ULTRAMagic (Before) Prelude - Chapter 9
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Mind-Wraith was running circles around Damien now that he knew what he was dealing with. In the past Damien must have been a real bully of a fighter, brash and going for attacks that sought to overwhelm his opponent, but now he was just a bog-standard brute who used offense as his defense. Instead of exchanging blows, Mind-Wraith outright refused to let Damien get in a successful attack. Wind blast after wind blast assaulted the knight while Aava would launch boulders at Damien. In this chaos Damien began screaming every time he was pushed back or denied, raging like an egomaniac about to start beating up his house because he could not get his way. Leif was beginning to see why Aava had grown so concerned in the last battle as these fights were definitely bringing Damien back to proper consciousness. And adding insult to injury was the fact that their enemy obviously had a sense of entitlement stemming from whatever his upbringing was.
It was also becoming obvious that Damien was stubborn. He would not give up, which gave him an edge in battle. It made him more reckless and willing to disregard his well-being in order to win. If they were going to win against him, they were going to have to overwhelm him. Damien could handle two or three opponents, but Leif wondered what would happen if they brought him close enough to the guild. It was not without risk given Blood-Wraith’s circumstances, however. A shift in the battle then caught Leif’s attention from his brainstorming as Damien had given Aava a good wallop and sent her reeling back. Leif got ready to join the fray only for The Lost Upside Down God to halt him. Mind-Wraith looked beyond angry and something was happening with Aava that would haunt Damien for the rest of time.
Damien spit out of something that resembled blood and scoffed. “Dumb wench, know your place…” Before Damien could do anything else, wind began rushing into his lungs and exiting at great speeds, creating some of the most painful hyperventilation he had ever felt.
“HOW DARE YOU, YOU DAMN BARBARIAN!" Mind-Wraith shouted. “HOW ABOUT I SILENCE THAT FOUL VOICE OF YOURS?”
Feeling himself go numb, Damien struggled to lift his hand up as the violent air continued to surge in and out of his body. He snapped his fingers with the little strength he could muster, causing a piece of rusted blood to spring enough to trip Mind-Wraith and hurt his arms on his own wind. Once Damien regained some control over his body, he screeched in the most hoarse voice possible “I’LL KILL YOU!!!” as he tried to run towards the bard with a rusted blood morning star.
Mind-Wraith looked up as his arms ached only to see Damien’s vindictive smile. He had to act fast, and shot a small burst of wind that did nothing more than ricochet off of his foe’s armor. He dared not launch himself into the air as there was nothing soft to land on. Finally making it to his feet, Damien hurried his pace, only to be stopped by a chilling presence that shook him to his core. He looked up from his target to see a strange entity made of angular stone walking towards him. Aava’s grin was full of long teeth and her eyes were squinted by her unnatural smile. Reality around Damien distorted as the entity got closer and bigger while not actually changing in size. Winds whirled past them in what could have been a screaming cacophony just barely audible to the ears. Damien felt all strength and boldness claw its way out of him and ran away as fast as it could, as he was witnessing an aspect of what his master had been so fanatical about.
“What-what are you?” Damien choked out as he bore witness to the madness that was the true essence of The Lost Slate God.
“RUN,” was all Aava needed to say, as Damien saw once and for all that Audoin was something beyond madness. He had stared into the abyss, and the eldritch truth stared back with something no mortal should have ever witnessed, not in an eternity or beyond.
“AUDOIN, YOU BASTARD! BASTARD!! YOU’VE KILLED US ALL!!” Damien screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran away as fast as he could from the Archives.
Leif quickly realized what was going on and assumed his dragon form to fly after Damien, as he was fleeing quicker than anyone could run. “DAMN IT, NOT AGAIN!” he roared as he flew overhead. Damien finally took off into the sky as a fireball of rusted blood once again, and Leif gave chase for roughly a mile before finally giving up with an enraged bark of a roar and returned to the group. “DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!” Leif shouted as he stomped his foot, nearly cracking the cobblestone.
“Easy, Leif, as a victory is a victory…” Mind-Wraith tried to say as Aava assisted him by steadying him.
