ULTRAMagic Prelude - Chapter 14
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Blood-Wraith was wandering around the city when he saw Corentin loading up a cart. It sat before a house that looked abandoned and uncared for. This naturally provoked his curiosity. Prompted to approach, Blood-Wraith waited patiently until Corentin was done. Peering into the house did not yield much insight as it was cleared out at this point. All he could tell was that it looked very nice on the inside. As Corentin returned from his last trip to collect stuff, he noticed who was looking inside.
“Ah, Blood-Wraith! Just the person I wanted to see.”
“What are you up to, Corentin?”
“Blood, would you like your own house?”
He was caught off guard by this. “Wait, pardon? What’s going on here?”
“Two things: First is that this is the abandoned house of a traitor who also scammed my father. Screw that traitor. The next time he comes around and starts harassing me and father, I'm going to have the War Machine chuck him into a supernova-AHEM, pardon the outburst. Secondly, is that my people… our people are coming back soon. The tower is going to become pretty busy, so I figured you should have your own place to conduct your studies in peace.”
“Okay then on the first bit… What’s happening on the second one?”
“I don’t want to worry you, but I asked Kresimira to contact her… Damn it, your father, Duke Radovan Raynot. An enemy of the Descendants has been rearing their ugly heads in our neck of the woods as of late.”
Blood-Wraith was worried. “Oh that’s just great! What’s next? Someone trying to take over The Unlight?!”
“Literally impossible, but Milosh certainly considered it at one point. Things are going to be alright. Uncle Englehart would never let the city fall to anyone. He’ll cleave his way through an entire army if he has to” Corentin assured.
“Who’s Englehart again?”
“He’s our current King, King Englehart Schindewolf. His throne is in The Singing Storm Tower, which is why I am doing all of this.”
“Ah, okay… wait! Does that mean you’re royalty?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“Well I am of royal blood, so yes… technically. I don’t personally consider myself a prince, nor do I meet the requirements to be one. My father technically is though.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Uncle never had an heir… or rather has yet to have a child. My dad has a son-me, however. If anything happens to Uncle, and if dad declines, I’ll inherit the throne at the moment.”
Blood-Wraith was amazed. “Prince Corentin? Your highness!” he said with a bow.
Corentin laughed in embarrassment. “Blood, please… anyways, enough politics for now. Want to check out the house? See if you’re interested?”
While a bit dusty, the house in question was pretty nice. It was three stories tall and felt like two houses merged into one. It had all of the needed amenities with extra rooms to spare. Upstairs had several rooms fit for libraries and laboratories. Past that was the attic, which was quite spacious and accommodated a telescope. The backyard was quite large, even having a swimming pool. All in all it was a fantastic place to live with some cleaning up. Blood-Wraith was apprehensive, however.
“Are you sure I can have all of this though?”
Corentin nodded in assurance. “Of course, especially if you continue your studies. Me, uncle, and Duke Radovan can easily secure this house for you since you’re so young. Plus it’s vacant now.”
Blood-Wraith pondered the idea of moving in. “Okay, but I don’t know about being away from the others… Although this living room is pretty nice, being right next to the front door and close to the stairs…”
“I figured you’d say that, the thing about the others. I can teach you a teleportation spell if you desire. Consider, however, that you are not too far away from the tower. Also The Raynot mansion is right across the plaza.”
“Wait, really?”
Corentin took Blood-Wraith to the window. “Yup, right over there. I imagine Drago will hang out with you over here on the regular.”
“Hmm… I suppose…”
“Hey! What’s all the commotion?” Dragoslava asked as she entered the house.
“Oh hey, sister. Corentin says I can have this house.”
Dragoslava’s gaze darted around, processing what was happening. “Corentin, don’t you need permission for that?”
“Well yes, but I’m sure uncle won’t mind. It’ll also keep Milosh from moving back in.”
“I hated how that worm lived right across from us… This is a pretty nice house, Blood. Went completely to waste under that piece of garbage, Milosh-ugh, just saying his name makes me want to gag…”
While a little off put by that exchange, Blood-Wraith looked around one more time. “I guess I could try this out.”
“Alright then! I’ll go let big sis know so she can write up a letter. After that we’ll get you all moved in” Dragoslava stated.
While all of that happened, Corentin had the Ravagers bring over some furniture that he had secured. Once Dragoslava was back, all of them got to work moving Blood-Wraith in. His sister took the opportunity to explain the various rooms of the house as they got to them. For some reason the idea of the bathroom made him laugh, attributed to him being a kid. The kitchen appealed to Blood-Wraith in particular after being inspired by Desislav’s recent cake-alchemy escapade.
