ultramagicalternate

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Babel Chapter 3

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“I know you have reservations about Lia, Tusk, but I did help her escape what was left of The Eternal Church,” Serjiel noted as the group made their way down a sconce-lit corridor. “I wouldn’t have done so if there wasn’t potential for her to benefit our cause.”

“Seriously? Why-wait, you just said why… er,  maybe how instead?”

“Someone tipped me off with a card, and in hindsight, it was probably Waramunt given the help he is providing right now.”

Adriana stopped the group for a moment, seeming annoyed as to be expected. “You had Lia in your grasp-why didn’t you turn her over to The Iron City right then and there?”

Serjiel glanced around, thinking he had heard something skittering run by. He did not like it and indicated for the group to resume walking. “It crossed my mind, but evidently she had some things she needed to take care of… and given our current circumstances, I’d dare say that was for the best…” he was clearly indicating Odo and Buster.

“Inconvenient on an intel gathering front, but I suppose I can let it slide given the work she’s clearly doing for us…”

“Lia’s been really kind to us and we’ve helped her foil a few Eternal Church plots along the way, Captain,” Buster added. “I guess they were still kicking even after Milosh got electrocuted out of existence.” Odo nodded alongside these statements.

“Well then, I’ll just have to ask her about those when we finally get to questioning her,” said Adriana.

“If it’s any consolation, my brother, Xertho, would have gotten on my case for my actions given the chaos the Lich put us through,” Serjiel admitted. “And I am sure Zerjo and Zehsellia would also have something to say.”

“Have you talked to your siblings recently, Serjiel?” Buster inquired.

“I’ve sent them letters, but I haven’t seen them in person since I left to pursue The Lich.”

“Aw, you should go see them after we’re done here.”

Serjiel smiled. “I presume they’d want to hear the good news straight from the horse’s mouth.” His mood then shifted back to alert when he heard the skittering again… a little louder this time, and his concern was being noticed by the others.

Tusk stuck his head out of the corridor and into an intersecting hall, then signaled for the group to move once he was sure the coast was clear enough… The sound of rodents sent his instincts into fight or flight mode. “Well given that you and Helymyhot weakened the Lich in time for Leif, Blood, Vlastimir, and I to kick his bony keister to the next life, you should definitely update them on that.”

“Helymyhot?” Buster inquired as he looked around the wide open hall, which was illuminated by a grand chandelier. “Who’s that, Serjiel?”

“The dark angel who mentored me when I joined Heaven’s armies to combat The Lich,” Serjiel answered.

“He also helped us out with the Chaos Wasp invasion,” Yoshihiro added. “With his assistance we greatly weakened the emperor wasp, Xerxinnidus.”

The group froze in the center of the room when Adriana held her hand up. “Hold up, we’ve got company…”

A faint cacophony of skittering and chittering could be heard all over, causing the group to look around in a panic. Odo and Buster on the other hand knew exactly who it was, with the former readying his sword. He flicked the blade like a tuning fork, lighting the organic metal up with wild, blue electricity that danced around the weapon like it was just waiting to fight. The room went silent for a moment, with the still being pierced by the horrid screeching of a rat that had leapt from the shadows towards Buster. Odo shoved his brother behind Tusk and ran his sword through the dog-sized cretin, pinning it to the ground. A torrent of cerulean lightning roared into the rat, setting it on fire as the objectionable smell of burnt meat assailed everyone’s noses.

Odo could not help but give a maddened, mocking laugh as he withdrew his blade. “HAHA, anyone want some well done rat steaks?” He quickly cleaned the rancid, blighted blood off his blade as he did not want the foul stench festering on his weapon. The others were giving him incredulous looks for one reason or another, questioning his mental state.

“Brother, are you sure you’re okay?” Buster started to ask…

“MONSTER!!” A whiny, tenor-sounding voice from the second floor balcony shrieked. “NOW HE CANNOT FEED THE SWEET, DELECTABLE ROT!!”

Emerging from the hallways of the left and right corner ahead of the group was a swarm of sickly, ravenous rats. All of them looked utterly nasty, with maturated wounds, knotted fur, and glazed over eyes that would have glowed in the dark. Their teeth and claws were chipped and crooked, making them an unpleasant sight to witness. Looking up from the disgusting horde, the group saw Valdemaras Dykstra himself. He was a 12 foot tall, upright rat, who had the lower body of a rodent with a torso similar to that of a man. His eyes were pitch black, his groomed fur was brown, and multiple spiraled horns emerged from his head. Valdemaras was vastly more well-kept than his underlings, indicating his status amongst them.

Valdemaras snarled, looking like he was ready to fight. “MY FELLOW RATS!” he called out, causing them to look up. “My brood of corruption, harbingers of the sweet sweet rot-The vile fiend, Odo Ash, has once again deprived our brothers of the glory of feeding the invigorating, succulent decay that we so desperately relish and need in these blackened nights on the eve of the long awaited Sepulcher Cosmos!” The rats howled with an ear-grating war cry, causing the group to recoil.

“Brother, did you have to anger them again!?” Buster protested.

“Wait, again?!” Yoshihiro exclaimed.

Odo spat on the dead rat and summoned his shield. “So what? I say let them come-I’ll kill them all!”

“...HANGING’S TOO GOOD FOR HIM!” Valdemaras cried. “BURNING’S TOO GOOD FOR HIM!” Valdemaras shouted. “HE SHOULD BE TURNED INTO LITTLE PIECES AND BE BURIED ALIVE!!” Valdemaras roared. “KILL HIM! KILL THEM ALL!! And bring me Buster Ash alive!!”

As the rats screeched and reared up to attack, Serjiel prepared both of his arcane revolvers. “Lock and load, everyone!!”

“Ah, allow me, gentlemen,” Adriana said as she held up her hand again, followed by her pulling an oversized rotary cannon out of a screaming vortex of insanity-laced chaos. “Cover your ears and stand back!” she warned as the barrel began spinning, the eldritch runes on the chassis glowing like fire.

A torrent of ammunition rocketed out of the cannon, with the rats being utterly obliterated in a squall of mayhem and confusion. The red hot shells flying out the side revealed that Adriana was firing slugs rather than standard bullets. She began maniacally laughing and the group was unsure whether or not to be afraid of Valdemaras or her. The ear shattering symphony of destruction coming from the unholy weapon made Adriana seem more like a war-hungry goddess of fire arms than one of the Blades of Dunja. Valdemaras was paralyzed in disbelief as he watched his kin be wiped out before his very eyes. Breaking out of his stupor, he leapt down, charging right for Buster in the hopes of taking advantage of Adriana���s blind fury.

“OVER MY DEAD BODY!” Odo shouted as he intercepted Valdemaras with an electrically charged great mace to the rat’s head. Had the others been able to pay attention they would have noticed Odo’s sword had seemingly vanished, only for him to correct them that the great mace was his sword.

“FOUR ELEMENTS: RAGING STAMPEDE!” Yoshiro called out as a fiery, purple aura flared up around him. He then unleashed a barrage of devastating punches that culminated in one big one that sent Valdemaras flying into the far wall.

“WHEW, that felt good!” Adriana celebrated after her magazine was spent.

“Not to rain on your parade, Captain, but we’re not done yet!” Serjiel pointed out as he shot some of the straggler rats, indicating the recovering Valdemaras.

“Persistent little vermin, isn’t he…” Adriana signaled for Buster and Tusk to run over to her, then scanned the hall for a viable escape. “Quick, the rear right corner corridor!”

Valdemaras roared like a bear crossed with a rat as the group retreated, running after them in a fervent rage. Buster was scared as his enemy thundered after them down the hallway, refusing to look behind him. Tusk thankfully had an idea, just needing a way to block off the big rat and… bingo! A large, ornate lever was just ahead of them. Tusk snapped his fingers as his eyes glowed brightly, causing a swarm of small fireballs to distract Valdemaras. Once everyone was where he needed them, Tusk went for the mechanism. The thick, metal rod had not been moved in some time, causing it to be hard to pull. Just as Valdemaras resumed his chase and with a good strong yank of the lever, a metal wall came slamming down with a loud crash. The hallway was sealed off and Valdemaras could be heard yelling and banging on the gate, cursing them for getting away.

“Alright, we should be safe for now…” Tusk said as he leaned up against a wall with a sigh of relief.

“Impressive quick thinking, Tusk,” Adriana complimented as she dissipated her gun. “Is it any wonder you were able to help Leif defeat The Lich?”

“Well hey, do or die situations really light a fire under your ass, what else can I say?”

Buster nodded as they began walking, still a little on edge. “Adriana, what was that weapon? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

She smiled as she straightened out her uniform, feeling a bit of pride. “The Annihilator, an ENCOM Special Arms weapon. And yes, it was indeed a shotgun rotary cannon…”

“Excuse me, what!?” Serjiel said as they entered a large hall full of archways supported by majestic columns. “Did I just hear that correctly? How in the blue blazes would anyone be able to create such an abomination-such a monstrosity of a firearm!?”

“Magic,” Adriana replied. “A lot of magic to keep it from exploding and taking your arms clean off.”

Serjiel was beside himself in disbelief and slightly appalled at the insanity he had witnessed. “Right, forgot I’m dealing with Requiem Cosmos logic…”

“Requiem Cosmos?” Buster questioned. “There’s another Cosmos?”

“Oh boy, he doesn’t know about it and it’s a doozy of a subject we don’t have the time to explain…” Tusk noted.

“I mean, I’ve heard of it in passing, but that’s it…”

Odo patted Buster on the shoulder, facing Tusk. “Well let’s at least wait until we find Lia then, as The Reverse Serpent slithering around The Abyssal Dungeon is quite concerning…” he concluded, then stopped upon sensing something dreadful.

Odo then indicated for the group to remain quiet as he stepped aside to focus and listen for something. At first there was nothing… Then came a soft rumble. Silence, followed by a stronger rumble that everyone noticed. In the far, far distance of a vastly long hallway, the most distant wall could be faintly seen lighting up orange or yellow. A bellowing roar was heard, sending chills up everyone’s spine and leaving Odo in a cold sweat. He knew who it was, as it was a foul villain Lia had warned him of. Odo began frantically looking around for an escape as the rumbles increased in frequency, continuing to scare everyone.

“Odo, what’s wrong?” Adriana inquired.

“Gudrun…” he muttered amidst shaky breathing.

“Gudrun!? Are you absolutely sure about that?” she questioned, with Odo nodding. “Not good, not good at all. Everyone get ready…”

“NO, we have to run, now!”

Ozymandias then came running up, looking gravely worried. “Thank goodness, you’re all here! Everyone, head down to the waterways!” he instructed as he pointed to the simplistic, yet old fashioned-looking, metal cage elevator. “Stay down there and wait until I give the all clear!”

“Okay-okay-okay!” Buster panicked as he started to hyperventilate, the others trying to get him to hurry into the cabin.

The tower arbiter could sense the fear in the younger Ash sibling and felt his heart ache. And to think he had a hand in this chaos, even if it was a long time ago… “Don’t panic, Buster,” he reassured as he knelt down. “I won’t let Gudrun or Valdemaras get you. I promise on my word and honor as a god.”

“O-okay…” Buster said as he swallowed hard, regaining his composure. “If that overgrown lizard hurts you, I’ll blast her straight to kingdom come!” he declared as he got into the elevator.

Ozymandias laughed, feeling like a proud father. “Don’t worry, Buster, I’ll make sure she doesn’t get one over on me and regrets desecrating this tower.” As the elevator closed its doors and rattled downwards, he sighed. “Poor lad, and to think I could have averted all of this…”

“Well it’s never too late to make a difference, my dear,” a female voice said. The entity that walked up was a woman made of metal and water, yet the water was an opaque blue and behaved like fluid plasma, glowing with a faint, azure light.

“Perfect timing, Tereza, as we have an old friend who is not welcome here right now…”

Tereza grinned as another bellowing roar sounded off. “No doubt that insufferable Hecate sent her to cause trouble and clean up after The Vulture God’s incompetence. Perhaps a nice anti-ice storm will help our darling Gudrun cool off,” she boasted as violent winds of driving rain whipped up around her.

“And don’t worry about the Ash’s. They're heading down towards the water ways where they’ll meet up with Lia and Waramunt.”

“Very good,” Tereza complimented as she created a sword of ice. “Waramunt doesn’t belong in this time period, but at least he’s keeping The Eternal Order on their toes. A baffling state of affairs, but I can’t say I’m too surprised after the chaos I dealt with in The Requiem Cosmos…”

“Indeed, now let’s go!” Ozymandias interrupted, with them starting to run down the hallway.

Next:

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Babel Chapter 2

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“That’s one less member of The Eternal Order we have to deal with then…” Adriana noted, a bit shook up.

