Magic: the Gathering

Chronicles, Volume 15

By Louis Kemner 2008

"Hey, I didn't know Ravnica had newspapers," Devin exclaimed, catching sight of the folded paper lying on the floor of the Simic Combine's bio-engineering sub-levels. Several days had passed since he, Viktor, Ashley, and Kelly had joined the guild in attempt to get closer to the supposed Hunter here and Kelly's Key Creature. It was likely that the Azorius, Rakdos, and Gruul guilds were connected to the Hunter and Creature, and the Simic and an interest in this matter as well. Viktor and the others had contributed a great deal of work to the Simic, scouting for test subjects, buying chemicals and equipment from shops and Orzhov deal-makers, and helping defend the Simic's turf from intruding guilds. They had finally caught a few minutes of rest from the overseer's and Momir Vig's constant demands.

"It makes sense," Kelly said as Devin picked up the paper and rifled it open. "Orators can't handle everything."

"Yeah, whatever," Devin said airily, and then caught sight of the cover story. "Hey! Look at this!" The other three crowded around him to read the article.

AZORIUS BOUNCING BACK

In a stunning move five days ago, the Gruul and Rakdos guilds made an unexpected pact to launch a joint assault on the Azorius guild hall, Prahv. The ensuing battle was a titanic one, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives and the near destruction of the Azorius guild in the area. Tragically, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV lost his life in the attack.

"It's so terrible," Waren Lightheart, the Azorius guard captain, told interviewers. "We exist to uphold law and order for the better of our city, and this is the thanks we get. Many supporters of the attacking guilds cheered on the attack and called for the complete downfall of our Azorius guild."

Many citizens indeed rallied to the joint assault, apparently pleased at the loss of the rigid law protection the guild provided. Without their power, the Rakdos and Gruul have naturally ceased to get along, and now wage unrestricted warfare in the area, to no determinable end.

There is hope, however. The Azorius guild is on the road to complete recovery, and citizens supporting the guild have offered drastic funds and volunteer work to bolster the faltering guild, even signing up in record numbers. Already, several battalions of Azorius troops have been restored, and the griffin squads are in similar incline.

"It's time to show them what it means to mess with the law," one proud recruited knight said. "The Rakdos and Gruul won't get away with this."

Further good news come from a new figure of leadership; after surprisingly short debates and elections, the guild is united under new leadership in these difficult times: Grand Arbiter Epsilon I.

"I promise a good portion of the history books for our rightful guild," Grand Arbiter Epsilon said in a public speech two days ago. "I hope that one day, every square inch of Ravnica will prosper under the Azorius banner of glorious blue ands white. I promise full retribution to the guilty guilds!"

Some have taken a more neutral stance on these events.

"There is more to this than meets the eye," Simic leader Momir Vig told us. "Believe me, citizens. Keep your eyes and ears open and take everything with a grain of salt. Something unnatural is at work."

Whatever the merit of this chain of events, it is certain that these events will have a drastic effect on our city for months or even years to come.

(For more information, turn to page B-6. For updated Orzhov stock exchange rates, go to page C-6. For Boros recruitment information, go to page D-4.)

"This is everything," Viktor commented once he finished reading the article. "The whole thing right here. Did you see that? 'Grand Arbiter Epsilon I'? Elena's influence is here for sure. We've got to do something."

"Pretty drastic," Kelly agreed as Devin closed the newspaper and tossed it to the floor. "And pick that back up! We've got to show this to Momir Vig." Devin gave a look and picked the paper back up.

"This?" Momir Vig said as he studied the newspaper in his office with a bizarre monocle on his left eye as he squinted through it to study the lead story. "Paper's made of synthesized Ghostbark wood pulp treated with 56 milligrams of necto-filaments prepared in —"

"Not the paper itself, the story!" Viktor said in exasperation, waving his arms. "Isn't it important news? We have to take action!"

