ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 13
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“Any luck, dad?” Aureolus called out.
“Nope,” Barna answered as he sat down at the table. “Either they’re out causing more ruckus or they’re laying low for some reason. I did find this card, however.” He set it down on the table, with it gleaming in the light. “It’s most likely one of Andelin’s.”
Claudius stepped over and inspected the card. “Hm, now what is this for?” The image depicted on it was a crow in a tree. “Perhaps she’s waiting for something.”
“Say, Claudius? You’re not worried about me bringing this into your home, are you?”
“No. She’s already put spying mechanisms all over the city for her own intentions. I’ve gotten used to it.”
Aureolus got a little nervous and glanced around the dining hall. “Oh, I see… Does she know me and Dunja were practicing magic this morning?”
Claudius nodded. “Probablemente. To be fair, you two were practicing magic out in the open, in the vicinity of a location she held interest in.”
“Fair point. Well I’m going to go practice some more then.”
“Molto Bene” Claudius replied as Aureolus left.
Making his way back up to his bedroom, Aureolus felt like something was off. It was not that Andelin was probably spying on him. That was something he expected in hindsight. What he was feeling was that he was being watched. Upon entering his quarters, he looked around. All was fine and the way he left it. Taking a relaxing breath, he shut the door and locked it behind him. Aureolus could not help but be reminded of Blood-Wraith’s experience going through the Basalt Monolith Forest.
Not wanting to risk setting fire to Cluadius’ mansion, Aureolus thought outside the box. He created a fireball and infused it with a contradictory element, such as water. Surely that would create something safer. The end result was an orb that was a rich azure. It was rubbery, resembling that of a balloon. Playing around with it, Aureolus began getting ideas for this new spell. Annoyingly all of these had noticeable drawbacks.
A barrier was out of the question as he had a suspicion it would easily deflate and potentially immobilize him. Perhaps the orb could be a good distraction? Aureolus had discovered that he could inflate the orb, so that was a possibility. If he tossed it, it could knock someone prone, giving him an opening. Then he thought of trapping a target inside of it. He would need someone to help test the strength of the orb, however.
“Man, this is harder than it seems. Such a simple thing, yet I can’t figure out what to do with it…” Aureolus then thought about getting inside to see if he could bounce around in it, but that required him to go outside. “Jeez, anyone got any ideas?”
“Perhaps you could use it as a protective suit?” A female voice proposed as she leaned a hand on his desk.
He thought about the idea. “I don’t know, it seems like it’d be too tight. I don’t want to be indecent… Wait, who said that?”
A woman in a burgundy business suit was standing there over him. She had long, scarlet hair and was quite beautiful. “Well I just figured you could put it on, blow it up, and shape it into something intimidating.”
“That’s a neat idea… but I’m not feeling it. It seems like it would take too long to set up.”
The woman took a second to think, racking her mind for something creative. “We have to fill the balloon with something… Maybe an element so it becomes a surprise attack?”
Aureolus liked the sound of that. “Not a bad idea… Hey, wait a second! You still haven’t told me who you are!”
She chuckled. “My apologies, Aureolus. If it’s okay, I’d like to speak with you in my castle for just a teensy tiny moment.”
Aureolus frowned, but was intrigued by the strange, energetic soul of the woman. “Alright, but you better tell me who you are when we get there.”
The two entered a red portal that opened up into a twisting and warping corridor. Aureolus could feel hectic and unorganized energy creep all over him. They were leaving The Unlight, no doubt about it. The realm they entered was a completely mad place. It looked like a normal world with lush fields, plentiful forests, and beautiful skies… only for all of that to change when one looked away. Furthermore, the alterations ranged from subtle to drastic. Still, it was a sight to behold, despite confusing the senses. And all of this was not to mention the strange noises and scents the realm presented.
The woman snapped her fingers, causing a majestic, crystalline palace to warp to them… or maybe it was the other way around. “Sorry for how imprecise our landing was. That’s the Realm of Chaos for you…”
“That’s what this is! It was right on the tip of my tongue!” Aureolus declared.
