ULTRAMagic Eon 2 - Chapter 33
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Blood-Wraith was utterly exhausted upon returning home. Seeing his friends, family, and guild mates altogether in the lit up square would have been a joyous occasion if it did not feel like he was about to pass out for the night. Through half-awake greetings and hugs, he made his way home, headed right up the stairs to his bedroom, and immediately fell asleep as soon as he made contact with his comfortable bed, which felt truly heavenly in its bliss after everything he had just gone through. Everyone understood Blood-Wraith’s desire to rest and planned to hold a meeting at The Grand Storm Castle the next day instead of trying to keep him up. Blood-Wraith woke up in the morning with sore limbs and a slight backache, but he expected as much. Since it was not debilitating, he made his way down to the dining room to make himself some breakfast.
It was nine in the morning and the aroma of eggs, bacon, and pancakes were already in the air, putting a smile on Blood-Wraith’s face. And despite the morning sunshine beaming through his windows, there was a feeling of unease. Walking past the coffee table in the living room, Blood-Wraith saw a letter to him and his heart sank when he read it. “Aw, Morrigan…” he lamented as sat down at the table.
“We saw it too, kiddo,” Vexation replied as he put down his newspaper. “We can’t find a single trace of her, not even in The Great Uncity. Her friends there say she hasn’t shown back up since yesterday. Shoot, we can't even find Tressacht and Siegeberht… or Thorogor and Senot-drow, if we’re being honest.”
“I know where Morrigan is and… I hate to admit it, but it’s probably for the best given what I know…”
Valentina could sense his unease, even if he was two dimensions above her. “Well don’t worry, Blood. I have no doubt that I’ll cross paths with her eventually,” she assured as she served him some eggs, bacon, and toast. “I’ll make sure she stays safe.”
“Thanks, Val-for the food too, haha,” Blood-Wraith said as he folded the letter back up. “You know? You guys have no idea how sublime it is for me to just sit down and have breakfast with you after what I just went through…” He took a bite of his scrambled eggs, which had the perfect amount of salt and pepper on them. “Again, amazing, mmm.” This made everyone smile.
“I’m heading out to the Uncity today to speak to Morrigan’s friends that are still there to see if we can’t figure out what was going on in her head…” Aureolus started to say.
Blood-Wraith wiped his face after a sip of orange juice and sighed. “There’s not much to look into then, because she feels guilty over my death. I just know it. Still, tell them she’s going to be fine.”
“Will do, Blood… Vex, where’s Drusa?”
He looked around, leaning to and fro to get a better view. “She was here just a second ago…”
“Blood, you’re about to have a couple of guests in a moment!” Drusa called out as she appeared from a shadowy portal close to the front door. “And I think you already know who one of them is…” She said as she walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
Blood-Wraith laughed as he could already sense the individual in question approaching the house. “Yup, never going to hear the end of it…”
The door swung open and in it was Eloise, looking concerned, but in an annoyed way as to be expected for a lover. Behind her was Auda, who was eager to see her best friend alive again, but she would have to wait a moment. “BLOOD-WRAITH!” Eloise exclaimed as she marched over to him, careful not to step on her traveler’s robes. “You tell me it’s going to be alright and just go and die on me?!”
Sensing the hidden emotional turmoil in his girlfriend, Blood-Wraith got up, hugged her, and gave her a big kiss on the lips. “Hey, everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”
“You-you!” She kissed him again, just in case something happened to him right then and there. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He laughed again as he stepped back. “I don’t plan to. Trust me, that whole experience was painful. Oh, got a present for you…”
“I’m sorry, a present?”
Blood-Wraith snapped his fingers and produced the crystal containing his ULTRAMagic and presented it to her. “Here, it’s for you…”
Eloise and Auda were speechless, with Eloise being beside herself in confusion as she had no idea how to even process what she was being offered. It did not help that she was still waking up herself and that it was her concern that kept her up the night before. “Blo-Blood? Is that your ULTRAMagic?”
“Was my ULTRAMagic, before Karnage ripped it out of me. Being a proper ar’ton now I don’t need it anymore, so I figured you should have it…”
“Wait, didn’t you just get it back yesterday though?” Aureolus questioned as he walked over. “Isn’t that a little fast, all things considered?”
“You wouldn’t believe how quickly I think now,” he answered with a subtle grin.
“And I can just take it?” Eloise questioned.
“Of course-I am giving it to you, aren’t I?” Blood-Wraith replied, moving his hand forward a little to encourage her. “You’re going to need ULTRAMagic for the guild and this is arguably the easiest way to achieve it…”
“Hold up a second!” Eloise said as she stepped away to think. “Blood, this… this a lot…” Eloise shook her head to fully wake herself up, then realized something crucial. “Are you sure that it’s… um… compatible with me, yeah! Are you sure it won’t just do some crazy… er, ANTIMagic nonsense once I take it?”