"Silence, boy!" Momir Vig snapped viciously, folding the paper and throwing it away. He took the monocle off so both black eyes stared at the four kids. "Do you think I don't know what happens in the city I alone control a tenth of? Of course I know everything possible to know about this. I've seen this coming! The unnatural events march on; the Azorius has never been anything like this before. I presumed you would have presumed that I knew about this story already and would be more interested in the physical paper itself. Do you think I'm a guild leader because I have a bunch of money?"

"Sorry, sir," Viktor said meekly.

"He gives his full regrets to his misguided words and humbly begs your forgive—" Gerbie started, poking out of Ashley's Simic mage robes and pouncing onto Momir Vig's desk, before Viktor seized him and gave him a look.

"Don't be dissing my owner, man," Ike said with slightly more bravado than usual.

"Do you want to fight me too?" Gerbie demanded back, glaring at the other gerbil.

"No one's fighting anyone," Ashley insisted, reaching out and taking Gerbie back into her pocket. "Come on. What is going to happen, sir?"

"You have my permission to initiate an operation of your own," Momir Vig told the four. "The Azorius' borders and bravado is extending daily, faster than the Mindrot Node Molds downstairs. This cannot be allowed to go on any longer. I want the four of you to infiltrate the Azorius' territory and get to the bottom of this at once. I will provide you with any items or enchantments you ask for. In addition, I will have a battalion of my troops and forces stationed to greet action at any point. I don't fully trust delicate matters to children."

"Thank you, sir," Devin said.

"He gives his full gratitude for your selfless and honorable contribution to our greater cause —" Gerbie started again, re-emerging from Ashley's pocket, before Devin seized him and threw him into a large and soft potted plant. Ashley gave a cry, Momir Vig sighed, Viktor grinned, and Ike fell out of Viktor's pocket in laughter.

The cool air far above Ravnica's surface would have chilled any person down to the bone in a matter of hours, but Beta was not a normal person. He was over a thousand feet above the tallest spires, astride Kappa, who had assumed a shape that had four wings and a long tail for balance. The wings alternated flapping in pairs, making for an animated but very in-control flight. The jointed, assembled tail waved back and forth to maintain balance, and Kappa's head extended on a long neck to allow for a wide range of moving his head to see.

"How long has it been? Four, five days?" Beta asked his partner, talking over the sound of the whistling wind.

"Four days, twenty-two hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty-one seconds," Kappa answered flatly, not moving his head to talk; his voice could easily carry over the wind. "Your estimations are good."

"I would have expected results by this time," Beta said back, scratching his red and black tangle of long hair. It fluttered wildly in the wind, getting tangled now matter how many times he tried to straighten it. "Perhaps this quarter of the city isn't where the target is."

"Even a miniscule of the city can conceal Kuro, Pit Lord," Kappa responded. "Not one grain of this metropolis will be missed. We will search quickly and efficiently until our query is confirmed. It is demanded of us both."

"We can't afford to take too long, though," Beta reminded the shapeshifting Hunter. "Remember that both the children and Epsilon are after it, too, and letting either party beat us to it would be worse than simply not finding it. After all, Elena didn't really say how to find it, just to do it. Don't you agree?"

"Your logic is accepted," Kappa answered after a few seconds. "Well then. Please list the most likely search areas to attempt first."

Beta allowed himself a few seconds, then gave a list of places to look. "Start with where the interesting stuff is happening," he said at the end.

"That won't take long to find," Kappa confirmed. "New query acknowledged."

"I'm sorry, but this street is off-limits right now," the Azorius sentinel told the four kids as they stood at the border. Several thin gold and silver poles four feet tall were scattered about, with wavering white lines of mana between them to act as a kind of police yellow tape line. "Reconstruction is underway here. We have major Orzhov funding and Boros support for this project. You know how nasty the Gruul-Rakdos skirmishes have been, I bet."

It was true; for days the Gruul and Rakdos had been struggling bitterly over the territory wrenched from the Azorius. At first, citizen supporters of both guilds had rooted on the combat, but soon had begun to tire of and protest the meaningless fighting. Neither side could gain a particular advantage, and they succeeded in little other than wrecking the city and claiming the other side's lives in vain.

