ULTRAMagic Eon 2 - Chapter 9
Previous | First | Next
Master Post - Patreon
Blood-Wraith groaned as he facepalmed in frustration towards himself while reading a letter from The Unending Forest he had received a little bit ago. He was hiding out behind a large tree in the courtyard of City Hall while all who were attending the debate made their way to the center plaza. While Gore was standing around doing his best to look superior, David was going around and welcoming people, assuring their guests the debate was going to be a rousing one. Ludwig broke away from the crowd when he noticed Blood-Wraith's choice of place to wait for things to begin and went over to see what was on his mind.
“Hey, Blood, are you okay?”
“Hey, Ludwig,” he replied with a sigh. “I’m fine, I just needed a peaceful spot to read my letter from Auda…”
“What’s up with her, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Pausing for a moment to put his thoughts together, he handed the letter to Ludwig so he could read it. “Auda made a new friend, a pine-tree person named Ruairi. He’s an odd case as he keeps claiming Will is his father.”
“Begnadigung? Isn’t Will a human?”
“Dullahan, but yes. We think Will rescued a Scots Pine sapling somewhere along the line and that act caused it to be reborn as a tree person in the Unending Forest. Furthermore, Ruairi has three brothers named Berach, Euan, and Kyran. They say they can sense that Will is having trouble and want to go help him, but I have no idea how to get into contact with Will! And before you ask, no, Ealdhelm doesn’t want any more time travel.”
Ludwig chuckled, feeling bad for Blood-Wraith. “I take it the tree boys don’t understand the complexity of Will’s situation?”
“Not at all, but they’re young, so you can’t fault them too much. I wish I could help Will myself, but it’s a no go right now…” Blood-Wraith said as he picked up a pinecone and lightly tossed it back down.
“Sounds like a real pickle,” Ludwig noted as he handed the letter back to him. “As for the debate, it looks like everyone’s here. Want to head over to the plaza?”
“Alright,” he replied with another sigh as he got up, brushing off his uniform. “I assume Fran and Volf are here?”
“Volf? Definitely. Fran? Well there’s some slightly older lady talking to Morrigan…”
“That’s Fran.” Blood-Wraith did not sound enthusiastic, not in the slightest.
“Oh… Well then she’s quite odd,” Ludwig stated as they walked. “I’d even go so far as to say suspicious at times,” he further said in a hushed tone.
Blood-Wraith wanted to say more, but was preempted by Volf’s voice. “Hey hey hey, it’s Blood-Wraith! Good to see you again!” He was accompanied by Morrigan and a blonde-haired woman in a formal, red dress calmly fanning herself. It was of no doubt that Volf was trying to compensate for their previous encounter. “How’s Schwarzes doing? Shame he couldn’t be here for the debate.”
“Funny, Volf, considering you seem to be the bane of his existence,” Blood-Wraith replied in an unamused tone.
“Aw come on, Blood, it’s all in good fun,” Volf reasoned. “He’s a big boy after all, he can take it… considering he tore Rambert to shreds…” That last part he muttered so the others could not hear.
“Yeah, Blood, not very leaderly of you to not bring him along,” Morrigan chided. “You need to be more open and sensitive to these things and…”
“Morrigan, please,” Blood-Wraith interrupted. “Leave the guild business to the guy who helped found it in the first place.”
“A good day to you, Sir Raynot,” the blonde-haired woman put in. “It is simply a splendid day for a debate, is it not?”
“A fair assessment, Fran,” he replied.
“Oh, Sir Raynot? You haven’t seen Steve Roncook around, have you? He was absent from last night’s meeting and wasn’t at his home…”
“Steve’s business is his business, Fran,” Blood-Wraith instantly responded in the most professional tone imaginable. “And as per my knightly duties, I’d kindly ask that you not pursue this matter any further.”
