ULTRAMagic Chaos - Chapter 1
Interlude | Introduction | Next
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Tusk Willfort woke up one morning in a cold sweat, having had a dream where he revisited a realm he had been to a long time ago, feeling the dire urge to return there. Looking out his bedroom window and seeing the Unending Forest beyond it, a growl of his stomach made it apparent that he needed breakfast as he stretched and worked the kinks out of his back. The Realm of Chaos would have to wait as Tusk went downstairs to get something to eat. He was greeted by the sight of his mother and father in the dining room, who were already eating. Normally Tusk would have been perfectly happy to see his parents altogether, but this happiness was tinged with the bitter-sweetness of the grand adventures he had been forced to go on in recent years.
The Willfort’s as a whole were what was known as Tree People, humanoid trees that were native to The Unlight, with Tusk’s people in particular hailing from The Unending Forest. The forest itself was an entity once known as a primordial and did its best to keep those who live inside it safe. Tusk himself had a dark brown bark for skin, brown hair, and glowing yellow eyes. He was also the son of Sigmund, the chief of their village. Sigmund could sense that his son was uneasy that morning. The tall, aged Treeman turned his sight towards Tusk, stroking his beard in an inquisitive manner.
“Tusk, my boy, is something bothering you?” The fiery orb inside of him focusing on his son through empty eye sockets. “You haven’t said good morning yet.”
He looked up from preparing his cereal. “Yeah, you could say that…”
“Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?” Thora asked. Tusk’s mother was also up there in age and had hair that was similar to the branches of a willow tree.
“No, but it was certainly a dream,” Tusk replied as he sat down. He moved his lower jaw side to side, the bark that made up his skin creaking. “I think I’m going to go to Droomopolis soon.”
“By the Source, my boy,” Sigmund exclaimed. “I haven’t heard that city’s name in ages.”
“What’s wrong there?” Thora inquired. “Did your dream warn you of something?”
Tusk ate some of his cereal and sighed. “I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure Ealdhelm needs help. The whole dream was a mess and it’d take forever to properly explain. It’s probably best I just go there instead of trying to write a book to articulate it all, ha.”
Thora nodded, understanding his plight. “I know how you feel; but Tusk, dear, I just got home from the labyrinth. Are you just going to rush right out on me like that?”
“Oh come on, Mom,” Tusk said with a chuckle. “You’ll know where I am.” He continued to eat, secretly concerned about worrying his mother. “Besides, I’m rusty with my magic. A quick trip to see Ealdhelm wouldn’t hurt. He lent me his sword during the battle with the Lich, so I can at least return the favor somehow.”
“Well I can’t fault you there,” Thora concurred. “By the way, how’s your arm holding up?”
Tusk looked at his right arm, which was made of stone. It was an unforgettable reminder of the sacrifice he made in the battle with The Lich of Old at the Dark Grand Desert. “Fine, as always.”
“I noticed you integrated your Philosopher’s Stone into it,” Sigmund pointed out as the red gemstone glistened in the morning sunlight, embedded in the dorsal side of his son’s hand. “I thought you were leery about making modifications to your body…”
Tusk clenched his fist, causing the stone to pulse with light. “I figured I might as well since I’ve gotten back into alchemy. It’d be nice if I hadn’t lost my glove all those years ago.”
Thora chuckled to herself. “Well I guess we can’t stop you now that you’re back on your feet and whatnot. Just don’t get lost and distracted like I did, okay, sweetie?”
“I hear you loud and clear, Mom.”
After relaxing for a little bit to let his food digest, Tusk took a quick trip over to his workshop. It was a quaint little shack, big enough for him and his experiments. He went over to the main workbench and began rummaging through his tools and papers. Tusk knew this journey was going to be complicated, so he wanted to make sure he was ready. As he did this, someone approached him from behind.
“Hey, Uncle Tusk…”
“No.”
“What!? I haven’t even asked yet!”
“No, Auda. I already know what you’re going to say.”
