Tales of magic: grimoire of transmogrification

  Chapter 42

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  Arc 2 – “The hunter and the beast”

  Chapter 26- “Dawn.”

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  6:37

  Three teenagers sat at the terrace of some sort of tower, staring at the town from up above.

  “The night is almost over. Now, the sun can finally rise.” The boy said with a calm, but eerie tone.

  “Why that bullshit?”

  “Denise, we talked about this.”

  “About what?”

  “Stop swearing. We’re in the Court of Pridon for crying out loud. Have some decency.”

  “What decency are you talking about? The nobles are all nothing but pigs. Denise, don’t listen to him, say whatever you want.”

  “Tell me the truth, Arthur. Have you been drinking?”

  The boy amongst them shook his head vehemently.

  “I don’t taste wine.”

  “The fucking truth, Arthur.”

  “Language.” Alia pointed at Denise, who scoffed and looked away.

  “Fine. I took a little.”

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  1st May, 1886.

  Screaming woods,

  Pridon.

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  6:05

  They only had a brief moment of respite, before being thrust into yet another struggle. This time, they were back to back.

  Jordan had held on to a single sword, and William was equipped with his grenades. The beasts rushed in from nearly all directions.

  There were no more words spoken between them. They knew what they had to do. Jordan stuck to William like glue, completely trusting one of his sister’s killers with his life. Hunter did the same. They both focused on their tasks like their lives depended on it. Because their lives depended on it.

  Quill swung his blade around. Prior to this battle he had made sure to reinforce the sword with Power, layering multiple spells on it to boost it’s structural integrity and it’s sharpness. This was why, his sword was actually capable of dividing scores of monsters in two.

  One by one, they fell down. Neither of the Mages dodged, or defended against attacks. They attacked and killed before the enemies had a chance to strike.

  William threw a grenade for the umpteenth time, switched to a knife nearly instantly, and stabbed a nearby beast between the eyes in the same motion. Without pausing to catch his breath he kicked the falling carcass to the side and threw the knife at a beast that managed to get dangerously close to biting off Jordan’s ear. The knife sailed across the air, landing right at the thing’s heart, sending it to the ground.

  At the same time, Jordan was hacking at the monsters, cutting them down as though he was trimming weeds. For monsters he was unable to cut down in a single strike – partial miss, or due to some unique anatomy- he instantly casted explode and turned their head into ash.

  With every passing moment, the never ending crowd of monsters seemed to lessen. Jordan’s slashes became slower, so much so that a lizard beast slipped through his defences, and managed to wrap it’s strange spiky tail around Jordan’s neck before being punched to death by William.

  Jordan would’ve laughed at how such a small error almost got him killed, but he didn’t have a second to spare. His neck was sore, bleeding, and he didn’t want to imagine how much danger he was in. How close he was to bleeding out.

  Instead, he casted rejuvination and continued to fight.

  William who had completely ran out of grenades and knives, now relied on a short sword and his fists to take down his enemies. He punched their skulls in, kicked some in the groin, plucked out some eyes. He twisted intestine with his short sword and used the weapon as a sword, a shield, a cane, and a club.

  ‘If we get pushed more thah this... We’ll die.’

  The fact that he had nothing to lose spurred him on. He knew his family was probably dead, but instead of grief, he felt rage. Adrenaline. Nothing mattered to Jordan more than cutting down the next monster. His hands were sore from gripping the sword so hard. His body was almost entirely covered in blood and guts, and it soon became a problem. The ground was slippery, and he could barely stand his ground. This made him make even more mistakes which he paid for, dearly.

  The nicks and bruises here and there soon added up to serious injuries. The tiredness started to hit him, in waves. A spell of dizziness too. He’d lost count of how many times he’d used rejuvination now. Power was completely spent.

  ‘I still have eight fingers, right? Demon, take another one.’

  Pain woke him up from the drowsiness. His body was almost moving automatically now. Like some kind of machine. Some crafty monsters were using that to their advantage. Jordan stopped caring.

  William tried his absolute best- one could notice from how much energy he was putting in. But there was only so much he could do.

  “Jordan, get the fuck out of here. I’ll handle the rest.”

  Sit ventus et caelum et terra instrumentum voluntatis meae. Ostium quod nusquam ducit.