“So you are familiar with this place? As for myself, I am Delphine, the Discordant God of Desire and this is my castle. Also you can just call me Delphine, if you want.”
Aureolus followed her as she began walking towards the portcullis. “So, what does such a goddess want with me?”
“You’re a talented boy, Aureolus. I’d simply like to strike a deal with you.”
“A deal? What kind of deal?” Aureolus inquired as they made their way through the courtyard. They were approaching the slowly opening doors, which had ornate runes etched into them.
“Well the first thing you should know is that everything man has ever wanted is… Oh my goodness, if it isn't Maxima!”
Standing before them was a woman with skin as black as coal and hair as white as the clouds. Her body was metallic and she was dressed in armor that was strange, yet futuristic. She had a sly smile on her face and was shaking her head.
“Delphine? Just what are you up to this time?”
“Um, oh, nothing. Just showing Disciple around. I thought he might be interested to see a cool place and what-not…”
Maxima laughed. “Delphine, deception is not your forte. Why are you being so suspicious about this? Just tell me what you’re up to and we’ll be on our way. And why did you call him that? If that’s who I think it is, he hasn’t taken that name yet.”
“Disciple you said?” Aureolus asked. “What’s that?”
Maxima took a second to inspect the boy. He was a truly fascinating entity. “Well it’s a name you will take in the future as a codename for The ULTRAMagic Guild, I presume. Foresight is a little tricky outside of the Cosmos proper. As for myself, I am Spiritus Magni Maxima. Chaos happens to be an interest of mine… alongside troublemaking deities like the one standing next to you.”
Aureolus gave Delphine a look that made her want to giggle, had she not been taken by surprise. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. “Alright, I want to work with him. He’s got potential and I feel we can benefit from each other. I promise it’ll be fine, Maxima. The boy just wants to be strong and capable and I’d like to help him with that. Besides, if I don’t, someone else will. I know you’ve sensed The Running God gallivanting around recently…”
Maxima nodded in concession. “Fair enough I suppose. Also was that so hard? Now you're being altruistic about this, right.”
“Well, for the most part.”
The Spiritus Magni laughed again. “Points for honesty. Alright then, you’re good to go. No Shenanigans, promise?”
“Promise.”
“Hey, Maxima?” Aureolus spoke up. “Before you go, what does Disciple mean? It sounds cool, but I’m not sure about it.”
She gave it some thought. “I’d imagine it relates to your clear desire to learn, made more relevant by the tutelage you’re receiving at the moment.”
“Cool, I think I’ll use it then. Blood was discussing the use of codenames after all.”
“Most excellent. Just be careful, Aureolus. This is the realm of Chaos after all. Now if you’ll pardon me, I need to go speak with Wulfric. One of his new generals is getting a bit stir crazy…” Maxima walked over to a strange-looking Dragon and hopped on his back. “Oh, Delphine, tell Raisa I said hi.” They then took off, flying towards the west.
“How in the blue blazes did I not notice Dragutin there?” Desire muttered to herself.
“Who’s Wulfric?” Aureolus wondered.
“Oh, he’s just the Discordant God of War and my husband.”
With everything seemingly taken care of, Delphine took Aureolus to her personal lounge at the top of the palace. It was quite luxurious, with a balcony that had a breathtaking view of the realm. Taking a seat, Delphine had one of her stewards prepare some food and something to drink for them. Aureolus took a second to absorb the atmosphere of the room. The crystals that formed the structure were amazing, yet slightly unsettling. They did not look natural and felt like they had faces, staring at him. There was also an ambient energy to them that made him feel slightly hyper when touched.
“This place is strange, if you don’t mind me saying” Aureolus remarked. “The way it feels… it’s far from the darkness I came from.”
