The books and legends of Efaritay Hallow claim that she kneeled to the Drakans to save her husband Ascertes. But what if there’s more to it?
(Decided to take a break from writing about my OCs to bend RuneScape’s canon. Contains blood, injuries, a meaningless title and Vanescula being Vanescula... I hope.)
Misinformation. It was misinformation, Vanescula knew, that led the Drakans to believe that capturing a human and presenting him to the icyene queen of hallowvale would persuade her to surrender. But she didn’t. It was a pathetic mistake on her brother’s part, believing that holding hostage an icyene’s partner would have that much of an impact. But it was to be expected- Ranis was never the sharpest claw in the Drakan death-grasp. But Neither she nor Lowerniel trusted their overconfident, smug and illogical brother to efficiently fix the mistake he managed to make. Obviously, someone else would have to search the hallow palace, locate the queen, and force her to stand down, dead or alive.
And so, Vanescula entered the palace.
At that very moment, the large mahogany doors across the entrance hall opened as well, and a sole winged figure dressed in blue stepped forward, her golden-orange wings flaring menacingly, her ice-blue eyes a contrast to the absolute waste of fabric that were the warmly colored flags and tapestries all over the walls.
“What is it with vampyres and showing up uninvited?”
Vanescula grinned, tilting her head to the side.
“Well, that’s some hospitality! My, and I thought icyenes were kind and welcoming of strangers from distant lands!”
“Of course,” the queen deadpanned, “But I’m afraid that destruction-land natives are excluded.”
Vanescula ignored the jab, clasping her hands together, concentrating some basic old magics into her claws and fingertips.
“So what are you doing this fine hour? Enjoying the last minutes of your regime, your majesty?” the vampyre mockingly inquired, “I’m afraid you’ll have to hurry. I’m here to escort you outside.”
“That won’t be necessary”, the other replied, “I did not plan a ceremony for passing my throne to any vampyric abomination lately.”
“If that is the case, it’s a good thing I’m here to help you reconsider” the vyre offered sarcastically before lunging forward.
Efaritay moved to the side, barely avoiding contact with blood-colored, smoke-oozing claws. She quickly clenched her hands, reopening them to reveal bright flames.
Hurling the magical fire on the Drakan before her, she quietly scolded herself under her breath when the other gracefully maneuvered herself past half dozen fireballs.
Her airborne opponent surprised her yet again with a swift kick to the solar plexus, throwing her off balance and sending her a few feet back from her attacker.
Not wasting time, the vyre steadied herself in the air, concentrating and lifting both hands apart, high into the air. Efaritay’s arms momentarily lost sensation, and then a dull ache started spreading in random points throughout her arms, as did small lumps that were pushing against her skin.
Blood magic? already? Typical vampyric decision.
The Icyene narrowed her eyes, quickly summoning a few yellow-striped wooden stakes and directed them at the other with her mind’s power alone, catching the semi-distracted vyre by surprise.
Vanescula let out a small hiss, lowering her arms and removing two stakes that actually managed to wound her. An entertained expression crept onto her face and she laughed, the sound coming out as an unsteady, high pitched shriek.
This was just too much fun.
With a quickly forming red bubble in her palm, she continued the battle.
It didn’t take the fighting royals very long to turn the entrance hall into a mess- slippery blood stains, torn fabrics from the previously elegant rugs and tapestries and woodchips from the doors were all over the place, not to mention the marble chunks from the walls and floor. No matter where you’d step- you’d be bound to slip or trip over one of the spread out obstacles. The royals knew it too, since both were up in the air for a few minutes now, when Vanescula suddenly engulfed the room in total darkness. The powerful shadow magic has slipped past the broken doors, taking hold of other parts of the palace. Vanescula was about to dive down and break the confused icyene, when a quiet noise has caught her attention.
Was that a sob?
It was definitely too quiet to have been produced by the icyene queen. In fact, the queen didn’t seem to have heard anything, as there were no involuntary movements towards or away from it.
Now that the noise has caught the vampyre’s interest, she quietly glided down and out of the hall, following the faint sound of crying.
She found herself a few rooms into the palace, her eyes more than well-adjusted to darkness, unlike the icyene who didn’t even bother following her yet.
