Magic: the Gathering
Chronicles, Volume 8
By Louis Kemner 2008
As he and Makoto, Devin, Ashley, Kelly, and Ajani Goldmane ran for their lives from a horde of murderous Kithkin to escape the town, Viktor felt gratitude for Ajani's foresight by setting up protection barriers in their tavern room the night before.
The Aurora of Lorwyn had fallen over the entire Plane the night before, casting the sunny and ideal world into a permanent and eerie night. Viktor was aware of the Aurora's effects in the ShadowMoor and Eventide card sets, and wasn't thrilled to imagine the creatures they would be facing. He hadn't been expecting it to happen right as he and the others came to visit, but it occurred to him that Elena probably caused it to happen at this time. She had a power to alter and manipulate minds, events, and forces of nature and magic to suit her will, and this was no different. The Kithkin had transformed into violent, xenophobic monstrosities, bloodily shunning anything that wasn't Kithkin from their lands and homes.
It figured, since Viktor and the others were in the middle of the town when it became a figurative hornet's nest, and they had to struggle to get out. The Kithkin had opened the door to their tavern room and found five humans and a Leonin slumbering within. As Lorwyn Kithkin, they had welcomed the visitors and given them a room. As ShadowMoor Kithkin, they had a very dramatic change of mind about the outsiders.
"Remind me why we don't just kill them!" Devin exclaimed as he and Makoto dodged a volley of flaming arrows from the Fire at Will card. "Wouldn't that be easier?"
"And arouse the hostility of other Kithkin towns?" Ajani said, avoiding arrows with feline grace. "The towns may have thoughtweft tendrils connecting them to each other. Slaughter one town, and others may hunt us to avenge their fallen comrades. We don't need a war with both Elena and Kithkin. They will give up once we are too far away and stay far away."
"That better be soon!" Kelly said as she jumped over a foxhole in the ground. More arrows thudded into the ground around her feet, vivid in the "morning" light. It was always dark, since Lorwyn was now ShadowMoor. Morning and mid-day were merely less dark than other times, making visibility better. Behind the escaping group of six, the Kithkin rabble's hundreds of glowing eyes looked almost like the night sky in the country, but those were lights of hate, and not innocent lights in the sky on Earth.
Finally, reaching the safety of the forest's edge, Viktor heard the Kithkin leaders shouting to give up the chase and return to the town to organize patrols. It was obviously time to put distance between the group and the town forever.
"These woods will be respite from the Kithkin, but not danger as a whole," Ajani warned everyone. He hefted his double ax to a more comfortable position. "Be aware that Gwyllions, Scarecrows, Trows, Cinders, and Boggart gangs frequent these woods and other terrain types. Be prepared. My magic cannot stay them all."
"Gee, what a nice walk in the woods," Devin said sarcastically, but he understood the danger ahead of them. "Aren't we also going to get the Key Creatures back? We can't let Elena get to them first."
"Right," Viktor said, scratching his head. All around, the woods echoed with menacing and haunting sounds: howls and calls of horrid beasts, nerve-jingling rustles of leaves and underbrush, and an occasional demonic cry of a predator on the chase. The sounds were twisted, demented, and somehow wrong in their nature. A dark version of Lorwyn, indeed. "I think Isperia the Inscrutable flew this way, past the woods and to a lake. Our first target, unless anyone disagrees."
"I agree we should get Isperia back," Ashley agreed. "And she's my Key Creature, too. Let's make her our top priority."
"And here is my top priority," a smart voice said from Ashley's area. "Getting back to Earth to find a big bed, all huddle under it, and shiver in fear from the scary stuff here." Gerbie the talking gerbil emerged from Ashley's pocket and surveyed the unfriendly forest around him.
"What is this?" Ajani asked, peering at the tiny animal. "A familiar? And a cowardly one at that."
"What in Razia's name did you call me, you big pussycat?" Gerbie snapped back. Victor suddenly felt a rush of humor, watching a talking Gerbil and lion Planeswalker trading remarks. "You think you can disrespect the pinnacle creation of Mormir Vig's biotic genius? Well?!"
