ULTRAMagic Babel - Chapter 13
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Buster gazed out at the seemingly endless waters of The Great Stone Lake from the Sublimatio Apex Balcony while Odo finalized his spell that would send the younger brother away to safety. The clouds and mist had vanished, allowing for a truly breathtaking sight as sunlight glistened off of the calm waves. Something that weighed on Buster’s mind was the question of what would happen next. Truthfully he was hoping everything would just fix itself right then and there and he would not have to go into hiding. He then conceded to himself that such wishes were naive. It would have also invalidated everything they had just gone through. All of it was a conundrum for Buster as the gentle lake breeze caressed his face.
“It’s strange how close The Unlight can feel to Earth at times,” Waramunt said as he stepped over to the stone railing. “And as progress continues to march on back home, tainting its beauty, The Unlight remains pristine and unburdened. I’d even go so far as to call this realm Eden.”
“Well surely Earth still has some beauty to it?”
“Undoubtedly, despite all of the parking lots and shopping malls. Many forests and valleys remain intact for you to enjoy their relaxing splendor… only for you to find a discarded plastic bottle, a shopping bag is discovered at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, and a processed chip bag gets left behind in a cave, destabilizing its entire ecosystem…”
Buster felt bad, but then realized something that brought him an odd comfort. “Well how’s that any worse than Milosh occupying Shadowland, Anne ordering an attack on Droomopolis, or Karnage hunting me for my ULTRAMagic?”
“True, but those are things we can easily fight back against. So many people swear fealty to and worship money where I’m from. God is clearly nothing but primitive barbarism, all hail the markka and the dollar-screw the euro. Your government then pulls the rug out from under your feet, says you can’t do this and that, and lo and behold they have an army of soulless sinners reveling in the irreverence. They don’t care if they ruin lives and sabotage humanity’s success, they’re getting paid to do it!”
“Well… then it sounds like The Eternal Order has set up shop on Earth and we need to go and stop them.”
That led to a moment of silence from Waramunt. “As much as I want to lay the blame at Karnage’s feet for his meddling, there are a lot of people who have rejected the light and accepted the material. We can’t treat everyone like they’re a willing accomplice of The Sepulcher God…”
“I get that, but things won’t change if we don’t act, even if it’s merely defiance.”
Waramunt smiled as Ensio walked over and gave a reassuring caw. Buster reminded him of someone he knew all too well from Earth. “I suppose conflict is our existence, for without it we wouldn’t exist in the first place.”
“It sounds like Earth’s a mess, but just look at what Odo and I have gone through… and don’t even get me started on The Great Uncity.”
“Don’t expect a free ride regardless, as Earth demands you work! Work work work! You work until your bones ache, come home to rest, and then get a letter from the taxman saying that your taxes are going up because a group of upper class degenerates need a new yacht…” Waramunt sounded incredibly angry despite initially calming down. While it was clear he never experienced that issue first hand, everything he had just said was only the tip of the iceberg of things he had to say about Earth.
Buster had to laugh a little. “Goodness, and to think I’m heading off to Milosh’s universe… Will I run into you, Waramunt?”
He paused with remorseful silence, contemplating how to answer that. “I have no doubt you will, but it will be at my lowest. Do not pity me, rather learn from my mistakes. And fret not, as no matter what I do, I nor the Eternal Order will lay a finger on you, as your protectors won’t allow it. You’ll be in safe hands with some of the best friends you have ever known.”
“Thank you, Waramunt… I suppose it would jeopardize the timeline if you told me who you actually are?”
“Absolutely, but don’t worry, it will all make sense in due time.”
“Buster, the spell’s ready…” Odo called over to him.
“Well I’d dare say your train is here, my boy,” Waramunt encouragingly remarked.
Everyone else stood before the portal of softly twisting, warm pastel colors. It was quite soothing and inviting. Buster sighed as he looked into it, seeing a faint glimpse of a familiar man standing with six others. “So I guess this is it then?”
