ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 16
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Once Dunja and Torunn had realized that Aureolus had gone missing, they double timed it to Barna and the others. While this happened, Sir Odo took position at the exact spot the boy had vanished. Since it was the end of Andelin’s part of the big plan, he no longer had to don a disguise. Still, he was incredibly nervous as he knew Barna would not be in the mood. It was to be expected given that Aureolus was nowhere to be found. How the knight was going to stall until Andelin was ready was beyond him.
Odo could hear the group approaching. “Okay, act natural, Odo…”
“Guarda là!” Claudius called out, pointing towards the street corner. He was followed by Barna, Dunja, Torunn, and Albrecht. “Sir Odo? What are you doing here?”
“Dragoslava’s friend from The Market District?” Barna replied, directed at the knight.
“Aye, that’d be me, haha…” Odo was mentally cursing Andelin’s desire for surprises.
“Sten had requested his assistance” Claudius began to elaborate. “He was assigned to investigate the anomaly, or what we now know is The Fear of Old. It was on a need to know basis, hence why most of you are unfamiliar with this. I assume I don’t need to explain why?”
Albrecht chuckled. “Folkvar was telling me about this in vague detail.”
“Why him though?” Barna wondered.
“He’s a former primordial, my friend,” Claudius answered. “From what I have read, he and his kin, the Vector Children, are the reincarnation of a legion primordial known as The Dream of Old. Of interesting note is that they have a counterpart in the Deep Specters, formerly The Nightmare of Old. Evidently both had troubles reincarnating. The Dream became the first dimensionals and The Nightmare became the zero dimensionals.”
Barna nodded. “I see… wait, that last bit about the dimensionals and whatnot… How do you know that? I mean, I didn’t know that, but that all sounds like something Blood and Aureolus would tell me about because Leif had told them about it in the first place.”
“Well you see, in addition to the tomes Sten has collected over the years, I got to meet with The Dragon of Old, prior to Sir Blood-Wraith’s birth. Quite the pleasant fellow, despite the split-off ego.”
“Ah, that makes sense…” Barna then approached Odo calmly. “Since this was the place Dunja lost track of my boy, do you know where he is?”
“Um, yes. He is… around… somewhere nearby…”
“Alright, where then?” Odo was beginning to look down and mumble, agitating Barna. “Boy, look me in the eye and speak up.”
Odo glanced up, meeting Barna’s gaze. It was like it was piercing right through him. For a moment, he felt like his heart had stopped. “Give me one moment…” He turned around and began whispering into a card with a circus tent on it. “Andelin! Would you hurry up? Barna is literally right here!”
“Calm down and place the card on the ground,” her voice replied. “We’ll be done in a minute…”
Odo took a breath and did as he was told. Turning around was murder as everyone was now focusing on him. “If you’ll all indulge me while Aureolus finishes up in the powder room, it is an honor to finally meet all of you in person…”
Back in Andelin’s tent, she began organizing her papers. “We might want to finish this up soon. Sounds like your father is getting a bit impatient, haha…”
“One more second…” The last card Aureolus was working on glowed for a brief moment. “...done!”
“Ready to go then?”
Aureolus sighed in relief, yet was a tad nervous. The deck was not finished, but he had enough cards to work with. “As ready as I’ll ever be…”
“...furthermore, I aspire and strive to be as heroic as his grace, Duke Radovan Raynot,” Odo continued, up until he was startled by a tap on the shoulder. “Andelin! Don’t do that! And what took so long?!”
“Relax, Aureolus just needed to iron out a few kinks in his deck.”
The boy went over to Barna, who picked him and hugged him. “Hey, dad. Don’t worry, everything’s fine. Andelin was just teaching me some magic.”
Barna set him down. “Boy, don’t worry me like that… and just what were you learning?’
Torunn and Dunja stepped over to Andelin. She spoke before they could. “As great as it is to see you two again, let’s save the catching up for after my duel with Aureolus…”
“A duel you say?” Barna remarked, a little concerned.
Aureolus smiled. “I got this, dad.” He took out 5 cards from his deck and pointed them at Andelin. “Ready to duel?”
