Chapter 254: Wonderful
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 254: Wonderful
Tala looked at Be-thric, kneeling in his final moments, acidic power flowing off of him in waves.
She had made her choice: she would seize her freedom or die trying.
It was time to finish this.
He looked towards her, heaving great gasps of air.
The smallest smile, filled with pride and self-satisfaction, pulled at his lips despite his pain. Well done. He coughed, grimacing in an obvious attempt to focus. I dont have the strength to call for aid. Go for help. Theres still plenty of time.
His voice was barely above a whisper. Without her enhanced hearing, shed not have understood him at all. Even so, she walked forward.
Should I just let him die? Her mirrored perspective was sweeping the hold around herself. She was now certain no one was watching, and no one was observing.
-Thats too risky. Someone could arrive at any moment. We cant leave this to chance.-
Anything I do will carry the signature of my magic. I cant blow of his head, or stab him with Flow Dissolution. Its close enough to acid that it should simply work together to end him.
His smile grew, even as his pain also multiplied. Ill be fine,he coughed up a wad of blood and spat it to the sideif you go now.
Tala could see the Pillars armor waging an all-out war against the corrosive magics even as it tried to heal him. But the Pillar of the House of the Acidic Tide had known her magics.
Be-thric was dying,his aura slowly sliding down the color scale to her magesight.
Do I risk his survival? The very act of asking herself that question solidified her choice. No. He dies now.
Be-thric frowned, glancing around in confusion.
Rust. Hes sensing my lethal intent.
But he wasnt focused on her.
Hes too disoriented, and theres too many enemies nearby.
This really would be her last, best chance.
It was now or never.
Dont be aggressive. Move close like Im going to check on him.
Tala moved towards him, trying to project uncertainty, as he knelt on the ground.
An almost rueful smile pulled at his onyx features, exposing blood-covered, too-white teeth. At leastcoughAt least call for help, my Eskau.
Perfect. That lets me take a deep breath without being suspicious. She slowly nodded, taking in that deep breath.
-You are overthinking this, and taking far, far too long.-
Confusion slowly built across Be-thrics features.
Come on, come on! She pulled more power into her lungs, faster than she ever had before.
He frowned and opened his mouth, seeming to be about to ask something.
Now or never! She exhaled in a tight stream, dumping dissolution power over his exposed head and down into his armor, using her aura control and will power to keep the power contained and directed.
His eyes widened even as they began to melt away.
Tala watched the magics mix within the mostly contained space around his flesh. They were close enough to one another to not clash too much.
The balance was instantly tipped, and his death became instantly inevitable.
Good. His death should be too fast for him to process whats happening, let alone react.
She smiled, his eyes already unable to see her triumph.
His mouth moved, but was too far gone for anything but a garbled grunt to escape.
At that moment, one of her mirrored perspectives picked Thron coming into view. He didnt see, did he? What is he going to think is happening?
Then, as Be-thrics body utterly turned to a homogenous gloop, Tala felt a wisp of will-power reach out through her aura.
What? No! The dissolution should have been fast enough. There was no reason he should have been able to react. It had been less than a heartbeat since shed exhaled.
-Hes a master of mind magic.- Alats internal voice was filled with self-recrimination. -If we can think faster than average, imagine what is he capable of.-
The totality of Be-thrics remaining magical weight, guided by long-honed skill, slammed through her attempts to deny him.
Even as the will-born command extended towards the collar, her hands shot upward, faster than thought, and she strained with all her might, mirroring void from Flow into the armor over her hands.
It did nothing.
Rust.
His will connected with the collar.
As the command connected, two spikes slammed into her neck, and she felt the briefest moment of wrongness even beyond the gaping wounds in her neck.
Then nothing.
The spikes retracted, and her wounds healed over.
What? Id thought that
Agony like nothing she had ever experienced seized her entire body.
The first of her spell-lines were being subsumed, and that was how Tala learned a very interesting thing.
Dasgannach-controlled material was somehow different from the mundane variety.
