ULTRAMagic Interval - Chapter 32
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The victory against the shadow titan was short lived, as the following day gave way to a new wave of shadow constructs attacking the city. They seemed to be a bit weaker than all of the past waves, but this was compensated for by there being more than before. Sebastian had made his entrance in the late afternoon by burning down city hall, smoking shreds of the American flag, and shooting off red and white fireworks from the destroyed building. He knew what he was doing and did not care if Sylvia was watching as he smugly sat on his throne transmuted from the remains of city hall.
Reynard took great exception to all of this. Using his magic, he acquired a good deal of Nazi memorabilia, threw a molotov cocktail at the pile, and lit his cigar using the fire. This was all filmed for national television with a massive american flag a safe distance away and set to a power metal rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, topped off with a red, white, and blue fireworks display of their own. To say this got the troops rip roaring and ready to go to kill as many shadow constructs as they could was an understatement. The final battle was upon them and M.A.I.G. had no plans to lose.
Will, Morrigan, Jackson, Vlastimir, Ekaterina, Valentin, and Bethany were being driven to the city by Corporal Collins as the sun set that evening. Adrien and Satsuki wanted to join them, but Antares insisted they stay back at the base. As for the Captain himself, he had to make some preparations. The Liger Brigade was getting close, with helicopters and VTOLs already bringing in Liger soldiers. Collins’ truck pulled up to a temporary GRENADIER outpost, with the sounds of thematically appropriate music playing inside the vehicle. Things were a bit hectic at the outpost, with soldiers heading in and out, moving weaponry, supplies, and ammunition to and fro.
As the truck pulled up into the parking area, an officer in a GRENADIER uniform walked over to it. He had brown hair with a full beard and sideburns. “Corporal Robert Collins, it’s been a while!” he welcomed as the Corporal got out.
“Major Bradshaw, Sir!” he replied as the others started to get out. “How’s the wife and kids, Elias?”
“Great, the boys are heading off to college soon.”
“Glad to hear. So I take it the Liger’s are finally here?”
“Not fully, but Camelot is close, no two ways about it.” Elias then turned his attention to the passengers and went up to shake Jackson’s hand. “How are you doing this fine evening, Jack?”
“A little frazzled, but locked and loaded to kill some Nazi dirtbags, Major Bradshaw.”
“Good man, Jack. Today’s a good day to die, but let’s make sure that doesn’t happen…” Elias then noticed the large, red demon that hopped out of the truck. “What the… Private Ford!? Is that you?”
“Major Bradshaw, sir!” Will replied with a salute, a little surprised. “Pardon my appearance at the moment,” he said as he walked up, careful not to swing his tail into something important.
“No big deal, Private. That thing you did for the school reached the higher ups at the pentagon. Word is that you’re definitely in line to be promoted to specialist. There may even be special considerations for you becoming a corporal, but you didn’t hear that from me…”
“Congratulations, Boyo!” Morrigan said as she patted Will’s back, causing him to chuckle.
“Hold up! Sam?! What happened to you, ha?” Elias inquired, thrown off by her different appearance.
“Hey, Major Bradshaw. This is who I actually am, a succubus general…”
Elias laughed as several helicopters thundered overhead. “That is one of the strangest things I’ve heard in some time, but glad to have you aboard regardless. How’s Ellen doing these days?”
“Great… worried, but great.”
“Good to hear. Vlastimir, Eka, how are you two holding up?”
Ekaterina sighed. “Alright, despite being about to head into battle.” It was clear she was a bit nervous.
Vlastimir summoned his sword and twirled it around. “All of this reminds me of The Dark Grand Desert, haha!”
“Indeed, Vlastimir, ha,” Elias replied, being one of the many who were a little skeptical of Vlastimir’s tales. “Don’t worry, Eka, we got so many troops here that help is just a couple steps away.” He then turned to address Valentin, who was dressed in a M.A.I.G. soldier uniform. “Valentin Karppinen, I did not expect to see you here…”
“I share the sentiment, Major. Things have truly gotten out of hand, but you have my deck until my last breath and then some.”
