ULTRAMagic Interlude

Chapter 2

After quickly speaking to the rest of the group, Englehart did the best he could to organize an impromptu ceremony. Ideally this would have been done in the Singing Storm Tower, but he recognized that Dragoslava and Kresimira had been using the vast libraries inside it in addition to things not being ready. Plus it was a nice day out. The royal mages set up a series of magic broadcasting devices and the king snapped his fingers to dispel the storm around the tower. There was no need for it now. The group lined up with the nobles and the royal guard as audience. People nearby even paused what they were doing to watch.

"Are we on the air, as you youngsters say?" The king asked.

"Give us one second... and... There! We should be good to go, your majesty" one of the royal mages replied.

Englehart cleared his throat. "Most excellent. Greetings everyone. If you are busy, feel free to continue your work. Listening in will suffice. It has been years since we last set foot in our glorious city and... well, I should've recognized that the great hunt was just a ruse. All of you have my greatest apologies for that blunder. Thankfully the Source smiled upon us and delivered a group of valiant protectors to safeguard the Iron City."

Radovan spoke next. "Yes indeed. Leading the group were my daughters and Barna's son, Corentin. I cannot begin to express how proud of our children we are. Of course they weren't alone. Drago rescued Desislav Robles, a proud satyr who looked after the three and assisted them greatly. Following that was Blood-Wraith, the newest member of the Raynot family. His unyielding bravery despite his age was invaluable. And it is an honor to know that Tusk Willfort, son of Sigmund Willfort, joined the team to tutor Blood and even gave his own arm to stop the Lich. An unexpected addition, Vlastimir Dracul, lent his blade during the darkest hour and helped turn the tide of battle. As for Ekaterina and Vexation, they have sworn fealty to the king despite having previously served our enemy. We welcome them with open arms..."

"If I may speak, father..." Blood-Wraith jumped in. "...we couldn't have done this without Lief." A tear ran down his cheek.

Radovan smiled. "Right you are, Blood. Ladies and Gentlemen, one hero could not be with us today. The Dragon of Old made the battle with the Lich his final act before passing on, "Wherever he is now, may he rest in peace."

"His deeds shall not go in vain" Englehart continued. "The fight with Dunja and Milosh is not over, but for now we can rest easy knowing that we are united with some of the bravest and finest souls we have ever seen. Kresimira, Corentin, Dragoslava, Desislav, Blood-Wraith, Tusk, Vlastimir, Ekaterina, Vexation, and Leif: Thank you for everything that you have done." With that, the audience applauded and cheered. This made the group feel warm and triumphant.

After some closing remarks, everyone returned to their homes. Vlastimir and Ekaterina were the exception, but Englehart invited them to stay in the tower for the time being. Over at Blood-Wraith's house, he was sitting in the living room with Aureolus and Vexation. He was crying, but this was out of joy for all that he had done. The other two expected this. Upon getting his emotions out, Blood-Wraith composed himself and was able to speak properly again. Vexation was a bit concerned, however. How this boy was able to handle all of that was beyond him at the moment.

"Are you sure you're alright, Blood?" Aureolus asked.

"If you need to talk about your feelings further, you're more than welcome to do so" Vexation proposed.

Blood-Wraith sniffled. "No, I'm alright now... that was just a lot to take in."

"Well don't worry about people showing up out of the blue" Aureolus reassured him. "A lot want to thank you personally, but uncle Englehart asked everyone to give you some space."