"I only allow your remarks because you are no harm to me or the rest of us," Ajani responded, clearly irked by the Gerbie's words. "You would do well to act as a scout for us rather than a distraction. We have a mission that will alter the fate of the Multiverse."
"Big talk for an old furball like you," Gerbie fired back. "I'm not some scout. I'm here to enjoy the ride. Seriously."
"But you're a furball, too, Gerbie," Makoto pointed out. "You have fur."
"Oh, yeah," Ashley realized. "Don't be a hypocrite, Gerbie. It's not nice."
Ajani bared his fearsome teeth and anger flashed in his deep eyes. "This tripe gets us nowhere," the Leonin cut in, stopping everyone. "Abandon the scout concept. We must still make our way to the Key Creature closest to us. No more time wasting."
"Ajani's right," Ashley agreed. "We're vulnerable standing around anyway."
"Pip, pip, children," Gerbie told everyone, sinking out of sight and back into Ashley's pocket. "We're burning daylight yakking. Wait, there's no sun anymore. We're burning night."
"Then we'll go along this way —" Viktor and Devin said, starting through the foreboding greenery again, toward Isperia's location. They were cut off, however, by a force that ripped through the air before then and crashing into a tree to their right. Both boys yelped and jumped backwards to avoid the danger. There was heavy stomping and loud rustling of foliage as a big something forced its way closer.
"What is it?" Ashley asked in fear, her eyes joining everyone else's at the sounds' source.
"Get ready!" Kelly called out, and just in time: Everyone ducked as a giant clanking, creaking mass burst from the leaves and into the open, sending screws flying everywhere like missiles. The projectiles thudded into trees, and over the kids and Ajani; they had all thrown themselves down. There, standing in the open, was a scarecrow: Lurebound Scarecrow.
The mechanical monstrosity gave a deep and chilling bellow that forth a gust of sent rust-scented air. The Scarecrow was over seven feet tall and lopsided, composed of jagged, serrated, and twisted metal. It stood on a tripod of three crooked legs and had two gorilla-like arms that could smash rocks. It lurched forward, mobilized by Kithkin enchantments, and swung wildly. The group only barely had time to avoid the blows and take standing combat positions all around.
"Isn't that Lurebound Scarecrow?" Makoto asked, looking at it. "You need permanents of a color to keep it, right?"
That fact was confirmed by multiple appearances of red-skinned, barbaric Boggarts from the shadows. The little beasts were savage and bloodthirsty, as opposed to their crude but noble Lorwyn cousins. The Lorwyn Boggarts would steal pies from windowsills and sheep from pastures: these would go on mindless rampages that would leave trails of defiled, withered, rotting bodies behind. To make mattes worse, a second Lurebound Scarecrow lurched into the scene and set itself for a fight.
"Let the battle begin," Ajani stated, twirling his double ax staff.
Ten Boggart raiders gave a lusty cry and pounced like imps towards the encircled group, with both Lurebound Scarecrows backing them up. The ground shuddered and the air trembled from the force of the attack.
"Battle-mad Ronin!" cried Makoto. "Azorius Guildmage!" exclaimed Ashley. "Burning-tree Bloodscale!" said Devin. "Elvish Warrior!" said Viktor. "Vicious Hunger!" cried Kelly. The five spells worked in tandem, along with Ajani's might: the three fighting creatures stayed the Boggarts and Lurebound Scarecrows, with the Azorius Guildmage and Vicious Hunger Spell undermining the attackers. The trees and ground trembled from the force of the battle, until the Lurebound Scarecrows managed to get the upper hand, destroying the Burning-tree Bloodscale and Battle-mad Ronin, and injuring the Elvish Warrior.
"Maybe if we kill all the Boggarts, the Scarecrows will die?" Devin suggested wildly, narrowly avoiding a Boggart's rusted and crude blade. The Scarecrows had taken a number of blows but were only slowed down; their lack of pain or blood made them difficult to stall or destroy. If it weren't for Ajani's protective spells, one of the kids may have been badly hurt by this time. The biggest problem was that the woods were too restrictive of a space for Thorn Elemental or Simic Sky Swallower, or even Volcanic Dragon. Just four creatures made things cramped.
