Magic: the Gathering
Chronicles, Volume 30
Alpha knelt by a pool of clear, shimmering water, the liquid seeming out of place on Grixis' twisted, deathly landscape. The blue-black Hunter maintained the enchanted pool by feeding wisps of his own power into the water, transforming it into a scrying mirror that revealed whatever he wished it to. Elena was standing a few hundred feet away, right at the very tip of Grixis; a jagged cliff that could almost be considered the bow of this shard of Alara. Elena was like the captain of a ship, watching her vessel starting to collide with the tip of Bant, the two Planes' convergence feeding a white-purple maelstrom that grew by the second. Only Bant and Grixis were outside Elena's power to hold back, and so they collided with each other while Naya, Jund, and Esper hung motionless to watch.
This incomplete Maelstrom was not even being witnessed by the one who desired a five-shard Maelstrom, Nicol Bolas. Currently, the Elder Dragon was curled up in deep slumber, almost cat-like with his wings folded up on his back and his long tail wrapped around his body and the tip resting near his snout. Alpha knew better than to consider the snoozing dragon a cuddly pet; although weakened by age and starved by the lack of a proper Maelstrom, the Elder Dragon was a force to contend with. Surely, at some point Bolas would awaken and feed off the two-Plane Maelstrom that had formed. Some was better than none.
"What do you see, Alpha?" Elena asked her top-ranked minion, walking over to the kneeling Alpha to look over his shoulder at his scrying pool. There, she saw two scenes unfolding, overlapping each other: one showed Rho facing off against three of the children in a sunny Dominaria field, and the other showed the other two kids and the traitor Epsilon struggling against Sigma and his Eldrazi servants. In both scenes, the children were clearly struggling.
"Your thoughts, My Lady?" Alpha asked.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmm..." Elena considered. "My darlings Rho and Sigma are quite fearsome, do you agree?"
Alpha nodded solemnly. "I do. They outclass the earlier Hunters in strange ways, despite having inferior mana reserves compared to ours. Even Gamma had more toughness than Sigma has now."
"Yet as you say, Rho and Sigma's powers are bizarre, something the children could not have expected," Elena added, delight in her voice as the scenes raged on in Alpha's scry pool. "Their defeat is more certain now than ever. And even if Rho and Sigma should fall..."
"Yes, My Lady?" Alpha prompted. Additional Hunters? In the background, Nicol Bolas snorted and grunted in his sleep.
"They will still have bought me enough time to complete my quest for domination," Elena proclaimed, spreading her arms wide. The black-white Maelstrom crackled and seemed to grow louder and stronger at her very words. "And... if Rho and Sigma fall and the children confront me directly with the Planeswalkers in tow, then I will have some presents for you, Alpha. I know you will like them."
Alpha had a good idea what Elena was referring to, and a cold smile crossed his cruel lips, a sinister gleam in his eyes. "I will not disappoint you, My Lady. I will never fall."
*o*o*o*o*
Viktor hadn't been looking forward to the time when he was facing down an attacking Eldrazi again, but as he watched the two Spawnsire of Ulamog creatures charge at him and Makoto, he knew that he'd have to get used to this caliber of attack when facing off against Elena's minions. The Spawnsires dragged themselves forward on their four arms, raising the upper arms to start the attack. Viktor and Makoto both leaped backwards to get out of range, sending the Fighting Drake, Elvish Warrior, and Kentaro, the Smiling Cat to oppose the Spawnsires. However, the Spawnsires swept their arms before the defending creatures, reducing them to ashes with the Annihilator ability.
"Ah hahaha! What was that? Did you forget the Eldrazi race's terrifying power?" Sigma shouted in glee. "No matter can stand before them! They have the strength to obliterate whatever they choose, and now you're going to find out the hard way! I'll just watch from here. Put on a good show!"
"Beast!" Epsilon roared, charging at the blue-red Hunter again. He raised his ivory sword high and swung it at Sigma as fast as he could, the white blade hissing through the air. Sigma jumped to dodge it, only to find Epsilon's blade whipping toward him at a different angle. Sigma tumbled in the air to avoid it, yet Epsilon swung again and again, giving Sigma little room to dodge. The blade grazed Sigma's right arm, drawing blood and tearing his sleeve.
