ULTRAMagic Babel - Chapter 7
Previous | First | Next
Master Post - Patreon
With a fortunate reprieve from the rats, the group was able to take in and appreciate the architecture and decor leading up to the Solutio Library. The halls were a mix of a Victorian and classical Greek design, and one could easily hear the works of Beethoven, Mozart, or Vivaldi playing in their head as they marveled at the amazing paintings of vast oceans. Of note were the depictions of various gods of the waves, with one of Poseidon standing tall and proud alongside other sea-owing Olympians. It was interesting for Tusk, Serjiel, and Yoshihiro to see, given how closely they worked with the titan Cronus.
The entrance to the library was in sight, but Tusk sensed something odd that was shared by his guildmates. It was nowhere near bad, rather it was Ozymandias? What was he doing at the library? Since the group was so close they hurried their pace. The Solutio Library itself was like walking into an ancient, Greco-Roman temple, lit by a magical, sunny sky. As for the focus of the library, it was on the mind, medicine, and science. After being welcomed by the librarians, the group saw Ozymandias walk into the lobby accompanied by Tereza. The two were laughing over something, no doubt a past adventure.
“My apologies, everyone,” Ozymandias said to the group with a warm smile. “We ended up here after dealing with Gudrun for the time being and figured we’d take care of the water beacon.”
“And you should have seen the grand fountain itself…” Tereza added, then paused. “Actually, a round of medical examinations wouldn’t hurt for them. Ozymandias?”
He nodded as he indicated for a group of librarians to step forward. “Certainly, given all that they’ve been through. And then we’ll take a moment to observe the fountain.”
The librarians collected Odo, Buster, Lia, and Yoshihiro, then took them deeper into the library on Adriana’s permission. She then turned her attention to Tereza. “It’s good to see you again, Tereza.”
“Agreed, dear. It's been far too long. I trust you’ve gotten back into contact with the others?”
“For the most part. Mads is not helping like he should be, but it’s fine…” Adriana then snapped her fingers, causing a folder full of papers to appear in her hands. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Tereza, as we need your invaluable expertise on the Requiem Cosmos.”
She took the folder with a look of concern, as she had noticed the title of one of the documents and did not like the look of it. “Oh my, and I know you wouldn’t have brought this to me lightly…”
“There was an update to Grave Requiem Overkill released somewhat recently, and after reviewing it with Valerie and Andelin, we’re concerned for Earth-XT49. Furthermore we have reevaluated the synopsis to GRO and we’re questioning if the creator of the games was actually referring to The Reverse Serpent by the end of it.”
Tereza nodded along as she thumbed through the documents. She then stroked her chin, contemplating something. “Truthfully I’ve always wondered about that… I’ll see what I can dig up. Do you need any more help, Ozymandias?”
“For now, no. Best of luck with your research.”
“Alright. Still, don’t hesitate to call on me if any of you need help.” Tereza then vanished into a cloud of vapor, leaving behind a shimmering mist.
Adriana then glanced over to Tusk, who was giving her a mildly incredulous look. “What?”
“So you get on our case for wanting to help The Vermilion King, but this is okay?”
Adriana exhaled. “Alright, fine, I’ll eat cr-shoot. Ahem, fine, I’ll give you that one.”
“To be fair, Tusk, The Requiem Cosmos is quite important,” Serjiel reasoned.
“True, I just wanted to yank her chain a little, haha.”
“A dose of self-awareness never hurts anyone,” Ozymandias added, giving the impression he was alluding to something. “How about we go check on the others real quickly?”
Aside from some minor injuries, Odo, Buster, Lia, and Yoshihiro were all given a clean bill of health. And while they were at it, Ozymandias took the group to go see the water beacon. The giant, spectacular fountain was an intricate structure with beautiful displays of water moving to and about. Above the top most basin was a shining crystal high in the air, illuminating the chamber with a sparkling light that shone like light reflecting off of a pool of water. It was truly a breathtaking sight whose creator could only be imagined, and helped restore the group’s vigor even more.