  William kicked Jordan away, sending him flying into a door that appeared out of nowhere. A black door, floating in mid-air, opened up to invite Jordan in. It happened so fast, that he didn’t have time to process what at happened until afterwards.

  At first, he lay down for a while. Not a second after he opened his eyes, he jumped out of his lying position.

  Jordan fell down on his ass almost immediately. His exhaustion had finally caught up with him. Wiping away the sweat and blood covering his eyes, he took a look around. He discovered he was far from the fight. There were no beasts where he stood. Infact, on closer inspection he surmised that he wasn’t in Lycan’s domain anymore- the moon was normal and so was the sky.

  He would’ve jumped for joy if he could, but he stopped to think.

  ‘If he had a spell like this- one that made escaping so much easier – why didn’t he use it earlier?’

  “No. I should quit worrying. All that matters is that I’m okay. And I’m finally safe from that monster.”

  Suddenly, Jordan heard a voice that inspired dread in his heart.

  Die.

  The sky was red again,and the moon was pitch black. But this time there were no other warnings. He simply gripped his chest, and then fell to the ground. Blood dripped out of his orfices, and he felt something on his hand. His heart..or some other organ. It was violently wrenched out of his chest, leaving him lying face-up in a pool of blood.

  His whole body twitched a bit before going limp.

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  Margaret felt her heart sink when she saw it. An entire arm growing out of the side of his body. It seemed to be reaching outwards, extending about 3 metres away from his torso. Of course this appendage was proportional to the rest of his transformed body.

  Though currently, the gigantic black wolf seemed a bit skinnier than he was a second ago.

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  The new appendage glowed with a soft blue light, especially at the claws.

  “What did you just do?”

  If you cut off my hand, I could easily make more.

  “That’s not a werewolf thing, is it?”

  In response, Lycan simply chuckled.

  No. And I’m not a werewolf anymore. Not entirely.

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  ‘Am I...dead?’

  He saw nothing. He heard nothing. He felt neither cold nor heat, numbness or pain. But at least he still remembered what he had experienced prior to this.

  His heart had been ripped out of his chest.

  ‘Lycan you bastard. I’ll get back at you... eventually...’

  ‘What am I saying? I’m dead. I’m finally fucking dead. There’s nothing I can do, but wait until my soul drifts to the afterlife..’.

  Quiet, still, nothingness. It was familiar, but he couldn’t exactly place when he last experienced it. Speaking of experiences,most of what he’d remembered throughout these two days became a jumble im his head. He could hardly make sense of it all. What happened first, nor what happened last.

  Again, quiet, still, nothingness. How much time had passed? Did time even hold any meaning, here?

  Jordan shook his head. Or was it really Jordan? Who the heck is Jordan?

  Quiet. Still. Nothingness.

  What the fuck did those words mean?

  “Wake up.”

  The entity continued to float within the hypothetical realm of nothingness. Soon, it stopped perceiving itself as an entity... It was far closer to being a part of the nothingness itself...

  “Wake up you asshole!”

  The words spoken in an unintelligible language had no sway over the wave of consciousness semi-integrated with the nothingness.

  “Fuck you!”

  Somehow, that statement seemed to rub it the wrong way. But that was a contradiction. It hardly had an identity, talk less of emotion. So what was it that made it so...so angry.

  Anger was an emotion it must’ve forgotten. No, the idea of emotions was supposed to be gone. But here it was, a part of it once more.

  And just like that, came a flood of information. A ray of knowledge came down upon it, and with knowledge came life.

  Jordan opened his eyes to see Lancaster’s ugly (wrinkled and dry) but smug face.

  He almost instantly realised that he was up in the air, being carried in Lancaster’s arms.

  The pain was almost unbearable, but somehow, he was okay with it.

  ‘Better than being dead.’

  “Finally. I was about to rejoice over your corpse.”

  “What the... You know what, I think I’ll stop cursing for now.”

  Lancaster raised an eyebrow, but when Jordan didn’t say anything, he didn’t bother him.

  The pair were flying through the skies above the forest. They seemed to be heading deeper into the woods. Lancaster moved slowly, apparently due to Jordan’s injuries.

  “What are we doing up here?” Jordan finally asked. He clenched his teeth afterwards. The gaping hole in his chest had a special way it hurt.

  “This is the quickest way to get there.”

