Amazon Arrow's Archive: Amazon Arrow's Power Quest

This story occurs eight weeks after Amazon Arrow's Downfall.

She’s been like this for almost two months, Dr. Quest?

Yes, Ms. Spellbound… actually this is one of Chryseis’s “bad spells”. Normally she is quite docile and believes that she is some sort of librarian. Most of the time she is very confused as to why she is being held here in restraints and insists that she must get back to her new job… but then without warning… her “other” personality takes over and she can become extremely aggressive. She believes that she is a Goddess and will physically attack anyone that approaches her.

What about Chryseis’s “real” personality? How often does she realize that she is actually the Amazon Arrow?

Unfortunately… never. In the last eight weeks there has been NO recognizable trace of her true persona. We don’t even know if it still exists. We are no strangers to “exotic” afflictions here at the Costal City Hospital, but Chryseis has not responded to ANY of our advanced therapies or medications. The Amazons sent medical specialists as well, but even they were unable to improve her mental stability. Her psyche has been mystically fragmented. We believe that your sorcery may be the only thing that can help her, but… I am deeply concerned that you are not yet ready for this procedure Ms. Spellbound. You have only just begun to recover from injuries that Chryseis herself inflicted upon you. You were comatose for weeks and, as your doctor, I do not advise…

I’m fine, Doctor. My concern is for my friend. If what you say is true, if there has been no outward manifestation of Chryseis’s authentic personality…I might already be too late. I intend to cast an enchantment that will allow me to interact with Chryseis’s mind on a psychophysical level. I need to find out if Chryseis is in there at all, and if there is anything that I can do to pull her out again. I must act now.

And will the Red Empress be joining you in this endeavor?

Actually… the Red Empress is here for YOUR protection.

How do you mean?

There is a possibility that the Goddess persona might have retained some of its vast power and may attempt to assault me psionically. The Goddess cannot be allowed access to my sorcery. In the event that I show any signs of being overcome… the Red Empress is here to snap my neck.

Oh… I see…

After I complete the preparations for the spell I will need this entire wing of the hospital ward evacuated. I will need you to anesthetize both Chryseis and myself, and then I would ask that you evacuate as well, Dr. Quest.

Ms. Spellbound… you and Chryseis are my patients. I will assist you in whatever preparations you may require, but I can assure you that I will not be leaving your side.

Thank you, Doctor. I suspected as much. There is no time to waste. Let’s begin immediately…
Red Empress and Spellbound are the OC's of

The spell worked! I’m inside the Amazon Arrow’s mind… but… I appear to be in some sort of library… an exact psychic replica of the Racks View Memorial Library if I’m not mistaken. This is where Chryseis worked briefly before the manifestation of her “Goddess” persona. This library was her safe haven… a last desperate attempt to cling to her humanity before she was consumed by the overwhelming hunger from her Power Quest. The detail of this construct is astonishing... I’ve never seen a dreamscape with so much accuracy. Her imagination is quite impressive!

Oh, dear… uhm… Miss! ...Miss! ... I’m sorry but… I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave!

Chryseis?

We have a dress code here and your attire is entirely inappropriate… and my name is Chrys… Chrys Kent… I am the Head Librarian here at...

Chryseis… it’s me… Spellbound… don’t… don’t you recognize me?

I’m sorry, but no… Have we met? I don’t think that we have… I’m fairly certain that I would remember someone with your, uhm… fashion sensibilities?

Hmmm... Tabitha Jones... Is that name familiar?

Of course! She’s my new Librarian Assistant... I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. Hopefully she hasn't entered The Vault.

How long have you been here, Ms. Kent?

Just a few months…

And before that… Where are you from? Where were you born? What did you do before arriving here at the library?

So many questions, young lady… but I really must ask you to leave. No more stalling! I’d hate to have to call for security.

I’ll be leaving in just a moment, Ms. Kent... but tell me… have you heard of the Amazon Arrow?

