Without further ado- here is chapter 32. We hope it was worth the wait and that you'll check out Ravnica High as well!
The horrors stood over me, teeth gnashing and talons readying themselves to rend my flesh to pieces. Blood, spit and other undesirable fluids poured profusely from their gaping maws. A guttural, unintelligible clicking and screeching resonated within these creature's chests and drummed at my ears. No creature, or even being should be able to produce these noises, but they did so effortlessly. Blood flowed through my veins at an ever increasing pace, causing my hearts work to double, triple the pace to keep my body functioning. With these creatures ready to descend on their fresh prey, four thoughts took priority within\ my mind. One, I was a weak and fragile human, not just because of my abilities, but because humans as a species are weak, and always require some form of protection. Two, the deep surge of blue mana swirled within my body, and pulled on my connection to aether, and screamed for me to planeswalk away; just like a coward.
Three, there were two, unidentifiable sources also pulling on the aether. But these, however, did not scream for flight; instead, they screamed for conquest and domination. They wished to destroy and twist to my own doings. I dare not tread on these thought as to what these could be. And finally, four, I needed to find Liliana. This, above all else, was the most important thing, more important than a base need or some primal instinct. This was a drive, a goal, my mission to save the woman I love and free her from the Dimir's clutches. A switch flipped in my brain, changing how the scenario could turn in my favor. I looked around the room, and hatched my scheme to dominate my opponents. A spell came to mind, and with the pools of mana from this plane resounding within my body, I unleased the havoc. A shockwave-like force erupted from my hand, knocking the closest of the three into a puddle of the muck and paste, sending it sliding away to one of the adjacent walls.
A stronger tug on the mana pulled, this time, an old friend. A blue-like wave, and blue illumination drenched me and the figures, as an empowered Titan came surging through the rift. There was no need to ask for assistance or tell Titan what to do, he knew what to do. Titan wrapped himself around the other horror, ensnaring and literally drained the mana and life essence from the creature. He clicked at me for approval and made his way back to my side, ready to defend me. The last horror screamed in defiance as I charged some of the unidentifiable source of mana, and let it work its course. A cone of fire erupted, and engulfed the creature in bright blue-like flames. The creature hissed and tried to withdrawal, but the flames stopped it, stealing its life. Titan, now back to his original size, looked at me and shrugged in manner, confusion on the illusion's face. I rubbed his translucent back, and he chirped happily, glad to see me as much as I was him. Taking a finger, I gently lifted Titan and said, "Buddy, I need you to find mommy and let her know I'm safe. Protect her and don't let them get her." Titan made his body erected and with his tiny fin, performed an action meant to be a salute, pecked me on the cheek and swam away furiously.
My heart dropped as the faint blue phantasmal image of Titan disappeared from sight, and the loneliness crept on me once more. I wish Titan was by my side and helping me, assisting me, however, his task was to find Liliana and help her. I knew she was alive and wasn't about to give up on her, nor our child. I reached into the aether, and let my mind wander for a moment, searching for some assistance. An image I hadn't seen in a while pulled the hardest: Calliope. The mindseeker's slender form moved hypnotically, curling around me, rubbing its head against my cheek. "Old girl, we have some troubles ahead of us," I told her, rubbing her neck. She jerked slightly, and two black and red lines colored into her blue image. The lines ran parallel down her length, tainting her blue color.
So, it finally is going to rear its head completely. The madness was knocking hard on the door of my mind. There I stood, on the opposite of the door, the last piece holding the barrier in place. I could give into the darkness, willingly open the path for the madness, or continue my futile resistance. My breath quickened, and my vision began to blacken, anticipating the ever lurking terrors and the power that came with it. "Fine," I whispered out loud. "But, we do this on my own terms," I said, embracing the doorknob, and wrenched the door open. A rushing, blinding and maddening power surged into my blood, chilling it. The sword clanged to the ground and I grabbed at my head, trying to stop the pressure and the pounding of my skull. I felt like my head would burst any second from the power that know pounded my mind and the ideas that came with it, the sheer display of strength I could now perform. Millions of images flashed into my mind, people burning, rotting away to bone, becoming a pile of organs and skin. People turning to ash, and the screams of the deaths of millions and the minds of people being controlled with my iron hand, commanding legions of unwitting fools to my highly superior mind.