Fran’s expression went from friendly and curious to subtly critical and suspicious, but this was only in a way Blood-Wraith and Volf would recognize. “Oh dear, well either way we need to address this matter. Volf, Morrigan-dear? Could you two come with me for a second?”
Jonathan had noticed the conversation and stepped over after the three had left. “They’re already looking for Steve?”
Blood-Wraith nodded. “Yeah, so we need to be careful with what we say…”
“Argh, nerve wracking… Ludwig, take note that Fran is a void caller.”
“Wirklich?” he replied, fairly surprised by that.
“Yeah, but we’re not sure who her void patron is,” Blood-Wraith answered. “And that’s the part that worries me and Dunja.”
“Is it really that big of a worry?” Ludwig questioned.
“Yeah, because that means she’s hiding something…” Jonathan added
Blood-Wraith face palmed again as they took a seat at the bleachers set aside for them. “Adding insult to injury, she’s also filled Morrigan’s head with all sorts of nonsense, the stuff you would see from Will’s Earth that makes me wonder how human societies progress as far as they do…”
Dragoslava was next to them and gave a sympathetic laugh as she made sure her pen was working. “Meeting the activists was Blood’s first rodeo with that kind of stuff. Although to be fair to the activists, they are different from what you would see from a technology-minded Earth like Earth-23. Ours are a little more sensible, but that’s not saying much.”
“I’d rather deal with an ice dam, as that I can solve with a little magic…” Blood-Wraith remarked.
“Will would beg to differ on that one,” she replied with a chuckle. “Oh, Ludwig, pay attention to Volf. He likes to take digs at his allies, especially Gore and Fran.”
“Infighting, duly noted,” he acknowledged, wondering why someone like him would do that. All of it was solidifying the suspicions that were brewing in his head, but he still needed more information to confirm it.
“A very intriguing mystery, wouldn’t you all say?” Sigeberht interjected as he took a seat on the row above the group, startling Ludwig.
“Hello, Sigeberht,” Brandr welcomed. “What brings you here?”
“Oh you know me, can’t say no to a good debate,” he answered. “Besides, I can’t wait to see Gore fail to talk his way out of this one…”
Blood-Wraith had a smile on his face upon noticing Sigeberht’s sly grin. “Know something we don’t?”
“As always, Blood, and I wish I could tell you…”
“That’s a little ominous, if you don’t mind me saying…” Ludwig pointed out as he took off his helmet.
“Don’t worry about it too much,” Dragoslava reassured him. “You can trust Sigeberht and Tressacht, unlike Gore and his dumb-keteers.”
“If you say so…”
Sigeberht then noticed David and Gore stepping into the center of the plaza. “Oh, they’re starting! I’m eager with anticipation as to what points Dr. Livesey is going to bring to the table…”
“Can everybody see me?” Gore announced. “Can everybody hear me?”
“Well if they couldn’t I’d question why they would come to a debate in the first place,” David quipped, eliciting some laughter.
Gore quietly groaned, not happy that he had already lost some ground to his opponent. “An astute observation, Dr. David Livesey. And such wit is a powerful weapon against dastardly foes such as The Eternal Order-as you see, the Order is a threat unlike any other. Whereas some prefer to rule with an iron fist for the delightful efficiency and efficacy it provides, The Sepulcher God is said to recruit the cream of the crop… even if that cream fails to reap a crop handed to it on a silver platter… What are the guild's standards for recruitment, Dr. Livesey? Especially given the perilous circumstances we find ourselves in during these times of great uncertainty.”
David held no pause as he knew Gore was not going to let him maintain his advantage. “A valid question, Gore, as it pays no one to be vague with such matters. The guild also looks for the best of the best, but unlike The Sepulcher God, we work towards fostering the potential we come across. The Order picks the best while we find the best…”
“That’s all well and good, but a discriminatory mindset will only take you so far. Such a guild needs to be welcoming and inclusive to be better than their enemies.”
