Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 02: Fall

The flesh that they left behind seemed to continue growing. There were many of those black spots spread over walls and vehicles.

"Varia, you have to get out here and look at this!" Blayne yelled loudly. She came rushing out next to him and looked around.

"What the hell?! This place looks like fucking death!" Varia exclaimed, looking out over the carnage before them.

"I..." Blayne sniffed the air, "Oh fuck, this is that plague Robin was talking about! Stand still!"

He charged up a spell and loosed it around them, burning the air as it grew. The fire spread out from them and created a large barrier. It swirled and crackled dangerously as it burned away the plague spores that touched it.

"What the fuck Blayne! Warn me first!" Varia exclaimed, very shocked by the fire appearing so close all around her.

"I didn't want to waste any time. Whatever this thing is, it's been killing people. See these spores floating through the air? I can't imagine they're good." Blayne said, pointing at the black spots in the air around them, "Now come on! We've got to find Robin!"

"Where do you think she would be?" Varia asked curiously as they walked back inside.

"Anywhere but here. Look around, she cleaned this place of everything she thought important." Blayne explained, "She clearly left this place in a hurry. Wait! Hang on, a note!"

He ran over to the door and ripped the paper off the hook.

"Jersey? Where the fuck is Jersey?" Varia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's west of here. Come on, she must've headed for The Holland Tunnel." Blayne said, clenching the paper in his hand.

*******

Blayne and Varia walked side by side, heading down the street towards the Jersey tunnel. They had killed a number of abominations that had crossed their path, but for the most part it had been very uneventful. The creatures they killed had once been human, but the look of them was far more horrifying now. Jagged metal covered in rotting flesh protruded from their bodies and nothing except destroying their brains stopped them. Blyne found that lightning worked exceptionally well because the strange organic metal that was growing inside them conducted it striaght into their brains. Varia on the other hand had started to use her holy magic more alongside her sangromancy and a shot straight to the face tended to finish them off.

They had just leapt over the Hudson with Blayne's magic, landing just on the other side of the tunnel. Around them was an abandoned military blockade. There was a pair of cop cars, a damaged military truck and a large blockage at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Look at the corpses, they've been burning them. Trying to contain the plague?" Varia said, pointing at a pile of burnt bodies.

"Yea, look at them. Look at what it's doing to them." Blayne said, looking closer at the skeletons. Their bones were deformed and there was ashen metal sticking out from them. Somehow this plague seems to be making flesh turn to metal and grow outward in horrifying distortions of life.

"Not even on Innistrad have I seen..." Varia breathed as she saw how disgusting they looked.

"We have to find Robin. Varia, I'm sorry, but this is going to take too long if we're together. Jace showed me a trick a long while back on how to find people and I'm going to be traveling fast." Blayne said, cupping her face.

"I understand Blayne." Varia leaned close to him, "Stay safe... Or I'll have to take your soul."

I'm going to leave you Shyara and I'll go. When I find her, I'll be sure to let you know." Blayne said, standing up, "I'll throw some fireworks in the air or something."

"I'll be watching the skies like a hawk." Varia said as she and Blayne embraced each other. "Stay safe... Or I'll have to take your soul."

She kissed him and he smiled at her, putting an arm around her waist. He raised his other hand and white mana flared around it. He threw it to the side of them and there was a bright swirl of light. Just as Shyara was appearing, Blayne let go of Varia and jumped into the air. With a flashy crackle of lightning, he launched into the distance, disappearing from view.

'Was that master?' Shyara asked, seeing just the tail end of the crimson lightning.

"Yes, we're back on Earth. A terrible plague is ravaging his home and he just went to find Robin." Varia said, putting a hand on Shyara's saddle, "I think we can just hunt down some of these creatures in the mean time. Kill what we can to help Blayne, huh?"

'Sounds good Varia.' Shyara nodded.

On the far side of Jersey City, Robin ran down the street with a family of three following her. Behind them a dozen horrifying creatures chased with mad bloodlust. They looked like a pack of feral dogs, but entirely more terrifying with their exposed ribs, sickening burnt flesh and metallic protrusions.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" The daughter of the young couple cried as they ran. She was maybe ten and scared out of her mind. Her parents weren't much better, but Robin had managed to get them to come with her after she had saved them from a pair of human abominations.