“DON’T PATRONIZE ME!” he shot back with utmost frustration in his voice. “DAMIEN GOT AWAY AGAIN!!”
“LEIF, enough!” The Lost Upside Down God interrupted before anything else could be said, his voice causing a slight tremor in the city. “You have my condolences for your plans, but you’ve done what I’ve asked. Surely that’s enough to call it a day and recover for the next fight?”
Leif gritted his teeth and went right up to The Lost Upside Down God’s face. “If we don't fix Blood-Wraith’s magic soon, THE ENTIRE COSMOS IS DOOMED, YOU DAFT PILLOCK!” More of the city’s citizens were watching from their windows and were shocked at Leif’s words.
“Again, I understand your anger…”
“YOU DO?! REALLY? YOU LOST ERA FREAKS JUST NEVER GET IT…”
“YES, I GET IT!” This time there was a slightly bigger tremor as he walked down invisible steps and ended up rightside up. “Your conflict with The Eternal Order isn’t the first time a group of rogue gods tried to usurp the natural order! The ones you currently know as Lucifer, Natas, and Alastor were once Lost Gods who fulfilled eerily similar roles to The Sepulcher God, Crimson God, and Behemoth God in the Lost Era. Frankly I am both amazed and concerned at how history seems to be repeating itself this far into the future.”
“Are you serious?” Leif said in what seemed to be denial. “I mean, I had heard rumors from The Dread God and The Depths God…” He then glanced over to Aava, who had half returned to normal. “Aava?” Leif then noticed that she looked disappointed and immediately felt bad. “Aava, I… I didn’t mean it…”
“Stop,” Aava interrupted with a raised hand. “It’ll take a lot more than that to actually bother me.” She then let Mind-Wraith stand on his own. “Ahem-Barry, his younger brother, Mal, The Highway Knight, The King’s Chariot, The ULTRAMagic Entity, Upside Down, The Lost Zell God, and myself were all part of a team dedicated to stopping them. I guess we failed given that they escaped into modernity…”
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a failure, given that they’ve come to revere God,” The Lost Upside Down God pointed out.
There was a moment of silence as Leif took a second to process what he had been told. He then glanced around, noticing people starting to emerge from their homes and buildings. Leif looked down at himself, noticed how untidy he was, and began to straighten himself up. “Was the Lost Era really all that bad, Aava?”
“In hindsight… it’s debatable,” she answered with what sounded like a hint of guilt in her voice. “Part of the reason me and my allies traveled to modernity was to stop Lucifer, Natas, and Alastor, so I suppose you could argue that’s why a part of me misses the Lost Era.”
Mind-Wraith shook his head with a soft sigh. “Did you decide you wanted to live in the Outer Void, or was that decision made for you?”
“Yes…” Aava answered… although that was not a straight answer.
Leif took a calming breath and put away his axe. “Alright, let’s head back and tell everyone the news…”
“Things may seem uncertain, Leif, but be grateful you live in the present,” The Lost Upside Down God said. “As disconcerting as the future may seem, at least you can foresee a future. We were afforded no such luxury in The Lost Era.”
Leif gave a sympathetic laugh that relieved a lot of pent up frustration. “Ha, forgot you used to live in a truly timeless era. I suppose you’re right, Upside Down…” He smiled, which made The Lost Upside Down God happy.
Leif, Aava, and Mind-Wraith were about to leave, but the mayor of the city insisted that they come to city hall so he could properly thank them for driving out Damien. As much as the three needed to report back, a quick breather was in order after everything they had just gone through. And in truth it warmed Leif’s heart to know that the citizenry were grateful they had protected them. All of this made the flight back peaceful and contemplative. This time Leif thought about what Damien had said as he fled, how he cursed Audoin for his fanaticism. It was surreal to hear, but also gave Leif hope as he knew that meant there was a rift in The Eternal Order. Something was telling him that Karnage was not being truthful with The Sepulcher God about his actions to further their goals… or rather Karnage’s goals.
Upon arriving in the warm and pleasant great hall, with Mind-Wraith and Aava heading to their room to rest, Leif was greeted by Tiberius. “We didn’t get him,” Leif said with a sigh. “Damien got one up on Mind and Aava scared him off…”
Tiberius subtly shook his head. “Well at least you removed Damien from Akan-Akan-Akantar…”
“Not good, Leif,” Erikson critiqued as he walked over, eating an apple. “That’s twice in a row…”
“Erikson, please, we’re working on it,” Leif countered.