"Then slay the little devils!" Ajani declared, beheading a Boggart raider with an ax jab. There were only three left, and the Scarecrows were starting to stagger and slow down. Stalling them further with Twiddle, to tap them, Viktor managed to regenerate Burning-tree Bloodscale, who lured all Boggarts to itself and killed them all. The move was just in time: both Lurebound Scarecrows had gotten very close and had nearly ripped Makoto to pieces and successfully slew the Azorius Guildmage.
With their red creatures gone, the Lurebound Scarecrows staggered and halted, with horrible metal screeching and grating as their energies dwindled. Taking advantage of that, Battle-Mad Ronin, Elvish Warrior, and Ajani destroyed the Scarecrows. The mechanical beasts emitted more ear-splitting screeching and wailing, thrashing like animals in pain. Finally, they burst into pieces that flew off into the twilight woods and out of sight. A chilling silence followed.
"We thank you for your service," a familiar voice said gratefully, and four newcomers burst out of the gloom. Viktor gave a gasp as he recognized Enris, the leader of an elf Winnower Patrol. The elf had a new scar along his chin, and nicks on his horn. The other three elves had green and white, bone-like armor and serrated swords. One rode atop a deer; it was a Wilt-Leaf Cavalier.
Ajani raised his double-ax again; the elves poised their own weapons for combat. Ashley cried, "No, Ajani! The elves are our friends."
"Correct. We have no quarrel with you 'humans'," the Wilt-Leaf Cavalier said. "We give our gratitude for you slaying those unsightly Scarecrows. Those two and their Boggart cohorts have been harassing the Safehold defense for some time now, disrupting our war against the encroaching darkness of this cursed world."
"Glad we could help. But we're on our own quest," Viktor told them.
"Is that so?" Enris replied. He sheathed his sword. "A shame. You five have much power, as well as this cat-man. Our numbers dwindle by the day struggling against the unsightly ones. Why, the other day, a massive flying beast went soaring that way." He pointed roughly in the direction Isperia had gone.
"That's what we're pursuing," Viktor told Enris. "But not to kill it, capturing. It's important that we find it before our foe does."
"And what foe could find such an interest in such a fearsome and powerful monstrosity?" one of the elves asked. "The beast has obliterated all in its path. Not even a dozen Noggle Hedge-mages could fell it, or a swarm of flying Scarecrows."
"Believe me, it holds great power we must harness," Viktor said. He hoped to satisfy the elves' curiosity without giving too much away about the nature of the hunt. Being experienced in Elena's manipulation and trickery, no one was safe to trust.
"Well, then," Enris said thoughtfully, running his fingers down the length of one of his curling horns. "Perhaps a pact may be made. If we accept you into the Safehold and work with us, we will help you find your beast. In return, we ask for a portion of its power, or guidance to find similar power. We need every advantage possible against the army of eyeblights out there. What say you?"
"Should we do it?" Kelly put in. "Keep in mind that last time we accepted a deal, it was with Grellis and that led to us losing our Key creatures at the outdoor celebration. And in Ravnica, joining the Selesnya led to our separation and Devin getting possessed, and Ashley's capture by the Dimir."
"But Elena was almost destroyed," Makoto pointed out. "She's probably too weak to do anything. I bet she needs all her strength just to stay alive."
"Well, then what's the rush with finding the Key Creatures if Elena is too weak to go after them for their strength?" Devin asked. "We could take our time and find more reliable allies or something. Or just do it ourselves. We have Ajani Goldmane with us!"
"No, I'm sure Elena would zero in on Isperia to use its strength to recover," Kelly said. "She's bound to have the strength for that left. And though Ajani is strong, him and us together couldn't kill Elena. And who else besides the elves can we trust? The Kithkin hate outsiders. The Merrows are devious, Cinders murderous, Gwyllions selfish, and so on."
"Then that's it," Viktor said. "We have to work with the elves. They're our best bet. I'm sure Elena can't control them for her gain and pursue Isperia at the same time. She's probably putting priority on Isperia and leaving everyone else alone." To Enris, he said: "We agree to work with you, elves. We both have something to gain." Now, what he would do to give elves power of the Key Creatures, he didn't know. But that would have to wait.