Since Ozymandias wanted to check on something on the path to the Coagulatio Library, he figured he would accompany the group there. The architecture and interior design had turned to that of a rustic-Victorian style with an ageless feel to it. As for the paintings, they shifted to great scenes of the arid wilderness, depicting vast canyons, majestic vallies, and towering mesa’s. The ceiling artwork depicted a clear, cerulean sky that gave the impression the sun was beating down on everyone. And it legitimately felt like the group was walking atop the colossal elevations given how high up in the tower they were.
“So, Ozymandias?” Tusk said as they continued their walk. “What’s the deal with you and The Eternal Order? I’m not letting that battle with The Vulture God go. It takes a god to kill another god…”
Ozymandias sighed with a chuckle, as he knew the topic would come up eventually. “That’s because I was The Royal God in the past. And yes, I was regrettably a cohort of The Sepulcher God. We don’t have the time to recount the entire story at the moment, but what I can say is that Tereza and I were partners in crime. During the Epoch-modernity transition phase, we tried to claim the Tower of Babel for The Sepulcher God… but obviously we were thwarted by The Madman of Old and his allies. Guarding the tower was my punishment and Tereza was sentenced to be a warden of The Requiem Cosmos.”
Something was off with that explanation, and Yoshihiro could sense it. “Wait a second, you were? Pardon my snooping, Ozymandias, but I can sense your divinity…”
He stopped and shook his head with another sigh. “Observant, Yoshihiro. Tell you what: I’ll regale all of you with my tale once all of the beacons are activated…” The others nodded, but Ozymandias then sensed someone approaching that made his blood run cold. “Quick, everyone stay still and keep quiet!” he said as he cast a haze around the group that rendered them invisible.
The group could feel the shakes of something giant approaching… and then they saw it. A dragon with dark golden scales was looking around for something. It was Gudrun, no two ways about it. She was a bit on edge, mumbling about the incompetence of Valdemaras and The Vulture God. Of note was that Gudrun appeared to have scars all over that looked like they had been born of explosions. Furthermore her left head horn had been broken in half. Just who could have done such a feat if Ozymandias was hiding them from her? Gudrun then thought she sensed something and brought her head uncomfortably close to the group, utterly terrifying them as her sulfurous breath assaulted their noses. Thankfully something distracted Gudrun, causing her to shift her attention.
“Dumb rat can’t even capture a little boy and a traitor…” Gudrun groaned. “Miserable fools are lucky I’m not on the job… Alright, Hecate, let’s see if this compass of yours actually works…” She held out a strange, flesh and bone device that trembled and extended a metal arrow in the opposite direction of the group. “Let’s hope the Agony Codex is that way, as I don’t want to be here when all of the beacons go off and The Vermilion King shows up…” Gudrun began to walk away, but stamped her foot in anger. “That’s another thing that braindead rat messed up!” After a drawn out groan, a blood-like portal appeared that she vanished into.
Ozymandias dispelled the haze once he was sure the coast was clear, then went over to inspect the residue left behind by the portal. “The Agony Codex? What would she want with a maddening tome like that?”
“Can I ask why we’re not dealing with Gudrun ourselves, given that you and Tereza are here?” Yoshihiro questioned. “Surely it wouldn’t be that difficult, would it?”
“Gudrun has strange magic, fueled by Cause & Effect manipulation. It’s what makes her so hard to apprehend, even for gods such as myself. Fortunately she can’t go hogwild as it would put her on Lord Anti’s radar… although that’s not much of a reprieve.”
“Good lord, even the Ar’ton are having trouble with The Eternal Order…” Tusk lamented.
“The Coagulatio library is not too far ahead,” Ozymandias said as he pointed down the long hallway. “Hurry and you make it there before anyone else shows up. As for me, I need to tend to Gudrun once again.” He then stood up and hurried off, vanishing in a flurry of golden sparks.
Odo then went to Yoshihiro and patted him on the shoulder. “I know you meant well, but I’d rather not put Buster and Lia in the line of fire.”
“Never put the VIP on the front lines, Yoshihiro,” Adriana warned. “Even if absolute victory is guaranteed, something could still go wrong.”
