ULTRAMagic Interlude - Chapter 10
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“Um, seeking out Rose and Thora like I said I would?” Blood-Wraith pointed out.
This took Deimos a second to process. “Oh, oh yeah. So how’s it going so far?”
Rose audibly cleared her throat. “Quite well I’d imagine…”
This caused Deimos to finally get his bearings. “Oh! Okay then. Well, congratulations, Blood.”
“Thanks, uncle… so what is all of this?”
Since so many people had made it to his domain, Deimos was more than happy to elaborate. Prior to becoming The Lich of Old, Deimos had discovered another layer of The Unlight, past The Deep Unlight. When the treacherous landscape he had been exploring gave way to a surreal space beyond his imagination, he knew he had stumbled on something great. The Magician’s Labyrinth was built as a research station and an archive. It sat on the border of this new realm that he dubbed ‘The Trench Unlight.’
Deimos often compared The Unlight to an ocean. The deeper one went, the more bizarre and dangerous things became. While the normal Unlight was risky in its own right, it was still easy and safe to explore. The Deep Unlight was a bit more perilous, as the landscape was unconventional and prone to changing without a moment’s notice. Thankfully with the appropriate knowledge, one could still venture into it without too much trouble. The Trench Unlight was on a whole other level, however.
This layer was like islands in an infinitely expanding sea. These “islands” were tangible realms, but the space in between required technology and/or magic to traverse. It could not be walked through like the standard Unlight could. And even if one could, there were all sorts of dangers lurking in that void. Deimos had realized that he needed a crew of brave mages to map out as much as they could. This led to the creation of the ship known as The Unmariner. Sadly just as the vessel set out, Deimos had lost his mind in a bout of paranoia.
“As if I didn’t already have the guilt of my past actions weighing down on me, I left Captain Dusan and his crew completely in the dark.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Eus… Deimos,” Captain Dusan replied. “We all make mistakes. Hell, some of our mistakes led us to discovering parts of the trench we had no idea even existed in the first place.”
“I must firmly agree with the Captain,” Rose added. “We are not perfect, nor will we ever be perfect. Our only recourse is to respond to the consequences appropriately.”
Valentina was looking through some of the tomes documenting research and discoveries. “Interesting. I figured there was something more complex to this place. Mind if I ask what these notes are in regards to an Abyssal Unlight?”
“That’s what we’ve been waiting on Deimos for,” Captain Dusan answered. “Deimos, we found the border of the Trench. It’s unfathomably deep, but we’re not sure if we should go further or return to the labyrinth and prepare.”
“By the gods…” Deimos was awestruck by such a possibility, the mere thought invoking sheer terror and wanderlust in him. “Hmm, ah… no, no. Dusan, return to the labyrinth, stat.”
“Roger that, we’re on our way. Good call too, because some of our crew had kids while we waited, haha. It’s probably best that they don’t grow up isolated in the abyss with us. We’ll keep you posted and transmit our signal until we get back. Dusan, over and out.” The communication ceased, with a beeping icon appearing on the computer screen.
“Well, I’d dare say I’m going to need to restructure the crew then…”
“Gee, you think?” Brenna cut it. “Aye yai yai… You know? If you’re looking for some able bodied men, some of our people would be itching to go on an expedition like that.”
“Really?”
Rose liked the sound of this. “Certainly. The Descendants are dedicated to their tasks. This would also be a great honor, to embark on such a momentous adventure.”
Deimos gave it some thought. He was a little hesitant given how dangerous the Abyssal Unlight could potentially be. “Maybe I should get more people involved… I’ll have to think about it some more though.”
Thora looked incredibly antsy, fidgeting like crazy. “As much as I would love to keep discussing this, how do we get out of here?”
“Ah, right! I imagine you want to get back to your family pronto. These keys will allow you to operate the labyrinth to suit your needs. I trust you all will use them appropriately?” Deimos presented the group with a set of keys that took the form of large, hand-sized crystals. They were each given to Blood-Wraith, Valentina, Rose, and Thora. “And don’t worry, Mrs. Willfort-your son fought valiantly alongside Blood against my other half.”
Normally she would have been more cordial, but Thora was in desperate need to get home. Rose also felt a need to return upon Blood-Wraith telling her more about the things that had happened in her absence. Deimos was invited to return with them to the Iron City, but he wanted to stay in the labyrinth and wait for The Unmariner. Upon exiting the great structure, the group saw a planet in the sky with clouds in the shape of an eye. It was Darkness, so Blood-Wraith waved to him. He winked back at them, which weirded out everyone else.