Auda was the daughter of Tusk’s brother, Skari. She was an adorable, young Tree Person, with beautiful, scarlet hair and two horns atop her head. “Oh come on, Uncle Tusk! Let me go to Droomopolis with you!”
“NO. It’s already bad enough that you snuck off with Blood-Wraith and Brenna to the labyrinth. The Realm of Chaos is vastly more dangerous than The Unlight.”
“Please?” Auda was trying to be as endearing as possible. This was met by a glare and a subtle growl from Tusk.
A hand was placed on Auda’s shoulder. “Sorry, Auda, but I think he means business this time.”
“Thank you, Donia!” Tusk said with relief in his voice. “Talk some sense into her while I get ready.”
Donia Albronda was a good friend of Tusk’s. She had pink, petal-like hair and her bark was similar to that of oak. “I’m going to have to side with Tusk on this one, Auda.”
“Aw man,” she replied with a snap of her fingers. “Are you sure about that, Aunt Donia?”
Tusk paused. “Auda, Donia and I aren’t married yet…”
Auda and Donia giggled. “Okay, Uncle Tusk. I’ll stay here.”
“Thank you…”
Donia patted Tusk on the shoulder. “Hey, stay safe, you hear? I need you back in one piece for the wedding. Are you sure I can’t come along?”
“I’d rather not put you in harm's way, Donia. I have no idea what’s going to happen this time around and I got a sneaking suspicion things are going to get really hairy.” Tusk then finished loading up his satchel. “Tell you what, we’ll get married as soon as I get back. Sounds good?”
This made Donia gasp. “Oh my goodness! I need to make plans!” She stopped at the door. “You’re serious, right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” And that was all Donia needed to hear.
Auda smiled. “You better get back soon, Uncle Tusk,” she reminded him.
“One week, two weeks tops” Tusk said as he walked out the door.
Tusk had to do some running around afterwards as he still needed a few more supplies. His people were excited to hear that he was setting out and that he was finally going to get married soon. Naturally Donia’s friends stopped him a few times, asking him if he was mad for going on such a dangerous journey. After taking a break for lunch, Tusk was ready to head out. As he made his way to the outskirts of the village, he was met by a tall and strong man with long, brown hair and twilight orange eyes, wearing an aged, leather coat. It was Chief Magnus Scully, leader of the Sunset Wolves.
“Tusk, lad, do you have a moment?”
“Hello, Chief Scully. I need to get going, but what’s up?”
He straightened his belt and brushed off his sleeves. “I’ve heard you’re heading out to Droomopolis. Quite the excursion I’d say.”
Tusk nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Now I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Realm of Chaos is no laughing matter. That being said, would you be willing to bring Razor along with you?”
He thought about it for a moment, feeling a little awkward over having said no to Donia. “Um, I don’t know, Chief Scully. I’m certain that certain Discordant Gods are up to no good again… Or at the very least, their commanders.”
“A likely possibility. Fortunately my boy has finally achieved ULTRAMagic.”
Tusk nearly choked on his own spit. “Really? Well that changes things!” He then had an annoying realization. “ARGH, damn it! That’s another student I lost…”
Magnus laughed sympathetically, recalling what he had heard about Blood-Wraith Raynot, Tusk’s previous student. “It’s alright, Tusk. You can still help him out by showing him the ropes.”
Tusk sighed, as that was quickly turning into the general sentiment for him. “Alright, if you think he can handle it. Worst case scenario I’ll leave him with the Arbiters. Have Razor meet me at the Obsidian Chaos Gate.”
Magnus then turned into a massive, aged wolf in a flash of light. “I’ll go tell him now. Thank you, Tusk. And best of luck to you.” The chief then took off, sprinting with grace despite his age.
