Book 3: Chapter 63
Tiffany
“We could have saved it!” I yelled.
“There was nothing to save. That was a bomb, not a living thing.” Eskaal was outright pissed.
“I know what you said… I heard it but I don’t want to believe it.” I said angry myself…
Angry that I hoped that there was a real reason for this… That they didn’t endure *this* for nothing… I knew better…. I hoped and wished that I didn’t see them slowly crawl out from desks and coo anyway… The denial was already gone, but I wanted to cling to it… because to admit to such a monstrous crime means one of my own kin did it…
I couldn’t even console them… They can gain no comfort in this life, nor having life… Eskaal heard me, and sighed. “He used our own damn soldiers to make weapons, when we *already* have weapons that can do this.”
“….. We should be more careful.” Said Zayde cautiously.
I blinked twice.
“You should.” Warned Eskaal. “We’re dealing with someone who thinks like I do…though much slower by the looks of it.” Eskaal didn’t mean that in an arrogant way, but I felt a little offended the way he said it.
I’d leave well enough alone though.
“I feel like I should apologize.” He said with a sigh. “I know you’re sweeter this go ‘round…The deeper we go, the more you’ll see.”
“I can take you home Tiffany.” Said Zayde.
“I can take it.” I said walking forward.
“That isn’t it Theo-I mean Tiffany.” Said Eskaal. “Psychological warfare, flesh magic like this, and tinkering like this is banned within the Light AND Night Court, for a *reason*…. That was a mechanical puppet with a flesh base… that was once a healthy, strapping young wyvern….”
“Oh my gods.” I mumbled… How much did they chop them up to make them that small…?
“It was bred to be pitiful and love you….”
“But why?” I asked.
“That’s something I want to know too….” Said my mate.
“I third that.” Said Eskaal. “He stole their lives, altered their souls… such amateur… sloppy Careless Fucking work….The same results could have been achieved with already dead lumps of meat…. And batteries instead of Souls…. They’re so fused that death really is a kindness…” He growled, but it was human. “You would have overstimulated that creature with your gentle heart and Boom.” He imitated an explosion with his fingers.
There were more of those little guys… all of them were once wyverns…
“Don’t cry little mate.” Said Zayde, but he misunderstood.
“You should step back.” Said Eskaal.
My hands popped with electricity.
“…This was done just to do it…” I grumbled, but there was an itch to my throat when I did it.
I don’t think I’d ever been this mad at someone already dead. Eskaal placed a barrier over himself and my mate.
“…Tiffany.” Warned Zayde.
I inherited this from mom… She used to warn me about my temper…
She taught me what worked for her… But I didn’t *want* to even try to manage my anger.
I killed every single little creature with a pulse of uncontrolled, raw electricity. I tanked my magic supply, but I only sensed two life forces now…
Every fucking floor of this place. All Ten. Every room. Every closet got about 2 million volts of electricity straight to the heart. Zayde had to catch me.
Gods I felt so guilty, but I knew I’d do it with compassion….
I will not tell Sai’fire, nor the other adults what happened to their parents and children…
“You could have done that with half your energy. I desire explanation… but you have my thanks.” Said Eskaal.
“I tanked my magic supply to make Sure they died… They don’t need to suffer. The only crime they committed was being turned into a biological weapon against their will…” They held the eyes of abused, scared little pupp-
“That’s enough.” Said Eskaal. I’d never seen his eyes change so dramatically, but they went from orange to a vibrant purple. Strange how probably one of the most tyrannical of all the master’s generals was turned off for this…. I knew though that it was because they were dragons.
Had they been unicorns or angels, I’m positive he wouldn’t care.
“I would, because he took what I taught him… I feel now how you felt.” Eskaal said that, and I weakly put a hand on his shoulder….
Gods I felt so responsible for mom’s mistreatment for so long, even while growing up… I felt so bad for my people, yet they all forgave me… I felt almost as if it were my hands that struck her face or branded her body…
“I’ve lived a *long* time General Eskaal… and I remember my life… but the thought to do this to another never fucking crossed my mind.” Said Zayde.
That confirmed a growing suspicion… I was almost worried we’d done something like this too...
“But there’s nothing we can do about the past, and what *someone Else Chose to do*. We’re supposed to find him, right? I sense him. He’s several levels down, at the bottom.” I said firmly.
