Corruption is Magic

“Let me get this straight, your corruption has talked to you and you haven’t thought to ask if it’s normal?” Alexander asks as he tosses a guard through the manor’s large wooden door revealing the others ready for our arrival.

“I mean, I figured it was just a part of me that I subconsciously buried.” I say snapping my fingers creating a solid bit of magic in front of us just in time for three bolts to ping off of it.

“You my dear, are smart but also rather stupid.” Alexander laughs, lowering the magical shield I watch as Alexander turns his hand into the staple black tentacle like appendage he uses and he swipes at two approaching Guards who get tossed into the entry hall wall that we stride through. Glancing around I see seven guards on the floor with us holding weapons, then there are four above us on an overhang of the upper floor that peer down on us with crossbows. I would have expected more… must be with the Lord himself. Olvin as I’m looking grunts and growls as his form changes into that of the Troll he was in his shop.

“If you two are done, we have a job to do.” Olvin says leaping forward and bludgeoning a guard close to him against one of the overhangs support pillars with his fist.

“Yes but I would like to know more about this as it is something I’ve not encountered yet.” Alexander explains matter of fact like, as he turns to look at Olvin with his hands on his hip. “My dear, when exactly did you have communication with your corruption?”

Seeing a guard running up to strike Alexander from his back I snap my fingers and fire a projectile at the guard but my magic isn’t as powerful as I had thought required to blast through his helmet, however the shot does cause the guard to stagger and halt his attack. “It was while I was first getting used to it.” I say getting ready to finish the job I started but when I see Alexander give me a wink I stop and watch in confusion as the guard gets ready again to swing and cleaves down but before his weapon can hit Alexander has a tentacle coming out of his back and wrapping it around the attackers weapon looks back to him.

“Do you mind, we are having a conversation?” Alexander asks in an offended manner but never losing his smile. With a swift movement I hear the sound of bone snapping and flesh ripping as the Tentacle rips the guards arms off with sickening speed. “Hm, I’m not sure as Gelfree definitely added many more things to what she got you to drink and I wouldn't be surprised if she got you to drink ale that was spiked with some other effects. What I can say is that it seems your intermingling magic has caused your wellsprings to mix.” Alexander explains as he turns back round just in time to see two more guards facing him weapons out.Not realizing that the crossbow guards are also aiming at him, all four.

Snapping my fingers I throw up a wall and use telekinesis to try to grab the arrows as they fly. Getting two in my magical grip I watch the other two bounce off of my shield. Thank the Goddesses I put that up. Taking the arrows I now have I flick my telekinesis and launch the arrows back to their senders, skewering one's throat and the other's eye. Grimacing at what I have just done I avert my eyes but the sound of a loud bang catches my attention, looking to the sound I see Olvin having punched a guard in to the overhang catches the limp body of said gard and tosses them at another guard causing them to go flying a few feet in to the stairs at the far end of the room that lead to the upper floor.

“What exactly do you mean Alexander?” I ask walking towards Alexander but when my eyes land upon him I see him giving his creepy blacked out eyes stair to the two guards before him, upon the ground between them is a cut off tip of what looks like… a tentacle.

“Sorry my dear… I have some ruffians to put in their place.” Alexander responds smiling from ear to ear. Oh boy… There's gonna be a lot of screaming. I mentally groan as I watch the cut tentacle of Alexanders grow two new tentacles from the severed end of the one like a hydra. Well that’s new. Quickly the two guards are gripped by the tentacles, slowly the tentacles wriggle about slowly getting tighter and tighter leaving their chest and head above the crushing mass of eldritch pressure. It doesn't take long for the screams and cries to start, soon followed by snapping and gurgled agony. “Be happy, for I’m short on time so I shall show you mercy.” Alexander happily says before clenching his tentacles filling the room with visceral sounds of snaps, pops and gushing as blood, meat, and other bodily things impact the ground.

“That’s disgusting.” Olvin says casually as he looks over at Alexander and I with a guard in his hand who looks at us in horror.

“Oh come now. Death is death.” Alexander laughs as he lets the last bit of minced meat fall to the ground with a thud. I feel my stomach threatening to send forth any and all contents it has but I swallow any bile that has gotten into my throat back down. “Now then, onward to the throne room.” Alexander says retracting his tentacle and turning it back into a normal hand of his. “Ah and to answer your question my Dear. Your normal magic and other two kinds have begun to mix into one wellspring. This is just due to you mixing some of the power from either one into spells. It normally happens if a person with magical potential has two. It is possible to keep them separate but one needs to be conscious to not mix them.”

“Alright. Well that doesn't seem to be that bad. It just means I can draw on any kind of magic I want and not worry about what wellspring I draw from.”

