The Rule of Magnetism (Maleficent, Evil Queen, Invite)

To truly and literally see a world from the eyes of another being was just one of the many gifts bestowed upon the dark fairy. Once upon a time she was a forest spirit, a young being full of nature’s promise and nurturing instinct. What that evidentially meant for her was a near unrivaled ability connect with the flora and the fauna. It was a standard life for the fairies. They could feel a tree’s injuries, or hear the warning in the footsteps of a cloven hove. Maleficent still had a connection, but it was different. She could feel pain of the turned soil every time her unnatural brambles forced their way through the earth. She could hear the mistrust of breeze through the dying trees. Only certain animals were daring enough to trifle with her. These same animals were then ones that forest shied away from or mistrusted as well. The ravens, the wolves, the bears and badgers. Creatures known for suspicious or even outwardly violent behavior. Her familiar, her beloved pet was no exception.

Diablo flew high above the market square, his eyes out for anything that might be of interest to his Dark Fairy Queen. Maleficent had known upon arrival, before then even that this world was impossibly large comparative to the many she’d visited, especially to her own. She also knew that perhaps the bustle of the common rabble wasn’t where she might find any hidden sources or wells of magic. In this place of commerce and noise surrounded by all of these common folk, Maleficent thought that she might find perhaps promising minions, or warriors or even those susceptible to the dark. What had first caught her eye on this unquestionably bright place called ‘Lindblum’ was the colossal castle that protruded from its heart and more importantly the curious flying objects that seemed to leave from it and arrive to it. They looked almost like pirate ships, but they were very large and in most cases as regal and decorated as their castle dock. Some of them had large cargo areas. Maleficent desired one but it would do her little good to have one with no idea of its workings or how to power or pilot it. If she were to steal one of these ‘airships’ as she was wearily advised upon asking nearest ‘you there,’ she would also need a crew susceptible to her influence, namely a pilot.

The first and easiest way to open hearts to the influence of darkness was to open them to fear. As it was the sorceress with her horned head, pallid death like skin and her long otherworldly cloak that billowed as the night air itself, was sticking out like a stubbed toe among the people here. Normally she would have no qualms with transforming in broad daylight among the hundreds of eyes here, but something told her that an air of mystery would need to remain if she was going to keep the people of this world fearful. The common rabble would just bear witness. It was any fleet of those flying ships that would name her incorrectly in soft fearful whispers. Through Diablo’s eyes on his chosen roost, a balcony above the dock that opened like a great maw, Maleficent acquired her target. The ship was large, its shadow hovering like that of a great whale beneath a vast ocean.

A wicked smile graced her scarlet lips and she turned into a significantly less populated alley way. There in the naked darkness, she lost herself, her will to hold form expanding to cruel talons, scaled leathery appendages. Her body and her neck elongated, her nose and mouth becoming a sharpened tomb. Any trace of her pallid skin became the thick inky dark of her cloak, a radiating green illuminating the dark of the alley way from her serpent-like eyes. In anticipation, her jagged mouth snapped to a close and her talons allowed her to crawl and carry her massive form up the side of an old crumbling brick building. At its top she emerged into the light, her own colossal shadow dampening the sun as her dark wings rose to eclipse it. A resounding roar escaped her unbolted jaw a plume of emerald fire erupting into the air before her pointed snout turned toward her intended target, the slow lazing form of the above cargo airship. The dragon atop the tall tiered hotel in the shopping district reared backward, her massive wings giving one powerful beat of warning before lifting her into the air. Like an arrow, the beast shot toward the airship, her plumage that of dark spikes and impossibility.

What excellent flavor!  Pure bliss surged through Deumion's taste buds as he worked on finishing his third pickle.  He now had a small sack tied to his waist filled with the delightfully smelly pickles.  He'd discovered the worst smelling pickles tasted the best.  Despite all power he carried, the powerful holy summoner looked like a child on Christmas with a slimy pickle in his hand.