No… but if you’d like to go home and change into more appropriate clothing I can look that up for you and have your resources ready and waiting for you when you get back.

One last question, Ms. Kent. The Vault that you mentioned... what's inside?

Oh, I'm sorry, but that area of the library is completely off limits to the public. Now off you go… scoot!

YOU WOULD COME HERE… IN MY VERY OWN MIND… AND SEEK TO PIT YOUR MYSTICAL MIGHT AGAINST MY OWN?!?! YOU ARE A BIGGER FOOL THAN I THOUGHT SPELLBOUND!

Ms. Kent!! Stay behind me!!

I WILL DEVOUR BOTH YOU AND THE LIBRARIAN!!! YOU PATHETIC LITTLE WITCH!!! YOUR MAGICS ARE LITTLE MORE THAN PARLOR TRICKS COMPARED TO THE POWER OF A GODDESS!!!

Hmmm… If that’s true, “Goddess”… If you have the power to destroy Ms. Kent... then why have you not done so already?

YOU DARE QUESTION ME?!?!

It’s been eight weeks! Surely it doesn’t take eight weeks for a Goddess to strike down a librarian. I don’t think you are capable of killing her… because you are connected! Isn’t that right, Chryseis?

I AM NOT CHRYSEIS! CHRYSEIS IS BUT A FRACTION OF MY AWESOME BEING! I AM A FUSION OF SOULS! EVERY LAST ONE OF THE HEROES, HEROINES, VILLAINS AND VILLAINESSES THAT CHRYSEIS STRUCK DOWN WITH HER SOUL ARROWS CAN BE FOUND WITHIN ME. THEY ARE ME… AND I AM THEY!

No, I don’t believe that is truly the case... You overstate your significance.

OH? THEN TELL ME… WHAT IS YOUR INSIGHT, LITTLE WITCH?

You are both “remnants” of Chryseis's Power Quest. Chryseis may be within you both… but neither of you are her. I think you, Goddess, are the accumulation of negative emotions from the Soul Arrow’s victims… while Ms. Kent represents the positive emotions. You are the thirst for vengeance, the lust for power, the anger, the greed… while Ms. Kent is the courageous, the honest, the loving and the gentle. We are in her library… her environment… Despite all of your bluster, clearly Ms. Kent is the dominant personality.

PERHAPS I HAVE UNDERESTIMATED YOU SPELLBOUND! YOU ARE QUITE CLEVER! I SHALL ENJOY ABSORBING YOUR MYSTICAL POWER AND ADDING YOUR MIGHT TO MY OWN. TOGETHER WE SHALL ACCOMPLISH SUCH TERRIBLE AND GLORIOUS THINGS!

I do not fear you, Goddess…

YOU NEED NOT FEAR ME LITTLE WITCH… YOU ARE TEMPTED… AND THAT IS ENOUGH! I CAN FEEL IT SPELLBOUND! THERE IS A PART OF YOU THAT WANTS THIS! YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A DARK FORCE THAT YOU DENY YOURSELF! YOU LIMIT YOURSELF AS A SORCERESS BECAUSE YOU FEAR THE CONSEQUENCES TO OTHERS IF YOU EMBRACE THE FULL EXTENT OF YOUR MAGICAL POWERS. JOIN ME AND THERE WILL BE NO FEAR. THE BLAME WILL BE MINE… THE WORLD WILL LOOK UPON YOU AS A HELPLESS VICTIM… JUST AS THEY NOW DO WITH CHRYSEIS! THEY WILL NOT HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE... BUT IN THE MEANTIME… YOU WILL KNOW THE UNBOUND MAJESTY OF YOUR SORCERY! IMAGINE THE GOOD YOU AND I MIGHT ACCOMPLISH TOGETHER! I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE AND THIS IS FOR THE BEST! LET ME SHOW YOU! THIS IS WHAT MUST HAPPEN! JOIN ME!