Why did that matter?
Because different materials required different spell-forms to perform the same function.
Her spell-lines, sweeping outward, away from the point of injection, were becoming wrong, and one by one, they were stuttering and failing. For some reason, the dasgannach seemed to be ignoring her back for the moment, but that was small comfort.
-Tala?- The panic in the alternate interfaces voice struck at Talas very core. -Tala! Whats-
Alats voice cut off abruptly.
The inscriptions which formed her foundations were now wrong, the basis of her existence was gone.
Alat ceased.
Alat? Alat! Tala screamed internally, even as she felt more and more of her inscriptions going off-kilter.
Thankfully, she had no idea what they should do now, so she wasnt firing off random magics; her intent wasnt in alignment with the workings so they couldnt activate.
What it did mean was that her magics were being obliterated one by one, her magesight stripped away, her enhancements gone.
There were some lingering remnants, because her natural magics had become more and more imprinted with her particular workings, but it was nothing compared to what she was losing.
With that change, the armor generated by her elk-leathers was too heavy, too stifling, so she dismissed it, feeling the acidic air tingling against her skin.
Blessedly, the magics had dissipated enough that it was uncomfortable rather than damaging.
Focus Tala, focus!
She ground her teeth and focused outward.
When did I fall on the ground?
She was writhing, her hands locked around the collar that had already delivered its deadly load.
A moment later, it clicked open, falling into two halves.
She was free.
Free to die.
A scream finally tore free from her, and she spasmed, the collar halves being tossed aside in the uncontrolled motions.
No. I cant die like this. That rusting bit of slag is finally dead. There is no way Im joining him in death. Shed known this was a possibility, but she still refused to accept it.
MINE.
Tala didnt want to die.
Shed just killed her tormenter; she wanted to revel in that victory for a decade or two, at least.
It would be so convenient if I could just bond the stupid thing, but it wont bond. What had Noelle said? It wont bond even if the star is forged in its preferred material.
Tala froze, stiffening with realization.
The dasgannach was finished with her right arm and beginning to extend its influence down her left arm, its final conquest.
It wont eat an Archon star. Even if its in the right medium.
The influence reached her elbow.
It wont leave until its claimed all of its preferred material.
Desperately, Tala fumbled, feeling like she was trying to thread a needle in the dark while wearing mittens.
Without her keystone, her magic was hard to control.
Without her magesight, it was difficult to tell what was going on.
That didnt matter. She had to succeed.
The dasgannachs authority passed her left wrist.
Come on.
Come on.
COME ON!
She threw all that she had at the problem, desperation clawing at the bedrock of long practice, filling in the gaps where shed always relied on her inscriptions.
Each of her fingers was subsumed, one by one.
There!
With two fingers' worth of iron left, Tala formed the weakest Archon star she could manage, continuing to add power to it as slowly as she could.
The dasgannach finished claiming all the iron in those last two fingers, in her entire body, except that within the Archon star.
Victory!
For a long moment, nothing happened.
She honestly hadnt expected anything to happen.
So, not victory, just a temporary stalemate The horrible feeling of slowly being taken over had passed. The damage was done; there was nothing left to lose to the dasgannachs authority.
Once again, Tala felt the primal, unthinking intent of the thing vibrate through her whole body.
STOP. MINE!
Tala did her best to growl back, No. Mine.
Her entire body began to shudder as the iron within her trembled.
She vomited again, heaving until her abdomen ached and her stomach was long since empty.
MINE! Again, it wasnt a word, nor did it come from a mind, but it was utterly clear, nonetheless.
Then take it. I offer it to you freely.
There was no response.
Tala began to giggle maniacally. I thought not. Youre welcome to it, whenever you want.
Still, nothing happened.
After what seemed like an eternity, her star ever so slowly gaining in power, she was able to return her focus to the outside world.
I cant keep this up forever. When the star reaches capacity, it will be ejected from my body, and then I will die.
Still, shed bought herself at least a few days to find a better solution.
