Book 2. Chapter 47

Book 2. Chapter 47

"Impossible!" said Awnadil. She raised a shaky finger accusingly at Lumina.

Lumina tossed her golden hair back and flashed a sparkling smile. "Impossible, she calls me. I rather like that, very flattering. But I think I prefer being called inevitable. Don't you think?"

"My apprentice tormented this town for weeks, and I saw and knew every hand that was raised against her. How could she have done all this if you were here?"

"I only just arrived, obviously. Only, please don't avoid the dragon in the room. That's not why you're so surprised," said Lumina.

Awnadil grit her teeth, glowering.

"Go on. Say it. Say something about fate," said Lumina.

Awnadil gritted her teeth, but held her tongue.

Lumina threw her head back and laughed. It lasted for a little too long, and it didn't catch on. The recovering townsfolk and the undead all stood stoically, watching her.

Lumina wiped a tear from her eye. "Now I see why you're dressed as a clown. Go on, say something foolish."

"We need not quarrel here," Awnadil said. "Even you could not protect all present from the suffering that I can unleash. I will depart, taking only my godson with me, my Aberthol. I do have such concern for him, you know. Oh, he's the dour thing there they call Brin."

The smile dropped from Lumina's face. "Foolish, true, but I think I should have said I wanted to hear something funny. And thats not funny at all."

He is mine by right. I am his godmother, said Awnadil.

My dear crone, I am his mother, said Lumina. That elicited a gasp from several of the townsfolk. Battered, bruised, and broken, they still werent immune to a little bit of soap opera drama.

I know his mother, and you are not her, said Awnadil. It was Brins turn to gasp at the revelation. Aberthols father had been certain his biological mother was on her way to torture and death, but now Awnadil was talking about her in the present tense. She was still alive? He didnt know how to feel about that. Well, actually he did. He hoped hed never meet her.

Lumina shrugged, unconcerned. She didnt so much as glance at Brin. I adopted him.

The Wyrd does not recognize your claim. He is mine by natural right. A [Witch] is never stronger than when protecting that which is hers, said Awnadil, and she wasnt being hypothetical. Brin could feel the Wyrd now, and there was more power in Awnadils left pinky than had existed in the entirety of Siphanis formation. It was more power than Brin had ever seen or felt before, more power than he knew was possible. This is what a [Witch] is for. This is the power and purpose of my Class.

My Class is [Archmage], Lumina said simply. There was no similar build-up of power that Brin could feel, but Luminas casual confidence almost made him feel safe.

You will not deliver my godson to me?

I will not, said Lumina.

Then I curse you!

Curses were invisible and insidious, but Brin thought hed have been able to see this one even without [Know Whats Wyrd]. All the spite in the world seemed to be contained in the curse, and Brin wished he couldnt feel its terrible intentions. Melt her eyes, a stew from her brains, cockroaches in the intestines, skin falls off

Lumina reached out a hand and yanked the spell out of the air. She forced it to coalesce, to manifest physically. It became a thick black sludge, and as she wrapped her fingers shut the sludge disappeared inside her fist. She squeezed, and the curse winked out completely.

I will repeat. I am an [Archmage]. Did you think your petty tricks were something too exotic for me? I am a master of magic. Your Wyrd is not weird to me.

Awnadils eyes narrowed. You dont intend to let me flee. You wont accept surrender.

Quite right, said Lumina. Youre too dangerous. I can give you that one compliment at least.

Then why speak to me at all?

Why else? To give my [Knights] some time to catch up. I had tonove(l)bi(n.)com

The green bunny blasted forward on a cloud of rotten mist, moving so fast that it almost looked like teleportation. Lumina brought her staff up just in time and warded it off with a bar of glowing flame, so bright it hurt Brins eyes.

Lumina shouted words of the Language, and the bar of white-glowing flame separated into darts that flew at the green bunny, dispersing wide swaths of its corrupted cloud everywhere they flew.

The bunny itself was quick as thought, dodging around the darts and instantly healing over any places where the darts burned through. Brin used [Inspect] when it held still for a fraction of a second, and to his surprise, actually got something.

Tigsi the Bunny. Shes the cute one.

The big blue bunny dashed forward to join.

Zappo the Bunny. Hes the greedy one.

He was gigantic, larger than a giant undead, and he moved so quickly that it couldnt be natural. He leapt, jumping higher than anything that size had a right to, aiming to crash down where Lumina stood.

Lumina swung her staff and a fist made of ice bashed Zappo, knocking him to the side. He landed so hard Brin could feel the vibrations in the ground. Somehow Zappo was heavier than he appeared.

Lumina cast a golden cage around herself, warding Tigsi off completely, which let her give her full attention to Zappo. She threw a fireball at him, then a bolt of inky blackness, then something silvery and metallic. Spell after spell went hurtling toward the giant blue bunny.