“She’s got a point, Blood,” Vexation agreed, stroking his chin. “Need I remind you of the magic-colds Eustorgio suffered through before his ULTRAMagic finally settled within him?”
Blood-Wraith had to admit to himself that that was a valid concern and set his emotions aside for a second to consider the consequences. “Hmm… Well there might be a few hiccups at first, but I think she can handle it. Besides, Eloise, you’ll get access to some of my magic, particularly my transformations. You wanted to get strong enough to help us defend The Unlight, right?”
Eloise smiled and shook her finger at him. “Ooh, you little stinker… alright, I’ll… I accept…”
“Hold up a second!” Auda interrupted. “I was there when Mr. Fire got his first fragment, so I'll see if this is ready for my blessing as the chief’s granddaughter…” She looked at the crystal from several angles, made it clear she was thinking about it, and focused to sense its energy (even though it was unnecessary given how close she and Blood-Wraith were as friends). It was all quite endearing and made the others quietly chuckle. “Alright, I hereby bless this matrimony…”
“AUDA,” Eloise and Blood-Wraith exclaimed in embarrassment, albeit Blood-Wraith was laughing.
“What? What’d I say?” This made the others laugh as they could not help themselves.
“Sweetie, they’re not getting married,” Drusa answered, with Valentina laughing in agreement.
“I mean, it might as well be?” Aureolus joked with shrugged shoulders. “This is unprecedented, but a special occasion none the less.”
“Gee, thanks, Aureolus,” Blood-Wraith shot back. “Want to be my best man?”
“Yes, actually-when the time comes.”
Eloise could feel herself going red in the face, so she took the crystal. “Alright, alright, I accept!” Before anything else could be said, the crystal sunk into her metal arm, weirding her out a little and causing a shudder. “Ooh, that was a little eerie…” She then hiccuped so hard that she fell on her bottom, starling everyone.
“Uh-oh, Eloise fell down!” Auda pointed out as she went to help her up with Blood-Wraith. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little… whoa… Hey, what about Dragon, Might, and Wolf?”
“I’ll be hanging on to those for now,” Blood-Wraith said with a smile. “You’ll definitely have to train a bit to get the hang of all of it, but it looks like everything is going fine…” Eloise then hiccuped again, letting loose a small cloud of steam from her mouth. “For the most part.”
Once Eloise was steady, Auda went and gave Blood-Wraith a hug. “Don’t die on us again, Mr. Fire…”
Blood-Wraith patted her on the back, like that of a father reassuring their child. “Don’t worry, Auda, I won’t. And trust me when I say I don’t want to.”
“Oh, Blood,” Aureolus interjected. “You slept in a bit and everyone is already at the castle waiting for you. Want to head there?”
“Sure, just let me put on my uniform and… Oh wait…” he looked down at himself, noting that he was a bit taller. “Well, it looks like I’m going casual.” The others chuckled once more, with Vexation patting him on the shoulder.
Auda was nodding along when she looked at Eloise after another hiccup. “Hey, wait a second, Eloise got taller too!”
“Wait, I did?” Eloise wondered as she looked down. Her pants seemed shorter for some reason… “Oh my… Guess I’ll need to bother mom to get me some new clothes.”
Blood-Wraith turned as he reached the first step of the stairs and shrugged. “It is what it is. I’d rather be an inch taller than have something else happen, truth be told.” He then paused, as he realized he needed to show Aureolus and Eloise something. “Oh, guys! I got something cool…” His Grave Requiem Overkill instruction booklet appeared in his hands and he opened it to the notes section. Beneath a character build he had written down was the autograph from Anton.
“Is that… Is that from who I think it is?” Aureolus questioned.
“Yup, straight from the man himself, haha.”
Eloise stuttered gibberish for a second, a bit jealous. “You are so lucky!”
Blood-Wraith laughed, feeling proud over the signature. “At least I got something out of all that hullabaloo.”
Now that they had him there and wide awake, Blood-Wraith had a great deal of hands to shake and hugs to receive at the meeting held in the great hall of The Grand Storm Castle. Amidst all the conversation, Blood-Wraith could not help but notice how spectacular the castle was. He would miss The Singing Storm Tower, but the classical architecture that came from the Epoch-Modernity transition was breathtaking. It was a change he would easily get used to. Blood-Wraith definitely had a few people he needed to speak to no matter what, and one of them was Odo, who was talking to Dragoslava and Desislav. He looked like he was recovering from the biggest upset of his life and no one could blame him.
“Odo, how are you doing?” Blood-Wraith said after Diomedes announced his approach with a caw. “Hanging in there?”
He wiped his face with a sigh, but it was a sigh of relief. “I’m fine, Blood… What… what did you do with all that power I had?”
“It's a surprise-no spoilers,” he answered with a chuckle and a pointing of his finger. “You’re not going to leave us and Sylvia, are you?”
“He better not, or I’ll just go hunt him down and bring him right back here,” Dragoslava reminded them with crossed arms and a nod.
