ULTRAMagic Interlude - Chapter 20
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The after-party for the wedding was fantastic. Blood-Wraith felt like he could truly relax for once, with it legitimately feeling like everything was fixing itself. Of course that was not truly the case for him. Milosh was still out there and the ULTRAMagic Guild was just around the corner. These thoughts crossed his mind as he watched everyone else sing, dance, and have fun. It was supposed to be a happy time, but these matters bore down on Blood-Wraith. He had no right to ignore them, or so he felt.
Eventually things came to a close and everyone went home. Blood-Wraith changed out of his formal wear, went downstairs, and sat on the couch to watch some television with a robust documentary on Droomopolis (a city within the realm of chaos). At this point it felt like he needed a month or two to wind down from all that had happened. Ultimatum and the guild would have to be patient and wait. Blood-Wraith was still going to study and practice, he just needed to hold off on the adventures for a bit. To be fair, he was eager to learn the magic Vexation had promised to teach him, which would probably require time to learn.
Before going to bed that night, Blood-Wraith thought he sensed something. Putting down Valentina’s alchemy guide, he got out of bed and went downstairs. Being careful not to wake anyone, he quietly made his way down to the basement. Blood-Wraith flipped on the lights and looked around. Aside from the secret room being opened, everything was in order. Perhaps Aureolus had accidentally left it like that for some reason. As he approached, he heard the rustling of dust and stones. That was never a good sign. Thankfully nobody seemed to be in the backroom… then the lights shut off.
Feeling his blood run cold, Blood-Wraith quickly turned around only to bump into someone. He could not see who it was, but it looked like… a woman in a top hat? “Oh my, and I thought hiding my presence from the dark angel would have sufficed…” she remarked.
“Who are… you…” Blood-Wraith felt his head go light as he inexplicably fell asleep. When he woke up, he found himself in his temple back in The Roaring Mountains. This left him very confused as he rose from his coffin, which was lined with a sleeping bag and pillow.
“Good morning, Blood.”
“Dunja? What’s… what’s going on here? How did I even…?”
“How’d you get here? Honestly, I’m not sure. I sensed what happened last night, and hopped on over here. As for your encounter, I’m pretty sure that was Andelin you ran into.”
Blood-Wraith was handed a plate of simple, on-the-go breakfast. “Oh, thanks. Do I need to worry about her?” He asked as he began eating.
“Probably not. From day one, Andelin has had her own ambitions. Truthfully I'm not sure what she’s up to most of the time. What I can say is that if she’s out this far, it’s probably of her own accord.” Dunja sighed. “All the more reason for me to go and fix my blunders…”
“I see. So, have you seen my temple before?”
Dunja stood up. “Back when it was empty. I came here with Andelin on her recommendation. Now it’s quite impressive… and I think I know why we’re here. Take a look at the walls…”
Blood-Wraith turned around and was greeted by vast murals depicting things he had done thus far. “Incredible…”
“It was quite interesting looking through all of this. I see the Lich was deteriorating as time went on, given how progressively freakish he looks throughout all of this…”
“Yeah, I noticed that after the battle at the Metal Oasis. He just seemed… wrong and dead.”
Dunja shook her head. “Milosh is such a moron. Honestly I don’t think the Lich could have handled all that power. He probably would have imploded in on himself and left us up the creek without a paddle.”
That was a little surreal to hear, truth be told. “Huh… So what would have happened then?”
She shrugged. “No idea. None of us thought that far ahead… It’s possible that I may have gotten fed up with Milosh and executed him right then and there though. He ain’t worth the dirt he stands on…”
“I guess that means there’s a distinct difference between planning and execution?”
She nodded. “Oh absolutely. Some things are easier said than done…”
“Yeah… hey, what about that part?” Blood-Wraith pointed to a section of the mural that depicted Dunja in an alternate series of events.
“Hmm… that’s Desislav, I think… was I going to try and convince him to join me?”
Blood-Wraith inspected it further. “I think that’s what it’s getting at…”
Dunja sighed. “It looks like history would have tried to repeat itself… Jeez. I can’t imagine being that bad though.”
