ULTRAMagic Shadowland - Chapter 8
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Having wrapped up his business with Sten for the time being, Barna figured it was time to get something to eat. He took everyone to a pub, The Dashing Ram to be precise. Truthfully he needed a drink after everything he had just been through. Albrecht also needed to take the edge off as he was still frazzled from Dunja’s revelation. The pub was not too far away from the castle, with the trip over being reasonable. Arriving at the establishment, things were fairly busy given that it was around dinner time. People were happily having a drink at the various tables as the smell of cooked meat and fresh bread filled the air.
“All of you head over there while I go get us some dinner” Barna instructed. Strolling over to the bar top, he encountered a good friend of his. “Bjorn! How ya been? Is everything back in order?”
“Barna, it’s been a while! Yeah, things have been a little bumpy, but we’re getting back on track.” Bjorn was an older gentleman with graying hair and a wrinkled face, yet still had an aura of vigor to him. “What can I do for you?”
“2 ales, 3 meads, 1 rainwater, and whatever you're serving for dinner tonight.”
“Ha, me and Brynhild figured you’d be around after what went down this morning. Pot roast suit your fancy?”
Barna put the money on the counter. “Sure, that’d be fine.”
Bjorn handed a note to his wife and began counting out the money. “Barna, is that Dunja over there?”
“Yup. She’s fully on board for cleaning things up. You should’ve seen the duel she and Englehart had.”
“So Sten must be getting pretty serious then?”
“Absolutely. He wants Milosh dead now… Say, can you send word to your brother that I need at least ten kegs of explosives?” The question was asked in a hushed tone.
Bjorn was surprised. “Now what would you need that for…? You’re not thinking of blowing up the church, are you?”
“Sten asked me not to, but I want them as a contingency. Dunja said she’d destroy the church herself with her magic and bless her heart for doing so, but since when do things ever go according to plan?”
“Aye. Understandable, especially with Andelin and Gratiana still running around. I’ll pass the word onto him.”
Back over at the table, Aureolus was looking around and marveling at the decor. There were hunting trophies, paintings of wilderness, and plaques detailing various accomplishments. “Wow, this place is cool. Do you guys come here often?”
“Whenever we get the opportunity to do so” Claudius answered. “Fortunately the owners were able to keep the place running during the dark times… unfortunately by striking a deal with Milosh and Gratiana. He gave them a cut of their profits in return for the pub being a neutral zone of sorts. I remember the day it happened: Bjorn went right up to Dunja and Milosh and made his terms crystal clear.”
“Ah, I see. Bjorn is a very strong man, isn’t he?”
“Certamente. He is an expert brewmaster, his wife Brynhild is a top notch cook, and both would be damned if they ever lost the pub.”
“You don’t think they’re mad at Aunt Dunja, do you?”
“Aside from the shenanigans of the deal, not really,” Torunn jumped in to answer. “We’ve discussed it over the years and all agreed that Milosh was truly the problem.”
“Oh, well thank you, Torunn” Dunja replied. “I really need to hunt down the cult’s treasury and ledger so I can get their money back to them…”
Barna came walking over with a large wooden tray full of food and six mugs. “Here we are, everyone” he said as he set it down on the table. “Before we dig in, let’s do a quick toast…”
Albrecht was about to take a sip of his mead, but paused. “Sure. To whom are we toasting?”
“I’d say to Blood-Wraith and Dunja since they were pivotal in us being here tonight. Ahem, to Blood-Wraith and Dunja, may the Source bless their souls…”
“Cheers!” Everyone said in unison.
After their sips, Torunn spoke as she took some food. “Aside from the church, I want to prioritize recruiting Andelin at the moment. Funny you mentioned the ledgers given how she’s been keeping track of them, Dunja.”
“Has she done anything noteworthy in my absence?”
“I’m not sure. She’s been keeping out of sight as of late. We didn’t hear a peep out of her when we went open season on the cult.”
Dunja thought about that explanation for a second, trying to see if she could determine what Andelin was up to. “Hum… knowing her, she’s probably planning to betray Milosh. I could see her doing that and she may or may not have indicated that to me a long time ago… Hey, Albrecht? Has she…?”
“Nope, sorry. Just Gummi,” he replied as he started eating his food. “Speaking of him, can I ask a question that’s been bothering us for a while?”
“Sure… what’s the matter?”
“Who’s Gummi’s mother? We’ve got some suspicions, but…”
“It’s Gratiana,” Dunja answered immediately. “She had a fling with Milosh a while back and left Gummi with him.”
