Chapter 9
Bodies littered the street. The street was no longer stone grey, but a vivid mixture of oil black and bright crimson. The undead swarmed several of the bigger beasts and went one on one with the smaller familiars. But, it seemed that Garruk's creatures had the upper hand. The creatures would kill Liliana's zombies, but for every one that was killed, three more would take its place. Banshees screamed wolves to pieces, and specters picked beasts from the ground and threw them into buildings, and off into the distance.
I watched as a shade went through a baloth and the baloth crumbled to dust, as if its life force was stolen. Bodies were dropping, and blood and limbs flew in all directions. Tajic and his forces were trying to subdue the zombie horde and the waves of creatures and familiars, while Teysa quickly sided with Liliana and summoned ghosts, wraiths and other spirits to fight back the flea bitten creatures. Ral Zarek and Gideon fought back to back, Gideon instilling morale in the Boros troops and Ral Zarek burned, drowned, electrified, and otherwise disintegrated whatever came his way. Black, Green, Blue, Red, White and Blue magic flew everywhere. Chaos had erupted in the city of Ravnica; let's hope it can be contained.
Creatures on both sides approached me, not knowing friend from foe, attacking me. I blew them to bits, or turned their already primitive minds into mush, crumpling them. Wave after wave began to swarm me as well, but I could not allow myself to be stopped. I gathered energy into a compact sphere of raw power, and blasted away a line of troops. But as wave after wave of creatures took their place after their fallen comrades, it was beginning to become too much. It was time I truly joined this fight.
A rush of mana filled my veins, and I felt the liquid cool magic seep from my eyes. I opened a gateway to the sea, and sent my mind to the creatures, the villagers and the depths of the ocean. The few select creatures and individuals I was looking for answered back. Within seconds, human figures came through and stood next to me. The Aether Mages; quick, manipulative and intelligent, everything I needed from a soldier. They dashed through the beasts and spirits and began our retaliation. Bodies began to drop faster, and blue magic was more noticeable. Next, two old friends came through. My phantasm and my mind seeker, and I looked at each and tilted my head to the crowd; they instinctively knew to cause mayhem. They zipped to the first wave and swam through the heads of the creatures. Heads exploded and bodies fell; such a perfect ally at my disposal.
Next, a snout emerged from the gateway expanding to a head and a long scaled neck. A scaled monster of enormous size pulled itself from the murky depths. The azure colored drake filled the sky, and glimmered from the sun reflecting off its sapphire scales and seawater soaked body. The drake let out an ear shattering roar and took to the battle below. I shot jets of water at groups and snapped up several small groups of beasts. Soon several other drakes wrenched themselves from the gateway and joined its brother. Madness and carnage began to echo through the street, and blood came down like rain.
I turned my attention to an approaching group of zombies, and cast a spell to shroud them in fog. The fog swirled around them, and left seconds later leaving behind bones. More beasts rushed me and I pumped intensified jets of water into their skulls. Several beasts slumped to the floor with caved in heads, but more followed behind them. I sustained them in a field of water and sent my thoughts into the beasts, within seconds the creatures slumped, lifeless. I began to butcher whatever came my way and cared little for what dropped. My cloak began to become slick with blood and gore splattered my face.
Apparently Garruk summoned more of the terrifying creatures, because baloths, wurms, giant spiders and other ferocious beasts began to snap up the undead army, and snap the flying beasts from the skies. Drakes swarmed the now towering beasts, and tore at their throats. Some of the creatures dropped while others swatted several drakes from the sky. A baloth came charging in my direction, but before natural instincts could consume me, I seized the creatures mind and quickly took over. My thoughts subdued its own and turned to my side. The creature's hide turned a sea blue and lowered itself for me to climb aboard. I rode the beast and forced it to stomp several of the groups to bits below. The baloth let out a tremendous roar and several beasts turned tail.
Many of the giant spiders hopped onto the beast and made their way to me. I turned and unleashed several air spells, sending the spiders off into the skyline. Others joined the top of the baloth and tried to topple the beast with their poison, but the creature wouldn't have it. It turned sharply into a tower and knocked the spiders off, while I sent several off to the ground. The assault on the baloth lightened for a moment and it continued to run in the direction where Liliana and Garruk's spell casting and fighting originated. The baloth and I got closer and closer, blasting, stomping, and eating whatever got in our path until suddenly the creature began to slow.
I looked to see what was slowing our advance, and saw that its legs were covered in black. Upon closer inspection, I saw that swarms of millions of insects had attached themselves to the creature. Its footing became heavier and heavier, until it began to fall. This was my stop. I launched myself from the baloths head, and landed in the swarm of a group of zombies. They turned to me, but I vaporized them, and ashes replaced where they stood. I turned, hoping to see Liliana, but bodies filled my vision. A massive roar, followed by a demonic voice filled the void.
"What souls should I consume, my mistress?" the voice rang.
Liliana's voice could be heard not too far off, and hope filled my heart. "Anything that reared its ugly head from that wretched forest," I heard her.
This massive black creature with tattered wings and a menacing sword filled the sky and roared. It swooped down and struck down many of Garruk's beasts. Shouts and screams of terror could be heard. This was obviously not the first time that this creature has come to Ravnica. The world around me has become chaotic, and even more creatures that came through. A thought popped into my head, all of a sudden. 'I've got to tell her how I feel, if we make it out of this alive.'
I keep with my search for her, blasting and vaporizing as many of the creatures that came against me. I shoot a jet of blue magic into a crowd and it exploded, sending the limbs into every direction. A wave of blood spattered my face, but I looked past it. I must get to her! I had to get to her; I could not afford to lose her, not again. There is no force too big, or too powerful to keep me from her. If need be I would rip the world asunder and smash it to dust to be with her. Forcing my way past the final wave of undead and beasts I came to a clearing, but what I saw I wasn't prepared for.
Garruk had Liliana by the throat, and was yelling at her to lift the curse, but the only words that came from her mouth shocked me.
"JACE!" she yelled. The look of terror was one that she, for as long as I've known her, has never had. An uncontrollable wave of energy began to build me; my rage grew to a rising storm but quickly turned into a hurricane. I summoned as much energy as possible without killing myself, and began to compact it into a sphere. The sphered grew, and grew, and I sent a barrier around Liliana. I could no longer contain the mana, and I channeled the energy into a shockwave or rage, and power.
I yelled as the shockwave spread from me, toppling the war around me, and crippled the drakes. The world became blue, and I was the epicenter.