ULTRAMagic Prelude - Chapter 12.5
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“I don’t think you can get yourself a partner…” Tusk stated. “...Fair enough, but you’re a machine… So you think there could be another primordial for you out there?” His conversation with the War Machine was going in all sorts of weird directions. “Well look, I’m not the one to ask for relationship advice. My forte is Alchemy…”
“Why isn’t it then?” Corentin inquired as he and Kresimira approached.
Tusk groaned. “It just isn’t. Enough said.”
Kresimira hid her grin. She had a rough idea of what was up. “Well no matter then, hehe. We’re ready to go, Tusk.”
“What happened to your dress?”
“This is my dress. I just turned it into hiking attire.”
“Kresimira’s dress is a unique, shapeshifting entity,” Corentin explained. “It is capable of turning into whatever the wearer needs. Drago’s trenchcoat is the sibling to this entity. While not impossible to find, they are quite rare. In case you’re curious, Duke Radovan went out and sought these entities as birthday presents.”
Kresimira chuckled. “Papa always goes overboard when he sets his mind to something.”
The trip over to The Unending Forest felt incredibly surreal for everyone. It was like they were cheating, just walking into it like that. Tusk stopped for a second at the border, then continued onward. The forest was most likely asking him what he was up to. Nothing had changed for Tusk, but the two guests were amazed.
Kresimira was enthralled by the beauty of the woods while Corentin jotted down notes like crazy. Upon passing by a certain batch of trees, the group felt that they were being watched. Tusk was pretty sure he knew who it was and elected to ignore the feeling. This is how things went up until someone leapt from the tree tops.
“UNCLE!” It was Auda, landing perfectly on his shoulders. “YOU’RE. NOT. SUPPOSED. TO. BE. BACK. YET!” She declared as she repeatedly bopped him on the head.
“AUDA, STOP!” Tusk exclaimed as he tried to get his niece off of his back. Kresimira and Corentin could not help but laugh at the spectacle.
“Oh don’t worry, dear,” Kresimira interjected. “We’re just visiting is all”
Auda ceased her bopping and got down. “Okay. Who are you? You seem familiar… and where’s Mr. Fire?”
“I’m Kresimira Raynot. And as for that feeling, I’m Dragoslava’s older sister. Also goodness, you’re so cute.”
“Oh! Nice to meet you, Drago’s sister! And who’s this?”
Corentin stopped taking notes for a moment. “My name is Corentin Marin Schindewolf, rebuilder of The War Machine of Old and Kresimira’s betrothed…”
“Betrothed? Whoa, one step at a time, tiger…” Kresimira muttered.
“War… war machine…of… war machine of…” Auda was confused.
“It’s another primordial, just like the forest” Tusk clarified.
Auda nodded. “Oh, okay… What about Mr. Fire?”
“Blood-Wraith? He’s doing fine,” Kresimira answered. “He’s busy studying Alchemy and knee deep in his books. I presume you wish to see him again sometime soon?” She then noticed something off in the distance.
“Leave the forest? Oh no, I can’t do that yet… Oh, Uncle Tusk? Donia is back.”
Tusk’s face said it all. “Oh jeez…” A trail of crystals was barreling right at him. With a swift thrust of the hand, the crystals stopped in their tracks. Bolts of energy shot from Tusk’s hand, turning the crystals into a flurry of flower petals.
Kresimira applauded. “My my, Tusk. How Beautiful.”
“Come on, Sleepy Bark! You can do better than that!” A female voice called out.
“Donia, please don’t call me that…”
Standing before Tusk was a Tree Person similar to himself, differing from Auda and the rest. Donia had pink hair that resembled petals, tied back in a ponytail. The light that emanated from her body was a light lavender and her bark was the color of oak. Standing slightly shorter than him, she looked full of energy with a warm smile on her face. Notably it seemed like she had just returned from quite the journey.
“So Tusk, my darling, you finally got off your roots and did something!”