Unfortunately, while the Archon star was taking up a small bit of power flowing through her gate, the majority had nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Thankfully, Kit was there, and so Tala directed all the excess into her sanctum.
She honestly didnt know what she would do without Kit being there to take in her power. Just venting it outward would benot ideal.
Still, the problem was solved for the moment, so she slowly opened her eyes.
She focused on her surroundings and stiffened.
Arcanes surrounded her, many holding clearly magical devices pointed her way, and they were discussing something among themselves.
They were the defenders of the hold, and they were likely examining her to determine what was wrong with her.
Or, more likely, how Im alive.
Lacking her hearing enhancements, she had no way of knowing what they were saying.
Pallaun was frowning as he watched her, but as such, he noticed her move. Shes awake.
He stepped forward and gingerly placed a magical band over her head, careful to not touch any part of her.
The band immediately tightened down over her mouth.
You will not speak until judgment is reached. If you give us cause, you will be immediately executed. You remember, thats how these things are handled. Its a formality. We'll get this off of you as soon as we can. We will not bind your hands. Nod if you understand.
She nodded, still having trouble focusing, and Pallaun seemed to have noticed that, if his overwrought explanations were any indication.
Pull your bloodstars back in your belt.
She did so, moving them all into their holsters held across the back of her hips.
Good. You will stand and follow. You will not come within arms reach of anyone else, nor will you attempt to touch anyone else. Nod if you understand.
She nodded. The dasgannach. They can somehow tell that its still in me, and they are concerned about it jumping into someone else.
Tala slowly got to her feet, feeling incredibly unsteady.
No one tried to help her.
No one dared come close.
Meallain was kneeling next to Be-thrics armor, tears pouring down her face, muttering something that Tala had no hope of hearing without enhanced senses.
Thron was watching Tala with evident concern, his eyes occasionally flicking to the now empty armor, which had only recently held Be-thric and the Eskau weeping over it.
I wonder what hes thinking.
Shed likely find out soon enough. Pallaun had spoken of a judgment. That meant a trial.
Wonderful. Im going to be put on trial. Well done, not implicating yourself in Be-thrics death, Tala. Really, really well done.
She hesitated, and it took her a moment to realize that she was awaiting Alats response. It would have been a marginally insulting jab, meant to pull her out of her dour mood.
It never came.
As Tala followed the victors of the House of Blood, her eyes started to fill with tears.
Soon, her shoulders were shaking due to great, uncontrollable sobs.
She was alone, utterly and completely alone once again.
Tala, human Mage, captured, enslaved, raised up as Eskau, and slayer of her Pillar, walked alone among members of her former House, utterly oblivious of their attention.
She was dying, despite everything, and she likely wouldnt be given an opportunity to find a solution.
Even so, all that she could do was mourn the loss of a snarky voice that should have been within her own mind.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 254: Wonderful
Tala looked at Be-thric, kneeling in his final moments, acidic power flowing off of him in waves.
She had made her choice: she would seize her freedom or die trying.
It was time to finish this.
He looked towards her, heaving great gasps of air.
The smallest smile, filled with pride and self-satisfaction, pulled at his lips despite his pain. Well done. He coughed, grimacing in an obvious attempt to focus. I dont have the strength to call for aid. Go for help. Theres still plenty of time.
His voice was barely above a whisper. Without her enhanced hearing, shed not have understood him at all. Even so, she walked forward.
Should I just let him die? Her mirrored perspective was sweeping the hold around herself. She was now certain no one was watching, and no one was observing.
-Thats too risky. Someone could arrive at any moment. We cant leave this to chance.-
Anything I do will carry the signature of my magic. I cant blow of his head, or stab him with Flow Dissolution. Its close enough to acid that it should simply work together to end him.
His smile grew, even as his pain also multiplied. Ill be fine,he coughed up a wad of blood and spat it to the sideif you go now.
Tala could see the Pillars armor waging an all-out war against the corrosive magics even as it tried to heal him. But the Pillar of the House of the Acidic Tide had known her magics.
