ULTRAMagic (Before) Prelude - Chapter 5
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“...and that’s all we know at the moment, EP,” Leif concluded as he paced back and forth across the center of his office over the soft, burgundy carpet.
A rune-engraved stone sitting on Leif’s intricate, walnut desk projected the image of a hooded figure, and this man paused to reflect on the situation with Blood-Wraith. “Nosmirc, know that I don’t say this lightly, but you have legitimately put the entire Cosmos in danger…”
Nosmirc felt his adrenaline surge, gripped in panic as he stuttered over his words. “You think I don’t realize that by now?!” he replied, trying to salvage his bruised honor.
“Nosmirc, we are running out of time here,” Tiberius warned. “Remember, we sent Desislav Robles to The Iron City and pushed Dragoslava to return so she could be there for Blood-Wraith. She’s developed a rapport with Mr. Robles, but we have no idea how long she will stay there. She misses her home, but she’s still mentally unwell from Ethor Kovarik’s death. We can only stall someone like her for so long…”
“What about her older sister, Kresimira?”
“She’s lost in The Crimson Library at the moment…” Mr. EP pointed out.
“Corentin?”
Mr. EP seemed confused by this, like something was off. This feeling had been occurring ever since they had met Nosmirc, but there was no point in pursuing it as Nosmirc always dodged any questions relating to the discrepancy. “No, the Raynot sisters are still on bad terms with him. Plus he’s finishing up his magnum opus…”
“That would be…?” Leif interjected. “Perhaps I can help?”
“Sorry, Leif, but it’s better that you don’t interfere with his work,” Mr. EP said, having to repeat himself from prior inquiries.
Leif groaned as he stepped over to his grand cabinet of curios collected from over the eons. He opened the glass doors to get out a black, crystal cube that responded to his magic. As it assumed various shapes and colors helping to ease his anxiety, he walked back over to Nosmirc. “You’re one of the few twelfth dimensionals that can help us with ease, Nosmirc. Whatever the issue is, we need to fix it, and fix it now.”
“Give me one second…” he said as he started pacing. Nosmirc muttered to himself, albeit he was stalling a bit. Being the interloper that he was, the hopes were that Mr. EP would come up with a solution right then and there. And then he glanced at the others, who were staring at him with the expectation that he would deliver. This only exacerbated his anxiety and caused his mind to shut down… but thankfully he had some kind of idea. “Well, um, I’m not as knowledgeable on ar’ton as others are, but it sounds like his magic needs to be kick-started. I still don’t know why he ended up here-or why he’s in the state he’s in for that matter, but I suppose it is better this way…”
The Automaton, who had been waiting patiently at one of the tables on the edges of the office, stood up and spoke on the matter with an idea he just had. It was a crazy idea, but there was a possibility it would work. “What if we… took someone’s magic and gave it to Blood-Wraith?”
The gears in Nosmirc’s head could be seen turning as his smile grew on his face with each nod. “Yeah… yeah! We could find… Damien…”
“Damien?” Leif asked. “What about Damien?”
“Well, we need to deal with him, and we wouldn’t want that magic returning to its…” Nosmirc started to grit his teeth. “...orignator now, would we?”
“Are you mad, man?!” Tiberius objected. “Do you know who even gave Damien his power in the first place?”
Mr. EP exhaled quite loudly, not liking the idea one bit. “Nosmirc, I know you know way more than we do, but I don’t think giving Blood Audoin’s power is a good idea…”
The tension was disrupted when Leif accidentally put too much magic into the cube, causing it to scatter into pieces all over the place. “Not only that, but that megalomaniacal nutcase got that power from Karnage! I am not having my successor tainted by that bloodthirsty psychopath!”
“Well then how do you guys expect to finish off the Audoan Knights and weaken Karnage?” Nosmirc questioned and immediately regretted it. The look he got from Leif felt like the dragon was about to rip into him without mercy.
“NO, find another way to fix Blood’s issue.”
