The Magician stood behind the table, not doing much of anything besides staring. But he wasn’t looking at the heroes. He was just peering at nothing in particular.
Taking small steps, the heroes inched toward The Magician. The four orbs of light hovering over the table were bright against the dense fog, painting him with a colorful glow. His lack of movement added to the tension.
This time, the System gave them the rundown before they were in the middle of a fight.
[The Magician]
[Boss 1 Level 10]
You’ve encountered the second boss on your journey. Boss 1. Also known as The Magician. He was The Morrigan’s second creation. He is confident, filled with pure willpower. As above, so below is understood by his mind. He is a connecting force between realms. The elements are at his disposal. Keep your wits about you with this one.
When they were just a few feet away, The Magician suddenly moved, pointing one hand to the sky, the other to the ground. “As above, so below,” he said. His voice had a reverb to it.
OK, Peregrine thought. What the hell do I do with that? This guy didn’t appear to be as eager to battle as The Fool had been.
“Welcome to the land of the banshees. They serve as my gatekeepers.”
“Gatekeepers to what?” Alissa asked.
“To me.” The Magician brought his hands together in a prayer gesture, pressing them against his chest. “They cull those who are not ready to stand in my presence. I did not expect much when I first laid eyes upon you. But, to my surprise, you have become the first to stand before me.”
Alissa threw her messy hair over her shoulder. “Yeah. We’re formidable like that.”
“Are you?” The Magician raised an eyebrow. “It is true you have traveled far. This, I can not deny.” He turned his gaze to Peregrine. “I see you have been gifted the power to use magic. But have you learned to manifest your desires into reality?”
Peregrine was getting the hang of it. He’d come up with a few different designs that had been helpful, such as the UFO, the saw blade, and the wall. Something told him The Magician had more options available. “Yeah. I’ve learned how to cast.”
“Show me,” The Magician said, stepping out from behind the table and producing a wand in his hand. “Without the help of your brethren.” He pointed the wand at Alissa and Wendell and a water-like substance formed a cocoon around them.
Alissa punched at the bubble, creating ripples but not breaking through. “What the hell is this? Let us go shit stain.”
“Silence,” The Magician snapped. “You will be freed once the Creative shows me what’s at his disposal.” He turned sideways, holding his wand upright in front of him. “Cast.”
Peregrine held up his quilled arm and conjured a fireball, sending it roaring toward his opponent.
Before the fireball reached The Magician, he created a ball of water that engulfed the fire, extinguishing it in a wall of steam.
Alright, Peregrine thought. Try this. He used Burning Heart to create a blast of continuous fire, like a flamethrower.
The Magician countered it with a vortex of water that spun the fire out of existence.
Clearly, The Magician had an answer for Fire. Did he have one for Holy? Peregrine quickly added In Memoriam to his other arm so he could use the Quill of Beginnings with the Holy ink. He casted his signature UFO.
Thinking The Magician might not be prepared for the change, he was surprised when a black orb appeared, pulling the UFO inside of it. Then the black orb erupted, emitting rays of black streaks.
Peregrine felt the life force being yanked from him. His skin wrinkled and sagged. Years of life piled on to his body, aging him rapidly while depleting his health. He reached a shaky hand up for The Magician to stop. His throat was too hoarse to speak.
The black orb disappeared and Peregrine’s old age reversed. His skin tightened and his joints moved the way they should. He felt his own age again. But his heart kept pounding, because aging that fast had scared the absolute shit out of him. Thankfully, his health bar filled to where it had been.
“Have you any more elements at your disposal?”
Peregrine shook his head.
“Hmm. Disappointing. But very well.” The Magician flicked his wand and the water substance surrounding Alissa and Wendell responded by turning solid, glistening on the grass as it spilled to the ground. They were free.
Alissa had both swords ready to slice. She looked at Peregrine and wiggled the tip of one of her swords, ever-so-slightly.
Peregrine understood the assignment. Acting fast, he blasted a stream at her Crimson Leaker sword, adding a Fire element to its attack.
