Chapter 11 The Mutable

Went 6-2 on a seal on MTGArena once with a Golgari value deck. My pool contains Feasting Troll King, Rankle, Wildborn Preserver and The Questing Beast. Turn out the deck can indeed build itself.

Sorry for a delay. I attended a Bangkok GP, and it take all my energy away for 3 days. Got a very bad pool for a main event. I tried a 2HG seal tournament and win it 3-0. And then I caught a fever and bedridden for a day.

Reviews/ Q&A

Ragnarshadow: Atarka knows about her uncle? Because this and Emrakul destroy her dream like a thanos snap.

No, she doesn't. She only notices the power but doesn't know the truth behind it. Yes, Emrakul will destroy her. It is not even a competition.

Reikson: Nice 40k-TTS reference.

Yep.

ThatOneGuyUpstairs: About planeswalking.

I heard about that also, but I cannot find the source.

ThatOneGuyUpstairs: About werewolf breeding (I guess that is the correct word.)

In this story, they can't. In lore, well, there is nothing concrete. It states in the planeswalker guide to Innistrad that werewolves cannot procreate normally and the only way to increase their number is via the curse. Still, not all werewolves are a planeswalker. Then again, I doubt that WotC will have a story about Arlinn Kord traveling around having sex or getting pregnant anytime soon.

As for Jon, well anything goes. Maybe the power of an elder dragon can circumvent the curse, maybe not.

Previously

"Don't let it over your head just because you gain a sliver of power beyond your comprehension."

"Now, little human. Where is your master?"

Insensate. That's is one word that Ugin rarely used to describe the feeling he has. As one of the oldest planeswalker alive, he had seen a lot and experience a lot. For eons, he transverse the multiverse up until the point of his falls a few thousand years ago or so. He witnessed the horror of an Eldrazi, he participated in the apocalyptic war among his own kin, and he even debated the philosophy with the Equilorians. But nothing, NOTHING, has ever made him feel this angry.

RAGE.

Is this boy a minion of his evil twin? Or is he a pawn of some convoluted plan of his cousin? Or he is something entirely different?

AND WHY! FOR THE LOVE OF THE UR-DRAGON, WHERE DOES MAJORITY OF HIS POWER GOES?

CURIOUS.

How could a planeswalker be this young? Sure. A look can be deceiving, but why anyone wants to be in the body of a child? Their power would be limited, and any powerful individual will recognize them in an instant. No, the body is genuine. The boy doesn't even bother to hide his eyes.

What a multiverse he now lives in.

Jon Snow knows that he is in a rough situation. On one hand, he finally meets Ugin. On the other hand, Ugin is now angry with him from the thing Atarka had done. And from what he understands, Ugin is one of the oldest planeswalkers alive. Far older than Sorin Markov, who Jon stupidly bind himself into his service when he became of age. If anything goes, he might get squash right here in the dragon's claws, or worse burned with a colorless fire that can even defeat Atarka.

Well. Shit.

"Answer Ugin Nothing! He cannot know that we had returned, or he will destroy us. Tell him that your blood descends from mine and nothing more." Vaevictis Asmadi's voice rings in Jon's head. It seems scared, which is understandable. He lost most of his power when Atarka uses him as a glorified power source. It will take a year if not decades for that power to return.

They need to bind their time. Retreat into a shadow. Put up an innocent front. And when the time is right, the dragon will overtake a man, as it should always be. The man, oblivious to the dragon's plan will make this easy.

"Well? I believe you still have ears and can still hear. Where is your master?" Ugin asks again. His voice is clear that it will not be the third time.

"Innistrad." Jon answered.

"Innistrad?" Ugin repeated. He doesn't seem convinced. "DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL! WHERE IS VAEVICTIS ASMADI?"

Before anything else could happen, a brown blur moves through the valley with incredible speed, as soon as it closes it Become Immense and slams the spirit dragon's left ribs, sending him to the valley's wall. When the dust settles, it reveals a figure of an angry Arlinn Kord with an intent to kill in her eyes. She is now triple her normal size with more than double her original strength.