Delphine took a sip from her cup. “It’s not too overwhelming for you, is it?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“Very good. Now let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?” She set a deck of cards on the coffee table. “As I was saying down at the portcullis, everything man has ever wanted is my domain. If you have ever wanted a cookie, a toy, or a compliment, I am the embodiment of that need or want. Whenever someone takes or gives, I hear and feel it… speaking of which… hold on a second…” Delphine conjured up a small cloud that contained the hazy image of two individuals. She flicked one of them with her fingers and blew the cloud away.
“What was that?”
“Just a little pest bothering one of my longtime friends. Evidently she wants more than she actually deserves. As much as I love the chaos caused by such hunger, we can’t let it dilute the Cosmos… something that took me a while to learn when I first inherited my honors.”
Delphine seemed regretful, causing Aureolus to wonder. He then put two and two together after thinking back to what Maxima said. Not wanting to bother a sore subject, he shifted his attention to the deck. “Right. So what are the cards for?” They were eye-catching, being shiny with sparkly edges.
“Aureolus, would you like to learn a new type of magic?”
He was surprised. “Really?”
“Yes: hex magic. Surely you’re familiar with Vexation and his curse magic?”
“Absolutely. He’s teaching Blood that stuff right now.”
“Hex is basically the same thing, just not as powerful. Despite this, I feel it still has its uses. I highly doubt Vexation will let true curses back into the wild, so this is the next best thing.”
“So what are Hexes? And what is the deck for in regards to this magic?”
“Truthfully I’m not sure where or who Hexes came from, but what I do know is that it is a type of magic derived from the fabled curse magic. I thought curses didn’t exist at first, but then a strange epiphany occurred. I was sitting around when the idea for self-perpetuating magic popped into my head. Of course I had no idea how to cast it due to the seal Vexation placed on curse, but that’s where these cards came in. I discovered I could get around the seal by dedicating each card to a specific hex. It was so fascinating that I had to share it with others…”
Aureolus was getting excited. “Cool cool cool! Gimme!” He said as he tried to reach for the deck, only for Delphine to put her hand on it.
“Ah ah ah, there is a price. I can’t just give away such an incredible deck…” Delphine then had a moment of self-awareness. She had recently given a similar deck to Andelin for very little.
There was a slight groan from Aureolus. “Okay, what’s the price?”
It was a little surprising that he was not begging, but Delphine appreciated the discipline and cooperation. “All I need from you is some help every now and then. Sound fair?”
“Hum… why me though?”
Inquisitive, implying he was on the intellectual side. Delphine liked that. “There are things you can do that I cannot. Places that you can go where I cannot tread. I’ve tried…”
Aureolus nodded and thought it over. “No shenanigans? Cause I’m not overthrowing any kingdoms…”
Delphine chuckled. “Of course not. I pick and lead my underlings with care. I promise I won’t go against your morals. Besides, if I need a kingdom toppled, I’d go talk to Kleitos, the Discordant God of Knowledge for that… Or Nacht, but he’s a bit out of the way at the moment…” She gave a nervous chuckle implying she was nervous over mentioning the latter god.
It still felt like there were ulterior motives, but the goddess felt sincere enough. “Alright, deal. Just know that I’m pretty busy right now” Aureolus stated as he shook her hand.
“Don’t worry, I fully understand. One of my other underlings is quite busy in Shadowland herself at the moment…” That last comment struck Aureolus as odd while Delphine went to go get some things. She returned with a well worn book that had a neatly folded suit on it.
“Ooh, what’s all of this?”
“A grimoire, to teach you all about hexes and what I have learned about them. I just can’t just send you out there uneducated… Maxima and Vexation would be on my back if I did, ha. As for the bodysuit, it’s armor that will allow me to keep in touch with you. It may not be of the same caliber as Blood’s suit, but I promise you it is just as snazzy. You like red and black?”
“Yeah. And thank you. I’ll get to reading as soon as I get back.”
“That’s the attitude I love to see, my boy.” Delphine snapped her fingers, opening a portal back to The Unlight. “Now before you go, be careful, Aureolus. Create the right hex for the right situation, understand?”
“Absolutely. See you later, Delphine. Take care.” Aureolus called out as he left, the portal closing behind him.