"Graaaaah! Little Clock Rocket!" Sigma cried in terror, seeing Epsilon's blade arc down for the final blow. Epsilon also cast his Freezing Attack Level 2 to trap Sigma in place, but he was too late: Sigma cast a new ghostly clock face, this one with the hands turning in the correct direction. Sigma drifted through the clock face, trying to dodge Epsilon and the Freezing Attack by moving laterally. The ploy worked, and as soon as Sigma touched the clock face, he zipped away at super-speed, even quicker than a fastwalk! Epsilon's sword and Freezing Attack hit the bare ground where Sigma had been standing, the Little Clock Rocket fading away.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" Makoto cried in amazement before one of the Spawnsires' giant hands slammed down on the ground near him, knocking him away.
"Focus or you'll get squashed!" Viktor snapped back, and his Vine Trellis erupted from his card to ensnare the hand of the other Spawnsire that tried to attack him. The Eldrazi's hand was trapped in the thick tangle of vines and roots, keeping it from Annihilating with that hand.
"Makoto! Quick!" Viktor cried, needing to keep feeding mana into the Vine Trellis to keep the Spawnsire of Ulamog trapped. Taking the cue, Makoto first cast Yamabushi's Flame on the other Spawnsire to keep it distracted, then cast Nagao, Bound by Honor and also cast Unnatural Speed to get the samurai moving in time. Viktor's Battlegrowth enhanced Nagao further, and the legendary Samurai jumped high into the air and swung his oversized katana with all his might at the trapped Eldrazi.
Viktor couldn't help but grin in victory as Nagao's silvery blade flashed right through one the Spawnsire of Ulamog's trapped arm, cleanly slicing it at the elbow. The severed gray limb fell heavily to the ground while still stuck in the Vines Trellis, bleeding dark blue-green blood. Or at least, it seemed to be blood. Another Yamabushi's Flame disintegrated the severed limb.
"How dare you hurt my pet?" Sigma roared from where he stood, shaking his fist. "You'll pay!" He started to make a move, but Viktor was on to him, using a card he had rarely used to this point: "Lethargy Trap!"
"Ugh!" Sigma cried, stumbling forward and losing his momentum, his eyes drooping. "What did you...?"
"I'll take your head, demon!" Epsilon cried, closing in on Sigma to finish the job, trapping the blue-red Hunter in a Freezing Attack Level 2. His ivory sword closed in, but was stymied once again when a pair of Emrakul's Hatchers jumped in the way and took the blow instead. Viktor had forgotten about the Eldrazi Drones surrounding the battlefield, but the Drones were hardly spectators; they would enter the fray if their master Sigma called for them.
The amputated Spawnsire of Ulamog growled and lurched again, and Viktor quickly cast a second Vine Trellis to hold it off. Viktor was starting to get tired as the Spawnsire pounded against the Vine Trellis, forcing him to keep pumping mana into it to resist the Annihilator ability So, he released the spell and backed away. Both Spawnsires backed up as well, their throats twitching.
"Maybe it's time they use their ultimate power, huh?" Sigma suggested, sounding excited. "They're just okay for attacking. I'll show you why I really brought these guys here!"
Epsilon was right behind him. "Your back's exposed," he hissed before swinging, and Sigma's left arm came up to block it. The straight-edged sword blade came out of Sigma's arm attachment, blocking Epsilon's ivory sword. Sparks of mana flew from the point of contact, both fighters pouring mana into their blades to overcome the other.
"No point, Epsilon! My arsenal of tricks greatly outclasses yours," Sigma cheered. "You should help out those kids over there! They've got Eldrazi problems, and I've been going easy on you so far! I haven't used all my powers yet, but you'll die if you keep fighting me alone when I start to use them!"
"Damn it," Epsilon gritted, breaking the sword lock and leaping over to the Spawnsire of Ulamogs, his flying plants joining him and acting as bodyguards. The Spawnsires were not willing to wait: both of them looked like they were going to throw up, and they both stuck their heads forward and spat out a number of Eldrazi Spawns, covered in slime and squirming on the rocky ground. The watching Eldrazi Drones made chattering noises upon seeing the Spawns.
"That's gross!" Makoto complained, making a face. "Did you see that?"
