ULTRAMagic Prelude - Chapter 18
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Tusk groaned as he drummed his fingers on his desk, unsure what to say next. “...The issue here is that I’m borderline clueless when it comes to aberrant magic, Blood. Out of all the people I’ve met in the Unending Forest, my dad is the only one with a confirmed aberrant ability. I mean I suppose I should’ve gotten off my roots and asked around a bit…”
“Okay, let’s start at square one then: What’s aberrant magic?”
Tusk began writing and drawing a diagram on the chalkboard. “From what I understand, there are seven types of magic with a rumored eighth type. It all starts with the two we know, alchemy and necromancy. Next comes soul and aura, both drawing from alchemy… Side note, soul is just quick and dirty alchemy, hehe.” Blood-Wraith gave him an slightly incredulous look. “Okay, it’s not actually that bad, but still. The last two are void and weave, both drawing upon necromancy. These two are fairly uncommon. Finally we have aberrant magic. Some say it’s unofficial, I’d argue that’s a case-by-case kind of situation. Aberrant is any form of magic that doesn’t traditionally fit into the other categories.”
“What about the eighth type?”
“We don’t talk about it. No one really knows what it is at the moment, so there’s nothing to discuss outside of speculation. I have a few theories, but they’re neither here nor there.”
Blood-Wraith noted this, feeling it would be important in the future. “Alright then… So basically I have magic unique to me then?”
Tusk nodded. “Yup.”
“Intriguing…” Blood-Wraith thought about it for a second, looking out the window to The Singing Storm Tower. “My alternate forms seem to correlate with the fragments I collect…” He turned back to his teacher. “Do you think it’s just something I can do? And if so, how?”
“Hmm… My gut feeling says yes. As for how? Well you are a physically manifested soul, which means you’re not bound by biological limitations. The vast majority of higher dimensional entities change their form all the time, so it makes sense that you would have your own take on that.”
Blood-Wraith looked at himself. “I see… You know what, Tusk? You may doubt yourself, but I think you’re doing a great job as a teacher.”
“Hehe, thanks. I still need to improve though. Oh! I just remembered something I wanted to bring up: "Have you noticed that your sister has been doing more than just alchemy?”
“Necromancy?”
“Well yes, but also soul and aura…”
That caught Blood-Wraith’s attention. “What do you mean, Tusk?”
“She’s showing some very familiar traits to you and me…”
“You think my sister has ULTRAMagic?”
“YES. Is it alright if we go see her so I can take a look at her soul?” Tusk asked.
Blood-Wraith got up and tucked his chair in. “Sure. Now you’ve got me curious.”
Dragoslava was in the backyard of her family’s mansion. It was incredibly big, but also severely overgrown. Some of the trees that darted the land had also died. There was a desperate need for some renovation. Not looking forward to the work, she bounced her goo ball off the mansion wall repeatedly. The idea of using her metal body to cut the grass was an idea, but she was not sure how it would be done and it sounded incredibly inefficient. Plus her metal form tired her out quickly when performing strenuous activity.
“Hey, sister!”
“Blood… you wouldn’t happen to have a bovid form that’s starving to death, would you?”
He looked at the tall grass. “Nope. Also I think that that much grass would give me a stomachache.”
“Rats. So what’s up?”
“Can Tusk look at your soul?”
Dragoslava tilted her head a little. “Sure… what for though?”
Tusk was already on it. What he saw was a ball of fire being orbited by seven smaller flames of the same color. “Mother of God, Dragoslava, you have natural ULTRAMagic.”
“What’s that?”
“Yup, figured I’d get that response… Some people are blessed with unlimited potential to learn magic at birth. It’s an incredibly rare trait that I’ve only read about. Such mages are out there, but again, they’re few and far between” Tusk elaborated.
“Huh…” Dragoslava looked at her hand, as if inspecting herself. “Neat.”
Blood-Wraith was a little surprised by this reaction. “Sister, that’s it? I mean, it’s quite the trait after all.”
