ULTRAMagic Chaos - Chapter 16
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The army attacking Droomopolis was no ordinary army as they were the main militia of The Eternal Church. Osbeorn and Beorhtric were very confused as Milosh’s cult stood no chance against them. Gratiana Arlotti and Lia Ascher were leading the attack, with the force packing strong magic in their own right. Despite all of this, Droomopolis had so much going for them. The two arbiters stood atop the wall, above the entrance to the city, accompanied by Adelheid and Ulrich. Unless the cult had a rogue god with them, they were not breaching the walls.
Osbeorn shook his head as they watched the Droomopolis Security Force fend off the attackers. “70 times 70 soldiers and they still get past our men. Pathetic.”
“Beorhtric, my knights are ready,” Adelheid stated. “Shall I send them in?”
“With haste, Adelheid.”
Adelheid clenched her fist, as if signaling for something. A caravan of fortified, horse drawn carriages emerged from a colossal, gothic-looking portal of swirling black and red energy and stormed the battlefield. “How is Rahela doing, Ulrich?”
He checked his watch. “She should be here right…about…now.”
Appearing from a calm, pink portal was a youthful woman with long, purple hair, followed by a truly strange looking man. The former was Rahela, the newly ascended Discordant God of Rubber. She wore a sleek bodysuit that resembled some kind of space-age suit and had a backpack that appeared to be full of tools and notebooks. As for the man, he looked like an officer mixed with a judge that was from a truly alien dimension, with an odd white and aqua color scheme to boot.
“There you are, Rehela,” Beorhtric welcomed. “Were you able to acquire Leonard?”
“He’s… he’s on his way.”
Ulrich chuckled. “Probably planning a flashy entrance, no doubt about it. Also Lucanus, I didn’t expect you to show up.”
The strange man cleared his throat and straightened out his uniform. “Despite how messy this realm is, I figured it would be ideal for me to show up just in case those upstarts down there decided to attack purgatory next…”
Osbeorn laughed. “No offense, Lucanus, but I don’t think even Milosh is that dumb.”
Lucanus shot him a quick glare, then turned to Beorhtric. “Normally I wouldn't question such a seasoned tactician such as yourself, but I have to ask: Why don’t we just snap our fingers and rid ourselves of these foul criminals?”
Rahela nodded in agreement. “Not to rustle the nest, but I was thinking the same thing.”
“We’ve tried that,” Beorhtric replied. “They’ve got something that undoes any attempt we make. It’s fairly concerning, but oddly the courtesy isn’t extended to individual defeats. I’ve dealt with worse situations and if that’s how they want to play, then so be it. We’ll beat them at their own game, demoralize them, and draw out whatever they are using against us.”
Lucanus looked out towards the battle. “How strange. What kind of entity could even be doing that?”
“We’re hoping it’s not a rogue god,” Osbeorn answered. “But given that Karnage is involved, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some random no-name to cozy up with Milosh’s cult.”
“What do we do if there is a rogue god present?” Rahela questioned. There was a great deal of concern in her voice, as she never dealt with such a situation before.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, child,” Adelheid chided. “As far as we know, this is purely magic at play.”
“Yeah, but that magic is looking more and more like a couple of rogue gods my space station has detected recently,” Ulrich retorted.
Adelheid took a breath and groaned. “Would you like to deploy some of your scientists then?”
Ulrich laughed and shook his head. “I would, but they’d probably get caught up in Wynnstan’s crossfire…”
“Excuses!” Adelheid rebuked.
“Enough!” Beorhtric said with a raised voice. “Bickering is the last thing we should be doing right now.”
The battle itself was hectic, but not unmanageable. Milosh’s soldiers were ignorant, but also fairly persistent. What they lacked in strategy they made up for in numbers and weaponry. Tusk and Randalph were more focused on dealing with Gratiana and Lia, as they were the biggest threat present. Gratiana was of particular concern given the trouble she had given Torunn and Barna’s crew in Shadowland. Wynnstan kept part of the army suppressed with gunfire while Tusk charged ahead, with Randalph hanging back at the entrance. Razor and Mizuki had gone with Tusk to his chagrin, but Hannibal had their back and promised he would not let them get hurt.
