Adventures of John: Death of Magic

Chapter 6: The Rose

"The death of magic?" Merida asked. "Is that even possible? Can you kill magic?"

"Of course not," I replied. "But that is not important. The Rose are zealots. Whether or not their goal is possible they will use any means necessary to achieve it. They will murder and enslave and do whatever they feel is needed. Nothing is beyond their insane quest. But they shouldn't be here. They shouldn't be able to be here."

"Why not?"

Looking around, I saw that the nearest guard was beginning to look at us strangely. "We can't talk about this now," I told the Scottish warrior woman. "We're attracting far too much attention. We can talk about this later. Let's head over to the inn."

"If yer really that worried, why don't you just poof us out of here?"

"Yes, because announcing to the magic-hating cult that a magic user is in their midst is such a great idea. We are going into the inn. Try not to look too suspicious."

"Worry about yerself," Merida muttered, stalking off. "I actually do this for a living, unlike you Magic Man."

. . . . .

Once we were situated in the inn and ordered a meal and a pair of drinks, Merida turned to me with a glare. "Now we're away from the ears of yer Rose friends, will you tell me what all this insanity is about?"

"Like I told you before, the Rose is an organization dedicated to destroying magic. I say organization, but cult would actually be a much more accurate word. In their world they would kidnap spell casters and imprison or execute any that didn't convert to their cause. Any magical creatures they manage to capture are given magical manacles that force them to do whatever they are told."

"So they use magic to fight magic? Sounds a bit hypocritical to me."

"As long as it furthers their goals, they don't care," I replied. "They will do anything, use any means necessary, to do what they believe needs to be done. But them being here is impossible."

"And why is that?"

"Because they are from another universe. I've traveled to other universes before, but these guys…" I hadn't ever actually met the Rose in real life before, but how was I supposed to tell her I had only seen them in a computer game? I was still shocked to be seeing characters from a computer game I used to play popping up in this universe. How was I supposed to explain what a computer game was? Or a computer? Guns were still new to these people. "I've only been to their universe once, and anything that they are planning cannot be good."

"And with yer rogue prince here…" Merida muttered.

"This could be recipe for disaster," I finished. "The most devious man I have ever met working alongside a fanatical, militaristic cult obsessed with destroying magic… this is not good at all."

"Then we should find this Hans as soon as possible and get out of here immediately after."

"No!" I stood up and slammed my fist on the table, the eyes of everyone in the inn coming towards us. I sat back down, calming myself and waiting for everyone to direct their attention somewhere else before continuing. "If the Rose is here, that means that there is a hole in the universe," I explained. "Realities that never should have connected are connecting, and that is a very bad thing. Hans and the Rose being involved only make it worse. This isn't about simply capturing Hans anymore. This has become something much more."

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I didn't come here to be a hero. I came here to collect my bounty."

"And we both know the real reason you do this is for adventure," I stated. "And trust me. I've been doing this for years now, and the best adventures always start when something like this happens. Your own first adventure started with unexpectedly finding a witch and having her turn your mother into a bear. The unexpected always brings about the best adventures."

I suddenly found a knife to my throat, my large enveloping cloak hiding the blade from the others in the room. "How do you know about that?" Merida hissed.

"I know a lot of things I shouldn't," I replied. The knife suddenly vanished, and Merida stared dumbfounded at her empty hand. "And don't think that you can threaten me. You may be a skilled fighter, and you may have the wisps at your beck and call, but I am the most powerful being you will ever meet. I will not be threatened."

"Of course," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Can I have my dagger back?"

"Of course," I replied with exaggerated politeness. The dagger appeared on the table and she slid it back into its sheath.

"Then what's the plan, Oh Powerful One?"

"I think you know."

"Sneak into their mountain fortress it is then. But how, pray tell, are we supposed to get through the locked gates and past the guards without anyone the wiser?"

"With a bit of magic."

. . . . .

"I am really not comfortable with this."

"Too bad. It's either this or going in guns blazing."

"I'd much rather go in guns blazing."

"Then I guess you're out of luck."

The two of us walked through the street, unnoticed by any of the nearby guards or civilians. We were silent and invisible, undetectable by any means possible. As we walked, a guard walked toward Merida and strode straight through her, causing her to shudder as he passed through her incorporeal form.

"That does not feel good!"

"Oh, shut up you big baby," I laughed. "We'll be inside the fortress soon, and I will undo the spell once we are out of sight. Now let's hurry. I want to see what it is the Rose are hiding in there."

She muttered under her breath but followed, shuddering again as the two of us passed through the iron gate hiding the entrance to the Rose's secret fortress.

. . . . .

"Oh dear."

Oh dear was right. On the other side of the massive door was a large rock ledge, guarded by several more members of the Rose. Leading down from that ledge was a stone staircase that climbed down to a massive cavern that the rock ledge overlooked. Merida and I were at the cliff's edge, looking down into that cavern, which seemed to go on forever. Tents and campfires stretched as far as the eye can see, and miles away in the distant darkness of the endless cavern more fires were still visible.

Throughout it all were the Rose, sword-wielding soldiers and bow-wielding manahunters alongside the dangerous Rose magi, with several massive pits visible filled with magical creatures, manacled and chained. Thousands and thousands of Rose soldiers filled the cavern, the center of which was occupied by some sort of excavation. Looking closer, we could see the excavation had been dug further than any light could reach, miles and miles into the earth.

"It's an entire army," I whispered. "And they are digging deep into the earth." But why?

"Forget about the digging," Merida muttered. "Our target is right there!" My eyes followed the direction of her pointer finger and saw the former King Hans, decked out in Rose regalia and entering a large, extravagant tent. "I say we get in there and see what his royal highness is up to." Merida glanced up at me. "What about you, Magic Man?"

"I agree."

We walked down the stairway and passed dozens of Rose soldiers, my ethereal spell keeping us from being discovered. Whatever reason the Rose had brought an entire army into this universe I had no idea, but it couldn't be good. Especially with them digging that suspicious pit. Whatever it was they were searching for, it couldn't be good. If we could take out their leaders, we would be able to stop it.

We walked through one side of the tent and saw a group of five Rose leaders, two men and three women, sitting around a large circular table, with Hans standing and speaking to them. The men both wore massive, almost over-sized armor, and had oversized weapons leaning against their chairs. These men were obviously the leaders of the ordinary soldiers, while the women seemed to be more specialized. Two of them wore leather and had intricate bows, leading me to conclude that these were the leaders of the manahunters. The one calling the shots was a tall, white haired woman draped in robes covered in elaborate Rose sigils. She was one of the Rose's magi, the hypocrites who use magic to destroy magic.

"Everything is as I told you it would be," Hans told the assembled Rose leaders. "It won't be long before you have what you came for. I think it is time I received my compensation."

"An army to invade this tiny kingdom of Arendelle," one of the manahunters muttered. "How quaint."

"Arendelle is the furthest thing from quaint!" Hans spat. "It is ruled by a witch who has complete control over ice, along with her boy toy with a penchant for fireworks. They are not to be underestimated."

"I'm not a boy toy," I muttered, my spell keeping the others in the tent from hearing my complaint. Well, all of them but Merida, who elbowed me in the gut.

"You will get your army…" the mage stated, her voice light yet filled with authority, "…once we have what we came for. Then and only then will our deal be complete. Besides, if what you say is true, then once we have achieved our goal, your witch and her boy toy will no longer be an issue."

A long musical note played on the wind, the Rose leaders looking about questioningly. Hans, however, didn't seem perplexed at all.

"What is that?" Merida asked as more music began to play.

I grinned at her. "I believe that Hans is about to sing."