Magic: the Gathering
Chronicles, Volume 1
By Louis Kemner 2008
"So, who will read the next passage?" Professor Smith asked the English class. In the third row, twenty-year-old Viktor Dimitrov raised his hand.
"I'll do it, sir," he said.
"All right, then, Viktor, fire away," the professor said. The man was fairly laid-back for a college professor; some of the older ones disapproved of him, but he didn't mind that. He was just over thirty, only a decade older than his sophomore English Studies students. Viktor was one of his favorites: though Viktor was Bulgarian, and came to the United States from Bulgaria to study, Viktor was the favorite. In fact, Professor Smith owned a game console at his home, and shared a few games with some of his students. He wasn't delinquent, though; games didn't get in the way of English.
Viktor read the passage out loud, about Lenin's Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917. The wording was set up to make it difficult to decipher the meaning of the words, but for a student with English as a second language, Viktor did impressively. When the bell rang for classes ending, Viktor gathered his items and put them in his red backpack, and started to head out the door.
"Just a second, Viktor," the professor said to him. Viktor stopped, and the teacher said, "I hear that you play a card game with friends of yours. What can you tell me about it?"
"It's called 'Magic: the Gathering'," Viktor said, hefting his backpack to a more comfortable position. "You play spells and creatures, trying to take your opponent's life total from 20 to 0. Why do you ask?"
"I might be interested in picking it up," Professor Smith grinned. "I'm stuck in Final Fantasy XII; my quests are too difficult and leveling up is way too slow at this point. Maybe I could find a starting deck, and you and Devin could tutor me. Sound good?"
"Yeah, that's great," Viktor grinned. "We've been wanting new players for a while. Okay, this weekend, we're going to the game store."
"I will see you there," the professor said, then left to talk to other students.
Viktor went down the crowded hallway, trying not to knock anyone over. Near the exit doors, there stood Devin Willis. He was nineteen and a freshman, one year below Viktor in age and grade level. He had wavy blond hair and a big smile, and many girls admired him. But he was solidly single.
"There you are," Devin said, slapping and shaking Viktor's hand in greeting. "What kept you? The others said that we're meeting at Makoto's house today. He doesn't like us to wait."
"Professor Smith wants to start playing," Viktor explained. "He'll get a deck this weekend."
"Tight, man," Devin said happily. "Then we can play three-on-three, instead of two-headed giant with someone left out. C'mon, let's go."
The two of them took the city bus, and were soon dropped off at the house of Makoto Nakamura. They rang the doorbell, and were admitted by Ashley. Ashley, who was 16, and her sister Kelly, 18, were the few girls Viktor and Devin knew who played Magic: the Gathering. They used to be teased by it, but the teasers had grown bored. Plus, they were good players. Ashley had a mean blue-white deck that was full of counter spells and flying creatures. Kelly ran a solid black deck, with vampires, skeletons, and swamp beasts. Makoto himself had a red-white deck, with samurai creatures from the Kamigawa block. It was his favorite.
"Glad you're here," Makoto said, coming into the room. He finished wiping his hands on a towel and tossed it away. "Mother-san says that we can play for just an hour, cause we're having guests later."
"That's okay," Viktor said, following the others o the dining room. The polished oak table made an excellent playing surface, and Makoto always had snacks ready. Everyone took their seats, and shuffled their decks.
"Now, let's put all our decks together," Makoto said as they all finished shuffling.
"How come?" Devin asked.
"Let's try playing with each other's decks this time," Makoto said, putting his deck in the center. "Should be fun!"
"Okay, just a second," Kelly said, getting up. She turned the radio on to her favorite station, and sat back down. The game commenced, everyone trying to use each other's decks with amusing results.
"Makoto-kun!" the mother called from the other room. "Just half an hour more, okay?"
"Fine," Makoto yelled back. "Let's do it again!" he said, putting his deck back to the center. Everyone else did, too. Viktor accidentally slid his deck too fast, and knocked all the decks apart.
"God-dang it!" Devin exclaimed good-naturedly. "You messed up our cards."
"Sorry," Viktor mumbled, starting to re-arrange the decks. He found five creatures clumped together, one from each deck. He hastily piled them together and continued sorting the other cards. But what he did not notice was that the five cards were fluttering, as though by a breeze. The fluttering strengthened to a spinning that made all five cards spin like tops, all on their own.
"What's that?" Kelly asked, pointing at the spinning cards. "Did you do that, Viktor?"
"Uh, no," Viktor said, watching the rotating cards. "I didn't move them enough to put that kind of spin on them. And they're not slowing down…"
He got the sinking feeling that something strange was going on, and he was right. With a whisper, then a roar, the cards spun at blurring speeds, and a whirlwind focused on them, tugging at the five kids seated at the table. A small black point appeared above the cards, like a pitch-black marble.
