Chapter 42 – Déjà vu.
Crystal could feel it. A powerful presence, another as old as time itself, that which was cast away and changed, even in ending another beginning. Like Warrior but different again. Not intrinsically evil, but still terrifying and dark, and for all intents and purposes, with respect to humanity and its greed, in most cases it probably could be counted as such.
Taint.
It had been worshipped once, something different from what it was now, it’s cult hidden deep in the frozen mountains, a city warded off from the environment by the ancient itself. Sky pirates, raiding and offering their victims to their patron. They had created a monstrosity, an abomination, a child of the one that they worshipped, and that had been the fall of them. It still slept within their city, even now, something that was between the two worlds, but its slumber was light, and disturbed.
If it slept, it could be let be.
But if it woke...
The light faded, Crystal sweating something chronic. It had only been a small patch of taint, yet the strain for purifying it had been significant, even with Rachael’s help. That’s what the array that Velvet had given her had been for, its use cementing that knowledge in her mind. Well, they’d assumed as much anyway in the first place. Crystal dreaded to think how draining it would be to deal with larger patches. They probably could together, especially if they had more help, but at her current (rather low) aptitude level with her magic there would be limits. She would improve, but it would be better that they didn’t occur in the first instance. Looking over at her lover, Crystal could see that Rachael was in a similar state, the array now also tattooed on the back of her left hand.
“We match now,” Crystal said with a grin as she slumped backwards into a seating position, holding up the back of her hand.
“And here I was hoping for something a little cooler. I wonder if we can make the knowledge of that one internal as well.” Rachael sat down beside her, keeping an eye of the figures on the opposite side of the room. They seemed to have quietened down a little.
Crystal shrugged. She had no clue.
“What is this?” Crystal asked, gesturing to the floor around them.
“Blood magic I would guess, given all the circumstantial evidence. Somehow creating the taint, and bottling it up.”
“But why? And more importantly how? From what I’ve been told, array’s shouldn’t be a thing out here.”
“Yeah, it is rather suspect. Outside influence? Though I doubt it was any of the ancients, even the one it’s connected to.”
On that Crystal agreed. But then what or who had brought the knowledge here.
“You think this operation is still connected to Bowser?” While she hadn’t met him at all, Rachael had had a run in.
“I think it’s highly likely, and Alison seemed dead certain. I suspect that the Sebastian backing is probably just a front.” Rachael then motioned to the pile of bodies. “Bowser likely feels threatened by the touched, and a lot of these appear to be such.”
Crystal didn’t want to look at the bodies to confirm that, but she suspected that Rachael was right. Blood magic would be more powerful if the sacrifices actually had magic right, and while deplorable, she could understand why a channeller could feel threatened by actual magic users, even if they only wielded a tiny fraction of the power that he could. In which case, he certainly would have an issue with them, not to mention the rest of the team as well, with the gifts of potent magic that they all had.
‘I would think that he is blissfully unaware. He won’t be soon.’
“We should wrap up and leave. We learned what we came here for, now we just need to wait for Myne.” Rachael stood up, dusting herself off.
Crystal also stood. “If she can find us, then surely she’ll be able to help us find the others.” Or at the least find Clocky. They had a message to pass on to Myne, but hopefully she stuck around long enough after that so they could regroup. She was also a little apprehensive about meeting her. She didn’t really understand exactly what Velvet now was, and Myne was her lover. All things considered, at the least, she was likely miles beyond them in power.
yes. that she is.
in time that gap will close,
and most will also say the same thing about you two.
Crystal wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to know that. Ignorance is bliss after all.
myne is one of the primals.
with the full growth of her power,
and in her true body,
she is a force of nature,
ignoring her special abilities.
the same was true for velvet.
though now she works on a completely different scale.
at a personal power level though,
they are still peers.
velvet is a very special case,
and a lot rides on her,
and you two as well.
Warrior was being rather talkative again. She did appreciate the info, even if it was terrifying. It was like mortals playing with gods. Though with that analogy, they’d both been stuck in that ever since the anchor temple back in their time. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She’d need to pass that info on to Rachael as well, if Warrior hadn’t already. She still didn’t understand these beings. At times they almost acted... human, well Warrior at the least. There had also been a spark of humanity within the other presence as well, as strange as it seemed.
“Can you put them out of their misery please?” Rachael asked, gazing at the two figures. The black splotches on them were now just a matt black.
Crystal nodded, and walked up to them. She couldn’t tell any longer what they had looked like, other than that they had been people once. She didn’t really want to do it, but she knew it had to be done, and Rachael didn’t have a blade at the moment. That they were no longer human was small consolation.