“Glad to hear it, Valentin,” he replied as he shook his hand. Last but not least, Elias stepped over to the manticore. “Bethany Briggs, ain’t this a surprise?”
“Major, sir!” Bethany said as she stomped her right front paw on the ground, presumably as a salute.
Elias chuckled. “Don’t let my daughter know about her, she loves lions and tigers,” he said to the others, causing them to also chuckle.
“No offense, sir, but what are we waiting for?”
Checking his watch, Elias then glanced up at the sky, as if looking for something. “Captain Briggs, who’s running late…”
As he said that, the sound of small jets could be heard above them. A man in a streamlined suit of silver exo-armor illuminated with soft purple lights came hovering down. Upon setting foot on the ground, a pair of wings collapsed into a module on his back. The entire suit was a technological marvel, looking like it could easily destroy an entire building. With the push of a button, the faceplate of the liger-themed helmet opened, revealing Antares’ face.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” Antares stated. “Got stuck in the powder room and had to maneuver around everybody flying about.”
“Captain, why didn’t you just take a truck?” Will wondered.
“Flying is quicker, Private. Plus I needed to test all of the suit’s systems.”
“Fashionably late, Briggs,” Elias remarked. “You sure you want to take that tin can into battle?”
“Well given all of the time and effort I put into pushing for this thing to be made… Either way, we need to give this thing a good test run before we start mass producing the Halberd MKII. Now let’s get the briefing out of the way before we go knock some heads.”
“Right this way, ladies and gentlemen,” Elias said as he indicated the group to follow him.
The group was taken to an outdoor situation room cordoned off with partitions, where they were given the rundown of how things were going. Sebastian had brought roughly 9800 shadow constructs, but it was clear he was going for quantity over quality this time around. Intel reports noted that they were distinctly weaker than before. While this meant that the soldiers were easily able to get things under control, Sebastian was still out there, waiting where city hall once stood.
Antares, Jackson, Will, Morrigan, Vlastimir, Ekaterina, Valentin, and Bethany were to accompany Zoltan and Milan to defeat Sebastian. Mercy was not an option and they all accepted this. Once everyone was set, the newly christened Alpha Squad set out for city hall. They were halfway there when something dropped down from the sky in a shadowy, red mass of smoke. Stepping into the intersection was what appeared to be a skeletal, eldritch looking knight in gnarled, crimson armor.
“And who would you be, good sir?” Zoltan inquired with sarcastic manners, as the others came to stop at the damaged intersection.
“Sanguine Odovacar Berahthram Zuiderduin,” he replied in a deep, raspy voice. “The master has requested that I meet with you…”
Zoltan cackled with fight in his voice as his blood red aura flared up. “He’s going to need more than you to hold us back…”
“Zoltan, hold up!” Milan interrupted. “Be careful, that’s the dimensional anomaly that showed up at Bethany’s Crypt. I’m sure of it.”
“Can confirm, that is indeed the creepy creep from the other night,” Bethany added, leading the others to chuckle.
“An astute observation,” Sanguine replied, albeit there was a hint of irritation in his voice. “The master had ordered a rather hasty retreat.” He then snapped his fingers, causing screaming, chaotic energy to whirl around him. “Shall we get down to business then?”
Just as Zoltan and Milan readied themselves, Morrigan stepped forward. “Sanguine…”
“Morrigan,” he remarked. “It’s been a while. I trust the red demon over there is your new lover?”
“Oh well, you know how it goes; Karnage was a slimy worm that just wasn’t my type,” she said with a sassy shrug. “Zoltan, Milan, Antares? Go on ahead while we catch up…”
“NO!” Sanguine exclaimed as the chaotic aura around him riled up.
Valentin immediately got out one of his cards. “Ah ah ah, Sanguine…”
“Hex magic? How unfortunate… and in the third dimension too,” he admitted in frustration.