Be-thric was dying,his aura slowly sliding down the color scale to her magesight.
Do I risk his survival? The very act of asking herself that question solidified her choice. No. He dies now.
Be-thric frowned, glancing around in confusion.
Rust. Hes sensing my lethal intent.
But he wasnt focused on her.
Hes too disoriented, and theres too many enemies nearby.
This really would be her last, best chance.
It was now or never.
Dont be aggressive. Move close like Im going to check on him.
Tala moved towards him, trying to project uncertainty, as he knelt on the ground.
An almost rueful smile pulled at his onyx features, exposing blood-covered, too-white teeth. At leastcoughAt least call for help, my Eskau.
Perfect. That lets me take a deep breath without being suspicious. She slowly nodded, taking in that deep breath.
-You are overthinking this, and taking far, far too long.-
Confusion slowly built across Be-thrics features.
Come on, come on! She pulled more power into her lungs, faster than she ever had before.
He frowned and opened his mouth, seeming to be about to ask something.
Now or never! She exhaled in a tight stream, dumping dissolution power over his exposed head and down into his armor, using her aura control and will power to keep the power contained and directed.
His eyes widened even as they began to melt away.
Tala watched the magics mix within the mostly contained space around his flesh. They were close enough to one another to not clash too much.
The balance was instantly tipped, and his death became instantly inevitable.
Good. His death should be too fast for him to process whats happening, let alone react.
She smiled, his eyes already unable to see her triumph.
His mouth moved, but was too far gone for anything but a garbled grunt to escape.
At that moment, one of her mirrored perspectives picked Thron coming into view. He didnt see, did he? What is he going to think is happening?
Then, as Be-thrics body utterly turned to a homogenous gloop, Tala felt a wisp of will-power reach out through her aura.
What? No! The dissolution should have been fast enough. There was no reason he should have been able to react. It had been less than a heartbeat since shed exhaled.
-Hes a master of mind magic.- Alats internal voice was filled with self-recrimination. -If we can think faster than average, imagine what is he capable of.-
The totality of Be-thrics remaining magical weight, guided by long-honed skill, slammed through her attempts to deny him.
Even as the will-born command extended towards the collar, her hands shot upward, faster than thought, and she strained with all her might, mirroring void from Flow into the armor over her hands.
It did nothing.
Rust.
His will connected with the collar.
As the command connected, two spikes slammed into her neck, and she felt the briefest moment of wrongness even beyond the gaping wounds in her neck.
Then nothing.
The spikes retracted, and her wounds healed over.
What? Id thought that
Agony like nothing she had ever experienced seized her entire body.
The first of her spell-lines were being subsumed, and that was how Tala learned a very interesting thing.
Dasgannach-controlled material was somehow different from the mundane variety.
Why did that matter?
Because different materials required different spell-forms to perform the same function.
Her spell-lines, sweeping outward, away from the point of injection, were becoming wrong, and one by one, they were stuttering and failing. For some reason, the dasgannach seemed to be ignoring her back for the moment, but that was small comfort.
-Tala?- The panic in the alternate interfaces voice struck at Talas very core. -Tala! Whats-
Alats voice cut off abruptly.
The inscriptions which formed her foundations were now wrong, the basis of her existence was gone.
Alat ceased.
Alat? Alat! Tala screamed internally, even as she felt more and more of her inscriptions going off-kilter.
Thankfully, she had no idea what they should do now, so she wasnt firing off random magics; her intent wasnt in alignment with the workings so they couldnt activate.
What it did mean was that her magics were being obliterated one by one, her magesight stripped away, her enhancements gone.
There were some lingering remnants, because her natural magics had become more and more imprinted with her particular workings, but it was nothing compared to what she was losing.
With that change, the armor generated by her elk-leathers was too heavy, too stifling, so she dismissed it, feeling the acidic air tingling against her skin.
Blessedly, the magics had dissipated enough that it was uncomfortable rather than damaging.
Focus Tala, focus!
She ground her teeth and focused outward.
