ULTRAMagic Eon 2 - Chapter 23
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“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” Vexation cried in frustration as he kept trying to do something that involved snapping his fingers. “DAMN IT-JUST WORK ALREADY!!!” he roared before finally getting shot back into the opposite parapet by his own magic backfiring. He then kicked the wall and shouted “DAMN IT ALL!”
“Easy, honey, I’m trying too…” Drusa said as she tried to focus, creating a sphere of undead light that faded as soon as it appeared. She understood her husband’s unbelievable frustration, but it was also making it hard for her to concentrate.
“I trust that this is the manifestation of the issue you were hinting at, Lord Nacht?” Yorath inquired.
“Indeed, Yorath,” the god replied as he stepped over to the couple. “Your efforts are for naught, Ermenrich. The Sepulcher God has developed his own form of curses that are blocking yours.”
Vexation felt his blood ignite as he roared again and slammed the parapet with his fists, the searing pain drowned out by his anger. “HOW!?! HOW DID THAT BASTARD EVEN FIGURE OUT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! I KEPT IT ALL UNDER LOCK AND KEY!”
Andelin had her guilt attack her heart, making it feel like it had stopped altogether as she went into a cold sweat. It was certainly not a good time to be confronting the ghosts of her past... “Damn it, not now…” she muttered to herself as she propped herself against the parapet.
“To answer your question, Ermenrich; one of the culprits stand amongst us as we speak,” Nacht stated in a critical, yet sympathetic voice.
Vexation and Drusa both looked towards Andelin, as they knew they had sensed an old foe from so long ago from the get-go. “Andelin…” Vexation said as his anger subsided.
Feeling like her body could give out at any moment, she began shuffling her deck of hexes to help keep her nerves steady. “Yes, it was me… well, me and The Decay God back when I was The Cheerful God. As you all know by now, Gudrun had managed to slip into the Epoch through sheer luck, and Sepulcher saw that as a golden opportunity to give his plans some protection in the future. Me and Decay were tasked with finding the secret to your magic and we sort of found it. Had Leif not discovered us, we would have succeeded. Regardless, what we had was enough for Sepulcher and he passed that magic onto Gudrun. I don’t blame you if you’re angry with me, as I wish my hindsight had been better back then… I would probably still be a god if it was…”
“Stop!” Vexation interrupted with a raised hand. “No use getting hung up on the past, Andelin. Trust me, I know. What matters is the here and now. Yes, I am incredibly frustrated given that I could end this entire war with one spell, but beating each other up over it won’t help us right now. Besides, I’d dare say losing your honors is punishment enough.”
Drusa exhaled as she finally gave up trying to cast her own curses. “I wish I was a Spiritus Magni back during the Epoch, with the knowledge I have now…”
“Drusa, what did I just say?” Vexation said as he tapped his foot.
Drusa laughed and gave him a kiss. “It doesn’t change the fact that I wish it were the case, you big goofball.”
“Teunis is not going to be happy with me…” Andelin admitted to herself.
Vexation startled her by patting her on the back, causing her to drop her cards on the floor. “Oh come on, Andelin. You know Teunis will forgive you no matter what. Between you and me, I think Merc told him about your past when we were going after Gudrun with Ms. Phantasm. If he didn’t hate you back then, he isn’t going to now. You two kids were meant for each other.”
Andelin sighed and smiled. “You’re right, Ermenrich.”
Drusa then gave Andelin a hug. “Hey, we all trip or stumble on the path to wholeness, something I instill in my teachings. Why do you think my followers back in Atlantis got along so well?”
“A meaningful lesson we should all keep in mind, Drusa,” Tiberius agreed as he appeared from a magic, sparkling doorway. “Your majesty, Albrecht is all set… despite the misfires at the beginning of the battle.”
“Very good, Tiberius,” Englehart replied. “Now, Nacht, Andelin-is there any possibility that The Sepulcher God or Gudrun could weaponize their curses against us in this war?”
“Actually, if I may, your majesty,” Vexation cut in. “Drusa and I have noticed a few attempts here and there-but if they can block us, so can we, haha.”