Razor had finally gotten the action he had been looking for. Using his magic, he had encased himself in stone and was barreling through the enemy soldiers. Many panicked as their gunshots ricocheted off of his stone barrier, hitting their own men in the process. Tusk naturally had to yell at Razor to watch it as he had a few close calls here and there. Mizuki on the other hand was unleashing the full might of her sword, felling countless cultists with its raw power. Many of the enemy combatants thought they were going up against a deity as waves of energy rocketed towards them and annihilated their forces.
As for Tusk, he was looking for the leaders. The two women leading the charge were some of the highest ranking members of the cult. Even if Tusk could not actually defeat them, he knew he had to at least take a crack at them. It would give Shadowland a fighting chance, in addition to the fact that Dunja was now on their side. How he was going to deal with them was a whole other can of worms that he was admittedly dancing around. It was tempting to call in the queen herself, but he had no idea what the ramifications would be.
Wynnstan noticed where Tusk was heading and quickly made his way to him. “Going after the big ones, aye? You’re going to need some back up if you do!”
“Yeah, you’re probably right!” Tusk then used a mix of alchemy and other magic to create hurricane-force winds that blew away a large group of soldiers.
Razor had noticed the spectacle and came running up with Mizuki. “Good Lord! Tusk, how do you even do that!?” he exclaimed.
Tusk laughed and threw a punch that created a force of wind that sent another cultist flying. “Practice, years of practice!”
He nodded and focused. “Tusk, Hannibal says we can go ahead. He’ll keep the soldiers distracted.”
“Is he sure he can handle that?” Mizuki asked as she got ready to move.
Wynnstan glanced over and saw multiple enemy soldiers getting flung into the air. “Yeah, he can handle it,” he said with a laugh.
The four continued on, vanquishing any soldier that got in their way. They were joined by Mayhem right before they made it to the ones they were seeking. Gratiana did not look pleased to be there as she knew something was off. Why did Karnage tell them Droomopolis was ripe for the taking when it clearly was not? Was he using them as a diversion? And of course that idiot Milosh went right along with it, leaving Gratiana stuck with Lia, the unofficial replacement for the lost Blade of Dunja.
Gratiana stood there in her magnificent, golden armor that invoked lightning, her mighty spears ready as she watched the battle go nowhere. Lia accompanied her, waiting impatiently for something interesting to happen. She had luxurious, brown hair and wore an evening dress that was modified to be functional in battle. Lia was a staunch supporter of Milosh, which legitimately got on Gratiana’s nerves. Her frustration was so great that electricity was starting to arc around her.
“This is a waste of time and manpower” Gratiana stated with utmost irritation. “I swear I am one step away from joining Dunja…” she quietly muttered to herself.
“Well maybe it wouldn’t be so boring if we got involved like we were supposed to…” Lia chided with disdain in her voice.
Gratiana cut her off with a thundercrack from her spears. “Silence, wench. We’re pulling out before the rest of the arbiters get involved…” Just as she was about to give the order, a group of five ran up to the two.
“Gratiana Arlotti!” Tusk called out. “I’m guessing Milosh is running around like a headless chicken after Blood, Leif, Vlastimir, and I dealt with the Lich, aye?”
Lia put on a glove, with blades extending from the fingers. “Well it looks like things just got interesting…”
“Indeed, Mr. Willfort,” Gratiana remarked as her spears began rumbling. They were radiating sheer might. “Very bold of you to seek me out. I presume your victory over that imbecilic Lich has you thinking you can take me on?”
Tusk took a step back. “Right… Razor, Mizuki? Go back and make sure no one catches us off guard.” They both nodded and stepped back. “We took down the Lich, so I’m certain I can handle you.” Gratiana was unphased.
Lia had an evil grin as she sharpened her blades on each other. “Ooh, I'll bet he’ll make a nice recliner…” Her superior quietly exhaled and rolled her eyes.
“Big talk for someone whose ‘queen’ is on our side” Mayhem balked. This caused Lia to glare at him, triggering a small surge of adrenaline.
Wynnstan loaded a new clip into his rifle. “Alright, enough gab. Time to make my old man proud.”