"Better stop gawking and fight, kid! Raaaaaah!" Sigma cried out, extending his right arm and making a fist. Blue-purple mana burst from within his fist, and lightning-like tendrils of mana shot forward toward the newly-born Spawns. The Spans leaped forward like fleas to attack Viktor and the others in a mob attack.
"Hey. Aren't Eldrazi Spawns 0/1 creatures?" Viktor frowned, summoning a Llanowar Behemoth and an Acidic Slime to intercept the Spawn mob. "Just meant to provide colorless mana to get the big Eldrazi out?"
"If we kill them all, it won't matter what they're for!" Epsilon roared his answer, sending his plants forward to attack, the plant warriors bouncing high into the air to cut down the airborne Spawns. Makoto sent forth his Nagao, Bound by Honor as well as a newly-cast Silverstorm Samurai, both warriors intent on hacking apart every Spawn they met. Both armies drew close in mid-air, and Viktor prepared to see a lot of dead Spawns until Sigma's blue-purple spell hit the Spawns. His eyes widened in shock as the Spawns all flashed different colors and grew rapidly, all into different shapes.
"He... did he just transform them? I don't think those are Drones, though..." Epsilon breathed, his eyes wide as he watched. His plant warriors flung their thorny assault vines to bash apart the tiny Spawns, but the plants' vines met against various Elementals, ogres, spirits, and even a dragon! The creatures were all classic fantasy beasts from what appeared to be Dominaria, plus a number of Zendikar inhabitants, and they had grown from the Eldrazi Spawns. How is that possible? Viktor wondered frantically.
Sigma's new pets didn't waste any time. Many of them were able to weather their enemies' attacks, blocking or dodging the creatures and plant warriors and counterattacking with devastating results. Sigma and his Spawnsire of Ulamog creatures hung back to watch the grand melee, with various creatures falling to the ground dead. Sigma's ranks started to thin out, but they had dealt considerable damage to Viktor's, Makoto's, and Epsilon's creatures, and now the Spawnsires produced dozens more Eldrazi Spawns, all of which bounded forward to join the battle.
"He's going to morph them again! Stop him!" Viktor cried, seeing Sigma prepare another spell. Viktor summoned Assault Zeppelid to stop the Hunter, but a Little Clock Slug blasted into existence and slowed the Simic beast to a crawl. Viktor was about to urge Makoto to try Comet Storm until one of Epsilon's plant warriors, a plant beast with several large dark red flowers, snuck up behind Sigma while he was busy stopping the Assault Zeppelid. Sigma turned to see fist-sized poison pollen balls shoot out of the plant's giant red flowers, driving him back and injecting him with their venom. Sigma bore through the pain and partially unleashed his spell, morphing some of the new Spawns into creatures while the others remained unchanged.
"Now! Comet Storm!" Viktor shouted, and Makoto put his Worldwake mythic rare to good use. The sky darkened as countless giant space rocks came crashing down, blocking the sun's rays. The giant hot comets blasted everywhere, forcing Viktor to protect himself and Makoto and Epsilon under a Vine Trellis umbrella. Meanwhile, the comets blew apart every creatures on the field, friendly or not, and left a bunch of smoking hot craters in the ground by the time the deafening and earth-shattering calamity had passed. Makoto slumped to the ground, sweating and wheezing from the energy needed to cast the mighty spell.
"Hang on. I'll get you back up," Viktor urged his friend, kneeling beside him and using a Regenerate to replenish Makoto's red-white mana aura. Makoto shakily got back to his feet, but as he stood the tremors faded from his limbs and he was able to survey the damage. "Dude."
Viktor thought the same. Almost every creature had been blasted into oblivion, nothing remaining of their bodies. Only the two Spawnsire of Ulamogs were left, both of which were burnt and battered from the comets. Sigma, too, staggered to his feet, charred and bruised.
"Damn... kids!" he roared. "I'll show you! You won't get another chance to do that!"
"Get him fast," Epsilon urged his allies, summoning a new batch of plants to attack with. Viktor saw the need for haste, because the two Spawnsires were heaving up another fresh batch of Spawns, dozens of the little beasts falling to the ground in a heap and squirming around each other. Instead of spreading out, however, the Spawns all gathered at one spot between the Spawnsires and made a single huge pile. The Spawns then started to glow with bright white light, their bodies beginning to merge.