“Very good, Ermenrich. At least we have that going for us…”
Deimos suddenly exclaimed joy as he tucked a glowing crystal into his pocket. “Good news, everyone, The Colossus is getting close! And The Taffy and Volcano have made their way to The Unending Forest and Shadowland respectively.”
“Ho ho, this is going to be very interesting,” Losian commented. “The Colossus was the strongest out of his brothers, rivaling that of the gods in the heavenly spheres…”
Benedictus seemed a bit skeptical as he crossed his arms. “We shall see how that power holds up in modernity.”
Yorath groaned a little. “My apologies, venerable Losian…” he said with a bow.
Losian chuckled. “Don’t fret, Yorath. Whippersnappers such as him have yet to witness the true power and majesty of the Cosmos in its Epoch, so I don’t fault him for being skeptical.” Benedictus gave a slight glare as he knew that comment was a jab at him.
Englehart felt a little awkward given that he was not one to argue with a god of any sort, but he also had looked up to The Colossus as a mentor in the past. After he cleared his throat, he turned to Faolán and said “Faolán, could you find Barna and The Beast of Old and let them know The Colossus is on the way?”
“Already on it, your majesty!” he said as he climbed over the parapet and began descending down via the great wall’s nooks and crevices.
Just as Deimos was about to request to go join the fight, a giant, four-winged, avian dragon flew over all of them. His mouth dropped as he immediately knew who it was. “MIND-WRAITH AND AAVA?!”
“Haha, well ain’t that a surprise!” Tiberius added. “I was wondering where the lad and lass had wandered off to, especially giving the second founding of the guild.”
“Blood must have called on them, by way of Voidborne from the looks of it,” Vexation noted. “Jeez, ain’t this a blast from the past? Hey, where’s Mal…?”
“Right here,” she answered as she stepped through a void door. “I saw it too! Your majesty, if Blood called on those two, I need to go out and see them!”
Englehart was not sure what to say, as he understood Mal’s longing. The battlefield was incredibly dangerous, however. “Mal, while I understand your desire to see your friends again, you are doing an invaluable job keeping the city safe with your guildmates…”
“Don’t worry, your majesty, I was planning to head out to the battle myself now that Tiberius is back,” Deimos interjected. “I’ll take care of her.” He then leapt off the wall and flapped back up in his giant bat form. “Mal, on my back!”
“Righty-o, Uncle Eustorgio!”
Englehart sighed, with Dunja comforting him with a pat on the shoulder. “They’ll be fine,” she reassured him.
Benedictus shook his head, admiring Mal’s bravery. “If my son was here, I’d send him out to battle alongside them… if he had not made a complete disgrace of himself…”
“Pardon me, Benedictus, but you have a son?” Rahela questioned.
As Benedictus stuttered over his words, making it clear he had not meant to say that out loud, Yorath spoke up for him. “Indeed, Bruticus Thrax…”
“Argh, that cocky son of mine ventured out to seek fame and glory in my name, only to turn into a degenerate dictator,” Benedictus continued. “He even got himself condemned to the prisons of Inferno for his wrath! How dare he when my discipline is to fight for glory and honor?”
“Well to be fair, your doctrines don’t clarify how far one should go, focusing on achieving victory no matter the cost,” Yorath pointed out to Benedictus’ chagrin. “For battles such as these it is acceptable, but life and war is never that simple outside of the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. A spectacularly infinitesimal amount of people have the honor of taking on corrupted gods and living to tell the tale.”
“Looks like you have some skeletons in your closet, whippersnapper,” Losian rightfully pointed out as he tapped Benedictus’ pauldron with his staff, causing the god to groan.
Ulrich laughed as he leaned on the parapet. “Don’t worry, we won’t mention this around Wulfric.”
“Well surely Bruticus is working towards redeeming himself, right?” Rahela wondered.
Benedictus sighed, recalling something he was told in recent times. He was hesitant to mention it given the shame he felt over his son’s actions, but at the same time he felt that he owed it to the young Discordant God to give her an answer. “I suppose I should say that I have been in correspondence with the archangel Ianoda of Universe-23. He stated that Bruticus has become a general of his ‘Army of the Wrathful’ as he calls it.”
