ULTRAMagic Eon 1 - Chapter 22
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As Blood-Wraith neared The Iron City, what appeared to be a giant hawk with white feathers landed in the courtyard of Castle Ter Avest. A flash of light revealed that it was Valerie, with the golems she had taken with her running up to the main gates. Not much had changed with Valerie, barring a black overcoat she now wore which lacked a right sleeve to accommodate her alchemy glove. And of course Valerie had a surprise for her daughters she was eager to share, but her mood shifted to shock when she finally noticed the state of her courtyards. Grass and dirt had been blown asunder, scorch marks littered the ground, and pieces of golem were everywhere. And Eloise of all people seemed to be indiscriminately cutting up the golems that remained.
“Eloise!” Valerie called out as she rushed over. “What happened!? Are you okay? Who attacked us? Where’s Guinevere?”
Eloise was about to behead another golem, but ceased her fury and looked at her mother. It was odd as it felt like she had not seen her in a while. “Mom? Mom… MOM! That stupid guild!” She yelled, with her speech devolving into an incoherent, rambling recollection of what she had just dealt with.
Valerie could not make heads or tails of what her clearly distressed daughter was saying, the pacing exacerbating her concern for her. Putting her hands on her shoulders, Valerie looked Eloise dead in the eye. “Sweetie, I can’t understand what you’re saying. Breathe in with me… now out… and…” Valerie then let go. “Tell me what happened, nice and easy…”
“Mom, I found out where Guinevere was…”
“Where was she?”
“The ULTRAMAgic Guild. SHE JOINED THAT STUPID, MOTHERFU…”
“ELOISE, language!!”
Her daughter took another breath. “Right, calm down, Eloise… Guinevere joined that stinking ULTRAMagic Guild! She waited for you to leave, had Blood take over the supply shipment, snuck in some of the guild mages, rescued Will, and just left with them like it was nobody’s business!”
Valerie nodded as she bent down to inspect a scorch mark that smelled of brimstone. “Who did she bring, if I may ask?”
“Dragoslava, Desislav, Ludwig, Rostislav… and that dire fairy always buzzing around Will’s head.”
Looking around some more, Valerie also noticed signs of electrical burns on some of the destroyed golems. She then picked up a shard of obsidian and held it in the sunlight. “Impressive. I’m not even mad…”
Eloise was beside herself. “Mom! SHE. JOINED. THE. ULTRAMagic. GUILD.”
“I heard you, sweetie. While I am somewhat disappointed in that regard, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming, amongst so many other things…”
“Excuse me, but why didn’t you do anything about it then!?”
“I did, dear… or at least tried to. You see, Guinevere is a free spirit, even if she doesn’t appear so at first. As much as I wanted her on board with the plan, I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out that spark of hers. I wasn’t about to do to her what my old guild did to me… those stubborn, blithering imbeciles…”
Eloise was still frustrated, but she had to accept that her mother had a good point. “So what are we going to do now? Blood has the advantage again.”
Valerie sighed as she looked around the impromptu battlefield one more time. “This is getting out of hand… I’ve done some thinking during my weak long quest for ULTRAMagic. Upon achieving it, my mind had been the clearest it had ever been. Facing Blood-Wraith and the guild was fun, but perhaps it’s time for a change of plans…”
Eloise felt her blood run cold upon hearing that. “Mother? You’re… you’re not going to…?”
“No no no, sweetie. We’re not giving up yet. It’s just that I feel it’s time to get practical.”
The sinking feeling was getting worse, despite her mother’s reassurances. “What are you saying?”
“Eloise, I am going to challenge Blood to a magic duel and the winner shall claim the right to defend the Cosmos.”
“B-but… you-you… but…” Eloise stuttered.
Valerie took a quiet breath to keep her nerves at ease, as she knew her plans were going to be hard for Eloise to accept. “If I cannot beat Sir Raynot in might and wit, then I have no right to unite The Unlight. It’s as simple as that.”