“Yes… I didn’t want to, but yes…” Tusk grunted, albeit with a hint of cautious optimism in his voice.
“And you even brought friends along… Wait a second, you made friends? Other than me? Since when?” Donia was baffled.
Auda took this opportunity to step up to the plate. “You see, Donia, there was Mr. Fire and his friends! They came here, and then they went looking around, and then I woke up uncle, and then he gave Mr. Fire some of his soul, and then they all chased off that mean old Lich dummy head!”
Donia stared at Tusk in disbelief. “I leave for one moment and you chase off the Lich? Really?!”
“Well actually it was Desislav…”
“Details details! I’m so proud of you!” She said as she gave him a big hug. “Ahem, hey there, strangers. My name's Donia Albronda. I’m Tusk’s female buddy, gal pal, girlfriend.” Tusk was embarrassed. “Don’t worry, I caught your names when you were talking to Auda.”
Something Kresimira noticed as they walked and talked was that Donia had charred hands. In particular they lacked bark and looked like charcoal. Donia explained that she liked fire-based Alchemy. The crystal-based stuff did not help either. Tree People were actually fairly sensitive to certain elements. Donia did not mind, but she admitted that her mother, Eleanor, routinely got on her case for how reckless she was.
As for Tusk, he never had Donia’s problem. He preferred working with earth and water, which was more natural for Tree People. The only issue he ever had was occasional outbreaks of moss or mushrooms all over his body. And in regards to the nickname Tusk had, this was due to his habit of turning into a tree from time to time. Blood-Wraith’s initial encounter was not unique in the slightest. In fact, one time Donia had put a bird’s nest in Tusk’s branches to mess with him.
At the village, things were busy as they usually were, with the townsfolk going back and forth. The group was greeted by Sigmund, who was out for a walk. “Tusk, my boy! It’s only been a week and you’re back already?”
“I know I know, but I need to pick up some stuff from my lab, for Blood.”
“Ha, I noticed you left a bit unprepared. Also Donia! Good to see you again, lass. How’d the trip to the labyrinth go?”
“Hey, chief. It… It went poorly. I got to the entrance and got cold feet” Donia admitted.
“No worry, Donia. The Magician’s Labyrinth is a truly dangerous place. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt. Perhaps another time in the future? Of course I’d much prefer you avoid such perilous quests…”
Corentin stepped forward and gave a dignified bow. “Chief Sigmund, it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you.”
“Another Schindewolf, aye? Barna spoke highly of you, despite your reputation.”
“Really? Father’s been here? Ha, that would explain some of the craftsmanship I’ve been seeing around the village. I’d recognize his work anywhere.”
Now it was Kresimira’s turn for an introduction. “Hello there, Chief Sigmund. I’m Dragoslava’s sister, Kresimira Raynot.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Raynot. I can certainly sense the family resemblance. You two have very similar auras. Now I presume you are both here to study and observe?”
Kresimira nodded. “Pretty much. Corentin here wanted to go with Tusk and I tagged along to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.” Corentin chuckled. “Plus I wanted to get out of the city for a little bit.”
Sigmund studied Corentin for a second, wanting to get a read on him. “Alright then. I won’t hold you all up any longer. Enjoy your stay in the village and feel free to speak to me if you need any assistance. Best of luck to all of you, Tusk’s lab is a mess, haha.”
The way to the laboratory was close to Tusk’s usual spot, but he and Auda had to show their guests around first. The rest of the Tree People were not too sure what to make of the newcomers. Kresimira seemed nice enough, but Corentin was hard to read. This went doubly so for all of the books he was borrowing. Eventually the group arrived at Tusk’s lab. It was locked up for obvious reasons, however. Tusk approached a bizarre, magical lock and entered a special combination into it. The door began to move, opening with a creaking noise. A dank, musty smell washed over the group as they entered.
