Haze & Chaos - Retaliation Part 2
Previous | First | Next
Master Post - Patreon
Will stepped into the War Room only for his eyes to need to adjust to the white LED lights overhead. Things were calm as computers hummed, some staff moved back and forth, and the big screens displayed all sorts of data–but before he could properly take it all in and speak, someone announced his presence. “Will–where’d you come from!?” Trumna asked… he then realized the obvious as he lightly cleared his throat. “You’re here about Mr. Duckenfield, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Haze answered with a nod of Will’s hand.
Trumna sighed, got up, and brought Will over to a chair at the big table. “Don’t worry, son, we were well on it before he started posting…”
Antares walked over from one of the side tables with a subtle, anxious smile on his face and sat down next to Will. “There you are, Priv… Specialist–good lord, I’m still not used to that… Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan.”
“You do?” Will asked with a blink. “Can we sue him? Like… I know normally you don’t take someone to court over insults…”
“No no, Will, this is serious,” Reynard assured him as he stepped over, pushing up his glasses. “He’s leaking confidential information and directly attacking you… Although I’m a bit confused as to why he’s targeting you specifically–I figured he would have gone after Aalders or Lundberg…”
Antares then patted Will’s shoulder, trying to relieve his unease… and he was unsure if it was his or Will’s. “Anton saw this coming a mile away and he’s got something cooking to deal with this situation–I was about to call you, but I see you were already up and at ‘em…”
“An ice dam…” Will groaned. “Thankfully Mads is taking care of the flashing.”
“Good man, Will,” he replied with a chuckle. “So the plan is that we’re going to sue for defamation and espionage–and from what it sounds like we have a strong case against Laurence… um, for unconventional reasons.”
Will and Haze laughed, with Will shaking his head. “Unconventional? After all I’ve been through and been told about?”
“You know Anton, Will–he’s always looking out for us–”
“Of course. Kind of surprised he didn’t show up during Red River given some of the things I’ve heard…”
This piqued Reynard’s curiosity as retrieved a small cloth from his vest pocket to clean his glasses. “What have you heard, Will?”
He stroked his chin and thought back a bit. “No one has talked to me directly about it, but I overhear his name brought up by the higher-ups at the guild from time to time–I always think ‘wait, our Anton?’ but never really pursue the issue. I suppose I should have asked… but then again I’m a bit used to top secret stuff, given the missions I’ve been on.” This was met by an approving node from Antares–not because he wanted to keep secrets from him, but rather it showed that Will was taking his job seriously.
“I see,” Reynard said with a subtle smile, figuring it was a good time to ask Will an interesting question… “Will, me and some of the others like Milan, Victor, Lundberg, Anton, and your impending lawyer like to get together to tackle the issues we don’t normally talk about. They’re fun little get-togethers, so would you be interested in hanging out with us? It’d be no worse than what you experienced in The Unlight.”
Will was not sure what to make of that invitation, as he knew there was something more to it. “I mean, it sounds interesting…”
Reynard smiled, knowing Will would be on the fence. “Give it some thought, the offer will remain open no matter what–we really think you’d be a great help to us.” Before Antares could ask about this–as was his right to do so given that he was vaguely familiar with what Reynard was referencing, they were interrupted by Hannah coming in and barking happily to go see Will, followed by two people entering the War Room.
“Hey, Hannah!” Will said as the happy German shepherd barked and tried to lick his face. “Who’s a good girl?”
“Easy, girl,” Reynard said as he gently grabbed Hannah by the collar to calm her down.
“Weatherman!” Jackson called out as he walked up with the other man. “Sorry you had to go through all this bullshit…” Notably he had been outside given that he was still wearing his bulky winter coat.
“Hey, Jack–I mean, I’ve been through worse at Dust Gullet Gulch and in the past, so I guess we’ll just have to lawyer up…”
“Well it looks like we’ve got just the people you need…” he said as he indicated for the other man to step forward.
