by Robert Spina
“You have some things that I need. I believe you have no use for them, so instead of just stealing them from you, I will be kind and ask for them nicely.” He is taken by Alluradaloni’s beauty but mostly focused on the task at hand and has been studying the lair very carefully. “I have heard of your long list of stolen souls and the massive treasures you have accumulated, but I see none here.”
“You don’t think I am considered a treasure to be held?”
“The treasure I must obtain is the Cloak of Concealment.”
“I think—and I am not just saying this, I’m being honest—you are a very attractive man, and if you kiss me, I will think about giving you the Cloak of Concealment.” Alluradaloni starts to walk toward Vegenrage.
“No need to put myself in that much danger. You are the greatest known seductress in all the realms. You can have any man you desire, and my life is mine.”
Alluradaloni is walking slowly toward him, smiling and looking down and up and tilting her head and looking at Vegenrage from the corner of her eyes.
Wow, Vegenrage thinks in his head. “That’s far enough.” He waves his hands, creating an invisible Wall of Force that stops Alluradaloni from advancing any farther. Alluradaloni walks into the Wall of Force facefirst, not hurting her but making her really mad. Vegenrage has a powerful surge run through his body, and his back tingles with cold chills. He can sense that a powerful magical presence is behind him but does not let on that he feels this.
Alluradaloni is stunned that Vegenrage has stopped her advance. She feels the Wall of Force with her hands and runs them palm down on the wall, looking around, like she is trying to see it.
“You really don’t want to touch me? You really won’t grant me one little kiss for the Cloak of Concealment?”
“No. I seek the cloak, not love.”
Alluradaloni, realizing that her charm is not working on Vegenrage, becomes faint and falls backward.
Vegenrage can see that Alluradaloni is not wearing any underwear. A spear drives right through Vegenrage’s back. It has been perfectly positioned to drive right through his spine, coming out his chest just below his pecs, not damaging his heart or lungs, but paralyzing him from the waist down. Vegenrage’s head and arms fall back as his chest is thrust forward, and he falls to his knees then back, supported by the broom of Alisluxkana.
Alisluxkana walks around to the front of Vegenrage and faces him. Her broom is a spear at one end with the other end breaking into four forks that have dug into the ground and are holding Vegenrage in a kneeling position. He has been paralyzed, but he can still move his arms, shoulders, neck, and head. He knows of Alisluxkana and the extremely powerful witch that she is, but he had no idea she was working with Alluradaloni. He knows her broom is a very powerful magical item, and if he casts any magic at Alisluxkana, the broom will absorb it. Right now, Vegenrage is wounded very badly and paralyzed, but he is in no real danger of dying yet.
He looks down at the broom that has pierced his chest, and surprisingly, he is not really in any pain. He can feel a great throbbing in his chest and back but no sense of pain as he looks at his arms and realizes he can move them freely, and he starts to think about this very dangerous situation he is in.
Alisluxkana starts to laugh at him in an all too common sinister witch laugh. Alisluxkana is not your typical big-nose-with-a-wart-on-it type of witch; she is much more fearsome looking. She wears a black shirt with black pants and black boots with a strong, attractive female body; however, her face is the complete opposite of Alluradaloni. She has deep brown eyes with a sickly pale complexion and scars and cuts all over her face. She has long black hair that is all scraggly looking, and as she starts to celebrate her victory over Vegenrage by taunting him with words, her terrible breath is more painful than the broom through his body.
“Ahahahahahahaha! Another would-be suitor done in by the beauty of Alluradaloni.” She walks toward Alluradaloni and walks right into the Wall of Force, hitting her face hard on it.
Vegenrage laughs. “Ahahahaha! Dumb witch.”
“What is this?” she says, cupping her face with her hand, and feels the Wall of Force. “You are strong very strong. Let’s see how strong.” She holds her hand out to the earth-covered wall, and a Staff of Strength of her own flies into her hand. She swings the staff, shattering the Wall of Force, and laughs a hideous laugh. She sends the staff back into the earth.
