Death is Liberty

by the7Saviors

Chapter II ~ The Conjurer

In a small and quiet clearing somewhere deep within the confines of a thick forest overgrown with tainted, putrescent trees, there lies a single pale blue crystalline sprout. Though small and feeble looking in appearance, the newborn sapling shines with a brilliance completely at odds with its dreary surroundings. It radiates a calming warmth and spiritual strength wholly alien to the world around it.

It was an anomaly, to say the least.

To many of the stygian horrors wandering the dismal plane of the Black Dimension, such a thing was anathema to their very existence. To the creature who'd stumbled upon the sapling in his travels only moments ago, however, it was an endlessly fascinating object to behold.

The beast, cloaked in his tattered black shawl and dusty dark brown robes, lingered at the edge of the clearing in frustrated indecision. He stood just outside the radiant light of the sapling, wanting desperately to move closer but finding himself unable to. Captivated as he was by the appearance of the mysterious sapling and—on a larger scale—the worldshaking events that happened only a few hours prior, something about it all made him uneasy.

The crystalline plant, despite its seemingly innocuous nature, made his short, pale grey fur stand on end and his beady red eyes twitch in physical discomfort. His pig-like snout crinkled in confusion as he tried to make sense of the strange scent emanating from the thing. Everything about what was sprouting out of the ground before him felt like an ill omen. Thus he sat hunched and restless at the edge of the clearing, pondering what to do.

What else could he do but keep his distance and document his findings of this and other recent and unsettling occurrences from afar? That was, after all, what he'd set out to do in the wake of the abnormal and frankly absurd breach of the dimensional barrier. This foreboding bit of crystal-like foliage was only a small drop in the much larger bucket of alarming and portentous events plaguing the already war-torn and monster-infested lands of Ayafern.

This creature was no doubt beastly in appearance, but he himself was no monster. Indeed, the furry, porcine individual furiously scribbling notes onto a piece of parchment was in fact quite docile all things considered. His hideous tusked visage and rather brawny physique belied a scholarly and somewhat diffident soul. What's more, the creature had opted to devote his life to the odic arts—an odd choice for someone of his prodigious bulk.

But that's just who Togg was, and given the state of the world, he wouldn't have had it any other way. It was what allowed him his freedom from the madness permeating the air. It was what gave him the ability to traverse these hellish plains with a modicum of reassurance, for brawn could only get you so far in such a turbulent and chaotic era. His practice of the odic arts is also what allowed him to sense the peculiar and potentially dangerous presence headed his way.

Togg's pudgy, claw-tipped fingers tightened around his quill in surprise and bemusement, his whole body tensing as he scanned his surroundings. Rather than stand up, he quickly shoved his quill and notes back into his slightly overstuffed satchel and shuffled further back into the underbrush. It wouldn't do all that much to hide his large frame but as a Conjurer he had a few more options available to him.

With a wave of his hand and a single whispered word in the Black Tongue, the air around him began to warp and hiss. A second later and the Conjurer faded from sight completely, his presence hidden from all but the most observant of odic users. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he turned his eyes to the sky and extended his senses outward. It didn't take him long to find the source of what he was feeling.

Now that he was focused he could sense the presence of two creatures approaching, one of which was fairly powerful and the other greatly weakened. Under any other circumstance, Togg would've assumed it was just another of the fallen settling down to feast upon fresh prey. Most devoured what they killed right then and there, but others—primarily those that hadn't completely lost their minds—had the sense to retreat to a safer area before their meal.

That said, Togg could feel that neither of these scenarios was the case. The one thing those two creatures had in common, the one thing separating them from the rest, was the fact that these creatures—whatever they were—gave off the same ominous aura as the shining plant just a few yards away from where he was hidden. There was no definitive proof that what was approaching wouldn't be hostile, but the gut feeling was there and his gut feelings hadn't steered him wrong yet.

One of his tufted ears twitched at the distant sound of flapping wings and he snapped his gaze up and to his left to see the indistinct shape of some winged thing closing in from overhead. The Conjurer frowned as the beast grew near. His eyes weren't the best in low light, but they'd adapted well enough for the most part, much like most every other creature over time.

It was enough that he could just make out the shadowy outline of the flying monstrosity. A bit closer and he could tell that it held in its grasp some other beast that was almost three times its size. Its flight was clumsy and unstable but otherwise, it didn't seem like the winged thing was in any danger of dropping its charge. The wary and bemused Conjurer continued to watch from the shadows as it began its stumbling descent into the very clearing he sat just outside of.

Once the monster deemed it was low enough to the ground, it promptly released its heavy load, causing the other beast to drop right before the sapling with an earthshaking whump. The Conjurer gave a quiet snort of satisfaction at having been correct in his silent assumptions. Whatever the creature was, its destination had clearly been this strange plant, which meant that there was a less than zero percent chance it too had something to do with what was happening in Ayafern.