Tusk shook his head with a chuckle and resumed walking. Eventually he arrived at an old, obsidian archway, embedded in the ground and covered in vines and shrubbery. The arcane structure was engraved with eldritch runes that were lit up with a faint, fiery, red light. It also gave off an aura that was a bit menacing, but Tusk was not phased. Normally one would be put off by it, but he had used it so many times in the past that it was actually a bit comforting to see. Since Tusk had time due to waiting for Razor, he sat down on a nearby rock and relaxed a little. Tusk had a lot on his mind and needed to get his thoughts together on what he was going to do once he entered the Realm of Chaos.
“Tusk? Are you sure you want to do this?” A familiar voice in his head asked.
“Hey, Forest. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
“The trees within the realm have warned me that the Discordant Gods are accelerating their plans. It is going to be very dangerous there.”
“Forest, danger is my middle name…”
“No it’s not, you goof. It’s Anderson. I really wish Leif was still around to go with you.”
Tusk sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “Well he isn’t, so we’ll just have to carry on without him…” He then noticed an animal approaching. “Ah, there’s Razor.”
“I see…” The voice sighed. “Best of luck to both of you. Come home safe.” The voice then vanished from Tusk’s head.
With a running leap, a wolf landed right before Tusk. He then turned into a strapping young man in a flash of light. He was dressed in sturdy, leather armor and his mahogany eyes were gleaming with vigor. “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Willfort!” He said as he brushed off his shoulders and straightened out his reddish-brown hair.
“Good to have you, Razor. And please, call me Tusk.”
“Sure thing, Tusk.”
“I’ll admit, 17 is a little green in my books, but hey, no time like the present.” Summoning a fireball with his stone hand, Tusk casually tossed into the archway.
Razor watched as it opened up to what looked like a churning, writhing mass of orange energy. It was quite intimidating, causing his fight or flight response to activate as a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins. “Oh wow… Um, jeez, we’re going in there?”
Tusk patted him on the back. “Yup. Don’t fret. Keep moving forward, don’t accept any deals from multidimensional cephalopods, and you should be fine.”
Entering the portal was like walking through tingly syrup for Razor. He had trouble keeping up with Tusk, who was having no problem at all. The cacophony of nonsensical singing filling the wolf’s ears did not help either. With one great push, Razor flung himself onto a patch of grass. It was quite the jarring change as things felt similar, yet vastly different from the forest. Looking around, he found himself in a grassy field, but nothing was right. The hills were off, the sky was the wrong shade of blue, and the clouds took on shapes that should not have been possible.
“What was all that?” Razor asked, unsure how to process everything that had just happened.
Tusk helped him up. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Welcome to the Realm of Chaos, kid.”
Razor looked around once again. “This place is odd. It’s so close to the Unlight…” He then noticed a series of hills subtly changing in the distance and pointed at them. “Until that happens!”
Tusk laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fairly normal.”
The wolf man gave his mentor an incredulous look. How could he be so nonchalant about everything? “So now what do we do?”
“We make our way to Droomopolis, home of the Arbiters of Droom. You’re going to like them, Razor, especially Ealdhelm. I think you’ll also like Waltheof too. He reminds me a lot of your father, looking back on it.”
Making their way down a dirt road, Razor had many questions for Tusk. A lot of them related to what he was experiencing. The ever shifting nature of the realm was throwing off his keen senses like crazy. As for Tusk, he was still concerned about his dream, but the conversation eased his nerves. It also reminded him of when he first visited Droomopolis and all the questions he asked Ealdhelm back then. Tusk was getting tastes of nostalgia that got stronger and stronger the closer they got to the city. After stopping to pet a friendly cat-fox creature, Razor’s senses picked up something, despite the randomness he was dealing with.
“Tusk, follow me!”
“What’s on your radar, kid?” he asked as he followed.
Razor led him up a small hill overseeing a pleasant valley with some trees. “There!” he pointed out after spotting what he had sensed.
Both of them saw an individual in samurai armor who had just defeated a demonic-looking beast. “Interesting,” Tusk remarked. “Normally I’d say don’t talk to strangers here, but her soul is-hold up! Is that ULTRAMagic I sense?”
Razor sniffed the air in her direction. “That smell… oh, I’ve read about this. She’s an Oni, I believe.”
