It’s Cal. I’m back at the School, and everyone is preparing for Legion’s arrival.
I do mean everyone. The ChaotiX, the Cabal, the wizards, all of our city’s defenses.
Mayor Logan has contacted the President, and the army’s on the way. They won’t be much good against Legion, but they’ll be working on evacuating the city.
It’s not the buildings we’re worried about. We can just repair those.
Alpha and Beta blipped back to the School after someone teleported them to Australia, and I can probably guess who. They didn’t see who did it, but I can guess.
Alpha reported that they were about to dispel a magic door they had found when it happened, so now I really want to know what’s on the other side. If Auldryn is trying that hard to protect it, it must be important.
The robot couple was caught off guard, so they didn’t have a chance to block it.
Us Omegas share the same weakness. If we can see a spell coming, we can block it. Our power surpasses magic. But if our guard is down, it can still affect us. Or we can let it affect us, like when we use the Bands of Merging.
I don’t know if François knows that, or if he just got lucky.
As far as we can tell, he’s not in the city anymore, and his housemates have gone AWOL.
It’s like they just vanished.
Did he murder them?
Right now, me and Marley are outside François’ house, with Alpha and Beta.
Jack is in France, investigating what happened in the past, the entire Monster Party is guarding the Pope, and everyone else is preparing for Legion.
So I’m going to find out what François has really been up to. He’s at the center of this, of that I can be certain.
Paul opened the door for the robot couple before going back to the School for a week-long shower, but someone closed it again.
Alpha and Beta dispelled the wards, and François doesn’t seem to have re-cast them.
WHAM
So I just punch the door open, and my nose fills with the stench of fluffy feces.
And Marley’s does too.
“Yuk! Pauw weawwy oba-did it.”
“It’s not really a problem for me and Beta.”
“Yeah, if Paul was a real fluffy, he’d be in a sorry box right now.”
“Ha! Mawwey haf awways bin gud abowt dat.”
“All of you guys have. In all the time I’ve had you, Piccolo and the others, I’ve only had to use our sorry box a few times. And that sorry stick I bought is just gathering dust.”
Marley grins up at me.
“Dat sowwy stick wud bweak if daddeh yoosd it awn Mawwey nao.”
“That’s true, Mar. Now let’s find that door, guys. Keep an eye out for François.”
Several miles north of the city, François flies as fast as he can. He’s dispelled his dopplegangers. He’s too angry to operate multiple bodies right now.
“Those bloodsuckers better have a real good reason for going against the plan!”
He’s clutching his staff so hard his knuckles are whitening.
Alpha and Beta lead me and Marley to the hallway where they found the door.
It looks like just a door to me.
I jiggle the knob. It’s locked.
“Alpha, can you and Beta dispel the spell keeping the door locked?”
“Not without potentially dispelling the door itself. I’m pretty sure it’s all magic, Cal.”
“Right. Then let’s hope this works.”
As I prepare to punch this door open too, Beta seems hesitant.
“Are you sure you wanna do this? We don’t know what’s on the other side, Cal.”
“I know what’s on the other side, Beta: a clue.”
WHAM
My attempt to punch the door open fails.
WHAM
WHAM
WHAM
“Damn it! This usually works. I don’t know why it’s not working now.”
“It nu make daddeh anee wess of a man. Mawwey fink dey make a piww fow dat.”
“Ha ha! Performance issues.”
“Alpha, hun, this is kind of serious.”
“You’re right, Beta. Sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it, Alpha. But we need to find a way to get this door open before Legion arrives.”
“Maybe we should just dispel it before François returns.”
“If we can’t open it, Alpha, we’ll do that.”
Even further north, Legion keeps stomping to the city.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
The Ianos Clan sees the city in the distance, and, far in the west, they see the sun finally setting. Soon, Legion won’t need to shield them anymore.
Ed grins, his face covered in fluffy blood.
The other vampires also have fluffy blood on their faces. They stopped to get a snack on the way.
“Not long now, guys. We’re coming for you, Korkea. And you, Fluffy-Head.”
The vampires see someone flying towards them.
Someone with a golden robe.
“Goddamnit. Legion, stop walking. I’ll do the talking, guys.”
Legion obeys.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
François flies up close to Legion’s hand.
“What do you idiots think you’re doing? I didn’t order you to move out yet. Why haven’t you been picking up your magic mirror?”
Ed sneers at François.
“Because we threw it away. We don’t take orders from you, you old bastard.”
“How dare you address me in that tone?!?”
“It’s pretty easy, actually. Did you really think you could enslave us, Auldryn? We’re vampires! That’s our whole thing!”
“Domis!”
“Dysp.”
Ed dispels François’ spell.
“What?!?”
“And you really think Ianos never taught us anything? We learned magic from the greatest wizard in history!”
“That bloodsucking half-demon could never compare to me.”
“Oh? So how much blood magic do you know?”
This gives François pause, so Ed continues.
“Pathetic. You actually believed that you’re the greatest wizard? You, who don’t know a thing about blood magic? You’re just as weak as your son! And you’re just as stupid as your other son! You think you know everything, but you know nothing, you bumbling bloodbag! Again, we’re vampires. Our kind was created with blood magic, it’s part of a vampire’s very being. We embody blood magic. Breaking your spell on us was child’s play.”
