World Serpent (06-24-2022)

== Recruitment- GEO-7, Arthur's Bay, Camelot [06/24/2022] ==
Witch and Wizard sit in the study room. Witch practices elixirs with her resizable cauldron and Wizard reads through the Grand Magus’s book. They then hear a familiar otherworldly noise next to them. A portal rips open in front of them and Xeno-Sorceror comes through. He looks at the two as he puts away his blade and says, “I need both of you.” Witch and Wizard look at each other for a moment. “For…what exactly?” Witch inquires.
“For your World’s safety.”
“What do you mean by that.”
“Do you really want me to explain? Right now? When your planet is getting carved by the second?”
“C-Carved…?”
“Oh Jehv. Just follow me and I’ll explain on the way.”
Wizard reluctantly gets up from his chair to walk towards Xeno, and Witch follows suit. They all walk through the portal into the Dominion Barracks on Jericho. The room is full of weaponry and moving machines. Being their first time on the now colonized moon, they seem disoriented and look around to catch their bearings. They make it to another room, with a woman standing next to a table projecting a map of the Unified Frontier. She looks up and motions with her head to stand around the table. Wizard tries to introduce himself, “Hey, my name is-” The woman interrupts, “Your CACG Roundtable Agent codenamed Wizard of the South. The one next to you is Wicked Witch of the Midwest, also a Roundtable Agent. Yes I know you both. Rial Carson. Commander of the Nine-Star Army.”
“What’s going on?”
“Pharaoh Hebi is back and is going to destroy your civilization.”
“Who the hell is that?”
“What the hell is that you mean. And it’s a gigantic snake. Due to it feeding off your world, it’s gotten even bigger. When we first fought it, it was around three thousand feet. But now? It’s close to 900 miles long.”
“What the fuck? Where did it come from?”
“Cadmael will explain on the mission. But for right now, we need to get you three ready.”
“But why us?”
“If you didn’t notice, you’re all mages. The threat is up your alley.”
Witch grumbles, “Just like the Archfiend all over again.” Xeno-Sorceror explains, “I would do this by myself but Carson insisted I bring people with me. You’re the only ones I know that have…acceptable abilities.” Wizard takes offense and asks, “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not good at what you do. Not yet. You still have a ways to go. You’re both novices. Do I need to make that more clear or should I get rude with it?”
Wizard grows angry. Being the descendant of one of the greatest magic users of all time, he took an immense amount of pride in his wizarding capabilities. He couldn’t believe someone he never met was belittling him as nothing more than a fledgling magic student. “And how the fuck do you know that?”
“Because I can see your Mystic Well.”
“Mystic Well?”
“Case in point. I can see the Mystic Well, a sort of aura that emanates from a being. That aura determines how strong you are in the Mystic Arts, whether that be Magicken, Magic, Arcane, or otherwise. And both of yours? Nothing more than a little campfire. The Grand Magus of your world? I’m pretty sure he was also able to see the Mystic Well too. You’re not there yet, obviously since you just asked what it was. Now are you going to keep questioning me? I’m not your fucking enemy, and I’m not going to beat around the bush either. That teaches nothing. So don’t get your panties in a twist when I try to even help you.”
Wizard looks down and accepts defeat. Even though he’s a good mage, he’s nowhere near his old man. Xeno-Sorceror says to Carson as he walks out, “Let them know the rest. I’ll grab my things.” Carson sighs a bit and then explains to Witch and Wizard, “Cadmael’s not a people person, as you can tell. He’s kind of been this way ever since his original partner was killed. Back when our universe was still alive. He means well, and he actually cares. Anyway, you'll be sent to the southern part of the Unified Frontier. Follow Cadmael, as much as you'll think you know what to do and where to go, you don't. Cadmael is the best Pioneer we have. Do as he says, just for this one mission.” The two nod weakly as they look at the map. Carson puts out her hand for them to shake and says, "Consider you three commissioned for the operation. You'll be paid after it's over. Good luck, and Find Solace in the Nine." The two walk out of the briefing room and catch up with Xeno-Sorceror. He grabs a few flasks and other tools and puts it in his pockets and packs. He looks at the two and says, "Let's not waste time." He unsheathes his miaodao and slashes the air in front of him, creating a gateway to the Unified Frontier. He walks in first, with Witch and Wizard following behind.