“I am dreadfully sorry all of you had to see that display of uncouth brutality,” Ozymanias apologized as he picked up a fallen bookshelf, with the stewards and librarians working to put the disheveled books back. “The ghosts of the past always pick the worst possible times to show up.”

Tusk took a breath to settle his rattled nerves as he handed a book to one of the stewards. “Killing a god, never thought I’d see it for myself…”

“Normally I would leave that dirty work to The Madman of Old and his company of rogue god hunters, but obviously desperate times call for desperate measures,” Ozymandias replied as the group followed him to his podium.

“And I take it that you and that god had a bit of history?” Yoshihiro inquired. The Vulture God’s ‘traitor’ accusations had him incredibly curious.

Ozymandias paused and quietly sighed. “It’s in the past, Mr. Higasa. The vermin he brought to the tower is of bigger concern at the moment.” He then turned his attention to Serjiel. “Thank you greatly for the assistance. We owe you a debt of gratitude.”

The demon bowed. “It was an honor, Tower Arbiter. Now in regards to Odo and Lia, what are their whereabouts?”

An alchemist in black and gold robes stepped forward. He had messy, black hair and wore crooked glasses, but looked incredibly smart regardless. “Hello, Serjiel, everyone. I am Cornelius Spurius Andriessen, and I spoke to both of them last.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Cornelius,” Serjiel replied as they shook hands. “You feel familiar, no doubt about it…”

“Haha, well that’s because I’m from Universe-17, like you. I was kind of forced out of my community due to the odd things I studied, so I decided the tower was my true home. Their loss, I say.” There was a very subtle hint of resentment in his voice. And even though it seemed like there was more to the story, it felt obvious that Cornelius’ old community was in the wrong.

Adriana chuckled in sympathy, as her sense for talent was going off. “Well it can’t be any worse than what I studied to combat the Undead Plague alongside ENCOM. I’d dare say you’re better off here, Mr. Andriessen.”

Yoshihiro also had to chuckle, picking up on the irony. “The tower can’t be all bad, aye, Serjiel?”

Serjiel smiled and shook his head, as such optimism would have been shot down immediately back when he and his kin were dealing with the tower so long ago. “Despite all of the chaos it causes, the tower can lead to great good, enlightenment, and progress. I will concede it’s not all bad. Now, Cornelius, Odo and Lia?”

“Right, indeed!” Cornelius got out a slender, metal wand from his belt and waved it around. The tip glowed like a star and in a mist of shining dust appeared a three dimensional map of the tower made of a magical, light-construct material. He then used his wand to grab a part of it, causing the map to zoom in on a section of the tower with two blinking dots. “Odo and Lia were set to rendezvous here, but were separated. Odo ended up in the Eastern Astronomy Chamber and Lia made her way towards the Fire Minor Library.”

“Is Buster still with Odo?” Tusk asked with justified concern in his voice.

“As far as I know, yes. And given that Valdemaras and his rats haven’t left…”

“Valdemaras Dykstra. Ludwig and Rostislav warned me about that cretin right before they returned to the future. A nasty son of a gun from Universe-0X”

“And they were right to do so,” Ozymandias put in. “Ranking amongst the upper echelons of The Eternal Order, Valdemaras was sought out to replace The Rat God after he was discovered dead. Valdemaras is a truly vile creature, but he has none of his rot to feed on here. Still, I don’t expect you four to deal with him as that will be my responsibility. Although if the opportunity to deal the final blow arises…”

“An honor we shall happily accept,” Serjiel assured. He then looked at the map, memorizing where they needed to go. “Now, Cornelius, which way amongst these halls would be the most ideal for us to take?”

He pointed to a series of hallways leading straight to the chamber. “This is the most surefire way to get to Odo. And since it is the closest to us right now, you can take this path over here which should give you a straight away to Lia at the Fire Minor Library. As for Lia’s state of affairs, don’t worry, an interloper named Waramunt Cuyler appears to be helping her. We don’t know too much about him… Well, Ozymandias does, but he’s keeping his lips sealed on the matter…” Cornelius seemed a little annoyed, with Ozymandias chuckling to himself in a way that indicated there was more to the situation with a dash of cosmic irony that was lost on everyone else. “Regardless of our lack of knowledge, Waramunt has made it abundantly clear that he is opposed to The Eternal Order.”

“Not ideal, but an ally is an ally…” Adriana calmly complained.

Tusk was all too familiar with higher entities being secretive, so he shrugged it off and accepted a paper map from one of the stewards. “No use groaning about it, let’s get moving. We don’t have all day…”

“One thing first,” Serjiel interjected as he walked over to Ozymandias to hand him a letter. Notably the envelope had an obsidian-like quality to it with cracks like glowing lava all over it. “From The Vermilion King about you-know-what…”

He nodded as he inspected the message. “Very well… Stewards, resume your duties and let me know if anything serious occurs. I shall return to my duties momentarily.” Ozymandias then left the grand hall, vanishing into a cloud of golden smoke as he exited through the side entrance.

“Alright, let’s get moving, now that that’s all squared away,” Serjiel said as he rejoined the group, only to be stopped by Adriana. “Is there a problem, Captain?”

“What was in that letter? What does The Vermilion King want with Ozymandias? Explain yourself, as this is a breach of trust.”

Serjiel remained still, hoping Adriana would lose interest. She did not, as to be expected from an ENCOM officer. “It is something that must remain a secret for the time being…”

She stomped her foot. “I will not tolerate insubordination, Serjiel.”

“With all due respect, Captain; for the sake of the Cosmos, yes, you will. Now let’s get moving before Valdemaras gets ahead of us.” As he walked around her, Adriana glanced over to Tusk and Yoshihiro who nodded in acceptance. She groaned, displeased over things being out of her control.

The walk to the Eastern Astronomy Chamber was an eerie one as all was quiet. Not a soul other than the four could be found, with occasional small talk breaking the silence every now and then. A reverence for the stars of the Cosmos could be observed as they walked down the Gothic-Victorian corridors, containing small touches of the demonic in the form of statues of gargoyles keeping watch from the niches and buttresses. The ceiling depicted a grand night sky beyond comprehension that became vastly more detailed as they approached the region of the Eastern Astronomy Chamber. Truthfully it reminded Tusk of a place Deimos, The Mage of Old, would frequent and spend his time in.

Entering the chamber itself was a wondrous experience as there were bookshelves and astronomical instruments as far as the eye could see. The elegant sconces and chandeliers lit up the marvelous gold and wooden library as astronomers and librarians went about their daily business. They were busy reading, tending to the instruments, moving books around, taking notes, and scanning the sky outside with their powerful telescopes to discover all that they could. All of it was a serene sight to behold, topped off with the elegance and beauty of the Gothic-Roman construction of the chamber.

A female librarian with long, brown hair noticed the group and walked over to address them. “Greetings, I trust all of you are the group sent by The ULTRAMagic Guild? I’m Tacita Montagne, the chief librarian here.”

“Yes we are and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Tacita,” Tusk replied as he shook her hand. “Are Odo and Buster still here?”

“Indeed, one second.” She then turned to a set of book shelves on the right side of the library, next to a staircase heading to the upper floors. “Sir Odo? Help has arrived.”

Emerging from the myriad bookshelves was a man clad in organic, bone-like armor. His hair was periwinkle in color and his eyes were blue from the scleras to the irises with a soft glow. Odo went straight to Tusk and gave him a hug. “Tusk, thank goodness you made it.”

“Don’t worry, Odo, we won’t let anything bad happen to you or Buster… speaking of which, where is he?”

“Buster,” Odo called out. “The guild’s here.”

“Are they for real this time?”

Odo sighed. “We’ve had a few charlatans try to trick us. Thankfully Ozymandias put a stop to that right quick.”

Buster was a little nervous, but carefully approached the group after emerging from under the staircase. His armor was smooth, charcoal black, and had an ashen gray cape. As for his eyes, they were just like Odo’s but red. His hair was slate gray and a little messy, indicating he had not had time to straighten it out. “He-hey, Tusk, it’s been a while…”

Tusk hugged him too. “Good to see you again, buddy.”

Upon noticing something different about Tusk, Buster took a step back. “Tusk, have you been working out?”

He chuckled as he flexed his muscles, showing off his macho physique. “Hey, I got to keep the missus, my family, and the forest safe after all.”

“The missus?” Buster gasped a little. “Tusk, you and Donia got married?!”

“Yes indeed! And we’re planning to have a kid once we’re sure things are calm enough…”

“Very good, Tusk,” Adriana interrupted, earning a look of annoyance. “Gentlemen, I am Captain Adriana Hawthorne of The Blades of Dunja and we are here to find Lia Ascher and get you into hiding, Buster.”

“Oh, well thank you very much, Captain,” Buster replied.

“Now obviously I don’t need to introduce you any further, Odo,” Tusk noted. “Buster, this is Serjiel.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Buster,” he said as they shook hands. “I’ve been waiting for the tower to appear for some time and I promise you that both of you will make it out of this predicament safe and sound.”

Tusk then brought over Yoshihiro. “And this is Yoshihiro Higasa. He’s from the center of the lake.”

“Nice to meet you, Buster,” Yoshihiro said as he also shook his hand. “I’m an aura master and if we can’t get you into hiding, I have friends at The Lake World Investigation Organization that will keep you safe.”

“Thanks, Yoshihiro, I greatly appreciate it,” said Buster. “Don’t worry though, as Odo has a plan…” He then noticed Odo taking a seat and giving an exasperated sigh, making him feel a little awkward. Odo was not mad at him, just stressed out. “Um yeah, Tusk, Lia told me about the Droomopolis incident in the Realm of Chaos…”

Tusk was a little surprised. “Oh, really? Err, yeah, that…”

“She’s really sorry about the trouble she caused and the recliner comment, wanting to make it up to you.”

“Oh?”

“Mm-hm. She’s been really helpful in helping us hide. It’s quite the contrary to what I’ve been told about her.”

“Well I’ll be damned, she really did turn things around…” Tusk remarked. “Odo, what happened to you? You went radio silent right after our encounter with Valerie a year ago…”

Odo sighed again, then groaned in frustration. It was clear that a lot of pressure was weighing on his shoulders. “I’m not going to sugar coat it and I’ve already laid it out plain and clear to Buster: Lia is certain Karnage wants Buster for something relating to The Tyrant God. Waramunt is corroborating this, making it dire that we get Buster into hiding as soon as possible.”

Tusk scratched the back of his head in worry. “That’s not good, not good at all… and given that you’re both fragments of The Tyrant God alongside the other Vector-Children? I don’t even want to know what that crooked blaggard has in mind…”

“Who is this Waramunt, if you don’t mind me asking, Odo?” Adriana inquired.

“No idea, but he has uncanny insider information that’s proved invaluable. It’s unsettling, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“Right…” Adriana was not thrilled about the mystery surrounding whoever Waramunt was, but it was just something she was going to have to accept until she could meet him herself. Whatever methods Waramunt was employing to keep the Ash siblings safe seemed to be working. “So where is Lia exactly then? You two have been indicating that she’s been with you up until now.”

Odo took an uneasy breath, rubbing his face with his hands. “We got separated when Valdemaras launched a sneak attack on us. Lia’s got some of her own insider information to protect herself, so don’t worry about her for right now.”

“The librarians at the Fire Minor Library have confirmed that she made it and is hiding out here,” Tacita confirmed as she set an ornate phone down. “It’s well guarded, so I doubt Valdemaras would be able to break in.”

“Yeah, but it’s not breaking in that we have to worry about. It’s moving between locations we need to be careful of…”

“Well either way we have our destination set,” Serjiel declared. “Let’s go find Lia, hopefully run into Waramunt, and continue our plans from there. We’re up against rats and shadow constructs, so strength in numbers should benefit us in case the worst case scenario occurs. The Vulture God is dead, so we have that going for us.”

Odo got up, cracked his neck, and straightened out his cape. “So that’s what we sensed a little bit ago…” He then patted Buster on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s get moving. Buster, have your arm cannon ready, as I know we’re going to have to kill some rodents along the way.”

“Ri-right, will do, brother,” he confirmed. Adriana was a bit concerned as she had no idea what Odo meant by ‘arm cannon’ and Buster’s nervousness was not reassuring.

Tusk held up his right hand, causing the blood-red gem embedded in his leather and steel plated gauntlet to wildly spark with crimson electricity. “Don’t worry, Buster. I’ve been practicing my alchemy since Droomopolis. Valdemaras is in for a nasty surprise if he even thinks we can’t bite back. Mark my words.”

Next: Chapter 3

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Babel Chapter 1

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“Well, all ashore who’s going ashore,” Tusk stated as the cruiser came to a stop at the stone shore. Hopping out of the boat and on to the rocky island, Tusk sighed as there was no soil to be found. He shuddered a little, as the damp, cold air chilled him. Tusk Willfort was a Tree Person, a humanoid tree from The Unending Forest region of The Unlight. He was very far from home, but an important mission from The ULTRAMagic Guild brought him to The Great Stone Lake. “Jeez, could the tower not have appeared closer to one of the shorelines?”