"GET YOUR HAND AWAY FROM MY SON!" she shouted.

Even without transforming into a werewolf, Arlinn is still an accomplished wizard. She trained under the order of the gold night and even became an archmage. With the wolf spirit, it allows her to easily tap into green mana and uses it to further enhance her superhuman capabilities. But the aspect of her abilities is also somewhat different, instead of a rapid increase in strength like Jon does, she can increase her size and gain strength proportional to that size. While achieving a similar goal, her way is more suitable for fighting a large enemy, like this Elder Dragon before her.

Like Jon, she can dominate and controls wolves and other canines as easy as breathing. Too bad there are is none around, or she would give the dragon a thousand cut.

Arlinn height is now half of Ugin's. Her strength caught the dragon by surprise the last time. Now, when the confrontation is face to face, she requires more power in order to protect Jon. Unlike when Jon fought regent dragons, Ugin can follow them wherever they go. She needs to stop the old dragon right here and right now Or at least by them some time and hope that Sorin Markov will be responsible enough to clean this mess that he started by sending them here.

TITANIC GROWTH.GIANT GROWTH.

The mother wolf doesn't wait for her opponent to recover before resuming her attacks. She knows how dangerous these pre-mending planeswalkers can be. Her fight with Sorin a few years back was more than enough to prove that experience matters in this combat, and she is short for thousands of years compared to them.

When the dragon starts to move, she kicks him in the face. The impact quakes the ground and loses some rockslides. Her muscle tensed as she crouches down and uppercuts her enemy in the chin. Had it been any other enemy, it would die right there. If it is any other dragon, its head would already explode. If it is a giant, its head would be detached and stuck on her fist by now. Too bad she is facing Ugin, one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse.

UNCAGED FURY.

Arlinn punches so hard it hurt her knuckle and it sends the elder dragon flying. The force from the impact breaks the sound barrier. It was a loud boom. But that is not enough. Not enough to knock out Ugin. Her eyes widened as she sees no real damage was done to the elder dragon.

Shit!

"JON!" She calls her son. "Call Sorin now. I will hold as long as I can."

Then, it comes out of nowhere. The dragon opens its mouth and Arlinn is sent flying with a bad burn on her skin. It was a formless and deadly attack. Had she not cloaked herself with mana to increase her size she would be ash already.

Unbeknown to Arlinn, she was on the receiving end of Ugin's signature Ghostfire. It is a colorless flame that is undetectable. The attack is formless and nigh-unpreventable. Only Ugin, who understand all five color of mana and ascend beyond it, could create a flame this potent.

Arlinn has lost before the fight is even begun.

"MOTHER!" Jon cries.

"Don't do anything rash, Boy. We need to lay low. We need to go, Now!" Vaevictis Asmadi's voice rings in his head.

NO! Jon will not do that. He will not abandon his mother.

He concentrates on the mark that the ancient vampire left on him. It glows with a radiating black aura as pain surges through his body. The mark supposes to work one way, from the giver to the given. To revert the process, the price must be paid. And paid a heavy price Jon did.

As Jon is busy summoning his master, Ugin restraints Arlinn with draconic magic. The mana in the air manifest into corporeal form. They move at a blitzing speed at Arlinn and binds her. She tries to break free but every time her herculean strength burst the binding open, two more are taking its place.

A Luminous Bond is not so easily broken.

"Sorin." The elder dragon ponders. "And what does Sorin wants from disturbing the balance of my plane? Or is that a lie just to turn us against each other?"

The dragon question is met with silence. Arlinn still struggles to get rid of the binding.

"You will know soon enough, old wrym." She spat. "I know it is a mistake to come here. I can raise my boy alone without any help from one of you old bastards."

Jon feels for his mother, but he knows there nothing he could do to help. He cannot fight the spirit dragon head-on with his power alone. And the moment he uses his dragon's power, Vaevictis Asmadi will be discovered or that what he was told. He still doesn't sure that what the voice in his head telling is the truth. He had lied enough to be wary of one.

