Magic: the Gathering; War of the Planeswalkers
My story isn't a grand one, but it is one worthy of listening. It all started on the plane of Ravnica but ended in an unnamed plane with more ferocious creatures than any ever imagined possible. There was also the most evil power of the multiverse; Nicol Bolas. When I started out on this journey, no one even expected anything this momentous. My name is Crueak Carter. I am a guildmage in one of the most powerful guilds in Ravnica, the Izzet. Our rivals, the Golgari, were preparing to head to war with us. My job was to make sure that our frontline mages and members stayed ready for all situations and that our leader, Niv-Mizzet's plans went through properly. I had an above average intelligence even among the members of the Izzet. I was purely sent on support missions, with my power to copy spells and abilities of other members. Today was special, Niv had hired a special young man by the name of Jace Beleren to assist us in this battle. He was a planeswalker, one of the most powerful and feared forces in the planes. I stand outside Nivix, our guildhall, looking over battle plans when I hear Jace speaking to some of our soldiers.
"The Golgari Swarm plan on taking our hall and our lives today! Are you going to let them? Is this how the Izzet, the Magewrights plan on going down? This guild has been our rivals for how long? Don't let them take us out. Now, for our battles plans, as you know these have been discussed in great detail by Niv-Mizzet, but I'm going to go over them in another way. The weirds are to take the frontlines, the Golgari won't know how to deal with them. The Elementals, Djinni, Faeries, and goblins are to go with them. I'll take a small taskforce with me, and we'll sneak around and pop in from the side and take out several of their more powerful ranged forces. We need the bulk of our army to head to Korozda, taking out any of their Rot Farms that you can. This force will be the dragons, the drakes and the humans. The ogres are going to stay here, and defend our home. Make sure the firemind isn't touched!" He said calmly, way to calm to be preparing to head out to war.
The guild hall roared, all enthused to go to war. I had never seen them like this before. Jace quickly went around and chose specific people to head with him. He turned and saw me, a young 19 year old man dressed in the red and blue gear that is given to all of our mages. He smiled, and walked towards me. I sighed, I didn't even want to go. I've seen the firemind and used it to communicate with Niv-Mizzet that makes me one of the smartest minds in the guild. I should stay here and use it for the war. Not running around out there trying to take people out.
"Niv has told me about you. Crueak Carter. I'm excited for you to travel with me. I'll need your replications and overloads for my spells. I'm only taking a few of the Izzet members with me, the rest of our squad will be filled out with my Illusions and Phantasms. We won't see much of the war, but we'll be the special task force. It's rumored that the Golgari have a planeswalker by the name of Vraska. She's extremely dangerous. She's our target. Do you understand?" Jace said extending his hand.
"Of course Mr. Beleren," I replied nodding.
"Good. Now whatever happened to Ral Zarek? Was he not a proud member of the Izzet?"
I paused before answering, "He's been killed."
"Who managed to kill him?" He said shocked, which was understandable Ral was a very powerful mage. A planeswalker in fact. He had worked with Jace a few times.
I paused again and before I knew it Jace had already known his answer.
"So it was you? You managed to kill a planeswalker? But how?" He asked concerned.
"How, how did you?" I stuttered.
"I'm a mind-mage my friend, I can read your mind. Something that Niv-Mizzet wants me dead for. If it wasn't for this war and me being a necessity he'd try to kill me. I'm betting your fight with Ral was set up by Niv. He expected that you could kill him, and thus used you for his own means. He disliked Ral because he was trying to break away from the guild, and used some of my research to do it. But after so long Ral came back, failing in his mission and meeting the Golgari," Jace let out a laugh, "Which really is the reason for this war, probably."
"I know. I know all the details," I said solemnly.
"Of course you do, you're the newest champion of the Magewrights, aren't you?"
"Yes," I sighed, this guy knows too much. Luckily Niv put a spell on my secret objective so he'll never read it.
"You do know, that if you try and kill me as well it won't go well for you. I'm far to intelligent for you."