The man chuckled as he straightened out his coat. He was quite odd, dressed in what could best be described as ‘urban-fantasy’ fashion–Victorian-styled clothing with belts all over, adorned with a red trench coat. It was clear that he was insanely wealthy and had the ambition to wear whatever he wanted out in public as a means of flaunting his status. His hair was mind-length dark purple brushed to the sides, and his reddish-purple eyes indicated someone who was a bit more than just a pampered rich kid. “Perfect timing, Will, as we got all the money you need to drag this out as long as you want–and one of the best lawyers around!” His belts could be heard creaking as straightened out his trench coat, his pride ringing out through his voice.
Will gave him an incredulous look with a smile, like he had just reunited with an old friend–not necessarily a close friend, but one who certainly kept things lively. “Quincy–
“Quincy Aster!” Haze announced as he pulled Will up out of his chair to visually inspect the eccentrically-dressed man. “Will’s rich friend always trying to be a mage through spending money on the best books possible–”
“You read my memories again, didn’t you?” Will questioned, with Haze using his hand to nod again.
Quincy laughed and shook his head. “Not only do we have the means for the court case, but I finally learned magic–so I should be able to keep you safe should things get hairy–”
Will exhaled and put his hand on Quincy’s shoulder, noting how durable the coat felt despite its opulence. “Quincy, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again–you can’t buy magic…”
“HAHA, that’s where you’re wrong, Will!” He said as he stepped away to give himself some space. “I’ll admit I wasn’t having luck with the books I bought, BUT NO MORE! With a little help, my mom found the codex I needed and now I’m a bonafide necromancer!” he said as he pointed at Will. “Who says you can’t buy magic?”
Will inhaled and exhaled again–his neck starting to vent smoke, recalling all the times he chatted with Quincy over the internet, having to correct him on so many flawed perceptions of magic he had. “What book did you buy this time?”
He smiled with a satisfied grin. “The Crimson Codex–an original copy too!”
Instead of Will’s mouth dropping, his head bounced off with a plume of olive green smoke exploding from his neck. “EXCUSE ME?” he cried as his body went to pick him back up–which had notably better accuracy thanks to Haze. “You guys realize how expensive and rare that book is, right!?” he pointed out as he screwed his head back on.
“Nine hundred thousand dollars,” Quincy clarified with restrained pride. “Mom was on the fence given the price tag, but it paid off…”
“Be careful with books like those, Quincy,” Reynard warned. “You’re starting to tread into knowledge outside the confines of this universe–you realize legend says that The Crimson God himself helped write those codices?”
“Erm, yeah… our source did caution us about that…”
“Okay then…” Will said as he calmed down. “Before we get into that, what does Anton want to do with this?”
“Anton brought on Abraham Van Helsing to represent you,” Reynard answered. “As you know he’s a good friend of ours, and will also be representing another…”
“Another?” Will wondered.
Antares nodded and groaned, a little nervous. “Yeah–there’s another rich cat who has a bone to pick with Laurence and… well, it’s better if you meet him in person.”
“Ominous…” Will commented. He then took a second to think about it and turned back to Quincy. “Alright, Quincy–who’d you partner up with?”
Quincy rubbed his gloved hands together and giggled, super giddy to show Will his progress–It was about time he recognized his potential. “Give me one second…” he then pulled off his glove and put his fingers into his mouth to whistle. “Oh Tudor!” Things were quiet for a second, with Quincy realizing Tudor had not heard him… “Dang it–Sorry, Tudor likes to listen to music–Tudor!” he called out with a hand to his mouth.
A second later a cloud of a shiny red, smoke-like material appeared in the room, with Hannah eagerly barking at it. Appearing from the cloud was a devil who had similarly shiny, cherry red skin, combed back long hair, and the kindest blue eyes that said he was a cool dude. “Sorry about that, Quincy! I was grooving to some classic rock tunes and what not–oh shoot, is this him?” Quincy nodded with a smile on his face. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Will! I’m Tudor Alerado Wolf–a rubber devil with a thing for fun…” he said as he offered his handshake.
