Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.
Chapter 19-Repudiation
Upon returning to the village, Argoth had alerted the guards about the Nim forces nearby and the entire settlement had been thrown into turmoil; soldiers gearing up for battle, mothers ushering their cubs indoors and frenzied activity as the Leonin prepared to defend their village.
Argoth half-dragged his sister back to the family hut where their father had been waiting.
"Alaysia!" he shouted in his gruff voice, placing a protective paw around his daughter. "Are you all right? I've told you not to be wanderin' the Tangle!"
"I'm sorry, Father," she said, giving the old cat an apologetic hug. He shooed her inside and left with Argoth to the outskirts of the village where the Leonin soldiers were anxiously scanning the horizon, awaiting the Nim attack. The Leonin expected the putrid green gas that the Nim exuded to fill their lungs, to wane their waxed warrior hearts, yet the air was still fresh. As the minutes ticked by, the warriors began growing restless. Finally, scouts had been dispatched to investigate. They had promptly returned, announcing there was no sign of the undead.
Rashnak turned to his cub, having confirmed to the wasted effort of their pride.
"You come here crying wolf!" he roared. "We are lions, we have honor to uphold!"
His son, too frightened of his father's anger lowered his ears in submission. A silence came across him, his lips closed as if in a granite grip.
"Father," said Alaysia. She had not been able to bear staying hidden while her brother took the blame. It was time for her to confess the truth. The female was not at all scared of her father. With upstanding shoulders she replied to her father. "I have a gift father; I can use it for the benefit of the pride! I..."
A snarl and a stare that quashed any sense of her enthusiasm was her father's response. He would not believe such nonsense, not without proof. His cubs were playing some childish, and he decided they would grow up fast. His rage only made his voice bellow.
"You lie to the pride, and you are now lying to your father!"
His claws unsheathed, the ebony blades contrasting against his beige fur. Grabbing his son with his paw, the claws piercing the young cub's jacket, he held him close, a row of glistening teeth being thrust upon the young cub's face.
"You ask your sister to tell lies to cover your back!"
There was no chance for response, a small movement from his triceps and his son fell bruised onto the floor of their hut. Squirming, Alaysia couldn't but help to have tears stream down her face, each droplet forming in silver before becoming liquid again and hitting the ground.
Walking up in rage, Rashnak was not finished with his punishment. His mane was full of sweat by his flush of anger. His claw drew back, the paw flexed as if aiming for a perfect cut.
Just as the myriad of organic knives would strike across the cub's leg, they instead bore deep into a steel structure, seemingly to have appeared just in front of him. Rashnak, still thriving on the adrenaline of disappointment turned to his daughter, a line of liquid metal, as if mercury flowed from her sad eyes to the wall.
A blink, and the wall was dissipated, the father in shock could only just recoil his claws, eyes hung low. His son grasping his leg thanking that he still had it. His daughter rocking back and forth, muttering to herself:
"I wouldn't lie to my own father. I wouldn't lie to my own father. I wouldn't..
Ryusei's flaming body undulated over the battlefield as the dragon spirit circled overhead, awaiting its mistress' orders. Its mouth opened in a resonating roar that echoed throughout the ruined city of Melna. Pleasure gazed fearfully at the dragon, trembling under its piercing gaze. Pain noticed her slave's concern and sharply reprimanded her.
"Pay no attention to the dragon, slave!" she snapped "It will not last long."
"Y-yes, mistress," stammered Pleasure, shifting her gaze downward.
"Right then!" said Pain, emphatically thrusting her hand out towards Chiburuu. "Attack the ioqi!" The horror spread its wings and gave a loud screech as it rose into the air and dove at Chiburuu. Its claws gripped onto the Keeper's shoulders and it began beating its wings, slowly lifting Chiburuu off the ground. The Keeper of Blue Mana screamed in pain as the talons dug into his flesh and struggled to free himself from the creature's grasp. In desperation, he ignited some blue mana and slammed the fistful of raw energy into the creature's leg. The horror screeched in pain and dropped Chiburuu, who, instead of plummeting to the ground, slowly floated down like an autumn leaf.
PAIN: 8
CHIBURUU: 14
PLEASURE: 24
EVA: 18
Chiburuu reeled as he felt another spell being wrenched from his psyche. He clutched his head as a sharp pain jolted his brain.