I… I am… tempted… I will not deny it... Is this the offer that you made to Chryseis? Is this how you corrupted her soul?

CHRYSEIS’S SECRETS ARE NOT MINE TO TELL! ASK HER YOURSELF!

Where is she? How do I find her? Ms. Kent mentioned a forbidden “Vault”. Is that were you have Chryseis locked away?

HAHAHAHA!!! IGNORANT WITCH! …CHRYSEIS IS NOT IN THE VAULT… SHE IS GUARDING IT!

Oh dear, we really shouldn’t be down here... The basement of the Library isn’t finished yet.

OH SHUT UP YOU STUPID BIMBO! THIS ISN’T A LIBRARY AT ALL! IT’S A PSYCHIC CONSTRUCT… NOTHING MORE THAN A SYMBOLIC MANIFESTATION OF MY MIND!

Actually, Ms. Spellbound said this was my environment… and it’s not necessary for you to be so rude.

SHE SAID THE MAIN LIBRARY WAS YOUR ENVIRONMENT… BUT DOWN HERE NEITHER OF US ARE IN CONTROL!

Well, then… who is?

WE ARE NEARING THE VAULT …WHO DO YOU THINK?!?!?

The Vault? Oh, no… The Vault is forbidden... We mustn’t go near it! Chryseis will be terribly upset… Let’s… let’s all go back upstairs for some refreshments instead. Doesn’t that sound nice, Ms. Spellbound?

I’m afraid we must keep going, Ms. Kent… The secrets that Chryseis has locked away down here are obviously causing her a great deal of internal conflict. We must uncover those secrets if we are to begin the healing of her fractured mind.

Well… I think whatever is down here is absolutely none of your business, Ms. Spellbound. I think it would be best if you exited the Library.

FOR THE LAST TIME… THIS IS NOT A LIBRARY!!!

Shhh… lower your voice. People upstairs are trying to study.

Ladies, please... we’re approaching the bottom of the stairwell… there appears to be some sort of tunnel ahead. We must proceed with caution…

Oh, no… is that Chryseis? It can’t be…

I warned you she would be angry, Ms. Spellbound. She’s growling at us! I really think it might be best if we returned to the library. Let’s be on our way…

SHE ISN’T “ANGRY” YOU TWIT! SHE’S FERAL! SPELLBOUND WANTED TO FIND CHRYSEIS… WELL… HERE SHE IS! YOUR PRECIOUS CHRYSEIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SLOBBERING BEAST! HAHAHAH!

Feral? …Of course… Strip away the “good” and the “evil” and all that remains is “instinct”. This is Chryseis’s most primitive aspect.

GOOD AND EVIL ARE ALL RELATIVE, YOU ARROGANT WITCH! THIS SAVAGE CREATURE IS THE “ID”. SHE REPRESENTS BASIC INSTINCTS, REFLEXES AND IMPULSES. THIS ANIMAL DOES WHAT PLEASES HER. …I AM THE “EGO”. I REPRESENT INTELLECT, COGNITION AND PERCEPTION OF REALITY. I DO WHAT LOGIC DICTATES MUST BE DONE... AND THIS STUPID LIBRARIAN IS THE “SUPER-EGO”. SHE IS GUILT AND THE SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG, SOCIAL CONSCIENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY.

You’re talking about Freudian psychological models… Chryseis must have read about it at some point and it’s influencing this psychic construct. This interpretation may not be entirely accurate in all Freudian respects, but I’m beginning to understand the nature of the problem. Chryseis is instinctively guarding the contents of that Vault. She thinks that whatever it contains is so important that she is willing to discard the rest of her personality to ensure that it remains protected. She has literally torn herself apart over it!

