Magic: the Gathering
Chronicles, Volume 9
By Louis Kemner 2008
Standing ten feet away from Jace Beleren, with his blue-white aura surrounding him like a cloud of ominous mist, Gamma sneered. "I like your spirit, Planeswalker," he said. "It won't be enough, though. You should know who I am first." He twirled his golden pike in a rapid, complex, and expert series of movements like a golden blur in the air. "I am Halae-Norana, the fifth of the Five Hunters of Lady Elena, or else Gamma. It's the last name you'll ever hear."
"Enough small talk," Jace commanded icily, shifting his footing. "Battle me and my allies if you are brave and foolish enough to."
"Isn't he kind of weird for a blue-white guy?" Devin whispered to Viktor as the two of them took up positions behind Jace Beleren. "Acts more red than anything."
"Yeah," Viktor agreed, eyeing their foe. It was a strange contradiction.
"Don't worry about that," Gamma responded. "It won't make a difference when you're dead!"
Whipping his pike around, a wave of mana-infused air arced towards the defenders. In response, Jace grabbed hold of Viktor and Devin and, with surprising strength, leaped over the river and landed on the opposite shore. Isperia the Inscrutable growled and frowned at the threesome coming close to her, but was still occupied with the Cinders surrounding it. Apparently, the Cinders were there to merely keep Isperia at bay.
"Running won't help!" Gamma called, leaping in a similar fashion to stand opposite of the three others. He twirled his pike a little more. "Want to fight next to the Sphinx? Fine. Once you're all dead, I'll capture her and take her to Lady Elena. Beta's Cinders will make sure she stays put until I'm ready for her. They're stronger than they look."
The two strangers suddenly made much more sense for Viktor. Apparently, there were five of these Hunters, with Gamma being the fifth. They must be intended to Hunt the Key Creatures and capture them before the kids could. They probably had Planeswalking powers in that case. This battle would decide what would become of the first found Key Creature, Isperia the Inscrutable.
"Now, when I move, be sure to stay close to me," Jace told Viktor and Devin in a low voice. "It is important for my strategy. When I say to, summon the best creatures you can. You will attack with them only when I say."
Viktor and Devin nodded their understanding. They didn't have any inkling what Jace Beleren had in store for the battle, but they hoped it would be enough to defeat the monster before them.
"All right! First move!" Gamma shouted enthusiastically. He jabbed his pike forward, firing a beam of marble-white mana. Jace and the kids had the time to tumble to avoid the beam as it gouged the dirt. To back it up, Gamma also launched a pulse wave: the Freezing Attack Level 1. Jace was too slow to avoid it; the Freezing Attack hit him head-on, sending him tumbling away. He shakily started to get up, but too slow to avoid follow-up attacks.
"No! Jace!" Viktor cried, as the Planeswalker shakily struggled to get up. Cackling, Gamma infused his pike with mana energy and pounced forward for the kill. However, before Gamma could reach his target, a small blue explosion knocked him off his feet; it came from the ground he landed on. Stunned, Gamma tumbled away from the momentum of his landing and the explosion.
"Gah! What was that?!" Gamma spat as he got to his feet. "A mine, or what?"
"How sharp of you," Jace said. The Freezing Attack effects had already worn off.
"Damn your tricks," Gamma snarled as he prepared for another attack. He trotted forward, already prepared to attack again. Gamma prodded the ground before him with his pike. The move worked: once the gold weapon poked a certain patch of dirt, a similar explosion was triggered.
"Well well! How predictable!" Gamma gloated. "I can just detect them and you're defenseless!"
Jace responded by dashing to the side, away from where the mines were. "Attack him! Before he does!" he told the kids.
Complying, Viktor launched Elvish Warrior and Devin unleashed Shock. Gamma, however, was able to easily nullify the moves. "Useless!" he retorted.
Gamma rushed forward, prodding the ground before him with the pike. Tripping no mines, Gamma was able to close the distance entirely and jab at the three defenders at close range. Quick as ever, Jace narrowly avoided the attack and leaped high over Gamma's head, back the way where Gamma had come from. Again he carried the two kids with his hands.
"Bwa ha ha! Cowardice is your only tool!" Gamma exclaimed. He whirled around and charged once again to the three targets. To Viktor's utter surprise, however, another mine detonated under Gamma's feet, knocking him over again. This gave Elvish Warrior the time to give Gamma a quick slice and Devin a successful Shock.