“He’s received an honor and is serving an archangel?” Adelheid noted. “Well that is quite the turn around for someone who has tarnished his family’s name…”
“It's fantastic to hear, Benedictus,” Rahela concurred. “That shows he’s still worthy of your name, that he’s made a mistake and is owning up to it.”
Benedictus could not help but smile and laugh, as Rahela’s optimism was refreshing given the ongoing war. “You’re joyous and radiant, Rahela. No matter what battles we get dragged into, never let them douse that spark of yours…”
Deimos and Mal soon caught up to Mind-Wraith and Aava, happy to see their good friends once again. “Hey, kids, long time no see!” Deimos cheerfully called out to them as they approached.
“Teacher, is that you!?” Mind-Wraith called back. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes! Finally got your head back on straight?”
Deimos laughed, struggling to hide the guilt he felt. “Certainly, Mind-Wraith…”
“Aava, Mind-Wraith!” Mal said as she waved to them while holding on. “I’m glad to see you’re both safe and sound!”
“Hey, Mal!” Aava replied as she avoided a stray fireball from the battles below. “Glad to see you are still hanging out with the guild! Are… are you doing okay given what happened to Leif and Blood?”
Mal glanced down at the battle, then back to Aava. If they were on the ground, it would have been easy to see the sorrow in her eyes, held back by her determination. “We have more important things to worry about at the moment. We’ll catch up afterwards.”
Mind-Wraith wanted to say something to comfort Mal, but noticed a battle where they were needed. “Down there! Looks like Rick is drunk on his ill-gotten power…’
The battle in question was a harrowing one, where Maxima, Dragutin, and Mayhem were doing their best to fight back the abhorrent creature Rick had become. Soldiers all around them were turned to stone, and Rick was half freakish amalgamation of body parts grafted together to create a hulking form. His power was not created from the soldiers, but rather the magic he stole from them. Any semblance of humanity was gone from him, as he was a pure shadow construct at that point. His arrogant, malignant personality still shone through, however. Maxima was not sure how to handle her foe given that he could use whatever magic he wanted. To say it was a bastard’s ULTRAMagic was a valid assessment of the mess that Rick had succumbed to.
Fighting Rick was a terrifying experience as the power of his shadow construct nature was unpredictable and wild. He had forwent playing dirty and elected to overwhelm his foes with brute force. Given that the limbs jutting out of his body were functional, knocking him prone was hopeless. Rick would just get right back up and go back to fighting. And he was unbelievably fast and nimble despite his lumbering appearance. Dragutin was forced to stay in the air, Mayhem had to be as quick as a fox, and Maxima was required to stay on her toes with no hope of ever resting. The three could barely get a thought in edgewise, let alone actually combat the stolen magic Rick used with irreverent and murderous glee.
“THIS BEATS PANDERING TO THOSE STUPID FEDS AND FIRMS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!” Rick hollered in elation as he slammed the giant hammer he had summoned on the ground, nearly hitting Maxima. “IN FACT, WHEN I’M DONE HERE I’LL GO BACK AND SHOW THOSE MORONS WHAT TRUE POWER IS!!”
“MISERABLE ABOMINATION!” Maxima condemned as she covered her rapier in black and white lighting and charged forward. Her thrusting strikes were just barely dodged by Rick, and he was getting shocked by them as they just narrowly missed.
“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE, LADY?!” Rick taunted as his left arm began to turn into a dragon’s head that resembled Karnage’s. “UNLIMITED POWER!!!” he roared with insufferable pride that would have been any normal man’s downfall.
Rick’s dragon’s arm let out an unbelievable torrent of fire, with the only thing saving the soldiers being their petrified fates. Maxima leapt up into the air with grace onto Dragutin’s back and Mayhem summoned a spectral circus tent around him that just barely held back the hellish inferno the area had become. Red, ghostly skulls rose from the wretched flames, forcing Mayhem to move. The fire burned his flesh with an unbelievably painful stabbing sensation wherever it touched, but he had to keep moving even if it meant running through the flames. The heat and pain was starting to get to him and he made several miscalculations that got him battered by Rick. With desperation starting to settle in, Mayhem let out a roar that pushed Rick back with a chaotic force to grant himself a reprieve.