“I presume that means we won’t run into any friction if we recruit Andelin and Gummi, hopefully” Torunn pointed out, after finishing a sip of her drink. “Worst case scenario is we have to fight Gratiana on the spot… although there was a development at Droomopolis that may give us an edge, but we’re not too sure about that yet.”
An idea then occurred to Aureolus as he fiddled with his fork. “Would it be arrogant to say we’ve won already? I was just thinking about it since we have so many advantages already. Honestly I’m not sure why they keep fighting despite the obvious reasons.”
“To answer your question, yes and no, my boy,” Barna said while eating. “You have a good point, but the issue is that that church still stands. They have something to rally behind. Of course, it’ll only be standing for so long, hehe…”
Dunja slowly turned to Barna. “Didn’t Sten ask you not to use explosives?”
“Yes, but I want them as a backup…”
“Barna… Are you doubting my skills and resolve?”
“No no, of course not, your majesty.”
Albrecht shook his head. “Jeez Uncle, you’re going to blow up that church no matter what, aren’t you?”
Barna chuckled. “Well look at it this way: If we’re successful, that is one destroyed church and ten less barrels of explosives our enemy has to work with.” The others sighed at his logic, but conceded to themselves that he had a fair point.
Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Odo led the charge into the cult tavern, contrary to instructions on the card. The building was dingy and rundown, full of sullen and morose cultists. They complained about their lot in life and cursed the powers that be. It was a truly pitiful sight that would have had any sensible individual ostracize them for the lazy, ungrateful bellends that they were. Of course, the cultists did not expect a knight, a blacksmith, and a gunslinger to come barging in, interrupting their self-loathing. There was no time to react as bullets flew and furniture was thrown across the room, sending the tavern into chaos.
One mook with a large knife tried to tackle Odo only to get a shield bash to the face. “Don’t announce your attack next time, fool!” With his sword coated in blue lightning, Odo slashed the cultist, taking him out.
“Blithering blaggards still can’t fight!” Weaver called out in response as he punched a cultist square in the face. Another was walloped in the neck. A third came screaming at him with a broken bottle, but he intercepted him with a hard elbow to the chest. “WHAT DID ODO JUST SAY, IDIOT?” Weaver then took the attacker and threw him to the ground with a heavy thud. The ensuing elbow drop definitely knocked the offending cultist out of commission.
Gabriella was busy firing off rounds from her guns that pierced her targets in such a way that would only incapacitate them. Her main target was what seemed to be the head of the tavern, who was ducking and weaving behind a counter. He promptly leapt out of a window and ran for it. “Bloody Coward!!” she declared.
Odo punched the last cultist and turned to the angel. “Do not expect finesse or dignity from these ne’er-do-wells, my dear.”
“Yup…” Weaver picked up a booze bottle and smashed it over the head of the man he struck in the throat. “Damn, thought I knocked him out. Thank God they were drunk or hungover… Ahem, yeah, these mooks were never properly trained, if you couldn’t already tell. We’re all pretty sure Milosh never actually lifted a finger in his life, so don’t expect his thugs to know how to tussle.”
Odo nodded as he sheathed his sword. “Now, I presume you have an idea on where to look for our information?”
“I have a few ideas. Me and the boys have raided our fair share of these junk heaps in the past…”
Weaver led the two to a backroom with an odd bookcase at the far wall. It was quite out of place, being surrounded by barrels of weapons and rotten food. The key appeared to be a particular book sticking out of the third shelf. Pulling it rattled the bookcase, but nothing else happened. The second try yielded no luck either. Having no patience for this nonsense, Weaver cautioned for his friends to step back. Black, molten metal engulfed his arms as his hair began blazing. He grabbed the entire shelf, ripped it off the wall with a roar, and flung it across the room. With a mighty crash, it exploded into a mess of broken wood and rubble.
“Honestly my patience for this hogwash ran out a long time ago. Now stay close, we don’t know what’s down there” Weaver warned.
A stairway had been revealed that led to a series of basement rooms. It was musty and dank, with cabinets and crates all over the place. A lot of it was ruined supplies and records of non importance. Surely there had to be something, indicated by the card that had been given to Weaver… assuming it was not a trap. Tearing through the papers was grueling, as a lot of them were covered in mold and stunk to high heaven. That was not to mention the poor lighting, copious amount of dust, and unending amount of cobwebs.
Gabriella found a cabinet in the back that seemed promising. She opened it up, but something was off. A shiny, black sheet was on top of everything. Was it a protective piece of rubber? The angel went to remove it only for it to lunge at her. “GENTLEMEN? HELP!!”
