Dark Wizard, Cursed Part Twelve

Dark Wizard, Cursed Part One Here

Chapter 11: Dark Resolve

It was that same robe, the same baleful white eyes. Though, it’s hands looked slightly different. The robe seemed so familiar to Leshac, he also thought it was, though intimidating a pretty nice robe. The umbra mystic seemed more angry. Leshac wondered why it was so important to this wizard that the curse be unbroken. He thought back to when he had fought the mage… and found that he could think no further, he knew who he was, but… the Dark Wizard was a more murky figure. He could remember his battle that ended in his being cursed, but… he could recall nothing of their meeting, nothing of why, other than the wizard being a wicked sort, he had come into conflict with this being.

It wasn’t so much the lack of memories that worried Leshac, it was that something seemed wrong about them, that was far more worrying.

Leshac told Quil to grab some flowers and run, a battle would probably result in most of the flowers being destroyed.

Quil was about to reply when the Dark Wizard raised his long fingers in an arcane sign, falling from it, dark cubes whirling and intersecting with each other, devouring light.

Be bound by thy shadow, child of the children of flowers”

The dark cubes collapsed in on themselves and mystic words wafted out from them. Quil’s shadow rose up and formed an obsidian lantern around her. Leshac tried to grab it, but it sank into another shadow, rising back up near the Dark Wizard, who tightly grasped it.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

Come, ye shadows of forsaken ones of a forgotten age, serve but me and sunder my foe…” The Dark Mage hissed.

He shook the lantern, and Quil’s eyes darkened, then her face was obscured. The eye-pattens on her wings swirling and then leapt off, then the azure eyes floated in the air, before being swallowed by the Dark Wizard. Darkness then flew from his robes like bats, and struck the aged skeletons and broken golems beneath the bluetear roses. First, wavering shadows rose up from the ground, devoid of eyes, they were not the shadows of living or dead, but of remains. The remnant shadows ripped their bodies from out of the soil and flowers and then entered into them, above their shadowy heads, azure eyes formed.

Leshac did not like this situation at all, he glanced at his paradox armament, seeing the swirling night and day within, he decided it would be wise to conserve magical power. The remnants charged at him, all seven of them.

The first one charged boldly, but Leshac swiped it out of the way with a mighty blow.

The second leapt behind the first, but Leshac speared it out of the air.

The third tried to attack from a blindspot, but Leshac flung the body of the second at it.

The fourth swung at the same time, but Leshac slipped to the side and tore its’ head off.

The fifth lashed with long whiplike limbs, but Leshac grabbed them and slammed it into the ground.

The sixth unleashed a flurry of blow, but Leshac held his guard and pierced its’ torso through.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

The Seventh was the remnant of a grand golem with four arms, each clawed, and four legs, each with spears instead of feet. Darkness leaked from inside its’ corroded metal carapace, but Leshac felt no fear. It lumbered towards Leshac, body spinning like a windmill of death. Leshac was sure he had not the strength to block such a deadly foe, neither could he see an opening by which he could strike, thus foiled, he drew his body back, and thrust the Daybreaking Lance forward.

Dawn cascaded forth like a furious arrow, the grand golem, stopped spinning, and guarded its’ body with its’ four shield-like forearms. The dark light purged two of the mighty limbs, and made a deep gash into its’ breastplate. Yet it moved still, however, now with only two arms, Leshac could smite it, deftly dodging it’s remaining bludgeoning limbs, Leshac scrabbled onto its’ back and levering the torso with his lance, lifted it from its’ legs.

The body flailed for a bit, then went still. Leshac clicked his mandibles irritatedly, that had taken a bit too much effort, he turned to face the Dark Wizard. Who simply tapped the lantern Quil was in and the shadow remnants rose again, what the lacked in body was simply made up in physical shadow. The grand golem had risen behind Leshac, and smote him a heavy blow, sending him flying through the remains of a pillar.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

Taking a shadow to heal his body, Leshac prepared to fight them again.

A second time he defeated the remnants, taking few wounds.

A third time he defeated the remnants, quite exhausted, though devouring shadows healed him.

Leshac was dreading the fourth, but as the Dark Wizard reached for the lantern, it shone with an emerald light, and Quil broke the shadow over herself.

Don’t… DON’T YOU DARE USE ME!” She yelled in defiance.

The shadows of the remnants exploded and the Dark Wizard’s eyes flashed green and blue as he was forced by enchantment to put the lantern down. Quil, then after doing such a powerful impromptu spell, fainted, drained of energy.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

Leshac hissed at the Dark Wizard and charged at him, deadly paradox rippling the length of the lance as he rushed the Dark Wizard. The Wizard for his part, sank into the shadows, rising elsewhere and threw forth darkness like knives at Leshac. Leshac, turned sharply, and obliterated the dark knives with a twilight blast. The Wizard drew forth a shield of darkest night from the robe, and the blast burned around him.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

Shadowy cubes floated downwards from the Dark Wizard as he muttered a chant of depths. The hall grew dark, and black sigils were drawn in the air by mere will. The dark tried to swallow Leshac, but he held his lance high and with its’ shining darkness, banished the Dark Wizard’s spell.

-Remember- the bluetear roses whispered.