“Damn it, I fought Wulfric himself!” Mayhem cursed. “I can’t let this lackey beat me, not now!” His body began to writhe and convulse as something menacing came to the surface. It was unholy and terrible, but also ready to fight and was going to teach Rick a lesson he would never forget. “By great chaos-begone the form of a devil! Arise the form most profane! ARISE, CHAOS INCARNATE!”
What happened next would have killed any man from sheer fear and shock. Mayhem had taken the form of a tall, lanky demon of blood and fire, yellow and blue in an unnatural combination that was difficult to merely witness. The way it moved was irregular and looked as though someone had messed with the fabric of reality itself to create an entity that jolted forward faster than the eyes could perceive, while still being perceptible in a spectacle that challenged the notion of movement itself. Mayhem screeched like a madman and charged forward, beating Rick with inhuman speed in a flurry of strikes that would have made any tantrum seem like a civilized counterargument. Rick was taken by surprise at first, but regained his composure to send the demon flying. And then he felt the greatest surge of adrenaline he had ever felt when Mayhem immediately shot back towards him on all fours to resume his assault. Despite all the power Karnage and Audoin had granted him, Rick could not hide that he was truly terrified, as if some part of his humanity was actually still present.
Dragutin could not just sit by and let the awful spectacle of Mayhem and Rick’s fight continue, but he needed to wait for an opening. A sucker punch saw Mayhem get knocked back and this was his cue. “YOU WANT POWER, WHELP?! I’LL SHOW YOU POWER!!” With Maxima bracing herself, Dragutin let loose an immense maelstrom of plasma and lighting from his mouth that forced Rick back a great deal. This momentary reprieve allowed Mayhem to regain his lucidity, even if Chaos Incarnate was still gnawing at him to keep going all out.
“Th-thank you, Dragutin,” Mayhem struggled to say as he stumbled towards his friend as he landed.
“Mayhem, are you insane?!” Maxima demanded to know.
“Maybe,” he answered with a chuckle before she could say anything else. He then sensed four people approaching from the skies and looked up. “Above us, look!”
Deimos let out a sonic shockwave that was sure to disorient Rick, followed by Aava letting loose a fireball from her mouth that exploded on contact with the ground. Upon landing they let their passengers get off and reverted back to their normal forms. Aava was quite beautiful, dressed in an elegant coat that doubled as armor, had stunning azure eyes, and her gorgeous, silver hair resembled feathers at the ends. Beside her was Mind-Wraith, a handsome and quirky man with black hair, charming golden eyes, and small beard. He was dressed in formal wear that indicated a man who was not of the upper echelons, but fancied himself as one. And on his back was Voidborne, glowing red with anger that united it and Mind-Wraith in avenging the death of Blood-Wraith.
“Well now, a little late to the party, but better late than never…” Mind-Wraith observed as looked around. “Looks like we got our work cut out for us…”
“Maxima, guys, are you okay?” Deimos worriedly asked as he went over to them.
“Don’t worry, everything’s okay back at the wall,” Mal reassured them.
“That’s good to hear…” Dragutin replied as he buckled from exhaustion. “Argh, that henchman of Karnage’s is something else…”
“Ha, you’re telling me?” Mayhem cut in. “Not even my battles with Wulfric got this bad…”
“It’s that stolen magic of his…” Maxima pointed out as her rapier broke. “And whoever that Audoin creep is did something obscene to make Rick’s initial power hold together like that.”
“Aava, do you think we’re dealing with anomalous magic?” Mind-Wraith deduced. “Oh, what’s it called in this era?” he inquired as he snapped his fingers over and over again, expecting an answer.
“ANTIMagic I believe is the term you’re looking for, dear,” she politely replied.
“Ah yes, thank you, ANTIMagic-it has to be a form of ANTIMagic…”
Deimos shuddered. “I hope not…”
“It most certainly is, Master Eustorgio,” Aava asserted. “How else would he be able to hold himself together like that, let alone maintain his sanity amongst all of that malformed, black magic?”
“HEY, LOSERS, I DIDN’T HEAR NO BELL…” Rick’s haughty and insufferable voice taunted as he stomped forward with a sadistic, bloodthirsty look in his toothy grin and eyes.