What happened next took the two women by surprise. Tusk roared as his Philosopher’s Stone went crazy. He was struck with a bolt of red lighting and in his place stood a giant. It was 20 meters tall and looked like a more monstrous version of himself. Lia was terrified, but Gratiana stood firm. Of course Wynnstan hollered and cheered, as he loved it when Tusk took on his giant form. And given the recliner comment Lia had made, it was safe to say she was considering retreating now.
Tusk went wild, stomping, punching, and kicking wherever he could. Many of the cultists ran for their lives as the titanic warrior barreled towards anyone that dared attack him. Maxima saw this from the wall and teleported in to get Razor and Mizuki out of there. Wynnstan and Mayhem scrambled out of the way, but made sure they still backed Tusk up. Gratiana met the giant’s attacks head on, blocking him with barriers of light. She would parry his assaults, trying to make an opening so she could strike back. Repeated shots from Wynnstan made this incredibly difficult, even with Lia’s help.
Gratiana was on the ropes as Tusk’s rampage continued. She had an idea, but it was not one she was fond of. It was bound to attract the attention of a certain Discordant God, but it was a gamble she needed to take. Gratiana focused her power, causing the ground to shake and the sky to darken. A torrent of intense lightning struck Tusk, setting him on fire and knocking him to the ground.
Wynnstan was not going to take this sitting down, so he got out a clip of Dragoslava’s modified bullets and focused his shots solely on Gratiana. Things were looking bad as she was glowing brightly and dodging all of the explosions. Mayhem saw Lia going for Tusk and knocked her away. He then leapt up in the air and whistled, with Dragutin swooping in to pick him up. Once up high enough, they began strafing the battle with Dragutin’s plasma breath. This would hopefully afford Tusk some time to recover.
As Tusk laid their thrashing and screaming as he burnt, he heard a voice call out as loud as it could. “DON’T JUST SIT THERE! ROLL, BOY!! PUT THAT FIRE OUT!”
He was shocked to hear his father’s voice, but did as he was told. This resulted in him rolling over the majority of soldiers that were coming to assist Gratiana. Sigmund finished off any stragglers by summoning great, flaming trees made of magic to fall on them. Upon catching his bearings and getting up, Tusk roared as loud as he could at Gratiana, who was glowing so bright that she could barely be seen. She had to wrap the battle up quickly, as she could sense him approaching…
The storm was becoming truly apocalyptic as fierce winds threatened to rip the land asunder, driving rain fell with great force, and giant hail bombarded everyone. Lighting was everywhere and the thunder was deafening. Sigmund knew things were getting desperate, but he was not sure what to do. He then noticed a series of colossal boulders and decided those were their best option. Tusk was instructed to pick them up and throw them as hard as he could. Once in the air, Sigmund used his magic to set them ablaze.
Lia screamed, panicking as the fiery boulder soared right at them, but Gratiana was ready for it. She tossed one of her spears into the rock, causing it to explode. Many of the fragments ended up striking any remaining cultist dumb enough to approach to provide backup. Tusk immediately threw another flaming boulder, so Gratiana threw her other spear, leading to the same result. Sigmund had Tusk hold off for a second on the third boulder. He got to work transmuting the rock into a metal sphere that he then filled with an intense, orange energy. Ideally it would explode before Gratiana struck it. Sigmund was running out of options, so this had to work.
Tusk’s giant form gave out after he threw the bomb. All of it fell apart, his true self landing on the ground. Scorch marks were all over and a good portion of his bark was missing, but he would live. They watched as the bomb exploded with great force and felt a wave of relief. They thought they had won… until a flurry of lightning revealed something horrifying: Gratiana’s full power. She now appeared as a metal humanoid filled with arcing electricity. With their foe steadily approaching the two, Wynnstan, Mayhem, and Dragutin raced over to protect the Willfort’s.
“An admirable effort” Gratiana’s voice boomed. “Your death shall be swift.”
Sigmund gritted his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground. “OVER MY DEAD BODY, FOUL HEATHEN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!” he yelled with all of his might, the sounds of a forest full of enraged beasts thundering behind him, with the spirits of the greatest animals from across the Cosmos racing to defend them. The land shook violently as Droomopolis experienced one of the greatest earthquakes it had ever witnessed, threatening to level the city itself if the standoff did reach its climax soon.