“Just one second…” She got out two cards and tossed them, releasing Weaver and Gabriella. “I’d imagine they’d probably want to see this.”
“There you two are, thank goodness” Barna pointed out. “So Weaver, did you find Gummi?”
He gave him an amused, incredulous look with his hands on his hips. “Barna, I think we’re well beyond the point where that’s relevant…” They both laughed, with the others chuckling and giggling.
Barna then gave him a good pat on the back. “Good job getting those warehouses ready for us regardless. We do have some things to discuss when this is all said and done, however…”
“Yeah, I know…”
“WEAVER, How’s my favorite cousin doing?!” Torunn took him by the head and gave him a noogie.
“Argh! Torunn! Stop! We saw each other last week!”
“Yeah, and I haven’t seen you since then, ha!” She then took him over to some nearby benches and sat him down. The others (save for Odo) followed suit.
Barna leaned forward in his seat. “Gabriella, I presume Weaver didn’t cause you any trouble?”
“Nope,” she answered. “He was quite the gentleman all throughout our little adventure.”
“Good to hear. Keep at it, Weaver, and you find yourself a fine woman in no time…”
Weaver smirked. “Like you?”
Everyone else laughed. “Haha, very funny…” Barna conceded.
Sir Odo cleared his throat. “Ahem, since I assume we’ve got all the pleasantries and whatnot out of the way, let’s begin the duel. I shall be mediating, of course.”
“So what kind of duel shall this be, honorable knight?” Claudius inquired.
“Aureolus and Andelin will take turns casting hexes with their cards. They’ll go until they either deck out or cannot respond to the other’s play any further.”
Torunn nodded, then tapped Dunja on the arm. “Ha, hopefully it’s not as rough as your duel with Blood-Wraith, am I right?”
“Well goodness, I hope not. I still feel bad over how rough I was on him…”
“Don’t worry, hand to hand combat is not allowed” Odo assured them.
The two duelists got into position and readied their cards. Andelin let Aureolus go first, out of courtesy. He tossed out his first hex and to everyone’s surprise, it was a recreation of Blood-Wraith’s Indigo Wolf. It barked and growled a few times before settling down. Dunja noted that it was small, like before she had given Blood-Wraith her soul fragment. Andelin’s move had her summon a recreation of Gratiana. The specter was an echo of the blade’s power. The two summons then clashed, with Andelin’s hex coming out on top.
Aureolus drew his next card, sending out his own Verdant Might. He was a match for the Gratiana hex and defeated her with a swift series of punches. This elicited applause from the others. Andelin’s turn was up next. She knew she would have to play smart, casting a hex that would activate later. Her next summon was a shifty little creature, twitching and looking around. Naturally this caused Aureolus to get a bit overconfident…
“Andelin, I know you’re going easy on me, but this is a little ridiculous…” Verdant Might charged forward.
“Am I though?” Before the attack could land, a shockwave sent Aureolus’ summon into the air, causing it to fade away.
“Jeez, okay then…”
“Careful, sweetie,” Dunja called out. “Be sure to approach this tactfully.”
Aureolus nodded and looked at his hand. He had an idea, but it needed time to set up. “Well first I’ll cast this hex for later, and then I’ll send out Violet Train!” This surprised everyone as a large steam engine appeared above them. “He’ll head out to get some steam ready!” With a huff and a puff, the train journeyed off on spectral tracks.
“Wait, Blood has a train form?!” Barna exclaimed.
“Huh, I guess so…” Dunja replied. “I mean, there was one attack of his I could not pin down and I guess that was it?”
This concerned Andelin. “I see… well then I guess it’s time to summon this darling…” An odd jester appeared next to the creature. She was white and purple, dancing around in a rhythmic fashion. “Now my dear, if you could be so kind as to help inkling over here…” The jester giggled and waved her fingers: four more Inklings appeared. “Strength in numbers.” Andelin then set another hex and passed her turn.
The Jester was daunting, but Aureolus drew another good card. “Go, Azure Scorpion!” The giant creature looked like Azure Spider, but was a different arachnid.
“Um, dear?” Dunja interjected. “I think something may have been lost in translation…”
“No no, I fully intended this,” he assured. “Now go! Attack!” The scorpion lurched forward, making advances towards the jester. She dodged effortlessly, up until she was struck by the stinger. “HA! Got her!”
