Tala and Master Xeel stood together outside the cell of a Reality Mage.
She was about to face this classic nemesis of all Mages, and he was going to be on hand during the process.
Tala gave a hesitant smile. “I have some ideas, but you’re far more experienced, here. What’s the overarching plan?”
Master Xeel gave a small shrug. “You go in, keep the Reality Mage on the inside while the Paragon repairs the cell. I will be standing in the entrance, ready to step in to help if I can.”
“Not if I need?”
He shook his head. “Please do not mistake me, Mistress Tala. I will do what I can if you are in need, and I can probably keep the Reality Mage contained. That said, doing so isn’t a gamble that I want to take, even if I were inclined to do so. You are likely to be able to counter her, whereas I would have to overpower her. You should be able to walk into her domain and rebuff her authority. I would have to stand on the edge and fight her back from the outside.”
Tala nodded, then made a motion of will to make Kit appear in door form on the side of her unit’s vehicle.
Having a physical manifestation like that would lock the center of Kit’s range in place, and keep the dimensional storage from automatically coming with Tala into the cell.
There was no reason to introduce such a place to escape into, nor to risk my sanctum, Irondale, or the people within needlessly.
Before them, the antechamber opened up. It looked like a massive, clear dome on the top of a wide, low hill. Though, it also seemed entirely contained at the peak of the little rise the entrance opened from.
Contracted space once again… or is it expanded? Honestly, it was probably a mix of both.
Inside the antechamber, Tala took the time to look over the information available about the woman that was recorded within.
The info was on large stone slabs written in the common script. So, this Reality Mage hadn’t been here since before the unification of language.
It took a bit, but it was worth the slight delay in order to double check what she and Alat had already perused.
Their opponent would be the Reality Mage Re-al. A woman so depraved that she’d sacrificed her own familiar, forsaken and hidden her name, and torn her own soul out of the next world for use in horrendous rituals.
Alat, can we do this?
-I think we can, yes.-
Tala found herself smiling as she came to the end of the information.
“Alright then.” Her iron and white steel flowed over her, coating the bottoms of her feet as she strode forward, lifting her a bit higher with each step until the armor was complete and fully encapsulating.
Under her ablative armor was a layer of pure iron, just to make sure there weren’t any cracks or crevices that power could worm its way through.
She also encapsulated herself, star- and stone-ward with iron.
Alat and Tala had considered using their existence shield, but they’d largely dismissed that for several reasons.
One of the main ones was that, the last time they’d used it, they’d learned that it wasn’t very good at resisting true attacks.
Instead, it excelled at blocking connections and attempts to alter her own existence directly.
That also meant that if it was hit by an attack, it could do more harm to her than good. Though, to be fair, she didn’t actually know what the murder-eye’s attack had been trying to do.
It was possible that having half of her body and magic erased from existence had been the best outcome she could hope for.
Regardless, they didn’t feel like the existence shield was the right course of action.
That said, she was going to go in, armored for a world-ending threat.
With that in mind, she aspect-mirrored as much void into her elk leathers’ magical defenses as possible. In doing so, she altered the relatively weak, always active magical defenses around her soulbound garments into powerful, void-magic barriers that hugged her form just outside the iron and white steel armor.
She very specifically did not mix the void-magic with the iron, which, because it was bound to her, seemed to count effectively as reality-magic.
In that way, she had a layer of protection that was the direct antithesis of Reality—void-magic—followed by one that was obliquely opposed to it—reality-magic.
All told, there shouldn’t be any easy way for power of any kind to get at her.
There was still the danger of physical attacks, but that’s why she had the ablative armor on.
She came to a stop right in front of where the entrance to the cell would be when it was opened.
Standing there for a moment, tall and confident, Tala turned her head toward the Paragon who was waiting for her, and she nodded to him.
The man smiled resolutely. “We begin.”
Tala took deep breaths, her hands empty.
She wouldn’t risk Flow with exposure to Reality, not at first at least. She doubted she’d be willing to use the sword at all, but she had Flow sheathed at her waist, under her armor, nonetheless.