Mayhem braced for the worst as he could feel the tension about erupt into all of Hell breaking loose. “Blast, she’s at full power! Any ideas, Wynnstan!? I'm open to suggestions!”
He was about to call for Osbeorn and Beorhtric, even his father, but then he noticed golden lightning arcing through the clouds and laughed with victory in his voice. “Hey, Graitana! Looks like you pissed off someone you shouldn’t have!” he taunted.
A great lighting bolt struck behind her, causing her to slowly turn around. Standing there was a 10 foot tall man made of metal like her. Gilded electricity arced wildly through his body, the metal struggling to contain it. He radiated unbelievable power, even more so than Gratiana. Grabbing her by the neck, he brought her eye to eye and growled with a fury that gave off true disappointment.
“Lord… Leonard!?!” She choked out.
“Looks like someone’s been a very naughty girl…” Breathing in deeply, a stream of electricity exited Gratiana, causing her to revert back to her normal self. He then dropped her. “What a shame, you were such a good champion… up until you joined that vile rat, Milosh.”
Wynnstan laughed again from the bottom of his chest. “HA, looks like someone’s out of the job!!”
Gratiana had the most horrified look of regret on her face. She could still feel enough power to fight, but her honors were gone. “RETREAT!!!” She screamed as loud as she could to what was left of the soldiers as she started to flee as fast as she could. “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!”
Lia saw this and was offended to the nth degree. “NICE GOING, HARLOT!!” she shouted at Gratiana as the soldiers ran for the hills with her. She followed them and got out a seal once she was out of sight of the city. Setting it on the ground, she poured a strange, black substance on it. “Alright, time for plan B…”
Sigmund was shaken, but helped his son up regardless and hugged him. Tusk was too shocked to speak, but his father did his best to comfort him. “Don’t worry, my boy. It’s going to be alright.” He then turned to Leonard. “You have my eternal gratitude, Discordant God of Lightning.”
Leonard smiled as the storm subsided. “Don’t mention it. Hey, his bark will grow back, right?”
Sigmund chuckled as he patted his trembling son on the back. “Not in time for his wedding, but yes.”
Dragutin stepped over, shaking some of the water off of his wings in the process. “That was awfully forgiving of you, Lord Leonard. Are you sure she deserves to live after the antics she’s pulled?”
He sighed as he looked at the bolt that represented Gratiana’s power. “I don’t want to lose my champion. What just happened with Wulfric and his domain is bad enough. Gratiana isn’t a bad person, just lost and misguided. She’ll redeem herself someday. Lightning always strikes twice after all.”
“Well, if Dunja is anything to go by, I’ll-I’ll accept that notion” Tusk admitted, finally coming to his senses. “But also OW!!!” The others gave sympathetic laughs.
“Indeed,” Leonard reassured. “As an aside, if you and Barna’s group are wondering why her power was waning outside of the Realm of Chaos, that was my doing. I sensed her entering this realm, but I was hoping it was just a fluke or she was coming to apologize and renounce Milosh. I see that it’s not the time for that though. Truly a shame.” He then turned to Dragutin. “Dragutin, when are you going to come home? Your family misses you.”
The jabberwock chuckled. “Soon, Lord Leonard. Soon.”
Something then caught Sigmund’s attention. Where Gratiana stood prior to engaging with them had become a geyser of red and black smoke. “By the source…”
“Dad, what’s that?” Tusk asked, starting to panic.
“And that would be the rogue god we were sensing…” Wynnstan pointed out.
Ultimatum then appeared, surrounding Tusk, Sigmund, Mayhem, and Dragutin in a barrier of light. “Leonard! Quickly, back to the city walls!”
“Don’t need to tell me twice!” he said as they vanished.
“Aw crap…” Wynnstan lamented as he readied his rifle, the rogue god beginning to materialize. Fortunately both Wulfric and Ealdhelm appeared before him in a bolt of light. He was surprised, but accepted it regardless. “Hey, dad, Uncle…”
Wulfric smiled. “Good to see you again, son. You better not be winded just yet.”
“Don’t worry, Wynnstan,” Ealdhelm replied. “We won’t let you deal with this on your own.” He then drew his greatsword, a similar blade to Wulfric’s. “ARBITERS OF DROOM! ASSEMBLE!”
