ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 2
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Whereas The Iron City had primarily gothic architecture with hints of victorian, Shadowland leaned heavily into victorian architecture with hints of gothic and medieval. It was a truly beautiful city despite it having seen better days. The havoc wrought by Milosh could not cover up the amazing symmetry and craftsmanship of the buildings and roads. Things were quiet as the carriage rolled calmly through the streets. The area in question was under Sten’s control, but it was eerie to see the place seemingly deserted. In truth, the people that lived there were actually watching through the old, scratched windows.
The driver called for the horses to stop at Dustman’s street, which had a direct path to Sten’s castle. “Whoa there! Alright everyone, we’ve arrived.”
As they all got out, Barna handed the driver a pouch of coins. “Thank you very much. We’ll keep you posted if we need any help.”
“Very welcome to you, Mr. Schindewolf. Best of luck to all of you.” With a flick of the reins, the carriage was off once again.
What was that about, dad?” Aureolus questioned. “I thought uncle had this all set up for us?”
“Aw, don’t worry, my boy. I just felt like giving him a little extra something for the hassle.”
“How kind of you, Mr. Schindewolf,” Gabriella complimented. “Now what is our first order of business?”
“Assuming we don’t get jumped by a random cultist, my fellows should be here soon… Dunja, careful! There’s a… earth spirit there…”
She picked up her armored foot and gagged a bit. “Eww… why do these things have to be so disgusting?” Dunja scraped it off her boot and held it firm. “You little whelp! Where do you get off having such an ego?” She then crushed it in her hand, turning it to dust.
“My my, so they show up here too…” Gabriella observed. “It seems like that one never got what he truly wanted in life, for the worst.”
“Well good riddance either way…” Dunja stated. “Ew ew ew… forgot how nasty they were…”
Barna chuckled and dusted off his sleeves. “That’s one less spirit Milosh has to work with… speaking of which, where is that rat bastard?” He began sniffing the air like a hunting hound.
“Any luck, dad?” Aureolus asked.
“No…” he replied as he stroked his short beard. “His scent is faint, which means he hasn’t been around here recently.”
Dunja looked about as she brushed off her hands, her armor lightly clanking as she did. Things were fine until she noticed two individuals approaching, causing her to nervously scoot behind Barna. “Ahem, Barna…”
“Dunja, what are you… oh, ha, I see. Claudius! Weaver! Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes!”
“Buongiorno, Barna” Claudius greeted, taking off his hat.
“Barna! Good to see you again” Weaver followed. “Geez, you missed a lot of the fun recently.”
Claudius was a fairly normal man, with tidy brown hair, blue eyes, and a well groomed mustache. His attire was professional, adorned by a waxed leather coat that appeared black. It was worn, yet it was obvious that it had been through a lot. Weaver was more abnormal by a striking degree. His skin was pale indigo, his eyes were purple, and his long hair was like a rich blue fire that flowed calmly in the wind. His attire was a white button up shirt and brown dress pants.
“Before we address the elephant in the room, gentlemen, allow me to introduce our new faces,” Barna said as he brought Aureolus over. “Claudius, this is Aureolus. Son, this is Claudius Alfieri. He’s our doctor and resident sabotage expert.”
“Hi, Mr. Alfieri, It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, Aureolus” he replied as they shook hands. He was utterly amazed as it felt like he was grasping air itself. The boy’s nigh transparent body also seemed to turn translucent as he made contact with him. “Please, call me Claudius.”
Next was Weaver, who eagerly shook the boy’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, kid. I heard you’re learning smithing and alchemy, aye?”
“Yup. Dad and my brother are teaching me.”
“Well you got some of the best teachers around. The Schindewolf’s are second to none when it comes to this stuff. Barna was my teacher back when I first arrived and the stuff he taught me was some of the best techniques in the Unlight, all being stuff I still use to this day…”
Barna laughed. “Alright Weaver, we still have one more face to go…” He gestured for Gabriella to step over. “Gentlemen, this is Gabriella Pari. She’s an angel and the daughter of Valentina, coming highly recommended by her.”
“As I live and breathe, are you truly such a being, Gabriella?” Claudius asked with a bit of wonder and awe in his voice.