As the Paragon began his work, rock grew up from the ground within the antechamber, forming an oddly normal looking door frame before the inside of the thing was filled with the darkness of a long tunnel.
Most cell entrances manifested as something akin to a long tunnel.
Her threefold sight showed that the tunnel was more truly through existence itself than any material.
The stone which made up the walls, ceiling, and floor was but a veneer meant to maintain the natural order of things.
After all, people were not meant to stride on the edge of existence.
Tala immediately stepped into the tunnel, Master Xeel coming in behind her and blocking off the outside end of the long tunnel with a field of light composed of interweaving colors.
She almost hesitated as she recognized some of the forms and shapes within the light.
He’d made spellforms with lines of different colored light, and light, itself, was the medium as well.
She hadn’t known that was even possible, and she couldn’t begin to comprehend what the magics were meant to do.
All that she knew was that they bore the power of a Reforged well on his way to Ascending, and she really did not want to be the target of anything with that kind of magical weight.
The man further added shapes of woven light around himself and along the walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel.
He was ready to back her up if required.
Her steps were firm as she strode forward, reaching the inside exit of the tunnel without slowing.
Only once she was fully inside did she stop and look down from the hill she had exited near the top of.
Below her was a walled village, and that alone made Tala suck in a breath.
It was so small, there was no way that she could mistake it for one of the great cities that gated-humanity used in modern times.
The walls had clearly once been impressive—there were obvious remnants of inscriptions woven through them—but there was no longer any magic about the structure.
In fact, with her threefold sight she could see that there was absolutely no magic within the cell at all.
The dimensions that she generally thought of as those of magic still existed, but they were utterly empty, no matter how she examined them.
With no magic, there was no movement of what wasn’t there. So there was no zeme, but saying that was like saying there was no breeze in a vacuum.
It should have gone without saying.
The reason it struck Tala’s mind strongly enough for her to focus on it was simple. There was something in its place.
Great tides of iron dust drifted on currents of air.
No… that isn’t iron. It felt very similar to her, though.
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It felt real in a way that was hard to describe.
It was like how it was hard to remember she was wearing clothing, until it became uncomfortable, or itched, or pulled wrong.
This was that uncomfortable itch, pulling at her awareness in the worst way.
There was something in the air that was an antithesis to magic and sought to fill any void, as pointless as such a venture was.
Tala was grateful that she didn’t have to breathe and her solid faceplate remained.
She couldn’t imagine the horror that would come from breathing in any of the power that now seemed to surround her.
There was a sharp intake of breath, and Tala turned to see what had clearly once been a woman looking up at her from the foot of the hill.
That was the only warning she got before what felt like a hammer the size of a building slammed down atop Tala—seemingly forged out of the all too Real something that filled the air.
The strike utterly shattered against her void-magic barrier.
It was like dropping the end of a log on a hardened steel wedge.
The wedge—her defense—was utterly unaffected, and the attack was splintered back into the surrounding air currents.
There was a beat of silence as the woman was clearly surprised to have her attack so thoroughly rebuffed.
“What are you?” The question was exceptionally ironic, coming as it did from the twisted woman.
Truthfully, calling the Reality Mage twisted was hardly a fair assessment in any sense but metaphorical.
Re-al looked normal to mundane sight, even if her gray-ish skin made her look a bit sickly.
Even so, Tala’s threefold sight revealed the truth.
The woman had more inscriptions than even Tala, every single line seemingly of iron by the look of them.
That wasn’t the end of the oddities either.
Re-al didn’t have an aura that Tala could detect, but instead she exuded a… realness that wasn’t to be denied.
Tala almost laughed at that, but she couldn’t describe it any other way.
It was as if most people Tala had seen—including herself—were statues artfully created, fragile and painstakingly preserved of cloud and mist.
Re-al was shaped in granite.
But the silence was becoming awkward.
She believed that she could keep her at bay in a conflict of violence, but Tala wisely assumed that Re-al hadn’t really shown the true measure of her power yet.