She reacted as quick as Peregrine had, launching herself at The Magician. She swung her fire sword, but The Magician created a water shield to block the attack and pushed it forward, knocking Alissa on her ass and soaking her from head to toe.
Teamwork. With The Magician using water to counteract the fire, Peregrine decided to throw a curveball. He sent a Holy flavored saw blade whizzing at The Magician. It nicked his head, drawing blood, and lowering his health bar, somewhat.
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The boss turned his attention to Peregrine, casting a lightning bolt of Holy that bounded across the ground, the fog making it difficult to track.
Wendell couldn’t reach him in time, so Peregrine took the full force. It hurt. A lot. He felt like he’d been zapped with static electricity—times a million. His body spasmed, limbs locking in place. Wendell stood in front to shield him from another magic attack.
Alissa took the opening to slice The Magician across the chest, causing fire damage as well as BLEED. He readied his wand, then fired a birdshot of water bubbles at her. She dodged them all and caught him with Exaltation of the Fallen, which hadn’t been enchanted with an element. But this strike caused major damage.
WEAK floated above The Magician’s infinity symbol. Blood spilled from his wound. His health bar plummeted to half, turning yellow. Magic didn’t harm him much, but physical attacks sure as hell did.
At this time, Peregrine’s muscles relaxed, the spasms subsiding. He wiggled his fingers and moved his arms, thankful he wasn’t paralyzed. Though his health had dropped about a quarter. Fighting against the leftover stiffness, he rolled to his stomach and started pushing himself to his feet.
“Halt!” The Magician waved his wand. A jelly sprayed out, covering all three in the heavy substance.
Peregrine felt like he was moving at a normal speed, but it took eons to climb to his feet. Breathing was a labored affair with the weight of a pile of bricks pressing against his body. He saw Alissa running toward The Magician, but her movements were in slow motion. Wendell was turning toward Peregrine, but the big man was still only half way through his twist.
“You are formidable,” The Magician said. He reversed a smile that had begun to show on the corners of his mouth. “Who taught you about synergy?”
“What’s it matter to you?” Alissa snapped, still slogging along.
“It was a vampire by the name of Vinny. Wasn’t it?”
The heroes didn’t respond.
“I’ll take your silence as confirmation. I shall release you. But do not attack me again.” The Magician did as promised, dissipating the jelly with a wave of his wand.
“Hold,” Wendell shouted, mostly to Alissa.
Alissa thrust both of her swords into the ground, her knuckles white as she squeezed the grips. It must’ve taken every ounce of her pride not to carve up the boss.
Peregrine didn’t need to be told twice. He was still shaking off the effects of that lightning bolt.
The Magician walked behind his table. “Though I do not care for Vinny, he did you a great favor. I might be a creation of The Morrigan, meant to be a stronghold for her protection. But even she did not tell me about these skills. I had to discover them for myself. One might stand to reason that she would want me to be the most powerful, ensuring her safety. The vampire, single-handedly, elevated your party to heights those who came before you never reached. Perhaps it makes you the ones to put an end to this stupid game. But you, Creative, need to learn to expand your mind if you are to succeed. You’ve earned the right to meet my other half.”
“Other half?” Wendell mouthed.
All the fog in the area cleared away, revealing the blue and purple sky above with its twinkling stars, as a woman, wrapped in blue robes, approached. A horned crown sat high on her head. Her skin was porcelain, which seemed to be a theme in the land of the banshees. In her hand was an object made of a blue metal that was shaped like a crescent moon, her fingers holding it around the center point. She took a spot behind the table, next to The Magician.
[The High Priestess]
[Boss 2 Level 10]
You’ve encountered the third boss on your journey. Boss 2 . Also known as The High Priestess. She was The Morrigan’s third creation. She toes the threshold between the conscious and unconscious mind. A teacher by nature, she is warm and inviting. Perhaps she will share sacred knowledge. But, be aware, she is still a creation of Macha, built for dealing death. The crescent moon she carries is a weapon not to be taken lightly.