Weaver and Odo rushed over to see Gabriella on the floor. She was trying to get a shiny, black substance off of her arms. This was made impossible due to the goo rendering her hands useless. “Oh jeez!” Weaver said as he went to help. “Hold on, I'll help you! Now hold still…”
While he took care of that, Odo went over to the cabinet in question. A lazy boobytrap no doubt. “Ah hah! What do we have here?”
“Find something good?” Weaver inquired as he waded up the goo. He then handed it to Gabriella. “Here, hold on to it. It’s actually pretty useful in the right hands…”
Odo went through the files until he found one called ‘The Fear.’ It was roughed up and heavily censored, but had some key details they needed. “I do believe we have our target!”
“Goodness, is it a primordial like we’ve been suspecting?” Gabriella asked as she put the black goo in her pocket.
Odo nodded as he continued to look through the documents. “Yes, yes it is. It’s even in a reality error here in Shadowland… Let’s get moving!”
The three quickly departed the tavern, only to stop outside the doorway. Something was not right at all. It felt like they had been followed. “Alright, who’s out there!?” Weaver called out.
There was a moment of hair raising silence before a woman emerged from the shadows. She was dressed in a tuxedo and top hat. Eagerly shuffling her deck, she approached them. “Well done, you three. Quite the performance…”
“Andelin!” Weaver growled. “What do you want?!”
“Well I hate to be rude, but I need to cut right to the chase: All of you are interfering with my plans and I cannot have that. Not one bit.”
“Plans? What plans? What have you been up to?”
“Shh… do you hear that? It’s the winds of change…”
“Pardon? What the Hell are you even talking about?” Weaver demanded to know.
Andelin giggled in a creepy manner. “Since you’re so interested in what I’m doing, how about a bet? If you win, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. If I win? Hehe, let’s just get into the betting… I bet that I’ll add you three to my deck by the end of this confrontation. Now you…”
“Just what are you playing at here?” Gabriella asked as she readied her guns.
“Make. A. Bet. Against me, preferably.”
Weaver looked at his friends, then back to Andelin. “Fine. I bet we’ll subdue you and take you to Dunja and Torunn.”
Andelin smiled. “No more bets, please. Now, how about we start things off with a little game, interested?”
Odo did not like the sound of this. “I suppose that would be preferable to fighting. What exactly is this game?”
Next: Chapter 9
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Having wrapped up his business with Sten for the time being, Barna figured it was time to get something to eat. He took everyone to a pub, The Dashing Ram to be precise. Truthfully he needed a drink after everything he had just been through. Albrecht also needed to take the edge off as he was still frazzled from Dunja’s revelation. The pub was not too far away from the castle, with the trip over being reasonable. Arriving at the establishment, things were fairly busy given that it was around dinner time. People were happily having a drink at the various tables as the smell of cooked meat and fresh bread filled the air.
“All of you head over there while I go get us some dinner” Barna instructed. Strolling over to the bar top, he encountered a good friend of his. “Bjorn! How ya been? Is everything back in order?”
“Barna, it’s been a while! Yeah, things have been a little bumpy, but we’re getting back on track.” Bjorn was an older gentleman with graying hair and a wrinkled face, yet still had an aura of vigor to him. “What can I do for you?”
“2 ales, 3 meads, 1 rainwater, and whatever you're serving for dinner tonight.”
“Ha, me and Brynhild figured you’d be around after what went down this morning. Pot roast suit your fancy?”
Barna put the money on the counter. “Sure, that’d be fine.”
Bjorn handed a note to his wife and began counting out the money. “Barna, is that Dunja over there?”
“Yup. She’s fully on board for cleaning things up. You should’ve seen the duel she and Englehart had.”
“So Sten must be getting pretty serious then?”
“Absolutely. He wants Milosh dead now… Say, can you send word to your brother that I need at least ten kegs of explosives?” The question was asked in a hushed tone.
Bjorn was surprised. “Now what would you need that for…? You’re not thinking of blowing up the church, are you?”
“Sten asked me not to, but I want them as a contingency. Dunja said she’d destroy the church herself with her magic and bless her heart for doing so, but since when do things ever go according to plan?”
“Aye. Understandable, especially with Andelin and Gratiana still running around. I’ll pass the word onto him.”
Back over at the table, Aureolus was looking around and marveling at the decor. There were hunting trophies, paintings of wilderness, and plaques detailing various accomplishments. “Wow, this place is cool. Do you guys come here often?”
