ULTRAMagic (Before) Prelude - Chapter 8
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“What’s with all the commotion?” Leif asked with a yawn as he entered the rather busy situation room the next morning. The bright, blue light of the arcane display screens slightly overwhelmed his eyes and made him squint. “Did Damien show up again?”
“It would appear so, Leif,” Sander answered. “The Highway Knight pulled an all-nighter and discovered Damien heading towards the city of Akan-Akan-Akantar…”
Leif paused mid yawn and groaned. “Did it have to be there?”
“Well you know Audoin’s obsession with the Lost Era…” Scotty pointed out. “I really hope Damien isn’t trying to restart Audoin’s plans…”
“He probably is, Scotty,” Erikson reminded him. “I don’t think Audoin is aware of what Damien is doing, but let’s not let them make any progress. On the bright side, Leif, The Lost Upside Down God reached out to us just as The Highway Knight gave us the heads up, so you should have free reign to do whatever you need.”
Leif gave a half-hearted chuckle as he conjured up a mug of coffee. “Haha, how generous of him…”
Blood-Wraith glanced at the screens showing the city in question, then to Leif. “Is there a problem with that god?”
“Nah, Leif’s just groggy,” Erikson assured him.
“Well that’s oversimplifying things a bit,” Mind-Wraith put in. Akan-Akan-Akantar is a Lost Era city, and pulled straight out of the era itself, so it’s understandable. Although thankfully Aava does have a bit of history with the city…”
Aava gave a slightly exasperated sigh and stood up from her chair at the wooden round table. “Mind, did you have to bring that up around the others?”
Mind-Wraith did feel a little awkward as he gave a quiet groan. “I just figured since The Lost Upside Down God was your mentor after all…”
“Aava?” Blood-Wraith interrupted. “Did something bad happen in the Lost Era?”
“No, no,” she answered as she straightened out her coat. “It’s just that I left the Lost Era for a reason, and I’d rather not be reminded of that Source-forsaken era.”
Leif set his mug down and covered up a burp. “The Lost Era was the time before time… literally. It was a period of everything that existed in perpetuity, without time, life, or death. We can only catch glimpses of it and the only real way we know about it is because entities of that era have made their way to modernity.”
“And there was a movement to progress past that era,” Aava continued. “Despite the lack of time, the era of the Outer Void was upon us and I was part of a handful of gods and men who wanted to leave the stagnancy behind. It was mind-numbing, an era of gray crags and fog that never became anything, so you can understand why I’d rather not revisit it in any capacity, Blood.”
Blood-Wraith nodded and looked at the image of the city again. “Well surely you’d want to see your old mentor again, right?”
Aava thought about it for a second, subtly smiling at the idea of the nostalgia as strange as it was. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see him again. He did make sure my ascension to godhood went mostly without a hitch…”
Erikson nodded, then typed something on the glowing keyboard. “To keep this brief, Blood, Audoin is fanatical for the Lost Era, but we’re not quite sure what he wants with it given what the Azoth Mages have told us. I would say we’re concerned about him entering it and causing trouble, but the most progress that’s ever been made towards time traveling to that era was coming within a centillionth after it ended, and not even the old gods, ar’ton lords, and The Dead God can understand it. I highly doubt Audoin could even come close to it, but then again I was able to make it back to the Epoch despite being born in this era, so let’s not give him any chances.”
“Don’t underestimate him, Erikson,” Scotty warned. “He’s got the narcissism and then some to be a real pain in the keister.”
With a final yawn and stretch, Leif began to head to the doorway. “Alright, enough talk. Let’s get moving… Um, Aava?”
She walked up to the doorway with Mind-Wraith, taking a breath to ready herself. “It’s alright, Leif. And perhaps you should let Mind and I handle this battle?”
Leif wanted to object, but perhaps it was ideal that he actually let his teammates help this time. The trip to the city of Akan-Akan-Akantar went without issue, but there were certainly potential hazards to avoid given where the city was. Having drifted into the Dark Void proper from a lost, IGL-ridden universe, the city was described as a necropolis in bygone text, consisting of ancient structures made of a lost material somewhere between bone and ebony, with an architectural stylization focusing on jagged points that sought to pierce the sky and reach the heavens. The great platforms that formed the base of the city stretched far into an infinite void of darkness, creating a sense of danger and anxiety for anyone that dared to look into it. While the city seemed quiet and calm, the sense of unease the city exuded by merely existing made it not for the faint of heart.