Next: Chapter 24
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” Vexation cried in frustration as he kept trying to do something that involved snapping his fingers. “DAMN IT-JUST WORK ALREADY!!!” he roared before finally getting shot back into the opposite parapet by his own magic backfiring. He then kicked the wall and shouted “DAMN IT ALL!”
“Easy, honey, I’m trying too…” Drusa said as she tried to focus, creating a sphere of undead light that faded as soon as it appeared. She understood her husband’s unbelievable frustration, but it was also making it hard for her to concentrate.
“I trust that this is the manifestation of the issue you were hinting at, Lord Nacht?” Yorath inquired.
“Indeed, Yorath,” the god replied as he stepped over to the couple. “Your efforts are for naught, Ermenrich. The Sepulcher God has developed his own form of curses that are blocking yours.”
Vexation felt his blood ignite as he roared again and slammed the parapet with his fists, the searing pain drowned out by his anger. “HOW!?! HOW DID THAT BASTARD EVEN FIGURE OUT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?! I KEPT IT ALL UNDER LOCK AND KEY!”
Andelin had her guilt attack her heart, making it feel like it had stopped altogether as she went into a cold sweat. It was certainly not a good time to be confronting the ghosts of her past... “Damn it, not now…” she muttered to herself as she propped herself against the parapet.
“To answer your question, Ermenrich; one of the culprits stand amongst us as we speak,” Nacht stated in a critical, yet sympathetic voice.
Vexation and Drusa both looked towards Andelin, as they knew they had sensed an old foe from so long ago from the get-go. “Andelin…” Vexation said as his anger subsided.
Feeling like her body could give out at any moment, she began shuffling her deck of hexes to help keep her nerves steady. “Yes, it was me… well, me and The Decay God back when I was The Cheerful God. As you all know by now, Gudrun had managed to slip into the Epoch through sheer luck, and Sepulcher saw that as a golden opportunity to give his plans some protection in the future. Me and Decay were tasked with finding the secret to your magic and we sort of found it. Had Leif not discovered us, we would have succeeded. Regardless, what we had was enough for Sepulcher and he passed that magic onto Gudrun. I don’t blame you if you’re angry with me, as I wish my hindsight had been better back then… I would probably still be a god if it was…”
“Stop!” Vexation interrupted with a raised hand. “No use getting hung up on the past, Andelin. Trust me, I know. What matters is the here and now. Yes, I am incredibly frustrated given that I could end this entire war with one spell, but beating each other up over it won’t help us right now. Besides, I’d dare say losing your honors is punishment enough.”
Drusa exhaled as she finally gave up trying to cast her own curses. “I wish I was a Spiritus Magni back during the Epoch, with the knowledge I have now…”
“Drusa, what did I just say?” Vexation said as he tapped his foot.
Drusa laughed and gave him a kiss. “It doesn’t change the fact that I wish it were the case, you big goofball.”
“Teunis is not going to be happy with me…” Andelin admitted to herself.
Vexation startled her by patting her on the back, causing her to drop her cards on the floor. “Oh come on, Andelin. You know Teunis will forgive you no matter what. Between you and me, I think Merc told him about your past when we were going after Gudrun with Ms. Phantasm. If he didn’t hate you back then, he isn’t going to now. You two kids were meant for each other.”
Andelin sighed and smiled. “You’re right, Ermenrich.”
Drusa then gave Andelin a hug. “Hey, we all trip or stumble on the path to wholeness, something I instill in my teachings. Why do you think my followers back in Atlantis got along so well?”
“A meaningful lesson we should all keep in mind, Drusa,” Tiberius agreed as he appeared from a magic, sparkling doorway. “Your majesty, Albrecht is all set… despite the misfires at the beginning of the battle.”
“Very good, Tiberius,” Englehart replied. “Now, Nacht, Andelin-is there any possibility that The Sepulcher God or Gudrun could weaponize their curses against us in this war?”
“Actually, if I may, your majesty,” Vexation cut in. “Drusa and I have noticed a few attempts here and there-but if they can block us, so can we, haha.”