The only one in the multiverse, Jon believes he can trust is his mother, Arlinn Kord. But even so, the shewolf also keeps secret from him. For example, Jon still has no idea what Arlinn does with Surrak when they are alone. He is pretty sure it is not what Sakta showed him. He doesn't think that his mother can behave like that.

Oh, you know nothing, Jon Snow.

Jon watches his mother stop resisting the binding and close her eyes. Within seconds, a Ray of Revelation shines from her body. It blasts through and dissolves the binding in an instant. Arlinn springs up and loosens her muscle. The burn doesn't bother her much. She had worse and gotten better from it. Still, the series of instant physical enhancement, casually known as 'pump spell', she used when she attacks Ugin drains a lot of her stamina.

Arlinn stands defiant. She looks the dragon in the eyes without any sign of fear. Yes, it is just a stall for time, but that's not the point. She practices what she preaches, especially about not to show any sign of weakness. But something cannot be so easily hidden.

Jon brows twitch as he sees his mother heavily panting. She is tired, which means a lot for a woman who can fight for days. There is just too much difference between their power.

He needs Sorin. And he needs him NOW.

Jon concentrates again and channels even more power into the mark. It burns him but he doesn't care. His mother is more important.

"You are powerful, child. I give you that. Such a potential so wasted by serving my twin brother." The dragon speaks. "I know you serve my brother. For that, I cannot let you live."

Jon's eyes turn over on itself as he sees the dragon open its mouth. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" He shouted as he calls forth all the available mana that he has access to. His skin burns bright with an overwhelming power that seeks to tear his body apart. Jon doesn't care, though, he just wants to save his mother.

The power is too much for his little body, for Ugin's sanctuary is the epicenter of Tarkir's leyline. The leyline was not originally there, but the presence of Ugin lying there for thousands of years makes it so.

*ROAR*

Firestorm gathers around Jon's face and bursts out against Ugin invisible flame. He aims just short of Ugin's mouth just to redirect the incoming attack from his mother. He doesn't sure whether it will really work, but that is the best he can do. Jon just hopes for the best.

If mother dies, I die. At least we will not die alone. He thought.

The nature of the invisible fire also makes it hard to observe the result. Lucky for him he doesn't need to. Over his head, from behind, a tendril of pure darkness surges out to supplement his flame. It corrupts everything it touches, his flame and Ugin's alike. Jon soon finds that his control over his fire wanes as the corruption grows stronger.

Then everything explodes in Ugin's face, stopping their little standoff. Jon senses tingle as he suddenly feels an un-nameable dread. It is like a million souls synchronously cry out in anguish as all their pain and sorrow floods his own consciousness.

"Oh my. What do we have here?" Asked Sorin "Ugin. Old friend. Care to explain why you are trying to kill my subjects?"

Sorin Markov does not have a good time when he was interrupted from his endless crusade to protect Innistrad from all threats. Two years ago, he "enlisted" the help of a young planeswalker named Jon Snow to help protect his plane. The boy was so dedicated to the task he even "willingly" swore the oath to serve his cause till the end of his day. To help the boy grows into a full dragon he could be, he decided to send him to be fostered with Ugin in Tarkir. Sorin was sure that with his mother, Arlinn Kord, guidance the boy would be fine.

How wrong he was. Something had to fuck up every time he picks up a stray. It happens once with Nahiri. Now, he wonders what makes Jon so desperate to contact him using the mark. It must be desperate indeed to make one revert the spell of a Master-Slave contract binding just to call for help. He doesn't even know it could be done, and he is not even sure he should be impressed with his improvisation or angered with their incompetence.

AND WHY THE FUCK DOES UGIN WANT TO KILL BOTH OF THEM!

This kind of clusterfuck is the reason why Sorin doesn't care to make friends.

"What trickery is this?" Asked the dragon.

"There is no trick." Answered the vampire. "I send the boy here to learn how to be a dragon. Clearly, your teaching is inadequate. Either that, or he is a very bad student. So bad that he gets his mother involved fighting you."