Gabriella nodded, followed by a pair of wings emerging from her back. “Why yes I am. I’m fairly young as an angel and nowhere near as strong as my mother, but I hope I can be of help to you regardless.”
“Do not fret your eminence, for it is an honor to merely be in your presence.”
While Claudius was humble, Weaver went right up and shook her hand. This caused the doctor to give him a stern look that went unnoticed by the young man. “The name’s Craddock, Weaver Craddock. Resident blacksmith. If you need any smithing done of any kind, just let me know. I’m available whenever you need me.”
Gabriella giggled. “Why thank you, Weaver. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
Barna caught a whiff of Weaver’s scent. Was he attracted to Gabriella? If that was the case, he would have to take that up with Valentina. “Hey, Dunja? Where are you going?” He grabbed her arm and pulled her over.
Claudius shifted his gaze. “So it’s true then…”
“Well I’ll be damned…” Weaver remarked. “Shoot, Dunja, looks like we’re not going to be able to settle our last fight…”
Dunja inhaled and exhaled, her anxiety feeling like it was punching her heart in her chest. “Guys, I’m truly sorry for all the trouble I put you through. I’m here to make everything right, I swear.” She was sweating bullets as she waited for them to respond. It felt like they were looking right through her, directly at her soul.
“Claudius, what do you think?”
“Well, Weaver, given the recent turn of events and the destruction of the shadow orb, I’d say she’s serious. You have my forgiveness , your majesty” He said with a bow.
Dunja was dumbfounded. “Wait, just like that!?”
“Yes… and no.” Weaver took her hand and shook it. “Talk is cheap, but you did screw over Milosh. Let’s see what else you can do for the cause. If Barna and Claudius are willing, I’ll also give you a chance.”
“Thank you, Weaver. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“Fantastic” Aureolus complimented. “Did you know Aunt Dunja is going to be teaching me void magic?”
Claudius put his wide-brimmed hat back on. “Bene ora, another void caller?”
“Yup! I’m even going to teach Blood-Wraith what I know when I get home.”
Weaver laughed a little. “Jeez, do you know how much of a thrashing Dunja put me through with her void magic? It was something else…” he recalled as the group began walking. “You guys see that ding in her right pauldron? That was all me.” He sounded incredibly proud over that.
“Really?” Aureolus wondered. “The void magic that is. If it’s anything like the showdown with Uncle Englehart, I’m not surprised” he concluded. Dunja had a regretful, yet slightly proud smile because of this.
Not too far away in a busy alley were a boy and a man. The former was a raven-haired child of regal demeanor and the latter was built like a brick wall and had familiar blonde hair. Despite looking like they had seen better days, the two were working hard to clean things up. The man was helping people move supplies back and forth while the boy kept a record of everything. It had been quite the busy day for the both of them. Of course, the arrival of a certain group had them a bit distracted.
“You really think Dunja turned over a new leaf, Folkvar?” The man asked as he handed a crate to a worker.
“Father seems to think so, which has me a bit surprised, truth be told.”
“Hey, Allan, toss me a rag!” One of the other workers called out.
“Sure!” He replied. “I asked Torunn about it last night and she said it’s not impossible… And she was certain of that, let me tell you.”
Folkvar handed the documents back to a supervisor and gestured for Allan to follow him. “Well they should be here by now. Let’s go see what’s up.”
A third worker handed the two some buttered bread rolls for the go and wished them luck. “Ma seemed pretty interested in this as an edge against the other blades” Allan noted. “You still upset over all that Darkborne nonsense?”
Folkvar took a big bite out of his roll. “Kind of, but it’s in the past now. Given what we’ve learned recently, I’m fully inclined to forgive her. I think it’s safe to say Milosh is the real bad guy here, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Allan pondered Dunja’s change of heart for a moment. “So has your dad decided on what he’s going to do about Andelin and Gratiana?”
“Well, it sounds like he’s in a charitable mood at the moment…”
“... so exile instead of execution?” Allan quipped.
Both of them laughed. “No, neither of those. He fully recognizes that that would be a waste of talent and might. I guess that if we can defeat them and have them join us, he’ll grant them pardons.”
“Huh, charitable indeed…”
“Well remember, my father admires Torunn. I bet she convinced him to give all of them a second chance… baring Milosh.”
Allan nodded. “Sounds about right.”