“Don’t celebrate so quickly…” Andelin warned. The Jester’s fall caused the Inklings to multiply to ten.
“Wait, what!? Er, Scorpion! Get them!” It tried to strike them, but Andelin’s set hex triggered, causing Inkling to become twenty. They swarmed Azure Scorpion, vanquishing it by chewing and beating on it.
“Careful, Aureolus. Two’s a crowd, but three’s a party.” It was Andelin’s turn once again, summoning what looked like a mage. He began chanting, causing Inkling to become thirty. Noticing a crowd gathering, Andelin smiled and set a hex. “Your turn, Aureolus.”
Aureolus drew another card and summoned Ochre Serpent. It towered above them and roared with utmost ferocity. He then activated a protection Hex. “Attack the mage, serpent!” It reared up, striking Andelin’s mage with great force. Nothing was left in its wake, causing the audience to cheer.
“Well played, Aureolus… but that last hex wasn’t a counter…” Activating the spell, ten inklings piled together and became the mage. It then cast a spell that not only restored Inkling’s numbers, but created ten more.
Aureolus panicked. “Serpent! Defend yourself!” It roared once more and brought forth a wall of surging water around it.
The turn finally went back to Andelin. She did not even have to look at the card she drew and played. Pointing at the mage, it summoned the last ten Inklings. “Excellent. Now that we’re fifty strong, COME FORTH, DARK TITAN!” She declared with energy in her voice. The mage chanted and banged his staff on the ground. All of the Inklings came together, forming a shadowy mass that became a giant man.
“WHAT EVEN IS THAT?” Aureolus cried.
“ATTACK HIS SERPENT!”
With a mighty strike, Dark Titan punched through the water barrier. He hit Ochre Serpent head on, causing it to fall to the ground. It then vanished from sight. Some asked Sir Odo if that was it, but he quelled these concerns. A train whistle could be heard in the distance, even if faint. Aureolus was beginning to break down until he heard this. Then he remembered that hex he had set near the beginning of the bout. The duel was not over yet.
“Alright, Aureolus. Be awesome, like Blood-Wraith…” He said to himself.
Andelin felt her blood pumping, causing her to get theatrical. “Draw your last pathetic card, Aureolus!” This made Dunja and Barna scowl a little, but Torunn and Weaver cheered.
“My deck has no pathetic cards, Andelin” Aureolus rebuked as he drew. “Go! Golden Dragon!” It was small, but let out a tenacious roar at his foes. The audience cheered him on.
“You’ll need more than that to defeat me!”
A grin formed on Aureolus’ face. “Dark Titan? Your train is here…” The titan jerked his head in the direction of the noise, only to see a raging steam engine barreling towards him. It thundered into the giant, taking him with it into a dark vortex before disappearing.
This left Andelin flabbergasted “Wait, what? How? Mage! Get ready!” Her summon began chanting and banged his staff on the ground, like he was banging on a drum. Purple flames erupted around him.
“And I’m not done yet! Go, Golden Dragon!” Aureolus finally activated the hex he had set so long ago. Golden Dragon was engulfed in bright light, emerging in a form just like Blood-Wraith’s.
“Uh-oh…”
“ATTACK!” Aureolus commanded. The Dragon let out a mighty stream of fire that annihilated the mage, despite him trying to fight back.
When all was said and done, Andelin stood there, utterly bewildered. She had dropped her cards. “I thought… I thought… how did you…”
“Andelin, do you have any response to Aureolus’ play?” Odo asked, ready to call the match.
She stuttered, then picked up her deck. “No…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, Aureolus is the winner!”
Everyone erupted into cheering and applause, with Barna walking over to lift Aureolus onto his shoulders. The boy had been concerned that Andelin knew too much of his deck, but he came out on top regardless. His determination was not to be tested, just like Blood-Wraith’s. And despite Andelin’s reputation, some went over to congratulate her on a duel well fought. Dunja and Torunn were certainly proud, getting her her own round of applause. Making things even better, she announced to everyone that she was officially turning her back on Milosh and leaving his foolish cult.