The dragon went silent after Sorin's words fade. Ugin seems to have a lot to think about. If he doesn't have a headache after suddenly woken up, then he has it now.

"Or …." Added Sorin. "Your assessment is wrong and somehow, for the life of me I don't know why, think these two are your enemy." He pauses and observes. The clues are very subtle, but it is there. The vampire knows he hit the right spot when the dragon power fluctuates just enough to be noticed. "It seems you have become senile, old friend."

Had it been any other man, calling an elder dragon senile is a death wish. Only a few beings are exempt from a horrible death just because they are strong enough, Sorin Markov is one of them.

The dragon looks at a badly beaten mother and her exhausted son. To the vampire keen sense, his old friends regret his action. Interesting. He doesn't even know that Ugin is capable of feeling regret.

"I'm sorry little one. It seems my judgment is clouded." Said the dragon. "I have to admit. You two fight well. A few centuries more and you might prove to be trouble against even me."

"What the F…." Jon looks back at the ancient dragon. Sure, Sorin's appearance changes everything. The dragon listens to him, which is good, but he doesn't expect the complete change of a character.

"Jon!" Shouted his mother who is currently resting on his lap. "What did I tell you about swearing?"

"But mother!" Jon averts his eye from his mother's dagger-like stare.

"WHAT ARE WE?" Nothing, not even a near-death experience, will stop her from discipline her son.

"We are werewolf not swearwolf." Jon whines.

"Quite a lovely family doesn't it?" The vampire commented. "To think that you were about to commit an unspeakable crime of slaughtering them."

"Aye. A mistake in my judgment, I must admit. I just recently woke up from a thousand years long sleep." Answered the dragon. "My mind is not as clear as I hope it would be."

Ugin expands his wings and ascends to the sky. He circles the valley just to breath in fresh air and lands back at the same place.

"So that their mission then. To awaken me. Am I too lowly for the great Sorin Markov to come himself?"

"I don't even know you had been put asleep, old friend. What happened?" Sorin gestures the little werewolf and his mom to come to him. "No. I sent this little one here to learn from you. It seems he cannot even do that properly."

"But …." The boy protests.

"Save your excuse, Snow. Adults are talking."

Ugin bends down and scratches his chin. "Hmmm. It seems you two had been tricked by Atarka. Ha. I know that daughter of mine is no mere brute. Still, you shouldn't trust a dragon so easily. Our kind always looks out for our self-interest first."

Ugin extends his hand to Jon, who winces away like it was a danger. He couldn't be faulted though, He tried to kill them just a moment ago after all.

"I see why you think sending the boy to me is a good idea, old friend. His power is worrying indeed. If it fell into a wrong hand, it would prove a disaster." Ugin added. "So be it. I will train the boy."

A mixture of smiles and frowns dawn on the mother's and son's face. They are clearly confused, but they better learn to let bygones be bygones. "Anyway. How's Zendikar doing? Where is Nahiri?"

"Nahiri. That name again. Lord Sorin. Is she your wife?" Innocently asked Jon.

Sorin frowns. His hand tightly grips his sword handle. "Shut up Snow, the adults are talking."

"From the looks of it, she clearly is." Arlinn laughs.

"SHUT UP!"

Custom Card of the Chapter

Card Name: Ugin, the Recently Awoken

Mana Cost: 4

Types: Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon

Card Text:

Flying, Indestructible

When Ugin, the Recently Awoken enters the battlefield, manifest the top card of your library.

T, 2WUBRG Transform Ugin, the recently awoken

Flavor Text: "But his dream is not as empty as his conscious seems to be."

P/T: 5/4

Rarity: Mythic Rare

Card Name: Ugin, the Enlightened

Types: Legendary Planeswalker – Ugin

Card Text:

+2 Manifest the top card of your library.

-X Deal X damage to all colored enemy creatures and planeswalkers.

-X Destroy X Colored permanents.

Loyalty: 4

Rarity: Mythic Rare