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ultramagicalternate · 3 months ago

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ULTRAMagic Interval Chapter 29

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I’ll be frank, Bethany; I was never one for a smoke,” Valentin remarked as he lit an expensive-looking cigar. He took a good drag of it and exhaled, feeling his nerves relax a little. “Given recent events, I need something to take the edge off. I wish my dad was here. He’d be proud of me for being a man…”

“My dad would get out his pipe when something troubling was on the horizon. He did so the night before I was accused of being a witch.”

Valentin set the card he had prepared on the table of his work space. The image was still murky, which was not a good sign. “Blast it all…”

“What’s wrong?” Bethany asked as she walked over from her coffin.

“The card, the hex I need isn’t forming like it should,” he replied as he shuffled it back into his deck. “And he’ll be here soon…”

Bethany gave a worried sigh, assumed her manticore form, and hid in the shadows. “Oh boy… Well, I’ve got your back regardless.”

“That’s just how it is sometimes,” he lamented as he got out a coarse, coal-black playing card. “Looks like it’s on to plan B…” Valentin then produced a raven’s quill from nowhere and wrote down his name. The red ink glowed like embers, followed by the card fading into ashes.

“Are you sure that’s going to work?”

“No idea, but at least I’ll get something done.”

“So what’s next then?” Bethany asked.

Valentin stood in front of the coffin, facing the entrance. “An unwelcome guest in 3…2…1…”

On cue, the crypt’s doors were shoved open with great force, slamming loudly against the walls, shaking the room with the sound thundering throughout. “KARPPINEN!!!” Sebastian roared, his rage-filled voice reverberating against the mountain’s stone. His anger was the clearest it had ever been, seeming like it was going to erupt like a volcano at any moment. There was also a sickly, red light shining through his clothes where his heart should have been. “YOU MISERABLE, WORTHLESS FAILURE!” he declared as he marched up, with Anne following behind with the sternest look possible.

Valentin, unfaltering in his resolve, walked right up to Sebastian. “I’m a failure?” he questioned as he blew a cloud of smoke in Sebastian’s face, making him cough a bit. “Bethany, remind me who lost World War II again…”

Sebastian inhaled and flared his nostrils. “You are truly a pathetic subhuman! Not only did you fail to acquire that whelp’s soul despite all the help I gave you, HELP YOU DIDN’T DESERVE, but you also just gave that detestable guild another member to work with!”

“Pitty…”

Anne then had a realization, causing her face to take on a shrewd, yet disapproving look. “Sebastian, my dear, a queer thought crossed my mind just now: notice how our run of bad luck picked up when we employed Mr. Karppinen?”

Sebastian processed that idea, then nodded as a clever smile stretched across his face. “An astute observation, meine Frau…"

Valentin applauded, a look of incredulous glee adorning his face. “WOW! Care to make any other observations, kotzbrocken?”

At first Sebastian was confused, but then it hit him, igniting his anger once again. “I knew it, you insufferable son of a…” he started to say as he went for his walther.

“YES, IT WAS ME! All of it! The sabotage, the subterfuge, the thrills, the chills, the snitching, and the handy dandy blocks of C4. In fact, I believe another round of explosives just went off in Iceland, Alaska, Russia, and your darling Germany!” Valentin's vindictive pride was at an all time high, despite the enraged, bloodthirsty looks he was getting.

Anne was beginning to take on a shadowy, demonic visage while Sebastian’s violent scowl turned to an evil smile. He knew he had Valentin cornered, he just needed to hammer his coffin shut. “Ah, I should’ve expected as much from a dirty rat such as yourself, given your filthy blood that your good-for-nothing family has, especially that nuisance of an uncle of yours…”

“What about my uncle Ensio, saatana perkele?”

“That riot in Berlin was a laughable affair, our enemies trying to protest that they weren’t inferior. I took pleasure in taking the first shot, watching your dearest uncle fall to the ground and get trampled. I can’t even begin to imagine the shame he and your family must feel knowing that Finland was an ally of Germany and that you’ve been working for me…” his voice was like that of a bear about to happily tear into its prey, as he and Anne walked forward. Sebastian was certain he had struck the achilles’ heel…

“Really? That’s all you got?” Valentin then snapped his fingers.