In that moment it felt like a part of Eloise had died, only to be replaced with a flame that was obscured in a haze that needed to be cleared up before it could shine. The feeling was unbearable, but gave way to a strange, euphoric resignation that was cathartic despite how upsetting it was. “Oh, I see, mom. I’m… I’m going to head in and rest. Sorry for the mess…”
“No need to apologize, dear,” Valerie said with a smile (albeit an unsure one). “We’re all gaining from this endeavor,” she assured her. “Take it easy for the rest of the day. I’ll take care of everything else.”
“Thanks, mom,” Eloise drearily replied with a fake positivity as she started to head in. “Guinevere got her dino egg by the way.”
“Oh? Well that’s very good. I can’t wait to meet the little darling.”
Once inside, Eloise quietly muttered to herself. “Well, it looks like I will have to take matters into my own hands after all…”
Upon returning to The ULTRAMagic Guild, Will received a warm welcome back from everyone as they were all happy he was safe and sound. A small celebration was in order as Desislav, Alexia, and Drusa scrambled to get some food and drinks ready. Once everyone was present and seated, Guinevere figured she would give a full rundown of what her plans were. She proudly stated the entire thing was a success, even though there were some aspects she felt she could have done better on and hiccups she should have accounted for. Upon finishing her explanations, the food was ready and everyone was given their drinks.
Tiberius stood up, ready to raise his mug. “I propose a toast: To Guinevere’s ingenuity, Will’s safety, and to our future success.” Everyone raised their mugs to that and took a drink.
Will was about to take his sip when he noticed the unique smell of his drink. It was mead. “Um, guys? I don’t drink…”
Rostislav finished his sip and patted Will on the shoulder. “Will, you’re 29 and just escaped capture. Treat yourself for once.”
Ludwig chuckled at Will’s timidness. “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you, especially with your ULTRAMagic.”
“Besides, you better drink up, or Albrecht will never let you hear the end of it,” Weaver playfully remarked with a laugh.
“Oh, alright,” Will conceded as he took a sip. The sweet, honey flavor hit his tongue head on, with a caramel flavor containing traces of a floral sensation overwhelming his taste buds. “Oh wow,” he said as he took another sip, savoring it this time. He then glanced over to Blood-Wraith. “Hey, Blood? What are you drinking?”
“Root beer, because I’m not old enough to drink, obviously,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Aw, but I like root beer…”
Desislav then got up and went over to one of the food trolleys and grabbed a bite to eat. “I can relate, Will. When I was in my early twenties, I was totally against any form of alcohol… until one birthday when the village elder sat me down with a mug and told me I was going to be a man come Hell or high water. I missed the crazy old coot truth be told.” Desislav then sat back down and stretched, his organic membrane crackling with static as he did. “What a wild ride that was. Not as hectic as some of my past adventures, but I’d take dealing with Valerie over an active warzone any day of the week.”
“Or dealing with The Lich of Old,” Dragoslava added. “Alright, Blood, it’s time.”
“Right,” he agreed as he switched places with Ludwig. “Will? I’m sorry for insulting your honor. That was mean of me and I was being a major hot head. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
Will smiled and patted his shoulder. “Of course I can. And hey, Blood? I’m sorry for how reckless I’ve been. I know we’ve been fighting golems, but I could’ve handled all of this a lot better. Trust me, I know how much it means to be a hero and not a mindless soldier. Antares drilled that lesson into my head…” He then sighed, an obvious sign of something he had not addressed yet.
Jonathan put down his mug, wiped his face, and chuckled. “Matey, I’ve been around the docks enough times to know when something’s up. One necromancer to another; tell us what’s wrong.”
Will stroked his chin for a second, with the hairs of his returning beard brushing up against each other. He was a little nervous, but took a breath and told it as it was. “I don’t know how to summon my devils in the past. I’ve tried and tried, but nothing happens.” He then looked around to see that nearly everyone else was nodding calmly. Will was not sure if that was reassuring, but his instinct said yes.
“Was this one of the aforementioned issues, Schwarzes?” Tiberius inquired.
“Yup…” Ultimatum replied. “So, Will, how do you want to fix this?”
“Um, well… Hey, wait a second; can’t you just snap your fingers and fix the whole issue?” Will questioned.
“I could, but where’s the fun in that? Plus I’m not really sure where to start. No matter how much of the Flow of Time I know, you’ll still know yourself better than I ever could.”
