It started with a growing fetish.
A tap on an open wound, just to see their reaction. A pinch on the wrong spot, just to make them squeak. McKayla began with genuine intentions, and the need to help others. But her addictive new habit quickly overtook her. She didn’t even know herself what she found so absolutely fun with it; she just liked doing it.
But of course, one day she went too far, and her distraught patient decried her actions. Upset from the loss of her profession from this urge, she looked to the church for guidance and for help. It was here where she received the two star-shaped earrings she always wears. With them, a soft gravity spell could be cast with a physical touch, meant to help calm and still a distraught patient in turbulent times. Never for combat.
Those urges never went away. Suppressed under the guise of religion, she relished the opportunity to enter the field of war, where all immoral acts were justified in the eyes of battle.
That was what she told herself, but her gentle half still called out inside her. The half that only desired to heal and ensure that all would be safe from the thought of loss. Perhaps it was that half that brought her into this room, on this moonlit night.
McKayla stared at Aura’s sleeping figure, the moonlit glistening off her star shaped earrings. She knew the consequences. The effect this would have on her. But her desires dragged Aura into this fight, and though maybe she couldn’t protect her through the whole war, she can at least help her win this one.
McKayla reached down and took a closer look. The bow was still firmly in Aura’s grasp, even as she slept, and upon closer inspection, the woven wicks of its handle had slowly stretched up Aura’s right hand, wrapping around it like a parasite. She only had to grab the bow, then she would be done-
Aura’s eyes snapped open. Her body jolted upright like a doll, as her head tilted towards McKayla. The cleric’s heart jumped, as she stumbled backwards.
“McKayla? You desire such actions again?” Aura spoke with a scathing tone, rising from her bed. Her friend emitted a strong aura, but McKayla shakingly held her ground.
“I’m here for my friend,” McKayla shot back at the person opposite her. It only caused Aura to laugh.
“Friend? You mean your slave? Your fetish object? Does it hurt that much for me to have finally grown a backbone, McKayla?” Aura questioned, her head tilting.
“No. I meant my friend. And you are not her-!” McKayla reached out, trying to grab Aura, but the other girl quickly sidestepped out of the way. Punishing her poorly thought out plan, Aura quickly wrapped around McKayla’s back and locked the other girl in a hold.
“Agh-!” McKayla winced. Though, now with physical contact she quickly activated her earrings. The pieces of jewellery shining an even brighter shine of white as they twinkled. But, to her shock and dismay, Aura barely flinched.
“Are you done playing with your…toys?” Aura’s voice was strained, but she still held tightly, “fine. If you want to go down, then…we…will-!”
McKayla suddenly felt Aura push her entire body down. Her chin hit the floor, and a sting of pain jolted through her body. She tried not to cry out, but Aura had already flipped her body onto her back. McKayla’s pained expression was immediately met with Aura smiling maniacally back down at her.
“Haha…ahaha-! You were right, McKayla! Oh, were you ever so right! That face you are making, its beautiful!”
McKayla seized up as Aura pinned her down to the floor. The hand with the bow attached to it was so close to her, but McKayla couldn’t reach it. Not with the position she was in now.
The pain was the one sending her into a panic. Aura had already started to pinch and prod at her body with her free hand. Trying to tear into her clothes like a wild animal before just shoving her hands down the top. McKayla held back her tears. Twice in a day was almost too much, but she was almost there. She just had to grab her hand…
“…My. I never expected to hear such words from you, McKayla.”
“Look, if there’s…anything you could do to help, please Moira.”
Moira sat in a rather regally designed chair in the corner of her room, petting a young elf girl while the latter tirelessly massaged her feet.
“Its an interesting proposition, darling, but you should not bond so closely with your slaves. It is but an obtuse distraction, at times.”
“She isn’t that to me-! She…” McKayla fell silent, “…she, she isn’t meant for this. I…I dragged her into this army for my selfish desires. The least I can do is protect her.”
Moira stared intently at McKayla in silence. The dark mages aura almost intoxicating, threatening to choke the very life out of McKayla. It was as if she waited for ages before the other woman finally spoke again.
“It is an artifact. A magical weapon crafted to take form in any shape it desires, in order to feed off the desires of their host. Marla carried it around with our supplies for some time, but it is no surprise that she has no desire of sharing her power with some object. Neither would I.”
“But then why give it to Aura?!”
“Hmph, perhaps you were too preoccupied with your private little sleezefests. Aura was getting stronger, but she lacks a single evil bone in her body. Marla saw the chance to darken her spirit and strengthen her strongest ranger.”
