Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 02: Fall

Even Blayne felt empowered by her words. The way she spoke and the tone of her voice, she was definitely angelic. Before them, Avacyn crouched and leapt into the sky, her wings beating strongly. She pointed her spear at the sky above and a powerful eruption of light burst from it. It shone forth and burned away the clouds above. Angels began to appear all above them, coalescing from the clouds themselves.

"Come on! Come on! Let's go! We need to guard Thraben, Avacyn has called for it!" Varia called out, holding her saber high. Shining gold light shone from it, lighting the entire courtyard.

"To the streets! Tell the people and take up arms!" Thalia ordered and the soldiers leapt into action. Empowered by the return of their Archangel, they marched out of the courtyard, strong and determined.

"Where is Liliana?" Blayne asked loudly, looking around.

"If we're lucky, she died beneath Avacyn's glory." Thalia spat, turning to them, "I must thank you for coming to our aid so quickly, even if it were in vain. But for now, it does not matter! Avacyn has returned and we must protect the people from the freed demons!"

She sheathed her sword and strode from the courtyard, following the same path as her soldiers.

"What a sight. That was amazing." Robin sighed, staring up at the flights of angels that soared through the skies above, "She makes me look like a raggedy Tinkerbell."

"I still think you're beautiful." Henry said smiling.

"Thanks Henry." She blushed.

'I must admit master, even I feel awed by the sight of her. She is truly a glorious angel.' Shyara said, looking over at them.

"You know Varia, you look weird using holy magic." Blayne said, pointing at her still-glowing sword.

"I used holy magic for a while before I learned Sangromancy." Varia said, "It just always reminded me of home, so until now I never wanted to use again. Trust me, reach out and feel the mana. With Avacyn's restoration, the white mana here will be much more potent."

"Come on, let's get going." Robin said, nodding towards the destroyed door the soldiers had left through.

*******

Robin and Blayne stood on the outer wall of Thraben. Varia was off talking with one of the commanders and Henry was scouting out with Shyara. They had stayed in the city for two days since Avacyn's restoration. They hadn't seen her again, but several angels under her command were assigned to guard Thraben's walls.

During that time they had discovered that if Robin was gone from her body for more than six or seven hours, she would simply fade away and wake-up back on earth. Apparently the mana used to summon her here only lasted a finite amount of time.

"I do wish you could just bring my body along so I didn't have to go home every now and again." Robin sighed, clasping her hands behind her head.

"Well I feel better knowing that you're not really in any danger. You know that. So how are things back home anyway?" Blayne asked.

"Things are getting weird Blayne. There's this outbreak of some weird kind of disease over in Queens. They've got a huge quarantine. Apparently its some kind of airborne and its flesh-eating." Robin said, looking at him.

"Need me to come back there?" He said, a twinge of worry touching him.

"I don't think so, it doesn't sound magical or anything." She shrugged.

"Alright, well I'll see you again sometime tomorrow." Blayne said, putting his arms around her. She hugged him back and then disappeared, her spirit returning to her body.

There was a flurry of feathers above him and someone landed behind him.

"You talk very casually with that angel. Who is she? For she is not one of mine." Avacyn asked Blayne.

"Huh?" He turned around and looked at her, "Oh, she's my sister."

"You're kin to an angel?" Avacyn said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, she's only an angel when I summon her. Otherwise she's a human like me." Blayne said, a bit surprised to see Avacyn here, "So where have you been? We've been guarding the walls of Thraben for almost three days now and nothing has happened."

"You talk to me with quite the impertinent tone. Do you not wish for Thraben to survive the darkness that was released from the Helvault?" Avacyn said, looking closer at him, "If it were not for your connection to one of my blessed, I would believe you a spy for the Vampires."

"Blessed?" Blayne was confused.

"Varia, the one you were at the Helvault with. She is one of my chosen blessed. I trust her judgement in keeping you near." Avacyn explained simply as she turned to stare out over the fields of Thraben.

"Well I didn't know she was blessed by an Archangel. You'll forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe." He said, crossing his arms. "I love Varia with all my heart, but she doesn't strike me as one an angel would take an interest in. I've seen her melt the flesh from a man's bones and bathe herself in his blood."