“Hey, Leif!” Nosmirc said as he walked up with Blood-Wraith from one of the tables. “Blood’s got something to show you.”
“He does?” Leif’s interest was caught as he glanced down at the happy ar’ton.
Blood-Wraith nodded and held up his hands. “I can’t make it last long, but look…” he focused for a second, causing electricity to arc between his palms for a couple of seconds. “Pretty cool, right?”
Leif had the biggest smile stretch across his face that turned into a fatherly laugh. “Well done, Blood. Did he do this all by himself?”
Nosmirc nodded with his own smile. “Yep. Scotty and I were talking, and he just walked up and showed us what he had done.”
“His magic is there, it just needs to be nurtured so it can grow into something spectacular,” Tiberius observed. “Given that it’s clearly the beginning of alchemy I would love to have him try some simple transmutation exercises. Perhaps the statuette exercise may help him get ready for when we finally ignite his magic.”
“Honestly I wish Balthazar was here, as he’d be able to teach Blood some handy beginner techniques,” Scotty added as he stepped over. “But y’know, he’s busy making sure Audoin doesn’t break free from his prison.”
Tiberius gave a light chuckle. “And I couldn’t teach Blood the same techniques?”
“I mean, of course you could, Tiberius!” Scotty said in a slight stumble. “I’m just saying Balathazar didn’t get to become one of the best professors at The Golden Medallion Academy for no reason.”
“I’ll have to pay him a visit some time soon then,” Tiberius replied with a laugh. “It sounds like he could use a little help.”
“You should, Tiberius,” Blood-Wraith put in. “Cadwalader lent me one of his old text books and some of his notes from one of his old classes and…” The group interrupted by the sound of commotion entering the great hall. “What’s that?”
Tiberius listened in to the sound of people being shoved aside and recognized the voice. “Oh dear, I’d dare say that’s The Metal God…”
“Wait, WHAT?” Leif questioned, startled. “We sealed him away though!”
“Well, um, The Automaton and Madman have discussed letting him go, as they feel he’s served his time, especially given the madness of the IGL universe he was confined to…”
“Oh dear, oh dear…” Nosmirc said as he tried to back away. Scotty noticed this and stopped him by grabbing his arm.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Scotty questioned. “Wouldn’t we potentially need your help?”
And then The Metal God finally made his way into the great hall. His manifestation was a fairly handsome man, albeit disheveled and dirty. His clothes were ragged and torn, and a myriad of flesh wounds were across his face and arms. “NOW HEAR THIS-I’VE SERVED MY TIME! AND I’M NOT SPENDING ANOTHER EON FIGHTING THOSE STUPID WARRIORS SO THEY CAN BECOME ALCHEMISTS!” The various guild members looked fearful, so The Metal God decided to capitalize. “YOU GOT THAT!?!” He roared, scaring them further. Normally The Dark Divers were fairly fearless, but dealing with a disgruntled, eleventh dimensional rogue god was not something they were typically prepared for.
“WHERE IS HE?” The Automaton called out, incredibly worried as he hurried in from the opposite entrance.
“YOU!” The Metal God exclaimed as he stomped towards his former adversary. “I am DONE being your little warden for that godforsaken universe you and The Madman locked me up in!”
“Ye-yes, we fully agree, Metal God…” The Automaton answered, trying to sound diplomatic and not like he was worrying.
That caught The Metal God off guard, surprisingly. “Wait, what? Come again?”
“Yes, The Madman, Leif, and I have decided to let you go…”
“NO I HAVEN’T,” Leif objected, only to receive a loud clearing of the throat from The Automaton.
The Metal God then turned to Leif. “Leif, is that you?” He then looked at the ar’ton boy. “What the… what is even…?” That was certainly odd as he could tell something was up given that you normally never saw an ar’ton without an affinity, but then he noticed the man in the top hat standing next to what seemed to be a farmer. “Hey, wait a second, you seem familiar…” he said to Nosmirc.