Tusk’s alchemy lab was a mess, like Sigmund had warned. Tools were misplaced, papers were strewn about everywhere, and leftover experiments had long since corroded into nothing. There was also mold and moss all over the place. Tusk clapped his hands, causing bolts of energy to erupt from them. The unwanted fungus and plant life vanished as it was all used to repair as much as possible. Definitely quite the transmutation that greatly improved the state of things as a whole. Kresimira was impressed by this and so was Corentin. After a witty remark from Donia, the group got work sifting through the clutter.
“Don’t go randomly rummaging through papers” Tusk cautioned. “I don’t quite remember what I was working on last.”
Kresimira was losing her mind over the mess. So many good note papers were just wasting away. Upon lifting a stack up, she noticed a red stone on one of the desks. “Excuse me, Tusk, but what’s this?”
“Oh, that? It’s just my Philosopher’s Stone. It’s not fit for combat and I barely use it…”
Corentin was impressed by the stone, but appalled by the attitude. “Pardon me, Tusk! You don’t just leave Azoth laying around with careless abandon like that!” The stone then floated upwards and flung itself towards Tusk’s hand.
“Hmm… a basic skill set yet he has a stone,” Kresimira noted.
Donia shook her head in disappointment. “What happened, Sleepy Bark? Did ULTRAMagic and Thora’s disappearance really bum you out that much? I mean jeez, look at this place. You even left your stone just sitting there, completely unused.”
Tusk groaned. “What’s the point if you’ve achieved your magnum opus? And the Lich is gone, so now what?”
“This is your magnum opus?” Corentin asked. “Surely this can’t be it. Don’t get me wrong, a stone is a truly wondrous thing, but every alchemist creates one or something similar.”
“Things get pretty boring when you have the 5th element at your fingertips…”
“Then you’re not thinking hard enough about what you can do. You’re thinking inside the box, Tusk.”
Tusk sighed. “What am I supposed to do then? You can’t reinvent the wheel.”
“Well, as much of a cop out as this is, that’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own. There’d be no point to life if everything was handed to you on a silver platter. My father once told me this: No matter how many times you forge a blade, each one will be unique. A bit unrelated, but the principle stands. Nothing we do is truly the same each time and you need to be able to spot those differences” Corentin pointed out.
“Fine, then what is your next big project?”
Corentin shrugged. “I don’t know. I have yet to be properly inspired.”
“Uncle Tusk? I really like this armor you drew up…” Auda stated, wanting to cheer him up.
Tusk took the paper and went to the back of the lab. He hefted a sliding door open, revealing the armor in question, albeit in an unfinished state. “Good lord, this mess…”
Kresimira put her hand on his shoulder. “Tusk, sweetie? Did you run into issues with this project?”
“Yeah…”
“And I thought you had scrapped this…” Donia stated. “Tusk? Can I take a swing at it?”
“Why?”
“This was our project, wasn’t it? Also I’ve picked up a thing or two during my travels.”
Tusk needed to think about it, so the group resumed cleaning and organizing. The armor was an idea he had to create a sort of bodysuit that could fit anyone and provide adequate protection from just about anything. Obviously this was a hard task to pull off and many things had tripped him up. The mounting issues eventually caused him to give up. Being content with his ULTRAMagic did not help either.
Seeing the project again made him think about it, however. He also considered everything that had happened recently. Maybe he could give it another whirl. After all, he did have access to the Singing Storm Tower and its vast libraries now. Looking at the armor once more, he made up his mind.
“Donia? You can’t work on the armor… because I’m going to work on it again.”
She hugged Tusk. “There you go, Sleepy Bark! Um, can I use the lab regardless? Since you’re not going to be here?”
“Sure, I guess. I don’t see why not…”
“YEAH!” Auda cheered. “Me and Aunt Donia are going to make all sorts of cool stuff!”
“Auda, Donia and I aren’t married yet…” Tusk pointed out.
“Don’t worry, Tusk!” Donia said as she patted him on the back. “I’ll get working on the wedding rings!”