All good things, however, must come to an end.  He saw the beast just as the green glow escaped from its open jaw.  Its roar echoed amongst the loud every day volume of Lindblum's markets.  He saw the target just before the blast of green flame ruptured into its underside.  The horror of it all sickened Deumion.  Did this nation not have a defense to warn of large creatures like this nearing the city?

"Phrekyos, I need your assistance."

As if he'd been there all along, the white haired beast trotted out from a nearby alleyway.  In reality, the portal he'd just been summoned from had only opened for a moment, long enough for the holy beast to find his exit from whence he came.  

"Shall I deal with dragon?"

Deumion wasn't a fan of confrontation.  Even mindless beasts deserved the opportunity to live.  Deumion, therefore, generally sent Phrekyos to fight in his stead.  If the wolf couldn't handle the issue, then Deumion himself would begrudgingly step in.

"Yes, I will see to the safety of the passengers.  Lead it away from the city."

Deumion immediately began sprinting through the city.  Accidentally bumping into a woman with a black cape and violet cloak.  If he'd have had time to actually take in the whole picture he'd have noticed she was exceedingly beautiful, but he was in a hurry.  He put out a hand in apology and continued his chase for the falling airship.  Hopefully, that would be enough for him to atone for the accidental run in he'd just had with the rather regal appearance.

It wouldn't be far now, the summoner was only a few blocks from where he'd just seen the airship crash into the plaza below.  He was nearly close enough to use that spell now.

-=-=-=-=-

Phrekyos bounded from rooftop to rooftop, making his way to the large black and purple dragon that had just roared again from atop a large hotel.  The beast had spent several centuries in that sealed room with Deumion.  The two had gained a permanent bond between them, and the wolf-like creature was always there when his master needed him.

As he landed on a nearby building, just a few hundred yards from the large beast, he roared back at the large dragon.  It was hard to avoid noticing the people scrambling away in terror, but that was a good thing.  If this dragon wouldn't follow him outside of the city, he'd need as many people away as he could.  He knew that his and Deumion's magic could both affect large areas, and, therefore, it was best to make sure people weren't around.

As Phrekyos finished his roar, the sky grew dark above the dragon and a massive bolt of lightning rocketed downward, targeting the beast's backside.  His powerful Thunderbolt XVI spell was one of the few abilities in his arsenal that could deal massive damage, and not damage the entire nearby area.

Without looking to see what happened, the dog-like beast turned and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, aiming for the edge of the city nearest Deumion.  If somehow he did need his master's help, it would be best that it wouldn't take long for him to get there.

-=-=-=-=-

Deumion had finally arrived at the wreckage.  He saw the sky grow dark and knew that Phrekyos had begun his attack.  That wasn't important to him at the moment.  He could sense dozens of flickering lights in the area, all about to be snuffed out from this wreckage.  They were all injured and would need the energy to get themselves to freedom.

The powerful mage pressed his hands together and then pulled them slowly apart.  As he did, a sphere of light appeared out of thin air made of compressed white magic.  The hairs on Deumion's arms and legs stood on end, as a response from the insanely powerful magic he was conjuring.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  As he did, the sphere exploded, covering the entire area in a massive explosion of golden light.  A single small pillar of light erupted from the caster's body, reaching far into the sky above.  As Deumion opened his eyes, they took on a golden hue and every cut, scrape, puncture, burn, bruise, bump, broken bone, sore muscle, and even the slightest headache immediately found relief.  People knocking on death's door immediately turned around and were yanked back into reality.  Restore had that kind of power.

When the light faded, Deumion crumbled onto the ground, heaving for air heavily.  He used every ounce of power in his body to save the people that dragon had just doomed.

The queen stood to the side as she folded her arms a bit to enjoy the chaos that had errupted from the arrival of the beast. It was quite a sight to be completely fair. Her eyes trailed to the sky as she noticed that the dragon had already launched an atack on the town. She had not caught that at first due to the surprise of seeing a creature like this for the first time. It was truly magnificent. Though, it was safer to keep her distance and save her power. Right now, her mission was to find Snow White and a way to repair her closest companion. The mirror almost taking priority of the two tasks. But, barely missing that mark.