"There's something we're looking for here," Kelly told the sentinel. "It's important for Simic research for citizens' medicines. There's a rare species of plant that grows on battlefields and we need to find some. Civilian casualties of the skirmishes badly need —"

"I'm sorry, miss, but you simply can't go here, even on guild business," the Azorius sentinel said, shaking his head. "Besides, we found only a few of the plants you're talking about, and we harvested them for treating the disabled from the joint assault on Prahv. You'll have to take your business elsewhere."

Turning away from the kids, he gave orders to other Azorius workers who ran the reconstruction or were on armed patrol. Azorius First-Wings lazed around overhead like flies, on the watch for intruders or disorder, along with a few Boros volunteer Sky Knights. Defeated, the four turned away from the border and walked away.

"So what, that's it?" Devin complained. "We're not allowed in."

"Then we sneak in there," Ashley said. "Without them knowing."

"What if we're caught, though?" Devin objected.

"Come on, is that really important?" Kelly demanded, rolling her eyes. "You know that catching my Creature is more important than anything else right now. We'll do whatever it takes."

Once they had taken back alleys to get away from the main road and its Azorius troops, Ashley produced Veil of Secrecy out of her card stack. "Until end of turn, target creature can't be the target of spells of abilities and can't be blocked." This was cast four times, and Viktor felt the cold and soft Veil hovering around his body, making his own body difficult too see.

"Feels weird," he commented, also looking at his ghostly friends. Devin tested the Veils with Shock, and the bright lightning bolt crackled and fizzled against Viktor's Veil, leaving him unharmed. Satisfied that their cover was set, the four went back to the main road and passed the Azorius barriers.

"How big is the restricted area, anyway?" Devin wondered out loud. Thankfully, the Veil muted him to outsiders.

"At least this road, I think," Viktor answered, scanning the area for any clues. But I don't see any others down the road so it could be a lot more than that. Kuro will be pretty hard to miss, though, it's a big creature. Maybe Azorius troops will find it first and try to restrain it. That would make a big ruckus."

"Sure," Devin agreed.

"It's like hide and seek!" Gerbie noted happily, helping out by scrutinizing the terrain with his beady eyes.

"Lame," Ike countered, and everybody but he and Gerbie laughed.

"We've had mixed success overall, Grand Arbiter," Waren Lightheart, the Azorius Guard Captain, told Epsilon as the two of them walked down the main hall of the recently reconstructed and perfected Prahv. He consulted a scroll of information on it with the guild's stamp at the top in dark blue ink. "All battalions report rapid reconstruction in the main road, with relatively little interference. Senator Trigori tells me funding from the N-7 region has reached 4.56%, up an entire 0.33% from last month, and the Income officer is late with renewing his papers for the Treasury and may face problems within the next 2-3 weeks —"

"Why are you gabbing all this to me?" Epsilon snapped, brushing a lock of his long, blond hair out of his face as he brushed a piece of dirt off his exquisite Grand Arbiter robes. "I do not care about income business. You're the guard captain."

"I'm sorry, Arbiter," Waren apologized as two guild mages strode by them, talking in quiet tones. "It's just that some of the other reporters are over-burdened and can't report these news to you in a timely manner, so I took matters into my own hands."

"I appreciate it, but don't want it," Epsilon said. "I want more practical intelligence. What about that quarrel with the Selesnya the other day and their demands? What came of that?"

"They caved completely, Arbiter," Waren answered arrogantly with a grin. "They completely ceded that ground to us and promised to reinforce it in case of attack, and returned a few of our men from their prisoner holds. Those prisoners secretly have vital information they weren't able to leak to the Selesnya, even after interrogation of the Venom Vines."

"Make the Selesnya happy," Epsilon ordered simply.

"I beg your pardon, Arbiter?" Waren said uneasily.

"Do you think they won't hold a grudge behind our back over that?" Epsilon explained impatiently. "They made smaller cessions to the Golgari two days ago and were fuming; they made countless tiny acts of retaliation, impossible to trace to them officially. My growing guild won't be undermined by revenge. Do what you can to keep the Selesnya's heads cool and more on our side. They share a good amount with us, including a dislike for the Izzet League and the Rakdos. Do you understand me, guard captain?"