"What's going on?!" Devin cried, holding at the table to steady himself. The winds plucked at everyone's clothing, threatening to pull them into the void. Then, the black point grew and grew, until it could admit a person. Green energy crackled like lightning around it, and the wind was finally too strong to resist. Thee five terrified kids were wrenched from their seats, and they cried out as they were absorbed. Viktor just managed to scoop all the cards into his pockets before he was pulled in.
The five of them were flying down a green tube of energy, like a wormhole. They seemed to be floating and flying, like asteroids in space. The event was short-lived, though. Bright light shone at the dark end, and the five of them came tumbling out and fell onto hard stone. Viktor rubbed his sore elbow, and looked around. They were in some kind of alleyway, with trash bins here and there, and squeaking rats scurrying about. The black portal ball shrank, until it was pea-sized, then gone. No trace remained of the portal.
"Ehhh… what happened? Where are we?" Makoto asked, getting up and looking around. "I don't recognize where we are."
"We must be somewhere in the deeper city," Ashley said, getting up as well.
"We'll just find our way to the main street, and take a bus to our homes," Viktor said. "We only had a half-hour left to play anyway."
"That's a good idea," Kelly said. "Okay, let's go this way." She pointed down an especially wide alley, and Viktor followed the others.
Five minutes later, the alleys refused to yield to the street, and Viktor grew concerned. He could smell something in the air; it was sweet, but in a sickly way. He and the others were going in its direction. Wherever they were, they had to hurry the hell up to get to safety —
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden and loud hissing sound. Everyone stopped dead at the sound.
"Aw, now what?" Devin complained, looking around for the source of the sound. The alleys' quiet seemed oppressive, trapping them where they were. The hissing sounded again, closer. Then, out of a dark alley, a monster erupted. It was a giant insect, with a round and curving head. Two small, beady eyes glared at the kids, and it had animal-like jaws full of sharp teeth. It had a humanoid body, with two arms and four legs. Its hands had sharp and deadly claws.
"Look out!" Viktor cried, grabbing his friends and pulling them to the ground. The monster insect leaped over them, landing at the other end of them. Its claws gouged the ground, leaving scratches. It hissed again, and Viktor realized that the sweet smell was coming from the beast. He suspected that Kelly had chosen this direction because her sub-conscious could detect it, and encouraged her to go this way. It was a trap! More hissing could be heard, and two more of the insects creeped out of the darkness, salivating with their massive jaws. The three of them surrounded the terrified kids, who could only tremble at the sight.
The beasts lunged, but a flash of silver intercepted them, and they fell back, wounded. An elvish man descended out of nowhere, with body armor, long hair, and a long broadsword. The insects eyed the new threat, keeping their distance. The elf man proclaimed, "Come and get me, you filthy Golgari beasts! Are you not fit for your guild's survival of the fittest?" and attacked them.
He was an expert swordsman; he quickly dispatched one of the insects, and was hacking away at the second. One of them scored a hit with its claws on his shoulder, only to have him retaliate and slice its head cleanly off. He dispatched the last one with a sword thrust, and turned to face Viktor and the others.
"You're lucky I came along," he said, sheathing his sword. "Golgari Mortipedes will attack any stray travelers, regardless of whether they are strong or weak."
"Uh… we thank you," Viktor said, speaking for the group. "You came just as we were in trouble. How did you come by us?"
"I patrol here regularly for monsters such as they," the elf said, nodding at the dead Mortipedes. He turned and started to walk off, and said over his shoulder, "These alleys are not safe. Come, I can guide you back to the market square."
His words sank into the five, and they hastened to follow him and stay in his protective company. In less than a minute, the elf had led them to bright light, and Viktor gasped at the sight before him.
They had entered a wide stone street, lined with wood and stone buildings off all sizes and heights. Portable vendors were scattered along the sidewalks, selling wares of every imaginable kind. The crowd consisted of a variety of people; humans, elves, vedalken, and giants busted back and forth. Among them were armored soldiers, mages in elaborate cloaks, and shady sorts. The buildings in the distance were nearly skyscrapers; clock towers rang out the hour with loud and clear bells, church steeples reached for the clouds, and tall apartments were all about.
The elf warrior addressed Viktor and the others. "I must go now. I can't dawdle much longer. Farewell to you all, and may good fortune follow you always," he said.
"Thank you for your help," Makoto said, and the others agreed. Without another word, the elf dashed away and melted into the crowds.
Viktor suddenly recognized where they were. "Ravnica!" he breathed loudly.
"You mean the Ravnica card set?" Devin asked. "Don't tell me you think we're there!"
"This has got to be," Viktor said excitedly, spreading his arms out. "Look at all these people, and the creatures we see. Those insect Mortipedes, I recognize them from the cards! And that was the Civic Wayfinder!"
"That can't be," Kelly said, shaking her head. "I can't explain that portal, but there's no way we teleported to the Ravnica plane. It's impossible!"