"The Safehold welcomes you, Humans and cat-man," Enris announced.
"Leonin," Ajani corrected with a feline huff.
"Leonin, forgive me," Enris went on. "Come. The dangers you just braved won't be the last of them in these cursed woods. Follow." The five kids and Ajani followed the elves to their safe lands.
Not too far away, in a fetid and steamy swamp frequented by nasty Merrow cutthroats and wandering Boggarts, there was a disturbance that had every creature on edge. Next to the murky shore, a massive and grotesque mountain of creature bodies lay in a fused mass, with legs, wings, claws, heads, and more combined in a mound. This disgusting assembly had been piled together with inhuman speed the night before, from across multiple planes. Green energy pulsed between the bodies of creatures like a heartbeat, until a woman's voice crooned, "Now, that should do it. It's time!"
At once, the body pile gave a sizzle and began to melt inward like a pile of candy in the sun. The mass gave a glooping and glopping series of noises as it coalesced into a smaller and smaller form. The hundreds of bodies began to take a human form, until they finally gave a green shine and imploded into a woman's body. The air around it hummed and vibrated with the force of it, and waves broke out in the swamp even as animals in the woods scurried away from the unnatural phenomenon. At last, the shine was gone and Elena stood tall and regal on the soft ground.
"Well. I feel much better now," the woman commented, admiring her hands and her arms, and feeling her face. "Damn and bless that Ajani Goldmane in one, hmmm? I lost my grip of the children but got this wonderful new body. I think one of the Key Creatures isn't far away, no, no. But I won't be alone in this. Let's test the limits of my now power!"
Elena extended her right arm, and it began to grow and morph until it became a bulging mass of writhing flesh. The mass detached itself and went flying away several feet. Armless, Elena grew a second right arm and repeated the process, and now a second mass joined the first, which began to morph into a new shape. Three more masses formed and were expended, and they all transformed into beings.
"It's so much better to be in company," Elena told herself as five men made their way to her. Each was modeled after two allied colors combined: the blue-white, with his gold angelic armor and flowing, sage-like blue robes; the green-white, with shaman-like garments and a fan-like armor piece behind his head; the red-green, with rough animal skins and wooden and iron armor for clothing; the red-black, with spiky, jagged armor of iron and blood-red; and blue-black, with his cloak and hood of midnight black and ocean blue. Each had a green jewel set in his forehead. These gems gave them power from their mistress, and were difficult to destroy.
"My Lady," the five of them intoned, bowing at once.
"Welcome, Five Hunters," Elena told them all. "You serve only me, of course. Your mission is: find the four Key Creatures and tame them. I will operate in the shadows; you five are my weapons. Do you understand?"
"Yes," the Five Hunters acknowledged, standing up.
"Very nice," Elena praised, now walking down their ranks; they stood in a straight line, still and at attention. She grazed her finger along the blue-white one's cheek as she walked by him, almost lovingly. "You will be Halae-Norana, or Gamma," she told him. Halae-Norana nodded.
"You are Evalyn Weltha," she told the green-white one, tracing her finger along his jaw. "Epsilon."
And to the red-green: "I name you Harshuk Melothon, otherwise Delta."
Red-black: "Be called Quenjak Zamgor, also to be Beta."
Finally, blue-black: "You will be Selthis Merana, or… Alpha," Elena told the blue-black man softly, her evil green eyes locked onto his, with the appearance of burning love or desire.
"Now, I want to of you to nicely find Isperia the Inscrutable for me and bring her to wherever I am," Elena told the group. "I have no time to waste. The children who are my adversaries pursue the same game as I. Don't let me lose this race."
Two of the Five Hunters complied and set off into the wild, dark forest, hunting Isperia. Elena watched in satisfaction, then sent the other three to search in the other planes to find the other three Key Creatures.
The woods of ShadowMoor grew no less oppressive or haunting as the group advanced, now in the company of Enris and the other Safehold Elves. The elves had amazingly sharp reflexes for the creatures that burst out of the gloom, from hasty Noggle mages, to bands of Boggarts, and wandering Gwyllion hags looking for victims. It was nothing the kids and Ajani couldn't handle, but they still had to admire and appreciate the elves' abilities and resolve. It was clear that Enris and the others were highly experienced and used to fighting the wild creatures.