When did I fall on the ground?
She was writhing, her hands locked around the collar that had already delivered its deadly load.
A moment later, it clicked open, falling into two halves.
She was free.
Free to die.
A scream finally tore free from her, and she spasmed, the collar halves being tossed aside in the uncontrolled motions.
No. I cant die like this. That rusting bit of slag is finally dead. There is no way Im joining him in death. Shed known this was a possibility, but she still refused to accept it.
MINE.
Tala didnt want to die.
Shed just killed her tormenter; she wanted to revel in that victory for a decade or two, at least.
It would be so convenient if I could just bond the stupid thing, but it wont bond. What had Noelle said? It wont bond even if the star is forged in its preferred material.
Tala froze, stiffening with realization.
The dasgannach was finished with her right arm and beginning to extend its influence down her left arm, its final conquest.
It wont eat an Archon star. Even if its in the right medium.
The influence reached her elbow.
It wont leave until its claimed all of its preferred material.
Desperately, Tala fumbled, feeling like she was trying to thread a needle in the dark while wearing mittens.
Without her keystone, her magic was hard to control.
Without her magesight, it was difficult to tell what was going on.
That didnt matter. She had to succeed.
The dasgannachs authority passed her left wrist.
Come on.
Come on.
COME ON!
She threw all that she had at the problem, desperation clawing at the bedrock of long practice, filling in the gaps where shed always relied on her inscriptions.
Each of her fingers was subsumed, one by one.
There!
With two fingers' worth of iron left, Tala formed the weakest Archon star she could manage, continuing to add power to it as slowly as she could.
The dasgannach finished claiming all the iron in those last two fingers, in her entire body, except that within the Archon star.
Victory!
For a long moment, nothing happened.
She honestly hadnt expected anything to happen.
So, not victory, just a temporary stalemate The horrible feeling of slowly being taken over had passed. The damage was done; there was nothing left to lose to the dasgannachs authority.
Once again, Tala felt the primal, unthinking intent of the thing vibrate through her whole body.
STOP. MINE!
Tala did her best to growl back, No. Mine.
Her entire body began to shudder as the iron within her trembled.
She vomited again, heaving until her abdomen ached and her stomach was long since empty.
MINE! Again, it wasnt a word, nor did it come from a mind, but it was utterly clear, nonetheless.
Then take it. I offer it to you freely.
There was no response.
Tala began to giggle maniacally. I thought not. Youre welcome to it, whenever you want.
Still, nothing happened.
After what seemed like an eternity, her star ever so slowly gaining in power, she was able to return her focus to the outside world.
I cant keep this up forever. When the star reaches capacity, it will be ejected from my body, and then I will die.
Still, shed bought herself at least a few days to find a better solution.
Unfortunately, while the Archon star was taking up a small bit of power flowing through her gate, the majority had nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Thankfully, Kit was there, and so Tala directed all the excess into her sanctum.
She honestly didnt know what she would do without Kit being there to take in her power. Just venting it outward would benot ideal.
Still, the problem was solved for the moment, so she slowly opened her eyes.
She focused on her surroundings and stiffened.
Arcanes surrounded her, many holding clearly magical devices pointed her way, and they were discussing something among themselves.
They were the defenders of the hold, and they were likely examining her to determine what was wrong with her.
Or, more likely, how Im alive.
Lacking her hearing enhancements, she had no way of knowing what they were saying.
Pallaun was frowning as he watched her, but as such, he noticed her move. Shes awake.
He stepped forward and gingerly placed a magical band over her head, careful to not touch any part of her.
The band immediately tightened down over her mouth.
You will not speak until judgment is reached. If you give us cause, you will be immediately executed. You remember, thats how these things are handled. Its a formality. We'll get this off of you as soon as we can. We will not bind your hands. Nod if you understand.
She nodded, still having trouble focusing, and Pallaun seemed to have noticed that, if his overwrought explanations were any indication.
Pull your bloodstars back in your belt.
She did so, moving them all into their holsters held across the back of her hips.