“Hey, no! That’s for me to do!” Tusk complained, then grew embarrassed over what he had just said. Everyone else laughed, with Kresimira finding the whole matter utterly adorable.
Once all of the relevant notes from Tusk’s collection were rounded up, Kresimira used a spell to move the notes, books, and armor to the tower. Corentin also snuck in some of Tusk’s books. Donia and Auda were thoroughly impressed by the magic. With everything ready to go, Tusk bid his niece and girlfriend farewell… Not that that meant much given where the forest and the Iron City were. Donia promised she would swing by the Singing Storm Tower every now and then. As the three returned to the city, they could spot Dragoslava’s biplane coming in for a landing. Tusk was a bit confused as he had never really seen a plane before.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Oh that’s just Drago’s plane. She occasionally uses it to get around. Think of it like a vehicle designed to travel through the air, like Leif does” Kresimira explained.
“It’s pretty impressive for a custom build” Corentin complimented. “She’s got a surprising knack for that kind of stuff.”
“Oh, honey? Why are there Ravagers everywhere today?” Kresimira inquired, a little worried.
Corentin groaned. “The War Machine and I spotted some of Dunja’s nutcases nearby… Or perhaps they were Milosh’s… Either way, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Oh, that’s not good at all. Here’s hoping the others get back from the hunt soon.”
“I’m starting to think the great hunt was just a distraction.”
Tusk felt his blood run cold. “Wait, what do you mean by that? Is the village in danger?”
“No, don’t worry about it,” Corentin answered. “I highly doubt The Forest of Old would allow the cult’s nonsense. Still, maybe I should have the ravagers extend their patrols a little bit…”
“Should we do something about this occurence?” Kresimira asked. “We can easily contact Papa. He’d be back within a heartbeat.” Her concern was growing as she knew the look on Corentin’s face warranted utmost diligence.
Corentin thought for a moment. “Hmm… for now we should focus on the Lich, but contact your father and tell him to be ready to move. If they could come back home, that would be even better.”
“Will do," Kresimira replied.
“What a day…” Corentin remarked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
“I don’t think you can get yourself a partner…” Tusk stated. “...Fair enough, but you’re a machine… So you think there could be another primordial for you out there?” His conversation with the War Machine was going in all sorts of weird directions. “Well look, I’m not the one to ask for relationship advice. My forte is Alchemy…”
“Why isn’t it then?” Corentin inquired as he and Kresimira approached.
Tusk groaned. “It just isn’t. Enough said.”
Kresimira hid her grin. She had a rough idea of what was up. “Well no matter then, hehe. We’re ready to go, Tusk.”
“What happened to your dress?”
“This is my dress. I just turned it into hiking attire.”
“Kresimira’s dress is a unique, shapeshifting entity,” Corentin explained. “It is capable of turning into whatever the wearer needs. Drago’s trenchcoat is the sibling to this entity. While not impossible to find, they are quite rare. In case you’re curious, Duke Radovan went out and sought these entities as birthday presents.”
Kresimira chuckled. “Papa always goes overboard when he sets his mind to something.”
The trip over to The Unending Forest felt incredibly surreal for everyone. It was like they were cheating, just walking into it like that. Tusk stopped for a second at the border, then continued onward. The forest was most likely asking him what he was up to. Nothing had changed for Tusk, but the two guests were amazed.
Kresimira was enthralled by the beauty of the woods while Corentin jotted down notes like crazy. Upon passing by a certain batch of trees, the group felt that they were being watched. Tusk was pretty sure he knew who it was and elected to ignore the feeling. This is how things went up until someone leapt from the tree tops.
“UNCLE!” It was Auda, landing perfectly on his shoulders. “YOU’RE. NOT. SUPPOSED. TO. BE. BACK. YET!” She declared as she repeatedly bopped him on the head.
“AUDA, STOP!” Tusk exclaimed as he tried to get his niece off of his back. Kresimira and Corentin could not help but laugh at the spectacle.