Next: Chapter 17
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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The army attacking Droomopolis was no ordinary army as they were the main militia of The Eternal Church. Osbeorn and Beorhtric were very confused as Milosh’s cult stood no chance against them. Gratiana Arlotti and Lia Ascher were leading the attack, with the force packing strong magic in their own right. Despite all of this, Droomopolis had so much going for them. The two arbiters stood atop the wall, above the entrance to the city, accompanied by Adelheid and Ulrich. Unless the cult had a rogue god with them, they were not breaching the walls.
Osbeorn shook his head as they watched the Droomopolis Security Force fend off the attackers. “70 times 70 soldiers and they still get past our men. Pathetic.”
“Beorhtric, my knights are ready,” Adelheid stated. “Shall I send them in?”
“With haste, Adelheid.”
Adelheid clenched her fist, as if signaling for something. A caravan of fortified, horse drawn carriages emerged from a colossal, gothic-looking portal of swirling black and red energy and stormed the battlefield. “How is Rahela doing, Ulrich?”
He checked his watch. “She should be here right…about…now.”
Appearing from a calm, pink portal was a youthful woman with long, purple hair, followed by a truly strange looking man. The former was Rahela, the newly ascended Discordant God of Rubber. She wore a sleek bodysuit that resembled some kind of space-age suit and had a backpack that appeared to be full of tools and notebooks. As for the man, he looked like an officer mixed with a judge that was from a truly alien dimension, with an odd white and aqua color scheme to boot.
“There you are, Rehela,” Beorhtric welcomed. “Were you able to acquire Leonard?”
“He’s… he’s on his way.”
Ulrich chuckled. “Probably planning a flashy entrance, no doubt about it. Also Lucanus, I didn’t expect you to show up.”
The strange man cleared his throat and straightened out his uniform. “Despite how messy this realm is, I figured it would be ideal for me to show up just in case those upstarts down there decided to attack purgatory next…”
Osbeorn laughed. “No offense, Lucanus, but I don’t think even Milosh is that dumb.”
Lucanus shot him a quick glare, then turned to Beorhtric. “Normally I wouldn't question such a seasoned tactician such as yourself, but I have to ask: Why don’t we just snap our fingers and rid ourselves of these foul criminals?”
Rahela nodded in agreement. “Not to rustle the nest, but I was thinking the same thing.”
“We’ve tried that,” Beorhtric replied. “They’ve got something that undoes any attempt we make. It’s fairly concerning, but oddly the courtesy isn’t extended to individual defeats. I’ve dealt with worse situations and if that’s how they want to play, then so be it. We’ll beat them at their own game, demoralize them, and draw out whatever they are using against us.”
Lucanus looked out towards the battle. “How strange. What kind of entity could even be doing that?”
“We’re hoping it’s not a rogue god,” Osbeorn answered. “But given that Karnage is involved, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some random no-name to cozy up with Milosh’s cult.”
“What do we do if there is a rogue god present?” Rahela questioned. There was a great deal of concern in her voice, as she never dealt with such a situation before.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, child,” Adelheid chided. “As far as we know, this is purely magic at play.”
“Yeah, but that magic is looking more and more like a couple of rogue gods my space station has detected recently,” Ulrich retorted.
Adelheid took a breath and groaned. “Would you like to deploy some of your scientists then?”
Ulrich laughed and shook his head. “I would, but they’d probably get caught up in Wynnstan’s crossfire…”
“Excuses!” Adelheid rebuked.
“Enough!” Beorhtric said with a raised voice. “Bickering is the last thing we should be doing right now.”
The battle itself was hectic, but not unmanageable. Milosh’s soldiers were ignorant, but also fairly persistent. What they lacked in strategy they made up for in numbers and weaponry. Tusk and Randalph were more focused on dealing with Gratiana and Lia, as they were the biggest threat present. Gratiana was of particular concern given the trouble she had given Torunn and Barna’s crew in Shadowland. Wynnstan kept part of the army suppressed with gunfire while Tusk charged ahead, with Randalph hanging back at the entrance. Razor and Mizuki had gone with Tusk to his chagrin, but Hannibal had their back and promised he would not let them get hurt.