“Don’t worry, I won’t, I won’t…” Odo reassured her. “It’s just going to take me a while to get over it…”
Desislav patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re here for you, and Buster is safe and sound on Earth. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Whatever it is, we’ll help you deal with it.”
“Thanks, Desislav,” he replied, feeling better with him saying that. “Ezomathon has no idea what happened as I think she’s exploring a deeper region of the Pool Realm Expanse. I’m not sure whether or not to tell her about what happened…”
Eloise walked over just in time to hear that and leaned against Blood-Wraith. “Odo, trust me when I say she'll find out either way, so it’s probably best you go tell her yourself.”
Following a comforting laugh to shake off the doubt and worry, Dragoslava promised to go with Odo when he was ready. With all of that squared away, Blood-Wraith and Eloise went to go see Lia and Waramunt. “Sadly I won’t be back for another six years once I leave, my dear…” Waramunt said to his lover with a subtle sorrow in his voice.
“Oh, Waramunt, is there anything you can do about it? I can wait, but that is such a long time…”
Waramunt hugged Lia. “Not this time, as I need to return back to my time…” Ensio cawed with unfortunate agreement. “Don’t worry, this time won’t be another campaign against The Eternal Order…”
“Nope, he has other fish to fry,” Blood-Wraith chimed in. “Need any help getting back home, Waramunt?”
“Ah, Blood, good to see you one last time,” Waramunt responded with a polite bow. “I think I’ll be fine?” he commented as he looked through his deck of cards, only to get cawed at by Ensio. “Okay, I need a little help…”
Blood-Wraith gestured for him to hand him one of his cards, and with a flash of red and gold light he imbued it with a spell that would take Waramunt home no matter where he was in the Cosmos. Of course Blood-Wraith immediately recognized whose deck it was given the help he provided to Will all those years ago with the Azure Spider hex, but elected not to say anything for obvious reasons. “Honestly, Waramunt, I’m surprised you got away with this little time travel escapade.”
“Agreed, Blood-Wraith. I wanted to go back in time to prevent yours and Odo’s death, but I see now that my role was to make sure everything fell into place…”
“Wait, does that mean we were destined to be together?” Lia inquired.
Waramunt gave her a kiss and smiled. “I’d dare say yes, my love.”
Blood-Wraith gave a nervous chuckle thinking about what Waramunt was returning to. “Here’s wishing you the best of luck, because I know what’s going on back home for you…”
He sighed, not wanting to leave The Unlight. Honestly it was like a paradise for Waramunt, despite all that he had gone through. “It is certainly going to be strange-Lia, no matter what happens, stay here in The Unlight. Earth is not a place you’d want to live…”
“Well it can’t be that bad, can it?” she questioned.
“It can,” he answered plainly. “Amidst all of The Eternal Order nonsense, the predecessors of their Earth branch, The Extinction Order, have been trying to ruin Earth since day one. Their current grift seems to be gambling, trying to turn society into one big casino so they can somehow control people by rigging the game so everyone’s in debt…”
Lia quietly nodded, unsure what to think of that. “Milosh may have had a screw loose, but I don’t think he was ever that crazy…”
“And don’t even get me started on all of the nonsense surrounding computer tech and how all the major parts manufacturers are colluding with The Eternal Order floozies in various governments to bankrupt the private sector as a whole…”
Eloise was about to say something, but paused. “You know? I’m truly beginning to understand why no one should ever try to unite The Unlight…”
Waramunt chuckled. “Either way, fear not, Ms. Ter Avest. No matter how far and wide evil spreads, it can never create, only corrupt and destroy. And what is destroyed can be easily rebuilt. The sins of my timeline dragged me to my lowest depths, but something you must know is that I fear not the man with unlimited money, rather I fear the man who has nothing to lose. There will always be someone to push back against tyranny, and that man will go off like a powder keg when he does.”
That made Blood-Wraith snicker as he glimpsed the fate of The Death Knell Coven… “You would know something about explosives, wouldn’t you, Waramunt?”
“Dear?” Lia asked with a nervous smile. She knew it was something daring that she was dying to hear about.
“Now now, Blood, loose lips sink ships-Don’t worry, Lia, I shall tell you all about it when the time is right.”
With Waramunt giving Lia another hug, Blood-Wraith and Eloise took that as their cue to give them space. They wanted to go talk to David real quickly, who they heard was going to give a speech, but were stopped by Ludwig who had something to say. “Blood, I um… I have some personal business I need to tend to in the near future… back home, I mean…”
Blood-Wraith had an idea of what was going on and put his hand on Ludwig’s shoulder. “Is it about your memories?”
“Yeah, I think they’re slowly coming back…”
The anxiety was palpable, but Blood-Wraith knew he could handle it. “Well no matter what happens, you’ll always be welcome at the guild, so don’t be afraid to come to us if you need help, alright?”