Of course, there was also a chance that, like himself, the creature had also set out to investigate the many anomalies. Having gotten a much better view of the thin black demon, he could see that there was indeed a spark of intelligence in the bright blue glow of its eyes. It was a ghastly creature the likes of which he hadn't seen before during his travels.

A tall, black demoniac beast, thin with large curved horns and impressive bat-like wings. Its eyes burned like icy blue embers in the darkness and its countenance, while vicious in appearance, currently held a calm and clinical expression as it alighted upon the ground and observed the other beast before it. Following its example, Togg turned his attention to the massive, unmoving entity and had to stop himself from gasping aloud.

The larger specimen was, by Togg's guess, some kind of oversized lupine. Upon closer inspection, there were clear signs of it having been heavily and recently injured. The wounded beast lay on its side, its breath coming in quick, wheezing whimpers and gasps. Its dark red coat was riddled with black bruises and large gashes openly spilling dark blood across the dirt beneath it.

Togg couldn't help but wonder how such a vicious looking creature could've wound up in such a pitiable state. Had it been the smaller winged demon? It was possible, but the porcine Conjurer didn't want to rule anything out. Whatever the case may have been, it was evident that the massive wolf was on death's door—not that something like that really mattered to most creatures anymore.

For a moment there was only silence save for the pained whimpers of the giant wolf. The winged demon eyed the beast briefly before silently turning to the sapling as if waiting for some kind of reaction. The action further stoked the embers of Togg's curiosity and apprehension. He made to move closer, but stopped, reminding himself that he knew nothing about either of these new arrivals.

Revealing himself now may have been suicide for all he knew, and he had no desire to die, even as things were now. Instead, he continued to watch and wait, and as he listened, his caution and patience were rewarded only moments later. As both he and the demon watched, the sapling's radiant light suddenly seemed to increase threefold, causing the demon to stumble back in surprise and Togg himself to raise a hand in front of his sensitive eyes.

The phenomenon only lasted a brief second before the light died back down, but it still took Togg a few more moments to blink the spots in his eyes away. As he was readjusting to the relative darkness, his ears picked up something he didn't expect to hear—a voice, vaguely feminine and tinged with surprise.

"What's this?"

His vision finally cleared, Togg turned to see that the demon's gaze had returned to the wolven beast. It hadn't been his imagination—the surprise was clearly evident on the demon's face, and looking at the wolf, Togg could see why. Wrapped about the dying beast in a thick shroud was the very same ethereal light that illuminated the crystalline sprout.

The light seemed to crawl along its immense form, sealing its open wounds shut and clearing away the nasty bruises covering its entire body. If he listened closely enough, Togg could even hear the muffled sound of bones and sinew being rapidly reknitted beneath the surface. In this world there existed several means to recover one's health, but Togg had never witnessed restoration on this scale.

Just who were these creatures? And just what kind of power was hidden within that sapling?

"This... I'd been told that these creatures were undying, but this is the work of Harmony?" Togg heard the demon mutter to itself in disbelief, "I was not informed that the saplings had this kind of power... interesting..." it turned a curious and slightly frustrated gaze back to the sapling in question, "and it appears she has not yet awakened... a shame."

Another brief moment of silence passed, the moment made all the quieter now that the breathing of the giant wolf had evened out. Togg switched his gaze from one creature to another, his mind reeling at everything that had been revealed to him. Everything he'd witnessed thus far had raised far more questions than answers. He wanted desperately to pull out his notes and document what he'd seen.

He even considered revealing himself on the off chance that the demon wouldn't attack just so he could grab hold of the answers he sought. It—she seemed to be in her right mind after all, and could even speak. That had to mean negotiation was possible, right? Yes, there were risks, but it just might be worth it to sate his own boundless curiosity. He moved a step forward but then hesitated, doubt filling his mind as he thought of what could go wrong.

Unfortunately, his initial decision to make a move hadn't gone unnoticed and the decision to confront the matter head-on was made for him. The moment he set foot outside of his hiding spot the demon's head whipped around to where he was hidden, her blazing eyes pinning the Conjurer right where he stood. Too late did he notice that he'd all but completely stepped out of the underbrush.

"Oh? What have we here?" the demon rasped, her tone bearing just as much curiosity as wariness, "a creature cowering in the shadows in a world tainted by vicious bloodlust and senseless barbarism?" her eyes brightened and a twisted, fang-filled smile crossed her face, "ah... perhaps you are one of the few fortunate enough to escape the pervading madness?"