Razor had finally gotten the action he had been looking for. Using his magic, he had encased himself in stone and was barreling through the enemy soldiers. Many panicked as their gunshots ricocheted off of his stone barrier, hitting their own men in the process. Tusk naturally had to yell at Razor to watch it as he had a few close calls here and there. Mizuki on the other hand was unleashing the full might of her sword, felling countless cultists with its raw power. Many of the enemy combatants thought they were going up against a deity as waves of energy rocketed towards them and annihilated their forces.
As for Tusk, he was looking for the leaders. The two women leading the charge were some of the highest ranking members of the cult. Even if Tusk could not actually defeat them, he knew he had to at least take a crack at them. It would give Shadowland a fighting chance, in addition to the fact that Dunja was now on their side. How he was going to deal with them was a whole other can of worms that he was admittedly dancing around. It was tempting to call in the queen herself, but he had no idea what the ramifications would be.
Wynnstan noticed where Tusk was heading and quickly made his way to him. “Going after the big ones, aye? You’re going to need some back up if you do!”
“Yeah, you’re probably right!” Tusk then used a mix of alchemy and other magic to create hurricane-force winds that blew away a large group of soldiers.
Razor had noticed the spectacle and came running up with Mizuki. “Good Lord! Tusk, how do you even do that!?” he exclaimed.
Tusk laughed and threw a punch that created a force of wind that sent another cultist flying. “Practice, years of practice!”
He nodded and focused. “Tusk, Hannibal says we can go ahead. He’ll keep the soldiers distracted.”
“Is he sure he can handle that?” Mizuki asked as she got ready to move.
Wynnstan glanced over and saw multiple enemy soldiers getting flung into the air. “Yeah, he can handle it,” he said with a laugh.
The four continued on, vanquishing any soldier that got in their way. They were joined by Mayhem right before they made it to the ones they were seeking. Gratiana did not look pleased to be there as she knew something was off. Why did Karnage tell them Droomopolis was ripe for the taking when it clearly was not? Was he using them as a diversion? And of course that idiot Milosh went right along with it, leaving Gratiana stuck with Lia, the unofficial replacement for the lost Blade of Dunja.
Gratiana stood there in her magnificent, golden armor that invoked lightning, her mighty spears ready as she watched the battle go nowhere. Lia accompanied her, waiting impatiently for something interesting to happen. She had luxurious, brown hair and wore an evening dress that was modified to be functional in battle. Lia was a staunch supporter of Milosh, which legitimately got on Gratiana’s nerves. Her frustration was so great that electricity was starting to arc around her.
“This is a waste of time and manpower” Gratiana stated with utmost irritation. “I swear I am one step away from joining Dunja…” she quietly muttered to herself.
“Well maybe it wouldn’t be so boring if we got involved like we were supposed to…” Lia chided with disdain in her voice.
Gratiana cut her off with a thundercrack from her spears. “Silence, wench. We’re pulling out before the rest of the arbiters get involved…” Just as she was about to give the order, a group of five ran up to the two.
“Gratiana Arlotti!” Tusk called out. “I’m guessing Milosh is running around like a headless chicken after Blood, Leif, Vlastimir, and I dealt with the Lich, aye?”
Lia put on a glove, with blades extending from the fingers. “Well it looks like things just got interesting…”
“Indeed, Mr. Willfort,” Gratiana remarked as her spears began rumbling. They were radiating sheer might. “Very bold of you to seek me out. I presume your victory over that imbecilic Lich has you thinking you can take me on?”
Tusk took a step back. “Right… Razor, Mizuki? Go back and make sure no one catches us off guard.” They both nodded and stepped back. “We took down the Lich, so I’m certain I can handle you.” Gratiana was unphased.
Lia had an evil grin as she sharpened her blades on each other. “Ooh, I'll bet he’ll make a nice recliner…” Her superior quietly exhaled and rolled her eyes.
“Big talk for someone whose ‘queen’ is on our side” Mayhem balked. This caused Lia to glare at him, triggering a small surge of adrenaline.
Wynnstan loaded a new clip into his rifle. “Alright, enough gab. Time to make my old man proud.”