Good. You will stand and follow. You will not come within arms reach of anyone else, nor will you attempt to touch anyone else. Nod if you understand.
She nodded. The dasgannach. They can somehow tell that its still in me, and they are concerned about it jumping into someone else.
Tala slowly got to her feet, feeling incredibly unsteady.
No one tried to help her.
No one dared come close.
Meallain was kneeling next to Be-thrics armor, tears pouring down her face, muttering something that Tala had no hope of hearing without enhanced senses.
Thron was watching Tala with evident concern, his eyes occasionally flicking to the now empty armor, which had only recently held Be-thric and the Eskau weeping over it.
I wonder what hes thinking.
Shed likely find out soon enough. Pallaun had spoken of a judgment. That meant a trial.
Wonderful. Im going to be put on trial. Well done, not implicating yourself in Be-thrics death, Tala. Really, really well done.
She hesitated, and it took her a moment to realize that she was awaiting Alats response. It would have been a marginally insulting jab, meant to pull her out of her dour mood.
It never came.
As Tala followed the victors of the House of Blood, her eyes started to fill with tears.
Soon, her shoulders were shaking due to great, uncontrollable sobs.
She was alone, utterly and completely alone once again.
Tala, human Mage, captured, enslaved, raised up as Eskau, and slayer of her Pillar, walked alone among members of her former House, utterly oblivious of their attention.
She was dying, despite everything, and she likely wouldnt be given an opportunity to find a solution.
Even so, all that she could do was mourn the loss of a snarky voice that should have been within her own mind.
Chapter 254: WonderfulTala looked at Be-thric, kneeling in his final moments, acidic power flowing off of him in waves.She had made her choice: she would seize her freedom or die trying.It was time to finish this.He looked towards her, heaving great gasps of air.The smallest smile, filled with pride and self-satisfaction, pulled at his lips despite his pain. Well done. He coughed, grimacing in an obvious attempt to focus. I dont have the strength to call for aid. Go for help. Theres still plenty of time.His voice was barely above a whisper. Without her enhanced hearing, shed not have understood him at all. Even so, she walked forward.Should I just let him die? Her mirrored perspective was sweeping the hold around herself. She was now certain no one was watching, and no one was observing.-Thats too risky. Someone could arrive at any moment. We cant leave this to chance.-Anything I do will carry the signature of my magic. I cant blow of his head, or stab him with Flow Dissolution. Its close enough to acid that it should simply work together to end him.His smile grew, even as his pain also multiplied. Ill be fine,he coughed up a wad of blood and spat it to the sideif you go now.Tala could see the Pillars armor waging an all-out war against the corrosive magics even as it tried to heal him. But the Pillar of the House of the Acidic Tide had known her magics.Be-thric was dying,his aura slowly sliding down the color scale to her magesight.Do I risk his survival? The very act of asking herself that question solidified her choice. No. He dies now.Be-thric frowned, glancing around in confusion.Rust. Hes sensing my lethal intent.But he wasnt focused on her.Hes too disoriented, and theres too many enemies nearby.This really would be her last, best chance.It was now or never.Dont be aggressive. Move close like Im going to check on him.Tala moved towards him, trying to project uncertainty, as he knelt on the ground.An almost rueful smile pulled at his onyx features, exposing blood-covered, too-white teeth. At leastcoughAt least call for help, my Eskau.Perfect. That lets me take a deep breath without being suspicious. She slowly nodded, taking in that deep breath.-You are overthinking this, and taking far, far too long.-Confusion slowly built across Be-thrics features.Come on, come on! She pulled more power into her lungs, faster than she ever had before.He frowned and opened his mouth, seeming to be about to ask something.Now or never! She exhaled in a tight stream, dumping dissolution power over his exposed head and down into his armor, using her aura control and will power to keep the power contained and directed.His eyes widened even as they began to melt away.Tala watched the magics mix within the mostly contained space around his flesh. They were close enough to one another to not clash too much.The balance was instantly tipped, and his death became instantly inevitable.Good. His death should be too fast for him to process whats happening, let alone react.She smiled, his eyes already unable to see her triumph.His mouth moved, but was too far gone for anything but a garbled grunt to escape.At that moment, one of her mirrored perspectives picked Thron coming into view. He didnt see, did he? What is he going to think is happening?Then, as Be-thrics body utterly turned to a homogenous gloop, Tala felt a wisp of will-power reach out through her aura.What? No! The dissolution should have been fast enough. There was no reason he should have been able to react. It had been less than a heartbeat since shed exhaled.