“We will avenge you. Rest in peace,” she uttered as she summoned her blade.
They had just made it out of the warehouse, closing the door behind them, the sunlight welcome and refreshing, when the sound of galloping horses became audible, moments later a dozen riders swinging in through the gate of the compound. The horses were all sweating heavily, pulling up well before they reached where Crystal and Rachael stood, the lead rider almost thrown off by his mounts sudden halt. He managed to get them to move a little further before the horse stopped again, refusing to advance any further. All were wearing leather armour with long swords strapped to their backs, apart from a couple with some light plate additions as well. They made for shoddy knights.
Crystal recognised the two with the extra armour on, one of whom was at the front. Nobles who had been standing in the middle of the square when they had arrived, along with the lady that had had issue with them the previous morning. That definitely wasn’t a coincidence.
Rachael sighed, looking at the lead riders.
“Yes?” she asked, looking exasperated.
“You will pay for your treatment of Lady Petunia.”
“Really?” A dangerous smile came to Rachael’s lips. “You’ve just charged into another nobles claim, and you’re not worried about their presence, or lack thereof?”
A couple of the riders looked around, including the back noble, alarm suddenly on their face.
“Don’t worry. It looks like they’ve all been dead a week or more now, thanks for caring about your peers. And no, it wasn’t us.”
The same riders gave each other anxious glances.
“More importantly though, you came here to what, kill us or something? Did you not hear what happened at the stables.”
“The Lady is barely hanging on to her life, after your barbaric attack,” the noble stated indignantly. “You will suffer the same fate.”
“She’s going to be fine,” Rachael stated, crossing her arms. “She started it. She knew what she was doing.”
she’s going to be more than just fine
There was something akin to amusement in Warrior’s tone.
“So you’ve rode out here to your deaths for some perceived slight?” Rachael still had that dangerous smile. It suited her a little too well, and Crystal was finding it hard not to just watch her. “Well, probably not perceived,” Rachael then admitted with a slight shrug.
“Were any of you actually there, yesterday morning?” Crystal asked, finally entering the conversation.
“Ah, so the little thief finally speaks up.”
Crystals hackles rose. She walked up to the lead rider till she was just a meter away, and looked up at him, his horse nervous and fidgety.
“You haven’t learnt the lesson from last time,” Crystal said calmly. “Nor do you realise who you are talking to.” She added the last bit without thinking. Like it or not, she did actually have some status. Fortunately almost everyone was unaware of it, and she was happy to have it that way.
“Please just leave before things get worse,” Crystal then added, as nicely as she could, though her instincts were calling for a different outcome.
“No, you will suffer as she has,” the noble stated back, drawing his sword.
“She’s so tiny she’s not even worth @#$&^%^$,” one of the other riders stated lecherously. “Her friend on the other hand...”
The rider never got to finish. Crystal stepped up in front of his horse, giving the loudest growl she could manage. She didn’t know, nor really understand, how she was capable of making the noise, but sure enough it came out, primal and dangerous. The horse reared, throwing the rider off his back before bolting off into the compound.
“Why you little wench...” the man yelled as he stood, drawing his sword.
Crystal walked up to him, summoning her shield. Power flowed through her as she put her strength into the blow, slamming the shield into the man. He flew across the compound, smashing through the wall of one of the wooden buildings. He was fortunate that it hadn’t been one of the older ones.
“Déjà vu it seems,” Crystal said as she stretched her wings, all of the other horses rearing in panic, scattering in all directions, the lucky riders managing to stay on their mounts. Most it appeared were thrown to the ground.
“Demon!” the noble stated, as he stood up, sword held shakily before him.
“Dragon,” Rachael corrected, as she walked up to him. “Just leave, and take that idiot with you as well,” she continued, pointing to the broken wall. “Or stay here, we don’t care. Just cease this nonsense.”
“Die,” the noble stated, swinging at her with his sword.
Rachael’s body glowed slightly, gauntlet appearing on her lower arm as she parried the attack, before she punched him in the guts, doubling him over.
“I won’t hold back the next one,” she stated, then looking amongst the remaining riders. The other noble had remained on his horse, and had managed to turn it around, standing just beside the gate.
“Are you going to continue this stupidity as well?” Rachael asked, approaching him.
Crystal walked with her, letting her magic go, the wings and tail dissipating. She was kind of sad to lose them, she really needed to get to the point where she could summon them at will instead of by accident. More training would be definitely ahead.
He just shook his head.
“Good. The compound is all yours then,” Rachael stated. “Let’s go,” she then added to Crystal.