Zal-Rint nodded as he put his food down. “We can only look at the Flow of Time for so long before we have to return to our duties. We may know a lot, but we’re not omniscient.”
Will groaned a little in concession, rested his head on his hand, and sipped his drink. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can’t have everything handed to you on a silver platter…”
Vexation was about to speak, but burped and had to pardon himself. “Kid, why didn’t you come to me, Eustorgio, or Tiberius? We would’ve happily taught you some soul magic or alchemy.”
“I don’t know, Vex. I was too afraid of looking like a fool I guess…”
Yale could not help but laugh a little. “Well it’s a little late for that, Will.” He then turned to the others. “Faustus knows how to get Will out of his shell. He has a caring, yet firm approach to Will’s personality and emotions. At the same time, Will, it wouldn’t hurt to be more proactive. You won’t be able to rely on us all of the time.”
Will sighed and took a bite of his food. “I know, Yale. I still wish Faustus was here though…”
“Hold up, I’m confused,” Razor spoke up. “I thought, based on what I’ve learned from Tusk and Randalph, that devils could be summoned to any time period in non-linear realms, such as The Unlight or Realm of Chaos.”
Jonathan stretched and cleared his throat a little. “Well it depends on how and when you met your devil and… erm, Brandr? Could you explain this since you’re better at it?”
Brandr leaned in and chuckled. “Sure, John. What he’s getting at is that Faustus doesn’t know Will yet due to them presumably meeting on Earth and… Wait, hold up, Faustus? Faustus Ashman?” Will nodded. “Haha, no way! Anyways, Will is trying to call on him and Faustus is like ‘I have no idea who this is…’ Now if they had met in say The Unlight, things would have been different. Meeting in a non-linear realm I’ve been told gives this weird, instinctual knowledge of your partner. Say I met John in The Unlight and we were in Will’s current situation. I wouldn’t know who John is, but my gut feeling would tell me he’s important somehow. I’d be too nervous to manifest, but I’d still lend him some of my powers.”
Barry finished his drink and nodded several times. “Vapor 6 broke it down in a similar manner and warned me not to go too far back in time as even he’s unsure how far his help can go. And he’s zero dimensional too.”
Razor was utterly amazed, slowly nodding in acceptance. “Wow, I had no idea necromancy was that complex. You have my sympathy, Will.”
“Thanks, Razor,” he replied as they all went quiet to think and finish their small meals.
Aureolus knew that there was a way he could help, but was not sure at first. Fortunately an epiphany hit him at just the right moment. “Oh, Will! I have an idea: want to try learning void magic?”
“Um, is it hard to do? I mean, I’ve heard it’s pretty rare…”
“It could be difficult, or it could be easy given your aptitude for necromancy. Come with me tomorrow to the tower and we’ll talk to Dunja and see what we can do for you.”
Will thought about it for a second. It sounded interesting and meeting with the queen of The Iron City was an honor Antares and Marcus would scold him for turning down. “Sure, Aureolus. We can give it a shot.”
Ludwig then banged the table. “Scheiße! Schwarzes, why didn’t we think of that? Void magic seems like such a logical choice. And if he didn’t learn it, we’d at least know where else to look…”
Ultimatum scratched his stubble and nodded. “Huh, that is a good idea now that I think about it. Honestly you have nothing to lose, Will.”
“Don’t get too upset with yourself, Ludwig,” Guinevere added. “Void magic can be very esoteric at times, needing to come naturally at the worst possible moments…” She then paused, as if sensing something. “Shoot…”
“What’s the matter, dear?” Alexia asked.
“I think my egg is about to hatch…”
“Goodness! Go dear, go! You don’t want to be late!”
Guinevere shot out of her chair, knocking it to the floor. “Pardon me everyone! I’ll bring him down when he’s ready!” she called out as she rushed out of the main hall.
Will then looked at Blood-Wraith and Ludwig. “You guys said it was a dinosaur, right?”
They both nodded. “A Ceratosaurus, if I recall correctly,” Ludwig clarified.