"You smell something?" Devin said after nearly an hour, his head tilted back a little as he sniffed the air. "Like a fire?"
"I smell much the same," Ajani agreed, his cat nose well honed for detecting scents, however faint. "It is of noble wood, I can tell, with wicked flames to blame. And it comes from directly ahead of us."
"This bodes ill," Enris cursed, quickening his pace. Panic and anger both broke through the elf's normally calm and passive face. "It comes directly from the Safehold outpost's direction and location! Quickly!"
As soon as the group broke free of the woods and into a small clearing, they were met with the sight of a noble and elegant wooden bastion ablaze with red fire. There were a number of elf bodies all about, most charred or slashed. A cloud of black smoke rose slowly from the flames that fed on the wood of the Safehold outpost. Worse still, hundreds of Cinders of all shapes and sized ran about like devils, cackling and fighting the remaining elf defenders, or else setting fire to the unburned wood wall segments.
"Whoa! Oh man!" Devin exclaimed, yet his outcry was drowned by the enraged and grief-imbued cries of the elves. Enris and the other three elves charged into the clearing, giving the other six no choice but to follow. Upon catching sight of the elves and kids, all of the Cinders stopped what they were doing and ran pell-mell into the other end of the woods, toward another, larger clearing near a wide river. The river had a sturdy wooden bridge spanning its width. Giving chase, Enris and the six followers pursued the retreating Cinders well through the woods and onto the river's banks.
"What's going on?" Kelly wondered out loud. "Why are they running? They can't know about our power. And this many Cinders could overwhelm us."
"Cast aside such thoughts!" Enris raged. "Pursue and slay every foul Cinder who runs from us!" the Cinder crowd turned and ran along the riverbank, and the Elves followed.
Viktor was about to move when a flash of a presence burst into his mind, sending him reeling: there were two incredibly powerful beings here, unseen in the scene of pursuit. And then a majestic sight met his eyes: Isperia the Inscrutable, the proud, beautiful, and powerful sphinx of the Azorius, was on the other side of the river, fanning its wings and giving sad and distressed calls. More Cinders surrounded it, like a gang of thugs around a woman with valuables in her purse. Isperia was their goal.
"Enris and the Cinders have gone too far! We have to get to Isperia!" Viktor told everyone.
"Are you nuts?" Kelly demanded. "Enris and the other elves will be killed by the Cinders! The elves are driven by vengeance but are giving a fool's chase. We have to help them first!"
Ashley expressed her agreement, and Makoto too.
"It could be another of Elena's tricks!" Viktor rebutted. "You know she has ways of luring us apart from each other or our Key Creatures. It's happened twice already, and this is it again. Come on, I feel bad for Enris and the others, but we have our own mission. And don't you feel those two powerful presences? They could be part of the trap."
"Look, this wasting our time," Makoto put in angrily. "I'm going after the elves before they get killed by the Cinders. Come on!" he ran off after the elf and Cinder crowd down the river.
"Don't be heartless, Viktor," Kelly told him. "We have a duty to help them, then ourselves! Can't you see it?" she and Ashley took off after Makoto and the elves, and Ajani too.
"You're being stupid! Isperia is too important to miss!" Viktor shouted after them all. "Damn it… Twiddle!" Viktor's spell attempted to tap Kelly, Ashley, and Makoto, to stop them before a powerful being descended on them. The three of them stumbled and fell, their progress halted just in time: a man in red and black spiky armor dropped down right where they would have gone.
"Viktor! How dare you!" Kelly yelled back.
However, there were other troubles. The man in red and black looked sinister and powerful: red-black spiky hair flowing backward over his head, red-hot iron armor, and spikes on his shoulder armor pads. A green jewel the size of a thumb glowed in the middle of his forehead. He took a step closer.
"Well, Gamma, it looks like this is working out," he said in a menacing and evil tone. Everyone looked about to see whom he was talking to; then, a second man, in blue-white robes and gold armor pieces appeared out of nowhere, twenty feet away from Viktor. The second one had a similar jewel in his forehead.