Yoshihiro Higasa, a man with black hair and red eyes like twilight sunlight walked over, his boots splashing the small puddles with each step. “Goodness, Tusk,” he said as he felt the dark brown bark that covered his friend’s body. It was incredibly damp. “You’re not too cold, are you?”

“Yeah, but it’s not that big of a deal. I’m more concerned about growing moss and fungus. You see this?” He waved his hand in front of his face, indicating a yellow light in the mist, emanating from his glowing eyes. “I hate that…”

Yoshihiro focused and summoned an orb of red energy that he sent skipping across the ground and through the fog. “Alright, looks like the footing is stable.”

“Well that’s a handy technique,” a voice remarked as the other two members of the squad joined them.

“Gragmund taught me the spell not too long before you showed up, Serjiel. It’s an aura technique for detecting booby traps, but I’d argue it has more uses.”

“Tiberius would commend that ingenuity,” Serjiel complimented. Serjiel was a demon with golden eyes, tidy brown hair, and skin as red as cinnabar. Two curved horns sat atop his forehead, his simple tail gently swished about, and he adjusted the belt to his leather and steel armor. “Shame we can’t use your knowledge of the lake region to help us out, Yoshihiro.”

“I know,” he acknowledged. “This island wasn’t here before the tower arrived.”

Tusk shook his head, not looking forward to the task ahead. “And I trust that that is the Tower of Babel?”

“Indeed it is, Tusk…” Serjiel replied. “Indeed it is…” The four all looked up at the monumental sight before them.

The Tower of Babel was a dark, looming, colossal tower that stretched through the cloudy, overcast sky and far into the heavens above. Many Earths across the Cosmos proper told legends of such a tower, but this was not the one detailed in the Bible. This tower was born from the collective dreams of man, presenting the idea of such a tower existing in the first place. The tower was a living being in a sense and traveled from realm to realm seeking whatever knowledge it could attain. Of course the denizens of those realms were welcome to peruse the tower’s vast wealth of knowledge, but this always led to eras of great confusion and chaos. Entire universes would go out of their way to block their tower’s arrival if they merely sensed its presence from halfway across the Cosmos.

Gazing upon the tower was an experience in and of itself, as it was hauntingly beautiful in an eerie, ominous way. Sculpted and built from black brick that was almost an intensely dark purple, the tower was an architectural marvel impossible to build by even the most unhinged craftsman imaginable. A mix of Roman and Babylonian construction was fortified with a brutalist foundation, adorned with touches of gothic, and dashed with hints of the angelic and demonic. It all gave off a truly otherworldly feel that threatened to shatter one’s sanity if they fixated on it for too long. Very few dared to stand before the magnificent structure, let alone be actually mad enough to ascend the stairs to the ornately carved, gigantic double doors that warned all who stepped inside to tread carefully.

Serjiel was feeling a mix of emotions as he was all too familiar with the tower, it having visited his universe in the past. “And to think I’m standing just outside the thing that caused me, my family, and my kin so much trouble…” he remarked. “It’s a monument to unchecked pride that needs to be removed from the Cosmos…”

“As much as I would love to philosophize on the nuances of the tower, gentlemen, we have our missions to tend to,” the woman in a regal military uniform stated.

Tusk sighed, although it was more of a groan. “Of course, Adriana. Bloody Eternal Order…” He then indicated for everyone to start walking up the steps. “We find Odo, help Buster get to safety, and get out-badda bing, badda boom.”

“And we are also here to retrieve and secure Lia Ascher so she can be escorted to The Iron City for questioning, as per my orders as a member of the Blades of Dunja,” Adriana reminded, tying back her dark blue hair afterwards.

“Oh yeah, her… you realize she said she was going to turn me into a recliner a year and a half ago, right?”

“Yes, Gratiana has informed me…” Adriana took a moment to study the mind-bogginly complex mechanisms of the doors with her focused, amber eyes… only for the intricate locks to undo themselves as if the group was being let in. “Normally the information I am about to reveal would be kept top secret, but it is relevant to the mission. Lia, through secret communication, has revealed that she regrets her past actions and wishes to divulge everything she knows about The Eternal Order to The Iron City.”

Tusk nodded in a skeptical manner. “Uh-huh, I see. Couldn’t hack it as a cult leader, so she’s going full turncoat…”

“Are you sure your skepticism is justified, Tusk?” Serjiel questioned.

“Well pardon me for being a little on guard given that she was Milosh’s right hand man… woman-argh, you know what I mean.”

Yoshihiro wanted to speak in Lia’s defense, but a strange sensation stopped him as the doors closed behind them. As he stared down the long, foreboding hallways lit by sconces past the foyer, he felt a wave of something he could not immediately identify hit him. It was intense and all over the place, causing him to shudder and recoil a little. His senses were overwhelmed as he fell back into someone’s arms, struggling to regain his bearings. Serjiel then snapped his fingers a few times to regain Yoshihiro’s attention.

“Yoshihiro, are you okay?”

“Huh, what?” He glanced around, noticing the others looking concerned. “Uh, yeah, I’m okay…”

Adriana had a look of concern that was fairly critical. “Is this an issue we need to address, Yoshihiro?”

“No, no,” he answered. “I’m just… I was taken by surprise is all. You weren’t lying when you said this place is alive, Serjiel. The whole thing is a living being, but not in the way we’d know it. Its aura is everywhere, causing all of it to blur together until you focus. It’s certainly something else…”

Tusk could see that Ardiana was still somewhat critical and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Hey, take it easy, soldier girl. I know how he feels as this place is something else, even for me.”

She gave Tusk an unamused look as she lightly shook herself from his grip, but she relented and her expression relaxed. She was still concerned, however. “An interesting observation, Yoshihiro, as it speaks to the eldritch wonder of the tower. Perhaps you could provide some insight on living realms, Tusk? You have expertise on this subject, given your expedition through the Crimson Mega Abyss with Sir Raynot…”

She was cut off by a hearty laugh with subtle hints of mockery from Tusk. “Look, Adriana; I know you’ve dealt with that insane undead plague back where you came from, but this tower is a 5-star, luxury hotel compared to the nightmare that was the Crimson Mega Abyss. I’d only wish such a fate on my worst possible enemies.”

Yoshihiro nodded and sighed. “Heh, I wanted to prove myself to you guys and the guild, but I am questioning if this was the mission for that…”

“Goodness, Yoshihiro, what happened to all of that bravado you had during the Chaos Wasp invasion?” Serjiel asked.

“Serjiel, you and Gragmund did a lot of the heavy lifting while me and Yuuma got in the way…”

“Hey, kid, don’t put yourself down like that,” Tusk interjected. “Take me during Leif’s final battle at the Dark Grand Desert. There was no way I would’ve been able to fight The Lich of Old alongside The Dragon of Old, but the ritual I used against The Lich to weaken him?” He put his hand on his shoulder, indicating a line of separated bark running along where it met his torso. “Worked like a charm, although I hope I never have to do that again. And here's further hoping I don’t have to get in between a fight with two primordials…”

The quiet stillness of the tower was disturbed by a series of rumbles coming from deeper within. Focusing for a moment, Serjiel and Yoshihiro could sense two presences clashing. One was terrible while the other was awesome, and they were close enough to be reached. Serjiel indicated for the group to move, so they hurried through the main foyer and into a long hallway. It was like reality itself was being shaken the closer and closer they got.

“The Cosmos hates me today, doesn’t it?” Tusk joked as they ran, nearing the battle.

“Serjiel, you don’t think that’s our contact, do you?” Adriana questioned, hoping the demon had an answer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if The Eternal Order had already sent someone to pick a fight with Ozymandias!” he replied as he pulled out one of his arcane revolvers.

“Wouldn’t that imply there’s another god present, given how powerful the tower arbiter is?” Yoshihiro pointed out. “How are we going to deal with something like that?!”

“I don’t know, Yoshihiro. I don’t know…”

Upon entering the grand hall, the group was met by the harrowing sight of a chaotic battle between titans. A mighty, 15 foot tall, golden man with white light for eyes was brutally fighting with a 30 foot tall, winged beast. The ragged, horrid creature looked like a vulture, but one would be forgiven for thinking it was a feathered, avian dragon. Both combatants seemed evenly matched, with the golden man’s punches devastating the vulture to the response of frenzied talon slashes mixed with nasty beak strikes. Sensing that things were going nowhere fast, the vulture started playing dirty. It rammed into the golden man, suckerpunching him and leaving him winded.

Seeing the vulture attempt to rip into the golden man, Serjiel quickly loaded six glowing rounds into his gun and took aim. He fanned the harmer as hard as he could, causing the screaming, magical bullets to rocket towards the vulture and hit it in the head. It let out an ear-piercing screech in sheer, animalistic rage and turned its attention to Serjiel, barreling as fast as it could towards him. The group started to panic, but Serjiel stood his ground. He did not even put a dent in the great beast, but that was not the point as he was merely providing a distraction… A good punch to the head from the golden man sent the vulture careening into a wall on the other side of the room. It gave another godawful screech as it flailed around like a rabid, crazed animal.

“TRAITOR-TRAITOR, OZYMANDIAS!” The vulture’s shrill voice was truly an abomination, like the toughest nails on the thickest glass. To call it an audible voice was being incredibly generous and an insult to the act of speaking itself. “OZYMANDIAS THE TRAITOR!”

The golden man spat out some shining, golden blood and laughed condescendingly. “You were always some of the lowest scum, Vulture God! You received your honors out of pity and were too pathetic for the light of God-The Source, so you sided with The Spulcher God who kept you around only because he favored you as a lowly pet!!”

“TRAITOR! YOU WILL REGRET BETRAYING US!!” The Vulture God screamed back, preparing another attack. “THE SEPULCHER GOD WILL WIN!!!” Its maddening screaming trailed off into it spewing forth a stream of rancid lava from its mouth that wreaked the most putrid, festering bile. Anyone who inhaled the noxious fumes would have died on the spot, and many of the stewards watching were fainting from the mere wisps of it wafting near them.

Ozymandias saw that his stewards and the group were in danger, so he had to act quickly. He slammed his hands together with a thunderous boom, causing golden barriers to stop the lava from flowing wherever it wanted. He then leapt into the air and landed a devastating elbow drop to The Vulture God’s back, disabling its wings. He then got it into a headlock, The Vulture God forcing Ozymandias to spin around with it to not lose his grip. His barriers could only protect everyone else for so long, especially with how hard The Vulture God was thrashing around, reaching a fever pitch as it screamed in anger over its broken wings. The foul creature deserved no mercy or sympathy, however, and Ozymandias was ready to end the battle right then and there.

“NO ANIMALS IN THE LIBRARY!” Ozymandias growled in cathartic revelry.

“THE SEPULCHER GOD IS THE RIGHTFUL SOURCE! HE WILL CORRUPT THE PRIMA MATERIA!! WE WILL WIN!!!”

“DIE, YOU VILE WASTE!!!” Ozymandias roared as loud as he could as he tightened his grip with a primal rage, tight enough to cause a loud crack that made The Vulture God go limp. Everyone went silent as it dropped to the floor with a thud, completely lifeless. Ozymandias shuddered, repulsed at the irreverence he had to commit, but he did not regret the lives he protected. He then snapped his fingers, cleaning up the lava and sending the dead god away. “The Madman of Old shall deal with you…” It was safe to say that he needed a moment to calm himself down after all of that, remaining silent for the time being.

The group respected the remorseful still, up until Tusk broke the silence out of shock, being beyond words for what he had just witnessed. “DID HE-DID HE JUST KILL A GOD!?” he cried.

Ozymandias was about to sink into a mire of ill feelings, but that outburst snapped him out of it. He straightened out his hair and took a quick breath to prepare his nerves. With a smile on his face, he clapped twice as if signaling for instruction. “Stewards, let us compose ourselves and clean the rest of this mess up! We have guests and some very important matters to tend to that we best not keep waiting.”

Next: Chapter 2

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

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Alright, ULTRAMagic Chaos is all updated and is now up on Blogspot.

ULTRAMagic Chaos on Blogspot

With all that being said and done, I am DONE with these kinds of major updates for a very long time. I think everything else is fine and I was really just doing this because books 1 - 5 needed the improvements. ULTRAMagic Chaos was a bit of a mess of me not getting creative when describing scenes, but that's fixed now. Seriously, these kinds of updates are tedious and I really want to get back to doing other stuff like art and short stories.

