((This is a continuation
of an ongoing piece written with a guildmate. Previously, Eurict had
agreed to transfer his magical power to Biara. That transfer has taken
place, imbuing her with the power of two Magisters. This is a fun
interlude before the next part of the story.))
The magic flowed like a raging torrent, the sweetest bliss she had ever felt encompassing her as she felt the power take her. Eurict's magic was strong, stronger than she'd imagined, his fiery spells backed by the blistering cold strength of ice. She gasped as it struck her, realizing how little she had known of the other mage. His flames, his magical fire were just a mask he wore over his true power. The icy depths of his being intermingling with hers in one moment of sweetest pleasure as she took all of it in.
To those observing Biara, magic literally crackled in the air around her, dancing across her skin. The wards on her right cheek flared to a blue glow so bright that they were almost impossible to look at directly. The magic traveled up and down her body, fully absorbing into the magistrix, touching every inch of her skin, flickering beneath her battle robes. Touching the jewelry, rings, and artifacts on her person.
Touching her fel talisman.
Power flared and for a brief moment, something went terribly wrong. Biara's eyes dialated, and she was somewhere else.
****************************
She stood in a garden, high atop her own spire. Instead of the flowers that would normally grace the garden, black roses grew, their vines thick with thorns and wrapping around the pots in which they had been planted. Biara stood in a small clearing of stone, surrounded by the sharp vegetation. In the open sky above her, night reigned but without the stars that normally accompanied it.
This can't be real...
"Oh, it's very real. It can be anything you want it to be." a voice said behind her. Biara turned and gasped in shock, seeing the Highborne standing within the cleared space amongst the dark garden. Sarathysssa smiled at her, giving a polite curtsy.
"Surprised to see me?" the Highborne said in a soft voice. "I did not expect us to converse again either, but the magic you've absorbed, the power you wield, it connects us in ways we've never been able to connect before. Can't you feel it all around you? The sheer POWER."
Biara looked casually around, seeing the garden in the night, but also seeing faint shimmering in the air around them. As she peered closer, the realized with a start that the words of spells trailed slowly through the air, a faint shimmering of light within the darkness. Mathematical computations, runes, glyphs, and wards traveled amongst them, swirling all around.
"Your power Biara," Sarathysssa purred. "It surrounds us. We are WITHIN it. Here we can talk in safety, without the worry of spells flying between us. There is no magic here for you or me, only the physical forms our minds take on. There is only this reality."
Biara shook her head and frowned, "What do you want, and why have you brought me here?"
The highborne demon smiled and put up a hand in a placating gesture, "Be at ease. You have defeated me, and rightly so for your magic is powerful. With the addition of this Eurict's power, you now have magic to rival any that I've ever seen in my many thousands of years of existence. I am no threat or challenge to you, but I can aid you. I can show you threats that you may not realize."
Biara's frown deepened, "What kind of things? Why would I trust a demon? If I have so much power, why would I even need aid?"
Sarathysssa sighed and stepped closer, the smile on her face fading only slightly. "Ah so young and arrogant you are. Do you think there are no threats to your people, even now? Do you think you know all that would harm your beloved land? Here in this place I can read your thoughts, your dreams. I can see your fears. Do you understand that those fears are founded on very real dangers, some of which you only half-sense? Do you want Quel'Thalas to fall?"
Biara's frown wavered and was slowly replaced with a look of concern as she considered the demon's words. "If you can read my thoughts then you know very well that I would do anything to protect my people, to secure Quel'Thalas."
Sarathysssa stepped closer, coming within a foot of Biara and nodding to her. "I know that. That is why I am offering to aid you. You have bested me, but that doesn't mean that I want to see you destroyed, and myself along with you. Let me help you, let me guide you. I can aid you in learning about your new power. With it, nothing will stand against you. You will be a mighty Queen amongst your people. Quel'Thalas will return to a golden age, with you to guide the Sin'dorei along a safe course, to protect them from the dangers that I can help you see. I am no threat to you now, you command me and my power."