-Hes a master of mind magic.- Alats internal voice was filled with self-recrimination. -If we can think faster than average, imagine what is he capable of.-The totality of Be-thrics remaining magical weight, guided by long-honed skill, slammed through her attempts to deny him.Even as the will-born command extended towards the collar, her hands shot upward, faster than thought, and she strained with all her might, mirroring void from Flow into the armor over her hands.It did nothing.Rust.His will connected with the collar.As the command connected, two spikes slammed into her neck, and she felt the briefest moment of wrongness even beyond the gaping wounds in her neck.Then nothing.The spikes retracted, and her wounds healed over.What? Id thought thatAgony like nothing she had ever experienced seized her entire body.The first of her spell-lines were being subsumed, and that was how Tala learned a very interesting thing.Dasgannach-controlled material was somehow different from the mundane variety.Why did that matter?Because different materials required different spell-forms to perform the same function.Her spell-lines, sweeping outward, away from the point of injection, were becoming wrong, and one by one, they were stuttering and failing. For some reason, the dasgannach seemed to be ignoring her back for the moment, but that was small comfort.-Tala?- The panic in the alternate interfaces voice struck at Talas very core. -Tala! Whats-Alats voice cut off abruptly.The inscriptions which formed her foundations were now wrong, the basis of her existence was gone.Alat ceased.Alat? Alat! Tala screamed internally, even as she felt more and more of her inscriptions going off-kilter.Thankfully, she had no idea what they should do now, so she wasnt firing off random magics; her intent wasnt in alignment with the workings so they couldnt activate.What it did mean was that her magics were being obliterated one by one, her magesight stripped away, her enhancements gone.There were some lingering remnants, because her natural magics had become more and more imprinted with her particular workings, but it was nothing compared to what she was losing.With that change, the armor generated by her elk-leathers was too heavy, too stifling, so she dismissed it, feeling the acidic air tingling against her skin.Blessedly, the magics had dissipated enough that it was uncomfortable rather than damaging.Focus Tala, focus!She ground her teeth and focused outward.When did I fall on the ground?She was writhing, her hands locked around the collar that had already delivered its deadly load.A moment later, it clicked open, falling into two halves.She was free.Free to die.A scream finally tore free from her, and she spasmed, the collar halves being tossed aside in the uncontrolled motions.No. I cant die like this. That rusting bit of slag is finally dead. There is no way Im joining him in death. Shed known this was a possibility, but she still refused to accept it. MINE.Tala didnt want to die.Shed just killed her tormenter; she wanted to revel in that victory for a decade or two, at least.It would be so convenient if I could just bond the stupid thing, but it wont bond. What had Noelle said? It wont bond even if the star is forged in its preferred material.Tala froze, stiffening with realization.The dasgannach was finished with her right arm and beginning to extend its influence down her left arm, its final conquest.It wont eat an Archon star. Even if its in the right medium.The influence reached her elbow.It wont leave until its claimed all of its preferred material.Desperately, Tala fumbled, feeling like she was trying to thread a needle in the dark while wearing mittens.Without her keystone, her magic was hard to control.Without her magesight, it was difficult to tell what was going on.That didnt matter. She had to succeed.The dasgannachs authority passed her left wrist.Come on.Come on.COME ON!She threw all that she had at the problem, desperation clawing at the bedrock of long practice, filling in the gaps where shed always relied on her inscriptions.Each of her fingers was subsumed, one by one.There!With two fingers' worth