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Charmer Circe from the Abyss (#4841)

Owner: 0x24D7…e52b

Circe listened with an amused smile on her face. The story was obviously ridiculous, but she allowed the girl to finish, if only to see just how creative she could get.

“That’s quite a tale, my sweet. You know, originally, I was planning to have you thrown into the dungeons for your insolence, but you have a way with words…”

Circe flourished her hand and her eternal rose appeared, as if by magic. But of course, this was not the magical part. Circe stroked her other hand over the petals of the rose and felt the atmosphere in the room change. Nobody could resist the charms of the rose. As she waited for its effects to take home, she wondered with slight irritation where Asphodel was; her advisor was rarely not by her side.

She focused her attention back on the strange girl who had somehow waltzed past all the palace guards.

“Tell me, child, to whom do you owe your allegiance?”

The teenager glanced at her vixen familiar, paused, and then burst out laughing. Circe flushed with rage. What was happening? She stroked the rose’s petals again.

“Perhaps you misheard me? Whom do you serve?”

The girl rolled her eyes at the vixen, who flashed Circe a grin and wiggled its whiskers at her. Circe’s own fox, Finn, growled at the vixen as his mistress lost her cool.

“How dare you! I am EMPRESS!” shrieked Circe. “You will regret this! Guards!”

The girl stopped laughing in an instant, her face taking on a venomous cast. As guards rushed in through doors on all four sides of the royal chamber, she brought her arms inwards in front of her chest and then thrust them to either side, flinging the unfortunate soldiers through the air to crash into the stone walls and fall motionless on the mosaiced floor.

Circe gasped with shock, but when she tried to speak, the air was rammed back down her throat, choking her.

The girl stalked towards her, speaking with a quiet ferocity. “You are the one with the hearing problem, Empress, so I will repeat myself. Once. After that, I’ll start to get annoyed.”

Circe’s eyes bulged as she struggled for air.

“As I said, I’m looking for wizards I can count on, and there’s still a chance for you to prove your worth. There are dark forces at work in the Runiverse. And you have a wizard in your dungeons who has been turned by those forces. Take me to him.”

A single tear dripped from one of Circe’s long eyelashes.

“There, there, don’t cry... Oh silly me, you can’t breathe. I’ll release you, if you promise to play nice.”

Circe nodded desperately and the girl dismissively waved her fingers. The Charmer dropped to her hands and knees, chest heaving as she drew in deep, ragged breaths.

The young Mage crouched down in front of Circe and cradled her chin between thumb and forefinger, tilting her face upwards. “I know you’re new to this whole ruling thing, but I must say I’m a little bit disappointed. I thought you would have taken my reputation more seriously.”

Circe whimpered, but the girl stroked her cheek and smiled.

“Don’t think of me as an enemy. I’m here to help you. Of course, you will be helping me too, but you’ll soon see that as a privilege. Think of it as what my friend the Gatekeeper would call ‘your cosmic duty’.”

She stood, beckoning Circe to follow her. Sitting in Circe’s throne, she motioned for the Empress to take a seat on the advisor’s stool next to her. “The Wizarding Council is planning a meeting of the guilds. It usually takes them a while to get themselves organised, but however long it takes, I don’t have time for their meddling. I have a lot of matters that need my full attention. I like to keep busy.”

Despite the other wizard’s childlike features, she radiated power. Suddenly, Circe’s trick of enchanting the entire fortress and its armies into worshipping her as Empress seemed trivial. Fearful, she wondered whether she could disappear back to Red Wizard Capital, with nobody the wiser.

“Running back to Red Wizard Capital will do you no good. Your charm’s power will not continue to addle the minds of the Citadel if you flee, you know that. They will marshall their troops and come after you with all their strength. The leaders in the Capital won’t be best pleased either.”

“How did you know what I was thinking?” asked Circe in awe. “I’ve cast enchantments over my thoughts that are impenetrable!”

“Please. I’m not just a Hex Mage. I can do far more impressive things than that.”

“You will continue your reign as Empress,” the young wizard continued. You’re going to need to show the Council that you’re not to be trifled with; I’ve got a couple of useful hexes that can help with that. When they find out Wizard #3914 has been here, it’s bound to put some noses out of joint.”

The Hex Mage glanced over at the fox and vixen, who were becoming acquainted with each other now that the violence had subsided. She winked at Circe. “Haze’ll teach him a thing or two as well; I hope he’s ready to have his consciousness expanded…”

Circe listened in wonder as Bathsheba continued to issue orders. Were there really such powerful forces at work within the Runiverse? The young witch started complaining about being hungry. After she peremptorily summoned Circe’s attendants to bring them dinner, the Empress caught herself smiling at the ease with which Bahsheba took charge.

Just a few days later, Bathsheba introduced the Charmer to her zany companion, Pony #77… an actual Dream Pony, returned from the Elysian Fields! Watching Bathsheba banter with the pony, Circe was surprised to discover that she was already smitten.

Story Arc Index:

Prologue: Wizard #3914

Part 1: Pony #77

Part 2: Wizard #2877

Part 3: Wizard #1175

Part 4: Wizard #3901

Part 5: Wizard #4841

Part 6: Wizard #2885

Part 7: Wizard #3917

Part 8: Wizard #6084

Entered by: 0x24D7…e52b and preserved on chain (see transaction)