Antares groaned. “I don’t like splitting up, but so be it. Zoltan, Milan, let’s go!” The three then headed off down the road. “Call for backup if things go south!” he called out as they got further away.
Valentin then looked at the card he had drawn. It depicted a jester of some sort with ‘Perkele’ written across the image. “NOW YOU FORM!?” He then tossed it to a place unknown. “Useless things…”
“Hey, at least you tried,” Jackson reassured him as he patted his shoulder.
“Strange indeed,” Sanguine remarked. He snapped his fingers again, causing a large group of shadow constructs to surround all of them. “You would dare take on someone mightier than yourself, Morrigan?”
She glanced around at the constructs, completely unphased. “That hasn’t stopped me before now, has it?”
“Wait, just how strong is he?!” Will questioned, silently panicking as more shadow constructs approached.
“6D, Boyo. Don’t worry, he can’t go crazy with his power or else the Madman of Old will be on his case faster than you can blink…”
“Sam?” Vlastimir cut in. “May Eka and I see to our… very unwelcome guests?” he inquired with a polite, yet creepy tone of voice.
“Have a ball…”
“With pleasure,” he said as he morphed into an oozing, macabre, dragon-like creature. Ekaterina followed him and the two began tearing into the gathered shadow constructs.
Morrigan gave a satisfied nod, then turned her attention back to Sanguine. “Why do you keep serving those awful people? You’re so much greater than scum like those…”
“I was born from the blood of The Crimson God. I am at the behest of my creator’s will. My apologies, Morrigan.”
She drew her sword. “Nothing personal then, Sanguine…”
Morrigan and Sanguine slammed their blades into each other with a loud crash in a movement too quick to see. Daemonsong held back Sanguine’s Red Lightning, the two clashing all over the area with nearly imperceptible attacks. Will was unsure what to do, so he turned into a spinning wheel of fire that went after Sanguine. It was ineffective, but Morrigan saw an opportunity. Using her star magic, she guided the wheel, nearly hitting Sanguine multiple times.
Bethany joined in, summoning multiple orbs of magical energy above her with a long and mighty roar. They shot forward as fiery spears, knocking Sanguine back multiple times. Morrigan used this opening to bring Will in towards her, turning him into a giant scepter with a massive, dual saw blade adorning it. She revved the blades, causing them to spit volcanic fire balls everywhere. With a good swing of the scepter, she sent Sanguine careening into a building.
“Nice shot, Sam!” Bethany cheered. “Teach me how to do that!”
“Thank you, Bethany!”
Will half emerged from the saw, a bit wobbly. “Sam, we’re a little dizzy…”
She gave a subtle wince. “Sorry, Boyo. Hold on for just a little bit longer…”
“Using your lover as a tool!?” Sanguine questioned as he emerged from the building, shoving aside a giant piece of rubble. “Not even Karnage was subject to such an indignity.”
Morrigan rolled her eyes and scoffed. “It’s called working together, Sanguine.” She then readied the scepter and gave it another rev. “Let me show you what me and Boyo can really do…”
Jackson was speechless as he watched Morrigan and Bethany take on Sanguine, with Morrigan slinging around the monstrous saw blade on a fiery chain. And as Bethany fired an explosive laser from her tail, Jackson broke down. What was he supposed to do? All he had was a shotgun and subpar magic skills, as if one could call the parlor tricks he knew proper magic. Truthfully he felt hopeless even though Morrigan clearly had the upper hand.
“ARGH, what am I even supposed to do!?” Jackson complained as he tightened his grip on his shotgun. “Any ideas, Valentin!?”
“What can we do? This fight is out of our hands,” he remarked as they watched from the corner of a building.
“Can’t you throw some cards or something?!”
Valentin groaned. “My cards can only do so much and I haven’t fully filled out my deck yet…”
“REALLY!?! After everything you put Will through!?”
