Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 02: Fall

"Hey Robin. How's it going? Sleep well?" Blayne snickered.

"You know how strange it is to feel myself being pulled from my body while I'm awake? I completely forgot that your magic left my body behind. I barely managed to sit down on the couch before I was dragged here. I wish you could tell me first." Robin turned on him, a bright anger glowing in her eyes.

"You told me, the moment I got here. So I did." Blayne shrugged, nudging her playfully.

"Yea, yea. God I want to go fly!" Robin said, staring up at another of the giant birds, "They're so huge! I'll be back brother!"

She leapt into the air and flapped her wings, climbing upward. A surge of wind off the ocean rushed up under her and she was carried high into the air, laughing loudly. Blayne watched her soar away into the skies above.

"Hello? Who's out there?" A man called from a doorway in the base of one of the spires.

"I am Blayne! This is Varia. We just happened across your... well... your island here and thought we would stop. What is this place called?" Blayne asked.

"You have reached the Celestine Reefs! This is the home of the greatest mages on Luvion. How did you come by this place?" The man asked, walking towards them. He wore coal black pants and an emerald green outfit that contrasted sharply with his pale skin. He was definitely an older man, but how old was impossible to say. His hair was grey and he had a beard that could almost be tucked into his belt.

"My mount brought us here. I dismissed her already, I was unsure if she would get into a conflict with one of the native avian." Blayne explained, pointing up, "May we come in? It is a little loud out here!"

Another wave crashed upon the side of the rock, splashing almost up to where they stood.

"Yes, of course. Come inside. Have you come for education or just exploration? What is your purpose here in the Celestine Spires?" He asked, waving them inside.

"Exploration! We are discovering new lands! May I ask your name?" Blayne asked.

"I am Genir, Grandmaster Magus of this place." He said, closing the door behind them.

The inside was gently lit with magical floating orbs. As he looked around, he realized there weren't any other floors to this place; the room simply rose twenty feet above them. At the peak, there was a bright opening that let in some sunlight from beneath it's brass cap.

"It is an impressive place to be sure. What do you study here?" Blayne asked as he looked around the large room. Alchemical equipment and magical apparatuses covered dozens of tables around them and large shelves full of books stood around the walls. There were a number of bunk beds and a kitchen area. Apparently this man had lived here for some time.

"The great magics. The most powerful arcana. The mysteries of the universe." Genir explained, smoothing his long, grey beard.

"Oh do I know some of those." Blayne snickered, looking closer at one interesting whirring instrument.

"What was that?" Genir turned to him.

"Oh nothing. Just wondering how long you've been here." Blayne asked in a clearer voice.

"Twenty three years. I have discovered some of the most amazing spells and magic here. What have you seen in your travels? From where do you hail?" Genir asked him.

"Oh... From far away. You probably wouldn't know it." Blayne sighed, standing upright.

"What about your companion. You carry different auras, you're not from the same place as him. You haven't said much my young lady, what is your purpose here?" Genir addressed Varia directly.

"I am with Blayne. We travel together. That's it." Varia said simply, her hand resting on her sword hilt.

"Well I know every country in this world and I know most of the lands. Where are you from? I doubt very much I will not have heard of it." Genir said, stepping towards them.

"It's pretty hard to explain." Blayne scratched his head.

"Are you from an alternate realm or something?" Genir asked.

"Something like that." He nodded.

"What do you mean something? If you're traveling through dimensions and through realities, you need to be knowledgeable and careful." Genir berated him.

Outside, Robin soared through the sky, diving and swirling about, reveling in the joy of being airborne. It had been months since the incident with Nicol Bolas and that was the last time she had been transformed into an angel. She had really forgotten how much fun this was.

"Wahoo~!" Robin cried out, twirling over and falling towards the ocean. She skimmed along the surface of the frothing waters, touching the tip of her foot to the surface. She curled her wings and arced up into the sky again, rising up on a powerful current of wind. As she flew up in the sky, there was a blinding flash of light. She jerked back, momentarily stunned by the shock wave that erupted from it.

"Ohhh noooo~!" A strong, deep voice yelled from above her. Suddenly a man emblazoned with white magic came racing by her, almost knocking her out of the sky. He plummeted into the ocean below with a great splash.

