Magic: the Gathering

Chronicles, Volume 29

Okay, Devin thought frantically. I've heard of confronting your inner demons, but this just isn't funny!

Devin fought back desperately against the crowd of semi-translucent, shining fairies that flitted about him, slicing his skin with blade-like stingers that protruded from their insectoid abdomens. Rather than having legs, these fairies were like giant wasps from the waist down, and the fairies had to be at least a foot tall, with curving blade-like stingers that were as long as Devin's index finger. Each fairy looked like Rho, with kind and girlish faces and long locks of hair, but each one of them squeaked and chattered like excited little animals as they tormented their much larger prey.

"Ugh! I've got to have a creature for this..." Devin muttered, aware that he was floating in some weird dimension of his mind, with roiling waves of purple and black making up his surroundings as he floated weightlessly in the center, with nothing but these fairies for company. There must have been a dozen of them, all determined to give him a slow death by laceration. Devin gritted his teeth and focused through the pain, feeling pulsating, hot agony from each of the wounds, his body feeling heavy and slow. Poison on their stingers? Probably. I've got to hurry!

"Ee-hee-hee-hee! You won't survive this, boy!" one of the fairies cackled in her tiny, high-pitched voice, flitting right up to Devin's face as he reached for his card pocket. "Die a slow death!"

"Not a chance, Tinkerbell!" Devin spat, right before the fairy flipped over in the air and thrust her scythe-like stinger at his face. At the last second, Devin swatted her aside, his hand whacking into her body and sending her tumbling though the air, cutting off her attack.

"Useless! Useless!" the other fairies chorused eerily, their rapid orbits around him tightening as they started another round of slicing, drawing fresh blood on his limbs and torso. Devin winced against the renewed pain and slipped his hands into his pocket, desperately feeling around for his stack of red-green cards. Which one will help against this? Guttural Response? Like a cry of defiance from the wild! It helped me when Kappa stabbed me through with its tail back in Ravnica. Devin quickly slipped his card pile out of his pocket, one-handedly fumbling through them to find the Guttural Response and trying not to drop any cards.

"Ee-hee-hee-hee! Don't even try it!' the fairies taunted him, swooping in on his cards with outstretched hands.

"Hey! I don't share, especially with Hunter fairy minions inside my head!" Devin bit back, moving his card hand out of the way. He rifled through the cards even faster with his only hand's fingers, flipping past his Deus of Calamity, then Giant Ambush Beetle, then Violent Outburst...

"Hey! No!" Devin yelped when a trio of fairies swooped in on his head, their stingers thrust forth to gouge his face apart. He squirmed in midair to dodge, allowing only one of the fairies' stingers to graze his ear. The fairies' ruse worked, however, and the others got a hold of his cards, tearing them out of his hands and flinging them everywhere like confetti, cackling all the while. Devin squirmed faster, trying to catch the drifting cards while avoiding more stings. It was no use, however, and the fairies renewed their attack.

Damn it. I'm cut all over, and their poison is slowing me down, Devin thought in a haze, his eyelids drooping and his limbs trembling, his breathing heavy. No! Kelly and Ashley are waiting for me. I can't just die on them! Have to... have to do... something!

"Mmmmmrrrrrgh! Give that to me!" Devin shouted in angry defiance, stretching out his arm to seize the Guttural Response card that drifted just out of reach. The fairies zipped by his arm, scoring fresh cuts on his forearm and hand, and he felt his fingers numb and stiffen. Ugggghh. I guess I can't do this... after all. Sorry, Kelly, Ashley... kick Rho's ass for me, okay?

The fairies swooped in for one final attack, like a fighter plane squadron closing in for the kill. Devin grimaced and prepared for the worst, until his mana aura flared to life, the red and green shields repelling the fairies like a buffeting wind.

