I'm sure the RWBY finale will destroy me emotionally. I can't wait.
Thanks for reading.
As the three planeswalkers approached the cave entrance, the storm suddenly stopped, and revealed a red glow heralding the rising sun.
"Well that was convenient." Daretti remarked. "Ataldis, have you got an explanation?"
The xenomorph pointed skyward towards a large receding thunderhead. "Something has distracted Zendikar's rage." He observed. "No, not distracted… directed."
Ataldis took off his rack and rifled through its contents before finding a small folded piece of paper. As the planeswalker unfolded the paper, it grew to the size of a large table. Its surface revealed contoured green, white, and red land, blue sea, but more than half of the surface was blanketed by an encroaching mass of gray.
"A map of Zendikar?" Jaune said. "Nahira told me those are unreliable because Zendikar's landscape changes so quickly."
"Not this one." Ataldis corrected. "It updates itself automatically. Let's see here…" He turned the map until the east pointer on the compass rose was aimed directly at the rising sun. "The storm seems to be moving towards…" Then Ataldis grimaced. "Sea Gate."
"What's going on? What's happening at Sea Gate?" Jaune asked in bewilderment.
"Nothing." Ataldis said quickly. "Let's just get this over with."
The group of planeswalkers began their trek through the wilderness of Ondu, navigated by Ataldis and his ever-changing map. The sandstone spires glistened in the blood-red light of the morning sun. It was approaching noon when the mesas and canyons yielded to the hedron-clogged fields where Nahira's camp lay.
"Not that I want to miss this awful reunion," Daretti began, "but I really want to go build stuff with these hedrons lying around."
"Go for it, Daretti." Ataldis answered. "It's not like I want to be here either."
Jaune continued walking forward until he was visible from the camp.
"Jaune!" Nahira shouted. She sprinted towards the white knight. "I was worried you were killed."
"No, I'm very much alive." The planeswalker responded.
"Did you find out who did it?" Nahira asked delicately.
"His name is Taigam." Jaune responded. "And he's heading this way."
"Technically, we don't know that." Ataldis interjected, appearing from behind a large hedron.
Nahira quickly drew her sword.
"Leave this place at once, Ataldis!" She declared.
"Nice to see you too, Nahira." Ataldis deadpanned.
"Leave the niceties aside, you foul MURDERER!" Nahira cried.
"Hold on - last I checked, you were the one who killed your girlfriend after I saved her life." Ataldis corrected.
"Wait - she was Nahira's girlfriend?" Jaune interrupted.
"Yeah, I forgot to mention that." Ataldis admitted. "You know how Blake and Yang are-"
"I get that part." Jaune interrupted. "What was her name?"
"The kor have a tradition where they don't speak the names of those who have died. It's a respect thing." Ataldis answered.
"Her name was Sorina." Nahira said. "And you killed her when you used her for your experiments."
"She would have died if I hadn't!" Ataldis exclaimed. "Don't you get it? I saved her the only way I could! Just because you didn't like the way she looked afterwards doesn't mean you get to smite her on a whim!"
Nahira's eyes began to glow white. She lifted up her sword and brought the glowing blade down on Ataldis.
Jaune ran forward and blocked the attack with his own Stoneforged Blade. From where the two blades connected, a blast of white light emitted outward.
"Stop!" he cried. "Whatever grievances you two have with each other, you need to let them go! We've got far greater things to worry about here!"
"Alright." Ataldis said. "I will. What about you, Nahira?"
Nahira stood with her sword drawn for a few seconds, then sheathed her weapon. "Fine." she said. "But only because I trust your judgement, Jaune. Let's hope it does not fail us."
"Run away!" a voice shouted.
Ataldis turned towards the noise. "Daretti?"
Daretti came careening around a hedron. Behind him was an Eldrazi almost four times the goblin's size. The top half of the Eldrazi looked relatively humanoid. Sharp ridges adorned its shoulders and long wiry arms, connected to grasping hands. Like all of Ulamog's brood, its face was completely blank. A crest of tentacles adorned the empty slate. Below its waist, however, the Eldrazi's torso split off into many long tentacles. Those tentacles were what seemed to propell the monstrosity towards its target.
Jaune immediately launched into action.
"Nahira, with me!" he cried.
The two white mages began pooling mana together. As they did so, three hedrons emerged from the ground and began to surround the Eldrazi.
"Oblivion Ring!" Jaune shouted, and the spell was complete. The three hedrons surrounded the Eldrazi, tied together by a ring of condensed white mana that trapped the monstrosity inside.