“Ow, hey!” Will replied with a laugh as he took his hand away, having felt a quick jolt.
Tudor revealed a joy-buzzer device, teleported it away, and laughed. “Sorry, I’ve always wanted to do that! Ahem, Quincy’s been really hitting the books to catch up with you and that’s something to be admired. I’ll be happy to work alongside you guys and deal with whatever The Eternal Order throws at us!”
Will smiled and went to grab Quincy’s hand for an arm-wrestle handshake. “Well done, Quince–it takes a lot to form a pact with a devil.”
Quincy tightened his grip in solidarity, feeling the need to put his joy on hold for a second. “I’m glad you were able to come out of the Red River Incident unscathed–”
“Mostly, ha!”
“Still–Sebastian is ruthless, and we can attest to that,” he said, clearly indicating his parents.
Antares put his hands on his hips, thoroughly impressed with Quincy’s magic. “Shoot, want to join the squad, Kid? I know you joked about paying your way into The Liger Brigade before, but that’s some serious potential right there…”
“CAN I?!” Quincy asked in a high pitched voice, startling Antares, but quickly corrected himself. “Ahem, I mean–Lt. Colonel, sir!” he said with a salute. “It would be an honor, sir!”
Antares laughed as he dusted off the shoulder of his uniform. “Haha, at ease, Quincy. You’ll still have to go through some evaluations and sign some paperwork, but we’ll get the ball rolling. Think you got what it takes? Think you can bring something new to the table?”
“Of course!” he cried, then composed himself by straightening out his coat (even though it did not need it). “Here, come with me! Oh mom?” On cue a void door of all things appeared.
“So Morgane is a voidcaller now?” Antares asked as he stepped over, following Will, Quincy, and Tudor.
“Has been,” Quincy confirmed as he opened the door into his mansion. “Alright, Trumna, sir–I’m going to take Will to talk to Anton and Abraham!”
“Keep us posted just in case you guys need any help–best of luck to you, Will.”
“And tell those two we said hi,” Reynard added as he petted Hannah, who barked in support.
The Aster mansion–a French mansion that looked quite beautiful and majestic–was actually north of Red River City, but using void doors was quicker and more convenient, given all of the snow on the ground. Flanked by trees of the old forests of the hill it sat on, it seemed incredibly cozy at first glance, with the interior strengthening that feeling. Inside consisted of a mix of classical to English countryside decor and design, lit with spectacular skylights in some spots and large windows that gave a lovely view of the outside. Throughout the home were breathtaking paintings and impeccable sculptures–all of it a mix of pieces that were crafted by Morgane herself and ones that were bought for their beauty. Will had been to the mansion on missions before, but they were always brief, which always bummed out Quincy.
“Shame we couldn’t attend the wedding,” Antares said as he handed Quincy his coat as they stepped around the spacious foyer. He took off his boots given that they were a little dirty–his socks were not much better, but there was nothing he could do about that.
“You know how it is–you have Sebastian and his goons after you, so you have to do it in secret for some reason…” Quincy pointed out as he set their coats aside. “My late father would have said ‘I don’t care,’ but I understand Anton’s attitude given some of the stuff I’ve overheard.”
Will spun around slowly taking in the atmosphere and exhaled. “You’re not having any problems with your flashing, right, Quincy?”
“Nah–why, are you?” He then put two and two together. “Oh–shoot, sorry, Will. Do you need any help?”
“Don’t worry, I got someone on it…” Will passed by a splendid tropical plant with large leaves in an elegant vase and gently ran his fingers along one of the blades. “So where’s Anton?”
Quincy looked around and nodded at the absence. “Probably talking to Abraham and… well…”
“Is it who I think it is?” Antares asked as Quincy started to lead them down a hall to a lounge with a view of the snow-covered gardens. Quincy nodded with a nervous smile as Tudor wished him luck and returned to what he was doing, vanishing in a cloud of red smoke. “Alright… Will? Don’t freak out, but the other person is Wendelin Kiefer…”
That sent a chill down Will’s spine, and even Haze shuddered. “Him? The former Nazi scientist?”