Whoa! I didn't think I could flare that up! I should have known, Devin thought with a wry grin, as a little strength began to seep into his body, just enough to ward off the numbness and weakness. He moved his arm and legs for balance to re-adjust, thrusting his arm out as hard as he could to reach his cards, any card. The fairies all snarled their anger and swooped in again, only to have Devin's red-green mana aura surge in strength and drive them back again. However, Devin felt the aura's overall strength diminished from that last flare-up, and he knew he didn't have much time. He reached out one more time, and found success as his hand closed on the Inferno Titan card.

"Yaaaaaah! Titan attack!" Devin joked with newfound hope, holding the card up with the illustration facing the defiant fairy squadron, and their faces looked horrified as the spell took effect, the Inferno Titan erupting from the card's picture and into existence. The Inferno Titan was only twice Devin's size, due to its caster's current condition. Nonetheless, the humanoid Titan released an ear-splitting bellow of fiery rage and hunger from its mouth, creating a scalding wind that made all the fairies wince and cover their faces, crying out in their high-pitched voices. The Inferno Titan spread his arms wide, allowing great flames to erupt all around him, with more flames oozing out of his skin like a natural armor.

Kickass, Devin thought with a broad grin. He pointed. "Inferno Titan! Show them who's boss!"

The Titan, like all other card-cast creatures, could not speak but its even louder roar made its intentions clear. The Titan lurched forward as though walking on solid ground, bringing his arms to bear and summoning dozens of tentacles of fire around them. The fairies dispersed to avoid the attack, but were all singed as the tentacles of fire rushed forth and blazed through their ranks. The Titan reached them and swung his arms about, trying to swat them. The fairies avoided the blows and retaliated, their stingers grazing the Titan's skin and making it bleed, the beast crying out.

"Come on! Fight back, you big sissy!" Devin encouraged the Titan, giddy with his restored ability to fight back. "I'll help you, just charge!"

The Inferno Titan was enraged beyond control for a multitude of reasons, and one again it charged recklessly at the fairies, frightening in its speed and anger. The Titan swept its arms and summoned more of the fire tendrils, reflecting its ability to do 3 damage divided as the controller chose among any number of target creatures or players. Devin helped guide the fire tendrils and they struck at last, one fire tendril impaling a fairy and blasting it into a cloud of ashes, the glowing fairy screeching horribly before being vaporized.

"Branching Bolt!" Devin called out the name of his spell, seizing the floating card and adding its furious lightning to the mix. The eleven surviving fairies spread out wide and accelerated, trying to dodge the rest of the Inferno Titan's fire tendrils and the lightning Devin cast. Two of the fairies broke ranks and tried to scratch Devin again, only to be swatted aside by the Inferno Titan's massive hand and crushed into oblivion. An offshoot of the Branching Bolt fried another fairy, reducing their numbers to eight.

The fairies sped up even further, sacrificing direction for sheer speed to avoid further attacks from Devin and the Titan. They whooshed about at random, hoping to score deep cuts on their larger foes to bring them down. Their tactic started to pay off, as one fairy gouged Devin's chest, pain flaring up there.

Oh no! If I get any more cuts, that's it, Devin thought frantically, but looked down at his body to see that the previous cuts had started to mend. Indeed, except for the most recent gash, all the other cuts were healing and fading from sight, with only his clothes still torn. Even his blood was being restored, since Devin felt less light-headed. This is like Guttural Response, but I'm not holding it. Where...?

Devin saw that his red-green mana aura extended over his arm, stretching past it to enclose the Guttural Response card on its own. The card seemed to pulsate as its alternate effect took place, allowing the hearty defiance of nature to heal Devin's life-threatening wounds. I can use cards without even touching them! My mana aura did this all on its own?

The battle was not over yet, however, as the eight surviving fairies continued their attack. However, they apparently had no other powers, because their high-speed stinger cut attack was all they were doing. Feeling fully restored, Devin called his Inferno Titan attack again, knowing that reckless assaults were the way of red mana. But Devin was not all red, and his tough green side had to be used as well or the Titan would overextend itself. Devin got an idea.