Strangely there appeared to be inhabitants within the ghostly and distorted buildings, but they were elusive and stayed inside whenever outsiders entered the city. Some peaked through the windows to get a glimpse of Leif and his company as they walked the empty roads and pathways, but that was the extent of anything that could be observed for the time being. Even Leif was unsure who these people were, and he had explored vast swathes of the Cosmos during the Epoch. Perhaps they were forlorn wanderers or maybe pilgrims from the Lost Era. Either way they were living in peace, which had been disturbed by Damien’s intrusion. Even if they were not out in the open discussing the matter, the haunting anxiety could be felt by anyone. Leif needed to get rid of Damien and would not let him get away again.
Leif quickened his pace as the three entered the grand plaza. Near the spectacular, yet macabre fountain was a bit of rusted blood on the cobblestone. “Alright, Damien, where are you?” he said as he looked around for more of the blood.
“Aava, we’re not intruding on the citizenry, are we?” Mind-Wraith nervously questioned as he felt spooked by the curtains of a nearby building closing.
“No, as I imagine a portion of them are fairly skittish existing in modernity like this.” Notably what appeared to be children were discretely peeking through the windows, seemingly transfixed by the godly aura buried deep within Aava.
“If you’re sure… AIYEE!” Mind-Wraith exclaimed as he fell back startled. What he had seen was beyond belief, even for someone as experienced as him.
“Indeed, Mr. Caden, and there is no reason to worry,” an upside down man in formal attire said in a reassuring tone. His head was lined up with theirs, but he appeared to be walking on an invisible surface roughly six feet above them. “You’ll have to pardon my subjects given our rather unpleasant intruder…”
“Upside Down!” Aava greeted with a welcoming familiarity.
“As I live and breathe, The Slate God herself-Oh phooey, where are my manners? It is good to see you again, Aava. It’s been too long, my dear. How have you been?” He held out his hand, but it was a little awkward to shake.
“I’ve been fine, but I have to admit it is a little surreal to be back in the Lost Era in a sense…”
Leif was amazed by how cordial such an eldritch and unfathomable god was. “Lost Upside Down God, we’re here to get rid of Damien.”
“Ah yes, very good, Dragon of Old,” he replied with a clap. “I’d love to talk the day away, but we obviously have this pressing matter to tend to. Come with me…” The four made their way down the streets and came to a great archive of many spires and walls that had signs of forced entry in the front entrance. “I’d remove the pest myself, but I fear for the well being of my subjects, and I don’t want that nuisance, Audoin Dethbrand, knowing I’m active here…”
Leif chuckled, indicating his sympathy. “Can’t fault you there…”
“And it looks like the man of the hour is about to step outside,” Mind-Wraith remarked as heated winds began to whirl around him. Aava also got ready, causing sand and dust to swirl around her. It was a little strange for Mind-Wraith as he figured she would have wanted to shy away from using her Slate God powers, but perhaps being in the city made her feel more comfortable.
“The merge… the dimensional merge must happen…” Damien rambled as he stumbled out of the archive, a hastily put together gunny sack slung over his back. “Blood-Wraith… Crimson God… it must happen… the merge… argh, 1… 2… 3… no, 2… 1… 1… 2…”
Mind-Wraith snapped his fingers, forming a temperature gradient that sent a burst of air towards Damien, knocking him back with the sack dropping to the ground. “Resorting to petty theft are we? I heard Audoin was childish, but this feels pathetic even for him!” He got some chuckles out of the others from his bravado as he tightened his bowtie.
Damien tried to scramble to collect his stolen artifacts, but stopped once he noticed The Lost Upside Down God. Instead he began walking the perimeter of the circular arrangement of cobblestone. “The merge will happen. Universe-23 and 231218 will become one glorious universe where his eminence will rule supreme…” This monologue was promptly stopped with another air burst.
“Oh please, Mr. Ackerley, I’ve seen countless men who fancied themselves as conquerors, reaching for the stars only to come crashing back to Earth like Icarus so long ago,” Mind-Wraith pointed out as he also started to walk the perimeter too. “If I recall, The Royal God and The Despot God both tried to defy God only to be felled by their hubris! Evil cannot create, only corrupt and destroy.”
