Fanfic vignettes

[Firegriff]

As a writer, just wanted to do a little exercise to share to develop and improve my style.  Hope everyone enjoys!


Water sloshed the dark, oak hull of the docked galleon as a figure robed in red and green stepped straight out of the fog onto the deck.  He nodded silently to the Captain as the man turned his way, but kept his face carefully concealed behind his cowl.  The Captain rolled his eyes,gesturing to the empty vessel around him.  "It is as you asked, scoundrel.  Not a man on my pride and joy but you and I.  You said you would provide me a crew and wealth enough to make Kings jealous to listen to you.  That bag of rubies certainly paid for the start of my attention."

"Yes.  Soon you will understand the need for discretion."  The robed man drew aside his robe, revealing a small, metal manish creature with an almost birdlike head.  "Did you bring the metals I asked for?"  He spoke softly, barely with enough volume to be heard through the fog as the manish thing made its way towards a large cask on the deck.

"I did, but how you see fit to find me a crew at this time of night with mere metal, I certainly haven't... What is that little creature doing?" the Captain demanded as it tipped over the barrel before kneeling down over the metal with a creaking noise.  He watched, fascinated as it worked with the metal, pinching it here and there.  Tweaking the metal with its hands, utterly absorbed in its tasks as it formed arms and legs, a torso, a head.  It continued working, not stopping its ministrations until a replica had been made of itself.  It nodded, slapped the side of its duplicate's head.  The duplicate shook its head, stood up for a moment before kneeling down next to the original.  There, they set to work with the metal side by side.  "What, in the names of the forty seven seas, are those things?"

"You said this is an unpopulated world, did you not?" the man demanded, folding his arms before him.  "No sentient races, plenty of easily accessible metals and oil?  An untamed world of adventure and excitement?"  He waited for the Captain to nod before continuing.  "These poor souls are Myr, of the world formerly known as Mirrodin.  Specifically, these are Propagating Myr.  They are the builders of their people, a crew that will recycle themselves endlessly for the right Captain... or King.  There are other survivors there in need of a new home world.  I failed them there, but I will not relent until I succeed in rescuing every poor soul I can from that foul cult."

"What is your name, stranger?  What sort of man seeks to rescue a fallen world?  How did you bring it here?"

"The same way you did.  Each of us bears that exquisite spark within.  But I have no name, not anymore.  Never again until I have paid off my debt."

[Firegriff]

"Captain," the man greeted him, face still hidden as he stepped out of thin air."

"Ah.  I've been expecting your return.  How many trips have you made now?  Two, three hundred now isn't it?  Yet, still you refuse to call me by my name or to even give me yours."  He inclined his head to the deck below him.  "I never told you her name, did I?"

"You didn't have to.  I doubt there is a Planeswalker alive or dead that would not recognize her.  Urza's work has its own... marks upon them.  Besides, what other ship would be worthy to serve as your home?  Your stories are too tightly entangled to be apart."  The red and green cloak rose as a lizardlike bird passed screaming overhead.  "The Cultists think you're dead, Captain."

"Gerrard, for the thousandth time, it's Gerrard, you young fool!"  His gaze tracked the flyer as it swung about.  "Why did you bring these blasted Screeching Silcaws anyway?  Makes it hard for me to think, let alone sleep!"

A baby Phoenix hoped out onto the deck from under the green and red robe.  "Protection.  I understand you wish to avoid the attention of a certain... ancient Planeswalker.  There are certain priorities-"

Gerrard gestured at the Myr crew all about them.  "You mean like the way they solved their little rust problem?  Tore apart their friend because he proved immune and not one of them made afterwards has rusted since.  By the way, I have spoken with Melira.  Why didn't you tell me about Karn?"

He hesitated, then pulled back the cowl of his hood.  Gerrard paled as he examined the young face, the brilliant orange hair and the green eyes of the man.  "It's you..."