Ah, Officer Diali. Right on time, said Lumina.

Disperse the cage and my men will finish the other one as well, said Diali.

No need, responded Lumina. Step back, if you please.

Diali jumped back to avoid a double-fisted slam from Zappo.

Lumina let go of her staff and it stayed in place, spinning. She thrust both hands to the sides and spoke a word of power that left Brin seeing stars as if hed been struck in the head. Another pillar of fire fell from the sky and slammed into Zappo, burning straight through the familiar. A third pillar of fire landed on Tigsi, incinerating her inside the golden cage.

Even then, Lumina wasnt done. One last push, and the beams all brightened in intensity. Brin smelled brimstone and ozone.

Then the flames died down. There was no trace of Tigsi or Zappo, just holes in the ground lined with steaming black glass.

Awnadil, blackened and burned, was still on her feet. Even as Brin watched, strips of black fell away to reveal pink skin underneath.

Lumina caught her staff, and blinked forward to stand immediately in front of Awnadil. She swiped out with her staff, and a blade of air formed at the tip just in time to remove Awnadils head.

Awnadils headless body jumped into the air, sprouting enormous bat wings and already regrowing the head. Lumina dashed up into the air after her, as if stepping up an invisible staircase. She slashed out with her staff, cutting off both of the wings and then stabbed Awnadil in the heart. They both fell to the ground, Lumina stabbing the [Great Witch] down into the earth.

The ground exploded where they landed, and Awnadils body evaporated into a flurry of shadows and dark, flapping wings. They flew along the ground as quick as thought, but Lumina said, > and the escaping thing slammed into an invisible barrier and resolved into the form of Awnadil again.

Awnadil grew, becoming sharper and more monstrous. Horns formed on her head and spouts of flame came from her nostrils as she formed herself into a weapon.

By then, Lumina was ready. Glowing words of Language appeared on the ground in a circle around her. She pointed her staff at Awnadil and said, >

A stream of elemental ice as wide as a semi-truck blasted out from her staff, hitting Awnadil and passing straight through and engulfing her completely in a chaotic fury.

Then, the spell ended.

Suddenly, everything was still. The whole world seemed to hold its breath. For a brief, surreal moment, no one spoke, and no one moved. Awnadil was nowhere to be seen, so they all watched and waited for her to appear again.

For the first time since coming to this world, Brin saw snow. It grew up from the ground in the trail her ice spell had made, one long line all the way down the street, through the town walls, past the fields, and into the forest beyond. Scattered flakes took to the air, moving in all directions as if confused.

The ice had extinguished all the fires that Lumina had started, and it looked like the town had been cut in half. Behind Lumina, nothing was touched, few were hurt, and you could almost believe the town was the same as it had always been. In front of Lumina, utter devastation. The nearest homes were burned and then frozen again, while those further out had smashed doors and broken windows from when the undead had sacked the town. There were many sections of burned, melted or annihilated houses from smaller spells that Lumina had flung.

The undead themselves had been slaughtered. They lay scattered on the ground, tortured expressions on their faces.

Lumina wiped her brow. Phew! Glad thats done.

Then shes? Brin started.

A notification appeared.

Behold! The Great Witch Awnadil is dead. You have won your first war. You have been instrumental in your factions success. An achievement has been upgraded. Warbound (Legendary) now gives you: +100% resistance to physical damage. You are now twice as difficult to cut, bruise, or otherwise harm with non-magical means.

Since the System was sending him notifications anyway, he decided to unpause his Skill-ups as well.

[Call Sound through Glass] leveled up! 7 -> 15

[Call Light through Glass] leveled up! 11 -> 18

[Summon Glass] leveled up! 12 -> 20

[Shape Glass] leveled up! 20 -> 22

[Inspect] leveled up! 23 -> 35

Alert! Through training you have increased the following attributes: Vitality +1 Mental Control +3 Will +3 Magic +6

Was that all from his fight with Siphani? He bet that just standing next to an [Archmage of the Mystical Elements] while she went all out counted as training.

Ow Brin said, touching his bleeding ears again. It was strange, because his hearing was totally fine. Maybe the damage wasnt physical? In that case why was he bleeding?

Mageburn. Sorry about that. Theres nothing for it except exposure, Im afraid. Lumina stepped over to Brin and bent down to look him over, looking at his ears and pulling up his eyebrow to peer at the white of his eye. Satisfied, she wiped a smudge on his cheek away with her thumb, then looked suddenly awkward and stepped back, clearing her throat.

Its um good to see you again, um, young man, or that is to say

Brin knew his part. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Lumina in a hug. Thanks for coming. I knew you would. He felt her shake. With indignation? Their height difference placed his face directly in the middle of her chest; he hadnt predicted that. He started to pull back, when she returned the hug, squeezing tight.

My boy. My poor boy. Im sorry. Im so sorry I didnt come sooner.