== The Mission- Cape of Great Tidings, Unified Frontier [06/24/2022] ==
In a forested landscape, the three mages walk beside the lump of scales towering over them. Witch and Wizard look up in awe of its massive size. The part of the snake moves ever so slightly, causing a vibration on the ground. The two jump back in fear, Xeno-Sorceror however is unaffected by this. He keeps walking in front, checking his map of the continent. Witch walks faster to catch up and asks, "So, this creature, what's the story?" Without looking up, Xeno-sorceror explains, "Pharaoh Hebi is a Blight from my universe."
"Carson told me your universe is...dead? What does that mean?"
"What do you think? It's gone."
"But, what do you mean by dead?"
"There is no space. There is no time. No stars, no galaxies, no anything. A void of nothingness, not even a Quark."
"How...how does that even happen?"
"Levi."
Wizard picks up on the name and asks, "Levi? You mean the guy in the black suit?"
"He looked a lot different when we saw him. But yeah, same guy."
"How did he destroy your universe?"
"The Seraphim coined the term 'The Bellow'. He screamed. It was so powerful that it caused the collapse of multiple universes within the Sleepwalker's Wing."
"Holy shit..."
Wizard begins to have flashbacks of being chained up by the entity and shivers. If that's what's at stake, he might have to put a bit more trust into the Seraphim now.
A tree branch cracks. Xeno-Sorceror stops dead in his tracks and makes the other two stop as well. The forest grows silent. Xeno-Sorceror puts away his map and clutches the handle of his sword, ready to unsheathe. Moments pass, to Witch and Wizard it seemed like hours. Nothing moved, not even the wind or the large snake next to him. In a burst of action, Xeno-Sorceror puts up a ward in front of them, just before a powerful blast of magic energy hits it. The two CACG agents jump in surprise and pull out their defensive spells. Xeno-Sorceror drops the ward and runs towards the source of the blast. Witch and Wizard follow him and try to catch up. More magic blasts come their way in frequent succession. Xeno-Sorceror dodges the blasts, still clutching his sword. Witch and Wizard try their best to avoid the blasts, also putting up their wards to deflect the ones they can't dodge. "What the fuck is going on?!" Wizard exclaims while running with Witch, to which she responds with, "No damn clue! But it looks like Xeno knows what he's doing." Xeno-Sorceror spring jumps from a fallen log and unsheathes his sword. The blade becomes imbued with wild flames. he swings the sword and explosive blasts of magic drops towards a specific area of the forest. The rain of magic hits the area like a carpet bombing and leaves nothing but smolders and ash, as well as the now dead bodies of the assailants. Witch and Wizard catch up to see giant humanoid corpses across the forest floor. Many of them are now missing body parts, and mangled. Xeno-Sorceror kneels next to one of them and says to them, "Orcs. Blights from my universe. Thought they also died. Apparently not. Looks like they're Hebi loyalists. If that's the case, that means we'll be seeing different Blights as well. I suggest you ready yourself for anything." Xeno-Sorceror takes out a knife and begins carving into the orcs. The two look in horror as he takes body parts from the carcasses and puts them into his bag. He gets up and notices them then sighs, "It's what we do. We take Blight parts and make them into armor and weapons. Get your, 'ew', 'gross', and whatever out now. You'll be seeing it a lot." Wizard pukes as Witch continues to stare and then slowly snaps out of it. Xeno-Sorceror waits for Wizard to finish and then begins walking back to the segment of the snake. 
Witch inquires, "Why can't we just attack the snake now?" Xeno answers, "It's protected. Magic armor around the whole body. Gotta find the body part that disables it."
"How far is that?"
"Near the face."
"Oh. Wonderful."
"We'll find a Nine Star checkpoint soon. We're not walking all the way to the front. It'll keep moving before we get there and we'll be here all month."
The three then keep walking beside the snake, nearing the checkpoint as they keep watch of any more danger that might stop them in their tracks.
== The Journey- Cape of Great Tidings, Unified Frontier [06/25/2022] ==
The three make it to the halfway point. They had been ambushed four times on their way, with them surviving every time. Witch and Wizard at this point have been making use of their spells and growing in experience from them, with Xeno-Sorceror observing. They reach a large opening into a prairie. They see a large beast near the body of the snake. It has 8 horns on its head and is extremely muscular. Even from their distance, it towers over all three of them. "What the hell is that?!" Witch asks, readying her magic. "It's a demon," Xeno-Sorceror answers as he crouches. Wizard inquires, "A demon? Like the archfiend?"