“Mother always said I had great potential, so I assume that’s what she was talking about.” She then bounced the ball again.
Tusk chuckled. “We can’t fault her if it’s been normal for all of her life. Speaking of that ball; have you figured out what it is yet?”
“Yeah, kind of…” Dragoslava turned the goo into a yoyo and began doing some tricks with it. “I guess it’s a piece of the Lich that was torn off as a last resort? Maybe? It’s alive, which is why I was hesitant to tear myself out of it. I could sense that it had feelings. Kind of annoying when it’s suffocating you, but it did apologize for that last night.”
“Wow. And you’re sure it’s not going to attack you in the middle of the night?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“Pretty sure it would have done that already if it was going to do so.”
Since she had their attention, Dragoslava decided to take Blood-Wraith and Tusk on a tour of the mansion. It lacked fanciness, but made up for it with craftsmanship and coziness. Duke Radovan was never one for the typical mannerisms of the ‘upper class.’ Dragoslava’s room was interesting as it was essentially a time capsule of her childhood. It had not changed much since then due to the great hunt. Her toys and stuffed animals were still present, as she never had a desire to get rid of them. Naturally Blood-Wraith had to fiddle around with the action figures. She was glad he was interested in them as it was about high time she renovated her room.
Moving on from that, up next was her parent’s room. It was a grand, master bedroom. Paintings of various sizes were all over the walls. Tables with relics and instruments also lined the room. On one side was their bed and on the wall opposite was a large painting of the duke and duchess. Radovan looked proud and stoic while Rose was as beautiful as the flower itself. Blood-Wraith and Tusk were in awe over this majestic work of art.
“Okay boys, enough” Dragoslava said as she snapped her fingers in their faces. “It’s not that big of a deal. And yes, Blood; Those are your parents.”
Something caught Tusk’s eyes at the left wall. “Is that a Philosopher’s Stone?”
“Yes. It used to belong to my Grandpa Stanislav up until he just left it with dad for safe keeping. He disappeared right before the great hunt.”
“I hope I get to meet mom and dad soon” Blood-Wraith said as he looked at the painting again.
“You will. Sis sent out another letter after I told her about what the Lich had revealed. Apparently it also confirmed a theory Corentin had.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
Dragoslava cleared her throat, a little worried about how the two were going to react. “The theory goes that The Beast of Old was a diversion and that Milosh struck a deal with the Lich. He would help the Lich gather the information he needed and in turn he would help him take The Iron City while we were away… Assuming we did not find out about it ahead of time, HA!”
“I KNEW IT! THE FOREST IS IN DANGER!” Tusk panicked… and began hyperventilating.
“No! Easy Tusk, easy. Corentin said the fact that we are relaying what we know to the others has foiled Milosh’s plans” Dragoslava reassured.
After a few calming breaths, Tusk relaxed. “Are you absolutely sure of that?”
“Yes. Trust me, King Englehart is going to wallop that traitor if he ever sees him again.”
Back at the tower, Kresimira was in the throne room contemplating everything that had occurred. She was not expecting the revelation that it was the machinations of the Lich and Milosh who had frightened the Beast. It was such a bizarre turn of events. Why was the Lich meddling with the Descendants when he knew they could easily stop him? Was Corentin’s theory correct? So many thoughts were racing through her head at the moment. The fact that her friends and family had nearly died the day prior did not help either. In fact, this was making her incredibly angry. As she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, a tap on the shoulder startled her.
“Kresimira?”
“Oh, Corentin…” She hugged him.
“I take it that something is bothering you?”
Kresimira sighed. “Yes, sadly. Can you really blame me though? I had no idea the cult would be this brazen.”
“An unsettling turn of events indeed. Father had this suspicion for as long as I can remember. A premonition had him in a cold sweat. That's why he asked me to stay behind.”
“Really?”
“Most certainly. Plus I was knee deep in my endeavor to recreate the War Machine. I got to protect the city and finish my magnum opus.”