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ULTRAMagic Compendium - Introduction

Cover

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During the tail end of writing ULTRAMagic Interlude (Bonus Chapters) (Book 4) and into the start of ULTRAMagic Chaos (Book 5), I had the idea to start writing short stories to supplement the main story of ULTRAMagic Alternate. These were side adventures that did not fit into the main narrative without being their own book or deviating from the story being told. The first story I came up with was a follow up to ULTRMagic Interval (Book 6) and ULTRAMagic Eon 1 (Book 7), Haze and Chaos… the funny thing is that this story was first posted in August 2014 and Interval would not come around until a month later. Keep in mind that my schedule as of typing this involves me posting two chapters each week, so Interval did not finish until February 2025.

Haze and Chaos was an experiment to see if I could write a short story and I would argue I succeeded in that regard. It is a perfectly serviceable little thing… The only issue is that it was retconned in favor of being turned into a full blown book. Without getting into spoilers, the ending of Eon 1 turned out differently than I initially thought. Furthermore recent developments I made with the series’ overarching story and trajectory warranted Haze and Chaos being rewritten into a special book that covers the Earth side of things following books 6 and 7. And there is a lot to tell in that regard.

Enough about that, however. The next short story I wrote was Schwarzes Biest. The titular Schwarzes Biest was a legacy character from Glitchtale Alternate, the Undertale AU I worked on before the ill-fated HYPERDEATH Alternate, which would turn into ULTRAMagic Alternate. I wanted to bring Schwarzes back into canon as despite being a GTALT character, he was technically fully original. I had a blast writing his story as it was a direct continuation of his introductory short story in GTALT, without GTALT being canon to ULTRAMagic Alternate. Was he always meant to be a certain character I will not spoil? The world may never know… With the personal success of that story, I decided to blaze ahead with the idea of short stories being supplementary material.

Chaos Angel was a follow up to Valentina Pari’s story that had been established in the first 4 books. I will not spoil any of it, but just know that there was nowhere to make it seamlessly fit in and I had to tell it. Fortunately I wrote her future appearances not requiring you to read the short story, but your experience would be greatly enhanced if you did. And that is my philosophy with these stories: They are there if you want more, but are not mandatory for you to enjoy ULTRAMagic Alternate as a whole. I do NOT want my work ending up like western comic books where they have all these obscure, branching stories mandatory for you to read, only for that story in question to be a super rare comic that had a limited run and is out of print. Oh, and there is also a good chance that super rare comic book you paid thousands of dollars for will be retconned next month by a hack writer who has no idea what they are doing.

I have a bunch of ideas for short stories, but I have no idea when they will come out with my current schedule. Regardless, I will keep writing them until I feel I have told the story I need to tell. The stories here will appear in order of creation, not chronological placement. I will detail when they take place, however. And despite the declaration of my philosophy for the short stories, some will be follow-ups to other short stories. These will be clearly labeled as such. Any requirement to read one of the books will also be clearly stated. And stories that are retconned will still be included with an author’s note stating their canonicity.

Compendium is going to be an interesting book to write, given the loose nature of all of it. The way I see it is that this is a good way to tell the whole story without slowing the series down for a character that is just going to come in later and say “hey, I did a thing.” I hope you enjoy what you read and know that I will make each short story interesting and well worth your time.

Sincerely,

William Ford II (6/13/2025)

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

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ULTRAMagic Chaos - Introduction

Cover | Interlude | Next

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There will be no rant about society this time (assuming you have read Book 4’s introduction) as the planning and writing of ULTRAMagic Chaos actually went fairly smoothly. Why is there an introduction this time though? ULTRAMagic Chaos is a bit of a unique book in how it changed from planning to actually writing it. When I initially started planning it out it was vastly different from the book that was published. I will do my best to avoid spoilers, but just know anything I reveal is not inherently a spoiler for the events of the book.

Like Interlude: Shadowland (Book 3), this book was intended to be a super short novella. It also had a female lead, this time being Spiritus Magni Maxima. As you have read from the synopsis, Tusk Willfort is the main character. I was set to have Maxima be the lead until I realized she was way too much of a new character to be the book’s main character. It would have been awkward given that Maxima is not a part of the main cast. Tusk also made more sense in that there were still stories to tell with him. If you have read books 1 and 2, you will know what I am getting at.

The mighty and awesome Arbiters of Droom you will meet as you read were also not in the original draft. The idea of having these unbelievably powerful warriors in the story was too good to pass up. I also took a liking to them, and it is easy to tell where I had a good time writing them and how they interact with each other. Droomopolis, their home, was also not in the original draft. That city was inspired by the works of H.R. Giger, albeit Droomopolis is not graphic like Giger’s work is. A prototype Droomopolis and Realm of Chaos concept actually appeared in a short story that I wrote a while ago (that is now private and unpublished), so I suppose I subconsciously repurposed the concept of a city in The Realm of Chaos for ULTRAMagic Chaos.

Let us talk about The Discordant Gods of Chaos for a second as they are fairly fascinating in their development. As you read the story, you will notice some familiarities to a certain wargame franchise that I cannot name out of fear of legal retaliation. The company in question has become fairly aggressive in recent years, going after fan projects with lawsuits and cease and desist orders. My mentioning of the company and their IP would be legally safe, but since when do multimillion dollar companies ever follow the rules? All they have to do is pay the judge a ‘slap on the wrist’ fee and they are good to go. Just know that I took inspiration in a way that is legally distinct and does not constitute infringement in any conceivable way, outside of this unnamed company deciding to start stealing other people’s intellectual property.

Getting back to the Discordant Gods, initially it was just my take on the unnamed gods from the unnamed franchise until a later draft of the story rolled around. Delphine, Wulfric, Kleitos, and Driskoll were all expanded into a vast pantheon descending from The Old Gods, with members representing more abstract concepts joining the roster. Not only that, but they even have counterparts from other realms, adding on to the legal and creative distinction from my source of inspiration. This expansion of the lore was more done out of creativity rather than fears of legal repercussion, but that paranoia still weighs on my mind. 

Again, I’m probably overreacting, but I have seen video game companies (and entertainment companies in general) take down fan art specifically for the bad PR to ‘make an example out of people.’ You would think wargaming companies would be more open to fan content (especially when they encourage you to take two unknown major characters and make your own), but things change when the company makes short-sighted decisions and starts losing money. It is along the lines of the ever classy (and illegal) ‘changing the terms of the agreement after the sale’ move, something you will be familiar with if you are a supporter of ‘Right to Repair’ like I am.

Getting back on track again: I will state this now since it is not really a spoiler: I had a naming convention for the Discordant God’s going, but I ended up dropping it. You will notice the four aforementioned god’s names line up with their main domain, but then there are also Discordant Gods that do not share this trait. It was one of those things that just happened. Funnily enough this was actually a fairly late addition. If you have read Book 3, originally a certain Discordant God did not actually have her name and was referred to as ‘Discordant Desire’ in initial versions of the story. As a side note, a certain couple of Gods you will read about in the book are not related by blood, despite other gods referring to themselves as siblings.

Now let us address chronology. This next section will assume you have read the preceding books and that this is not your first book. While I will concede that Chaos is more beginner friendly than Interlude and Interlude (Bonus Chapters), this book will rely on you having read the previous books in certain parts. With that being said, we shall address when this book takes place. If you wish to start reading ULTRAMagic Alternate with book 5, please proceed to chapter 1 and thank you for making it this far. I hope you have fun with what you read.

Final spoiler warning in 3… 2… 1… Alright, when does this book take place? If you read Book 4, you will know that Tusk is explaining what he was up to in The Realm of Chaos to Blood-Wraith. This book is a retelling of those events and they take place during the two week gap between Interlude and Interlude: Shadowland. And it is not a spoiler to say that we end on Tusk wrapping up his story. This is why I am stressing that you should have read the previous books. A lot of aspects of this book are vastly more satisfying if you have read everything leading up to this. You would not believe how much easier this was to write than Interlude (Bonus Chapters). Thankfully this weird chronology stuff ceases after this book… for the most part.

Regardless of the changes, trials, and tribulations this book had to go through, I am proud of it and it was fun to work on. And thank you for making it this far. It means a lot to me and I hope you have fun with this book. Just know that the series is only going to get crazier as we get further in and I hope you will be here for the whole ride.

Sincerely,

William Ford II (6/12/2025)

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Babel - Table of Contents

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

[ultramagicalternate]

The Tower of Babel has appeared in The Unlight, and with it comes great chaos and uncertainty. Tusk Willfort has set out with a squad of members from The ULTRAMagic Guild to rescue a friend, Sir Odo Ash and his younger brother, Buster, from the clutches of the vile Eternal Order. Accompanying the group is Adriana Hawthorne, a member of The Blades of Dunja there to retrieve an ex-member of The Eternal Order, Lia Ascher. Both Lia and Buster are being pursued by the terrible Valdemaras Dykstra, a horrid rat who will stop at nothing to kill Lia and capture Buster. And with a villainous dragon prowling the foreboding tower, Tusk and his squad must be on guard at all times, lest the tower and its bounty of knowledge fall into the hands of unspeakable evil.

Cover Character: Sir Odo Ash

Cover Location: Tower of Babel (Great Stone Lake)

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Chapter 1 - DeviantART - Wattpad - Blogspot

I have it done now, so I might as well post the cover to the next book. As you can tell from the synopsis, this is another book with Tusk. AND YES, WE HAVE A RAT VILLAIN. HE IS DA BIG RAT WHO MAKES ALL DA RULEZ. MERRY GREAT HORNED RAT DAY! WHOOP WHOOP!

This is going to be an interesting lead up to Eon 2 and I can't wait to get started on it. Yes, the book is all planned out and ready to go. And this time I don't feel the need to remake this cover later on because I think this one turned out great. It's kind of what I wanted to do with Interlude BC, but it's too late now.

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Eon 1 Epilogue

Previous | First | Babel

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Following the peaceful train ride back to their time, Will quickly left the station with Rostislav and Yale close behind. Will looked for The Singing Storm Castle only to see The Grand Storm Castle instead. “Okay, thank god, we’re in the present… I think…”

“Will, Mariya was right there,” Yale chided. “You could have asked her…”

“Nah, I think we’re good,” Rostislav asserted as he pointed at a nearby movie poster. “See? Ghost Galaxy IV was supposed to start playing in theaters last week. And we could also go to Herman’s real quickly…”

“How would that help us?”

“I mean, we could go back in and ask Mariya, but I want some ice cream. I’m buying as I really wanted some mint chip chocolate back in the past, but it was two years before he started selling the flavor.”

Yale glanced over to Will. “Um, are you sure about that? You know, after what we just went through?”

Will laughed as he started to walk. “It’s alright, Yale. I���d never say no to some ice cream… Although I’m kind of in the mood for a burger.”

“You know what?” Rostislav said as he looked at a nearby clock. “It’s noon, so let’s grab some lunch.”

Yale shrugged and took a seat on Will’s shoulder. “Alright then. Just keep in mind Sam’s probably worried about you, Will…”

“Aw, it’ll be fine,” he handwaved. “I’m sure they’ll send someone if they miss us.”

Herman’s restaurant was fairly calm that day, allowing the trio to quietly slip in. As they took a seat at the bartop with upbeat rock music playing over the building’s speakers, a cashier gave them a warm welcome and called over Herman himself since the other employees were busy. He was happy to see the three and began taking their orders… only to quickly realize the elephant in the room. A round of applause followed the announcement that the Future Squad was back. And given what they had just gone through, Herman offered Will and Rostislav each a free ice cream cone after their lunch (of which they happily accepted).

Will could not help but notice that his burger tasted different. The sensation of being back in his time made it feel like he had not had one in 10 years. It made the food taste better in a way that could best be described as surreal. Rostislav felt similar and it was incredibly fascinating to Herman and his workers. Fortunately this dissonance did not hinder the duo’s enjoyment of their lunch and subsequent ice cream. As they finished up their cones, Ultimatum entered the restaurant with a smile on his face.

“There you three are!” he said as he approached the bartop.

“Hey, kiddo,” Will said as he wiped his face.

“Hey, Schwarzes,” Rostislav replied as he cleared his throat. “Don’t mind us, just grabbing something to eat.”

“Hey, dad, Rostislav. Hello, Herman, everyone.”

“Schwarzes, lad, good to see you,” Herman welcomed. “I trust everyone's back where they’re supposed to be?”

“Indeed they are,” Ultimatum answered as he placed some money on the counter. “I’ll take a chocolate soft serve with sprinkles to go. Ahem, you three; let’s head back to the guild asap. Everyone’s eager to see you guys-especially mom, dad. She’s been worried sick ever since you left.”

“Told you so,” Yale pointed out with a chuckle.

Will gave a light laugh. “Alright, let’s go then. Thanks for the food, Herman.”

It was a bit strange to return to the guild hall after being in the past for so long, as the modern roster was around 240 members strong. The contrast was stark to say the least and it was incredible to think that the guild had such humble beginnings. Already the three were being welcomed back as they made their way to the main hall and it all made Will feel warm and happy. He had trouble fitting in before, but now it felt like he was a proper member of the guild. Morrigan was waiting at a table near the stage when she noticed Ultimatum walking in. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who was with him. Will was just as happy and gladly accepted her bear hug.

