avatar for me that would encompass my full abilities. I would have to learn to control that avatar, of course, as well as learn to use my new abilities.
************
I rested the next day and practiced with my new ability to read the Aztec language. It was quite neat, and I kinda bounced around the area reading things.
That night, I returned the the statue chamber, and Tonatiuh told me "Melissa, it is time for you to transform for the first time. It will be painful but with time the pain will lessen, and will eventually fade away."
I nodded, stripped, and transformed. I innately knew how.
And it hurt. It seemed like I was on fire, with my limbs being stretched, and cramps everywhere. I screamed and screamed, and fell to the ground. I writhed on the ground, crying in pain, tears in my eyes, for a long time. I had never ever felt pain like that before. But finally it faded, and I stood, shakily.
Before me there was a mirror, and now I saw myself, my avatar. I was taller - 5'11 or so, and my shorter brown hair was transformed to quite long blonde hair. My eyes had grown a deep green, my legs were amazingly long, and my breasts were around 36c - normally I'm a 34c. All in all, I was a knockout!
I spent another week in the temple, learning of my abilities and more from Tonatiuh, and I will classify them below.
In either form I can't be conventially hurt. My bones won't break, my skin won't cut. I can be shot, but all a bullet could do would be to knock me back, or perhaps to stun me. I can feel pain, and I can be knocked out, but it takes a lot - I seem to have an innate damages restiatance. Physically, my body no longer ages, my breasts will never sag - that lets me save money on bra's - and I've become sterile. I suppose that last thing is good, too.
As Melissa, I am agile, and about as strong as a stong man.
As Emerald - the name I use when transformed - I am even more agile, and as strong as three men. I can also fly - briefly - with concentration. And, as a side effect of the transformation process, I can shift the clothing I have on when I transform home, and be dressed in an outfit I have 'bonded' to me. That outfit will repair itself, over time, if damaged. I also had the feeling that if I please Tonatiuh he would reward me with more abilites.