What happened next took the two women by surprise. Tusk roared as his Philosopher’s Stone went crazy. He was struck with a bolt of red lighting and in his place stood a giant. It was 20 meters tall and looked like a more monstrous version of himself. Lia was terrified, but Gratiana stood firm. Of course Wynnstan hollered and cheered, as he loved it when Tusk took on his giant form. And given the recliner comment Lia had made, it was safe to say she was considering retreating now.
Tusk went wild, stomping, punching, and kicking wherever he could. Many of the cultists ran for their lives as the titanic warrior barreled towards anyone that dared attack him. Maxima saw this from the wall and teleported in to get Razor and Mizuki out of there. Wynnstan and Mayhem scrambled out of the way, but made sure they still backed Tusk up. Gratiana met the giant’s attacks head on, blocking him with barriers of light. She would parry his assaults, trying to make an opening so she could strike back. Repeated shots from Wynnstan made this incredibly difficult, even with Lia’s help.
Gratiana was on the ropes as Tusk’s rampage continued. She had an idea, but it was not one she was fond of. It was bound to attract the attention of a certain Discordant God, but it was a gamble she needed to take. Gratiana focused her power, causing the ground to shake and the sky to darken. A torrent of intense lightning struck Tusk, setting him on fire and knocking him to the ground.
Wynnstan was not going to take this sitting down, so he got out a clip of Dragoslava’s modified bullets and focused his shots solely on Gratiana. Things were looking bad as she was glowing brightly and dodging all of the explosions. Mayhem saw Lia going for Tusk and knocked her away. He then leapt up in the air and whistled, with Dragutin swooping in to pick him up. Once up high enough, they began strafing the battle with Dragutin’s plasma breath. This would hopefully afford Tusk some time to recover.
As Tusk laid their thrashing and screaming as he burnt, he heard a voice call out as loud as it could. “DON’T JUST SIT THERE! ROLL, BOY!! PUT THAT FIRE OUT!”
He was shocked to hear his father’s voice, but did as he was told. This resulted in him rolling over the majority of soldiers that were coming to assist Gratiana. Sigmund finished off any stragglers by summoning great, flaming trees made of magic to fall on them. Upon catching his bearings and getting up, Tusk roared as loud as he could at Gratiana, who was glowing so bright that she could barely be seen. She had to wrap the battle up quickly, as she could sense him approaching…
The storm was becoming truly apocalyptic as fierce winds threatened to rip the land asunder, driving rain fell with great force, and giant hail bombarded everyone. Lighting was everywhere and the thunder was deafening. Sigmund knew things were getting desperate, but he was not sure what to do. He then noticed a series of colossal boulders and decided those were their best option. Tusk was instructed to pick them up and throw them as hard as he could. Once in the air, Sigmund used his magic to set them ablaze.
Lia screamed, panicking as the fiery boulder soared right at them, but Gratiana was ready for it. She tossed one of her spears into the rock, causing it to explode. Many of the fragments ended up striking any remaining cultist dumb enough to approach to provide backup. Tusk immediately threw another flaming boulder, so Gratiana threw her other spear, leading to the same result. Sigmund had Tusk hold off for a second on the third boulder. He got to work transmuting the rock into a metal sphere that he then filled with an intense, orange energy. Ideally it would explode before Gratiana struck it. Sigmund was running out of options, so this had to work.
Tusk’s giant form gave out after he threw the bomb. All of it fell apart, his true self landing on the ground. Scorch marks were all over and a good portion of his bark was missing, but he would live. They watched as the bomb exploded with great force and felt a wave of relief. They thought they had won… until a flurry of lightning revealed something horrifying: Gratiana’s full power. She now appeared as a metal humanoid filled with arcing electricity. With their foe steadily approaching the two, Wynnstan, Mayhem, and Dragutin raced over to protect the Willfort’s.
“An admirable effort” Gratiana’s voice boomed. “Your death shall be swift.”
Sigmund gritted his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground. “OVER MY DEAD BODY, FOUL HEATHEN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!” he yelled with all of his might, the sounds of a forest full of enraged beasts thundering behind him, with the spirits of the greatest animals from across the Cosmos racing to defend them. The land shook violently as Droomopolis experienced one of the greatest earthquakes it had ever witnessed, threatening to level the city itself if the standoff did reach its climax soon.
