The Red Queen's rage
Hello true believers on Minds, Animeman73 here once again. It’s time for another #IBASwordtember challenge.
And boy, oh boy, this one is a doozy of a word/subject for the challenge. For day 9 we’re delving into the realm of dark fantasy. As for the word/subject it’s: Malicious
Fair warning, this vignette will be showing some bloodshed.
Night settled over Barloff Castle. The cold winds of the Eastern Mountains howled, the only indicator of what was about to happen.
She opened her eyes and stretched, eager to begin the purification. Her ears tuned to the outside hall and heard nothing.
Good, she thought in contempt. The guards are following their usual route, so predictable!
The girl slunk out of bed and moved under it. She pulled out the onyx tome with a black skull on it.
She kissed the tome and muttered in a soft whisper. “Blessed book, may you and your tool give strength that I may cleanse this world of it's filth. May your secrets help bring about a new paradise to the world.”
The girl again searched under the bed, and found what she was looking for.
She pulled out the sword she’d found at that archeological site. Her naïve parents had thought she was going there for educational reasons.
Overprotective idiots, I'll teach you to be so trusting soon enough. She thought, aching for what was to come.
The young woman pulled the blade out of its sheath.
In the cold, pale moonlight, an aura of energya s black as midnight emanated from the sword.
A cold predatory gleam flashed in her steel blue eyes.
She needed to time this right. There would be a couple guards coming by her room soon. On cue she heard the booted footsteps of the guards.
She knocked on the door and called out, “Guards, guards come quick I need you!”
“Princess Anastasia!” she heard the two men call.
She slipped away from the door as she readied herself. The doors to her room shuddered under the weight of the guards’ assault.
The doors burst open and the two guards charged in. Now, she thought, before she struck like the predator she had become.
Both guards screamed in agony as the sword cut through them. Anastasia's ears relished the sound of flesh and chain mail tearing. Her heart and mind soared as blood gushed forth and splattered her face and upper chest.
The guards gurgled as they fell to the ground dead. Now it begins, the murderous woman thought.
White light shot from their bodies and into the sword.
Yes, she thought as she felt the exquisite mixture of pleasure and pain. The sword extracting their souls, and with it their secrets.
As it ended, she understood she now had the skill of her fallen enemies.
Their knowledge of swordplay is mediocre at best. But I'll become more skilled as I collect more souls, she thought in bloodlust.
“Princess Anastasia, what’s going…” called a familiar voice.
The voice belonged to a woman around her age with curly black hair.
Lamika's horrified shrieks turned to pain-filled ones as Anastasia struck.
You always had to get into my business and never gave me a moment's privacy. The Princess thought in anger as she stabbed and tore open the nightgown clad handmaiden.
Then she absorbed the handmaiden's knowledge. The Princess' face lit up in surprise and outrage.
"So, that's how come I could never escape you. You teleported around to keep up with me, you had the Mage gift. You sneaky little whore!" She spat.
Her tongue poked out. She licked her face, tasting some of the sweet metallic nectar that was the blood she spilled.
As the soul absorption finished, she smiled. "I can use your teleport skill to my advantage. My thanks Lamika for serving at least one good use." She said in contempt.
With the knowledge gleaned from Lamika she concentrated. She felt her mind spinning for a moment.
Then she found herself in the large suite her parents King Leoric and Queen Nadia kept. Her targets yelped in fright as she appeared.
Her mother backed away in horror. Her father called out, "Anastasia, what's..?"
His sentence turned to a gurgle from the sword she stabbed him with. The lifeless body slipped off a look of stunned horror on his face.
"Guards, guards!" she heard her mother scream.
Oh no you don't dearest mother, she thought.
She turned in time to see the woman reach the doors. They were flung open as more guards came in, and paled in horror at what they saw. Anastasia smiled in mock sweetness. "I guess I won't need this anymore." she chimed.
She tore off the bloodied night shirt to reveal the red leather armor beneath. "Now the purge of the world begins!" she screamed.
Like a bolt from a crossbow, she leapt at the guards who tried to ready their weapons. The pleasure and pain of the glowing sword gave her more power. Her weapon sank into the guards and cleaved them open as if they were nothing. She gasped as she collected the knowledge of the guards as well as her father.
Her mother Queen Nadia gaped at her. "Anastasia, why?" she cried as she backed away, putting up her hands to plead for her life.
This infuriated the young murderess all the more. "Because you exist!”
She stabbed her mother again and again spraying blood on herself. "I won't be the play toy for you, father, or the world anymore!" she screamed.
The mangled body of her mother slipped off. Anastasia's face took on a gleeful smile. Free at last to fulfill my own destiny, she thought in excitement.
She gasped as she felt the sword glow. She gained her mother's knowledge, and her soul.
As the sword faded several bits of red mist and one piece of black mist emerged. They floated to the ground and transformed in front of her. "Perfect!" She muttered, knowing what was coming.
The red mist transformed into red-colored demonic creatures with one glowing yellow eye. The black mist became a demonic creature with two yellow eyes, two leathery wings, and a gaping maw.
"To chaos and oblivion." The onyx creature's voice boomed as it bowed. "Princess Anastasia Barloff, we have heard your summons. In the name of the lost fellowship of Black Oblivion we live to serve you."
The red creatures in turn bowed. Her smile turned malicious. "Rise my servants," she instructed.
All creatures obeyed. "I welcome your service, but would ask you not to address me by that name again! Anastasia Barloff was a pathetic girl who lived only to obey her parents and a selfish world."
"Then what will we call you great taker of life?" One of the red mist-like creatures asked.
"I am the Red Queen! I wield the sword Shadow Dancer. With this and with Storm and Nature, I bring the glorious gift of death and destruction to the world. We will reshape this flawed imperfection into a new paradise!"
The creatures all cheered in unison as an insane cackle escaped her lips. By my will this world of pain, suffering, and malice will burn!