;All these mental attacks…she is planning to take apart my strategy by destroying my mind. If this continues, I'll lose all focus and won't be able to summon. Then Eva will be a sitting duck. I need to take her out as soon as possible. The other yazu (summoner) shouldn't pose a problem once the ghell is taken out. I'll need to plan this carefully, and hope Eva goes along with the plan;
"Now, to get a little backup," said Pain. With a wave of her hand, the ground around her became littered with freshly-dug graves, the shovels still lying beside the mounds of earth that represented the final resting place of the beings that had perished from some unknown cause.
;Obviously Zombie Infestation;
Calling upon his mana, Chiburuu channeled the blue hue, now flowing around his hands into a shadowy figure; a swirling blue portal…
"What is this?" asked Pain, nervously staring at the pulsating figure.
"Oh, I won't tell you," snickered Chiburuu. "I'll just keep you in suspense." He nodded to Pleasure to indicate it was her turn.
The summoner's body glowed white briefly, indicating another Life Burst as her vital energy surged once more.
PAIN: 8
CHIBURUU: 14
PLEASURE: 32
EVA: 18
Pleasure held out her hand and a small orb of white light appeared in it, pulsating gently, as if the light had a heartbeat. Suddenly, two pairs of hands burst out of the ground around Pain as two zombies extracted themselves from their earthly graves. The orb in Pleasure's hands grew larger, pulsating more rapidly and suddenly shot across the field, hitting Eva in the chest. The Keeper gasped as she felt herself being pumped full of energy.
"How do you like my slave's gift?" asked Pain. "Of course, by now you know that in our world, nothing comes free." Her hands glowed black and Eva felt a coldness grip her. She fell to the ground, clutching her chest in pain as the sudden rush of energy she had experienced reversed itself, seemingly sucking the life out of her. She gasped, struggling to catch her breath.
"Help…" she managed to gasp, turning to Chiburuu with pleading eyes.
;Do something!;
;Why
;She's dying! That was a False Cure!;
;I see no reason to waste my mana helping her;
;Well, if you won't, I sure as Hell will!;
"Not so fast!" said Charles, with a wave of his hand. Eva immediately felt the pressure in her chest diminish and felt incredible revitalized.
PAIN: 8
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 32
EVA: 38
"What took you so long?" growled Eva.
"Sorry, Eva, but Chiburuu wasn't going to help you," said Charles. "I had to step in."
"He was just going to let me die?" asked Eva in disbelief.
;Were you going to let her die?;
;I knew you wouldn't;
;You…you can't just play with her life like this!;
;Cannon, you logic-less, pathetic minded sack of emotions. Just get on with the fucking duel;
"Right, you bitch!" said Eva, snarling at Pain "You tried to kill me. Allow me to return the favor. Ryusei, attack!"
The legendary dragon reared up, its mighty jaws opening in a sinister roar. The flames dancing along the dragon's spine receded, becoming little more than flickering specks as all the fire in the dragon's body seemed to be drawn to its head in preparation for the attack. As Eva channeled more mana into the dragon, it became enraged towards the summoner who had tried to kill its mistress. In a violent deflagration, the dragon belched a torrent of flames at Pain, the yazu disappearing among the flames. Pleasure recoiled from the intense heat, gazing in horror at where her mistress had stood. As the flames cleared, only charred stone remained where Pain had once stood.
PAIN: 0
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 32
EVA: 38
"NO!" screamed Pleasure, collapsing to her knees. "Mistress!"
The blue portal beside Charles flashed briefly, the figure solidifying as it continued to enter the physical realm.
"Eye of the Storm," said Charles, the swirling vortex with its red eye once again appearing behind him. "You may as well surrender now," he added, to Pleasure.
"N-No!" she sobbed. "Y-You killed her!" Still sobbing, she extended her hand, a white mist flowing from it and surrounding the Eye.
"Will you never learn?" sighed Charles, countering the spell.
Glaring hatefully at Eva, Pleasure's mana flowed around her, the mana separating into individual strands and forming a large web around the summoner. As Pleasure cast her next spell, wooden poles shot out of the ground. A thick mesh of netting appeared between them, forming an impenetrable barrier.
;Wall of Nets (0/7) and a Sunweb (5/6, Flying)? We've got her on the defensive now. She won't last long;
"Eva, ladies first," said Charles.
"With pleasure," snarled Eva, as the ground around her became even more blackened and scorched. "Ryusei, attack!" The dragon reared up again, but its flaming breath was blocked by the Sunweb as the netting moved to protect Pleasure. "More!" said Eva, casting a Brute Force on her dragon. The flames grew stronger, the web finally breaking apart under the fury of the dragon's attack. "Now let me show you the power of a Keeper!" said Eva. "The power of a demon!"