“Formerly, but yes,” Quincy replied. “Don’t worry, he makes me nervous too…”
Antares took a seat on a luxurious couch, with it feeling quite nice and relaxing. “As frustrating as this is–and while I don’t like how he’s one of Sebastian’s cronies–he’s got an edge against Laurence, and apparently a secret weapon…”
Will sat next to Antares and groaned as he rubbed his face. “I mean–the enemy of my enemy is my friend…”
“Yeah…” Quincy agreed as he slouched in a chair. “I mean he’s polite enough, but still… I always get the feeling that we’re dealing with something beyond us…”
“Story of my life, given that I’m apparently a fragment of The Tyrant God,” Will noted like it was just a regular Tuesday, with the other two chuckling.
As he said that someone came walking down the stairs and just so happened to glance over to the lounge, smiling once he noticed who was there. “Boys, there you are!” Anton said as he came walking over. He was wearing a dark gray business suit, his black hair was tidy and combed back, and his apple-red eyes were as friendly and ready as ever. “Good to see you again, Will–I am terribly sorry about all this nonsense you have to go through…”
“Hey, Anton–good to see you again!” He said as he got up and shook his hand.
Anton noticed what he was wearing and subtly nodded–not expecting to see a product of The Homunculus Project all the way on Earth… then again he had long since become acquainted with Anderson Construct. “And I’m glad to see you’re doing alright, despite going toe to toe with my enemies. I never meant for you to get all wrapped up in this thankless war of mine, but unfortunately these things just happen.”
“Don’t worry about it, Anton–I met some really cool people at the guild and now I have Haze–”
“I’d say that’s a fair price, all things considered,” Haze asserted. “You seem weirdly familiar, Anton–but I can’t place it…”
Anton gave a chuckle that had a slight hint of anxiety that could just barely be picked up upon. “Yes, I get that a lot… Quincy, things go alright heading over to M.A.I.G.? You know how your mother is just starting to get the hang of void doors…”
“Everything’s a-okay!” he answered, quickly checking himself. “Do you guys think I could learn void magic? That was pretty cool…”
Anton laughed with endearment. “One step at a time, my boy–void magic is quite powerful compared to necromancy–Will can attest to that.”
“For real, Quincy–this isn’t something you can just read a book for,” Will insisted. “I was in the right place at the right time… having royally messed things up…”
“Oh?” Quincy had a rough idea, but he had only heard hearsay.
Will exhaled and chuckled, noticing the look Antares was giving him. “I went back in time in The Unlight and didn’t bring Faustus or Mira with me, so I needed something new given that my alchemy isn’t the greatest. Fortunately Queen Dunja knew exactly what I needed…”
“And she made a good call,” Anton added. “Dunja has always had a good judge of character, and great common sense–I’d argue stemming from her royal blood and her time on the streets during Shadowland’s roughest period prior to the occupation of The Eternal Church–the rule of the Vozenilek’s. Suffice it to say I would trust her with my life and then some.” Everyone nodded along, but Will had the weirdest feeling that Anton’s insight was derived from something he was not telling them… alas, more hearsay.
Antares got up and went to shake Anton’s hand. “So what’s the plan of attack, Anton?”
“Perfect timing, Lt. Colonel, as everyone is here and ready to discuss the nitty gritty of this future court case–I just need to get some things prepared and then Will can come in and talk with us. Will, are you okay with Abraham representing you and the other–”
“Wendelin?” Will interjected
Anton gave a soft sigh. “Yes…”
“Yeah–I’ve heard good things about Abraham from Milan and Victor.”
Anton clapped with a relieved smile. “Alright then–I’ll be back in a moment. Feel free to wander if you wish, just don’t get lost, haha.”
“Righty-o,” Will replied as they followed Anton out of the lounge, with him heading upstairs and to his office.