“Very good, Ermenrich. At least we have that going for us…”
Deimos suddenly exclaimed joy as he tucked a glowing crystal into his pocket. “Good news, everyone, The Colossus is getting close! And The Taffy and Volcano have made their way to The Unending Forest and Shadowland respectively.”
“Ho ho, this is going to be very interesting,” Losian commented. “The Colossus was the strongest out of his brothers, rivaling that of the gods in the heavenly spheres…”
Benedictus seemed a bit skeptical as he crossed his arms. “We shall see how that power holds up in modernity.”
Yorath groaned a little. “My apologies, venerable Losian…” he said with a bow.
Losian chuckled. “Don’t fret, Yorath. Whippersnappers such as him have yet to witness the true power and majesty of the Cosmos in its Epoch, so I don’t fault him for being skeptical.” Benedictus gave a slight glare as he knew that comment was a jab at him.
Englehart felt a little awkward given that he was not one to argue with a god of any sort, but he also had looked up to The Colossus as a mentor in the past. After he cleared his throat, he turned to Faolán and said “Faolán, could you find Barna and The Beast of Old and let them know The Colossus is on the way?”
“Already on it, your majesty!” he said as he climbed over the parapet and began descending down via the great wall’s nooks and crevices.
Just as Deimos was about to request to go join the fight, a giant, four-winged, avian dragon flew over all of them. His mouth dropped as he immediately knew who it was. “MIND-WRAITH AND AAVA?!”
“Haha, well ain’t that a surprise!” Tiberius added. “I was wondering where the lad and lass had wandered off to, especially giving the second founding of the guild.”
“Blood must have called on them, by way of Voidborne from the looks of it,” Vexation noted. “Jeez, ain’t this a blast from the past? Hey, where’s Mal…?”
“Right here,” she answered as she stepped through a void door. “I saw it too! Your majesty, if Blood called on those two, I need to go out and see them!”
Englehart was not sure what to say, as he understood Mal’s longing. The battlefield was incredibly dangerous, however. “Mal, while I understand your desire to see your friends again, you are doing an invaluable job keeping the city safe with your guildmates…”
“Don’t worry, your majesty, I was planning to head out to the battle myself now that Tiberius is back,” Deimos interjected. “I’ll take care of her.” He then leapt off the wall and flapped back up in his giant bat form. “Mal, on my back!”
“Righty-o, Uncle Eustorgio!”
Englehart sighed, with Dunja comforting him with a pat on the shoulder. “They’ll be fine,” she reassured him.
Benedictus shook his head, admiring Mal’s bravery. “If my son was here, I’d send him out to battle alongside them… if he had not made a complete disgrace of himself…”
“Pardon me, Benedictus, but you have a son?” Rahela questioned.
As Benedictus stuttered over his words, making it clear he had not meant to say that out loud, Yorath spoke up for him. “Indeed, Bruticus Thrax…”
“Argh, that cocky son of mine ventured out to seek fame and glory in my name, only to turn into a degenerate dictator,” Benedictus continued. “He even got himself condemned to the prisons of Inferno for his wrath! How dare he when my discipline is to fight for glory and honor?”
“Well to be fair, your doctrines don’t clarify how far one should go, focusing on achieving victory no matter the cost,” Yorath pointed out to Benedictus’ chagrin. “For battles such as these it is acceptable, but life and war is never that simple outside of the extraordinary circumstances we find ourselves in. A spectacularly infinitesimal amount of people have the honor of taking on corrupted gods and living to tell the tale.”
“Looks like you have some skeletons in your closet, whippersnapper,” Losian rightfully pointed out as he tapped Benedictus’ pauldron with his staff, causing the god to groan.
Ulrich laughed as he leaned on the parapet. “Don’t worry, we won’t mention this around Wulfric.”
“Well surely Bruticus is working towards redeeming himself, right?” Rahela wondered.
Benedictus sighed, recalling something he was told in recent times. He was hesitant to mention it given the shame he felt over his son’s actions, but at the same time he felt that he owed it to the young Discordant God to give her an answer. “I suppose I should say that I have been in correspondence with the archangel Ianoda of Universe-23. He stated that Bruticus has become a general of his ‘Army of the Wrathful’ as he calls it.”