I dropped to my knees, and tried to stifle the screams building in my chest, but no force could control this. The scream escaped from my throat, a demonic, blood curdling shriek, and the volume deafened my own ears. I allowed its freedom, and my voice reverberated through the empty halls of this hell. I pounded at the ground with my fist, enraged, ever screaming as the earth cracked from my blows. I tore at my chest, and my face, my nails drawing blood and my clothes tearing from the racking demon taking control of me; a demon I willingly allowed to give into. My scream carried a single name with it at the end of the long drawn howl. The only name that could come to mind, and would carry me through this hell, my driving force: Liliana. I screamed her name until my voice was hoarse, and crumpled over as my voice finally gave out.
There I sat, crumpled over, my hair dipping into the gore of the horrors and their victims, Calliope's soft body circled around me, keeping watch. A giggled formed in my chest, building slowly from a soft laugh, to a howling cackle. My screams were now replaced with howling laughter, and I thought it was so fucking funny.
"You're so funny, you rat bastards," I say, knowing of the vampires that lurked in the room. The soft swishing of their cloaks told me that they knew they had been found out, and were going to go through with their mission. They wanted to play, and I want to play too. I tapped into the aether and allowed my tethers to reach to one of the blood drinkers heads, and as if the tethers were hands, stretch wide apart, and like two hands coming together to smash a bug, the tethers completely turned the vampire's head into paste. Blood and gore flew in every direction, like a tomato was being squished between someone's hands, blood spattered on my back. I spun around, a swirling blue flame on my left hand and grabbed the vampire closest to me. The skin began to bubble and the stench of flesh burning filled my nostrils, and I loved it.
"Pooh, what's wrong?" I cooed, my hand tightening over the creatures mouth, my flame increasing. "You seemed distressed, is something burning at you? What's wrong? Can't we talk about this?" The creature crawled at my hand, as my flame spread through his body, and soon the flames licked from the back of his eyes. Within seconds he was ash, and laughter roared from me. The vampires launched at me, and I ducked their blades, released a fireball at one, burning him away. The other two reared back, and tried to release another wave of attacks. I caught one's arm, and swiftly guided the blade into the other's skull, killing him immediately. I quickly ripped the vampire's arm off and grabbed him by his neck, and slammed him against the wall.
"It looks like you're disarmed buddy," I laughed at my own joke and as I cackled, I began slamming the vampire's head against the wall, a sickening squelch of blood and brains hitting rock, echoed in my head and soon the caving of his skull sounded, his blood draining down my hand and his blood slick on my face.
But it wasn't enough, I needed more, I wanted more. I was hungry for blood and the maze was rich with unwitting fools of the Dimir. I would leave this place a festering pit filled with their bloods and rot, and Lazav's head will adorn a pike! My blood boiled with anger and hate, and a surge of blue flame erupted from my hands and destroyed the immediate wall, and the wave of fire surged into the next wall. The dust settled and revealed many Dimir agents and other nasty creatures, hiding in the shadows, but no more. There was a quick flash of steel as the agents drew their blades, and the permeation of mana thick in the air as the other creatures channeled it. I do so enjoy killing, and they were all ripe for killing.
What seemed like hours in my mind, the sweet satisfaction of killing, were actually only minutes. I remember very little, and it was apparent I had blacked out for a small moment of time, waking up in a pile of rubble and gore. I blinked my eyes open to the dimly lit cavern, and they soon adjusted, taking in the grisly spectacle around me. Blood covered nearly every inch of me and piles of sickening gore surrounded me. I retrieved myself from the blood slick rubble, slipping and knocking my head on the cold hard floor. I felt a warm trickle, and brushed it away as I once again managed to my feet, ensuring my balance on the slick floor. Around me was the stench of satisfaction and death, and it mingled well with the desires burning within my chest. The satisfaction of the spectacle rooted in me another round of blood lust and I was more than willing to give into the urge. I took in the surroundings once again and noticed that not only had I blasted the walls from early, but apparently several other walls, and walkways. Rubble littered the ground, and whole sections of walls were missing. I had traveled a significant distance from where I let them madness fester, and must be near, if not already past, the heart of the maze.
"Soon my sweet, soon I will have you in my arms...and when I do, I will feed you Lazav's heart on a shiny silvery platter for my sweet," I whispered, Calliope, appearing out of nowhere, coiling around my arm. I cooed and pet her gently, "There, there, we're going to find mommy, and we're going to turn this place into a soup of their blood."