Eventually things were all settled with Blood-Wraith adding the finishing touches here and there. The house had gone from barren to respectable in a single afternoon. There was still work to be done, but the house was livable now. All three of them took a seat in the living room, taking a much needed break. Corentin figured he would quickly get the television and media display all set up, out of courtesy for Blood-Wraith. He knew the boy would enjoy watching the television.
Dragoslava gave Blood-Wraith a quick hug. “You know what Blood? I’m going to start spending time at my place. It’s a bit lonely without mom and dad, but you need the company.”
“Thank you, sister. I have to admit that this is sudden, but also exciting” Blood-Wraith commented.
“I presume Kresimira is also going to add in a seizure on Milosh’s abandoned fortune?” Corentin inquired.
“Most likely,” Dragoslava answered.
Blood-Wraith was curious, if also a little concerned. “What are you talking about? What fortune?”
“We don’t want a traitor reclaiming his funds. If this goes through, you’ll be loaded, Blood.” Dragoslava then turned to Corentin. “Alright, what’s your game?”
“Aside from my grudge? I want Blood-Wraith to be able to come up with his magnum opus unhindered. You know how hectic the tower was before the great hunt.”
“Mm-hmm. He’s got a point, Blood.”
Following that, Dragoslava and Corentin would depart for the time being. Corentin had to dispose of Milosh’s old belongings for obvious reasons. Originally he was going to use dynamite outside of the city out of sheer spite, but he realized there was stuff he could salvage. Dragoslava had gone back to the tower to get some books for Blood-Wraith and his possessions.
Having not much to do for the time being, Blood-Wraith turned on the television. He had been told that it was a source of entertainment and/or education when one was bored. Unfortunately all of the local TV stations were off the air. After a lot of mindless button pressing, he stumbled on a documentary about the Market District. It would suffice as it looked pretty interesting.
A while later, Dragoslava came back with Kresimira, Desislav, and Tusk. Blood-Wraith was engrossed with his documentary, so the others quietly joined him. It eventually ended and Blood-Wraith was greeted by everyone, which caught him by surprise. Since he was certain about moving into his own house, Kresimira wanted to throw him a housewarming party of sorts. It was incredible that Blood-Wraith was so young and already had his own house… potentially. The approval needed to be granted, but it was most likely a sure thing.
“I’m pretty sure papa is going to be eager to get back as soon as possible to meet his new son,” Kresimira pointed out as she ate.
“Absolutely” Dragoslava agreed. “What about mom though? How are we supposed to get a hold of her?”
“I’m… I’m not sure yet.”
Blood-Wraith burped, then wiped his face. “Excuse me. What’s wrong with mom?”
“She went off on an expedition right before the hunt,” Dragoslava began to explain. “Apparently she headed towards the Magician’s Labyrinth. Mom’s last letter was two years ago and she seemed a little fanatical over what she was finding. I want to go find her, but that place is something else. Complete honesty? I’m scared to go there.”
“My girlfriend, Donia, feels the same way,” Tusk replied.
“What is this labyrinth?” Blood-Wraith asked, naturally curious.
Kresimira wiped her face and cleared her throat. “It is an ancient, dangerous place in the Deep Unlight. Widely believed to be a treasure trove of magic, alchemy, and science; many journey there to uncover its secrets. The structure itself is unbelievably big, taking potentially decades to explore in its entirety. I remember hearing about it the day mama departed. And not to throw her under the tram, but she probably found a mage to study under and became engrossed with her studies.”
Dragoslava laughed. “Yeah, Mom is a massive bookworm, Blood. She blows big sis right out of the water.”
“So she’s not in danger, just incredibly distracted?” Desislav concluded.
Dragoslava sighed a little. “Hopefully.”
“I see. Shifting subjects real quickly: since Blood-Wraith is all taken care of, what’s going to happen to Tusk and I once everyone’s back?” Desislav inquired.
“You’re staying with me, obviously,” Dragoslava pointed out.
“Fine, but what about Tusk here?”
“He can stay with me for the time being,” Blood-Wraith answered. “He is my ULTRAMagic teacher after all.”
“Well thank you, Blood-Wraith,” Tusk replied. “Come to think of it, I do need to evaluate your progress…”
Dessert was accompanied by a movie night, courtesy of Kresimira. She went over to the Raynot Mansion and fetched some stuff everyone would like. One movie was an action comedy while the other was an animated fantasy adventure. The former was thoroughly entertaining while the latter gripped Blood-Wraith. The movie was about a young knight who had to fend off a great evil in the form of an unspeakable entity. Seeing it got the gears in his mind turning, fueling his inspiration and imagination. Kresimira knew he would like it and offered to get him the rest of the series afterwards.