He replaced the cowl slowly.  "Yes.  The child you gave up your family for.  And what would I have told you about Karn?  That I failed to find him before Urza's ancient enemies?  That he had made his own world?  That I failed to bring him back to you, failed to bring you back the only part of your family that was left to you?"  He shook his head.  "No, my task is not done yet.  I will find where he has gone, I will find a way to purify his conscience and bring him here."

[Firegriff]

Red and green swirled, cowl thrown back.  The man's oriented frenzied eyes to watch a vortex swirling in the sky.  His hands drew two daggers from his waist, points dpwnward and a rather angry looking hydra appearing at his side. 
Gerrard rushed up to the deck with his hands covering his ears against the screaming shriek, looking around him, disheveled.  "What the devil is all that noise about?" he yelled, trying to be heard over the roar.
"Bolas has returned to Ahmonket," his friend answered without parting his lips.  "He found the gate I hid on his world much faster than I thought he would.  He's trying to open it."
"YOU HID WHAT?" Gerrard shrieked, apalled, not even bothering to look at the Hydra.  "Have you flat out lost your mind?"
"A gate, and no, I haven't."  The man regarded the vortex with a nod, and the sound went silent.  "I scouted hus world quite carefully and thoroughly.  His army is outmatched, his Eternals not a threat.  If we divert his attention our way, here, where we know the Plane better than he does, we will save innocent lives.  Like Happy's here."  He patted the Hydra's leg affectionately as it hissed at him.
"Still don't know why you named it Happy the Huggy Hydra," Gerrard grumbled.  He shook a fist at his friend.  "Still, do you WANT him to rip out your spark?  Do you want my family'd lives to have meant noth-"
"No."  Hands tightened around the daggers as the vortex solidified into a doorway between worlds.  Metallic zombies dropped from the sky to splash into the ocean and several contingencies of Myr leapt from the fleet of boats into the waters to engage the enemies in underwater combat alongside several leviathons.  "Here we are ready for him.  He will not find this an easy world to conquer."  He hesitated a moment, then added.  "By the way, if it seems I am about to die, shift out of here immediately..."

[Soren841]

Write a book, sir

[Firegriff]

I do have a book written and copywrited.  Just haven't found a publisher yet.  As an unknown without contacts in the industry, difficult to get attention from the roughly 50,000 applicants a day.  But now to continue the fun!

Gerrard regarding him with concern, pointing into the sky as waves of zombies continued falling.  "If you are about to die?  Did I just not ask if you had a deathwish?  He wants to devour your soul!"
His companion nodded.  "Take as many of our allies as you can with you if things turn sour.  Nicol Bolas is going down, one way or another."  A massive screeching silcaw landed on the deck and he stepped upher tail and onto her back.  "Have the Myr tear the amulets off the Eternals' necks.  It will make them much easier to deal with.  Then have the Propigators recycle the metal from their bones.  Should stop them from coming back.  I think.  They weren't exactly on Ahmonket when I was scouting."
The flood of zombies paused as a pair of horns emerged from the gate, talons reaching forth to pull the dragon's body through.  Nicol Bolas roared in triumph, wings flapping as they passed through the gateway.  "Ah, my lost child," he crooned at the man in red and green.  "And here I thought I was going to have to search the multiverse to reclaim the Spark I made."  He raised a claw to a rapidly darkening sky, zombies starting to pour through the gate as he emerged.
Now.  The thought rippled and thousands of silcaws flocked Nicol Bolas, shrieking in fury and breaking his concentration, terminating his spell before he could cast it.  Unnoticed behind him, the gateway closed and disappeared out of sight, severing a mass of Eternals in half.
"Here you go, Happy, just like I promised you."  A red glow surrounded Happy as his master made a swift gesture.  "Go avenge your fallen family."  The Hydra flew hissing through the air, slamming into Nicol Bolas from below.  It tore into the dragon's wings, falling with him as the dragon grunted and torched the Hydra.
"Do you think these games mean anything-" Bolas growled, starting to shrug off the cooked hydra.  Happy snapped his teeth onto the wings again and Bola stopped mid-sentence to stare in surprise at the dead Hydra.  "What?!"
The man in red and green rode the Silcaw in an arch over the dragon, guiding it to flip upside down as he hung on.  "Happy isn't your everyday Hydra.  In fact, he comes from Ahmonket, and he doesn't care for what you've been doing to his brothers, sisters and ancestors.  But he really, really doesn't like what you did to Rhonas."  He released his hold at the top of the flight's arch, diving at the dragon as the ocean churned below, watching Bolas struggling to free his wings.  As Bolas threw fire at him, flowers sprouted as shields around him, deflecting the flames and heat.