Odo gave him a hug, not wanting to let go. “You’ll be safe this way, I promise.”
“I’m going to miss you, brother…”
“Me too, Buster. Me too.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, Buster began to walk towards the portal. A ribbon of light enveloped him, changing his appearance. Turning around to face his friends and family one more time, Buster had become a human with brown hair, purple eyes, and a smile on his face. “See you guys later.” He then stepped into the portal, with it vanishing in a beautiful mist of rainbow sparkles.
Odo was quiet after all was said and done. He had nothing to say as he had done it… He had gotten his brother into hiding. So many things rushed through his mind as the anxiety mounted inside of him. Was Buster going to be okay? What if he got hurt? What if someone else went after him? A single tear fell to the ground, with Odo wiping his face. He then turned to Waramunt. A fire had ignited in Odo’s soul that could not be doused and it could be seen as clear the magnificent sky in his eyes.
“Waramunt, tell Sylvia I’m interested in her offer…”
“Haha, actually she anticipated this,” Waramunt replied as he handed him a black, coarse playing card with a texture similar to charcoal.
“Odo, are you sure about this?” Lia questioned. “Anne’s side of the order is not playing around.”
“Seriously, Odo, at least come home and rest up in The Iron City for a little bit…” Dragoslava added.
Odo paused, then wrote his name on the card with a raven’s quill in red ink that glowed like embers. “I can’t rest after what they did to me and Buster,” he said as the card turned into a pitch black claymore. “Karnage is still out there after all.”
“Well we can’t argue with him with determination like that,” Ozymandias commented, with Tereza nodding. “Best of luck to you, Sir Odo Ash. You have my blessing. Stay safe.”
“Thank you, Royal God,” Odo replied as he held up the claymore. A giant raven flew towards the tower and picked Odo up by the blade, carrying him off into the distant horizon.
Waramunt shook his head with a smile, being brought back to when he accepted Sylvia’s offer. “Well I better go with him and make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble.”
Lia sensed what was about to happen and hurried over to Waramunt as he walked over to the railing. “Waramunt, I will see you again, right?”
Waramunt gave her a kiss on the lips. “Of course you will, my love.” He then presented her a beautiful, thornless, dark red rose. “Here, a promise from Sylvia that I’ll return safe and sound.”
“I’ll wait as long as it takes,” Lia also promised as she accepted the flower.
“That’s all I could ever ask for,” he said as he summoned his spectral sword. Waramunt then held it up for another raven to come along and carry him off, just like Odo.
Adriana crossed her arms and smiled. “We still need to get Lia back to The Iron city, but mission accomplished.” This made the whole group happy and relieved.
Tusk gave a triumphant laugh. “Now let’s go get Angus and Cornelius and skedaddle before something else happens…”
Once everyone was ready, the group departed from the tower and headed for the boat. Looking back on the tower one last time, it began slowly fading from existence before finally vanishing in a spectacular, vermilion mist. Notably the island had shrunk a great deal, which was very surreal for the group. They could not help but stay there for a second, taking it all in. The sudden tranquility lifted a weight off of their shoulders, but also triggered a sensation of eeriness.
“It’s finally over…” Serjiel stated. “No more chaos, as the tower has found its true home-a dream in a realm for its ilk. It’s an honor to share this moment with all of you.”
“Same here, Serjiel,” Tusk said as he patted him on the shoulder. “Auda is going to riddle me with non-stop questions, no doubt about it.” The others laughed and chuckled.
“It feels odd to have it gone like that,” Yoshihiro noted. “Strangely I found it growing on me, but at the same time I’d rather not have another rat invasion.”
Dragoslava hopped onto the boat with the others following suit. “So, Cornelius, what do you think of The Unlight so far?”
“It’s strange, to say the least,” he answered with a laugh.
“Don’t worry, lad, you’ll get used to it,” Angus said as he patted him on the back. “Spend a few weeks here and it will feel just like the Cosmos proper.”