“No doubt about it, Gore, as gatekeeping should only go so far as to keep out lowlifes, undesirables, and bad actors. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link after all…”
“But even a broken link can be useful, Dr. Livesey,” Gore said as they began to walk around the plaza center, eyes locked on each other.
“That use is debatable, as a broken link only has so many applications before it is either thrown out or repaired, and such effort can waste time and resources for the battle at hand…”
“Dr. Livesey, some amongst us are victims of circumstance! Would you reject a man who is intelligent for his weight or physical appearance?”
“Have you so easily forgotten that I am a doctor and a magistrate, Gore?” David stopped as he said that. His straight forward question had caught the activists off guard. “I swore to the hippocratic oath to treat any and all patient’s maladies, and the guild shall do so spiritually!”
Gore considered verbally attacking David for that declaration, but he was curious to see what David would do if he persisted. “Can you treat the common man? How so, good doctor?”
David quickly scanned the audience and settled on one of the activists. He was a nervous man not in the greatest of shape, but also looked like he did not belong amongst Gore’s crowd. “You, boy, come here for a second…” he called out to the light-red-haired man.
“Ye-yes, doctor?” he anxiously answered as he walked over.
“What’s your name, lad?”
“Davis Dempsey, sir.”
“Do you have your share of woes that lead to your unfit physique?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward over his slight double chin. “Er, yeah… see, as a kid I…”
David held up his hand. “Ah ah, not here. We’re out in the open after all. Davis, do you fancy yourself a mage or an alchemist?”
“Well, yeah, but I’ve been told I’d never cut it in something like The ULTRAMagic Guild…” It was unnoticed as a whole, but that made Blood-Wraith scowl at Gore.
“Codswallop, Davis,” David asserted. “A change of diet and fitness routine alongside access to the greatest minds in The Unlight shall have you a strapping member of the guild in no time!”
Davis’ eyes lit up, like he had just been handed the answer in life he had been looking for. “You’d do that all for me?”
“Oh come on now!” Gore rudely interrupted. “You can’t treat every beggar off the street, David! You have to cut your losses at some point!”
David gestured for Davis to get behind him. “If I have to spend the rest of my life treating everyone in this city and beyond, then so be it, Gore,” David declared as he walked up to him, looking his opponent dead in the eye. “That’s not very inclusive of you now, is it, Mr. Bloodblade?”
Gore felt his temper rising, desperately fighting back the urge to rip his figurative mask off. “Davis, you cannot be serious right now! Forget those ULTRAMagic fools, as I can promise you fame, glory, and power beyond your wildest dreams if you do what I say!”
“But can you make him fit?” David demanded to know. “Can you make him witty? Can you actually make him great?”
Karnage hesitated for a second, as it felt like David was on a mountain high above him and he could not stand that. “I can and I will, even if I have to do so by force!” he growled.
David did not like what Gore had said, but there was not much he could do. “Well, Davis, the choice is up to you. There are no wrong answers…”
The harrowing anxiety Davis felt was beyond comprehension as Gore glared daggers into him while David remained still and calm. Davis was unsure what to do until a strange feeling took hold of him and caused him to sit down with Blood-Wraith and the others. “You're on, Dr. Livesey.”
“Thank you, Davis,” he replied. “And that goes for everyone here: The Guild welcomes all who seek knowledge and wholeness-come one, come all.” There was a round of applause from all but the activists, who were unsure what to do. “Anything else you would like to say, Gore?”
He was silently seething, ready to kill everyone there. Gore held back, however, as revenge was the sweetest of desserts. “Fine, I concede, Dr. Livesey, as you have made your point…” He then turned to Davis, intimidating the man with his mere presence. “We wish you the best of luck on your journey, Davis Dempsey…” Karnage then pulled his cape in front of him and stormed off with the activists following.
Once they were gone, David spoke. “Well, here's hoping he didn’t take it personally…” The audience laughed and clapped again, with Blood-Wraith and the others welcoming Davis to the guild.