Even with the disarray, people weren't close enough to her to wrap her up in it. It was one oddly dressed male that seemed to have a problem. She was bumped and a disapproving frown appeared on her face at the action. How dare the man touch her, even with the mayhem. It was far from rude. "Mind yourself..." She commented as the man made some sort of gesture and continued. Not even an apology leaving his mouth. This city deserved the pandamoneum that it was gaining. Maybe it would teach some manners to these vacuous swine. They almost did not deserve to live, but that wasn't her decision to make. It was not her world and she wanted to meddle as little as possible.

The woman watched as the airship came down, noting that some other dog like creature had appeared to try and handle the dragon. The fight seemed rather tense, but it mattered little. Maybe this was enough of a distraction that she would be able to locate some sort of relic to mend her friend. That's when she noticed the almost blinding light in the distance. It was quite odd, almost as odd as this world she was on. To be honest, it felt rather powerful magical wise. It may be worth looking into. If it was an item she could use, it would be worth her while. So, she began off in that direction.

A billowing plume of lime green fire poured out over the tops of several nearby buildings in a terrifying column that arched out like the branches of mangled dead wood trees. That was sure to leave the hound baying in pain. Satisfied, the abysmal dragon snarled in a jagged smile and with several powerful beats of her wings, she was airborne and headed snake like toward the slow moving cargo airship. Soon it would be gracing the clouds, she its owner and one of her own its captain.

Her first endeavor was to knock it off course. A towering mountain was easily visible in the distance and if she had her bearings correct it was west of wherever this infernally bustling city was. A magical sense and the attunement for polarity yet another gift for a fairy born of nature. The mountain looked riddled with plateaus and since her aim was not to destroy her own trophy, she would force a landing up in those mountains. She thudded into the bow with her thickly spiked skull and since the ship was so heavy and slow in its flight it was easily coursed in an alternate direction. She pushed again and again, the shouts of alarm from the crew could be heard as they desperately tried to man the ship back onto its properly intended course. The dragon did not let up in its pushing, a beast so thick with power and muscle that a mere cargo ship as large as it was didn’t stand a chance against the insistent pushing.

Once the ship was angled and its bow was pointed toward the direction she intended for it to go, the dragon separated from it and glided around toward the stern. From there it began to slam the side of its body against the ship pushing it faster than the catch from the sails would have moved it otherwise.

Things had taken a drastic turn for Phrekyos.  The dragon opened its jaws and an emerald plume of flame thrashed into the holy beast.  The smell of burnt hair immediately filled the area as the beast was crumpled onto the roof he'd been standing.  Phrekyos wasn't out for the count, but he was in pain.

He looked up to see the dragon ram into a large cargo airship and fly off.  This is definitely an intelligent creature.  The way it guides that airship indicates it has a purpose for it.  It could easily destroy it the way it had the other one.  This one should be dealt with by Deumion.  Phrekyos rose back to his feet and began darting towards the wreckage of the first aircraft, where his companion was most likely waiting.

-=-=-=-=-

Deumion looked up as he saw a blast of fire leave the jaws of the beast in the distance.  Phrekyos hadn't avoided it, but he could still feel his connection with the holy beast.  The summoner walked away from the woman without another word, totally ignoring her comment as his attention was completely focused on the events transpiring above.  He saw the black dragon ram itself into the airship and actually began to guide it towards the outskirts of town.  This thing was intelligent.

He felt Phrekyos's presence growing closer.  The beast needed help.  Deumion lept onto a nearby vendor stand's thin wooden roof and used it as trampoline to launch himself onto the small one story building.  As he jumped upwards he grabbed the edge of the roof and swung his hips to bring the rest of his body up.  Phrekyos was already there, waiting, and Deumion wasted no time hopping onto the back of his trusted companion and, without a word, the two rode off towards the mountain.