[Firegriff]

The dragon snarled and Happy disintegrated into ash, falling off of him.  "You dare to challenge me?"  The air rippled around him, heat intensifying as he struggled to slow his decent into the waiting ocean.  He ignored the fleet manuevering to surround him and the cannons of the Weatherlight turning in his direction.  "It ends now!"  The dragon lunged with his teeth as his challenger came within reach.
The red and green cowl flew into the dragon's face as the man removed it, leaving him in a blue silk shirt and white breeches as he spun aside barely in time to rake an injured wing with a dagger, leaving a trail of ice in the tear left behind.  As he passed the tail, it slammed into his ribcage with an ominous crack.  He continued falling away from the dragon and a silcaw caught up to him, letting him catch a ride back into the sky as Nicol Bolas crashed into the water.
As the surface of the water boiled below, he returned the daggers to their sheaths before placing a hand to his chest, pain in his eyes.  As he whispered a few hasty words, his hand glowed a bright golden white, which soon faded away and he breathed more easily.
After several minutes water explodes upward as Nicol Bolas, eyes full of fury, used his claws to direct a mountainous manta ray out of the water.  His teeth snapped as he raised his gaze to the sky, head jerking in his search.  "The gateway!  What happened to the gateway?" he snarled.

[Firegriff]

Gerrard lit the signal from the Weatherlight and the fleet's cannons roared, pounding Bolas and his captive mount from all sides.  Ice exploded on each impact, expanding and engulfing the dragon as he roared, steam boiling as the dragon shrugged off the attack.  Gerrard's ally scowled as Bolas turned his gaze away from him then struck Bolas with lightning from above.  "You want to know where the gateway went, oh ancient beast?  Then read your answer from my mind if you can!"

The vast multitudes of silcaw continued their screeching barrage against Bolas in turn as the dragon rose, all pretentious flapping of wings set aside as he narrowed his eyes at the insect that dared defy his will.  "You arrogant little fool!  I MADE you.  You can have no..." Bolas tilted his head in confusion as the fleet changed ammunition in the cannons unwatched.  "You can't seriously think...blast you!"  An intense blast of flames whipped around Bolas as a shield as he gestured with his claws, tracing intricate runes to make the flaming shield soundproof.  "Better," he growled, preparing a new spell in his claws with an eye on the reptilian birds.  "Now to ensure-"

His opponent dropped through the fiery shield as if it weren't even there, his image flickering like a mirage as he slashed at Bolas's neck in a fury, the daggers cutting through scales as though they weren't there.  Ice and scorching flames cauterized the cuts as they struck and the dragon slammed his opponent with his damaged wings to throw him away.  "Enough games!" Bolas roared and his tail lashed at the pest that had, against all odds, bit him.  A split second before it impaled his heart a glowing sphere fluctuating in black, red , green, blue and white surrounded the pair and suspended them.

GO NOW! Gerrard's ally screamed through the mental link and the Myr, tge Weatherlight and all the marvels that had been brought to the world flickered and disappeared.

You think you can save them?  You think this means anything?  I will hunt them all down, kill them and bring them back to kill again and again for Eternity and I shall force you to watch Sparkless, forever!

The sphere disappeared and the dragon's tail pierced his opponent's heart.  Bolas smiled, starting to reach with his magic just as his opponent started to laugh.  "Think it's funny.  Idiot," he shook his head, preparing to finish the spell.  The impaled man exploded in a fury of flames so intense, the part of the dragon's tail inside of his turned to ash.  Bolas staggered back from the onslaught of magically fire, bringing about a series of shields in panic.  The fire raged on for several minutes before coalescing, forming a lion's boy with the wings and head of a pheonix and the arms of a strong man.