Yoshihiro saw Tusk starting the boat and went to the wheel once the engines started. “Here, Tusk, let me. I’ll take you guys to the far shore, then return the boat so I can also go tell the guys at the LWIO what happened.”
“Fine with me,” Tusk said with a shrug as the boat took off. “Adriana?”
She was a little nervous as she glanced around, notably to Lia. “I don’t like being down a man, but we do have Drago here…”
“Precisely!” she agreed. “Don’t worry, Captain, nothing will happen to Lia under my watch.”
“And I’d be damned if any harm came to my daughter,” Angus assured. “Lia, that rat Milosh didn’t hurt you or put any moves on you, did he?”
Lia laughed. “Oh, father… It wouldn’t matter as he’s long since dead. Oh, um, speaking of that… Adriana? I know everyone doesn’t fully trust me yet and that’s fully understandable, but I need to go to Shadowland as soon as possible, as there are some important things we need to retrieve from my house-that I hope hasn’t been torn down…”
“Absolutely not, as Sten has been very careful in handling these matters,” she replied.
“Good, because my house just so happens to have one of the major secret entrances to warehouse Omicron.” This caught Adriana, Dragoslava, and Tusk off guard.
“Well I’d dare say that warrants utmost attention then…” Adriana concluded.
“Don’t worry, Lia, we’ll send Blood with you,” Draoglsava promised.
“Why Blood-Wraith exactly?” Lia questioned. “I’m not calling into question his abilities-given what I know about him, but what can he do for us in this matter?”
“Agreed,” Adriana added. “Could you elaborate, Drago?”
She smirked. “He can turn into a dragon, hello?!”
“Ah… fair point, Drago.”
Lia thought about the prospect for a second. “Well I suppose it would greatly help given how powerful he is… and I’m not sure if the projects in the warehouse have deactivated or not…”
“Be careful about this, Lia,” Angus cautioned.
Tusk nodded, looked at the waters as gusts of wind hit his face, then had an idea. “Well hey, not only Blood, but also Gratiana and Gummi.”
“Oh my goodness…” Lia said to herself, then wondered about Tusk’s logic. “Wait, why them specifically?”
“Well aside from making up with them, those two are nothing to sneeze at in regards to their abilities. Gummi’s elk form is a force to be reckoned with and I swear Lord Leonard is on the verge of giving Gratiana her honors back.”
“Hold up, what did you say about Gummi?”
Tusk smiled. “The beast blood plot and poisoning, remember? The Beast of Old blessed his sample of blood and now he can turn into a giant elk powered by arcane energy… Hey, Lia? What kind of beast do you fancy yourself as? Say you got that beast blood of yours cleaned up and what not…”
She was not sure what to say to that odd question, although the vast waters of the lake did give her an idea. “Um, well, perhaps a swan? They’re such gorgeous birds and I was always disappointed that they could never live in Glacierhaven.”
“A fantastic choice, Lia,” Angus encouraged. “Considering you’ve always been as pretty as one.”
“Father, please,” Lia said, a little embarrassed, with the others chuckling. “Tusk, I suppose if The Beast of Old blesses me, I will go to speak to Lord Driskoll about purifying my beast blood.”
“There you go,” Tusk happily replied. “I’ll get a hold of The Beast when we get back… assuming you’re okay with it, Adriana, haha.”
She exhaled and shook her head. “Well normally I’d get on your case for undermining my authority, but if Lia is meant to become a blessed beast, then so be it. It would certainly be a boon to the Blades, given the benefits of Valerie’s hawk form. And I can’t deny that Blood-Wraith, Gummi, and Gratiana would be quite the team to go with you to your old home, Lia.”
“They’d knock it out of the park, no two ways about it,” Dragoslava assured. “Any leftover shadow constructs are about to be torched by Blood.”