The two continued on until a low, bellowing roar was heard. They stopped and heard it again, albeit quieter. “I don’t like the sound of that…” Folkvar said with concern.
“Me neither” Allan replied as he stroked his small beard. “Ma’s probably on it, but let’s hurry up regardless…”
Barna had also heard the roar and was even more concerned as he knew whose roar that was. Not wanting to freak everyone out, he subtly got the group to pick up the pace by taking the lead. “Now if we proceed up this way, we should run into Allan and the prince…”
“Uh, dad?” Aureolus asked, a tad concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Why look! I can see them off yonder” Barna cried. It was obvious he was worried and wanted everyone together as soon as possible.
Dunja felt her blood run cold as she saw the young boy in the distance. “Okay, easy… just take it slowly and apologize…” she muttered.
Weaver shook his head. “Ain’t this a far cry from a year ago… Dunja, relax. Folkvar’s over it… for the most part.”
“Certo,” Claudius assured. “Recent raids on Milosh’s compounds have confirmed that the Darkborne angle of the cult’s ‘religion’ was ultimately Milosh’s idea…”
Dunja nodded. “Well obviously… Source, I should have had that rat executed! I could have done it too!” she exclaimed in frustration.
Weaver laughed. “It’s cathartic to hear you say that.”
“Just to set the records straight, I NEVER liked Milosh…”
“Hence why you slept with your blades instead, is it not?” Claudius playfully chided.
Dunja groaned. “I am never going to live that down…”
“Huh, so what Blood said about that meeting was true. Honestly I was a bit skeptical on that one…” Aureolus remembered.
“Hold up, how old is this kid again?” Weaver interrupted.
“17 going on 18, I think…” Aureolus tried to recall. “It’s kind of hard to keep track when you spend those years in the same room without a clock.”
“Oh, here they come!” Gabriella pointed out.
“Alright everyone, look lively; Allan and his highness are here” Barna announced. “Boys! It’s been too long!” He warmly greeted as he hugged each of them.
“Here we go…” Dunja said quietly as she took one last breath to calm her nerves. “Just take it easy and apologize. It’ll be fine…”
Next: Chapter 3
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Whereas The Iron City had primarily gothic architecture with hints of victorian, Shadowland leaned heavily into victorian architecture with hints of gothic and medieval. It was a truly beautiful city despite it having seen better days. The havoc wrought by Milosh could not cover up the amazing symmetry and craftsmanship of the buildings and roads. Things were quiet as the carriage rolled calmly through the streets. The area in question was under Sten’s control, but it was eerie to see the place seemingly deserted. In truth, the people that lived there were actually watching through the old, scratched windows.
The driver called for the horses to stop at Dustman’s street, which had a direct path to Sten’s castle. “Whoa there! Alright everyone, we’ve arrived.”
As they all got out, Barna handed the driver a pouch of coins. “Thank you very much. We’ll keep you posted if we need any help.”
“Very welcome to you, Mr. Schindewolf. Best of luck to all of you.” With a flick of the reins, the carriage was off once again.
What was that about, dad?” Aureolus questioned. “I thought uncle had this all set up for us?”
“Aw, don’t worry, my boy. I just felt like giving him a little extra something for the hassle.”
“How kind of you, Mr. Schindewolf,” Gabriella complimented. “Now what is our first order of business?”
“Assuming we don’t get jumped by a random cultist, my fellows should be here soon… Dunja, careful! There’s a… earth spirit there…”
She picked up her armored foot and gagged a bit. “Eww… why do these things have to be so disgusting?” Dunja scraped it off her boot and held it firm. “You little whelp! Where do you get off having such an ego?” She then crushed it in her hand, turning it to dust.
“My my, so they show up here too…” Gabriella observed. “It seems like that one never got what he truly wanted in life, for the worst.”
“Well good riddance either way…” Dunja stated. “Ew ew ew… forgot how nasty they were…”
Barna chuckled and dusted off his sleeves. “That’s one less spirit Milosh has to work with… speaking of which, where is that rat bastard?” He began sniffing the air like a hunting hound.
“Any luck, dad?” Aureolus asked.
“No…” he replied as he stroked his short beard. “His scent is faint, which means he hasn’t been around here recently.”