The Magistrix studied the Highborne closely, her will wavering as she considered what the demon said. The words sounded sweet to hear; Quel'Thalas safe and reborn in an age of prosperity. It was everything she wanted, everything she had always lived for. After all, Sarathysssa HAD been defeated. She was trapped within the circlet. What harm could come of making use of the gifts she offered.
Biara slowly reached out a hand, as if to grasp Sarathysssa, and in that moment there was a shift in the feeling of the garden. A third presence stood beside the two; an image of Eurict Starflare. Biara's eyes widened as in the real world Eurict transferred his memories, his fears and hopes and history to her. He gave her all his knowledge, he gave her an insight into everything he was. He connected with her on the most intimate level that two beings could ever connect.
He showed her his innermost feelings.
In the garden, the image of Eurict reached out, gently touching her face and tilting her head to look at him. He smiled sadly and said, "Remember your heart Biara."
It wasn't real. None of it was real. The garden, the demon, Eurict. All of it were images made in her mind by the power flowing through her form and Sarathysssa's manipulations. Biara's eyes hardened as the words Eurict had given her came to the fore. She shook her head.
"No. I am no Queen. I will not sit upon a throne made of the sorrow of my own people. I am a Magistrix. I SERVE Quel'Thalas. I LIVE for Quel'Thalas!"
Sarathysssa's face took on a look of rage as her charms failed. She snarled and spat out harsh words in demonic, pointing at Biara and intoning her name. "Biara Dayfire, I bind you by your true name. You will obey ME now. Our minds are linked, your will is undone!"
Biara blinked as the demon intoned her spell. As the spell faded, the two stood looking at each other for a moment. Sarathysssa stepped closer, smirking, gloating over her victory. She reached out, as if to take the magic within the other for her own.
Biara backhanded her across the face.
Sarathysssa fell to the 'ground' amongst the thorny black roses, her face a mask of utter shock. Biara strode forward, her eyes cold and hard as she towered over the demon.
"B-but how...I named your true name, I BOUND you!" Sarathysssa shrieked.
"You know the problem with demonic entities like you?" Biara sneered. "Well, besides being a bitch that is, you think you know EVERYTHING." She punctuated this comment with a sharp kick to the demon's stomach, doubling the other over. "The world is not your play thing. The blood of my people is not weak. Magic IS my birthright."
Biara paused, watching the demon as she tried to pick herself up, she kicked the entity for good measure before finishing her tirade, "And my father did not name me Biara you fool."
As Sarathysssa gasped in shock, Biara pointed a finger at her and intoned a simple spell. As the magic gathered, she said, "I, Biar'athiel, bind you Sarathysssa to my will. Your power is mine, your works are undone, you will trouble me no longer with your magic and charms."
The demon shrieked and the very scene abruptly disappeared as she was bound in the circlet once more.
*****************************
Biara gasped as the last of the Eurict's power trailed off and she realized she was standing in the Magister's council chambers. Exactly where she had been the entire time. A glow surrounded her briefly, the sheer volume of power within her unable to be entirely contained at first. It gently settled into her body as the magic settled. She looked at Eurict, who stood before her entirely drained of magic.
Without his power, he was a simple Sin'dorei. No abilities, no weapons, nothing to call his own except his own body. But Biara saw more. She saw without a doubt that a hero stood there, amongst the mighty Magisters of the city. An elf who would give up everything for his people. A hero who was willing to surrender the very essence of what he was so that the lives of Sin'dorei could be saved. It brought a brief glimmer of tears to her eyes to think of his noble sacrifice, to recall the things he had shown her when he transferred his thoughts.
She would not let his sacrifice be in vain. She would repay him for everything he'd done for Silvermoon.
Biara turned to the other Magisters and nodded, speaking softly, "It is done. Let us hunt this creature back to his lair in Dalaran and be finished with this. Beyond the immediate threat, Eurict Starflare deserves our best efforts for everything he's done for us. His willingness to go through such a process is a testament to his bravery. I for one wish to see him rewarded for his actions, and the best reward will be the thwarting of his enemies and the enemies of this city."