Bethany emerged from the shadows, roaring with such great force that it sent Sebastian and Anne flying out of the crypt. After tumbling across the dirty stone, they picked themselves up, albeit fairly disoriented. Part of Sebastian’s sleeve had torn off, revealing the hideous, malformed state of the modification he had done to himself. Both he and Anne were ready to fight, but Valentin remained calm as he stepped out into the cold night’s air, hands behind his back like a gentleman. It looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders as Bethany stood next to him.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, BOTH OF YOU!!!” Sebastian screamed, having had enough of this nonsense.

“Sebastian Rainer Friedrich III, our partnership is over, effective immediately,” Valentin said with confidence in his voice.

“Fine, any last words then?” he inquired as he pointed his gun straight at Valentin’s head. Despite being at least 10 feet away and still recovering from Bethany’s magic, he had a clear shot.

“No, because here comes my new employer, and I think you’ll like her. She’ll especially be a real blast from the past for you, Anne…”

Just then, a loud, shrill croak could be heard above them. Sebastian and Anne looked up only to see a truly colossal raven circling in the sky around them. Their blood ran cold as they knew exactly who it was. As the raven perched on the peak of Mt. Steadyrock and called out again, Anne panicked and scrambled for a vial of red liquid in her satchel. Dumping it on the ground, the strange substance quickly formed into a pentagram-like seal and glowed like fire.

A portal of scarlet, chaotic energy appeared and out stepped a gaunt, skeletal knight in crimson armor. He looked tired and unamused. “What is it, my masters?” he said in a deep, dull voice with a bow.

“GET US OUT OF HERE NOW, SANGUINE!” Sebastian shouted in a panic.

“What’s the matter, guys!?!” Valentin taunted. “It’s rude not to say hi to the guest of honor!” The raven let out another call as crows began to fly overhead.

“With all due haste…” Sanguine held out two fires that drew in Sebastian and Anne. He then merged the flames, followed by him collapsing into it and vanishing with a haunting, inhuman scream.

Bethany was incredibly unnerved, reverting back to her human form. She then walked over to where the seal was, watching the liquid evaporate before her eyes. “Did… did we win?” she asked as she looked around nervously.

“No, they’ll be back.”

“Wh-where did they go?”

“Karnage’s tower, I’d imagine,” Valentin answered as he looked to the sky.

“Are we in danger?”

Valentin cleared his throat. “As always, but Sylvia has our backs for now.”

“But what about that Running God Anne kept going on about!?” Bethany looked legitimately frightened, and Valentin’s nonchalant attitude was not helping.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. In my dreams I have beheld truly fearsome entities who hunt down such rogue gods. I’d wager that The Madman of Old would be gunning for The Running God as soon as possible if he came after us…” Valentin shuddered a little, then glanced around, focusing on some sticks. “That doesn’t mean I’m not a little worried though… Say, does that ornamental fireplace actually work?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so at least…”

“Then I’ll go collect some firewood and we’ll have some dinner.”

Bethany took a nervous breath. “But what if M.A.I.G. or Zoltan show up?”

“Relax, Bethany. We’re on their side now.”

“Oh, right. Good point, I guess,” she said as she returned to the crypt and calmly shut the doors.

After gathering a decent amount of sticks, Valentin set them down near the doors and trekked over to the nearby woods. There was a dead tree that was perfect for a toasty fire. He did not have an axe, so he tossed one of his cards at it. The tree creaked and fell with a massive thud. It was a bit aged and would not last long, but that was fine. All he needed was enough for the night. Once it was all cut up, the wood was stored safely in one of Valentin’s cards.

Next Valentin had to sneak down to the city to get some food. Military patrols were everywhere and he did not want to be spotted. Thankfully most of the city was dark, allowing him to slip around undetected. Hoping Milan was not out looking for him on account of earlier, Valentin went into an empty grocery store. After casting a spell that created an orb of light, he got to work. Valentin picked up some meat, vegetables, two bottles of sparkling water, some regular bottled water, and anything else he needed to prepare a meal.