"They're trying to summon another Eldrazi! Don't let them!" Viktor roared, and he summoned his Simic Sky Swallower to dish out maximum damage. He climbed on board the Sky Swallower's back, helping Makoto and Epsilon climb aboard with him.
The Simic Sky Swallower was excellent both as a tough aerial mount and heavy attacker, and Viktor dearly hoped that it would be able to stand up to Eldrazi. "Attack!" he ordered the beast, and the Sky Swallower gave a rumbling hiss as its answer and charged head-first at the pile of glowing Eldrazi Spawns. Epsilon raised his ivory sword and pointed it at the injured Spawnsire of Ulamog, shouting an order for his plants to attack it. Viktor and Makoto sent their creatures after the injured Spawnsire as well, hoping to take it out.
"Oh? What's this?" Sigma wondered from far below, watching the Simic Sky Swallower charge at the mountain of glowing Spawns. "I think you're trying to kill off my minions! Not so fast. Little Clock Slug!"
"Cancel!" Viktor shouted the name of his card, the blue instant taking effect just in time. Sigma swung his magic-heavy right arm to create a clock face to slow down the Simic Sky Swallower, but Viktor's Cancel made the spell fizzle in Sigma's hand before it could take effect. Meanwhile, the creatures and Epsilon's plant warriors mobbed the injured Spawnsire of Ulamog, overwhelming its defenses. The Eldrazi fought back by swinging its hands like clubs, but by being on the defensive, it could not Annihilate anything.
"Charge! Kill all the Spawns!" Viktor cried to the Sky Swallower, seeing that the Spawns had nearly completed their task of forming a new Eldrazi. He was prepared for the second Little Clock Slug that Sigma cast to impede the Sky Swallower, but Viktor realized too late that it was a mere ruse: he Canceled the Little Clock Slug, but a Little Clock Rocket was cast under the Spawn mountain at the same time, speeding the Spawns' task to completion. The Little Clock Rocket punished Viktor's ears with its CLANK-TOCK! CLANK-TOCK! Much more importantly, a gigantic Eldrazi started to take form, even bigger than Viktor was expecting. The Simic Sky Swallower plowed right on ahead, its massive toothy mouth striking against the newcomers' chest.
Then Viktor realized that he was standing in the shadow of the new creature. Dread tightening his stomach, he backed up the Simic Sky Swallower to look up at the mask-like face of the Eldrazi. The Eldrazi had a triangular, mask-like face with a point for a chin, and several horn-like protrusions stuck out of its head. Two dark, circular depressions in the creature's face constituted its eyes. Then, the body was rather man-like, with folds of muscle on the dark purple and red body, and two humanoid arms sprouted from the shoulders. The Eldrazi had two squat, abdomen-like appendages at its base, and three insectoid legs supported the beast and allowed it to stand upright: two legs on the left, one on the right.
"Hey. I know what this one is," Makoto realized, not sounding too happy. Epsilon could only stare in horror.
Viktor nodded grimly. "Me too. Looks like we're up against It That Betrays."
*o*o*o*o*
"Are you too afraid to make a move, dear children? Does seeing your death before your very eyes frighten you that much?" Rho taunted Devin, Kelly, and Ashley, hovering in place with her beating fairy wings. She drew her finger along her jawline, then flicked a lock of her hair with a menacing gleam in her eyes. "Well?"
"Make her come to us," Devin muttered to his friends, making sure Rho couldn't hear. "Give us the home advantage. All the traps are set."
"Are you ignoring me, you naughty boy?" Rho called out to Devin, pointing at him. She leaned forward in midair as though she were about to be shot out of a cannon. "Then I will teach you some manners the hard way! Aaaaaaaaaaargh!"
It was just what Devin wanted: Rho was charging head-on, and apparently her patience didn't match her falsely sweet mannerisms. Rho was charging in frighteningly fast, a giant blue-green blur, but the three kids were ready.