“And brainwash her to her side?”
“Heavens no, are you daft? Dearie, this particular weapon feeds off of darkened spirits, and Aura has none of that. Of course, it would rather want to serve Marla, as its current host has none of that in her.”
“Then…it would be easy then, to remove it from her?”
“Of course, it is but a simple spell. Would you like to know? I have no interest in her either, but I have enjoyed our conversations. She has been too aggressive lately for my liking. Teaching you a spell is trivial effort.”
“Yes…please teach me!”
“Hmph, very well. But I will need something in return. You seem like a…strong girl, McKayla. Perhaps you could serve as my entertainment for the evening?”
Twice, she had to endure this feeling. Because of that, it was easy to keep her head level as Aura lost herself across McKayla’s body. It was almost intimidating, how the girl she had bullied so relentlessly earlier felt so much larger than her now.
But she let her guard down. McKayla whipped her arm out once the bow got close enough and snatched it.
“Checkmate.” McKayla grinned through gritted teeth.
“Wha-?!” Aura suddenly snapped back, and spotted McKayla’s hand on her bow too late.
“Dispel-!” McKayla’s hand glowed, the bow reacting fiercely against the spell. The sprayed woven fibres wrapped around Aura’s hand violently lashed out in pain, as the weapon almost seemed to cry out.
“No, wait, McKayla! What are you doing?!” Aura cried out, trying to pull her hand away, “no, please don’t take him away-! No, I-I don’t want to be weak again! McKayla! MCKAYLA-!”
McKayla braced herself as her head suddenly felt a sharp pain strike through it. She started hearing whispers. Voices. Agitated souls and agonizing woes all passing through her ears. Aura quickly began losing strength, as her hand finally let loose of the bow. As she did, the other girl collapsed on top of McKayla, unconscious. McKayla shoved her body gently onto the floor, as she stood up with the bow still in her hands.
“…Hold on,” Moira stopped McKayla as she nearly left the room, “you are sure about the consequences?”
McKayla paused for a moment, turning around, “which ones?”
“Did you not hear what I told you earlier, idiot? You will have to grab the bow for the spell to work. And unless you are a powerful dark mage, it will transfer its host by proximity.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Moira leaned back, laughing, “hah! The answer I like to hear. I can not say what will become of you, McKayla, but this will certainly be exciting. I await to see what will become of you, cleric.”
McKayla closed her eyes, as the bow began to disfigure itself, dissipating into strands of a black mist, wrapping around her body.
“Ah, yes, you! You with the darkness in your heart! A host far more befitting than that gentle willed green haired girl there! Become one-!”
The voice in her head emitted stronger than the others. A deep sound coming from within her own head, as the mist began to almost dive into the star shaped earrings McKayla had always wore. Her gift to signify her purity.
She looked down at her unconscious friend and sighed, “you don’t need this weapon to be strong, Aura. You always were. ...But me? Well...if this army desires evil, then so be it.”
Silence. Silence, as the moonlight continued to pour gently into the room.
===
“What do you mean, you refuse-?!”
“I told you, child. I have no interest in your petty games.”
Things were busy around Marla’s division as the clerics were butchered in the previous battle. They did get two new ones, but Elendra was weird and Cernya was a moron. And now, McKayla had to deal with this Astrid woman and the people around her trying to get her to join some rebellion.
“B-But look at you! You seem like such a noble person, healing everyone in these bleak moments! How could you continue to work for that dark mage? Are you not concerned that what she did to Aura, she will do to you?”
“What she did to Aura, hmm? An interesting strategy, bringing up her name, but I still refuse. It seems as if fate brought me onto this path, and I have no interest in using my life to challenge it now.”
“…F-Fine! Be that way then!” Astrid huffed, stomping out of the room with the rest of her followers. McKayla waited for a few moments, as the group left into the distance.
“Amusing. Did you not want to challenge the dark mage? You could rule over all of this army.”
“Perhaps,” McKayla spoke in a hushed tone, “but why would I? We are better working in the shadows. Besides, this seems like it could be…violent, and I desire a front row seat.”
Her earrings glowed a dark, subtle hue.
===
[Aura loses Black Bow]
[McKayla's earrings become enchanted. She is now able to cast her gravity spell in a small area around her, and no longer requires physical touch. A physically strong warrior can still resist this, though. Perhaps, since clerics can't attack, it could be a defensive ability?]
EDIT: Mentos posted at the same time and I thought I crossposted an update lol.