Lia sighed, concerned about Omicron. “Here’s hoping he’s on top of his game,” she noted. “As I pray Audamar has shut down like the rest…” That comment was a bit quieter, and to herself, as she was starting to dread the idea of the trip to Shadowland…
Next: Chapter 14
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Buster gazed out at the seemingly endless waters of The Great Stone Lake from the Sublimatio Apex Balcony while Odo finalized his spell that would send the younger brother away to safety. The clouds and mist had vanished, allowing for a truly breathtaking sight as sunlight glistened off of the calm waves. Something that weighed on Buster’s mind was the question of what would happen next. Truthfully he was hoping everything would just fix itself right then and there and he would not have to go into hiding. He then conceded to himself that such wishes were naive. It would have also invalidated everything they had just gone through. All of it was a conundrum for Buster as the gentle lake breeze caressed his face.
“It’s strange how close The Unlight can feel to Earth at times,” Waramunt said as he stepped over to the stone railing. “And as progress continues to march on back home, tainting its beauty, The Unlight remains pristine and unburdened. I’d even go so far as to call this realm Eden.”
“Well surely Earth still has some beauty to it?”
“Undoubtedly, despite all of the parking lots and shopping malls. Many forests and valleys remain intact for you to enjoy their relaxing splendor… only for you to find a discarded plastic bottle, a shopping bag is discovered at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, and a processed chip bag gets left behind in a cave, destabilizing its entire ecosystem…”
Buster felt bad, but then realized something that brought him an odd comfort. “Well how’s that any worse than Milosh occupying Shadowland, Anne ordering an attack on Droomopolis, or Karnage hunting me for my ULTRAMagic?”
“True, but those are things we can easily fight back against. So many people swear fealty to and worship money where I’m from. God is clearly nothing but primitive barbarism, all hail the markka and the dollar-screw the euro. Your government then pulls the rug out from under your feet, says you can’t do this and that, and lo and behold they have an army of soulless sinners reveling in the irreverence. They don’t care if they ruin lives and sabotage humanity’s success, they’re getting paid to do it!”
“Well… then it sounds like The Eternal Order has set up shop on Earth and we need to go and stop them.”
That led to a moment of silence from Waramunt. “As much as I want to lay the blame at Karnage’s feet for his meddling, there are a lot of people who have rejected the light and accepted the material. We can’t treat everyone like they’re a willing accomplice of The Sepulcher God…”
“I get that, but things won’t change if we don’t act, even if it’s merely defiance.”
Waramunt smiled as Ensio walked over and gave a reassuring caw. Buster reminded him of someone he knew all too well from Earth. “I suppose conflict is our existence, for without it we wouldn’t exist in the first place.”
“It sounds like Earth’s a mess, but just look at what Odo and I have gone through… and don’t even get me started on The Great Uncity.”
“Don’t expect a free ride regardless, as Earth demands you work! Work work work! You work until your bones ache, come home to rest, and then get a letter from the taxman saying that your taxes are going up because a group of upper class degenerates need a new yacht…” Waramunt sounded incredibly angry despite initially calming down. While it was clear he never experienced that issue first hand, everything he had just said was only the tip of the iceberg of things he had to say about Earth.
Buster had to laugh a little. “Goodness, and to think I’m heading off to Milosh’s universe… Will I run into you, Waramunt?”
He paused with remorseful silence, contemplating how to answer that. “I have no doubt you will, but it will be at my lowest. Do not pity me, rather learn from my mistakes. And fret not, as no matter what I do, I nor the Eternal Order will lay a finger on you, as your protectors won’t allow it. You’ll be in safe hands with some of the best friends you have ever known.”
“Thank you, Waramunt… I suppose it would jeopardize the timeline if you told me who you actually are?”
“Absolutely, but don’t worry, it will all make sense in due time.”
“Buster, the spell’s ready…” Odo called over to him.
“Well I’d dare say your train is here, my boy,” Waramunt encouragingly remarked.
Everyone else stood before the portal of softly twisting, warm pastel colors. It was quite soothing and inviting. Buster sighed as he looked into it, seeing a faint glimpse of a familiar man standing with six others. “So I guess this is it then?”
Odo gave him a hug, not wanting to let go. “You’ll be safe this way, I promise.”