"What? How foul!" Rho snarled as the ground below her corrupted and became brackish, like a swamp with countless feelers sprouting out of a growing pond of thick, acidic water. The slimy tendrils shot upwards and ensnared the passing Rho, her momentum making her strain against the bonds. She struggled to free herself, but her effort only set off the second trap: a flight of arrows soared through the air, with hundreds of arrowheads thudding into Rho's trapped body as the rest whooshed past. The blue-green hunter threw her head back and cried out in agony, and Devin didn't waste any time making use of the Drag Down and Arrow Volley Trap. He recklessly went all-out as was red and green's prerogative, and sent his Lord of Shatterskull Pass stomping rapidly toward the injured and helpless Rho. The massive Minotaur roared and shook the earth with his voice and hooves, and the Lord swung his spiked wooden club and smashed it into Rho's body with a sickening THUD.
"Yeah! Give it to her!" Devin cheered on his new creature, and the monstrous Lord of Shatterskull Pass didn't waste any time in drawing back its club for a second heavy blow, intending to smash Rho to bits this time around. Right as the Lord drew its club back to the highest position, however, the Minotaur bellowed in shock and pain as a huge, praying mantis-like limb impaled its chest, the limb sticking out the other end.
The Lord of Shatterskull Pass twitched and jerked as its internal organs were shredded by the insectoid limb, and the Minotaur slumped helplessly in place as the limb lifted it higher into the air. Devin's eyes widened as he saw that Rho's right arm was in fact the insect arm, huge and grotesque compared to the rest of her body.
"Foolish children! Did you think me so helpless?" Rho shouted in triumph as she raised the impaled Lord of Shatterskull Pass even higher, her eyes fiery. Several globs of blue-green flesh covered her body, starting to mend the wounds that the Arrow Volley Trap and the Minotaur's club had dealt her. "No! I am not a Hunter for nothing, and now I will show you why!"
"I think you're a little doomed over there," Kelly said quietly, and Rho strained to hear.
"What?" Rho asked, before she looked down and saw black arcane symbols in a circle on the ground below her, all of which began to glow red. With a flare of fierce black mana, the symbols all exploded and enveloped Rho in life-destroying vapors, intent on destroying her utterly. Rho released the Lord of Shatterskull Pass and swooped higher into the air to escape the black mana, with wisps of it still clinging to her as she rose into fresh air. The healing globs were still on Rho's body, but some of them had been destroyed and some of Rho's injuries remained unhealed.
"Quick!" Kelly cried, and Devin's Volcanic Dragon and Ashley's Baneslayer Angel swooped forth on wings of Fury, in order to finish the job Kelly's Seal of Doom had started. Rho looked up just in time to see the Angel and Dragon closing in on her, and she raised her giant mantis arm to block the Angel, sparks of mana flaring up from the point of contact between the Angel's sword and Rho's insect arm's carapace. The Dragon swooped in on Rho's left flank, jaws wide to bite her in half. Rho extended her left arm and it, too, turned into that of a giant praying mantis. The Volcanic Dragon bit down on the arm, but was unable to crush it, instead grappling with it.
"That's just nasty," Devin commented uneasily as he watched the three-way battle, standing near Kelly and Ashley. "Rho has these huge insect arms? She looked better without them, all normal..."
"Hey! This is no time to be admiring her," Ashley objected, prodding Devin accusingly.
"I-I wasn't doing that! She just looks weird with the arms..." Devin defended himself meekly, before Gerbie emerged and put his two cents in. "If fairy-girl there weren't so deadly, she'd make a mighty fine catch," the Simic gerbil observed, taking in Rho's smooth, curvy body and graceful facial features. "Get it? Catch a fairy?"
"Stuff it," Ashley ordered him, starting to cram Gerbie into her pocket until she froze, her hands still on Gerbie's head. "Wait. Catch? Of course!"
"See?" Gerbie said smugly before being fully crammed into Ashley's pocket. Ashley turned to Devin. "Don't you have any anti-air cards? With your red-green theme?"
Devin thought for a second them remembered, snapping his fingers. "Yeah! Entangling Vines! I used them in the illusory battle in my mind. I was fighting a swarm of small fairies in there," he said excitedly. He quickly rifled through his card stack one-handedly. "I think it's around here..."
"Hurry! Rho's one-upping us," Kelly shouted over the din of battle. Devin looked up to see that Kelly was right: Rho had parried the Baneslayer Angel's sword and slashed back, the praying mantis limb's spikes raking the Angel's flesh and injuring it, blood flying from the wound. Rho laughed wildly as her other arm wrenched free of Volcanic Dragon's mouth and she smacked the Dragon's snout, driving the beast back. Ashley's Into the Roil enveloped the Angel and Dragon in cyclones of water and blue mana, shielding them from further injury. Rho looked confused, then changed tactics.