Next: Chapter 14
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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“Any luck, dad?” Aureolus called out.
“Nope,” Barna answered as he sat down at the table. “Either they’re out causing more ruckus or they’re laying low for some reason. I did find this card, however.” He set it down on the table, with it gleaming in the light. “It’s most likely one of Andelin’s.”
Claudius stepped over and inspected the card. “Hm, now what is this for?” The image depicted on it was a crow in a tree. “Perhaps she’s waiting for something.”
“Say, Claudius? You’re not worried about me bringing this into your home, are you?”
“No. She’s already put spying mechanisms all over the city for her own intentions. I’ve gotten used to it.”
Aureolus got a little nervous and glanced around the dining hall. “Oh, I see… Does she know me and Dunja were practicing magic this morning?”
Claudius nodded. “Probablemente. To be fair, you two were practicing magic out in the open, in the vicinity of a location she held interest in.”
“Fair point. Well I’m going to go practice some more then.”
“Molto Bene” Claudius replied as Aureolus left.
Making his way back up to his bedroom, Aureolus felt like something was off. It was not that Andelin was probably spying on him. That was something he expected in hindsight. What he was feeling was that he was being watched. Upon entering his quarters, he looked around. All was fine and the way he left it. Taking a relaxing breath, he shut the door and locked it behind him. Aureolus could not help but be reminded of Blood-Wraith’s experience going through the Basalt Monolith Forest.
Not wanting to risk setting fire to Cluadius’ mansion, Aureolus thought outside the box. He created a fireball and infused it with a contradictory element, such as water. Surely that would create something safer. The end result was an orb that was a rich azure. It was rubbery, resembling that of a balloon. Playing around with it, Aureolus began getting ideas for this new spell. Annoyingly all of these had noticeable drawbacks.
A barrier was out of the question as he had a suspicion it would easily deflate and potentially immobilize him. Perhaps the orb could be a good distraction? Aureolus had discovered that he could inflate the orb, so that was a possibility. If he tossed it, it could knock someone prone, giving him an opening. Then he thought of trapping a target inside of it. He would need someone to help test the strength of the orb, however.
“Man, this is harder than it seems. Such a simple thing, yet I can’t figure out what to do with it…” Aureolus then thought about getting inside to see if he could bounce around in it, but that required him to go outside. “Jeez, anyone got any ideas?”
“Perhaps you could use it as a protective suit?” A female voice proposed as she leaned a hand on his desk.
He thought about the idea. “I don’t know, it seems like it’d be too tight. I don’t want to be indecent… Wait, who said that?”
A woman in a burgundy business suit was standing there over him. She had long, scarlet hair and was quite beautiful. “Well I just figured you could put it on, blow it up, and shape it into something intimidating.”
“That’s a neat idea… but I’m not feeling it. It seems like it would take too long to set up.”
The woman took a second to think, racking her mind for something creative. “We have to fill the balloon with something… Maybe an element so it becomes a surprise attack?”
Aureolus liked the sound of that. “Not a bad idea… Hey, wait a second! You still haven’t told me who you are!”
She chuckled. “My apologies, Aureolus. If it’s okay, I’d like to speak with you in my castle for just a teensy tiny moment.”
Aureolus frowned, but was intrigued by the strange, energetic soul of the woman. “Alright, but you better tell me who you are when we get there.”
The two entered a red portal that opened up into a twisting and warping corridor. Aureolus could feel hectic and unorganized energy creep all over him. They were leaving The Unlight, no doubt about it. The realm they entered was a completely mad place. It looked like a normal world with lush fields, plentiful forests, and beautiful skies… only for all of that to change when one looked away. Furthermore, the alterations ranged from subtle to drastic. Still, it was a sight to behold, despite confusing the senses. And all of this was not to mention the strange noises and scents the realm presented.
The woman snapped her fingers, causing a majestic, crystalline palace to warp to them… or maybe it was the other way around. “Sorry for how imprecise our landing was. That’s the Realm of Chaos for you…”
“That’s what this is! It was right on the tip of my tongue!” Aureolus declared.
