Daily Short: Eve 08

ACT 963161069-26889.23.(M4.D10)-Eve-Smith-Silver Prime

Eve crossed the vast distance in the blink of an eye as the Summoning pulled her to the destination. She materialized in the center of a faltering formation of knights with sounds of battle around her. Her senses took in the combat noting the key figures. Charlotte Zienfer stood whole among a group of elite spellcasters manipulating the element of Earth. Walls rose and pits fell keeping the fluid situation at bay. Beside her stood Bennie and Iantha, the latter feeding intelligence to the young duchy heir.

Ralph was commanding the forward knights keeping the enemy at bay. His teams rotated as the walls rose around them keeping the superior numbers from overwhelming them. Vines wove in and around the enemy choking the life out of the unwary. If those four are out there then where is they? Ah, found him.

Eve’s attention immediately turned to the crumpled form at her feet. Justin had spent a massive portion of his blood essence to utilize the link between them as a beacon. It had called her constricted body through the Crystal Wall Defense. The poor boy didn’t know I’d already found a way through such things. A common method of defense can no longer hold me out.

Reaching down she let Witch’s Dust begin to repair his body while her hands grasped the sides of his head. “Show me,” Eve commanded to the unconscious mind.

Justin Mickleton stood on the hill overlooking the besieged Duchy, the sun setting, casting a golden glow over the future battlefield. The air was filled with the acrid stench of smoke and the distant echoes of battle cries. Skirmishers had already commenced their bloody work. The forces from the Church, the Outcast Royals, and the mercenary armies from outside the Othuven Kingdom had joined forces to invade the duchy in a quest to seize power and claim the Kudzu offshoot for their own. The day had been long, and the night would be worse. Justin hated how these jackals had only gathered once Eve’s presence was reported gone. It had taken them four years to finalize the invasion, but now it was well underway. The enemy appeared to know that the Kudzu offshoot was entering the period of Rooting.

Justin remembered the first morning when the first light of dawn revealed the might of the combined forces, a sight that sent a chill down his spine. The Church's crusading zealots, adorned in their white robes, marched in unison, chanting prayers and wielding their holy relics. The Outcast Royals were resplendent in their glistening armor, their banners fluttering in the wind, bearing the crest of the Othuven Kingdom. And from beyond the borders, mercenaries and soldiers of fortune arrived, seeking glory and riches amidst the chaos. One of the most powerful mercenary teams was led by Blue, a captain rumored to have a grudge against Eve from the past.

The duchy's forces, though outnumbered, were determined to defend their homeland. Their leader, Duchess Charlotte, was a woman renowned for her strategic acumen. She had fought battles of intrigue to hold the line, and when that failed countenanced outright assassinations. Eventually, after Ralph returned she gathered her troops and devised a plan to counter the overwhelming odds if it came to battle. The Duchy's forces had formed a shield wall, while archers took positions on higher ground, awaiting the onslaught once it was clear the invasion was underway.

As the first battle commenced, the thunderous sound of hooves and clashing steel filled the air. The Church's forces charged the shield walls, their fanaticism driving them relentlessly. The Outcast Royals, expert horsemen, attempted to outflank the Duchy's troops but were met with volleys of arrows from the archers above. The mercenaries, hungry for battle and loot, threw themselves into the fray, their numbers bolstering the invaders' ranks. It had been the chaos of the worst sort. Justin had broken the stalemate by casting Blood Siphon. Stealing the power of those dead to fight for those alive. It was a crucial piece of the puzzle that pushed the invaders back.

In the midst of the chaos, the Duchess under the advice of the Seer had led a daring cavalry charge, breaking through the enemy's ranks and wreaking havoc on their morale. The sight of the Duchess, her armor splattered with the blood of her foes, was a rallying point for the defenders, who fought with renewed vigor. It had made Justin ever more aware that the soft girl from the Academy was dead and buried.

As the sun began to set, the tide of battle turned. Exhausted and battered, the invading forces retreated, leaving the Duchy's forces to claim victory in the first battle. The field was littered with the bodies of the fallen, a grim reminder of the cost of war.

That night, as the fires of the burning battlefield flickered in the distance, the Duchy's people celebrated their hard-fought victory.

It had been a costly mistake.

The night belonged to the mercenaries, and they had proven it in blood and slaughter. Justin had feared the entire war was lost until the Seer had instructed him on their only chance mere days ago. A year of battle had drained the Duchy dry, but the Seer promised victory, as long as Justin could perform the Summoning.

He had activated the circle and felt it pull, but the power was too weak. It wouldn’t be enough to save them. It wouldn’t be enough to get Eve’s attention.

Eve saw the young boy’s final memory as he reached for a knife with absolute conviction.

“Such faith,” Eve said as she saw Bennie’s head snap backward in the distance. The doctor now a high priest turned her silver-tainted eyes looking to where Justin’s summoning circle had been. “Such faith makes one desire to make it justified, does it not?”