"If I cannot harm them, I will harm you!" she shouted, streaking toward the three kids. Ashley got to work using Holy Day to start healing Baneslayer Angel and Volcanic Dragon, while Devin set up the defense. He held his card up high, and a massive web of strong green vines burst into the air, spreading out to catch Rho. However, the blue-green fairy swooped higher into the air, above most of the vines. She slashed with her mantis limbs, cutting the few vines that did reach her as she arced down to attack the kids from behind.
Not giving up, Devin wheeled around and summoned another swarm of vines, all of them flailing through the air to try and catch Rho. Kelly added her Resounding Scream to the mix, and the black Instant caused a hair-raising wail to reverberate through the air. Kelly was able to channel its effects away from herself and her allies, sending it all at Rho. The blue-green Hunter grimaced and covered her ears against the mind-wrenching noise, slowing her down and allowing Devin's Entangling Vines to snare her like a fly on a spiderweb.
"There! Now we've got her for real!" Kelly shouted, not losing any momentum. She went all out and cast Xathrid Demon, which drained a lot of her black mana aura and forced her to sink to her knees in exhaustion. Devin cast his Predator Dragon to aid the Demon, then knelt by Kelly's side in concern.
"Hey. Are you okay?" he asked her, shaking her shoulders as Kelly's head lolled to one side. "Y-yeah. I think I overdid it there, but now Rho's done for," Kelly answered with a triumphant grin on her lips. She pointed, and Devin turned to see Xathrid Demon and Predator Dragon close in on the helpless Rho.
But she was not so helpless after all.
"Is that more pollen? Like when Rho first appeared?" Devin asked, frowning as he saw that a cloud of pale green spores had emanated from Rho's wings, and she reverted her arms to normal and swept them to spread the pollen throughout the air. Both the Xathrid Demon and Predator Dragon stopped near Rho, hesitating against the cloud of pollen wafting by.
"What are you doing? Don't hesitate! Kill her!" Kelly shouted at her Xathrid Demon, frustrated at the Demon's uncertainty. The beast growled and looked back at Kelly, a dull look in its eyes. Or rather, a sleepy look in its eyes, which Predator Dragon had too.
"Do you think that's the sleep pollen that she used on us earlier?" Ashley asked, and Devin nodded. "Got to be. Damn! I forgot about this. Guttural Response, come to the rescue!"
He was too late, however: both Predator Dragon and Xathrid Demon were barely able to remain aloft on their wings, their heads hanging and their tails drooping. Rho was not done, however, and wafted her arms again, this time with a cloud of bright red spores.
"Oi! Wake up, you big bozos!" Gerbie shouted, and as though by his words, the Xathrid Demon perked up, suddenly energized again. The Predator Dragon was still sleepy, barely staying aloft. "Hey. He listened?" Gerbie said in wonder, watching the Xathrid Demon set into motion. However, he and the kids realized to their horror that the Xathrid Demon was inhaling Rho's red spores, and raised his arm to sink its claws into Predator Dragon's flank.
"Kelly! What was that for!" Devin roared at his friend, and Kelly blanched. "I d-didn't do that!" she cried, covering her face with her hands. "Xathrid Demon! Stop! Attack Rho!"
The Demon, however, seemed to be deaf to its master's command. Xathrid Demon turned on the still-slow Predator Dragon, bashing it apart with its huge and powerful demonic claws. The Dragon screeched weakly as it was decimated, helpless before the onslaught. With the Dragon destroyed, Xathrid Demon turned his back to Rho and faced the kids, intent on attacking them next.
"Well! What do you think of my betrayal spores?" Rho cried from her vine web. "Once again, it is folly to underestimate me! My dear Demon, tear them apart!"
"Now this is troublesome," Devin muttered, watching the Xathrid Demon obey its new master and charge at the kids in the air. "I hope the Baneslayer Angel and Volcanic Dragon have healed by now, because we need their help!"
"Not quite," Ashley shook her head, so she, Devin, and Kelly prepared for new spells to defend them from Rho's unstoppable power.