“Sam, it’s been too long!” he declared.

“Will! Good lord, I’ve missed you!” She then kissed him. “Also jeez, I leave you alone for a month and you get kidnapped? Goodness, Boyo!”

He had to laugh as he patted her shoulder. “Yeah, sorry, Sam. It sort of just happened.”

“Sort of?” Yale questioned. “Boy! Sort of? Yeah, it just sort of happened that you walked right into a trap…”

“Oh come now, Yale, let’s not be too harsh on him,” Valerie said as she approached, carrying a folder of papers. “I did plan that out following my encounter with him after all.”

“Hey, Valerie,” Will said as he shook her hand.

“Good to see you again, Will. So how did the trip go?” she asked with a cheeky smile.

Will and Morrigan laughed. “Really?” he asked with an incredulous look on his face. “Really now? You’re going to ask me that?”

Valerie laughed. “I’m sorry, dear, I couldn’t resist. Don’t worry, Sam, I made sure he was safe and sound.”

“Thank you, Valerie,” she replied. “Will, you realize Valentin and Bethany are going to get on your case for this, right? Not to mention Antares and Marcus…”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know…”

“Well to be fair, the rescue mission was one hell of a show,” Rostislav put forth. “I haven’t had that much fun in ages.”

“And let’s be real, it was mostly my fault as I was being a raging hot head back then,” Blood-Wraith stated as he walked over.

“Hey, Blood,” Will replied, then chuckled. “It’s odd seeing you as a kid and then coming back to you as an adult.”

He smiled and scratched his short beard. “Yeah, I hear you. I met you in the past and the next time I see you is 10 years later and you’ve barely changed? Time desync is something else, am I right?”

“Indeed. Say, are we still good to hang out some time soon?”

Blood-Wraith took a second to remember. “Oh yeah, I did say that… definitely, after you get all of your personal business all sorted out of course.”

“Awesome… guys, was that mission the reason why all of you were acting weird ever since I got here?” Blood-Wraith and Valerie nodded. “Ah, it all makes sense now.”

Morrigan hugged Will again. “Either way we’re glad to have you back.”

“And thank goodness too, because now I can finally start properly using the research I collected all those years ago,” Valerie noted.

“Wow… Hey, where’s Ludwig?” Morrigan asked as she looked around.

“Ah yes, that,” Rostislav replied. “Blood, he’s running a little late with a couple of errands in the past that he was-”

“Running late?” Ludwig interrupted as he approached, brushing his hair with his hand. “Truthfully I’d argue you three were the ones who were late, especially given your lunch break.”

Will and Rostislav were speechless while Yale shook his head. “Oh hey, I was right, ha.”

“I trust that everything’s all squared away, Ludwig?” Ultimatum inquired.

He nodded. “Ja. There were some minor hiccups and some frustrating disruptions, but my missions were a success overall.”

“Jeez, just what are you guys all up to?” Blood-Wraith playfully questioned. “So, Schwarzes, did you and Zal pick these three on purpose just to mess with us?”

Ultimatum had a guilty, yet mischievous smile on his face. “You got me. We picked those three based on what would happen and the friction they would cause. As trying as it all was, Zal, Beorhtric, and I deemed that it was the best choice to help the guild grow.”

“Yup, it all makes sense now…” Yale concluded.

“How’d you figure that out, Blood?” Rostislav wondered. “Somewhat news to me, but still.”

“I’ve had about a decade to think about it, so there you go,” Blood-Wraith rightfully pointed out. “I mean come on, sending a loose cannon who hasn’t fully figured out his necromancy yet? I was right to question the future guild back then, but not in regards to competency. If anything that was actually a bit unsettling, all things considered… Well played, Schwarzes.”

“Sorry for worrying you, Blood… but also thank you.”

Yale then got up, stretched, readied his wings, and gave a sigh of relief. “Well since we’re all back and sorted out, I’m going to go report to Milan. See you later, guys.”

“Have a safe flight, Yale,” Will replied.

As the dire fairy zipped out of the main hall, an argument could be heard coming down the hallway, with some of the other guild members noticing and hurrying away. “Why do you always have to go and antagonize people!?” one voice complained.

“Because Roger started it, you dingus!” the other shot back.

“Oh jeez, Sunshine’s back…” Morrigan groaned.

Valerie glanced over at Will with a worried expression, then back to the hallway. “Well hopefully he’s not too angry at the moment…”

Entering the main hall were two men who looked quite cross at each other. The one in the space age bodysuit with brown hair and blue eyes was Ignatius, or ULTRAMagic Infinity. The other man was Teunis Van Hautum, also known as ULTRAMagic Ex. He had trimmed brown hair, red irises, and tan-ish skin. Notably he wore futuristic, metal armor of blue and white with gold accents. Ignatius was a fifth dimensional mage with ties to Ultimatum while Teunis had lived in Feuerland with Andelin leading up to and during its fall. And given that his archnemesis, Gudrun, was running amok, he was not in the greatest of moods.

“Five minutes, Teunis!” Ignatius cried. “Could you not be yourself… FOR FIVE MINUTES!”

“Look here, kid! I don’t give a flying fig what Vita or Hecate from Universe-0X think! Anyone who gets in my way with my fight with Gudrun is getting knocked upside the head and my explosive boot up their arse! And I’ll say that to their faces too! Seriously, bring them here right here, right now!!”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen!” Ludwig cut in. “What in the blue blazes is going on here? Is Manius up to something again?”

Ignatius breathed a sigh of relief, looking stressed out. “Ludwig, thank God! Gelid Dynamite over here got Roger all worked up again and now he’s causing trouble over at The Great Uncity as he thinks Gudrun and The Running God are there…”

“Alright, let’s get moving then. Oh, Will’s back by the way.”

He quickly stepped over to Will for a hug. “Hey, dad. Sorry to bounce on you, but duty calls.”

“No problem, sport,” Will reassured. “Best of luck to you.”

Morrigan also hugged Ignatius. “Stay safe, sweetie.”

“Will do, mom,” Ignatius replied. “Alright, let’s hurry, Ludwig.”

Teunis frowned with a quiet growl as the two left, annoyed at being called his most obnoxious nickname. He then turned his attention to Will with an unamused look on his face. “So, Weatherman, what did you mess up this time?”

“Now wait just a gosh darn minute!” Rostislav scolded as he stomped up to him, thrusting his finger in his face, with Morrigan having a similar attitude as she went to hold Will’s arm.

Will raised his hand, signaling for everyone to calm down. “Hold up, guys.” He then sighed as he felt his old anxiety come back. “As you probably know by now, I got captured by Eloise like a complete idiot, Teunis. I was being stubborn and not asking for help when I needed it, thinking I could just brute force my way through the mission because of Red River. I’m not taking The Eternal Order seriously and I’m sorry.”

Teunis exhaled as he looked at Will, then his outstretched hand. Will had a tendency to be cocky, but this time he sounded truly genuine. “Don’t worry about it, Will,” he said as he shook his hand. “This conflict with The Sepulcher God has got us all wound up pretty tight.”

“I told you he’d mellow out, Teunis,” said Blood-Wraith.

“He just needed to get settled in was all,” Ultimatum reasoned. “That, and a fair test of his mettle.”

“Yeah, that would do it,” Teunis agreed… then he sighed. “I suppose I should go and apologize to Infinity. So what’s next, Will?”

“Well I’m going to head back to Earth and put my feet up in a normal realm for a couple of days,” he answered. “It’s annoying how much non-linear time messes with your sleep schedule.”

“And he needs to receive his promotion to Specialist with The Liger Brigade,” Morrigan cheerfully reminded.

“Haha, I see,” said Teunis. “Just don’t take too long, Will. I doubt Anne and her cronies are going to ease up to grant us a quick nap.”

Will shook his head with hands on his hips. “True, true…”

“Oh, Boyo?” Morrigan interjected. “Um, I don’t want to alarm you, but Adrien is looking for you. Antares and Bran need help with ACF-008…”

Will went deadpan for a second. “Oh, fun…”

Teunis gave a sympathetic laugh. “Oh jeez… better get moving, Private… ha, I mean Specialist,” he said with a pat to Will’s shoulder. “Don’t want to keep your commanding officers waiting.”

As Will and Morrigan stepped outside of the guild hall, they heard a reptilian vocalization that sounded excited. Will looked over to see a familiar dinosaur hurriedly approaching them. “Edmund!” he exclaimed. “Hey, Boy! Look at you, all grown up…”

As Edmund happily chirped and clicked, Guinevere and Eloise approached them. “Will, long time no see!” Guinevere greeted.

“Hey, Guinevere, good to see you again. And Eloise, glad to see you’re safe and sound. I caught the whole ‘you left to go get stronger’ bit before we left the past.”

“Thank you, Will,” Eloise replied with a slight chuckle. “You wouldn’t happen to be up for round three, would you?” she asked with a giggle.

Will smiled. “Well I think I’m going to need to train a little bit before I take on Empress Eliza-Rex herself, but you definitely owe me for that last minute sneak attack you tried to pull.” Everyone laughed, with Edmund tilting his head. “So what are you two up to?”

“Oh just running some of Mother’s data about this and that to Deimos,” Guinevere replied as she held up a folder full of papers of various sizes, accompanied by a roughed up notepad. “It’s nothing too special.”

“And I’m looking for Blood, as we need to iron out our upcoming date,” Elosie added.

“How wonderful,” Morrigan complimented. “I wish me and Boyo could go out for a fancy dinner or two, but it looks like we got a bit of work for The Liger Brigade and M.A.I.G. to tend to back home.” Will nodded along, not thrilled over having to jump right back into the swing of things.

“Oh dear,” Guinevere replied, as she could sense something foreboding in Will’s presence. “Well, best not keep you waiting then. Um, best of luck to both of you.”

“Thanks, you too,” Will said as he began to focus. “Helx-Nez-Roh!” he cast with a snap of his fingers, causing an eldritch door to appear that impressed everyone. “After you, Sam.”

Morrigan giggled as she opened the door, being met with the front of her house. “Why thank you, Boyo,” she said as she exited The Unlight. Will followed behind her, with the door vanishing once he shut it. To say Edmund was confused as he sniffed around for the door was an understatement.

To be Continued…

Next: Babel

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Eon 1 Chapter 31

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“My goodness, Deimos, John and Brandr can definitely play some excellent music,” Valerie commented as they made their way to the main hall of her castle.

“Most certainly,” he replied with a laugh as he carried a box of food. “I’d expect no less from a pair of sailors. You should have heard some of the tunes The Privateer of Old whipped up back in the day to alleviate his boredom on the high seas. You wouldn’t have been wrong in thinking he was The Musician of Old instead.”

Guinevere was about to comment on that as they entered the dining hall, but was interrupted by Edmund running up to a cake golem and bobbing his head at it. “Edmund, don’t!” she called out as she went to calm him, with Valerie and Deimos chuckling. “They're here to protect and take care of us,” she assured. Edmund seemed to heed those words, staring at the golem and giving one more head bob before going off to wander around the hall.

“Energetic little reptile,” Deimos remarked as he set the box down on the table. “Baxter has been asking for a pet, but I’m unsure what to get for a living planet of polymateria.”

“Maybe a simple dog or cat then, as I’d imagine they’d be easy to take care of… although, Baxter would have to keep his environments under control,” Valerie suggested. She then went to a special phone near the side entrance and entered a number into the rotary dial. “Eloise, dear, please come to the dining hall… Odd, no response,” she noted as she set down the phone.

“Perhaps she went to bed early?” Deimos reasoned.

“Potentially, but the phones are loud enough to interrupt sleep,” Guinevere pointed out, with Edmund giving Deimos a skeptical chirp.

Valerie took a deep breath as her worry grew. “Deimos, stay here and look after Edmund while Guinevere and I go check on Eloise.”

“Sure thing,” he replied as they left, with Edmund eyeing him strangely. He then stuck his hand out to pet him. “Hey there, Ed…” The playful dinosaur then leapt up to bite Deimos’ hand, causing him to quickly retract it.

Up on the second floor, Valerie opened the ornately-carved, wooden door to Eloise’s room a crack. “Sweetie? We brought you some dinner…” Receiving silence, Valerie stepped in and turned on the lights. “She’s gone!”

“What?!” Guinevere questioned as she walked in.

“Eloise!? Where are you?!”

The two looked around the whimsical room to find Eloise’s usual mess all tidied up. The bed in her loft was made, her book and media shelves were all straightened out, the wardrobe was the neatest it had ever been, and the lounge was spic and span. Valerie was ready to tear the castle apart until Guinevere found a note placed on the lounge coffee table. Further inspection revealed it was a letter addressed to them.

“Mother, come here,” Guinevere called out.