"Sure, if that's the only way you can convey a magical demon."
Another voice rings out from around them. It's guttural and somewhat menacing. "It's a Prime Demon. Watch your head," it says before it goes silent again. Witch and Wizard look startled and look around. Xeno-Sorceror, however, doesn't react. "Who was that?" Wizard asks, still looking around. Xeno-Sorceror replies, "My sword. It's alive in a way."
"Care to explain more?"
"No. But for your curiosity, it's the spirit of a Mah'Ren. A wyvern that jumpstarted my career in being a Pioneer. Destroyed my school, killed my friends, all that. Now it lives in my sword. Only one of its kind. No other Blight has been able to infuse with a weapon made out of its body parts. Now, if you're done asking questions, we have a demon to kill."
Xeno-Sorceror dashes forward and whistles which catches the demon's attention. It gives a mighty roar and blasts a wave of magic energy at him to which he dodges quickly. Witch and Wizard scramble from their position and shoot ice and fire spells. The attacks land on the demon, but it shrugs it off as it continues to try to get at Xeno-Sorceror. It throws a punch at Xeno, which lands, but it effortlessly deflected by his sword. Xeno counterstrikes with a wide sweep to the leg, which leaves a deep gash in its shin. It yelps in pain as it continues to attack Xeno, now angry that it got injured. Xeno-Sorceror dashes away, pointing at the gash. Wizard takes the signal and shoots a flamethrower from his hand on the open wound. The exposed flesh burns to a crisp and leaves it charred. Witch then plasters the area with ice, leaving the leg frozen solid. Xeno-Sorceror circles back and readies his sword. He imbues it with a dark energy and strikes the leg with the flat side of the blade. The impact creates a shockwave and completely shatters the leg, leaving behind a stump with a broken bone. The demon falls over, losing its balance. It flails around as it tries to get at the three mages. Xeno-Sorceror pulls out the Codex from his robes and flips through the pages until he lands on the one he wants. The Mark on his neck begins to glow as he readies his blade, which begins to glow a bright white. Xeno holds the blade under his left arm and says, "To Hades with you." He gives an uppercut slash to the demon, leaving a luminescent glow in the air in the shape of a crescent moon and the demon's face cut in half. The demon screeches as it dissipates into the ground, its voice slowly fading away. Witch and Wizard stand alongside Xeno-Sorceror as the demon disappears. "Did you kill it?" Witch asks. Xeno-Sorceror looks at both of them and answers, "No. I sealed it." He then walks off, following the trail of the snake. Wizard persists, "So where did it go?"
"Did you not just hear me say 'To Hades with you'? I feel like that's self-explanatory."
"What's Hades?"
"The ruler of the Underworld, where damned spirits go after they die. He has the power to make your afterlife paradise, or make it eternal torment. When you seal an evil spirit, Hades gives it the worst type of torture. And it never leaves. Chained to its damnation for eternity. The safest spot to keep a strong demon. No demon has ever been able to leave. I'm surprised you didn't know, seeing as Reptile was sent there once."
"Excuse me?"
"Why do we know this but not the Roundtable itself? Specter accidentally killed Reptile and he was sent to the Underworld. He gained Hades' Favor and was brought back to life."
"What's Hades' Favor?"
"Basically he can choose who he wants to be sent to the Damned Realm for Hades and 1st and 2nd Kings to judge and send to the Abyss. An all powerful sealing pact. And he can use it anytime he wants. He just has to call out to Hades. Simple as that."
"I see."
"Any more questions while we're at it?"
"How did this snake get here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I thought we left it to die with the rest of the universe. Don't know how it got here of all places and how it was able to escape. The portal from the Blights was closed. So I'll just have to ask it once I kick its ass again. Should be there within the next day. Hey, listen you two: You're more powerful than you think. Instead of being in the Study all the time, actually go out and use your spells and abilities. Even if it isn't for a mission. Reading is fine, but actually doing it is way more experience. Find some hooligans or something, pick a fight with them. Something. I'm sure the Grand Magus didn't get as powerful as he did sitting all the time."