"I would never think of it Mr. Beleren."
Shortly after our wonderful little conversation, we heard the bell. It was time for war. I grabbed my gear and me and the few members of the Izzet that Jace had chosen followed him. There were 4 of us in total. Me, another of our guildmages, a goblin electromancer, and one of our chronarchs. He explained to them about Vaskra and explained what we were to do to make sure that the Izzet were victorious in this war. I laughed at hearing it all again. Nothing really made sense. All I knew is that the guilds of Ravnica are at war. Boros was heading to war with Selesnya today, and Izzet were going against Golgari. The Azorious weren't going to take this easily. I can just imagine how mad they're getting with all this fighting. The sounds of battle shook me from my thoughts.
"Stay focused!" Jace yelled as the golgari appeared in our sight.
It was another task force, of Elves, Imps, and Humans. They moved quickly, they had a unique stench amongst them that was tough to handle, but I stayed ready. I saw Jace put his hands in the air and a blue light appeared around him as several illusion-beasts appeared. They rushed the Golgari and with snarls and bites they began fighting, the humans fell quickly. The elves began to glow green, and instantly the humans got back up as zombies. Any unit that we killed just got right back up. Jace snarled and extended his arms towards our opponents.
"If physically killing them won't do the trick. CARTER!" He said preparing a spell.
"Right," I muttered gathering my own mana for a copy spell.
"I'll take the ones on the left you copy and take the right!" With that his arms glowed blue and the mana shot out of them, my own grabbed it and became the same and rushed towards opponents as they got hit they fell instantly, brainless.
The goblin electromancer conjured up some lightning and singed all the bodies. With that we moved on, slowly at first but sped up as time went on. In the distance we saw her. Vraska with a group much larger than ours. Elves, Imps, Hounds, Humans, Gorgons, Zombies, several Trolls, some Skeletons, beasts, elementals, anything the Golgari could give her. Jace stood ready and brought out even more illusions and some of his phantasms. I stood preparing some of my spells, thinking of which I could do. The electromancer nudged me and began to glow red, preparing his offensive lightning. The chronarch pulled out his book and began to read up on some of the more ancient spells that would help us. The other guildmage shook his head and he and I copied the lightning and struck it down around Vraska, she looked towards our group a few seconds to late as Jace's illusions and phantasms were already at her, with a wave of her hand the group traveling with her began to fight. Jace rushed towards her, using his spells to create several illusions of himself. I stood watching as these two powerful warriors went head-to-head. I shook my head and pressed my hands together. Blue in one, and red in the other. I separated them to reveal several lightning bolts. As I pulled them further apart the amount grew. I aimed it precisely and away from our allied creatures. I swarmed the lightning down on the Golgari, but to no avail they just got right back up, undead. I looked at the guildmage.
"We're gonna take them all out at once!" I yelled and he nodded.
I stood ready and prepared my most powerful fire spell. My arms began to glow a bright, fiery red. A spark appeared and shortly after a large fireball. The guildmage copied my spell, and together we shot two large fireballs, directly through the illusions and into the enemy. The illusions vanished and all the Golgari soldiers turned to ash. I fell to my knees as did the guildmage, we both were exhausted but we knew that Jace may have needed our assistance. I looked around for them but in the excitement I lost track of them. The chronarch told me a spell called ponder and how to use it. I closed my eyes and saw them fighting over an edge. Jaces abilities were powerful but Vraska had summoned three assassins. Jace used several different abilities to stop all the attacks that were coming after him, but he just wasn't fast enough. Vraska got a powerful hit in and sent him flying off the cliff. My eyes shot open and I rushed towards their location.
"Stay here! I'll return shortly. With Jace," I said as I ran quicker and quicker, but as I ran I thought to myself. My mission is to kill him, why would I rush off to save him? What is it about Jace Beleren that makes me want to make him my ally? Is it because I don't even like Niv? Is it because I know that he can help me destroy him?