“When did you break free, Ed?”
“About a week after you enslaved us. We’ve been playing you ever since. Using you, for our own ends, just as you sought to use us. This is what happens when a bloodbag thinks he can get away with bossing real fucking vampires around, Auldryn.”
“I promised you revenge on Korkea and the fluffy-headed knight.”
“We can get revenge without you.”
François starts getting angry.
“You ingrates! You wouldn’t have even found Legion without me!”
François points his staff up at Legion’s head.
"DOMIS!!! CRUSH THOSE VAMPIRES, LEGION!!!"
Legion doesn’t move an inch.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
“Wh-what?!?”
The vampires all laugh, and Ed sneers even harder at François.
“You really are just a stupid bloodbag! Legion only takes orders from us! Maybe you could have made it obey you if you knew blood magic! But oh, look at that, you don’t.”
Ed looks west, towards the sunset.
“I think it’s low enough. Worst case scenario, we’re smoking for a few seconds.”
François is confused.
“What are you–”
“LEGION!!! GRAB AULDRYN!!!”
Legion uses the gigantic hand made of fluffies that it was shielding the vampires with to grab François.
The vampires start issuing smoke. The sun is low enough that it won’t burn them quickly, but not low enough to not burn them at all.
François’ voice is muffled by the many dead fluffies. He’s panicking so much, he’s forgotten about his magic.
“Let go of me! Ed! Order it to release me!”
Ed replies in a sarcastically helpful tone.
“Sure thing, Boss!”
Then he issues his order in a venomous tone, his voice dripping with malice.
“Legion! Throw this son of a bitch away as hard as you can!”
Legion obeys, winding up.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
“No! Stop! That’s not what I meant, Ed!”
Ed returns to his sarcastically helpful tone.
“Oooh. Sorry, Boss. You should have been specific!”
“You traitorous bloodsuck–”
Legion throws François as hard as the gigantic fluffy golem can muster.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
“–EEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!!!”
The vampires wave goodbye.
“Bye, asshole! Don’t forget to write! Okay, keep moving to the city, Legion. Oh, and shield us from the sun again, will ya? If we were still alive, we’d be coughing our lungs up by now.”
Legion obeys.
“Fwee cheews fow da Cownt.”
François finally comes to a stop a mile outside the city.
He’s floating upside down, and the expression on his face is one of pure fury.
“Fuck it! Guess I’m doing this with just robots! Zum!”
snap
pop
As I’m standing outside the door, trying to figure out how to open it, I hear a sound coming from the master bedroom.
pop
Me, Marley, Alpha and Beta immediately head into the bedroom.
We find François, in his golden robe, holding his staff, looking like he just spent an hour in a wind tunnel.
At this point, I’m done playing dumb.
I unsheathe the Sword of Kings.
“Auldryn the Golden. You have some explaining to do.”
He gapes at me in shock.
“How do you know that name, Mr. Korkea?”
“So you aren’t even going to try denying it?”
Then he glares at me.
“Mr. Korkea, my patience has just been exhausted. Get out of my way and get out of my house. I have no business with you and your friends anymore.”
“Yeah, well we have business with you. There’s something going on here, and you’re at the center of it, so just tell us what you’re–”
“We’re done here. Zum.”
snap
“Oh godda–”
pop
pop
“–mnit.”
I look around.
We’re in a big deep pit that stinks of fluffy death.
This must be Russia.
“Grab on, guys. We’re going back.”
Everyone does so.
“Bodyslide by four.”
blip
blip
“NO MORE GAMES, AULDRYN!!! NOW TELL US WHAT YOU’RE-- wait, where’d he go?”
“Dam, Auw-dwin can wun fast fow an owd gai.”
Alpha looks around.
“He can’t have gotten far.”
“I think I know where he is.”
I stomp out of the bedroom, to the door that won’t open, and the other three follow me.
Alpha sighs.
“We should have just dispelled it.”
In the vast room on the other side of the door, Auldryn stands on a podium, and many, many robots are standing in formation before him.
At this point, a key detail of the robots’ physical appearance must be mentioned.
They all have metal wizard hats.
Auldryn smiles.
“My sons may be idiots, but my granddaughter… now she’s got some good ideas.”
On the walls lining the room, there are many doors of different shapes, sizes and colors.
Unlike the one Auldryn used to enter this room from his townhouse, the other doors are invisible from the other side.
All but one door opens, the one door remaining closed being the one leading to the townhouse.
“Let the idiot Korkea waste time trying to open one door. He’s not my target, anyway.”
Three hundred years in the past, Jack, having rendered himself completely undetectable, witnesses the destruction of the Faucheuse house, and the argument between François and Audrey Faucheuse.
Jack doesn’t speak French, but he’s wearing a universal translator.
“Comment as-tu pu ne pas nous dire que tu étais un magicien, François?!?”
“Je suis désolé, Audrey. Pour cela, et pour ceci. Je t’aime.”
“Pour quoi–”
“Mortys.”
Jack’s jaw drops, and he mouths two words to himself.
“He didn’t.”