“He’s received an honor and is serving an archangel?” Adelheid noted. “Well that is quite the turn around for someone who has tarnished his family’s name…”
“It's fantastic to hear, Benedictus,” Rahela concurred. “That shows he’s still worthy of your name, that he’s made a mistake and is owning up to it.”
Benedictus could not help but smile and laugh, as Rahela’s optimism was refreshing given the ongoing war. “You’re joyous and radiant, Rahela. No matter what battles we get dragged into, never let them douse that spark of yours…”
Deimos and Mal soon caught up to Mind-Wraith and Aava, happy to see their good friends once again. “Hey, kids, long time no see!” Deimos cheerfully called out to them as they approached.
“Teacher, is that you!?” Mind-Wraith called back. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes! Finally got your head back on straight?”
Deimos laughed, struggling to hide the guilt he felt. “Certainly, Mind-Wraith…”
“Aava, Mind-Wraith!” Mal said as she waved to them while holding on. “I’m glad to see you’re both safe and sound!”
“Hey, Mal!” Aava replied as she avoided a stray fireball from the battles below. “Glad to see you are still hanging out with the guild! Are… are you doing okay given what happened to Leif and Blood?”
Mal glanced down at the battle, then back to Aava. If they were on the ground, it would have been easy to see the sorrow in her eyes, held back by her determination. “We have more important things to worry about at the moment. We’ll catch up afterwards.”
Mind-Wraith wanted to say something to comfort Mal, but noticed a battle where they were needed. “Down there! Looks like Rick is drunk on his ill-gotten power…’
The battle in question was a harrowing one, where Maxima, Dragutin, and Mayhem were doing their best to fight back the abhorrent creature Rick had become. Soldiers all around them were turned to stone, and Rick was half freakish amalgamation of body parts grafted together to create a hulking form. His power was not created from the soldiers, but rather the magic he stole from them. Any semblance of humanity was gone from him, as he was a pure shadow construct at that point. His arrogant, malignant personality still shone through, however. Maxima was not sure how to handle her foe given that he could use whatever magic he wanted. To say it was a bastard’s ULTRAMagic was a valid assessment of the mess that Rick had succumbed to.
Fighting Rick was a terrifying experience as the power of his shadow construct nature was unpredictable and wild. He had forwent playing dirty and elected to overwhelm his foes with brute force. Given that the limbs jutting out of his body were functional, knocking him prone was hopeless. Rick would just get right back up and go back to fighting. And he was unbelievably fast and nimble despite his lumbering appearance. Dragutin was forced to stay in the air, Mayhem had to be as quick as a fox, and Maxima was required to stay on her toes with no hope of ever resting. The three could barely get a thought in edgewise, let alone actually combat the stolen magic Rick used with irreverent and murderous glee.
“THIS BEATS PANDERING TO THOSE STUPID FEDS AND FIRMS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!” Rick hollered in elation as he slammed the giant hammer he had summoned on the ground, nearly hitting Maxima. “IN FACT, WHEN I’M DONE HERE I’LL GO BACK AND SHOW THOSE MORONS WHAT TRUE POWER IS!!”
“MISERABLE ABOMINATION!” Maxima condemned as she covered her rapier in black and white lighting and charged forward. Her thrusting strikes were just barely dodged by Rick, and he was getting shocked by them as they just narrowly missed.
“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE, LADY?!” Rick taunted as his left arm began to turn into a dragon’s head that resembled Karnage’s. “UNLIMITED POWER!!!” he roared with insufferable pride that would have been any normal man’s downfall.
Rick’s dragon’s arm let out an unbelievable torrent of fire, with the only thing saving the soldiers being their petrified fates. Maxima leapt up into the air with grace onto Dragutin’s back and Mayhem summoned a spectral circus tent around him that just barely held back the hellish inferno the area had become. Red, ghostly skulls rose from the wretched flames, forcing Mayhem to move. The fire burned his flesh with an unbelievably painful stabbing sensation wherever it touched, but he had to keep moving even if it meant running through the flames. The heat and pain was starting to get to him and he made several miscalculations that got him battered by Rick. With desperation starting to settle in, Mayhem let out a roar that pushed Rick back with a chaotic force to grant himself a reprieve.