“Whenever we get the opportunity to do so” Claudius answered. “Fortunately the owners were able to keep the place running during the dark times… unfortunately by striking a deal with Milosh and Gratiana. He gave them a cut of their profits in return for the pub being a neutral zone of sorts. I remember the day it happened: Bjorn went right up to Dunja and Milosh and made his terms crystal clear.”
“Ah, I see. Bjorn is a very strong man, isn’t he?”
“Certamente. He is an expert brewmaster, his wife Brynhild is a top notch cook, and both would be damned if they ever lost the pub.”
“You don’t think they’re mad at Aunt Dunja, do you?”
“Aside from the shenanigans of the deal, not really,” Torunn jumped in to answer. “We’ve discussed it over the years and all agreed that Milosh was truly the problem.”
“Oh, well thank you, Torunn” Dunja replied. “I really need to hunt down the cult’s treasury and ledger so I can get their money back to them…”
Barna came walking over with a large wooden tray full of food and six mugs. “Here we are, everyone” he said as he set it down on the table. “Before we dig in, let’s do a quick toast…”
Albrecht was about to take a sip of his mead, but paused. “Sure. To whom are we toasting?”
“I’d say to Blood-Wraith and Dunja since they were pivotal in us being here tonight. Ahem, to Blood-Wraith and Dunja, may the Source bless their souls…”
“Cheers!” Everyone said in unison.
After their sips, Torunn spoke as she took some food. “Aside from the church, I want to prioritize recruiting Andelin at the moment. Funny you mentioned the ledgers given how she’s been keeping track of them, Dunja.”
“Has she done anything noteworthy in my absence?”
“I’m not sure. She’s been keeping out of sight as of late. We didn’t hear a peep out of her when we went open season on the cult.”
Dunja thought about that explanation for a second, trying to see if she could determine what Andelin was up to. “Hum… knowing her, she’s probably planning to betray Milosh. I could see her doing that and she may or may not have indicated that to me a long time ago… Hey, Albrecht? Has she…?”
“Nope, sorry. Just Gummi,” he replied as he started eating his food. “Speaking of him, can I ask a question that’s been bothering us for a while?”
“Sure… what’s the matter?”
“Who’s Gummi’s mother? We’ve got some suspicions, but…”
“It’s Gratiana,” Dunja answered immediately. “She had a fling with Milosh a while back and left Gummi with him.”
“I presume that means we won’t run into any friction if we recruit Andelin and Gummi, hopefully” Torunn pointed out, after finishing a sip of her drink. “Worst case scenario is we have to fight Gratiana on the spot… although there was a development at Droomopolis that may give us an edge, but we’re not too sure about that yet.”
An idea then occurred to Aureolus as he fiddled with his fork. “Would it be arrogant to say we’ve won already? I was just thinking about it since we have so many advantages already. Honestly I’m not sure why they keep fighting despite the obvious reasons.”
“To answer your question, yes and no, my boy,” Barna said while eating. “You have a good point, but the issue is that that church still stands. They have something to rally behind. Of course, it’ll only be standing for so long, hehe…”
Dunja slowly turned to Barna. “Didn’t Sten ask you not to use explosives?”
“Yes, but I want them as a backup…”
“Barna… Are you doubting my skills and resolve?”
“No no, of course not, your majesty.”
Albrecht shook his head. “Jeez Uncle, you’re going to blow up that church no matter what, aren’t you?”
Barna chuckled. “Well look at it this way: If we’re successful, that is one destroyed church and ten less barrels of explosives our enemy has to work with.” The others sighed at his logic, but conceded to themselves that he had a fair point.
Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Odo led the charge into the cult tavern, contrary to instructions on the card. The building was dingy and rundown, full of sullen and morose cultists. They complained about their lot in life and cursed the powers that be. It was a truly pitiful sight that would have had any sensible individual ostracize them for the lazy, ungrateful bellends that they were. Of course, the cultists did not expect a knight, a blacksmith, and a gunslinger to come barging in, interrupting their self-loathing. There was no time to react as bullets flew and furniture was thrown across the room, sending the tavern into chaos.
One mook with a large knife tried to tackle Odo only to get a shield bash to the face. “Don’t announce your attack next time, fool!” With his sword coated in blue lightning, Odo slashed the cultist, taking him out.
“Blithering blaggards still can’t fight!” Weaver called out in response as he punched a cultist square in the face. Another was walloped in the neck. A third came screaming at him with a broken bottle, but he intercepted him with a hard elbow to the chest. “WHAT DID ODO JUST SAY, IDIOT?” Weaver then took the attacker and threw him to the ground with a heavy thud. The ensuing elbow drop definitely knocked the offending cultist out of commission.