Next: Chapter 10
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Mind-Wraith was running circles around Damien now that he knew what he was dealing with. In the past Damien must have been a real bully of a fighter, brash and going for attacks that sought to overwhelm his opponent, but now he was just a bog-standard brute who used offense as his defense. Instead of exchanging blows, Mind-Wraith outright refused to let Damien get in a successful attack. Wind blast after wind blast assaulted the knight while Aava would launch boulders at Damien. In this chaos Damien began screaming every time he was pushed back or denied, raging like an egomaniac about to start beating up his house because he could not get his way. Leif was beginning to see why Aava had grown so concerned in the last battle as these fights were definitely bringing Damien back to proper consciousness. And adding insult to injury was the fact that their enemy obviously had a sense of entitlement stemming from whatever his upbringing was.
It was also becoming obvious that Damien was stubborn. He would not give up, which gave him an edge in battle. It made him more reckless and willing to disregard his well-being in order to win. If they were going to win against him, they were going to have to overwhelm him. Damien could handle two or three opponents, but Leif wondered what would happen if they brought him close enough to the guild. It was not without risk given Blood-Wraith’s circumstances, however. A shift in the battle then caught Leif’s attention from his brainstorming as Damien had given Aava a good wallop and sent her reeling back. Leif got ready to join the fray only for The Lost Upside Down God to halt him. Mind-Wraith looked beyond angry and something was happening with Aava that would haunt Damien for the rest of time.
Damien spit out of something that resembled blood and scoffed. “Dumb wench, know your place…” Before Damien could do anything else, wind began rushing into his lungs and exiting at great speeds, creating some of the most painful hyperventilation he had ever felt.
“HOW DARE YOU, YOU DAMN BARBARIAN!" Mind-Wraith shouted. “HOW ABOUT I SILENCE THAT FOUL VOICE OF YOURS?”
Feeling himself go numb, Damien struggled to lift his hand up as the violent air continued to surge in and out of his body. He snapped his fingers with the little strength he could muster, causing a piece of rusted blood to spring enough to trip Mind-Wraith and hurt his arms on his own wind. Once Damien regained some control over his body, he screeched in the most hoarse voice possible “I’LL KILL YOU!!!” as he tried to run towards the bard with a rusted blood morning star.
Mind-Wraith looked up as his arms ached only to see Damien’s vindictive smile. He had to act fast, and shot a small burst of wind that did nothing more than ricochet off of his foe’s armor. He dared not launch himself into the air as there was nothing soft to land on. Finally making it to his feet, Damien hurried his pace, only to be stopped by a chilling presence that shook him to his core. He looked up from his target to see a strange entity made of angular stone walking towards him. Aava’s grin was full of long teeth and her eyes were squinted by her unnatural smile. Reality around Damien distorted as the entity got closer and bigger while not actually changing in size. Winds whirled past them in what could have been a screaming cacophony just barely audible to the ears. Damien felt all strength and boldness claw its way out of him and ran away as fast as it could, as he was witnessing an aspect of what his master had been so fanatical about.
“What-what are you?” Damien choked out as he bore witness to the madness that was the true essence of The Lost Slate God.
“RUN,” was all Aava needed to say, as Damien saw once and for all that Audoin was something beyond madness. He had stared into the abyss, and the eldritch truth stared back with something no mortal should have ever witnessed, not in an eternity or beyond.
“AUDOIN, YOU BASTARD! BASTARD!! YOU’VE KILLED US ALL!!” Damien screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran away as fast as he could from the Archives.
Leif quickly realized what was going on and assumed his dragon form to fly after Damien, as he was fleeing quicker than anyone could run. “DAMN IT, NOT AGAIN!” he roared as he flew overhead. Damien finally took off into the sky as a fireball of rusted blood once again, and Leif gave chase for roughly a mile before finally giving up with an enraged bark of a roar and returned to the group. “DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!” Leif shouted as he stomped his foot, nearly cracking the cobblestone.
“Easy, Leif, as a victory is a victory…” Mind-Wraith tried to say as Aava assisted him by steadying him.
“DON’T PATRONIZE ME!” he shot back with utmost frustration in his voice. “DAMIEN GOT AWAY AGAIN!!”