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Will stepped into the War Room only for his eyes to need to adjust to the white LED lights overhead. Things were calm as computers hummed, some staff moved back and forth, and the big screens displayed all sorts of data–but before he could properly take it all in and speak, someone announced his presence. “Will–where’d you come from!?” Trumna asked… he then realized the obvious as he lightly cleared his throat. “You’re here about Mr. Duckenfield, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Haze answered with a nod of Will’s hand.
Trumna sighed, got up, and brought Will over to a chair at the big table. “Don’t worry, son, we were well on it before he started posting…”
Antares walked over from one of the side tables with a subtle, anxious smile on his face and sat down next to Will. “There you are, Priv… Specialist–good lord, I’m still not used to that… Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan.”
“You do?” Will asked with a blink. “Can we sue him? Like… I know normally you don’t take someone to court over insults…”
“No no, Will, this is serious,” Reynard assured him as he stepped over, pushing up his glasses. “He’s leaking confidential information and directly attacking you… Although I’m a bit confused as to why he’s targeting you specifically–I figured he would have gone after Aalders or Lundberg…”
Antares then patted Will’s shoulder, trying to relieve his unease… and he was unsure if it was his or Will’s. “Anton saw this coming a mile away and he’s got something cooking to deal with this situation–I was about to call you, but I see you were already up and at ‘em…”
“An ice dam…” Will groaned. “Thankfully Mads is taking care of the flashing.”
“Good man, Will,” he replied with a chuckle. “So the plan is that we’re going to sue for defamation and espionage–and from what it sounds like we have a strong case against Laurence… um, for unconventional reasons.”
Will and Haze laughed, with Will shaking his head. “Unconventional? After all I’ve been through and been told about?”
“You know Anton, Will–he’s always looking out for us–”
“Of course. Kind of surprised he didn’t show up during Red River given some of the things I’ve heard…”
This piqued Reynard’s curiosity as retrieved a small cloth from his vest pocket to clean his glasses. “What have you heard, Will?”
He stroked his chin and thought back a bit. “No one has talked to me directly about it, but I overhear his name brought up by the higher-ups at the guild from time to time–I always think ‘wait, our Anton?’ but never really pursue the issue. I suppose I should have asked… but then again I’m a bit used to top secret stuff, given the missions I’ve been on.” This was met by an approving node from Antares–not because he wanted to keep secrets from him, but rather it showed that Will was taking his job seriously.
“I see,” Reynard said with a subtle smile, figuring it was a good time to ask Will an interesting question… “Will, me and some of the others like Milan, Victor, Lundberg, Anton, and your impending lawyer like to get together to tackle the issues we don’t normally talk about. They’re fun little get-togethers, so would you be interested in hanging out with us? It’d be no worse than what you experienced in The Unlight.”
Will was not sure what to make of that invitation, as he knew there was something more to it. “I mean, it sounds interesting…”
Reynard smiled, knowing Will would be on the fence. “Give it some thought, the offer will remain open no matter what–we really think you’d be a great help to us.” Before Antares could ask about this–as was his right to do so given that he was vaguely familiar with what Reynard was referencing, they were interrupted by Hannah coming in and barking happily to go see Will, followed by two people entering the War Room.
“Hey, Hannah!” Will said as the happy German shepherd barked and tried to lick his face. “Who’s a good girl?”
“Easy, girl,” Reynard said as he gently grabbed Hannah by the collar to calm her down.
“Weatherman!” Jackson called out as he walked up with the other man. “Sorry you had to go through all this bullshit…” Notably he had been outside given that he was still wearing his bulky winter coat.
“Hey, Jack–I mean, I’ve been through worse at Dust Gullet Gulch and in the past, so I guess we’ll just have to lawyer up…”
“Well it looks like we’ve got just the people you need…” he said as he indicated for the other man to step forward.