Yoshihiro thought about it, then sighed with regret as he felt like a fool. “I’m… I’m sorry. I wasn't using my head…”
“It’s alright, Yoshihiro,” Buster assured. “I want to stop Gudrun too, but now’s not the time for that. It’s best if we keep moving.”
“Same here,” Lia added. “Trust me when I say that it was best we didn’t confront her. I’ve had the displeasure of working with her before.”
Serjiel then indicated for the group to resume walking and went over to Yoshihiro’s side. “Your bravery and desire to fight is commendable, but temper that fervor. Also do not beat yourself up over this, as these lessons can only be learned out in the field. If you want to truly prove yourself to us, show that you can be flexible and adapt to the ever changing situation and circumstances.”
Yoshihiro smiled and put his arms behind his head. “Thanks, Serjiel. Don’t let Gragmund catch wind of this, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
“Ha, Tiberius can certainly attest to that!” Tusk added.
Turning his attention to Adriana, Serjiel was curious to know more about the papers she handed off to Tereza. There was a strong feeling that they would be relevant to the ULTRAMagic Guild. “Captain, may I inquire about the documents from earlier? Valerie is one of our own after all…”
She gave a light sigh, feeling lenient thinking about the implications of the intel. “I suppose now would be fine. It is top secret at the moment, but… Lia, Odo, Buster? Can you swear to secrecy for what I am about to discuss?”
“I swear,” Odo replied with the seriousness of a knight.
“I swear,” said Lia. “And I’ll provide any intel I know, if it’ll help.”
Adriana chuckled. “Very good. Buster?”
“Absolutely-I swear!” The others chuckled in response.
“Alright then…” Adriana took a breath and straightened out her coat. “So the intel in question is about the aforementioned update bringing The Eve of Chaos DLC to GRO. It added a great deal of lore that suggests The reverse Serpent may be trying to connect The Requiem Cosmos to the Cosmos proper. Why? We’re not sure yet…” She could see the subtle concern on everyone’s faces. “Honestly this is tame in comparison to things we at ENCOM have had to deal with… and you know, the fact that The Reverse Serpent escaped. Personally I’d love to see Tatiana and the rest of ENCOM again… I just wish we knew what the implications and ramifications were…”
“Wouldn’t that imply Anton has something to do with this?” Tusk proposed. “You know, given how close he and the serpent are, from what Blood-Wraith has told me about the games?”
She nodded as they made their way around a corner. “Oh absolutely, no doubt about it… Lia, how would you feel if I told you that Anton Bloodthresher was Milosh Proch?”
“WAIT, WHAT!?” she exclaimed, causing the whole group to stop. “He’s still alive!?!”
“No, the Milosh you knew is dead…”
“No two ways about that one,” Tusk put in.
“Anton is his reincarnation,” Adriana finished.
Lia took a second to process that, then put two and two together as a realization finally dawned on her. “So that’s why you actually joined the blades-you wanted to assassinate Milosh!”
“A plot Andelin thankfully foiled, in hindsight… still a little annoyed over that…”
“Hold up a second… I know Anton did not rejoin the order, or at least I don’t think he did. Just what is he up to then?”
“Given that he is Deep Specter and a strong candidate for the core personality of The Tyrant God, we firmly believe he has resumed his war against The Sepulcher God. It would be nice if Mads would give us the answers we need, but he’s continuing to be secretive and drip feed us.”
Tusk could not help but laugh. “The Raynot’s and the Schindewolf’s probably aren’t going to be thrilled about this, but I’ll admit that we should take any help we can get at this point. And I know, that’s rich coming from me given my past with The Lich of Old.”
“Oh my goodness…” Lia was stunned, an aspect of her world view having been turned on its head. “Well, I’ll… when… when we get back to The Iron City, I’ll really wrack my brain and see if I can provide something useful… I have to admit I never saw any of this coming, though. Milosh was a schemer, but I had no idea there was so much history behind his actions.”
“Thank you, Lia,” Adriana replied. “Any intel, no matter how minor, will help us out immensely.”