"Keep running! I know you're scared, but keep running!" Robin cried as she looked around frantically. The dogs weren't as fast as live ones: their limbs were uncoordinated and they hobbled along awkwardly in pursuit. But that didn't mean they were any less deadly.

"We can't do this forever!" The wife wheezed, struggling to continue running. She was maybe mid-thirties and rather attractive, but she wasn't that fit. By now panic adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going.

"Down there! The alley next to the apartment building! We climb a ladder and they can't follow us!" Robin called back.

"Alright!" The husband said as he scooped up his struggling daughter. The four of them hurried down the alley as the dogs scrambled madly to turn the corner.

"Go! Up! Up!" Robin yelled, yanking down the fire escape ladder. The wife went first, quickly followed by the daughter and then the husband.

Robin yanked her dagger from her belt and kicked the nearest dog. It yelped loudly and fell over as it's jaw flew away. The other three continued advancing, albeit more cautiously. This showed at least some intelligence and instinct, if only a little.

Once the ladder was empty, she kicked the next dog and jumped for it. They lunged after her as she rushed up the rungs. The rabid dogs barked and snarled, circling beneath her as she climbed. The four of them mounted the stairs all the way to the roof of the eight-story apartment building. Up there, they all flopped down and took a breather.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." The husband panted, hugging his wife and daughter to him while they rested.

"I couldn't just leave you. You have no idea what those things could do to you." Robin sighed, leaning back against the low wall around the edge. Her short hair was sweaty and matted, having spent the entire day in fear of something or another.

"I can't believe something like this is happening. I don't even understand any of it." The wife moaned weakly, holding her forehead while she rested.

"Are we going to die mommy? I'm scared..." The daughter mumbled fearfully.

"Oh honey, I'll never let that happen." The husband said, wrapping his arms tightly around her, "You're going to be just fine dear."

Robin smiled and sheathed her dagger. Seeing a family like this made her think of Henry, and the family she hoped to have with him one day. Unlike Varia and Blayne, who seemed to adore exploring the grandeur and the thrill of the Multiverse, she had become more and more complacent to just spend her time with Henry. For a while she had been very into the excitement and fun with them, but now what she wanted more than anything was a quiet normal life together with him.

She thought about him so long that she had never noticed the door to the roof creak open. What brought her about was the wife screaming in terror.

"What?" Robin exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Across the roof from them, a dozen or more plague-infested humans were shuffling out of the door towards them.

"We have to run!" The husband said loudly, standing up with his daughter in his arms. He looked down the fire escape and groaned. More than just the dogs had gathered below, trapping them on the roof.

"Shit. Alright, stay behind me and don't be scared." Robin said, taking off her pack. She stepped in front of the family and set it on the ground. Sitting right on top of what she still had packed in there was the Ruby Mox. She pulled it out in her left hand and unsheathed her dagger in her right.

"What are you going to do?" The husband asked.

Robin had asked herself that question too. This wasn't something she had done outside of her angel form yet and it was going to be interesting to see if it would work.

"Something you guys really don't want to be in the way of. Or distract me from, Okay?" Robin glanced back over her shoulder.

Drawing in power from the Mox, she felt the fiery mana gathering in her body. It started to bristle in the air around her and she let it gather in her dagger hand. She stepped forward and slashed the dagger five feet from the lead creature. A great slash of flame had launched from the blade's edge and it struck it across it's deformed face. Black blood erupted into the air as it's skull was cleaved open and it crumpled to the ground. The rest of them stumbled back from the burst of searing air; not from pain, just from lack of balance.

"W... What? How did you do that?" The husband asked in fear as fire flickered from her knife.

"Once my brother gets back, that bit of flame throwing is going to seem like a parlor trick. Trust me, I've seen him blow a dragon out of the sky with magic." Robin smiled back at them, "God I wish Blayne was here right now."

She took a deep breath as she turned her attention back to the rest of the creatures in front of her. They were too many and she knew that. Just casting that last spell had been exhausting: She didn't have the energy to try again. They were out of options. Robin decided that the only way any of them could survive was if she used her dagger to hold off the zombies long enough for the family to escape.

