“NAGA.”
The man in question froze in his stride.
“Naga, listen.”
The man focused his sight on the single person that stood above The Tavern, that figure shrouded in robe and the undying wind. Why was the Magus calling to him?
“I know who you are.”
Naga shook his head and whispered, “No, you don’t.”
“You are able to travel between worlds independent of the planewalking engine. You are a planeswalker.”
“And so are you,” Naga retorted.
“So help me defend this marvellous device, this engine of infinite power. Help me, Naga.”
“I stopped planeswalking a long time ago,” Naga replied to the plea. “My abilities have grown dormant.”
“But you are still a wizard of vast power. Help me, Naga, this one time. I will be in your debt.”
Naga didn’t smile though his words said, “And you look up to me to ask for help. I look down from my steed and say, ‘No’.” He turned his eyes away from the Magus immediately and spoke into his communication device, “The Magus called. All units move in.”
A voice from the device answered, “At once, sir.”
And then they appeared. Across the plains around The Tavern there materialised people numbering almost one dozen. Some were armed, some were armoured, some were in expensive and lavish attire, but all knew their purpose here today.
They were planeswalkers, and they were going to kick the air militia right out of the sky.
As the planeswalkers attacked the lowest of the airships first, the Magus channelled his energy to increase the potency of The Tavern’s shields. This was done just in time as the sky militia spoke that they will retaliate, and did so by firing their weapons at the building. A second planeswalker teleported onto the roof near the Magus and helped him sustain the magical shield as her fellow cohorts took down airship after airship.
“You’re inside the planeswalk inhibitor field,” the Magus said within the mind of the assisting woman. “You can’t teleport out.”
“I don’t plan on teleporting out!” shouted the woman to break through the noise of the weapons hitting the shield. “Just maintain the shield and let the others finish them off.”
And wouldn’t you know it, beneath his hood, the Magus smirked.
The battle lasted for nearly an hour. As soon as the planeswalk inhibitor field faltered significantly, the acting-captain of The Tavern activated the engine and transported the building to a different world, leaving the dozen or so planeswalkers to complete the fight on this one. And for the first time in a long while, the Magus was separated from the place he knew as home.
None of the planeswalkers bother taking any prisoners. Whoever survived the battle was allowed to retreat, as though they were given a chance to redeem themselves for performing such a foolish attack against The Tavern.
The one dozen odd planeswalkers congregated around Naga after the last airship crashed into the ground and a discussion took place. Watching this event was the Magus who didn’t know who to approach, but he had a good idea on who to thank.
Zarin the Entertainer was among the planeswalkers talking to Naga. He was the first to leave the discussion to go up to the Magus and they both nodded at each other.
“What in the world was that all about?” Zarin asked. “I thought they had better things to do.”
The reply was spoken within his mind, the Magus’ voice saying, “Naga knew all along that there was going to be an attack?”
“He’s a smart fella,” Zarin said. “I’m more surprised that he has so many planeswalker friends. Mainly because he doesn’t teleport between worlds anymore.”
After a moment of stillness, the Magus sent the thought, “‘And then you looked up to a higher power and whispered the devastating words that would shatter the enemy with doom.’”
Zarin said, “What?”
“Nothing.”
Thus both men teleported away from this world, ‘walking’ through oblivion, the space called the Blind Eternities, to the questions and riddles, and the applause and acclaim waiting for them at their destination. Only one was going to celebrate, and only one of them was going to slink back into deep meditation to undo the damage caused to his soul by the excitement.
>End of story.
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