Next: Chapter 10
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Blood-Wraith groaned as he facepalmed in frustration towards himself while reading a letter from The Unending Forest he had received a little bit ago. He was hiding out behind a large tree in the courtyard of City Hall while all who were attending the debate made their way to the center plaza. While Gore was standing around doing his best to look superior, David was going around and welcoming people, assuring their guests the debate was going to be a rousing one. Ludwig broke away from the crowd when he noticed Blood-Wraith's choice of place to wait for things to begin and went over to see what was on his mind.
“Hey, Blood, are you okay?”
“Hey, Ludwig,” he replied with a sigh. “I’m fine, I just needed a peaceful spot to read my letter from Auda…”
“What’s up with her, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Pausing for a moment to put his thoughts together, he handed the letter to Ludwig so he could read it. “Auda made a new friend, a pine-tree person named Ruairi. He’s an odd case as he keeps claiming Will is his father.”
“Begnadigung? Isn’t Will a human?”
“Dullahan, but yes. We think Will rescued a Scots Pine sapling somewhere along the line and that act caused it to be reborn as a tree person in the Unending Forest. Furthermore, Ruairi has three brothers named Berach, Euan, and Kyran. They say they can sense that Will is having trouble and want to go help him, but I have no idea how to get into contact with Will! And before you ask, no, Ealdhelm doesn’t want any more time travel.”
Ludwig chuckled, feeling bad for Blood-Wraith. “I take it the tree boys don’t understand the complexity of Will’s situation?”
“Not at all, but they’re young, so you can’t fault them too much. I wish I could help Will myself, but it’s a no go right now…” Blood-Wraith said as he picked up a pinecone and lightly tossed it back down.
“Sounds like a real pickle,” Ludwig noted as he handed the letter back to him. “As for the debate, it looks like everyone’s here. Want to head over to the plaza?”
“Alright,” he replied with another sigh as he got up, brushing off his uniform. “I assume Fran and Volf are here?”
“Volf? Definitely. Fran? Well there’s some slightly older lady talking to Morrigan…”
“That’s Fran.” Blood-Wraith did not sound enthusiastic, not in the slightest.
“Oh… Well then she’s quite odd,” Ludwig stated as they walked. “I’d even go so far as to say suspicious at times,” he further said in a hushed tone.
Blood-Wraith wanted to say more, but was preempted by Volf’s voice. “Hey hey hey, it’s Blood-Wraith! Good to see you again!” He was accompanied by Morrigan and a blonde-haired woman in a formal, red dress calmly fanning herself. It was of no doubt that Volf was trying to compensate for their previous encounter. “How’s Schwarzes doing? Shame he couldn’t be here for the debate.”
“Funny, Volf, considering you seem to be the bane of his existence,” Blood-Wraith replied in an unamused tone.
“Aw come on, Blood, it’s all in good fun,” Volf reasoned. “He’s a big boy after all, he can take it… considering he tore Rambert to shreds…” That last part he muttered so the others could not hear.
“Yeah, Blood, not very leaderly of you to not bring him along,” Morrigan chided. “You need to be more open and sensitive to these things and…”
“Morrigan, please,” Blood-Wraith interrupted. “Leave the guild business to the guy who helped found it in the first place.”
“A good day to you, Sir Raynot,” the blonde-haired woman put in. “It is simply a splendid day for a debate, is it not?”
“A fair assessment, Fran,” he replied.
“Oh, Sir Raynot? You haven’t seen Steve Roncook around, have you? He was absent from last night’s meeting and wasn’t at his home…”
“Steve’s business is his business, Fran,” Blood-Wraith instantly responded in the most professional tone imaginable. “And as per my knightly duties, I’d kindly ask that you not pursue this matter any further.”
Fran’s expression went from friendly and curious to subtly critical and suspicious, but this was only in a way Blood-Wraith and Volf would recognize. “Oh dear, well either way we need to address this matter. Volf, Morrigan-dear? Could you two come with me for a second?”