"Fully, Arbiter," Waren bowed. "Should I depart at once to carry out this task?"

"Go ahead," Epsilon said, waving his hand. "But before you go, have the Income officer sacked. Get me a new one."

"But I thought you didn't care about that matter," Waren said, confused.

"Just get the blithering idiot out of there," Epsilon said firmly. "And don't let this turn into a bureaucratic swamp, either. Just his face out the door, a better one in it. I will scout for possible replacements."

"I understand," Waren bowed again, then dashed off into a side corridor to begin the duties set out for him. Epsilon continued alone, his thoughts completing what he was only hinting at to Waren. His conquest would be far superior to Elena's wretched Enslavement, far superior. Why slaughter and terrorize your enemies when you can make them your pawns without them even them knowing or objecting? The hearts of the Selesnya and Boros would be easy to win over. He just had to provoke the Rakdos and Gruul into endless, pointless warfare, and make the Orzhov step up their shady business game. The guilds more difficult to conquer would have to be used first to make the easier ones under his control. Plus, the entire Azorius Senate was his to command! He was the law, even if not completely. All would have to obey the law. And about the new Income official and other empty offices… Epsilon would have to find a way to make that work. Those kinds would obey him completely. Epsilon himself was the exception to their kind of obedience, but that did not deter him. Just defining who "they" were in his mind reminded him of the wicked witch he was going to imitate, so the pronouns helped set his mind at ease. It would be done.

"There isn't much to see so far," Ashley had to admit an hour later, as the quartet pushed farther into the Azorius quarantine zone. It was even bigger than they thought it would be, stretching for countless blocks and including avenues, town squares, and parks. It was obvious that the Azorius were trying to do more than repair the city; out here, out of sight from the borders, there was no damage at all. Azorius and Boros troops scoured the area, apparently searching for something: the Key Creature, Kuro, Pitlord. Their effort was visible, along with their slight exasperations and doubts.

"Come on, it won't be in the open," Viktor said, encouraging the group to divert into the space between an Orzhov church and apartment complex. "It'll be skulking around in the dark. It's a black-colored creature, after all."

The near-empty back alleys disturbed Viktor slightly as he and the others wandered through them. The Azorius and Boros troops were not patrolling these alleys, so he expected bums and vicious Viashino beasts to lurk here, along with wraiths and Dimir secret agents. However, there was simply nothing, just litter being stirred by a light breeze.

"This is givin' me the creeps, you know," Ike complained a few minutes later. "Don't you agree that this place is a bit too empty?"

"I was thinking that," Kelly agreed, frowning. "I've been keeping my ear to the ground for a while, and when zones are quarantined like this the dark alleys are almost never scoured. This is peculiar at best. It's like something came along to wipe out all the inhabitants… wait…"

"Do you think it's —?" Viktor started.

"It has to be," Kelly said with realization. Just as she finished saying this, a scraping sound wafted into Viktor's ears, and he froze as a deep snort followed. Everyone else stopped, too, now hearing quiet but heavy footsteps from an unseen source, making Viktor's neck hairs prick up and tickle.

"Time to split," Ike said in a dreading voice.

"We can't run, we have to capture it," Kelly told him. "We've got the advantage. Neither Epsilon nor the Hunters are probably here. All we have to do is find and capture it!"

"Sure, capture a beast like that," Gerbie said sarcastically. "Let's just run back to Novijen and tremble under the covers of our quarters' beds."

"Don't be stupid. We're going," Viktor asserted, comforting Ike and pressing on. He was stopped as a single massive, black foot crashed down right in front of him, causing him to fall over and curse.

The foot was planted to the stone ground, supporting a thick, mottled leg. Further up was the torso, then the long arms and wicked, clawed hands, and the menacing head with glowing eyes and curving horns: Kuro, Pit Lord stood before them, at home in the dark, cramped quarters.