Next: Chapter 17
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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Once Dunja and Torunn had realized that Aureolus had gone missing, they double timed it to Barna and the others. While this happened, Sir Odo took position at the exact spot the boy had vanished. Since it was the end of Andelin’s part of the big plan, he no longer had to don a disguise. Still, he was incredibly nervous as he knew Barna would not be in the mood. It was to be expected given that Aureolus was nowhere to be found. How the knight was going to stall until Andelin was ready was beyond him.
Odo could hear the group approaching. “Okay, act natural, Odo…”
“Guarda là!” Claudius called out, pointing towards the street corner. He was followed by Barna, Dunja, Torunn, and Albrecht. “Sir Odo? What are you doing here?”
“Dragoslava’s friend from The Market District?” Barna replied, directed at the knight.
“Aye, that’d be me, haha…” Odo was mentally cursing Andelin’s desire for surprises.
“Sten had requested his assistance” Claudius began to elaborate. “He was assigned to investigate the anomaly, or what we now know is The Fear of Old. It was on a need to know basis, hence why most of you are unfamiliar with this. I assume I don’t need to explain why?”
Albrecht chuckled. “Folkvar was telling me about this in vague detail.”
“Why him though?” Barna wondered.
“He’s a former primordial, my friend,” Claudius answered. “From what I have read, he and his kin, the Vector Children, are the reincarnation of a legion primordial known as The Dream of Old. Of interesting note is that they have a counterpart in the Deep Specters, formerly The Nightmare of Old. Evidently both had troubles reincarnating. The Dream became the first dimensionals and The Nightmare became the zero dimensionals.”
Barna nodded. “I see… wait, that last bit about the dimensionals and whatnot… How do you know that? I mean, I didn’t know that, but that all sounds like something Blood and Aureolus would tell me about because Leif had told them about it in the first place.”
“Well you see, in addition to the tomes Sten has collected over the years, I got to meet with The Dragon of Old, prior to Sir Blood-Wraith’s birth. Quite the pleasant fellow, despite the split-off ego.”
“Ah, that makes sense…” Barna then approached Odo calmly. “Since this was the place Dunja lost track of my boy, do you know where he is?”
“Um, yes. He is… around… somewhere nearby…”
“Alright, where then?” Odo was beginning to look down and mumble, agitating Barna. “Boy, look me in the eye and speak up.”
Odo glanced up, meeting Barna’s gaze. It was like it was piercing right through him. For a moment, he felt like his heart had stopped. “Give me one moment…” He turned around and began whispering into a card with a circus tent on it. “Andelin! Would you hurry up? Barna is literally right here!”
“Calm down and place the card on the ground,” her voice replied. “We’ll be done in a minute…”
Odo took a breath and did as he was told. Turning around was murder as everyone was now focusing on him. “If you’ll all indulge me while Aureolus finishes up in the powder room, it is an honor to finally meet all of you in person…”
Back in Andelin’s tent, she began organizing her papers. “We might want to finish this up soon. Sounds like your father is getting a bit impatient, haha…”
“One more second…” The last card Aureolus was working on glowed for a brief moment. “...done!”
“Ready to go then?”
Aureolus sighed in relief, yet was a tad nervous. The deck was not finished, but he had enough cards to work with. “As ready as I’ll ever be…”
“...furthermore, I aspire and strive to be as heroic as his grace, Duke Radovan Raynot,” Odo continued, up until he was startled by a tap on the shoulder. “Andelin! Don’t do that! And what took so long?!”
“Relax, Aureolus just needed to iron out a few kinks in his deck.”
The boy went over to Barna, who picked him and hugged him. “Hey, dad. Don’t worry, everything’s fine. Andelin was just teaching me some magic.”
Barna set him down. “Boy, don’t worry me like that… and just what were you learning?’
Torunn and Dunja stepped over to Andelin. She spoke before they could. “As great as it is to see you two again, let’s save the catching up for after my duel with Aureolus…”
“A duel you say?” Barna remarked, a little concerned.
Aureolus smiled. “I got this, dad.” He took out 5 cards from his deck and pointed them at Andelin. “Ready to duel?”
“Just one second…” She got out two cards and tossed them, releasing Weaver and Gabriella. “I’d imagine they’d probably want to see this.”