Will laughed in eager anticipation. “Way past cool! I was a dinosaur kid growing up, so this is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to meet him…”
Next: Chapter 23
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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As Blood-Wraith neared The Iron City, what appeared to be a giant hawk with white feathers landed in the courtyard of Castle Ter Avest. A flash of light revealed that it was Valerie, with the golems she had taken with her running up to the main gates. Not much had changed with Valerie, barring a black overcoat she now wore which lacked a right sleeve to accommodate her alchemy glove. And of course Valerie had a surprise for her daughters she was eager to share, but her mood shifted to shock when she finally noticed the state of her courtyards. Grass and dirt had been blown asunder, scorch marks littered the ground, and pieces of golem were everywhere. And Eloise of all people seemed to be indiscriminately cutting up the golems that remained.
“Eloise!” Valerie called out as she rushed over. “What happened!? Are you okay? Who attacked us? Where’s Guinevere?”
Eloise was about to behead another golem, but ceased her fury and looked at her mother. It was odd as it felt like she had not seen her in a while. “Mom? Mom… MOM! That stupid guild!” She yelled, with her speech devolving into an incoherent, rambling recollection of what she had just dealt with.
Valerie could not make heads or tails of what her clearly distressed daughter was saying, the pacing exacerbating her concern for her. Putting her hands on her shoulders, Valerie looked Eloise dead in the eye. “Sweetie, I can’t understand what you’re saying. Breathe in with me… now out… and…” Valerie then let go. “Tell me what happened, nice and easy…”
“Mom, I found out where Guinevere was…”
“Where was she?”
“The ULTRAMAgic Guild. SHE JOINED THAT STUPID, MOTHERFU…”
“ELOISE, language!!”
Her daughter took another breath. “Right, calm down, Eloise… Guinevere joined that stinking ULTRAMagic Guild! She waited for you to leave, had Blood take over the supply shipment, snuck in some of the guild mages, rescued Will, and just left with them like it was nobody’s business!”
Valerie nodded as she bent down to inspect a scorch mark that smelled of brimstone. “Who did she bring, if I may ask?”
“Dragoslava, Desislav, Ludwig, Rostislav… and that dire fairy always buzzing around Will’s head.”
Looking around some more, Valerie also noticed signs of electrical burns on some of the destroyed golems. She then picked up a shard of obsidian and held it in the sunlight. “Impressive. I’m not even mad…”
Eloise was beside herself. “Mom! SHE. JOINED. THE. ULTRAMagic. GUILD.”
“I heard you, sweetie. While I am somewhat disappointed in that regard, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming, amongst so many other things…”
“Excuse me, but why didn’t you do anything about it then!?”
“I did, dear… or at least tried to. You see, Guinevere is a free spirit, even if she doesn’t appear so at first. As much as I wanted her on board with the plan, I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out that spark of hers. I wasn’t about to do to her what my old guild did to me… those stubborn, blithering imbeciles…”
Eloise was still frustrated, but she had to accept that her mother had a good point. “So what are we going to do now? Blood has the advantage again.”
Valerie sighed as she looked around the impromptu battlefield one more time. “This is getting out of hand… I’ve done some thinking during my weak long quest for ULTRAMagic. Upon achieving it, my mind had been the clearest it had ever been. Facing Blood-Wraith and the guild was fun, but perhaps it’s time for a change of plans…”
Eloise felt her blood run cold upon hearing that. “Mother? You’re… you’re not going to…?”
“No no no, sweetie. We’re not giving up yet. It’s just that I feel it’s time to get practical.”
The sinking feeling was getting worse, despite her mother’s reassurances. “What are you saying?”
“Eloise, I am going to challenge Blood to a magic duel and the winner shall claim the right to defend the Cosmos.”
“B-but… you-you… but…” Eloise stuttered.
Valerie took a quiet breath to keep her nerves at ease, as she knew her plans were going to be hard for Eloise to accept. “If I cannot beat Sir Raynot in might and wit, then I have no right to unite The Unlight. It’s as simple as that.”