The man chuckled as he straightened out his coat. He was quite odd, dressed in what could best be described as ‘urban-fantasy’ fashion–Victorian-styled clothing with belts all over, adorned with a red trench coat. It was clear that he was insanely wealthy and had the ambition to wear whatever he wanted out in public as a means of flaunting his status. His hair was mind-length dark purple brushed to the sides, and his reddish-purple eyes indicated someone who was a bit more than just a pampered rich kid. “Perfect timing, Will, as we got all the money you need to drag this out as long as you want–and one of the best lawyers around!” His belts could be heard creaking as straightened out his trench coat, his pride ringing out through his voice.
Will gave him an incredulous look with a smile, like he had just reunited with an old friend–not necessarily a close friend, but one who certainly kept things lively. “Quincy–
“Quincy Aster!” Haze announced as he pulled Will up out of his chair to visually inspect the eccentrically-dressed man. “Will’s rich friend always trying to be a mage through spending money on the best books possible–”
“You read my memories again, didn’t you?” Will questioned, with Haze using his hand to nod again.
Quincy laughed and shook his head. “Not only do we have the means for the court case, but I finally learned magic–so I should be able to keep you safe should things get hairy–”
Will exhaled and put his hand on Quincy’s shoulder, noting how durable the coat felt despite its opulence. “Quincy, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again–you can’t buy magic…”
“HAHA, that’s where you’re wrong, Will!” He said as he stepped away to give himself some space. “I’ll admit I wasn’t having luck with the books I bought, BUT NO MORE! With a little help, my mom found the codex I needed and now I’m a bonafide necromancer!” he said as he pointed at Will. “Who says you can’t buy magic?”
Will inhaled and exhaled again–his neck starting to vent smoke, recalling all the times he chatted with Quincy over the internet, having to correct him on so many flawed perceptions of magic he had. “What book did you buy this time?”
He smiled with a satisfied grin. “The Crimson Codex–an original copy too!”
Instead of Will’s mouth dropping, his head bounced off with a plume of olive green smoke exploding from his neck. “EXCUSE ME?” he cried as his body went to pick him back up–which had notably better accuracy thanks to Haze. “You guys realize how expensive and rare that book is, right!?” he pointed out as he screwed his head back on.
“Nine hundred thousand dollars,” Quincy clarified with restrained pride. “Mom was on the fence given the price tag, but it paid off…”
“Be careful with books like those, Quincy,” Reynard warned. “You’re starting to tread into knowledge outside the confines of this universe–you realize legend says that The Crimson God himself helped write those codices?”
“Erm, yeah… our source did caution us about that…”
“Okay then…” Will said as he calmed down. “Before we get into that, what does Anton want to do with this?”
“Anton brought on Abraham Van Helsing to represent you,” Reynard answered. “As you know he’s a good friend of ours, and will also be representing another…”
“Another?” Will wondered.
Antares nodded and groaned, a little nervous. “Yeah–there’s another rich cat who has a bone to pick with Laurence and… well, it’s better if you meet him in person.”
“Ominous…” Will commented. He then took a second to think about it and turned back to Quincy. “Alright, Quincy–who’d you partner up with?”
Quincy rubbed his gloved hands together and giggled, super giddy to show Will his progress–It was about time he recognized his potential. “Give me one second…” he then pulled off his glove and put his fingers into his mouth to whistle. “Oh Tudor!” Things were quiet for a second, with Quincy realizing Tudor had not heard him… “Dang it–Sorry, Tudor likes to listen to music–Tudor!” he called out with a hand to his mouth.
A second later a cloud of a shiny red, smoke-like material appeared in the room, with Hannah eagerly barking at it. Appearing from the cloud was a devil who had similarly shiny, cherry red skin, combed back long hair, and the kindest blue eyes that said he was a cool dude. “Sorry about that, Quincy! I was grooving to some classic rock tunes and what not–oh shoot, is this him?” Quincy nodded with a smile on his face. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Will! I’m Tudor Alerado Wolf–a rubber devil with a thing for fun…” he said as he offered his handshake.