“Indeed.” Alexander confirms with a nod as he walks towards the stairs up to the second floor but as he does the sound of snapping wood and a large crash rips through the room making me look up to the crossbowmen. The guard Olvin once was holding is now laid out on top of one of the last Crossbowmen while the last one has dropped his crossbow and holds up his hands. “What shall we do with this one?” Alexander asks me, gesturing over to the surrendering guard.

He is surrendering… though would they have let us live if we surrendered. In this world… I don’t know. “Take him as a prisoner. That way he can’t stab us in the back if we let him go free.” I say as I get to the stairs and head to the second floor following Alexander who snaps his fingers and freezes the guard with magic. Huh, that’s actually a good use for that spell. I used to use it to stop Rainbow from messing up my Library, modified Telekinesis but where the Telekinesis can’t be moved unless the caster allows it.

Walking with Alexander and feeling Olvin’s footsteps behind me we make our way down a large hall on the second floor behind the staircase and come to large reinforced doors that are locked from the inside. “Ah well, it seems they know we have come for our appointment.” Alexander chuckles as he turns to Olvin. “Hemrick, care to get the door?”

“It’s Olvin… you shit.” Olvin growls walking past us as we both back up, readying his hand he slams his first into the door sending cracks through its surface. Grunting he pulls back his fist and sends another blow into the door reducing it to scrap and splinters. The first thing I notice in the room now open to us is the fact there are five guards with better looking weapons and armor flanking the regal man sitting in a chair who looks undisturbed by our arrival.

“Ah, I see our unruly guests have arrived.” The man says, giving us a stern look. Snapping my fingers I form a spear of magic and launch it at the lord but as my magic enters the room it slowly dispels before fully disappearing not even halfway to its target. Anti magic… This is an issue. “I’m sorry dear, you won’t be able to do anything like that. Now how about you and I chat?” The man asks, leaning on to his desk. The lord resembles a human but with pointed ears and pale skin. His emerald green eyes glistening as he looks at me.

“Let me handle him.” I say to the others as I walk into the room, the feeling of the anti magic washing over me. It’s not as powerful as a magic inhibitor ring back in my world but it’s definitely something that throws a wrench in the easy factor of overthrowing this lord.

“Leave us.” The lord says to his guards, getting looks from every single one present as I take a chair that sits in front of his desk. What is this guy thinking? “She has left those two, she tried her best. Now I think I deserve some quality time with her. She of course came all this way and has made this year rather interesting.” The lord chuckles waving a hand to his guards who silently take their leave and I look back to Alexander who simply nods walking away pulling Olvin with him. “Now then, Twilight was it?”

“That’s right… and who are you?”

“Lokir. Lord of this region known as Primal Glow.” The man says looking at me with his hands clasped together on his desk. “You have truly mixed things up this year, I must commend you on making such a quick running start on this warpath you carve.”

“Warpath? I haven’t done such a thi-”

“Don’t try to deny it. Look outside this manor.” The man says, extending a hand to a window in the room. Outside is the city and the conflict going on. “You are leading a revolt and taking authority of my city. I don’t mind and I hadn’t anticipated you would be ready to fight the next day when you declared your desire to become Queen.” Lokir chuckles, bringing his hand back to his desk. “Though you do have good intentions, a rarity these days. Maybe in another life we could have been good friends. However these things happen as they often do.” He says almost remorsefully. “Now, we have a few ways to settle things. I could willingly relinquish my title to you… However I don’t feel inclined to do that. You could surrender and go to the dungeons, you however have come too far to do that I believe.”

Looking to the ground I know what he says is true. I have come too far to not see this all through to the end… the end will justify the means. “We have only one possible solution. Then why ask me to talk?”

“Because I want to ask something of you. When you remake society and this world… don’t lose yourself.” The person happily says but something in what he says resembles… pain. Looking up I see the man smiling to me and something resembling acceptance on his face.

“I won’t lose myself.” I respond, getting a nod from Lokir. The next second I am hit in the face with his desk going airborne. Feeling pain shoot through my muzzle I fall to the floor hearing the desk crash by where the door once was. Shit, fuck… ok, we are going? I shake my head as wetness slowly trickles down my lip. Looking at the man I see him cracking his knuckles as he walks over to me.

“I expect you to use everything you got. Don’t disappoint Ms. Sparkle.” Fuck, he has the upper hand. I need to surprise him… wait, magic! The anti magic in the room is weak. Channeling a surplus of magic into my hands I back away with a worried look on my face but I internally feel glee as Lokir follows me with a disappointed look. “Are you really fleeing? Where is that aura of superiority you had for that public execution?” With enough power for a sizable fireball spell and shield spell prepared in each hand I lay down on the floor and snap my fingers feeling the shield envelop me moments before a flaming ball appears above me and the next second a rippling explosion erupts in the room even though the anti magic eats away at both slowly. Smoke fills the room but as I lay there I hear nothing. Then suddenly a hand shoots through the smoke and breaks my shield like glass and grabs my leg pulling me towards Lokir.