“Yeah, thanks, Blood. It’s going to be… it’s going to be something else…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment?” David announced to the gathering. Given all that they had just gone through, he had some words to say about their victory. The fight was not over and he felt his mission was incomplete, but he wanted to express how bright the future was looking for all of them.
Later in the evening, Blood-Wraith and Eloise were having a rootbeer together in his backyard, relaxing before they returned to their lives as they were serenaded by the sound of crickets, peeper frogs and the ambient noises of the city. They had nothing much to say as they wanted to soak in the peace and quiet, but then Mind-Wraith and Aava walked up to them. “Blood, Eloise, hey! Mind if we join you?” Mind-Wraith inquired.
“Oh hey, Mind, go ahead,” Blood-Wraith replied. “Pull up a chair, there’s more drinks in the cooler.”
“What are you two up to?” Eloise asked as she burped softly, followed by a hiccup. It was unclear if that one was her still adjusting to her ULTRAMagic though.
“Well partially we wanted to see Blood’s house, as we heard it was quite nice,” Aava answered as she fiddled with her lawn chair. “But it is also such a lovely evening and it would be remiss of us not to share it with someone.”
“Can’t fault you there.” Blood-Wraith then paused as he put his thoughts together, fiddling with the tab of his soda can. “Aside from the obvious changes the city went through, it’s like nothing really happened. The land’s healing quickly thanks to The Unending Forest… And I guess I’m an adult now, which means I have to grow up.”
“Growing up is not a bad thing, Blood,” Mind-Wraith put forth. “It means you can get a job now. You can start a family, stake your own claim…”
“Yeah, but it feels like it all happened too fast… and like I failed in a way.”
“Well maybe if you had just called me in for help…” Eloise cheekily reminded him.
“No no, Eloise, it was for the best that you stayed with The Ferro of Old,” Aava assured. “You could have easily gotten hurt if you were present…” She was quietly kicking herself inside for that, as she knew that comment probably came off as insensitive.
Blood-Wraith nodded. “It was for the best, Eloise. Besides, I got a good hit in on Karnage before I finally kicked the bucket anyways, so there’s that at least. I’d dare say Ultinn is going to have to wear a mask going forward, hehe…” He then got up, went over to the grill, and began getting it ready. “Who’s hungry? I’ll start dinner.”
“Thanks, Blood,” Mind-Wraith answered. “Here, I’ll help out…” He then went over to the picnic table and started to get it ready.
With a sigh, Blood-Wraith was not sure how to word his feelings. “Guys, I… I want to take a break from the guild…”
This was a little surprising, but was also expected given all he had just gone through. “To clear your head, I presume?” Aava inquired.
“Yeah, and to live life a bit… because, you know, my childhood just ended…”
Eloise got up and put her hand on Blood-Wraith’s shoulder. “Blood…”
“I understand, Blood,” said Mind-Wraith. “If you want to go on hiatus from your guild duties, go for it. None of us will fault you for it. In fact, Aava and I will pick up the slack for you and Eloise. I’ve been sitting around for too long and want to return to the guild either way.”
“I mean, I’ll still come visit and help when I’m needed, but I…” Blood-Wraith was annoyed as his thoughts were not fully put together yet and he was personally struggling to justify his hiatus. “I kind of want to start a shop in The Market District.”
Aava’s curiosity peaked. “What kind of shop, Blood?”
He shrugged as the flames in the grill ignited. “I’m not sure… maybe a shop of curios and whatever strange artifacts I can get my hands on? Perhaps I’ll call it ‘Eternal Madness’ or something thrilling like that-I don’t know. I just want to do something other than save the Cosmos every year, you know what I mean?”
“Want me to help out with that, Blood?” Eloise asked. “I can have Bismuth and Mercury send anything strange we find your way. Source knows we’ve certainly come across some weird stuff here and there…”
“Sure, Eloise, that’d definitely help get me started,” he answered with appreciation in his voice.
“That would be a splendid use of your skills, Blood,” Aava complimented. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to go into business…”
“And don’t forget your step dance troupe,” Mind-Wraith added. “Blood, you’ve earned yourself some time off, so I say you take it easy and live your life how you see fit… within reason, obviously, haha.”
Blood-Wraith smiled and nodded with confidence building inside him. “Thanks, guys… oh, Eloise? I was planning to go to The Bygone Sunlight Plains tomorrow as that was one of Leif’s favorite spots. Want to go with me so I can take you back to The Metal Oasis while I’m at it?”
Eloise gave him a hug. “We’ll make it a date then,” she accepted with a giggle.
After a moment’s pause, Mind-Wraith realized something he wanted to discuss. “OH, Blood? Given everything that has gone down, would you like to hear about the time right before you were found outside The Iron City by Dragoslava? Because it is quite the tale I, Aava, Leif, Scotty, and Zara went through with you…”
Blood-Wraith nodded as he felt a feeling of nostalgia wash over him as wonderful memories of time long since passed begin to wander into his mind. “Yeah, since I’m starting to remember that whole thing… let’s get dinner ready first though, ha.”