"What in the —?" Gamma cursed, stopping himself from tumbling. "How?! There was no mine there. I poked that very area to make sure of that!"
"That mine was set to detonate the third time it's triggered," Jace explained. "I figured you'd know to check for mines, so I set that one there. That's why I jumped over it. The first trigger was your check. The second was your running over it to get to us, then the third was your second charge. You should of thought of my jump as suspicious."
"Don't you make a fool of me!" Gamma raged, gripping his pike hard as he got up again. "Maybe I'll just finish you right where I stand, huh? Freezing Attack Level 1!"
Again the blue waves were unleashed. This time, however, they seemed to hit a barrier and rebound on their caster. Gamma was rendered slow by his own attack. Viktor had no idea how it happened, but he had to act fast anyway. Elvish Warrior was too ineffective; he cast Llanowar Behemoth, and that, aided by Volcanic Dragon, inflicted considerable damage onto Gamma. The defender was able to strike back, though, and wound his two assailants.
"Now what?" Gamma cried. "What vile deed did you do, Planeswalker?"
"Look," Jace said simply, pointing. There, hugging onto Gamma's chest, was a homunculus, meager and meek. However, it clearly had damage and effect preventing spells placed on it; even the Volcanic Dragon's fires hadn't put a scratch on it.
"That homunculus will focus on your attacks and rebound them on you," Jace went on. "It's useless to use your moves now. You're done for."
"Not so fast! How did the damn thing get there?!" Gamma demanded.
"In the triple-triggered mine's explosion," Jace answered. "You were surprised and distracted enough to allow it to come out of the mine and get onto you. You won't be able to get it off."
"But why not put it in the first mine?" Viktor asked Jace. "He was surprised then, too."
"I had to be sure the enemy would fight on foot first, making mines practical. Also, the triple-trigger mine was a special one, difficult and time-consuming for me to make. I didn't make a second special mine, so I used the one I already had, and remotely guided the homunculus into it underground during the battle. I guided in the homunculus when I was sure the enemy would be on foot. If he flew, I would have used a different tactic."
"How about that," Gamma said, attempting to mask his frustration and anger beneath a calm tone fitting his colors. "I guess I have no choice, then."
"What do you mean by that?" Jace asked in a genuinely calm tone.
"This is only a fraction of what I can do," Gamma glowed, focusing on his magic aura. Viktor felt his magic energy suddenly skyrocket and still go up. Apparently he had been holding the bulk of his power in reserve. Dread collected like creeping frost on Viktor's stomach.
"He's going all out," Beta noted, watching the semi-distant battle. "I didn't think he would have to go that far. I suppose you all have some spell-casting talents after all, then."
"You bet we're talented," Makoto retorted. "Come on, red-black man. Why don't you take us on, if you're so haughty?" Several of the kids' creatures were summoned and ready for combat at any time. "You've got your hands full with this. Are you scared?"
"No," Beta answered simply, looking unconcerned at the deadly armada of creatures before him. "Let me show you why." Kneeling, Beta pressed his palm to the earth, apparently releasing magic energy into it. Seconds later, the very surface seemed to be rising as a tremendous mound rose behind Beta. Ashley gave a gasp as the titanic, and very grumpy, Loamdragger Giant rose like a nightmare from hell behind the dwarfed Beta, over fifty feet tall. The giant punched the ground with the energy of a train wreck and gave a roar of the ages.
"Watch," Beta told his four opponents. As soon as the almighty Loamdragger Giant reached out with a vast hand, Beta almost seemed to vanish. In fact, he was a red-black bur, moving like a bullet. He jumped diagonally into the air, avoiding the Giant's hand, and went from its right foot to its left shoulder in less than a second. Immediately following the super-fast move, the Giant was rent in half by a single slice, a cut over thirty feet long. The flesh was instantly charred and corroded.
Giving only a gurgle for a reaction, the Giant fell in two halves, dead. Beta raised a hand and fired a tremendous wave of red-purple fire that completely engulfed the Loamdragger Giant's two halves. When the flames subsided, only a wide swath of scorched earth was left.