Nosmirc could feel his leg twitch a little and his emotions start to scatter into disorder, but he had to sell this case to Leif as he knew it was the only way things would move forward. “Leif, I… I know more about Karnage than you. We need to do this…” His throat was agitated with anxiety as he felt it tighten up. The feeling that he was saying too much was weighing down on him like a mountain.
Leif could easily discern Nosmirc’s erratic breathing and felt the pang of terror that he experienced occasionally when dealing with him. “What are you not telling us, Nosmirc?” His tone was so straightforward and fearful that it created a bone-chilling sensation in the room.
Nosmirc froze, took a breath, and said “Well now that we are all on board with this plan, we’ll need a team to finally subdue Damien, haha!” This caused the others to quietly groan as they had lost any chance to finally get some answers out of him.
The Automaton sighed, his fibrous limbs letting out some steam. “Damien is quite troublesome, so we’ll need some of our brightest and most persistent…”
Tiberius chuckled to himself. “Then I highly recommend Mind-Wraith and Aava, as they should be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll go with them just in case they run into trouble,” Leif put in.
“Are you sure about this, Leif?” The Automaton questioned. “You’re no longer at full power, given how much of the plan you’ve executed on your end.”
Leif laughed, despite The Automaton having a valid point. “I still have some fight in me, Automaton. I’m not completely up the creek without a paddle. Besides, if we have to take such drastic measures, I would like to spearhead it…” the last bit was said through slightly gritted teeth as he glanced at Nosmirc, causing him to lean back a little out of guilt.
“Honeslty I’m surprised you’re going at it with a team, Leif,” said Mr. EP. “Last I remember you were a lone wolf who always had to do things by yourself, even against Mal’s insistence on helping…”
“How in the depths do you know that?” Leif muttered to himself.
Tiberius had to laugh, receiving a wonderful dose of nostalgia from the Epoch. “Well I’d dare say The Evangelist’s words about asking for help when needed finally got through that thick skull of his!”
This made Leif grumble as his pride would not permit him to be called out like that, but this was not the time for squabbling over how to save the Cosmos. “I get it, Tiberius-I get it now…”
“Do you, now? Well we shall see when Mind and Aava return tomorrow. Nosmirc, you will have to bring them up to speed before the trio sets out.”
“Wait, why do I have to do that?” he protested. “Aava makes me nervous and Mind-Wraith won’t stop reading me like a book…”
“Given that this conundrum is your fault, it is a courtesy born of obligation to help make it right,” Tiberius pointed out with a firmness that gave no room for argument.
“Fine…” he said as he began to walk out of the office.
Leif went up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Nosmirc, I’m sorry for how harsh I was on you earlier. I’m just really on edge at the moment…”
“You and me both then.”
The projection of Mr. EP saw him walk away for a second, then return to looking a little disgruntled. “We’ll have to cut this short, as Gummi is poking around at the machines from the UST-ARC-3 again… Keep me updated on how this all goes. I’ll see if I can’t make my own contingency plan just in case.” And with that, the projection disappeared and the stone returned to its lifeless state.
“Gummi Proch is making me nervous…” Tiberius noted. “I imagine he’s still working on that poison for his father with Claudius, but the fact that he won’t come to us is cause for concern.”
“Agreed, Tiberius,” The Automaton replied. “Leif, Nosmirc, inform Blood and the others of our plans… within reason. I’ll contact Mind-Wraith and Aava so they’re ready when they return. I imagine some of this has already made their way to them…”
Leif nodded before The Automaton could finish. “I hate to do this to them, but duty calls.”
Nosmirc was still on edge as he and Leif made their way to the main lounge, as was to be expected given Leif’s plans. Nosmirc was a god and Leif was technically below him as a primordial, but being around him made him feel small and inexperienced. A past of privilege could not compare to the grit and tenacity of Leif’s tenure in the Epoch. He had explored the Cosmos and fought the forces of evil… and all Nosmirc ever did was contribute to the problem up until recently. Nosmirc was so lost in his thoughts that he had not even realized they were at the lounge, with Leif having to shake his shoulder to get his attention. The main lounge was a spacious place, cozy and warm with windows all over that gave a spectacular view of the courtyards within the castle walls. Blood-Wraith was playing with Charles, with Scotty, Zara, and Carol supervising them. Scotty was the first to notice Leif and Nosmirc, turning to welcome them.
