Bubble

[Valdar and Astralis]

Ignoring the droning noise somewhere else, Valdar stared at the musty spellbook in front of him in absolute boredrem. The searing demonic runes on the page did not register in his mind as his right hand moved on it's own accord to doodle a glyph in silvered ink. The glyph immediately came alive and skittled along the margins to battle viciously with the page number while it's creator absently sketched out a stick figure. With renewed interest in the ancient page, he added another. The two shiny figures started dismantling runes and re-arranging them into more interesting configurations. Absently, Valdar wondered what the page was about and started reading, more out of curiosity than anything else. He stopped as soon as he realized it was a ridiculously long treatise on Voidwalker summoning. No doubt a summary of the lecture going on in front of him right now - why in the paths would he want a Voidwalker?

 

"Weak, barely worth 'th effort 'less ye want something for yer lame Cherubi to jump on, neh?" - Those were uncle Dreamer's word on the subject, and that was that. Besides, they were nearly mindless - no fun at all.

 

Kitanue, had been adamant however. If Valdar wanted to explore Azeroth, they would have to fit in.

 

A brief "wakkawakka!" beside him caught Valdar's attention, and he leaned over to peek under the desk.

 

"Shush, Skippy! I'm supposed to be reading this boring stuff!"

 

Skippy however, cringed and pointed behind him.

 

"She's right behind me, isn't she?"

 

The shrivelled imp nodded erratically, huge eyes nearly popping out of it's skull as Mereana "Voidrender" coughed significantly behind him.

 

"And since master Valdar here seems to be an expert on the subject, lets see him attempt the summoning. To the front boy, NOW." She snapped.

 

Both of Valdar's ears drooped as he pulled himself off the seat. The warlock stared at him malevolently, the rest of the class with some apprehension. Valdar was by far the youngest of the class - demonology generally attracted power hungry students of a more mature age. Most had grey in their hair though a few slick haired teenagers were present, their eyes gleaming with an unholy lust.

 

Mereana was talking again in her cold, cruel voice while tapping Valdar's silver quill against her cheek.

 

"The voidwalker is a terrible force to contend with, once brought to this Plane. It's tough skin makes it nearly impervious to mortal weapons and spells alike. A magical circle with eight apexes is required to summon one, bound by the thirteen shackles of Nural'Mazin. The force of binding requires understanding of the Third Law of Abu Mashur focused through a ruby matrix. To protect yourself from the nether backlash, four wards are required - no, I will not need to remind you little one. If you lose too many limbs, just scream and we will see if you pay attention next time, oh yes."

 

Valdar wasn't listening as he made his way to the front, pouting. She was always so mean to him, not like the aunties and uncles at the Pen. Why hadn't Kitanue let him go to Mage School instead?

 

"Because I know you, Valdar." Kitanue's voice sounded in his head. "You would have done something so out of the ordinary before the first week was out that people would have talked."

 

"But this is so stupid!. Mereana is so mean to me, she took my shiny and wants me to summon a boring old Voidwalker." he shot back.

 

A sigh. "This was a mistake. Look, I'm almost done persuading the elf elders here to accept us. Once I'm done, I'll come get you and we can go back to the Pen, okay?"

 

Significantly cheered by the prospect, Valdar nearly didn't realize he had reached the circle of summoning until he felt something squish underfoot.

 

"Ewwww" - It was the remains of whoever had tried to summon before him. As he held up his foot to scrape off the piece of lung, an idea struck him. Slowly, his ears perked up in amusement.

 

Valdar waved his hand dismissively, and the broken remains of the previous circle scattered with the gore of its previous occupant. He stared at the empty ground for a moment, allowing his mind to drift back to his lessons with Uncle Dreamer. . .

 

"Of course, summoning the creature would be the first part of the challenge. Subduding such a creature of darkness would require more skill than most of this class is showing." Mereana's voice was actually gloating now. Even her name was an act of arrogance in Valdar's opinion. What void could she have rended, unable to even bear the Astral chill?

 

Contempt for his arrogant "teacher" rising, the small elf pinched his arm hard enough to break the skin. Dipping a finger in his own blood, he drew a simple circle on the sandy floor. He turned his wounded arm over, pouring blood into the middle of the circle. Instead of pooling, the blood rushed away in the form of a complex rune. The class tittered uncomfortably - the instruction had called for blood of a virgin lamb slaughtered at dawn on the solstice. Valdar stepped out of the circle and started to chant in a low voice, pronouncing each term of the demonic tongue with practised ease. The titter turned into a resentful muttering that the Planewalker did not hear.

 

He fell freely down the screaming well of dammed souls, past the Spire of Lost souls with an exhilarated "wheeeeeeee!” Scorching wind buffeted against his wards and made them glimmer purple in the hellish glare. Condemned spirits screeched and wailed mindlessly around him as his mind squeezed through a molten fissure. He slid past the circles of torment and deeper into the abyss where the true army lay. He paused briefly at a shiny vein of black quartz before remembering why he was here and pressed on. Molten earth gave way to blistering air as he burst out of the inverted ocean of lava. A vista of apocalyptic grandeur opened before him - two vast armies stretching from mind-horizon to mind-horizon locked in eternal battle. The black legions of order pressed forward as the vast ocean of chaos pounded against it, each side able to break the other. Huge catapults hurled lemurs into the ranks of the Black Legion, and blade horrors cut through the ranks of chaos like butter while fire rained down in house sized drops from above.