“So you are familiar with this place? As for myself, I am Delphine, the Discordant God of Desire and this is my castle. Also you can just call me Delphine, if you want.”
Aureolus followed her as she began walking towards the portcullis. “So, what does such a goddess want with me?”
“You’re a talented boy, Aureolus. I’d simply like to strike a deal with you.”
“A deal? What kind of deal?” Aureolus inquired as they made their way through the courtyard. They were approaching the slowly opening doors, which had ornate runes etched into them.
“Well the first thing you should know is that everything man has ever wanted is… Oh my goodness, if it isn't Maxima!”
Standing before them was a woman with skin as black as coal and hair as white as the clouds. Her body was metallic and she was dressed in armor that was strange, yet futuristic. She had a sly smile on her face and was shaking her head.
“Delphine? Just what are you up to this time?”
“Um, oh, nothing. Just showing Disciple around. I thought he might be interested to see a cool place and what-not…”
Maxima laughed. “Delphine, deception is not your forte. Why are you being so suspicious about this? Just tell me what you’re up to and we’ll be on our way. And why did you call him that? If that’s who I think it is, he hasn’t taken that name yet.”
“Disciple you said?” Aureolus asked. “What’s that?”
Maxima took a second to inspect the boy. He was a truly fascinating entity. “Well it’s a name you will take in the future as a codename for The ULTRAMagic Guild, I presume. Foresight is a little tricky outside of the Cosmos proper. As for myself, I am Spiritus Magni Maxima. Chaos happens to be an interest of mine… alongside troublemaking deities like the one standing next to you.”
Aureolus gave Delphine a look that made her want to giggle, had she not been taken by surprise. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself. “Alright, I want to work with him. He’s got potential and I feel we can benefit from each other. I promise it’ll be fine, Maxima. The boy just wants to be strong and capable and I’d like to help him with that. Besides, if I don’t, someone else will. I know you’ve sensed The Running God gallivanting around recently…”
Maxima nodded in concession. “Fair enough I suppose. Also was that so hard? Now you're being altruistic about this, right.”
“Well, for the most part.”
The Spiritus Magni laughed again. “Points for honesty. Alright then, you’re good to go. No Shenanigans, promise?”
“Promise.”
“Hey, Maxima?” Aureolus spoke up. “Before you go, what does Disciple mean? It sounds cool, but I’m not sure about it.”
She gave it some thought. “I’d imagine it relates to your clear desire to learn, made more relevant by the tutelage you’re receiving at the moment.”
“Cool, I think I’ll use it then. Blood was discussing the use of codenames after all.”
“Most excellent. Just be careful, Aureolus. This is the realm of Chaos after all. Now if you’ll pardon me, I need to go speak with Wulfric. One of his new generals is getting a bit stir crazy…” Maxima walked over to a strange-looking Dragon and hopped on his back. “Oh, Delphine, tell Raisa I said hi.” They then took off, flying towards the west.
“How in the blue blazes did I not notice Dragutin there?” Desire muttered to herself.
“Who’s Wulfric?” Aureolus wondered.
“Oh, he’s just the Discordant God of War and my husband.”
With everything seemingly taken care of, Delphine took Aureolus to her personal lounge at the top of the palace. It was quite luxurious, with a balcony that had a breathtaking view of the realm. Taking a seat, Delphine had one of her stewards prepare some food and something to drink for them. Aureolus took a second to absorb the atmosphere of the room. The crystals that formed the structure were amazing, yet slightly unsettling. They did not look natural and felt like they had faces, staring at him. There was also an ambient energy to them that made him feel slightly hyper when touched.
“This place is strange, if you don’t mind me saying” Aureolus remarked. “The way it feels… it’s far from the darkness I came from.”