“Leif, Nosmirc, how did things go?” Scotty asked with a tip of his hat as they walked over to take a seat at one of the tables. “Things aren’t too messed up, are they?”
“No, no…” Leif started to say, clearly downplaying the issue. “We’ve got a plan, thankfully,” he said as he nudged Nosmirc. “Blood, sorry I had to walk out on you like that. It really is a pleasure to meet you.”
Blood-Wraith chuckled as he brought his creation over to the table. It was a basic warrior, indicative of someone who just started working with the parts of the buildable toys. There was a good deal of creativity regardless, as it felt like the warrior could be reconfigured into other forms. “You too, Leif. Carol has been telling me about your adventures. You’re amazing, Leif.”
Leif could not help but laugh as he blushed a little. “Carol…”
Carol shook her head with a smile. “Leif, your story is one for the ages and deserves to be told. Besides, Blood-Wraith should know given everything that’s happening.”
With a clearing of his throat, Leif directed Blood-Wraith’s attention to Nosmirc. “Blood, this is The Amazing Nosmirc. He’s… he’s the one responsible for you being here.”
“Oh…” Blood-Wraith was not sure what to make of the man. His attire was spectacular and indicated a man of class and refinement, but the nervous look he had gave the impression that it was a bit of a veneer. “Well it’s nice to meet you, Nosmirc,” he said as he held out his visible hand.
Nosmirc felt so awkward, as the weight of his actions leading up to everything that had brought him there would not leave him alone. It gnawed at him, but he shook the boy’s hand regardless. “It’s good to meet you too, Blood-Wraith. Pardon my saying, but you are destined for great things, just you wait and see.”
Charles also brought his creation to the table, being a black and red warrior he had been working on for a while. It bore a sword and shield and looked like someone who would one day have to give it his all to save the ones he loved. “So does that make Nosmirc Blood’s dad?”
“Charles…” Carol calmly chided.
Nosmirc laughed. “Well, one of them, at least…”
“So what’s the plan going forward?” Scotty inquired. “Because it’s obvious Blood can’t stay here.”
“Mind-Wraith and Aava will be back tomorrow,” Leif answered, still a little nervous, but did his best to hide it. “Once they’re ready, I’ll head out with them to hunt down Damien…”
Carol began to grow concerned. “Leif, what does Damien have to do with Blood’s condition?” She was straight to the point, which always caught Leif off guard.
With a sigh, Leif answered “We’re going to use Damien’s power to kick-start Blood’s magic, then send him off to The Unlight.”
There was silence for a second, with Carol turning to face Nosmirc. “Is this the only way, dear?” He quietly nodded.
Zara also nodded as a faint memory from the Epoch returned to her. “Well at least you’re not going at it alone this time, Leif. Are you sure you, Aava, and Mind can handle this little… hunt?”
“We have no other option it would seem,” Leif answered as he snapped his fingers, levitating a pitcher of water and a glass over to the table from a trolley. After having a quick drink and letting the cold water soothe his agitated throat, he sighed. “I wish there was a better solution, but this is the best we got.”
Blood-Wraith agreed with a nod, despite how uncertain things seemed. “I want to meet Mind-Wraith either way, so I’m all for this. And I’ll try to learn some magic regardless, Leif.”
This made Leif smile and gave him a very warm feeling that reassured him everything was going to be okay. “You’ll like Mind-Wraith, Blood. He’s one of the best bards I’ve ever met, and he and Aava are quite the formidable duo.”