Tusk nodded and stroked his chin. “She’s definitely been to The Unlight before, no doubt about it. I’d dare say this is an exception to my rule on strangers. Come on, let’s go say hi and see what she’s about.”
Heading down the hill, the pair calmly hurried over to the warrior. She was starting to leave and was about to take off her mask, but stopped and kept it on once she noticed the two. A wolf-like man and a tree person? Suffice it to say she was a little confused. Thankfully she did not sense any malice from them. Despite needing to continue her search, she figured talking to them would not hurt.
“Konnichiwa,” the woman said as the two approached.
“Hey there! The name’s Tusk, Tusk Willfort. And this is my mentee, Razor Scully.”
Razor held out his hand. “Nice to meet you…”
She was a tad hesitant at first, but accepted the handshake, a little taken aback by how friendly they both were. “Kitagawa Mizuki.”
“So I see you just got done dealing with this Scarlet Hunter,” Tusk pointed out as the corpse twitched a little. “They’re from Wulfric’s realm and are incredibly nasty when they’re hungry. Are you heading to Droomopolis by any chance?”
“Perhaps,” Mizuki cautiously replied. “What does it matter to you?”
“Well we just so happen to be heading there ourselves and it doesn’t hurt to travel in a group…” Tusk noticed she was looking fairly skeptical and chuckled. “I have a good eye for souls and noticed your ULTRAMagic from the hill over there.”
She was surprised. “Oh, really now? You two wouldn’t happen to be…?”
Tusk nodded. “Indeed. Razor here just achieved it, but I’ve been one for ages. I was even trained by Ealdhelm the Destroyer himself.”
“We’re on our way to go see the Arbiters of Droom,” Razor stated. “Want to come with us?”
Mizuki thought about it. The two seemed nice enough, so it probably would not hurt to travel with them. “Sure. Let’s walk and talk. How about you tell me more about yourselves?” The Realm of Chaos held many surprises, and this meeting was certainly one of them.
Next: Chapter 2
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Tusk Willfort woke up one morning in a cold sweat, having had a dream where he revisited a realm he had been to a long time ago, feeling the dire urge to return there. Looking out his bedroom window and seeing the Unending Forest beyond it, a growl of his stomach made it apparent that he needed breakfast as he stretched and worked the kinks out of his back. The Realm of Chaos would have to wait as Tusk went downstairs to get something to eat. He was greeted by the sight of his mother and father in the dining room, who were already eating. Normally Tusk would have been perfectly happy to see his parents altogether, but this happiness was tinged with the bitter-sweetness of the grand adventures he had been forced to go on in recent years.
The Willfort’s as a whole were what was known as Tree People, humanoid trees that were native to The Unlight, with Tusk’s people in particular hailing from The Unending Forest. The forest itself was an entity once known as a primordial and did its best to keep those who live inside it safe. Tusk himself had a dark brown bark for skin, brown hair, and glowing yellow eyes. He was also the son of Sigmund, the chief of their village. Sigmund could sense that his son was uneasy that morning. The tall, aged Treeman turned his sight towards Tusk, stroking his beard in an inquisitive manner.
“Tusk, my boy, is something bothering you?” The fiery orb inside of him focusing on his son through empty eye sockets. “You haven’t said good morning yet.”
He looked up from preparing his cereal. “Yeah, you could say that…”
“Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?” Thora asked. Tusk’s mother was also up there in age and had hair that was similar to the branches of a willow tree.
“No, but it was certainly a dream,” Tusk replied as he sat down. He moved his lower jaw side to side, the bark that made up his skin creaking. “I think I’m going to go to Droomopolis soon.”
“By the Source, my boy,” Sigmund exclaimed. “I haven’t heard that city’s name in ages.”
“What’s wrong there?” Thora inquired. “Did your dream warn you of something?”
Tusk ate some of his cereal and sighed. “I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure Ealdhelm needs help. The whole dream was a mess and it’d take forever to properly explain. It’s probably best I just go there instead of trying to write a book to articulate it all, ha.”