A burning surged in my left leg, as a projectile pierced my thigh. I did not howl, or cry in pain, but looked down to see a crossbow bolt. There was a clinking of armor, and two hulking soldiers appeared a short distance away from me. They were massive in size and heavily armored in the Dimir's bone like armor, the sigil of the spider, proudly on their midnight blue and black armor. The blue spider peered at me as the two soldiers, the one with a crossbow and one with a massive spear, approached closer. The soldier with the crossbow discarded it and drew a massive bastard sword from his scabbard on his back. The edged steel was very large, and had many nicks and abrasions on the sword's blade, the rough leather of the blade appeared cracked, aged and soaked with blood, most likely of countless enemies.
They indicated at me, and spoke in a guttural speech, orc sounding in nature. I tapped into their minds, utter chaos, however I sympathize. A malicious grin crept upon my face as I quickly perused their minds, and began to force my own thoughts and will into theirs. I pressed my mind on theirs and began to twist their minds. They dropped their weapons and grabbed at their heads. I approached the ogres as they fell to their knees, and a low guttural yelp of pain came from them. Their minds screamed for release and their pain was sweet and intoxicating.
"That's correct, kneel you bastards," I said, a sinister grin to my voice.
"P-please, stop this," one of them said, in rough common tongue.
"Why? Because you ask? Because it's cruel and it hurts?" I say low, and reared back and slapped the creature, knocking him to the ground.
I grabbed the others throat, and looked deep into his black eyes. The thick smell of fear permeated the room, and it was rich within the ogre's mind. I pulled his name from his mind, "Tell me something, Varsgoth," I said, gripping ever tighter around his throat, "is it fair for your FUCKING GUILD to take my love, try to kill me and my friends, and rip everything from me!?" I yelled, spit flying at his face. As I did I increased my grip on his throat, digging my nails into his throat, drawing blood. As the purplish blood slowly dripped down my hand, I decided to pull on the dark mana, willing it to slip into his throat. There was muffled scream and his eyes began to roll in his head, revealing his yellowed eyes. I released my grasp, and ducked just as the other ogre swung his sword, decapitating the monster that stood before me. The head went rolling along the floor, as purple like blood squirted from his neck and covered my face. Swiftly, I whipped the sword from the aether, now distorted from the madness, and drove it through his chest. Black murky like mana streams drifted from the sword and spread through the ogre's body, corrupting him. The rot overtook his entire body and soon only armor and a skeleton remained, clanging to the ground loudly.
I laughed deep and sinisterly, and proud of my kills, picked up the skull and punted it into a wall, shattering it. It was so amusing for me and I wanted more, but who would be my next victim? I wanted Lazav, I wanted to drink his blood from a giant chalice and decorate my home with his body after I chop it to bits. He will pay for the disturbance he has made in my life and I will be his reckoning. I will make this whole fester with the dead and no amount of necromancy will save their asses.
Beginning to move through the new hole, something stirred deep within me. This was something new, almost as if the madness had taken on a new level of hold on me. Was the poison the Dimir had managed to get into my body taking on a new level on infection? Or was this some other force moving within my body? Soon, the room began to spin black, and I fell. My head hit the ground hard, and soon, another rush of blood dripped down my skull, warming the side of my face. As I placed my hands on the ground to get up, there was no ground, I was falling. I fell through blackness and it felt likes ages. Minutes had passed until suddenly a burst of white light filled my vision, and the ground came rushing at me, and futile I throw my hands up to stop the fall, I sealed my eyes shut. But the impact never came, no pain or death. Suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a glass hallway, my reflection staring back at me. Looking around, there was nothing other than the mirrors in the hallway, except for a low lying mist, gently moving around.
"Come this way, Beleren," said a bodiless voice. A bit of the mist formed a hand and the hand urged me to the follow it. The mist formed a figure that was strangely remnant of myself. Hesitantly, I did, falling in behind the apparition walking down the mirror hallway. We walked for silent minutes, making turns here and there, until finally we came to a hallway that entered into a chamber, with stone depictions on the wall. They were weathered from time, and aged, the images undiscernible. I approached a couple of the tablets, but could not make out the images, no matter how hard I tried.
"Why did you bring me here?" I say, turning to the phantasm, but it was gone.