“Perhaps it would have happened had you not come to our side?”
“Yeah, I think so… good lord, Valerie was right from the get go…AGAIN” Dunja exclaimed as she stepped away.
That name intrigued Blood-Wraith. “Who is this Valerie person?”
“Oh boy… Valerie Ter Avest is the one who split Deimos. Not me, not Milosh; Valerie. From what I’ve learned over the years, she was originally part of a guild of mages from the Magician’s Labyrinth. After a disagreement, she was kicked out and went rogue. This happened a long time ago and that guild has long since gone defunct. Andelin kept claiming her mother was a member, but I never believed that. In regards to Milosh, he offered to pay her handsomely… Funnily enough I never saw him render payment to her though. It makes me wonder if she found a way to jinx his plans…”
“Wait, if Valerie warned you about Milosh, why did she go through with splitting Uncle Deimos?”
“Spite, looking back on it. Or at least, I assume she probably wanted to spite her old guild. She also probably had a good feeling our plans would go belly up and… which is why she warned me in the first place… ARGH, I HATE THESE REALIZATIONS!”
Blood-Wraith laughed sympathetically. “Is she still out there?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it. What she’s up to I have no idea though.”
As he thought about that, something crossed Blood-Wraith’s mind. “Dunja? Did you ever… um, execute your enemies?”
She paused, then took a breath. “Nope. I couldn’t bring myself to. Milosh frothed at the mouth and Gratiana judged me, but I never killed anyone… just made them work. Maybe death would have been more merciful, but I couldn’t bring myself to take someone’s life. Blood, this is very important, so listen closely: When you look someone in the eye in their final moments, you see everything. You see them, their soul, their sorrow, their joy, their love, their family, and their spirit. Their fate is your hands, and I chose not to enact violence. I could feel my heart get heavy every time someone was brought before my swords...”
“But what about Milosh? He doesn’t sound like he deserves this kindness.”
“That’s the tricky part, Blood. Some people are that far gone. They revel in stupidity and give themselves to evil… and some are foolish enough to go along with it. I don’t know what an ideal world looks like, but I imagine it’s one where we don’t have to deal with Milosh’s. Until that day comes, all we can do is look that kneeling beggar in the eye and see with our eyes wide open.”
Blood-Wraith looked lost and confused. “I never want to kill and I don’t want people to die… but I’m not sure who’s lost and who’s too far gone…” Blood-Wraith lamented. “I don’t want to lose more Leif’s, but I don’t want Milosh's to threaten our lives.”
Dunja smiled. “Don’t worry, Blood. When the time comes, your heart will have the right answer.”
“But what if I make the wrong choice?”
“Well firstly, don’t beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. What matters is how we respond to them. Don’t forget what we discussed back in the forest.”
Blood-Wraith sighed. “Right. I just… I have a lot going through my head.”
“Well of course you do. You’re just a kid after all. Look, if you make a mistake in the future, come talk to me and we’ll work through it. And I’m sure Englehart will also have some words of wisdom for you.”
“Thank you, Dunja.”
“And hey, don’t forget that you have your mom and dad there for you. Now come, let’s go home. This place is kind of eerie.”
With that, the two returned to The Iron City. Blood-Wraith still could not shake the anxiety, but that talk made him feel better. This was likewise for Dunja. It was cathartic for her to get some of her grief and regrets off her shoulders. She still had a long way to go, but her future was getting brighter and brighter. All she had to do was keep moving forward.
Shadowland was still looming over her, however. She would have to face the kingdom she sullied eventually. Would the Haugen’s, Barna’s friends, Torunn, and the citizenry even accept her repentance? She never slew anyone, but she did damage nonetheless. So many thoughts also ran through her head. Eventually she felt a compulsion that prompted her to look up at the dragon constellation. Nothing happened until… it winked at her? Was she seeing things?
Either way, Dunja felt a wave of positivity and support wash over her. “Thank you, Leif. I needed that…” Dunja replied as she went back inside. He was right: She just needed to face things head on and not look back.