Witch’s Dust rose in silver spinning clouds like a sandstorm turned chrome grey. She poured it out over the entire battlefield, and then up to those observing above it. Eve knew this place had been limited in Tier for a long time. Somehow, those at the end of their Tier Four lifespan had learned of Kudzu’s offshoot. It is clear they believe in some way it could aid them in escaping the shackles of mortality. After all, it is something from outside the world. Unfortunately, it is mine. A vital key to allow me to escape the Prison Plane.

Eve teleported directly up appearing in the center of a small gathering of individuals with Spatial Step. Before her eyes were all manner of people seated on a massive magical carpet. Coffee was served by scantily dressed slaves of both genders, and a cook stood nearby creating pastries without rest. They almost all look young, but they can’t fool my senses!

In the central heart of the ancient magic carpet, where the wind whispered ancient secrets, a battle of epic proportions was about to unfold. Eve’s anger rippled into the space around her as she said, “Little worms and pretty insects, why have you arrived at my shores?”

The arrayed Tier Fours were masters of the mystical arts, skilled in pure Elemental magic with powerful Blessings.

Eve glanced around calmly in the center of the revelry, with her silver hair and eyes that burned like silver-metal embers. Her body was upright like the sword in her right hand as she stood in the center of the magical carpet, surrounded by a miasma of pure Witch’s Dust controlled mana. Her sinister laughter echoed through the flying tool, sending shivers down the spine of even the most fearless enemy.

Five elemental masters, each a Tier Four of their respective element, took their positions around her with arrogance. Behind them were arrayed those aligned to their elements. They come into my home. They back the enemies of my entertainment. They covet what is mine.

Eve watched the five with undisguised contempt. They couldn’t even see her Tier!

The first, an elderly man with a long white beard, raised his hands, summoning the power of the earth. The ground shook beneath them, and enormous boulders were pulled from the Plane of Earth, hovering menacingly above Eve.

The second, a young woman dressed in flowing robes of azure, chanted ancient words, and the skies darkened as the wind howled around her. Lightning danced between her fingertips, her eyes glinting with the fury of the storm she commanded.

The third, a stoic man with a muscular build, raised his arms and summoned the raging inferno. Flames erupted from his hands, swirling into a vortex of fire that threatened to engulf Eve. It turned the boulders into molten lava in passing, a combination attack of minor skill.

The fourth, a graceful woman adorned with delicate crystals, drew upon the power of water, shaping it into deadly, razor-sharp icicles that hung suspended in the air, ready to strike.

Finally, the fifth individual, a mysterious figure shrouded in darkness, wielded the power of the void, his very presence seeming to warp the space around them.

Eve was undeterred by the formidable display of power and laughed with a twisted cackle. "You dare challenge me, in my own place of power? I shall show you the terrible price your arrogance has wrought!"

With a flick of her wrist, Eve unleashed a wave of Witch’s Dust, crashing into the surrounding elemental users like a tidal wave. The earth crumbled, the winds howled, and the fire roared in response, as the Tier Four elemental masters struggled to withstand the onslaught of her power.

The enemies were not completely powerless, and the battle raged on, the attackers using their mastery of the elements to counter her relentless attacks. Even as she deconstructed their attacks, more were pulled endlessly from the various Planes. The very air crackled with raw energy, as the forces of Silver and Elements clashed in a dance of destruction.

As the battle seemed to reach its peak, the pure elemental masters joined forces, weaving their elemental powers together in a last-ditch effort to defeat Eve in a single strike. The earth, wind, fire, water, and void energies spiraled together, creating a dazzling spectacle of light and color that pierced through the darkness.

Eve’s eyes flickered with inner light, realizing the power of their combined assault. The vibrant beam of elemental energy struck without mercy, engulfing her in a blinding explosion of light.

With the dust still settling, the Tier Four elemental masters stood victorious, their foe vanquished. Their expressions were smug until a voice echoed out from the now silver-tinted cloud, “Was that the best you could do?”

Eve’s form was revealed low to the carpet, her body positioned in a draw stance. “My turn.”

There was an imperceptible twitch in the fabric of the carpet before the Earth elemental master suddenly collapsed. His body was no longer whole, merely various cubes of meat. A single drop of blood fell off the pointed tip of Eve’s Jian clearly denoting the killer.

The shadowy void user said, “Good luck, allies!” Eve smirked as his attempt to escape was prevented. “Did you think the space around me so easy to pierce? Do not be shocked, anchoring the battlefield is merely good judgment!”

The carpet below Eve’s feet twitched again and the Void element master met the same fate as the previous one of Earth.

“Wind, Fire, Water. You could be of use.” Eve said her words considering. “Kneel and accept a Contract, or die.”

The flame user’s eyes lit with inner fury before he raised both hands pouring the heart of a forge out into the world. Eve merely raised one eyebrow before she disposed of him. She was even considerate enough this time to let the two remaining see her movement.

Both the wind and water users retched onto the now blood-stained carpet.

“Final offer,” Eve said. If they weren’t such a useful set of tools for Ralph, I wouldn’t even bother. I've been gone so long, it is only right to return with gift bags!