The room slowly began to spin, picking up speed, whipping of the mist. The mist formed a tornado around me; the walls disappearing into the black, only the floor remained. The wind whipped at my hair, and tried to blow me off my feet. I pushed against it, summoning blue mana and dispersed the mist, calming the wind. The remnants of the wind stopped, my blood caked black hair covering one eye, and my cloak ceased its ruffling. I reached into the aether, pulled out the corrupted blade and readied myself. I kill whatever reared its ugly head.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps and ragged breaths, accompanied with the scream of a woman. A woman I knew too well. As the running bootfalls got closer, Chandra fell into frame, and she looked like hell. Her gauntlet was smashed all too hell, her armor broken and smashed in all over, her goggles cracked. She was breathing heavily, blood running down her arms and face, and looked up at me.
"Jace, why?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!" she screamed at me, her flame weakly picking up. Suddenly, a second set of steps could be heard, and Chandra weakly, got to one knee, turned around and cones of flames erupted from her hands, her yells of anger accompanying them. Why didn't I move, why didn't I help her escape? I tried to speak, but no words came, I was frozen in place. All I could do was internally scream at Chandra to run. She defiantly continued to fight; fire raging wild around her, but what I saw next made me scream. As her fires surged from her, a single spear of ice, approximately seven inches or so, and very thin, soared through the air from the direction she was shooting her flames, and sunk deeply into her neck and stuck out from the other side. Instinctually, she grabbed at her throat, the blood pouring down her chainmail and dainty hands, soaking the ground.
I tried once again to move, and this time the spell was gone. I ran to her side, tears down my face. She looked at me, no longer the fiery amber glow in her eyes, but instead her blue eyes, dimming as the life was leaving her body. She tried to speak, but blood gurgled from her mouth, tears streaming down her face and for the first time since I've known Chandra, there was fear in her eyes. She grabbed my hand, like one would grab a fellow soldier and gave it a firm shake, before her arm went limp, and her last breath left her. I looked at my friend, the one who I've fought countlessly, who has harassed me, but always been a friend. Like that, she was gone, dead in front of my own eyes, but by who's hand. I snakingly closed her eyes, and stood up, wiping the tears from my face.
Turning to the direction she had ran from, I ran down the hallway hoping to catch her assailant. I came to another room; this one had solid stone walls, but was massive in comparison to the last room.
I heard the desperate sounds and grunts of fighting, steel on steel and the familiar taste of mana in the room. A short mound of bodies blocked my view, but I knew the fighting was just on the other side of these bodies. Using whatever mana I could muster, I blasted a hole through the bodies, and entered to see Gideon, Teysa and Ral Zarek fighting fiercely fighting against unimaginable horrors from the darkness. They were all bloody, raggedy and their clothes torn almost to pieces. They appear to have been fighting for hours, and the bodies were piling up as an unknown source kept sending warriors their way and they fought back valiantly, but it wasn't enough.
Teysa was blasting shadow magic here and there and was dodging all she could, but her guard was down. I tried to stop the zombie, to rush to them and help, but a barrier formed, stopping my charge. I smacked hard into the barrier and fell backwards onto my flank. I pounded on the barrier after standing up to proceed, but it was to no avail. No amount of mana I surged or words of power I commanded, they did not budge. I screamed and yelled and kicked at the wall, but nothing. I was going to watch yet again, as one of my friends die.
This was all a scene out of a horror novel. Teysa was being charged by a zombie, and before Gideon and Ral could notice, it was too late. The zombie sunk its teeth into her neck, and tore flesh from the back of her neck, killing her instantly. She fell to the ground; blood soaked her beautiful white dress, blood covering her face. The zombie took to eating her, and before it could get a good bite into her a spear of lightning destroyed the zombie. Ral moved faster than he has ever in his life. I understand why he would run to her, being her friend and all, but this was something. He fell to his knees, and tears streamed down the electromancer's face. I noticed, on his gauntletless arm, that he wore a ring of black and white, with the familiar sigil of the Orzhov syndicate on it. I looked to Teysa's hand, and found a red and blue ring with the Izzet League's sigil. Then it struck me why Ral was crying like a child of Teysa. There was one feeling that could make a man sob like that, a feeling I have felt many times over since being in this rot. They had been married. Was this the future? Or now? Whatever it was, Teysa and Chandra were dead.