Jonathan had noticed the conversation and stepped over after the three had left. “They’re already looking for Steve?”
Blood-Wraith nodded. “Yeah, so we need to be careful with what we say…”
“Argh, nerve wracking… Ludwig, take note that Fran is a void caller.”
“Wirklich?” he replied, fairly surprised by that.
“Yeah, but we’re not sure who her void patron is,” Blood-Wraith answered. “And that’s the part that worries me and Dunja.”
“Is it really that big of a worry?” Ludwig questioned.
“Yeah, because that means she’s hiding something…” Jonathan added
Blood-Wraith face palmed again as they took a seat at the bleachers set aside for them. “Adding insult to injury, she’s also filled Morrigan’s head with all sorts of nonsense, the stuff you would see from Will’s Earth that makes me wonder how human societies progress as far as they do…”
Dragoslava was next to them and gave a sympathetic laugh as she made sure her pen was working. “Meeting the activists was Blood’s first rodeo with that kind of stuff. Although to be fair to the activists, they are different from what you would see from a technology-minded Earth like Earth-23. Ours are a little more sensible, but that’s not saying much.”
“I’d rather deal with an ice dam, as that I can solve with a little magic…” Blood-Wraith remarked.
“Will would beg to differ on that one,” she replied with a chuckle. “Oh, Ludwig, pay attention to Volf. He likes to take digs at his allies, especially Gore and Fran.”
“Infighting, duly noted,” he acknowledged, wondering why someone like him would do that. All of it was solidifying the suspicions that were brewing in his head, but he still needed more information to confirm it.
“A very intriguing mystery, wouldn’t you all say?” Sigeberht interjected as he took a seat on the row above the group, startling Ludwig.
“Hello, Sigeberht,” Brandr welcomed. “What brings you here?”
“Oh you know me, can’t say no to a good debate,” he answered. “Besides, I can’t wait to see Gore fail to talk his way out of this one…”
Blood-Wraith had a smile on his face upon noticing Sigeberht’s sly grin. “Know something we don’t?”
“As always, Blood, and I wish I could tell you…”
“That’s a little ominous, if you don’t mind me saying…” Ludwig pointed out as he took off his helmet.
“Don’t worry about it too much,” Dragoslava reassured him. “You can trust Sigeberht and Tressacht, unlike Gore and his dumb-keteers.”
“If you say so…”
Sigeberht then noticed David and Gore stepping into the center of the plaza. “Oh, they’re starting! I’m eager with anticipation as to what points Dr. Livesey is going to bring to the table…”
“Can everybody see me?” Gore announced. “Can everybody hear me?”
“Well if they couldn’t I’d question why they would come to a debate in the first place,” David quipped, eliciting some laughter.
Gore quietly groaned, not happy that he had already lost some ground to his opponent. “An astute observation, Dr. David Livesey. And such wit is a powerful weapon against dastardly foes such as The Eternal Order-as you see, the Order is a threat unlike any other. Whereas some prefer to rule with an iron fist for the delightful efficiency and efficacy it provides, The Sepulcher God is said to recruit the cream of the crop… even if that cream fails to reap a crop handed to it on a silver platter… What are the guild's standards for recruitment, Dr. Livesey? Especially given the perilous circumstances we find ourselves in during these times of great uncertainty.”
David held no pause as he knew Gore was not going to let him maintain his advantage. “A valid question, Gore, as it pays no one to be vague with such matters. The guild also looks for the best of the best, but unlike The Sepulcher God, we work towards fostering the potential we come across. The Order picks the best while we find the best…”
“That’s all well and good, but a discriminatory mindset will only take you so far. Such a guild needs to be welcoming and inclusive to be better than their enemies.”
“No doubt about it, Gore, as gatekeeping should only go so far as to keep out lowlifes, undesirables, and bad actors. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link after all…”
“But even a broken link can be useful, Dr. Livesey,” Gore said as they began to walk around the plaza center, eyes locked on each other.