  “Out? Weidson is to the west, you could almost see it you squint your eyes. Topis shouldn’t be too far off, if you’re heading in that direction. Rimus isn’t far from here either.” Jordan nearly cried, but he held himself together. Lancaster was carrying him like a baby after all. He’ll rather not disgrace himself any further. Plus, His father was far stronger than he looked. So was his step mom. By some miracle...

  “Why would I want to go to Topis or Rimus. That’s just stupid. I have a place back at Weidson. It’s pretty messed up, but it can work...”

  ‘Weidson?’

  “..You seem to be making a mistake. Did dying screw up your brain of something? We’re not going home yet. We’re going in for revenge, against the wanker that crashed my battle with Valkyrie.” He continued.

  “He did... What?” Jordan wanted to make that sentence longer, but the pain distracted him too much.

  “Hordes of monsters. Athena wasn’t feeling the fight anymore. We had a staring competition for a while, then she decided to scram. Something about saving innocents and something called ‘Bastion'.”

  ‘Is he speaking to me, or to himself?’

  “Lan..” Jordan paused.

  ‘I want to kill this... thing too, but how? I mean, I couldn’t even touch William- he let me shoot him. I don’t even understand how I’m alive... Dying doesn’t feel good.’

  “We’re here.”

  Jordan blinked several times.

  They descended rapidly, heading towards a huge clearing somewhere in the center of the woods.

  As they landed, Lancaster gently dropped him on the ground. His body screamed louder in pain.

  At a corner of the clearing, a massive black wolf turned to look at them. It had two of it’s legs- the forelimbs- cut off, and it was pinning down a young lady with it’s two hindlimbs.

  It’s crimson eyes and the intimidating aura that set it apart from all the monsters in the woods, were all it took for Jordan to realize who it was. Who he was.

  ‘Lycan.’

  Yet another overpowered obstacle. An enemy he couldn’t beat, no matter how hard he tried.

  Jordan could hear footsteps from behind him. Someone was running towards this place. Apparently, Lancaster wasn’t the only person who didn’t value his life.

  “Jordan, It seems your girl made it.” The musician said, pointing at the newcomer. Jordan painfully turned his head to look, and what he saw made him smile, ever so slightly.

  “I’m not anyone’s girl, dickhead.” Veronica remarked, eyeing Lancaster. She looked exhausted, but talked like she was full of strength. Anyone could see the bags under her eyes, and the sweat soaking her clothes, making them stick to her skin.

  “Yes, lady cuntface. That’s Mister Dickhead to you.”

  Would you all just shut up? The vulgar comments are making me sick.

  “It’s my lucky day. Both my enemies have the exact same weakness. I’m talking to you, wolfie.”

  “Since when did ‘wolfie’ become a cuss word?” Jordan voiced out, lost. He regretted it afterwards; the exertion wasn’t good for him.

  Lancaster only grinned as a response.

  Veronica glanced at Jordan. Her eyes lit up, and she clearly had something to say, but she didn’t say anything. Though, she still managed to nod at him with a slight smile, before turning to Lancaster.

  “You’re just as irresponsible and perverse as the day we met.”

  “You’re just as ugly.”

  “You’re acting like a teenager.”

  “You’re not?” Lancaster tilted his head a bit.

  Stop. Betas, deal with them.

  Two giant wolf monsters- that aren’t as big as Lycan- prowled towards them, smiling.

  “Don’t kill them. I beg you.” The young woman lying on the floor said. She was lying with her face upwards, a sword was in her right hand, but the werewolf had both her hands pressed down against the ground.

  Lycan nodded at his two underlings.

  Veronica set her knuckles.

  “Actually, kill the idiot and spare the two of us, alright? And while you’re at it, drop dead so we can give your boss a good spanking.”

  The Wolves growled. The sound was enough to make Jordan tremble.

  Heck, it probably made the ground tremble.

  “Are you ready, pretty boy? It’s about to get ugly.”

  ‘What are they doing?’

  “I thought you’d never ask. About my disfigured look, that is.” Lancaster got into a stance. It was an unfamiliar one to Jordan, but he understood that it was some sort of unarmed fighting technique. A martial art.

  ‘They can’t possibly be... trying to fight? They don’t stand a chance. It’s suicide!’