“Would you calm down? You think I’m happy right now? I’d love to leave this matter to Morrigan and go deal with Sebastian, but we can’t. Sanguine may be hindered by our realm, but he is still the bigger threat at the moment.”
“OKAY, so we just sit here doing nothing then!?!”
Valentin took a breath and groaned on the exhale. “We can’t let Sanguine rejoin Sebastian. Even here he is dangerous. My hexes are the last line of defense at the moment.”
Jackson then began repeatedly kicking a mailbox. “Great great GREAT! They’re out hauling ass and I’m stuck here TWIDDLING MY THUMBS!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a soldier?”
Jackson stopped for a second. “I’m a special agent who failed to become a soldier, damn it. Have you ever seen me giving orders on my own? I don’t actually have any authority outside of times when I’m tasked with overseeing something… Marcus was right, I sucked at protecting Will,” he said as he kicked the mailbox once more, leaving a considerable dent in the side of it. There was noticeable disappointment in his voice. “Just look at him now!”
Valentin definitely felt where Jackson was coming from. “Jack, stop downplaying your strengths. What you lack in magic and authority you make up for in grit and tenacity. I nearly bested all of you multiple times and yet you maintained your post, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, of course we would…”
“Exactly. You’re not hopeless, you just haven’t been dealt your royal flush yet. And look at me! I had my family and life ripped away from me at a young age, yet here I am today. If I can make it, so can you. You can become a powerful magician like Will and Morrigan, mark my words.”
Jackson took a second to think about those words, then smiled. “You know? Dad would have probably said something similar. Thanks, Valentin. That meant a lot.”
“Just remember, Jack; Things are only hopeless when we give up. Keep looking for that solution you need and you will find it one day… just don’t follow in my footsteps.” This made the two laugh.
Bethany then came running up, slightly out of breath. “Guys, we need your help! Some of the shadow constructs broke away from Vlastimir and Eka and are trying to get cheap shots in on us…”
Valentin readied his deck of cards. “Jackson?”
He cocked his shotgun. “Not in my city on my watch! Let’s go!”
Next: Chapter 33
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
The victory against the shadow titan was short lived, as the following day gave way to a new wave of shadow constructs attacking the city. They seemed to be a bit weaker than all of the past waves, but this was compensated for by there being more than before. Sebastian had made his entrance in the late afternoon by burning down city hall, smoking shreds of the American flag, and shooting off red and white fireworks from the destroyed building. He knew what he was doing and did not care if Sylvia was watching as he smugly sat on his throne transmuted from the remains of city hall.
Reynard took great exception to all of this. Using his magic, he acquired a good deal of Nazi memorabilia, threw a molotov cocktail at the pile, and lit his cigar using the fire. This was all filmed for national television with a massive american flag a safe distance away and set to a power metal rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, topped off with a red, white, and blue fireworks display of their own. To say this got the troops rip roaring and ready to go to kill as many shadow constructs as they could was an understatement. The final battle was upon them and M.A.I.G. had no plans to lose.
Will, Morrigan, Jackson, Vlastimir, Ekaterina, Valentin, and Bethany were being driven to the city by Corporal Collins as the sun set that evening. Adrien and Satsuki wanted to join them, but Antares insisted they stay back at the base. As for the Captain himself, he had to make some preparations. The Liger Brigade was getting close, with helicopters and VTOLs already bringing in Liger soldiers. Collins’ truck pulled up to a temporary GRENADIER outpost, with the sounds of thematically appropriate music playing inside the vehicle. Things were a bit hectic at the outpost, with soldiers heading in and out, moving weaponry, supplies, and ammunition to and fro.
As the truck pulled up into the parking area, an officer in a GRENADIER uniform walked over to it. He had brown hair with a full beard and sideburns. “Corporal Robert Collins, it’s been a while!” he welcomed as the Corporal got out.
“Major Bradshaw, Sir!” he replied as the others started to get out. “How’s the wife and kids, Elias?”
“Great, the boys are heading off to college soon.”
“Glad to hear. So I take it the Liger’s are finally here?”