Alisluxkana walks to Alluradaloni and kneels to her, raising her in her arm to a sitting position. Alisluxkana looks to Vegenrage. “You see, magic man, Alluradaloni is the beauty, but I am the stealer of souls, and it is true—I cast a curse on her to serve me for all eternity. You are just another who thought wrongfully he could tame the beautiful Alluradaloni. So close you were, so close to being able to touch this beautiful body.” Alisluxkana rubs Alluradaloni’s right breast and shakes it in her hand. “And this one too.” She does the same with Alluradaloni’s left breast. “But she is mine, all mine. Only I can do this.” And she rubs her hand in Alluradaloni’s crotch. “Oh, my baby, Mommy’s here now. All will be good soon.” Alisluxkana cradles Alluradaloni’s head in her arms and rubs her cheek against Alluradaloni’s cheek.
She gently lays Alluradaloni back down and stands up, walking toward Vegenrage. She stops and folds her left arm across her stomach and rests her right elbow on her left arm. She slowly brings her fingers to her chin and taps her lips with her right index finger. “I am curious, magic man. You did not give in to Alluradaloni’s charm. You resisted her. I have never seen this before. How did you resist her?”
Vegenrage very inconspicuously moves his right hand very close to his Bag of Holding. He knows he cannot cast magic at Alisluxkana, but he can cast magic and has been thinking how to save his life.
Alisluxkana keeps tapping her lips and curiously looking Vegenrage over, not at all worried that he may still be a threat to her. “How did you evade her charm? This is concerning.”
“Not as concerning as the loss of Alluradaloni.” Vegenrage lifts Alluradaloni with his magic and throws her into the pool.
“Nooo!” Alisluxkana rushes to her aid.
Vegenrage reaches into his Bag of Holding, looking for the Staff of Power, and remembers he gave it back to Inglelapse. Alisluxkana jumps into the pool, supporting Alluradaloni above the water so she can breathe and walks her out of the pool and lays her on the ground. Vegenrage grabs the broom with both hands, levitates up and turns his body facing the wall, and thrusts his body forward against the wall, driving the broom out of his body.
Alisluxkana laughs and uses her magic to retrieve her broom. Vegenrage falls to the ground, and the healing begins. He quickly casts a Barrier of Force around him, knowing the favorite and most used magic of witches is telekinesis; and true to form, Alisluxkana starts throwing boulders from the walls at him. They crash and break all around him as his body mends itself. She uses her broom like a pointer, pointing at the rocks and objects to throw and swinging her broom, which acts like a lever, giving great power to her throws. No matter though, the stones and rocks break or bounce off the barrier Vegenrage has cast.
Vegenrage stands, casting a magical barrier between him and the witch so her magic cannot penetrate and all objects fall dead as soon as they meet the barrier. This is where the difference between a true master of magic and a nonmaster is evident. He lowers his head and closes his eyes while rage consumes Alisluxkana and she hurls anything and everything she can at him. Vegenrage looks up at Alisluxkana and says, “Cocoddlebrew.” Her broom flies into his right hand, and he uses his left hand to grab Alisluxkana with his magical force, scooping her up, clamping her arms to her body, and squeezing so tight that she can just breathe.
Alluradaloni rolls to her side, coughing, and uses her hands and arms to rise to a sitting position. She looks to see Alisluxkana held tight and raised just off the ground. She stands in anger, yelling, “You witch! You sick, disgusting witch!” and tries throwing closed-fist punches at her face. But Alis
luxkana is just out of reach, so Alluradaloni hops, throwing punches that still just miss Alisluxkana’s face. Alluradaloni is clearly very angry, and the charm that Alisluxkana had over her has faded away.
Vegenrage draws Alisluxkana toward him as he walk to the center of the room. Alluradaloni walks with Alisluxkana, yelling, “Die, you hideous witch. How could you do those things to me?”
Vegenrage holds out his other hand to Alluradaloni. “Calm down, calm down. Alisluxkana, seems the tables have turned.”
“Not so fast, magic man.” She turns her head at Alluradaloni, throwing her back against the wall. Alluradaloni hits the wall but does not fall.