Valerie took the plain parchment and read it aloud. Eloise had seen the duel and relented on her anger. She was proud of her mother as she had fought well and it was clear that she had not actually given up. Blood-Wraith had earned his victory and was clearly fit to protect the Cosmos, but Eloise still felt that she needed to take matters into her own hands. One way or another, she would go out and build her might to conquer The Unlight… or at the very least, come back with a force strong enough to protect it. Valerie was beside herself in worry, unsure what to think.

Back at the dining hall, Deimos was guiding a magical orb around with his finger, with Edmund eagerly chasing after it like a hyperactive cat. “Hey, you two… where’s Eloise?”

“We don’t know,” Guinevere answered.

Valerie inhaled to keep her emotions in check. “She’s… she’s gone off on some foolish quest. I should have… Damn it! I should have seen this coming! Deimos, your magic is greater than mine could ever be. Is there anything you can do?”

Deimos sighed in uncertainty as all of it was incredibly sudden. He carefully contemplated what to do as he stroked his chin, the coarseness of his stubble scratching his fingers. “Well, it’s going to be 50-50, but I do know someone who could help. One second…” He put his fingers in his mouth and gave a quick whistle.

A second later a screaming, mauve flame appeared from the floor and out stepped a young man in a college uniform with dark aqua hair and amber eyes. The golems were startled by the terrible presence of the man, but Valerie gestured for them to remain at ease. “Hey, Deimos!” The Screaming God said. “It’s a bit late and I was studying for an exam, but I need to let my head rest. What do you need?”

“Scream, Eloise ran off on her own and Valerie’s worried sick. Can you find her for us?”

The Screaming God glanced at the Ter Avest’s, back to Deimos, and then looked up at the ceiling to think. “I mean, um, I can go find her if you want…”

“Can you bring her back too?” Guinevere inquired.

“Not really…”

Deimos was a bit confused by that. “What’s the matter, Scream? Is there something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that this is important and I get where Eloise is coming from…”

“Screaming God, please bring her back,” Valerie besetached. “I know I am in no position to ask this of you, but I at least want to say goodbye to her.”

The Screaming God chuckled as he could not refuse a concerned mother and knew what she was trying to do. “Alright. She won’t be thrilled, but I’ll see what I can do. Give me a couple of minutes…”

A strange door of metal and stone appeared in the dining hall, with The Screaming God departing through it. The wait felt like it dragged on forever, but around five minutes later it opened and Eloise was pushed through. She was dressed in durable traveler's clothes and wore a comfy cloak that looked quite warm. All of it was a far cry from her usual armor and dresses. Notably she looked incredibly annoyed as the door vanished.

“Hey!” she exclaimed at the dissipating cloud that had been the door. “What’s the big idea?!”

“Eloise!” Valerie cried as she hugged her daughter. “What has gotten into you?! You know it’s dangerous to go out on your own right now!”

She took a step back once let go and grunted. “Mom… Mom! Look, I get it now: You’re trusting Blood to keep the Unlight safe. Fine, I trust him too. I need to do this though! I need to get stronger!”

“But sweetie…”

“But nothing. If I can’t beat you, then what chance do I stand against Gudrun and Anne? Ground me all you want, mom-I’ll just keep sneaking out!”

“And we can’t convince you to train with the guild?” Guinevere questioned.

Eloise crossed her arms and turned away. “I’ve made up my mind, sister.”

Valerie shook her head and sighed. She knew she was not going to convince her daughter otherwise and smiled as she had the same level of determination in her youth. “Fine, but on several conditions, Eloise…”

“Eh?” She was confused as she turned around, having expected more pushback. “Conditions?”

“You are still grounded, but I am willing to suspend that until you are finished. You will have to spend a week here when you return.”

“Um, sure?”

“And you must stay in contact with us, be it a letter or phone call. Ask us or the guild for help if things get out of hand, no matter what.”

Eloise shrugged. “Fair enough, I guess…”

“And lastly, please have some dinner and stay the night. Desislav and the others did a fantastic job on the feast; and you wouldn’t want to start this journey tired and hungry, would you?”

Seeing her family’s concerned, yet hopeful looks, Eloise sighed. She wanted to strike out on her own, but on the other hand she had to admit to herself that she was being a bit headstrong. “Oh alright,” Eloise conceded as she noticed Deimos setting up some plates of delicious smelling food. She then hugged her mother and sister. “You’ve got me, I’m actually pretty hungry… What’s Deimos doing here though?”

“Oh don’t mind me, Eloise,” he said as he sat back down. “I just want to get to know your mother and see her no-doubt-incredible research.”

Eloise nodded, reading him like an open book. “Ah, I see… well welcome to the castle, Deimos.” She then noticed the little dinosaur steadily bobbing its head at her. “Hey, Guinevere? Is this…?”

She nodded with a proud smile. “Yup. His name is ‘Edmund.’”

After waiting a second for him to calm down, Eloise petted the curious dinosaur to the response of a happy series of chirps. “Aw, cool. I couldn’t leave before getting to meet this little, scaly nugget…” She then took her seat at the head of the table, picked up a fork and knife, and cut into a piece of thick, juicy steak. The savory aroma was a delight to her nose, making her glad she chose to stay for the night.

“Now, Eloise, could you tell us what you’re planning?” Valerie asked as she and Guinevere took a seat.

“I do want it to be a bit of a surprise and it is a bit nebulous at the moment, but I can give you some general ideas of what I have in mind…”

The following day, Blood-Wraith, Dragoslava, and Ultimatum were heading to Ironfire station with The Future Squad to see them off. With Valerie all taken care of, there was no need for them to remain in the past. It was bittersweet as everyone had grown attached to the four, but it was for the best. Besides, they would all meet again in due time. Blood-Wraith was quietly taking it the hardest as he was still worried for them (especially Will). As the whistle for The Ertheval Express screeched in anticipation of its return voyage, Will and Rostislav stopped to address the others.

“Well, guys, it’s been a blast, but our train’s here,” Rostislav said as he glanced at the passenger cars. “Looks like we have to head back.”

“Yeah,” Blood-Wraith admitted. “I’m going to miss all of you. Tell Vlastimir and Ekaterina we said hi, Will.”

“Will do, Blood.” Will then noticed that Ludwig was not heading to the car with them. “Hey, Ludwig? Coming with?”

“You guys go ahead. Zal-Rint and Schwarzes asked me to hang back and take care of some things in the past.”

A bit curious, Will glanced over to Ultimatum. “Schwarzes?”

He nodded, sensing the expected unease over timeline concerns. “Don’t worry, Dad, it’s all minor stuff meant to happen that we specifically need his expertise for.”

“Interesting,” Yale commented. “Still a little concerning, so we’ll definitely have to ask about it when we get back, Will.”

“Agreed,” he replied.

“Oh, Will,” Blood-Wraith interjected. “Don’t forget to hang out with me when you get back. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing at the moment. And hey, maybe we’ll even unlock your memories.”

“Don’t worry, Blood, I’ll take us over to The Critical Chance Arcade the minute I… wait, what?”

The others laughed and said their final goodbyes as the train gave another toot of the whistle. Once the passengers were seated and ready, the mighty locomotive gave a loud, long whistle and belched out a plume of steam from its chimney as it slowly pushed forward. The sound of the wheels pulling the colossal weight of the train overwhelmed other noises as the rhythm began to speed up. Will and Rostislav opened their windows and waved goodbye as The Ertheval Express left the station, eventually vanishing into a magical mist once it was out far enough. Blood-Wraith stared at the empty tracks for a moment, with Dragoslava patting him on the back to comfort him. Once he was ready, the four went outside to a bright, sunny, cerulean sky with a gentle breeze caressing their faces.

Ludwig sighed as he assumed his true form, his electrified fur shining in the sunlight. “And now it's time to go find The Colossus… wish me luck,” he said as he stretched out his wings. With a running start, he leapt into the air with several, strong wingbeats.

Dragoslava shook her head with a smile and crossed her arms as Ludwig disappeared into the horizon with a crack of thunder. “What a wild ride that was… So, Schwarzes, I take it it’s going to get crazier from here on out?”

He nodded with a nervous chuckle. “You guys have no idea… for better or for worse.”

Blood-Wraith grew a bit concerned over that answer, but shook it off. “Well no use worrying about the guild’s future, as I’d say it’s pretty bright if we’ve got great members like them. I think we can handle whatever The Eternal Order is going to throw at us…”

“Right you are, Blood,” Ultimatum said with confidence.

“Schwarzes, were you supposed to say that?”

“No, but I’m saying it anyway, ha!” This made Blood-Wraith and Dragoslava laugh, as his cavalier attitude was comforting.

Next: Epilogue

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

Obviously since The Red Man is an UMAE character, this should also be on this blog. And yes, he will be showing up in the series eventually.

The Red Man ain't holding back on what he thinks about Gaster. And Gaster ain't happy about it, ha!

This is the second time I've done ULTRAMagic Alternate/Undertale fan art and I figured with the newest chapter of Deltarune releasing, now would be a good time to do some more fan art.

Want to know more about The Red Man?

Here - Blogspot

Want to know more about the series he comes from?

Here - Blogspot

Also have a non dialogue version:

Also that sky you see is my headcanon for Deltarune's sky.

[ultramagicalternate]

Alright, the updates to ULTRAMagic Interlude BC are done. And obviously it is now up on Blogger:

ULTRAMagic Interlude (Bonus Chapters) on Blogger

Now the big ticket question: Will I be also updating ULTRAMagic Chaos in preparation for the blogger version? I don't know. I am going to read the first two chapters and see what I think. Chaos was more recent and I was getting more comfortable with my writing. Interval and Eon 1 obviously won't be getting these kinds of updates given how recent they were and I don't want to be dwelling on this side venture forever.

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Interlude (BC) - Introduction

Cover | Interlude | Chapter 21

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Very few people actually respect authors, and just as many actually care about them. With this in mind, you can imagine that it is difficult to find time to write in today’s society. With so many people only looking out for themselves (consequences be damned), there is a mounting pressure to succeed no matter what. Daoists of ancient China would take issue with this and you would think that “progressive” western societies would heed the word of belief systems telling people to relax and go with the flow, but we do not live in that kind of world. All of this is a roundabout way of saying the planning and writing of ULTRAMagic Interlude kind of got out of hand.

What you are reading here is the continuation of ULTRAMagic Interlude, hence why this is called “Interlude (Bonus Chapters).” This story takes place at the same time ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland and addresses what everyone else was doing while Dunja and Barna were off dealing with Milosh and The Eternal Church. ULTRAMagic Prelude (Book 1) was a real shotgun story that underwent changes on the fly and was poorly planned out. It took a month for me to get back into the swing of things due to personal anxieties and having to help out my family with work around the house. ULTRAMagic Interlude naturally fell into the same poor planning trap.

ULTRAMagic Interlude went through several revisions and even then I did not follow the outline I had set for myself. Dunja was originally intended to die off and become a ghost. Furthermore the earliest draft had her as a pure evil villain that would have tried to corrupt Desislav into joining her. Presumably I recycled this concept in part for Anne Vozenilek (not the Desislav part). I was also being hasty, wanting to get to the Eon arc (Eon 1 to Intermission, or books 7 to 13) as quickly as possible. In hindsight it is funny as I am finishing up Eon 1 as of writing this introduction. In my impatience, I turned ULTRAMagic Interlude into a novella when it should have been a full novel.

And of course Interlude: Shadowland and Chaos were not spared of this poor planning issue. Book 3 was originally supposed to be a 12 chapter novella focusing on Gabriella while Book 5 would have had Maxima as the main character. I also had a lot of unresolved plots and story lines from Interlude that were still canon, so Interlude BC made sense. This book starts with chapter 21 and is ULTRAMagic Interlude for all intents and purposes. It also makes Interlude the longest book thus far, clocking in at 46 chapters. The only other books to exceed 30 chapters so far are ULTRAMagic Interval (Book 6, at 36 chapters) and ULTRAMagic Eon 1 (at 32 chapters).

Interlude BC should not be your first book. If this is the first one you have picked up, please go back and read ULTRAMagic Interlude, then ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland (assuming you have already read ULTRAMagic Prelude… actually go back and Prelude too). None of this will make any sense if you do not read those two books first. This book will also rely on you having read those books as characters will not be reintroduced given that this is a direct continuation of Interlude’s narrative. And you should absolutely read this book once you are ready as it contains more than just went on during the events of Book 3.

Now I will admit that this book is not the most blood pumping story in the ULTRAMagic Alternate series. There are no stakes like there were in Shadowland. Instead this is a window into the lives of Blood-Wraith, Vlastimir, and Desislav. They have to prepare for the future, with uncertainty and danger on the horizon despite the peace and quiet they have been blessed with at the moment. You will still have a fun time, even if the sake of the Cosmos is not on their shoulders. I promise you will enjoy this book, regardless of the awkward nature of it.