Ataldis walked up to the caged Eldrazi.
"An effective prison." He noted. "Although you probably should have used it on what's coming."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"This Eldrazi is a Conduit of Ruin." Ataldis explained. "It always brings something larger with it."
The sound of skittering filled the air. Then several successive thuds came from all around. Ataldis quickly transformed into a Storm Crow and flew up to observe what was happening. A blanket of Eldrazi Scions and larger drones surround the encampment.
In their midst were several massive Eldrazi. They were not as big as their progenitor, but they still towered over everything around them. These ones were actually human-shaped, and they even had legs and arms, although each limb split off into two separate forearms.
Ataldis dove back down to the ground.
"Okay, I didn't think it would bring that many." Ataldis admitted. "Something must be disturbing Ulamog himself."
"What have we got?" Jaune asked.
"Well, there's a practical sea of scions to start, and then some Pathrazers of Ulamog. I think there might be a Desolation Twin or two in there as well." Ataldis answered.
"Nahira! Rally your soldiers!" Jaune commanded.
"On it!" Nahira ran over to where the kor were gathered.
"This isn't a fight we are going to win." Ataldis warned. "We can still leave."
"No." Jaune said defiantly. "I have a promise to keep."
"Very well then." Ataldis replied. "Daretti, what have you got for us?"
The goblin pulled out several blue, pulsating hedrons and held one out to Ataldis.
"This is a hedron grenade." he explained. "Throwing one of these should put a serious dent in their numbers. You take them, Ataldis, I got some more surprises for these suckers. They won't know what hit them."
Ataldis pocketed the hedrons. "I'm pretty sure lesser Eldrazi can't 'know' anything." he clarified.
"Whatever." Daretti responded. "Hey, man. We'll be alright."
Ataldis sighed. "I hope so."
"Here they come!" Daretti shouted.
Ataldis threw a hedron at the incoming horde of scions. As soon as it hit the ground, it exploded in a flash of blue light, vaporizing all of the Eldrazi within several meters.
The xenomorph looked to his left. Daretti tossed a metal contraption on the ground.
"Sentry going up!" the goblin shouted.
The contraption unfolded into a turret. As soon as any Eldrazi got within range, it rapidly shout out small hedron shards at the abominations.
"They won't be able to get past here for a little while!" Daretti exclaimed. "You got the big guys?"
"Sure." Ataldis said.
He focused on the two huge Eldrazi closest to him. Even from this distance, they towered above him. Ataldis took a deep breath and focused on the all of the land he had seen over the years. As he emptied the air from his lungs he called their mana to him.
"Waterwhirl!" he shouted.
A wave of water rivaling the height of the Desolation Twins in front of him appeared behind Ataldis and carried the mage upward. He let the wave guide him over the Eldrazi Scions below towards the targeted Desolation Twins.
As the wall of water connected with the two massive Eldrazi, Ataldis gave it one final push. The wave crashed forward, carrying the Desolation Twins with it. The planeswalker fell to the ground and collapsed of exhaustion.
He got up quickly when he noticed the swarm of Eldrazi Scions surrounding him. With the last of his energy, he turned into a Storm Crow and flew towards Daretti.
The goblin planeswalker was faring well. Two sentry turrets gunned down any approaching Eldrazi. Daretti himself concentrated his firepower on a large Pathrazer of Ulamog, as evident from the gaping holes in the Eldrazi and quite a few discarded rocket launchers.
Ataldis avoided several levitating Eldrazi and glided down towards Daretti. The turrets began concentrating their fire on the Pathrazer, and it fell to the ground. Ataldis turned back into human form and began catching his breath.
"This is too easy." Ataldis said. "Something's wrong. I just can't figure out what."
Then the ground began to shake, and out came a huge Eldrazi, just as big as the defeated Pathrazer. However, this Eldrazi was different. Just like other Eldrazi, it had tentacles instead of legs and a humanoid-ish body. However, the similarities ended there. This Eldrazi sported black, jointed arms with eyes embedded throughout its body. Above its head floated triangles of smooth black glass.
"No." Ataldis cried. "It's Kozilek. He's been here the whole time."
It That Consumes 5CC
Creature - Eldrazi {R}
(C represents colorless mana)
Whenever a permanent card an opponent owns is put into exile from anywhere, put that card onto the battlefield under your control.
Ulamog will devour your body, but Kozilek will devour your soul.
9/9