Since things were not quite ready for a sleepover yet, everyone except Dragoslava returned to the tower at bed time. This was going to be another interesting night for Blood-Wraith. To make sure he was comfortable, Dragoslava would stay with him until he fell asleep. Blood-Wraith hopped into bed once he was done getting ready and snuggled under his covers. He was very comfortable as his new bed was way better than the bed at the tower. Dragoslava then returned, having visited her home to tidy up her room a bit. She sat herself down at Blood-Wraith’s bedside.
“Sister? How did you get so muscular?”
Dragoslava looked at her arms, realizing she was just in her pants and tanktop. “Oh, haha, that. Dad’s training regiment. He recommended it to me once I said I wanted to be an explorer.”
“Could you tell me more about him?” Blood-Wraith was getting sleepy.
“Sure. He’s the definition of cool, radiating toughness wherever he goes. Nothing can push him over which is to be expected when you’re a duke. It is legitimately intimidating whenever he approaches, even for me. He’s a fantastic dad though. He’ll make time for you, regardless of how many people are shouting in his ears.”
“Whoa, that’s awesome.”
“Yeah. He’s also good friends with the king as the two go way back. When they were kids, Prince Englehart saw a fellow boy getting picked on and stepped in to defend him. Is it any wonder dad became a duke?”
“Ha, makes sense.” Blood-Wraith yawned this time.
Dragoslava smiled. “Alright, looks like you’re about to fall asleep. I’d tell you more, but you’d probably conk out.”
“Stay here until I do?”
“Sure.”
She was right, as he quickly fell asleep after that. Dragoslava chuckled as he curled up in his blankets. She felt a little nervous leaving him alone, but honestly who would come after him? Milosh returning did cross her mind, however. She set aside this worry by casting a spell on the house. Her magic would alert her if someone unknown entered. It took her a bit to fall asleep, being worried for her brother. Fortunately the exhaustion finally put her to sleep too. Both of them slept well and undisturbed that night.
Next: Chapter 15
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Blood-Wraith was wandering around the city when he saw Corentin loading up a cart. It sat before a house that looked abandoned and uncared for. This naturally provoked his curiosity. Prompted to approach, Blood-Wraith waited patiently until Corentin was done. Peering into the house did not yield much insight as it was cleared out at this point. All he could tell was that it looked very nice on the inside. As Corentin returned from his last trip to collect stuff, he noticed who was looking inside.
“Ah, Blood-Wraith! Just the person I wanted to see.”
“What are you up to, Corentin?”
“Blood, would you like your own house?”
He was caught off guard by this. “Wait, pardon? What’s going on here?”
“Two things: First is that this is the abandoned house of a traitor who also scammed my father. Screw that traitor. The next time he comes around and starts harassing me and father, I'm going to have the War Machine chuck him into a supernova-AHEM, pardon the outburst. Secondly, is that my people… our people are coming back soon. The tower is going to become pretty busy, so I figured you should have your own place to conduct your studies in peace.”
“Okay then on the first bit… What’s happening on the second one?”
“I don’t want to worry you, but I asked Kresimira to contact her… Damn it, your father, Duke Radovan Raynot. An enemy of the Descendants has been rearing their ugly heads in our neck of the woods as of late.”
Blood-Wraith was worried. “Oh that’s just great! What’s next? Someone trying to take over The Unlight?!”
“Literally impossible, but Milosh certainly considered it at one point. Things are going to be alright. Uncle Englehart would never let the city fall to anyone. He’ll cleave his way through an entire army if he has to” Corentin assured.
“Who’s Englehart again?”
“He’s our current King, King Englehart Schindewolf. His throne is in The Singing Storm Tower, which is why I am doing all of this.”
“Ah, okay… wait! Does that mean you’re royalty?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“Well I am of royal blood, so yes… technically. I don’t personally consider myself a prince, nor do I meet the requirements to be one. My father technically is though.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Uncle never had an heir… or rather has yet to have a child. My dad has a son-me, however. If anything happens to Uncle, and if dad declines, I’ll inherit the throne at the moment.”
Blood-Wraith was amazed. “Prince Corentin? Your highness!” he said with a bow.
Corentin laughed in embarrassment. “Blood, please… anyways, enough politics for now. Want to check out the house? See if you’re interested?”