Over at her truck, Brenna realized there was a bit of a problem. “Okay, slight snafu everyone: I only have so much room. I can drive slowly if anyone wants to try the flatbed…”
“That’s not a problem, dear,” said Valentina. “I can fly back. I need to stretch my wings anyways.” She then expanded her black and red, shadowy appendages.
“And I got Golden Dragon, so…”
“Wait, you have a dragon, Blood?” Rose asked, confused.
Blood-Wraith could have explained, but he felt like showing off and transformed. “And I have six other forms I can make use of!”
“My goodness, how majestic…”
Thora was stunned. “Holy moly, did my boy teach you that?”
“Yes and no…” Blood-Wraith lamented. “He guided me on my alternate forms, but the glory of this form was bequeathed to me by Leif…” He went quiet, with everyone sensing that he still felt bad over his late friend.
“Well I’m sure he’s very proud of you, Blood,” Rose stated. “It would be an honor if you would permit me to ride atop your back.”
“Sure, mom. Hop on and we’ll get going.”
Auda helped Thora into the truck, much to her chagrin. She may have been old, but she was not that old. This made Brenna chuckle. As for Blood-Wraith, It felt a little strange to have the duchess on his back. Rose on the other hand had found it thrilling. She was amazed that such a capable mage had joined her family, and so young to boot. Plus she wanted to speak with him one on one.
“Was it frightening to take on the Lich, Blood?” Rose inquired.
“Yeah… it was not something I expected, looking back on it.”
“You’re a very brave young man, you know that right? The Lich of Old eluded The Descendants for the longest time. And I can certainly sympathize with you as I faced a great challenge of my own during my childhood. Taming the Scarlet Flame was no easy task.” Rose felt the flame grow excited. “Ha, you may even get to see it in action…”
Blood-Wraith could tell something was not right. “Mom? What’s wrong?”
“I can sense that something is going on back in the city.”
“You don’t think it’s Dunja, do you?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out, especially if everyone has returned home.”
The tension was mounting and Blood-Wraith could feel it. “Hold on tight!” He readied himself and accelerated with a mighty wing flap.
Valentina followed suit, confusing Brenna to no end. Did they want to race? Or did they sense something dire? Her heart shot into her throat as she realized that it was most likely the latter. This was validated when Thora told her to punch it. She could sense something was off too. It was a race against the clock to The Iron City and none of them could afford to be late.
Englehart was locked in battle with Dunja. The mighty king’s axes clashed with the former queen’s whip swords in the tower square. Dunja herself was a mighty and muscular woman as tall as Englehart. She had hair that matched the color of lilacs and wore fearsome, yet feminine armor. The two had clashed many times in the past for supremacy, but now it was for honor. Englehart knew the only way to end this conflict was to slay his former queen in battle… or at least, that’s what tradition kept telling him. This was likewise for Dunja.
After a particularly fierce series of strikes, the two backed off to catch their breath. “Still as sharp as ever, I see,” Englehart remarked. His citizens were on edge as they watched.
“That heathen Milosh may have taken my dignity, but he didn’t take my skill.” There was barely any pride in Dunja’s voice, rather great remorse.
The king spat on the ground. “I see you had a falling out with the Proch’s…”
Dunja’s helm was broken, leaving her face exposed. She winced as if gravely embarrassed and collapsed her swords back into their blade forms. This was not what the citizens were expecting. “Having my… HIS plans fail beyond what I could have possibly perceived was a sobering experience… Engle, Valerie was right: Milosh is a slimy, cowardly bastard. I don’t even want to know what filthy hole that outsider crawled out from. I don’t want to do this anymore! I know there’s our fated duel on the horizon, but I recant! EVERYTHING. Do we have to keep fighting like this? I just want things to go back to the way they were…”
This made Englehart’s blood run cold as the onlookers went deathly silent. It was not what they were expecting, but he was not completely surprised. To him, it meant that the Dunja he had fallen in love with so long ago was still there. A tear ran down his cheek. “Dunja… I accept your repentance, but you have to understand that…”
The conversation was interrupted by a screaming, scarlet fireball flying right at them. “SCARLET COMET IMPACT!” Everyone ran for cover as Rose came crashing into the battle.
Dunja was sent flying back. “Argh! What was that!?”
“Oh, you know exactly who…” Rose pointed her sword in the air. “SCARLET STORM!” Fire shot into the air, taking out a swarm of flying shadow constructs that had accompanied Dunja. Valentina assisted by creating a bright, star-like object in her hand that exploded into a shower of meteors, taking out the rest of the constructs.