To be concluded…
Next: Shadowland
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
The after-party for the wedding was fantastic. Blood-Wraith felt like he could truly relax for once, with it legitimately feeling like everything was fixing itself. Of course that was not truly the case for him. Milosh was still out there and the ULTRAMagic Guild was just around the corner. These thoughts crossed his mind as he watched everyone else sing, dance, and have fun. It was supposed to be a happy time, but these matters bore down on Blood-Wraith. He had no right to ignore them, or so he felt.
Eventually things came to a close and everyone went home. Blood-Wraith changed out of his formal wear, went downstairs, and sat on the couch to watch some television with a robust documentary on Droomopolis (a city within the realm of chaos). At this point it felt like he needed a month or two to wind down from all that had happened. Ultimatum and the guild would have to be patient and wait. Blood-Wraith was still going to study and practice, he just needed to hold off on the adventures for a bit. To be fair, he was eager to learn the magic Vexation had promised to teach him, which would probably require time to learn.
Before going to bed that night, Blood-Wraith thought he sensed something. Putting down Valentina’s alchemy guide, he got out of bed and went downstairs. Being careful not to wake anyone, he quietly made his way down to the basement. Blood-Wraith flipped on the lights and looked around. Aside from the secret room being opened, everything was in order. Perhaps Aureolus had accidentally left it like that for some reason. As he approached, he heard the rustling of dust and stones. That was never a good sign. Thankfully nobody seemed to be in the backroom… then the lights shut off.
Feeling his blood run cold, Blood-Wraith quickly turned around only to bump into someone. He could not see who it was, but it looked like… a woman in a top hat? “Oh my, and I thought hiding my presence from the dark angel would have sufficed…” she remarked.
“Who are… you…” Blood-Wraith felt his head go light as he inexplicably fell asleep. When he woke up, he found himself in his temple back in The Roaring Mountains. This left him very confused as he rose from his coffin, which was lined with a sleeping bag and pillow.
“Good morning, Blood.”
“Dunja? What’s… what’s going on here? How did I even…?”
“How’d you get here? Honestly, I’m not sure. I sensed what happened last night, and hopped on over here. As for your encounter, I’m pretty sure that was Andelin you ran into.”
Blood-Wraith was handed a plate of simple, on-the-go breakfast. “Oh, thanks. Do I need to worry about her?” He asked as he began eating.
“Probably not. From day one, Andelin has had her own ambitions. Truthfully I'm not sure what she’s up to most of the time. What I can say is that if she’s out this far, it’s probably of her own accord.” Dunja sighed. “All the more reason for me to go and fix my blunders…”
“I see. So, have you seen my temple before?”
Dunja stood up. “Back when it was empty. I came here with Andelin on her recommendation. Now it’s quite impressive… and I think I know why we’re here. Take a look at the walls…”
Blood-Wraith turned around and was greeted by vast murals depicting things he had done thus far. “Incredible…”
“It was quite interesting looking through all of this. I see the Lich was deteriorating as time went on, given how progressively freakish he looks throughout all of this…”
“Yeah, I noticed that after the battle at the Metal Oasis. He just seemed… wrong and dead.”
Dunja shook her head. “Milosh is such a moron. Honestly I don’t think the Lich could have handled all that power. He probably would have imploded in on himself and left us up the creek without a paddle.”
That was a little surreal to hear, truth be told. “Huh… So what would have happened then?”
She shrugged. “No idea. None of us thought that far ahead… It’s possible that I may have gotten fed up with Milosh and executed him right then and there though. He ain’t worth the dirt he stands on…”
“I guess that means there’s a distinct difference between planning and execution?”
She nodded. “Oh absolutely. Some things are easier said than done…”
“Yeah… hey, what about that part?” Blood-Wraith pointed to a section of the mural that depicted Dunja in an alternate series of events.
“Hmm… that’s Desislav, I think… was I going to try and convince him to join me?”
Blood-Wraith inspected it further. “I think that’s what it’s getting at…”
Dunja sighed. “It looks like history would have tried to repeat itself… Jeez. I can’t imagine being that bad though.”