"Oh my God," Ashley whispered, getting faint. Ajani huffed nervously at the raw display of insane power and shifted his double-ax with agitation. Kelly did her best to reassure her frightened sister.
"That was one third of my full power," Beta informed the quartet casually. "Still want to fight?"
Gamma's magic aura more than doubled in strength, and still grew. Concern crossed Jace's face, and that struck Viktor and doubly bad. Jace was clearly an expert fighter and tactician, but if he was unsettled, that wasn't good.
"Now then!" Gamma exclaimed. Blue-white energy arced around his pike, until the homunculus leeched it and the energy struck at Gamma like a whip. Narrowly ducking the attack, Gamma suddenly got a thoughtful expression. Adding even more mana energy to the pike, the homunculus strained to rebound it but was unable to.
Taking quick advantage of that, Gamma made a move, and then seemed to vanish in a blue-gold blur. In the blink of an eye, Gamma was in Jace, Viktor, and Devin's midst, taking them completely off guard. In a quick motion, Gamma gleefully swung and stabbed his mana-infused gold pike about, piercing Viktor's ribs, knocking Devin off his feet, and stabbing the pointing end deep into Jace's armored body. The power was unreal; Gamma moved faster than any being Viktor had witnessed before, almost like a blur. They were helpless!
"Looks like I win!" Gamma stated triumphantly to his wounded opponents. Zipping forward again, he kicked Jace in the stomach, punched Viktor in the gut, and threw Devin ten feet away with great force, in mere seconds. "I'll admit you all were a good challenge, but not even your homunculus can save you! Freezing Attack Level 2!" the familiar blue waves emanated again, paralyzing Gamma's enemies. Gamma moved in for the kill and received a surprise: his three paralyzed enemies vanished in poofs of blue mana. They stood twenty feet away, alongside their summoned creatures.
"So, teleporting to save your mongrel hides?" Gamma noted. The three were still affected by the stronger Freezing Attack; they were utterly helpless.
"My homunculus can't redirect attacks of that magnitude," Jace wheezed. "It took the last of my energy just to teleport myself and the children out of harm's way. Damn."
"Why don't I take it to the final level, then?" Gamma said. "A nice, big finisher: Freezing Attack Level 3!"
Viktor cowered, covering his face with his arms in preparation for the titanic attack to come. Devin did much the same; Jace stood like a statue. The Freezing Attack Level 3 charged — and slammed back on its caster, mercilessly trapping Gamma in a powerful cocoon of freezing magic.
"Nooooo! Impossible!" Gamma roared, struggling futilely. His eyes bugged out in rage and confusion. "Your pathetic homunculus couldn't even deflect Level 2, let alone this. Explain yourself, Planeswalker!"
"I'm under no obligation to tell you anything," Jace responded icily, taking a few threatening steps forward. "But I will anyway. My homunculus can actually redirect an attack of almost any magnitude, certainly anything you can do. But redirecting Level 1 was ineffective; at that rate, you would have hurt my allies' creatures more than they would you. So, I had to feign weakness to goad you into using more powerful attacks. You tried Level 2 to test the limits and found utter success. Then, you 'took it to the final level' and performed Level 3 to finish us off. That attack would be and is enough to trap you to a satisfying extent. How long does this Freezing Attack Level 3 last?"
Gamma's jaw worked as he fought internal panic and rage. "An entire day," he answered, his voice laden with hate and resentment.
"More than enough time," Jace commented. "Viktor, Devin, if you will."
"It feels… kind of low to attack him like this," Viktor protested, watching Gamma struggle against his own binding magic. Though this man was a follower of the vile Elena, he was already defeated.
"Pity for one such as he will be your downfall," Jace reprimanded. "Defeating Elena is for the sake of the entire Multiverse. Feelings for your foe will make this impossibly difficult. If you strike hard enough, he will feel nothing as he is reduced to nothing. He does not fully live; the Hunters' lives are connected to Elena. A part of her will die. She will feel it and suffer."
That thought encouraged Viktor. Nodding to Devin, he summoned Simic Sky Swallower, the vast beast growling with hunger. With a command, Simic Sky Swallower and Volcanic Dragon struck Gamma with all their might. Jace added his own attack into the fray: when the attacks collided, a tremendous explosion rent the ground and created a massive crater. Viktor, Devin, and Jace were thrown back by the force of it but unharmed. A wavering beam of emerald green light shone up from where Gamma's body had been, then vanished. At last, the battle was over. Gamma was obliterated. Only the innocent-looking homunculus remained.
