Chapter 246: What One Will Sacrifice


    NO! This is my domain!


    Waves of force attacked her, and Tan found herselfughing. Each wave struck her and was absorbed. Her power and mind grew stronger with every step along the stone floor she took.


    There before her two golden eyes locked on hers and a scowl had appeared.


    That smile the predator had once worn was gone, now reced with a scowl.


    Each step felt like the ground shook beneath her feet, and Tan couldn’t help but grin.


    Power beyond what most could imagine flooded through her. Right now the truth of who she was and what she could be was clear. None could stand before her.


    The Mind Reaver lifted a hand from the crystal, pointing it at her, and a bolt of purple came racing toward her.


    Lifting her hand, Tan caught the bolt of purple power and held it mid air, studying it, watching as the weaves and waves of magic flexed in her hand.


    “You dare challenge me?” she roared. “Do you know who I am? I am Tan Gilmenor! Third daughter of King Savantus!”A shriek came from the boss as the purple glow vanished.


    [ Psionic Energy Absorbed ]


    More spells formed around it, and soon a dozen different colored balls of power spun over the boss’s head.


    As one, they raced toward Tan and without dodging, flinching or even seeming to be concerned, she held up both hands this time, gently swirling them around and around as colored balls raced toward her.


    Yards from her, they froze in midair just as the first attack had.


    Moving each hand in a pattern, the glowing lights formed a single line and approached her outstretched right hand, forming three bands of four, swirling around her arm as they grew smaller and smaller until the light of them snuffed out.


    [ Magical Energy Absorbed ]


    [ Psionic Energy Absorbed ]


    [ Dark Energy Absorbed ]


    Tanughed, the sound of her voice sounding foreign.


    Part of her wanted to wince, and the other part wanted her to dance.


    This was who she was.


    This was the power she had been born with.


    “No elf, dwarf or man can–”


    Her own words cut her off. A memory in her mind fought for a ce. There, an image of a baldheaded man with two different colored eyes smiled at her.


    Memories of him flooded her brain.


    One moment, he was lying next to her in bed.


    Another, he was feeding her some food.


    Memory after memory assaulted the part of her mind that desired nothing but power.


    This bald man sat across from her at a table, dressed in fine clothes and smiling at her in a way that made her heart flutter.


    She saw him again, covered in gore and spider webs, holding her close and kissing him in a dark cave.


    Each memory hit harder and faster.


    Each one shattered the wall that seemed to have been erected between her emotions and her hunger for power.


    A sh of light came and snapped Tan from the cascading memories.


    Pain seared along her body as magic washed over her for a moment until her skill found control again.


    [ Magical Energy Absorbed ]


    ncing at the boss which towered over her, the smile it had been wearing was gone again. Those two yellow eyes narrowed at her while its tentacles iled around its face.


    No! You cannote here and take what is mine! I have sold everything for this! I gave it all up!


    Those words seemed to haunt her as Tan pulled out a potion and drank it, feeling the magical healing of the potion fix the damage she had just endured.


    The crystal pedestal was everything. She could feel the power flowing through it and knew that no matter what, the Mind Reaver wouldn’t ever leave it. Whoever controlled it controlled the tower floor.


    Each step brought her closer and the barrage of magical spells continued, yet each time she absorbed them with ease. Like a thirsty man in the desert, no matter how much the boss sent at her, it wasn’t enough to quench her thirst.


    Finally, a yard before the pedestal, Tan paused and held out her hands, seeing the boss panting, those nostrils ring with either frustration or exhaustion at what was going on.


    “Let’s see which of us is stronger,” Tan said as she ced both hands on the base of the crystal.


    A scream and a shriek came at the same time.


    One from each


    ****


    A world appeared in her mind and Tan found herself floating high above some city.


    It took a moment and she realized it was her home. The capital she grew up in.


    Familiar towers, buildings and the castle she could never forget filled her vision.


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    Fine white stone that had no traces of seams stood tall, the power of the magic her people possessed on full disy as architecture that focused on soft curves, tall spires and clean stone rang out upon the pce.


    She descended, falling toward the courtyard where people were present. Something was taking ce, and it looked familiar.


    An itch that reminded Tan of a memory she had long forgotten.


    She flew down towards the grounds, seeing the lush trees in full bloom, the perfectly manicured grass and stone carvings, yet ignored them all, instead focused on the six people that were below.


    Standing on a set of white tiles were two girls, each covered in sweat, gold hair radiating as a pair of elves also with gold hair stood watching. Near the other end of the tiled area were two blond-haired guards, standing in full red te armor.


    “Decide.”


    The voice from the male elf with the golden hair sent shivers down her spine.


    Tan knew what she was watching. It was thest time she had used the power she kept hidden.


