The Shadow Queen's Wrath

Attack that woman in front of me.

I take her beating heart as payment, then...

As you wish. Now go.

A wailing scream echoed all around the air as the twisting shadows all around Liara suddenly gathered at one point and shot out towards the demonic shadow queen. The queen cried out as the shadow attacked her, pulling out bits of black miasma. The shadow beast's hand grew into an enormous claw as it whipped violently against the demonic queen, causing a deep gash.

Liara gasped in pain as she fell awkwardly on the ground. An unearthly primal outcry resounded from the dark elf queen as some of the healed wounds on her body burst open. A dark pulse shot out from her and expanded outward. Liara screamed as a fresh sensation of fiery daggers stabbing spread all across her delicate skin. The princess whimpered and clutched the charm of protection on her right arm. She recited the Words of Protection as her charm glowed red-hot. It absorbed the black miasma that blew around Liara and shielded her. Liara flinched as one of the white-hot stone charms on the bracelet shattered into fine dust.

As Liara got up a call of distress came from her link to Gou'rop. The shadow beast was gripped tightly by the left hand of the evil queen's elongated fingers. Gou'rop had defaulted to a spindly humanoid shape of blackness with a bestial mouth and an oblong head. Tendrils of shadow desperately struck and ripped at Jandala's arm and tore open the side of her shoulder. Jandala screeched and pinned Gou'rop to the ground with impact.

A group of large shadows formed and reached out towards the shadow beast. He screamed as their claws sank into his aetheral flesh. The resentment towards Liara was cast through their link as Gou'rop frantically grabbed and threw one of the shadow beasts off. If I survive this...! I will make you suffer greatly, I promise you! I will enjoy taking my time savoring your blood while I watch you die slowly. One day, Liara!!

The princess began the Prayer of Fire again. As she marked the air the demonic queen held out a free hand. Intricate violet runes appeared from the Nu'kaila's fingertips as her bracelet turned purple. Liara stopped her spell and desperately gripped her right bracelet; she chanted the Word of Protection and marked the runic word of Scyld. Both her arms extended forward and the thumb and finger of both hands formed a closed triangle.

"Scutum!" Liara cried out as a convex shield of light formed in front of her. Hot purple light from the queen struck her conjured shield; the princess winced as her bracelet shattered into white hot shards. The remaining milk-white stone reagents of protection clacked as they bounced and rolled on the ground. The decorative pearl chains that connected to her bracelet and her armband dangled loosely.

A deflected part of the violet light bounced off and hit one of the bystanders, Alna'ni of Naruna, in the shoulder. She fell down onto the ground screaming miserably as the other sisters backed further away. The afflicted part of Alna'ni's shoulder and neck formed boils as parts of the skin melted to show the meat and bone underneath.

The demonic queen reached out with her hand again. Liara panicked and grabbed one of the fallen charm stones from the floor ready to reinforce her shield. Then she sensed malicious excitement. Gou'rop, who had been wrestling with the shadow beasts while in Jandala's grasp suddenly had his attention on Liara. The princess' panic caused the hold of her spell on him to weaken, and he broke free of her control temporarily. The shadow's head stretched with vicious eagerness and frightening speed towards his master. Liara screamed as his grotesque, needle-like teeth impacted her shield of light.

You only make your death harder by resisting! Liara!! Gou'rop's bestial voice echoed as parts of his teeth cracked through the Scutum. We die together!! The princess frantically chanted Dismissal, and Gou'rop's presence was gone.

There was a slow, steady, rhythmic and unpleasant creaking that echoed in Liara's head. It was unnatural, dry, demonic laughter. Loyalty with fiends is such a rare commodity. That is why I strip my familiars completely of their free will.

A humming sound reverberated all around Liara. Purple light that exuded with malicious energy surrounded her shield.

"Scutum!" Liara cried as she held both hands out. Mournful crying surrounded the princess as the Nu'kaila's shadow fiends clawed at her shield. Each remaining stone shattered, one by one. Her shield of light cracked and her ability to focus through her mounting exhaustion was running out.Her strength would soon give out. But Liara had one final resort. Something she had never succeeded accomplishing before. Liara bit her lip as she concentrated.

Liara knelt down on both knees as she blanked her mind. She became a passive observer as the last charm of Protection cracked, and as her shield was on the verge of shattering. Time stopped as she opened her mind's eye to the void; her seven spiritual meridians opened with rising, coiling light from the Gate of Aether passed through her. The princess projected outside her body and started the Prayer of Darkness; as she visualized the arcane glyphic words of Hugr and Inanis she concentrated on her spell's arcane meanings. Liara, with her astral body of light adorning the intricate designs of the runes and mystic symbols of her spell, flew through magnificent planes of multicolored lights.

She finished the final passage of the Prayer of Darkness and materialized the arcane symbols of the true name of the Black Abyss. The spirit world around her turned into a cold infinitely dark hungering void. Black winds that chilled the soul blew around her.

Wicked apparitions that appeared as writhing twisted pale faceless caricatures of living entities in the dark maelstrom screamed and cried in agony. They beheld their morbid injuries on their essences. They all reached out to the princess but she pushed on. Liara paid no heed to the twisted emotions and vile images that flooded her head. She kept her mind devoid of all thought, the domain of her mind's eye like a tranquil pool of clear, still water.

The Black Abyss made a great and terrible wailing call as it acknowledged its visitor. The princess tried to not think of what was coming up.

Liara concentrated on the next part of her spell as she beseeched the darkness. I offer my essence to the Dwellers of the Black Abyss. I offer my light as a contract for your dark power. Invigorate me.

Liara meditated on the Runic word of Inanis as she opened her heart completely. The wicked darkness all around eagerly reached out to the princess' soul with a rabid hunger. Tendrils clawed into her spirit. The emotional whiplash of all her painful memories seemed to come out at once, and she cried in sheer agony as the coldness of The Underworld entered her spirit.

Liara screamed from the disorienting terror, angst, sorrow, and maddening hatred taking over her as her inner darkness was given life. It was as if her heart was being ripped brutally from her chest as it was forcefully opened.

I can't! I can't! I can't! I caan't!! She desperately struggled against the darkness. The spell went wrong somewhere, she had opened herself to the darkness too much. She would die or go insane if she stayed any longer. The wailing princess fought the urge to abort the spell. She frantically recited the final invocation and sealed the spell with the Runic word of Met. The Oath of Black Manifestation was complete, and the twisted demon once known as Liara let out a primal scream.

To Be Continued