“Absolutely, Leif,” Nosmirc agreed, hinting at things he knew from another time once again. “Now, Blood, how about you tell us about your creations? I’d love to know what they are…”
Next: Chapter 6
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
“...and that’s all we know at the moment, EP,” Leif concluded as he paced back and forth across the center of his office over the soft, burgundy carpet.
A rune-engraved stone sitting on Leif’s intricate, walnut desk projected the image of a hooded figure, and this man paused to reflect on the situation with Blood-Wraith. “Nosmirc, know that I don’t say this lightly, but you have legitimately put the entire Cosmos in danger…”
Nosmirc felt his adrenaline surge, gripped in panic as he stuttered over his words. “You think I don’t realize that by now?!” he replied, trying to salvage his bruised honor.
“Nosmirc, we are running out of time here,” Tiberius warned. “Remember, we sent Desislav Robles to The Iron City and pushed Dragoslava to return so she could be there for Blood-Wraith. She’s developed a rapport with Mr. Robles, but we have no idea how long she will stay there. She misses her home, but she’s still mentally unwell from Ethor Kovarik’s death. We can only stall someone like her for so long…”
“What about her older sister, Kresimira?”
“She’s lost in The Crimson Library at the moment…” Mr. EP pointed out.
“Corentin?”
Mr. EP seemed confused by this, like something was off. This feeling had been occurring ever since they had met Nosmirc, but there was no point in pursuing it as Nosmirc always dodged any questions relating to the discrepancy. “No, the Raynot sisters are still on bad terms with him. Plus he’s finishing up his magnum opus…”
“That would be…?” Leif interjected. “Perhaps I can help?”
“Sorry, Leif, but it’s better that you don’t interfere with his work,” Mr. EP said, having to repeat himself from prior inquiries.
Leif groaned as he stepped over to his grand cabinet of curios collected from over the eons. He opened the glass doors to get out a black, crystal cube that responded to his magic. As it assumed various shapes and colors helping to ease his anxiety, he walked back over to Nosmirc. “You’re one of the few twelfth dimensionals that can help us with ease, Nosmirc. Whatever the issue is, we need to fix it, and fix it now.”
“Give me one second…” he said as he started pacing. Nosmirc muttered to himself, albeit he was stalling a bit. Being the interloper that he was, the hopes were that Mr. EP would come up with a solution right then and there. And then he glanced at the others, who were staring at him with the expectation that he would deliver. This only exacerbated his anxiety and caused his mind to shut down… but thankfully he had some kind of idea. “Well, um, I’m not as knowledgeable on ar’ton as others are, but it sounds like his magic needs to be kick-started. I still don’t know why he ended up here-or why he’s in the state he’s in for that matter, but I suppose it is better this way…”
The Automaton, who had been waiting patiently at one of the tables on the edges of the office, stood up and spoke on the matter with an idea he just had. It was a crazy idea, but there was a possibility it would work. “What if we… took someone’s magic and gave it to Blood-Wraith?”
The gears in Nosmirc’s head could be seen turning as his smile grew on his face with each nod. “Yeah… yeah! We could find… Damien…”
“Damien?” Leif asked. “What about Damien?”
“Well, we need to deal with him, and we wouldn’t want that magic returning to its…” Nosmirc started to grit his teeth. “...orignator now, would we?”
“Are you mad, man?!” Tiberius objected. “Do you know who even gave Damien his power in the first place?”
Mr. EP exhaled quite loudly, not liking the idea one bit. “Nosmirc, I know you know way more than we do, but I don’t think giving Blood Audoin’s power is a good idea…”
The tension was disrupted when Leif accidentally put too much magic into the cube, causing it to scatter into pieces all over the place. “Not only that, but that megalomaniacal nutcase got that power from Karnage! I am not having my successor tainted by that bloodthirsty psychopath!”
“Well then how do you guys expect to finish off the Audoan Knights and weaken Karnage?” Nosmirc questioned and immediately regretted it. The look he got from Leif felt like the dragon was about to rip into him without mercy.
“NO, find another way to fix Blood’s issue.”