Kresimira turned to face the spot where Dunja’s throne once sat. “I feel bad for Blood-Wraith and the others. They shouldn’t have to deal with our conflicts.”
“Well I’d dare say Blood-Wraith would have gotten involved regardless if we had discovered him or not, considering his recent resolve against the Lich.”
“True, true…”
“Speaking of this whole hullabaloo, dear, isn't it interesting how we both remained here to look after the city?”
Kresimira pondered this. “I do suppose…”
“That despite our conflicts and strife, fate kept us close together, like a bird flying south for the winter?”
“Sweetie, poetry is my thing.”
Corentin laughed. “I know. My love? I would like to truly apologize for my recklessness over the years…” He was hiding something behind his back.
“Honey?”
“I was so swept up in progress and experimentation that I gained tunnel vision. I failed to realize that everyone was worrying about me. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be here today had I not gone down the path I went down. A double edged sword if you will…”
“What are you doing?”
“And on top of that I failed to recognize your feelings. I failed to heed your warnings. Fortunately with time we improve and I have made a great effort in doing so.” Corentin revealed the box from behind his back and presented it. “Kresimira Annabelle Raynot, Daughter of Radovan and Rose; Will you marry me?” Opening the box revealed a metal and crystal rose, greater than his previous gift. The metal was of the finest quality and delicately cradled the glass-like, crystal petals. They also gleamed with every color of the rainbow.
Kresimira gasped, overwhelmed with emotion. She took the box and calmly set it down. She then hugged Corentin tightly and swung him around. “YES! YES I WILL” She exclaimed in overwhelming joy. “BUT! We do it once everyone is back. Don’t worry, I will literally go to the Magician’s Labyrinth and drag mom back home if I have to.”
“Haha, sure, fine with me!” The two kissed. “Now pops can stop being disappointed with me!” Corentin joked.
“Oh, you silly goose! Now let’s go tell the others!”
The two got to work rounding up everyone, bringing them outside the Raynot mansion. Desislav had been outside the throne room and heard the whole thing, but he still met up with the others regardless. Blood-Wraith, Dragoslava, and Tusk were already there. The last two were Leif and the War Machine. The former was back from his journey to visit his brothers while the latter had just finished a patrol. With everyone present, Kresimira stepped forward to speak.
“Everyone? I have an important announcement to make: Corentin and I are now engaged!”
It took everyone a second to register. Once they did, everyone who could clap did so. “Congratulations, you two!” Blood-Wraith cheered. This was followed by subsequent congratulations from the others.
“Aw geez, guess Corentin is going to be my brother-in-law now” Dragoslava noted. “Hey Desislav! When are we getting married?” She asked, knowing full well what she was doing.
Desislav naturally turned bright red. “Oh, well…um…uh…” This made everyone laugh.
“Take your time, you two,” Leif replied. “You don’t want to rush these things. As for our newlyweds-to-be, I am so happy for you. I know what’s about to happen, but damn it! I’ll show up to the wedding even as a disembodied ghost if I have to!”
“Thank you, Leif,” said Kresimira. “Even if you can’t, we know you’ll be there in spirit” she reassured him.
“Fa-ther? Do I… have a… mother now?” The War Machine asked, startling everyone.
“War Machine, you can speak now!” Corentin was pleasantly surprised by this. “Huh, interesting… Ahem, well yes, of course you do.”
Kresimira looked at Corentin. “He… views us as parents?”
“An outcome I could not avoid…”
“Then so be it. War Machine of Old? I hereby bestow you the name of Maximus Augustus Raynot!
Maximus bowed. “Thank you, mo-ther.”
“Wait, but I created him,” Corentin pointed out with a chuckle. “Shouldn’t he have my surname?”
Kresimira took Corentin by surprise and gave him a playful noogie on the head. “You little stinker! Now we definitely need to get married. We got a child to take care of!” This prompted another round of laughter.
“Gosh, all of you are the best,” Blood-Wraith stated proudly. “I love you all.”
“We love you too, Blood,” Dragoslava replied, giving him a big hug.
