543 Titania the fey queen
Crackling overgrowth of trees sprouted from the ground, coving the stony world with endless forests of magnificent greenery. Ishtar froze in place. The humidity in the air has decreased and the sun has stopped feeling too hot, it was replaced with a soothing breeze of clear fresh air.
“This plane had both sun and water, all I needed to do was added a little bit of spirit magic to cause it to sprout,” Cain said as he looked down on Ishtar, his face crying with disappointment, “Even Mei knew of this as she built her grove, you dare speak high and mighty on her land?”
Ishtar stared in silence for a moment, what was he talking about?
“Have you never been taught the basics? No, I won’t expect a queen to know cooking, I can’t expect a king to work clay. Even though you have all resources needed to advance, you merely stop when you surpass everyone.” Cain lifted his hand, and the steel staff made by Mary appeared in his hand.
Ishtar flew toward him, enraged. She gathered magic in her palm and swung it, “You talk a lot!” She screamed, [Spirit claw] a claw-shaped burst of light swung at Cain.
BAM! Cain deflected the spell with his staff. Pointing at Ishtar, [Lightning Bolt] CRACKLE! He blasted her with a flash of lightning.
GRWA! From the light, she grabbed his hand growling, she burned skin regenerating with her spirit magic in a haze of golden dust. [Light Cry] she opened her mouth screaming, and a shockwave of light exploded from her and hit Cain.
He felt the heavy impact, her magic was nothing snuff at. After all, she became Titania while misusing spirit magic. Even though she might be a spirit magic failure, she is still a powerful witch.
She grabbed Cain by the neck and kneed him in the chest [Spirit discharge] she has already realized he wasn’t a pixie, he was something she couldn’t wrap her head around. That only meant nothing to her, if he isn’t a spirit-attuned creature (Pixies, Fairies, elves, fey, dryad, and nymph…) taking a load of spirit magic to the chest is bound to stop his heart.
Thumb! Thum…Cain’s heart did stop, she wasn’t wrong. Feeling his pulse stop almost made her cry with joy but then. Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump! Da-bump!
She sensed the other four hearts rumbling, they weren’t normal. They sounded more like drums, “Dragon hearts?”
Cain opened his eyes, glaring directly at her face. His eyes were draconic, flashing yellow as two horns emerged from his head pointing forward.
“Who do we have here? A fly?” Cain smiled, it was Morena. Thwack! Cain punched Ishtar in the face sending her crashing to the ground.
“You were a dragon?” Ishtar cried as she coughed blood, staring up, Cain glared back at her.
“No no…you don’t understand. I’m not a dragon, neither am I a human, nor a pixie, I’m not either a living or undead…I’m, Cain Lisworth.” Cain said, multiple voices ringing in his throat like multiple birds chirping.
Even though Morena talked, she wasn’t the one speaking. She and all the brains were Cain, a part of him while having their own consciousness. An abominable chimera that is made of multiple entities.
As Ishtar tried to sense Cain’s mana to determine his nature, she could sense multiple tastes. A human (Cain himself), a high human (His mother blood), a spirit (Sylph spirit stone), a dragon (Morena and the young red dragon), undead (Animate dead), dracolich (Morena), the devil (Gray), sinner (Morena), sorcerer (Cain himself), aberration (The aboleth), and even a hint of divinity and holy magic (His father Chad)
For a moment she started drooling but quickly whipped her lips, such a combination of flavors. If they were just a bit more pronounced she would have fainted.
She flew at high speed aiming at him again, no matter how strong he was, he will eventually get exhausted. He isn’t the laughing tornado after all.
Ishtar remembered the day she saw Lilia up close, despite her look, she was an absolute monster. Her mana didn’t taste like anything she knew. She could perceive the mana of most people like scents that she can taste, a whiff of warm air that carries the food’s aroma. Pixies were attracted to it like bees to nectar.
Lilia’s mana felt like a giant, hard slab of pure, solid, and concentrated too-sweet-till-it-became-sour sugar. It felt more like getting slapped in the face by a massive rock than smelling something. On the other hand, Cain now only has a strong sweet scent, it wasn’t as oppressive.
As Ishtar swung her hands with hope, she will eventually win. Cain dodged and countered with lightning magic, he wanted to take her alive. Ishtar fought back, and back, and back…
After a few minutes, she fell to the ground exhausted. BAM! Slamming in front of her root-tied guard. From her half-burned body, exhausted limbs, and mana less-heart she stared up. Cain was sitting cross-legged in the air, five giant balls of lighting orbiting around him as he smiled.
“What? Already exhausted?” He said flying down. Click! He made the lightning balls disappear to not burn her again.
“Titania? Guess I won’t find someone with skills other than the four elvish rulers (Sylph, Lilia, Eilistraee, and Varis)” He glared won at her.
Slowly, Ishtar lifted her hand, BAM! She fired a beam of light at his face. It was too weak to wound his skin or even disturb his eyes. She was dry.
“Still want to fight? You can choose to either submit or die.” Cain said with a smile.
BAM! Ishtar fired another beam at his face. He glared down at her, “Where do you keep firing them? You’re already dry as sand.” He growled and released her guard, someone need to take care of her.
Crying, the guard rushed and prostrate herself before Cain, “Please, just spare her life.”
“I do want to, she just keeps…” BAM! She flashed him again…BAM!
Cain started to get worried, she had exhausted her mana, where was she getting the power to cast those small spells? He looked around her, grass have disappeared, and the ground was dry…BAM! She flashed him again, her eyes glowing with orange light.
At that moment, Cain realized that he messed up, he should have never fought her. Immediately conjuring his lightning sword, he flashes in stabbing her chest. “Damn it, I was too late.” Her body started melting into a honey-like goo.
Hehe! Hehe! Countless giggles started rumbling across the forest and the night fell, even though he conjured this space, he slowly lost control.
“Let’s play!” A little girl’s voice boomed. “No, let’s dance!” Now it was that of a grown woman. “Inside this forest, let’s have fun!” Now it was Ishtar’s voice.
Cain looked behind him. In the distance, sitting on a tree branch she smiled. Glowing red like hot iron, her previously golden smooth hair was now jagged like it became feral as her eyes turned white and two long horns grew from her head. There she sat, feasting on Cain’s domain to fuel her own body.
She is who feasts on mana, she is the mischievous queen of the forest spirits, Titania the fey queen.