"And it is done," Jace said simply, walking forward to check in case any energies remained. He unsummoned the homunculus with a wave of his hand. Devin let out a triumphant whoop, and Viktor gave a grin. Perhaps there was hope after all.
"Huh. There he goes. The fool," Beta stated, watching his partner's demise. "He was overconfident from the beginning anyway. But Isperia will be mine."
"No it won't!" Viktor yelled, as he and Devin rushed forth to confront their other foe. "We beat Gamma and we're ready to do the same to you!"
"Viktor…" Ashley started. She intended to warn Viktor of Beta's superior abilities but was stopped. In a red-black blur, Beta zoomed right into the five kids' midst and released a shock wave of fiery mana energy, stunning and roasting them all.
"Damn this!" Ajani roared, stomping forward. "No more, spawn of the Defiled One!" he began to cast an offensive spell.
"It's no good," Beta said in a tone one would use on a child. With lightning speed, he made furious slashes at his targets, leaving blazes of purple and red fire in his wake. The mana he gave off dwarfed anything Gamma had; he clearly outclassed the other. In no time, the kids' spells and creatures were swept away like leaves in an autumn wind.
"He's… too strong!" Makoto cried unnecessarily, out of frustration. Worse, Beta's strength was only increasing; the six defenders were almost to a fiery defeat. The elves were all killed by Beta's furious onslaught, including Enris.
"Kelly!" Viktor cried. The girl had been sent sprawling, and unable to get up. One leg was already badly damaged, and she had taken other injuries, including several gashes and a burn in her chest.
"You're the first to die, then," Beta said, and raised his hand. A beam of blazing flames gushed forth; Ajani's protective spell protected Kelly from the worst, but was quickly being overwhelmed. Viktor felt a sudden pulse of strange energy within him; it was almost like he acquired a new heart. The energy thudded in him again, like a bizarre heartbeat. Everything seemed to slow down and stretch and contort; Beta's merciless fire seemed to crawl like a snail coming out of its shell. Running forward, with complete disregard for his own life, Viktor forced his way through Beta's assault, pick an injured and barely conscious Kelly up, and begin to run.
"Viktor! What —?" Someone cried in surprise. Viktor could not tell who, only heard the words that meant nothing to him. Time seemed to be speeding up again to normal pace, and the danger he faced became more real. Still carrying a now unconscious Kelly in his arms, Viktor confronted Isperia the Inscrutable, the others with him. The massive sphinx snorted and pawed the ground, displeased with his presence. Wasting no time, Viktor took Ashley's useless Isperia card, held it up, and bellowed Isperia's name. The Sphinx gave a cry as it was transformed into pure blue mana and absorbed into the card like a black hole.
"Quick! Our other cards!" Viktor yelled; Beta was closing the distance, his arm scythe eager to slice everyone apart. The Cinders that had surrounded Isperia were equally determined. Somehow avoiding Beta's and the Cinders' furious attacks, the five Key Cards were touched together. The familiar black portal warped into existence once again, absorbing the five kids into it. The cards with without Key Creatures could still form the portal; not having the creatures only meant Elena was capable of getting them. Beta and the Cinders threw a titanic, final attack at the quintet of kids but were too late: they were gone from ShadowMoor, back to Earth.
"Damnation!" Beta cursed, stomping his foot in anger. "Foul children!"
"You have lost, vile Hunter!" Ajani told him triumphantly. "You have failed your wretched mistress, the Defiled One. Bring her news of your failure and be ashamed!"
"I have no more quarrel with you," Beta growled at the Leonin and Jace. "Next time our paths cross, Planeswalkers, it will be you who will be dead. My Mistress is far from defeated. Until then." In a flash of red, Beta and his Cinder minions were no more.
"You four have good timing. Visiting hours have just started," a nurse at the hospital told Viktor, Devin, Ashley, and Makoto. "Your friend is just a few doors down from here. Remember to be quiet and respectful, please."
"We will," Viktor assured her, and then led his group down the white, pleasant hall of the hospital. They pushed open the door to Kelly's room, and a caretaker admitted them inside. A radio quietly played music from Kelly's favorite pop band, but the bedridden girl turned it off when her four friends came in.