Next: Chapter 8
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
With a fortunate reprieve from the rats, the group was able to take in and appreciate the architecture and decor leading up to the Solutio Library. The halls were a mix of a Victorian and classical Greek design, and one could easily hear the works of Beethoven, Mozart, or Vivaldi playing in their head as they marveled at the amazing paintings of vast oceans. Of note were the depictions of various gods of the waves, with one of Poseidon standing tall and proud alongside other sea-owing Olympians. It was interesting for Tusk, Serjiel, and Yoshihiro to see, given how closely they worked with the titan Cronus.
The entrance to the library was in sight, but Tusk sensed something odd that was shared by his guildmates. It was nowhere near bad, rather it was Ozymandias? What was he doing at the library? Since the group was so close they hurried their pace. The Solutio Library itself was like walking into an ancient, Greco-Roman temple, lit by a magical, sunny sky. As for the focus of the library, it was on the mind, medicine, and science. After being welcomed by the librarians, the group saw Ozymandias walk into the lobby accompanied by Tereza. The two were laughing over something, no doubt a past adventure.
“My apologies, everyone,” Ozymandias said to the group with a warm smile. “We ended up here after dealing with Gudrun for the time being and figured we’d take care of the water beacon.”
“And you should have seen the grand fountain itself…” Tereza added, then paused. “Actually, a round of medical examinations wouldn’t hurt for them. Ozymandias?”
He nodded as he indicated for a group of librarians to step forward. “Certainly, given all that they’ve been through. And then we’ll take a moment to observe the fountain.”
The librarians collected Odo, Buster, Lia, and Yoshihiro, then took them deeper into the library on Adriana’s permission. She then turned her attention to Tereza. “It’s good to see you again, Tereza.”
“Agreed, dear. It's been far too long. I trust you’ve gotten back into contact with the others?”
“For the most part. Mads is not helping like he should be, but it’s fine…” Adriana then snapped her fingers, causing a folder full of papers to appear in her hands. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Tereza, as we need your invaluable expertise on the Requiem Cosmos.”
She took the folder with a look of concern, as she had noticed the title of one of the documents and did not like the look of it. “Oh my, and I know you wouldn’t have brought this to me lightly…”
“There was an update to Grave Requiem Overkill released somewhat recently, and after reviewing it with Valerie and Andelin, we’re concerned for Earth-XT49. Furthermore we have reevaluated the synopsis to GRO and we’re questioning if the creator of the games was actually referring to The Reverse Serpent by the end of it.”
Tereza nodded along as she thumbed through the documents. She then stroked her chin, contemplating something. “Truthfully I’ve always wondered about that… I’ll see what I can dig up. Do you need any more help, Ozymandias?”
“For now, no. Best of luck with your research.”
“Alright. Still, don’t hesitate to call on me if any of you need help.” Tereza then vanished into a cloud of vapor, leaving behind a shimmering mist.
Adriana then glanced over to Tusk, who was giving her a mildly incredulous look. “What?”
“So you get on our case for wanting to help The Vermilion King, but this is okay?”
Adriana exhaled. “Alright, fine, I’ll eat cr-shoot. Ahem, fine, I’ll give you that one.”
“To be fair, Tusk, The Requiem Cosmos is quite important,” Serjiel reasoned.
“True, I just wanted to yank her chain a little, haha.”
“A dose of self-awareness never hurts anyone,” Ozymandias added, giving the impression he was alluding to something. “How about we go check on the others real quickly?”
Aside from some minor injuries, Odo, Buster, Lia, and Yoshihiro were all given a clean bill of health. And while they were at it, Ozymandias took the group to go see the water beacon. The giant, spectacular fountain was an intricate structure with beautiful displays of water moving to and about. Above the top most basin was a shining crystal high in the air, illuminating the chamber with a sparkling light that shone like light reflecting off of a pool of water. It was truly a breathtaking sight whose creator could only be imagined, and helped restore the group’s vigor even more.