In that moment it felt like a part of Eloise had died, only to be replaced with a flame that was obscured in a haze that needed to be cleared up before it could shine. The feeling was unbearable, but gave way to a strange, euphoric resignation that was cathartic despite how upsetting it was. “Oh, I see, mom. I’m… I’m going to head in and rest. Sorry for the mess…”
“No need to apologize, dear,” Valerie said with a smile (albeit an unsure one). “We’re all gaining from this endeavor,” she assured her. “Take it easy for the rest of the day. I’ll take care of everything else.”
“Thanks, mom,” Eloise drearily replied with a fake positivity as she started to head in. “Guinevere got her dino egg by the way.”
“Oh? Well that’s very good. I can’t wait to meet the little darling.”
Once inside, Eloise quietly muttered to herself. “Well, it looks like I will have to take matters into my own hands after all…”
Upon returning to The ULTRAMagic Guild, Will received a warm welcome back from everyone as they were all happy he was safe and sound. A small celebration was in order as Desislav, Alexia, and Drusa scrambled to get some food and drinks ready. Once everyone was present and seated, Guinevere figured she would give a full rundown of what her plans were. She proudly stated the entire thing was a success, even though there were some aspects she felt she could have done better on and hiccups she should have accounted for. Upon finishing her explanations, the food was ready and everyone was given their drinks.
Tiberius stood up, ready to raise his mug. “I propose a toast: To Guinevere’s ingenuity, Will’s safety, and to our future success.” Everyone raised their mugs to that and took a drink.
Will was about to take his sip when he noticed the unique smell of his drink. It was mead. “Um, guys? I don’t drink…”
Rostislav finished his sip and patted Will on the shoulder. “Will, you’re 29 and just escaped capture. Treat yourself for once.”
Ludwig chuckled at Will’s timidness. “Don’t worry, it won’t kill you, especially with your ULTRAMagic.”
“Besides, you better drink up, or Albrecht will never let you hear the end of it,” Weaver playfully remarked with a laugh.
“Oh, alright,” Will conceded as he took a sip. The sweet, honey flavor hit his tongue head on, with a caramel flavor containing traces of a floral sensation overwhelming his taste buds. “Oh wow,” he said as he took another sip, savoring it this time. He then glanced over to Blood-Wraith. “Hey, Blood? What are you drinking?”
“Root beer, because I’m not old enough to drink, obviously,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Aw, but I like root beer…”
Desislav then got up and went over to one of the food trolleys and grabbed a bite to eat. “I can relate, Will. When I was in my early twenties, I was totally against any form of alcohol… until one birthday when the village elder sat me down with a mug and told me I was going to be a man come Hell or high water. I missed the crazy old coot truth be told.” Desislav then sat back down and stretched, his organic membrane crackling with static as he did. “What a wild ride that was. Not as hectic as some of my past adventures, but I’d take dealing with Valerie over an active warzone any day of the week.”
“Or dealing with The Lich of Old,” Dragoslava added. “Alright, Blood, it’s time.”
“Right,” he agreed as he switched places with Ludwig. “Will? I’m sorry for insulting your honor. That was mean of me and I was being a major hot head. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
Will smiled and patted his shoulder. “Of course I can. And hey, Blood? I’m sorry for how reckless I’ve been. I know we’ve been fighting golems, but I could’ve handled all of this a lot better. Trust me, I know how much it means to be a hero and not a mindless soldier. Antares drilled that lesson into my head…” He then sighed, an obvious sign of something he had not addressed yet.
Jonathan put down his mug, wiped his face, and chuckled. “Matey, I’ve been around the docks enough times to know when something’s up. One necromancer to another; tell us what’s wrong.”
Will stroked his chin for a second, with the hairs of his returning beard brushing up against each other. He was a little nervous, but took a breath and told it as it was. “I don’t know how to summon my devils in the past. I’ve tried and tried, but nothing happens.” He then looked around to see that nearly everyone else was nodding calmly. Will was not sure if that was reassuring, but his instinct said yes.
“Was this one of the aforementioned issues, Schwarzes?” Tiberius inquired.
“Yup…” Ultimatum replied. “So, Will, how do you want to fix this?”
“Um, well… Hey, wait a second; can’t you just snap your fingers and fix the whole issue?” Will questioned.
“I could, but where’s the fun in that? Plus I’m not really sure where to start. No matter how much of the Flow of Time I know, you’ll still know yourself better than I ever could.”