Thus, Tala would rather delay with words until the time was right, or she ran out of things to say.
So, Tala decided to respond. Her voice was carried by her through-spike to the air outside of her armor. From there, it acted as sound normally did. “I am Tala, here to inspect this existence-cell.”
Based on what Tala knew of Reality Mages, Re-al could probably have opposed the sound, scrubbing it from the air because it was created by magic, but she didn’t bother. Instead, she just grimaced. “I did not ask who you were, foolish child. I also did not ask you why you are here. Are those outside so backward as to not realize such things are obvious? Why have you been conditioned to give useless answers? Listen closely. I asked what you are. I see and recognize iron utterly pervading you, but it is tainted with magic. I sense void as well, but no blended existence. So, I will ask again. What are you?”
Tala felt herself straighten. “I am a Defender of humanity.”
That felt… partially true. She was more than just that. Regardless, Re-al scoffed. “There is very little real foundation to your claim, girl. Do you not even know what you are, yourself? They didn’t even send a Paragon? Fools.”
“If it makes you feel any better, there is a powerful Reforged waiting outside that you'll never see.”
Tala had been trying to throw the other woman off, but contrary to her expectation, Re-al seemed to brighten. “Really? I would love to remove one of those stains from the world. I just have to kill you to engage the Reforged?”
“You would have to break out of here after it's been fully resealed.”
That seemed to confuse Re-al. “...that isn’t possible.”
“Oh, I know. Aren’t we listing impossible things? You did just utterly fail to harm me with a surprise attack, right?”
The older woman hesitated for a moment then burst out laughing. “That was actually marginally clever. Nicely done.”
She continued to laugh, and Tala let her.
Insanity as a delaying tactic, don’t count on it, but use it if it’s available.
Tala almost laughed as well, but kept the reaction contained to not pull the woman’s attention from her odd cackling.
After a long moment, Re-al collected herself once again. “So then, you aren’t a total loss. You also have a love of iron that is entirely un-Mage-like. Why not work with me? We can fix the world together and end all this needless suffering.”
“By killing everyone with a gate.” It wasn’t a question.
“By reuniting broken souls, yes, among other things.”
“That’s not who I am, and I cannot allow you to do that.”
“Ahh, but we’ve established that you don’t really know who you are.”
Tala shook her head. “I said no. I am a protector of humanity.” She thought of Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva. “I am a nurturer of magic.”
Re-al hissed at that, a pulse of whatever her power was radiating outward even as she spoke, “A pointless affectation. That is not what you really are.”
The power was much sharper and more piercing than the first attack had been. Even so, it rolled harmlessly over Tala’s extended aura.
“I will tell you what you are, oh twisted child. You are a broken daughter of a twisted family. You scratch and claw at the world around you, needlessly causing harm to that which you lack the wit to comprehend. You are a blight on reality.”
Tala barely felt a mild strain on her void-magic barrier. The words, themselves, seemed to carry the terrible power as it tried to invade and affect Tala.
But she stood firm.
She had magic aplenty and void to spare.
She almost laughed at that.
Void, by its very nature, was always in abundance, and her gate provided magic unending.
She tilted her head to one side and felt herself smile within her helmet.
“Is this it? Is this all that you have? Feeble attempts to claw at my foundation?”
“No, but we haven’t known each other very long. I wasn’t going to obliterate you before we talked.”
“Oh? You want to get to know me?”
“Why not? It’s been lonely in here. I’ve missed talking. Talking is great, right? Besides, if I’m going to use you against the other humans, I should understand you better.”
Yeah… like that’s going to happen. I’m not going to bare my soul to you, crazy lady.
Re-al, of course, simply continued her monologue. “I don’t detect any soulbond that’s strong enough to be to a familiar or husband. Is he already dead? That is one of the great evils of magic, forcing others to live beyond their loved ones.”
Tala cocked an eyebrow even though she knew it wouldn’t be visible. “Says the woman who killed her own familiar.”
“Yes. I did. I will kill anyone and anything who puts their own selfish desires before the good of the entire world.” Re-al was visibly angry at the end, but calmed herself before continuing. “So, your husband is already dead then?”