"I can't wait for this," the second newcomer gloated. "I take care of these two over here no problem." He was looking at Viktor and Devin as he said this. He raised an arm, and a wavy beam of light energy shot from his finger. Viktor and Makoto barely had the time to jump away before the beam zapped the ground where they had been standing. A small crater formed where the attack struck.
The man laughed and fired two more similar attacks, sending the two defenders tumbling to the ground from the ground, stunned and battered. They didn't even have time to cast a spell to defend themselves.
"Look, Beta! They can't do anything but dodge!" the blue-gold man cackled.
"Don't play games, Gamma," the red-black one snapped. "Just kill them already. I will have these three burned away short of a minute."
"Oh, fine," the blue-gold one, Gamma, pouted. Viktor was stunned by this development and curious too. They were called Beta and Gamma, the Greek letters? And they were colored after Allied colors? Plus, they had it in for the five kids, clearly. Did this have a connection with Elena?
Taking advantage of the occupation, Viktor fired Fighting Drake and the beast launched itself at Gamma like an azure javelin. Still looking at his companion, Beta, Gamma twirled into the air, swung over the Fighting Drake, and produced a gold pike. The weapon was ornate, curving, and beautiful, but wielded in wicked hands. Gamma punched the pike straight through Fighting Drake's gut, sending the drake tumbling to the ground, screeching and flailing as it was dying. Devin launched a Fireball in desperation, with a globe of raging fire racing toward the enemy.
"Time to show you what I can do," Gamma told them, turning away from Beta. He raised his right arm, hand out with his palm facing the incoming Fireball. A ripple of light blue energy steamers emanated from his hand, encompassing the Fireball. The blue magic, infused with white now, obliterated the Fireball, leaving nothing.
"My specialty is nullification and freezing!" Gamma declared, now raising both hands. "Shame I can't show you more, but I have better things to take care of than two foolhardy children. This is my Level 1 Freezing Attack. Fire!" a thudding wave of blue and white plasma enveloped Viktor and Devin, slowing their movements to less than half of normal. Gamma produced his ornate gold pike, and launched himself like a pouncing predator on the two helpless boys.
"Heeyaaaaa! Die!" Gamma screamed. One second later, the gold pike clanged against… the arm of a tall man in dark blue and gray robes with white circles. The newcomer was between Gamma and the two boys, only two feet in front of the latter party. His head was bowed, hiding his face under his hood. Gamma's gold pike struggled against the stranger's shielded right arm, which held the pike at bay with iron resolve.
"What in —?" Gamma started, struggling to move the pike. "Who are you?"
The stranger raised his head, and his hood moved far enough to reveal one glowing blue right eye and a wave of hair covering the left.
"Foul offspring of the Defiled One, I am Jace Beleren," the newcomer said in a deadly quiet, but projecting it for everyone to hear.
"Jace?" Devin repeated. "The blue Planeswalker?"
"Correct," Jace responded. "I sensed the threat of your death and was obligated to interfere. Even in Ajani's company, these two are beyond you. Circumstances are always hard to work with."
"Well, it's Jace Beleren," Beta noted, one hundred feet away. He regarded Ashley, Kelly, Makoto, and Ajani. "It's hard to keep anything private when Planeswalkers are involved. I'm unsure of Gamma's prospects against him, but be warned I'm no Gamma."
"What was that?" Gamma retorted at his companion. "I can easily dispose of two Planeswalker-enhanced kids and a real Planeswalker. You take care of four if you can. This will be over in less than five minutes."
"Say what you want," Beta called back. He stepped back, raising his left arm as he did so. From his iron and steel forearm armor extended a scythe-like blade, three feet long and glowing cherry-red from magical heat pulsing through it. The edge was keen enough to split hairs that fell on it. Beta's black-red spiky armor clanked as he shifted into a combat pose. "Ready, everyone?"
"Let's roll," Gamma grinned nastily, finding the power to release his pike and jump back. A blue-white aura of incredible magic power wavered around Gamma, and an even stronger charcoal and red one around Beta.
"Stay close to me and follow my plan," Jace told Viktor and Devin. "If you want to leave this plane alive. This won't be easy for any of us."
Viktor and Devin were ready.