Thora nodded, understanding his plight. “I know how you feel; but Tusk, dear, I just got home from the labyrinth. Are you just going to rush right out on me like that?”
“Oh come on, Mom,” Tusk said with a chuckle. “You’ll know where I am.” He continued to eat, secretly concerned about worrying his mother. “Besides, I’m rusty with my magic. A quick trip to see Ealdhelm wouldn’t hurt. He lent me his sword during the battle with the Lich, so I can at least return the favor somehow.”
“Well I can’t fault you there,” Thora concurred. “By the way, how’s your arm holding up?”
Tusk looked at his right arm, which was made of stone. It was an unforgettable reminder of the sacrifice he made in the battle with The Lich of Old at the Dark Grand Desert. “Fine, as always.”
“I noticed you integrated your Philosopher’s Stone into it,” Sigmund pointed out as the red gemstone glistened in the morning sunlight, embedded in the dorsal side of his son’s hand. “I thought you were leery about making modifications to your body…”
Tusk clenched his fist, causing the stone to pulse with light. “I figured I might as well since I’ve gotten back into alchemy. It’d be nice if I hadn’t lost my glove all those years ago.”
Thora chuckled to herself. “Well I guess we can’t stop you now that you’re back on your feet and whatnot. Just don’t get lost and distracted like I did, okay, sweetie?”
“I hear you loud and clear, Mom.”
After relaxing for a little bit to let his food digest, Tusk took a quick trip over to his workshop. It was a quaint little shack, big enough for him and his experiments. He went over to the main workbench and began rummaging through his tools and papers. Tusk knew this journey was going to be complicated, so he wanted to make sure he was ready. As he did this, someone approached him from behind.
“Hey, Uncle Tusk…”
“No.”
“What!? I haven’t even asked yet!”
“No, Auda. I already know what you’re going to say.”
Auda was the daughter of Tusk’s brother, Skari. She was an adorable, young Tree Person, with beautiful, scarlet hair and two horns atop her head. “Oh come on, Uncle Tusk! Let me go to Droomopolis with you!”
“NO. It’s already bad enough that you snuck off with Blood-Wraith and Brenna to the labyrinth. The Realm of Chaos is vastly more dangerous than The Unlight.”
“Please?” Auda was trying to be as endearing as possible. This was met by a glare and a subtle growl from Tusk.
A hand was placed on Auda’s shoulder. “Sorry, Auda, but I think he means business this time.”
“Thank you, Donia!” Tusk said with relief in his voice. “Talk some sense into her while I get ready.”
Donia Albronda was a good friend of Tusk’s. She had pink, petal-like hair and her bark was similar to that of oak. “I’m going to have to side with Tusk on this one, Auda.”
“Aw man,” she replied with a snap of her fingers. “Are you sure about that, Aunt Donia?”
Tusk paused. “Auda, Donia and I aren’t married yet…”
Auda and Donia giggled. “Okay, Uncle Tusk. I’ll stay here.”
“Thank you…”
Donia patted Tusk on the shoulder. “Hey, stay safe, you hear? I need you back in one piece for the wedding. Are you sure I can’t come along?”
“I’d rather not put you in harm's way, Donia. I have no idea what’s going to happen this time around and I got a sneaking suspicion things are going to get really hairy.” Tusk then finished loading up his satchel. “Tell you what, we’ll get married as soon as I get back. Sounds good?”
This made Donia gasp. “Oh my goodness! I need to make plans!” She stopped at the door. “You’re serious, right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” And that was all Donia needed to hear.
Auda smiled. “You better get back soon, Uncle Tusk,” she reminded him.
“One week, two weeks tops” Tusk said as he walked out the door.