THEN HONOR HER WISH AND TURN BACK NOW, YOU MEDDLESOME WITCH! WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION HER SACRIFICE?!??! GUARDING THE CONTENTS OF THAT VAULT IS PARAMOUNT TO HER! TERMINATE THIS ENCHANTMENT, RETURN TO YOUR OWN DIMENSION... AND GET OUT OF OUR HEAD!!!

But… I can’t just leave her like this… The three of you can’t exist independently. You need to…

Ms. Spellbound… Look out!

Chryseis! No! ...I'm only trying to help! ...I... GGLLLK!!

HAHAHAHA!!! DIE SPELLBOUND!!!

No! How can you say that?!?! This isn't right! Stop this at once!

OH SHUT UP, MS. GOODIE-TWO-SHOES!!! WE'RE GOING TO KILL A SORCERESS!! SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Stop this! She’s already unconscious! Leave her alone!

SPELLBOUND BROUGHT THIS ON HERSELF. I WARNED HER… AND SO DID YOU.

We’re tearing her apart! …We… we’re killing her... Why is this happening?!?!?

SPELLBOUND’S PRESENCE HERE IS A VIOLATION. SHE IS A FOREIGN INVADER… A MENTAL RAPIST! THE NOSY WITCH DESERVES HER FATE. ONCE WE SHRED HER MYSTICAL DEFENSES WE CAN ASSIMILATE HER PERSONALITY AND HER POWERS AND WE’LL BE STRONGER THAN EVER! SPELLBOUND IS ABOUT TO BECOME A TASTY SNACK… METAPHYSICALLY SPEAKING… HAHAHAHA!!!

We are not killers! Chryseis did all of this to deal with what’s in the Vault. We’re trying to save lives, not end them! Our little “arrangement” was never supposed to put anyone else in danger, let alone result in the death of a friend! This isn’t supposed to happen!

THAT’S YOUR OPINION. CHRYSEIS’S PRIMAL NATURE WILL NOT HESITATE TO KILL… AND I SIMPLY DON’T CARE. YOU’RE OUT VOTED MY DEAR... SPELLBOUND IS FINISHED!

WHAT… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!? …LET ME GO!!!

No secret is worth Spellbound’s life! We have to save her! I’m sorry, but… I can’t let us… you… me… we aren’t going to kill her! This has to end!

STUPID LIBRARIAN! RELEASE ME AT ONCE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING?!?!?

Oh yes I do… If Primal Chryseis can assimilate Spellbound… then I can assimilate you!

STOP THIS!!!! AAAGGHHHH!!!!! WE’LL BE DESTROYED!!!! YOU’RE … YOU’RE TEARING US APART!!!!!

No… I’m putting us back together…

Get... AWAY... from... HER... you... BITCH!!!

OOooohhh, my head... How long... have I been out cold? ...Chryseis?

Chryseis? ... Amazon Arrow? ... Is that you? ... Are you... ok?

It's me, Tabitha... the real me... I'm finally back! ...But, uhm... apparently "Ms. Kent" is still here also?

Wow! She’s really out of it. Is she going to be ok?

Relax, Chryseis… Ms. Kent is only sleeping, or perhaps “dormant” might be a better term. It appears your psyche has reached a new equilibrium state. The conjunction of the fragmented personas accumulated during your power quest has resulted in an unprecedented dual dissociative identity condition.

Uhhh… So is that a “yes” or a “no”? All I heard was “blahblahblah”… I have no idea what you’re talking about!

It means you have a sleeping librarian stuck in your brain.

Oh… well… that doesn’t sound good. What happens when she wakes up?

Most likely you will become dormant and Ms. Kent will be the one in control of your mental and physical faculties. When she wakes up, you will sleep, and vice versa. Basically, you have become two people sharing one body.

Yeah, uhm, that’s not going to work for me... How do we get rid of her?