Zal-Rint nodded as he put his food down. “We can only look at the Flow of Time for so long before we have to return to our duties. We may know a lot, but we’re not omniscient.”
Will groaned a little in concession, rested his head on his hand, and sipped his drink. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Can’t have everything handed to you on a silver platter…”
Vexation was about to speak, but burped and had to pardon himself. “Kid, why didn’t you come to me, Eustorgio, or Tiberius? We would’ve happily taught you some soul magic or alchemy.”
“I don’t know, Vex. I was too afraid of looking like a fool I guess…”
Yale could not help but laugh a little. “Well it’s a little late for that, Will.” He then turned to the others. “Faustus knows how to get Will out of his shell. He has a caring, yet firm approach to Will’s personality and emotions. At the same time, Will, it wouldn’t hurt to be more proactive. You won’t be able to rely on us all of the time.”
Will sighed and took a bite of his food. “I know, Yale. I still wish Faustus was here though…”
“Hold up, I’m confused,” Razor spoke up. “I thought, based on what I’ve learned from Tusk and Randalph, that devils could be summoned to any time period in non-linear realms, such as The Unlight or Realm of Chaos.”
Jonathan stretched and cleared his throat a little. “Well it depends on how and when you met your devil and… erm, Brandr? Could you explain this since you’re better at it?”
Brandr leaned in and chuckled. “Sure, John. What he’s getting at is that Faustus doesn’t know Will yet due to them presumably meeting on Earth and… Wait, hold up, Faustus? Faustus Ashman?” Will nodded. “Haha, no way! Anyways, Will is trying to call on him and Faustus is like ‘I have no idea who this is…’ Now if they had met in say The Unlight, things would have been different. Meeting in a non-linear realm I’ve been told gives this weird, instinctual knowledge of your partner. Say I met John in The Unlight and we were in Will’s current situation. I wouldn’t know who John is, but my gut feeling would tell me he’s important somehow. I’d be too nervous to manifest, but I’d still lend him some of my powers.”
Barry finished his drink and nodded several times. “Vapor 6 broke it down in a similar manner and warned me not to go too far back in time as even he’s unsure how far his help can go. And he’s zero dimensional too.”
Razor was utterly amazed, slowly nodding in acceptance. “Wow, I had no idea necromancy was that complex. You have my sympathy, Will.”
“Thanks, Razor,” he replied as they all went quiet to think and finish their small meals.
Aureolus knew that there was a way he could help, but was not sure at first. Fortunately an epiphany hit him at just the right moment. “Oh, Will! I have an idea: want to try learning void magic?”
“Um, is it hard to do? I mean, I’ve heard it’s pretty rare…”
“It could be difficult, or it could be easy given your aptitude for necromancy. Come with me tomorrow to the tower and we’ll talk to Dunja and see what we can do for you.”
Will thought about it for a second. It sounded interesting and meeting with the queen of The Iron City was an honor Antares and Marcus would scold him for turning down. “Sure, Aureolus. We can give it a shot.”
Ludwig then banged the table. “Scheiße! Schwarzes, why didn’t we think of that? Void magic seems like such a logical choice. And if he didn’t learn it, we’d at least know where else to look…”
Ultimatum scratched his stubble and nodded. “Huh, that is a good idea now that I think about it. Honestly you have nothing to lose, Will.”
“Don’t get too upset with yourself, Ludwig,” Guinevere added. “Void magic can be very esoteric at times, needing to come naturally at the worst possible moments…” She then paused, as if sensing something. “Shoot…”
“What’s the matter, dear?” Alexia asked.
“I think my egg is about to hatch…”
“Goodness! Go dear, go! You don’t want to be late!”
Guinevere shot out of her chair, knocking it to the floor. “Pardon me everyone! I’ll bring him down when he’s ready!” she called out as she rushed out of the main hall.
Will then looked at Blood-Wraith and Ludwig. “You guys said it was a dinosaur, right?”
They both nodded. “A Ceratosaurus, if I recall correctly,” Ludwig clarified.
Will laughed in eager anticipation. “Way past cool! I was a dinosaur kid growing up, so this is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to meet him…”
Next: Chapter 23
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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