Just as she had resigned herself to her fate, there was a blinding flash of red lightning around them. A deafening peal of thunder resounded in the air and Robin stumbled back. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a familiar form standing in front of her.

"Blayne!" Robin exclaimed, seeing his bright clothing and crackling magic.

"Just a moment." Blayne raised his hands. Electricity crackled brightly around his fists and he thrust them forward. A gigantic ball of lightning burst forth and engulfed the abominations completely. The power coursed through their bodies and was conducted between their forms. They were all blown to pieces by the shear force of Blayne's attack.

He turned to her with a happy smile. His hair was wind-blown and spiked with static, electricity crackling between the strands. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close.

"Don't scare me like this Robin." Blayne sighed, hugging her tightly before letting her go.

"Hey, you left me alone! You and Varia went off for another adventure!" Robin exclaimed, sheathing her dagger as he let her go.

"Sorry sis, I'm just glad you're okay." He sighed, "I've got to let Varia know where we are."

"Hey Blayne! That is a good look for you." Robin smiled, regarding his wind hair with amusement. She turned back to the family and smiled. "See what I mean?"

He turned and walked across the roof, past the corpses of the abominations. They hadn't stood the slightest chance against his powers. Robin smiled again and turned back to the family.

"That's Blayne. See what I mean?" Robin chuckled.

"What... what are you people?" The husband asked in terror.

"Well I'm an Angel and he's a Planeswalker. We're kind of the self appointed guardians of this world. At least he is... I try to help whenever I can." Robin said, as though she was a tour guide in a museum. She giggled when she saw the looks on their faces: she and her brother must seem quite extraordinary to normal people.

They all jumped as an explosion went off above them. Blayne was standing on the other side of the roof looking up at the large purple firework exploding above him. A minute later, Shyara swooped in and landed on the roof with Varia on her back. The entire building began to creak with their added weight on it.

"What... What the... heck..." The husband stammered wildly.

"Kitty!" The daughter squealed, bouncing up and down in her father's arms.

"Robin! You're alright!" Varia called as she slipped out of Shyara's saddle.

'I too am pleased to see you.' Shyara said, walking towards her.

"What, are we all in the Wizard of Oz or something?" The wife asked in surprise.

"The what?" Varia raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing like that. Robin, I need you and Varia to help these people get out of here. Now that I know you're okay, Varia is going to stay here with you until Henry returns." Blayne said, pointing at the family, "Get them somewhere safe and hopefully the government will find a way to halt the plague soon."

"Where do you think you're going?!" Varia snapped sharply, grabbing his arm.

"I'm going back to Ravnica. If I bring a sample of this stuff to Jace, maybe he can tell me something about what we're dealing with." Blayne said, looking over at the pile of destroyed corpses.

*******

"I can't tell you anything about this." Jace said, looking at the glass jar of black goo, "There's certainly some kind of magic to it, but beyond that I haven't a single clue. Perhaps Jhoira can tell you more. She's been around far longer than I have, I mean she was an apprentice of Urza, one of the most powerful Planeswalkers before the Mending."

"Yea, she helped me last time I had a world-threatening problem. She seems to know a lot." Blayne nodded, "Is she still in the same place near the Izzet District?"

"Last time I talked with her. She's been in that workshop for longer than I've been alive. I can't imagine what she has in there, but I doubt she'll leave easily." Jace said, handing him back the sealed jar.

"Alright, then I'm off. I don't want to waste a lot of time. My world is suffering and I've got a bad feeling I might be the one responsible." Blayne said, looking out the window at the blue skies of Ravnica, "Hell, even if I didn't, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"You're a gallant soul and a valiant protector of your people. I am proud to know you." Jace said, clapping him on the shoulder, "Good luck."

Blayne nodded and headed out the door. The heavy wood frame rattled behind him as it closed. The bustling street of the Azorius District before him was loud and obnoxious. He had Planeswalked right into Jace's house again and it had been quite some time since he had been on Ravnica. With a destination in mind, he lifted himself from the ground and flew off into the sky. Not a single person on the ground spared him a second look, as he still wore the Izzet colors. Someone from the Izzet doing something like flying off into the sky wasn't strange in the slightest.