“I do too, and I can tell he’s trying to activate a portal. Heh… that’s *actually* funny that he thinks he can outrun *me*. We’ll wait a moment for you to compose yourself.” He snapped his fingers. “I was going to play nice, but I think the time for mercy has long passed. He made you cry… I’m sure the master will forgive me tasting but a cup of his lamentation.”
I could feel what he’d done… portal magic is now disabled….Eskaal summoned the Cindy the Reindeer coffee mug mom got him for Solsticemas…. And filled it with …soul energy… the kind you extract through torture… He *really* did make good on it…
Eskaal is more dangerous than I ever realized growing up…. It goes to show you don’t have to have physical strength in this world to be scary. “The danger’s for morons. Want some?” He offered, but I was saving my energy appetite for feeding off Elkteer. He continued to sip…
Magic of all kinds, even Shifting To True Forms had become prohibited in a massive anti-magic spell he cast, meaning that if he was no longer human shaped, he’d be forced to be how is his now, no illusions either
“….ah..… ”
I could also hear the distorted scream from someone… several floors down…
That wail was pure agony. It was also male.
“Ah the tormenting screams of a mortal who fucked around, and found out.” Smiled Eskaal. “Grace’s words.”
“I hope he gets to taste it.” I hissed. I did…
“Done.”
“What’d you do to him?” Asked Zayde.
*screaming*
“Ok…. *doing* to him?” Asked Zayde.
“Just a little tenderizing. He feels what he did to *all* of them.”
I stood firm, then marched on decreasingly shaky legs. We must continue.
Conveniently there was an elevator, but the stairs will be 100% safer.
May they find some kind of rest with the master… He didn’t know this was happening, and when he receives those souls, he’s probably coming here personally.
The only thing saving Elkteer’s hide in here, was the delay that happens when souls cross. It’s different for everyone.
Seeing their corpses, and having to walk over them was bittersweet.
I stopped their hearts, and they died pretty much instantly, but I cried blood tears while I did it. I got to see a small glimpse of how they chopped them… I know we’re not supposed to kill Elkteer, but that is no blood of mine. They didn’t even use anesthetic magic… With that many scientists, they should have been able to at least make sleep water potions… But I’ve heard flesh magic works better when the patient can feel the cuts.
“He found a new kind of magic, and instead of gain permission or guidance…He did what he wanted with reckless abandon.” I growled.
It was the first time I’d ever growled like a wolf… fuck it *burned* my throat and made it dry…. But now that I knew how, I would do that more often.
“He did it because it was *fun*.” I said this seeing… a small golden thread floating in the air. I tugged it…
“You found his phylactery link…. Wow…. Now *that’s* Sloppy! Just… Damn.” Eskaal cringed. “It’s like he didn’t even try… and it’s Gold… GOLD!” he shouted. His clipboard that floated behind him scribbled so fast the pages smoked.
I’d never seen anything like it, but it was tied to this place…
Thread magic… it’s just not done.
It’s not done because it isn’t possible for mortals, with the exception of familiars. We are locked out form-bond magic entirely… or at least that’s what I was taught growing up… both times….
…He HAD to slaughter their people on Mass to access this… Sometimes the mass distortion of souls and death leave gaps in absolute rules… but it takes a lot…
Thousands.
It’s hard enough to bind something to something else. Hell, just trying to bind a demon as a familiar takes 5 people… This binds ….*living* beings to something…. They’re unbreakable unless they destroy the object or one of the parties involved breaks the bond… like the Red Threat of Mates. Unbreakable… unless one dies, or reject the other…
He essentially made this building his mate, so he could hide within it without needing food or water.
….I KNOW Eskaal didn’t teach him that… He must have discovered how to do such magic when he experimented on the wyverns!
But he’s a failed necromancer, because buildings don’t breathe. Buildings can’t consent either… The other side can’t accept the bond because it *isn’t* alive….
I grabbed it. “YOU FUCKING MONSTER!”
“Rich coming from a fellow monster!” he shouted back, but his fake laughter made me angry. How Dare he even Pretend to have fun!
I sucked every drop of energy out of that man. Payment for having to put down those poor dragons…. But it also felt good not to be drained either. As far as I was concerned, he held no master’s mark.
He’s going to be delt with by the Dark Witches, like the witch I was if I could help it.
The tenth floor looked like all the others… though this one held Elkteer.
“Shit.” Said a slimy voice, gurgling below. “I need magic to live! Stop!”
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