Dunja looked about as she brushed off her hands, her armor lightly clanking as she did. Things were fine until she noticed two individuals approaching, causing her to nervously scoot behind Barna. “Ahem, Barna…”
“Dunja, what are you… oh, ha, I see. Claudius! Weaver! Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes!”
“Buongiorno, Barna” Claudius greeted, taking off his hat.
“Barna! Good to see you again” Weaver followed. “Geez, you missed a lot of the fun recently.”
Claudius was a fairly normal man, with tidy brown hair, blue eyes, and a well groomed mustache. His attire was professional, adorned by a waxed leather coat that appeared black. It was worn, yet it was obvious that it had been through a lot. Weaver was more abnormal by a striking degree. His skin was pale indigo, his eyes were purple, and his long hair was like a rich blue fire that flowed calmly in the wind. His attire was a white button up shirt and brown dress pants.
“Before we address the elephant in the room, gentlemen, allow me to introduce our new faces,” Barna said as he brought Aureolus over. “Claudius, this is Aureolus. Son, this is Claudius Alfieri. He’s our doctor and resident sabotage expert.”
“Hi, Mr. Alfieri, It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, Aureolus” he replied as they shook hands. He was utterly amazed as it felt like he was grasping air itself. The boy’s nigh transparent body also seemed to turn translucent as he made contact with him. “Please, call me Claudius.”
Next was Weaver, who eagerly shook the boy’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, kid. I heard you’re learning smithing and alchemy, aye?”
“Yup. Dad and my brother are teaching me.”
“Well you got some of the best teachers around. The Schindewolf’s are second to none when it comes to this stuff. Barna was my teacher back when I first arrived and the stuff he taught me was some of the best techniques in the Unlight, all being stuff I still use to this day…”
Barna laughed. “Alright Weaver, we still have one more face to go…” He gestured for Gabriella to step over. “Gentlemen, this is Gabriella Pari. She’s an angel and the daughter of Valentina, coming highly recommended by her.”
“As I live and breathe, are you truly such a being, Gabriella?” Claudius asked with a bit of wonder and awe in his voice.
Gabriella nodded, followed by a pair of wings emerging from her back. “Why yes I am. I’m fairly young as an angel and nowhere near as strong as my mother, but I hope I can be of help to you regardless.”
“Do not fret your eminence, for it is an honor to merely be in your presence.”
While Claudius was humble, Weaver went right up and shook her hand. This caused the doctor to give him a stern look that went unnoticed by the young man. “The name’s Craddock, Weaver Craddock. Resident blacksmith. If you need any smithing done of any kind, just let me know. I’m available whenever you need me.”
Gabriella giggled. “Why thank you, Weaver. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
Barna caught a whiff of Weaver’s scent. Was he attracted to Gabriella? If that was the case, he would have to take that up with Valentina. “Hey, Dunja? Where are you going?” He grabbed her arm and pulled her over.
Claudius shifted his gaze. “So it’s true then…”
“Well I’ll be damned…” Weaver remarked. “Shoot, Dunja, looks like we’re not going to be able to settle our last fight…”
Dunja inhaled and exhaled, her anxiety feeling like it was punching her heart in her chest. “Guys, I’m truly sorry for all the trouble I put you through. I’m here to make everything right, I swear.” She was sweating bullets as she waited for them to respond. It felt like they were looking right through her, directly at her soul.
“Claudius, what do you think?”
“Well, Weaver, given the recent turn of events and the destruction of the shadow orb, I’d say she’s serious. You have my forgiveness , your majesty” He said with a bow.
Dunja was dumbfounded. “Wait, just like that!?”
“Yes… and no.” Weaver took her hand and shook it. “Talk is cheap, but you did screw over Milosh. Let’s see what else you can do for the cause. If Barna and Claudius are willing, I’ll also give you a chance.”
“Thank you, Weaver. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“Fantastic” Aureolus complimented. “Did you know Aunt Dunja is going to be teaching me void magic?”
Claudius put his wide-brimmed hat back on. “Bene ora, another void caller?”
“Yup! I’m even going to teach Blood-Wraith what I know when I get home.”
Weaver laughed a little. “Jeez, do you know how much of a thrashing Dunja put me through with her void magic? It was something else…” he recalled as the group began walking. “You guys see that ding in her right pauldron? That was all me.” He sounded incredibly proud over that.