    Kneeling before her, barely able to stay upright, was her sister. Their duel had ended and both of the staves they had used were gone, now reced by a knife she remembered drawing forth at some point.


    “End her life, take her power or know that one day she will not hesitate and do the same to you.”


    Her father spoke as if ordering the casual butchering of an animal.


    Never had Tan doubted that life was so trivial to the man.


    Power was the one thing he respected. If someone was weak, they were nothing more than cattle.


    The knife in her hand trembled. Inside her the hunger begged to be released. It wanted nothing more than to end the life of her sister.


    So much pain had been caused by the one she never had done anything to. Ploys and plots were a constant threat, and many had died in attempts on her life.


    The only reaction that her father had ever had was instructing the both of them to never fail if they attempted to end his life. Beyond that, he didn’t care.


    He never cared.


    Give in… let the power go… if you do, you can be the one who changes and rules the elves.


    A voice inside changed what she remembered.


    Tan watched as the image of herself below moved forward, plunging the dagger into her sister’s throat.


    Magical power flowed from the dying elf.


    Her image began to radiate. Her hair glowed brighter.


    Darkness shed, and suddenly she was standing in the throne room.


    Even though it looked different from what Tan remembered, there was no doubt that this was the throne room.


    Everything was different.


    Gone was the white stone that was so pure and clean, one could tell the moment a speck of dirt or dust got on it.


    Now each square inch of the room was covered in red.


    No sounds came as Tan moved across the floor.


    There, seated on the throne, was an elven woman, her golden hair moving on its own even though no wind blew.


    Eyes filled with power radiated, and then realization struck.


    It was her.


    Impossible! To sit on the throne would mean…


    As if summoned by her very own mind, an elven woman came, the once gold hair stripped clean, a bald head and weakened body, bound in chains. Each chain had runes on it that seemed to glow. Holding the end of the chain was an elven woman dressed in red leather.


    Behind her came an elven man, just as bald and looking weak, having no shirt and skin stretched over bones. Three sets of runed chains held him, each end held by a matching Elven woman in red leather.


    “Father.”


    The voice she heard almost made Tan want to retch. The disdain, the contempt in the tone was her voice and yet every bit of it was one she had grown up with daily.


    A croak came from the man before the three women yanked him down to the ground before the throne.


    “Kneel before your queen!” one snapped as she kicked his side.


    Seeing him like this brought a sensation of relief. Of freedom.


    Joy began to fill Tan, knowing the man she always feared would no longer be over her. That with this power, she could be whatever she wanted to be.


    Yes! Give in to the power! Control them all! No one can stand against you as you rise above them all! Be stronger than anyone! You alone shall–


    No!


    One word had broken everything.


    Alone.


    I don’t want to be alone! I’m not alone!


    The floor of the castle began to shake and walls fell apart. Giant stones fell and screams came as Tan closed her eyes and focused on the truth she knew. The truth she had always known.


    Max… his name is Max… he loves me and I’m not alone! I can be who I want to be, but only with him!


    ***


    Light flooded her eyes as the shrieking of the Mind Reaver across her filled her ears.


    Tan watched as the creature’s tentacles waved in the air, blood flowing down from its yellow eyes.


    It was smaller now, the same size as her. Whatever power it had was being drained and whatever it had attempted to do while she held onto the crystal wasn’t enough.


    Not letting herself be distracted, Tan knew Max was alive.


    She could see his health bar, still there, asionally a small tick before it went back up.


    Laughing, Tan took one hand off the crystal pedestal and smiled.


    “My turn.”


    drewspoken those words, she began to draw upon all the power she had stolen with her skill.


    An ice spear formed, growingrger andrger until it was over thirty yards long, poised above her head, pointed toward the boss and at the dome of the tower floor.


    It rose even higher into the air, growing even more as Tan felt all the power she knew didn’t belong to her empower the spell.


    Filth and nasty things that were not hers left her body, and fighting the hunger that called out in horror as she slowly pushed them out, she continued, burning through the magic until a spear almost sixty yards long stood above her, hovering a good ten yards above the boss who was oblivious to the spell.


    “It’s over.”


    The tip came down, smashing into the Mind Reaver''s rubbery skin, piercing itpletely before the sheer weight of it all was squished like a grape.


    Chunks of ice hit the ground and shattered, spilling all around Tan and yet never once striking the creator of this destruction.


    The moment the boss was defeated, she ripped her hand free of the crystal pedestal, falling to her knees and deactivated the skill she hated so much.


    A wave of weakness washed over her and Tan leaned over, retching, emptying her stomach of some ck bile liquid.


    Panting, she wiped her mouth before activating the bracelet once more.


    Falling backwards to the ground, Tan stared up at the dimly lit boss floor, knowing that soon her friends would find her.


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