“LEIF, enough!” The Lost Upside Down God interrupted before anything else could be said, his voice causing a slight tremor in the city. “You have my condolences for your plans, but you’ve done what I’ve asked. Surely that’s enough to call it a day and recover for the next fight?”
Leif gritted his teeth and went right up to The Lost Upside Down God’s face. “If we don't fix Blood-Wraith’s magic soon, THE ENTIRE COSMOS IS DOOMED, YOU DAFT PILLOCK!” More of the city’s citizens were watching from their windows and were shocked at Leif’s words.
“Again, I understand your anger…”
“YOU DO?! REALLY? YOU LOST ERA FREAKS JUST NEVER GET IT…”
“YES, I GET IT!” This time there was a slightly bigger tremor as he walked down invisible steps and ended up rightside up. “Your conflict with The Eternal Order isn’t the first time a group of rogue gods tried to usurp the natural order! The ones you currently know as Lucifer, Natas, and Alastor were once Lost Gods who fulfilled eerily similar roles to The Sepulcher God, Crimson God, and Behemoth God in the Lost Era. Frankly I am both amazed and concerned at how history seems to be repeating itself this far into the future.”
“Are you serious?” Leif said in what seemed to be denial. “I mean, I had heard rumors from The Dread God and The Depths God…” He then glanced over to Aava, who had half returned to normal. “Aava?” Leif then noticed that she looked disappointed and immediately felt bad. “Aava, I… I didn’t mean it…”
“Stop,” Aava interrupted with a raised hand. “It’ll take a lot more than that to actually bother me.” She then let Mind-Wraith stand on his own. “Ahem-Barry, his younger brother, Mal, The Highway Knight, The King’s Chariot, The ULTRAMagic Entity, Upside Down, The Lost Zell God, and myself were all part of a team dedicated to stopping them. I guess we failed given that they escaped into modernity…”
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a failure, given that they’ve come to revere God,” The Lost Upside Down God pointed out.
There was a moment of silence as Leif took a second to process what he had been told. He then glanced around, noticing people starting to emerge from their homes and buildings. Leif looked down at himself, noticed how untidy he was, and began to straighten himself up. “Was the Lost Era really all that bad, Aava?”
“In hindsight… it’s debatable,” she answered with what sounded like a hint of guilt in her voice. “Part of the reason me and my allies traveled to modernity was to stop Lucifer, Natas, and Alastor, so I suppose you could argue that’s why a part of me misses the Lost Era.”
Mind-Wraith shook his head with a soft sigh. “Did you decide you wanted to live in the Outer Void, or was that decision made for you?”
“Yes…” Aava answered… although that was not a straight answer.
Leif took a calming breath and put away his axe. “Alright, let’s head back and tell everyone the news…”
“Things may seem uncertain, Leif, but be grateful you live in the present,” The Lost Upside Down God said. “As disconcerting as the future may seem, at least you can foresee a future. We were afforded no such luxury in The Lost Era.”
Leif gave a sympathetic laugh that relieved a lot of pent up frustration. “Ha, forgot you used to live in a truly timeless era. I suppose you’re right, Upside Down…” He smiled, which made The Lost Upside Down God happy.
Leif, Aava, and Mind-Wraith were about to leave, but the mayor of the city insisted that they come to city hall so he could properly thank them for driving out Damien. As much as the three needed to report back, a quick breather was in order after everything they had just gone through. And in truth it warmed Leif’s heart to know that the citizenry were grateful they had protected them. All of this made the flight back peaceful and contemplative. This time Leif thought about what Damien had said as he fled, how he cursed Audoin for his fanaticism. It was surreal to hear, but also gave Leif hope as he knew that meant there was a rift in The Eternal Order. Something was telling him that Karnage was not being truthful with The Sepulcher God about his actions to further their goals… or rather Karnage’s goals.
Upon arriving in the warm and pleasant great hall, with Mind-Wraith and Aava heading to their room to rest, Leif was greeted by Tiberius. “We didn’t get him,” Leif said with a sigh. “Damien got one up on Mind and Aava scared him off…”
Tiberius subtly shook his head. “Well at least you removed Damien from Akan-Akan-Akantar…”
“Not good, Leif,” Erikson critiqued as he walked over, eating an apple. “That’s twice in a row…”
“Erikson, please, we’re working on it,” Leif countered.