“That use is debatable, as a broken link only has so many applications before it is either thrown out or repaired, and such effort can waste time and resources for the battle at hand…”
“Dr. Livesey, some amongst us are victims of circumstance! Would you reject a man who is intelligent for his weight or physical appearance?”
“Have you so easily forgotten that I am a doctor and a magistrate, Gore?” David stopped as he said that. His straight forward question had caught the activists off guard. “I swore to the hippocratic oath to treat any and all patient’s maladies, and the guild shall do so spiritually!”
Gore considered verbally attacking David for that declaration, but he was curious to see what David would do if he persisted. “Can you treat the common man? How so, good doctor?”
David quickly scanned the audience and settled on one of the activists. He was a nervous man not in the greatest of shape, but also looked like he did not belong amongst Gore’s crowd. “You, boy, come here for a second…” he called out to the light-red-haired man.
“Ye-yes, doctor?” he anxiously answered as he walked over.
“What’s your name, lad?”
“Davis Dempsey, sir.”
“Do you have your share of woes that lead to your unfit physique?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward over his slight double chin. “Er, yeah… see, as a kid I…”
David held up his hand. “Ah ah, not here. We’re out in the open after all. Davis, do you fancy yourself a mage or an alchemist?”
“Well, yeah, but I’ve been told I’d never cut it in something like The ULTRAMagic Guild…” It was unnoticed as a whole, but that made Blood-Wraith scowl at Gore.
“Codswallop, Davis,” David asserted. “A change of diet and fitness routine alongside access to the greatest minds in The Unlight shall have you a strapping member of the guild in no time!”
Davis’ eyes lit up, like he had just been handed the answer in life he had been looking for. “You’d do that all for me?”
“Oh come on now!” Gore rudely interrupted. “You can’t treat every beggar off the street, David! You have to cut your losses at some point!”
David gestured for Davis to get behind him. “If I have to spend the rest of my life treating everyone in this city and beyond, then so be it, Gore,” David declared as he walked up to him, looking his opponent dead in the eye. “That’s not very inclusive of you now, is it, Mr. Bloodblade?”
Gore felt his temper rising, desperately fighting back the urge to rip his figurative mask off. “Davis, you cannot be serious right now! Forget those ULTRAMagic fools, as I can promise you fame, glory, and power beyond your wildest dreams if you do what I say!”
“But can you make him fit?” David demanded to know. “Can you make him witty? Can you actually make him great?”
Karnage hesitated for a second, as it felt like David was on a mountain high above him and he could not stand that. “I can and I will, even if I have to do so by force!” he growled.
David did not like what Gore had said, but there was not much he could do. “Well, Davis, the choice is up to you. There are no wrong answers…”
The harrowing anxiety Davis felt was beyond comprehension as Gore glared daggers into him while David remained still and calm. Davis was unsure what to do until a strange feeling took hold of him and caused him to sit down with Blood-Wraith and the others. “You're on, Dr. Livesey.”
“Thank you, Davis,” he replied. “And that goes for everyone here: The Guild welcomes all who seek knowledge and wholeness-come one, come all.” There was a round of applause from all but the activists, who were unsure what to do. “Anything else you would like to say, Gore?”
He was silently seething, ready to kill everyone there. Gore held back, however, as revenge was the sweetest of desserts. “Fine, I concede, Dr. Livesey, as you have made your point…” He then turned to Davis, intimidating the man with his mere presence. “We wish you the best of luck on your journey, Davis Dempsey…” Karnage then pulled his cape in front of him and stormed off with the activists following.
Once they were gone, David spoke. “Well, here's hoping he didn’t take it personally…” The audience laughed and clapped again, with Blood-Wraith and the others welcoming Davis to the guild.
Next: Chapter 10
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Comments
Post a Comment