“Not fully, but Camelot is close, no two ways about it.” Elias then turned his attention to the passengers and went up to shake Jackson’s hand. “How are you doing this fine evening, Jack?”
“A little frazzled, but locked and loaded to kill some Nazi dirtbags, Major Bradshaw.”
“Good man, Jack. Today’s a good day to die, but let’s make sure that doesn’t happen…” Elias then noticed the large, red demon that hopped out of the truck. “What the… Private Ford!? Is that you?”
“Major Bradshaw, sir!” Will replied with a salute, a little surprised. “Pardon my appearance at the moment,” he said as he walked up, careful not to swing his tail into something important.
“No big deal, Private. That thing you did for the school reached the higher ups at the pentagon. Word is that you’re definitely in line to be promoted to specialist. There may even be special considerations for you becoming a corporal, but you didn’t hear that from me…”
“Congratulations, Boyo!” Morrigan said as she patted Will’s back, causing him to chuckle.
“Hold up! Sam?! What happened to you, ha?” Elias inquired, thrown off by her different appearance.
“Hey, Major Bradshaw. This is who I actually am, a succubus general…”
Elias laughed as several helicopters thundered overhead. “That is one of the strangest things I’ve heard in some time, but glad to have you aboard regardless. How’s Ellen doing these days?”
“Great… worried, but great.”
“Good to hear. Vlastimir, Eka, how are you two holding up?”
Ekaterina sighed. “Alright, despite being about to head into battle.” It was clear she was a bit nervous.
Vlastimir summoned his sword and twirled it around. “All of this reminds me of The Dark Grand Desert, haha!”
“Indeed, Vlastimir, ha,” Elias replied, being one of the many who were a little skeptical of Vlastimir’s tales. “Don’t worry, Eka, we got so many troops here that help is just a couple steps away.” He then turned to address Valentin, who was dressed in a M.A.I.G. soldier uniform. “Valentin Karppinen, I did not expect to see you here…”
“I share the sentiment, Major. Things have truly gotten out of hand, but you have my deck until my last breath and then some.”
“Glad to hear it, Valentin,” he replied as he shook his hand. Last but not least, Elias stepped over to the manticore. “Bethany Briggs, ain’t this a surprise?”
“Major, sir!” Bethany said as she stomped her right front paw on the ground, presumably as a salute.
Elias chuckled. “Don’t let my daughter know about her, she loves lions and tigers,” he said to the others, causing them to also chuckle.
“No offense, sir, but what are we waiting for?”
Checking his watch, Elias then glanced up at the sky, as if looking for something. “Captain Briggs, who’s running late…”
As he said that, the sound of small jets could be heard above them. A man in a streamlined suit of silver exo-armor illuminated with soft purple lights came hovering down. Upon setting foot on the ground, a pair of wings collapsed into a module on his back. The entire suit was a technological marvel, looking like it could easily destroy an entire building. With the push of a button, the faceplate of the liger-themed helmet opened, revealing Antares’ face.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” Antares stated. “Got stuck in the powder room and had to maneuver around everybody flying about.”
“Captain, why didn’t you just take a truck?” Will wondered.
“Flying is quicker, Private. Plus I needed to test all of the suit’s systems.”
“Fashionably late, Briggs,” Elias remarked. “You sure you want to take that tin can into battle?”
“Well given all of the time and effort I put into pushing for this thing to be made… Either way, we need to give this thing a good test run before we start mass producing the Halberd MKII. Now let’s get the briefing out of the way before we go knock some heads.”
“Right this way, ladies and gentlemen,” Elias said as he indicated the group to follow him.
The group was taken to an outdoor situation room cordoned off with partitions, where they were given the rundown of how things were going. Sebastian had brought roughly 9800 shadow constructs, but it was clear he was going for quantity over quality this time around. Intel reports noted that they were distinctly weaker than before. While this meant that the soldiers were easily able to get things under control, Sebastian was still out there, waiting where city hall once stood.