“Ow, hey!” Will replied with a laugh as he took his hand away, having felt a quick jolt.
Tudor revealed a joy-buzzer device, teleported it away, and laughed. “Sorry, I’ve always wanted to do that! Ahem, Quincy’s been really hitting the books to catch up with you and that’s something to be admired. I’ll be happy to work alongside you guys and deal with whatever The Eternal Order throws at us!”
Will smiled and went to grab Quincy’s hand for an arm-wrestle handshake. “Well done, Quince–it takes a lot to form a pact with a devil.”
Quincy tightened his grip in solidarity, feeling the need to put his joy on hold for a second. “I’m glad you were able to come out of the Red River Incident unscathed–”
“Mostly, ha!”
“Still–Sebastian is ruthless, and we can attest to that,” he said, clearly indicating his parents.
Antares put his hands on his hips, thoroughly impressed with Quincy’s magic. “Shoot, want to join the squad, Kid? I know you joked about paying your way into The Liger Brigade before, but that’s some serious potential right there…”
“CAN I?!” Quincy asked in a high pitched voice, startling Antares, but quickly corrected himself. “Ahem, I mean–Lt. Colonel, sir!” he said with a salute. “It would be an honor, sir!”
Antares laughed as he dusted off the shoulder of his uniform. “Haha, at ease, Quincy. You’ll still have to go through some evaluations and sign some paperwork, but we’ll get the ball rolling. Think you got what it takes? Think you can bring something new to the table?”
“Of course!” he cried, then composed himself by straightening out his coat (even though it did not need it). “Here, come with me! Oh mom?” On cue a void door of all things appeared.
“So Morgane is a voidcaller now?” Antares asked as he stepped over, following Will, Quincy, and Tudor.
“Has been,” Quincy confirmed as he opened the door into his mansion. “Alright, Trumna, sir–I’m going to take Will to talk to Anton and Abraham!”
“Keep us posted just in case you guys need any help–best of luck to you, Will.”
“And tell those two we said hi,” Reynard added as he petted Hannah, who barked in support.
The Aster mansion–a French mansion that looked quite beautiful and majestic–was actually north of Red River City, but using void doors was quicker and more convenient, given all of the snow on the ground. Flanked by trees of the old forests of the hill it sat on, it seemed incredibly cozy at first glance, with the interior strengthening that feeling. Inside consisted of a mix of classical to English countryside decor and design, lit with spectacular skylights in some spots and large windows that gave a lovely view of the outside. Throughout the home were breathtaking paintings and impeccable sculptures–all of it a mix of pieces that were crafted by Morgane herself and ones that were bought for their beauty. Will had been to the mansion on missions before, but they were always brief, which always bummed out Quincy.
“Shame we couldn’t attend the wedding,” Antares said as he handed Quincy his coat as they stepped around the spacious foyer. He took off his boots given that they were a little dirty–his socks were not much better, but there was nothing he could do about that.
“You know how it is–you have Sebastian and his goons after you, so you have to do it in secret for some reason…” Quincy pointed out as he set their coats aside. “My late father would have said ‘I don’t care,’ but I understand Anton’s attitude given some of the stuff I’ve overheard.”
Will spun around slowly taking in the atmosphere and exhaled. “You’re not having any problems with your flashing, right, Quincy?”
“Nah–why, are you?” He then put two and two together. “Oh–shoot, sorry, Will. Do you need any help?”
“Don’t worry, I got someone on it…” Will passed by a splendid tropical plant with large leaves in an elegant vase and gently ran his fingers along one of the blades. “So where’s Anton?”
Quincy looked around and nodded at the absence. “Probably talking to Abraham and… well…”
“Is it who I think it is?” Antares asked as Quincy started to lead them down a hall to a lounge with a view of the snow-covered gardens. Quincy nodded with a nervous smile as Tudor wished him luck and returned to what he was doing, vanishing in a cloud of red smoke. “Alright… Will? Don’t freak out, but the other person is Wendelin Kiefer…”
That sent a chill down Will’s spine, and even Haze shuddered. “Him? The former Nazi scientist?”