  “Disfigured? That’s a glow-up. A nice one.” She got in a fighting stance too, and her body seemed to transform slightly, somehow responding to her battle readiness. Her hand and leg muscles bulged out more, veins showing all over her exposed skin.

  The two of them turned away from each other and went on the offensive. Against werewolves more than twice their size.

  Their dauntlessness made Jordan wonder. He wanted to be there. Fighting alongside them.

  He could.

  ‘Demon, you piece of shit!’

  Oh, you can’t be upstaged, is that right?

  ‘What?’

  I mean; you’re usually the one making stupid wreckless decisions, and now other people are doing that too, you’re jealous of them. Don’t worry, Quill. You don’t need to be distraught anymore.

  ‘What are you talking about now?’

  There’s hope. And I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about the sun.

  Jordan heard a crunching sound. He focused on the demon.

  ‘What do you want from me?’

  Victory. Fucking win for once.

  ‘Wow, that’s... supportive. So much for not taking sides, right?’

  Jordan looked at the sky. The sun was rising, slowly.

  ‘Is the sun it’s enemy?'

  It could be. Lycan isn’t a werewolf anymore. He is a different kind of thing. He could be referred to as a nightmare, or a bandersnatch- but those two names don’t completely explain what he is.

  ‘Then what is he?’

  Jordan heard a crash, and a scream. Veronica’s scream.

  He is a shapeshifter. You can make him into a vampire, and kill him with the sunlight -or at least make him hide. His domain is free from the outside world’s control. But in order to shut himself from the sun and save himself, he’ll need to call off his big attack and break the connection between his domain and the outside world.

  ‘But we’re in his domain right now?’

  Yes. You’re in his Home. You’ll have to run out of this area of the woods, before the sun comes up- after you give him vampirism.

  ‘How do I do that?’

  Use your own brain.

  “Damn you!”

  Jordan forced himself up, and started searching through his journal.

  The time was running out.

  Lancaster, on the other hand, was half dead on the ground, bleeding away.

  Veronica’s appendages were bent in funny angles. Though, it wasn’t funny to her...

  The Wolves obeyed the pinned down girl; they didn’t kill them.

  Transformatio magicae

  Transmogrification

  ‘A shapeshifter’s soul essence is malleable, so it becomes even easier to force a change on them. A transformation spell. It’s complex stuff, but, I think I can pull it off. No. I have to do it.’

  The werewolves stared at Jordan.

  “Should I do it?” One growled to the other.

  “No. Let me.” The taller one grinned.

  It jumped at it’s target.

  But this time, Jordan didn’t run. He didn’t shake, and he didn’t flinch.

  Just before the werewolf landed on him, a loud sound was heard. A gunshot.

  The werewolf lost it’s head, and Jordan’s pistol was still smoking.

  The shorter one frowned and tried to rush towards Jordan, but a sword flew across the air and sliced it into two.

  Lancaster stared at the girl pinned on the ground.

  “It took some time to prepare it.” She mumbled, before Lycan slapped her across the face, and she passed out instantly.

  The sword stopped levitating, and somehow turned into a pocket watch before falling on the floor.

  Jordan finished the diagram.

  ‘Good bye, Lycan. I hope I never see you again.’

  How are you still alive? I ripped out your heart and crushed it with my hands.

  “His time has not yet come.” A voice said from the skies. Valkyrie.

  “Bitch, I saved his life, not you.”

  “You and your curse magic will kill him, not save him. I blessed him.”

  ‘Why?’

  Jordan shook his head. He couldn’t understand. He wouldn’t understand no matter how hard he tried.

  Maybe...maybe god chose to favour him? Or maybe that demon’s power reached beyond the book of magic.

  Regardless of it all, He now had a purpose. He had to cast this spell. Here, he was the only one who could.

  And so he did. The magic symbol shone under Lycan’s feet.

  At the same time, the sun rose up, the rays of light fell down on them all.

  Lycan smiled.

  It seems that both the forces of Order and Chaos are against me...

  If fate wills it, who am I to go against it? The day has no need for things like me. My kind has no place here. This...curse you’ve placed on me is Indeed potent, Quill. I shall do the same to you. Power is a fickle mistress, so is luck. Your end shall be a hundred times more terrible than mine.

  Margaret, it appears our time together is over, I’ll have to go now. Let my words echo with you for as many lives you lead. Take care, and remain strong.

  Good morning.

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