The vyre walked some more, then came to a halt when she saw a small creature sitting under a table in the corner of the room, looking around and sobbing. She approached the table and lowered herself to the creature’s eye level to get a better look.
The little being- probably a toddler- looked almost too human to be anything else, but they had an aura about them, not unlike that of a certain icyene she just left behind a few rooms back. She reached a hand to pick the toddler, feeling a sphere around it, a resistance. Surprised, she withdrew her shadow powers, her surroundings immediately lighting up.
The toddler jumped at the sudden change, the sphere seemed to dissipate for a few moments. Grabbing the toddler and standing up, it looked at her with wide icy-blue eyes.
The toddler seemed confused and displeased. It blinked at her several times…
…And then it began to wail.
Vanescula flinched, then hissed at the noise.
She was about to lower the toddler to the table, intending to study it from a safer distance for her already suffering ears-
“Put. Him. Down.”
-and the toddler’s wailing seems to have died down, the humanoid instead resorting to squirming and turning to the queen, mumbling what sounded like “mamamama”.
So NOW the queen followed. It seems like those feathered fools were absolutely dysfunctional in the dark. The vampyre entertained the thought of bringing the darkness back, but was set off when the squirming toddler started making noises again. Vanescula did not need any damage to her hears, so she held the noisy thing at arm’s length. Judging by the look on her face, she might have also anticipated the kid to spit acid on her.
“I won’t say that again, Drakan” the icyene was growing impatient. Her voice was on the verge of breaking, her heart pounding loudly enough for the vyre to hear. She probably sprinted into the room, but seemed to have grabbed a hold of a big crossbow, made from the same wood as the stakes, but with silver in it, too.
Vanescula turned around, holding the kid in front of her, smirking.
“What, this thing? You know, Hallow, I think I’ll hold on to it for a while. Don’t worry though, you can pick that off my hands when I’m done studying its magic. And its blood, of course.”
“Don’t you DARE!”
Despite her outburst, the icyene was clearly weighing her options. She even lowered her crossbow, but Vanescula was having none of that.
“Right. Maybe I’ll pass the little party favor to my brothers, then.” She said dryly, narrowing her eyes.
“Drakan, wait!”
“Yes, Hallow?”
She clearly had a very important bargaining chip on her hands.
Or rather, in her hands.
She could smash that child in a moment, she knew.
And it would seem like the other woman knew that as well.
“Please don’t do this… they mustn’t know! They’ll kill him without second thought!”
Now this was getting way too entertaining.
“And why should I care? That’s not my problem now, is it?”
The icyene took a deep breath, her autumn-colored wings (which were flared above her until this moment as a cheap intimidation technique no doubt) were coming down, folding behind her back.
“I surrender.”
This caught Vanescula by surprise.
“I will publicly pass my crown to you or any of your brothers, if that’s what it takes.” The queen quickly added. “Please, they mustn’t know. I sent for my loyalists, he was to be taken away… Maybe the messengers were attacked…” she started.
Vanescula considered this, readjusting her grip on the toddler when it was showing intention to whine again.
“I can have you bowing down regardless of the kid’s… heartbeat status” she threatened.
“I know. But please, please spare him. You’ll have me at your behest for as long as I live. Information, blood… anything. Just… Just don’t hurt him.”
Vanescula looked skeptical, but set the toddler on the table anyway, looking at it to make sure it doesn’t fall over, then cast a teleblocking spell on the icyene queen.
Sure, more strategic advantage would be nice. And sure, it was entertaining to watch someone else so terrified, that they’d stutter and beg and do anything.
And then again, icyene blood was not easy to come across.
Nor were icyenes who could be emotionally controlled without having any say in the matter. And judging by the toddler’s fussy behavior and lack of wings, it was nowhere near pure icyene.
Oh well…
She turned to the other female, crossing her arms.
“For your information, one wrong move and I will still blast this chamber. And no amount of icyene magic will save your offspring. I’m watching you, send it away.”
Vanescula watched as the icyene queen focused on a contact spell, followed by a teleportation for the kid. She took that time to blast the blisterwood crossbow that lay on the floor, shattering it.
When her brothers and some of the other vyres who led the charge entered the palace, they found Vanescula standing upright, a few feet from a seemingly emotionless, half sitting-half petrified Efaritay Hallow.
“Icyene blood, anyone?”