“That’s a neat party trick. I was wondering if you noticed the anti-magic was weak.” Lokir happily says as his face comes down to my face out of the clearing smoke being drawn through the now broken windows.

“You planned it? You wanted me to notice the anti-magic was weak?”

“That’s right, it would have been boring if I didn’t get to see you at your best. Think of the anti-magic being weak as a test.” Lokir responds with a cheeky smile on his lips. Feeling a jolt from him pulling my leg I feel my body get pulled and heaved off the floor and sent careening through the broken window. Oh goddesses, the ground! I scream internally quickly preparing a spell and snapping my fingers, I gather the air between myself and the ground and push it up at myself throwing mein to the air again but a lot less hard into the ground. Hitting the ground I gasp for air as my lungs expel all they had on impact. Coughing I push myself up to my feet. Seeing Lokir leap down to the hard ground below the window he threw me out of, I take a deep breath. “You definitely know how to cast spells quite quickly. However if that’s your only ace then I’m sorry to say-” I cut him off with a swift snap of my fingers, sending a pillar of flame at him from my hands palm.

Dousing him in flame won’t be enough. This guy is something else if he can take that blast… come on Twilight, think. I berate myself as I continue blasting the flames at the man before me who tries to dodge and evade but continues to get pelted with flame. Snapping my other hands fingers to try and grab the man and freeze him but he quickly snaps the magical binds I place on him with minimal effort. Fuck… what can I do? He is physically fighting, he must not have magic… or maybe his magic enhances his physical properties. I can’t waste my magic on a theory though. So then I need to make him lose steam. Having a game plan I stop hitting him with flame to see the man’s arms crossed in front of his face and his clothing burning and scorched. Returning to a standing position he pats out the flames on his clothes and smiles at me. “That’s a good bit of magic you have. You could say…” He says before shooting towards me in a blink of an eye, moving over Twenty feet before I can register. “Your magic has a real punch to it.” I says as his fist connects with my stomach sending me flying backwards and colliding into the wall surrounding the manor. Unable to breath I hit the ground with a desperate gasp for air. This… I can’t win… what… do I do? “This isn’t the little leagues anymore girl. You need to accept that. You can’t win without using everything you got.” Lokir yells over to me as he punches the air. Getting my breaths back I watch him in a daze. “If you can’t fight me, then what chance in hell do you have in facing Vo?”

Vo… that’s right… I said I’d finish him off. Gelfree… I need to save her. Getting to my feet I shakily look at Lokir who smiles at me. “Don’t count me out too soon.” I groan as I whip some drool from my lips. “I have people counting on me.”

“You really are fit to be Queen.” Lokir chuckles, readying his fists, in response I ready my own, causing him to look at me confused but in the end shrugging. If he wants to fight with fists, I’ll play ball but I won’t play fair. He launches towards me in a fraction of a second but this time I’m ready and I dodge to the right and bring my left fist back but feed magic in to my right hand and with a snap of my fingers I swing adding to the density and weight of my hand as it swings. With a powerful and hard wack that echoes through the grounds around the manor I see Lokir go flying but I also feel my bones snapping and ripping flesh. Screaming in pain I dispel my magic and bring my arm to my chest. Blood seeping out of where bone sticks out of my flesh. Fuck… fuck… fuck fuck fucking fuck… It hurts… I hope to the goddesses that did him in. Looking up I see the figure of Lokir getting up from the ground and my heart sinks only to watch as he falls face first back down. Walking over I see blood coming out of the man's mouth and him smiling as he sees me.

“You’re full of surprises.” Lokir gurgles with a pleased look on his face. “I’m happy… now I can rest.” He whispers and I kneel down to him still hugging my arm.

“Why… why did you do all this? You could have joined me.”

“I’ve lived… too long. My wife and child… they’ve been dead in… my world for too long… for me to go back. I’d be a relic of… a bygone age. I became… focused on the pleasures here… I wanted to die an… honorable death… with a sound mind.” Lokir says happily as he looks at me. Lowering my head I snap my fingers and grab him in my magic and slowly roll him to his back, extending my legs I lay his head on my lap.

“I’ll keep you company till the end. I might not be your family but I can give you comfort as it comes.” I quietly say, at first he seems shocked but his face then melts into a happy acceptance as his breathing becomes more rough. This world is cruel enough, I can do this simple kindness for him.