Delphine took a sip from her cup. “It’s not too overwhelming for you, is it?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“Very good. Now let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?” She set a deck of cards on the coffee table. “As I was saying down at the portcullis, everything man has ever wanted is my domain. If you have ever wanted a cookie, a toy, or a compliment, I am the embodiment of that need or want. Whenever someone takes or gives, I hear and feel it… speaking of which… hold on a second…” Delphine conjured up a small cloud that contained the hazy image of two individuals. She flicked one of them with her fingers and blew the cloud away.
“What was that?”
“Just a little pest bothering one of my longtime friends. Evidently she wants more than she actually deserves. As much as I love the chaos caused by such hunger, we can’t let it dilute the Cosmos… something that took me a while to learn when I first inherited my honors.”
Delphine seemed regretful, causing Aureolus to wonder. He then put two and two together after thinking back to what Maxima said. Not wanting to bother a sore subject, he shifted his attention to the deck. “Right. So what are the cards for?” They were eye-catching, being shiny with sparkly edges.
“Aureolus, would you like to learn a new type of magic?”
He was surprised. “Really?”
“Yes: hex magic. Surely you’re familiar with Vexation and his curse magic?”
“Absolutely. He’s teaching Blood that stuff right now.”
“Hex is basically the same thing, just not as powerful. Despite this, I feel it still has its uses. I highly doubt Vexation will let true curses back into the wild, so this is the next best thing.”
“So what are Hexes? And what is the deck for in regards to this magic?”
“Truthfully I’m not sure where or who Hexes came from, but what I do know is that it is a type of magic derived from the fabled curse magic. I thought curses didn’t exist at first, but then a strange epiphany occurred. I was sitting around when the idea for self-perpetuating magic popped into my head. Of course I had no idea how to cast it due to the seal Vexation placed on curse, but that’s where these cards came in. I discovered I could get around the seal by dedicating each card to a specific hex. It was so fascinating that I had to share it with others…”
Aureolus was getting excited. “Cool cool cool! Gimme!” He said as he tried to reach for the deck, only for Delphine to put her hand on it.
“Ah ah ah, there is a price. I can’t just give away such an incredible deck…” Delphine then had a moment of self-awareness. She had recently given a similar deck to Andelin for very little.
There was a slight groan from Aureolus. “Okay, what’s the price?”
It was a little surprising that he was not begging, but Delphine appreciated the discipline and cooperation. “All I need from you is some help every now and then. Sound fair?”
“Hum… why me though?”
Inquisitive, implying he was on the intellectual side. Delphine liked that. “There are things you can do that I cannot. Places that you can go where I cannot tread. I’ve tried…”
Aureolus nodded and thought it over. “No shenanigans? Cause I’m not overthrowing any kingdoms…”
Delphine chuckled. “Of course not. I pick and lead my underlings with care. I promise I won’t go against your morals. Besides, if I need a kingdom toppled, I’d go talk to Kleitos, the Discordant God of Knowledge for that… Or Nacht, but he’s a bit out of the way at the moment…” She gave a nervous chuckle implying she was nervous over mentioning the latter god.
It still felt like there were ulterior motives, but the goddess felt sincere enough. “Alright, deal. Just know that I’m pretty busy right now” Aureolus stated as he shook her hand.
“Don’t worry, I fully understand. One of my other underlings is quite busy in Shadowland herself at the moment…” That last comment struck Aureolus as odd while Delphine went to go get some things. She returned with a well worn book that had a neatly folded suit on it.
“Ooh, what’s all of this?”
“A grimoire, to teach you all about hexes and what I have learned about them. I just can’t just send you out there uneducated… Maxima and Vexation would be on my back if I did, ha. As for the bodysuit, it’s armor that will allow me to keep in touch with you. It may not be of the same caliber as Blood’s suit, but I promise you it is just as snazzy. You like red and black?”
“Yeah. And thank you. I’ll get to reading as soon as I get back.”
“That’s the attitude I love to see, my boy.” Delphine snapped her fingers, opening a portal back to The Unlight. “Now before you go, be careful, Aureolus. Create the right hex for the right situation, understand?”
“Absolutely. See you later, Delphine. Take care.” Aureolus called out as he left, the portal closing behind him.
Next: Chapter 14
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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