Chapter 11
The two 'walkers ran down the hill following the dragon's body as it tumbled down to stop at the canyon floor.
"Ajani, I will enchant you with as much power as I can muster. You make the final strike."
"Thank you, the glory of this kill will spread my name across the planes. Ajani, the Slayer of Bolas."
"It's a fitting title, and one you rightly deserve. I have no part in this, I was merely dragged along."
"Nonetheless, it would not have been possible without your help. I thank you."
Tomus prepared to cast all the buff spells he knew, Ajani concentrated with all his might for the final blow. Just as Tomus was about to cast, the Psijic monk appeared again
"Stop! You cannot do this here, the energy released when Bolas dies will kill you both. You need to do it somewhere where the energy will be absorbed by the environment."
"Where would that be?" asked Tomus, impatient to get it done
"The Blind Eternities would do, but few can survive there very long."
"It matters not, I will take the risk. I think we can planeswalk out in time."
"No! Dragonborn Tomus, you don't understand, we are trying to-"
"It matters not! I choose where my blood shall be spilled, not you. You have manipulated me long enough; it is time for me to make my own decisions. And this is my decision."
Tomus cast the spell, and Ajani felt the power coursing through him. He dashed forward at incredible speed, leaping thirty feet into the air, he swung his axe at Bolas' neck when suddenly Bolas' eyes snapped open and brought his neck back just in time. Ajani didn't miss a beat, he rushed Bolas again, this time catching the dragon in the throat with his claws and holding on tight. Bolas reached out and tried to snatch Ajani from his neck. Ajani swung his axe into Bolas' palm, cutting it deeply. Bolas thrashed his neck, shaking Ajani free. As Ajani landed, he ran to catch Bolas again, but Bolas buffeted Ajani and Tomus with a great gale from his wings and took to the air. Tomus prepared a dragonrend Shout but Bolas planeswalked away before he could even draw in enough breath.
"We failed, he escaped." Said Ajani gloomily as he made his way back to Tomus, who was getting back up
"No, we can still track him. As he planeswalked, I suddenly became aware of a spell that can track him. And another that can trap him in the Blind Eternities long enough to kill him, but that requires dark magic. And I also somehow know just where to find it."
As the two appeared on the plane of Innistrad, an unsettling aura suffused them both.
"I don't like this place; it makes my fur stand on end." Said Ajani
"Maybe so, but this plane is drenched in black mana, but it is fading fast. A very powerful source of white mana is burning it back into balance so we must be quick."
Tomus began to channel the mana from the environment around them, fuelling it into a swirling vortex that tore at the fabric of reality itself. Skittering noises made themselves apparent at the edge of the clearing in the swamp.
"Ajani, I need to hold off anything that might try to attack us, this spell attracts things that are affiliated with black mana."
"I will defend you."
Out of the murky darkness, zombies of every kind of nightmare began to shamble their way towards Tomus, their rotting flesh made Ajani's nose wrinkle
"Legions of undead approach, there is a great many of them. Please hurry your casting." Ajani prepared himself for a massive battle.
"I'm going as fast as I can. It's nearly done."
By this stage, the vortex had grown to the size of a full-grown dragon, and still it swelled and climbed into the sky.
The zombies advanced on Ajani, the first few were easily dispatched of with great swings of Ajani's axe, but he could not cover every angle, and he had to make several desperate strikes to protect Tomus.
"Hurry, I'm nearly overwhelmed here!"
"Just a little more, a little, more, now! It's done!"
The vortex had climbed its way into the clouds, tearing at the stresses between planes before finally tearing down the barriers and exposing the Blind Eternities. The zombies all halted their advance and looked into the void. Unable to tear their gazes away, they were transfixed at the sight of pure chaos. If they had still been alive, they would have gone mad by now.
"Ajani, get close to me, quickly."
"Why? What's going to happ-" Ajani didn't get to finish his sentence before a pulse of energy rippled through all the beings present. It knocked leaves of trees, sent ripples through the swamp and even caused the undead to blink. Then the event horizon expanded, pulling every conscious thing near it into itself. The zombies were flung into the sky, only to be then thrown into the Blind Eternities. The other zombies had little time to react before most of them were pulled in as well. The rest ran away, a highly unusual reaction of any zombie, since any emotion was burned away at death, but the Blind Eternities invoked a fear that drove any conscious being to run for their own survival, it was something encoded so deeply even death could not dull it. Ajani did his best to shield his gaze and Tomus, at the eye of the storm, was unaffected by its pull.
"Ajani, we must planeswalk into the Blind Eternities, Bolas will be drawn to the vortex soon. We must make sure he does not escape again."
Ajani nodded and did as instructed, Tomus followed.