"Hey! Titan! Don't worry if you can't hit them easily!" Devin shouted at his frustrated Inferno Titan, as it launched a third attack, driving back the fairies but struggling to hit them. "I've got this one. Hyah!"

Now a solid green spell came into effect: Entangling Vines. Although only an average card on its own, it was essential here. From the card sprouted a swarm of thick, leafy vines that extended everywhere like a spider's web, catching the fairies unawares and ensnaring them in mid-flight. The glowing fairies were helpless as they struggled against their bindings, until they started to saw at the vines with their blade-like stingers.

Devin would not give them the chance.

"Get them! Fast!" he ordered the Inferno Titan, and the Titan was more than eager to comply, since "fast" was one thing red mana did right. Without any further ado, the Titan went on the offensive for the fourth and final time, its summoned fire tendrils all nailing the immobilized fairies and scorching them to oblivion, even setting the vine web on fire. Gleefully, Devin dispelled the vine net and the Titan, his battle won. Hey, um... how do I get out of here? I'm trapped in my own mind! This is just an illusion while my real body is in that cocoon Rho trapped me in. Totally a blue-green power! Tricky, tricky... of course. Help me out again, old friend.

Guttural Response was quickly becoming Devin's favorite card as he brought it up with his hand, casting it with a new alternate effect to escape Rho's insidious trap. Within seconds, success was his; the Land of Dreams faded, and Devin's eyes snapped open to reveal to him his real body in the semi-see-through cocoon, his body soaked with disgusting slime that oozed from the walls. With a burst of fire from his Fireball card, Devin blasted his way out with a shout of effort, the smoking scraps of the cocoon drifting through the air as Devin landed on the Dominaria ground, savoring the feel of hard dirt under his body.

"Devin! You're okay!" Ashley shouted in relief, and Rho herself had been facing the Ashley and Kelly, her back to Devin. Burst Lightning raged into effect, catching Rho by surprise. She scarcely had time to turn around and flit out of the way of the red-green lightning, but the bolts still grazed her body, burning her flesh.

"Brat! How dare you?" Rho growled, clenching her fists as she rose a few more feet into the air. She clutched at her burn wounds, panting.

"Heh. Don't underestimate me, fairy lady, or you'll pay for it!" Devin retorted.

Rho squinted at him, then smiled and removed her hand from her wound, to reveal that it was covered with a mass of bright green flesh with blue veins. "Too bad, my boy, but that wound was too shallow to harm me! I commend you for escaping my Land of Dreams, though! Looks like I have to will use the extent of my physical powers to bring you down after all."

The mass of flesh faded away to reveal Rho's perfectly mended flesh, with no hint of the former wound.

Quick regeneration, huh? Devin thought. I definitely can't do this by myself. Ashley, Kelly, I'm way going to need your help here!

*o*o*o*o*

The hedrons of Zendikar floated dutifully in their rows on the horizon, but their prison was ineffective against sealing the horrific Eldrazi race inside the plane. Viktor already knew that from reading the story about Zendikar from card products he had bought on Earth, but here the danger was fully real, and Sigma was not going to miss out.

"Ah hahaha! Like my new pets? I sure do!" Sigma shouted giddily as Viktor, Makoto, and Epsilon watched countless Eldrazi drones emerge from the mountain's nooks and crannies, twisted otherworldly abominations that all bore the green diamond mark of Enslavement on their foreheads. Viktor recognized some of them such as the insectoid Dread Drone, the creature carrying itself on several spindly legs and bearing tall, flat horns on its eyeless head. As far as Viktor knew, horn-like protrusions meant that an Eldrazi was part of Kozilek's brood, but he wasn't sure whether that information would help. He also saw a large number of Nest Invaders among the emerging crowd, the little creatures hissing with hunger.

"Damn it. There's a ton of them!" Makoto cursed, gripping his stack of red and white cards tightly in fear.