Closing her eyes, Eva focused on her g'imu, feeling the emotions her red mana encompassed. Anger, fear, hatred; all the emotions she always struggled to keep in check for Arrathir's sake. Now, she relished in these emotions, as they coursed through her mind. She could feel her demon awakening, feeding off her emotions. Whereas she usually repressed the demon, this time, she opened her mind to it, feeling the raw power flowing through her body. Nine gigantic flames appeared behind Eva, like nine fiery tails. Eva's eyes turned bright red as her mana swirled around her, the tails thrashing about behind her. Eva snarled at Pleasure, her tails fanning out, like the flaming plumage of a peafowl. Suddenly, Eva pivoted her hips towards Pleasure and the fiery tails lashed out at her, whipping across her body. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 24
EVA: 38
"You…you…" gasped Pleasure, struggling to her feet. "You will pay! All of you! The One will avenge Mistress Pain's death!"
"Why doesn't he just come face us himself?" sneered Eva. "Quit sending his cronies after us."
"The One has his reasons for everything," said Pleasure. "If he wishes me to die for him, I will gladly do so, but I will not forgive you for Mistress Pain's death!" Pleasure's body began glowing bright white, the light intensifying until the Keepers had to shield their eyes.
"Charles, whatever she's doing, stop it!" said Eva.
"Right," said Charles. He raised his hands above his head and a flickering ring of red light appeared between them. The lights began to spin, seeming to draw the white light to them. The blinding light soon diminished and soon, was no more. "Eva, finish the bitch off," he sneered as Pleasure looked about in confusion. "Use the Eye."
Dark clouds gathered over Pleasure's head as thunder rumbled. A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and struck the summoner, knocking her to the ground. At the same time, the Eye pulsed as a second bolt of lightning struck it.
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 21
EVA: 38
"Hurts, doesn't it?" sneered Eva. "I'm not even done yet!" The ground around Pleasure exploded in flames. She screamed in pain as the fire burned her body cruelly. As Pleasure writhed in agony, flames shot up around the eye, which again pulsed and absorbed the flames in the swirling vortex. "Now the Eye's power activates!" said Eva "When a spell is played, the Eye sees the spell and absorbs its mana. When another spell is played, the Eye can release all the spells it has previously absorbed, so take another Lightning Bolt!" An electrical arc shot from the Eye, hitting Pleasure squarely in the chest. She stumbled back, shocked and still in pain from the fire.
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 15
EVA: 38
"And take this!" screamed Eva, feeling the adrenaline pumping in her ears. Somehow, inflicting all this pain to the summer before her brought her satisfaction. She relished in hearing her scream in pain as her spells ravaged her body. "Ryusei, attack!" commanded Eva. "Enrage again!" The dragon spewed another jet of flames at Pleasure, who was by now writhing on the ground in pain as more fire consumed her body.
As she was about to unleash her final attack, Eva realized she held the girl's life in her hands. She knew that with another attack, she could kill her. The feeling of having so much power over an individual excited Eva. This must be what being a Keeper was about: the ability to play with people's lives, as if they were pawns in a game; a game Eva was determined to win. The lightning bolt arced from the eye, causing Pleasure's body to convulse a final time before she lay still.
CHARLES: 14
PLEASURE: 0
EVA: 38
"Yeah!" shouted Eva, pumping her fist in victory. "Take that, you bitch!"
"Eva, she's dead," said Charles "Why does this make you happy?"
"I just know that bastard was watching the fight," said Eva "Up until now, I've been afraid of him, but we've got to show him he can't intimidate us."
"Did you take pleasure in killing them?" asked Charles.
Eva paused. "Yes," she finally said. "It is them or us, and I don't intend to die easily."
"Well, it's over now," said Charles. "Let's find the others and get the Hell out of here. There's nothing more we can learn here."
"I agree," said Eva. "Wait," she added, as Charles began walking away. "I almost forgot Mira. Hang on, I'll go find her."
Charles nodded and Eva jumped down from the roof, going into the building where Mira had vanished.
;Cannon! Look out!;
Charles' sixth sense barely managed to warn him and he instinctively moved out of the way, narrowly avoiding a large piece of rubble that had been thrown at him. As he looked about, searching for the origin of the attack, he was hoisted to his feet and found himself face-to-face with a furious Arrathir.
"I am going to kill you," he snarled.
To be continued…
Author's note: I'm back. Yay? Props to Glen for the combo concept. Note that I did change the rating to 'M', as I feel the past few chapters have warranted it.