And no matter what you decide to do after this, thank you for making it this far. I appreciate you hearing me out and hope you have fun with the rest of the books. Despite this book not being initially planned for, I did have fun with it and put my all into it like I usually do.

Sincerely,

William Ford II (6/5/2025)

Next: Chapter 21

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Eon 1 Chapter 30

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The royal court made their way down to the arena, as Englehart wanted to address the duelists and congratulate them. “Well done! Well done, both of you!” the king declared as he approached, accompanied by the others. “My goodness, Blood! Your magic only gets better and better as time goes on. Playing it safe only to heel-turn head first into uncharted territory is the making of a truly great mage, not afraid to take risks and blazes as many trails as he can!”

“And just where did you learn that void magic, young man?” Dunja eagerly inquired. “A little rough around the edges, but that was impressive for someone new to it.”

Blood-Wraith chuckled and twirled the rose between his fingers as it vanished. “The Screaming God has been getting on my case to learn void since I’ve decided to save curses for absolute emergencies and I finally caved.”

“I was wondering where that magic was,” Valerie noted as she stepped over to them. “I was actually a bit worried about you using curses…”

“Ah, Valerie, would you like to address the audience?” Englehart asked as he indicated for Radovan to hand her the microphone.

“Of course. Thank you, your majesty,” Valerie replied as she tapped the speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen? Sir Blood-Wraith has defeated me and I am a woman of my word. I am hereby dropping my plans to unite The Unlight and I will be working closely with The Iron City and The ULTRAMagic Guild to help keep the Cosmos safe!” She received a round of supportive applause for her declaration.

Torunn then approached and gestured for the microphone. Valerie was a little confused, but handed it off. “Everyone, I have an important announcement I’d like to make! After much deliberation at the behest of Queen Dunja, effective immediately, Valerie is officially inducted into the Blades of Dunja!” There was another, celebratory round of applause.

“Wait, what?!” Valerie exclaimed as Torunn handed the microphone back to Radovan.

“We absolutely insist, dear,” Gratiana said as she stepped over, accompanied by Adriana and Andelin. “Your magic and intellect are second to none, and you’d be invaluable in keeping The Iron City safe.”

“Plus you know a great deal about Anne’s side of The Eternal Order,” Dunja added, leaning in a little. “We need your help now more than ever.”

Valerie was about to speak, but stopped and sighed. She could not say no to a friend. “Fair enough, Dunja. Besides, someone has to have your back,” she assured with a chuckle.

“Now if we could just get Rose to join, it would really be a party,” Torunn pointed out, causing the duchess to smile and shake her head.

Radovan then gestured for Valerie and Blood to stand with him. “Let’s hear it for Sir Raynot and Blade Valerie!!” The audience gave one last round of vigorous applause, commending the fantastic duel and the ever so brighter future ahead of them as the two duelists gave a final bow.

As Valerie and Blood-Wraith met back up with the guild before heading back to the guild hall, Guinevere went and gave her mother a hug while everyone congratulated Blood-Wraith on a job well done. Guinevere could not stop praising her mother’s performance and maturity, while also apologizing for her antics previously. Valerie also apologized and admitted Guinevere was right all along. She was also quite proud of Will’s rescue, assuring her daughter that the Ter Avest wit and spirit was alive and well in her. Before Valerie could take her leave with Guinevere (and Edmund), Tiberius and Alexia insisted that they attend the celebratory feast that was to be held for Blood-Wraith’s triumph. Valerie could not say no to a good time and Blood-Wraith was also very insistent.

The entire guild was in attendance that evening, proud as ever of Blood-Wraith and his success. Things had seemed uncertain at first, but that duel was a guarantee that the guild could work and they could easily get things done if they set their minds to it. Everyone was happy beyond words and it could be felt in the air as they all sat in the main hall, chatting and waiting for the food to be ready. Desislav, Drusa, and Alexia went all out with the night’s meal. A wide variety of dishes with all sorts of meats, breads, and vegetables were prepared, with many delectable scents filling the main hall as the food trolleys were wheeled in. Everyone was invited to dig in as they had all earned it.

Blood-Wraith was sitting with Valerie, Guinevere, The Future Squad, Tiberius, Alexia, Deimos, and Dragoslava as he enjoyed his food. He then looked at Valerie who seemed a little lost in thought. “So, Valerie, what’s next?”

“Oh, I don’t know honestly,” she answered. “I wanted to go off and do a little soul searching, but my draft into the Blades of Dunja foiled those plans.”

“Ahem, mother,” Guinevere playfully interjected. “Let’s not get overly ambitious again…”

Valerie laughed. “I hear you, sweetie. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere any time soon.” This was met with a positive chirp from Edmund, who was happily gnawing on his food.

“Well even if she did, Baxter and I would have her back in no time,” Deimos boasted, with Vexation shaking his head with a smile in the distance.

“Also there’s something important we need to address,” Blood-Wraith put in. “Tiberius?”

“Indeed, Blood,” he replied. “Could you do the honors, Cronus?”

Cronus chuckled as he stood up. “Let’s put Valerie’s membership to a vote! Any opposed? All for?” Everyone else raised their hands for the latter with supportive cheers. “Welcome to the guild, Valerie!”

“What-but-huh!?” She was stunned, with Guinevere chuckling to herself. “Goodness, this day is just full of surprises. I-I happily accept!” This earned her a round of applause.

“Besides, you have newfound ULTRAMagic and need training,” Tusk pointed out as he took a bite of his food. “Jeez, you guys are giving me the same anxiety I had before we set out with Leif to go fight The Lich…” Some of the others chuckled in response to that.

As everyone returned to eating, Rostislav had a question he had been wanting to ask pop back into his mind. “Hey, Valerie? I got to ask you something: How in the blue blazes did you plan to unite the whole dang Unlight?” he questioned with a laugh.

“Agreed, because The Unlight is so big it’s not funny,” Dragoslava added. “And it’s still expanding to this day. We may even see our part of The Unlight become ‘The Outer Unlight’ in the future.”

“And I will second that given the data on the Abyssal Unlight we’re receiving,” Deimos put forward. “The Eye Planet that has been following The Unmariner has been fairly vocal about that.”

“Oh, hold up,” Will interrupted. “Does that mean The Deep Unlight would become the new Unlight, so-to-speak?”

“Yes indeed, Will,” Deimos answered with a teacher’s pride. “And the Trench Unlight would become the Deep Unlight, the Abyssal Unlight would become the Trench Unlight, and so on and so forth.”

“Jeez, ain’t that something else?” Yale remarked. “And I can barely wrap my mind around the expansion of the universe back home…”

Valerie cleared her throat, regaining everyone’s attention. “To answer your question, Rostislav: I… I have no idea. Truthfully it was a ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ kind of plan. I’ll admit I was being reckless and headstrong…”

Deimos nodded and took a sip from his mug. “I can relate, as that mentality got me here after you split me.”

“Don’t fret over it too much, Valerie,” Alexia reassured her. “The Epoch-guild felt a similar conundrum and weren’t sure how to go about keeping the early Cosmos safe. Tiberius, wasn’t Mind-Wraith worried in particular?”

“Goodness, that brings me back,” he recalled as she set his mug down. “I’d say the poor lad was somewhere between Blood and Valerie.”

“The dangers on the horizon were quite frightening for everyone as none of us were sure how the Cosmos would turn out. And the eternity it took to arrive at modernity did not help in the slightest.”

Valerie let that sink in as she ate some more. “It’s definitely comforting to know that I’m not alone in the concern I have for the Cosmos. Goodness, it goes back that far…”

Vexation leaned towards the group and laughed a little. “Mind-Wraith would definitely appreciate your concern, but also would definitely have some choice words for you and Blood.”

Blood-Wraith chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, Will? Now when you head back to the future, I want you to take things seriously, okay? Ask for help if you’re stuck and be careful in battle… especially with that ‘Mega Cannon’ spell I’ve been told about.”

Will smiled and laughed. “Will do, Blood. And don’t worry, Antares and Marcus will get on my case if I slip up again.”

“All of that is along the lines of what I’ve been trying to teach him as his mentor,” Rostislav added. “These things take time, unfortunately.”

“Good lord, Teunis was so right…”

Rostislav had some annoying memories come back and patted Will on the shoulder. “Hold up, Will. If Teunis picks on you again, I’m going to give him what for!”

“But Rostislav, he has a point. My recklessness is messing things up. Remember how he had to cover for me at Dust Gullet Gulch? I was out of my depth in that showdown with Dirtbag Jones…”

Ludwig finished some of his food and groaned a little. “As valid as most of Teunis’ critiques are, he has been a bit on edge as of late…”

“Dealing with The Eternal Order I trust?” Dragoslava wondered with a chuckle.

“Amongst other issues, but for the sake of the timeline I shall arrest my details.”

“Fair enough-don’t want to blow a hole in the flow of time and whatnot,” she conceded.

Blood-Wraith then realized something and scratched his head, looking around for someone. “Hey, where’s Schwarzes? Wasn’t he supposed to be here?”

Will also looked around, his neck emanating a soft plume of gray smoke. “Yeah, he just sort of vanished after we got back…”

Rostislav laughed as lightly flicked Will’s neck. “Ha, I thought me and Jack got your dullahan venting under control.”

“Heh, sorry about that…”

“Can’t really fault him given how chaotic things have been,” Yale reasoned.

Just as Tiberius was about to speak on the matter of Ultimatum’s absence, he entered the hall with Zal-Rint and three others. “Sorry we’re late, everyone!” Ultimatum announced. “We had to round up Mal, Auda, and Valentina.”

“And we also had some flow of time shenanigans to address with Beorhtric and Wynnstan,” Zal-Rint added. “Is the food still warm?”

“Of course!” Desislav replied. “And don’t worry, we made more than enough.”

“Mr. Fire!” the red haired tree person in a school uniform called out as Blood-Wraith got up to greet her while the others exchanged greetings. “That was so cool!”

“I take it you saw the whole thing, Auda?” Blood-Wraith asked as he was hugged and swung around.

“Yeah, the whole school watched it!” she said as she set him down. “We were all rooting for you and all of that was awesome! The way you cast the serpent, the flames, the webs, and the dancing? Amazing!” she was tapping her feet a little on the last bit.

“Well hey, go get some food and I’ll tell you more about it!”

“Yes yes yes!” she replied as she went over to the trolleys.

Valentina also picked up Blood-Wraith for a hug. “Blood, I’m so proud of you! That was some of the finest magic I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks, Val. It was certainly a rush.”

“I’d dare say you’ve made Mind-Wraith very proud, Blood,” Mal said as she gave him a calmer hug.

“Thanks, Mal.”

“And Valerie, it’s a pleasure to meet you and to have you as a member of the Blades of Dunja.”

Valerie smiled as she shook Mal’s slender hand. “Likewise, dear. I just hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Jonathan then stood up with a hearty sailor’s laugh, feeling full of energy. “You know what, everyone? This all calls for some music! I’m getting out my fiddle. Brandr, get your drums.”

“Haha, will do, John!” he replied as he also got up. “It’s music time. Anyone got a flute or a guitar?”

“I’m a good flutist,” Gabriella replied.

“And I’ve always been pretty good with an acoustic guitar,” Weaver added.

“Pull ashore, mateys!” Jonathan invited. “It’s going to be singing and dancing tonight.”

Next: Chapter 31

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Eon 1 Chapter 29

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Despite all of the chaos that the Tyrant War had caused for The Iron City, The Future Squad was pleased to discover that The Iron Colosseum was no different in the past. Its great columns and arches of metal had withstood the test of time, standing as a tall and proud monument to the fighting spirit of the Descendants. After parting ways with Blood-Wraith and Valerie, Tiberius led the group to the stands. The guild now had their own section next to where the royal court sat. Will was growing increasingly excited, looking down to the dusty arena below, glancing across the rest of the stands to see the eagerly awaiting audience, and finally resting his gaze on the royal court. He recognized everyone there save for four, disciplined, older men.

Given that he was sitting right next to Ultimatum, Will tapped his arm. “Hey, Schwarzes? Who are those four men sitting with the king and the others?”

He quickly looked over and smiled. “Ah, them-they are the four great sword masters of The Iron City…”

“Vilho the Earthen, Sander the Inferno, Torsten the Torrent, and Tallak the Cyclone,” Ludwig added as he finally sat down on Will’s other side.

“Wow, they must be quite the masters,” Yale remarked. “To be that prestigious.”

“Oh absolutely,” Aureolus replied, a row above them. “Master Vilho was Rose’s teacher. I’m surprised you don’t know them, Will, as they’ve resolved to be more active as of late.”

“Oh no, I’ve heard of them,” he replied. “It’s just that I haven’t seen them in person.”

“I’d imagine they’re still being selective in the future,” Zal-Rint, sitting on Ultimatum’s other side, pointed out.