Epsilon brought his ivory sword to eye level in a defensive position, his eyes narrowing. "Don't lose your nerve. That's just what they want."

Sigma beckoned a Kozilek's Predator closer to him, stroking the obedient beast's head like a pet dog. "I've got wicked awesome plans for fighting you all! Give me a good show, okay?"

"No mercy. Foil Sigma's plan, no matter what it is!" Viktor ordered tensely as the Eldrazi drones charged from all around. Makoto's Battle-Mad Ronin and Nagao, Bound by Honor were quick to be summoned and engage their foes, the former's pike and the latter's katana piercing the flesh of the drones they encountered. Epsilon himself leaped into the fray, swinging his ivory sword in broad, sweeping strokes to hit multiple drones in single moves. He halved a Kozilek's Predator and two Nest Invaders, only to get surrounded by five Emrakul's Hatchers intent on clubbing him to death with their bizarre, two-pronged arms.

Viktor cast Convincing Mirage to evade a quick-moving Rapacious One, the eyeless monster snapping at a wavering illusory double of Viktor. That gave the real Viktor chance enough to cast his standard Fighting Drake and Elvish Warrior, enchanting the Drake with Oakenform and equipping the latter with Trusty Machete. The two warriors got to work against the Drones, downing several of the beasts while taking minimal hits in return. However, more and more drones scampered up the mountain's slope from further down, their numbers threatening to overwhelm the defenders.

"Hey! Viktor!" Makoto shouted, as his newly-cast Kentaro, the Smiling Cat protected him from a double attack from two Nest Invaders.

"What?" Viktor shouted back as Epsilon passed by, noisily trading blows with a vicious Dread Drone before cutting it in half. Fighting Drake was also grappling with a Rapacious One, making a huge ruckus.

"Don't all the drones make Eldrazi Spawn when they're summoned?" Makoto asked, sounding uneasy. "And I think Rapacious One makes the Spawns whenever it hits a player, especially with its Trample effect."

He's right, Viktor realized, his gut sinking. If something like this was amiss, it could only mean trouble.

"Look there! This was just a distraction!" Epsilon shouted, and the battlefield briefly came to a halt as the Hunter pointed at Sigma. Viktor and Makoto turned to see hundreds of little Eldrazi Spawn all clustered around him like a fanatic crowd.

"Ah hahaha! Here they are! Ready for this?" Sigma shouted over, and he raised his arms and split the Spawns into two mounds, the Spawns starting to glow white and meld together.

"Stop him!" Viktor cried, setting into motion to make good of his plan. His and Makoto's creatures fought through the crowd of drones to stop the Spawns' plan, but they were too slow.

"I'll handle this," Epsilon assured them, raising his arm and pointing. "Destroy them, my plants!"

Viktor recalled his battle against Epsilon and Delta in Kamigawa, and how Epsilon had summoned an army of battle-ready plants to fight on his behalf as backup troopers. Currently, Epsilon summoned a dozen of his biggest plant warriors, all of them being giant balls of vines and leaves over ten feet in diameter, floating in the air. Six of them had single green and yellow flower-petaled flowers on them, and the other six had four extra-long vines covered in giant thorns for ripping enemies apart. All twelve plants zoomed forward in the air, the flower-bearers releasing clouds of green spores at the melding Eldrazi Spawn piles.

"Oh! I've been told about this. Epsilon, you control your own army of plant warriors!" Sigma nodded his understanding. "And Delta could summon exploding wolves in his Ascendant State! I'm not jealous, though – I have my own friends, and have this! Little Clock Slug!"

The clouds of green spores reached the Spawns, the pollen eroding them and making them squeal and writhe in agony. However, the actual plant warriors were too slow, and a huge ghostly clock face faded into existence, big enough for the tightly-knit group of plant warriors to pass through at once. The clock's hands spun backwards as the plant warriors were slowed down almost to a crawl, the clock shuddering Viktor's head with its loud CLANK-TOCK! CLANK-TOCK!