"Hi," Devin said simply as he entered with the others.
"Hi, guys," Kelly responded in an unusually firm voice for one in her condition. All of her right arm was in bandages, as well as her chest. Her left leg was in a cast under the light blue blankets, appearing extra large. The caretaker nodded and left, closing the door behind her.
"H… how are you, sis?" Ashley asked Kelly, standing by Kelly's side. She was a rather delicate person, and this event had traumatized her far more than the actual victim. Once Viktor had brought the five back to Earth, in Makoto's front yard, Ashley had been very distraught had needed to be helped back home.
"I'm doing better every day," Kelly answered cheerfully. Ashley had visited at least three times a week, as well as their parents. To explain Kelly's injuries and the early return, Viktor explained that Kelly had gotten into a terrible cab wreck in New York City, and the once Kelly was out of critical condition, the five flew back to their city.
"Oh, we all brought you these," Makoto said, and he revealed a glass vase of flowers he had hidden behind his back. He set them on Kelly's bedside table.
"Wow, they're beautiful," Kelly said, adoring the flora. "Thanks, everyone, they're nice. I've gotten a few visitors from the high school, and they wish me well. They were jealous of my 'trip,' but they wouldn't be jealous of the dangerous places we've been going."
"Yeah," Devin agreed. "We're the lucky five who get to save the world. The other world, I mean. Multiverse."
"Oh, I forgot," Ashley said in a realizing voice. "There's one more thing for you."
"What is it?" Kelly asked. "I don't see anything."
"Right… aargh… in here!" a muffled voice strained from in Ashley's pocket. A few seconds later, Gerbie the talking gerbil pulled himself out of Ashley's jacket pocket, dragging a hideous plant-like thing with his teeth. The gerbil dragged it onto a flat expanse of Kelly's sheet and let it go, and then shook his head.
"Tastes worse than goblin giblets soaked with Dimir brain juice and cooked over a Rakdos Fire-Demon's head flames," Gerbie complained, licking his chops to remove the taste. The dark green plant, roughly the height and twice the thickness of a dandelion, got up and stood on its own, without any soil or a pot. It had six wide leaves at the top, fanned out like a snowflake.
"Whoa. What is that?" Kelly asked, watching the self-moving plant.
"A Simic Rainbow Weed," Gerbie explained proudly. "I insisted on a Gruul Flamerose or a Sprouting Phytohydra, but Ashley demanded this one instead. It's a good choice; these plants are sold to and are popular among civilians with a green thumb, as a way of funding the final stages of Experiment Kraj."
Viktor found the last few words interestingly similar to the text on the Experiment Kraj card and gave a grin. "We teleported to Ravnica to get this," he said.
"Nice. So how does it get its name?" Kelly asked, her eyes on the plant.
"Watch," Devin said, producing a violet gem the size of an egg. "It's a mana stone. It helps the plant work in a non-magic place like Earth." Placing the Rainbow Weed on the gem, colors began to fade into view all over the plant's surface. Within seconds, hundreds of beautiful colors swam and contorted all over the leaves and stem, like a music visualizer. Thousands of specks of color sparkled all over like glitter, flowing around almost like water.
"Whooaaa… I love it!" Kelly beamed, picking up the Rainbow Weed and its gem, and placing both on her bedside table next to the vase of flowers. The magical stone kept the plant balanced on top as it continued its dazzling display.
The five of them carried on pleasant and ordinary chat, though Viktor and the others had a terrible sense of despair and frustration underneath. Gamma and Beta's displays of insane power had them all scared; they had never faced anything remotely like them! Though they had succeeded in capturing Isperia the Inscrutable, it nearly cost them Kelly's life, and they had no leads on the other three: Kuro, the Pit Lord, Ryusei the Falling Star, and Konda, Lord of Eiganjo. The feelings were probably amplified by Elena's lingering manipulation, but that fact didn't change the dread and fear that clung to the back of their minds. Even so, they enjoyed being back on Earth and talking like ordinary teenagers.
Finally, Devin, Makoto, and Ashley declared their intentions of departing for other activities. It had been a shock settling back into the real world, with high school, college, sports, and jobs to tend to. There wasn't any fighting goblins or giants or allying with elves; Earth was just as demanding and scary as the Multiverse, in a much different way. Only Viktor was left in Kelly's room, feeling slightly awkward. The other three were making their way down the hallway, objecting to Gerbie's claims that the hospital should start using Golgari human fertilizers to speed up wound recovery.