Next: Chapter 19
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Tusk groaned as he drummed his fingers on his desk, unsure what to say next. “...The issue here is that I’m borderline clueless when it comes to aberrant magic, Blood. Out of all the people I’ve met in the Unending Forest, my dad is the only one with a confirmed aberrant ability. I mean I suppose I should’ve gotten off my roots and asked around a bit…”
“Okay, let’s start at square one then: What’s aberrant magic?”
Tusk began writing and drawing a diagram on the chalkboard. “From what I understand, there are seven types of magic with a rumored eighth type. It all starts with the two we know, alchemy and necromancy. Next comes soul and aura, both drawing from alchemy… Side note, soul is just quick and dirty alchemy, hehe.” Blood-Wraith gave him an slightly incredulous look. “Okay, it’s not actually that bad, but still. The last two are void and weave, both drawing upon necromancy. These two are fairly uncommon. Finally we have aberrant magic. Some say it’s unofficial, I’d argue that’s a case-by-case kind of situation. Aberrant is any form of magic that doesn’t traditionally fit into the other categories.”
“What about the eighth type?”
“We don’t talk about it. No one really knows what it is at the moment, so there’s nothing to discuss outside of speculation. I have a few theories, but they’re neither here nor there.”
Blood-Wraith noted this, feeling it would be important in the future. “Alright then… So basically I have magic unique to me then?”
Tusk nodded. “Yup.”
“Intriguing…” Blood-Wraith thought about it for a second, looking out the window to The Singing Storm Tower. “My alternate forms seem to correlate with the fragments I collect…” He turned back to his teacher. “Do you think it’s just something I can do? And if so, how?”
“Hmm… My gut feeling says yes. As for how? Well you are a physically manifested soul, which means you’re not bound by biological limitations. The vast majority of higher dimensional entities change their form all the time, so it makes sense that you would have your own take on that.”
Blood-Wraith looked at himself. “I see… You know what, Tusk? You may doubt yourself, but I think you’re doing a great job as a teacher.”
“Hehe, thanks. I still need to improve though. Oh! I just remembered something I wanted to bring up: "Have you noticed that your sister has been doing more than just alchemy?”
“Necromancy?”
“Well yes, but also soul and aura…”
That caught Blood-Wraith’s attention. “What do you mean, Tusk?”
“She’s showing some very familiar traits to you and me…”
“You think my sister has ULTRAMagic?”
“YES. Is it alright if we go see her so I can take a look at her soul?” Tusk asked.
Blood-Wraith got up and tucked his chair in. “Sure. Now you’ve got me curious.”
Dragoslava was in the backyard of her family’s mansion. It was incredibly big, but also severely overgrown. Some of the trees that darted the land had also died. There was a desperate need for some renovation. Not looking forward to the work, she bounced her goo ball off the mansion wall repeatedly. The idea of using her metal body to cut the grass was an idea, but she was not sure how it would be done and it sounded incredibly inefficient. Plus her metal form tired her out quickly when performing strenuous activity.
“Hey, sister!”
“Blood… you wouldn’t happen to have a bovid form that’s starving to death, would you?”
He looked at the tall grass. “Nope. Also I think that that much grass would give me a stomachache.”
“Rats. So what’s up?”
“Can Tusk look at your soul?”
Dragoslava tilted her head a little. “Sure… what for though?”
Tusk was already on it. What he saw was a ball of fire being orbited by seven smaller flames of the same color. “Mother of God, Dragoslava, you have natural ULTRAMagic.”
“What’s that?”
“Yup, figured I’d get that response… Some people are blessed with unlimited potential to learn magic at birth. It’s an incredibly rare trait that I’ve only read about. Such mages are out there, but again, they’re few and far between” Tusk elaborated.
“Huh…” Dragoslava looked at her hand, as if inspecting herself. “Neat.”
Blood-Wraith was a little surprised by this reaction. “Sister, that’s it? I mean, it’s quite the trait after all.”
“Mother always said I had great potential, so I assume that’s what she was talking about.” She then bounced the ball again.