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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Blood-Wraith was utterly exhausted upon returning home. Seeing his friends, family, and guild mates altogether in the lit up square would have been a joyous occasion if it did not feel like he was about to pass out for the night. Through half-awake greetings and hugs, he made his way home, headed right up the stairs to his bedroom, and immediately fell asleep as soon as he made contact with his comfortable bed, which felt truly heavenly in its bliss after everything he had just gone through. Everyone understood Blood-Wraith’s desire to rest and planned to hold a meeting at The Grand Storm Castle the next day instead of trying to keep him up. Blood-Wraith woke up in the morning with sore limbs and a slight backache, but he expected as much. Since it was not debilitating, he made his way down to the dining room to make himself some breakfast.
It was nine in the morning and the aroma of eggs, bacon, and pancakes were already in the air, putting a smile on Blood-Wraith’s face. And despite the morning sunshine beaming through his windows, there was a feeling of unease. Walking past the coffee table in the living room, Blood-Wraith saw a letter to him and his heart sank when he read it. “Aw, Morrigan…” he lamented as sat down at the table.
“We saw it too, kiddo,” Vexation replied as he put down his newspaper. “We can’t find a single trace of her, not even in The Great Uncity. Her friends there say she hasn’t shown back up since yesterday. Shoot, we can't even find Tressacht and Siegeberht… or Thorogor and Senot-drow, if we’re being honest.”
“I know where Morrigan is and… I hate to admit it, but it’s probably for the best given what I know…”
Valentina could sense his unease, even if he was two dimensions above her. “Well don’t worry, Blood. I have no doubt that I’ll cross paths with her eventually,” she assured as she served him some eggs, bacon, and toast. “I’ll make sure she stays safe.”
“Thanks, Val-for the food too, haha,” Blood-Wraith said as he folded the letter back up. “You know? You guys have no idea how sublime it is for me to just sit down and have breakfast with you after what I just went through…” He took a bite of his scrambled eggs, which had the perfect amount of salt and pepper on them. “Again, amazing, mmm.” This made everyone smile.
“I’m heading out to the Uncity today to speak to Morrigan’s friends that are still there to see if we can’t figure out what was going on in her head…” Aureolus started to say.
Blood-Wraith wiped his face after a sip of orange juice and sighed. “There’s not much to look into then, because she feels guilty over my death. I just know it. Still, tell them she’s going to be fine.”
“Will do, Blood… Vex, where’s Drusa?”
He looked around, leaning to and fro to get a better view. “She was here just a second ago…”
“Blood, you’re about to have a couple of guests in a moment!” Drusa called out as she appeared from a shadowy portal close to the front door. “And I think you already know who one of them is…” She said as she walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
Blood-Wraith laughed as he could already sense the individual in question approaching the house. “Yup, never going to hear the end of it…”
The door swung open and in it was Eloise, looking concerned, but in an annoyed way as to be expected for a lover. Behind her was Auda, who was eager to see her best friend alive again, but she would have to wait a moment. “BLOOD-WRAITH!” Eloise exclaimed as she marched over to him, careful not to step on her traveler’s robes. “You tell me it’s going to be alright and just go and die on me?!”
Sensing the hidden emotional turmoil in his girlfriend, Blood-Wraith got up, hugged her, and gave her a big kiss on the lips. “Hey, everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”
“You-you!” She kissed him again, just in case something happened to him right then and there. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He laughed again as he stepped back. “I don’t plan to. Trust me, that whole experience was painful. Oh, got a present for you…”
“I’m sorry, a present?”
Blood-Wraith snapped his fingers and produced the crystal containing his ULTRAMagic and presented it to her. “Here, it’s for you…”
Eloise and Auda were speechless, with Eloise being beside herself in confusion as she had no idea how to even process what she was being offered. It did not help that she was still waking up herself and that it was her concern that kept her up the night before. “Blo-Blood? Is that your ULTRAMagic?”
“Was my ULTRAMagic, before Karnage ripped it out of me. Being a proper ar’ton now I don’t need it anymore, so I figured you should have it…”
“Wait, didn’t you just get it back yesterday though?” Aureolus questioned as he walked over. “Isn’t that a little fast, all things considered?”
“You wouldn’t believe how quickly I think now,” he answered with a subtle grin.
“And I can just take it?” Eloise questioned.
“Of course-I am giving it to you, aren’t I?” Blood-Wraith replied, moving his hand forward a little to encourage her. “You’re going to need ULTRAMagic for the guild and this is arguably the easiest way to achieve it…”
“Hold up a second!” Eloise said as she stepped away to think. “Blood, this… this a lot…” Eloise shook her head to fully wake herself up, then realized something crucial. “Are you sure that it’s… um… compatible with me, yeah! Are you sure it won’t just do some crazy… er, ANTIMagic nonsense once I take it?”