Tusk had to do some running around afterwards as he still needed a few more supplies. His people were excited to hear that he was setting out and that he was finally going to get married soon. Naturally Donia’s friends stopped him a few times, asking him if he was mad for going on such a dangerous journey. After taking a break for lunch, Tusk was ready to head out. As he made his way to the outskirts of the village, he was met by a tall and strong man with long, brown hair and twilight orange eyes, wearing an aged, leather coat. It was Chief Magnus Scully, leader of the Sunset Wolves.
“Tusk, lad, do you have a moment?”
“Hello, Chief Scully. I need to get going, but what’s up?”
He straightened his belt and brushed off his sleeves. “I’ve heard you’re heading out to Droomopolis. Quite the excursion I’d say.”
Tusk nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Now I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Realm of Chaos is no laughing matter. That being said, would you be willing to bring Razor along with you?”
He thought about it for a moment, feeling a little awkward over having said no to Donia. “Um, I don’t know, Chief Scully. I’m certain that certain Discordant Gods are up to no good again… Or at the very least, their commanders.”
“A likely possibility. Fortunately my boy has finally achieved ULTRAMagic.”
Tusk nearly choked on his own spit. “Really? Well that changes things!” He then had an annoying realization. “ARGH, damn it! That’s another student I lost…”
Magnus laughed sympathetically, recalling what he had heard about Blood-Wraith Raynot, Tusk’s previous student. “It’s alright, Tusk. You can still help him out by showing him the ropes.”
Tusk sighed, as that was quickly turning into the general sentiment for him. “Alright, if you think he can handle it. Worst case scenario I’ll leave him with the Arbiters. Have Razor meet me at the Obsidian Chaos Gate.”
Magnus then turned into a massive, aged wolf in a flash of light. “I’ll go tell him now. Thank you, Tusk. And best of luck to you.” The chief then took off, sprinting with grace despite his age.
Tusk shook his head with a chuckle and resumed walking. Eventually he arrived at an old, obsidian archway, embedded in the ground and covered in vines and shrubbery. The arcane structure was engraved with eldritch runes that were lit up with a faint, fiery, red light. It also gave off an aura that was a bit menacing, but Tusk was not phased. Normally one would be put off by it, but he had used it so many times in the past that it was actually a bit comforting to see. Since Tusk had time due to waiting for Razor, he sat down on a nearby rock and relaxed a little. Tusk had a lot on his mind and needed to get his thoughts together on what he was going to do once he entered the Realm of Chaos.
“Tusk? Are you sure you want to do this?” A familiar voice in his head asked.
“Hey, Forest. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
“The trees within the realm have warned me that the Discordant Gods are accelerating their plans. It is going to be very dangerous there.”
“Forest, danger is my middle name…”
“No it’s not, you goof. It’s Anderson. I really wish Leif was still around to go with you.”
Tusk sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. “Well he isn’t, so we’ll just have to carry on without him…” He then noticed an animal approaching. “Ah, there’s Razor.”
“I see…” The voice sighed. “Best of luck to both of you. Come home safe.” The voice then vanished from Tusk’s head.
With a running leap, a wolf landed right before Tusk. He then turned into a strapping young man in a flash of light. He was dressed in sturdy, leather armor and his mahogany eyes were gleaming with vigor. “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Willfort!” He said as he brushed off his shoulders and straightened out his reddish-brown hair.
“Good to have you, Razor. And please, call me Tusk.”
“Sure thing, Tusk.”
“I’ll admit, 17 is a little green in my books, but hey, no time like the present.” Summoning a fireball with his stone hand, Tusk casually tossed into the archway.
Razor watched as it opened up to what looked like a churning, writhing mass of orange energy. It was quite intimidating, causing his fight or flight response to activate as a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins. “Oh wow… Um, jeez, we’re going in there?”
Tusk patted him on the back. “Yup. Don’t fret. Keep moving forward, don’t accept any deals from multidimensional cephalopods, and you should be fine.”