Deumion could see the dragon ahead.  It was passing the city's gate heading towards a nearby mountain.  It had maneuvered itself so that it could steer the ship.  This thing was aiming for a large plateau on it.  Was it actually trying to safely land this thing?  He couldn't risk casting a spell at it here.  He would risk damaging the ship or injuring the crew aboard.  All he could do for now was chase the beast.

The boy seemed to take no further interested in her and was gone. It was slightly frustrating but it was not her concern. Hopefully he would die a rather horrible and painful death for his ignorance. It was quite disrespectful to say the least. She was a queen. That sort of behavior was not acceptable in her opinion. But, she kept to herself. It was not worth the fight. Her mission taking the priority in the situation. She must find a magical object to repair her mirror. There was no changing that fact. "Ignorant peasant...." She muttered to herself regarding Deumion.

The queen continued her walk calmly in the direction that the dragon had taken. She needed to see if the being had enough magic to help her cause. Otherwise, she could move on and see if she could find any information on the next world that may have an object to assist.

She was not quite a quick at Deumion was to approach. But, she caught up at her slow and even pace, watching from the outskirts of the area. Well, it was quite surprising. There was no dragon atop the ship anymore. Instead stood an oddly dressed woman in the distance. The same power emanating from her as it did the dragon. One might presume that they were one in the same.

"Quite an interesting turn of events. Maybe I should wait this out and see if she would have any knowledge to be of my assistance." She spoke quietly to herself as she stayed aside and watched. The woman did have an odd appearance. Her headpiece very similar to the horns that had adorn the dragon's head. She was quite and interesting character. Rather powerful with the transmutation magic that she had performed.

Now to see how the little hero played this scene.

A boy approached her. That seemed to be a common occurrence. Every world had to have its heroes for the just and the light. Pathetic was her assessment. Truly pathetic and that bond she sensed. She could see it like a thread between him and that furred mutt. That was his canine friend. She smiled wickedly to herself and in response to his words. She could not see the canine but he was near. Maleficent could feel his beating heart. She would banish them both and serve them to the darkness. This whelp was daring to come to her and announce his intent to end her life. What exactly was he taking her for?

He aimed the head of his staff at her and she fully turned her body to face him, her eyes piercing as she stared at him. She was completely still save for raising her chin and her brow. She would let the boy cast his spell. She would see if perhaps he could be of use to her at some point. Magic was never something to waste and to turn powerful beings that can wield phenomenal powers to the dark for her own purposes was always a temptation.

He let forth his fire spell, a poor choice indeed. The orb on her staff glowed a vibrant lime green and the dark fairy was engulfed in a magical green fire that seemed to absorb and embellish the very flame he’d sent toward her. As precious as his casting was to watch, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep her interested. ”A valiant effort, my dear, but I’m afraid that was simply not good enough.” She waved her staff in a regal sweep and from the shadows of the airship deck came several pairs of yellow eyes. Four Neoshadows sank into the planks and sped in varying directions, down the ships sides and over the land, after what remained of the crew that was still running. Two Neoshadows remained on the ship to defend their commander. She smiled in amusement and went back to inspecting her prized ship. She’d let the Neoshadows take care of the boy while she let her magic work over the ship. She closed her eyes and let her dark energy envelop the entire structure. Her orb glowed with a sickening intensity as the ship began to warp and shift and quake as it levitated into the air. ”Well now. I will be leaving with this ship whether you chose to remain on it or not. If you do remain, you would however be leaving those heartless to claim the hearts of those men down there. Your dog is only one dog I’m afraid. He can’t stop them all at once. The choice is yours my dear.” The airship was still warping and morphing in directions that shouldn’t have been possible almost as though the fabric of reality around the ship was warping as well. ”Well?” she pressed amused by the challenge.

Though she was preoccupied by the boisterous young boy, this was not to say that Maleficent didn’t sense another darkness nearby. There was something of its own intrigue. She knew this would not be the last time she’d encounter it. In fact it wasn’t the first time. She knew this energy…but from where. It was so long ago…