Antares, Jackson, Will, Morrigan, Vlastimir, Ekaterina, Valentin, and Bethany were to accompany Zoltan and Milan to defeat Sebastian. Mercy was not an option and they all accepted this. Once everyone was set, the newly christened Alpha Squad set out for city hall. They were halfway there when something dropped down from the sky in a shadowy, red mass of smoke. Stepping into the intersection was what appeared to be a skeletal, eldritch looking knight in gnarled, crimson armor.
“And who would you be, good sir?” Zoltan inquired with sarcastic manners, as the others came to stop at the damaged intersection.
“Sanguine Odovacar Berahthram Zuiderduin,” he replied in a deep, raspy voice. “The master has requested that I meet with you…”
Zoltan cackled with fight in his voice as his blood red aura flared up. “He’s going to need more than you to hold us back…”
“Zoltan, hold up!” Milan interrupted. “Be careful, that’s the dimensional anomaly that showed up at Bethany’s Crypt. I’m sure of it.”
“Can confirm, that is indeed the creepy creep from the other night,” Bethany added, leading the others to chuckle.
“An astute observation,” Sanguine replied, albeit there was a hint of irritation in his voice. “The master had ordered a rather hasty retreat.” He then snapped his fingers, causing screaming, chaotic energy to whirl around him. “Shall we get down to business then?”
Just as Zoltan and Milan readied themselves, Morrigan stepped forward. “Sanguine…”
“Morrigan,” he remarked. “It’s been a while. I trust the red demon over there is your new lover?”
“Oh well, you know how it goes; Karnage was a slimy worm that just wasn’t my type,” she said with a sassy shrug. “Zoltan, Milan, Antares? Go on ahead while we catch up…”
“NO!” Sanguine exclaimed as the chaotic aura around him riled up.
Valentin immediately got out one of his cards. “Ah ah ah, Sanguine…”
“Hex magic? How unfortunate… and in the third dimension too,” he admitted in frustration.
Antares groaned. “I don’t like splitting up, but so be it. Zoltan, Milan, let’s go!” The three then headed off down the road. “Call for backup if things go south!” he called out as they got further away.
Valentin then looked at the card he had drawn. It depicted a jester of some sort with ‘Perkele’ written across the image. “NOW YOU FORM!?” He then tossed it to a place unknown. “Useless things…”
“Hey, at least you tried,” Jackson reassured him as he patted his shoulder.
“Strange indeed,” Sanguine remarked. He snapped his fingers again, causing a large group of shadow constructs to surround all of them. “You would dare take on someone mightier than yourself, Morrigan?”
She glanced around at the constructs, completely unphased. “That hasn’t stopped me before now, has it?”
“Wait, just how strong is he?!” Will questioned, silently panicking as more shadow constructs approached.
“6D, Boyo. Don’t worry, he can’t go crazy with his power or else the Madman of Old will be on his case faster than you can blink…”
“Sam?” Vlastimir cut in. “May Eka and I see to our… very unwelcome guests?” he inquired with a polite, yet creepy tone of voice.
“Have a ball…”
“With pleasure,” he said as he morphed into an oozing, macabre, dragon-like creature. Ekaterina followed him and the two began tearing into the gathered shadow constructs.
Morrigan gave a satisfied nod, then turned her attention back to Sanguine. “Why do you keep serving those awful people? You’re so much greater than scum like those…”
“I was born from the blood of The Crimson God. I am at the behest of my creator’s will. My apologies, Morrigan.”
She drew her sword. “Nothing personal then, Sanguine…”
Morrigan and Sanguine slammed their blades into each other with a loud crash in a movement too quick to see. Daemonsong held back Sanguine’s Red Lightning, the two clashing all over the area with nearly imperceptible attacks. Will was unsure what to do, so he turned into a spinning wheel of fire that went after Sanguine. It was ineffective, but Morrigan saw an opportunity. Using her star magic, she guided the wheel, nearly hitting Sanguine multiple times.