Englehart was caught off guard by all of this, especially when Blood-Wraith stood over him in his dragon form. He let out a bellowing roar at Dunja that made her cower back. It was made clear that he was not going to let her harm the king. Realizing she was way in over her head, Dunja fled and promised to return (albeit with further remorse in her voice). There was no way she could take on Englehart, a dragon, a dark angel, and Rose at the same time. Of course she could have surrendered, but the pride she had left told her to retreat for the time being.
“ROSE!” Radovan exclaimed as he ran over and hugged her tightly. The crowd cheered in celebration of the Duchess’ return. He then turned to Blood-Wraith (who had returned back to normal) and gave him a hug too. “Blood, my boy! You did it! I can’t thank you enough!”
“MOM!” Dragoslava called out as she also ran to Rose.
Kresimira joined in. “MAMA!” She also called out as they both hugged her.
“Girls! Oh my goodness, it’s been too long!” After getting their hugs out, Rose turned to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to apologize for my absence. I had lost track of time and neglected my duties. It was not for naught, however. Thora Willfort and I found the research of Deimos, The Mage of Old. He has discovered an Unlight beyond the Deep Unlight: The Trench Unlight!” She further elaborated what she and Thora had learned. The fact that Deimos was looking for volunteers for the next leg of his research was also brought up. This piqued everyone’s interests, causing excited muttering amongst the crowd of people.
A little bit later, Blood-Wraith was sitting outside his home on a bench, waiting for his family to finish their business at The Singing Storm Tower. “That was something else,” He remarked.
Vexation had the biggest smile on his face, leaning up against the wall. “Jeez, Blood. I was ready to give you a month and you go and find Rose within a week...”
“Well done, Blood!” Aureolus complimented as he patted him on the back.
Blood-Wraith chuckled. “It’s no big deal. Now not to sound needy, Vex, but are you still going to teach me your magic?”
“Absolutely, Blood. You still have some maturation to do, but you’ve proven that you got the discipline and determination I’m looking for. Let’s just wait until things calm down a bit first, though.”
Blood-Wraith nodded. “Agreed, especially since Dunja is lurking about…”
Next: Chapter 11
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
“Um, seeking out Rose and Thora like I said I would?” Blood-Wraith pointed out.
This took Deimos a second to process. “Oh, oh yeah. So how’s it going so far?”
Rose audibly cleared her throat. “Quite well I’d imagine…”
This caused Deimos to finally get his bearings. “Oh! Okay then. Well, congratulations, Blood.”
“Thanks, uncle… so what is all of this?”
Since so many people had made it to his domain, Deimos was more than happy to elaborate. Prior to becoming The Lich of Old, Deimos had discovered another layer of The Unlight, past The Deep Unlight. When the treacherous landscape he had been exploring gave way to a surreal space beyond his imagination, he knew he had stumbled on something great. The Magician’s Labyrinth was built as a research station and an archive. It sat on the border of this new realm that he dubbed ‘The Trench Unlight.’
Deimos often compared The Unlight to an ocean. The deeper one went, the more bizarre and dangerous things became. While the normal Unlight was risky in its own right, it was still easy and safe to explore. The Deep Unlight was a bit more perilous, as the landscape was unconventional and prone to changing without a moment’s notice. Thankfully with the appropriate knowledge, one could still venture into it without too much trouble. The Trench Unlight was on a whole other level, however.
This layer was like islands in an infinitely expanding sea. These “islands” were tangible realms, but the space in between required technology and/or magic to traverse. It could not be walked through like the standard Unlight could. And even if one could, there were all sorts of dangers lurking in that void. Deimos had realized that he needed a crew of brave mages to map out as much as they could. This led to the creation of the ship known as The Unmariner. Sadly just as the vessel set out, Deimos had lost his mind in a bout of paranoia.
“As if I didn’t already have the guilt of my past actions weighing down on me, I left Captain Dusan and his crew completely in the dark.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over this, Eus… Deimos,” Captain Dusan replied. “We all make mistakes. Hell, some of our mistakes led us to discovering parts of the trench we had no idea even existed in the first place.”
“I must firmly agree with the Captain,” Rose added. “We are not perfect, nor will we ever be perfect. Our only recourse is to respond to the consequences appropriately.”
Valentina was looking through some of the tomes documenting research and discoveries. “Interesting. I figured there was something more complex to this place. Mind if I ask what these notes are in regards to an Abyssal Unlight?”