"What the heck?!" She exclaimed in surprise, looking down quickly. She slowly descended and neared the frothing waves. Her sharp eyes found a rather handsome man kicking his way to the surface and she called out to him, "Hello! Are you alright?"

The man broke the surface with a gasp. Robin noticed that he had brown hair a short cut beard. He turned at the sound of her voice and his mouth fell open in surprise. Robin repeated herself, "Are you alright?"

"Uhhh... I think I am." The stranger said as he tried to regain is composure, "Hey, where am I? This doesn't look like anywhere I know of."

"I'm not sure. I never got told where this was, I just kinda flew off." Robin said, twiddling with a bit of her long hair in embarrassment.

"Okay, so that sucks. Hang on a second." He said.

The stranger began pulling in mana from the sea around him. Slowly he rose up dripping wet from the water until he was floating in the air in front of Robin. She was surprised that to see that he was actually a few inches taller than she was. Now she could also make out his bright green eyes. He was wearing something that resembled a slick, styled bomber jacket. It was a steel grey with pointed shoulders and a tight chest. He was wearing black leather shoes and some heavy, dark colored military pants. Her sharp eyes caught him slipping something into his pocket. With a clap of his hands, he pulled the water from his clothing and let it fall away.

"That's much better. Now allow me to introduce myself. My name is Henry. Who are you?"

"Nice trick. My name is Robin." She said flying around him and taking in his entire appearance, "So what's that in your pocket?"

"This? Just a trinket. Nothing of importance." Henry said, nonchalantly showing her a rather large pearl on a golden chain.

"Oh. So Henry, what're you doing here?" Robin asked politely as she circled him, "How did you almost crash into me?"

"I'm not really sure. Where on Imriel are we?" Henry said as he looked down at the reefs in the water below them, "Are you a construct? Something about you seems off."

Robin flew around in front of him again. "What's a construct?"

"It's a fake creature, maybe a crafted body with a spirit inhabiting it. Creating illusion and summoning happens to be one of my specialties." Henry said proudly.

"That sounds like what my brother did. He summoned me here and I just kind of got this body. I think it's a lot of fun." Robin giggled.

"Your brother? Who's he? Where would he be?" Henry asked curiously.

Robin opened her mouth to answer, then stopped herself "Well I don't know if I should take you to him or not. I don't really know much about you."

"I understand." Said Henry "You're just being cautious. But I promise no harm will come to your brother."

"Well okay, but if you try anything, I'll run you through." Robin threatened him, "Come on, I'll lead you there."

"Actually" Henry said "I'm not much good at flying, but I have a way we could get there even faster."

"Really?" Robin asked, instantly curious.

"I can sense a person's location by tracing the aura of their construct. Back where I come from it's an advanced technique taught to only a select few. If we maintain physical contact I should be able to teleport both of us straight to him." He held out his other hand to her

"Why bother with all that? He's only just down there in that spire. It's like a hundred yards away. Come on." Robin said, swooping away.

"I really should get better at this." Henry sighed, focusing his magic on carrying himself down towards the rock. It took him longer than Robin, as she just flew down and landed lightly in front of the door.

"Just in here. I saw him and Varia follow this old guy in here." Robin said, pushing the door open, "Hey Blayne! Blayne, I found this guy outside. He almost ran into me when I was flying!"

Blayne, Varia and Genir all turned and looked at them, their conversation quite interrupted.

"Hello there. I was just talking with Robin. Where in Imriel are we?" Henry asked, his hand in his pocket again.

"Imriel? Where's that?" Genir asked.

"It's what the world is called. How can you not know that?" Henry asked, cocking his head.

"No, it's called Luvion. You're from another world, aren't you?" Genir asked, stepping around a table to get a closer look at him, "Are you from another world? I've heard stories and rumors of people like you. There's a book around here somewhere... One of the old grandmaguses that stayed here a century ago wrote it."

He began to frantically search every shelf he could, looking at each book intently before stuffing it back in the shelf.

Blayne walked over to Henry and looked him over. He didn't look like he was from a primitive world like Varia and he was certainly handling his first Planeswalk better than he or his wife had. He stood with a strong air about him, a confidence in his magic. Blayne could feel it too. He was strong indeed, definitely a Planeswalker.

"Blayne Abasset. This is my wife Varia. You've already met my sister Robin." Blayne said, holding his hand out. Henry shook it with a strong hand.

"Henry. So how am I in a different world?" Henry asked.