"This is it!" Kelly cried, abandoning her Veil of Secrecy and producing her empty card for Kuro. "Now I just —"

Kuro, however, was not agreeable. It gave a roar and slammed an open palm to the ground, causing a shuddering wave to spread in all directions and flooring the rest of the kids. In addition, a cloud of black mana wisped up from the impact, rotting and crumbling the ground. Kuro huffed and swept an arm, and only a last-minute Vine Trellis stopped it from knocking the four kids away like toys. Kuro strained against the plant wall, then gave a tug and broke it, inflicting its black rot and withering the wall to nothing.

"Run!" Viktor cried, scrambling to his feet. "We've got to get away!"

"But we have to capture it!" Devin objected, following suit with the others.

"None of our creatures strong enough to defeat it can fit in these alleyways!" Viktor called back as Kuro gave another roar and began chasing them.

"Then how can Kuro fit in here?!" Devin cried back. Viktor merely pointed behind him, and Devin turned to see that Kuro's body could pass through the buildings like a ghost as long as there were enough shadows. That was how it could fit and not other creatures; it had to be lured outside, even though Epsilon's troops were out there. Kuro was able to chase them half in and out of the buildings, sometimes going into them completely to hide itself and pop back out without warning, a tactic that nearly caught its quarry a few times. Despite this, open sunshine was quick to wash back into everyone's vision as they entered a wide and long street.

"Come on, big guy!" Devin shouted at Kuro as the beast lumbered into the open. It shielded its eyes against the sun but did not stop; at least its shadow melding would not work out here.

"You four! How did you get here?!" a Boros heavy-duty soldier demanded. The four had forsaken their Veils of Secrecy. "Get away from that thing and let us handle it!"

"I'm sorry! We can't!" Kelly told him as Kuro lumbered ever closer, saliva dripping from its formidable chops. "We are powerful spellcasters and are here to take it down! Just stand aside!"

The Boros soldier started to protest, until Devin had Volcanic Dragon in the sky and Viktor threw in Llanowar Behemoth. Kuro hesitated, caught unawares by the unexpected newcomers. It gave a huff and began to march forth, until a smooth voice carried over everything else from two dozen feet down the street: "I guess we're a little late to the party. Shame."

Viktor and everyone else whipped away from Kuro squaring off against the two creatures, and witnessed Beta, the black and red Hunter, dismounting from a bizarre flying creature. The flier had a body of four wings, a long tail, and a long neck with a pointed head. It appeared to be made of hundreds of metal pieces of all shapes and sizes, like an artifact creature. Viktor's stomach clenched when he saw that the artifact creature had a green emerald on its forehead: another Hunter!

"Who are you?" a Sky Hussar Knight called out, allowing his griffin mount to land. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for that thing," Beta told him innocently, pointing at Kuro, Pit Lord with an armored finger. "We are here to capture it. Don't interfere or you'll be killed, all right?"

"Less talking, if you please," the artifact Hunter told Beta in a flat and mechanical voice. "Execute immediate action."

"Fine," Beta shrugged. "Why do you act like the boss all the time, I ask? Lady Elena rules us both. We are both her subordinates."

"My efficiency outstrips your own," the artifact Hunter answered.

"Not combat, I presume?" Beta said.

"No. I simply do not waste time with talk," the other Hunter said. "Except for arguing with you."

Beta sighed. "Then let's get to what we came for, then. If you will, Kappa?"

The artifact Hunter, Kappa, nodded. To Viktor's amazement, his many pieces suddenly broke apart from each other and began re-assembling on their own. They clanked and wedged together by green mana until a bipedal mechanical beast stood beside Beta; it was like a lizard-man, with a tail and reptilian legs. Kappa's two glowing eyes were fixed on Kuro.

"You won't get Kuro!" Kelly shouted at them. "You dirty Hunters aren't enough to stop us!"

"You tangled with Epsilon and Delta the other day, didn't you?" Beta asked the group of kids, now starting to walk slowly toward them, with Kappa following behind with his tails swishing. "In Kamigawa?"

"We did, and nearly beat them," Viktor answered. "We would have beaten them if they didn't retreat after we got Ryusei from them!"