“That’s what we’ve been waiting on Deimos for,” Captain Dusan answered. “Deimos, we found the border of the Trench. It’s unfathomably deep, but we’re not sure if we should go further or return to the labyrinth and prepare.”
“By the gods…” Deimos was awestruck by such a possibility, the mere thought invoking sheer terror and wanderlust in him. “Hmm, ah… no, no. Dusan, return to the labyrinth, stat.”
“Roger that, we’re on our way. Good call too, because some of our crew had kids while we waited, haha. It’s probably best that they don’t grow up isolated in the abyss with us. We’ll keep you posted and transmit our signal until we get back. Dusan, over and out.” The communication ceased, with a beeping icon appearing on the computer screen.
“Well, I’d dare say I’m going to need to restructure the crew then…”
“Gee, you think?” Brenna cut it. “Aye yai yai… You know? If you’re looking for some able bodied men, some of our people would be itching to go on an expedition like that.”
“Really?”
Rose liked the sound of this. “Certainly. The Descendants are dedicated to their tasks. This would also be a great honor, to embark on such a momentous adventure.”
Deimos gave it some thought. He was a little hesitant given how dangerous the Abyssal Unlight could potentially be. “Maybe I should get more people involved… I’ll have to think about it some more though.”
Thora looked incredibly antsy, fidgeting like crazy. “As much as I would love to keep discussing this, how do we get out of here?”
“Ah, right! I imagine you want to get back to your family pronto. These keys will allow you to operate the labyrinth to suit your needs. I trust you all will use them appropriately?” Deimos presented the group with a set of keys that took the form of large, hand-sized crystals. They were each given to Blood-Wraith, Valentina, Rose, and Thora. “And don’t worry, Mrs. Willfort-your son fought valiantly alongside Blood against my other half.”
Normally she would have been more cordial, but Thora was in desperate need to get home. Rose also felt a need to return upon Blood-Wraith telling her more about the things that had happened in her absence. Deimos was invited to return with them to the Iron City, but he wanted to stay in the labyrinth and wait for The Unmariner. Upon exiting the great structure, the group saw a planet in the sky with clouds in the shape of an eye. It was Darkness, so Blood-Wraith waved to him. He winked back at them, which weirded out everyone else.
Over at her truck, Brenna realized there was a bit of a problem. “Okay, slight snafu everyone: I only have so much room. I can drive slowly if anyone wants to try the flatbed…”
“That’s not a problem, dear,” said Valentina. “I can fly back. I need to stretch my wings anyways.” She then expanded her black and red, shadowy appendages.
“And I got Golden Dragon, so…”
“Wait, you have a dragon, Blood?” Rose asked, confused.
Blood-Wraith could have explained, but he felt like showing off and transformed. “And I have six other forms I can make use of!”
“My goodness, how majestic…”
Thora was stunned. “Holy moly, did my boy teach you that?”
“Yes and no…” Blood-Wraith lamented. “He guided me on my alternate forms, but the glory of this form was bequeathed to me by Leif…” He went quiet, with everyone sensing that he still felt bad over his late friend.
“Well I’m sure he’s very proud of you, Blood,” Rose stated. “It would be an honor if you would permit me to ride atop your back.”
“Sure, mom. Hop on and we’ll get going.”
Auda helped Thora into the truck, much to her chagrin. She may have been old, but she was not that old. This made Brenna chuckle. As for Blood-Wraith, It felt a little strange to have the duchess on his back. Rose on the other hand had found it thrilling. She was amazed that such a capable mage had joined her family, and so young to boot. Plus she wanted to speak with him one on one.
“Was it frightening to take on the Lich, Blood?” Rose inquired.
“Yeah… it was not something I expected, looking back on it.”
“You’re a very brave young man, you know that right? The Lich of Old eluded The Descendants for the longest time. And I can certainly sympathize with you as I faced a great challenge of my own during my childhood. Taming the Scarlet Flame was no easy task.” Rose felt the flame grow excited. “Ha, you may even get to see it in action…”
Blood-Wraith could tell something was not right. “Mom? What’s wrong?”
“I can sense that something is going on back in the city.”
“You don’t think it’s Dunja, do you?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out, especially if everyone has returned home.”
The tension was mounting and Blood-Wraith could feel it. “Hold on tight!” He readied himself and accelerated with a mighty wing flap.