"Many on Innistrad find it necessary to practice darker magics. If one is to fight the darkness, you can't be afraid of stepping into it." Avacyn said with a solemn tone.

"Look, Avacyn, here's the truth. I'm a Planeswalker and I don't even know how long I'll still be on this world. I'll be honest with you. I'm here because it's doing Varia a lot of good. She's been happier than she... well hell, she's happier these last two days than I think I've ever seen her." Blayne said flatly, tired of all the formalities, "But if you've got nothing better for us to do than stand guard, I don't really see a reason for us to stay."

"Interesting, so you are the same as my creator, Sorin Markov." Avacyn said, looking at him.

"Sorin? Varia said he was the one who taught her Sangromancy before she became a Planeswalker." Blayne said, scratching his head, "Now that is interesting."

"Perhaps your kind can sense one another. Maybe he took an interest in her because he knew she would become a Planeswalker. Whatever the case, I understand and I thank you for your part in this. You can be rest assured that my protection will not leave the people of Innistrad again." The Archangel said with a nod.

"Look, that's not my problem. My position here is husband to a woman who had her life torn apart by your disappearance. I don't even want to think about what else happened on Innistrad that night, but it sent her spiraling into a darkness that I didn't understand until she returned here. Her fiancé was killed that night, and she ended up on a distant world in my house with a grievous wound, because she lost your protection." Blayne said, staring into Avacyn's cold, pearl eyes, "If she hadn't appeared to me, I don't know what would've happened to her. Without her I likely wouldn't have been able to save my own world from destruction a few months later."

"So are you telling me this to make me feel guilty or to thank me?" Avacyn said, a look of confusion on her face.

"Honestly, I don't know what I want you to feel. I just want you to know the consequences here. I get it, you're a powerful angel and you're the protector of probably every human in this world. I know you can't be expected to be concerned about the happiness and wellbeing of a single Valiant. You probably had a very good reason for leaving, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. I'm quickly growing tired of this world and I just want to go home for a little while." Blayne said, happy just to get all that off his chest.

"I understand. You want me to apologize to Varia and absolve her of the deaths that weigh on her consciousness. That way you two will be free to leave this world, happy and without regret." Avacyn spoke the truth that was festering in his heart.

"I... I couldn't put it any better..." Blayne said, scratching his head. He was thoroughly shocked by the Archangel's insight and caring.

"Blayne I just... Avacyn!" Varia exclaimed in surprise as she walked up behind him from the guard house.

"Hello Varia." Avacyn nodded to her.

"What're you doing here?" Varia said, her eyes wide.

"I came because I felt I was needed here. I see now that it was you I needed to come to. Varia, I'm sorry for what happened a year ago. I apologize that your loved one died because of my carelessness." Avacyn said with such an earnest sorrow that Blayne almost felt bad for bringing it up, "And I want you to know that you're not to blame for anything that happened that night."

"I..." Varia was speechless and totally overwhelmed. She could only stare in shock at the angel before her.

Avacyn gave a gentle smile. "Let your heart be at peace, my blessed Valiant." She spread her wings and took to the sky, flying off towards the Cathedral.

"Varia?" Blayne said as he turned to her.

Varia's mouth was hanging open and tears welled in her eyes. She fell against Blayne's chest and hugged him to keep herself up. Tears fell from her eyes, but she didn't make any sound. She just stood there, holding Blayne as all the ghosts of her past seemed to fade away. It seemed as they had never existed and her heart was as light as air. Blayne put an arm around her and they stood there together, on the wall of Thraben, watching the sun slowly rise on a new day.

*******

CHAPTER 12 - ROBIN'S DAY

Robin yawned and stretched. It was always strange how well rested she felt after coming back from other worlds. She had been coming out of the bathroom when her brother had summoned her last and she quickly rushed into her bedroom and laid down on her bed. The sensation that came with that summons gave her a few seconds warning before her body fell limp and her vision faded. It was her only gripe about getting dragged out of this world to go with her brother. Other times she had woken up on the couch, on the floor and even in a kitchen chair: wherever she had gotten to in time.