"Too slow, huh?" Viktor cursed, but changed his tune as soon as he saw Epsilon appear right behind an unsuspecting Sigma, raising his ivory sword to decapitate his red-blue Hunter brother. Sigma's eyes widened and he whipped around to see the incoming blow, then leaped out of the way and allowed Epsilon's sword to slash through empty air, the blade just one instant too slow.

"That... was close, and you move fast, Epsilon," Sigma smiled widely from where he stood, but he looked uneasy. "The plants were only a diversion?"

"Actually, I meant for them to try and hurt you, but I made the most of the situation," Epsilon corrected him, turning to look at the plants crawling ultra-slowly through the Little Clock Slug. "Makoto! Viktor! Slow down the Spawns' process while I slay Sigma!"

With that, Epsilon attacked again, swinging his sword in a rapid blur to catch Sigma off-guard. Sigma raised his left arm and launched a sturdy net from the arm attachment he wore, the thin but tough netting catching Epsilon and making him fall over in a heap.

"Ah hahaha! How easy it is to trip you up!" Sigma cried out, tap-dancing in place with his fists on his hips. The joke was on him, however, as Epsilon tore out of the net with effort and thrust forth his right arm. "Freezing Attack Level 2!"

"No! No!" Sigma cried, the blue-white crackling attack swallowing him up before he could cast another Little Clock Slug or a Little Clock Rocket to speed him up and get him to safety. The Freezing Attack Level 2's power would be limited against Sigma, but it bought Epsilon the time he needed to slash Sigma across the chest and kick the immobilized Hunter away, allowing him to tumble across the rock.

"Ah... ah hahaha! Too late!" Sigma sputtered from the ground, looking up enough to see the mountains of Eldrazi Spawns fully meld and combine their mana to summon two new creatures. The drones had provided sufficient cover to delay Makoto and Viktor's creatures to allow the summon to be completed, and now Viktor saw what he was up against.

He recognized the two gaunt, faceless Eldrazi before him: the Spawnsire of Ulamog. The Spawnsires lay on their stomachs, holding up their heads and torsos with their four hands planted firmly on the ground, their four humanoid arms supporting the weight. The creatures' legs were replaced by a mass of thick tentacles, making the creatures all the more repulsive.

"Hey. What can those guys do? I haven't seen the card," Makoto asked Viktor urgently. Viktor outlined the Eldrazi to him, how the Spawnsires were 7/11 Annihilator 1's intended to hang back and use abilities rather than attack. These things could make two Spawns for 4 colorless mana, or allow their controller to cast any number of Eldrazi for free from outside the game for a cost of 20 colorless mana. Without a doubt, these things would be deadly assets for Sigma, since Viktor saw a green diamond tattoo on each of their foreheads.

"But you have Ulamog's Crusher, don't you?" Makoto urged his friend. "Maybe use him?"

Viktor examined the 8/8 Annihilator 2 Eldrazi in his card stack. "We'll see. I have to be careful with this thing."

"It'll drain a lot of mana to cast, won't it?" Makoto figured. "High mana cost anyway, and it's a Zendikar card, all of which are extra powerful but taxing to use. We might not have a choice, though, with the way things are ending up."

"Agreed," Viktor nodded grimly, looking up at the two towering Spawnsire of Ulamog creatures, both of which drooled and smacked their lips, a rumbling hiss coming from deep in their throats. Then he lowered his gaze to the colorful Sigma, who stood between his two Eldrazi servants like a hound master about to send the dogs.

"Watcha waiting for? Time to fight!" Sigma cried, waving his right arm. At his command, the two Spawnsires lurched heavily, then began to drag themselves forward and raise their arms to perform Annihilation, or maybe even some other move Viktor wasn't aware of. No matter what tricks Sigma has dreamed up, we've got to be ready. I'm not about to lose to one of Elena's foul minions just yet!