“I’m going to miss you, brother…”
“Me too, Buster. Me too.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, Buster began to walk towards the portal. A ribbon of light enveloped him, changing his appearance. Turning around to face his friends and family one more time, Buster had become a human with brown hair, purple eyes, and a smile on his face. “See you guys later.” He then stepped into the portal, with it vanishing in a beautiful mist of rainbow sparkles.
Odo was quiet after all was said and done. He had nothing to say as he had done it… He had gotten his brother into hiding. So many things rushed through his mind as the anxiety mounted inside of him. Was Buster going to be okay? What if he got hurt? What if someone else went after him? A single tear fell to the ground, with Odo wiping his face. He then turned to Waramunt. A fire had ignited in Odo’s soul that could not be doused and it could be seen as clear the magnificent sky in his eyes.
“Waramunt, tell Sylvia I’m interested in her offer…”
“Haha, actually she anticipated this,” Waramunt replied as he handed him a black, coarse playing card with a texture similar to charcoal.
“Odo, are you sure about this?” Lia questioned. “Anne’s side of the order is not playing around.”
“Seriously, Odo, at least come home and rest up in The Iron City for a little bit…” Dragoslava added.
Odo paused, then wrote his name on the card with a raven’s quill in red ink that glowed like embers. “I can’t rest after what they did to me and Buster,” he said as the card turned into a pitch black claymore. “Karnage is still out there after all.”
“Well we can’t argue with him with determination like that,” Ozymandias commented, with Tereza nodding. “Best of luck to you, Sir Odo Ash. You have my blessing. Stay safe.”
“Thank you, Royal God,” Odo replied as he held up the claymore. A giant raven flew towards the tower and picked Odo up by the blade, carrying him off into the distant horizon.
Waramunt shook his head with a smile, being brought back to when he accepted Sylvia’s offer. “Well I better go with him and make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble.”
Lia sensed what was about to happen and hurried over to Waramunt as he walked over to the railing. “Waramunt, I will see you again, right?”
Waramunt gave her a kiss on the lips. “Of course you will, my love.” He then presented her a beautiful, thornless, dark red rose. “Here, a promise from Sylvia that I’ll return safe and sound.”
“I’ll wait as long as it takes,” Lia also promised as she accepted the flower.
“That’s all I could ever ask for,” he said as he summoned his spectral sword. Waramunt then held it up for another raven to come along and carry him off, just like Odo.
Adriana crossed her arms and smiled. “We still need to get Lia back to The Iron city, but mission accomplished.” This made the whole group happy and relieved.
Tusk gave a triumphant laugh. “Now let’s go get Angus and Cornelius and skedaddle before something else happens…”
Once everyone was ready, the group departed from the tower and headed for the boat. Looking back on the tower one last time, it began slowly fading from existence before finally vanishing in a spectacular, vermilion mist. Notably the island had shrunk a great deal, which was very surreal for the group. They could not help but stay there for a second, taking it all in. The sudden tranquility lifted a weight off of their shoulders, but also triggered a sensation of eeriness.
“It’s finally over…” Serjiel stated. “No more chaos, as the tower has found its true home-a dream in a realm for its ilk. It’s an honor to share this moment with all of you.”
“Same here, Serjiel,” Tusk said as he patted him on the shoulder. “Auda is going to riddle me with non-stop questions, no doubt about it.” The others laughed and chuckled.
“It feels odd to have it gone like that,” Yoshihiro noted. “Strangely I found it growing on me, but at the same time I’d rather not have another rat invasion.”
Dragoslava hopped onto the boat with the others following suit. “So, Cornelius, what do you think of The Unlight so far?”
“It’s strange, to say the least,” he answered with a laugh.
“Don’t worry, lad, you’ll get used to it,” Angus said as he patted him on the back. “Spend a few weeks here and it will feel just like the Cosmos proper.”