She sat up and pulled her arms above head. Instinctively she tried to ruffle her wings, but in this body those muscles didn't exist. Robin frowned: she had spent so much time with her brother that she was becoming more used to being an angel than a human. There were times where she wished it was permanent, just so she could soar above the crowds and traffic of New York.

The clock read noon and she headed out into the living room. It was a sunny day out and the apartment was brightly lit. She turned on the television and the newscaster began speaking.

"We continue into the fourth hour of the evacuation and decontamination of the quarantine zone. The CDC has announced their official plan for the burning of the four square mile quarantine area in Queens. Once all healthy people are evacuated and all infected are taken to safety facilities, the area will be bathed aerially in chemicals and set ablaze under the careful eye of the New York fire department." She spoke and Robin sighed.

Robin had been following this story since it was first announced a few days ago. The disease that had spread through that area had been horrible. It corrupted and rotted people from the inside out. Their flesh melted and they collapsed in agonizing death. The disease itself seemed to consume the bodies and use them to spread the plague. It grew over the ground and on any surface, spreading sickening black goo on everything. Robin would be happy to see that problem cleaned up. It didn't seem magical in nature, but at the same time she didn't know what to look for.

As the newscaster talked, Robin put a pot of noodles on the stove and turned on the gas. A small spark of flame lit on her finger and she touched it to the burner, making it light. It was little things like this that made her giggle and smile. She could do magic in tiny bits like this and she immensely enjoyed doing magic in tiny bits like this. She could heal little cuts when they happened, stir a cup of coffee without a spoon and light a candle with a thought. To someone like Blayne, it would be minor parlor tricks at best, but to Robin it was magic. Real, actual magic.

She boiled the noodles and stirred them with a twiddle of her finger while watching the television.

"Top scientists around the world have come to the agreement that this plague was bio engineered. After close examination of it, it was discovered that the source of the sickness is actually a microscopic nano-machine. Scientists are baffled as to how such a thing was engineered because its beyond any technology currently known." The newscaster announced.

"Oh great, a machined plague. Fun." Robin groaned.

She changed the channel and sighed, wondering just how a plague came about. It was a scary thing and people were uneasy. The only thing that kept her from fearing it was she knew her brother would always be there for her. If anything happened, she knew he would come and protect her.

*******

Standing on the edge of a subway platform, she looked around nervously. Things were quiet and barren, a very, very strange thing for New York. Even in the earliest hours of the morning, there was always someone at the subway waiting to get on. Considering it was a little after five, this was getting bizarre.

She stood in an empty station, waiting quietly for the next train to come through. In her pocket was a gold coin that she was taking to sell at a local jewelry store. Gold was more than twelve hundred dollars an ounce and these sold coins were four ounces at least. The last one she sold got her a flat five grand. So far she had only sold three coins of the estimated five-dozen sat in the bag under her bed. Ten grand had paid off all her college debt and another four grand bought her a new wardrobe, new furniture, a new television and a rather nice computer, all for her new apartment that the three of them had just moved into a few weeks ago. She was down under a thousand dollars in her bank account and so she opted to go sell a coin today.

The train rolled into the station and she got on. It too was empty, except for a homeless man dozing on one of the benches. Robin sat down on the opposite side of the train and adjusted the short dagger that she had sheathed in the back of her belt. Another present Blayne had brought from another world, it was a beautifully crafted knife with a leather wrapped handle and a few small symbols set in silver on the hilt. It was probably eight inches in length and she carried it because New York was often a dangerous place, especially when you had to carry a few ounces of gold or the money from selling it. After spending so much time as an angel on Innistrad, she had begun retaining some of her swordsmanship and other fighting skills from that body. She couldn't do everything here that she could there, but she still knew how to use a blade, parry a blow and disarm an opponent.

"Not exactly busy today, huh?" The hobo said, his eyes looking up at her.

"Wha?! Oh, sorry, I thought you were asleep. Yea, it's kind of weird." Robin said, scratching her head.