Nosmirc could feel his leg twitch a little and his emotions start to scatter into disorder, but he had to sell this case to Leif as he knew it was the only way things would move forward. “Leif, I… I know more about Karnage than you. We need to do this…” His throat was agitated with anxiety as he felt it tighten up. The feeling that he was saying too much was weighing down on him like a mountain.
Leif could easily discern Nosmirc’s erratic breathing and felt the pang of terror that he experienced occasionally when dealing with him. “What are you not telling us, Nosmirc?” His tone was so straightforward and fearful that it created a bone-chilling sensation in the room.
Nosmirc froze, took a breath, and said “Well now that we are all on board with this plan, we’ll need a team to finally subdue Damien, haha!” This caused the others to quietly groan as they had lost any chance to finally get some answers out of him.
The Automaton sighed, his fibrous limbs letting out some steam. “Damien is quite troublesome, so we’ll need some of our brightest and most persistent…”
Tiberius chuckled to himself. “Then I highly recommend Mind-Wraith and Aava, as they should be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll go with them just in case they run into trouble,” Leif put in.
“Are you sure about this, Leif?” The Automaton questioned. “You’re no longer at full power, given how much of the plan you’ve executed on your end.”
Leif laughed, despite The Automaton having a valid point. “I still have some fight in me, Automaton. I’m not completely up the creek without a paddle. Besides, if we have to take such drastic measures, I would like to spearhead it…” the last bit was said through slightly gritted teeth as he glanced at Nosmirc, causing him to lean back a little out of guilt.
“Honeslty I’m surprised you’re going at it with a team, Leif,” said Mr. EP. “Last I remember you were a lone wolf who always had to do things by yourself, even against Mal’s insistence on helping…”
“How in the depths do you know that?” Leif muttered to himself.
Tiberius had to laugh, receiving a wonderful dose of nostalgia from the Epoch. “Well I’d dare say The Evangelist’s words about asking for help when needed finally got through that thick skull of his!”
This made Leif grumble as his pride would not permit him to be called out like that, but this was not the time for squabbling over how to save the Cosmos. “I get it, Tiberius-I get it now…”
“Do you, now? Well we shall see when Mind and Aava return tomorrow. Nosmirc, you will have to bring them up to speed before the trio sets out.”
“Wait, why do I have to do that?” he protested. “Aava makes me nervous and Mind-Wraith won’t stop reading me like a book…”
“Given that this conundrum is your fault, it is a courtesy born of obligation to help make it right,” Tiberius pointed out with a firmness that gave no room for argument.
“Fine…” he said as he began to walk out of the office.
Leif went up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Nosmirc, I’m sorry for how harsh I was on you earlier. I’m just really on edge at the moment…”
“You and me both then.”
The projection of Mr. EP saw him walk away for a second, then return to looking a little disgruntled. “We’ll have to cut this short, as Gummi is poking around at the machines from the UST-ARC-3 again… Keep me updated on how this all goes. I’ll see if I can’t make my own contingency plan just in case.” And with that, the projection disappeared and the stone returned to its lifeless state.
“Gummi Proch is making me nervous…” Tiberius noted. “I imagine he’s still working on that poison for his father with Claudius, but the fact that he won’t come to us is cause for concern.”
“Agreed, Tiberius,” The Automaton replied. “Leif, Nosmirc, inform Blood and the others of our plans… within reason. I’ll contact Mind-Wraith and Aava so they’re ready when they return. I imagine some of this has already made their way to them…”
Leif nodded before The Automaton could finish. “I hate to do this to them, but duty calls.”
Nosmirc was still on edge as he and Leif made their way to the main lounge, as was to be expected given Leif’s plans. Nosmirc was a god and Leif was technically below him as a primordial, but being around him made him feel small and inexperienced. A past of privilege could not compare to the grit and tenacity of Leif’s tenure in the Epoch. He had explored the Cosmos and fought the forces of evil… and all Nosmirc ever did was contribute to the problem up until recently. Nosmirc was so lost in his thoughts that he had not even realized they were at the lounge, with Leif having to shake his shoulder to get his attention. The main lounge was a spacious place, cozy and warm with windows all over that gave a spectacular view of the courtyards within the castle walls. Blood-Wraith was playing with Charles, with Scotty, Zara, and Carol supervising them. Scotty was the first to notice Leif and Nosmirc, turning to welcome them.