“Lets.”
A number of the horses had run quite far, now grazing in the grasslands in the distance. It would be a while before they left. Crystal had no idea what state the man was in that she had hit, and this time she didn’t care. It hadn’t been as hard as when she had hit the lady, but his comment had been a lot worse, and she had sensed his desire loud and clear.
“I wonder if they were entirely at fault,” Crystal wondered as they walked back down the road. “Clocky said something about the towns remembering what they once were.”
Rachael shrugged. “Perhaps, but that still doesn’t excuse their actions. And I doubt that they’ve learnt their lesson. I think we’ll probably have the same issue if we ever run into them again.”
“Let’s hope not then.”
They walked in silence for a little bit, before Crystal hopped around in front of Rachael.
“Hmm?” Rachael queried, with a soft smile on her face.
Crystal reached up, giving her a quick kiss. “Yours forever,” she then said.
Rachael responded with another kiss. “Yours too.”
“How many days do you think till she finds us?”
“Hopefully sooner rather than later. Otherwise I guess it’s back to walking down the railway line.”
They definitely wouldn’t be welcoming to them in the town, and as far as Crystal knew there were no other nearby ones. It was either Port Alexis or Brightswater. Both were a long way away. However if they could learn how to fly that would change things completely. They continued to walk along, Crystal enjoying Rachael’s company as she resumed practising with the orbs of light.
It was late afternoon when a large shadow flickered over them, breaking her out of training, Crystal letting the orbs of light dissipate.
‘She’s here.’
A figure hurtled down out of the sky, the ground around them exploding outwards as it impacted, a winged figure wreathed in flame rising out of the crater, it’s immense power unmistakable.
“Daughters of the Dawn...” The voice was sweet and seductive, laden with intent.
The shadow returned, quickly getting very large and engulfing them, strong gusts of wind threatening to blow them off their feet. Crystal watched on in awe as massive silver dragon, something around six stories in height and absolutely dominating everything around it, hovered just behind the figure, somehow less terrifying than it, before it disappeared in a swirl of magic, two other figures dropping down to the ground, one gracefully like a cat, the other not so much, a small draconic creature flying around them.
The human shaped terror walked towards them, the ground burning in her wake, black flames licking at the ground itself. Crystal summoned her armaments, dropping into a defensive stance, Rachael doing the same as her body glowed briefly, wings and tail forming, gauntlets appearing on her hands.
“Confident in spite of the odds, or perhaps just foolish.” The figure then cocked her head in curiosity as the flames started to recede from her, till only wings of flame remained.
“Dragons. True humanoid dragons... I didn’t expect that. I wonder what your blood tastes like...” she licked her lips.
“Not happening lady,” they both hissed in unison.
She just gave them a dangerous smile, fangs on full display. On Rachael such a look was sexy. Here though, it was just terrifying.
The two other figures came around the side of the lady, Crystal recognizing them instantly.
Clocky was looking his usual self, albeit windswept, and Fairweather was looking a bit frazzled. Both smiled happily as they made eye contact with Crystal and Rachael.
That would imply that the figure in front of them was Myne. That was the logical assumption.
it is indeed myne.
Myne stood there confidently with an interesting state of dress that Crystal would have attributed to a superhero character from her age. She wore it well and owned it. Thigh high heels, and something of a bodysuit, black and red, though rather revealing and made from some form of organic material that hugged her perfectly. Perhaps Crystal might have even found her appealing, her body definitely one that would be described as very attractive and sensual, if she didn’t carry such a dominating presence (and she only had eyes for Rachael in the first place, who she’d say was the sexier of the two). She had draconic horns as well, though of a different style to theirs. She certainly wasn’t human any more, that much was obvious, nor even a Feral or the like. So what exactly was she?
the primal magic,
hellfire.
and the first true vampire.
So that meant that vampires had a draconic nature to them?
indeed,
to this point at least,
wrapped up in archaic fundamentals.
like dawn, she has daughters too.
“Hello Myne,” Crystal finally managed, her nervousness evident. “We have a message for you from Velvet.”
Myne blinked, a look of surprise on her face.
“And what makes you sure that it was really her?” she stated, crossing her arms.
“You made her a pair of star seed earrings, that you weren’t able to give her in person, and Silence still sleeps, waiting for her time to be born.” Velvet had expected such a question.
Myne’s expression was still serious, but Crystal was sure that she caught a glint of hope in her eye.
“I’m listening.”
Patreon
Yay, more rich people get beat up❣️
Definitely a sense of deja vu ^^