Tusk chuckled. “We can’t fault her if it’s been normal for all of her life. Speaking of that ball; have you figured out what it is yet?”
“Yeah, kind of…” Dragoslava turned the goo into a yoyo and began doing some tricks with it. “I guess it’s a piece of the Lich that was torn off as a last resort? Maybe? It’s alive, which is why I was hesitant to tear myself out of it. I could sense that it had feelings. Kind of annoying when it’s suffocating you, but it did apologize for that last night.”
“Wow. And you’re sure it’s not going to attack you in the middle of the night?” Blood-Wraith asked.
“Pretty sure it would have done that already if it was going to do so.”
Since she had their attention, Dragoslava decided to take Blood-Wraith and Tusk on a tour of the mansion. It lacked fanciness, but made up for it with craftsmanship and coziness. Duke Radovan was never one for the typical mannerisms of the ‘upper class.’ Dragoslava’s room was interesting as it was essentially a time capsule of her childhood. It had not changed much since then due to the great hunt. Her toys and stuffed animals were still present, as she never had a desire to get rid of them. Naturally Blood-Wraith had to fiddle around with the action figures. She was glad he was interested in them as it was about high time she renovated her room.
Moving on from that, up next was her parent’s room. It was a grand, master bedroom. Paintings of various sizes were all over the walls. Tables with relics and instruments also lined the room. On one side was their bed and on the wall opposite was a large painting of the duke and duchess. Radovan looked proud and stoic while Rose was as beautiful as the flower itself. Blood-Wraith and Tusk were in awe over this majestic work of art.
“Okay boys, enough” Dragoslava said as she snapped her fingers in their faces. “It’s not that big of a deal. And yes, Blood; Those are your parents.”
Something caught Tusk’s eyes at the left wall. “Is that a Philosopher’s Stone?”
“Yes. It used to belong to my Grandpa Stanislav up until he just left it with dad for safe keeping. He disappeared right before the great hunt.”
“I hope I get to meet mom and dad soon” Blood-Wraith said as he looked at the painting again.
“You will. Sis sent out another letter after I told her about what the Lich had revealed. Apparently it also confirmed a theory Corentin had.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
Dragoslava cleared her throat, a little worried about how the two were going to react. “The theory goes that The Beast of Old was a diversion and that Milosh struck a deal with the Lich. He would help the Lich gather the information he needed and in turn he would help him take The Iron City while we were away… Assuming we did not find out about it ahead of time, HA!”
“I KNEW IT! THE FOREST IS IN DANGER!” Tusk panicked… and began hyperventilating.
“No! Easy Tusk, easy. Corentin said the fact that we are relaying what we know to the others has foiled Milosh’s plans” Dragoslava reassured.
After a few calming breaths, Tusk relaxed. “Are you absolutely sure of that?”
“Yes. Trust me, King Englehart is going to wallop that traitor if he ever sees him again.”
Back at the tower, Kresimira was in the throne room contemplating everything that had occurred. She was not expecting the revelation that it was the machinations of the Lich and Milosh who had frightened the Beast. It was such a bizarre turn of events. Why was the Lich meddling with the Descendants when he knew they could easily stop him? Was Corentin’s theory correct? So many thoughts were racing through her head at the moment. The fact that her friends and family had nearly died the day prior did not help either. In fact, this was making her incredibly angry. As she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, a tap on the shoulder startled her.
“Kresimira?”
“Oh, Corentin…” She hugged him.
“I take it that something is bothering you?”
Kresimira sighed. “Yes, sadly. Can you really blame me though? I had no idea the cult would be this brazen.”
“An unsettling turn of events indeed. Father had this suspicion for as long as I can remember. A premonition had him in a cold sweat. That's why he asked me to stay behind.”
“Really?”
“Most certainly. Plus I was knee deep in my endeavor to recreate the War Machine. I got to protect the city and finish my magnum opus.”
