I can almost see the way Evelyn lowers her arms and surveys the carnage in satisfaction. She has done it so many times before, but always I admire it as if I had never seen it before. A pity I cannot enjoy the sight of it now.
I hear as she turns to smoke and returns to the blade, and I hear as the wind stops and the bodies of the lizardmen hit the ground. Everything falls silent.
`Thanks, Evelyn!' I tell her in my mind.
`It's not over, Planewalker...'
Yeah, I thought as much. Well, time to make this interesting!
`Flora!' I exclaim. `Use the amulet!'
Damn, I hope that shit works... It was hard work to make that replica stone. It had better work. It had better fucking work...
Suddenly, I feel my power over black magic increase, as if night had suddenly fallen. So, the replica worked! Good!
`Darkness falls... Welcome... to my world!' I exclaim, and I reach out my left arm.
I unleash the power of black magic, not bothering to even try to aim with the spells. First, I cast a life draining nova spell, a spell which fires at chest height in all directions and severely weakens any creature it touches. I hear the lizardmen screaming and I smile in vicious satisfaction. Then, as the surge of the first spell dissipates, I cast a cloud of black smoke all around me. This spell was designed to suffocate the unfortunate fools that are caught within it. Indeed, I hear as the lizardmen start coughing. I even hear Grenshaur's distinctive voice as he starts coughing uncontrollably. Excellent! Now I know perfectly exactly just where the fuck they are!
It's time to end this! I use my black magic to conjure a multitude of black tentacles on the ground, all around every one of the coughing creatures. Especially Grenshaur. With my mind, I command almost all of the tentacles to strangle the lizardmen to death. The only exceptions being the ones around Grenshaur. Them I command to entangle the cocksucker and render him immobile and helpless. Moments later, I hear death throes as the tentacles mercilessly creep around the necks of the lizardmen and slowly suffocate them to death. At the same time, I hear Grenshaur's ceaseless swearing.
`Curses! You bastard! Let go of me! You sorry son of a bitch! I'll get you for this!'
I just smile in satisfaction, and lower my weapon.
`Don't fuck with a black magician, son!'
*
I release the Sword of Fury and I can hear as it turns into black smoke and it vanishes into my body. A while later, I hear Flora's familiar voice.
`That was quite a trick...' she says, and I seem to hear some admiration in her voice. Suddenly I remember that she was right here when I unleashed all these dark spells. She could have suffered the ill effects just as much...
`You okay?' I ask her.
`Yes. I changed into mist form when you started casting spells.'
`Smart girl! Tell me, is your vision okay?'
`Yes.'
`This assfucker blinded me! I will try to dispel it. In the mean time, do me a favor.'
`Sure.'
`Is he all tangled up in the tentacles?'
`Yes.'
`Alright, go get his ring and bring it to me.'
I hear as she approaches Grenshaur, and I hear as he begins to object against being robbed blind.
`Keep your hands off of me, bitch! Don't you dare touch my ring! I swear I will rip you apart if you dare! Didn't you hear me, you fucking vampire bitch?!'
In the mean time, I try to use my magic to dispel the blindness. But it doesn't seem to be working...
Fuck!
`Here it is!' says Flora. She has returned. I didn't even notice. Fuck this fucking blindness!
I reach out my hand towards her.
`Give it to me.'
She puts it in my hand, and I sink it in my pocket.
`Alright, he can't escape now.' I tell her.
`Good.'
`Flora, do me a favor. Kick him in the gut.'
`With pleasure.'
I hear as she walks away, and a while later I hear as she kicks Grenshaur. I hear him groan.
`Now stand aside!' I tell her. Then, I point towards Grenshaur, and unleash my magic. A moment later I hear him groan again, and then he falls silent.
`Is he unconscious now?' I ask.
I hear the sound of a violent kick in response. Like when a vampire girl kicks a lizardman in the balls. And then, silence.
`Yes.' says Flora.
`Good. When the tentacles vanish, tie him to the tree.'
`With what?'
I reach out my left arm towards her and conjure a long bundle of ropes into my hand.
`This should do.'
She walks to me, and takes the ropes.
`Make sure he can't get away! He has nowhere to run, if he jumps off the edge of the island he's fucking dead. That doesn't mean he won't try. Don't let him! We need the fucker alive!
Now, stand back. I need some space.'
As she steps back, I begin to conjure a Portal. A few moments later, I hear the familiar sound of the Portal opening. Excellent! I can actually open Portals with my eyes closed. I fucking rule!
`You stay here, and guard that fuckhead.' I tell Flora. `Don't let him escape! I'll try to hurry back.'
`Where are you going?'
`To Kh'Tal. I can't dispel this shit. I gotta ask Kurt to fix it up for me. I gotta be able to see Grenshaur's eyes as we interrogate him. I will know when he's telling the truth.'
Bad karma
In the castle of Kurt Aurach, Kh'Tal, present day (2 days and 4 hours before Twilightfall)
`Come on, you've been doing this for three hours. Is it gonna work, or not?' I ask, as Kurt sits next to me, trying to undo the blindness spell. He's been trying hard for a long time, and so far, no effect. This just doesn't look good...