“You call Audoin evil, but is it evil to want a perfect world? Where no one experiences pain or turmoil…”
“Actually yes,” Mind-Wraith interrupted with another burst of air that made Damien stumble. “A perfect world is a sin, as God himself is not perfect. We wouldn’t exist if he was. To be perfect is imperfect and to be imperfect is perfect…”
Gritting his teeth, Damien shot back with “but think of all of the people suffering in war torn-countries, the marginalized and oppressed-the people of Audoin’s original universe who had their Earth destroyed by Madame Syn!”
Mind-Wraith stopped his circling and shot Damien with more air bursts as he began to approach him, forcing him to back up. “Oh pshaw! You think a nanny state of universal proportions is the solution those disadvantaged people need? You’re no better than the irreverent filth that put them in that position of squalor to begin with!”
With a magic infused punch, Damien sent Mind-Wraith reeling back. “THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION!” In truth that more sounded like denial than it did conviction. Either way this earned Damien a hard punch to the jaw that sent him flying from Aava, whose arm had turned to slate rock that leaked sand.
“Silence, villain!” she declared with a strange echo in her voice that shook the city with an ancient authority she had not called upon in eons. “You will not sully God’s creation any more than you already have.”
Damien got up, twisted his head into the right position with a cringe-inducing crack, and straightened out his jaw. “I need… The Crimson God…” Rusted Blood spilled from his armor, covering his entire arm in jagged spikes that looked like they could easily go toe-to-toe with any blade.
“Nope, he’s not listening to reason any time soon…” Mind-Wraith concluded as he tapped his feet as if he was getting ready to dance.
“If any of them actually listened to reason we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place!” Leif said in a frustrated tone of voice as he readied his axe into its halberd form with a loud thunk.
The Lost Upside Down God shook his head. “I know you prefer modernity, Aava, but sometimes you have to admit our home was preferable to these forever wars of good and evil…”
“The irony is not lost on me, Upside Down,” she answered with respect. “But I choose this path and I’m going to stay the course, even if a part of me yearns for that old perpetuity,” Aava declared as more of her body turned to slate rock.
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ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
“What’s with all the commotion?” Leif asked with a yawn as he entered the rather busy situation room the next morning. The bright, blue light of the arcane display screens slightly overwhelmed his eyes and made him squint. “Did Damien show up again?”
“It would appear so, Leif,” Sander answered. “The Highway Knight pulled an all-nighter and discovered Damien heading towards the city of Akan-Akan-Akantar…”
Leif paused mid yawn and groaned. “Did it have to be there?”
“Well you know Audoin’s obsession with the Lost Era…” Scotty pointed out. “I really hope Damien isn’t trying to restart Audoin’s plans…”
“He probably is, Scotty,” Erikson reminded him. “I don’t think Audoin is aware of what Damien is doing, but let’s not let them make any progress. On the bright side, Leif, The Lost Upside Down God reached out to us just as The Highway Knight gave us the heads up, so you should have free reign to do whatever you need.”
Leif gave a half-hearted chuckle as he conjured up a mug of coffee. “Haha, how generous of him…”
Blood-Wraith glanced at the screens showing the city in question, then to Leif. “Is there a problem with that god?”
“Nah, Leif’s just groggy,” Erikson assured him.
“Well that’s oversimplifying things a bit,” Mind-Wraith put in. Akan-Akan-Akantar is a Lost Era city, and pulled straight out of the era itself, so it’s understandable. Although thankfully Aava does have a bit of history with the city…”
Aava gave a slightly exasperated sigh and stood up from her chair at the wooden round table. “Mind, did you have to bring that up around the others?”
Mind-Wraith did feel a little awkward as he gave a quiet groan. “I just figured since The Lost Upside Down God was your mentor after all…”
“Aava?” Blood-Wraith interrupted. “Did something bad happen in the Lost Era?”
“No, no,” she answered as she straightened out her coat. “It’s just that I left the Lost Era for a reason, and I’d rather not be reminded of that Source-forsaken era.”
Leif set his mug down and covered up a burp. “The Lost Era was the time before time… literally. It was a period of everything that existed in perpetuity, without time, life, or death. We can only catch glimpses of it and the only real way we know about it is because entities of that era have made their way to modernity.”