“Damn it, I fought Wulfric himself!” Mayhem cursed. “I can’t let this lackey beat me, not now!” His body began to writhe and convulse as something menacing came to the surface. It was unholy and terrible, but also ready to fight and was going to teach Rick a lesson he would never forget. “By great chaos-begone the form of a devil! Arise the form most profane! ARISE, CHAOS INCARNATE!”
What happened next would have killed any man from sheer fear and shock. Mayhem had taken the form of a tall, lanky demon of blood and fire, yellow and blue in an unnatural combination that was difficult to merely witness. The way it moved was irregular and looked as though someone had messed with the fabric of reality itself to create an entity that jolted forward faster than the eyes could perceive, while still being perceptible in a spectacle that challenged the notion of movement itself. Mayhem screeched like a madman and charged forward, beating Rick with inhuman speed in a flurry of strikes that would have made any tantrum seem like a civilized counterargument. Rick was taken by surprise at first, but regained his composure to send the demon flying. And then he felt the greatest surge of adrenaline he had ever felt when Mayhem immediately shot back towards him on all fours to resume his assault. Despite all the power Karnage and Audoin had granted him, Rick could not hide that he was truly terrified, as if some part of his humanity was actually still present.
Dragutin could not just sit by and let the awful spectacle of Mayhem and Rick’s fight continue, but he needed to wait for an opening. A sucker punch saw Mayhem get knocked back and this was his cue. “YOU WANT POWER, WHELP?! I’LL SHOW YOU POWER!!” With Maxima bracing herself, Dragutin let loose an immense maelstrom of plasma and lighting from his mouth that forced Rick back a great deal. This momentary reprieve allowed Mayhem to regain his lucidity, even if Chaos Incarnate was still gnawing at him to keep going all out.
“Th-thank you, Dragutin,” Mayhem struggled to say as he stumbled towards his friend as he landed.
“Mayhem, are you insane?!” Maxima demanded to know.
“Maybe,” he answered with a chuckle before she could say anything else. He then sensed four people approaching from the skies and looked up. “Above us, look!”
Deimos let out a sonic shockwave that was sure to disorient Rick, followed by Aava letting loose a fireball from her mouth that exploded on contact with the ground. Upon landing they let their passengers get off and reverted back to their normal forms. Aava was quite beautiful, dressed in an elegant coat that doubled as armor, had stunning azure eyes, and her gorgeous, silver hair resembled feathers at the ends. Beside her was Mind-Wraith, a handsome and quirky man with black hair, charming golden eyes, and small beard. He was dressed in formal wear that indicated a man who was not of the upper echelons, but fancied himself as one. And on his back was Voidborne, glowing red with anger that united it and Mind-Wraith in avenging the death of Blood-Wraith.
“Well now, a little late to the party, but better late than never…” Mind-Wraith observed as looked around. “Looks like we got our work cut out for us…”
“Maxima, guys, are you okay?” Deimos worriedly asked as he went over to them.
“Don’t worry, everything’s okay back at the wall,” Mal reassured them.
“That’s good to hear…” Dragutin replied as he buckled from exhaustion. “Argh, that henchman of Karnage’s is something else…”
“Ha, you’re telling me?” Mayhem cut in. “Not even my battles with Wulfric got this bad…”
“It’s that stolen magic of his…” Maxima pointed out as her rapier broke. “And whoever that Audoin creep is did something obscene to make Rick’s initial power hold together like that.”
“Aava, do you think we’re dealing with anomalous magic?” Mind-Wraith deduced. “Oh, what’s it called in this era?” he inquired as he snapped his fingers over and over again, expecting an answer.
“ANTIMagic I believe is the term you’re looking for, dear,” she politely replied.
“Ah yes, thank you, ANTIMagic-it has to be a form of ANTIMagic…”
Deimos shuddered. “I hope not…”
“It most certainly is, Master Eustorgio,” Aava asserted. “How else would he be able to hold himself together like that, let alone maintain his sanity amongst all of that malformed, black magic?”
“HEY, LOSERS, I DIDN’T HEAR NO BELL…” Rick’s haughty and insufferable voice taunted as he stomped forward with a sadistic, bloodthirsty look in his toothy grin and eyes.
Next: Chapter 24
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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