“Oh don’t worry, dear,” Kresimira interjected. “We’re just visiting is all”
Auda ceased her bopping and got down. “Okay. Who are you? You seem familiar… and where’s Mr. Fire?”
“I’m Kresimira Raynot. And as for that feeling, I’m Dragoslava’s older sister. Also goodness, you’re so cute.”
“Oh! Nice to meet you, Drago’s sister! And who’s this?”
Corentin stopped taking notes for a moment. “My name is Corentin Marin Schindewolf, rebuilder of The War Machine of Old and Kresimira’s betrothed…”
“Betrothed? Whoa, one step at a time, tiger…” Kresimira muttered.
“War… war machine…of… war machine of…” Auda was confused.
“It’s another primordial, just like the forest” Tusk clarified.
Auda nodded. “Oh, okay… What about Mr. Fire?”
“Blood-Wraith? He’s doing fine,” Kresimira answered. “He’s busy studying Alchemy and knee deep in his books. I presume you wish to see him again sometime soon?” She then noticed something off in the distance.
“Leave the forest? Oh no, I can’t do that yet… Oh, Uncle Tusk? Donia is back.”
Tusk’s face said it all. “Oh jeez…” A trail of crystals was barreling right at him. With a swift thrust of the hand, the crystals stopped in their tracks. Bolts of energy shot from Tusk’s hand, turning the crystals into a flurry of flower petals.
Kresimira applauded. “My my, Tusk. How Beautiful.”
“Come on, Sleepy Bark! You can do better than that!” A female voice called out.
“Donia, please don’t call me that…”
Standing before Tusk was a Tree Person similar to himself, differing from Auda and the rest. Donia had pink hair that resembled petals, tied back in a ponytail. The light that emanated from her body was a light lavender and her bark was the color of oak. Standing slightly shorter than him, she looked full of energy with a warm smile on her face. Notably it seemed like she had just returned from quite the journey.
“So Tusk, my darling, you finally got off your roots and did something!”
“Yes… I didn’t want to, but yes…” Tusk grunted, albeit with a hint of cautious optimism in his voice.
“And you even brought friends along… Wait a second, you made friends? Other than me? Since when?” Donia was baffled.
Auda took this opportunity to step up to the plate. “You see, Donia, there was Mr. Fire and his friends! They came here, and then they went looking around, and then I woke up uncle, and then he gave Mr. Fire some of his soul, and then they all chased off that mean old Lich dummy head!”
Donia stared at Tusk in disbelief. “I leave for one moment and you chase off the Lich? Really?!”
“Well actually it was Desislav…”
“Details details! I’m so proud of you!” She said as she gave him a big hug. “Ahem, hey there, strangers. My name's Donia Albronda. I’m Tusk’s female buddy, gal pal, girlfriend.” Tusk was embarrassed. “Don’t worry, I caught your names when you were talking to Auda.”
Something Kresimira noticed as they walked and talked was that Donia had charred hands. In particular they lacked bark and looked like charcoal. Donia explained that she liked fire-based Alchemy. The crystal-based stuff did not help either. Tree People were actually fairly sensitive to certain elements. Donia did not mind, but she admitted that her mother, Eleanor, routinely got on her case for how reckless she was.
As for Tusk, he never had Donia’s problem. He preferred working with earth and water, which was more natural for Tree People. The only issue he ever had was occasional outbreaks of moss or mushrooms all over his body. And in regards to the nickname Tusk had, this was due to his habit of turning into a tree from time to time. Blood-Wraith’s initial encounter was not unique in the slightest. In fact, one time Donia had put a bird’s nest in Tusk’s branches to mess with him.
At the village, things were busy as they usually were, with the townsfolk going back and forth. The group was greeted by Sigmund, who was out for a walk. “Tusk, my boy! It’s only been a week and you’re back already?”
“I know I know, but I need to pick up some stuff from my lab, for Blood.”
“Ha, I noticed you left a bit unprepared. Also Donia! Good to see you again, lass. How’d the trip to the labyrinth go?”