Aureolus nodded as that made sense. “Yeah, no surprise there. Old habits die hard.”

Rostislav chuckled as he remembered a fact he had been told. “Apparently, Will, Milosh would’ve gotten his butt kicked back in the day if he tried to invade the city, ha…”

“Eyes forward, mateys!” Jonathan interrupted, sitting next to Aureolus. “It’s starting…” he stated as Radovan walked to the center of the arena.

As the duke tested his microphone and looked around, he smiled upon taking in the anticipation. “Ladies and Gentlemen of The Iron City! Your attention, please? Today is a grand day where we shall see who earns the right to defend The Unlight!” There was a round of applause as Radovan paused. “The ULTRAMagic Guild has returned and stepped up to the plate! Alas, their authority has not gone uncontested. Put your hands together for our challenger-one of our own returning to the fold-Valerie Ter Avest!”

Valerie strode out into the arena, took her hat off, and gave a bow as she received a pleasantly surprising amount of applause. Many were glad she was there, but some also found her very attractive. After blowing a few kisses to the audience, she walked up and accepted the microphone from Radovan. “Greetings, everyone! It is an honor to be home again and you all have my sincerest apologies for my assistance of that godawful Milosh. If it’s any consolation; that worm didn’t pay me, I knew The Lich was going to blow it-not as spectacularly as he did, but hey-and I figured good old Dunja would come to her senses eventually. Let’s be real: She knew I was right and Milosh and The Lich couldn’t even lead a parade if they tried.” There was a mix of clapping and sympathetic laughter. Dunja was lightheartedly face palming and laughing to herself as Valerie had earned her ‘I told you so’ moment.

“And I’d dare say it all turned out well in the end,” Radovan stated after being handed the microphone back. “And now, the one who accepted Valerie’s challenge! A founder of the modern ULTRAMagic Guild, a hero of The Iron City and the Cosmos itself, my son-Sir Blood-Wraith Andrew Raynot!”

Blood-Wraith came running out to a massive applause and spun around to take it all in. While the turnout was not as big as his previous duel, he was still happy to see those in attendance. The audience could tell he was brimming with confidence and they could not wait to see what he had in store. After giving a proper bow to Valerie, he accepted the microphone from his father. “Alright, I’ll be honest: we wouldn’t be here if I had just behaved myself a month ago-but hey, who doesn’t love a good magic duel, am I right!?” The audience cheered for this.

“Right you are, Blood-Wraith,” Radovan agreed once he had the microphone back. “In this duel you two shall cast spells in response to each other until one of you has no other moves. Focus on outwitting your opponent rather than attacking each other.”

“Loud and clear, father,” Blood-Wraith replied.

“My wit is as sharp as my sword, your grace,” Valerie promised.

Radovan nodded and cleared his throat as he had something important to say. “Before we start this duel, however, a new rule has been put in place in response to Blood-Wraith’s previous duel: No hand-to-hand combat whatsoever.” There was a wave of accepting disappointment from some of the audience. “I understand how you all feel as someone who enjoys a good bout of brawn, but a wrestling match goes against the spirit of a magic duel. Now, Sir Raynot, Valerie, decide who goes first and we shall begin.”

“Ladies first?” Blood-Wraith asked.

“Actually I’d love to see what you have in store first, Blood,” Valerie replied with a giggle and a wink.

“Alright then,” Radovan said as they shook hands. “Head to your corners and cast the first spell when you’re ready, Blood-Wraith.”

Blood-Wraith quietly exhaled as he walked over to his position with the audience cheering for the start of the duel. “Great, she probably has an ace up her sleeves…” he muttered to himself.

Once things were quiet, Blood-Wraith quickly mulled over his options for an opening move. Valerie was a smart mage, so he had to make his choice count. Once he had it, Blood-Wraith assumed a ready stance and an orange field of pulsing energy flared up around him. Ochre Serpent, or at least a magical illusion of the great aquatic beast of black metal and orange fire, swam around him and roared. Rising up into the air, it shot multiple bursts of water into the sky, with magical bolts of energy erupting from Blood-Wraith’s hands, freezing them solid and causing them to plummet back down to the arena.

Valerie was impressed as Blood-Wraith was clearly learning how to use his abilities remotely. Seeing the ice boulders get closer and closer, Valerie placed a hand on her hip and snapped her fingers. Fireballs shaped like beautiful wildflowers hit the spell head on and shattered the ice into a gorgeous, sparkling snow fall, awing the audience. Blood-Wraith’s technique was good, but his form was lacking and Valerie was more than happy to tutor him. She spun around like she was dancing, summoning two serpentine dragons made of twirling frosting. They flew around each other in the air before charging straight for Blood-Wraith.

The audience was in suspense as Blood-Wraith fidgeted around in a panic, as Valerie’s spell was quite the spectacle. On instinct, Blood-Wraith held his hands out and something ensnared the dragons. Upon the light hitting the scene just right it was revealed that the dragons were caught in spider silk, with Blood-Wraith calling upon the power of Azure Spider. Pulling the strings tight, the frosting dragons were sliced into fine pieces, shocking the audience. Valerie reacted quickly, snapping her fingers again and saying a quick spell. The slices of frosting turned into flocks of gorgeous, candy birds, like what one would find on a decorative cake. They fluttered into formation and darted towards Blood-Wraith. In response he summoned a spinning vortex of lilac flame around himself that protected him and destroyed the birds as they got close.

“Tut tut, sweetie!” Valerie playfully chided. “Embrace the art of your magic and have fun, Blood! Don’t just react, feel your spells come to life!” Valerie kicked her slender leg into the air, calling forth a rain of glittering rose petals. She then brought her limb in for a pirouette that caused the petals to form into a giant set of hands.

The hands were grooving to a silent beat, rhythmically sending streams of petals towards Blood-Wraith. As he hobbled around like an awkward first date trying to dodge them, he began to think. Valerie was running circles around him already and she had a point. Was he just going to keep reacting? Casting predictable spells like a good little neophyte trying to pass a mid-semester test at an academy? And then something happened… Blood-Wraith felt a strange rhythm take over as he began stepdancing while dodging the rush of petals coming at him again and again. Valerie immediately picked up on the change in Blood-Wraith’s tempo and laughed triumphantly.

“There you go, Blood!” she congratulated as she started to dance along, the petal hands mimicking her moves as she also summoned streams of glittering, rushing water. “Let your feet sing!”

“Why just my feet when…” Blood-Wraith took a breath in preparation and readied one of his greatest spells ever. “Flzo-Zoxo-Mzoo-Uuk-Aru-Usto!!” His voice echoed with eldritch power from beyond the stars and in the orchestra pit appeared a spectral band who began playing symphonic, celtic folk music.

Everyone was stunned when Blood-Wraith’s spells began being cast through his dancing. First came the illusions of six, green versions of himself that danced along in perfect unison, casting elegant flurries of verdant fire that engulfed the streams of water and turned them into steam. Now it was Blood-Wraith’s turn to twirl, causing the steam to rise and become great thunderclouds. Pounding rain hit the arena, but strangely it did not make the ground wet.

Valerie felt her blood race through her veins as the ghostly orchestra synchronized with the thunder and rain of the magical storm. Her heart and feet moved to the beat of the drums and the flutes and fiddles made her adrenaline surge as she let the instruments take the lead. She was dancing just like Blood-Wraith and his phantasms, with traces of her own ballet style, seemingly oblivious to the wicked lighting striking all around her. The audience was naturally terrified out of their minds as Valerie was narrowly avoiding bolt after bolt. The guild on the other hand was utterly amazed, cheering as loud as they could and clapping along to the festive, eldritch beat.

“HOLY CRAP!” Will exclaimed as he leaned against the railing. “AUROELUS, that’s void magic!!”

“And he said he wasn’t a void caller!” he replied.

“I know, right!?” Brenna added with excitement in her voice. “Look at those moves!”

“Hey, sister!” Dragoslava called out to the royal court section as she stood up. “You’ve been teaching Blood how to dance?!”

“I’ve taught him some moves as he attended a meet up with my old dance troupe not too long ago!” Kresimira called back. “But those other moves are coming from his magic!”

“Well well, if the guild doesn’t pan out he could always take up professional stepdancing at this rate!” Tiberius said with a laugh as he clapped along.

Valerie was having so much fun dancing, but she realized that she was becoming reactive like she had criticized Blood-Wraith of doing. With the instruments rising towards a crescendo, she began casting twirling, surging ribbons of floral and culinary, whimsical-yet-passionate energy that followed along with her moves. Noticing this upheaval, Blood-Wraith stepped up his dancing by changing out his doppelgangers for an entire troupe of phantoms joining him in the same perfect unison as before. They warded off the energy ribbons as the orchestra intensified their music in response to Valerie’s ever fervent tempo. The two duelists locked eyes for the briefest of moments, knowing that a winner was about to be decided. What Valerie did not realize was that Blood-Wraith had an ace up his sleeve…

In a monumental barrage of magic and instrumentals, a great explosion of unrestrained energy and flowers filled the colosseum with a loud boom, raining down petals like a deluge of celebratory confetti on the arena. Valerie was standing there, seeming like she was waiting for an ovation, out of breath while petals swirled around her. The band had paused their music and Blood-Wraith laid on the ground, seemingly knocked out. Everyone gasped and even Valerie was caught off guard by this turn of events. As for the guild, they were speechless save for one.

“DID BLOOD JUST LOSE!?!” Will cried as he leaned over the railing to get a better look, with Ludwig having to pull him back in before he fell.

Ultimatum focused on the scene, then smiled. “Hold up, dad. It ain’t over until it’s over…”

Ludwig also inspected the situation and laughed. “Oh boy, here it comes. Pay attention, Will, Yale, Rostislav…” he said as he pointed to a faint glowing on the ground that Valerie was completely unaware of.

Valerie was in disbelief as she approached Blood-Wraith, accompanied by Radovan. “Your grace, is he…?”

“No, that can’t be all…” Radovan reasoned. He knew Blood-Wraith all too well for him to just give up like that… “Blood, lad; if you don’t get up, you’ll forfeit the duel…”

Then Valerie saw it… a smile and a snap of his fingers that made her smile with a child-like glee. “You sneaky little rascal-WHOA!”

Valerie was shot into the air by a magic seal under her feet and began bouncing around on a series of giant, colorful gelatin mould desserts. Radovan stepped back as Blood-Wraith got up, put a rose in his mouth, and strutted forward with utmost pride as the phantasmal troupe joined him for one last dance as the remainder of the petals rained down on them. The audience cheered, roared, whistled, and clapped along to the final symphony, a triumphant and epic tune that would make anyone’s heart race with excitement and signified that the winner had been decided. All of it was a victory lap for Blood-Wraith as he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. It felt like he could do anything now, and pursuing stepdancing was certainly being added to his list of things to do.

As the music finished and Blood-Wraith’s troupe held a bow, Radovan went back to check on the bouncing around Valerie. “Uh, ha, any response, Valerie?” he called out

“I… CON… CEDE! SOMEONE… GET… ME… DOWN… HAHA!!” Despite the disorienting nature of her predicament, Valerie was enjoying herself.

Rising with the rose between his fingers, Blood-Wraith declared “Ballo finito!” as the orchestra played one last, loud barrage of instruments to signify the end. The applause that followed was truly thunderous, with the audience yearning for more. Blood-Wraith’s troupe then scrambled to summon a safety net and caught Valerie as the gelatin moulds vanished.

Next: Chapter 30

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[ultramagicalternate]

And there we go, the updates to ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland are done. And of course it is now up on Blogspot too.

Interlude: Shadowland on Blogspot.

What's the plan going forward? Next week I am going to fix up the Interlude Bonus Chapters and then i'm not going to update Chaos or Interval. Against my better judgement, I think they should be good to go as they are more recent. Regardless they will be going up on Blogspot following IBC.

And now is actually a good time to start reading ULTRAMagic Alternate. I've said that many times before, but after this next update I don't plan to update the books unless there is a major issue or someone points out a mistake to me.

[ultramagicalternate]

Spoilers, they do. ULTRAMagic Interlude: Shadowland is getting updated tomorrow and will be going up on Blogspot. IBC will follow suit when I get to it, but I've decided to forego this for Chaos and Interval. I don't think those need serious updates like books 1-4 did.

ULTRAMagic Interlude is going to be updated soon. Just like what I just did with Prelude, nothing about the story or lore is being changed. I just went through and fixed things up. Also I added some extra dialogue here and there because let's be real, Interlude needed it.

Good Lord, Interlude should have been a full novel instead of a novella... I'll provide an update when I'm finished. Yes, Interlude is going to be posted on the blogger blog soon.

And it stands to reason that Interlude: Shadowland may also recieve similar fixes. We'll have to wait and see though.

Can I just catch these mistakes when I initially do my double proofread? I am getting tired of having to go fix things. Just when I think I got it all squared away, oh look, there's something else I missed.