“She’s got a point, Blood,” Vexation agreed, stroking his chin. “Need I remind you of the magic-colds Eustorgio suffered through before his ULTRAMagic finally settled within him?”
Blood-Wraith had to admit to himself that that was a valid concern and set his emotions aside for a second to consider the consequences. “Hmm… Well there might be a few hiccups at first, but I think she can handle it. Besides, Eloise, you’ll get access to some of my magic, particularly my transformations. You wanted to get strong enough to help us defend The Unlight, right?”
Eloise smiled and shook her finger at him. “Ooh, you little stinker… alright, I’ll… I accept…”
“Hold up a second!” Auda interrupted. “I was there when Mr. Fire got his first fragment, so I'll see if this is ready for my blessing as the chief’s granddaughter…” She looked at the crystal from several angles, made it clear she was thinking about it, and focused to sense its energy (even though it was unnecessary given how close she and Blood-Wraith were as friends). It was all quite endearing and made the others quietly chuckle. “Alright, I hereby bless this matrimony…”
“AUDA,” Eloise and Blood-Wraith exclaimed in embarrassment, albeit Blood-Wraith was laughing.
“What? What’d I say?” This made the others laugh as they could not help themselves.
“Sweetie, they’re not getting married,” Drusa answered, with Valentina laughing in agreement.
“I mean, it might as well be?” Aureolus joked with shrugged shoulders. “This is unprecedented, but a special occasion none the less.”
“Gee, thanks, Aureolus,” Blood-Wraith shot back. “Want to be my best man?”
“Yes, actually-when the time comes.”
Eloise could feel herself going red in the face, so she took the crystal. “Alright, alright, I accept!” Before anything else could be said, the crystal sunk into her metal arm, weirding her out a little and causing a shudder. “Ooh, that was a little eerie…” She then hiccuped so hard that she fell on her bottom, starling everyone.
“Uh-oh, Eloise fell down!” Auda pointed out as she went to help her up with Blood-Wraith. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a little… whoa… Hey, what about Dragon, Might, and Wolf?”
“I’ll be hanging on to those for now,” Blood-Wraith said with a smile. “You’ll definitely have to train a bit to get the hang of all of it, but it looks like everything is going fine…” Eloise then hiccuped again, letting loose a small cloud of steam from her mouth. “For the most part.”
Once Eloise was steady, Auda went and gave Blood-Wraith a hug. “Don’t die on us again, Mr. Fire…”
Blood-Wraith patted her on the back, like that of a father reassuring their child. “Don’t worry, Auda, I won’t. And trust me when I say I don’t want to.”
“Oh, Blood,” Aureolus interjected. “You slept in a bit and everyone is already at the castle waiting for you. Want to head there?”
“Sure, just let me put on my uniform and… Oh wait…” he looked down at himself, noting that he was a bit taller. “Well, it looks like I’m going casual.” The others chuckled once more, with Vexation patting him on the shoulder.
Auda was nodding along when she looked at Eloise after another hiccup. “Hey, wait a second, Eloise got taller too!”
“Wait, I did?” Eloise wondered as she looked down. Her pants seemed shorter for some reason… “Oh my… Guess I’ll need to bother mom to get me some new clothes.”
Blood-Wraith turned as he reached the first step of the stairs and shrugged. “It is what it is. I’d rather be an inch taller than have something else happen, truth be told.” He then paused, as he realized he needed to show Aureolus and Eloise something. “Oh, guys! I got something cool…” His Grave Requiem Overkill instruction booklet appeared in his hands and he opened it to the notes section. Beneath a character build he had written down was the autograph from Anton.
“Is that… Is that from who I think it is?” Aureolus questioned.
“Yup, straight from the man himself, haha.”
Eloise stuttered gibberish for a second, a bit jealous. “You are so lucky!”
Blood-Wraith laughed, feeling proud over the signature. “At least I got something out of all that hullabaloo.”
Now that they had him there and wide awake, Blood-Wraith had a great deal of hands to shake and hugs to receive at the meeting held in the great hall of The Grand Storm Castle. Amidst all the conversation, Blood-Wraith could not help but notice how spectacular the castle was. He would miss The Singing Storm Tower, but the classical architecture that came from the Epoch-Modernity transition was breathtaking. It was a change he would easily get used to. Blood-Wraith definitely had a few people he needed to speak to no matter what, and one of them was Odo, who was talking to Dragoslava and Desislav. He looked like he was recovering from the biggest upset of his life and no one could blame him.
“Odo, how are you doing?” Blood-Wraith said after Diomedes announced his approach with a caw. “Hanging in there?”
He wiped his face with a sigh, but it was a sigh of relief. “I’m fine, Blood… What… what did you do with all that power I had?”
“It's a surprise-no spoilers,” he answered with a chuckle and a pointing of his finger. “You’re not going to leave us and Sylvia, are you?”
“He better not, or I’ll just go hunt him down and bring him right back here,” Dragoslava reminded them with crossed arms and a nod.