While a bit dusty, the house in question was pretty nice. It was three stories tall and felt like two houses merged into one. It had all of the needed amenities with extra rooms to spare. Upstairs had several rooms fit for libraries and laboratories. Past that was the attic, which was quite spacious and accommodated a telescope. The backyard was quite large, even having a swimming pool. All in all it was a fantastic place to live with some cleaning up. Blood-Wraith was apprehensive, however.
“Are you sure I can have all of this though?”
Corentin nodded in assurance. “Of course, especially if you continue your studies. Me, uncle, and Duke Radovan can easily secure this house for you since you’re so young. Plus it’s vacant now.”
Blood-Wraith pondered the idea of moving in. “Okay, but I don’t know about being away from the others… Although this living room is pretty nice, being right next to the front door and close to the stairs…”
“I figured you’d say that, the thing about the others. I can teach you a teleportation spell if you desire. Consider, however, that you are not too far away from the tower. Also The Raynot mansion is right across the plaza.”
“Wait, really?”
Corentin took Blood-Wraith to the window. “Yup, right over there. I imagine Drago will hang out with you over here on the regular.”
“Hmm… I suppose…”
“Hey! What’s all the commotion?” Dragoslava asked as she entered the house.
“Oh hey, sister. Corentin says I can have this house.”
Dragoslava’s gaze darted around, processing what was happening. “Corentin, don’t you need permission for that?”
“Well yes, but I’m sure uncle won’t mind. It’ll also keep Milosh from moving back in.”
“I hated how that worm lived right across from us… This is a pretty nice house, Blood. Went completely to waste under that piece of garbage, Milosh-ugh, just saying his name makes me want to gag…”
While a little off put by that exchange, Blood-Wraith looked around one more time. “I guess I could try this out.”
“Alright then! I’ll go let big sis know so she can write up a letter. After that we’ll get you all moved in” Dragoslava stated.
While all of that happened, Corentin had the Ravagers bring over some furniture that he had secured. Once Dragoslava was back, all of them got to work moving Blood-Wraith in. His sister took the opportunity to explain the various rooms of the house as they got to them. For some reason the idea of the bathroom made him laugh, attributed to him being a kid. The kitchen appealed to Blood-Wraith in particular after being inspired by Desislav’s recent cake-alchemy escapade.
Eventually things were all settled with Blood-Wraith adding the finishing touches here and there. The house had gone from barren to respectable in a single afternoon. There was still work to be done, but the house was livable now. All three of them took a seat in the living room, taking a much needed break. Corentin figured he would quickly get the television and media display all set up, out of courtesy for Blood-Wraith. He knew the boy would enjoy watching the television.
Dragoslava gave Blood-Wraith a quick hug. “You know what Blood? I’m going to start spending time at my place. It’s a bit lonely without mom and dad, but you need the company.”
“Thank you, sister. I have to admit that this is sudden, but also exciting” Blood-Wraith commented.
“I presume Kresimira is also going to add in a seizure on Milosh’s abandoned fortune?” Corentin inquired.
“Most likely,” Dragoslava answered.
Blood-Wraith was curious, if also a little concerned. “What are you talking about? What fortune?”
“We don’t want a traitor reclaiming his funds. If this goes through, you’ll be loaded, Blood.” Dragoslava then turned to Corentin. “Alright, what’s your game?”
“Aside from my grudge? I want Blood-Wraith to be able to come up with his magnum opus unhindered. You know how hectic the tower was before the great hunt.”
“Mm-hmm. He’s got a point, Blood.”
Following that, Dragoslava and Corentin would depart for the time being. Corentin had to dispose of Milosh’s old belongings for obvious reasons. Originally he was going to use dynamite outside of the city out of sheer spite, but he realized there was stuff he could salvage. Dragoslava had gone back to the tower to get some books for Blood-Wraith and his possessions.
Having not much to do for the time being, Blood-Wraith turned on the television. He had been told that it was a source of entertainment and/or education when one was bored. Unfortunately all of the local TV stations were off the air. After a lot of mindless button pressing, he stumbled on a documentary about the Market District. It would suffice as it looked pretty interesting.
A while later, Dragoslava came back with Kresimira, Desislav, and Tusk. Blood-Wraith was engrossed with his documentary, so the others quietly joined him. It eventually ended and Blood-Wraith was greeted by everyone, which caught him by surprise. Since he was certain about moving into his own house, Kresimira wanted to throw him a housewarming party of sorts. It was incredible that Blood-Wraith was so young and already had his own house… potentially. The approval needed to be granted, but it was most likely a sure thing.