"Because..." Blayne started when Genir yelled in triumph.

"I found it! I found it! Here it is! It's old, very old. Come here and look!" Genir yelled, dropping a very large tome on the table. He pulled it open and found a specific page, "Ha! There it is! The legend of the Planeswalkers!"

He pointed at a picture some very artful text. The picture was a beautiful painting of a man with a strikingly bright white hair and pale grey skin. He had vibrant orange eyes and definitely looked like a man Blayne didn't want to get in a fight with. Beneath it in very artful strokes was written: "Planeswalkers, The Legend."

"What?" Varia asked, looking down at the book, "Sorin! What the hell? What is Sorin doing in here?!"

"You know this man?" Genir asked in disbelief, putting his finger on the picture of Sorin.

"Yes, he's the man who taught me my Sangromancy." Varia said, "I can't believe he's been here."

"Well this book is a century or more old. If he had been here, he's long gone and probably dead." Genir said, "So Planeswalkers really exist then? You are all Planeswalkers!"

"Well, I'm not. My brother summoned me here from our world." Robin said, pointing at Blayne.

"No, No. Sorin isn't dead. He's almost six millenia old, he's a vampire. He'll never die of old age." Varia said, starting to read the book intently, "This tells of how he just showed up here one day. He explored the spires, learned of this world and then one day he was just gone. This picture was painted with magic from the man's memories."

"So what is a Planeswalker?" Henry asked.

"Exactly what you've heard. A mage that can travel between the worlds through the AEthers." Blayne said, "I'm sorry we weren't truthful with you Genir."

"No! No, I understand completely! With powers like yours, I would be just as careful." Genir waved his hands in front of him, "But I want to know, what is it like? To be able to just walk from one world to another?"

"I've been asked that so many times." Blayne chuckled, "It's amazing. The worlds I've seen, the places I've been."

"Not for the weak though. It's very dangerous." Varia said, closing the book.

"So you didn't come here on a mount then. You just showed up like it said." Genir laughed, grabbing the book.

"Well I do have a mount, Shyara. She was just a convenient reason." Blayne shrugged, his pack jingling about.

"I've got to go tell the others about this." Genir said, starting for the door.

"No!" Blayne exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder, "You mustn't tell anyone. I'm sorry, but one time a mage learned I was a Planeswalker, he tried to suck out my soul."

"I didn't let it happen. I killed him." Varia smirked darkly.

"Fine, fine. I understand. But once you're gone, I will tell them. This isn't something that I can keep to myself." Genir sighed.

"Alright, that works." Blayne let go of Genir.

"So how do I get back home? We were in the middle of a pretty big battle and I need to know how it turned out." Henry said, crossing his arms impatiently.

"You just need to Planeswalk again. Do you remember what it felt like when you first came here?" Blayne asked.

"Not really. Before I showed up here, I was battling an army. I struck down their airship and there was a huge explosion of white mana. That's when..." Henry seemed to fiddle with something in his pocket, "When I showed up here. I don't rightly remember anything."

"That will make this a bit more difficult." Blayne sighed, scratching his head.

"Please, can I watch! I want to be privy to this. This will be something that I may never experience again in my lifetime." Genir said eagerly, taking another step forward.

"I thought we might stay here a bit longer, but I guess we can go." Blayne shrugged, "We'll just need..."

He stopped when the entire tower shook. They looked around at once another in surprise.

"Outside!" Robin called, rushing out the door. Blayne and the others followed her as the entire place shook again.

"What the hell is that?!" Henry yelled loudly as they saw quite the sight.

A great, thrashing hydra was rising out of the ocean near them. It's five heads rose high above them, easily a hundred feet tall. Bigger than even Nicol Bolas, the huge beast roared deafeningly and his feet stamped about, causing giant waves to crash into the rocks below them. It's many heads noticed the diminutive people below and they all looked down at them.

"Fuck me." Varia cursed.

*******

CHAPTER 3 - TO SLAY A MONSTER

The hydra snapped a head downwards with the intent of eating one of them.

"Whoa!!" Blayne leapt back.

"Its the hydra of the deep! Its awakened from its slumber! We're doomed!" Genir called as he stood far behind them, "Flee! Flee for your lives!"

In a blinding flash of colorful light, Genir disappeared, teleporting away.

"Coward!" Varia screamed at the scorched rock where he had been standing.