“Hey, chief. It… It went poorly. I got to the entrance and got cold feet” Donia admitted.
“No worry, Donia. The Magician’s Labyrinth is a truly dangerous place. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt. Perhaps another time in the future? Of course I’d much prefer you avoid such perilous quests…”
Corentin stepped forward and gave a dignified bow. “Chief Sigmund, it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you.”
“Another Schindewolf, aye? Barna spoke highly of you, despite your reputation.”
“Really? Father’s been here? Ha, that would explain some of the craftsmanship I’ve been seeing around the village. I’d recognize his work anywhere.”
Now it was Kresimira’s turn for an introduction. “Hello there, Chief Sigmund. I’m Dragoslava’s sister, Kresimira Raynot.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Raynot. I can certainly sense the family resemblance. You two have very similar auras. Now I presume you are both here to study and observe?”
Kresimira nodded. “Pretty much. Corentin here wanted to go with Tusk and I tagged along to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.” Corentin chuckled. “Plus I wanted to get out of the city for a little bit.”
Sigmund studied Corentin for a second, wanting to get a read on him. “Alright then. I won’t hold you all up any longer. Enjoy your stay in the village and feel free to speak to me if you need any assistance. Best of luck to all of you, Tusk’s lab is a mess, haha.”
The way to the laboratory was close to Tusk’s usual spot, but he and Auda had to show their guests around first. The rest of the Tree People were not too sure what to make of the newcomers. Kresimira seemed nice enough, but Corentin was hard to read. This went doubly so for all of the books he was borrowing. Eventually the group arrived at Tusk’s lab. It was locked up for obvious reasons, however. Tusk approached a bizarre, magical lock and entered a special combination into it. The door began to move, opening with a creaking noise. A dank, musty smell washed over the group as they entered.
Tusk’s alchemy lab was a mess, like Sigmund had warned. Tools were misplaced, papers were strewn about everywhere, and leftover experiments had long since corroded into nothing. There was also mold and moss all over the place. Tusk clapped his hands, causing bolts of energy to erupt from them. The unwanted fungus and plant life vanished as it was all used to repair as much as possible. Definitely quite the transmutation that greatly improved the state of things as a whole. Kresimira was impressed by this and so was Corentin. After a witty remark from Donia, the group got work sifting through the clutter.
“Don’t go randomly rummaging through papers” Tusk cautioned. “I don’t quite remember what I was working on last.”
Kresimira was losing her mind over the mess. So many good note papers were just wasting away. Upon lifting a stack up, she noticed a red stone on one of the desks. “Excuse me, Tusk, but what’s this?”
“Oh, that? It’s just my Philosopher’s Stone. It’s not fit for combat and I barely use it…”
Corentin was impressed by the stone, but appalled by the attitude. “Pardon me, Tusk! You don’t just leave Azoth laying around with careless abandon like that!” The stone then floated upwards and flung itself towards Tusk’s hand.
“Hmm… a basic skill set yet he has a stone,” Kresimira noted.
Donia shook her head in disappointment. “What happened, Sleepy Bark? Did ULTRAMagic and Thora’s disappearance really bum you out that much? I mean jeez, look at this place. You even left your stone just sitting there, completely unused.”
Tusk groaned. “What’s the point if you’ve achieved your magnum opus? And the Lich is gone, so now what?”
“This is your magnum opus?” Corentin asked. “Surely this can’t be it. Don’t get me wrong, a stone is a truly wondrous thing, but every alchemist creates one or something similar.”
“Things get pretty boring when you have the 5th element at your fingertips…”
“Then you’re not thinking hard enough about what you can do. You’re thinking inside the box, Tusk.”
Tusk sighed. “What am I supposed to do then? You can’t reinvent the wheel.”
“Well, as much of a cop out as this is, that’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own. There’d be no point to life if everything was handed to you on a silver platter. My father once told me this: No matter how many times you forge a blade, each one will be unique. A bit unrelated, but the principle stands. Nothing we do is truly the same each time and you need to be able to spot those differences” Corentin pointed out.