Yoshihiro saw Tusk starting the boat and went to the wheel once the engines started. “Here, Tusk, let me. I’ll take you guys to the far shore, then return the boat so I can also go tell the guys at the LWIO what happened.”
“Fine with me,” Tusk said with a shrug as the boat took off. “Adriana?”
She was a little nervous as she glanced around, notably to Lia. “I don’t like being down a man, but we do have Drago here…”
“Precisely!” she agreed. “Don’t worry, Captain, nothing will happen to Lia under my watch.”
“And I’d be damned if any harm came to my daughter,” Angus assured. “Lia, that rat Milosh didn’t hurt you or put any moves on you, did he?”
Lia laughed. “Oh, father… It wouldn’t matter as he’s long since dead. Oh, um, speaking of that… Adriana? I know everyone doesn’t fully trust me yet and that’s fully understandable, but I need to go to Shadowland as soon as possible, as there are some important things we need to retrieve from my house-that I hope hasn’t been torn down…”
“Absolutely not, as Sten has been very careful in handling these matters,” she replied.
“Good, because my house just so happens to have one of the major secret entrances to warehouse Omicron.” This caught Adriana, Dragoslava, and Tusk off guard.
“Well I’d dare say that warrants utmost attention then…” Adriana concluded.
“Don’t worry, Lia, we’ll send Blood with you,” Draoglsava promised.
“Why Blood-Wraith exactly?” Lia questioned. “I’m not calling into question his abilities-given what I know about him, but what can he do for us in this matter?”
“Agreed,” Adriana added. “Could you elaborate, Drago?”
She smirked. “He can turn into a dragon, hello?!”
“Ah… fair point, Drago.”
Lia thought about the prospect for a second. “Well I suppose it would greatly help given how powerful he is… and I’m not sure if the projects in the warehouse have deactivated or not…”
“Be careful about this, Lia,” Angus cautioned.
Tusk nodded, looked at the waters as gusts of wind hit his face, then had an idea. “Well hey, not only Blood, but also Gratiana and Gummi.”
“Oh my goodness…” Lia said to herself, then wondered about Tusk’s logic. “Wait, why them specifically?”
“Well aside from making up with them, those two are nothing to sneeze at in regards to their abilities. Gummi’s elk form is a force to be reckoned with and I swear Lord Leonard is on the verge of giving Gratiana her honors back.”
“Hold up, what did you say about Gummi?”
Tusk smiled. “The beast blood plot and poisoning, remember? The Beast of Old blessed his sample of blood and now he can turn into a giant elk powered by arcane energy… Hey, Lia? What kind of beast do you fancy yourself as? Say you got that beast blood of yours cleaned up and what not…”
She was not sure what to say to that odd question, although the vast waters of the lake did give her an idea. “Um, well, perhaps a swan? They’re such gorgeous birds and I was always disappointed that they could never live in Glacierhaven.”
“A fantastic choice, Lia,” Angus encouraged. “Considering you’ve always been as pretty as one.”
“Father, please,” Lia said, a little embarrassed, with the others chuckling. “Tusk, I suppose if The Beast of Old blesses me, I will go to speak to Lord Driskoll about purifying my beast blood.”
“There you go,” Tusk happily replied. “I’ll get a hold of The Beast when we get back… assuming you’re okay with it, Adriana, haha.”
She exhaled and shook her head. “Well normally I’d get on your case for undermining my authority, but if Lia is meant to become a blessed beast, then so be it. It would certainly be a boon to the Blades, given the benefits of Valerie’s hawk form. And I can’t deny that Blood-Wraith, Gummi, and Gratiana would be quite the team to go with you to your old home, Lia.”
“They’d knock it out of the park, no two ways about it,” Dragoslava assured. “Any leftover shadow constructs are about to be torched by Blood.”
Lia sighed, concerned about Omicron. “Here’s hoping he’s on top of his game,” she noted. “As I pray Audamar has shut down like the rest…” That comment was a bit quieter, and to herself, as she was starting to dread the idea of the trip to Shadowland…
Next: Chapter 14
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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