“And there was a movement to progress past that era,” Aava continued. “Despite the lack of time, the era of the Outer Void was upon us and I was part of a handful of gods and men who wanted to leave the stagnancy behind. It was mind-numbing, an era of gray crags and fog that never became anything, so you can understand why I’d rather not revisit it in any capacity, Blood.”
Blood-Wraith nodded and looked at the image of the city again. “Well surely you’d want to see your old mentor again, right?”
Aava thought about it for a second, subtly smiling at the idea of the nostalgia as strange as it was. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see him again. He did make sure my ascension to godhood went mostly without a hitch…”
Erikson nodded, then typed something on the glowing keyboard. “To keep this brief, Blood, Audoin is fanatical for the Lost Era, but we’re not quite sure what he wants with it given what the Azoth Mages have told us. I would say we’re concerned about him entering it and causing trouble, but the most progress that’s ever been made towards time traveling to that era was coming within a centillionth after it ended, and not even the old gods, ar’ton lords, and The Dead God can understand it. I highly doubt Audoin could even come close to it, but then again I was able to make it back to the Epoch despite being born in this era, so let’s not give him any chances.”
“Don’t underestimate him, Erikson,” Scotty warned. “He’s got the narcissism and then some to be a real pain in the keister.”
With a final yawn and stretch, Leif began to head to the doorway. “Alright, enough talk. Let’s get moving… Um, Aava?”
She walked up to the doorway with Mind-Wraith, taking a breath to ready herself. “It’s alright, Leif. And perhaps you should let Mind and I handle this battle?”
Leif wanted to object, but perhaps it was ideal that he actually let his teammates help this time. The trip to the city of Akan-Akan-Akantar went without issue, but there were certainly potential hazards to avoid given where the city was. Having drifted into the Dark Void proper from a lost, IGL-ridden universe, the city was described as a necropolis in bygone text, consisting of ancient structures made of a lost material somewhere between bone and ebony, with an architectural stylization focusing on jagged points that sought to pierce the sky and reach the heavens. The great platforms that formed the base of the city stretched far into an infinite void of darkness, creating a sense of danger and anxiety for anyone that dared to look into it. While the city seemed quiet and calm, the sense of unease the city exuded by merely existing made it not for the faint of heart.
Strangely there appeared to be inhabitants within the ghostly and distorted buildings, but they were elusive and stayed inside whenever outsiders entered the city. Some peaked through the windows to get a glimpse of Leif and his company as they walked the empty roads and pathways, but that was the extent of anything that could be observed for the time being. Even Leif was unsure who these people were, and he had explored vast swathes of the Cosmos during the Epoch. Perhaps they were forlorn wanderers or maybe pilgrims from the Lost Era. Either way they were living in peace, which had been disturbed by Damien’s intrusion. Even if they were not out in the open discussing the matter, the haunting anxiety could be felt by anyone. Leif needed to get rid of Damien and would not let him get away again.
Leif quickened his pace as the three entered the grand plaza. Near the spectacular, yet macabre fountain was a bit of rusted blood on the cobblestone. “Alright, Damien, where are you?” he said as he looked around for more of the blood.
“Aava, we’re not intruding on the citizenry, are we?” Mind-Wraith nervously questioned as he felt spooked by the curtains of a nearby building closing.
“No, as I imagine a portion of them are fairly skittish existing in modernity like this.” Notably what appeared to be children were discretely peeking through the windows, seemingly transfixed by the godly aura buried deep within Aava.
“If you’re sure… AIYEE!” Mind-Wraith exclaimed as he fell back startled. What he had seen was beyond belief, even for someone as experienced as him.
“Indeed, Mr. Caden, and there is no reason to worry,” an upside down man in formal attire said in a reassuring tone. His head was lined up with theirs, but he appeared to be walking on an invisible surface roughly six feet above them. “You’ll have to pardon my subjects given our rather unpleasant intruder…”
“Upside Down!” Aava greeted with a welcoming familiarity.
“As I live and breathe, The Slate God herself-Oh phooey, where are my manners? It is good to see you again, Aava. It’s been too long, my dear. How have you been?” He held out his hand, but it was a little awkward to shake.