Ral sobbed uncontrollably, and lightning sparked through his hair, and the gauntlets he wore, were charging with electricity. Sparks popped from his eyes and his fury was building. Gideon was fighting, doing everything he could to stop the horde, to protect Ral, but his all was not enough. A couple of cutthroats slipped past his view, and snuck up behind him, stabbing him in the back. I watch in horror as Gideon dropped to one knee, blood pouring onto his bronze-white armor, his hair matted with blood and sweat. He knew his ending was coming, and the tears dripping down his face was more than enough to confirm these thoughts. His breath was ragged and weary, but still he fought on. Several of the cutthroats surrounded him, circling Gideon like hunters circle a wolf. But Gideon would not go down without a fight and with a yell of defiance, whipped his whip around, mana flared, and took off two of the mercenaries' heads, and sunk his sword into another, fighting furiously. Off to Gideon's left, a man snuck up and grabbed him by his hair, snatching him back, and drew a pale steel knife across his throat, spilling his blood down his armor, and the floor. Gideon went limp and fell to his knees, falling down, spilling his blood on the ground.
Ral saw this happened, and by this point his mana was flaring, lightning popping here and there, scorching the ground around him. His eyes had lightning in them and his rage was going to consume them all, I could tell by the sheer amount of power he was channeling.
"You want me bastards!? Think you're going to get me?!" He screamed, looking up, as the massive buildup of mana was slowly spilling out, tearing at his flesh and clothing.
As he looked up, he spoke softly, almost inaudibly, "Jace, if you're already dead, I'm coming for your head bastard."
With that, a blinding, flaring light poured from him, he was the epicenter of the blast, as lightning formed a tornado, ripping him to pieces, and everything in the room. I heard Ral's dying scream could be heard mixed in with the screams of the cutthroats, and the living corpses were torn to pieces. Blood, light and other gore flew in every direction, blinding me. The whole world was white and I could not see anything, however, my screams did not stop. I screamed for Ral, Teysa, Gideon and Chandra. I wanted my friends back, and to see their deaths tore at my heart and ripped at my soul. How much more would the Dimir throw at me? How much more would I lose before they just put me out of my misery?
Soon the white cleared from my vision, and I lay on the room, that just moments ago housed my friends' corpses and their foes. The room had black to it from the blast, and nothing, not even a scrap, could be found of my friends or of the enemies. They were gone, and now I would never get them back. It's bad enough they've ripped Liliana and my baby away, and now my companions. I stood up weakly, and proceeded out of the room, down the corridor and into darkness.
The hallway appeared to go on for ages in the cold darkness, nothing in view. I just wanted to die, and leave this miserable pointless existence. I couldn't stand it anymore, especially a life with no one in it. I walked for another thirty minutes or so, my direction aimless. I contemplated the ways I could end myself, fall on my sword? Jump off the Nivix? Give myself to the Golgari? Hire an assassin? The ways to end myself were countless and there was no point in continuing. I could feel my soul give way to the despair, and I don't want to drag through the pointless years, especially being the Guildpact. It's been two years since I've accepted the role of the Living Guildpact, the Arbiter of the Guilds, and many times I've had death threats, from Vraska, other guilds, assassins, citizens of Ravnica, yet I continued on this pointless quest, and for what? To be disrespected? Have my family torn to pieces and my friends slaughtered? I've all but given up.
A few more minutes passed and I stepped into another room, but this time, what I saw shocked me. There on an elaborate bed that decorated the middle of the room, lay my beloved fiancée dressed in a partially see through lace white dress. Her black hair encircled her, and she lay asleep, undisturbed. Suddenly a compulsion overcame me, and I was no longer in control of myself. I moved like an obedient dog to the bed, and crawled next to her. She stirred very slightly, turning to me, and a smile adorned her face. Her beautiful violet eyes looked at me, and loved surged in those jewels. She reached for me, arms touching my shoulders, and her lips parted for a kiss. My lips met hers, and for a moment nothing else mattered.
She pulled back, a smile on her face, and looked into my eyes.
"I've missed you my love, where have you been?" she said through a smile.
"I-I-I've been busy, with the guildpact business," The voice was not my own.
"Well, let me help you relax," she began to help out of my clothes, urging me to stand up, and I stood up allowing her to help me.
She unfastened my cloak, and suddenly my hands were around her neck. She grabbed at me, terror on her face and shock. She punched and grabbed at my hands, but they were not my hands. I could not control myself, and I felt myself squeeze tighter around her.
Suddenly, a hand clasped on my shoulder and spun me around. A fist connected with my face, and soon my whole world went black. I felt nothing and it was cold. A realization snapped at me: It had all been a dream.