Vegenrage swings his open hand, throwing magical slaps at Alisluxkana, knocking her head back and forth, breaking her concentration, and Alluradaloni falls to the ground. “Alisluxkana, you have one chance to save your life. Tell me where you keep all the magical items you have stolen, and I will spare you.”
Alisluxkana’s face changes. All the scars fade away, and the color in her face changes to a very attractive woman with beautiful long brown hair. Her eyes change to a nice shade of green and blue, and she starts to cry. “Please don’t hurt me anymore. I always wanted to be just a normal girl, but the magic took me over and controlled me, changing my appearance and distorting my mind. I am not that evil witch. I was under the direction of the magic.”
Vegenrage is not swayed by her pleading and knows she is still very dangerous. Alisluxkana is very powerful indeed, not a master of magic but at the height of witchcraft. She could have been one of the most powerful female magic users ever, but instead of training and crafting her abilities for good, she chose to summon the powers of darkness. Instead of learning to be a leader, she chose the quick and painful route of following darkness and becoming a servant of evil. She is very crafty and is stalling so she can summon demons.
“Enough. Where are the magical items?” Vegenrage squeezes his fist, tightening the grip on Alisluxkana so she can’t breathe. He releases his grip a little, and Alisluxkana looks at Alluradaloni, who stands up with her head down and raises her head to look at Vegenrage. She opens her eyes to reveal solid bloodred eyes with a small dot of black in the middle. She points her open palms to Vegenrage and chants a spell. This shoots what looks like a mass of lightning bolts at Vegenrage and is very cool looking. It looks like blue, white, and red lightning bolts flying at Vegenrage but is actually a static discharge that sends burning electrical currents into him. He is struck by the magic and thrown back against the wall violently, breaking his spell on Alisluxkana.
She grabs her broom and summons a Trykenkyle. The floor opens up, and black lava rises in a ball that forms into four legs, a hunched back, and an intimidating head. It looks like a three-foot-tall rhinoceros with a gray shell covering its body. Its head has no horn, and its teeth form a V on top and bottom, reaching back almost to its neck. Its teeth are very long and sharp, forming shears that cut and slice as they are brought together. It takes a few moments for this creature to materialize, and while it is, Alisluxkana wraps her arms around Alluradaloni, squeezing her chest into her stomach. “My baby, my baby.” She gives Alluradaloni a deep open-mouth kiss, pulling their lips apart slowly. Alisluxkana looks at Alluradaloni with a smile. “My baby is back.”
Alluradaloni opens her eyes to reveal that her natural light-brown eye color is back, and she smiles. Alisluxkana turns to Vegenrage, and her hideous witch appearance returns. Vegenrage has been shaking off the effects of the magic cast on him, which left him hot and briefly scatterbrained. He stands just in time as the Trykenkyle has formed and mounts a charge on him.
The Trykenkyle is a 100 percent flesh-eating machine. It is the great white shark of the land. It charges him right for his leg, ready to take a bite, but Vegenrage bends to his knee and forms a magical barrier, creating an invisible ramp that rises over his body, and the Trykenkyle runs right up it. He throws the beast with his magic into the wall on the other side of the cavern and smashes out one of the lights in the process. It crashes to the ground and stands to charge again. Vegenrage rises in the air, and a magical blue spear looking like a javelin appears in his right hand. He throws and spears the beast through its shoulder, but it keeps running and jumping at him even though he is high enough to avoid its attempts. He creates another spear and another until there are six spears penetrating deep into the Trykenkyle, blooding its armored skin. It is starting to slow and show signs of the damage being done to it, when Vegenrage ends its suffering with a magical Blade of Sharpness slicing the head from its body. When the head falls, the body of the beast turns back into black lava and seeps into the ground.
Vegenrage’s spears simply dissipate. He turns to the witch and lowers himself to the ground and walks toward her. Alluradaloni steps in front of Alisluxkana. “Stop. Don’t hurt my mother. You stay back.”