The magic flowed like a raging torrent, the sweetest bliss she had ever felt encompassing her as she felt the power take her. Eurict's magic was strong, stronger than she'd imagined, his fiery spells backed by the blistering cold strength of ice. She gasped as it struck her, realizing how little she had known of the other mage. His flames, his magical fire were just a mask he wore over his true power. The icy depths of his being intermingling with hers in one moment of sweetest pleasure as she took all of it in.
To those observing Biara, magic literally crackled in the air around her, dancing across her skin. The wards on her right cheek flared to a blue glow so bright that they were almost impossible to look at directly. The magic traveled up and down her body, fully absorbing into the magistrix, touching every inch of her skin, flickering beneath her battle robes. Touching the jewelry, rings, and artifacts on her person.
Touching her fel talisman.
Power flared and for a brief moment, something went terribly wrong. Biara's eyes dialated, and she was somewhere else.
****************************
She stood in a garden, high atop her own spire. Instead of the flowers that would normally grace the garden, black roses grew, their vines thick with thorns and wrapping around the pots in which they had been planted. Biara stood in a small clearing of stone, surrounded by the sharp vegetation. In the open sky above her, night reigned but without the stars that normally accompanied it.
This can't be real...
"Oh, it's very real. It can be anything you want it to be." a voice said behind her. Biara turned and gasped in shock, seeing the Highborne standing within the cleared space amongst the dark garden. Sarathysssa smiled at her, giving a polite curtsy.
"Surprised to see me?" the Highborne said in a soft voice. "I did not expect us to converse again either, but the magic you've absorbed, the power you wield, it connects us in ways we've never been able to connect before. Can't you feel it all around you? The sheer POWER."
Biara looked casually around, seeing the garden in the night, but also seeing faint shimmering in the air around them. As she peered closer, the realized with a start that the words of spells trailed slowly through the air, a faint shimmering of light within the darkness. Mathematical computations, runes, glyphs, and wards traveled amongst them, swirling all around.
"Your power Biara," Sarathysssa purred. "It surrounds us. We are WITHIN it. Here we can talk in safety, without the worry of spells flying between us. There is no magic here for you or me, only the physical forms our minds take on. There is only this reality."
Biara shook her head and frowned, "What do you want, and why have you brought me here?"
The highborne demon smiled and put up a hand in a placating gesture, "Be at ease. You have defeated me, and rightly so for your magic is powerful. With the addition of this Eurict's power, you now have magic to rival any that I've ever seen in my many thousands of years of existence. I am no threat or challenge to you, but I can aid you. I can show you threats that you may not realize."
Biara's frown deepened, "What kind of things? Why would I trust a demon? If I have so much power, why would I even need aid?"
Sarathysssa sighed and stepped closer, the smile on her face fading only slightly. "Ah so young and arrogant you are. Do you think there are no threats to your people, even now? Do you think you know all that would harm your beloved land? Here in this place I can read your thoughts, your dreams. I can see your fears. Do you understand that those fears are founded on very real dangers, some of which you only half-sense? Do you want Quel'Thalas to fall?"
Biara's frown wavered and was slowly replaced with a look of concern as she considered the demon's words. "If you can read my thoughts then you know very well that I would do anything to protect my people, to secure Quel'Thalas."
Sarathysssa stepped closer, coming within a foot of Biara and nodding to her. "I know that. That is why I am offering to aid you. You have bested me, but that doesn't mean that I want to see you destroyed, and myself along with you. Let me help you, let me guide you. I can aid you in learning about your new power. With it, nothing will stand against you. You will be a mighty Queen amongst your people. Quel'Thalas will return to a golden age, with you to guide the Sin'dorei along a safe course, to protect them from the dangers that I can help you see. I am no threat to you now, you command me and my power."