“I’m pretty sure papa is going to be eager to get back as soon as possible to meet his new son,” Kresimira pointed out as she ate.
“Absolutely” Dragoslava agreed. “What about mom though? How are we supposed to get a hold of her?”
“I’m… I’m not sure yet.”
Blood-Wraith burped, then wiped his face. “Excuse me. What’s wrong with mom?”
“She went off on an expedition right before the hunt,” Dragoslava began to explain. “Apparently she headed towards the Magician’s Labyrinth. Mom’s last letter was two years ago and she seemed a little fanatical over what she was finding. I want to go find her, but that place is something else. Complete honesty? I’m scared to go there.”
“My girlfriend, Donia, feels the same way,” Tusk replied.
“What is this labyrinth?” Blood-Wraith asked, naturally curious.
Kresimira wiped her face and cleared her throat. “It is an ancient, dangerous place in the Deep Unlight. Widely believed to be a treasure trove of magic, alchemy, and science; many journey there to uncover its secrets. The structure itself is unbelievably big, taking potentially decades to explore in its entirety. I remember hearing about it the day mama departed. And not to throw her under the tram, but she probably found a mage to study under and became engrossed with her studies.”
Dragoslava laughed. “Yeah, Mom is a massive bookworm, Blood. She blows big sis right out of the water.”
“So she’s not in danger, just incredibly distracted?” Desislav concluded.
Dragoslava sighed a little. “Hopefully.”
“I see. Shifting subjects real quickly: since Blood-Wraith is all taken care of, what’s going to happen to Tusk and I once everyone’s back?” Desislav inquired.
“You’re staying with me, obviously,” Dragoslava pointed out.
“Fine, but what about Tusk here?”
“He can stay with me for the time being,” Blood-Wraith answered. “He is my ULTRAMagic teacher after all.”
“Well thank you, Blood-Wraith,” Tusk replied. “Come to think of it, I do need to evaluate your progress…”
Dessert was accompanied by a movie night, courtesy of Kresimira. She went over to the Raynot Mansion and fetched some stuff everyone would like. One movie was an action comedy while the other was an animated fantasy adventure. The former was thoroughly entertaining while the latter gripped Blood-Wraith. The movie was about a young knight who had to fend off a great evil in the form of an unspeakable entity. Seeing it got the gears in his mind turning, fueling his inspiration and imagination. Kresimira knew he would like it and offered to get him the rest of the series afterwards.
Since things were not quite ready for a sleepover yet, everyone except Dragoslava returned to the tower at bed time. This was going to be another interesting night for Blood-Wraith. To make sure he was comfortable, Dragoslava would stay with him until he fell asleep. Blood-Wraith hopped into bed once he was done getting ready and snuggled under his covers. He was very comfortable as his new bed was way better than the bed at the tower. Dragoslava then returned, having visited her home to tidy up her room a bit. She sat herself down at Blood-Wraith’s bedside.
“Sister? How did you get so muscular?”
Dragoslava looked at her arms, realizing she was just in her pants and tanktop. “Oh, haha, that. Dad’s training regiment. He recommended it to me once I said I wanted to be an explorer.”
“Could you tell me more about him?” Blood-Wraith was getting sleepy.
“Sure. He’s the definition of cool, radiating toughness wherever he goes. Nothing can push him over which is to be expected when you’re a duke. It is legitimately intimidating whenever he approaches, even for me. He’s a fantastic dad though. He’ll make time for you, regardless of how many people are shouting in his ears.”
“Whoa, that’s awesome.”
“Yeah. He’s also good friends with the king as the two go way back. When they were kids, Prince Englehart saw a fellow boy getting picked on and stepped in to defend him. Is it any wonder dad became a duke?”
“Ha, makes sense.” Blood-Wraith yawned this time.
Dragoslava smiled. “Alright, looks like you’re about to fall asleep. I’d tell you more, but you’d probably conk out.”
“Stay here until I do?”
“Sure.”
She was right, as he quickly fell asleep after that. Dragoslava chuckled as he curled up in his blankets. She felt a little nervous leaving him alone, but honestly who would come after him? Milosh returning did cross her mind, however. She set aside this worry by casting a spell on the house. Her magic would alert her if someone unknown entered. It took her a bit to fall asleep, being worried for her brother. Fortunately the exhaustion finally put her to sleep too. Both of them slept well and undisturbed that night.
Next: Chapter 15
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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