The Dark mage snarled, and leaping through the shadows, raked at Leshac with obscured claws. Leshac shrieked in rage and, grabbing the shadow of his lance, swung it about like a flail on a cord of shadow, sending sunset bursts everywhere. The Dark Mage could barely avoid Leshac’s fury, but he broke the twilight forces with his hands, and tackled Leshac into Awarth.

-REMEMBER THE TRUTH- the redtear roses hissed.

The hall was quite different in Awarth, it was whole and unblemished, but the roses were like glittering ruby flowers and greedily ate all light. Leshac and the Mage could see quite well in the murk of Awarth, so on they fought. Leshac fought bravely, and strong, but the Dark Wizard had control of the very dark around them, and had many spells and powers. Leshac found that many times when he reached for a shadow, the Dark Wizard had turned it against him.

-REMEMBER THE TRUTH- the redtear roses hissed.

They traded many blows, but as Leshac weakened, the Dark Wizard seemed to only grow stronger.

At length, Leshac determined that he would lose if this continued, taking the dragon waycharm from his neck, he swallowed it in one go. He instantly felt immeasurable pain.

A changeling may technically take any form, but some forms the strain is too great, taking the form of a powerful being can be fatal for a changeling, often before they finish changing. Leshac could feel the curse tightening on his being, even as his body warped and cracked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Dark Wizard lashing about in pain. He would have wondered why if he hadn’t have been in pain himself.

-REMEMBER THE TRUTH- the redtear roses hissed.

His head lengthened into a draconic snout, the mandibles vanishing, and spindling legs fused to strong scaled limbs. He grew no wings, but he was like a small humanoid Rimlasnathines, clear mirror-like scales and all. He knew he could breath purifying cold, and power flooded his body, pain also did so, he could not hold the form of a dragon for long and even less so while cursed.

Leshac rushed the twitching Dark Wizard, thrashing him this way and that, blasting him with cold breath and piercing him with the paradox armament. He laid down blow after blow, not letting up for a moment, he struck with such speed and force that the Dark Wizard could not respond, though as he was, he seemed strangely afflicted by Leshac’s transformation. Leshac could not understand this, why would the Dark Wizard be affected by his own transformation.

-REMEMBER-

The Dark Wizard burst from his robe, fleshing out into the form of a great shadowy ice dragon, he barely fit into the hall, but he pinned Leshac with an huge clawed hand. It was then that Leshac remembered something, and he recognised the Dark Wizard. What was before him was not the Dark Wizard. Leshac exclaimed aloud his confusion at his own shadow, here before him in dragon form.

So you have realised it, and I have failed. Though perhaps there is hope yet, I shall tell you, why I your shadow have done all this. You remember how you fought the Dark Wizard and for your troubles was cursed? Well, it was not you that fought the Dark Wizard”

-remembrance-

I fought you, my master, Leshac of Many Faces and Wizard of Darkness. You were not the best or worst of people, but in your studies you had made the mistake of looking into the darkness of oblivion rather than that of the night, shadows or depths. From that time, you grew in wickedness, becoming a scourge unto those around you. I could bear it no longer, you were about to commit a deed from which escape would have been next to impossible, so I split from your body and fought you, laying a curse upon your powers so that you might never call on the false power of void again.”

Leshac felt the curse weaken, and looking down, he saw what he could not before. He had no shadow attached, the one speaking to him was his shadow.

I beg of you my master, do not return to your wicked ways” Leshac’s shadow begged.

As the curse shattered, Leshac considered his actions, the suffering of his shadow, but then the shadow is part of the self, so he considered his own suffering at his own hand. He could remember the pain he had caused, the allure of false power. It seemed lightly different now, he could think more clearly, not consumed by the pull of nothing. He thought of Quil’s fear and dislike, he thought that he perhaps didn’t want to be feared like that, or to cause pain to her, so why cause pain to others. He briefly considered himself blameless, but he could not blame corrupt magic, after all, it was magic he had chosen. That was his fault.

Leshac of Many Faces, dark wizard and changeling, decided that he did not want to waste this chance his shadow had bought for him, there were many that would never get such a boon. So, speaking softly to his shadow, Leshac asked if he could ever be forgiven.

Some may not, but I am you, and I feel your resolve, thank you master, I shall become one with you again, and return to slumber, forgive yourself, but I implore you, never again look into void”

So was the curse on Leshac broken, and his shadow and magic returned to him. He warped from the shape of a dragon into a more humble form and lost consciousness. When he woke he saw Quil and Liokh Balreah looking over him. Voice rasping, he spoke to them.

I’m sorry for everything.”

Epilogue: Crime and Consequence

Quil stayed with Leshac, claiming that Liokh never said when to stop accompanying him. Indeed Liokh had said nothing, and had even transported them to Leshac’s home, which was free of its’ curse of light and shadow. He had said nothing, but he smiled. Leshac and Quil had together destroyed his old research and chlanic experiments. He would begin again the study of the magic of the night and depths.

What of the crime however? What had Leshac almost done, that so moved his shadow to action?

What of the dragon, Rimlasnathines and the tainted mirror?

Of the task Leshac owed Liokh?

How was it that Quil had such a hold over the merchant Nagar?

What events in the past had happened to the ruins Leshac and Quil had found the Bluetear roses in?

What of the Golem of mismatched pieces, which against odds, activated?

These all are tales of themselves, but for now, this tale, of a Dark Wizard who was saved by his suffering shadow, is over.

Author: SnowyMystic