Mayhem braced for the worst as he could feel the tension about erupt into all of Hell breaking loose. “Blast, she’s at full power! Any ideas, Wynnstan!? I'm open to suggestions!”
He was about to call for Osbeorn and Beorhtric, even his father, but then he noticed golden lightning arcing through the clouds and laughed with victory in his voice. “Hey, Graitana! Looks like you pissed off someone you shouldn’t have!” he taunted.
A great lighting bolt struck behind her, causing her to slowly turn around. Standing there was a 10 foot tall man made of metal like her. Gilded electricity arced wildly through his body, the metal struggling to contain it. He radiated unbelievable power, even more so than Gratiana. Grabbing her by the neck, he brought her eye to eye and growled with a fury that gave off true disappointment.
“Lord… Leonard!?!” She choked out.
“Looks like someone’s been a very naughty girl…” Breathing in deeply, a stream of electricity exited Gratiana, causing her to revert back to her normal self. He then dropped her. “What a shame, you were such a good champion… up until you joined that vile rat, Milosh.”
Wynnstan laughed again from the bottom of his chest. “HA, looks like someone’s out of the job!!”
Gratiana had the most horrified look of regret on her face. She could still feel enough power to fight, but her honors were gone. “RETREAT!!!” She screamed as loud as she could to what was left of the soldiers as she started to flee as fast as she could. “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!”
Lia saw this and was offended to the nth degree. “NICE GOING, HARLOT!!” she shouted at Gratiana as the soldiers ran for the hills with her. She followed them and got out a seal once she was out of sight of the city. Setting it on the ground, she poured a strange, black substance on it. “Alright, time for plan B…”
Sigmund was shaken, but helped his son up regardless and hugged him. Tusk was too shocked to speak, but his father did his best to comfort him. “Don’t worry, my boy. It’s going to be alright.” He then turned to Leonard. “You have my eternal gratitude, Discordant God of Lightning.”
Leonard smiled as the storm subsided. “Don’t mention it. Hey, his bark will grow back, right?”
Sigmund chuckled as he patted his trembling son on the back. “Not in time for his wedding, but yes.”
Dragutin stepped over, shaking some of the water off of his wings in the process. “That was awfully forgiving of you, Lord Leonard. Are you sure she deserves to live after the antics she’s pulled?”
He sighed as he looked at the bolt that represented Gratiana’s power. “I don’t want to lose my champion. What just happened with Wulfric and his domain is bad enough. Gratiana isn’t a bad person, just lost and misguided. She’ll redeem herself someday. Lightning always strikes twice after all.”
“Well, if Dunja is anything to go by, I’ll-I’ll accept that notion” Tusk admitted, finally coming to his senses. “But also OW!!!” The others gave sympathetic laughs.
“Indeed,” Leonard reassured. “As an aside, if you and Barna’s group are wondering why her power was waning outside of the Realm of Chaos, that was my doing. I sensed her entering this realm, but I was hoping it was just a fluke or she was coming to apologize and renounce Milosh. I see that it’s not the time for that though. Truly a shame.” He then turned to Dragutin. “Dragutin, when are you going to come home? Your family misses you.”
The jabberwock chuckled. “Soon, Lord Leonard. Soon.”
Something then caught Sigmund’s attention. Where Gratiana stood prior to engaging with them had become a geyser of red and black smoke. “By the source…”
“Dad, what’s that?” Tusk asked, starting to panic.
“And that would be the rogue god we were sensing…” Wynnstan pointed out.
Ultimatum then appeared, surrounding Tusk, Sigmund, Mayhem, and Dragutin in a barrier of light. “Leonard! Quickly, back to the city walls!”
“Don’t need to tell me twice!” he said as they vanished.
“Aw crap…” Wynnstan lamented as he readied his rifle, the rogue god beginning to materialize. Fortunately both Wulfric and Ealdhelm appeared before him in a bolt of light. He was surprised, but accepted it regardless. “Hey, dad, Uncle…”
Wulfric smiled. “Good to see you again, son. You better not be winded just yet.”
“Don’t worry, Wynnstan,” Ealdhelm replied. “We won’t let you deal with this on your own.” He then drew his greatsword, a similar blade to Wulfric’s. “ARBITERS OF DROOM! ASSEMBLE!”
Next: Chapter 17
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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