of iron left, Tala formed the weakest Archon star she could manage, continuing to add power to it as slowly as she could.The dasgannach finished claiming all the iron in those last two fingers, in her entire body, except that within the Archon star.Victory!For a long moment, nothing happened.She honestly hadnt expected anything to happen.So, not victory, just a temporary stalemate The horrible feeling of slowly being taken over had passed. The damage was done; there was nothing left to lose to the dasgannachs authority.Once again, Tala felt the primal, unthinking intent of the thing vibrate through her whole body.STOP. MINE!Tala did her best to growl back, No. Mine.Her entire body began to shudder as the iron within her trembled.She vomited again, heaving until her abdomen ached and her stomach was long since empty.MINE! Again, it wasnt a word, nor did it come from a mind, but it was utterly clear, nonetheless.Then take it. I offer it to you freely.There was no response.Tala began to giggle maniacally. I thought not. Youre welcome to it, whenever you want.Still, nothing happened.After what seemed like an eternity, her star ever so slowly gaining in power, she was able to return her focus to the outside world.I cant keep this up forever. When the star reaches capacity, it will be ejected from my body, and then I will die.Still, shed bought herself at least a few days to find a better solution.Unfortunately, while the Archon star was taking up a small bit of power flowing through her gate, the majority had nothing to do and nowhere to go.Thankfully, Kit was there, and so Tala directed all the excess into her sanctum.She honestly didnt know what she would do without Kit being there to take in her power. Just venting it outward would benot ideal.Still, the problem was solved for the moment, so she slowly opened her eyes.She focused on her surroundings and stiffened.Arcanes surrounded her, many holding clearly magical devices pointed her way, and they were discussing something among themselves.They were the defenders of the hold, and they were likely examining her to determine what was wrong with her.Or, more likely, how Im alive.Lacking her hearing enhancements, she had no way of knowing what they were saying.Pallaun was frowning as he watched her, but as such, he noticed her move. Shes awake.He stepped forward and gingerly placed a magical band over her head, careful to not touch any part of her.The band immediately tightened down over her mouth.You will not speak until judgment is reached. If you give us cause, you will be immediately executed. You remember, thats how these things are handled. Its a formality. We'll get this off of you as soon as we can. We will not bind your hands. Nod if you understand.She nodded, still having trouble focusing, and Pallaun seemed to have noticed that, if his overwrought explanations were any indication.Pull your bloodstars back in your belt.She did so, moving them all into their holsters held across the back of her hips.Good. You will stand and follow. You will not come within arms reach of anyone else, nor will you attempt to touch anyone else. Nod if you understand.She nodded. The dasgannach. They can somehow tell that its still in me, and they are concerned about it jumping into someone else.Tala slowly got to her feet, feeling incredibly unsteady.No one tried to help her.No one dared come close.Meallain was kneeling next to Be-thrics armor, tears pouring down her face, muttering something that Tala had no hope of hearing without enhanced senses.Thron was watching Tala with evident concern, his eyes occasionally flicking to the now empty armor, which had only recently held Be-thric and the Eskau weeping over it.I wonder what hes thinking.Shed likely find out soon enough. Pallaun had spoken of a judgment. That meant a trial.Wonderful. Im going to be put on trial. Well done, not implicating yourself in Be-thrics death, Tala. Really, really well done.She hesitated, and it took her a moment to realize that she was awaiting Alats response. It would have been a marginally insulting jab, meant to pull her out of her dour mood.It never came.As Tala followed the victors of the House of Blood, her eyes started to fill with tears.Soon, her shoulders were shaking due to great, uncontrollable sobs.She was alone, utterly and completely alone once again.Tala, human Mage, captured, enslaved, raised up as Eskau, and slayer of her Pillar, walked alone among members of her former House, utterly oblivious of their attention.She was dying, despite everything, and she likely wouldnt be given an opportunity to find a solution.Even so, all that she could do was mourn the loss of a snarky voice that should have been within her own mind.