 

He paused for a moment, a mere hundred feet above the maelstrom and locked his will on a ten foot tall soldier of chaos. The creature sensed him, and threw itself upwards, snarling - But Valdar was gone.

 

-"I call you, Ashbneil'Kalladtd", he completed the ritual. Valdar did not see the confused looks of the other students, nor Mereana making a wild dash for the door. Lightning cleaved the air in the circle, and a blast of superheated air dried the greasy hair of several nearby students. The red maw of a portal tore through the fabric of reality and deposited the demon, blinking into the circle of binding. It roared in rage, and the wooden roof blackened and smouldered.

 

"WHO CALLS ME?"

 

Valdar snapped out of his trance in an instant, and beamed at the footsoldier. "Hihi! I'm Valdar Twiceborn of the Paths an I called you." The enormous demon matched the gaze for a moment, and then howled in frustration.

 

"YOU BEST ME, PLANESTRIDER. WHAT IS MY NAME?"

 

The Planewalker furrowed his brow for a moment, then announced brightly. "Bubble!"

 

If the demon had any objection to being named such, it did not show it. The creature merely bowed it's head.

 

"WOULD YOU HAVE ME KILL THE OTHERS, MASTER?" it growled, burning eyes caressing each and every remaining student that had not gathered their wits and fled.

 

"Nuhnuh no killing, we're gonna get my shiny back! Mereana took it!"

 

The demon had already taken two earthshaking steps before Valdar's raised hand stopped it dead in its tracks.

 

"Piggyback!" He demanded.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Valdar and Astralis

[Valdar and Astralis]

"Undoubtedly touched by the dark powers of the Burning Legion..."

 

"-But a child! how was I to-"

 

There was a resounding boom, and a shower of dust fell the ceiling.

 

"Summon faster!" Both voices shrieked. A third voice, slightly squeaky with fear swallowed hard and started chanting at a faster pace.

 

Another boom followed by a muffled CRACK. "Shiiiiny! Where are you shiny?" a small voice called distantly, accompanied by a terrible roar.

 

"Someone light a candle or something. I can't bear this in darkness."

 

"No candles!" the first voice snapped. "Light a candle in the wrong place at the wrong time during the ritual, and who knows what may come through."

 

There was another boom, and the sounds of crumbling mortar.

 

"Almost done", Mereana's voice said shakily in the darkness as the third voice rose in squeaky crescendo to its climax.

 

There was a crash, and a hole appeared in the magically reinforced, three foot thick door. Light poured into the darkened chamber from two burning eyes, revealing an ornate summoning circle with thirteen apexes. Six focus matrices were arrayed around its edge, each containing eleven bloodstones. The room was obviously old- an ancient summoning chamber used only to summon the greatest of beasts; warded strongly to ensure whatever monstrosities called forth from the abyss did not venture beyond without permission. The gnome standing in the master's circle shrieked the final words to his spell, and the ground in the middle of the summoning circle exploded in green fire.

 

Bubble snorted a gout of flame at the three terrified warlocks and shuffled aside. In its place, a pointyeared silhouette appeared, wearing a wizard's hat.

 

"There you are!" Valdar cried happily. "Can I have my shiny back now pleaseplease-wow, issat a-"

 

His final words were drowned out by a mindless roar of rage as the infernal tore free from its abysmal plane and into Azeroth. A terrible green light filled the room as the creature drew itself to its full height, raining debris on the three warlocks now trying to subdue it.

 

Valdar shouted something in the pandemonium that followed and Bubble reached a clawed hand into the hole. The demon gave a small grunt of exertion, lost in the scream of tearing metal. Tearing the runed iron door from its frame, the demon flung it aside without any apparent effort. Then it crashed into the chamber with Valdar perched on its shoulder, leaving a pointyeared hole in the mortar.

 

The summoning chamber suddenly seemed very small as Bubble and the Infernal glared at each other. Valdar surveyed the scene, and spied a small glint in Mereana's shaking fist.

 

"Shiny! There you are!" He yelled in excitement. The elf child clambered off the eight foot tall demon and approached the trio, ignoring the creature of rock and green fire between them.

 

At this point, they panicked. Words of power were shouted, and a stone fist slammed into Valdar's wards. Bubble roared, and smashed the Infernal's head with a savage backhand in retaliation. The gnome gave a shout of alarm, and the three warlocks scattered as their creation reeled and slammed into the wall. It immediately pushed itself upright and lunged at the Demon Footsoldier again. This time Bubble retreated, drawing a pair of barbed scimitars from it's harness.

 

Steel met stone in showers of green sparks as Valdar approached Mereana unconcernedly. Transfixed by the terrifying battle above, the Warlock did not notice the tiny prying fingers that pulled her clenched fist apart, did not hear the cry of happiness.

 

"Yay, Shiny! Okok Bubble lets go!"

 

Valdar zoomed between the Infernal's legs. Distracted, the animation tried to raise a foot to crush the Planewalker-and had its head swiped from it's shoulders instead. Green fire exploded from the gaping hole and the Infernal careened backwards into the wall, arms flailing about where its head had been. Bubble immediately leaned forward, allowing Valdar to clamber up as he leered at the screaming Demonologists. Suddenly it turned away and crashed out of the room, the little elf once again perched atop it's head with his shiny quill. They did not notice the large chest of Valdar's belongings also strapped to the Demon's back.