Doesn't look good?
Eh, fuck it!
`I'm afraid not.' he tells me. `It's very strange. My magic is working, but... It's slow. The blindness spell is very powerful, I have never seen anything like this. It's like some kind of curse.'
`How slow? How much longer is it gonna take?'
`Hard to say, but based on what progress I was able to make so far... about three weeks. Roughly.'
No fucking way...
`Three weeks?! Three motherfucking weeks?! I don't have that kind of time. I have urgent things to do, I thought you'd be done by now...'
`Perhaps I can accelerate the process with some catalysts but I don't think I can get it done any faster than five or six days.'
`Oh boy... I'm fucked...'
`Not necessarily. I think what you need is an expert in restorative magics. Someone who may have encountered such things before.'
`That's just motherfucking great! Just where the fuck am I supposed to find one?'
`I think I know someone who may help. A rather mysterious young magician I met a while ago. She's not too fond of humans though, despite being human herself, so she may be unwilling to help. I can ask her.'
`Fine. I'll try anything. I need my motherfucking vision back...'
`There's just one problem, which makes it a little difficult.'
`What's that?'
`She's extremely paranoid. She doesn't trust strangers. Even if I tell her it's a friend of mine, she will not trust you. She can be very stubborn about these things. Very... persistent.'
`So?'
`She will only help you out if you're unconscious.'
`Are you fucking kidding with me?'
`I understand that you don't like it, but there's nobody else I know that could help you. Either this, or you have to wait until my magic takes effect. You have to ask yourself: how urgently do you want your vision restored?'
`I'll do whatever the fuck I must to get it restored as soon as possible!'
`Good.'
I hear him standing up. Uh-oh...
`But you're not gonna knock me out. You hear me? You're not gonna...'
*
`What a fucking headache...'
I slowly sit up and open my eyes. T
otal fucking darkness. I still can't fucking see! Fuck! I fucking hate this fucking shit!
`Where the fuck am I?'
No reply. I try to stand up, but suddenly something furry jumps in my lap and starts purring and meowing.
`Nice kitty!'
I reach towards him to pat him, or scratch his throat, but he jumps off and starts rubbing his head to my leg.
I slowly stand up and start walking, careful, so as not to step on the cat. He suddenly runs away, and I start walking faster.
`Fuck!'
Motherfucking piece of shit, who put that fucking wall in my way? Ouch, my fucking head...
`If I had known you were so foul-mouthed I'd have done something about it before you had the chance to speak.' says a female voice behind me. I turn towards the voice.
`Oh yeah? Like what?' I ask, smiling.
`I think you would prefer not to know. I have ways of silencing people. Unpleasant ways.'
`You don't scare me, little girl! Who the fuck are you anyway?'
`I see I should have left you unconscious.' she says. `Your friend warned me of your lack of manners but I thought he was exaggerating. You are one bitter, angry man!'
Damn, her voice is familiar...
`I hate being blinded, you know. Now, who are you?'
`They call me Irea. I am a healer. Your friend asked me to lend my aid to you.'
`Yeah, I could use my damn vision back.'
`Damn this, fuck that... Is this the only way you can talk? Do you always swear so much?'
`Every fucking day!' I tell her, smiling. `The name's Zack by the way. In case Kurt didn't mention it.'
`I do know your name. I will help you, since, unlike you, your friend asked nicely. However, I must warn you, it might be difficult. I do not have good experience in this.'
`You said you were a healer.'
`I am, but I am a healer of animals. I very rarely heal humans. I generally don't waste my precious time on their kind.'
A healer of animals? Oh... fuck!
`Can't you do something anyway?'
`I will try, but you need to stay put and be cooperative. Come here, sit down!'
Cooperative... Oh brother...
`Sit where?'
`Right, you can't see. Well, just come towards my voice.'
I do as she says and a few steps later she says:
`Stop! Now give me your hand.'
She takes my hand and helps me sit down.
`There. Now let me see your eyes. Interesting...'
`What?'
`Looks like they're perfectly fine. Are you sure you can't see anything? Nothing at all? Not even shadows?'
`I'm dead fucking sure about it.'
`Hmmm, perhaps the spell is messing with your nerves... or your brain, not your eyes. Okay, let me see what I can do.'
*
Hours pass as she tries restoring my vision, and nothing seems to work. Now isn't that just fucking great? Some expert she is...
`Okay, let me try something else.' she says. `Stand up! Let's go outside.'
Sit down, stand up, do this, do that... Oh, I bet she's loving it... Somehow, I am not having fun!
`Don't complain so much!' she says.
Huh? I didn't even say anything.
Wait.
Oh.
I see.
Fuck this...
I stand up with a sigh, she grabs my hand and leads me out of the room. We make turn after turn upon some kind of stone floor, until we arrive on softer ground, I guess outdoors.
`Turn like this.' she says, and she turns me in some direction. `Now look this way.'
`What am I looking at?'
`Straight at the sun.'
Just fucking great...
`I don't see it.' I tell her.
`Just wait.' she says. `When you start seeing it, look away before the sun's rays damage your eyes.'
`Got it.'