“There you two are, thank goodness” Barna pointed out. “So Weaver, did you find Gummi?”
He gave him an amused, incredulous look with his hands on his hips. “Barna, I think we’re well beyond the point where that’s relevant…” They both laughed, with the others chuckling and giggling.
Barna then gave him a good pat on the back. “Good job getting those warehouses ready for us regardless. We do have some things to discuss when this is all said and done, however…”
“Yeah, I know…”
“WEAVER, How’s my favorite cousin doing?!” Torunn took him by the head and gave him a noogie.
“Argh! Torunn! Stop! We saw each other last week!”
“Yeah, and I haven’t seen you since then, ha!” She then took him over to some nearby benches and sat him down. The others (save for Odo) followed suit.
Barna leaned forward in his seat. “Gabriella, I presume Weaver didn’t cause you any trouble?”
“Nope,” she answered. “He was quite the gentleman all throughout our little adventure.”
“Good to hear. Keep at it, Weaver, and you find yourself a fine woman in no time…”
Weaver smirked. “Like you?”
Everyone else laughed. “Haha, very funny…” Barna conceded.
Sir Odo cleared his throat. “Ahem, since I assume we’ve got all the pleasantries and whatnot out of the way, let’s begin the duel. I shall be mediating, of course.”
“So what kind of duel shall this be, honorable knight?” Claudius inquired.
“Aureolus and Andelin will take turns casting hexes with their cards. They’ll go until they either deck out or cannot respond to the other’s play any further.”
Torunn nodded, then tapped Dunja on the arm. “Ha, hopefully it’s not as rough as your duel with Blood-Wraith, am I right?”
“Well goodness, I hope not. I still feel bad over how rough I was on him…”
“Don’t worry, hand to hand combat is not allowed” Odo assured them.
The two duelists got into position and readied their cards. Andelin let Aureolus go first, out of courtesy. He tossed out his first hex and to everyone’s surprise, it was a recreation of Blood-Wraith’s Indigo Wolf. It barked and growled a few times before settling down. Dunja noted that it was small, like before she had given Blood-Wraith her soul fragment. Andelin’s move had her summon a recreation of Gratiana. The specter was an echo of the blade’s power. The two summons then clashed, with Andelin’s hex coming out on top.
Aureolus drew his next card, sending out his own Verdant Might. He was a match for the Gratiana hex and defeated her with a swift series of punches. This elicited applause from the others. Andelin’s turn was up next. She knew she would have to play smart, casting a hex that would activate later. Her next summon was a shifty little creature, twitching and looking around. Naturally this caused Aureolus to get a bit overconfident…
“Andelin, I know you’re going easy on me, but this is a little ridiculous…” Verdant Might charged forward.
“Am I though?” Before the attack could land, a shockwave sent Aureolus’ summon into the air, causing it to fade away.
“Jeez, okay then…”
“Careful, sweetie,” Dunja called out. “Be sure to approach this tactfully.”
Aureolus nodded and looked at his hand. He had an idea, but it needed time to set up. “Well first I’ll cast this hex for later, and then I’ll send out Violet Train!” This surprised everyone as a large steam engine appeared above them. “He’ll head out to get some steam ready!” With a huff and a puff, the train journeyed off on spectral tracks.
“Wait, Blood has a train form?!” Barna exclaimed.
“Huh, I guess so…” Dunja replied. “I mean, there was one attack of his I could not pin down and I guess that was it?”
This concerned Andelin. “I see… well then I guess it’s time to summon this darling…” An odd jester appeared next to the creature. She was white and purple, dancing around in a rhythmic fashion. “Now my dear, if you could be so kind as to help inkling over here…” The jester giggled and waved her fingers: four more Inklings appeared. “Strength in numbers.” Andelin then set another hex and passed her turn.
The Jester was daunting, but Aureolus drew another good card. “Go, Azure Scorpion!” The giant creature looked like Azure Spider, but was a different arachnid.
“Um, dear?” Dunja interjected. “I think something may have been lost in translation…”
“No no, I fully intended this,” he assured. “Now go! Attack!” The scorpion lurched forward, making advances towards the jester. She dodged effortlessly, up until she was struck by the stinger. “HA! Got her!”