Since Ozymandias wanted to check on something on the path to the Coagulatio Library, he figured he would accompany the group there. The architecture and interior design had turned to that of a rustic-Victorian style with an ageless feel to it. As for the paintings, they shifted to great scenes of the arid wilderness, depicting vast canyons, majestic vallies, and towering mesa’s. The ceiling artwork depicted a clear, cerulean sky that gave the impression the sun was beating down on everyone. And it legitimately felt like the group was walking atop the colossal elevations given how high up in the tower they were.
“So, Ozymandias?” Tusk said as they continued their walk. “What’s the deal with you and The Eternal Order? I’m not letting that battle with The Vulture God go. It takes a god to kill another god…”
Ozymandias sighed with a chuckle, as he knew the topic would come up eventually. “That’s because I was The Royal God in the past. And yes, I was regrettably a cohort of The Sepulcher God. We don’t have the time to recount the entire story at the moment, but what I can say is that Tereza and I were partners in crime. During the Epoch-modernity transition phase, we tried to claim the Tower of Babel for The Sepulcher God… but obviously we were thwarted by The Madman of Old and his allies. Guarding the tower was my punishment and Tereza was sentenced to be a warden of The Requiem Cosmos.”
Something was off with that explanation, and Yoshihiro could sense it. “Wait a second, you were? Pardon my snooping, Ozymandias, but I can sense your divinity…”
He stopped and shook his head with another sigh. “Observant, Yoshihiro. Tell you what: I’ll regale all of you with my tale once all of the beacons are activated…” The others nodded, but Ozymandias then sensed someone approaching that made his blood run cold. “Quick, everyone stay still and keep quiet!” he said as he cast a haze around the group that rendered them invisible.
The group could feel the shakes of something giant approaching… and then they saw it. A dragon with dark golden scales was looking around for something. It was Gudrun, no two ways about it. She was a bit on edge, mumbling about the incompetence of Valdemaras and The Vulture God. Of note was that Gudrun appeared to have scars all over that looked like they had been born of explosions. Furthermore her left head horn had been broken in half. Just who could have done such a feat if Ozymandias was hiding them from her? Gudrun then thought she sensed something and brought her head uncomfortably close to the group, utterly terrifying them as her sulfurous breath assaulted their noses. Thankfully something distracted Gudrun, causing her to shift her attention.
“Dumb rat can’t even capture a little boy and a traitor…” Gudrun groaned. “Miserable fools are lucky I’m not on the job… Alright, Hecate, let’s see if this compass of yours actually works…” She held out a strange, flesh and bone device that trembled and extended a metal arrow in the opposite direction of the group. “Let’s hope the Agony Codex is that way, as I don’t want to be here when all of the beacons go off and The Vermilion King shows up…” Gudrun began to walk away, but stamped her foot in anger. “That’s another thing that braindead rat messed up!” After a drawn out groan, a blood-like portal appeared that she vanished into.
Ozymandias dispelled the haze once he was sure the coast was clear, then went over to inspect the residue left behind by the portal. “The Agony Codex? What would she want with a maddening tome like that?”
“Can I ask why we’re not dealing with Gudrun ourselves, given that you and Tereza are here?” Yoshihiro questioned. “Surely it wouldn’t be that difficult, would it?”
“Gudrun has strange magic, fueled by Cause & Effect manipulation. It’s what makes her so hard to apprehend, even for gods such as myself. Fortunately she can’t go hogwild as it would put her on Lord Anti’s radar… although that’s not much of a reprieve.”
“Good lord, even the Ar’ton are having trouble with The Eternal Order…” Tusk lamented.
“The Coagulatio library is not too far ahead,” Ozymandias said as he pointed down the long hallway. “Hurry and you make it there before anyone else shows up. As for me, I need to tend to Gudrun once again.” He then stood up and hurried off, vanishing in a flurry of golden sparks.
Odo then went to Yoshihiro and patted him on the shoulder. “I know you meant well, but I’d rather not put Buster and Lia in the line of fire.”
“Never put the VIP on the front lines, Yoshihiro,” Adriana warned. “Even if absolute victory is guaranteed, something could still go wrong.”