She starts chanting some spell and she places her hands on my eyes. Half a minute later she stops and takes her hands away. A few minutes pass, and I start seeing some bright spot far ahead.
`I think it's starting to work.' I tell her.
`Good.'
The bright spot starts to grow, and I seem to be seeing some colorful circles, like when one steps out of the dark into broad daylight. I turn away and start blinking. I look around and realize that I can see silhouettes now.
What can I say, it's about fucking time!
I keep blinking and slowly my vision returns to normal. I look around. There is a large garden full of trees and bushes and flowers around us. Behind me, there is a tall building with blue walls. Above us, the sky is blue and clear, with barely a few clouds around. Colorful circles and arches litter the sky around the sun. Whatever the fuck that is, it looks strange.
To my right stands a lone figure. A young human woman with long curly black hair and black eyes, wearing a blue dress. She's cute.
Cute?
Fuck cute, she's beautiful... Talk about something worth seeing after hours of complete darkness!
She looks familiar... But I can't put my finger on it...
Or...
Wait a minute...
`Hey, I remember you! You were the one who bitch-slapped that guy in Coldrock just when I was... well, never mind that. We even spoke briefly later that night, during the show! I knew your voice was familiar!'
`So, you can see! Good. I wasn't sure it would work.'
`It worked. Thanks a lot!'
`You're welcome. I trust you will be less foul-mouthed now that you have recovered from the curse?
`Eh? What's wrong with the way I talk?' I ask, surprised.
`Nothing...' she replies.
`Anyway, it's nice to see you again. I was wondering when you'd come back to Coldrock. We haven't seen you in the last shows.'
`I have a lot of things to do, and sadly, I rarely get to travel. But I was planning to return soon.'
`Excellent! You are always welcome in Coldrock! We can always use girls like you to heat up the place!'
`Sounds like you need a bigger fireplace, not me.' she says.
`Trust me, I know what I'm talking about!' I tell her, smiling.
`Whatever. Actually though, I wanted to talk to you after the show that night, but you disappeared, and I had to leave early.'
`Yeah, that's a pity.' I tell her. Before she could reply, a large, white furred, blue eyed cat rubs his head to my leg. I bow down and pick him up. He is big... and he's got a small black crystal hanging from a collar on his neck.
`Nice kitty!' I tell him, and pat his head. He starts purring.
`Strange...' says Irea. `He likes you. That's a first. He's very antisocial. He hates strangers.'
`So, he's a bad motherfucker, huh? Maybe that's why he likes me, haha!'
`Maybe. His name is Lowitz by the way. And that's Charlotte over there.'
She points behind her, and a small, ferret-like creature runs towards her swiftly. She leans down and let's the ferret climb on her left forearm. The ferret runs up her arm and jumps from one shoulder to the other, then runs down her other arm and then jumps back down on the ground, and starts circling around her feet.
Hmmm... She's got nice legs...
`What are you looking at?' she asks.
`Ah... Your ferret's quick!' I tell her, smiling.
`Uh-huh.' she says. `Well, let me lead you around my home. You haven't had the chance to see it yet, after all. You must be curious.'
`Well, I'm in kind of a hurry. A big hurry.'
`It won't take long.'
No way, I have to get back to Grenshaur and... Well... Maybe another half hour won't hurt. I've been away for hours already... At least that asshole will get softened up. As well as starved out. Ha!
`Alright then.' I tell her with a warm smile.
She picks up the ferret and turns towards the door. Now that I glance at it, it looks very strange. A massive stone door with a totally flat surface and no handle or anything. But there is a
translucent blue crystal semi-sphere in the middle of it. She places her right palm on it, and a moment later the door slides out of the way, upwards, like a portcullis would. She steps inside and I follow her.
*
She leads me around in almost labyrinthine corridors in her home. I wonder why the place was built like this. These corridors don't seem to serve any useful function. It doesn't make any fucking sense. Eh, whatever... As we go, she tells me about her pets. The big white cat, Lowitz, follows us as she guides me around in the building. He's a huge cat with long white fur. Irea says that the girl ferret she's carrying around with her likes running around indoors, hiding in every little hole imaginable. She has other pets as well, such as a horse and an eagle, but they are always outdoors.
She shows me a painting of her pets in one of the rooms, and I can see that the horse is tall, strong, and bulky. He has a large white stain on his forehead, long white tail and mane, and white lower legs. The rest of his fur is largely black.
The eagle is very strange, the sort I had never seen before. He has dark gray feathers, except on the belly and chest which are white. His head is covered with long dark feathers, and his beak is black. His body is quite bulky, unlike any eagle I'd ever seen. She says the eagle aids her as a scout of sorts.
Then she tells me about her home. Her palace, as she calls it. She tells me of the gardens outside, and the way she lives alone in her world with her pets. It would seem that she lives in a pocket plane, although she doesn't quite seem to know the meaning of this phrase.
`I have a similar palace in Arghard as well.' she says. `It's just like this one, except that it's painted red. It's much smaller, but I do have a large library there. I have plenty of books, you see. From that palace I can see... well, shall we say, I can see very far from there.'
`Do you lend your books to visitors?' I ask, smiling widely.
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