Witch and Wizard both look at Xeno-Sorceror. They realized that he's being genuine about his concern for them. The words of Commander Carson echo through their heads. Witch nods and Wizard follows the action shortly after. Witch then teases, "So does that mean you like us?" Xeno-Sorceror gives a slight grin and scoffs, "Shut up." The three reach another checkpoint and they provide them with a hovercar. They ride all the way to the front of the snake, which is near the center of the Unified Frontier. They see the patch of destruction its created. Hundreds of settlements have seen its end, and multiple places transformed into crags and valleys. Witch and Wizard observe in horror, seeing part of the beautiful continent be suddenly transformed into a near hell scape. They realize how bad the situation is, and vow to stop the being before it reaches Camelot.
== Rematch- The Crag, Unified Frontier [06/26/2022] ==
The three get out of the hovercar and near the neck part of the snake, which is now inside a large crag in the ground, created by the Hebi itself.. Spikes and sharp edges protrude from the neck, with more along the spine. The breathing is more audible and frequent at this section. Witch shivers at the massive lump of scales in front of her. Xeno-Sorceror pats her on the back, as if to calm her. "Just for show, they're only useful for when it moves," Xeno-Sorceror says as he walks towards the front. Wizard stares at the body, not paying attention to an opening on the ground. He trips and catches himself with a levitation spell. "Fuck..." Wizard says as he takes a deep breath. Xeno-Sorceror points near the spine where there's an arc like structure of bone and hard scales. "That's the part that keeps the shield up. Gotta get rid of it." Wizard then says confidently, "We blast is now then!" Before Xeno could stop him, Wizard fired a giant fireball at the structure. The spell lands, but to no effect. The snake then begins to move its neck and raise upwards. "Nice one," Xeno-Sorceror says sarcastically as he watches the snake rear its head. Hebi looks for the source of the blast and sets its eyes on the three mages from above. They all then hear a voice inside their heads, "Who dares lay their hand on the Pharaoh?"
"Long time no see Hebi," Xeno-Sorceror says as he clutches his sword.
"Cadmael Virgo...you're still alive."
"I could say the same to you. I had my way of getting out, as you witnessed me doing. But how did you get out? We beat your ass so bad you weren't able to move."
"How did I get out you ask? A miracle, from god."
"The god I know definitely wouldn't have let a worthless piece of shit like you out."
"They're not any god. They are the god. The one true one."
"Quit the riddles."
"The one that will rule everything, as they should. Cadmael Virgo, you should join us. You would be a great asset."
"An asset for what."
"The one true mission. To ready the red carpet...for the King With Violet."
Xeno-Sorceror's eyes grow wide for a moment, to which Witch and Wizard notice. "King With Violet...?" Witch asks herself. Before either of them could act, Pharaoh Hebi calls upon a supercell thunderstorm that pummels the ground with lightning bolts. Witch and Wizard pull out their wards while Xeno-Sorceror deflects each one with his hand as he runs closer to the colossal beast. Hebi raises his head more, so that the structure behind his neck becomes unreachable normally. "Dammit," Xeno says as he thinks of what to do. He then notices both Wizard and Witch's wards and runs towards them. "Boost me," Xeno says as he hits both of them with a Magicken spell. They both jolt back in reaction to the spell and notice they feel lighter. They both aim their wards above their heads and let Xeno jump on top of it. They jump as well, pushing upwards. Together, they all fly up into the air. With one more upward thrust, they launch Xeno higher, with him beginning to spin around with his blade. He gains speed in his spin to the point where a normal person would get extremely dizzy. He collides with the structure and it creates a large crack into it. Hebi cries out in surprise and rains hellfire down on the ground. Some of them hit Witch and Wizard and they stumble to the ground, badly injured. "He packs a punch..." Wizard says as he tries to get up. He then notices a huge gash with a third degree burn on his abdomen. Witch's arm is extremely busted up as well.
Xeno-Sorceror comes down from the air and crouches towards both of them while creating a Magicken shield. "You're both alright. You're both fine. Drink these," he says as he feeds them both bottles of multicolored liquid. They both chug it down and sense their body being rejuvenated. Wizard looks down and sees his gash quickly closing up and the burns disappearing. Witch begins to feel her arm again as well. "What...what did you give us?" Witch asks, still in shock by how well she was healed. "It's a healing elixir. Pioneers are required to carry them on a mission. For moments like this." Xeno then downs a flask of it himself as he points out he was hit in the leg. "Okay, the structure is weak, but not enough to take out the shield. If we do that move again it won't work cause they'll see it coming. What are your ideas?" Wizard and Witch look at each other and then draw a blank to him. Xeno sighs and touches both of their shoulders and says, "Look, I know what I said. You're novices. But that's okay. It means you have high potential. You have so much to learn and experiment with. And right now, we need a bit of that. I'll distract it. You think of something. Fast." Xeno then runs towards Pharaoh Hebi and holds it off. 