Valentina followed suit, confusing Brenna to no end. Did they want to race? Or did they sense something dire? Her heart shot into her throat as she realized that it was most likely the latter. This was validated when Thora told her to punch it. She could sense something was off too. It was a race against the clock to The Iron City and none of them could afford to be late.
Englehart was locked in battle with Dunja. The mighty king’s axes clashed with the former queen’s whip swords in the tower square. Dunja herself was a mighty and muscular woman as tall as Englehart. She had hair that matched the color of lilacs and wore fearsome, yet feminine armor. The two had clashed many times in the past for supremacy, but now it was for honor. Englehart knew the only way to end this conflict was to slay his former queen in battle… or at least, that’s what tradition kept telling him. This was likewise for Dunja.
After a particularly fierce series of strikes, the two backed off to catch their breath. “Still as sharp as ever, I see,” Englehart remarked. His citizens were on edge as they watched.
“That heathen Milosh may have taken my dignity, but he didn’t take my skill.” There was barely any pride in Dunja’s voice, rather great remorse.
The king spat on the ground. “I see you had a falling out with the Proch’s…”
Dunja’s helm was broken, leaving her face exposed. She winced as if gravely embarrassed and collapsed her swords back into their blade forms. This was not what the citizens were expecting. “Having my… HIS plans fail beyond what I could have possibly perceived was a sobering experience… Engle, Valerie was right: Milosh is a slimy, cowardly bastard. I don’t even want to know what filthy hole that outsider crawled out from. I don’t want to do this anymore! I know there’s our fated duel on the horizon, but I recant! EVERYTHING. Do we have to keep fighting like this? I just want things to go back to the way they were…”
This made Englehart’s blood run cold as the onlookers went deathly silent. It was not what they were expecting, but he was not completely surprised. To him, it meant that the Dunja he had fallen in love with so long ago was still there. A tear ran down his cheek. “Dunja… I accept your repentance, but you have to understand that…”
The conversation was interrupted by a screaming, scarlet fireball flying right at them. “SCARLET COMET IMPACT!” Everyone ran for cover as Rose came crashing into the battle.
Dunja was sent flying back. “Argh! What was that!?”
“Oh, you know exactly who…” Rose pointed her sword in the air. “SCARLET STORM!” Fire shot into the air, taking out a swarm of flying shadow constructs that had accompanied Dunja. Valentina assisted by creating a bright, star-like object in her hand that exploded into a shower of meteors, taking out the rest of the constructs.
Englehart was caught off guard by all of this, especially when Blood-Wraith stood over him in his dragon form. He let out a bellowing roar at Dunja that made her cower back. It was made clear that he was not going to let her harm the king. Realizing she was way in over her head, Dunja fled and promised to return (albeit with further remorse in her voice). There was no way she could take on Englehart, a dragon, a dark angel, and Rose at the same time. Of course she could have surrendered, but the pride she had left told her to retreat for the time being.
“ROSE!” Radovan exclaimed as he ran over and hugged her tightly. The crowd cheered in celebration of the Duchess’ return. He then turned to Blood-Wraith (who had returned back to normal) and gave him a hug too. “Blood, my boy! You did it! I can’t thank you enough!”
“MOM!” Dragoslava called out as she also ran to Rose.
Kresimira joined in. “MAMA!” She also called out as they both hugged her.
“Girls! Oh my goodness, it’s been too long!” After getting their hugs out, Rose turned to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to apologize for my absence. I had lost track of time and neglected my duties. It was not for naught, however. Thora Willfort and I found the research of Deimos, The Mage of Old. He has discovered an Unlight beyond the Deep Unlight: The Trench Unlight!” She further elaborated what she and Thora had learned. The fact that Deimos was looking for volunteers for the next leg of his research was also brought up. This piqued everyone’s interests, causing excited muttering amongst the crowd of people.
A little bit later, Blood-Wraith was sitting outside his home on a bench, waiting for his family to finish their business at The Singing Storm Tower. “That was something else,” He remarked.
Vexation had the biggest smile on his face, leaning up against the wall. “Jeez, Blood. I was ready to give you a month and you go and find Rose within a week...”
“Well done, Blood!” Aureolus complimented as he patted him on the back.
Blood-Wraith chuckled. “It’s no big deal. Now not to sound needy, Vex, but are you still going to teach me your magic?”
“Absolutely, Blood. You still have some maturation to do, but you’ve proven that you got the discipline and determination I’m looking for. Let’s just wait until things calm down a bit first, though.”
Blood-Wraith nodded. “Agreed, especially since Dunja is lurking about…”
Next: Chapter 11
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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