"You're the first person I've seen in three hours. People are all scared of that plague out there." The man said, sitting up. He pulled on his ragged coat and coughed slightly.

"Well the government seems to have it under control and I've got errands to run." Robin sighed as the train rattled onward.

"Yea, let's hope you're right." The homeless man said, coughing slightly.

*******

Robin walked down the street an hour later with her money in her pocket. She knew it was getting dark and she needed to get home. New York was not a real nice place to a girl alone after dark. She quickened here stride and turned the corner, now only a few blocks from her apartment.

As if summoned by her nervous thoughts, a man jumped on her from behind and wrapped an arm around her neck. She felt a hand grope her breast and a liquor-laden breath wafted from behind her.

"Hey there cutie! I'm going to really have fun with you." The man growled, feeling up her body.

Her mind flared with rage and her body sprang into action, driven forth by her angelic skills. She drove her heel into the man's shin and ducked out of his grip. In a flash, she ripped here dirk from it's sheathe and turned on him, pointing the dirk at his face.

"Oh! She has some fight in here." The man said, pulling a little knife from his own pocket.

"You don't want to try and fight me. I will flay you alive!" Robin said, holding her dagger with a steady hand.

"Please little girl, that knife looks so fake. Its probably a fancy plastic toy!" He laughed in her face and stepped forward.

With a quick thought, she reached for her magic. She didn't know how, but she knew clearly what she wanted to do. However, with a flick of her wrist, she managed to pluck the knife from his hand. landed on the ground and she took advantage of his surprise to lunge forward. He tried to crouch down to retrieve his weapon, but she met him mid step and pushed the tip of her dagger to his chin.

"Up!" She commanded and he nervously stood up, her dagger digging painfully into his chin.

"Hey... Come on now... You know I wasn't really gonna do nothing to ya. I just needed to scare you to get your money. Please... Just let me go!" The man said, holding up his hands.

"You're lying through your teeth." Robin said coldly, "And you could not have picked a worse target."

Snapping her fingers, she made a small bit of flame appear on them. The man's eyes widened as he saw how the fire burned on her finger tips. She brought it closer to his face and some of his ragged bangs started to sizzle.

"What the hell!?" He jerked back from her, stumbling over his own feet as he did.

"Turn around and run." Robin said, pointing with her dagger.

"What?" He said in surprise.

"Run you idiot!" Robin yelled and the man jerked around in surprise. He started to sprint in the opposite direction, not even daring to look back.

Chuckling softly, Robin sheathed her dagger and continued to walk down the empty street. She got home without any other incidents, quite proud of herself for having stayed so cool around that mugger.

"Just wait until Blayne hears about this." Robin snickered, locking the door tightly behind her. She unhooked her dagger and looked at it. Since she had joined Blayne on his adventures she had already fought dragons, hydras, undead and other horrors of the night. A plain old mugger with a knife was barely more than decaf in terms of excitement but it was still satisfying to kick some ass.

From there she wandered around her apartment restlessly while listening to the television. It was getting close to the time when Blayne would usually summon her and she was eager to share her little exploits with him. The more she thought about it, the giddier she got. She sat down on the couch and started to toy around with her magic. Fire danced between her fingers and she made a coin spin and dance above her hand. She loved playing around with the little cantrips like this, but the more she did it, the more she realized that she wanted desperately to be able to do magic like Blayne. Without a Planeswalker spark, she knew she would never be as powerful as he could be, but she still wanted to do more than just parlor tricks.

Walking to her bedroom, she scrambled under her bed and pulled out the leather pack that held all of Blayne's gifts from other worlds. She pulled it open and dug to the bottom to find the ruby he had brought from Pandaria. It weighed in her hands as she sat back on the bed and pulled apart the velvet wrappings. The beauty of the gem never stopped astounding her and she sat, transfixed by it for some time.

She began to focus her mana as Blayne had taught her. Suddenly she found her body surging with red mana, pouring forth from the ruby in her hands. It flowed through her, body filling her body and making her eyes glow brightly. The power was intoxicating and wonderful, making her body bristle with energy. She jumped to her feet, clasping the ruby tightly in one hand as red mana started to ripple from her.