Just as she said this, three merchants walked by, and one was excitedly saying, "The Izzet recruiters say I've got a real knack for replication techniques, I think old Niv-Mizzet has a real mage coming to his doorstep!"
The three had barely passed when a squad of armored men walked by, their silver armor painted red in parts. On their shoulder plates were the words BOROS DRAGON-CLAW LEGION. Those soldiers passed, and a screeching was heard overhead. A griffin with blue-white tinted feathers swooped overhead, with a struggling pickpocketer in its mighty beak. Around its neck was a collar that read AZORIUS FIRST-WING UNIT. The creature flew on and wove between the spires of the buildings.
"You see?" Viktor said, pointing at the clues. "We're obviously here, in Ravnica!"
"And
why is this so exciting?" Ashley asked. "We have to find a way
home!"
"That's right," Makoto added. "We know that
the creatures here are dangerous, plus the guild feuds."
"I guess," Viktor agreed, feeling his excitement fade. "How are we going to get back? I didn't see how the portal opened in the first place. All I saw was the stack of five cards spinning, then the portal opened."
"It was clearly related to the cards somehow," Kelly said thoughtfully. "We'll have to figure this out later. I can tell it's the afternoon. We should find an inn to stay in while we figure this out."
"That's a good idea!" Ashley agreed. "Maybe that one over there?" she pointed to a small building, several stories high and made mostly of wood. The swinging sign over the double doors read Fairie Wing Inn.Viktor and the others made their way across the busy street to get there. Before they could, however, a disturbance halted their progress. Out of nowhere, a flight of arrows shot past the group and thudded into the rooftops above. People cried out and ran from the site, clearing away like ants from a hungry bird. From above the roofs, a whiny crackle could be heard, getting closer. Another flight of arrows was fired, and they connected with something unseen. Then, a bizarre object ridden with arrows came crashing into the street from the sky.
"It's the Dragonauts!" someone called, and his message was reinforced by four more of the objects whizzing into the air. They were made of a central dome-disk, with energy sputtering from it. Cables hung from it, supporting goblin-like fairie men with goggles riding in litters. The fairie men put their hands together, and balls of red and blue energy focused between their fingers. They pulled their arms back and threw the balls like baseballs, and the orbs exploded against the buildings on the other side.
Viktor wheeled around, and saw dozens of tree-men advancing across the street. They had yellow-green crystals for heads and hands: they were saprolings! Some were obliterated by the energy bolts, but the rest shuffled across the street, advancing on the position of the Dragonauts. The Dragonauts were reinforced by several Weird creatures, which rushed forward to help the Dragonauts. On the saproling side, several elephant clerics thudded forward, along with elves dressed in green armor standing on the rooftops opposite the Dragonauts. Before Viktor knew it, both sides engaged in battle, with the elephants, elves, and saprolings on one side, and the Dragonauts and Weirds on the other.
"We've got to get away!" Devin cried, pulling his companions away from the carnage. The bloody battle intensified as guildmages on both sides arrived and worked their magic. Selesnya mages created saprolings by the dozens, while Izzet mages threw fireballs at them. Some Izzet mages created the fireballs, and others cast blue energy on the fireballs, which split into several. On the Selesnya side, another creature came into play as the Izzet had the upper hand in battle: a giant plant that resembled a Venus flytrap with four heads. The plant beast gave a squeal and slithered forward on its roots. The panicking Izzet mages burned the heads off with fireballs, but the charred planty stumps grew new heads, so now the beast had eight! It was a Phytohydra. Within minutes, the Phytohydra and elf archers slaughtered the Izzet forces, and the Izzet survivors scampered back into the alleyways.
Calm soon returned to the streets, and people began to flood back into the former battlefield, making sure to avoid roasted saprolings and destroyed Weirds. One of the Selesnya guildmages approached Viktor and the others.
"Sorry you had to see all that, young ones," the elf mage said. "The Izzet have been stomping all over the market square like they own the damn place. Glad no one was badly hurt."
"I took a burn, here," Devin grunted, revealing his charred arm. "Stupid mages sent a fireball at me, and look at this!" he panted from the pain.
"This wound looks serious," the elf said, leaning closer. His green, inhuman eyes observed the blackened flesh. "Come with me, everyone. This injury will be treated fully, as the Conclave's apology for allowing innocents to be harmed in our skirmishes." He got up, and beckoned.
"Should we trust him?" Ashley whispered as the mage started to walk away. "We should be careful."
"Right, but I don't see any other healers around," Viktor said, scanning the street. "Plus, the Izzet used the fire, not the Selesnya. We should go with them."
"'Kay," Devin agreed, and he hobbled after the guildmage with the others following. It was hard to believe that they were actually in the Ravnica plane, Viktor thought. He didn't know how or why this would happen. But he and the others had to find a way to survive this metropolis of guilds, and find a way home. Soon.