"Yaaaahh!" Blayne yelled, throwing his hands forward. A bolt of red lightning crackled forth and struck the hydra, driving its head back from them, "What a rush! I'm almost excited to risk my life!"

He dropped his pack and leapt off the side of the cliff, filling his hands with white magic.

"Blayne!" Robin yelled, running to the edge of the cliff.

Just then Shyara came racing straight down with her wings held tightly to her sides. Ten feet from the water, she shot underneath him and they curved away.

'You know Master, one of these times I won't be able to catch you.' Shyara huffed as she carried him upward.

"Yes, but I trust you. Now would you like to slay a hydra?" Blayne laughed, staring at the many-headed reptile in front of them.

"Does that guy have something against just climbing on from flat ground?" Henry asked Varia.

"He's a bit of a crazy bastard, but I love him. Now are you gonna help us fight?" Varia asked.

"Well I don't know anything else about this world and I have no idea how to get home yet, so guess. I've got nothing better to do." Henry nodded.

Above them, Blayne's hands filled with rolling fire and he hurled crackling balls of fire at the hydra. It roared in anger and snapped upward at him. Shyara was far too agile for the monster and she easily escaped it's attacks.

"Good." Varia nodded, summoning forth her dark magics. Her eyes glowed purple as she turned her attention to the hydra. It was far too large for her Sangromancy to take control of, but she had plenty of other magics, hopefully something would work against this monster.

"Stand aside." Henry said, stretching his arms upward.

"What?" Varia snapped at him.

"Step aside. I don't want you to get hurt." Henry said, holding up one arm. A bright light appeared in his palm and white mana surged forth. It formed into a large spear, more than five feet long. With a loud yell, he hurled it forward. The spear grew in size as it left his hand, becoming more than twenty feet long by the time it struck the hydra.

The spear pierced through one of its necks and the hydra roared in anger. It thrashed about, very nearly knocking Blayne and Shyara from the sky.

"I'm going to go help him!" Robin called, talking off in a flurry of feathers.

Blayne yelled loudly as he loosed more magic. The hydra had a tough hide and the head that had gotten speared was barely phased by the wound. It was bleeding, yes, but it didn't seem to notice it's wound.

"Shyara, climb!" Blayne instructed, getting a rather mad idea. She obeyed and flew higher, racing upward in a steep ascension, "You better be ready to catch me!"

'I will!' Shyara said, knowing it best not to argue.

Robin raced upward, trying to follow them, but she didn't reach him before he jumped. His fist was glowing brightly with red mana and he began to craft a spell. Blayne had gotten the idea from seeing Henry's spear of light earlier. The mana exploded from his hands, forming into a gigantic sword of fire above him. Yelling wildly, he somersaulted in the air and brought the sword down on the hydra. They all watched as the sword slashed through two of the hydra's heads. Robin had to throw herself aside to dodge the backslash on the great fiery weapon.

The heads fell into the ocean with a great splash and the ground shook. The hydra's remaining heads roared in anger and it thrashed about wildly. The heads on the ground immediately began to rot and dissolve.

"Shyara!" Blayne called as he plummeted. He didn't want to have to use magic to catch himself, he was already feeling a little strained from the last spell. However, she caught him a second later and she raced away from the rampaging hydra.

Just then, there was a great rending of flesh and the stumps exploded in a shower of blood. From each one emerged two fresh and angry heads, adding to the total number. Seven angry hydra heads roared at them and it's great body stomped towards them.

"Oh god damn it!" Blayne yelled in frustration as Shyara carried him back down to the spire.

"We can't kill it by decapitation. We'll just have to beat it into submission! Weaken it until we can stab it through the heart!" Henry suggested.

"I've got nothing better, go for it!" Blayne called.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but that thing is a hundred feet tall." Varia exclaimed, pointing at it.

"I can deal with that." Henry said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the pearl and held it tightly in his hand. A blinding white light shone from the pearl, emitting great amounts of white mana. He took a running jump and leapt off the cliff, releasing a very powerful spell.

The air around him surged upward and bright white light swirling all about him. All at once, it coalesced into a fifty foot golden man wrapped in shining, crystalline armor. Inside it's chest, just barely visible, Henry controlled the Sun titan. It stepped forward and swung its fist at the hydra, landing a powerful impact on one of its heads.