“Don’t celebrate so quickly…” Andelin warned. The Jester’s fall caused the Inklings to multiply to ten.
“Wait, what!? Er, Scorpion! Get them!” It tried to strike them, but Andelin’s set hex triggered, causing Inkling to become twenty. They swarmed Azure Scorpion, vanquishing it by chewing and beating on it.
“Careful, Aureolus. Two’s a crowd, but three’s a party.” It was Andelin’s turn once again, summoning what looked like a mage. He began chanting, causing Inkling to become thirty. Noticing a crowd gathering, Andelin smiled and set a hex. “Your turn, Aureolus.”
Aureolus drew another card and summoned Ochre Serpent. It towered above them and roared with utmost ferocity. He then activated a protection Hex. “Attack the mage, serpent!” It reared up, striking Andelin’s mage with great force. Nothing was left in its wake, causing the audience to cheer.
“Well played, Aureolus… but that last hex wasn’t a counter…” Activating the spell, ten inklings piled together and became the mage. It then cast a spell that not only restored Inkling’s numbers, but created ten more.
Aureolus panicked. “Serpent! Defend yourself!” It roared once more and brought forth a wall of surging water around it.
The turn finally went back to Andelin. She did not even have to look at the card she drew and played. Pointing at the mage, it summoned the last ten Inklings. “Excellent. Now that we’re fifty strong, COME FORTH, DARK TITAN!” She declared with energy in her voice. The mage chanted and banged his staff on the ground. All of the Inklings came together, forming a shadowy mass that became a giant man.
“WHAT EVEN IS THAT?” Aureolus cried.
“ATTACK HIS SERPENT!”
With a mighty strike, Dark Titan punched through the water barrier. He hit Ochre Serpent head on, causing it to fall to the ground. It then vanished from sight. Some asked Sir Odo if that was it, but he quelled these concerns. A train whistle could be heard in the distance, even if faint. Aureolus was beginning to break down until he heard this. Then he remembered that hex he had set near the beginning of the bout. The duel was not over yet.
“Alright, Aureolus. Be awesome, like Blood-Wraith…” He said to himself.
Andelin felt her blood pumping, causing her to get theatrical. “Draw your last pathetic card, Aureolus!” This made Dunja and Barna scowl a little, but Torunn and Weaver cheered.
“My deck has no pathetic cards, Andelin” Aureolus rebuked as he drew. “Go! Golden Dragon!” It was small, but let out a tenacious roar at his foes. The audience cheered him on.
“You’ll need more than that to defeat me!”
A grin formed on Aureolus’ face. “Dark Titan? Your train is here…” The titan jerked his head in the direction of the noise, only to see a raging steam engine barreling towards him. It thundered into the giant, taking him with it into a dark vortex before disappearing.
This left Andelin flabbergasted “Wait, what? How? Mage! Get ready!” Her summon began chanting and banged his staff on the ground, like he was banging on a drum. Purple flames erupted around him.
“And I’m not done yet! Go, Golden Dragon!” Aureolus finally activated the hex he had set so long ago. Golden Dragon was engulfed in bright light, emerging in a form just like Blood-Wraith’s.
“Uh-oh…”
“ATTACK!” Aureolus commanded. The Dragon let out a mighty stream of fire that annihilated the mage, despite him trying to fight back.
When all was said and done, Andelin stood there, utterly bewildered. She had dropped her cards. “I thought… I thought… how did you…”
“Andelin, do you have any response to Aureolus’ play?” Odo asked, ready to call the match.
She stuttered, then picked up her deck. “No…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, Aureolus is the winner!”
Everyone erupted into cheering and applause, with Barna walking over to lift Aureolus onto his shoulders. The boy had been concerned that Andelin knew too much of his deck, but he came out on top regardless. His determination was not to be tested, just like Blood-Wraith’s. And despite Andelin’s reputation, some went over to congratulate her on a duel well fought. Dunja and Torunn were certainly proud, getting her her own round of applause. Making things even better, she announced to everyone that she was officially turning her back on Milosh and leaving his foolish cult.
Next: Chapter 17
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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