Witch watches as Xeno-Sorceror holds back the giant creature, giving them time to think of an attack. "What do we do Wiz? Any tricks in your old man's book?" Witch asks. Wizard flips through frantically and then remembers that Xeno-Sorceror said to experiment. "We won't need it right now. I think he wants us to make up our own spell." 
"Our own spell? Right off the dome?" 
"Yeah. It might be tough but, we got to do it." 
Wizard conjures a small fireball and throws it up high into the air. He then expands the fireball, creating a miniature sun. Xeno-Sorceror looks up and smiles. He then roundhouse kicks Hebi in the face, causing it to turn its head, exposing its shield spike. The miniature sun turns into a heat ray and hit the structure, causing it to melt a bit. Witch looks reluctant at first, but then her face lights up. She takes out her cauldron and mixes a few ingredients. She then drinks the new concoction and jumps into the air. Multiple tentacles unfurl from under her robe and charge up magical spells. She does the same using her free hands and blasts the structure with a symphony of magical and near eldritch blasts. The structure finally breaks. Hebi screeches and says in their heads, "I can't believe I'm struggling against mere humans again! After the power he gave me! This can't be!" Xeno-Sorceror runs along the body of Hebi and launches himself high into the air. As he dives back down, his sword becomes covered in a strange black smoldering ash. He begins to somersault rapidly, making the ashes encircle him completely. Wizard and Witch take the opportunity to land multiple magic blows on Hebi, causing it to falter and expose its neck once again. Xeno-Sorceror falls faster, the ash eventually taking the shape of a large Wyvern's head. Xeno makes a collision and cuts Hebi's head off clean. Xeno lands next to them and sheathes his blade. "So cool," Witch says, admiring his sword. Pharaoh Hebi looks at the three mages as it wriggles, giving its last speech. "Your little superheroes didn't kill the King. That was just the messenger. As I was after him. The King will take this world. No matter how much you resist. We will ready the red carpet. You all will worship him. Soon." Hebi finally falls silent, and his eyes open up more with one last gasp for life. As he does, his eyes turn a shade of purple. 
Wizard asks, "Who is the King With Violet?" Xeno-Sorceror walks towards the body and begins to cut off parts of the now fallen snake. Wizard asks again, a bit louder, "Hello? Who is that?" Xeno says while chopping up pieces, "He's a large threat. I need to call the Squadron. And since he's coming after your world, I guess you need to know too. On June 13th, the Precocious Squadron identified a creature entering this universe. They went after it themselves, they didn't let anyone know, as to not cause panic. They even hacked the space station and turned off the cameras since they saw a glimpse of it. They killed it, and they all thought it was the King With Violet, but now, apparently that wasn't him. And he somehow saved Pharaoh Hebi from 217's destruction and became his herald. I assume something larger is coming. Let your Roundtable now, chances are the Precocious Squadron has it handled, but just in case, alert your guys. It might get bigger than planned." Witch looks at the purple eyes of the dead Hebi and asks, "Will everything be okay?" 
"Knowing the Squadron, they got this. I wouldn't worry too much. Anyways, we did our job. You guys should rest. Oh by the way." Xeno-Sorceror throws a huge hunk of snake flesh and meat towards them, to witch Wizard catches. They look disgusted and look back at Xeno-Sorceror. He explains, "I heard one of your guys, what's his name, Void? He likes that kind of stuff. Give that to him as a hello for me. Your payment will be sent digitally to your bank accounts. Don't spend it all in once place. I made that mistake as soon as I got my first ever deposit. Deposit is about seven hundred thousand each. Should be appropriate for a mission of this scale." Witch and Wizard's eyes grow wide at the amount of money they're getting. Wizard wraps the giant haunch of snake flesh in a cloth, wiping his hands of blood and other fluids. Xeno-Sorceror opens a portal to GEO-7 and motions for them to enter. "You guys are alright. Maybe we'll do another mission together. Would be good to have a few partners again." Witch smiles brightly as he says this. Wizard smiles and nods as they both get back to CACG Headquarters. Xeno-Sorceror calls Precocious Squadron immediately to report the situation. 
The King wants his throne, no matter how long it takes. 
Category:Parables
Category:King With Violet Arc Parable
Category:Elections Arc Parable