Gabriella was busy firing off rounds from her guns that pierced her targets in such a way that would only incapacitate them. Her main target was what seemed to be the head of the tavern, who was ducking and weaving behind a counter. He promptly leapt out of a window and ran for it. “Bloody Coward!!” she declared.
Odo punched the last cultist and turned to the angel. “Do not expect finesse or dignity from these ne’er-do-wells, my dear.”
“Yup…” Weaver picked up a booze bottle and smashed it over the head of the man he struck in the throat. “Damn, thought I knocked him out. Thank God they were drunk or hungover… Ahem, yeah, these mooks were never properly trained, if you couldn’t already tell. We’re all pretty sure Milosh never actually lifted a finger in his life, so don’t expect his thugs to know how to tussle.”
Odo nodded as he sheathed his sword. “Now, I presume you have an idea on where to look for our information?”
“I have a few ideas. Me and the boys have raided our fair share of these junk heaps in the past…”
Weaver led the two to a backroom with an odd bookcase at the far wall. It was quite out of place, being surrounded by barrels of weapons and rotten food. The key appeared to be a particular book sticking out of the third shelf. Pulling it rattled the bookcase, but nothing else happened. The second try yielded no luck either. Having no patience for this nonsense, Weaver cautioned for his friends to step back. Black, molten metal engulfed his arms as his hair began blazing. He grabbed the entire shelf, ripped it off the wall with a roar, and flung it across the room. With a mighty crash, it exploded into a mess of broken wood and rubble.
“Honestly my patience for this hogwash ran out a long time ago. Now stay close, we don’t know what’s down there” Weaver warned.
A stairway had been revealed that led to a series of basement rooms. It was musty and dank, with cabinets and crates all over the place. A lot of it was ruined supplies and records of non importance. Surely there had to be something, indicated by the card that had been given to Weaver… assuming it was not a trap. Tearing through the papers was grueling, as a lot of them were covered in mold and stunk to high heaven. That was not to mention the poor lighting, copious amount of dust, and unending amount of cobwebs.
Gabriella found a cabinet in the back that seemed promising. She opened it up, but something was off. A shiny, black sheet was on top of everything. Was it a protective piece of rubber? The angel went to remove it only for it to lunge at her. “GENTLEMEN? HELP!!”
Weaver and Odo rushed over to see Gabriella on the floor. She was trying to get a shiny, black substance off of her arms. This was made impossible due to the goo rendering her hands useless. “Oh jeez!” Weaver said as he went to help. “Hold on, I'll help you! Now hold still…”
While he took care of that, Odo went over to the cabinet in question. A lazy boobytrap no doubt. “Ah hah! What do we have here?”
“Find something good?” Weaver inquired as he waded up the goo. He then handed it to Gabriella. “Here, hold on to it. It’s actually pretty useful in the right hands…”
Odo went through the files until he found one called ‘The Fear.’ It was roughed up and heavily censored, but had some key details they needed. “I do believe we have our target!”
“Goodness, is it a primordial like we’ve been suspecting?” Gabriella asked as she put the black goo in her pocket.
Odo nodded as he continued to look through the documents. “Yes, yes it is. It’s even in a reality error here in Shadowland… Let’s get moving!”
The three quickly departed the tavern, only to stop outside the doorway. Something was not right at all. It felt like they had been followed. “Alright, who’s out there!?” Weaver called out.
There was a moment of hair raising silence before a woman emerged from the shadows. She was dressed in a tuxedo and top hat. Eagerly shuffling her deck, she approached them. “Well done, you three. Quite the performance…”
“Andelin!” Weaver growled. “What do you want?!”
“Well I hate to be rude, but I need to cut right to the chase: All of you are interfering with my plans and I cannot have that. Not one bit.”
“Plans? What plans? What have you been up to?”
“Shh… do you hear that? It’s the winds of change…”
“Pardon? What the Hell are you even talking about?” Weaver demanded to know.
Andelin giggled in a creepy manner. “Since you’re so interested in what I’m doing, how about a bet? If you win, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. If I win? Hehe, let’s just get into the betting… I bet that I’ll add you three to my deck by the end of this confrontation. Now you…”
“Just what are you playing at here?” Gabriella asked as she readied her guns.
“Make. A. Bet. Against me, preferably.”
Weaver looked at his friends, then back to Andelin. “Fine. I bet we’ll subdue you and take you to Dunja and Torunn.”
Andelin smiled. “No more bets, please. Now, how about we start things off with a little game, interested?”
Odo did not like the sound of this. “I suppose that would be preferable to fighting. What exactly is this game?”
Next: Chapter 9
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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