“Formerly, but yes,” Quincy replied. “Don’t worry, he makes me nervous too…”
Antares took a seat on a luxurious couch, with it feeling quite nice and relaxing. “As frustrating as this is–and while I don’t like how he’s one of Sebastian’s cronies–he’s got an edge against Laurence, and apparently a secret weapon…”
Will sat next to Antares and groaned as he rubbed his face. “I mean–the enemy of my enemy is my friend…”
“Yeah…” Quincy agreed as he slouched in a chair. “I mean he’s polite enough, but still… I always get the feeling that we’re dealing with something beyond us…”
“Story of my life, given that I’m apparently a fragment of The Tyrant God,” Will noted like it was just a regular Tuesday, with the other two chuckling.
As he said that someone came walking down the stairs and just so happened to glance over to the lounge, smiling once he noticed who was there. “Boys, there you are!” Anton said as he came walking over. He was wearing a dark gray business suit, his black hair was tidy and combed back, and his apple-red eyes were as friendly and ready as ever. “Good to see you again, Will–I am terribly sorry about all this nonsense you have to go through…”
“Hey, Anton–good to see you again!” He said as he got up and shook his hand.
Anton noticed what he was wearing and subtly nodded–not expecting to see a product of The Homunculus Project all the way on Earth… then again he had long since become acquainted with Anderson Construct. “And I’m glad to see you’re doing alright, despite going toe to toe with my enemies. I never meant for you to get all wrapped up in this thankless war of mine, but unfortunately these things just happen.”
“Don’t worry about it, Anton–I met some really cool people at the guild and now I have Haze–”
“I’d say that’s a fair price, all things considered,” Haze asserted. “You seem weirdly familiar, Anton–but I can’t place it…”
Anton gave a chuckle that had a slight hint of anxiety that could just barely be picked up upon. “Yes, I get that a lot… Quincy, things go alright heading over to M.A.I.G.? You know how your mother is just starting to get the hang of void doors…”
“Everything’s a-okay!” he answered, quickly checking himself. “Do you guys think I could learn void magic? That was pretty cool…”
Anton laughed with endearment. “One step at a time, my boy–void magic is quite powerful compared to necromancy–Will can attest to that.”
“For real, Quincy–this isn’t something you can just read a book for,” Will insisted. “I was in the right place at the right time… having royally messed things up…”
“Oh?” Quincy had a rough idea, but he had only heard hearsay.
Will exhaled and chuckled, noticing the look Antares was giving him. “I went back in time in The Unlight and didn’t bring Faustus or Mira with me, so I needed something new given that my alchemy isn’t the greatest. Fortunately Queen Dunja knew exactly what I needed…”
“And she made a good call,” Anton added. “Dunja has always had a good judge of character, and great common sense–I’d argue stemming from her royal blood and her time on the streets during Shadowland’s roughest period prior to the occupation of The Eternal Church–the rule of the Vozenilek’s. Suffice it to say I would trust her with my life and then some.” Everyone nodded along, but Will had the weirdest feeling that Anton’s insight was derived from something he was not telling them… alas, more hearsay.
Antares got up and went to shake Anton’s hand. “So what’s the plan of attack, Anton?”
“Perfect timing, Lt. Colonel, as everyone is here and ready to discuss the nitty gritty of this future court case–I just need to get some things prepared and then Will can come in and talk with us. Will, are you okay with Abraham representing you and the other–”
“Wendelin?” Will interjected
Anton gave a soft sigh. “Yes…”
“Yeah–I’ve heard good things about Abraham from Milan and Victor.”
Anton clapped with a relieved smile. “Alright then–I’ll be back in a moment. Feel free to wander if you wish, just don’t get lost, haha.”
“Righty-o,” Will replied as they followed Anton out of the lounge, with him heading upstairs and to his office.
Next:
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Comments
Post a Comment