“No, we’ve not married yet.” Tala felt herself twitch. Why had she answered like that?
Alat was silent, but Tala could practically hear the alternate interface dancing with glee. Not really the time, Alat…
Re-al barked a laugh. “You don’t even have the courage to get married.” She continued laughing for a long moment after that before her laughter hitched. “Oh, the ridiculousness of it is going to make me choke. Reality is broken indeed if they send an iron-tainted, old, has-been in here to try to stall me. This will be easier than I thought. But it’s time for the big choice, you old girl. Join me or die.”
Tala felt herself smile.
Re-al obviously couldn’t see the smile, it was just for herself.
I did my best to stall, but if that’s over… Well, I can do one more thing to gain some time.
-I’ll watch for a good time to strike.-
Oh, now you join us?
-Do you want to have this talk, now?-
No…
All that aside, Tala knew that her smile changed the tone in her voice as she spoke, “There has been a misunderstanding, Reality Mage. I am not iron-tainted. I have claimed the iron as my own. I am not old, but among the youngest in this generation to advance. I am not a has-been. I am the ravenous, jealous devourer. Magic and void are mine to claim and influence, but I find myself in need of reality. But neither that, nor you, are my eternal aim. You are a mere stepping stone.”
Tala knew that all of this was true. None of it was even new, but it felt right to say it all together like that.
As such, she wasn’t surprised when she moved an almost imperceptible tick closer to Paragon.
Re-al seemed to hesitate at that, truly seeming off center for what might have been the first time in the entire conversation. The woman’s violent intentions seemed to be temporarily cooled as she carefully inquired, “A nascent Existence Mage?” She shook her head. “No, no. That is ridiculous. Success there is impossible.”
Tala laughed, then. “You speak like you aren’t a Reality Mage. Isn’t that equally impossible?”
Re-al waved her off with a curt gesture. “You spout the lies spread by those in power.” There was real anger in the woman’s eyes, evident even across the dozens of yards between them. “It is forbidden, not impossible.”
“I disagree. It is impossible for any person to become a Reality Mage.”
Re-al huffed. “Then what am I?”
“Lost and confused. A mockery of the person who used to live behind those eyes. A broken soul, too twisted to die.”
The Reality Mage shook her head. “You speak folly once more. I’d think you were trying to delay me, if that had any hope of succeeding.”
“So, I cannot attempt the impossible? Isn’t that the very nature of Existence, to strive for that which was deemed impossible by others?” Tala was doing her best to engage the woman, but the time of verbal delays was clearly drawing to a close.
“That is the flaw with anything beyond reality. It wastes resources, energy, and effort in the pursuit of that which can never be.”
“And yet the woman you once were never became a Reality Mage. She is gone.” That woman was dead, and Re-al was just somehow puppeting the corpse. That really doesn’t feel in line with Reality.
Re-al huffed a laugh, pulling Tala’s attention back. “Oh, I am still here. I simply gave up that identity—that long-erased name—for power. A human can age and die, but an idea—Reality—continues, and I will continue even after everything is cold and dead and lifeless.”
Well, that’s implicative.
-Some theories—assuming she was still alive—involved her long life being tied to conceptual magics with her name.-
Yeah, but can we actually use that?
-I have not the faintest idea how…-
Those tactics hadn’t worked. Tala and Re-al weren’t fighting yet—which was good from a delaying perspective—so it hadn’t been a complete failure. Regardless, Tala needed to try something else. “What would your familiar think of what you have become?”
“Hate me utterly, to the point of trying to kill me in my sleep, obviously.” Re-al waved that off as well, this time smiling with obvious malice. “If I was going to mourn her, I’d have done it centuries ago.”
Well, that was useless.
-Still, we have the big one. Should we use it?-
No. Not yet… We need her off balance, and we need to be closer to take advantage of any opening. That gave Tala a potentially game-changing idea.
-We do yeah, but… oh. That’s interesting. There is an opening for that now. Make use of it.-
And so Tala did.