“I’ve been fine, but I have to admit it is a little surreal to be back in the Lost Era in a sense…”
Leif was amazed by how cordial such an eldritch and unfathomable god was. “Lost Upside Down God, we’re here to get rid of Damien.”
“Ah yes, very good, Dragon of Old,” he replied with a clap. “I’d love to talk the day away, but we obviously have this pressing matter to tend to. Come with me…” The four made their way down the streets and came to a great archive of many spires and walls that had signs of forced entry in the front entrance. “I’d remove the pest myself, but I fear for the well being of my subjects, and I don’t want that nuisance, Audoin Dethbrand, knowing I’m active here…”
Leif chuckled, indicating his sympathy. “Can’t fault you there…”
“And it looks like the man of the hour is about to step outside,” Mind-Wraith remarked as heated winds began to whirl around him. Aava also got ready, causing sand and dust to swirl around her. It was a little strange for Mind-Wraith as he figured she would have wanted to shy away from using her Slate God powers, but perhaps being in the city made her feel more comfortable.
“The merge… the dimensional merge must happen…” Damien rambled as he stumbled out of the archive, a hastily put together gunny sack slung over his back. “Blood-Wraith… Crimson God… it must happen… the merge… argh, 1… 2… 3… no, 2… 1… 1… 2…”
Mind-Wraith snapped his fingers, forming a temperature gradient that sent a burst of air towards Damien, knocking him back with the sack dropping to the ground. “Resorting to petty theft are we? I heard Audoin was childish, but this feels pathetic even for him!” He got some chuckles out of the others from his bravado as he tightened his bowtie.
Damien tried to scramble to collect his stolen artifacts, but stopped once he noticed The Lost Upside Down God. Instead he began walking the perimeter of the circular arrangement of cobblestone. “The merge will happen. Universe-23 and 231218 will become one glorious universe where his eminence will rule supreme…” This monologue was promptly stopped with another air burst.
“Oh please, Mr. Ackerley, I’ve seen countless men who fancied themselves as conquerors, reaching for the stars only to come crashing back to Earth like Icarus so long ago,” Mind-Wraith pointed out as he also started to walk the perimeter too. “If I recall, The Royal God and The Despot God both tried to defy God only to be felled by their hubris! Evil cannot create, only corrupt and destroy.”
“You call Audoin evil, but is it evil to want a perfect world? Where no one experiences pain or turmoil…”
“Actually yes,” Mind-Wraith interrupted with another burst of air that made Damien stumble. “A perfect world is a sin, as God himself is not perfect. We wouldn’t exist if he was. To be perfect is imperfect and to be imperfect is perfect…”
Gritting his teeth, Damien shot back with “but think of all of the people suffering in war torn-countries, the marginalized and oppressed-the people of Audoin’s original universe who had their Earth destroyed by Madame Syn!”
Mind-Wraith stopped his circling and shot Damien with more air bursts as he began to approach him, forcing him to back up. “Oh pshaw! You think a nanny state of universal proportions is the solution those disadvantaged people need? You’re no better than the irreverent filth that put them in that position of squalor to begin with!”
With a magic infused punch, Damien sent Mind-Wraith reeling back. “THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION!” In truth that more sounded like denial than it did conviction. Either way this earned Damien a hard punch to the jaw that sent him flying from Aava, whose arm had turned to slate rock that leaked sand.
“Silence, villain!” she declared with a strange echo in her voice that shook the city with an ancient authority she had not called upon in eons. “You will not sully God’s creation any more than you already have.”
Damien got up, twisted his head into the right position with a cringe-inducing crack, and straightened out his jaw. “I need… The Crimson God…” Rusted Blood spilled from his armor, covering his entire arm in jagged spikes that looked like they could easily go toe-to-toe with any blade.
“Nope, he’s not listening to reason any time soon…” Mind-Wraith concluded as he tapped his feet as if he was getting ready to dance.
“If any of them actually listened to reason we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place!” Leif said in a frustrated tone of voice as he readied his axe into its halberd form with a loud thunk.
The Lost Upside Down God shook his head. “I know you prefer modernity, Aava, but sometimes you have to admit our home was preferable to these forever wars of good and evil…”
“The irony is not lost on me, Upside Down,” she answered with respect. “But I choose this path and I’m going to stay the course, even if a part of me yearns for that old perpetuity,” Aava declared as more of her body turned to slate rock.
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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