The High Priestess spoke in a soothing voice. “Welcome, wanderers. We are pleased to have you standing before us. Tell me … what are your intentions on this journey you have been locked into?”
“Uh,” Peregrine started, fumbling for his words. It was awkward telling someone who you were about to fight to the death what your intentions were “Well. Defeat you guys … the bosses. We haven’t been told what happens after.”
The High Priestess had kind eyes that were in contrast to what she was meant for. “Yes. The Morrigan does not share valuable information. It is by her design. What are your feelings toward this being?”
“Vampire told us to kill the bitches,” Alissa said. “Essentially word-for-word. I don’t have a problem with it. Sure, we’d be obliterated. But if I got the chance to cut the chick who screwed me over … worth it.”
The High Priestess and The Magician looked at each other and nodded.
“Then hear us now,” The Magician said.
At the same time, The High Priestess raised her arms, and the fog returned, thicker than before.
Peregrine couldn’t see his own hands in front of him.
“It is true that all bosses must die,” The High Priestess said, though she couldn’t be seen. “Including the two of us. But it doesn’t end there. If you wish to truly stop the atrocities in this realm, then all aspects of The Morrigan must be destroyed. We, too, tire of her torture and atrocities. Her absence from this plane is what we desire.”
First Vinny. Now the two bosses were helping them. It was confusing, to say the least. This leg of the journey was the complete opposite of what had taken place at Fiddler’s Green. How long had they been in the Irenic Realm? One week? Two tops? Time didn’t have a whole lot of meaning when there wasn’t a nine-to-five job looming overhead, or a house to pay for. Like The High Priestess and The Magician, The Fool had not been fond of The Morrigan, either. It seemed the bosses might be in the realm against their will. Not much different than the heroes on the opposite end of the spectrum. But Peregrine had one question. “If you want to kill The Morrigan, why not do it yourselves?”
The Magician hung his head while The High Priestess answered. “On our own, we are too weak. If all the bosses banded together, we could defeat all aspects of her. But, alas, not everyone is of the same opinion. Others wish to be left alone. You three have the power to destroy The Morrigan.”
“Not yet, you don’t,” The Magician added. “But once you meet all twenty-two bosses and slay them in battle, your combined power will rival hers. It will require you to go beyond everything that you are, and everything that you can imagine.”
“Is this what you strive to do?” The High Priestess asked.
“Y-Yes? I believe so?” Wendell looked to Alissa and Peregrine for confirmation.
Alissa shrugged her shoulders and pointed her thumb at Peregrine, which apparently meant the decision was his to make. “There’s no other way out of here at this point, besides dying. And we aren’t interested in doing that.”
“You are correct,” The High Priestess said. “A fate far worse than death awaits. The Morrigan will recycle you into a creature of her liking. It’s why we are now your enemies. In the before, we would have been friends. Creative, you will need to learn how to expand your mind. As you gain levels, your durability will increase, as will your ability to conjure the appropriate designs. Use it to feed your allies and enhance their abilities.”
“Does The Morrigan know you’re helping us?” Alissa asked. “Something tells me she would be pretty pissed off.”
“Our Morrigan is absent minded.” The Magician laughed. “The only time she makes her presence known is when one of us perishes. And that had not happened until you three defeated The Fool. She used to care, but her sisters could never get the best of her and she grew bored. Needless to say, she is not aware of the goings on at any given moment. The fog also keeps us concealed quite well.”
“Well, that’s good," Peregrine said, studying the fog. He still felt a bit uneasy that he couldn’t see the bosses. “What happens now?”
The fog drifted apart, revealing The Magician and The High Priestess, who were holding hands.
The High Priestess smiled. But it was a solemn smile. “In order for your party to continue on its journey of killing The Morrigan, our time must unfortunately come to an end. But we shan’t make it easy. It wouldn’t be earned if we didn’t provide you a challenge. Let’s close our time together.”