Vegenrage swipes his left hand toward the pool of water, and Alluradaloni is thrown into the pool of water once again. He then shoots a lightning rope at Alisluxkana, intended to burn a hole right through her stomach and pull her to him, but she uses her broom like a bat and swings at the magic, thwarting it off to the side. She raises her right hand, and a small fireball forms in her right hand, and she throws it at Vegenrage, who catches the baseball-sized fireball in his right hand. He holds the flaming ball in his hand and looks at it. It flames black, red, and blue flame, burning up through his fingers—so cool looking. Vegenrage winds up like a professional pitcher, and the fireball grows to bowling-ball size. He throws it very hard at Alisluxkana, who dodges just in time to avoid the much stronger fireball, which explodes into the wall behind her. Alisluxkana hops on her broom and flies for the opening, leading to the Mindsunk Bog. Vegenrage yells, “Cocoddlebrew,” and the broom flies into his right hand, leaving Alisluxkana falling back to the ground.
Alluradaloni gets out of the pool and raises her hands over her head, chanting a spell. She is so stunning with water dripping down her body and the next-to-nothing clothing she is wearing now completely see-through. Even Vegenrage pauses to gaze upon this beautiful sight, which quickly turns not so nice as a massively large sea serpent rises from the water behind her. It has a long menacing head followed by a twelve-foot-long narrow neck and then large front legs. It comes out of the water and walks by Alluradaloni as she sits folding her legs, facing Vegenrage, smiling. The serpent walks right above Alluradaloni, heading toward Vegenrage, and what an awesome sight this creature is. It has thick green scales covering its body with large webbed paws that have large claws on them. It has rows of sharp teeth and a huge belly, wide and sturdy. It walks at Vegenrage, snorting through its nostrils, and as he thinks about what to do next, Alisluxkana catches him with her telekinesis and throws him back against the wall very hard, knocking the wind out of him. She retrieves her broom and wastes no time flying for the exit. Vegenrage rolls over, gasping for air as the serpent lunges its head to eat him. Vegenrage points his hands, shooting searing flames that persuade the serpent to withdraw its attack, and it steps back. Vegenrage continues to throw flames as he regains his breath, keeping the serpent at bay. He finally can stand, and he walks toward the beast, forcing it back into the water, and it sinks into the depths of the pool. Alluradaloni has not moved; she is still sitting with her legs crossed in front of her. Vegenrage looks around, knowing the witch will not go far and is planning some sort of surprise attack on him.
Alluradaloni stands. “She is gone now, and her spell is fading. Please hold me, release me from this magic that she has over me.” The look of overwhelming sadness consumes Alluradaloni’s face, and tears roll down her cheeks.
“No problem,” he says, but he does not hold her. He points his palms at her, engulfing her with magic. “We will do this the old-fashioned way,” and he starts to chant. “Okeem Glos Blingbomdew Ryexing Ryexing Ryexing. Kobow Akleem release.”
Alluradaloni’s head stretches back, and her mouth opens wide. Her arms and shoulders sway back as her back arches forward and blue
and green lights fly from her body into Vegenrage’s hands. This goes on for about fifteen seconds, and then all the lights vanish, and Alluradaloni is left looking around, confused and rubbing her face. She looks at Vegenrage and starts to cry. “Is it over? Please don’t let her take control of me again. The things she made me do, and I could not fight her. Somehow I did whatever she wanted, and she killed everyone but me. She did disgusting things to me.”
“Listen, she will be back soon. Do you know where she keeps all the items of the people she has killed?”
“She keeps some of them here in the walls. The rest I don’t know. This is where she has kept me a prisoner for I don’t even know how long, ever since I was a little girl. She keeps me here, but she lives somewhere else.”
Vegenrage closes his eyes and concentrates. Alluradaloni looks around as the walls start to tremble and earth starts to fall from the walls. Items start to pull out of the walls and float over to them. Alluradaloni looks on, surprised, as within a short while, Vegenrage has collected all the magical items from the walls and they lay in a circle around them. There are a lot of armors and swords and wands and staffs and all kinds of trinkets and really cool treasures, but not what he is looking for. Vegenrage looks at the treasure, disappointed, and Alluradaloni asks, “What’s wrong?”