Togg remained frozen where he was, silently cursing his own folly and indecision. His spell still held, but it did him very little good now. He'd been caught and as if to drive home the fact, the demon spoke again, now fully turning to face the concealed Conjurer.

"Come now, there's no need to hide from me," the demon called out with a toothy smile. If such an expression was meant to reassure the wary pig then it had failed miserably. Possibly realizing this, the demon continued, "ghastly in appearance though I may be, as you can see, I'm perfectly sound of mind. If you are indeed the same, then I believe there may be more to gain from a civilized discussion."

A civilized discussion.

How long had it been since he was granted the gift of a simple conversation? Too long by far, Togg thought bitterly. He'd been wandering this darkened land for he knew not how long with nary a single soul to talk to. For too long his only traveling companions had been unprovoked savagery and his own will to survive with his mind intact.

A sad and pitiful existence for a simple scholar such as himself, but what could he do? Though the demon's stated intentions were to talk, it was clear to Togg that she hadn't let her guard down in the slightest. An entirely fair stance to take given the circumstances, but it did little to ease his reservations. Still, the promise of civil discourse after so long was proving to be a difficult temptation to resist.

The Conjurer hesitated a moment longer, then decided to take the risk. With a calming breath, he dropped the invocation in its entirety and stepped out from beneath the shade of the hideously gnarled trees. He'd revealed himself to the demon but made sure to keep a number of incantations ready in the back of his mind. The demon, for her part, frowned, though Togg got the impression that she was sizing him up. She nodded a second later, apparently satisfied with what she saw.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect to find somepo... someone like you so soon," the demon commented, "could it be luck? Fate perhaps?" she chuckled deeply and shook her head, "whatever it may be, I'm glad for the opportunity. I have a great many questions and I'm hoping you'll indulge me some answers."

Togg didn't give an immediate answer, instead, choosing to turn a cautious eye towards the much larger beast near the sapling. Its cuts and bruises had all but vanished, leaving its rust-red coat pristine and even slightly glossy in the pale moonlight. The demon frowned and followed his gaze to the fallen wolf. With its wounds healed, it had evidently fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness—its breathing now slow and content.

"Is it sane?"

The demon turned back to the porcine scholar at the sound of his inquiry. Though his voice was as rough as sandpaper, his words were spoken with a surprising amount of clarity. It was unexpected, but the demon was quick to rein in her surprise and returned his perfectly understandable inquiry with a pensive scowl.

"If my suspicions are correct—and all signs so far seem to indicate that they are—then we should have nothing to worry about once it wakes," she replied diplomatically, "more to the point, I believe introductions are in order," she raised a monstrous paw to her bony chest, "I am Nightmare..." she paused, her eyes dimming slightly, "...Luna. You may call me Luna."

Togg snorted, remaining both unconvinced and wary of Luna's words, but chose to humor the demon. At the very least, it was clear she had no intention of attacking and truly did want to talk. He'd no doubt find out soon enough whether or not the wolf would be just as willing to converse. In the meantime, this was indeed an opportunity that was far too good to pass up. Steeling his nerves, he cleared his throat and straightened up to his full height, noting that even as tall as Luna was, he still towered over her in his bipedal form.

"Well met, Luna. I am Togg Tahlzul of Yarmha, last disciple of High Conjurer Thak and scholar of the Casia Stella Academy of the Odic Arts. I pray that our discussion bears both of us fruit, for I have many questions of my own."

Author's Note:

So for those of you who haven't checked out the blog I wrote about Life is Magic (see the A/N on the final chapter) I plan on putting a far heavier focus on things like characters, adventure, action, and the lore surrounding the story. I felt it was something I should've done from the beginning of Life is Magic and I'm taking the opportunity to make up for that here.

That, of course, isn't to say I'm dropping the horror aspect—far from it. The first story had clear Lovecraftian inspiration, but the sequel has a mostly different, and much more specific influence tied to it. For those who haven't already figured out what it is yet, I guarantee you will eventually.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the outcome of what happened in the prologue, don't worry, I'll get back to that with all the juicy details soon enough...

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

It seems Equestria wasn't the first world to be subsumed into the dark...

[ABitterPill]

10566788

Indeed. Or perhaps the Black Dimension was not always what is is now, and was once like Equestria itself. Perhaps it is even an alternate Equestria. The "Dead Goddess" was once Twilight Sparkle, after all. Then again, maybe not. So hard to tell with Eldritch Abominations and Lovecraftian worlds.

Edit: Applejack's not going to be happy her hat is missing.

[Aether Spark]

Woot! The sequel is out

[Mix-up]

Nice, I have no clue what is going one but I am curious to see where this leads to.

[Aether Spark]

I eagerly await the next chapter

[Ariel Schnee]

Hope to see a new chapter soon!^_^