I’m afraid it’s not that simple. During the Power Quest you accumulated psychic bits and pieces from the people that you stabbed with your Soul Arrows. Your brain has been struggling to find a place for all of this “extra” psychic information by combining these remnants into an organized collective. Moments ago you had three distinct personas competing for dominance… now you have only two personas with only one active at a time. This current situation might seem inconvenient, but trust me when I say this is a far more stable and productive configuration than your previous one.

Inconvenient?!?!? … This is MY body!!! Can’t we just keep Ms. Kent asleep? Or maybe download her somehow? Can’t you do some kind of magical, witchy, sorcery thing to fix this?

Well, this doesn’t exactly happen every day. I don’t know any “magical, witchy, sorcery” spells to alleviate this particular condition off of the top of my head. This is going to require some research… and even then, I can’t make any promises. I might be able to regulate your identity state so that you don’t lose control at an inappropriate time, but inevitably Ms. Kent WILL wake up. We’re going to have to come up with a system to manage your condition until we discover a way to separate the two of you more permanently.

This is a mess! I certainly don’t remember seeing any of this in the Vault. I’m already starting to forget things…

Chryseis… we need to talk about that. You were willing to protect the contents of the Vault with every fiber of your being. A part of you was even willing to kill me to protect its secrets. What’s in there?

If you want a look at what’s inside The Vault, we need to be quick. Now that it’s been opened, everything inside is disintegrating.

It’s already open?

You can thank Ms. Kent for that. It was the raw fury of my “primal” nature that was keeping The Vault locked down. In my current “configuration” I’m not able to contain it any more.

What could be so important? What’s in there Chryseis?

Memories… of things that haven’t happened yet…and now they’re all fading away.

You’re talking about the future… The Vault contains everything that your Goddess persona witnessed about the future!

I was trying to keep that knowledge locked away from her. I couldn’t control myself during the power quest… The Goddess persona was too strong… but I could deny her access to one of her greatest powers. By blocking her memories of the future, I was hoping you guys might have an opportunity to surprise her and take her down.

Nice move… I guess it worked… well, sort of…

Manipulating the future is what the power quest was all about. When it first started, I was enjoying the rush from all of the new powers that I was collecting. It was addictive… more than I or any other mortal could handle. I didn’t realize this while it was happening, but basically every time I took out a bad guy a piece of their soul would break off and stay inside my head. It became harder and harder for me to figure out which decisions were mine and which were influenced by all of those other souls.

Yes. Many of us suspected as much. We don’t blame you for what happened, Chryseis. We have learned that your Light Rings were sabotaged by the Lord of Lycans. Actually, some of us blame you any way…but we can discuss that later. Go on…

But don’t you see? ...I DESERVE THE BLAME! On some level, it was my choice! The Diabolist was the turning point. She’s an oracle. She could see the future. Looking back on it, I think she knew what was about to happen. I think she wanted it. Hmmmm… that makes me wonder what she must have gained from all of this? …At any rate... when I took her down with the Soul Arrow I copied her powers... I could see the future…. and what I saw was… it was…

Something terrible?

No… it was wonderful!!! It was a temptation that I couldn’t resist. Honestly, I don’t know if I gave in to it because of the other souls, or if I made the choice on my own…

What choice? What did you see?

It was a vision of everything that I ever wanted. I saw a complete roadmap filled with the wondrous and terrible things that would happen along the way… and at the end of that road I saw my heart’s desire fulfilled. I saw Pyrrah cured of her lycanthropic curse! And even further down the line I could see us happy and together again! I knew that if I took the first step down the path, there would be no going back… and all I had to do was stick a Soul Arrow through the head of one of my best friends.

Chryseis…

Don’t try to tell me this isn’t my fault, Spellbound! …I DID IT! …… I AM RESPONSIBLE!!! …I can justify my actions, but so can EVERY bad guy that I’ve ever taken down!!!

Chryseis, you’re not the bad guy. You’ve been manipulated and pulled inside out. And even if you were in your right mind… honestly… I might have made the same decision in your place. Until you face a situation like that… who knows what any of us are truly capable of?