"But it was a narrow escape, and you had two Planeswalkers helping you," Beta added, still coming closer. The kids began backing up as they felt Beta's red and black mana aura start to manifest. "Jace Beleren and Sarkhan Vol were there, and still you had a hard time. Understand that I am stronger than either of them. Only Alpha and Lady Elena surpass me. Kappa isn't bad, either, fitting right in between Delta and Epsilon. And look, no Planeswalker, or that fifth kid, Makoto. You're trapped and are going to die."

Before any of the kids could make a comeback, a swarm of Simic creatures horded into existence and took up a block of the road: drakes, beasts, mutants, mages, and soldiers, not to mention elves and assorted specialty animals. The Azorius and Boros troops had frozen, not daring to interfere in the battle brewing on the street.

"Huh. An audience," Beta commented, stopping and taking in the wall of creatures allying right behind the kids. "Whatever."

"They are of the Simic guild, masters of biological warfare and engineering," Kappa added. "Engage in proper protocols."

"I think it's you who's going to die," Viktor growled at Beta and Kappa, as he and the others backed up into the line of Simic creatures, along with Volcanic Dragon and Llanowar Behemoth. Thoughts of his friends, his grandfather, and the lives of billions of innocent Multiverse inhabitants, along with Elena's evil spirit, washed away all fear and doubt from his mind. "Two more Hunters out of our way."

"I don't really like cocky people except myself," Beta said, standing his ground. "Not sure if that's the right word. Maybe just… confident."

"Enough chatter," a wizened Simic guild mage cut in. "Destroy him!"

The command was all the encouragement the Simic opposition needed. Dozens of Simic shock troops of varying species surged forward, and the four kids unleashed a variety of creatures and spells. The massive assault wave surged furiously toward the two Hunters standing alone in their empty part of the street. Without any noticeable command, Kappa disassembled himself completely, and now formed himself into two tall halves of a circle, four inches thick. With the enormous attack wave bearing even closer to him, Beta took hold of each half of the shield and fit them closed in front of himself, forming a shield five feet wide and tall. He crouched somewhat and began to slowly walk forward just as the huge attack wave struck him and the shield with a ground-shuddering, ear-splitting clash.

Viktor watched apprehensively as a cloud of debris, creatures, and spell mana blossomed from the point of impact. The force was ridiculous; he was certain that nothing could survive a force like that. He was aware of his heart beating fast and his nerves tingling with his fight-or-flight response, even though the battle had barely begun. None of the other kids said anything.

Finally, the debris and dust cleared, revealing a crater perhaps fifty feet wide and four deep. Viktor's heart clenched when he saw Beta and the shield-Kappa standing nearly unharmed in the middle with minor cuts and burns, along with Beta's red and black mana aura fully manifested and Kappa's silver one being the same. Beta lowered Kappa and allowed him to disintegrate and form back into a reptile humanoid. Beta looked impressed.

"Nice try," he said as praise. "You had Kappa and I afraid for a moment. Okay, now it's my turn."

Beta lifted his left arm and extended it like a rod, his hand open. A small ball of red and black fire gathered before it, and a cone-like wave of black and red fire raged forth, covering the entire breadth of the street. It engulfed all of the Simic creatures that had attacked him and swept over the ranks of Simic reserve forces, and the kids, too. Viktor was thankful for Ashley's Holy Day card, or he and the others would have been vaporized. He watched in horror as the red and black flame attack completely wiped out the Simic forces, leaving only him and the other three left.

"Now that the rabble's out of the way, I can actually fight the good ones," Beta said with mild cheer, starting forward yet again with Kappa following. "Come on, children. I know that you can do much and give me a decent fight. What do you say?"

"I say, consider yourself dead," Viktor told him grimly, preparing a few cards for a solid attack.

Beta sighed. "Kind of stupid of me. Kids these days always have a cheeky response to open questions, huh? Let's see if yours rises above the rest." As he said that last sentence, a scythe blade unfolded in two parts from the armor of his left arm and snapped together in metal scrapes and clicks, until a scythe blade three feet long stood ready for slicing.

He and Kappa were prepared to either capture Kuro or die in the attempt, and Viktor and the others were much the same. The battle would be a decisive one.