“Hey, Leif!” Nosmirc said as he walked up with Blood-Wraith from one of the tables. “Blood’s got something to show you.”
“He does?” Leif’s interest was caught as he glanced down at the happy ar’ton.
Blood-Wraith nodded and held up his hands. “I can’t make it last long, but look…” he focused for a second, causing electricity to arc between his palms for a couple of seconds. “Pretty cool, right?”
Leif had the biggest smile stretch across his face that turned into a fatherly laugh. “Well done, Blood. Did he do this all by himself?”
Nosmirc nodded with his own smile. “Yep. Scotty and I were talking, and he just walked up and showed us what he had done.”
“His magic is there, it just needs to be nurtured so it can grow into something spectacular,” Tiberius observed. “Given that it’s clearly the beginning of alchemy I would love to have him try some simple transmutation exercises. Perhaps the statuette exercise may help him get ready for when we finally ignite his magic.”
“Honestly I wish Balthazar was here, as he’d be able to teach Blood some handy beginner techniques,” Scotty added as he stepped over. “But y’know, he’s busy making sure Audoin doesn’t break free from his prison.”
Tiberius gave a light chuckle. “And I couldn’t teach Blood the same techniques?”
“I mean, of course you could, Tiberius!” Scotty said in a slight stumble. “I’m just saying Balathazar didn’t get to become one of the best professors at The Golden Medallion Academy for no reason.”
“I’ll have to pay him a visit some time soon then,” Tiberius replied with a laugh. “It sounds like he could use a little help.”
“You should, Tiberius,” Blood-Wraith put in. “Cadwalader lent me one of his old text books and some of his notes from one of his old classes and…” The group interrupted by the sound of commotion entering the great hall. “What’s that?”
Tiberius listened in to the sound of people being shoved aside and recognized the voice. “Oh dear, I’d dare say that’s The Metal God…”
“Wait, WHAT?” Leif questioned, startled. “We sealed him away though!”
“Well, um, The Automaton and Madman have discussed letting him go, as they feel he’s served his time, especially given the madness of the IGL universe he was confined to…”
“Oh dear, oh dear…” Nosmirc said as he tried to back away. Scotty noticed this and stopped him by grabbing his arm.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Scotty questioned. “Wouldn’t we potentially need your help?”
And then The Metal God finally made his way into the great hall. His manifestation was a fairly handsome man, albeit disheveled and dirty. His clothes were ragged and torn, and a myriad of flesh wounds were across his face and arms. “NOW HEAR THIS-I’VE SERVED MY TIME! AND I’M NOT SPENDING ANOTHER EON FIGHTING THOSE STUPID WARRIORS SO THEY CAN BECOME ALCHEMISTS!” The various guild members looked fearful, so The Metal God decided to capitalize. “YOU GOT THAT!?!” He roared, scaring them further. Normally The Dark Divers were fairly fearless, but dealing with a disgruntled, eleventh dimensional rogue god was not something they were typically prepared for.
“WHERE IS HE?” The Automaton called out, incredibly worried as he hurried in from the opposite entrance.
“YOU!” The Metal God exclaimed as he stomped towards his former adversary. “I am DONE being your little warden for that godforsaken universe you and The Madman locked me up in!”
“Ye-yes, we fully agree, Metal God…” The Automaton answered, trying to sound diplomatic and not like he was worrying.
That caught The Metal God off guard, surprisingly. “Wait, what? Come again?”
“Yes, The Madman, Leif, and I have decided to let you go…”
“NO I HAVEN’T,” Leif objected, only to receive a loud clearing of the throat from The Automaton.
The Metal God then turned to Leif. “Leif, is that you?” He then looked at the ar’ton boy. “What the… what is even…?” That was certainly odd as he could tell something was up given that you normally never saw an ar’ton without an affinity, but then he noticed the man in the top hat standing next to what seemed to be a farmer. “Hey, wait a second, you seem familiar…” he said to Nosmirc.
Next: Chapter 10
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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