Sometimes Blayne still wondered about the Izzet, about Lizzex. He still felt bad about causing the death of her twin siser with his fight in the middle of the guild, but he also had long since come to terms with it. He had been frustrated and out of control when he attacked their Guild leader, but he was not the one who had killed Tazzex. She and Lizzex had only helped him escape, but Tazzex had paid for it with her life. Crixizix had killed her and somehow convinced Lizzex that Blayne had bewitched her sister. Blayne had been far away and unable to control his powers at the time. Since Lizzex blindly obeyed Crixizix and tried to kill Blayne the last time they met, he owed her nothing.

The adventures of his past floated through his mind as he flew over Ravnica. Truly, he couldn't even recognize himself from what he had been before his ascension to Planeswalker. His life had been nothing but pure fantasy ever since.

*******

CHAPTER 22 - TO KNOW TRUTH

As the warm glow of the sunrise peaked over the horizon and through the window, Henry stirred in his cot. While Blayne had been spending days on Alara training with Varia and dueling Rafiq, Henry had been spending his days training with Nishok. The monk's regimen consisted of long periods of martial arts instruction and sparing, as well as strength and endurance exercise. Henry was in good shape, but these long sessions still left his joints aching. After that, it was hours of meditation with breaks for very basic, small meals. That was the hardest part for Henry, besides the early mornings. He dearly missed large servings of seasoned meat and smooth cool ale.

After Henry put on his blue monk robes and made his way to the dinning hall. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down across from Nioshok and the communal table. He took a sip and let out a sigh.

"Congratulations Henry." Nishok said, clapping his hands together once.

Henry blinked, wondering if he had heard his mentor correctly "For what?"

"This is the first time you woke-up and came to the dinning hall of your own accord. I've had to fetch you every morning since you agreed to stay with us. It seems your body has finally in harmony with our daily routine." The monk replied, smiling.

Henry thought about that as he stroked his beard. When he was a mercenary, Henry never had much trouble performing guard duty at any hour of the day or night. He had also done well on raiding missions cross-country that required long marches and short sleep. This was obviously a good sign, but Henry wasn't sure just how good.

Nishok waited until Henry had finished his tea, then stood and lead Henry out into the garden as he had done the past several mornings. After going through the forms they proceeded to sparing. No magic, physical strikes only. Henry had trained in hand-to-hand combat before, but he was rusty and used to augmenting himself with mana. He was hard pressed to keep up with his instructor on physical prowess alone. Nishok had told him that these martial arts lessons served a dual purpose: To focus his mind and teach him to draw instinctively on the natural flow of energy in the universe.

After sparing for a bit longer than Henry felt necessary, the two of them sat down by the pool to meditate. Sore and exhausted as he was, Henry had never been one for staying still. After more than a few seconds he would usually get an itch or an urge to do something with his hands or feet. Nishok had told him that such distractions were merely an illusion of separation between body and spirit. A disciplined mind could overcome them by focusing inward to the true self.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Henry felt his aches and weariness wash away as if they had never been there in the first place. It was a lovely day and Henry actually started to enjoy the quiet tranquility around him. He barely noticed the passage of time as he sat peacefully on one of the stones that ringed the pool. His mind was empty and his attention wondered through the world around him. He watched the clouds drifting lazily across the sky, the sway of the leaves and flowers in the light breeze, the birds chirping and the bees buzzing as they flew around the garden and the koi fish circling each other in the water before him. It wasn't even until he noticed his own shadow had disappeared that it was now midday. His stomach wasn't even growling this time.

Just before Henry was going to stand up and return to the monastery, something unexpected happened. A butterfly flew over the pond towards him. Henry remained seated, watching it's colorful wings flapping drunkenly closer and closer. He tried to keep perfectly still, his breathing as soft as a grasshopper's sigh. Still his eyes followed the butterfly as it flew past his head, and it took all his willpower not to turn his neck to follow it. But less than a second after it passed out his vision, Henry felt the slightest of tugs on the side of his head. Then he realized that the butterfly had actually landed in his hair.