“Leif, Nosmirc, how did things go?” Scotty asked with a tip of his hat as they walked over to take a seat at one of the tables. “Things aren’t too messed up, are they?”
“No, no…” Leif started to say, clearly downplaying the issue. “We’ve got a plan, thankfully,” he said as he nudged Nosmirc. “Blood, sorry I had to walk out on you like that. It really is a pleasure to meet you.”
Blood-Wraith chuckled as he brought his creation over to the table. It was a basic warrior, indicative of someone who just started working with the parts of the buildable toys. There was a good deal of creativity regardless, as it felt like the warrior could be reconfigured into other forms. “You too, Leif. Carol has been telling me about your adventures. You’re amazing, Leif.”
Leif could not help but laugh as he blushed a little. “Carol…”
Carol shook her head with a smile. “Leif, your story is one for the ages and deserves to be told. Besides, Blood-Wraith should know given everything that’s happening.”
With a clearing of his throat, Leif directed Blood-Wraith’s attention to Nosmirc. “Blood, this is The Amazing Nosmirc. He’s… he’s the one responsible for you being here.”
“Oh…” Blood-Wraith was not sure what to make of the man. His attire was spectacular and indicated a man of class and refinement, but the nervous look he had gave the impression that it was a bit of a veneer. “Well it’s nice to meet you, Nosmirc,” he said as he held out his visible hand.
Nosmirc felt so awkward, as the weight of his actions leading up to everything that had brought him there would not leave him alone. It gnawed at him, but he shook the boy’s hand regardless. “It’s good to meet you too, Blood-Wraith. Pardon my saying, but you are destined for great things, just you wait and see.”
Charles also brought his creation to the table, being a black and red warrior he had been working on for a while. It bore a sword and shield and looked like someone who would one day have to give it his all to save the ones he loved. “So does that make Nosmirc Blood’s dad?”
“Charles…” Carol calmly chided.
Nosmirc laughed. “Well, one of them, at least…”
“So what’s the plan going forward?” Scotty inquired. “Because it’s obvious Blood can’t stay here.”
“Mind-Wraith and Aava will be back tomorrow,” Leif answered, still a little nervous, but did his best to hide it. “Once they’re ready, I’ll head out with them to hunt down Damien…”
Carol began to grow concerned. “Leif, what does Damien have to do with Blood’s condition?” She was straight to the point, which always caught Leif off guard.
With a sigh, Leif answered “We’re going to use Damien’s power to kick-start Blood’s magic, then send him off to The Unlight.”
There was silence for a second, with Carol turning to face Nosmirc. “Is this the only way, dear?” He quietly nodded.
Zara also nodded as a faint memory from the Epoch returned to her. “Well at least you’re not going at it alone this time, Leif. Are you sure you, Aava, and Mind can handle this little… hunt?”
“We have no other option it would seem,” Leif answered as he snapped his fingers, levitating a pitcher of water and a glass over to the table from a trolley. After having a quick drink and letting the cold water soothe his agitated throat, he sighed. “I wish there was a better solution, but this is the best we got.”
Blood-Wraith agreed with a nod, despite how uncertain things seemed. “I want to meet Mind-Wraith either way, so I’m all for this. And I’ll try to learn some magic regardless, Leif.”
This made Leif smile and gave him a very warm feeling that reassured him everything was going to be okay. “You’ll like Mind-Wraith, Blood. He’s one of the best bards I’ve ever met, and he and Aava are quite the formidable duo.”
“Absolutely, Leif,” Nosmirc agreed, hinting at things he knew from another time once again. “Now, Blood, how about you tell us about your creations? I’d love to know what they are…”
Next: Chapter 6
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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