“Don’t worry, I won’t, I won’t…” Odo reassured her. “It’s just going to take me a while to get over it…”
Desislav patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re here for you, and Buster is safe and sound on Earth. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Whatever it is, we’ll help you deal with it.”
“Thanks, Desislav,” he replied, feeling better with him saying that. “Ezomathon has no idea what happened as I think she’s exploring a deeper region of the Pool Realm Expanse. I’m not sure whether or not to tell her about what happened…”
Eloise walked over just in time to hear that and leaned against Blood-Wraith. “Odo, trust me when I say she'll find out either way, so it’s probably best you go tell her yourself.”
Following a comforting laugh to shake off the doubt and worry, Dragoslava promised to go with Odo when he was ready. With all of that squared away, Blood-Wraith and Eloise went to go see Lia and Waramunt. “Sadly I won’t be back for another six years once I leave, my dear…” Waramunt said to his lover with a subtle sorrow in his voice.
“Oh, Waramunt, is there anything you can do about it? I can wait, but that is such a long time…”
Waramunt hugged Lia. “Not this time, as I need to return back to my time…” Ensio cawed with unfortunate agreement. “Don’t worry, this time won’t be another campaign against The Eternal Order…”
“Nope, he has other fish to fry,” Blood-Wraith chimed in. “Need any help getting back home, Waramunt?”
“Ah, Blood, good to see you one last time,” Waramunt responded with a polite bow. “I think I’ll be fine?” he commented as he looked through his deck of cards, only to get cawed at by Ensio. “Okay, I need a little help…”
Blood-Wraith gestured for him to hand him one of his cards, and with a flash of red and gold light he imbued it with a spell that would take Waramunt home no matter where he was in the Cosmos. Of course Blood-Wraith immediately recognized whose deck it was given the help he provided to Will all those years ago with the Azure Spider hex, but elected not to say anything for obvious reasons. “Honestly, Waramunt, I’m surprised you got away with this little time travel escapade.”
“Agreed, Blood-Wraith. I wanted to go back in time to prevent yours and Odo’s death, but I see now that my role was to make sure everything fell into place…”
“Wait, does that mean we were destined to be together?” Lia inquired.
Waramunt gave her a kiss and smiled. “I’d dare say yes, my love.”
Blood-Wraith gave a nervous chuckle thinking about what Waramunt was returning to. “Here’s wishing you the best of luck, because I know what’s going on back home for you…”
He sighed, not wanting to leave The Unlight. Honestly it was like a paradise for Waramunt, despite all that he had gone through. “It is certainly going to be strange-Lia, no matter what happens, stay here in The Unlight. Earth is not a place you’d want to live…”
“Well it can’t be that bad, can it?” she questioned.
“It can,” he answered plainly. “Amidst all of The Eternal Order nonsense, the predecessors of their Earth branch, The Extinction Order, have been trying to ruin Earth since day one. Their current grift seems to be gambling, trying to turn society into one big casino so they can somehow control people by rigging the game so everyone’s in debt…”
Lia quietly nodded, unsure what to think of that. “Milosh may have had a screw loose, but I don’t think he was ever that crazy…”
“And don’t even get me started on all of the nonsense surrounding computer tech and how all the major parts manufacturers are colluding with The Eternal Order floozies in various governments to bankrupt the private sector as a whole…”
Eloise was about to say something, but paused. “You know? I’m truly beginning to understand why no one should ever try to unite The Unlight…”
Waramunt chuckled. “Either way, fear not, Ms. Ter Avest. No matter how far and wide evil spreads, it can never create, only corrupt and destroy. And what is destroyed can be easily rebuilt. The sins of my timeline dragged me to my lowest depths, but something you must know is that I fear not the man with unlimited money, rather I fear the man who has nothing to lose. There will always be someone to push back against tyranny, and that man will go off like a powder keg when he does.”
That made Blood-Wraith snicker as he glimpsed the fate of The Death Knell Coven… “You would know something about explosives, wouldn’t you, Waramunt?”
“Dear?” Lia asked with a nervous smile. She knew it was something daring that she was dying to hear about.
“Now now, Blood, loose lips sink ships-Don’t worry, Lia, I shall tell you all about it when the time is right.”
With Waramunt giving Lia another hug, Blood-Wraith and Eloise took that as their cue to give them space. They wanted to go talk to David real quickly, who they heard was going to give a speech, but were stopped by Ludwig who had something to say. “Blood, I um… I have some personal business I need to tend to in the near future… back home, I mean…”
Blood-Wraith had an idea of what was going on and put his hand on Ludwig’s shoulder. “Is it about your memories?”
“Yeah, I think they’re slowly coming back…”
The anxiety was palpable, but Blood-Wraith knew he could handle it. “Well no matter what happens, you’ll always be welcome at the guild, so don’t be afraid to come to us if you need help, alright?”