Valentin was a little on edge as he felt watched and it was a feeling he could not shake. It took a second to get one of the cash registers open, and the ding it made startled him. He wanted to make as little sound as possible and the sight of lights in the distance made him nervous. Fortunately it was driving off a ways away, with what he saw being a reflection. Once he was ready and the groceries were paid for, Valentin got out his teleportation card and returned to the crypt.

Bethany was sitting by the fireplace, mulling over everything that had happened up until that point when Valentin showed up. “Oh, hey. How did it go? I brought the sticks in by the way.”

“Thank you, and things went well. A bit unsettling, but I’m in no position to complain.” Valentin set the groceries down, then tossed out the card that held the firewood, stacking it all neatly beside the fireplace. “I’d dare say M.A.I.G. noticed that little scuffle we had. One of their drones is right outside…” he pointed out as he began readying the firewood.

“Yeah, no surprise there.”

“You’re fairly relaxed after all that…”

“I don’t know if I’d call this ‘relaxed.’ Now what am I going to do? They’re probably going to throw me in jail…” she sounded fairly depressed over that prospect.

“Have you killed anyone?”

“No.”

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it,” Valentin said as he snapped his fingers, shooting a fireball at the wood that got the fire going.

“Oh cool. Pyromancy?”

“I’ve been practicing.”

“So… have you killed anyone?”

Valentin started to get out some pots and bottled water. “Not directly. And anyone who has died because of me has been one of those infuriating Death Knells… hopefully. I mean to be fair, the minute you hear beeping in that line of work, you immediately get out of the building if you’re smart.”

Dinner was a little slow being cooked over a fireplace, but Valentin managed with what he had with a little help from Bethany here and there. By the time they were done, the crypt was nice and warm, with the aroma of fresh food filling the air. It was a stark contrast to the cold, dampness Bethany was used to. Valentin then got out some glasses and filled them with the sparkling water. Their steaming, hot meals were ready to go and looked quite delicious.

Bethany could not help but smile at her food. “This is really nice, not going to lie…”

“Then how about a toast to our newfound good fortune?” Valentin suggested as he held up his glass.

“Sure,” Bethany replied as she followed suit. “Hehe, my dad and his friends loved to do this when they were all over for dinner.”

“To our valor, fortitude, and the grace of God: Long may the sun shine.” They tapped their glasses together, took a sip, and dug into their dinners. Feeling more open to each other, they spent the rest of the night talking about their upbringings.

Back at M.A.I.G. headquarters, Milan, Trumna, and Reynard were having a cup of coffee over at the War Room. It was a quiet, yet tense night as everyone was on edge over the dimensional anomaly that had briefly shown up. The three were waiting for Intelligence to report back while others went about their business, checking consoles and making phone calls. Given that the incident had occurred over near Mt. Steadyrock, Milan was the most worried out of all of them. Trumna’s phone at the big table then went off, starling them.

“Ahem, Trumna speaking…” The call took a minute, with the tension mounting as the director responded to each part of the conversation. “Alright, thank you. Gentlemen, whatever that was is gone now.”

Reynard breathed a sigh of relief. “Send the all clear, Jurgen, but keep the patrols on alert for the rest of the night.”

“Yes, sir,” Jurgen replied as got up.

“Any news on Valentin, Trumna?” Milan inquired.

“He seems to be fine. Apparently he even did a little grocery shopping.”

“What about Sebastian and Anne? Any sign of them?”

“None whatsoever. Not even the reconnaissance squads are picking anything up,” Trumna said as he wrote something down.

Reynard laughed. “Well it sounds like Valentin and Bethany are having a little dinner. If things weren’t so tense, I’d invite them here.”

“Rey, they’re still wanted…” Trumna reminded him.

After thinking about it for a second, Reynard had a crazy idea. “You know what? It’ll cost us a pretty penny, but how about we call up D.C. and get some pardons ready?”

Milan’s eyes lit up. “Wait, you can do that!?”

“Well yeah,” Trumna replied. “But Rey…”

“But nothing. Those two deserve a second chance, especially after what they just went through.”

Next: Chapter 30