Well… I hope you never have to find out.

I don’t believe that the future is that rigid. Just because you had a vision doesn’t mean that it will come to pass… and prophecy can easily be misinterpreted. Let’s look inside and see what’s left before all of it is gone.

Are you kidding me?!?! Didn’t you hear anything that I just said?

We don’t have much time. Your memories of the future are fading quickly and soon there won’t be anything left. They’re already too incomplete to serve as a reliable “roadmap”… but there might be some small clue that we can learn that might help us to save lives in the future! Pyrrah is still out there with all of that power… and we have no idea where to find the Lord of Lycans… Our enemies are too many steps ahead of us and they are too strong! We can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand when the answers might be right at our fingertips. We have to look now… before the visions are gone forever!

We could be doing more harm than good.

Knowledge is neither good nor evil, Chryseis... I’m going in.

Well… then… I’ve got your back.

Welcome to the Vault, Spellbound… or what’s left of it anyway…
Chryseis… This is… this is…

Overwhelming? Incomprehensible? Maddening? This is just a fraction of a fraction of the insanity that’s been rattling around inside in my head for months now. You don’t want to stay in here for very long. It’ll make you a little… cranky.
I… I can’t believe it… It’s amazing! Is all of this really going to happen?
I have no idea... Some of it might... We won’t know until we get to each point in time, I guess. There aren’t many visions left anymore, as compared to the millions that I saw at the start of my little rampage. The images are vanishing one by one and I’m forgetting everything about them as soon as they disappear. I suspect you’ll probably remember more of this stuff than I will. I’m not supposed to have this information… perhaps no one is.
This is just… so astonishing! I wish there was more! Do you know when these events will transpire?

I don’t know. I’m definitely not an oracle. Very little of this makes any sense to me. I don’t even know who some of these people are because I haven’t met them yet!

They must be important for you have to have held onto these final memories so tightly. I'm trying to commit as much as possible to my own memory. Even the tiniest detail could be important if we’re going to try to prevent some of these tragedies.
Just remember… everything that you see here can be extremely dangerous! You could make things much worse by trying to make them better.

Yes. Yes, of course…

Spellbound... Is it just me or… does the entire Vault seem to be getting smaller?
The walls are moving! The Vault is collapsing in on itself. I think we're... we're waking up! Our anesthetic must be wearing off! We need to get out of here immediately! I’m not sure what will happen if the Vault door closes while we’re inside.
No, wait! ... I just… Let me take one last look... I don't want to forget seeing her... us... like this...
Chryseis! There's no time!
You have to promise me, Spellbound! Promise to remind me!!! After everything that I've done... all of the lives that were lost or ruined by the Power Quest... I NEED to remember that I still have a chance to save Pyrrah!!! I have to remember that we still have a chance to be happy together! Promise me!!!!

Chryseis... I don't know what the future holds or when, but I am certain that your love for Pyrrah will endure. I promise to remind you... but I suspect you'll remember this particular image all on your own. Now... it's time to let this go.... Leave the Power Quest and all of your doubts and self-blame here in this Vault. It's time for a fresh start... Now, more than ever, the world needs the Amazon Arrow!
You... you're right... I'll... I'll do my best... and besides... the world also needs a really gorgeous librarian from time to time!

Ha! It probably does.
You're a pretty amazing woman, Spellbound. I just want you to know that if you ever turn into a power mad goddess and attack all of your friends... I'll be there for you.

Uhm... thanks?
Now let's get out of my brain and hit the streets! The world won't save itself!

THE END

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WHEW!!!! ...and that’s the ride, friends! The Power Quest series is officially over! I hope you enjoy the IMAX finale image! As you can see, the Power Quest might be over, but I have more than a few plans for the future. Stay tuned! Same Amazon time! Same Amazon channel!
Peace,
Chryseis

Spellbound is the OC of

White Venus is the OC of