Yoshihiro thought about it, then sighed with regret as he felt like a fool. “I’m… I’m sorry. I wasn't using my head…”
“It’s alright, Yoshihiro,” Buster assured. “I want to stop Gudrun too, but now’s not the time for that. It’s best if we keep moving.”
“Same here,” Lia added. “Trust me when I say that it was best we didn’t confront her. I’ve had the displeasure of working with her before.”
Serjiel then indicated for the group to resume walking and went over to Yoshihiro’s side. “Your bravery and desire to fight is commendable, but temper that fervor. Also do not beat yourself up over this, as these lessons can only be learned out in the field. If you want to truly prove yourself to us, show that you can be flexible and adapt to the ever changing situation and circumstances.”
Yoshihiro smiled and put his arms behind his head. “Thanks, Serjiel. Don’t let Gragmund catch wind of this, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
“Ha, Tiberius can certainly attest to that!” Tusk added.
Turning his attention to Adriana, Serjiel was curious to know more about the papers she handed off to Tereza. There was a strong feeling that they would be relevant to the ULTRAMagic Guild. “Captain, may I inquire about the documents from earlier? Valerie is one of our own after all…”
She gave a light sigh, feeling lenient thinking about the implications of the intel. “I suppose now would be fine. It is top secret at the moment, but… Lia, Odo, Buster? Can you swear to secrecy for what I am about to discuss?”
“I swear,” Odo replied with the seriousness of a knight.
“I swear,” said Lia. “And I’ll provide any intel I know, if it’ll help.”
Adriana chuckled. “Very good. Buster?”
“Absolutely-I swear!” The others chuckled in response.
“Alright then…” Adriana took a breath and straightened out her coat. “So the intel in question is about the aforementioned update bringing The Eve of Chaos DLC to GRO. It added a great deal of lore that suggests The reverse Serpent may be trying to connect The Requiem Cosmos to the Cosmos proper. Why? We’re not sure yet…” She could see the subtle concern on everyone’s faces. “Honestly this is tame in comparison to things we at ENCOM have had to deal with… and you know, the fact that The Reverse Serpent escaped. Personally I’d love to see Tatiana and the rest of ENCOM again… I just wish we knew what the implications and ramifications were…”
“Wouldn’t that imply Anton has something to do with this?” Tusk proposed. “You know, given how close he and the serpent are, from what Blood-Wraith has told me about the games?”
She nodded as they made their way around a corner. “Oh absolutely, no doubt about it… Lia, how would you feel if I told you that Anton Bloodthresher was Milosh Proch?”
“WAIT, WHAT!?” she exclaimed, causing the whole group to stop. “He’s still alive!?!”
“No, the Milosh you knew is dead…”
“No two ways about that one,” Tusk put in.
“Anton is his reincarnation,” Adriana finished.
Lia took a second to process that, then put two and two together as a realization finally dawned on her. “So that’s why you actually joined the blades-you wanted to assassinate Milosh!”
“A plot Andelin thankfully foiled, in hindsight… still a little annoyed over that…”
“Hold up a second… I know Anton did not rejoin the order, or at least I don’t think he did. Just what is he up to then?”
“Given that he is Deep Specter and a strong candidate for the core personality of The Tyrant God, we firmly believe he has resumed his war against The Sepulcher God. It would be nice if Mads would give us the answers we need, but he’s continuing to be secretive and drip feed us.”
Tusk could not help but laugh. “The Raynot’s and the Schindewolf’s probably aren’t going to be thrilled about this, but I’ll admit that we should take any help we can get at this point. And I know, that’s rich coming from me given my past with The Lich of Old.”
“Oh my goodness…” Lia was stunned, an aspect of her world view having been turned on its head. “Well, I’ll… when… when we get back to The Iron City, I’ll really wrack my brain and see if I can provide something useful… I have to admit I never saw any of this coming, though. Milosh was a schemer, but I had no idea there was so much history behind his actions.”
“Thank you, Lia,” Adriana replied. “Any intel, no matter how minor, will help us out immensely.”
Next: Chapter 8
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Comments
Post a Comment