“Really?” Aureolus wondered. “The void magic that is. If it’s anything like the showdown with Uncle Englehart, I’m not surprised” he concluded. Dunja had a regretful, yet slightly proud smile because of this.
Not too far away in a busy alley were a boy and a man. The former was a raven-haired child of regal demeanor and the latter was built like a brick wall and had familiar blonde hair. Despite looking like they had seen better days, the two were working hard to clean things up. The man was helping people move supplies back and forth while the boy kept a record of everything. It had been quite the busy day for the both of them. Of course, the arrival of a certain group had them a bit distracted.
“You really think Dunja turned over a new leaf, Folkvar?” The man asked as he handed a crate to a worker.
“Father seems to think so, which has me a bit surprised, truth be told.”
“Hey, Allan, toss me a rag!” One of the other workers called out.
“Sure!” He replied. “I asked Torunn about it last night and she said it’s not impossible… And she was certain of that, let me tell you.”
Folkvar handed the documents back to a supervisor and gestured for Allan to follow him. “Well they should be here by now. Let’s go see what’s up.”
A third worker handed the two some buttered bread rolls for the go and wished them luck. “Ma seemed pretty interested in this as an edge against the other blades” Allan noted. “You still upset over all that Darkborne nonsense?”
Folkvar took a big bite out of his roll. “Kind of, but it’s in the past now. Given what we’ve learned recently, I’m fully inclined to forgive her. I think it’s safe to say Milosh is the real bad guy here, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Allan pondered Dunja’s change of heart for a moment. “So has your dad decided on what he’s going to do about Andelin and Gratiana?”
“Well, it sounds like he’s in a charitable mood at the moment…”
“... so exile instead of execution?” Allan quipped.
Both of them laughed. “No, neither of those. He fully recognizes that that would be a waste of talent and might. I guess that if we can defeat them and have them join us, he’ll grant them pardons.”
“Huh, charitable indeed…”
“Well remember, my father admires Torunn. I bet she convinced him to give all of them a second chance… baring Milosh.”
Allan nodded. “Sounds about right.”
The two continued on until a low, bellowing roar was heard. They stopped and heard it again, albeit quieter. “I don’t like the sound of that…” Folkvar said with concern.
“Me neither” Allan replied as he stroked his small beard. “Ma’s probably on it, but let’s hurry up regardless…”
Barna had also heard the roar and was even more concerned as he knew whose roar that was. Not wanting to freak everyone out, he subtly got the group to pick up the pace by taking the lead. “Now if we proceed up this way, we should run into Allan and the prince…”
“Uh, dad?” Aureolus asked, a tad concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Why look! I can see them off yonder” Barna cried. It was obvious he was worried and wanted everyone together as soon as possible.
Dunja felt her blood run cold as she saw the young boy in the distance. “Okay, easy… just take it slowly and apologize…” she muttered.
Weaver shook his head. “Ain’t this a far cry from a year ago… Dunja, relax. Folkvar’s over it… for the most part.”
“Certo,” Claudius assured. “Recent raids on Milosh’s compounds have confirmed that the Darkborne angle of the cult’s ‘religion’ was ultimately Milosh’s idea…”
Dunja nodded. “Well obviously… Source, I should have had that rat executed! I could have done it too!” she exclaimed in frustration.
Weaver laughed. “It’s cathartic to hear you say that.”
“Just to set the records straight, I NEVER liked Milosh…”
“Hence why you slept with your blades instead, is it not?” Claudius playfully chided.
Dunja groaned. “I am never going to live that down…”
“Huh, so what Blood said about that meeting was true. Honestly I was a bit skeptical on that one…” Aureolus remembered.
“Hold up, how old is this kid again?” Weaver interrupted.
“17 going on 18, I think…” Aureolus tried to recall. “It’s kind of hard to keep track when you spend those years in the same room without a clock.”
“Oh, here they come!” Gabriella pointed out.
“Alright everyone, look lively; Allan and his highness are here” Barna announced. “Boys! It’s been too long!” He warmly greeted as he hugged each of them.
“Here we go…” Dunja said quietly as she took one last breath to calm her nerves. “Just take it easy and apologize. It’ll be fine…”
Next: Chapter 3
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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