They streamed forth from the door in numbers beyond counting. Tsiann watched from her crouch deep within the brambles. what were they? Human, she supposed, except for their hairless heads and faces. And their strange, smooth clothing, so unlike anything she'd ever seen. but mainly it was their skin that gave her pause. Their impossibly pale skin, so white it almost hurt to look at. She pinched herself, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, leaving a small mark on her own bark-brown skin. And still they poured out of the Wall, walking resolutely single-file towards the village.
- start -
They were farmers and peasants. Simple folk who knew not the ways of battle and killing. The Twelve Mages had always protected them from the stray bandits who got greedy or desperate. It was said that they were the ones who had raised the Wall in the first place, to keep the Inner Folk safe from...presumably these people. Were they the Outer Folk Tsiann had been told of so many moons before, while the Mage that had raised her tucked her in at night? She had always demanded to be told the scary stories whens he was little. A quality the Mage had always told her would get her into trouble - she was too "headstrong" and lacked "caution."
A little too on the nose, old man. She thought. It wasn't meant to happen like this. She was just running an experiment! She had run it many times before, and nothing like this had ever happened.
Tsiann surveyed the still open door, and the seemingly endless bodies still marching like ants out of it. She looked to the head of the single-file line, and gauged how long she had to analyze.
Roughly five minutes before I have to move, another five minutes there... The Calculations the Mage had taught her ran through her brain like hummingbirds.
Eleven minutes to prepare the spell. She'd have to stall, but talking was something that Tsiann the Quick could do. Hopefully they spoke Inner Folk...
--
There was a reason her name was Tsiann the Quick, and not Tsiann the Smart - her calculations had been off by a whole minute, and she arrived to the front of the line the of not-really-all-that-human-now-that-she-got-a-better-look-why-didn't-they-have-mouths right in front of the town gate, and with at least another two minutes before she could cast anything.
Tsiann stood as tall she could, even with the hairs on her back of her barked-skin neck stood on absolute end. With the most imposing voice she could muster, she yelled:
"Halt, Unknown Subjects of the Realm!" She adjusted her stance to seem more threatening. "I am Virgo! Sixth Mage of the Twelve! My magic draws from the ancients, from beyond the realm of mortal understan-"
The leader of these white-skinned Folk had closed the distance between them before she could finish, faster than even her eyes could see. His face was inches from hers, and she was felt as though every muscle in her body was seizing. She knew not what was keeping her from falling, but the fear that coursed through her every nerve was primal. Was this the power of the Outer Folk? Was this the way that Tsiann the Quick would die?
Why haven't the alarms been rung? She thought, as the moment seemed to drag on. Surely the townsfolk would call for aid.
We are Legion. This Instance will be assimilated. Do you submit?
There was no doubt that the voice that echoed through Tsianns bones came from this being. She just didn't know how. She found the strength to speak, and chose her words carefully...
"ding. The power that I wield can shape mountains and topple kingdoms. I hold reality hostage and seduce imagination. Do you submit?"
It is not We who will be submitting. We are Legion. Do you submit?
She needed ten more seconds, an eternity from now. "How do you speak without a mouth?"
That is irrelevant. Do you submit?
"I asked first." She lied. If she released the magic now, it might work, but the after effects would be unpredictable.
That is a lie. Do you sub-
Atramentous
It was Tsiann's turn to interrupt. She released the Calculations from her mind and into the Magic she had stolen. It was going to be sloppy, but it should protect the village. At the very least it would be another Wall for these bastards to go through.
Tsiann's eyes were engulfed in violet fire, and pitch black ink erupted from her. It came from the tips of her fingers - poured out her mouth, nose and whites of her eyes. Like thread from the ends of each strand of hair. It enveloped the village. Snaking its way down every cobbled street, over every stone wall and thatched roof. Every man, woman, and child frozen in place. Locked away, but safe.
Everyone in town was safe. Well, everyone except for Tsiann. She hadn't waited to see how "Legion" was going to react. The barrier wasn't going to hold them back forever, and she knew that the only way to truly end this was to find out where this army came from, and destroy it.
For all its singular power, Legion had been slow to react. The Outer Folk reacted with surprise when Tsiann appeared back at the Wall, eyes still brimming with violet fire. The endless swarm had reached its surprising end, and they appeared to be guarding their way back through. She dropped the first two with a dagger, but left the third in an illusion - replacing all of its brothers with an image of her. That would keep them from following, hopefully.
There was no time for experiments, nor caution. The old Mage had been wise, but his timidity killed him in the end.
Tsiann stepped through the door and passed the Wall, into the Outer. She felt the stolen Magic reach out, as if trying to find something.
"Like I said before," She said aloud, purveying the pitch black emptiness that stretched out before her. "I'm only holding on to it."
She started walking, not in any particular direction but with purpose nonetheless.
"Once I find you, Magus" The Magic flicked at the name. "You can have it back."
- end -
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