"The battle isn't over yet, dragon.  Not even close."

[Firegriff]

The dragon narrowed his eyes, regarding his opponent carefully.  He sent his mind forth to his opponent, searching for a crack or crevice.  Slowly, a reptilian smile formed, his forked tongue tasting the air for show.  "Got you no-"  His body jerked, writhing in surprise as he roared in pain.  "What?!"
His opponent's fiery wings beat at the air as he hovered in place, playing liesurely with the daggers that somehow refused to melt in spite of the intense flames.  "You didn't think I would just let you, a master telepath, into my mind, did you?  Is it not fully known that you, oh ancient beast, have long studied the art?  What fool would not anticipate the possibility of a mental assault?"

"You should have done more than just throw me out," growled Nicol Bolas.  "Eventually, you will make a fatal mistake."

"Perhaps.  Or perhaps I just read Urza and Misha's journals better than you did."  At the dragon's look of surprise, the avian head tilted.  "Did you think I wouldn't guess how you forged me?  Even you, with all of your years and experience never sought the madness of Phyrexia.  How, then, would you decide, with little time to get it perfect, to breed a Spark to steal?"  He gestured to his heart.  "So you stole their journals and combined Urza's notes on his Legacy project with Mishra's obsessions with life enhancements.  You bred, jn a rigorously ramped acceleration of generations, a child descended from both Urza and Mishra's bloodlines.  Not an easy task, mind you.  Gerrard doesn't realize he is my Grandfather, that you used his daughter, my mother, killing her in your desperation for renewal.  I do."  A fireball gathered over his open hand.  "You made a mistake, though.  You did not have access to all of the secrets in their journals.  You couldn't have found them.  You see," he chuckled, "you don't have their blood running through your veins.  But I do.  This new body?  I should be dead.  But I knew the secrets you did not."

"Impossible," Bolas growled.  "I used your parents to read them for me.  I know all of their secrets-"

"No, you don't.  You see, some of their secrets were hidden in the other book, secrets so important to be kept they could think of no better place to hide them.  Only one such as I could have found them.  And those secrets are now gone forever."

"What?!"

"Oh please, do you really think I would tell you even that much if there were a possibility I had NOT destroyed the books already?  I am not stupid enough to let you try again for the full information."

[Firegriff]

Bolas growled, floating back in the air.  "It seems I wrought better than I planned in making you.  So what now, son?  For like it or not, you are my son.  You are what I made you.  Do we tear each other apart?  Fight until the bitter end, destroy everything you've invested so much time and energy building?"  He reared his head, torching the sky above.  "I will have my Spark, boy."

"Your Spark, perhaps.  Not this," he smiled through a beak full of fangs.  "Not MY Spark.  What happens now depends, in large part, on you.  Having attained this form, I can now assume it at will or as needed.  I can die endlessly, always reborn, stronger than before.  If you want a fight, make no mistake about it.  I may die more times than I can count, but you will die.  Or I can leave you sealed here on this world, devoid of escape, devoid of prey.  You entered tgrough the Gate I made and which I terminated." The dragon's terrible mouth parted in a growling snear and gis opponent raised a hand.  "Or we come to an agreement.  Right now, you cannot open a path between worlds of your own accord, but with my help... You can have your Spark back, maybe more, without the need to devour an innocent life."

The dragon's tongue flickered across row after row of razor sharp teeth.  "Just what sortof agreement are we ralking about here?  And how can we both know there will be no... Shall we say... Lilliana agreements?"


So I think this more or less wraps the story up for now.  Curious to know what others think of the story.  Any feedback?  Did I get Bolas and Gerrard fairly accurately?  Each of these snippets was done in about 15 minutes when I had some spare time.

[CardAgain Sweater]

I enjoyed reading them. I am not a lore expert, so no comment there. Thank you for sharing your idea.

[Soren841]

Unfortunately I have to agree with CardAgain