Troublesome

A teal cat exited the black cat statue, shifting into a young man with fluffy teal hair and black eyes wearing loose cargo pants; a golden necklace baring a cat eye was secured around his neck, and padded forward, the slap of his bare feet echoing in the large space.

He squinted his eyes, the pupils turning to slits at the sudden influx of light that greeted his arrival.

"Why does that ibis have to live underground like some hermit..." he grumbled to himself, blinking watery eyes rapidly to get used to the bright sun that fell upon his and his goddess's temple—a blessing which was bestowed by his goddess's father, Ra.

His eyes quickly scanned for his goddess, taking in the expansive columns that soared above his head to support the limestone roof overhead, the walls covered in depictions of his goddess's battle with the serpent. Between each of the massive columns lay pedestals holding cat statue's, each acting as portals connecting to various parts of their server, which held corresponding statues to the locations. A grin split his face as he recalled how his Patron, Bast, wailed down on the System to allow such transportation, and the concessions the System had to make in response to the server being based in their world.

She was nothing if not fair.

'I suppose that's what people who are on the winning side of the deal always say...'

In the midst of his thoughts, a familiar figure entered his vision. Immediately, a smile overcame his face before he desperately schooled his features into a studious and calm expression.

"Goddess Bast."

The figure, which had been curled up on a cushion next to the river that ran in front of her temple, turned to face her Priest, hazel eyes fluttering open.

"Aaryn."

Her voice was low and rough from her nap, and Aaryn knelt, keeping his head bowed in a show of respect and apology for interrupting her rest.

"My apologies Goddess, but I have news in concern to the movements of his Lordship Anubis."

She blinked slowly before languidly stretching underneath the heat of the sun, her coppery skin glimmering with hints gold beneath the light. A small sigh was released before she relaxed on the cushion again, but her expression more alert this time.

He felt oddly tense seeing her so relaxed.

'She's usually so disciplined...'

"Aaryn?"

"Ah, yes. It appears that Lord Anubis has made contact with a foreign god—or rather entity, as I could not sense any divinity from him, though that could be due to him being simply foreign. Lord Thoth has advised that we keep watch and inform Lord Ra of our findings. If we were to follow his request, then constant surveillance would be required on our part; how would you like to proceed, Goddess Bast."

His Patron pondered a moment, her eyes unfocused as she stared at something only she could see, before they flickered to him; the pupils were sharpened when they met his onyx eyes.

"Survey them. I shall inform Lord Ra. Thank you, for your hard work, Aaryn."

Aaryn could barely contain the smile that desired to rise to his lips at her praise, but he forced himself to remain neutral in expression and thought.

"Of course, Goddess. I will take my leave now."

And with that, Aaryn returned to the temple to travel to the statue closest to the location that Anubis had gone, one that Anubis had secretly constructed away from the prying eyes of the foreigners.

Bast's alert gaze followed after him, her body finally relaxing when his presence disappeared. With that, she sighed, and recalled the man she had encountered before Aaryn's arrival—an meeting that should not have happened, but still had, leaving her shaken.

She smoothly rose from her cushion by the stream, treading with soft steps up the stairs before entering, her gaze attracted to the mural that adorned the walls, the one in which she was fighting against a serpent. It showed only her triumph, and none of her suffering; it also failed to fully capture the struggles she had to endure while fighting against the monster whom even her father could not kill.

And she had done so for millennia.

The image of a man with skin as black as night, hair the color of silver, and eyes that of the red desert greeted her train of thought as she gazed at the opponent she had wounded but never killed, derailing it into the encounter again.

'In the end, the only one's who will understand truly what we went through down there will only be ourselves, little cat.'

"...Troublesome man..."

The words hung in the air, only for the wind to catch them before carrying them away, and out of the silent temple where the cat goddess guarded.