Kresimira turned to face the spot where Dunja’s throne once sat. “I feel bad for Blood-Wraith and the others. They shouldn’t have to deal with our conflicts.”
“Well I’d dare say Blood-Wraith would have gotten involved regardless if we had discovered him or not, considering his recent resolve against the Lich.”
“True, true…”
“Speaking of this whole hullabaloo, dear, isn't it interesting how we both remained here to look after the city?”
Kresimira pondered this. “I do suppose…”
“That despite our conflicts and strife, fate kept us close together, like a bird flying south for the winter?”
“Sweetie, poetry is my thing.”
Corentin laughed. “I know. My love? I would like to truly apologize for my recklessness over the years…” He was hiding something behind his back.
“Honey?”
“I was so swept up in progress and experimentation that I gained tunnel vision. I failed to realize that everyone was worrying about me. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be here today had I not gone down the path I went down. A double edged sword if you will…”
“What are you doing?”
“And on top of that I failed to recognize your feelings. I failed to heed your warnings. Fortunately with time we improve and I have made a great effort in doing so.” Corentin revealed the box from behind his back and presented it. “Kresimira Annabelle Raynot, Daughter of Radovan and Rose; Will you marry me?” Opening the box revealed a metal and crystal rose, greater than his previous gift. The metal was of the finest quality and delicately cradled the glass-like, crystal petals. They also gleamed with every color of the rainbow.
Kresimira gasped, overwhelmed with emotion. She took the box and calmly set it down. She then hugged Corentin tightly and swung him around. “YES! YES I WILL” She exclaimed in overwhelming joy. “BUT! We do it once everyone is back. Don’t worry, I will literally go to the Magician’s Labyrinth and drag mom back home if I have to.”
“Haha, sure, fine with me!” The two kissed. “Now pops can stop being disappointed with me!” Corentin joked.
“Oh, you silly goose! Now let’s go tell the others!”
The two got to work rounding up everyone, bringing them outside the Raynot mansion. Desislav had been outside the throne room and heard the whole thing, but he still met up with the others regardless. Blood-Wraith, Dragoslava, and Tusk were already there. The last two were Leif and the War Machine. The former was back from his journey to visit his brothers while the latter had just finished a patrol. With everyone present, Kresimira stepped forward to speak.
“Everyone? I have an important announcement to make: Corentin and I are now engaged!”
It took everyone a second to register. Once they did, everyone who could clap did so. “Congratulations, you two!” Blood-Wraith cheered. This was followed by subsequent congratulations from the others.
“Aw geez, guess Corentin is going to be my brother-in-law now” Dragoslava noted. “Hey Desislav! When are we getting married?” She asked, knowing full well what she was doing.
Desislav naturally turned bright red. “Oh, well…um…uh…” This made everyone laugh.
“Take your time, you two,” Leif replied. “You don’t want to rush these things. As for our newlyweds-to-be, I am so happy for you. I know what’s about to happen, but damn it! I’ll show up to the wedding even as a disembodied ghost if I have to!”
“Thank you, Leif,” said Kresimira. “Even if you can’t, we know you’ll be there in spirit” she reassured him.
“Fa-ther? Do I… have a… mother now?” The War Machine asked, startling everyone.
“War Machine, you can speak now!” Corentin was pleasantly surprised by this. “Huh, interesting… Ahem, well yes, of course you do.”
Kresimira looked at Corentin. “He… views us as parents?”
“An outcome I could not avoid…”
“Then so be it. War Machine of Old? I hereby bestow you the name of Maximus Augustus Raynot!
Maximus bowed. “Thank you, mo-ther.”
“Wait, but I created him,” Corentin pointed out with a chuckle. “Shouldn’t he have my surname?”
Kresimira took Corentin by surprise and gave him a playful noogie on the head. “You little stinker! Now we definitely need to get married. We got a child to take care of!” This prompted another round of laughter.
“Gosh, all of you are the best,” Blood-Wraith stated proudly. “I love you all.”
“We love you too, Blood,” Dragoslava replied, giving him a big hug.
Next: Chapter 19
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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