“Perhaps it would have happened had you not come to our side?”
“Yeah, I think so… good lord, Valerie was right from the get go…AGAIN” Dunja exclaimed as she stepped away.
That name intrigued Blood-Wraith. “Who is this Valerie person?”
“Oh boy… Valerie Ter Avest is the one who split Deimos. Not me, not Milosh; Valerie. From what I’ve learned over the years, she was originally part of a guild of mages from the Magician’s Labyrinth. After a disagreement, she was kicked out and went rogue. This happened a long time ago and that guild has long since gone defunct. Andelin kept claiming her mother was a member, but I never believed that. In regards to Milosh, he offered to pay her handsomely… Funnily enough I never saw him render payment to her though. It makes me wonder if she found a way to jinx his plans…”
“Wait, if Valerie warned you about Milosh, why did she go through with splitting Uncle Deimos?”
“Spite, looking back on it. Or at least, I assume she probably wanted to spite her old guild. She also probably had a good feeling our plans would go belly up and… which is why she warned me in the first place… ARGH, I HATE THESE REALIZATIONS!”
Blood-Wraith laughed sympathetically. “Is she still out there?”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it. What she’s up to I have no idea though.”
As he thought about that, something crossed Blood-Wraith’s mind. “Dunja? Did you ever… um, execute your enemies?”
She paused, then took a breath. “Nope. I couldn’t bring myself to. Milosh frothed at the mouth and Gratiana judged me, but I never killed anyone… just made them work. Maybe death would have been more merciful, but I couldn’t bring myself to take someone’s life. Blood, this is very important, so listen closely: When you look someone in the eye in their final moments, you see everything. You see them, their soul, their sorrow, their joy, their love, their family, and their spirit. Their fate is your hands, and I chose not to enact violence. I could feel my heart get heavy every time someone was brought before my swords...”
“But what about Milosh? He doesn’t sound like he deserves this kindness.”
“That’s the tricky part, Blood. Some people are that far gone. They revel in stupidity and give themselves to evil… and some are foolish enough to go along with it. I don’t know what an ideal world looks like, but I imagine it’s one where we don’t have to deal with Milosh’s. Until that day comes, all we can do is look that kneeling beggar in the eye and see with our eyes wide open.”
Blood-Wraith looked lost and confused. “I never want to kill and I don’t want people to die… but I’m not sure who’s lost and who’s too far gone…” Blood-Wraith lamented. “I don’t want to lose more Leif’s, but I don’t want Milosh's to threaten our lives.”
Dunja smiled. “Don’t worry, Blood. When the time comes, your heart will have the right answer.”
“But what if I make the wrong choice?”
“Well firstly, don’t beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. What matters is how we respond to them. Don’t forget what we discussed back in the forest.”
Blood-Wraith sighed. “Right. I just… I have a lot going through my head.”
“Well of course you do. You’re just a kid after all. Look, if you make a mistake in the future, come talk to me and we’ll work through it. And I’m sure Englehart will also have some words of wisdom for you.”
“Thank you, Dunja.”
“And hey, don’t forget that you have your mom and dad there for you. Now come, let’s go home. This place is kind of eerie.”
With that, the two returned to The Iron City. Blood-Wraith still could not shake the anxiety, but that talk made him feel better. This was likewise for Dunja. It was cathartic for her to get some of her grief and regrets off her shoulders. She still had a long way to go, but her future was getting brighter and brighter. All she had to do was keep moving forward.
Shadowland was still looming over her, however. She would have to face the kingdom she sullied eventually. Would the Haugen’s, Barna’s friends, Torunn, and the citizenry even accept her repentance? She never slew anyone, but she did damage nonetheless. So many thoughts also ran through her head. Eventually she felt a compulsion that prompted her to look up at the dragon constellation. Nothing happened until… it winked at her? Was she seeing things?
Either way, Dunja felt a wave of positivity and support wash over her. “Thank you, Leif. I needed that…” Dunja replied as she went back inside. He was right: She just needed to face things head on and not look back.
To be concluded…
Next: Shadowland
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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