“Fine, then what is your next big project?”
Corentin shrugged. “I don’t know. I have yet to be properly inspired.”
“Uncle Tusk? I really like this armor you drew up…” Auda stated, wanting to cheer him up.
Tusk took the paper and went to the back of the lab. He hefted a sliding door open, revealing the armor in question, albeit in an unfinished state. “Good lord, this mess…”
Kresimira put her hand on his shoulder. “Tusk, sweetie? Did you run into issues with this project?”
“Yeah…”
“And I thought you had scrapped this…” Donia stated. “Tusk? Can I take a swing at it?”
“Why?”
“This was our project, wasn’t it? Also I’ve picked up a thing or two during my travels.”
Tusk needed to think about it, so the group resumed cleaning and organizing. The armor was an idea he had to create a sort of bodysuit that could fit anyone and provide adequate protection from just about anything. Obviously this was a hard task to pull off and many things had tripped him up. The mounting issues eventually caused him to give up. Being content with his ULTRAMagic did not help either.
Seeing the project again made him think about it, however. He also considered everything that had happened recently. Maybe he could give it another whirl. After all, he did have access to the Singing Storm Tower and its vast libraries now. Looking at the armor once more, he made up his mind.
“Donia? You can’t work on the armor… because I’m going to work on it again.”
She hugged Tusk. “There you go, Sleepy Bark! Um, can I use the lab regardless? Since you’re not going to be here?”
“Sure, I guess. I don’t see why not…”
“YEAH!” Auda cheered. “Me and Aunt Donia are going to make all sorts of cool stuff!”
“Auda, Donia and I aren’t married yet…” Tusk pointed out.
“Don’t worry, Tusk!” Donia said as she patted him on the back. “I’ll get working on the wedding rings!”
“Hey, no! That’s for me to do!” Tusk complained, then grew embarrassed over what he had just said. Everyone else laughed, with Kresimira finding the whole matter utterly adorable.
Once all of the relevant notes from Tusk’s collection were rounded up, Kresimira used a spell to move the notes, books, and armor to the tower. Corentin also snuck in some of Tusk’s books. Donia and Auda were thoroughly impressed by the magic. With everything ready to go, Tusk bid his niece and girlfriend farewell… Not that that meant much given where the forest and the Iron City were. Donia promised she would swing by the Singing Storm Tower every now and then. As the three returned to the city, they could spot Dragoslava’s biplane coming in for a landing. Tusk was a bit confused as he had never really seen a plane before.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Oh that’s just Drago’s plane. She occasionally uses it to get around. Think of it like a vehicle designed to travel through the air, like Leif does” Kresimira explained.
“It’s pretty impressive for a custom build” Corentin complimented. “She’s got a surprising knack for that kind of stuff.”
“Oh, honey? Why are there Ravagers everywhere today?” Kresimira inquired, a little worried.
Corentin groaned. “The War Machine and I spotted some of Dunja’s nutcases nearby… Or perhaps they were Milosh’s… Either way, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Oh, that’s not good at all. Here’s hoping the others get back from the hunt soon.”
“I’m starting to think the great hunt was just a distraction.”
Tusk felt his blood run cold. “Wait, what do you mean by that? Is the village in danger?”
“No, don’t worry about it,” Corentin answered. “I highly doubt The Forest of Old would allow the cult’s nonsense. Still, maybe I should have the ravagers extend their patrols a little bit…”
“Should we do something about this occurence?” Kresimira asked. “We can easily contact Papa. He’d be back within a heartbeat.” Her concern was growing as she knew the look on Corentin’s face warranted utmost diligence.
Corentin thought for a moment. “Hmm… for now we should focus on the Lich, but contact your father and tell him to be ready to move. If they could come back home, that would be even better.”
“Will do," Kresimira replied.
“What a day…” Corentin remarked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Next: Chapter 13
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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