Viktor shifted uneasily for a second, wondering why he felt compelled to stay behind a little. He approached Kelly in her hospital bed, trying not to be too distracted by the Rainbow Weed's dazzling displays.
"Are you okay?" Kelly asked, meaning mentally comfortable. Viktor simply stood for a second, then managed to speak.
"I'm just… glad I got you out of there in time," he said simply. "I mean… the red-black guy was really too much for us, and there were the Cinders…"
"Yeah," Kelly agreed. "It's a miracle I'm the only one hurt, and I'm recovering already. I'm not easy to keep down, in body or mind. Ashley's been pretty distraught, though. She's easily disturbed. Mom and Dad are upset too, but were relieved when I showed signs of a quick recovery process."
"I kind of… feel like I could have done more," Viktor said uneasily. He felt some link with the traumatic events to Kelly, and he felt something growing there. Seeing Kelly making speedy recovery eased his heart. "Like… I've gotten us all out of trouble, like when Devin was working for the Orzhov in Ravnica when Elena influenced him to turn us on each other, and my Sky Swallower got us away from the Giant cave in Lorwyn. I feel bad your health was threatened to get us here."
"Don't be like that, Viktor," Kelly told him gently. Viktor half-kneeled by her bed to talk to her more easily. "I'm really grateful for all you've done so far. We all are. We're a team in this, and every innocent being in the Multiverse is counting on us. You and your grandpa are what are keeping us going. You don't give up and you give off spirit."
Kelly's words eased Viktor's doubts, pushing back his frustration and despair at the Multiverse war. Beta's raw power, Elena's ruthless and successful scheming, and Kelly's near death had convinced him all was lost, and it was his fault it got that way. He felt more protective of the girl lying near him, like he wanted to never see her get hurt anymore, for any reason.
"I… well… thanks, Kelly," Viktor told her tenderly, lightly gripping the side rail with his hands. "It'll be great when you're back to health and all." He felt increasingly awkward, but at the same time didn't want to leave Kelly's presence.
"We're a team," Kelly beamed. "It sounds cheesy, I know, but still. I'll just be here for a few more days and you'll see me around more. It was nice of you to hang back out of concern."
"Yeah," Viktor agreed, resisting a sudden impulse to touch her uninjured hand with his own. Instead of that, he got up and started to leave the room to rejoin the others. He opened the door just in time to hear Ashley down the hall yell, "THAT'S DISGUSTING, GERBIE! DON'T SAY THAT AGAIN!"
Grinning out of humor at the statement and his own slight embarrassment, Viktor gave a simple goodbye and joined his other friends.
"Viktor!" Viktor's mom exclaimed when he came back into his house and tossed his jacket onto the couch. "A grade notice arrived in the mail!"
"All right," Viktor said in half-interest, crashing onto the couch and accepting the unfolded paper. On it was:
To: DIMITROV, VIKTOR
Sophomore
Special Notes: Bulgarian student studying abroad. Resident of Sofia, Bulgaria.
We regret to inform you that you are currently failing your English and Business classes. Due to missing major tests in both areas, your semester grades are in serious jeopardy. Please take your academics seriously if you wish to pass.
Best wishes,
Beth Redfield, Academics Counselor
"Well, that kind of sucks," Viktor complained, tossing the paper aside. "Seriously."
"We did not fly thousands of miles from Sofia to see you failing like this," Viktor's mom scolded him in rapid Bulgarian. "You take your classes seriously and cut back on enjoyment trips with your American friends. Georgi would be ashamed of his grandson doing badly like this."
Viktor's chest spasmed in mirth, but he resisted laughing out loud. Georgi would understand quite well why Viktor had missed two major tests; saving millions of lives in the Multiverse from Elena's evil grip was far more important than college work. He shook his head. He couldn't be a slacker like that! He had to be a good role model in schooling too! His parents counted on him to "make Europe look good."
Half-listening to his mom's brief rant about responsibility, Viktor retired to his room upstairs, finding simple entertainment out of repeatedly shuffling his cards and looking outside the window to the sunlit Earth beyond.