Entering the portal was like walking through tingly syrup for Razor. He had trouble keeping up with Tusk, who was having no problem at all. The cacophony of nonsensical singing filling the wolf’s ears did not help either. With one great push, Razor flung himself onto a patch of grass. It was quite the jarring change as things felt similar, yet vastly different from the forest. Looking around, he found himself in a grassy field, but nothing was right. The hills were off, the sky was the wrong shade of blue, and the clouds took on shapes that should not have been possible.
“What was all that?” Razor asked, unsure how to process everything that had just happened.
Tusk helped him up. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Welcome to the Realm of Chaos, kid.”
Razor looked around once again. “This place is odd. It’s so close to the Unlight…” He then noticed a series of hills subtly changing in the distance and pointed at them. “Until that happens!”
Tusk laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fairly normal.”
The wolf man gave his mentor an incredulous look. How could he be so nonchalant about everything? “So now what do we do?”
“We make our way to Droomopolis, home of the Arbiters of Droom. You’re going to like them, Razor, especially Ealdhelm. I think you’ll also like Waltheof too. He reminds me a lot of your father, looking back on it.”
Making their way down a dirt road, Razor had many questions for Tusk. A lot of them related to what he was experiencing. The ever shifting nature of the realm was throwing off his keen senses like crazy. As for Tusk, he was still concerned about his dream, but the conversation eased his nerves. It also reminded him of when he first visited Droomopolis and all the questions he asked Ealdhelm back then. Tusk was getting tastes of nostalgia that got stronger and stronger the closer they got to the city. After stopping to pet a friendly cat-fox creature, Razor’s senses picked up something, despite the randomness he was dealing with.
“Tusk, follow me!”
“What’s on your radar, kid?” he asked as he followed.
Razor led him up a small hill overseeing a pleasant valley with some trees. “There!” he pointed out after spotting what he had sensed.
Both of them saw an individual in samurai armor who had just defeated a demonic-looking beast. “Interesting,” Tusk remarked. “Normally I’d say don’t talk to strangers here, but her soul is-hold up! Is that ULTRAMagic I sense?”
Razor sniffed the air in her direction. “That smell… oh, I’ve read about this. She’s an Oni, I believe.”
Tusk nodded and stroked his chin. “She’s definitely been to The Unlight before, no doubt about it. I’d dare say this is an exception to my rule on strangers. Come on, let’s go say hi and see what she’s about.”
Heading down the hill, the pair calmly hurried over to the warrior. She was starting to leave and was about to take off her mask, but stopped and kept it on once she noticed the two. A wolf-like man and a tree person? Suffice it to say she was a little confused. Thankfully she did not sense any malice from them. Despite needing to continue her search, she figured talking to them would not hurt.
“Konnichiwa,” the woman said as the two approached.
“Hey there! The name’s Tusk, Tusk Willfort. And this is my mentee, Razor Scully.”
Razor held out his hand. “Nice to meet you…”
She was a tad hesitant at first, but accepted the handshake, a little taken aback by how friendly they both were. “Kitagawa Mizuki.”
“So I see you just got done dealing with this Scarlet Hunter,” Tusk pointed out as the corpse twitched a little. “They’re from Wulfric’s realm and are incredibly nasty when they’re hungry. Are you heading to Droomopolis by any chance?”
“Perhaps,” Mizuki cautiously replied. “What does it matter to you?”
“Well we just so happen to be heading there ourselves and it doesn’t hurt to travel in a group…” Tusk noticed she was looking fairly skeptical and chuckled. “I have a good eye for souls and noticed your ULTRAMagic from the hill over there.”
She was surprised. “Oh, really now? You two wouldn’t happen to be…?”
Tusk nodded. “Indeed. Razor here just achieved it, but I’ve been one for ages. I was even trained by Ealdhelm the Destroyer himself.”
“We’re on our way to go see the Arbiters of Droom,” Razor stated. “Want to come with us?”
Mizuki thought about it. The two seemed nice enough, so it probably would not hurt to travel with them. “Sure. Let’s walk and talk. How about you tell me more about yourselves?” The Realm of Chaos held many surprises, and this meeting was certainly one of them.
Next: Chapter 2
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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