“Yeah, thanks, Blood. It’s going to be… it’s going to be something else…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment?” David announced to the gathering. Given all that they had just gone through, he had some words to say about their victory. The fight was not over and he felt his mission was incomplete, but he wanted to express how bright the future was looking for all of them.
Later in the evening, Blood-Wraith and Eloise were having a rootbeer together in his backyard, relaxing before they returned to their lives as they were serenaded by the sound of crickets, peeper frogs and the ambient noises of the city. They had nothing much to say as they wanted to soak in the peace and quiet, but then Mind-Wraith and Aava walked up to them. “Blood, Eloise, hey! Mind if we join you?” Mind-Wraith inquired.
“Oh hey, Mind, go ahead,” Blood-Wraith replied. “Pull up a chair, there’s more drinks in the cooler.”
“What are you two up to?” Eloise asked as she burped softly, followed by a hiccup. It was unclear if that one was her still adjusting to her ULTRAMagic though.
“Well partially we wanted to see Blood’s house, as we heard it was quite nice,” Aava answered as she fiddled with her lawn chair. “But it is also such a lovely evening and it would be remiss of us not to share it with someone.”
“Can’t fault you there.” Blood-Wraith then paused as he put his thoughts together, fiddling with the tab of his soda can. “Aside from the obvious changes the city went through, it’s like nothing really happened. The land’s healing quickly thanks to The Unending Forest… And I guess I’m an adult now, which means I have to grow up.”
“Growing up is not a bad thing, Blood,” Mind-Wraith put forth. “It means you can get a job now. You can start a family, stake your own claim…”
“Yeah, but it feels like it all happened too fast… and like I failed in a way.”
“Well maybe if you had just called me in for help…” Eloise cheekily reminded him.
“No no, Eloise, it was for the best that you stayed with The Ferro of Old,” Aava assured. “You could have easily gotten hurt if you were present…” She was quietly kicking herself inside for that, as she knew that comment probably came off as insensitive.
Blood-Wraith nodded. “It was for the best, Eloise. Besides, I got a good hit in on Karnage before I finally kicked the bucket anyways, so there’s that at least. I’d dare say Ultinn is going to have to wear a mask going forward, hehe…” He then got up, went over to the grill, and began getting it ready. “Who’s hungry? I’ll start dinner.”
“Thanks, Blood,” Mind-Wraith answered. “Here, I’ll help out…” He then went over to the picnic table and started to get it ready.
With a sigh, Blood-Wraith was not sure how to word his feelings. “Guys, I… I want to take a break from the guild…”
This was a little surprising, but was also expected given all he had just gone through. “To clear your head, I presume?” Aava inquired.
“Yeah, and to live life a bit… because, you know, my childhood just ended…”
Eloise got up and put her hand on Blood-Wraith’s shoulder. “Blood…”
“I understand, Blood,” said Mind-Wraith. “If you want to go on hiatus from your guild duties, go for it. None of us will fault you for it. In fact, Aava and I will pick up the slack for you and Eloise. I’ve been sitting around for too long and want to return to the guild either way.”
“I mean, I’ll still come visit and help when I’m needed, but I…” Blood-Wraith was annoyed as his thoughts were not fully put together yet and he was personally struggling to justify his hiatus. “I kind of want to start a shop in The Market District.”
Aava’s curiosity peaked. “What kind of shop, Blood?”
He shrugged as the flames in the grill ignited. “I’m not sure… maybe a shop of curios and whatever strange artifacts I can get my hands on? Perhaps I’ll call it ‘Eternal Madness’ or something thrilling like that-I don’t know. I just want to do something other than save the Cosmos every year, you know what I mean?”
“Want me to help out with that, Blood?” Eloise asked. “I can have Bismuth and Mercury send anything strange we find your way. Source knows we’ve certainly come across some weird stuff here and there…”
“Sure, Eloise, that’d definitely help get me started,” he answered with appreciation in his voice.
“That would be a splendid use of your skills, Blood,” Aava complimented. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to go into business…”
“And don’t forget your step dance troupe,” Mind-Wraith added. “Blood, you’ve earned yourself some time off, so I say you take it easy and live your life how you see fit… within reason, obviously, haha.”
Blood-Wraith smiled and nodded with confidence building inside him. “Thanks, guys… oh, Eloise? I was planning to go to The Bygone Sunlight Plains tomorrow as that was one of Leif’s favorite spots. Want to go with me so I can take you back to The Metal Oasis while I’m at it?”
Eloise gave him a hug. “We’ll make it a date then,” she accepted with a giggle.
After a moment’s pause, Mind-Wraith realized something he wanted to discuss. “OH, Blood? Given everything that has gone down, would you like to hear about the time right before you were found outside The Iron City by Dragoslava? Because it is quite the tale I, Aava, Leif, Scotty, and Zara went through with you…”
Blood-Wraith nodded as he felt a feeling of nostalgia wash over him as wonderful memories of time long since passed begin to wander into his mind. “Yeah, since I’m starting to remember that whole thing… let’s get dinner ready first though, ha.”
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ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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