The Magistrix studied the Highborne closely, her will wavering as she considered what the demon said. The words sounded sweet to hear; Quel'Thalas safe and reborn in an age of prosperity. It was everything she wanted, everything she had always lived for. After all, Sarathysssa HAD been defeated. She was trapped within the circlet. What harm could come of making use of the gifts she offered.
Biara slowly reached out a hand, as if to grasp Sarathysssa, and in that moment there was a shift in the feeling of the garden. A third presence stood beside the two; an image of Eurict Starflare. Biara's eyes widened as in the real world Eurict transferred his memories, his fears and hopes and history to her. He gave her all his knowledge, he gave her an insight into everything he was. He connected with her on the most intimate level that two beings could ever connect.
He showed her his innermost feelings.
In the garden, the image of Eurict reached out, gently touching her face and tilting her head to look at him. He smiled sadly and said, "Remember your heart Biara."
It wasn't real. None of it was real. The garden, the demon, Eurict. All of it were images made in her mind by the power flowing through her form and Sarathysssa's manipulations. Biara's eyes hardened as the words Eurict had given her came to the fore. She shook her head.
"No. I am no Queen. I will not sit upon a throne made of the sorrow of my own people. I am a Magistrix. I SERVE Quel'Thalas. I LIVE for Quel'Thalas!"
Sarathysssa's face took on a look of rage as her charms failed. She snarled and spat out harsh words in demonic, pointing at Biara and intoning her name. "Biara Dayfire, I bind you by your true name. You will obey ME now. Our minds are linked, your will is undone!"
Biara blinked as the demon intoned her spell. As the spell faded, the two stood looking at each other for a moment. Sarathysssa stepped closer, smirking, gloating over her victory. She reached out, as if to take the magic within the other for her own.
Biara backhanded her across the face.
Sarathysssa fell to the 'ground' amongst the thorny black roses, her face a mask of utter shock. Biara strode forward, her eyes cold and hard as she towered over the demon.
"B-but how...I named your true name, I BOUND you!" Sarathysssa shrieked.
"You know the problem with demonic entities like you?" Biara sneered. "Well, besides being a bitch that is, you think you know EVERYTHING." She punctuated this comment with a sharp kick to the demon's stomach, doubling the other over. "The world is not your play thing. The blood of my people is not weak. Magic IS my birthright."
Biara paused, watching the demon as she tried to pick herself up, she kicked the entity for good measure before finishing her tirade, "And my father did not name me Biara you fool."
As Sarathysssa gasped in shock, Biara pointed a finger at her and intoned a simple spell. As the magic gathered, she said, "I, Biar'athiel, bind you Sarathysssa to my will. Your power is mine, your works are undone, you will trouble me no longer with your magic and charms."
The demon shrieked and the very scene abruptly disappeared as she was bound in the circlet once more.
*****************************
Biara gasped as the last of the Eurict's power trailed off and she realized she was standing in the Magister's council chambers. Exactly where she had been the entire time. A glow surrounded her briefly, the sheer volume of power within her unable to be entirely contained at first. It gently settled into her body as the magic settled. She looked at Eurict, who stood before her entirely drained of magic.
Without his power, he was a simple Sin'dorei. No abilities, no weapons, nothing to call his own except his own body. But Biara saw more. She saw without a doubt that a hero stood there, amongst the mighty Magisters of the city. An elf who would give up everything for his people. A hero who was willing to surrender the very essence of what he was so that the lives of Sin'dorei could be saved. It brought a brief glimmer of tears to her eyes to think of his noble sacrifice, to recall the things he had shown her when he transferred his thoughts.
She would not let his sacrifice be in vain. She would repay him for everything he'd done for Silvermoon.
Biara turned to the other Magisters and nodded, speaking softly, "It is done. Let us hunt this creature back to his lair in Dalaran and be finished with this. Beyond the immediate threat, Eurict Starflare deserves our best efforts for everything he's done for us. His willingness to go through such a process is a testament to his bravery. I for one wish to see him rewarded for his actions, and the best reward will be the thwarting of his enemies and the enemies of this city."
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