Bethany joined in, summoning multiple orbs of magical energy above her with a long and mighty roar. They shot forward as fiery spears, knocking Sanguine back multiple times. Morrigan used this opening to bring Will in towards her, turning him into a giant scepter with a massive, dual saw blade adorning it. She revved the blades, causing them to spit volcanic fire balls everywhere. With a good swing of the scepter, she sent Sanguine careening into a building.
“Nice shot, Sam!” Bethany cheered. “Teach me how to do that!”
“Thank you, Bethany!”
Will half emerged from the saw, a bit wobbly. “Sam, we’re a little dizzy…”
She gave a subtle wince. “Sorry, Boyo. Hold on for just a little bit longer…”
“Using your lover as a tool!?” Sanguine questioned as he emerged from the building, shoving aside a giant piece of rubble. “Not even Karnage was subject to such an indignity.”
Morrigan rolled her eyes and scoffed. “It’s called working together, Sanguine.” She then readied the scepter and gave it another rev. “Let me show you what me and Boyo can really do…”
Jackson was speechless as he watched Morrigan and Bethany take on Sanguine, with Morrigan slinging around the monstrous saw blade on a fiery chain. And as Bethany fired an explosive laser from her tail, Jackson broke down. What was he supposed to do? All he had was a shotgun and subpar magic skills, as if one could call the parlor tricks he knew proper magic. Truthfully he felt hopeless even though Morrigan clearly had the upper hand.
“ARGH, what am I even supposed to do!?” Jackson complained as he tightened his grip on his shotgun. “Any ideas, Valentin!?”
“What can we do? This fight is out of our hands,” he remarked as they watched from the corner of a building.
“Can’t you throw some cards or something?!”
Valentin groaned. “My cards can only do so much and I haven’t fully filled out my deck yet…”
“REALLY!?! After everything you put Will through!?”
“Would you calm down? You think I’m happy right now? I’d love to leave this matter to Morrigan and go deal with Sebastian, but we can’t. Sanguine may be hindered by our realm, but he is still the bigger threat at the moment.”
“OKAY, so we just sit here doing nothing then!?!”
Valentin took a breath and groaned on the exhale. “We can’t let Sanguine rejoin Sebastian. Even here he is dangerous. My hexes are the last line of defense at the moment.”
Jackson then began repeatedly kicking a mailbox. “Great great GREAT! They’re out hauling ass and I’m stuck here TWIDDLING MY THUMBS!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a soldier?”
Jackson stopped for a second. “I’m a special agent who failed to become a soldier, damn it. Have you ever seen me giving orders on my own? I don’t actually have any authority outside of times when I’m tasked with overseeing something… Marcus was right, I sucked at protecting Will,” he said as he kicked the mailbox once more, leaving a considerable dent in the side of it. There was noticeable disappointment in his voice. “Just look at him now!”
Valentin definitely felt where Jackson was coming from. “Jack, stop downplaying your strengths. What you lack in magic and authority you make up for in grit and tenacity. I nearly bested all of you multiple times and yet you maintained your post, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, of course we would…”
“Exactly. You’re not hopeless, you just haven’t been dealt your royal flush yet. And look at me! I had my family and life ripped away from me at a young age, yet here I am today. If I can make it, so can you. You can become a powerful magician like Will and Morrigan, mark my words.”
Jackson took a second to think about those words, then smiled. “You know? Dad would have probably said something similar. Thanks, Valentin. That meant a lot.”
“Just remember, Jack; Things are only hopeless when we give up. Keep looking for that solution you need and you will find it one day… just don’t follow in my footsteps.” This made the two laugh.
Bethany then came running up, slightly out of breath. “Guys, we need your help! Some of the shadow constructs broke away from Vlastimir and Eka and are trying to get cheap shots in on us…”
Valentin readied his deck of cards. “Jackson?”
He cocked his shotgun. “Not in my city on my watch! Let’s go!”
Next: Chapter 33
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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